LadyMage

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Sharkking, really, it would help you a LOT by doing one thing when you post a suggestion, question, whatever...use some punctuation. Separate your sentences. Your posts are almost unreadable. Remember those English classes you've taken (or taking)? Use them, they're not just there to take up time in school.

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well i never had to write sentences, so i hardly do proper spelling for any thing and proper sentencesing.

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You're unlikely to be understood or taken seriously until you do.

For instance, I have absolutely no idea what it is you are asking about or suggesting in your original post that started this thread. It's completely incoherant.

My costume bug is a SG mode bug too.

Went and altered my main's costume since the new/old skirts were back (thanks again!), only when I try to recolor her skirt for SG mode, even though I hit the blue button, the skirt remains the original white.

SG window Screenshot

I'll find Jay extra sexy if he can fix this for me

And get the man a redname already!!

Edit - wrong image!

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You'll note the site says that stamina doesn't increase the amount of end recovered per recovery tick, but decreases the tick time - which seems to match experience, and amounts to the same net overall recovery boost (dividing the tick time by 1+stamina is the same thing as boosting average recovery per second by 1+stamina).

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Which is most definitly true, both for end recovery and for health regen. The bars slide smoothly when a large amount of regen or recovery is in the works, not jumps up in large chunks. A regen scrapper who takes a nasty knock and hits red, quickly progresses smoothly into the orange, then yellow, then green. If regen was upping the per tic amount, it would jump up a lot, wait then jump again. It doesn't.

Impressive. Clear, very thorough, very nice work Ottercub!

And don't feel bad about waiting to take Regen aura. I waited till 41 myself and then only picked it up because it was a supposedly a temporary pick while I was waiting for I3 to be released with epics. It's never left my build since.

Also, while many empaths I've seen and read about prefer to be in the thick of things, I actually prefer to be in the back. It allows me to keep everyone on my screen, and work from there. But then, my empath is Emp/psi, not emp/sonic, and from my little sonic/sonic girlie I can see the attraction of being closer up.

Well Mieux, while I agree that we should be careful to not ask too much, and do agree that dark miasma is over the top, I also agree with Concern and several others on the forums. Too many of the powers in TA are poorly executed, and the set itself seems very weak. Oil Slick can be powerful, when it can be lighted, but the recharge on Glue arrow is stupidly long, and flash arrow being on par with Smoke grenade is pretty dumb. It's a defender primary power. It should not be balanced to a blaster secondary.

Trick arrow is not balanced in the gamer's sense ("When my powers are better than everyone else's, balance is achieved") nor in the more conservative sense (I'd like to have a fighting chance to be comparable to others of my AT). It needs some work. The ideas were all there, but the execution fumbled the dismount.

I think 10 is melee ranged AoEs. Range AoEs is 16 IIRC.

My fiancee is the one you guys all have to thank (or curse, your choice) for having me around. I swore up and down I would never get into one of these "pay to play" games until he convinced me to sit down and make a hero.

Mistake: I got hooked. The rest is history. In fact I got hooked to the point that I took over the communal account and he started over with a new one. The name on this account is still his

We played together until our RL friends wandered off and tried WoW. I had Ion Force to tie me to this game, he was more of a peripheral member and didn't feel as tied to it. For the last month, he has come back and we're back to gaming together with Villians. Forgot how much fun it was to play together like this.

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With Enhancement Diversification comes a benefit for ALL City of Heroes powers.

Every power, across the board, is getting a 13.33% reduction in its Endurance cost.

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Great. So my empath, once recovery aura wears off will run out of endurance that much slower before either it or conserve power recycle, probably bottoming out somewhere before. But if she can't heal or buff as fast or as well, people will get hurt and vigilance will kick in, hopefully giving her enough endurance to do nothing but spam heals, hoping desparately that one of her endurance buffs will come up while her defensively nerfed friends are dying around her.....

Nope still upset. If it was a boost to recharge on the other hand, I might be less upset. Too many powers are built around the assumption of perma hasten, something no longer possible. Care to address that little oversight? Or the fact that with a nerf to her damage that my empath will likely no longer be even remotely soloable?

