The_Alt_oholic

There was at least one really good thread with player ideas about this a while ago. I can't remember if it was before the big forum restart wipe or not. Might want to use your search-fu to see if it still there. It was a good read.

There seems to be several threads wanting to be able to buy VET powers. I certainly hope that this will never happen. These VET rewards are for our loyalty to this game for so many years and not how much money we could plunk down all at one time.

The people with extra money to throw around should be VERY happy with their Ultra-graphics went it goes live. Many of us will not have access to Ultra-graphics any time soon - regardless of how long we have played CoH.

And, yeah, as a 60+ vet, I would feel very cheated at the DEVs sold-out my loyalty appreciation VET status to anyone that was willing to pay - especially for a reward that was given to me because I'd been loyal to the game for 5 YEARS!

I have no problem teaming with my AR/Dev blasters.


My 2nd or 3rd 50 was a Eng/Eng blaster. Now there's a lot of knockback!

Too much Knockback?
Please. Just learn to use it to your advantage - or comic relief.

Yeah, too bad.
Instead you get a Targeting Drone so your ACC is increased ALL THE TIME.

Oh, I know, "extra ACC does not equal extra DAM".
First, hitting more often does usually yield more damage.
Second, Time-Bomb is like a second nuke and Auto-Turret - I believe - is the only Blaster pet!

Yes. SOME players will wait for you to put down all 10 mines. Maybe not every battle if things are going well, but SOME will wait for you to set-up to beat down a "big bad".

Yes. Even if the others rush ahead, you can still put down a trip mine. Heck. If there is a real Tank (one with Taunt) on the team, then you can set a trip mine down right next to him ... repeatedly (assuming that they are Taunting and keeping the agro).

You must be really bad at placing trip mines. Even if you set them where you start before a battle starts, you should be able to lure a couple back to the trip mines - unless there is a Tank on the team who is doing a really good job. Just snipe at one of the enemies on the fringe. They are less likely to have been Taunted and your Snipe damage should draw agro. Lure the enemy back onto your trip mine. Smooth and easy.

I have never been asked to change from my AR/Dev blasters. I've never been asked what blaster set I was and been turned away from a team because I was a AR/Dev Blaster. I've never been asked to change my character when I was on a team because I was an AR/Dev blaster at the time.
Maybe this has something to do with what server you are playing on, or the fact that you are trying to give the inviter other options that makes them think that you don't really want to play the AR/Dev.
It also seems that there are some that you normally team with that really like your Archery char for some reason. Maybe if you played with them with your AR/Dev more you could figure out how to make them like it as well - or maybe they would let you team with them with that char since you are friends....if they are your friends.

Sounds server or maybe even "crowd" specific.
I'm playing to have fun. I like to defeat the enemies. I like to work to avoid any of my teammates falling in battle if possible.
However, I am a big fan of "no tanker/no scrapper" teams and PuGs. I'm not into exploiting the game through farming, power-leveling, door-sitting, or any other kind of exploitation.
Practically, any combination of powers can work together to make a good team. I will yield the fact that Debuffs and burst damage are necessary to take down some AVs and Giant Monsters.

If you say so. I see no numbers here to back up what you have to say. I just see you saying that that is the fact.
Maybe you should try another server and avoid the number-crunchers and try to have a good time playing a AR/Dev blaster instead of trying to mini-max yourself to some kind of self-vindicating uberness.
Just let go. It isn't going to kill you to enjoy just playing the game. Maybe you will find out that that is the whole point.

How many character slots do you have open?
Make another character or if you really just don't want that character on that server - move them to another one. I'm guessing that you will have more fun with your AR/Devs blaster on practically every other server - if you are on the one that I think you are on.

Like using Cloaking Device, Smoke Bombing an enemy, and going in and setting a Time Bomb?

Or Caltrop-ing a group of enemies area, Igniting the ground under their feet, Web Grenading one down, Flame Throwering the group, and then blasting them with Buckshot (then repeat)?

And let's not forget the Trip Mines. Really. Those are kick butt, the reason that they aren't so much so sometimes is because other players lack patience. The fact that the other players don't have patience doesn't mean the set is lacking - it means that the other players are lacking patience.

What server are you on?
What are you saying?

you: "LFT"
other: "LFM"
you: "Can I join your team? But let me warn you in advance that I'm only AR/Dev and they kind of suck."

Honestly, I've never run into this kind of behavior.
And how can you tell that they are "looking around and waiting for someone else to sent them a tell, hoping to fill the spot" or what they are doing?

