Techwright

"Goodbye World, that's the song that their singing"? Also, I'm not quite certain what the focal point of that picture is. Can someone point it out? 😉 Alright, a tad more seriously, just a tad, I had some fun looking up real life locations for the Baxter Building and cross-referencing them with the RL location for Avengers tower. It turns out, they're really close. So close, in fact, that I'd not be surprised if the MCU folks made them the same site. As the Avengers movie's Battle of New York City showed, Avengers tower was directly behind Grand Central Terminal. That puts it on the footprint of the real-life MetLife building in Midtown. If you're standing where the Avengers first assembled, looking at Grand Central Terminal, then the Baxter Building is suppose to be immediately to your left of the GCT. The location I was told was "[East] 42nd and Madison". While there are 4 corners, of course, and I wasn't told the specific one, the standout corner is the northeast one, closest to the GCT, and on the footprint of the real life One Vanderbilt tower. This also places it a stone's throw from the "site" of Avengers Tower. It makes me wonder just how much of the battleground locations of the Avengers movie might be shown in this movie as kind of an easter egg. That, of course, is assuming they stay with the comic address for the building. One fan theory I've heard is that the Baxter building will actually be on the same footprint of Avengers (Stark) Tower, and that either (A) it is the building Tony tears down to build Avengers Tower (though in a different universe?) or (B) if the F4 cross over to Earth 616, they will make Avengers (Stark) Tower their headquarters. Not sure about that last bit being accurate. I suppose it depends on what time in Earth 616 they do cross over into, as the Contessa in Thunderbolts has already revealed she was behind the purchase of Avengers (Stark) Tower to convert to the Thunderbolts lair.

Agreed. I love the innovation!

Fun to watch, and the video was clearer than many I find on YouTube. I love that its a first time experience for the one guy. The explanations might prove useful to others. I can't remember the last time I viewed/participated in a team that pulled the shadow clones. Pretty much any time I run a Posi 1 now, the team opts to rush the shadows. My old favorite from the days of the original game was to have the team stand around the corner at the top of the stairs, have one player snipe an opponent then run back behind the team in hiding. Nothing quite like that "Surprise sucker!" moment when it rounds the corner and we dogpile it.

👍 I was watching a YouTube reaction to Arrow the other day, and Green Arrow used something very much like those as a throwing dart to disable a guy's shoulder. Makes great sense to have a pouch of those handy.

I'll usually do T2 Alpha, saving enough that I can immediately do a T1 on Judgement and Interface upon unlock. I always make certain I leave enough for a T1 on the next unlock. Then I'll set all to T3 before working on any T4. As to Alpha Shard system, I've never really understood it, finding it is slow and superfluous for me. I earn rewards in the Threads path far faster, so I'll probably only make one tier with what Shard stuff I earn, but have on occasion completely ignored the Shard path.

Did a very quick search on deterrents for vultures. Short of finding the carcass that attracted them (as you explained that you did), I rather like the suggestions of hanging wind chimes and/or reflective tape, both of which disrupt their senses and make them uncomfortable. The question is whether you or your desired animals would also be uncomfortable. Use of naphthelene flakes (mothball material) sounds almost as interesting, but would require repeated applications, and personally, I'd not want both house and yard to constantly smell like mothballs. Not mentioned in my reading, but a few options I'd personally find interesting: firing a shotgun (presumably using blanks) into the air: uncomfortable for avians, and therapeutic for me. Probably traumatizing for cats and cattle, although I expect they'll get used to it after a few hundred times. Attaching a loudspeaker to the roof, cranking up the volume, and playing the best bagpipe music album you can find, classical or modern. This should have the desired flight effect, and can be both stirring and soothing if one is a human with at least a drop of Celtic blood in them, or is a highland cow. Note that it might stir cats into fighting mode, so you may wish to secure felines in advance. I can personally attest to this tactic's power. My old college pal and I used to cruise the city in his F-150 truck with the tricked out sound system hunting drivers who'd decided that their own car systems should be enjoyed by everyone 5 blocks away from the traffic light where they'd paused. So many sweet memories of looks of disgust as those mobile sound systems were disrupted and trumped by my cassette of "The Best of the Scottish Highlands" blasted from his marvelous speakers. We managed to quickly clear several streets of noise pollution on any Friday night venture. Vultures should be easy by comparison.

I've now seen multiple confirmations of that, so thanks for the first alert, @BrandX. With "the universe-collapse plotline" I'm going to guess...

