Thanks for all the stuff, can you do it better?

I have no other way to start this. I am very appreciative of CoH, and the character generation system they have developed. Very flexible. Right up until it gets so rigid it calcifies before my eyes.

I am again experimenting with Blasters (double xp weekend, i24 on it's way...) and again got frustrated. Blasters are so VERY close to what i want. Energy Blast is exactly what I want in looks. It is without a doubt the beautiful animations I want to see in classic comic book blasting.

But Energy Blast has Knockback. Knockback is problematic in the game, even if you are an artist with it. Perhaps moreso than any other secondary effect KB creates a problem because when it does NOT work, you have to totally change tactics. Every other secondary effect can disappear without any change in your basic positioning.

Also, Power Picks in the sets are fixed. You cannot mix and match (I want 2 small ST, one lg ST, a Cone, A ranged AoE ball, A Ranged Nuke, a buff and a snipe. Medium well, no cheese, animal style, hold the fries.)

I know that mixing and matching will not happen, because they have "balanced" the sets to have animations and durations, and etc. so that each set is "perfectly balanced' and its a "cottage rule" and "cottages are what will build the village on." Nevermind that every set is not "balanced" to each other. Shhh. Puh-lease. It's like watching a first year algebra student trying to justify balancing their completely screwed up checkbook. Which I normally would not care about, it's their checkbook, not mine.

It is just really frustrating as I generated about 4 new Blasters this weekend and leveled them to mid 20s, only to keep thinking "if this was just one thing different I could live with it"....) Whether that thing was the animation (I could "live with rad (no KB) if it had Energy Blast animation) I could "live with Energy if it had no KB", I guess the closest is "I could live with Electrical if it lost Volt Sentinel and Short Circuit and picked up anything, oh, and had Energy Blast animations." OR Give me Water Blast with Energy Blast animations, and neutral the buff wording so it doesn't say Hydro power is geysering or wtf.

Anyway, you can see where I am heading, please let me tailor some of the great stuff you have in this game. Yes, I realize it aint going to happen, or if it does it will be in issue 35. Just throwing it out there.

PS, Thanks for building a game I can create and tailor my supers in. PPS, give me moah.

Thanks for your feedback. Can you do it better?

I was reading through everything you posted, and although I really wanted to derive useful criticism from it, all I could seem to glean was, "This is a seriously picky person I'd take anywhere."

I started reading at least four sentences, each time thinking, if there was just a little bit less whinge I could live with it. If only he'd try some of the alternate animations, or color his powers to look like what he wants. If only he'd adjust his concept ever so slightly to work with all of the labor the developers have put into the game.

I know that this won't happen, because he's throwing around terms with an obvious lack of understanding what they mean, like cottage rule and algebra. Which honestly, I don't care that much about, since it's his seemingly unsatisfiable desire to paint himself into a conceptual corner, not mine.

Anyway, you can see where I'm heading. Please don't be such a dissembling impulsive crowing kid. At least by issue 35.

I know what you mean.

I want to use claws - but I want aim or build up - not follow up
I want to use dual blades - but I don't like the combos and never get high enough (or IO'd enough) to spam the other attacks
Then there is the breathing fire out of your mouth sometimes and swinging a fire sword other times

Nothing is exactly what you want - but I bet there are others that love it just as it is. Or would make the reverse change.

OP, I can kind of see what you're saying and I'd agree that more flexibility would be great. But you have to be reasonable too. Would you honestly expect the game to be able to tailor your powers, animations and effects to such a degree while having the ability to customize the visuals and have *SOOO* many options we have all at once? IMO, it's unreasonable to expect that. Want it all you want, but I'm just not seeing it being particularly possible with how many powers and sets we have. It might be possible if we only had 1/18th the powers and sets we have...

But the way I get around it is...well, using my imagination...or don't be so specific with your concept. If I were very exact with concepts and couldn't use my imagination at the same time, I'd say probably only a quarter of the characters I have would still exist.

