GadgetDon

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With Regard to Hamidon 'Not Rendering':

Hamidon disappears because the game is made so that only a certain number of toons are drawn on your screen at one time. Even before you start to fight Hamidon, you may notice that you start to lose sight of far off Mitos or the other team.

When the holding phase starts and you can still see Hamidon, you probably can't see the taunter on the other side of Hamidon. You'll only 'see' about 80 toons right next to you. Even players, or griefing Giant Monsters can't be seen until they're right next to you.

And so, when the attack phase begins and even more players come in to attack, the Hamidon himself will no longer be seen. Luckily, pets don't rely upon a graphical presentation of toons on their computer to see and target Hamidon... they know he's there and we can target through them. (Although, at very crowded raids of 120 or more players, even my pet lost sight of Hamidon.)

If you lose sight of Hamidon, you can try to move away from the crowd by hovering over him, or going near the taunter (suicidal as that may be) and lo and behold, you can see Hamidon again. In fact, I did that one raid to watch how he dies.. it's spectacular!

However, if everyone moved over to the taunter to see Hamidon, you'd probably lose sight of him again.

So, it's not the server or player graphical effects that make people lose sight of Hamidon... its too many people that does it.

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But you need that many people to take him down. It's designed to require that many numbers.

And it is not just the number of players, the effects also make an effect. Otherwise, when hami lets loose, everyone dies, you can in fact see Hami, all the mitos and all the people.

Your pets don't lose sight of Hami, hami has an aggro cap just like heroes do so after enough pets to hit the cap...other pets don't aggro on hami, don't target him, and you can't target through them.

Under I6, there were two serious challenges that can keep Hamidon from being completed once you've got the people there. First, due to the game mechanics, problems in the renderer, and Hami's aggro limit, targetting hami can be an issue. In the past month or so, even the taunter has had to resort to targetting through a pet. Second, if griefers can take down enough holders by luring a giant monster into the pit or spawning an ambush like Kronos, the hold breaks, and there's an uncontrolled mito spawn.

Under this change, we'll be also dealing the sfx for hamidon attacking, a healing bubble will probably need to be maintained, making it even harder to keep visual targetting, and they've made it urgent to keep visual targetting because the only way to tell when hold is broken is by the loss of some sometimes subtle effects.

And they've made griefing trivial. Put a couple of tankers in the goo with the holders, using taunt plus attacks, attacks take out the holders, and suddenly Hamidon is surrounded by a large number of yellow mitos.

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So - here it is.

Added to the patch notes:

The Hamidon has been increased in difficulty. It is now capable of using one of its attack powers even when Held, Slept, or Stunned.

Evidently Hammy got a laser beam on it's head a long time ago but just now figured out how to use it.


The Mitos are AVs and are acting according to this patch note:

AVs/Heroes and Giant Monsters now ignore threat level damage multipliers for different Archetypes. They are still affected by Taunt as before.

As for the drops? Bug.

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So you went and took the one bit of end game PVE content in the game...and made it virtually unplayable and trivial to grief...undetectably.

this sucks. Do you people realize we are here instead of playing a game because we want to have FUN?

Wild guess, rank speculation.

Based on that, NPC aggro rules are affected by the AT involved. If I was going to guess, it's pets, tankers, scrappers, blasters, controllers, defenders (or maybe pets, tankers and scrappers, blasters/controllers/defenders). As a result, to still get some aggro, some controller and defender powers had a boosted "hate" level.

Now that they've removed the aggro adjustement for avs and gms (and thus apparently mitos), those boosted hate levels are attracting huge attention.

This was done to GMs and AVs...have the "normal" archvillans and GMs shown a greater interest in defenders and controllers?

Of course, when the boost was announced originally by Positron, Hamidon and its mitos, the multitude of DE giant monsters, and Lusca were promised to be exempted.

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When Giant Monsters get tougher (Issue 7), this number will drop to 10%(or more), encouraging more teams to fight them. The rewards will be increasing as well.

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Problem with this...some monsters are set up for just one group:

Babbage: Ambushes team doing Synapse TF
Krakken: In Sewer Trial, must be defeated four times at bottom even if you can avoid the Krakken in the scaffolding
Adamastor: In instanced mission at end of Numina TF
Kronos: Surprise ambush after exiting mission, and then in surprise timed mission.
Quarry: Two of these must be defeated in an instanced mission in the Eden trial.

I may be an exception, but I don't find giant monsters in need of a buff. My only complaint is with how often they spawn.

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Zone Giant Monsters are getting the buff. GM's that are mission-specified (like the ambush ones, or the Eden trial, etc) are not being touched. Those GMs are "arch-villain" level, i.e. made to be beaten by 1 team.