The problem with blanket changes? They hit everything equally. The overpowered, the mediocre and the underpowered alike. THe overpowered have room to fall. The underpowered just get retired or deleted.

I5....how do I feel about I5....

Well, I run on Dial up. I never expect things to run well, but the stability has gone through the floor since I5. I can recall about half a dozen times in the last year plus that my client has crashed pre I5. It crashed that many times during my positron task force just last week. Constant LCMs, etc. The stability needs to be looked at some more.

As much as the community has lambasted the development team as a whole for the Global defense rollback, I believe it was the right direction to go. I'm not sure if the exact actions in that direction were the right ones, but I am convinced you have the right idea. People complain and make it sound like everyone's leaving because of nerfs. Everyone I've met/talked to IRL who's left the game left not because of nerfs, but because of a lack of challange. And in playing a pair of melee characters in the late game, I felt it too. Bringing the challange back was the right thing to do.

Now for those specific things:

The defense sets (FF, SR, Ice) you're looking more into. It's definitly warrented. My SR survives largely because I'm a canny player and because I have a heal in her primary, which also debuffs accuracy. I built her very defensively, and it pays off, she's playable for sure. But when SR and her heal fails, there's nothing left. If I get a defense debuff (I'm looking at you antimatter, you and your minions), it very quickly becomes game over. SR needs something else, not sure what. I play my invuln tank along side a fire and an Ice of the same level. The fire outpreforms me against everything but smash and lethal, and I edge him out only slightly there, but the Ice is left far behind. They need a real buff, not a simple pat on the head. Both the other two players are excellent, their builds are solid, so it's not that. FF on the other hand got a double whammy. All FF does is defense and knockback. Knockback is largely reviled by teams, and only one or two tools are required for defense by knockback, not four, and their defense got hit hard. Adding psi defense was a start, the resist insps will help, but there's a long way to go there.

Finally invuln. You're not going to get the least bit of arguement from me that the old invuln was over powered. It most certainly was. But the changes are too harsh. Unless I am facing enemies using primarily smash and lethal, or enemies designed to defeat pure defense (high accuracy, autohit), my SR scrapper out preforms my invuln tank as a primary melee character in a team. Sure, the scrapper can't hold aggro, but she can survive it, where the tank can't. Both are defensively built. Both are in the late game. I have yet to understand why, when the development team has demonstrated that they revile herding that the new way for an invuln to survive aggro is to herd. It makes no sense to me.

Non-melee -

Defiance is a neat idea, as is vigilance, but they're not fixes to the AT's problems. In rare cases they will help. You'll only find the hardcore trying to monopolise on them. Blasters need more survivability. I have heard from reliable sources that there are, or at least were, plans to redesign the blaster secondaries. I think that will go a long way to helping.

Controllers VS Defenders: There has never been a lot of quantitative difference between these two ATs. With containment, there's even less. Defenders have always felt that controllers tread too closely to their sandbox, containment pretty much plunks them right in it. There is little noticable difference, none in some cases, between a buff/debuff power used by a controller and one used by a defender, so the choice of which AT to bring always came down to "Do we want damage or control?", only now the controllers do enough damage that the pick up team can get both from a controller. Why recruit a defender again? Unless you're looking for a specific buff/debuff power that a defender will have at x level and a controller will not, there' s not much reason to pick the defender over the controller. This needs to be changed, and defenders need it much more urgently than they need Vigilance.

Did I say nerf controller secondaries? No. I don't want that. 80% or 65%, joe blaster isn't going to notice much of a difference. What I think defenders really need is for our primary power to be very obviously different from the controller secondaries. Say a defender's recovery aura hits teammates so long as they're on the same map without having to bunch them up around her, our toggle defenders can target an ally, OR object OR enemy for their toggle anchor, their choice; allowing defenders to self buff at a penalty (50% of the value, possibly less, subject to rebalancing). Defenders to my mind are supposed to be the hardier, more well rounded and soloable cousins of the controller, the masters of buff and debuff. I'd just like that to be demonstrated more.

