[ QUOTE ]
If they nerf Granite...I wouldn't see the point especially since it has built in nerfs -Spd, -Travel except Teleport even though you'll drop straight down immidiately, -Recharge and -Dmg
[/ QUOTE ]
Those seeking to nerf granite (because of PvP of course) are doing their best to ignore the built-in debuffs when they make their arguments.
They also ignore or deride the idea that lvl 32 tanker powers are supposed to be extreme with drawbacks and insist on comparing granite with the below-32 powers of non-stone tanks just because granite is a toggle.
Anything and everything must be sacrificed to the PvP god, and the still-beating heart of the offending power will be held aloft to the cry of "Balance!"
Goldbrick 50 inv/ss tank
Other 50s: Power Beam, Rocky Mantle, STORMIE Agent, Matchless, Major Will, Knightmayor, Femstone, Space Maureen, Crimebuster Ako, Dr. Twilight, Doc Champion, American Gold Eagle
Thank you for that.
I also remembered back in the first week live of this game a similar example.
We were in Perez Park and had accidently annoyed some clockwork +3 to us. I was a level 12 defender and had a level 8 tank sked to me. We were in an 8 man team and slowly inspite of my efforts our team fell.
Finally we were left with the Tank and I. I could not spare any end to attack and set Heal other on auto to the tank. The Tesla Prince kept the Tank slowly going down and I used absorb pain until I was in the red numerous times. Our team was actively CHEERING for this Tank being played by a 14 year old girl in real life.
She fought so hard and slowly was winning. I was in the red, she was in the red and the Boss was almost dead. I used absorb pain and died.
The young Tank went crazy and fired every attack she had draining all her shields to off and destroying the Prince instants before she would have died. If it was possible she would have gotten and standing ovation. We all hooted and hollered even while we were dead because she was so incredibly strong and courageous.
In real life she may never have been brave before, this day she was. She could have run away. She said NO I WILL NOT FAIL. To me these defining moments are a triumph of human spirit and power.
This is what this game means to me in those few moments where you turn the tide. Weakening Heroes was to me, the worst option Cryptic could have taken.
PvP the second worse when it is pointless and random as we have now.
[ QUOTE ]
I just wanted to post this again. I think it was lost within one of the ED threads after a lot of people were rallying against ED and the GDN.
This was originally posted by Luminara and it just really put into words how I want to feel when I become my "Superhero". Honestly, I don't really feel that way on most toons, really only my stone tank. The nerfcalls for Granite have already started so who knows how long that will last. My very first serious toon started 18 months ago a Fire/Fire Tanker still wallows at 45 and will probably remain there, not even really a "hero" anymore...
[ QUOTE ]
A young Dark Miasma/Dark Blast defender was patrolling Paragon City late one night when a call came in from another hero, asking if she would be willing to join a small party on a high security mission. Elated at the opportunity to prove her worth to the hero community, do deeds worthy of note, and experience something truly challenging, she streaked off through the darkness, risking certain death along the way through the perilous Founder's Falls zone, and walked into the building with her head lifted and determination bolstered. The sight that greeted her was something the likes of which she never witnessed again, and it left a mark so profound that she was forever changed.
There, in the midst of a score of steam-driven machines and soldiers in antiquated uniforms, stood a man, unlike any man she'd ever seen before. Bullets shattered on his skin, fire rolled off his muscled frame, and blow after blow rebounded from his body as he stood defiant amidst the enraged villains, his fists cracking jaws and sending his enemies to the floor in boneless heaps, spraying bits of shattered machinery across the room. His friend, a curious man with powers of great control, smirked as he watched the battle rage, occasionally lifting his hand to still an unruly enemy or steal away their strength and will to fight, all the while pointing out weaknesses and giving advice, and cracking wise, to another young woman who stood at his side, eyes so wide that they looked ready to leap from their sockets.
As she stared, dumbfounded, the smiling hero tossed the last of the crowd of now defeated soldiers to the floor, gave her a brilliant smile, and said, "Come on, sidekick, let's go have some fun."
Following along, the young woman slowly began to realize that her presence here wasn't necessary, it was a gift, a hand of kindness extended from a hero she'd never met before. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she realized that what he and his friend had done. She and the other girl were there not to assist, but to learn, to benefit from these great mens' knowledge and experience, and to see what awaited them in the future. Some would later suggest that their presence was simply to put the word out on the streets and force the enemies they were facing to send in additional troops, but had that been the case, there would've been no need for the young heroines to even attend this raid. No, this was something far more noble in intention and design, an opportunity for the girls to experience a taste of their future in Paragon City, and they relished every moment of it.