Zone Giant Monsters are the GM's that appear randomly (or triggered) in zones. This does not include the ambushes that are triggered from missions.

This change will be both CoH and CoV.

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Did this get dropped by the wayside? Also,

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Hamidon is a... um... "Hamidon"-class entity. He's not a Giant Monster as defined by Giant Monsters. The Mitos are Arch-villain class, not GMs.

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But archvillains have also gotten boosted. Have mitos been boosted?

Reread what he said, here and the other thread. We made a case about why the proposed solution (when stealthed, can't click) was completely unworkable, and someone did point out suppression as a solution. Mr. Emmert said they'd remove the "can't click" and expressed interest in the suppression option.

I wish they hadn't done it, I don't think it's necessary, I think it's unfair to those who have greater risk and more time clearing opponents (like controllers and defenders) since for scrappers and tankers defeating a normal spawn IS still risk free xp. But they have not gone back on what they said they would do.

beyond the specific...anything beyond 4 SOs is wasted. 4 SOs only make sense if you may be dealing with yellow SOs (lower level than your level so they're not a full strength.

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Positron said that badge junkies will hate him for one of the villain I7 contacts - There is a badge that you can only get if you complete all of a certain contact's missions. And every mission is timed and can be failed. He said that the times are not long, but not so short that it is impossible. Also, you can only get the badge by doing the missions yourself. joining someone else for them will not award it.

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Not fun at all. Real life happens sometimes...cats knock over something with a loud crash, bosses call with an emergency, kids get hurt, also there are technical problems (disconnects, server crashes, client crashes, lagged beyond all belief). That's the sort of cheap trick that has me leave a gamemaster's table and never return.

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Also, you can only get the badge by doing the missions yourself. joining someone else for them will not award it.

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Hallelujah. Now if only they will fix up most of the other mission badges like that, I'll be happy.

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You mean like the "War Wall Defender" badge that gets rewarded regadless of whether you succeed or fail?

Just glad they got the "Time spent in BB/ Siren's/ Warburg" badges fixed. No more spending 5 consecutive hours in a zone

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No, I mean, as in fixing other mission badges (Like the Save the Fortuneteller mission) so you can't get the badge by joining their mission. It has to be YOUR mission.

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Strongly disagree, particularly as many are required for accolades and (unless you are carefully following the third party sites, unlikely for a new player) there's nothing to suggest that either this contact has something special or this mission is unusually important.

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Soloed the FF mission on Relentless and it spawned Luminary as a hero. I couldnt put a dent in her with my MM. Not cool.

If I am solo, I shouldnt have to face an AV lvl mob. I dont need to be spending 335k infamy every time I get a Mayham mission to change my difficulty.

Devs need to change this before it goes live.

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Umm, regular missions do this too. If a mission in a regular story arc has a Hero or Archvillain in it, and you're set to anything above +1 difficulty, you get them at full strength.

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Ummm... no. If you're solo, only diff level 5 keeps the AV/Hero. Below 5, they are demoted to Elite Boss.

IOW, For a solo player, demotion of an AV/Hero occurs at diff levels 1-4.

For two players, demotion occurs at diff level 1-3.

For three players, demotion only occurs at level 1.

In addition, there's another kind of demotion, if you're solo at diff level 1, Bosses become Lieutenants.

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Addressing other posters: Right now, the above demotion scheme does not apply to mayhem missions. Positron posted above (yes, even if the thread is long, read it before posting!) that the named Hero at the end is random. They're going to change that. So stop posting, "They should change that!"

If you want to make your point and if you're soloing a mayhem mission on anything but level 5 and you get a Hero, then /bug it in game.

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You sure? I know it's random, but I still figured that if you were solo at heroic and randomly pulled a boss, the boss would become a lieutenant, if you randomly pulled a Hero and met the qualifications, the Hero would become an elite boss.

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Soloed the FF mission on Relentless and it spawned Luminary as a hero. I couldnt put a dent in her with my MM. Not cool.

If I am solo, I shouldnt have to face an AV lvl mob. I dont need to be spending 335k infamy every time I get a Mayham mission to change my difficulty.

Devs need to change this before it goes live.

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Umm, regular missions do this too. If a mission in a regular story arc has a Hero or Archvillain in it, and you're set to anything above +1 difficulty, you get them at full strength. The only way to guarantee that your mission doesn't spawn anything above an Elite Boss is to play with a team size of 1 or 2 and a difficulty of lowest or second-lowest. It's been that way since, what, October?

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Yes, but AVs are (from most contacts and most of the game) a rare occurrance. Mayhem missions are going to be a regular occurrance.

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I have a question that someone may be able to answer for me. I don't have a villain in position to test it myself.

