Rudra

*sigh* Let me try this from another angle. I do not care if this change is implemented. Like, at all. If it is? Okay, don't care. It is already my favorite support set and the set I use on over half my corruptors and MMs. If it is not? Oh well, don't care. Will still use the set, it is still my favorite support set. My post with the links is to ask you to keep in mind what the current dev team has said they are trying to do. Push for the change. I am not opposing it. I am asking you to not ignore what the devs have said in your comments. I am also not saying that your suggestion violates what the devs said. I do not know what specifics they use for balance. I am leaving that up to them. I am simply pointing out that none of us know what they look at for balance. So we cannot say that a suggested change to a power will not affect the balance. What we can say is we have an idea we think will improve the game and here is our reasoning. Let the devs deal with whether or not it unbalances anything. Unless the proposed change is flagrantly unbalancing if implemented or if the change would make the power not the same. (Neither of which I am saying yours does.) So sure, let's shake hands and bury this between us.

There really isn't much of a rule system across the gaming industry. Expectations? Sure. Rules? Not so much. Every company or enterprise develops their own rules and philosophies for their own products. And in some cases, those rules and philosophies change between products. So yeah, there is no rule for the arguments being made in the industry. Because the only rule in the industry seems to boil down to "make a product people will pay for". Now as to how such a product is made, that is up to each agency or team. And our team has said they want to keep the game as much like it was on Live as they can while still making new content and making required changes. See https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/2411-the-future-an-open-letter-from-the-homecoming-team/ for the statement of intent. See also https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/3199-design-formulas/ for statement of power design and editing philosophy. Let me point out "While these formulas can be broken with enough justification, they should definitely be followed as a starting point in order to make sure your power "feels right" when compared to other powers in COH." from that post. Powers are subject to change, as needed and in keeping with other powers in the game. So make your case as to why you think this change should happen. Expect push back, pretty much every suggestion faces that, but give your justification for the suggested change. And as was discussed earlier in the thread, you don't know any better than the rest of us what specifics the devs use to gauge power balance. So maybe just shortening the animations with no trade offs will not unbalance anything. Or maybe shortening the animations with no trade offs will make the powers mechanically unbalanced in contrast to the other powers. Unless you are a dev, you do not know. And if you are a dev, then just do it. No one other than another dev can stop you.

You quote me where I say I don't care either way if the animation times are shortened, and ask me if I have a problem with it or would like it? You lost me on that post.

Parts of your posts are hard to read, but that has no bearing on this thread. Now back to your 1st post on this thread: As you admit, you do not know how the devs, current or previous, figured animation times. For all you know, @biostem's depiction that animation times are part of the formula is correct. For all I know, maybe you're correct. The devs know though. So the suggestion about animation times was made. We can debate the necessity or lack of reducing the animation times, but we cannot argue about what the devs can, cannot, will, or will not do. So let's debate the merits of the OP. Most of this thread has had very little to do with it so far. At least in my opinion. Edit: ... "but we cannot argue about what the devs can, cannot, will, or will not do." ... well, we can, and some of us probably have either intentionally or by accident, but it is pointless to do so.... Sorry, felt the need to correct myself there.

Uhm... you can already get the temps from the Safeguards and Mayhems by going through Agent Hassle and Lord Schweinzer. You can do all the Safeguards and Mayhems on demand through them. I unlocked Lord Schweinzer without even trying. Agent Hassle took a little work, but that was probably because I started red side and didn't go blue side until late.

That claim discounts the devs' own claim that though they are not going to maintain a museum piece, they are doing their best to adhere to the original CoX. So yes, they have done somethings that are different, but they are doing so while trying to abide by what was done on Live. Yes, they are introducing new content and new features. The game needs to grow if they want to maintain, let alone grow, the game population. They do not seem to be inclined towards the undeveloped/unreleased content the Live devs were working on, but we have no way of knowing since we have no way of knowing what incomplete projects the HC team may have managed to get. Regardless, that is untested, unreleased, incomplete content, so it does not matter if the HC devs bother with it or not. (Though I would like to see it.) And some powers were modified on Live, like finally being able to use all our armors at once instead of praying that we're not fighting Tsoo or similar who have attacks that require all our armors to face. So we can't be sure the Live devs would have been as opposed to the current changes as you are implying. If changes need to be made, the HC team has shown they are willing to make those changes. They seem to prefer not making unnecessary changes though and have already declared they do not wish to violate the vision of the previous developers. (As an aside, since the HC team is in negotiations with the company that shall remain unnamed, it makes sense for them to not make too many changes.) Edit: Dang it, @biostem! You couldn't have delayed your response a minute or two for me to finish and keep my comment lined up? 😄

