Doctor_Dude

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I can only speak for myself, but I would be all over bases if they were something I could build on my own, per character, not with a supergroup.

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I keep seeing posts like this, and I guess a lot of people are still just uninformed. I have a personal SG base, just my nine alts on Virtue are members, and I've been working on it for several months. Great fun, actually.


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Yes, because with some of the new changes (the combo control/power room in particular).

But for a larger group, that needs a secured plot to be able to do IoP raids, PvP or just to fit the schwag that a 35-50 person membership would expect in their base needs prohibitive amounts of prestige and if they don't continue to generate it after achieving their desired base, won't be able to affrod the rent.

I agree the pricing works well with 1-2 man groups and with those who want to require their membership to prestige [censored] themselves.

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To me, that's interesting (as it is to the Serious Games crowd). Costume changes come with a minimal cost that no one really complains about, but we complain about the costs of bases.


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Because the costs are minimal!!!! Listen to what you say. We have near limitless Influence at a point in this game and limited ways to spend it. Of course people are going to throw it around on Costumes, contests, etc.

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Evidently, the costs exceed the perceived value of creating one's own HQ (btw, I confess that many other games have the notion of personal property, but aside from Second Life, I don't think they offer as much customizability as our bases).


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Since costumes and bases utilize two different currencies, you must boil costs down to time invested to acquire. Since many players have access through alts friends/sg-mates/random acts of kindness to influence generated by higher level characters, you must use that time investment.

The amount of time required to be invested in garnering prestige is NOT worth the value for establishing a base beyond the basics. What is more, the risk of losing base items in Raids and the cost in time and effort to regain is NOT worth the value of having an IoP and risking our stuff. The time and effort required to build the equipment that would preserve our base items is NOT worth the value we gain from preserving it.

Also, people need to fund their own endeavors and not everyone likes to feel like prestige whores. Forgive us if your vision of us playing our high levels to earn influence and giving it to the lower levels while they spend their lives in SG mode doesn't work for everyone. It may be the optimum min/max strategy, but as you guys point out (ED), not everyone min/maxes so why are you building this part of the game around min/maxers?

Scale prestige rates for higher levels (not to the extent that infl does) or decrease costs. Its pretty simple.

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many super groups have a member who designed a single costume which all then use. In other words, they're more than willing to accept someone else's opinion in the group identity for their avatar appearance. Again, the primary difference is cost (I think).


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Actually, I disagress on the cost issues. I think the primary difference is the fact that to my knowledge, most SGs have a SG uniform that is not required for regular wear, only used for designated SG events and such, so individuality is preserved except for those times when conformity is requested and required (the exception, not the rule). In fact, many individuals inquire whether the SG uniform is required wear on their characters as a condition of joining (they won't if it is). Some SGs that have requirements only have color (not costume) or a "part" (hat, chest logo, etc.) as a requirement.

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good to see people are still getting use out of this

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Just curious, you never posted anything about WW after the rooting nerf. Would you still keep in in the build for the occasional player without KB protection? Or would you take Total Focus instead?

X-Syndicate did some timing testing on our attempts on the [u]test server[u]. Assuming no changes, what we believe we discovered was the following:

Attack first forge. Wait. Attack 2nd. Sometimes first started to respawn. Noted time of respawn from first. Let say timer was 49:45 when first respawned. The first (and second if cleared) will always respawn at xx:45 if any of the other forges have been aggroed. If you stood around and did nothing after clearing the first group, it would never respawn (or at least over 2-3 minutes of standing around testing).

We were not sure what determined the :45. It might have been when we finished the first Forge kill, when we started or when we entered the AV zone. We think it was when we finished the first Forge kill. Basically, if any Forge was aggroed at xx:45, the first (and second if already cleared) forges would respawn.

SO, strategy became, Kill first spawn on left in a liesurely manner(no nukes and by taunting to pillar to avoid accidental aggro of second group or AV), note time. If first spawn finished at 50:45, begin attack on second forge at 49:43. You now have 58 seconds to clear second and third groups before first (and second if cleared) start to respawn). If you cleared all 3 by 48:45, no more respawns. If not, any cleared forges would respawn. This wasn't too hard with two blasters nuking each group in turn.

