Ellis

Name: Guardian Force

Currently Recruiting: Recruiting

RP Level: RP-intensive. Local, team, /sg, /c and league channels considered IC. The global channel and /broadcast are OOC, so don't need the ((OOC)) notation for OOC chat.

PvP Level: Rare bits of RPvP

Theme/Concept: Guardian Force's tone and theme is reminiscient of classic JLA or Avengers from the 70s. Bright-colored costumes, Code Vs Killing, and somewhat covered by the old Comics Code Authority as far as sex and violence goes.

Activity: Approximately 20 unique members, but activity varies due to RL. Most activity is between 6pm and 11pm Eastern US times, with higher activity on the weekends. Thursday nights from 9pm Eastern US to about midnight, is "GF Night", a scheduled weekly event that usually consists of custom-made plots for the group made in the AE.

Requirements for Membership: Being able to RP and use the ((OOC)) denotation in IC channels, maturity, and the ability to follow the code of conduct listed in the SG's guildportal forums.

IC Leadership: Plasma Stream, Captain Valor

In-Game Contact(s): @PlasmaStream, @VR-Torentsa (mostly weekends), @Ellis

Out-of-Game Contact(s): Post on the Guardian Force forums at the URL below

URL: guardianforce.guildportal.com

Other Details: The Guardian Force is now in its 7th year. The base has a full RP setup, as well as teleporters to every zone.

I've been here the whole 7+ years, and even back to 2001, when City of Heroes was just a forum with future hopeful players. I rarely post and it's extremely rare for me to start a thread, so indulge me a bit. Normally, around the anniversary, I've posted memories from Beta and the various "uphill in snow both ways" list of what the game had back at launch, and how much is added.

For the 7th Anniversary, I want to list what makes CoH/V unique or important to me, and why I have subscribed the entire time, while newer MMOs have either lost or not gotten my interest.

1) Sidekick/exemplar system: Hands down, a great game mechanic. You can play with your friends who have joined at a different time than you, or with any new alt. Everyone has challenge and rewards, nobody needs to be left out anymore.

2) Dynamic and Scaling systems: Want your missions harder? With more mobs? No problem, you can choose from a number of settings. What most players may not know is that the zones also scale, based on how many players are in an area and how many teams there are, and what size the teams are. So, if you're all alone in Steel Canyon, you'll mostly see groups of minions and Lts, but if there's a lot of teams, you'll start seeing boss groups. I consider that a wonderful mechanic that few MMOs seem to have.

3) Customizing: It was the first MMO, I believe, where you could choose from so much variety in the look of your character. Even the few with customization that have since come out still don't match how much you can do here.

4) Character Power/Skill Variety: I love that no two of any archetype is entirely the same here. Every decision we make can be truly our own and still be viable. The amount of choices from the Primary and Secondary Pools, the four Power Pools, the Epic Pools, the choices in using Enhancements in them.. all of these can allow for individuality that doesn't exist on other MMOs. You can really create a character that you are envisioning.

5) Freedom of Story: Although the more recent additions don't follow this, up until the last two years or so, my character's origin, background and story was up to me. While there was a lore and a backstory to the game, it was so all-encompassing that just about every concept could fit. There seems to be a new trend among MMOs these days, to present a story on-rails as if the game were single player. Please keep things more sandboxy. Let ME decide who and what my character is, thank you.

6) Mission Architect: I don't care how many players used it for power leveling. The ability for players to write their own missions is absolutely wonderful and incredible. As a player, I can customize my game experience even further! As an RPer, I can actually make what I used to only write in my head. I'm not sure what the number is up to now, but I know it's somewhere around 400,000 arcs/missions that players have added there. Even if only one percent of those are story-based, and only ten percent of those are any good, that's 400 decent stories. That's more quests than some MMOs start with!

The key here seems to be the freedom to make and play your character how you want to, make it look and act exactly as you want, and to play with whoever you want to, at any time. CoH/V gives me this, and is quite unique in doing so. Please keep it up, devs! Thanks for 7 years and here's to hopefully 7 more.

I had them set up beforehand, because on another MMO that I'm on, accounts getting compromised is rampant. This, at least, will hopefully protect folks from that. Minor tip: don't tell the truth on your security answers, especially if the answers are on your Facebook page.

