biostem

The short version of my question is basically: How do you manage end usage on your characters with no additional +recovery or +end powers? The longer version is: Even with Panacea, Miracle, Numina's, and Performance Shifter, and 1 end redux in most of your powers, trying to fight continuously seems to basically be impossible, particularly if you're also trying to run multiple leadership and/or other such toggles. Yes, I know you can selectively turn some of those toggles off, and there's always inspirations, set bonuses, and incarnate abilities to help with end management, but before getting all those, it just seems like such a chore to play such characters. To add to this, I almost always want *at least* maneuvers + tactics + APP or PPP shield, (for non-melee ATs). For melee ATs, I usually want maneuvers + tactics + armor toggles + tough + weave + cj. I get that all of these aren't strictly necessary, but they seem like a very strong "want", if you're trying to really push up that level of performance. And, again, while I understand that if the baseline to be used is +0/x1 content, then pretty much anything will suffice, but even then, and if we do assume you're on a full team, that also doesn't mean that any of your teammates will have other +end/+recovery or healing powers to make up the difference. Is it basically to be assumed that, barring such buffs, the fights simply shouldn't last long enough for you to bottom out your end and drop your toggles, or perhaps to trade HP for a bit of extra time for your end to recover "naturally"? Personally, I just tend to play ATs or powersets that include ways of recovering endurance more quickly, to make up the shortfall... but how do you folks address this issue? Thanks for reading!

I'm not too familiar with SG base building, but how difficult would it be to add an interactable plaque item whose text would be customizable by the base builder? Then, a player could create and share a public base code and include such a plaque, (the text would still have to abide by any ToS/CoC, to avoid its misuse)...

Didn't they just deactivate the exit portal during Tinpex?

If the person sent you a tell, in response to your recruitment message, you can hit backspace to reply to them, specifically, (assuming they are the last person to have sent you such a DM). Another, albeit mush more complicated option, would be to create a rotating bind using the 'Team Select' command - start with position 2, since you're the leader, have it then send that person a tell, and load in the next file in the bind, incrementing the position, (so 3-8, then back to 2 after 8).

A potential attacker wouldn't care what direction it faces you upon exiting, though...

It's weird that the portal exists solely to exit the base, yet points you in any direction other than the actual exit - why would Vanguard implement it so their personnel and allies, using said portal, could potentially be caught unaware and have to waste valuable time reorienting themselves?

The sustain abilities alone would greatly aid in, well, allowing this proposed AT to stay in the fight.

A few of my most recent Elec/Rad Tanker, "PowerKore":

I find Jacob's Ladder and Chain Induction to be underwhelming, but the rest of the set is quite good, IMHO. Lightning Rod, in particular, does tremendous damage and the teleport is extremely useful. I would like to see chain induction's damage and chain-speed upped quite a bit, and Jacob's Ladder's animation sped up significantly, as well as having its arc widened.

She's only here to help... Honest! "PowerKore":

I think these turned out rather nicely:

Here's a bunch of my most recent 50, an Elec/Elec/Mu Brute - "Live Wyre":

My Elec/Elec/Mu Brute "Live Wyre":

I'm not necessarily against the idea, and I think it could be implemented via some entirely new APPs. For instance, neither tankers nor brutes have an elec APP, (yes I know they can take Mu mastery, but it's a bit different). You could have something like a "neuro-electric stimulation" toggle that improves perception and recharge, or maybe a pistol based APP for melee ATs that has some sort of target designator power...

"Automation" is contrasted with what? Doing things "by hand" or manually. Using the myriad of functions built in to most modern art programs... get this... "automates" many of those operations. As I've said over and over, it's the degree to which the automation is carried out that you seem to have a problem with. Don't move the goalposts. "Drawing" is not the end-all be-all of creativity. A program that can turn my words or designs created via other means, into a reality, are no less valid. The only difference here is that you have a personal stake in this particular method of someone being able to realize their designs potentially obsoleting your craft. I can respect that, but it doesn't invalidate the tool, nor does it justify your apparent disregard for how other tools have invalidated other people's crafts in the past. That may very well be true with the current generation of such AIs, but to say that humans don't learn by some process of breaking down the art and related methods/techniques/media into some digestible/reproduceable process is laughable.

A person cannot propel themselves to the same speed as with the bicycle - they just provide the input and steering, similar to prompting an AI. And most artists cannot learn without "scraping" the methods and techniques of those that came before them. And just like early art programs were very rudimentary and took years to develop, such is the case with AI.

You really don't know what automation is, do you? Go ahead and crop a physical photo, then undo it. Go paint something on a canvas then undo something you've painted a few minutes ago. An eraser literally ablates material off of the surface - it actually is destructive. It might be minimal, but it exists. As I already said - you have just accepted a certain level of automation, and find anything beyond that as distasteful. Some people are just not capable of certain types of art, so use various tools in order to achieve their ends. It is no different than using a long lever to lift or move something that you couldn't move otherwise. Do you complain when a computer program scans your registry for errors instead of having to go through it manually? Do you complain if an automatic transmission "robs" the driver of "developing" that perceived skill? Art programs literally "do the work for them" - again, it's just the degree to which it does so that you have a problem with...

Clearly the "best" is from the BAF trial... (runs away screaming @Snarky did it!)

Actually, they are. You can undo something you don't like - automation. You can have it save your work at set intervals - automation. You can change colors, layers, hide some objects, and so on - all tasks you could not do by hand - all automation. They are different degrees of automation, but in the end, it is a person providing input and the computer processing that input to produce a result. You are just unhappy with the degree to which AI performs those tasks vs what you have deemed acceptable.

Take the actual physical photo and edit it without a computer, like people used to do...

Just as cars automated tasks that horses or other such beasts of burden used to perform, Photoshop and other such tools automated manual art/editing techniques. AI is just the next step in that evolution.

No one mourns for the buggy-whip salesmen...

"The ArcAgent":

You can edit a topic by clicking the 3 dots in the upper right of the post. Either way, why pair shotgun w/ a sword? Seems like an odd choice. Personally, I'd rather see a single blade and single pistol set, but it's still an interesting concept...

I don't know if the game can calculate damage or the magnitude of effects based upon the range of the target. What they could do is have the range and cone widths vary from power to power, but that might make the set a nightmare to play. I'm not against it, but how would you further differentiate the powers?