Ukase
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Posts posted by Ukase
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I think playstyle has more of an impact on a player's perception of a sets performance than the actual numbers.
I'm currently playing an ill/cold controller, level 42 atm. It's an odd duck the controller, particularly leveling it more solo than not.
I have no idea how anyone ever had fun with this character before set bonuses were a thing, but I digress.
It's fairly common for players to pursue a "perma-PA" with the illusion primary, and for good reason. Except for the Crystal Titan and Hamidon, they are pretty much unstoppable, as far as I know. So, what can I safely do when they go away? There's the AoE hold, and the spectral terror, and the phantasm has its own illusionary pet. This takes a lot of attention, and a fair amount of clicking during the 10-20 second downtime, as I await the perma PA solution. Much of that solution are purple sets, so I have to wait until 50. In a game where more than half the action is pre-50, I don't reach my peak until 50. Well, why should the controller be any different from any other AT, right? It is what it is.
My point is, it would be easy to hope for 1) the ambrosia from Eden Trial to work for my pets - but it doesn't. It would be easy to hope for the PA to be a toggle, that simply turns off based on the recharge, and turns back on when the recharge is up; (but can be turned off by the player if desired - there are occasions where we don't want the pets out)
I can say the set is weak in damage (it is) but ultimately, it's not the set - it's my playstyle. I'm not playing a blaster, or a brute with burn and foot stomp. Of course the damage is weak. It's all relative.
Do I think powers and powersets that are under-performing should be buffed to where they are on par with other powersets, as opposed to nerfing the over-performing ones?
This is a complex question. I fail to grasp how one or more people can reach this conclusion of, for example: "Rune of Protection is OP. We need to adjust it so it's in line with XYZ".
I would argue that the people considering if something is OP or not may not be doing an actual examination, just using anecdotal evidence.
There are players in this game that have super fast reflexes, know binds and macros inside and out, and have a definitive, clear understanding of the game mechanics, the powers of the npcs they are facing, and can build characters with IOs that will make the average player look slow, clumsy and stupid. I would submit the premise that the players that have this kind of clear understanding are more likely to be volunteering their time and effort in brainstorm and may be skewing the results of their conclusions without taking into account the average player. And I could certainly be wrong about that. Won't be the first time.
I just know as a player, I still have at least half a dozen characters that have been idle since that change to Rune of Protection. I haven't taken the mystic pool since. Now, that's just me, and I'm just one player. I'm sure I'm not the only one, but I've no idea how many or few folks even sweat changes to various powers. It could be argued that if I build my character around a power, then clearly the power needs some downward regulation.
Do we say that about Domination? Dull Pain? Hasten? It's not a great argument for the change, in my opinion.
I like to remind myself this is a game. The game, in order to stay alive, it must continue to be interesting/amusing to those that play it. So, just one player's opinion doesn't mean that much, if anything.
But, my thoughts are to not change powers. If a set is under-performing from some set of metrics, understand the set is not played in a vacuum. It may be played solo, or a on a team. And some teams will help that powerset to shine. Others, perhaps not so much. But so what? Do we worry that everyone stops playing a controller because of the comparatively weak damage? Not when they see it shine at level 50, literally controlling the flow of battle.
So, I'm not worried about these under-performing sets. Sooner or later, we play them, and try to make them shine, such as they are. Isn't that where the real fun is? Making something work, even when it doesn't?-
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For me, I look at the SSA out of Skyway, Who Will Die part 1 as a fairly simple - across all characters that are over level 10, assuming your 50 is using attuned sets or heck, even if not.
The problem with the SSA #1 is, there's a limit to the rewards, right?
I do think Ouro is the path for consistent, speedy merits.
Which arc will vary with your level and playstyle.
