1. The ratings on the servers are for server load due to more players. Virtue is the unofficial RP server States side.
2. If I had been gone awhile, leveling a new character would be a good way to get back into it. The blaster would be good for checking out end game content that was added and obviously a new character can not do.
3. I'm on multiple servers, but Virtue is one of the ones I play on most. @Amy Amp
4. Incarnate is really the thing to do as a level 50.
5. Using AE in terms of regular teams if fine. If you are using it to simply get another Fire/fire blaster to 50 on a new server than using whatever AE team you get is fine. I wouldn't use AE if you are using a new to you build and get leveled via farms since you won't take the time to learn how to play the build nearly as well.
I forgot to add that doing tip missions will be a thing worth checking out as well. Bah. I keep forgetting to add stuff. It would be good to roll a new character in Praet. if you have Going Rogue and that way you get 20 new levels of content and leveling is fairly quick.
Quote:
1) The number of dots indicates server load. It's a rough measure of number of players: it's possible for a single player or a small group to do something to cause the load to spike, but it's not common. On the Stateside servers, the PvP community has concentrated on Freedom, while the RP community is on Virtue. If you left with i15, then you're familiar with the i13 PvP nerfs, which essentially killed PvP.|
Originally Posted by Resillience
I'm sure you've had your fair share of these threads and i'm sorry for adding to the equation, however this seems to be the best way to acquire information from a decent source.
I've returned after over a year of being inactive and have played on and off since around 2005 I believe, massing around 2 years game time. Unfortunately I'm completely out of the loop right now and i wasn't particularly in it when I did actively play and after several days of attempting to figure things out i'm still at a loss as to what I should really do. So, if you feel like answering any of the below questions or to link me to a relevant thread, it would be much appreciated as i'll take whatever assistance you can offer me. Questions: 1) Servers. More than I can choose from! I'm currently based on Union and have always been happy there. However I can see there are certainly more players on Virtue and Freedom (Based off of the three circles at the server selection page, which i'm not sure if that dictates server stability or player load); so i'd like to know whether or not it'd be worth moving servers. I enjoy PvP, general Boss/TF raiding and Role-playing, from what i've read Union is meant to be the 'Unofficial' Role-play server and i'd hate to end up on a server with little to none if all the Role-playing goes down on Union. 2) Is it worth leveling a character from the beginning to get back into the feel of the game? I have a level 50 Fr/Fr Blaster and he has few accomplishments, the player base was little and the requirements high for me to attempt to get into a SG that regularly attempted things like Hamidon, so I've never been able to experience that type of content, could someone like me be apart of any similar activities in this state? 3) Friends! Well, it seems the medium list of friends I made when i played have all moved on to other things, so i'm quite lacking. If any of you decide you'd like to add some more text to your friends list i'm your man! I'm quite cheerful and entertaining, always up for a laugh whether it's RP, PvP, PvE, badge hunting or casually chatting at *insert landmark here*. @Resillience 4) Is there anything i'm missing out on? I left the issue after the introduction of the Architect system I think, so while my 50 is sitting and acquiring algae is there anything I should take a look at? 5) Should I level another character, is the best way to level still at the Architect building? Standing in there and advertising until I had a group seemed to be protocol then and the Xp/Hr was very desirable, is this still the case? I think those are the important things right now, I used to spend most of the time chatting at Atlas or Pocket D and many people, especially the Role-playing side enjoyed my company, but with all that gone i'd like to do something about it now and get well into the community before I get bored and lonely. Ontop of the friends thing, a SG wouldn't be amiss, i'll look into that more deeply later on but for now i'll leave a little sidenote that I am looking if anyone is interested. Thanks in advance to anyone that can give me some insight and happy gaming. -Res |
2) If you left with i15, then there probably haven't been any major changes to gameplay that you'll need to get used to: you know about Enhancement Diversification, the Global Defense Nerf, and the invention system. Leveling a new character vs. picking up your old one is your choice, though if you want to PvP, you may need to create a new character: the i13 changes mean very few builds are viable these days.