With the abandon that only the greatest, or most foolish, of heroes know, they four tore through the installation, laying out one group of enemies after another along the way, determination leading them onward. As they stepped into a room, a group of a dozen of these curious robots and soldiers descended upon them, then half again more, and the air grew thick with the sounds of violence. Caught unawares, the small team found themselves nearly overwhelmed, the tall man rapidly losing strength and the other three fiercely defending themselves. Desperate, knowing that the tide could turn at any second, the young defender reached out and made a final grasp at one of the soldiers, reaching not for his weapon, but his soul, and tore away enough of its essence to revive the failing group. The tall man suddenly straightened, his eyes clear and his wounds healed, and cocked her a flashing smile as he turned the tide of the battle, a quiet and simple gesture of appreciation, and acknowledgement of her act of heroism. Startled and still locked in combat with one of the soldiers, she stumbled back, and inadvertantly attracted the attention of another squad in the adjoining room.
Within the space of five heartbeats, the girl hit the floor, feeling the life bleeding out of her, and another score of brutal machines and uniformed thugs swooped down on the tall man. Struggling to keep her eyes open, she locked her gaze on him, and nearly slipped into the blackness when he threw his head back and let out a primal scream, suddenly seeming to grow even taller and more imposing, and stood like a rampart as the waves of villainy crashed over him. Single-handedly, he ripped apart the horde, destroyed every machine and felled every man, and it was at that moment, finally, the girl knew what it meant to be a hero. He had not been beaten, despite overwhelming odds, willing to fight the very darkest and most vile that the universe could throw at him to save his friends.
In the worst moment, the tall man had summoned up all of his strength, stood even taller, and ripped victory from the jaws of defeat, saving them all.
Two weeks later, a hero new to the city, a young girl by the name of Alice, but who called herself The Black Whip, heard a distress call. A team of heroes had gotten in over their heads and were facing certain destruction. Rushing across the Hollows, heedless of the dangers that surrounded her, the Black Whip went to aid these noble heroes. Upon her arrival, she had to stop for a moment to take in the situation. Deep in a cavern, dozens of Superadine-enraged trolls had gathered, guarding a case of the hideous drug and fighting amongst themselves. The troupe of heroes had gone there to confiscate the illicit substance, but soon realized that they were outmatched and outmanned by the horde they faced. But as she cast her gaze across the seething mass of Trolls, the Black Whip knew they were no match for her. She could withstand their assault, she was certain, and give this motley assortment of super-powered people a chance at victory, as a tall man had once done for her friend, a dark defender.
Courageously, the dominatrix leaped into the throng of Trolls, running from end to end in the cavern, until the entire lot of them were gathered around her, wildly swinging fists and shrieking in rage. The Black Whip, elated, encouraged them, hurling insults and epithets as she flung one blow after another... and the heroes stood at the entrance, stunned into silence at her fierce determination and astounding ability to withstand the brutality that engulfed her. One by one, they shook off their shock and joined the battle, until minutes later when they all stood, gathered around the young woman, shaking her hands and praising her for her bravery and remarkable resiliance, all save for the single coward who fled the moment she first dashed in, heedless of the danger.
And that evening, when each of those heroes departed for their secret homes, they carried within them an inspiration, a dream to one day be a great hero, a superhero, like the Black Whip, who had, herself, been inspired by another's greatness.
I relate this story not to bore the readers, or chastise Cryptic, but to remind everyone that there was a time when heroism abounded in Paragon City. There was a time when we could do great and amazing things, when playing this game truly felt like playing real heroes, and when we inspired others to rise to their ultimate heights. But after the changes in the name of "balance", those times have grown fewer and farther between. The tall man in the first part of the story was an invuln tank, one who I never will remember the name of, but who impressed and inspired me so greatly that I felt, for the first time, like I really was playing a game about superheroes, not just an RPG with a different face on it. I created The Black Whip as a tribute to that inspiration and wonderful, exciting chance to be a "real" superhero, and I got the opportunity to pass along that remarkable feeling to others many times afterward.
I implore you, Cryptic, give us back our heroes, our inspirations, our role models. The changes implimented in Issue 5, and the coming "Enhancement Diversification", serve only to turn those memories of profound wonder and awe into faint and fading remnants of something that was once good and pure. Repeal the taxes you've buried our characters under, restore the shining examples of heroism to Paragon City, because THAT is what the city truly needs. Not balance, especially not a broken balance that sacrifices regular gameplay to the god of PvP, but feelings of power and greatness, like we used to have.
The drive for "balance" is ofttimes a decent and noble goal, but heroes need to feel heroic, and "balancing" the game overall in favor of player versus player combat takes the heroism out of it. Player versus player combat is a specialized thing, different from regular gameplay, requiring a different kind of balance. When you weaken one power to "balance" it for PvP, you create a greater imbalance in one or multiple other powers in the regular game, and it only harms us as a whole.
Please, let the balancing act end. Let the heroes of Paragon City stand tall, proud once more, as they fight to preserve life and liberty for its citizens. Allow our tankers to feel like tankers again, our blasters and scrappers to shine gloriously, and our defenders and controllers to do battle with their heads held high again and not merely buffbots and control automatons. Let our heroes be heroes, not shadows of a bygone era.
