Memphis_Bill

Nice. Grats

"Outweighs" how?

The blaster will do more damage. The defender will have more tricks up its sleeve to deal with the various situations that arise.

"Or?"

One step at a time.

>.<

Go to skyway.

It's all the way south. You'll see the red marker for the Bloody Bay helicopter on the map in almost the same spot, as well. The entrance is just to the left (the "tunnel" through the wall.)

It's a completely separate zone.

Edit: Link, Vidiotmaps map of Skyway, with zone connection markers. Faultline's all the way in the south on the border.

Wiki link to Faultline info.

Bookmark the wiki and vidiotmaps.com.

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Stealth Powers make you far more translucent than the Ghosts I'm referring to.

-Rachel-

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Just as a note (as this doesn't do what you're talking about,) Stealth IOs make you somewhat less translucent, it seems. At least to me. But of course you can't apply them to individual costume slots (or turn them off, other than as a dual build.)

I'm playing my Bane that way. It's odd to get used to, there are times I find it a bit irritating - but at the same time, I slot an end redux in to each attack, as well.

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I am honestly not trying to be deceptive or dishonest here.

The whole premise of power balance has always been "SOs are all you need". That is where I am coming from.

Above that is fluff isn't it? I do understand that IOs do impact gameplay. If it is significant and that IOs represent the new SOs, then won't the game be balanced around IOs then?

If the game isn't going to be balanced around IOs, then IOs are by definition still flavor, aren't they?

I am not arguing here, I am asking a genuine question.

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"Flavor" and "Fluff" have minimal to no effect on gameplay. They're seat covers or fuzzy dice in a car. They're the description text on items. They do little to nothing to a character's performance - and, yes, all the temp items and such that are part of the varying packs really do *nothing* all that noticeable.

SOs are what the game is balanced around, yes. Above that is not "fluff." Distinct gameplay advantages gained by IO sets are certainly not fluff (see Perma-dom, perma-mind-link, stacked set bonuses... unless you consider, say, a 60% regen boost "fluff" (5 sets that give 12% regen boost - each percentage being able to be stacked twice.))

That most certainly isn't "fluff." Those are decided in-game advantages.

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I just read that Story Arc slots are now for sale.

And to me there is a link(however tenious) between additional MA slots bought and IOs.

Simply put, more story arc slots, more ticket rewards. More tickets = IOs. Aided by the credit card.

Aren't we already on the slope?

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My writing an arc does not not fill me out with IOs. My writing arcs does not improve any character's performance in game.

So, no. Your link is worse than tenuous.

"Significant?" No.

Minor? Yes.

I don't hit harder, live longer, etc. because I have any of those. I won't hit harder because my character's male (or huge) instead of female. Self destruction is one use *per hour* and you end up dead. The jump pack is purely vertical movement - yes, YOU can move horizontally but it's not a travel power. The little mystic fortune buffs are minor and unstackable.

Compare that to adding recharge - many times over (to the point of perma-ing powers that without IO set bonuses could not be,) or capping defense (again, without IO bonuses, difficult if not impossible) or the like. Those are certainly NOT "fluff." There's a huge order of difference between the little temp powers and what IOs can do.

Trying to pass the bonuses you can get from using an IO set - or purchasing the same - as "fluff" is, frankly, either showing a lack of understanding of the differences or ... well, intentionally or not, deceptive.

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If IOs are not fluff, what happened to the whole "You only need SOs argument?"

By claiming that IOs are not fluff, we are thereby admitting that this game has gone beyond "SOs are all you need" and that the power curve is now higher than what a normal 8 toon SO'ed team can achieve.

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You do only need SOs to defeat everything in the game. They are what the game is balanced around.

"Fluff" has no effect. I don't complete a mission faster because I'm wearing the Baron jacket from the magic pack, or I'm wearing red instead of green. That is "fluff."

IOs increase power *beyond* what is required. That does not mean they are required to beat the game. It DOES, however, create a disparity in power based solely on bank account.

Nobody has claimed IOs are fluff. Just that the game is not balanced around them. A credit card should not be the source of undue advantage, or the basis of a level of ability.

Edit:

Plus, there's the practical concerns. Do you only sell IOs at the top of their level range? If so, what if the character has a full enhancement tray at the time? There's no "Enhancement buffer." Do you sell them at the bottom end? At the level the character is at now? How do you prevent them from affecting the market? (Related, how do you keep them from benefiting RMT organizations?)

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No.

Microtransactions in this game are for fluff, and they will always be for fluff. IO sets are not fluff.

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This sums it up well.

I don't care if I have a costume piece (or don't) because of buying or not buying stuff. it doesn't affect gameplay. I *do* care when it comes to actual gameplay items.

Save your merits. Burn MA tickets. Or just *play the game.* But no, don't make them available via credit card.

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Sorry about my dumb moment here,,but I have been playingfor about 2 yrs now and I don't know what EATs and VEATs are. Can some one PLEASE tell me? because I feel really stupid right now.

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EAT - Epic archetype.

HEAT - Hero EAT - Kheldian
VEAT - Villain EAT - Soldier/widow

EATs are more "tied to a portion of the game's story" than other characters. The origin is preset, they have some other limitations (Khelds can't take fly or teleport, though the forms they give grant them automatically, and all are tied to an origin) and different abilities (Shapeshifting for Khelds, for instance, or built in leadership for the VEATs.)

