DarkUnicorn

Hi, everybody! You're talking to the plant!

So, April Fool's was a PUG night, as promised. And the groups were small, but some work was done. I'd like to thank

Fahim
Silverwing

Fireblight
Silverwing
Mis Chief
Bantrix
Hard Wired

for their participation and hard work. We came, we saw, we kicked butt!

April 8 saw several Lambda sectors and BAFs fire. I would love to tell you that I have a list of everyone involved, but with so many people, it would take a LONG, LONG time to get them all.

April 15. I would like to try and run the L20-40 Strike Force for those who have not done it. I will have several toons who will be capable of running it, so come one come all!

Villainy!!

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

Well, this week was the last part of the Notice of the Well cycle announced, the Tin Mage TF. I decided that with enough nukes - and having gone through the process once myself earlier in the week - it would be good to try for the Midnight Dodger badge, seeing as it is easy to get once you have all the pieces together.

Unfortunately, we did NOT have all the pieces together when it was announced that that was the intention in channels. Oh dear. So, we went to Warburg first, and proceeded to collect a plethora of nukes. We then used said plethora on Director 11 and watched with schadenfreuede while Director 11 melted under roughly 20 nukes, 6 Shivans, 5 HVAS, I think 2 snowbeasts, and other boosted goodies in roughly 4.8 seconds. The net result is that while we did not go for the Hacker badge on this run, many of us walked away with the Master of Tin Mage TF badge. W00t us!

A special "Thank you for your patience and participation" goes out to

Crazed Drifter
Miss Mecind
Hard Work
Scarlet Miracle
Miss Interpreted
Fahim
Laksmi

for the 4 hours collecting all those nukes and running a simple Midnight Dodger run of Tin Mage.

For next week, I think it's time we took a break from TFs every Friday night, since several players in channel can not participate in the higher TFs due to not having high enough toons. I think it's time for some PUGs again, this time for the simple tips (and morality mishes and shards/purples/what have you) that come with the territory. First come, first serve. As always, I enjoy working with a full team, so come one come all!

VILLAINY!!

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!!

Been a while since I posted here - but when the Weekly Strike Target was the ITF, you knew I had to post. And in advance, an apology for those who played on the Wednesday - I goofed and did not digitally record all 6 tfs on that day.

For the rest of the week though, I'd like to thank:

Miss Arrange
Rad Rhonda
Redeeming Soul
Dalziel
DEFCON-1
TinkerKat
POOT

Lovesick
abreal
Miss Carriage
Glasswing
Psiki
Narcine
ILEX

Kozmic Dragon
Dark Bugzy
L E A H
Nivek Shadowstalker
Mithral Warrior
Master Stigman

Mighty Lornac
Mindwraith
Nigrum Aeternus
Pure Bane
S1ash
BIG JAMMER
Vela'kres

Sintrix
Spider's Herald
Psychotic Leigh
Incendiary Chick
Illitique
Sazerac
Lovesick

Miss Pesimist
lush's Knight
Red Ruby.
Parallax
Qwest
Chaos Spider
radi8e

Asymptope Man
Ohm's Lawman
Furious Titan
Mindwraith
Masquerade
HardWork
Mis Deed

Kriztehl
Iceeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Gaia Genasi
Lady Debonair
Raidant Leigh
Dardanelle
Perfect Chemistry

Quote of the day:
And lo, on the third mission the server awoke, and a great thunderous voice said "Let There Be Lag!"
And there was much lag and gnashing of teeth

Villainy!!

Hello, everyone.

OK. Finally some good news out of Japan - they have got external power cables running to all power plants now, and it seems like they have stabilized all power plants. Now comes the hard part - cleaning up the tsunami-devastated areas of Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima prefectures.
I must say that I am truly impressed with the efforts here. Businesses and schools are shutting off ALL unnecessary lighting during operating hours; many stores are operating on shorter hours to cut energy costs even more. Trains are running in the Tokyo area on limited schedules, but they are running. Gas stations were rationing gas to ensure relief efforts could reach the area, limiting people to roughly 20 litres, or 5 gallons, per fill.
Friends from within Japan sent me a care package and called to confirm that all is well, and should the worst happen, I can stay with them.
It is human kindness like this that reminds us that, deep down, we are all one.

Plantatia

Hi, everyone.

