Energyman

Bah, it's just Aquaman hasn't been written consistently, hasn't had any real good writers in a while, and he's the one character they seem to like to mess with and drastically change. Classic Aquaman, hook hand/bearded Aquaman, water hand Aquaman, new Arthur Aquaman, Black Lantern Aquaman, and that's all happened in the last 20 ish years or less. Give him a good writer who will clearly define his powers and abilities, really bring him to the forefront of the DCU, and then have the editors keep him that way if/when they change writers. That's how you make Aquaman relevant again. Look at the classic days of the Super Friends, Aquaman was relevant then and a valued memeber of the team and people weren't calling him lame. Just need to find a way to get back to that.

I say you mix elements of the above Aquamen to make a good one. Keep the classic look just modernize it a little, keep the regal King of Atlantis attitude and actually have him rule over Atlantis. Atlantis should really be its own force to be reckoned with and something the land dwellers need to treat as a seperate entity with respect. Make the stories more magical/fantasy based, Arthurian/Atlantian mysticism type stuff. Really explore his powers and just what they can do and just what he is capable of. Then stick him on the Justice League as well and show that his powers extend beyond the water and he's no slouch.

Aquaman really is just underrated and dismissed but when dealt with properly he can be a cool character. Most people don't seem to diss Namor, and yet the two are essentially the same, minus the stupid wings on the heels. And in my opinion Aquaman can wipe the floor with Namor, like dropping a whale on him.

Oh, and on the original topic, yeah windows in the underwater bases would at least be cool to give that feeling of immersion. Perhaps even a map where you have to swim underwater to get from point a to point b, nothing to fight, just a quick trip from one airlock to another ala The Abyss. Some more windows in building maps too as suggested would be cool.

So we could get laser and rocket shooting zombies? Or dark blasting mercs? Or bow and arrow kungfu robots? I'd imagine there would be a lot of techinical work for something like that to happen not to mention animation changes. All that and your mastermind primaries would be more than any class by the time you figure all the combinations between the summon types and the attack types associated with them.

Proliferation for masterminds is pretty much limited to secondary sets only unless they came up with a way to port something similar to Illusion and some of the other controller pet classes. However with what we know for sure in the demon summoning set in Going Rogue I would say the devs realize this limitation and are thinking of ways to boost the primary sets for masterminds to match closer to some of the other sets as needed. It requires a whole new set with the new models, animations, etc, etc, but if they have to do that anyway it might as well be a new set in my opinion than mixing/matching what's there or porting over something that doesn't quite fit or would probably take more work to do anyway.

Mmmmm Peeps. Is it Easter yet, I can't get enough of those things.

Oh I don't doubt it will go away, I can face that reality. But as you say it's at least 2 or 3 years away. The people complaining about not being able to get the vet costumes are the ones that aren't getting that and are thinking the game will go away very soon. If they would think that the game's got at least 2-3 years left in it they'd realize that if they stick around that long then they would get those costume powers they are saying is unfair they don't have.

As to the mention of powers I only bring it up as it seemed the call for the vet system being unfair was soley on the basis of the costumes, which if anything I would think the powers should factor into that more.

I'd agree the game doesn't assume you're human (see I can agree with you Eiko ), the Kheldians are proof of that. The players are the ones that assume whatever it is you want to assume. Outside of my Kheldian I have a toon that's alien (Psi-Vox). In his description I mention him coming from a different world and why he's here. His origin is natural, because on his planet what he does is normal, much the same as Martian Manhunter.

I have another toon who is a future version of one of my other toons. Obviously that would make him from a different time frame, and according to his story (*shamless plug to play my arc*) if he's successful in his mission that would make him from a different universe and by extension would mean he's familiar with temporal/dimensional travel.

It's all what you make of it. You can write your description when you create your toon, you can RP it in your head, whatever you want. The contacts in the game might assume such things based on dialog, but that's only because there isn't a system to differentiate what each player writes for thier unique stories. And if you want an RP in my head reason for the contacts, they see and deal with so many heroes/villains on a day to day basis do you really think they can keep track of all their stories? No, they just talk to one as they talk to others, and they talk to you like you are a native of the area because there you are.

How is keep subscribing not an answer? That's how I earned them, that's how anyone else who has access to them earned them. We didn't unlock them any other way or earn them on our own schedule, we earned them by subscribing as long as we have. There was nothing we could do to earn them until our subscription vet time had come.

