imported_Heroic

Well, apparently there is something worse than a _NA or a _EU...

Thanks for the review!

[ QUOTE ]
Mission 1: the glowies and the good LT all spawned in the same room. Not completely your fault, but try setting at least one of them to "middle" if possible to ensure that the objectives stay spread out.

[/ QUOTE ]
The sad thing is, I believe they are set to "middle"...


[ QUOTE ]
Though I'm not 100% sure why i need a transceiver to BLOCK psychic signals. Note that I'm overlooking the fact that I'm playing a MIND controller with the PSYCHIC MASTERY APP and therefore, RP-wise, ought to know a thing or two about deflecting mental signals anyway.

[/ QUOTE ]
Well, the technology is suitable for being modified into something that can block psychic signals...it doesn't work that way out of the box (or bot). If I could fork missions based on the archetype and powers, I definitely would. I guess that falls under the same category as Television controlling you regardless of your archetype in its villain-side arc.


[ QUOTE ]
What DOES bug me: "Robotix" doesn't sound like a clockwork name, and Clockwork are rarely known for anything resembling normal speech and cutting themselves off from making pop culture references.

[/ QUOTE ]
This is an alternate dimension, similar to Epsilon Tau 27-2. The Clockwork King has killed off most (but not all, like Epsilon) of the people on the planet. The stress of fighting off attacks from the freedom fighters and the lack of people to talk with has fragmented his mind, with his lieutenants exhibiting separate personalities. It's like dealing with a schizophrenic, but each personality has its own body.

Given text limitations, I don't have time to go into all of that. Then again, to use my own words...if I have to explain it, maybe it wasn't that good of an idea to begin with. I'll take another look at that part of the arc, and see if I can find a way to explain this in a concise manner.


[ QUOTE ]
Also, this mission had an objective to find someone... which i never did but the mission became complete, anyway. Though I think I remember you saying this was working as intended. I think maybe a "better" way to handle this is to clue the player in to the fact that there's a possible helper in the BRIEFING instead of making it a phantom objective.

[/ QUOTE ]
I'll see what I can do about the objective. It really is a bonus for those interested in the extra story or who need an ally to take down the boss, rather than someone you have to interact with.


[ QUOTE ]
Mission 3: Ok, I get why I'm up against PPD... but, uhm, they're all level 40 o_O I'm level 50... no Tickets, whah! Ah well, makes it easier to stealth to the end! Also wasn't sure what the Vanguard were doing there, *shrug*

[/ QUOTE ]
*grumble* They advertised that we'd finally have the Architect able to scale foes to the player's level. Guess that's not working as intended...

Prior to Issue 15, I used a combination of higher-level PPD (mostly psi-cops) and some Vanguard, because they fit the level range. I didn't like that solution (I want highly-trained normals, not psionic foes), and I didn't want to create custom cops. It looks like I need to redo the foes in the last mission again to fit the limitations of the Mission Architect.


[ QUOTE ]
I liked TV's dialog, though! However, was it supposed to have an ambush, because the last two bosses DID, but this boss didn't.

[/ QUOTE ]
The pre-release version had an ambush, but considering this is an Elite Boss with Mind/Illusion, I found adding an ambush to be overkill (even if the Elite Boss does scale down). Now, if there was no time limit, I'd add the ambush.


[ QUOTE ]
Overall, a fun romp but definitely has some logical/canonical issues.

[/ QUOTE ]
Thanks again - your comments helped a lot more than the original review. I'll need a few days to figure out changes, after which I'll post about the revision to this thread.

A rebuttal regarding the "Digital Transition" review. I debated whether to put this in its own thread, but in the end I felt it should be in the same thread as the review that spawned the reply. In case anyone wants to discuss this further, I have made a separate thread for that purpose.

When I first read the review of my arc, I was wondering where I went wrong. A 2-star review was lower than the ratings the arc has received as a whole (it has fluctuated between 3 and 4 stars on the servers since it was published), and it even got two different 5-star reviews (here and here) in review threads on this board. Granted, different reviewers have different opinions, but I have enjoyed most of the arcs I've played based on reviews from these threads.

