Blackbird71

Jedi Knight? I recently booted up the original Dark Forces, and that thing is sprite-based. My philosophy has always been that good graphics can be a nice skin on any game, but that's as far as it goes, skin deep. If the underlying game is bad, graphics are not going to save it; it's the gameplay that is the most important part (well, in an MMO, the community is also a big part, and CoX has always scored high there). As for CoX specifically, I've never minded the graphics, and I've never thought they were that bad. They're not modern-age photorealistic, but we're playing in a stylized comic-book world, and the graphics reflect that nicely. No, I think the game looks just fine, and for what it is it holds up well.

If you're asking "where?" the answer is Rhode Island. If you're asking "when?", the answer is a bit more complicated, mainly due to the seven years the game was shut down. Each individual or group seems to treat it differently. I've seen some RP SGs treat it as if it's been an actual seven years since Galaxy City, and others act as if it's only been a few months since that event. Unfortunately, there is no defined canon answer at this point.

Sure it does. I've been using that same one for months. However, this thread really should be in the MM forum; much more help can be found there.

I'd call it more of a deep mistrust and an aversion to repeating past pain. I have no reason to believe that NCSoft will behave any better this time around than they did before, and every reason to suspect that they are still the same company with the same culture, goals, motivations, and methods. As they say, "Fool me once..." In your analysis, you overlook the third solution that is the reality of the situation. The genie is out of the bottle, and even if HC gets brought under the NCSoft umbrella, there is no putting it back. Ergo, we already have a game, and will continue to have a game regardless of what happens with NCSoft. The nature of the servers may change, and communities may be smaller and more scattered, but people will be playing on their own terms,

I don't think you quite understood my meaning. I realize NCSoft will probably be involved on some level. My concern is if they decide to bring the game back under their total control. If they come up with some sort of licensing agreement or something, I can deal with that. But if CoH is relaunched as an NCSoft game, under an NCSoft studio, and the HC team doesn't have some level of autonomy over direction and development, I'm out. They've destroyed any and all good will, and "helping bring the game back" only because others have already done it will not earn them any more. They've had their chance. They've had seven years of chances, and they've burned every last one of them. And now that we don't need them any more they want us to go back to them? Not a chance.

Honestly, that would be the death knell of this game for me. After the way NCSoft handled things, there is no way I'm going back to them. If they reach a deal to let HC run things autonomously, I can probably live with it. But if NCSoft thinks I'll come groveling back to lick their boots then they have another thing coming.

Then you're getting bad pizzas somewhere. I've done this tons of times and it's never been a problem.

This just shows limited thinking in pizza toppings. The obvious answer in the above scenario is to order one pepperoni, and one Hawaiian but only with pineapple on one half of the pizza. You can add olives or something to the other half. This way there is enough pineapple to satisfy the pineapple-lovers, and plenty of pizza to share with the pineapple-haters. Source: true life experience.

For this specific example, I'd say it's clearly still science. The serum is still the source of the power, the method of administering the serum doesn't change that. It can be a bit fuzzy though. I have an archer character. Now, she could be Natural, because of her archery skill, but instead I made her Technology, as she invents and uses an advanced bow, targeting system, trick arrows, and other devices. It's kind of like Batman; is he natural because of his physical strength and fighting ability, or tech because of all of his gadgets? The way I figure it out is by looking at where the focus is; what's the main source of the power? Even if it just comes to 51% of the character, that's the way I'll lean.

I'd love to come, but for the West coast this is still during working hours. 🙁

Saw thread title, thought there was something wrong with End cost of Savage Assault powers.

Frankly I find such apathy disturbing, and unfortunately all too common. Enjoy your game.

I observed the same thing: double clicking a client did launch the game, but Tequila continued to download Beta files. Like others, I'm on a limited data connection, so being unable to choose which client files are downloaded is a real pain.

