Scarlet Shocker

Interesting article but he also failed to mention the successor projects - and Ship of Heroes is about to launch on Steam so it's probably the most viable of those. I believe that one of the strengths of our beloved game is that it has no pre-existing Lore for fans to measure it against - but both Marvel and DC have decades of lore that constrains their games. If you play Batman or Iron Man you can only do the things that Batman or Iron Man do, but in City of Heroes you can do what YOU want to do, making it a much more powerful experience. That's also true of Champions Online but that game's fault is that it suffers from terminal developer apathy - when they could have cashed in at the decline of CoH and attracted the very unhappy player base into their universe. That they failed to do so rests entirely on the game's publishers and management.

The problem with Fitness was that it felt like a penalty - rather than something that needed to be managed. It's a great idea in theory that we'd need these high energy characters to manage their endurance to be able to keep up but it seems that it was unequal - often support characters seemed to suffer the lack of it far worse than those who were upfront. I would regularly get left behind in my early days, kneeling on the floor gasping for breath (sometimes even waiting for my Rest to recharge so I could actually bloody rest) while the Tanks and Scrappers dove directly into mobs (but often came a cropper because they didn't have the back up.) To me it felt like it was a deliberate ploy to take your time out of the game as a player, in order to disguise the relative lack of content. It was a device to slam the brakes on, and felt quite frustratingly artificial. If we go back to our original source material, comicbooks, it's fair to say that when our hero is mezzed - ie stunned, exhausted, held etc etc - his antagonist would then make a gloating speech "I have you now, puny hero, watch while I visit my doom on these poor unsuspecting victims below and then you're next" or similar. But of course, in a team game that doesn't work and a cut scene or a repetitive speech would be more bothersome than immersive. What I've experienced in other games is sometimes more interesting to manage - it does slow the game down but if makes you feel involved - is to have three or even four characteristics to manage simultaneously. Perhaps in our game they might be Health, Energy, Resources (ie the stuff you actually need to make your powers work be they bullets for your gun or spell components etc.) In a way we kind of have similar in Inspirations but they don't quite work the same way and tend to be more of a "good to have" than something to be actively managed. But something to add an additional level of management can often be a good thing - but I get that anything that makes players have to think more is rarely popular amongst the masses. One of the very best things about this game is the Enhancement System. To this day I'm still not sure exactly what they are - it doesn't actually matter but I remember Positron offering Apex an Enhancement in one of the comics as though it was a physical tangible thing. But the beauty of them is they are NOT gear in the classic sense - they don't break but some do wear out over time. I think that system could be expanded upon - especially when it comes to supervillains etc who can use their "MegaPulsitron Superweakening Ray"TM to effectively nullify their arch enemies' (ie you guys) powers by stripping you of the effects of your Enhancements at specific points in the battle leaving you with just your "naked" powers. That would be a powerful and scary mechanic that would require a team to consider and strategise and much more interesting than dropping patches of blue shit on your head that wipes you out if you don't move quick enough

I should probably have said that evidence/raw data is really helpful here. I am trying to avoid raw assertions because I'm genuinely interested in how to define the difference.

You can do two things: You can see it as a chore, which, from what I've read in this thread is your current perception - or perhaps you can see it as a golden opportunity. It could be a new facet of the same person, or perhaps their Praetorian counterpart - some kind of weird doppelgänger - or perhaps an alien mimic that has usurped your original character's identity. Sure, you probably think you've finished that character, but if you do, then what do you do next? If you're like most players you'll roll another toon and play that through to its logical conclusion, then to bring it out on high days and holidays. So all you are literally doing is playing another toon and then making a bio, costumes and stuff you likely do for many of your characters. I'm afraid all I'm seeing here is "I want therefore I should have" levels of entitlement rather than working within some very easily overcome restrictions that do you no real harm whatsoever.

Or is it such a stupid question? I've played both and regular readers might notice that I've experimented with a couple of different defenders recently - but I've also played a few corruptors but rarely to high level and rarely in real depth. It seems to me that they share a lot of stuff in common - the same sets, just switched; the primary is dependent on the AT but not so much is different beyond that (so far as I can tell.) Until you get to Vigilance and Scourge - both of which are mechanics I don't know well enough to say too much about but if I have to make a judgment, Defenders work better in teams and Corruptors work better solo. But I'm really not certain about the truth of that statement. Is there a significant difference between the damage their powers do? If we take two characters, same power sets... Thermal/Dark or Dark/Thermal - same powers, same slots, same enhancements in said slots - what are the defining differences between the two? (Same pool and APP/PPP powers too.) For the purposes of this idea we'll assume both arrive in Atlas Park on the same day, and run the same missions on the same team. So maybe shoot to lvl 10 with a series of DFBs and then duo through the Hollows until... well let's presume we take them through to 50 running the same content ensuring there are no differences in the teams they run in. Under those conditions is there any meaningful difference between the two ATs and if so what is it an why?

