Abraxus

This is just me. I don't speak for anyone else. That said... I believe The Hamidon was intended to be the most super, of the super villains in the game. A world destroyer that even Recluse, and Statesman feared. As such, I believe it was meant to be the ultimate challenge in the game, that was not always successful if a team didn't employ actual teamwork, coordination, cohesion, communication, and be composed of the right compliment of archetypes. All working in unison, knowing that given the power of this enemy, the whole effort could fail. There was actual risk! I believe those circumstances, and that risk were removed at some point because the SCORE server (from which the code for Homecoming was derived) was altered to accommodate for a much lower population. Some rules were bent, and others were totally broken so that fewer could be mightier. Now that low population is no longer a factor, that rule has been reset to the way it was in live. Some don't like it because they have experienced that victory enough times, they have come to expect it, and the massive rewards that come with it. But, it was the way it was for a reason. I believe that reason was that the monster was supposed to be nigh unbeatable by anyone but the best of the best teams, and that when victory was achieved, it was well earned. It wasn't meant to be a party in the Hami-zone, and certainly not the cake-walk that allowed it to be run multiple times a night with victory all but assured regardless of competence, team size, or actual participation. That is probably not going to go over well with the folks that don't like this change. But, as others have said, it CAN be done. It's just more of an earned victory, rather than a given one. Let's try to show a little perspective in our estimation of game play here. Please?

It's a delicate balance, and a tightrope that the Devs walk in any kinds of change. Because there are folks who love things just the way they are, and those that seek change. With the exception of QoL changes which are typically received well by all, other changes to the game always have their fans, and detractors; both sides of which make their perspectives, and opinions known. Just peruse the September 10 Patch Notes thread for a bit of a taste. Just gotta remember, there are always two sides to darn near any topic of discussion, and often, they both have valid points.

We could save some time/effort by just pasting a link to the previous threads that hit on this topic, every time we see a new one pop-up. But, what's the fun in that? 😉

Yup. That's a great way to put it! This is animated cosplay for those of us who don't do the "Con" circuit, or just couldn't get into the actual physical costume vibe.

I don't enter my homage characters in contests. It just doesn't feel right to me, and besides; that's not why I created them. I did so because I enjoyed the idea of the light RP, using catch phrases, and other semi-recognizable instances from the original in my game play. But, I don't feel like I need to rewarded for how well I used the costume/character creator to approximate them. Anyone with the will, and a little time can do that, and I don't need validation that badly. 😉

Absolutely! How about this? "Don't be sad because it's over. Rejoice because you did it!" I certainly felt that way about the original run of the game. But, now that we have been given a second chance, I appreciate it more than I ever did before, because I know that the only thing that is permanent, is impermanence.

It IS all good! I certainly remember the 7 years when we didn't have a live game to speak of at all. So, I am embracing all of it! Even the stuff that I don't really care for, because it's here, and I can appreciate the opportunity to loath these things once again, and not take them for granted this time around. 🙂

I have some "homage" characters. Perhaps some that others might consider a little too close to the mark. I'm having fun with some light RP'ing with them, which is something of a rarity for me. So, until/unless there is something that specifically prohibits such things, forcing me to make enough changes to avoid the hint of violating the rules, I will keep on having fun with these characters.

👆 This! **Edit** That would have had more impact if there hadn't been a page break inserted between this, and the previous post, but you know what I mean. 😉

I'm not criticizing anyone here. However, I do recall a lot of chatter about how the game has gotten WAY to easy. Now that a large group endeavor has been made more challenging, most of what I'm seeing is that it's too hard. The thing is, as I recall, it's supposed to be hard. There is supposed to be significant risk of failure, to make the reward something well earned. It forced cohesion, teamwork, and strategy to win. Granted, that might be something of a rarity in a lot of the content, but please don't complain about a challenge when presented one. Adapt, and overcome...or don't do it. In the immortal words of Jimmy Dugan "The HARD is what makes it worth doing".

Which is life described in a nutshell. Don't be afraid to dive in, for fear that it could all end. You'll miss out on some pretty cool times that way. 🙂

There have been numerous efforts over the years to obtain control of the IP from NCSoft. All of them went on so long that the news (what little of it there was) just died away quietly, and so did the negotiations. However, the difference this time around is time (7 years), and the fact that the code is out in the wilds of the internet, and could never be completely snuffed out again. So, facing that reality, the hope is that this time, the negotiations are being done in good faith, with the intent to arrive at an equitable, and mutually beneficial deal for both parties involved. We have no real idea what that would be, outside of our hopes that it would mean fully legitimized play. The details very likely won't be known until it's all done, and we don't really have a sense of when that will be either. But, as long as there is no word that the deal failed, you're fine. In fact, you're fine in either case. It's just that in the event of failure, you might be faced with the possibility of finding another serve to play on, and starting over again. In all honesty, in that event, I would do exactly that (I already know two friends who put up private servers), rather than consider never playing again. That would only happen if it became no fun to play, and as long as I have folks to play with, that is hard to imagine.