You know, I get the same kind of behavior with "some" of my characters. It usually isn't related to what sets I'm playing (unless someone can click on you or you tell them what their sets are, they can't even check until you are teaming AND in the same zone as them) or ever what level, side, or server that I'm on. Its just I have some characters that are unlucky at teaming.
It could be the names I picked or just that those characters are just really unlucky and have a hard time finding or recruiting for teams every time I try to play them.
When they do finally get going on a team, the teams usually perform well, but then it's back to having bad luck with that same character again until they finally "luck out" again.

And this was melee characters with limited range complaining that one of their attacks was knocking there enemies out of their attack range where the enemies could then get up and attack them (from range).
A Blaster doesn't tend to knockback their enemies outside of their range of attack. In fact, a blaster that knocks back an enemy often will have enough time to Snipe that same enemy if they are slotted in a manner to do so.

The set is good as it is.
DP is different from what AR is. AR was created over 5 years ago.
In some ways, I like AR much more than DPs.

Enough with the Ammo envy. People have already complained that DP doesn't have a Snipe.

I agree.

Money shouldn't buy you everything in the game.

It is true that a Vet is paying for that time, but they are also have been paying too play for that amount of time.

The VET rewards are earned by time. The money is just a side-effect of spending that time.

It open the whole can of worms on buying everything in the game with real world dollars - levels, badges, enhancements, etc. ... but not including uber powers.

"Gee, I'm Richie Rich(tm)!
"I'm the most powerful player in City of Heroes and I only had to give the DEVs $10,000 to make me be able to one-shot anyone I fight with no ACC check, complete invisibility - I turn it off so I can gloat over my fallen foes, and a special l337 power that makes it look like I'm being hurt, but always increases my hps so that I never actually fall in battle."

I know that wasn't the intent of the original posters post, but that is where this kind of thing will end up going in the end.
I don't think anyone want to see it go there, except for maybe Richie Rich(tm).

Those of us that have spend time playing the game for so many years deserve a little something to gloat over for being such old farts in the game. They have been actively giving away our badges for being at the early anniversaries already and that didn't even give anyone any powers that I know of. Heck, let us old timers have something for being loyal to the game for so many years.
The game is still playable with Training, DO, and SO enhances. It is definitely playable without Vet Powers or any Booster Pack powers.
In fact, there are Day Job powers that you can get that are at least as powerful as most of the Vet Powers.
You can buy Respecs already.

No. Please DEVS! Don't allow someone who is just purchasing the game to buy up their VET reward status so it appears to me in game that they have been around as long as I have just because they have the money to throw around.

Heck, just look at their join date.
"Join Date: Dec 2009"

Apparently, "noob" has become a generic 4-letter word to some people.

I find it extremely distasteful to see the use of the term in general even when it is used to express that someone is new to the game.

And, yeah, MondoCool, to those of us that have been around for years, someone that hasn't even been around for 6 months is definitely new to this game, so you definitely appear to be what you accuse ST of being - you are just that on multiple levels.

I agree with this.

I don't take Stamina on EVERY character though - ALMOST every character I make does though - including Regen Scrappers. I can't remember if I've achieved a high enough level with a Willpower character to determine if I needed to get Stamina as well or not.

This situation with Stamina may be a new discussion with some people, but this has been going on for a very long time.
In order to "give in a bit" to this sort of thinking, the DEVs made leveling from level 1-20 faster ... repeatedly made it faster ...
Back in i1 it as a challenge to get from 11-15. Heck, I remember when level 1s still received debt when they fell in battle.
The game doesn't have to be pathetically easy to be fun. I would have still been here if the leveling mechanics were still the same as they had been in issue 1. I'm sure many of you would have complained but would still be playing if leveling was still like it was back then.
And it wasn't just the xp curve, the zones were FAR more dangerous back "in the day".
The challenge is what makes it exciting and gives you the thrill of victory when you are finally able to over-come something that was difficult or impossible before.
If there is no challenge, what does the reward mean?
(If you are a farmer, a pl'r, a door-sitter, AE baby, or other any form of exploiter, there is no need to answer that question as it is not directed to you. Obviously, you'd rather be spoon-feed.)

I definitely think that Fitness should be left as it is for the very reason that it serves a point to show that it takes effort to be come "physically fit" and, when it comes down to it, that you really need to be "physically fit" in order to be a superhero.
Just buck up and do a little running or jumping and you won't get winded so much ... no reason to make it a freebie - we already get tons of super powers.

And like B said, there are lots of other ways to get more END or a boost to your END Recovery speed ... including Insps.

