Steampunkette

Still leaves the problem of getting a character up to level 35 to do the initiation arc, so you've got 35 levels of NOT using the shield you want to use. Not including, of course, any levels and time you spend farming the merits.

But WHY should no character have access to the Roman pieces, witch hat, epaulets, tommy gun, nemesis rifle, rularuu weapons, etc? From an in-character standpoint it makes SOME sense to have the Roman Gear or Vanguard bits locked away. Heck! Even the Rularuu stuff being level or badge-gated makes sense in-character, given a narrow perspective. Unfortunately RP has a -broad- perspective which often leads people to "Need" specific costume pieces for character concepts. And by "Need" I mean "Design a Character to use said pieces".

My Fire/Fire blaster who wears red and gold tights for 35 levels has no reason to suddenly outfit herself in Vanguard armor or toss on a Lorica Segmenta. The Roman Soldier Time-Traveler, or agent of the ancient Gods might want to wear them, but can't until level 35 or later.

Why should these pieces be locked away to high level characters who are already established and, generally speaking, set in their costume style? Why -NOT- use a global unlock so that players can design such characters from level 1 using the appropriate pieces, rather than putting in what turns into a 35 level grind or Powerlevel in order to get the character wearing what he or she SHOULD have been wearing 34 levels ago?

I understand it from a purely Developer standpoint: Carrots, sticks, and the glorious 700 hour mark. But in a game which touts one of the greatest character generators of all time? It's a horrible mistake that should be rectified.

-Rachel-

As a Toggle clicked on and off at the tanker/scrapper/stalker/brute's leisure? Yes. It's broken.

As a 10 second click once every several minutes (perhaps ignoring recharge?) it's not.

Short-lived click versus almost always on power. The duration, recharge, and utility all come into play when you're balancing something, Leo.

-Rachel-

Every AT has basic modifiers to the effectiveness of powers. For example. A Blaster has a Scale 1.25 ranged damage. Any time a Blaster uses a ranged attack he or she will do the attack's base damage multiplied by 1.25 (25% more damage). A Scrapper's Ranged Damage Scale is .50 which means they'll only do 50% of the base damage the attack throws off normally.

Blaster firing Ranged 100 point damage attack deals 125 damage
Scrapper firing Ranged 100 point damage attack deals 50 damage

Link for the damage scales by AT :http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Damage_Scale


Does that make sense?

Meanwhile all ATs also have modifiers to their buff/debuff powers. I don't have a link handy, but a Defender and a Corruptor both tossing the same buff will grant different amounts of buff. Debuff is the same. Generally speaking an Epic pool grants you abilities you normally don't have based on your class. Tankers get ranged attacks and control effects, for example. They still have a base modifier to the effectiveness of the power, even if they normally don't receive it in their primary or secondary. The modifiers (unless I'm mistaken!) also apply to most if not all temporary powers gained throughout your career (except the Vet reward powers which ignore all buffs or enhancements).

-Rachel-

Go punch a friend. Then go Punch a tree. Which did you hurt more?

Alternately, look to all the societies which used wood in some form or another as armor. The japanese come to mind immediately. The most common footsoldiery of the 1400s-1500s would be wearing lacquered Ashigaru armor made primarily of wood and leather.

-Rachel-

1 Acc, 2 end, 3 damage for most of my high-cost attack powers. I try to get the number down to 6ish end per use.

And what's harder to fit in a build? Hasten or Swift, health, AND Stamina. 3 powers or 1 to solve the perceived problem?

-Rachel-

Love this idea.

-Rachel-

I'd like to point out that this indicates there is to be a URL, he just can't paste it, yet... Part of next Week's announcements?

-Rachel-

I'd MUCH rather have plushies of the signature and named characters.... Like Fusionette and Wretch! =-3

-Rachel-

Easiest In-character solution for going "Vigilante" while maintaining your Heroic Identity, in-character:

Your character becomes a "Vigilante" in the Rogue isles, not in Paragon. Do the side-changing arcs, re-write the story slightly so you're hunting bad guys, not good guys, in your personal continuity. Once you're considered a Vigilante head to the Rogue Isles to mete out some Justice, in-character (I call Heroes in the Isles "Purpleside"). Get your badges, go home.

