TrueMetal
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After being disappointed by John Scalzi's Old Man's War (decent, but not nearly as great as I was expecting), I just finished the excellent Cassandra Kresnov trilogy (Crossover, Breakaway, Killswitch) by Joel Shepherd. Rather unknown books by a rather unknown writer, and unjustly so. It's a great mix of cyberpunk and military science fiction, lots of fast paced action and set in a credible and consistent universe.
So after a string of sci-fi books I'm in the mood for some modern fairy tales, before diving back in fantasy epics, so I'm currently reading:
"The girl who circumnavigated Fairyland in a ship of her own making" by Catherynne M. Valente.
This is a real gem so far. There's some real clever writing and I love how the writer takes all the modern fairy tale tropes and cliches and turns them about, reaching back to the darker, original fairy tale feeling, while still holding on to the sense of wonder that sort of stories should induce.
My favourite quotable piece so far:
Quote:And next up will be: Ash by Malinda Lo. Which is a retelling of the Cinderella story, with Ash, the main character, having to choose between her prince charming and a huntress (yes, female!) she falls in love with.One ought not to judge her: all children are Heartless. They have not grown a heart yet, which is why they can climb high trees and say shocking things and leap so very high grown-up hearts flutter in terror. Hearts weigh quite a lot. That is why it takes so long to grow one. But, as in their reading and arithmetic and drawing, different children proceed at different speeds. (It is well known that reading quickens the growth of a heart like nothing else.) Some small ones are terrible and fey, Utterly Heartless. Some are dear and sweet and Hardly Heartless At All. September stood very generally in the middle on the day the Green Wind took her, Somewhat Heartless, and Somewhat Grown. -
Looks really overdone to me. Steampunk doesn't mean 'just add random wheels and gears everywhere'. At least not to me.
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Quote:I thought Magnolia was brilliant. The ending brought made a good movie into a great one for me.Originally Posted by Deacon_NA
I wouldn't nominate Magnolia for this particular "award" but I do agree with your sentiment. No other movie has taken me from "really like" to "hate" as quickly as this did when the "wtf ending" happened. Just seeing or hearing any mention of this movie raises my blood pressure a point or 2. -
I think both Prince of Thieves and the Untouchables are great.
My nomination would be Alexander. The only movie ever during which I actually fell asleep. (not counting some for tv only pulp I just watch in the middle of the night when I can't sleep.) -
The idea that we should get rid of Costume contests just because some free players might not like not getting the reward is so freaking absurd. I'm honestly baffled that someone even considered it. I'm even more baffled that basically everyone in this thread seems to agree with it ...
Free accounts are just trial accounts without a time limit. We didn't do away with CCs for the trial accounts did we? If anything, community stuff like this will act as an incentive for free players to go premium or VIP if they want to join in. -
Quote:I think a lot of people reason this way, and that it is exactly the reason why this sort of lists always look like this. Going by another forum I frequent (one about books) there aren't that many people who think 1984 and fahrenheit are their top 10 of books they enjoyed the most. But they always tend to end up in the top 10 they voted for anyway because of the 'historical importance' of those books.Originally Posted by Arcanaville
I had ultimately voted for LotR, Hitchhikers, Ender's Game, 1984, Fahrenheit, Foundation, Brave New World, and American Gods. My other two votes were for World War Z and Watchmen.
I have to admit, my voting wasn't "clean." Its not what I think the absolute best top ten are, especially because I didn't have good criteria for that anyway. I felt that LotR, Hitchhikers, Ender's Game, and Foundation should be on there as among the most important, period. I felt 1984, Fahrenheit, and Brave New World were historically strong and influential. I then added American Gods and World War Z as contemporary representation and to represent some of my own personal preferences, and Watchmen as my strongest comic book medium work. It was a close call against the entire Sandman series in total, but I felt Gaiman was already represented in American Gods.
Not that there's anything wrong with that, people should vote as they see fit. It's just something I noticed. -
Quote:This is my view on it as well. The main difference between the old mages and these are more polygons and high res textures. Those 'pope hats' aren't anything new, nor are the colors.Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
You know, I've seen a few parody posts already criticising the ridiculous costumes of the Circle of Thorns, and while I don't disagree... Isn't that kind of the point? I mean, look at even the legacy mages - funny hats are what we wanted. What I wanted, anyway. They ARE ridiculous and absurd wizards, but that really is how I've always seen them. Sure, the simple robed monks are the first thing we see and what most people remember, but by the later levels even the basic casters are sporting ridiculous shoulders.
