Hyperstrike

Yeah. This forum limits the length on posts.
Anything beyond a certain length and it simply errors out. Discovered this trying to post a detailed MIDS output.

Best bet is to break the offending data into two posts.

As someone else who's stuck in the hell of "Family Tech Support Monkey", suggesting a platform you cannot fix is not the way to reduce family aggro. If anything, it'll increase it.

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Yeah you can pass a virus on to other computers through email.

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And unchecked files on file shares, etc.

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However if you don't want to become a semi-expert in computer security, a Mac will do all you need and then some, a lot safer than a Windows Machine. ESPECIALLY a WinXP machine.

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What's to learn? You put an AV on and some antispyware. Then just make sure you're getting the updates. Done. Wow, steep learning curve.

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I used to be with you, however now that CoX is on the Mac Platform, there is no reason, other than extreme lack of funds, to buy a Windows PC over a Mac if you don't want to study your butt off learning about PC/Network security.

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FUD. Plain and simple.

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Farming is more of running the exact same map..

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How many office/warehouse/sewer/cave maps have you memorized? To the point where you know where the spawns are EXACTLY?

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A bit more pricey, however you'll save a ton with not having to buy a ton of extra software

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Uhm. No. Essentially, if you don't like the way the system's default software functions, the entire culture is "buy this other thing". Not "try and buy". Buy.

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You won't have to worry about viruses or spyware.

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Again. NO. Simply because the marketshare of the system is so small as to not making viruses worthwhile to write for doesn't mean the system is virus proof.

Also, your statement is only approximating reality IN THE ABSENCE OF OTHER PLATFORMS ON YOUR NETWORK. Translation, there's nothing stopping a Mac from passing on a virus load that doesn't affect *it* to one of the Windows machines on your network.

Please be very careful when making recommendations like this, as they do not, in fact, mirror reality.

Mwahahahaha!

Will this IO stack with the Steadfast Protection +3% IO? Or are they mutually exclusive?

One other thing. I REALLY don't recommend buying anything less than 2GB sticks. The cost ratio just isn't there.

And no, if you DO have all 4 slots populated, you DO NOT have to buy 4 modules to replace them all simultaneously.

You have two options:

1: Pop all the old stuff out, and put in the 2 sticks of new stuff.
2: Pop 2 sticks of the old stuff out and put in two sticks of the new stuff, leaving you with 4 sticks in.

Link to Crucial.com site

That's why I used this site first to give me an idea about what's in the system.

Even if, at worst, Dell pulls a case of the [censored], and populates all 4 slots with 512MB modules, for $50-ish, she can get another 4GB (2x2GB) and upgrade to at least 5GB. Likely it's 2x1GB, so she would be upgrading to 6GB.

Translation: Not everyone plays the same way you (generic you) do. Not everyone should have to.

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Since the goals I see for the MA/AE system were never associated with providing a "better" or even a "separate" vehicle for character-growth, I am not phased by the changes to the MA/AE system or our Arcs.

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Never mind that the devs SPECIFICALLY stated that you would be able to level a toon from 1 to 50 inside MA without hitting external content.

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Perhaps the Devs made a mistake when they let people believe that you can and "should" create a character and grow it solely in an AE center.

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They didn't "let people believe". They flat out SAID it was an option.

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Catering to Efficient Expert gamers in CoH

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I didn't say "cater to". I simply feel that they should understand that there ARE this type of gamer there, and take this into account.

And NO, it wouldn't be WoW with constant deprecation of "the old hotness" with "the new hotness".

There's already, currently, a point when a toon caps out (L50, full purples, IO'ed to hell and back, all the accolades, etc). And I'm not saying they should make it EASIER to hit that cap-out point. Merely that they not try to nerf someone who's busting hump playing to maximize rewards and get their toons closer to that sort of "ideal".

No. I've played some decent arcs. It's just that, at certain times, I get mercenary and don't really care about the content. I just wanna go nuts and kill stuff and get shiny.

Is there really anything wrong with that?

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The RPers are still giddy about it, I have seen an increasing number of others that say "I dont do MA"

If posi doesnt want the filthy farmers and people that play to advance and improve their characters in his little baby, he has done a pretty good job of it. I know I dont want to be involved in any way in someones rp fantasies.

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/this

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Focusing on efficient grinding/farming is simply going to bring more changes to the game, and not in the direction grinders/farmers want to see.

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The problem is "play for the content" completely ignores that, outside of custom enemies and a few splurges of text, which you quickly click off of, or never notice in the first place (especially if running on teams as other than the leader), there IS NO, and I repeat NO "new" content in MA. It's simply the same stuff as in the regular game with a slightly finer slicing and dicing of the parameters of the BigBad.

Note: This is NOT meant to take away from the authors of arcs in any way, shape or form. I've played through several absolutely brilliant arcs. But, at the end of it, it's still "find objective", "trounce objective", rinse, repeat.

The devs need to realize that some people play in a rewards-oriented manner and make adjustments to accomodate this style of play without unduly nerfing everything (making MA a useless waste of time) or unduly rewarding them (so that we have a revisitation of the rampant "meow" situation we had before the last patches).

