DKellis

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My response would be to all this is: Where are the Plaques and Monuments to the dead soldiers who gave their lives in the name of the planet? I know the surviving 8 were for us heroes but what about the true heroes who died? And how many?

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edit: Never mind, misread.

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Atlas Park/Galaxy City Icon Mission: Wax 20 Skulls/Hellions.

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20 enemies is quite a lot at the really low levels. A character fresh out of Outbreak may well level after fighting twenty even levels.

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Beowulf's Children is a sequel to "The Legacy of Heorot", and is a better read with the first book under the belt.

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Haven't read that one (even though I should have, yes). I'll check it out, thanks. Maybe then Beowulf's Children might make a bit more sense.

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Hmm, my thought on seeing that one had more to do with "Beowulf's Children" by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes

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I read that book, but not much of it. I know that "Grendel" comes from the Old English poem Beowulf, but other than that I can't see any references there.

I could be wrong, though. 'Twas a borrowed book, and I had to return it after only maybe fifty pages.

I don't think it's been mentioned, largely because I think it's only a curious coincidence, but doesn't the name "Grendel's Gulch" (in the Hollows) bring to mind "Galt's Gulch" from Ayn Rand's books?

Actually, they are the relative level... as applied to minions.

Since Lieutenants are effectively +1 (in terms of colour con, anyway) and Bosses are +2, this is also reflected in the arrows.

It's almost fascinating to watch neutral comments get misinterpreted from all parties and see the thread degenerate (even further) into personal attacks. From all sides.

I think it's called the "train wreck syndrome". You know what's going to happen, and you know it's going to be horrible, but you just can't look away.

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This will not turn into City of DBZ.

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Actually, I think that given a chance, we will see an incredible number of DBZ clones (among others).

I think the only reason why CoH hasn't turned into CoMarvel is because of the lawsuit and the much-interpreted TOS/EULA.

Of course, I'm hoping that creativity and the better parts of human nature will prevail, but...

I think part of the problem is that when you post a viewpoint, you phrase it in a way such that it comes across as "this is how it will happen".

And then when people get offended (the anime avatar thing is slightly uncalled for in the beginning, I have to admit) or defensive, then you explain what it is basically a speculation on the Worst Case Scenario. Which would have saved a lot of trouble if you had mentioned that in the first place.

Also, people accuse you ("this is how you are!"), and you accuse them back ("no, this is what you want!"), and it all cycles down to implosion.

So basically, yes, I think it would be better if you were to tone down your posts a bit. Again, not everyone does this, but it has to start somewhere, and with hot-button topics, it's best to be excruciatingly polite.

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*cough*Tina Chung*cough*

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Trenchcoats will probably be made available once we have enough level 50s willing to stand around (possibly in Atlas Park) rooted to the spot.

Occasionally they might even interact with the newbies, and give them the Trenchcoat Task Force.

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The chinese formal shirt we've seen is just that, technically anime inspired...not exactly something even the Chinese wear today beyond traditional occasions...and not generally very heroic except when last seen in 5 Dragon Heroes of Wu Chen Lai...in a dubbed kung fu movie on the USA channel.

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I wouldn't say a Chinese formal shirt like that is "anime-inspired", largely because anime isn't Chinese.

Then again, I'm not an American anyway, so what do I know.

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Thats the only thing that bugs me. People have wanted Trenchcoats probably as long as they wanted capes, and the best objections people could come up with is "Boo, I hate Matrix!"

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Well, there's the dev's objection, which goes something along the lines of "Hell To Animate".

I could be wrong.

Out of interest... have we seen what exactly these new costume updates are?

Largely because I'm wondering if it's possible to think of them not as "anime costumes" but as "new costumes".

I only remember seeing that Chinese shirt, which I believe is not anime-exclusive.

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To play without a keyboard.

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Say what?

I do have to hope that pre-existing characters would be able to make use of the new body slider feature/new character artwork. Preferably a free overhaul like the free respec, but I can settle for just having it available in Icon.

Largely because I'd really like to bring my existing characters closer to concept, which means not so busty and buff.

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I've used photobucket for about 2 years now and I have NEVER encountered the bandwidth limits. Dunno, just a thought.

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I've seen the Photobucket Bandwidth Exceeded image a few times. Not sure how it can happen, but it's possible. (In much the same way a meteorite strike is possible, I suppose.)

I didn't see anything about Freedom Corps in the game's backstory on the site.

However, in the JIVE interview, Statesman (as in, the character Statesman and not Jack Emmert, as far as I can tell) mentioned that he founded Freedom Corps as a sort of counterbalance to Hero Corps. (Third question from bottom.)