I've been using the free version of WeMod for a few years now. Steam never had a problem with it, and it's been great for using mods and cheat codes to speed past the dull or weighty parts of other games. I even used it extensively yesterday. This morning, however, it totally change. Now it requires a login level I didn't need these past years, and it suddenly limits a free player to 2 hours a day max. I guess the advertisements that came with the free version just weren't working for them or something. Everything drives towards getting you to pay for it now. That's not going to happen for me, even if I have to shelve a few games for now. I'd like to find a free, safe alternative, and am wondering if the CoH community has experience with any and can make recommendations (or perhaps warn me clear of trouble)?

Adding to my earlier thought, assuming this F4 is in the same universe that we've been watching since 2008 and not another from the multi-verse, then a Howard Stark cameo is just the tip of the iceberg. We could have exchanges with: Howard Stark (and perhaps Jarvis again?) Peggy Carter any of the Howling Commandos (though I'd see them more in a armed courier mode for SHIELD) and, very interesting to me, we could also see Toby Jones's Dr. Arnim Zola, now a SHIELD scientist through Operation Paperclip (and of course, secretly one of the two current heads of HYDRA), consulting with Reed Richards. Actually, that is an interesting angle. Hydra is still very much alive and parasitic at this moment in time. What happens when the Big Guy in the Big Helmet shows up? Does Hydra try to interfere like they did in The Battle of New York (they're the ones that convinced the World Council to launch the nuke)? Does Zola (assuming he's even in an F4 production) maintain cover but aid Richards? Do the writers conveniently forget SHIELD and HYDRA and send in the F4 alone?

Do we have a specific in-story date for when this takes place? Going into this trailer I thought I'd read it would be the "Camelot" era of America, basically the early 1960s, but the car designs look more like 1954 to 1957. Did you noticed that they showed the changes to Ben, Sue, and Johnny, but (as near as I can tell) they didn't show Reed's unique nature. Considering what else they revealed, I wonder why that is? Maybe the CGI is not done yet, or could it be that it is a plot point, like he's the brains of the team, but his physical change is taking longer to happen? I wasn't sure from the early sketches that the uniforms would look anything more than dorky, but they actually look great. Ben looks great! I wasn't sure how they'd improve on the Michael Chiklis look, but they somehow did, and managed to make it look so much closer to the early comics as well. Pedro's "7 o'clock family dinner" speech sounded weird. Not the context, that's on-point for the era, but actually how he sounds. I'm having trouble defining that further, but it didn't sound at all like what I'd expect from Reed Richards. Love the actual labeling of "Fantasticar" on the front side panel. The car looks, well, fantastic, though I'm wondering how they intend to make it break into quad vehicles. Regardless, if there's a real vehicle involved, that suckers going to be fought over at auction by the guys who own copies of the 1960s Batmobile. Loving the mid-century modern and Populux look of the sets. Wondering if we'll get a cameo from Howard Stark, possibly consulting with Reed Richards. EDIT: Forgot to add, the rocket looks awesome!

Both characters have changed over the years. Both started out in the comics and a few cartoons as gimmicky: nearly entirely focused on trick arrows. This has changed over time. Stephen Amell and Jeremy Renner both gave the characters what you describe. Their interpretations show guys who uses the bow and arrow as a weapon of choice, but disarmed, they're still lethal combatants. The modern public has gravitated to these as the best interpretations, over say, a trick arrow with a boxing glove at the end of it.

Good questions! First, regarding the Vita-Ray exposure: The process was really two simultaneous processes: the administration of the super soldier serum, and due to Steve's diminutive and frail stature, the administration of the Vita-Ray process to induce growth on a massively fast scale. It likely would not have been needed for the average soldier, although in "What If...?" alternate Peggy Carter dove into the machine and came out Captain Carter at a noticeable growth. A comment is made that she no longer needs high heels. Presumably an average soldier would come out looking pretty Thor-like. It likely was designed to allow other "bantam weight" men such as Steve to undergo the process with similar results. Second: Regarding the Red Skull, we actually see him inject himself rather than go through a Vita-Ray machine. This confirms the serum was separate from the Vita-Ray process. Dr. Erskin told Steve that Johann Schmidt had not listened to him and had used an imperfect serum. We saw Schmidt taking other scientific risks in the movie, confirming he has an impatient nature. The damage done, loss of the nose, the red skull look, was a result of that imperfection. And yes, Erskin confirms the imperfect serum brought out the worst of Schmidt. Also to note, Dr. Zola managed to create his own stable version, which Bucky received unwillingly. Again, a Vita-Ray machine was not necessary. Third: Regarding the hidden contents:

(Note: The short story mentioned has the potential to generate some political talk. This posting is not an invitation to bring political talk into the discussion in violation of the forum rules. Keep it classy. Thank you!) As I write this, most of the world has already crossed over to the date February 4, 2025. We here on the North American east coast will mark the date soon. This puts us exactly a year and a half from August 4, 2026. If you're wondering why I bring up that date, it is the iconic date in Ray Bradbury's popular 5-page short story "There Will Come Soft Rains" (later incorporated into The Martian Chronicles). If you've not read it, check the link. It shouldn't take long to read it. You now have a year and a half to prepare. 😉 Sci-Fi, whether for fun or a more serious consideration, occasionally gives us dates to look forward to, then to compare what the writer(s) created against the reality: 1984, Back To The Future II, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and any number of forward-looking magazines from 1930s to the 1960s all predicting the year 2000, to name a few. So what does Bradbury, in this short story published 75 years ago (a lifetime!), get right? Voice clocks/calendars - though more common for bedside clocks and clocks for the blind, we do now have talking clocks, as well as devices with hourly and calendar reminders, such as the story's clock calling out the breakfast hour and important events, though I've yet to hear of a modern talking clock being used in that fashion. The Internet of Things (IOT) - Bradbury describes multiple devices that have programmable, automated functionality. While we do not have the mechanical elements of this in place, we do have the programmable elements, and the interconnection of devices. Autonomous robotic vacuum cleaners - Think "Roomba". Bradbury's versions appear as electronic mice that store in the wall, They also collectively have the ability to move heavy objects, and to smell decay. Last I knew, Roomba could not do either. Automated/timed lawn sprinklers - We've had mechanical sprinklers for decades now, but the ones described are in the ground and scheduled to a specific time. Home A.I. - Bradbury predicted home A.I. in function simiar to our modern Alexa and how it could read poetry and other works or interact with things like the blinds of a home. We actually have "smart" blinds under the IOT that Alexa and devices like it can be programmed to open/close on demand. It's not really average suburbia yet, like Bradbury implies, but it does exist. Voice-activated Home locks and security - Bradbury's version even recognizes the ailing family dog's voice and lets it in. While ours does exist it's again, still more of a luxury thing. Video Walls - The nursery of Bradbury's future home has glass covered walls that play childrens' video content. I actually thought for a moment that Bradbury had predicted liquid crystal displays as there's a reference to the show characters "cavorting in crystal substance", but I now believe this is just an alternate way of referring to the glass surface. So close. Smart Beds - Bradbury's house has timed, self-heating beds for comfort in a cooler night. Modern IOT beds can do this, but also handle a variety of other adjustments, learning what best helps the sleeper. Off-the-grid power (implied) - While not specifically mentioned, the "soft rains" home is functioning while literally everything else around it has been turned to ash, meaning there's no functioning power grid. This implies a localized power source like the modern Powerwall, the Tesla home battery and solar paneled roof system that can run the home independent of the grid. There's likely some details I missed. Really, though, even if he interprets a few advances in terms of equipment from 1950, this is an extraordinary insight into what a child born in 1950 could expect in 2026...hopefully without the nuclear results.

Interesting. I didn't acquire the game through Steam. I don't recall how, but it may have been by CDs. Assuming I can find the source, can a non-Steam setup also work?

The "Behind Bars" Gang? 😉

Question: What, to you, is the value of the Empathy power set, its "place" if you will, in the modern Homecoming environment? When City of Heroes first came out, the Empathy power set made perfect sense. It was the age of the MMO trinity: tanking-healing-dps. Players were not very skilled at the game yet, and a healer had constant, vital work. This continued throughout the first run of CoH, though gradually we began to loosen our grip on a trinity approach to teaming. Fast forward to today, and I'm not seeing all that much in the way of Empathic healing. Perhaps I'm just playing on the wrong PUGs. People are so often in "steam roller" mode now and its rare that I've observed a team without a healer going through a team wipe, or a team that at least feels like they need a healer. Most just shrug off damage or have a rez handy. If they kill ya, walk it off. We even have temporary powers that can heal or rez, perhaps not as powerfully as an empath, but sufficient for the team's need. I can see niche use of empathy when fighting high end stuff at maximum settings, but the everyday ordinary missions and TFs don't seem to need the services of an empath. Hence my question. I should point out that I'm not down on Empathy. I've nothing against it. It's just that the last few times I took my level 50 empath out for a night on the town, he ended up focusing on his other power set with little-to-nothing available for the empathy power set to do. I like the character, and I'm hoping by hearing multiple opinions and their details that I might find a place for him that makes sense and makes him worth playing again.

