Electric-Knight

As an admirer of your work...

I guess 43

and 43 the number shall be
for if it is not the lucky number for me
I shall be a fan, only formerly


Not really, just had to type that for some reason.

I just got back home and my wife told me about how it all went tonight.
The thing is, a lot of people showed up for this.

I was on before the first event on Freedom... And PD2 was packed 30 minutes prior.

Honestly, I think it may be because the Animal Pack is quite popular.


Anyway... here's the thing...
They can't just give out an unlimited amount of freebies (I mean, they could, but the company is going to have a limit, hehe).

So, they can either scramble to do the best they can with what they have or simply not do giveaways.
I think it is really cool that they do give away things that they deem worthy to sell.

It'd be lovely if these packs were just part of regular updates... but they're not and that's long been established now.

So... was everything "fair"? Probably not. What can they do? It's enough that they gave out some.

And no, my wife did not get any, I didn't get any... so, that's not why I'm defending them or anything.

I know these things can be frustrating.
Honestly, it's not worth the $10 to get aggravated. It's been a bad week for us and we figured.. eh, may as well try, since they're giving them out.

No luck! No big deal.
They did what they could do.

I also thought it was a costume contest, but it wasn't actually worded that way.
And yeah... they would have been there well past midnight if they'd run it as a contest.
So... c'est la vie!

Everyone try and go back to having fun.

I am curious if the pack is locked in for going live the way it is on test now (It's going live tomorrow for the early winners in their Animal Pack giveaways).

Or is the silence from the team possibly because they're fixing it up a bit (among other projects, of course)?

David did post about intending to get some feedback for the pack, but we've not heard from him since.
Just curious if it's a done deal or if we'll at least see the animal fur put onto the flat feet option.



Also, was Beast Run smoothed up a little bit in that patch on Tuesday?
I didn't study the animations much beforehand and, afterward, I felt like the stopping and starting and turning was smoother (smoother than I thought it was beforehand).

However, the brief bits of demo editing with the unfinished beast run may have been clouding my memory on how it was.

EDIT: This all sounded kind of negative, or (at least) bland.
Been a LONG day...
I just wanted to add that I've really enjoyed Beast Run on test.
While I do feel like it could really use lovin' on the jumps... Running around with certain characters with beast Run has made me not want to log into the live servers until I can do it there.
That and the pack has kick-started my costume/character creator hobby back up, hehe.
Every now and then, I slow down and hardly create any new costumes... But this brought me back into full swing again.
It's been impossible for me to log Amazing Ape in on the live servers, without this pack.
So... yeah... My feedback has tended to be on the negative side, but that's only in hopes to help.
It's so easy to forget to say how much I enjoy things (although I do indeed try to).

I find this to be an interesting post and, to maximize efficiency for this content, I agree with the OP.

That being said, I am somewhat curious where the truth really lies mainly with my own style of play and my main character's build and my approach to my builds on all of my characters (as it is the same for all).
I do not have any set bonuses on any characters.
I use standard IOs and my 50s are fully slotted with level 50 standard IOs.
I never liked the way you settle for what the sets offer in their enhancements in order to get the global bonuses.
And I never have enjoyed the crafting process in this game very much.

I recently put together a frankenslotted build in Mids and learned how I could improve my numbers that way.
For me, it was mostly a case of having roughly the same bonuses (plus a little bit better) plus better accuracy and less slots needed in some powers (to gain equal-or-better bonuses) and more slots spread around to other powers.
I like the result, however, I started collecting things to craft that build... and I just find it ridiculously unfun to try and manage the inventory in order to craft for an entire build.
So, I put that on indefinite hold.


More precisely...

As an Electric/Electric/Electric Blaster with only level 50 standard IOs...
Is this simply not good enough?

I tend to believe that the player can overcome the build and all of that. And I honestly have never felt that I'm missing a single thing for building with only Standard IOs (I just felt like I was maximizing the numbers I wanted and forgoing any additional global bonuses).

The problem is... Accuracy has always been an area I tended to not focus on.
I'll generally have one accuracy in my powers. Never two.
Now, maybe with Build Up and Aim I don't need to worry so much.

However, I also tend to not fight +level opponents. I just find it less fun.
(Well, usually +1, I suppose)

With +4s... My drains are probably pointless. My holds go way down in reliability and effectiveness (Firing two holds to lock a boss down will likely become a game of hitting them with three holds and hoping that two of them worked... but then they'd probably be free of it before I had enough time to defeat the other boss or whatever).

