Memphis_Bill

Atilla: It isn't being shut down.


Miss Eternity:
If it were being done "just because," I'd be right there alongside you saying "Continue with localization of in game files." (Heck, to be honest, I'm surprised we don't have a Spanish-language server.) And you do have my complete sympathy.

It is, unfortunately, a business decision, where they feel cost (including time) outweighs the benefit. After all, localization does take time and slow down the release of content.

The problem with arguing against it? We don't have access to the numbers to *make* a convincing argument. I don't know how many players connect to Vigilance, how many only speak French, or how long it takes to localize the content (not a short while, typically.) Of those players, how many went to a Premium model and buy little or nothing from the store - essentially being nothing but "cost?" You may know X many players still subscribe, or regularly buy things from the store - but what percent is that? We just don't know.

That means the only thing we can argue from is from want and emotion, and unfortunately... that doesn't keep the lights lit or the employees paid.

You, and our other French-speaking players, have my sympathy and support, and I certainly wouldn't argue with keeping French-language (and German - which I at least used to know a bit of) localization in game... I just don't think we have the information to make the case to stop that particular boulder from rolling.

Can I just say... I don't care?

I know, then why am I posting. Fair enough. But the FP has been static. It hasn't grown - I don't mean "more members," I mean they're the Ted Kennedy of the COH hero world. They're freaking *always there.* You could have left back when I started in Issue 3 and come back - well, not just now, but six months ago, and they'd still be there, and still, quite honestly, be the exact same. (Except for seeing Positron as bald.)

Whether Matt Miller (who, really, is what a lot of this back and forth is about - I highly doubt the 40-odd people or whatever they've hired since becoming PS care about what Jack did) personally had a beef against Jack, or how badly he personally may or may not have wanted to kill off the character of Statesman, or all Jack's creations... I really don't care.

I do, quite frankly, agree it was time to shake that little "core major hero group" up. And having States go into space or something - you'd still have the "He's coming back any time now" possibility. If they wanted to finally make a permanent, "we're free of Cryptic (even if we still use their engine)" break, killing those characters off permanently would symbolically do it quite well.

As far as Psyche dying? We have, to a lesser degree, the same problem we have with Statesman. States is supposed to be the top-of-the-heap, generally the players are second fiddle to him - and we learn he's *restraining himself* from growing into more power like he could. Psyche? Well, other than finally getting someone with a little more that ribbon and mesh for an outfit (really, that thing was embarrassing,) she's again - "The World's Most Powerful" psychic.

We don't need that. The *players* should feel like they're able to at the very least get to the same level (without that "most powerful" title hanging over someone's head,) and with Incarnate stuff, exceed that level of power - and face the challenges that come with it, without The World's Most Powerful Anything hanging right on their shoulder ready to swoop in and save the day if the player screws up.

It removes that cap and says "Yes, YOU can be more powerful than the big names. You're not second string." And it leaves us with people that, while perfectly capable in their own right (depending on the writing...) - are *people.* A guy in a really techy suit of armor, a magic ghost, Penny Yin (who's still young and getting the hang of everything - in a way, also a standin for the players,) someone who's fast, but can be beaten, the "every normal guy, but with money and a bow," and an android.

Frankly, as far as not pushing the player characters down, it's a better Phalanx.

And last but not least, it's just long overdue change in an otherwise very static world. Way back when, Calvin Scott showed up, asked for help, then after a while vanished, the job finished. Since then we've had... what? Faultline revamped. (I don't honestly count the hollows - it's really the same, other than a few new groups.) Now DA. A little expansion into Croatoa. RWZ finally moved forward... and has stayed the same since. Villainside is worse.

Frankly, *more* change and *more* of a dynamic world, where yes, that contact is only going to exist for *this* issue, but will lead into other things two issues later, is needed, as far as I'm concerned.

(Don't mistake this, by the way, for accepting the "We don't want to just keep working on old, we want to give new, and have the new guys work only on their ideas instead of expanding the old" line(s) we've gotten. There's a lot to work with in the "old," and can only help the new folks get more in tune with the world - and help develop it instead of giving it the feeling it has, at times, of half-finished projects left abandoned behind someone.)


....

OK, for not caring, that's a lot of typing. >.<

Hmmmm....

I don't think I really have a power set I go to more than any other, but then again, I've got a metric ton of characters, too. Now, I will go through phases of one set a bit more than others, usually as characters come to mind or I try to find a combo I like, but then they sink back down into the "mass of characters."

Though now I'm curious. Wonder if I can get the info from the Titan network on my (somewhat old) list of characters and find out.

Hmm.. yep. Thought I remembered that.
Primaries: EAT/VEATs take up three slots, so I'm skipping them as, while you can make playstyle changes, it kind of skews things.
Robotics - 10
Plant control - 9
Fire control - 8
Fiery Aura - 7
Shield - 7
Empathy - 6
Fire blast - 6

Secondary - same, skipping epics:
Radiation emission - 13
Storm - 10 (which I'm somewhat surprised at.)
Dark Miasma - 9
Nin - 8
Energy Manip - 6
Fiery Aura - 6
Invuln - 6 (Though I think I rerolled one of those.)

Looks like fiery aura and radiation, tied at 13, are the ones City Info Tracker sees most, at least. 13 out of 304 it has listed... so nothing really outstanding percentage wise.

Taking dates? Well, I've never taken a date to a beta. I tend to find things like dinner, movies, some quiet time somewhere, some not so quiet time at a concert, etc. works far better than "Let's see if we can crash this" for a date.

But, hey, some people might enjoy it.

<Qr>
Couple thoughts.

