Ukase

Seems to me CoH already has a system in place to suit our needs - but for whatever reason, the original devs didn't want us to have it. The server can track each of my characters pieces of salvage, and badges, and influence, merits, etc. And, when we put stuff in the vault (which is the same as our "Vault Reserve" that we can all access at any time, it demonstrates the ability for clicking on a certain field to access various stored items. So why not simply turn the vault into an account based savings account? Instead of placing artificial bids on items (like, say, placing 1000 bids for 5 million inf hero packs as an example, or something that just doesn't exist in game but is in the AH for some reason), why not just stash it there? Any character on the same account can access...and to go one step further, if you have two accounts, you could make them joint accounts - but that may be asking too much.

I can tell you, depending on your AT and build, soloing the Task Force Commander TFs (Posi 1,2, Synapse, etc) are very simple to solo. You don't really even need the uber builds, although it certainly helps. What I do suggest - along with the envenomed daggers (get multiples) are the summon pets - The ranged damage for heroes is Positron, who dishes out some pretty serious debuffs as well as more than respectable damage. My brutes solo them without the pets - but my defender and tanks will take the summon pets for the dps. Imagine - doing Posi 2 - with a stealth buff from your sg buff station, or perhaps your stealth IO if you have one - and zipping through the tf faster than if you had a solid team of 8! You're stealthed, you've got your jetpack, and you go under the bridge where the bombs are, click them, and proceed inside. Inside -when you're set to 0/1, there are two goons at each bomb, and none of them are looking at the bomb. You click, lose your stealth, but it doesn't matter because they aren't looking at you. Wipe out Rollister and his two goons, wait 10 seconds for your stealth to kick back in, and zip outside, click all 4 chem barrels without having to clobber anyone. Take on Dr. Vahz and as long as you've got some decent Luck inspirations, and a few tier 3 rages and your envenomed dagger, depending on your AT, you're golden. 20 minutes, and you're done. Synapse will always be faster with a large decent team. Solo, however, will take about as long as a casual group that goes afk to train and tend to kids and such. About 2 hours. Sometimes less, sometimes more, depending on if you have the mission tp and team teleport and how wisely you use them. (The SG base macro is invaluable and a real time saver!) Yin is certainly faster solo. Maybe 15 minutes. 20 if you take your time and skip the freaks that rez. When you go into the ppd station, you head directly upstairs. Ez pz. Citadel - about the same as a team. Same with Manticore. Manticore is a bit tougher because you have two avs to contend with. Only my brute has been able to handle that without a pet. (As much inf went into that build, it should be able to!) Numina is so much faster solo - mainly because I know where to go to do the hunts quickly. A lot of folks just have no idea where to find certain npcs in the various zones and it slows things down. That said - teaming will almost always be a bit more fun with the right folks. But if you can't find the right folks, solo is a great option!

I can't say that this exists, but on Rebirth, the population is so low (well, it was last month, I haven't been back) that there was almost nothing in the auction house to buy and sell. There I was, a fire/fire brute because spines/fire doesn't exist on that server, and I'm level 13 and still using training origin enhancements for my attacks because I can't afford DOs if I want to get SOs at level 22. It's quite nice, having to really work for what you want, until you realize that recruiting for a tf will take a lot of planning and commitment by several other players that you don't yet know. While you can get a level 23 rec/acc perf shifter for 2000 inf, even if you had the converters to turn it into a +end, nobody except the level 40's and up would have the influence to spare to buy it. It's an entirely different experience for someone like me who just flips things until I have enough to get what I want. But, it seems I've digressed a bit. The talk about balance is interesting. The problem I see with it is there are some players who are just exceptional. They have fast reflexes, they know the math and no matter what character they play, even with SOs and such, they are going to make you (or me) look just slightly better than mediocre. I don't think it's balance, I think some players are just better at playing the game, The player behind the avatar is the real enhancement.