It's a loyalty reward for sticking with the game for the amount of time that we have. Loyalty programs are out there everywhere in the business world as I pointed out. This is just a loyalty program for players of this game. You want the wings, gloves, etc, then show your loyalty and subscribe the amount of time required. You want a free flight, then fly a particular amount of miles required for a free flight, it's that simple.

It's not a matter of fair or unfair, it's a matter of loyalty and dedication. If the game did go doom and die soon would it suck that someone who just picked up the game doesn't get access to these things, sure, but is that any reason to hold it against those of us who've been here a long time and experienced the game through thick and thin, not just when it's shinning at it's brightest?

I'm not here trying to pick a fight. As I said if they did away with vet rewards whatever, it doesn't affect my game play experience that much. But to think just because something is in a game means you should have it doesn't sit right with me. That's console gaming thinking to me where you can find everything, get everything, and do everything to show that 100% complete status in the game. Online games such as this one don't have that option, they shouldn't have that option, and people wouldn't play them if they did. Heck I'd be willing to bet that outside of testing and development the devs don't have any toons that have experienced 100% of the game content or recieved everything there is to receive in game. That's the beauty of MMOs in my opinion, there's always something new to do, something new to gain.

I just feel that the Vet Reward progam is a good program and rewards those of us that are veterans of the game with a little something something as a way for the devs to say thank you for your loyalty over this time. It's a loyalty program, at least that's my take on it. Everyone has their opinion on it and that's fine with me. Either way, through thick or thin, I plan to be on this game until the day it actually does go Doom and Dies for good.

Okay, what is with all the talk of doom and the game not lasting that long and it's going to end soon? I don't get it. The game has been around for 5+ years, they've been adding head count recently since NCSoft took over, they've been bringing us content we've asked for years that they never had the resources to devote to, they've got a new expansion pack coming out, they have thier own Con in HeroCon. Will the game end some day, sure, all games do. But why this sudden doom cry from people like it's going to end before the world in 2012 is beyond me. Heck there are people out there still playing Diablo 2 and that games pushing 10 years. Will CoX make it that long, who knows, but I don't see it going anywhere anytime soon. It's that kind of negativity that drives people away before they can get up the vet reward ranks to get their shorts, boxing gloves, whatever it is they seek.

As for taking out the costumes and replacing it with something else shiney if the devs did that I doubt it would be something too shiney. They would probably just make it a costume token to replace the costume. And if they did that, how long do you think it would be before people complained of the powers. "Oh my god, doom, a 60 month vet can fly at level 6 and I have to wait to 14, the game's broke and I won't play that long change it." "OMG, a lvl 2 is running around with sands of mu, nemesis staff, and ghost slaying axe killing stuff while my level 2 is getting knocked around in between my two early powers, that's breaking the game and I can't wait that long to get starting powers to play the game." "OMG why do vets get extra AE slots and I don't? I play AE a ton and could use them, that's doom." Changing it would just start an eventual snowball of doom.

You want the vet rewards, pay to play the game. If the game goes doom and dies, then it goes doom and dies and you didn't get them. When it does go doom odds will be that you didn't experience all the game content and get everything there is to get anyway so what's a boxing glove missed really in the scope of things. But if the game does last that long, and you actually do make it to the 30+ month whatever to get the piece your looking for then feel the sense of accomplishment to know you lasted that long, that you stuck with it, the game made it, and the devs said thank you and gave you a little something something for it. A little something something that's all fluff, nothing game changing, and has zero impact in the game.

I don't understand all the people that are for this. You should have been here 5 years ago when things like capes didn't exist, no auras, no booster packs, no trench coats, limited number of faces, no monsterous costume pieces, etc. JLove and the others have given us a ton over the years. Sure back then we wanted capes and other costume pieces and such, and I'm sure there were people feverishly asking for them, but I don't remember the cries of doom and people swearing it was very disrupting to their game experience that those things weren't there. It was a wish list and if they got them cool, if not, oh well it was a nice thought.

Not really. Every passenger has the right to pay additional money for a first class flight. With many airlines if you check baggage you have to pay for them. On many flights you can option to pay for food services, alcoholic beverages, etc. These are fees above and beyond the normal airfare you can pay for those additional services/options. That's what the addon packs, extra slots, etc are like. Veteran Rewards reward you for paid time playing, Frequent Flier miles reward you for number of times you've flown with an airline. The more you fly an airline the more perks you get as you go from Premier to Premier Exec to 1K flier status. The longer you play CoX the more perks you get as you go from 3 month vet to 66 month vet, etc.

