Dasher

The answers to these questions are probably obvious, I just wanted to be sure.

1. If we pre-purchased GR, will we be able to just log in and the new content will be part of our Updater's download? That's how it has usually worked; in the past I've always found upgrades in CoX to be gloriously easy and painless!

2. I first started playing CoH 75 months ago, and still mostly play my primary character from that time. Someone had my character's name, so I added a period ( . ) to it. In the last five years, I have never once seen the original holder of the name, and I have opften tried to purchase a re-name, but have been told the name is already taken. My question is: Does the name search "see" the period in my character's name? If it doesn't, maybe my character already IS the name that;s "already taken". I have tried many, many times to contact the holder of my character's name, but as far as I can tell, their account has been inactive for years.

Any ideas on how I can get the name for my (consistently active) character?

Thanks in advance,

DASHER

Hey, Hyperstrike:

It looks like you are on Protector Server, same as I am.

I'd like these items for my SG, too, but I can't get a whole lot of enthusiasm drummed up.

I might be ablee to get four or five people together if you want to try and assemble a similar-sized team, and we can meet in Warburg and wail on each other for an hour or two a week.

Just to be clear, most of us feel the same way about PvP in the game as you do; personally, I can barely be convinced even to play villains, let alone play heroes against villains.

But after six years of asking for reasonable concessions from the Devs and getting only flames in response, I can tell you from sad experience that it is highly unlikely they will ever do anything about any issue that does not interest them.

That's life.

Anyway, feel free to contact me at my global, @Dasher, and let me know if you think our SGs can help each other out with this.

Take care

DASHER

There really is no good reason why long-time subscribers who Pre-Order the "Going Rogue" set should not receive anything and everything included in the Pre-Sale package sold through GameStop or any other outside retailer.

For the last six years I have tried to explain why various Bad Ideas should not have been implemented, and it never does any good. The people who are reasonable enough to understand, do understand, and rarely post any comment; which is too bad, because silent agreement is dignified, but ineffective in a "squeaky wheel" environment like MMO forums.

Alas, there are always those posters who live to flame, and so cannot help but jump in and screech like monkeys because, well, that's what monkeys do.

Despite this, and against my better judgment, I will take to take the time to try to explain why giving rewards to new subscribers while withholding them from loyal customers is a Bad Idea.

The indisputable fact is that giving benefits to new customers which are not also extended to existing, even long-time customers, fosters resentment in those long-time customers. It sends the very clear signal that their money has been very much appreciated... their desires, not so much.

"We love our fans" rings hollow when those fans see so much effort cynically focused on appeasing retail outlets and new subscribers with nothing offered to them for their support.

Oh, well.

DASHER

Are we finally going to see Travel Power Suppression removed from the game by, say, November of 2010?

For the past couple of weeks, I've been running my main, 6-year-old Level 50 through Flashback missions, trying to earn lower level Orobouros badges at various difficulty settings: No Travel Powers, AT Powers only etc.
NONE of the badges I've earned have been awarded.
It doesn't matter where I access the Crystal (SG Base or Orobouros), what my personal settings are (all baseline, +0 level, +8, -1) or what level of Flashback missions I access (1-15 through 46-50), I have received NONE of the badges I've earned.
Also, I ran the Ernesto Hess TF when it first came out, before badges, and have done it several times since. All other TFs awarded badges retroactively, but I still haven't received the "Burkholder's Bane" badge, despite having competed the TF successfully AGAIN since badges went live.
I have sent MULTIPLE requests and bug reports to have this problem dealt with on my account, and to date, nothing.
I don't expect the badges to be awarded for free - although I can't see why I should have to run these mission YET AGAIN - but I DO expect to get the badges when I have done everything stated in the game as being required to earn them.
So;
What's the hold-up with fixing this problem, Devs?
Dasher

Here's another favorite memory:

Back before Travel Power Suppression, "everybody knew" that in-game speed topped out at around 85 mph. "Everybody knew" it. You couldn't go faster than that. Period.

Even so, we measured out a level, straight, one-mile course in Talos Island, and on it we used to have footraces between SuperSpeed characters.

We'd have a stopwatch running in the background and, well, you can do the math to figure out your speed: If you finished the mile in one minute, you were running at (duh), a mile a minute, or 60 miles per hour.

My SuperSpeedster (who happens to be a Scrapper with Martial Artist/Super Reflexes) had six slots in SuperSpeed and six in Running, and both were filled with max-level Speed Enhancements, and hey! Guess What?

His top speed clocked out at about 125.7 mph! On five different players' computers!

