Jacke

See the technical deep dive under Security Features: The launcher cryptographically checks what it downloads from Homecoming to ensure they're legit from Homecoming. That's likely your security software giving a false alert. I had to whitelist the launcher programs or their folder with my security software Comodo to prevent issues. Either: <City file root>\bin\win32\launcher.exe <City file root>\bin\win64\launcher.exe Or what I settled on, the whole bin folder to cover the .dll files as well. <City file root>\bin\*

The HC Launcher installer puts the files where you tell it. At first it offers "C:\Games\Homecoming", "C:\Games\HC" if the first isn't empty: But you can browse or write in any folder that is current empty or needs to be created: And all the files go there. I call it the City file root. The whole folder is self-contained and for the HC Launcher can be moved while no programs from it are running. The HC Launcher is started by running one of its executables, 32-bit and 64-bit, located here: <City file root>\bin\win32\launcher.exe <City file root>\bin\win64\launcher.exe As @Ukase said, the first page of the HC Launcher Settings popup shows the current <City file root> as well: And following the wiki page, or better the HC wiki page: https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Popmenu_(Slash_Command) popmenu files are located: <City file root>\data\texts\<LANGUAGE>\Menus\ for English: <City file root>\data\texts\English\Menus\ And all *.mnu files in that folder are read when the HC Launcher starts a City client program under any Game Profile, Homecoming live, Prerelease pre, or Beta beta. As far as I know, there's no way to reload the popmenu files without stopping and restarting the City client program. After reading in the files, the names of the *.mnu files do not matter. All of these: /popmenu Target /macro TAR popmenu Target /bind T "popmenu Target" All look for this that was loaded from any *.mnu file when the City client program was started. Where "..." has to be correct Popmenu syntax. Menu Target { ... }

I think after clicking 'Accept' is where the installer switches to the Launcher to finish downloading files. The launcher programs are here. <City file root>\bin\win32\launcher.exe <City file root>\bin\win64\launcher.exe City file root is where you tell the installer to put the new files used by the HC Launcher. As well, in my experience, you need to security whitelist not just the installer but the launcher.exe as well, easiest being to whitelist the whole bin folder if you can. <wherever you've got it>\hcinstall.exe <City file root>\bin\*

Glad I could help. From what I've read and my own testing, once you have a Game Profile installed, its whole item is a button, not just the right-pointing arrowhead and the "Ready" widget. Click on it to hilight it with a brown background, then click on it one more time to launch its City client program. You may want to post in either the Suggestions post that the size of the widgets for download (the down arrow) and the submenu (the 3 dots to get at Verify/Settings/Uninstall) should be larger.

Do you mean access the Beta Shards from the HC Launcher? Already built in. After the Launcher is installed, it looks like this. The Homecoming Game Profile is always installed (and is in progress here). To install the Prerelease and Beta Profiles, click on their down arrows. Then it'll look like it does in the original post and you'll be able to log in on the Beta servers. If you want to transfer characters there, there's information in the Beta section of the forums.

EDIT: As of today, 2020 Nov 09 Monday, hcinstall.exe has been updated and this has changed. Now the only files not copied are *.storyarc.backup, which appear to be no longer created when using the HC Launcher. I've updated this post below to reflect this. Hi @Number Six, @GM Tahquitz. Thanks for all your work and assistance with the new Launcher. I'm finding it an improvement over the previous launchers. I have questions about the HC Launcher installer copying local architect files from a Tequila install. I'm writing a guide for my gaming guild and I want to be thorough. Is my list below of local architect files complete? Are all the needed files transferred? Do the files work correctly and completely on the HC Launcher install? I did some testing. As I haven't done any of my own architect work and local backup, I had to do some research to determine what the local architect files are, primarily in the Wiki here: https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Mission_Architect_Files as well as in @WanderingAries's topic here. https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/23315-filesystem-migration-where-does-this-file-go-now/ In an old install, excluding the .costume files (which I know already transfer correctly), I believe these are all the source local Architect files. <old City file root>\Custom_Critter\*.critter <old City file root>\CustomVillainGroup\*.cvg <old City file root>\Missions\*.storyarc <old City file root>\Missions\*.storyarc.backup <old City file root>\PlayerCreatedSouvenirClues.txt Running the HC Launcher installer, these are the files that were transferred and to where. <new City file root>\architect\critters\*.critter <new City file root>\architect\villaingroups\*.cvg <new City file root>\architect\missions\*.storyarc <new City file root>\architect\PlayerCreatedSouvenirClues.txt The *.storyarc.backup files weren't copied. They appear to not be created now when using the HC Launcher. As I mentioned, I've not done my own architect work, so I'm not sure of the answers to my questions above. I'd appreciate you looking at this. Thanks!