Controllers alone: To pay for containment, controllers had to give up multi-pets (understandable), half the duration of their AoE holds, had the recharge on their AoE control powers doubled and were only allowed to hit a fixed number of targets with those powers. One word: Ouch. Honestly, if I wanted to play a moderate damage dealer with a buff/debuff set, I'd have built a defender, not a controller. I'd rather not have containment and had my control back, it's what set them apart. My controllers aren't any happier about being made into defenders than my defenders are about controllers being the new defenders.

Lastly, and this is honestly lastly, I would really like to see the methodology change around here. I appreciate that you post and tell us things, but really, posting and telling us about changes after the fact, or breaking sets with no real rhyme or reason to our eyes with no explanation is not winning you any friends. We're your customers, we love this game too, and we don't want to see it go away. All you have to do is level with us. This is not a new complaint, this is one I've had since the integration/instant healing mutual exclusivity fiasco in december, and with every passing month it gets worse.

First off, you're trying too hard to fix everything at once. You recognise a problem and try to fix it right away, but quite often it feels like you're trying to kill flies with shotgun. Sure, it works, but you're going to take out a lot more than just the fly. Phase shift is a perfect example. I am quite certain that the problem you had with phase shift is that it could be exploited by pet users and people using it for glowie missions. If pet users were the problem, you could have made pets release automatically when the controller/defender phases. If glowie people were the problem, make glowies unclickable while phased. If there was another problem you could have tackled it directly. But instead of tackling it directly, you used the shotgun, and nerfed it for everyone, which makes little sense to me.

Another example is the changes put on test to mob hit points in an effort to nerf AoE damage, without actually nerfing AOE damage. It made life more difficult for everyone, and AoE was still a problem. Shotgun solutions often work, but the fallout of having to patch up the walls afterwards make it kinda silly to use them. The flyswatter would be more effective and less messy.

The second? We know this game. We know how it works. If you think something's overpowered and want to change it, make it perfectly clear what you think and what you want to see and try different things on test. For example, you've been tweaking Regen for the past three issues. How much easier it would have been if you'd done this:

Look, folks, we're concerned that the scrapper secondary, regeneration is overpowered. Our datamining pretty much confirms it. We're not sure exactly how we're going to address this, but it does need addressing. For the next several weeks we're going to put patches on the test server to test out different possible solutions, and we encourage you to test. After each testing window, we'll roll back the patch and put on a different one. None of these will be going live, they're for testing purposes only. We're going to see how far we can break the set, and then build it back up to what we think is inline with the rest of the scrapper secondaires. With each new patch you'll be able to visit contact a in b location to get a free respec and will be able to buy up to x enhancement for free from contact y in z location to enable your testing. Reminder: Free respecs do not stack.

Let the players help you, don't pit yourself against them.

Surprisingly I'm running out of things to say. I'll let others finish.

There's several reasons why I've never and will never write a guide like this. One is simple; every <insert primary set here> plays differently and it's better that someone find their own way than try to copy someone elses, and second I'm always afraid that people will follow the guide without thinking and thus I'll have 3948575 clones of my character running about with the people behind the wheel not understanding why that playstyle works for me. It's not to say that guides like this are bad, taken the way intended it's a way of pointing the person in the right direction and also a way for more experienced empaths to get a different take, it's just not something I will be doing.

There are a lot of things in this guide I disagree with, some of them fairly strongly, but most not in a "OMG what are you thinking!" kind of way, just a, "well that's interesting, but I've found different results." way. I've been playing my empath/psi since pre-release, and she's now 50. That may or may not color my responses.

For example, I love both tornado and scream. They're the staples of my attack chain. Tornado has its drawbacks, but once the damage has ticed up, it's actually better than screams.

Another example: You say respec out of absorb pain. I say respec into it in the late 30s. It's dangerous to use in the early game, the precentage of your health it takes is much higher. But in the 40s, as the OP may or may not know you get into AV territory, and there's nothing scarier than watching your tank go from fine to red in a shot. AP fixes that. You also class res as a must have, and I disagree. With clear mind, heals and adren boost, awakens can function just as well. Resurrect is sorely lacking.

