Hi new here, I have a general question.

Someone mentioned the /bind r "nop" for turning off auto as bound to the "R" key.

There is also a /unbind command, (so, /unbind r) but this command returns the key to the default binding, and does not simply remove binds on it (so /unbind R will restore R to autorun)

Helpful tips:

1. As already said, inspirations are useless if they aren't used. Just don't waste them, either. Always keep an Awaken on hand, if not for you then for a teammate.
2. Never, ever buy training origin enhancements. Use the ones you find, but don't waste your money buying them. Slotting a 10% damage bonus may sound nice when you're new, but not-so-nice when you realize that only means you're doing an extra 1-2pts of damage. Save up for the better ones.
3. For enhancements: TO=Training Origin, DO=Dual Origin, SO=Single Origin, IO=Invention Origin.
4. Read through the player guides for your preferred powersets/archetypes, but don't be intimidated by the listed enhancements. SOs and basic IOs are just fine, you don't NEED "the uber" IO sets.
5. IOs don't degrade like other enhancements, but their bonuses are tied to their level. But even the lower level 10 and 15 IOs can help out as you can sometimes get them pretty cheap while you're saving up for better ones.

And you can start slotting IOs at 10, though it's very expensive and difficult.

IOs are kinda weird; they're much better than TOs and DOs, but SOs are better up until level 35, where IOs overtake them. Set IOs are another kettle of fish.

...oh, and so as not to confuse the newbies:

TOs: Training Origin, the original Enhancements that everyone can use, considered little more than placebos.
DOs: Dual Origin, the Enhancements that become available at level 15+, that come in flavours that fit two of the five origins. Better than TOs by far, but still considered optional by some.
SOs: Single Origin, the Enhancements that have long been considered a mainstay, and still are for most. As the name says they come in five varieties for each Origin, and provide a high enough bonus that Enhancement Diversification comes into play. (long story short: Don't slot more than three SOs of the same type into one power)
IOs: Invention Origin, the most recently introduced type that require crafting, are compatible with all Origins, and some come in sets that are only compatible with certain types of powers. They're a whole 'nother kettle of fish, wait til you've come to grips with the simpler game mechanics before you really get into this.

And there's also other weird things like Hamidon Origins and such, but they're not important.

Just one thing. . . a good SG/Coalition membership, this goes a long way towards having a good experience. A plus to my game play now is skype.

One thing I didn't realize for the first few weeks was that the different colored names actually mean something. White is even level, yellow, orange, red, and purple are harder, green, blue, grey, and dark grey are easier. You only get points for killing things within a certain level range. Spent a few days fighting level 2 & 3 dudes in Atlas at level 6 before I realized I should hop onto the train and go somewhere else to actually level up effectively. Took me a lot longer to get to any reasonable level than it should have.

Also...the game changes dramatically once you get a travel power. Its a lot more fun when you can quickly get to mission doors and to the point of the game rather than trying to run around the streets trying to get there. If you're questioning if you wanna keep playing or not and you aren't at that point, stick with it at least until then.

There are a lot of great suggestions here. Here are a couple from me:

As with any MMO, the abbreviations can be a little overwhelming at first. I would suggest printing out a copy of this guide to help with that:

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showt...bbreviation%2A

Also, the Guide to Guides is a great place to start learning about the game and how it works. Please keep in mind that some information in some of the guides is out-dated. Each guide should have an issue number next to it (for example, I3, I10, I12, etc.) We are presently in Issue 16, so some (but certainly not most) of the information in the earlier guides may no longer hold true. The Guide to Guides actually has a chronoligical listing of when the issues came out. Here is a link to the Guide to Guides:

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=122411

I like how this post has turned into "things I wish I would have known".

I'll throw in my two cents. I also played other MMOs b4 this one and had to make some adjustments. A couple of things I remember throwing me off about this game:

1) Hoarding - in most MMOs I would hoard things to "use later". In this game (and maybe even in other MMOs), hoarding actually hurts you. I needed to adjust to the use it or sell it concept in this game - once I did I always had plenty of inf to buy what I needed when I needed it.

2) Instanced missions - while other MMOs have instances, this is the first one I've played where spawns change based on difficulty settings and number of people. I'll never forget teaming at a low level with a blaster and there were more guys and bosses.

3) Wentworths - this kinda goes with #1, but the "auction house" in this game is very different from any other MMO I've played. Knowing how to use the market can make a WORLD of difference in your cash flow. I'd strongly suggest reading guides in the market forum.

I'd also strongly recommend checking out the information in the guides section here. Yes, it can spoil some content but the amount of time and energy you can save is huge. This is really a judgement call, though, some people really want to experience things for themselves.

Remember that it's just a game, and the purpose is to have FUN. However, the corollary to that is that people's ideas of fun may vary.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Have Fun. Remember it's a game, not a race.

A lot of good newbie advice there.

A few things I didn't see in the list, or which bear repeating, are:

Be sure to try teaming, especially with skilled players. You can learn a lot that way.

If a contact sends you to another contact - say, you get sent to talk to Wincott in The Hollows - you don't have to do his missions. Your original contact will probably still talk to you and give you missions.

Be sure to figure out the different chat modes: L (Local), B (Broadcast), T (Team) in particular.

Part of the game consists of gathering badges. It's not too important, but some people like collecting them, and sometimes you get powers or other benefits from certain combinations of badges.

You change your costume at either Icon in Steel Canyon (hero) or the Facemaker in Cap au Diable (villain).

You don't really need training enhancements. Feel free to slot or sell the ones that drop into your tray as a result of defeating foes.

At level 12 you have the option to buy dual origin enhancements at special stores. If you're having trouble with accuracy on a power, see if adding an accuracy DO helps. (The enhancement must match your character's origin.)

At level 22 you can shop at stores to get single origin enhancements. These are the best enhancements you can buy at a store, but you can make even better ones from recipes and salvage.

If you are gathering a lot of salvage, you can sell it or store some of it at the market (Wentworth's or Black Market) or at The Vault. Recipes can also be stored at the market, but nowhere else.

Be sure to do the police scanner missions in KR between levels 5-9, and again from 10-14, to get some temporary travel powers. They're worth it. (If you're playing a villain, they'll come naturally from doing paper missions followed by a successful bank robbery.)