KauaiJim

Well, it's good to know I don't have to throw out my main (E3). It's always embarrassing when I'm enjoying a toon and shouldn't be! 😳 By the way, I find a box of Junior Mints to be very complimentary to a lot of popcorn. It sort of "clears the palate" so you can enjoy more. 😁

Wow that is awesome! Yeah I would even sometimes take my daughter to see small plays at local small theaters. Way fun. Don't forget the Steve Martin flick "Roxanne". (at least I liked that one too). Oh and "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Another one. I'm sure there are a bunch.

Strangely enough so far the numbers are about what I would have expected. If I'm going to power level a toon then of course I use them, otherwise it just depends. Sometimes at lower levels they go so fast anyhow I deliberately won't use them because I'm trying to get a feel for how my newest creation plays and enjoying the experience of it (not XP but the actual "experience").

Possible. Or lots of folks take breaks for various reasons. Who knows. 🤷‍♂️ Regardless, I echo the OP's sentiment that I hope Redlynne is okay. In my experience most folks just kind of drop out quietly when they take breaks or move on so it may just be the usual. At least I hope so. I've noticed a few others too that have gone a bit quiet and I always hope they are okay. Edited to add: Oh and in keeping with current speaking trends the title should have been "Where the [expletive] is Redlynne?". I'm surprised folks even know that saying (Shakespeare). I actually saw Romeo and Juliet live at the A.C.T. Theater in San Francisco when I was younger (and A Christmas Carol). If you haven't seen a live play done professionally I highly recommend it at least once. Most of the younger folks I work with nowadays don't even know that Jim is short for James or Bob for Robert or Mike for Michael - I'm not even kidding. I think we as a society have mostly stopped passing information along and rely heavily on the internet now to bring the next generation(s) up to speed. Which is fine until the internet goes down, lol...

This is how the wheel was invented. It started out as a well... 😋

OMG I totally forgot I use to have G.I. Joe “The secret of the mummy’s tomb” adventure set (and another with a helicopter but I can’t recall exactly which one). Holy flashback Batman! and oh yeah - 'Kung Fu Grip!' lol

DougGraves - Sounds very cool to me! Good golly there is SO much to do in this game! Now if we can just convince an AE content creator to do this! 😁 LlyranKeen - Holy Snap! That was fast! lol Also, and again my brain is fried right now but I have to say I scanned through and I like your picks - not that I am some kind of expert where my blessing matters or anything but I can tell you put some thought into that. I think that might be where the OP was going with it. Thank you! 😲 Edited to add: Okay just noticed Monk. I agree but I would probably switch him to brute to better combine the tanker aspect with his damage aspect (or you could just make him a really tanky scrapper build). Just a thought... Wadduya think? 👍 or 👎 🤷‍♂️