3) After you pick a server, join the global chat channels for that server. That's where most of the teaming is organized, and where you'll meet people to talk to. On Virtue, at least, non-mission roleplay takes place mostly in Pocket D, with some under the statue of Atlas. I'm not familiar with Union.
5) If you want to powerlevel, AE is the best way. It's nowhere near as fast as it used to be; the main advantage now is that you can find a mission tuned to your character's strengths and weaknesses. Most powerleveling is done solo: there's a new difficulty system that lets you get enemy groups sized for any team size: you don't need to look for fillers if you want to face eight-man groups. Most AE teaming is done in Atlas blueside, Cap redside, and occasionally cross-faction in the Rikti War Zone.
Three changes you'll want to look at: the new difficulty adjustment system, the super-sidekicking system, and the removal of level gating on hazard zones. No more sidekick tetris, no more looking for fillers, and you can go to almost any zone starting from level 1.
1) Servers.
Lots of servers means lots of different variations on the basic 'City of' community. Compared to some other games, we have a pretty cool society of friendly people, but there are still some people who engage in anti-social behavior. With the notes and stars system, it is possible to flag them (for yourself, at least) such that, even on an Alt (alternate character) you can recognize them. I try to be more tolerant, so I don't use that system, but many do.
One side-effect of this is that high-population servers have a slightly higher concentration of... people who inflict Their 'game' on others, despite how that affects other peoples' 'game' experience. If there is a set of behaviors that annoys you, then you will inevitably find more such annoying people on the high population servers. That said, you can almost always find people hanging around on Freedom and Virtue, with Virtue being the overt Role-playing community. Every server is slightly different.
Caution: Just because you log on and don't see a bunch of people hanging out under Atlas, doesn't mean there is 'nobody on the server'. 'City of' is highly instanced (which you probably have noticed) so the people who are actively playing the content are not seen in the common zones.
Finally, there are people who enjoy casual RP on every server, not just Union and Virtue, so feel free to explore!
2) Is it worth leveling a character from the beginning to get back into the feel of the game?
'City of' definitely encourages multiple characters. A Fire Scrapper plays differently from a Fire Tanker which has a different feel than a Fire Controller which has a completely different experience from a Fire Blaster - and soon we will have Fire Defenders, too. And that's just on the 'blue' side. There are hundreds of possible combinations of Archetypes, Power-sets, and play-styles.
From my PoV, there's no reason not to have a dozen different alternates - not just to get a feel for the 'new game' caused by the myriad changes and developments since AE came out. No, you should explore how it feels to play the different roles and aspects of the game from multiple perspectives. And if you don't feel ready to go from Blaster to Tanker, yet, then try out some of the other power-sets - an Energy Blaster is a completely different animal from a Fire Blaster!
3) Friends!
Frankly, my largest source of friends in-game is not just my SG, or hanging around Pocket D, but the Global Channels I've joined. There are lots of server-wide and cross-server chat channels, covering dozens of interests, from Giant Monster Hunting, to Taskforces, to All (insert AT) teams, to Role-playing, to... Rule 34. 
4) Is there anything I'm missing out on?
If you've been dormant since Architect, then you should definitely respec your character for Inherent Fitness and get your 50 his Alpha slot and start looking into Incarnates.
If all you've done is push one character to 50, then you've undoubtedly missed a TON of content! There's Croatoa, the new Faultline, the new and improved Hollows, the Midnighters Club, Ouroboros, and time-traveling to Cimerora.
If you don't have the Going Rogue expansion, then you've never experienced the dystopian moral quagmire that is Praetoria - where everything is so clean and shiny and the missions leave you feeling dirty.
5) Should I level another character, is the best way to level still at the Architect building?
No offense, but Architect is supposed to be like an Amusement Park - you go there for the crazy rides and the sticky candy, but you don't Live there!
