Rudra

WHAT IS YOUR SOURCE FOR THIS INFORMATION? For the server status? The Select A Server screen when you log into the game. That shows whether the servers are up and provides the dots showing current load. For what would happen if the servers were merged into a single server? My experiences from games that only had 1 server or didn't have enough servers for their game population.

And yet the same arguments that first caused me to involve myself are still being made despite the evidence provided showing they aren't true. Edit: So sure, I'll take a breather. We're just going in circles anyway.

Nope, others have requested water melee and armor sets too. So it's not just you. Got any specifics in mind for your proposal?

Okay, re-posting this without quotes in case it helps clarify for those that didn't have a chance to read it yet. Evaluating merging servers on Homecoming: Excelsior is the most populated server. During the times I play, Excelsior is almost always at 3 red dots for server status. That means the server is under heavy load. It may even be near its full capacity. Everlasting is at a solid 2 green dots for server status. That means the server is under a moderate or strong load. At the same time, other servers are showing as 2 green dots. If the servers were to be merged, especially if the two most populous servers were to be merged, then the server's capacity would be exceeded. What this means is that the server will hit full capacity and any players beyond that capacity will not be allowed to log on until someone already on exits the game. That leads to game queues. And from experience, those queues can run up to an hour. (Sometimes even longer.) And while the server is chugging along at its max capacity, it is under a lot of strain. This can cause the server to overheat and shut down, ejecting everyone from the game until the server can be brought back up. And even if the server does not dump everyone for all the stress it is under, if your computer, or your internet connection, or the game itself causes you to drop from the game? You are stuck going back into the queue to be able to play again. So good luck rejoining your team or finishing that timed mission you were on before it fails. That is the main issue with the merge the servers proposal. That is why games like City of Heroes/Villains maintain multiple servers. And that is why games make new servers and provide incentives to players to migrate to those new servers as the game population grows.

Yes. Regardless of whether you are talking about AVs using Kheldian powers, AVs using Blaster powers, AVs using any other set of powers in the game, they are going to be more powerful per attack than any PC in the game. That has nothing to do with Kheldian NPCs using Nova or Dwarf abilities while in human form because they are not doing so. They are using regular Kheldian powers plus some dev assigned additions players don't have access to, and they are using them at an AV level of power. So arguing that AVs hit harder with their version of powers means they are using special transformation versions of powers without the transformations is false. That is the challenge part of the game. Some things are more dangerous to be a challenge to players. If you don't like being in squid or lobster form for 66% of your game play, then don't be. There are multiple guides out there for human form only builds that do very well in all content. Except it isn't a minimal FX option. A minimal FX option goes into the animation and removes the added effects like glitter and sparkles and other FX, stripping the animation down to just its relevant movements. Using Bright Nova, Dark Nova, White Dwarf, and Black Dwarf applies a character replacement just like when you do Eagle Eye's mission and the game replaces your character with Deadlock to fight Back Alley Brawler. The Nova transformation removes your character, plugs in the Nova character, and that Nova character has its own attacks and resistances. The Dwarf transformation removes your character, plugs in the Dwarf character, and that Dwarf character has its own attacks and resistances. And those attacks have their own animations and their own VFX. It is a complete character replacement, including turning off your own character's powers, including any pool powers you have. (Though I think they were changed to being suppressed instead of just being turned off now.) You already can. Look up Changeling. They do that already to maximize their damage. Which as the lore reads, will take away those powers you are trying to access. Because those aren't your character's powers. They are the powers the Nova's race possessed. (They just happen to be similar to 4 of the Kheldian's own powers.) They are the powers the Dwarf's race possessed. (Which is why you don't see those same powers in the Kheldian base powers list.) So cosmetics should determine power strength? My guy, that goes against the core foundation this game was created on but you have the nerve to point fingers at other people because "MUH LORE". Balance has no place in a cosmetic discussion. Lore, to an extent, but no one is suggesting we get rid of the lore-based transformations, just more options. No, cosmetics aren't determining power strength. The transformation is. Again, the Nova and Dwarf are not cosmetic changes any more than when you play as Deadlock is a cosmetic change. As I already stated: Poor arguments get me. It's my nature to comment on them. I think I am very much contributing to the discussion. Also as I said, while I had no stake in it, it is the arguments being presented that drove me to oppose the OP. See below: Then here, I'll clarify: An alternate animation not doing what the power name says is fine in my book. Fire Breath is a cone fire attack. At its core, that is all it is. So what if it gets changed to come from your hand instead? It can come from your butt for all I care. It has no lore assigned to it. It can take whatever form fits the character better because it is meant as a generic ability any character can wield. Foot Stomp turning into a ground punch? The core of the power is striking the ground. I don't care if you headbutt the ground to do it. More power to you. It is a generic intended set built around a theme, not around established AT lore. Minimal FX is less good in my book because now you are taking away the theme of the power(s). If the minimal FX manages to maintain the set's theme? Okay, I'm fine with it. Removing a transformation that is established in the game as being a transformation progresses beyond even the minimal FX bit. Now you are asking to take away one of the core traits of an epic AT. And no, epic does not only mean more grand or more powerful or uber-class tier or whatever. Epic also means long narrative or poem. Like the Epic of Gilgamesh. Or the epic that is the Odyssey. In this case, you are not playing a generic inclined AT with theme based power sets, you are playing a very specifically designed for a very specific story AT. HEATs being the hero side epic story archetype and VEATs being the villain side epic story archetype. That is all they are. ATs with a very specific story that defines where they come from, why they are there, and how their powers work. Only HEATs and VEATs get access to contacts like Alan Desslock who give stories that are only applicable to the HEATs or VEATs depending on the contact. That is the epic part. Now, players don't have to play those story arcs. They don't have to participate in the epic that exists about Kheldians and Arachnos. That does not give them call to change that epic to suit them though, because those ATs are built for their stories. So is constantly having to repeat myself.