Why not just remake the character as you'd like it and swap the name from the 50 to the new one? Then you have a 50 which you can use and develop your new toon as you like

If you're having to use an ice pick you're probably just a gangster

Change for change's sake. Unnecessary and unwanted by most I'd wager.

It's entirely possible you might be overthinking this a tad 🤣

If you use something like a Razer Tarterus (and possibly a Naga mouse) it should be possible to bind a keystroke to simulate a keypress and after a user-defined time activate a similar one. I've not tried it myself - I've honestly never felt the need, having all the keys I need to hand and never wanting to bind my keys so inflexibly. I would not be certain that wouldn't be considered an exploit or gaming the system however so I'd caution against it

Nerf Rock

the Controller pet would need to be something like a giant preying Mantis or something that would grab enemies and crush them

I have to say I don't recall any of that - I remember a big PVP rebalance around I13 which seemed to please nobody but I don't think it had any effect on the PVE game at all. I could be mistaken but I don't remember it But I think it's also important in an MMO to be willing to accommodate other players' desires too - otherwise you're playing a solo Superhero RPG which is an entirely different experience.

Giant Insect MM

That's a valid opinion - but I'd counter it by saying that I feel no negative impact from PVP in the game as it stands. If I want to take part in PVP, I take part. If I don't, then it doesn't bother me. There is no measurably impact on the PVE game I can detect unless I willingly go into a PVP zone (for example to get Shivans) and somebody happens to try and take me on there, which is entirely their right to do so. I'd be interested in understanding how you feel PVP has actually been of detriment to the PVE game and wider community - and I think it's worth pointing out that there are a significant number of players who enjoy casual PVP and wouldn't go for a completely distinct and separate game just to PVP

That's always a risk but I'm with it. Do we know for certain if/when? If you have a practical build here I'd love to see it

That's interesting. I think I have a Necro somewhere languishing so I might see if I can trot him out. Thanks for the thermal info. I knew it could be good but not quite as good as that sounds

Ah yeah I remember 🙂 Was many funz 😄

But what about sausage-based plant substitutes? That would make for an interesting new controller power set! 😄

you'll have loads of fun 😄 Good call

Thanks for the feedback. @tjknight kind of sums up how I feel. I think there's also a few other debuffs I can bring to the party from pool and APP/PPP powers to make up for anytthing Thermal is missing and it does give a nice kind of thematic thing. I've tried necro a few times (should I rephrase that?) and I've never really gotten on with it. Can anyone point me to what changed to improve it?

There are (some) really great responses and ideas here. I think a new engine would be the order of the day as a matter of course but I'd enjoy seeing (a non-exhaustive list) some of the following things: 1) An open city - no War Walls. Technology in gaming has moved on a good deal and they're no longer the necessity they were. 2) Fewer, larger zones, with one or two hazard zones 3) Dedicated PVP server - those that want to PVP can 4) Fewer powers, more choices: We have (IMO) too many powers currently but the majority seem to be very necessary in a good build. I took a lot from The Secret World's power wheels - I loved the idea of passive and active powers that could be interchanged at will once learned. I'd enjoy seeing something similar where you have a range of powers for a given tier/potency that all do roughly a similar thing but allow a far better expression of flavour for your character 5) Mobile character creater and build generator - design your characters while at work and then play them when you get home 😄 6) Many more customisation options in the creator. More anchor points giving better options. 7) Invade the Rikti homeworld with heroes - we should have sent them packing by now and gone to their home to ensure there's never a repeat of their invasion. 8: Character morality/choices have consequences - many missions give morality choices and those define your character's place on the "Moral-O-Meter of Doom" - are you a saint or a sinner or just grey like most of us? That could lead to some interesting mission choices and once you've gotten somewhere on a path there could be specific missions for the super-bad or super-good that are exclusive to that alignment level.

Heh, Mr Milligna, well known typing error and genius, had a few great aphorisms in his life

interesting idea - but it falls over with Iron Man but Crey does that admirably.