Tutelary

Tried out the AR changes today. They are nice but I am still underwhelmed with the set. It was fun when it was shiny but has not had the staying power of other sets that I still enjoy playing.

Really curious about Ignite's change. I used it a lot but I can't see how it was overpowered. Such a small area, the redraw, the FEAR, DoT damage.....in good teams it was lucky to get off a few tics. Solowise, I used Web Grenade and a lot of corners but that type of gameplay got stale real quick and imo was really not that quick at defeating foes. <shrug at the new recharge> Makes me wonder if someone figured out a way to use it that 98% of the other players did not know about. Maybe I will team better with the quicker animations, something I have not tested yet, but was frustrated when other blasters/scrappers defeated more mobs than me due to my redraw/animation time.

Yeah, I couldn't read it either. Anytime I see incoherent sentences in any forum, it reminds me of this.

Looking forward to double XP weekend regardless of the server. Maybe I will actually get one of my villains to 50 so I can finally start an Epic archetype.

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Ok look. I'm not sure what people are expecting with this mission editor thing. But what I strongly suspect we are getting is a way to GENERATE missions that are very similar in scope to what we get in-game now. Yes we can edit the text, yes we can probably import major NPCs and determine what type of mission objectives there are. Unfortunately, from the last things we've heard about the editor, major customization is going to be impossible. Has that changed since the last info we got? Who knows...but I'm thinking not.

The other thing I want to say about this missions editor feature is that I'm finding it hard to get excited over players creating the same kinds of missions that the devs have been creating for over 4 years. I don't have any doubts that our community can produce some great story ideas and fiction for their missions. My problem is that those missions will still boil down to: Enter through front door, defeat a truckload of improbably placed enemies, click on glowy(s)/and or escort NPC to door.

If the Devs had first brought out an issue that added new types of things to do in missions like avoid or disable traps, investigative puzzles, security espionage and alternate missions paths and arcs to name a few, and THEN had announced this mission editor with more customizable options along with everything else I mentioned above, I'd be doing backflips.

As it stands now, if I'm going to be doing the same types of things I do in regular missions now but with a lesser reward, what exactly am I getting out of them aside from a potentially well written piece of player fiction?

What I'm trying to get at is that the basic mission system in the game needs to be evolved first before player created missions using that same structure become exciting.

This is an MMO. Its not a game like Neverwinter Nights, for example. You won't be able to import your own art assets, create new tilesets from scratch or change the way powers work even.

I usually try to look at things from all sides, but I'm having a hard time seeing how this feature is the only major thing coming with Issue 13. That's not me crying DOOM! I'm gonna keep on playing because I love this game, I just hope something else big is on the issue 13 list that has yet to be made public.

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Couldn't agree more!!!

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Ok, we know.

We should have had said something more by now, about Issue 13. But… like all great architectural endeavors, Issue 13 is taking on a life of its own and we’re not quite ready to spill forth all the information.

So, just a quick note to say thanks for your patience, even though we know you may not really be patient. Trust us, it’s coming; we’re working on it – and there’s more great stuff coming (like you haven’t heard that before, but really, we mean it!)



Thanks!

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Posi, in your original address you refer to I13 info as your "primary" feature list. Does that mean any further info will only provide the details on what has been announced already and any new features listed will only be minor in comparison? Or does it mean you only have a couple more features to announce but they are just as big?

I tried out the A.C.C.A.H.U.D option and it does not seem to hold the colors from the tailor screen to normal play in combat. I chose a blue outer edge with yellowish inner.

Outside the tailor screen, it is just bluish all around. How can I take a screenshot of the tailor screen?

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Unfortunately, for the first time in 10 years I have to skip Comic-Con this year. Something has come up and I will need to leave San Diego that weekend.

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Sorry you can't make it Hobo. Going to the Comic-con for the past 6 years, I know how much it would hurt to miss one. Hope everything turns out ok for you.

I will be there again. Ever since moving to SD, I have yet to miss a Comic Con. Plus, my friends from LA and my hometown come down every year which is nice since I don't see them much beyond this event. Also, I think this time I should make more of an effort to meet more players.