Then, upon closer reading of the thread, I realized that the review seems to suffer from QRS - "Quick Review Syndrome". For example, while "Lieutenant Nielsen" uses the PPD robot model, it is explained in the character info (which I know the reviewer reads, as he's docked other arcs for not having that information on NPCs) that the Lieutenant is actually piloting the robot remotely. Likewise, plot elements are relayed through statements from the foes you encounter as well as conversations with NPCs. Boomboxx has incorporated the Radio's speakers into his body, the named Clockwork Prince is the leader of that area's clockwork (and thus has the only transmitter powerful enough to block Television's influence), the freedom fighter is there to give plot info and a small amount of help for characters that need extra assistance against the boss, etc. If the reviewer's definition of plot is having NPC allies and escorts spoonfeed information instead of having the player pick up on the plot from multiple sources, then I plead guilty. I expect the player to actually listen to boss/ambush text and read the briefings to pick up on the plot.

To focus on one particular comment ("The PPD and (particularly) Vanguard have no real place in this"), those two groups were used because the broadcasts from Television were taking over law enforcement. Clues to this were given by both Lieutenant Nielsen in the first mission ("We were supposed to go in as a group, but the others stopped to look at a news report on the TV."), the Ally Rescued text at the end of the first mission (Lieutenant Nielsen said the officers stopped to look at a news report on TV. Few things are higher priority for the PPD than finding a Freakshow hideout. Where did the other officers go?), and the patrol of Vanguard in the last mission ("Did you see that new special on the Military channel?"). The lack of mention of any of these plot elements in the review combined with the "no plot" comment leads me to believe that either the reviewer was rushing past these things, or was just having a bad day.

There are also some unreasonable expectations from the reviewer. The inclusion of a timed mission is implied by the introductory text for mission 3 ("You must stop the broadcast before the program ends, or everyone will be under Television's control!"). I accept the criticism and will make the inclusion of a timed mission clearer, but I feel the timed mission didn't appear completely out of the blue. Also, while I'm not sure how many NPCs the reviewer expects to interact with in a typical mission, I included more text and characters than you get in normal CoX missions. I have to wonder if he would give most live CoX missions one or two stars (if so, why's he still playing?). Finally, the "just a bunch of stuff that happened" tag was expected, given how poorly defined that trope is (badly enough that someone had to compile all the comments that have been made about it to come close to figuring it out). I happen to disagree with the use of that trope. Like a joke, if you have to spend a long time explaining what a trope means...it isn't a good trope.

Given that I've played several other arcs in this thread (and previous threads) by this reviewer, and several have less plot than my arc without getting docked for that in the review, I can only conclude that the reviewer was having a bad day or had some sort of axe to grind. Also, my arc is only three missions, and meant to be completed in under an hour (I've playtested it solo in as little as 20 minutes). The goal was to have it be short, interesting, and enough of a challenge to be fun without being frustrating. To compare it to literature, my arc was a short story...but the reviewer seems to be asking for "War and Peace" (to use a term that others have debated in this thread).

As a final note, the boss at the end of the last mission is Mind/Illusion. As difficulty wasn't mentioned in the combats, I'm assuming that combining those two powersets didn't make the final fight too tough.

This thread is to discuss the story arc "Digital Transition" and the reviews it has received.

Spell_Blade's review (5 stars)

Bubbawheat's review (5 stars)

Venture's review (2 stars)

[ QUOTE ]
Eh...I really didnt expect much...every TF/SF added since I10 has been the very definition of "A bunch of stuff that happens" (well maybe not some of the Ouro TF's). Then again, I've been trying to avoid spoilers for this one so maybe that's not the problem.

[/ QUOTE ]
Can you explain "a bunch of stuff that happens" a bit more?

To me, labeling a mission arc (or a TF, or a SF, etc) just "a bunch of stuff that happened" means that the presence of your hero/villain didn't matter. While several arcs that I've played have had problems, few have been written in such a way that it didn't matter whether the character was there or not. The few that do either are written for humor (to varying degrees of success) or place too much focus on what NPCs are doing. Missions that are done to show the mission creator's pet character, or which assign Boss or higher level allies that end up doing most of the work.

Now, if your definition is "a bunch of stuff that happened" is that the status quo is maintained at the end of the arc...a LOT of arcs will fall into that category. It's a staple of the superhero genre. You stop the bad guy from taking over the world, and they skulk away to try again later. That's a staple of the genre. However, if the absence of your character means that something has changed for the worse, then you made a difference.

