Ravenswing

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they've been going out for a few months now, and they're already getting married.


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That's not actually very fast.

Fast is:

John: "Hi, my name's John."
Jane: "Hi, Jane, now I've got the church booked for Saturday..."

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On CoH, EVERY character starts at level one, and a level one can't beat a level 50. That means we don't have any "UBERPOWERFUL-GOD-MONKEYS-OF-DOOM" character running about from level one.

But in freeform, we wouldn't have that protection.

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*laughs his behind off* (Sound of clanging hoise as behind falls on the floor.)

Almost ALL of the UBER-GODS OF DOOM have been level 1 toons, mate. The phrase, "You can't arrest me, I'm roleplaying a level 80 character," has wrung out many times.

You think FFM levelled Voyd to 50 just to make him more believable? Hell no, level 1 roleplaying as a demi-god.

War Crow had powers way beyond his level for ages. Doc T has been able to do stuff from us seeing him that aren't possible in game. Zortel can get herself teleported across the world via orbitting sattelites. Hikari is basically a walking goddess. Grav Mistress can summon stuff from nowhere.

Believe me, if we were worried about player level, we'd never have started GG. It might even be easier to handleunder freeform, because we can agree to codify the way these powers work. (Or probably not, actually, but that's human nature for you.)

/em "real coder" wanders in and looks around.

Would depend a lot on how much effort was needed. Currently I've got a Neverwinter module I'm supposed to be working on which is progressing in fits and starts. If I took on another project, it would probably be Christmas before anything saw light of day.

Also, honestly, I think I've kind of had my fill of CoH and GG roleplay. I managed all of about 20 minutes recently with a new toon.

I'd also have to point out that a "CoH MUSH" has some potential to get you sued by Cryptic and NCSoft. RP over IRC is almost certainly okay since it's transitory, but a MUSH is a rather more permanent thing and probably massively contravenes copyright regulations.

My 2 Inf.

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I don't really understand why you bring Parry into this. Parry makes all the scrapper secondaries perform much, much better. If you think that's unbalanced, it's really a scrapper primary powerset balance issue and belongs to a different discussion. If Parry is an even better match for SR than the others, then surely that's only good for SR.

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Because it makes a _four_ _times_ difference in damage taken for a SR, that's why. It's not a small boost, it's a huge boost. There's no way to see the primaries as balanced if 2 of them cause that kind of a _massive_ effect that the other 4 just don't have an equivalent of.

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DA/Parry makes a lot of difference, so much in fact, that I7 nerfed them, in effect, for SR. With DA/Parry running, you will typically floor the to hit on a vast number of opponents... which means you got nerfed under I7. (Interestingly, this doesn't apply to /regen, which can't floor accuracy using only DA/Parry.)

Idris: DA/Parry make a HUGE difference to survivability for those who take katana or broadsword. The only real disadvantage is the drop in DPS (which is substantial).

Stacked DA/Parry will basically give you more S/L Defense than you can get from the equivalent SR powers, and you can have it hitting more or less every time against most opponents.

(PS. I love Divine Avalanche, it's great. )

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I try not to concern myself with a players gender, to me it's not important. The only thing that's important when roleplaying is the character, as I see it.

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Generally very true, though not the original point of the OP.

As I remember, the discussion was over whether or not people felt comfortable playing the opposite sex, how they did it, and why they did it.

That people do it, and that it isn't somehow abnormal is taken for granted.

So, do you play characters of the opposite sex? If yes, why, and what do you feel is important to getting it right?

*nod* Most of mine are in The Other Ones, but that's just for the base.

Oh, and to stop getting SG Invite Spam.

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Maybe I've been incredibly lucky but the majority of people I've met in PvP haven't been pillocks.

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You have, indeed, been lucky.

Bare in mind that (even though I'm not one) I tend to look at PvP from a GM's perspective, because I spent two years running a server which allowed PvP, but not griefing.

Now, to be honest, despite not really being a PvP server, we had quite a large group at times who came there to smash heads in the arena (which you could more consider as a PvP Zone, I guess). I'd look in from time to time to make sure they weren't up to anything (as I did with everyone else) and generally the duelling was good-natured. Sometimes it wasn't.

So the PvPers who regularly used the server were generally fairly good people, like the majority of PvPers, and like the people you've met. I don't deny it, and don't think I ever have.

Unfortunately, what colours the perception are the ones who trash talk constantly (and generally beyond 'friendly banter'), the ones who come into a server with the intention of doing nothing other than killing PCs, repeatedly, and (best of all) the ones who actually form a raiding party with the intention of wiping out all life on the server and taking it over.

That's just in one game (Neverwinter Nights).

Now, I don't like people like that because their purpose is to take away other people's enjoyment of a game. In some games they may get 'phat loot' from killing other PCs, and that gives them an excuse, but their nature really shows up when all they get is bragging rights. And they are bragging about killing something that stood no chance against them. That's just sad.

Anyway, we return you to your regular, scheduled PvPers...

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Im interested to know how you came to that conclusion RW? Shed some light?

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Only just noticed this, probably too late to reply really, but...

