Castle, you are just plain great.
You are by far the best dev when it comes to communicating with the player base about what is going on.
Can you get yourself cloned a couple of dozen times? 
As long as you're going through there, Castle, could you say something about dark servants not being permanent? It's mentioned at the end of the Defender Issues post, but it's never been adequately gone into, that I've seen.
Statesman's response on that was inaccurate or misleading (viz, it used to be possible to have multiple dark servants at once; this was made so a new servant replaced the old one at the same time that controllers' pets were so changed; statesman claimed that controllers received perma-pets because they couldn't have multiple out; but he didn't say why that argument didn't apply to dark defenders).
If controllers were compensated for a reduction in abilities like Statesman suggested, why shouldn't dark defenders? If the perma-pet was a quality of life issue, why can't dark defenders get the same behaviour? It's a pain to have to constantly remember to re-invoke a servant... they still last longer than any non-AV battle, and are perma without any slotting, so dark defenders have to be balanced around possibly having them up all the time anyway.
I don't expect you to go and change whatever decisions were made, but I would love to get an actual responsive answer about why servants were left in the chill of night, while the other pets got loving. Is it because of Masterminds?
Task Forces shouldn't need 8 people to start ... it's not fun.
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Dont play the set myself but from what I can tell they are in more demand now than ever, in some casses teams usually dont do to well without them. So where is it exactley they need attention? maybe Storm? or Archery?
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We've got issues abound. Chances are you really wouldn't notice them unless you played a defender. Yeah, the entire TA set is an issue.
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The uselessness of every defender secondary in PVP is an issue.
Cheers!
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Some people just don't realize that defenders are not happy that more and more people are saying "We need a healer."
Just because "Healers" are wanted in teams does not mean that defenders don't have issues. Hobo, please do not remind me about how pitifull my damage is in PvP.
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It's not just pvp, ED evicerated my damaeg in PvE as well. I did the first FBZ taskforce just recently, inf act we started it a week before ED came in and finished a week after ED was live, and I was flat out stunned how badly my damage was hit. I REALLY did not think it would have had such a large impact on me or defenders in general but now litterally I offer no damage worth mentioning to my team in PvP OR PvE. Which is even more infuriating when a controller can put out such a steady stream of relatively good damage. 
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plus the controller gets mez protection via the epic power pools. 
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Dont play the set myself but from what I can tell they are in more demand now than ever, in some casses teams usually dont do to well without them. So where is it exactley they need attention? maybe Storm? or Archery?
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We've got issues abound. Chances are you really wouldn't notice them unless you played a defender. Yeah, the entire TA set is an issue.
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The uselessness of every defender secondary in PVP is an issue.
Cheers!
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Some people just don't realize that defenders are not happy that more and more people are saying "We need a healer."
Just because "Healers" are wanted in teams does not mean that defenders don't have issues. Hobo, please do not remind me about how pitifull my damage is in PvP.
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It's not just pvp, ED evicerated my damaeg in PvE as well. I did the first FBZ taskforce just recently, inf act we started it a week before ED came in and finished a week after ED was live, and I was flat out stunned how badly my damage was hit. I REALLY did not think it would have had such a large impact on me or defenders in general but now litterally I offer no damage worth mentioning to my team in PvP OR PvE. Which is even more infuriating when a controller can put out such a steady stream of relatively good damage.
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plus the controller gets mez protection via the epic power pools.
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there are also still cases where controller secondaries are performing as well as defender primaries.
(cough cough)
storm.
(cough cough)
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I thought of something...I bet the reason they are paying attention to Defenders is probably because we complain the least of any AT.
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Actually, I have been kicking and screaming about defenders for awhile. Add a few polite PMs with pertinent links, some mild begging and it is amazing what you can get a person who really does care about this game to do. The devs don't respond to everything that goes on around here but they take note of things. I expect that some things they expect, these changes don't go in untested they expect some feedback, it is when the feedback is not what they expected that I think they sit-up and take notice. Obviously a clear cut description in detail of what a player thinks is of issue with the game is much easier for them to read, and kudos for Blueeyed taking up the mantle here on the defender forums.
However, the devs are not omniscient. Something very important may get added to that list and they can very easily miss it. Thus, when issues become important to us it is important to discuss them fully and explore them fully not only for ourselves but just so that a developer wandering by has an opportunity to see just what issue is simmering on the pot currently. It may be something that they had no idea could even be an issue. On the other hand it may be something that they expected and can actually settle fairly quickly.
