Grant_Hammerhoof

No solution in this post I’m afraid; just opinion.

But I did want to mention that I personally have never had any problem with suicidal pets. I’m using Demon Summoning, but on the principle that basic subroutines work the same across all pet types (which they probably don’t), I’m not sure why there’d be such difficulty in controlling them.

For random reference, I consult my “Master Freeze” bind:

Darn. I usually always miss events, and now that I see one ahead of time, it's scheduled for the one point in the day I'm going to be busy. For exactly the same length as the amount of time I'm going to be busy during. And it actually fits perfectly with a costume I made a while back for such occasions as such that might show up.

Oh well...hope it's interesting, and exciting, and filled with really wild things.

Hmm. This is something I feel rather undecided about...

That may be a unique stance though--having Health and Stamina available for 'free' is a significant bonus that low-level blasters in particular ought acutely feel. I've been doing mission teams with my level 30 Blaster without stamina and with only a few Endurance Reduction enhancements, and I run dry every one or two groups--I keep running to the arena in-between missions to fill my Inspiration inventory with Catch-a-Breaths.

Knowing that I can finally have that improved endurance recovery, and not have to be burdened with sacrificing three other powers, is tremendously great to hear...on the other hand I'm not to happy with hearing what's being said about Hurdle, and to a greater degree, Swift.

My main thought on Swift in particular is that it's inherent, and is always on. Sometimes I enjoy running at "normal" speeds, and indeed sometimes I need to run at normal speeds. If I'm in a tightly packed hallway or room, and I need to avoid overshooting a destination, a movement speed increase is detrimental to that objective, however mild. Even in role-playing, sometimes it's better to run a little slower. And there are even times when I don't want to feel super, super-hero like. I wonder how many people are reading this, I'm not used to big forum topics. Most of my characters are of a Natural origin, and while some have super strength, and some have fiery aura, I enjoy portraying them as of possessing certain normal qualities--one of them being run speed.

Plus the animation speed increase is just silly. One of my characters is about 6' 3" with physique set to highest--and when I got Swift for trial's sake, watching him run was just painful. So really if I want to run faster, I'll go ahead and just use Sprint. Hurdle I have similar arguments against--there are many players in Paragon, the Isles, and Praetoria who, despite playing a game of Heroes, are attempting to emulate normal people with specialties. Not everyone has to be an Olympic sprinter--having Sprint for that works quite well. I'd almost say just go ahead and integrate Hurdle with Sprint, and let Swift sneak out the back door and out of sight. With all the movement increase, accelerate metabolism, speed boost, that bloody eyesore ninja run, and even the mystic fortune chance for increasing run speed, players have a wide range of buffs available for them to choose or receive--and if they should be solo'ing and not have such powers available, they'll still have Sprint.

Hell, right now Sprint is almost on-par with Super Jump (unslotted) in terms of speed. Give it some Run Speed increase and integrate Hurdle, and you'll have a miniature ninja run *shudder*, if you really want it.

But to finish off this post that I'm not sure how many of you read and thus may not have examined my above reasons, I'm sum up by saying I do like the concept. Having 3 extra powers available to choose, and knowing that our endurance bar will be 30% more secure on characters who didn't take Fitness, is a good thing. But having an aesthetic change and another increase to movement speed now becoming inherent, I'm rather unsure about. So in the meanwhile, I'm willing to wait and see what happens.

Awesome stuff here everyone--don't quite get the "Troy Hickman" thing myself though--but I'm glad to see ideas that everyone has! I certainly rate City of Heroes as one of the best video games I've played, due to it's community's creativity, and the tools available to turn that creativity into a tangible (though digital!) creation. And thanks for the compliments, Street Wolf, Rodoan, Ian The M1, Ironik--I'm rather proud of them myself, though they could be a little better...

Anyway, thanks to all of you for responding--keep throwing out ideas though! The concept of making such a place a Mayhem hot-spot or designing it as a pub rather than a coffee shop are groovy thoughts among them in my opinion.

When I created those mockups, I tried to design the building based on architecture seen in City of Heroes. Typically you'll have simple architecture, accented by detail objects, which is why the building and interior don't look too fancy. If I were to have spent more than two hours working on it, I would have added coffee machines, equipment, plants, decorations, and other things to liven the place up to where it would be if it were implemented in-game. But I also think about the architecture complexity, and tools that the CoX developers have at their disposal to create worldspawn materials--I doubt GTK Radiant is as complex as whatever they use, heh. My thoughts are on the pub images though--those images represent places that are slightly more complex in terms of architectural design...but I suppose it's beside the point. The developers will do what they do with the tools they have, and there are plenty of ways to make neat things--as they've already shown they can! So I guess I've been digressing for an entire paragraph, heh.

Case in point, thank you everyone for the replies, and keep them coming!

