EmperorSteele

Well, at that time, Japan was bent on taking over territory, after abandoning their Samurai ways in favor of more modern ones. I would NOT go with a "Samurai" theme there. And since it was only the 1940's, I'd avoid anything too techy.

I tried to look up Japanese fashion and trends from the 40's, but there wasn't a whole lot said or shown on the subject, except that post-war Japan emulated America as much as possible.

Now if you're doing a modern version of the group, you have more freedom, but avoid Samurai, that's just cliche, IMHO. Now maybe I.W. -was- Samurai based, but in order to be effective in a super-powered version of WW2, you'd need more than katanas and flimsy armor to be effective. It'd probably be more effective going with a super sentia/power rangers motif.

Again, just an opinion.

Dude he totally looks like Mister Sinister. RRIIPP OOOFF =P

Anyway, looking good. Just something I thought I'd point out as most peopele never consider it: His left foot (our right) should be tilted down just a touch and angled slightly. That is, depending on where the viewer's eye is, we should probably be able to see the top of his feet a little.

take a good look at this picture:

http://www.sadiqkhan.org.uk/photo_gallery/standup.jpg

Notice how, because of the position of the camera, the view of the feet is skewed. The guy second from the left is probably the best "model" to use in this case.

It's also a bit off-putting that your character's feet are at an exact 90 degree angle of each other; not many people naturally stand like that.

You can ignore all this if the viewer's eye is supposed to be at Invineble's feet, but in that case, the rest of his body should have an appropriate tilt. What I figure you did was change the viewing angle as you worked on each part of the body. It's an easy mistake to make, and when you're drawing JUST a character, it's okay, but it's a bad habit and will only look more awkward if you throw a background in there.

Is anyone keeping track of positive vs. negative comments in this feedback thread?

The overall consensus seems to be that it's a good idea which fails in execution because you have to do TFs every day in a week just to get ONE thing you specifically want (and this isn't an option for many people). If that one thing is in pool C or D, you can take your chances with random rolls, but those favor marketers who don't CARE what they get as long as they can sell it.

MMOs are based around a "carrot on a stick" mentality to keep players playing and coming back for more. I think CoX is a fun and diverse enough game without having to resort to such practices. The thing is though... a lot of people don't. They PL to 50, want everything NOW, then kill stuff, get bored, and leave. It's not good for business to have players who only play for a month after a new issue is released then quit because they have everything.

So while i do not fault the devs strategy, I can also see the merit system not have the effect of allowing more casual players to get what they desire, as it was apparently designed to do.

Also, casual players have no way of knowing what is and isn't in Pool C or D (in-game, that is). People shouldn't have to go to paragon wiki to find out recipe X is only pool D and is not available over level 40, which means they should stop rolling for random level 50 pool Cs.

I would suggest the following:

Remove 3 common tech and 3 common arcane salvage pieces from the 10-25 pool (or rather, don't make them required for anything). Reduce the uncommon and rares, also. Characters of those levels can't even carry a lot of salvage anyway, so expecting them to be able to outfit themselves is imminently illogical.

Do the same thing with the 30-40, except only remove 1 or 2 pieces from each rarity/origin.

And then, increase the drop rate for all salvage and recipes. I mean, I've been on whole TFs where i get one common recipe and one rare salvage, and that's a GOOD run. And true, some people have nabbed 2 or 3 purples in a single run, but now that supply is dwindling, the devs need to do something before people just get fed up.

Now I know supply is low or non existant for some things because people don't play for very long in certain level ranges, and they tend to keep certain things for themselves, which is more than okay, that means the system is working as designed. However, the whole purpose of a market and a merit system, afaik, was supposed to be giving players the means to get things they want that are not available to them through normal play. And yet, if i want Impervuim Armor sets for my level 50 tanker, guess what? I have to farm level 40 arcs in ouroboros, hope for drops, and save up merits by running a TF every day and I'm really starting to get burned out here. Pulverizing Fisticuffs is even worse, because at such a low level it's really sorta difficult to defeat a good number of enemies and complete missions in a decent time frame. TFs would be ideal merit wise (and pool B wise), but for Pool As, forget it. It's really no-win here.

Heh, i was gonna write a guide on this here's some chunks of that I had...

