Abraxus

I think I was looking at Paragon Wiki, and saw that Utility Belt was one of the Power Pools that was under development at shut-down, and got that stuck in my brain. 😵

Sorry! Meant Experimentation.

The next time I post in this thread (if it's still open to comment by that time), will be to give my thoughts on what this patch brought to the game, rather than what it might have changed in ways that obviously didn't set well with some players. I've said all I have to say on that subject, and that I've been able to tell, no new points have been made in MANY pages of posts. We're just going 'round, and 'round re-hashing what has already been expressed. Basically, there are some who think it's fine, some who don't like it, but understand why it was done. Others don't like it, and continue to re-iterate why they don't like it. However, the vast majority of players are barely, if at all aware of it, and just continue playing, and having fun. That's what I intend to get back to doing. I don't begrudge anyone their perspective, or their reasoning for feeling as they do. But, I'm not sure what the raging, continuous arguments/debates about this one part of the pretty significant changes that dropped yesterday, are accomplishing at this point.

Welcome home! I can't wait for the day that we can shout from the rooftops that we are here, we are alive, and that Paragon City wants you back! Right now, folks are finding their way home via social media posts, and word of mouth. But, there will come a day (hopefully soon) when the need to keep things on the relative "down low" will be unnecessary, and we can actively advertise our existence from a number of resources that will have a much wider impact, and bring everyone who still wants to play, home to their city.

Things aren't perfect, the Devs have commented on the fact that they know where the deficiencies in the system and the interfaces for the market are, and that revamps are in their long term plans. I, for one, am excited to see the game evolve beyond it's legacy (read: live) incarnation, and to see how much better things will get when some of these long term projects see the light of day. Between new content, and new QoL features, I feel like this version is already much better than it was in 2012, and only getting better as time goes on. To show that I put my money where my mouth is, so to speak, I will be rolling a new toon using the new Electric Affinity powerset, and utility belt power pool. I LOVE new stuff, and after seeing them in action yesterday, I'm looking forward to trying them out. I'm also excited to try out the changes to the Dark powerset on my Dark Scrapper. He has been languishing in the pre-teens forever, because I just wasn't that excited about playing him. Now, all of a sudden, I am!

I have said in previous posts in this thread, though one could easily be forgiven for not having seen them in this long discussion, that everybody is entitled to the opinion on these things, and free to act on them as they will. Discussion is healthy, debate is healthy. But, accusing them of wrecking their own economy, and that there are people out here who know better than they what is best for the game, is a tad presumptuous. They see this stuff from the code level, and they have to make it work on a global basis. Sometimes that runs afoul of folks established play style. I get it. But, one can never allow themselves the luxury of assuming that it is bad for the game, because it bad for them. It is also not cool to assign nefarious, and ulterior motives to the actions of the folks that provide all of this to us for free, unless we choose to donate (which I do, every month). So, feel how you will, and feel free to express it. But, do so knowing that we ARE extremely fortunate to have a group of people doing for us what they do every day, and we have apparently grown so used to the idea that it will always be this way, that we can tell them how they should do it. If that comes across as uncomfortable, or unpleasant. Apologies. But, I do feel grateful for the extremely rare second chance we have been given, and refuse to fall into the temptation to take it for granted, as we did in the days of live. I have been without, and I will take whatever comes down the road, as opposed to that.

I have seen the creativity, and ingenuity of this community. I have no doubts whatsoever, that folks are going to find ways to make those big bucks if that is their desire. That information will be shared, and it will get around, and soon, everyone interested will be using it, just like they did the previous method. Which, by the way, didn't even exist before AE came along, which was years into the game. We all hate it when our "system" of doing things is disrupted, but I consider ANY nerf, change, or tweek to be eminently better than not having the game to play at all. I've been there, and I didn't care for it at all. Instead, I will endeavor to persevere in the face of adversity. In other words, as I have said, I will play the game.😎

Ya'll know that if the Devs say it's an exploit, and that exploits are something they said they would be removing when it was possible, and convenient, and they do it, they are just living up to their previous word, right? That you don't agree with their definition..well, while I empathize, in the big picture, you can feel about it how you like. But, this is their world, and they define what is, and is not an exploit. They also determine the timing, and the manner whereby they are addressed. Just as in the days of live, the folks providing the servers, and writing the code get to determine how it goes. Our only place in the process is to decide whether or not, after 7 years of not having the game to play at all, if this is the final straw, and it's just over for you. I think that would be a bit of an overreaction, but that is everyone's choice, every day. I also don't think this is going to have the degree of impact that folks are attributing to it, because in all honesty, the numbers of folks who had the benefit of this exploit are the smaller percentage of players. The majority, who typically don't even express an opinion on things like this, just play, because the game is fun. They don't get bogged down in the stats, or the finances. They just play, and likely won't notice anything but the cool new powerset, and power pool that's now available. That's where I am. I make INF where I can, but it is not, and never has been the defining factor in why I play, or how I play. I'm sorry if that is the make-or-break to why some play, and if you make a compelling enough debate, who knows. Perhaps some kind of compromise can be reached. But, the accusations that there was subterfuge, or duplicitous in nature. That's just not the case.