Digital Transition (143017)
Description: A strange message appears in your email. The citizens of Paragon City are about to be enslaved by Television. You must break into a Freakshow base and recover the parts to the one being that can defeat it - the Radio! [Type: Story, Estimated Time: 1 hour (3 missions), the 3rd mission has a 30 min timer and EB]

[ QUOTE ]
And I was impressed you soloed the final fight on a blaster. Not easily done.

[/ QUOTE ]
I managed it with my Archery/Energy blaster last night...though I was defeated once before returning to finish the job. Probably would have been easier if I had the Flight pool instead of Jumping. Escalation has one heavy-duty ranged attack that was doing around 900 points of damage, so I'd just trigger Aid Self immediately afterward and be back at full health by the time her attack recharged. My character isn't a defense build, either...about the only boost I have is the global +3%.

The main problem was dishing out enough damage - even with Build Up, Aim, and Surveillance to help, it took a while to wear her down.

Good arc. There was a missing 'a' in the final briefing, but otherwise I couldn't find a single problem with it. You gave plenty of warning about the difficulty in the later missions, so I can't fault you for that.

[ QUOTE ]
Played as lvl 40 fire/fire brute. I really enjoyed this arc. The concept was great, I loved the contact. You have a great format and voice for the computer, and it worked well with the Radio as well. I would love to see this idea expanded on a bit into a larger storyline. There's always the concept of television trying to break into the computer as well. Hulu is a pretty big site nowadays.

[/ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the feedback! I've thought about expanding the arc several times, but there is an advantage to keeping it short. I don't want people to feel I'm padding the arc just to make it last longer, and I can always make a second arc if needed.


[ QUOTE ]
The only other downside was there's a bit too much psi for me, and television is pretty tough. He stacked enough confuse to overcome a break free. Burn isn't very friendly when you're confused. But I was able to beat him without hosping. Looking at the description again, was he still an EB, or did you downgrade him to a boss? If he's an EB you might just downgrade him to a boss, or when i15 comes just give him only one confuse power. Definately enjoyed it!

[/ QUOTE ]
You'll get more Psi at level 40 than you would at 50, because the Paragon Police available at 40 are mostly psi-cops. I was trying to keep the foes limited to law enforcement, human (because humans are vulnerable to Television's control), and standard instead of custom models. I find that custom models are overused in many arcs, which leads to space limitations and unnecessary compromises. I ended up adding Vanguard to the mix to cover the level range better.

The only custom foe in the entire arc is the Avatar of Television, who is a Mind/Illusion EB (both set at the lowest level). Once I can customize the avatar more, I'll see what I can do about the powers...but he (it?) is supposed to be a tough fight. Given that I've been able to get to the Avatar of Television within 15 minutes every time I've tested the arc, even going to the hospital doesn't mean the mission is failed. You can respawn and get back in time for Round 2...and hopefully any allies he's spawned with (depending on difficulty level) have been defeated.

Now, if there was only a way to create a floating television I could use as a foe...

Thanks for the review, Spell_Blade! To address the bad stuff quickly...

[ QUOTE ]
Bad Stuff: No text warning of level decrease in first mission. Ambushes during "boss" battles.

[/ QUOTE ]

The level decrease is something I want to get rid of...I just need to change the Lieutenant to something that has a level 50 version. I may just turn him into a noncombatant and use the Civilian model, having him go back to base to check on those reinforcements.

As far as the ambushes...as you stated, the fights were pretty easy in the missions that had the ambushes. I purposefully set the ambush to 'easy', so it's a bit of an added challenge without being overpowering. It's quite possible to defeat the boss before the ambush even gets to you, and that gives you the Mission Completed button to exit. Plus, each of the first two missions has an optional Ally to help you with the fight.

Thanks for the comments on the final boss. Another reviewer had a problem with multiple bosses showing up, so I'll be taking a second look at it.

[ QUOTE ]
I suggest taking out the ambush or toning down the boss a bit. A brute can take that heat better than a Corrupter and when your custom mobs can inflict stun/immob/hold yada yada, that starts wandering into the realm of "OMG I can't beat this guy." People who don't have a chance don't vote well.