Ah...so that's why my badge count on my character is the same as the badge count on the app, despite not being able to log the badge...ugh. I wish I'd known that. I pored over everything to see what I overlooked and didn't find anything. The web app is certainly easy to use, and I do appreciate your effort. I can't imagine the time it must have taken just in entering the names of the badges, not to mention the graphic and the locations, etc. Thanks!

Thank you! That explains a good bit. I did see Kitsune had worked on the web app, and it's odd. The Web app shows my total as what I have in game - but there's one badge I have in game that doesn't show in the web app. I did see that the spreadsheet is the same one I've been using, but maybe mine was an earlier version. It had, and I've done Master of Kahn Task Force, but it did not have Master of Kahn Strike Force, or what I would have called Mo'Cuda. It also showed an exploration in Cim I wasn't aware of. As for the Valentine badges...February isn't really that far away. I've got another 50M + damage to absorb, so other than brief moments while the server's reset, or the right folks doing the things I'd like to do, I'll just let him sit. Probably won't take but another 25 days. Glad I have a second account so I can actually play. 15 anniversary badges...those are going to cost ...100 reward merits each? Ouch! I can afford it, but I'd prefer they just give those out instead of such a wicked donation from me into the wind. I got 6 from the way the spreadsheet made it look...probably I misread it. The web app is more clear. Thanks again!

I have a badge, under Accolades, called "Flames of Prometheus Conversion". It's below Geas of the Kind Ones, and above Chronomaster. I don't see it on your spreadsheet, nor the Web app. Wish I'd known I could have traded it in for salvage when I was going down the incarnate path - had no idea.

I need some help. I'm missing something, but not sure what. I know for sure I'm missing the 6 anniversary badges from May. No way was I going to fork over reward merits for a badge back then. Merits are money! So, I've got to wait. No worries. I know I'm missing 7 pvp badges. Still need to take out the 6 heroes - a badge each, plus one for getting all 6. Need 2 more recipe rejection - those will come soon enough. Well, maybe not soon enough, but they'll happen. Need 2 more damage taken badges. Again, eventually. For Keyes, I have the hard one, lol. Just need the bunker buster and loves a challenge to get the MO - so 3 more I'm missing. 1 for the 50 task forces. I knew I should have done the COT ad nauseum. But I'll trim that down soon enough. Certainly not during these shard tfs. 1 for reaching 1500. 1 for bug hunter...well, I don't foresee that one happening unless I'm exceptionally fortunate. The ones I know about - 23. That would put me at 1504. Clearly our leader Sister Corruption has found 13 badges that aren't on the spreadsheet that I got from these forums. Is there a definitive master list to use?

And to think, I've just zipped through that mission every time, without realizing my stats were elevated. Clearly, you folks are smarter than the average bear.

I'd be curious to know if it was account wide, or just on one character. And if it was related to inf or reward merits or some other in game currency.

My understanding of the Bug Hunter badge is that it's rarely given out. And only for a player who finds a "game-breaking" bug. Before the close, I only know of one person who got this badge, and that was Beefcake. I'm sure a few others got it, but I wasn't aware of them, or don't recall them. My questions are these: does it have to be an exploit? And what does "game-breaking" actually mean? As we all know, almost all of us have seen/experienced various bugs - but whether they were game breaking is up for speculation. Additionally, this badge is supposedly awarded manually to players who report said bugs, and in the past, were more likely to get the badge awarded if they didn't ask for it, than if they did. But we have new devs now. Do we have anyone who's gotten this yet? Are they allowed to say what for, so we might have an example?

@Voltor I wanted to add that your screenshots in this post have helped a number of people. I must have referred half a dozen people just in the last couple of days to your selfless post. Thanks again!

My thoughts are this: You can't please all the people all the time. Whether that's a win will depend on your perspective.

I thought it was 5 every Wednesday, but they didn't stack.