The Unlucky Artifact, if you have stealth and can clobber Tavaris fairly quickly, before the aggro from the surrounding CoT gets to you - it's literally a 90 second mission, if that - for 2 merits. If you use your SG base with a pillar, rather than using Ouro, and assuming your base is designed with speed in mind, I think it would be faster than using an ouro portal, completing, resetting, and teleporting to the mission. With the temp sg portal, you'd come out at the same spot as the mission, I'm pretty sure. I haven't been after merits/minute since the first year HC opened up. Still, for most higher dps characters, that's 2 merits every 2 minutes, roughly.
I learned something going for Loop Hero badge. It's a 20 merit arc. And it took me about 20-25 minutes the first time because I'd never run it before. But by the time I got to the last run to get the badge, it was only 12 minutes. Now, that's not as fast as some of my faster times with the SSA#1, but it's close. And it doesn't diminish - at least, it didn't after the last run. (need 4 or 5 runs to get the badge, depending on whether or not you knew you needed to do things differently. I hadn't read about the badge, I thought it was a run and done type deal. )
Still, that's not too shabby. There is a lot more need for mission transports, and the lrtp is certainly useful, because there's one mission in it that requires you to go to Striga to talk to M1dway. But - it doesn't allow for a lower level character to take advantage of the rep scheme.
I don't know that there's a universally accepted merits/minute winner across all levels.
But for a level 50, solo, I kind of like the Noble Intentions arc - 20 merits for 12 minutes - if you exclude the Hami runs in the abyss- which still take time because you have to enter the zone early to ensure you get a spot. It's still worth it, but I don't think those wait times are a part of most peoples merit/minute calculation. And Apex/Tin Mage combo - some might think these are guaranteed simple, both done in less than 30 minutes. That's not always true. Some teams just don't have the juice, believe it or not. Most will, but certainly not all are efficient at speeding them. A lot of players avoid the speedy stuff for reasons of their own. So, again, there's sometimes longer recruiting times than you might think.
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Experiences with end game content for me have been ...well, limited. A few days ago, an in-game friend wanted to know if I wanted to run "Excalibonk", whatever that is. Turns it, while I'm still not sure what it is, they were referring to Advanced mode LGTF. Not sure why it has that nickname, though. I suspect it has to do with a reward or something at the end of it.
In any event, since I still lack the "doesn't look at explosions" badge, I figured I'd give it a shot. I'd done this 1 star before, just once, and it wasn't a lot of fun, but I'm assuming my team wasn't very good. But, hearing of some of the failures, maybe it was good enough.
In my discussion with my in-game friend, he suggested I make some changes to my build to maximize psionic and toxic resistances and defenses.
What's this now? If we enter an advanced mode tf, I should do a respec, specifically for this task? Granted, nobody put a gun to my head and said I had to run this, nor is it very clear to me that a respec will be necessary to fare adequately enough to complete the task force and get the badge - which is the only reason I'm doing it.
It just seems to me that there's something missing in this equation. I completely understand that easy equates to boredom for many folks. To a degree, I count myself in that mix. If it's too easy, then where's the fun, right?
But this notion of preparing for a tf. This is not something I've ever done before. For ITF and Aeon, their hard modes - all we really did was stagger barrier for the most part. And there was more communication, using discord. Not sure I'd want to run those without discord. I already had t-4 barrier, so it wasn't a big deal.
At this point, I'm not qualified to speak at what's specifically right or wrong with these hard modes. And it could just be my in-game friend is a little insane with the suggestions. That's possible. But I'm going to run one again soon, and I hope I'm going to experience something that's challenging, but not overly so. I hope I'm not in the midst of it, thinking, "we need a XXXX" or "We should have brought an XXXXX"
The best part of teaming with CoH has been the idea that there was never a need to bring any specific AT or powerset. Any collection of 8 heroes would be sufficient. Obviously, an "advanced" mode might require some more thought. And I've no idea where the line should be drawn.
But it would seem to me that the amount of X defense a character carries should be something a teammate's buffs or debuffs, or aggro management can overcome.
Is this an unrealistic expectation? I guess I'll find out.-
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A man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion, still.
