Just 1 more reason not to take Phase Shift!
By
Amarsir,
Posted on: 2007-05-02 22:14 in Archetypes and Powers General Discussion
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Hamidon is a form of canary in the cage. If the devs don't think something is worth it for Hamidon, its very likely they won't think its worth it for very much else.
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I think some consideration has to be given to the meaning of "worth it" in this case, however.
The devs had, I think, a strong motivation to even the balance between what heroes could do to get HOs and what villains could. A lot of heroes were clamoring for an RSF. A few villains were clamoring for a Hamidon raid (I know I was). I think the devs spotted that and decided to deliver.
Simultaneously, they realized that the existing Hami raid was not only seriously worn out heroside, it was not going to translate well to villains. So they redesigned it. All in the same scope of development where they were adding one of the biggest changes to the game yet - Inventions.
I think what they did deliver is pretty damn good viewed in that light (please note I'm not implying you said otherwise). I am willing to accept this "hack" on the basis that making Hami 's AI better wasn't "worth it" on the timescale required to fit changing him into I9. That's an assumption on my part, but based on what we know I think it's a well-educated one.
To address the credibility of the change (from an earlier post), I find it neither incredible nor inappropriate. While I don't want to appeal much to the fiction since it's highly variable, comics are rife with beings who were so badass that they could hit intangible or harm otherwise invulnerable foes with minimal effort. Hamidon is supposed to be on a class unlike any other in Co*, and it frankly was odd to me that he wasn't always able to penetrate the inpenetrable or dismiss the illusory.
This isn't a defense, per se, of the devs never doing Hamidon more justice as an entity. He remains a large bag of HP and outrageous damage, and I wouldn't be very credible if I claimed they couldn't ultimately do better than that. But I don't think the change to how he interacts with "Untouchable" has to be indicative of what they might do with his or any other mob's AI. They can be orthoginal concerns.
Blue
American Steele: 50 BS/Inv
Nightfall: 50 DDD
Sable Slayer: 50 DM/Rgn
Fortune's Shadow: 50 Dark/Psi
WinterStrike: 47 Ice/Dev
Quantum Well: 43 Inv/EM
Twilit Destiny: 43 MA/DA
Red
Shadowslip: 50 DDC
Final Rest: 50 MA/Rgn
Abyssal Frost: 50 Ice/Dark
Golden Ember: 50 SM/FA
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The intrinsic assumption here is that the game is designed as an object-oriented hierarchy. Based on the information we have about how a lot of things function in the game, this appears to be virtually impossible to be true. There have been many instances of the devs admitting that particular critters' AI was malfunctioning to not use particular powers, or use them much less frequently than intended, and that generally centered around specific critters, not all critters in general, which implies changes to the behavior of a specific type of critter is usually isolated from all others of different types (although there are probably generic "behavior libraries" that all the critters can tap into).
Its also very likely that many "special" critters like Hamidon are entities unto themselves, with special coding that determines their basic behavior (separate from certain general things that are likely true by default for all critters, like their tendancy to shoot at you when they detect you).
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I did want to strongly agree here. It's terribly obvious that almost nothing in the game uses any sort of behavioral or value inheritance, even where it would seemingly be very useful and not unduly expensive.
Blue
American Steele: 50 BS/Inv
Nightfall: 50 DDD
Sable Slayer: 50 DM/Rgn
Fortune's Shadow: 50 Dark/Psi
WinterStrike: 47 Ice/Dev
Quantum Well: 43 Inv/EM
Twilit Destiny: 43 MA/DA
Red
Shadowslip: 50 DDC
Final Rest: 50 MA/Rgn
Abyssal Frost: 50 Ice/Dark
Golden Ember: 50 SM/FA
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Since we're so off-topic from the OP anyhow WillyReborn...
Easy Chocolate Saucepan Brownies
From Diana Rattray
These chocolate brownies are easy to mix up in a saucepan, and they're chewy, moist, and delicious!
INGREDIENTS:
* 6 tablespoons butter
* 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
PREPARATION:
Heat oven to 325°. Grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan.
