Chris24601

I like the idea of having a personal villain; however, I wouldn’t go automatic opposite by default. Plenty of heroes have signature villains who are more dark reflections than direct opposites. Arrow had the Dark Archer (aka Malcolm Merlin), Flash has a whole set including Reverse Flash, Professor Zoom, Savitar, etc. Superman has Zod, Doomsday, Darkseid, etc. as dark reflections. Spider-Man has Green Goblin (who in later versions uses a variation on the process that gives Peter his powers), Venom, etc. The point is... elemental opposites is far from the only way to go in having a signature villain. If it were up to me, I’d have them built more in line with the AE custom mobs so you can pick whichever powers and appearance best fit your concept of an arch-nemesis.

I don’t respec much at all so my IOs generally get slotted in A) the order I can buy them and B) if it’s already slotted with SOs they go into whichever slot least impacts performance (i.e. I don’t drop a dam/end IO on top of an acc SO unless I’ve already got enough Acc in the power).

I created a second account as part of trying to figure out the comtinual mapserver issues I was having (since it seemed to affect only some accounts and not others). Now that the solution seems to have been found (use a VPN or similar proxy server to route around whatever bad intermediate stage is causing the problem) about the only thing I can using the second account for would be for some RP where I want a main’s significant other or friend to also be present.

If VPN is actually a solution (and not a placebo like the "play a video in the background" above) then I'd be very curious about two things... First, which VPN service you used and where you set your location to while using it. Second, where you're physically located. Why where you're located is relevant (and everyone else experiencing the glitch is) is that the particular route taken by some data might be the problem. For example, I'm in Fort Wayne, Indiana. If everyone else experiencing the problem is located in, say, the American Midwest, that would explain some things (i.e. they're running into the same network that has an issue with the CoH data stream). The main reason the VPN might be the solution is that the issue is in the routing. Your computer to your local ISP, to one or more intermediate networks then finally to the HC server. The VPN channels your signal to the location you choose before the internet routes you to the HC servers. So if everyone experiencing the problem passes through one of the same intermediate networks where there's a glitch, THAT could be the problem and the route to the VPN exit point (the thing that makes it look like you're in some other part of the world) changes the route in a way that bypasses the glitchy intermediate network. For a rough visual... You -- Your ISP -- Bad ISP -- HC's ISP -- HC Server ...................\___ VPN -- Good ISP __/

I suspect your solution may be psychosomatic, because I tried the video and it made zero difference whatsoever. I mapserved less than 5 minutes after logging in. I think I'm going to have to try one of the other servers for awhile just because this is unplayable for me and anyone saying its not something broken by the Black Friday patch is kidding themselves. No one was reporting this problem before the patch turning on the Holiday Even went live. Immediately thereafter some computers started getting constant mapserve crashes. The absolute lack of Dev response on this is disheartening. Since I haven't been able to play for more than about 10 minutes at a time (and thus have barely logged in this month at all when I could have really used some fun stress relief) and can't even reliably finish a single instanced mission there's no reason for me to donate this month.

Still no change on the constant mapserves after the latest maintenance. I can’t even finish a short door mission without a mapserve kicking me to the login screen. It’s absolutely unplayable as is and there’s nothing more I can even think to do on my end. Would it be too much to ask for the pre-Thanksgiving build to be put up on a server for, say, four hours? Just long enough to confirm whether this error is related to whatever got changed in the Black Friday patch or if it’s an issue independent of that. Because if nothing changes, I may as well just uninstall and check back after the holiday patch is gone.

I can also confirm that the mapserver effect has ZERO to do with activity or graphic settings (since the restart didn't fix things I went back to my original testing regimen). I put the settings to minimum and just sat in a lifeless area (just inside a door mission) while working on something where I could keep on eye on the screen and just nudged the toon every couple minutes so an AFK wouldn't happen. After about 10 minutes (so a typical period of activity before a mapserve) and a minute or two after my last nudge (so literally no activity from my end) the "Lost Connection to Mapserver" message popped up and a minute later I dropped to the login screen again. So that leaves trying a VPN to force a different route... but at this point I really don't think its the route. I don't see how it can't be something related to the "Black Friday" patch. That's when the game turned basically unplayable.

Welp, you're right. Dammit. Played for over an hour yesterday afternoon before posting with zero issues. Logged in this afternoon and Mapserved within 5 minutes. Devs, please roll at least one server back to Pre-Thanksgiving because this is unplayable. I can't make plans to play with anyone. I can't even finish most door missions without having to start from scratch and HOPE this time it doesn't mapserve until I get the last objective. I don't really want to go looking for another CoH server to play on because most of the others don't sound that hot to me... but playing on one of those is better than not playing on yours which is what's happening right now.