[/ QUOTE ]
Quoted for truth.

I played it on the lowest difficulty setting, with the EB scaled down to a boss, using a character heavily slotted with IOs. Having the main bad guy shrugging off my strongest hits and healing himself was NOT cool. I burned an entire Inspiration tray and only managed to get him below half health once...at which point an ambush triggered.

Last kung-fu movie I saw, the final battle was one-on-one - not a horde of minions rushing the hero while he's facing off versus the villain. The premise is interesting, but the second mission was absolutely horrible. I rated it two stars.

[ QUOTE ]
(I'll take review requests to ease some workload here. If you post here, please also send me a PM to be sure I get the arc ID number.)

[/ QUOTE ]
Thanks! Here's my post from earlier in the thread:
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showt...age=0&vc=1

I really wish the Psi Cops would go to 50 instead of 45. Above 45, you have to use a costumed cop instead of one wearing detective clothes, which kind of spoils the mood if you're trying to give the players info via an ally.

Digital Transition (143017)
Description: A strange message appears in your email. The citizens of Paragon City are about to be enslaved by Television. You must break into a Freakshow base and recover the parts to the one being that can defeat it - the Radio! [Type: Story, Estimated Time: 1 hour, the 3rd mission has 30 min timer and EB]

If anyone has the time to review my first arc, I'd appreciate it. It took me about 45 minutes to complete in testing, though I focused on completing mission goals rather than defeating everything in the missions. Someone without stealth will probably take longer, and the last mission will be a race against time, where it may be better to run past foes instead of fighting everything.

Digital Transition
by @Heroic
Arc ID: 143017
Length: Long
First Published: 05/03/2009 12:15 PM
Morality: Neutral
Mission 1: Small size map, level range 40-45. Contains Ambush, Boss, Collection, Ally.
Mission 2: Unique map, level range 40-54. Contains Ambush, Boss, Ally.
Mission 3: Large size map, level range 1-54. Contains Boss, Collection, A Destructible Object.
Enemy Groups: Freakshow, Psychic Clockwork, Custom Group.
Description: A strange message appears in your email. The citizens of Paragon City are about to be enslaved by Television. You must break into a Freakshow base and recover the parts to the one being that can defeat it - the Radio! [Type: Story, Estimated Time: 1 hour]

[ QUOTE ]
In light of this, and the relative ease of acquisition of +Accuracy bonuses from IO sets, I will be lobbying for a change or addition to Archery to supplement or replace the inherent accuracy bonus. I will not, however, be throwing a hissy fit or quitting the game, or abandoning Archery as my favorite powerset, regardless of the results. It's still the best darn blast set, ever.

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe adding a slight defense debuff to the archery attacks? That would increase our IO slotting options, if nothing else.

In the full thread, I only see one build posted, so I thought I'd offer my current build for review. It's basically the same thing I posted in Nethergoat's DA thread, but that's not the first place an archer is going to look...

My Archery/Energy character just finished a respec to optomize him for exemplaring down to level 29, so I can do DA runs (via Ouroboros exemplaring) and retain a majority of my set bonuses. The build focuses on damage (+25.5% damage buff with Assault running, or 23.5% exemplared to 29), though it also has good accuracy, recharge, and regeneration bonuses. The Chance of Heal Self procs in both Snap Shot and Aimed Shot help when I get mezzed and can't use Aid Self. Here's the build:

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.30
http://www.honourableunited.org.uk/mhd.php

Heroic's Blaster: Level 36 Technology Blaster
Primary Power Set: Archery
Secondary Power Set: Energy Manipulation
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Fitness
Power Pool: Leadership
Power Pool: Medicine

