MartyRallner

Reading through this thread I notice a lot of varied reactions. Most calmly point out "This doesn't compute," while others opt to shriek "OMG RUINED FOREVAR!!!", at least one person declared they would quit forevar, while others engaged in debate over what they thought about custom critters. And hey, nothing wrong with any of that. I may make light of them, but they're your opinions and you're entitled to them. Now here's mine: I couldn't care less what the Devs do with CC xp calculations. If they balanced them as people have pointed out, great, but it doesn't matter to me either way. Why?

I turn off experience points earning when I play MA material.

When I enter an AE building I am usually there to browse the list of published arcs and try one for the hell of it. Play through, get some tickets, and give an honest critique of the arc to its creator. It's fun, but I don't want it to make me outlevel the content in the rest of the game. Thus, I turn the XP earning off in the options. I know I'm in a possibly very tiny minority, but we do exist: People who play MA stuff for the sake of seeing what their fellow players have come up with.

So yeah, to echo previous sentiments the descrepency between standard/hard/extreme and hand-picked powered critters bears taking a second look at. And for those of you freaking out and calling for boycotts, please chill out. This bsns isn't as srs as you're making it out to be.

Just have a few pieces to show off, here. Since I've never gotten the hang of image hosting, y'all will have to do with links to the dA pages (unless someone were to help me out in that regard...)

First we have this gob-smacker of a piece done by the obscenely talented Bodhimonger. Making the piece all the more incredible is that he was willing to do it for free. Yes, that's right. Free. No money needed. Out of the goodness of his heart.

Sadly, there's a downside... he honestly feels bummed the piece hasn't garnered the attention it rightfully deserves and thus it's a bit of a sore spot with him. The fact that Buckeyestar (whose absence I'm starting to worry about myself) has yet to thank him for it hasn't helped either. It may sound a bit like attention-mongering, but quite frankly he does deserve the love. So go visit his page and give him plenty. Get to it!


Second on the docket is this mature, no nudity but still probably NSFW stunner by Sabtastic. Not too much needs to be said on this one: It's bloody gorgeous. Sabrina is a former resident of Paragon City and the Rogue Isles and is open to comission work most of the time. Give her a look.

This was one of the first shots I took in the game and it's still one of my favorites

*nearly does a spittake when the dA page loads* Ho-lee carp is that awesome! Excellent character design, too.

And congratulations, you've taken your first step into a larger world...

Neat concept, and cool costume designs. The bios are also well thought out, too.

Zekiran covered all the stuff I spotted, but all in all that's a helluva job for a first attempt! And I heartily recommend looking into digital, it's a great tool for post-production editing of your art.

Yeah, the Doc's huge grotesque body is essentially a suit of fleshy power armor used for greeting heroes. Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiittle hard to do complicated surgery or run lab tests when one of your arms is a rocket launcher with a bayonet...

Okay, all of these are really well done. Widdle Recluse's cuteness is over forty. That's as many as four tens. And that's terrible.

But seriously, looks like you've got plenty of experience in both real and digital art, plus some great character designs (luchadores FTW). Can't wait to see more of your stuff =D

Jeremy Farlow (Daggerpoint) is da MAN. Great artistic ability and an all aroud Pretty Cool Dude.

And in any case, welcome aboard!

ONE OF US! ONE OF US! ONE OF US! *laughs evilly*

Seriously though, welcome aboard. Once you join us, you'll never want to leave...

Yikes, didn't know that was the case. Good on ya for not letting it get to you.

I jumped in being blunt because some artists get so much support from their fans/friends they believe the hype, and then a little clique is formed where the rabid fanbase jumps down the throat of anyone who says anything vaguely negative (including constructive criticisms) towards the artist.

I realise that's obviously not the case here, but the idea there was even the slightest chance of that happening here on the CoH art collective made me spring into action. (and if you ever want to see some of these cliques, simply consult Encyclopedia Dramatica's DeviantArt section)

Anyway, I figure I'll just leave this here on the off chance anything tickles your fancy: http://zerry.deviantart.com/gallery/#Character-Profiles

A bit late (as usual) but I still want to weigh in on the dA comment thing.