While complaining can be seen as a negative, our concerns about the game are a great tool for the developers to create a positive experience for the players who do not read these forums and simply play the game.
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Most intelligent thing I have ever read here. I mean intelligent intelligent, TMS is in a whole other category with her intelligent comedy.
You deserve 6 stars and to become the winner of the dev for a day contest.
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For one thing, I object to this idea that my comedy is intelligent.
For another, I think we've thoroughly discussed the 'ruhelar' issue and yet the devs still have not responded by adding 'healer' to the swear-filter in game.
Until they do, I don't buy this whole 'discuss and ye shall receive' routine. I think they ignore all the really good discussions anyway. The ones where very little is accomplished; those are my favorite (irony).
Castle rocks!
Cuppa, rocks!
Of course Cuppa wants AT reps...we'd all go to our AT reps with problems instead of her and she'd be able to finish her 12" subs at lunch time w/o having to stop for PMs 
I volunteer to be the Defender AT rep! ...atleast a subrep for Forcefield Defenders :-p
Oooh maybe Kheldian rep!
yeah...just gimme a free subscription an thats all ya need to pay me 
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Some people just don't realize that defenders are not happy that more and more people are saying "We need a healer."
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That is the most annoying thing I hear over and over again. The fact that some people think:
DEFENDER = HEALER
really burns me up. As I'm sure it does for everyone else who doesn't play an empath.
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Some people just don't realize that defenders are not happy that more and more people are saying "We need a healer."
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That is the most annoying thing I hear over and over again. The fact that some people think:
DEFENDER = HEALER
really burns me up. As I'm sure it does for everyone else who doesn't play an empath.
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And more than a few of us who play empaths. I hate, hate, HATE people who call me a healer. I'm an empathy defender, darn it, and I do more than make green numbers appear overhead.
Good Guys (on Champion)- Starglow, Shining Hope, Dreamheart, Gaelic Rose, Polar Angel, Starlit Knight, Lady Cavalier, Alouette, Sunsoul, Evensong
Bad Guys (on Triumph)- Ms Hap, Pretty-Poison, Wicked Wench, Woe, Technowitch, Grim Fairy, Cryonuclear, Fissionary, Lady Scorned
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Some people just don't realize that defenders are not happy that more and more people are saying "We need a healer."
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That is the most annoying thing I hear over and over again. The fact that some people think:
DEFENDER = HEALER
really burns me up. As I'm sure it does for everyone else who doesn't play an empath.
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And more than a few of us who play empaths. I hate, hate, HATE people who call me a healer. I'm an empathy defender, darn it, and I do more than make green numbers appear overhead.
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I make green everything... is that bad?
hi cuppajo
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I grabbed a copy of the "Defender Issues" post a couple weeks ago and am working through it in my spare time. Considering the length of it, I will probably have gotten through it sometime in Janurary.
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I'm always wary of change or "looking into". It tends to be a double edged sword hacking down problems and on the back swing nerfing everything in sight.
Rocking Castle, thanks! I haven't been reading the forums much lately specifically because defenders were getting ignored and too many people [censored] about AS.
My mains are stalkers and defenders, so you're either the man with those two, or the man all around, either way, a huge thank you to you.
In the test room right now, we have:
- * Repulsion Bomb has changed in several ways. It no longer requires you to cast the power on a Friendly Target, meaning it is now usable while Soloing. However, we increased the Recharge time to 30 seconds (from 10 seconds) and reduced the chance to Stun by 60%. The text on this power has not been changed to reflect the adjustments. This is incorrect and will be corrected in a future update.
- * Removed Erroneous 'Detoggle' messages in PvE for Repulse, Repulsion Field and Repulsion bomb.
- * Corrected Controller Lightning Storm. It was doing damage based on a Defenders scale rather than a Controllers however, the damage it does to the target is not listed in the combat window. This will be corrected in a future patch.
-* Fixed an issue with O2 Boost in Storm Summoning. The status protection it provided had a gap when used on a single target repeatedly.
A major change to an unused power that really doesn't seem to me to make it any more usefull or interesting, just different; a chat log fix; a nerf/bug fix to a controller version of a power; and buff/bug fix to a power.
Seems kind of like a wash, at best to me. What do you guys think?
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I grabbed a copy of the "Defender Issues" post a couple weeks ago and am working through it in my spare time. Considering the length of it, I will probably have gotten through it sometime in Janurary.
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Aww... Gee whiz... I wish they did that for blasters...
but the real reason im posting is because this is post 200! yeaaaa me.
