Doctor Roswell

Those concerns were addressed in the form of describing the voting process in detail.

The procedure he described is exactly how it it works. No "politics." No conspiracies. No dirty dealings or underhandedness; if we want to give influence to a friend or an alt, we'll use the mail system like everyone else.

A costume you didn't like won a contest; too bad. I've participated in dozens, maybe hundreds, of costume contests in my time playing this game, and I've actually agreed with the judges' choice of winners maybe three times ever -- including the ones I've helped judge myself. If you don't like it, don't attend. If you want the costumes you like to win, hold your own contest or just give your personal "winner" a consolation prize afterward.

For my money, last night's winner wasn't who I personally voted for, but that doesn't mean it didn't deserve to win; simplicity and economy of design doesn't automatically make something "uninspired."

"Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Incarnate garbage" changed the game for me. Nowadays reaching 50 seems less like the climax of a great movie and more like graduating high school or getting married. The end of one thing, the beginning of something else.

Naw, those are incarnate trials (or iTrials, but some people don't like that term for some reason). The incarnate task forces are usually just referred to by name -- Tin Mage, for example.

Yep. It's not incarnate content, so you can do it as long as you can enter the Midnighters' Club to get to Cimerora.

Worst case, if you haven't already done Montague's arc to open up Club access, you may need an invention license to craft the Lost cure -- and I'm not even 100% sure about that. Even if you do, that part can be bypassed if you find someone willing to help you out (join their team when they're doing the arc; as long as you're there when they talk to the Latin student at the end, you'll get access).

They don't; it's just a case of the two descriptions being written at different times (and maybe by different people), and possibly just stated in different ways because it makes it easier to structure the sentences -- "increases endurance reduction and accuracy by 33%" just takes up less space than "increases accuracy by 33% and reduces endurance cost by 33%." In either case, it will act as an endurance cost reduction enhancement in every power you've got that will accept one, at the value listed.

VIP stipends don't count toward reward tokens.

But VIPs do get a reward token every month.

So:
$15 now (1320 points and 1 reward token), or...
$15 now, then $15 for two more months (1200-1650 points depending on tier and 3 reward tokens).

Maybe this is a consequence of the transition to Freedom? Isn't there something about not being able to apply old retail codes anymore?

I did that too... worst part was, the thing that tipped me off to more than one of a specific type being possible was when ED hit and everyone else was complaining about suddenly "only" being able to use three damage enhancements in their powers. For me it was like, "I can use three??? AWESOME!!!"

Probably because the person who has the name hasn't logged on, even a single time, since before global chat was introduced (around issue 3 or 4). That account was never assigned a global name, so it doesn't have anything to respond with.

It's a lost cause.

Exactly!

NPCs can get away with it, the same way the Circle of Thorns has been able to have long robes since day one -- but they don't use powersets with, say, high kicks like Martial Arts.

Personally, I'd rather have two auras like Anti-Matter than two capes like Sister Solaris anyway.

And Arachnos widows have had butt-capes for a while now. Plus that's really all a trenchcoat tail or the trailing part of the magic bolero are. One "cape" works, whether it's on the shoulders, the waist, or the head (like the bridal veil). Two don't. If nothing else, they'd clip with each other.

Not quite.

In a uStream chat a few weeks ago (late November? The day they discussed the new Dark Astoria and the "trading card" packs), the devs used the expression "into the Disney vault" to describe where the set would be going once it rotates out of availability*. Meaning it will probably be back at some point, but there's no telling when or for how long. Maybe it'll be back this time next year, maybe two years from now, maybe never.

*which, yes, will be when the yet-to-be-announced third set hits us, so there's still plenty of time.

I wouldn't hold my breath; chances are we'll get that sometime after the Hassidic Jew costume set. And for the same reasons.

A loincloth and furry underwear aren't the same thing.

Generally when people have asked for loincloths in the past, they've been looking for something flowing, possibly using cape-style physics. Which would cause serious clipping issues with the characters' legs.

I tried to find a photo to post as an example, but they all make me worry I'll be banned from the forums. Instead how about these?

Example
Other example

(Yes, they're safe for work.)

Assuming you only do this with one alt at a time. Do it with six of them, have each pick up a different IO from the set, mail them to yourself, and you can have a full set in a month.

Two full sets if you have twelve alts who can earn A-merits.

I have close to thirty of them.

(You're also assuming only four arcs. We know the current SSA series will have seven parts altogether. There will be more after that.)

Yep, I had a total of three retail codes on my account (CoH Collector's Edition, CoV Collector's Edition, and Going Rogue) when Freedom launched, and I got a token with my first ($5) points purchase.

Now that you mention it, I actually don't know offhand whether those unlocks are based on tokens earned or tokens spent, but you're probably right; I tend to spend my tokens as soon as I get them (except right now, since I've bought everything non-repeatable and I'm saving for the Fire and Ice sets), so it's effectively the "same time" for me personally.

I forgot about that part! It's important enough that it should be pointed out again.

So really, spending $15 on points will get you:

• a reward token for buying points for the first time;
• another reward token for buying 1200 points;
• 1200 points, which you can spend to permanently unlock controllers or for whatever else you want;
• 120 bonus points because you get 10% extra for buying that many all at once (which do count toward the 1200 you'll need to buy to earn another reward token).
• Total: 1320 points, 2 reward tokens and 1/10th of the way to a third

Spending $15 on VIP access will get you:

• VIP status for a month, including access to controllers for that month only, as well as access to the invention system, auction houses, and incarnate content if you've got a level 50 character (all also for that month only);
• a reward token, because VIPs get one every month;
• 400 points (which do not count toward the 1200 you'll need to buy to earn another reward token).
• Total: Controllers and other VIP perks for 30 days, 400 points, 1 reward token

If you're at all close to 13 tokens, I'd say buy points instead of VIP and use tokens for the permanent archetype unlock. (Technically, that happens automatically when you spend that 13th token, so you don't really "use them to unlock it," but close enough.) If you're not, I'd probably still say buy the points and use them to unlock controllers, unless you think you'll see some use from the other VIP perks like the incarnate or invention systems (both of which will shut off for you as soon as you stop paying for VIP anyway). For you, VIP is really only the best option if you're in this for the long haul.