Greycat

... or because that was the *predominant way teams ran.* It was insanely boring, and for many teams if you tried to do *anything* else you got complained at and/or kicked. It was right on the list with "If you don't want to be bombarded with blind invites on your emp when you hit 42, go on hide" and "jump in a dumpster and spam burn." I didn't want "an efficient way to grind XP," I wanted to *play the game.* There was even *less* reason back then to rush to 50 - no Incarnates, no inventions, and if you wanted to run a lower level TF or mission, you had to hope someone ELSE was running it (and that you - or the person who was exemping you - didn't have a connection issue, or you'd be booted.) I don't wonder at all. >.>

Well, they were also planning on essentially *obsoleting* previous incarnate powers as the tree got higher.. .so yeah, good none of that happened.

Sorry, hadn't looked in for a bit. As far as willing seperation? Shadowstar's been passed down since Ancient Egypt. She talks about passing the mantle (and Kheldian half, after all) on to her daughter. Also, to combat the Nictus plan to forcibly take over the bodies of various people (politicians, the "elite," etc.) the Peacebringers merged with them, specifically to fight the Nictus - and the Nictus could not merge at that point, being surprised to find the PBs there. There's nothing there saying they were permanently merged. After all, even if it were to protect the would-be victims, that wouldn't make them *much* better than the Nictus themselves. And while it might stretch the definition of "willing," if we're looking past "and the host died," it's also mentioned the host *can* push out the Kheldian (well, the Nictus) with enough willpower. They wouldn't retain part of the Nictus. From the other side? The Council were using weakened captives as.. for lack of a better way of putting it, bed-and-breakfasts for the Nictus who came through the Cysts (mentioned in at least one story arc.) So the Nictus would also split willingly - or there'd be a *lot* more missing people serving like this. Shapeshifting - is a little weird, granted, as mass *does* change - but consider it basically comic-book-back-of-envelope understanding of energy/mass equivalence. The "Given by a live dev answer" to how Khelds travel interstellar distances, even with being energy (limited to the speed of light after all) and only a 10 year lifespan, involves mass change - they accelerate to near light speed in light form, then shift to Dwarf and have the sudden serious increase in mass basically punch them through a wormhole that gets created to get to where they need to be. Forms: No, they don't need to stay merged, they do remember the pattern. Yes, I expect this means Shadowstar could, theoretically, shift into hundreds of different prior hosts. (And maybe she does. Hard to "keep an eye out for a woman with dark hair" if you slip behind a building and come out as a tall man with blonde hair, after all.) Is there an upper limit to this? Unknown. (Personally, I'd say "probably likely," but where it is and if the complexity of the hosts comes into play... like it would take less "storage" to merge with and copy the shape of a sea sponge than an elephant. But that's 100% my supposition.) (And as far as "remembering how to shoot a blast from a tentacle," I'd call that less personalty and memory than... instinct that goes with the form? Otherwise they'd have to learn new ways to breathe in a radically different host, for instance.) Personality: There's some leeway here one way or the other. Yes, the Kheldians we meet do tend to merge their personalities - Sunstorm's human half tempered his Kheldian half, for instance. BUT. We don't know if this is a result of how long they've been merged, "conversations" between the two, etc. Going back to the people temporarily merged with to keep the Nictus from forcing themselves on it - having a bunch of powerful people undergo a sudden, possibly dramatic personality shift would be more than a little worrying. Again, personal view here, is that for them there wasn't as much of a personality shift as a "Guess what happened to me last Saturday" story. We *do* see that if a Kheldian and host are forcibly separated, it ... how can I put it - shatters the shared personality and leaves the host (and Kheldian, it seems) confused - the person we rescue in the Kheld arcs even says (paraphrased) "I'm not them, I'm not me, I don't know who I am." Once separated? You ask about an alien "taking" half the host's personality - they wouldn't be taking anything. They don't *remove* part of someone's personality - they're not running off having removed part of the host's brain. They *would* quite likely be changed by it. It's ... essentially the same way that if you live with someone for a while, you *will* change, like it or not - maybe something will make you more short tempered, maybe you'll have new interests, maybe you'll walk away knowing how to make a mean pasta primavera, but you will be changed. Same here with the host and Kheld (though the kheld, again, would have the hots's "pattern" if needed to shift into.) Does it make sense... It's internally reasonably consistent, and past that it's all comic book logic. *shrug* I like it though.

Divining Rod has met his fate and the name is free...

Drop the rule of 5 to the rule of 3 instead. Make the Alpha slot power's boost last through any exemping all the way to level 1 as your 'reward' for getting to Incarnate level, and lower (or disable) effects on other Incarnate powers in non-Incarnate content (example: severely dropping the Judgement target cap.) Develop the Blood of the Black Stream, at the *very* least as an enemy group with full storylines from 1-50+ on both sides. Make perma-ing powers more difficult and/or requiring a team's assistance. Have other Arachnos react to VEATs being around - either positively or negatively, or at the very least comment about them. Develop story arcs and other development for the various hazard zones. Massive usability update for the character select screen with more info, sorting options, etc. Have settings stick per machine for things like window placement, scaling, etc. so it doesn't alter what I see on my desktop if I log into a character on my laptop. More base editor love - stick parts into units that can be moved as one piece, duplicate pieces, more texture/tile sizes and options (making it easier to, say, make roads.) Music issue, from a prior suggestion. And yeah. more.