Other than that, I suppose it's all speculation.

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Actually it does since the only reason the character is named Arucard is because just like in Castlevania they wanted to be cute and spell Dracula backwards. The reason it's an "r" instead of an "l" is strictly due to the translator's discretion.

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This reminds me of an old, old game I used to play where one of the major enemies was a vampire named "Arkad".

Years later, I had a look at the original Japanese kana, and yes, it was Aryukaado.

Wasn't a very good game, mind.

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It's "Soloists that are not willing to make a character that can solo can't do this" and "Soloists that are not willing to make a character that can solo can't do that."

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Would a concept character count as one of those?

<- RPer who places character concept over effective builds.

Also, I can solo some bosses easier than before, while other bosses that shouldn't have posed a problem one-shot me. As a Regen Scrapper.

No, I don't know what's going on either.

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Uh, I think he means the description the contact gives you when you take the mission, not the mission title displayed in your nav bar.

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Even so. It's very iffy whether the contact bothers to mention a "leader" or "boss". Just "go clear out the place of enemies" or something, and that's about it. I'm not going to assume that there'll be a boss at every door mission, because sometimes there aren't.

I have a question: what happens if you already have shadows turned off?

I'm already running everything at minimum graphics, and I'm still lagging. (I have more than minimum sysreqs, but less than recommended.) So if I use this bind file as is, would it turn shadows back on?

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It's the people who jump on you like that that shouldn't gender bend heh. They give people like me a bad name.

I got used to being called she when I had long hair .. err.. Okay, well, anyways, if I'm playing a female character, I'm used to beiong refered to as 'she' OOCly. And most people who know me(and know I'm a guy) will still actually refer to the OOC me as a she if I'm playing a female chatacter, out of respect for the fact that some people don't want it published. It doesn't bother me 'course.

If I ever feel someone I'm dealing with needs to know my real gender, I will state it. Usually this happens if an IC relationship starts to form, or if someone starts to OOCly hit on me... That does irk me. But that's not about being hit on by a guy, that's about someone hitting on me over a video game, regaurdless of their gender.

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I state straight out in my bio that I'm a male (RPer, but that's another story). Had several /tells that I don't have to mention my RL gender, but I do believe in giving fair warning. Especially since it appears as though playing a female character will result in Special Treatment, whether I want it or not.

But anyway. Female avatars do appeal to me a lot more than male ones, but that could be because I'm a rabid anime fan.

While other, rather more intelligent people chose to use alarm clocks and beepers to rouse them from sleep, she had simply left her cellphone on silent vibrate, and tucked it under her chin. As such, the resultant shock at being discourteously awakened was enough to propel her off her bed.

Trying not to make any more noise than had already been made, she groped around the makeshift bedside table for her glasses.

-

Hi. I'm not sure if you've seen me around before, but I generally wander here and there when I don't have anything better to do. I suppose you could call me a tourist, except that I actually live here.

I'm Carmina Enzeru, and before you ask, I don't know what my ancestry is. I've never been able to get a straight answer out of my parents, but it isn't really that important, I think.

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The apartment wasn't fancy, but it would do. She had paid the shifty-looking landlord three months' rent in advance, utilities included. It would have been considered too good to be true, if she hadn't already known that the building was more or less falling apart.

Still, it would tide her over until the city officials processed her paperwork. Bureaucracy was a strange, strange thing.

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I'm twenty-three, my blood type is A+, and my star sign is Libra. I've been told that this suited me for something or other, but I never got the chance to find out exactly what. The man who told me all this kind of drifted out of touch a few years back.

I wonder where he is now.

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Paragon City didn't usually see much by way of seasons, apart from the very occasional flurry. Still, the air was nippy enough that she was glad for her jacket, a present from her mother. She wasn't sure what the material was made of, but it had turned out to be well-nigh indestructible, a fact which was very useful as circumstances turned out.

Other than that useful yet bizarre piece of non-fashion, she never left home without the long wrapped bundle slung on her shoulder. The faint buzz of contentment was an oddly soothing sensation in her mind.

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The last I heard from him, he had sent me a package postmarked several months late, and rerouted through more or less the entire world. From what I could see, the package had originated in Moscow, although that didn't prove a whole lot.

Inside the package was a sword. A katana, and not any normal katana at that. It was alive, it was sentient... actually, I'm not sure about that last bit, but it certainly knew about stuff. Even if it's not very smart.

The package also included a letter that told me to seek my fortune in Paragon City, United States of America.

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Trouble began almost right after she stepped out of the door.

