Colette_NA

Sheez! Castle's even replying on the "rate the anime above you" thread and not this one. C'mon, devs, justify my faith in you.

...and ir0x0r is the first to answer the question, "what was the first game mentioned in Rules of Play.

Arcanaville, thanks for answering my questions. I was kind'a hoping the Devs would use the invention system to redress the imbalances. Your analysis shows it actually makes the tough sets relatively tougher? And throws in more to-hit buffs to boot?

...oy! Well, "loot" gives me a headache anyway.

Arcanaville? Yay! I'm your fan and remember your contribution to fixing SR. If I could I'd put you in charge of The Balance Vision.

The system you propose appears sound, but it would also entail a complete rebuild of CoH, essentially CoH Mark II. Do you consider the current system hopeless?

"Make sure every power set has a specific defensive weakness..."

...and -only- that weakness. I made a villain Mind/Psi based on the Invul description "doesn't work against psi." This led me to believe psi would be the spoiler villain to take down all those Superman and Hulk clones.

Sadly, Invul is so overshadowed by Regen, Ice Armor and Electric Armor that I never see Invul in PvP, and none of those powersets fear psi. So while psi works it's not what I hoped. And dominators... well.... :: sigh! ::

"Take the simple case of a game with nothing but regen scrappers with nothing but +regen, SR scrappers with nothing but +defense, and Invuln scrappers with nothing but +resistance."

So much depends upon the attacking set. If the attacker's damage vastly exceeds your HP, all the regen-rate in the world won't help you. Give someone a massive accuracy increase, however briefly, and SR's value vanishes. But you know all this.

"I just want unsuppressed Fly. I hate having to go at sub-Sprint speeds every time I attack." Cold_Heritage

Have you considered three-slotting Hover for speed? Suppression drops you to hover speed, but if that's slotted you'll notice the suppression much less.

EvilGeko,

I must agree with the Devs that certain distinctions ought not be removed. And mind before you leap, I have one of Virtue's oldest BS/SRs.

Creativity, subtle stat point tinkering, there's always a way... where there's a will. Anyway, getting back to your earlier post:

"Most balance posts in the PvP forum tend to point to the favored sets and say either: 1) Make all sets like them; or 2) Nerf them so they are like everyone else."

So, I would counter 1) Creatively augment ailing sets and 2) Creatively degrade excelling sets until a medium is reached. I certainly don't want everything to be the same but I do want every player to have as close to an equal chance as possible.

"I think that was the OPs point." -- Robobug

Aye.

"Rules of Play sux." -- Fasque

Oh, read it have you? What's the first game mentioned?

Edit: Yep, that shut him up.

"All your arms are belong to us...."

Hee hee! I blame Polaron.

"The devs have said to me directly, that they want to maintain a clear distinction between builds... I still can't see what [they] can do to change things without removing those distinctions." -- EvilGeko

This sounds interesting, EG, but you're speaking in generalities. Can you offer some specific examples?

"If u dont like the system then dont PvP."

no u cant beet nrg blapper with uh dom u noob lern 2 play lol guile nrg numbah 1 u go now I pk.

(Feel dirty. Must bathe.)

Edit: Thanks, Fury. And just let me add, "o snap magic718 lol lern 2 type kthxbi."

"I think most folks in this forum are pretty jaded about dev intentions about PvP. On the advent of issue 9, you get pretty discouraged that you still see stuff broken since issue 4." -- Fury

"...its been what? 4 months since a red name posted in the PvP forums?" -- Robobug

My sentiments exactly! I want to see if they still care.

"Yes. The dev's will continue to make changes to balance the game in the future." -- Terpman

:: Honk! :: Y'aint a redname, Terpman. Nice try. But I'd be satisfied if they even said that.

"That's a very cheap wager..." -- CitizenZero

Cheap? What'm I asking Kitten to wager against it? Cheap publicity stunt, maybe. Heh!

"You are here for the PvP aren't you?"

