Smersh
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Posts
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Quote:There was a Green Lantern inspired SG on Virtue for a while. If, by inspired, you mean 'space cops who wear green,' that is.Originally Posted by Obsidius
The person giving you this information was probably sniffing glue. DC would never approve anything not on their own MMO, and even if they did, NCSoft would not have the right to use those characters without entering into a very public, legally binding agreement of some sort. -
Quote:Would Xerox sue me if I gave away off-brand generic 'xerox' machines for free?Originally Posted by Cake
Would the player be liable is their usage does not create a profit for them?
Yes. -
Quote:I think Iggy did it with a Kat/Willpower.Originally Posted by Arcanaville
With all the defense debuffing, do you think your build is actually capable of soloing a MoITF? I ask because MoITF is a specific problem I've spend the last few months studying a lot, in terms of all the myriad ways its possible to get it more or less solo, and at what cost.
I've found that using multiple characters is a lot cheaper than trying to make a single character capable of doing it, even if you only really play one of them at a time. But I know a really powerful dominator can do it; I don't know if a Scrapper can do it (haven't heard of it before, and there seems to be some interesting problems with doing it on a Scrapper in reasonable levels of time). -
Wait... what?
I don't think that works. -
Quote:Men can be sexualized. I'm not debating that.Originally Posted by SilverAgeFan
I'm going to go out on a limb here and guessing that you don't really think much about men sexually. Or have ever worked in a job where are required to think about men in this way. Because that comment lacks a lot of insight regarding how the male form and gender (two different things--body vs. social role) are viewed sexually.
Not sure how to help you sort out "What women want." Maybe get a gay friend and indulge in an hour or two of girl talk about what they like in a guy? Nothing dirty, just an insightful abs vs. eyes sort of conversation. Or work as a photo editor in the fashion industry? Anyways, trust me, men are sexualized quite a bit. Not as much as women still are. But more so now than they were even 15 years ago.
And that catty peer pressure described up-thread that occurs between many women? Can't tell you how clearly some corners of marketing understand that and have been trying to foster that culture amongst any segment of modern male populations. From fragrances to balding treatments to exercise machines to fad diets to garments to music, men are definitely sexualized. Sometimes it is to entice those that are sexually attracted to male bodies. Other times its to spark exploitable insecurities in males themselves. But make no mistake, it does happen in our society at large.
Okay, tangent over. Back to the thread about gender roles within a superhero game.
But, within the context of media, sexualizing a man is a choice, and a choice that is rarely made. Women are sexualized, pretty much by default.
I have conversations with my wife on these topics regularly, thanks. -
Quote:That's rather the point - outside of certain forms of pornography, men aren't generally sexualized (portrayed in such a way as to create an immediate connection between the image and sex, or to portray a character as a sexual object first and a person second.) Chippendales dancers are sexualized men; otherwise, men are largely portrayed as characters in media, not as sexual objects.Originally Posted by Blue_Mourning
What do you define as male sexualization? Because I'd really like to know.
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Quote:I'm explicitly concerned with societal structures. Good for you for using the word patriarchy, I'm proud.Originally Posted by Xanatos
You're being naive. You cannot preach equality on the one hand, while only championing the rights of ONE HALF of the population with the other. Allow me to explain why.
Both genders are social constructs of the patriarchal society within which we live. They are both equal parts of the problem and need to treated as such. If we focused just on women's right, and not at the meta-societal concerns, we would simply be granting women the right to become pseudo-men. This is because the power structure of the patriarchal society within which we live would STILL EXIST. Rather than be granted equal rights, women would be granted MALE rights. Do you see the problem here? If the patriarchal society is still in place, and dictates what power is, and that power is then "given" to women, it is not true gender equality. It is just giving women the right to be men.
This is what I was saying earlier. This notion of male power/sexuality being "neutral" or "normal" to so many people is in fact A MASSIVE PART OF THE PROBLEM. True equality would be the complete and utter breakdown of the patriarchal society within which we live, especially as a source of gender empowerment. To just focus on women, and ignore men, would in fact HURT women's right in the long run.
This is obviously all just my opinion. And I'm well aware this is just a forum for a video game. But a lot of people here seem to be very keen on equality for women, but aren't really looking at the wider picture.
The society I would like to see evolve has more rights for women, true. It also is concerned with the demolition of male privilege, which includes taking a discussion of feminism and the concerns about the sexualization of women and derailing it with 'but what about the men?'
