Rudra

But your complaint is that you had to pause playing to explain a game concept. Which you would have to do with TOs as well if they were no longer hidden. And for TFs. And for trials. And for raids. And for hidden contacts. And for incarnates. You see where this is going? Surprising as the thought may be, some of the rest of us also deal with new players. And they are not stupid. Yes, because they are new to the game, we have to explain things to them. And that will stop game play while you are explaining. I can't count how many times I or someone I was playing with stopped to explain what TOs were and how to use them back on Live. Because those enhancements you think will prevent the need to stop playing and explain? Still need to be explained to some new players. And that is why there are the tutorials. And that is why there is the Help channel. And that is why there are teaching SGs being maintained by some groups of players. And that is why the enhancements say right on them what they are and what they do. And that is why the wiki exists. And we have a community pretty well renowned for being supportive of new players. New players are not stupid, and a quick explanation for DOs or SOs or even set IOs has always in my experience been more than enough to get them to understand. Did we have to stop playing while the explanation was being given? Yes. It never takes long to explain anything new to the player though, and then the game play resumes. Edit: And I would have to say the more off-putting thing to new players is being told to just forget it because they are interrupting your ability to have fun. You said those new players were your friends that you were bringing in to the game. And yet, when your friends turned to you for help, your response was basically 'You're slowing me down. Shut up so I can have fun. You can learn how to have fun as well another time.'

A new player can just look at the DO's or SO's name and listed origin(s), and know whether that enhancement works for their origin or not, as well as what that enhancement does. You don't need TOs to learn about enhancements. You get two enhancements for free in the tutorial, as well as basic instructions on what they are and how to use them in that tutorial. Whether they go with Outbreak, Breakout, Galaxy City, or whatever the Praetorian initial tutorial is called. And a new player is likely, not guaranteed, not will always, but is likely to go through one of those four tutorials to get a feel for the game. If they don't? They are apparently confident enough in their own ability to figure the game out. They aren't stupid. 'Oh no! They have to take a look at the enhancement to know what it is? How horrible!' Seriously? You're entire argument is a litany of belittlement. That may not be your intent, but new players can play the game just fine without TOs. (Especially since it was us players, not the devs, requesting TOs go the way of the dodo.) On top of that? The best way to learn the game, or at least the fastest if you don't want to read through the wiki, is to team with more experienced players and learn from them. And SGs do that well. 'Oh no! There is a reason for players to team and even join SGs?! How horrible!' It's almost like I'm treating this game as a multiplayer game of some sort. So yeah, while I am not a fan of TOs being removed (actually, just hidden away), I still see no reason to bring them back. New players have their own brains to understand things, have not just (4 versions of) 1, but 3 different tutorials they can go through to learn about enhancements, have the entire community they can lean on for information, and as much as you seem to hate it, can read what those enhancements are from the enhancements themselves.

Considering how often there have been comments from players calling for a means to spend their billions of inf' saved up in these forums? Or the plethora of posts about how quickly players can accumulate the requisite inf' with just a single farmer character or playing the market? You may be surprised at how little 10-25m does not add up even with all the accolades in the game.

Given that the devs opened up free base building, I am opposed to putting base options behind another point buy system. This is a way more complicated approach to player made missions/arcs than AE currently uses. Base Items: Inspirations are already likely the cheapest things in the game. 50 inf' for all but 1 inspiration. (I believe it is the rez inspiration that costs more at 150 inf'.) I see no reason to make something for a base that gives free inspirations. Your character is still going to be learning/memorizing those enhancements every time you craft one. I fail to see the point. Hell no. Join a farm if you want to get XP without doing anything. I'm not understanding this one. If you just want them to go to your base, how is that any easier than Assemble the Team used at a SG portal? (Or just asking the team to meet in your base like some players already do.)

I was opposed to TOs being removed, but your logic still fails to me. You want to bring back TOs because it is easier to teach because the player can just look at it and know? Because seeing the name of the enhancement when it drops from the enemy, which is the first thing presented to you when you get it as a drop, or reading the enhancement from the vendor screen if you are buying it from a vendor or the AH is just too hard for a new player to do? Just how low of an opinion do you have of new players? Also, yes, Training Origin enhancements are still in the game. They have not been removed. They just don't drop any more. However, like @PeregrineFalcon said, you can still buy them. SG vendors sell them. (They are still listed on the AH, but no one sells them on the AH since they don't drop.) Edit: Also, your example fails. What is more clear between a targeting reticle that says "Training: Accuracy" or a humanoid silhouette that says "Visor (Accuracy)"? At a glance? They are equally clear. They both say "Accuracy".