We, the players, love this game not simply because it has some interesting powers, but because it allowed us to become great heroes, to share in the times of greatness in Paragon City and amongst our teammates, and to inspire others to those staggering heights. We understand your goal of letting each player feel "useful", but it detracts from the true underlying attraction of the game, that of feeling unique, special, and truly noteworthy. We, as players, don't select "weak" characters out of masochism or a desire to be "fixed", but for the opportunities to play as heroes and experience new things, to rise to greatness in different ways and along different paths, and because each of us has a different idea of what it means to be "super", and a hero. Weakening all heroes to create a baseline ultimately detracts from the glory and wonder that being a hero means to all of us.
We beg of you, end the balance, before it ends the game.
--------------------
Pinnacle
Black Whip - 50 Vulnerable/SS tank
[/ QUOTE ]
[/ QUOTE ]
Thus my sadness and why my most of my tankers got deleted to make room for more COV Brutes and Corruptors.
Pinnacle
Arch light L50 INV/SS
Psiberia L50 Kin/Psi
Screaming Mentallica L50 Sonic/MM
Infinity
Arc Voltinator L50 SS/Elec
Mind Fire Kinesis L50 Fire/Kin
Flaming Screamer L50 Fire/Sonic
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Why don't they go fight Hamidon or why aren't they always out taking the pillboxes, they can sure as hell do it much faster than we can.
[/ QUOTE ]
then why bother giving us something to do?
letting us getting up to the damage they can output would break the game and make it less fun that some already complain it is now. I don't mind the short bursts of buffing damage like Fulcrum Shift, cause that [censored] is fun as hell, but having it on like 24/7 and ripping through mobs so fast all the time while taking very little dmg, sure it'll be fun at first, then l8r down the road not to shortly after you'll be saying again "where's the challenge?"
[ QUOTE ]
Once DC comes out with their MMO I am not sure I would be willing to stay here, especially in the crappy direction this game seems to be going.
[/ QUOTE ]
let me know when they decide the nerf something so I can go read people whine and cry there. The history of ALL MMO's is that something will get nerfed in order to balance.
[/ QUOTE ]
Where's the challenge again? There has NEVER been any REAL challenge in this game, EVER. But the difference is, before we used to be SUPER heroes, and now we are just HEROES. The game mechanics are so messed up that the only thing that matters is mostly your build, I have said this many times before, you don't need any strategy in battle, atleast not that much. If the devs want to give us a challenge, they don't need to nerf everything into oblivion. But they did, I still don't find a 'challenge', but I sure as hell find that I am just a little pawn for the Freedom Phalanx. The Devs been working on all this 'PvP' bull****, but that isn't even yet balanced or even remotely fun. Hey but guess what, the devs are so smart that the only thing they added for heroes Issue 7 was RV! /sarcasm
Since the Devs couldn't fix the stupid idiotic AI they decided to implement imaginary caps. Like the AoE cap for example. And the Aggro cap. When they nerf us or when they buff the enemies the only thing they are doing is not increasing the challenge, but increasing the amount of time to take out something AND decreasing our super hero status. They only thing that is a 'challenge' doesn't even take place in game, it is building your hero for you to bypass some of the nerfs and make your hero work again. Look just picture this. City of Heroes without the SuperHero coating. Who would play it? I sure as hell wouldn't. Remember this, CoX is a monopoly on the whole SuperHero/SuperVillain theme, so yeah, I want to see how this game stands when it has actual competition.
okay, what MMO has not depended on ur build for the AT you've chosen. The box says City of Heroes, not Super Heroes, get that little bit of info from your brain. What's that little message say when you hit the lvl cap? You are truely a Hero. Once again, where's the super in that?
Like I already said, this is what happens when children get spoiled, you take something away and they cry and moan. You could just as easily quit the game and go outside and do something if you hate the changes so badly, but what's this? you're still here cause you still want to play and your hooked. What's that? you stay cause ur friends are here? okay, so what, you can just as easily add them to Aim, Yahoo, MSN or whatever IM Service you have.
World of Warcraft is CoX's main competiton right now and so is DnD Online in which both have many more subscriptions than CoX and this game is still doing fine.
[ QUOTE ]
Thank you for that.
I also remembered back in the first week live of this game a similar example.
We were in Perez Park and had accidently annoyed some clockwork +3 to us. I was a level 12 defender and had a level 8 tank sked to me. We were in an 8 man team and slowly inspite of my efforts our team fell.
Finally we were left with the Tank and I. I could not spare any end to attack and set Heal other on auto to the tank. The Tesla Prince kept the Tank slowly going down and I used absorb pain until I was in the red numerous times. Our team was actively CHEERING for this Tank being played by a 14 year old girl in real life.
She fought so hard and slowly was winning. I was in the red, she was in the red and the Boss was almost dead. I used absorb pain and died.
The young Tank went crazy and fired every attack she had draining all her shields to off and destroying the Prince instants before she would have died. If it was possible she would have gotten and standing ovation. We all hooted and hollered even while we were dead because she was so incredibly strong and courageous.