I've been discovering this, not only on this character, but on a defender with sonic. For the defender, I expect teaming to be the norm, but it surprises me just how poorly the corrupter performs outside of a team. Unfortunately, from what I could tell, corrupter is the only AT that allows a combination of water and sonic powers, so if I'm determined to play this concept then I'm stuck with it. I don't mind teaming when it's convenient, but I don't like being limited by it being a necessity. Thanks for the build, this gives me something to work with. With my End issues, I am a bit concerned about the Leadership toggles. I'm having enough trouble just keeping one toggle going; running two drains me in no time. If I'm counting correctly, this build has 5 toggles that could all be on at the same time. I'm sure the move to IOs will help somewhat, but this seems like a lot.

I noticed earlier that the mouse wheel would not zoom the camera in or out. I did not notice whether there was any other odd behavior; I'll check again later this evening.

I've been working on a Water/Sonic Corrupter as a concept character, and could use some guidance. I'm up to level 20, and it has really become a difficult slog. Damage is lackluster, and endurance is a real problem; I can barely keep one defensive toggle active and I still have to take a knee every couple of fights. In a couple of levels I'll begin slotting IOs, and I'm hoping that this will help alleviate some of the problems. Still, I'd appreciate any build suggestions or advice from anyone with experience with this combination. Or if anyone can point me towards existing guides for either one powerset or both, that would also help. Thanks in advance!

Just bear in mind that what you see as the actions of "just a couple of [...] employees", others see as indicators of overall company culture and tactics, especially with incidents that are escalated through support levels and met with similar treatment at each level. Even more so once other people relate similar experiences with other representatives of the company. At some point, it builds beyond the case of just a few bad apples in the company to becoming evidence of the methods the company uses for conducting its day to day operations, and the way that the company treats its customers as a whole. What you call "silly" is oftentimes the only recourse a consumer has for effecting change. If someone doesn't like the way a company operates, the most effective option is to withhold their money. Only when enough people do the same do companies tend to listen and realize their errors. Continuing to patronize a company whose practices you disagree with does nothing to discourage their actions. Calling people "silly" for exercising what they see as their best (and often only) logical option is part of why you come off as insulting and/or trollish. Once you start labeling the actions of others with your personal judgments of their choices, you set the ground for an antagonistic encounter. It makes your search for knowledge appear less than genuine, as it indicates you've closed yourself off to understanding their perspective. An exchange of ideas cannot take place without open minds. "Fool me once," and all that; people get tired of being burned and don't like to set themselves up for repeat abuse. I think there is enough evidence of past behavior to warrant caution at the least, and to justify some patience for those who choose to exercise such caution to avoid future pain.

I haven't found anything official to either support or prevent this idea, so no guarantees it is lore friendly: I have a Peacebringer who is a Kheldian merged with a teenager, and the Kheldian personality is largely suppressed. My reasoning was that the Kheldian merged with the host at a young age (and during a physically traumatic event), and the state of chemical/biological flux of the human brain through puberty and adolescence was enough to disrupt the joining of minds. Of course, this also has the side effect of somewhat erratic control over powers. My intent with the character is that the Kheldian personality would assert itself more over time as the host matures and stabilizes. I don't know if this is quite what you were thinking, but hopefully it gives you some ideas. My thoughts are (and again, this is purely my opinion/interpretation of the lore) that under normal circumstances, yes the personalities would merge. But abnormal circumstances could always interfere with that and make the merge incomplete, so if you just get creative with the circumstances of the merge then you can make it work for your character.

Whether you realize it or not, you were being provocative. You were making accusations and assumptions of motive, and it came across as rather insulting, not just towards Pax, but towards any customer who has issue with how they were treated by NCSoft. Maybe you were genuinely interested in understanding, maybe you weren't; it's hard to tell in this sort of communication. I've just seen a enough people trolling under the guise of "I was just asking a question" to warrant suspicion.

I've seen every evidence to suggest that NCSoft is the latter rather than the former.

Just for clarity, I believe the costume creator refers to these pieces as "Cosmic Corsair" rather than "Galactic Pirate."

