sigma1932
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Posts
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Joined
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Quote:Personally, when I invite a 'troller to my team, I expect them to both support AND hold (i.e. use ALL the tools available to them). I expect a 'fender to support and throw out whatever meager damage they can as well (again, use all tools available to them). On a team, either AT's buffs function fairly similarly due to it being easier to hit certain caps with only one 'trollers buff/debuffs and Melee's shields combined or with two support toons buffs/debuffs working together.Originally Posted by Folonius
No, the rest of the player base does not think that underplayed = underpowerd. They just don't want to suffer through playing a buff bot. When I look for a team, I want 2 defenders on my team because they offer the best defensive or offensive numbers to their buffs. I also want two controllers on my team, because they have holds, not because they have buffs. A defender buffs, a controller holds, and they are both good at what they do. I would never invite a controller to a team, expecting him to do nothing but buff, but I would invite a defender to a team and expect them to do nothing but buff while using their secondary to suplement their buffs.
The later is why I think people shy away from defenders. They don't like the underdamaging support toon even though their buffs are higher.
My Ideal team is 2 controllers, 2 defenders, a tank, and 3 damage toons. A defender is one of those toons that are great to have on a team, you just don't want to be the one playing them. Adding damage will make them more soloable, but it may have the potential of diluting them so players think of their defender more like an offender, and I hate offenders. I would still suffer through a damage increase to defenders though just to make more people like them.
That said, my ideal team blueside would be 3-4 'trollers, 3-4 Blasters, and a Tank (purely for AV aggro management). The first two 'trollers would easily cover any buffing/debuffing/healing needed (even if they're both empaths), the 3rd and possibly 4th would only be there for insurance and to ensure perma-containment (i.e. cycle the big AoE holds-- likely wouldn't even need the buffs for the most part), as well as add more containment damage, and depending on the sets, potentially hold even AV's. Obviously, the rest of the team is self-explanatory.
As you said, people shy away from 'fenders because they don't want to play a buff-bot (i.e. 'fenders lack utility). It's this lack of utility that makes them underpowered because another AT that shares it's support sets can handle that, and do more (and it's gonna get worse yet with GR).
To put it as simply as possible: Lack of utility = underpowered = underplayed.
So, the question then becomes "how do you give 'fenders more utility without overstepping into other AT's territory? (despite the 'fender's territory already being encroached upon)" Numerous suggestions have been made in other threads, so I won't bother rehashing them here. -
K, I didn't bother to read all 16 pages, but to put it simply, if you wanna stop people from farming in AE, limit them from getting any rewards after they've earned 10 bars worth of XP (even at 50, count up what it would be for 10 bars), and then cut them off from all rewards... no XP, no Inf., no Tix, nothing... well, they can still get inspirations I guess. Then, reset this counter once per day, at an arbitrary time. If people decide they want to farm, then they're done in half an hour, and have to leave the building if they want to make real progress, or wait until the next reset time.
Something like this would cover all the marketing points on the box on shelves in stores: a player could still level from 1 to 50 using only AE, and they can still use it starting at level 1.
IF that's too harsh, give "double-XP" credit similar to Patrol XP (could even have it stack with patrol XP-- giving 3x XP... normal once, patrol second, AE bank third) after the cap has been met for the day (but still no inf. or tix). I'd say this doubleing effect could count while earning real XP in while playing in AE, but the doubled part should count against that day's cap before they just start earning more banked XP again (so theoretically, if someone spends 30 minutes hitting the cap one day by farming, then keep farming and earn another 10 bars of banked XP, then come back the next day and farm again and do the same farm, they'll actually be done farming in 15 min before they just start banking XP again).
The idea here is to discourage the ridiculously fast XP/inf. gain and promote playing actual story arcs, which is what the AE was meant for. Typically we don't gain a full level by playing 2-3, even 4 arcs, depending on the level of the arc, especially with no end-of-mission bonuses, so it really won't hamper people who are creating/playing real arcs.
To balance all this, lower the price of tickets needed for rolls as people would be getting fewer per day. -
Quote:Except that they can join teams and get into it that way.Originally Posted by Fulmens
On the plus side, 14-day trials can't use AE, so there's a chance for the new guys to at least beat up one mugger in their life.
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Quote:2nd Account, Maybe?Originally Posted by doc_heal
I have teamed regulary with one player who doesn't even have a 3 month vet, yet he plays his 50's like he's been playing for years. I'm not saying ALL new players are going to play badly, just I've seen a majority of them that do.
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Of course, you can still use those brainstorms to make the common salvage used for empowerment buffs that do count... so yeah.