That would be "another reason to log off in city hall".

Except like I state in my edit you also quoted, no homework is required. Every enhancement has a label right in its name telling the player what it does. For instance, Power of Grey (Endurance Reduction) or Grace of Joule (Heal/Absorb). Those are the SOs' actual names. It isn't Power of Grey, then click to find what it does or go to wiki and find what it does or ask someone to find what it does. The literal name is "Power of Grey (Endurance Reduction)". Just like with the TO version having Endurance Reduction as its name. It's all right there in the name of the enhancement. Edit: What the tutorials do is tell the player that as they level, they will need enhancements to keep pace with their enemies. Except for the IO crafting tutorial which teaches the player specifically about IO enhancements.

Aside from the fact every power in the game would have to be redesigned and coded for this to work? There are benefits to using DOs or SOs as opposed to IOs. First, DOs and SOs drop from enemies, so you can slot and/or upgrade as you go. You can't do that with IOs. Second, using DOs or SOs instead of IOs, particularly set IOs, gives players the ability to play the game with its original challenge. Which adding extra benefits to powers for using DOs or SOs would negate.

New players can also do the tutorials which address enhancements briefly, and then the advanced tutorial for which the contact is automatically assigned at level 6 and also discusses enhancements. They can also visit any of the IO crafting tutorial contacts available at level 10 to learn even more about enhancements. (And they can also just ask. That is why we have the Help channel, to get help in understanding the game.) (Edit: And TOs and SOs also have labels that say what they do just like TOs did.)

Unless you have another reason to log off in city hall, that isn't necessary. You earn Patrol XP regardless of where you log off.

CO had actual vehicles for players to get around on, and they kinda sucked. Here's the problem with vehicles as travel powers: Indoor missions. Sure, Batman has his Batmobile and Batwing and other vehicles he gets around on, but when he goes inside, they sit outside for obvious reasons. Same for mounts like horses, pterosaurs, or other creature large enough to ride on. They can't maneuver inside so they sit outside. So those vehicles (or mounts in other games) are not usable inside missions. Which runs into another problem: outdoor instances. All instances are treated as indoor maps, for obvious reasons. So like in CO, you could enter a TF, whatever they called it in their game, and be on this massive outdoor map, but not be able to use your vehicle to get around because you are in an instance and that disables access to the vehicle. CO, a newer game than CoX, lacked the ability to differentiate between indoor and outdoor instances. (And per the devs at the time I was playing, could not be changed to make that distinction.)

Until then, you can check the wiki for such information. Both wikis are linked on the heading bar at the top of the page.

The reason why the contacts tell your character that missions/tasks are below your character is because the capabilities of the opposition is progressively no longer a threat to your character. Since the game is apparently unable to exemplar characters down to the requisite level without either having a lower level character to link to or going through the TF system, mechanically the game cannot support making enemies a threat when you level higher. You can see it every time you exemplar. Even if you discount or choose not to use the powers you have that exemplaring still allows you to use, enemies are basically a joke to your character when you exemplar down to them because the game cannot and so does not disable enhancement slots you gained past that level. So your character will always be more powerful than enemies can contend with even while you are exemplared. And the higher the level you achieved, and the more complete the enhancements you possess on the character, the less of a threat those enemies are even with you being exemplared to their level. Look at it this way, a starting hero will fight basic thugs and even sometimes be tasked with basic tasks like helping a neighbor bring their groceries in. As that hero becomes better known and deals with more world threatening challenges, those that work with said hero stop asking the hero to deal with basic thugs or helping bring in their groceries or help with the store. The hero may choose to deal with those basic thugs and the people will be appreciative of it, and the hero can still help that neighbor with the groceries or the store owner with the store and they will be appreciative, but they will also remind the hero that they can handle those things with still available help from others and they will not likely ask the hero to help them with those situations. So like @PeregrineFalcon said, the easiest way to replicate that is to lock your character at the level for the content you see the character doing.

