Generally: good guide.
Now, of course, I'm going to pick on it.
1.
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8% per TO, 16% per DO, 33% per SO.
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I know, you're keeping this general.
But defensive enhancements (and a few others) are 5/10/20, and cost correspondingly less.
2. "There is a slight accuracy penalty for fighting with sprint on." As far as I know, there is not and never has been. Fly used to have an accuracy penalty. At one point very early you could fire out of Personal Force Field at a severe accuracy penalty.
At one point I think Super Speed had an accuracy penalty, but that was before my time [Jul '04.]
I've never noticed more misses with Sprint on. I've never seen anyone test Sprint. As far as I know, this is an obscure urban legend.
Mini-guides: Force Field Defenders, Blasters, Market Self-Defense, Frankenslotting.
So you think you're a hero, huh.
@Boltcutter in game.
from the PM, reply post, and actually reading sprint's description, i've modified my statement (owning up that i was wrong about it).
Sprint allows you to travel, or run away, slightly faster than normal, while slightly draining your Endurance. <<< verbatim.
also added the "other" enhancement numbers.
Political correctness is a stench in the nose of God. Yes, your God(s) also.
The thing about sprint might be jumbled up with the idea that leaving sprint on all the time at low level will kill your endurance in battles.
I am still surprised at the number of people who REFUSE to take sprint off in battle because it "makes me attack faster".
The Avalanche has already started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote.
Blue Spot, Son Spot, Cyan Siren, Polar Gale, Scarlett Fury, Stygian Warlock, Lady Lilac, Elsbeth (villian), Furious Squirrel (villian)
Infinity server
I agree with all of this but one part.
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If your name is taken, break it up. If Zombie Lord is taken, try Zombie-Lord or Zombie.Lord.
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Please, don't. If you do something like this, or even worse, if you go with Z0MBlE L0RD, Zombie Lord will be getting tells meant for you. He got to the name first. Live with it and move on.
If your name is taken, pick something else. Use a thesaurus (there are plenty of free ones online). I looked up Fire for my fire/fire brute catgirl and ended up choosing Kindling.
You can also look for different languages. There are tons of English/whatever dictionaries out there on the web, free to use. Ice Storm and Blizzard were taken for your Ice/Storm controller? How about Buriza-do, which is the same thing in Japanese? It also gives you an idea for the look. If the name is Japanese, go with an oriental face and skin tone, and go for a Japanese look on the costume.
Or just Google whatever name you want. Criogenetic was taken for your mutant ice blaster? Google criogenics and see if you come up with anything that interests you.
You can also try a baby name site. Again, there are tons of them free on the web. Most of them include the meaning and origin of the name.
There are also random superhero name generators out there on the internet. Put in a few parameters and hit enter until you see something you like.
One thing that took me a while to discover -- you can use these resources while you are at the character creation window. If you open up your web browser, then start the game, you can hit alt+tab and open up the browser.
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I agree with all of this but one part.
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If your name is taken, break it up. If Zombie Lord is taken, try Zombie-Lord or Zombie.Lord.
[/ QUOTE ]
Please, don't. If you do something like this, or even worse, if you go with Z0MBlE L0RD, Zombie Lord will be getting tells meant for you. He got to the name first. Live with it and move on.
If your name is taken, pick something else. Use a thesaurus (there are plenty of free ones online). I looked up Fire for my fire/fire brute catgirl and ended up choosing Kindling.
You can also look for different languages. There are tons of English/whatever dictionaries out there on the web, free to use. Ice Storm and Blizzard were taken for your Ice/Storm controller? How about Buriza-do, which is the same thing in Japanese? It also gives you an idea for the look. If the name is Japanese, go with an oriental face and skin tone, and go for a Japanese look on the costume.
Or just Google whatever name you want. Criogenetic was taken for your mutant ice blaster? Google criogenics and see if you come up with anything that interests you.
You can also try a baby name site. Again, there are tons of them free on the web. Most of them include the meaning and origin of the name.
There are also random superhero name generators out there on the internet. Put in a few parameters and hit enter until you see something you like.
