Greycat

Mind/fire. Mind you, I like doms in general, but I've loved playing my mind/fire.

Not mission givers. Just a store (one that's, honestly, easily ignored - like I said, most of the stuff is available elsewhere.)

We have something ... vaguely like this (and much simpler... and to be honest, not giving much that's compelling) in Siren's Call. If your side has zone control, there's a vendor that can sell you temp powers. There are two tiers of it, I think if you keep / extend the control of the zone you can get a few other powers (like ... I think it's "IR goggles" to help see stealthed enemies, etc.) There's just not much there that people bother with. (I go to do a patrol for combat invisibility. *shrug*) And some of the things can just be picked up at the P2W vendor. But, the kernel of the idea is there.

I saw them used frequently prior to that, as well. All it took was a blue to keep going. Didn't take much. (First 50 was an elec/elec blaster in I3, and I did watch other blasters I was with. The crash didn't seem to deter too many people.)

Well, your friends don't dance, and if they don't dance then they're no friends of mine!

You know what else I forgot to mention in that? We didn't have SG bases. SGs, yes, bases, no. Those were introduced with COV (and you had to OWN COV to have them.) So there wasn't even a "rez in base" option at the time when I started playing (and even after they were introduced, you'd have to have had enough people playing to afford power, control, rez stations...) So, the question would be, would you completely give up an SG base for the experience? Honestly, Solar, I think you'd end up having a single player experience to get to the point where you want to be. 🙂 I think a lot of the "I want an older/classic experience" would stop at earlier points. Not wanting to give up an SG base. Or the nurse, or trainer. Doesn't make anyone more right or wrong, I just think you'd have a hard time finding people who want to go *that* far back and give that much up. Most, I'd wager, would take a hybrid 'retro' experience (such as "the old travel power progression, but let me keep the SG base, and the nurse in zone.") But you sound aware of that, in any case.

There's not one. Closest we have are devs choice arcs. Nothing stopping them from asking, though.

"Nobody used them?" Not sure when this was. I think I've always seen blasters with nukes. Defenders... Here's my thing with T9s. I don't mind the cost of a crash - as long as the buff, or damage, or what have you is worth it. I *like* "You can have extreme power, but it has a price." Defender nukes weren't worth the crash, with the damage they put out (or didn't) back in the day. Going crashless was appropriate for them. The issues with T9s *now* basically are "Incarnate system" and "IOs." T9s that cap you aren't worth the cost *now* thanks to "well, without much effort I can ramp up my defenses to ridiculous levels." Nukes having a cost like that don't work when everyone can nuke (with a higher target cap) early on in the Incarnate tree. But that's a whole *other* discussion that's been had time and time again about "the game being made easier" and "homogenization." Personally, I'd love to have, and keep, T9s that have a cost, so you have to consider if you want to use them *now,* and that are *worth* that cost. But with the current environment, finding what that effect (that's worth a cost) is, that can't be replicated by throwing a little INF into IOs... I don't know.

Rgh. Yeah, those "keep X from escaping," where they can spawn a room away from an elevator (and seem to get to it right as you're getting out) - those are generally poor. Won't argue with those. As far as escorts - there are a lot of AI and perception issues people kind of learn to work around. If I'm kidnapping someone redside, I'm not going to have them casually walk along with me - they're coming with me, now, not getting a chance to wander off. But AI pathing.. ugh. Plus, of course, they don't work with stealth very well - so someone running (say) steamy mist, who's just used to running it, can make it more frustrating for a team that doesn't notice they're getting stealthed. And then there's combat "assistants" (the Gaussian mission to rescue negotiators comes to mind here.) They *love* getting themselves killed. Lady Jane is notorious for this - but easy to work past (basically pull her mob somewhere else, fight to the chest, and *don't come back for her until everything's cleared* so she can't do anything but follow you.) The rescue negotiators one? They're delicate, often up front and/or in packs... I've recently started fighting to (and around) them, escorting them gently to the front (fighting the ambushes,) then running like hell so I lose them in the front room and they can't die. Annoying mission.

