Fiftycalsniper

Rikti? As in, I10 that popped shortly after I9? *CHECK*

Test coming down for a patch, as in, mebbe for I16 closed beta? Poof it on us when we aren't really expectin' it, and make us all 'squeeeeee!' with joy? *HOPEFUL CHECK*

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TL;DR section -

A suggestion: morph the Veteran's Rewards so that they reward both newcomers and veteran players. Continue adding new rewards every three months so that the long-standing players continue to reap benefits for their continued subscription. But instead of leaving the system as it is, thus ensuring that newcomers will have benefits and options forever denied them, implement some kind of dedication reward for those that joined later and stuck with the game.

After a year's subscription, or with a year's subscription, or some similar mechanism that demonstrates a newcomer's dedication to the game, offer double Veteran's Reward credit; thus if you pay for a year's subscription, over that year you will accumulate two years of Veteran's Rewards. Of course, this will cap out once you've "caught up" with the existing veterans. This will allow dedicated newcomers to eventually earn the same benefits as long-standing players, while allowing the incentives to continue accruing for the existing veterans.

Surely the number of veterans who find this scheme wholly unfair and untenable will be small enough to be absorbed by the newcomers and returning customers it will attract.

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But, but, but...this suggestion is logical and makes sense! BAN IT, BAN IT NOW!

That'd be lvl10. I personally love the content from 1-30 on CoV, and I find the Paragon Wiki (just Google it, I don't recall the address) to be INFINITELY helpful for that.

You can search for 'Contacts by Level' on it, and you can figure out if you've done all the arcs on a particular contact or not. That way, you can plot out how best to get xp AND merits without outleveling content.

Granted, this also means I tend to solo from 1-30 or 1-35, but I can really get into my characters and enjoy them, slowly, when I do this. And being able to take 11-13 random rolls for Pool C recipes at lvl32 is teh awsum-sauce. :^)

YMMV.

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I appreciate your candor, but at the same time, I'm not being a time thief as I'm done work... are you? j/k, but seriously.

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Yeah, I woke at 3am or so and was unable to go back to sleep -- a formula I was working on yesterday had "issues" and I figured out why and could not go back to sleep until I fixed it. So, I came in *REALLY* early. Now, I'm just killing time waiting for traffic to die down so I can go home and pass out.

Not all community types are "mouthpieces" -- and fortunately, we here at Paragon don't really have any like that. But, as I've said, I've worked with them before and it isn't pleasant.

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THIS, Castle, is what makes you cool. But I feel for you. I think it was Cassandra (I never remember for sure) who was doomed to foresee the future, but be powerless to stop it no matter whom she told.

If you truly love your work, so much that solving the problems and making it better can keep you up at night (or wake you very early), then the labor of love is a beautiful thing. The only problem is that there will always be people out there that will decry your work as wrong and evil. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

So take the praise where you can get it, and try to develop a thick skin for the criticism. If you truly love the game, and love trying to make it better-then you'll probably never please everyone. But you will please yourself through the effort of the attempt at making it better, and making yourself happy is one of the rare true joys in this world.

Keep at it. I personally like...oh, I'd say a good 80-90% of the changes you and the team have made since the dark days of Jack. Keep at it.

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No stupid crab arms.

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Regardless of the other differences, this one is what recently made me finally give up my long-abandoned 42 crab and reroll a new SoA. I *really* disliked how the dual build setup doesn't eliminate the big, bulky, twitching while you fly crab backpack. But that's just me and my tastes. Besides, I made the original guy back when VEATs first popped in-and we all PL'ed the craB outta each other so fast with 8-man VEAT teams. That...was...legen...[wait for it]...DARY!

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QR

I15's AE badge/UI changes were in order due to long and well debated/argued reasons which I will not repeat for the sake of the sanity (or the remainder of mine and others) since that dead horse has been beaten so badly you could using it as silly putty and copy the sunday paper before throwing it at your sisters hair to make her scream at you....sorry lost my train of thought.


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I lol'ed.

I had a great time on Neoblade-thanks for the run!

And WOWzers, 2h42m seemed like an awesome time on it. Let's hear it for vet powers, good tp'ing, O-portals and mission tp'ers.

Hmmm, much to chew over...it would appear that Web Cocoon, based on my playstyle, may only be effective on my bane build. That'll free up my powers a touch more on the Huntsman build to get Pummel. I know, it's not great, it's conceptual for me on that build!

But I think you're correct on the Bane build-both armors will help, as I'll be in melee range much more often. I plan on playing the Bane as more of a scrapper/stalker, and the Huntsman as more of a stalker/blaster.

Thanks for the clarifications, people!

Interesting read-I'm currently at lvl30 on my huntswoman/bane dual build. I rebuilt my SoA instead of finishing off my crab. I decided I hated how the stupid crab backpack looks, and that it doesn't go away when I switch builds to a bane...and altitis kicked into gear!

