Steampunkette

Actually I think he's viewing it from an in-character perspective... and I think he's right.

If I were Liberty Belle or some other All-American heroine I wouldn't want to dishonor the flag by wearing it or letting it get damaged.

I imagine Comrade Rossiskaya and Captain Nippon would feel the same way.

The only people who would wear them are the 'Nationalist' heroes and they'd NEVER wear them for risk of the flag getting damaged or desecrated.

.... and that makes sense to me.

-Rachel-

Actually... You're right, mostly...

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Criminal penalties for certain acts of desecration to the flag were contained in Title 18 of the United States Code prior to 1989. The Supreme Court decision in Texas v. Johnson; June 21, 1989, held the statute unconstitutional. This statute was amended when the Flag Protection Act of 1989 (Oct. 28, 1989) imposed a fine and/or up to I year in prison for knowingly mutilating, defacing, physically defiling, maintaining on the floor or trampling upon any flag of the United States. The Flag Protection Act of 1989 was struck down by the Supreme Court decision, United States vs. Eichman, decided on June 11, 1990.

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This code is the guide for all handling and display of the Stars and Stripes. It does not impose penalties for misuse of the United States Flag. That is left to the states and to the federal government for the District of Columbia. Each state has its own flag law.

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It's not criminal. Though I've gotta ask: How much does that matter when we're talking about the flags of OTHER nations and -their- responses to them being used in game...?

And I'm sorry. I learned -my- Flag law from my Dad (Drill Sergeant) before 1990, so I was still under the impression that the criminal charges were still in effect.

-Rachel-

Oh. For the record: This is a list of US Flag Laws and Regulations as maintained by the city of Racine Wisconsin. I suppose SOME states have slightly different rules for what can and can't be done with a flag, but Federal Trumps State Trumps Municipal.

So feel free to pick through this list of laws and regulations for which parts are federal, state, or local and decide what is or isn't illegal in your state.

-Rachel-

LOVE this idea.

However I'm not sure how it will fly with various countries. There are some weird.... Rules with flags.

For example! Hanging a US Flag upside down is a criminal act and sign of distress, Hanging it backwards on a flagpole is also against the law. Hanging it on a wall facing the wrog direction (stars in the upper right hand corner) is also wrong.

Might be some issues with specific countries not liking our use of their national symbols for 'Spanky McScrapperpants'

Still! -I- would like to see it.

-Rachel-

Well... That all depends.

Is the break one they normally wouldn't recieve otherwise, though here it's likely just sitting around and talking for an hour (or two!) about an archetype and powersets that might be implemented a year or two later?

Is the work something they can find humorous and silly rather than the seriousness of the deadlines that wear on them?

*shrugs* I think it'd be fun to have a silly side-project with no deadline that takes me off of work for an hour or two once in a while. But maybe it's just me?

Of course, I also looked forward to High School Assemblies since it meant time out of class sitting in the bleachers with friends while big guys in too-tight spandex shorts tried to impress on us the importance of learning and being drug free by tearing phone books in half and lifting heavy things.

-Rachel-

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I think it would be hilarious. It'd be a lot more time then I think they are willing to devote to a AFJ but it would be funny. What would be funnier is if the classes were only playable during the first week of April every year.

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That's kind why I suggested they develop it over a Year, even two.

Let it be several people's 'Pet' project. It's not on a deadline, thtere's no rush, just present it when you want to. Something to do that the Devs can get involved in for the fun of it. The abject silliness of it.

Ever been trapped at work for three or four weeks without a day off..? By week 3 I'm almost ALWAYS shirking some of my work for an hour or so each day, taking a long break to step back, relax, and reflect.

So what if this were something the Devs did in their off time. A meeting they held once a month to take a break from the seriousness of the game to sit in a room together, laughing and making jokes with a topic and and an excuse to do it.

Likely on the clock. =-3

-Rachel-

Over the course of the next Year I'd love to see the Devs work on a new archetype in utter secrecy. No leaks, no Beta, no nothing.