A little late posting, but for me, hunting bosses and such is often aided by use of a target macro. Without it, I'd probably still be looking. So often, I pass through an area and would have missed them if the target macro didn't find them on the next street over, or on top of a hill - outside my view. Family bosses (at least blue side), without question, IP. Look for Consigliere or Underboss. Striga was better for me for warrior bosses than Talos. Talos was where I found my Tsoo and Ancestor spirits. Lost Bosses were easily found in the Gordon Trench in Terra Volta. Freak bosses, too. Igneous bosses - if i ever have to find those again, I'll solo the CoT and do that, rather than hunt in zone. (or team - but teaming just adds more time to the task with recruiting, etc., unless you find a like-minded badge buddy. ) Fakes - I shouldn't surprised, but many still don't know about the first mission of the Sig Story arc out of steel. If you're level 40, I've found you have to set the diff. for +1, as Fakes wouldn't spawn for me at level 40. And, you need to set the team size to 8 to maximize fakes. Alternatively, the Docks in PI are fairly reliable. I should probably develop a list for all the defeat badges, but am lacking the time presently.

<headsmack> I knew that, but I forgot I knew it.

Why would you pay so much inf per converter? Going rate is only 75-80k if you're patient, 90 if you're not.

My thoughts: definitely you'd avoid the 2xp. You need to go through a lot of content to increase drops. So, a blaster - unless you play with large teams is probably not the best route. A sentinel, scrapper or brute (or tank when the changes go live) are probably the best bet. I can't say stalker - I've never played one. Still, whatever AT & power set combo you go with, the sooner you can increase mob size, and ergo, drop rate, the better. A spines/fire brute would probably be the best way so you could do AE maps to get the salvage you need without paying for them, at least in the higher levels. Your builds will likely be substandard until you can get the rare salvage you need for the better sets. Sounds like a fun challenge, but I don't think I could handle being substandard until level 22 or so. That would drive me a bit nuts.

KB isn't a killing speed debuff. It's damage mitigation, simply put. Incoming damage mitigation. That's all. The players that use are doing so to prevent them from taking hits. That, and it comes inherent in the power they chose. They didn't chose it to bother melee or AoE specialists. While I understand that you find it bothersome, and you've every right to your feelings and thoughts, play styles and players will differ. It's what makes this game so incredible. Without these differences, the game would be too simple and dull. Embrace the challenges.

Interesting. While I understand your perspective, I would appreciate it you'd consider this thought: many people have NO idea what Null the Gull does, aside from changing alignment on the fly. I certainly had no idea. And even if I did know it, why in the world would I choose to stop group fly when I've never, ever encountered it in game? I have teamed with bot MMs before, and none of them used group fly. Am I some kind of mind reader? Did you at least mention this Group Fly scenario before the BAF was queued? Have you ever thought about what you would do in a Magisterium, when mobility to avoid thunderous splash from the sky is vitally important? If I were stuck in a slow group fly, I'd be too slow to avoid it, I would think. I do see your side of things - and I'm glad you chose to post so that I can take action. Bear in mind though, I've 30 level 50 toons. Am I supposed to take each one there to Null, or will one suffice? Maybe an easier thing for me is to simply not team with you. Not that you're a bad guy, but because teaming with you creates more work for me that I really don't need to take time for. Consider that mindset, as many have already decided the solution is to avoid you rather than work with you - if they don't know you. I'm sure that you're a competent player, and probably a fine person. But the way you're coming off is "my way or the high way". Me, I don't know you - I'll take the highway. If I'd been league leader, I'd have asked you to turn it off - and if you refused, I'd have booted you, or taken a vote to see if you should be, as I've forgotten if a leader can boot someone from an iTrial. I do remember there being a vote system available. But, I lack the patience the better leaders have, so that's the route I would take.