Hero Profile:
Level 1: Aimed Shot -- Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:30(A), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg:31(5), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:32(9), Dev'n-Dmg/Rchg:32(15), Entrpc-Dmg/Rchg:32(21), Entrpc-Heal%:25(29)
Level 1: Power Thrust -- Acc-I:35(A)
Level 2: Fistful of Arrows -- Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:27(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg:32(3), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:27(3), Posi-Dmg/Rng:32(5), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:21(19), Det'tn-Dmg/Rng:37(25)
Level 4: Snap Shot -- Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:30(A), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg:30(9), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:32(11), Dev'n-Dmg/EndRdx:32(23), Entrpc-Dmg/Rchg:33(23), Entrpc-Heal%:24(31)
Level 6: Blazing Arrow -- Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:32(A), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg:32(7), Dev'n-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:32(7), Dev'n-Dmg/Rchg:32(11), Ruin-Dmg/Rchg:32(21)
Level 8: Build Up -- AdjTgt-Rchg:32(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg:32(17), RechRdx-I:35(27)
Level 10: Combat Jumping -- Krma-ResKB:14(A)
Level 12: Explosive Arrow -- Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:32(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg:32(13), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:32(13), Posi-Dmg/Rng:32(15), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:27(19), RechRdx-I:35(25)
Level 14: Super Jump -- ULeap-Stlth:16(A)
Level 16: Aim -- AdjTgt-Rchg:31(A), AdjTgt-ToHit/Rchg:32(17), RechRdx-I:35(27)
Level 18: Hurdle -- Jump-I:35(A)
Level 20: Health -- RgnTis-Regen+:30(A)
Level 22: Stamina -- EndMod-I:35(A)
Level 24: Assault -- EndRdx-I:35(A)
Level 26: Stimulant -- IntRdx-I:35(A)
Level 28: Aid Self -- Mrcl-Heal/Rchg:31(A), Mrcl-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg:32(29), Mrcl-Heal:32(31)
Level 30: Ranged Shot -- ExtrmM-Acc/Dmg:36(A), ExtrmM-Acc/ActRdx/Rng:38(31), ExtrmM-Dmg/ActRdx/Rchg:38(34), ExtrmM-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:38(36), Dmg-I:35(36)
Level 32: Rain of Arrows -- Posi-Dmg/Rng:38(A), Posi-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:38(33), Posi-Dmg/EndRdx:33(33), Posi-Dmg/Rchg:38(33), Posi-Acc/Dmg:37(34), RechRdx-I:35(34)
Level 35: Boost Range -- RechRdx-I:30(A), RechRdx-I:35(36)
------------
Level 1: Brawl -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- EndRdx-I:35(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I:35(A)
Level 1: Defiance
------------
[u]Set Bonus Totals:[u]<ul type="square">[*]+15% DamageBuff[*]+27% Enhancement(Accuracy)[*]+18.8% Enhancement(RechargeTime)[*]+122 (10.1%) HitPoints[*]+Knockback (Mag -4)[*]+11.5% Recovery[*]+56% Regeneration[*]+4.73% Resistance(Fire)[*]+4.73% Resistance(Cold)[/list]