Trimmed some, but in general, I think this is where I sit. I was going to reply to Solar's ... well, vent 🙂 with something relating to this, but it got unwieldy. Specifically, I was looking at an example of the Hollows, comparing QOL versus "getting easier." Because both are at play in this zone. I started in I3. This was the Hollows experience - note I'm ignoring some game wide things like IOs, early SO access from DFB, etc. You had sprint as a travel power. Since you could get in at 5, if you hit 6, you could get Hover. (Barring being a PB or WS - and with WS getting shadow recall early and builtin TP, well...) Graendel's Gulch was a deathtrap you learned to avoid by running around the outer edge - a straight line basically not being the shortest route. Because of this, Taxibots were a real presence in the hollows, and it seems a standard Empath build involved "grab Recall Friend ASAP." Mobs would routinely not spawn until you were right at or in the middle of them - this, I believe, being more of a tech issue than "game" issue, as the hollows seemed to be notorious for this. Death meant running back from Atlas Park. A team could wait a *long* time to get assembled if someone died. Training (say, to get hover?) Running back from Atlas Park. ("Death Express" was a thing, after all, to eliminate at least half that run.) The current Hollows experience: P2W travel powers available, such as ninja run. Travel powers available at level 4. The Gulch is - easily avoidable, or rushed through. Mob spawning is fixed - and there are more types around. The hospital and trainer are in zone. A teammate (say, warshade, or an empath - since pain wasn't available then - who inevitably took Recall Friend ASAP) or taxibot who could TP you to the mission isn't anywhere near as required. So, how much of this is "the game is now easier," versus QOL changes? For me, I'd put the trainer and nurse as solidly QOL. Those are a matter of "wasting less time" rather than "needing or not needing a skill." The travel powers, and everything associated with them? Are... kind of grey. They're game wide. It's nice to have them, and they've eliminated early expectations of what powers to grab (and, for the most part, taxibots) but... at the same time, the hollows was a place you learned the hard way about mob perception and how to evaluate (and usually dodge) mobs. And a lot of the changes branch off from that, as far as "the game being easier." It requires you to learn less and need less "skill" (I do say that somewhat tongue in cheek, this isn't learning to be a luthier, it's a game, but still.) If we reverted travel powers, though, and removed the P2W options... there's still a definite "easier" to the game, since the mobs and where they spawn have changed. It's easier to work your way through them. They've been adjusted to be "friendlier" - or easier to dodge, even if you were just using sprint at level. (See what I mean about the post becoming unwieldy? 🙂 ) So, looking at all this... when people want a "classic" or "old school" experience, what would they really want? Removing absolutely everything? Changing the mob spawning? Removing the nurse and trainer so they *have* to run back from Atlas? I think the "what would you be willing to give up / keep" would have a wide, wide range of answers, even among the "yes, we want a classic server" crowd. I know for me, the long, tedious sprint back from Atlas just to train or get back from a hospital visit was not an enjoyable part of the experience, it was tedious and annoying... so I'd want to keep the nurse and trainer. Others? I can't say. I'm not them.

So, with side switching introduced, people could make characters of any AT on either side. Yay! And they could switch sides. Yay! People have enjoyed this for years. Except, there are a couple of outliers. Kheldians and SOA/Widows (aka VEATs) can only start on their side. They're given story arcs from 1-50 and are tied to their lore... so while they can side switch after creation, they're stuck being created as their respective sides, and if they fully side switch, they lose access to their arcs (the "epic" in Epic AT.) This should be rectified. Yes, people can ignore those arcs. I know (after getting my extra costume slot...) I do for VEATs. But it would be a shame to lose out on more content. So... Blue VEATs, 1-50: Ideally, would get arcs about shifting loyalties and proving themselves. Obviously they're not going to get off the boat (or Longbow helicopter) and be instantly trusted. As it is, there's a blueside - I think it's alignment mission, come to think of it - where you rescue "one good spider." This would be a great kernel to start with. "They might have trusted you enough to rescue you, but everyone else just sees an Arachnos agent." Both VEAT types run the same arcs from 1-20. After the required respec, you can explore some of the lore behind each branch starting with the 25 arcs, perhaps re-infiltrating and working against Arachnos. Red HEAT: Another 1-50... but unlike blueside, which barely splits the two (you get different arcs for PB and WS for the first arc or two, then they follow the whole Kheldian war arc,) you get two arcs. ... well, sort of. As a Peacebringer, you'll get an arc - perhaps - where you will do whatever to eliminate the Nictus - and the "traitorous" PBs who are obviously dupes supporting the Nictus... perhaps. As a Warshade... well, you get a choice. Same arc as the PBs. Or, you get one where you never switched. You play as a full blown Nictus, working to undermine the PBs, Arachnos, the heroes, whoever you need to to expand the NIctus hold on Earth. (Mostly because I don't want to *force* someone to "be a Nictus" just because they're a Warshade.) How this ends, I couldn't say... probably taking your place alongside Arakhn, since we can't really change Earth into "War Wolf Earth" from the Portal Corp mission. Potentially, these could be set up as an AE competition, as well, with winning ideas incorporated into (or at least used as a basis for) the arcs. Community involvement, yay! These are (obviously!) just rough ideas of what potential arcs could be for side-switched H/VEAT arcs. I'm not married to them, as better arcs could be made. I mostly just want the side switched arcs. (Potentially there could be arcs you run *to* switch sides, but ... eh. That could just get weird and railroady, as far as your character's motivations and such. Some of the morality missions already do that and it ... rather *irks* me.)