You can still put them in and fighting in your missions, just not boss/AV to boss/AV.

As someone who also has alt-itis, I still oppose this.

They aren't actually a faction, that is why they are not listed. However, you can still select them as specific foes in AE just like you can as allies. (Edit: You just can't use them to populate the map like you can Arachnos or other factions. For instance, Generic Heroes only has 7 characters in it. 6 bosses and 1 ally.) (Edit again: This is most likely also why they are not available for the Battle advanced objective. Since those battles are populated by minions and the generics lack minions to populate the objective with.) Edit yet again: You should probably ask for a new version of the Battle advanced objective that pits bosses against each other. This would most likely grant you the ability to pit a generic hero against a generic villain if that is what you want. The thing to keep in mind about the generics/independents though? Is they have no allies or minions in the game, so they don't fit in any faction. Hence, they are grouped as generics for lacking a faction affiliation. They aren't even allied with each other.

So it is true! They are trapped in a dystopian world of their own choosing until they can level their way out of it! ... or can they get to the Pocket D and talk to Null the Gull to escape their fate even at level 1? Praetorians can access Pocket D any time they want. Studio 55 in Imperial City and SG bases give them access. However, until they go to Primal Earth via one of those 2 missions that changes them to either a Hero or a Villain, they cannot change their alignment to access anywhere else on Primal Earth. (Edit: And Ouroboros is still a part of Primal Earth, just like the Shadow Shard is, despite being another dimension itself.) Edit: Yeah, just verified. Null the Gull doesn't even have the alignment change option when you talk to him as a Praetorian.

I'm not so sure that is the case. In the case of the Protector Bots, when their force fields were made AoE, yes, that behavior was added so the Protector Bots would not waste time applying the force field twice. And that makes sense. However, when you do not have the Maintenance Drone out? The Protector Bots have no problems with applying their heals, even at the same time. So if the behavior was intentional, then the Protector Bots would still exhibit the same behavior where only 1 will heal regardless of the lack of the Maintenance Drone.

I do typically use secondaries with heals. My most taken MM secondary is Dark. My only consideration behind this thread is that Robotics MMs have pets that get abilities with their 2nd upgrade that they don't use as long as another, newer pet is out. And to the best of my knowledge, that is not how the pets are supposed to work. As @Doc_Scorpion points out, it more seems to be a bug in the Protector Bots' code than the Maintenance Drone, hence the new thread on the Bugs forum. I am by no means advocating for the Maintenance Drone to be gimped nor am I advocating for the Protector Bots to only shield and heal. Indeed, my preference is for the pets to use their full available array of powers, but the Protector Bots are not doing so. Even if the Protector Bots are coded to prioritize attacking, their attacks are not so fast that they cannot also heal. Especially considering how often I see them just standing there with a sizable END bar left not doing a thing until they get a new attack to finish recharging while there are pets in need of heals. Edit: And there are multiple times where I need number of heals more than I need anything else. Hence, my preference for the 2 Protector Bots with their 2 heals rather than the 1 Maintenance Drone with its 1 heal.

You are addressing the wrong person. It is @swredder that is having the issue.

Someone else pointed out we can just enter city hall and enter RV to get our own portal as well.

If I put the Protector Bots in Passive, "green" mode, they don't attack unless I specifically order them to attack a specific target. Why would I want them to not attack? As for the 3rd paragraph? You play the way you want. In my case, I prefer to keep my pets alive, usually through a mix of buffs on the pets, heals, and debuffs on the enemies, while fitting in my own attacks, so the pets can attack and decimate the targets. So again, I am not understanding what you are trying to tell me.

Link to new bug report version of this thread:

Sure, but that would be why I called it a minor stealth effect.

This thread is a repost from the Suggestions thread, except from the Protector Bots point instead. Prior to respec'ing out of Maintenance Drone, whenever I had the Maintenance Drone out, my Protector Bots adamantly refused to heal any of the bots. This has been verified by @Doc_Scorpion to an extent. For whatever reason, the Protector Bots just won't heal while the Maintenance Drone is in use. Edit: Link to original discussion on the Suggestions and Feedback forum: