Greycat

I think we can ignore the whole "this is what the name is, so it's EVIL!" thing. There's no difference between, say, a "mastermind" and a "squad leader." Even the powersets - mercenaries are not necessarily evil, for instance. They're a squad of guys in uniform with guns. If we could reskin them they could be a SWAT team, private security, any number of things. Same with thugs. Same with brutes, as long as we're looking at ATs - it's the "tough guy that punches things." What makes a "brute" more evil than a "tank?" Hard to say tanks (the mechanical sort) haven't been used in evil acts. Zombies? I have zombies who are fulfilling oaths, working willingly. Demons? The whole "working towards redemption" thing isn't a new idea. There's zero reason to use "but they started on redside back when the two were "sorta separate games but not" so they're good/evil" as reason to argue against... well, almost anything. That's long past, both with side switching and Praetoria (which didn't ever restrict that way) and the terms are irrelevant as anything other than a label you see at character creation. As far as re-envisioning what MMs as a class were meant to be... no, not needed at all. They were, and are, the only pet-centric archetype, and there's never been any confusion about that (unlike "what's the point of tanks/brutes/scrappers?" that comes up.)

Well, the character screen's long been in need of an overhaul. I don't think I'd need it, but I wouldn't argue with it being there.

Back on live, I did a guide to one of the old trailers. Had some discussion on these: https://web.archive.org/web/20120905065800/http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=117073

Yeah, preferred pre-13 zone PVP myself. Part of the question that comes up when someone wants ATs or builds in PVP to be "competitive" is - "what do you mean?" Should anyone be able to 1v1 anyone else? That's pretty much not going to happen - COH doesn't have a "fighter," "dps," "rogue," "healer" basic class setup, it's got ATs which can vary wildly within themselves, which makes that balance very difficult. Always has. My answer for some time on live about how "x is unfair/unbalanced" was, often, "bring a team," because while I'd had some fun 1v1 fights (or, honestly, 1vmany,) a team that worked well together - even pickup - could really shine. (Yes, held Siren's Call with a team of 3 for quite some time once, 'til we were overwhelmed by numbers. It was a *blast.*) Now, that's not to say things shouldn't be adjusted, but ... POV helps with these. And it seems everyone wants something different. 1v1 is always going to favor certian builds - my earth/FF troller isn't going to do anything, for instance, and I'd *never* expect it to find or be given any sort of "balance" to be competitive. Even in PVE, enemies tend to die of old age rather than damage. 🙂 Incentive-wise... I don't know about arena, but zone varies zone by zone. BB I think is ... fine, really, with its main issue being the level range and what that can bring (a new level 15 vs someone exemped down to 25 with up to level 30 powers... that can be rough.) Same with RV, it's pretty good. Warburg's ... mostly hobbled by stupid AIs being unable to follow or path up ramps properly and their issues with stealth. The big outlier is, of course, Siren's - bounty doesn't persist, even if you go into zone missions, it takes too long to accumulate and what you can buy with it isn't worth it (woo, an SO at ... what, 6000?) The zone battles are slow and uninteresting and take too long to get started or ... really do anything. Of all the zones that need a look over for reward, and events (I'm "eh" on the jade spider, personally) Siren's needs it... even if we were looking at it from a strictly PVE POV.

Pretty much what Glacier said. I've seen a few bases that are very specifically in some part of the city - even going so far as to replicate part of the outside - or just vaguely "nearby." Others have been under the city, elsewhere in the world (old temples, jungles, etc,) in space - both in orbit, on spaceships and on other worlds - or, yeah, magic or otherwise "other" dimensions. Supergroup bases are everywhere you want them to be.

Seeing your response shows just how *badly* you're missing the point. You're on earth. The point is over in the Oort cloud. You're missing it *that badly.* Here: This. The internal monologue reflects Cole *very well.* He's from the turn of the (20th) century. Not only is this "problematic" line reflecting his view of how women should be in general, but he calls her a *harlot.* Not a slut, not a whore or any similar term, but one that's frankly seen as archaic. When's the last time you heard *anyone* called a "harlot?" Maybe reading the Bible? If it's in a modern setting, it's probably someone being presented as a religious fanatic yelling on a street corner. This is not saying anything *close* to "It's ok to call a female this in game." The COC does not apply to NPCs. NPCs do not have conduct to begin with, or agency to conduct it. Hell, while we're at it, Cole's not even saying this. He's *thinking* it. Are you, OP, advocating for thought police? Isn't that part of Cole's gig?