One thing that took me a while to discover -- you can use these resources while you are at the character creation window. If you open up your web browser, then start the game, you can hit alt+tab and open up the browser.
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those are good ideas. any chance you've got a link or two for the random super hero name generators? if not, i'll google for one in a bit when i finish this mish.
Political correctness is a stench in the nose of God. Yes, your God(s) also.
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any chance you've got a link or two for the random super hero name generators?
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I saw Seventh Sanctum in another post. I've never used it, myself, but if you are stumped on a name, it can at least give you something to work with.
Great guide, though I agree that adding non-alpha characters to names that are already taken generally isn't something I'd reccomend.
Kind of along the lines of "don't PL because you won't learn how to play", I also think people should spend time in a variety of different grouping situations when they're learning about a new power. I team frequently with someone who solos 90% of the time and duos with me maybe 8% of the rest, with only 2% time spent in PUGs or other groups, and her playstyle is very single minded.
I think everyone should spend a little time soloing with new powers to learn their limitations, and also should spend some time in large groups to get a feel for if the powers still work well against larger numbers or higher level enemies, or how well that power synergizes with teammates.
I know it's not really a concise, easy to put in a guide kind of sentiment, but I just thought I'd throw it out there.
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Great guide, though I agree that adding non-alpha characters to names that are already taken generally isn't something I'd reccomend.
Kind of along the lines of "don't PL because you won't learn how to play", I also think people should spend time in a variety of different grouping situations when they're learning about a new power. I team frequently with someone who solos 90% of the time and duos with me maybe 8% of the rest, with only 2% time spent in PUGs or other groups, and her playstyle is very single minded.
I think everyone should spend a little time soloing with new powers to learn their limitations, and also should spend some time in large groups to get a feel for if the powers still work well against larger numbers or higher level enemies, or how well that power synergizes with teammates.
I know it's not really a concise, easy to put in a guide kind of sentiment, but I just thought I'd throw it out there.
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that's another good one. soon as i get off this mission spree, i'm going to make some changes.
Political correctness is a stench in the nose of God. Yes, your God(s) also.
ok i guess i'm a noob to this "max time for making changes expiration date" on posts... what's up with that?
if i want to update something like my original post... do i just have to breakdown and make an entirely new post?
Political correctness is a stench in the nose of God. Yes, your God(s) also.
Great guide!!! *thumbsup*
Something I'd add that I notice in Broadcast a lot:
If you are looking for a team, generally broadcasting "lft" won't be sufficient. The accepted short form is usually "Level # <powerset>/<powerset> <AT>" But feel free to experiment. The best one I've seen has been "Level 22 grav/rad controller Looking for team. I enjoy long walks on the beach and kittens."
You are a total stranger and (despite the game premise) none of us are magical or psychic. And most want to at least know if you'll fit in the group. 
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ok i guess i'm a noob to this "max time for making changes expiration date" on posts... what's up with that?
if i want to update something like my original post... do i just have to breakdown and make an entirely new post?
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The easiet thing to do would be to hit the "quote " button on your original entry, remove the "quote " boxes and amend the entry.
The Avalanche has already started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote.
Blue Spot, Son Spot, Cyan Siren, Polar Gale, Scarlett Fury, Stygian Warlock, Lady Lilac, Elsbeth (villian), Furious Squirrel (villian)
Infinity server
Welcome to COX.
This isn't your father's MMO.
How to not be a noob, while drinking your juice in da'hood.
Time spent playing a game does not un-noob-ify you. You can remain noobalicious with several level 50 toons. This guide is intended to knock the 'noob' right out of you!
1- COX has no healers. COX doesn't need healers.
Learn it. Live it. Love it.
There are defenders, controllers, corruptors, even masterminds; but there is not a single healer arche-type in either heroes or villains. Without going into great detail, there are a number of arche-types which CAN heal, but they also hold/immobilize/debuff/fear/etc groups of mobs, buff the team, have 1-10 minions out there killing/holding enemies, etc, etc. If all the mobs are feared, held, attacking minions, and debuffed to the point that they can't hit anyone on your team for any appreciable amount of damage, then why do you need a healer?
