Dementor_NA

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Well, apparently Illusion and Mind custom mobs weren't tough enough before, now even the Minions get confuse/deceive on standard. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those extreme powers? Before they were only available to Boss up on extreme.

I had a couple of minions with illusion at standard in one of my arcs; they're now officially more dangerous than Malta sappers. Speaking of sappers, Kinetic minions get Transference (-50% end drain) on standard as well.

Ah well, I guess that's a few more powersets on the "do not use" list for custom mobs.

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That's kind of strange, what with the exploits available to a confused player...

If you have the final room pretty right, and the final room has the spawns for it just add the ally as a "single" ally that's activated when the AV is at 75% HP or whatever. If the room is small he should aggro right in on the AV.

Looking for clarification here. "If it feels like farming, it probably is" brings us into a really uncomfortable gray area, especially when penalties can include character loss and revocation of MA privileges via arc locks.

So, which of the following are exploits, and are they always? What, if any, punishments will players/publishers of such features face?

1. All boss missions: I would think their boss status would make them enough of a challenge to keep the risk/reward ratio intact, but they do seem to throw the time/reward ratio off... so is this an exploit? If so, why is it even allowed?
2. All minion missions: easy to group up for AoE, certain builds are optimized better for this kind of mission. Same could apply to an all Lt. mission.
3. All smashing/lethal damage enemies. It's pretty easy to make sure your enemies don't do anything but the most easily resisted damage types, and that none of them can really slap you with any harmful debuffs.
4. Allies with low damage but high utility. The control sets come to mind, with AoE controls which can lock up mobs without sucking up too much exp. Add a nice debuff secondary to help even more.
5. Stationary "Shield Bearer" allies. Allies which do not "wake up" to follow you, but simply provide a shield (generally sonic of FF, though some other toggles work well for this as well) for fighting the enemies guarding them.
6. Mobile "Shield Bearer" allies. Allies which do not attack, but bear shields and follow you as you progress. On some missions enough of these can join you that your resists and defenses are capped, or that many of the enemies you face will be held via choking cloud. I'm sure other uses exist.
7. Stationary "Buff Bot" allies. These are set to not follow, but can give you speed boost, fortification, shields, forge and others I'm sure. As long as you don't lead enemies back to them they won't leach exp because they won't follow.
8. "Car Bombs" or other destructible objects what, upon exploding, damage enemies, sometimes severely, without leaching any exp: as long as you dealt SOME damage to the enemy, even just a caltrops patch, you get full exp.
9. Helpful protected objects, like the regen altars. In the main game these are used to give enemies a regen bonus, but when set to be saved by the player these will give the player a nice bit of extra healing.
10. Level setters. Mobs that are placed in missions to set it at the desired level. This is often a level 50 mob, to make sure no sidekicking is required, but it's sometimes a level 54 mob to ensure the hardest enemies and thus the highest rewards.

That's all I can think of at the moment, but there's alot more: really, just about any decision a mission writer makes can be viewed by somebody as an exploit. I'm not trying to provoke anybody here, just want a straight answer, hopefully from a dev, but player opinions are welcome as well.

Thanks for the review. I had been concerned about the difficulty/annoyance of the various enemies. I've been tweaking, but since the latest patch it has become non-editable, reading at larger than before. Hopefully that will get fixed soon.

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If I'm being tested for worthiness shouldn't I have to fight without allies? Anyway, it took a while but she finally snuffed it.

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The idea here is that you prove some worthiness just by battling Einherjar in Valhalla, so some decide to join up with you as you go along.

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This is a pretty good arc. I particularly note the way the Architect gives the player a chance to dodge the Idiot Ball. It would have gotten five stars out of me if not for the Willpower EBs.

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Thanks. As soon as the inflation bug clears up I intend to make them less annoying.

Ragnarok: Twilight of the Gods (8713)

Based around the norse myth surrounding the end of the world, it doesn't assume you to be either a hero or a villain (though you do wind up saving the world).

A few things I'd like some feedback on / help with.

1. Typos! It's one of my major weaknesses. If you catch one, send me feedback or list it here.

2. Ragnarok myth merged with CoH cannon. Don't want to spoil, but a "big" player in the myth is revealed to be the identity of something you might have faced beneath sharkhead isle. Looking for people knowledgeable in both CoH and Norse lore to weigh in how how well this works.