I wasn't able to watch. Next time I suggest they have a test page so we can install all necessary plugins BEFORE the actual event starts. I got home just in last few minutes, had to install plugins, restart Firefox, said I couldn't have more than one session and to close my tab or other browser when I only had one tab/one browser going. It would have been nice if I could have set up everything earlier this morning when I had more time.

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I will be inordinately unhappy if that's what the launcher turns out to be. I do not play Valve games, and Steam factors significantly into why. The CoH launcher is lightweight and, frankly, easy to skip. I want nothing to do with the downloading of patches or other data "streaming" in the background at times anything other than of my choosing.

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The PlayNC launcher only streams updates in the background if you let it. You can configure various download options in its settings -- everything from auto-updates to no updates at all. You can also have the launcher set to exit after you launch a game so it doesn't tie up any resources when you're playing. It's not invasive at all (I used it for Tabula Rasa when I played).

As for voice comm, love it dearly -- with people I know. Using it with pick-up groups? I'm a bit more leery there but I'm sure any implementation that might eventually come to CoH will be optional, so no big deal.

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I had a different experience with the launcher when I tried Tabla Rasa beta. It basically slowed my whole computer down. Just to make sure, I uninstalled it, computer ran fine. Reinstalled, computer started working like a dog again. I have no idea what the launcher was doing. I thought it was a cool idea but my computer didn't like it so it had to go. Maybe it's better now and the launcher was a beta version too but I'm still a little apprehensive about using the NCSoft launcher again.

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maybe I'm building badly or a lousy player - though I think I'm just average and with slow reflexes, but a lot of knowledge of the game - but I can't solo very well with my defenders, even though they're the AT I play most.

I can't manage even a heroic mission versus mobs that stun or hold. If I miss a few too many times in a fight, I run out of endurance and can't protect myself anymore.

I take attacks on my defenders, and I slot them, but, let's take my level 50 kinetic defender for example. She solos about as well as a level 11 scrapper, which means, she can usually do fine in a heroic mission but an EB or a couple of +1 groups too close together and she dies. Or being held without enough breakfrees (and I don't count it as "can solo" if you have to stop in the middle of a mission and go to Pocket D to buy inspirations).

My storm defender couldn't even solo that well with her previous build, but I respec'd her and figured out a strategy for her and now I can solo at that level 11 scrapper (scrapper with no protection from mez and training enhances) by debuffing the heck out of their to hit - hurricane and a couple of dark blast cones. So they miss her a lot. That's her only defense. (storm defender is now level 33, she was created back in 2004)

The problem is that defenders attacks do so little damage, even fully slotted, it takes them much more than twice as long to defeat an opponent than a blaster. And they have powers with more self protection, but depending on the primary, that can vary and be problematic taking too much endurance.

Prior to getting stamina, many defenders simply can't defeat opponents that are resistant to their damage types. They run out of endurance before doing enough damage. The enemy recovers hp faster than they recover endurance to go on attacking. This is because the powers the defender uses to help themself cost a lot more than scrappers self protection powers - because they are really team protection powers. But when soloing the cost is the same as protecting the team - higher even due to lack of defiance - even though the use of the power is much lower. Look at the amount of self healing an empathy defender gets vs a regeneration scrapper, per endurance point used from healing aura vs reconstruction.

So, sure defenders 'can' solo. but it's no fun to me. I like playing defenders in teams. I do have some of that 'add scrapper soloer' mentality, that's why my first 50 was a kinetic defender - she speeds up entire teams' play so I could play at the speed I enjoyed.

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Just wanted to add that your experience closely mirrors my own with Defenders. I can solo on Heroic(that's using my 50 FF/Eng or 50 Storm/Psi) but it is slooow in comparison to my Scrapper, Controller or Tank. Agree on the End issues too. When soloing I have to pay closer attention to endurance than I do other ATs because fights take so much longer. Longer fights mean watching my Health more closely too since "I can't defend myself as well as others" and I have no self-heal.

I just don't find Defenders very fun anymore compared to the other ATs. It's resulted in play with a team or don't play at all.

