Lallendos

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Are there any Stone/SS tank builds that just can go way past the cap mark defense wise ? if so money is no object please post it ? im looking to tank 10 GM's on GM Island... ahh h Im bored.

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You won't tank 10 GMs on Monster Isle with anything in CoH, for any significant length of time.

For a real exercise to break the "boredom", try -not- pleading for help, while simultaneously calling the game easy mode, via your choice of speech. Go out and try various IO and other combos, until you find success.

You could always go the cheap route, and grab some "healers" to help you be the mostest uberest solo tank.

I apologize in advance, with the explanation that after 5 years, i'm rather sick to death of posts like this.
The good news is that if you focus on surpassing the cap, you will still be capped after being debuffed in some cases. That plus rooted makes for a happy super reflexes tanker.

AVs and EBs hit hard, regen fast, and never tire. getting defeated ad nauseum is never classified as fun, for those involved. I'd stay away from that.

Also: Please remember that the best mission/arc is not the one that is most likely to wipe anything short of the perfect team. The most enjoyable and engaging is.

I am sure that others will come in with nice recommendations like:
1. Please try all of the powers in a primary and secondary before posting a -guide- on them.
2. A guide is more than a list of powers you chose to take, and your limited experience with them. Typically, you have a full review, and tactics for use in solo and teamed situations, as well as some examples of how to use the sets in typical scenarios.

etc.

I will only say that you are wrong. Simply, completely, dead wrong in so many areas. I will concede that, since this is largely subjective, and not a guide based on numbers, you only failed in not trying all of the powers, while thoroughly considering tactics other than corner pulls and 8 man teams that run flawlessly. Consideration of all of the powers in solo, and in average to below average group settings is needed. Even people that smack the same power over and over can be awesome with 7 other dedicated teammates.

On a lighter, and harsher note- downplaying FSC, fireball, and fire breath? Wow. Seriously..... go play the sets before making a guide. Really.

Yes, I had to go "there". You all knew I would.

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Newly installed HD4850 (1GB) and I'm getting no AA and crazy blooms...game is totally unplayable. Windows 7 beta (yeah, but my Nvidia 7850 was fine) 8.56.1.4 drivers, no CCC installed.

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WinVista 64 bit. ATI 4850 1GB
Overclocked AMD X2 CPU
ASUS AMD chipset board (latest and greatest AMD chipset and southbridge as of Dec 08)
Zero lockups. Zero crahses. no issues with graphic glitches. I haven't tried fisabling catalyst AI yet, but that usually causes funkadelic colors when you enable things you shouldn't.

I want DRM and the content it facilitates to be -optional- plug ins, that I must approve and download, with full disclosure. An operating system should do my bidding by default, and if the content owners want me to use H.264 with DRM enforcement, I want that presented as an option. If using an analog piece of gear means getting no output, then that is not acceptable.

On the other hand, I hear the h.264 1080p unprotected blu-ray rip of Max Payne is quite acceptable, provided you don't mind it being illegal.

I would rather if we weren't forced into a choice between a pirated ease of use, and a legitamate pain in the [censored].

Possibly useless info for pure gamers:

Indications from tech sites is that Win7 will have far more brutal DRM than even Vista. Simple example is capturing audio streams. You can't without losses, or lossy workarounds or hacks. There is MUCH more to this subject, but I didn't bother to keep reading, as this freight train has been lighting the tunnel for a long while now.

I am not happy with an operating system that not only fails to facilitate whatever I am trying to do, but actually attempts to self-determine MY level of rights to my own content. Making archivals of DVDs that I own is relevant to me. I personally can circumvent anything they throw into Win 7, by using readily available hacks. Not so easy for Joe consumer that simply wants to get something done with his PC.

When the authority that validates your downloaded media is gone, so is your ability to use that media. Steam, Yahoo music, Itunes...... There are no promises of forever.

I do not know when the decision to use hardware (trusted computing platform), or an operating system (Digital Rights Mangling) to LIMIT your capabilities became a focus. I am certain that day was not a day to celebrate.

Windows 7 is the next level of lockdown, apparently.

Ok. I just play.

If you HAVE to have a specific setup to achieve any TF or SF.......

You need to find someone to teach you how this game works.

My opinion..... I'm juss sayin, yo.....

I would like to request a mullet. I need to build my tanker, Joe Dirte'.

The only reason for subscription rate increases is that customers will pay it. The cost for hardware, bandwidth, rack space, and literally EVERYTHING else is dropping, not raising, for MMO developers. Newer processors, and hardware are doing more work, with less power usage. There are stilll thousands of miles of "dark" fiber in the U.S., and It pay is dropping steadily since 2000.

So, no, zek, MMO prices aren't guaranteed to go up. Not in under 2 years, for any other reason than MORE PROFIT. Not with an economic downturn in effect.

Is Rain of Fire auto hit?

