Nyx

I just wanted to give an example.

What would you rather...

A) You do something wrong in the office, or workplace. Your boss comes out and yells at you publicly in front of other staff.

Or

B) You do something wrong and your boss calls you into their office and speaks to you about the issue to gain resolution.

One brings toxicity to the office environment, while one might breed some resentment to the boss/employee, but remains between those two parties.

It's the only example of toxicity that I could dream up at this very moment, but I wanted to apply toxicity in general in a real life environment.

I like many people had very big issues with the Exalted server. Not because of what it was but because tearing myself from Virtue which has been my home for 4 years (I did have another account at one point, which I lost in the divorce) was almost impossible.

I have noticed some trends, and a sort of wow mentality! People are frustrated with the actions of people now more than before. Team wipes etc. Before a Team wiped and most of us LOLed...some would ragequit, but I look at a team wipe as learning thing, or just a OH DAMMIT I got an ouchie" type deal.

The problem with player toxicity is communication barriers. Before If I was doing something dumb or someone else was doing something dumb, I could take it into tells, or communicate some way with someone. Now the issue is that the only way to communicate any form of critisism for Free players is either Local or Team because they cannot communicate back. Which actually brings everything to the attention of all the players as opposed to keeping it under low wraps.

I see this all the time when people are speaking in Local. And if you are out of earshot you see people reply in Broadcast and only get one part of the story, which sometimes sounds downright toxic. Usually if the Broadcaster was being a jerk other Virtue members would at least voice something that would then again boost the positive experience, however now that is not the option.

We also have no way of telling in help channel who is and who is not a Prem, Free etc, which means stupid questions sometimes get met with stupid answers or mean answers. Many times people would send tells to the person stearing them on the right path, however that is not an option again, and now has to be taken public.

As for the forums being more toxic. It think the word might be a little more frustrated because we have always been very oppinionated people about what we like and don't like, and we have become a little snippy. I admit I am a little snippy here and there, but for the most part I try to treat people with respect.

But, it's been a while since I have been playing now, and I have not a single person on Ignore, Global ignore or a Forum Ignore. It's because toxicity, while apparent is not worth the time hitting the ignore button. I could easily erase you, remove you or never see you again, but to be honest, negative people just don't phase me.

What does phase me is in game! And that In game issue right now for me is the lack of being able to communicate, directions, orders, giving help and assisting people, and since I see that as a barrier, sometimes frustration turns to toxicity.

I feel thats why things are more toxic "Sounding". It's because now it has to be public.

Ok...Gimmicky? Ok...well yes there are some things. I usually see this when things such as costume boosters come into play or power sets come into play. The amount of Beam Rifle/Time Corrs were the new thing and rightly so. I mean, it's new shiny, and when you combine that with the huge number of Brains in Jars sporting Victorian Steam Punk parts I see the gimmick, or the trend.

However to be fair if content is not added, then people would be less than enthused to play the game and much like the WWF or...what ever that rant was about...which confused me, or bored me...or bored me so that I was confused...you need to keep adding layers upon layers to anything to make it interesting especially when the franchise is outdated.

When something like City of Heroes (Which I love..Love love!) is outdated, which it is, in the aspects of engine, appearence, and mechanics you need to bring new layers, gimmicks and things to boost the desire to play the game, and for the most part City does that very well. In the MMO universe you have the option to choose the gimmicks you generally want to participate in, and we have that option.

Stripping down to the your roots, works well for musicians, TV series, and franchises that lost their way. Lost their grit or what made them special. Alternatively, City of Heroes has not, in my experience, really done that.

However there does get to a point where this story does have to come to an end. The Praets, the world as it is and dimensional folding etc, are all amazing, but sort of does back CoX into a corner of having to END the Story, or push the boundries of the Incarnate Arcs, which would still have to end at some point. It was a gimmick for level 50 end content...but the issue I feel is that the End Content will lead to the End of CoX.

Just my rambling.

Actually...I did run into some toxicity today...but it was countered by everyone in Global and a team of 24....so one bad apple.

I was running a league of 24 fror a ToT. The roster changes a lot during those types of events because people drop, people leave etc. One person joined and I was having a hard time moving him into team 3. I explained it would be a second because we had to wait until the team lead of 3 zoned back in.

I went to move them but accidently hit kick! *Facepalm* My bad. So didn't mean to do that. So I resent the league invite and an appology. But I got the whole, the person you are trying to contact is hidden blah blah blah.

So then I get this huge tell saying how Im fail and on ignore. So I asked someone on the league to send the message that I accidently kicked when I was trying to move him.

Then in broadcast dude was freaking about how I kicked him...(which I did do on accident mind you) and how not to join my team, calling me fail and every other thing he could without getting bannded. But the team I was on stuck up for me.

So yes. Toxic people do exist, but 1 out of 50 players I played with today was bad. So really, I feel that he OP remembers more the negative comments or experiences, and forgets the fact that there is many more positive players than toxic ones.

