Greycat

You might not *want* an answer to this, but frankly it needs one. Just off the top of my head - What good a new set does: - Allows people to come up with (or better express) character concepts. For instance, my first character was a fire/SS tank back in i3, because that was "the closest" to the character I wanted to make, one I was importing from a tabletop game. But it didn't fit *well.* Then we got COV and I could make a SS/Dark Armor Brute, which was a lot closer - but redside, and still didn't fit. Then tanks got DA, and I had the closest fit yet... but it still isn't right. If we came up with a toxic/acidic armor set, it'd be almost perfect. So... new set would help there. - Provides a different play experience. Even on the same AT, different sets play differently and have different strengths and weaknesses, and pair with the primary/secondary differently. Fire/sonic controllers play differently than fire/kinetics, and are strong or weak vs. different groups. And that's before getting into different IO set possibilities and what *those* can do. So... yeah, by default a new set *does* let you do "something new." It might not be the new you want, but it is for a lot of other people. (And frankly, a new set gets a *lot* more mileage than new incarnate content... after all, there's a whole game from 1-50, too.) I'm not *against* new content, Incarnate or otherwise, but "what good is a new set" is just ... kind of short sighted.

Well, THAT was worth necroing a several year old thread for.

That estimate can be ... wildly inaccurate, though. (On the increased number of hours side, that is.) Something about how/when you might log off. Example, on live I ran with some friends, all made shield characters, we all pretty much exclusively played them on that team (short of hitting the market or doing some enhancements, etc.) Their times? All 80-ish hours, expected variations from the above. Mine was showing ... honestly I don't remember what, but something like 100 hours more. We all hit 50 at the same time when we checked it. That said? Time to 50 for me varies. Some characters get farmed, especially if they're just duplicates on another account, so time to 50 might be 10 hours or less. Some might never hit 50. Quite a few are in the middle of RP, so time to 50 includes weeks worth of time sitting in a base or just standing around chatting. I used to note it in my bios on my characters... My first 50 (where I didn't put in the hours) was something in the high-300s... thanks to being an early-COH blaster and running whole levels in debt (and no content at 38.) Checking the old CIT site, I have things like the fire/kin corruptor that was the last of my "One of each AT to 50" at 155 hours. (That was 2010.) So... yeah. It varies.

AKA jousting. (AKA "Pfft, Protean's easy," or "First hit on a Void.") Also amusing when you have two fliers at some distance from each other and put *both* on follow.

This is an example of a bad - or malicious, even - player. This is the sort of person who, back when the original Sonic Resonance graphics were literally causing people to have to log off and deal with migraines and other actual, physical health issues, would continue to spam the shield *causing* the problem when asked - then told - not to. This is not a power issue. This is a *player* issue. Which can be solved by: 1. Requesting they not do that, politely, explaining why it's not helping. (Suggesting standing to the side so they're knocked INTO the melee, for instance, as an alternative.) 2. Kicking from the team and/or reporting to a GM if they continue. Not accidentally happening to hit it at a bad time, but - as described - following the melee and then scattering them. 3. Player note, single star with a why, so if they move to another character you can tell what to expect in the future. And this is someone using it appropriately. Any power can be disruptive. Ice slick can keep mobs from joining an AOE. AOE Immobs, holds and fears can string out mobs to keep them from being grouped up. Caltrops can slow them down or make them scatter, as can burn. Taunts can pull mobs away from someone who needs those mobs for a buff/heal/defense. Or, properly played, they can be *useful* tools. Knockback is no different, other than having some "Grr always evil hate hate hate won't hear anything else" zealots.

Knockback is great and useful. M'kay?

No, no, and no it doesn't. That is all.

See, that's a different thing... I'll put those in pets, because while *players* can learn to use KB effectively and strategically, the AI in game is more A than I and never will.

... of course, hopping in on a warshade, miring, nuking, then folding space on the survivors (if any) is just hilariously fun.