My stereo system is from around the same time period maybe 3~4 years newer than yours. But what I had to respond to was to 200 count CD player - I have one of those too! (out in storage with the rest of the system, lol). Kind of useless since I unburdened myself of CD's (and vhs and dvd and bluray). But dang it was the thing to own back then lol! Naw - Sounds like you are more just a person who likes what he has and is happy with it. It's actually refreshing to hear (imo) in a time when everything feels disposable and we are locked into feeling like we need to keep 'upgrading' everything in our lives based on 'keeping up with the latest greatest' vs when things actually need replacing or upgrading. In my lifetime I've done a little of both - being the guy always out in front / cutting edge / latest greatest AND being the guy who makes things last forever because I like them, I am satisfied and I do not feel the false urge to "keep up with the Jones's" depending on the period in my life and what each item is/does. Plus "luddite" always reminds me of luggage for some reason. (LUdite/LUggage,samsonITE/luddITE <- I think this is why my mind makes this association. Weird huh? Yeah I can see how that could be hard to distinguish. I think you can look up the cast times and if it seems like an ability is taking longer than that time there could be some lag coming into the equation. Also, for me lag is often noticeable just because I do certain abilities so much (and certain either strict attack chains of looser ones where I start filling in holes or change up what I am doing) so I kind of just know how long it should take me to do something. Additionally, constant lag and high ping are often accompanied by lag spikes where I can visually see the activity pausing occurring on screen. Regarding cast times... They have always been part of mmo design as a way to make the greater damage/support/heal abilities have a trade off for using them. It gives folks a reason to use the lesser abilities and not just automatically always use the greater and never the lesser. And it is 'realistic' to the genre. Whether you are a knight in shining armor or a wizard or a super hero, the big ones always have a wind-up or build-up period that increases the time it takes to actually USE the ability compared to the smaller ones which can literally be done quickly over and over. This greater 'tax' for using these abilities also often applies to the amount of energy or power or endurance or whatever they call it, in addition to the time. It is designed to replicate real life too... you can pound a nail with a hammer with shorter faster strokes using less effort and time FOR EACH HIT (use of the ability) but it will take many many more strokes (uses of the ability) to pound the nail completely in VS You can swing the hammer back further each stroke which takes longer and put more strength into it which takes more energy FOR EACH HIT (use of the ability) and it will not take as many strokes (uses of the ability). And of course the longer the delay in casting/activation of those big powers also allows for a better window of opportunity to do things like interrupts, etc. In a real fight you don't spend a lot of energy/effort trying to block/dodge getting slapped but when you see them haul back their arm and wind up for a big one you sure do want to use that time to avoid the much more painful wallop that's coming. Bottom line - longer cast/activation times are necessary to mmorpg's and THAT delayed feeling/slowness is intentional and by design. Oh and then there's the turn by turn 'feel' that is baked in. Are you seeing periods on screen during combat where it looks like in the middle of everyone swinging away all of a sudden not much seems to be happening for a second or two (nothing is firing from them or you) then BAM! everything suddenly 'catches up' and is in motion again? That would be lag...

Well, since I started my mmo career 21+ years ago with EverQuest your 'bait' worked. I was curious. I just got home from work and today was a little slice of hell so I'm a little bit tired. So I clicked and I read... then I reread... then I reread again. Maybe I worked so hard today my brain broke. Hmmm... Normally I'm gentle and delicate about asking when I don't understand something... but WHAT are are you talking about? I think maybe you are asking how to recreate EQ toons in CoH? If that is what you are asking I will say it's an interesting idea but I am definitely not able to tackle that challenge right now. I'm not sure if that is doable - I think how well that worked would be subjective and the degree of 'success' will vary based on the class/AT and abilities/powers not to mention your own personal threshold of what is acceptable. Then there's how well they actually PLAY like the originals. Hard to say. These games have some similarities and some big differences. I've been challenged just trying to make a few characters like my Champions Online roster and that game was literally made by the same folks. I was able to do it for I think 3 or 4 toons from that game to my satisfaction. I think trying to recreate my EQ1 ranger or my EQ2 monk or wizard would be hard to do. Thinking a little about it right now I have two accounts in EQ and three in EQ2 with a bunch of different characters and I think there are maybe some that I could do and others not so much. And the degree of 'success' will also depend on what is acceptable to you. How exact do they need to be costume-wise? How close do the abilities need to match up? Names? (probably wise NOT to list them here until you can lock them down if available). I think this is what you are asking and I see you give some specific info but I still feel like this is a bit unclear. A couple real quick answers would be, yes I think maybe all of the ones you listed could be attempted but something like ratonga might be difficult. How well, eh. Up to you? Sorry, I am very tired. I probably shouldn't be the first one to jump in here and try to respond. Maybe one of these other folks here with a brain that's still functioning can answer this better than I right now. Thanks! 🙂 Edited to add: Okay on my fourth reread I think your question might be specific to their abilities/powers matching up?...

