Blackbird71

I should clarify: my PB is currently level 26, and I will likely continue to level primarily using my triform build. I'm more interested in whether I can switch to the human/dwarf build occasionally for some missions/group roles (at either my current level or above), or if the build is only really viable at max level.

So I'm running into an issue: I'm copying my backstory directly from my bio, so I know it fits there, but the in-game email says it's 26-146 characters over the limit (the amount varies each time I try to send it). Would you accept a submission in two parts as long as the story itself fits the bio character limit?

Auroxis, Thanks for the response. Your build was actually the main one I had in mind when I was considering the human/dwarf option. I noticed that you used the build on the test server; I'm assuming this means that you only tried the full lvl 50 build. Do you have any idea how it would play while leveling?

I'm currently playing my first Kheldian, a PB. I never got around to this AT on Live, and it's definitely a learning experience! My primary build is a triform, mainly to get an idea of what the PB is capable of (thanks to all who have posted their builds and guides; they've been a big help!). As the thread title says, for my alternate build I'm considering doing either a pure human, or a human/dwarf. So my question to those with experience are as follows: [*]What are the pros/cons of each build? [*]How does each build play, i.e., what AT are they most similar to, or what would be the general play style? [*]Is it possible to do an effective hybrid of both, i.e., a build that can play as a pure human, but has dwarf form available to shift roles? Or are the power/enhancement slots too tight for this to be viable? Any information or opinions are appreciated!

As an archery instructor, I have one nitpick to point out: it should be "nocked", without a "k", rather than "knocked".

The past sounds terrible. Have you ever heard the expression, "Good things come to those who wait?" It's true.

I've been using a Logitech G5 as my gaming mouse for several years now. It's old but still works well, but I fear needing to replace it someday as I haven't been able to find anything newer that I like the design of.

Thanks for all of the awesome ideas! It looks like I'm going to have to play around a bit and see what works. At this point I think I may start with a single character, maybe with multiple builds, and then if I want to add more variety I'll start branching out with the duplicates, but we'll see how it goes.

Definitely Live. I recreated several of my characters from live by using costume and powers files I had saved from before sunset.

I can't really offer a fair comparison, as I personally never played CO. I can only say that I've thoroughly enjoyed nearly everything about CoX, both during Live and new that we have a second chance to return to Paragon City, and that is a rare thing for me to say about a computer game. I didn't play continuously throughout the game's run, but it was the game I always came back to. For those like me who may not have experienced CO, or those who just want to enjoy a fun read, what I can offer is a link to the first article in Shamus Young's Let's Play CO series, the adventures of "Star on Chest": A Star is Born: Lets Play Champions Online Pt. 1 This series was the closest I came to ever experiencing CO. If you've never read these, it's a great series of articles with Shamus' own brand of humor. Mr. Young excels at finding the flaws in games, both in gameplay and in story/internal logic/etc., and then poking fun at those flaws. As a result, the series doesn't exactly paint CO in a positive light (it captures many of the issues that others have mentioned in this thread), and to be fair I have no idea what he would have said about CoX*, but it is most certainly an entertaining read. Here is just one brief snippet from the first article (who has not had this moment in character creation, in either CO or CoX?): So if you find CO a less than perfect game and wish to enjoy some humor at its expense, or if you like CO but don't take it too seriously, or you've never played CO but want to see one critic's humorous perspective, have fun reading during the next server downtime. Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Shamus Young, other than just being a fan of his work. *He did review a few aspects of CoX in a handful of articles, but no "Let's Play" series.

I had an idea for a character: it would basically be a "brain in a box", in that the mind of a human character is preserved in some sort of mechanical device. This device could then be loaded into any one of several robotic bodies. Functionally the plan is to have a character with multiple costumes, each one a different type and style of robotic shell. In the broadest version of the concept, each robotic shell would have different abilities. Unfortunately, that's not exactly possible in this game. However, it can be mimicked to an extent by using different builds, but these are still limited to the same AT and power sets (of course, if I really wanted to be dedicated to this concept, instead of different costumes, I'd make a different character for each "shell", and that way each could even be a different AT, but that seems a little tedious and extreme). So the question is how to best express this character mechanically; i.e., what AT/powers would be good for a concept like this? A big hulking armored robot could make a good Tanker/Brute, or a well-armed machine could be a Blaster* or maybe a Sentinel. There are a lot of possibilities, how would you play it? *What I would give to be able to replace a character's arms with some massive cannons...

I thought it was just me! Those legs never looked quite right to me, but I couldn't put my finger on what exactly was wrong.

