Cheekers
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Quote:I've soloed several MM's into at least the low 40's, played other friends' MM's and am now soloing a new MM which I started a couple weeks ago and is now in his mid 20's. I've also soloed a stalker int her mid 40's, but I find her to be much of a one-trick pony. For the first time since COV launched, I' checking out a dominator on the side.Originally Posted by Seldom
Dominators. My personal favorite is a Mind/Psy, but there are a ton of different builds you can try.
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Second choice? Masterminds.
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As an aside, you can also try a stalker.
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I guess I like the MM's most because I find that just about any combination of them has just enough tools at any level to solo their missions on at least the easiest difficulty settings. As you level and the mobs you fight get harder, you get more tools in the form of more/better minions, buffs and enhanced minion abilities. Once you've got your highest level minion, you're golden and can rip through solo missions with ease. Other AT's tend to have rough spots when you're waiting on a defining power or two.
MM's also have several dimensions of play. You can be a damage dealer, you can tank for a team, you can play support and while you're not the best at it, practice at keeping 6 ADD-riddled henchmen alive makes some MM's pretty good at keeping a team alive, if they do their part. And you can take ranged attacks of your own to join in on the fun. -
Quote:I thought it was just me being rusty from such a long time off the game, but yes, I have noticed the ToT mobs being more difficult and have made more than a few trips to the hospital. On my scrapper, I was a bit surprised at having to use all the tricks in my secondary to stay alive when I should have been coasting against mobs of that level.Originally Posted by BlackArachnia
Anyone else noticing the mobs hitting much harder this year, during the door knocking?
On my MM's I noticed that those that prior to getting my 3rd tier henchman out, anything with 2 LT's or a boss would be difficult. Lot's of purple/green insps and carefully hanging back, and immediately attacking the bosses helped me stay alive more often. Other helpful items were any powers that would knock them back/down, giving my minions more time to do their thing. -
I find my Masterminds are both my most relaxing and most exciting to play, depending on what I challenge levels I seek. They have been my fastest leveling characters and I never tire of playing them. I consider myself a casual player, have never been very good at PC games and still I was able to take a MM 37 levels before his first PVE defeat and even then only got whacked when my son distracted me.
At easy settings, they take minimal support to finish run-of-the-mill missions and tasks; just have them follow you around and be careful to aggro only what you can handle this way. If you want to kick things up a couple of notches, you will need to get out of Bodyguard mode a few times to increase your damage and generate a few alpha strikes of your own, resulting in faster kills. This style of play is certainly busier and you will must push the support envelope. Good keybinds and macros are essential for controlling and positioning the henchmen for maximum effect.
Certain primary/secondary combos with this AT do not synergize as well as others, so you may want to consult these forums for advice. -
Quote:It's occured to me that giving away the fitness pool is at least partial nerf to several defender primary powers and directly reduces the perceived value of some buffing sets, even if just a little.Originally Posted by PHlRE
hahahahah, good point
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Quote:Conversely, the popularity (and therefore profitability) of an entertainment product really has little to do with whether or not it is any good.Originally Posted by Kitsune9tails
The quality of an entertainment product really has little to do with whether or not it will be popular.
For proof, I refer you to any list of highest grossing movies, songs, or whatever.
From an investor's standpoint, potential profitability is what they're going to be focused on. -
Quote:I see where you can feel resentful in a way but I think that the businesses that come up with this stuff feel some sort of pressure to cash in on the successful bandwagon any way they can. It's like the suits who saw the Beatles and decided to create the Monkees as a response. Missed the point by a mile and then some, but they prolly still made money.Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
I guess my resentment (yes, resentment) of people billing their games like this comes from the mediocre nature I assume games designed so "back-to-front" would have. It's like they said "OK, we made a game that's basically EQ or WoW, so to speak, but it looks kind of different. But it's the same game, we promise!" To me, a good way to design a game is to come up with something interesting and innovative and then try to build a game system around that, rather than taking an age-old game system and trying to shoehorn a game into it. "OK, we have a game in a modern setting that needs crafting. What can we craft? Err... GUNS!"
Frankly, I like your view of the evolutionary and revolutionary nature of MMOs, but... Well, suffice it to say that I'm still waiting for a real revolution. Whether City of Heroes is one or not I don't want to discuss, lest I get ranted to death, so let's go with WoW. WoW was, yes, a revolution, in that it took the old, tried model and used it almost as-is, but removed a lot of the pain and suffering from it. This is what brings the MMO world to the non-hardcore gamers who don't feel like torturing themselves by devoting their lives to a game. Up until they go raiding that is, but that's still comparatively less.
Generally, I just want to see SOMETHING new in the MMO world. Just rehashes of EQ are getting really tiresome, most of all because I don't think EQ and MMO are synonymous.