In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool. With a whisk, beat in the vanilla and sugar.
Whisk in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir flour, measure into a small bowl, and stir in the baking powder and salt, blending well. With a wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the first mixture. Stir in the chopped nuts, blending well. Spoon into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake the brownies for about 25 minutes.
Muffin Cup Brownies
From Diana Rattray
Serve these round brownies with a big scoop of ice cream and dessert topping.
INGREDIENTS:
* 2/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour (sift before measuring)
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/3 cup butter
* 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
* 1 cup sugar
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 12 muffin cups.
Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Sift again. Melt butter and chocolate over hot water.
In mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat eggs. Beat in sugar until well blended. Blend in chocolate mixture. Stir in flour mixture until well blended then stir in vanilla and pecans. Fill muffin cups about 1/3 full. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until done. Cool before removing from pan. Makes 14 round muffin brownies. Serve with vanilla ice cream and butterscotch or chocolate fudge sauce, if desired.
Chocolate Brownies with Praline Topping
From Diana Rattray
Chocolate brownies with a praline pecan topping.
INGREDIENTS:
* Praline Topping
* 1/4 cup butter
* 2 tablespoons flour
* 3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 cups chopped pecans
* .
* Brownies
* 1 (21-1/2 oz) package Pillsbury fudge brownie mix
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/4 cup oil
* 1 egg
PREPARATION:
Heat oven to 350°. Grease bottom only of 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-low heat; stir in flour until smooth. Add brown sugar and 2 eggs; mix well.Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and pecans. Set aside.
In large bowl,combine all brownie ingredients;beat 50 strokes with spoon. Spread in prepared pan. Spoon topping evenly over brownie layer. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until set. Do not over cook. Cool completely and cut into bars. Makes about 2 dozen brownies.
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I'm much more partial to
[censored] Pie
Sure to satisfy even the most annoying and obnoxious posters with absolutely nothing valid to contribute!
INGREDIENTS:
*1 cup of Shove it Up Your [censored]
*1/2 cup of troll bitters
*2 sticks horseshit
*1/2 tsp vitriol
*1/4 tsp bile
and just a pinch of strychnine
PREPARATION:
Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Pour mixture into a 9" [censored] and bake up your [censored] at 400F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick stuck up your urethra comes clean.
Serves 8, unless they're bitter, then serves 1
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I was contributing something - brownies 
Perhaps something more cerebral or philosophical:
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred. to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
John Hancock
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
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Why not simply change the AI so it ignores Phantom Army? Because we don't want it to ignore Phantom Army. Using Phantom Army as a diversion is a perfectly sound tactic. We just didn't want PA to be any better than other pets/minions for that purpose.
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Correct me if I'm wrong here ... but if Hamidon/Mitos/et al. target a pet and unload on it, doesn't that pet get toasted almost instantly? How long is a pet "supposed to" be able to tank a Mito/Hamidon before getting blown away?
If the answer is one (or two) hit(s) before the pet is sent off to join the everlasting choir invisibile (cash donations in the dearly departed pet's memory can be sent to Cryptic Studios, all major credit cards honored) it makes me wonder if Hamidon's AI shouldn't be configured in such a way as to take only a single shot at a "pet class" target (of any type) and then move onto a different target within range. That way a Phantom Army could act (and I quote) ... "as a distraction" ... but not as a means to be a stand-in tank made of unbelievium which holds aggro.
Basically the end result behavior would be that if a pet (any type) draws aggro from Hamidon (et al.) then only a single potshot (or two) is directed at that pet, after which Hamidon "moves on" in the aggro rotation. Essentially then, in the context of phase shifted heroes/pets, Hamidon would attempt to "tag" the shifted target but after the first/second UNAFFECTED! would "wise up" and start shooting something else.
Just a thought. 
It would certainly fulfill the (highly abbreviated) description of behavior that the devs (in this case BAB) seem to be seeking.
It's the end. But the moment has been prepared for ...
<snip>
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I was contributing something - brownies
Perhaps something more cerebral or philosophical:
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
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<snip>
Are you off your Thorazine again?
