r0y

While the intention is fine, I am worried it would just become like a Twitter or Reddit cesspool. Popularity contests (systems) are very easy to abuse on-line.

Other possibilities, but not as helpful would be things like: $group = character's supergroup / villaingroup $playedtime = amount of time played (equiv. to talking to a Civilian NPC who's name starts with "M") $patrolcount / $patroltime = similar to Civilian NPC who's name starts with "N" / "O" $helpflag = Help Me! / Helper / Roleplaying Probably many others...

To the devs: Currently, there are at least ten (10) in-game variables that I know of that are usable in chats: $name = character name $archetype = character AT $level = character level $primary = character's primary powerset $secondary = character's secondary powerset $battlecry = character's battlecry $side = character's alignment (Hero or Villain) $origin = character's origin (magic, natural, etc.) $target = currently selected target $server = 10.10.40.4 (not sure if this is a local, client-side IP or what) What I would like to propose is the addition, if possible, of the following NEW in-game variables: $team = current team number (1 through 6 when in a league, or just "1" when on a normal team or solo) $slot = current slot on team (1 through 8, or just "1" when solo) $shard = name of server (e.g. Everlasting, Reunion, etc.) {since $server seems to be taken} There can be many more, of course, but with these three proposed new in-game variables, it will make cross-server chatting and in-game league coordination much easier. For instance, I bind "Everlasting TF" channel to my CTRL+1 key with the following bind: /bind CTRL+1 "afk Broadcasting on Everlasting TF...$$beginchat /send "Everlasting TFs" ($name, lvl $level $archetype): " That way, it comes out with my current character's name, level and AT... fine for Everlasting TF, they'll know I'm on Everlasting; however, for other cross-server channels (e.g. Global), it would be nice to add $shard to let people know what server I am on. Likewise, when in league play (e.g. Mothership Raid), I can have a macro or bind that calls out "$name on team $team, slot $slot - needs a T.P. back to the bowl!" or similar. How difficult is it to add these? It seems the $primary, $secondary, and $side (and others?) were added after the sunset of the game (I assume), as they were not in the live game that I recall.

Yeah, says you and every spines scrapper/brute, thorns dom/blaster... There probably should be a unified vision of redraw/non-redraw, and might as well make it Katana since it's in more ATs/sets.

I love earth, and I like poison. Don't think I'd pair them, but if I did it would look like this:

