Shadowe

So.. There might be some interest in my ongoing project to convert CoX into an M&M campaign setting... Maybe?

<QR to the OP>

Re: Yous guise demanded AE nerfses and you got em, well done, youv ruined levelling in this game! (or something like that - I find it very hard to write BAD English)

Actually, what I think you'll find is that the developers made a development decision on the basis that it should not be insanely easy to Power-Level that Mission Architect needed to be controlled more tightly, and as a result the rate of levelling using Mission Architect has been adjusted. It will probably continue to be adjusted, until it's at the same rate as the rest of the game.

The developers do not have to listen to player demands. In fact, I'm not really sure any players actually demanded changes to Mission Architect - merely suggested them, since it was obvious to a large number of us that it was game-breakingly possible to Power Level at a vastly accelerated rate using the tools provided.

So, a couple of points (I do love making points):

1) It is still possible to level up in Mission Architect. In fact it's very easy. You do missions, you earn XP, you level up.

2) It is also possible to level up outside Mission Architect. In fact it's very easy. You do missions, you earn XP, you level up.

From your tone and message, what you appear to be moaning about is that 1) is no longer massively faster than 2). Got news for you, squire: If the developers don't want 1) to be massively faster than 2), then they will change things. They did this. We, the players, neither demanded it, nor had our demands accepted. It was a development decision.

Due to some awkward decisions at work, our current browser software isn't capable of handling the new boards very well. Which is a shame. The colour scheme is a but... dull. And I do miss the fun discussions we EU types used to have on a regular basis.

I know we should use the Euro lounge for that purpose, but it doesn't entirely feel right to do so, and due to the time-differences between us and our NA-server counterparts, it can be tricky to keep up with things on the forums.

I'm certainly not about to stop posting, though, but RL has prevented me from doing so much recently.

Powers sometimes detoggle when zoning. Not all the time, but every once in a while.

When exemped down and earning enough XP to level up, there is no "Ding" moment, and the levelling buffs are not applied. (This might be WAI, but seems odd.)

And a picture to accompany this, as produced by my good friend Plasmarch, whose sense of whimsy vastly exceeds my own...

{Founder's Falls, Monday 24 August 2009, Approx 8.35 am}

Samantha Huntington, wealthy socialite and tech-weenie, smiled at the memory of the kiss her boyfriend had bestowed upon her as she left their shared apartment, trotted down the steps to the waiting limousine, and slipped inside.

* * * * *

In the distance, an unmarked white van with tinted windows nudged forward, turn-signal flashing.

* * * * *

"Morning, Brian," she beamed as she settled onto the comfortable leather seat behind the driver, and cheerfully waved to him in the rear-view mirror. "Good night, back home?" As the stockily-built Welshman eased into the traffic, he began to relate the discussion he'd had with his wife the night before. Sam partially tuned it out, having heard it all before. Brian had been with her and Richard for longer than she could remember, and they were a regular pair at the Huntington's parties. Their small cottage on the grounds of Huntington Manor was separate from the main house, and Brian and Joanne were more like members of the family than employees, which explained why Brian knew that he was going over old ground, and that his youthful boss really wasn't paying much attention, and he really didn't care. Richard and Samantha were like the children he had never had, and he knew that they cared for his wellbeing as much as they did anyone's. And the fact that the pair of them had grown up and become superheroes was just the icing on the cake. He's lost track of the number of times he'd watched them on the news, saving people, stopping crimes, being heroic, and he veritably burst with pride at the knowledge that the two kids whose knees he'd bandaged when they'd scraped them, who had told him or his wife their love-life woes, had grown up into a pair of wonderful, responsible, generous heroes.

As Sam half-listened to her driver natter on, a holographic display flickered to life in front of her, Helena choosing to tactfully display in text rather than verbalising her news.

"Huntington International stocks up five points. Current city-wide threat index 1.2. Rise is due to increased Circle of Thorns activity. Master Richard's personal threat index 2.45 and rising. Currently engaged in combat with Skulls on the streets of King's Row, near the Bowyer-Huntington redevelopment project. Mistress Samantha's personal threat index 0.75 and rising. Data incomplete. Analysis incomplete. Threat negligible."

* * * * *

The van hung back, keeping several vehicles between it and the distinctive black limo, but it was always there, always following.

* * * * *

The journey from Founder's Falls to Huntington Technologies office and laboratory complex in Independence Port was convoluted and long, involving several checkpoints through the War Walls. The guard drones ignored traffic, on the assumption that if it was already in the city, it was meant to be there, and only focused on the few incidences of violent crime that triggered their automated responses, beaming the perpetrators directly to the Ziggursky Penitentiary. Brian wove through the streets with practiced ease, unfazed by the honking and nudging progress made by more aggressive drivers.

Sam watched out the window as they passed a frantic scene - perhaps a dozen members of the Skulls gang, surrounding a black-armoured hero, who swept them aside with a contemptuous wave of energy. Richard was still keeping the streets safe.

Smiling to herself, she lounged back in her seat, sipping her coffee, when a warning siren sounded.

"Alert! Alert! Tracking data analysis engaged. Mistress Samantha is under stealthy observation. Repeat, Mistress Samantha is under stealthy observation. Combat profile engaged."

A low curse sounded from the driver's seat, and Sam tensed as the limousine's overdrive roared to life in preparation.

"Helena! Show me!" Her barked command triggered an immediate response. A holographic representation of their journey so far, with a particular vehicle highlighted. It followed them constantly from Founder's Falls all the way to their current location, always keeping at least two vehicles between it and her car.