Listen, if you and/or they want to pitch not fully transformed? I'll grant that. On the provision that the not fully transformed form's powers are equally not powerful. You only do a 10% shift in the transformation? That form's attacks are doing 10% its normal damage. Ethereal manifestations around the character or stand-like constructs near the character? No, because that goes against the lore. They aren't using constructs or manifestations, they are transforming into another species to fight as.

As opposed to giving the players on the less populated servers what they want? Or the players on Everlasting that like not logging onto the red Excelsior server? Merging Everlasting and Excelsior would drive Excelsior beyond what the server can handle. That's the reason for multiple servers, to reduce strain on the servers and give players places to play.

Definite agreement. I've said multiple times that I have no stake in this and was instead trying to point out fallacies in provided arguments. So now I would like to state how annoying it is that I am in a position where I am defending the opposing voices for the OP. So I'm going to break down my stance and hopefully put this to bed. 1) The OP is not an alternate animation request. It is a request to change how the powers themselves work. Changing the request to that would have been fine with me. (And I would have basically disappeared from the thread at that point.) 2) Arguing that the Nova and Dwarf forms are part of the lore and so should remain is not a derailment of the topic. It is an argument by the person(s) making the argument to not have them changed. 3) The Kheldians' lore stipulates they are transforming into a previously bonded race to use those races' abilities. So transforming into those races makes sense just like requiring a ranged weapon to use a ranged weapon power set, a shield to use a shield power set, a melee weapon to use a melee weapon power set, and a gun/claw backpack to use gun/claw backpack powers makes sense. 4) Deciding that established game lore is nonsense because it does not line up with a suggestion/request is an invalid counter. This is a MMORPG after all. The lore is the game. 5) The Nova and Dwarf forms are not the player's character and never were. They were previous characters in the Kheldian's very long existence that the Kheldian transforms the character into for whatever task the player decides it is needed for. So it does not make sense to transform into the current host form from the current host form. 6) The argument that NPC Kheldians use Nova and Dwarf abilities while in human form is false because they are using Peacebringer/Warshade standard abilities (even if 1 of them is a merged form of multiple defensive powers) plus their own unique dev assigned power(s). And a simple comparison of what those powers do against the PC Kheldian powers list shows that. 7) Citing a being from another franchise's universe that has to the best of my knowledge no similarities to the Kheldians for why Kheldians should ignore their established lore is a false argument. That character does not follow Kheldian lore because that character is not a Kheldian. And again, this is a lore-based game and the Kheldians have extensive lore established on them including how and why their powers work the way they do. Edit: Oh yeah: 8 ) Per how the lore reads, if the Nova and/or Dwarf were to have the option of being changed, it would also entail a new set of powers for that new form. Because again, the Kheldian character is transforming into a previously bonded race, and the reason why they transform into Nova and Dwarf forms is to make use of those races' abilities. I'm in favor of more options, believe it or not. I prefer to support things like power customization. The issue I have with the OP and this thread in general are the arguments being made. Like I already told someone else, I had no intentions of taking sides in this debate, I was arguing the arguments. However, it is those same arguments that have drawn me into opposition to the OP. The insistence that the lore does not matter blows my mind. How does the lore not matter in a RPG? How can someone who claims to play and enjoy HEATs not know the lore of those ATs when the game walks you through most of it and claim that all that lore and the missions establishing it mean nothing? What kind of argument is that? Given past precedent, I'm willing to bet my stance is still clear as mud to everyone else on these forums. But there they are.