Since Mayhem missions are the missions we need to do to unlock our contacts from our newspaper brokers, what happens if we fail the mayhem mission? Will our broker still give us a contact? Or will he/she not give us one because we failed? An AV/Hero type EB may not be possible for some ATs to beat on their own, so I'm concerned that players will be forced to group merely so that they can get their contacts.

Can anyone shed any light on this concern?

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You are given the mission, whether you succeed or fail. However, you must accept the mayhem mission to get the contact. I wish that was changed.

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Mayhem missions need to be optional, not required to open contacts.

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You get the contact whether you succeed at the mission or not.

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You still have to go in, face ambushes, and waste 20 minutes for time to run out.

There's been a change to the process of getting History badges...clicking plaques knocks you out of stealth, invisibility, and phase shift. Apparently we have to read aloud and that gives us away.

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In the end, I failed the mayhem mission without a chance of possibly succeeding, got a bar of debt, and aside from that, I guess because I failed I didnt get to get any new contacts.

Thats a major level of bad in my book. I really dont want to have to depend on other people just so I can get my contacts and thus beable to do story missions and such.

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I failed when I tried a mayhem mission, and did get a contact. Maybe there just weren't any more contacts at that level in that zone to give you?

If you say no to the mission...do you still get invited to a contact?

A thought that might make these easier for those who choose to do so...

What if you didn't have to beat the hero? Yes, the hero will attempt to ambush you, but if you can hold or outrun the hero, shouldn't that be a win?

The rewards should be less. The temp power should be dependant upon taking down the hero, and maybe a reduced mission completion. Give people reasons to do the full-on mayhem, but let those who choose not to able to try to zip in and out.

I got defeated by the hero, and ended up in jail. Had a little trouble finding my way out of the PD, and when I clicked on the doors, I fell under the map. /stuck just took me back to the point I fell from.

While it was fun, I wish I had the choice of heist or Mayhem. Why?

(1) I strongly dislike the need to use the broker to get contacts anyway. When I'm ready for my next contact, I hate having to do five random missions and then another mission just for my next contact. Heists seem to take longer (particularly some of the casino ones where I just clear a room and a couple of ambushes) and seem to have a much greater chance of debt.

(2) It doesn't fit my characters. None of my villains are the "let's go cause chaos for the hell of it" psycho types. They are more the scheming and plotting types.

If I can choose between heist and mayhem, then I can do mayhem when I'm in the mood, or heist if I just want it over with.

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I find it telling that in the aftermath following I6, the Regen players of my acquaintance have seemingly congealed into two populations: the players who still manage to remain wholly survivable and use the set skillfully and purposefully, and those who eat floor at every possible opportunity.

Suffice it to say -- I find it to be evidence that the powerset was previously allowing any Joe Schmoe with a copycat build mini-Godhood status.


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That was Issue 5. Issue 6 and ED did almost nothing to Regen. One of the more annoying things about ED is that people ascribe the benefits of Issue 5 (which was a painful, but well targeted general nerf) to it because the issues ran back to back.

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When Issue 5 changed Instant Healing from a toggle to a click, we were told by the devs that by six slotting recharge and perma hasten you could have IH up just under half the time. Just like when MoG's recharge was lengthened, we were told by the devs that six slotting recharge plus perma hasten could make the period between uses tolerable.

I6 was "you six slotted with the same enhancement? Mua ha ha ha ha"

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Four of the five characters I got to 50th level were regen scrappers. As such, I am painfully aware that the devs are liable to change anything at a drop of a hat.

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Yeah, because changes to regen scrappers were SO unexpected.

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Tell me you forsaw the change of the core power of regen going from a toggle to a click and I'll call you a liar. Tell me, in Issue 1, you forsaw the next five issues will all be nerfing regen, and I'll say that's unlikely.

But again, the point is...they change powers. They'll change them again. Holes will be opened, powers chosen to close holes will be changed to be ineffective. To make the choice of patron power pool immutable when the powers are mutable is unfair.

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Patron Powers are truly permanent. This powerset, once chosen, is as much a part of your character as your Name, Primary Powerset, Secondary Powerset, Body Type, and Origin.

There is currently no way for us to let you re-spec out of them and into a different one. This is because it is tied to specific content for that Patron.

Because of this, hard numbers are given, in-game, about the powers and what they do before you even choose which arc you wish to partake (and will most likely be available on the website as well).

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Four of the five characters I got to 50th level were regen scrappers. As such, I am painfully aware that the devs are liable to change anything at a drop of a hat. So I take a patron pool because there are some powers that fill some holes I have. Then I8 hits, and either those powers are changed so they no longer fill the holes, or my primary and secondary powers change and I've now got big gaping holes that another patron power pool could close.

