Tyrrano

Funny, I use AVG and have never had any issues with CoX.

Welcome aboard!

This game is great for 'casual players'. I play about 5-6 hours a week on average and have lots of different characters spread across most of the servers. The game is balanced around standard characters using only commonly-available "enhancements". There are better enhancements that can make you more effective, but costs go up for those. Players can easily increase their difficulty levels to spawn more mobs/higher levels/more bosses if they feel up to that task.

PUGs can be great fun - I enjoy seeing different playstyles and adapting to them. You do occasionally run into rude/impatient/know-it-all players who'll give you a hard time but in my experience that's pretty rare. When you do, just say "Thanks for the team, gotta go" and quit team. There's a rating system you can use to note which players you liked teaming with and which you don't want to get near for your future reference.

As for PvP, I hear it's not very good, but I can't comment on it personally.

I always use dismiss from the pet window menu, simply because I never remember the slash command.

Well, it was changed to fix an exploit. One might infer that said exploit has now been permanently fixed, so the power was returned to its original state.

Removing the line(s) of code that disabled the prompt is trivial. I suspect that the 'technical fixes' put forth in this thread are ... considerably more than trivial.

The rooted part, yeah, it'd be very nice to get that fixed when possible. Until then, not casting it on people in combat is probably a good idea.

Well, most of the griping will take place here in the forums, so the newbs won't be putting up with it - we will.

I hadn't noticed that exactly, but there has been considerably more power animation oddity in general since i17. Hurl Boulder can be especially funny - charge at a mob, hit Hurl, watch boulder appear next to you when you're halfway there, while boulder chunks spray around the target. Then as you get there, the mob finally takes the KB and goes flying away, and your boulder companion disappears. Several other attack animations seem to just forget to work sometimes. And we won't discuss the staves again.

That's OK, I quite literally hate them, too. Not because they're the 'dark days' fans, but just because they're Chicago fans. Although I have begrudgingly gave some golf claps during the wins because I loathe Philadelphia even more.

Honestly. I've rarely been this unmoved by a Cup final. I wish the Kings were playing Philly - then I could root for the San Andreas to take 'em both!

Well, *I* won't, but one should just look at the vitriol and entitlement whine surrounding the recent change dropping EAT unlock to level 20 and assume that it would be like that, times eleventy-billion.

And you sound surprised by this? Really?

EDIT: Sometimes it seems like the smaller the issue, the more violent the 'mood swings' on it. As for me, meh, prompt, no prompt, whatever.

Lemme guess. You work for Microsoft, don't you?

I disagree, but continue. I assume you meant to put 'tour' in there following UK. I feel for you.
Funny you should mention that. The band I follow actually has a 'Front Row Club' with monthly downloads of different shows. Now honestly I don't recall the price - I'm not *that* big of a completist that I need every single semi-official bootleg so I didn't go into that. But I could have. But I wasn't talking about recordings anyway, I specifically used live performances as the analogy.
Aye, but again, we're talking apples and oranges. IMHO, playing an MMO is more analogous to going to a live show (a 'service' without any tangible goods transaction) than it is to purchasing a CD or T-Shirt.

Mind, I don't really disagree with you. In some respects our European friends are definitely at a disadvantage in the level of service you receive. My only point is that it is a bit illogical to expect the same level of service. North America is CoX's main market. It's a huge potential playerbase with one language and little to no odd restrictions between regions. I'm sure there are issues involved with providing CoX over there that I have no clue about.

Of course, analogies don't work for everyone. I'm sorry if mine doesn't work for you.

I actually think you're quite right here. All it would accomplish is perhaps help the Euros not feel like you're out there abandoned on an island.

Sadly, it needs to happen here as well. Granted, we'll get the boxed set, which is better than not getting it, but unless some real marketing happens there's not going to be a huge popularity boom on either side of the Atlantic. :/

Unfortunately no. One of the more-regular posters around here has it linked from his signature, but my brain is too fried at the moment to recall who...

I wasn't judging the relative merits of such a hypothetical situation, just saying that perhaps it factored into the decision process.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.
/seinfeld

You expect us to stay on topic? You're new here, aren't you? In all seriousness, you put that in the context of your blaster's END woes, so of course the helpful folks will come out of the woodwork with lots of suggestions to help you with that.
Frankenslotting does miss out on the better set bonuses, but gets better enhancement in fewer slots on individual powers. Read thru the guide and see if it's a strategy that makes sense for you.

Personally, I tend to mix the two approaches. Some powers I frankenslot, others I'll drop in sets for bonuses.

On the flip side, many builds can skip stamina with proper slotting.

That, and perhaps a desire not to be overrun with copies of Dr. Frank N. Furter.

Also: gluteus amiculum.

And as was intimated earlier, if you're slotting 5 damage IOs in one power, you're wasting two slots. Those extra two IOs will only give you another 2-3% increase, if that, thanks to ED

Who is it that has that guide to Frankenslotting? I think the OP would probably love that strategy.

Glad you clarified that, Frosti, 'cause I for one read it twice and still had no idea what he was on about. o.O

Actually it's quite applicable. My access and experience is diminished because I'm halfway around the globe. Same with CoX for y'all - the distance and perceived lack of customer base causes problems that we NA folks don't have to deal with. I don't like it - neither should you. But neither situation is likely to change. :/

Hmm, don't think I was offering to transfer. ;D Would I enjoy it if whatever obstacles have so far prevented merging the server lists would be overcome? Sure! I'd probably even transfer a couple of characters over. But move everything over there and abandon the US servers? Not really a reasonable option, for the same reasons that most EU folks give when asked if they want to transfer to the NA servers.

I get that, really. Constructive criticism, good suggestions, even (not-so)gentle prodding are good things. It's just the entitlement whine I can't stand.

Far be it from me to limit the expression of opinion. It seems that there's got to be some technical limitation involved that takes far more work than I would guess. Otherwise I feel like the server lists would've merged long before now.