Chyll

You know what? I'd agree, and I've felt like the minority with that attitude.

Lambda has a fast pace, stays smaller in size (particuarly with the split for acid/grenade collection) so you feel directly like you are contributing, The Marauder fight isn't a straight up AV bash, and the overall length feels about right time, etc.

Keyes really isn't bad either. The setup steps are a bit mundane, but it makes sense and now that the pulse isn't overpowered, it feels about right. That last fight has a great pace and frenetic feel to it.

The others... bleh. BAF feels like a first try at trials that lacks flair. UGT would be cool, but is way longer than it needs to be and that weighs the whole thing down (though ascetically, I love UGT). MoM is... well, it wants to be epic, but it is just a goulash of psionic slop from what I can tell on my repeated attempts. I haven't even bothered with TPN based on everything I've read.


So for the OP, I'd personally like to see more things like Lambda. Sharp, fast, smaller sub-teams in different areas and then a regather for something like Keyes/Marauder finish.

I'll admit it. I'm a heathen. I have not purchased TW and had no plans to, as it just isn't my thing.

This screenshot may just inspire me to change that stance. OUTSTANDING look. Kudos, that is just full of win.

What I got from that scene is, if I was a pro scout "sign that running back right now".

You aren't weird, and the extreme focus from some on increasing their damage is just getting a tad silly.

I had not gotten any until today (12/18) on a Manti. It was so bad that even attempting to select the TF character at the server screen resulted in a failure to connect to mapserver error. Took about 5-6 tries to get reconnected and playing.

That's weird?

So a character works and learns and develops - fighting against the worst that Paragon has to offer. Sometimes he is defeated, only to jump back into the fray. He works alone, pushing the difficulty of his foes to the limit. He works in teams, facing powerful Archvillains for the greater good. He (ok, or she) rises in ability to gain a status of incarnate... and suddenly, nothing can be achieved without forming leagues of allies.

I can't speak for everyone, but I doubt it is that being an incarnate trivialized the old content and something more powerful was wanted. For me it was I wanted something that let me continue to face scaled foes and challenges and continue my story (stories). Not for the the level of opposition to jump through the roof.

Being dissatisfied with this is weird? No, it is weird that when a character is supposed to be at its most powerful it feels the weakest. That is weird.

(Opposition is scaled in form of challenge throughout this game. Failure and limitation is possible, but not insurmountable because you are the SUPERHERO and meant to overcome.

This isn't your normal content tossed into some MMO. You aren't a faceless soldier. You aren't some witty smuggler. You aren't a knight. You are a superhero. And as you reach for the peak of your power you suddenly you can't do anything new alone, or even with a small team. I get that this is an MMO, and I get that many thoroughly enjoy the trials, and I've played Lam, and BAF, and Keyes, and UGT repeatedly and had fun. But for me it just doesn't feel right with the motif. And now, these two new ones.... well, I sure don't feel heroic getting crushed in confusing waves of brutal psionic attacks or letting a rock from some wickedly buffed average joe lay an incarnate out for any reason.

Give me a challenge, that is fine. New mechanics, quirks to drive cooperation and balance in the teams - these I accept. Reducing 16-24 incarnates to a struggle simply because of insane damage is neither amusing or fun. It is certainly not a challenge that I appreciate.

There is a formula for this game that is crazy fun and success from 1-50... and then suddenly the formula changes.

Again, I recognize the place for trials in an MMO. Yet, I hail the coming change of Dark Astoria, and I still contend it was an abject design failure to wait as long as they did. I hope it returns to the successful core of this game.

They bought 12 more months of my loyalty with hope before when I wavered. I am wavering again, and only DA and letting me feel like a HERO again is likely to save it. If that doesn't deliver... I will make a sad face... and I am becoming apprehensive about it.)

edit: You know, after years of being on the 'we don't need to raise the level cap' bandwagon I am starting to think that raising the level cap and adding appropriate content would have been much better...

That is the question though... What level will he die at? The death in the ep4 was when we were, what? 40? If they play eps 5-7 at 50, then the issue shrinks some, but they already said they were adjusting content throughout the game related to the affected character, so there are interesting possibilities in store.

Also, remember time is by level in a character's career, right? Not chronological time for us as players.

Or what does poor Maria ask us to do now?

edit: they did say they have a lot of content to rework due to the death. It will be interesting to see how that arc shifts and the timing of when Statesman is supposed to die in the Praetorian time line...

But it does undercut the strength of the in-game story telling. And that is my problem with it. It cheapens their product.

When watching a movie or reading a book I never - NEVER - skip ahead to read a key point so I can go back and then continue with that revealed nugget in order to make the story more rich and fulfilling. (for example, ever see a book jacket that says - 'On page 400 this key event will take place. Enjoy!' Or wouldn't Star Wars have been awesome if while Luke was training with Yoda the film stopped and a trailer revealed that Vader was his dad, or that Han would be captured no matter what he did, and then the movie continued?)

I categorically reject any premise that says this particular story is somehow different than any other medium of story telling.

And that doesn't even address the fact that I am so thoroughly enjoying the arc, that I was taking the time to consider which character got the opportunity to run it, and whether it is a hero or villain first to find out what happens for myself. I was looking forward to ep5 after ep4. Now I really, really don't care as much about the story anymore. Like it or not, Zwil, this decision has sullied the experience I was enjoying from WWD.

(As an aside, I joined about Issue 7 and I never had a strong opinion one way or another about anything big picture that was done until recently. And now item after item is piling up and now I feel like a negative nancy [no offense to any nancies out there]... I am becoming increasingly disappointed and unenthusiastic over the last 12 months....)

The +resist as your health diminishes (in Dodge?) is a very nice steroid power on a tank. Very, very noticable on a tank when I almost always forget about it on a scrapper.

Afterburner does give significant control of the 'sloppy' nature of fly.
I doubt the total speed needed is there, but didn't think to try it when I was on briefly last night. Just wondered if anyone else did.

The point of the spoiler complaint with this is that there was no reason to reveal this. Allow speculation and discussion and interest for ep 5 to continue for weeks.(particularly after the generally favaorable ep 4 response I've seen.)

Then allow the story to tell itself and let the community bubble and churn on its own when ep 5 hits live. For the life of me I cannot think of one good reason for this to have been revealed. At all.

Outstanding post.

I am stunned by the awesomeness of this complete ruination of story for premature marketing.

(For the record, I never would have clicked on the thread if I had thought there was something so explicit after all the hinting and vague-ary to this point...)

All true, I'm sure... but from a marketing and letting the story tell itself standpoint, I am deducting eleventy-billion points...

I scanned for a response, and if I missed it, I apologize.

Yes, it is a remake of the original Seven Samurai. However, it takes the premise and translates it remarkably well to the Old West of the USA. It is a worthy and enjoyable film on its own - more so if you know the source material and enjoyed that.

AFAIK, all the 'shop bought' are attuned - which means they are always equal to your playing level. So if exemp'd for a task force, they adjust with you. If you sk up for a task force, they adjust up with you.

It could easily be argued that they are superior to crafted versions.

Oh, no doubt there, the OP was doomed from the start.

I know, Gecko. I said, I like their communication, but that is because it reaches me, and most of those with whom I regularly play.

All I'm saying is given posts like the OP's, and a few conversations in game... people are still missing the message so the communication is not all inclusive of their target audience. I don't even know if they need/can do more, but there is a segment that is not covered, for whatever reason. It is just an observation.

Yes, they do and I am generally impressed by their amount of communication.

But look at what you wrote... that is heavily forums focused. Now, what percentage of the playerbase actively/regularly uses the forums? How many casually check it out periodically? How many every now and then? How many never?

That, or Dev communication isn't as deep into the playerbase as they'd like.