Abraxus

Well, this thread was in regards to Tank/Tankers, so I didn't want to go off on a "Healer" tangent. I will just say that when I play a healer, there was a time when I took the "empathy" part of the job a little too literally. I felt bad if I couldn't heal well enough to keep everyone alive, no matter what. Even when the team members made it difficult, or impossible for me to do so. At some point, when speed became the driving factor for the majority of TF runs, and splitting the team to cover more ground presented me with that scenario increasingly more often, I would end up feeling like I failed in the ONE thing this character was built to do. Support the team, and help it to succeed. However, upon further reflection, I resolved myself to the fact that I was being put in positions where even the best healer in the game couldn't keep everyone alive in the scenarios being presented. So, in order to have any fun playing this character, I had to make a decision on how to play him in this new reality. Since following the Tank was no longer the hard, and fast rule it once was for everyone, I decided that would be the figurative line drawn. I would follow the tank, or the player in the tank role, work diligently to keep that player alive, and all those in close enough proximity to them to benefit from my support. I would no longer feel responsible for those that went their own way. They were perfectly free to play however they liked, but to do so was acknowledgment that they considered that pursuit more important than the support I provided, and I would no longer hold myself responsible for them, and so to be a slightly less empathetic empathy healer. Now, I'm much more contented when playing that character.

Then you are surely an enlightened individual, who can recognizes a good "mutual admiration" vibe when they see one. 😉

There are many reasons for the way that folks engage in discourse, and I have my own ideas/theories on the subject. But, articulating to any degree would derail this thread to the point of locking, so I won't go there. Suffice to say that the more passionate a person is on a topic, the more they can feel that opposition is a commentary on them personally. I always endeavor to disagree diplomatically, when having to disagree, and that works for the most part. But, not always. Sometimes, one just has to be the party in a discussion/argument/debate that says "agree to disagree", and politely walks away.

And there ya have it! 🙂

Basically, what I was trying to get across was that, I followed the tank to help him do his job. The others that decided to go their own way (mainly in the interest of saving a little time), and got killed repeatedly, chose their own fate. I was not going to try to split my healing abilities between two disparate groups. I chose the traditional route of following the tank, and kept him, and the main part of the team alive to the best of my ability. I would have preferred to turn the difficulty up a notch, and have the entire team focused, together, and moving forward, but the lower difficulty level convinced some that they could go it on their own, and they paid for that decision repeatedly. Nothing right, or wrong. Not pontificating on anyone's play style. But, if I am a healer on a team, and you decide to split off from the tank, then you're on your own, because I will be where the meat shield is. That's all. However, all that said, if their splitting off in the interest in time was costing the team unnecessary wipes, then I would have had a problem. Hopefully, explains a little better what I was thinking in my post, and restores your high opinion of me (thanks for that BTW).

I was playing my healer last night, on a Moonfire TF. The tank seemed to know what he was doing, and things were going well. Then a couple of missions in, this phenomenon where the team splits into parts, in order to cover ground quicker occurred. As is my custom, I stuck with the tank, and kept him alive with the others that stuck with him. It took a little longer to go through the mobs, be we got through them alive, and well. The same cannot be said for the "beta" team, who were WAY too far away for the healer to do them any good. I saw them go red multiple times on the map, but all I felt was the satisfaction of knowing that I was on the right side of that decision. If the difficulty level were higher, and their folly resulted in all of us being repeatedly wiped as well, I would have felt the need to make the attempt to educate. As it was, we were fine, and they were red, so I let that be their education.

If I remember correctly, the Halloween event was typically live for most of the month of October, and perhaps the first week of November. Since there has been no official talk of the event, I don't know when they plan to make the window, but unless you are only on once in a month's time, you should be able to get in on some ToT action.

I think there is a smaller set of updates being tested on the Pineapple server right now.

When using in-game resources, at worst it's an exploit, at best just utilizing available means. But, purchasing in-game resources from outside the game, using real cash, I believe that's where the line is drawn.