If you still believe your team NEEDS a healer, then roll a healer, play it up to level 20. Then you'll learn that there's so much more to healers than just healing and you'll appreciate their other powers so much the more.
2- You have a map, learn how to use it.
Let me start by saying vidiotmaps.com. Go there to find out where everything is located, badges, mobs/levels, contacts, etc.
Ingame you have two maps. Zone and city. Your zone map will have lots of items marked for you, i.e. Stores, tailors, trainers. Your city map will show you which zones connect to which other zones.
Where is perez park? Look on your map, there will be a red dot for hazzard zones such as the hollows, perez park, etc. If there's not a red dot for it where you currently are, then switch to city, find perez and see what's connected to it.
3 Learn the different channels and how to send/reply to tells.
Broadcast works in the zone you're in (not the entire city). So if you're level 20 in Atlas Park and you're looking for a team / lft; only the people IN Atlas Park will see what you're sending.
Local chat will be your immediate area, say 20 or 30 feet around you, people can see what you're saying.
/tell <name>, <message> /tell Hotice, how's it going?
You just sent a tell to a toon named Hotice, which contained the message how's it going?
Say you're Hotice and you want to reply, all you have to do is hit the <backspace> key and you're replying to the person who just messaged you.
4 Most horror stories start with in the hollows.
You can hit the hollows at level 5. There's a couple of story lines and a trial in the hollows (plus the normal exploration/history badges). Mobs range from levels five into the teens. The hollows is your first taste of a large hazard zone and is pre-travel power for the most part.
Having said this, there will be lots of new people here, there will be lvl 6-8 missions which require you to run past a lot of level 10-14 mobs in order to reach the door of said mission, and there will be death.
The hollows is where you learn to hate PUGs, cry out for a healer, and wonder why a team of 8 blasters isn't a good idea (we've got a bazillion points of damage every blow~!!). I believe the hollows are responsible for the plethora of people ingame who believe a healer is a necessary part of any group. A few bad pugs with random strangers in a rush to finish up their individual missions and you may very well believe a healer, or 2 or 3 healers, is/are needed for every mission.
5 Training enhancements, nice to have, who cares if you don't get them.
Training enhancements / TO's are the lowest of the enhancements. You progress from them to Dual Origin enhancements / DO's, and up to Single Origin enhancements / SO's.
If you don't get the 3 accuracy and 9 damage training enhancements that you NEED for your blasts immediately, who cares? At level 12 you can start buying DO's (which are twice the strength of your TO's), and all the money you blew on TO's, you could've been saving to purchase a set of DO's instead. Plus, odds are you're going to get those TO's in random drops (and end of mission rewards) anyways. So just be a tad patient, sell all the enhancements you're not using, and you'll soon have everything your heart desires.
8% per TO, 16% per DO, 33% per SO, generally speaking, defensive enhancements (and a few others) are 5/10/20.
In your enhancements' management screen, it'll show you the total %s of which enhancements you have in what powers and what adding that next one will change +/- to your current set-up.
On the hero side, you'll eventually end up with some hammy enhancements, if you're on a server that has some regular hammy raids. But, that's for another day.
6 Power leveling (or PL'ing), you're cheating yourself and your future teammates.
As you'll learn, aside from possibly base raiding and pvp'ing, the majority of the content in this game is as you level. You hit level 50, and you're done. There's no big bad that you're going to constantly raid to get a dozen pieces of equipment or half a dozen dungeons you're going to live in, trying to get another dozen pieces of equipment.
There's many stories to be told. This is your comic book. Each mission/contact/story arc has YOU as the main hero/villain, saving the day, conquering the world, robbing the rich, whatever. Enjoy the stories.
While you're enjoying the stories, you'll also be learning to play your character. You'll learn the ins and outs of each power, the foes you're strong against, the foes you need to watch out for, et cetera.
The new player who gets PL'd from say level 8 to level 20, has missed out on all the stories, and more importantly has gone from 6 powers that he's used and learned how/when/where to use, to 12 powers, 6 of which he's had very little use of, because the high level guy was pl'ing him and doing most of the attacks/damaging.