When I first noticed the ‘pool’ or whatever it really is my imagination thought “Is he kneeling in a giant puddle of his own pee looking up head back arms wide yelling why me why do I have bladder control issues?” Also now that you say that I see the shell and puck! Too funny the stuff our minds come up with! Lol

I have the same reaction to a couple of other threads. 😲 (as I'm sure most of us do based on our personal feelings and opinions) It's like they are zombie threads... I keep thinking of the scene in mission impossible when Henry Cavill and Tom Cruise are fighting and Henry says "Why won't you die?!?!" But also it kind of makes me chuckle when these things keep springing up. Keeps the forums from being humdrum! (not to mention I myself am guilty of an accidental thread necro just yesterday, lol) I chalk it up to folks gotta say their piece. So... Peace! ✌️ Oh and America's Angel I love that look. I'm not into dark themed toons much but that looks very nice! 👍

I was just looking at this one last night wondering what it is. I can tell there's a person standing there but I can't tell what is happening to them: It looks to my older tired eyes like someone standing in a shallow pool beneath a waterfall. What I originally though when I was looking at the smaller icons in game is that it was a close up of a panda bears face looking slightly down and to the right (the two dark areas being the eye patches). I mean I know that's not what it is, but that's what my brain decided it was lol. There is a small bump on the white circular area at about the 10:30 (o'clock) position. And then there's this one that looks like a small genie or elixir bottle? I don't know why, but I have always liked trying to guess the pictures used on abilities/powers in all of these games. Once you know what they are - they make sense (like the toggle switch) but until you find out your brain associates all kinds of interesting things to them (like the hat eating duck). Like I always saw a half melted frisbee or a beret when I looked at: Now I can see how it might be an analog speedometer or tachometer gauge with the needle moving clockwise quickly. And this one always looked like an armored sandworm bursting from the sand beginning its arc to dive back down under: But now I can see a pauldron. Unbreakable Guard? I saw a gold loudspeaker or perhaps the old style phonograph speaker: But thanks to Firefox and 500% zoom I now see the shield and breaking spear. And how sad is it that I don't even recall seeing these before. I've been neglecting certain IO's it looks like, lol... Which is kind of funny because I would have recognized those... lol

