UltraAlt

I do this with costume changes. But I do understand you are talking about them being completely concealed when a flight power isn't activated. Even though mechanical wings fold down when not "in use", I use the costume changes to remove them from my characters' costumes completely.

And they did already make it easier to get around. I remember when the portals teleported you to a random portal and it was very easy for teams to be split up all over the place. Characters would have to go back through portals repeatedly to all end up in the same place ... sometimes with an ambush waiting as soon as you came out the other side!

Just so it's clear, I wasn't talking about the top-level of the "layer cake" room. The one that I'm talking about is one of the newer cave maps from CoV or CoH:GR.

Welcome home! Oh, this one started last year. The Mapserver Event replaced previous versions of April Fool's days activities. THere are other events [links are for the most recent version of the events] and triggers to set off some other special activities. https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Valentine's_Day_Event_2021 https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/April_Fools'_Day https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Halloween_Event_2022 https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Winter_Event_2020 https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Rikti_World_Invasion https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Zombie_Apocalypse https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Nemesis_Plot_Invasion_Event THere are probably more

Some of the maps in the game are made to be maze/puzzle maps. Perez Forest maze for sure. There is also a council map or two with some tricky passage ways. one cave map where there is a passageway that loops around and under another map section. It's fun from the puzzle perspective. but I can see how you would think it is frustrating, but I find that to be less frustrating than a mob hiding under a set of stairs somewhere or accidently knocking a critter through a wall and having no way to defeat it.

really? I guess I haven't done that one often enough. Yeah. Too much of that going on. A lot of people are using x2 XP through out leveling (regardless of what route they are taking). Even without the x2 XP if you bump up the difficult of missions - that is often enough to out level contacts before their arcs can be completed (even if they allow you to continue their arc). That's why when I try to do missions in a zone, I have started going to the wiki, check out the contact list, and XP lock as necessary to avoid outleveling the content. I wasn't looking for badges for troll bosses. I was commenting on where I thought all of the Minions of Igneous were located. I agree that under Grendel's Gulch is different than in Grendel's Gulch. aha! The plot thickens .... and I have yet to do my exploratory foray in to find the underground lair of the Minions of Igneous

I hope you are feeling better and have defeated COVID.

Cool. More places for me to try to find them that I don't go in a thread about a place that the OP feels people aren't going to. I'm unsure about the "Who Will Die" thing. I have been dragged into some of them by a teammate. I'll have to make an exploratory mission down into those Tunnels around the edge of the Gulch. Wouldn't you think it might be a good idea to put some contact to send you down there and/or even have some contacts down in those tunnels to give you some missions to do down there? Just saying...

My take: Most known for fighting Trolls and the famous Frostfire mission. Find mini Troll raves with drummers in some areas. It is the only place that know of to battle Minions of Igneous (https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Minions_of_Igneous) outside of the AE. You will find them only in Grendel's Gulch (Level 13-15) - the pit in the middle of the map. [But are they actually space aliens like the Shivans - brought to Earth by asteroid crashing into the Earth's atmosphere? Lore says that the Trolls found them while digging in the Hollows (https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/The_Hollowing) , but if they simply creatures that live underground, why haven't they been unearthed in other areas of the Earth? or even in other areas of Paragon City!] Relevant bits from https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/The_Hollows Hero Hazard Zone (5-15) Connecting Zones: Atlas Park, Skyway City, Tunnels Enemies: Circle of Thorns, Coralax, Devouring Earth, Hellions, Hydra, The Lost, Minions of Igneous, Outcasts, Skulls, Trolls, Tsoo, Vahzilok Arc Contacts (and one repeatable) Level 5-9 David Wincott Hunts and door missions └►Flux └►(Julius the Troll) Level 5-15 Meg Mason (repeatable) door missions - first one is timed Level 10-14 Julius the Troll (Frostfire Arc) hunts and door missions └►(Talshak the Mystic) Level 12-14 Talshak the Mystic hunts and door missions Trial Contact - Level 12-15 - Cavern of Transcendence (https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Cavern_of_Transcendence_Trial) Karsis - Unlock requires completion of Talshak the Mystic's story arc. WARNING: there is no map inside of the Cavern of Transcendence trial.

