Optimator

Perhaps the arcs aren't exactly "gripping", but I like them nonetheless. Worth the time, IMO.

People are in too much of a hurry to hit 50 these days. CoX isn't like other games. The journey eclipses the destination.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I still think they should move the AE building from atlas to the top of the Storm Palace. ... what?

[/ QUOTE ]

I do think they should drop the AE building from AP. Its just way too likely that a new player can accidently hit level 20 on his first play session and be both bored and spoiled to the game at the same time. I know the farms would just move to Steel Canyon... which is fine... a new player would have to at least gain enough knowledge to get himself to and through that zone before he got spoiled by the farm system... veteran players would get there just fine with thier new toons if they wanted.

[/ QUOTE ]

Far side of Hollows would be better. I'm thinking to the east of Grendel's Gulch where we always used to get that damn mission door at level 5 back in the day.

I'd suggest at the center of Perez, but I hate getting there, even at 50.

You can now if you play Battleaxe and don't look too closely at your weapon. BA plays very similarly to BS. Parry is the main difference, and I don't think the devs are about to let us have Parry, seeing as Brutes are already more durable than scrappers.

[ QUOTE ]
Okay I was reading this thread I got to the end of it and thought I was in a thread discussing the differences in gameplay styles of Pled toons versus natural leveling and I had wondered how did I wander into this thread?

Then I realized the thread was originally a "hi I'm back, would you like to play with me" thread. And yes, I just got back from my extended departure, and Laylia is one of my favorite friends, and I would love to do some SFs with her sometime in the near future, I mean I still have to check out I15.

As for Comicon I heard that they were sold out, but I was considering maybe for next year.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, the thread did in fact get hijacked. Apologies for that. Damn forum ADD.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Of all the reasons I can think of for going cross country, this isn't high on the list. Although a drunken debate between Positron and myself would be comedy gold, HBO has shown interest.

[/ QUOTE ]
You know it's kind of funny that Blizzcon is going to be shown on pay per view this year and they are giving in-game rewards for those who either watch or attend the con. They truly know how to milk every dime out of people.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yet another reason I am not playing World of Walking

[/ QUOTE ]
They give standard land mounts at lvl 20, epic land mounts at lvl 40, and standard flying at lvl 60 in the next patch. down from 40/60/70.

[/ QUOTE ]

Was discussing this with a semi-hardcore WoW player, he hated the idea because he had to work for it. I find this funny.

[/ QUOTE ]

This change really irritates the hell out of me. Bliz goes and pretty much hands crap out to players, makes leveling a complete joke, and then expects me filter through the inept masses to find the few worthy of bringing along to my raids? Thanks but no thanks.

I'd already burnt out on hardcore raiding(yes, I was one of THOSE people) and decided to come back here before hearing about the changes. Makes me even happier to be back home in Paragon City/the Rogue Isles.

[/ QUOTE ]

Anyone who has an energy/ice can't be that bad.

[/ QUOTE ]

Not certain exactly what you mean regarding that. Not my favorite character by any stretch of the imagination, but it lends itself to an interesting playstyle when I'm in the mood.

IRT Turbo_Ski:

I regard this game and WoW as very different styles of game. WoW is mostly about leveling up, learning, and gearing your character to get into raiding. WoW is endgame, or destination-centric.

CoX is a much more journey-centric game to me. I enjoy leveling and growing in power, seeing a build come together in ways that sometimes surprise me(sometimes not pleasantly ). Most of the story arcs are actually very well-written. Travel powers are a part of growing in power in this game, IMO, and not just something to shorten the grind.

Which brings me to my low opinion of the way so many people use the MA. I love the option of player-generated storytelling. But I hate how people seem to mainly care about farming it to level as quickly as possible without actually experiencing the game.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Of all the reasons I can think of for going cross country, this isn't high on the list. Although a drunken debate between Positron and myself would be comedy gold, HBO has shown interest.

[/ QUOTE ]
You know it's kind of funny that Blizzcon is going to be shown on pay per view this year and they are giving in-game rewards for those who either watch or attend the con. They truly know how to milk every dime out of people.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yet another reason I am not playing World of Walking

[/ QUOTE ]
They give standard land mounts at lvl 20, epic land mounts at lvl 40, and standard flying at lvl 60 in the next patch. down from 40/60/70.

[/ QUOTE ]

Was discussing this with a semi-hardcore WoW player, he hated the idea because he had to work for it. I find this funny.

[/ QUOTE ]

This change really irritates the hell out of me. Bliz goes and pretty much hands crap out to players, makes leveling a complete joke, and then expects me filter through the inept masses to find the few worthy of bringing along to my raids? Thanks but no thanks.

I'd already burnt out on hardcore raiding(yes, I was one of THOSE people) and decided to come back here before hearing about the changes. Makes me even happier to be back home in Paragon City/the Rogue Isles.