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I was contributing something - brownies
Perhaps something more cerebral or philosophical:
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
[/ QUOTE ]
<snip>
Are you off your Thorazine again?
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Mmmm Thorazine... never had any. Plenty of Novocaine, but those are different stories altogether.
I could use some Red Death (that's a recipe I'm NOT giving out, unless one asks really nice) and a cigar though, but I'll get enough of those this weekend.
As Billy Joel once said, "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints/ The sinners are much more fun."
Faire awaits
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Correct me if I'm wrong here ... but if Hamidon/Mitos/et al. target a pet and unload on it, doesn't that pet get toasted almost instantly? How long is a pet "supposed to" be able to tank a Mito/Hamidon before getting blown away?
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60 seconds. Give a bruiser an EoE, some reds, and Noxious Gas and let him go to town. Rinse and repeat as necessary.
Poison Pill
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The intrinsic assumption here is that the game is designed as an object-oriented hierarchy. Based on the information we have about how a lot of things function in the game, this appears to be virtually impossible to be true. There have been many instances of the devs admitting that particular critters' AI was malfunctioning to not use particular powers, or use them much less frequently than intended, and that generally centered around specific critters, not all critters in general, which implies changes to the behavior of a specific type of critter is usually isolated from all others of different types (although there are probably generic "behavior libraries" that all the critters can tap into).
Its also very likely that many "special" critters like Hamidon are entities unto themselves, with special coding that determines their basic behavior (separate from certain general things that are likely true by default for all critters, like their tendancy to shoot at you when they detect you).
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I did want to strongly agree here. It's terribly obvious that almost nothing in the game uses any sort of behavioral or value inheritance, even where it would seemingly be very useful and not unduly expensive.
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I won't say that they necessarily did a good job, but a discussion over how and why Hasten was so hard to fix led me to believe that the designers did use OO design. Perhaps I'm just not seeing it, but what makes you think that mob behavior isn't based off a common class? I don't see many variations that I'd consider difficult to code or would require lots of overridden methods (or whatever they call it in C these days).
Thorizdin
Lords of the Dead
Old School Legends
In particular, if you've ever seen how the powers are defined, each is a distinct copy, even if the power is identical in every way to one used by another AT. Even different mobs get different copies of the same power, which is why updating powers is such a huge undertaking. This is why some powers for some ATs are broken in odd ways - someone forgot to update one of the copies.
Or, as Arcana mentioned, the AI for some mobs forgets to use certain powers that they have, even when other mobs do use that power. The devs have often fixed such mobs one an individual basis, suggesting that even the AI settings aren't shared (though the "libraries" of general behavior do seem to be).
Blue
American Steele: 50 BS/Inv
Nightfall: 50 DDD
Sable Slayer: 50 DM/Rgn
Fortune's Shadow: 50 Dark/Psi
WinterStrike: 47 Ice/Dev
Quantum Well: 43 Inv/EM
Twilit Destiny: 43 MA/DA
Red
Shadowslip: 50 DDC
Final Rest: 50 MA/Rgn
Abyssal Frost: 50 Ice/Dark
Golden Ember: 50 SM/FA
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This whole thread is making me lmao.
Why would you even do Hami now?
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Because the path of least resistance isn't always the most enjoyable for everybody? God, imagine that! Finding large group event raids in an MMO to be fun... For many of us, the item at the end of the raid is just icing. It's the actual fight that's the fun part.
Virtue Server
Avatar art by Daggerpoint
Really, it comes down to that Phase Shift and Phantom Army (and the rest of the untouchable stuff) are, in general design mistakes. Just like characters easily getting mezzed, these powers make the game *less* interactive and, as a consequence less fun.
The practice of 'nerfing' these powers really comes down to the developers attempting to undo their mistakes. Phantom Army, in particular, is absurdly broken, and should not ever have made it into the game - not even in it's current 'nerfed' form.
So.....we have some creative folks here...why not start a thread and have a little contest to design our own Hamidon Raid?
Maybe if we come up with some good ideas the Dev's can make use of them in the next Hami Evolution.
