CrudeVileTerror

1000% agreement! Seriously! And Controllers too! So many great ideas in this thread for both! So many great ideas -outside of this thread- too! Not to be ungrateful, because clearly hard work went in to both Electrical Affinity and Sonic Manipulation, but . . . Can we please have something Natural in the Control department already? Something "mundane" in the Assaults? Pretty please with extra fromage on top?

In all seriousness, I have seen some indications from Ms. Liberty that she wouldn't be too far from stepping over the line to -at least- being a Vigilante, if not for her . . . . hmm . . . what is it? Ego? Pride? Stubbornness? Contempt for Dominatrix? -Something- about her countenance suggests to me that it's less the morality and ethics that are preventing her from operating out of the Rogue Isles as a naturalized citizen, and more of a wilful decision on her part. I think it might be interesting to see her team up with Lord Recluse from time to time. She certainly seems to think he's capable of redemption, at the very least. Or am I crossing my lore streams?

*glances back and forth, then tentatively plods in to the middle of the thread again* . . . Redside Ms. Liberty. *mic-drops and runs away*

Wouldn't it be just a platoon or squad of soldiers, not a whole army?

Gorshdernnit, @Darmian! Calling me out like that. *shakes a fist-shaped tentacle in a crotchety manner* Right. Well. Ok. SO! The idea has been bounced around a few times at this point, and I don't think I should be the one to take credit for it, because I think others have proposed it before me, buuuuuuut . . . As an asynchronous form of mock-PvP, the idea is that the dopple code is leveraged to create the option of player-created Heroes an player-created Villains to be utilized in Mayhem and Safeguard missions as the final boss. Basically, the idea goes like this: If you're a Villain and you complete a Mayhem, you get the option to elect to have your character used as an AI-controlled NPC enemy in a Hero player's Safeguard mission, assuming that Hero player also chooses the option to have player-made Villains as their enemies. If you're a Hero and you complete a Safeguard, you get the option to elect to have your character used as an AI-controlled NPC enemy in a Villain player's Mayhem mission, assuming that Villain player also chooses the option to have player-made Heroes as their enemies. There's a LOT more that we could do with this as well. It could really open up the door for all kinds of new and interesting ways to engage passively with other players. And to be clear: I'm not against actual PvP Mayhems/Safeguards . . . but I know such a feature would not be terribly well-received by the majority of players. I leave it to the dedicated PvPers to decide if they'd want such a feature added; it seems the Devs are currently attempting to cater to them right now anyway, based on the Beta thread. As for being treated like a lackey being the -player's- fault . . . Fuck. No. The problem is with the writing. Thoroughly and completely. Large tracts of Redside content is written in such a way that it robs players of the agency the game promises them when getting to create their own character. This isn't Mass Effect, where we play as Commander [insert-meaningless-name-here] Sheppard. This is a game where there are both express and tacit indications that the character(s) we make is/are -ours.- And then the game goes and pulls a big ol' ludonarritive dissonant blunder and takes it away. And before anyone tries to say again "but there's no other way to write the stories" . . . HAND-SLAM-ON-DESK: DENIED! The proof is in the pudding. The Bane Spider Ruben pudding, to be exact! While not perfect, it demonstrates what solid writing can do to reinforce a player's sense of ownership and agency of their character. And more than that, it demonstrates that under no conditions do we -need- to be lackeys. @holymittens did a pretty stellar job with the Rogue story arc too. Again, not perfect, but certainly taking big strides in the right direction. I haven't had a chance to finish Piecemeal's stuff that's on Beta right now, but after the first three or four missions . . . not bad as far as the potential lackey complaint. I reserve final judgement when I actually get to finish the arc, but up to the point I've reached . . . the way Piecemeal has written Doc Buzzsaw is more like an old friend looking to share some glory, rather than someone who's looking down on the player-villain. And that's really what it comes down to. The titular "City of Villains" is supposed to be addressing our player-character Villains! It isn't supposed to be referring to the asshole contacts who crap all over our characters . . . and yet, that's what the current writing largely points toward. A total rewrite isn't in the cards right now . . . but it's lessons like the one which Bane Spider Ruben and Brother Hammond teach that will hopefully yield better Villain representation with the future Homecoming Team writers.