I believe there will be more to it than just an agreement for them (NCSoft) to forgo any future legal action. But, again...that's just what I believe because piecing together the history of all of this, that makes sense to me. But, I don't for a moment believe that I know for sure what will, and won't be a part of any agreement that is struck, if it happens at all. I certainly hope it does. I just don't know, and the only ones who do, are not at liberty to say anything about it.

We have no way of knowing what it will, and will not include. I'm sure the reason that it's not a done deal already is because there are things they'd prefer not to voluntarily give up, while NCSoft would prefer they did. Therein lies the contention, and the need to negotiate. Until the details of that deal are announced, anything we could offer is nothing more than conjecture that fits the situation. 🙂

I went totally the other way. I had a spreadsheet with all of my L50 characters from live (25 of them), and so far I have recreated all but about 5. Now, I made a few tweeks here, and there. But, for the most part, I am taking their journeys again as many times as it takes to have that many at that level again. Of course, it helped that when Icon, and Paragon Chat came along, I had the opportunity to recreated them, and save their costume, and power profile settings LONG before Homecoming ever broke on the scene. When it did, I a rare reversal of how thing typically go for me, I was ready for this curve ball thrown my way! I called up my saved files, and like the fabled Phoenix, they rose from the ashes of their former selves! In record time I might add!

When I did it, I didn't need to get anything. Just went into the "create" options, and started creating various T1-T4. It just worked. I don't believe you could actually see anything in your inventory, but you still had to go through the motions of actually crafting each one from 1 up to 4.

If you level a toon up to 50 using the appropriate slash command, the incarnate slots should open, and you should be able to craft, and fill them the same way you would on live. Just without the time, effort, and expense of gathering materials to do so. It's all there, just waiting to be used.

Good point! When it's being used to test a release candidate, the rules are the same as live. But, for all that time in-between, go crazy!

Does it not work for you?

Can we at least give the impression that we don't assume nefarious intent with changes? Jeeze! These guys have given you back a game that was gone for 7 years, and worked their bloody asses off to make it something great for everyone. I don't believe that any part of the conversation regarding these changes was "Hey, let's see how many people we can piss off, and make leave the game!". I have no doubt there was specific intent here, but not the one being attributed.

There is always a lot of discussion about how things don't come together for characters until their 30's, and that folks don't want to invest in something that may ultimately disappoint. Incarnate powers, still a big mystery to a lot of folks out there. The Pines/Mids builder is great from a stats/academic perspective, and can answer some questions. However, if you REALLY want to get the feel for something, or explore possibilities by taking your toon out into zones and trying things out for real, jump on the Beta server, Justin! There, you can create a character, level him to 50 instantly, give them almost unlimited influence, craft Incarnate powers all the way to T4, all for free! In fact, the most arduous thing about it is actually slotting all of those levels, much like a Respec. But, it is like a practical version of the Hero Builder utility, where you can take what you have done, find an appropriate level mob, and observe the effects first-hand, rather than in theory. Sometimes the stats are great, but if the accompanying visuals aren't satisfying, it leaves one wanting. So, go there! Use the server to experiment! Hammer out your theories, and potential builds without the worry of commitment. Then, take what you have learned back to the live server, and know for sure what to expect. For me, I was able to do some things I had only wondered about, but hesitated to commit to on live without knowing more. This gave me the opportunity to take it for a test drive before buying, metaphorically speaking. I highly recommend the exercise. **Disclaimer** I am not dissing the Mids/Pines builder in any way. I say use it in concert with the Beta server for an even better experience. But, in the end, numbers on the screen don't equate to the real experience, whereas, the Beta server will do just that.

Awesome! I rode for years, until a couple of crashes discouraged my continued participation.

Has your experience been otherwise? For me, Homecoming servers have been rock-solid since the beginning, with the exception of scheduled maintenance, and updates.

There actually is a LFG flag you can put on yourself for Task Force option, and there are ways to use the LFG queue to put together teams for many things, just like what is done to start DFB trials. Problem is, not enough folks use them, because it's easier to broadcast on the LFG channel, and assemble that way. Nothing right, or wrong there. Just the state of things at the moment. I believe the original concept here was for the game to be like a living comic book, with speech in speech bubbles, and read, rather than listening to them, just like a comic book. Personally, I have no problem with it remaining that way, but I know it bugs some folks.

Actually, I loved relearning everything! It was an absolute pleasure to have the opportunity to be a noob again! 😎