Would Anyone Play a Longbow/PPD AT?

Every time the topic comes up internally, I bring up the Blood of the Black Stream. I like the concept, I like the backstory, I like the powers...no one seems to like the amount of TIME they'd take, though. Coralax are totally 'meh' to me...unless we ever get that Underwater Zone that's been talked about.

Are you hinting?

Do we have any info on the backstory or powers yet?

Castle, is there any chance that we might get the 'missing' Ranged or Assault/Defences AT? Much like the EATs, but not locked into one concept like that? I think theres a lot of new concepts that would open up, and the current EATS have already proven its balanceable.

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

And then what would the point of the current EATS be?

'Epic' classed storyline, still unique power-sets (Im propossing an Assault/SELF-defence set, not the Team defence that VEATs get.) and much more than 9 tiers of power choice.

Any new, non Epic AT would still have standard 9 tier sets, and none of the extra bells and whistles that EATs have. Nor, however, would they be so concept restricted.

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

Cue BABs to run screaming into the night.
Well, except that he's got lackeys now that he could delegate to do the work.

Indeed. Coralax appear to have no fleshed out backstory or origin(short of being 'infected by coral'). I was disappointed to hear it was 'up to us' in AE.

Since I heard Blood of the Black Stream, I wanted it. I didn't even know what it was, it just sounded cool.

I do enjoy the Shadow Over Innsmouth reference in the Calystix the Shaper arc though.

Click for Hot Sun Splitter Action

Yeah, I totally could go for this, although given people's reaction to the VEAT backpacks I think the armor would have to have 2-3 different looks available, being able to mix 'n match torso, arms, shoulders, legs, helmet. So the equiv of like 3 special new costumes, but all sharing the same animations so it wouldn't be an insane amount of work.

Now because this type of costume would be directly tied in to power sets, there'd also have to be new code forcing costume slot 1 to be switched-to when the player activated any primary/secondary power.

or Rikti!

Traditionalists for Heroes, Restructurists for villains.

It'd also be a great opportunity to advance that (largely neglected) story line.

I'd be perfectly happy with an issue containing nothing more than a Blood of the Black Stream EAT combined with some BotBS-specific content (HEAT-style, not VEAT-style) and some general content relating to the BotBS.

Not that that wouldn't take a lot of time of course...

You there...I like the cut of your jib.

Rikti are the perfect thing for a new EAT. Unique costume stuff? Check. Unique power and sets? Check. Options for Heroes AND Villains? Double check.

Allowance for Rikti Speech: Thought Pattern: Bonus
Looking Badass: Additional Bonus
Popular Declaration: Make it So

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

I used to think that the Rikti speech pattern was interesting.
Then any semblance of consistency disappeared, and it basically became an: exercise: in: adding: colons: everywhere.

Ties to Gadzul Oil, an ancient Egyptian pharoh (and attempt to over throw same,) and a worldwide "mystic computer" are what we have to go on. Word floating around long ago was more shapeshifting.

They've got more backstory than that, actually. The Coralax we see, except for the Shaper, are Coralax-Human hybrids. The Coralax themselves serve Merulina, who crashed to earth millenia ago, essentially creating them (and, I believe, their slave race... whose name escapes me at the moment, probably in the EAT guide in the sig - and one of whom, apparently, was found in the ship you save scientists in in Striga.) They're currently rather annoyed at us "land dwellers" for what we're doing in and to the ocean, and decided to do some cleanup - starting with us.

... seriously, stuff like this is why I want EATs. In depth storyline to follow (except for what we were given with VEATs, blah) that doesn't necessarily have to have anything to do with the main arcs.

See my Guides and Tutorials

It's always been my perception that City of Villains has superior content just because despite Blueside being just SWIMMING in contacts and missions, a lot of them just aren't very good. Older content has a lot of padding missions and street hunts in their narrative, and the contacts feel fairly generic with a few exceptions post 40.

A lot of folks I've talked to have complained bitterly about the new villain arc not fitting their character, so I don't know how well separating heroic and villain content will stop the complaining. Apparently, it's suffering the opposite problem and catering to too few concepts and neglecting the others. I'll put a disclaimer here saying I haven't run any of the new villain content (Want to, though) and what I've heard is hearsay, so take these opinions with a grain of salt, as they're uninformed.

Bah, fine. STRIKEforces. Unless you're saying that villains as a whole don't do the redside strike forces, which I could refute with a few personal experiences but it's only a few, sadly. I do see a lot more TF action than SF action when I play.

I recall the BotBS being mentioned, egyptian-themed, linked to Gadzul oil, but I don't recall any specific info about what exactly their powers would be or do. Anything you can share?

I've only been asking for this since they introduced branching tech and uniform costume slots with VEATs. Move the branch down to level 20, level 1 to 19 you're either a reformed Lost or a Lost infiltrator working for Arachnos. At level 20 you branch between Soldier or Mentalist.

Looks like it's never going to happen, though. Even more so now that the Second Rikti War is being referred to in the past tense.

I have a question.

You say you like the concept, the backstory, the powers of the Blood of the Black Stream. So, my question is, what the hell is the concept, the backstory, the powers of the Blood of the Black Stream? It's vaguely hinted at a couple of times in the game, a clue in a single arc and a salvage description, but that's it.

As I recall, they were also the inhabitants of the island that the Mu took as a homeland and fought with them.

Thats only because whoever wrote the Rikti dialogue for most of the RWZ missions had a complete slip in what was 'funny' when it actually wasnt, and what worked, and how this didn't. They tried to make the Rikti more comedic, which failed miserably, and should never really have happened.

Heck, I still dont think they should have ANY text for Rikti except when directly talking TO Humans. At all other times, there wouldn't be any other text; the Rikti use telepathy.

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

Maybe not always. The various factions would probably not want people from the other faction reading their minds, so they would cut themselves off from the mental network. Maybe they still need the translators because they don't actually have a spoken language of their own anymore.