Techwright

With marine, water, and even ice power sets across several archetypes, there's a lot of water in the game at the moment. Might I request we get some new costuming elements to reflect these? Chest Detail: I'm thinking along the lines of something akin to chest bandoliers, but seaweed, kelp or netting entangled with these, and not necessarily in a tidy X pattern. Instead of skulls use barnacles, starfish, and the other clingy things of the sea. Instead of the clean metallic Ascension/Basic, go for a messier look of barnacles covered by coral. Shoulders: Kelp strands piled on shoulders and hanging down. Starfish. Fisherman's netting torn and hanging off the shoulders. Low, broad sea anemones (But not the tall ones. We've enough shoulder pieces that are ridiculously tall as is). Coral hugging the character's form. Kelp wrapped around upper arms instead of chains. Even eels wrapping upper arms instead of Organic Armor. Back: instead of wicker basket #2 with an arm hanging out, make a lobster trap with either a moray eel or a lobster trying to get out. Head: Nautilus shell helmet. Composite helmet with several oceanic items, barnacles, starfish, and the like forming a compiled structure, possibly with variations where one or two items are missing. Salvaged crab shell cap. Legs/boots: seaweed wraps One suggestion not ocean based, This for those wanting to make a tech, natural, or possibly science effect for spraying water or chemicals. Costume elements showing tubing hugging the costume. Either pointing back to a canister back feature, or possibly having small canisters on various body parts. For example, small canisters on the shoulders with tubing running the length of the upper arms as a shoulder feature, with compatible gloves having connective tubing running to a knuckle nozzle. Thin canisters strapped to the outside of thighs and/or boots with tubing running upwards, and a chest detail showing tubing directed to the upper arms or shoulders where it would connect in the rest of the apparatus. Alternatively, show replacement canisters strapped to the thighs or boots, implying the character would change these out with the shoulder canisters as needed.

Found yet another great use of Whitecap: dealing with annoying Crey Juggernauts and Paragon Protectors. You know the ones: down to the last few health points they hit the "I Cheat Legally" button and deflect everything for another minute or two (I don't recall the exact amount of time). Running Manticore TF, I realized Whitecap is a near perfect counter to this. When I see one of the PP in the last 20-25% of health, target them and hit Whitecap. Your pounce will likely knock them down or otherwise interrupt their ability to cast, giving you or your team the freedom to finish them off. I tore through quite a few of them using this technique.

In theory, this sounds marvelous. I'd love to play my favorite games until the day I drop. But I see a problem in continued finances: it costs money to keep game servers running, and there may be other expenses I'm not aware of. Here, we have a wonderful volunteer community that steps forward to pay the bill each month, but is that a hard guarantee for every game? What if the community refuses to contribute continually or under contributes due to too few players? Who foots the bill then? A networked game is not ownership is it, but rather licensing. One pays for the license for an account within the game, then possibly pays a subset amount for monthly access. Cash shop items would likewise be considered licenses of a sort. Licenses can be cancelled, ownership should not be. A proper EULA should make it clear, in fact "license" is the "L" in EULA. I've still got my original Atari 2600 with 40 games. My brother gave me one of those modern nostalgia ones with a bunch more built in. And though I've not played them in years, I still maintain a stash of CD-ROM games from WinXP days. Were I to do a virtualization, I could play them as long as such technology allowed, and not cost anyone another coin. It is one of the reasons I personally have always felt this type of gaming superior: the full game in the player's hand. Ownership. I realize an MMO is a very different critter, but that's kind of the point, isn't it? Knowing there's a cost to maintain connectivity, we reluctantly recognize at some point the game may no longer be sustainable, and we go the license route. It's a big reason why I will never get into the paid function of EVE Online or any game like it with expensive items: they're not ownership material. There's another problem as well: which version of the game is kept in perpetuity? If the game designer releases an update or series of updates that degrades the game, or at least the players think so, will that inferior version be the one that must be maintained? Would more than one version need to be maintained to satisfy the players' appetites? Back in 2011 to 2014 I was more focused on the extended beta (we'd now call it "early access") of the game Firefall. When I first signed up, it was a riot of fun, and looked to be getting ever better with each patch. Then, due to money constraints due to mismanagement, the game and company were sold to The9, who over the rest of the game's existence, released a series of patches that severely broke the game forcing even the most diehard players to quit. I've encountered others like me, and we've also spoken of the game's best days fondly and wished it had never been so frightfully abused. As much as we'd want the game to go into eternal mode, none of us want the wreck that was the last year of its life. We'd only want the 2012-2013 version, and we might quibble on which update in those years was the best. So where would that leave the game and players if all that happened in the near future where this desired law was passed? Would this create precedent in other areas and industries as well? If I preferred MS Office 2010 over anything current, for example, would there be precedent to force Microsoft to offer and maintain it for the next 100 years? (I assume this generation would be all dead by then. Except perhaps Snarky, who'd be mostly dead.)

