biostem

I much prefer how in CoH's crafting system, I can basically target specific items I want to create, and work towards acquiring them, without having to rely on "RNGesus"...

Agreed. There are so many blast animations already available - not all psychic do such exaggerated gestures with their powers...

The tech already exists, since those options are available for capes, so YES, please!

If you want to also color the inside of the "butt cape", set the colors, then tic the option to apply them to all pieces. Yes, it'll also change the colors of all your other parts, but you can then uncheck it and recolor the other parts...

If you have a pile of Inf, but not a ton of time, you could drop some on the particular enh's, recipes, salvage, etc that you want...

I've never had any issues with any of my controllers feeling weak or underpowered; Set up containment, then profit. It's really that simple. Perhaps you are just not a good fit for the AT, or perhaps you are expecting something out of them that isn't to be had. If, as you say, this whole topic is merely a matter of subjective opinion, then it is incumbent upon you to also acknowledge that, and that the counter-perspectives are just as valid...

So... take away controller/dom pets, then? That has not been my experience playing controllers in general. *Some* sets could use a buff/tweak, but containment does wonders for controllers. Dominators, granted with some work, can be monstrously powerful.

One person's "convoluted" is another person's "well reasoned"...

Maybe pets should remain where they are, but should receive some sort of buff/benefit when a dominator has domination active...

To some extent, it's a matter of "delay of gratification" - While I agree that sets should be viable at all levels, overall, there is also something to be said about having the patience to slog through some less fun power picks until you get to the good stuff...

I played the live game from beta till about 2009. I have very little interest in running the low level content and playing the "have to redo enhancements every 3 levels or so" game. To that end, I typically run my "Biostem's underground culling" tunnel farm to about level 22 or so, then outfit myself with some 25 IOs, so I have a solid, never-expiring foundation, and can contribute to higher level teams. I've started going back and running some of the lower level TFs, which I probably only ran a few times on live, and I gotta tell you... it's quite a slog having only 1-3 attacks and such...

Sometimes a wakie, break free, or even just a small luck or respite will be of much more use to a character than that medium orange, yellow, blue, etc...

Even if we rule out some sort of tech animation option, simply replacing the rune with a generic ball of energy would, IMHO, both permit options for magic characters that don't necessarily cast runes, and allow non-magic character to RP it. I mean, we have options for mystic flight and translocation that omit the runes...

Trying to mix tiers would, IMHO, overcomplicate things. You're already "paying" for the convenience via the downgrade in inspiration tier...

Basically, I've found myself sometimes wishing I had a particular inspiration, even at the cost of taking a medium or larger inspiration to get a smaller one of the type I want/need. Since it's technically a downgrade, how about allowing us to convert 1 medium or larger standard inspiration to another of a lower tier?

Maybe use some of the kinetic melee animations, only have them generate or utilize the tidal power mechanic...

They do a funding drive each month, but I don't think you can setup a recurring payment. I think you can set an alert for when the dev/GM posts about it, though...

Woohoo! Was able to get in! Thanks HC devs et al!

Here's my attempt: vibrance4.costume

If we're talking about characters which sort of embrace the concept of a "mastermind" in the comic book sense, and not necessarily how the sets perform in game, then I think something like ninja/dark or ninja/traps would best fit the bill.

So we have flight + TP & SS + TP. How about a SS power that also grants flight, or SJ + TP?

Why couldn't you have an ice or water user extinguish the flames? Or a sufficiently advanced tech character is able to decipher the underlying mechanism of the barrier and dismantle it, or a mutant whose powers happen to be of a similar energy as the barrier can absorb or disrupt it. Or any character just grabs a nearby fire extinguisher. You seem to think that all magic characters would have access to similar knowledge or abilities, which they simply do not. A magic origin brute may not know how to break such barriers, nor would all science origin characters know how to concoct some sort of fire suppressant. You are limiting people's options with these suggestions, not expanding them... The origin simply means how your character got their powers or where they come from - not what form those powers take, how said character uses them, or how much knowledge your character has regarding that origin. A person who simply utilizes a mech suit may not know how the underlying technology works or how to apply it, outside of being a really good pilot. A science character may have gotten their abilities as the result of an accident, but have no knowledge of chemistry, physics, or any of the sciences. An "origin story" is not the same as the specific details regarding the macguffin or event that garnered the person their powers or abilities...

Like assemble the team or the team mission transporter?

Instead of trying to expand the various illusion powers into full fledged pets, why not just expand the phantom army into the three tiers of pets, each with different levels of powers and abilities; The T1s could use fire, ice, and (expanded to now include), electricity melee attacks. The T2s could be ranged attackers, perhaps with a control ability mixed in, and the T3 would lean more heavily into the control and debuff abilities, perhaps with a mixture of the elements. The 1st attack could be spectral wounds, the 2nd attack could be a variation on the "blind" power, but just dealing damage and with no or a very brief hold effect, and the 3rd attack could be something like psionic tornado. The set's special ability could be to summon a spectral terror, or maybe even a "true" phantom army, (only with a shorter duration and/or longer recharge).

When you say "team transport", are you referring to powers like the jetpack, or do you mean group flight and team teleport? I'm curious why you couldn't just tell them to buy the jetpack from the P2W vendor or such, before the TF, and call it a day, (offer them the info to get it, if they need)...