Like @Veloice, when I see a character that I'm either in a team with, chatting with, or if they just caught my eye . . . I check to see if they have a Description. Just s'wat I do! If they -do- have a backstory or a good bit of Info, I take a Screenshot and try to capture both the character and the GUI so I can have a reminder for the future. My memory sucks. My memory sucks so much that I often end up having multiple screenshots of the same characters because I like how they look or what their stories are.

As important as it is to talk about mental health, and I do want to advocate for things which improve people's well-being . . . I would like to caution against focusing on that particular topic in this thread. The threshold for locking is fairly low when it comes to either straying from the original topic of a thread, or when addressing topics which are "too real" per the forum rules. . . . Thought: Do we have a place where topics like that can be discussed? Is mental health an acceptable topic to speak about in Off-Topic without concerns of thread-locking? @GM Tahquitz; may we have your input on that? As for trying to get this thread back on track . . . eeeeuuugh, sorry. I'm not sure I have anything else pertinent to the original topic at this time.

. . . only replying to say . . . KAAAAAARRRRLLLL!!!

I appreciate the effort and thought you put in to this, @Tyrannical, and I really don't mean to derail things so soon, but . . . I'm not sure the theoretical problem of being in melee is necessarily going to be an actual problem. So, not to hijack this entire thread, because I would definitely like to see a Support / Melee Archetype, but let's take a moment to examine the Defender before diving too deeply in to a version of this new Archetype that would require entirely new Powers be created and balanced, and let's be as eco-friendly as we can! A lone Defender is a bit of a plodding experience, with some of the Primary Support Sets being much more solo-friendly than others. This is known. A Defender on a team becomes a force multiplier, with some of the Primary Support Sets being stronger or weaker in different team make-ups (Kinetics favours a team with Meleeists, Thermal Radiation favours a team with Range, et cetera). This is also known. A new player trying to Solo as a Defender might have some problems, but the lowest difficulty settings are mostly accessible with the likes of Vigilance's Damage buff. A new player teaming as a Defender will probably feel more rewarded and rewarding. A new player getting in to melee as a solo Defender is probably going to have a bad time. A new player getting in to melee as a Defender while on a team will, hopefully (and I daresay: Likely!), have teammates to offset the dangers of being in melee. A veteran player soloing as a Defender might be a bit challenged, but it's more likely that they'll leverage their skills and understanding to absolutely break-face (some Defender Primaries are absolutely beautiful, even solo). A veteran player teaming as a Defender is . . . well, as squishie as the Defender is, there's no shortage of players out there who can cover for their entire team sometimes. A veteran Defender solo in melee? Depending on the build, sometimes that's exactly where they want to be! A veteran Defender teaming in melee? Maybe the AoE-spam might make things a little dicey, but between the rest of the team's involvement AND the skills the Defender has, chances are that melee isn't much of a concern anyway. I realize my perspective on this is limited, of course, so I welcome others to offer contrary points of view to try and balance this out . . . but I'd also like to ask: How many of us who've been playing for years and years . . . how many of us play as a Defender and -don't- get in to the thick of things from time to time? And if Defenders are acceptable in melee, then do we -really- need to redesign Support Sets for a Support/Melee Archetype? Wouldn't a solid Inherent that reinforces melee-centric support gameplay and an adequate Hit Point pool be enough to validate the existing Support Sets exactly as-is? I get it. I might be playing my Defenders "wrong," what with getting in to melee all the time anyway . . . but I sure don't faceplant as a Defender nearly as much as I do as a Scrapper! But speaking to a series of Sets which are hybridized between Support Powers and Survival Powers? Yeah. *nods* I do like the idea. I just think it's a LOT more work than the optimum play for making a Support / Melee Archetype.

Is "Overshare" available as a character name on Everlasting still? I'm thinking . . . Sonic Blaster?

I mean, we -could- made the additional Set(s) follow the same Set Bonuses as the existing Set(s), and have the difference focus more on the Proc/Passive, and the Enhancement values. ie: A Damage Set for Dominators, or a Support Set for Controllers, Defenders, Masterminds, and Corruptors, or a Survival Set for Stalkers, Tankers, Sentinels, Scrappers, and Brutes. Those sorts of differences.