The archetype will be 'Clown' and it will have four powersets.

Clown Melee
Clown Ranged
Clown Armor
Clown Buff/Debuff (don't have an idea for the name!)

These powersets will ALL be offered as primaries AND secondaries. If you pick Clown Melee you lock yourself out of two of the other options (Ranged and Buff/Debuff) The same goes for any of the other sets.

Powers would include Rubber-Chicken Melee, Squirting Acid Flower, Banana-peel Patch, and Seltzer in the face, among others.

On April Fool's day announce the addition of a new archetype, available to both sides (hero and villain) and then show -clearly- photoshopped images of Clowns cut and pasted into the City of Heroes environment.

On the following Tuesday, load the patch up.

It would be a phenomenal practical joke on April Fool's Day. People would yuk it up a bit, and various requests for Carp Armor will crop up.

And then it lands? It'd be the first 'April Fool's' joke produced by an MMO developer to be perfectly serious while also being completely ridiculous.

How does anyone open this new Epic Archetype? They must log in on April Fool's Day for a special account-wide badge.

-Rachel-

Please note that I'm typing this in a completely calm and rational manner with no negative connotations or insult intended.

Check out Lady Jade's thread, sift through that for a few hours and look at the powersets that have been suggested before about a new melee fighting set that isn't kicking.

Then -please- come back with a deeper suggestion than "Change two attacks for Karate Chops"

I emphasize please because I -do- want you to come back. You're concise and clear in your posts and have an excellent understanding of how to make yourself clearly understood. This is something many of us value in a poster!

So please take from this post only the words in it, not negative connotations which could be taken from those words.

-Rachel-

I've actually used Team TP to great effect as an Empath Defender.

Shocking, I know!

This was WAAAAAAAAAAY back before the aggro cap was instituted, and our tanker had bitten off more than he could chew. Even with me slapping him with Absorb Pain, Healing Aura, and Heal Other I couldn't keep him on his feet. He wiped and the team (mostly scrappers) were trying to disperse the aggro. I popped my rez on him, turns the camera a full 180, then Team TPed EVERYONE back to get some breathing room. He rezzed behind the enemy and regathered the aggro while I focused on keeping the scrappers alive.

Worked out -really- well that he had 'Prompt TP' turned on.

That, sadly, was the ONLY time I -ever- found it useful...

I would much rather see a 'combat teleport' power which has MUCH shorter range, no interrupt, super-fast animation, and no hover. Something like Shield Charge or Lightning Rod without the damage pet and a faster animation.

Group fly on the other hand... I don't know what SHOULD replace it, or even what I'd like to see there but... Pleh. I just really don't like the power and have never (and will never) take it.

-Rachel-

Could definitely do something like that based on the oil-slick coding...

I'd love to see something like this implemented heroside. Give the Villains a similar set with more DoTs, similar animations, and Acid ranged attacks. =-3

Then let me make an Acid/Poison Corrupter, Darn it! >_<

-Rachel-

http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Experience

Here ya go! =-3

Lietutenants, baseline, have roughly 3 times the HP and HP Recovery of a given minion. They have more attacks (usually at least one area of effect) and are designed so that a level 1 solo character should be able to safely defeat 4 minions in one fight or 1 minion and 1 lieutenant. The increased risk of the foe comes with greater rewards.

Giant Monsters are meant to be fought by multiple teams. Ergo the risk is lower since there's usually multiple healers spamming Transfusion, Healing Aura, Radiant Aura, or Twilight Grasp. With multiple groups and aggro management MANY of the people involved won't take a single hit during the fight. They're at LESS risk.

Elite Bosses are meant to be fought on teams, generally (hence the mish text suggesting you bring a friend or two or four) and aren't 'Solo' foes. Thus they are 'special'. These Elite Bosses spread their risk to reward ratio over a group.

A Boss Spawn is typically as dangerous to 2 people as it is to 1 because multiple bosses can and will spawn based on the team size. Only one enemy in the whole mission will be an EB.