You should increase the HEAD sliders almost all the way, except the nose and chin. Even out the cheeks and forehead to stretch out the eyes. Make sure to select one of the "youthful" face textures (one or two of the mystic ones may work, too)

Don't select any hair style with a receding hair line or that leaves any part of the head bald. Yeah, i know some kids shave their heads or whatnot, but the only way to create a "kid" in this game is to weave an illusion... anything that calls into question whether or not the character is a teenager will ruin the entire thing.

Keep you teen between 5 and 6 feet tall. Any less just looks weird, and any more snaps the illusion (even though irl, teenagers can be 4 feet tall or 7 feet tall). If you're going for a kid (say under 14), keep them under 5.5 feet. Don't minimize the height slider though: after a certain point, you just look like a midget, not a child, because the proportions don't change. There's a radical world of difference between an 8 year old and a 13 year old, and the game barely allows you to create the later.

For body sliders, you wanna be careful. Start with "thin".

Don't makes legs too short, but don't make them too long, either. The younger the character, the shorter the legs. All the way to the bottom looks a bit silly, but it may be what you have to do.

Chest sliders: start at around minimum. If your teen is supposed to be well-built or whatever, you can nudge it up a bit. Kids should stay at minimum, and then given a baggy shirt to cover any details.

Try to even out the waist and hips (which would involve bringing out the waist slider and bringing in the hips). On slightly older character, particularly girls, you can start giving them "back" their hips.

For a costume, use sleek tights, so that you don't see any muscles or detail. Give them as full of a costume as possible, and use anything that makes their hands, feet, and head look bigger; this will distort them and make them appear more out-of-proportion for an adult, conveying the illusion of youth. For normal clothes, or if having a b cup on your female is too much, use a baggy shirt or an armored top or anything that covers the boobies.

Don't go making your character half naked. Now, even if you're a teen and it's okay for you to lust over other teens, it's poor taste for one, and second (and more importantly), it'll kill the illusion. Not just because most teenagers don't have a d cup and walk around wearing nothing but leather straps, but the body models have a level of muscular detail, even on women, which looks a touch out of place for a kid or teen, again calling into question the validity of the illusion.

Too lazy to post picture examples, but maybe later.

Dang it, we got roll'd! Sorta...

Ah well, it was funny =) GW

Well, if he's golden age, I'm going to say avoid giving him a BLACK trenchcoat. Grey if you really want, but almost no one wore full black back then iirc.

Look to the Grey Ghost (from Batman: tAS) for inspiration on this.

Dayum! Nice job, yo! Video's okay, I'm more impressed with the accomplishment!

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Tankers

Psychic Mastery Telekinesis now has the 12 second forced Detoggle in PVP that other versions of this power have.


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Haha, dang it, Ex!!

TANKS. DO. NOT. HAVE. PSY. MASTERY!!!!!! (this is sparta, yadda yadda)

This was pointed out in the training room version of these same patch notes weeks ago! XD

No, I'm not mad... just very amused! I wonder how many people are gonna respec their tanks looking to get the psi mastery pool only to find out it's not there?

I know i wasted my second build figuring that out >_>

Annyways, RE; Reformed badge. I think the Devs are making way for a "betrayer" badge or something. After all, I don't think a hero would be "redeemed" by beating up Longbow =P Alternately, they found a better use for the name or a better way to get it (day job time in a jail, perhaps?)

So, everyone cool down. Let's see their reasoning on this first.

Put up another one of my characters:

JenericElectricChick

It's a bit tongue-in-cheek, but mweh, worth a chuckle i hope =)

Lots of nice, useful data. Kewl!

Third one was great, hahaha!

The second is my favorite overall, but yeah!

Get these on TV!

12x19? Is that the size of the entire thing or just the drawing area?

Well, large ones cost more money, but i'm gonna toss my hat in for that if you're serious about using a tool like this.

See, it's enough of a disconnect that you're drawing DOWN but looking UP, but when gliding your hand down an inch makes a line appear across HALF your screen, like it would with a smaller tablet, it takes getting used to. BUT, if the tablet is about the size of your monitor, gliding your hand an inch on the tablet means you get a line that's actually an inch on the screen.

Of course, that said, if you're USED to drawing small and not having to move your arm too much when drawing, then a smaller tablet is for you. You can always zoom in and out on-screen until you get a good comfort level.

Okay, the video made me groan at first but it quickly became funny. Great job!

PS: we want lip animations on our characters now.

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Well if you recognize it from somewhere share with the class!