And so I bravely step forward to create a topic on these forums.

Anywho. For a while now, I’ve been wandering purposelessly through Pocket D on Virtue, enjoying a bit of role-playing and chatting with my fellow villains and heroes; all the while thinking, “Where else could I be doing this?”

Now don’t get me wrong, Pocket D is a groovy place, but there are times when its atmosphere just doesn’t sit well with my current mood. Sometimes I want to feel like a hero, just finished saving some damsel in distress, and rewarding themselves with a stop in a coffee shop--encountering a fellow heroic do-gooder, and cheerfully chatting about the goings on in Paragon. At other times, perhaps I am feeling akin to a recently bedraggled villain, and wish to take shelter in a dark, cozy saloon where I might share my dark endeavors with a fellow rogue.

Pocket D does fulfill such desires to a point. After all, there are the hidden dimensional portals that allow such heroes and villains quick seclusion from the tribulations of their day--and let’s face it, grinding those pesky bad guys gets boring after a while. So it’s nice to stop by Pocket D and chill out. However, what if there was an alternate place to do so? Somewhere a little more in-the-city, that made you feel you weren’t abandoning Earth in favor of an alternate dimension--somewhere where any vigilante or henchman could stop in for a brief respite?

Two paragraphs in and I have yet to really display my mission-statement, so here it is:

“What do you think of having a Café in certain zones?”

My reasons for bringing it up are mostly stated--I feel a small Café type place would invite players to a central location in primary zones (other than the Markets and Universities!). It could provide a different role-playing atmosphere for players who are into such things, and it could even be purposeful for a non-role-player, with the addition of an Inspiration-selling NPC or some such thing.

There are of course, many arguments against the implementation of such a place: Going Rogue is soon to be released, thus rendering such minor diversions moot in the grand scheme of things; why do we need such a place when we already have Contacts for inspirations, and Supergroup Bases and other such locations for role-playing…

I don’t really have any counter argument to them--I’m not trying to come up with one, as this entire topic’s premise is based on a thought I have, that’s all. But every team I’ve joined recently, I’ve asked the question, “Would you like a Café in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles?” and so far, I haven’t had a single “No” from anyone; most seem to agree it’s a nice thought.

So now I bring the question to all you folks here on the forums, and ask for your opinions, thoughts, and general beliefs on whether such a place would, should, or could be implemented.

I’ll leave you on this note, and provide two images I created purely as a matter of self-indulgence. Cheers!


“Paragon Café / The Rogue’s Saloon” Concept Designs
By Bernard the Beast
Café Created Using GTK Radiant 1.4.0
Click an Icon Below to View Full Version

Hurr hurr, well thank'yer kindly! Not sure, but again, if you (or anyone else) wants the templates, they're a .zip file away.

And a groovy character you've got, Rintera! I enjoy seeing costume designs with either uniform color or high color contrast, and that black, white and gold really stands out. Also, it's really interesting seeing characters that borrow specific themes from the big-name comic heroes, without maintaining ties to that hero specifically (in your nifty case, being from Krypton!). Unless you did and I missed it while reading the background...but either way, a very froody character!



(Honorary mention goes to everyone in this thread and beyond of course--I don't want to sound pompous--this whole thread is filled with really neat creations!)

I'd definitly take a Killer Whale if there was room on my team.

Anywho, figured I might as well start using my forum account some day, and why not start with adding another opinion.

But first off, everyone has their own methods of dealing with various issues in-game. Some are issues with technical aspects, some are issues with community aspects. An issue where you're being asked by a stranger whether there is or isn't room on your team available for them to occupy isn't, in my mind, very offensive at all.

Personally, I'm pretty secure and confident in my personality; when someone asks if there's room on my team, I give them a polite and informative response--usually at the time best benefiting me. If I'm in the middle of a huge battle pummeling foes senseless, I'll wait until after the battle to quickly reply. Something brief and to the point, like, "Sorry, private team." Usually I'll type fast and add something a little more descript such as, "Sorry, private team--just me and a close friend."

Takes less than ten seconds, before I'm leaping into the next fray. Not much of an inpediment to me, no hard feelings on the bloke, and all is well.

Now I will tell you what ruffles my mohawk, and that's when I see everyone talking about how easy it is to find a bloody team. I live in bloody Alaska, and every time I get on, it seems like the world of Heroes and Villains is solely up to me to either save or dominate. There's practically no one on. So when I set my search message to, "Friendly, brawling Brute, looking for anything!", set to 'Looking for Team', post a message in Broadcast every five minutes, as well as Virtue LFG, and encourage other folks who are looking for teams to join me in making one--I rarely get any takers! And it's the most bally irritating thing.

So there's plenty to consider on both sides of the issue. Is it -really- that detracting from gameplay, or really that emotionally infuriating to be asked a simple question? And does the other person perhaps have valid reasons for resorting to more private and direct communication? What does it say about them, but what also does it say about yourself?


Anywho, I hate saying 'I' in forums, but since there isn't really any other way of telling folks what one's own opinion is, I guess I'm gonna have to bite my lip and go along with this for now. Please don't take me as one of those snobby intellectual-wannabe types though--I just deal personally with people every day in my job, and I've learned how to respond over time; I just apply what I do every day to my virtual community as well.

Good heroism / villainy to yer'.

(If you're feeling brave enough to face mountainous walls of text, and have an interest in learning about this fellow, click on the description above to view the full VirtueVerse page. No I'm not a nerd, goofy. Anywho, some great creativity in this topic! Very groovy stuff!)

(Also, if you happen to like this style of character display, I have the .psd for Photoshop that I can give you through e-mail. I'm rather proud of the way it turned out!)

Hmm. A very groovy idea here! If I were only able to commit myself more fully to City of Heroes/Villains...

To clarify though; anyone can send an article to the editor (Virtue.Verse.Weekly@gmail.com) that they would like to see in the newspaper? For example, if one wanted to write a brief article about the exploits of their character and associated characters, they could provide you with their written article, and it would be reviewed and perhaps incorporated into the newspaper?

If that is what you meant, what are the specifications for an article? Things like article length (character limit), images, content guidelines, and pre-formatting--to make it easier on the editor, putting the article and attachments into the newspaper. What should be done to ensure an easy addition to the newspaper, really.

Again, this is a really groovy idea, and I for one am looking forward to checking out the first edition when it comes up! With reader-submitted articles, it could also be a great opportunity for fresh and up-coming Heroes and Villains to introduce themselves to the community.

Aye, solo'ing is what I do when I can't find a team. Heh, I went from 46 all the way to 47 just by solo'ing while waiting for invites, hurr hurr!!

Thanks again for your replies everyone, very informative, and hopefully helpful to other heroes and villains!

And that'd be pretty groovy Philly Guy! I'd enjoy teaming with yer' sometime. My villain's name is " Bearnard the Beast' " (note the apostrophe at the end; without it, you'll add my Hero beast, hurr hurr). My characters are attached to my signature now too, which is I think pretty groovy!

So thanks again, and keep on posting folks! It's good to know when and where to look to join fellow heroes and villains!

Well thank you all very kindly for the replies! Even though I may not be replying directly to the comments, information and advice all of you left, directly and individually, I did read them, and know better how I should use the Sniper Rifle in City of Heroes. Mainly I use(d) the Sniper Rifle as a sort of higher-power Slug shot, in doing a bit more damage to bosses (slotted with endurance reduction and reduced interrupt time), but I suppose later on I'll be able to pick and choose more effective powers for that sort of purpose--especially when I get my first respec'. I usually save those until I'm around level 40, then I go and select powers in the way I'll most need them; I'll probably get Sniper Rifle after getting the more combat-centralized powers now.

So thanks again, and I hope other Assault Rifle blasters, and other heroes and villains alike, will drop by out of curiosity and maybe learn a little bit more about the Sniper Rifle and how best to use it themselves! Thanks!

Hullo! Exposition first, you'll find the question below the following exposition...

So I was blasting away with my (guess it!) blaster, when I eventually tried blasting with the Sniper Rifle power. Within the narrow confines of a sewer, and the devastation that my full team was causing, I grew quite ignorant to the damage my attacks were causing. Lo! that suddenly I run out of endurance. This surprised me, as it seemed that before I had been nearly at full endurance. As I gobbled up a Catch-A-Breath, I thought of what it might have been, when my suspicions fell upon the Sniper Rifle power. My technique when in the middle of combat is to repeatedly press my attack keys until I'm certain that that attack had been activated and used. I perform this technique even more so on Sniper Rifle, which has a tendency to be interrupted quite frequently by moving slightly, or being hit, etcetera--as it normally does.
Understanding this however, I took to being somewhat more sparing of the ability--until quite suddenly, I ran out of endurance again. This led to my being completely baffled! My sparing use of the Sniper Rifle meant it was certainly not hogging my endurance so much as say, Grenade Launcher or Flamethrower. I therefore watched my endurance bar very carefully the next time I used it, along with my other powers.
Well. It turns out that the endurance Sniper Rifle uses upon being activated takes place immediately. This means that if you switch targets and activate Sniper Rifle again, it will drain an additional endurance cost from your bar. If, as I was at the time, you're involved in a fierce melee in which most enemies you target are defeated within a mere few seconds of being aimed at, and you use a power before and after the current target is defeated, then when the next target is auto-selected, it'll activate that power a second time and in the case of the Sniper Rifle, drain you of endurance a second time; whether the shot was completed or not!