As for evolution and revolution, in a way, some genres get too well defined that the purists within won't accept too much change and woe be unto the developer that tries to sell them a new product that doesn't have all the things they liked in their other MMO's. -
Quote:I think "persistent world with many players in it" certainly defines one of the core characteristics of the genre and much of what others have said are also included there. But any genre is an evolutionary concept that is initially defined by some kind of breakthrough process, invention or phenomenon that is later added to by adherents of that genre. At some point, another breakthrough will take that genre to a point where it becomes a whole new thing.Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
OK, so far I'm seeing basically "persistent world with many players in it." I can kind of go along with that, but where does all the other stuff come in to? Mind you, I'm not saying it's BAD, but where does this idea that that is what EVERY MMO should have come from?
For example, when does early rock and roll music become hard rock, and when does that become metal, and so on? Modern music has spawned so many genres and sub-genres and we as a culture have access to so many flavors that it's difficult if not impossible to be a purist any more.
I don't believe there's anything necessarily good or bad about it. As I said it's an evolutionary thing. If a developer incorporates the sort of things that other MMO's have into their product and want to bill it as a member of that genre, that's up to them; it's common marketing practice to position yourself. That doesn't always mean that the product is exactly or entirely what it says it is. Ultimately, what matters is that the product is fun and entertaining. If the developer can accomplish that, most people (except the purists) won't bother with the semantics.
For me, CoH is an example of this. I didn't know or care what an MMO was. I saw the ads in the comic books and they touted a game that would let me design and play a super powered character. It did (and always has for me) so I played it, had oodles of fun and 5 years later am still playing it. It STILL doesn't matter to me that it is or isn't an MMO; I'm getting what I want out of it. -
Quote:I'm estimating that it adds about 20-25% height when jumping straight up.Originally Posted by Catwhoorg
Brought on my Kin, and as expected Ninja Run stacks with Inertial reduction.
Huge leaps
I found this funny: got to the top of a tall building in SC, the one that's just a few feet from the highest height in the zone, turned on NR and then experienced endless rapid forward flips. -
This pack is sweet!
The jump aspect of Ninja Run stacks with Inertial Reduction on my kin/rad. Since I have swift on that toon and am pretty much at or near the speed cap when using Siphon Speed, I can't tell if it's stacking with that, but I would think so. -
Quote:1) I'd like to see new (or reworked old) zones where alternate game mechanics are applied. I'm going to leave this particular suggestion as obtuse and non-specific as possible to hopefully encourage more suggestions and leave it open for more imagination than I have. What I'm going for is a set of zones where the game mechanics (powers, defenses, bufss/debuffs, team and individual dynamics, etc.) work differently somehow from what we've had all these years. Something to give players the feeling that they are in a different game when they cross that threshold.Originally Posted by Westley
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All joking aside, that brings up the question... what other "new" stuff do YOU want to see added to the game? What features do you wish this game had that it still doesn't have yet?
... What do YOU want that's NEW?
...So, what do you think, and more importantly, what NEW ideas do YOU have for the game?
2) I'd like to see zones based on concepts like shrinking or growing. The other day I was playing another game and noticed that from high above, some water towers reminded me of transistors on a circuit board. How 'bout a zone that is a replica of a computer motherboard and the players need to get shrunk down to micro size to solve some quests there? This could introduce new enemy groups based on digital pulses, data or electricity. Miniaturization also opens up the possibility of having zones based on common household areas that to the shrunken players could be massively huge (I remember the kitchen counter top mission in Army Men RTS).
3) I'd like to see the regular game mechanics change a bit so that you don't totally outlevel a zone. Instead, as you outlevel a zone, they make it so that a boss never cons less than green or blue to you. That way, you can still bop your way across zones and get XP for your effort, albeit even if just a little bit. As it is now, grays are a waste of time. -
Quote:Your post highlights what I believe is the most important thing when playing Mastermind: you must squeeze every drop of control humanly possible out of the game UI to be as successful as possible.Originally Posted by Seldom
I have never found any archetype improved as vastly by binds as masterminds. Seriously, without good binds, they are different animal. I tend to play with:
Shift+click as 'go to' (Otherwise known as get back here, I gave you missiles and you want to punch stuff? Heal, boy!)
Alt+W as attack target
Alt+A as follow
Alt+S as 'Stay' (Otherwise known as stand your ground and shoot)
Alt+D as defensive (Alt+A then Alt+D=Bodyguard)
Alt+Q as passive (Otherwise known as: I don't care who started it, BEHAVE!)
Alt+E as aggressive (Otherwise known as "Eh, I gave you powerboosted bubbles, go nuts!)