Use search-fu for my guides and you'll find I'm an RPer, team player and explorer of weird powersets, not a hardcore PvPer. I'd -love- to join y'all in serious PvP but I can't bring myself to roll up an Ice/NRG. I want to know I outthought my opponent, not the game. No disrespect to hardcore PvPers. :: waves ::

"I'm not saying that PVP in this game is balanced correctly because obviously its not..however the larger a match gets you will notice how much more balance there is." -- Bignord

We meet again, Bignord. Best to your SR friend. Your point is noted and true. It's the "obviously it's not" part I'm bothering the Devs about.

EvilGeko, love your posts! I don't usually associate you with defeatism though. Presuming it -can- be done, I'm asking if the devs have the will.

"I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a redname response."

Okay kitten, let's agree to a wager. I'll bet my continued participation in the game that I'll get at least a simple "yes, we're trying" from someone at Cryptic. A thirty-month badge ought'a earn me at least that much consideration, hmm?

Hi. I’m a vet of CoH and CoV, and I want to ask about PvP. I’m taking a different approach and I’d like to ask the developers a direct question.

I really like the basic framework of CoH’s PvP system. I feel it’s on the cusp of a fabulous game and with more effort, PvP could be a favorite game attraction. Unfortunately the PvP system is significantly, grossly unbalanced and the only ones involved now are die-hards who would play with it no matter how badly the system was designed.

Here’s a typical post, by no means authoritative but a good summation.

Controller - Emp or Kin?
Defender - Emp, Kin, Rad or Cager?
Blaster - Ice/EM or Fire/EM?
Scrapper - Are you seriously going to bring anything other than Spines?
Tank - If you bring anything other than EM, it’s just a taunt bot.

…there's no room for variation in the support. Yea, you can mix around the damage a bit, maybe bring an Ice/Ice blaster, or a BS/Regen scrapper, but there's not much you can really change.

The problem for me is that there are only a handful of truly viable PvP powerset combinations; the only way to mix things up is through the combinations you make with those powersets.

We could debate the details but this writer’s assessment is fundamentally correct. The majority of powerset combinations and even entire archetypes are virtually excluded from PvP.

I’ve never PMed or bugged the Devs. So as a holder of a “Committed” veteran award I feel I’ve earned the right to publicly ask Statesman, Positron, Geko and Castle this single question: do you plan to refine PvP?

I’m well aware that balancing ATs and powersets for PvP is a difficult matter, especially with PvE concerns. Some refinement has taken place and I appreciate the work involved. For example, I saw Super Reflexes redesigned into a workable set.

I’d like to quote from Rules of Play by Salen and Zimmerman, a book on game design. I’ve quoted this book before but I’d like to bring this directly to the developers’ attention. I’ve condensed the quotations but not to violate the intentions of the writers.

“Degenerate strategies often appear in complex games, where the numerous permutations of play sometimes afford shortcuts in the space of possibility… What makes a strategy degenerate is not just that it goes against the intentions of the designers… it violates the spirit of the game… In early editions of Magic: The Gathering certain card combinations were simply too powerful and could destroy a player on the first turn. …The publishers of the game declared certain cards illegal, most notoriously the Black Lotus card, in order to keep this kind of play experience in check.”

“Why isn’t a degenerate strategy considered cheating? Degenerate strategies take advantage of weaknesses in the rules of a game but do not actually violate the rules… Whether or not a particular degenerate strategy is considered proper is often contextual. For example, the use of a single-technique exploit to beat all of the computer opponents in a hypothetical fighting game might be admired… a dedicated player has ‘solved’ the fighting game like a puzzle… If the degenerate strategy is used against other human players, fighting bouts would devolve into uninteresting games with both players relying on the one exploitable technique again and again.”

“Degenerative strategies can lead to iterative design. It is beautiful to think of a game design as a design in process, which can grow and evolve over time, remaining fresh in response to changing needs and invented strategies.”

Before anyone takes offense to the term “unsportsmanlike player,” please note that in an iterative design environment such players are actually a resource. They find the holes that the designers must fill. They take pride in their ruthlessness but scrupulously never cheat. They detest true cheaters. (Cheaters could be considered a similar resource, of course. I would prefer the term "game-breaking player.")

My diagnosis, and I think every long-time player of CoH will support me, is that CoH’s PvP system has degenerated and is in dire need of more regular and diligent iterative design.