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Quote:I was late to the brainstorm party (it got fixed before I took the initiative to use it), but I got Fabricator (the 10k crafts badge) by spending a total of maybe 20 hours and no more than 5 million inf. (which in the greater scheme of things isn't much) buying common tech salvage at 500 inf. a pop from the market (i.e. 5,000 per market slot) and then using each individually to craft base buffs. Really, IIRC, it took less time to get the 9500+ crafts I needed for Fabricator than it did to get all the memorization badges, and it cost me a lot less inf. as well.Originally Posted by Supernumiphone
So now that converting base salvage doesn't count anymore, is crafting and deleting base buffs the only alternative to creating IOs now? For getting the 1000 necessary crafts I mean. It seems like it would take a long time just crafting IOs if you actually wanted to sell them and not take a total loss on them. I'd say it would take at least a month, even logging in multiple times per day to check and reload market slots. For the lazy like myself, that means realistically it would take months to get the accolade with that approach.
Knowing that, if you do all the memorzation parts first and then just do base buffs after that to bring your total up to 1,000 crafts, it'll prolly cost you around 250-300k inf. max (mere pennies, really) for the salvage used for base buffs, and you'll be finished with it, free and clear (i.e. nothing waiting to sell on the market), in one sitting, easily.
For those that care, what I did was empty my toon's inventory of everything but common tech salvage, cleared my market completely, then, as I said before, put bids up for stacks of 10 common tech salvage at 500 inf. per piece (again, 5k per slot), since common tech salvage is the only type that can be used individually to make base-buffs.
I kept my power window open, and detached it so I could move it closer to my "empowerment station" window (helps on the occasions when you have dozens of one type of salvage and have to delete and re-craft the same buff over and over). Then I set up a "dialog_yes" keybind on my "f" key (to do this type in: /bind f "dialog_yes")Then, I'd craft as many buffs as I could (there are only 8 types that require only one piece of salvage).
Then, starting at the top, I'd delete them by right-clicking on them in my power window to bring up the menu for the power, hitting the "d" key (to activate the Delete menu item), which would bring up the "are you sure you want to delete this" prompt window, for which I could just hit the "f" key to answer "yes" to... so it would just be right-click, d, f, right-click, d, f, and so on. They'd slide up as they're deleted, so I didn't have to move the mouse at all. After they're deleted, I'd just go back and click down the list in the buff station window again, delete again, and keep repeating the process until I was out of salvage.
If you think about it, with 80 slots, this will only take probably a max of 4-5 trips back and forth from the market if you fill your inventory up every trip to hit 1,000 crafts total (after the memorization part)... even with only 50 slots (minimum for a level 50 toon), it'll only take about 7-8 trips.
Of course, you don't have to wait to fill you inventory up before you go craft either... I made a bit of a game out of it... tried to clear everything "bought" off my market, go craft it all, then get back to the market again before someone sold me another piece of salvage.
EDIT: ok, so I found out after this post that the same buffs can be gotten from common arcane salvage from arcane empowerment stations... but then, common tech salvage is likely cheaper. -
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And don't worry at all about asking questions. "Newb" is not an indictable offense in this game
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"n00b" on the other hand, is. There is a difference between the two.
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click on "powers" to bring up the window, then scroll down. It'll be in the right-most column, probably near the bottom.
Add another row to your power tray (where you click to activate powers) by clicking the little arrow in the upper right corner of the tray. Click on "jump kick" in the power window. It should transfer down into an open spot in your tray. Note you can move the powers around in the tray however you want. -
Who do I write a letter to to get them to actually label all my game codes on my CoX PlayNC page as something that they were actually for?
Seriously, on one hand, they labeled something "City of Heroes® Wedding Pack" (which is PERFECT), and on another they labeled something "Perk", and I have three different "Retail" entries, among other things. They've added so many different codes lately, and are likely to keep adding more, that a little elaboration would be appreciated...
I'm not saying I can't use some deductive reasoning to figure out what's what, but really, how much effort does it take to command some stooge intern to put a few extra characters on this list, especially since they seem to be adding more and more codes for the extra stuff they're selling?
K, I'm better now... enhancing my calm... be well! -
Can I pay you to STOP dancing?
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1. AE PL'd players do not know what a power does.
2. AE PL'd players get bored quickly and leave quickly...that seems to be the best feature of AE PL'in
AE was a great feature ruined by the lazy, weak and the greedy...
I would think that there would be awesome content made but all I can find are farms and missions with jus bosses or AV's!
I am on champion and I have hard enough time finding teams to play with, all they want to do is farm and get an easy 10 levels, when I comment or make my feeligs heard, I lose teammates and SGmates.
If the devs just removed XP we could have avoided this...