~the poster formally known as GI_Shmo~
Champion- Always BS/WP Scrapper, Difficult Bots/Dark MM
Infin- Peace Pirate PB
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I grabbed a copy of the "Defender Issues" post a couple weeks ago and am working through it in my spare time. Considering the length of it, I will probably have gotten through it sometime in Janurary.
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Just a quick update: It's probably going to take longer than expected for this. I'm sorry, but things are busy, busy, busy here. I'm pretty much booked solid, but I'll find time to get through this as soon as I can.
Would some threats help speed things up?
We can arrange for that.
But we don't do any damage...
I never said they wouldn't be empty threats!
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I grabbed a copy of the "Defender Issues" post a couple weeks ago and am working through it in my spare time. Considering the length of it, I will probably have gotten through it sometime in Janurary.
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Just a quick update: It's probably going to take longer than expected for this. I'm sorry, but things are busy, busy, busy here. I'm pretty much booked solid, but I'll find time to get through this as soon as I can.
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Busy? Busy busy? Busy Busy Busy?
why? what you guys doin? hmm? care to tell us whats goin on? 
sure would like to here some spoilers for what you're working on :P hehe
keep up the good work guys!
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Busy? Busy busy? Busy Busy Busy?
why? what you guys doin? hmm? care to tell us whats goin on? sure would like to here some spoilers for what you're working on :P hehe
keep up the good work guys!
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Me too. I'm watching dev post like a hawk to get any information.
Edit: Which is why I'm in the defender forum and I don't play any defenders heh
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I grabbed a copy of the "Defender Issues" post a couple weeks ago and am working through it in my spare time. Considering the length of it, I will probably have gotten through it sometime in Janurary.
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Just a quick update: It's probably going to take longer than expected for this. I'm sorry, but things are busy, busy, busy here. I'm pretty much booked solid, but I'll find time to get through this as soon as I can.
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Thanks for communicating with us and letting us know whats going on. Keeping the community informed does a lot to create good-will towards Cryptic in the playerbase
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Villains
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Jen Corbae
Illuminance
Venator Arawn
Taiga Dryad
Tarranos
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I grabbed a copy of the "Defender Issues" post a couple weeks ago and am working through it in my spare time. Considering the length of it, I will probably have gotten through it sometime in Janurary.
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Just a quick update: It's probably going to take longer than expected for this. I'm sorry, but things are busy, busy, busy here. I'm pretty much booked solid, but I'll find time to get through this as soon as I can.
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Alright, I'll continue to keep it updated. Thank you very much for telling us, and for being polite about it.
Is there a chance of an updated ETA? Or is it really busy there?
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I grabbed a copy of the "Defender Issues" post a couple weeks ago and am working through it in my spare time. Considering the length of it, I will probably have gotten through it sometime in Janurary.
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Just a quick update: It's probably going to take longer than expected for this. I'm sorry, but things are busy, busy, busy here. I'm pretty much booked solid, but I'll find time to get through this as soon as I can.
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Busy? Busy busy? Busy Busy Busy?
why? what you guys doin? hmm? care to tell us whats goin on? sure would like to here some spoilers for what you're working on :P hehe
keep up the good work guys!
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Yeah c'mon tell us what you're doing lol
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I grabbed a copy of the "Defender Issues" post a couple weeks ago and am working through it in my spare time. Considering the length of it, I will probably have gotten through it sometime in Janurary.
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Just a quick update: It's probably going to take longer than expected for this. I'm sorry, but things are busy, busy, busy here. I'm pretty much booked solid, but I'll find time to get through this as soon as I can.
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Cool, tx for looking into it.
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Hey Hey!
I think one other developer posted once in here ...a long time ago. Statesman ya?
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Yes, it was actually in response to a post where I'd asked about how a toggle debuff (e.g. RI, EF) works on a mob that explodes when it died. I was wondering if it was better to hang the debuff on the Fake Nem or the Warhulk in those common "2 bosses in the group" spawns in PI.
Statesman (IIRC) responded that, basically, neither would protect you since the game does something like;
1. declare warhulk defeated
2. apply explosion due to warhulk defeat
3. check for effects that might reduce damage, but since toggle debuffs don't affect "defeated" foes, RI/EF has no effect.
Useful to know for us squishy melee fighting types, I make sure I back off now.
This does get me wondering what happens in a PvP encounter with Fallout involved, is the explosion from that un-debuffable? Hmm, now theres an obscure thing to test, if anyone is feeling ambitious. . .