PoptartsNinja

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Crap I forgot about that animal-skeleton thing. No ghost dog for us, I guess.

[/ QUOTE ]Well, consider that in the Real World™, the Fir Bolg and the Tuatha de Danaan were just Irish people. (Normal humans.) Eochai (Eochaid mac Eric) was the human leader/king of the Fir Bolg. Just because the original myth has a dog doesn't mean that if added to the game it has to be in a canine form.

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Indeed. Now you have me picturing a ghostly black car with demonic glowing headlights that vanishes (de-spawns) as soon as it agro's something.

General zone ideas:

Perez - Map the forest trails, but leave the trees. Reduce the CoT influence to the center areas of the park; but increase Vhazilok presence and put them in direct competition with the Hellions and Skulls. Add an abandoned hospital to the zone, and add a low-level taskforce (2-3 missions or so, nothing too strenuous) to "clear" the hospital of Vhazilok presence. Possibly include a fight with the good Doctor himself. The good doctor is probably very interested in the Hydra--so some Hydra Abominations would probably make interesting TF mobs.

Alternatively, you could drop a Shivan meteor into the lake and have Shivan Hydra.


Boomtown - Council vs. 5th Column. Make this place an absolute war zone, with actual Council and 5th column bases, (and the Clockwork King in the north trying to put together a clockwork kingdom--perhaps abducting people so he can have some brain-in-a-jar friends) complete with raids, etc. Let villain PCs visit to help or hinder one side; while heroes clean up the mobs (like siren's call, but PVE only--Villains help one side or the other gain an advantage (and are temporarily allied to either the 5th, council, or the clockwork king), while heroes work with the PPD (Not Longbow!) to try to secure sections of the zone.

Dark Astoria - Make it sepia. Seriously. Add a few stealth mobs here and there, an Arachnos Mu presence, some insane ghosts, etc. Let villains visit, too. The Mu should be hero-attackable, villain friendly--and are secretly working with the Midnighters to end some sort of Banished Pantheon plot. Sneak in a TF for both sides.


Terra Volta - This one's tricky, and I can't see of a way to make it co-op or competitive PVE. Perhaps this'd be a good place for a big red ball? Sky raiders attacking office buildings would be nifty, but I really can't think of anything that'd fit here.

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Confuse can diminish xp if a confused foe kills another foe.

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For a single mob, yes, EXP can be reduced. Over time, however, the damage contributed by a confused foe means you're killing the mobs more quickly; and the EXP curve remains unchanged. Also, the amount of exp lost by a "minor" damage contribution by a source not on the same team as you is very, very minimal.

I've played a mind/psi dominator to 50. Here's another myth for you:

Very few things resist psi.

Or, even just leave it as-is so the Devs can write a "Copyright infringement" arc at some point...

The girl's name is Desdemona. I was rooting for "Gothzilla" myself, so I give myself kudos for being close.

The guy's name is Maelstrom. I imagine his backstory is: His heart was removed and replaced with the power of pure angst. Also, room for more pistol ammo. He makes me laugh (in a good way. He's such a perfect minion. :3 )

... so, some actual pictures / backstory would be nifty. It'll come in time though, if we're patient. The Devs can't release any information yet or Marketing'll kill them.

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38 Foresight 7.5% Posi Def

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Man, I know quite a few characters who'd like to have defense against Positron.

Really--auto powers are nifty, but a whole set of them would be cripplingly overpowered. Even moreso if you snuck in Quick Recovery somewhere.

In general, I think the issue with the secondary is it does too much to be viable for either blasters or defenders.

Blasters are primary damage / secondary damage, so the secondary presented simply isn't a viable blaster secondary. Debuffs really have no business being in a blaster secondary unless they're a damage power with a very minimal debuff component, and while a stun, immobilize, or other soft control (or even the odd hold) is appropriate, a pair of stackable holds would only likely only be tolerable if their combined magnitude was 3, or if their recharge was so high (or duration was so short) that they wouldn't be viably stackable. Essentially, the issue here, is that it provides far too much utility for a secondary set that should focus on doing extra damage in some form.

As a defender primary / corruptor secondary, it's more viable except, again, every power does a little too much. The only way it would be viable is if its numbers were significantly worse then any other set, which wouldn't make you happy.