I am leveling up a plant/storm - two of my favorite sets. I don't know why I didn't do this earlier. Here is my current build: Powers Taken & Why It Matters: Entangle - skipped, who needs a single-target immob that does meh damage over time? Strangler - Your go-to attack AND hold. Roots - this is one reason you skip Entangle; it's also your "spamming" power, so get some End Reduction in there! Spore Burst - situational, but with the chaos of Storm, it's not likely things will remain sleeping. I always skip it. Seeds of Confusion - your opening attack! Why not start out with friends? Seriously, this is game-breaking. Mind Controllers have to wait until their T9 at level 32, muahahaha, and it's a longer recharge. Shhh, don't tell the devs. Spirit Tree - I skip because LoL regen = who is waiting around that long for a trickle heal? Get a panacea proc in health and get similar results all the time w/o wasting a power and slots! Skip the tree. Vines - Sweet "O.S." power (oh, sh!t). 4-slotted with basilisk and you're good to go. Carrion Creepers - the reason you are playing Plant Control. Get them +Rech as much as possible, use them every time. Not only do they do damage, they immob and TANK for you, as mobs will attack them. Fly Trap - it's the pet, it's ok. Looks cool, when colored well. Don't expect a lot except a 4-slotted rech-pet set. Gale - Have to take, but you know what? It's a decent interrupt and time-buying power. I 2-slot it, and use it as a aoe KD to buy some time to fill in control gaps, if needed. O2 Boost - Skipping this shows you are not a team player. Take this if you plan to team because it is a great buff that happens to heal. It is EXCELLENT on early TFs where you fight clocks and freaks and other end-draining things, as well as disorienting things... plus you can 6-slot an inexpensive preventive medicine set for rech and end reduction. Snow Storm - decent 1-slot power that sometimes I'll take at 49, for the -fly utility, but roots does that well, too, so on controllers with aoe immob that -fly's, I don't take it. Steamy Mist - a no-brainer, 6-slot it with Reactive Defense, as the default resists are good enough and you really should be shooting for more defense over resists. Plus the set bonuses are great (more end reduction) Freezing Rain - the reason you take Storm. One of the greatest debuffs in the game, and no need for a lot of slots (3-4); add that Achilles' Heel proc for even more -res (chance). Hurricane - some like it, many don't. Most people are not very good at playing with it, but in the hands of a skilled player, it's incredible. Do not pass it up, even if you're not good with it, it's still a great set mule and another "O.S." power. I mainly use it to To-Hit debuff AVs and EBs, things that don't repel or KB/KD. On my Plant/Storm, I get -45% to hit debuff - that's serious. Plus the -range is good. Thunder Clap - I always skip this, as it's just a mag 2 and not really needed. On my Earth/Storm I'll take it to add to Stalagmites, but on Plant/Storm, I'll pass. Tornado - This is the "one" of the one-two punch, take it, slot it, love it. I go 4-rech-pet set and 2 sudden accel for the KB-KD proc. It is your damage dealer, lock things down tight so it AoEs (but even single target, it's nice) Lightning Storm - This is the "two" of the one-two punch. I slot for damage, some slot for procs. YMMV. Add in your pools (I go Scorpion Shield, as I like to survive encounters) as well as the usual Fighting, Flight, and Leadership. Leadership should be mandatory on a defender (numbers-wise), controllers are 2nd best at it, so don't pass them up. I only wish I could run all of them, but you'll see in my build in this post that I took recall friend instead of assault. Mostly because Plant/Storm *is* a bit endurance intensive. I might add it in when I'm incarnated out with end mod / end reduction. As a side note: Since this is an endurance-intensive set, you need to let the powers do the work. Seeds, Freezing Rain, Carrion Creepers, Roots, Tornado & Lightning Storm... that takes a bit of endurance, but the good news is, you can basically sit back and recover while they do all the work. Maybe re-apply the Roots or hit Strangler on a boss to start stacking mag. At this point (after initial drops) it becomes a "maintenance playstyle" - adding only what needs to be added or refreshed (rain, roots, tornado/LS, etc.). Toss an O2 boost to pet or teammate, whatever. Heck, I will throw in a Gale, just to see more flopping around! It is a beast. Probably the most impressive controller combination I've played; and I play a lot of controllers - usually for control and support; but this build / combo is definitely a damage-dealer and control. Support is non-existent (O2 boost), but you should have things floppin' and lockin' (locked down) most all of the time, with temporary "friends" (seeds of confusion) to assist. I'd complain about the pet, but that's pretty much every controller pet. Except Singularity. That's the best controller pet in the game.

I do not understand why attacks in pool powers are so weak. One can take the first two powers (either or) at level 4; assuming one is an attack, the other something else (hover, mez prot, mystic flight, etc) - shouldn't this mean that any attack (T1 pool power, let's say) should be NEARLY equivalent with a T2-T3 attack power? (T3 for attack primary, T2 for attack secondary) Since that's about the time you decide, do I want my cone attack from the primary, or this single-target from the pool power? Unless the attack has some excellent utility (hello, Air Superiority!) I am not sure why it would need nerfing (damage-wise). Maybe add -res instead of damage; or, reduce damage to minor DoT, but give it a -10% res for 10s (a la Corruption from Demon Summoning)? Then it'd be a great utility and meh damage, so as not to compete with primary/secondary attacks.

At least with Mystic Flight, you're flying already and do not fall to the ground instantly, like with Jaunt. It is a good idea, but feels very impractical, especially given that players can pick a free vertical travel a la Steam Jet / Jump Jet (or whatever its called). I used to love the Magic Pool, and had mystic flight with it's free TP (that didn't increase speed any) until I discovered Afterburner. Never took Mystic Pool again. Don't get me wrong, I see the value of these in Role Playing or strict Theme-based characters. Plus, new sets are always welcome! However, for my playstyle, they just fall short of getting done the job I need them to do.

I tried the travel power. While the Jaunt is a decent idea, mechanically, it is cumbersome due to camera angles and distances. My test was jumping up on the train station's roof in Atlas: I had to zoom all the way back and rotate things just right to get the target rings on top of the roof. It completely interrupted the Speed of Sound (SoS) travel. I can see this happening a lot, so I'd probably just stick with Steam Jump for my vertical needs. I always liked how Champions did teleport: fade color out, fast fly (intangible) for a few seconds, re-emerge hovering a few seconds, then fall/gravity (giving enough time to hit the TP key again). The toxic dart was fun for a low-level, leveling-up power. Overall, I think it'll be great for theme characters, etc. But I doubt I'd replace SS with SoS due to the stealth aspect, as well as Hasten > this entire set as far as value goes. Let's face it, the real test of any of these origin-based sets are: is it good enough to replace the comparable travel pool? In this case: Not really. Hasten+SS is a tough combo to beat.