But that must have been wrong, because "everybody knew" you couldn't go faster than 85 mph. I mean hey, just because five stopwatches said he finished a measured mile in 42 seconds, which works out to 125.7 mph, well heck, what does math prove? I mean, besides everything... but I digress.

Anyway, now he has a full set of Level 50 Celerity in Running and a full set of Level 50 Winter's Gift in SuperSpeed, and the other night he lost a footrace to a toon with SuperSpeed and NO Speed Enhancements. He lost because I clicked the "R" key a split second after the other guy.

My character didn't overtake or pass the toon. In fact, he never even caught up to him. They maintained an exactly equal separation the entire length of the run.

Because now, what "everybody knows" has become game-imposed dogma; six years of effort building a superspeedster and my character is no faster than a toon with one slot in SuperSpeed that's holding an Endurance Reduction enhancement.

I wish "everybody knew" what a bad idea that is for a game that's supposed to be about comic book superheroes.

As I have been saying for a while now: Tick-Tock, Devs, Tick-tock... You're not the only game in town anymore, and while the other one sucks form association with the same ignoramus who imposed Travel Power Suppression and Enhancement Nerfification, not too long from now, there will be a comic book superhero MMO designed by people who actually READ superhero comic books.

And they write 'em, too.

So Devs, you'd better think about fixing your screw-ups while there's still time to avoid becoming Ultima Online in spandex.

My favorite memories of this game are from when our super heroes had super powers.

Dasher

My Favorite Moment from the Last Six Years
I remember it like it was yesterday.
I had my main character, Dasher, a Super Speed, Martial Arts/Super Reflexes scrapper in Terra Volta, on a mission that had me hunting Freakshow.
While I was in there, I ran into a tanker who was getting overwhelmed and had broadcast for help.
There were about a dozen Freakshow around him, and he went down just as I dove in. He had no Awaken, so there was nobody to hold the aggro.
That's when I saw everything around me was conning orange, red, and a purple boss tank.
Oh, joy!
In for a penny, in for a pound, and I knew the only way to avoid (then massive) street debt was to pull out all the stops.
I sent in Dasher at full Super Speed, targeted on a Freakshow minion, kicked off my best attack and zipped past him, cut a hard 180-degree turn as the attack resolved and hit him again; three shots and he was down.
I kept Dasher moving in a super-speed circle around the Freakshow mobs, every defensive toggle running and kicking off "Practiced Brawler" at every recharge... I didn't know how to set it on auto back then; I don't remember if that ability was even in the game at the time.
Dasher would get clipped by a Freakshow tank or zapped by a Zapper lieutenant, and I'd burn a couple of blues or a Discipline and zoom Dasher back in, repeating the process: Target an enemy, zoom past, resolve the attack, kepp a wide circle, keep moving, keep hitting, zoom out to range then back into the aggro zone, never stop, all the while burning inspirations like it was going out of style.
After almost fifteen minutes of solid, unrelenting combat, the last Freakshow, a boss, finally went down. Dasher had less than 25% Health, no Endurance, one Awaken inspiration which he gave to the downed Tanker, and one double-origin enhancement drop for all the effort.
But the greatest reward of that battle was when the Tanker used the Awaken and typed in: "That was awesome! How the heck do you DO that?"
I sent back: "It ain't easy. It takes a LOT of practice. :-)"
The memory of gameplay like that has kept me in this game for the last five years.
That memory is from a time when you could actually could learn how to use your character's powers, and by learning how to use them, you could get so much more out of gameplay than just another level's worth of modifiers or a special enhanecement set bonus and its attendant perks.
Then, your character could get better by YOU learning to play the game better. And even if you didn't have optimal Enhancements, you could use all the elements of comic book superpowers to win a battle; manuever, tactics, and just plain basic smarts. It was more than just a numbers game, and the whole of a character -- with a dedicated player behind them, committed to learning how to use all of that character's abilities -- that character could become greater than the sum of its parts.
Those are my favorite memories of the game: Before Travel Power Suppression and Enhancement Nerfification and the Seytts that followed, before multiple overlays of animations and visual effects to dress up the same basic powersets at the expense of genuinelynew powers. Before, especially, a PvP system so imbalanced it requires special sets of Enhancements and an alternate character design to be viable.
My favorite memory was when this was a game of superpowered characters.
For five years I have voiced the the hope that it would return to that, but alas, it seems to have found its market in a very different opinion of what a superhero or supervillain game is supposed to be.
So my favorite memory of this game of super powers was when we could play it with super powered characters.
Perhaps it will find its way back to that; maybe it needs a nudge in that direction.
But when that nudge comes, it may already be too late.