It doesn't matter what is said here, OP is thinking he's outgrown the game - and the truth is, that's entirely possible. But some folks, like myself on alternate Thursdays..and maybe every third Tuesday, aren't going to be happy with ANYTHING. It's easier to point out the ridiculousness or lack of realism than to look inward and realize we're being unrealistic about our expectations. I suspect the OP is in that category. Unhappy with the game for whatever reason, and then posts about why. Fine by me.
But to ask folks to point out where the intellectual amusement from the game is - that's just not really feasible. We've only got some references of what they like and don't like. I'm not a streaming platform tracking what was given a thumbs up or thumbs down to suggest the next arc.
After playing the game for years, I'm not real clear on what I enjoy - as some characters have a better time with some content than others. I normally enjoy the Nemesis arcs of Anton Sampson and Maxwell Christopher. But not on this ill/cold controller I have. And it's more about the character. Feeling like I could just wait 8 more seconds until PA is back up before I start to engage the next set of mobs. That's me, and not a real concern.
If OP has outgrown the game, then I would expect this to be his final post. A shame. The game can use all the players it can get.
And yeah, it would be nice if we could have fantastic story tellers like Stan Lee guiding the ship creatively. (and some might dislike that direction, as the OP considers Marvel Universe a "hellhole".) Doesn't have to be exactly like that - just a good story teller. But for what audience?-
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Setting the stage here.
After clobbering half a dozen Kronos in Talos, the system chat tells me there's a Rikti Invasion in Founders, so I head over, and get a league invite.
We spend a few minutes clobbering the bombs and then group for the Rikti spawns.
This is what I see in league chat:
I have removed the names, and won't say who said what.
Please discuss. Someone was right. And perhaps everyone was wrong. These discussions may help someone know when they should comply and when they should tell someone to kick rocks. But be polite if you know how.
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Don't forget about the word Plethora. Plethora suggests quantity AND variety. So many people don't realize this.
I know a plethora of words. But I've no idea how to accurately pronounce plethora. I've read it. Used in in my own writing, but I don't think I've ever spoken the word aloud.
I'll hush now.-
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Not sure if serious.
This entire game relies on suspension of disbelief.
"Oh, I'm going to make an MA/SR character with a natural origin! Totally, that can exist in real life!"
Perhaps. Are there cute women in skirts who can zap electricity and kick you in your face that stand on a pedestal and grant you more abilities without you having to learn to stretch first?
Perhaps not.
If the game seems too banal, there's a reason for that. It is designed for teenagers, and perhaps, young adults - the target market for comic books. Granted, there are some folks who simply enjoy the nostalgia for a few weeks at a time, and disappear for a time, and then reappear when new content is provided. There are others who may or may not be a victim of arrested development and feel very comfortable mindlessly investing a lot more time in game than what some would consider healthy.
We're all different. And if you think any of us can figure out what YOU would find stupid and what you would find potentially interesting, please, think again.-
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This is by no means a priority suggestion, but man...what a QoL improvement it would be.
There are sometimes in the "career" of my characters, where I know a fast mission completion will be enough to reach the next level, or sometimes, I just only have a few minutes of consistent time in front of the keyboard.
So, when I get a mission objective in my nav bar that says "Check out Nemesis Base", I pretty much assume it's a glowie hunt...until I get the glowie. If the mission doesn't complete, then I kill the boss and the minions. If the mission still doesn't complete, I'll check the HC wiki, and this is sometimes what I see:So, here's my suggestion - let's update these objectives so they make it clear up front that it's a defeat all if it is a defeat all.
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Briefly put, I don't think so. They all end up in Paragon City, so I'm not sure having various twin characters serves me very well.