Is there any intention to add support for Paragon Chat and Icon as 2 more Game Profiles, as with Tequila ? If not, that's my suggestion, primarily to take over all the functions of Tequila.

Was that Dark Astoria--now remodelled to be red-toned and without fog as an Incarnate Zone--or was that Echo: Dark Astoria ? The Echo should always have the fog.

Full Auto. I'd forgotten that power. Even though my main is an Assault Rifle-Devices Blaster. Because for a blaster T9, it's shite, despite being one of the original crashless nukes. Narrow cone means you have to be almost at full range to effectively cover targets. Rooted for 4 seconds also means you don't want to be any where near the enemy. I've had in on Live. And decided to skip it. To me, AR's nuke is Ignite, especially when you immobilize a big beastie. Love Ignite so much I'm heartbroken what was done to it for Sentinel AR. Sure, the Full Auto is better. But no Ignite...meh.

In the board game Imperium Romanum II there was a section about settling players' disputes over the rules. One option: that the players arm themselves and settle the dispute like noble Romans.

This is spot on. Similar considerations lead me to skip other powers with similar gap issues. Like Siphon Speed for a Kinetics toon: miss (minimum 5% chance) and you'll be slow for a significant amount of time. So build to be fast without Siphon Speed and pick another power. Crashing T9's just leave the toon useless in a game that's often goes in long bursts of gotta arrest them all! Unstoppable's crash isn't just a problem for Invulnerability toons; it also contributes to cutting short a large number of Cimeroran EBs. And like the rez powers, the self-rez powers (both of which I like and almost always take) need to have a use when the toons are still upright.

I've discovered a bug in the latest Mids Reborn, 20.0515, Windows 10 1909. If "Load last build on startup" is disabled (Options > Configuration... > Options window > Updates & Paths tab > lower left uncheck "Load last build on startup"), then if an .mxd file is opened outside of the program (say via the File Explorer), the window that opens has the path to that file set (shows up in the title bar and in the save dialog) but doesn't load the file, leaving it at the default (Blaster Archery-Atomic Manipulation) with an empty build.

Gravity Control's Propel used to be hilarious with the items it scrounged up to fling.

As fun as the nerf bat and Scooby sounds options, I want "Batman" (1966) option that has visual sound! Sort of like this, promised in 2008, never delivered. 🙂 https://archive.paragonwiki.com/wiki/April_Fools'_Day#Article:_City_Of_Heroes_Announces_Visual_Sounds.21

