Greycat

I don't necessarily disagree with the first, but I have two things immediately jump to mind: 1. While most PVPers might do this, you know there would be people who wouldn't - and those would the people who would be remembered doing it (even if not by name) and referred to - whether their intent is malicious ("let's interrupt the RPers/costume contest/the lulz") or not ("hey, I found this duel command, want to try it?") 2. What would be the difference, then, if it just did what I believe was suggested several posts ago - drop the people who want to duel into an instance? Even better (?) if they had some portion of the zone as an arena map instance? Yes, it would keep people who might want to see it from seeing it right away, but if the participants are running off somewhere to duel privately, wouldn't that have the same effect, in essence? As for the last, yes, player generated content will always help - we can do it faster than the devs, in many instances, if we're given the tools. I don't know how much "you can duel open world" will help that, though. There are PVP events broadcast and advertised now, after all - do you think these would generate *more* interest or just have the same people who are already interested, for the most part? Or even have them on more than they are now? (I don't know how much the PVP community is growing as a percentage of the whole community, honestly.)

I ... honestly wouldn't call the first an opinion. If it is, it's backed up by a *lot* of arguing all the way back to the live forums. Plus, given that most RP is local (or in team or in tells,) it's not really a good counterexample. You can't tell unless you get close if two or more people are RPing - assuming they *are* using local. You certainly *can* tell that Superdude and xXxJusticeSkoutxXx are fighting, if they were able to just suddenly duel in the middle of Atlas Park, and from a good ways away. As far as the "competition in the DNA," well... on the one hand, all you have to do is read or listen to dev descriptions since beta to know PVP was planned as a part of it, yes. The flip side of it is that other than the zones and arenas - which are decidedly out of the way - people aren't put into any sort of competitive atmosphere. Even villainside it tends to be cooperative - your entire team works together, there are no alternate missions or side missions that can sabotage the rest of the team or another team indirectly, much less directly. The best I would probably say is that while it was planned from the beginning, it's never been a central focus compared to the cooperative environment and so, yes, I could see why people would see a duel between heroes (possibly less so villains?) as being disruptive or ... being given a generally unwelcoming reception. I mean, people hated it when all they had to do was go into a PVP zone, click an NPC, say "ok" and leave, feeling that *that* forced PVP on them when they didn't want it... regardless of if that zone was busy or not, or there was a 30 second timer or what have you.

Grabbing this post. Yes, level gating does make sense in some instances. Frankly, those events that are "levelless" show why it doesn't really work - and shouldn't be applied overall as a solution or alternative to gating. Take a group of lowbies into - say - a KR Rikti invasion. They'll have trouble - even without having enough to trigger the higher tier spawns. They don't have the powers to deal with it. Drop a 50 in there SKing them? They still don't have the powers to deal with it. Their powers may *hit* for more - but they will still have issues (or the 50 will be doing most of the work.) Yes, the way SKing and exemping work in COH is unique, and one of the great things about the game. But it doesn't *fix* this. Think about the rest of the content that's gated. Would you take a group of lvl 10s that can handle Posi 1 just fine and drop them directly into an ITF? Or a MLTF? Even a Manticore? Of course not, they'd just be slaughtered. "Greater accessibility" at that point just translates into "greater frustration and dissatisfaction." It works the other way around, too. Take a group of incarnated 50s and have them at full strength running a Posi. Even with those enemies being "levelless," there's not going to be a challenge there - other than people wanting to run it solo for a few fast merits, you'd see calls for "better scaling" or "Incarnate-level Vahz," which ... is another form of gating, in a way, because the low levels the TF's designed for now would not see those. And yes, some things *have* had their level restrictions removed. "Great for teaming," maybe, but it doesn't help someone wandering in on their own. If a level 20 goes into the RWZ on their own, not part of a team, not looking for a raid - what are they going to do? Anything they face outside - even if it was levelless - would, again, slaughter them. What would they do against a pack of Malta - especially a hazard-zone-size pack? So, while no, levels are not the "only form of progression" (for instance, with many of my characters the important (to me) progression is completely intangible, as it's the evolution of their backstory and history, not a number,) in most cases it's the only one the game can reasonably use to keep players from running into content they can't finish, that would be frustrating and, frankly, is too difficult for even the most advanced, slotted out character at that level to reasonably accomplish. In other words, yes, it is good for the game - used properly.