Since I use WASD and a mouse to move any ways, this means that I simply click shift or alt to control all that the bots do. I highly recommend it. (All this done via CityBinder)
As mentioned, binds are a great way to do this and you can also add macros and external controllers. I use a Belkin N52 in combo with an 8-button Logitech gaming mouse. With this setup I can do all sorts of things within a split second and some more complex things without taking my hands off either controller. For example, I can split my henchmen into squads sending a couple to the left, a couple to the right and the rest stay with me in Bodyguard mode while I draw my targets into a gauntlet.
I find that the added benefit of using this controller combo is that it works well for other AT's too. I have one set of keybinds that I set up when I create a new character and from that point on, it's just a matter of dropping new powers and temp powers into the correct tray slot. So, for example, one of the mouse buttons under my thumb triggers '6' on the keyboard, which is where I always drop my travel power. It's a setup I've used since the earliest days of the game. -
I think that defenders do need a boost in base damage that should be balanced by a decrease in their damage cap so that they cap out at current levels. Thsi would allow them to solo better and contribute more in small teams, but transition toward more support in larger teams where their damage is less of a factor.
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MA fathered my children.
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Before I post the build, I will say one final thing. Defenders DESPERATELY need a damage boost. If we take Scrappers as the midpoint (balance of offense and defense), Tankers get more defense at the expense of offense, Blasters get offense at the expense of defense, and Defenders get less offense AND less defense! That seems unbalanced to me.
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Defenders, damagewise, aren't too bad off when properly buffed, as they would be in a team with other buffers. Solo, they are wanting in damage - more than any other AT I've played (I haven't played doms to any decent level tho). My suggestion some time ago was to buff defender damage but lower their damage cap so that they cap out at current levels. Til then, my favorite defenders are my MM's. -
For me it was trio-ing the original respec trial (skyraiders version) with another def and a scrapper. We started the mission with a blaster who dropped out and then the other def (emp/psi), scrapper (kat/reg), and I (kin/rad) went off to Terra Volta and methodically took it apart.
At that time these forums were awash with thread after thread about how difficult the trial was, especially for gimped characters, but there we were, three gimped characters and only one real damage dealer. But we did it. -
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Massive, epic FAIL. Something so profoundly, massively balance altering as being able to skip a travel prereq being doled out as a veteran reward? I thought these were supposed to be perks and conveniences, not ways for vets to ignore the power rules the rest of us have to follow.
Seriously, this is an absolutely insane change to give to just a small segment of the population. Given that this reward kicks in at 5 years, it's frankly unlikely that most will *ever* get to this reward during the lifetime of the game.
And, yes, I'm mostly annoyed that I doubt I'll ever get to use this. I have about 8 billion builds that would benefit immensely from being able to drop the travel prereq. But, seriously, this is by far the biggest thing they've ever given out in a vet reward, and frankly I think it's way *too* big to give out as a vet reward. I obviously can't say for sure how I'd react if I *was* in line to get this - I know I'd be quite interested in the options it would open up - but I'd like to think that I'd find this a bit iffy even then. Allowing just a small portion of the population to ignore such a fundamental rule seems more than a bit unfair.
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Based on your reg date, I'm assuming that you've been playing the game for a couple of years. I can assure you that the proposed Vet reward, while it may seem like a lot to you, is different to people whose perspective is much different from yours because we've been playing since 2004. Of the original 70 people in my once proud SG from way back then, I'm the only one left in the game.
These vet rewards are to reward those that have stuck it out this long and have resisted the urge to drop the game and do something else. And believe, that urge gets stronger and stronger and stronger all the time. It will be the same for you if and when you get there.
As to whether or not they are overpowered, I don't think so. Kheldians get travel powers at level 1 and it is now possible to buy temp travel powers at level one for ALL your new alts. The purpose of SOME of these vet rewards powers, I believe, is to make the game go a bit faster in the early levels for people who've been around the block several times. Whe you are rolling your nth alt, it's nice to know you can get through the early levels just a bit faster. Is it an advantage? Yes, but not a large one and mostly only in the early levels. It evens out toward the higher levels. -
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In case you got this far (or only found this through the Dev Tracker)...
Visual Sounds are NOT going into the game. We are NOT deleting all your sounds off your hard drive. This was NCNorCal's internet prank for April 1st, 2008.
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At the very, very least, give us FREEM. You owe us that. -
Fair enough.
But do you think it would be possible for the devs to implement a rudimentary interface where players could - on their side only - replace some of these elements with some of their own design? Perhaps allow for some kind of file exchange so that people who really get off on creating stuff like that can do most of the work and others can benefit. They needn't expose the program's inner workings if they build a shell around it and allow us to work just on images, colors and textures. -
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...As for the costumization of henchmen...the biggest thing right now is that the power system calls a critter into creation. That critter references an NPC, which references a costume definition. That's all soft coded right now, so there's not any way to allow for a selection between a set of pre-built henchmen. It's very similiar to the soft coding of power animations and FX, but a couple of more layers removed. So a lot of code work, power work, and database work to retcon that system into place.
