blue_bandana

Awesome, Kitsune. That works great. Thanks.

So this is not exactly a CoH issue, but more of website thing.

I've been playing around with the desktop widgets on Windows 7, and I found one that lets me import RSS feeds.

So I poked around for some RSS feeds to follow, and remembered that the CoH servers had an "uptime" feed.

Except not really. It's not a valid RSS file, at least not according to a couple validators.

There's a News feed, but it doesn't include any server uptime information.

Anyone have a way to get this feed to work properly in a XML reader?

I've recently been playing Sins of a Solar Empire. Good space RTS, reminiscent of HomeWorld and Hegemonia, and, like those, it takes *forever* to do the simplest of tasks. Fun, though, and watching battles feels epic.

Dwarf Fortress is also a good distraction. I've built up a fortress that's mostly stable (only one tantrum spiral in three years), and I've begun a project to whittle down the mountainside. That project could take another ten years or so; it's hard to say.

Installed Windows 7, so I'm testing out what does and doesn't work on the new system. Most MMOs seem to function just fine, but Titan Quest will just randomly crash to desktop.

Just finished Fallout 3. That goes on the shelf for a few months before I replay it for the evil ending.

Basically, I bounce around, play a series of different games, and hover around my favorites. Occasionally write, when I feel inspired. Go out into the big blue room to get a dose of melatonin to stay reasonably healthy. Go to work. Kiss a girl. Then come back in to see if City of Heroes is up and ready to play yet!

My to-do list is also quite short, but time-consuming.

As soon as I can, I'll log in and jump to .. the MA.

I've had this idea bouncing around in my head for a story involving an evil gang that call themselves the Colour Corps.

It's time to see what power customization can *really* do.

Blue Bandana is the name of one of my heroes on Virtue.

He is not, however, the *first* hero I created. That would be Betty Blue, my MA/Invul scrapper. In my head, he's a Staff/Willpower scrapper who gets his powers by his namesake. I have him as a Dark/Will now (49 already), but I'll gladly re-roll if and and when staves ever become a powerset.

I don't use this moniker on any other boards, save for my brief stint in the Champions beta. I usually use pieceoftheuniverse, but there's a character limit on the forums, so I had to pick something else. I've had Blue Bandana in my mind, fighting the forces of evil, for a year or so before CoH launched when I was dabbling with the idea of making an online comic, so I decided to go with that.

A lot of my character names in the early days were color-based. Something about the color blue, usually, though I'll occasionally dabble in reds and browns and greens ...

I'd love for I16 to launch soon, but I've managed to distract myself by buying the Science booster pack instead. Now I just have to get one of my characters to twenty so I can switch between super small and super huge - that should take me about a week or so, what with my limited available playtime.

If the issue isn't released by then ... well, I suppose I could play Dwarf Fortress for a week, although I'm really waiting for the new version to release there, too.

[ QUOTE ]

"Never" means "never" which means (literally) "Not Ever". Period.

If someone uses it to mean "sometimes", they aren't speaking English, they aren't using it correctly or they are deliberately misusing it.

Words have an exact meaning.


[/ QUOTE ]

As an English major, I couldn't pass this up. Words *don't* have an exact meaning. Words are, in fact, one of the worst ways to transmit information, as translating abstract concepts into form will always screw something up. The only reason to use words is because, well, we don't have anything else. For lack of a better medium, we talk. We type. We argue over semantics of meaning.

Back on topic: I agree that "Defeat All" makes me groan. Even with a blazingly bright taunt aura, I know it's inevitable that I will miss a minion -- even on a tiny warehouse map, I always need to go back and scour for that one person who escaped me that somehow will cause the cataclysmic dissolution of the universe if left free.

It's annoying. Please don't do it.

[ QUOTE ]
This was a great idea, but I think less corroborating AT's and more perma-experienced team that has played together forever that made things easy.

[/ QUOTE ]

A Kinetics defender and an Empath? Ice controller with radiation secondary? Helped out with Earth control and an ice blaster? Of course you need to go up against +5s, or else where's the challenge?

This is true for just about any team of eight -- eight defenders (excepting empaths), eight scrappers, eight tanks, eight controllers (those are fun teams), eight blasters ... well, okay, eight blasters would live right on the edge, but the point still remains.

Actually, a team made up of only one archetype at least has a weakness shared across all -- a team of mixed archetypes, even in a pickup group, has a sort of built-in survival mechanism. Tank is covered by defender is covered by controller is covered by scrapper is covered by blaster is covered by tank. Remove one archetype, things get slightly more difficult. Remove two, and things get even harder. Remove three, and the mission requires a bit of handling. Remove four, and you've got yourself a challenge.

(You could even remove five, but then you'd have either no team or eight Kheldians, which has its own interesting dilemmas)

Still, it's an interesting look at what happens when a team that knows each other well tries to mimic real life . Try an a single-archetype team ... I've always wanted to try a team of eight scrappers. Sure, you've got the defenses and the damage, but no outside help. Set on invincible, the question of who drops first, them or you, becomes an interesting contest ...

