FourSpeed
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Posts
1554 -
Joined
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I agree that's the other mystery.
ie. How people only tend to see the "BUY" side of the equation...
I suspect for that mythical casual gamer the higher percentage of time *they*
interact with the market is in Buy-Mode (ie. they just got a level and only
then do they think of the market). However, they are only in the "Let's grab
some shinies" mindset during that time.
That in itself is fine, but what they also should do is cultivate the Sell-Mode
for all *other* times while they're earning their levels.
As a percentage of time spent, the far higher percentage is spent gaining levels
(for me, at least), rather than equipping newly earned levels. During the levelling
timeframe my default thinking is always SELL. By the time I get to Buy-mode,
the cash is already in-hand. <shrug>
Regards,
4 -
The other thought I'd have is that any *additional* tax exerts pressure (in
proportion to the amount of tax) towards driving folks out of the market and
into an actual underground, black market economy.
To be sure if the scale is relatively minor I doubt that pressure would be much,
but if the scale is high, you'd very soon have the Big Fish wondering why they
should pay it on High Ticket items when they could instead arrange a private sale
in these forums or TheMarket channel and avoid all taxes entirely.
You can be certain *that* would have a significant effect on the market.
Regards,
4 -
Quote:Perhaps... Still, I suspect that "Sticker Shock" happened to most of us the first timeOriginally Posted by Dersk
That only applies to someone that looks where to spend money before
learning how to make money. They are destined to be poor with that
outlook and deserve no sympathy. All a newblette has to do is discover the
market value for arcane salvage and be reasonably well off for the rest of
his or her existence.
(especially those, like me, who weren't here when the Market first released in I9).
I can completely sympathize with that feeling.
What I completely fail to understand is the folks who refuse to move past it,
and LEARN...
After all, simple logic (sh|w)ould dictate that *somebody* is paying those prices.
Why not learn how to become *that* guy???
Regards,
4 -
I have no idea on your question, but the entire idea of "Stalker" and "Socialite"
just cracks me up somehow... Talk about a classic non sequitur...
My invisible Stalker sneaks up on people and brutally runs a sword through their
gizzards... "Socialite" is definitely not the term I think applies...
He doesn't get invited to a lot of parties...
Cheers,
4 -
Personally, I'd just point you towards this thread and I'd further
recommend you read the 3B Bible by BMF in the Blaster Guides
section as well.
Soloing Blasters (or most other AT's, in fact) isn't particularly difficult.
Hope that helps.
Regards,
4 -
Hiya TeaLeaf,
As I understand the concept of "softcapping", all you're trying to do is set your
defense levels so that the foe is floored with a 5% chance to hit, and set your
accuracy levels high enough so that you always attack with a 95% chance to hit.
Those are the highest "practical" values you can get.
Obviously, it's a bit of a moving goal in the sense that it varies depending on the
level of enemies you're facing, what kind of buffs/debuffs/resistances they have,
and so on.
Personally, I don't sweat the numbers *too* much, but rather approach my builds
a bit more holistically.
Along that line, you can look in your combat chat tab and see the Chance To-Hit
your attacks had, along with the same chances they had to hit you. Of course,
you can also monitor Def and Acc percentages in Combat Attributes as well.
If you see numbers you don't like, you can adjust slotting/enhancements accordingly
based on what you commonly fight.
Of course, you can always min/max the numbers too, but in that instance, you
may get better detail in the particular AT forum for your character.
One little Acc trick I use is to gauge attacks on Sands of Mu vet power - it *always*
hits worse than my other attacks, so if I have enough set and proc bonuses (I always
get a Kismet 6% acc) to boost that number up around 85% (iirc) or better, I'm pretty
much assured that everything else is softmaxed to 95% To-Hit...
Regards,
4 -
Well Done and Gratz, Catwhoorg!
4 -
Tallied up the hours on mine... Assuming I didn't miss any:
PB's
Number: 4
Hours: 535
WS's
Number: 5
Hours: 103
In general, virtually all of these hours (except for my newest WS) are
from the I-3 - I-4 timeframe.
Regarding PB's, I'm mildly surprised the number is that low. Go Figure.
Most of those were on the couple PB's I based my I-4 BiForm Guide on.
