UltraAlt

Wait. Are you implying that giving machines the right to vote was a Nemesis plot all along?! That THEY were manufacturing machines to vote for them?! Nemesis influence really is everywhere, and I thought the Ebil Marketers were pulling the puppet strings!

Well, Spanky was known for crafting a great election strategy and spreading his influence around during his bid for office.

Most power sets already have some level of this worked in to varying degrees. Some of this also already is mixed in among the various power pools. Also base buffs cover all or most of this as I recall ... I don't use base buffs that often. IO set bonuses ... And then there are inspirations....

With so many sentient robots these days, it is good to finally see machines given their rightful place as citizens in Paragon City. Trusty Portable Workbench! I will be proud to stand in line crafting... er with you, while we each wait to take our turns to vote in the upcoming elections.

Yes. You are correct. However, there IS a giant Council Robot to fight in Boomtown - https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/War_Machine and the good Doctor seemed to be wanting to fight a giant Council Robot!

that's in Boomtown, isn't it? ... i think the zone starts with a B....

I wouldn't consider someone being a pacifist if they are ordering their minions to attack people.

I would say that Empathy always has to be part of the mix if you are going for "non-violent". Defender Empathy/(water or ice). Ice more so if you are trying to be "chill". ... possibly Empathy/Psychic blast Leadership power pool for sure.

You wrote a whole page to avoid reading the last paragraph of my post. 😕 What your point? You say ... You pretty much indicate that you most probably do use your own power rotations that you found yourself by playing the game. I don't see how that changes anything that I posted. My points are accurate. I don't need to post that paragraph in a reply to prove that I read it.

Yes. They are a force multiplier and team reinforcement. The larger the team, the more impact that they have. How much impact that they actually have is often based on the tactics of the team. The more Bull-in-the-China-Shop AKA "Hulk smash!" aka "Run and gun", the less impact that support characters have on a teams success. Unfortunately, most teams over 50 seem to be using the Bull-in-the-China-Shop AKA "Hulk smash!" aka "Run and gun" tactic based on what little I've actually particpated in level 50 content and attitudes that I see in the forums. What server you are on and those that are on your team always have direct impact on the style of play that people on your team are using. Leading a team can have the most impact as you can recruit based on how you want to play and are willing (as the leader) to make leadership decisions to make sure your (you are leading. it is your team) is using the tactics the leader (you as leader) have decided that your team should be using. [This does not mean you should be a dictator. It does mean that other players should respect that you are the leader. Being disruptive to a team is being just that. Kicking too many players from your teams may get you a reputation.] Teams of all support characters can be devastating. The great thing about City of Heroes is that practically any team can work as long as they work together. <--- some would call that teaming up versus soloing as a group. You are going to run into players that think that you have to have a tank on your team, and that you have to follow the tank. This is not true. And, just to be clear, that does not mean that you must have a Brute on your team if you don't have a tank on your team, or that you have to have a scrapper on your team if you don't have a tanker or brute on your team. You do not need any melee characters on your team in order for your team to succeed. The great thing about City of Heroes is that practically any team can work as long as they work together. <-- That's reinforcement. It is a kind of support.

So what does MIDs do? MIDs tells you what combo (combination) of powers, slotting, and enhancements that it thinks is most effective. Combos don't restrict any one's freedom. You are always free not to use them. You most probably use a power rotation. You might not even realize you are doing it. However, in doing so, you have your own combo (combination of button presses). Those combos are based on power selection, power recharge times, and other factors; all of these things are built into the game as well. You're going to be in a cage - no matter where you go. Pick your own cage. If you think that combos are a cage, you can avoid them, but you have to accept the new cage you put yourself in by not using them. Combos have been a part of gaming for a very long time. "The earliest known competitive fighting game that used a combo system was Culture Brain's Shanghai Kid in 1985; when the spiked speech balloon that reads "RUSH!" pops up during battle, the player had a chance to rhythmically perform a series of combos called "rush-attacking"." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combo_(video_games)#:~:text=The earliest known competitive fighting,called "rush-attacking". + (from the same URL) "John Szczepaniak of Hardcore Gaming 101 considers Data East's DECO Cassette System arcade title Flash Boy (1981), a scrolling action game based on the manga and anime series Astro Boy, to have a type of combo mechanic. When the player punches an enemy and it explodes, debris can destroy other enemies.[2]"