Evangel

Super-Powered
  • Posts

    579
  • Joined

  1. Quote:
    Please note that City of Heroes European game servers can only be accessed by European accounts, and City of Heroes North American game servers can only be accessed by North American accounts. There will be no server list merge or server merge as part of this migration.
    I like that wording.... so its not part of the migration... doesnt mean its not on teh cards for the (near) future.. soon(tm)
  2. Just to give this a *bump*

    Monday 10th @8pm in front of city hall in Atlas park. come along with a demonic toon. 3L is the third wave of toons in this SG with more than two full "waves" having hit lvl 50 and many of us having additional toons in the mid twenties and thirties that we dust off and take for a spin every now and then

    Its a fun SG and very new player friendly as well as having experienced players. The age range seems to be quite wide (I dont know for sure because age never really comes into it so never gets discussed but there's at leat one old fart among us - you know who you are! ).

    All are welcome and if you like it, stay on and make it a regular or irregular thing
  3. and yet, he is insistent that it is UM that is causing the issue.

    For what its worth, I dont think it is but unless he can see that for himself, then no-one is going to be able to help him get to the root of the issue.


    read back over his posts: UM broke my laptop, response, no it didnt, his reply techies have checked it and they say there is nothing wrong ==> it must be UM. Easy test, roll back and dont elect to use UM. Its the only part of i17 that could possibly cause overheating, or a change in th ememory addressing used which could be hitting a faulty block in the ram or it could even be an irrecoverable block on the hard drive that is causign a reboot after 3 attempts (that I am aware of) - hence I asked if there was a BSOD message as we dont have enough information as is to diagnose properly. Event log entries in the minutes before the crash/restart? Is there a thermal warning?
  4. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Kosmos View Post
    Yet you assert definitively that Ultra-Mode is optional.
    once you are presented with the option to use UM you get to choose. The poster selected to use UM and then his trouble started. makes sense that to work out if that is the issue or if its something more general then you roll back to before the choice was made and choose differently. If the same results occur (crashing etc) then it wasnt the choice to use UM that caused the problem. If they dont, then crashing because of UM can be considered a definate symptom of the issue and UM could be the culprit.
  5. while you are compelled to say it you obviously dont feel the same compulsion to learn to spell it or is the l33tsp34k supposed to add gravity to your statement?

    well, he subsequently blames Ultra mode for the crash and while I'm learning to read perhaps you should learn to pay attention, especially to the bits you link to where it is said:

    "4. As to what happen running in Safe Mode as you directed?, I made it up to just over 20 minutes instead of 15 before shutdown so Obviously Ultra Mode is having an Effect in Safe Mode Also and there is No way to make Ultra Mode "Optional" and return to the Normal game play as advertised would still be available since Before I17 I ran my laptop 48 hours straight during double xp weekends without overheating or shutting down.
    "

    so my suggestions which you seem to take offense to not only resolve his question about how to return to pre Ultra Mode but would also etiher fix the problem (if electing to enable ultra mode is whats causing it - even in safemode as the OP suggests) or prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is not UM in itself that is causign the issue with his equipment.

    I personally dont think its a problem with ultra mode, it may be a problem with how his laptop handles ultra mode but thats a different story (and if he reverts everything, including the choice to enable UM we can rule UM out if it happens again).

    you assume that safemode turns off all UM settings but does it actually disable all UM options? Are there any legacy references to UM code? Does the UM option enable some memory reference that was not referenced before? From experience, if you're tearign your hair out over a problem, forget whats assumed and start from scratch. Just ebcause a piece of software is "supposed" to do X doesnt mean its not also doign Y at the same time.
  6. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Doc_OBay_Jr View Post
    Had everybody and their brother it would seem check my system and run tests, all came up good, only time it started a heat problem was with loading up the spanking new and wonderful I17 with "Optional" UM.