I have 2 accounts. One is my primary; when I'm not pursuing a badge or playing an alt, I'll have my afk farmer sitting in AE, raking in the loot. The second account has two characters, identically built spines/fire brutes on two different servers to PL my new toons to level 17 so they can skip the levels I find boring, (and inadequate enhancements - there should be SOs and IOs for level 1's. ) I do hami raids most nights. Because they're done on level 50 characters - they just accumulate the merits. Hami-o's, in my opinion, are better off bought when needed, rather than risk 80 merits for an HO worth less than a million inf. I think 3 of the possible HOs that might drop are worth more than the 80 merits when using the standard 80k per converter "exchange rate". But, as we know, the market can be a fickle mistress. So, I always go for the merits. When you can use a few merits to turn "Trap of the Hunter" into an LotG, the converters make more than they would selling for 80k. At least, anecdotally, they have for me. As for getting the converters, those alts use the reward merits to convert to hero merits. They email the hero merits. My primary account brute will get those, and convert them to reward merits, then to converts. Another alt, on the same server as the secondary brute will do the same and simply gift the 2nd brute with converters. I don't track any of this - what would be the point? It's not real money. I see the pile get bigger, that's all I need to see. 30 billion and counting, and I'm still giving away 1 billion every couple of weeks, and have been for a couple of months.

I think it was the time of day..they appeared far more in Moth Cemetery than Romero Heights - at least for me. No idea what time it was in zone, but I was able to find them more often than my first attempt. Thanks, all!

Yeah, I solo'd all the tfc tfs with my brute, (making use of temp pets for the avs when needed), and they go so much faster solo. So much faster! I even save the 5 to 20 minutes it takes to form them, so now I look at the lfg channel and I think to myself - why do you "need" 3 more? Quit wasting time and go with what you have. But, my thinking and playstyle isn't like everyone elses. I was on the LRSF tf that went 10:13. There were a couple of really smooth moments, but there was also a player DC who came back, zone in as the cut scene was ending. Didn't miss a beat, but I suspect we could trim 5-6 seconds from somewhere. Just not sure where.

I am questioning your reasoning. Who said the gravity controllers were designed to solo? Or better at being solo than, say, an Ill/rad or a fire/kin? Every AT and powerset may be built to team or solo. The choice is the players. Your characters play best when equipped properly, provided the player understands how to make that build support the way they want to play. Years ago, my 2nd character was an emp/elec defender, as my first character was a blaster. They didn't have sentinels then; but I knew I wanted to blast, but I needed an emp to keep me going. So, the emp had blasts, and heals. Seemed like an easy choice, until I started playing it. Never occurred to me the damage was less than a blasters. I'd overlooked that somehow, despite the graphic illustration that shows it. But, I still got that character to 50 mostly solo, until I'd learned how to team with it. I think I was level 30 before I got heal other, and I don't think I ever got absorb pain until a respec after I was 50. It was all under my control, those decisions. I was ignorant of how to build, or even play an empath for the first 30-35 levels. Then I started figuring things out when someone told me there were forums. I'd had no idea! So, I read, asked questions, read some more until I learned enough to get much better at slotting, and power selection and wise use of macros and binds. I share that to illustrate that powersets don't have to be one or the other. They can be both. We have 3 builds we can make for our characters to devote to any style of play we like. PvP, PvE 1-25, PvE 26-50. The ATs and powerset already cater to just about any playstyle you could ask for. But, that's just me.

The game as it stands now already supports all of those play styles. The truth is - the only reason for the devs to contribute any time other than maintenance to the game is to keep players interested. Interestingly enough, no new content was added in the 7 years when the game was shut down, and player interest did not wane very much, if at all. I suspect at least 70% of the old player base at least gave the game a look when HC brought it back online. The truth is, they shouldn't devote any time into developing the game, only maintaining it. The game is not broken now. Why mess with it? There's so much content, I know I haven't done everything in game yet, despite having numerous level 50s up to t-4, and a badge toon that's pretty much encouraged to do all content to get said badges. Anyone that says they've done it all is probably unaware of what they've missed. Need more content - roll a pb or warshade and do Sunstorm's arc. I'm still working through those after all the years I've played. But, I suppose that's presumptuous to assume my experiences are the same for everyone else. I'm sure others have differing opinions. As for me, I don't want any new content. I just want the game maintained as is.

Thank you very much!