Memphis_Bill

Right. Because you've missed them, obviously someone's cheating. Sorry, but no, that's how it has worked with every single giveaway. People *can* and *do* read and type that fast. Some people (see transcription, secretarial, data entry) even do so for a living. No need for special h4x s0ftw4r3z or whatever.

Nope. People can legitimately see and type that fast. No software needed.

Gives reason to work on typing skills then. (Ended up taking typing my last year in high school - don't recall what my current speed is, (edit - one test gives 86wpm) but it has seriously helped over the years.)

To avoid bots that do just that, quite likely.

Fast typist. I did it with one of the costume codes some time back. Doesn't take that long to type in.

Fix't for me. That one still makes no sense. (Plus, if you have combat attributes up, it hits your recover/regen, too.)

*wonders idly if I've fought either of you*

I'm sorry, I just stopped in the other day to pick up inspirations. I didn't know it'd be counted as PVP activity.

Most of mine. For (a) a nice place to fit a KB protection IO, and (b) for the slow resist they added into it. If they don't *have* it, it's planned for them. (Note, the slow resist is called a "buff." Note also they can do so without replacing a power.)

This, pretty much. I can head into the zones on most and rarely be bothered, and other than scheduled events, the Arena doesn't get much use.

... difference, of course, being that I can take my old system (M2n32-SLI Deluxe, AM2-based socket,) drop in the newest BIOS, and run an AM3-based Phenom II. (Some, at least. No six-cores there.) That's now a four year old system. Same holds true for my AM2+ based work system, though it has wattage restrictions (due to being a cheaper mainboard.) I've got a good stretch of AMD's product line to choose from.

Intel's? They don't physically fit, for starters. Picking 1156 restricts me (in max RAM - which given heavy multitasking and VMs will potentially bite me - and in which CPUs I can use - Intel's said, for instance, no six-core CPUs will be 1156 based.)

AMD's been better at future-proofing for me, and generally at price. Performance, heat, and energy use were the big reasons I went with Intel this time around - same reasons for the ATI video card instead of nVidia. I really can't criticize AMD for socket evolution given how nicely backward compatible they've been.

Poke around the 'net a bit too. For instance:

Tom's Hardware $550 guide. June 2010.
Component
Model
Price (USD)
CPU
AMD Athlon II X3 435
$75
CPU Cooler
Cooler Master Hyper TX3
$20
Motherboard
Asus M4A77TD
$85
RAM
Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR3-1333 (PC3 10600) Model CTKIT12864BA1339
$58
Graphics
PowerColor AX5770 1GBD5-H Radeon HD 5770 1GB
$150
Hard Drive
Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7,200 RPM SATA 3.0 Gb/s
$55
Sound
Integrated
$0
Network
Integrated
$0
Case
Cooler Master Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black
$40
Power
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus RS-500-PCAR-A3 500W
$40
Optical
Samsung Black 22X DVD Burner SATA Model SH-S223C
$22
Total

$545

Use it as a base and do some tweaking, or a s a base for a "configure your own" at somewhere like ibuypower or cyberpower. I know there are others out there, as well.

They *will not replace* those powers, whether YOU think the replacements would be "more viable" or not.

They've tried it once. You'll notice how the APPs and PPPs now have five options instead of four? History lesson for you.

Initially the devs were going to just flat out replace the "least taken" powers or "least popular" in those sets. That didn't make it two patches from when it was put into beta. Why? People *use* them. They wanted, for instance, to replace the Dom mace AOE attack with personal force field - something I'd find absolutely useless. Stalker snipes? While their activation time could be reduced, they're used for sets (and, yes, on occasion snipes.)

The devs had a fast, massive and hard backlash against the replacements. They will *not* do that again. Thus - five options instead of four now. And the "cottage rule" some rail against so much - they will not flat out replace a power. Tweak it some? Sure. (Such as adding a small heal to EA's End drain.) Replace? No.

They know better now. Your definition of "better" or "more viable" is not everyones.

And I've seen plenty of "properly" (by your definition) built tanks who are just as useless. So what's your point? One power does not make the difference. Throw an incompetent player behind a tank with taunt, and your team will still faceplant. Throw a decent player behind a tauntless tank and you'll be fine.

The same holds true for pretty much everything else in the game, too.
So why are you pushing that same mentality for one power - Taunt?

See also "Defender = Healer."

Incompetent players - both those behind the controls of the specific character and those who refuse to learn "Hey, they can do something else" - aren't fixable with a posted build.

Yeah, I've been bit by that a time or two. Zoning doesn't help. Can't even dismiss them - ended up having to log out and back in.

An MMO is pretty much never, by definition, a "finished product."
I think you need to look at all the changes that *have* been done. You can start recently, with dominators, where the *entire AT* got an always-on damage boost, with only a very few powers (such as PSW) getting nerfed.... which, of course, the general damage boost tended to make up for. Or Defiance I and II. Or Melee attacks getting longer range. Or defenders damage boost. Or a host of other improvements, generally affecting an *entire* Archetype or attack type - as opposed to the occasional power that needs to be brought down (see adding fear to Burn, PSW and the like.)
Ask about what happened with APPs and PPPs when they tried to replace "powers that almost no one uses."

Ahhh. Yeah, that'd work for me. Let my kins click-select for a fast heal/boost/etc. still and I'm happy.

And Superman will, if the writers need, be all-powerful one issue, and weak as a kitten the next - sometimes to the same thing.

Games don't work like that.

Trying for balance is a good thing for the health of the game. ANY game (well, any multiplayer. Single player, encounters can be scripted around expected power increases, etc.)

"Always buff, never nerf" doesn't work. Otherwise we'd have everyone one-shotting Hamidon.

/unsigned to making them not targetable. My kinetics and /psy Doms, for instance, *love* the nice big boost they get from these guys at the start of a fight.