Statesman, Geko, Castle and Positron, you will continue to receive my patient support if you assure me you intend a more regular and diligent iterative design. But almost eighteen months after CoV’s release if you don’t respond, I for one must assume you mean to abandon PvP to its current degenerate state and move on.

So again: do you plan to refine PvP?

Thank you for your time.

I'm with the Paladin on this one.

Has anyone considered a letter to the producers of this "Moral Combat" video? An intelligent letter virtually signed by all of us and forwarded to them -and- this new Speaker of the House Pelosi... well, if we could even get a thousand names I'm sure that would make some impression.

I don't have the Internet skills to generate such a document but I'd happily sign it.

"You guys can vent all you want, but if you want to actually do something about it your frustrations are better spent elsewhere." -- ThePaladin

Hey Paladin. Valid. Specific suggestions?

I'm confident that the American people are smart enough now to say, "don't you have a mass-murdering terrorist to capture or a budget to balance or something?"

Sure, I'd prefer that CoH included more things than using a battleaxe to "arrest" criminals myself. Why can't my superhero stop plane crashes or rescue kids from fires, like Superman and Spider-Man? But CoH is certainly not in the same debatable category as GTA-3 or Mortal Kombat. It's inspired by comic books that have taught us perseverance, courage and decency.

In 1954 our grandparents weren't so smart. Congress used the excuse provided by Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent to castrate Sequential Art in the United States. The medium reached maturity in Europe and Asia and our superhero-dominated, DC/Marvel dominated, Diamond Distribution monopolized comics industry has been playing catch-up ever since, to the point where the US reading public has demanded transfusions of British writers and Japanese artists.

If the equivalent of the infamous Comics Code Authority is placed over this embryonic medium called computer games, I predict a similarly depressing result.

And States? You have my sympathies. Go get 'em.

Hi! If you’re new to City of Heroes or to the roleplaying community, this guide will help you understand and relate to this wonderful group of people despite their various strange rules and many pet peeves.

Why roleplay?

City of Heroes (CoH) simulates what it might be like to be a mighty superhero, with laser beams coming from your eyes or fists that can send an opponent flying through the air. Roleplayers seek to complete that simulation by interacting with each other as if they were, in fact, the characters they play. Through well-developed imaginations they become their characters for long periods, losing their own prosaic identities and living inside the spandex-clad person they’ve created. For them, without roleplay CoH is just an elaborate game of Counterstrike or Gauntlet.

So you want to join this strange new game. First thing to do is create a character on the –Virtue- server. This is vital! No offense to other servers but almost all the roleplayers (RPers) congregate on Virtue. They account for a large portion of the server population. If you try to RP on other servers, you’ll find yourself wanting for company.

Have you ever been enjoying a movie and the film broke? The whole audience groaned, right? Well, that’s what happens to RPers if someone starts talking out of character. It interrupts their fantasy and reminds them they’re not in the Pocket Dimension talking to their friends, they’re typing on a keyboard. That’s why RPers can seem so inexplicably grumpy over little things.

Let’s say your brand new character flies into the big RP hotspot, the Pocket Dimension (The D.) You find three people chatting away. Their carefully chosen costumes and melodramatic dialogue shows they’re RPers. Yay! Let’s go meet them.

For whatever reason someone nearby says, “omfglol”. (If you're unfamiliar with “Leet” I'm jealous of you. This translates to, “oh my F___ God, I’m laughing out loud.”) This person just gave our roleplaying trio a headache. How? First, roleplayers must communicate with the written word and therefore develop an appreciation for the language. Leet-talk is as much fun for them as Pee Wee Herman's Best Rap Songs. Second, this person’s typing just took them out of the reality they’d temporarily created. The trio will move away from this person and avoid talking with them. Let’s follow.

You observe that they’re chatting intensely, as if at the climax of some very exciting story they’re participating in. Now is –not- the time to barge in and say hello. Patience! Bide your time and listen. These things go in cycles. Eventually things will quiet down.

The right moment comes and you move closer. Do not -absolutely do not- push the button that makes you say, “Hi. I’m Bluestripe, a level 13 mutant scrapper.” In fact, it’s probably best to delete that keybind entirely. Using this approach will remind them they’re playing a game.

