MetaVileTerror

Just 'cause this thread got pretty overshadowed by the new one, I want to reiterate that I think the premise of giving scaling +Recharge at the exclusion of Hasten is worth investigating. It's bugging the hell out of me, but I'm almost certain that there's a mechanic already in the game code as-is that allows what I'm proposing. Would one of the technically-minded coder types be able to verify? I know there are conditional effects in Powers (ie: Brawl just does damage, unless you also have Boxing and Kick, then it has extra features!). Is it not possible for conditional effects to work in reverse? ie: An Auto Power grants +x% Bonus, unless you also have Y or Z Power, at which point that bonus is suppressed.

Gotta hand it to Steampunkette for this thread, though. Over 150 replies in 3 hours. Although, I suppose it's a good thing that negative Reputation was removed as a mechanic in the forum . . .

I made my first vampire a few days ago at the behest of another player, who was having trouble finding a vampire after quite some time searching.

Ok, so, if the earlier suggestion isn't codeable (though I've got this nagging feeling that there's SOMETHING in the game which has the mechanic I'm envisioning), then how about this: Hasten is taken with nearly every Level 50. What if we make three or four other Pool Powers which offer the opportunity for a similar level of benefit in a different universal statline? Make them all mutually exclusive with one another and with Hasten. Like a Click Power which increases all Control Magnitude by 1 for the duration. A high-Endurance Toggle which grants +100% to Healing. An auto Power which grants +25% to "Special" (Buff, Debuff, etc.) Yes, more difficult to balance, but it would definitely offer meaningful choice to the players and Hasten doesn't need to go away.

I didn't mean the Powers would be mutually exclusive as Selections. I meant that taking Hasten would disable the function of the Auto Inherent Recharge Power. Hasten wouldn't remove the AIR Power, just suppress it.

I may have a crazy idea . . . no real certainty if it could even be implemented, but . . . What if we combine the ideas? Leave Hasten as-is. Add a new, inherent Power which offers scaling Recharge benefit, starting around +2.5% at level 1 or 2, which scales up to +20% by level 50 . . . BUT it is flagged to be mutually exclusive with Hasten. If you take Hasten, this Inherent loses its function until you Respec Hasten out. I don't know if such mutual exclusivity is even possible given the current limitations of the code, and it might require converting Hasten in to an Auto Power which grants the player access to the Hasten Click Power, just so that the Inherent Recharge buff can "detect" if Hasten has been chosen . . . How does that sound? Will it maintain the function and desirability of Hasten for those players who like it the way it is, while also opening up alternative build options for those of us who find Hasten to be too much of a disruption to their concept/fun to take on their characters?

If we're going to give Flurry a little boost like that, what about Jump Kick? I'd say "Air Superiority too," but honestly, that thing is already a bit of a beast with the -Fly, quick recharge, and decent enough punchiness.

Well, the Empath getting Medicine isn't /that/ weird. Doesn't the 5th Power in Medicine now increase ALL Healing done?

Darkness Control has your standard single-target Immobilize, single-target Hold, and AoE Immobilize for its first three Powers, but with the added benefit of -To-Hit on affected enemies. Then it gets interesting. A Confuse, which are moderately rare'ish still. Some Fear, which is nice. Some pets which do more Fear, which stacks. An ultimate pet which does even MORE Fear . . . sensing a theme? But to balance that, the version of Dark Miasma for Controllers isn't Miasma, but instead Affinity. They dropped the Fear Power from there, and added an AoE Endurance Modifier. So, overall . . . yeah, Dark/Dark Control is pretty awesome!

Might be new players.

I think it has merit to investigate. Perhaps as one of the Incarnate levels? Unlock an extra slot or three in a Power or two as a post-50 big investment?

Yup. Right-click the Teammate and initiate Trade for Inf. Enhancements and Inspirations are even easier! Select the person, and then right-click the item you want to send to them. As long as they've toggled the auto-accept option and they aren't full, it'll pop right in to their inventory.

Hamfist-It Hank?

Sriracha-Sriracha sounds like a Fire/Fire Blaster to me. Or maybe Water/Fire, tinted red?

Sriracha is a support flavour. Sriracha-lime. Sriracha-cheddar.

Lime is the superior flavouring. Unless you have white cheddar. At which point white cheddar is superior.

Just a small point of clarity: You also settle if you're up against someone who will drag you through the courts for so long that you end up bankrupt, even if you win the case.

As I recall, Cryptic didn't win; they settled. It might seem like splitting hairs, but it basically means that the door's still open for operations like Homecoming to have a hammer come down on their head from a juggernaut like Disney.

and remember, just having this policy in place might be enough to placate Marvel. As long as Homecoming can reasonably say that they're doing their best, and that they are dealing with the infringements within a reasonable timeframe, the courts would likely side with Homecoming.

An issue that I often worry about, is what happens if an original character a player makes in the game ends up becoming similar to the likeness of a piece of intellectual property created or changed by a major corporation after the fact?

Not a GM. Not a lawyer. Just me. If I were in your position, the _name_ Hamburglar should be avoided, but a "tribute character" or "parody character" with a comedic likeness to the Hamburglar would be something I might even try. But then, the Hamburgler isn't a video game character, like a lot of Marvel and DCs intellectual properties have become in actively competing video games and other media. And Marvel and DC are /especially/ litigious, and have a history of coming after City of Heroes in the past. McDonalds . . . well, actually, they're pretty litigious too. Ok, maybe Hamburgler /isn't/ a good idea . . . If a GM has the chance, though, please feel free to tell me I am very, very wrong with my assumptions. I don't want anyone getting in trouble due to my theorizing.

@Mjolnerd . . . you should actually be alright. "Pickle Rick" is an owned intellectual property. "Prickle Rick" is a parody, and is therefore safe by North American law. It'll come down to the GMs'/Devs' decision, but parodies should be acceptable. Just be sure to parody-it-up to suitable levels.

Yeah, this smells like a part of the ncsoft negotiations to me too.

/petsayall <em clap> I know, I know . . . I'm a villain for liking this news. Still gonna like it, though.

I'd be happy with a Shotgun Medic if he also got an uninterruptible Aid Self.