VileTerror

While not a direct fix, one could theoretically code up a simple Java/C++/VisualBasic/whatever program to periodically check the automatic logged .TXT files in your CoH/[account name] folder, and pop-up a reminder or play a sound whenever a keyword is detected. Just sharing the potential solution in case someone wants to make a third-party program to do exactly that. Would get you what you need quicker than waiting for the Homecoming Team to consider attempting it in-game.

Judging by history repeating itself; we won't know anything until something is posted to Pineapple.

That sounds more like a Tanker thing to me. Or something for a new Archetype. I really think "Confront" should reinforce the Scrapper's identity as the Duelist. The Archetype who goes toe-to-toe with a big-bad. Honestly, of all the Archetypes, I see Scrapper as the one who is -least- invested in the team.

Cinder Aura?

Thanks! Though the title of the patch might be a bit . . . "eh" . . . not sure if it -will- offend anyone, but I probably wouldn't take the risk.

Foremost; apologies to Mechano for essentially threadjacking. I promise my intent is to wrap this back around to addressing your express request, but it's a bit of a gambit for me, and may meander a bit. I think that I often don't conduct myself in the way I really hope to when it comes to this particular topic of discussion. I'm passionate about this game, and more than that; I'm passionate about the untapped potential which City of Heroes is sitting on. I would like to apologize for sometimes allowing my passion to blind me to saying things which might be hurtful or harmful. It's not my intent, but I know intent only offers context. If I'm guilty of crossing lines and being offensive or dismissive, I am genuinely sorry for my failings there. I criticize because I care, and I don't want these criticisms to cross the line in to feeling like attacks. I don't know any of the Homecoming Team personally, so in my own mind, nothing I say is meant to be a personal attack. But I know that it's not my decision if something I say feels like an attack; so I preface what I'm saying here with all of this to better mitigate the risk of crossing those lines. I also want to express myself firmly enough that I impart into others the same feelings of importance that I have for these topics. I can't let the sleeping dog lie. I really want to get in there and help City be the best it can, and the best which I can do right now is help in the ways which I know how. My background in game design was very much in the "high design and philosophy" end of the spectrum. I just never quite managed to be skilled or competitive enough in actual asset creation and coding to provide a meaningful contribution there. It's something I regret, but I was fortunate enough to be able to put my "big picture" skills to use. One of the biggest concerns I have had with Homecoming from the get-go is the lack of clarity in the design philosophy and intent behind the decision making. This latest topic just illustrates it again. "Quality" (capital Q) is an opinion. That's fair. But it's also been an obfuscated opinion here. If it's a matter of "I'll know it when I see it" for the Homecoming Team, why even bother using the word "quality?" That is, by definition, arbitrary decision-making. "the level of quality and professionalism from the retail version of the game" doesn't actually establish a baseline. The Quality of the existing game content was wildly all over the map! And that's not just in terms of assets and code; but also in leadership and design philosophy. It even extends to community and social engagement. I know what I'm asking for isn't a simple thing; there are professional positions and even entire divisions in larger studios/publishers which handle this kind of work. But I must reiterate the importance of clear lines of communication when it comes to intent. By the graces of chance or by intentional designs, Homecoming has basically become the de-facto authority for the future of City of Heroes during this moment in history. That's a lot of responsibility, frankly. And I'd like to know, and I really genuinely think the entire community (even the ones not presently engaging with Homecoming) would benefit from knowing how you view that authority. If you want to say that you have standards of quality, then please explain them in clear, unambiguous terms and metrics that aren't so flimsy as "feeling like home." Otherwise, I think it would be much more fair to say, honestly . . . the design philosophy behind City right now is arbitrary, and there isn't actually a metric of definable quality. It's a metric of "Quality"/opinion. In short: Please provide clear goal posts. From here, I can't see any.

Another approach is to retool places like Siren's Call so it's more like a MOBA. I played League of Legends for a bit after losing City of Heroes years ago, and while I find the company behind the game, their chief design philosophy, and a large portion of the playerbase to be frankly detestable . . . I will give credit that they did establish a compelling PvP game loop. We now have the tech in this game, as demonstrated in the New Regulators Arc of Kings Row and Signature Character missions to subvert a player's Power Sets and assign them predetermined Powers. As a MASSIVE undertaking, I think that something which utilizes that sort of tech could be quite good to creating a compelling PvP experience in the existing game engine. The counter argument, of course (and a very good one), is "why would I want to play as a character other than the one I've built?" So, yeah. I admit this idea might not pass the bar for "worth it." But then what if we meet things half way? A Temp Power Bar in PvP which you can fill with purchasable PvP Powers designed to specifically address threats your Archetype may simply not normally be able to handle usually. PvP Powers which are better than those ones which are sold at the PvP Vendors, mind you. ... really, I feel like I'm just rambling stream-of-consciousness right now. If someone can pluck a point or valuable ideas out of my words here, please do!