Might I recommend conducting the event in a base instead, then? Everyone could attend that way! It would also allow you to control the lighting, and not worry about the day/night cycle.

Tis my point. Once you hit Level 24, you -have- to do the Respec to continue levelling up. It won't let you choose a Level 24 Power until you've done the full Respec. There were a couple of threads complaining about it in the Suggestion board over the past year and a half. Several dedicated Arachnos-epic players wanted the option to just say "no" to the Respec, so they could continue with their Huntsman/Blood Widow Builds without the extra pain in the ass.

If anything, I'd say "The Devs" are human beings. Like all of us. Like all people who work as game developers.* And we have our biases. We have our assumptions. We have our deeply held beliefs. Some people are more willing than others to listen to the opinions of other people. Even while listening to the opinions of others; people's biases, assumptions, and beliefs will tint their comprehension and acceptance/denial of those opinions. IDEALLY this will be a two-way street, and the communication will be active, such as a discourse. Or, in a pinch, a debate where all parties are being respectful. Whether there's legitimacy or funding, or not, the Devs here will still be people. The most we can do as players and members of the community is to try and express our ideas clearly and in a format which the Devs find agreeable to receive, and to encourage them to communicate with us in return so that we may refine our feedback in to something productive. If we're up for it, we can accept the criticisms of other players/community-members, and modify our own proposals or modify the language we used to express our proposals. Taking things personally, though? Getting in to arguments? Well! If someone thinks an idea you're passionate about is a dumb idea; it doesn't mean they think you're dumb (although, they might. But it matters just about the same either way). And even -if- the Devs (again, as people, so it's possible) hate you, or hate me, or hate some other person, and due to that hate are allowing a personal bias to get in the way of accepting a really great idea . . . *shrugs* Accusing them of that doesn't really help, does it? Blaming other players helps just as much, right? I definitely "get it," though. Especially when little things you notice might look like "evidence," and feed in to negative feelings related to the possibility that you're just not being listened to. But we gotta circle back again to that first point in this message: They are human beings. We all are. I'm going to try to operate with the understanding that the best thing we can do is keep that in mind whenever trying to post a suggestion here. I recommend we all consider doing the same. I think @Blackfeather has done a really wonderful job with the https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/22414-overwhelming-overpower-a-controller-inherent-buff-control-avs-and-gms/ thread. If anyone ever wants an example of a really great way to handle a suggestion thread, I think this is an excellent example! (Of course, the Devs' opinions matters more than mine. I just really like Blackfeather's approach, and want to express some kudos.) ( * JUST YOU WAIT! We're getting close! We'll have an A.I.-developed game before much longer! If it hasn't happened already, that is. )

Isn't the Level 24 forced respec one of the most reviled aspects of the Villain Epics, though?

I think we had a thread about character-monogamy versus polyroleplayery about half a year or a year ago. Anyone remember where that's at? Aanywhoodles: I could never have a "one." Just ain't in my biochemistry. I have a Blueside main which is my namesake, but doesn't really get any play. And I have my Redside main who hits all kinds of checkboxes for me . . . but I would never, NEVER want to be stuck playing just one of those forever.

I wonder what it smelt like by the end of the month . . . Probably still better than Mercy's bilge facility, granted.

@Spaci21 beat me to it, but the Private Message ping sound. Particularly when the message being sent is along the lines of some kind of cheerfully excited expletive and an inquiry related to the seriousness of the amount of Inf I just traded to the other player. Feels good.

*GASP!* NAKED RIKTI! Thanks, @Bill Z Bubba! I've missed them so much.

But if Praetorians are meant to attend, then why host in Kallisti Wharf? They won't be able to get in.

Does this mean you're also inheriting the debt along with the credit cards, @EmmySky?

Ha ha! Joke's on you! I never had a "nerd" card. https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/14753-why-are-you-a-geek/?tab=comments#comment-203612

Nice to see this thread all updated since the last time I viewed it, @Six Six! Those are some great looks for your characters. Nicely done!

When -any- Praetorians can get a Death From Below going, then . . . yeah. I think it'll be fair to call you "GOD," heh.

Thanks for the reply; I'll contact @GM ColdSpark and see if we can't make that an upcoming weekly discussion, @Faultline. and now: Back to the previously scheduled Beta Transit Feedback Thread!