To everyone (re)joining the game and forums

[ZeeHero]

Imagine thinking teamwork means "moving as a herd" lol. It can. but it depends on what works best for the team. English is clearly not someones first language. 

[Skyhawke]

[Crysis]

On 1/7/2024 at 9:35 PM, lemming said:

My first 50 gradually built up funds and sets while being able to fund alts.   Though I was a return veteran, so not so big a deal.

I think it's not so much that someone gets to 50 without knowing how to play, but not taking the time to learn to play.  You can do that at any level, you just have to actually learn

 

Heck, my first 50 here on Homecoming was a Fire controller because I knew it could be effective with just generic IO’s.  Then of course the Fire/Spines Brute came next since you could PL yourself with that build.  

 

I hit my first billion in influence within the first couple of months of the games re-introduction.  I’ve been playing off that seed capital ever since.  I PL a toon to the late 20’s or so, throw 200m at them, by the time they finish up their T4’d Incarnate powers, they are sitting on well over 5-600 million in influence just from crafting/selling drops and mainly using my enhancement converters to get IO’s that toon needed.  Rinse repeat.  You can’t help but make money in this game if you just do this.

 

PL has always been a part of this game and most other MMO’s.  I don’t now, nor never will, get the hate for it.  It’s playing the game, using the same mechanics as all the “hard way” players.  

 

 

[Scarlet Shocker]

11 hours ago, ZeeHero said:

Imagine thinking teamwork means "moving as a herd" lol. It can. but it depends on what works best for the team. English is clearly not someones first language. 

 

 

If they were a herd, wouldn't that be "moooooooooooooooooooving"?

 

Also, this game gives us a fair bit of flexibility. If somebody runs ahead and faceplants, that is usually a fair indication that they could choose a better strategy. That said, part of the beauty of this game is finding stuff out the hard way.

 

Just enjoy playing your way, let others play theirs. Sooner or later it'll work out... and if it doesn't? Well it really is only a game!

[ZeeHero]

Yeah unless you're causing your team trouble you should be fine. different characters also contribute differently, some do help by running ahead somewhat.

[Scarlet Shocker]

22 minutes ago, ZeeHero said:

Yeah unless you're causing your team trouble you should be fine. different characters also contribute differently, some do help by running ahead somewhat.

 

It's self-selecting. If you're causing your team trouble it's because you're drawing aggro. If you keep doing it and faceplanting the team is going to fold very fast, The alternative is you succeed - in which case there's no issue

[Skyhawke]

1 hour ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

 

 

If they were a herd, wouldn't that be "moooooooooooooooooooving"?

 

That joke was udderly horrible. 😁

 

As for zerg vs herd, it truly is a defining moment for a team. Do Posi 1 and either everyone stays in the herd and things go smoothly or zerging happens and the coin gets flipped.

 

I've been on teams that just gel so well and so quickly that zerging works. I call those "Task Force Steamroller". I've also seen that become a team wipe. Then, decisions get made. Sometimes people give up, but man...there are times where everyone rallies, strategizes and makes it work. Long story short, communication is key. If you set boundaries beforehand,  nobody can complain if they stay.

 

Especially now, we'll have people who've either never played or are rusty. You can't take for granted everyone can just go in on autopilot. For the new and rusty: speak up! Don't worry about people getting upset. 99% of this community will be glad to help and explain things. Just the other day,  I had to ask for a refesher on the Hollows trial (which was a bear, but we persevered and won). 

 

This game was, is and will be amazing. Like many here, it's my comfort food and my zen. Everyone should have the same opportunity to have a good time. Like any good relationship,  it requires work from all involved. 

 

There. Now, Go. Hunt. Kill Skulls.

Edited January 9 by Skyhawke
@#$%ing typos

[cranebump]

I'll chime in as an advocate for actually playing the content (starting with Blue), if you've never played CoH before. Actually go straight up old school, to include slow travel, so you can see the city and learn how to get around. Start with an AT/concept you like and go from there. When you run into issues, ask questions. Don't put any pressure on yourself to get straight to 50. You might not bother getting character #1 more than 10-20 levels (I think I rerolled a half dozen times before settling on one that I stubbornly ran to 50). And, by all means, explore some of our player-made content.:-) (I'd do this after running the regular content, though -- the city comes first!).