The first words out of your mouth absolutely must not be, “R U RPers?” for the same reason. “Those are really cool toons” is also right out. Just forget you ever heard the word “toon.”

Don’t TYPE IN ALL CAPS. That’s how one indicates they’re shouting.

Okay, so what do you say? Complimenting ‘em on their costumes is always nice. However, I recommend starting with the info function in your targetting system. Just as the Trolls and Council give you useful information in those info-boxes, so do these characters. Look that information over.

Let’s say one of the descriptions mentions that their superhero character appears on television. Aha! Now you can say, “hey, have I seen you on TV?” So now, this person’s going to act the part. Maybe they’ll ask if you want an autograph. Hey look! You’re interacting!

Now our role-playing trio start speaking with you in earnest. Understand that while they continue to play their parts, they’re also assessing you to see if you know the rules of their game. They’re trying to figure out if they want you around. Sadly, all too often people don’t know the rules and the RPers might start to tune ‘em out. That’s where their reputation for being elitist and aloof comes from. RPers aren’t really. They’re extremely friendly. Like any game, one must know the rules before you can play, let alone play well.

How to get past this stage? Well, one of the first things they’ll do is open –your- info box. Do you have anything in it? You’d better. By having something in there you give them a way to start interacting with you. Now some people write whole dang books in there that no one ever reads. I personally keep it just short enough you never need hit the little scroll bar. Put something useful in there. Funny is always good too.

Do you have (RP) typed at the front or back of that description? Putting that in loudly declares your intention to join in their game. They’ll try to play with you just because you put that in.

Now our trio is asking themselves: does this stranger intrigue me? Does he have a sense of humor? Do we want this person hanging around? You want them to answer “yes.”

Oh! One of them just said something in parenthesis. What’s that mean? Even they need to speak as themselves occasionally. This is known on stage as “breaking character.” RPers use parenthesis to indicate when they’re speaking as the person behind the keyboard rather than as the character. Surprise! You may in fact ask them if they’re RPers, say “lol” and so on with them now –provided- you use parenthesis. You’re showing them you know the rules of the roleplaying game.

Your new friends know how to use “emotes.” Those are the little tools that make your character appear to eat, drink, sit, or even do backflips. If a graphic doesn’t exist, they’ll make one. “Hemily the Tiger yawns, showing her fangs.” …or “Magpie Mouse squeaks!” …or “HEROID ‘s eyes water.” Learn to use this tool.

A new person just walked in and our three new friends seem very excited. Turns out this newcomer is something of a celebrity. That means he or she is well known and regarded by the RP community. The person’s name may be “Moggie” or “Captain Starfall,” “Parsival,” “Ms. Independence” or “Star Ember.” (If you run into Sister Colette, treat her like one as it makes her happy.) Chances are this celebrity runs a whole roleplayers’ supergroup or some regular event or is just plain fun to know. Chances are they have a few level 50s by now, have written a guide or two, know how to play the game well and have a very long global friends list. Chances are this person is also exceptionally friendly and approachable.

You want to know this person. While his or her time may be limited, (due to being flooded with tells and invites and distress signals as soon as they log on and loving it. I do not exaggerate!) he or she can introduce you to all sorts of wonderful people.

So from this point your character’s relationship with his comrades will grow, your understanding of your own character will deepen and soon even your relationship with other players will flourish. You’ll have a long global friends list and everyone on it will be happy to hear from you. You’ll rarely want for teammates and you’ll never feel lonesome. Most of all, you’ll start to really feel as if you’re a hero in a city of heroes, not a person at a keyboard. That’s much more fun.

See you in the D.

"A PUG is not bad nor does it describe a bad team. A pick up group is simply team members chosen, or 'picked up' randomly, out of the blue." -- Wokkawokka

Quite correct. I did use PUG in an incorrect way in the topic title. My bad.

"The focus change within PvP has a large cultural change associated with it. The standard of worthiness within PvP is one of I BEAT YOU." Grunthor

'Fraid we're drifting far from the topic of effective teaming. But I'm glad we agreed on other matters.