I've tried several times to like WS's, but it just doesn't seem to be my
thing. Of those 100+ hours, 84 of them are on the most recent one (I
guess IO's & sets are helping, but he's still only ~L22 or so). Oddly enough,
he came into being for an "RP" event, and I decided to run a bit... Prior to
him, my highest WS had amassed a whopping 6 hours.
I'm not sure how much further he'll get, but I do have plans to head back
to PB's (the main ones are still slotting SO's from pre-ED days), once I get
done with some other AT's I'm currently focused on (Alt-itis is a Bi**h)
Regards,
4 -
Quote:Actually, you can get some Skulls in the parking lot right behind WW, but it's
no NPCs that spawn anywhere in between the 10 second trip back and forth
still a great place to market for lowbies, since it's little more than 100yds to
the "store" NPC.
Steel Canyon is also pretty good if you have Fly or Super Jump.
The nice thing about SC is that you can craft there also (as a lowbie).
On the villain side, Port Oakes is decent. You can craft there (Abandoned Lab),
but it's a toodle across the bay to do it, and the run to the quartermaster,
while nearby also has a couple Family spawns along the route.
Sharkhead is good with SJ or Fly (so you can skip over the scrapyarders),
and St. Martial is my fav since it's pretty close to the quartermaster and
an Abandoned Lab as well...
Regards,
4 -
If you can deal with the risks of PvP - Bloody Bay (N of the villain base in the
forest and along that coast) spawns quite a few of them.
These days, with the zone nearly empty most times, it's probably one of the
quickest places to get that badge (at least, it has been for me).
Regards,
4 -
Hmmm... I'm not sure exactly what you'd need to know... I'll toss out a few
thoughts and see if they help... Bear in mind that these are purely my own
opinions, and I'm sure other soloists will have their own ideas as well.
1> All AT's can solo. The rate at which they can do so varies - in general,
I'd say most melee toons go fastest, and support AT's go slowest.
2> Unless you don't care about deaths / debt, the biggest thing to learn solo
is (imho) aggro management. In a team, you can often get away with more
aggro than you could personally deal with, but solo - that is a guaranteed hospital
trip.
Only Aggro what your specific toon can handle.
In this regard, Stealth is more helpful for soloists than teamers since it lets you
choose and sequence your engagements to best survive and thrive.
3> Also relating to #2, the difficulty slider matters much more when solo. Until
you're comfy with your solo toon's capabilities, leave it on Heroic or Villainous.
4> Enhancements help soloists (even at low levels). Personally, I start slotting
IO's at L7 (They're way better than TO's, and L15 IO's are better than DO's),
and then I start frankenslotting sets at L20-25 (depending on AT and what
sets are available).
For some this might be problematic - I'm also a marketeer, so inf is never a
problem I run into - YMMV. I just want to stress the idea that your solo toon
will be more effective (and less frustrating) with enhancements when you can
manage it.
5> This is probably self-evident, but only Damage = XP. So, regardless of what
AT you play, put some slots and effort into its attack chain - you'll *always*
need it.
6> AV's (and to some extent EB's) are a different kettle of fish. Some AT's
simply cannot handle these. Some can - you'll want to peruse AT guides to get
a sense of what works there.
Hope you find this useful.
Regards,
4 -
Quote:Same boat for me... Been here since CoH Beta, and only ever run one Posi,
I've been playing for 4+ years and have still only ran 3 TF's... Total.
Must be the soloist in me.
one Hess, and a couple respec trials...
I run solo 80-85% of the time, and the other 15-20% I duo with a friend who
got me into this game in the first place.
Being able to try tf's solo (or even duo) would actually be a fun thing to try
with some of my L50's, so here's hoping that is true...
Regards,
4 -
Quote:Originally Posted by Sardan
D'OH!Quote:
Originally Posted by FourSpeed 
I'd assume it was pre-download for I-16,but don't quote me
I *hate* when that happens...
4 -
Quote:@Kawless
If you pvp, Lightning Field is great for popping stalker invis
It's not as good a chance as you might think. I'm not sure of the DR numbers
but in PvE (in Hide) my Stalker's AoE defense is over 60% (at L32). If PvP
cuts that in half, it's still pretty effective for a short period.
