Shadowe

Got to agree with this.

What I took from it was "6-year old game. It's an MMO so some things will be samey. Pay a little attention to your character and OMG I'M ONLY LEVEL 10 AND I KICK DONKEY! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Should, perhaps.

Does not, actually.

EU codes can only be used on EU accounts, US codes can only be used on US accounts.

However, it is worth noting that EVERY EU item page on the NC Store seems to have a link that says "US version also available". That link should take you to the US version for purchase.

It... hurts...

Z, that is utterly awesome. Must see what I can do about hunting down my funny bio screenies.

Ah, the perrenial "someone else's character" problem. Particularly tricky when used in the same setting as that character originated (well, to us, at least).

There are, I think, three ways to approach this issue, but you need to remember one thing - the "core" idea of the character (more on that later).

1) Do what comic writers do: Make the character fit your perception of them. Less satisfying than the other options, but it allows you to write whatever you want. If you want Positron to be serious and gritty, make him serious and gritty. If you need him to be lighthearted and jokey, make him lighthearted and jokey.

2) Write only from the perspective of the "core idea" - use it, abuse it, overuse it, then use it again. Synapse will always be up for a laugh, looking for the main chance, and his actions will reflect that.

3) Read, reread, read again everything that there is about the characters in canon material (so, character bio's, The Freedom Phalanx novel, the comics, the TF's, everything they ever say to anyone) and squeeze your writing to fit.

Odds are you will find some middle ground among the three (number 2 is probably the most satisfying from a creativity perspective), but no matter what you do, remember the "core idea" of each of the characters (and, if the opportunity presents itself, take a look at their Praetorian counterparts - you can probably learn a lot from those).

Here's my take on the main signature characters:

Statesman: Responsibility, duty, honour. Statesman represents ideals. The sort of hero that everyone looks up to, but because of his rigid adherence to those ideals, some other heroes may find him... grating.

Manticore: Dedication, ruthlessness, pragmatism. Manticore represents someone who is willing to do what is necessary to get the job done. And he doesn't always do what's 'right' to make it happen. He is by no means a bad man, since he has the best interests of others at heart, but he will not shirk from pretty much any action short of killing someone to achieve his goals.

Sister Psyche: Wisdom, knowledge, passion. Possibly the most complex of the Freedom Pahalanx, Sister Psyche is equal parts verve for life and mature wisdom. Her insights into the minds of others allows her to see what perspective they're coming from, and she is utterly dedicated to making the lives of others better.

Synapse: Fun, zest, pleasure. Synapse represents the desire of everyone to just flat out have fun. He is able and willing to apply boundless energy to this goal, yet is tempered by a deep understanding that he has a duty to allow others the have fun too - and to allow others the opportunity to have fun.

Citadel: Reasoning, logic, understanding. Citadel is a fascinating character. Utterly ruled by logic and reasoning, he is also one of the most human of the Phalanx, because he actually puts effort into understanding all of the things that drive others. He is the most likely to find beauty in anything, because he tries to, and he is utterly implacable when he a goal.

Positron: Intelligence, focus, precision. Positron is all about clarity, analysis and excellence. He is uncomfortable dealing with things outside his areas of expertise, which fortunately cover pretty much every aspect of scientific endeavour. Think of Leonard from The Big Bang Theory. That's Positron, except smarter than Sheldon and while he's undoubtedly still as geeky, it is tempered by an idealism that heroism is simply 'right'. Fortunately for him, Positron isn't socially inept, it's just that most of his effort is directed elsewhere.

I could probably go on and on, but at the end of the day that should be enough to get my point across.

Even if the "owners" of those characters have never considered them in terms of personality (highly unlikely, but stranger things have happened) those are the things that I would try to bear in mind when writing them. It will probably slow down your pace of writing, but if, every time you think about how, say, Synapse would act in a given situation, if you can answer the question "how would he (Steve Berry, Accountant, Speedster, flirt, good guy, thinks he's witty) have the most fun at a time like this?", you will probably be pretty close to the mark.