Heh, no. We aren't broken. At least not in the underpowered sense. We're better than fine. Sure, not as tough as tankers for eating alphas, but that's what MM pets or inspirations are for. We do a metric crapton of damage, and are pretty friggin tough.

Only way I'd call Brutes borked is the way they make all other ATs slightly boring for me to play.

My EM/EA is shelved for all the reasons previously mentioned.

I picked EM for its staggering burst capability, high sustained ST DPS, and for the ability to pretty much lock down a single target. It was a hoot to play. The attacks flowed, fury built quickly, and faces were punched in. By no stretch of the imagination was it a great set to play against hordes of mobs, but it was still FUN, whether solo or teamed.

Now, it's pretty much lost what drew me to the set. My BA/WP might do less ST damage, and may not build Fury exceptionally quickly, but once he gets rolling, the mobs look like they just got hit by a f**kbomb. Great AoE damage AND mitigation, along with a fun, crunchy, brutal feel.

For me, fun is the reason to pick certain powersets, and EM is no longer fun. Thus, I have no reason to play it anymore.

Tested on level 52-53 advanced drones, and they do the same thing, so it seems not to be level-specific. Much explody goodness.

Gonna go throw together a quick AE mission to see what happens at higher level ranges....will update with results

I haven't tested this on all level ranges of drones....just experiencing it on the low 30's drones atm.

Probably already known, but I'm too lazy to search. I'm finding that all Rikti Drones loop their explosion animation upon defeat, and will repeatedly explode until the "corpse" despawns. While nifty, this is a somewhat distracting glitch when a number of them are killed at the same time.

YES! There should be nostalgia servers for a few of the old issues. Like one for I2 and another for I6.

Pre-PvP, my HO's were much more awesomer. Like so awesome that I have to make up words to describe the badassitude. And Regen was WAAAAY more fun.

And PvP itself has changed dramatically. IMO, for the worse, but whatever.

I haven't bothered doing anything much of anything with this character's build since IOs came out, but it was a pretty lethal build back in the day. Stalkers hated me.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.401
http://www.cohplanner.com/

[u]Click this DataLink to open the build![u]

Level 50 Magic Scrapper
Primary Power Set: Broad Sword
Secondary Power Set: Regeneration
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Speed
Power Pool: Leadership
Ancillary Pool: Body Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Hack -- HO:Nucle(A), HO:Nucle(3), HO:Nucle(3), RechRdx(13), RechRdx(15)
Level 1: Fast Healing -- Heal(A), Heal(37), Heal(37)
Level 2: Slice -- HO:Nucle(A), HO:Nucle(7), HO:Nucle(7), RechRdx(15), RechRdx(17)
Level 4: Quick Recovery -- EndMod(A), EndMod(5), EndMod(5)
Level 6: Reconstruction -- HO:Golgi(A), HO:Golgi(9), Heal(9), RechRdx(11), RechRdx(11), RechRdx(13)
Level 8: Teleport Foe -- Acc(A), Acc(31), HO:Centri(43), HO:Centri(48), HO:Centri(48), RechRdx(50)
Level 10: Dull Pain -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(19), RechRdx(19), Heal(21), Heal(21), Heal(34)
Level 12: Build Up -- HO:Membr(A), HO:Membr(36), HO:Membr(37)
Level 14: Teleport -- EndRdx(A), EndRdx(40), Range(40), Range(43), Range(43)
Level 16: Integration -- HO:Golgi(A), HO:Golgi(17), HO:Golgi(31)
Level 18: Hurdle -- Jump(A), Jump(46), Jump(46)
Level 20: Health -- Heal(A), Heal(40), Heal(45)
Level 22: Stamina -- EndMod(A), EndMod(23), EndMod(23)
Level 24: Whirling Sword -- HO:Nucle(A), HO:Nucle(25), HO:Nucle(25), HO:Perox(29), RechRdx(39)
Level 26: Disembowel -- HO:Nucle(A), HO:Nucle(27), HO:Nucle(27), RechRdx(29), RechRdx(31)
Level 28: Instant Healing -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(34), RechRdx(39), Heal(39), Heal(42), Heal(46)
Level 30: Resilience -- ResDam(A)
Level 32: Head Splitter -- HO:Nucle(A), HO:Nucle(33), HO:Nucle(33), RechRdx(33), RechRdx(34)
Level 35: Hasten -- RechRdx(A), RechRdx(36), RechRdx(36)
Level 38: Parry -- Acc(A), HO:Membr(45), DefBuff(45), DefBuff(48)
Level 41: Focused Accuracy -- HO:Cyto(A), HO:Cyto(42), HO:Cyto(42)
Level 44: Assault -- EndRdx(A)
Level 47: Super Speed -- HO:Micro(A)
Level 49: Tactics -- HO:Cyto(A), HO:Cyto(50), HO:Cyto(50)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- HO:Micro(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx(A)
Level 1: Critical Hit

It's amazing how such a simple change to a single power takes a set from being fun to being "meh". I've shelved my EM/EA indefinitely.