With the near-Three-Mile-Island collapse of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, and the failures of others in the area, Japan is going to be going through localized rolling blackouts for the next 6-7 weeks of 3 hours length. As of right now, I am trying to translate the specifics of when I should be without power, but at this point it looks like it could be during peak Australia gaming hours. The affected areas of Japan need roughly 41 GW to run - and with those plants down, we're looking at 31 GW max.
This will put a damper on my ability to run events like FNV. So if I don't show up for events, please don't take it personally. If it turns out that the rolling blackouts are in the mornings, then I will be on to run events as normal. But as of right now I can NOT guarantee my participation in any events for the next little while. I WILL let you know when the status changes.

Plantatia

Hi, everyone.

I would like to say that I am fine and well living here in Japan. We felt the giant quake at school - duck and cover really works! - and were without power, water or cell service for about 15 hours.
I'm fine, and am severely sorry that I could not run FNV last night.

See the Japan quake thread for more.

Plantatia

Hi, everyone.

Normally, I'd be my normal chipper self, but living here in Japan, I can't. I got to experience the earthquake first-hand while teaching at school.
We went without power, water or heat for 15 hours - the only reason I was not on last night to run FNV - and even cell signals were blocked for 12 hours for emergency use only. I was 300 km south of the epicentre, and even HERE you can go down the street and see signs of minor damage - roofs damaged, cracks in the ground from stress fractures, bicycles knocked over, and so on.
They only just got the trains restarted in the Tokyo area - remember, that's 400 km from where this mess occurred - and there are still problems with one of the reactors nearer the epicentre. Sendai is devastated beyond belief. And before you downgrade the seriousness of this earthquake, I'd like to remind everyone that major earthquakes (this was a 8.9 according to some sources) have multiple aftershocks. I'm still being rocked by aftershocks that are measurable as earthquakes 16 hours later.
So, I'd like to use this time to remind you to remember your loved ones, no matter where they are. And take care.

Plantatia

Hello, everybody! You're talking ot the plant!

A massive apology for those who did the Apex Strike Target this last Friday - I got your picture, but did NOT save it properly, so you'll have to remind me who came on it with me!

For the Silver Mantis Strike Target last week, I DID get your picture, so thanks go out to

Hard Headed
Bleyszen Lord
Asymptope Man
End of Times
Speed of Hate
Sazerac
Trahald

for your participation.

Again, I apologize, I'm getting used to using this capture method to get names down (to save on the environment - I was going through reams of paper to get everyone's names down. I'll get it right this Friday for the Ice Mistral Strike Target!

Villainy!!

As for the the ITF week - I will be running several ITF runs for shards. Both DyNaMique and Plantatia will be available for running those events, so keep your eyes open.

Finally! The Plant HAS COME BACK to the forums!

(Sorry for the wrestling reference, but for the last 4 days I have not been able to get on - I was logged in when they did forum maintenance and have had a DEVIL of a time getting through).

On Friday the 4th, several toons went on a Warburg run to collect our very own nukes! Gotta collect them all! I'd like to thank those that showed up - we were a team of 6 at the end, capable of splitting into 2 3-man teams for fsat delivery. I had never run a Warburg run before, so I apologize both for not having the list of names and for the slow speed (since there were several who were new to the process).

On Friday the 18th, Lady Grey summoned us and casually mentionned that thre was a Drop of the Well for those who could defeat the Honoree!! Naturally, as villains we came out in force and inroduced several new 'A's to the alphabet of defeated foes! I'd like to thank

Blazing Lotus
Data Stream
try hard
Sa'Kage
F i r e F o x
Sheeana
Kruzik

for their assistance, since without them it would be impoosible for me to cause more villainy!

Below is a list of the schedule strike targets for the next little while, to be confirmed each week. This schedule will only change if there is a change announced.

* 02/25/11: Sister Psyche Task Force / Silver Mantis Strike Force
* 03/04/11: Apex Task Force
* 03/11/11: Numina Task Force / Ice Mistral Strike Force
* 03/18/11: Imperious Task Force
* 03/25/11: Tin Mage Mark II Task Force
* 04/01/11: Manticore Task Force / Operative Renault Strike Force

All in the name of VILLAINY!!!!!

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

Well, last week we got SLIGHTLY sidetracked by someone running a 50 tip team. No worries,. afterwards, I ran several runs of Lady Winter, and have to thank

Miss Mecind
Toasty Boy
Nuke-Dukem
Miss Arranged
Cactus
Leostell
Sweet Science

for their participation.

