Black Talon

Interesting subject, Jacktar; unlike the previous posters, who have used a very sensible mathematical metric of some sort to figure out what "half-way" is, I'm going to go off pure personal observation. From my perspective, "half-way" is level 32 - you've a) hit the selection peak for both the primary power and secondary sets, b) are going to be able to refresh the complete enhancement selection (presuming upgrades haven't figured into it), and c) are at the point where you're now filling out the enhancement lists at a full three slots per level, and at two levels sequentially, for that matter. Still a hell of a lot to go - a load of selection yet to come, and the Epic/Patron powers are still three levels off - but having a full range of powers and slotting available, rather than the comparatively paltry bits available in the 20s, makes things a heck of lot more open and effective, and is my point for an alt reaching "maturity".

Techwright, your inquiry and considerations here are things that I can much appreciate. While, yes, we all want a comic book superheroes/villains game where there's going to be issues like a character's personal determination and willpower that will make a difference in a fight, a game is different from a story and requires some kind of numeric balancing mechanism. I remember, Back In The Day, that my SS/EB Defender - at level 5-6 - would use Gale on a boss during a Team scrap. The first application accomplished nothing except visual effects, and I'd have teammates asking, "What the hell are you doing?", and with the second app - right after recharge, while the first app's duration was still in effect - the boss would get tossed up against the wall and now be vulnerable to gang pummelling. I'd explain the mag effects to the team after the mission was done, and while it's not in the, "I just tried harder because my friends were in danger," category, I think the mag effects are about as close as a numerical system can come to simulating that. Of course, with Homecoming, the mag effects have changed somewhat - bosses now get hurled by a single application of Gale - but the basic concept still remains in effect.

Grats on that - makes me think about my main, who would have over $600 million at this point if he wasn't The Rich Uncle with a bunch of Idiot Nephews who are calling up constantly for "a bit of help" after they hit 50 and need to pick up that load of IOs. Sigh. Maybe one day they'll hit it big and be able to give Rich Uncle his Beemer back...an overly common situation for the community here, I would suspect...

Upon visiting one of my alts' SG bases, I noted that there had been some changes which I had absolutely not made. Among these were changing various levels in the base - this was put back to the previous arrangement through simple level adjustment - but one alt's SG meeting table had been deleted. The items that had been placed at its sides were unaltered, but with nothing now in the space that had occupied it previously. Looking through the various menus to replace it seemed to show that the particular choice made before was no longer available; it was a very large, squarish SG table with the planet's hologram in the centre. The only one that seemed to duplicate this last part was in the "Tables" menu, with "large SG table", although this version is circular and way smaller than the one I'd put in previously. Anyone have any idea what happened here? I've looked through every menu that might be applicable for "Tech" and nothing approaching the first SG table seemed to be present. Has this been deleted for copyright reasons or something like that? If someone knows how to get the original square table back, would very much appreciate being told how to do so.

The linked article gives some details regarding an underground tunnel system below Brown University. While caverns of the "natural" (i.e., what we'll see endless examples of in Paragon City) type aren't covered, the man-made versions would certainly suffice for a number of underground adventures - including, I would presume, the Abandoned Sewer System. Please note that one of these cavern entrances is purported to be the inspiration for the entrance to the Batcave in the 1960s Batman series. That alone should qualify all this as Paragon City-official territory. https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/rhode-island/underground-brown-university-ri/

A very interesting issue, mistagoat. For myself, I typically take anywhere from three months (that's been about the quickest rise, with that alt played almost exclusively) to a couple of years, for guys who were just side-items and, finally, got played on a somewhat regular basis. Part of the reason that things have remained relatively slow is because, when teaming pre-47, I typically shut off xp to avoid out-levelling contacts. Just the cash acquired is certainly nice, plus having the record of having completed Task/Strike Force X. And the biggest reward: getting to work and make stupid jokes with teammates that I will, in the best of all possible worlds, get to work with again at some point.