It's a personal decision. There are many factors to weigh. Honestly, I have so many characters that leveling hardly ever an issue.
Before SSK'ing (super-side kicking), it would have been advantageous to turn off the XP at level 45 or so in order to exploit as a bridge for level 50's PL'ing characters.
If you want to get certain kinds of salvage drops or lower level recipe drops, it could be advantageous to turn xp off to keep you at that level (as an alternative to teaming with characters that are the desired level that could auto-exemplar you down to the desired level).
Honestly, I find the game more enjoyable below level 30-35. At this level or higher - on a large team - there are so many SFX going off that I often can't see what is going on (sometimes never actually seeing the enemy at all once a battle begins).

If you are on a "normal" arc that you really like, you might want to turn the xp off so that you don't out-level it.
If you want a friend to catch up level-wise with one of your characters, you could turn your xp off until they catch up.
Level 25 is a good level to lock for a bit. You would have access to the O-portal, and that would put you in range to run all missions in Striga Island (I personally think that the Hess Taskforce there is one of the best taskforces in the game.)

It seems that many people like the game more after they get Stamina. These kinds of people tend to make sure that they are able to get Stamina at level 20.
So if you don't like running out of Endurance, then getting Stamina at level 20 and 2 more slots in Stamina at level 21 makes a big difference. This would mean that you wouldn't want to xp-lock a most characters before level 21.

Willpower and Regen both have Stamina like powers that they can get early on. So if you are worried about End and want to lock down a character at some level below level 20, I would pick a Brute, Scrapper, or Tank with Willpower or a scrapper with Regen.

Some people say that Controllers really don't come into their own until the 20's or 30's.

What is "better at certain levels" also depends on if you are planning to solo or team.

I posted over here in regards to this :: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showt...04#post2767204

It's pretty clear that the Exploiters have more man-hours to putting into finding exploits than the DEVs have to stop them.

Cutting XP doesn't solve the problem - just the leveling problem.

Based on your comment here ::

I can see why you are defending "ticket farming" and the exploits related to that.

Well, "ticket farming" is exploiting the system, so if you really want to stop the exploits then it should be done across the board.

To stop "ticket farming" from influencing the rest of the game, ticket sales of all non-AE related items needs to be stopped. This means that tickets could only be used to purchase unlockables and badges.
I'm all for that.

Now back to the "farming" issue.
I am against "farming". You can't separate good farming from bad farming; there is just farming. Farming just for salvage, enhancements, or recipes isn't any better than farming for xp and most of the time level 50 farming involves xp farming for lower level characters.
Farming is an exploit issue that has plagued this game probably from he very beginning (it was around in issue 1!)

I would like to see a system implemented that curbs all rewards for missions repeated during a 24 hour period. Much like the merit system for taskforces, this would "convince" players to run varied missions rather than allowing exploiters to find "certain" missions and run them ad naseum.
Diminishing returns seemed to be the Taskforce merit solution.
I'd be all for seeing the first run being at 100% rewards (all rewards), second 50% rewards, more times gain 25% rewards. This would be for XP and all "drops".
I'd make this regardless of who the mission holder was. If a player (account, not character) runs the same mission more than once then this system would kick in.

I'm not trying to take away anyone's right to "get stuck in a time loop" and run the same mission over and over again if that is REALLY what they enjoy doing in the game - but I am against the excessive rewards that the exploiters that do this gain.

And yes. Farmers are exploiting the game. Missions are not "intended" to be run repeatedly for some increased gain. If you are doing something that "is not intended" and/or to yield "excessive gains" then you are exploiting the game. Since the sole reason that farmers are farming is for the gains and and missions are not "intended" to be run multiple times in succession - it seems pretty obvious that farmers are exploiters - pretty much the first and foremost exploiters of the game.

Or maybe you should pick on someone that has a chance of defeating you rather than beating down someone that apparently can't defeat you?

In my experience in PvP Zones often times those that are nigh-invulnerable won't fight with others that are in the same position. It appears that they would rather "beat down" those that have no chance of defeating them.

It seems like a very good balance to allow those that have no chance of defending themselves - let alone defeat their opponent - to get away.

It's a risk versus rewards issue.
Obviously, some PvP toons have "very little risk to no risk" to gain their rewards.
Other PvP toons have "little to no chance of been anything more than rewards for other players" (aka "they are all risk and no reward").

If you want to drive even more players from PvP, then fix this "exploit". I think there are hundreds more exploits that need to be looked at and fixed before this one - that includes others exploits in PvP zones.

Yes.

Another step toward stopping exploits in the AE.

I understand that it has been hard to curb exploitation while still allowing those of us that are trying to create arcs that aren't exploits to still be able to provide missions that yield exp near-about(tm) equivalent to "normal" missions.

Thank you.

