SuperOz

You forget the episode where 10 met Martha for the first time and he walked on the surface of the moon with no special equipment.


S.

I bought all the gifts I wanted to give people ahead of time and mailed them a good week and a half before Christmas. As far as shopping is concerned, the more people I can avoid the better.

I'm sure a lot of people enjoy Christmas/post-Christmas shopping, but for every good shopper it seems there are ten or twenty whose sole purpose is to obstruct, slow down, and generally annoy those of us who are trying to actually shop. I was glad to get home after seeing TinTin today back to a quiet keyboard and civilised human beings such as yourselves.



S.

I'm a bit more specific; I like tanking primarily and go with SS/Inv (simply because I love the concept more than anything), but have shifted to playing Claws/SR and even DP/SR to try out ranged.

However, I am useless at crowd control, and have no luck being a healer either.


S.

I tend to agree that there's a lot of storylines coming to a head/climaxing lately, and these are things that date back to the beginning of the game. The letter writer, various Phalanx plotlines, The Coming Storm....these are the big meta-stories that are the foundation of the game itself.

Once these are thrust into the spotlight and resolved one way or the other, we either get the basis for massive sweeping changes to the game (the dissolution/reformation of the Phalanx, and given we're getting the Recluse helm as well, a shifting of power away from Arachnos?) or the basis for shifting to a new setting.

I've harbored a bit of a hope that Praetoria after the fall of Cole's regime could be repurposed into a new 'City of Heroes' with reversed immigration, with heroes and villains both trying to control the city. Anyways, a guy can dream.

City of Heroes 2? Could be the seeds are being planted as we speak.


S.

I like the idea as well, but I haven't seen the temp power be a strain on anyone's systems that I know of. I think by and large the temp power is animation-based that spreads over a large area and persists for a while.

I'd like to think it's a testbed for seeing if other similar animated effects can be done, as there's evidence of it in First Ward (where the valleys are, there's some brilliant dust storms with weeds tumbling through also) and it's no noticeable impact on systems that I know of.

I'd like to see this be trialled in zones (though I suspect Dark Astoria is going to be using it big time) for events and the like. Any technical types care to chip in?



S.

Thank you sir. I really do enjoy doing this.



S.

YAY!

MORE YAY!

I am deliriously happy that this has been recieved, and on time no less! It was an absolute delight to make this for Sister Flame and she is welcome to play with it as much as she wants; all the paintwork is well and truly protected.

I've even moved the character in the letter onto Freedom so I can indeed team with the myth, the legend that is Sister Flame. We'll work out times!

Nothing makes me smile more than giving presents and especially to kids. And even more especially to kids who play City of Heroes.

As The Doctor would say: This is Christmas!



S.

Is it just me or does this trailer look...well....cheaper than the first movie? I feel like it's almost a straight-to-DVD with a B-list lead in Dwayne Johnson (yes, he's charismatic and does action well, but he's not A-listing movies, he's often playing a supporting actor role), and Bruce Willis doing his 'I'm Bruce Willis' thing, which isn't bad but isn't necessarily great, either.

It just felt....underdone, somehow.


S.

Wasn't it said that if a signature character was killed off in the arc, there'd be no in-game references to them anymore? So the STF would have some sort of replacement?

...does make me wonder about Recluse now, too.


S.

If he was a ninja, he showed his code of honor.



S.

I hope Joe got to see Cap on screen this past year...he'll be sorely missed. And I think the number of Golden Age creators are surely measured on one hands' worth now.

Godspeed, Mr. Simon.


S.

First up, I am on a 2x2 setup and I clearly need more, and thankfully Win7 allows me to put a bit of oomph into things. Thanks to a wholesaler out here called MSY, I can get a 2X4 set for less than fifty bucks. No, they're not under the table dealers either. Just a wholesaler for parts. 10 gig will knock it out of the park.

And thanks, Texas. I is a happy camper again.



S.

I did just want to take a moment and thank everyone who's replied and contributed so far to what's been a pretty even-handed discussion coming out of a pretty polarising first reaction to the announcement. I'm particularly heartened by the amount of people speaking up in favor of Statesman and not wanting to see him go, or at the very least getting a send-off that's worth of who the character should be.

I did initially feel a little sheepish and foolish putting forth a notion that supported what many felt and feel is a four-color hero with apparently no redeeming features other than to be annoying and an annoyance to player character ambition....but now I see that there's more to it than that and it's perhaps shining a light on how we collectively see the game's addressing of superhero morality. And it's not always casting the best shadows.

