bmbeeman

(I really do need to cut back on the CoX daydreaming while I'm at work)

So, I've flirted with the idea of American Civil War characters in the past (Not to be confused with Marvel Civil War) but nothing ever seemed to take root. With the new steampunk pack coming out I thought I could throw something together.

Then a thought crossed my mind... I'm not seeing the whole picture here. Metahumans have existed since the beginning of time, right? There had to be some in the 19th century, and I bet they'd fight. They're referenced in the timeline as being in most of the other wars, so why not? The main reason I want to explore this idea is the thought that crossed my mind at the beginning of all this: "You didn't actually believe that crater at Petersburg was caused by mine, did you?"

Now, the problem: It's been about 150 years... so how do I explain away the fact that I still exist? The easy way would be immortality, but I wanted to make it mesh a little more. I was thinking some sort of time travel, and that brought me to the one source I know of, ouroboros. I don't know much about ouroboros, but it's my understanding that they've found a way to "travel through time," am I correct. Now I don't know if this goes against anything or not, but why couldn't they bring back the Heroes of time? I thought about the obvious (Me missing during X period would alter Y future) but it's all theory, right? What if the timelines split. If I keep thinking about this my head is going to explode.

So, if Time Travel could work I have another question: Does Praetoria have an ouroboros counterpart as well? If so I was going to try and make this character start there. Maybe the Emperor sent out a quantum call for history's greatest heroes or something. I'll think of something more concrete later, this is all still very tentative. I do hope it all pans out in the end though. I've always wanted a solid concept character, and if I can cram the Civil War in with it... WIN.


Side Note: Trying to get away from my newbie roots as a scrapper, I was going to make this new character a blaster/corruptor. I was told Fire/Ice Blaster was a good way to go. Any other solid choices for those of use new to squishies? My scrapper made me feel like I flicked the Godmode switch to "On."

TBH, I just put devices in there because it felt like it would fit the theme, as would energy manipulation. I spend more time in the costume creator than anywhere else in game. I'm slowly working on my Arachnos Soldier, but I also wanted a Praetorian since that wasn't around last time I played. I figure this is an excuse to take a concept character to 50 instead of just taking the easy (MA/WP Scrapper) way out.

Since the new Anniversary badge is out I've been on a spree to crank out as many concepts as I can so I can get them badged. Tonight I came up with two new blasters. Being that I have no idea how to play a blaster and may actually want to try and play one of these guys in the near future, I came here for help. I may make a few changes based on what is said here. So, here's what I ended the night with:

Public Enemy 2.0: The Clockwork Gangster (AR/Dev)
Gunslinger 2.0: Fastest Clockwork in the West (DP/Dev)

So, I literally had no idea what I was doing. I stuck them both with Devices because it fit the technology theme. I'm thinking of switching Gunslinger over to Energy Manipulation. I was also curious what the differences between AR and DP are. I will at least play one of these guys on a regular basis and knowing what I'm getting into helps. If I can get the ball rolling on these guys I think I could have a blast. Maybe put one on each side of the law and see where it goes...

If you're going to answer my questions, I'll just log onto Bremman next time and skip the formalities. Thanks.

Is there a table of costumes pieces and how they are unlocked? I looked at Wikis, but they seem to not list the Zombies badges. I was playing CoV last night and got into a zombie fight. Ended it with three badges and a message that I had unlocked a new costume piece. Since there is so much in the Costume Creator to begin with, I'm having trouble figuring out what was there before and what I've earned. Heck, I haven't een looked at some of the booster pieces, I bought them for the powers sometimes (such as the awesome tailor for science).

So, on a whim I started an Ice/Ice Tanker to run through preatorian content and give me a break from the EAT I have. I wanted to get a basic idea of how I should make one. I figure they're scrappers in reverse, but I know that's probably wrong in so many ways. I busted heads on my way to 10 and probably borked my power picks and thought I'd come here before going further. So far I've got Frozen Fists, Ice Sword, and air superiority in my attack chain, taunt is on auto. I've Taken Hoarfrost, Chilling Embrace, and Permafrost from my primary. Am I doomed?

