Colette_NA

Some additions...

There's an old actors' question, "what's my motivation?" Nothing helps drive a character more than knowing what he or she wants. And make it a burning, driving need. Think of this need as an engine pushing your character into action. An exciting ride needs a hot, powerful engine.

For example, avengers like the Count of Monte Cristo, the Batman or V have very potent engines driving them to do what they do.

Some characters are driven merely to be... yet simply being what they are demands their all. Captain America's a good example.

Some are driven by empathy and compassion. Superman does what he does because he cares.

Though two characters may be alike in intellect, interests and special gifts, the drive of a Mr. Fantastic to know or a Spider-Man driven by guilt to serve make them more radically different people than the nature of their powers.

Precisely, Rhysem. My MM skips the whole fitness pool. That's at least two slots and three powers accounted for right there. And MMs generally have plenty of slots to play with. The_Yui does have a point that Team Teleport's probably inappropriate for a slot-hungry build.

My MM uses Team Teleport exclusively and can just make it across Nerva, even with Hover running... all without Stamina. Of course, I do have three End reducers and three ranges slotted.

I use Grant Invisibility -and- Shadowfall. They stack.

If you're on Virtue Server, look me up. We'll do our own little Iron Chef. -- Bask

Hullo there.

I find my faithful companion Fluffy very rarely troubles himself with Twilight Grasp. When he does, it's potent enough. I therefore spice him up with one accuracy, two recovery reducers and -three- accuracy debuffs. Admittedly I use accuracy debuffs generously as I find the more you have, the spicier the stew.

Did you know that your zombies keep better if you sprinkle them lightly with Grant Invisibility? It allows one's guests to concentrate on the knights' cute little electric party favors without distractions.

Speaking of the knights, how can you forego their last slot when it allows such wonderful choices? Accuracy debuff for me of course, but defense debuff is an excellent option.

Your choices for Soul Extraction confuse me. The days of dropping your lich down a convenient well are over, and when he falls on his own you need to think about a hasty exit. I therefore flavor the ghost with 1 acc, 2 dam, 3 rec reducers. Remember, spice doesn't do any good in the spice rack.

-- Dr. Walter "Baskerville" Lamont, 48 Necro/Dark, Virtue Server.

Invisibility, Phase Shift and Rest turn on the "only affecting yourself" flag. This's significant to MMs because their AoE buffs are temporarily disabled. I don't know what other powers activate this flag.

Anyway, once invisible, you only affect yourself. So no, your teammates' invisibility or phased status shouldn't change anything.

Sorry, nivho. As stated this's quick and dirty. No numbers. There was a big ol' complaint in another thread about some MM using Team 'Port in a completely ignorant way. I haven't seen any guides devoted to using this very tricky and rare power so I'm plugging a hole.

Here's a quick and dirty mini-guide to using the unjustly reviled power Team Teleport.

Team Teleport will teleport you and your teammates within a spherical area-of-effect elsewhere, instantly. Your teammates have no choice in this movement. If you learn how to use this power well, you can accomplish some amazing things. Use it poorly and your team will justly kick you out.

Learning to use this one power is like mastering an AT. Your mistakes will cost you and your team dearly. Choose friends with a sense of humor. Readily admit mistakes while you're learning. Always inform your teammates about this power. Team Teleport is very rarely used and can be an unpleasant shock to your colleagues.

Some players will use Team TP to grief. It's very good for that. Kick such players from your team. Team TP can -only- teleport teammates and once a griefer's kicked, he loses his power over you.

On the other hand, it's equally unfair to kick a teammate simply because he uses Team TP. Instead, point out this guide to him.

Some members of your team will be lag-locked when you use Team TP. That means using it to surprise attack with your whole team simply won't work. Pity.

An MM can use Team TP on himself and his minions for a very frightening surprise attack -provided- he's immune to the lag issue. If he's not, he probably shouldn't be playing an MM. This maneuver is especially nasty in PvP. Your opponent may be dead before he even locks onto you.

Team TP provides a good defense. If you know you're about to team-wipe, use it to get everyone out of dodge. It even moves the fallen.

Team TP is seldom a good team travel power because not everyone has Hover or Fly. Teleporters routinely teleport upward. Your teammates will inevitably fall. This is especially hard on sidekicks.

If and only if you and your teammates can hover or fly will this power work for travel, at which point it works superbly. A teammate's Group Fly would be perfect alongside your Team TP. I do not know if Endurance issues would prohibit a single character using both Team TP and Group Fly.

You can turn off the team portion of Team TP by turning Invisible or using Phase Shift. Any power that brings up the "only affecting yourself" flag will do.

Like teleport, Team TP also works especially well with Hover. Stamina is helpful but not required.

Team TP absolutely can substitute for teleport. If you use invisibility first, or simply move away from your colleagues, you can teleport normally without bringing them along. Team TP's range is a little shorter and End costs a little higher.