The reason you dislike regen aura and I like it are pretty simple, and it goes to this quote.

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Standing Around.
I've never been accused of this despite doing it a lot . Better to stand around and keep an eye on things than to get into combat and let someone die. My belief is that an Empath should be support primary and damage secondary. If you are watching team health, buffing with Fortitude, and saving your END for potential bosses etc, then you are not standing around. If the party is having an easy time of it, then by all means blast away, but to be honest, if that's the case, then the team probably doesn't need your skills. If anyone complains, then mention that you're giving them all bonusses via Fortitude.


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This is the only part of the guide I strongly disagree with. If you have half an idea what you're doing, you should be blasting when not healing or buffing, because you should have the ability, as an experienced empath, to react quickly, regardless of what else you're doing. So what does this have to do with regen aura? It gives you an extra second or two to react. Saying you're adding to the damage of the team with fortitude is a cop-out. You'd add more if you were blasting. The chances of someone hitting ground because you're attacking are very very small.

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I can verify this. I did numina's TF about a month and a half ago and did not get the badge for defeating Jurassik.

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Same. Did it about a month ago with two different characters about a week apart. Neither got the Solution badge.

I was very afraid when I looked in on this. I should have checked the poster name. There's not a thing here I disagree with.

Good job, Cat!

Go to the test server forum. It's also called the training room. Look in there, on one of the first 2-3 pages will be a sticky thread entitled
"How to access the training room and character copy tool"

Your answers are there.

There's a test server forum, and a sticky there will tell you all you need to know.

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I've never actually seen a resaonable explantion for why defenders can't use some of their primary buffs on themselves. I seriously can't see it making them overpowered, esepcially in the case of the defensive buffs.

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Take another look at empathy and see if you can still tell me that. Run the numbers. I have. More gating would be required than just letting people self target.

States, I have to say that's not even remotely enough. That's not even a bandaid or an acknowledgement, it's just a knee jerk. And you still havn't answered the pertinent question.

When Ice was the most underpowered of the tanker primaries, why did you see fit to hit it the hardest with the nerf bat?

Is it because watching the shattering of ice is fun? Then go clean out your freezer. Only in the most warped of minds did anyone think that Ice was over powered on live. Yet you've chosen to not only weaken it as much as you weakened the other, stronger sets, but you went one step farther and drove it into the ground.

I normally agree with the things that are going on around here. I defend the devs usually. Not here. Global defense nerf or not, the changes to Ice armor have gone entirely too far. The logic, or lack there of is mind boggling.

Prove to me you know what impact your having on the set. Because right now I don't think you have any clue.

Good luck and safe return to your brother. I hope he has as uneventful a tour in Iraq as my recently returned cousin did in Afganistan.

And now, back to the game.

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Here's the real numbers (that's what I get for doing stuff from memory).

Wet Ice
0.5% base
1.265% Defence from Wet Ice with ++ SO's.

17.71% Max Defence from Energy Absorbtion (not what I had earlier).

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Wow. Really, umm, wow.

If ever there was a doubt in my mind that Ice took the uber-nerf, this just erased it.

The ONLY reason my SR can still function even half [censored] on test is because of her primary. With the accuracy debuffs, and heal from Siphon life, she survives. The precentages on SR are so low that even with my agressive slotting, it's barely enough to get by.

And now you're telling me Ice, the tanker version of SR has two defensive powers that have a sub 1% base? And the point of having 0.5% defense would be?

I have argued all along that you (as developers) were going the right direction with these changes. However, you've sped past reasonable with Ice tanks. Ice tanks are supposed to hold aggro for a team. I wouldn't even want to solo with those numbers. I can build a blaster with better defense.

Sorting of badges - Several ways you can do that.

The tiers of zones for the exploration badges is a good one for our personal badge screen, and changing the tint of them would be nice too, for the info screens.