I love all the Dark powersets. I'm looking at rolling a Dark-Dark Controller and Dark-Dark Dominator in the next few days and I have looked at the set extensively. I tend to agree with a lot of the feelings and suggestions here. More about them later, but first my personal issue. One of the signature features of many of the Dark powersets is a stealth power. Most of them have it such that any Dark-Dark toon has one. Except the Blaster and the Dominator. A Dark-Dark toon without stealth?!? That's just wrong and should be fixed. A proposed fix for Blasters and Dominators in the spoiler. Sometimes a mix of cones and PBAoE's will work. I have a Dark-Rad Defender that fires off the Fearsome Stare cone at a group of mobs for the Fear and -ToHit then wades in with the PBAoEs of Radiation Blast. But Radiation Blast is also a good example of mismatch between cone and PBAoE powers. Radiation Blast's PBAoE's are great and work well with the Targeted AoE. The cone Electron Haze is just too slow and doesn't work well at all in the set. I always skip it. I agree with @Psyonico, Heart of Darkness being a PBAoE is a mismatch with all the cone powers in Dark Control. It should be a cone or a Targeted AoE. Baring that, It requires stealth in a set that doesn't have it. Of course, if my solution of adding stealth to Dark Control mentioned above was done.... Fluffy (AKA Dark Servant) agrees and says the Dark Dog should, like himself, be as silent as the grave. And only howl when everyone least expects it for maximum chills. And find another name, Fluffy is taken! I also think alternate visuals for Umbra Beast, like the Dark Panther, all with glowing colour-customisable eyes, would be fantastic. I agree with what @Peacemoon suggests about Dark Control (squirrelled away in the spoiler I added). And I also support adding Fear and Confuse as states that provide Containment and agree with the reasoning. If a Hold or Immobilize would make an enemy susceptible to taking double damage from a Controller, certainly a Fear or a Confuse would too. I agree wtih @Zepp that the high recharge of Controller powers should be addressed. Right now they almost demand a high-recharge build to the exclusion of anything else. Dominators need less recharge for perma-Domination than their own AoE Holds. I also think the Accuracy nerf of both the AoE Holds and AoE Immobilizes needs to be improved. Was 0.8 Accuracy really necessary? It also forces builds to need more ToHit and global Accuracy for those AoEs than any other powers.

A non-melee toon build often 4, 5, or 6-slots Boxing because it took Fighting Pool and it uses the set bonuses of a melee IO set in its best melee power. One of the many possible trade-offs of making a build. You could just asked why. Empathy should receive some changes. However, changes like those proposed, in this case turning several click powers into toggles, tend to be too radical a redesign. Similar cases in the past during the early issues of City are still remembered with pain, irritation, even a remnant of anger. Changes should be more along the line of what was done to improve Stalkers, Blasters, and blast powersets in the later issues of Live, as well as the recent sniper power changes and those done to Dark Melee's Shadow Maul. Improvements without a complete rewrite.