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the info. It's too bad that only some of the Scrapper primaries get an attack with an increased chance of critical.

[/ QUOTE ]

There is a reason for this. Some sets are much faster than others, so to somewhat normalize damage, some of the slower heavy-hitters get added crit chance.

EA is okay, but if there's another Brute on the team and s/he has a taunt aura, your Fury generation is gonna be sucking.

As a soloist, I generally like the set, and consider Medicine Pool to be mandatory. It's not IF you'll get hit, but WHEN.

Also, one of the above posts referenced /EA as being more durable than /FA....my experience is actually the opposite when dealing with GMs and whatnot. Resist-based sets provide a more consistent damage intake, which will sometimes be higher than the damage intake of a defense set like /EA, but the damage isn't anywhere near as spiky. Spikes are harder on your self-healing, and on any team healers you may have. There are bodies of research into this topic regarding raid boss tanking in other games, and although the numbers that go into the mechanics vary, the theories are sound.

It could be worse. You could have been playing an EM/EA Brute, left for a while, and then come back to discover that your ability to bust out a staggering amount of ST damage in a very short time has been horribly nerfed, with no gains in the AoE department to compensate.

My SS/Fire Brute and Ice/SS Tanker are fairly unconcerned with the potential nerf. I've had those characters for years, and I'm sure their viability will be less horribly affected by the theoretical nerf than my EM/EA brute was affected by a simple animation change.

Thankfully, I have yet to hear any hue and cry about how OP BA/WP is, so my latest Brute should be safe.

Plenty of attacks in Elec. Charged Brawl is really not needed. Instead, I suggest taking Air Superiority. Does slightly more damage, recharges only slightly slower, and is a wonderful mitigation tool.

Since I don't give a rat's a$$ about PvP, I'm a big fan of taking Flight as a travel power on melee toons(at least on those that don't use weapon sets) so I can get an extra attack in the form of Air Superiority. Saves a power pick in tight builds, fills gaps in attack chains, and the fairly reliable knockdown can save your behind.

Only real disadvantage is that you give up the small defense buff that you would get from Combat Jumping. But really not a major loss.

[ QUOTE ]
I will be in New Hampshire for a few weeks (leave on the 31st) again. work loves to send me up there lately, the New England area is beautiful country. be sure to drink alot of Moxie.

[/ QUOTE ]

Heh, I'm in the Manchester area of NH, myself. It's relatively nice here, but with the immigration of so many Massachusetts people(aka Ma$$holes) moving up here "to get away from it all", the niceness is diminished by the fact that they bring "it all" with them.

[ QUOTE ]
i remember you on your bs/regen during hamidon raids way back when, you had quite the attitude which was always amusing to watch.

welcome back to the game, infinity is dead by the way.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm an arrogant SOB, no doubt about it. Usually drunk, too. It leads to interesting situations in raids, no matter what game I play.

I'm back for a bit, and loving CoH all over again. Just curious how many of the folks I knew back in the day are still playing.

After almost 3 years away from CoH, I've found myself pretty burnt out on endgame raiding in WoW, along with the endless buff/nerf cycle caused by PvP balance. Got to a point where I was treating it more like a job than a game, and I realized that I was having no fun. So here I am, back on duty in Paragon City, and having more fun with even mundane street patrols than I've had downing bosses in WoW in quite some time.

Not sure how long I'll be around, but for the time being, it's good to be back.

OMG NO!!!!! You can't leave!!1

*sends CuppaHugs*

I may have to go play Tabula Rasa for a bit so I can get banned by you over there too.

This isn't "good-bye". It is "until we meet again". Much love Cuppa, and God bless.

[ QUOTE ]

lol. I assume you've never seen what a county jail or prison is like. Spending one day incarcerated when you haven't committed a crime is harsh.

[/ QUOTE ]

County ain't so bad. Now try spending a stretch in max security....23 and 3/4 hours a day in an 8x8 cell with no clothing other than your underwear. Only furniture is the vinyl-covered foam block bed, and a combination toilet/sink/water fountain. The only other items you are allowed are a pillow with a cardboard case, a cordura blanket, and a roll of TP. Bastards won't even allow you a Bible. Oh yeah, you have no way to measure pasing of time other than lights on and lights off. The only time you're allowed out of the cell is in cuffs with a belly chain. They put you in a special shower cell and unlock the cuffs. You shower, then you are recuffed before you can make the walk back to your cell. Try spending time in that situation and tell me County is harsh.

Worst part is that it's all trumped-up charges. Time like that can can seriously F with your head.