They're old buildings. Look for the pneumatic tubes.

I hear ya. I was so excited to get into the original Planet Coaster, then realized how much time I'd need to find mods, parts, etc. not to mention design and placement to make the parks I wanted. It definitely could be achieved, just with a lot of time. Channel 5's report shows that a lot of the things the community had struggled with are smoothly dealt with in Planet Coaster 2, allowing for faster turn around and more flexible builds. The architects of the new game have clearly been listening the the players.

I'd rather staple pineapple to a shield and use it to defend myself against a blowtorch rather than put it on pizza. Which is to say "hard NO" to both. EDIT: the jury's still out on cottage cheese topping.

I don't really consider insects a blast. Arachnids even less so. Scourge, plague, insanity-provoking nuisances: these might be better terms. (Joking aside, if you're going to use spiders in the set, you might want to use some other term other than "insect" in the set title. Otherwise we'll never hear the end of folks pointing out that arachnids aren't insects. "Bug", perhaps? Admittedly a bug refers to a beetle, but has become broader slang for any creepy-crawley, which is another term that might be used.) Silkworms might be an alternative to spiders for Cocoon. They're an insect.

Yes, it is possible. I did the first test today hurriedly on my secondary account as my primary was soon to enter an MSR instance. I've now gone back with time to explore and have successfully run it repeatedly on my primary account. A technical correction to what I originally said: if you remain solely in the water, you will not move between zones. I'm reasonably certain the first time I discovered this years ago, I was swimming, so I don't know, but perhaps the line of interaction has raised a bit? Now what I've been able to duplicate is that if you swim or fly to the boundary wall then fly or jump pressed against the wall you are transported into the waters of Talos just north of Scylla Island. Last test I crossed zones due south of exploration marker #1, that is, if you use the map mod to show the badge markers. Previously I'd accomplished it at some point south of the docked submarine. It does not appear to be a single point of entry, more like a line across the boundary, perhaps at shoulder level if you were standing on the water. It does not work in reverse for the obvious reason of the war wall in Talos. I first discovered this back in the old game, and thought it rather cool that the developers designed the two zones connected by water. I'd assumed the war wall in Talos was a later design decision or was just ignored. There is a sea door in it, so I always assumed lore-wise I was permitted entrance or slipped in when the door was open for cargo ships.

That must have been a change to the game then. I've been using that off and on for years, though admittedly not for months now. Discovered it by accident one day. EDIT: Nope, I'm correct. Just did it again.

Now try it with dried pineapple. Remove the water content. < not a science bro.

Yes, it is a problem. Montoya does not look like she spends much time in the police gym, and this is a character that may someday be The Question, a character called to fight on occasion. I thought at first it was just a stylistic choice, but then I saw scenes of her standing next to another main female character and realized the latter was drawn much more athletically. While I accept that a multiverse will spawn Earths where things are very different, I understand and respect your assessment. I'm about to start episode 8, but much of what you said I'm seeing for myself. I suspect that the key to writing a multiverse variable that people connect with is to show restraint in the changes, and any drastic changes (such as, say, the single change of a world where where people are the moral polar opposite of the established universe) be kept to a minimal. But that's just an opinion.