"Oh, you did not just try to track me. No, you did not." She turned and glanced out of the rear window. "Brian, keep driving normally. Do nothing unusual. I'll deal with it."

Taking a deep breath, she exercised her will... and vanished.

* * * * *

Richard caught the alert, and patched into the limo's internal communication suite, using the Warriors of Darkness scramble codes. "Luminescence, Shadowe here. Need any help? I've got a lock on the target. Let me know if you want it dealing with."

Sam's response was delayed by a moment, and her voice kept breaking up. "Thanks, Shad... but I've... got a handle... on it."

Frowning, Richard scanned for his sister. Something odd was going on, here.

Moments later, he smiled tightly. There she was, floating high in the sky, teleporting from side to side, keeping up with the van trailing the limo, out of sight.

* * * * *

Sam waited until the traffic was stopped at a red light. Her flickering motion in the sky, dancing back and forth, making her impossible to pinpoint for more than a second or two... and then she translated to the ground.

* * * * *

Telekinetic energy ripped through the van's tyres, shredding them in an instant. The fraction of control it took her to access that much of her power caused a burst of radiation to pour out of her, and another corner of her mind twisted it into a focused stream that punched into the van's radiator grille like a stone fist. She immediately followed up with a devastating electromagnetic pulse, safely contained by her mind so that the only things touched by the blast were herself and the van... and she was immune to it.

She stood there for several seconds, staring at the vehicle's blacked out windows, a vicious smile on her lips. "Next time, I don't play nice. You want to see me, book an appointment. If not..." She left the words hanging, and teleported, vanishing from the scene completely, as the lights turned green and Brian drove away.

Oh, absolutely! The last thing anyone wants is to step on anyone else's toes. I guess it's just a case of saying "we reserve the right to preserve our 'verse and our way of doing things, just like you do, and let's make it clear to everyone when that's relevant".

Okay, bear in mind that I've been a dedicated Union RPer since about May 2006, and I very much enjoy "the way things have always been".

There are a few groups of players who need to be considered, here, as I see it:

The Unionverse players, who all try (very hard) to maintain an internal consistency on things that happen in the Unionverse, so forum threads about events in the Unionverse tend to follow closely, or merge well with, other events that are ongoing. The Unionverse operates in RealTime, meaning that since today is 21 August 2009, then RP that happens in-game today, is happening on 21 August 2009. RP that happens on the forum tends to be either undated or occuring on the date the thread was started.

The Virtuverse players, whom I know very little about, but I presume from comments made around here are a little more flexible about their universe and the timelines of events that happen there.

The Otherverse players (who I'm lumping together, but may constitute greater numbers than the two semi-official RP servers) who enjoy RPing.

In amongst these, there will be people who have different feelings and opinions about what "really" happens and what doesnt.

I would suggest clear tagging of threads, in the thread title, with clear definitions of basic terms, so something like:

"Union" - this tag indicates an event that occurs in the Unionverse, and should be considered canon for that universe (unless other tags indicate otherwise) and the characters involved.

"Virtue" - likewise for the Virtueverse.

"Open World" - come one, come all, to the monkey-dance ball! A thread tagged for this is non-canon for particular universe, but individual players may consider events happening in the thread to have happened to their character, for character development purposes. A mature approach may be needed when other characters in the thread occupy your character's universe - if you meet them again, decide between yourselves if the events were "real".

"Open RP" - any person from an applicable 'verse may become involved.

"Closed RP" - RP by invite only.

"Semi-closed RP" - initially invite only, may change - contact thread creator if you'd like to be involved.

If anyone can think of any other tags that might be suitable, or a redefinition of those above, then that would be good - better to get everyone on the same page as far as this is concerned.

One interesting thing regarding this tagging system - in no way should it prevent someone from the US servers joining in an Open Unionverse forum RP thread - or vice versa - as their character is just as valid as any other, but if everyone agrees that the events are real for the appropriate 'verse, then everyone is able to agree "what happened where".

Ah, it feels so nice to be me again!

Doing a quick tally on my main account in my head...

Male: 35.7%
Female: 64.3%
Huge: 0%

If I include my second account (currently inactive)

Male: 32.1%
Female: 64.3%
Huge: 3.6%

However, my main hero and my main villain are male and make up (at a guess) about 75% of my overall play time on their own. (My main hero has over 4,000 hours on the clock right now, with my next closest pipping in with about 800.)

Oh, and I'm male. The reason I have a large number of female toons is... well, they look nicer, for one, but also I'm a roleplayer, and I have a bit of a "supporting cast" for my main who, for various reasons, tend to be female.

Heh. Yep, I'm there, too. It's so awesome!

As a result - huge thanks to War Witch for sorting that out, on behalf of everyone who attended. It is FANTASTIC.

Mumsie... it has been an honour and a privilege.

Thank you for taking care of the little ones for all these years. We'll miss you while you're gone.

I had the "train problem" only once. I was a solid level 50, had been playing for months, and had mis-zoned. I think I ended up in Steel Canyon when I'd wanted Skyway City. or something like that. Anyway, I just turned around and clicked on the train doors. Then cursed when the dialog box wouldn't come up. I did this for a couple of minutes before my wife said "you're in the exit room".

I only found out about 6 months ago that you can combine enhancements that are already slotted. I've been playing since September 2005. I knew that the enhancement gubbins in the tutorial told you that you can, but I couldn't figure out how. Never had the guts to ask anyone, and I discovered it completely by accident.

Recently, several times, tried to use Base TP power inside Pocket D, cursed when it hasn't gone off, and then remembered the base portal.

Those are the only ones that spring to mind. I'm sure there are more.