Okay, ruling out natural for non-humans, as you've noted, it really comes down to cunning, creative thinking and speedy adaptation to events and environments. Oh, and no small amount of courage. Keeping a cool head when a monster is trying to kill you can make all the difference. What little I know of DC Comic's Wildcat serves as a pretty good example. I believe he may use a suit with some sort of claws in the gloves, but basically he started out as a great boxer (perhaps they've upgraded him to MMA now?). Captain Kirk is another example when he fights the significantly stronger Gorn (admittedly not the terrifying versions later Treks showed) and despite being hurt and stressed, has the clarity and knowledge to figure out the resources in their environment and fashion a rudimentary lathe cannon from those resources. A natural human will likely also have an excellent memory and be well-versed in several key topics such as engineering and computer technology, to aid in their on-the-spot adaptations to the environment. Think "MacGyver".

Apologies, you lost me there. To whose comment was yours referring? Yes, it was most certainly the German Jew, Dr. Abraham Erskine, who invented the first super soldier serum. But it wasn't perfected until he reached the States and teamed with American Howard Stark, so in a way, an American had a junior-ranked hand in the invention of the serum, at least the stable version. Howard Stark was also responsible for the first safe delivery system. You'll recall from Captain America: Civil War that...

In a sense they gave us that: Kirk running to a key spot on Enterprise B to save the ship, its crew, and the rescued passengers then having his section destroyed and pulled into the Nexus, never to be seen by his friends again. From the perspective of Scott and Chekov, Kirk died valiantly. We just know there was a bit more to go. Actually, I've been saying since Generations came out that they made one serious mistake, which, had they corrected, might have given the needed heroic status to Kirk regardless of the method of his send-off. I'm talking about the civilization he saved. At no part in the final work did we see the billions of people on the nearby inhabited world. They were only casually mentioned: a cold statistic, nothing more. Had they taken even a minute to show us this civilization: children playing, artists creating or performing, lovers strolling in the park...all the best things that connects us emotionally to a civilization, then knowing a legend had to be sacrificed to save them would have seemed a worthy, heroic cause. We did have the Enterprise crew trapped on the planet during its destruction, but the viewership has seen that go wrong before, multiple times, and the crew escape a permanent death. The potency was not as great.

I didn't list rule of 5 and such, but I did compile a starter list a while back (5 years?! ), and the TO, DO, SO stuff it at the top:

The modern art they put in public buildings just gets weirder every year. 🙄

I was unaware of this, possibly because it is an unlisted work on YouTube channel OTOY. For the 30th anniversary of the movie Star Trek: Generations, William Shatner executive produced this short, joined by Robin Curtis (the 2nd actor to play Lt. Saavik, Spock's half-Romulan protege) and Gary Lockwood ("Lt. Commander Gary Mitchell" from season 1 episode 3: "Where No Man Has Gone Before") to give the movie, and both the passing of Kirk, and later, Spock, an alternate ending and a proper send-off. There is also a additional surprise in the new work. Special visual effects were used with legendary voice actor Sam Witwer, better known for his Star Wars characters, providing the body performance for Kirk, and Lawrence Selleck doing the same for Spock. If you're saying "what in space did I just see?" Here's some context: For additional info, see: https://home.otoy.com/unification/

Wondering how that would jive with the ending of Loki, seeing as that canon bit affected the multiverse, was based outside of it, and the results were meant to stabilize the multiverse permanently.

Minor detail: Comic Deadpool is a mutate, not a mutant. Science types messed with Wolverine DNA, injected Wade with the results and... badda-bing, badda-boom... Deadpool was born. So the original take on Deadpool would classify him as Science Origin. Movie Deadpool, though, had most of that happen, but the serum they gave him awoke a latent mutation in him. So Movie Deadpool would be a mutant, as he had it since birth, just dormant. It is in part because of this that I have a long-standing wish that we'd just simplify SO enhancements: drop the complex names and backstories for the enhancements, keep the origin ring around the enhancement, switch to the simple color scheme with a clear, simple icon representing the origin, and a plain-Jane, but crystal-clear title like "Tech: Damage" or "Mutant: Accuracy". Let the player write the story around the enhancement, rather than force a concept on their RP character that isn't consistent with what they've designed.

I'd like to suggest a neck piece. Since we don't have a neck category (which, as I've mentioned elsewhere, we could benefit from) I suppose it would need to go to the shoulder category, like the bowtie or the neck chains currently occupy, or perhaps Head/Detail 2, which handles the lower face and sometimes the neck, such as the Victorian options on the female costumes. I'm suggesting the old movie cowboy/cowgirl neckerchief, specifically worn with the knot over the shoulder line, or to the side of the front. A female version might work well as an option for a 1950s costume: