Techwright

I'm glad you mentioned this. I'd wanted to suggest adding contact arcs as alternatives, but was afraid it might derail your OP discussion. Weekly bonuses on rotating contact arcs, should, in theory, greatly increase the running of contact content. I could see getting the badge for doing all Atlas Park contact content this way over 6 weeks or so. (Well, maybe exclude Twinshot from repeat content.) The question would be: what does it take to code this?

This is assuming a high level is available. That is not always the case.

Why are there no functional war wall tunnels for Kallisti Wharf? I get that KW is a retcon to the Paragon City map. I also understand that the tunnel in southeast KW, where Market Crash starts, is collapsed. But there's an apparently-good tunnel north of that, which should lead to Steel Canyon, but instead has a force field barrier. On the west side of KW, there's no tunnel at all, yet there should be a tunnel leading to Independence Point. I'd even expect a sealed door in the south wall marking where access to Galaxy City "used" to be. (KW is #24 on the map)

I think I'd be more for this if there was a large river or channel connecting Lake Salamanca to Independence Port or Baumtown Canal, but despite the zone map showing a creek or small river leaving the zone in a southwesterly direction, the city map doesn't show any river or canal traveling to IP or Baumtown Canal. Elsewhere, the map does show a prominent river the one through KW to Perez Park, but of course, the waters of that park are rather shallow. I'd be more inclined, therefore, to having Lusca have a triggered showing in Talos, Kallisti Wharf, or Peregrine Island, but then the question of why Sally triggers that at distance is the question to answer. Perhaps what would need to be done simultaneous to adding Lusca would be to retcon Lake Salamanca's creek on the city map, so that it is a deep channel river to IP.

I like the inclusion of the Market Crash as a key.

True. My assumption is going on the fact they've been around for most of two decades, and presumably a different team designed them. But I admit the possibility. I don't suppose there's any way currently to ice one to find out?

I'm more likely to accidentally drag a power control (for which there is a lock) than a window box, but I can see how this could be a useful solution for some.

No offense, but that nature theme is not the vibe I get from looking over most of the proposed abilities. More like "primitive" guardian, like something Tarzan might encounter when crossing a lost civilization in a storybook African jungle. Most described would make a fine set for a Luddite take on MM. Is there something that can make these more nature-based, like say, a controller of vines? That fits the "bend it to his will" description.

Sounds worthwhile.

Perhaps using the frames of the Will o' wisps and Sprites in Croatoa? That is, if NPC frameworks can port over to player setups.

Are you referring to those occasions on a mission where a talk bubble suddenly appears over a teammate's head, and you've nothing in your chat window because they're talking in a chat that you don't have open in the chat box?

I've wished for this for a bit. Glad someone put it into print.

Malta sappers, though I have to give dishonorable mention to Night Widows with their blind abilities. I don't think I'd mind it so much if the blind didn't last as long as it does. Repeated hits just add to the frustration as well: *Blinded* Hah, hah! I have a yellow inspiration. Blind solved! No multi-minute wait for me! Bam! *blinded* Oh, for the love of ...

I'd just posted a news blurb regarding radioactive wasps in the Off Topic forum, when it suddenly hit me: could Crey's Folly offer more than it already has? For the new players, Crey's Folly is considered a hazard zone (though perhaps mild by the standards of today's players), where the Crey corporation basically ended an entire city sector due to a massive environmental event during the Rikti War. It has been taken over by a myriad of villain organizations, and yes, insect swarms are common. But, other than ramping the difficulty level up a bit, the opponents are exactly the same as elsewhere. Can they be more, though? Crey's Folly is essentially a toxic soup. Those (presumably) living in the environment could undergo the comic-book treatment of long-term exposure to radiation and toxins: mutation. Could a subset of each villain group represented in CF, looking just the same (so no need for new modeling), be given a couple of powers oddball to their normal nature? Since I mentioned the radioactive wasps, imagine swarms, maybe not all of them, hitting with radioactive powers, possibly stronger than the stings with which they now annoy. Essentially it would be a "third column" powers setup for the NPCs. It would only be for the CF crowds, though, unless there's similar toxic zones I'm forgetting, possibly on red side. If I understand correctly, this, from a development point, would amount to cloning the normal opponent, and activating a few additional powers, not unlike some opponent creation in the AE. I could be lacking understanding, though, I admit. Add a few badges in for clearing out these mutates, and CF might have more business than usual.

Hollywood B-movie writers, we have the inspiration for your next script... (article source) AIKEN, S.C. — Radioactive wasps, yes, you read that right, were found at a nuclear facility in South Carolina. According to a report from the U.S. Department of Energy, just before 2 p.m. on July 3, Radiological Control Operations discovered a wasp nest on a post near a tank at the Savannah River Site in Aiken. Officials said the nest was sprayed to kill the wasps. The nest was probed and discovered to be 100,000 dpm, which is a moderately high level of radiation. The wasp nest is considered "onsite legacy radioactive contamination" and not related to a loss of contamination control. Legacy radioactive contamination is lingering radioactive contamination resulting from past activities. The Department of Energy did not list any other cause for the insect's contamination. After the wasps were killed, they were bagged as radiological waste. Officials said the ground and surrounding area did not have any contamination. The incident did not cause any impact to other activities and operations at the facility. About the Facility The now 310-square-mile site was built in the 1950s to produce the basic materials used in the fabrication of nuclear weapons, primarily tritium and plutonium 239, during the Cold War. Cleanup and environmental remediation began in the 1980s after it became an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund site.