Thank you, @Dynamo-Joe. More episodes down. One thing that has caught my eye is surprise appearances in the show. Two that I'd never have expected are... Episode 5: Episode 6: Episode 7:

I'd be all for that, except for the annoying NPC AI that kamikazes all the time. Sending a player on two extra missions as punishment for that just sounds like it would sour the player when the fault was that of the AI. Now if it was equal, say X gets you 1,2, & 4 / Y gets you 1,3, & 4 ...that would be acceptable and not feel like punishment, unless 2 or 3 were more difficult than the other, and the more difficult one was issued because the NPC died. If completely equal, it is just different flavors. Alternatively, you could reverse the negativity by having your Y scenario be a reward scenario should the NPC survive. Missions 3 & 4 are bonus rounds. Unnecessary to making sense of the core storyline, but rich in XP and other rewards. If they're made to be optional as well, for those speeding through a storyline, that also makes them a positive.

If the idea was ever seriously considered, it would be a simple matter of adding another island somewhere in that vast stretch of water. It wouldn't be the first time an MMO revealed some island previously unseen. Then the land mass could be made big enough to hold Hami. The only real question I have is zone drag, which is why I understood Hami is located in its own zones. Having a Hami raid has the potential to be problematic for normal hero PI activity. I suppose one solution could be to create an island for the Hami, have said Hami appear when the conditions are met, but have that whole island actually be an instance. While Hami is present, moving onto the island will shift one into the instance, much like swimming south in PI zone will eventually move you into the northern waters of Talos Island.

I see what you're saying and I'm puzzled by the description you posted. The original game shut down in November 2012. So it should have been at most slightly more than a 1 year gap. There's been much discussion in the past on these forums about where Homecoming is in the timeline. The general consensus (beyond "timeless") is that lore-wise, we're only months out from the shuttering point of the original game. Perhaps the Homecoming development team has made an official ruling on the timeline and I didn't get the memo. Even so, time is wonky in the game. For every character it is really about the individual story, so although a level 50 went through the Skul hunt events of Eagle Eye's missions years ago, from a level 10's perspective, they are new and fresh events. I do think it is time to address hazard zones altogether. The standing one's have felt static and normal, not hazardous for some time (uh, that is, real world time. This is giving me a headache.) But yes, I do feel that a Galaxy City hazard zone, especially for high level, would be appropriate.

Have you seen the announcement of Planet Coaster 2 for later this year? Channel5 Gaming gives a good detailed look at the improvements to the franchise:

That really needs a big spoiler warning. I'm already through the end of episode 4 and this video was giving me major spoilers less than 2 minutes in. Okay, so I as I said, I've now finished episode 4. Had they led with any of the last 3, it would have been better than the episode they chose to be the premier. Episode 4 was smartly written and does a good job of showing how the corruption within this Gotham is working. Episode 2 thoughts: Episode 3 thoughts: Episode 4 thoughts:

No certain idea either, but I suspect this is the case. If so, it makes a certain sense. Not everyone uses the code chart, and many of those don't even know how to go about it. This would cause a lot of problems and frustration in trying to find a name. Many who put together teams still haven't figured out the concept of clicking on a character's name in chat and selecting "invite to team", and instead type out the characters' name. Not sure why that is. If they have not figured that bit out, it's likely an umlaut would frustrate them and they'd move on to a name without one. It may not be proper, but casual typing in chat without such a character is common, and forgiveable, but precision matters to the programming when identifying a name to invite to the team, which is the same reason why one would need to know if "Ir0nMan" had a zero or a capital O in their name when inviting them.

Does anyone know if this lack of promised "untouchable" has been reported as a bug at some point in the past?

