Tyger

Wow, guess I'm one bad RPer then:


That's the same two alts from the opposing view to each other standing in the base of the villain alt in question back when the old VG<>HG coalition returned briefly during the early days of alignment switching (the technique has since been fixed and is no longer possible).

And it's not like we don't have examples of heroic organisations turning evil, heroes pretending to be bad guys so they can infiltrate the big bad's base or enemies turning good and bringing all their resources with them or spying for one side while working for the other and even the morally dubious who play both sides, whichever's paying the most at the time.

And we also have Vanguard and the Midnighters in City lore who recruit from both sides (Midnighters having a Legacy Chain member no more than 20 feet from a Mu Mystic) so removing that barrier would allow US to make that choice rather than be segwayed into the old hero and villain segregation simply because it's a relic of the old, non-alignment switching system.

If anything it would make more sense to allow this since several groups that play both sides end up making twice the amount of bases, one red and one blue, doubling the resources they consume from wherever bases are stored. I know my grandfathered coalitions also help me to go from the Isles to Paragon and vice-versa especially when I acidentally use Ouro as it's 'the fastest way to Peregrine' only to forget I'm on a Rogue alt and have to otherwise trudge back via Sharkhead->Pocket D->Talos Island->Peregrine.

Eden. Not only is a huge zone with plenty of cross-potential from Nemesis and Crey; villains could get a 35-40 zone of their own via the sharing of any DE updates and resources. This could be further shared to Praetoria where the DE run rampant giving a triple-play of content using similar factions to reduce the workload for creating new mobs and map types.

So with new level pacts disabled and not looking like they'll be re-opened anytime soon I thought to myself how it had been so long since I actually did the 1-20 levelling thing through natural progression as opposed to various methods of skipping past it from PLing myself via Radio/Paper/AE missions to joining others helping PL through RWZ repeatables.

I begin my content run by making my Staff Electric Armour Brute, Star Kat and load her up with my veteran tools of the trade: Return to Battle, Inner Inspiration but foregoing the prestige powers: Sands, NemeStaff, Blackwand.

So after getting past the newer Atlas arcs, level 7 with not too much trouble, I've started going back and levelling my new staffie through some of the legacy content starting with the old punching ground: the Hollows (yeah, thanks Synapse). After using the Find Contact button I was given two choices: Matthew Habashy (Whuuuu?) and good old David Wincott. So one choice really since I finished Atlas and rescued Dana. Teleport activate.

Hello David. What's that? After 7 years the Outcasts are still a problem? Wait, Sammy fell down the cave? Off we go for some old-fashioned hunting. Except: where the PANCAKE are they? Hunt 10 Outcasts and I get Hellions, Trolls, Lost, Skulls. After sweeping enough I find a couple of mobs on the south side of David and finish. Now it's the Trolls turn.... okay, now they decide to hide. Dammit. Found them eventually and now the real fun begins: attack the Outcasts' bases... oh and Meg Mason is waiting for me to talk to later. Two bases later I'm done and on to Flux.

Ah Flux, I remember when you used to be hidden in that corner and no-one could find you but that was the beauty of it: you're an undercover agent. Maybe they can tuck you back in since your waypoint is an arrow-in-an-arrow and you have a giant floating coin above your head. But I know what you hold. Yours is the arc that gave me so much frustration, that punished so many, so easily and after a few missions of beating up your "friends" I soon find his location: Frostfire.

It's at this point I noticed something: that's some bland mission text. After coming off Atlas using colours for the significant bad guys or orangetext for highlighting placenames; only the mission headers really stand out at this point. But mission awaits and I know my Star Kat can't take on Frostfire along so I draft in my Time/beam Mender in to aid her in her battle. Even though Star Kat was doing most of the damage dealing; Mender Sequent's buffs and debuffs were helping take the edge off the 2-man mobs. With just a couple of light insps and Sequent in tow we plough through to Frostfire and he goes down like a sack of hammers. Afterwards: Sequent Ouro-ports out and Flux introduces me to Julius the Troll.

It's a shame Julius. For years I never knew your name. I levelled past you in the days of yore and I was often recruited to teams who were ahead of me. I didn't place value at the time and I missed out on you. But no more. Once I learned there was a story arc behind the entire Hollows I make it a point of trying to get all of you done. So here we go...

... and then we're done. Couple of hunt missions against Trolls in the riverbed and then rescuing some slaves and our time so quickly passes. But I'm only level 11 at this point and you have something for me at 12? Sweeping time! Ooooo, some nearby Circle of Thorns. They'll get me the xp I need and they're no match for my Star Kat. Sure enough they weren't and I was level 12. After levelling up at Foreshadow and calling Julius he introduces me to Talshak.


Talshak; I never realised how important you once were back in the day. The stepping stone to the Cavern of Transcendence trial (I'd like to say that was less gimmicky but 8-player simul-click, ugh!). I never knew your name either but then I found out why. Nothing major to note at first: Trolls and Igneous but then: Atta! The famous Atta cave which dutifully lives up to its reputation as I went from 12-14 in a solo run of clearing it out. One last mission in the Hollows to find Sam who's in the Circle's hand. Not much fight here either but then I get introduced to Karsis (who looks suspiciously like Diviner Maros). My journey through the Hollows ends here as the trial...TF is an 8-man affair. So on to Steel to fill out some xp with Montague Castellanata and get access to the Midnighter's Club. Then I see a familiar name crop up from Monty: Colleen Saramago. I'll play her arc next and hope it gets me to 20 or close enough at least. I finish this leg at level 16.


So; not too bad a start. Hollows has aged well since it was cleaned up but I felt that there was a little missing. There's a pretty cool forest in the SE corner and lots of Circle hovering about down there but nothing in the zone actually takes you there anymore.

I was on the fence about the bluside Midnighter's access arc completion changes but it's alright. Most of it takes place in the same zone and the only real bother is finding a workbench which presumes you know where they are but it does give you the locations for the Lost in highlighted orangetext.

Next leg: Colleen Saramago.

Given there's the new temporary powers tray that works in a personal story, for a temp power to get into Night Ward and for the new Panther Stealth power; pilotable vehicles might be a reality sooner rather than later.

Maybe when the Coming Storm gets here we'll be able to pilot a Vanguard mech or two during the battles.

The only complaint I have is: scorpion tail? WTF? That's a chimera not a liger.

I wouldn't say there was any really good ones at all. Since it's the internet and it's April the 1st; everything I see there is under automatic disblief until it's repeated on April the 2nd.

For example the best April Fools last year was the announcement of the Daily Sport (UK trash daily newspaper) going bankrupt and stopping circulation only to find it actually DID.

The googlemaps 8-bit was pretty cool to use but not really believable. Even Paragon Studios couldn't top the "Visual SFX" one from several years ago (although a custom powerset for US$9,400 I kinda hope is real enough so when I have that kinda money I can force them to make Clown Summoning ).

Something I'm wondering is what kind of status we have with this? We have new outfits being designed with PCs in mind even though NPCs still get NPC-only pieces (PC IDF helmet has a minor variation to the NPC one) but what of all the older pieces that have been mentioned?