The other thing to remember is that no character should ever be a bland two-dimensional figure (okay, I know I'm trying to teach Granny to suck eggs, here, but it's important, and other writers might get something out of this), unless all they're there for is to get hit once in the face and be sent to the Zig. They're not heroes because they decided to put on spandex and fight crime; they're not heroes because of the odds they face. They're heroes because they put themselves on the line, never give up, fight for others and believe in the "job". They all have flaws, they all have good points, but at the end of the day they all ultimately want the same thing. Their methods may not agree (think of Statesman and Manticore's perpetual disagreements in the comics), but they know that they all want the same thing, and that together they're stronger than they are alone.

As far as anyone is aware, any of these are legitimate, with the possible exception of the "nude" mod.

Reason: They do not modify the game files in any way. They either read information that the game records using the chat interface (HeroStats for tracking game stats) or add file that replaces the minimap (Vidiotmaps map pack), or changes what is displayed on your screen ONLY (Power icon mods; the most likely means of achieving a "nude" costume).

There is a Data folder in the game directory (or you can create one), and you can put things in it, and if it's got the right filename the game will read it instead of the file in the .pigg files.

Importantly, the "nude" character mod will work the same way, and if someone has found a way to hack the game such that their modification displays to other players, then they have hacked the .pigg files, which is DEFINITELY against the EULA.

Must... have... L4D2 mod... featuring... GG-clones... instead... of... Zombies.

Oh, and 10%? Come to the UK. Value Added Tax is going up to 20%, soon. Joy.

On-topic... just thanks, Steelclaw, for making me smile.

Normal laundry he does at his home, Huntington Manor, but stuff that needs to be dry-cleaned, he uses a little place in Galaxy City called Fab-Rick - mostly because the owner's (Rick Tomanis) wife works at Huntington Technologies.

The one suffered by the other person. Other than that slightly sarcastic answer, he doesn't think there's any such thing as a "good" death - every death should be regreted by those who know the deceased, whether friends or foes.

Favourite food: Pretty much anything Chinese, though he has a secret passion for REAL British chips. Drink-wise, he loves Scotch Whisky. As for food and drink he doesn't like, he's not overly fond of seafood, and doesn't like what Champagne does to him, so he tends to avoid it.

His bedroom is in his home. It's a fairly large room, with a West-facing window, a dresser and chair below the window. Door is in the North-East corner of the room, with the king-sized bed dominating the East wall. On the South wall is his walk-in wardrobe and the door to the en-suite bathroom (shower, large bath, washbasin and toilet, with its own airing-cupboard). The room is decorated in simple colours, and the bedlinen is typically deep red or deep blue. There is a large picture on the wall above the bed - an artist's impression of a supernova. On his side of the bed is a small dressing table with a picture of himself, his mother, his (deceased) father and his sister on his graduation day.

Well, his father is dead, but if he were alive, he'd say "I'm proud of my son. He has his flaws, but he always tries to do what's right. I might not agree with all of his choices, but he's not the little boy I taught to ride a bike any more - he makes those choices, rather than foisting them off on others, and that makes him a man I can be proud of."

Oh, definitely. Lady Westlake, Baroness Andrea Huntington, would describe her son something like this: "He's my baby, and I love him, but for a man who's allegedly a genius, he's often thick as two short planks. No common sense at all. Just once it would be nice for him to drop by and visit just for the sake of it, but he really doesn't understand how much I miss him, all the way over the Atlantic."

He's arrogant, opinionated, stubborn as all hell and has a tendency to jump from utterly calm to psychotically infuriated at the drop of a hat. He can seem to be hypocritical in some respects, but that's usually because he's failed to put himself in other peoples shoes until a situation forces him to reevaluate his position.

Simple thing for me to say: Don't quit the forums over this. If you really feel bad about how you've treated someone on these forums, man up and admit it (you've done that) and send them a PM telling them you're sorry.

There's no need to explain reasons that you feel you were rude, or dredge up past history. If you think someone deserves an apology, give it to them, make it honest, and leave the ball in their court. Only a complete moron would refuse an honest apology.

Then, having done that... take a step back for a day or two. Keep playing the game. Post in the fun threads, if they take your fancy.

You're new here, and this community has a LOT of tolerance for newbie mistakes. The REAL mistake is not learning from them, and being a n00b.