Surgepoint

Dude! I'd totally be up for that! I've got work scheduled with little leeway up until this Friday, but anything after that I can request off if my request is turned in before the next schedule is put up (every Thursday/Friday). Swag isn't required and it doesn't have to be a big thing, but I'd totally love to meet any/all of you fellow players and you, Black Pebble. Aside from this week being too soon, I can probably arrange anything else.

I'm playing too. In fact, I'm even streaming it on Twitch at http://www.twitch.tv/surgepoint

I'm hoping to exceed my modest goal of $100. Maybe we can all agree to play together on Test at some point also, so that home server won't be an obstacle.

If we don't get CoH back, I'll do everything within my -admittedly limited- power to prevent as many people as I can from buying that game.

Hey, Mare?

You're awesome.

You can count me in on this, one per (favorite) alt of mine. Surgepoint, Flora Heart, Gail Storms, and many more will not go down without a fight!

I'd to join. My handle on Steam is the same as here: Surgepoint.

Until I hear the real cause behind all of this, not just rumors, I'm assuming that NCSoft had a hand in this decision and I'll be acting accordingly. There is also a possibility that it is just Cryptic/Atari/Perfect World. I'll also be treating them to my no-buy, warn-others-away approach. If they want to salvage *any* goodwill from a person who spends a bunch on games, they'll tell us what really happened. Until such time, GW2 might as well have been made by EA.

Until we start holding companies accountable for decisions we don't like, they'll keep screwing us over. "But I like X game they make, even if they've done bad things before!" Just wait til they screw over that 1 game you do like. It'll happen. And if you keep spending with them just because of that 1 game? I hope it crashes and burns hard...right after you spend $100 on it.

I'll throw my effort into this as well. Everyone I know, all my friends, all the people who consult me for gaming and PC fixes/upgrades, all the gamers in my massive family, all the online communities I frequent...all of these will know that NCSoft isn't worth the time it takes to type the name. Worse than EA. Literally Hitler. Okay, that's hyperbole, but you get the idea.

Don't touch NCSoft with a ten foot pole.

This may not be seen by many, but to any of us who will miss CoH but wish to continue playing any NCSoft product: I implore you to reconsider. They have a history of this type of thing and I foolishly hoped that CoH would be the exception. If you play Aion, it'll happen to you. Guild Wars 1 or 2? It'll happen. The only way to avoid the inevitable grief is to avoid NCSoft products like a plague. Stop playing their games so that the community shrinks. Don't buy anything else. Cancel your subscriptions. Tell every friend and passing acquaintance. The only way to teach a lesson to a company is to make their wallet feel it. I practice this against EA, Activision, and a few others, but they are likely too large to feel it at all. NCSoft? They should feel it. Let's see to it that they do.

I have no idea where I'm going. I tried many other MMOs and can't enjoy them like I have CoH. It was my first and only MMO. I'll find something, I always have, but that something will *NEVER* be tied to NCSoft. Good thing I hadn't bought GW2 already, like I had planned to. I'm a very picky gamer, but also *very* loyal. NCSoft just got on my <pancake>list. If I have the chance, I'll also warn others away. Not that it matters, suits never realize they made a mistake until they're unemployed...and often not even then.

To everyone at Paragon who couldn't influence this decision, I wish you the best of luck in the future. I've never met any of you, but I suspect that I'd count you among my friends if I ever have the chance. If I ever see your names attached to another project, I'll buy it just because of who you are...maybe even two copies.

To the community, you guys kept me here when other game's communities scared me off. All of you are awesome. Even the ones who were on my ignore list (usually due to persistent pessimism) are still good, decent people.

I wonder how hard it would be for someone to covertly backup some server software and deliver it to an emulator developer anonymously? Just idle wondering, no rednames should consider this. They would probably be fired for something like that. Only Xhibit likes to lose his job while he loses his job.

If everyone is noticing it, that perception filter must be broken. Wait, I'm sorry, I meant 'observation screen'.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it too much. I've only ever petitioned someone who was pretty blatant about their rip-off...er, I mean 'tribute'. You don't seem the type to confuse the concepts of tribute and rip-off. My measuring stick is 'how obvious is it?' It has to be, quite seriously, a direct copy costume-wise. That, or in the event that a costume is only evocative, it has to have a name/bio that is too similar as well. In short, if it looks obviously intentional, I treat it as such. If I'm questioning it's obviousness, I give the benefit of the doubt.

However, I've seen some ridiculous examples of generic-ification. A friend was named after a super obscure comic character with...unique powers. The name wasn't on purpose, none of us had heard of the character. The character in question was a woman with acidic blood which was also viral, or something. Real 'Dork Age of Comics' stuff. This trait came into play about once every 28 days. 'Nuff said on that topic. It wasn't even a name that'd most consider copyright-able. I mean it was basically "<Color> <Word for sickness>" and my friend's toon was a male with not-even-tangentally similar powers. He wasn't popular in some circles, so I'll leave you to guess how it happened. I think he actually quit over that, since it was his main.