Some people just have a kneejerk "KB bad, turn it all to KD grrrr!" reaction. This can be just from generally hearing "Knockback is bad!" or having bad experiences with people who used knockback poorly. (Or play melee and don't like the couple of powers that do that because they "have" to chase after the target - they'll be back, though, so...) I've had people say something about knockback when I join the team with (say) a warshade - for instance, I did that with an ITF. The team leader learned very quickly that not only do I know how to handle my KB, but I can also... surprisingly... knock things *into* the tank or AOE pile that would otherwise have gotten away. Or shifted into Nova and was knocking stuff down all day. I basically got a "wow, I didn't know it could be that useful" from them. Others I've had get very *insistent* that I completely change my slotting for them. Those, just walk away from. If they want to pay me real money to play for them, then I'll consider it. Then take the money and keep playing the way I know works. Or... for an example of having good *and* bad on a team. The TPN trial - you know where you're clearing enemies from the consoles? I come in, knock the stragglers away from it and into melee out of range - console available to be taken! .... only to have someone *not* paying attention to what they're doing knock others *right back over.* They could have moved ever so slightly and driven the group into the mass of baddies getting killed, but they didn't and completely undid what I'd done. Basically... when it comes to knockback, *you have to pay attention.* If it's single target? Consider the target "owned by you" if you're doing ST KB and kill it, don't move from one target to another. Don't do some AOE KB next to the tank or in the middle of the group (barring shoving more into a wall or something.) If you're just going to spam powers and mash buttons, do it on a powerset without KB. Because *that's* what gives it a bad reputation to some or reinforces the "it's all bad" impression. No, you won't. Unless it's got some sort of AOE debuff or you AOE the target while it's by the second group, they'll ignore it, just like they ignore them running by at 10% health while on fire.

Man, it's already a pain not to outlevel stuff given the various XP bumps. If the goal is to encourage seeing content? Make mini-chains of contacts. They do exist, in ways, with contacts handling certain groups or origins, and some interlinking stories (such as superdyne trade, or the Tsoo trying to sabotage other gangs) for instance. If there were a badge/reward for finishing those... sure. The idea's already in place when you finish some zone story chains, such as Faultline or Croatoa. Do all the mission contacts, there's extra merits (and I *think* XP? Too early for me to remember.) But just generically "XP boost for this contact!" this week? Meh. People will just zerg without really caring why, or ignore it because X mission set is too long.

I'll just say "You have 1000 slots per server. Use them 'til you find one or more that click." 🙂 (Plus if you like one side but not the other - like you like the control set, but not the support or assault... try pairing it with something else. They can *really* change the feel.) Thanks to the support side, controllers *can* be much slower if you solo. (The flip side being, a controller's the first one to solo Lusca, a rather large GM, back before we had set IOs and the various boosts. Also fire/kinetics controllers used to be fairly damaging.) However, if you plan on teaming, the "this solos slowly" wont' be as big a deal. Personal favourites... Mind/Fire just is a lot of fun on a Dominator. Mind/anything, to me, is fun. Earth and Ice are probably tied for my second favourite control sets, whether on controller or dom. They feel *controlling.* Can't explain it any other way. Illusion's ... not a favourite of mine. At least on controllers, since it feels like it's pushing you to *have* to build for recharge, relying on PA since there's not much real *control* there. The dominator version's tweaked a bit and does feel better. But... still. 1000 slots. Go nuts.

And the Knives of Artemis are only supposed to have 100 members or so. There are times to just politely ignore things done for game mechanics... 🙂

I'd have to think if anything like that was done it would have to be a generic "In memory of those who have gone before..." sort of memorial. There's just no way to know all the players who have passed from Kyodi on to now (or to respect their wishes if they wouldn't have wanted to be named.) Mind you, I knew and have played with players both who have in-game avatars and who don't, so from that perspective I tend to think it'd be the most fair. It'd cover everyone from "played from issue 0 and the entire server knew them" to "became their favorite game when they found it two months before the car crash, but not many people had met them." (And covers the practical aspect of "somebody needs to keep updating that list" if it's a list of names.) Not necessarily against the idea, but ... as mentioned, a generic one is probably the most practical.