Kind of like saying I wont ride that horse because it runs faster and that's going to make it die more quickly? Strange prediction IMO. I understand your point and what you are getting at (you don't agree with the direction the HC team has taken) but HC is far from dead or dying (at least right now) and predicting a doomed future for mmo's has been going on for decades now with what I will call a 'low' accuracy rate. Yes HC is CoH in easier than ever before mode - if you want to play it that way. There's still a boat load to do including challenging content (subjective and my opinion of course). It feels a bit to me like people don't want to come to this amusement park because it's free, has shorter lines, and there are more rides and things to do than ever before. But for those who really miss standing in lines there are options. It just seems strange to me. There are many grindy high difficulty ultra competitive mmo's and games out there "Look at me I'm awesome - LOOK AT ME AND MY GEAR cause you ain't got the skillz to get it yourself! Bow to me you lowly playerz!". I get it, this game is no longer conducive for the leetz crowd to show off and brag or demonstrate their superior gaming skill and knowledge. But there are plenty of places other than HC where you can get that satisfaction. Why do you NEED it here? That part I DON'T GET. LOL - This is "the thread that keeps on giving!". Are you guys really seeing folks run away from HC in droves because the game is easier now? Honestly, I get the argument. I'm just not seeing a lot of people quitting. What I do see is what always seems to happen - some folks try it and move on, others take a break and come back later and some like me just enjoy THE FREE GAME THAT ROSE FROM THE DEAD! lol (and some folks who "quit" because of dissatisfaction linger in the forums hoping to bend the game to their will - nothing wrong with that, it's just not very productive IMO) Sorry - Had to get that off my chest. 😋 Also, I don't know if you are aware of this but HC (and all CoH servers for that matter) have a slightly more concerning 'dark cloud' hanging over them. Worrying about lack of player interest just seems a bit out of place to me in this situation. There doesn't seem to be a lack of interest in the forum (currently) either and I see new folks all the time still. Am I wrong? Your suggestion for the defense caps is hilarious so kudos for that! I honestly do hope you can find a server that plays more the way you prefer (or perhaps you can find SOME kind of enjoyment on HC...) Lets just remove IO's since they are obviously the work of the Devil and WAAAY too many folks can get them now and even become powerful, you know, like a super hero. Crazy, I know! Would that make the game hard enough? Crud, where's my Kevlar vest and helmet? Edited to add: And no, I am not for watering the game down excessively, but this is what it is. And IMO HC has done great overall. I remember this game before the IO's and IMO the IO's have made the game MUCH MUCH better. I want to be clear that I am NOT bashing anybody's opinion or how they feel and in fact I truly do understand. But the expectations I see people coming here with sometimes do seem to be the standard expectations for a live / newer mmo. Total rebalancing passes are a huge deal. Something that's a lot of work for a full staff of paid devs and testers and support working full time at a company. You guys are asking, no strike that, expecting that the HC team to do this. Is that really fair to them? They bring us this game back better than before and now we're all going to get impatient? And while I certainly do not think there should be a click this one button to win, I think pulling on this particular thread just might mess things up big time for a LOT more folks than you guys realize. I've been through way too many of this kind of thing in other mmo's to want to go through it here. But I do understand WHY you guys feel the way you do. I just don't think your expectations are completely realistic if you get pushy or demanding about it, or just want to pop into the forums to plant the seeds of doom. Championing your ideas and positions I am all for it. Even when I disagree. It's just the whole way it comes across to me - it seems ungrateful to come in here and predict doom and gloom under these circumstances if the HC guys don't hurry up and get with the program. Sheesh! Do any of you know the saying "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth?" and what it means? I am asking this question seriously. (oh, and yep, I know you can fire back at me with some other saying, but that's not the point.) And I know I have no more right to come in here and wave my opinion around any more than anyone else. But that is also sort of the point. There are other opinions. Since the IO's can trivialize certain content that you want to be more challenging, is the goal to change the content? Is it to rebalance all IO's to said content? Is it to add new content that is balanced to be challenging with IO's? If it is the latter would you be satisfied with not affecting the current state of the game for players who are happy with it the way it is? In other words, what if HC could add some new content (and again this too is asking much) that meets the challenge you are wanting. And does it have to be IO's? Could they make task forces or other content that challenges you (and everyone) but leaves the game in a less disrupted state with regard to existing content to this point? Or is the VERY IDEA that folks can play in easy mode what is really bothering you? (and that's honestly a fair feeling to have - just not one I share) I mean WTbleep are you all really expecting here? lol (and I ask this lovingly and with genuine care for your take on things) If you all can come up with something that doesn't make the game suck for me and others that would be cool. I could get behind that, But even then I still feel like threatening doom and gloom (while harmless and common) is a bit over the line for this situation. If you don't like a restaurant (that many others like) do you hope they will go out of business? (and I know that's not the view of everyone who hopes for these changes)

These are the kinds of changes that should be doable without causing too much fuss and community controversy. I wonder, should you consider putting this in the suggestions and feedback forum or is there already a place for suggested ADDITIONAL choices to ability effects? In general it seems like something the HC team would consider (maybe I'm wrong). Also, would this be something that could be done through CoH Modder? Forgive my sidetrack, just trying to be helpful. On the dark blast, well great - I do not have a dark/ blaster... but it's now on the radar. 😁

I like the clown idea. In fact I created something a while back sort of along those lines. Meet 'Captain Goofball':

Evidently I am. Whoops. Sorry. Makes me wonder how this thread popped up in my browser. Could have sworn it showed up on the first page in general - it's not like I went looking for it. Guess I got a little distracted. Who knows how I did that. But it happens. I will try to be more careful when I'm playing the forums and the game at the same time. lol ... aaaand of all threads for me to do this to it's a touchy subject for some. Double apologies everyone. Looks like I picked the wrong day to quit sniffing glue! Doh! How about this weather everyone? (taps foot looking around nervously) But at least now I can check the necro badge off my to-do list. (the Chris Farley video is still funny through) Edited to add (because I like to say that); This thread should have been somewhere around page 30 of general. I sure as heck wasn't looking that far back and I wasn't searching so HOW did I do this? lol (and I was always one of those folks who shakes their head tsk tsk when I see accidental forum necros, now I am the offender and I haven't a clue how I did it). I'm going to go ahead and blame my parrot. He likes to play tricks on me sometimes.

