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TheOtherTed

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Everything posted by TheOtherTed

  1. Just watched a snippet of one of Conan's podcasts in which he talked about how he used to get the lyrics to popular songs completely wrong. So I figured I'd make a thread about it, because, you know, you need to know. I can't remember any instances off-hand of my own guilt in this. I have no doubt that I am guilty, several times over, but I can't remember anything specific. So I'll tell you about the time I caught a college buddy getting lyrics wrong, called him out on it, and realized that his version was actually better, in a way. Here's the song in question: The couplet in question start at 1:21: For all those born beneath an angry star, Lest we forget how fragile we are My buddy thougt the first line was "For I was born beneath an angry star..." Being the territorial Sting fan that I was, I initially roasted him for it, but, while doing so, I realized that his two-word change completely refocused the entire song in a direction that actually worked, though darkly. So I apologized with a beer and a fist-bump.
  2. I hear ya. Putting bugs and awkward writing aside, though, my first and still greatest issue is with the lack of replayability. Sure, I can start a new playthrough as a Druid to shake things up a bit (for some reason, my brain doesn't "get" D&D druids), but I'll still be playing through the same scenarios and the same dialogue in more or less the same order as my Rogue, my Paladin, my Warlock, etc. That said, I'm still getting fair mileage out of the game, so I wouldn't rank it as one of the worst values I've bought into. It just doesn't support alts in the way that so many other games do.
  3. For me, I'll add that the powersets and character concept play off each other before I consider the character "signature," but I get that's not everyone's thing. With that in mind though, here are the few signature characters I can call to mind, by AT: Scrappers: Street Justice / Willpower - a 1940's private eye who got science blapped into the present. No super powers per se, just moxie and grit. Martial Arts / Ninjutsu - a former enforcer on the Pacific Rim who crossed her employer, but ended up in the Zig before the axe dropped. Blaster: Archery / Martial Combat - a descendant of Molpadia, an Amazon who killed her injured queen before Theseus could have his fun with her. Controller: Illusion / Dark Affinity (Ill/Emp on live) - a ghost-like being who haunted the Hollows for a while after the Hollowing. I still have no idea what she actually is. Brute: Pipe Wrench / Manhole Cover - a Valkyrie who's taking an extended vacation from slinging mead for ungrateful Einherjar. Mastermind: Robotics / Force Field - my one and only attempt at playing MM. Basically Hans Moleman from this clip, but with teeth. I should have signatures for Corruptors, Tanks, and Defenders, given how much I played those ATs either here or on live, but none really come to mind.
  4. Whoops, I read that KS completely wrong - just saw "A of A" and got all excited. There was an older video game called "Ace of Aces" that ran on MS-DOS, but from the footage I could find, I couldn't say whether I played that or "A of P." Ah, well, nice nostalgia kick regardless.
  5. Just found out that "Ace of Aces" is getting a Kickstarter resurrection. I don't remember the name, but I do remember a WWI dogfighting game that I played the heck out of on a housemate's PC in the early 90s (when a 286 computer was kind of a big deal). Poor kid - between the three of us mooching gamer schlubs, I don't think she ever got any playtime on that rig. Anyway, any fellow oldbies out there remember if there were other similar games around that time?
  6. Yeah, my second thought was that the character animations (except Indy) seem to be heavily based on the Half Life's G-Man. My first thought, though, was that the title is at least as ripe for sophomoric humor as "Star Trek: Discovery."
  7. Weird. I just checked it out on (barf) Microsoft Edge, and I get a similar deal. Might try Chrome, but Google has given me the heebie-jeebies since the Youtube / Google Plus nonsense. As for the name, when people ask where I got it (no one has yet), I answer "Two Teds, and anthopology class and an object lesson in dominance hierarchies." I have other origin stories, but that one's my favorite. Will be sure to watch Dilbert, though - hadn't thought about it in years!
  8. Random side note - once again, I am unable to see images posted through imgur, and this time it's not a VPN issue. Also, right-clicking to reload, or to open the images in a new tab doesn't work. In the latter case, I just get the old "The image cannot be displayed because it contains errors" message. I've noticed that a similar thing is happening on the Baldur's Gate 3 forum, though it takes the form of [Linked image from i.imgur.com] that can't be clicked, re-loaded, or opened in a new tab at all. Is this an imgur problem, or is there something I can do through Firefox or Windows Defender or something?
  9. Yep, there's a reason the Butlerian Jihad wioll haven be happened. ...patiently waits for no one to get both references...
  10. Arguing with analogies (even good ones) is a bad idea. You end up chasing each others' tails and, in one poster's case, claiming victories that aren't. And as strangely entertaining as this thread may be, I think all positions that could be stated have been stated. IMO this thread has run its course. Time to step away and/or start putting people on ignore.
  11. This random video randomly popped up in my youtube feed this morning. Still digesting some of its points, but it might be relevant to this convo - or at least tangentially related. Long story short, she discusses why recent science fiction and fantasy books seem to be so heavy-handed about their messages (note lack of quotes or the word "the"). Disclaimer: I haven't read any sci-fi more recent than William Gibson's All Tomorrow's Parties, so I have no idea how heavy-handed more recent writing has been. Definitely noticed it in visual media, though. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK9aJ-sSGuA
  12. MMOGames.com ranked CoH as #4 for ERP out of a selection of 12 MMOs (WoW ranks 12th), and I have no doubt we have Pocket D to thank for it. Link: https://www.mmogames.com/articles/archives/listed-12-mmos-great-for-erp/ Obligatory image that nobody really wants to see:
  13. Fortunately, my surname is shared with a celebrity and would thus constitute a name violation if used in-game. Unfortuantely, I can't stand said celebrity, and I'm more than a little fed up with the question "So... any relation?"