This week, I think it is time we got some of those fancy shmancy rockets people are going on about! Bring your Warburg-capable toons and let's bring down Arachnos the hard way- one missile at a time!

For VILLAINY!!

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

While I don't claim to know the best way, I read your article and noticed you may have missed one of the most important ways to use your reward merits - turn them into hero/villain merits!

Let's look at it economically: 50 reward merits plus 20 million infamy/info/influence equals 1 hero/villain merit. Nothing you do can change this formula, so there's our base.

1 hero merit won't get you many great recipes. HOWEVER, 2 merits will get you ANY non-purple/PvP/Respec recipe you want. This includes such illustrious and universally expensive recipes like the Numina ++, the Miracle +, the Regenerative Tissue +, and the Luck of the Gambler Global Recharge. All of which are almost considered a must for going all out on the Tin Mage and Apex trials.

If you have enough for your toons already, use 2 hero merits, get the recipe, and sell it on the market (crafted or uncrafted - check first for bonus money). When hero merits started, Miracle + were selling in the 250 million range, or 240 merits. Now, for 100 merits and 40 million cash - not a hard feat for a 50 these days - you can get the same recipe.

Oh, and the non-combat purples (Confuse, sleep, immobilize, hold and pet) tend to sell for a LOT less than the combat ones (stun, range, melee, Targeted AOE and PBAOE). I picked up a whole set of confuse (all 6) and 5 sleep purples for the cost of ONE miracle at one point early in I19. 11 purples I needed for one duplicate (albeit expensive) recipe.

As for the tip missions, YES, it gets repetitive at this point. They have added more with each issue. But it's like the newspaper/radio missions - you get through the basics to get to the shiny toy inside. 50 reward merits every other DAY (if you push it) is worth it at high levels - you should easily get the prerequisite 20 million cash for the hero/villain merit conversion.

1 hero merit every other day*20 merits = 40 days. During which time you can still get purples as drops to help fill in the cash or build requirements.

Go for it!

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

OK. This weekend, as we know, is a double XP weekend. Which means lots of toons want to gain levels quickly - or get that final push to 50.

In this spirit, I will be running a Lady Winter Team (since this will also result in potential purples, shards, and candy canes) starting at 20:30 Australia East time. First come, first serve. If we get bored of that, I am more than willing to accomodate your SF requests.

For VILLAINY!!!!

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

And we ran ANOTHER ITF! You'd be surprised how often those happen.

Thanks to

Miss Mecind
Lactrodectus Mactans
Pure Bane
Miss Arrange
Illestia
Darren Shephard
Miss Calculation

for their participation.

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

Surprise! We ran an ITF!

Sorry we did not give notice abou te latest ITF. We'll get our heads together and come up with something other than a headache next time.

But I would like to thank

Sa'Kage
Miss Mecind
Radius Prime
Miss Pronounced
Cinged
KINGKILL
Illestria

for completing a standard ITF run in about one hour. Don't forget, kids, ITFs are both a recommended source of merits AND vitamin shard!

Thanks for reminding me...

As for the previous Wednesday, check out the ITF thread.

Hello, everybody! You're talking to the plant!

This week was DEFINITELY interesting - we did a pick-up APEX TF! Yup, I just ran with whoever showed up and was willing to get their Incarnate on for some badges and fun!

First, we needed to help others get their incarnate (note: get the arc DONE). So a small team was formed, and I'd like to thank

Chaotic Leigh
DEFCON - 1
Gormach Ceasadh

for their teamwork.

As for the APEX - under 100 minutes, 102 deaths, 2 badges and a completion! SUPER thanks to

Mithral Warrior
Ashleigh Burn
Digital Meltdown
Lost Earth Lad
Lost Boy
Show Me The Money
Medeival Burn

for showing that Battle Maiden is no match for 8 randomly thrown together people - who can recover from death many, MANY times.

This week? I'm thinking something in the line of tip runs OR (if my defender has made it over to villainy) an arc run.

VILLAINY!!!!!

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

Well, I know this is late, but last week we put together a nice team, and did a nice run. I apologize for not remembering WHAT, but we did it (I think it was a LGTF - feel free to correct me).

I'd like to thank

Miss Mecind
Tharion
Incendiary Chick
Horyu Masako
Pharmaceutical
Ramjet
Kyth's Hero

for their participation.

I'll get back on top of this, I swear!

Hello, everybody! You're talking to the plant!

It has come to our attention that the CoP may be easier with the new Alpha slots, and we'd love to test this theory out.

In this light, we are advertising NOW for the planned run times. They are:

Saturday, January 8
Tuesday, January 25 (ANZAC Day!)

One will be for hero-side runs, one for the villains. We are strongly urging you to bring 50s with Alpha slots.

Please use this thread to advertise who you can bring for both hero and villain side, and which day would work better for you.

I will go on record as saying that I can bring DyNaMique (kin/en defender) or Plantatia (plant/ice dom) for these events.

Start posting!

Friday, December 24, 8:30 pm. I understand exactly when this is, so we'll see who shows up. I understand if you have family commitments as well.

If we don't get enough people to show up, I'll postpone this until January 14. The reason is that December 31, I will be on a 25-hour train ride from Sapporo coming back home, and am not going to make it back in time. As well, January 7th I need to head into Tokyo for work (instead of teaching at school), and can't guarantee that I will be back in time to run events on that day.

So, if I don't see you before then, Merry Christmas and a happy New Year from your favorite plant (and CANADIAN player)!

'Tis Christmas time! Time for good cheer, good presents, and good purple chances!

In other words, ITF! Who wouldn't want a chance at a lot of purples and incarnate shards - or levels?

I hope to see you there!

Hi everyone! You're talking to the plant!

This week, we got a small group to run some level 50 (woot! Incarnate) Patron Arc mishes. This was a good chance to both gain incarnate shards and level lower level toons as a half-PUG. I'd like to thank

Leighloo (the holder of said arc)
Lupur
Miss Arrange
Spider's Herald
Black Nubis

for their participation.

As everyone is still going mental trying to get their incanate toons slotted - see the ITF thread for next week.

Hi there! You're talking to the plant!

On Wednesday, we ran a Tin Mage TF - with nobody on the TF having prior experience. This proved to be a valuable learning experience for all of us - we learned that death is an important part of life, that proximity charges are REALLY REALLY annoying, and that we can do the TF in about 80 minutes and get all but one badge for the master run!

I would REALLY REALLY like to thank

Mr. Thistle
Sa'Kage
Show Me The Money
Radius Prime
Hawt Tahdee
Kohort
Emapthological

for such a fantastic run!

Next week, I will NOT be available for the event, as I will be at the staff year-end party. And I will not likely be on the week after that, seeing as I will be in Sapporo, and not likely to have a good computer connection. So good luck to all of you, merry Xmas and I'll see you on New Year's Day!!

Hello, everyone! You're still talking to the plant!

This week was strange - I got on at the usual time to discover that people were a) already in an ITF, and b) CLEARLY not interested in a PUG of any sort - the total silence on a channel with more than 20 members on at the time was a good hint.

SO, once the ITF was completed, a Statesman TF was run. I would like to report that

Miss Elect
Show Me The Money
Bushido-Brown
Mithreal Warrior
Shimmering Spirit
Coan-Teen
Blazebro

and I made short work of the TF. I retroactively called the ITF the villain event and called it a night.

Hopefully, this Friday will involve more people. Take care!

Hello, everyone! You're talking to the plant!

Well, last week was the beginning of I19, and everyone went everywhere getting their incarnate slots opened.

So, this week , we ran an ITF, with the intended and stated goal of getting stuff for incarnates, but also xp for those who wanted/needed it. It is with great pleasure that , with a set limit of one hour and NOT doing a speed run with 3 tanks, the team of

Mithral Warrior
Hawt Tawdee
Neeenja
Prince BY-TOR
Billy (*Author's note - this game has been going on for 6 years plus, and NOBODY took this name? Really??)
Miss Calculation
hard 2 start

and Plantatia (not pylon) proceeded to non-stop grind their way through all comers, and acquired no less (as a team) than 3 purples on the TF! (Plus, I 'm not sure how many of us got their first alpha slot filled). A SECOND ITF was run by Randomice as well - we got the numbers, hear us roar!

After that, a few others decided they would like their alpha slot opened, so

Lorien's Curse
Ashiegh Burn
Arancae Sicarius
Lactrodectus Mactans

ran the arc, and the 3 that needed their alpha slot opened, opened it. Not bad for one night!

Next week, I'm thinking Tinmage teams.