In real life she may never have been brave before, this day she was. She could have run away. She said NO I WILL NOT FAIL. To me these defining moments are a triumph of human spirit and power.
This is what this game means to me in those few moments where you turn the tide. Weakening Heroes was to me, the worst option Cryptic could have taken.
PvP the second worse when it is pointless and random as we have now.
[/ QUOTE ]
Wonderful story!
I have added it to my collection
[ QUOTE ]
okay, what MMO has not depended on ur build for the AT you've chosen. The box says City of Heroes, not Super Heroes, get that little bit of info from your brain. What's that little message say when you hit the lvl cap? You are truely a Hero. Once again, where's the super in that?
Like I already said, this is what happens when children get spoiled, you take something away and they cry and moan. You could just as easily quit the game and go outside and do something if you hate the changes so badly, but what's this? you're still here cause you still want to play.
World of Warcraft is CoX's main competiton right now and so is DnD Online in which both have many more subscriptions than CoX and this game is still doing fine.
[/ QUOTE ]
The term "super-hero" is copyrighted. CoH *is* a super-hero game (notice all the super-powers).
World of Warcraft is *everyone's* competition. I wish CoH were WoW's main competition, but it's really all the other games combined.
Goldbrick 50 inv/ss tank
Other 50s: Power Beam, Rocky Mantle, STORMIE Agent, Matchless, Major Will, Knightmayor, Femstone, Space Maureen, Crimebuster Ako, Dr. Twilight, Doc Champion, American Gold Eagle
yeah it's only cause NCSoft doesn't have the reputation of Blizzard. Hell I've never heard of NCSoft till CoH came out, I've known about Blizzard for years.
[ QUOTE ]
okay, what MMO has not depended on ur build for the AT you've chosen. The box says City of Heroes, not Super Heroes, get that little bit of info from your brain. What's that little message say when you hit the lvl cap? You are truely a Hero. Once again, where's the super in that?
Like I already said, this is what happens when children get spoiled, you take something away and they cry and moan.
World of Warcraft is CoX's main competiton right now and so is DnD Online in which both have many more subscriptions than CoX and this game is still doing fine.
[/ QUOTE ]
Real competition would have to be the DC and Marvel MMO's coming out. That is because many subscribers who want SuperHero/SuperVillain action can go there instead of this. If you choose to go down and insult me and call me a child, fine by me, I won't stoop down to your level and maybe YOU have to look at yourself in the mirror and think again, who is the child? So basically you are telling me we are just heroes right? No, and soloing arch villains and herding 100's of enemies was not super at all. This game started as a super hero game, then slowly became crap. With your logic, why don't we play as Police men? Or Fire Fighters? They are heroes right? And by the way, the thing is, this game ONLY depends on your build for a 'challenge', in game, enemies are stupid and incredibly easy because of that. And I am not 'crying and moaning,' I am simply stating my thoughts on the matter at hand.
[ QUOTE ]
yeah it's only cause NCSoft doesn't have the reputation of Blizzard. Hell I've never heard of NCSoft till CoH came out, I've known about Blizzard for years.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, it has nothing to do with the path this game is going right? 
Posting ur thoughts just like what I'm doing. The children thing was more like an example, I was pretty sure a smart man like yourself could of figured that out.
I can't change anyone's views if they're so hell bent on it when they were given a false sense of "super" because of growing up on comics and cartoons.
Despite my registration date, I was playing well before then. I've been through the nerfs and yes they suck, but just like many that complained, they're still here playing cause they want to, they weren't forced to stay, unless otherwise known <_<
Most people don't like change, that fact of life will never change, whether it's real or fictional
[ QUOTE ]
Posting ur thoughts just like what I'm doing. The children thing was more like an example, I was pretty sure a smart man like yourself could of figured that out.
I can't change anyone's views if they're so hell bent on it when they were given a false sense of "super" because of growing up on comics and cartoons.
Despite my registration date, I was playing well before then. I've been through the nerfs and yes they suck, but just like many that complained, they're still here playing cause they want to, they weren't forced to stay, unless otherwise known <_<
[/ QUOTE ]
Seemed like a direct attack, you should choose your wording more wisely. Actually, the false sense of super was actually given by this game, even though you claim that it isn't a SUPER hero game. How is soloing Arch Villains and herding tons of villains and having blasters Nova them to death not SUPER? I am only here because this is the only SUPER hero themed MMO, and I am sure I am not the only one who is here for that reason. I thought this game had potential, but it has been lost in all the nerfing. Nerf this nerf that, yet they haven't added any real level 50 content (Yeah Hamidon is SOOOOOOOOO FUN /sarcasm), they haven't added any new game mechanics or any of the fun ideas I mentioned.
I'm very much looking forward to (though I don't believe I'll be here to see it) how this game reacts when there is some competition. I'm wondering quite a bit how the "balance vision" will hold up then, that day however, is over a year away from what I know.