In sum, Group Teleport is absolutely superior to Teleport -- in the right hands.

-- Dr. Walter "Baskerville" Lamont, Virtue Server.

Female - Detail 2 - Reaper Mask: The chin, nose and much of the lower face pops right out of the mask during many animations.

"...it also feels like a GM saying 'Oh hey, you guys seem to have forgotten your place. In case you don't remember, MY CHARACTER IS BETTER THAN YOURS, HAHAHAHA.' -- Shinsektor

I have to agree with Shin. I'd much prefer four or five less powerful ATs come out and attack rather than two at a time. It feels... immodest.

I did have an interesting moment in RV. Brawler and Manticore spent a whole minute digging my stone brute out of his pillbox. They almost seemed frustrated.

Other experiences weren't so positive.

Doms... "which of my twenty different puny attacks should I open with before you chain-mez me?"

MMs... "after spending two minutes setting up, could you heroes actually show up on my lagging screen -before- the hospital button this time?"

Corruptors... "now y'all heroes wait just a minute or two while we zap each other with these buffs."

Brutes... "Oh, how I wish I could live long enough for my fury bar to do some good."

Stone brutes... "Why won't anybody play with me?"

Dark/SR stalker... "wow, I can actually stick around and fight. This is almost as fun as scrapping!"

Team vs. Team a defender's just this massive agro-magnet.

"If you were running a Storm/Psi, by comparison, I find it likely you'd be singing a different tune." -- Flaming1

Storm? Prob'ly. But FF, Empathy and Trick Arrow are in the same boat as Dark.

In this game, a /NRG blapper can consistently knock out a brute in two seconds flat, every time.

"Preposterous, you're exagerating immensely." -- Bluntzman

"I'm afraid I have to concur with Bluntzman -- I'm not sure I've seen an Eng Blapper two-shot a Brute, at least not without Insps or Con/Def buffs/debuffs helping." -- Flaming1

I said two -seconds- guys, not two shots. And I stand by it. Energy blapper hits Aim, BU and superspeeds in with his first shot queued up, gets a second one in while his opponent fights to get a target lock... three seconds on the outside unless the brute tries to run.

"Tangentially, I'm curious as to how well self-described "Offender" builds perform in PvP, both solo and teamed, in comparison to more team-oriented builds." -- Flaming1

Happy to oblige. I created a Dark/Psi defender specifically as a psi "offender." One on one against an invul brute in Siren's, his healing powers stopped me from finishing him off, even with Fear. It turns into this long, drawn out affair that ends when I run out of End.

My Dark/Psi defender is not the anti-tanker or anti-brute I'd hoped. I'd expect similar results with a Mind/Psi Dom. So while in PvE the psi weakness in invul is telling, it PvP... it's a myth.

Team vs. Team a defender's just this massive agro-magnet.

"The problem is simply that some high burst damage sets can kill in one rotation of their good powers. High burst damage isn't a problem, as long as you can't kill in one burst. EM compares somewhat poorly to some other sets when it comes to damage over time. But in a PvP setting, this never comes into play...." -- Circuit_Breaker

Couldn't agree more. In this game, a /NRG blapper can consistently knock out a brute in two seconds flat, every time. Can Havok consistently knock out the Hulk? The damage to hitpoint ratio is so absolutely inconsistent with comic books I sometimes wonder if Statesman, Castle and Geko have ever opened one.

"[In Siren's Call] stalkers are so far above any other AT in Kill Count vs Death Count that it isn't even funny." -- _Castle_

"I think everyone who PvPs is aware of how dominant Energy Melee/Energy Manipulation can be." -- _Castle_

"'OMG! He's nerfing EM!' -- Nope, at least not for I7." -- _Castle_

So... when?

We've all known about stalker imbalance for six months. We've known about the energy (and electric) secondary since perhaps a week after I-4 went live. That's June of 2005 and it's now April of 2006 with no change in sight. Blappers and stalkers are no longer "Flavor of the Month" but "Flavor of the Year."

While I appreciate recent changes to toggle-dropping, hurricane and whirlwind, entire ATs (defenders, tankers, masterminds and dominators) still don't stand a chance. I don't underestimate the difficulties of programming such a vast game, but I don't see why you're fiddling with To-Hit Debuffs and Mastermind Force Fields while neglecting ENORMOUS balance issues.

When?

Hey,

I also rolled up a Stormie for fun in the Bloody Bay event. "Boltz." First time I've played with Hurricane.

Holy Moley! Linked with Superspeed, I was zipping about scattering villains like bingo-balls. Eventually someone in the horde would use a ranged Mez on me and blow me away, true.

If anybody knows how to turn off that toggle as a melee AT, I'd sure like to know.

This's a horrid thing to say, I know. Apologies in advance.

I turned to SR because, let's face it, SR was fun! Risk-taking, adrenalin-guzzling challenge!

