RemusShepherd

On Virtue, I'm still amazed that I got 'Catdroid', 'Imager', 'Spillover', 'Pantherette', and my favorite of all, 'Sponge'.

I feel much the same as the OP, except that I don't think the Paragon Market is a necessary evil -- I think it's plain evil evilly evil.

But I want to comment on the people who are saying that the solution is to take a break. That is not helpful advice.

If I were to take a break from CoX, it means turning off my subscription, because I'm not going to pay for a game that I'm not playing. Once I do that, the following happens:

• My SG fees can't be paid, so my SG base goes dark and eventually vanishes.
  
• I miss out on months of VIP stipend, which means if I do return I'll be functionally behind -- new content that used to be given to subscribers for free now costs points, and I won't have points to pay for it.
  
• All my items in the auctionhouse vaporize.
  
• I lose touch with all my in-game friends, so that when I return I have to start over alone.
  
• Not sure what happens to my characters -- all of them except two become locked? All of them but two are deleted?
  
• Meanwhile, I'll be building persistent worth in another game (whatever game that is) that will encourage me to stay there.

That's a lot of reasons to make any separation from the game permanent. It's not a real choice to 'take a break' and come back later. The choice is whether to stay or to go, forever.

I actually did take a break for about a year and came back, and it was never the same. I never regained the cadre of friends that I had lost. I came back because of new content -- the IO system, the auctionhouses, and Going Rogue -- that gave me a reason to want to play CoX again. I've stuck around since then mostly out of momentum, and for lack of better choices. (Those better choices, by the way, either have just arrived or soon will.)

So...yeah. Paragon has to give people a reason to want to play. Taking a break from something stale makes it seem new for maybe five minutes; after that, there has to be a more substantial reason to stick with the game.

Didn't the Avengers fight and defeat an army of Ultrons at some point?

I don't think there's much difference between an Ultron army and a Terminator army. If anything, I'd expect the Ultrons to be tougher. Winner: Avengers.

MrBones, you seem to be looking for an old-fashioned setting, muted color effects, and noir-like stories. With that in mind I'm going to point you at Will Eisner's The Spirit. The movie was terrible, but the books are amazing stories with lots of noir fun, by one of the best comic book artists ever.

If you don't mind stretching your boundaries a bit to include some ridiculous, over-the-top settings and scenarios, you might try Eric Powell's The Goon. Wonderful art with subdued, nuanced colors. The story is a noir parody, with heroic gangsters fighting zombies, communist octopi, and giant radioactive monsters. It's also supposed to be a movie soon.

On the superhero side, you *might* enjoy The Punisher. I don't know enough about that book in its current form, but it's the most noir-like, gritty superhero book I can think of.

Maybe The Question, who was the inspiration for Rorschach in Watchmen. But the Question doesn't have his (or her) own book anymore...

Everyone should be aware by now of how video games try to make you addicted. The 'free friday' promotion would fall under 'Making the players press a lever'.

The time the devs spent creating this slot machine system would have been better spent on game improvements. I prefer games where the players are there because they *want* to play, not because they are *compelled* to.

So I'm hearing this, for secondary powerset mitigation:

Staff Fighting --

• 11.25% Melee defense for 10 seconds (stackable)
• 7.50 % +Resistance for 10 seconds
• 75 % Regen buff for 10 seconds
• 50 % Recovery buff for 10 seconds
• Knockdown in some powers.

Ice Melee --

• -Recharge in almost every attack (mostly single-target)
• Frozen Aura has sleep and can be slotted with a Chance to Heal IO.
• One single target hold.

Dark Melee --

• -To hit in almost every attack (mostly single-target)
• One powerful self-heal.
• An endurance leeching AoE.
• A single-target fear.

I was putting Staff behind Dark Melee for tanker mitigation, with Ice Melee third, but after looking at these lists Staff might belong on top.

With that said, who cares how much damage it deals? As long as it isn't unplayably weak -- and it isn't -- it's a golden secondary for tanks.

Considering that Staff Fighting has a +end discount, and it is the only melee powerset with a +resistance buff, perhaps you should evaluate whether or not it is the best melee powerset ever for tanking?

There's a new martial art craze sweeping across Europe, and it's time that we implemented it in City of Heroes. Yes, I am of course talking about CHESSBOXING!

The rules of Chessboxing are simple: A four-minute speed chess round, then a three-minute boxing match, then repeat. You can win by either getting a checkmate or knocking your opponent out with your fists. It's the sport for people with brains and brawn and the ability to keep your brain working after being pummeled. Google 'chessboxing' and you'll find tons of material and Youtube videos that will introduce you to the sport.

This martial art is a natural for City of Heroes. At last, a powerset that allows you to both out-fight Marauder and out-wit Nemesis! I humbly suggest the Chessboxing melee powerset go like this:

Reti Opening -- All combat stops while the hero and his target sit down for a five-minute speed chess match. This power needs to be the first in the powerset so players understand immediately what the powerset is all about.

Bishop's Cross -- A left cross that does Moderate damage with a chance to reduce the target's chess rating four points.

Sicilian Defense -- While this toggle power is on, the hero cannot lose his queen in a chess match and has high resistance against pawns and minion-level opponents.

Symmetric Attack -- Whatever the target does next, the hero will copy. If both the hero and the target are chessboxers then fighting stops while they both complain to a judge.

Dragon Variation -- A High damage kick to the target's rooks, if you know what I mean.

Castle -- This click power gives the hero twenty points of protection against teleport, knockdown, and queens. (Might be overpowered versus the Carnival of Souls.)

Endgame -- A double-fisted attack that does Superior damage. If the target is in check, this attack will critical hit.

King's Gambit -- With this powerful Tier-9 attack, the hero picks up the chessboard, table, and both chairs and flings them in an Area of Effect for Extreme damage.

City of Heroes has to keep up with modern fighting styles. I believe that implementing Chessboxing would draw in thousands of concussion-addled, steroid-addicted jock wannabes from all over the world. Make it happen, Paragon!

If they release too many powersets too quickly and expect us to purchase them, then I'll quit. That will indicate that they no longer expect VIP players to be getting a complete game with their subscription. If I'm not getting a full game after paying a monthly sub, then I never will get it, and it would feel pointless to continue.

I'm not a big melee person, so I'm probably missing something. But could someone explain to me how Staff Fighting is mechanically different from Street Justice, Titan Weapons, Dual Blades, or Kinetic Melee? They all follow the same formula -- hit something to get a buff that charges up a higher level attack.

Aside from the aesthetics -- which *are* cool -- it just doesn't feel that new. More of the same old combo melee mechanic.