Dacy

Hey, on the topic of player conduct, I have a question: (this is the first topic I found that dealt with this even obliquely) Is it possible to find out a player's history at all? You know, as in, this player was warned for this behavior, etc.? I was warned of a player by another player. I tried to get clarification on what this person had done, and I got some of it, but wanted to know more so I could decide whether or not it warranted breaking a promise I made, myself. Promises are a big deal to me, and I do not like breaking one, and even more so on someone's so-say, but I also do not wish to risk the behaviors described, so, horns of a dilemma. I'm guessing there's not, because the desire to keep privacy I bet outweighs conduct concerns, but I thought I'd ask. -Dacy

@Snark, here is some math for you: 30 converters, bought for 10 merits, will make you usually less than 3 mil, right? At going rate, usually 2.7 mil. Okay, so. You make a level 10 IO for 3,600, using one uncommon salvage and two commons, typically. One uncommon is 1,000, two commons are $200 total (I'm using figures that I know will get you the salvage, you can often buy for less if you will wait or the market is feeling generous). So that's 4,800. So. Even the least profitable IOs will sell for 100k-300k. I've found recipes you can buy for, on a good day, 100-500; it's pretty easy to find recipes that go for 1500 or 2k. I'm sure you can see the profit in that, already you are at what you'd get back for one converter. So now you take that recipe and make it into an IO, and let's say you make a really low end IO which sells for 200k. Market takes a small percentage (I'm sorry, I don't pay close attention to that, I think it's 5%?) You buy an attuned version of that IO for 200k (I suggest you buy one before selling yours, because the sales records aren't the most accurate guides). You put yours up for the same amount, so you're only out the market cut. * (see note later) Now you convert. It might take 10, 20, even 30 to get to something really profitable, like a Luck of the Gambler, but even if you spent 30 converters to get one LOTG, which you sell for 7 mil, you're ahead of what you would have gotten for selling just the converters by 4 mil, give or take. I don't think I've ever had to spend that many to get that specific one, but you can get a bad run and it can happen. Preparing you for that. But I've also had it come up in one try, from random in the rare category. Some days are better than others. Now, if you just go for an IO that is middle of the road, 3-4 mil, which is not too hard to come by, you will still be ahead, because you can do that many times with fewer converters, see? It's random, so I can't give you hard numbers, but using the rarity level converter, to either uncommon or rare (I will usually turn an uncommon to rare at some point by staying in a category...looking at the category will give you an idea of how many of the recipes there are rare vs. uncommon, so, you can figure out the math from there as to your chances of getting a rare in that category. I have noticed that the converter tends to go from uncommon to rare to uncommon while converting within a category...not always, but your chances are good. So if you just go with middle of the road, I'd say you could probably on average see 4-5 IOs converted into 3-4 million IOs, so, now you're looking at 12-20 mil from those 30 converters, instead of under 3 million. Less crafting costs and market cut, which, if you do it the way I mentioned, shouldn't be much. If you get lucky with the rolls, you could be looking at more, too. And most of the rares sell for 1 mil minimum (check this), so even if you go with the lower end IOs, eventually you will see a good profit. *Note on Demand: lower end IOs tend to sit on the market longer, since, lower demand. That's the trade off in going with a low priced IO, it might take a bit to sell. Also, prices can be deceiving; you might have to buy an IO at more than the rate anyone else is willing to pay for a while. Well trafficked IOs will avoid this problem, but the cost to exchange them will be higher. -Dacy