Now, say you're on your level 30 guy that you've been playing from the start, and you're joining a task/strike force. One of your teammates played to level 4, and then his friends/family/strangers/sg/vg pl'ed him up to lvl 30. If you're relying on this toon to kill/buff/debuff/et cetera, well, don't be surprised if he's just standing there waiting on you guys to carry him thru the tf/sf.
This being said, once you've gone thru the content a couple of times, leveling up your toons, odds are you'll be able to figure out the powers of this new toon you're playing and you won't be the bystander if your comrades pl'd ya some.
7- Every MMO has forums, find them, use them.
Every time I log into COX, I'll see people in the broadcast channel asking which power should they take, which AT should they play, what's the uber i win character, et cetera.
For starters, you can make pretty much any sort of character you want, with any look you desire.
Next, you're asking a random group of strangers, all of which may be as new to the game as you, but since they're answering your question, hey, you think they're old hands just on new toons.
Finally, none of those questions has a cut and dried answer. You have a goal in mind, you should build to achieve this goal. There's several character builders out there. Get one. Play around with different builds. When you find a build you like, post it (and a quick rundown of how you play/want to play your character) in that AT's forum in order to get feedback from experienced folks about what you could change to make your build more efficient for your wants/needs.
Cuppajo's guide to guides is helpful in this (and other aspects of the game). There's a section which lists all the popular character builders out currently.
8 -Take your time creating your costume.
Don't be in a rush, take a few minutes to make sure you have the look that you REALLY want. Save the bazillion infamy/influence that it'd cost to redo your look 4 or 5 times. You'll thank me later when other folks are whining that they wish they'd have done something differently and have to spend 300k to make a few changes.
9 - Be sure you love your name.
Here's something you can't change (without deleting your toon and remaking that character) your name. Be creative, make it something you like. If your name is taken, break it up. If Zombie Lord is taken, try Zombie-Lord or Zombie.Lord, or maybe Zombie-Lord Jake (or whatever name you like). You've got 20 characters of space for your name, use them wisely.
10 Good things to know, just starting out.
*There's a slight accuracy penalty for fighting with sprint on. Turn sprint off right before you enter combat.
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Super_Villain
Quote:
*There's a slight accuracy penalty for fighting with sprint on. Turn sprint off right before you enter combat.
How does this myth keep getting passed on? Do you have any proof on this? Do you see somewhere in the Power Description where it says that? Is there some Red Name post that mentions this in passing that I haven't read?
I heard this in the past, and apparently people still believe this.
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I've heard it since I started playing on my original account a couple of months after retail release. This PM is honestly the first time i've ever heard anything contrary to it. It seems this is just an urban legend that I've believed all this time (like the car with the headlights off driving down the highway).
*There's no debt until level 10. if you're a long way from the trainer and you've just leveled, DIE. Die, appear at the hospital, train, and head back to the hollows (or perez or wherever).
*Plan to take your travel power (super leap, teleport, flight, or super speed) at level 14. That's the earliest you CAN take it, and it makes a world of difference.
*If you're a hero, the ONLY time you can get the isolator badge is if you go thru the tutorial and kill 100 contaminated. If you're going to collect badges, keep this in mind. Once in there, talk in broadcast and ask folks about making a team. Every contaminated thug anyone on the team kills, counts towards your 100. Complete Coyote's mission and you become level 2, the mobs become easier to hit and you do more damage, just DON'T turn-in the mission to Coyote, because then you're booted from the tutorial zone, never to return.
*If you're a villain, the 'jail bird' badge is similarly in the tutorial zone. Look for stairs close to where you begin (not terribly far from H.T., your first contact). Go to the top of the stairs, then take a left you're looking for cell number 15. Run into the cell, and you've got the badge~!!
Welp that's it for now, hope you've enjoyed this guide and feel free to leave comments/criticisms/cake/cookies/whatever.
And remember, emo is not an excuse for bad manners~!!
Political correctness is a stench in the nose of God. Yes, your God(s) also.