I do have several fire/fire blasters; they don't all have the same epic/patron pool, or incarnate powers. And the costumes are a bit different. But, from a percentage perspective, less than 5% of my characters have leveled up through Praetoria. From an in-game fiscal perspective, you can only get so many reward merits as a lower level character, and the way I make my characters self-sufficient, it's a bit of a hamper on the process. When you team a lot, one can justify leaving a few slots empty; but when you're solo more often than not, it can really slow things down if you're not suitably enhanced. Because of this, I tend to avoid Praetoria, unless it's a crawl effort as part of an on-going sg event. -
11 hours ago, DougGraves said:
do you use the random costume generator and how do you use it?
I pretty much only use the random generator - and then, because the random generator loves animal heads and floating brains, I tend to adjust the look a little bit. I almost always take off the stupid tails. If I'm going to be staring at the back side of an avatar, that tail is distracting.
And the auras rarely seem to fit in my mind, so I take those off, too.
And the whole left side glove/boot looking one way, and the right side glove/boot looking another way, I don't know why, but I hate that look, so I always make them the same. Except on one character, one of my challenge characters. His name was Scrounger, so I opted to make it look like he found what he was wearing in a garbage can. (described in his bio)
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I made a kinetic melee character back on live. I wasn't impressed - but back then, as ignorant and obtuse as I can be about things now, I'm light years ahead as far as knowledge of game mechanics go.
If it is true that KM has about the same activation times as other sets, then I should revisit it. Lord knows I've made a ton of everything else. -
3 hours ago, Lyrium said:
although the Panacea may be too low)
It's not a secret I keep, so let me repeat what my father taught me as a kid.
"Every dollar you save multiplies to the bottom line".
At 10 years old, I wasn't really clear what he was talking about. At the time, I was telling him I wanted to buy a skateboard. In hindsight, I suspect he figured it was a waste of money.
But, here's my point. You're bidding 5M+ on an enhancement. Now, I can certainly understand bidding on an attuned enhancement, so it levels with you. It would be irksome to buy it crafted, and then have to slap a catalyst on it.
But here's the thing about most of the "special" enhancements like Panacea: Chance for +hitpoints/endurance, the glad armor 3%, the Shield Wall 5%, the chance to do whatever kind of damage IOs...
It is more cost effective, usually (sometimes, it's not, so always check) buy the recipe and craft it. Because of the way these special ones work, they will do the same job for you as a level 10 IO when you're level 10 as they will when you're level 50. These do not need to level up with you.
You're talking about minimal effort, and I get that - but you can buy a level 10 pvp panacea IO for 2.6 to 3M. The crafting costs are, with salvage, less than 500k.
So, for the shield wall, the glad armor, and the panacea, buying the recipes is going to save you (if you bid the same way for the others) about 6M.
Those are a fair number of sales you don't have to make. Which ties in with what the old man was trying to tell me. Every skateboard that costs 20 bucks I don't buy, (back then - that was a day's work worth of money) that's one day I could take off work. Granted, I still wouldn't have a skateboard, but I'd still have the 20 bucks.
If the crafting part annoys you, (or some of your readers) buy something less expensive, like a Javelin Volley or the snipe, Expert marksman as an IO for about 4-5M, and then convert into what you want. It's generally a little cheaper than paying the 6.5 to 8m for the big three.
Fortunately, none of what we're talking about here is real money. So, ultimately, what you're doing is working for you - and really, that's all that matters. I just figured I'd point out that for that specific case, the recipe is probably a better option.-
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Apparently, Voltor googled "Rorshach Test" and the only thing he saw was a badge.
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If I knew this before, I forgot. And if it's not clear, the sentence above the picture are not my words, but the OP's. I didn't want to use the entire picture, and inadvertently got his comment as well, but I'm too lazy to get another clip & snip.-
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When I play, I typically have the camera as far back as possible. Not only do I want to see where I'm going, but I want to have as much peripheral vision as I can get. I'm reading the OP's post, and I'm guessing something has changed for them...but nothing has changed for me, as far as camera view since HC opened the doors.