Nope, and I doubt anyone wants you or anyone else to do that. How about the simply clueless? The "I just don't get this" people? Okay, putting you squarely in the "nope, don't give them money" column. I got it. Me, with the "millions every minute" that farmers are making, I don't see a huge economic impact from giving people a bit to start with. It worked great on the private server, apparently. I'm not a hard core capitalist, at heart. To me, it's not about "survival of the fittest", I don't subscribe to the philosophy of, I got mine, if you can't figure it out, tough. Farming was invented so people could make influence and experience easily, even afk, in some cases. But many people just do not have the time or mental resources to sit down with all the info and build a farmer. If it's not breaking the game to let farmers earn influence while afk, I do not see why starter funds should be a big deal. It wouldn't make a long term impact for any account, anyway; it just makes the early game more enjoyable, especially for new people who are trying to learn everything, or returning players who forgot everything they ever knew and are starting again. @Snarky, a couple of tips for you for the market: don't sell those converters, use them. Make your uncommon recipes, the lower the level the better (less crafting cost). Sell that, buy it back as attuned (or buy back something even cheaper). Convert to something you can sell for more. You should check prices as you convert. If you convert within a category instead of in the same rarity, it will likely convert to a rare (some categories are more likely to do this than others). Example: you have an attuned (that's important) Rooted IO, one of the immobilize sets. You convert it to another uncommon (cost of one converter). It converts to Reactive Defense, in the defense category. You use the drop down menu on the upper right and this time, you convert it to another defense. It converts to a Gift of the Ancients,, which sells for a decent price..or you can convert again and try to get to a Luck of the Gambler, which is very good, especially the Global Recharge enhancement, which goes for 6.5-7 million. It's important that you get the attuned version, preferably one that is very cheap, before you start converting, so it can change into any IO, not just the ones that are that same level. Also, when buying for yourself, never buy the IO, buy a recipe. If you can't get the recipe you need, buy one in the same category and convert to what you need. Buy low level recipes to save on crafting, then sell that and buy back the IO at either the level you need or attuned. I certainly hope you're not one of the ones paying out the wazoo for superior anything! Buy the lower version and use a catalyst, even if you have to buy the catalyst, still less expensive. If you want an IO that's really expensive, try buying a less expensive IO in that same category, and converting it. IOs cannot convert out of their category! Pvp will always convert to PVP. Very rares will always be very rares, and winter attack IOs only convert to other winter attack IOs (not the travel, that's another category). You will never get a regular IO to convert to a PVP or a Winter. So category is very important. I hope this helps. 🙂 -Dacy

I was also completely I decked out and ready to go to purples, but I know how to use what I get to my advantage. What I’m saying is, it’s harder than it should be at the lower levels, IMO. You can make an argument that people are just too lazy to read up on the information that’s out there, but honestly, some people genuinely do not understand what you need to do in order to be able to do this. Just because I have been fine doesn’t mean it’s good the way it is. It means it’s possible, not optimal. What would be wrong with giving new players some influence if they wanted it, to help them get going? -Dacy

Yes! I liked what you did with the glare section, and the POV is now consistent. I’m not as clear on the changes in the middle, with Annabel’s thoughts. It sounds like Marilyn has been pointing out vampires, and Annabel hasn’t been clear on how she’s been doing it. And yet the text states that this is the first time that Annabel has met a vampire. In other words, it sounds like she just had suspicions confirmed, or confirmed the method, and then it doesn’t make sense that she would have to go on to validate how this is done. Also doesn’t make sense that when she does go on, since she now knows how Marilyn is doing it, that she would doubt when she does point out a vampire. And I don’t see a reason for her to want to check her makeup. However, if Annabel is incredulous that Marilyn could see under the makeup, all of the above makes sense. I could see her wanting Marilyn to prove it, and wondering whether or not Marilyn could see under her own make up, or maybe wonder if there’s something she missed and this is possible to do, and still being doubtful that this is for real when she does point out the vampire. Hopefully that made sense. 😊 -Dacy

I will definitely agree that SCORE made things much easier with the changes to the market and the drop rates, etc., and I love converters!! However, one side effect of the market being a pool instead of level specific is, you pay as much for a recipe or IO set at level 10 as you do for 50. Unless you’re topside with a decked out 50, you’re struggling! And believe me, not all farmers are making millions per minute. Also, I’m not sure how much play time you are using to show that you can deck out two to three characters a week, but it’s definitely not a casual player like many I know. You only do well in being able to outfit characters in this game if you have an outfitted 50 or better yet an outfitted idealized farmer, and you understand the system, as in how to leverage what you have on the market or build that farmer who can rake in millions per minute. I have given away millions to players who understand neither of these things. I have heard people comment over and over again in help that they have no influence and no way to buy enhancements. I’ve known people who are still playing a level 50 with few IOS, let alone sets. Yes, the game is much easier than it ever was on live, and if you understand the systems, especially if you already have a 50 making you all your influence, it’s really easy to get your characters completely set. But, it is really hard to get going if you are a player who doesn’t get to get on all that often, and who doesn’t have a 50 they play to get their influence. You should not have to have a high top tier character to be able to outfit your lower level character! And I do not think that you should have to understand how to work the market to your advantage to be able to do so, either. -Dacy

Made a chandelier...it's much prettier in person, as it sparkles! All stuff from Arcane Defense, with a few fx from arcane as well. -Dacy