And, really, "ridiculous wingspan wizard" designs like in Red Sonya (I think it was) are what I expect the high mages to be. Funny hats, fancy robes and all the other absurd garments that tell you "This man could not walk through doors... Because he doesn't need to!" I honestly feel that this kind of wizardry is very welcome in City of Heroes, where most of our "magic" tends more towards the technomagic aspect, or post-modern aspect of magic. The typical ridiculous wizards you see in much of high fantasy are generally absent from the game, and these guys, I think, do a good job of filling that void.
So, yes, "a flamboyant pope," indeed. But that's what I like about it.
That's what struck me back in the other thread; everyone was saying they wanted the brown robed and hooded look back for the mages. They never had that look. The only ones with hoods were/are the archer and cultist minions in the low-mid levels. Other than those it's ALL pope hats (or bald) and funky colors. -
Quote:There doesn't need to be a story for this. It's a retcon. The circle have always been like this. *hand wave*Originally Posted by Grae Knight
That is far from a small change.
The need to explain things ingame that need no explanation ingame gave us dumb things like the 'lore' on the invention system and powerset proliferation and incohesive stuff like the origins of power arcs.
On the new CoT looks:
These looks do indeed fit more closely with their original looks. I like em a lot. Think I like the energy mage the most.
I kinda liked the half hoods for the minions that were on the original redesign, (even though they across more assassin than mage i.m.o.) and I hope they end up in the costume creator at one point. -
Quote:Actually that '8:00 pm on a tuesday' was basically 8:00 pm every day for the past few weeks.Originally Posted by Eleven
Little info for you.
It is hardly ever ran on Union. There is one case where someone on Sal's Badgehunters tries to organise a MO attempt 8:00pm on a Tuesday.
That is the only time they ever try and run a Keyes.
Not great advertisement towards someone like me that you have trouble convincing that iTrials are worth my time and energy in the first place.
Sometimes there was a full team PuG run as a warm up and then a couple of 12 man 'invites only' master attempts. (12 man because it's actually easier that way, less herding cats, and invites only because some of the early attempts got bodged by nitwits not listening to the leader, so now you only got on if someone else vouched for you.) I was on 5 of those, but I'm still missing the green stuff badge. 
The final battle with anti-matter on those runs is honestly the most fun I've had on an itrial since they started. Mostly because everyone actually played together and listened to what was being said. I.m.o. Keyes is great for SGs/coalitions that want to tackle something challenging together. -
Quote:See, i.m.o. it's exactly the opposite. CoV zones all have their distinct feel and background and the story arcs from the contacts in that zone are tailored towards that background story.Originally Posted by NightErrant
Paragon City, despite being more homogenous, in my opinion, doesn't have that problem as much. Paragon's zones all have a distinct theme, in terms of lore. They have their own distinct problems and stories. King's Row is an industrial district and slum. Steel Canyon is the business district. Founder's Falls is high class residential.
Paragon City just excels in homogeneous blandness. Steel Canyon doesn't say 'business district' to me, but rather 'rows of weird skyscrapers where nothing much happens'. Skyway is my least favorite city zone in the game (just after the generic drudgery that is Peregrine Island.) There's just a bunch of seemingly random motorways, several levels of them, that serve no purpose and go nowhere. It doesn't make any sense. I give you Founder's Falls though. That place is quite nice. -
Quote:Or you just go somewhere else to buy coke and your whole analogy makes even less sense than it does now ...Originally Posted by Friggin_Taser
Dark Gob, If you drink Coke, but hate shopping at Wal-Mart, and Coke runs a promotion with Wal-Mart that gets you in their store, then it worked.
The Facepalm emote wasn't an advertisement for City of Heroes, since only people who go to this site knew about. It was an advertisement for Facebook. And no matter how smart you think you are, while you twirl your handlebar mustache, sip on your bourbon, and laugh gauntly but not so gauntly as to drop your monocle about how you totally stuck it to the "man" by making a fake dummy account... Facebook doesn't care. Just like if you walked into that Wal-Mart to buy the precious life giving Coke I can only assume you guzzle by the liter full through some IV contraption I made up in this analogy wearing a funny mask and trench coat, Wal-Mart still got to count you as a customer for the day. Just like how Facebook can now say they have one more member.