Beyond that, full customization of henchmen or pets is theoretically possible, but it would require a similiar amount of rewriting of the core systems similiar to power customization as well as the ability to actually create a customized henchman's 'costume'. That would all then need to be stored on invididual players...so that's a pretty significant additional amount of data to be pushing down the pipeline. Then there's the issue of how to handle upgrades for minions.
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Hmmmm. That just got me thinking, is there any way to get some of this done client-side only?
If memory serves me correctly, people used to hack into the game data files on their PC's and change the way their weapons and other things looked. This was only client-side, meaning others still perceived them they way they should normally look, but they could at least enjoy watching their characters with the customizations they created. As I recall, being able to accessing these game innards on the user's PC was stopped due to it beign a EULA violation.
But this leads me to this question: is there a way to implement at least some of what power customization would look like, even if it is only on the client side and only the player can see his/her customizations? If so, is it prohibitively difficult to do? -
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I think the real problem with the nukes have always been their activation time. They need to trigger a little faster to work as that last ditch effort to save yourself.
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This is part of what I was saying about the nukes. We don't exactly know what they are for (and Castle is implying they might not have been for anything at all specifically). But if they are meant to be alpha strike weapons, they should have enough damage potential to get the job done all by themselves, because their crash precludes finishing off crippled targets. If they are meant to be last-ditch finishing blows, they don't need to necessarily have as much damage to one-shot things, but they should activate very fast.
Which is the dillema regarding them. In my opinion, they are too slow to be finishing blows, and they are too weak to be alpha strike killers given their crash. Which means the combination of attributes makes them poorly designed.
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Not necessarily. Maybe they're not a "open-up-the-fight-with-it" or a "last-ditch-oh-crap" power. Maybe they're more of a "use-it-while-you -still-can" power. As such, I tend to use nukes on my blasters and defenders not as an alphastrike but after I've softened the mobs up a bit though certainly not when I'm a hair's width from defeat. -
Tough choice simply because none of these items would be in the top 5 things I like about the game. What about powers, AT's, soloability, missions, TF's, etc.? I hope a poll like this isn't used to present a skewed conclusion about what the playerbase likes most about the game.
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Just wait until the Marvel MMO releases and there's only a finite amount of things to do in that universe (which I'm sure there will be considering the story-driven Marvel world). Then you'll really see how badly replay value is demanded in MMO's.
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There's only a finite amount of things to do in ANY game universe. However, there are many of us who play COx because of the superhero/comic book aspect of it and some of us have been immersed in the marvel (and DC) universe storylines for decades (over 35 years for me). And having the opportunity to play a part in those universes and weave our imaginations into those storylines would be loads of fun, methinks.
The backstory of the COx universe has never done anything for me. I've read some of the comic book, tried to follow the storylines (in the comics and in-game) and they just don't compare to the comics I've been reading for ages. They have never drawn me in. I think i would enjoy the Marvel/Cryptic MMO more and longer if they do it right.
It's hard for any purely fictional storyline to draw people in, especially as it gets older and older. COx, IMHO, would have more interesting storylines and content opportunities if they had woven in some real-world and historical aspects like setting it in a certain time period (WWII or Cold-War Europe, for example), included some real world places like exotic cities and tied it in with familiar geopolitical scenarios.
Without these familiar cues, the storyline has to do all the work and become the main compelling reason for immersion, and the writing must be absolutely top notch, and so far it hasn't done anything for me.
Consider Faultline (yes, I know an fresh update is coming for it, but I suspect it'll really be more stuff we've seen in other zones). It appears to be an earthquake ravaged zone that for most of us is just a pain in the butt to get around in. It would have been more fun to me if Faultline was a portal to a pre-earthquake San Francisco or L.A., replete with landmarks, and I was placed into a story arc where I had to complete a series of missions knowing that the Big One could hit at any minute, killing everything possibly including me. -
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So should i pick Mog or Phase shift on my spines/regen stalker?
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I use teleport, slotted for distance.
Mr. Miyagi: Best defense ... no be there. -
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My avatar is an old picture of Geko that was an easter egg in a product that Segasoft had.
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I am deeply disturbed by that.
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It was for Virtual Makeover, a hairstyle/makeup application. As I understand it, Geko wasn't directly involved in that product but his co-workers went ahead and put his picture in. -
My avatar is an old picture of Geko that was an easter egg in a product that Segasoft had.