"...the AT roles are straight-jacketed... 'Commandments' is not an accurate title for such a guide." -- Greyhame

"Commandments" refers to the itemized list of ten points, not to the descriptions of AT roles which are simply that -- descriptions, and very incomplete ones at that.

"Those two paragraphs have nothing to do with a bad or a good team." -- Superbull

I disagree.

The use of Leet and the use of a flavor-of-the-month build still set up red flags in my head.

On the leet side, such a player may well be technically brilliant with his character. But he doesn't care enough about those around him to be bothered with full sentences. If he's so -lazy- he'll type "gj" instead of "nice work" I probably don't want to team with him, and I think it well within reason to so advise others.

This is not, of course, an absolute rule. For example using quick codes in the middle of combat makes perfect sense.

The shorthand name "flavor of the month" grows less appropriate as most of the overpowered powersets have remained so since the arenas opened in I-4. June of '05, wasn't it? Overpowered set, perhaps? Right...

The use of overpowered sets speaks of someone who wants cheap, easy wins against the computer and other players. Naturally, there are plenty of exceptions. I know many folks who had Energy secondary blasters long before the arenas opened and the Pink Pom Poms earned their reputation. Still, perfectly sensible to mention this as a possible red flag.

I'm -not- advising anyone to never invite a radiation controller or to hit the kick button at the first use of Leet. Y'all seem to think that's what I'm saying and it's simply not so. I'm saying these are signs of potential trouble and I stand by that assessment.

And that is enough sparring on this point.

Grunthor,

Relax. No shoe leather here. The clash of ideas is what makes the forums interesting. And I appreciate your passion.

"I just noticed your title..."

Title? What title?

"PUGs can be armed mobs but they generally only have that habit in the lower levels."

I too find the higher level PUGs a big improvement over lower level ones. It's those lower level ones that I find difficult to bear. Getting to know a new archetype or powerset is one thing, not knowing how to work well in teams is something very different. This guide was meant to show players -especially new players- how to work in a cohesive team, or even how to build one in a reliable way.

"Scrappers are loners who can support the team if necessary... their primary role and love is to break things."

I recall a wonderful guide categorizing scrappers as Wild, Feral and Domesticated. The wild ones work alone, the feral ones like you can work in a team, domestic ones like me don't do solo. As this guide is about teaming effectively, it's logically irrelevant to the loners. It is relevant for scrappers like me who love working in a team. In my experience, the domestic scrapper's "guard dog" role is one of the least played, most heroic and involving of roles in the entire game, especially in a tanker's absence.

I brought a BS/SR to level 50 before the I-5 SR buff with very little soloing. Most of "Sister Colette's" career was spent as the personal bodyguard of a blaster and an empath. So I must take some exception to your saying I lack understanding of a scrapper's role in a team. Indeed I built my scrapper to challenge the soloist mentality.

"I've figured out you prefer a controlled and risk free environment."

Hoo! My debt free level 32 Dominator and I would disagree with you. Nothing a dom does is risk free. What I prefer is to run the whole darn post-SO game on Invincible/Ruthless without earning debt badges. Now that's fun! But it demands a solid team of very good players.

"There is no flavor of the month set of powers... period."

I think your admitted hatred of PvP has left you innocent to certain trends.

"To say that players who use Leet do not care anything for you is ridiculous."

I wrote, "one -sign- of an unworthy teammate is the use of Leet." I was listing red flags. I can see how this can be misunderstood as an absolute statement if out of context. My fault, let me rephrase: one suspicious indication of an unworthy teammate is the use of Leet. Does this make the statement conditional rather than absolute, as I'd intended?

"In essence you don't like PUGs..."

I don't like -bad- PUGs except when I'm in the mood for a comedy. While effective PUGs certainly happen at higher levels, in my circles "PUG" has become almost synonymous with "incompetent." I'm trying to fix that.

What keeps me in the game (almost since it opened.)

1. The RP Community. I love you guys.
2. The superb character design system. Brilliantly well conceived and organized.
3. PvP.
4. Costume creator.
5. The storyline (which is not to say I dislike the stories. Far from it.)

