KianaZero

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Maybe because they had no experience with the topic and couldn't possibly have known anything.

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They knew enough to blame the evil farmers. *ahem* AE babies.

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It's nice to know you have such love for others who haven't thought of every angle or option.

So I'm guessing you support the RMT people in selling their Inf and PL services, you probably wouldn't be defending them so if you didn't.

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That picture you took was just an influence transfer.Notice how zero are for sale that's what people look for when transferring influence/infamy.

Edit didn't notice Sweet on the 666! Now I don't wanna post anymore

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There was one left for sale, I got it 100K, that's why there's 0 in the picture.

And I hadn't thought of it being a transfer. That must be it.

While searching for some cheap IO's Blueside I came across something that shocked me.

These prices!

Now, us normal players would never pay Two Hundred and Fourty-Three Million for an IO that normally sells around 10,000-100,000, and even those people who DO use the gold farmers wouldn't waste that much money on something so small and trivial. I mean, this was a level 25 Accuracy/Endurance Hold set, a cheap-o Uncommon set at that, it drops fairly regularly, it's not like Purples or the Must Have Uniques.

I checked the rest of this IO's level ranges, and none of them were selling for ungodly amounts; but the low ones were. The lvl21 was last sold for 6 Million (the other 4 were 10-500 or so) and the lvl20 was last sold for 5 Million (and the other 4 were 10-1000).

Cash strapped young players wouldn't pay that much for the uber-cheap; and veteran players who can play the market wouldn't touch paying near that amount for a cheap-o set. The only conclusion I can come to is that this is from someone who's just walked into the game, was PLed in the AE and is now a high level with no clue how to play, what does what, and so on. Years ago they were called Winter Lord Babies since it took only a few hours to go from 1-40 just kicking Frosty the Snowman; now AE is the easy way to 50, so I'm just calling them AE Babies (and I know I'm not the first to do so).

How would an AE Baby get so much cash? I seriously doubt that they were given that kind of cash from a veteran player (I've only given a million or so to players with no vet badges), and I've hit SPAM on my e-mail so many times I nearly know their prices by heart. Most of them advertise 100-200 Million Inf for X amount of dollars. The connection there is too easy to make.

Way back when City of Hero closed down their gold farmers started showing up en masse. Before there hadn't been too many or were that bothersome. When they all showed up Market prices went bonkers. The Must Have IOs suddenly went from a wallet stretching 50-60 million to 150 Million. My efforts at saving up enough to afford a Luck of the Gambler: +Rech in CoV went down the tubes (I never seem to be able to 'play' the market, so I just work with what I can get/sell through normal missions) when the farmers showed up. Merits are working better for me in that regard anyway; but this kind of stuff shocks me.

How can we help the new players not do this? I don't have any worry that the cheap-o Uncommon sets will skyrocket in price, but if this continues as things did when the Gold Farmers arrived it could mean trouble for anything above Uncommon. Maybe even Uncommon at that, I'm not sure.

Does anybody have any ideas?

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It would be interesting for a real scociologist to take a good look at how an online game, such as ours, can positively effect the real world, and seriously ask why that happens. Afterall, our community does generate goodwill, acts of kindness, and charity in the real world. A good line of research would be why a virtual community( most of whom never meet in real life), can be compelled to help each other and help improve the real world. I would like to think that our players, even if they only play villain side, try to live up to the Heroic Idea, even if a litle bit. Has the game 'rubbed off' on us? Or is it human nature to do so?

Grizz

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That wouldn't sell to people predisposed to hate MMOs or video games ... and lets face it the people who like video games will spend their money on the game, not the book that tells them why they like the game.

On the positive side I have seen a lot of people learn the value of teamwork, some of these individuals would likely never enjoy sports so can't learn it there. and yes it is a stretch but in CoH the theme is to uphold order and defend the downtrodden ... yes not everyone follows by that but really they burn GTA for its 'negative' message why not praise CoH for the positive message? duh ... silly me that wouldn't sell books

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Only three things sells, Disaster, Sex and Superman. People are tired of Disaster, we all know you can't write sex worth a damn so that leaves Superman!

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A lot of people complain about it, but to be honest I enjoy playing lowbies. It's different from the rest of the game, sure, but everything feels like such an accomplishment, especially if you have no attention span like me.

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I love the lowbie levels too, that's when things can be a win or lose through attrition, luck and even more luck.

I can't count the number of battles I've had where I beat the mob with a sliver of health left, panting heavily thinking "I don't believe it, I won. . . I WON!! WHOO-there go my organs" *faceplant* and I die from DoT

XD

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This guy's a sociologist or something, moreover he's a professor.

