[ QUOTE ]
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.
[/ QUOTE ]
I agree, rolling back every nerf is not the way to go. I just hate the fact that my "Super" hero is equal to 3 minions, I mean c'mon! They're minions for cryin' out loud! and everyone who keeps saying oh quit crying it's City of "Heroes" not City of "Super" heros can bite me. The only reason it's not City of "Super" heros is they can't use a copyrighted word to make money without paying to use it.
Content is the thing that should be god in this game. New powersets, new arcs, now foes, perhaps new zones. These are what keep people playing. That's what brings people back. Trying that new powerset, running that new arc, creating new heroes. This game should be so stuffed wth content that when I make an alt I won't ever see the same arc. That is what would keep people here and creating new heroes, not worrying about "grinding" another hero to 50, doing Frostfire 97 times, I want a contact that tells me to stay away from the Hollows, not go there after running to the farthest reaches of KR with no travel power at lvl 5...
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya
Fanbois singing Lord, kumbaya
Fanbois singing Lord, kumbaya
Fanbois singing Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbayah
Fanbois laughing, Lord, kumbaya
Fanbois laughing, Lord, kumbaya
Fanbois laughing, Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya
Hug a dev, Lord, kumbaya
Hug a dev, Lord, kumbaya
Hug a dev, Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya
[ QUOTE ]
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Kumbaya my Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya
Fanbois singing Lord, kumbaya
Fanbois singing Lord, kumbaya
Fanbois singing Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbayah
Fanbois laughing, Lord, kumbaya
Fanbois laughing, Lord, kumbaya
Fanbois laughing, Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya
Hug a dev, Lord, kumbaya
Hug a dev, Lord, kumbaya
Hug a dev, Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya
Oh Lord, kumbaya
[/ QUOTE ]
You realize that the OP is from 2004, and that krunch has left this game as of several months ago and wont be here to read your clever song lyrics?
lol, I am simply amazed at how a 2 year old OP can still bring out opinions and feelings from the player base about the vision. its like people dont see the date on the OP, but the issue is so encompassing of the playerbase it doesnt matter anyway.
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 ]
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 ]
Wow-this is terrific!
I guess Statesman really doesn't get it.
Now. How do I fit all this in my sig? 
I'll be honest, I haven't read this whole thread.
I an here to be a superhero... see the cape? And that's why I left for a while when the nerfs were announced for I5 last July. That coming on top of a personal loss, was particularly crushing; because I am here to be a superhero, to transcend those real life injuries by doing things that no mere mortal can possibly do.
I'm an escapist, and when you get right down to it, the guy this genre is aimed at. And I came back because I wanted to believe that a man could fly....
This game has lost some of its spirit, and while I can't claim to tell anyone how to reclaim that, I'm really hoping that it can be done.
Proud Member of Jagged Legion
you see me now a veteran of a thousand psychic wars
behind the clock back there you know at the 4 winds bar
a drug by the name of world without end
I only live to be reborn again
Chariot I was in the same boat - I lost my father at the same time Issue 5 hit. I was very bitter on top of my grief that my escape from tension and pain was turned into hard damn work.
I LIKED having players go Look at that guy!!! I liked going Look at that guy Myself. Now when you are generic AT 12045 it is just interchangable.
Take the "old days" - if you were in trouble - you got a tank. A lot of trouble - you got a tank and 2 controllers. Want to go hunt monsters? You got a tank - 2 controllers - 2 scrappers a defender and 2 blasters. Now you take anything you want because if there is trouble - a tank is not more survivable with buffs than anyone else.
No one hunts monsters any more.
[ QUOTE ]
Wow-this is terrific!
I guess Statesman really doesn't get it.
Now. How do I fit all this in my sig?
[/ QUOTE ]
I really wish I could fit it in my sig, that would keep it alive a lot longer...
Also if you really liked it you can shoot Luminara a pm and tell her that.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Wow-this is terrific!
I guess Statesman really doesn't get it.
Now. How do I fit all this in my sig?