So then-a few questions of my own came into mind:
1. Any reason to stack the 2 armors, the initial 1-24 one and the upgraded Bane one? Can you even DO that?

2. If I'm mainly soloing, is there much of a reason to take the Tactics toggle? I'm having a tough time fitting it in with the other powers I want for soloing (Frag grenade, Pummel, Bayonet...just for fun, really).

3. Do people bother with Wide-area Web Grenade? I took it, but rarely use it for much of anything, it seems. Thoughts?

4. So Web Cocoon is really that awesome? Based on the mag, looks like it can hold a boss on one hit, and the duration is enough to stack it with minimal recharge enhance (maybe even just Mental Training). Any comments on how to slot, why it's so great?

Thanks!

I'm down-and I can bring just about anything we need at lvl50. I can offer a fire/rad troller, a stone/stone tank, a stone/fire tank, my favorite kat/inv scrapper, or even a dark/rad defender. Let me know what y'all need, and I'll be there.

Noticing the other posts above-I was one of the ones onboard for a '1 shot to drop an Lt' kind of boost. I would NOT want a 1-shot to drop a BOSS boost, because I do think that's overdoing it.

My idea focuses more on feel than on numbers-I picture setting up, stealthed, for that opening salvo. Picking my target, knowing that once I pop him and drop him, the rest of the spawn is going to turn and let loose on me. But, that opening salvo lets me do what I do best-cause chaos, eliminate the chain of command, and generally wreak havoc!

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Granted Brutes won't replace Stone, Invul - top Alpha absorbing tanks but the latter yes.


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I don't see any content in the game... at all... anywhere... ever... that needs or even wants such massive Alpha absorption. Maybe other people want them because they don't understand how Inspirations work, or how to use their other powers, or that you can put buffs on teammates.

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I agree with you in principle, but the issue comes around when you're discussing a teaming toon versus a solo toon. I could see a solo toon needing more alpha absorbancy, as they wouldn't be able to get the buffs. I do agree that proper inspiration use can mitigate much of ANY alpha, however. But it's hard to keep that many skittles around for constant use...so I can see both sides of the argument. It's situational.

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All of it.

Except Carp Melee.

I pray to Cod that one never happens.

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BWAAAAA-Ha-ha-hah!

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You should post in the ban thread.

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Babs! Doooo eeeet! Cookies are healthy for brawlers everywhere, dontchaknow!

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Martial Arts for Brutes

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I've been wanting this one for a while-who cares if it's smashing damage, it would look pretty and be fun!

Yeah, I'm on board with the others-a lot of assumptions about other powers go out the window when you consider something wacky like snipes.

If they reworked MoG into something you're supposed to fire right before you go in and take the alpha, then these proposed changes could make snipes more along the same lines. You sneak up, you take aim, you FIRE-and down goes a Lt. Then, you've aggroed the rest of the spawn, and you have to deal with that. But you drop a single target of significance at the outset of your own alpha.

Think Mel Gibson attacking the Redcoats in The Patriot, after his son is killed and the other son is taken away. Drop the commanders first.

Y'know, I was just thinking of this last night-glad there's already a thread on it!

I'm still confused, though-so, let's say I have a lvl50 Numina's Convalescence unique, slotted into my first slot in Health. If I exemp down to 14 (where I picked up Health), will I still have the +reg/+recovery? Or do I lose those bonuses, since even though I have that slot, it's the one that comes with the power, I'm not at the right 'level' to use that enhancement?

Like I said, I'm confused. I'm assuming the same answer will apply for the Miracle and Regen. Tissue uniques, as well. Help?

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I think DM/Elec was established as a pretty good anti-rikti build.

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DM is good for elec because it helps plug all the holes in the set.

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Don't forget the Freaks-IIRC, they're pretty susceptible to nrg damage! Good times, good times.

And I agree 100% on the DM/ElA pairing.

I've played a DM/ElA brute to 50. I personally LOVED it. The Lightning Field power is so freakin' pretty, it's sick.

I think some of the previous posters' answers are correct. However, I think the DM primary makes for more of a unique case. If you slot up things right, you can be dropping some pretty potent PBAoE -ToHit debuffs on aggroed mobs, while sucking their end down. Take the Scirocco PPP for even more end suck.

And the DM set (where I was going originally with my train of thought) also helps to keep you upright by giving you the beautiful little heal-attack power. Yeah, it's not much-but slot up for +rchg bonuses, and spam your first 3 attacks and some Midnight Grasp on critters. You can stay up right nicely.

I think the issue with the OP was more 1 of 2 things-either:

1. A lack of good set bonuses to help out. I personally slotted up for as much defense as I could get. Even 10-12% in melee/ranged/AoE helps more than you'd expect on an all-resists toon.

2. Multiple bosses crashing in on him at once. Admittedly, it's tough to keep up the -ToHit on multiple +3 or +4 bosses for long. Slot that -ToHit up! Focus on the ones with AoE effects! Get your recharge going to spam them even more often!