First thing: If you're going to let one, single, not-all-that-negative comment derail your growth as an artist, you're going to have to get off the internet or risk a serious nervous breakdown. You need a thick skin to be able to deflect and absorb the negative comments you'll receive. Someone might give a very blunt critique on your art and suggest several areas in which you could improve. Some people just might not find your style to be to their liking. And there will always be people who try to cut you down for their own sake, either using the Simon Cowell approach or the 'HAHA u suXX0Rz!!!111' method.

As for the particular comment itself, it's not something to sweat. True, sometimes older work is better than new (George Lucas comes to mind) but it's up to you to figure out what direction your growth as an artist is taking you. Some people get stuck in an artistic rut and churn out the same stuff over and over, usually because they've developed a fanbase that demand a constant flow of the same old stuff (R. A. Salvatore and his creation Drizz't are an example) and thus they just sit and stagnate. Trust me, you don't want to be one of those.

Sorry if this is sounding mean, preachy, etc., but seeing how everyone was so quick to shower you in comforting words I figured someone had to play the mean guy.

I've mostly leaned toward taking advantage of Brandon's excellent services, but I'm still waffling a bit concerning the state of my finances @_<

Big salute to Suchiro for doing that for ya... and it looks so... marketable, too...

... I really, really need to visit the forums more often...

Anyway, might as well offer up my character profiles, costume spreads, and fanart wishlist in the hopes any of them bonk you with the coconut of inspiration.

Cass and/or Vlad from Hack/Slash (Google will bring you much wisdom on the subject)

Looking at this my brain is awash in WH4K quotes, so I'll just say "Blood for the blood god" and get that over with.

But now after seeing Poison's mad skills, I wanna know more: Is he trying to install Recluse as a subject of worship and centerpiece to a new religion? What's his story?

Now those are just both jaw-droppers right there, wow...

References are here: http://zerry.deviantart.com/gallery/#Character-Profiles and here: http://zerry.deviantart.com/gallery/#Costume-Spreads Take your pick and have at 'er

Invoke Panic won't convince badguys to get out of your face like, say, Caltrops would, but it's a handy way to get people to stop punching you long enough to retreat a few floors down and Rest. Intimidate is good for keeping an enemy locked down long enough to give you a reprieve (like a ranged attacker adding to your trouble in the aforementioned gangbeating scenario). And either of the taunts on a blaster is so loony as to be hilarious.

But the main reason you should go for it is because you *can*. You're playing for concept, so take powers that fit with the concept. Anyone telling you you CAN'T take a certain power or that you HAVE to have Stamina have probably fallen into the old trap that min-maxing is serious buisness.

Anyway, what server/side is this character on? She sounds fun to meet sometime XD

As a longtime Rifle/Devices user I can hardly think of anything I'd want to change. Still, there are a few things...

A slightly wider area of effect for Ignite would be nice, as it's aggravating to take aim at a web-grenaded target and misjudge the range, making you look like an idiot as the un-barbecued badguy escapes while your bonfire sits there uselessly, a testament to your failed attempt to be clever.

Another minor thing that could use a tweak is Trip Mine's proximity sensor. Just now I got mauled twice by a Zues titan because the three mines I clustered in its path refused to go off even as the multi-ton death machine clomped directly over them on its way to stomping my derierre. If they had gone off and "missed" the Zues I'd be annoyed but okay with it, but these failed to detonate whatsoever. This has happened to me in the past and again it's aggravating to have your attempt to be creative fall flat due to no fault of your own.

Other than those, I don't see anything that needs drastic changes. I admit I don't have every power; I ignored Beanbag, Taser, Time Bomb and Gun Drone in favor of pool powers (though I think I'll make an alternate build to try them out) so I can't say anything on those powers, but all in all I think AR/Dev makes up for any weaknesses with powers that combine well and lend themselves to unique tactics.

I've ran into a bit of a snag doing The Hit List arc. Every time I tried it (with two seperate characters) I followed the map to the door to the first mission... only to have the marker tell me it was about 80 feet below the ground in Marconeville, with no clear way how to access it. Is there a bug or am I just being a thicky?

Of course pigtails are evil!

*does a Kermit the Frog YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY*