Redlynne

I'm playing through Island Rum and using an older(ish) Apple Keyboard. The NUMPAD keys are completely not recognized (at all) by my game client ... which is news to me because last I checked they're supposed to be recognized. Is this an incredibly edge case of the "numlock" for the numberpad keys being switched off by default, with no way to enable them? I did a test of manually going in and using the Options > Keybinds menu to manually type a zero from the numpad to bind it to a key ... and the result was something that was not recognized as a zero from the numpad, but rather as a 0 from the 1-0 row of keys above the QWERTY part of the keyboard. Needless to say, being unable to assign keybinds to the numpad on my keyboard is really crimping my "style" as a bindloadfile Mastermind. Options? Solutions?

Easiest thing to do (from a programming standpoint) would be to force respawns of any Clockwork that has been defeated there when anyone talks to the Contact to start the Mission to Defeat 1 Clockwork. That way, there's ALWAYS enough Clockworks there for anyone to choose from. Of course, if it was that easy to do, Paragon Studios would have done that years ago ...

If I ever find the (copious?) free time to do so, I very well may.

I encountered the same issue with a new Praetorian last night. Just logged out in hopes that they would (finally) respawn later.

Sprint + Ninja Run will be all the "travel" powers you need for MOST of the game. You can get buy with a Jetpack for the rest if you don't want to dip into the Flight pool (in order to get to high places easily).

And you've already found your answer(s) before I could provide them to you. A lot of it has to do with "feel" for how the powerset(s) play, and what synergizes "too well" together to pass up from the start. And because the situations you confront will tend to vary (so long as you aren't trapped in an AE farming hell) you'll learn to develop a sense of how to exploit each situation as your situational awareness grows and you become more comfortable with playing your build. As for the Time/Sonic notion ... those people are entitled to their opinions (of course), but that doesn't automagically make them correct. Perhaps from a "pure" debuffing standpoint, they might be right, but with Dual Pistols you can adapt to almost any situation, thanks to Swap Ammo. You just need to become knowledgeable enough to know when to switch your ammo around. Know when to hold 'em, when to fold 'em ... know when to Walk away, and when to Sprint ...

If the URL link isn't working do a copy/paste of the code block at the end of the post into Pine. Note that the import will fail if you're using an older version of Mids instead of using Pine, due to the Issue 23 to Issue 25 changes.

It's actually "really hard" for me to look at other people's builds. That's because I'm playing on a Mac, using Island Rum to get into Homecoming (finally logged in today ... woo, Level 2 already!), but in order for me to even look at a build, I need to dual boot to windoze in order to access Pine, and that's a HUGE hassle for me. Despite how easy I make it look by posting all these builds in the forums (9 so far!), it's really an enormous pain to transfer the data across a reboot to switch OS, do the import, analyze everything, export any changes, copy onto a thumb drive so I can transfer between OSes on a single computer(!), reboot to switch OS again, copy the data out of the thumb drive and then finally come back over here to the forums and post something (anything) in reply. It's one of those things where it can easily take 20-30 minutes just doing all of that once. So yeah ... just because I make it LOOK easy, doesn't mean it actually IS easy for me to do this stuff. I mean, yeah ... I can make it work, but it's really a big Rube Goldberg contraption that's way more cumbersome than I'd like in order to get anything done. That said, I KNOW from past experience (since Issue 2) with City of Heroes that the more planning you do on the front end, the more time you'll save on the back end riding the wave up to Level 50 ... so there's that. I just wanted all my ducks lined up in a row before I started shooting them. Ye ken hoo i'tis (and all that).

I've spent most of today writing up bindloadfiles and have spent the last hour or so testing and making sure things work before creating more than my first character. Because bind files REALLY need to be tested if you're going to use/rely on them! And in my experience, Tri-form Kheldians are "nigh unplayable" (to a high standard) without bindload files to update the controls every time you switch forms. I do something that will probably come across as being somewhat whacktastic. For one thing, I like to be able to see ALL of my powers in my trays at ALL times. That way, if I've got something on a long recharge or whatever, I can see directly when it has (finally) recharged and is ready for use. I put 6 trays on my screen in the bottom right corner. Tray 1 contains Form powers for Kheldians and the occasional "oddball" powers that need to be seen/observed for verification purposes, such as the Swap Ammo "extra" powers in Dual Pistols. I put the 4 Nova attacks in the 1-4 slots of tray 1, and then put the 6 Dwarf powers into the 5-10 slots of tray 1 ... and simply use my bindloadfiles to "reprogram" the keybinds on my keyboard for the requisite change of address for my keyboard to tray when switching forms. Since I do my entire keybind setup as mostly (mostly) an arrangement of activating tray slots (so I can move stuff around in my trays and not need to write entirely new keybind files) this gives me the greatest flexibility IN the game at the expense of extra complexity in the writing of the bindloadfiles. But then, once the bindloadfiles are written, tested and proofed out, it makes life SO MUCH EASIER thereafter, so I consider it time well spent to avoid way more frustration later. I then use the 2 tray as my "main" tray of attack powers for all my alts, as well as the Human Form attack powers on my Kheldians. The 3 tray then becomes my "main" tray of secondary/support powers (usually full of toggles). After that, the 4 and 5 trays are for "filler" and/or Temp powers that I'd like to keep track of. The 6 tray holds the powers that get commonly used on EVERY character I play ... things like the Ouroboros Portal and Sprint+Ninja Run and the Rest power and so on. Some utility powers wind up here too, like the Map Clear power and the like. Don't worry, I'm getting around to posting my bind files at some point here. But I need to get all of my alts created (and their names claimed) before the Memorial Badge expires, and some of the costumes I'm doing can ... take a little while to finish since I'm so "rusty" at using the costume editor.

If limited to Common IOs only and unable to obtain Sets, for 6 slot attack powers I'd go with: 1 Accuracy 1 Endurance Reduction 2-3 Damage 1-2 Recharge Reduction So at Level 15-25, I'd be doing 1 Accuracy, 1 Endurance and 3 Damage, 1 Recharge. At Level 50, I'd shift over to something more like 1 Accuracy, 1 Endurance, 2 Damage and 2 Recharge ... simply because of how ED "crimps" the amount of enhancement value you can get out of Common IOs at different Levels. The main loss of sticking with only Common IOs is going to be the global recharge bonuses that can push Hasten and Chrono Shift towards being perma.

All part of the service ... :D Needless to say, once I get finished writing up all of my bindloadfiles (whimper ... Mastermind ... sob) I'll be making an alt to play this build myself. However, I'm going to have more than one alt to play, as you've probably seen from my build posts here in the forums, so it may take me a while to get them all to 50 and fully slotted up. Still, it's about the JOURNEY, not the Destination, and all that jazz ... I'm of the opinion that you ought to be slotting everything with Common IOs starting at Level 12 ... just to get away from TOs (which are really worthless) and DOs that will "break" in 5 Levels and need to be replaced anyway. You then have the option of completely reslotting everything for Level 20 Common IOs at Level 17 ... and then reslotting everything again with Level 25 Common IOs at Level 22. Filling everything with Common IOs at Levels 12 and 22 are what I would consider to be "mandatory" with the Level 17 reslot being "optional" depending on your finances. Once you get to Level 22, you don't need to reslot anything ever again on your way to Level 50, because the gain for doing so is simply so minimal. Once you get to Level 24, you can start slotting in the Level 27 Sets if you've managed to secure a collection of what you need to either craft them and/or buy them. Level 31 Sets will require you to get to Level 28 or pick up "attuned" versions of those Set IOs (or whatever the modifier is). At Level 47, go ahead and reslot any remaining Common IOs for Level 50 Common IOs, and also pick up any "solo 50" Set IOs you need for the build. You can also start slotting HOs into those powers that benefit more from having HOs than Common IOs. Once you're Level 50, it's just a matter of filling everything out "just so" and enjoying your completed build.