Male privilege involves being catered to at every turn and being able to take anyone who doesn't fit the typical gender binary and feminizing them. Our society holds the masculine to be superior; to feminize someone is to make them lesser, to hold them passive, to be able to call them uppity when they step out of line and question masculine issues, to be able to trivialize their issues because they don't exist for 'real manly men.'
Rights are a neutral issue - they belong to all humans and know no gender. You have a right to live your life as you see fit, so long as it doesn't impact the lives of others. That's what you believe, how you worship, who and how you love, how you dress, how you live your life at home. These have no gender, and are neutral.
Issues of male privilege, however, are endemic to all forms of media - including this game. Yes, I do want gender equality - high heels and skirts and shoulder kittens and long hair for male avatars as well. But that hardly addresses the issues of the sexualization of female avatars. Click on your walk power on a female avatar to see what I mean. That's a walk that was made to appeal to men.
The options in this game that are female-avatar-exclusive are sexy items, made to appeal to men. There are no similar options for men, and it takes some work to create a sexualized male avatar. For female avatars, it's trivial.
Yes, I'll focus on the men - but only in the matter of saying "not everything has to be aesthetically pleasing to your eyes." I support diversity of body types, because power fantasies are not exclusive to the conventionally attractive. (And, the male avatar in this game is idealized, not sexualized from the get go, like female avatars are.)
I fully support those who want to make conventionally attractive sexy female avatars - I do it myself. I don't support limiting the options to that, though.
And, yes, when men have 80% of the rights and privileges that everyone should have, and women have only 20%, I will focus primarily on the issues of women, and focus on men only when their rights and privileges are infringing upon those of women. -
Quote:No.Originally Posted by Xanatos
Let's get back to talking about BOTH genders.
As long as you have an "us vs them" mentality, you're not striving for equality.
When you want two things to be equal, you absolutely have to get them to equal first before you start talking about adjusting both. -
Quote:This is the greatest strength this game has. There are only so many ways you can play an elf wizard or dwarf fighter... but an Inv/Fire tank can be a powered armor Soviet, an alien conqueror, a magic tiger-girl, a djinn, a mutant, a battlemage, or an archaeologist with a magic amulet. (All concepts I've personally seen.)Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
Isn't that the same thing, though? City of Heroes has a fictional universe that is - as far as I can tell - completely unrestricted. For this reason, it will never be diverse enough to account for all people, or even all likes of even just the current players. When the goal is infinity, you can never succeed, but the art team have done a pretty dang good job of going most of the way there. It's merely a question of time and opportunity to add more diversity and enable more of the game's potential.
(Ultimately, I think that's why people hate the Origin of Power and the Well of the Furies: it fundamentally limits what was an extremely open game.) -
Quote:True fact most bodybuilders don't want you to know?Originally Posted by Dr_MechanoEU
I will point out that the stereotypical bodybuilder look...really isn't what most superheroes would look like if they just did their heroic thing, especially the 'can bench press a school bus' type Hero.
IIRC (and this was back during my school years) it was pointed out that most of the big biceps on a bodybuilder actually quite a bit of water than muscle, compared to say...an actual Olympic weightlifter
You'll notice it looks at lot closer to our 'huge' template than to the standard bodybuilder type build most superheroes go for.
Bodybuilding's goal is the appearance of strength, not actual strength. Many bodybuilders are surprisingly weak for their size. -
Quote:You say:Originally Posted by BrandX
Don't know how you got that out of what I posted...but if posting the link makes you feel better go with it
I show you images of Olympic athletes... people who have won a genetic lottery and trained hard... people with a wide variety of body types, very few of which are represented in comics...Quote:And the sad fact is, the one thing people keep forgetting when it comes to realism, superhero comics, and the male/female form...
"They're in frigging shape! These people work out!"
And do they tend to have some version of the ideal form? Yes. Is it an impossible form. No. It's called genetic lottery...figuring they just won the superpowered lottery...well there you go!
And you say "How did you get that?"
Comic art tends towards a singular ideal, whereas actual Olympic-level athletes have a variety of body shapes and sizes. Your 'ideal' is singular, hence a 'single standard for beauty and fitness.'
Reality is plural. -
Quote:Because there is only one universal standard for fitness and beauty.Originally Posted by BrandX
The answer is...none.
Unrealistic Fantasy is what comics are about...laser beams from your eyes, adamantium skeletons, lifting a school bus over your head and throwing it a mile into the air.
These are things you see in superhero comics. They're unrealistic. And the sad fact is, the one thing people keep forgetting when it comes to realism, superhero comics, and the male/female form...
