Getting to the end of it

[Diantane]

Realize that there are many combinations for alts that you can choose from, but in the last 5 years, I've created 208 alts on this server. Most over 40. About two dozen 50's. It's getting real hard coming up with a new alt. I play many hours each day so I'm done with that alt in 3-4 days. Every time I come up with a new idea for an alt, I do a search and there they are already -- level 40-50. Can't grind 50's (A.D.D.). I know some of you would like me to leave COH anyway 🙂

 

 

[The Trouble]

I think the attitude is less "I think Diantane should leave" as much as it's, "I wish DIantane could adopt a more accepting and positive perspective".  You're experiencing burnout partially because of negativity.  I still play my 50's.  Even the ones fully Incarnated/Purpled/Cat-ed/Boosted because they're still fun.  If your goals come from a strict definition of "progress", then burnout is inevitable.

 

I don't think you should quit.  I think you should understand that when parts (or the whole) of a game feels like a literal chore, it's time to pivot.  Either your thinking needs to shift, or the way you play should.  I suggest ditching the poo-tinted goggles in whatever healthy method you can find.  Life's too short for your games to upset you. 

 

And if you've tried everything, and still can't derive any pleasure from the game, then it's time to go.  I believe you'll know what's right for you.  Good luck.

[Scarlet Shocker]

Quit, or quit not. There is no grind.

[Glacier Peak]

1 hour ago, Diantane said:

I know some of you would like me to leave COH anyway 🙂

No. Don't leave. Telling people the "right" way to play the game gets pretty repetitive, so your posts usually have similar repetitive /facepalm.

[Nerio72]

No one wants you gone to the Americans.

[Triumphant]

1 hour ago, Diantane said:

Realize that there are many combinations for alts that you can choose from, but in the last 5 years, I've created 208 alts on this server. Most over 40. About two dozen 50's. It's getting real hard coming up with a new alt. I play many hours each day so I'm done with that alt in 3-4 days. Every time I come up with a new idea for an alt, I do a search and there they are already -- level 40-50. Can't grind 50's (A.D.D.). I know some of you would like me to leave COH anyway 🙂

 

 

 

I think you just need to take a break.  Play a different game for a while, as a change of pace.  There are plenty of games out there that you can grind levels on.  Do something new, and then when you come back to CoH it will feel fresh and fun again.

 

For what it's worth, I don't think anyone want's you to leave.  It's just that the observations you make and the conclusions you reach in your posts often feel so left-field and so far removed from our own collective experiences when we play the game, that we're all bemused (and yes, often amused) by them.

 

We all experience periods of burnout in certain hobbies.  I quit playing CoH for almost 6 months once, for that very reason.  But I came back to it and have been playing obsessively for over a year now (though I also change it up with a bit of Star Wars the Old Republic, throughout the week.  This is a pretty good game for feeding your grinding obsession, btw.  That's not why I play- I don't care for the grind, myself- but it's one aspect of game play, none-the-less).

[JKCarrier]

Nothing wrong with taking a break, if you need one. I dropped out for almost a year -- I'd been grinding my way through the Incarnate system, got Tier 4s in every slot, and it burned me out big time. Hearing the news of the NCSoft license deal made me nostalgic, so I popped back in, and now I'm having fun just trying out builds and running normal story arcs again.

[Diantane]

1 hour ago, Triumphant said:

 

I think you just need to take a break.  Play a different game for a while, as a change of pace.  There are plenty of games out there that you can grind levels on.  Do something new, and then when you come back to CoH it will feel fresh and fun again.

 

For what it's worth, I don't think anyone want's you to leave.  It's just that the observations you make and the conclusions you reach in your posts often feel so left-field and so far removed from our own collective experiences when we play the game, that we're all bemused (and yes, often amused) by them.

 

We all experience periods of burnout in certain hobbies.  I quit playing CoH for almost 6 months once, for that very reason.  But I came back to it and have been playing obsessively for over a year now (though I also change it up with a bit of Star Wars the Old Republic, throughout the week.  This is a pretty good game for feeding your grinding obsession, btw.  That's not why I play- I don't care for the grind, myself- but it's one aspect of game play, none-the-less).

 Have you ever heard of or or played the game called, "Satisfactory?" I've got over 5,000 hours into that game. About as much as I have in this game. I'm gonna hang in here a while longer. But now just play a couple hours on the weekday evenings and on weekends. During the other times I play Satisfactory and a few other games. Lots of time when you're retired 🙂

Edited October 26 by Diantane

[Diantane]

3 hours ago, The Trouble said:

I think the attitude is less "I think Diantane should leave" as much as it's, "I wish DIantane could adopt a more accepting and positive perspective".  You're experiencing burnout partially because of negativity.  I still play my 50's.  Even the ones fully Incarnated/Purpled/Cat-ed/Boosted because they're still fun.  If your goals come from a strict definition of "progress", then burnout is inevitable.