Just noticed that the Sentinels attack, but cannot IGNITE oil slick (from Trick Arrow). Also seems the heal, etc. (chain elec affinity powers) do not ignite oil slick... I thought "energy" (in addition to fire) ignited it?

I love the single rocketboot thruster! Good enhancement to the customization options! Odd there are no "robotic" boots (was going for a missing arm/leg amputee thing). The corsair pegleg was chosen instead: As a side question: Any possibility of custom THRUSTER COLOR?

I have a few defenders: Poison/Dark (very impressive), Cold/Ice (hold machine), Trick Arrow/Archery, and Storm/Sonic. Of these, one set clearly stands out as the most helpful in team debuffing situations. One set is what people really come to see: T and A... that is: Trick and Arrow. (What were YOU thinking?) Do not underestimate Trick Arrow. On a defender it is MASSIVE debuffs ALL THE TIME: Entangling Arrow: I skip this, but often miss having it. -Fly, -Movement, -Recharge in single-target form. Flash Arrow: A lot skip this, and they're probably not too bright (pun intended!). ALWAYS take the -percep / -tohit / non-aggro power. ALWAYS. 4 Cloud Senses. Done. Glue Arrow: Simple tool to keep things huddled so they can't flee as easily. It is also 20% -Recharge on mobs. Great utility, always up (easy to perma). Ice Arrow: a hold, take it or leave it proc it out or 4-basilisk for the recharge bonus Poison Gas Arrow: Don't be fooled because it says "sleep" this is a nice -Damage power, easily perma'd and/or proc'd. I usually go 5 Call of the Sandman. YMMV. Acid Arrow: Out of the box perma already, -Def / -Res (slightly less than Freezing Rain, but it's up ALL the time for that multi-mob goodness), does tiny ticks of toxic. Disruption Arrow: Why have ANOTHER -Res power that's easy to perma (2 rech. IO's is all I put in there). Another -20%... hey, that's 40% -Res all the time in 2 powers. Why Yes! Yes it is. Oil Slick Arrow: Well, well, well. What have we here? Basically a NUKE. Up every mob or so (I usually have it around 70s rech) and it does Knock DOWN and -Def and... HEY! Would you look at THAT? MORE -res! Granted it's only 12.5% -Res, but didn't you just drop 2 arrows for 40% total? Well, shoot, we're now at 52.5% -res. Not too shabby... Oh, and you can SET THIS ON FIRE with an energy and/or fire power (those inherent magic or tech ranged things, or something from your blast set, e.g. blazing arrow). My current build (TA/Archery) has 6-slotted Annihilation (ooo, is that a -res proc? Sure is!) and it ticks for a TON of damage. Between the KD and the glue arrow, mobs tend to stay in it for the duration or their death. Great power. Simply great. EMP Arrow: Finally, tier9 and you get -Regen. 1000% -regen! And -Recovery 1000%, as well as draining 55% of their endurance (lol, end drain on mobs) AND an AoE hold. OK, I can see why it's T9. It's nuke-worthy (though it only damages robots, which on an ITF at the computer is fun!) I actually often skip this one, too, as my builds are pretty tight and I either take this or ice arrow, never both. Ice adds to survivability, it's up often and it's a decent hold, thus has more use. For big AV fights, I'd lean towards EMP for the -regen/-recovery. People ALWAYS forget about Trick Arrow. People ALWAYS underestimate it. Well, the experienced players know all about TA. In short, TA brings the following debuffs: -Fly -Perception -ToHit -Recharge (x2) -Movement (x2) -Damage -Defense (x2) -Resistance (x3) +KD AoE (-standing debuff?) -Regen -Recovery +Damage patch (-living debuff?) So it has a few. But please. It's also pretty fast cast/activation times. Acid Arrow and EMP Arrow are the LONGEST activations with cast times of 1.83s each. Most things are 1s-1.16s activation. Not too shabby! Will make sonic attacks seem like you're held a lot of the time. TA/Fire will feel FAST. Probably the fastest defender out there, as far as activation goes.

