Memphis_Bill

That's like saying "Explain how the US became a nation, but don't bother telling me about british history, colonial history, native American history, the revolution or the people involved."

It's an Epic - IE, tied-to-lore - Archetype. Lore is part and parcel of what it is.

He's not a warshade in the slightest. And the lore would tell you why.


For the OP, if you're looking just for the *look,* well, you're looking for more customizable weapon skins, period.

Both by combining and, on occasion, hunting the AH or using AE tickets... though I may "buy" them earlier and haul them out of SG storage if I think there's a particularly tough fight coming up.

First Friday Freebie:
Vanity pet: Pilot Fish

*Still* looks like he thinks he's smoking something. Doobie Wan Kenobi.

Dear Z:
Time zones are not wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey. You still have EST going the wrong way 'round.



Edit: OK, *had* them wrong way round. :P

Damn them for giving people things free! How dare they!

Isn't it TexasJustice's sig that mentions something about twenty dollar bills?




What I'm curious about, actually, is this - if they give away something VIP's get free (but would have to pay for if non-VIP,) would the VIPs be able to claim it? Like some of the "free-for-VIPs" power sets or costume sets? Even if they don't have it purchased otherwise? I know that's a complaint *now* ("X powerset on sale!" "I'm VIP, I can't buy it though I've never bought it separately.")

(I also find the timeframe a little odd. And isn't the time zone listing... er.... backward? 4 PM Pacific would be 7 PM Eastern, not 1 PM. And BST 5 hours ahead of that, IIRC? So, 4 PM PST, 7 PM EST, Midnight BST?)

I think you're thinking of the AE Studio B. Pocket D disables teleport, not toggles.

It would, as people would be in PD for other things (they congregate there *now* for other things) and the market kiosk would have convenience going for it, as opposed to the rather solitary, dedicated nature of WW buildings.

Putting it another way...

Who goes out of their way (I mean really out of their way) for McDonald's? It's not exactly high quality food. If there were a McDonald's you had to drive 20-30 miles out of the way for, you probably wouldn't have it as your first choice in most instances.

However, a McDonald's that's in the middle of other things - a shopping mall, business "strip" with gas stations, grocery store, etc. is going to get the "Eh, I'm a little hungry and they're usually fast and cheap, so sure" business - even from people who wouldn't normally consider McDonald's as a place to go for food. Someone will stop by and go through the drive through in a few minutes and drive off munching a quarter pounder or drinking a soda/coffee/whatever.

Similarly, a Pocket D Market terminal is going to get "business" from people RPing, people showing up for events (like the cape radio's little get together tonight,) people moving from Paragon/Rogue into the other zone or into Praetoria, people gathered for iTrials, people gathered for holiday events, etc. They don't have to move far from where they're goign and what they're doing. At most, it's a quick detour. Few people are going to go to Pocket D *specifically* for the market kiosk. They'll go there as part of an overall trip.

I've been threatened with physical violins for mine.

Hmmm....

Don't nitpick.

Don't be a build nazi, but if you see someone's having trouble that something they skipped could help, point it out - politely, and once.

Don't be an IO/set/bonus nazi.

Don't say someone's being useless unless they're just standing at the door. For every mission.

Find that line between being silent and being a cheerleader. Constant "Great heals!" "GJ" etc. can be *just* as annoying (and somewhat condescending sounding) as seeming to ignore everyone. (Not to mention it can make some people feel their *own* contribution isn't being appreciated - "great heals" when the team's not getting hit thanks to buffs/debuffs can grate on people.)

Chat. Be a person, not just pixels.

Have fun. Don't do it at others expense. Do it in a way that's infectious. And by that, I don't mean in a way that requires a visit to the doctor.

See, that's - to me at least - entirely the wrong question to ask. People use the trainer there because it's there and they happen to want to use it. People that would avoid using the market would avoid using any of them, quite likely, not because of placement but because it's the market. In a way, part of that experiment already exists as far as the arena terminals in Pocket D. If someone's not interested in PVP, they're not going to touch it - admittedly that's a larger part of the population not interested - even if they had a terminal on each corner of DJ Zero's pedestal.

Of course, the market also doesn't physically remove you from Pocket D (or wherever else you may be.)

People will change their point of focus, basically, which is why I say it's the wrong question to ask (and potentially the wrong place to ask it.) And that's primarily because of the attention the activity takes - you don't want to accidentally bid 100,000,000 inf on something you planned to pay 100,000 on. So people will go from socializing as a primary activity and switch - I'm likely misusing the term but it's the only way I can think of it, "States" - to marketeering, finish what they're doing whether it's from a terminal or the /ah command, and then switch back to socializing.

As far as the difference between the areas? It's one that's evolved socially - and one that's in the Goat's prior statements. He claims these "were" social hotspots, and that the use of /ah has made them less so. I don't believe he's convinced anyone that they were ever "social hotspots" in a commonly accepted (and illustrated) definition - such as the "hotspot" under the Atlas statue is. If anything, /ah is a "portable hotspot," since you take the service with you *without* having to make a major change in your current activity (waiting for a TF to form or what have you) - much like your theoretical market kiosk in Pocket D, you'd go on chatting, having a costume contest, whatever, turn and use the kiosk, finish and be right where you were, as opposed to going out of your way (in NG's suggestion, to avoid a fee) and *breaking* your current social activity to do so. His suggestion would, essentially, create a "social chill." Going to the market would then be something done (assuming you care about the fee enough to go out of your way to use it) at the beginning or end of a play session or event or activity, something done in a lull. Which would pretty well *still* not serve the purpose he envisions for it.

I'm just responding to your part of the discussion. As for the goat, well, his ... *unique* way of viewing responses, well....