I have been having burn out issues as well. The main thing for me is trying to come up with new things with different playstyles that perhaps I have not tried. The other thing is also making something unique based on the story I choose to play.

Unfortunately for me right now, my level of burnout actually stems from a few things, and since I love a good list I thought Id share one.

1) Low level content has been replaced by sewer (Death from below) grinds until 20, and although I do not have to do it, it's a fine way to play test a toon to see if it's something Id like to continue. sadly im using it as a low level building device as opposed to something that is fun.

2) To many concepts based on new proliferation which means leveling certain powers over and over with a new secondary, primary, in order to see the effectiveness change.

3) Ideas coming from new costume parts and unlocks, or new store items etc. I get a good idea, then make it, and then follow list step 1 and relaize it's not as cool as I thought it would be.

4) High level trial content burnt me out, and continues to burn me out even if I don't actually do it. Grinding shards, doing tips to get merits etc just do not hold my interest as they did when it was done, so I make something new, or just RP...or pose a lot in my fabulous costumes.

and oddly

5) TOT event. It's a different grind...or actually just a huge farm. I have enough halloween salvage to costume slot about 30 toons now.

So...

In the overall. Level 1-20 is now a sewer grind. Level 20 - 50 is now a ToT grind (Temp of course) but when thats done, leveling just feels slow, and then when you hit 50, it's Trial grind.

Im certainly not quitting, but I am also feeling the burn out.

I have not really noticed things. I find this community much nicer in general than others I have played on, and as for toxicity...Id say more personality rather than Toxic.

People can get fired up, but for the most part it's not that bad.

Ok.

I just wanted to clarify my point. Beam Rifle was something you had to purchase. VIP's got Time manipulation but it could be purchased as well via points for non VIP's. Street Justice is a purchase.

My main concern (And while the devs have stated that not all powers will be purchased or have to be) my issue is with the Dom AT.

Dom players in general have not seen any changes to the AT's power options, and it would almost be upsetting to see much wanted powers or proliferation after years of waiting, to be only purchasable by points.

Yes it would be a cash cow...I mean, Dom players in general would go into a frenzy if something new and exciting was offered. Im just hoping that for the one AT that has had no bones thrown at them, that they might be given one, as opposed to having to buy said bone.

I said in my original post, I like the freedom of buying what I like, and ignoreing what I don't want, and that being said I also think that the lack of new shiny things for Dom, that it might be a gesture to offer something new like they did with Time Manipuation. VIP free, and all others have the option to purchase the new power set, although even then I feel that even then, the dom situation and wait time for something new even trumps that.

You see. If I was going to actually do a Jarhead...what I would do would be the empy jar. I sort of have this interesting love of the paranormal and also this facination with a certain character that showed up in Hellboy.

I like the concept of a suit that contains the "Smoke Like" spirit or ecto plasm, that keeps the entity locked inside as to not dicipate completely since it has no substance. Like a ghost in a suit really.

The powers could be darkness colored gray or murky green color to similate the release of the etherial essense, and for a blast set it could easily use dark, but also fire or Psi, and I would lead it towards perhaps the Corrupter side of things. It would be effective. I would use the steam jets colored a gray or green tone to show leaking.

Alnother alternative could be a being made up of pure psionic energy that has no form and perhaps make it a Dom Mind/Psi. the brain could be used if wanted but Id still use the empty jar effect to simulate a "force" as opposed to something more physical. It would gain phsyical form through the use of it's suit. For an Aura I would use perhaps a slight but faint glow in the head area or something to that effect.

Alternatively and my favorite...one could also combine the fish fin horror pack costume parts to make an underwater themed character, that is just pure, living water, with again a suit that contains the water. I would make this also a corr, and use things like energy colored in water themes and maybe pair it with poison rad or storm to simulate wet looking powers. (Add the slime Aura if you have the incarnate points and have him drip water, out of his semi rusted clunker of a suit to simulate leaking.

The above could also be done with cold powers, as the person was mutated, cursed or scientificaly altered to be just arctic air, but sentient. Storm, ice, and frost powers would work well and you could easily use steam jets colored blue or chryogenic aura to simulate that.

The biography could be similar for each case really.

Mutation: Body was mutated into a substance with no form, and as a result required a suit to keep tangeable

Magic: Cursed or paranormal phenominon that tricked, paid, aquired a suit to contain their form

Science: Altered Genes or genetic experiment gone wrong who through science manufactured some form of containment device

Natural: Just a entity or being who used scient to contain their intangeable form

Tech: Same as the above but more focused on the suit and less on the being.

The only difference with this option is that you could technically be 3 or 4 different origins but require one main one to explain either the physcical makeup of the being, and how they aquired their special containment suit.

Ok.

Really and truely I don't ever use Spiritual on anything other than my Empath, cut it just makes sense. However on Disomnia my Dom I use Cardiac, and same with Rift-Dance my controller.