Those are alternate animations. For a power set that does not belong to an AT that is itself defined with a very specific story. Yes, those are coming from different locations of the player chosen model. Kheldians are not such openly generic characters. Their powers are defined by their lore. That lore specifies transformations. Not power origin points. If you want to ask for the Nova to use alternate animations for their attacks? Or the Dwarf? That would fall in line with what you are arguing. So instead of wherever the Nova's attacks normally come from, they come from a different part of the Nova's body. Or they have a different appearance when the Nova fires the attack. That would be in line with what you are posting here. Or if the Nova's or Dwarf's bodies could be colored differently instead of just their auras, that would fall in line with what you are posting here. The better argument for what you are trying to say is the ongoing request for MM pet customizations to allow for different pets to be used. That would fall in line with what is being argued in this thread. (Edit: Though even the MM pet customization requests isn't a full match either. Because MMs lack the establishing lore Kheldians have defining them. However, it would at least be a better argument.)

Because she isn't a Kheldian. A Psychic Armor/Construct like that, or whatever that character is using, is a novel idea. Simon in Champions uses a psychic power set like that for instance, and it annoyed me in CO that we couldn't use the same power set. So go ahead and pitch it as an armor set or whatever. Kheldians however are already defined for what they are. And that is a shapeshifting energy race that bonds with another race to extend their lives. And the Nova form power even says the character transforms into an energy beast. Not that it powers up the human form, that it is a complete transformation. The lore states that energy beast as described by the power is a previous race the Kheldian bonded with. Again, a full on transformation, not a simple power up. That character you are showing me isn't transformed. She is manifesting a power shell around herself. That is not the same thing. Hells, if players want the tentacle powers they were using in those unofficial comics, request those be added to the Kheldian power sets. By all means. However, even in those comics, Horus went Nova form to fight as a Nova. (Edit: So those tentacle blasts still won't be as powerful an attack as the Nova possesses.)(Edit again: Hells, while I don't remember those comics very well, it seemed less like a powered up attack and more an attempt to catch the foe off guard with attacks from an unexpected source. That was maintained because Requiem showed he possessed the same abilities and Horus didn't want to be overwhelmed by multiple attacks at the same time.)

The point is that SoAs have to use the backpack to use Crab Spider attacks. Assault Rifle characters have to use a gun to shoot things. Kheldians have to use Nova to use Nova attacks and Dwarf to use Dwarf abilities. When it comes to the Kheldian PC, the bonded Kheldian and his/her/their presumed human host are using the Kheldian's full array of abilities in human form. If the Kheldian wants to use another race's abilities, like the more powerful Nova or more robust Dwarf, they have to shift to that other race. They are quite literally turning into something else. That something else is not as versatile as the bonded Kheldian in their human form, but that prior race the Kheldian turns into provides its advantages. If the Kheldian were to turn into absolutely anything else, it would not provide those same advantages. If players want more of the Kheldians' previous bonded races? Ask for them. If the devs are willing to invest the effort, they will get more of the previous races the Kheldians bonded with. What won't happen though, is a transformation into another form with its limited attacks/powers that is the same as the Kheldian's current bonded race's form. Because as far as the lore goes, it does not work that way. Kheldians are not Bio Armor characters mutating or shifting their focus for combat, they are fully transforming into a previously bonded species and using that species' abilities. Edit: Though more previous races for Kheldians is probably out of the question until the Changeling exploit is fixed.

You are so close to the point if you jumped you would crush it under the weight of that thick head of yours That none of the NPC Kheldians use Nova or Dwarf abilities without transforming any more than player Kheldians do? Or that none of the NPC Kheldians that I know of even use the transformations and instead just use human form mode for their combat? Other than the named Novas in the ITF Hard Mode and Sister Valeria's story arc which don't use human form at all.

Are they using Nova or Dwarf without transforming? Or are they using their Nictus powers and are more powerful because they are AVs? (It's because they are AVs.) And War Wolves aren't using Dwarf strength. They don't even have a complete Nictus in them to be able to tap into a Nictus recalled form transformation. Just a shard that is being used to amplify their physical strength. The Kheldians players play are using their full force too. And they even amplify that force with the help of enhancements. However, they aren't AVs. Just like a Psychic Blast Blaster uses their full force, but Penelope Yin and Clockwork King hit harder. They have the advantage of being AVs/Heroes. Edit: And the Galaxies aren't using Nova powers. They are using Nictus powers. For instance: Galaxy Archon Warshade Gravimetric Snare Gravimetric Snare (T3) Shadow Blast Shadow Blast (T5) Gravity Well Gravity Well (T9) Sunless Mire Sunless Mire (T7) Essence Drain Essence Drain (T10) Star Punch Does not have a matching power even in Dwarf or Nova (Go Council) Shadow Slip Shadow Slip (T10 secondary) Stygian Circle Stygian Circle (T8 secondary) Stygian Return Stygian Return (T12 secondary) Umbral Shield Is all Warshade shield powers merged. Not even Dwarf has a match. Absorption Absorption (T1 secondary) Edit again: Arakhn: Ebon Eye Ebon Eye (T2) Gravimetric Snare T3 Gravity Well T9 Essence Drain T10 Gravitic Emanation T11 Quasar Does not having a matching power even in Dwarf or Nova Stygian Circle T8 secondary Inky Aspect Inky Aspect (T11 secondary) Resistance It's good to be an AV, isn't it?

You are not reporting a bug. This should be posted on the Suggestions and Feedback forum. (Edit: You can also turn off the buffs applied to you. It's been a while, but I believe you right click the buff icon and select cancel. While that won't stop the buff from disrupting emotes, it will take them away.) (Edit again: You can also ask the buffing player to stop buffing you if it is a ST buff. And they are supposed to stop.)

SoAs do have to use the Crab Spider backpack to use their Crab Spider attacks. (Edit again: And Arachnos Widows have to use Arachnos Widow Claws with that extendable blade for their melee attacks.) Kheldians do not have to transform into a generic model to use their powers, they use them in human form. They have to transform to a Nova to use the Nova's more powerful attacks and they have to transform into a Dwarf to use the Dwarf's abilities. Their own abilities? Nope, they can use as many of the 14/13 powers as their 24 power slots allows them to, with 1 of the 14 and 1 of the 13 being transformations into another species that provide their own abilities. The lore says that they merged with multiple races over their existences. However, the devs did not provide those other races with their respective powers to PC Kheldians. Most likely because that would be a huge undertaking. And even if they did, they would not provide the same powers as the Nova or Dwarf. (Edit: And who knows how many of those other races provided no combat abilities to the bonded Kheldian? "You are a good host! Let us see what you can do! ... ... ... I see you can bleed and die... with your only ability being to spit a harmless glob 3 feet away... ... You are still a good host! I will not age or die while in your body and that is more important!") You are correct. Per the lore, the Kheldians should have a great number of forms to choose from. (Edit: Though that does not mean those previous races' bodies were any good in combat without the Kheldian using his/her/their own attacks instead. And Kheldians have no need to transform into those bodies to use their attacks/abilities, because they are already using their own attacks/abilities in the player's character.) The problem with that being making all those forms with their respective powers. And maybe the reason why the Kheldians retain their Nova and Dwarf forms is because they are more similar to the Kheldians than more organic forms. I don't know, just guessing here. The practical reason is that making all those races the Kheldians merged with is a massive ask. The possible lore reason may be form compatibility after separation. Edit: And even if any given PC Kheldian had merged with humans prior to that player's current PB/WS character, they still would not use a transformation to turn into a human. Because the only thing the human race offers them is a safe harbor as a host body with no innate racial abilities that would help them fight. And even if they did for some reason choose to transform into a previous host human, they would still be using the exact same powers as that player's current character. For no benefit. No increase in power. No increase in durability. No anything. So that would be a wasted transformation. And transforming into the current character makes no sense because they can't bond multiple times to a single host. So the human form would be the only form for that character. No transformations that retained that character's appearance.

Look at it this way: If you were to change the Kheldians so that your specific Kheldian never bonded with a Nova (whatever their race is called) or a Dwarf (whatever their race is called), then you will not get their powers. You want a lizard form instead of Nova? Okay, but then the Nova's Blast, Bolt, Detonation, and Scatter powers go away. Instead you get whatever natural abilities that lizard race had. You want a human instead of a Nova? Okay, you are another race after the human and you get to use the human's powers. So... uhm... Brawl.... Changing the Nova and Dwarf changes what powers those powers add.