I'd be quite surprised if there weren't. The Halloween event (ToT, Zombie Invasions, Eochai/Jack in Irons etc.), along with the Holiday/Christmas event (Opening glowie presents, and giant frost monster take downs, along with the Baby New Year arc) were some of the highlights of any given year for players back in the "LIVE" days. I'm looking forward to all of that as well!

Oy! 🤥

That's what I was forced to do for 7 years after the shut-down. Now, I much prefer actually playing the game I pined away for, lo those 7 years. 😎

Man, I hope it never gets to that esoteric level.

Yup! Its a litmus test of their perception, and standards of which they are typically unaware. If I get in, you need to seriously look at heightening both, and quickly! Of course, by then, it's too late, but that works for me! 🤣

If I start seeing multiple accounts showing 100% inf to post ratio, I'm gonna be just a bit suspicious as to the reasons. 😉

Why do you still miss it? It's right here...waiting to be played again! 😉

The "Dev Buff" (as it will come to be known) is a compensator for a proportionally low post count vs. inf gained ratio. So, when one has a 1k+ post count (like yourself), the law of averages alone dictates that enough of them should have been interesting/compelling/entertaining/endearing to a sufficient percentage of forum participants, who in-turn, reward them, so as to ensure you are safely ensconced in the top 5 in perpetuity. Over time, one would expect that to continue, or even rise if the deal is successful, and the population rises dramatically; thereby potentially providing even more fertile ground on which to base future discussions. That's how I explain you. 😎 **I say all of this while questioning my own standing, because I don't consider myself that interesting in my forum banter, and yet, I find myself gaining some standing here as well. So, it's obvious I'm no expert.

Naw! What's really standing in your way is the fact that Devs have an inherent buff, where they are able to create a single post that automatically gets maximum attention due to the source, and if universally popular, maximum inf generated per minute. Imagine the theoretical skyrocketing numbers for the Dev that gets to post the announcement of a successful deal! There would be no catching him!🤣

I'd guess late September, or early October. I can feel the extra weight of all those badges already!

Pretty sure that part has been understood from the jump. The part that gives us hope is that they didn't swat down the server when they certainly could have already, the fact that they entertained even the notion of discussions about legitimizing the operation, and the fact that according to the small bit of information we have, things are going well. So, while I would never tell anyone not to be concerned at all, I would also say that this has a better than average chance of becoming permanent. If the signs were pointed otherwise, I would feel much less optimistic. But, that has not been the case, and until/unless it becomes that way, the very fact that we are still here, against all odds, speaks volumes. Things will continue as they are until the conclusion of the talks. Then depending on the outcome, things will likely change drastically. This is how it goes in my mind's eye, anyway. If they fail, then it will be DOOM, with the sky is falling piled on top of that. A scramble for the survival of the game, and the community. However, if they are successful, expect a full court press effort to get the word out to the world, and watch as the population rises drastically. There will be adjustments to the influx of new players, and a new round of questions on topics that have likely already been addressed for current players, where we will be the wizened sages answering those questions, or posting links where they can find the information themselves. There might be more changes to the game to compensate for a larger constant population, which will put focus on more on the changes made during the SCORE years, to accommodate a low population environment. The end result will hopefully be a thriving population, happy to play, and eager to see what the future holds. That is what I hope to see from all of this.

If true, with 3 pages of impassioned replies, I'd call that a pretty successful troll!🤣

I can only aspire to such lofty heights. 🎆

I assume then, that you have added your voice to those in the "suggestion" thread asking for another look at this issue? Pretty sure that's the place where they look for that kind of feedback, for the most part. I would think the more who sign on to that thread, the more impact it will have. I can't imagine it will go back to the way it was, but perhaps there is a compromise to be found. As has been said many times, these guys play the game like we do, and they aren't oblivious to the outcries of folks who express concern, or consternation over a change.

Sorry, but it sounded like you were genuinely interested in looking to see if there was anything of substance there, to counterpoint your low opinion of AE in general. Now, it sounds like that was not the case. Sounds like we have, unfortunately, arrived at that whole "agree to disagree" part of the conversation. Moving along....

Yeah, that was my feeling too. I got one up to 30, and decided to re-roll for a pure blaster version of the same toon. I had more fun with the Blaster version, but you're mileage may vary. 😎