How about giving Defenders combos so they stand out from the other ATs, especially Controllers? At the very least I wouldn't mind stringing some powers together for an Endurance discount instead of hoping a team member would get wasted so I can do more than maintain toggles and bubble.

Wow, what a nice surprise. I was feeling a little down because Cryptic was leaving their 'baby' behind but knowing most of the dev team was staying with CoX made it more palatable....now this. Awesome.

Welcome back!

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. . . .
NCsoft will soon be announcing formal plans for the City of Heroes IP, which will include expansions and sequels to the popular comic-book inspired massively multiplayer online (MMO) game.
. . . .

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<bold mine>

CoH2, maybe? Has anyone speculated on this particular tidbit from the news release?

I grew up in Kings Row so I'm used to being poor. 75 cents and a quick chase after the ice cream truck and we are all good. . .and I hope the Hellions try to rob me because I end being able to buy ice cream for the whole block with THEIR loot.

Haha, they never learn.

Gish

<level 50 Claws/Regen, Virtue>

Do you guys get any type of a break after the release of an Issue or are you like any other business where employees schedule their earned vacation time?

It just seems since you are in a creative environment, continuing the 8 to 5 shift immediately after accomplishing a major goal could have a negative impact on those creative juices.

Either way, you deserve a break.

Your post makes me sad for my Storm/Psi def, AR/Traps blaster and FF defender. . . .oh and I have a 50 fire tank too, LOL. Guess I really need to get my 42 Ill/Emp to 50 sooner rather than later if I want regular invites to the SF.

And your point 3 continues the trend of what others have been saying and my experience on the team last night. No one had tactics or focused accuracy. The only way I see my Stormie getting regular invites is by having Assault, Tactics and Vengeance....cya Medicine pool(currently have Aid Other, Aid Self, Resurrect for all the good they did).

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DEVs can we change it so AVs don't run from rain effects?

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I thought they did change this, it seems like they might have missed rains (or maybe they didn't include rains on purpose).

From April 5ths patch notes:
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Archvillain and Monster class critters should now be more courageous when faced with Caltrops or similar powers.

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I noticed that I could keep Hot Feet on without making them run away, but it and Caltrops use some different mechanics than Freezing Rain.
I would bug it when an AV runs from my Freezing Rain, it may not be the intended behavior anymore.

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Nope, they ran from Freezing Rain for sure. The leader told us from the start not to use them but when they were pounding on Mako and his health wasn't budging much, I tried one....he ran....fast. I got another don't use Rains. When we got him to the ship and had him trapped a couple times(read previous posts) then I was allowed to use rain. After the half hour point no one seemed to care when I used Rain and Mako DEFINITELY ran each time. He didn't run far and sometimes he would run back into FR just for a second. On the ship there were more obstacles so maybe that was why he ran back and forth so much. When we were in an open space, he would run much further away before stopping.

I will bug it when I get home today then since I did not know they were not supposed to run.

Would just like to add I would like to see something a little different in missions so for the SF it would be nice if someone could control the turrets(maybe a stealth side mission to get control for the team?)

And maybe we could see something change when a fight goes too long.

For the AV, after a half hour for example, he would actually start to lose more endurance, damage, or accuracy or some type of combo of those.

For my turret idea, after completing the side mission, you see a countdown for the ship's nuke(and if one doesn't work for some reason, the countdown restarts at only 15 min then 10 then 5min).

Or how about teams that don't have the optimal make-up could lead the AV to a debuff area? Of course you would have to clear the mobs around them. Maybe make a few debuff areas, one that debuffs regen, one that debuffs damage, one that debuffs defense, etc so any team make-up can decide their weakness and lead the AV to the appropriate area.

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and then they would just starting running around like a super speeder on meth until they regened.

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Ah yes, be advised ... this is very important.

DO NOT use any power containing an "Avoid" effect on them; ie., anything that signals "leave this area." That includes Freezing Rain, Caltrops, Burn, and any others. Mako, at least, runs like a maniac and afaik cannot effectively be speed-debuffed, so if you drop Freezing Rain on him, by the time he settles down again he'll be half-regenerated.