Never honestly felt a lack of AOEs on my MA stalker was an issue. I felt *more* hobbled by higher resistances to my damage type as I leveled, if anything.

*nitpick* It's what you find in the ship in Striga that the Council are, for whatever reason, trying to steal. WHY that, and a not very clear that as it's not named, I couldn't say. (Past just being a placeholder and ... future easter egg like the Avilian skull you find in one of Wincott's missions that also didn't pan out.) And why they hadn't been touched on when the Coralax were introduced - as they were (by memory, here) supposed to be a servant if not enslaved race to the Coralax, I don't know. That could be a whole other series of missions, NPCs and otherwise interesting interactions. (Also, availability wise, they're also in the Hollows. More likely for game reasons - IE, badges - than any lore, as they really don't fit.) As far as the OP... *shrug* do your own spin. There are a lot of myths and legends that don't show up in the game. We barely get mention of Egypt and its rich history and mythology, or China. Xibalba's not mentioned. Look at it as being a whole lot of canvas. Just expect to run into someone else who's also "from Atlantis," but has a very different concept of it and never saw you at the Atlantean coffee shop.

While you don't see it, that may well be said in PMs to the individuals.

🙂

I started writing this up in response to a "can we make this a guitar?" post, but felt it should be one of its own... Can we get a music-themed update? One with a heavy focus on music-related "stuff?" I think it'd be absolutely worthwhile, given both suggestions for various things, the number of "clubs" (and just people who, IC, would - say - play guitar, etc.) Ideally - and yes, before it's said, I know this is a lot of work, ,new assets, etc, but - it's a suggestion, it's going in suggestions, and I think it'd be really appreciated. Plus, since it *would* be a fair bit of work, concentrating it into a page of its own just makes sense to me. Start off with modeling and adding musical instruments and accessories. Guitars (acoustic and electric, sax, flute, stirngs, trumpets, pianos and keyboards, etc.) These, immediately, could be used in bases - whether it's a club with a stage or someone's home with a guitar sitting off to the side. ("Accessories" would be amps of various sizes, mic stands, music stands, separate piano/guitar stools, etc.) Create the appropriate emotes for people to use these. /em rockstrat, rocklp, rockbass, strumelectric, strumacoustic, playflute, playupright, playdrums, sitpiano... that sort of thing. There are a *lot* that would be needed, granted. And of course other non-instrument but music-related poses. Dances (that can be synced and aren't necessarily tied to character size,) reactions (holdlighter?) and the like. Use the appropriate instruments for the requested-since-live weapon options for battle axe, sonic blast (itself ... possibly being given a sonic overhaul, if alternate sounds that are more *consistent* could be found/used/created) and other sonic sets. And for those who don't care for that and just want gameplay stuff? We have a completely appropriate villain who could be given a plot we need to stop (or assist) in Maestro. What that arc would be... no, I don't know. 😄 But give him a spotlight of some sort. Probably, given what we do have on him, a "stop the music" type plot. I thin kthere's enough stuff that's generally been asked for - "officially" and just talked about in game - that it could be a solid and fun "page" to release.

Personally, I've found this irritating as hell the times I've run into it. If I'm a new person - maybe I've been on the forum and looked up "is this a known bug" or something, and I run into a problem, I shouldn't have to "be this tall to ride" before posting "Hey, I brought out the pez dispenser power and the zone exploded, I think this is a bug, is anyone else seeing this?" or otherwise starting a new topic to ask a question or make a suggestion. If anything, "Must have X number of posts" would just lead to a bunch of garbage posts (such as what used to just be referred to as "me too"s) to get to that number and muck things up further. (As far as @GM_GooglyMoogly's question? I think things have been fair. Agreed with some actions, disagreed with others, think some things have been missed at times, the only thing *I'd* like to see isn't really a "moderation" thing but if a post's been inactive for some time... have it auto-lock. I may play necromancers. Doesn't mean I'm into it on the forums.)

Honestly, I'd love this. There have been times I've zoned in, had to click on something else, click again and happen to click on the invisible hit box behind me which zones me right back where I was.

I don't know. Longbow's - I don't want to say always, but seeing them fight a purse snatching with a flamethrower's always seemed a bit much. (Granted, we have fire blasters, so it's an odd moral point to take.) I mean, in part I kind of like (and kind of don't) having Longbow have a squeaky clean image in Paragon, and showing them not *quite* as clean in the Isles - though, again, given what they're supposed to be, some of their "ugh, these people, there's no saving them" dialog has always felt off. It always *felt* like there was supposed to be a sort of ... moral stepping stone? ... from them to Wyvern, who *would* do whatever (including killing villains) - to where I'd used that as a part of one character's storyline. (Villain redeeming herself, fiance - or rather fiance-to-be - killed as "collateral damage" by Wyvern in front of her.) And of course it's a big enough (and isn't it UN-backed?) organization to have a whole range of opinions and viewpoints from "we can save them" to "not worth it," and we get to see that in the tip missions especially. That said, seeing some tip missions with longbow *trying* to get through to save or redeem "hardcore" villains (and maybe even starting to succeed) wouldn't be amiss, running alongside the "You don't understand, it's the only way" ones we have.

According to some of my friends, it's pronounced "Sonic the Edgehog."

I have *very* old binds that tend to just rebind the key combo as I swap forms... *shrug*