Mount_Dreamer

1) If I accept an invite to a low level team but I am in a high level zone... well, that could get ugly. There needs to be a warning stating what level you are about to be exempted to.


2) More exp to get through the low levels? Can we get an option to disable exp then? I hate out-leveling some of the contacts as it is now. Yes, I know we can go to Ouro and redo the old missions but it isnt quite the same.

Multi Build is a nice feature.
But 15 minutes between switching is just too long.
Especially when you accidentally click on it. =(

Server: Virtue
Zone: SG Base
Character name: Sara Smash
Time: any
Location: SG Base
Mission: n/a
Mission Contact: n/a
Bug Description:
it is possible to fall through the floor in the base editor. while moving a room, if the room does not want to move then you are teleported to the spot you was trying to move the room. you can then fall through eventually hit a blank bottom. must exit the base editor to get back to ground level.
Link to Forum Discussions:

Is there any plans to give more detail about Hellions and Skulls. I know that they are small time, and that we quickly outlevel them. But yet, they have ties to Outcasts, Warriors, and Family. We get so little of the story.
Tsoo and are the same way. We battle them off and on for a few levels and then they are gone as well.

Lots of background: CoT, Council, Nemesis, Crey, Malta, Vaz, Clock, Trolls, Rikti
Little background: Hellions, Skulls, Outcasts, Warriors, Family, KoA

No

It, well, to be nice about it, wasn't the worst thing ever to happen.

*Finding teams -- since the heroes and villians could only get their mission once, a lot of people found themselves standing around waiting to find a villian their level to do the missions with.
Problems with forming teams over several D's. If you exist in the D, why is it that you can not join a team in another D?
When people download a trial just so that they can have a villian to team with... Well, something is broken.

*Time -- Even with a level 1 villian or hero to toady, it took about an hour to do all the missions and get the standard badges (minus the RedCap/Lasher/etc badges). On a full team, you could spend an hour just doing the Defeat Terrigol mission. For someone with a lot of alts, thats more play time required then most casual players have the time for.

*Fun -- It wasn't very fun. A lot of people just wanted to farm the mission for the badges (all of them), some did not have time to do a complete run at a time, issues building teams to do the missions for xp, issues finding a villian or hero with their mission still available... To make it short, it wasn't that fun.



Lessons to be learned:
*It has to be simple and direct so that anyone that logs on can jump right into it.
*Too many badges/rewards that are earned seperately takes way from the event and becomes the reason for the event.
*Defeating Snaptooth once was fine. Running the same mission 5 times gets old in a hurry. Doing the same mission 40+ times to get the badges for all your characters is sickening. Doing it 80+ times because you have multiple characters on multiple servers is a pit of despair that swallows your soul.
*Needing someone to help you complete your mission is doable. Needing someone else's mission makes it more difficult then it should be.

Tanks are definitely stuck between what they are, what they was, and what they should be.

To start off, no certain AT or Primary/Seconardary should be required for any team. Some may be more desirable, but none should be required.

No AT or Primary/Seconardary should be unwanted, undesired, or unequal in the grand scope of things. Some might not work as well, but they should not be rejected out of hand.


Tanks are in the unfortunate position of needing specialized ATs in order to function properly. As the group size increases, Tanks need more healing or ever greater buffs to survive.


Example
Croatoa mission, rescue 3 people and protect the Henge.
Leader of the team was lvl 31ish Peacebringer. The mission where hers, set on Invincible because it was old. I was the lowest unsked person in the group. Ranked by order: 33ish Scrapper, 31ish PB (stayed in Dwarf mode), Inv Tank, a Defender (sked to scrapper), Controller with Kin secondary, Empath (me), Stone tank (sked to PB), Blaster (sked to Inv).
The mobs were a tad low for the Scrapper, he kept complaining about all the greens.

PB never was seriously threatened by anything except once.
Inv Tanker without Fortitude fell a couple of times, did not die when Fort was up though he insisted on coming insanely close...
Stone Tanker died with or without Fortitude.
Scrapper never required more then minor healing, was never Forted.
Controller rarely got any aggro, but if he did he dropped instantly.
Blaster died a lot without Fort, otherwise yoyoed between red and green due to heals.

I was rotating Fort on the Tankers and Blaster.

Effectively, we had 3 tanks. PB was far superiour in damage and survival without Fort then the slightly higher level Inv Tanker with Fort.
The Stone tanker had connection problems, kept dropping, was never missed. We had to be reminded a couple of times that he had dropped and needed to be reinvited
The Inv tanker went afk once for a few minutes. Things was a tad bit more hectic without him, but we managed well enough.
Scrapper went afk for one battle -- everyone dropped except for the PB in that battle.

The Stone tanker needed the most healing, followed by the Inv tank. Even with 2 heals and an aoe heal, the Stone tanker would and could die.

After the mission, we spent a few moments talking before disbanding. The Stone tanker kept apologizing, the Inv tanker was asking the Scrapper about the build, and the Controller stated (and had a couple of amens) "Thank god I never started a tanker."