I love EM but honestly it was really lacking behind other sets. It got to where I rerolled some toons just to get away from EM because it just felt weak to me compared to other sets. I do not know if the changes helped or not because haven't dusted off those 'parked' builds to see whether they feel fun now. I really hope so. EM is a great set (or could be). It just needs to not feel anemic compared to other sets. So maybe it's time for me to dust off Pompummeler, Owie Kapowie, Pom Pom Power, Powerburst, Micromax and Minimac and see what they can do? (in my spare time lol)

I am not a huge fan of Jack Emmert (or John Smedley for that matter). But, I try to still have appreciation for their part in creating something I love and enjoy, even if they tried to 'break' their own toy. Honestly it seems to me that every one of these games has or had someone that was instrumental in both getting the game up and running, and yet a hindrance to what it could be. It's like when Dr. Manhattan tells the Comedian's daughter how special she is despite the circumstances of her conception and what a jerk the Comedian was. So, part of me says 'thanks' to these folks for what they did and part of me is grateful that they weren't able to destroy their own creations out of eccentricity. I wish them the best where ever they are, while silently counting my blessings that they moved on. I wonder if those two ever collaborated what kind of tortuous grind fest they could create. Might be able to compete with some of those pretty all flash mmo's where the trees and rocks and hair and wind are just perfect, but good luck killing that level 2 gopher without better gear and a team... Wow, THAT'S fun, not. Anyhow, sometimes people with a really good idea just can't stop messing with it until it's a wreck. Kind of like Chris Farley and dinner rolls: Tommy Boy (7/10) Movie CLIP - I Killed My Sale! (1995) HD - YouTube

Well, you're making me blush a bit. I thank you for your compliment, however I'm afraid I would need a bigger plate to add that entree. This idea will however be slowly growing in the back of my mind as you have now planted the seed. Honestly, I never even fine tuned my farmers as they aren't my main toons, just as I said a means to an end. So, let me give very direct advice here to the OP. I highly recommend a brute AT with a /fire secondary if you want to make a farmer. There are plenty of other builds that can farm, just when you are doing it over and over for hours on end you will want something that feels easy and not tedious. The /fire brutes cover a lot of the basics (including having a damage aura). To take this advice (for what it's worth) a little further, I would recommend at least playing your farm toon up through the levels to get a feel for the game instead of just power levelling him/her. And, if you just need some inf and enhancements to start off, you really don't even need a farmer. Yomo, Snarky, myself and about 100 others here will gladly bankroll you to get you started. No farmer needed. So you can get out there and experience CITY OF HEROES not city of farming. I think I've said about all I can here so to quote BjorJlen, "Peace". ✌️ (what no peace sign emoji? what the heck is a victory hand? lol) Edited to add: I overlooked mentioning that many AE farms tend to be designed to work best with fire but s/l is another popular one.. Edited to change "litter further" to "little further" - Freudian slip? Perhaps... lol

As I get older I find myself having similar issues with trying to see everything at a quick glance. I also find the buffs difficult to see... but heck I've been losing my mouse pointer for years so what's new, lol. But it would be nice to know if there was an option here to make them a little easier on those of us who are starting to have difficulty distinguishing 3's from B's and 8's. Side note: I tested 20/15 or better in both eyes many times when I was younger. Now I look at the chart and go, "what next line?" lol. I use readers sometimes but they actually mess with my normal vision so I try to not use them too much. (plus I may be just a tiny bit stubborn) I always thought it would be nice if separate parts of the UI could be scaled independently (maybe they can and I just don't know about it?). Plus, I know there are high visibility pointer options in CoH Modder. I wonder if there is or could be something similar for buff icons? Just thinking out loud...