Part of the weapons deal side quest? I want to say I've gotten that before, but it's been a while. There's a list on the HC Wiki, actually, of what you can get from the weapons deal side mission. Claymore Cryonite Armor Cryoprojection Bracers Electromagnetic Grenades EMP Glove Flamethrower Heavy Rock IR Goggles Kinetic Shield Long Bow Med Kit Plasmatic Taser Shotgun Smoke Bomb Stealth Suit Stun Grenade Tear Gas Wave Scrambler Web Grenade

True of a lot of rescues/kidnaps. They get separated / lost even without any sort of stealth power painfully easily. Worse when they're a combat sort as they'll lose you, see an enemy and fight them (and typically get killed.)

Well... there's not really an "a" or even "a couple." There are ... levels. Or categories, perhaps, since there's a lot of overlap in them. There are some with no connection, of course - generally utility characters, like base builders. No story in my head for them, no personality, they're there to be a wrench or hammer (so to speak.) There are some that are a concept or powerset I might find interesting. Even a name I might explore because it clicks with a concept or powerset to make me think about it a different way. Not always *fun* to play, though, sometimes frustrating - but they're up a step from the utility sorts, at the very least. There are "legacy" characters. I have some with absolutely massive backstories. They're all over the place on the "favourite" scale. Some are remakes, some just aren't the same without certain people or groups or whatnot, some are *right there* played constantly. Anything I'm actively RPing tends to be high on the favourite scale. (And their backstory keeps growing. And playing tends to be in and out of game.) (This also tends to be why I don't follow "builds." I end up playing someone else's character, as far as I see it, so there's a lack of connection there. )

If I have an opinion, I will state it. Whether you like it or not.

So in (yet another) argument breaking out over masterminds and group fly vs. people not wanting to be flown just for getting in range during an MSR, the (usual) "go see null" was brought up. There's one issue there. (Well, more than one, but one I'm concentrating on.) That's great if you have just a couple of characters. COH is notorious for encouraging altitis - into the hundreds of characters. (Frankly, I'm amazed I'm only... something over 100 alts.) There's no way of telling who's seen Null for what, as far as "transport power effects" are. Could we *get* some sort of indicator? Menu item, buff icon, slash command (/travelstats, /gull,) something? Just to make it easier to tell ahead of time if something's been turned on or off before getting into a situation where running to another zone and back isn't really feasable (RWZ and the Hive can fill and not let you back in, after all.) (Personally I'd rather see the options turned *into* slash commands or menu items to make toggling easier, but that's a different discussion all together. )

See, the second part's part of the problem. Some people don't *want* exposure to it. They don't want to be pestered by it, they don't like PVP, they don't want to see it breaking out in the middle of Atlas or while waiting for a mission or whatever. Or even having to wait while the people involved get TP'd to the arena to fight it out and come back - holding up the rest of the team. I'm ... solidly "eh" on it. I'm fine with going to an arena or a zone set up for it. The fights I get into there are with other people expecting to fight, in a zone set up for fighting, and the people who don't want to see it aren't around. I wouldn't argue with being able to get bases "pvp validated/activated" (though it'd restrict a lot of build options in those bases,) or getting more maps - even "pvp echoes" of some zone locations (like the front of city hall in atlas. But this "Click and duel anywhere in the world" ... can't really say I'm for it.

Said definition is, frankly, 100% irrelevant to the discussion. Yes, it's all combined in "electromagnetism." That and $5 will get you some, but not all, meals at Mcdonalds. Also, given it's chaining (and I highly doubt it's anywhere near strong enough to have any sort of pulling effect,) it would pull mobs one way in one jump, then the other with the next... meaning they'd pretty much end up where they are. Given that jumping is also under no form of control by the player, meaning I couldn't direct mobs a certain direction or along a certain path (as I can with, oh, Telekenesis,) I'd want it even *less.* Edit: Plus, of course, why would it *matter* in the least if it were magnetic on ... what, 90% of the enemies in the game? Are you saying we're pulling the iron in their blood *so hard* we can physically move them... but that doesn't tend to kill them? They're being dragged by their belt buckles? What about ghosts?

It wouldn't in the least to me. My electric characters are not electromagnets. They are, for whatever reason, pumping out electricity during attacks, around them, or whatever. Electric field is doing enough "pulling" toward my character by doing damage and getting their attention. And chain induction... it's not pulling anywhere, it's jumping from place to place, so having that somehow pull towards a character would just be weird.

Definitely wouldn't want this in Telekenesis. Doesn't really make sense for either Electric power mentioned to me, either.