Hmm...I can't recall. Is it "I" before "X" except after "C" or ... 🤔 Nice homage.

So, the first Avatar 3 trailer has dropped. Looks like the moon world of Pandora is not so unified after all. First earth, then water. Can you say "Fire Nation"? I get the initial feeling this is going to be Jake's Empire Strikes Back moment. If so, 4 will probably be his "Robert the Bruce and the spider" moment, with the fifth film being the victory. I'm curious to see how Spider, based on bits in the trailer, can breathe without the mask for any notably length of time. And hey, James Cameron better speed things up if he wants to get all 5 films in the can. Neither he nor Stephen Lang are getting any younger.

While I'm very fond of speedsters and even faster, portal creators (imagine portaling across the planet any time to visit friends), I think I'd have to go with a healing ability that not only keeps me looking and feeling like a 22-year-old (and long-lived), but I can also heal others. I'd probably make a living offering my services to health insurance companies as a major cost saver to expensive care, but only in non-life-threatening situations, and only because it keeps a roof over my head while I help people. My gift would be used pro bono for anyone who is at death's door and struggling to survive. There would be other pro bono cases as well. Imagine being able to regrow lost limbs, reverse dementia, correct genetics with harmful effects, restore the faces of burn and cancer victims, etc. There'd probably be a downside, just like the Flash has hypoglycemic issues if pushed too hard. More dramatic heals would probably be exhausting, slowing the number of heals in a day, and one would be limited just by physical presence in how many people could be visited in a day. I'd probably need days off due to the strain, and that creates angst since you suspect someone might die who is within range of being helped. It also makes one a mark for kidnapping by the powerful who'd want to hog your ability for themselves. Just make sure if given a choice, you pick the healing factor and not the claws.

AE story material.

I am not really sure what they were shooting for with this one, but other than paint and a white-guy afro, this doesn't really feel like the tone of Bob Ross at all. Apparently, I'm not alone in this view. The comment section of the video appears to be 100% against it. I'd be curious to see other players' thoughts, especially if they're well-acquainted with the Joy of Painting series. Side note: It says this is "created in Fortnite". I've only known of Fortnite as a game (which I've never played). Is it also a game engine?

I ran the Numina TF again and snagged Scout's last comment with a screenshot. It reads "I am sorry for what I must do. Destroy me if you can please". That says to me that he's not in control, but is lucid enough to invite his death.

First, I'm intrigued by the idea. Yul Brenner, Christopher Lee, Clint Eastwood, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kurt Russell, Richard Roundtree, and Jodi Foster are brilliantly cast. Jeff Daniels, Tim Curry, and Dustin Hoffman are intriguing choices for the roles assigned. While I can't quite see it as a natural choice, they're each amazing actors able to morph into a radically different role, and I'd very much like to see how that might play out. The creator seems to be leaning toward 1977-79 in their timing choice as some of the cast choices, Scott Baio and Mark Hamil, would have been too young for the roles in the early 1970s. Charles Bronson is...well...it might work. Certainly he's a tough guy actor. I've not seen enough of his full body of work to know whether he can portray the feral savagery of Sabertooth as well as the dangerous aspect. Likewise Lou Ferrigno as Juggernaut. I suppose it depends on how Juggy is portrayed: just big tough thug, or with more of a mind to the character. Lou has shown acting range beyond just savage yells and grunts (see his role in the fan-show Star Trek Continues, episode "Lolani"), so I'd prefer to see more out of the character with him in the armor than just savage yells and grunts. Faye Dunaway I'd probably have cast as as Emma Frost, instead. She strikes me as having the right balance of icy intelligence and great beauty. Margo Kidder, Gene Wilder, Jane Seymour, Henry Fonda, and Farrah Fawcett feel miscast. Jane actually feels more like she could pull off Jean Grey than Farrah. Gene Wilder feels more like a Fox than a Toad. 😉 😁

Scout was turned into a War Hulk against his will. Here's some of the dialog from the TF mission recorded to the unofficial wiki: Scout's final words Debriefing Such cruelty! That poor man has been trapped in that living prison for a lifetime. His passing is a blessing upon him. His dying words ring true in my ears, it is the Woodsman we seek. We must find him, but I cannot seem to pinpoint his location. Task Force, you are truly a boon to Paragon City. Additionally, and the wikis do not record this, Scout has a speech bubble upon being found that says something like "I hope you can defeat me", implying he's forced to fight, likely in the programming of the machine.

Yes, the Boomtown towers have always been a point of curiosity to me as the game came out in a post-9/11 world where we could actually see how the (horrific) physics work. That said, I've heard MMOs take about 7 years to develop, so maybe Boomtown was crafted before Sept. 2001. I know with the Feb. 26, 1993 attack on the WTC towers, the fear was they'd fall intact outwards, like trees toppling, and perhaps that viewpoint influenced design choices like Boomtown buildings leaning against each other.

Why not? Are we approaching this from an outsider's viewpoint, that Praetorian Cole can be redeemed, and would we (both the players and characters) want to try? or can the story play out from Cole's internal viewpoint: that his view (possibly) hasn't changed, he just needs to play a longer game to get what he wants, and if that means masquerading as Statesman and kissing up to the Prime Earth Phalanx, then so be it. He's practically immortal, so he can insidiously shape things over time by influencing the up-and-coming generations.