"They're in frigging shape! These people work out!"
And do they tend to have some version of the ideal form? Yes. Is it an impossible form. No. It's called genetic lottery...figuring they just won the superpowered lottery...well there you go!
And for those wanting REALISM...I have to ask...how does someone fighting crime and basically working out all day long (running around everywhere...fighting evil/good...ect) come out to be "Hey look at me, I have a weight problem."
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Quote:I've also read accounts of individuals who don't fall into the gender binary using this and other similar virtual spaces to explore the ways they want to express themselves in real life.Originally Posted by Bruthaman
This whole issue is really just a tempest in a teapot. Because in terms of a solution to the situations posited, I can't think of a better environment to work them out than the one we currently inhabit.
I know that there are deep and legitimate grievances between the factions in Northern Ireland. I know that there is a deep-seated and long standing animosity between various Asian peoples. I know that the Palestinians and the Isrealis have a six thousand year old tradition of mutual hatred. But (if you will forgive me) until these folks start talking politics, I honestly have no idea who is on what side, of these weighty issues, just by looking at the participants.
I on the other hand, in R/L, am a 53 year old Black man of Jamaican descent. When you see me comming down your block, whatever issues you may or may not have with my blackness (or maleness for that matter) will present themselves in your mind, long before I have a chance to speak.
So, who's really behind that oh so buff hero in his tighty whities? Could be a gay guy, or a college girl, or a bored Soccer Mom. Who's behind that huge Aryan ideal, sporting the blonde crewcut and the military togs? It could so very easily be a Black, Hispanic or Asian person. Who's really behind that pubescent looking heroine with the blonde pigtails? It could really be a 13 year old girl, or an ageing pedobear. And who's really behind that voluptuous, scantily clad black heroine? Could be a black guy, 14 year-old white boy, or an actual black woman.
And therein lies the inherent beauty of this game. Each of us is free to adopt any persona we choose, and then be treated accordingly by our peers. To my way of thinking, failing real life, those seeking equity of whatever stripe. Whether it be feminism, sexism, racism or ageism, could hardly ask for a finer forum than CoH/V.
In 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Rev. Martin Luther King delivered his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech. In it, among other things, he said. 'I have a dream, that my four little children will one day, live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.' I respectfully submit, that the anonymity afforded us by this game, offers us a unique microcosm, in which to live out this principle. And these, are pretty much my last words on this subject, at least in this particular thread. (always leave yourself an out) -
Quote:No.Originally Posted by Xanatos
To everyone criticising the women in this game as being overly sexualised towards women, let me just point out one thing.
You're forgetting the men.
The default male avatars in this game are as much an objectification of masculine notions of male sexuality as the default female avatars are an objectification of feminine notions of female sexuality.
Thus the issue is not one of the art team oversexualising women, but rather oversexualising men & women in accordance with patriarchal values of what men and women should look like.
But tbh...it's completely fine. Especially in a game where people can opt out of this by deviating from the norm. Butch women and feminine men are possible to be made in the costume creator. Plus if you look at the game narrative; the genders are portrayed to be very much equal.
The only time this would ever be an issue is if certain costume options were restricted due to them not being feminine/masculine enough. Limited art time I can understand, but you cannot claim the "opt out" feature is all that valid when the options presented are limited by the very social ideal you are trying to opt out of!
Just... no. -
Quote:Seriously: That law doesn't say what you think it says. By no possible interpretation does it say what you think it says. It is quite narrow in its scope.Originally Posted by Morgan Reed
I admit that it isn't as clear cut as, say, posters suggesting that player make a fake Facebook account (which, among other things, is even against Facebooks' Terms of Use) - which was allowed - to get in on a giveaway.
So hate all you want... Unless that is considered a personal attack, or trolling against me... Then you can't do that.
Facebook's terms of service are not laws.
Cracked.com is not a good source for legal issues. -
Quote:I was actually going to use males and females. It's still early here, and that's my excuse.Originally Posted by Kjell_NA
Men and women, not men and "females".
My take on the issue is that Paragon is trying to mimic comic books, but comics are far from blameless.
Just because the source material is problematic, though, doesn't mean that this derivative property needs to be. -
Quote:There's no reason why men shouldn't have clock belts; there's no reason why females shouldn't have the baron boots.Originally Posted by Zyphoid
But females get the awesome clock belt, so I have no pity for them.