This probably won't get my missions more plays, but, hopefully, it will help stop invites that are for "AE farm teams" and/or ending up on an AE team that is actually an "AE farm team".

And I really do still believe that the rampant exploits in the AE have caused damage to the newer part of the player base.
Those of us that have been here for several years are pretty much in it for the long haul. We might fight amongst ourselves, but, if we were going to burn out on the game, we already would have.
However, to newer players, farms and the "easy route to 50" are not the path to a long stay in the City. I'll be glad to see when this behavior is stopped. Those kind of behaviors don't endear you to the flavor of the City, they tempt you to easy and quick gain make normal progress in the game seem slow and boring or too hard because they aren't used to actually having to fight intelligently to defeat their enemies.

Of course, the most gross exploitation which involves not fighting at all has really not been addressed at all. Everyone knows it goes on.
But we aren't supposed to talk about exploits here, oh, wait ... this was a post about exploits.

Yeah, Door-sitting needs to be stopped. SSK'ing only aggravates the problem because now 7/8th of a team can door-sit. It isn't like this is any great revelation to anyone that has actually been playing the game.

Pretty much, those of us that don't want to exploit the game have to go out of our way not to exploit the game - because exploitation is so rampant in the game at this point ... it's so rampant that people think that you are crazy if you don't want to exploit the game.
And, yeah, it should be obvious that I think that is a pretty sad state and that it is dragging down the game.

I'm sorry I'm ranting, but I'm really tired. I've written a lot more that I have deleted and restarted for one reason or another, but I guess that the point is that I really am glad that there are being steps taken to stop the exploitation and I know how hard a fight that it is to stop it.

I used to play in an RPG every Sunday. We had a great GM. He worked really hard to set-up really cool long term adventures for the group, but there were 6 or more of us at a time that had learned to work as a team. He was smart, but we had him out-numbered. A scenario that was meant to last for months would be torn apart in a night. It made me sad to see him get so frustrated by us being able to out think him and unravel the secrets and puzzles so quickly. It came to the point that when we started to use a new system, I would simply refuse to look at the rule book - because I would try to exploit it.
Yeah, I was a mini-maxer. Sure, I was character conception even back then, but I could tweak the heck out of system if I wanted to.
So I know, releasing the real numbers was probably one of the worst things that a computer game could ever do.
That cat is out of the bag. There is no putting it back in.
Those numbers are the roots of all the exploits that have happened in the AE.
Those numbers are the basis for some players thinking "Y aren't the rest of you calculated to Z the best X you can be?" versus players taking time to explore what it means to play a set and tweaking it themselves to learn what works well for them and enjoying the experience of the nuances of the different characters that they run into.

But it is too late now. The numbers are out. They are going to be crunched. There is always a loop hole. There are more exploiters than their are DEVs. Do the math. They are.

But it is a valiant goal and I applaud you for trying.
However, I want to enjoy adventuring as a superhero (or perhaps sometimes doing something a bit naughty as a villain from time to time).
My goal isn't to break the game. I'm here to play it.
And I plan to be here and enjoy the content instead of trying to break it for as long as I play this game.
And I love this game, so I hope that I can play it for a long time to come.

For me that's a tie.

Archer/Psi Blaster versus Thugs/TA mastermind.

Both are just so much fun just from the character conceptions, but the powers fit the character conceptions so well that it just makes the combos so much better.

No.
Didn't need this for CoV for success.

They don't have to buy 3 even if they had to buy what we are playing now and an expansion. If you buy CoH or CoV, loading either one of them at this point will give you access to all of CoH (all of what was CoH and all of what was CoV).

I bought a couple of copies of CoV for like $2.88 a piece at one point and those will allow you to play CoH (CoH and CoV) with a month of play time. Heck these days you could load up the trail, play that for 15 days and then convert it to the full account and get 45 days of play time.

So you you could possibly get $29.99+$2.88 with 45 days of free-time (15 without DP/DS and 30 with DP/DS) if you wanted to get an old (unopened/unused) copy of the game on the cheap and get the expansion.
This wouldn't give you the booster pack part that comes with the Complete, but you would still get the "free time", but only if you are new customer.

The issue that I have seen brought up is about the "1 month" of play time not being included for the price.
To some people, saving that $15 is worth more than getting to use the DP and DS sets early.
People that need to save money should not be shown disrespect because they are tight on cash for whatever reason.

If that extra $12-15 per Expansion versus Complete is going to make-or-break Paragon Studios and CoH then the game is already in a lot of trouble.

