AspieAnarchy

Yeah, this all worries me, come to think of it; I really don't want the next step to be "history repeats itself in the most miserably predictable ways". Somebody mentioned MYST earlier; PYST, I'm afraid, had a prescient lesson to teach. In my experience, people who accuse others of "elitism", especially in the MMO context where that's really pretty overdramatic to start with, are crybullies - sometimes motivated by badly-handled inferiority complexes, other times by genuine "entitlement"- who DO wind up ruining the game environment. Different things do attract different personalities, there are inevitably limits to who can be satisfied without expense to anyone else, and those limits inevitably lead to "drama" that nice people don't like to deal with, and so relegate to people who aren't as nice, and so on. This is all EXACTLY what has happened before, but for some reason there's been this incredible taboo against acknowledging that the "conservative" (meant literally, without the conventional American politics connotations) faction could possibly have valid points; I've always wanted to attribute this to the fact that the games were owned by profiteering corporations who cared about nothing but next quarter's bottom-line, so I'm really hoping that, since this is a nonprofit run by amateurs (again, meant literally, sans the colloquial connotations that make a good thing sound bad), that will be different this time around. Sorry that this is bigger than it needs to be, but just to (literally) illustrate the point: The central problem is groupthink, which social media has 'roided up and, I believe in hindsight, was responsible for the lasting paradigm-shift that changed MMO culture for the dramatically worse starting in 2006. After sticking around World of Warcraft for too long after that (until 2009, in my case) and for a little longer on Live, I never thought I'd come back to MMOs, and I was SO refreshed by how the culture on Homecoming, while still not what it was pre-2006, was far closer to THAT than after. I am now genuinely concerned that it all may happen again. May I be the first to suggest, then, a means of attempting to divert both this and technical problems that would arise from "the rush": A controlled, limited queue (the proper term isn't quite coming to me atm) of new applicants, by no means permanently but maybe for a year or two? Making history, as others have observed is indeed being done here, is normally something done with caution.

So, can we finally expect

Yeah, so that's problem #1: I cannot seem to find my "CoH folder". I use Windows 7, I don't know if that's good enough to count as "Modern Windows"? I'm not getting any "errors", per se, at least none the computer itself labels as such. I'll try to DM/PM/"/t"/whatever those are called around here you where I'm stuck. Sorry for the lagging reply, BTW.

So. I just tried installing this, and am not having much success; I have no self-confidence that I know what I'm doing, and I am terrified I will FUBAR everything if I keep trying to do it on my own. Could someone please walk me through this? So far, I've downloaded the thing from OP, Unzipped it to its own subfolder in my Downloads folder, tried to run COHModdingTool.exe, and...that's where I'm now stuck, as it has ceased to resemble what OP's instructions say ought to happen.

Forgive my Perpetual-N00b Syndrome (PNS, consider donating at your local hospital), but I could use some help. I recall there being a change from the correct/best way to install Homecoming since I joined in 2018. I am still using Tequila. I have recently acquired a brand-new laptop and will soon be taking it on a long trip overseas, so of course I need to install this on it. How do I do that these days? Also, if it's not too much trouble/heresy, I'd be interested in knowing more about how to install other servers (including, perhaps especially, some of the weirder ones I've heard about)!