I just wanted to ask another round of questions. Right now my build is probably (by all logical standards) pretty messed up. I figured I'd try as many of the powers as I can since I HAVE to respec anyway, why put it to waste. I have forgone the Melee Powers in favor of more of the rifle powers. My attack chain consists of Single Shot, Burst, and Heavy Burst. The rest of my powers were dumped into Combat/Tactical Training (although now that I think about it I could have taken a grenade too... oh well).

I have yet to take any pool powers and have been surviving via the jetpack power and sprint, not the most efficient way, but it's not too bad. What I came here to ask about mostly pertains to being a Huntsman (for thematic reasons). I' playing around with build in SuckerPunch and I read the Huntsman guide and it brought up a few things.

First, I noticed that fitness is a power pool, but my character already has inherent fitness. Are these the same? Is the guide just outdated? If so, that means I'll have more powers slots .

Second, is Leaping a bad pool? I thought I might pick that up as a travel power and grab combat jumping and acrobatics while I was in there.

Third, Is the Leadership pool a good idea? I heard these stack with my other toggles, but are they worth it?

Last, any Patron pools worth getting? I'll try and fit one in the build if I can. I'm still not even sure all the powers I want right now are worth it.

Thanks. I do want to clarify something then. Build 1: Ranged Crab Build 2: Melee Bane. I'm not opposed to taking powers from the branches to achieve my build goals. Heck, I think the crab backpacks look sweet. I can have 5 legs AND a gun, sign me up!

So, I wanted to start my rise through the ranks. After being stunned by the awesomeness that is my new uniform, I thought "Maybe I shouldn't rush into things." I figured I'd lay out my ultimate goals and hopefully get help from my superiors. First the superficial Mumbo Jumbo:

1. Are there any naming conventions I should be aware of? Most just put Operative in front of their name. I don't want to put a title in my name if there are titles I can earn, but I also want my name to sound like it belongs. Would you recommend just a name or should I put the title in there too?

2. Is there a "standard uniform" for soldiers? Any colors I should incorporate (specific reds)? Or is it left up to the the soldier?


Moving on to what is really giving my trouble. I know I have until level 24 to figure this out, so I thought I'd get some details and a plan while I'm playing around with my Wolf, so when I get there I'll know what to do.

Here's what I had in mind. I was going to start the game as a Huntsman. Upon reaching level 24 and my advanced training I'd hoped to branch off in both directions using dual builds.

On the one hand I was going to continue my Huntsman with Crab training (ranged).
On the other hand I was going to Train to be a Bane (Melee)
Between these two builds I would have a character that can function in whatever mood I'm feeling for the current day, avoiding the need for alts because I can switch on a whim and keep the same character. No more getting bored mid-level.

Now, I have almost no idea how to build a successful character, even less of an idea how to go about soldiers. My most successful character would have to be my scrapper, and he was idiot proof to build and slot, plus I had the idiot's guide. Is there a general accepted theory to training soldiers?

So, I wanted to start my rise through the ranks. After being stunned by the awesomeness that is my new uniform, I thought "Maybe I shouldn't rush into things." I figured I'd lay out my ultimate goals and hopefully get help from my superiors. First the superficial Mumbo Jumbo:

1. Are there any naming conventions I should be aware of? Most just put Operative in front of their name. I don't want to put a title in my name if there are titles I can earn, but I also want my name to sound like it belongs. Would you recommend just a name or should I put the title in there too?

2. Is there a "standard uniform" for soldiers? Any colors I should incorporate (specific reds)? Or is it left up to the the soldier?


Moving on to what is really giving my trouble. I know I have until level 24 to figure this out, so I thought I'd get some details and a plan while I'm playing around with my Wolf, so when I get there I'll know what to do.

Here's what I had in mind. I was going to start the game as a Huntsman. Upon reaching level 24 and my advanced training I'd hoped to branch off in both directions using dual builds.

On the one hand I was going to continue my Huntsman with Crab training (ranged).
On the other hand I was going to Train to be a Bane (Melee)
Between these two builds I would have a character that can function in whatever mood I'm feeling for the current day, avoiding the need for alts because I can switch on a whim and keep the same character. No more getting bored mid-level.

Now, I have almost no idea how to build a successful character, even less of an idea how to go about soldiers. My most successful character would have to be my scrapper, and he was idiot proof to build and slot, plus I had the idiot's guide. Is there a general accepted theory to training soldiers?