It's worth pointing out that Twinshot/Dr. Graves will contact you when you train up to level 5, so no need to go looking for them. The closest I have seen is that for a Peacebringer character, you return to the same contact (Sunstorm) every 5 levels for a mission arc, and each arc carries on the story from the previous one. I've only played one PB, and it's currently only at level 32, so I don't know how far this extends. Also, I've never tested what happens if you skip one of the arcs at the appropriate level, or postpone talking to the contact until a later level. It could be that the contact will only give you the level appropriate arc, skipping any you've out-leveled, or it may just start you off at the beginning arc regardless of how long you waited to talk to him. I've yet to play a Warshade, but I assume they have similar arcs.

No prejudice against PIs; just a healthy respect for and a realistic view of the role they fill and the types of jobs they do. They've never been used against myself or individuals I know personally, so I don't bear them any animosity. But I've had enough interactions working with them, law enforcement, lawyers, and the rest of the system that I understand what they do and why. I appreciate their role in the process, but I also have no illusions about what they do and how they do it. If a PI wants to play "good cop" and put someone at ease so they will talk with them comfortably and open up, they'll call the person or otherwise make contact in a manner that doesn't bring them face to face immediately. They may hold a conversation over the phone, or arrange to meet in person at another time. Showing up at someone's home unannounced is a tactic to put someone off their guard; a PI doing this is hoping to catch someone unaware, and it's an antagonistic approach. Showing up in force (two PIs where one would do) is doubling down on this; trying to intimidate with numbers to convince someone they're in trouble and they should talk to them when they have absolutely zero legal obligation to do so; (these are not police officers with warrants or lawyers with subpoenas, they are just private citizens who are most likely armed). Again, I'm not saying this to be negative towards PIs, I just understand their methods and the reason for them. Their need to gather information coupled with their position as being neither law enforcement nor officers of the court means that they have to use persuasion, intimidation, subterfuge, or bribery to get people to talk to them; it's just the nature of the job.

Sorry, it still doesn't add up. If you accuse someone of illegal activity, and have the evidence of a 10-month investigation to back it up, you don't send private investigators. You either send lawyers or law enforcement. The only reasons to send PIs are 1) to try to find evidence you don't have, 2) to dig up dirt on someone to attempt to blackmail or smear them, or 3) to try to intimidate them. Yes, PIs can definitely qualify as "goons"; if you haven't had any dealings with PIs, you probably have this Hollywood image in your mind of a guy desperately trying to get to the truth when the system is against them. That's crap. PIs routinely engage in intimidation tactics to get people to talk to them and to get the information they are after, and their methods are often shady and borderline if not outright illegal. This may not be true of all PIs, but a significant number operate this way, and having two show up at someone's house reeks of intimidation.

I'm not disagreeing that there may be another side to the story, but I see no indications that there was any breach of NDA. The information of the twitch stream that the Youtubber used as as source became publicly available (due to an error on the part of 2K Games). Once they put the info into public, whether intentional or not, an NDA cannot be enforced on anything coming from that public source. And given 2K's practice of intentionally including hidden codes, etc., in their videos for fans to find, there was reason to believe that the information was given intentionally. These two men were not identified as lawyers, but as private investigators. According to the account, their questioning seemed to indicate that 2K was unaware that they themselves had let the info slip, but rather suspected the information had been obtained through illicit means (i.e. hacking, etc.). Once it had been established that 2K themselves leaked the stream info, they really had no further business going after this guy. Getting his channel shut down (assuming that was 2K behind this move, based on the timing) was definitely an abuse of power and position. Update: 2K (or rather, the parent company Take Two) has since admitted to sending the private investigators, and it has been revealed that the Youtubber in question was not under any NDA or other agreement with 2K. Take Two/2K claims he had engaged in illegal activity, but also has stated they are not pursuing legal action (that doesn't add up to me). Instead, they've issued 63 copyright strikes against his YouTube channel, which will cause his channel to be terminated.