You say that now, but we can see right through you...

... wasn't there at least a preview of a COH RPG? Or did that not even get to that release stage... Ah. yeah. All we have is the quickplay - https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/2979/city-of-heroes-rpg-quickplay-pack

So, the *Nictus* have been on Earth since at least Ancient Egypt - Shadowstar has been here that long, and the Path of the Dark is also Nictus-related. We don't know when Shadowstar switched sides. (Later, the ITF added time travel shenanigans to it, but that's not the start of the Nictus presence.) I mention in my background guide that my *hunch* is that they're trying for quiet control until our tech reaches a level they can use it, which it would have done in the last century or so. The Peacebringers are basically chasing them across the galaxy. Their arrival on Earth has been much more recent (and I'd say much more public, given Sunstorm standing around by City Hall and the PPD.) Which makes sense, given how the Nictus tend to operate - they're the ones being hunted, after all, and the entire war is very much in the shadows. And yes, the PBs very much want to eradicate all Nictus. Which answers a later comment/question - they came here because they found Nictus here. They came here to fight the war, not escape it. Also, Nictus (and Void Hunters) can also feel Kheldian energy - one of the first PB arcs has you encountering a Void Hunter who says flat out (as I recall) that they can "feel you." So it's two way. As far as being hidden - well, the PBs certainly aren't. Honestly, you could probably do a (*very loose*) parallel to the Jedi and the Rule of Two era Sith. One's very public, out there trying to do good, be visible, etc. while the other can only really work and survive by keeping in the shadows (until whatever plan is ready and they can emerge and take over - see "war wolf earth.")

I'm iffy about "pay for a base" (for something pre-created in game, at least. For players making them - something reasonable.) I'm all for "here are some basic base layouts you can choose from to start," both furnished and not, so someone can just get up and running or learn about how these things are put together. Or just have their own house/apartment/cave/whatever. Of course, if we did get premade layouts/bases, I'd think they'd have to be "select this only at SG creation" (or at the very least "if no room other than the entrance room exists,") just to avoid the "I overwrote my old base and now all my purples are gone!" petitions to GMs which would just make it a hassle. But... yeah. Getting some premades for people who just want "something" that are simple - heck, even do a base building contest for it - and probably small, options for furnished (power, teleporters, storage, costume/nurse/difficulty/trainer NPCs - or items, for that matter, I'd love to have non-NPC options for those) or not (just the layout, you place stuff) would be great. From there people can leave it as is, start learning to expand/modify/build themselves, or go ahead and get someoene else to build something.

Depending on the character, I like it. And it's more interesting than just an infodump of "In Ancient Rome, this guy took the idol to what would be America to hide it." It makes the Sentinel *much* more interesting of a character. Could it use some tweaks? Sure. The tentacles *are* tedious. But that's about the only part that gets me sighing in a "let's get it over with" way... much like having to deal with mole machines in one of the patron arcs. (think it's in a patron arc. I've managed to re-avoid it for a long time.)

It's ... more involved than that. The willing vs unwilling is really just Nictus vs Warshade. Peacebringers were never altered to live off the energy of other Kheldians (or other beings.) Basically, Peacebringers and Nictus/Warshades are - we'd probably consider them two subspecies, if not artificially speciated, thanks to what the Nictus did to themselves. From there, yes, Nictus vs Warshade are pretty much philosophical differences. Players can, theoretically, be Nictus, since we can side swap. There's just zero storyarc or contact support for it. I keep planning on writing an AE series specifically to support that, but I just don't have the free time I used to. (You could, if you chose to stay humanform and skip or put off a few powers, be a Galaxy as well - but we don't have the costume for it. You can get close to a Void Hunter, but the powers don't line up.)

Well, it *is* their raison d'etre, so from that perspective yes... 🙂 Plus it's only affecting two zones, so it might be a symptom of something else that could be affecting other things, too, and worth looking into given the spaghetti the game runs on. (Plus I've had groups *specifically* go into those rooms to avoid power noise/effect spam.)

The ones we tend to see are going to be Nictus - most infamously the one that empowers Imperious. Now, we *do* see Kheldians - not just Nictus, there are rogue Peacebringers (at least early-ish in the Kheldian storylines) - in some missions in squid/lobster form *without* seeing them revert to a host, so whether they're attached to a host or not is left unclear. As far as death - the way I tend to read it, it would depend on how and why the host died. After all, Void Hunters are around specifically to kill Kheldians, their weapons (in game mechanics, at least) used to do unresistable Nictus damage specifically. Again, my read here - the Kheldian and host could split voluntarily ("My job's done and I have to go on" or "I'm getting too old, time for you to get a new host," for instance,) the Kheldian would survive and separate at sudden or traumatic death by "normal" means (meaning non-Kheld-specific ways - car crash, bullet to the head, exsanguination) if the Kheld can't repair it, or the host and Kheld would die if hit by Kheld-targeting or affecting ways (from Quantum weaponry to possibly something else that would target the Kheldian energy matrix - maybe a high dose of some sort of radiation, being teleported into a star, that sort of thing.) The twist there is that we know forcible separation is traumatic for both the host and the Kheldian. I'd *suspect* >.> death counts there. But I don't know if there's a scale involved - for instance, if a host just dies in their sleep, is the Kheld fine and still fully aware of themselves and left floating there going "Oh, no, goodbye Jim, I'll remember you - I need to find a new host" or if there's some degree of disorientation or loss of "self" there. I'd *suspect* that the less time there is to prepare, the more loss-of-self or more disorienting it is (and even more if they're trying to *stay* joined, such as the storyline where a Kheldian and host are forced apart.) Staying unattached - Again, mostly assumption, since what *we* tend to see are the soldiers in a war, so there's different imperatives right from the starting point. But given the Kheldian lifespan was the driver for the Nictus to become Nictus, to where they began feeding on their own kind, I'd lean towards "if they don't have to stay unbound, they won't if they can help it." (The Nictus also have the side factor of being weakened if they've travelled via Cyst, thus having prisoners who have been kept weak and can't fight back handy to play Motel 6 for them when they arrive.) Whether that happens in "civilian Kheldians" or they tend to stay happy with their otherwise short (to us) lifespan, I couldn't say.

Um... Entire *50 levels* of story there, ties with the Nictus (aka galaxies, Arakhn, Requiem, path of the dark... ) "No significant explanation or backstory?" Seriously? I'm sorry, if you're saying that, you've never looked. And not even "looked" as in "have to find these TWO markers in obscure areas" looked - it's RIGHT THERE. It's not even "you need to play a Kheld" backstory - it's there in the Galaxies, War Wolves/Vampyri, the whole "war wolf earth" (the *point* of having to go to get the clue for the mission,) the ... TF whose contact I'm blanking on suddenly... Moonfire TF... Their story's been there for the majority of the game's life.

Wasn't the whole "cast time" thing already looked into and found it's pretty much the same as any other set? I seem to recall this discussion before...

This would why I wrote this back in the day. Someone did import it into Paragonwiki and (where you should be going) the homecoming wiki, but given that's ... a wiki and people can just wander in and alter it for whatever reason... Cimerora (and some current changes) have twisted a few things around since then, granted. (I'm *really* not fond of a few things that were done for gameplay reasons, frankly) but... *shrug* them's the breaks. The basics haven't really changed. And yes, I keep saying I need to update the guide and put it here, but I haven't learned to time travel, nor have I won the lottery, so...