PKDauntless
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Posts
78 -
Joined
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Once again, thanks for the help and suggestions. You folks rock. It appears that part of the problem was a faulty fan on my video card. A friend had a spare Radeon HD2400 card so I replaced the old X1300. Updated my drivers, staying with version 9.3, as je_saist recommended. The stutter is still there. I've not installed CCC. Will it help? Also I've noticed that ATI installs two services: ATI Hotkey Poller and ATI Smart. I've been disabling them both as it appeared Smart was resetting the Hotkey Poller everytime I disabled it. Am I wrong and should I re-enable it?
Using graphfps I noticed a red spike appearing on the graph for each stutter. I used settings 1, 2, and 4. Each time I'd see mostly green bars with red spikes. The spikes are actually worse with the new card than the old.
I've compiled new reports for Tech Support. If anyone here wishes to see them please let me know. It's been over a week since I've been able to play on Live and I'm anxious to get this resolved, one way or the other. -
Quote:A few years ago I was having troubles getting the game to run so I hit this section of the forums and got a lot of suggestions from you folks about how to keep the system stripped down for performance. Then, last year, while I was taking classes to get a DBA certification, I learned a lot more about system services. I'm still a novice, but I'm learning.Originally Posted by Father Xmas
Other than the game starts using more and more memory the longer it runs. The box may heat up over time so maybe a thermal issue?
You have a very clean system from the sense of few background items running. I don't see anything which may periodically hog the CPU. You are running in a window so it's not refresh rates.
I am beginning to think it might be a heat issue with the video card. Since CoH is the only thing that I do that taxes the video card and the internal temp of the computer jumps from 5 to 10 degrees while I'm playing. I keep hoping that someone has the magic solution of software solutions, I can't deny it might be a hardware issue. I'm rubbish with hardware and insanely broke.
I haven't had a chance to test this yet. As soon as I do, I'll let you know.Quote:Originally Posted by Father Xmas
So in an indoor mission, standing still in an empty corridor or room with no critters in sight, does it stutter?
I think there is now the graphfps command.
When I built this machine originally I had 4GB of RAM. Almost immediately I had problems with crashes and boot failures and I think at one point a magenta gnome came out onto the screen and flipped me the bird. (Although, I am a little fuzzy on that last one as I think we'd been drinking heavily that night.) I assumed it was a bad stick of memory, but I could never get an arrangement that worked. Researching, I found somewhere that stated XP didn't like systems with more than 3GB of memory. So I built to that. That seems to have worked fine... until maybe now.Quote:Originally Posted by Partsman
A lot of the problems that are like this seem to be with machines running Win XP with 4GB of RAM and an ATI video card. This may seem extreme, but has anyone with this problem and set of specs tried removing enough memory from their system to drop it down to 2GB, and then run City again? Win XP 32bit sometimes acts squirrelly with more than 2GB of system memory...
I have a friend who's just completed his A+ certifications. I'm going to pester him about bringing out his collection of troubleshooting tools and see if we can check the memory as well as maybe look for that gnome home. I've got to know, ya know. -
Quote:It's pretty smooth. I get the occasional rocky spot, but I'm on a shared connection so I expect it. (Tech support suggested upping my page file and that smoothed it out even more.)Originally Posted by Father Xmas
How's your netgraph, smooth or choppy as well? (/netgraph 1)
I disabled shadows and it didn't fix it. I'm just worried that I'm going to have to set my graphics to Hanna-Barbara.Quote:Originally Posted by Mandu
Disable shadows and see what that does for you. Yes the world will look funky but it will possibly help clear up what is wrong.
Today I reinstalled the video drivers I was running before this all started. At least, I think they are the ones as I was stupid and didn't make a note of the version before using Driver Cleaner. A lot of the problem went away, but what I noticed is that I started okay, but the stutter got worse as I played. Does that ring a bell with anyone? -
Quote:I used CCleaner to ditch the temp files. I moved 24% of the contents of C: to H:. I deleted a couple gig of redundant files or old stuff. Hit flush on the Recycle Bin before kicking off a Windows Defrag. It took about 90 minutes. Reset my paging file to Initial size of 1024 MB and max of 2048 MB.Originally Posted by Father Xmas
At 4% free on the C drive where the game is loaded I'm going to guarantee you that the game files are fragmented severely. Every time the game is patched every file is rewritten to the drive and moved around. On a drive with not a lot of free space available it will dice those files up into a thousand pieces and will contribute to jittery performance.
