Ripcord

I was putting some screenshots together to show off a little base to some friends who no longer play this game and I figured I might as well post them here too. This is tiny little hero base for my Trick Arrow/Archery Defender and it's basically a solo pad which is slowly expanding for use by a supergroup (comprised entirely of just my alts). It's built on the 300k prestige from filling the group up with alts and probably another 100k more that two characters have earned. I'll upgrade it more eventually, but decoration is just as important to me as functionality so that will likely take a while.

Entrance view - You might notice the little targets to the left and be surprised, because to your right...

Right side entrance - ...is the firing end of the firing range. Note the spare bows and canisters of arrows.

Teleporter Room/Target Range - You might think it's pretty irresponsible to put the targets where arrows will be passing through a high traffic area, but the base owner thinks it's really funny to keep people on their toes. The teleporter only holds one beacon at a time, but every character using the base has privelages to swap it out for any of the others.

Oversight Center (left side) - Assuming you make it out of the entrance without getting hit by an arrow, this is the bulk of the base. There's a bar on the left (with enhancement storage posing as liquor) and a dining area.

Oversight Center (right side) - Here you can see the workshop area where trick arrows and such are made, television/lounge area, and the loft bedroom entrance through which is the only non-archery poster in the base and often some disturbing behavior as well.

Medbay/Bathroom Entrance - Located directly across from the loft bedroom entrance you'll notice a selection of reading material for those long visits to the can or when you're waiting around for the doctor to see you. The ramp's important because you never know when you have to wheel someone in or out of there.

Medbay - Complete with a pretty Empath because the archer's a bit of a wanna be Casanova and always hopes that this sight will await him whenever he's defeated. Unfortunately though, he just winds up facing the wall instead because I forgot to plan for that and I'm really not about to completely move things around now to make it right. Maybe one day they'll add planned orientation to the resurrection items and entrance portal.

Yes.

Costumes. They help us create the particular type of character we want to interact with the story, in PVP, etc.

You know what I hate the most? When costume items get needlessly changed or removed from the game. Had to say it.

I'd like to add an even more serious bug to that list: sometimes when loading an arena map (as either participant or observer) you can actually be loaded into other players' mission maps.

During an arena competition held on the Justice server recently, that bug happened twice to my knowledge. It happened to one of my characters while observing a duel and later was reported by two characters who were starting a duel. My level 50 hero ended up in a villain-side newspaper mission entrance right next to two lower level player villains. They registered as enemies and thus could attack and be attacked by me (though all involved were civil about it). I asked them for all the pertinent mission details and filed a bug report prior to trying the exit door, but a griefer might have behaved very differently.

I'd really like to see new features added to the arena like being able to select a specific map for a battle, but making the whole experience a bit more stable first is a good start.

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For the longest time I wrote off the super strength-using Capos as using some kind of hi-tech gear too, based on their enemy info. The Family outright drops Black Market Supergear as one of their salvage, so I imagine not all their gravity control and super strength comes from 'dine.

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That's the two sources I drew my explanation from as well.

I don't see how Gravity Manipulation via Technology is an infeasible explanation. Don't forget the Black Market in this universe is filled with Rikti Tech, not to mention all the other insane devices that exist (Mutate-O-Tron? Nemesis Tech? Freakshow Cybernetics? Advanced Crey Stuff?), making it a rather nice, ubiquitous term.

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For me it's just about consistency of application. The technology used by Nemesis, Freakshow, Crey, Rikti, etc. is very visible and recognizeable. A Family Capo just looks like a guy in a suit but the closest you get to that using technology-based powers would be the Crey Infiltrators and such who generally have visible bionics. I consider Crey to be much more advanced technologically than the Family so I figured the super strength came from Superadine which is more strongly tied to the Family.

Anyway, this is just something that always nagged at my mind a bit (along with how the Tsoo don't wipe the Family off the map) and ultimately it's probably not a concern for 99.9% of the players.

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This is the same drug that, in a small percentage of the users, lets you see into other dimensions. Increased strength is clearly the primary effect, but not the only one.

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Just curious what the source for this is, because I haven't read the novels and I do know there are some missions/storyarcs I've missed on the hero side. I very well could've just not come across this information.

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There's some information on this in the City History

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Thanks for the link. On the one hand it makes me doubt the Superadine theory a little more actually, considering that it's been extensively studied with no mention of Gravity Control effects... the only other effects besides increasing strength/endurance being hallucinations and the dimensional awareness/shifting evidenced in less than 1% of the addicted population.

On the other hand, I suppose it opens up the possiblity for Superadine to be altered for yet other effects. Or perhaps the Gravity Control is a manifestation of being able to place another being between two dimensions and open portals to a dimension filled with flying pool tables, forklifts and cabinets.

Eh... still feels like a little bit of a stretch to me given how much dimensional powers should change the Family's operations (shipping by boat and storing in warehouses when you have people that can manipulate otherdimensional spaces?), but I guess that's what I'll use to rationalize their powers from now on.

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"Pure" Superadine doesn't seem very consistant with what we know about Superadine's effects.

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This is the same drug that, in a small percentage of the users, lets you see into other dimensions. Increased strength is clearly the primary effect, but not the only one.

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Just curious what the source for this is, because I haven't read the novels and I do know there are some missions/storyarcs I've missed on the hero side. I very well could've just not come across this information.

If it's this quote from a history plaque...

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This building was once the lab of Dr. Brian Webb, the brilliant scientist who broke the dimensional barrier and opened up whole new worlds to science. His notes reveal that his findings were linked to previous scientists' research on the effects of the drug Superadine. Much has been made of this discovery, but the link between the drug and the dimensional barrier remains a mystery.

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... I'd appreciate it if you could point me towards where this mystery would be revealed. I really am trying to educate myself more about it.

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You know what I was really hoping to find out in this article?

An explanation of why/how Consiglieres are gravity controllers.

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"Pure" Superadine?

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And/or Black Market Tech.

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"Pure" Superadine doesn't seem very consistant with what we know about Superadine's effects. This article essentially attributes the Super Strength of the Capos and Underbosses to the more pure form of Superadine. The less pure form gives Super Strength as well, but causes physical changes (green skin, goblinization, etc.) and reduced mental prowess shown in the Trolls.

Now there are also Troll bosses which have powers I don't believe Superadine caused... Stone Armor/Melee. Those powers are a bit thematic given various mythologies of trolls as creatures of the earth and in game I tend to think of them as having some degree of modern shamanism which explains those powers (as evidenced by the drum dance and such).

Gravity control as an effect of black market technology seems extremely high tech for what is predominately a low-tech crowd. I'd believe it more from a Sky Raider, Crey, Arachnos or Malta boss than one of the Family. Mutation could be a possible explanation, but to have such a consistent mutation among that level of Family seems highly unlikely.

You know what I was really hoping to find out in this article?

An explanation of why/how Consiglieres are gravity controllers.

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I think the AS is the same as MA and EM.

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Boo!

It should have been the old soul sucking animation from Twilight Grasp

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I agree 100%. I was actually very sad to see that animation on Twilight Grasp go, regardless of the time it took to get a heal off. I think it would fit perfectly in this context without much tweaking (apart from adding the skull burst). Either that or put it on a Dark snipe... it's just too good to be cut from the game completely.

For those who never saw it, I'll try to describe it. First your head turned and watched your right arm fill with dark energy as you pulled it up and to the side in a sort of ;flex1 pose , then your head turned to the left arm as it did the same, then both arms were thrust forward. The whole thing was very ominous, as though your body was being taken over by the dark forces.

Please, developers... let's not recycle that horrible squatting animation anymore until the Sumo secondary for tankers is released, ok?

I, for one, welcome our new */Energy Melee Tanker overlords.

Seriously though, I think there needs to be a happy medium. Suggestions to make travel powers somehow ignored in calculating a toggle drop would probably go a long way towards making it seem worth a squishy's time to even attempt toggle dropping.

Realistically speaking, the toggle that most people want to drop is the mez protection as that leaves the melee character most vulnerable. Let's take a look at the practical percentages for this happening now versus various "standard" builds.

Best case scenario of one squishy villain trying to drop one melee hero's mez protection... */Psychic Dominator vs. */Regeneration Scrapper:

Scrapper is only running Integration with no other toggles.
Dominator has a 64% chance of dropping Integration with Psychic Shockwave.

Scrapper is running Integration/Combat Jumping.
Dominator has a 32% chance of dropping Integration with Psychic Shockwave.

Scrapper is running Integration/Combat Jumping/Sprint
Dominator has a 21.3% chance of dropping Integration with Psychic Shockwave.

If the system ignored travel powers while determining what gets dropped, then 64% seems a good chance, but just running two low cost toggles effectively cuts all chances of dropping an important toggle very dramatically.

I predict this will just further reinforce the behavior of all archetypes ignoring the melee classes in order to attack the non-melee ones. Well, with the exception of Stalkers, perhaps.

Oh, and it will also make controllers seem more powerful yet again since the only reliable toggle dropping will be through stacking holds, disorients, or sleeps.

Rock, paper, scissors indeed.

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Reference for Corruptors...

Soul Drain
* Unenhanced damage @ lvl 40: 38.2 (N. Energy)
* Self +DMG, +ACC
* Range: PBAoE
* END: 20
* Recharge: 240 secs

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I'm hoping these numbers will be expanded upon somewhat. First thing I noticed looking at the Ghost Widow plaque was that Soul Drain doesn't give numbers for how much damage/accuracy are buffed nor for how long the buff lasts. I can assume that these stats are the same as the Dark Melee version, but isn't the point of the plaques that all information is provided to the player? In any case, I bugged the lack of completion.

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So while I can respect that you are deeply involved in the background and mental image of your characters, I find your current position to be faulty. You perhaps may wish to unbend a little from your cherished ideals.