At most, there are only 2 ticks on an aura before I get an AS attack off, and
most times it comes as quite a surprise against folks who thought they were safe
while using LF (or the spines aura - Quills?).
To be sure, it's better than not having anything, but I'd not put too much faith
in it.
@StratoNexus
Just to clarify, I'm not an LF hater by any means, I just simply think it is a much
more situational power choice than Short Circuit (a slam dunk keeper). It has
its value, but it comes at a cost (in playstyle and END slots) that may be too
expensive for some folks.
Regards,
4
PS> @Fulmen's. My E3 Short Circuit is 5-slotted (3 Perf Shifters, 2 Efficacy
Adaptors - all L28). That gives it ~87% drain, 55% Acc & Rchg, which I find
"good enough" for 5 slots, especially with Hasten, Kismet Acc% and other set bonuses
the build has (and it still gives me the ~3% max health bonus and 5% movement
speed in Bloody Bay while saving a slot for other powers). -
I'd assume it was pre-download for I-16, but don't quote me
Regards,
4 -
Quote:I've managed to keep my nose out of this thread for a near record amount
The OP came to the wrong place to vent his frustration...
However...to his point...it has to be somewhat discouraging to newer
players or those who can only play for 2 - 3 hours per week to see all the
great "loot" availble in this game for their characters, only to find out is
virtually unattainable. I'm not suggesting it isn't possible for them to earn
things, or even learn how to play the market in order to get the necessary
funds. But the truth of the matter is that it used to be a lot simpler and,
as in real life, the rich keep getting richer and the poor stay poor.
I used to consider myself fairly well off in this game, but the stash of 1
billion influence I have today has a fraction of the buying power it used to
have.
of time, but alas, my willpower has crumbled.
To address your points:
1> It IS discouraging for casual/new players to deal with market Sticker Shock.
I too needed a change of underwear the very first time I set foot in the market.
That said, OP (and other marketears) have choices, namely:
a> Stick with tried and true SO's which still work fine, and haven't inflated by
so much as a single inf since the game was released.
b> In conjunction with (a) only SELL your stuff on the market - those same
exorbitant prices the OP is crying over can be IN HIS pocket, simply by selling.
c> The number 1 thing newbs *should* do is: LEARN. Smart players actually
ran the game tutorial to learn how to play the game. Smart players ran the
University tutorial to learn how to craft. Smart players dabble with Mid's and
the test server to learn new AT builds/powers. Smart players read forum guides.
d> Instead of (c), sadly, the most frequent choice that we tend to see here
is uninformed rants about market manipulation, casual gamers (supposedly)
getting screwed, and how little Johnny can't purple his warshade for a pittance.
2> I disagree with your assessment about it "used to be simpler". If you mean
that the game should have stuck with just SO's, that's one thing, but quite
simply, playing the market has NOT gotten any more difficult than it ever was.
The same fool-proof strategies that worked way back when still do... For instance,
the Guide I wrote nearly a year ago is just as effective today as it was then.
3> I'm still having a major issue with the entire "inflation" FUD. SO's have been
fixed in price since Day 1. Common IO recipes are also fixed in price since they
were introduced (buy from a crafting table). Inspirations are fixed price since
Day 1. Salvage is very volatile and fluctuates from 10 to 1M (loosely). Unless
you pay NAO prices, it's generally flat if you're even modestly patient.
So... the only thing that is raising/inflating are sets (and only certain of those),
purples, and PvP sets. The latter are new, so I'm not sure Equlibrium price is fully
established in that segment yet, but the others are pure Luxury items, and a BIG
chunk of the so-called "inflation" can be pegged directly to AE and the drastic
drop in supply it has lead to (in conjucntion with Merits which did the same thing).
On the flip side of the coin, the rate at which inf is being made is at the highest
it's ever been... On a *fun* note, we see more posts from newly minted Billionaires
every day in this forum, which blessedly, helps offset the marketear posts.
I've yet to see much evidence that prices are increasing faster than income.
In general, purchasing power is higher than it's ever been with only a few exceptions
in the Luxury segment (as previously pointed out).