The only thing I'd like is for the camera to not default to literally the back of my character's head. Easy enough to zoom out, but it would be nice if the game remembered. Seems to remember everything else for me.
I'm still amazed that there such things as keybinds and macros and pop-menus.
I mean...how/what? Is the ability to create a macro an accident? Or was it a feature added at some point, or did the game always have an ability to create them? And pop-menus..a genuine game changer for me. It makes leading trials and certain TFs so much easier if you don't/won't use discord. But, that's all probably off-topic. -
I'm just going to assume this falls under the heading "Typo"...unless the level cap is being boosted from 50 to 120.
Fairly sure the upper limit is 20. -
16 hours ago, Lyrium said:
You can do this with any recipe, any level. I have chosen these ones because level 20 is cheaper to craft, and right now, I have no money at all.
I applaud this effort. Your way WILL work for you. Maybe I'll learn something.
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So, the key word here is consistency. I will have days when I "invest" a couple of billion, maybe 3 billion. And the returns are not huge, from a traditional ROI perspective. At least, not by my standards, because there is competition. Years ago, I foolishly/generously wrote a guide of sorts which still needs major editing, and shared it with folks in my SG, and few other folks through Discord. Some of the "students", if it's even them, have learned the lessons well. But, I think I have deeper pockets to squeeze them out, as they seem to stop competing when I get more aggressive.
Then I realized, I have enough. I'll never be able to spend it all, if I keep earning reward merits and use them. I mean, if I just kept the merits and continued to make new alts and play them to 50+3 t-4, I suppose in 1000 characters, it's feasible to spend it all, but I doubt it. So, when I think about this, the desire to spend more than 30 minutes crafting/converting dissipates when I think about the opportunities to slap some Kronos GMs around instead. (and make more merits, lol)
There are days when I make a billion+. But it's not every day because the traffic on the server isn't the same every day. Characters getting created and played, rather then just sitting in a day job aren't the same each day. There is ebb and flow.
There are probably 5-10 invention enhancements that almost every player that doesn't specifically avoid invention enhancements will use - and I don't routinely deal in any of those.
I don't sell Luck of the Gamblers, Perf Shifters or Miracles - except when I run out and need more for my base.
When a character needs a miracle proc, I'll buy 10 cheap recipes and make 20 of them. I slot one, sell 9, and stash the rest in my base for the next 10 characters to grab. The sale of the 9 lets me recoup all the costs, so it's generally a small profit. Not even worth the time! But, for me, just like in real life, it's not how much money did you make, it's how much money did you save?
In real life, I don't earn much. But, I do save almost 40% of my check by avoiding useless expenses. Meet friends at McAlisters Deli? Seriously? You want me to spend 10 bucks on a sandwich? Are you nuts? Come to my house, I'll feed you guys for less than that.
Same thing in CoH.
I avoid putting my inf in marketers' pockets, if I can.
My niche used to be pvp IOs. Still is, to a degree. But my days of buying ALL the recipes I can for 25% of the current rate the crafted IO sells for are over. I'll put in a bid and craft and convert as need be to make my desired %. If my recipe bids are too low, and I only get 3-5 per day, instead of what used to be about 300 a day, I'm good with that now. More time to play.
Heck, with the competition in the market place going on now, the "lesser" marketed IOs are selling for half of what they used to, effectively making all of us 2x as wealthy. The need to push for the collection of these funds is far, far less than it was when I started in 2019 or 2020, whenever HC opened its doors to all of us. Back then, dealing with the market was super fun and interesting. Now, it's more of a hobby, something I do when in the mood - not a need to fund my new alts.
Now, I literally give away billions every week. I gave 23 billion away two weeks ago...meant to just give 20B, but I made some mistakes and forgot how many emails I'd sent. (said player uses the funds for costume competitions) I don't even miss it.
