Nethergoat

while I agree BUILD POWA isn't the be-all end-all, I don't buy the 'good player' argument either.

The game isn't hard enough for either of those variables to matter much. Nearly any build played by any player can accomplish most feats in the game. Power level and skill have a major impact on efficiency, but most things can be brute forced with even the weakest tools.

It's been my experience that Fire Breath>Fire Ball = no more spawn.
Running at -1 they'd all die even faster.

I like RoF as a power, but don't see the point given your stated difficulty settings.

It isn't a natural environment, everything in it is dev defined.

they make the game, so everything is "arbitrary, artificially reinforced" limitations to be overcome by various means.

In my hypothetical D&D campaign the only reason a level 1 party with blunt sticks and butter knives can't take down Tiamat are "arbitrary, completely artificial" limitations called THE RULES.

If you play a game, whatever game, you're bound by the rules. Otherwise there's no point to your actions. If you start your D&D party out at the peak of power, everyone might as well go home because there's no challenge or interest there.

Ditto for any game. The (arbitrary, artificial) limits on player progression and power are the game.

this is a remarkably vapid argument even by your standards.

Broadly speaking the point of 'rewards' is to allow the player to face more potent challenges, not to let them walk over existing ones.

So, uh, welcome to every game ever made, ever.

casting an eye back to my pen and paper roots, we didn't earn glowing plate mail and magic swords so we could wale on Kobolds more efficiently, but so we could go after dragons.

my favorite was the RP-justified refusal of Venture's heroes to use the merged markets since they'd never buy stuff from bad guys...even though his heroic characters would have absolutely no way of knowing that villains were now interacting with the supply pool.

Having your characters act on knowledge you possess as a player but they don't violates one of the cardinal 'rules' of role playing.

unless you want some advice about a build, or some advice about making inf, or some gameplay advice about this or that mission or enemy, or want to share your art with the community, or...etc etc etc etc.

If it keeps the forums from freaking out every time someone moves on to a new job I'm all for it.

Plus, I'm paying them to make a kickass game, not play forum footsie with people who're usually out for their blood.

On the list of goofy things people choose to get DOOMy over devs who work on the game instead of posting on the forums is my clear #1.

you're pretty good at violating explicit forum rules for someone who runs for the mods with such eagerness.

followed by


Heheh.

You know what's easier than the devs coding in a special system to protect you from spawns that are the appropriate level for the zone they're in?

Paying attention when you run down the street.

I'm inspired to blow open every present iI can find Atlas tonight, so if you get ganked by a (zone-appropriate level) spawn of snowmen on Virtue, shake your fist and let your rage-spittle fly at the Goat.


=D