What little actual PvP experience I have in CoX would appear to imply that I can either beat something, or not, which tends to support your view.

However, from what I read, the majority seem to think it's RPS, and from a set of arena duels I witnessed recently, I'd have to say it's biased, but not a certainty, especially when you take into account that Cryptic have explicitly not balanced the game for one-on-one combat. As soon as you start mixing other ATs in, you start getting closer to RPS (I'd imagine).

I seem to go through phases.

My 'main' is generally male, probably because this is my alter-ego in the game. However, I find myself going through phases where I can only come up with interesting alts who are female. I'm having one of those now (at least my second recent attempt seems to have peaked some interest, the one before that got nothing and resulted in me giving up the game entirely for about three weeks ).

And sometimes I come up with male concepts. General result, the sex balance in my alt list wobbles between mostly male and mostly female depending on how I'm feeling.

Currently, it's heavily female biased.

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It's nice to have heroes who don't have too much of an established supergroup

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That would be all of mine and more or less all of Zortel's. Of course, I haven't been to GG much recently (like for weeks), and Z is trailling off, so I guess the supply of non-SG characters is reducing.

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I just don't see what was in it for the ambushers in this case

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Bragging rights.

If you don't understand why this is important to some people (even when gained without any skill) then you haven't spent enough time around some of the less reputable PvPers.

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1) Unless you are a spines regen scrapper you are [censored] and will die

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Not really, but PvP in CoX is largely rock, paper, scissors, and a bit of talent.

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2) Hide is worthless as every body can see through it

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No, they'll need some enhancement to see through it. Most people will have this enhancement. You need to get some other, compatible, Stealth power stuffed on you for it to work.

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3) SR is useless and as you get hit all the time and don't get a heal so you're just gonna die.

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I would tend to agree.

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5) Teleport foe doesn't need line of site and seems to totally ignore SRs defense.

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It needs LoS to get a fix, it has never needed it to actually work. I'd expect the TP Foe user has slotted for ACC. It sounds like their attacks are slotted that way since they seemed to have no trouble hitting you.

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6) Heroes are spawn point lhamams just waiting for someone to pop their head over the wall so they can gank em.

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So are villains, just depends when you try it. I feel like reporting the post for that line, but I can't be bothered.

When they did the RV test recently, I rapidly gave up bothering on the second day when I realised that almost everyone was playing villains. About the third time I died I began to notice that every time I did, I was surrounded by about a dozen villains.

So, be fair.


BTW, I'm not trying to get you to go back and try again. I dislike the PvP Zones, as I dislike any form of PvP which encourages people to be pillocks in game. And this kind of Zone does just that.

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I don't know why, but the only people who talk to Liz, for instance, are the GoD, Zortel, Miss Ellie and Grav, really (of the mains at GG). Actually, this has made me somewhat curious... if anyone can think of a reason why they do not approach Shadow's Grace or Stargazer, I'd like to hear about it in pm's.

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Stargazer is almost never at GG.

As for Liz... she's in the GoD... end of story.

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*Awaits the punishment which will undoubtedly come when Raven comes home.*

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You wish.

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And tainting young goddesses digestional tracts with Major Flanders fried chicken.

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I'm not sure Glory has ever forgiven Fuse for that.

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The Respected Dignified Creator of the Galaxy Girl Concept

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Actually, I just started the thread.

The original creator of the GG concept was The_Prize (who's actually back in game *waves*).

In character, 'The Prize', respect and well known hero, called together her fellows to discuss the threat that was the Council. Prize asked for volunteers to go to Striga and "take the fight to the Council", so that's what we did.

However, it seemed such a useful idea to meet up every so often and discuss villainy, cases we were on, etc, that the idea of meeting at the statue became part of heroic culture.

OOC: We had an IC meeting and then a few of us went and kicked butt down the Wolf's Throat. All was going well until we came out in the base and met the missile batteries.

This clarification was brought to you by the letter 'E' and the number 10,003,403,905.

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All of my girls are single, yet Star Jewel and Gemstone are the ones that are kinda looking for a boyfriend.

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Well, GG has always been a dating service. Some say that's all it is these days.

Posts which list your characters' dating preferences are not going to dispell the myth that the only that that happens within MMO RP groups is date-matching for cybersex, and it also makes you come across as largely being interested in that 'aspect of the game'.

Just a small point.

Welcome to the RP community, I might see you around since I've recently popped back into GG... well, once... for about twenty minutes...

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Well, CoX is an environment you can roleplay in spite of, to be fair.

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I was trying to be positive about it.

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I don't see the point in playing an RPGame, if you're not going to RP, and are just going to make an ingame character of yourself...

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The point would be that:

a. Roleplaying in an MMO is entirely optional, because...
b. MMOs are physically incapable of recreating a real roleplaying environment.

CoX is an environment you can roleplay in, it is not a roleplaying game.

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Am I the only person who considers scrappers should use tactics

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Tactics are for other archetypes. We don't need no, tactication... We don't need no thought control... etc.

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I do employ tactics, and one of those tactics is to have IH available when it's required.