For example, the rainfall power:
A knockdown patch is appropriate for a defender; however, there's a reason Oil Slick Arrow is only targetable once (and when it's lit, the knockdown component is supposed to end). Additionally, 'electricity' isn't a damage type in the game, all electricity attacks do energy damage; which is one of the most common damage types available to players. Also, if the targetable 'pet' component of the rainfall patch doesn't die after a single attack, that makes it astoundingly useful as a target for howling twilight, dark and kinetics heals, transference, and other utility powers that need an available enemy in order to work. Finally, it just doesn't make logical sense for rain to knock things down. Ice and tar are slippery. A wet carpet just makes 'squelchy' noises when you step on it.

Instead, this power would be more appropriate as (either a patch or a toggle) -range, -accuracy (possibly also a -perception, but honestly it really shouldn't be a no-agro power); as the rain gets in your enemy's eyes and the high wind blows their projectiles off course.

Honestly, the reason why people are trying to pick the secondary apart is because it's simply too good to be a defender secondary. No other defender gets more then a single pet; likewise, the focus on control is inappropriate, as is the emphasis on aoe buffs and debuffs. Now, yes, plenty of defenders do get a lot of AoE powers; but they all have some drawback (Toggles that drain endurance and reduce your ability to blast, long recharge times, high end costs, or a focus on single-target powers early on).



Here's something new and different that may be more appropriate for a defender set:

Curse of Vertigo:
Single target (enemy), -range (-80% range, (-20% range to AVs)), 5% chance per second of mag 0.67 knockback, duration (about 10-14 seconds)

Distort Space:
Single target (Ally), +range (Equivalent of boost range), +ToHit (5% ish), +defense (ranged, AoE), +special (adds 1 extra foot of range to melee attacks)

Call Rainstorm:
Toggle (target enemy AoE debuff) -range, -ToHit, -damage (Fire), -resist (Energy, Cold)

Shield Spell:
Single Target (Ally), +resistance (smashing/lethal), +defense (Melee, AoE)

Spell of Vitality:
Single target (Ally), Target +max health, +regen. Extremely long recharge, and the +regen should be very low to keep this power from being significantly better then Frostwork.

Magic Mirage:
Toggle PBAoE, Team Stealth, foe confuse (mag 2, medium chance every second, low duration, with a second chance for an additional +1 mag to confused foes at the start of the confuse's duration)

Curse of Blindness:
Single Target, Foe -ToHit, Foe -Damage (all)

Mass Haste:
PBAoE, long recharge. Allies +recharge, +recovery, +defense (all, 2.5%)

Magestorm:
Summon pet (thunderstorm, but mobile, with the following powers: Flares, Charged Bolts, Ice Bolt, and Neutrino Bolt). Damage for these powers should be about 60% of defender level because the thunderstorm is untargetable. recharge should be marginally higher then duration. Alternatively, the pet could fire each attack once and, on firing the last attack, vanish--but that would require more work).



Advantages to this version: No new skeletons, fills a gap in the defender sets (no set significantly modifies range yet), provides enough varied utility to be 'appropriate' for a magical set without being truly 'jack of all trades'.

Disadvantages: Limited concepts, altering range is a largely untested variable.

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You're the second person to report the AV running around. I don't get that, he's not supposed to run at all. And I've not seen him run in any of my test runs. Maybe dropping him to an EB will make a difference. I'll try that.

Ack! And I don't have him set to run...I'll check into this.


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Check the powersets. If he's got a self-phase, or an "Only affecting self" power (Forcefield Bubble), the mob AI will wig out while it's up (The "I can't hit you with any powers, so I'm going to run" clause in the mob AI). I don't know if this is what's going on--but it is something to watch out for.

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Tormentoso:
My arc:
A.E. - Heroes Roleplaying Wizards and Warriors
Arc ID: 59637 @Tormentoso

Should be soloable by most ATs, just 3 missions.


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Overall, this arc wasn't bad. It wasn't really stellar, however; and the first two missions felt like they should be in reverse order (the second mission being a much shorter version of the first mission).