Pulling a lieutenant will nearly always give the desired result. As long as the desired result is several foes with direct orders to kill YOU.

Or have the Illusion controller use Sup Invis, and drop Phantom Army just as PA get in range to aggro the Nems.

What??

I'm just sayin'!!

This is Virtual Machine, or a dual booting, and not straight emulation. It seems that anything that works in XP/Vista will be fine, as you ARE in XP/Vista. By the way, I have used 120 GB partitions in XP SP1 just fine.

I believe including the following things will help:

www.guru3d.com
www.tweakguides.net

There are other odds and ends, like windows Defender being suspect in some crashing, etc.

I compliment you on taking the time to move Mac users back into playing happily.

I chose flight for travel on my DM/SR. I prefer to take hover, as swift and quickness will enhance it's speed to a very pleasant rate in missons, or when chasing aerial "runners".

Hadn't considered the fighting pool, as I went the hasten route.

I would be cautious in tossing around that 45% "soft cap". Any defense debuffing makes that cap no longer valid, and certain foes can cut through it as if it weren't there at all, unless stacked with Elude.

My build was pretty simple though. I took all of DM but 1 power(can't remember which, think it was shad punch or smite....), and ALL of the /SR powers. The /SR stuff came in as soon as available, including slotting. Stamina came in around lvl 40, along with hasten. I got my travel at an early level, however: between 30 and 35.

Not a single minute of power leveling, either. Sadly, all of that sacrifice still resulted in a build that didn't really see potency untill after 30.

I like the clean and tidy graphics, and the synergy and utility of the sets a lot. Made it pretty fun.

Thanks for your insight, G D, old friend. I do differ on the RCS to RWZ thing, in that a new zone is a new zone. As I think on it now, I have run a NWN2 persistent world server, and world size does become a hardware scalability issue. It is possible that back end database programming and / or hardware limits made a new zone an unlikely prospect in a short timeframe.

I want to be wrong. For now I will end my discourse on the perceived downsides. I've said quite enough.

I hope to sing your praises, and apologize profusely for lack of faith.
Really.
And I will do both, if I am pleasantly surprised.

Thank you for directly addressing the issue tactfully, E L.

Best regards.

Memphis:

Faultline is not a 40+ zone.

Where are the new villain groups.

RWZ is not a new zone.

We were told that this game would never see the loot focus that other MMOs have. Explain to me how the market is not directly representing true loot being in this game.

Never mind, don't. The game has changed in my opinion. Changed in nothing resembling a good way. And yes, the last 6 or 7 issues HAVE focused on PVP/loot/raids, or things relating to them in a very large degree. I am glad for Dual blades, and this willpower set. Cusomization of powers is nice. With a 4 month lag time, some new arcs would've been nicer, if done with new villain groups.

I have been waiting on that "pony" for, oh like 6 or 7 issues. I realize that lots of people like PVP, and find that as their "new content", still more love to play the game pre- 40, ad infinitum, on numerous alts. I am a member of the core target audience CoH was marketed to at release. Unfortunately for me, I grow attached to my characters, and don't want a stable of 50s with 100 hours on then. I want to spend 400+ on each character.

The PVE player in the post 40 game that is not interested in loot has been largely neglected for well over a year. the 40+ game is now seemingly gearing up to be loot, raiding, and PVP. I'm sorry that I cannot be optimistic about this trend. I just can't be happy about this game becoming everything it wasn't.

I suppose some can rejoice, and embrace this ongoing trend I see. Many others may be too busy simply playing to see it, or too new, or, perhaps I am seeing something that isn't there. All these are viable, as well as other possible scenarios. I wish nothing but the best to those who find the PVP/Loot/Raid refocusing appealing. I will be here, until i'm not here.

Oh, oh wait, i'm sorry..... I admit it the REVAMPED rikti zone is an addition. sort of. With more of that new RAID content as a focal point.

Remember back when they added actual enemy groups that were completely new to the 40+ game? I do. I even remember the 40+ story arcs being added. I'm sure you do also. Next came rebalances, PVP loot, raiding, and zones to support it. Welcome to Dark Age Of CoH? Or not. As stated, I am here until given reason to leave. Even then I go feeling small bit of sadness, not anger.

Awesome. Sow where are the NEW zones, again?

I keep seeing people laud the last year of development. I am not seeing it. Where are the new zones for the core user base of PVE people. Where is the new content for people like myself that actually LIKE the last 10 levels of the game? I have seen the biggest changes to this game in the form of:

loot
pvp
raiding (Bases and Hamidon)

I loathe NCsoft. Every single game they touch focuses on loot and PVP. Guess where we've been focusing the past 6 issues.

The "old" CoH staff didn't keep repeating the same tired canned paragraphs and sentences. I LIKED the occasional "unprofessional" remark from States, et al.

I may stay for the players, but even that ends at the first paid expansion. I have 3 accounts, and the last thing I need is to add my son in soon, making expansions a costly prospect. Nope. You start upselling me, and that will be the last straw.