Your Rage Against The Machine here is more like Rage Against The Apple Genius Bar while you wait for your mom to finally figure out how to get her iPad to connect to the Facebook you despise while all you want to do is go to the other side of the mall and totally stick it to the man by buying some Paramore CDs. -
Quote:Emperor Cole in his white suit for iconic look, Dr vahzilok for cool (sewing yourself in a flesh suit is just awesome.)Originally Posted by Noble Savage
Can we call it? Is it safe to say that Ghost Widow is the single most compelling character design in the game, as voted by the COH forums? Reading through all the posts, I don't think we can make any conclusions about single best Male character design, but Ghost Widow appears to get the trophy for "Favorite Design" and "Favorite Female Design" by a pretty wide margin.
Wonder if it's possible to identify a "Favorite Male Design"? Or a 2nd favorite female design, since GW ran away with the top spot.
Ms Liberty for iconic look, Mirror Spirit for cool. -
Quote:The Keyes trial is great.Originally Posted by Bad_Influence
This trial is awful. If you love it good on you, but all three times I have run it, at least half the league swears to never do it again. I think this time, I'm one of them.
Yes, it's harder to get the hang of at first.
Yes, it requires actual coordination between teams and team members.
Yes, you need to actually pay attention to whats happening for the whole duration of the trial or you'll die.
And yes you need a competent leader to pull it all together.
And that's what makes it fun. Especially the end battle. We didn't have something like that yet in this game (except the Apex TF maybe, which is great too) and now we do. It fills a game play niche.
The other two trials are pretty straight forward (they're essentially still 'hit the sacks of hp until they keel over' tasks, with some flavor added) and hardly pose a challenge to experienced players. BAF routinely gets successful master runs on PuGs, even when people aren't trying, and people do 8 player Lambda speed runs just because they can ... -
Quote:I have avatars and sigs disabled.Originally Posted by White Hot Flash
You should have read the signature on the poster. It tells you all you need to know about how receptive they are to feedback on the ideas they put out on the internet, and how thin a skin they have. My work internet is crap and this makes for faster loading.
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Quote:No, they really don't. It's crappy, it's rundown, it breathes atmosphere in a way the drab sterility of Paragon city doesn't manage anywhere. The cluttered, neglected look with complete disregard for the historic looks and beauty fits perfectly for the type of dictatorship the Isles are under.Originally Posted by Memphis_Bill
... like the burning building. Or the snake pits. Or the fence with misc building materials stuck to it. Or the garbage dump... wait, that describes most of it.
"Many beautiful places?" Have to say, the Isles in general need a makeover to get rid of the Cheap Landfill theme they have throughout the redside zones.
I could go for that look in areas - to make them LOOK like the slums they try to keep hidden away and/or snatch people from. The dingy, drab, depressing look of the isles makes it impossible to appreciate what they COULD have been showing off (the "old city" look and architecture, which would bring St Martial and Aeon's little city into more contrast and make Grandville's Web/tower seem more of a shame.)
Maybe beautiful isn't the right word, but the isles were never intended to be beautiful. It's iconic, in the same way to CoT robes are iconic. -
Quote:I agree with this. Why can't we have the same costume piece with different textures? Put them on a drop down menu under the same item. No extra clutter.Originally Posted by PowerStream
Okay David this is just silly thinking. Old stuff doesn't automatically equal non reflective and new stuff doesn't automatically mean shiny.
What we the players are asking for is OPTIONS. I'd like to have the OPTION of new tech armor in both a matte or shiny finish. I don't want EITHER/OR. Think about War Hammer armor - as described in the books, it's not reflective most of the time. Who says the current metallic skin has to be shiny? I could come up with a million reasons to have it non-reflective - need for stealth being the first on the list. Just because something is matte or flat finish doesn't make it old - look at current trends in automotive finishes. Flat paint is very cool right now.
So the big question becomes, can BOTH options be done? -
Quote:The difference for me is that I'm already interested in CoH. So an advertising about CoH in CoH related places (the forum, website, ...) doesn't bother me.Originally Posted by Friggin_Taser
No, I was reading what you said anticipating you responding with some kind of loophole so you can get around the threat of cancellation you made.
And you came through with flying colors.