Tried this but I'm either not doing something right or this is something specific to Vista and beyond. "vssadmin" worked well enough but would only allow me to list. It didn't recognize resize or shadowstorage. The article was primarily aimed at Vista so I didn't find much help there. And I'm logged in as administrator. I'm the only one who uses this PC.Quote:Originally Posted by je_saist
I'd also kill the size on the System Volume Information Folder: http://indrajitc.wordpress.com/2008/...e-information/
Forty-two is a perfectly good number. The digits are also one half of the combination on my luggage, although they are somewhat out of order.Quote:Originally Posted by Texas Justice
I'd recommend freeing up quite a bit of the space on your C: drive. Windows doesn't care if it has 42 Gb of Free Space if that 42 GB is less than 20% of the space on the drive.
The use of 42 is just an example, not an indication of how much space you have on your drive. It's just a number I like.
I managed to free between 24 to 25% of the space on my C: drive by "retiring" some iTunes video files to the H: drive.
With all of that done, I can now report that my CoH Live account is still stuttering as badly as before. Below are updated logs from CoH Helper and Hijack This. Anyone have any further suggestions?
Edited to add: Thanks for the suggestions so far.
Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2
Scan saved at 10:13:25 PM, on 7/28/2010
Platform: Windows XP SP3 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v8.00 (8.00.6001.18702)
Boot mode: Normal
Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ZoneLabs\vsmon.exe
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\aswUpdSv.exe
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashServ.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashWebSv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\wscntfy.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\ALWILS~1\Avast4\ashDisp.exe
C:\Program Files\Zone Labs\ZoneAlarm\zlclient.exe
C:\Program Files\Trillian\trillian.exe
C:\Program Files\Opera\opera.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\notepad.exe
C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [avast!] C:\PROGRA~1\ALWILS~1\Avast4\ashDisp.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ZoneAlarm Client] "C:\Program Files\Zone Labs\ZoneAlarm\zlclient.exe"
O23 - Service: avast! iAVS4 Control Service (aswUpdSv) - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\aswUpdSv.exe
O23 - Service: avast! Antivirus - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashServ.exe
O23 - Service: avast! Mail Scanner - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashMaiSv.exe
O23 - Service: avast! Web Scanner - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashWebSv.exe
O23 - Service: Google Update Service (gupdate) (gupdate) - Google Inc. - C:\Program Files\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe
O23 - Service: iPod Service - Apple Inc. - C:\Program Files\iPod\bin\iPodService.exe
O23 - Service: TrueVector Internet Monitor (vsmon) - Check Point Software Technologies LTD - C:\WINDOWS\system32\ZoneLabs\vsmon.exe
--
End of file - 1931 bytes
---System information gathered by CoH Helper version 0.2.0.2---
DxDiag gathered at July 28, 2010 21:56 (-05:00)
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.100216-1514)
System Manufacturer: MSI
System Model: MS-7194
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Central Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 4000+, MMX, 3DNow, ~2.4GHz
Memory: 3072MB
.Net Memory Report: 2067MB out of 3071MB available
Page File: 3378MB (556MB currently in use)
C Drive: (ST3160812A) 43728MB out of 152617MB (28%) free
D Drive: (SAMSUNG SP4002H) 3016MB out of 38201MB (7%) free
E Drive: (ST3200822A) 984MB out of 48014MB (2%) free
F Drive: (ST3200822A) 2190MB out of 48218MB (4%) free
G Drive: (ST3200822A) 24627MB out of 46955MB (52%) free
H Drive: (ST3200822A) 12810MB out of 47583MB (26%) free
I Drive: (Optiarc DVD RW AD-7170A) zero-size drive
Windows directory location: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DirectX Diag version: 5.03.2600.5512 (32-bit version)
Display Notes: No problems found.
Sound Notes: No problems found.
Input Notes: No problems found.