3. Mission 3. I tried to find a balance between subtlety and exposition... How did you feel about the result? You'll know what I mean.

4. Final Mission. The EBs/AVs here are tough, no question. Looking for specific feedback on each. Keep in mind you have an EB ally and a few bosses somewhere on the map for those of you who like to solo. Surt or Hymir too hard? Suggestions for tonedown?

5. Loki (final mission). Too hard to prevent from escaping? Has he ever managed to confuse your NPC allies, turning them against you? Is the malta ambush too much combined with his escape? Is his stealth capability too strong in light of the fact that he will attempt to escape?

Thanks for your input.

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I’d like to hedge off the flamers in advance, the “High Collar” clips with most of the sholderpads, sorry. I love you all.

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...and that suddenly isn't a problem?

Hey Jay, how about some more Widow hairstyles? Since clipping apparently isn't a problem?

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I see some thematic reasons to limit hairstyles of the VETs. They are military, after all.

The changes I would make, off the top of my head:

Improve the mez resistance granted by controllers/doms, at least in human form, or change this to a different bonus: perhaps conts/doms could add a minor "power boost" and increase secondary effects?

Why is recharge resistance granted by other epics? Making it something useful like a small recharge buff would be more on par with the damage/resistance buffs other ATs offer.

Personally as a Kheldian I avoid having Controllers, Doms, or other epics on the team with me. If I get alot of resistance, awesome, I'm tanking! If I get alot of damage, sweet, I'm blasting. The others... bleh.

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Yup. The method used to create them is so clunky that (at least a few months ago) they said there was no way they'd saddle players with it.

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Huh. Maybe they could make it available as an advanced-user kind of tool. Something you get access to once dev choiced? Or as a veteran perk?

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I just wanted to get some clarification on something, which I think has been mentioned once before but I just want to nail it down.

There isn't any ability to make cutscenes with this tool, right?

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no cutscenes

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Wait... really?

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* I believe the CO 'archetypeless system' is a myth. They've already created 'purchase classes' wherein powers outside one's class cost more. Those who try to be the jack-of-all-trades tank-mage will wind up with the same build (Kheldian-like). Everyone else will max out the purchasing power in their class creating de facto archetypes. But, this is a wild tangent.

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Agreed. Remember: CoH was once a classless RPG, and Cryptic had to do a very costly (in time, money, and PR) turnaround to make the game we have today. It is possible that Jack and his crew have an idea to make it work this time, but I'm betting defacto ATs will be the reality.

Disappointed, overall.

I'm glad to see Mind Manipulation made it in: that's one prediction of mine (I didn't think they'd go to the effort) I'm glad to see didn't pan out (Though Blasters still need a modified Trick Arrows at some point)

Elec/Storm Corruptors were expected and are welcome... but Storm seems like such a bonehead choice for MMs. Not only is there such a deficiency of thematic synergy, but tactical synergy as well. Sonics would have been overpowering, I do understand that, and Rad or Kin doubly so... but Empathy would have made such a good MM set BOTH thematically and tactically AND would have helped balance the PvP equation. Oh well.

Would an Electrical Control set really have been that hard to put together? We've got the STImmob, AoEImmob, Holds, Stuns, Sleep, and even a nice looking electrical Gremlin pet. Bah.

Electrical Stalkers? Broadsword would have been a stronger choice, and would have been cool with the upcoming shields.

SR Brutes? Eeew. I know regen was a longshot and all, but since blasters are getting psi I figured maybe there was some rethingking of the balance equations going on.

Fire Scrappers: Cool. Dark Tankers: Solid. */Fire Controllers: Excellent. Cold Defs: Good.

How many people feel the villains got the shaft in a pretty big way here?

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Every AT gains at least 1 powerset -- Masterminds only get a Secondary, no new Primary. Brutes get 2 new Primaries, and 1 secondary. Everyone else gets 1 Primary and 1 Secondary.

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Wait... blasters too? Blaster support sets, like mastermind primaries, are unique. You'd have to build an entirely new set.