I'm not saying ElA is perfect-the arguments above clearly show its flaws. However, I think the specific pairing of DM with ElA on a brute has a lot of potential. I really, REALLY enjoyed it for 50 levels, and still dust her off from time to time.

As always, YMMV. Cheers!

Threadjack!

Anyone tried running CoH on a widescreen LCD TV with a PC input? I'd like to hear specifically if anyone has done it on a 37 or 42" widescreen, and if they thought it was worth it or not. I bet the resolution gets very pixelated at that big of a size. Thanks!

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So, Posi. If I come down there, and stood in front of your desk, could you seriously look me in the eye and explain to me with a straight face how Base Salvage was confusing?

[/ QUOTE ]That's what I'm thinkin'.

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Once more, with FEELING!

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Now if you are simply asking that Merits be a tradable resource, or even trade-within-account, I am sorry, but that's not going to happen. Characters of different levels earn Merits at different rates. Merits are supposed to streamline the reward process for that character, and that's not going to be changing any time soon.

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So instead of having 15 of one resource that I can use, I'll have 5 each of three resources that I can't.

That's brilliant.

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And this.

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If you insist on pre-I6 performance, then you are no longer a "casual" player. That's really all there is to it - the "casual" player does not need that. The casual player can play the game with just SOs and generics. If you expect to be able to put in minimal effort and get to the greatest heights of power immediately, then really, your expectations are flawed.

[/ QUOTE ]Pre-issue 6 or should I say pre-issue 5 is when I still felt super play this game. Now most of my toons feel like they are slightly better than a luitenent playing the game. As for as minimum effort, I never said that. I dont mind working towards a goal but at the same time the goal needs to be obtainable in a reasonable amount of time and effort for everyone not just the expert player. 8 to 12 months for single IO is just too long thats what I am saying. If you casually play your alts then chances are its going to take near that kind of time to get 200+ merits.

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This.

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Before if you wanted a Numina, you had to farm KHTF, or farm for influence to buy one. If you did not find those things fun you had two choices. Not get a Numina, or do something you didnt think was fun.

You now have a third choice, and you can play one alt to get it quicker, or play your alts regularly and you will get there eventually.

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See, the problem is that some of us don't consider farming Ouroboros for merits to be fun. And the drop rate (even the increased drop rate) for doing arcs is just insufficient to generate the merits needed for good recipes. When the two rares in a 6-piece set cost 200 merits each, and you can barely pull in 250 merits from running *EVERY ARC* from 10'ish to 40'ish, then either:

a. Merits aren't dropping at high enough numbers, reward isn't equal to time put in, or

b. Costs of the 'non-uber' recipes is just plain too dang high.

But now they can't FIX things, because the imbalance has already gone on too long. The markets are drained, and people are now so flush with influence/infamy, that a sudden increase in recipes wouldn't alleviate the issues...they would only exacerbate them further.

The devs broke the market with the merit system. I think they saw that set IO bonuses were getting too good on too many people. I don't think they did it intentionally, but the end effect is still there-they showed us a supermodel, then swapped in her old maid sister after 4 issues.

Bait and switch.

Edit-Oh yeah, and don't even get me started on how merits destroyed teaming. Why team, when you can't get merits for someone else's arc? It doesn't advance your characters quest for the recipes you want to get!

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Face it folks a bit of the CASUAL aspect died in this game when IOs were introduced.



[/ QUOTE ]Yeah I do think this as well. I could see if we were trying to purple out a warshade or something but this should be easier for the casual gamer.

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I agree, but then, the IO system wasn't really DESIGNED for the casual gamer. The whole concept, from the very start, was that it was not necessary to have IOs. You could go without IOs and have the same system that you had post-ED.

Now, IOs supposedly allow you to get close to the performance that we once had pre-ED. But that was what I felt the idea was. Remove the easy ability to cap your stats in return for the non-casual players gaining the ability to do this through IOs. The casual player was at a somewhat lower level, but could still participate in the game.

If it was impossible to play this game without IOs -- or even get IOs at all as a casual player - I would agree totally. But it is possible to use lesser IOs and non set IOs. I know, that is the strategy I use.

Also, the ability to use Merits to purchase IOs, instead of having to buy them from the Market, I believe was meant to HELP the casual player. While the casual player can't fully IO out all his characters, he can choose a few critical IOs that he would NEVER have the Influence to buy.

[/ QUOTE ]Heres the thing, IOs came about because of ED so in a since if you wish to play the game closer to pre-issue 6 performance in some aspects IOs are your only hope, thus are required. As for as it helping the casual person, it simple doesnt in a timely manner enough to matter. So instead of the casual gamer getting NO good IOs they might get one every 8 to 12 months when they save up enough merits to buy what they want. Because merit generation is so low for them they wouldnt be likely to random roll. What hurts this is the pool system that is no longer relevant to the name of the pool. It totally needs to be redone at this point as it is just confusing now.

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And this.