GadgetDon

That's just not true. Currently, you've got a 1" margin on the left and the right, no matter how big you make the window. On the image you posted, that's now a 3 3/4" margin left and right. Meaning the content area is 5 1/2" thinner.

From what they've said in the past, pretty sure we got all the CoT costumes that transfer well to the player models, with all the animations and mix and match with the other costume pieces.

As for Black Knight - the chain mail and leather armors are based on them at least.

I've only bought Street Justice once, but I've bought super packs a couple of times.

On the UStream, Zwillinger said that Windfall (and presumably Presige) will get the same treatment in the next patch.

The "Legacy manner" is "You have an icon in your tray called XP Booster, click on it, power activates". That's different from "add a new icon into your list of temp powers".

BTW, the more I think about it - this isn't just a problem with claiming items (thought that is seriously messed up). The whole way that temp and inherent powers are handled needs some rethinking. They've started to do some of it with the "popup power tray" they talked about in UStream, but maybe some more thinking is handled.

Here's what I'd recommend. First, have a popupable power selector, shows powers in a list, maybe broken down into tabs based on type of power (pet, travel, buff, etc.). Click on a power in the list, and it activates. Limited powers like XP Booster or Experienced, that you don't use regularly in play, could stay in the power selector, never hitting a power tray. Players can move any power into a tray if they want through the old way, but they don't have to. Maybe make the button to bring up the power selector pulse when you get new powers that don't appear in your trays (see below).

Second, for trays - There are a lot more powers in the game than when the old tray system was designed. So here's a fairly straightforward improvement:

Allow 1-5 rows of power in the main tray. Default to 3. Instead of finding the obscure button to click for another row, make it a setting (that can be saved with the other settings, so if you want to start with 5 trays, loading saved settings does it). Automatically have the rows show 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - and first floating tray be 6, next 7, etc. Again, save the row choices in window settings.

I might also consider the option (not default) for wider trays. I suspect most players have decent sized monitors and could handle more than 10 buttons in a row. These extra buttons wouldn't have key presses associated with them, but they'd still be there for ready clicking.

Third, whenever you get a new power that you're likely to use regularly, be it by training, crafting, claiming, or just becoming unlocked by leveling (Rest and Ninja Run, I'm looking at you), those powers get added to the power trays, provided there is a visible spot to hold them (visible includes any floating trays).

There will need to be some judgement about which powers go into the trays, which would be mostly used by the popup power selector. Any primary, secondary, power pool, accolade, or incarnate power should go into the trays. Any toggle probably should go into the tray, for the visible indicator that it's on. Limited use pets (Shivans, vanguard pet mech, longbow pet mech, werewolf from Striga arcs, witch from Croatoa) should probably stay in the popup power selector. Temp attack powers not tied to a specific foe (crafted weapons like the revolver, the bow and arrow you get from Croatoa) are tougher calls. And of course players can still edit the trays, move powers around, remove them from the trays, move other powers into the trays. But it's better for both new players and veteran to see "oh, I got a bow and arrow" and then decide to remove it than hope they say the flashing words and go looking.

Would all this be simple? Nope. From what you said about the popup power tray (which I am looking forward to), the legacy code won't make these trivial changes to make. But it'll give a better UI for both new and veteran players, more obvious, and consistent.

Incarnate is VIP only, not purchasable with points.

This is a bad change and I really would like it to be reverted. I presume it also applies to the Windfall and prestige powers?

Yes, I think there was a confirmation window. It was about then tenth or fifteenth confirmation window that came up in getting my new character set up. There are too many confirmation windows in the game, a confirmation window is often the sign that you neglected to provide a way to cancel something (like all the power claiming options).

Just thought of something - there was talk in a UStream Chat about a smart temp powers bar that would pop up. These single-use temp powers would seem to be a great fit for this. Or maybe just need some method.

Generally speaking, the mark of a good UI is consistency. Since the launch of Freedom, claiming items has had consistent results - the time goes into the appropriate list/storage. There already were complaints when Catalysts got bound to the character when claimed, that should have raised red flags that activation was going to be a problem.