Edit:

Status of all mentioned Epic Archetypes as of Dec last year.

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Then you don't team with those people.

Don't deliberately make the game non-fun for yourself.
Do what you need to do to have fun in this game and let others do what they need to do to have fun.

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Ah, yes, because everyone who goes 1-50 in AE has a glowing icon next to their name that says "AE Baby." How silly of us all to miss that!

Oh, wait, there's not?

So, pray tell, short of being psychic....

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You can usually tell by the badges they have.

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Which I can tell from multiple zones away how, again? They dont' show up that way. They don't show up in team search. /info doesn't work on them unless they're targeted.

So, again, short of being psychic...

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I'd be happy if the guy would get outta my active contacts list...I'm never going to talk to him, too much effort for someone who doesn't care about MA.

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/this.

As well as a way to remove, for instance, Willy Wheeler. Yes, I know, he doesn't give his arc immediately on getting him as a contact *any more,* but I still have characters with him - and since I'm not particularly fond of his whiny, "we've been suckered" arc, well...

As for the original suggestion, there's some discussion going on elsewhere about this as well. 50 I think would be too late. 10-15 before AE "opens up" ("Hey, you've started to prove yourself to the city, now how about a way to relax!") would be great. (As well as pulling the buildings from Atlas, Galaxy, and Mercy.)

[ QUOTE ]

Then you don't team with those people.

Don't deliberately make the game non-fun for yourself.
Do what you need to do to have fun in this game and let others do what they need to do to have fun.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ah, yes, because everyone who goes 1-50 in AE has a glowing icon next to their name that says "AE Baby." How silly of us all to miss that!

Oh, wait, there's not?

So, pray tell, short of being psychic....

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QR

Instead of 3 months, make it one character, 3 levels. First character to hit level 4 unlocks AE for the entire account. After that, they can even take a brand new character into AE, if they want.

That way they've talked to a contact, done at least one door mission, and had experience with both choosing powers and placing slots.

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Not really.

Sewers - 15 minutes, tops. Level 10 works better, IMHO.

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Most of these posts are kind of hypocritical.

Your mostly upset that players are now making the game easy on themselves by leveling up quickly in AE.

It's hypocritical because the real reason your upset is because you want to make the game easier by inviting players on your task force team that know what they're doing instead of just teaching someone how to play and informing them.

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No, I for one am not. I've taken new players and trial players under my wing and walked them through things. Even players who didn't know things that had a few levels under their belt. I've taught masterminds about bodyguard mode and such, including creating a macro to go into it. Over the last four years and change I've taught my share of players "how to" do things.

When they can go 1-50 en masse without having a clue about basic mechanics, the world they're in, how to find contacts, how to zone (and I don't mean standing by the door sleeping) there's a problem. Yes, it happened *on occasion* before - but at least those people had to find Peregrine Island or Grandville. Having it turn into a standard state of affairs... no.

It's not good for those players, and it's not good for the game for people to think it's limited to one building, to know nothing of how the game progresses, nothing about the storylines of the world itself, nothing about enhancements, to see nothing outside the AE building's mission lobby.

They have all of New York (the state, not city) to play in and explore, and they're staying in a phone booth in the Bronx and saying that's the be-all, end-all of the world.

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These people who've only ever played AE have had a greater selection of content than us old-schoolers ever had.

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More disjointed than any content we ever played, and they have no clue about the 'world' in which they're playing.
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I haven't run most of the Task Forces in game, but I don't feel like I'm short of stuff to do. Some people only play Melee classes, or only play certain types of Defenders. Some people never solo. Everyone limits their play experience in some way.


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There's a difference between 'limiting' and 'crippling.'

Personally, I've got to agree with "Set the lower limit at level 10." There's at least a gap there where they'll have to get out of the sewers and learn how to do things like, oh, *find* missions.

Which, IMHO, is also a call for more (official, new/refreshed) lower level content. Who knows, maybe they'll get drawn into some of the *official* story and learn there are actually... I don't know, zones?

Woot, first on the list, I'm so proud

And... Elvis avatar? o.O To quote Yoda... er, no, to butcher a quote from Yoda, Avatar? Elvis? My tank this is!

Though the cat's working its way back into the rotation....

History lesson on powers and development.

woot Nice... can't wait to see it all put together!

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Last time I checked, every AT had the capability of taking all of those powers I listed, with the possible exception of Kheldians (Im not sure which power pools get locked out on them, they really are not my cup of tea).

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Flight and Teleport.

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<qr>

I'd show mine, but I cycle through over 200 wallpapers using a changer to change it every 15 minutes, and the only things that are actually visible besides the wallpaper is the weather and a clock since I use Fences (nice program for keeping your desktop organized) and have my startbar set to autohide.

*shrug*

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Yeah, ran Fences for a while. Interesting desktop-organizing concept. They'd get me back if I could Fence inside a Fence.

Well, that and honestly my just using folders was "cleaner" to me.

It's less the constant boom than the "pop up from the floor and do it again" that gets me, really. I'm not sure if I like that better than the "Killed so fast they're still standing there pounding their fist" or not, though...