Pirates_Rule

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Why? Are you saying that pissing off your client base is less significant than removing a portion of a small patch that is currently being tested on test? I'm glad you're not running the show.

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All the other builds that are in the pipeline after that patch are based on that build. That means if they remove that patch, everything else that they have in the pipeline has to be removed, and then re-added to a different base of code. Depending on how many builds that may bump, you're darn right I'll risk pissiing off the client base. What if fixing this issue meant a 3 week delay on I7. I'd say then you'd make more people happy by delaying the end drain issue than by delaying issue 7.

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I'm not saying any of this. I find it interesting that the immediate response from people who share your poitn of view is to assume that what we're saying is that the dev team should do as their told. Of course it sounds ludicrous when you put that level of spin on it.

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No, I'm saying it. You said I had a choice, but I didn't believe either of those to be the case, so I explained to you what I actually think, instead of allowing you to dictate it to me:

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If what you're saying is true then why does the dev team say they care so much about what we think and say? The two things are incongruous. So, either they don't care, in which case they should tell us that and do as they please, or they do care, in which case they're the sloppiest dev team I've ever met. Tell ya what, you can pick.

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Unfortunately, it doesn't change the fact that this dev team misleads it's client base on a regular basis, and I'm saying that this is yet another case of that. They increased mob end to reduce the end drain effectiveness, they will now "look into" fixing the end reducer power and will implement something that goes somewhere around half way. Hence... nerf.

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Or they increased mob endurance to account for the new AV->EB code, because Elite Bosses were running out of end, and by design they're not supposed to do that. However, since changing the base endurance for EBs meant changing the base endurance for bosses and lt's, this resulted in the end drain problem that they are looking into. However, the EB issue was more important to them then the effect on Bosses and Lts. So they went ahead and made the change, and will attempt to rectify the situation with Bosses and Lts. at a later point in time.

I know my explanation appears very far fetched, but seeing as it's based on reports I saw that EBs were running out of endurance, and not on an unbacked supposition that the devs are trying to reduce end drain effectiveness, I think it might be a little bit closer to the truth.

But feel free to disagree with me.

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Clearly it was, hence the retraction and apology that you're so insistent we use as proof his Jack's good faith, regardless of the fact that this dev team is rapidly becoming famous for their bait and switch routines.

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No, that's not what I'm insisting at all. Let's establish a difference here. Something worth re-evaluating? Yes. Something worth pulling out of the pipeline? No.

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Little miscalculation there, Matey. If what you're saying is true then why does the dev team say they care so much about what we think and say? The two things are incongruous. So, either they don't care, in which case they should tell us that and do as they please, or they do care, in which case they're the sloppiest dev team I've ever met. Tell ya what, you can pick.

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The issue isn't black and white.

They can care what we think. That means they ask for our opinions, and give us info, and then a place to respond to said info (like this thread for instance). They can even prioritize their development schedules based on what we say.

But, that doesn't mean they're bound to act upon our opinions. In the end, they are the one's who make the decisions, they are privy to information we aren't, and they're the one's whose work is on the line. That means that they're still free from reprisal, no matter how unpopular a decision, as long as they're meeting their contractual obligation. Their only contractual obligation is server access.

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If we're not allowed to say what is owed to us then you're not allowed to say what isn't.

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I leave that to the EULA you agree to every time you log into the servers.

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This bait and switch has happened numerous times, and again, in spite of your apparent predisposition to posting abundantly, you haven't read enough to notice.

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I've been reading the dev digest since around issue 2's release. I've never had a problem with any dev conduct that I have seen.

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You either know, it but are stubborn, or arguing from ignorance.

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Or, I agree with the changes made?

I have personally found it to be the case that with nearly every change this game has seen, the end result has been a more fun play experience for me. Therefore, when States says they're looking into it, I trust him.

Keep in mind, for your examples of underhanded-ness, I'd like to point out defense debuff resistance, defense scaling, and passive resistance in SR, as proof that when Statesman said they were looking at what was wrong with defense sets, they took the time to find what I have come to believe are good solutions.

I'm not stubborn, and I'm not ignorant. I'm just not upset.

I understand you are, but again, that doesn't mean you should be making ludicrous demands.

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You indicate that i'm somehow magically dead on and psychic, about them not considering the bugs worthy of re-designing the change.

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Or rather that it wasn't worth pulling it out of the pipeline. If it wasn't worthy of consideration of re-design, we probably wouldn't have seen point 1 (or was it 2?) to begin with.

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OK. So.... NOW they are? Nope, sorry. Blow me. Oh, and let me know when you've been around as long as I have, yo know the difference between a few minor oversights, and an UNACCEPTABLE level of "oversights".

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The difference is very simple. Do you have access to the servers? Then these are acceptable oversights, because everything that you are paying for is being provided. And it's nice that you're able to dismiss all of my knowledge and background without even knowing what it is. I guess you are psychic!

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You see, I was a staunch supporter, and anti-exploit/cheat PL guy for the bulk of my game time. All of the others are still solidly applying. The staunch supporter, on the other hand.... well, fool me once shame on you.... after a dozen times, ah, heck, screw ya.

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I don't think I said you had to support them. But that doesn't give you the right to demand things not owed to you as though they were.

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FACT: It IS a nerf to a collection of powers hit hard already.
FACT: It IS by description, another change, that makes almost ZERO difference in PVP.
I don't PVP. I have exactly ONE END draining character. Even that is a side effect of pulling END for me and my team, not the goal usually.

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I'm not sure if these facts were in dispute. And I'm also not sure what this has to do with not making a difference in PvP? I'm not sure why it's relevant if you don't PvP. Color me confused.

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Dude. Seriously. Eat it.

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Maybe you could show me where I called you names or insulted your intelligence, but I'm not sure I've done anything to deserve such hostility.

Instead of off topic remarks about how much you've earned the right to be demanding, maybe you could address my point that none of what you appear to think you're owed is actually owed to you?

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Oh, so this is more about manners than the actual topic.

Well, since it's about manners, I can see your point. However, I think you'll agree that a certain issue can only go on for so long before the people involved become irritated, can't you?

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I understand frustration. I just don't think it justifies poor behavior.

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I'll try to be more polite.

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Thanks, it really is all I ask.

I didn't respond to all of your post. Only the parts I feel are relevant.

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Y'know what, buddy? The pipeline failed. Again. Either they did it accidentally, which I doubt, or they did it purposefully for some other reason. Regardless, the outcome is the same.

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Or as pointed out by Lallendos, they knew about it, but it wasn't a big enough concern to bother doing something about it.

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If he's only aware of it now, then he hasn't been paying attention, like he says he does. If he was aware of it before then he released it knwoing it was screwed up. You pick.

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Not a big enough concern?

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Where were you a year and a half ago when I was defending them and giving them the benefit of the doubt and forgiving everything they did? I did that, it got me nowhere and now I'm fed up.

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I was probably soloing. Why do they need your forgiving? I'm just asking you to voice your opinion to him without throwing out all sorts of accusations about what he does or doesn't know, and what he should or shouldn't do, and what responsibility he does or doesn't have. Basically, first person is the way to go:

Hey Statesman, I don't think this change is good because...
Hey Statesman, I think you could be more communicative about these issues...
Hey Statesman, I think it would be great if we could get some kind of status update on some of these issues more regularly.

Know which one I liked?

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1. Kudos for admitting the error! Thanks for looking into it; it is appreciated. I hope the end-result will at least restore Endurance Drain to its former potency.

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See how he still voices his concerns without being hostile?

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1. We're looking into the tweak to Endurance for mobs that's affected Endurance Drain abilities. Sorry about that!


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Dude... you can't tell us that you didn't see everyone screaming about it when it was on test. You either didn't read the forums, you didn't listen to _Castle_ or you didn't care. And if it was becuase you weren't here (congratulations, by the way *hands cigar* ) it still doesn't matter 'cause you're the boss and the buck stops with you.

Let's not forget that it was on test for like, 6 minutes before it was jammed through to live.

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He didn't say he didn't see it. He said they're looking into it. And he even apologized.

Jeez.

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There's a maxim that applies here...

Tis easier to beg forgiveness rather than get permission.

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Asking permission implies that he needs it.

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Allow me to bring you back to reality. I don't want them to consult me. I'm an IT professional. We don't release jack diddly squat from developers without developer AND End User Testing. This piece, as were many others, got released live without consideration of known side effects. If the side effects WERE considered, then they were thought without merit for restarting the development cycle, or tuning and re-testing.