<font class="small">Code:[/color]<hr /><pre>| Copy &amp; Paste this data chunk into Mids' Hero Designer to view the build |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|MHDz;3427;936;1248;|
&gt;-KEEDMOVS@0@.\!\A]\6?10I!$?HB3TE#8IDNT:*)*T=ZU,V"H&lt;RM"C2`!"OWUG2( F48KJK`'M)#
'HX_#F&gt;',T+&gt;RKJ[S-O\AZZ:LU$?R@9^?/51=NY.U6CWLJJHMFU8_RF*GJGVU?=&amp;?]GG3ROK\[*HN`'
K1-TK6VY?5.E?EH=OG+9C1=PI&gt;2=7JOV1^*-56?RE9L&amp;OV]@JUUYT&amp;NY*8M22;WN5(**&amp;K"!IE_.S
R)M_XB.];7\!6ICM[\JBLOKI^WEC=K&lt;;YXO[XO=MN&lt;]$0D\64\S6!+`#&lt;(,PB+-@Q:=*6$YHM,9-V/B
D2$&lt;PF_KZE`6J\^[O&amp;IF'&amp;&lt;C1Z/7W*W,]W\8R!JC7-,4W+\@+G1\HG\][&gt;G@%3?*@&lt;$GA01]JYH2;*M
WS&lt;H&lt;SJLLX2:I]80*6'0*1R[)G,?'W#2TE(P&amp;3X'*&lt;G0TR,/&lt;Q,?(FH3`,/5MI2:9M]:2(0VP*_=Y8.
;YQD)A_U(H@*0+"X5$1Y7BHQ+&lt;990NJ14:X(YJA6DVJ8/8Y("_(7YVHJ^FC4*T6!B_6-(HD;[OROE;G
D[:PT63:"P^JJ\V/SN8!IO58UYO90M#I!\6BL2934+88W5;MI&lt;.)LX'H?M[&amp;&amp;1X,E"6;&amp;PI*&amp;*W.Q8&amp;
2E_S^BD'NOGZ"3`ZN$J8SB;]1TSRW]*`Z,72#B3+6O!WY.L&gt(N;4&amp;`3AK,U=!X&amp;#_E@& lt;%21_J[^KCJ
U@6/`@=\_M/MV!PMB8D^*Q(CZQ&amp;'%\F5G;.C_\)"-VPGLCD+_9_=T0"P:,7CEL&lt;PX"94KMQ(N.:CO7W
+U6#9-)WNC&gt;X_+2#H.#)+YQ10G'L;&lt;0W+7U09V8=0Y0WPRH)EC Z\QP"@!ZKR=9H[$6%KQ3K05IXL!X`
B9:F!9:EW5&gt;[*69'V.JV+C&amp;&lt;#-B/BL8]&gt;V9SD#STI7I=!*9"UA`X#?/;2V?Y&amp;HM\Z:K93.I&lt;!H-9Q4C
'@2OBM8XHBP_9"/!K8YX+-^1MX[3B+L%++Q@'BF-8K&lt;@U@A@:K,QM6R26H8?::CE`_V6(/Z&amp;V0`\7=B
?`+*%XR%L-3!Q!*8KV#ML4H78(V9&amp;'Y-XJ_(3%J8Y3%"R_T[)HY"2A90BI$R/E/;7D&gt;F7/NHO,!M13_
SO)_N&gt;GFB\"8;7D6GD4&amp;!D['AK+IHY&lt;$$"7OU/E)@-EMEO*4S_&amp;&amp;HFI&gt;;.$!-1&gt$X,4Z]-O+:S&amp;NI%
T=VW)0/?L`]2UB"6S$#)JD7,R&gt;FD1&gt%ZD7F1&gt;]L33VHK&gt;;"B_R03P_^P&gt;$.XW%
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
</pre><hr />

[ QUOTE ]
Anything can be made Flashback, but the "completed" star checks for A) Souvenir clue or B) the Badge. If we did missions that were not Story Arcs and not Badged, then they would never show complete.

That said, I have no problem doing this if you guys don't. Just let me know what missions you want on Ouroboros and I will do my best to get them there.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is there a way to award an "invisible" badge on other missions? Something that wouldn't add to the badge counter, but could be used to mark the completion of a story arc by the game.

While I know you don't want to spend a lot of time on the Epic pools, what is your thought about using Munitions Mastery for a "double-nuke" (RoA + LRM Rocket)? My hope is that while the long recharge of LRM makes this a rarely-used tactic, it should be a really hard hit when combined with Aim and Build Up...

For an Archery/Energy blaster build, is there any real reason to take Power Boost? Your only ranged mez attack is Stunning Shot, and it seems overkill to take Power Boost just for that...

[ QUOTE ]
What it does not do is boost the flight cap. Which is fairly easy to hit already with 3 SOs. So, if you are already 3-slotted with SOs in flight, and thus already around the cap, you will not see a boost, because you cannot go any faster than you are already going.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds great! I can put a single Fly SO in flight, then use the Jump Pack when flying to my next mission. It should easily recharge before I finish the mission, at which point I use it to fly to my next mission...

I remember when Integration was a click power, with no healing. Resilience only provided Disorient protection.

I remember making my first character in beta, Crusade, then promptly deleting him because Broadsword/Invulnerability was slow and sucked my Endurance like water.

I remember 27 levels of Dark Melee/Regeneration with no real protection besides Reconstruction, doing hit and run attacks on Family in IP.

I remember the 200+ post thread about Regeneration, and feeling a great sense of accomplishment at seeing it changed before the end of beta. Ironic, huh?

I remember my Beta character, Moonshine, getting his picture taken.

I remember the last day of Beta, where Hamidon wiped us out over and over. I also remember hearing about the first people to defeat Hamidon in Beta...with a team of 8.

I could probably remember more...but I'm at home with a cold, so I think I'll just take a nap and dream of betatesting CoH.