I deal with corporate automatons all the time. They don't get my business. Real people do. Change my game experience to be just like every other generic MMO out there, and you get what they get: zero.

This is all my opinion, and is a statement of factual actions to be taken by me under a given set of circumstances. This is in no way a "threat to quit" post. I am stating factually that this game presented value to me, at release and is the only MMO I have ever paid for. I also have seen this game diverge ever farther from it's gameplay experience at release. I expect to cancel my subscriptions. I hope I am wrong. I hope I am so wrong that I beg forgiveness from all of you, and praise the staff unrelentingly.

I leave you with a lyric well understood by anyone in a long term relationship, or on the leading edge of a mid- life crisis (both here....):

Well I always say, it would be good to go away
But if things don't work out like we think
And there's nothing there to ease this ache
But if there's nothing there to make things change
If it's the same for you, I'll just hang

My wife gets that whole motion sickness.... thing. Waiting to purchase LCD before trying again. Both of my daughters play, and I have the PC maintenance costs to prove it. Eventually, my 5 yr old son will play, so i'm thinking 4 midrange PCs, and 4 game accts may be the limit. Since we like everything loud, and wife doesn't, it is time to implement The Lallendos Wife Pwnage Plan:

1. Use kids to leverage wife into believing she needs a social life. We all agree she should go bingo, hobbies, screw around with the pool boy (we don't have a pool, so maybe the neighbors have to help there), or go to a firing range for self defense pistol training.

2. Convince the kids, while playing that they have made both parents happy, and that Disneyland pales in comparison to Peregrine Island!

3. Profit!

Works so far.

Yeah, it's been a wild ride with ATI. when everyone was complaining about not being able to turn on FSA and bloom, I had no issues using older drivers on my 9800 pro. Then I upgraded drivers and that broke. then they upgraded CoH and my framerate at 1280x1024 was unplayable. Now I have a 2900XT, and I get the joy off oddly colored effects, depending on settings.

This, my friends is part and parcel for ATI, and Open GL. ATI has been a Direct X shop for a while. the good news is that they are opening their API up, so people running *nixes, or wanting abbreviated/modded drivers have an easier time of it.

I've been playing Neverwinter Nights 2 and Oblivion mostly, anyway. I host and maintain the server, as well as head the DM team for a persistent world, so being a hero is currently taking a backseat to be an all-mighty jerk.

I have had excellent luck with the 7.8 drivers on the 2900Xt. Haven't had time to test on my oler daughter's 9800 pro in Vista, but younger daughter has my same hardware in XP (I use Vista/XP dual boot), and it's FAST and flawless on hers. There was a point in the driver revisions a while back, where I could use FSAA, and HQ water without issue on the 9800 pro. That time is long since gone.

So far, I can keep a rock solid image by using:
1280x1024, 2X wide tent multi sample AA

8X anisotropic filtering with crisp textures

No water texturing (still looks good, though)

Bloom set to whatever I like.

I turned off Depth of field, due to not liking appearance right now.

I leave texture and mipmap quality on highest, because I have gobs of memory bandwidth, and lower quality compresses textures, causing a small hit in GPU speed.

I tend to run particles on medium, because I don't really care about particle physics.

It is a habit of mine to disable shadows. At one point CoH had REAL bad shadows code. I just don't trust it.

I am staying at 7- to 85 frames per second, with most of the vid card settings locked in driver and set same in game.

I recommend TweakCoH to anyone wanting to set things up BEFORE entering game. It also has some good settings for cards like the 128MB 9800 Pro my daughter uses. Turn down max particle fill to about 200%. Big help.

Currently running Vsynch ON, with triple buffering. ATI cards historically have the memory bandwidth available to run this setup. It allows for very smooth appearance, at a reduced framerate. It is most effective when your frame rate drops below monitor refresh. High end cards toss extra frames anyway, so it just helps prevent the "tearing effect" on those. On the 9800 pro, I ended up using no FSAA, but 4X anisotropy with crisp textures. I love the way crisp looks.

Current system:
Board: Asus M2n32-SLI deluxe WiFi
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ (Windsor) 1MB L2 per core
Video: ATI HD2900XT 512MB (Sapphire, the REAL ATI)
Mem: 4X1GB Crucial Ballistix memory (4-4-4-12) PC6400
Sound: SB Audigy retail (NOT great in Vista)
Hard drives: Basic WD SATA 40 GB, and a WD250 GB ATA133
OS: WinXP SP2 and Vista Ultimate (32) Dual boot
Monitors: (2) Hitachi Superscan Elite 751 (Old, and beautiful!)

Those persons with X1950XT cards can likely runsame settings, if on an LCD. Default synch on LCD is 60Hz. Iv'e never noticed 75hz actually work. Locked at 60, you guys should be fine, and that is a NICE card for it's current price.