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There's been a few suggestions along these lines that I've read on the boards:
1. Remove XP from AE all together... the stories are their own reward.
2. Remove XP from mobs in AE.
3. Limit XP per mission in AE.
4. Only give XP after an AE arc is completed.
5. Make people pay in-game some way to use AE (sort of like an arcade).
6. Give XP credit similar to patrol XP from playing in AE, and then only award credit when they play official content.
Personally, I like the last one the most as it forces people to actually learn the basics of "city of" life, explore more of the city, and learning more about what the game has to offer to be able to progress in level without eliminating the reward for playing in AE, just delaying it instead-- and it could all be justified thematically by saying that, AE is just a "simulation" after all, and sims just are never as good as "real" experiences, but act as good preparation for them.
Something like this could be made to stack additively with Patrol XP, so that it would be possible to get XP x 3: once from normal reward, 2nd time from patrol XP, third from AE XP (the latter of which would really just be a delayed reward, not technically a bonus).
Of course, some limits would have to be considered concerning 2XP weekends... perhaps limit how much AE XP could be banked at one time (again, similar to Patrol XP which only allows up to 10 bars max), have it award the same as outside of 2XP weekend (might not work with current coding for the event), or suspend it it from awarding until after the event finishes (so players don't lose the progress, they just don't pick it up 'til after the event).
Furthermore, perhaps direct XP rewards from AE could be unlocked after the player hits an arbitrary level (I'd say 20+ for sure), so a player only has to work through the 'training period" once per account before having full access to AE (yes, I realize some will still get PL'd using old pre-AE methods, but they'll have to at least learn how to travel through the city to do so). -
First off, Welcome!
That said, you can join teams with a trial account, but you can't invite people to team with you. See if you can find someone to invite you to a real team, and please, stay out of AE for now... your experience with the game will be better for it.
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At least not till Going Rogue, and even then they might not allow it...
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This is one rare occasion that I have to disagree with the wiki, at least based on past experience.
Back when I worked on this badge, I found the Marcone bosses (Marcone Capo's) to be more common in Port Oakes in the streets of, not surprisingly, Marconeville, than in ST. Martial mainly because there were always lowbie toons floating around the zone, so they spawned more often due to higher player presence.
Of course, now AE is soaking up an irritating number of players nowadays, and they've changed the spawn code (don't know if that counts for the streets though), so more may spawn with fewer players around, so YMMV.
It also bears mentioning that if you're high enough to handle the ones in St. Marty's, then you'll be one-shotting most of the ones in PO, which saves a considerable amount of time over the course over 200 kills given similar spawn rates in both areas. -
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Maybe they should put a trainer and enhancement store in the building - then they would never have to leave.
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This. Provided of course, that broadcasts from inside of it don't leave either.
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Methinks they should just have a completely differnt server for AE, kinda like what they do with test.
Just so people who don't want anything to do with MA can live without it.
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I don't think AE should be it's own server-- just too much to set up work/effort/resources-wise... But since all the AE buildings have the same layout, maybe it should just be it's own zone sorta like the Midnight Club or Ouroboros, or pocket D (but not within pocket D)-- could even use a go-between area like was used for RWZ in issue 10 when they added Vanguard buildings on normal maps with the portal inside.
That way, broadcasts would be contained within that zone, and not leak out into the real game. -
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*plays devil's advocate*
What are these players doing that you can't explain to them how to improve?
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*plays devil's advocate advocate*
None, and the best way to help them improve is by telling them they should reroll, go through the tutorial and read what's written, then play up to level 20 before touching AE again.
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For me, even that is not enough to play your toon well.
When I first hit 50 with my first toon, a vet told me to trash her because "an Emp/Archer is a crappy AT, low dmg, slow activation, and weak heals." It hurt to hear because I loved playing my toon from 1-50, Atlas to PI, through lots of TFs and Trials. However, I took it as a challenge. After 6 Respecs, over a billion spent on Enhancements used or tossed, hours of testing and tweaking over 2 builds, I feel that I've reached a point where she's really DOING something well out there in Paragon. She's def. considered an asset among teammates and TF buddies on various tasks from killing GMs to running a LGTF. What I like about my toon is that she's kinda an underdog. Someone I have to work and work and work to compensate for weaknesses, and rejoice in her victories.
The thing about "ae babies" is that they're often toons that are about easy xp or easy win. I see so many of the same ATs played in the same way. There's no such thing as an "all defender" farm in AE, because the defenders are built so one-sided, they can't handle aggro or do any sort of dmg.
Long story short: It takes a lot of work and experience (not xp) to play a 50 well. There's no way you can provide all that in a simple explanation to a newbie.
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I agree, but my main point was just to make it so people learn the very basics of how to function in game-- like how to use trains/ferries (or even that there are zones outside of AP/MI), knowing what the whole point of enhancements (even TOs) is, and that AE isn't the "real" game, etc.