A while back I decided to replicate an alt I had, Back In The Day, who was a Dark Melee/Dark Armor Brute (blueside), and realized that, under the current mathematical arrangements, he had some advantages (and disadvantages, to be sure) that none of my other power-sets did. Now, at level 50 with a full set of IOs (How did I pay for those? IO, IO, it's off to scrap we go...), he's just about the only guy who can take on the Carnie bosses, and Sappers, to a large extent, without fear of being End-drained at a moment's notice. One of the trade-offs for this has been that I have to allot a considerable amount of time for him to do the end-of-mission boss scraps; even with Soul Drain (when he activates that, I think of the Coming to America Soul Glo commercial - wish I could have that on auto-play when the button get hit), he takes an inordinately long time to put the punks into the cement. Other melee-oriented types I've got have a specific three-power combination in the boss scraps; rinse and repeat, because those three attacks have the highest DPS available and anything else simply is going to fall into the category of diminishing returns. The Brute...well, after Soul Drain, he's gonna be hitting the three basic attacks in a row, then Touch of Fear, then Midnight Grasp, all for DPS and the purpose of wearing down buddy's chances of hitting on the riposte. And will hit Siphon Life both for the regen and damage effects, should buddy get a few choice hits in. And after Soul Drain recharges, go through the routine again. Dark Melee/Dark Armor definitely has its advantages (at End 110, that's for g--dammed sure), but I would advise that there's a learning curve with the power-sets that many others avoid. Take your time, be prepared for a lot of ER visits in the lower (pre-30) levels, and be assured that the forces of Darkness will rise...

This is standard procedure for zones where the "challenge level" has been exceeded. At your level, the only zone where you can find police scanner stuff is Peregrine Island. All others are going to give the simple feedback, "Events here seem to be beneath your notice", e.g., nothing more than cats stuck in trees. All best as you continue your voyage through the best superhero MMPOG ever released, and just watch out for those Malta punks and their Sappers hanging around Portal Corp...

Zombra, have to chime in with your sentiments here the big one-ten. The whole "Incarnate" issue - while I acknowledge and celebrate the spirit of innovation and attempt to give this game an achievement level past 50 - has been a non-starter on my part. I'm perfectly happy with my crew of 50s, fully outfitted with IOs - and yes, it did take a while, but I did finally get around to doing that (a billion or so bucks later - ugh) - running around and giving the Forces of Evil a sharp swat upside the back of the head. I keep thinking that, maybe, one day, I'll get around to giving the Incarnate thing a try - and perhaps it will be as rewarding as getting all those purple and red IO sets were, I will accede to that possibility - but for right now...it's an academic point. The various Incarnate rewards sit in each character's tray, quiescent and docile, with the ongoing question hanging around them, "When you gonna use us...?"

Haven't gone through the entire thread yet - but I will, boss, I will! - but I do have to give GM Crumpet (and is there anything more terrifying than a name that makes you want to invite someone in for an English breakfast?) commentary my full marks. CoH, in its original and current iteration, was crafted for people who value the journey more than reaching the destination. Back in '04 - '05 and hit 50? Might as well go into semi-retirement and just pick up the occasional badge while working on Alt X. Toward the end of the run, back in 2010 - 12 or thereabouts, the Devs did put some serious work into trying to construct an endgame, with IOs and the AE system. Post '19, we've seen some potentially huge expansions with the Incarnate system, and the Ides of March bad guy upgrades. Yet the truth of the matter is that the joy should still be in the 1 - 50 journey, and the dozens of souvenirs that can be put in the catalogue and run through during the quiet moments. Those who are anticipating some kind of deification after the 50 is hit...you're barking up the wrong tree. Best of luck in locating a more suitable set-up, and meanwhile, we'll be sticking it out here and working toward the day when Countess Crey can be confronted in her subterranean lair, mere hours from fleeing the country forever...

I find it more than slightly coincidental that Snarky's face was featured prominently within the screenshot. Snarky present? Questions about how long things have been extant and yet perhaps "undead" due to lack of knowledge or familiarity with the subject? Well, now. YOU be the judge.

Interesting point; and I have, on occasion, decided to use Unstoppable (or powers that accomplish the like) rather than give Villains X the thrill of watching another alt make their way to the ER. One of the problems, from my experience, has been forgetting that I've hit the power to begin with, or lost track of how long it's been running. The, "Aw, crap," moment kicks in and I've got time for one tremulously uttered, "I'll be back," before the, "Down I go," moment. Overall, yes, I would prefer to hit the Unstoppable button, as long as I can get my head in gear enough to make sure I'm keeping track of the timing.

As per always, passing on every heartfelt thanks and congratulations to the Homecoming team. Without you, ladies and gentlemen, we would have been left with nothing but screenshots, Google images and the occasional YouTube video. This game provides me with a reason to stay awake on Saturday afternoons, after the work-week and the volunteer work is done. Hoping very much we get to pass on our appreciations in person some day, be it at a gaming convention or the like. Until then, know that you have everyone here watching your backs, and that the monthly funding call will be answered, and fulfilled, in perpetuity. All best always.