Update on testing. I think might have something, but its so bloody stupidly obvious I'm going to sound like an idiot for not having tried it first thing... its also a potential difference between two otherwise identical laptops; particularly given that one where there's no issues is a secondary machine. When was the last time you completely shut down your laptop that's having the mapserver problems? Because I generally put my system to sleep instead of doing a full shutdown because I'll be back on it in basically 6-8 hours and it takes forever to start up from a full shutdown. I've never had an issue with any of my programs while doing so in years. But thinking about that old laptop I mentioned; one of my programs on it sometimes runs into problems communicating with the printer after awhile if I've only put it to sleep instead of fully shutting it down, but it starts working fine after a complete shutdown. So that's what I did with my desktop... just to rule it out mostly. So I completely shut down (not just a restart, but let everything spin down completely) and re-started the computer. After that I was able to run for an hour and twenty-minutes (nearly triple the time before I'd usually get mapserved) before logging off. Now, it could be a coincidence related to the time of day or some other factor and the next time I log in, the mapserver issue could return... but right this second that seems to have fixed things for me, and if your laptop has similarly been left 'on' (i.e. only put to sleep instead of turned completely off) while the other laptop does get turned off completely... THAT could be the common link between who is having problems and who isn't.

I’ve experienced the same thing while just flying around. There is no rhyme or reason to when the lost connection hits. If there were I could at least avoid those things. I’ve tried all three clients (64, 32, Safe) and they make no difference. I’ve also tried complete uninstall/reinstall and a different account on the same machine... no difference. It does make me want to see if my old laptop can run it (even at minimum settings) since if has no issues that’s another datapoint that the issue is NOT the internet connection, but something in how the Homecoming server is talking to certain computers. And it’d be one thing if it was just the type of lost connection where you’d freeze for a second or five then resume. This freezes you out for at least a minute before dumping you to the login screen and I already have the long load time for the character select screen that’s a known issue with Win7 (and we can already rule out OS as a cause since it’s happening with your Mac (but not another one on the same connection). I’ve also got two other things to try. First, I’m going to dump the settings to dead minimum and then stay in a single zone with minimal interaction with anything (hover at altitude and move just enough to avoid an afk) and see if that matters. If that does keep me from mapserving then we can say there’s some sort interaction that triggers it... even if it’s not something we perceive; a certain piece of geometry of GFX is loaded or something like that. If that doesn’t help... well, at least it’s another data point. The other thing I’m considering is maybe trying out a VPN service and setting my location elsewhere to see if that can’t change the route to the Homecoming servers. Maybe the issue is that my PC and your one Mac is using a different route than the Mac with no issues somehow. Basically, I want to get the devs a start point to help them look for this because it seems pretty clear it’s a rare enough issue that all their own machines might not even experience this. The obvious solution would be to revert to the pre-Thanksgiving patch since every last complaint of this issue started AFTER that patch... but the vast majority enjoying the holiday content might get annoyed at that.

Update: I created a new account and ran it from the same computer. Though it took longer to kick in (perhaps due to being Atlas Park with minimal zoning?) it the mapserver issue did pop up so we can rule out an account related issue. ScarletFe's two identical laptops with one having the error and one not is the best lead I can now think of in terms of WHAT is causing the issue. Isolate what's actually different (perhaps one is using a different route through the internet despite the same starting point?) and maybe there's a solution to be found. Does anyone perhaps know how to make a connection follow a different route through the internet? My ping is in the 100 range and I don't PVP so I can accept double the ping if I'm not being booted at random every 5-30 minutes.

Yeah... I can't even finish an instanced mission without being mapserved to the login page. That's absolutely unplayable in my opinion. The issue started precisely with the post-Thanksgiving patch for me and nothing else is registering the slightest connection/streaming problems. ScarletFe, since you have two identical systems available, could you try logging into your account from the other laptop? If your account runs fine when logged in on the other machine that could isolate if its an issue of connecting with specific computers. If it still mapserves you on the other machine, it could mean the probably is associated with the accounts experiencing problems (i.e. something in the spaghetti code is interacting with something in the account database in a screwy way).

Is there a reason why you think it wouldn't it be? Scrapper's AT mechanic is dead simple... 5% (more with ATOs) of your hits deal double damage. That includes the bonus damage from Power Siphon. It honestly synergizes better with Scrappers than it does Brutes since Power Siphon's activation would bleed off some Fury, but the Crit rate is steady state.

I'm using Verizon FiOS (by way of Frontier Communications) and everything from streaming to other MMOs runs absolutely smooth. It could be an issue with where the signal being routed through having connectivity issues (i.e. one of the hops has issues that that hop is not one that occurs when connecting to Netflix, YouTube or SWTOR), but I have no idea how you'd actually change that.