[ QUOTE ]
What works best is to make a beeline for the side missions except for the kidnap mission. That one takes too long to be worthwhile.

[/ QUOTE ]

Depends on how you do it, and what your character build is. My brute stealths to the hostage, then carves a swath of destruction in a straight-line path to the exit. I always end up with more time than I started with. My mastermind does something similar, cutting a path to the hostage, and ignoring any foes outside of aggro range.

I'd really like to see Devices looked at as a powerset. There are several underperformers that could use tweaking.

Devices took a BIG hit with ED. The balancing factor of Targeting Drone versus Build Up was that Device blasters could drop an extra Damage SO into their attacks. Now, with ED, all blasters slot the same amount of Damage SO's (3). At best, Targeting Drone saves the character a few slots that would otherwise be spent on ACC - with the big disadvantage of being crippled after a toggle drop.

Taser is, as others have posted, useless (except for stacking with Beanbag). Adding a short range to the power would help. Switching it to a hold (so it could stack with Tesla Cage or the epic holds) would help, though AR users might complain.

Devices also has the poor man's invisibility combo of Cloaking Device + Smoke Grenade. Except that if you take Grant Invisibility + Invisibility instead, you don't have to worry about trying to hit foes before you can sneak past them (and can even bring your buddies along).

Time Bomb pretty much requires you to be invisible to be used properly - and that's hard to do effectively unless you skip CD + Smoke Grenade for the Concealment pool. More often, the blaster simply gets forced into taking Superspeed. This problem and the previous one comes back to Smoke Grenade being a power that requires a to hit roll, meaning any decent size group will be hard to sneak into.

Auto Turret has a HUGE Endurance cost, that is really out of line with its effectiveness.

Recent Updates:

Sapph's Guide to Bot/Dark Tactics

Apparently not satisfied with folding this information into the first guide (Sapph's Guide to Bot/Dark), Sapph has created a separate guide for tactics to use with a Robot/Dark Miasma build. It has some useful tips, including ways to avoid an alpha strike, the suggested order of equipping and upgrading your robots, pet management suggestions, and a very nice diagram with instructions on how to pull around corners. Posted on January 27, 2006 (the original guide was updated on the same day).


R_M's Robotics/Dark Miasma Mastermind Guide, v1.0

This guide was last updated by the author on January 21, 2006. It was last posted to on January 24, 2006, by the author of GangBot's MM/Robots/Dark Miasma guide (which has not been updated since the last post in this thread).

For the record, the Player Guides board now has at least three currently active guides for Robot/Dark Miasma Masterminds:


Sapph's Guide to Bot/Dark

Good discussion of what powers each of the robots get, and gives one set build to use. Very skimpy descriptions of the powers, and not much about why the writer chose to take them. However, there is some useful discussion in the followup posts. Last updated by the author on December 1st, 2005. Last post to the thread on January 18, 2006.


R_M's Robotics/Dark Miasma Mastermind Guide, v1.0

VERY in-depth guide, with extensive sections on why to take each of the powersets, how they work together, a detailed writeup on each power in the powersets, a writeup on which power pools work with Robot/Dark, a detailed discussion of how to slot Accuracy, a section on advanced pet binds, the role of the Robot/Dark MM, and a Tips and Tactics writeup. Finally, there is a single sample build offered by the author. Definately the best guide out there as of this posting, though people looking for a variety of sample builds will be disappointed (an area that will hopefully be improved upon when he makes a 2.0 guide). Last updated yesterday, January 19th 2006.


GangBot's MM/Robots/Dark Miasma

A rather short guide that offers a sample build, a very brief rationale as to why the author chose that particular build, and a link to a pet bind post. Not very informative, but brief and useful to those with a short attention span. Despite the lack of info, the sample build is actually pretty decent. Posted today, January 20th.


----------

If you post a new Robot/Dark guide, please add a link to it. Or, if you have a sample build that differs from the ones presented in the guides above, feel free to share it with others here.

Note: If you want to make a new Robot/Dark guide, please make sure and read R_M's Robotics/Dark Miasma Mastermind Guide, v1.0. If you only have some small improvement, like an alternative build, reply to his post rather than wasting forum space on a separate guide that will be lost in the shuffle.

.