 

One day, after you've learned the ropes and then some, return the favor by helping out someone just entering the city. Because that's what being a hero is all about.

Edited January 9 by cranebump

[Seed22]

On 1/6/2024 at 4:51 PM, DoctorDitko said:

Oh, good lord, how could I forget:

 

STAY THE HELL OUT OF AE UNTIL YOU'VE LEVELED YOUR FIRST CHARACTER!

 

You can stick your head in the Matrix AFTER you've tried the "Real World!"

Also be sure to learn the game mechanics and develop your own playstyle even outside of AE. There have been so many times I've teamed with individuals who are extremely daft who have never touched AE but instead learned bad habits or tried to adopt another player's playstyle for themselves. But yes, avoid AE until you've leveled naturally first.

[Seed22]

20 hours ago, Shenanigunner said:

 

Well, it depends on what you see as the reason for teaming, If it's to get into missions way above your solo level, then play solo but with the team available to save your butt, you're absolutely right.

 

If teaming means you work together in a sensible fashion, using each alt and power set to best use, without calling down a whole room full of foes on an unsuspecting 'herd,' and actually playing as a team... well, no, you're the kind of player who probably gets frequently kicked. And the first response on your post confirms a few things I've inferred about that participant...

I see the reason for teaming as getting the task done as fast as possible. If that means moving as a group(HM content) then so be it, but im not about to sit here and pretend thats a faster way than allowing those who clear pretty efficiently to do their thing instead of being shackled to the team because of arbitrary notions of teamwork. My teams do this and surprise surprise they get the job done in record time.

 

But I wanna say, different strokes for different folks. If you think moving as a herd is faster, do it.

Edited January 9 by Seed22

[Seed22]

16 hours ago, ZeeHero said:

Imagine thinking teamwork means "moving as a herd" lol. It can. but it depends on what works best for the team. English is clearly not someones first language. 

Very typical of you Zee. Just like in CO.

 

Anyway, to me, teamwork is playing to your strengths. If that means a few are able to peel off and reasonably handle themselves on their own, I let em. Now, if they endanger the rest of the team we have a problem. I mean, I figured you'd grasp that but then again it's you I'm talking about so I figured this would be the case.

[Shenanigunner]

5 minutes ago, Seed22 said:

I see the reason for teaming as getting the task done as fast as possible.

 

Okay. Well, gaming like it's a piecework job to do as rapidly as possible is one approach.

 

IMVHO, though, it renders the point of playing a game moot, like eating Thanksgiving dinner in four minutes flat, or speed-dating Taylor Swift. In years of discussion, most of it quite amicable, the value of this kind of play has eluded me.

 

But yeah, fine, different strokes.

[Seed22]

26 minutes ago, Shenanigunner said:

 

Okay. Well, gaming like it's a piecework job to do as rapidly as possible is one approach.

 

IMVHO, though, it renders the point of playing a game moot, like eating Thanksgiving dinner in four minutes flat, or speed-dating Taylor Swift. In years of discussion, most of it quite amicable, the value of this kind of play has eluded me.

 

But yeah, fine, different strokes.

I ahould say im only speaking on level 50 content. Pre 50 moving as a group is not only smart but literally necessary! 
 

Think I’m becoming out of touch with the average leveler due to my experiences so wanted to clarify that bit haha. 
 

And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the slow and steady approach. Believe it or not despite what I said earlier im a huge fan of Kill most TFs over speed for exactly that reason. Its just I dont want something other than a kill most taking longer than necessary. Most normal people have a life and time commitments I like to respect so i let people do their thing as efficiently as possible when I lead, and I dont want to force anyone to move together if they can reliably solo things on their own. Basically my team is unless you’re new or have a squishy build, you don’t have to move as a group.