... but only to Mapserver critters (like the ghost axe and ghosts). wow. Seems a bit excessive. er... yeah... I certainly hope you weren't thinking you could do the old "toy bat-then-brawl" combo to take out an GM?!! You hit GM with your Toy Bat for half their health in smashing damage! You hit GM with your Brawl for half their health in smashing damage! You have defeated GM You gain a large mount of experience and buttloads of influence.

I don't believe that it is the intent for a level 20 to be running a level 20 Ouroboros mission. Ouroboros missions are meant for higher level characters, and I think the intent of their creation was for level 50 end-gamers to give them something to do.

It maybe level 20, but it's level 20 in Ouroboros and your character is probably level 50. So what... you get like 5 levels of power over that, so you have powers up to level 25 and Maelstrom is only level 24? And how many set bonuses and Procs that are attuned that can be used at to level 20 that could be factored in to your advantage? Are you soloing or running with a group of other 50s that are also essentially exemplar-ed down? + he's only an LT. It isn't like he's an EB or AV. I don't run 50s and I don't do much Ouroboros stuff, but I know what level 50's are like when they play lower level content. It just doesn't seem to be all that much out of proportion, but I assume it is a challenging fight.

A +2 Mob can be set at x1 to x8. I am not trying to disagree with your opinion. Obviously, we have experience different results. It took me a while to get where I am tactically with masterminds. I tried to use them in ways that other people were using them and that generally did not work for me. I would agree that is correct. The mastermind AT seems to be built to fight more like a scrapper or stalker than an AoE controller or blaster. I don't disagree with your view of the AT if you are having issues with it. I have worked with the archetype long enough that I am getting a handle on the tactics of it, and, with increased knowledge of the pet behaviors of each type of pet (except for Demons. I only make Demon masterminds to be able to use the whips) the longer I can keep them alive and realise how to deal with their limitations and that of the masterminds abilities as well. I no longer feel them to be the hassle that they were to play at one point, and this change in my mindset and tactics came before that recent mastermind buffs/changes. The mastermind works best with more of a tank mentality. masterminds are definitely not support characters unless you mean by support "treating the entire team as your minions", which is what I do. I learned to utilize this tactic this especially after/by using whip-only demon masterminds (aka petless demon masterminds). The other players generally don't know that it is going on until the say: "Are you a petless mastermind?" "No." "Why aren't you spawning your minions?" "My seven minions are already out. Can't you see them in the team window?" Yes. The masterminds take a good bit of clicking and paying attention to what is going on with the pets and the team around you. Yes. That is because a controller is a support character class like defenders and corruptors and arguably dominators. Damage soaking with the pets. And most efficient when using a secondary with buffs and heals (at least). This is why I suggested electric as a secondary. It seems to me to be the best secondary to couple with the masterminds. I have ?/dark, ?/forcefield, ?/traps, and, I think, a ?/empathy ... maybe more. Electric seems to be the most fun and effective to me. I have about 4-5 ?/electric masterminds at this point. My focus is not attacking with my mastermind, but letting my pets and team mates do the damage. I'm trying to get my pets into the fight and keep them buffed and healed. I let them do all the work - they are my minions. I think you are taking the correct action. If they don't seem fun to play, then play something that is fun to play. That's why I have so many characters. If one character isn't fun to play, then I play another one for a while. Each character plays differently. I've given them their own characteristics, and I try to play them based on those characteristics. Have all the variety and option is what makes City of Heroes fun for me.

Heh, I have embraced it.

I'm not seeing this issue. I see you say +2, bit x? how many? Unfortunately, simply because you aren't good with them doesn't mean that they aren't already a powerful archetype. I'm assuming you already know that you can't play all archetypes the same way. It is kind of like fighting a new villain group. You have to figure out which ones are likely to be the biggest threat and taking them out first (be that the boss, healer, shielder, buffer, etc.) Perhaps you simply need more minions. Specifically, those with human-intelligence behind them. /LFG for some to join your team. Pretty much regardless of what server you are on, there are people looking to team up that don't want to lead a team.