The final mission was handicapped by the agro-magnets (F&F playing D&D is a funny idea, I do admit--but they're the reason your score suffers). The spawns in the last mission also don't really require the assistance of four helpers, so the arc has an odd feeling of becoming less difficult as the arc progresses. That's not a bad thing, but it does hurt the sense of 'danger' that the last mission's text implies should be there.

Overall, a solid 3.5 (rounded up to 4, from me).

Mission 1: I'm glad I played this on a villain, honestly. The first mission's in-mission dialogue creates too much sympathy for the monsters for most of my heroes. You did a good job playing up that it's a 'virtual' mission, but in-mission the mobs seem too self-aware for that. The Spanish-speaking boss is a nice touch, although I'm afraid I didn't understand a word he was saying.

Mission 2: Like mission 1--but shorter. Much, much shorter. A good, quick little mission, but it felt like this should've been mission 1 (to give people a taste for the arc and to prepare them for the big mission you used for mission 1).

Mission 3: I don't mind Faultline and Fusionette... under normal circumstances. However, in a tight cave fighting things that don't resist knockback, they turn into Agro Magnets. Fortunately, this mission's also short and easy enough that they don't cause much trouble. The "bugged mission" intro was pretty nifty--but you may want to include a few custom "bugged" monster mobs to increase the difficulty of this one enough that it feels like a final mission.

Ran on a level 50 Stone Melee/Electric Armor brute, on difficulty level 4.



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Super Science Invasion
Arc ID:9691
Missions:5
Description:Legendary arbiter Stanley Kirby has come out of retirement for one last assingment.
Info: Plenty of EBs in this one, I wouldn't solo unless you're ready for that kind of fight.

-Galth

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This arc was very long, but quite good. The Super Scientists were varied and well-characterized enough that it felt like fighting the classic Avengers without involving the actual Avengers. I imagine some powersets would have difficulty with most of them; but they spread out the damage types enough that they'll be moderately challenging for most players.

I'd do a mission by mission analysis, but the missions were so long I honestly don't remember much about the first few. I still can't figure out how Insecti-girl escaped (was Arbiter Kirbey foolish enough to send her to the negotiations?); but other then that it's a well-planned arc that's well written, and aside from the relatively boring Longbow, was quite fun as well. 5/5!






If anyone would like to run my arc, I would appreciate it!
Nemesis vs Napoleon: Time Travel Trouble!
Arc Id: 85878
Description: When Nemesis dupes the 5th Column into sending him back to the 1800s to stop Napoleon, it's up to you and a rogue Nemesis Automaton to save Napoleon and keep history on-track. But can you really trust a Nemesis Automaton?
Details: 3 missions of moderate length, one elite boss at the end who shouldn't be too difficult (for the most part). He may be on top of a mountain, however.

The developers have essentially nixed the idea of logging out to character select or otherwise logging out to immediately log in to another character for security reasons.

And yes, I know what you're thinking: "Security reasons? That's absurd!"

... But it's true. It's to keep someone you're showing the game to from having complete access to all your characters; or to keep your little brother or sister (or parent or roommate or spouse) who doesn't know your password but snuck on while you were using the bathroom from deleting all of your characters or renaming them all, etc, etc.

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He's a ninja made out of toaster pastries...he can't read...he has no eyes.

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I do not have a purple costume, take that back!

(OP: Sorry, I completely missed that part of your post. >_< )

We had a water blast set.

.. But it looked very little like water, so they renamed it 'energy blast' back in Alpha.

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Mysterious Circumstances
Arc ID: 6750
Description: A new villain group has emerged in Paragon City. In this arc you must stop them from robbing a bank and fight their mysterious leader.


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The enemies are used very well, and nothing's too difficult--but it could use a little more story if you want to capture the comedy you were going for.

Overall average, simply because--while I know you were trying to go for a classic 1970's batman esque vibe... having Supertim along made the elite boss at the end too easy (but not having him would've made it impossible--even if you had to trick the villain into moving in range of Supertim (since Supertim wouldn't move to engage the villain).

A solid arc, overall, but a little more story would've made it worlds better.

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-5th mission was also cool. I'm wondering, though, Saffron was mentioned, but was never a boss. The last 2 missions have Fuscia as a boss.