My hopes that this individual, and his/her/its works will be excised at the earliest available juncture, but just wanted to bring in a quick point of personal recollection. Over twenty years ago, on trekrpg.net, there was an individual called Red Quacker. The person - if I might use that title - engaged in the same sort of I-want-to-stir-the-hornets'-nest attention-getting tactics that this one does. This individual became a subject of site-wide bemusement, and, finally, boredom - because you can only stir the hornets' nest for so long before they've all taken off. Temnix will inspire his (presuming "his") share of head-shaking amusement, then disregard, and will, hopefully, zip out when "he" realizes that no one's paying attention anymore. As a quick by-the-way, on trekrpg.net, Red Quacker's account and posts were ultimately deleted. For the best, really, although there were the occasional, "Whatever happened to...?" posts over the years.

Am well familiar with City of Zeroes - followed it pretty closely Back In The Day - but had absolutely no indication this existed. Thank you very much for having made this available, Zombra, and, like CoZ, it points out some absolutely true yet much beloved "fools' paradise" aspects of City of Heroes. Any more from this particular animator, please let us know.

Best of the lot, stretching from CoH's origin days, is the Countess Crey arc, mid-40s. When my main alt went through this one for the first time (back in '05), I was so damn impressed I sent off a congratulatory e-mail to the Devs. Being turned into a pariah at the hands of a corporate predator who deserves the chair or lethal injection for what she's done - murder-one, identity theft and crippling your husband being the absolute least of it - make this an arc that I'm delighted to have every alt, before and now, have their turn at running through. Always thought it was a shame that the police aren't the ones hunting your character down during this, or that other players couldn't receive a "wanted" notice that put your alt on the PvP smackdown list for. The Striga Isle and Faultline arcs are top-rate as well; never miss a chance to run those gamuts through when the 20+ or 17+ level (respectively) are reached.

Very much agreed that this is a highly idiosyncratic matter; combination of the AT, power-sets, how they've been slotted out, and, finally, exactly what the player is comfortable with. My 50s - and there are more than a couple on that list - keep it at +4/x1, if Scrapper/Tanker/Brute. With the Issue 27 bad guy upgrades, what were previously simple keep-your-eyes-open moments have now turned into, on a number of occasions, genuine nail-biters. My Defenders are at +3/x1, and, indicating the defensive nature of this game's mathematical balance, they haven't seemed to experience a massive uptick in difficulty, even with the bosses. Yeah, a medium defence insp might be added into the mix, but not much more than that. Although the offensive-driven ATs perhaps could handle things at x2 or higher, I'm not a big fan of turning these missions into solo marathons; I'll leave that for when I'm in full teams. I'd like to get to the end sometime during this calendar year and not have to ignore Mom's phone calls.

From the little bit I've done so far, a couple of things stick out: 1. Event-based noises, such as power effects and so forth, seem to have the volume diminished while the zone music has been jacked up 2. Villains have received your basic "Gift from Above" and are considerably tougher than previously Anybody else notice this? Sure, it's not the sort of thing that's going to require Reverend Lovejoy to sit with me, pat me on the back and recite, "There, there. There, there," but it is a touch distracting. Also, not sure if I'm in love with those timers on long-recharge powers - Dull Pain, Instant Heal and so forth. Volunteers from the rest of the class?

Chuckers, THANK YOU! I very much appreciate getting the "inside voice" on exactly what the circumstances were "Back In The Day", and giving this bit of clarification. All my apologies for my presumptions here - although, from what you've indicated, it's a certainty that, during Beta, you guys would have picked up the "Enhance 'em to death" play-style that we, as a player community, were pursuing back in '04. What Mr. Emmert's thought process was during this time...well, I'm not going to go there. All I will state is that the final outcome is something that grabbed hold of the superhero community's 'nads (in a nice way) and pulled us into something that we absolutely refuse to leave. Chuckers, thank you again for everything you and your fellow Devs have done.

I think many of us can experience a, "Been there, done that, nailed it shut," moment when reading that. It honestly escapes me how the original Devs, back in '03-'04, would not have been able to pick up on how the players were multi-stacking enhancements to go for the damage/healing/defence-machines we were working on becoming back in Issue #1. While I can appreciate the logic behind encouraging players to not want to just hit the single-enhancement type for any Archetype, I again think it was something so obvious they should have been anticipating it way ahead of the curve.