I'm still having the problem of periodic mapserves dropping me to the login screen after the latest patch and there's nothing ISP related my scans have been able to detect. Typical mapserves are just a moment or two and then you rubberband or what have you and your health/endurance alter to reflect what's happened while you weren't synced up. These always last until it dumps not just to character select, but to the login page, all action stops immediately (flight doesn't even decelerate, you just stop and start standing in place) upon the mapserver hitting and just hangs for a minute or so as the packets sent and received slowly cycle down to 0. As an additional experiment, I streamed a movie on Netflix in the background on the same computer and it didn't skip a moment. The fact that this ONLY started with the post-Thanksgiving patch is just very suspicious in terms of trying to narrow down a cause because there's nothing I've been able to find on my end and the fact that its either running absolutely smooth or hard-mapserving (vs. rubberbanding or brief mapserves indicating a spotty connection) makes me think something is broken in the spaghetti code.

I wasn’t there for the end-end, but I spent the day moving each of my toons from wherever they’d been last to the place I considered their home. For one it was a specific apartment in Faultline, for another it was the far south-east island off Peregrine Island. For my sg leader it was in the main room of the base. Once they were safely home (with a pic or five of each), and I’d said goodbye to my online friends (about an hour before shutdown) I logged out for the last time as content with the end of their stories as I could be in the situation. I still need to update my old Virtueverse page with an update I never thought I’d be able to make... that my old toons emerged from the multiverse after being lost for seven years and now continue their adventures.

I get endless fun out of a grav/storm controller... wormhole + singularity + lightning storm + tornado + hurricane + ragdoll physics... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

For me it’s Claws/Willpower. Willpower works for me because it’s such a fire-and-forget set... put your 4 toggles on and pop your t9 early because it’s best at mitigating damage over time vs. mitigating spikes and it’s “crash” is negligible. Willpower also shines for me in late game where many enemies exploit the common psychic hole and suck endurance to make them more dangerous. Willpower is one of the best for mitigating Psi damage with both resistance and defense against it and most end-drain attacks are tagged as energy which Willpower mitigates with defense (no hit means no End drain) and the extra helping of recovery means even draining hits are less potent. It also has a hefty dose of Regen so even the Pratorian plasma attacks with their -regen aren’t as effective. I find it pairs particularly well with claws’ quick, low endurance cost attacks as it makes -recharge less of a hassle and further mitigates the -end/-recovery effects. Most of claws’ powers recharge fast enough with just normal slotting that you don’t need to go after +recharge set bonuses quite so hard either (and WPs t9 isn’t affected by recharge); which saves a bundle on IOs. Claws benefits from two early attack powers that make it easier to hit your targets... in the levels before SOs these are godsends. Claws also gets it’s 40’ and PBAOE early enough that you’ve got your main anti-runner and large spawn tools even at very low levels (i.e. even exemped down to the teens). My preferred ancillary is definitely blaze... slot the immobilize for damage, then add fire blast and fireball to claws’ ranged and ranged cone attacks and you’ve got a reasonable ranged attack chain for those situations when you need one (like keeping up the attack while avoiding red circles of doom). IO set-wise I lean towards Mako’s Bite and Thunderstrike because of the great synergy with Willpower since they add considerably to WP’s the already meaningful energy/negative energy defense and the ranged defense cuts down on damage from targets outside the effect of your Rise to the Challenge (who’s hit debuff is effectively +defense vs. attacks made at melee range... in addition to boosting your regen). The combo of simple quick attacks with several good AoEs and that make opponents easier to hit coupled layered defenses that scale with the number of mobs in melee range and don’t have to manage is pretty much my platonic ideal of Scapperdom.

I've been having the same problem and according to the /netgraph readout I am at a steady 120-124 Ping with no lost packets and then with no warning and zero increase in Ping the system mapserves and then finally dumps to the log-in screen when the sent/received packets cycle down to about 70/100 each. As an experiment I've logged into other internet games and streamed videos with zero connectivity issues with them. I was playing before the last update without any issue at all. After the update on the 29th its happening every 20-30 minutes. Despite advising that this is an issue with the ISP or home network connectivity, the fact that is ONLY happening here and only after the latest patch implies otherwise. ETA: another aspect that argues against network connectivity is that when it mapserves in open world in the middle of a fight, when I log back in I'm still alive and surrounded by the spawn. If it were a loss of connection I should still be taking the hits from the opponents, just not registering them on my end so that I come back dead I'd think.

I’m getting regular mapserves since the update on my end. Can play maybe 10-15 minutes before it mapserves for about a minute and dumps me to the login screen.