    I have Insisted it Had to be my laptop and they had to find the problem with my laptop because Support Insists I17 has nothing to do with it and UM is Optional and will not effect normal game play at all.
    Question from each and every Tech "Your system checks out and is running fine and is not hot at all, When did your problem start happening"? , my answer "After I17 went live but Support and Fab on Forums Assure me IT Has to be My system and the Optional Ultra Mode has nothing to do with it.............it's just a coincidence it happen at the exact same moment I17 went live", each and every tech "...........rigghhhtttt."
    > lol
    you could try turning off any of the options that were enabled by ultramode

    or

    restore a backup (you do those right?) to a point from before I17 release and then when the option comes up to use ultra mode or not, you choose not.

    or

    reinstall CoX from scratch and then select not to use ultramode

    or

    go into options>graphics and click the enabled button beside the advanced options so it changes to disabled.

    See? UM is optional after all.

    Out of curiosity, how are you sure that it is heat that is killing your laptop? Do you have a CPU temp monitor running? Is it the CPU that overheating or the GPU or the ram? Are you getting a BSOD?

    as for cigarette smoke: as a smoker, a techie and having had the same PC components for the last 5 years, you'd want to be exhaling 40 a day in a small enclosed space directly into the intake to cause a nicotine buildup like you are describing. I have seen smoke buildup on fans and components but these were in PCs in the environment I described above (non-smoking techies would go into the office at all, neither would thsoe squemish about dead rats ). Also, he's had someone check out his machine, pretty sure they'd see any residue build up on the fan.

    however, having said all of this, if I17 killed all machines with a heat issue then I'd say its a bug with i17. Seeing as only one user so far has discovered this issue [ so far] I'd say that, as it stands, its an isolated issue WITH HIS MACHINE and running CoX i17. Doesnt mean i17 is broken, just means that its broken for you. I'd be more than happy to help in any way that I can but perhaps this is better suited to the technical issues thread than here?

    seriously, ten people swim in a pool, one drowns, the rest swim happily and leave. which is more likely, the pool has something wrong with it or the victim couldnt swim very well?
  7. Evangel

    AE Suggestion

    no to rewarding purples... but giving the option of a custom reward (like a mission to qualify for a SG rank for example) would be nice. Not sure if its worth the amount of work it would require from the Devs though...
  8. some good points I hadnt taken into consideration there. So, off th etop of my head how about:

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ClawsandEffect View Post
    There's a big problem with that.

    The way the game engine appears to work. Currently the only powers that function without targeting are PBAoEs and Location AoE powers.

    If you wanted to remove targeting fom PvP, you would have to put in an entirely seperate code for how powers themselves actually function.


    yep. and I'm going to flippantly respond that, judging how much work and effort has gone in so far to balancing PvP, perhaps the time has come to take that hardest of decisions and call it the fools errand that it is and make the resolution that, if there is to be effective PvP, we need to change the way the powers work. I do realise how breezy that answer is, believe me. Its not as easy as it sounds. But thats the solution I see.

    Quote:
    As it is now, the effects of the powers might be different than in PvE, but they still WORK the same. You target something and fire your power, the computer then calculates your to-hit chance based on a number of variables, and you either hit or you don't. That's how it works in PvE, and that's how it works in PvP. It is one of the ONLY things between the two that remains constant.
    agree with you completely there. I still think this needs to be changed for PvP to be effective.

    Quote:
    That would make defense based powersets COMPLETELY useless, as opposed to the mostly useless they are now. If there is no to-hit roll made, there is nothing for defense to do, basically causing Super Reflexes, Shields, Ice Armor, Energy Aura, half of Willpower, most of Stone Armor, and part of Invulnerability to literally no longer exist in PvP.
    Not necessarily:
    Resistance: if you get hit, the damage is reduced.

    Defense: stops you getting hit.

    So, resistance can stay as it is. Defense though would reduce your "hit profile" making you a smaller target against attack types.

    eg: Tanker Bob has a hit profile radius of 5ft , each 20% defense vs an attack type reduces this radius by 1ft to a minimum of the current cap.

    Alternatively, the roll to hit still takes place, its the "who gets targetted" that is decided by the hit profile overlapping with the attack profile. Once the target is determined, the roll to hit is made as normal.