What I don't like:

1. Various imbalances in PvP.
2. Repetitive, tedious missions. There are more challenges than beating a horde of faceless minions or a single big boss.
3. Certain AT design decisions (the whole tanker taunt thing, for example. Superman does not emit mind control rays to make people shoot at him.)
4. The bar. Mind, for the villains it's great we have a bar. But for the heroes to always be hanging around a saloon is sooo wrong for the comic book genre. When was the last time you saw Batman drinking a beer?

Jay,

Please observe on the following image the incorrect way the glove or fleshtone maps around the left sleeve. As opposed to the correct right sleeve, on the right the flesh tone or glove color extends inside the sleeve and even into the outside.

[image] http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/6...ettems7.th.png [/image]

Also, I've managed to create a tunic and ringmail with the shirt, skirt, shiny tights and fishnets, but I'd prefer a proper tunic and ringmail to my improvisations.

A much needed guide.

On a Necro/Dark (though I'm sure this would help any melee-oriented minion) I find Grant Invisibilty a very useful tool. It allows my forces to charge without attracting the attention of foes at range. I follow in and Shadowfall compounds the issue. This definitely helps me with my agro management.

While speaking about Grant Invis, I'd mention that one can opt to leave heavier pets (Ghost, Lich and Knights) visible. They draw considerably more agro and therefore your invisible zombies last longer.

Group Port helps when your minions clog a corridor. I've written a brief guide on the use and etiquette of Group Port.

I use the following procedure.

1 Keep my minions on Bodyguard as I move, with Shadowfall on.
2. Target the nearest enemy and use a GOTO macro to make 'em close in.
3. Attack the target.
4. Change to a new target -immediately- after the current target falls and hit the attack command.
5. Immediately return the pets to bodyguard when the last target falls.

Timing is obviously all-important.

Mamphis_Bill,

I like your summaries and I think our different appraisals can only help. Even so, your work seems to be more descriptive of what the AT's are rather than what they do. It's an obscure point, I know. I was writing about what a player should expect to be doing in a hypothetical eight-man team.

As an example, a defender or a corruptor solo will seem very similar, with firepower traded for superior buffs/debuffs. On their respective teams, a defender will concentrate upon his AoE buff/debuffs and healing, as his blasting will have less importance. A corruptor must in the same setting blaze away like a blaster.

"About Flavor of the month sets, I agree with you and Bill. I don't think all of those sets are dominated by idiots that are trying to PL and cheat their way..." -- Mohlverine

"...not all who speak leet are poor CoH players." -- Hotbutteredsoul.

"... they might have chosen that powerset because they like it..." -- Muad-dib

I certainly don't want to pigeonhole everyone, I'm simply identifying red flags. If it has feathers it's not necessarily a duck. But when it has webbed feet, a green glossy head and quacks then you should presume it's a duck.

"...just ask the Repeat Offenders - Pinball Wizards, FFoF and the like - how many tanks *they* need... Brutes are not tanks... not all Controllers are Stormies. Very few, in fact." -- Memphis_Bill

Bill, teaming's a very broad topic. I'm not sure it's possible to create a one-sentence summary of, say, a controller's function in a group that will satisfy everyone. And going into more detail is simply outside the subject.

"And I'm not a big fan of assuming defenders should 'heal.'" -- Hotbutteredsoul

Couldn't agree more. I used the "empath" designation here because I'm speaking specifically of a healer-scrapper combo. In my experience healing controllers/defenders go well with scrappers and Storm controllers/defenders team well with blasters.

"...If the team is horrible, I simply excuse myself."

I always feel a twinge of regret when I do. It feels like abandonment, especially when I can see so clearly what's going wrong. When I wrote the guide I had certain goals: improve the team experience generally, encourage the growth of solid teams and discourage the very worst aspects of the PUG. Hopefully with this guide we'll all need to excuse ourselves less often.

"In my experience the scrapper's main function is of offense rather than defense."

The scrapper's versatility means that more perhaps than any other AT, his function will change depending upon the team's composition.

"A team of eight defenders can do astonishing things."

Oh certainly! And a master player will make do wiith the team he has. But the guide's meant to give the relative newcomer a rule of thumb. Would it be responsible for me to recommend that new arrivals in Paragon City try to build an all-defender group?