Monitor: SyncMaster 940BW/199BW/941BW, SyncMaster Magic CX915BW(Digital)
Monitor's Max Resolution: 1440,900
Video Device Name: Radeon X1300/X1550 Series
Manufacturer / Chip: ATI Technologies Inc. / ATI Radeon Graphics Processor (0x7142)
Video Memory: 256.0 MB
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.6925
Driver Date: 4/27/2009 11:40:59 PM
Driver Language: English
Sound Device Description: Realtek HD Audio output
Driver File: RtkHDAud.sys
Driver Version: 5.10.0000.5172
Driver Date: 9/23/2005 6:56:28 PM
WMI Information
Motherboard Manufacturer: MSI
Motherboard Model: (empty)
Motherboard Product: MS-7194
Motherboard Version: 1A
BIOS Manufacturer: American Megatrends Inc.
BIOS Name: Default System BIOS
BIOS Version: A M I - 2000613
BIOS Release: 20060213000000.000000+000
Registry Information for Current User
Resolution: 1440x853
3D Resolution: 1440x853 (Not using renderscale)
Full Screen: No
Maximized: Yes
Screen Position: 0, 0
Refresh Rate: 60Hz
Vertical Sync Enabled: Yes
Physics Quality: None
Maximum Particles: 25050
Max Particle Fill? 10.000
Physics Card Enabled: No
Anti-aliasing: Off
Anisotropic Filtering: None
Texture LOD Bias: Smooth
Water Effects: None
Bloom: 1.000 (turned off)
Depth of Field Enabled: No
Desaturation Effects (Sepia) Enabled: No
Shader Detail: Unknown (5)
World Texture Level: Medium
Character Texture Level: Very High
World Detail Level (Vis_Scale): 0.800
Entity Detail Level: 1.000
Shadows Enabled: Yes
Shadow Mode: Disabled
Shadow Map Shader: Unknown (0)
Environmental Reflections: Disabled
Advanced Occlusion Settings: No
Ambient Occlusion: Off
Occlusion Strength: Off
Blur: Bilateral
Ambient Resolution: Performance
Gamma Correction: 1.000
Geometry Buffers (VBOs) Enabled: Yes
Suppression of FX When Camera Close Enabled: Yes
Close Suppression Range: 3.000
Show Advertisements: Yes
Audio Mode: Performance
3D Audio: No
FX Sound Volume: 1.000
Music Sound Volume: 0.600
Show Advanced Graphics Options: Yes
Overall Graphics Quality: 0.250
Reverse Mouse Buttons: No
Save Login Username: Yes
Transfer Rate: 389627 bytes/second
Current Game Version: 1800.201006040036.8T
Installation Directory: C:\Program Files\City of Heroes
Mod files in the Data directory
.\sound\Ogg\BoomBox has 4 files
.\texts\English\Menus has 10 files
.\texture_library\MAPS\city has 1 file
.\texture_library\MAPS\Midnight_Squad has 1 file
.\texture_library\MAPS\Safeguard has 9 files
.\texture_library\MAPS\sewers has 44 files
.\texture_library\MAPS\static has 32 files
.\texture_library\V_MAPS\Outdoor_Missions has 9 files
.\texture_library\V_MAPS\Static has 16 files -
I try to keep to a schedule of defragging my hard drive at least once a month and/or after every major patch. With all the stuff I've done recently, I'll admit I'm probably due for a defrag. Hmm... One more thing added to the list.
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I'm having some issues that have exhausted my knowledge so I come to the gurus seeking wisdom.
Quick History
Following the release of i17, I started noticing a slight stutter/flicker while traveling outside of instanced maps. Combined with a small amount of rubberbanding when I got near large groups of players, I assumed it might work itself out and kept playing. After one of the patches the situation grew worse with a game client crash when exiting to desktop. The crash reports, some of which I allowed to be sent, said the error was in CG.DLL. Last week I downloaded the most recent drivers for my ATI card and now the game is practically unplayable. The crash is gone but the stutter is so pronounced that I do not enjoy the game at all.
The Stutter
The best illustration is when I'm running any toggle. The animation around the power icon in the tray orbits clockwise. It might go from two o'clock to four o'clock smoothly then it flickers and jumps to six o'clock. The animation makes it to about 8 o'clock before it flickers again and appears at ten o'clock. This continues, always flickering, always dropping frames. My frame rate averages from 15-25 on an outdoor map and 20-35 on an indoor instance. And there are peaks and valleys in this. One more painful side effect of this is an old annoyance has returned. Occasionally, while running the game, my computer will crash to a reboot status. I've turned off automatic restart under Startup and Recovery. This crash seems random, but it hits after at least 30 minutes of play while I have other applications running (Opera and Trillian most often).