I could write a whole thread pointing out the specifics of why I can't create this character or that character I thought up (that I currently have) listing everything from "he can't have spines coming out of his body" to "he needs to turn into a cat too" and so on...but all you really can expect from others reading the post is "Well, yeah, that might be nice..."

So yeah, the stuff you posted would be nice to have...

I hear you, Blue Centurion. I wish I could just play Super Strength with Street Justice animations (or at least have Foot Stomp like the Knives of Vengeance). Or play the Shield powerset without having to use alternate animations nor a shield.

People give so much flak to others for being "number-oriented munchkins". Yet a true minmaxer has no problem with the game, he can just pick and play the best thing. It's those of us who have to balance their want for certain themes with their want for certain gameplay standards who run into issues like the above.

Getting to choose how many AoEs, STs, snipes, etc. you want might be going a bit far, there's no way they could manage that and not normalize everything as sets are generally balanced as sets. I'd love for power customization to go further and allow for absolutely every animation (of the same length) and GFX effect to be used for any power.

...I feel like I've entered bizzaro-world. The very title of this thread is the most pointlessly entitled thing I've read since I stopped reading WoW forums, and folks are agreeing with it?



¿Que?

...Have you tried radiation blast (with alternate animations)?

Yeah, I started a radiation blaster this weekend (My umpteenth try with it) The alternate animations do help. I think it was this that actually made me realize how much I loved Energy Blast animations however. They are freaking perfect (for me). I do some art, and I have very precise things in my head I want to see. THis weekend was when I really had to own up to the fact that I must write off secondary effects, accept KB, take a PB Nuke and deal with it. First love and all that. Sort of why I wrote this thread.

I really really do love certain things in the game. Other people like something completely different. If I could reskin Waterblast with Energy Blast animations I would be rolling around on the ground ROFLMAO until my co-workers had someone haul me away. I know I'm not the only one with these kinds of strange desires.

I am personally glad Hasten can be dulled now. I am not a huge user of it, but I do appreciate the change. One of the places I use it is on my very dark, horrific themed monsters. (DM/Invul builds) Always kind of strange to see them start glowing yellow.

Ya know what word needs to go on hiatus from the English language for ten years? "Entitled." Seriously, it's like the hipster go-to to shut down any discussion where someone else asks for something.

Putting aside that the animations seem pretty darn vanilla to me, "classic comic book blasting" often involves knocking people back.

OP's post seems fairly eloquent and well-written to me, but perhaps there is some amount of bias as I share his point of view.

I can definitely see how it might sound wrong if you read the title as an Internet sarcasm thing, but I think the entire post and tone makes it clear the gist of it is "what we have is awesome, and I'd love for it to be even better still".

Believe me: working in a customer service position as a rep for a popular national restaurant franchisee gives a whole new meaning to the word "entitled," and Goat's right. Sometimes no other word will do.

"So, I just called to tell you some random person whose name I didn't bother to find out was rude to me and should be fired. When should I expect my free meal coupon?"

It drives me nuts. As does this post. It's ungrateful, short-sighted, and completely absurd. That's like telling your girlfriend "well, the sex was great and all, but here's a comprehensive list of things I'd like you to do better, and please pay particular attention to numbers six and twelve, which involve Japanese twins and a plunger covered in peanut butter. Thanks."

The power selection structure exists for a reason, power balancing exists for a reason, and while yes, sometimes I wish things were different, sometimes I wish I could fly. Doesn't make it helpful to publicly whine about how I can't.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EarthWyrm But I do understand that there is an internet rule that any bad idea must be presented by someone at least twice a year to remind everyone who hasn't already read every previous thread on the topic precisely why the idea is bad.

You are correct, sir. This literally happened to me about fifteen minutes ago. In that order. That was the extent of the conversation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EarthWyrm But I do understand that there is an internet rule that any bad idea must be presented by someone at least twice a year to remind everyone who hasn't already read every previous thread on the topic precisely why the idea is bad.