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My money is on Trick Arrow

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We do pay $15 a month, in theory this goes to pay for content updates. I'm not really taking a side, but there is a reasonable expectation here. If you go in a cruise that promotes "Complementary Buffet!" and then you get to a plate of rather tasty pastries labeled "$5 each" you're going to want to know what's up.

CoH and it's devs should let us know if they plan to change the business model, to what extent, and how it will effect content in the future. Did you hire more people to handle the creation of this new content or if it sells well do you intend to do so? If not, does this mean there will be less costume/animation content for other players as a result?

These are reasonable questions to ask.

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Grand feelings of entitlement, much?

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I'm not sure what you disagree with here, nor why you think you understand my feelings. I'm not against pay-per-patch content at all. Frankly, I think it's a very good idea. I bought the GvE add-on bonus pack thingy and would buy other packages that interest me. I'd buy this one if it had something that interested me.

All I'd like to know is if this represents a shift in their business model. As a customer, I think that's a reasonable request. Not a demand, not a right, a request.

So roll back the hyperbole a bit. No need to overreact whenever someone says something you interpret as contrary to your opinion (especially when it really isn't)

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Then finally people might stop slotting hover and combat jumping for defence

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Um. I actually do that...when I have a substantial amount of Defense to build upon. If get a lot of those small +DEF buffs, they do add up. I have a Master mind that has nearly 50% DEF vs Smaashing/Lethal. and 47% Def vs Energy.

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My blaster has ~20% defense to everything, due in part to generous slotting of CJ and Hover.

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Personally, I hope very few people buy the Wedding Pack so NCSoft gets the message that this is not a viable income stream for them.

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Oh yes, and a great message it would be:

"Dear NCSoft, don't go out of your way for us. Don't spend extra time or money on developing or designing anything for us unless you are willing to accept no compensation for your efforts. Don't expect us to support you. We don't want anything more then what our subscription fees already cover."



Its one thing to charge for everything left and right, like some other companies have, its another to offer a little something extra here and there for a small price.

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We do pay $15 a month, in theory this goes to pay for content updates. I'm not really taking a side, but there is a reasonable expectation here. If you go in a cruise that promotes "Complementary Buffet!" and then you get to a plate of rather tasty pastries labeled "$5 each" you're going to want to know what's up.

CoH and it's devs should let us know if they plan to change the business model, to what extent, and how it will effect content in the future. Did you hire more people to handle the creation of this new content or if it sells well do you intend to do so? If not, does this mean there will be less costume/animation content for other players as a result?

These are reasonable questions to ask.

Melee-centric AVs are super-easy with traps: web spam can pretty easily lock most of them down. Then you can read a book while your minions wipe the floor with them.

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Spoilers follow.

The Clockwork are not actual robots; they are hunks of metal animated by the mental power of the Clockwork King. Having a Clock hang out with you would require the King's complicity. Or I guess building a working robot yourself that just looked like a Clock. But why would a hero do that?

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Re: Why would the Clockwork King allow you to have a pet "Sprog" (It looks like a Cog and a Sprocket combined)? If you've been to "New Faultline" on test, you'll notice the Clockwork aren't necessarily the "bad guys" in all cases. Obviously the CWK may let you have a pet Sprog for a reason known only to him.

Or, you know, it could just be a fun little reward for your characters which has absolutely no impact on gameplay.

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It's also worth noting that the Clockwork King is TOTALLY INSANE. His personality is fractured, and each clockwork represents a part of his mind. It is entirely likely that some parts of his fractured psyche is fascinated with heroes (instead of hating them all for his "death") and the tiny, almost powerless parts of his mind create clockworks to follow around the heroes that fascinate him.

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Pow wows, tee pees and peace pipes I guess we all have to swallow. But can we have a little respect for the Nations and not [censored] start talking about scalping?

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Consider this an official, public apology. It wasn't my intent to cause any racial tensions here, I was trying to keep a potential problem light hearted.

I sincerely apologize.

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On behalf of all my people, I accept.

About a third of our base is tech-on-tech, while the rest is tech-on-arcane (with some "factory" thrown in)

The Circle of Omega is an ancient order, and our base in the great Temple of Omega, but we've used our secret-society links to keep our technology state-of-the-art.