In my opinion, the best way to gain levels and have fun, is to leave the AE Babies behind, and go out and be a hero in the City. Smash Trolls! Bury the Vahzilok! 'Dis-a-semble' Clockworks! Zap Freakshow! Moon Warwolves! Put the Mojo on the Circle of Thorns! Show your Moxie to the Family! Prune back the Devouring Earth!
Save the world! Or at least the neighborhood.
Be Well!
Fireheart
Regarding server choice - you are currently on Union - does that mean you play porimarily during prime time (evening) EU hours? If so, you may want to stay on Union for the time beeing. Prior to the server list merge adding access to both the European servers (Union, Defiant, Vigilence, & the German one) and the NA servers (ther rest of them on the list), Union had a higher number of players.
But if you play primarily during other hours, you may want to consider moving. Most of the NA servers are busier during prime time evening hours for the US/Canada time zones, but some of them also have a bit of a population concentration at other hours - for example, Justice has a concentration of players from Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, etc.) so playing during those prime time evening hours (sorry, I don't remember the conversion except that it's roughly morning in the US when it's prime time evening hours in Australia) might be better.
You can also check each of the server forums below. Ask for rough guesstimates of the number of players during your best playtime hours - generally, we are friendly and will invite strangers to join us, especially at off-peak hours. While you are there, ask for the global channels used for teaming & TFs and ask for an invite if one is required.
Altoholic - but a Blaster at Heart!
Originally Posted by SpyralPegacyon
"You gave us a world where we could fly. I can't thank you enough for that."
I'm sure you've had your fair share of these threads and i'm sorry for adding to the equation, however this seems to be the best way to acquire information from a decent source.
If I'm not wearing pants, does that make me an indecent source?
1) Servers. More than I can choose from! I'm currently based on Union and have always been happy there. However I can see there are certainly more players on Virtue and Freedom (Based off of the three circles at the server selection page, which i'm not sure if that dictates server stability or player load); so i'd like to know whether or not it'd be worth moving servers.
I wouldn't "move". What I would do is make new characters on other servers to get a feel for them. You might fine one that you like. Different servers really do 'feel' different. Well, maybe not every servers feels different but some do. Explore.
2) Is it worth leveling a character from the beginning to get back into the feel of the game?
Yes. There have been a lot of very basic changes. For example, everyone gets the Fitness Pool for free now.
4) Is there anything i'm missing out on? I left the issue after the introduction of the Architect system I think, so while my 50 is sitting and acquiring algae is there anything I should take a look at?
Yes, you should take a good look at www.ParagonWiki.com
The site is maintained by us players and has a ton of information. Particularly, go to the page listing all the issues. The page links to a summary of each issue. Figure out where you left and then read up on everything that came since then.
5) Should I level another character, is the best way to level still at the Architect building? Standing in there and advertising until I had a group seemed to be protocol then and the Xp/Hr was very desirable, is this still the case?
Is it the fastest way to level? Probably. Is it a good way to learn the game? Absolutely not. Get on the active global channels for your server and get on regular teams, task forces, etc.
Paragon City Search And Rescue
The Mentor Project
Thank you for everyone's comments thus far, the 'Prime Time EU Hours' mention intrigues me, i'm a UK player and by the sounds of it, it might be in my best interest to stay on Union for this reason.
Although my Blaster is extremely sexy, i think i'll level something else for the time being to re-establish my roots into the game.
ParagonWiki has been quite useful over the past few days and i'm still reading into it on several topics.
It seems that character builds have become slightly more narrowed, are there any sites dedicated to the theory-crafting of certain arch-types and power sets?
I think all my other questions have been answered in enough detail, so again, thanks.
-Res
You'll find build mumbo jumbo in the archetype forums, mostly. Next block of forums down from Player Help.
Paragon Wiki: http://www.paragonwiki.com
City Info Terminal: http://cit.cohtitan.com
Mids Hero Designer: http://www.cohplanner.com
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Dispari
I don't know why Dink thinks she's not as sexy as Jay was. In 5 posts she's already upstaged his entire career.
|
"It seems that character builds have become slightly more narrowed, are there any sites dedicated to the theory-crafting of certain arch-types and power sets?"