If it works out we can tackle other game issues that people dislike.
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Our characters are living organisms. How come we can't "adapt" and do similar things as hami? 
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Respecs + New Slotting.
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You're enjoying this, aren't you Castle?
I would like to add that our character did just adapt, its called inventions.
Brutes adapted in I7 with Electric melee and electric Armor
Defenders and controllers adapted earlier with Trick Arrow and Sonic Resonance.
Where would the fun in this game be if it wasn't a challenge?
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That's just it, it's NOT a challenge. A challenge implies strategy
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Quoted for emphasis. We keep saying this but Cryptic does not get it! You can tell whenever they mention the Boss Hit Point thing. They honestly believe that by increasing the mob hit points they made the fights "harder" when all they did was make the fights "longer". I am still wait to see any evidence they understand this.
Every change they make to Hami (and similar encounters) moves the event ever closer to being nothing more than an exercise in brute force, and boy is that dull!
This is a song about a super hero named Tony. Its called Tony's theme.
Jagged Reged: 23/01/04
Starting the Evolving the Hamidon Further thread for some constructive suggestions about how the Hamidon (or future raid activities) can be improved.
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No offense, but get a better computer and this will change. I suffer zero lag at Hami raids until there are over 90 people on the server. I run at full graphics settings, too. (Notably running in safe mode also improves it a great deal for folks with less beefy systems.)
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50 people is not sufficient to cause server-side lag at a Hami raid. Some of the fastest pre-I9 raids have been 50-60 people.
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And no offence but,
Recommended System Requirements:Windows 2000/xp, Intel 2.0 or AMD 2000+, 1 GB ram, 4GB HD Space, NVIDIA 6200+.
Sound right? came right off the box. And I WAY out do this on my machine. I never had lag in this game tell I8. now this is what Cryptic says is a Recommended not Required. The Requirements for the game are much less than that. I have NO lag in any other game I play. So no i dont take offence but your wrong. Im truly happy that you dont get lag but its not my machine or internet. Its the game. O and just so you know im running a 3100 ghz AMD, 2 gb ram, Windows XP, with a NVIDIA 7800 GTX.
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Finally:
A hami raid in 30min? Nope not going to happen. STF/LRSF happens every night that way.
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I think you have your expectations reversed. First of all, 30 minutes is not even remotely normal. That's maximally optimized teams with strong debuffers, full bore use of nukes and/or Shivans, and everything to speed it up. I believe that the eventual availability of a raid to the average player is going to be vastly higher than an STF that runs under an hour.
If that doesn't change, then I think you can expect either the STF/RSF to change, or the tools we're using to breeze through them to. The devs have stated that the two should be comparable in time, if not effort (it's harder to get 50 people in synch). I'll be disappointed if they don't track that.
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No that was no shivans or nukes. And not even close to a op build team. But hay you keep tring and maybe you will figure it out. Its so fast in fact that the SG im in will never do a hami raid again. And just so you know thats one of the top 10 SG on all the servers. AND I wont even get into the LRSF because I know a SVG that dose that in less than a half hour. But in the end actully neather one are worth it because you can just do missions and get the same recipies.
But you all have fun fighting the Lag, Greefing and getting that raid up and going. I hope you have fun I really do. Im just not into doing the pure time wasting stuff the devs have put into the game. Of course they also think the shadow shard and the TFs there are the highlights of the game HAHAHAHA. but thats another thread.
But pls understand I am not knocking the change or that, just the timing. That was a lot of wasted time on something that WASN"T broken. There are so many bugs in this game still that have been here sence day one and they eather cant or wont fix them eather due to cant find them or because they benifit the devs by making players take longer to lvl ie. more money for them. O ya and if you think all these changes were done just to make it funner HAHAHAH your way wrong. It is for the almighty dollor.
But in the end I dont play this game like most other ppl. I play it to have my fun and not the Devs fun.
So have a good one and enjoy the time waste er.. I mean raids.
Broomhilda BS/Regen/BM Scrapper, Fiddle Faddle Shield/ElecM/BM Tank,
And many others..