I actually have multiple files tied to mine, mostly because I built them ages ago on live and never changed them. 🙂 Main bind file: NUMPAD1 "powexectoggleon Dark Nova$$goto_tray 7" NUMPAD2 "powexectoggleoff Dark Nova$$goto_tray 8$$powexectoggleoff Black Dwarf$$bind_load_file c:\binds\wshumantp.txt" NUMPAD3 "powexectoggleon Black Dwarf$$goto_tray 9$$bind_load_file c:\binds\bdwarftp.txt" WSHUMANTP.txt: lshift+click "powexec_name Shadow Step" BDWARFTP.TXT: lshift+click nop lshift+click "powexec_name Black Dwarf Step" Reasoning... eh. It's just changing the name of the power (I can probably do without the "nop" in black dwarf, really, my thinking was probably "clear the bind first" - I did mention these were *old* binds, right?) Not the most elegant, but it does work.

I'd argue with "go to blue side and start leveling," personally. Not only because it makes the "redside has fewer people" self-fulfilling, but - well, the E in EAT and VEAT stands for "epic," which in original-developer-speak meant the 1-50 story arcs Khelds and SOA/Widows get. That said, I'm not a fan of the VEAT arcs... but there's one practical reason to wait to switch, even if you don't care about those, if that's what you want to do. The (Port Oakes, 10-ish) arc given by Brick Johnson unlocks another costume slot, for those interested, for you to "disguise yourself as a hero." Early leveling's fast, in any case, so it's not taking *that* long to wait. (And nitpick - misspelled Kheldians in the bit where you're talking about Cim.) 🙂

Heh. Nice to see my Kheld backstory guide is getting quoted. 🙂 There's nothing hard and fast for the naming conventions. I've a few who have just... *names,* or altered names. Therra Paladina is renamed for a new (at the time) "paladin" inspiration. I've got Voidbane because... no, I'm not hiding from voids, they're the ones who are learning to run from *me.* Sundancer Squid (sundance, elsewhere,) is a Sundance Kid reference. I had Aria Hightalon and Cassius Lumens on live. My 'shades tended to stay... name-name-ish. Cat Grey / Chicago Cat, Violet Flame (who had to get a dot here...) and the like. Basically... name it in a way that fits the character.

Seconded. Thank you.

It's dark and a threat to air traffic. Other than that, nothing I can think of. 🙂

... and that, as I recall, is why we don't have whips. Or grappling type powers. The game doesn't understand how (or have the ability to) do that sort of thing. Same with "stretching." As far as other things missing... hmm. Anything using a javelin/spear, both in melee and in *throwing* it. And with Hawkman mentioned... the old Avilian (sp) AT. Which was supposed to be how we got wings. But I'm looking more at "integrating flight into what they do." Flying/wing attacks, that sort of thing.

I don't recall what the rationale behind the way this is set up is. But it is annoying. Happens with placed patches, too (they tend to go away when you're defeated.) You'll see this with phantasms (from Carnies) and stone pets (from Tuatha,) too. The other side that's annoying is the inconsistent "stop summons" rules. You can shoot a Rikti comm officer to keep the portal from spawning, or a Sky Raider engineer - but not a Death Shaman.

Trying to remember if we actually found that, lorewise. I think the teams just used an existing portal. Again lore-wise, though, I'm wondering if that wouldn't be problematic. After all, (again, as I recall,) we make peace with a faction of Rikti who actually start helping. Where "fighting the other side" is acceptable, "we're going and wrecking your home" might... not be seen in quite the same light. Granted, not all Primal groups would see it the same way, so going in to stop *them* in order to keep the war from exploding again would keep people busy.

You don't, though it doesn't hurt, admittedly. This mission is easily soloable. Depending, I suppose, on your settings - I'll only run this at base settings. Honestly I wouldn't do it with *more* than two people max. More than that = larger mobs = more chance to escape. Honestly, I always look forward to this mission. It's one of my favourites.

Would probably work with what I'd put forward (see my "making the kheldian war more visible" post.)

... you know, several of us have various live editions of COH - initial, bootleg, COH CE, COV CE, GR, Architect... can the file be extracted from those somehow?

... you realize that needs the Dance Gun too, right? 🙂

Nice. Now for the numbers people to come in... 🙂

Ahh. Which wiki? The paragonwiki archive shows it, and that's "archive from end of live. I know if you search on COH stuff (google, bing, etc,) though, the old... not always trusted Wikia site seems to show up on top, as well. Make sure you're not looking there. 🙂 Easiest thing to do is just snag the wiki links from the top of the forum. Edit: Yep. When I look at the WIkia site, it's got the out of date FIghting pool with only four items, as well as an ... interesting... mix of things. (Like minimum levels for Fitness.) Make sure you're using Paragonwiki and you'll be good to go. *nods*