I think it is genuinely unfortunate that many would see any character that espouses higher ideals or aspirational values as either outdated or irrelevant, or even non-realistic. Without meaning to sound cynical, virtually every American politician and president has a speech referring to being the best person one can be, the tolerance of a country, the moral responsibilities America has being a world leader and so on. These are the highest ideals, the most profound and real-world moral issues. And yet within the game world they are discarded like so much detritus.

I don't feel there's anything wrong with supporting characters like Statesman because even in this fictional world, his values do stand for something. I don't know if there is or has been an agenda to write him poorly, or if the character fell out of favor, or even if he was no longer considered relevant enough so it was fine to kill him off, in whatever format that will take. What I do know however is once that step has been taken, it's often hard to take the stance of supporting the character afterwards. Somewhere along the line, the tacit agreement has been made that this is the purpose that best serves the character, and I can cite both DC and Marvel's flagship characters of having had this done with them.

We as audiences first are shocked and surprised at the decision, but then eye things cynically as the character is returned. We come to expect it as a pattern of behavior. Especially when it is flagged and 'announced with great solemnity'. The last great unheralded hero death that was done without overdone fanfare in my mind was Supergirl in the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. It wasn't announced, and the first thing people knew of it was the splash cover with Superman holding her in his arms. And they ended her story. But it was such an ending. Dignified, heroic, touching and moving. Respectful of the character and subdued enough to convey the seriousness of the decision to kill them off.

It is hard for me after some years of calculated 'deaths' after that point to view this announcement with seriousness. It may present itself seriously and solemnly and be even moving, but seeing Statesman's face and image still persisting over all the advertising subverts that, intentionally or not. To announce it as it has been subverts that. The reaction by the media subverts that. And ultimately, my empathy for the character and my belief that the character is undeserving of this event in their lives and that ultimately he has not been well served by his creators subverts that.

I will patiently await Statesman's return after all the hoopla has died down and watch as people react to this current event and, perhaps, the fuller realisation of getting what it was you wished for. You may not always like it.



S.

I'd have to say 'no, I'm not having more fun as an Incarnate'. First of all, I don't choose to treat myself as one. There's a built-in conceit in the writing of the Trials that you are claiming this power as some sort of divine right, regardless of your orientation or indeed, actual character. Plus, you're herded into it by Prometheus (the irony being is that he is easily as if not more bombastic than Statesman by a long measure).

I also don't enjoy raiding. At its worst, it encourages the worst attitudes and behaviors in players and at best, is a grinding exercise to gain temporary levels of power that are superceded by...other levels of temporary power. If I want to be on a treadmill, I'll go to a gym. Some people get great satisfaction in figuring out the 'puzzle' that is the best way to 'beat' the Trial, and more power to them. If I do a Trial, I hope to be on a team with an experienced leader so I don't have to try and figure it out for myself. I'll be honest about that.

But I think the sheer fact that Dark Astoria, a whole zone is being converted basically as a response to dislike for the system as it stands should speak volumes. Whether it was considered before Trials were implemented or after, it still strikes me as telling that this is the alternative. Without anything other than anecdotal evidence to go on, I'd say that this may become a preferred path for many.

City of Heroes isn't about trying to emulate other games. 'It's not the destination, it's the journey' that's been the motto of this game for years, and we've all appreciated the various paths that have been chosen. I hope in some ways the solo path is one both players and developers realise is just as valid as the much-vaunted Trial system.


S.

Promised I'd report back in on this one. Two things.

1) 11.9 is heaven on a stick. Makes the game run SO much more smoothly, it's unbelievable. Consider this my user recommendation.

2) Win7 is a resource hog. Out of the four gig I have installed, nearly half it is used up just running Win7. Which leaves me with two gig to run the game and anything else I might have going, which starts running my available resources down. Naturally enough, more RAM is on my shopping list. 8 should tide me over.


S.

The Devs (specifically Second Measure) said there'll be zero change to the game advertising on any level. Take that for what you will.


S.

I'm late to the party on this one, but I am also sorry to see you go. I am however sure that the new horizons in that wonderful country (net access notwithstanding ) will bring you and your husband many new exciting opportunities.

To lift a quote from Star Trek, May the Great Bird of the Galaxy watch over you. I find that oddly appropriate, somehow.

Perhaps we'll meet you again, one sunny day.



S.