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Yeah, that was my original assessment of the situation.

Where's your problem?

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What I WANT is proper testing, and no spin doctoring. Those of you following along the nerf trail like lemmings must not work at jobs with any level of responsibility. We are paying customers. Hundreds of thousands of us. We pay for testing. We pay for careful analysis. I don't give a rat's [censored] about lying to the player base. I note ACTIONS not words, unless they contrast in such a way as to alter character of the speaker.

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Actually, you're paying for access to their servers. So, you're wrong.

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The ACTION taken directly relates to weakening the effects of an already hampered collection of powers. Other options WERE available. The side effects were patently obvious, and quite loudly complained about, and intelligently debated. Sounds real familiar to me.

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If the side effects WERE considered, then they were thought without merit for restarting the development cycle, or tuning and re-testing.

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Good work, Lallendos, you just proved to everyone that no wrong has been commited.

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Oh boo freakin hoo. I've been playing defective sets since I bought the game, and I never once came on to tell the devs how they better fix it or I'm gonna be mad.

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Nobody said any of this.

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You also didn't say that you were upset about the change. But I can read between the lines.

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Most of the time, forum goer frustration is due to lack of response on part of the devs, and in the case of I5-6, feelings of mistreatement. So States takes the time to let everyone know that they're aware of the problem, looking into it, and even apologizes, and he still get's flamed for it.

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I have a friend whose late all the time. He always has a good reason and always apologizes, but y'know what? After a while it stopped mattering to me how good the reason was or if he apologized, he's always frackin' late and I got sick of it. Period. Same logic applies here.

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Man, I had a friend who was always complaining that I would sign my e-mails "arrrrrr maties!", and I told him I do it cause pirates freakin rule. He said he didn't like it and I should stop. I said I'm sorry, and I'll look into the issue. But that doesn't give him the right to tell me off because I choose to write MY e-mails in a way that's pleasing to me. Same logic applies here.

His game. His changes. His loss if you stop paying.

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Guess what. It's software. There's a complicated pipeline, and you can't just pull something because there's a balance problem. It's not a bug, it was an intentional change with side effects that negatively affected some players. They never said they wouldn't fix it, they never said they wouldn't look into it, the never even said it was going to take a long time.

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Hey, how ya doin'? Welcome to the topic.

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Yes, welcome to you being angry about them not fixing something that would require altering code in the pipline, thus destroying the entire concept of a pipeline.

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Just because you're a dedicated player doesn't mean they should stop to consult you every time a change is made. With the responses that they get, regardless of how open or cryptic (no pun intended...maybe) they are being, I don't know why they should bother being open at all. It's not like the amount of flaming that goes on is lessened by it.

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Nope, but it woudl be nice if there was some damn follow through once in a while, or if they actaully said something now and then, instead all we get are equivocations and half-statements like "maybe" and "soon" and "we're looking into it" to shut us up and occupy us with the naive as they insist that we "Wait until they've looked into it" and then when, inevitably, they do nothing about it those same naive people scream about how they "never promised to fix anything" (which is an... interesting choice of words).

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Yeah.

Hey Statesman, can you night compile an entire list of issues that anyone and everyone may be concerned about, so that we can all know how close you are to fixing it? That surely couldn't take you an enourmouse amount of time that might be spent actually fixing the issues, right??

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Either say it or don't say it or just have the balls to tell us "Hey, this is our game, we're gonna do what we want with it. Period". If they said that I'd shut up. The thing that irks me is the feigned concern about our opinions.

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I call [censored] on that one. I think its about a million times more likely that the Balance Vision thread will be abandoned first. Even if they said that, you, and everyone else who thinks that because you pay money for this game, you get a say in the development and upkeep, would all continue to complain. Period.

Y'wanna know what would make me shut up? If people could have the slightest decency in dealing with the devs. Treat Statesman the way you would treat anyone else you don't know, in person, and I'll leave you alone. But anyone who thinks that they're owed an explanation, or a change, or a list of when changes may or may not be coming needs to learn a thing or two about reasonable expectations.