"The problem with Khelds is it's very nearly impossible to pigeon hole them." -- Arashi

I omitted Khelds because the guide's written for relative newcomers who do not yet have access to Khelds. I hope someone with a fifty will find this guide old news and will find in it only encouragement to truly master the game.

This guide discusses perhaps the broadest but most rewarding topic in the game -- teaming effectively and mastering the large group in large scale combat.

A team of five or larger playing against the highest difficulty can earn the maximum XP per hour, but cannot survive at this lofty difficulty without tight discipline and solid tactical experience of your own and your colleagues' capabilities. Herein lies the greatest challenge of the City of Heroes games, one which in all modesty even your humble writer has yet to truly master after years of play.

For examples of how the large team goes wrong, you need only look at the threads regarding Pick-up groups or "PUGs." These groups are essentially armed mobs, each fighting their own battle, charging off alone, not communicating, filled with people who used cheats like "power-levelling" to advance their characters and care absolutely nothing for their teammates. They attack recklessly and call for healing. They bicker and squabble, blame everyone but themselves when things go wrong and disintegrate against any serious opposition. It's an ordeal to work with them. Don't. Whatever skill you bring will be squandered and they will resent your attempt to impose order.

One sign of an unworthy teammate is the use of "Leet." If a person can't be bothered to speak properly to his teammates, why would he exert effort toward mastery of the game or helping you? For example, avoid healers who use the curt and dismissive "kthxbi" instead of, "Alright. Thank you and see you soon." This leet-speaker cares -nothing- for you and probably won't be much of a healer. Slovenly language reflects a slovenly person. (This absolutely doesn't apply to those for whom English is a second language, but to those too lazy to use even one language properly.)

Another sign is a "flavor of the month" set of powers. You don't want someone who seeks out cheap powersets like Energy Melee, but the one who likes to find unorthodox ways to counter those powers. (Incidentally, Intimidate does something wonderful to the Aim/Buildup combo.)

Moving on, how to build a potent team of large numbers? Frankly, it's a process. The demands are not demands of time in-game but of knowledge, self control and consideration for your colleagues. This guide will discuss these without covering specific tactics such as "draw" or "doorjam." A good team will discover these as they go.

The first step is to team with -one- other person who shares your idealistic interest in an effective team. This person, like you, distains cheap tricks like power-levelling or herding and seeks authentic mastery of the game. He also loves to work with others.

Moreover, this person has an AT/powerset that works well with yours. Fine "dynamic duo" examples include: Dominator-Stalker, Tanker-Blaster, Brute and Kinetics or Scrapper/Empath In each case here, the pair -must- work together to be truly effective, but the combination startles with its synergy and power.

How does this pair work together?

1. They attack as one, never allowing themselves to be separated. They check to see the other is ready to attack and is not drained of endurance or resting.
2. They watch each others' backs, guard each other against attackers, trade inspirations when needed, heal each other if able.
3. They admit fault when something goes wrong. Perhaps the most reassuring thing one can say to one's team is "my bad." This's the mark of a person secure in themselves yet ready to learn. The insecure seek to blame others, especially when something is their fault.
4. They dismiss the ego. If, say, one person has superior experience in Mayhem missions, the other does not feel threatened by playing the student.
5. They care about the team's well being, to the point of taking debt for it. They schedule their play-time together and even level together.
6. They compliment each other for work well done.
7. They control their tempers. When they must offer correction, they do so as gently as they can. They do not resent correction kindly offered. They remember this is a game.
8. They learn how to use their powers -in coordination- to best effect.
9. They consider defeat a chance to refine their methods, not a cue to disband the team.
10. They have incredible fun! Even they are amazed by their effectiveness and the way they can almost read each others' minds. They love working with their friends.

Here is a portrait of a healthy partnership. After a mere handful of missions, this duo is ready to take on a third.

A triad brings new challenges. The newcomer will promptly perceive the tightly knit relationship of the duo and their effectiveness and will almost certainly fall into line. The burden lies upon the duo to include the newcomer, understand their powers and change their own comfortable patterns to make the most of the newcomer's abilities.