My wife likes to make very conservative character costumes. -
Quote:My wife tends to clothe her female characters in skimpier clothing than I do, and that's okay.Originally Posted by BrandX
You'd be so wrong. My favorite example of this is my own mother in the character creation...female avatar with nothing but a trenchcoat, bikini top and bottoms, gloves, and I forget if it was stilettos or cowboy boots, chest slider almost to max...enter the game.
That's just one example (happens to be my favorite because I didn't expect it, I was all "You made a stripper")
To Sam, truthfully, nothing done in game is actually anti-feminism. Feminism is about a woman being able to do what she wants/decides.
Feminism IS NOT about a woman having to wear a business suit or covering up every inch of herself, ect...ect.
So you having scantily clad female heroes doesn't mean anything in the ways of not knowing feminism.
It's an outfit, it's legal to wear, if that's what they prefere to be wearing. So be it.
Sadly, there are "feminists" who don't even get that.
The issue is more the options that are given to female characters. Reference the Magic Pack, and the reasons why females aren't allowed to have awesome steampunk jackets. -
Quote:It's called the Bechdel Test, Sam.Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
See, one of the reasons I found that revelation so interesting is because while it had never crossed my mind to think about it, as soon as I realised this was a "thing," I immediately started remembering things I'd watched and seen and realising this was actually pretty true. Worse still, I started thinking back to things I've described or had drawn and realising I - much as I consider myself fair in this regard - was just as guilty of.
I'm still not quite sure what I want to do with this revelation, but I'll be re-examining my female characters as I get around to playing them in the future, that's a given. Reading what I've written, I'm also reminded of the three prerequisites for I forget what it was. Having decent female characters in your work, I think:
1. At least two female characters have to exist.
2. They have to have at least one conversation with each other, that...
3. Is not about one of the male characters in the cast.
I caught myself afoul of this rule when writing a recent story, but I caught it early enough in the planning stages to fix it Keeping an eye out for fairness in design is trickier than it seems at first sight. Just KNOWING about it seems like it should be enough, but it really isn't. -
Quote:Can we get an answer on this, so we know if threads about the new seasons of Game of Thrones and Walking Dead will be nuked?Originally Posted by Smersh
Can we have some clarification on what 'T for Teen' means in regard to the Comic and Hero/Villain Culture board?
Does that mean a total ban on all discussions of R-rated and TV-M rated material? -
Can we have some clarification on what 'T for Teen' means in regard to the Comic and Hero/Villain Culture board?
Does that mean a total ban on all discussions of R-rated and TV-M rated material? -
Your first link is borked.
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Quote:Also, Last Hit Chance can be tracked.Originally Posted by Aett_Thorn
You should be able to track base ToHit in the Combat Attirbutes window. However, you can also figure this out mathematically, if you want.
Fighting even level enemies, most attacks have a 75% chance of hitting. Going down to -1s, this should increase to about 85% or so. Slotting a single DO should have you capped at 95% chance to hit -1s. -
Quote:You're locked into a /DB tanker if that's what you want to do.Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Hmm, so they do. Makes me wonder, now, what a tanker could do by triple stacking Fury of the Gladiator, Achilles Heel, and Bruising. You can't stack more than one of each, and the procs have only a 20% chance of going off themselves, but it looks like you could average having bruising and at least one of those procs up at any one time. That's potentially a lot of damage boost if you're amplifying pet damage, and a tanker could be build to tank two RV AVs even without insps, I believe.
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Quote:I think the -res procs are granted powers, which effectively puts them at even level to the target - much the way Bruising works.Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Interesting. I thought the purple patch would shift the res procs too low to be effective, but its worth a second look.
To soft-cap defense under DR requires about 75%ish defense. I *think* the pillboxes offer 25% defense, so a soft-cap scrapper plus the pillbox might have gotten there or close to there. That would be helpful, as would the Regeneration buff. A scrapper or brute sitting in the bubble might have the survivability to tank at least one AV without insps. If you can lead them there, that then makes it a straight up damage race.
The big problem with a brute is DR really hurts fury: if you manage to get something like say +170% from fury and about +100% from slotting that +270% damage (370% total) would be reduced to about +170%, or 270% total. That's rather low for a brute: it would be the equivalent of a scrapper under-slotted with +80% damage. I guess the spiders do deal a lot more damage than I give them credit for.
You know, although I knew about the bubbles, I didn't think to use them. Must have completely slipped my mind. Now that the badge-pressure is off, I might give that another go.
I figured if anyone else had found a way to do this, you'd probably be one of the few.