I've run the States TF twice: one success, one failure. The failure was because we gave up after trying for a half-hour to kill Mako ... as a result of this exact problem. The next time we made sure no Avoid powers were used (having learned our lesson from forum discussion); Mako stayed right on me (the tank) the whole time, and he died in a heap. It makes a huge difference.

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This blew chunks for me since I was playing my Storm/Psi and we had no trouble until the last mission and fighting Mako first. Didn't matter anyways even after he got blocked in a corner once and the other time was surrounded by temp pets(Shivan, Werewolf and Snowman were out) and the leader finally told me to go ahead an use the rain.

1 Inv/SS
1 Grav/?
1 Emp defender
1 Energy blaster
2 scrappers
1 Storm/psi
1 Kin defender

A couple times we got Mako down to a fraction but we could not take him down completely even after an hour of pounding on him. We had even led him to the Longbow boat and were dismayed we had to get Mako's AoE to hit them so they would attack. Any NPCs that did not take damage, even though they were only a few feet away did NOT attack. Not to mention the two turrets that did attack did not last long.

He was level 54 so I would like to see if they cannot lower him one level to at least lower his attack rate(Snow Storm might as well been off) so I'm not trying to heal every 5-8 seconds(just supplementing the Emps but if some members were not healed full they could not take advantage of the one-shot coding) and would be able to attack more.

I could not tell much between healing and keeping up other attacks but the team mentioned they were not hitting much and think Mako would have went down if we had Tactics. Freezing Rain would lower defense, basically same effect but I can't use it. Tornado was slotted with two -Def but per the team's comments I guess it wasn't doing enough(makes me wonder then if two Tactics would be needed) so all I can think of that would have made me more useful for the team was to re-slot Tornado for 3 Rcchg 3 -Def.

DEVs can we change it so AVs don't run from rain effects? I don't put out much damage, am a subpar healer, my debuffs fall way short compared to rad and one of my biggest defense option (Hurricane) does not matter when the AV is such a high level and they already have high accuracy. My thoughts anyways.

Failure. 0 for 1 right now. Any suggestions for Storm defenders or are they more likely to be passed up for this SF? I really don't play this character much anymore so not really a big deal but just wanted to add my feedback for the SF(my defender was the only one that made it to test by the weekend or else I would have played another AT).

Ok, got it. Thanks. And with only 50 per raid, hopefully I will no longer receive "turn off your bubble, it doesn't do any good and only adds to lag"(please note that only happened my first two times and I kept it off in subsequent raids).

One more question though, is the mag of just one Dispersion high enough? From reading earlier posts, it sounds like you would need some stacking of mez protection for it to be effective.

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Do the attacks from hami / the mitos still ignore defense?

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Yes. Defense is of zero importance.
The only things that help your survival are Toxic Resist, EoEs, Mez Protection, and HP.

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Where would that leave my FF defender? After reading this thread where someone mentioned they saw that all ATs(I suppose this includes all powersets as well) had a use, I fail to see where an FF defender is just as good as a blaster when taking the above quote into account. It still looks like damage, holds, and heals rule supreme and any team would be better served by a scrapper, controller or blaster instead.

Yep, there are a couple forum posters that I do NOT want testing Inventions because they are balance fanatics and are playing such a different game than I am. They think they are representative of the casual player yet have encyclopedic responses(and a new term I learned from Clintionian, one of them loves to use 'quotebox carpetbombing') to any critiques of the devs' vision. /em shudder if I find out they got into the closed testing

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<how'd you them apples BillZ? I saw you "hmmming" and wanted to take off on this idea>

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I'll buy it. But that fact is, there WERE others soloing AVs before ED/GDN. Catwhoorg was doing it long before Ultimus ever showed up.

I could do it using the knowledge I have of the game's exploits. I don't do it because it's not fun to me.

Soloing missions is fun for me. AVs are a waste of my time.

Finding ways to solo everything this game can throw at him using whatever he has to in order to accomplish it is fun for Ultimus.

I don't know what his actual motivations are, and don't actually care. It won't affect my gameplay, as I'll continue soloing paper/scanner missions and getting everything I need to fully stock my main with IOs.

If I am lacking anything I actually want, I'll find it either through friends and trades or the marketplace. No biggy.

