tidge

I have it on good authority that a significant number of players don't even know how to see the city map. Source: Every Numina TF ever.

I consider the current stuff on Live to be something of a wash... but you can't have it both ways: (a) It's not a big deal that solo +0x8 takes longer and (b) vs >+2x8 solo MMs do better. I didn't play MM solo against +3 content... not because my MM couldn't survive, it was because my MMs take too long to finish that content.... and not entirely due to the level shifts, The fact that the T1 and T2 need less net +Accuracy to fight >+2 enemies is true... but it isn't practical, at least not for me. I can't even bring myself to believe this without some sort of statement like "the game is balanced around +2 for solo play". I used to regularly take my MM through +3 content... just not solo. Maybe I'm the niche player by soloing GMs and content at +0/+1x8... but since that is the content I play all the time... It was easy for me to test in on Beta.... and it does take longer to do these things. It's not necessarily harder... just longer.

TBF, Cap'n Mako's alternate animation for Knockout Blow is pretty much right out of the TOS fight manual.

I don't use Discord, and I really don't want to ever use Discord. To not copy something posted on Discord also here... seems rather petty.

I have some comments on "considerably more survivable". Because of the (previous, negative) level shift outside of Incarnate content... T1 and T2 henchmen were more likely to be hit by enemies that were even level with the MM (and T3). If the player had previously accounted for the level shift and had capped the henchmen defenses for certain content, the new changes haven't really improved survivability. Imagine if we gave all blasters a +3 bump in all defenses, but cut back damage by 3%... all Blasters would become "more survivable", but some wouldn't become "considerably more survivable." The sky isn't falling... but +0x8 content does take longer, per my tests. Against level-less enemies... the T3 and T2 don't have a net change in how often they get hit, but when they are hit they are hit harder, and they hit back less often then before. Against this sort of content, it is more fair to say that they are "less survivable"... but this might be considered niche enough that TPTB don't care. I doubt most players would even notice, I expect when zone Invasions start up folks may notice their henchmen dying sooner but maybe not.

there was a long-ago public suggestion to establish the connection; that proposal had the gate in KR at the same spot but was going to recycle the connection point to Galaxy City in PP.

I can really only speak to the most recent round of MM changes, as that is what I tested. There was one proposed change that got rolled back (henchmen HP reductions) that was well-recognized as being a step too far. For even-level content, MMs take up to ~20% more time to accomplish what they used to. Everything else MM-related (general changes) is pretty much a wash(*1). The first would have been a brutal nerf to both the survival of MMs, and their damage output... so hopefully that is no longer under consideration. The second is one that we pretty much have to *shrug*, because of a promise of some future improvements <-- and I am only commenting in this thread because those improvements are supposed to roll out before 2026(!), so I hope we can test them in Open Beta. (*1) I didn't test content (solo +3 or higher) that justified the changes... basically, "address purple patch for henchmen"... stuff I wouldn't MM solo anyway,,, so I'm disappointed in the performance change right now, but I have an atom of hope because it was more-or-less recognized that MMs would have to get something more, it just wasn't announced what. I saw General comments in game (from a player that isn't well-known for play performance) that was ga-ga over the henchmen getting 40% of (most of) the set bonuses. I am not skeptical about their excitement, I skeptical that the 40% (while in Supremacy range) are doing much... MMs tend to have to franken-slot (my main appears to do far less franken-slotting than most) which means fewer bonuses... and most bonuses (that can be inhereted) are rather small even before the 0.40 factor). Of the items "on the table" for a future update: I suspect that henchmen will end up inheriting 100% of the same set bonuses, because the 20% performance reduction is real... and set bonuses won't affect that at all... except possibly those 15% +Accuracy bonuses that are possible from sets.

Where micro-transactions lose appeal to me is when they drive behavior (on the part of the seller) to either/or/all of: "nickel-and-dime" the customers at every possible opportunity directing effort to smaller and smaller efforts lazy, lottery-like reward schemes

Without a GUI, and and minimal rules-enfocing, I think it could be done in Excel. It would be HIGHLY painful, but possible... at least for something like a single AT. With an actual database, many programs run SQL under-the-hood, there can't possible be anything more complicated that have a GUI to present the possible choices (starting with ATs, then primary/secondary/pools/epics, then powers) enforced by rules. I almost started this as a proof-of-concept... what stopped me was that I simply don't use/need MIDS.... I am comfortable checking City of Data and/or in game for power details. I 'know' the ED scales. I know the sets and their bonuses... and then there is my personal iconoclasm,,, it is really hard to get me to care about 'set bonuses' and stats, especially once certain personal 'point of diminishing returns' is past. This point varies depending on AT (and power picks).

Also to expand: The threat powers from the Presence pool are not autohit (and at least one of those two must be taken to unlock the 4th/5th powers) Some (most?) aura toggles with a Threat component accept accuracy (and threat) slotting. There are a handful of powers in other sets that include pets/pseudopets that provide Threat, and pets/pseudopets typically also require Accuracy There are possibly more powers that accept both Threat and Accuracy than there are that accept both Defense and Resistance, or EndMod and Healing, or Defense and Healing. I mention this only because those combinations (of attribute enhancing) are occasionally mention as candidates for "HO/DS" treatment IMO the Provocations (Threat/Acc/Recharge) are in the same category as Cytoskeletons (End/+Def/+ToHit)... there are a LOT of powers that benefit from only two attributes, but relatively few that benefit from all three... but for those that benefit from all three, there aren't any pieces with those combinations, let alone pieces that exist at 50 that could be boosted. These pieces have something else in common: The powers that benefit from them typically don't need many slots to achieve maximum effectiveness, so missing out on set bonuses (when only 1 or 2 pieces will do) is an easy trade off for better enhancement values.

Since I don't use MIDS, my comments are more along the lines of wondering why spend the effort sustaining this and not refactoring it? I've worked with industrial solutions where the 'fear of $$ investment' that kept us supporting/maintaining/updating old code bases... but not to the extent it looks like is happening here. This is obviously a hobby software, but there are other pieces of software that fall into a similar category that have been maintained as 'one-person efforts' for long periods of time, and require far less overhead (in terms of external reliance, both in terms of software and network). I'm not unaware of the complications, but for what it does: it shouldn't need to be more complicated than a GUI, a database, and 'calculations/rules enforcing' module.

For Controllers, Mind/ is intentionally without pets... you can of course have a summonable creature from the Patron pools. or summons from the START vendor. If you simply want something floating beside you, the toggle Wisp pets exist.

While I recognize that some of the suggested methods to help @Snarky diagnose the issue... I've lost track of all the extra software pieces suggested along the way... on top of connecting to Discord for help and updates. I'm trying to recall the last time I encountered a 'user-level' piece of software that required as much effort... I don't recall setting up old USENET newservers taking up as much effort, and even things like MUD/MUSH weren't as complicated.

I can understand what might be getting in the way of HO/DS/Titans from being converted.... but that shouldn't prevent them from being crafted. I'd prefer the conversion of course, since that smooths out the economy, and makes some of the stinko drops (whup whup Damage/Recharge) more useful.

I suppose 'relisting' is another simpler description.

There are quite a few that are not; and Threat was reworked by Homecoming, so it isn't as if they don't know how the Threat powers work.

I know that the appeal of the Provocation is the Accuracy/Recharge, but let me say it is a real pisser that there isn't a Threat set that includes a Threat/Accuracy piece.

My lvl50 Bots don't have issues with Endurance, but I have different slotting. The T2 burned blue harder, up until I put the Cyto in them. I didn't used to include the LotG piece, until after a respec and shuffled powers. Seeker Drones are holding the other Aura pieces. T1: SMoS: Damage, Acc/Dam/End Blood Mandate 50+5 Acc/End %BuildUp %Smashing Exp Reinf: Aura T2: SMoS: Dam/End, Acc/End Call to Arms: Acc/Dam, Aura HO Cyto LotG Def/+Recharge T3 SMoS: Acc/Dam, End/Aura SCotM: Acc/Dam, Dam/End, Dam/End/Recharge, Recharge/Aura

@Snarky due to complexities, some batches of flammable materialshave been found in containers labeled 'inflammable' and some inflammable materials may have shipped in containers labeled 'flammable'. Do not be alarmed. Our quality assurance team is confident that your recent shipment was not among those impacted. -W.E.C. Operations Lead ACME Fulfillment Center

Have you played a /Kin before? There are a couple different ways to go with them... or at least, I always got bored with /Kinetics so I found a few other directions to go it.

This has always been my preferred slotting for the %BuildUp piece (on MMs). For my typical T1 slots, the +Damage ends up being somewhat significant, as I typically have at least on of the T1 slots dedicated to one of the other globals (so at least one-third of the six slots end up not directly enhancing any of the T1 henchmen attacks).

I think you are right. One big difference between now-and-then that is especially obvious at low levels is that there is no debt at low levels, and patrol XP makes debt practically irrelevant anyway.

As everything drops, and 98% of items on the market are fungible (directly through the market, or via other mechanism,s in-game), the HC market is highly resistant to such attempts. What you are describing is "flipping" which used to be a thing on Live, but won't work for most items because of the way the auction house bins items behind the scenes. There are primarily only two area where your "friend" can possibly effect the market, neither will make them any substantial amount of Inf: 1) Every so often, someone (probably a farmer) decides to buy up as much yellow salvage as they can... inflating the price to about 10K inf each. All salvage is seeded and fungible, but yellow is very widely used and has a slightly worse drop rate compared to how useful it is. However... it still drops, and it will be trivial for other players to make Inf off of your "friend". 2) It is possible to 'squeeze' the price of an item, such that almost everyone sells the item to you and buys the item from you. Because of alternate means of getting almost all items, and the vig, I don't see this as a particularly exciting or profitable compared to what others would make by just dumping stuff for your 'friend' to buy.

I really miss the option to disable XP and earn Inf, specifically because I would do this at low levels to get that at-launch feel. Sadly, this option made it too easy to earn ridiculous amounts of Influence with even less effort than it takes today... so I accept that I simply must disable XP.

I get ya both. I know I have a very different opinion about the Swarm Missiles (old v. new), and I think it is partially because I was trying some radically different things and partially because my builds and play style (for 3 tiers of bots) were (possibly) nearly perfectly aligned to slide into those changes.... so I saw no real reduction in performance in the latter case, and tremendous improvement in the previous, oddball choices case. It's not like I expect a lot of players to Ouro the first Montague arc with just one robot at x8. The only thing I couldn't (reliably) do any more after that round of robotic changes is solo Giant Monsters in Peregrine Island... but that is because I refuse to have a build with compromises for the purpose of keeping the GMs from running into each other. The Giant Monster ToHit Buffs has seriously crimped certain GM fights, noticeably Lusca, but that came later.