What I've Done, the Short Version
Following the advice of a person or two from the boards, I backed my ATI drivers to the 9.3.1 Legacy drivers for my X1300/X1550 series card. I used Driver Cleaner after removing the "old" drivers, disabled the ATI Hot Poller and ATI Smart services, removed a RealTek data mining application, and did not install CCC. My OS is Windows XP and I made sure I had all the latest updates there. I also updated the DirectX 9.0c drivers. I try to keep my system as streamlined as possible, but I'll admit things slip past me from time to time.
Below are the log files from COH Helper and Hijack This. Any help, comments, suggestions, or requests for info are welcome. I promise not to ask too many facepalm inducing questions.
----------
Logfile of Trend Micro HijackThis v2.0.2
Scan saved at 5:07:06 PM, on 7/28/2010
Platform: Windows XP SP3 (WinNT 5.01.2600)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v8.00 (8.00.6001.18702)
Boot mode: Normal
Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\System32\smss.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\winlogon.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\services.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\lsass.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe
C:\WINDOWS\Explorer.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ZoneLabs\vsmon.exe
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\aswUpdSv.exe
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashServ.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\spoolsv.exe
C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashWebSv.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\wscntfy.exe
C:\PROGRA~1\ALWILS~1\Avast4\ashDisp.exe
C:\Program Files\Zone Labs\ZoneAlarm\zlclient.exe
C:\Program Files\Opera\opera.exe
C:\Program Files\Trillian\trillian.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\notepad.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\notepad.exe
C:\Program Files\Trend Micro\HijackThis\HijackThis.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [avast!] C:\PROGRA~1\ALWILS~1\Avast4\ashDisp.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ZoneAlarm Client] "C:\Program Files\Zone Labs\ZoneAlarm\zlclient.exe"
O23 - Service: avast! iAVS4 Control Service (aswUpdSv) - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\aswUpdSv.exe
O23 - Service: avast! Antivirus - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashServ.exe
O23 - Service: avast! Mail Scanner - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashMaiSv.exe
O23 - Service: avast! Web Scanner - ALWIL Software - C:\Program Files\Alwil Software\Avast4\ashWebSv.exe
O23 - Service: Google Update Service (gupdate) (gupdate) - Google Inc. - C:\Program Files\Google\Update\GoogleUpdate.exe
O23 - Service: TrueVector Internet Monitor (vsmon) - Check Point Software Technologies LTD - C:\WINDOWS\system32\ZoneLabs\vsmon.exe
--
End of file - 1877 bytes
---System information gathered by CoH Helper version 0.2.0.2---
DxDiag gathered at July 28, 2010 16:05 (-05:00)
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.100216-1514)
System Manufacturer: MSI
System Model: MS-7194
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Central Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 4000+, MMX, 3DNow, ~2.4GHz
Memory: 3072MB
.Net Memory Report: 2362MB out of 3071MB available
Page File: 3329MB (606MB currently in use)
C Drive: (ST3160812A) 6594MB out of 152617MB (4%) free
D Drive: (SAMSUNG SP4002H) 3004MB out of 38201MB (7%) free
E Drive: (ST3200822A) 984MB out of 48014MB (2%) free
F Drive: (ST3200822A) 1710MB out of 48218MB (3%) free
G Drive: (ST3200822A) 24631MB out of 46955MB (52%) free
H Drive: (ST3200822A) 42439MB out of 47583MB (89%) free
I Drive: (Optiarc DVD RW AD-7170A) zero-size drive
Windows directory location: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DirectX Diag version: 5.03.2600.5512 (32-bit version)
Display Notes: No problems found.
Sound Notes: No problems found.
Input Notes: No problems found.