Name: Ji'ann Status: Active Location: Alternate dimension, no homeworld - dispersed Physical Description: Varies through life cycle and feeding, from bestial and four legged through semi-humanoid to near entire psychic entity Affiliation: None Idiosyncracies and way of life: The Ji'ann are brutal creatures from a brutal planet. Left to their own devices they probably would have been extinct by now. The majority are bestial, mostly running on four limbs. They feed primarily on psychic energy - that being an evolutionary quirk from their homeworld, where physical bodies tended to wither quickly in the environment. As they feed and fight each other, they become more intelligent, becoming huntsmen, overseers, then overlords. As they do, the psychic energy in their bodies burns more of their physical being away. Most remarkable tech hallmark: Their primary tech - the ships they use to travel and strip worlds - are stolen tech. Tech itself advances a bit differently on each ship, each being essentially a world to itself. The scientists (themselves a new thing in the society) are learning to adapt and modify the tech - and other tech they've stolen. Similarly, some are learning to adapt captured beings from worlds they've harvested to be more than foodstock... Cultural Progress Level: Mixed History: Current Agenda: Find and strip more worlds. Conquer, survive, grow stronger.

Wondering what you think peoples' reasons are. My decision tends to be "Do I want my attacks to come first (Corrupter) or my de/buffs ASAP? (Defender.)" Also "Does Scourge fit the character?" (Much the same as deciding between tank and brute.)

And I'm mostly just throwing out an idea in part to be a smartalec 🙂 Though having people discuss what it could be? Talk on!

That's not the character's name. It *is,* however, the way Cole's seeing that character. He doesn't see *any* of them in a particularly good light. This - his internal dialog as he looks over what he has left - is an accurate reflection of his opinions. They quite obviously aren't SUPPOSED to be positive. So, no, it doesn't need to change.

*cough* Yes, it is, because: ; ) That's 100% the justification for it. If I were doing anything more, theme-wise, yeah, it'd be dealing with slows - resisting slows, healing, even a slowing aura (to keep things (a) attacking less frequently, therefore less incoming damage, and (b) to keep them from leaving your AOEs.) "Quirk"-wise, for the heck of it, I'd probably have the healing provide an AOE heal-over-time if you have the aura. (Perhaps useful on teams, also useful for NPCs you have to keep alive.)

Yep. I want time armor. Ideally part of the defense (such as it is) comes from slows, and slow resists, has a decent heal, etc. But I mostly want it so I can roll a spines/time and name it Auld Lang Spines.

Name: Meian Status: Presumed extinct Location: Parallel dimension Earth Physical Description: Primarily human. Heavily psionic, shared empathy, other than a few mindblind. Affiliation: NA Idiosyncracies and way of life: The dimension, while being an alternate Earth, is somewhat "faster" than Primal by about four times. There's a periodic desync, best described as a storm, that prevents travel for much of the (primal) year. The Meians were standard human until about a century and a half ago, when much of the world - mid-war - suddenly became psionically active. They also learned that this came with empathic sense - one person's pain would be felt by all those around them. This drove the majority of them to be pacifists, and the few that still wanted to cause harm were seen as "ill" and priorities for treatment. Non-Psionics (known as "mindblind") you may expect to be discriminated against, but just the opposite took part - they are honored for the fact they can do jobs that the rest of the public can't (thanks to the shared empathy) - things like firefighting, rescue, and front line law enforcement. Most remarkable tech hallmark: Psionic tech and materials - paintings and music can be enjoyed by non psionics, for instance, but those with that perception can see "more." Cultural Progress Level: Post-industrial, or "eco-industrial," given the harms that can otherwise occur. History: Much of the history was similar to Primal Earth through about the Napoleonic age. As warfare turned industrialized, whatever event "switched on" their psionics kicked in, making warfare exceptionally painful for both sides. Treaties were rapidly drawn up, and the world entered an extended era of peace. The world became united, not through conquest, but through a shared sense of being. The industrial technologies that were starting to take hold shifted, as well - the sicknesses early industry brought on were quickly identified and the causes found, so new methods were needed. The environmental damage Primal has felt was nipped in the bud, though discoveries led to newer discoveries at a very rapid pace, especially in science, medicine and the arts. Portal Corp. made contact with the world and began a tentative exchange of information and goods - and the occasional patient that needed delicate psionic care or surgery in ways Primal could not provide. Shortly after the last of these, where one Eileen Sinann was passed on to handle a "psychic tumor" that threatened her sanity and possibly her life, contact with Prime was cut off for an extended time. Unfortunately for Meia, this is also when their world was detected by beings that fed on psychic energy - the Ji'ann. Scavengers, predators and beasts in many cases, the Ji'ann descended and started to overrun the world. Fortunately, that last Primal proved to be a clever strategist, and having decided to make Meia her home previously, she gathered the other Mindblind and formed an army. One destructive war (and the loss of her husband and child) later, the Ji'ann were driven off. However, the Meians - grateful as they were - were horrified by the destruction and afraid of the power that might come with this army. With the portal to Primal opening, Eileen and much of the mindblind army was sent back, exiled to Prime. The next time the portal cleared, Meia was a barren rock. Signs pointed to the Ji'ann having returned to harvest the world. While there may be survivors, either in this world or in the hands of the Ji'ann, none have been found. The Meians are presumed extinct at this time. Current Agenda: Presumed extinct. No agenda.