I've just finished the first episode and pretty much agree with everything said. I don't think I'll spoil anything to say that Hamish Linklater sound a lot like Kevin Conroy, but the performance was a bit understated. I think "lackluster" is probably harsh, but lacking a better word, then lackluster it is. Character visual appearance won't be much of a secret so I'll say I don't like Alfred Pennyworth being the proportions of the classic Penguin. Alfred is ex-special forces, for crying out loud, and while that doesn't guarantee a trim figure, it certainly should make it more likely. Other characters' changes didn't feel organic to me. I'm not opposed to different takes on a character, after all DC has a multiverse, where eventually most everything can happen, but I just don't feel those changes connected to me, the viewer. This brings me to my next point which is JJ Abrams. Until I saw the titles, I didn't know he was attached to the program. Why franchises continue to hand over their babies to this man after he wrecked both Star Trek and Star Wars eludes me. Had I a property beloved by the world, his name would be the second to last on my list of collaborators, with Rian Johnson first. (Otto Preminger would be third were he still alive, but that's more to do with him being a royal pain below the utility belt, rather than turning out any inferior product.) Abrams involvement has me concerned for the series. Lest you think I completely despise the man, I will say I liked Fringe. It feels like when he does his own original stuff he's fine, great even, but touching others' toys he breaks them. Now some non-spoiler positive things before I get to spoilers: 1) I liked the overall design. Enough of a reference to the legendary Batman: The Animated Series, without losing it's own self. 2) I liked the titles. While it lacks the impact that B:TAS's opening had, it still has a great look and reasonable score. 3) I liked the quirkiness of of a world combining a low-tech 1930s map board with a high-tech Batmobile. It will be interesting going forward to see this juxtaposition, to see if it holds up, and to see what technologies remain rooted in real-life 1930s and which are closer to the 2020s. Spoiler Talk: Overall, I'll give this opening episode a 3 of 5 ⭐s. While it wasn't horrible, this isn't the episode I'd choose to reel fans in to a new series. I will, however, give benefit of the doubt and continue on. Perhaps the series shall improve.

Was teamed with a league fighting Lusca this evening, and got to thinking: with the following exceptions: Croatoa Sally Hamidon Tackling any non-Sally, non-Hami GM with an understaffed team Tackling any non-Sally, non-Hami GM with an under-ranked team Instanced GMs has there ever been a time when the team or league just fails to destroy a GM on the streets? Perhaps wiped repeatedly, perhaps unable to dent it. If so, which GM and what happened? If not, is it really all that fun to go through the motions when you're certain of victory? Would you prefer a chance, even a small one, at failure due to the GM's efforts? Would that make the victory sweeter? This is not the first time I've had the thought. I've had it with Lusca, Babbage, GWW, and all the Kronos robots. The last ones feel like they should probably be thrashing a league a lot harder, but most of the time, at least in those fights I've been in, the numbers of those fallen are minimal to none, despite multiple Kronos next to each other. I noticed a couple of changes in Adamastor and Paladin that make the fight more interesting, even if the results are (seemingly) guaranteed. Actually, since I mentioned Paladin, with the fights to halt the assembly of a Paladin I have been on teams that were defeated, simply because a Paladin was formed, but then we thrashed it. I'm not sure that counts as a true failure. For my part, I don't mind an occasional loss against something titanic if it is a hard-fought battle, and there's a chance for success. It's that last bit that's important. One of my first introductions to this happened back in WoW a short time before expansion The Burning Crusade came out. I had some time off and was playing a character into the wee hours, when Stormwind was unexpectedly assaulted at the gate by a titanic demon from the upcoming expansion. For the next two hours, it was a bloodbath unlike anything I'd ever seen. The area around the gate and bridge were white with the skeletons of failed attempts to bring it down. Word was spreading and a host of top-tier players were waking and logging in to join the fight. One of the best experiences I ever had in gaming. Unfortunately, we were fighting it with the supposition that it was beatable, even if incredibly hard. People eventually stopped fighting when the realization sunk in that no matter what players threw at it, it was designed to win. That soured the effort some, but while hope remained, it was a glorious experiment.

So...Devouring Earth in space.

You are surprisingly well-versed in the details of this horror. I am profoundly grateful I no longer live in pig country, and that this discussion is in cyberspace.

Voice only? Clancy Brown.

We had a dog like that back in our childhood. It was Christmas Eve, the dog was in our fenced-in front yard for a little while, as we were in the living room doing traditional Christmas things. Dad was reading aloud and we suddenly heard a loud electrical sizzle and ZOT! immediately followed by YIPE! YIPE! YIPE! YIPE! Away to the window we kids flew like a flash, when our Dad highly annoyed at being interrupted bellowed "Sit down! He's fine!" The dog had been attracted to the Christmas lights wiring we had strung across the front bushes, and decided to sample some. No worries, the dog was indeed fine, just, um, shocked. He never messed with those decorations again,