So, no big deal... I'm a blaster... I'll focus on doing my damage.

As an Electric Blaster... Am I just a lower-damage squishy not able to contribute very well?

Of course, I tend to be in and out of melee and use /Elec's heavy hitting melee attacks.
Is that not going to work so well in the new content?
Are things really that much more difficult or is it not really that bad, if you know what you're doing and push your buttons timely and efficiently enough?

You see... I still haven't even run a single Apex or Tin Mage yet!
While I do not tend to run TFs and such (I like smaller team fun and role-playing), I do not avoid TFs and I occasionally want to go out and do some. I tend to put together TFs that'll stay in-character and all, because I find it so much more fun.
So, I just haven't gone about looking or putting together anything for the two Incarnate TFs yet, hehe.

I do, however, have my rare alpha slot, so I've not hidden from all of this.
I am a bit surprised, myself, that I've not done the Apex and Tin Mage yet, hehe.

Well, for anyone who bothered to read this rambling free-form thoughts-to-type post, I am just curious what your thoughts are on just how big and bad the new content really is for such a player and/or if sticking with level 50 Standard IOs is a negative towards doing such content.

Don't worry, no matter what anyone says, I will be doing it this way and I'm not intimidated about it or anything. I am honestly just curious if the people who tend to maximize things for efficiency believe sticking to standard IOs is a problem and so on.

As for all the back and forth about people's idea of fun and not fun... I just believe that my way of play is no greater and no lesser than anyone else's.

I may excel at some things that others don't and they may excel at some things that I don't... neither is better nor worse.
It's just a game. Have fun.

I agree, Sam.
Along with flat, I think the animal fur would be great on Large Boots, for certain.

To be perfectly honest, I'd rather not see it limited at all. Put it on spiked, put it on banded, put it on a whole bunch/all of them and let the user make the choice (for the most part).
That sort of freedom has gotten us this far. Seems like a good thing.

I wonder if I should put my bullet point list I posted in the ATA thread in this thread.

Oh, and another non-animal-headed costume making use of the animal fur option (and the savage emote):

Amazing Ape in his skivvies!



Someone had mentioned not being able to do proper briefs on the furry legs... But I thought this worked pretty well (with dark colors for the briefs, at least... they're still hairy, if you look closely... but, for the most part, I did not notice while play testing with this costume).


And just for good measure...
Amazing Ape (aka Professor Silverback) pondering things (once again using the savage emote)...

If you could give it a horse's mane and elongate the snout and widen the muzzle with the head scale sliders... But yeah, not quite (I had thought, at a glance, that the head could look a bit horse-like).

Then again, I'm okay with my next costume, although some might not be:



Although it might not seem like it uses much of the new pack, it makes extensive use of the new animal fur option to allow him his open-chest top and blended animal hair hands and feet. When/if flat boots are given animal fur, I can ditch the animal fur on the smooth boots.



The raccoon has always shown a lot of character to me and, while making this, the character ideas really struck me.
I wanted to make him a bit of a rogue, a bit of a thief (formerly, of course) and make him seem like he's well equipped (mostly from things he stole from the garbage) and carrying an assortment of tools of the trade (I imagined that cape option as a loosely coiled rope/chord over his shoulder).
Give me a raccoon pattern for the tail and I'm a happy bandit.

I was messing with another outfit for him that implied a bit more of a garbage-picker (and included the fleas aura, hehe). but I wasn't as happy with the results as the above costume.


Just so it is clear, I'm using a breather from the Science Pack for the snout.

Oops... posted in the wrong place... hang on...

Liking Invincibull there, Bass!

It is really appreciated, N.S.!

I hope you guys are enjoying the feedback on the upcoming pack and are enjoying the work you're doing!

Thank you for starting all those threads and tallying and referencing and making spreadsheets and for rooting yourself with the playerbase.

Subjective:

Forgot one other thing that stands out and should probably be adjusted.
The monstrous legs - Hooves can only use the skin tone for the color of the shin area. It's always been this way and has always been a bit of a disappointment, but now with the animal fur leg options, with the way the new Cat Paws work with color selections and with the inclusion of the Minotaur head and tail, I think it really calls for fixing that and allowing the hooves (if not any and all monstrous feet) to use the skin tone or a color option (like ears options have: skin or color).

As is, the pack is impressive. Just a few touches and it will truly be great.

And here is a surprising potential makeover that I did not expect to come from the Animal Pack...

