Okay, refresh and old timers memory

[Valtina]

Yeah.

 

I get in a group for a TF, or even DFB, and I look at everyone's archetype and powersets.  Not to find someone useless, but to note the team's STRENGTHS.

 

Was on one last night or this morning - three controllers, a dominator, two tanks, and a corruptor.  My comment to the team?  "Three 'trollers and a dom, this's going to be Lockdown City .... fun!"

 

If I end up in a pick up group I am this way as well. I look for the ohh hey all blasters, hell yes, devastation incoming all controllers.. yeppers easy peasy with the lock down. I love seeing teams like this.. all bruts, all tanks.. well it will be slow but I am not getting my squishy but hit lol so yeah, that's what I love.

 

Another DFB, four defenders a couple sentinels a brute and a controller.  "Holy heck, four defs, thassa lotta buffs and debuffs!"

 

And so on.  :)

[srmalloy]

For the record, my old SG used to have “Single Class Saturday”.  All eight of us would log in with the same class, but very different builds.  So, eight defenders or eight controllers or eight scrappers, etc.  Some of us had good IO sets others just standard DO’s or SO’s.  Regardless, every team was able to do any content including task forces and most important, we had a lot of fun!  The only difference was the time it took to clear a mob.  Scrappers blew through mobs like Kleenex while Controllers took about twice the time.

 

I remember the "All X ITF" runs on Guardian; those could be insane. The All-Kin ITF, where all of the members had to have the Kinetics powerset, was players and pets on tons of crack zooming around the maps. The All-MM ITF was equally insane, with more than 50 pets clogging up the tunnel missions.

[Generator]

Yeah.

 

I get in a group for a TF, or even DFB, and I look at everyone's archetype and powersets.  Not to find someone useless, but to note the team's STRENGTHS.

 

Was on one last night or this morning - three controllers, a dominator, two tanks, and a corruptor.  My comment to the team?  "Three 'trollers and a dom, this's going to be Lockdown City .... fun!"

 

Another DFB, four defenders a couple sentinels a brute and a controller.  "Holy heck, four defs, thassa lotta buffs and debuffs!"

 

And so on.  :)

 

"The glass is half full, and I am going to make that Hellion walk it over here.  Then I will drink it, and crack said glass over his noggin."  :)

[Vareos]

Thank you Generator, the glass half full and the hellion made me spit coffee all over the monitor. Great laugh first thing this morning.

[Generator]

Thank you Generator, the glass half full and the hellion made me spit coffee all over the monitor. Great laugh first thing this morning.

 

That's what I do, I help.  :D

[Twisted Toon]

On the Knock back discussion, it isn't, in some cases, just inconvenient. A lot of Tanks defense is based on the number of opponents in melee range, if they keep getting pushed away, the defense drops, sometimes tragically if you are dealing with Enemies who have ranged attacks and are still Taunted ( They Hate your Guts ) but out of melee range. You can manage this by working, if you can, use the Knock back to push them toward the Tank instead of out of melee.

A Blaster called El Jugador ( Player in Spanish ) from our Supergroup on Virtue was energy blast. He would send them flying into walls, trees, cars, mailboxes, shelving, Jay Leno, crates, stairwells, platypuses, KFC, other enemies....anything really, as long as it was near me. This was an extra bit of work on his part, but very appreciated.

 

I have had times where there were no convenient walls, trees, cars, mailboxes, shelving, Jimmy Fallon's ,crates, stairwells, ostriches, Taco Bells, other enemies...or anything really, to toss enemies into because the Tank chose the middle of the room to take his stand. That leaves Agent Knockback with few options for powers use. If I were to not knock enemies away from the Tank, or any Melee character for that matter. Usually, I do attempt to use the surrounding environment to mitigate the knockback distance. And I refuse to use the KB to KD enhancements.

[mousestalker]

What I want to post on the LFG channel after reading this thread: "Posi 2 TF LFM, must have hurdle six slotted and have beast run power."

[Zolgar]

On the Knock back discussion, it isn't, in some cases, just inconvenient. A lot of Tanks defense is based on the number of opponents in melee range, if they keep getting pushed away, the defense drops, sometimes tragically if you are dealing with Enemies who have ranged attacks and are still Taunted ( They Hate your Guts ) but out of melee range. You can manage this by working, if you can, use the Knock back to push them toward the Tank instead of out of melee.

A Blaster called El Jugador ( Player in Spanish ) from our Supergroup on Virtue was energy blast. He would send them flying into walls, trees, cars, mailboxes, shelving, Jay Leno, crates, stairwells, platypuses, KFC, other enemies....anything really, as long as it was near me. This was an extra bit of work on his part, but very appreciated.

 

This. So much this.

 

Poorly used knockback isn't just an annoyance to the melee, depending on the party makeup it can be detrimental to the entire team.

 

That's NOT to say knockback is bad, it's not- knockback is a great mechanic and amazing for survival at times, but when you use it poorly on a team the best case scenario is that your fun is hindering the fun of others.

[Zolgar]

What I want to post on the LFG channel after reading this thread: "Posi 2 TF LFM, must have hurdle six slotted and have beast run power."