Bots/storm is definitely a power house that's capable of taking on AVs solo. You get the full potential out of them when you are solo as you don't have to worry about the knockback that many teams won't like. Even in teams though you can hang back a bit and help cover any squishies with hurricane and such knocking back any mobs that come your way. With the debuffs and such though you have a ton of tools for survival and amped damage once you learn to harness the chaos.

My PB is named Light Bringer Prime. I think I was reading the Sinestro Corp War at the time so the Prime bit came from Superboy Prime because for some reason it just sounded like it had to be there in the name.

I'm all for an underwater zone. As people have mentioned it's very fitting with the super hero theme thanks to Aquaman, Namor, heck I think every comic world has at least one water based hero. Personally I like the "magiced" idea for how you breath underwater. Just have a starting underwater base area you get to by sub, get magiced, then go through an air lock and out you go. I'm sure a zone like this would take a lot of work, but it would be neat.

As for powers that don't work underwater, we've seen Superman use heat vision underwater without much complaint. Hurl boulder would be fine if there was a sea floor/cliff/Atlantian road you were near. Water is a good conductor of electricity and for the life of me I've never understood why thowing water on an electric based hero hurts them when they use thier powers, yet most other heroes are immune to their own powers. You don't see a fire based hero getting hurt if they walk into a burning building. Sure some of the powers would look odd, but since you're "magiced" on entering the zone that's one way to explain it. Add in power customization and not all fire is actually "fire" conceptually anymore.

I don't know if it would make 50's want to play any more than they do simply because they have a second aura to look cooler but add no functionality. But I support the idea none the less. I always found it odd that at 50 there wasn't some sort of costume related mission. You get them at 20, 30, and 40 so why is 50 lacking? I think there should be something mission wise that happens at 50. Some sort of "Hero of the City" mission where you perhaps help the Freedom Phalanx and are award the second aura, additional costume, special badge, temp power, whatever. Just another way of saying congrats on 50.

I could care less if people have what I have in the game. My first post in this thread said as much, if the devs decided to do away with vet rewards and open them to everyone I wouldn't mind, more power to them. However, if they didn't I'm fine with is as well as I like the idea of vet rewards. The costumes are fluff, yes, but so is everything in the veteran rewards system. In my opinion nothing is game breaking and people complaining about not having "fluff" seems awkward.

What I don't understand is if people complain about not having the costume pieces that are in the vet rewards system then why aren't they also complaining about not having the costume pieces that are given out at HeroCon, PAX, ComiCon, beta and pre-order customers, etc? Why don't they complain about perks that players who have won contests have received? It's the same thing and yet the only target here is the vet reward system. Personally I'm fine with there being things I don't have access too.

I didn't know of the original game back when to preorder or be one of the first on, I can't go to HeroCon, I'm not creative enough to win contests, so why should I have those things? If they were given to me cool, if not then that's the way it is and it's only "fluff" so it's not hurting my game experience. If the devs want to share, then share, I'm happy to share. If they don't and decide to continue this "exclusive" club until the day Armageddon behalfs Paragon City then fine by me either way. Yes the game will end some day and people probably won't get "all" the content, but why should those those of us that have been here for most of the ride not get a little more out of it than those that signed up to watch the world burn?

I think that's the point of the vet reward system. Not everyone is going to get them, just like not everyone can go to HeroCon and get those perks, just like not everyone gets gold names for winning specific contests. Not everyone is going to get everything, that's just the way it is. This isn't some console based game with a very finite system of achievements that can fit on the disk. MMOs are very open, ever changing, ever evolving and not everyone can be there for every evolution. I know I certainly haven't seen or done everything in the game and that's okay with me.

I don't think the 60 month badge is game breaking at all. Sure, I can skip hover go straight to fly at level 6 and then pickup a power from my primary/secondary that I might not otherwise have taken if I had to take hover first. But that's not granting me a 5th power pool, a second Epic, or any power I could not have taken had I not taken that flight power pool to begin with. By that logic the Ghost Slaying Axe, the Black Wand, the Nemisis Staff, the Sands of Mu, and the Buff Pet vet rewards would all be game breaking as those are powers above and beyond what you normally could get in game, especially for non Veterans.

As for clueless Veterans, sure there are plenty. I'm not going to say I know everything about the game, heck I don't think I have a single character with access to ITF. But in general higher vets should be people new players could turn to for general advice on the game. Are they the best to group with or to get build advice, no. But could they direct you on how to find things on the map, find a store, answer general questions, you would hope so.