Dasher; Always and forever, a Superspeedster first, and everything else second.

Any chance we could have an option to change the Buff Pets we get from the 48-Month Veteran badge?
Maybe as part of a future Veteran award, we could get a one-time exchange token, or the ability to take a second Buff Pet in the same manner as the extra 12-Month bonus power, something like that?
Granted, beyond a certain level, they are basically cosmetic, but with occasional lag causing the game to read my cursor in one place when it was someplace else on my screen, I got the wrong Drone. And, given that how characters look in CoH is a major part of the game's appeal, cosmetic effects count for a lot.
This is about as minor an issue as minor issues get, but I've already restarted the character once and I don't much feel like going to level 50 a third time.
Anyway, just hoping.

Dasher

First of all, I think this year's event is great, I'm having a blast.

However, I see a lot of in-game Broadcast messages regarding the Mystic Aspect that are, well, angry.

It seems the desired tactic of a vocal few is to wait until all the teams in the zone get to the Mystic Aspect before anyone attacks it so that everybody can get the badge credit.

Leaving aside what may or may not actually be necessary to get the badge, there are a couple of reasons why this tactic, though a worthy goal, is often impractical.

1. Not everyone will be on a team;

2. Not everyone in the zone will see the message in Broadcast;

3. Not everyone is willing to wait.

The third point tends to bring down the loudest criticisms, and since the folks advocating patience are usually trying to help everyone, that's understandable.

But absolute equality in anything just does not exist in the real world, nor does it exist in a game world in which real people are playing.

However, here are six friendly suggestions which should at least help increase the probability of getting more members of teams on-site to attack the Mystic Aspect together.

1. BRING THE RIGHT TOOLS. Make sure you have at least six people on your team, and that at least half of them have an "Assemble the Team" accolade or temp power to gather teammates as efficiently as possible. Someone on the team with a Capture power (Sonic Cage, Detention Field, etc.) would be great to have as well.

2. COORDINATE. Let all the teams in the zone know the order in which the banners will be attacked. Best method: Go in order of the banners on the nav bar, reading left to right. If you already have the badge for the first one, start with the sesond and come back to the first one after you finish the fourth one. Don't worry about which one is closest. The important thing is that all teams be on the same target.

3. BE ORGANIZED. Once the Mystic Aspect appears, search for it efficiently; have the team members spread out according to their position in the team: Leader goes North, second position goes East, third goes South, fourth goes West. If you have eight members, then the fifth goes Northeast, sixth goes Southeast, seventh goes Southwest, eighth goes Northwest (it's a lot simpler than it might sound). In seconds, you will know which one of the team is headed in the right direction, and seconds after that you will be able to zero in on the Mystic Aspect.

4. SHOW GOOD MANNERS. There is no faster way to insure selfish behavior than to start insulting people in broadcast for it. Whenever someone starts broadcasting profanity and outrage about "selfish morons" or "[deleted] jacktards", I can guarantee you that a good portion of folks who would otherwise have waited to attack the Mystic Aspect will respond in kind by ganking it. On the other hand, sometimes things just happen, not because any team is being "selfish", but because they simply weren't aware. Never blame on malice what can be explained by ignorance.

5. BE REASONABLE. When you are a team leader trying to coordinate Apocalypse battles, remember that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of people playing online besides yourself. Most of them want the badge and temp powers as much as you do. ALL of them have paid their fees, as you have, and using the Broadcast channel to attempt to dictate to dozens of strangers - or even friends - how YOU think they should be playing the game, is simply NOT going to work. Period. NO ONE will tolerate that sort of behavior, or take it seriously, nor should they.

6. BE REALISTIC. Cooperation is, by definition, voluntary. When it works, it's great, but it's not always the best way to handle a problem, and it won't always work the way a leader - self-appointed or otherwise - might want it to.

To sum up, just relax, and enjoy the game.

Remember, the seasonal greeting is "HAPPY Hallowe'en"!

Dasher

The big problem I am having with the Online Store has to do with Story Arcs.

I currently have my 3 Story Arcs and I want to buy 5 Story Arcs for $19.99.

If I try to buy 2 Story Arcs for $9.99, the message comes up that "Purchase two additional story arcs..." etc. That's fine, but it's not what I want, so I cancel the sale

However, when I try to buy 5 Story Arcs for $19.99, the message comes up that "Purchase one additional story arc..." etc. That ain't so good.