Worth coming back to depends on what you wanted. Your friend sounds like he didn't care about content, stories, or having fun with folks. AE only "ruined the game" for people who wanted a quick powerlevel.

Yeah, there's a lot of bad writing and a lot of XP farms in AE, but I've found a lot of gems in there, and one of my SGs uses the AE for weekly RP plots solely for our group. How cool is that, as opposed to running the same TF over and over?

Depending on how long you've been gone, you might not even recognize the game if you come back. There's been many great quality of life improvements and this MMO still contains some very unique gameplay.

Also, on some Saturday nights in Gemini Park (Galaxy City), the Old Timers hold a general RP (nostalgia about the pre-Pocket D times).

On the original question, none of my characters will be ICly doing the well of the Incarnate stuff. Yes, I've unlocked the alphas and will slot my 50s with them, just like I slotted them with Hamios back when, but just as my characters were never sticking bits of Hamidon in them, they are also not electing to be puppets of the well. I also have never RPed most of the game mechanics. I did not reach into a villain and take his cyberheart. I don't have "levels" in character; when someone else RPs it, I relent to calling it security clearance.

Quickshot is mainly technological, and quite logical. She would never see the appeal of having some unknown power that you might wind up a puppet to as a good thing.

Aliuneidis is the avatar of love. It's all he needs. Accepting power from something else would corrupt him.. which could be an interesting plot in itself, but..

Swiftwind is an android, as well as logical. She might go for something that would make her closer to human, but just for power? During the Ramiel arc, she fought both EBs simultaneously while ignoring all the Rikti swarming her. She's already pretty powerful.

Inuit Acer's powers are based in his peoples' beliefs. He's not going to shun his gods for some Well.

and so on..
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As the story is currently written, it's a horrifying tale of corruption and misuse of power, including Statesman, who comes across as a total dweeb. My characters will most likely be wincing when other characters mention ICly doing it.

I'm not sure if the OP is even still reading but I would like to point out something about CoH that nobody so far has brought up.

Level no longer really matters.

The OP didn't say what kind of teams he wanted to join, so let's just assume it's normal missions. It doesn't matter if you're a level 34 controller, because you could go to Atlas Park and join a sewer team and get XP (and have fun) or you could go to PI and join a level 50 newspaper team, get XP and have fun. Most of the TFs, including the ITF, are available to a level 34, I believe. I'm on VirtueUnited, which is full, but I think there's a VirtueUnited2010, as well?

As far as RP SGs go, though, you basically have to sift through the thread on SGs, or just keep ears and eyes open for that.

And don't besmirch smaller teams. Not everything has to have a full team of 8. You can be 4 happy players with a difficulty setting of x8 (No AV) and have a grand old time. As Yoda said, Size Matters Not.

Freedom is the other high population server, so your chances there are good, as well. Nothing says you can't have toons on more than 1 server. Also, the plus with the global channels is.. you could be on Freedom, be monitoring a Virtue global, and if someone is forming a team for something you want, you can send a /tell and switch over.

This really is a "good old days" thread more than an icon thread. So far, I only agree with Ascendant and Paladin as choices, but maybe not Paladin, since I haven't seen him around in Steel. Any other character I mention would be based on who I personally know, which is not the object of being an icon. To be iconic to the whole Virtue server, everyone should know them or of them, not just one or two groups.

Cape Radio is also fine. I especially loved their ads for when Pandora's Box and El Super Mexicano's graphics got switched. Nachonomicon, anyone?

I'm not sure what kind of character Lizzy is, or whether you even know me, but Guardian Force is still pretty active and has been around since launch. Once a week, we do mission arcs in the AE that have been custom designed by either Plasma Stream or a member of GF, and often are multi-week plots. It's RP along the modern JLA kind of vein, for the most part.

http://www.guildportal.com/Guild.aspx?GuildID=70323

I'll bring Ali. He's the only character I made at launch and have steadily played all 76 months, actually. Not bad for a character that began as a "joke novelty" concept in beta.

And yeah, the DR certainly are kicking.

See yas Saturday.

I'm older than just about all of you. But it seems I wasn't missed. :P

Also, it's been so long, I'm not sure what character I brought there... does anyone remember? >.>

[QUOTE]

I suppose I may as well chime in, although nobody knows me.

I started with CoH, actually, with the way old boards that Aura moderated (if anyone remembers those.) I had no interest in any MMO before City of Heroes, because I generally dislike Ye Sworde Wizards and Sorcery fantasy games, and primarily RP superheroes, even in tabletop.