Being able to competently or even skillfully play a toon is a whole seperate discussion as far as I'm concerned (BTW, nice job with your arrow-shotting empath... I like hearing stories like that where people really get the "point" of the game, no pun intended )
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...then I'll have all the current Day Job badges
................yay
but I'm sure I'll be cursing the Devs w/ new locations in Going Rogue
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I really hope that Going Rogue doesn't add to the dayjobs.
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If we're allowed to keep badges when we switch, GR is pretty much guaranteed to add more DJ badges since since some are unique to each side in that they're earned for different things and don't have corresponding badges on the other side:
Villain only:
Pilot
Arachnos Agent
Demagogue
Crey Employee
Smuggler
Arachnos Official
Hero Only:
City Official
Commuter
Shopkeeper
Dimensional Explorer
Intern
Law Enforcer
Some of these would work thematically as counterparts of each other (City Official/Arachnos Official, Intern/Crey Employee, Smuggler/Commuter), but a lot of it would depend on how they set up the areas where each DJ corresponds to...
This, and future one-side only TF/SF badges and two of the big reasons why I don't plan on switching sides at all... at least with my main badgers, of which I have one on each side. -
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The only change that will need to occur after I-16 goes live is the addition of the brute evasion taunt aura to scrapper SR.
[/ QUOTE ] This. I want it so bad. I'm tired of little [censored] tankers taking my aggro when I know I can handle it better them then.
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First of all, it's "then them"... second of all it's than, not then -
I thought the only entrance to the actual "Rikti Crash Site" was the gate from Crey's Folly?
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I doubt there's more then one version of her, it wouldn't make much sense to do that. There's never more then one, it won't spawn if there's another one, so having multiple spawns of the same NPC would be like having two kinds of Kraken. Plus, it would mean that for the most part, the Developers went out of their way to code two separate types of Sally, and coded them differently enough that one could end up bugged, and the other not (or coded them differently, all together now).
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Well, technically there are 3-4 different arachnos fliers as well... they all take different paths through Grandville...
Of course, they're named differntly (Arachnose Flier A, B, C, etc.), but still... -
I'm down to 168 on my villain badger... actually a couple less because have partal credit on a few of the 8 DJ badges I don't have yet...
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I sometimes forget that the Shadow Shard portal is inside Portal Corp and not outside >.>
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But at least you knew the entrance to it was on the northeast end of PI... -
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*plays devil's advocate*
What are these players doing that you can't explain to them how to improve?
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*plays devil's advocate advocate*
None, and the best way to help them improve is by telling them they should reroll, go through the tutorial and read what's written, then play up to level 20 before touching AE again.
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There's been bad players since before AE
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Yeah, but back then even a bad player with a level 50 toon generally at least knew how to use the trains/ferries, knew how to get to the shadow shard (or for that matter Kings Row), know what enhancements are, etc.
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For example, we ran a Posi TF yesterday. About 30 min into the TF, 3rd mission, one of the members said "how long will this take?" I replied, we're on #4 of 16, so maybe 90min or so depending on the group. He replies, thats too long, i'm outta here....BAM drops group...30 seconds later, the healer says yeah this is really boring, not like the real game....BAM drops group. Later in the day, after the TF, I load onto one of my low level toons in AP and do you know what I saw? Not just 1 but both of them screaming in Broadcast for high level AE missions! Did I say anything to them? no, was I thinking anything....YES.
[/ QUOTE ] That happened WAY before AE ever came around. If you want to prevent it, it's a smart thing to advertise your intentions and how long you expect the TF to take. Make sure everybody acknowledges before you "Accept Task". You can't assume that everybody knows what a TF is, or how long they take.. especially at the Positron level range.
Can't blame AE for everything.
(No, I don't use AE or farm in any way, and I agree with the theme of this thread. I just don't think this was a good example.)
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Wait... people left Posi TF's and went to play in the AE (even calling it the "real game") before the AE was in the game? -
I'd say 20 is a better bet before hitting AE... it doesn't take as long as you'd think.
EDIT: Actually, come to think of it, trial accounts can't use AE (the mission editor). Still, if/when you activate, stay out of AE for a while. You're overall experience with the game will benefit from it. -
After you're exemplared to level 25, you'll likely be minus a lot of set bonuses, a portion of your raw enhancement value due to scaling, and half your powers will be locked out, which means your defense probably won't be capped anymore. The base buffs don't do as much as you'd think.
You MIGHT make it with the nukes/shivans, but remember that if you go down, your shivan goes with you, and nukes are a one-shot deal, so I'd suggest bringing at least one other player or two along just to be on the safe side just for the extra damage (you need a team of 4 to start the SF anyway...). Any AT, any build will work really. Just have everyone bring a full tray of purple inspirations (maybe a couple yellows just in case) for the last mission, and after the AV (Colonel Duray) shows, have everyone pop 4 of them and go full-offense on the AV. He should go down without any trouble.