Gemini_2099

Originally Posted by dugfromthearth

I am simply amazed that your whole team would listen and cooperate

Originally Posted by Doctor Roswell

"Hey, the Valkyrie pack doesn't include the Valkyrie Blade!"
"Quit complaining, you've already got the Fantasy Blade, that's good enough."

For the record:

The basic gladius, available to everyone at level 1.


The "Roman - Gladiator" and "Roman - Savage" swords (yes, they're actually listed as "Roman" in the character editor), omitted from the Roman costume bundle -- "They were intentionally left out to maintain some exclusivity to the Imperious Task Force (ITF)." Even though that's not how they're unlocked. The shields unlocked in exactly the same way as these swords are included in the bundle.

And, for completeness:

The Romulus and Romulus Nictus swords, also omitted from the Roman costume bundle "to maintain some exclusivity to the Imperious Task Force." These actually are unlocked through the ITF, so the logic holds up in the case of these two -- though I think it's important to mention that the equivalent shields, also (until now) unlockable only by completing the ITF, are included in the bundle, despite the stated goal "to maintain some exclusivity to the Imperious Task Force."

I don't have a Battle Axe character with the Roman axes unlocked (which, by the way, also happens via the Centurion badge and not the ITF), so I can't provide screen caps of those, but I think it's safe to say those are markedly different from the gladius, too.

Originally Posted by Forbin_Project

Because we've always had the Roman Gladius sword available at level 1. So it would be kind of stupid to sell people a weapon they already have unlocked.

Originally Posted by Hopeling

OK... but this isn't that thread. So, you're attacking an argument which no one in this discussion is actually making, which is either off-topic, or the very definition of a strawman, depending on how a reader interprets it and/or what your intent was.

Originally Posted by Johnny_Butane

Someone wants to make a Roman Centuion-themed character.
You go to the character creator and...there are no Roman parts. You have to get your Roman Centurion to level 35 and run the ITF to unlock them. So for the first 35 levels your 'Roman' is walking around with...medieval or Samurai armor.

Now do you get the logic?


.

Originally Posted by Grouchybeast

Just checking, but you do realise that five out of seven of the Roman weapons not included in the pack aren't actually unlocked by the ITF, right?

Originally Posted by Liquid

Well, I was going to buy this pack as soon as it hit live, but with the time limitation, I'm going to have to decline as another vote against the practice. It's not tied to any holiday (sticking a single Valentine's day related item in there that also happens to be Roman doesn't make the rest of the pack Valentine's day related), so I don't see the reason for the artificial scarcity. It's a great convenience buy, and I think new players should have the opportunity to buy it throughout the year.

I also agree with those who are saying that the ITF doesn't need any costume part incentives to get people to run it.

Sorry, Ghost Falcon.

Originally Posted by Eva Destruction

Thank you for this thread Sam.

I came in late so I'm not going to go through and respond to everyone who has made points that other people have already responded to.

But no, the Freedom Phalanx-haters are not getting what they want here. Does anyone honestly believe that after this conga line of incompetence, bickering, and childishness the Phalanx will disband? Or step down as "the City's premier supergroup?" Admit their time is past? Or be in any way held accountable?

No, I fully believe that we will still be told these are the people new heroes should be looking up to. We're not being turned into the main protagonists here, we're now secondary characters in a game of idiot-ball hot potato. These arcs aren't Player hero vs NPC villain or Player villain vs NPC hero, they're entirely Darrin Wade vs. Freedom Phalanx. It's like playing a tabletop game where the GM has a million NPCs who advance the plot while the PCs are only relevant when it's time to break out the dice.

Originally Posted by Xzero45

This. They want to keep them exclusive.

Originally Posted by Doctor Roswell

A very good point. So let's see where this leads us:

Roman swords
Unlocked by: earning the Centurion badge
NOT included in Roman costume pack "to maintain some exclusivity to the Imperious Task Force" (which isn't required to unlock them).

Roman axes
Unlocked by: earning the Centurion badge
NOT included in Roman costume pack "to maintain some exclusivity to the Imperious Task Force" (which isn't required to unlock them).

Romulus/Nictus sword
Unlocked by: completing the Imperious Task Force
NOT included in Roman costume pack "to maintain some exclusivity to the Imperious Task Force."

Roman shields
Unlocked by: earning the Centurion badge
Included in Roman costume pack

Romulus/Nictus shield
Unlocked by: completing the Imperious Task Force
Included in Roman costume pack despite stated goal "to maintain some exclusivity to the Imperious Task Force."

Oh, yeah... this makes sense. Well, the parts about Romulus swords and non-Romulus shields do, anyway. The rest, not so much.

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow

Not on a technical level, but it's the only reasonable reading I can do of the original message without it being incredibly stupid. If the concern is not people wanting to run the ITF, then it transpires that certain items are left unique to the ITF for no reason other than because someone wanted to keep parts unique to the ITF, and no reason that can actually convince. This, then, would be the absolute, rock bottom, bare essentials version of "It's their game, they can do whatever they want."

Exclusivity is not a reason unless it accomplishes something, and unless said accomplishment is to get people to run the ITF (which it won't, but is at least an argument worth having), then it accomplishes nothing and is there because someone didn't want people to have too much fun all at once.

I would literally have accepted the argument that that's too much stuff for one pack, so they'll sell it in two. I would have bought two packs, as a point of fact. But "exclusivity" for no reason makes sure I won't buy even a single pack.

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And you know what? It KILLS me to say this, because I'm one of the people who pestered Paragon Studios to release the Roman gear and the Rualruu weapons on the Market. I WANTED to buy them. But not like this. This is handled in such a wrong fashion it turns me off of buying something I directly requested.

Originally Posted by Ghost Falcon

Lothic nailed it.