I'll see if I can get some basic pics without compromising security. (We plan to raid, after all)

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Also keep in mind they're dealing with the loss of Lord Recluse (and it seems Mako as well) so they're going to be up to their neck just trying to keep up with the schedule.

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Mako is still here. He's just sequestered and more busy than you would really want to know about.

A quick note on what I can and cannot do.

I can fix data bugs. I can explain why some things work the way they do. I can even advocate changes to folks above me.

Programming bugs or changes, Animation bugs or changes, Power FX or Sound FX bus or changes and overall design philosophy are things I have to kick over to others 99% of the time. When that happens, it means I get's put on the stack of things to do and someone other than me prioritizes them.

A great example is the Assault Rifle Smashing/Lethal damage being overly resisted complaint. It is, however, a much more pandemic problem than just AR. Claws, Katana, Super Strength, Ice Blasters to a lesser extent, Mace, Axe and Broadsword all have the exact same complaint (I might have missed a couple, this was off the top of my head.) That means, it is something that needs to be addressed globally, and is not an AT specific issue.

Possible fixes include going through all the various critters in the game and adjusting their resistances, modifying the base damage values for powers based on the 'standard resistance index' (a term I just coined) or by modifying individual powers.

The first is a tremendous amount of work, which should probably be done at some point. I'd guess it would take me a full 5 weeks to do. The second requires new design, new code and would probably mean a direct nerf to all Negative Energy, Fire, and Cold attacks, since those resistance types are less common than Smashing, Lethal, Energy and Psionic. That means it would be unpopular with a large percentage of the playerbase. The third, and short term easiest version involves tweaking individual powers of effected sets -- which would almost certainly nerf some powers, buff others and cause a whole slew of new imbalances.

It's not as easy to get things done as you might think.

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Ha! Tricked an answer out of a redname!

Seriously though, some better communication would be great on what rumors are shaping up to be a major upheaval within the devopment team there, and how said upheaval (if that's truly what it is, which I doubt) will effect our content.

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This may have changed without our knowledge, then. It's been known information for a while that, pre-ED, Tar Patch can and did regularly stack. Will attempt to test that power, but it's not exactly easy to find enough Kineticists.

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Ah! Tar Patch is an exception. Well, no, it isn't but it's tricky. A single Tar Patch will not have the Debuff stick with itself. However, multiple Tar Patches, even from the same caster, will stack with one another. This is because each Tar Patch is actually a seperate "source" from the caster, and buffs from multiple sources stack.

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Acid Mortar's -Res debuff will stack with itself (even from the same mortar)

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Has anyone thought of pm'ing Castle and seeing if he would look into some of our concerns?

Things like:
archery
/devices
electric end drain
defiance
and others I haven't listed?

Maybe we could trick ..er... coerce ...er... persuade him to look into a few things for us.

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I PM'd him about AR/Dev and he's been keeping me updated when QA may be able to start testing. They're swamped with I7 right now.

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Also keep in mind they're dealing with the loss of Lord Recluse (and it seems Mako as well) so they're going to be up to their neck just trying to keep up with the schedule.

What about the exponential "Ignite" power that the Flamethrowers can do?

I know the new pet AI is supposed to be the "fix" for that, but with one ignite patch spawning for each minion, my Bots/Traps MM still loses every minion in one shot... no time for them to run.

They do, howeve,r have time to run away from the little harmless clouds of monkey gas, or caltrops... things I don't CARE if they stand in or not.

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The hell? When did *that* happen? I must have missed that episode of Captain Planet - I don't remember any story of a "Heart"less Cap at all.

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Captain Planet's wasn't always Ted Turner's communist propaganda tool. In the origional concepts, Captain Planet actually looked like it was going to be kind of cool.

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That's all very nice if you're in the mood for a discussion on the ulterior motives of media moguls. However, it does not answer the question.

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It never "happened"... this was simply the creator's backstory and origional conception. Looking for a link.

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The hell? When did *that* happen? I must have missed that episode of Captain Planet - I don't remember any story of a "Heart"less Cap at all.

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Captain Planet's wasn't always Ted Turner's communist propaganda tool. In the origional concepts, Captain Planet actually looked like it was going to be kind of cool.