Though I am wondering why you state there are factional limitations to the vault. (I'm assuming vault reserve vault, as that'st he only "vault" I can think of there.)

See, you've gotten me (or kept me) confused as to why any of this is relevant in the slightest. There *is* no faction limitation for the vault. I can run a hero down there, stick something in the vault, switch to a villain and... stick something in the same vault. It doesn't say "You're a villain, you must go to the villain vault. Oh, hello hero! Praetorian? What are you doing here?" Obviously the location the items are stored are different, as they're tied to the character.

As far as no faction-neutral marketplace... you're incorrect, unless I'm completely misunderstanding you.

Yes, no hero can go to a Black market truck and click on the NPC there to access the market system. (By market system I mean access the UI elements which allow bids and other market activities.) Why? Because they are not allowed in those zones, *not* due to any limitation of the in-game-world NPC. Similarly, no villain can enter Wentworths.

HOWEVER.

You can take any hero or villain, go to Pocket D, enter Praetoria and enter the trading houses there, interact with the NPCs - who just don't care who you are - and perform your market activities. They can indeed have simultaneous hero and villain interactions. And yes, I *did* just run a hero there and a villain there to make sure.

Now, no, being in Praetoria does not mean they're in pocket D, but the faction-neutral market does already exist.

As for the last, requote your original statement all you want, but the point itself is still irrelevant, given Nethergoat's stated purpose is to forcibly drive people into using specific areas for HIS desires, NOT to argue convenience - if anything, he's pushing INconvenience by means of adding a transaction fee. The statement is basically a pointless statement to make. Someone will socialize, then go use the market placed in Pocket D *or* use /AH, depending on their own preference (during which it's highly doubtful they'll be, for instance, engaged in intensive RP,) then they'll leave that interface and go back to concentrating on socializing. Stating they would be "unused" - which is not something I ever suggested, by the way - is, frankly, a ridiculous position to take. SOMEONE will be standing near one at some point and say "Hmm, wonder if that luck charm sold" and decide to use it because it's there.

And so you want to force people into a space to do something YOU want them to do, despite the fact that in all the time said space HAS existed, it has *never* taken on that use.

Keep tilting at that windmill.
Your definition of a "made point" really needs work. And the way you try to twist things that fairly solidly prove your idea just isn't going to work? It didn't take me long to find an illustration of the logic you have to use to do so:

OK, I'm assuming you're looking at the physical design (round building vs open truck.) There would be no reason to "merge" anything with those designs in Pocket D. You could make it look like an ATM for all that matters. It really has absolutely nothing to do with putting something in Pocket D, which is why bringing that up - plus the fact the market *itself* is a merged one - is rather baffling.
And I expanded on the "nto sure what it's meant to prove." That some people will use such a kiosk when others won't because it happens to be there? Don't need to worry about any coding or any real thought being put into it, as the answer is "sure," for much the same reason that people will buy a candy bar they didn't plan on because it's shown in the checkout line. "it's there, what the heck why not."

Because they are *epic* ATs, they're tied to lore. There's very specific story reasons for the way they are the way they are. You seem not particularly familiar with or misunderstand why they are that way. That's what them being HEATs has to do with it.

Cysts are transport, not "places to live."

Where did I get the quantum part? Again, read the lore. Having your blasts and such come from the weapon is - ready for this? - describing a quantum gun, such as handed to the Void hunters and various Quantum members of some of the groups.

There's a link in my sig that will take you to the Kheld backstory. Read up on it, and you'll see why what you're saying doesn't make sense. Short form, there are three ways to get nictus "powers" or at least blasts:

1. Quantum weapon. Does nothing to the person who uses it, doesn't provide shields, etc.

2. N-fragments. Which have a tendancy to turn the people they're implanted into into Nictus at a fairly high rate.

3. Infestation by a Nictus - basically, the warshade as it is now.

Basically what I'm saying (and yes, I am kind of a stickler on the Kheld lore) is that what you're describing would not be a Nictus/Warshade, and that you have your ideas on the mechanics (lorewise) of them wrong. (Such as, nictus don't live in a cyst any more than people live in a door.)


Now that I'm done nitpicking, there are ways something can be created to give some of the capability without the "something's living in me" aspect of it, which would also allow a bit more exploration of the Kheldian war (and aftermath, and possibly what happens with current events.)

Now, if you wanted a weapons-based sort-of-nictus/warshade, there are ways of doing it to fit *into* the lore, expanding on the various experiments that brought out the Quantum weapons (which is, after all, several years old.) Turn them into a "Quantum soldier" - stronger than the (basically) throwaway members of the gangs given the weapons, but weaker than the Galaxies (should be,) Voids and full Nictus/Warshades. (Actually, probably at or around galaxy/void hunter levels, come to think of it - though those have the shards implanted, again.)

You'd lose the shifting. Without being bound to the being that provides it, you wouldn't have that capability, any more than standing next to a pianist gives you musical ability.

I could see blasts, shields (pushing the energy field out enough to provide some resistance - lorewise, after all, the Q-weapons are designed to take down Kheldians, so fniding a way to protect from incoming fire would make sense.) Not quite sure how a buff would work. I could see even summoning a temporary Nictus pet, similar to extracted essence but without the need for a corpse.

Hmmm.... possibly because I see this (originally) as assassin-ish gear (it's what the Q's are anyway,) I could even see a gun and blade mix, the blade being custom to the archetype and looking... crystal-y or shard-y, lethal and negative energy (since they removed "nictus" energy) damage, possibly even a ST attack with an AOE energy blast...

If there's nothing else a VIP wants to burn points on, they can burn a bunch on those. *shrug* And on sale, it's 2 1/2 months worth.

Says you! Nyaaaaa!