We had 3 rads on the first success and 2 on the second and taking down the AV with a group of 13 was ridiculously easy.

Again, not positive the timer was set by the defeat of first group. If you note the first respawing while on the second, note the seconds time, avoid reaggroing the first, finish second group and start over using a new timer.

We got the XP buff and psi protection in our 2 attempts.

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You think this is RP filled? I should've saved my first draft of it

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Really great guide. You're making me want to go pick up my lvl 14 stalker that I haven't played in 6 or 8 months...

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I'm not sure if that is sarcasm or not....


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No, it wasn't. I am seriously chagrined by my comment. I knew you could blitz pretty quickly if you had a decent team, but that is fast even compared to what I thought. Once we figured it out, I think we did it pretty quickly with 11 people on 2 teams, but your speed blows us away. I am honestly curious about how many people/rough team composition, strategy, etc. to accomplish that. It deserves a congrats!

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Bull-excrement show me a screenie with you in the AV's room at 56:00, 58:00 and 59:30 on the timer...

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Here you go

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Hole-y Underwear, I can't believe what I'm seeing!?!

Wow, so how many people did you have? Did you blitz the three monuments and then blitz the the forges simultaneously?

I humbly rescind my comment and bow down

Created a base on the test server to experiment with some PvP aspects of base raids. Not the official SG base on live, but I like it.

Test Server Hero Base

Added on the 4 in a row IoP rooms along the bottom for CoP testing. Was going to put zone porters if I ever got around to getting the beacons on test...

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I'm already of the opinion that this is going to be the new PLz0r! tool.

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2, 4 and a half minute runs got a 17 blaster to 19.

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OK, I agree it's fast and easy and that the bonus is too big. But 2, 4 and half minute?

Bull-excrement show me a screenie with you in the AV's room at 56:00, 58:00 and 59:30 on the timer...

I think the XP should be = 2-4 deaths at your level i.e. completely wipe out 1-2 deaths plus give you some XP. I've got no problem with the prestige staying high until the fix base costs...

I'm not a min/maxer, but I am not a pure concept player. I pick powers and slot them to be effective and cool. MoG fails on both accounts in my book except for the animation and the "taunt noob empath" factor. I expected MoG to be like a personal Adrenalin Boost or uber Fortitude (Ubertude?). This expectation was based partially on experience fighting PPs and on concept considerations.

I created my Scrapper about a year ago, but only really got into him a few months ago. I enjoy playing him, but when I hit 38, I took assault. It was a said thing considering how much I looked forward to tier 9 powers in the past...

I understand and believe in balance. I am not looking for an "I win" button. I just feel like MoG is the "I lose" button.

Great Guide Nicci, I have played a few arena matches but knew almost nothing about them.

I'm trying to set up some Team v Team matches for my SG. Problem is a bunch of people who want to bring 50s and then a few people who only have high 30s/40s. Can people be sk'ed in the arena or is there any autoex/autosk functionality? I'd rather not split people up if I can help it.

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MOG SUX!

It sux so much it makes me puke to use it. I avoid it like the plague, and when I do use it, I am a "moment from a faceplant"

MoG would be PERFECT for Blasters! Think of the Defiance bonus they would have!

FoN (Force of Nature) is more like a Regen Power!

Devs! Please Please Please SWAP THEM!

You would make Blasters happy and you would make Regens happy.

What is wrong with happy players?

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What's funny and sad is that this sounds like a perfect solution...

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As it stands right now, on the hero side it's not even worth having a supergroup computer.

Frankly, I'm kind of baffled as to why anyone would want to risk their prestige over a paltry 1% boost from an IoP. I dislike PvP as it is. Unless there is a MAJOR overhaul to the IoP system as it has been described previously, I will not be interested in the slightest.

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QFE

With the ongoing focus that we hear about risk/return, this completely fails the test.

IoP bonuses must extend over Coalitions and cost of base items to replace or to *protect from damage* must be better weighed against this value. Devs must understand that SGs are not getting 75 (max characters in the SG) x 1% or 2% bonus for IoPs in general. Many (most?) SGs are filled with alts and most SGs have additional SGs coalitioned for even more alts.