 

I keep joking about "DFB, must have T3+ Alpha slotted." >.>

[Legree]

That's NOT to say knockback is bad, it's not- knockback is a great mechanic and amazing for survival at times, but when you use it poorly on a team the best case scenario is that your fun is hindering the fun of others.

 

The issue is that there's two conflicting playstyles at work.  The Tanker/Brute wants mobs in melee range to buff their defence - fair enough.  Thing is the nrg/nrg Blaster wants those same mobs far away.  It's why I'd never use the KB > KD IO in an squishy ranged build.  When that melee mob stands up I want him to be halfway across the room not standing next to me already in melee range.

 

Yes, uncontrolled knockback is bad.  Yes, there are situations where a Blaster should take that extra time to set up their shot.  But it's not every situation, and in casual PUGing the team does not exist solely to act as the tank's pets.  Where's the fun in that, for anyone other than the tank?

 

Again, uncontrolled knockback is bad, but so are melees who throw fits because they had to take three extra steps to punch something.

[justicebeliever]

That's NOT to say knockback is bad, it's not- knockback is a great mechanic and amazing for survival at times, but when you use it poorly on a team the best case scenario is that your fun is hindering the fun of others.

 

The issue is that there's two conflicting playstyles at work.  The Tanker/Brute wants mobs in melee range to buff their defence - fair enough.  Thing is the nrg/nrg Blaster wants those same mobs far away.  It's why I'd never use the KB > KD IO in an squishy ranged build.  When that melee mob stands up I want him to be halfway across the room not standing next to me already in melee range.

 

Yes, uncontrolled knockback is bad.  Yes, there are situations where a Blaster should take that extra time to set up their shot.  But it's not every situation, and in casual PUGing the team does not exist solely to act as the tank's pets.  Where's the fun in that, for anyone other than the tank?

 

Again, uncontrolled knockback is bad, but so are melees who throw fits because they had to take three extra steps to punch something.

 

Agreed - QFT

 

If the team is taking a dirt nap because of uncontrolled KB, that’s bad.  If the PUG is having to spend a few extra seconds to wrap up a room, but is otherwise unharmed?  It’s not really a reason to start critiquing other people...

[Rumors]

I have had times where there were no convenient walls, trees, cars, mailboxes, shelving, Jimmy Fallon's ,crates, stairwells, ostriches, Taco Bells, other enemies...or anything really, to toss enemies into because the Tank chose the middle of the room to take his stand. That leaves Agent Knockback with few options for powers use. If I were to not knock enemies away from the Tank, or any Melee character for that matter. Usually, I do attempt to use the surrounding environment to mitigate the knockback distance. And I refuse to use the KB to KD enhancements.

 

In those cases, use Fly or Hover to get above the group before using Knock Back powers.  Knock Back is away from the caster, and so that'll be straight down into the floor, more or less, making it into pseudo-knock down.  Not quite because some might go a few feet depending on angles, but it's far, far less scatter. 

 

If you don't have room for either power, there's pleeeenty of jetpack options in the game!

[Twisted Toon]

I have had times where there were no convenient walls, trees, cars, mailboxes, shelving, Jimmy Fallon's ,crates, stairwells, ostriches, Taco Bells, other enemies...or anything really, to toss enemies into because the Tank chose the middle of the room to take his stand. That leaves Agent Knockback with few options for powers use. If I were to not knock enemies away from the Tank, or any Melee character for that matter. Usually, I do attempt to use the surrounding environment to mitigate the knockback distance. And I refuse to use the KB to KD enhancements.

 

In those cases, use Fly or Hover to get above the group before using Knock Back powers.  Knock Back is away from the caster, and so that'll be straight down into the floor, more or less, making it into pseudo-knock down.  Not quite because some might go a few feet depending on angles, but it's far, far less scatter. 

 

If you don't have room for either power, there's pleeeenty of jetpack options in the game!

 

Or, the Tank can learn to pull near a wall and not to the middle of the room. They can work a little harder to position the mobs, just as I work a little harder to position myself.

 

Fortunately, I usually team with people that don't mind the occasional misplaced knock back, and they actually place the mobs where it's easier to knock them into obstacles.

[justicebeliever]

Can we get back to the Story Arc with the Ostrich mobs in the Abandoned Taco Bell where Jay Leno was the AV.  Which contact do I need and what’s the lvl?

[Rumors]

 

Or, the Tank can learn to pull near a wall and not to the middle of the room. They can work a little harder to position the mobs, just as I work a little harder to position myself.

 

There might be some cases where they can't though, such as getting nailed by a glue grenade in the middle of the room, the primary target being immovable (the Hydra AVs in DFB or Hydra Pylons in Apex) or, in some rare cases, the map being just too darn open, like some parts of the Talos Island hills map.

 

I mean, not trying to say they shouldn't work harder to position better, they definitely should.  But it never hurts to spend a pittance of inf on a jetpack for situations when it's not possible or practical.

[justicebeliever]

 

Or, the Tank can learn to pull near a wall and not to the middle of the room. They can work a little harder to position the mobs, just as I work a little harder to position myself.