(Posted in wrong Forum by mistake, for updated thread see: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showt...31#post3612031

You wanna know the truth... One reason I wanted to try this is so I could shoot stuff with an awesome gun while looking totally bad***. In your face AR/Dev's!

So, coming back to the game has been interesting, No more AE farms, Praetoria is fun, and I now have access to VEATS, despite the lack of a 50. I had a lower level Mastermind that I shelved, but, anyway.

I get bored VERY easily. Heck, I left this game last time because everyone was farming, I was 50 in a matter of days, and completely ruined the game and my character... (hindsight is great, huh?) Playing a Scrapper got mind numbing after awhile. It was nice not having to think at times, but on certain days it felt like I was doing 1,2,3,4, rinse, repeat. Since I have access to them (and I like the costumes) I flirted with the thought of trying a Soldier, but I have very limited experience with building characters. Scrappers were pretty easy to put together, especially a WillPower/Martial Arts.

So, here's what I had in mind: Someone suggested to me that I look into soldiers because they are hybrids and can branch. I as looking into eventually getting a dual build going. I'm still looking into the branches and what they can do, but I was hoping for two distinctly different builds. On the one hand I was hoping to build some sort of melee Scrapper/Tanker or what have you. On the Other hand I was going to try a Ranged Blaster type. The point here being that I have two builds that oppose each other, giving me options and keeping me entertained. This is just an example, of the end result is a little different, it's not a big deal.

Is this a viable way to approach Soldiers. I heard someone say I could build a Huntsman type character and then go Bane later for Melee, or something like that. Anyone have any idea where I can start?

Hi Everybody! (Hi Dr. Nick!)

After one hell of a plane ride, bus trip, and a huge cab faire, I'm back in the city.

I decided to come back after they cut my hours and my Fiancé left me and I have all this free time and nothing to do with it (except Civil War reenacting and Dagorhir and SCA and underwater basket weaving), so I thought I'd go grab myself a pack and sit down and get reacquainted with something that I probably didn't spend enough time with. I left roughly two months after getting here last time. It was a time of great exploitation. People would camp out in front of the AE buildings like they were waiting for the new iPhone to be released. After killing 1000000000000000000000 Rikti my Scrapper got fed up. I'll never forget what he said to me that day. Those words haunt me in my dreams:

"Look kid, you're on your own now. I'm done." I tried to yell at him: "You can't leave me, I OWN you!," but he was already gone...

Left without an avatar I was lost and confused, like a kid abandoned in a shopping mall I'm not superhero! How do I do this alone? Frightened and alone I left the city, leaving a trail of tears in my wake.

But I'm back! I struck out with Heroes, but maybe a Praetorian will be my avatar, they seem like decent people. I could always go grovel before Lord Recluse in the hope that he'll loan me one of his soldiers to play with.



All kidding aside, I've returned. With the fancy new expansion and some free time on my hands I decided to revisit something I don't think got a fair shot last time around. I am looking for a starting point to build all of my "starter" characters. This account my be old, but I've logged less than 3 months playtime... I'm tempted to avoid the obvious choices: Freedom and Virtue. A little birdie told me this was the friendly server and I thought "That's where I need to be." The front page alone made me want to look more into this. The things I remember off the top of my head are lost my car keys and the Mjolnir kids toy. Things like this make me want, nay, need more information on this server. I'm a very casual minded individual, so the seriousness of Virtue can be, well, stifling at times. And the 3 red dots in front of Freedom scare me away.

So, I'm poking around servers and trying to feel out that community. I was curious what the community had to say on this matter. Rather than spread my new "starter" toons around servers, I was going to try and dump them all on one.

I'm not looking for information on numbers so much as I am the general "feeling" of the community. I know Freedom and Virtue have the highest numbers and I was inclined to go with one of them, but I keep seeing triple red dots wen I log on and it worries me a little. This is as far as I've gotten:

Freedom: The BIGGEST server
Virtue: Unofficial RP server

I think someone also mentioned that Pinnacle was the "Drunk" server and I wanted some more information on what this meant as well, because that just sounds awesome. Right now, I'm inclined to dump some toons on Virtue because, while I don't RP, I do like my characters to "make sense" within the CoX universe and Virtue seems to be the place where I would find characters with a higher degree of seriousness, making the game a tad more immersive.

so, it's been awhile. Last time I tried a scrapper and, well, it was kind of dull. He was easy to build though. Power choices and slots were pretty standard, at least I THINK I was doing it right.