GRAVITIC ASSAULT (Assault) Available to: Dominators Set Color: Neon Turquoise-on-Black One of the most fundamental forces of the universe rests in the palm of your hand; make your foes kneel before you as they are crushed beneath your power, cast them away like puny motes of stardust, or destroy them from within. This set is slower, on the whole, compared to most other Assault sets, but it offers both great power and considerable versatility; gravity is a force not easily resisted. 1) Gravitic Pulse – You blast your target with the sheer force of concentrated gravity, dealing damage and weighing it down so greatly that its movement is slowed and its ability to jump or fly is severely inhibited. Damage: Minor Smashing/Energy Recharge: Fast 2) Repulse – You blast your target with antigravity in melee, sending it hurtling backwards. Damage: Moderate Negative Energy Recharge: Fast 3) Gravitic Blast – As with Gravitic Pulse, you damage, slow, and weigh down your target with concentrated gravity, save that this power places more emphasis on damage than on secondary effects. Damage: High Smashing/Energy Recharge: Moderate 4) Gravitic Grasp – You concentrate gravity within your target in melee, harming it and temporarily rooting it where it stands. Damage: High Energy Recharge: Moderate 5) Assert Gravity – All enemies in a wide area around you are abruptly knocked to the ground, including those in the air. Those affected will briefly thereafter lose much of their ability to fly, or even to jump. Damage: Minor Smashing Recharge: Slow 6) Newton’s Apple – A fleeting epiphany into the workings of the cosmos by which the accuracy, damage, and secondary effects of all your powers are all briefly increased. Recharge: Long 7) Antigravity Pulse – An antigravity shockwave propels all enemies near you backward. Damage: Moderate Negative Energy Recharge: Slow 😎 Micro-Singularity – You concentrate gravity at a nearby point in space, creating a dreadful stationary trap; enemies that come too close will start to get sucked toward it, and the first unlucky body to get there will suffer both extraordinary damage and repeated knockdowns over a short period; this warp lasts a long time on its own, but once it is thus ‘sated’, it ceases to be, and local space regains its normal curvature. Damage: Superior Smashing/Energy (DoT) Recharge: Slow 9) Implosion – You concentrate gravity within a single target at medium range, causing it to collapse in on itself. Regular enemies (Pets, Underlings, Minions, Lieutenants, and to a lesser extent, Bosses) suffer a high chance of being destroyed outright even if they withstand the damage, special enemies (Elite Bosses, Heroes, amd Arch-Villains) have a sizable chance of taking double damage, and Giant Monsters and other rare, powerful enemies face a further chance for triple damage. Implosion is staggeringly powerful, but costs a lot of endurance. Damage: Extreme Energy Recharge: Long Example Character Concept: The Chaotic Nucleus! (Roguish Fire Control/Gravitic Assault Magic Dominator)

Not too shabby, thanks.

I agree that's something that it would be great to change (what with my character gallery including robots, gods, a potato, and more). If you'd like to help, I'd be interested if you could help me reword the text for that power while keeping the concept I outlined in my previous reply. I had a bunch more to say, but apparently it all disappeared while I got distracted.

Sorry for the late reply: My 'human'-specific reasoning was twofold: - Even among organic life (such as is presented in this game), hominids tend to be just a little more vulnerable, wouldn't you say? - The Rune of Purification power indicates that 'human' is an already-existing designation; I figure, why not utilize it? I admit, I hadn't thought about this (to my own surprise); I suppose it would follow whatever pattern Rune of Purification does. My idea was more like 'you're hacking reality itself and handling enemies like an antivirus program'; I did struggle with the wording to make it clear that the 'interface with reality' problem is one-way.