I don't really care if the animation times for Tar Patch, Darkest Night, or Twilight Grasp are changed. I love the Dark Miasma set. It is the support set I use most often and I've never had any problems with the animation times for those powers. Though Twilight Grasp sometimes rezzing me instead of healing me is always funny to watch. Howling Twilight? Yeah, that could definitely use a better animation time, but it is not imperative. As for Tar Patch, after I slot a recharge reduction or two in it until I can get my sets going, I pretty much always have it available for the next fight. Unless I'm on a team. In which case forget having it for every group and just use it for big fights because the team typically eats everything too fast. So if the animation times are sped up? I won't complain. If they aren't? I won't care. I already enjoy the set. Edit: As for rad's animation times? Haven't used the set. No comment/opinion.

And only applies to the radial melee hybrids. So anyone thinking they can slot a T1 melee hybrid or any core melee hybrid and get the taunt is in for a bit of disappointment.

Well... they do have IO sets for fear and I don't think that is a common effect. However, I am not aware of any sets made just for a specific AT power set. If a power set needs an IO set specifically for it to make it more attractive or useful, then the set itself needs to be looked at. It does not warrant making an IO set specifically for that power set. Personally, I won't ever use Force Field. Just like I won't use Thermal Radiation or Cold Domination. And I have exactly one and will most likely only ever have exactly one character with Kinetics. So take my opinion with a grain of salt (or a spoonful of sugar). Edit: Besides, with the new difficulties, I hear bubbles are coming back into fashion.

Agreed. Mobs shouldn't flee just because a PC makes a rude gesture. I don't remember mobs fleeing anywhere this often or for anything less than they were near defeat and several others from their spawn had already fallen back on Live. Of course, that was back when mobs would happily stay in and fight from tar patch and targeted AoE DoTs. So I can agree with the need to make mobs fight more intelligently than that, at least to not fight from a location DoT, but the degree to which they avoid anything is beyond ridiculous. Life would be so much simpler for the citizens in comics, let alone the heroes/villains, if the opposition just turned tail and ran as easily as CoX mobs currently do.

Hells, before IOs ever existed, /dark scrappers and I can't remember what secondary for controllers would just walk through and complete missions with just their secondaries for stealth. So asking if or saying stalkers should be the only ones able to stealth missions is laughable.

Scrappers, Controllers, and I think Blasters were stealthing missions long before Stalkers were ever a thing. (And the missions could be completed without having to clear the room/area at the time too.) So your comparison fails.

Technically? The last area is Night Ward which is less Paretoria and more spirit realm. Last Bastion, like the Belladonna Vetrano arc which has you running around Imperial City, is a series of instanced missions. That is not an area, that is a mission arc. Now, it would be great if they made a new zone based on Last Bastion, but that is a jump from level 35 cap to incarnate with nothing available in between. Pyriss and Terra never had their minds completely destroyed/wiped by Hamidon. Hamidon wanted to preserve Terra because he loved her, but he still effected sufficient changes to make her view the heroes, and by extension humanity, as something to be wiped out. Pyriss was handed over to Hamidon tainted by demonic power to see what would happen. Pyriss managed to maintain her memories and even her mind, but was still bound to serve Hamidon. Vernon von Grun's claim that he restored her mind because she could talk and understand him is his being delusional because Pyriss never lost the ability to speak or comprehend. For that matter, all DE can speak and understand, further rendering von Grun's boast ignorant. (Edit again: In the last mission you see Pyriss before the incarnate content, she is already a Devoured and upon defeat laments that she could not keep her old life as a super or her new life as a Devoured. Meaning Themari's experiment was fairly successful, but also meaning von Grun did nothing to restore her mind.) However, yes, those are the only two individuals I know of that Hamidon allowed to retain their minds and free will to any degree. Praetorian Hamidon didn't even do that. There is no evidence that Praetorian Hamidon bothered to devour anyone and permit them to retain any part of their former lives. The infected may have their minds and personalities still, but until they can be cured of the infecting spores, they are bound to serve Hamidon's will. Edit: Ever notice how none of the infected ever call for help to be free, reference their former lives, or do anything other than try to kill the IDF and you? And they aren't even devoured yet. In the "A Voice In Your Head"(?) tip mission, there is a comment that if someone is recently infected they can be saved, but once they are devoured, they are gone forever. Pyriss and Terra had special circumstances. One to see if Hamidon's might could be harnessed through demonic magic and the other by Hamidon's desire to keep his love somewhat recognizable.