The address is @abraxus. 😉 But, in all seriousness. I've only just begun to discover ways to make INF beyond gameplay (converting merits to converters), and it has helped. But, it's obviously gonna take more studying to figure out how to really make enough to be financially independent. I'm still in the "I can't afford that I/O build that I want to do" crowd. I've know the tricks were there, but just never delved into it far enough to make it habit. Since there is almost literally a school of instruction out there, well...time to go back to school!

In the grand scheme of things, the city will go on, and so will the markets. Ragnarok will not happen. I will play the game....

It's been said already that the change causing all the uproar was not done to discourage farming, but to encourage ALL forms of play equally. From that, we seem to get a lot of folks making accusations on ulterior motives, contempt for the players, and not being transparent. Really? That's what folks think after almost a year here? Seems like anything that makes the slightest changes (and this is slight in comparison to what COULD have been done if they truly wanted to discourage Farming), results in these kinds of outcry, and "DOOM". The game goes on, we adjust to changes, the city lives on. Unlike the live days, if you feel you just can't live with a change, you do have a choice in where you play. But, the changes are what they are. They don't do it to piss off a segment of the player base, and they have explained what their purpose was in doing this. The fact that folks don't agree was almost certain. Nobody wants anybody to leave, but ultimately, that decision will be up to the individual. I personally feel it's an overreaction, but I am not reliant on these kinds of things, and so won't be greatly affected. But, everybody has their own style, and if yours is affected to the extent that you just can't deal, do what you gotta do. But, at least hang long enough to put together some solid data on the impact of this on those who DO rely on it, and submit it. Give the Devs a chance to see and evaluate the information based on actual game play. Not predictions of doom. If you have an undeniable case to make, I'm sure they will listen.

Today, just shy of 4,000. Paragon City is safer than it's been in a long time, and likewise for the degree of peril in the Rogue Isles, thanks to this activity! As difficult as these stay-at-home order are, and the isolating effect it can have on some, when we play, we are always with others willing to help us take our minds off our real-life troubles. Now, more than ever, this is important. Edit: It wen't over 4,200 a little later. Awesome!

I haven't checked yet, but do we even get the quarterly badges anymore? If not, then those names should become available. 😎

I read most of it the first time I played through content. Less so as I went through the same content with the 25 L50 characters I had (1/3 Villains, 2/3 Heros) on the LIVE server. In this new iteration of the game, with 6 L50 characters, and over 20 in various levels from 12 to 42, I have re-experienced much of again. I still read the ones that seem new to me, or things I had forgotten. But, most of it, I've seen numerous times.

I suppose folks do skip over the mission text. But, imagine how annoying it would be for the majority that do skip all of that, to have it read to them aloud instead. I suppose if it were an option, and not something forced, I'd be ok with it. But, I would want the default to be "Opt in", rather than "Opt out".

Done! Thanks for what you guys do for us!

Perhaps something like "Rebirth", or "Reborn", since the 15th Anniversary badge missed out on that opportunity.

Dang it! I didn't look at the quarterly badges. Those things take up too many cool names!

I don't know. CoH was supposed to be like a full-motion comic book, so the silence, and reading of dialog kind of keeps immersion in that theme. I'd kind of hate to see that change.

Badge name suggestion: Steadfast

Don't tease me man! 😉

I got together with my regular Wednesday night group, where we play our Radiation characters. Out of curiosity, I checked the server status from the top of the forum page, and there were almost 3,500 players on, with Excelsior showing the infamous 3 red dots. I figured there would be a bit of an uptick in CoH play during these days of isolation. But, 3,500 on a Wednesday night! I'll be curious to see what's up on Friday or Saturday night! We could be seeing numbers not seen since shortly after the rebirth of the game (or the un-snap, as it's referred to). Obviously, I wish the circumstances were different. But, it makes me happy to know that there is still so much interest in the game, with so much untapped potential out there still waiting to learn we are here.

My love for the game in general, has never wavered. But, at this point, 15 years later, to still be finding new things in it to make me love it even more? Well, that's pretty special. There just aren't too many things in life that just keep giving like this game does.

I have a new appreciation for Tanks of late as well. My tank had languished in his 30s forever (post-snap) because I just wasn't having that much fun with him in teams, and soloing was no fun with him. After the changes, he's more fun to do in both, and is now L42, on his way to 50 in the foreseeable future! I love that after all these years, even the things we had kind of given up on during the live run, can be improved to the point of making them fun as well. It just keeps getting better, and I am eternally grateful for the confluences of circumstance that allowed this to not only happen, but to get better with each update!

Heh! Bad guys. They just can't help themselves. Next thing you know, he will be promising cookies. The blue side just promises JUSTICE. 😇😎