Edited January 9 by Seed22

[Oubliette_Red]

8 minutes ago, Seed22 said:

I ahould say im only speaking on level 50 content. Pre 50 moving as a group is not only smart but literally necessary! 
 

Think I’m becoming out of touch with the average leveler due to my experiences so wanted to clarify that bit haha. 
 

And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the slow and steady approach. Believe it or not despite what I said earlier im a huge fan of Kill most TFs over speed for exactly that reason. Its just I dont want something other than a kill most taking longer than necessary. Most normal people have a life and time commitments I like to respect so i let people do their thing as efficiently as possible when I lead, and I dont want to force anyone to move together if they can reliably solo things on their own. Basically my team is unless you’re new or have a squishy build, you don’t have to move as a group.

 

I have to disagree that pre-50 content requires a group. I've solo'd multiple characters through Goldside content, which is typically more difficult then comparable levels on Blue/Redside, mobs have more tricks up their sleeves and ambushes ignore stealth. The trick to soloing is being smarter and using tactics rather than just assuming that you can zerg the missions.

 

[Grouchybeast]

4 hours ago, Skyhawke said:

As for zerg vs herd, it truly is a defining moment for a team. Do Posi 1 and either everyone stays in the herd and things go smoothly or zerging happens and the coin gets flipped.

 

Posi 1 is such a great TF.  Sometimes everyone follows the script and the team moves like a well-oiled machine and everything goes beautifully smoothly and it's awesome.  Then sometimes everything goes catastrophically wrong and it's all faceplanting and ambushes and chaos and frantic attempts to regroup and it's awesome.  I love it.

[ZeeHero]

Yeah especially at the shadow clones. your own team composition and how you approach the fight decides how hard it will be. I wish the game made use of that kind of thing more.

 

Maybe even a villain who can steal your powers, and replace it with their own for a short time, then it wears off and you swap back, lol. Could only last maybe a minute or two each time but would shake up the battle.

 

Don't know how to do that without seriously messing up keybinds though lol. Suddenly your whole build is replaced with another xD would be a fairly crippling debuff, but depending on the replacement you get, probably survivable if you dont do the dumb.

[Skyhawke]

Until your shadow clone pulls out the tier 8 power you don't have access to and you just know somewhere in the world, there's a former dev laughing their butt off every time it happens. 😅

[Shenanigunner]

1 hour ago, Oubliette_Red said:

 

I have to disagree that pre-50 content requires a group. I've solo'd multiple characters through Goldside content, which is typically more difficult then comparable levels on Blue/Redside, mobs have more tricks up their sleeves and ambushes ignore stealth. The trick to soloing is being smarter and using tactics rather than just assuming that you can zerg the missions.

 

 

I have soloed alts to high 40s on all three sides, and to 50 on Blue. Teaming is absolutely not required, and (other than maxed-out speed teaming) I'm not sure it's all that much faster in leveling to 50 than soloing with a reasonably tough alt.

 

Again, and not directed to/at anyone poster here... if you find missions so boring you have to blaze through them at maximum speed, why are you playing CoX at all? It's not like it pays or means a good godd*m to anyone, even most other games. Play because you enjoy it... or don't. *shrug*.

[Oubliette_Red]

1 minute ago, Shenanigunner said:

 

I have soloed alts to high 40s on all three sides, and to 50 on Blue. Teaming is absolutely not required, and (other than maxed-out speed teaming) I'm not sure it's all that much faster in leveling to 50 than soloing with a reasonably tough alt.

 

Again, and not directed to/at anyone poster here... if you find missions so boring you have to blaze through them at maximum speed, why are you playing CoX at all? It's not like it pays or means a good godd*m to anyone, even most other games. Play because you enjoy it... or don't. *shrug*.

 

Heck, to this day, even after years of playing on Legacy and years here, there are contacts and mission arcs that I haven't done. One of the primary reasons I solo it to read the dialog at my own speed.

 

[DoctorDitko]

I thought of an analogy I like, that I'll just throw out there:

 

Doing all your missions in AE is like being an X-man and never leaving the Danger Room.