 

I don't think you should quit.  I think you should understand that when parts (or the whole) of a game feels like a literal chore, it's time to pivot.  Either your thinking needs to shift, or the way you play should.  I suggest ditching the poo-tinted goggles in whatever healthy method you can find.  Life's too short for your games to upset you. 

 

And if you've tried everything, and still can't derive any pleasure from the game, then it's time to go.  I believe you'll know what's right for you.  Good luck.

 

Not gonna quit just yet. Gonna hang in there a little longer. Played mostly ranged alts and now been working with melee. About to make a new stalker (ice/fire). My last alt was a defensive tank that could run into a group no matter the size and take the alpha for team (rad/ice). This was the most successful tank I've played and my third one the same way on different servers. Just reduced the amount of times on coh for a while. As you said, I don't want to get burned out.

Edited October 26 by Diantane

[Glacier Peak]

52 minutes ago, Diantane said:

 Have you ever heard of or or played the game called, "Satisfactory?" I've got over 5,000 hours into that game. About as much as I have in this game. I'm gonna hang in here a while longer. But now just play a couple hours on the weekday evenings and on weekends. During the other times I play Satisfactory and a few other games. Lots of time when you're retired 🙂

Satisfactory is a lot of fun. Started playing during update 3 - glad to see it make it to 1.0 and full release. It's really easy to sink hundreds of hours in to a save in that game.

[biostem]

3 hours ago, Diantane said:

I know some of you would like me to leave COH anyway

I certainly bear you no ill will.  I have many characters of the same AT and with the exact same powersets, but for me, concept trumps everything - a particular backstory or look can be motivation enough to create and level that new alt...

[Snarky]

6 hours ago, Diantane said:

Realize that there are many combinations for alts that you can choose from, but in the last 5 years, I've created 208 alts on this server. Most over 40. About two dozen 50's. It's getting real hard coming up with a new alt. I play many hours each day so I'm done with that alt in 3-4 days. Every time I come up with a new idea for an alt, I do a search and there they are already -- level 40-50. Can't grind 50's (A.D.D.). I know some of you would like me to leave COH anyway 🙂

 

 

I love your personality.   Of course my opinion is downright questionable.  Ask anyone.  
 

Anyways I hope you find a way to reignite your passion.  I remember for a while i ran a bunch of trollers (i do not play trollers) through all the TFs in order.  Ice dark fire etc.  fun making teams life easier and not being the normal me

[Sanguinesun]

While one can be their own best resource, one can also be their own worst enemy.

[Ukase]

The primary reason Jack Emmert drove people into teaming in this game is because he recognized the power of relationship. 

If you do not have some kind of positive relationship (or enjoy having negative relationships - some people are like that) anyone is likely to leave the game. After all, while I think there's probably a lot of different ways to do the same things in game, most of us are wired a certain way, and while we could get through it, only parts of it are going to be fun/interesting enough to keep our attention. And even then, without relationships with others who enjoy the same thing, boredom is a certainty. It's just a question of when. 

Diantane, I have teamed with you before. Your style of play does not align with what I enjoy. Your opinions on the forums rarely align with mine. That doesn't make me right and you wrong, nor vice-versa. It just means we're different. 

If you find the 40-50 "grinding", you might try a quick transfer to Indom, use the 2xp buff from Start vendor, and I'm sure it will seem less grindy. 2xp from Start vendor stacks with the 2xp for playing on Indom. It's worth a shot. 

[DoctorDitko]

On 10/26/2024 at 12:11 PM, Triumphant said:

For what it's worth, I don't think anyone want's you to leave.  It's just that the observations you make and the conclusions you reach in your posts often feel so left-field and so far removed from our own collective experiences when we play the game, that we're all bemused (and yes, often amused) by them.

A thousand blessings upon your head for using "bemused" correctly! So seldom seen these days...

 

 

Edited October 27 by DoctorDitko
ocd

[Snarky]

1 hour ago, DoctorDitko said:

A thousand blessings upon your head for using "bemused" correctly! So seldom seen these days...

 

 

[WumpusRat]

I take breaks every now and then, sometimes for a few months at a time. I just got back from one, in fact.

 

I started to hit "burnout" (though that term isn't completely accurate, as I wasn't tired of the game itself) when I realized I was near the end of finishing up all my "D&D adventurers in Paragon" builds. I've made 30 of them, and ran out of classes to create builds for, and didn't have a new concept to jump into yet. So, I took a break for a bit.

 

But now I have a new idea for a group of characters, so I'll be starting to get those up and running. 🙂

[Timeshadow]

I've come and gone several times since the Live days. Most of us probably have at this point. CoH will always be my "original," the game that really brought me into the MMORPG genre. That doesn't mean a change of pace isn't nice every now and then. 

