FloatingFatMan

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text files of this kind are mostly made this way so you need X program to make your PC understand it, a bit the same as with a PPT file, you need power point to make it work but just opening it with notebook makes it plain text.

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No... You're referring to binary data files (Such as Powerpoint creates), which only view as random gibberish in Notepad (If they'll open at all). Most programs use a proprietary format to store their data. These .costume files are not, they are literally straight ascii text files, just with a .costume extension instead of a .txt extension, and are easily readable in Notepad.

12:06:05

Cara looked up from the skirmish she'd gotten embroiled in whilst trying to get back to Vigilance tower, and amidst throwing a fireball, a worried expression flitted over her face as she heard BODICIA tell Ryan the invaders were trying to kill him.

Taking a deep breath, she let out a yell and a huge corona of fire erupted from her body, scorching all the Malta troopers around her and forcing them to hit the dirt. In the brief respite, she jumped in the air and rocketed towards the lobby, flying for all she was worth.

"This is Cara, coming in hot! Everyone in the lobby that I like had better duck!" she quipped, though her words belied her worry for Ryan.

12:06:15

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Post deleted due to not reading

Apologies Sir Helm, i just re read your post

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Crikey Londoner... You're REALLY letting people yank your chain today!

It's a plain text file. Pretty much no different to what you see inside .demoedit files.

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How could you possibly exploit this!?

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Edit the .costume file to point to costume items you haven't unlocked, or are otherwise unavailable.

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It would be a pretty poor programmer that can't verify a simple unlocked flag on a costume piece... That would come under basic data validation...

How could you possibly exploit this!?

OMGWTFBBQ!!!11111oneoneeleven!

Something we've needed badly for AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGES!

Thank you devs!

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Thanks to this crappy forum software, I just lost an hours worth of writing covering 12:03:42 - 12:05:00 for Melissa, Julie and Marie. I'm going to write it again, but it's going to take a bit of time. Sorry!

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Dude, that sucks a lot but, dude.. NOTEPAD!

I write ALL my posts in there these days, thanks to the crappy forum software.

CoH is known to have many issues with SLi mode, so I'm not surprised you're getting frame rate drops. Be grateful it works at ALL! Many people just get driver or client crashes when they try to SLi in CoH.

Personally, I find SLi & Crossfire modes to be highly overrated and it puzzles me why people fall for the hype. The small performance increase REALLY doesn't justify the cost of 2 cards... Seems the card makers are realising this too, as they're starting to release more dual GPU cards instead, which gives a greater performance boost than 2 cards.

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Loving the new Police Utility Belt. I don't think there's a single hero should be without their trusty gadget belt (if you want a quote from DW: I may be able to access phenomenal cosmic power and be in tune with the universe. But if push comes to shove, a beanbag round ain't sparkly but gets the job done.)

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There's quite a few that have too though, due to the annoying limitation of not being able to have a belt AND a tail...

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12:03:40

Outside, the Kronos Titan's firing brakes were down, keeping it routed to one spot and preventing the ice from causing it to slip, even as its energy weapons fired into the shields on the Towers. The Malta forces around it though, did take notice of Burned Ice, and fire was directed her way.

[u]End of Minute Three/Begining of Minute Four[u]

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12:03:41

Cara let out a yelp as the Malta troops in the plaza finally noticed her and opened fire. Chips of ice sprayed from various impact points about her body, forcing her to give up her attack on the ground beneath the giant robot and fight for altitude, swearing all the way.

Finally, out of range of the weapons, she glared down at the Malta, her wounds already healing as the ice sealed itself. "Oh man, what are you DOING, Cara? There's WAY too many bad guys out here for little old you!"

Turning quickly away from the Malta still firing up at her, she headed back towards Vigilance Tower, muttering. "Ryan's sooo gonna kill me...."

12:04:00

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Abruptly, she flung an arm out and a beam of pure heat erupted from it, causing the foam emitters to concentrate their fire on her. However the heat from the beam was far too intense, and a hole was burned through the side of the building, opening the way to the outside and letting fresh air rush in. Cara stumbled to her feet, and fell through the melted concrete and steel.

12:03:05


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12:03:06

Cara fell through the sky, plummeting rapidly to the hard concrete of the Unity Plaza over a dozen stories below. As she fell, the rushing wind of her passage forced its way into her lungs, giving her some much needed oxygen and forcing the fog in her head to clear.