That's kind of the point, isn't it? Gold siders are supposed to eventually go blue side/red side. It falls. I can't imagine a PEAT that would make any sense. The last Praetorian zone caps at 35 and isn't technically Praetoria any more. I'm definitely in favor of getting some of the Resistance weapons for players, but a PEAT? Edit: How would you even justify playing Hamidon forces (DE hybrid)? Since Hamidon wants to wipe out humanity and the various DE including the infected are all technically part of him, I don't see any way to justify a PC DE. (There are only 2 individuals I can think of that Hamidon allowed any amount of free will to, and even they had most of their personality and mind subsumed.)

The only Longbow you can't really play as is a Ballista. You want to play a Longbow Flamethrower, Rifle, or other minion? Play an assault rifle character and only use that 1 attack those minions have. You want to play a Longbow Sergeant or Nullifier? Play an assault rifle character. Want to play a Longbow Officer? Play an assault rifle character with leadership. Want to play a Longbow Warden? Make a standard character. The Longbow costume options are already available for all players. Longbow has to be the most basic non-gang faction in the game. You can play one any time you want already. (Edit: Hells, 2 of my current characters are Longbow characters. So yes, you can already play as Longbow.) Edit again: The only attack you would be missing is Pummel. For that, ask the devs to port the Pummel animation over to Boxing or Brawl and have it trigger as the animation when your power set includes a weapon.

Check out the Macro (slash command) and CC (slash command) pages on paragonwiki.com. It tells you how to make macros to do this. No programming experience needed.

Call this thread done and bury it.

You want two merits per paper/radio mission?! Those are typically fast missions. Why should papers/radios get merits for random repeatable missions when other random repeatable missions like in First Ward and Night Ward are worth jack all? No. And you want to earn merits just for joining. You already get merits for joining the content in the LFG tab. So no to merits just for using the LFG tab. No merit reward on top of the merit reward for content just because you joined using the LFG tab. As stated by @Uun, you can already flashback to any Safeguard/Mayhem you want. If you want a Safeguard/Mayhem PvP accessible through like the arena, then fine. I don't care. If you want to make Safeguards/Mayhems PvP? I can't say my reaction without getting banned. Why are people fixated on getting even more buffs on their characters? I want to say no to this. I really, really, really want to say no to this. Instead I'll say I don't really care other than this bonus only benefits a specific sub group of players. So thank you for coming up with an accolade reward that tells the majority of characters where they can stick it. Actually, I guess that is still a no. Okay, so I don't really care if yet another accolade to buff the characters exists, but I do care that the proposed accolade is geared to benefit only some characters. (Edit: Not even mezzers in general. Just strictly characters that use fear.) How would they help get the badge? You get the badge by getting all the explores. What do you even mean by this?

You don't need more than 1 costume slot. There are people that like to have varied looks for their characters, like me. Sometimes 12 costume slots isn't enough. I'm not giving any up for my pets. (Edit: I still want customizable pets.)

Nope. Considering how often group fly makes my MM's pets stop doing anything, like at all, I will never be happy about being affected by it. And I'm willing to bet that if people forget to hit up Null to disable it from affecting them, group fly will still make them upset too.

So make suggestions for the things you like and see if the devs are willing to try. Edit: Please specify what your suggestions are though. Asking the dev team to go check out another game and just "copy everything" is a rather big ask.

*face palm* Good point. I forgot, sorry. See? There was a simpler way to do this than I anticipated.

Meteor works for me, but what about Cataclysm (just for a name, it can be changed)? Creates a storm effect of cascading lightning and slashing hail that is shattered by the plummeting meteor? Though that would make more sense for a Judgement power instead.... Maybe Nature's Fury? Sets up a low DoT hot mud effect (fire and smashing damage) that slows and tries to knock targets down (they slip and founder in the burning mud) as a thunderstorm rains lightning (energy and lethal damage?) down on them? Duration could be 8-10 seconds. (... I'm struggling here, sorry. I'm partial to just using the Meteor for simplicity's sake and calling it good.)

My gut reaction is NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU because of the merging of the sets. However, thinking it over, you are only using Smashing, Lethal, Fire, and Cold. And that combination does make sense for an elementalist of some sort, be that individual an arcane caster, divine caster, nature caster, elemental avatar, or what have you. So giving this some thought, sure, it makes sense. Go for it. I'm not particularly in favor of either iteration over the other though. And I'm curious if anyone else has additional options for consideration. Not going to argue against this though.

Each version would need to be its own power. I think the current version gives you the transporter based on whether you are a villain/rogue or a hero/vigilante, so that determination is easy. The new additions would not be so easy to incorporate into the existing power and so would likely need their own neutral/specific faction version of the power. (The devs are free to prove me wrong. I really don't mind being wrong. If this can be implemented more easily, then please.) If there are multiple versions of Team Transport to accommodate this, they would need to share the timer. Otherwise, you could just buy every version and just TT all over the place to your missions.