You ... just have to remember your origin? The ring around the edge is different for each origin, shouldn't have to bring it in to see if it's the right origin.

Hmm. Have a few... not all (re)introduced to the game. I'll have to remember to write up a few.

Honestly, I think talking individual powers over ATs / sets is a better spot to start. Since different sets - or different pairings - can give a wildly different experience ("Salmon Melee is horrible with Ice Armor but great with Regen.") For instance, you call a MM underperforming... yet people talk about MMs as, depending on the set (and experience) "Boring" (for instance, me trying to level a bots/ff on live, and nearly getting bored out of the entire AT,) "safest you can play (also bots/ff, often,) or "AV/GM killers." That's a pretty wide range. About the only general statement you can make is that the MM's attacks are ... eh. Or, you mention tanks as being overpowered with (paraphrasing) "your healer friends get bored." Well, that's less a problem with tanks and more with the fact that "healing" goes from much loved early on to really not needed much late game. (And also "are we talking Empathy or Pain Dom? And are they doing the self-nerfing 'pure healer' thing or actually doing other things too?") And, of course, the last bit - also touching on the OP's tank comment - is are we talking sets/ATs, or *IOs?* Would your tank be jumping in at +4x8 and not taking any damage if they were just on SOs? If not - and I suspect the answer would be "no" there - I don't think the powerset or AT is the issue. The "I can perma/cap/floored recharge" does horrendous things to game balance. (I mention in some of the "what would you change..." threads that pop up occasionally that I'd drop the rule of 5 to a rule of 3, among other things (like folding LOTG into the generic recharge percentage) - not a popular opinion, but I think the complaint of "this AT/set is overpowered" might get a new look if that happened.)

Get into RP. Completing a character *there* has nothing to do with level or slots. Other than that... yeah. COH isn't really "Get to highest level and only then griiiiiiiiind to try to be the 1 person out of 100 in a raid that gets SuperUberPieceOfGear." Yes, there is higher end content (multiple Incarnate trials, Dark Astoria, Hami raids - I'd say MSR, which is easier on a 50+incarnate character, but you can join those whenever for the open world ones.) If you're trying to find league (multi-team) content... again, Hamidon raid, MSR, Incarnate trials (https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Incarnate_Trial ) - if you're hearing BAF/LAM/TPN/Underground/MOM/MAG, that's those. Those are where you're going to find the teams of 16-48 tackling things. Otherwise, it's mostly challenges you set yourself - tackle the higher difficulties introduced, collect badges, build the ultimate base, ouro as much content as you can. Find a new powerset combo you haven't tried - you've got 1000 slots per server, things like "Try one of every X set" (on live, I tackled having one of every control set to 50, for instance - and playing through with them, not just PLing to have them.) Choose your own adventure.

I seem to recall a thread about this turning into a huge argument. *shrug* I'm good with it.

Mostly "Lackey" or "Sucker." Side of "Sociopath" with a few contacts.

... and, you felt the need to answer a two year old post with this why... Seriously, we need a limit on necroing posts.

I think that's probably too many options - but having them match the XP boosts (100%, 50% and 25%) would probably work just fine.

... as far as the Coming Storm, personally I'd like to see it die in a fire, see anything left from that die in another fire, then drown, then get irradiated, then left in the vacuum of space, and anything left after that can be given a flaming cactus suppository and sent to die in yet another fire. Horrible idea geared towards "force a grind into a game that doesn't have one so NC can get microtransaction/sub payments." Too many other, far more interesting lore bits that can be used that were left hanging over the years. (Gadzul/Blood of the Black Stream, anyone?)

Or at least get introduced to ouro, and that unlocks it (just for those of us that need a "lore reason.")

Couldn't say. The meaning's pretty murc-y.

Far too overpowered. Game breaking. Obviously you want an i win button. And think of the dev time! ;) (In seriousness? Asked for before. YES, PLEASE, DO THIS!)