One of the things that came out - I *think* around the time of AE, I can't certainly say before that - is the ability of NPCs (contacts, typically) to react to a few things about your character. He/she/him/her being the most common, though there's a little bit of other stuff (such as extra dialog for one contact in the Origin of Power talk-to-run-around bit when you meet the one for your origin.) It adds a little immersiveness when you run across it - typically in AE, granted. I don't actually expect this to be *realistically* doable, but I'd love to see this expanded with a few other tags you could pick to describe your character. Undead. Robotic. Incorporeal / Ghost. For the Khelds, for instance, "energy body" or something. There'd obviously be a longish list - and, yes, a lot of work for what could be done where. What inspired this? Well, doing one of the newer Vahz arcs (with Watkins.) Second to last mission, you're told you have to sit in a warehouse for several hours to decontaminate, right? What if one of the dialog options - for the appropriate character, that is - was "I'm a spirit. What body is there to contaminate?" It makes zero difference to the arc, but a touch like that would be interesting. (Yeah. A COH 2 thing, honestly. But it would be neat.)

Yes. It is also a low budget attempt at mind control. It is a new water flavoring system. It is a farmer named Hank. It is the platform for a run for President of Zimbabwe.

... I'm assuming you specifically are talking about task forces / strike forces in that range, not 'stuff in general?' There's a little *more* in that range - ITF, as mentioned, plus Manti and Numina. Katie Hannon's in Croatoa (30-34.) Think you can do Calvin Scott by flashback, not sure when I've seen anyone do it though. Woodsman and the Abandoned Sewers are in that range, too. Actually quite a bit to do. Might not *feel* like it since it's taking a bit longer between levels, and some of this stuff is just not run much, but it *is* there. (Honestly 30-35 I'm often finishing Croatoa, myself...)

If you want it, do it. Start organizing villain events. Do it on regular times. Get villain groups together to run VG things at regular times. Advertise it. Put the work in to make it happen. For instance, start planning and advertising. Tuesday? Nope. BROOsday - redside brute bruising (ok, the others can come along if they want.) Wednesday? Widsday... Widows (and SOA,) go through the arcs, missions, whatever. Thorn Tree Thursdays. Friday, take a day off. Saturday is shatterday - get those radios in, get as much mayhem going as possible. (I'd also suggest, if doing this, you get backup in case you can't show up, because this can burn one person out quick.)

Definitely the Taxibots. Can't really say I miss the instance herding thing. Boring as hell if you're not the tank. Just "everyone stand around and wait. Someone nuke. OK, next floor."

Which is not you choosing to not fast snipe, it's you running off and not doing anything, and if anyone does anything that looks like it's attacking you, you're back to being "in combat" and forced to fast snipe or sit and wait even longer. Yes, even if you're at capped defense and they don't have a chance of hitting you. (As for what can be an "attack?" You know the mission in Croatoa where you get the wand from Skipper Legrange and have to "get data from all ghosts?" Touching the fog in there counts as an "attack" and throws you into fast snipe.)

I'll be perfectly happy to say anyone that thinks support characters are or were "dying all the time" without IOs is full of it and either has no idea what they were talking about or knows no play style other than "run into the middle o fthe biggest mob and see what happens."

1, I don't want my powers changed to shorter range and shorter damage by something looking at me funny and that being considered an "attack." 2. If I'm sniping, I'm trying to kill something pre-aggro, out of range. Meaning I don't want the lower damage *or* lower range. I've pretty much never wanted or liked fast snipe, and the more I've dealt with it, the less I've liked it.

The Experienced Marksman set has a Recharge/Fast Snipe IO. Any chance of getting something that sets you to permanent slow snipe? Even if it's not part of a set? I'd put that in every blaster, defender, corr, dom... anything that has a snipe.

1. DA already does. 2. Would screw over those of us using it for its original purpose. The zone has multiple story arcs in it, as well as Incarnate-rewarding repeatables. It has its own purpose. It doesn't need to be messed with. I also have to point out, for the "how often do you see people that..." bit, that (a) we have a *much* smaller population than live, and (b) even here there are servers that apparently people have trouble finding other people on. I'm on Everlasting, so yes, I do see people - less frequently than live, but that should be expected.

DA was revamped so people could unlock and build their incarnates without grinding through the same trial over and over again. It gives solo and small team players a way to do this - something that was sorely missing (annoyingly) when Incarnates were unveiled. Starting mobs at 54 would work against that. There *are* higher mobs in the zone, just like regular zones have higher leveled mobs in different zones. Just (obviously) not right up front.

Yeah, not interested in dragging them to me, typically. Pinning them and whatever else is on their way in place, yes.

That cuts out some mission/objective types, where you find, complete or defeat something and have something else trigger. Besides, the "show remaining mobs" code doesn't always work.