Monitor: SyncMaster 940BW/199BW/941BW, SyncMaster Magic CX915BW(Digital)
Monitor's Max Resolution: 1440,900
Video Device Name: Radeon X1300/X1550 Series
Manufacturer / Chip: ATI Technologies Inc. / ATI Radeon Graphics Processor (0x7142)
Video Memory: 256.0 MB
Driver Version: 6.14.0010.6925
Driver Date: 4/27/2009 11:40:59 PM
Driver Language: English
Sound Device Description: Realtek HD Audio output
Driver File: RtkHDAud.sys
Driver Version: 5.10.0000.5172
Driver Date: 9/23/2005 6:56:28 PM
WMI Information
Motherboard Manufacturer: MSI
Motherboard Model: (empty)
Motherboard Product: MS-7194
Motherboard Version: 1A
BIOS Manufacturer: American Megatrends Inc.
BIOS Name: Default System BIOS
BIOS Version: A M I - 2000613
BIOS Release: 20060213000000.000000+000
Registry Information for Current User
Resolution: 1440x853
3D Resolution: 1440x853 (Not using renderscale)
Full Screen: No
Maximized: Yes
Screen Position: 0, 0
Refresh Rate: 60Hz
Vertical Sync Enabled: Yes
Physics Quality: None
Maximum Particles: 25050
Max Particle Fill? 10.000
Physics Card Enabled: No
Anti-aliasing: Off
Anisotropic Filtering: None
Texture LOD Bias: Smooth
Water Effects: None
Bloom: 1.000 (turned off)
Depth of Field Enabled: No
Desaturation Effects (Sepia) Enabled: No
Shader Detail: Unknown (5)
World Texture Level: Medium
Character Texture Level: Very High
World Detail Level (Vis_Scale): 0.800
Entity Detail Level: 1.000
Shadows Enabled: Yes
Shadow Mode: Disabled
Shadow Map Shader: Unknown (0)
Environmental Reflections: Disabled
Advanced Occlusion Settings: No
Ambient Occlusion: Off
Occlusion Strength: Off
Blur: Bilateral
Ambient Resolution: Performance
Gamma Correction: 1.000
Geometry Buffers (VBOs) Enabled: Yes
Suppression of FX When Camera Close Enabled: Yes
Close Suppression Range: 3.000
Show Advertisements: Yes
Audio Mode: Performance
3D Audio: No
FX Sound Volume: 1.000
Music Sound Volume: 0.600
Show Advanced Graphics Options: Yes
Overall Graphics Quality: 0.250
Reverse Mouse Buttons: No
Save Login Username: Yes
Transfer Rate: 389627 bytes/second
Current Game Version: 1800.201006040036.8T
Installation Directory: C:\Program Files\City of Heroes
Mod files in the Data directory
.\sound\Ogg\BoomBox has 4 files
.\texts\English\Menus has 10 files
.\texture_library\MAPS\city has 1 file
.\texture_library\MAPS\Midnight_Squad has 1 file
.\texture_library\MAPS\Safeguard has 9 files
.\texture_library\MAPS\sewers has 44 files
.\texture_library\MAPS\static has 32 files
.\texture_library\V_MAPS\Outdoor_Missions has 9 files
.\texture_library\V_MAPS\Static has 16 files -
I don't comment on the forums a lot, but I read and enjoy a lot of the threads on the Comic Culture subforum. I've especially loved reading the Lost threads. That I will miss.
Wanted to just add my voice to those who are calling this one of the best finales in the history of television. It will be a long while before I find another show to occupy me like Lost did. -
Quote:You could team up with a one or two of the other famous scrappers on Champions to represent the Scrapper Liberation Front.Originally Posted by Horusaurus
S'ppose I could toss my hat in also if you want some words from a silly scrapper.
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The SG/VG invite through email could easily be handled by a base item that created SG Invitation "Inspirations" that could be mailed or given out. You could also do promotions that way.
I've got nothing on how to stop blind SG spamming with this solution, but I'm sure someone else can come up with an idea. -
Quote:I don't know that this isn't a bug since it also happens occasionally while zoning in and out of the new zone. From what I observed, it appears random, takes down two random toggles, and has no obvious effects to go with it. To misquote Dan Rather, "If it walks like a bug and quacks like a bug..."Originally Posted by bAss_ackwards
I also enjoyed that you have to keep an eye out on your toggles, as the battle with the Winter Lord can detoggle (not suppress) any number of your toggles.
The event itself is a lot of fun. Seems like the reward is enough to keep people interested. I also like the mix-up of multiple GMs that have to be fought. The new zone is nice, but the two entry points (Magical Portal and Lord of Winter's Realm) are a bit confusing.