What he did and how he behaved is the equivalent of an electrical engineer with 15 years of experience sticking a fork in a socket and then being surprised at the outcome.

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Well put ... If you do things people don't like, they won't like you. Does anyone know exactly what his point was? because it seems a little elementary or non-exsistant

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A 'scientific' way to be able to play a game while getting a paycheck?

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since it's the first prototype of 'Branching' in CoH

[/ QUOTE ]That wasn't branching in the slightest, that was just a few renamed 'leave' options. It didn't branch.

I don't see what your point is, that they shouldn't do it suckily?

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We know it's not branching; but that's how it was described to us by the Devs when it was first introduced. Much like how the Enforcer Thugs MM Pets were the prototype for trenchcoats, Cimerora soldiers were the prototype for our Shield powersets and Arachnos Soldier's Crab Spider AT is the prototype for player backpacks.

And, yes, that is my point. I thought that was obvious.

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If I answer wrong to the Midnighter's question am I barred from joining them?

[/ QUOTE ]Branching plots doesn't mean every damn thing in the game has to have a few billion possible out comes.

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I'm not asking this to be a jerk, I'm asking this because it begs the question; if branching stories are made and they go deeper into options will it lock out one option to open another? Those types of choices aren't very favorable; look at how the locked in Patron Pools were considered by the playerbase, and even those were eventually changed to be respec'ed in and out of.

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Patrons had a LOAD of issues, most of which unrelated to the story (most people I've talked to said they LIKED the actual arc). The majority of villain players finding the PPPs to be far inferior to that of the APPS, the information about the PPPs being given in a vacuum (real numbers for just the PPPs is useless, as you have no baseline to understand what they mean), and the homogeny were huge issues, all unrelated to the story, but the implementation.

People seem to think 'branching' = 'you can do anything and everything'. There's still the writer deciding what you can and can't do, this isn't rocket science... many games have ALREADY done the whole branching storyline thing as well as being incredibly popular (hell, anybody remember Deus Ex?), having branching stories in an MMO world requires only a little bit extra effort in the creation of the stories... and don't forget, most of the story arcs in the game are completely independent of all the others (RWZ, faultline, and a few others are really the only exceptions).

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Yeah, I remember Deus Ex. Even that game had the illusion of a branching plot. Remember when you found out UNATCO was corrupt? The choices then were "Join the NSF" or "Join the NSF", there wasn't an option to join Majestic 12; the choice was already made for you.

An actual branching plot happened in Deus Ex: Invisible War between the WTO and the Order Church, like when you were tasked to either capture the Mag Rail for WTO to study or kill the scientist to send a message from the Order. Taking one branch meant the closing of the other with no option in between. I couldn't take the prototype and kill the scientist with it, which is what I wanted to do when I first played the game. Kinda irked me that a weapon that can shoot through walls can't shoot through the wall the scientist was hiding behind.

And that's what I'm talking about and why I'm using the Midnighter Club as an example; since it's the first prototype of 'Branching' in CoH. If that was expanded, would the wrong answer bar you from entry to the Midnighters? Right now it doesn't do anything; answer wrong and he just says "Ok, bye.", and you have to click on him again to answer right; it's one step above "I like swords." "Welcome to Corneria." "I like swords." "Welcome to Corneria." "I like swords." "Welcome to Corneria."

If we're going to have branching it'd have to be more than what the Midnighter code is, since that doesn't do anything, and if you're going to have branching it won't mean anything if it doesn't block off the previous branch.

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Like it or not, the status quo has to stay in a static world of an MMO.

[/ QUOTE ]No, it's an issue of the game's engine not supporting branching plots. If the engine supported branching, then it would have only come down to an issue with the writing, which should be easy to over come (by, you know, not having the 'blow up the world' option that actually blows up the world).

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Even branching plots are held in check with the status quo.

If I answer wrong to the Midnighter's question am I barred from joining them? Or do I just have to start the conversation again?

If the branching conversation was expanded and I continued to say things wrong, would I then be barred from entering Cimerora?

I'm not asking this to be a jerk, I'm asking this because it begs the question; if branching stories are made and they go deeper into options will it lock out one option to open another? Those types of choices aren't very favorable; look at how the locked in Patron Pools were considered by the playerbase, and even those were eventually changed to be respec'ed in and out of.

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Also, Hardcase is a representative of the Anti-Villain type, he's protecting the innocent using underhanded means, so he won't want the totally random and dangerous violence going on at the end of Verandi's arc, since you started it you get to fix it. What do you expect from another villain, him to say "Pretty please? With a cherry on top?"