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Maintenance window needs to be shifted

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No. It doesn't.

The planned maintenances happen when they happen because that's the time when most people aren't in on the server (off-prime time). Moreover, it's early morning in the US and mid-afternoon in the EU. The devs and the people chucking those patches are primarily in the US.

Asking them to patch during prime time (when the majority of their customer base is in) for anything other than emergency patches is crazy.

I can sympathize with the frequency of the patches biting you in the backside though. While they've added a major new (see buggy) system into the game, I can see how there's going to be some extra work getting it stabilized. But it's becoming more than just a LITTLE annoying.

I'll chuck my voice in behind FatherXmas. The Studio PC is probably your best bet for decent performance. Plus, it comes with a decent monitor.

Just hitting Crucial.com for memory, another 4GB would run you $50 (and the thing maxes at 8GB, and since you'd be running Vista64, you can use all of it). Plus, you could probably find decent memory cheaper at Newegg.com. I'd get the system, and try running it at 2GB for a while to see if you notice any speed issues. If you do, pop the $50 for another 4GB.

A machine like that should eliminate most of the system-related problems you can experience with CoX. You MAY have some Vista64-related issues, but nothing that shouldn't be fixable.

Rubberbanding and lag, however, are usually connection-related issues.

Man. Wish I had a mom like you. MY mom made me build and/or buy every computer I ever owned. Now I buy computers for HER too!

Such is the life of the only geek son in a large extended family.

Hmm. The timing is tight, but I might be able to squeeze an LRSF in with Lady Domina.

It's not that I'm against buffs to some of the low level powers. I'm greedy enough to go "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!"

However, there's the fact that at lower levels, you're NOT supposed to be able to attack like a madman, and a continuous pace, throughout a mission. It's good training for end management that should serve you well later in in the game when your enhancements allow for a bit more leeway. THEN you can blast away like a maniac for the duration of your missions.

As has been said, your best bets for conserving end are as follows. And more or less in this order of importance.

Accuracy (assures less end wasted on missed attacks)
EndRedux (directly lowers your end utilization)
Damage (killing enemies faster means you attack less, and expend correspondingly less end)

As noted, you're STILL going to have to rest on occasion, and you'll periodically drain your end bar. Just carry a few blue inspies to tide you over.

Okay, mapserv disconnects aren't anything new or special.

However, since the advent of i13, they've become more common.

And, since the advent of i14, they've become alarmingly frequent. Moreover, there's a rise in other nasty mapserver-related issues. People not being allowed into missions, split mission instances with half the team in one, half in the other.

Could someone PLEASE give the map-server a REALLY good once-over? And maybe at least a half-hearted twice over? It's really frustrating to log on and not be able to get into MA. It's even MORE aggravating to then try to switch to a regular dev mission and find you can't get into THAT either.

While it's nice to stand around socializing, because you can't do anything else, for a little while, it's NOT a replacement for being able to beat badguy face.

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Now, when you limit yourself to only farming AE missions, you remove yourself from everything else in the game. That means if I want to do something else, if I want to team for something else, I can't do it because you're farming AE's.

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Oh no. You didn't just make this type of argument!

If someone wishes to solo, this is entirely permissible in the game. AE is simply another outlet for this.

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So now if I want to play with you--I have to farm AEs because that's all you're doing. Oh, sure, I can hold out and not farm AEs...by myself.

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OR you could look for other people in the game who aren't farming. Same as you always did pre-AE when people were doing the SAME DAMN THING in PI.

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i dont even understand why ppl are so against PL.
i pay the same amount as you if i want to level faster i have the right.
What difference does it make how fast i level? am i removing content from other players or obstructing other players from playing by doing so? No...

[/ QUOTE ] To be honest, the biggest reason why PLing is 'wrong' as far as this game goes is as simple as, "Because the devs said so," really. I don't know that I've ever played a MMO that encouraged PLing. Most of them at least eventually ended up nerfing the common PL spots somehow.

I don't really think that CO will be any more accepting of PLing than CoH is, but you never know I suppose.

As far as the OP goes, I don't agree with you, but I'm really tired right now and lack the ability to respond to you very coherently, my apologies. It really is an interesting look at the matter though.

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Question. At what point does it stop being simply efficient/voracious play and become PL?

I mean, I think we can agree that levelling in 6-8 hours might be on the excessive side. But where exactly is the line to be drawn?

Something like this already exists.

Accolades

Do you need a new monitor as well?

The Dell Studio desktops start out around $430, but once you put a decent video card in (9800GT), more memory (4GB), and upgrade the processor (C2D 2.93Ghz), you're looking at about $780 before shipping/tax.

It's not the most powerful system extant, but compared to what you have now, it should scream for CoX.

Having a Rikti player participate in repelling a Rikti raid would be akin to people running the ITF in Roman armor.

[Fire Blaster] Dammit Bhut'Hed! I keep targeting you and not our attackers!
[Bhut'Hed] Apologies: Given. Submitted: Dry cleaning bill for fire-singed combat armor.
[Fire Blaster] JEEZE! I could buy a full set of Hecatombs for this.
[Bhut'Hed] Fact: Known. Grin: Most Evil.