The fact remains: they offered an in-game item for advertising purposes. You can dress it up in whatever lies or half-truths you have to to make it seem like it wasn't advertising, but when you have a few thousand people suddenly liking your facebook page, it's 100% pure advertising. Even if you had to make a fake dummy account to do so, you still took time out of your in-game playing to do something not-game related involving advertising to get an in-game benefit. How a system like this would differ from a simple link in an emailed newsletter or a link on the Launcher I do not know, but apparently you drew this completely arbitrary line in the sand on just what level of shameless advertising you are willing to subject yourself to for in-game items and seem to be trying to cast it over everyone else.
So by your own stated ultimatum, NC Soft has lost you as a paying customer.
I don't mind a Coca Cola logo on the Coca Cola bottle I just bought. I do mind the Coca Cola logo when it's put in game (or in the down loader or whatever) as a movie or window I need to click past, or during irritating breaks on a show I'm watching.
Also, in game swag is horribly tacky. -
Quote:Yes, cause the costume creator is completely saturated by thoseOriginally Posted by Emberly
I was thinking the same thing, but for spiky pointy bits.
A statement like that is dishonest at best.
Yes, I get it, some people don't like 'fantasy' armor. But you know what? I like them. It was a hole in the costume creator that now is getting filled.
Now for some proper chain mail and I'm all set. -
It would be incredibly tacky to say the least. A real mood killer. I wouldn't appreciate something like this at all.
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Quote:You don't like the Rogue isles because they're annoying to navigate, but you like Nerva of all places? That ... just doesn't make sense.Originally Posted by RoleplayerX
Personally, I rarely play a villain because I find the Rogue Isles depressing and annoying to navigate. Nerva is the only redside zone I like at all. I know a lot of people who feel the same way I do.
Weird post to single out in this whole discussion I know, but it amused me.
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Quote:Related to this: What about costume pieces that are unlocked through the incarnate system? Will we be able to see them at character creation? And, when we have already bought them merits, will we be able to claim them inside the character creator aswell? Or do we have to create a character -> log in -> claim certificate -> find a tailor to make adjustments. Because that would be kinda clunky.
A. There's a bit of functionality that I really like that nobody's asked about, and that's when shopping for items in the character creator, you can select all the pieces you want, click the store button, and it'll load up all those locked pieces. It makes it really simple to design your character how you want, and then purchase all the requisite pieces in one go rather than having to remember, "Okay, I had this head detail..." -
Quote:Never let fun get in the way of facts!Originally Posted by Slugbug
Aw, why'd you have to go and ruin such a nice happy feeling TrueMetal...
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Quote:They were intentionally left out because they are considered 'young adult' reading and they want to do a similar list for YA fiction in the future.Originally Posted by Slugbug
On the other hand, the forums cannot contain how pleased I am that neither Harry Potter nor Twilight were on the list.
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Quote:Meh. The lines between the genres are often so thin that they're hardly worth bothering with.Originally Posted by Freitag
I guess my biggest issue with the list is one of principle. There are so many great works of Science Fiction, and so many great works of Fantasty that have been written. The two are so often lumped together, but I personally think they're different. It might be better to have a Science Fiction 10/100 list, and a Fantasy 10/100 list. that would certainly have made picking easier for me.
~Freitag
Where would you put Friedman's Coldfire trilogy or Otherland by Tad Williams or Nnedi Okorafor's Who Fears Death? You could make strong cases to place all those in either genre. Or Star Wars? Lots of space opera has no more basis in science than Lord of the Rings does. The whole superhero genre falls straight in the middle as well. -
The main change to character builds is that the stamina pool is now inherent. You won't be able to pick it anymore on new characters or when you respec 'legacy' builds. Also epic powerpools were opened up for both heroes and villains. You still need to run the villain patron arcs (for which you need to be villain/rogue) in order to unlock the patron pools, but you can pick either of them and not just the one from the patron whos arc you just did.
Mid's Hero Designer is great build planner. (at work or would provide link, but google is your friend.)
Going Rogue is great. It offers a whole new 1-20 leveling path, sideswitching and acces to the Incarnate content. Should you get it at this point? Well that depends.
The thing is, that it will be free for all subscribing players (VIPs) with CoH:Freedom launch. So if you're willing to wait, you can get it for free. What I'm not sure about is if that includes the powersets that came with GR or not. (again, I'd look it up but everything CoH related is blocked. Except the direct link to these forums. ) If you need to purchase those seperatly post Freedom, you're probably financially better off buying GR now.