I played 40 hours this weekend on 3 different character that were cycled into our main group. I played on large teams, did task forces, etc. I earned 150k of prestige with the rates doubled (and a lot of ill-will from the wife) and what does 150k buy? Sqaut, sorry to say. And I'm going to see 40 hours of my effort blown away after a raid so that i can get a 2 percent damage increase for a month or two?

Sorry, not thought out from the player's perspective.

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Check the announcements forum. Your SG just got 20k prestige for each member.

BLAST! Beaten by Positron!

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LOL, one 'bot beaten by another!

Total nooB tanker here, only level 25 and no taunt yet on my Ice/Em. I've felt like I use my aura and punchvoke pretty effectively, and have felt too squishy to handle much more aggro.

I am looking to respec either now or at 27 and trying to decide what to do about taunt. Ultimately down the road, I will probably respec my build for more pvp'ish flavor, right now I am thinking mostly PvE. I don't see any mention here of "Challenge" from the Presence Pool. It sounds to me like single target ranged gauntlet. I am wondering about this for when I want to pull selective targets to me but avoid all of the aggro. I am also thinking about getting the two fear attacks above it eventually for more pvp'ish stuff, so either Challenge or Provoke will be necessary.

Any comments on this power?

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Around the end of April, I started a Fire/Energy Dominator on Justice. I'm level 37 now.


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OK, who is PL'ing Posi?!?!?!? Dude, go back to work before the boss finds out!

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So - here it is.

Added to the patch notes:

The Hamidon has been increased in difficulty. It is now capable of using one of its attack powers even when Held, Slept, or Stunned.

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Can this please be reconsidered? The potential for griefing a Hami raid has just dramatically increased with this change. Before, if hami was held, the hold team knew that they were relatively safe, even if the hold was dropped for a second. Now that is no longer the case. Any character with a taunt power can now grief the raid at any point. Even after Hami is held and being killed. And if a griefer does this when Hami is below half health it will cause a mito spawn and therefore a failed raid. I have personally witnessed griefers attempt to draw Hamidon aggro onto the hold team many times in the past. The attempt would fail because Hami did not attack while held.

In fact, now that I think of it, even a well-meaning tank who is just trying to get their hit in so they get a Hami-O could fail the raid if they attack during the hold phase. Again, please reconsider this change.

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/agreed
There is enough griefing in the Hive. Don't make it easier for the few to diminish the fun of the many.

Yeah, same since last thursday or friday. Thought work had blocked the site, but couldn't get in from home over the weekend either.

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If I were to wax philosophical for a moment – I wonder whether it’s the genre (super heroes), the medium (City of Heroes) or the nature of the internet which has led to a greater demand for individuality. MMP’s, for the most part, are simply direct descendants of D&D, as described above. The gameplay, the mechanics, have pretty much followed the same pattern for ALL computer RPG’s. There’s certainly some demand for customization in other games (as I read on their boards), but it’s never quite the same as it is here for CoH. Maybe it’s because super heroes, by definition, are unique; thus, to play a super hero game a player wants to have those choices. But then I look at the internet, where we demand customization even down to our e-mail address. No one wants to be given a particular address, we almost always choose our own “handles.” Heck, I use the same name in nearly every MMP game to this day, as if it were my own digital shadow. Hopefully, some academic will look for this in the future.

Positron and I will certainly keep this in mind for the future…oh, by the way, the reason that Electrical Power is reddish is so that it could mesh well with some Patron Powers. That was the intent, at least.

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It is human nature States. Give people an inch and they'll take a mile. Gives us a system that is confirmist and people will tend to confirm. Give us some sense of individuality and we want more.

On this note, please consider not making the first power in the the secondary a requirement while you are considering things.

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Cool.

I didn't realise how often I referenced your site until it was no longer there.

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/em Adjust shiny tin foil cap
We know the truth Red Tomax, this was just a ploy on your part to generate more votes in the Players Choice awards by depriving us of your wonderous site and making us realize how hollow and empty our COH lives are without it.

Well it won't work on me, I tell you! I was voting for you already when this happened!!!!!!