TECH CONTROL (Control) Available to: Controllers, Dominators Set Color: Electric Green-on-Silver You use a panoply of advanced technology to harass, contain, and subdue your foes. You might be a devious engineer, a special agent trained and equipped by some shadowy military-industrial agency, a crazed former toymaker, a mutant with the power of ‘machine empathy’, or even a ‘technomancer’ who fulfills both Clarke’s Law and Pratchett’s Corollary. This set has a somewhat greater than typical reliance on long-recharge abilities and stationary AoE effects, and some of its effects can be quirky and unreliable, but it excels at besting technological foes, and offers a more diverse array of damage types and more secondary debuffs than many other Control sets. 1) Filaments – You immobilize an opponent in a writhing mass of semi-autonomous, razor-edged techno-filaments. Human enemies will take a small amount of extra damage. Damage: Moderate Lethal (DoT) Recharge: Fast 2) Electromagnet – You paralyze and electrocute an opponent within the field of a powerful electromagnet; robots, machines, and other metal-heavy beings will also suffer a significant decrease to endurance recovery even after being released. Damage: Moderate Energy Recharge: Moderate 3) Computer Virus – Infects an electronic or robotic target with a vicious computer virus with random deleterious effects, potentially including 2-4 of the following: Slowing, to-hit debuff, defense debuff, reduced recovery, disorientation, immobilization, paralysis, Energy damage, blindness, and/or confusion; some organic enemies, particularly cyborgs, have been known to suffer weaker versions of its effects. Recharge: Moderate 4) Cables – You raise a field of thick, electrified, semi-autonomous cables to thrash about in an area centered on a targeted opponent; it and enemies in a radius around it will randomly be knocked down, immobilized, or held. Damage: Minor Smashing/Energy (DoT) Recharge: Slow 5) Laser-Grid – Sets a network of computer-guided lasers and tracking sensors in a broad targeted area; enemies that pass through must contend with the blazing lights, which are sure to impose a nasty penalty to their perception and accuracy, are also likely to reduce their defense to a lesser degree via illumination of their vulnerable spots, and may possibly misdirect them into attacking each other. Recharge: Long 6) Filament Engine – Summons a stationary Filament Engine, which independently uses the Filaments power on foes in range, at double the normal speed; it can be neither healed nor buffed, but is very hard to destroy and lasts for a long time. Recharge: Very Long 7) Quarantine – Using technology so advanced it bends the very parameters of reality as we know it, you temporarily dimension-lock enemies in an area. This pseudo-dimension strips those within of their ability to ‘interface’ with the universe beyond them, while still allowing them to be affected by those without. Even after this acute effect wears off, targets may still suffer a lingering to-hit debuff. Both the hold and debuff are more severe when used on mechanical, robotic, and to a lesser degree cyborg, targets. Recharge: Very Long 😎 Teleportation Field – You create a fairly wide area in which enemies are frequently subjected to random short-range teleportation, and also face a chance to suffer a strong but brief stun each time it happens. Recharge: Long 9) Mechazoid – Creates a mighty Mechazoid! This sleek, state-of-the-art robot fights with powerful blades and laser-blast attacks, can be buffed like any teammate, and while it cannot be healed, it does have good self-repair capabilities of its own, is nearly immune to Psionic and Toxic damage, has good resistance to other forms of damage as well (with the exception of Fire and Cold), is very resistant to stun and confusion effects, and is totally immune to fear, taunt, and placate effects. Mechazoid: Blade Slash – melee Lethal attack Blade Lunge – as Blade Slash, but slower and stronger Laser Blast – strong Energy/Fire ranged attack Laser Fusillade – strong Energy/Fire ranged attack in long, narrow cone Fast Healing Reconstruction Flight Evasive Maneuvers Recharge: Very Long Example Character Concept: The Innocent Cybersoul! (Heroic Tech Control/Psionic Assault Mutant Dominator)

Hardly - it's a "Power Pool" set, just for starters (and you'd only have one knife in your hand at any one time). It was sort of meant with ATs like Controllers, Masterminds, Defenders, etc in mind, and meant to emphasize melee (in deliberate contrast with my previous submission); it might be unbalanced if you could get a ranged attack right off the bat, I'm not sure.

KNIFEPLAY (Pool) Set Color: Steel White-on-Blood Red You carry one or more fighting-knives, and have exceptional, if not ‘super’, proficiency in their use; this is a good pick if you want a few more close-ranged attacks, or find you need an extra ‘edge’ to counter enemy mobility and defenses. 1) Simple Stab – a simple attack with your knife that will also cause bleeding for additional damage over time. Damage: Minor Lethal Recharge: Fast 2) Side-Slash – a long slash with your knife damages and reduces the defense of enemies in an arc in front of you. Damage: Minor Lethal Recharge: Moderate 3) Toss Knife – tossing one of your knives at a foe will deal decent damage and might knock it down. Damage: Moderate Lethal Recharge: Moderate 4) Underhanded Feint – with a quick swap to your offhand, you make an attack that exposes your enemy, greatly reducing its defense. Damage: Moderate Lethal Recharge: Medium 5) Mumblety-Peg – You forcefully toss a knife at a close-by target’s foot (or other locomotive appendage), pinning it where it stands and causing enough acute pain to reduce its resistance to further damage. Damage: Moderate Lethal Recharge: Medium Example Character Concept: The Wily Taipan-Girl! (Rogueish Mind Control/Poison/Knifeplay Mutant Controller)

Shall I just bring a proper military authority in here...?