Now I tried a brief search on "Sniper Rifle Endurance" and didn't come up with anything relevant to my question, which is this:

Is the [Sniper Rifle] ability supposed to drain endurance if used in this repetitive manner? The method is as follows: you use [Sniper Rifle]. The endurance cost is automatically deducted from your endurance bar. You repeatedly activate [Sniper Rifle], and select a different target whilst still activating the power. This will cause an additional endurance drain. If you continue in this manner, selecting a different target each time you activate [Sniper Rifle], then even if you never complete a Sniper Shot, your endurance will still be drained.

My continue-mashing-super power-button-until-cast strategy may not exactly be how super powers were intended to be used, but is that endurance drain caused by repeated use of the [Sniper Rifle] power really meant to be? For comparison, I harken to [Aid Other]. That too is a power that can be interrupted, and that I also mash viciously when activating, to make sure that my target is healed. But I have never had it drain endurance in such a way as [Sniper Rifle]. I think this is because endurance is only drained from [Aid Other] after it has healed the other player however.



But what are the opinions of you other super-folks out there? Is this a minor bug? Is this intended? Is this already a topic that I should have found instead of making this novel of a topic myself? Or what are your own opinions, maybe even on my super-hero'ing strategy of 'mash and bash', as I think I'll call it.

Thank-you for reading, I hope it wasn't too long a trudge to get here!

I'm terribly sorry Philly Guy my friend, but my City of Villains just won't listen to reason. "Virtue TFs", exactly that?

Well thank-you kindly for your input, Moggie! And thank you for mentioning time-zones; when I posted this, I had meant to include yet another question (which I have edited into the initial post), which was "when do you most often join teams in the day". I did have to look up what PUG meant, however, heh (Pick Up Group; 'picking up team members as you go')!

So yes, I've added a fifth question, which is: "When, do you often find, are the best times for joining a team?"

I hope to see more responses from folks who are quite casual about the game too, especially from folks who join missions frequently as a way of leveling their super-characters, so if you're just looking at this topic out of some faint interest, please do reply, even if you just answer one or two questions! Your input would be great! These are community driven questions and answers; as well as individual ones!


*Thanks for your reply as well, Philly Guy! Quite handy and communicative!

**As a note on Virtue TFs; that channel is full now. Is there a second one, like how V-LFG Alpha came about?

Hullo Forum-Folks!

As I usually mention with every post I post in these here forums, I don't often post here...in these forums. But a question has arisen in my mind, and after a brief attempt at using the Search tool to see if I weren't the only one thinking this, I've decided to post it here.
So here it is.

- How easy is it for you to find teams?

I speak mainly as a villain at present. Most times that I find myself playing City of Villains and are looking for a team, an irritating lack of replies causes me to simply delve into missions solo. I don't know if everyone else shares this experience, but I swear that every time I enter Grandville and mention that I'm a cheerful, burly, brawling Brute who is looking for a team, not one of the 9-17 people within the zone even bother to reply, no matter what's in their search comments. So again: how easy is it for you to find teams?

- How quick on average are you able to look for a team, and then join one?

By this, how long do you typically wait when looking for a team? Is it a mere few seconds after mentioning your desire to join a team, that a good fellow invites you to join them? Does it take minutes instead? Or do you often amuse yourself by solo'ing, or diverting yourself until someone comes along with a team and invites you?
And as a last question:

- How often do you form your own team?

Fairly simple question with a potentially complex and emotional answer from some folks; but how often do you take the initiative and say, "Team, looking for more"? Often when I'm in Grandville, I find myself puzzling over the fact that there may be as many as twenty villains in the zone, yet not one of them responds to my "looking for team" broadcasts, or even my "team looking for more" broadcasts. This puzzles me, and I want to know your input on how often you form your own team, how often you get immediate replies, and maybe even how often you reach a full super-team.

As I said, I speak mainly as a villain, but this is most certainly an open question for all super-powered types on Virtue; that means Heroes included. So again, in brief:

How often are you able to join a team?
How often do you look for a team?
How quickly are you, on average, able to join a team?
How often do you make your own team? Even if it's just to storm through a couple of newspaper/radio missions with some company.
*When, do you often find, are the best times for joining a team?


Thanks for reading through this, and I look forward to reading your replies! Hopefully other folks on Virtue who have similar thoughts will find your responses useful as well; and in this respect, I'm going to ask that we might try to keep replies as factual and informative as possible. Add your own experiences and thoughts by all means, but let's not deviate into emotionally drawn debates. Thank-you!

I rarely post on these here forums, but I just wanted to say thanks for the consideration, developers! Being able to walk may be considered unimportant and a waste of time to some, but to me, it adds a level of immersion and believability that I personally very much appreciate. So thank-you!