And yes. It is possible to break the law in the Rogue isles. Contrary to popular belief the "Darwinism" rule doesn't apply to -everyone-. Just Recluse, his minions, and the Destined Ones. Otherwise there would be no Rogue Isles Police or Arbiters (Judges). And if you read -anything- on Recluse, you'll know that he hates heroes utterly. Regardless of whether they broke "his" laws or the laws of the Etoille he'd still hunt them down and kill them.

So in the Rogue Isles you would be considered a vigilante, rather than a hero. Recluse would sic the media on you, spreading lies and propaganda to keep the public from holding you up as a symbol of hope. Arachnos would attack you at every turn. Even Longbow Agents could be taken in by the slander and come after you, thinking you're just another "Destined One".

So. From an in-character standpoint it can make perfect sense with just a tiny bit of tweaking. Your character would still be a true hero, she'd just be lending a hand to the downtrodden people of the Rogue Isles. Happy Badging.

-Rachel-

This is a horrendous injustice! The Hero and villain shirts don't come in any women's sizes?!

I want my CoH/V Babydoll Tee! *cries*

-Rachel-

-Rachel-

It was an actual, honest to God, question. Just tempered with snark because, as I stated, all I ever got before when asking it was insults about being a noob or carebear.

Speed, Evasion, and Decision making. These are three skills that I can understand as important in PvP pre-i13. Especially as you've described them!

However... From the armchair observer's standpoint, allow me to expound on the problems of two of those three skills?

Speed is generally not a skill a person learns. It's an innate ability. Of both the player and of the computer they're on. Though I do admit a person can become faster in their reaction times to specific set stimuli. So it's FEASIBLE that a person could come to the point where they've the ability to react to an Assassin Strike that drops them to 1 HP before they get killed by some other method. However that still puts a pretty huge gate on PvP of needing a computer and connection which don't lag out for that fraction of a second before you get killed. Otherwise a single spike of damage can wipe anyone out.

Evasion is, generally, a method to drag a fight out longer, nothing more. I -did- run some pre-i13 PvP way back when. I believe it was in Bloody Bay where my team of Villains held the tower above the longbow/hero base for almost an hour. It was a lot of fun for everyone, since we held the tower without attacking anyone who didn't come after us. in the end we were finally "Done in" by a couple of Tankers who taunted the group before dropping to ground level while their blaster and defender friends dropped us with tar patches and fiery death from above. This is evasion. The tankers evaded our attacks by blocking Line Of Sight while we were unable to fight their support and caused our death that way. Most of what you discussed under "Evasion" in your post was actually Stealth. Actual Evasion, as I've seen it in PvP tends to be "Assassin Strike! Super Jump! Flee!!" or as I like to call them "Killer Bunnies" and "Ninja Bunnies"

And I'll offer a suggestion for "Decision Making" Call it "Critical Thinking" instead. Everyone makes decisions in combat. But thinking critically is something not all do.

So it actually requires four skills, based on your comments.

Stealth
Reaction Time
Critical Thinking
Evasion

-Usually- in the order I've listed them. Stealth to your target (whether with a power or just using LoS blocking geometry) Attack them faster than their Reaction Time allows and/or React to changing circumstance (I.E. an ally you didn't see unstealthing, someone hitting you hard enough to make survival a question, etc.) Think over the situation Critically (weigh options, determine targets) and repeat these three steps until either you succeed or the situation becomes untenable, at which point you Evade the enemy.

Would this be a safe example of the Skills of PvP?

I can see how the first one could be considered a skill for those who do not use stealth-powers to move about. And even for them it could be a worthwhile skill.

The second one seems less of a skill and more of a trait of both player and apparatus.

The third is definitely a skill that more people should learn.