Dev's With all the Great new content, Please!! dont forget to fix the bugs with the old content. There is a storm a brewing because they are not getting fixed. If its a problem that no one is reporting them? Well Maybe you need to look at your tech support then..
Post deleted by Broomhilda
Sry I didnt make this post and the one that did has been well abused Sorry.
Broomhilda BS/Regen/BM Scrapper, Fiddle Faddle Shield/ElecM/BM Tank,
And many others..
Dev's With all the Great new content, Please!! dont forget to fix the bugs with the old content. There is a storm a brewing because they are not getting fixed. If its a problem that no one is reporting them? Well Maybe you need to look at your tech support then..
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Well I see the idea but I think it's just too' lazy of the Devs not explain why he can now hit you though PS.
I think a better fix would've been to just make him ignor anything that's PSed. PAs included. That would solve the tanking prob.
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Personally, I've always felt that phased things should be able to hit phased things. Then they could add some phased out mitos to hami, ones who can only hit phased targets
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QF making sure this doesn't get lost.
I like this idea much better, personally.
Kam
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I'll second that motion - or third- er... yea.
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In particular, if you've ever seen how the powers are defined, each is a distinct copy, even if the power is identical in every way to one used by another AT. Even different mobs get different copies of the same power, which is why updating powers is such a huge undertaking. This is why some powers for some ATs are broken in odd ways - someone forgot to update one of the copies.
Or, as Arcana mentioned, the AI for some mobs forgets to use certain powers that they have, even when other mobs do use that power. The devs have often fixed such mobs one an individual basis, suggesting that even the AI settings aren't shared (though the "libraries" of general behavior do seem to be).
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Not commenting on the AI. Just the thoughts on powers in general and how it was mentioned that each power is a distinct copy. Y'see the one thing that I'll say bothers me a little more than other power issues is that Sonic shields that offer the same protection as ( just using examples) Thermal shields only have a difference in fx, not just because they are Sonic or Thermal. Any difference would be because of slotting.This makes the game City of Heroes/Villains FX. Energy power-possessing characters don't get receive a little bonus protection from Energy attacks as an inherant power. Funny, because Matla do if I remember correctly. Fire weilding characters don't receive an inherant resistance to Fire. And these things make no sense. A human torch wouldn't get burned if you know what I mean. I hope when the Marvel game comes out they take these sorts of things into consideration because this game never will.
If you remember the old table top version of Marvel Heroes, the Torch was highly resistant to heat and flame while Iceman was to ice and cold.
I wish that the design here had been done in a "What would (Jack) Kirby do" kinda way instead of being done in the "MMO based on Super Heroes" method.
Imagine PvP if there was no "best" cookie cutter build....where an Ice guy would be very strong against Ice, good against most things and weak against heat and fire. Could you build a Great Ice build that others would emulate? Sure but along comes that fire guy who beats you down because you're all wet.
I really do hope that the MUO is designed from a comic book stand point first and that the mechanics are set to that rather than bending the genre to meet the mechanics.
The problem is that this game is too general. You can have a fire/ice blaster - what would their strength/weakness be?
The thing is, someoen like iceman is actually an uce blaster/controller/tanker all rolled into one. Even with the APPs, we can't approach that level of performance (due to lower modifiers, longer recharges, etc).
One the same note, you have characters like Jubilee that have like just the tier 1 energy blast power AND NOTHING ELSE.
A good middle ground would be to give blasters, for instance, some passive resists based upon their primary and/or secondary, and call it a day. You're an ice/fire blaster, here's an 8% resist to ice and a 5% reisst to fire. Not game breaking, but a little touch for thematic reasons. You're an earth/rad controller here's 8% s/l resist and 5% energy resist. A bs/regen scrapper - here's 8% s/l resist & 5% toxic resist.
Just little thematic touches. These reisst would NOT be enhanceable, but would provide just a little something.
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So have a good one and enjoy the time waste er.. I mean raids.
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What an elitist bag of wind that post was.