My apologies to the OP... but did I mention that dimensions are fascinating? (j/k) Regarding suggested AT's I've already suggested Brute twice (/fire specifically) along with Mastermind, Controller, Dominator, Horse, Cow, Pig, Chicken, Cat and Dog. But even more importantly, I agree with the suggestion that folks new to the game should start elsewhere - farming is just a means to an end. It is not the game (although it can be it's own game sort of). If the OP really wants to get into farming, I highly recommend just copying one of the common brute builds and go from there (no dimensions required). But starting out I think it would be more beneficial and enjoyable to the OP if they concentrate on learning the game and finding out what they like to play and do first. That way when you do farm you will have a reason for doing it. As others have pointed out, farming isn't the best way to make inf (it's not bad either). Playing the market can make significantly more if done correctly. I use it mainly for p/l'ing and to gear up alts (err, I mean mains, yeah, mains - alts would mean I have an addiction, which I don't. my pills are working just fine. move along...) Dimensional farming AT's sounds VERY cool. Why did you go and say that? lol

I am truly honored! 😁 Somewhere in the dumpster fire of a knowledge repository that is my brain I have a fascination for physics. Dimensions are beyond fascinating. While it appears that my little friend is just a hyperactive geometric shape, he is really a 2D picture of what a 4D cube looks like in animated 3D. There are models of this that have way more moving parts. They are fascinating. Oh did I mention that dimensions are fascinating?

True, anymore every AT can do almost everything. Heck, when I made my rad/fire/mu farm build just to see how it compared to my fire/fire/en I p/l him to 50 then as a hero then took him to null the gull to go villain to get mu mastery. I was able to do most of the Scirocco patron arc without even slotting any enhancements because I didn't want to have to build the build twice (I did eventually cave and slot up the build for the sake of time but I was doing it with no enhancements, which is crazy). But I think for Snarky (I don't mean to speak for you bud) he wants a pure ranged blaster for the principle of actually having a purely ranged toon, which I can understand. Even though it's not needed in the current state of the game. Honestly most of the stuff we are doing at this point isn't really needed, it's more for flavor to borrow a term I believe Snarky has used before. I for one am curious what he comes up with. 😉 Edited to add: Now I am looking at my E3 blaster build trying to figure out what I was building. It's like being a dev who forgets to comment in the code and now I'm staring at it going... hmmm... It's either ingenious, or I threw it together.

Well, that was close. I had a mouthful of coffee when I read that. Awesome! Kind of along the same lines as my "What The?" toon. Actually, your random costume is even better than the one I deliberately made. lol.

My original main main (not one of my alt mains lol) is an E3 blaster and he was pretty awesome. I'll be honest though I haven't played him much since HC came along. Just so many things to do, you know? I like what you came up with. Not sure how it will play or feel but it sounds very viable. Since HC came back I will admit that I've been on mostly a melee binge due to all of the fun things that can be done with Tankers, Brutes and Scrappers. But I have not forgotten my ranged toons, and there are many. I just have not had enough time yet to give you any good feedback yet on this. Give me a couple more years to get caught up! lol On this topic I should point out that I embraced the 'melee' side of my blaster as well as ranged attacks. He was designed for ranged but could hold his own when mobs moved in close (for a bit, he was still a bit of a glass canon). Not really full on blapper - I awlays wanted to try that too. Sheesh. SO MUCH To DO! Maybe I should take a break from my gazillion other projects and give my blaster some love. For that matter I have other ranged toons I should start playing more. I mention this because I know you would like to play a blaster that is pure range (at least I think I picked up on that somewhere) and stay away from blapper builds. I think maybe I'll start running my blaster for a bit to see what he can do. I basically p/l'ed him to get him remade and have yet to really kick the tires. Hmmm... Oh and while I really really like electric (on most AT's) honestly I find the -end thing to be pretty useless, at least the way I play. So if you are going to pick Electric, don't choose it for that or prepare to be a bit disappointed.