4> In conjunction with point #2, as Milady's Knight rightly points out - the market
is hands-down the greatest boon to the casual player this game has seen. Think
about it. I have all the farmers, TF grinders, and SG's *working* for ME. They do
a lot of the things I prefer not to do, and they provide me the goods that I DO want
but couldn't get otherwise (I've run TWO tf's (ever) in the entire time I've been
here, but I *still* can get all the Pool C drops I can afford for ANY of my toons).
If the tone of my post seems a little harsh, please accept my appologies, but
quite simply, those are the actual facts of the situation.
The ONLY reason a player is poor in this game is directly due to a conscious
(or unconscious) decision to be that way - pure and simple.
That might not seem very friendly to the poverty-stricken but that doesn't make
it any less true. Consider it cough-syrup for the financially challenged...
Regards,
4 -
Quote:Given that you intentionally lost ~70M, I'd say your scheme to "not make money"
So that's my first experiment, and I'll be playing around for as long
as I have money. What do you all think of my "ebil" scheme to not make money?
was highly successful.
Not in Fulmen's league by any means, but a fine start...
Well Done!
Regards,
4
PS> The story was amusing too - thanks for the chuckle -
Quote:Just the sort of thing a squishy blaster needs - more aggro
a TREMENDOUS tool for gaining aggro 
I'm pretty ambivalent on LF (as my prior posts indicate).
I am a big fan of Short Circuit, and on my E3 blaster it's definitely slottedQuote:For Short Circuit, my belief is that it's better to get 90-95% Rech and 95%
End Drain and lose a little damage, if needed.
out for max drain (I'd have to look to see what's actually in it). It is just
too handy with Power Sink to worry about the damage component in that
case.
He has lots of powers to "arrest" mobs, but that combo is so good for damage
mitigation that I wouldn't dream of slotting it differently in the later levels.
Not so on my Rad/Elec Defender however.
I'm planning to slot SC for damage rather than drain there. With the debuffs/holds
he has, mitigation is already solved, but the "arresting" part is the challenge
he has...
Regards,
4 -
Quote:np. I realize that actually.Originally Posted by Snakebit
I meant an abstract minute of dealing damage, not a real minute of play.
Still, for all intents and purposes, it's a bit of a meaningless measure because
the vast majority of actual encounters won't last that long.
So, you're basically looking at some seconds worth of "add-on" damage if your
playstyle is a blapper/melee approach (which is fine, but hardly "oh wow" numbers),
and nothing at all if you have a traditional ranged blaster style. I agree that it can
add up over a large number of mobs, so it's definitely helpful, if not particularly
impressive (imho).
That, of course, brings me back to concluding it's a very situational/playstyle
power choice.
Regards,
4 -
My take on the OP's question.
Short Circuit is definitely worth it. Since it can be slotted for damage
and/or drain, it's effective either way.
I definitely take it, use it, and enjoy its benefits on my E3.
Lightning Field is a bit odd and optional based on playstyle (imho).
It IS cool to look at. I've used it most in Atlas Park (for the looks it gets)
Because it's an aura, you can also hit those AI wingnuts that still occasionally
get stuck in the geometry.
Somebody mentioned dmg over a 1 minute duration - I have mixed thoughts
on this.
First, unless your aggro management skills are poor, or you're fighting an AV,
everything you're fighting will be long dead in a minute, or you will be.
If you're a Blapper/Sapper build, it can put out enough damage to be helpful
(at a significant endurance cost), but I'd still bet it won't take that long
to beatdown the baddies.
If you're a ranged shooter, LF's value will be substantially reduced, and I'd wager
that there are probably better choices.
In the end, I kept it on my E3 (even post respec) but I only took it at L49 for the
show value. I use it very rarely, but at that level it didn't prevent me getting
the powers I do use frequently, like Short Circuit, which I took as soon as it
was available.
Basically, it all comes down to playstyle - LF can be a good power if it fits
how you like to play your blaster. I think SC is a good power for more styles
of play though.
Regards,
4 -
I agree wrt to recipe vendoring.
I still works every bit as well now as it did when I wrote my guide on it nearly
a year ago.
If I-16 predictions are correct, recipe supply will go up (the potential drop bug
thread's concerns elsewhere notwithstanding), increasing the availability of
cheap (and undervalued) recipes. I expect that strategy to continue being
effective.