It is probably just a typo and I would probably get the 5 Arcs I pay for, but after 5+ years I have learned that "probably" often means "who knows?"

So I'd like to get confirmation from someone that spending the $19.99 will actually purchase the 5 arcs, irrespective of what the sale page says, because I don't want to have to jump through hoops getting credit for 4 more arcs, getting refunds on my credit card, telling my credit card company to refuse payment, or whatever.

So: Simple issue, simple question, should have a simple answer.

Thanks!

Dasher

It's also not letting Reichsman be defeated, at least in our (bitter) experience.
Just a notre to chec k more than just badge codes when tweaking this SF.

Dasher

Thanks, Niviene!

Also, why is the Tailor STILL changing our costumnes when we log in?

I had a toon literally lose hiss shirt, as well as have his boots, gloves, and helmet all changed completely, all of which I had to pay for.

This happens almost all the time when logging in at the tailor and, frankly, it's getting really annoying.

Just curious when this bug will be hunted down and squashed.

Again, thanks for the tokens!

Dasher

You folks are so much nicer since you kicked Statesman to the curb.

Wow, that's too bad.

The Fifth Column on the Moon for the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 is SO much cooler than just EITHER the Fifth Column OR the Moon.



Oh, well, that's why I get paid the big bucks for my imagination in r/l...

Dasher

Well, what did people expect?
The moment an award was made available, a significant portion of the subscriber population was - of course - determined to abuse the system and accumulate as much as possible of that award.
No doubt Gold Miners were part iof the problem; you can;t sell tickets, but you can sell the recipes and salvage they can buy.
So as abusive practices began to undermine the system, the rules were altered to try and protect it.
We subscribe to a community with all kinds of players, and like any community, abusive personalities will have an impact on subscribers who just want to enjoy what the neighborhood has to offer.
How would I solve the problem of farmers and other exploiters?
Believe me, you wouldn't care to know.
Dashere

I had this on the Anniversary Discussion thread, but it seems that's about attacking or defending the Mission Architect, soooooo...

(NB: Yes, I know they already had a big "anniversary" event, but that was the literal anniversary of the GAME, not the release of "Issue 15: Anniversary". This post is about the latter. And "Going Rogue" will be something completely apart from Issue 15, so it's not that, either.)

[ QUOTE ]
Okay, so here's my guess for the Issue 15 content to celebrate the 5 Year Anniversary...
.
Issue 15 is going to be called "Anniversary"...
.
There has been construction work going on all over Paragon City and the Rogue Isles on large steel-framework structures...
.
Some rumors early on implied these could be launch platforms for the rockets that would allow Moon Base mission access...
.
July 20, 2009 is the 40th Anniversary of the greatest event in the history of mankind, the first moon landing...
.
So...
.
Wouldn't it be cool IF Issue 15 "launched" on July 20 with access to new mission content on the Moon?
.
Well, ***I*** think it woud be REALLY cool!
.
What do YOU think?
.
Dasher

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, to all the naysayers (like me) who were never willing to admit that the Devs actually DO listen to players, it's time we sat down to a big heaping helping of crow.

In fact, things have been steadily improving ever since the Tyrant and his ilk were kicked to the curb, Long Live Positron.

A lot of folks -- and I was one of the more vocal -- have suggested/asked for an effective end to "alignments" since before CoV was in beta, and yes, it took a while, but all good things, etc.

Congratulations in advance, Paragon, on what is sure to be a whole new epic era for this great game.

Now if you would please listen to us about getting rid of Travel Power Suppresion, the game will be that much closer to perfection.

Dasher

Okay, so here's my guess for the Issue 15 event to celebrate the 5 Year Anniversary...

Issue 15 is going to be called "Anniversary"...

There has been construction work going on all over Paragon City and the Rogue Isles on large steel-framework structures.

Some rumors early on implied these could be launch platforms for the rockets that would allow Moon Base mission access...

July 20, 2009 is the 40th Anniversary of the greatest event in the history of mankind, the first moon landing...

So...

Wouldn;t it be cool IF Issue 15 "launched" on July 20 with access to new mission content on the Moon?

Well, ***I*** think it woud be REALLY cool!



Dasher

Well, it's been 10 Issues since Travel Power Suppression was inflicted on the subscribers with all the forethought of using manure to sculpt a masterpiece, and you STILL haven't got rid of Travel Power Suppression.

Get rid of Travel Power Suppression and you'll at least be on the right track again. You'll probably get a lot of subscribers back, too.

Dasher