Blue
American Steele: 50 BS/Inv
Nightfall: 50 DDD
Sable Slayer: 50 DM/Rgn
Fortune's Shadow: 50 Dark/Psi
WinterStrike: 47 Ice/Dev
Quantum Well: 43 Inv/EM
Twilit Destiny: 43 MA/DA
Red
Shadowslip: 50 DDC
Final Rest: 50 MA/Rgn
Abyssal Frost: 50 Ice/Dark
Golden Ember: 50 SM/FA
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This whole thread is making me lmao.
Why would you even do Hami now?
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Because the path of least resistance isn't always the most enjoyable for everybody? God, imagine that! Finding large group event raids in an MMO to be fun... For many of us, the item at the end of the raid is just icing. It's the actual fight that's the fun part.
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Well you have fun wasting your money that way and ill waste my money actully lvling a toon, not just getting more debt and wasting time. But hay all the power to you. I just think you all are going to be supprised and disapointed. But have fun none the less
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As long as you are having fun, it's not a waste of money. To play this game for any reason other than to have fun, is a waste. That is, afterall, the purpose of a videogame, right?
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Our characters are living organisms. How come we can't "adapt" and do similar things as hami?
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Respecs + New Slotting.
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You're enjoying this, aren't you Castle?
I would like to add that our character did just adapt, its called inventions.
Brutes adapted in I7 with Electric melee and electric Armor
Defenders and controllers adapted earlier with Trick Arrow and Sonic Resonance.
Where would the fun in this game be if it wasn't a challenge?
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That's just it, it's NOT a challenge. A challenge implies strategy
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Quoted for emphasis. We keep saying this but Cryptic does not get it! You can tell whenever they mention the Boss Hit Point thing. They honestly believe that by increasing the mob hit points they made the fights "harder" when all they did was make the fights "longer". I am still wait to see any evidence they understand this.
Every change they make to Hami (and similar encounters) moves the event ever closer to being nothing more than an exercise in brute force, and boy is that dull!
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Well I attempted Hami last night for the first time, and I can honestly say it's not something I will ever likely attempt again, at least not for a long time. It was, without any shadow of doubt, neither FUN nor CHALLENGING.
For starters, virtually all your defensive abilities are utterly useless. Damage is untyped, meaning resistances do nothing. Their tohit buff must be off the charts, cause defense is worthless. Regens fair a tad better due to their nature, until of course they get hit with a -regen debuff which puts them out. Mez protection is a joke, cause one hit broke Unyielding, leaving me near-perma disoriented. And without any fear protection of my own, often perma-terrorized. So basically, what's the point of having powers when none of them do a damned thing? Factor in their own native damage and mez resistances, and we're all nothing but level 1 toons. Sorry, this isn't what we deserve for climbing the ranks to level 50.
And then there are the 3 waves, one at 75%, 50%, and 25%, where Hami respawns all his mitos, and wipes anyone not smart enough to be keeping track of his health and running for cover. Basically, then, you need to not only do this endeavor once, but 3 times.
The level of coordination needed to realistically do this is IMO virtually impossible to obtain amongst 50 people scattered over 6 or more teams.
And then there are the leechers. Ok, you've made it thru one wave, but find you're completely out of break frees, awakens, etc., so you port back to your base or Pocket D to get more. Lo and behold, some jackass has decided to enter the Hive before you return, making it impossible for you to re-enter and rejoin your teammates. THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED. It is simply unacceptable. So not only then is the whole raid ridiculously impossible to complete without an SG's level of coordination, but there is no leaving the zone to rez or restock supplies between waves.
I guess the only good thing I can say about the whole affair is that I quickly reached the debt cap, allowing me to work on the debt badges. I can also say that, despite everything else, Hami is quite pretty to look at now.
But will I ever attempt this again? Not a chance in hell. I see no point, unless you're looking to piss away hours of your time, hit the debt cap, and come away with absolutely nothing. I'm perfectly glad to allow others to sort out this big mess and get it down to a science. Perhaps then I can partake of it and actually enjoy myself.