If things go well, it's time to bring in a fourth, and then a fifth and so on. The core team will have established patterns that newcomers adapt to.

How to work in your team, by archetype:

Tanker: In first, out last. You're the bulwark other heroes depend on. You protect your team by drawing enemy fire and by provoking the enemy into attacking you, not them. If your team's being overwhelmed, you and your work mean the difference between a fighting withdrawal and a rout.

Scrapper: More versatile than the tanker, a team scrapper acts first and foremost as a second line of defense. While the tanker belongs amidst the enemy, you belong in front of the more fragile controllers, defenders and especially blasters. Woe to the enemy who dares attack your charges! You can also serve as a boss-seeking missile, hammering him into submission before he can damage your friends. You serve in the tank's place in a pinch.

Controller: You stifle incoming fire and help your teammates. You use your storms and repels to maneuver the enemy into tight little groups to make the blasters' job easier.

Defender: You augment your team's power, degrade the enemy's, heal if applicable, shoot as required and keep yourself alive.

Blaster: Your colleagues just jumped in front of an enemy force that can, eventually, defeat them. They're counting on -you- to blast the enemy into submission first. Don't let 'em down! Remember above all you can't save your friends if you're in the hospital.

Corruptor: You go well with any team. You coordinate your fire with others and help out your teammates. You uniquely heal or defend yourself while blazing away.

Brute: You are not a slave of your own fury bar, you do not charge in heedlessly. You defend your weaker colleagues as a scrapper would. You draw agro like a tanker and count on your friends to bail you out.

Mastermind: You're very careful to attack only those targets that are already attacking the team. You don't let your minions spaz out and "Leeroy Jenkins" everything in sight, but instead keep them on a very tight leash. You take great pains not to let your pets clog traffic. You're not at all afraid to sacrifice your minions. You'll even summon 'em amid a big spawn to take the alpha strike.

Dominator: You stifle the enemy's fire, switching targets rapidly and watch the entire battlefield. Never give the enemy his chance.

Stalker: You hit that fat, juicy boss -after- the chaos has started. You move fast to get back behind the lines after you strike. You also scout well, informing the team of the situation. You tell 'em kindly not to follow you too closely or they'll spoil your scouting. You know when an enemy is held and take full advantage.

Ideal team composition -- you will no doubt develop your own combos. These are, I hope, helpful rules of thumb.

Heroes: One tanker, one scrapper, one controller, blasters and defenders.

Villains: One brute, one dominator, one stalker, four or five corruptors. Consider an MM for a large team only if he's sufficiently skilled. (Most MMs soloed their way to the higher levels. And why not? They're arguably a team unto themselves.) Some consider a pentad of five villains ideal. I disagree. Simply put, there's no such thing as too many corruptors while the MM is optional.

Note: the sidekick system is a bit faulty. Do not expect a sidekick with DOs to perform at the level of a sidekick with SOs. Sub-par performance can be the enhancements' fault, not the players'. Don't allow such things to discourage you.

In PvP a well drilled large team such as I've described will prove as effective in PvP as PvE, and will only be beaten by an equally qualified team.

I recently respec-ed my Mind/Psi Dom and am very pleased with the results. What I did is very telling, though.

I was trying to take all the primary and secondary powers to make myself familiar with them. Turns out a Mind/Psi with only his primary and secondaries performs horribly even when teamed, as I do almost exclusively, with a stalker.

I dispensed with Telekinetic Thrust (my nomination for Worst Power Ever,) Mental Blast (infamous) and Psychic Scream. I also ditched Mind Probe as I decided to stick with a completely ranged Dom at this point.

These I replaced with the Fitness line and Assault-Tactics. And suddenly my Dom was acceptable. Not great, but acceptable.

Currently my Dom will be investing in all the Mind Control powers except Total Domination, and only Drain Psyche, Subdue and Psi Shockwave from the secondary. I've also slotted Psi Dart with a reduced End and a Recharge to build Domination quickly.

In sum, Pool Powers are a much better investment than the frighteningly bad initial powers in Psi Assault.

How a Mind/Psi will possibly measure up in PvP against a Mind/_ Controller or a _/Psi Defender... I can't begin to imagine.