    Fast moving targets would be harder to hit than a standing target. A tank could step infront of an incoming fireball or "crowd" a blaster so all attacks have to hit the tank. Blasters, trollers etc would have to move for position. Keeping you sniper free to find position could be the difference between winning and losing a fight.

    Quote:
    Changing something THAT integral to how the game actually works would not be a solution to the PvP problem. The biggest complaint about PvP as it is now is that powers don't work the same as in PvE. Imagine how upset people would be if TARGETING didn't even work the same.
    And the changes to PvP almost killed it completely. so, PvP wont work the same as PvE. PvP wont work as a half ***** "fix" cos players wont play it. so option 3, re-invent the underlying feature to change the gameplay to more closely align with popular and successful PvP games, ie: twitch + skill + luck + tactics.

    steampunkette's post above about autoturn + auto aim is pretty much what I was saying too.
  9. I dont PvP.

    I did. but i got bored through the lack of PvPers, the lack of rolling battles in favour of one on one fights (i likes my flashy flashies everywhere) and, the lack of pvpers....

    I enjoy a good player versus player game. competition is good and if your opponent doesnt take it too seriously either then you can have a good laugh (I did have a stalker follow my blaster for a looooong time trying to get revenge for a long range kill I made and then get very insulting when I started to leave to join a TF I was booked in for... that wasnt fun. Nor was the constant stream of insults until I agreed to "stand and fight", I'm a blaster you moron, I dont stand and fight, I snipe and move). so, I dont play PvP in coX anymore, but I've been a quake PvPer since its release, I still play battlefield and LFD2 versus, I've played most FPS PvP games out there. CoX PvP is NOT anything like other PvP games.

    No offense to the PvPers but I find it to be more about number crunching and grinding to get purples than it is about skill or tactics. Just my opinion, you may disagree freely and please feel free to convince me otherwise. For example: Quake, you have shotty no armour on DM4, your opponent has lightning gun and red armour. By the numbers , you shouldnt win but you can (and I have, barely, but i did ). Skill and luck comes into play and this is missing in CoX pvp imho.

    Yes, ATs are imbalanced. they're supposed to be. Team fortress ATs are imbalanced but thats why the word TEAM is in the name. you need a mix to be all round, a whole team of snipers wont do much against a team made up of a mix of soldier, spy and Demos. similarly, a scrapper will (generally) wipe a blaster in toe to tow combat but will get owned in a ranged fight. Teaming is the answer. cover your weakness by hidign it behind someone else

    Skill and Luck:
    PvP has an element of skill and luck. however, luck is pretty much reduced to a minimum, not by skill, but by slotting and power picking. Skill, apart from lining up attack chains, I dotn see that much scope for skill. This isnt twitch based combat. you press tab to aim and your power hits that person. Cover doesnt mean anything except before or after a fight. In fact, cover is a disadvantage because you cant attack from cover but the enemy still know you're there if you are being targetted.

    My suggestion: remove targetting from PvP. make it line of sight. make it more twitch based (ok, not 100% twitch but perhaps hit radius. target radius of power + hit radius of target overlap, then that is the target that gets attacked, tanks would have a large hit radius to simulate their taunt ability, stalkers would have a very low radius). Maybe some powers could be given a target-lock effect where they just target the nearest enemy whoever that happens to be.

    that , for me, would re-introduce a lot of the unpredictability of the PvP experience and a lot of the excitement. And, yes, make changes so a squishy's main power isnt "super-squish" or "nuclear faceplant". Skill and luck are one thing (well, two things) but even they wont help if the numbers are stacked agaisnt you from the start.
  10. Evangel

    Demons vs Aliens

    Huge thanks to all that took part in the raid last night. Many merits were earned and I have to say, I think thats the clearest I've ever seen the central area of the saucer during the end phase of a raid.

    I meant to take some screenshots throughout the whole thing but sort of forgot to keep taking them about halfway through
  11. Evangel

    Demons vs Aliens

    Infernal Justice SG is organising a Rikti Mothership raid tonight (sorry for the short notice) 07/04/10.