The only other "moron-proof" starter strategy that NetherGoat didn't mention
initially (that Milady's Knight ? covered) was L50 SO vendoring. While much
more limited than recipes, it also works quite well for boosting character
wealth in hour one of their careers. Buy 'em for 100, vend them for 10,000. Cake.
I think most of the slam-dunk basic strategies have been covered now...
Let's see the pictorial guide, Goat!!!
Regards,
4 -
Quote:Interesting commentary, Mod08.Originally Posted by Moderator 08
For the record, I'm not concerned with
CO's release in regards to my market strategy.
If I were concerned with CO causing any sort of market fluctuation or
unpredictability, I would focus entirely on short term profit strategies and
hold almost no inventory. Given what I'm seeing on the market this
morning (I was away for the weekend, which seriously limited my profit)
I'm guessing the majority of the ebil agree with my assessment because
I'm seeing a lot of activity that indicates to me that others are doing some
serious bulk purchasing or at least making significant market manuevers
perhaps because of the increased price volatility since the last double xp.
I'll leave rules interpretation to you, of course (), but wrt to the short
term profit strategies you allude to seeing, I suspect these have far more
to do with I-16 and the prediction/perception that it will drive players out
of AE and back into the "real-world" than any possible CO impact.
If the I-16 predictions are correct, supply of salvage and recipes would
increase (perhaps sharply) leading to a corresponding drop in pricing.
The short-term approach is the proper response if there are concerns
about market volatility, rather than hoping slots holding long-term items
pan out post I-16 release.
I believe this is what you're seeing evidence of.
By contrast, a mass-migration to CO would be liklier (imho) to involve either
AE babies who are now bored (little to no market impact there), or high level
players (ie. suppliers) looking for a new shiny. The latter could have the effect
of reducing supply and causing a rise in pricing, however, I for one, am not
expecting that migration based on what I've heard and know about CO.
Finally, I'll echo the sentiments of some of the other folks here by saying it's
nice to see a red-name chime in on matters of Marketing Ebil...
Regards,
4 -
Quote:That's the sprinkle of salt over the shoulder that has me skeptical as well.
What is going to move people out of AE?
It is *possible* that the difficulty slider setting will be enough to draw farmers
out of AE and into real content (which would be a significant market plus), but,
I remain skeptical that I-16 will reward "normal" content play at a comparable
rate to existing AE Boss farms...
We'll see, but until the trends actually appear in market I'm not holding
my breath on it.
Regards,
4 -
Quote:As a player who runs his stalker solo 100%, I have to disagree with the bolded
Of course, I also mainly solo because nobody groups outside of AE
anymore, so placate is useless when everything is focused on you.
part completely.
Placate is a critically vital part of the build. In fact, it's more helpful
*for* the solo player than the teamed player imho.
Two key ways in which it is pure awesome sauce for the soloist:
1> Against a Boss, BU -> AS, 2nd, 3rd Attacks, Placate -> AS = Dead Boss
2> Against a group of 3 LTs/Minions... AS #1 (it's now a group of two - it
may require the 2nd attack in your chain for Lt's).
Placate #3, and scrap #2. I can (90%+ of the time) take out #2 before #3
recovers from placate - mitigating it's attacks entirely.
In the case of minions, I can usually take out #2 and AS #3 before the
Placate wears off.
I'm not sure how you're approaching it, but Placate makes both of those
styles work reliably, nearly every time...
I'm unclear how you think "useless" describes Placate for a solo stalker.
Regards,
4 -
On my NB/Nin, I use AS with 3 different approaches.
1> Standard: BU -> AS -> coup de grace... from hide.
2> Secondary: Placate -> AS -> coup de grace... when hide is "down"
3> Filler: ....attack chain... Air Superiority -> AS (if foe was knocked down)
Cases 1 & 2 are usually fatal for the victim. Case 3 is a filler
attack which does decent damage (better than Gamber Cut or
Flashing Steel), but without the heavy duty AS crit component.
Using it after Air Superiority does a knockdown eliminates the risk
of the AS being interupted.
I'm sure other folks have different approaches, but I use those 3
methods all the time, quite successfully.
Hope that helps.
Regards,
4