Anyway, you're mostly likely fine, but nothing is 100% if someone decides to practice being a jerk. Just keep the references small, subtle, and tongue-in-cheek while trying not to be too Snarky.

What cape is Seldom using for their Aurora? Do want.

I don't know how reliable the source was, but a friend mentioned that Genesis is supposed to augment your existing powers. Sort of like 1 tree improves judgement, 1 does destiny, 1 alpha, etc. Probably just a rumor, but if it is real, that'd ruin Omega being what AzureSkyCiel suggested, unless they want to risk everyone doubling up for SUPER JUDGEMENT.

Honestly, I thought Genesis would be something to buff up what you are already good at. Scrappers gonna scrap. Not sure how that'd work though, since Hybrid already kinda covered that. If it is possible, I'd suggest that anything higher than Hybrid/Genesis shouldn't be available outside of iContent. This would make power creep slightly less of a concern, assuming future iContent is of sufficient difficulty.

The only thing I actually *want* out of future iPowers? Mostly that they look literally awesome. I'm a borderline god. I want my enemies to gaze upon My form and be awed.

My first suggestion matches what we are discussing about the Shadow Shard. A non-cooperative zone, but with content and access for both sides. I don't think the map needs an overhaul, but maybe add 1 (non-huge) extra incarnate zone. Navigation might be solved as part of the story.

See, I figure Rularuu is soon to play a bigger role in the story to come. The foreshadowing is all over the place and it seems like it will be incarnate related. Gravity was already funny in the Shard since it is a dream-like dimension. Operating from a point of of view that maybe Wade's tampering may have partially 'woken' Rularuu, perhaps his 'seat of power' has become a problem (the new iZone). Maybe he is starting to re-form or something?

If Rularuu is already planned to be involved in future story arcs in some way, maybe this could be the setup. If we wanted to turn tables a bit, the heroes' plan to stop/destroy Rularuu fails (since he'd have to be involved in future content) and it ends up being something the villains do that allow a better outcome. Of course, this would also have some boon or pay-off for them, even if it is only a story-arc-wrap-up mission that contains excessive gloating.

However, the effects are felt throughout the whole Shard. Anyone entering is finding that they can use a dream-like flight to get around. For this, they could use the new temp power tray tech and see if they can make it work on a zone-wide scale. If they wanted to 'advertise' or 'recycle' current assets, the dream-flight could use a rumored, sorcerous power which is sort of a flight/tp combo.

Far as I can tell, that'd take relative little work on the zone-scale. Finding a way to add the temp power zone-wide, making 1 new smallish iZone (or converting existing zone into one, like the Storm Palace, maybe), and making a villain entrance. Most of the work, assuming minimal actual zone changes, should be creation/revamping of the mission content.

My other suggestions are a little simpler. Firstly, lack of love redside is why it's population is lower which is why it doesn't get love. The community-at-large is unlikely to migrate there randomly, so only 1 side in the dev/community equation has the power to change that. I doubt it'd be easy, I have no delusions about that. However, I think the story potential is awesome. Any writer who could tackle redside and learn to make good content that is self-driven and lacking cliche would have learned a unique flexibility that would have lots of potential in it's own right. I want a reason to look forward to more of Viridian's great work.

Secondly, more awesome story arcs like the UN lady in Steel. Anywhere in the whole game would be great, but higher level -where some gaps exist- would be best. I love teaming and TFs, but sometimes I just want to solo a toon for a little while and I never really found radio missions and tips too exciting. I rarely miss those new Steel arcs, but many of my toons feel no attachment to Praetoria, skipping the Wards entirely.

I've soloed it with my plant/emp troller and my dark/dark/dark defender.

I also soloed it with my MA/SR scrapper, but he had full difficulty turned on, even AVs.

If they do bring them back, I wonder if maybe they'll bring up Waters of Mars? Ice Warriors can stand on their own, of course, but I think it'd be interesting to explore those water-zombie-things in relation to something they share an ecosystem with.

I suspect that, if they continue the Praetoria zones up in level past Night Ward, Prae!Infernal will show up there. They might opt against it, but I always figured that there would eventually be Praetorian content all the way to 50. Maybe, circa level 40s or so, Infernal is defeated/scared off and thus never participates in the iTrials (since they would come 'later' in the timeline).

The psychic shooty beam stuff that someone was referring to is in the full version of Tyrant's backstory, as posted on the Going Rogue site, if I recall correctly. During the section about the knock-down, drag-out fight between Cole and Hami, it mentions something about Hami catching Cole in some sort of psychic beam and Cole just going limp. Went looking for it and the quote is "The creature quickly healed the injury and responded by projecting a tangible beam of psychic energy at Cole, rendering him limp and helpless. A battle of wills ensued, and the world held its collective breath."

Presumably, this is when the negotiation took place. The full bio is at http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Tyrant .

He hopes to get celebrities involved? I don't think that will lead to an increase in stalker-like behavior or cause more frequent delusions of a pre-existing relationship. Nope, not possible.

On an unrelated note, Calvin Scott has an interactive poster of Aurora Borealis.