For me, I just want something that felt like it used to be, getting that I4 feeling back might not be what I need, just to feel Super or Super Powered. If I can get that from another game, I wouldn't have any reason to stay here other than friends.
Friends is one thing this game has done a great job with, friends lists were nice, SGs/VGs even better, Global Friends best of all. A lot of us have made connections that are very hard to sever, we quit from frustration then we comeback, repeat as needed. In all honestly I've found that I actually spent more time BSing with my friends than actually playing anymore. I also did my first Hami raid the other day, usually I preferred to do what ever else to escape a lag fest, now I'm doing it just to do something different.
Used to I would want to get a character to 16-20 and really see them start to get more powerful and round out, now it's trying to get them to 22 and fund them when I can to get SOs, or trying to fit in power pools to fill the gaps that have been made.
Protector: Tulare 50 Inv/SS/EM-ph1x3r 47 Bots/Traps
VIP: VIC-29(Traps/AR) - Corinth(Grav/FF) -Wrecka(Claws/SR)
I will agree w/ that it was given by the game which was the Dev's mistake, but as it's been mentioned before this game is the first of it's kind, I'm pretty sure Marvel and DC have been eyeing this game to learn from it's mistakes. I think there only real mistake w/ CoV is that you burn through lvls too fast, dunno if this was the same for CoH when it first came out.
Yeah having no lv 50 content bites, hopefully Positron will help since he's in charge now, well w/ atleast more interesting stories.
From what I've seen w/ some people, friends included, they want more customizeability w/ there heroes, like WoW. I wouldn't mind that but at the same time I don't want this game to be a knockoff of a UI that WoW has.
[ QUOTE ]
I will agree w/ that it was given by the game which was the Dev's mistake, but as it's been mentioned before this game is the first of it's kind, I'm pretty sure Marvel and DC have been eyeing this game to learn from it's mistakes. I think there only real mistake w/ CoV is that you burn through lvls too fast, dunno if this was the same for CoH when it first came out.
Yeah having no lv 50 content bites, hopefully Positron will help since he's in charge now, well w/ atleast more interesting stories.
From what I've seen w/ some people, friends included, they want more customizeability w/ there heroes, like WoW. I wouldn't mind that but at the same time I don't want this game to be a knockoff of a UI that WoW has.
[/ QUOTE ]
So you are okay with being nothing but a little 'hero' and a 'pawn' of the Freedom Phalanx.... Okay... And you are right, this game was the first of its kind, that is why when Marvel and DC come out with their MMO this game will be 6 feet deep.
pawn, little hero, whatever you wanna call it, I'm just enjoying another game till I lose interest. I try to not take any video game seriously (stares at roommate playing Halo 2 -_-;
I find that doubtful, I mean...look at Diablo 2 that's been out since like...mid 90's and people still play it despite modders
Though this rubberbanding issue over the past few days has been killing my fun...so I started badge grinding my Mez and Dmg w/ my Tank in my Malta/Carnie mish.
Y'know, I've been reading this thread ever since it was resurrected from the last page, and the same thought keeps occuring to me.
Man, I'm so glad those days are long buried.
See, as an Ice Tanker, I never got into those groups where people were blowing up 'hundreds' of minions or stuff like this. See, if you were an Ice Tanker without Tough, or a defender on your hip, or had friends that didn't mind the fact that you couldn't tank like the other three sets, you were either not invited to groups, or got kicked as soon as the rest of the team realized what primary you were playing. I still remember one team, where after the first spawn (where HC nearly died from all of the fire/smashing/lethal damage being dealt by the 5th Columns), one of the blasters started asking on the team channel if we couldn't find a real tanker.
So when I read how people miss being able to do this kind of stuff, I just shrug my shoulders. I never did it before, I can't do it now, and while my main is a little tougher on test, she still gets one-shotted by AVs and GMs.
So I'll guess I'll be one of the lone voices of dissension, and say that things are better now then they were back then.
[ QUOTE ]
I just wanted to post this again. I think it was lost within one of the ED threads after a lot of people were rallying against ED and the GDN.
This was originally posted by Luminara and it just really put into words how I want to feel when I become my "Superhero". Honestly, I don't really feel that way on most toons, really only my stone tank. The nerfcalls for Granite have already started so who knows how long that will last. My very first serious toon started 18 months ago a Fire/Fire Tanker still wallows at 45 and will probably remain there, not even really a "hero" anymore...
[ QUOTE ]
A young Dark Miasma/Dark Blast defender was patrolling Paragon City late one night when a call came in from another hero, asking if she would be willing to join a small party on a high security mission. Elated at the opportunity to prove her worth to the hero community, do deeds worthy of note, and experience something truly challenging, she streaked off through the darkness, risking certain death along the way through the perilous Founder's Falls zone, and walked into the building with her head lifted and determination bolstered. The sight that greeted her was something the likes of which she never witnessed again, and it left a mark so profound that she was forever changed.