On my checklist that I created (yes, I'm that much of a geek), I divided the badges up thusly:

Accomplishments:

Task forces
Trials
Missions

Acheivements:

Collector
(Tourist, Collector etc)
Event
(Hallow Spirit, Frozen Fury etc)
Character Effects
(Debt, healing, mez, damage taken)
Kill Badges (could be renamed defeat badges, I suppose)
(Gearsmasher, Illusionist)
Level
(Justice Incarnate, Keeper of the Peace)
Monster and AV
(Clockstopper, Statesman's Pal)

I would also be one who would like to see the history badges expand to read the history again.

As for unobtainable numbers? Not so worried about it. Although I have the sneaking suspicion my empath will be old and grey before she gets the empath badge.

I also have faith that the TF badges will be data mined for. The old ones were, and there's a much smaller number of people who've attempted the shard TFs than there were those who'd done the other TFs pre I2. You didn't get the badges on test, but once the issue went live, they were awarded within weeks.

*shrug* to each their own. With some of the secondaries electric can really shine. I've come up with some rather nasty strategies with my elec blaster. Personally, I enjoy the utility of it, but then that's mostly because blasters lack utility almost all together. I'm not into straight up damage, and thus the reason why my Elec blaster is the only one of the many many blasters I've started who's made it past 20.

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If you're using Thunderous Blast, shouldn't the proper comparison be to an Electrical Blaster?

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I dunno... maybe. Elec/ is considered the Psi of Blasters though... it's their worst set. Funny that it's one of the better ones for Defenders.

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I have an electric blaster. I've never felt the lack board folks talk about. I've always thought that particular stigma was just one of those evolved pieces of Conventional Board Wisdom (TM) that doesn't match all that closely to reality.

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Agreed. My electric blaster does very very well. I've never had a problem with her. And yes, I've played other blaster sets.

My muse strikes at odd times, and then gets distracted by shiny objects.

I came up with a character idea, full blown, powersets, backstory and name between shampooing and conditioning my hair. I zoned out in a poker game and thought of a great background for another character (I lost the poker game by the way). Came up with a third while high on migraine drugs...

Problem is, due to the shiny thing syndrome, none of these ever make it to text. I'm so doomed.

I play an empath. Even in the late game I get a tonne of invites. It's not because I have a "pure empath build". It's because I play an empath, and they are the one set that most the n00bs understand.

Not slotting your secondary is largely a mistake IMO. The pure empath can, in theory out preform an empath who blasts, but the scenarios where it would make much of a difference are so rare that they almost have to be artificially created. I don't know about you, but I managed to heavily slot my primary, in some cases heavier than you, and still have 4 fully slotted attacks. But I'm not going to rip apart your build and show you where you're wasting slots. Know that I blast in every fight I get into, and rarely die, so all I can assume from the fact that you did die a lot, was that you were too low a level to be pulling that out yet, or you were doing something wrong.

And Issue 4 was the current issue, not issue 5. The one with the very buggy team seek interface.

Hey now, no need to get sarcastic.

Invulns, that is their only hole. They have complete status protection. They have massive resistance, which when layered with defense from invincibility allows me to herd up an unyeilding mission solo, put whirling axe on autofire and go make supper for my fiancee and myself. Vince also afford them a good aggro management tool and a lot of accuracy, and every one of their powers except (arguably) tough hide is useful. No, psi resistance or defense would be very very wrong on an invuln for the reason you posted.

But not, IMO for FF defenders. They don't have or grant resistance of any kind. If something gets through the defense the bubbles provide, they can't do a thing about it without pools. Plus they have the added problems of no self targetting, so their best powers don't work on themselves, a couple of holes in their status protection (I mentioned sleep already, but knock* needs a go), and the fact that most of the set is filled with powers that are only marginally, if at all useful.

I think a psi shield is needed. I think it should be a targetted shield with the same 4 minute timer that the other two have. I also think this should be a defender only change, because controllers have ways with their primaries to deal with psi using baddies. It doesn't have to have the same base defense of the other two, but something, anything to make the FF defender feel more like a defender and less like an underpowered blaster when faced with things like psychic clockwork.

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I mentioned that earlier in this thread as well.

Ignored again.

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Not ignored, lost. Things get overlooked when trying to take in a thread this long.