  14. Just to completely contradict what I said before, if you scrap, you need to learn to love Scrapperlock. You're Kor from DS9's "Once More Unto the Breach," Gandalf on the Bridge of Khazad-Dum, Spock mixing matter and antimatter by hand at the end of "Wrath of Khan." Probably someone from the MCU as well, but, frankly, I stopped caring long ago. The point is, you are simultaneously expendable, and the only one who can keep misfortune at bay so that your friends can have a fighting chance. At some point in your Scrapper career, hopefully earlier than later, you will need to accept that you will not, you CANNNOT, walk away from a fight. Trust to those random crits to pull you out of the fire, but stay in the fire until they do. And if they don't, it's probably just desserts for something you did in a past life, so, you know, that's on you. As for Blasters, the secret is to master the fine art of "the pull." This game is unique among MMOs in another way, i.e., a group of mobs won't necessarily insta-aggro on you just because you tagged one target. The aggro calculations are more complicated here, which means you could potentially peel groups like onions once you learn a bit of finesse. Remember that distance is your first defense, and you can wheedle more out of that defense by lining up a target, then jumping backwards and immediately hitting an attack. Hopefully the momentum of your jump will take you out of the "broadcast" range of the non-targeted mobs, who will just stand there and wonder why you're ballet dancing. Your target, however, will lope towards you to ask what ballet troupe you're in and where you're performing, at which point you can unload your full arsenal, without distraction, on your fellow lover of the lively arts. As for a dark/dark blaster specifically, -ToHit is your second defense, and it's a good one. If you find yourself overwhelmed in the heat of battle, spread the love among your enemies, then pick one target at a time to whittle down. If it's still a little warm for you, consider a blapper-friendly secondary set; Electricity or Energy Manipulation, Martial Combat (everyone's personal favorite), Ninja Training, probably others that I can't personally vouch for because I haven't played them. In all cases, enjoy your defeats as much as your victories. You'll have plenty of both.
  15. Sprint is your best defense, at least early on. You know, discretion is the better part of blah blah blah. Seriously though - this is the only MMO I know of which allows you to outrun pretty much any mob.
  16. ...oof. Here's a link: https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Architect_Entertainment Long story short, it's a way to level up quickly by teaming up with others to run player-made missions that are designed to yield maximum XP.
  17. In the in-game options menu, you can turn off XP to keep from outleveling contacts. I use it often when running favorite or interesting arcs, or when I do "side missions" (especially alignment missions, but sometimes radio/newspaper missions as well). It's been said that CoH, unlike many other MMOs, is at least as much about the journey as the destination. Leveling one character up to 50 is fine, but be sure to stop and smell the roses with some of your other characters. There's a lot to explore, not only story-wise, but in terms of archetypes, powersets, etc. Disclaimer: I personally despise XP boosters and all they represent, but I get that people (especially vets) would want to bypass the early missions as quickly as possible.
  18. Back before shutdown, I played in PUGs almost exclusively. Nowadays, I'm strictly solo. It may be my imagination, but I felt a sea-change in the player base a couple of years before shutdown. Seemed like we had a new influx of players who treated CoH as if it were another bog-standard MMO - kids who couldn't check their aggro, who would eagerly blame "thuh tank" or "thuh healer" (whether the team had one or not), and who were unwilling to listen to seasoned vets who occasionally dropped a word of advice. Beforehand, a team wipe was typically met with "lols" all around and a jaunt back from the hospital. After, team members wailed to the gods about the injustice of it all, often quitting on the spot with bitter, bitter words. On the other hand, I've since taken one small step into IOs since I came back. I used to run with SOs strictly, but now I slot workbench SOs around level 25-30. Still not interested in set IOs or other fancy contraptions, but, you know, baby steps.
  19. What's the upside for those "Other Players?"
  20. All analogies are flawed. My point is this: Once an activity that people normally do for fun is saddled with some sort of arbitrary "reward," the activity loses some fun factor for the sake of chasing that reward. Again, I saw it happen in WoW guilds, and I'm not a fan of that kind of mechanic.
  21. I'm not in a SG, nor do I have my own private base, but this reminds me of that old story about that psychologist (?) who gave a kid a dollar each day to play in the playground. One day, after a week or so, the kid approached the researcher for his daily dollar, and the researcher said he didn't have any money. To which the kid replied, "then I'm not going to play." (BTW, I'd appreciate it if someone could verify or debunk this story - couldn't find the source online.) I remember when Warcraft guilds got perks in Cataclysm. Killed my interest in guilds entirely. Instead of being social clubs where people chatted and voluntarily helped each other out, guilds suddenly became businesses in miniature, obsessed with chasing down all the little buffs and such. When the guild I was in started recruiting based on their perks instead of their communities, I noped right out.
  22. That would be intimidating... For my part, count me in for a whip set. And a ukulele set.
  23. I am sorry, but I am physically incapable of not posting this. Pray for me.
  24. Ah, yeah, those seem like they'd feel a bit slow in the lower levels. Sounds like you're finding your stride, though. Once you get the hang of them and get some team play under your belt, I'd suggest trying other archetypes and powersets. Even those that sound dull. Scratch that - especially those that sound dull. You may be surprised at what you can learn about the game by doing so.
  25. Sorry if this has already been asked and answered, but what were the characters' archetypes and powersets?
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