Appreciate giving us numbers...but so long as the powers are subject to change, the pool should be subject to change.

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Most badge requirements and slick ways to earn them are discovered by players. They are usually not confirmed by devs until it is so common knowledge that they are not giving the information away. So the best thing you can do for us is prove your point right or wrong. There is no cheat guide to give you the answer on this one. You will have to take the reins and figure it out yourself. Just remember to post your results on the forums so all of us can benefit from them.

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I spent 1.5 hours yesterday with my son doing LB mission's in Warburg, He was lk'ed to me the entire time. We did 13 seperate missions, I still have NO counter for a Mentoring badge. Something is not working right, a simple, You have to be recieving damage/giving damage/earning XP, or whatever, I am simply looking for an answer, no cheating.

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I can understand the frustration of not having an exact way of making sure you are receiving full credit. From what I have seen, this is what the devs want. Active playing definitly does reward the badge, and you don't get the first one until I believe 8 hours, so if you have someone to play along with such as your son, just have fun, enjoy the game and you will get the badge quickly enough.

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My guess would be that, because PVP zones level everyone up and down to the same level, no effective mentoring happens.

I know it would take some program hacking of the engine, but here's how I'd like it to work...you get a super inspiration. When taken, gives you a reasonable time of buffage (3 minutes is a time that you've picked as reasonable for the top-level scrapper defenses, so that's good, though I'd like a round number like 5 minutes). After 120 minutes, it disappears. Can only have one of each type of super inspiration. Alternatively, a temp power that is both 1 shot and time limited.

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So, if we are to have the possibility of a defeat each mission and a handful at invincible, why don't they just reward us with automatic debt each time we complete a mision? It would be simpler and STATESMAN WOULD GET HIS "VISION" of a GREAT GAME DESIGN!?!
I am sorry, but there is no balance in Statesman's balanced vision. I mission that will cause a single death for a scrapper or a tank results in nearly constant death for a controller or a defender! And don't give me the same crap that they are suppose to team up... no hero should have to team up for EVERY DARN MISSION! Plus, because of the number of poeple that left to play villains ( not to mention those that left because of VERY POOR PLANNING on COH), there are very few people online when I play in the mornings.
At heroic level, every toon should be am to complete their own missions by themselves- assuming there is no AV or multiple bombs to defuse (that you are NEVER WARNED ABOUT WHEN YOU TAKE THE MISSION!) and it SHOULD NOT PUT YOU FURTHER INTO DEBT THAN WHEN YOU STARTED!

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I don't know what characters YOU'RE playing (I have played multiples of every AT in the game, including Khelds and all villain ATs, up to at least level 14 (Being a severe altoholic) and I have YET to play a character that can't solo missions at the lowest setting (including the Mind controller) and they can ALL (with patience) Solo the highest setting with, at most, a 50/50 chance of dying against particularly mean bosses.

Maybe the PCs and missions aren't your problem?

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Soloability gets a lot harder as you go up in levels.

Also, I'm going to assume you skip the Hollows...a mind controller soloing Frostfire?

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What does this tell us? The risk/reward is ALREADY out of whack for most Giant Monsters, and now the developers are making them HARDER?!?!?

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Yes, they're making them harder, which means they'll have an increased reward. Right now there's no incentive to fight a Giant Monster if you already have the badge. Since the novelty has worn off of the Hero monsters, it's hard to find a team willing to risk the debt.

I think the Giant Monster change is long overdue. They made AVs worth the risk, and now they'll do the same for GMs.

Basically, I just love guaranteed sources of level 53 SOs

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Have they said that everyone involved with get a +3 level SO? My impression was that it was just more xp/influence

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Zone Giant Monsters are getting the buff. GM's that are mission-specified (like the ambush ones, or the Eden trial, etc) are not being touched. Those GMs are "arch-villain" level, i.e. made to be beaten by 1 team.

Zone Giant Monsters are the GM's that appear randomly (or triggered) in zones. This does not include the ambushes that are triggered from missions.

This change will be both CoH and CoV.

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Is Lusca being exempted from this, given that there are 9 giant monsters involved?

Actually...is it too late to kill it? For the past few days I've been trying to get the devilfish badge. Requests for people to come help are met with derisive laughter...the risk/reward ratio is so far out of whack it's ridiculous. Finally, we put together a good team of people and managed to take down three of the five tentacles, with several complete team wipes and at least two people hitting the debt cap (coming in debt free). After a lot of pleading and whining we got more people and managed to take it down. With the teams in place, we went ahead and cleared the other Lusca that had spawned.

I am NOT looking forward to having to do similar pleading and whining for the Kraken, Adamastor, and Jurassic.