Wasn't really looking at the ATOs yet when I was making up these builds. What I'd probably just wind up doing is putting the ATOs into the T1+T2 slots, if I was going to use them at all, so as to get the "most" diverse use out of them (Human+Dwarf for T1 and Human+Nova for T2). I thin that at the time I was more concerned with building for recharge than anything else, which is why I wound up skipping the ATOs. But you're right, the ATOs would probably be an improvement (somehow). I'd have to go look at Pine again to be sure though.

Juggling Fake Nemesis with Air Superiority as fast as he can stand up is its own reward for a (build) plan well executed. ^_^

By itself, it's nothing to write home about. Stack it with Bruising from a Tanker and you'll start getting somewhere ... and that's before adding in Resistance debuff proc IOs which can help you start getting to "reasonable" amounts of debuff stacking.

The Achilles' Heel proc IO will cause the $Target to cast the -Resist debuff effect on themself (involuntarily). The debuff does not stack with itself from the same caster, and since the $Target casts it on themself, multiple procs will not stack even if coming from different attackers/powers. That's because the debuff effect is cast by the $Target onto themself. The trigger for casting that effect can be any number of powers slotted with the proc, but only 1 proc can be active at any given time. So slotting the proc into multiple powers will improve the "uptime" of the proc on your $Target, but you won't be able to stack multiple debuffs of the proc onto a $Target. Hope that makes things clear enough for you.

Really ...? How is it working out for you? I (still, as of this post) haven't been able to log into the game yet to play. Plus there's the fact that if it's working out just fine for other people before I even start playing it, there's got to be something going right with the build plan, eh wot eh wot eh wot? Am I right or am I right? ^_~ My "plan" ... such as it is ... is to switch ammo types as needed/useful ... but the default is going to be on using Chemical Ammunition for the Damage debuffing (en masse via Empty Clips). Once you have enough attacks and recharge going for you to have a continuous attack chain, the Damage debuffing combo of Chemical Ammunition and Distortion Field ought to really just nerf $Targets into the ground. Combined with Time's Juncture ... they can't (To)Hit ... they can't Damage ... and they can't Recharge ... and they can't Move Away (fast enough to escape) ... all while you mow them down with your pistols. And that's before throwing Suppression Fire into the mix to apply Stun (standard ammo) or Hold (all the swapped ammo types) to whatever you've got selected as your (single) $Target to put them into lockdown ... even though you aren't a Controller. Of the Swap Ammo options ... Incendiary Ammo will increase your damage output slightly, but not by a tremendous amount (and the difference is often difficult to notice). Cryo Ammo will stack enough -Recharge onto your $Targets to push them towards the recharge floor if you can't get there using your Time Manipulation powers ... but since you usually can, this is rarely a benefit (overall). Cold damage is rarely resisted though. Chemical Ammo, by contrast, will offer -Damage debuffing onto your $Targets which when stacked with Distortion Field will really make it hard for stuff to hurt you (or your team) all that much. Plus there's the fact that Toxic damage is rarely resisted. Given a choice between +5% more damage to my own attacks ... or more like a -50% damage debuff to my $Targets trapped in my Distortion Field and getting debuffed by my attacks while essentially "mired" in a Ghetto Hold Area Of Denial (where they "can't win, can't break even and can't even get out of the faceplant zone") ... I'm thinking I'd rather use the Chemical Ammo, especially while teaming, since the damage debuffing will help the team more than a smidgen more damage coming out of my pistols. Your mileage may vary, of course.

/em bow Your enjoyment of these build options is my (only?) reward for posting these builds here in the forums. Well, the Forms certainly aren't "placeholder" (or worse, Set mules) with their slotting. The intention is that as soon as you Level up to 6 and take Bright Nova, slots start getting poured into Bright Nova. Then as soon as you Level up to 20 and take Bright Dwarf, slots start pouring into Bright Dwarf. It's only once you've gotten these Forms fully slotted out that slots start getting devoted to Human Form so as to "backfill" the Human Form powers until you're a "fully rounded" Peacebringer with the slots needed in all three Forms. That's why these builds are designed as being No Respec Required from Level 1-50 in which you're just incrementally adding onto Nova and Dwarf Forms first before filling out Human Form as you finish the ride from 38-50. That way, if you need to Exemplar down for solo/group content, you've got your Forms available for taking on that content with minimal fuss. So ... yes ...?