This is a great combo. I don't play my defender much, as Storm without lock-down is really just a lot of fearful fleeing going on. Realistically, one can get a rain and howl off (55% -res) and pick ST's off. But once the Tornado and/or Lightning Storm are out, things just don't stick around. A more viable build is an Earth/Storm controller. Don't say I didn't warn you. It is worth the 5% debuff loss on the Controller version of Freezing Rain, as well as no Sonic (good and bad) in order to have Stone Cages and Quicksand and Earthquake and... well, you get the picture. Earth=OP + Storm=OP is really an awesome team player... just remember to open with cages... always cages... THEN drops... and drop and drop and drop....

Did you not read the post above yours? 😉 Not only have I updated the menu with the new sets, but thanks to @AboveTheChemist, it now includes various BADGE-GRANT options to unlock patron pools (villain epics), ouro portal, Incarnate Slots, etc. Check it out in the post above (the one with all the How-To images, etc). Or download from HERE.

Just a note (which you all probably know or noticed): The Rocket Boot and Piston Boot do not have an animation when split or when matched (but selected as both Left and Right). Of course I wanted a single-thruster boot, as well as a single shockwave when jumping... then I want a pony.

What I would recommend is they are split by default (showing right and left), then you toggle the first one (right, I think is listed first?) and that makes it symmetrical. This way, one picks a glove and if one decides to have them the same, a simple click will lock them (symmetrical); otherwise, rinse-repeat for the next one. Same for shoulders (when that happens) and boots.

I also updated the freebies.mnu file to include the Artillery Set. It can be found with instructions in THIS THREAD. Alternatively, if you know what you are doing, here is the link to the dropbox of the file: Freebies.mnu Thanks!

Getting a ½ step closer to Champions Online level of customization! I love it!

Too many 10% regen bonuses. I'd rather it be 9%, just so it's not conflicting with the myriad of other 10% regen bonuses. Also, it's always a let-down to see Mez Resist in a set, ESPECIALLY when it's the 6-set bonus (or part of it). The rest looks pretty good, and I like the level range for the End sets (21-50) - makes gaming the converting system easier.

That's an excellent point. I totally agree, totally know this, but had not thought of it. Yeah, some toons just never seem to have a lot of insps, whereas others I'm constantly converting and popping. Good point.

First of all, it's a great thematic set. I will give it that. Paired with Dual Pistols (likely) or maybe Archery, it fills that RP/theme playstyle, I'm sure. Now, I love blasters. I don't WANT to, but truly there are not many AT's and combos that can keep up. Yeah, yeah... survivability. Good blasters survive... most of the time. 😉 ("Most of the time, blasters have a 50/50 chance of survival!" - you can quote me on that!) So I am checking out various Secondaries to play with the best PVE Primary (duh, Fire, fast/high damage=win). I actually main a Fire/Dev (my favorite secondary), a Fire/Atomic, a Fire/TacArrow (second favorite), and a Fire/Time. Think I have all the good ones down. So I am digging around in those "other" secondaries... With /Ninja Training, it seems interesting at first. Got a stealth: check, Got a recovery/regen: Check. Got some tricks: Check. I skipped all the sword powers because: lol, melee lethal. Dart is weak for a T1 (Toxic Web Grenade from /Devices does more and is also a toxic immob with matching range, duration, recharge, but less acc). It's as underperforming as the T1's from Martial and Energy. Choking Powder is surprisingly good. I first had a Hold set in there, then realized that thing is doing decent ticks of TOXIC, so I bumped it to a devastation 4-slot and a ATO-damage-proc: man, it's impressive for a hold (and a T3 attack). Shinobi: The run/jump is silly, but OK. It's basically stealth. Half the measly defense is lost when in combat, so meh; but at least it's a stealth and a mule for a LotG7.5. Now the odd part is (similar to devices) the first attack out of stealth (once every 30 seconds?) gives a nice +damage for that "sneak attack". The revised Devices (Targeting Drone) does this better and has the "crit ring" thing so you know when it's up. With Shinobi, you have to be monitoring your damage bonus and notice when it goes up over 40%. Going back into stealth (and thus, you're out of combat) doesn't re-trigger the buff immediately (prob. the 30-sec thing), which is likely due to the very low recharge, so it's not gamed). Still, just copy the Targeting Drone mechanic (trade some ToHit for more +Dam) and you're done. Kuji-In Toh: I get it, ninjitsu and sr have their "click" buffs. I never liked click buffs, except when things would DE-TOGGLE when mezzed. Now that most things don't detoggle, click buffs are lame interrupters of an attack chain. This should just be a free toggle, like other sets get. Smoke Flash: I cannot believe this is NOT -ToHit and/or -Perception. Because of the no ToHit, it takes NO SETS. So bad. It's a Tier 7 for crying out loud! It's supposed to PLACATE and -RES. Well, I'm fully stealthed and walk into a mob. Figure, cool I can do a smoke flash to get -res, aim and nuke. Well, kind of. The Smoke Flash (which supposedly placates) just aggos them all (prob. from the -res) and now you're: A) exposed, and B) Lost your +Damage from Shinobi. Great set. Guess I'm supposed to use the -res/placate thing AFTER I've damaged them. What is up with that?! Blinding Powder: This, like choking powder, is a surprisingly good power. Any AoE confuse is a great trick to have in your bag. Just goes to show how OP plant control is with their Seeds of Confusion (fast rech, larger/longer cone, get at level 8, etc). An excellent survival (esp. solo) tool. Again, I did NOT take any of the sword attacks, I'm sure they're wonderful. What I like to look for in the secondary sets is flow and usefulness. This is probably why I love Devices the most, it has everything in two toggles, and smoke grenade is gravy and taser is so good instead of some silly punch-attack (or sword). it's like a quicker, better-ranged Bone Smasher (though not quite as hard-hitting). Anyway, Ninja Training has nothing remotely cool like that. Lethal-based, melee-ranged, -Def attacks are NOT really blaster material. Blasters should always have high acc/to-hit, be at range as often as possible to help with survival, and should try to avoid one of the most resisted damage types in the game. I guess one could say the same for Martial training with all the kicks (smashing/melee) though it can also be argued that KD is better than -Def (esp 7%), as it helps with survivability. I wanted to like you, Ninja Training, but I just can't. I don't know WHAT IS UP WITH NINJA TRAINING! Paired with some under-performing primary for theme/RP reasons, I'm sure it's great. For efficiency in the Blaster AT, it's very skippable.