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I'm starting to think you really didn't mean to Barack-roll us =P

Heh... well, 1 hour would be a bit overpowered. I mean, people would be able to do Dr. Q in like 3 hours instead of 6-9, and, well... yeah it wouldn't be worth 90 merits anymore.

I C what U did thar!

Yes, I can.

Cyber, you're pulling numbers out of your behind. A level 50 could maybe make a couple million off a katie, but that's it, unless they got a really good drop.

Trust me, i farmed Katie dry. I NEVER made 50 mil in a single run. So just stop.

Oh man, so much good stuff!

Inspiration exchanging
The Midnighter/Cimeroian content
New Blaster defiance
Invuln buffs (still on the fence as to how much MORE survivable it is, but mweh, it's something!)
New sets: I played alongside a pain dom during a level 50 ITF... on my level 45 tank. I've never felt more powerful! Screw lack of a recovery aura, Pain dom ROCKS and is making me consider rolling a villain just so I can team up with them more often!
Merit system is still a work in progress, but I think it's a great new way to get "t3h shineiz"
Badge/Contact reorganizing
Combat attributes!

Basically, it's a whole different beast than it was a year and a half ago, and much better for it. Keep up the great work, Devs!

One question: do we have to keep it PG or would a PG-13 image be okay? I'm swirling with ideas, but all involving heavy drinking and/or comedic ( and censorable) nudity =P

To the other players:

SUBJECTIVE: During the winter event, do the following: Get a team of 6-8 people, run around opening presents, kill Winter Lords. 20 merits in an hour, guaranteed. Bonus: Do this in Croatoa so you can respond to a Jack/Eocholai fight and get even more GM merits.

Devs:

SUBJECTIVE: Put me down as a vote for merits for badges... but not all of them. I'm thinking mostly Merits for Eden, Katie, etc so that the first time someone runs them, they can get a Recipe from the vendor... but then after that, since you're not earning the badge any more, you'd only get the normal amount. And any badge not associated with an accolade or gladiator. Also non-merit giving: Exploration, Vet, and Day Job badges. That still leaves plenty of badges that can earn merits, but nothing huge.

You're having too much fun with these =P

You're in love with your own character?

*backs away slowly*

Anyway, keep up the great work, oh magus of the pen!

Sssooo, wait, does that mean we have to start getting out of VU2008 and move to 09 immediately, or what? I mean, 2 virtue channels might be a bit much =/ When will 08 be deleted/locked/whatever?

Status Reports
Star Strider Force
Name: Patty-Sue Ivanova, Elo, Disgruntled Ex, Pynx
Global Contact: @EmperorSteele
Reporting on Assignment: VIRTUE
Time/Date Location: This Week
Level of Alien Threat: Medium

Report Details:

The Heroes of Paragon City continue their independent patrols and helping any teams they come across in fighting back invasions, participating in Mothership raids, and doing missions for the senior members of Vanguard.

Patty-Sue Ivanova will be participating in a large scale counter-offensive to help bring down the drop ships before they can do any damage later today. Disgruntled Ex has been working close with the Vanguard in fighting ground troops. Pynx has secluded herself in meditation in an attempt to strengthen herself for the coming battles, while Elo has been on recon, attempting to discover where the Ritki are getting their seemingly unending supply of troops and equipment.

Analysis of Current Situation:

Not good. The Ritki forces, while supposedly cut off from their homeworld, seem infinite in number. The Mothership is not large enough to produce and store the dozens (hundreds?) of attack ships which have been assaulting Paragon and the Rogue Isles in recent weeks, which begs the question of where these ships are being manufactured, stored, and deployed from. It must be noted, however, that the Ritkis attacks are more or less sporadic. With the amount and kinds of forces at their command, it is strange that the majority of the more powerful Ritki stay on guard duty around the mothership. Assuming a defensive posture while lashing out would seem to imply the Ritki are weaker than they wish us to know.


Suggestion of Action:

Assaults on the main Ritki Mothership must continue, however, it is imperative that we discover their launching area. Shows of strength, which include taking out their invasion forces, should help solidify our position in this conflict. Heroes and other allied forces should be given the means to travel underwater; Old news clips suggest that Statesman deposed of many Motherships into Paragon harbor and the Atlantic Ocean, which may be where the Ritki are getting their additional equipment, assuming that their vessels survived.