Ghostmaker

I don't know if this has been posted, but I found this:

http://unsubject.wordpress.com/2012/...e-world-event/

It's bitter, and unpleasant... and most likely why Paragon and Co* got the axe. Sigh.

Some of you I know. Many, I don't -- mostly because I've been gone a bit. Sad to see this happen though.

For what it's worth, you can find me on Steam as Drunken Firebat.

Excelsior, old friends.
--Ghostmaker.

Hm. I'd heard that House Majority Leader Cantor has pretty much shelved SOPA due to 'concerns' (probably 'concerns we'll all lose our jobs next election' but hey, whatever works, right?). Unfortunately, PIPA is still going ahead. Thanks, Reid, you dribbling clot.

It's funny, really. About the only people wanting this legislation are the conglomerates. I'm seeing conservatives, libertarians, liberals, small companies, individuals, just about everyone is looking at this and saying 'OH HELL NAAAAWW!'.

Jesus on a pogo stick. I was just reading the LP for Final Fantasy Tactics and several of OP's names popped up in that.

*laughs and laughs*

When I ran the newbie arcs in flashback with my main on Virtue, I opted to arrest Aaron. Why give him what he wants?

Although I could easily see my guy casually lifting him up by the collar and smiling mirthlessly. "Death? Oh no, Aaron, you don't get off THAT easily. You're going to have to face all those folks you've hurt with your actions."

I know Television's arcs aren't aging well, but the concept -- of Television being a newborn deity of a sort -- rather intrigues me (I'm a big fan of American Gods, Scion, etc).

And I have to admit, I like Television. The arcs could stand some cleanup and updating, but they do amuse me in a way that stands out in the terrible grimdarkness of Grandville. Yeah, I let the teacher go, Phipps, what are you going to do about it? Whack me with your pocket protector? Go whine to Recluse; I hear he's looking at his future-self helmet right now.

Besides, my first villain to hit 50 did it with the Television arcs. So I could say that I owed it all to watching Television

I have to admit, picking fights with all those AVs on the shattered Ouroboros platform had a suitably epic feel to it. I got a cruel delight out of punching Romulus's clock, as having to repeatedly beat him into the turf in ITFs can get tedious.

Some are pretty meh.

Others have some potential. Han Solo versus Ash? Hooboy...

Holmes versus Calvin only looks like a mismatch if you're not aware of the sheer /chaos/ Calvin can seed around him. I doubt he'll win, but Holmes should be forcefully reminded of why he doesn't have any kids himself

What.

O_o

Interestingly, my main on Virtue HAS appeared in one of D_R's videos -- the CoH fanvid for the Blue Man Group song 'Time To Start'.

I should probably roll up a toon on Justice though

Reminds me of when my dark/regen stalker was on a Mender Silos TF. The group was on the last mission, in Siren's Call, and we're taking on one hero after another.

Then we start piling in on Statesman, and I realize the guy has that rep for a reason. I don't know what hit me; all I know is a couple teammates and I were slugging it out with States on the drilling platform, there was a BOOM, and my guy goes flying clear off the platform and into the water. Astonishingly, it /didn't/ KO him (although I did have to hit Reconstruct). Good times.

I had a kind of idea regarding this, where Recluse and his cronies, in Praetoria, run subtle, long-game plans to gradually topple Tyrant's regime.

Stefan himself is never seen; he's Simon Jester, the ghost that just can't be caught. Whether it's because he's actually dead, or is just that good is up to the person writing.

His lieutenants are Sirocco, King Crab, Admiral Orca, and the Banshee.

Sirocco is probably the least changed from COV canon, except he's at peace with himself. He was a freedom fighter before; he still is now.

King Crab is the alternate Black Scorpion, a master of technology (admittedly self-taught) and a terror in his massive battle armor. He's especially skilled at 'MacGyvering' and juryrigging; a lot of his gear is salvaged equipment that somehow works.

Admiral Orca is the alternate Captain Mako, and is the most changed. He's far bigger and bulkier, though he's still quick on his feet. Devastating in combat, his personality is far more refined that one expects (think Henry McCoy with a cetacean theme). He commands the fleets of ships that act as refugee camps from Tyrant's rule.

The Banshee is the alternate Ghost Widow. Once she was Stefan's lover, but she was killed by Tyrant. Unfortunately for Tyrant and his Praetorians, she didn't /stay/ dead -- she is bound to the ideals espoused by Stefan. Only when the very last shred of freedom is crushed under Tyrant's boot will she vanish.

Opinions?

A couple nights back, I was playing CoH while one of my dogs was sleeping on the bed next to me.

A car horn honked in game, and it startled her awake; she jumped up, stared out the window, then looked at me with a puzzled expression, like 'Who the hell was that?'

Had similar issues while running radio missions in PI. Long load, mapserver disconnect, quit to clear blue sky, etc.

Interestingly, after I restarted COH I could try again entering the missions, but still, this is annoying.

Keep an eye on these to make sure they're awarding properly to your account.

A few days ago, I was checking my account over, and noticed something seemed a little off. Like I'd missed a vet badge. I figure they should be awarding 4 times a year (1 every three months), presuming the account doesn't go inactive. And yet I'd only received three for this year.

Now, this isn't a complaint. I posted a trouble ticket to NCSoft's customer service, and yesterday was informed I'd been awarded the correct vet badges. So props to CoH/NCSoft support. I'm just letting folks know to check their account -- just in case.

My handle (and the handle of my first serious character, on Liberty) actually comes from a bit of name-hunting. Couldn't find something I liked that wasn't taken, so I started looking at my bookshelf... and my eyes landed on Dan Abnett's Warhammer 40k novel, Ghostmaker. And that was that.

Ironically, the name is taken on Virtue, and I'm STILL looking for whoever's got it. If you're out there, drop me a line -- I'd like to make a deal with you

Another way to generate quick influence, if you're firing up an old character: a lot of the old toons may still have base salvage on them. Because base salvage is no longer used, you can convert it to Brainstorm tokens at any invention bench, which can then be converted into random salvage. You can generate a nice chunk of rare salvage that way, and even some of the common stuff fetches a good price.