MR5M1TH

now, that was just *****. I've had the "use Code" page on the NCSoft site open all dang contest, and have been navigating from Account Management Home to the Redeem Code entry page to keep "fresh" and just as I enter this code for NO REASON it kicks me back to the LOGIN screen! (it didn't the first two times)

kewl, another guaranteed 12 min break...burgertime! 8)

looks like it is the same formula for the forum-only crowd tho, that is, those with nothing to do with the evil that is FB or T

D0h!

Ah, well, new cycle in 3 min....

Mmmmmm, report all COMMIE MUTANT TRAITORS (and serve the computer) ahhh, good times.....

new posts for each code, identified by ##

Nah, they said no "-"'s required....

Remember, random selection between Facebook, Twitter, and These specific forums for the US market...2 per hour on a randomly selected media.

And yes, that means that those of us without a tweet/text addidiction are -66% less likely to get anywhere with this :shrug:

We'll start with the basics...visually distinctive classic firearms

Beretta/Glock/Sig 9mm (and you don't have to stay matte black)
See Here: http://www.scaar.at/airsoft/sword.htm (Beretta 92F "Sword Cutlass" from Black Lagoon)
Luger 9mm
Walther PPK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Walther_PP.jpg
M1911 .45 Automatic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:M1911_Pistol_US.jpg
.45 Longslide w/laser sighting http://terminator.wikia.com/wiki/File:Glau-Gun.jpg
Desert Eagle .50
.44 Automag
.44 S&W Revolver (modern) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:S%...comparison.jpg
.44 S&W Model 3 (western top-break) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:S%...ntier_1791.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Th...osey_wales.jpg
Colt Peacemaker revolver (western classic) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1956prime2.jpg

Then offer up the additional classic sub-gun categories...also very visually distinct
Mini Uzi http://terminator.wikia.com/wiki/File:Uzi-03.jpeg
Mac-10
Skorpion
MP5
XM-8 (short barrel/no-stock version) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:XM8-Poster.jpg

Then some Exotics...many of those mentioned or shown above are good candidates, and there is not reason not to include "classically" characterized weapons like Piratical Flintlocks and such. Magic and Gageteers can do quite a lot in the Hero/Villian genre.

It doesn't even need Steampunk, Technosorcery or Future/Alien tech, we already have things like the Metal Storm technology handgun. Quad barrel, caseless, electronically controlled, all rounds pre-loaded inline in the same barrel. Fire rate of 1 million a minute. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_Storm

http://www.defensereview.com/1_31_20...rm%20VLE_1.jpg

http://www.metalstorm.com/images/sto...itions%201.jpg

Or simply go the WoW route and have the faction markets remain separate and introduce (gee in maybe the GR expansion) a 3rd party "neutral" marketplace where the two can meet.

Call it "Commerce-Net" where heroes and villians alike can list things "online" for sale or purchase. (not unlike the shiny and shadier sides of E-bay)

I see the map setups as highly modular, with each distinct room or corridor setup segment within a map-pack well defined. Thay may have taken those "tiles" and pre-arranged a whole host of complexes "pre-fab" but that is just to guarantee no intersect or dead-end glitches. (which could be just as guaranteed against with solid coding). But Mission parameters and Content are randomly assigned (with guidance) to the existing Map Complexes from mission to mission. I have entered a mission on one map, exited and abandoined the mission, re-started the mission and (thru the SAME doorway) entered an entirely different map. It already is a (column-a) + (column-b) mechanic, just begging for an extra layer of variety.

You see all the repetitive parts over and over put together in new-ish ways long before you exhaust the arsenal and begin memorizing all the layouts they have. This notion would break up the monotony.The key would be creating additional baseline interface tiles, like that special elevator zone you mentioned, or the blown floor in the Breakout (Transition from Prison to Sewer). Using these interface pieces, you can then assemble multi-terrain map complexes.

The easiest to do would be the Office to Ruined Office, which is simply using another floor layer and the existing elevator system.Next would be the creation of a Office to Warehouse transition. This could be with either an office elevator that decends into a cargo sublevel (create the interface for the warehouse), or a roll-up freight door that attaches to an office complex (create the interface in the Office segment). The trick here is to make the "street level" map like an upstaris map, have two elevator hubs. One that goes up to the rest of the office, and one that goes down to the Warehouses or sewers. We have that "street-level go down" interface in the University, during the Recepie tutorial.