With CoV, I've given up on SR. My SR hit 50 just before I-5 spayed her. Now the new ATs in CoV are too much fun for me to hang around the Defense ghetto.

I first complained to the Devs about SR's PvP performance back in July when I-4 came out. I predicted in August that SR, FF and Ice would end up extinct. Yup! They just cut Ice tankers from CoV. Before I-5 I complained that SR didn't feel like the Flash or Spider-Man... more like Robin. With I-5 I was demoted to "Lois."

Rather than helping, the Devs have cut SR's defenses in half with I-5 and another third with I-6. They have made my signature power (Maneuvers) laughable. Yes, they have given SRs some resistance to defense debuffs (linked to passives not otherwise worth taking) and this weird resistance thing. Yes they upped our damage, but ED neutralizes that and then some.

Finally, ED took away the one thing that gave me hope: stacked PB. I promise to try SR in the post-ED arena but I'm not at all hopeful.

I'm playing CoV ATs that offer resistance and actively -avoiding- defense. I'm turning up my nose at all defensive powers. They're too easily debuffed or countered. Only resistance matters.

Stalkers are fun! Brutes are fun! SR isn't fun anymore. And if the Devs were going to change that, they would have by now.

Call me when SRs have Invincibility, a small but reliable passive resistance power (at least to Smash/Lethal,) the passives consolidated into a single power and some healing put into Quickness. Call me when Aim+Buildup and Luck insps have been cut in half. Maybe I'll stop Smashing and Stalking long enough to try it.

The Shadows

In a nutshell: Sister Rion d'Kilkinney, the now infamous Holy Inquisitor, is even now coordinating with powerful supervillains to escape en masse from the Zig. Once out they will begin their reign of terror across the Islands.

Nothing fancy, no big theme... just an SVG for role-playing, HQ-building, TFs, and PvP if we feel like it.

Although ostensibly in charge, Rion's wise enough not to waste her time corraling a gaggle of overinflated egos. Rebuilding the theocracy is hard enough! This is a loose confederation. There's no heirarchy, no boss and no kick button. Someone torques you off, put 'em on Ignore.

Core team of eight will rendesvous in Gemini on CoV's opening day, switch over and break out of the Zig together. We push it, we might make tenth by the evening. Contact "Sister Colette" or the "Neo Inquisitor" to join in, or the "Holy Inquisitor" after Hallowe'en.

"...we went through ALL of the Defense buffs in the game and ensured that they provide a benefit to players, regardless of build."
-- Statesman

I knew you would. Thank you.

I support the Diversification plan in principle, but please review what it does to the already suffering SR. Thanks.

Wow! I don't even play Ice and I gotta take my hat off for States here. Keep the dialogue and the fixes coming.

And well done, Circeus.

This is an improvement. Thank you. And a belated thank you for the new resistance to Defense debuffs.

I hope that Statesman and Geko have considered all the stacking possibilities? Will Steamy Mist and Shadow Fall stack properly? Will the pool powers stack with Wet Ice or Crystal Armor?

I have full faith that we'll all, especially Stargazer and Arcanaville, test these changes out thoroughly now that we've found the problem.

Now about those Accuracy buffs... y'all didn't cut them in half when you cut Def values in half, did you? Please do. Aim+Buildup is strangling the arena. Thanks.

Ahhhh...

Finally, I'm convinced the Dev team is listening. I feel much better.

Statesman, this is not the method I'd expected. I'd presumed a change to the number and effectiveness of defense destroynig powers rather than this improvement to SR and tankers. This appears to leave Force Fields out of the loop. And what of pool power defenses?

But... I'll roll with this and see how it works. Anything that gives SRs and Ice Tanks a sporting chance in PvP pleases me.

I'll re-install CoH when these changes hit the test server.

"...there are issues with Defense builds; we’re going to look at that problem more carefully..." -- Statesman

Thank you. When these changes hit the test server, I'll reactivate my account.

What a clever and upbeat thread, Wolfie -- ACK! Noir, I was seconds away....

Hi there.

I understand the reasoning behind the level 10 no-debt system. I'm neutral about it.

I'm one of those madman SRs that participated in the all-SR Sara Moore TF on Test (See thread in the scrapper forums.)

Under the I-5 system, we scrappers faceplanted much more often, but the sliver of debt and increased XP made those casualties meaningless. Mere speedbumps. Despite heavy casualties, we were out of debt before the next faceplant.

This new system makes casualties meaningless. It encourages fast-paced, reckless and even suicidal tactics rather than a slower, more careful, safer approach.

I know I strongly prefer to think tactically rather than simply blunder in with guns blazing. It's your game. If you want to foster "scrapper fever" rather than teamwork and planning, that's your call.

I would much prefer a system where our defenses worked well but debt per-faceplant was large, and something to be avoided instead of shrugged off. Perhaps a three-lives per mission system like the old coin-op video games, and some real penalty for failed missions? That would make life more exciting.