First, quality. The devs have said they're not going to do something like they did with this set of stories again - they pushed them out far too fast, affecting both the final product and their work schedule, and it shows. If they're going to *release* them this fast, then they need to be working on them at a far more appropriate pace ahead of time, letting QA really run things through the ringer so we don't get some of the mistakes in text and such that made these look - well, rushed. Someone coming to this later isn't going to have the sense of "They're pushing these out, when's the next one" - they're already in game, and will leave a poor impression. (IE, "THIS is what I'm paying extra for?")

Second, story - this is going to affect the game world as a whole. Looking back on it - it was a poor choice, perhaps, to have as an SSA (other than from a marketing perspective.) These should probably be more focused on "interesting side stories" so that you don't have to (potentially) pay to see the world-changing events. It's - well, sort of like the Kheldians. Everyone sees Moonfire, everyone sees the 1-50 arcs. The Khelds (currently with a price tag) have a whole *other* side storyline "in the shadows" - where, yes, you do save the world, but it's not via an event that everyone would be blind to miss.

I enjoyed the run through the arcs, even as the "rushed" feeling of them started to show later. I do somewhat wish they would have just stuck to "X level and up" instead of raising it, personally.

All that said, would I prefer SSAs vs standard content... I'd prefer both, with the time taken to polish them properly, *especially* when it's something you're going to ask someone to pay extra for.

Haven't really read through - title just caught my eye.

I'm a fan of snipes. I think I take them on every... well, non-Dominator that has one. (OK, non dominator, non-Stalker-patron-power.) Always have, since my first Elec/Elec.

Issues for me:
- Long wait/animation. Yes, it "feels" right to do that with a snipe. It should be a long animation. Just maybe not "that" long. Even a half second or so would be noticable, shaved off.

- The second tohit check. This is just annoying to me for the number of things that "block" it... an I-beam or tree thinner than the target? Really?

- Not *as* usable in combat. I can hover-snipe or, in some situations, pop lucks, sure. Giving this the AS treatment (I'll go for a little lower damage done that way, as long as it's still a reasonable attack) would specifically help with a complaint some have with one specific set - electric blast.

Don't mind:
- The interrupt time. Really, I don't.

Wouldn't mind:
- an on-impact AOE "stun" or something for a few seconds. Or fear. I'm good with fear. It's one of the psychological advantages of a "real" snipe, after all - some simulation of it in game wouldn't be amiss.



As far as damage... I'll let people who play with numbers more deal with that. A bit more, I think, wouldn't be amiss "when used as a snipe." (assuming the in-combat/out-of-combat dual mode is doable somehow.) Though I certainly won't turn more damage down, defender-side.

I don't disbelieve you had... something happen. Here's the thing. Scientifically speaking, eyewitness accounts - yeah, they're pretty much useless. Now, even saying "Well, I was with my two buddies!" - ok, we have a tendancy to start comparing in a group, modifying, and reinforcing each others conclusions, even if they're *completely* wrong. Feeling like you're being watched? That's absolutely ancient. We (daylight) humans tend to fear the dark, the hidden, the unknown. We make up monsters, gods and demons - and aliens - to fill those spots.

If you want to prove to me - or anyone else, and have me say "OK. I'm now paying attention. I believe you" to being abducted? You just said you saw "technology beyond what we have here." ... we have some pretty funky tech in spaces. If at all possible, *grab proof.* I don't mean reach for the Super Quantum Defluxibiliator Ray And Pizza Oven. *ANYTHING* there is going to be different than anything here - the manufacturing marks, the warning label, the preferred alloys. Grab their version of a ballpoint pen and stick it somewhere. Then *take it to a scientist.* Take it to a metallurgist. Without saying "I was with these aliens," see what they say.

When they tell you "I haven't seen anything like this, this is unusual," and they've deduced *for themselves* that it's not something from around these parts, THEN tell them what you saw and experienced.

If you couldnt' grab something, but know (not think you know but *know*) the location, bring people back there. If the aliens are still there, you now have a repeatable experiment - and the area can be checked for anything that can cause a change in sensation (after all, the Greek oracles "spoke to the gods" because they were getting buzzed on volcanic gasses and the like.) If they aren't there, but they physically were previously, *something* will be left. You have mass and matter on top of other matter, energy being directed, whatever. Not as good, but "something" would have been there.

Y'know, if people are all so hot and bothered over whether an AT is "powerful" enough to fulfill its role or not, why are we worrying *in the least* about IOs, soloing GMs, etc?

That's more comparing sets and slotting.

Someone's saying blasters are 'severely' underperforming. By what standard? By "My IO'd out XYZ can do such and such?" Know what? I don't care.

My blasters do damage. They do more than the lower-damage squishies. They don't have defenses in most cases, but typically do have various sorts of control to affect the way the fight goes. Some are stronger with ST, some are stronger on AOE. Some sets do need some attention, sure. But the AT as a whole? No, I do not agree in the least that it's "severely" underperforming.

You want to compare, strip your IOs and run on SOs, and de-slot your Incarnate powers. Then you can compare the ATs instead of the sets and bonuses and Incarnate tiers. If you can (honestly) barely notice the difference, with decent slotting, between, oh, a Blaster and Defender, using the same primary, then talk about a buff.

Very nicely done.

So... need to make sure both accounts have points waiting.

I *believe* they'll be in your email. I know a symbol I picked up for the heck of it shows up that way.

Not trying to beat a specific drum here, it's just on my mind from another recent thread.

"City of Heroes is one MMO that defies convention, going its own way. Nowhere is this more evident than its creative, nonconventional approach to spelling and grammar. Unusual word choices and surprise alphabetical transpositions force you to pay attention and think about what you're reading."