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As others have said, it's not the fact that he threatens you that I have a problem with. He wants to threaten me? Fine, let him.

It's the fact that your character's ONLY option to him threatening you is to basically whimper, tuck your tail between your legs and mumble, "Yessir, sorry sir, don't hurt me!" and scuttle off to do what he's ordering you to do.

THAT is what I have a problem with.

And quite frankly, that kind of massive railroad plot is FAR too prevalent in CoV. It's sloppy writing.

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That's done in plenty of places true, why should my villain who can suck the souls of others to make himself stronger, never die, and heal himself just by punching his enemies be worried that Wretch is gonna die at the hands of some Mu?

It's not so much as sloppy writing as it is there's no other option.. Like it or not, the status quo has to stay in a static world of an MMO.

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Notice that as with your exmaqple, there has been a complete lack of anything being done to fix it.

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That assumes that the Devs think there's something to fix.

I remember reading about people's complaints of Kheldians, being a little of everything and a master of none, and refusing to play them until the Devs fix them, saying as such as if the design as a Jack of All Trades was somehow an error.

A friend in a SG I'm in had similar complaints about the Arachnos Soldier Epic, proclaiming on our SG Forum that he'll make the ugliest most painful eyesore of an Arachnos uniform and wear it all the time as a never ending protest until the Devs fix the VEATs.

I'd have to think it was written that way for a reason.

Kind of like the arc from Magus Mu'Drakhan, you're cursed and forced to save all of Mu kind, numbering some one billion people across the globe. Why would my character care if a billion people die? OH! I've been cursed so that if they die, I'll die too? Well, that's convenient isn't it?

Like it or not, the game needs something to push the player into doing the missions we do, and being threatened by something more powerful than you is the typical way to get a villain into working through something he wouldn't want to.

Also, Hardcase is a representative of the Anti-Villain type, he's protecting the innocent using underhanded means, so he won't want the totally random and dangerous violence going on at the end of Verandi's arc, since you started it you get to fix it. What do you expect from another villain, him to say "Pretty please? With a cherry on top?"

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Do you really WANT the same name as 500 other people?


Why?

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Because MY idea was unique! Their ideas for names are just STUPID!

/em pout

/em Britneymeltdown

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Footsteps are cool. Sand and loose soil now actually sound like sand and loose soil (and a little like snow) and the sound of footsteps on metal is no longer borrowed from Ufo: Enemy Unknown.

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I KNEW IT! I knew those footsteps sounded familiar!

Now I really wish I hadn't deleted my old AR/Trap Blaster: Elerium-115 Suit

I even have the full X-Com series on Steam. ^_^

I already have a Praetorian version of my main, Shadow Kiana named . . . well, Shadow Kiana.

The original is a soul sucking Dark Magus (Dark/Dark Defender), while on Praetoria his history is different, never corrupting his soul/magic, so he's a Shaman, a Fire/Elec/Ice Blaster (he was defeated by his alternate self and shown that Primal Earth is good rather than the propaganda Tyrant tells Shadowhunter, Praetorian Shadow being a member of his wolf pack).

I did that because I already had an 'evil' version of my Hero, named Shade Kiana. He had the same history as Shadow, causing an accident that corrupt his soul and magic, but instead of turning to a loved one for support he embraced the insanity the corruption was causing and learned to enjoy the bloodlust, thus becoming a Dark/Dark Brute. (also, story-wise, Shade is from Primal Earth while Shadow is from a different dimension)

*applauds Scientist_16 and Samuel_Tow*

No better way to say it.

And I'd love to see more anime options myself. Maybe something similar to the UN Spacey Gunpod used by the Valkyries in Macross for AR Blasters, or robes/jackets/shirts/etc with the ability to have Chest Symbols on the back, Kanji symbols for chest/back insignias, and more.

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A simple fishbowl helmet as a shoulder item would be absolutley brilliant.

It would clip with some hairstyles, but we already have hairstyles clipping with certain collars and capes.
Leave that to the player to reconcile.

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I highlighted that phrase because I wonder how many 1,000s of hours of both Devs' and players' time could have been saved over the years if the Devs had been more willing to give us more options and let us players "reconcile" what clipped with what and/or looked fine anyway. Clearly the Devs are way, way too conservative about what they let us play with and have wasted far too much effort keeping us 'safe' from potential clips that are -not- that big a deal.

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I still miss the Monstrous Fur Shoulders from CoV Beta.