The addition of a respec purchaseable with Candy Canes is a nice touch and the new emote is cute. I did notice that the temp powers were showing up twice on the crafting list, one alone and once with the corresponding badge. Was that intentional?
I like the new event but hope the toggle drop issue is either corrected (if a bug) or given a more noticeable effect (if an intentional part of the fight). -
Quote:Yeah, I experienced the "large numbers" approach and that's what spurred me to even think of this. Took four zones to get the badges, had to reform teams in each zone because of the confusion, and five or six people each yelling "come to my banner next" confusing the issue. I'm not looking for a level of coordination equal to a Hamidon raid. Just thirty seconds of "You four guys take the northern two banners and we'll all listen to Net about which zone to go to next."Originally Posted by NetMinder
It depends on if you have alot of people, or a single team of 8.
With a single team, you need 2 at each station until you can attack them, then you need to regroup at 1 and take them down 1 at a time.
With large numbers you dont need that level of precision. -
After watching the lemming rush attempt Champion made at the Deadly Apocalypse this afternoon, I've come up with a couple of ideas that might help tune this event in for everyone and remove some of the chaos.
- One person needs to take the role of director/leader/head monkey. This person would simply coordinate which zone is next and which banner in the current zone is attacked.
- Two groups form in a zone. Each team splits evenly, with one half going with one group and the other going to the other one.
- One group, one banner. Once the first two banners go down, the second two are targeted.
- Finally, both groups reform on the GM and take it out.
- If necessary or desired, the head monkey calls the next zone and the two groups swap out their banner assignments.
Of course, I don't think this is the end-all, be-all strat and folks should discuss to come up with something that works for everyone and/or most situations. -
Quote:I never said "It won't work because it is hard." What I said was "I don't think it's a good use of resources because it's hard and there's already something that does this." If you don't agree that rolling an alt is the same thing as rerolling a main at level one with a new archetype and powers, that's fine. We can disagree and I'm not going to lose sleep over it.Originally Posted by MunkiLordWhile I don't like the idea, the point that it's too much work is a worthless counter.
Quote:Originally Posted by Ultimo_
Even assuming it IS a "lot" of work, there's still the question of whether it is "worth" doing that much work.Which is the part I thought I was communicating in my original reply. I see now where I made my mistake. I don't believe the idea is worth doing because I don't believe it would anything worthwhile (new) to the game. I do not have any numbers as to the percentage of people who might or might not use this new system proposed. Anything I, you, or anyone else here could say would be anecdotal. So I cannot say, for certain, that it would be a waste of resources. I can say I think, with my limited information, in my humble opinion, that it would not be a good investment of programming/testing resources.Quote:However, the issue isn't how much work it might or might not require, it's whether or not the idea is worth whatever amount of work IS involved.
PvP was added to a game that had no PvP. But this game already has both respecs and alts. It's a minor quibble with your example, but do continue.Quote:Adding PvP was undoubtedly a lot of work. A comparatively small proportion of the playerbase makes use of it. Even so, it was added to the game because it was deemed "worth" doing.
Thus this is where any meaningful discussion must end. I respect your opinion although I do not share it.Quote:The worthiness of the suggestion is entirely a matter of opinion. Obviously, we disagree as to the worthiness of the idea.
And here's the largest point of contention in the discussion from my point of view. I exist in the real world. I was born of two parents. I have a physical form, a mind and personality, I have a legal standing in my community as an adult human, and the preachers on TV tell me I have a soul. For all intents and purposes, I am real. A clone of me would be a copy.Quote:Except they're NOT the same character. They represent the original character, but they're different characters. (philosophical debate ensues... Is a clone of you, YOU?)
My character Battalion is not real. He is a collections of binary bytes maintained in a computer database. He was not born. He has no form beyond the game. And the only reality he has is what's afforded to him via my own imagination. Without me, Battalion doesn't exist. A clone of Battalion can be Battalion if I decide, in my imagination, that he is Battalion. He doesn't need the badges, the influence, the prestige, the same name... because my imagination is what makes him real to me. So Battalion might be called Battalion Justice when he swings a sword and Justice Majori when he's a Kheldian Peacebringer and is still Battalion when he ventures into the strange alternate reality known as Pinnacle Server. His story continues because I choose for it to.