And Yomo has even more than I do. Pretty sure there are players who make me and Yomo look like small time chumps, but they spend all their time marketing, no time playing. (or next to no time playing, at least, not in the clobber bad guys for xp type of playing)
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Has to be a few years ago, but @Nemu had posted a build for a fire/time controller that shamelessly copied and played from level 1 to 50+3, t-4 in all, with a badge count of at least 1200.
It could use a respec to allow for better endurance at exemplared levels, but it certainly does well. -
For those curious, I have now accumulated 4 Hamidon Goos. Sadly, I goofed in using one during my routine craft & convert at the end of the character's play session.
So, down to 3.
Only 17 to go... -
I think RelativeQuanta lays it out clearly.
City of Data 2.0 is worth a look. The site even has the inherent Apprentice Charm that magic origin characters get!
What will lay out the mobs fastest? Depends on the mobs in question. Almost every question in this game has the answer "Depends".
What's better for +4/8 work, a brute or a tank? Depends.
How do I stay behind my keyboard for 8 hours at a time, without ever getting up? Depends.
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9 minutes ago, Luminara said:
That's not new. Tips have always done that.
I don't think that's the case...I am obtuse, but I would have noticed my selected missions disappearing from my nav bar when I grabbed a badge. Or...maybe I just never had a mission selected because I was badging...really?
Well, consider it feedback, still. I want what I selected to stay selected until I get there. Now if I leave the zone, that I get. But in the same zone..nah, that waypoint should remain. -
I'm sure I've seen some folks complain about the constant barrage of new tips - this bit of feedback isn't that.
As part of my adapting to the new patrol xp in lieu of regular xp for explorations, when I reach a zone for the first time for a given contact, when I enter, I pick the contact out so I have a waypoint to keep me on track. And, I grab the explores along the way.
I suspect the new tip system is designed for me to open the tip and go to the next badge - and I would do just that - but the tips have me crossing the zone to get one, and then crossing back, instead of grabbing them in a systematic fashion in an efficient manner. So, I tend to just grab the ones on the way to the contact, and snag the others as I pass them doing the arc.
But now, with the new tip system, whenever I get the tip:
If I had a mission selected, it gets de-selected.
If I had a contact selected, it gets de-selected.
Now, it's a minor annoyance, and it's probably working as intended.
So, my feedback is it's a minor annoyance. My suggestion is if you keep the current tip system as is, have the tip missions give us the close badge in the zone we don't yet have. No idea how one would code that, but that's my suggestion. -
I know I'm in the minority, but to me - posi 1 is a solo effort. This way, you avoid the insane experiences. Granted, that puts me a few levels of xp behind everyone else. But, I catch up while you guys are trying to find 7 more people to do a Synapse.
Even Posi 2 is fairly simple (and fast) to solo on most characters. I just use a summons to help with the dps on Dr. Vahz.
It's crazy how the mobs near the bombs inside are always facing away from the bombs. Easy stealth clicks.
When you're solo, there may be one or two npcs at the foot of the stairs. They never interfere with what's going on at the door to city hall.
Now, the sad part is you have to beat your shadow self alone...but it's so funny to see the nem staff send the shadow flying and they literally never get an attack in. Even the tank's shadow, when I play a tank get tossed around from the nem staff.
Probably not as fun as cracking jokes and such while teaming, but most pugs I'm on...those folks don't say much at all. Might as well be solo.
I felt like I should add - it was hilarious to me when I solo'd Posi 1 on an illusion controller. I got to face my simulacrum...
and I couldn't see him!
I went into my character email to grab some of the inspirations the winter packs give, and only then could I see him.-
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anti-speed task force mode: required ambushes
in Suggestions & Feedback
Posted
I don't grasp what this is attempting to do.
If players want to work as a team, the option is and has always been there.
What this seems to suggest is forcing players to deal with extra ambushes, much like a farmer would desire in AE.
Okay. But if implemented, it's not going to turn out like you think. We'll make builds to farm it for the xp (and inf) and the extra merits you propose.
Working as a team is easily promoted by teammates communicating. That's all it takes.