Okay, I gotta ask: why does everything need to be so expensive? This is not a company trying to get us to spend real money in a store on bonus items. This is a game kept alive and brought back because we LOVE it, not because it was so challenging to get outfitted! Other games say, "If we make it too easy, people will lose interest." I think we've passed that bar! WE LOVE THE GAME. WE WOULDN'T LEAVE IF THINGS WERE EASIER. But it's possible that, especially new people, they might get frustrated with the prices and how slowly the average player is able to get enough influence to get anything near a decent enhancing for ONE character, never mind the altaholic. I've heard it time and time again from all sorts, how frustrating it is that everything is so expensive. The "general consensus" seems to be most people don't slot ANYTHING until they are in their 20s or more. I have heard the private server gave their players a influence bonus they could claim to get started. Also, they would routinely give codes for prizes like the winterpacks and such. That sounds fun! And like the devs cared about making people happy! Even a little of that would go a long way around here. Quit making it such an effort just to get your character outfitted, and let us just do what we like to do, kick butt, make bases, have costume contests, run task forces and trials, RP, or farm (would farming still be around as much if things were easier to buy?) -Dacy

Wha...why would you avoid adverbs? What did they do to you? Perhaps if you hate adverbs, well, do you have anything against adjectives? Make glare a noun, and describe it. (Use English complexity to your advantage! lol) Or describe his eyes. Or both. Cold eyes narrowed, and he fixed a menacing glare on...not Annabel, but Marilyn! And no, I do not think glowered is a stronger verb. Glowered does connotate attitude, certainly, but not quite enough, imo. Scowl works better than glowered, but conveys more anger or irritation than menace, whereas glare could be many things; it doesn't give away as much as a scowl, and yet, can convey layers of meaning. -Dacy

Nice! Couple small things. When Marilyn interrupts Annabel's train of thought, we've been seeing things from Annabel's pov, therefore, it's illogical to say "interrupting her friend's train of thought". It's like you switched primary pov's right there, but yet, the sentence after reaffirms we're still in Annabel's pov. You could say that Marilyn interrupted HER train of thought, her being Annabel. You might make this more clear by putting it first, like, "Annabel's train of thought was interrupted suddenly by her friend. 'What are we doing here?' Marilyn inquired, suspiciously. '" (adding detail to how she asked is almost always good!) 😉 And this is personal, but I am wanting a different word than "creepy" for Annabel to describe Marilyn's thought. First of all, it doesn't seem creepy to me, and I'd think Annabel would have an even higher standard for what's creepy...I think it's either perceptive, interesting, or inexplicable. Just my opinion. Last, when the vampire "glared and glared", can we find a descriptor for how he glared, instead of just repeating the word, perhaps? Really good! So intriguing! 😄 -Dacy

Nice!!

Yes, it's a good something, QB! Hey, if you're having problems writing the very next stuff, a trick I've heard of and used is writing some other scene. I know you have some in your head! Write what is clamoring at you now. Maybe you use it, and once it's there you can see how you get from here to there, or maybe you just use it as an exercise for writing, but it does help. An example from my writing, (in a spoiler if you haven't read The Fight Begins...and if you haven't, you should!!) Just keep writing..🎶...just keep writing...🎶 -Dacy

Okay! Created two different type recipes in Uni, got immediate credit for both (not heals, needed some salvage that the market didn't want to sell me at the price point I was willing to offer). So, went into base and got salvage, made ONE heal recipe, got instant badge. The bar had said I needed two more. Made another, different recipe in the base, got credit for one. Sigh. Who knows...another ineffable bug. Maybe like the disappearing salvage bug, it's random. -Dacy

Okay, weird: I logged back in today, and now have credit for TWO of the four recipes I crafted yesterday. Way to make the bug easy to figure, huh? Yes, unfortunately, there are bugs associated with bases. Sad, because I love bases...and I love the convenience, but it's not very convenient if it doesn't work as expected, is it? I'm going to craft both in and out of the base and see what happens. -Dacy

I had credit for 5 out of 9 Heal IOs for levels 15-20, and decided I'd craft the other four and get that taken care of. Well, I crafted the four (in my base), 2 of each level, and none of them were credited to me. The progress bar did not change at all, and of course the badge was not awarded. Anyone else having any difficulty with getting credit for crafting? I'm hesitant to spend the resources to do any more crafting, because it might be for nothing. -Dacy

And that's what I get for responding from email. I didn't see the whole topic and the other responses! Thanks, @Li_Sensei and @oxmox, that lines up with what I've heard, too. -Dacy

No, I’m sure of what they were talking about, but, I think they were misinformed. I just saw a video someone did on the winter event, reminding people about what’s going on, and the only mention of the IOs was mentioning that winter super packs would now be 10 million instead of 25 million. So, that answers that. Thanks! -Dacy

I know you can get them those two ways, but there was a conversation on one of the public channels about how they were about to become more common, and I remember them first appearing during one of the holiday events on Live; I just don't remember the details, nor do I know if this dev team would even do things the same way. Just hoping someone knows something. 🙂 -Dacy