Sewer interface can be done from an Office, Warehouse, Prison, Hospital, Arachnos/Longbow complex, or Rikti base with a destroyed floor element like the prison. The Sewer/Cave/Rikti interfaces already exist above. Place a sewer grate door piece in a warehouse and you have that interface type handled as well handled. Create a Sewer start point that interfaces with a cave-style door and you have another interface type. The mine/cave wooden door is another useful interface that can have a transition tile built around it.

Office to Arachnos/Longbow interfaces already exist, and should be expanded, to reflect that hiding in plain sight aspect of the villianous base behind a corporate facade. Start in an Office elevator and end up in a base elevator.

And on, and on.

Basically it comes down to making use of the vertical transition elements (Holes, Elevators) and the lateral transition elements (Outer Doors, Warehouse Freight Doors, Cave Doors, MineGates, Sewer Grates, etc) to craft the interface tiles around. From that base tile (replacing the "existing "start" tiles) you then lay out the standard approved complexes thru to their next transition item. Layer or chain those story elements in logical ways to reflect the mission content and viola, you have exponentially increased the variety of the mission maps characters can face, and drastically reduced the burnout potential for long term play.

I seriously think this kind of option should be considered.

Several other games (WoW amongst the leaders) already have this ease of use feature. It enables extremely rapid switching between toons on the same server, and the toon listing is already where the selection button for "return to server selection" is as well for those (many MANY) of us who have numerous Alts on different servers.

It is not a factor of 5-15 seconds, considering there is the minimum 30 second wait to quit to the login screen, then the additional times (more a factor of the Internet connection than your individual PC) taken to pull a server and then pull a character. You only exchange problems when you opt for "quit to desktop" as now you also have to reload the game, punching thru the update checker first, then the login screen, server select and character select.

The "security" complaint is a red herring. If you are living/gaming in an environment where such vandalism is common practice, perhaps you need to seek a new place to game or push for more stringent enforcement of practical security at that facility.

If you are "walking away" from your game in a public forum, then you are probably best off just logging off "quit to desktop" and getting back on when you return eventually. If this is a chronic problem at home, then you have home issues to work out. The current character deletion interface requires the character name to be input to verify the deletion. That would be a simple item to recode to the account passsword rather than the individual character name if "rampant malicious vandalism" is such a problem at your terminal of choice.

Far far more of us are quite comfortable with our siblings, spouses, significant others, whatever and are gaming in the privacy of our own homes, and take bio breaks and food runs all the time without incident.

Enabling the key feature of the game that totally crushes CO (multiple toons on multiple servers and global handles) to suffer from a clunky and outdated, inefficient method of toon switching is a sad state of affairs.

Give us the basic option to pull back to the character select screen. from there we can handle it ourselves easily switching either toon or server with the existing interface already in place.

You'd think that the "security conscious" out there would be more concerned with the constant input of password after password after password, rendering you so vulnerable to "social engineering" exploits.

One of the lingering problems I keep hearing from folks getting bummed or burned on CoX is the repetitive nature of the mission maps. I know and can see the efforts that have been taken to date to kind of mitigate that, and the variance/modularity of the mission maps within their own vein is somewhat better, but I suggest that more needs to be done.

To avoid the "same map" syndrome, why not take advantage of the already existing methods linking map zone modules to interlink to different map types within a mission?

Office building upstairs? Why not a Warehouse/Industrial sublevel, Sewer sublevel below that, possibly even Caverns below that. Vary within a mission set some offices/warehouse floors intact & some ruined. This can be transitioned between the elevators or divider door sets. Blend the classic caverns with some of the locales like the mines the Christmas missions occur in.

I second the call for the Chainsaw Weilding Loony. As a Long Blade skin or as a whole zweihander powerset.

(and yes, I know the first post has a link....a DEAD link!)

Machete
Meat Cleaver
Kitchen Knife

Single handguns (autos, revolvers, hi-tech, steampunk)
Shotguns
Military Assault Rifle w/shotgun instead of M203 (yes, that's a real mod)

(the chainsaw is what makes Jay sexy)