Her eyes snapped open and she realised what was happening, and only a second from disaster, her body shifted again, transforming in the strange living ice as the fires which kept her mobile wrapped around her slender figure.

Only a couple of feet from the ground, her angle abruptly changed and she rocketed across the plaza, straight at the Kronos Titan attempting to level both towers. Pulling up shortly before impact, she circled around, blasting several mini missiles that homed in on her, and fired a blast of searing cold at the paving stones beneath its feet.

"C'mon you big lump, fall over!" She yelled as the ground beneath the huge machine became slick with thick ice.

12:03:20

Oh I do... It can play Crysis fine.. But that's a SINGLE PLAYER game. Try to imagine that with thousands of people around....

And yes.. Crey...

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Aion uses the Crytek engine, not Unreal.

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*sighs and orders a Cray supercomputer.

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Cara narrowed her eyes as they vanished, and concentrated as she'd been taught; listening for the small sounds of their breathing, knowing they were moving to flank her.

12:02:02


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3 knives flashed out simultaneously, burying themselves deep in the back of the young heroine. As the blades sank into the the living ice that formed her body, Cara screamed piercingly and the flames around her body erupted, turning the entire stairwell into an inferno. Her three would be killers were incinerated in an instant as the flames engulfed them, and the metal stair railings began to soften and melt.

Seconds later, emergency fire suppression equipment embedded in the ceiling opened up, filling the space with fire retardant foam and smothering the flames, denying them of the oxygen they needed to burn. Underneath the foam, her body returning to normal, Cara struggled to get to her feet.

"*cough* Shut... *cough* Shut off... *cough* Shut off the damn foam!* she yelled into her comm link as she struggled to breath in the rapidly thinning air. "Can't... *cough* Can't... BREATHE!"

Abruptly, she flung an arm out and a beam of pure heat erupted from it, causing the foam emitters to concentrate their fire on her. However the heat from the beam was far too intense, and a hole was burned through the side of the building, opening the way to the outside and letting fresh air rush in. Cara stumbled to her feet, and fell through the melted concrete and steel.

12:03:05

Just found this on the US forums...

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat....v=#Post12151323

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Last week Senior Designer Floyd "Castle" Grubb described what's going into testing as part of Issue 13: Power and Responsibility in the article Issue 13 PvE Powers Changes.
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Now, Castle talks on the Jester's Court Podcast about these changes! It's a 41 minute podcast, but if you are interested in these changes, it's well worth the listen!
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[url=http://www.w00tstudios.net/jesters-court/281-episode-110-power-to-the-people.htmlClick here to visit w00t studios and listen to the podcast![/url]



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I figured we should have a discussion thread for it too.

Cara is in Vigilance, though a different stairwell to Leo.

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Vigilance Tower - Minute Zero - 12:01:20

Cara skidded to a halt at the elevators, then, remembering her training, pushed open the door to the emergency stairwell. Ducking her head around the door, she checked it was clear before floating through and drifting down the stairs, heading for the lobby and humming softly as she went.

12:01:35

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(( Slight backtrack, sorry ))

12:01:30

Cara floated gently down the relatively quiet stairwell, wondering why it was so quiet. Too late, she remembered another important part of her training, just in time to feel a sharp blade stabbing at her back.

Barely aware of the Knives of Artemis assassin decloacking behind her, she let herself fall forwards to the floor, letting her ice form protect her from the blade, and flames erupted all around her. 3 more Knives assassins were revealed, outlined in the flames as they jumped back from the intense heat.

"BIG mistake!" Cara growled, and raising a hand, ice shot out from her prone body, coating the nearby stairwell and causing the assassins to slip and grab for a handhold on the railing. Flipping to her feet, Cara grinned and readied a fireball in her hands.

"You women made a big mistake coming here." she growled, and without pause, threw the fireball at point blank range.

The women screamed in pain as the ball of sticky fire enveloped them, and they were blasted partly up the stairwell from the force of the explosion. Three scrambled back to their feet, one stayed down.

Glanced at each other, the assassin in command barked an order and the remaining three faded from sight again as they activated their stealth suits.

Cara narrowed her eyes as they vanished, and concentrated as she'd been taught; listening for the small sounds of their breathing, knowing they were moving to flank her.

12:02:02

*Wonders why Linda ignored Starborn...

