LordXenite

Take a Lv50 PB, Lv50 WS (both TriForm) and a bunch of lowbie Controllers and you'd probably be set.

Kidding aside though, I was on such a lowbie team with my Lv50 PB and a couple of Controllers who may have been of lower level, but definitely knew what they were doing. I would combine together two enemy groups and pack them around me, the Controllers would lock'em all down (Grav/Earth) and everyone else, including me (in Nova form) would blast'em to bits. When I had both Dawn Star and Photon Seekers up at the same time, it'd usually be game-over for the Bosses before they were released from the first lockdown.

It was fast XP for sure, but you're right, we weren't farming Lv54's, we were farming Lv52's

During 2XP weekend, I got on my Lv50 TriFormPB and headed to the AE Center in AP. I joined some AE farming teams, purposefully preferring teams with as many low level characters as possible.

As expected, we ran all Lv50+ Boss missions, but as we played, I noticed how wonderfully efficient everything went along if everyone just followed my PB into battle. She kept everyone safe by basically not letting any enemy hit any team-member other than herself.

As soon as I noticed any of the other players using AoE Fear or Disorient powers, I'd join with my own powers so the Fear/Disorient effects would stack (yes, my PB has 3 powers from the Presence Pool) and switch to Nova to help with better damage than my Dwarf can dish out.

My PB was all over the place, herding mobs and even packing two spawns together for easier AoE controlling powers, when we had Controllers, and blasting stuff to bits when possible. It actually was a lot of fun, and hopefully, people enjoyed my playstyle as well as I did.

I didn't heal my teammates or control (unless you consider KB a measure of control) the enemies, but it was evidently clear that without my PB there, things would not go as smoothly (even when we had high-level Tanks who actually were not "raised" in the AE Incubator™). You may attribute all this to me being a smart player, with a solid build etc, but the fact is that if my character was anything other than a PB, I doubt I could have done with it everything that I did.

Yet another proof the Devs secretly love Villains

[ QUOTE ]
Wow. I have to admit I can't wrap my head around the idea that the time I spend playing the game is a risk, or a waste of time if I don't get the "uber" drops.

[/ QUOTE ]
Obviously, you do not have a mind possessed and obsessed with obtaining Results above and beyond all.

Like several people have already said, this idea is a solution looking for a problem. The funny thing is, you seem to be the only one seeing this problem and most people here tell you that your perceived problem is a major required component in the game... even if you were right, this means the if your suggestion were to be implemented, chances are, a lot more people would get upset with it and leave the game.

Also, do you know of any other MMO where your ideas exist??

ROFL!

True, but I usually use GE for its Disorient more than its KB.

I actually have one key bound to target the corpse, and another key bound to drop me off any form I'm on and execute the power... it works perfectly, or at least used to work perfectly before the recent increase in Lag which seems to worsen with every new Issue.

But yeah... use two keybinds, it's more complex perhaps, but keeps your Warshade healthier in the long run.

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not sure how any of this addressed my answers that there is more then mob level in deteming how challenging a monster is?

[/ QUOTE ]
The whole idea of these games is to provide the player with a scenario that has to be overcome by using the tools the player has. This isn't a chess game, it's a math-game made interesting by skewing the odds in favour of the AI (at least at first) and allowing "random" numbers to affect the players tactics... when the numbers are skewed later on in favour of the players, the AI loses constantly, so I'm not sure what sort of challenge you think will be left if you remove "level debuffing"?

Can you perhaps give me an example of how an NPC would have a chance to fight at all without the "unfair" advantadge of "level debuffing", and without changing the games' engine to include more sophisticated AI scripts?

It's called the Dwarven Slide... learn to love it because it's probably going to be with us for a while...

[ QUOTE ]
Your Warshade might be a redneck if you have more than three fluffies, and they're all named "c'mere boy"

[/ QUOTE ]
Fixed! and you so should start a thread like that!!!

Custom AE Mobs do more damage, and because they are customized by the player without some restrictions that Devs use, we can make combinations that challenge some AT/power-set combinations, e.g. MindControl/DarkMiasma NPC's. The control AE authors have on NPC placement is still very restricted IIRC because you cannot place an NPC in a spawn-point you've chosen, only in a map-region designated as "Front/Middle/Back". The fact that was can now see the individual spawn locations for each of the F/M/B designations doesn't mean we actually control individual NPC placements.

Custom AE Mobs still use the same AI scripts that dictate to them how to attack us and therefore are still vulnerable to the same tactics we use to reduce the risk when fighting NPCs. This is evident when you read about (and perhaps experience) the exploits in AE farm missions.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'd like to remind everyone that essentially, we're already involved in a gambling game. The moment you defeat an NPC, but don't know exactly what l00t they'll drop, that's already a gamble.

[/ QUOTE ]
*
And how much Inf are you betting? How much Inf do you stand to lose if you fail to defeat that NPC?
*
Sorry you can't call it gambling if there is no risk involved. You can't even count debt as a risk because they don't take exp away from you. You can't lose a fight and then have to earn that level all over again.

[/ QUOTE ]
The currency that is being used as a betting chip is time, and the risk involved is having to go through something like a Task Force or a very boring grind only to end up with a bunch of mediocre salvage pieces and a common IO recipes. That's the risk, that's the gamble.

Ask any Efficiency Expert (a.k.a AE farmer) and they'll tell you that recently losing ones' AE-slot for posting a blatant farming mission is also very tangible...

EDIT :: And... after thinking some more about this idea, as cool as it may be to add more mini-game into CoX, adding rewards to these mini-games is something that RMT dealers would absolutely love! Also, if people love gambling so much, they can arrange it themselves betting on Gladiatorial and Arena battles. At least then, the INF won't come for free and the in-game economy won't be in turmoil because of inflation.

As far as I know, until we have integrated true AI opponents, ones that can actually think... and attack intelligently, what you call "level debuffs" (if I understand this correctly) is the only way to challenge players in games based on the player having to wisely choose which attack to fire off when, and on which enemy to win a fight.

Thank you for your review.

[ QUOTE ]
Semi-off topic but still semi-on topic... Hm,
*
Is "Going Rogue" going to be an expansion, like CoV was to CoH, or is it going to be it's own Issue?

[/ QUOTE ]
Who knows, maybe in time, Going Rogue will become free just like Going Rouge did

[ QUOTE ]
I like both of your suggestions immensely, LX

[/ QUOTE ]
I think we should perhaps submit this into the Suggestions and Ideas forum!

You'll get the Devs official word... Soon™

Seriously though, I doubt double-XP would affect AE since IIRC, neither does patrol-XP.

/stabs thread with many many poison darts!

Knockback can be an excellent control mechanism if the PB using it actually moves its butt and bothers to find the best place to KB the mobs into, otherwise... it can be terrible!

For Incandescent Strike, I'd like to see the animation(s) from /e smack + /e slap

For Lightform, I think we should be given a special costume slot in which we can use certain graphic elements which will be "colored" with "light"... think angelic wings and such...

[ QUOTE ]
For Hasten, I just leave it on auto in a visible tray so I can see when it recharges (same tray I have Stygian, Sunless Mire, Unchain Essence, and Extracted Essence in, for the same reason - I tend to use those as they recharge).

[/ QUOTE ]
As do I, and it works like a charm.

Sounds like a very very bad idea to me, /unsigned.