Gratz on getting the hardware in and I look forward to seeing the site back up.

You may want to consider making comments to or enhancements to this guide.

I really wish Seyda would get it stickied.

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My server exploded, no idea how long it's going to take to get everything back up as I don't know the full extent of the damage yet. I really hope the HD survived as I don't have backup's of some of the later scripts, and come to think of it don't have very up-to-date ones of the rest :/

Only Lord Recluse could have devised such a devious plot, he will pay for this!

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Dooooooom!!!!!!

Keep us apprised Tomax. We live for your site, we die for your site...

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you know your old when you reference the old superfreinds cartoons ( remember the wonder the twins )


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Puh-lease. I have yet to see this thread refer to the original Superfriends sidekicks: Wendy, Marvin and Wonderdog!

Feel old? About a year ago. Hollows. Frostfire mish. The guy who's mish it was played pretty competently, but didn't say much. about 1/2-3/4 of the way through he says "Hurry please." Five minutes later we pause for end break and he again says "Hurry please." I send him a tell asking what's wrong and he replies, "My mom keeps telling me me to brush my teeth and go to bed and I've been trying to finish this mission for soooo long."

I told him to go brush his teeth and that I would tp him along with the group until we got to the final battle and make sure the team waited for him. I also sent a tell to him (to his mom) asking her to give him 10 more minutes and explaining how "important" this mission was.

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lag to the point that holders can not only lose sight of Hami but sometimes even lose sight of the pets they're targetting

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I usually lose Hami, have never lost sight of pets and never heard of people doing so. Has this happened to you or is it anecdotal? I have had trouble targetting pets through the crowd. Zoom out, look down from above usually eases this issue.

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During the hold phase you can help with powers like Speed Boost, Accelerate Metabolism, Fortitude, Adrenalin Boost and Recovery Aura. These buff the recharge and accuracy of the holds and will help the holders be more effective.

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AM is the all purpose buff in a raid. If you have enough Rad/* and */RAD trollers, the others aren't really of value, especially if (as Voodoo points out) it takes away at all from holding.

If you have no holds to offer, you shouldn't be in the goo during hold phase. If you do, you should be using them at basically perma with all the AMs. All the other buffs are unnecessary and run the risk of generating additional server lag or individual player lag.

RA is unnecessary as the number of AMs on you will give you perma END (running /RAD debuffs and attacking and my end bar doesn't move). SB, well, it is a pain to reapply, but if you have an opening in a hold chain, go for it, but again, that many AMs make it much less necessary. My AM recharges with while it is still active. Fort? Well, most people are pretty well slotted for ACC these days (thatnks, PvP). AB? Well, I guess you can get it out a couple of times during hold with all the AM enhancing you.

Overall, pretty much describes a Freedom raid. I might suggest taking broadcast off your main tab until maybe after the raid (if you want to trade) to ignore the juvenile banter.

Other things I would add:

1. Spamming heals is unnecessary. It won't get you a healing badge (the little green numbers mean nothing if the person hasn't taken damage), and if the aggro tank is doing his job, we aren't taking damage.

2. Debuffs such as Fulcrum shift aren't desirable during the beginning of hold. We don't want his health to drop to 50% before he is held.

3. Having a Hami costume (no cape, no auras, stealth) reduces graphics load for people. Especially in Hold phase, AoE powers like steamy mist, ice slick, and the various storm effects are a waste and just add to graphics load (what, are you going to knockdown/knockback hami ?!?).

4. Look at your combat tab/log to determine who is performing undesirable effects such as heals and send a polite tell to that person instead of yelling in local/broadcast. You'd be surprised how many people think they are getting the epic healing badge. If the tab says "You are healed xxx" without a players name, it is a pet heal. Don't yell about it.

5. If someone has fire imps/phant/PA out, turn on "names" in your options and see whose it is and send a polite tell. Sometimes people don't know these pets are "bad" or accidentally trigger a bind.

6. If someone has steamy mist on, zoom out and look down from above. You can often figure out who is at the center of the radius and send them a polite tell. They probably always run with it on and forgot.

Polite tells...get the point?