Yes, you have to go into the powers list once you've claimed the powers. Just like Experienced, just like restore (from the Superpacks), just like nemesis staff/blackwand/sands of mu/ghost slaying axe/mission teleporter/mission transporter/etc./etc./etc. A simpler solution would be for newly claimed powers to automatically appear in the trays (and by now - shouldn't we start with the power trays expanded to show all three rows, with row 1-2-3 - how many people really stay with just one row in the power tray?).

Ideally, the whole claiming system needs a revamp and moved away from email. It was a reasonably elegant shortcut to get things launched, but as more and more items are being added to the claimable items, it's no longer working well. One possible suggestion - steal the design from the "Collect" tab in navigation. You can then add categories - Account items, all character items, inspirations, salvage, enhancements, powers.

Is this a experience-killing change? Fortunately, I've got a fair number of XP boosters, so the loss of one isn't bad. If I'd been down to just a couple boosters and one was eaten like this, I'd be a lot angry. But it's a bad change. It's not just inconsistent with prior behavior, it's inconsistent with anything else you claim. It's a change for the worse.

thank you!

Oh, I'm sure the players will be lauded, just like in the final debrief, we were told about how important we were, how Wade is afraid of us, blah blah blah. Even though we've accomplished nothing throughout the 6 arcs to really set back Wade's plans at all.

It's not the kudos and pedestal that matter. It's being involved. Presumably, in City of Heroes, there are lots of plots being run by lots of villains and are foiled by lots of heroes. Each hero is saving the day in their own stories. (The fact that there are a limited number of stories, so every player hero is dealing with the same plots by the same villains is something we ignore.) But the arcs we run, it's about us taking on the bad guy. Sometimes as part of a team with other player heroes, sometimes solo, but it's our story.

Except with the SSAs, where most of the time, the characters making the hard choices or taking the big risks or striking the major blow is the NPC.

And here's why I think it'll continue: Wade has Statesman's Incarnate powers (and probably Sister Psyche's powers too). In any reasonable comic book story, whoever takes Wade down will take at least some of those powers and more importantly the burden and responsibility of them, the requirement to be that symbol (unless they can be returned to their "proper" owner which we've been told is NOT going to happen at least for Statesman). That can't be us, because the reward for completing the SSA7 arc isn't going to be "your character is now an NPC" nor are we going to have all incarnate slots unlocked and filled out with Tier 4 enhancements from running one arc. So that role will go to someone else. Makes sense from a dramatic storytelling basis, but makes it the NPC's story, not ours. And the reason I play CoH instead of watching TV or movies is that it's to be my story (or my character's story).

Maybe they'll surprise me, maybe it really will be my hero taking down Wade with some handwaving for why she doesn't get the powers and the spot on the boat. But given how much they've depended on NPC characters driving the story so far, it will be a surprise.

True, but there's the illusion that the player characters are involved. No, there is no "what happens if the players stop Lord Recluse from sapping up all the power from all heroes" possibility, the big mechanism being built in the dormant volcano won't go crashing through AP if the players can't win. But we are the ones in there taking on these big challenges, and rewarded when we win.

Oh, I'm sure that SSA7 and hopefully SSA6 will have us having a faux impact. But a big event like this, there should have been something.

And as for the story irrespective of being in a game - even giving every benefit of suspension of disbelief that Statesman wasn't being an idiot, a hero with that level of history and accomplishment deserves more than being taken out with a cheap shot and murdered where he stands. It's been a life of service and sacrifice. HE should have accomplished something in his death as opposed beyond "battery for future evil plot". Say, for example, we'd gotten trapped - and States shoves us out of it.

Adding one more thing - If this was a normal TF, where we'd be able to immediately go from "Statesman got murdered" to picking up the pieces and tracking Wade down, my objections would be less strenuous. Even if these rolled out one a week, well, still be there. But with these separated by one month - the end of the arc is an ending, not a way station in the story.

Looking at this, a question comes to mind.

"Morgan, are you a tucker?"