*** Yes, I know, this is not the best example, but it is the freshest in my mind.

((set sometime in mid-late March 2005, might help if you knew Mouse's bio. you can read up on it a little here http://www.creyindustries.com/viewhero.php?id=14865 ))

I have to hurry!

Mouse slammed into the gate hard, forcing it open enough for her to squeeze out into the all too bright afternoon sun. She sprints and dives face first into the creek that divides Gemini park, frantically trying to wash away the toxic chemicals that the abominations used on her.

Just my face, my eyes! She's coming!

She splashed water in her eyes, trying think how bad it is. Parts of her costume is gone, and steel gleamed from her back and stomach and spots along each arm. Her ankle still felt weak and she was still bleeding from her nose, but it wasn't that bad..

Silly Mouse, going in there alone. Couldn't you have waited until Steel had gotten off work?

Hearing the sound of rusted metal groaning as the gate is forced open, she turns and charges, the claws she was given growing out of her gloves. She sees the gate being forced open by a big hand, and then an Eidolon steps into the bright afternoon sun.

Where is She? Right behind? Have to deal with him, keep him in the door!

He was huge for Eidolon, every inch of seven foot tall. He had to bow his head to step out the door, and raised a hand to shade his eyes, the sun too bright after so long underground. He wasn't ready for the little four foot something one hundred something pound woman that slammed into him, claws flailing. But things like that didn't worry him anymore. He counted hero killer as one of his specialities, and it was one of the few things that he still enjoyed.

She felt her claws strike and stop, the eido's thick leather skin too tough for her to cut. Her heart skipped a beat, but she swung again... and her claws slid across his leather bound arm barely leaving a mark.

He's too big! Have to run! No! Have to fight! Fight Harder! I saw Her!

She jumped up in the air and swung down as hard as she could, this time her claws cutting into the leather but only through the surface. She sees the fist coming at her even as she swings, but she is too slow and hanging in the air

She blinks a couple of times, trying to remember how she ended up face down in the mud on creek bank. Then a huge hand grasps and shoves her face deeper into the mud!

"Pain she said. Give her the gift of pain. It was her wish, she said, from the bottom of her heart." Eidolon's voice is strong, full of confidence. He was enjoying this, like he always does, but this time more so. A beautiful woman child to play with. So tiny, still a child in size but her fears are those of an adult. If I had the time and a quiet place, I would play with her for a while. Just like old times.

He grabbed a flailing clawed hand by the wrist and squeezed, and then twisted. The mud muffled the squeal of pain as her wrist snapped and the bones ground together. It didn't feel the same however -- the thick leather skin didn’t feel much of anything, good or bad. The old games are not as fun as they use to be.

Mouse squirmed harder as he crushed her arm. Even though it (like most of her body) was hollow metal, she still felt pain. Sometimes more then a normal person would. He was too strong, too heavy, she wasn't able to wiggle enough to get free with his knee planted in her back.


But I must. I am so close. She is here! I have to catch Her!

Grabbing a hand full of mud and rocks, she tossed it blindly at him... and felt the hands let go. Seizing the chance, she rolled herself deeper into the creek and desperately wiped some of the mud from her eyes. It was no surprise when the hand grabbed the back of her head again, but she rolled again, breaking free.

I can't stay down, fight damn you!

Placing a foot down hard, she came out of the water swinging blindly... and felt the claws sink deep.

Pain! I feel pain! How did she do that? How could she? With a broken arm? He could see that her claws on the arm he had just crushed had struck him in the arm pit where the sensitive skin is, were his leather was thin and weak. He can feel already that arm going numb and useless as he jerked away from her. Deal with her quickly! No! Get inside, yes, get inside! Find a mortificator. Have to hurry!

Yes! His leather is weaker in some places. I can take him!

Even partially blinded by the mud and water in her eyes, she ducked under a suddenly clumsy left hook. And then came back up with right that struck true right where the front and back come together along his thigh. She waited a second too long to pull free, and he backhanded her. It was a mighty desperate blow on his part, breaking the claws off and knocking her several feet away into the shallow water.

The gate is so close. I can make it. She will be waiting. Just a few more steps...
...
...
Mouse gently washes her face again. Sitting chest deep in the chilly water, what remains of her costume partially off so the water can finish washing the chemicals out. Unlike most heroes she has met, her faux skin reacts badly to the toxic chemicals the Vahzilok uses. And unlike real skin that stops transmitting pain after a bit, hers doesn’t until it is destroyed or until it can start healing again.

He was gone when she was able to think straight again. She doesn't know if he survived and had crawled back down the sewer, or whether other servants of Vahzilok had already collected his body. She does know that she is a mess. She can feel the gentle tingle as her skin begins to regrow and the cold metal repairs itself. She can see her reflection in the water, the dark bruising around the eyes and nose that will be gone by morning but means that she will have to call in again tonight if she can't make up another good excuse. The damp tangled white hair. And the dark brown eyes, slightly mismatched...

But most of all, she knows that She does exists. The rumors where true. Her nightmares made real. A tiny four foot something one hundred something pound Eidolon with a single dark brown eye that glitterred in the darkness.