I'll say it again. He came out, and said they're aware of it, they're looking into it, and he apologized for it. The only thing the devs actually do owe us in terms of communication, might be that they're aware of it.

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Perhaps you haven't noticed just how often this type of thing happens. What you witnessed is forum-goer frusration at how even obvious side effects, side effects that are noticed and commented on, mind you, aren't even considered until after the fact.

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Oh boo freakin hoo. I've been playing defective sets since I bought the game, and I never once came on to tell the devs how they better fix it or I'm gonna be mad.

Most of the time, forum goer frustration is due to lack of response on part of the devs, and in the case of I5-6, feelings of mistreatement. So States takes the time to let everyone know that they're aware of the problem, looking into it, and even apologizes, and he still get's flamed for it.

Guess what. It's software. There's a complicated pipeline, and you can't just pull something because there's a balance problem. It's not a bug, it was an intentional change with side effects that negatively affected some players. They never said they wouldn't fix it, they never said they wouldn't look into it, the never even said it was going to take a long time.

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Oh, and it's been said before, in different words, yet is worth repeating:
We live and breathe the tiniest details in your creation for hours on end.
We rejoice in every new experience added.
When you cut off our legs, we will not celebrate when you later sell us a wheelchair.
We are your dedicated players.

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Just because you're a dedicated player doesn't mean they should stop to consult you every time a change is made. With the responses that they get, regardless of how open or cryptic (no pun intended...maybe) they are being, I don't know why they should bother being open at all. It's not like the amount of flaming that goes on is lessened by it.

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1. We're looking into the tweak to Endurance for mobs that's affected Endurance Drain abilities. Sorry about that!


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Dude... you can't tell us that you didn't see everyone screaming about it when it was on test. You either didn't read the forums, you didn't listen to _Castle_ or you didn't care. And if it was becuase you weren't here (congratulations, by the way *hands cigar* ) it still doesn't matter 'cause you're the boss and the buck stops with you.

Let's not forget that it was on test for like, 6 minutes before it was jammed through to live.

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He didn't say he didn't see it. He said they're looking into it. And he even apologized.

Jeez.

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open bar

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This alone will inspire people to go further than they would normally.

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A floating brain just.... floats.

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Remember, someone kicking your [censored] is still subject to the laws of physics. A floating brain is not.

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Clearly the solution is to have it in Secaucus.

-5 bazillion hotels so everyone and their mom can stay closeby.
-hotels = conference rooms for cons.
-located within walking distance of me.
-close to NY.
-in NJ.
-less of a hellhole than NYC (not like thats saying much).
-doesn't smell too bad.
-near 3 airports.
-Secaucus + CoX jokes write themselves.

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Hmmm... How about New Brunswick?

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Is that within walking distance of secaucus? (and therefore transitively within walking distance of hoboken?)

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They should have one in central New Jersey.

Just saying.

But knowing my luck, the closest place they'd have one is in NYC. And NYC is a hellhole.

And you know how I feel about hellholes.

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Clearly the solution is to have it in Secaucus.

-5 bazillion hotels so everyone and their mom can stay closeby.
-hotels = conference rooms for cons.
-located within walking distance of me.
-close to NY.
-in NJ.
-less of a hellhole than NYC (not like thats saying much).
-doesn't smell too bad.
-near 3 airports.
-Secaucus + CoX jokes write themselves.

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If the team size and mission difficulty are ABOVE a certain level, an Archvillain spawns. Below that, players will face only an Elite Boss. If the mission is set on the first two levels of difficulty, it takes 4 heroes or more to spawn an Arch Villain. On the third level, 3 heroes or more. On the fourth level, 2 heroes. On the highest (Invincible), a solo hero will spawn an AV. Note this works in BOTH City of Heroes and Villains.

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thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you

Thanks!

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The mag 100 Stun is being replaced with a more standard stun (duration based, normal magnitude.)

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Thank you very much.

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Ballista is a Toggle Dropping *******!

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Yeah, he is. He was designed to be as close to a Player Hero as we could make him. How do you guys like the Toggle Drop on him? Is it too nasty or does it add a nice challenge?

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Honestly, it really just pissed me off, so I quit for a while. In the future, I'll probably avoid the arc because of it.

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Maybe if Microsoft made a touch-screen attachment for the 360 we might have some interesting games.