There, in the midst of a score of steam-driven machines and soldiers in antiquated uniforms, stood a man, unlike any man she'd ever seen before. Bullets shattered on his skin, fire rolled off his muscled frame, and blow after blow rebounded from his body as he stood defiant amidst the enraged villains, his fists cracking jaws and sending his enemies to the floor in boneless heaps, spraying bits of shattered machinery across the room. His friend, a curious man with powers of great control, smirked as he watched the battle rage, occasionally lifting his hand to still an unruly enemy or steal away their strength and will to fight, all the while pointing out weaknesses and giving advice, and cracking wise, to another young woman who stood at his side, eyes so wide that they looked ready to leap from their sockets.
As she stared, dumbfounded, the smiling hero tossed the last of the crowd of now defeated soldiers to the floor, gave her a brilliant smile, and said, "Come on, sidekick, let's go have some fun."
Following along, the young woman slowly began to realize that her presence here wasn't necessary, it was a gift, a hand of kindness extended from a hero she'd never met before. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she realized that what he and his friend had done. She and the other girl were there not to assist, but to learn, to benefit from these great mens' knowledge and experience, and to see what awaited them in the future. Some would later suggest that their presence was simply to put the word out on the streets and force the enemies they were facing to send in additional troops, but had that been the case, there would've been no need for the young heroines to even attend this raid. No, this was something far more noble in intention and design, an opportunity for the girls to experience a taste of their future in Paragon City, and they relished every moment of it.
With the abandon that only the greatest, or most foolish, of heroes know, they four tore through the installation, laying out one group of enemies after another along the way, determination leading them onward. As they stepped into a room, a group of a dozen of these curious robots and soldiers descended upon them, then half again more, and the air grew thick with the sounds of violence. Caught unawares, the small team found themselves nearly overwhelmed, the tall man rapidly losing strength and the other three fiercely defending themselves. Desperate, knowing that the tide could turn at any second, the young defender reached out and made a final grasp at one of the soldiers, reaching not for his weapon, but his soul, and tore away enough of its essence to revive the failing group. The tall man suddenly straightened, his eyes clear and his wounds healed, and cocked her a flashing smile as he turned the tide of the battle, a quiet and simple gesture of appreciation, and acknowledgement of her act of heroism. Startled and still locked in combat with one of the soldiers, she stumbled back, and inadvertantly attracted the attention of another squad in the adjoining room.
Within the space of five heartbeats, the girl hit the floor, feeling the life bleeding out of her, and another score of brutal machines and uniformed thugs swooped down on the tall man. Struggling to keep her eyes open, she locked her gaze on him, and nearly slipped into the blackness when he threw his head back and let out a primal scream, suddenly seeming to grow even taller and more imposing, and stood like a rampart as the waves of villainy crashed over him. Single-handedly, he ripped apart the horde, destroyed every machine and felled every man, and it was at that moment, finally, the girl knew what it meant to be a hero. He had not been beaten, despite overwhelming odds, willing to fight the very darkest and most vile that the universe could throw at him to save his friends.
In the worst moment, the tall man had summoned up all of his strength, stood even taller, and ripped victory from the jaws of defeat, saving them all.
Two weeks later, a hero new to the city, a young girl by the name of Alice, but who called herself The Black Whip, heard a distress call. A team of heroes had gotten in over their heads and were facing certain destruction. Rushing across the Hollows, heedless of the dangers that surrounded her, the Black Whip went to aid these noble heroes. Upon her arrival, she had to stop for a moment to take in the situation. Deep in a cavern, dozens of Superadine-enraged trolls had gathered, guarding a case of the hideous drug and fighting amongst themselves. The troupe of heroes had gone there to confiscate the illicit substance, but soon realized that they were outmatched and outmanned by the horde they faced. But as she cast her gaze across the seething mass of Trolls, the Black Whip knew they were no match for her. She could withstand their assault, she was certain, and give this motley assortment of super-powered people a chance at victory, as a tall man had once done for her friend, a dark defender.
Courageously, the dominatrix leaped into the throng of Trolls, running from end to end in the cavern, until the entire lot of them were gathered around her, wildly swinging fists and shrieking in rage. The Black Whip, elated, encouraged them, hurling insults and epithets as she flung one blow after another... and the heroes stood at the entrance, stunned into silence at her fierce determination and astounding ability to withstand the brutality that engulfed her. One by one, they shook off their shock and joined the battle, until minutes later when they all stood, gathered around the young woman, shaking her hands and praising her for her bravery and remarkable resiliance, all save for the single coward who fled the moment she first dashed in, heedless of the danger.
And that evening, when each of those heroes departed for their secret homes, they carried within them an inspiration, a dream to one day be a great hero, a superhero, like the Black Whip, who had, herself, been inspired by another's greatness.