And as an aside, I can also say pretty much the same thing in regard to inventions. With the drop rates being so low and salvage, recipe, and inf costs so high, I can't imaging anyone who doesn't suffer from OCD actually getting a damned thing out of it other than the occasional IO here and there. Unfortunately, what I do see happening is the creation of a new "gold farming" sub-culture of people who continually farm AV missions over and over to obtain all the materials that the average and casual players do not have the time, patience, or incentive to gain on their own. These farmers will then sell their goods to amass large fortunes of inf, which they in turn will sell for real cash to other players from any number of available websites that cater to such.
All this time and anticipation for I9, and what do most of us get? A fat load of nothing.
Oh wait, I forgot something else we get. Mission-based Stealth suppression. Yeah, well, at least that's something we all can look forward to suffering through.
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In particular, if you've ever seen how the powers are defined, each is a distinct copy, even if the power is identical in every way to one used by another AT. Even different mobs get different copies of the same power, which is why updating powers is such a huge undertaking. This is why some powers for some ATs are broken in odd ways - someone forgot to update one of the copies.
Or, as Arcana mentioned, the AI for some mobs forgets to use certain powers that they have, even when other mobs do use that power. The devs have often fixed such mobs one an individual basis, suggesting that even the AI settings aren't shared (though the "libraries" of general behavior do seem to be).
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Not commenting on the AI. Just the thoughts on powers in general and how it was mentioned that each power is a distinct copy. Y'see the one thing that I'll say bothers me a little more than other power issues is that Sonic shields that offer the same protection as ( just using examples) Thermal shields only have a difference in fx, not just because they are Sonic or Thermal. Any difference would be because of slotting.This makes the game City of Heroes/Villains FX. Energy power-possessing characters don't get receive a little bonus protection from Energy attacks as an inherant power. Funny, because Matla do if I remember correctly. Fire weilding characters don't receive an inherant resistance to Fire. And these things make no sense. A human torch wouldn't get burned if you know what I mean. I hope when the Marvel game comes out they take these sorts of things into consideration because this game never will.
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Yeah, I harped on this issue, hell, musta been over 2 years ago. Never understood why, as a controller who specializes in mezzing people can't "evolve" to gain any kind of meaningful mez protection. Or that how a defender who can form a protective bubble around his teammates that allows them to fight can't do the same for himself. Or how any number of toons can use their power or a device that will heal another, but can't turned the damned thing around and heal themself. Oh, but that would be "unbalanced" they say. Ok, whatev.
And you know that if this ever changes, and fire-based toons get some kind of inherent fire resistance the numbers will be so small it will be meaningless; and of course, being an "auto" or "temp" power, unenhanceable.
But hey, with all these nifty new invention enhancements with their set bonuses you could build some fire resistance into your fire blaster. If you had the 20 million influence it would cost to buy and create all the parts necessary, or had a year or two to spend trying to amass all the salvage and recipes on your own.
Yeah, that's it, it's not that the game doesn't provide it for us, I guess we're just too lazy to achieve it.
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Going waaay back to BAB's post.
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Hamidon and the mitos do damage through Phase Shift to prevent Phantom Army and Phase Shift type powers becoming "required" for a raid.
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I am totally on board with that motivation.
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Fictionally, Hamidon evolves. When he's continually defeated using a particular strategy or power he's naturally going to evolve a counter to it. This ability to attack phase-shifted targets is part of that evolution.
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This started out as fine logic, up until the point where phase shift is suddenly something it never was. In fictional terms, what you've done isn't an evolution of hami. It's a devolvution of phase shift. And that is a (not particularly egregious) mistake. That's the issue that the players are trying to get across.
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Your right that is so totally fake. That could never happen. Fix it. While your at fix that team AoE damage does not hurt you.
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Dude the game is rock/paper/scissors. Do you think it is fair I can stop a regen's regen or storms can knock my pets silly, blah blah... So phase shift now has scissors to cut through it. Big deal, get over it. So Hamidon has figured a way to hit out of phase. /clue It's a game. /end_clue Do you really want to get into what's real and logical?? AT's & Powers all have their Achilles' heal. Pop your EoE's and be happy you have those.
Poison Pill