This is interesting; I'd be willing to replace Aim with a Sniper attack. I guess I thought sniper rifles were supposed to be kinda special.

RE the (surprising, to me!) "Single Shot" controversy: All I know for sure is Arachnos guns can do it. Surely that's justification enough?

Fine with me; that would give additional justification for the effect to be more powerful, yet also discourage overuse. Incidentally, I'm still figuring out this forum's mechanics; anyone reading know how can I delete a post of my own, or reply to a specific individual without having to quote it?

Fair enough; done.

I figured the resistance stood for knowing how to endure the pain, "roll with" the injury, move in a way to keep wounds from getting worse, that kind of thing - or in extreme cases, think Ozymandias catching that bullet (he got hit, he got hurt, but he managed to mitigate most of the harm). We are talking about superheroes here. That all being said, if your basic and most important premise is that defense and resistance both would be overpowered for a Pool power, that's fair. I figured the weakening of that and Fire-Combat Training represent the character's own fatigue at least as much as being out of ammo, but as I admit I am not a real gun-expert, that's worth hearing you clarify just the same. Part of it was also I wanted to make sure Final Bullet was REALLY a proper "'Oh-Shit'-Button" by penalizing EVERYTHING else the set has to offer. I didn't intend for people to, say, blow Final Bullet earliest chance they get and spend the rest of the time just being slap-happy with Pistol-Whip. To be clear, I am open to editing based on feedback, but I want to hear what you have to say to the above before I make my next move.

SIDEARM (Pool) Set Color: Blood Red-on-Lead Grey You pack a quality handgun. There are many like it, but this one is yours. This is a good pick for anyone who doesn’t specialize in strong offensive powers, or wants a few more reliable ranged attacks. 1) Single Shot – as Arachnos Soldier, but weaker Damage: Minor Lethal Recharge: Fast 2) Pistol-Whip – a melee attack with the heavy side of your gun has a minor chance to stun your opponent. Damage: Minor Smashing Recharge: Fast 3) Serial Shots – a quick volley of gunshots in a thin cone in front of you; those you hit also suffer a minor defense debuff. Damage: Moderate Lethal (DoT) Recharge: Fast 4) Fire-Combat Training – Your practice with firearms has paid further dividends in the form of knowing how to better defend yourself when you're on the receiving end; this is a passive ability that increases your defense against ranged attacks and resistance to Lethal damage. 5) Final Bullet – Sometimes, when the chips are down and the rest of the ammo’s been spent, a single, final shot carries the day and turns the tide. This is a very powerful attack against a single target that deals more damage the more injured the target already is; if the target survives, it will very likely be knocked down and stunned. Using this ability will impose the Spent condition, locking down Single Shot and Serial Shot for a long duration. Note that this power is unaffected by recharge enhancements. Damage: Special Lethal Recharge: Very Long Example Character Concept: The Weary Beaten Copper! (Vigilante Stone Armor/Super Strength/Sidearm Mutant Tanker)