That means I have Hasten, when I don't need it really.

I spent a lot of time studying stats on damage handling. Tough is nice, but being able to throw heals in as fast as possible (and that means DP, Reconstruction, and IH) is a lot more useful than (at best) 25% S&L damage resistance.

Don't forget that, at higher levels, the amount of S&L damage flying around is proportionally lower. That makes Tough less useful. IH doesn't care what kind of damage you take.

I'm not saying don't take Tough. I am saying you should rely on it because it isn't good enough.

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The Hellion might be self-referencing

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Then he would have said "You owe me MORE Hellion", surely?

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Or he might have overheard it from a Hero and not know what it means

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Well, depending what you meant...

1. He's a piece of software, he can't 'overhear' anything.
2. A hero wouldn't refer to Influence either, Inf is a game mechanic. If the Hellion had said "You owe me ANOTHER favour" I wouldn't have the issue.

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Or virtually every other game in the world breaks the IC/OOC barrier (WoW shreds it)


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And this is an excuse because?
(When I say things like that, someone usually jumps down my throat about CoH should be striving to be better than other games.)

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OR that games that want to rationale everything (See the elimination of the Assassin Class in 2nd ed D&D,) do it with such clumsiness.(Waterdeep)


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Huh?

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Or...it might just be humour....I'm sure there's a few Clown Superheroes running around.

Even Captain Carnage (Watchmen) wasn't really serious...

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So you haven't even bothered to read my previous posts then? Cool, but I really thought better of you, Weasel.

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Given you've already accepted Teleportation Fields (Breaks at least 3 Physical Laws, 2 Biological, 1 Chemical, a few Quantum Physics), Empathy Powerset, Falls from buildings, Temporal Travel etc. I hardly think that one person saying something that doesn't make sense in a direct OOC comment really hurts that much; and if it does, why?

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That is a pointless and rather ridiculous argument. In game, in character things which don't fit in with OOC reality does not justify OOC comments being made by in-game NPCs.

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I challenge you to find ONE RPG of any sort that doesn't break the fourth wall at times.

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RPG or CRPG?

I figure I can probably find hundreds of RPGs that don't do it. How about you go find me an IC/OOC conflict in one of the Storyteller games from White-Wolf?

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For all we know, it might just be the result of a "Monday morning brain short-circuit" that nobody caught.

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Apparently, it's not the only case since Syra quotes at least one other case.

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Besides, wouldn't it be dreadfully dull if the developers took the game entirely serious?

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Yes, it would. As I've now said several times, you can put humour in the game without resorting to breaking IC/OOC barriers. I know Cryptic can do it because they have done quite successfully.

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Shrug, one more comment typed in wrongly or with typos. We all do it. Yeesh.

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Eh?

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As with most of these things, the problem is solved with liberal application of fudge! Simply alter what was said to your own tastes, such as replacing 'influence' with 'money', and viola!

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I don't think you're getting the point. The point isn't what was said, the point is what was implied. What was implied was that the developers don't take the game seriously anymore.

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But this game, sadly, isn't designed for RP.

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I've been saying that since EU beta.

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Almost none are, with even Neverwinter Nights, for example, being incredibly limited.

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By its very nature, Neverwinter was almost certainly the most likely game for use in Computer-based Roleplaying, simply due to the fact you could design the modules anyway you liked (obviously within some limits). Many of the scripting systems produced to get around issues with the natural static nature of modules were nothing short of genius. (And no, I had nothing to do with writing those.)

Compared to Neverwinter, CoH doesn't even scrape above the horizon.

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We have to make do with what we've got until we can actually persuade game developers that we make better customers than random 'lol' idiot types.

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Sadly, we don't because there are a lot more idiots than roleplayers and it's volume that counts. Yes, we're likely to play longer than a gamer (on average) because we don't care so much about hitting the level cap. Yes, we make the devs' job easier because we provide our own content so they could actually get away with doing far less to satisfy us.

Unfortunately, we are demographically not substantial enough to bother with.

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I can tell the difference, and I still say....lighten up.

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That's the thing, see, I'm a roleplayer, not a gamer. I see things like this and it annoys me because it demonstrates the contempt Cryptic have for their own backstory. You, on the other hand, don't see a roleplaying game, you see a game that lets you progress your character and has a loosely stitched narrative holding it together, and you don't care.

I do care. I don't like to see this kind of thing because I know Cryptic don't need this kind of thing to make the game light-hearted. When they do use this kind of humour, it demonstrates that they no longer care about their setting either.

When CoH actually does become a parody of itself, then I will leave for good. For now... frankly I'd largely given up roleplaying in the game anyway, so deciding the developers don't care about their setting anymore hardly makes a great deal of difference.

There you go, I lightened up, in a dark sort of way.


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What I DID find hard to ignore though was yesterday in Kings Row, when I came across THREE Paladins in a group...

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I always thought three Luscas was a little silly... Maybe Paly has been taking lessons from the squid.

(I assume Paladin, like Lusca, is now not worth the effort of taking down, so we're seeing multiples starting to appear.)