.... that's actually a bit of wealth privilege peeking out from behind you, there. :) How about the kids of people working in Super Gyro stores? Or the kids of the janitorial staff of any of the many high-rise office buildings in Paragon? Not every family could afford to pick up stakes and move like that. Nor to send their kids to a private school somewhere else. :) I don't think those janitors are very underprivileged in Paragon :) I saw this recent job posting Yes, i imagine that the insurance rates alone would make the cost of living in Paragon City quite high, with pay scales increased to match. Anyone with a half-decent job in Paragon would likely be able to easily afford moving to any number of lower-cost locales. Of course, this doesn't apply to the unemployed, but given the cost of living (and other hazards) one has to wonder what would keep the unemployed in such an expensive market?

Endgame is when I've filled all the character slots. On every server. I think I'll be playing for a while...

Ha! I just made one with this same name last week, and was surprised it wasn't already taken on the server. That's my problem with most clever names; whenever I come up with a good one, it seems that someone else already got there before me. By the way, I love the Last Unicorn quote in your sig!

True, but isn't the LLC incorporated in Delaware?

I'm not familiar with the specifics of the Razer Ornata, but I've done some similar stuff with a Logitech G510s. I find that I need a minimum 0.5 sec delay between commands in order to avoid problems with overlap on the execution.

One thing I discovered with the playerslot.txt file: you can manually arrange your characters just by changing the slot number for each character name. You do not have to re-order the names in the file, only the slot number matters. This can be useful if you have a lot of characters to rearrange. If you do this, I'd recommend double checking your numbers before launching the game (always make backups); I don't know what would happen if you gave two characters the same slot number.

Is this event still on, and is it too late to enter? Sorry for the lateness; I just found out I'll actually be available at this time.

Forgive my ignorance, but where is "Statesman Plaza", and how would redside characters get there?

Coming up with the right name is always the hardest part of character creation for me. Designing the costume is a fun game in itself; thinking of a name is agony. And if the name isn't right, then the character doesn't work for me. I am very grateful for the ability to rename characters on Homecoming; on live I could end up playing a character for 10-15 levels and then scrap it ans start over because I decided the name didn't work. This reminds me of the "Office Visit" short on "Freakazoid!". I'd link it here, but I can't find it online at the moment. In short though, the British super hero Lord Bravery discovers that his name was registered by a bakery and he can no longer use it. He meets with a pudgy bureaucrat who enthusiastically suggests options from a list of pre-approved names that are available, pronouncing each one with all the aplomb and gusto you would expect when announcing the arrival of a hero, while Lord Bravery grows more irate with each suggestion, resulting in this climax to the exchange (more or less, I'm going off of memory here): Seriously one of my favorite cartoon episodes of all time.

So far so good on Everlasting, but I still haven't had much opportunity to group up (mostly due to technical issues on my end that complicate things, but I'm working on a solution). However, I came across a thread today in the Everlasting forum that concerns me: https://forums.homecomingservers.com/index.php/topic,4590.0.html The reaction from the team in the experience described by the OP is exactly what I'm afraid of: getting into a random group and being automatically expected to conform to RP chat conventions, without any advance warning that it's an RP group. If I'm volunteering to RP, or knowingly joining an RP team, I'll willingly engage and participate. But if I'm getting called out for not RPing when I wasn't even given an opportunity to consent to it in the first place, I'm going to resent it, and that won't be good for my experience or that of the other team members. Stories like this make me think I really should be migrating my characters to another server.

I know the feeling! Any particular arcs you like to follow over others?

As a functioning altaholic, I find myself often playing and leveling several different characters at a time. To avoid monotony, I'm always looking for different paths for characters to take as I play them. Often this is as simple as changing up whether I'm playing a Hero, Villlain, Resistance, or Loyalist. Sometimes I've even done those to death, and I go looking for alternatives to the same story missions. Because of this, I thought it might be useful and informative (for myself and others) to put together a list of different methods or paths you can take to level a character in CoX. So, how do you like to level? DFB? AE missions? Radio? Do you level slowly, enjoying story arcs along the way? Or do you switch on the double XP and power to the top as fast as you can? In addition to your preferred leveling method, what's a different option you like to take when you want to change things up a bit?

I don't think permadeath is even possible in superhero comic books. Everyone comes back somehow; either they didn't actually die, were saved by technology/magic/other power, return as an evil twin or doppelganger from another universe/dimension, etc. Really, the only superheroes who face permadeath are the ones whose comics sell so poorly that they get cancelled, and even then it's not guaranteed that they won't be back in a revival or show up as part of a group serial or something.