    Meeting at pont du hoc @8:30 pm

    All defiant heroes and villains are welcome to join in.

    wiki page on the raid is here:
    http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Rikti_Ship_Raid

    Just show up and send a tell to any of the Infernal justice members you see in the area to arrange an invite to a team

    oh, and Infernal Justice is always happy to welcome new recruits... just in case you were curious at all...
  12. I suggested somethign similar a while ago too but mine was to give "flavour" choices at different levels. A blaster with some melee options or defense options, a tank with some attack option. Something to blur the lines between teh ATs without crossing them while still allow the toons to be at least a bit more individual. Every AR toon takes the same powers more often than not. Anything that promotes diversity without resulting in gimping gets my vote
  13. they mention zone based accolades for exploration badges in i17... maybe the accolade power will be a teleport anchor point based power?
  14. just ran into the same problem (which is strange seeing as I've played and updated since this thread was started)

    system: XP sp3
    AV: ESET (I disabled firewall even though I have both COH files as trusted apps)

    error: could not rename cohupdater.exe to cohupdater.prv

    I noticed I had a cohupdater.new but no cohupdater, just cohupdater.EU.exe... sooo, I renamed the cohupdater.NEW to cohupdater.exe and its worked.

    hope this helps (I see someone else already posted somehting very similar)
  15. 3 slots available to redeem when GR goes live.. must...resist...urge...to...redeem...and...fill... .now.....

    I couldnt make the birthday run so alas Skinjob couldnt show off his fancy armour (as opposed to the very first night where the shield bugged and wasnt the flaming one I wanted so, I ran to the tailors to get it sorted. Only died 4 times on the run through steel canyon )
  16. I posted on this idea before (the whole what to do with your 50s for those that dont play them anymore).

    The suggestions I had were:

    1. a mission for lvl 50 heroes/villains only. Perhaps a 1 way trip to the Rikti Homeworld to stop a gate from being activated. once there you have no access to any of the support mechanisms on our world (no insp vendors, no ouro travel, no emergency teleport) defeat means just that, defeat. if the mission is completed (and the devs include a way home) the surviving heroes get some large reward. Fallen heroes/villains get honoured on a memorial wall (name, small piccy, date of death) ,sort of a tomb of the unknown soldier in Rome affair rather than the vets wall in Washington. Those that fail the TF are honoured as well but their names are written in silver, not gold

    2. Character's are retired to run their SGs: they become a contact in the SG base or just a contact for the SG and become a source of origin based SG missions (maybe like newspaper based missions)

    3. Server Event: lvl 50 toons are neded to take down incoming meteors carrying Shivan and god knows what else. minimum of 4 toons required: they have to detonate a device at four points on the meteor interior simultaneously, unfortunately, they have to press the plunger by hand (no radio waves etc). Mis time it and you fail the TF (unless there's another to take your place). meanwhile the rest of the team are fighting off shivans and some nice unique enemies created just for the occasion.

    4. and finally on the 1 way ticket kick: Ouroboros. You and as many 50s as you can get your hands on, (lets say lvl 45+ just to be fair) agree to undertake a mission waaaay back in time, (or way forward) beyond your lifespan resulting in detrimental side effects ( random bouts of -acc, -regen, - recovery , -dam, or more than one of the previous along with constant and continuous hp loss which doesnt interrupt abilities!). On the mission you have to fight a primal evil trying to stop the creation of the well of furies (heroes will want to save states etc and vils will want to save/overthrow recluse) maybe the first age of Rularuu? or a Rularuu resurgance? those that succeed in the TF can either stay and fight waves of enemies or try to find a way home (TF part 2? through the well of furies? up against the ancient greek pantheon? Travel through Hades?). Those that fall in the TF are remembered by a set of IOs appearing named after them and boosting one aspect of their powers (so for me it would be maybe Evangel's Despair: sniping/stealth IOs that gives Procs - I love procs - or Melvins Grinding Gears: Bots/Pets IO that gives bonus to pets and Bots in particular. the IOs appear in game as drops and anyone finding them has the option to read the details and learn your now-dead hero's bio/badge history. Heroes that survive the Well TF can travel through the well itself and make their way back to their own time:

    TF2: Caverns of Hades: like the Eden Trial cave set but the holes can lead to alternate times (other TFs) and are one-way. Once you enter an area you have to travel to find the way back into the cavern and try another exit point until you make it home to your own time. queue paragon city celebration, queue time travel affected IO/Enhancement rewards and the adoration of the masses.