The fourth is basically fleeing. And while I admit it can be done skillfully (using cover) pre-i13 it was done almost exclusively through character speed (Killer Bunnies!) which rendered skill almost entirely moot.

Under the i13 rules Reaction Time is less important, generally speaking. There's less of a minimum requirement and lag doesn't kill nearly as often, since two-shotting players is a LOT harder now that damage res is an inherent of all ATs. Though I'll also note that Evasion can now only be DONE through skill, rather than via character speed, thanks to travel suppression.

So under i13 more players with a wider range of computers and motor skills can get into PvP (based on reaction time/lag/damage resistance) and it takes a skilled player to evade an enemy (rather than just popping super-jump or super-speed to flee)

Based on your original three skills and my expanded four skills shouldn't PvP be more accessible to newblets and require -more- skill and less bunny-hopping to evade? I imagine that's why the Devs put in the changes. Because, based on your suggested skill requirements, they lowered the bar on getting -in- while raising the bar on getting out. Critical Thinking and Stealth are still just as important, however.

Thank you, by the way, for discussing this with me in an open and honest fashion. It is -deeply- appreciated.

-Rachel-

All of this. This is why we don't -have- Dark Blast/Manipulation for blasters.

My suggestions to make it more palatable? Drop Tenebrous Tentacles Immob component, transfer it into a Slow effect.

Make Life Drain into Soothing Aura. On a hit the power grants a temporary effect which heals you once every 4 seconds for 1/5th the value and have the power last 20 seconds. Make it not stack with itself and give the power a long recharge (to avoid players who drop their recharge to spit having a constant and powerful self-heal). Alternatively split each of the five ticks of healing into two components, enhanceable and unenhanceable. Or just make the heal unenhanceable. If you use this power while low on health (like Drain Psyche) it's not gonna keep you alive.

Or, if even that much healing is abhorrent, have it deal normal damage and apply it's -ToHit debuff, then grant a regen (and or recovery) buff similar to Drain Psyche.

As for the Dark Pit up it's damage greatly and make it into a "Fireball" power with a mag 1 stun for 4-5 seconds. Stackable with a controller or dominator, possibly even an Nrg or SS tank, but on it's own it only stuns minions and underlings.

Opinions?

-Rachel-

I keep seeing this come up, again and again.

"Prior to i13 One person could take on three people if he had skill"

This honestly makes no sense in a game balanced around numbers where characters auto-turn, auto-aim, and hit based on random generation of numbers. What are these skills you're speaking of?

In a straight FPS game skill is in how finely you control your character handicapped by how good or bad your ping/lag issues are. If you can't turn your avatar at the correct speed to line up a shot or lead a target then you're going to miss.

In WoW there's even some modicum of skill to PvP as you have to shift yourself out of a player's forward arc if you want half their attacks to stop hitting you (Must be Facing Target)

In CoH you press an attack power, the game turns you automatically towards whoever your target is, and you fire the attack based on a number randomizer to hit the target. Where is this vaunted skill?

Is it based on Kiting melee enemies around corners? Setting up an AS before your enemy bounces away (don't play stalkers much, but when I do I've noticed that once the AS animation starts nothing short of the enemy turning a corner will protect it, no matter how far away it runs)? Getting your mez powers off, first? Oh! Oh! I know! It's utilizing cover to avoid attacks, right?

PLEASE give us some qualifiers of this "Skill" all PvPers refer to! If I knew what skills I needed to work on to -be- a better PvPer I'd try more often! But in every PvP thread I've participated in all of my comments are swept under the rug in favor of the "You don't PvP ergo you don't understand and no I won't deign to explain. LoLPvECarebear"

Well teach us Carebear Fluffbunny PvEers what it is that makes you so much better at PvP than us! Why is it Fair and Balanced gameplay if a solo scrapper can take down 2-3 enemies in a straight fight but imbalanced when the rules favor a larger group of people? It's just like an FPS in that sense, save that aiming and lag aren't factored in due to the randomizer which in turn gives everyone the same amount of "Aiming" skill, regardless of how long they've been playing.

-Rachel-