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Microsoft, along with EA, represent nearly everything that's gone wrong with the gaming industry as a whole.

I can only show you the door. You have to walk through it on your own. I just hope that someday you do.

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A PSP is a Handheld Playstation. Costs a lot. And is making the DS look RREEEEAAAALLLL dumb.

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Developers don't need to figure out how to use the PSP, it's pretty straightforward. The DS's controls are still pretty new territory. The DS has far more potential, the kirby game for example, is unlike anything you could ever find on the PSP. In a few generations, the DS will mature into a heck of a platform.

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I guess I'm feeling masochistic today.

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Since you're talking about it, I was just wondering how much current subscriptions affect design decisions. If subscriptions are rising dramatically, do you take it as a sign that you're doing something right, and try to do more of the same? If subscriptions start nosediving, does that affect the process in any way?

Just curious.

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If Statesman can't open his mouth without lies and fetid baby corpses falling from his putrid gums then perhaps he should just keep it shut. We're tired of hearing his lies - 'cause that's all he ever says. Lies. And baby corpses... 'cause he eats them.

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Why can't the people who really believe this stuff be so hilarious?

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At higher levels Brutes get the power to summon Synapse and throw him at enemies as a range attack.

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Synapse + full fury + BU FTW!

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Last night, I saw a Brute run straight out of Breakout, go to Nerva, and run the respec trial SOLO!!!!!one!

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lol, he had to get out of breakout first? when i created my brute, a message just popped up on the screen saying "you win at cov, congratulations!"

man, i can't wait to get my passive unstoppable at level 2!

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I hear Bill Brasky is a Brute...

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During one of the brute nights during beta, we saw a Bill Brasky run by. The rest of the night was just one long string of Bill Brasky jokes.

Did you ever see the production of The King and I with Bill Brasky? On opening night, Brasky killed the cast, and when the curtains came up, he just sat there eating the entire cast. I heard it got pretty good reviews.

"They know we're coming? Good. Cabin Girl and I will make an open assault on the isles to distract Recluse's security forces. Harrrrr, Lil Popo and Ratchet will go with you, I want you to scout out around the isles and get our own visual confirmation on all the arbiters that you can find. Ratchet, I'll need some kind of wearable visual recording device as well. Afterall, Tar said he wanted recon, right?" Captain Yarrrrr grinned.

"Why the hell do you get to have all the fun?" Harrrrr demanded. "It's not like you're the only pirate around here."

"No, but I am the best. Besides, while everyone elses powers seem to be getting weaker, I only seem to be getting faster. Having no super powers to lose can definitly be a good thing. Use your discretion. If you see a situation where 'recon' isn't enough, then go ahead, and do what you think is necessary. Just don't do anything stupid, the Rogue Isles are outside the range of the city's transporters, if you go down, you're not getting back up."

With that, Yarrrrr leaped off the boat, headed for the closest island, and Cabin Girl was only a few feet behind him. Yarrrrr came ashore on Mercy Island. There was very little to threaten him here, so the two made their way towards Port Oakes.

The new villains had not yet been told of the stupidity of attacking Captain Yarrrrr and Cabin Girl, so along the way, the two pirates dispatched many young villains. At one point, one Doctor Viklas sent a few pitiful robots after the pirates. After two well placed headsplitters from the pirate duo, the robots were nothing but scrap metal. The pair took off after sending the foolish doctor to the hospital. A figure stepped out from the shadows.

"Ahh, Captain Yarrrrr, my old nemesis, you haven't changed a bit." Captain Arrrrrgh muttered under his breath. "I've finally escaped from that wretched hell hole you left me in, and after I get back in shape, I will make you pay. But first, I'll murder everyone you know and love. For now, I'll just bide my time." The peg-legged, hook-handed pirate stepped back into the shadows. "Soon enough, you scurvy dog, soon enough."

After ravaging several scores of low level villains, Yarrrrr and Cabin Girl made their way into Fort Cerberus. There they found an arbiter, but he was wearing a helmet. After defeating him, they tried removing his helmet, but it would not come loose. Yarrrrr made sure the recording device recorded everything, in all the vision modes it could, and then took off towards Port Oakes. They would find out who this shy arbiter was later, for now, there was work to be done.