Wow, what a discussion. Read it all. Answering @Galaxy Brain 's question, I take Dark Armor for its theme, its stealth, its self-rez, its damage aura, and its massive heal. I also think Dark Armor needs improvement. A bit more than @Werner advises, but I agree with his view that power creep should be avoided--but unfortunately, some armour sets have already creeped off over the horizon. It's not that you can't do well in Dark Armor (even unchanged, I plan to make a Dark-Dark toon for every AT, many more with just one Dark powerset, and many of both with Dark Armor). But as it stands now, Dark Armor is lacking and it should be better. I like the idea in its theme of strengthening the character while weakening enemies, but that theme is poorly represented by the current Dark Armor powers. As @Cutter said, Dark Armor doesn't really live up to its own identity. Dark Armor should be changed to lean into that theme more effectively. City of Heroes must be balanced around SOs because they are a stable point of design that's been in City since its launch. As well, IOs need to and will change and for that reason alone IO builds shouldn't be used as the balance point. I agree with @SwitchFade, Dark Armor certainly underperforms on SOs. As @Myrmidon said, no set should require IOs to be competitive. As well, Dark Armor even adds challenges beyond other armours for IO builds. As @ArchVileTerror said, Dark Armor just needs to be improved enough so it isn't so hindered. So I'm going to take @Cutter's suggested changes from above and tweak them. My changes in bold (as well as correcting some effects being protections). I agree with his sentiments in the leading paragraph. As @drbuzzard said, Dark Armor's hole to Energy damage make it unsuitable for tanking. I have an IO build that gives a Dark-Dark tank just short of 70% E resist, but that may not be enough for a tank with all the E damage out there and it doesn't fix things for SO builds. Sentinels have the worst armour sets for resists, but an Electric Armor Sentinel without slotting has 21% N resist, better than the unslotted Dark Armor Tank's 20% E resist. I also think think that Dark Armor is a bit weak in what it should be strongest against, N damage, with an unslotted Dark Armor tank having just 40% N resist, less than its own P resist of 50% and much less than Electric Armor's unslotted 82.5% E resist. Electric Armor's two toggles both provide 35% E resist each, so Dark Armor's two toggles providing 30% N resist each isn't overpowered. Increasing Dark Embrace's N resists and Murky Cloud's EN resists by 1.5 times gives these unslotted resists, compared to unslotted Electric Armor resists. E resist N resist Dark Armor Tank 30% 60% Brute, Scrapper, Stalker 22.5% 55% Sentinel 21% 42% Electric Armor Tank 82.5% 30% Brute, Scrapper, Stalker 61.9% 22.5% Sentinel 57.8% 21% This is a reasonable change. Adding to Dark Regeneration +End per target and scaling it to current HP was @ArchVileTerror's idea and I think it's a good one. @Werner's idea to add +4 KB protection to Obsidian Shield as a minimal protection is good too. I added the same KU protection. I also think that +4 KB/KU protection should be added to Fiery Aura and Stalker Ninjitsu, which both currently lack it. I also like @Greycat's idea of giving Dark Armor PBAoE Tenebrous Tentacles in Oppressive Gloom. As @Nanolathe says, there's precedence with Stone Armor's Mudpots, which also provides a Mag 2 Immobilization. BTW, @parabola, toggle drop is solved by a toggle turn-on macro, which I have for all my armours and stealth. Here's mine for Dark Armor: /macro +Sh "powexectoggleon Assault$$powexectoggleon Tactics$$powexectoggleon Maneuvers$$powexectoggleon Weave$$powexectoggleon Tough$$powexectoggleon Murky Cloud$$powexectoggleon Dark Embrace$$powexectoggleon Cloak of Darkness$$powexectoggleon Obsidian Shield" /macro +Clk "powexectoggleon Cloak of Darkness$$powexectoggleon Prestige Power Surge" I put +Sh in Power tray 3 slot 10 and +Clk in slot 9. As I rebind WERD to be the movement keys, I then bind them in a keybind file that I load and are effectively this. /bind S "powexectray 9 3" /bind F "powexectray 10 3" I do this for all my toons, just adjusting the macros. That way, after self-rez or any other reason the toggles are down, I press F until all the toggles are running.

Hmmm. Why don't you say the name of the file or say the website you got to in this process? I know this is frustrating for you, but you have to give sufficient feedback for us to help. As I laid out the process step-by-step, you need to give us enough information on the steps you actually took for us to be sure where you were in the process. With your use of "assets", I'm assuming you're talking about getting the MRBU last release archive off of GitHub. That file is named "MRBU_I26P4_202003262320.7z". That makes it a .7z file, the standard suffix for a 7-Zip archive. You can even search for ".7z" and the first link is to the 7-zip website. https://www.7-zip.org/ Install 7-Zip to have a utility to access .7z and other archive types.