[ QUOTE ]
Uh... since when has Azuria been competent enough to cast a "Don't steal this [censored] jewel" spell, let alone anything related to aging?
She must be an Arachnos operative.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, it makes for a nice meta in-joke to say Azuria is more incompetent than Rincewind, but *storywise*, she's powerful and knowledgeable. Remember that stories are difficult to tell in an MMO -- everyone ends up doing the same quests, so someone made up the excuse that Azuria couldn't secure a two-by-two room with only one entrance. The way the stories were probably meant to be read, the city is only in danger *once* from this powerful artifact, which Azuria then successfully locks away.

Looking at Azuria's dealings with heroes in that regard, she's still not the most powerful witch in Paragon, but she's smart and capable. She has to be, otherwise folks wouldn't send me to Atlas Park to talk to her when I ask for a mission in Peregrine.

[ QUOTE ]
Now where do we find a gif of someone actually castling...

[/ QUOTE ]

You use Google, of course.

I stole this from some site. It would have to be resized, of course.

Lots of good ideas here; keep them coming!

_Castle_ has been a bastion (ha ha) of helpful insight into the deep and often puzzling aspects of CoH and CoV; he takes a look at things people whine about without prejudgement; the list goes on and on. And yet, in all this time, has yet to have an avatar to call his own. Statesman has one. Cuppa has one. Heck, Manticore has one, and he doesn't post nearly as often.

And so I hereby declare, by the power I invested in me (neat how that works) an avatar contest! The winner will, of course, be picked by _Castle_, whether he wants to use it or not. May the best avatar win!

To kick things off, here are my submissions:
Castle #1
Castle #2
Castle #3

[ QUOTE ]
*hops around in glee*

CTAB GOT A FEATURED CONVERSATION POSTED BY JABBERWACKY'S CREATOR. EEEEEEEEE.

http://www.jabberwacky.com/j2convbydate-L2795

I'm such a dork.

This totally made my day.

Whoever had that conversation, you win.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh. My. Gods.

That's me. The Wonzom the Great ... that clinched it. I remember that conversation.

And looking it over ... I'm completely insane. But I'm glad my insanity can be put to good use.

Yay, a bandwagon!

And narcissism? Me? Never!

(But remember: Valentine's Day is the day you love yourself!)

To the OP, there's a workaround for this: skip Kalinda (and since you'll be skipping out on her, you can ignore that Mongoose guy entirely, too).

Just hop on the ferry to Port Oakes, talk to the Hook or the Ear or whoever to get your newspaper, and build your own story. Yeah, it's a little dangerous walking around in a neighborhood where everything's +8 to you, but the missions are scaled to your level. And yeah, the broker won't introduce you to any contacts until you're at least level 5 ... but it's sorta unique every time you make an alt.

Hmmm. I started thinking (never a good sign) and remembered this post:

[ QUOTE ]

Now that I know they're comming, I'm gonna get an alt to level 5. I'll max my debt, then retire him. Heh, new players would be amazed.


[/ QUOTE ]

Playing-with-newbies-fun aside: let's say you get a hero to level five. You max out his debt. Issue five gets released. Two questions arise:
1) will the hero still have debt?
2) if the answer to the above is "yes", and the hero is defeated again, does the debt stick around or go poof?

In a worse-case-scenario, this (admittedly unlikely) event culminates with the firey explosion of the server in question, which is why I ask.

Okay, admittedly I was a bit worried about the whole no-debt-until-lvl-10 thing, because that's how I can even dream of affording Dual Origin enhancements at lvl 12. With this change, I would only have two levels to stay in perma-debt, rather than seven, which means less influence.

Then I referred to my debt cheat-sheet, which tells me how much debt a hero can get before they hit the cap:
Lvl 5: 500
Lvl 6: 750
Lvl 7: 1000
Lvl 8: 1250
Lvl 9: 1500
Lvl 10: 2000
Lvl 11: 2750
Lvl 12: 3500

So when lvl 5 through nine debt caps go away, and (assuming one influence per debt worked off) thus I can say good-bye to 500 + 750 + 1000 + 1250 + 1500 = 5000 influence -- about double that if I stayed in perma-debt.

However, while I *can* stay in perma-debt, I usually find it extremely frustrating around lvl 9 or so and stop finding ways to kill myself, in pursuit of the mystical lvl 14 and some sort of travel power. Which means I miss out on seven thousand influence (or thereabouts, double if perma) *anyway*, and yet I'm still able to almost entirely load up on Dual Origins at lvl 12.

So under the new system, I only have to stay in debt for two levels, which isn't near enough to frustrate the bejeezus out of me. That's (2000*2)+(2750*2) = 9500 influence (the multiplication assumes perma, since debt is capped at approximately five bubbles), a net gain of 4500 influence, plus the occasional bonus for bosses, saving civilians, etc.

