cranebump

Oh, yeah. For sure. These are improvements, no doubt. I don't recall how crappy I felt, but waiting for 20 before the capes...yeah that was, um...that was a thing.

Giving it a run!

It is perfectly reasonable to ask that people not go through the door until the leader zones. I've run with Blapperella (I'm most likely misspelling that, sorry) on their flashback TFs several times, and this is a standard announcement given at the beginning of the TFs, and when we switch zones. Never witnessed someone screwing that up at all, much less screwing it up, then being unapologetic about it. That person got called out, didn't like being wrong (or being called out), and was trying to twist the circumstances to where they were right. A plain ol' apology would've sufficed. And I agree you'd be well within your rights to kick them, though I'd give them a private warning after the first offense.

I WISH I could run with a tight group of people on a regular basis, but scheduling is tough. I currently have THU nights and Friday mornings. The closest I have to a "regular" run on anything is when I happen to get on Blapperella runs (on whose flashback TFs I've been about a half dozen times), and, of late, I've caught a global friend's teams a few times (once by a direct invite, which was cool). I'm thinking now that, if I want this sort of shared experience, I'm going to have to be more committed to making it happen. But I also have stints where I spend a lot of time making AE stories, and I want the freedom to do that (plus I run my old Dungeon World via online play, so I have to balance that). So I'm solo mostly, or run Pugs/TFS others start, due to being a bit selfish about my time.

My comment, above, was (evidently not so) obviously a sarcastic retort. What I really think of all this bullshit is that people can set the level of challenge however they want. You can make default, mission-based play more challenging simply by not taking the shortcuts (seeding new toons; taking all the P2W goodies; running "optimal" powersets, etc., etc., etc.).* That said, I do think the default game, in team mode, running with PuGs, tends to be a rapid curbstomp, especially in Task Forces, which are routinely set on +X/x8. That was not my experience before shutdown. Now, if I'm going to jump on a TF (esp on Excelsior), I have to have my motor revved from the get go, because it's going to be a bumrush all the way through (show me where that is not demonstrably true) Again, not the case before shutdown. Not even close. Not saying it's better or worse, but it sure seems, eh, "breezier." All I know is this: I'm 60 now. At some point, I'm not going to be able to keep up. Unless the whole population hits decrepitude the same time as I do. (2032: "Pos1 TF forming. Turtle Run. -1/+0. Geezers only.):-) *FYI: the mere presence of QoL freebies through P2W automatically makes the game easier from the get go. Just moving from one place to another is much easier now than it was (which jibes with how travel powers became available at lower levels). We could argue that it always should have been this way, but it does show the gradual, steady arc toward "ease."

That’s exactly what I meant. But then I should know if you go to a forum and post “Flip!” Someone will respond with, “Are you crazy? What about FLOP?”

Don’t worry. The arc of the game is hurtling inexorably toward no challenge whatsoever, so…we’ll get there.:-)

Right? Simple things like "Snipers will stay at a distance and try to pick you off" (speaking of which, shouldn't every sniper have some form of stealth?). These guys fall right into mobs for easy destruction. Bosses that hit and run. Bosses that dive under cover when you're hovering and waiting on them. Bosses that try to pull you into the lava. Tactics. It'd be nice...

Well, if you don't mind someone non-legendary doing it, I will give it a run either THU evening or Friday morning. And welcome to the madness!:-)

I just recently made a toon named Gunson Rosas.:-)

Short-lived troller (and talk-show host turned vigilante) Opera Windfury. I'll let you guess the powersets.:-)

First thing I got in my 20s was the Easton arc. Lots of Tsoo. The slowness of it was readily apparent if I got more than one Sorc in the spawn. But the patch(es) did keep everything flopping, so, eventually I could handle them. Only trouble spots where when I had Sorc's active, and their KM ATs popped in. I'd be trying to hammer the healer, and I'd get slammed every now and then by the various Leopards and such. Click heal once/mob when that happened, and DID have to gobble some Insps. Worked through the successive "assassination" attempts in Easton (3 good-sized mobs), since they came straight to me and landed in the Ice Patch. My END was never really critically low. Did pick up Cross Punch, which helped a great deal. I've slotted the Fighting attacks with additional Disorient. Still, this is just at +0/x3. I'd cruise at default, but that's true for about every AT/Powerset in the game now. And -- this is weird, actually - due to the random nature of Slicker Bell's journey, I didn't hit any Arachnos till L22 (Talos radio mish). No issues there, save the floating bots. They enjoyed shooting me in the ass while I was taking on the "flippers.":-) Wondering about getting Hasten, since still no travel power, and I can grab SS along with it. And have not yet targeted a possible Epic powerset. It's such a weird way to play that everything is foreign to me, stylistically. It's almost like I'm a soft control Dom (for lack of a better desc).