@Echo Night, I'm going to assume you have Windows. If so, you should be able to follow the process I laid out for @SuperFerret to remove and reinstall Mids Reborn with Mids Reborn Unofficial clean. Here are the download links followed by my reinstall process. Follow my process and use the links and info and you should get it fixed! Mids Reborn links Mids Reborn Unofficial links and process Jacke's remove and reinstall process

From the line "Error: Method not found....", it looks like the Mids code is calling a library routine that can't be found. As it works for me, the program--if the file isn't damaged--shouldn't get this error on a routine included within the program file. That means it's a external routine. Looking on the Mids Reborn first post: https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/7645-mids-reborn-hero-designer/ under "What's Required To Run?" is this: From those screenshots, I'm thinking you have Windows; what version do you have? If it's old enough, it may not have .NET 4.7.2. I suggest here a complete reinstall from scratch. If any step gets errors, please report back. Download the .NET 4.7.2 installer from Microsoft. Download the Mids Reborn (MRB) installer fresh. Download the Mids Reborn Unofficial (MRBU) patch archive fresh. Uninstall Mids completely. Run the .NET installer. Run the Mids Reborn installer. Do not put this in \Program Files\ as Windows controls access there, which is bad for a program that may normally update itself. Put it somewhere like \Prog\CityTools\MRB\ TEST MRB as it is now. If it works... Extract from the MRBU archive the Data and Images folders (the only things that MRBU changes right now) and drop them in the current install directory of Mids to merge with the existing Data and Images folders; you should get a popup asking if you want to overwrite files; answer yes. TEST MRB with MRBU. Whatever happens, please report back.

Ah, correct use of the information here: https://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Power_Icons_Legend Still, as that file shows, some effects have multiple versions just to allow greater differences between the power icons in one Power set. And it's better than Radiation Emission, which has had the icons backwards for Radiation Infection and Enervating Field since launch in 2004. So, it's now tradition, sigh. Was fixed in @Vanden's Power Icon Fixes (Homecoming post here, old Live post here), but even the recent version is still from 2012 so it has many foibles and may not be updated soon (as reading that Homecoming post reveals). And some of them may have already been addressed. I'd prefer if the icon issues were fixed in Homecoming itself. That's a lot of stuff to vet and consider, so I don't expect to see much of it soon.

There's a "Dance Legend" badge and a "Living Legend" badge, but so far, it appears there's no "Legendary" badge.

Thanks a bunch, @Ironblade! It's the Mole Point Operator. Updated the original post!

EDIT 2: Much thanks to @Ironblade who pointed out there's a Mole Point Operator (purple circle at base) in Cascade Archipelago's Mole Point Charlie that when clicked on unlocks the two porters. Have to take the long way once but then it's much faster. While checking out the route to get to Sara Moore in the Cascade Archipelago, I discovered the best route doesn't work for me. Before reporting this as a bug, I wanted to run it past other players in case there's something I'm not aware of. I tested this just now on the Everlasting Shard with a L48 character aligned as Hero, Vigilante, and Rogue, as well as a L50 character aligned as Vigilante. The results were the same for all Unofficial Homecoming Wiki pages: https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Firebase_Zulu#Transfer_Points https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Cascade_Archipelago#Transfer_Points On the Firebase Zulu map, near the entry points from Peregrine Island and the TUNNEL System, in the southwest of the map, there's two red markers labelled "Cascade Archipelago". The northernmost CA red market on the FB Zulu map is a portal with a huge sign "CASCADES". This portal delivers the character to the southwest of the Cascade Archipelago. This one works. The southernmost CA red market on the FB Zulu map is a cave entrance to Mole Point Alpha. Inside the cave is a portal to Mole Point Charlie in the Cascade Archipelago, where Sara Moore is. This one does not work. Clicking on the portals in either Mole Point cave gives the popup "You cannot enter." To get to Sara Moore, on the Firebase Zulu map, a character has to go through the northernmost red marker labelled "Cascade Archipelago". This puts the character on the southwest of the CA map. Then proceed roughly east towards a red marker labelled "Firebase Zulu". This is the entrance to Mole Point Charlie, where Sara Moore is located. EDIT: Also in the Cascade Archipelago's Mole Point Charlie, there's a Mole Point Operator (purple circle at base). When he's clicked on, the two porters between Mole Point Charlie and Firebase Zulu's Mole Point Alpha are unlocked. Have to take the long way once but then it's much faster.