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I was doing it since Pre-Issue 1 regenerations

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Well, I thought I already pointed that out and I thought it was well known it was easier to do in the earlier issues though i obviously such tacttic and builds went right by me before I had a chance to see what they could really do.

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You missed his point entirely. He wants drop rates drastically nerfed so that every who isn't an elite farmer will have no chance of getting a rare, and instead will have to buy them.

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Where in the world did you come to this conclusion?

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EXCELLENT point Brillig. That does make sense.

How many other posters have you seen make Ultimus's claim? I haven't seen any others, maybe one but the name doesn't come to mind. People, such as myself and the people I used to play with, didn't even perform these feats pre GDN/ED then those systems stopped the massive herding. Not only that but prior to those systems, I do remember many more posts about soloing AVs. It appears even GDN/ED is not enough to stop Ultimus so it leaves him in an even better position were the Devs to listen to his suggestions. The fact is mediocre TEAMS can complete these trials/TFs with a fair amount of regularity so, yes I can see the incentive to use a level of gameplay that very few enjoy to place yourself even higher on the podium.

Ultimus likes to 'post' about his accomplishments so you can only imagine how he will love to say he is the first one to get a complete set of IOs. If he is able to manipulate a level of difficulty that will slow the majority of players even further, it will give him a more comfortable cushion of time to pull off this feat.

5 stars to Brillig and I hope you like my expansion on your comment.

<how'd you them apples BillZ? I saw you "hmmming" and wanted to take off on this idea>

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I don't mind that he can solo trials and TFs. I don't mind that he likes to brag about it. I mind when he comes around and tries to get the drop rate for the rest of us nerfed because if everyone has access to rare recipes it'll make him feel less 'special'.

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I could understand your resentment if inventions were live but they aren't. The developers have stated the drop rates will get tweaked and I am trying to point out an early flaw.

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Then why don't YOU wait until Inventions are released and see if the game becomes 'flooded' as you say? You are making huge assumptions about a system not even implemented yet not to mention a potential influx of so called farmers. You are also making an assumption that a large enough subscriber base plays at your level.

The only one making huge baseless leaps about broken mechanics of gameplay is you.


<why do I get the feeling my first paragraph is something Ultimus loves to hear no matter how much he denies it. I just get the feeling he really soaks up the comments that no one else plays at his level.....please note this musing Castle>

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So, you're not saying he doesn't have the right to post about something cool, but you are reserving the right to sour it by dragging in your own historical nerf baggage from some other thread.

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Where did you read in my post that he doesn't have the right to post? I said it in the very post you quoted he does have the right to post.

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Read the highlighted portion of what I said carefully and observe that I in fact noted that you didn't say he couldn't post.

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You are just telling me not to post my opinion and in that you are wrong.

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And you're wrong about what I'm saying for the third time in two posts.

You can write whatever sour grapes you want. No one is trying to shut you up to prevent your important message from reaching the masses so they too may know how grievously you have been wounded by the nerfs of yesteryear and how the bitterness has seeped into your soul and whatever other Nine Inch Nails lyrics might go along with that.

What I am saying is there's a time and a place. Just because the right to free speech means you can stand up in a wedding reception and drunkenly talk in front of the crowd about how the bride used to be your girl doesn't mean you should.

It just seems to me that instead of popping into a fun thread like this saying "nice going jackass now the devs will nerf me because of stuff you minmaxing hosers keep doing to me" and so forth, people make a new topic that says "I hate people that are still having fun" or whatever and go off in there.

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If you are so concerned, then why were you letting one post among many sour you? Now your argument with me has given more rise to what you wanted suppressed and I find that funny given your replies. If you were so much more easygoing compared to me then you would have dropped this after one reply yet here you are 'spreading joy and happiness' that you profess should be the theme in this thread. I love the people that tell you things should be a certain way yet propagate just the opposite.

Not to mention how people can take such offense to something so minor. What I said should have hardly registered as a blip on the screen but we have many eagle-eyes here to refuse to let that worm go. The more you reply, the less I believe you about the proper time and place to post.

Oh and btw, your recent post is a much more colorful fantasy of what was actually said. I will try to be more creative next time.