Rolando Island, South Pacific Ocean. Wednesday 8th October, 8:55am Local Time (11:55am Paragon Time)

All was peaceful on the tropical paradise of Rolando Island. The sun was bright in the sky, and the waves lapped gently at the gently sloping sands with a relaxing sigh. At the southernmost tip of the island, 6 rows of 10 seats, split down the centre, were lined up, facing the ocean. In front of them, a small lecturn stood next to a large oil painting of Jessica Stoneberg, resting on an easel, and clustered around the painting were a large quantity of lillies, tulips and roses, Jess's favourite blooms.

On the seats, the groomed figures of Ellie & Jess's family and friends sat, talking in hushed whispers. Forefront, Jessica Kade and her partner, Kiyarii sat talking to the tall blue skinned figure of Mileena Lim and her partner Katie. Next to them, a stony faced Erik and his partner Sara Aegis sat next to an elderly couple, speaking softly in Dutch. Scattered throughout the rest of the audience were the couple's closest friends. Richard Huntington and his partner Cassandra; Isaac and Juan were stood near the back of the seating area, showing several people to their seats.

Up at the tower home nearby, a white haired figure looked out of the window, watching the gathering guests. Behind her, the two people most affected by Jess's loss, Hannah and Yoko, were just finishing their preparations for the memorial service.

A soft voice, touched by a hint of a hispanic accent, sounded from the doorway. "It's almost time."

Ellie slowly turned, the long black dress she was wearing rustling faintly, to see Zorielle stood in the doorway. Wearing a black suit, the older woman looked tired; the past few days had been a serious strain on her, and Ellie felt of pang of sympathy for the woman she thought of more like a mother than a friend.

Hannah and Yoko both stood up and moved to Ellie's side, taking a hand each. "We're right here, Ellie." Hannah said, her voice carrying a hint of the grief she was feeling.

Nodding, Ellie allowed herself a faint smile, mindfull of the sombre atmosphere. "I know, Han... Yoko. I know..."

She looked back to the doorway, vacant now as Zorielle had left to take her place outside. Taking a deep breath, and still holding the girls hands, she started towards the door. "I guess we should head down there."

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Outside, the hushed whispers settled down as Zorielle exited the tower home and walked down to the lectern. Seated just before it, her partner Tessa gave her a reassuring smile as she held on to their twin toddlers, Kelly and Michael. Seated just behind them, Eloise; Ellie's twin, and her partner Mike, nodded in greeting to Zorielle. As the audience grew quiet, Isaac and Juan took their seats amongst some brightly clad heroes at the back, resplendent in their best uniforms and each wearing a black armband.

A couple of minutes later, the final hushed whispering ceased as Ellie, Hannah and Yoko exited the tower and walked to the front row of seating. As the three took their seats, Zorielle stepped up to the lectern and began to speak.

In her chair, Ellie started up at the painting of Jess, barely listening as Zori extolled Jess's virtues. Her mind felt numb, as it had since Jess's death, and she found herself wondering why she was there at all. As Zorielle continued to speak, Ellie turned her head to look around at the others in the audience. Her brother-in-law Erik, and his parents; his mother softly crying into a tissue as her husband held her. Eloise, her twin, sitting quietly with Mike, both as stony faced as Erik. Richard and Cass, both equally stoic, though Ellie thought she saw a flicker of emotion in Cass's face.

As Zorielle continued to speak, Ellie became aware of soft sobs either side of her, and looked back to see both Hannah and Yoko crying into their own tissues. She stared at the two lost in their own grief, but like Jess, she felt nothing for them. She knew that right now, these two women were her closest friends, but even through everything she remembered, everything she'd shared with them, she was unable to give them even the slightest comfort.

Returning her attention to the rest of the audience, she looked at each one. All of them friends from Ellie and Jess's time in Paragon. Each one's lives touched in some way by the well known couple, each one feeling their own grief at Jess's loss and concern for Ellie.

Finally, Zorielle stopped talking, and Ellie turned back to see the older woman looking at her. They'd discussed this last night, Zori thinking that it would a mistake for Ellie to speak at this point, but being overridden by Ellie's determination to at least TRY to give Jess the respect she deserved.

Ellie stood smoothly and walked towards the lectern, a smile on her lips, and nodded to Zori. "Thanks Zori, I'm sure Jess would have appreciated that."