I am *really* trying to get into Dominators. I've made three (3) and got them to 50; IO'd them out (no purples or ATO's mind you, but LotG's, Oblits, etc). I ended up deleting one (Elec/Savage). I *really* wanted to like the elec/savage, but it was just such an under-performer. I'm not even comparing to other ATs (where Dom's seriously underperform), but rather to my other two doms: Fire/Thorns and Earth/Earth. Earth/Earth is stupidly OP for a Dom, so much so that it seems the only combo I've found that can not just keep up, but lead on damage and mez. It's a great, fun combo (even with the limitation of being on the ground for several powers, makes sense). Fire/Thorn is decent at range and has some nice tricks with it. That all said, I believe what makes dominators LACK is the fact that even if you can keep up or slightly pull ahead of another AT, it is taking the player 10-12 click powers to do it. That's a TERRIBLE rotation. Ideally, one should have 3 or 4 decent single-target attacks, and 2+ AoE, and 1 nuke or so. All added up, that's 7+ powers, far fewer than 10-12... Now, adding in AIM/Buildup/Dominate is more clicking (I perma-click dom, since I rarely am having hasten) but still. DOMINATORS = dominate clicking or pressing buttons to achieve the same (or just less) than other ATs. Let's be honest, dom's only look good when compared to Controllers. Oooo, I can mez and out-damage a controller. Well, you know what? I don't play controllers to damage. I play a damage class to damage. Therefore, how do Dom's do against Corrupters and Blasters? Or Scrappers and Brutes and Stalkers? Yeah. I really want to play them, as they have unique set mashups and can have some interesting thematic stuff, but it really feels like I am doing 3x the work to achieve the same goal as I do on even a corrupter, let alone a blaster. The best mez in the game is death. My blasters are pretty mezzy in that.

Are you sure you can load macros from the command "/bind_load_file" ? I've tried this, and while the game says "Keybinds file loaded <path/file>" it does not actually create the macros. Currently, my macros.txt file (in game root, E:\CoH\macros.txt) has the following format: macro X "commands" macro_image image X "commands" That is, no preceding slash (e.g. /macro) similar to the keybinds.txt file format. What am I missing? Figured it out, read your linked guide to Transfer Macros... still: Also, chats are loaded from chat_load_file — or will bind_load work, too?

This is still around, and it is still annoying.

I had a wrong client error, and it turned out I had the beta's manifest selected in Tequila; when I changed it to the non-beta manifest, it worked. YMMV.