Sure. One way or the other. I would want to have powers. Who wants to be an NPC? I figure that would depend on my $origin which may not be natural, and I probably wouldn't have a choice especially if my $origin was mutation. I would deal with world gave me or work through science, tech, or magic depending which of those doors opened for me in the CIty. The ones that I would have access to or think up and try to make happen. I mean this is me and not a character. My origin is suddenly being in Paragon City, and realizing it was for real. I would be wondering how I ended up in Paragon City. I would be looking looking for day jobs and a place to live; I don't want end up under the underpass in Kings Row trying to stay warm around a barrel-fire with a bunch of Lost. I would probably try to be trying to find a way back home or find out that I'm trapped in another cage. I would strive to be a hero, but I would probably end up being a vigilante. Never take off the mask ... until it's time to blend in with a crowd. I guess it would depend on what I could afford. I don't know what kind of loot I could make from day jobs, and I don't know the prices for places to live within the CITY. As said above, I would be trying to avoid living with Lost in an underpass in Kings Row. Do what I have to do to pay my bills and then spend the rest of the time trying to do what I can to save people and fight crime in the City. I figure I won't end up in the City with wealth. I'd end up blipped in there with hopefully at least my clothes. I wouldn't have any kind of Paragon City ID. Yeah, I would get a day job as soon as I could.

Try ?/electric. Always run in defensive mode (blue shield) and focus through one of your minions once combat begins so your can primarily focus on buffing and healing them. Electric will give you easily usable buffs, heal, and a shield. Electric powers branch out and hit more than one target, so if you stay with your pets, keep your pets together, and target through one of them then you are going to buff and heal yourself. The shield is static, so drop it as soon as you are at a fixed combat point. I engage combat in a couple of ways. I walk close enough to a group of enemies to provoke them into attacking. Set up the shield. Target of of my pets. Pets are in defensive mode and the enemy will attack, the pets will respond. Set up the shield. Teleport an enemy into your kill box and then target one of my pets. Pets are in defensive mode and the enemy will attack, the pets will respond. Set up the shield. I range attack an enemy (preferably with a debuff) and then target one of my pets. Pets are in defensive mode and the enemy will attack, the pets will respond. With a pet targeted, I can buffand heal most of the pets and myself. I'm also focusing fire with that pet (I usually target the pet that can do the most damage). It seems to work well in my experience, but I'm not playing at level 50 trying to chase a bulldozer team around.

It seems to me you need a stalker-friendly team to get the best use out of stalker in team situations. I can see a traps/devices/stalker team working well together. Since you practically have to make a stalker a scrapper to team with a bulldozer team, I can't say that there really is a good team-build for them if you are running with a bulldozer team. I mean, you're lucky to be able to run in and get an assassin strike off on a bulldozer team and the assassin strike the main reason to have a stalker.

I'm looking at all theses bases in the contest and I keep thinking, would it be possible to add bases as an option for maps in AE content? I might really be a hassle to do this, but, wow, I mean think of what it could mean. I'm not sure how it would even sort in the AE as bases are stored on the different servers (as far as I know) versus in a common pool or if it would be necessary to have access to all bases in the AE (I would think not). I think if it ever is implemented the DEVs and/or Community Reps would have to approve bases before they would be added to the AE. I say this because I know of a least one ERP base that is a bit out here and I'm not even sure it should be open to the public but some of the Horror aspects of Halloween bases kind of go kind of far as well. The AE missions really aren't monitored either so on some level I guess it is relative. I would also think that base owners should have the option to submit their base for possible use in the AE versus just putting them all through the process. Some bases are personal and people may not want to have them used in AE content by other people creating missions inside of their base design. I still keep looking at the and thinking that they are ready made maps for PVE. I know they can already be used for PVP at this point.

The other game that I did costume and skin texture mods for had the costumes a flat artwork. The flat artwork for costume parts and skin textures are applied to the character model. If you examined how the flat artwork fit on a character, you could then modify the shape, texture, color and also if it was metallic(reflective)/transparent/etc. of a costume part. It would essentially be the same costume, but with the characteristics modified within the boundaries of the existing costume part. I'm unsure if the costume parts in CoH are 3d modelled and/or have a layover art pattern on top of them. Can Blender even utilize the art file type that is used for the costuming in CoH?