Regen on a melee is definitely not as fun as on a Sent, I will say that. Thanks to this discussion, I thought, "Well, sure, lemme mess with this whole regen thing." Did I pick something that made sense. No I did not.:-) I went with Ice Melee/Regen, focusing on fast-recharging the Ice Patch. Been running on 0/x3 solo. I can keep 2 overlapping patches up at L20, but taking things down takes a LONG time, since I skipped the cone (I have Sands of Mu, and will probably take Cross Punch, but we'll see). I picked up Tough/Weave, and am building IO sets in the various powers. My goal is get this guy perma-hastened, and just slowwwwwww-Flippy-Flop-BAPBAPBAPBAPBAP! everything before it can respond. That said, having to go outside the main Def set for any sort of basic protection makes this a pain. And my selection of Ice is definitely not the wisest choice. But this is just experimental. And I was able to strip some useful IO's from another retired toon, and seed this guy. But...that sorta makes the point at how, er, not easy Regen is. You need sets and seed money, and lots and lots of Cheetos...er, yeah...

Planning helps at those power levels, to be sure. I DO think speed hampers that a bit, in terms of no one wanting to stop to DO the actual planning (bc they usually don't have to). So I guess I should distinguish between speedy play that is efficient, and speedy play that is just barging in without any sense of teamwork?

Seems to me the key words here aren’t “holy trinity,” but “order” and “chaos.” The OP wants a specific, predictable type of play, geared to a certain era. I think you can run teams that way, if you want. I’ve been on a few HC teams with old school tankers running groups who will have everyone hang back, then announce where they’re herding the mobs. If that’s what you want, you can play and recruit that way. You can find others and run in an SG that focuses on “Legacy Play,” to include limits on enhancements, AT types and so on. Meanwhile, others can run the way they want, and never the twain need meet. Everyone’s happy. (Hopefully) The one thing that does resonate here with me is that the speed and ease of play does diminish the need we may have had for teammates in order to succeed in certain tasks. If there’s one thing predictable about the game now, it’s that most TFs will be rapid steamrolls, regardless of who shows up. Even so, the game can still surprise sometimes. Ran Stockwell arc with a group today. Pulled Chernobog and some adds spewing Dark Debuffs. We wiped, had to reload, then pulled. When he and his mobs came to us again, a couple of us targeted the adds first, THEN hit ‘Bog without his support. The whole arc wasn’t a complete cakewalk now that I think on it. And it was fun because it harder than normal. Well, fun for me and my very stupid “I can make Regen work!” Scrapper. Not so sure about everyone else.:-)

+1. Doing even 1 review in just minimal fashion takes as long as just running several solo mishes (y'know...just playing the game). Doing an in-depth one, even of a single arc, is a full day's work (and then some, if you do what TN's been doing).

Attuned enhances, unless I'm specifically running an old-school style toon. I look mainly for +Recovery & Regen, and I like sets that grant a movement bonus. Damage procs to diversify powers dmg type (esp if w/AoE's). I don't have a lot of purps on anything (that I can think of). If I have a KB toon, and am not soloing with it, I slot KB to KD. So, the standard stuff, I guess.

Yessss...I can see it now--Epoch of Glory!

As an EWF fan from back in the actual day, this is my favorite jam:

A Kyksie sighting! Feel honored, Neji.:-)

Ah. That explains why I've had decent experiences with Regen. Seems like you have a reasonable suggestion there, as well.

Oof. Things I thought were done wrong. Hmmmm...See, now I have so much to consider.:-)

Well, gang, Acrobattle got demoted due to 100 days of non-activity (boo!). I have done some minor soloing with my other Riders, but play time overall has been less of late. I do have Tracklash stuck in the 30s, so my latest Rider project may be to get him to 50. I'd also like to develop another "Armored Suit" hero similar to Hydrofuse (a Sent I have on Excel that I really enjoy running). Having done Water Blast/Rad Armor, I'm looking for something pretty trade-Energy Blast/unsure. With yet another Regen discussion on the boards, I considered going with that as a Sent secondary, along with Weave/Toughness to cover some gaps (and maybe Sorcery to get RoP for additional defense). Be interesting to see how viable a toon I could get with something like that (at first glance, it feels a bit fiddly and clicky). Since I'd be solo running a lot, I can use all the KB I want.:-) Anyway, my next run is THU evening (tomorrow, 21 SEP). Whatever I'm doing, you can hit me up for a team up. 'Til then, Ride On! (those of us who are left).

With the latest entry done (Turf), casting about for a new idea. Considering a random story elements generator. And the Asa Ronan follow is still lingering in the mind.

Ah. Well, then...that confirms my complete ignorance on the subject.:-) (I'm actually interested to know this, as well). As for your current dive into the deep end, I look forward to your report. (there WILL be a report, yessss?):-)