 

There might be some cases where they can't though, such as getting nailed by a glue grenade in the middle of the room, the primary target being immovable (the Hydra AVs in DFB or Hydra Pylons in Apex) or, in some rare cases, the map being just too darn open, like some parts of the Talos Island hills map.

 

I mean, not trying to say they shouldn't work harder to position better, they definitely should.  But it never hurts to spend a pittance of inf on a jetpack for situations when it's not possible or practical.

 

I’m not suggesting for a second we shouldn’t be thoughtful to a Tank that communicates he is slowed.  But I don’t think I’ll be giving the Hydra, most AV’s or any Pylons much knockback any time soon. :)

 

But what kind of Fox AT do I design to take on Jimmy Fallon at the KFC?

[Generator]

Yeah now I really want to throw a Devoured at Jimmy Fallon.

[lokpyrite]

Tbh if you don't have your alpha slot equipped you have NO reason to be in an incarnate tf or trial

[Call Me Awesome]

Just last week on Excelsior I saw someone hollering "x arc, 1 spot, must be Kin" for about half an hour.

 

I also frequently see "looking for 1, need healer".  I was on a team recruiting for I believe Manticore with several controllers, one of whom was /cold, one /thermal and at least 1 kin where the lead was insisting we HAD to have a healer.  I told him that was silly with all the support we had but he was adamant.  Once things got rolling over his objections I found out what his issue was... he was a scrapper who managed to get himself killed constantly even with Ice Shields and Thermal Shields.  No idea how he managed that trick, I was playing a blaster and spending a lot of time in Melee rolling Nukes.  I don't think I ever got below 3/4 HP on that team.

 

Ah well, he was proof that you can't fix Stupid, but you CAN Speed Boost it.

[Generator]

Ah well, he was proof that you can't fix Stupid, but you CAN Speed Boost it.

 

Call it a day folks, CMA wins today.

[Zolgar]

Just last week on Excelsior I saw someone hollering "x arc, 1 spot, must be Kin" for about half an hour.

 

I also frequently see "looking for 1, need healer".  I was on a team recruiting for I believe Manticore with several controllers, one of whom was /cold, one /thermal and at least 1 kin where the lead was insisting we HAD to have a healer.  I told him that was silly with all the support we had but he was adamant.  Once things got rolling over his objections I found out what his issue was... he was a scrapper who managed to get himself killed constantly even with Ice Shields and Thermal Shields.  No idea how he managed that trick, I was playing a blaster and spending a lot of time in Melee rolling Nukes.  I don't think I ever got below 3/4 HP on that team.

 

Ah well, he was proof that you can't fix Stupid, but you CAN Speed Boost it.

 

Was he like a /fire scrapper without Healing Flames? That might do it.

[Mantidae]

Can we get back to the Story Arc with the Ostrich mobs in the Abandoned Taco Bell where Jay Leno was the AV.  Which contact do I need and what’s the lvl?

 

Get thee to the AE and create this.  Then we can run an all-Stalker team to murder it.

[Legree]

Just last week on Excelsior I saw someone hollering "x arc, 1 spot, must be Kin" for about half an hour.

 

I've seen a few like this.  The best ones are those that spend 30 minutes asking for a specific AT or powerset for a 'speed' ITF.

 

My favourite though was one I saw playing out on LFG on [server name redacted] a week or so ago.

 

"ITF LFM.  7/8  No Tanks or Brutes."

then

"ITF LFM.  7/8  Need CC."

then

"ITF LFM.  7/8  Need Any."

and finally, from a different player presumably on the same team

"Can someone please join [redacted]'s ITF?  He says he's being shunned by the server."

 

I can only imagine that was a fun team to be on.

 

[Queen Nefertiti]

I was on my Mastermind the other day and wanted to make a team. She was level 45 at the time and I put out a message saying "Level 45 team forming, all levels welcome, but must have a travel power".  I got some surprised /tells from people asking if I really meant all levels welcome, and I ended up with a team of really wide range of levels. I had a couple under ten, some in the 20's and a couple closer to my level. We had a blast and the low levels (both of whom were new to the game) saw zones and enemies like PI and Carnival of shadows they hadn't experienced before. It didn't matter what their DPS was, or their power sets, or their slotting, we just ran a few missions and had a really fun evening.  To me the game is for playing and enjoying, not for worrying about the right power sets, level or slots. Yes there are times when it's best to try to stick to people of a particular power level, but apart from a particularly difficult AV which needs a certain amount of damage and control, it doesn't matter that much whether someone is sidekicked 20 or 30 levels up. I've been the only tank in a team with 7 controllers. I might as well have stayed by the door checking Facebook as everything was locked down and DoT to death before I finished entering the room. All I was good for was herding enemies into a group so the controllers could get them all in one go. No AT or power set is better than another. If you know your powers you are going to be useful to the team and have a good time. If you are on a team where someone is more concerned with DPS and whether you have the fashionable IO sets than having fun then leave and find another team.

[Generator]

Can we get back to the Story Arc with the Ostrich mobs in the Abandoned Taco Bell where Jay Leno was the AV.  Which contact do I need and what’s the lvl?

 

I never knew I needed this until I read that post, now my life is a void.