Builds can be as focused or as versatile as you want them to be. There are plenty of powerset/build guides here on the forums, have a peruse, see what takes your fancy. Also Mids Hero Designer is a fantastic tool if you want to plan your build. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
----- Union's finest underachiever -----
Farewell CITY of HEROES
The First, the Last, the One.
Union: @ominousvoice2059
Quote:
I think the question of 'play time' and whether you play in 'prime time' is more about maximizing the number of people you might meet when you play. I'm not always that social, myself, so I tend to avoid the peak hours a little more, so I don't get lagged by the population. With the aggregation of the server lists, a lot of EU folks are exploring the NA servers, and vice-versa. This is one of the reasons why I encourage you to try different servers - you are certain to find fun, interesting people to play with, wherever you go, and the other Players are a prime resource for things to get involved in.|
Originally Posted by Resillience
Thank you for everyone's comments thus far, the 'Prime Time EU Hours' mention intrigues me, I'm a UK player and by the sounds of it, it might be in my best interest to stay on Union for this reason.
|
Quote:
| It seems that character builds have become slightly more narrowed, are there any sites dedicated to the theory-crafting of certain arch-types and power sets? |
The 'Arche' is the pure, essential element that all other things are made from. In this usage, Archetype is the model, which all of our characters are merely derivative examples of.
And I've been seeing more and more lazy people saying 'who cares, it's only language, and I don't have to understand a word, in order to use it properly'. Believe me, people who do not understand what you are talking about will be Further confused by 'arch-type', okay?
Now, to answer your question, probably the best source of information and 'theory-crafting' discussion about the various Archetypes, is right here on these forums. Each of the Archetypes has a dedicated section, where you can find experts and 'experts' willing to discuss all aspects of the type and compare and contrast with other types. At the top of each of those boards is a 'stickied' thread containing guides that have been posted about the Archetype, the Powersets, Tactics and Builds.
Perusing the pages of these forum sections may be a bit confusing, it may seem like everyone is just comparing various optimized top-end builds with 'price is no issue' enhancements. Part of that is because, for the most part, the Archetypes and Powersets are fully developed, tested, and mature. They have been fully discussed and there are guides that closely analyze everything - so there is a sense that nothing more needs to be said about them.
This can be frustrating for the 'new' person, who wants to learn, or the occasional maverick, who doesn't want to do things the way 'everybody else' does. Still, this IS one of the places where the community shines... Post your question. Create a build and post that. Discuss where you are, what you have/know, and where you want to go. People Will Answer! The community will help you, if they can.
And, Soon, you will begin to see who the 'ancient legends of the forums' are and what their specialties are. For instance, if Arcanaville posts about numbers and formulas, you'd better pay attention!! It might cause your brain to melt, but she knows how the magic behind the magic actually works.
And when you're exploring a new Server, check out the Server threads! Each Server has a separate section on these forums, as well, where you can discover some of what goes on there.
And, when you get tired of saving the world, or when you don't have time to Play, head on down to the other communities on these forums. There are sections where we share Costume ideas, and the Art nuts draw pictures, and the Media junkies make Movies, and others where we discuss the ocean of ideas and media that our heroes develop from. There are Writers down there, RPing their characters outside the limits of the game, in-game shutterbugs taking screen-caps of outlandish stuff, and a Games section that has little or nothing to do with the City, itself.
So, I encourage you to explore! Not just the game, but the Forums, as well.
Be Well!
Fireheart
Get in touch with the Mentor Project
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=212083
They are a multi server group of players that enjoy showing new and returning players the ropes.
I just recently returned after having been gone since around issue 13 or so and what i did was read up on alot of the guides in the player guides forum and read up on paragon wiki about the changes that were put in for each issue. after that i took my level 50 and got his alpha slot unlocked and started running itfs, and itrials while playing around on mids to work on a stable io build for him.
server is kind of dependant on what times you play and what you want to do, I play on pinnacle and never have a problem getting a group together for whatever I want to do, I cant speak for the rest of the servers but pinnacle is fine for me.