Actually Cardiac is in my oppinion "THE ONLY ALPHA" in most cases. However both have hasten. But the extra range, end redux and resistance is good for almost every AT in some fashion, just with the end redux alone.

My current project Sun-Dance is a DB/EA scrapper and Im slowly understanding why scrappers are brutal. With EA allowing for endurance draining effects, and DB seeming to recharge extra fast on it's own, and body mastry allowing for health/endurance regen, I might not have to go cardiac (Which again is amazing for any AT). Nor have I needed to take hasten or slot at all for recharge.

So I may pick either nerve or musculature.

But DB/EA needs nothing. It's just straight up perfect!

Holy Poops!

I was on virtue last night and I saw a similar brain in a jar...or jar head...or what have you named Insane Bolt!

Was it you?

Im sorry...

Im sorry for being grumpy, and I am sorry for my sometimes vile words about changes regarding the store. Not all the changes but some of em.

See...I like looking at my points. They are sort of like soft $100 bills that I just hoard and throw on my bed and roll around naked in....well...ok...maybe 5 dollar bills, Im not rich or anything. But I like to collect them and look at them and love them...and when they get low, I get sad.

The horror pack of goodness came out, and while I liked some of the looks, I also noticed there was very little I would want from there. The Bat Broach (Which is broken) the bats aura in case I make something batty, and the serpentine hair which I have been putting on the suggestion forum since 2009 when I was on another account.

So I am liking the fact that I can buy just specific costume parts or travel powers like ninja run without investing in aan entire pack of things Ill never use.

"I do not want a brain in a jar...I do not want it in a car, I do not want it on my head, I do not want it at all...I said." and yay! I don't have too!

That being said since I only play my gaggle of gals, most of the male parts I just do not want at all, and I like this freedom to pick and choose.

Sure I don't like unlocking all content, some powers, and AT's (Which I dont have to do, currently cuz I avoided going prem by three month subbing)

The only complaint I sort of have though is that I do hope some things are given as gifts or freebies to VIP's

For example...we had a thread talking about dominators not having any new things for a while, and I really hope that something new for a Dom (Which has been a long time coming) is given for free to the VIPS's who have played the AT loyaly and been requesting things since AE entertainment came out.

Thats all...

Love you!

Ill be honest..."I do not want what I have not got" and as such I have a surplus of points I do not spend, and thats ok. I will buy the occasional costume bit to complete a look.

But overall, I look at most things as they originaly sold in packs. Only now, I can get ninja run without buying things I do not want like many of the ninja themed items, which I didn't want.

As for whats in store tommorow...I comes down to theme with me. If I can't come up with a time controlling, elbow smashing, hover-boarding beam rifle zapppping hero....then Ill stick with my gut....However..

When newly teaming as a scrapper (Yay...My first one!!!) in a team of 7 beam rifle/Time....at least I get to feel special

Powers and frill in this game are like fashion trends. Everyone follows and buys the shiny, but eventually when everyone looks like a "Steamwork pack" clone...we just crave being unique again.

I was looking through some powers because my friends were wanting to make a 4 horseman themed group. Of course I wanted to play pestilence cuz war and death were going to be the ones people were fighting over most. And really...who wants to be famine.

So Poison worked....but then I thought. Hmmmm...what if there was something like poison, but super cooler. And so I drew up this Pestilence set...which would be a great MM set with zombies etc.

So lets give it a whirl shall we. It would be a primary debuff set but much like time and a poison hybrid would spread if under the influence of a targeted aoe patch.

1) Blight ~ Ranged single target, - Res to Damage, -regen - Special (Increased vulnerbility to Toxic) Chance of spreading if Plague Field is in place

2) Swarm of Locusts ~ Target anchor, Slow, - to hit - Jump -fly, minor DoT

3) Fever ~ - to Damage - Recovery- resistance to status effects - Chance to disorient, Special (Chance to spread if Plague field is active)

4) Infection ~ PBAoE toggle. Slow, - to hit - regen - recharge

5) Plague Field ~ Slow - to hit - Special (Chance to allow Blight, Fever, Malady and Wasting to spread to nearby targets

6) Malady - Single target confuse (Special) Chance to spread if Plague Field is active

7) Inoculate - PBAOE toggle resistance to status effects (Except sleep), + minor defense against all but psionic and fire

8) Wasting - Single target slow - Recharge - Recovery - regen - res (Has a chance to spread under Plague field

9) Plague Bringer (Pet) Summons a swarm (Use the Devouring earth swarm if you want) which will use a number of single target Pestilence powers, and minor Dot toxic damage and a - to hit (Similar to Dark Servent) . (Weak to fire and Ice effects) This pet is mindless and cannot be controlled by the caster.

So thats my basic idea. I dunno if people would be interested in such a powerset, but I was bored. So I thought I would put it out there.

I am unsure why we can have jetpacks, backpacks for back to school, wings and steam punk back packs, but can't get back items like scabards etc.

But then again...Im not a dev.