I waited and waited.. and one day, the CoH closed beta invite came. I made the character called Quickshot and from moment one, I was hooked. I also volunteered to make a high level test character, and chose Ice/Ice tanker from the list of what the devs wanted tested, and I named her Glaysha. This was back when you had to choose between toggles.. you couldn't have all your defenses up. I got killed so much that in the months of testing, I never got rid of her XP debt. Prior to that, CoH had no XP Debt cap. After I got through showing the devs how much a character could be killed, they added it in. These days, though, XP debt isn't even noticeable and the ice tanker can have all their shields on at the same time.

CoH was the only MMO beta I was in which had a large amount of RP, and the RP community came together nicely. When the poll came up for choosing a server that we would all go to, I also voted on Virtue, and then, at launch, made my characters there.

A tad of personal history: in August 2000, I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and would wind up mostly bedridden and housebound for the next 10 years. City of Heroes helped distract me from my illness, kept me occupied and I also made many wonderful friends. Not just in-game friends, but people whom I have met in RL at conventions or who have come to visit me while in the area. Virtue's community is amazing, bar none.

These days, my health has improved that I am doing more RL things and less time for playing, but I have been here since the beginning, never stopped subscribing, and I will be here til the devs shut it down.

There's also Guardian Force (now in it's 6th year), which is a modern-ish JLA-style superhero group. Thursday nights are "GF Night", in which folks know to gather and usually someone has created a multi-week plot using the Mission Architect.

I personally never do in-game weddings for my characters. Why? Because it's a pain to organize and coordinate. I did RL wedding photography for 15 years and have been to hundreds of RL weddings, but the in-game ones wind up being even more of a hassle. So my personal advice would be: don't hold the wedding in-game, have it happen off-screen.

But.. here's the answer to what you asked.

Since you don't have a lot of folks, you might want to look into just having someone stream music on their home computer for others. Plasma Stream, the leader of Guardian Force, has done this on several occasions for our SG, so it's technologically possible. And one of the SG members did get married and had the wedding in the SG base. Again, Plasma Stream actually redecorated some of the rooms to have a chapel for the ceremony and the reception was in our 3-story pub.

Or..

If you want a lot of folks and a server-wide thing, it would have to be public invite, speak to someone at the Cape Radio and hold it at Pocket D, and then cross your fingers as to who shows up.

You see less of the RP SGs most likely because a lot of it might be taking place in specifically written arcs for the SGs (using the Mission Architect for its intended purpose).

Sorry to see you go, but definitely wish you well in your new job. Good luck!

My main, Quickshot: 4476 hours
Second main, Aliuneidis: 2836 hours

Followed by some alts:
Fiver: 1365
Swiftwind: 647

The rest have less than that.

Yes. Several times. I'm very lucky to have had (and still have) groups of excellent RPers who not only can begin a good RP story or plotline, but stay and see it through to the end. It helps that many of them began as tabletop RPers.

I had the good fortune to meet them in person a few years back, and they were a lovely couple and very nice people. My deepest condolences.

I don't have screenies, but both of the odd concept characters I have are not visual ones. Since I RP, all of my characters have a power concept and backstory. What follows are two of my "Are you insane?" power concepts.

Dasher: Rad/Dark defender, but I took NONE of the toggles. Out of radiation, all I have are the radiation aura, Accelerated Metabolism and Mutation (rez). I took Dark Blast, Gloom and the sniper shot from the dark set. Then, I picked all 4 travel pools, taking not only the pre-requisite travel powers and the main travel powers, but the attacks also. Flurry, Air Superiority, Whirlwind.. even Jump Kick. And I use those in combat. With Hasten and AM and IO sets, I wind up with nearly perma-AM, which is the only reason this fun little concept can exist. She actually does feel very speedster-like.

Gizmodeus: He is a Martial Arts/Devices scrapper.
(But, Ellis, there is no devices secondary for scrappers!)
There is if you are a longtime vet and get the Nem staff and other things to start with. From there, you can buy and get Temp Powers! His real secondary is Super Reflexes, but I have compiled about 25 temp powers on him, many of them renewable. It's not uber, but it's kind of fun.

Grats! That's amazing.

Condolences and sympathies to Syd's family.