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Since buffs are basically multiplier of the base ability, Defenders attacks are the weakest in the game. So if we were to multiply this comical effectiveness, we would unbalance the game, right? but when we buff the Scraper who has incredible DPS, oh that would not result with over balance, right? Its aweful for a Defender damage of 1 being upgraded to a 2, but its perfectly fine taking the Scrapers damage of 4 and upgrading it to 8, that makes perfect sense?

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What was it that Castle said?

Repeat Offenders have consistently proven that an all Defender team can turn the stupidly difficult into the pathetically easy.

I'm paraphrasing because I don't remember the actual quote, but that's basically what he said.

Yeah, that's the weakest in the game and comical in their effectiveness.

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Actauly in this link it sayes that the release in korea was cancled, and I was thinking for the anime/manga expansion idea to having costume parts based on anime series (e.g. series from shonen jump)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_hero

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He was talking about when City of Hero was first released. That's when they added in more anime-styled costume options. Several anime-like faces, the various robes, and even touted a vet reward costume piece as "Anime Armor" (even though it's called Tech Sleek in-game).

After City of Hero was released it bombed. Korean gamers found CoH to be far too easy and not fitting to their usual "ZOMG! The game doesn't [censored] me for dying once! IT's too easy!!" mindset.

Also the Superhero genre isn't as popular there as it is here, which is also what helped lead to its failure.

But when City of Hero came out they did add in anime-inspired things, and since it's downfall we've inherited their good and bad parts. The Korean NPC have since been added to the game, but so has their gold farmers.

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well, mng, i salute you, helping new people is how this game survives, period. i dont care how they got where they are, pl, ae winterlord, dont care, they asked for help, and my policy is to do so to the best of my abilities. good on ya. I know a while ago i met a returning player who had a dual blade brute, and nobody had explained combos to him, id like to think that i made his time in game more enjoyable, and thats really what its about. enjoy your waffles.


heck, if you teach a pl baby the game(but only if they want it, no being pushy), maybe they will enjoy it enough to play through it straight and appreciate the content next character.

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Heh, I remember when I first started I had a couple Winter Lord babies asking me how to do this or that. I couldn't help much, I was brand new myself but I did know at least some of the basics (I had been reading the old Prima's guide, cover to cover, while it was installing).

I still happily help newbies learn the game when I run into one. Newbies should be nurtured and cared for so they become good productive members of our game. n00bs though need to be shot.

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"You have been eaten by a grue."

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I stopped playing Return to Zork simply because of that death. The window showing the grue's eyes was too freeking creepy to me at that age.

*has had a nightlight ever since*

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The only thing I see missing from the power pools is a weak ranged attack set.

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Well, since there's a Fighting pool that gives two lower-tier attacks and two low-tier armors, that could be a new pool. Could be a way to make a pistol power pool.

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It is kinda funny how much of that has been (or will shortly be) put in the game. Especially when one considers that most forumits dismissed the whole thing out of hand as reckless pipe-dream material.

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I dunno, when I commented on it, I did it with reserved caution because it was just a marketing survey. While it could have been things on the drawing board, that's just what they were - ideas on the drawing board, that could at any time be dropped or changed.

The fact we got some of them doesn't really make any of the other stuff more or less likely at this time. It's all whether the developers feel they want to go that route, after all.

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That's the best way TO see it; things that are on the White Board of Ideas. There were other things that never got put through, like the SSOCS/Skills, Coralax Epic AT, Avian Epic AT, and more.

And even when things DO get to move from the White Board to the game they change. I remember that one of the abilities hinted about the SSOCS/Skills was that there'd be a power for enhancing your in-game map, such as using a sonar like device to 'ping' for glowies or hostages, or something to that effect and highlight them on your map/nav bar.

The SSOCS eventually became the Invention System, but it lacked the sonar ping device.

I've said this in the last thread talking about Inf-Money, so I might as well just copy-paste it.

The Inf!=Money argument isn't perfect, but that IS what was said by the Devs. The only way things really fit together for me, RP wise, is that our ID card is a piece of high tech equipment rather than just a plastic card. Your ID can be changed at any time and gets updated on the spot when your Security Level grows and you gain new powers (ever tried to get your Drivers License updated when you move? Yeah, that can take time).

I've RPed that the card itself is a miniature tracking device that records your actions as you do them. This is the only way that you can gain Inf when you're doing things that are supposed to remain a secret, like missions with Crimson, Indigo, etc. The card itself gets the scan "Powers used. Combatant Defeated. Relative Power Level: +1 Minion. Credit X Inf to account" which is then used for your expenses.

