Scarlet Shocker

I have sent out a message to the community in an alternative (ie second) dimension (life) where there is a small but buoyant community that loves this game but has been divided by a technological divide and an ocean.

There is no downside to this!

I say...... cucumber sandwiches anyone?

Beware... I have license to teach you all about cricket now.

/em evillaugh

Finally I get to team with Golden Girl...

oh... wait...

/winkie

I've just read the news, and it's brought a big lump to my throat.

This is like a dream come true for me - this is amazing. I know I've militated and ranted and generally been a pain in the buttocks when it comes to the EU and how I've felt we've been treated - but this... wow.

I'm lost for words (almost - make the most of it)

When War Witch said she'd look into it I honestly thought "yeah yeah I've heard that before, throw them a bone and shut 'em up."

I was clearly wrong. I guess I should have known better because I know WW never speaks unless it's worth speaking. So I am going to enjoy this slice of humble pie with pleasure.

To those Devs who made it possible I thankyou from the bottom of my heart and promise to try and be less of a git from now on (promises are made to be broken right? :P)

Seriously... this is a big deal for me, and for many of us on both sides of the pond.

To my American friends I have a very simple message: Come to Defiant, we have cookies!

Thanks again. Wow!

EERC now have a cool stockpile of goodies awaiting a 50 so let's see what you got!

I'd suggest something like a sonic/kin corruptor or a /cold controller.

For the British who wish to help:

Disaster Emergency Committee

Really tragic news coming out of Japan. Let's hope thinks are nowhere near as bad as things first appear.

On a lighter note please don't mention cricket today

Ok we've been batting this idea around for a while and figured we're about ready to run it out to the entire EU community as an in game event, that we hope will be well received and enables all you good people to have a hand in it.

Since GR went live, we've all noticed a lot of new players in the server communities, some of whom now have 50s and are discovering new parts of the game such as Inventions and Incarnates and Ice Cream... oh... well would've been nice.

Here's the thing: If you're a relatively new player it's possible you may not have mastered the finer points of the invention system, or gotten your head around build planners etc and spent a fair bit of time puzzling the Auction House.

So this is the idea that involves the community: We're gonna help you get a great build! Easy as, with a very simple idea, broken down into 3 parts:

1. If you are a player with fewer than 12 months of Vet Rewards, you can put your level 50 character forward for some build help. What you need to do is explain why your character needs help, obviously give the main info: AT, Origin, Name, Your Global name, Primary Powers, Secondary Powers, APP/PPP, and then a bit about the character's back story, and their reason for being in this wonderful game we call City of Heroes as either a hero or villain.
2. Once we've got a few applicants the EERC team will pick a winner - and then the community will dive in and help make the dream a reality: Players with a lot of experience in build planners such as Mids will be locked in a dungeon until they come up with a suitable build which they will then release into the wilds of the forum for perusal. The winner will then get to pick the build s/he likes the best from all the submissions.
3. The community then throws in Invention IOs to make the build possible, either by recipes or crafted IOs, which the player then slots accordingly and at the end provides some cool screenies of their character and his/her build.

See? Nice and simple and everyone can take part to make a cool toon even cooler. Almost all self-respecting SGs have bins of crafted IOs which "might come in useful one day" but are sitting there languishing. We're not proposing to help purple out a toon with the best IOs available but a decent, functional build that is achievable from the communities' collective kindness.

See? I said it was simple. So put your thinking caps on and let us know why this will help you. Make your submission as funny/serious/quirky as you like. I can tell you we're all excited to see the results!

Some great comments here.

The lack of our own will is very disturbing in the whole Praetorian story as a whole (and I fear in the Incarnate arcs too... that's becoming increasingly apparent.)

One of the comments I noticed from a couple of people was "Don't become an Incarnate and you serve Cole." That's utter bull. If you follow that, then Lady Grey, Hero 1 and many others wouldn't work with Statesman but we know they are Incarnates.

I am coming from the perspective that it is in my character's enlightened self-interest to serve Cole and his vision. Sure, my toon need not be pleasant and nice but Cole is tougher than me, I know what side my bread is buttered and working with him is a good bet. He is the man in control (mostly - yes I take on board the view that Praetoria is also chaotic too) but I can carve a name for myself amongst Cole's greatest henchmen by serving him faithfully and well, thus accumulating power for myself. If the other Praetors can do that, then I can be so much better - after all I believe in myself.

My central point still stands: I don't need to worship Cole, or to adore him or to think he's the greatest thing since sliced bread: I simply need to recognise that I become stronger working for him, than against him. I prove that and it is demonstrated by level progression and accumulation of personal power. But then, just when I seem to be getting somewhere, and I've done everything he asks of me, he cuts me loose and tells me "right, bugger off and don't darken my doorstep again" and worse, I know that where I'm being sent is going to be invaded by his war machines.

It's a highly unsatisfactory outcome - and leaves me feeling very short changed and very let down. I am forced down a path that then cuts me short and leaves me scratching my head and wondering "WTF".

Many congrats!

Here's one that really bothers me and over time as I've explored the stories in Praetoria, this has become an even bigger bugbear.

I have a couple of characters who believe in Emperor Cole's vision and objectives. Their PoV: They started in Praetoria, the Resistance seem to be completely anarchic and willing to tear society down with no alternative game plan and the last thriving City in Praetorian Earth is under untold threats - the Hamidon, Primal Earth, Rikti, Arachnos, Malta, etc etc et al.

They follow his path and the ideals set out by Cole and then come level 20 they are discarded with a so long and thanks for all the fish kind of "Well you've proven yourself to be an highly able ally and have done some great work for us, now bugger off and go do your own thing."

It could be that I've missed something but having run the arcs a few times I've not seen any evidence of that. Whatever alignment you choose, you go back to Praetoria as an Incarnate and stick it to Cole's forces. There's no comeback for the Resistance - it's as though we, as players are forced to be their ally regardless of our character's original role. We may have been dedicated Loyalists but we go back with Apex and Tin Mage and kick a couple of Cole's team into oblivion.

This leaves me with a very strong feeling that the Praetorian arcs cater almost exclusively to the Restisance side once out of Praetoria. If you are a Loyalist you get to go to the Rogue Isles and do your own thing - which gives 2 problems - firstly that the Isles are denuded of population these days (but I don't really want to get side-tracked down that avenue) and that it's almost a Crowley-esque "Do what thou wilt is the whole of the law" - except that you follow that route and you suddenly find yourself as a "Destined One" which jars horribly.

Almost the only way I can justify this in my own mind is if I have a character who is a totally self-serving sociopath, and will do whatever s/he needs at a given moment to meet their own needs, regardless of the wider world, and none of my characters are like that.

Why would a character who believes in Cole simply become subsumed into their new environment and then a few levels later go back and start attacking his forces? To me, it makes no sense - and it almost breaks the story for me. It forces some of my toons into a path they absolutely don't want to go.

Have I missed something critical? If so what? If it is critical then it should be much more in your face than it is I'd suggest.

WB