For anybody who's ever looked at the existing options and thought, "gee, can't I just have a gun...?": MACHINE GUN (Ranged) Available to: Blasters, Defenders, Corrupters, Sentinels Set Color: Iron-on-Lead The Machine Gun is for the ballistic purist who shuns cumbersome combo-weapons, weird technology, and pseudomystical antics; just good old-fashioned bullets, fired in whatever quantity and pattern the situation demands. Your weapon lacks a sniper feature and doesn’t do as much raw damage as more “super” powersets, but offers an exceptional breadth of effective cone attacks, and its streamlined design (plus your skill with it) improves its accuracy and speed relative to most other Ranged sets. 1) Single Shot – as Arachnos Soldier* 2) Burst – as Assault Rifle* 3) Heavy Burst – as Arachnos Soldier* 4) Suppressive Barrage (Blaster, Corrupter) – a ranged cone attack that knocks down and/or stuns. Damage: Minor Lethal (DoT) Recharge: Slow OR Cover Fire (Defender, Sentinel) – a ranged cone attack that briefly provides nearby allies with increased defense. Damage: Minor (Defender)/Moderate (Sentinel) Lethal (DoT) Recharge: Medium 5) Aim 6) Floorsweeper (Blaster, Defender) – Aiming low and firing in a very wide arc not only wounds enemies in the area, but leaves them slowed and frightened. Damage: Moderate Lethal Recharge: Medium OR Dirty Shot (Corrupter, Sentinel) – This underhanded attack both knocks down and immobilizes a single target, and leaves it in such acute pain that its defense and damage resistance are both significantly compromised. Damage: High Lethal Recharge: Moderate 7) Piercing Rounds – as Dual Pistols* 😎 Coffin Nails – You riddle a single unfortunate mark with a focused battery of bullets; any target that somehow survives will be left so shredded as to suffer a severe debuff to damage resistance, and probably stunned as well. Damage: Extreme Lethal (DoT) Recharge: Medium 9) Full Auto – as Assault Rifle* * = Same mechanically, but not necessarily in appearance, and bearing in mind the adjusted base values as outlined in the description. Example Character Concept: The Unrepentant Johnny Piombo! (Roguish Machine Gun/Traps Natural Corrupter)

Vigilante-exclusive Contact "The Major", whose arc unfortunately operates like the Praetorian Contacts (i.e. it doesn't matter if you're hip-deep in the arc, the moment you outlevel him, you're SOL if you haven't finished), has left a character of mine (who has long-since become level 50+) stuck with three "loose threads" in his Clues folder - namely, "Resistance Technology", "Bad feeling", and "Disquieted feeling". These Clues are stuck in my character's Clues folder even after doing the complete arc in Ourobouros. I'd like to be able to be rid of them. A GM was unable to solve this problem and so directed me here. I do not know if this problem occurs with other Contacts who leave you high and dry if you outlevel them, or just The Major.

Sister Airlia of Cimerora, unlike most Contacts, does not seem to be buying Enhancements when one attempts to sell them to her. I thought it was just lag or whatever when I tried ~6 days ago, but since then she still doesn't. One hears the 'ding' of selling, but nothing "moves". All the other "stores" I've tried (other Contacts, dedicated vendors, etc) seem to be buying as normal. Nota Bene: I have not yet tried any of the other vendors/Contacts in Cimerora, so if it's tied to the Zone somehow, I would not know.

Well, it's not a terribly "Brutish" concept; it would be one thing if it were all freeform, but since the game works on the Archetype system, I'm not keen on total proliferation.

No moreso than Defenders/Corrupters who grant defense buffs would step on Defense-set ATs's toes, though, right? My thinking was: - most Defense sets don't offer more than 1 or 2 powers that offer protection from Psionic damage at all to start with, if any (Psi was always supposed to be hard to resist). Phantasmagoria (which every eligible AT gets except Sentinels, who get the booby-prize of more AoE defense than any of the others) offers protection from Psionic attacks regardless of form, so between that and the fact that Displacement implicitly protects against (non-AoE) Psionic damage, I felt that was about enough. - depending on the character, this need not be "one's own mental powers" to start with; certainly could be, but for example, a Tech-origin character who achieves this with light-bending technology isn't going to have much sway over Psionic attacks (this being the perennial woe, of course, of Origin not making more of a difference).

0.o I definitely missed that. TBH I thought her powers were more in the Blaster, Corrupter, or Dominator mold....