If in fact datamining will occur, or if it will only be an “after it goes live” sort of accounting for being in SG Mode, each and every person with an issue over this will have to decide what is more important. The tiny amount of “lost individuality” that comes from using SG Mode, or Prestige for your SG Base. If you choose to not use SG Mode, then you will get less Prestige. If you feel that this is a reason to leave the game, well… I won’t miss you.

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I'm not entirely sure why you feel that this may be a game-breaking issue for me, but thanks for making me feel welcome, I guess. I was simply trying to show that a supergroup can be a rich collection of individuals as well as a uniformed strike team and shouldn't be penalized for the former.

Comics examples of uniformed supergroups:
Green Lantern Corps
X-Men (at various stages)
New Mutants (at various stages)
X-Factor (at various stages)
Fantastic Four
The First Family
Crossbreed

Comics examples of non-uniformed supergroups:
Avengers (and branches thereof)
Justice League (and branches thereof)
Teen Titans
Defenders
X-Men (at various stages)
New Mutants (at various stages)
New Warriors
Alpha Flight
Excalibur
Honor Guard
Astro City Irregulars
Top Ten
WildC.A.T.S.
and most importantly... Freedom Phalanx

Those are off the top of my head. The point is that I feel basing supergroup resources off the amount of time spent in uniform feels like a very arbitrary yardstick that conflicts with the comic feel of the game. It equates to telling Statesman that if he leaves the Freedom Phalanx to make a new supergroup with Apex and Horus that they're not allowed to have a base of operations until they've all worn the same colored tights for a week. It just feels silly.

As to the other comment about not using my imagination to get over the graphical changes to my characters, well you're right. I could picture all of that stuff in my head, but this is a game in which my characters are also communicating visual information to other players. If I have to constantly explain why my supergroup leader's bio refers to a handprint bloodstain on his suit which is currently a nautical star chest detail... well, let's just say it breaks the immersion a bit. I like to mold my stories and power explanation around what's depicted in the game, because it keeps a level playing field with other characters.

This decision to use prestige is going to hurt my supergroup a lot, because sporting the supergroup colors simply isn't an option for many of the members:

There's the founder/leader, an old man who's worn the same suit for 40 years. The chest detail is a hand-shaped bloodstain left on it by his dying daughter. That stain even shows on his psychic self. He can't use supergroup mode because even if I don't change the colors, that crucial chest detail which is so definitive to his character will be replaced.

There's the once-dead hero who was reanimated in an experimental process by Vahzilok's minions. He contains more mechanical parts than most Abominations, including the chest device which pumps the experimental embalming fluid through his veins (which ignites when combined with adrenaline and electricity). If he switches to supergroup mode, that pump would disappear to be replaced by the supergroup symbol and then what would keep those fluids pumping, hmmm?

There's the bionic ex-cop walking army of munitions with his ammunition straps that can't peacefully coincide with the supergroup chest detail either.

The superstar diva type who takes great pride in her wardrobe and tends to change costumes very frequently wouldn't want to be stuck with the same colors for any long amount of time. Not to mention that many of her tops are custom made and wouldn't accomodate the supergroup's arbitrary chest detail.

A living embodiment of chaos whose name derives from the word "anarchy" can't really be expected to wear uniform colors with the rest of the group. He's really only tolerating being in the group at all because of how loose knit and dysfunctional it is.

So they don't deserve a base because they've got individual personalities/appearances? I mean, if there was a supergroup armband or something, I could see that working for most of the above characters. Until that day comes, only a small percentage of my supergroup's members will be earning prestige (and the leader won't be one of them).

Sunblock Style of the Justice server:

Headshot

Publicity shot of classic costume (autographed!)

Publicity shot out of costume (autographed!)

Reference images of classic costume

Some other images and information can be found in her Crey Industries threat assessment.

I have a question about energy melee. You state that the last two powers in the set are 60% energy damage but then go on to list the brawl index for those in terms of lethal damage (while earlier attacks in the set have brawl indices without damage type). Which information is correct?

Also, do you have any information on the base stun duration for these Energy Melee powers?

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Since people want more explanation on the Boss changes, I'll post something in a new thread in the Dev Corner...hopefully today. Otherwise sometime this week.

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The only thing I'm curious about is why level 25 was picked as the starting point. I think increasing boss difficulty at 35 might be met with more understanding, because at that point characters will have slotted their final primary power and the first tier respec mission will stay more manageable.

Just something to think about.

I think if people just exercise a little common courtesy while getting these badges it won't be so bad.

Take out the whole group of mobs, not just the ones you need. Two reasons for this:
1. You won't cause any accidental deaths with mobs trailing you.
2. A new group will spawn in its place, meaning more bosses for you (or the next guy) and full xp groups for any lower level groups that are hunting. Plus it allows you to confine your activities to a smaller area as you take out respawns.

If you see a group of the zone's appropriate level in the area, please defer to them and either work somewhere else in the zone or come back to the task later. Their options of fighting areas are likely much more limited than yours.

Just my suggestions.