As Zorielle returned to her seat, Ellie turned to face the audience. She felt strangely calm as she recalled to mind the words she'd wanted to say to these people, and her voice soft, began to speak. "I know Jess would have been honoured that each one of you could come today, to say your last goodbyes. She was a good woman, a kind woman, and it give her great joy to know that she'd been able to get to know so many people in the past few years. I know that some of her proudest moments were those times when she was able to help those who needed it most."

As Ellie spoke, images of some of the things she and Jess had done over the years started to flash through her mind's eye, and for an instant, her voice faltered. "Jess's greatest wish was to have an impact on this world, to make it a better place. I think she... I think..."

Ellie's voice faltered again, and Hannah and Yoko looked up into her eyes, concern on their already grief stricken faces.

More images flashed through Ellie's mind as her voice stumbled to a halt, and with the images came a flood of emotion. A single tear appeared in the corner of her eye as she cleared her throat. "I think she made a bigger im... im..." She stopped again, and her hands gripped the lectern as brief wave of dizziness passed through her. People in the audience were starting to murmur quietly, wondering what was happening, and Hannah and Yoko had half risen from their seats.

At the lectern, Ellie took a deep breath, confusion clear on her face as all the emotions she'd been suppressing since Friday rushed to the forefront of her mind. Her knees sagged underneath her, and tears were now flowing freely from her eyes as she stammered. "...Impression.. than she... than she... thought..."

Abruptly, her knees gave way completely, and she dropped to the floor, sitting down hard. She let out a loud keening wail as the formerly suppressed emotions overwhelmed everything in her mind, and energy started to crackle around her body. Hannah and Yoko immediately sprang to their feet and started to move to Ellie's side, but a bolt of energy slammed in to the ground before them as the out of control emotions started to feed her unstable powers.

In the audience, most of which was hurriedly scrambling back, away from the growing energy storm, Ellie's twin Eloise stood and made her way towards Ellie, a determined look on her face. Cass moved as if to follow, but was stopped by Richard hand on his chest, and a soft shake of his head.

As Eloise approached, more wild energy flashed out from Ellie, striking Eloise dead centre, but she merely flinched as her body absorbed the blast, its signature identical to her own. Quickly she crouched down by Ellie and took the hysterically sobbing woman in her arms. Making soothing sounds, she started to rock her gently back and forth as the energy storm continued around the two of them, until slowly, it began to subside.

Moments later, the last few bolts of energy grounded themselves into the earth, leaving only Eloise holding a quietly sobbing Ellie, free at last to feel her loss.

Vigilance Tower - Minute Zero - 12:01:20

Cara skidded to a halt at the elevators, then, remembering her training, pushed open the door to the emergency stairwell. Ducking her head around the door, she checked it was clear before floating through and drifting down the stairs, heading for the lobby and humming softly as she went.

12:01:35

Hey, Wild_ !! It's still 12:01.. Not 12:48!!! This thing is lasting 7 minutes!

Vigilance Tower - Minute Zero - 12:00:15

The building shook, spilling Cara's books from her desk as the overhead lights briefly flickered in her classroom. "What the hell!?" she squawked.

Standing quickly, she hurried over to the window, looking down to the plaza just as Bodicia's announcement started to come over the com channels and loudspeakers throughout the building.

"Oooh cool!" she crowed, a grin on her face. "Time for some action!"

Stretching her arms out, fire erupted around her slim body, followed an instant later by a sheen of ice as her body transformed. Throwing a wave at her classmates, she headed for the door. "See you guys later, I've gotta go save the world!"

Minute Zero - 12:01:05

Forums, other websites, MSN, IRC server, IRC client, WMP, bittorrent, DVD encoding, sometimes Visual Studio 2008....

Yes, my PC is a wee beastie, and so's my bandwidth.

GR? How come harmless posts have gone now? Ones posted AFTER you'd done the pruning, so weren't in the chain?

I will repost once more as it's a perfectly valid suggestion... But this is the last time!

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Actually... I *have* a US account, though inactive, so my global name exists over there already; just not my character names, so I'm less worried about that part.

I think the only viable solution is a special title, akin to the custom yellow titles you see on some characters, showing your global name. That would, at least, resolve the character name issue. List it on searches so that people send tells to your global rather than the char name, and have NPC's just use the char name. In fact, only allow tells and game emails to global names instead of character names, and make the email store global, so you see the same ones no matter what char you're on.

Duplicate global names are STILL a potential problem though, and would probably result in SOME losses, but not as many, I think. I wouldn't so much mind an EU prefix to my global, though...