I would like indirect forms of PvP, like the oft-suggested idea that Villains could do missions to trigger events in Hero Zones, and if the Heroes don't rally to defeat the threat, the Villain players "win" and gain a reward. Similarly, Heroes could perform tasks to launch Longbow raids on Villain zones. Maybe Wyvern and Legacy Chain raids too, but those groups would need to have new content created for them to exist in more level ranges. Such events would be limited, with something like a 4 hour or so cooldown period, and would be triggered by a Raid-sized challenge. Smaller-scale content could also be established; with individual or small teams of Villains prompting repeatable mission content in Hero zones. Again, if a Hero doesn't answer the call, the Villain receives a reward for success when the timer runs out.

It would be an absolute pain in the ass, and I don't know if the code could even possibly allow it, but I figure that something like . . . Confront places a +1% or +2% chance to score a Critical on your target, which can stack with itself. This wouldn't be a big help for Minions or other weak enemies who get blown away with ease, but it would allow the Scrapper to risk increased Threat from an Archvillain or Monster in favour of increasing their odds of Crit'ing over time.

If I sent a cheque directly to your server service, can that count as a donation? I've had very bad experiences with paypal.

Crap, where's the Abject Horror "like" token? I need to slap one of those on GM Widower's post.

Atlas's kid, on the 'Dyne?

There's also the corporate hierarchy of publisher over studio to consider. It's a lot more nebulous, but there's always the chance that some things never happened because they weren't permitted to happen. At least not until a way to monetize it was established.

It's the anchor point for the animation of the little glowie yellow crosshairs graphic effect; normally hidden inside your character's geometry.

No no no, the clowns aren't insane; they're in tents! Just go to St. Martial and check out the north end of the zone.

Original Positron doesn't have an Archvillain, though. It only ever had Cortex, who is plenty soloable.

I know my earlier post didn't really touch on it, but I do appreciate the immense work that the Homecoming Team is doing. If they don't have the time right now to implement this without potential breakage of spaghetti, then they don't have the time. I would -like- an E.T.A., but I won't demand it or anything. They have lives and responsibilities. ... would be nice to expand the Team, though, to get more projects underway simultaneously . . . ANYWAY! My first post in this thread was addressing the "quality" line of rhetoric in particular, though. Using that as a reason for not doing it just doesn't fly for me, and I feel it is important to address that.

Yeah, there you go. Capes are a great metric for quality. If it looks as good as a cape does, clipping through my legs and torso at random, then add it!

"Without compromising another part of the game" is an entirely fair metric; no argument there! But "meet the quality bar" is a much more nebulous matter of opinion, frankly. This game is already graphically held together by duct tape in quite a few places, and while people may complain, I've yet to see it seriously impact players enough to have them storm off with ultimatums about visual fidelity. Creativity and customization have always been the greatest strengths of City of Heroes. I think we need to be ready to loosen the grip on matters where "quality" is holding back levels of customization of this magnitude. People will make eye sores; they already do. But more than that, players will make remarkable works of creative ingenuity which make any eyesore well worth it. The positives, as far as I can fathom, FAR outweigh any potential downsides here when it's a question of "quality."

CUCUMBER! . . . sorry. This isn't a Word Association thread. Ahem! WELL! Generally, all forms of etiquette are communication, when you boil it down, right? So, yeah. Talk it out, and sure; the player organizing the team should take the brunt of the responsibility, but I think players should also be prepared to ask questions if anything is unclear.

"And this is why we can't have nice things."

I'm not against the throwing-knives animation thing for Archery . . . but I'd also really, really like a Throwing Knives "Blast" Set for all appropriate Archetypes, and a Daggers Assault Set for Dominators regardless, heh.

The Guides section might be the best suited for asking other players for help with questions on your character builds, but General Discussion seems to see a lot of traffic. I think you'll be okay in either case.

Also, unless something has changed, Task Force Archvillains are always Archvillains, even if you try to solo with with the Elite Boss setting enabled.

Fine by me, Haijinx. Make it so! I know I'd like to have "Helper" and "Roleplaying" flagged at the same time.