I relate this story not to bore the readers, or chastise Cryptic, but to remind everyone that there was a time when heroism abounded in Paragon City. There was a time when we could do great and amazing things, when playing this game truly felt like playing real heroes, and when we inspired others to rise to their ultimate heights. But after the changes in the name of "balance", those times have grown fewer and farther between. The tall man in the first part of the story was an invuln tank, one who I never will remember the name of, but who impressed and inspired me so greatly that I felt, for the first time, like I really was playing a game about superheroes, not just an RPG with a different face on it. I created The Black Whip as a tribute to that inspiration and wonderful, exciting chance to be a "real" superhero, and I got the opportunity to pass along that remarkable feeling to others many times afterward.
I implore you, Cryptic, give us back our heroes, our inspirations, our role models. The changes implimented in Issue 5, and the coming "Enhancement Diversification", serve only to turn those memories of profound wonder and awe into faint and fading remnants of something that was once good and pure. Repeal the taxes you've buried our characters under, restore the shining examples of heroism to Paragon City, because THAT is what the city truly needs. Not balance, especially not a broken balance that sacrifices regular gameplay to the god of PvP, but feelings of power and greatness, like we used to have.
The drive for "balance" is ofttimes a decent and noble goal, but heroes need to feel heroic, and "balancing" the game overall in favor of player versus player combat takes the heroism out of it. Player versus player combat is a specialized thing, different from regular gameplay, requiring a different kind of balance. When you weaken one power to "balance" it for PvP, you create a greater imbalance in one or multiple other powers in the regular game, and it only harms us as a whole.
Please, let the balancing act end. Let the heroes of Paragon City stand tall, proud once more, as they fight to preserve life and liberty for its citizens. Allow our tankers to feel like tankers again, our blasters and scrappers to shine gloriously, and our defenders and controllers to do battle with their heads held high again and not merely buffbots and control automatons. Let our heroes be heroes, not shadows of a bygone era.
We, the players, love this game not simply because it has some interesting powers, but because it allowed us to become great heroes, to share in the times of greatness in Paragon City and amongst our teammates, and to inspire others to those staggering heights. We understand your goal of letting each player feel "useful", but it detracts from the true underlying attraction of the game, that of feeling unique, special, and truly noteworthy. We, as players, don't select "weak" characters out of masochism or a desire to be "fixed", but for the opportunities to play as heroes and experience new things, to rise to greatness in different ways and along different paths, and because each of us has a different idea of what it means to be "super", and a hero. Weakening all heroes to create a baseline ultimately detracts from the glory and wonder that being a hero means to all of us.
We beg of you, end the balance, before it ends the game.
--------------------
Pinnacle
Black Whip - 50 Vulnerable/SS tank
[/ QUOTE ]
[/ QUOTE ]
Gearth,
Thanks for bringing this up.
I for one had not read that post, but wish I had.
The emotions triggered in me by reading that story are exactly why I stayed with this game for so long, and the changes that took that feeling away were why I left for a while.
I wish We had that framed and hung on the wall by the developer's and could force them to read that every time they want to make a change for the sake of "balance"
[ QUOTE ]
pawn, little hero, whatever you wanna call it, I'm just enjoying another game till I lose interest. I try to not take any video game seriously (stares at roommate playing Halo 2 -_-;
I find that doubtful, I mean...look at Diablo 2 that's been out since like...mid 90's and people still play it despite modders
Though this rubberbanding issue over the past few days has been killing my fun...so I started badge grinding my Mez and Dmg w/ my Tank in my Malta/Carnie mish.
[/ QUOTE ]
Well I am paying for it which is why I am 'taking it seriously.' .......... You are right though, maybe I should just cancel my subscription because due date of losing interest is long past by now
[ QUOTE ]
Y'know, I've been reading this thread ever since it was resurrected from the last page, and the same thought keeps occuring to me.
Man, I'm so glad those days are long buried.
See, as an Ice Tanker, I never got into those groups where people were blowing up 'hundreds' of minions or stuff like this. See, if you were an Ice Tanker without Tough, or a defender on your hip, or had friends that didn't mind the fact that you couldn't tank like the other three sets, you were either not invited to groups, or got kicked as soon as the rest of the team realized what primary you were playing. I still remember one team, where after the first spawn (where HC nearly died from all of the fire/smashing/lethal damage being dealt by the 5th Columns), one of the blasters started asking on the team channel if we couldn't find a real tanker.
So when I read how people miss being able to do this kind of stuff, I just shrug my shoulders. I never did it before, I can't do it now, and while my main is a little tougher on test, she still gets one-shotted by AVs and GMs.
So I'll guess I'll be one of the lone voices of dissension, and say that things are better now then they were back then.
[/ QUOTE ]
I understand your sentiments - I played underpowered sets back in the day, too - but what your saying boils down to: "I wasn't in on the fun, so I don't care that it's gone."
Which, you have to admit, isn't very charitable of you. For my own part, I wish they had simply fixed the defense formula back in Issue 4 and allowed Ice and SR to perform the way Invul and Regen did. That would have made me very happy.