All thanks, to everyone here, for the expansion and clarification on this. Regardless as to whether NCSoft provides financial/personnel backing or has just waved the hand and said, "Yeah, sure, you guys represent the IP now," it counts as a serious positive development, especially considering how quickly and callously NCSoft shut things down a little over eleven years ago. If anything, I think this incites a major round of applause for the Homecoming crew, who have given so damn much of their time, effort and dedication to something where the major benefit is knowing that life has been restored to what had it stolen. God knows how many successor projects - and we sure as all-get-out have discussed those hobbled efforts in depth - have dehydrated and whispered away like dust in the wind not because of financial starvation, but because the people involved had just enough of all this to justify calling it quits. New content, old, or published AE stuff, it makes no difference: we have been given a world in which humans can fly (among other travel powers), and that's good enough for me.

I've got some considerable sympathy for PancakeGnome's OP argument; and I agree with Paragon Vanguard's point about character concept making all the difference. Aside from some points regarding IO benefits and so on, the Archetypes work out with considerable similarity - a Tanker is always going to be a Tanker, and have the same list/s of primary/secondary powers to choose from. Along with the mathematically driven and constricted array of bad guys, there is always going to be a numerical limit on what can be done and what can be done to a specific alt. My own Superman clone is IN/SS with appropriate tertiary powers. Where the difference comes along is in how he got to where he is: as I've detailed in his origin, he started off as a bigot with neo-Nazi inclinations, dropping out at fifteen and joining the Fifth Column. He and his unit were in a territorial dispute with Arachnos in White Plains - original name for the Rikti War Zone - when the Rikti mothership crashed and devastated the area. The building the combatants were in was destroyed and the character himself was trapped in the ship's forcefield for eighteen years. Released by accident during a Hero attack on the ship, he realized that the alien radiations had granted him invulnerability and super-strength. With his family now scattered across the country, he was faced with a choice - become an elite enforcer for a villain group or try to reform his life and become a new and better man. He's chosen the latter, and every day marks another opportunity to make up for - and try to forget - the person he once was. Thus, every time this guy takes out a group of Arachnos/Council/Fifth Column, among others, he feels like he's erasing an ugly part of himself. No, this doesn't have a damn thing to do with what powers he's got, how they're used, what the mathematics/coding is behind them or how bad guys get taken out. His difference lies solely in his origins and outlook on the world, and these keep me interested enough in him to keep him going well past the level 50 cut-off.

Passing on every wonderful, eternal good wish to the entire population out there. All confidences that this will be a fantastic Christmas and holiday to all, and the hopes for a great New Year to come for both those in Paragon City's - and the Rogue Isles' - virtual population, and all of us in what we laughingly refer to as the real world. Merry Christmas all. P.S. Snaptooth is gonna take it extra-hard this year, and run cryin' home to Momma over that guy/girl who just won't stop hitting him.

For myself, I agree with Healix's standpoint the big one-ten. Far, far better, IMHACWO, to have something brought up as a mistaken red-flag - and thus allow the opportunity to at least pass on a heartfelt apology to the offended party - than to let a single genuine corporate parasite through. I would hope that, if one of my posts were, for whatever reason, flagged as such a cautionary point, I would be most accepting of the resulting investigation and would pass on a hearty, "Hey - not a problem," to the (hopefully) regretful person who had made the mistaken identification. I think it's understood that there's nothing involving personal bias here, just someone pointing out something that seemed a bit off. While I am certainly not frequent enough a contributor, let alone site-surfer, to pick up on anything but the most obvious of such scam attempts, I do fully support the population as a whole acting as a digital posse and corralling the low-rent punks into the virtual turlet.

Coming in a bit late with this, but pleased that someone brought up this overly-ignored topic, Scarlet Shocker. Voltaic Sentinel is a power I've got, and have used, on one alt and one alt only: my Storm Summoner/Electric Blast Defender. With him, I've found the power to be highly situational; when doing the hostage-rescue bit, and after taking out the boss and his/her chumps with the Lightning Storm/Freezing Rain/Snow Storm/Hurricane combo, I take moment to call up my friend "Sparky", and let said hostage know that he'll be helping us on the way out. At this point there are only the three wave attacks to anticipate - I make it a point to clear the board before taking the hostage in hand and beelining toward the exit - and Sparky has often proven a real help in making sure that such retributive attacks by the bad guys will not be much more than an xp (and possibly inspiration)-bonus-with-effort. Working solo, I will not put Sparky to use when making my way through a mission initially, as there's just too much damn chance of a bad guy walking into range and screwing up the whole surprise-attack thing because Sparky just couldn't keep it in his pants. With groups, however, Sparky is a welcome addition, and will often serve as the clean-up batter when the rest of the gang are concentrating on taking out Arch-Villain X. Highly situational, yeah...but I do enjoy having Voltaic Sentinel as a resource, and the purple IO set I've got in place for him certainly offers some nice side benefits as well.