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Yeah, Fuscia was originally supposed to be Thugs/Willpower and be yellow-colored (but wound up looking like mustard, so I changed him at the last minute and missed a few references to him. >_<

He was also going to be an elite boss in the final version, but was absolutely devastating with his psi attacks so I brought him back down to boss level to keep the mission winnable.

And yeah--there's something odd about the placement of terminals on that one 5thie map. I'm trying to tweak it, but they always seem to cluster together. >_<

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[u]Arc[u]: 'Small Fears'


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This arc has a lot of promise. That said, I won't complete it until it's had some major revisions--particularly the dark clown. Being confused isn't fun--so be careful whenever you include a powerset with confuse.

The outdoor escort mission was likewise no fun, mobs have difficulty with pathfinding on hilly terrain, and after having Mauriline get lost 17 times after I'd only traveled about 15-20 feet because she keeps defaulting to a 'cower' animation rather then moving, I just gave up.

- Some odd quirks of language usage: The use of 'u' in the first mission, and I don't know why the quest-giver keeps saying 'W...'. If it's supposed to be me, why not use $name?

- You don't need to use $number for mission goals. The mission automatically sets the number in front of your text.

- Bullies could probably be toned down a bit. A lieutennant doesn't need to be able to pop unstoppable.

- Be really careful about giving anything a powerset with confuse. Not being able to attack isn't fun. Dark Clowns aren't fun to fight because 1) They confuse, cast superior invis, and fly after you when you try to escape (keeping you confused). If you mean for this to be a difficult arc, that's fine--but it will limit the feedback you get.

I'm sorry I couldn't finish it, I tried--but the first mission is just too frustrating as-is. After talking to you in-game, I think you've got a pretty good idea about why. ;_;

Anyway, if anyone gets the chance, here's my arc:


Master Plan: To Build a Better Doomsday Bomb
Arc ID: 6409
Length: Very Long

It should be soloable, and a lot of objectives are optional and can be skipped. There's also a bunch of 'secret' (optional) bosses in some of the missions, just to shake things up.

Will outdoor mission maps be available?

I've seen a couple. The only one I wish I'd gotten a screenshot of but didn't was for a character named "SS Dauntless"; a coincidentally humanoid battleship piloted by a crew of Ants. Amazing, amazing bio and premise.

As for the others I've seen? Well...

This Bio:
Was written in a test tube, once awaken

Grew so physically strong it could control electricity

Has a DIVINE MISSION TO PEE ELLE!!! (and is probably intentionally bad)

Powered its power by 10 fold and by 30 fold

Destroyed civilization with a smile

Ok, I know what you're thinking. "Why would we want to see sketches of cars?"

Well, you're in luck. These aren't sketches of cars, but sketches I did during the road trip I took last weekend. Eighteen hours in a car was not time wasted (even if most of it was spent reading or playing my DS). :3

Fanart:
Miss Titania, done for a friend.
Katarina Zemanova (and her robots), done for the same friend.
Daisy Chain, done for Soultrain. <3 (Done from memory, only to find out she's a martial artist. Whoops. :3 )
Daisy Chain again, this time fighting the most dangerous mob in CoH... a Paragon City Defense Attorney.
Blue Steel and Back Alley Brawler fighting some Dinosaurs!
Doc Buzzsaw and her newest creating, Freakasaurs! 'cause it's the only thing I could think of that'd make the Freakshow even more awesome.

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Does it involve an STD?

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Only if Lord Recluse counts.

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BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!


And of course this BEGS the followup cartoon of a female Crab Spider Webmistress.


"Do these legs make my butt look fat?"

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I've got something else planned for the female Crab Spider. I think you'll all like it.

I just finished a quick little comic inspired by the new villain epic ATs.

Enjoy!

The Triumphant Insult chance to disorient proc appears to have a 0% chance to trigger (as if, after 300+ uses of Taunt, I still haven't seen it do anything against -10 minions).

Is this a known issue?

Here's my entry. Enjoy!

I like it... but, minor bone of contention, shouldn't the 1940s be the "rise of the 5th Column"? The council's "rise" was very recent, although they'd existed previously.

I found these guys very amusing.