All in all I'm for the veteran reward system and I'm constantly looking forward to the next reward level that I'm about to hit. Is having custom pieces in there any worse than making you pay for them like the booster packs, or giving them away for Hero Con only participants, PAX events, etc, I say no. It's just another way for you to stick out and show some individuality and some form of accomplishment beyond the standard in game options. As for the custom unlocks being account based, I'd be okay with that as long as the capes, auras, additional costumes stay mission based as they are, as mentioned above. Just my two cents.

The Dr. Aeon reviewing our Arcs, can't beat that. I was going to submit this for the AE Awards, but of all things I ran out of time to take the screenshots, lol. Oh well. At any rate I'd like to submit:

The Future Destiny
Arc ID - 336617

As a 63+ month vet I'll say I like the vet system as it is. It's a way to stick out, to show the rest of the CoX community our tenure and loyalty to the game. It's a way for the newer players identify who may potentially know a little something about the game and help them through it and learn it. As was pointed out there is nothing game breaking about the vet powers. The closest one to that would be the City Traveller 60 month badge but that really only affects travel powers and frees up one power choice.

Now if for some reason the devs did away with vet system one day or revamped it to a 6 months of early play time before something goes to everyone as suggested I wouldn't really care, after all it's nothing game breaking. But I think having those extra pieces of flare helps set us apart and is a nice thank you from the devs. Besides most of the costume pieces are in the lower tiers of the vet system and even new players should be able to get them. Will everyone get a 60 month vet reward, no, but to get to the 24 month I could see it pretty easy.

Interesting concepts but a couple things I see. First, why isn't teleport included in the movement power pool. It's a travel power and I've known plenty of people, myself included, who use it as their only travel power without taking hover to support it for example. Also you have three of the flight powers in the movement power pool so it doesn't really seem like a good "mix" to create this new pool. Based on your suggestion alone I'd probably move Telport in there in place of Group Fly and create a new power pool for group travels where you could add group fly, group tp, create a group sj, and group ss power.

Another issue is this would make the 60 month city traveller badge worthless. Personally I like that the City Traveller badge is such a high time vet reward and it allows access to travel powers at level 6 allowing you to skip the prereq powers. Under this plan you'd have to come up with something to replace that badge and it would have to be something very similar with a reward that allows access to tiered powers earlier and without the prereq.

Again interesting concept, especially if it was something implemented early in the game. But after 5+ years I think it is too late to make power pool changes. You could probably add power pools if they wanted, allow Kheldians access if they don't have it, or maybe even increase it so you could access 5 or 6 power pools, but I think what exists today is pretty much locked.

Welcome to the world of the oh so shiny Kheldians. And as you've seen already there are a ton of options to chose from and at first it can seem daunting. Those choices though are the real strength in being a Kheldian. No other AT in the game can be as much a "jack of all trades, master of none" that the Kheldians can and they give teams flexibility.

Personally I went triform on my PB. As others have said you should try out all the forms and figure out what your personal style is and then respec from there as needed. With the dual builds too you have more options depending on if you want to PvP, have human only, human/nova, human/dwarf, triform, etc. Experiment with a build with all forms and figure out what you really want and go from there.

For me my build approach went something like this, 1 - mid 20's Nova form, slot it, love it, forget the rest. Mid 20's - mid 30's Dwarf form, slot it, love it, forget the rest. Mid 30's - 50 Human form, slot it, love it, forget the rest. When I say forget the rest I'm not saying don't use your other forms, only don't worry about slotting them and focus on the form of choice.

I find the first 20ish levels you don't need a lot of def/resist and can get away on pure damage, hence nova and if you focus on it you can get optimal slotting by the mid 20's. By the mid 20's you start to feel squishy and need that mitigation, hence dwarf. Finally by the mid 30's your nova and dwarf are slotted, you know how to use them, and it's time to really up your power for the end run to 50. For me my human form only took the melee powers, making it a pseudo scrapper.

Your build looks pretty good, although I would slot dwarf with your resists and leave it at that. You don't need the end mods that much as dwarf is a slow attacker. I also wouldn't worry too much about endurance reducers in your human forms if you are a true triform. With Stamina, and Conserve Energy you'll be okay, and if you run low get to range and shift to nova for a good recovery boost. You may have to slow your attack chain a little, but you can actually regain endurance like that and/or pop a blue and be right back in it. That right there will help save some slots to move into hasten, some recharge into dwarf, boost your self heals a little, etc.

All in all though it's a decent build. Welcome to Kheldians, if you stick around I'm sure you'll find it worth your wild, no matter what your playstyle is. Just remember, like a good wine, Kheldians get better with age. 19 just isn't enough time to really get a good grip on what you can do.