/em bow I'm downloading the game client through Island Rum right now (at 82/143 files as I post this). Hopefully I'll get to start playing tomorrow as the hour of somnolence descends upon me ... No idea how the build would play with Thugs ... mainly because I never played a Thugs Mastermind before. However, I would fully expect the "design" of the support being offered by Time Manipulation in this build would translate over wonderfully to a Thugs build, especially given what the combination of Hasten + Chrono Shift would do for getting the recharge on Gang War down to "unfair" (to the $Targets) levels. The "NO ESCAPE" factor of Time's Juncture and Distortion Field that forces $Targets to "skip a turn" while your Pets demolish them would (I'm thinking) benefit Thugs just as much as Ninjas. So, overall ... I'm thinking a "port" of this build to a Thugs/Time/Mace plan would probably work out quite well, provided you don't mind taking no direct damaging attacks from your Primary. Breathe, kid. Breathe.

Customizing the power to use different object tables depending on map type is almost certainly "too much work" to be reasonably contemplated. That said ... introducing a bias into the object table by duplicating entries for smaller items, so as to make those options that are small have a higher percentage chance of being spawned than larger objects via over-representation in the expanded list to randomly choose from ... that might be possible to do. It would, however, require a way to determine the size of each object in the table so as to duplicate entries and thereby introduce the desired amount of bias into the psuedo-random selection of items to hurl when using Propel (everyone sees something different). So that would take WORK to do, but might be something more towards the side of Possible than Impossible.

Yes ... but ... ... Kheldians have an Inherent power that gives them extra damage/resistance/etc. based on who else is in the team. The buffing from the Inherent power is not subject to ED limitations ... therefore Kheldians had a means to sidestep some of the nerfing brought on by ED, so long as the mix of their party was right for that purpose.

Silk ... I'm kind of wondering if it might be possible to squeeze in a copy of Pine's i25 v2 into the cohmax.zip archive and rig it to use the wine emulator in this bundle so as to be able to download not only the game itself but also a working copy of Pine so as to be able to run and use Pine without resorting to dual booting to Windows (which is what I'm doing right now, and it sucks like you'd imagine). That way we could put all of the functional software in an operational state while booted to a MacOS drive. Would this be a terribly difficult thing to do?

I haven't started playing yet (as of the time I'm writing this post). I haven't really thought about what Incarnates I'd want to slot into this build all that much ... mainly because I'd want to get a feel for how it actually plays, relative to my experience of playing as a MA/SR Scrapper who would sometimes (legitimately) tell other Katana Scrappers on my teams "My sneakers are doing more damage than your sword!" and it would be a true statement. I need to do /em newspaper again while waiting for Paragon Protectors to get over their MINUTES of Glory in order to more seriously answer this question. ^_~

True ... but my point is that I don't want my Mass Confusion power to work like Seeds of Corruption. I don't want to notify mobs ... so I don't slot a damage proc into the power. That's all.

The problem with Enhancement Dysfunction is that the "solution" for it (re: Inventions and Invention Sets) didn't arrive for TWO YEARS after Enhancement Dysfunction was crammed down our throats as a surprise move by Cryptic. It was necessary to make the necessary "room" for Set Bonuses to work the way they do ... but Enhancement Dysfunction was pushed Live TWO YEARS too early. I know. I was there. And then I wasn't ... for TWO YEARS ... And then I came back when Issue 9 launched and Inventions finally (finally!) "fixed" the problem that Enhancement Dysfunction created. The other major problem with Enhancement Dysfunction is that it isn't a progressive "decay curve" of diminishing returns. It's a {expletive deleted} punitive CLIFF Of Don't Do This™.