I use the Smoke - Hair Aura for my villain thug Super-Jerk.
The Beastial Rage - Breath aura just may take its place...
Although, while more accurately coming from the mouth... it does not seem quite as obnoxious... So, I am not positive.



And remember kids...
Only Jerks smoke!!
(yep, that's what I said!)

Yep, I was hoping for some Faces as well...

Regardless, here is my first costume. I wanted to see if I could create something non-earth-like, and/or to what extent (while using one of the new cat heads).
The heads are so specific, and while it doesn't deviate far at all from earthen creatures, I do like the creation I ended up with.

Ozzo The Grand






Gotta admit... I do like that ragged wolf tail!

Oh... and shoot, how could I forget... Please, could you make some Paw and Claw and such options for Boots on regular legs?
Some Monstrous/Animal Boots are severely lacking in options. Some monstrous looking feet would be sweet!
(I am a poet and I didn't realize it... what?)

Objective:
The animal fur options for boots are only found on smooth (which have heels) and not on Flat.
(I've noticed a tendency to treat smooth boots as the standard and neglect flat [tights sleek for males comes to mind, at least] I don't think anyone would disagree that the flat boot/feet options should have the animal fur)

Smooth/Bare Gloves also do not have an animal fur option and probably should, no?
Instead, you have to use Monstrous Gloves (which, is not so bad, of course).

Correct me if I am wrong, but I am thinking that a few things are yet to be implemented (Wolf Head options, the above animal fur options and possibly Beast Run jump animations, among other possible items).
My apologies if I am incorrect.


Subjective:

The artwork is great. The modeling and textures are very nice!
I have to admit though... That the limitations of the animal heads is disappointing. I get it. There's not much that can be done about it, apparently. You've done some work to provide a little bit of customization... but it really results in a little bit of customization.
Head scales (other than height, width and depth) not working for the animal heads, while expected, is just disappointing.
That being said... if there is no way around that, there is no way around it.

However... what is a bit of a workaround is providing animalistic faces for normal heads.
A few options for normal heads to create animal characters would go a long way to solving a lot of problems. People want to wear hats, glasses, hairstyles, masks, and so on... I get that it can't be done with the large monstrous/animal heads.
A few animal faces and animal snout/beak/fang/brow/eye/ear/hair options would go a long way in allowing the great customization that this game is loved for.
We have the Feral, Reptilian and Feline... Some new ones along with different detail 1s and 2s and ears and hairs could allow for player character variety akin to CoH.
The modeled animal and monstrous heads results in customization more akin to other far less customizable games. And I think that's a bit of a shame.


The new animal fur is a nice job in allowing the option to add patterns along with the fur-covered bodies.
Finally providing the fur-covered legs is wonderful. Thank you!
Please please please make sure you add in the animal fur for Flat Boots/Feet and not just Smooth Boots (the heels are a bit odd).


The Wolf Heads really need some options for customization (Are these still to come?).
Some patterns such as a fox pattern would be great. Some other options could be spots/patches and mask-like patterns (maybe even something raccoon-like?).
The ability to choose the secondary color for the pattern on the Grey Wolf is almost required (this is CoH, is it not?). (And I mean that in the flattering sense. CoH is the king of customization and that should be maintained and pushed forward)
We should be able to make those colors match a German Shepherd and such things. I truly hope that is coming.
They should have some other ear options as well. Bigger ones, ragged ones, falling/folded ones... add in some large fox ones and you'd open up a lot of room for ideas.

The Monstrous Cat Paws could really use a small (What is already there) and large(er) option.

Complaint here: It seems like so many options only allow one color when it begs for two color options. The Lion Mane leaps to mind for that. I understand it is because you can add the pattern options... But the none option should allow for some highlight/color blend options like most hairstyles, in my opinion.


All in all... The one thing that I think is a mistake about the heads in this pack is that the options are great for set pieces working together, but do not allow for bat ears on cat heads with ram horns and insect eyes.
That is the kind of thing that this game's customization should continue to be built upon.

The sets look beautiful. They just can't be altered a whole lot to make them as individualistic as most other options in this game. And without being able to use hats and other head details, most people looking to make animal options will either look very similar or will still feel that this game lacks the options to make their ideas for animal-like characters.



Also... Amazing Ape thanks you for the fury legs and the savage emote.
Oh... and for Beast Run (I'm pretty sure).

Thanks for the nice work and for reading/listening. I hope it makes some sense and possibly helps somehow!