This is why I don't see the need for a full AT/powerset respec to continue a character when I can simply roll an alt and use my imagination. You obviously disagree and you are welcome to that opinion. -
Quote:The "I'm going to ignore everyone's points because I want a pony" argument doesn't hold weight either but you keep throwing it out. Changing the AT or Powersets of a toon requires changes to the underlying data in the database. If the game is designed following a normalization plan for the databases, that could be only a handful of places. You have to redesign the respec interface to provide the UI for the changes as well as making the changes properly to the database. You have to code in some methods to make sure nothing that's supposed to be kept isn't lost. Finally, you have to test this against a normal respec, a change from one powerset to another, changing both powersets, changing the AT, how it plays at low levels, how it plays in PvP, what happens after a database rollback, what happens if you get a system error during the change.... And something will still likely be missed that the beta testers find and report. (Or keep quiet for exploitation later.)Originally Posted by Ultimo_
The "it's too much work" argument still holds not weight, as fas as I'm concerned. To begin with, we don't know how much work it would involve. You can imagine it being a lot, I can imagine it being less, and neither of us can be right or wrong, because we simply don't have that information.
And before you say anything else about knowing or not knowing how the game works, let me just say that I'm a database administrator and software developer with about 18 years of experience in real world environments. I might not know their specific systems but I know how databasing, coding, and testing works. Even if what you are asking for is a trivial code change -- and I doubt it is -- it still affects a huge portion of the game and would have to be tested against it.
A programming shop has limited resources. If twelve players want Luminous Blast to throw unicorns, it's worth consideration but will ultimately be shot down because the resources necessary to implement the system are needed for something that affects a larger portion of the gaming population.Quote:Either way, anything they add to the game will take some amount of work. This idea is as worthy as any other.
Even if it only affects a handful of players, it's still worth consideration. I mean, only a handful of players enjoy PvP, yet it was implemented. The key is not forcing it on anyone.
I just don't agree with you that this adds anything to the game that doesn't already exist. If I've played Bozilla the Fire/Fire tanker to 50 and now want something new I'll roll up Boz the Fire/Fire blaster. Hell, if the name is that important to me, I'll spend $10 and rename Bozilla.
Sort of like how I have five toons with different powers and ATs that all happen to be the same librarian. How strange. How do you reckon I pulled that off? Maybe by rolling some alts... just like Henry Pym did in your example.Quote:It's even got a comic-book example. Henry Pym has changed his power set and AT several times.
Ant Man - Hm... Controller?
Giant Man - Tank
Yellowjacket - Defender or Blaster... -
Most of the points I would have made have already been made by other people. I just want to comment on the "classic monster" part of the post. As BBhumeBB pointed out, many of the classic monsters' images are copyrighted and out of reach of this game. Some don't fit so neatly into the background of the game. (For instance, there's no sentient life on Mars in the game.) And some of the monsters from your list are in the game in an altered form or served as inspiration for creatures in the game.
From your list:
Dracula - Nosferatu and the Vampyri
Werewolf - Warwolves (plenty in Striga)
Creature from the Black Lagoon - Coralax
Big-headed Martian - Rikti
Grey Alien - See also: Rikti
Frankenstein's Monster - Paragon Protectors
Mummy - No mummy nor much Egyptian-based enemies that I can remember for that matter.
Christine/Killer Car - Also nothing like this either.
Jekyll and Hyde deserves a special mention. This story inspired every transforming character in comics. You'll see dozens if not hundreds of characters in game that can trace their lineage back to Jekyll and Hyde. -
I do not support this suggestion and encourage those who do to consider one small detail: In order for your suggestion to come to fruition, the Developers and Testers will have to expend a significant amount of work to not only impliment this change but to ensure that it works correctly, cannot be exploited, doesn't break a character or the game, and does not somehow corrupt the databases. All of that time can be better used working on new content, new systems, new powers, new zones, new recipes, etcetera.
