Captain-Electric

For many of my characters, one of the most useful gadgets in the game is a mass-produced device called a PPD teleportation tag. When placed on a subdued baddie, it checks vital signs to ensure the target is unconscious or otherwise disabled, before teleporting them to a PPD holding cell or even directly to the Zig. It's obviously a completely fictional gadget, made to explain away a game mechanic. I never leave home without a belt pouch full of them. Shut up, haters.

Most of my characters would not be equipped to bypass an entire army and stand right before their leader. But when I say equipped, I'm not just referring to game mechanics. I mean, for those few characters on my roster who are teleporters, such a bold move might not seem strategically viable without all of the OOC knowledge that we have and take for granted as players. But I have a couple of characters who would be crazy enough to try it, regardless of the unknowns. Just to see the look on the big bad's face.

For those of us who play characters, gaming the system isn't fun. Shortcuts aren't fun when they don't fit the character. But gaming the system is a perfectly valid way to play for those who have fun doing it. Many people, I've found, are a little bit of both. I make huge exceptions when I'm on a team that wants to stealth part of a mission, or take some other shortcut. But then again, many of my characters probably would too, if they were real.

In any case, I don't make other players suffer at the expense of my wild imagination. But I have become acquainted with several others who play on the same page, and it's made for some very memorable gaming these past couple of years (If anyone reading likes the sound of that, give me a shout on Virtue sometime, @Captain-Electric).

I've been roleplaying an ordinary citizen slumped next to a wall outside a mission door, where groups of heroes have been trampling me carelessly day after day, on their way to "save the city"...

You people disgust me.

Altitis
A wall of text by Captain-Electric

The following tips aren't just ideas that sound nice to me. They're guidelines that evolved throughout my first couple of years in City of Heroes, and following them closely has greatly improved my enjoyment of the game. These aren't role-playing tips, as inviting as they may feel to that group. They're ways to learn to relate to your characters, the same way you form brief connections with characters in books and movies.

(1) THE ABC LIST - None of my heroes and villains are alts; they're all main characters. Sound like pure semantics? Think again! From the beginning, I took a tip from the comics (where else?), and have sought to view my characters on an A-list, B-list, C-list scale. They're all important to me, but a few of them have definitely affected local (or even worldwide) events on a larger scale than the others (see "Time" below).

(2) THE WELL - In the 1960s, Spider-Man had few fans among Marvel's editorial board. He was almost cut before they realized he had struck a unique chord among their readership, who finally had a hero with average life problems they could all relate with. There are all sorts of ways to create a character, but few heroes and villains are memorable for their power sets alone. So why start there when creating one? Start at the beginning, with their life and the circumstances that led to their origin as a hero or villain. This may involve taking out a notepad or sketchpad, or it may just take a bit of day-dreaming before going straight into the Character Creator. You will not want to delete a persona who feels more substantial to you, who is worth exploring and enriching through in-game experiences. After a while, these won't be "toons", and you won't think of them as your "Fire/Kin" or "Troller". As their personalities take shape, you'll begin to think of them by their names. Give the well of your sub-consciousness some breathing room, here. Like Spider-Man's first audience, you may end up liking a character you may not have expected yourself to make. (And if you created heroes and villains as a child, they're still living in your sub-consciousness. It can be very satisfying to breath life into these within the game.)

(3) TIME - Out of 25 heroes and villains on my home server, eight of them are A-listers (up from four a year ago, last time I updated this guide). As expected, they get more attention from the fictional world they inhabit. They hob-nob with patron heroes more often, go on more task-forces, have arch-villains after them, and they get their origin stories told through AE and through Virtueverse.com. And naturally, more "real" people know them, because an A-lister might get weeks of play-time; they're simply around more often. B-listers and C-listers will get days or even just hours of play-time between those longer stretches.

(4) THE STORY - The average comic book runs around 20 or 30-something pages. Comic writers have a certain amount of space and time to work with, to push their characters stories forward. And most comic book heroes don't even have their own comic books. There are a lot of supporting members of comic-book super-groups who don't say much or make many decisions compared to more famous heroes, even though they may do a lot to keep their teammates alive. I have several C-listers in this category. In comics, B-listers often get their own series, while A-listers get wide-ranging story arcs and get to affect crossover events. In the same vein of thought, I don't force myself to play less interesting characters more often than interesting characters. Having an idea of who's who gives me a reference point from which to push my characters stories forward, no matter how small or large that story may be. And it ensures I'm more focused on characters who deserve more focus. This keeps the game more fun for me.

AFTER CREATING so many characters with so many stories, I try to keep from creating new ones more than every few months. This is because the characters I already have should never be "finished". Sometimes I funnel that creative itch into an already extant character, updating their bio or Virtueverse page. My A-listers ought to be evolving every month. This makes them more believable characters, which is the whole point of this exercise. Advancing my characters stories might include more than just biographical updates. It might also include costume changes, or even spin-off characters (these can be VERY fun to create, because they start off with some history already set up for them).

FINALLY, I don't keep all of my characters separated by a vacuum of space and time; I have intermingled many of their stories when writing or updating bios. One of my B-listers is side-kicked to one of my A-listers, and two of my villains are the arch-enemies of two of my heroes. I've even created a super-team among my roster of characters. None of this is terribly silly. With AE, it's possible to fight alongside (or against) your own characters. Anything's doable now. But even without AE, it's fun to intermingle characters stories. For instance, you can learn more about Captain-Electric by reading Detective Marvel's bio.

THE GUIDELINES ABOVE are the most natural way to handle "Altitis" that I've found. If you've read this far and like the approach, read another post about it. I've discovered for myself that Altitis isn't the problem. After all, most comic-book universes exist in a permanent state of Altitis, with all the personalities and story-lines they expect their readers (and writers) to keep up with. Your roster of heroes and villains can either be a flat list of video game toons, or it can be the jumping-off point to your corner of a substantial fictional universe. Unfortunately, there isn't a universe that we know of where time management isn't an issue.

My run-ins with you were always pleasant and always entertaining; and though I wish you the best in your future endeavors, it saddens me to bid farewell to the friendliest community team member I ever did meet.

The devs have never been obligated to adhere and acquiesce to every outlying armchair criticism thrown their way, so why start now? Especially in the case of a costume piece that should have launched with the game. They ought to create a quiver, maybe with a couple of different color and backpack or arrow variations to choose between.

After our new static quivers have been in the editor for a year or two, no one will really care about all of these small peculiar arguments we're having about them now. Nitpicking criticisms follow behind every content update, and are capably brushed aside. I'll even give Zwillinger a few suggestions to copy and paste from.

Pretty cool idea, my electric colleague. As soon as you mentioned it, half a dozen ideas popped into my mind. So yeah, I think people could use a variation of the helmet like you describe.

On another note, that is one fracking awesome comic book alien. And kudos on the color coordination. I never exceed four colors myself, and can work fine with two colors. Artistry within such limitations speaks highly of the artist, as far as I'm concerned. Not to mention, it's a fine upstanding tradition!

I'm waiting until I've had a couple of my own experiences with the new support policy, then I'll have some actual constructive feedback.

I changed my mind completely when I realized I'd done something I always try not to do: I jumped on the rabble rousing bandwagon after reading a post on an Internet forum. That isn't a slight against your OP, it's just an acknowledgment of what personal experience has taught me about Internet forums.

Looking for something to tide you over before Mot's dark tide of death runs you over? Everyone look up the global name @Neon Rider and do his pre-Issue 22 lead-up arc. It will get you even more excited for what's coming in Dark Astoria.

For anyone who played The Final Days of a Galaxy, leading up to Issue 21, it's by the same author.

Egg-sack-ly.

Which is why the phrase "Supergamble packs" is far from the mark. That's like calling a variety pack of beer a "Superalcoholism pack," when I'm not an alcoholic. (I love it when Blue Moon has their seasonal variety packs.)

What you should really be talking about is Supergamblers who might buy lots of Super Packs. But if every vendor stopped selling anything that might be indulged in by people with sensitive psychologies, the world would be short on all kinds of goodies.

Don't demonize a great product because some people have personal demons.

I've never had a goal specifically in mind for my Super Pack purchases, beyond "Buying super packs." In each and every case, I have received exactly what I intended on purchasing: super packs. This isn't semantics. This isn't the difference between blue and light blue.

I like to buy cool stuff. Super packs have cool stuff. My ONLY expectation in buying them is cool stuff. Well, guess what? I bought super packs and got cool stuff.

At no point was I at risk of not getting exactly what I wanted.

I like 3D. Contrary to some comments above about its long "nothing new here" life, I think it's come a long way. I went 15 years without seeing anything in 3D, and then one of my sisters talked me into seeing a U2 concert filmed in 3D, at an IMAX theater. I was impressed, and that's an understatement. After that, I went "3D crazy" and saw several other movies in 3D at the IMAX, including a documentary about whales.

Out of all of the 3D movies I've seen, Avatar was the least impressive. That doesn't mean I wasn't impressed. But its "3D-ness" seemed a little bit tacked on, rather than baked in. Which is a shame, because I hear they developed some new 3D filming technology for the making of that movie. Maybe they'll do better with it next time. I've only thought about Avatar about five times since I walked out of the theater. When I say it wasn't a memorable experience, I'm not just trying to be a trendy City of Heroes forum poster. I'm willing to enjoy a simple popcorn flick for what it is. A movie has to be better than average to make me think about it later.

3D as a film format is awesome in my book, but I know lots of people who hate it. They hate it with a passion. I know so many people who hate 3D, I'm surprised the format makes enough money to stay in business. If I want to go to a 3D movie with friends, it's a short list to call. 3D movies make a lot of people physically ill to one degree or another. I can't help that I like them, but those people clearly can't help but loathe them.

Also, um. I can relate in some way or another to both of the big arguers above. If I complain too much, the people in my life will remind me that whining does not make a guy very attractive, or great to be around. And, yeah. It's true. It's not bad to spend a little time thinking, "Aw, this sucks." But after a little bit of that, I've got to let it go and move on.

I was in a car wreck last year that gave me a concussion, and temporary nerve damage in one of my eyes. The headaches that accompanied my concussion were serious. I basically had a migraine that lasted several months, with short intermittent periods of relief. I missed a month of work, my car was in the shop for almost half a year, I had to stop playing City of Heroes. Entertainment was a dark room, and--eventually--quiet audio books (Michio Kaku has a concussion-friendly voice ). Remembering back, I did make a forum post about my accident. It was a short post about missing City of Heroes. My right eye hurt by the time I was done typing it. But I deleted it a few seconds later. I knew I was whining.

It will be interesting to see what role the Circle of Thorns take in all of this. Anyone who paid close attention during the Scroll of Tielekku and surrounding story arcs, might have felt like the Circle of Thorns had become a strangely coincidental ally within Dark Astoria. They were many steps ahead of the protagonist (you). They knew that cultists were now making contact with gods that were banished by Tielekku and her allies long ago. They knew the cultists would attempt to pierce the veil in Dark Astoria. They knew both of these things before the rest of us knew, and later they eschewed our "meddling presence in matters beyond our comprehension," while they were already out there, waging a silent war, not only against those cultists, but against the Banished Pantheon itself. Not just Mot.

Think about that for a moment. It was the Circle of Thorns who never abandoned Dark Astoria, who held back the Banished Pantheon all of these years.

Of course, Mot is nothing new. This god comes up in several places as a major player. But he has never been specifically and directly linked to the coalition of gods in the Great War called the Banished Pantheon (correct me with a Paragon Wiki link if I'm wrong). At first I imagined Mot must be a card-carrying member, but I have come to wonder if he might have fallen asleep even before the Great War mentioned in the scrolls and tomes surrounding Tielekku. My reason for this? Because I could imagine the Banished Pantheon winning that war, had an entity like Mot been on their side.

Mot is SRS BSNS. But he's not the only god the cultists in Dark Astoria have been attempting to let free from exile. The easiest way to confirm this is to go running around Dark Astoria right now, pre-Issue 22. Get close enough to those Shamans and their summoning rituals, and you'll hear them calling out to a handful of different gods. Some of those gods are already semi-present via totems and aspects; but the cultists are aiming for much more obvious results.

What of these other gods? Well, some of the lore surrounding Dark Astoria suggests that some groups of Banished Pantheon cultists have begun to lose interest in them, instead focusing all of their attentions on Mot. This would jibe well with the influence Mot is reportedly capable of taking over those with susceptible or willing minds. But it doesn't necessarily jibe with all of the aspects and totems that seem to be participating in summoning rituals throughout Dark Astoria, right alongside the cultists. I'm left wondering if Mot would rather assume dominion over the Banished Pantheon, or simply eat them for breakfast, along with the rest of us.

Preferring these pleasant surprises intact, I haven't beta-tested Dark Astoria. And I likely won't stick around in this thread for long--people have forgotten the delicate art of discussing new content without spoiling it. But to get back to the point, as they say, I know one thing is certain about the Circle of Thorns. With Issue 22, they have lost the war for Dark Astoria.

ICly, how much of this could be blamed on interference by heroes is anyone's guess. It wasn't me (). When I was doing the Scroll of Tielekku arcs, I made sure my RP team took a hands-off approach to the Circle of Thorns groups we came across in Dark Astoria.

This isn't the first time this thread has wondered aloud if the Circle will retreat from Dark Astoria. But, given the scope of their setback and the details surrounding it, this is no trivial question for me. The Circle has long stood arrogant in their belief that they--and only they--stand between the Banished Pantheon and Earth. Will they retreat? Will they stand their ground? Will our ***SPOILER*** few allies within the Circle of Thorns turn more of their brethren into good guys, or will more heroes continue to turn to Demon summoning, causing history to repeat itself?

I spent my first six months in City of Heroes getting ripped off by contacts before I realized they weren't actually rewarding me for my efforts. And I've spent the last year and a half wondering why this happens.

You get to know them, slowly earning their trust, running their errands, saving them, saving their friends, saving their world. "I feel closer to you than ever, Captain-Electric," says Laura Brunetti. "Time for a number of new Enhancements to be made available to you." And then she proceeds to try to rip me off.

The normal stores that are spread around the city are always cheaper than contacts stores. They are easy to get to and shop at. Whereas contacts, for whom you have to work to prove your trustworthiness to, and who may be miles out of the way, want to reward all of your efforts by gouging you. This seems backwards to me, but I've always assumed the answer would gradually become obvious with time. Well, it hasn't.

So, what's the answer?

I finally got a friend, and he's the real Tom.

Or Tony, rather. I bugged him in Steel Canyon University one time, so he counts.

You know what? Never mind. What the heck. I'll give the new system a try, and see for myself whether it's even a big deal. Then I'll give actual constructive feedback.