    Once you have returned though, you are locked out of Ouro as the distance through time travelled has changed your toon fundamentally. again, if you die, you're gone. if your team mates find some way to rez you, well and good but if you log off while defeated, you go permanently. some precaution would have to be made against 1 team member recalling 7 corpses behind him/her as he/she ghosts through....
  17. Quote:
    Originally Posted by beyeajus74018 View Post
    and the jetpack is a rip off of?

    (on a side note, lol @ alpha still talking like a rikti)
    I dont think the article meant that it is a rip off of another idea. Not sure if th esame expression is used in the states but rip off in the UK and ireland (apart from a form of tracksuit (sweatsuit) bottom held together with fasteners so you can take them off without having to fiddle with shoes) means a con or a waste of money, overcharging for a good or service.
  18. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Fleeting Whisper View Post

    nope, what you've quoted wouldnt be awesome if triggered by a mission. thats an invasion triggered by completing a task force. If that was triggered by a mission in an arc it would annoy the hell out of everyone doing hunt X missions in the zone. I was thinking more along the lines of the Burning building in Steel Canyon or the Troll Rave in Skyway. Something that players can participate in if they choose without disrupting others. Maybe a non instanced bank robbery and getaway attempt? or a family mob war after a Don gets taken out to fill the power vacuum? or perhaps all crey power suits shutdown for 60 seconds after a virus is loaded into a mainframe?

    get enough of these events and you can give the appearance of randomness and consequence. set them on a timer so you dont have ten bank robberies running in the same zone at the same time. you could even chain them. Bank robber gets away a mission becomes available " recover the diamonds (or other item of power)" , fail that and extremely well armed Hellions/Outcasts attack the police station in Kings Row to break out a prisoner (lets call him bob), Bob gets away, a story becomes available where you have to track down and re-arrest him.

    Point is, your mission triggers an open world event, not an instanced mission that others can join in on if they want or ignore and continue about their business. I love the invasions but I can see why players would feel forced into participation or resent the interruption to their playing time.
  19. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Crazy_Dragon View Post
    I'm not saying that Alec Meer's talking 100% crap through the article, and I do agree that a lot of it is true, but he should have done more homework. Calling the £3 jetpack a "horrible wound on the soul of a game originally built for unprecedented self-expression", saying there's naff all after L20 is the kind of just plain facepalm-inducing bull that manages to slightly override all the more sensible stuff in his article for me.

    Yes, I know, it's kinda the wrong way to look at it, but still. :\
    i know where you're coming from. I was halfway through the article myself and started to feel rather protective. the mix of good and bad was quite misleading. However, I think it would be good to keep in mind that its articles like this that spread the word about a game and if we hope to entice fresh n00bs we'd like these articles to be as positive as possible. Which unfortunately means having to temporarily almost agree with the authro and look at the game we enjoy so much with a more cynical eye. Its strange, the £3 jetpack qutoe is really just a more eloquent expression of many of the comments in the forums when the jetpack was initially announced.

    I have to say, I wonder if the power progression should be looked at to generate more of the anticipation effect you get when approaching the travel powers? Sort of a feeling of "ramping up" in ability every ten levels or so? more variety in each powerset perhaps? Optional entries into paralell power progression paths perhaps (yes, I really wanted to have 5 p word alliteration so I admit, I shoehorned it in there)
  20. well, maybe the fact that its been said for the umpteenth time means there is something to it and maybe , instead of think "its a bit old" you should think "a lot of people are thinking the same thing, maybe they have a point".

    before I joined my current SG i saw this as pretty much city of solos. defiant was quiet as a mouse that has recently shuffled off the mortal coil while locked in a soundproof box buried 30ft underground in a bomb shelter. However, since joining the SG the game has a new lease of life! I'm loving playing the arcs and TFs, even if I've played them before. some servers are heaving, others just feel dead. I've seen stats that say otherwise but that doesnt change the feeling of abandonment.... perhaps the server area is too large?
  21. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Crazy_Dragon View Post
    Another reason to facepalm at Future, you reckon?
    you have every right to your opinion but I personally think that ignoring an article because you dont like what it says is the wrong way to go about it. the negatives are not plucked out of thin air, they do have a basis in reality as shown by many forum members through the years. Perhaps we should be looking at where these negative impressions come from and, if they have a solid base, discuss how they can be addressed.