If you're going to quote people, then don't change what they said. Remove what doesn't apply, sure, but don't change what was posted. Otherwise it isn't a quote. Those are fighting games. Using well established characters that are immediately recognized by a large number of individuals that are by no means balanced against/to each other. Having Superman fight Batman without any kryptonite is simply a dead Batman, and that makes for a very poor fighting game. This is an MMORPG where you aren't playing pre-established characters from DC, Marvel, or any other franchise. So there is no need to nerf one character into the ground for a 'fair' fight against another in a fighting game. Then ask for more cosmetic options for your character. Novas and Dwarfs though? Those aren't your character. Those are previous beings that your bound Kheldian remembers enough to be able to assume their form. No, your request was to be able to transform and use the powers without transforming. Previous threads asked to be able to change what previous races their Kheldian had bonded with. Not even. Kheldians have 14 primary powers. Of those 14 primary powers, 1 is Bright Nova or Dark Nova. Bright Nova adds 4 attacks you do not have to devote power selections to. Even if you count the Nova form power itself with the Nova form attacks, that becomes 5 of 18. 4 of which were already available to the Kheldian without taking Nova, they just require power selections. Kheldians have 13 secondary powers. Dwarf has 4 powers. Even if you count the added powers from Dwarf, that makes it 5 of 17 powers. So not even close to half.

Just because you don't like what is being said does not render it nonsense. The game's lore drives a lot. Why the Freakshow are the way they are. Why Crey is the way it is. Where Arachnos comes from and why they do what they do. Where the Kheldians come from, what they did before they got here as a race, why they did what they did before getting to Primal Earth, why they hate the Nictus, why the Nictus focus so much effort on them, and even why they need hosts on Primal Earth. And to change or ignore that is to throw out a massive part of what explains the game and makes it what it is.

Kheldians have an established story for them. Bio Armor does not. Kheldians have specific enemies hunting them that only show up for the Kheldians except in a single mission that I know of where they can be found by others. Kheldians give players the ability to build their characters from 14 primary powers (not counting the added powers from Nova) and 13 secondary powers (not counting added powers from Dwarf), while Bio Armor characters get the standard 9 and 9. So how does Bio Armor invalidate the Kheldian HEATs?

Yes. It is explained in the Kheldian lore. No, it wouldn't, because where the Kheldians went is defined in the lore. What races were there and why they used them as hosts is defined in the lore. So to change those past hosts requires you to change the lore. Edit: It's like us looking at a wolf. Most people can't at a glance tell any differences between two grey wolves. The same goes for the Nova and Dwarf forms. They may have a wide variety of differences, but those differences are invisible to us because of lack of familiarity/understanding.

Not arguing that either. All I am saying is that not all powers are divorced from their appearances. Some still require specific alterations to the character, be it a wielded weapon or a shield. Those requirements have a variety of options for what models they use, and so what appearances they have, but they still have that requirement. Edit: And as far as VEATs and their costume pieces go? Uhm, yes they are. They are still limited to the single Crab Spider backpack if they have any builds on that character that have Crab Spider abilities. (Edit again: We have the option of color changing the backpack, but we are still required to have the backpack.) Edit yet again: And as far as the Kheldians go? I would like to point out the obvious. The character's human form is the current character. The Nova and Dwarf are previous hosts from a specific planet where there wasn't the sheer variety of races like on Earth. One of the races, the Nova I think, is from a gas giant. So you shouldn't get to change the Nova or Dwarf based on the lore because those were past hosts. Not defined by the character, but defined by what the Kheldians did before getting to Earth.

Except as you yourself said in this post, they are not just cosmetic options. You literally have to enable another suite of powers that you stack on top of the suite of powers your human form is using. The human form has its own version of everything the Nova form and Dwarf form have. So you can very much play a human form only and get access to all the same powers. I don't have a stake in this argument because I won't play a Kheldian. So I'm not arguing in favor of or against the OP. I'm letting others with a stake do that. All I am doing is pointing out that you are not asking for a minimal FX option, you are asking for how the power works to be changed. You can't use a particles effect slash command to make the Nova or Dwarf go away, so they won't go away with a minimal FX option. They can only go away if the power itself is changed, not the associated animation(s). I'm not going to argue the merits of having a separate Nova or Dwarf form appearance. On that argument, all I am saying is it is not a derailment of the thread to argue whether or not having those appearances is required or not.

Sort of. Weapon attacks still call for weapons and shields still call for shields. And Kheldians get as much variety in their main (human) form as any other character. So they can still be any race currently, but their previous hosts were not so diverse in appearance. (Edit: And SoA Crab Spiders are still required to get that one Crab Spider backpack no matter what. They just get a color change option for it.)

The point was that the forms are their appearances. Like you said, the human form has the same powers. So the forms are basically just the appearances with some modifications to the character's stats. (Higher damage for Nova and higher resist for Dwarf, I think.) Edit: So the argument wasn't a derailment. It was an argument against taking away the forms' appearances.

While not the same as what you are saying, the OP is functionally the same. For instance, if you craft a Judgement power and a Side Branch 1 power, you can either slot that Judgement or you can slot that Side Branch 1 power, but you can't slot both. So it would still for all intents and purposes be an instead of power.