The Influence/Infamy has to be a definable amount when you consider the City Hall has set up an entire system to support its Heroes. In the extra info in the back of the old Blue King comic mentioned that the city used your Influence to pay for your rent, food, and such so Heroes don't need to struggle with a 9-5 Job and Heroing around it (and the Comic is canon; War Witch/Apex's Apartment, the comics Storyarcs being playable, Cyrus' Statue all help argue that they are, making the extra info/stories much like Star Wars' Expanded Universe Canon).

This would mean that Inf is a tangible currency of some kind, and the only thing you keep with you at all times is your ID Card. This would help explain that the card itself doubles as a kind of Debit Card for use in exchange for goods and services. This makes Inf less of an abstract, but also helps fill the gaps left by the abstract.

Also, in Issue 9 of the Blue King run.

"Knowledge is Power: By Paula Taylor

As a valiant defender of Paragon City, your life is safeguarded by Paragon City Medical Network. PaCMeN's high costs are covered by grants and donations by grateful citizens, but your remaining share is covered up-front by the city, through the Influential Offsets for the Unpaid.

The IOU program is Paragon City's way of recompensing heroes who sacrifice steady jobs on the altar of eternal vigilance. In return for securing our safety, we do our best to secur your finances. The more you do to safeguard the city, the more influence your name carries - influence the IOU can use to offset the costs of the training and services you require.

So please, when you see the red ink in your progress statement, don't see it as debt, but as an opportunity to help us help you. Give the city the service it's due, and let the IOU work for you.

This has been a Heroic Services Announcement by SERVE: Support, Education and Resources for Vigilante Excellence"

Sure, this is a little silly with the mention of 'Pacmen', but it sets the precedent that our Influence is a tangible currency. It's up to the player to accept it or not, since it's in the comic and while the comic is canon, it's, as I said, "Expanded Universe" canon so it's open for interpretation/debate.

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Eh, perhaps 12 more slots per server for buying Going Rogue.

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That I'd agree with in a heartbeat. I've got toons on Virtue that I want to transfer to Freedom to be in my main VG there, but I'm running out of room on Freedom.

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Let me reinstate my premise. I would like to see more powers in the pool powers.

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Those restrictions that you're chafing against are there for your own protection, both from making mistakes yourself and from having to deal with the mistakes of others (like some numbtard who decided to take 19 pool powers and three primary/secondary powers).

There is precedent for adding one more power to each pool, as they did with the recent changes to the APPs/PPPs, but even if they do decide to go that route, don't expect more, you'll be sorely disappointed. It's far, far more likely that they'll add more pools than expand the existing pools.

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Now that I wouldn't mind seeing.

Have you noticed the pattern found in the travel power pools? They typically go with an Attack, what I call a "Proto-Power" (meaning a miniature version of the travel power), the travel power itself, and a support power.

They usually fit into that pattern.

The attacks, Air Sup, Jump Kick, Flurry, and Teleport Foe (not quite an attack, but it does fit the role, kinda).

The miniature powers with Hover, Combat Jumping, Hasten and Recall Friend. With Hover and Combat Jumping it is a mini-travel power, a minor +Def and is made to be used in combat. Hasten lacks the +Def but is made for combat. Recall Friend is, well, the black sheep of the family, although Teleport Foe fits the "In Combat" ideal in a way too. Love using that on runners.

Then there's the support area with Group Fly, Acrobatics, Whirlwind and Group Teleport. Group Fly/TP are supporting the team with movement, Whirlwind by knocking the enemies around (Love it or Hate it, KB is a way to keep enemies busy) and Acro is a self support.

Following (even if loosely) this pattern, what could be added to fill out the Power Pools?

Maybe a larger version of the pool's attack (like Boxing and Kick in Fighting?) with more damage (with a balancing of a large cost for End and/or Recharge)? Might be a cool way to re-create the old Chun-Li rapid kick by making a Flurry-Kicking version, maybe a fly-bicycle kick for Fly that does KnockUp, Super Jump's new attack could a double-spin kick (think Storm Kick's animation played twice), and Teleport getting a more proper attack with a simple 'teleport slam'. I didn't think these through anymore than an 'instant idea' so they're gonna be rough in idea.

If not an extra attack, what else could be added that would be diverse between the pools without being completely exclusive? The only thing I could think would be it would be to copy over the powers that the pool lacks compared to the others. Acrobatics could be added to the others while Super Jump gets a team support (Something along the lines of Kinetics' Inertial Reduction maybe?)? It's not a good idea, but it could be done. I wouldn't mind getting an Acrobatics copy for my non-Jumping squishies, although this idea would throw out any uniqueness in the sets, which is something I do like.