Leveling-- I dont know the fastest way to level, nor do i care to find out. i just got a couple of friends to start the game or return to the game and we made new characters and have been running radio missions, hollows arcs and safeguards and we hit level 16 last night after about 5 hours total of playtime. no doubt this could be done faster but to me it was fun and that is what i was concerned about. Leveling a new toon can reintroduce you to the game sort of and let you see for yourself some of the low level things that was included, but you can also see alot of that stuff on your 50 through ouroboros and the flashback arcs.
altogether just go play and have fun, run tip missions or ae missions to try out the new systems that you havent tried before and before long you will be back in the swing of things.
With the intro of Going Rogue about a year ago, there's a TON of new lower level (1-20) content if you start in Praetoria. From what they've told us about issue 21 in the next few months, it sounds like there's a lot of new lower level content and changes coming then as well for the other side. Its very worth it to at least go through Praetoria once.
They've also added several mid-level arcs and task forces throughout the game, and then the post-level-50 incarnate content is new as well. Whatever way to go you'll be able to find plenty of new things.
My personal opinion...the AE...great idea in theory...can be used to power level in practice or to get through some boring content...but you miss nearly EVERYTHING cool and fun in the game doing so all the way to 50. Hate to sound cliche but the game is about the journey, not just being at the highest level, even with the new end-game. There is some, but still not a TON of fun things to do at level 50 compared to the rest of the time.
I'm sure you've had your fair share of these threads and i'm sorry for adding to the equation, however this seems to be the best way to acquire information from a decent source.
I've returned after over a year of being inactive and have played on and off since around 2005 I believe, massing around 2 years game time.
Unfortunately I'm completely out of the loop right now and i wasn't particularly in it when I did actively play and after several days of attempting to figure things out i'm still at a loss as to what I should really do.
So, if you feel like answering any of the below questions or to link me to a relevant thread, it would be much appreciated as i'll take whatever assistance you can offer me.
Questions:
1) Servers. More than I can choose from! I'm currently based on Union and have always been happy there. However I can see there are certainly more players on Virtue and Freedom (Based off of the three circles at the server selection page, which i'm not sure if that dictates server stability or player load); so i'd like to know whether or not it'd be worth moving servers.
I enjoy PvP, general Boss/TF raiding and Role-playing, from what i've read Union is meant to be the 'Unofficial' Role-play server and i'd hate to end up on a server with little to none if all the Role-playing goes down on Union.
2) Is it worth leveling a character from the beginning to get back into the feel of the game? I have a level 50 Fr/Fr Blaster and he has few accomplishments, the player base was little and the requirements high for me to attempt to get into a SG that regularly attempted things like Hamidon, so I've never been able to experience that type of content, could someone like me be apart of any similar activities in this state?
3) Friends! Well, it seems the medium list of friends I made when i played have all moved on to other things, so i'm quite lacking. If any of you decide you'd like to add some more text to your friends list i'm your man!
I'm quite cheerful and entertaining, always up for a laugh whether it's RP, PvP, PvE, badge hunting or casually chatting at *insert landmark here*.
@Resillience
4) Is there anything i'm missing out on? I left the issue after the introduction of the Architect system I think, so while my 50 is sitting and acquiring algae is there anything I should take a look at?
5) Should I level another character, is the best way to level still at the Architect building? Standing in there and advertising until I had a group seemed to be protocol then and the Xp/Hr was very desirable, is this still the case?
I think those are the important things right now, I used to spend most of the time chatting at Atlas or Pocket D and many people, especially the
Role-playing side enjoyed my company, but with all that gone i'd like to do something about it now and get well into the community before I get bored and lonely.
Ontop of the friends thing, a SG wouldn't be amiss, i'll look into that more deeply later on but for now i'll leave a little sidenote that I am looking if anyone is interested.
Thanks in advance to anyone that can give me some insight and happy gaming.
-Res