No bantering in their defense can convince me that they need the money more than I do. I bought a year subscription update back in Nov in order to save money in the long run.
I guess everyone that is complaining that people that shouldn't complain about not getting that free-month with the expansion are buying their time one-month at a time because the DEV staff needs all the money they can get.

So even if you aren't buying your subscription one-month-at-a-time (at the highest price) stop complaining that other people aren't supporting the game enough by not buying the Expansion version without the free month.

Some of us are doing what we can to save what little we can practically everywhere we can.

The game isn't going down because they aren't getting the extra month fee from me or anyone else that is willing to wait.

CoH is a great game. I love it.
I do think it is a shame that they felt that they had to use this marketing tactic to get some extra bucks out of the part of player-base that has extra loot, but I guess they are the ones that should get fleeced anyway.

They deserve worse if they think they have the right to berate those that are low on cash.

Which is a monster? Hmm...somehow I'm thinking the Ghouls....

Well, Tyrant won't like him, but apparently the Resistance follow him...so...at least someone is on his side...

Okay. First off, these Legends aren't that old based on the rest of the bio. I figure that the Sewer Alligators have a longer legacy than these guys.
Monsters? Hmm... No friends .... "These monsters hunt everyone" ... and "insatiable appetite for flesh"....

Somehow I think these guys are the monsters between the two, but I might be confused.


Some how this is different from the rest of the game in general?

Oh, I see it is different because the Terrorist (Resistance) are "good" guys (or are they supposed to be the bad guys?) and the Flesh-eating Horde that doesn't have any friends is the "bad" guys (or are they supposed to be the good guys some how? are they secretly misunderstood purifiers of the world?)

I think will have to run some of the new content to find out!?

I guess some will be biting their nails in anticipation over the release ... oh, I see how the Ghouls are supposed to be the good guys now...I guess?

Seriously though, it seems that it is supposed to be a bit veiled but in no ways appears to be.

I am interested in how the alignment system (tracking, earning, etc) works and how many slots we will be getting and how getting the Expansion may effect this versus getting Complete (or is it the same? no one seems to know or want to tell? why? at least say why you won't say)

Don't worry.
Brutes were never supposed to be the Tankers of CoV ... Masterminds are the Tankers of CoV.

You are what any Tanker without Taunt dreams of being and often posts that they wish they were.

Tanker, you ain't. Envied by Tankers, you are.

Love your Brutality.

Sure why not?

CoH2 was CoV
CoH::GR will be CoH3.

Since CoH2 - CoV -which had lots of graphical improvements, etc.

So since it's already out, I guess they can continue on with i17.

I keep wondering how long people will keep on bringing up this mythical CoH Reboot. It is obvious that the game is nothing like it was in i1 to any of us that were paying back in i1.
At least as a player that played back in i1, I can tell you that I have seen wave after wave of changes. I remember when the trees were two vertical planes. I remember multiple changes to the faces. There was only one male, big, and female forms. I remember the water going through multiple changes.
Seriously, the game is progressing.

Would you really rather see all work being done to CoH stop for several years to see a new CoH Reboot?
That should give Champions Online a chance to catch up and DCU Online to get a good toe hold.

I don't see any way that the DEVs are going to consider that - especially after all the time they have spent on COH:GR -which hasn't even been completed yet.

And I know I already said it - because I have already said it in multiple previous threads - CoH2 is CoV - which is now part of CoH. CoH::GR is CoH3.

Heh, I like to confuse them myself. Everything already spawned by the portal attacks it! If you catch it early, the first couple spawned will destroy it before it can spawn more (especially if you help destroy it.)

Seriously, I didn't think these questions were that hard.

I don't know of a better place to ask this. (if there is a better place, please reply and let me know)

This is the discussion thread for "Two Ways to Get Going Rogue".

As there is a difference between the other two in other areas, I think these are very valid questions.

I hear that those that have the Pre-order/Early DP/DS Expasion did not get extra character slots.
I saw on the website that we were going to be getting extra character slots.
Please explain about the Extra Character Slots.

Thanks.

---
meh...well, I guess I see why there was no answer yet...

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=213180

I hope it is 4 per server just like CoV.

I have no idea what it is, and it still hasn't been made clear yet on the forums as far as I can tell.

If someone knows, please direct us to where this information is listed and if we get character slots for both the GR-DP/DS early and the GR-Complete editions!

Borrow some of those web grenades to glue it back together.

And if you are worried about the sale price of it in damaged condition, I don't think the Vazhlok mind if it is slightly used and/or abused.

Who better to send to a negotiation?!

Give them a hard time and they blow themselves up!

The Hellions were apparently trying to get a leg-up on the Skulls by buying arms from the Vazhlok!

I can't wait to hear what temp power was in the glowie!