You can also run out of non-repeatable missions due to self imposed limitations too. I’ve got that issue currently with my all Praetoria toon (I’m currently doing First Ward and am not leaving until I finish Night Ward). I’m already a bit bored of the three repeatable contacts I have available due to my alignment and their dearth of mission variety (each seems to have about three) with the restrictions I put on myself, but a challenge is a challenge. * * * * One thing I’ve been curious about is how story arcs you can no longer access factor into your maximum arc count. As a specific example, I got the glitch where Calvin Scott jumps the contact line Neutropolis (and wouldn’t give the Warden contact) and ended up with his arc without realizing it and I have no intention of ever completing it because blowing up non-combatants regardless of faction is one of thos moral event horizon actions I’d delete a character before I’d have them complete. My hope is it’ll go away when I finally finish the “choose hero alignment and go to Paragon” mission... and if it doesn’t I’ll just live with one less story arc, but I’m curious about the actual mechanics.

At some point I need to just take a toon out and do a building-by-building catalog of all the Praetorian building assets that could potentially be employed in the revamp of other zones (there are way more than I thought there were before going back to those zones). First Ward's north side also includes a number of more worn down/abandoned buildings that wouldn't look out of place in King's Row. Heck, even the ruined skyscrapers there look better than a lot of the issue 0 building assets. I've been running the Praetorian content again and the way they incorporated buildings with different architectural aesthetics into the skylines of Imperial City and Neutropolis Just feel so much more like a real city than say, Steel Canyon's skyscrapers that look like they were all put up by the same company at the same time. The only Blue-side zones that remotely compete are Atlas Park and Kallisti Wharf (imo, Red-side has its own particular "run down" aesthetic with fewer large buildings that actually makes it look pretty good despite its age). I'd personally make a revamp priority of 1) Talos Island, 2) Peregrine Island, 3) Steel Canyon (particularly the core skyscrapers), 4) Brickstown and 5) King's Row. The key idea would be to provide a 1-50 path through the regions with the revamped assets... Atlas (1-5), King's Row (5-15), Steel Canyon (10-20), Talos Island (20-30), Brickstown (30-40) and Peregrine Island (40-50). Then after that, you side-grade into Independence Port and Founder's Falls (I'd say Skyway too, but I'm not sure there's much that can be done to help it because the primary eyesore is all the overpasses). Almost as important as the actual zones in some respects would be replacing the buildings in the instanced city and ruin maps that are still running off the ugly skyscrapers from issue 0. Like I said, I want to do a count of the Praetorian building assets, but I'm pretty sure there'd be enough there to actually redo at least 1-5 on the revamp list. I've got a background in 3d animation (woefully out of date at this point) and you'd be amazed how much distance you can get out of re-using assets as long as they're far enough apart that you're not seeing them sitting right next to each other (which is the primary issue with a lot of the issue 0 skyscrapers... they look like cut and pastes of the structures right next to them). That's the main reason I think the Praetorian buildings are ripe for harvest... they're not visited all that regularly except by those making Praetorians and they're not as likely to be visiting much of King's Row or Steel Canyon outside of mission doors they're rushing to for a story arc. Similarly, Imperial City cuts off at about level 14 so re-using buildings from there for Talos Island and the parts of Brickstown that most need the revamp would put a 6+ level gap between when you were regularly running around in that part of Praetoria and where you'd run into the duplicated asset on Primal Earth.

Definitely a villain set. I’d do 3 paralegals, 2 junior partners and a bought-off judge myself. First upgrade would be Bribery... you throw money around to get better results. The second would be Graft... you abuse a political office to make them even more effective. Other powers would be “Subpeona” which is a TP foe effect that leaves them disoriented, “Discovery” a mass +PER and +Acc buff and “Grant Immunity” which would grant allies mez protection. Basic attack power would include “Cross Examination” a psychic damage attack with a pet defense buff effect, and “Objection” a psychic damage immobilize.

I'm pretty okay overall with the level of interactivity between PCs and the world (I don't need GTA levels), but I think I'll double down on "replace as many of the issue 0-1 buildings with Praetoria building assets that have a similar footprint as possible." That said, I have no idea how hard that would actually be. For example, replacing a building would also change where potential mission doors are located and that could be a nightmare. So as my fallback. We already know there are functioning mission doors in Kallisti Wharf. How about just allowing radio/newspaper and tip missions to function there (cut and paste PI's and Grandville's for the radio/newpaper missions) as well as the contact missions that attach random zone missions to doors there. Honestly, with no actual hostile mobs on the streets in KW it might even be worth allowing radio/newspaper missions all the way from level 5-50 there. That'd make it a safe place for lowbies to join up with higher level groups for radio/paper/tip missions and put the game's best looking zone assets front and center.

In terms of re-importing stuff... I still had my old install of CoH from live on my backup drive. It turns out all your AE missions and custom groups/mobs and your saved costumes are saved locally so they wouldn’t even be on the old servers to retrieve. However, I just dropped the ones from the old install into the matching Homecoming folder and suddenly had access to all my old costumes and unpublished versions of my AE missions.