[/ QUOTE ]
I really wish I could fit it in my sig, that would keep it alive a lot longer...
Also if you really liked it you can shoot Luminara a pm and tell her that.
[/ QUOTE ]
just a thought, i think you can put links in your sig, so eighther link to this thread, or copy paste it or somthing to a seperate webspace and link to that. The first would work so long as it doesnt get deleted off these boards. second way is prolly a safer way to preserve it.
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 ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Wow-this is terrific!
I guess Statesman really doesn't get it.
Now. How do I fit all this in my sig?
[/ QUOTE ]
I really wish I could fit it in my sig, that would keep it alive a lot longer...
Also if you really liked it you can shoot Luminara a pm and tell her that.
[/ QUOTE ]
just a thought, i think you can put links in your sig, so eighther link to this thread, or copy paste it or somthing to a seperate webspace and link to that. The first would work so long as it doesnt get deleted off these boards. second way is prolly a safer way to preserve it.
[/ QUOTE ]
Brilliant!
I'll work on it tonight after work...
I'd like to attach that to my signature as well. That is amazing.
[ QUOTE ]
I'll be honest, I haven't read this whole thread.
I an here to be a superhero... see the cape? And that's why I left for a while when the nerfs were announced for I5 last July. That coming on top of a personal loss, was particularly crushing; because I am here to be a superhero, to transcend those real life injuries by doing things that no mere mortal can possibly do.
I'm an escapist, and when you get right down to it, the guy this genre is aimed at. And I came back because I wanted to believe that a man could fly....
This game has lost some of its spirit, and while I can't claim to tell anyone how to reclaim that, I'm really hoping that it can be done.
[/ QUOTE ]
I too escape a little here and the I5/6 effects on my Prime tanker and others have caused me to nearly drop out of the tanker ranks. I deleted several tanks to make room for newer characters that are what i want them to be. My tanks stopped being what i had built them to be. Also they became less fun than my favorite Defender power set or even my new Sonic Blaster or my new Super Speedster styled scrappers.
Then COV came and several were deleted to make room for Brutes or Corruptors. Now 4 survive 1 because of name 1 for costume and 2 because of sentiment none because they are fun. Like you said the spirit went out of my tanking.
And not becasue god mode went away. As i have said many times I only tried god mode when it was rumored to be going away. I was happy to have Resist Eng/ELe 3 and 4 slotted back in I4. With only end and ACC in Invince. Now days even with huge HPS due to Dull Pain I jump into an Energy based spawn (6 man mission +1 targets) by the time I throw one KO Blow queued before I SJ in and Foot Stomp I am better than half dead.
While I am bullet proof and hard to cut / punch i feel like I am wearing wet tissue vs anything else.
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 ]
While I am bullet proof and hard to cut / punch i feel like I am wearing wet tissue vs anything else.
[/ QUOTE ]
Amen brother. Invuln and Fire tanks are in desperate need of fixing, and so much else is too. Everyone bombard the devs, don't just take the attitude of "They won't do anything, why bother", really let them know what you think. Tell them you want to feel like a hero again. This game is money driven, make no mistake, and if enough of us voice our opinions, changes will occur.
Dammit. I read about half of this thread, and my mind is fried. You people boggle my mind. I'm sure nobody will actually read this, but if you do, try to understand what States' means here.
I saw mention of the fact that the same 3 minions at level 10 are the same at level 40. I know others have addressed this. But I feel that nobody is getting it. Jesus.
Look, out of one side of your mouth, you talk about being a Superhero, and wanting the game to be like comics, then out of the other, you talk like a powergaming MMOkiddie, saying that just because the powers and art is different, white minons are the same.
Look, in a comic book a superpowered bank robbing thug does not have "Thug, level 40 <Thug Crew>" in white above his head. You just get to see him rip a chunk of rock out of the ground, or shoot fire from his hands. You KNOW he's powerful. You *SHOULD* be more concerned with the fact that a white conning level 50 circle of thorns magical adept sorcerer is inherently more threatening than a level 10 outcast bat-weilding thug.