Does anyone know what rules are in place regarding Winter IO drops? I know they are associated with the winter event...do you only get them running the Winter Lord's realm event? Are they random? Are they only for 50s? Is there anything that increases odds of a drop? -Dacy

Thanks! -Dacy

Yes, CR, I asked because you mentioned it. 🙂 Another author that is just amazing is Carol Berg; I haven't read anything of hers yet that I was able to put down, and she's the master of the plot twist. Fantasy. -Dacy

Thanks, QB, and, that snicker she heard, might even be that unexplained voice... I thought it gave additional reason why Ms. Pal might decide they were both trouble. If she thought that Annabel had been thinking of her when she dragged her out of the orientation, that might soothe her feelings of being made fun of, or perhaps make her realize that maybe Annabel hadn't made fun of her. So, if you showed something like that, it doesn't seem too quick, although put together, you might get the sense that Marilyn does like to leap to conclusions and might be prone to false logic chains. Or she's really oversensitive in her relationships. (I find those two things often go hand in hand). Maybe they actually balance each other. -Dacy

Yes, the flow is much better! We saw much more of Marilyn here, and more of Annabel, too. I loved the section where Annabel is thwacking students with the parasol. I misread it the first time, thought she was doing that to sit next to Marilyn, and that confused me because you specifically said Marilyn was seated away from the others, but I got it the second time through. 🙂 I like descriptions like "yanked", "rolled her eyes" and " 'vampire' ", they give more of a picture of how something was done. I'd even like to see even a touch more of that...for instance, I can think of several ways Marilyn might have said, "Right." Did she carefully resist showing a reaction and keep her tone neutral, not that Annabel was paying attention to that stuff anyway? Did she roll her eyes and say it sarcastically? Did she say it in a long suffering sort of way, with a sigh, like, here we go, I guess my dream of a normal roommate is dust in the sunlight? Did she say it expectantly, waiting for the rest of the joke? You get the idea. I want to know what you're seeing them do, like facial expressions, how something was said. 🙂 The more you can give the reader, in small things, like "yanked", etc, words that are both descriptive and move the plot forward, short add ons to the overall story. "Right!" Marilyn barked with a laugh. Doesn't add much in words, but does in terms of description. But yes, I love how much you added, it really perked it up, too! My reaction to Marilyn feeling all put upon from just the fact that Annabel says she didn't say anything was, whoa, this chick's got some issues. That's not a normal reaction... And again, when suddenly, oh look, we actually can be friends, maybe....quick switch up. Is Marilyn that given to extremes and quick emotional swings? Or if not, is there maybe more you could show there that shows how she got to that thought? I "punched up" the short bit when Marilyn hears the voice (great touch, btw, interested to see where that goes!). I'm putting it in spoilers, read it or don't, but it's just adding in some of the descriptive touches I spoke of earlier, plus adding something to make Marilyn's reaction make more sense to me, if she is supposed to make sense (and for purpose of demonstration, that's the direction I'm going). My additions/changes are in red. Take it with a grain of salt, it's only my opinion, and your work is good the way it is, too. 🙂 Great job on the rewrite! 🙂 -Dacy

Iynx, you have a talent for building intrigue. 🙂 Well done! -Dacy

Cool on the art in the campaign! If you like to read...and I suspect you do!...you would want to check out McMaster Bujold's books. She has written both fantasy and sci-fi, and the book I referred to is sci-fi. Her books are extremely well written (she can put more layers of meaning into one concise sentence than anyone I've seen), her characters are intriguing, complex, and also very well written, and overall, I just love her books. The portrait of Hour Thief reminded me of Miles Vorkosigan not so much in the uniform, altho Miles would also be wearing a uniform, but in attitude. Miles is one of my all time favorite characters. He's the only son of a high ranking noble family, but he was born with very brittle bones that have caused stunted growth and deformities on a planet where physical perfection is the only acceptable option, for reasons she covers but I won't go into here. This puts him in the position of having a lot to prove..to himself, perhaps, but definitely to the world he lives in. Fortunately, he's also brilliant, which is how he manages the situations he finds himself in. The book with the cover (now has a different cover, but that's good, because overall, the artist apparently hadn't read the book...) is the first book I read of the series, and it's where I recommend you start, if you wish to read: The Warrior's Apprentice. She is very adept at drama, but often adds in subtle humor that has frequently made me laugh out loud. Ah, man, now I want to go on a tangent of books I've loved... 🙂 but I won't. Do you have a link to your book? Is it COH related, or not really related? -Dacy