A group of Hellions were waiting for her a few yards from the apartment building. They radiated a sense of purpose, a sense of menace, and no sense of smell.

The leader flicked his switchblade open and close a few times. "You know what I want, so hand it over."

She blinked, and raised her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Uh, it's not really worth it, really. I've only got five dollars on me right now..."

The other two punks sauntered over, while the leader waved the switchblade menacingly. "You holding out on us?"

"I wouldn't dream of it."

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Sometimes, I wonder if he had overestimated my own innate talents. But he put the job in front of me, and I've got to do it. I had to give the sword a name, and so I called it Fred. I'm not sure if he would have liked that, but he's not here to comment, anyway.

Mum and Dad gave each other The Look when I told them about it, the same Look they always had when they seemed to know something I didn't. But Dad pulled quite a few strings to get me tickets and a special dispensation for Fred, and Mum helped me pack. Actually, since my idea of a balanced wardrobe consisted mainly of "clothes, clean", she had to buy most of it.

My friends told me that I should get some clothes that don't look so, well, motherly, but I'd rather trust my parents' fashion sense than my utter lack of one.

And so I found myself in Paragon City, after far more time than I wanted stuck at Immigration.

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The Hellion who had snatched away her wallet snarled in disgust. "She's telling the truth, boss."

"Feh." The Hellion leader spat on the ground. "Guess we'll have to look for another mark, boys."

She coughed. "Um, you're going to be robbing someone else?"

"I didn't tell you to talk," the Hellion growled.

"Sorry, sorry, but... are you?"

"Got a problem with that?" another Hellion demanded.

She backed away quickly, putting some distance between herself and the punks. She unslung the bundle, and extracted her sword. "Actually, I do." She gave them a bright smile. "Sorry about this."

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Fred is a magical sword. Now, I've managed to do a bit of magic myself, mostly little things that everyone should be able to do, but Fred's some sort of Artifact Weapon, to borrow a term. Fred (my old teacher) gave it to me, and so Fred (the sword) is about as loyal to me as a puppy. Acts like it, too.

I don't know why I have Fred the sword, or why I have to be in Paragon City, but I do want to find Fred the teacher and find out. And in the meantime, I'll try to do as much good as I can, just because.

I mean, it's not like I have anything better to do.

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She picked up the five dollars that the Hellions had taken from her, and sheathed her sword. "Good job," she told it. "They're still alive, and probably with nothing but flesh wounds. See, you can do it."

A tickle in the back of her brain that she translated into a purr, or whatever it was magical swords did when happy.

She dug in her pocket for her cellphone, and quickdialled a number. "Hello, police? Uh, yeah, I'd like to report three arrests and request assistance in bringing them in..."

It was only her second week here, too. Not even jet lag stood a chance.

She shivered slightly, as a particularly cold breeze whipped through the air. Perhaps another layer of clothing would be in order.

"Frederick Sung," she muttered, "where in Paragon are you?"

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So here I am, killing time and doing the best I can. It's not much of a life, and I still need to find a steady job, but at least it's better than nothing. I'm not sure I want to keep doing what I'm doing, which is why I haven't thought up of a fancy name for myself yet. Maybe I'll find Frederick five minutes later, maybe I'll never find him. I don't know.

But until then, I'll just live one day at a time, and never mind what tomorrow brings. That's all anyone can ask for, really.

My name is Carmina Enzeru, and I'm a superhero in Paragon City.

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One of the official (IE: selected and published)fanfiction stories hosted by this site states there is a small stipend for heroes.

My character also has (well, had) a job as well.

Check out the Whitmoore Apt thread for some good RP/character stories.

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I'll look at the Whitmoore Apartments thread when I have (lots of) time. Coincidentally, (my sole character) Carmina Enzeru is looking for some lodgings (as well as a steady day job).

I'll also have to look at the fanfics. How much of a stipend, really? Minimum wage, token gratuities, a reasonable salary, per arrest made, something else entirely?

Thanks for all the help, everyone.

I'm very much a newbie to the forums, so I haven't seen any threads about this (or even know how to start looking). I lack the Google-fu, which means that the Search function doesn't help much.

That said... what do most heroes do for a living? Does being a full-time hero pay well? For those who have civilian alter-egos or are passably "normal" (in the sense that a potential employer won't have too many problems from the get-go), do you have jobs that you go to? If not, where do living expenses come from? What about those who aren't "normal"?

Mainly, I was trying to come up with a backstory for my character, and I realized that I had no idea whether she needed a job apart from being a hero. She's probably not going to be working at a fast-food joint, but...