Are you thinking? Are you using any parts of your brain? Really now. State is saying that the security level is the diffrence, NOT THE COLOR OF THE CON. The color con is there so that you can easily identify the challenge the mob will present to you, as the player. The idea is for white to *ALWAYS MEAN* "At your level" not: "At level 10, challenging, at level 30 trash." Remember that enemies are scaling with heroes in HP, Damage, Powers, Abilities, Regeneration rates, etc throughout the security levels. It's not like States is saying you're going to be having a rough tussle with a white conning cutpurse at level 50. He's saying you're going to have a rough tussle with a white conning hired hero-hunting geared out super soldier. Or a mechanical monster, or a powerful magician.
Try to stay on one side of the arguement, folks. If you want the game to reflect comics: It does. A level 50 hero CAN tear through 400 gangers. Because there are no dang level 50 gangers. There are level 50 high threat response Hero hunters, power suit wearing crey responders, deamons, beasts, monsters, magical entities.
Yes, some punk hero named "Thunder Weinie" is going to have a rough time fighting 3 stocking masked convience store robbers. Will Superman? No.
But will superman have a reaonsable fight against 3 super soldiers with weapons specficially designed to bring him down?
Yeah. That's reasonable, I think.
States doesn't realize that with the addition of Dual Origin Enhancements, 3 white minions no longer presents a problem. With Single Origin Enhancments, 3 Yellow Minions no longer present a problem. Toss in Hamidon Origin Enhancements (on a large scale) for Orange Minions becoming easymode (though some people could still hit issues with some combinations)
The formula wasn't constructed with a level grade with enhancements. This is across the board, not just effecting tankers. Tanker changes in i5 and with ED were done because Invuln and Fire Aura tankers were going into missions with 7 other people, herding the maps, and dispatching the mission by themselves, which had a slider of Invincible. Granted, this did not include AV's.
Personally, I haven't had an encounter where I didn't feel I could tank something. Yes, I can call on support if needed. However, up till i4, I didn't need anything besides damage. When I went after AV's, I would grab any blasters I could, avoiding anything else that couldn't buff or debuff their damage. It was easymode, plain and simple. After some time, it got extremely boring. Sure, it was great to feel unbeatable. It was great to stand toe to toe with a +3 AV and go AFK for a beer while I had taunt on auto. However, the challenge was severely lacking.
People got used to that form of tanking. People want it back, or at least closer to that. Personally, I just want things balanced. Scrappers can tank for teams if you remove the tanker and replace them with the right defender. However, the defender can also buff up other people in the group. For then most part, the tanker cannot deal significant damage in a combat, not by the change that the defender can add by joining a group and buffing/debuffing targets.
Tankers only add agro control. Decent scrappers, built correctly and with slightly more support (again, which can be compensated by dropping the tanker for a defender), can tank just about anything a tanker can tank. They can get Provoke to add with Confront so they can hold agro, and some of the scrapper secondaries have powers which can grab agro as well (invice/DA).
i5 came about to give Defenders more of a meaning in groups. Instead, it went way over the lines removing an AT that wasn't around in overloading numbers. As I said before, most of my pre i5 teams were me and blasters. Blasters and Scrappers have never had a problem finding a group, because they can deal damage. Controllers post 32 have pets and Containment for extra damage. Defenders can buff teammates so the group as a whole deals more damage. Tankers don't deal massive damage, don't have pets that deal damage, and don't buff teammates to deal more damage.
Tankers grab agro. What's the point in grabbing agro though, if everything is dead in seconds?
Gott in himmel.
Let the thread die.
[ 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.
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Pinnacle
Black Whip - 50 Vulnerable/SS tank
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That was beautiful.
[color=gold][b][size=5]♪ Sometimes you feel like a Tank, Sometimes you don't! ♪[/size][/color][/b]
[url=http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=114726][color=black][b][size=5]Moon [color=red]Hazard [color=black]Zone![/size][/color][/color][/color][/b][/url]