Of course, I'll have to test these numbers out with an actual character to see whether or not my math is right, but on paper the outlook appears favourable. Those who actually have the willpower to stay in debt from lvls 5 - 12 will probably sorely miss the extra five to ten thousand influence, but, as I'm not one of them, that doesn't affect me. At any rate, I look forward to trying this out.

I ... I'm all teared up. Really. Actual tears.

I mean, damn. I didn't mind the changes -- it's an interesting challenge, going up against a boss with 25% more HP and damage -- but with a controller as my main I could definitely see where the complaints were coming from. The new bosses could, given a clear opportunity, evicerate you coming and going.

Any other MMO -- any of them, go ahead, pick one. Yes, that one -- would have just said, "shut yer trap and deal." I am sad to say that I'm used to that kind of treatment, where the players are expected to take the "nerfs" and the "fixes" equally.

But .... you listened .

*sob*

No, no, I'm okay, really ....

*ahem*

I don't know what to say. From all of the players who don't frequent the 'boards all that often (if at all), I hereby deliver a hearty "thank you"; thanks for listening to player feedback, no matter how much it may go against what you think is initially a good idea. Thank you for accepting the intent behind the posts rather than focusing on the (admittedly) harsh language used at times. Thank you for not being like other MMO companies out there.

Thank you for CHOICE. May you stay in business forever.

I can't believe no one's brought this up in -- what is it now? Seven pages? Eight? But badges. I *love* the badges. Every single one of my characters, from the lowest of the low (level one! I can get a badge at level one!) to the highest of the high (level 26), has all the badges they can get.

But it's not just the exploration badges -- though those are cool. It's not just the achievement badges, nor the accomplishment ones, though those are nice. And it's not even the history badges, which are an amazing look into the history of Paragon City. No, it's the *seeking out*, the quest for that brilliant yellow-on-white text flashing into existence to announce that you have found another badge!

I love it. I can't get enough of it. All my characters have all the exploration badges they can get to (and they tear apart the hazard zones as soon as they get access). Debt? Debt is a tool to get more badges! So what if I have to jump into the middle of +10s to get that exploration badge/history plaque/whathaveyou? It's a suicide mission with a *purpose*! And if I somehow escape alive, that makes the badge all that much more shiny -- with the addition of a neat story to tell the admirers of my collection.

I think the devs did such a good job on badges that I can't wait for the Super-Secret-Out-Of-Combat-System. Would it be possible to "specialize" in *all* the avenues of SSOOCS? I've got the time! Let me at 'em!

Thanks for all the great stuff you do to make this game so great; if I tried to list them all in detail, I could write a novel. The fast-paced combat, the epic battles (the first time I went through the respec trial was a *blast*), the costume creator, the playerbase attracted to this sort of genre -- it's all fantastic. The down-trodden look of King's Row, the high-rises of Steel Canyon, the Venice-like feel of Founder's Falls, the caverns of Orenbanga -- all have their own distinct look, and it's great that you're making them even more unique. The Fifth Column, the Hellions, the Skulls, the Freakshow, the Crey, the Malta, and so many more -- villain groups that we've all grown to love to hate, each with their own intricate backstories and agendas that we strive to thrwart every day.

When all is said and done -- we love the work you guys do. If some of us seem to complain a bit much about changes coming down the pipe, it's because we've given time and a bit of our heart into the characters you allow us to create. But you've done great work so far in allowing childhood dreams to come (virtually) alive ... keep it up!

[ QUOTE ]
*starts fantasising about a sky raider base floating in the skies ending up in CoH some day*

[/ QUOTE ]

You mean that doesn't exist now? Dangnabbit.

I hear "sky raider," and my mind instantly flits to something on the evil side of Final Fantasy. Large battleships hovering over the skies of Paragon City, that the heroes must infiltrate and destroy. I just naturally assumed (I know, I know) that the sky raider instanced outdoor missions had aerial battles just as a matter of course.

Now that I think about it, though, I guess it would be kind of silly. How would the folks with Super Speed get up there? What if Super Jump was *just* short of the entrance? What if no one has Teleport Friend? What if no one has Fly?

Hmmm. This bears thinking about. Because it would have an extremely high cool factor. Maybe a sort of Stargate-ish transport rings -- step into the circle of light and zone into the base (kind of like the way Circle of Thorn missions are laid out). And once you've set the explosives, you have to dash out before the timer runs out.

Okay, so now I'm envisioning a whole series of things to go with this -- a time bomb temporary power, strategic locations to place such things, a new way to zone in and out of missions ... how cool would that be to see in a task force?

And here I was thinking all this stuff was already in-game, and that I just hadn't done enough missions or gotten high enough level to see it.

Er, to get back to RavenStorm's announcement: excellent. That will add another bit of strategic thinking when attacking Sky Raiders in Terra Volta; no more hovering easily out of reach.