If this were a suggestion that would improve the gameplay of more than a handful of players, it might be worth consideration. However, there is a system in place for rolling a new toon. Doing so does not remove badges from your original toon. If you want the same badges on the alt, re-earn them. If you want the same name on your alt, delete the old, change servers, or spring for the $10 rename token. I'm not trying to be mean, but there are easier ways to play a new character (AT/Powersets) and if you can't bring yourself to use the current systems that are in place, that's your issue. -
On the hero side, there are precious-few story arcs at low levels. Most of the contacts give a series of unconnected missions and many of these send you one or more zones away. With two accounts and dozens of alts, repeating this content yet again does not make me enthusiastic to roll new alts. Mission Architect provides a good source of new low-level content. I've started running new alts through these mission arcs instead of the game-offered missions. I typically solo these arcs or occasionally team with one of my SG mates. No PLing here.
I don't mind that people are trying to remove or reduce the PLing that goes on, but I don't think that your suggestion is a good approach to take. -
Wasn't Cherry's night, it seems. Why does all the fun happen on the night I decide to see what the Real World is like? Obviously, I chose poorly.
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HBD Demo
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/signed -
I run the side missions for: <ul type="square">[*]Experience Points[*]Influence[*]Prestige[*]Badge Credit[*]Temp powers[*]Fun[/list]Merits/Tickets are not the only rewards in this game.
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Great job on the video, Ash. Thanks for hosting this, Cherry and Fanged. I had a great time. One of the coolest things I've done in this game. Yessir. This is up there with my first Lusca team, first Hami raid, and first Rikti invasion.
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Kheldians
<ul type="square">[*]Kheldians in Dwarf form should be able to utilize emotes again.[/list]
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Nice to have the emotes back, but now it appears the run animation for Dwarf form is bugged. After transformation and for about 20-30 seconds, the toon just slides with no animation what-so-ever. After that, the run animation kicks in. Also this doesn't seem to happen 100% of the time, but my guess would be between 75-90%. (Sorry for generalizations, but I'm lousy at statistics.) -
Yay! What they said. With the Happy. And the birthday. And stuff.
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Your villain is not a "military" target, since the Rogue Isles aren't at war with anyone. That in and of itself makes the Longbow presence everywhere in CoV except Nerva suspect, if not flat-out illegal. Furthermore, the mayhem maps are full of civilians. Longbow still use their flamethrowers with abandon. The fact that said civilians happen to be invincible is irrelevant, they shouldn't even be bringing flamethrowers to that kind of confrontation.
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Considering the average villain in CoX is better armed and armored than the average combat vehicle or assault squad, the rules might be a little different. Keep in mind that the conventions as we know them were not written to account for the presence of superpowered beings or the sorts of paramilitary agencies that might spring up to combat them. I don't want to twist the original question or put words into the OP's mouth, but I might suggest another, broader question.
What is the legal status -- lawbreaker, enemy combatant, etc. -- of the average superpowered villain and what level of force, deadly or otherwise, are the United States law enforcement agencies and/or military authorized to deploy? Also, same question except pertaining to the United Nations, Interpol, and other international law-enforcement agencies.
Oh, and a big several from me: Is Lord Recluse's government a member of the United Nations and/or a treaty signator of the Geneva Conventions? Is his government recognized by the UN or the USA? Do the Rogue Islands have any allies, open or secret? -
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This one's been bugging me for a while...
Is there a Geneva Convention in CoH World? I ask because of one glaring item that has bothered me since I've dealt with it...
Flamethrowers.
Flamethrowers are illegal under the Geneva Convention. It doesn't bother me when, say, the Council or the Sky Raiders are using them. It's what they do, they're bad guys.
However... When Longbow, a law-abiding and law-enforcing entity, starts using them, it sets my teeth on edge.
If there isn't a Geneva Convention in CoH-world, possibly due to the fact that super-powered beings who can spit fire breath are an almost regular occurrence, then I suppose I could live more easily with this issue. However, if there is one, then why wouldn't flamethrowers be included under the "no cruel weapons" portion? If they ARE, then why is Longbow using flamethrowers is they're supposed to follow and uphold the law?
It's irksome. It gives the Villains/Rogues ground to stand on when they justify themselves that the Heroes/"Vigilantes" are two-faced sycophants.
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I might be mistaken, but the prohibition on incendiary weapons applies only to their use on non-combatant civilians and only applies to military targets when they are located near a concentration of civilians. Individual combatants and any military equipment barring medical and funerary equipment would be fair game.
Editted to add link to the specific document: Linky