    Anyway, I would encourage any player of CoX to give the article a read and make up your own minds. Agree or disagree I think you'll find that the author has a few valid points.
  22. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Neuronia View Post
    It's possible that they rolled a new character, did the initial contact missions then hit the newspaper route. In that case, they would have missed the Midnighter Arc, Faultline, the PvP zones and so on.

    To be fair. the game 'starts' at two points, level 20 and level 35. At level 35 you get your Vanguard Merits and you can participate in ITF. Those are both great zones.

    Villainside, stuff starts getting fun in the mid-20s.

    The author does repeat a common lament of people I introduce the game to:

    "What is there to do? It's just going in doors all the time and so on. Where are the interesting wilderness quests?"

    yeah, more "wilderness" missions would be nice. A zone event triggered by a mission or on a timer to trigger once a week on a random day.

    I want to have missions where we have to chase down a burglar in Steel canyon while avoiding his minions and the other nasties of the game. Missions that take place in the city with some life going on around. Instanced missions are great but get very repetitive after a while, especially with the similarities in map layouts and tilesets.
  23. I think the author was referring to the character progression as opposed to the story progression.

    he started by sayign that the surge of excitement and the pure thrill of getting the travel power at level 14 followed by the expansion of your primary and secondary was completely untouched in any other MMO he's played (good!) but that after that, the powers just all become samey.

    that's my take on it. I do realise the content continues to evolve and some of the best Arcs , TFs and SFs are level 20+

    according to the author, CoH after level 20 is a game to come back to every now and then but not one that encourages you to stay for any prolonged period of time.

    (I dont have the article in front of me so I am paraphrasing).
  24. Just got this months PCGamer delivered and there a full page article on city of heroes at the very back (there's also a 3 page CO review earlier on).

    The article is a bit strange, it says that the game is great but after level 20 there's nothing to keep the interest going.

    It says the micro-transactions are good but the jet pack is a dissapointing rip off

    Unfortunately they dont mention I16 (only goes up as far as I15) and they finish with a comment on the fact that the servers are empty.

    There's good and bad points but overall, i think the article is not a good piece of publicity for CoH as the negative outweighs the positive and I feel potential players would be put off. Perhaps paragon should give PCGamer a call and address some of the issues the author found. Some hype on going Rogue and I16 would be good too.

    Much as I wanted to, I really couldnt disagree strongly with any of the negatives in the article.....
  25. I quite like the idea of unique zone rewards. Yes people will complain about being "forced" to do X but in reality you're not being forced. X costume piece is not essential for the game to be played. Its optional. Its something you can display to say "see this? yes! thats right I survived the mutant bunny-wabbits from beyond the nth dimension!"

    as said in another thread (by me) they should have unique items/styles as rewards and generic items/styles available to everyone. (roman armour for all! fancy roman armour for those that complete Crimerora Arc. Fancy armour #2 for ITF survivors)

    Dont think of it as punishing alts. Altism is a choice not a requirement. think of it as rewarding character monogamy.... it also adds more flavour to the specific zones.

    Actually, I'd like to see costume/item accessories gained as defeat badges are gained. Defeat X hellions you get a hellion biker sleeveless jacket with back-patch of your choice, defeat X Devouring Earth and you get a choice of "totem" to use, a crystal pendant or a bark shield etc. Possibly too much work to be done to make it viable but if it were done as enemy groups were created the load would be spread out, its backfill that would be the problem. (alternatively, the costume part could be used as a base item a hellion jacket in a glass case or a DE Onyx hand etc).

    so /signed