 

Honestly, just seeing how the forum community is responding to this post is incredibly refreshing. It's good to see the game still has what really makes it great, the people who play. 

[cranebump]

Sometimes it’s about going for the weird.

 

I wanted to play a truly Batman type character, which, to me, demanded throwing stars (closest we can get to batarangs and such). This meant I had to play a Dom. Primary? Nothing really fully fits the concept. I tried various builds. Ran them into the 20s,, attempted to rationalize the selections. But it just wasn’t working for me, since the primary set just never truly fit. I finally decided that, whatever I picked for a primary, I’d have to ignore most of the powers and build out using Pools.

 

So I paired Arsenal with Martial Assault. Of course I couldn’t use a gun and be “batty,” so I skipped everything but the sleep dart and the stealth power. Took all the throwing stars as I leveled, two of the kicky powers, and paired all that with Fighting (of course). No fancy travel powers, outside the surfboard thing (though a jet pack might make more sense, I dunno). As I was slowly soloing up, I had to think about what ELSE Bats brings to the table in order to widen my power selections. Which ultimately forced me toward an unusual selection.
 

Presence. That fear factor (2 powers that can actually tap into the Domination buff) plus the ability to “disappear” before their eyes. Between throwing shit, scaring perps, and punching them out, the resulting toon is pretty batty. Now, I DID have to sorta cheat on two things. I actually do use the sleep dart gun power (hey—no actual bullets). And I pretend that big floating cannon is a young sidekick. I also threw a lot of $$ into various set bonuses to overcome some of the gimpiness. Along the way,  I have chosen as many natural/tech contacts as I could. He’s soloed all the way to 41, save for a side trip into a Pos1 and a Saturday Night Synapse team on Torch last night.
 

None of this is the point, though.

 

What matters was going in whole hog on concept, rather than set combos. It felt like I was running something brand new because, to me, it was. Of course, he’ll never be a kick ass incarnate or anything. And it really is pretty silly to nerf the Domination effect. But I don’t care. He feels like a batsy guy. Especially when I augment him with some of the various temp powers (but never the revolver!).:-)

 

I guess I’m advising that, if you’ve mastered the traditional, maybe try something outside the box. If it feels weird or gimped, just make that part of the challenge. It may be the “wrong” way to play, but it can be quite a bit of fun.

Edited October 28 by cranebump

[PyroBeetle]

To be perfectly honest, I spend about as much time playing or studying chess as I do CoH, however, I have found more delight in being a completionist on my toons the more I play.

 

When the game first came back in 2019 of course I was obsessed with alts, but now I tend to play a handful of toons in a rotation. I have a Blaster that I like, my Stalker main, a Tanker, a Corrupter,, a Dominator, and a Sentinel. These are the toons I keep coming back to, and they are mostly approaching or exceeding 1000 badges each.

 

I do create new alts but much more rarely now, and it is odd occurrence,  but a successful alt may find it's way into my regular rotation.

[WumpusRat]

22 hours ago, cranebump said:

I wanted to play a truly Batman type character, which, to me, demanded throwing stars (closest we can get to batarangs and such). This meant I had to play a Dom.

You could also have made the character a scrapper, and just taken the weapon mastery epic pool. It would mean not having your "batarangs" until 35th level, but you could have batarangs, exploding batarangs, caltrops, etc.

[Mopery]

My advice is, make whatever build nobody else seems to be making then make the HELL out of it! Flesh out the bio, come up with a good theme and a costume.

 

Since you've likely got "The Funds", throw in as many Purple sets as it will hold, ATO's, Winter sets, build in MIDS then throw money at any perceived problems, and find a way to play it which makes others say, "Damn. I never thought that combo could ever even DO that."

 

Remember that this is a 20 year old sunset game being upkept by a supremely awesome crew. There are likely more missions in game than I personally will ever actually take the time to finish, so these days I find my own fun. Make a character that stands out, one that makes others laugh, regardless I try to make them my own. Whatever you do remember, games are supposed to be fun. Unless they're your job, then I guess they're work.

 

Anyhow, if you find that you're not having fun doing anything at all in your free time, I advise you find something else which is fun to you, and then do the HELL out of it.

[cranebump]

2 hours ago, WumpusRat said:

You could also have made the character a scrapper, and just taken the weapon mastery epic pool. It would mean not having your "batarangs" until 35th level, but you could have batarangs, exploding batarangs, caltrops, etc.

True. But 34 levels of not being batty would drive me…batty?:-)

[UltraAlt]

On 10/26/2024 at 10:39 AM, Diantane said:

I know some of you would like me to leave COH anyway 🙂

 

I'm sure I probably have most of those people on ignore.

[Andreah]

I doubt any of the people here want you to leave based on what you post in the forums. I suppose, at worst, they'd want you to post less. Or maybe differently. :D

 

Take a short break; play a few other games a while. I do this myself when I'm feeling burned out, it helps.