~Gabriel
Perhaps it's not charitable of me. But given the fact that I rarely even got that much during the first 1.5 years of the game, do you really blame me for being bitter and uninterested in bringing that style of gameplay back?
Furthermore, while that style of gameplay may have been fun, was it really good for the health of the game? If people could do as was described in that posting by Black Whip's character to this day, I really don't think the game would be in the same state as it is now. Would it be better, or worse? I'm not sure, really. That's a matter of perspective.
I will fully grant that many people (as evidenced in this thread) enjoyed the way this game played back then. But I was not one of them, and would rather the devs work from where they are now, than try and go back to I4's settings and rebalance the game again.
Well, going back is obviously not an option, and I don't think anyone is seriously suggesting it. Most of us are lamenting, not hoping.
It's interesting that people keep mentioning the Superman/Batman dichotomy in an attempt to justify the difference between level 50 heroes and AVs. If people were OK with being outperformed - which we'll accept for the sake of argument - you wouldn't be bitter at having spent a year and a half getting outperformed by Invul. You would have accepted that they were better heroes, and you were a lesser, more Batman-ish hero.
Clearly people don't work that way. Nor, in my opinion, should they. There's no denying that the game is more balanced now - just balanced at what is, to my mind, much too low a standard.
~Gabriel
[ QUOTE ]
Gearth,
Thanks for bringing this up.
I for one had not read that post, but wish I had.
The emotions triggered in me by reading that story are exactly why I stayed with this game for so long, and the changes that took that feeling away were why I left for a while.
I wish We had that framed and hung on the wall by the developer's and could force them to read that every time they want to make a change for the sake of "balance"
[/ QUOTE ]
That's why I saved this post and originally sent Luminara a pm thanking her for putting into words how I felt when I became my "Super" hero.
The sad thing is that words like these are all over the forums that the devs insist they read... but I guess balance is more important than fun and immersion and investing endless hours creating and nurturing the "super" hero I have always seen in my mind, spending hours tweaking my costume and putting pen to paper writing my autobiography so all who wished could know the trials and tribulations that had forged the Steel Paladin.
Now I don't bother with any real creativity, it's just grinding to the next even level for that shiny new power.
But hey, it eats up the time...
When I found this thread and rez'd it, I posted a lot of things that had built up over almost 2 years.
When I said we need to bring back some of the old ideas, I did not mean we should bring back everything that has been changed. I dont think rolling back every nerf is the correct answer.
What I tried to get across, is that the dev's need to stop with the nerfs, the balancing, all the negative things(in the eyes of the players) and get back to producing content. good ol' well written stories and plots, more classic heroic animations for new powers, that type of thing.
I do not see the 3 minions thing ever changing. I do not agree with it, but i am not optimistic enough to think it will get changed.
I want to see more content for pve. Not even a new zone, but new content in old ones. new types of missions. I am going to post an idea about the new legends or whatever it is cvalled content planned in the suggestion forum. please look it up and comment on it when it is done(shortly). i think i have figured out the way to "fix the mess" so to speak.
i want to comment on somthing else here, about 2 pages back someone said, this game hasnt grown like wow or ddo etc, it just seems to be sustaining itself. they then went on to say they though it was because of the lack of an economy.
It isnt a lack of anything in game. people left, hundreds of them, due to the nerfs and balance, and the direction this game took such a sharp turn to get to. I5 was a culmination of every bad feeling the pve players had over the prior year. it was the final straw so to speak. the only thing that kept subscriptions steady, was the fact that coh dropped to 19 dollars at walmart and all the high school kiddies could afford it for their summer vacation. maybe you dont beleieve this, but i was there, i experianced first hand how the maturity etc changed in the matter of two weeks.
in any case, the game sustains itself instead of growing, mostly due to the 3 minions rule and a lot of what has already been discussed in this thread. thats why i brough it back. it is the crux of the entire pve community's feelings, and shows what a rather large lump of the players are ready to do-leave- if the game can not get back on track to it's original potential.
Liberty server
Eldagore lvl 50 Inv/ss, co-founder of The Legion of Smash
3.5 servers of alts....I need help.
May the rawk be with you.
Arc #'s
107020 Uberbots!
93496 A Pawn in Time
[ QUOTE ]
let me know when they decide the nerf something so I can go read people whine and cry there. The history of ALL MMO's is that something will get nerfed in order to balance.
[/ QUOTE ]
No one is disputing that. However, in my experience the nerfs in other games, even in EQ, have not been anywhere near as deep and sweeping as they have here in CoH.
So yes, your point, as shallow as it is, is correct: all MMOs will have to nerf after release to preserve balance. But not all MMOs have to swing a cleaver around in a "major revamp" that cripples the original experience.
Goldbrick 50 inv/ss tank
Other 50s: Power Beam, Rocky Mantle, STORMIE Agent, Matchless, Major Will, Knightmayor, Femstone, Space Maureen, Crimebuster Ako, Dr. Twilight, Doc Champion, American Gold Eagle