((edited for typos, etc))

((Cassie was a broken hearted college student that met a talking cat from the future. A taxibot, no less. She knows nothing about technology, but with his help built a set of patchwork armor from pieces of a discarded costume behind Icon, some cog parts, and some things she found in the discount bin at Cooke's. And, oh yes, lots of duct tape....))

Cassie wiped the sweat out of her eyes again. The shack’s little fan whined, but it wasn’t enough to really cool it off. She had the parts to fix the air conditioner, but just not the time. Even at midnight, the old guard shack was too hot...

Halo meowed again, and nudged a small computer chip. "Are you certain? This is the last one we have, and if we melt it..."

Halo turned away, sticking his little yellow tail in the air, and walked over to his milk bowl.

"Ok, ok, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. It just took me a day of punching clocks to find one that actually looks like it will work..."

Just like Halo had shown her, she carefully soldered the chip into place... and was rewarded with a gentle hum as the Zeon Null Field generator came back on line.

*wham wham wham* went a fist on the door. "Medley! Are you in there? We've got a man down, and he needs you!"

Cassie flinched, and shoved the soldering iron deep into the boot’s inner workings... and the field generator began to sputter.

"Wincott! You! You! Gah!!!!!"

"Damn you girl, I have a man who is bleeding to death and I need a hero! Stop talking to that raggedity cat and do what you do best!"

Cassie would have glared at the door, but she was already trying to seal the boots up.

"Wincott, I am grateful that you let me use this building, but can't you be a little more tactful?"

"Girl, tact is for tea parties! Not when a fellow officer is down! Are you going to help?"

"Do you really have to ask that? Just give me a moment to get dressed, or do you want to me run there in my underoos?"

She grinned for a moment as she heard him stomp off and kick an old soda can... then she got serious. Bolting the final pieces of the suit together, securing the helm, placing Halo on her shoulder where he can plot strategy.

She opened the door to the guard shack, no longer just Cassie, but Taxibot Medley, a friend of anyone that wandered into the hollows. She found herself facing a dozen grim faced members of the Troll Taskforce. And Wincott, standing behind them, staring off across the gulch.

"Wincott, you know me. Stop being so gruff, and let a girl have a little private space when she needs it. But I always help, so tell me how I can now."

"Man down, shot when following a known outcast messenger to a meeting. He is holed up on the roof of an apartment on the street between Four Seasons and Eastgate Heights. A team tried to get over there, but had to fall back when hit by trolls and outcasts."

"On it! Lets go Halo!" Taxibot Medley took to the air in a shower of sparks, heading across the zone.

"Halo... It isn't supposed to do that, is it?"
The kitten was silent.

"Halo, is this one of those moments in which we are probably going to die?"
The kitten was silent.

"Right. In case we do die, have I told you that it was nice meeting you?"
The kitten was silent.

Medley gulped, and silently started praying. Then the kitten started meowing.

"What? Land? Why? The sparks? Oh, yes, they do attract attention don’t they? But do we have time?"

"Go way up and drop on the tall building? Ok, if you say so."

Zooming up and up, and then suddenly dropping like a falling star.

"Lean left?" and she came crashing down on a someone hard. She was, for the first time, realizing that "stars and birdies" actually made sense.

"A cape! Get her, then finish that cop!"

A dozen hands grabbed and lifted her up off the stunned gunman. Human hands, dirty, callused. Dirty shoes. Smelling of old sweat. Strange what you notice at a time like this.

"Look at what we have caught, a woman in a sardine can! Open her up and break out the crackers." Evil laughter.

Halo squalled loudly from the shadows, and then pounced on an exposed shin, startling one of the men.

"What? Fly?" And up up she flew, sparks flying every direction and blinding them. Quickly she swung back around and showered them with more sparks before landing next to injured officer -- just where Halo had said he was.

"Halo! Lets go!" Picking the officer up the best she could, Medley attempt to soar off again but came down on the street below amongst a group of trolls -- her damaged field generator wasn't able to carry them both. Halo hissed in her ear as the trolls began to gather.

"Guys! No! Outcast coming! They want Atta. Cop said no deal. They kill troll! They say they kill all trolls!" She shouted it loud enough so that the Outcasts and the Trolls could hear her. Which is enough for both of them.

There are some things that will always be true. The bad guys hate heros, but Trolls hate the Outcast just as much as they do heros. And they protect their own. And such is the ill will between them that when one of the Trolls cocked his gun that the Outcasts opened fire. The Trolls fired back... And Taxibot Medley carried the officer back to Atlas in a series of 50 foot hops, with every troll and outcast running over to see what the sparks was, and leaving another battle behind her...


*******Gangland Fury*******
Since the Hollowing, these streets have turned into a warzone between the Trolls and the Outcasts. Only the constant vigilance of heroes keeps this conflict from turning into a bloodbath.
((Ooops))

Just a note --
Watched the cogs zap a tower for about 30 minutes when someone showed up and destroyed them. Decided to check the other sites for the heck of it and the construction had started at one of those other sites.
Got the badge. =)

Every time that I have found Paladin was after watching a small horde of clockwork run by. It seems that clockwork from all over the zone will start heading to him. Not all of course, but a group here and a group there (possibly from other construction sites?)