I wanted to try something different (and hopefully more interesting). I'm not exactly sure how this game works and all. I wanted to have a plan before I went in with this character, but I'm clueless where to start.
Do I end up with the majority of my primary?
Any powers that are considered useless? (like Taunt on a scrapper)
Is there a generic slotting solution?
Are there any travel powers (or other pools) that work well with Dark?

Well, i did some thinking while at work today. The concept is, in my mind, very cliché, but I thought it might lead somewhere. The tutorial builds a foundation for my character and I thought I'd run with it. Tell me if this sounds a too drab or unoriginal.

I was going to take a stab at a dark/dark corruptor. Using the PPD costume as a starting point (as I am a member of the powers division). This is where the cliché part comes in. I don't know much about how the netherworld works, but I'm assuming that is the origin of my powers (magic?). If anyone has an article on it, that'd be great. The Wiki's don't say much. So here goes the Cliché part, not totally fleshed out, need to fill some stuff in:

Suffering a near death experience n the line of duty (that I may or may not remember) I return to consciousness and the first image my eyes perceive is the visage of the heroic Marcus Cole. While recovering I suffer from recurring night terrors and what what I believe is vivid dreams (but what I later find out is a trance like reality state). Returning to the force, with the help of Powers division, I learn to harness this new terror into a force for "good." I now serve My savior, Emperor Cole, and vow to dispatch those that would stand against our utopia and slander the name of Cole.

I just wanted to pop in and say hi again. I'm back, hopefully for longer this time. I had a short lived career as a MA Scrapper and got burned out rather quickly. Of course this was in the time of AE Farms. I began to feel like a one dimensional smash bot, so I went on my merry way.

Fast forward to 2011. Drastic hour cuts, no Summer School... Boredom begins to set in... but what's this? A glimmer of hope in the from of a Complete Collection box. I figure what harm could there be in trying out all the spiffy new stuff that came while I was gone. I can't wait to bust through the new tutorial. It's killing me, but I don't want to spoil it until I get a character I can sink my teeth into for awhile.

This has led to a bit of a dilemma. I haven't even made it to the game yet. I've spent the last two days in character creation scrolling through powers, costumes, and what have you. I grabbed some of the new packs just to look at the cool stuff. Back when I was last here all we had was Magic and Cyborg.

My main goal here is to create something I care about. Which is harder than it seemed at the time. This server seemed like a good place to start this journey. While I'm not exactly looking for a fully developed character I did want to try and take the game a little more seriously and see where it goes. Stop worrying so much about missions or experience and take a look at what's going on, and build a character than can fit into this world, and have some fun while doing it.

I started to do some reading and tried to put myself in the shoes of someone in this universe. I got some interesting thoughts going. Maybe Emperor Cole isn't such a bad guy after all. Somebody should deal with these terrorists. While not full blown RP, I wanted to dig into this a little more with my new character. See where he ends up. I've got a little black book for logging character notes, It'll be interesting to see where I am in 6 months... a year... but in order to do that I need a starting point.

Are there any hard and fast "guidelines" to outlining character concepts and getting a barebones structure down? I'm looking into either a Blaster/Corruptor if that helps. Figured I'd get as far away from scrapping as possible. I'm just afraid I'm going to end up where I was long ago. Blasting nameless mobs into oblivion for no apparent reason other than some guy telling me to do so in exchange for rewards.

On another note: Nice to see the Cape is still alive. Viva la radio!

I got some time off work for the next couple of days. I was going to crank out some Blasters/Defenders/Corruptors. I have limited experience Red side, but since it doesn't make a difference now, why not. Blasters seemed to have peaked my current interest for some reason. I'm trying to find an updated guide on power sets. I'm also going to look into how they differ from a corruptor. All in all, I think this time I might go ranged. It would give me a new outlook on combat, and I'd be squishy, which would add depth to gameplay. I can't just ROFLSMASH my way through things. Now I just need to decide if I want to be a blasting DPS machine or take some support instead. I'm leaning towards support. I do like grouping.