Thus the risk is spread amongst two or more teammates and (with MANY teams) the risk is lessened by balance (tanker/buffer/blaster, controller/blaster/buffer, blaster/healer/tanker)

With multiple players on the team the XP rewards for everything go up, including the Elite Boss.

There's also the increased Enhancement drop rate chance when you fight an EB compared to a Boss.

So yeah... Risk Versus Reward (based on the game's normal rules, pushing player 'skills' and 'luck' out of the equation) exists and thrives in City.

-Rachel-

Atlantis is a commonly suggested underwater zone idea, to the point that it's become stale. His remark on creativity (Breaking the Mold) was an insult through sarcasm.

I can honestly say that if I win I'll probably Frame the plate. =-3

-Rachel-

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Yeah, that's why these combinations are likely never going to be available. They would be very overpowered, especially a Scrapper with the Rad secondary.

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Not everything different is a "tankmage." Would giving Scrappers Blaster attack sets make them "tankmages"? What if you replaced the melee attacks in the OP's proposal with Blaster sets?

You'd end up with the Corruptor class almost exactly as it is.

Which is why I don't know if I see this as that great of an idea intrinsically. The buff/debuff sets would have specifically tailored for the class in order for me to see this as viable. Otherwise you might as well just play a Defender with air superiority and jump kick.

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Don't forget Flurry to round out your attack chain! =-3

-Rachel-

I dunno... I don't hink it -would- be a Tankmage, if the numbers were right... Sure! With his Rad Debuffs he could help to protect the whole team! But at he same time he's drawing all the aggro onto himself, and as a melee type has an effective range of about 7 feet.

Of course if he were teamed with a tank it could be overpowered... In the same way a Blaster/Tanker team is overpowered...

In melee he's getting hit from ranged attackers, melee attackers, and plenty of AoE, even if he's teamed with a tanker or other Aggro Magnet.

So yeah... I don't think the idea is terribly broken.

-Rachel-

Actually, Munki, it was a matter of Sarcasm.

'Hey! Let's go to a -further- extreme for comedic effect!'

That you failed to grasp it makes it far more comedic.

Mailing System for items and influence: Please No.

-Rachel-

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You know what, I was wrong...we actually need 15-90 animations

Walk forward
Walk backward
Walk Strafe-Left
Walk Strafe-Right
Stop walking, transition back to ready

Times 3 for each body type: male, female, and huge

Times 6 for the various 'modes' to both cover the different hand/arm positions and to properly transition back into the appropriate 'ready' stance when you stop walking: Ready, Combat Ready, Weapon Ready, Dual Ready (used by katana and archery as well), 'Shotgun' Ready, and Shield Ready

15-90 animations needed to do a 'walk button'. (Or 105 if we wanted to accomodate the two-handed club stance as well.)

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This is what Back Alley Brawler himself said. Go off this. Whether or not you'd 'toggle out' of Walk is unimportant. It's still 90-105 animations for something the majority of the player population would never use.

-Rachel-

Yes. Yes they did.

However they only walked forward, not backward, strafing, or otherwise. They did not have a proper animation to go from walk to flight and back. They did not attack or return to the 'original' stance of animation.

Yes. The player model CAN walk in a straight line. Would it be worth it to put it in the player's hands?

The answer is No.

You swould be incapable of performing the other classic actions (walking a step backwards, for example!) strafing, firing attack powers, etc without a severe animation issue.

For the 'Walk' animation to go through each of the varied stances (male, female, huge, ready idle, jump, flight transition up, flight transition down, teleport, attack animation and countless others I'm sure are WAY over my head) dozens of more animations would need to be created. DOZENS.

These Dozens of animations would take days or even weeks to animate individually, playtesting individually, playtesting as a string, closed beta, open beta, bug-removal... And then for what?

So that most players can hit the walk button ONCE and then never use it again.

Yes. Roleplayers would use it constantly during 'scenes' between characters. I'm One of them! I'd LOVE for Cobalt to WALK from one end of the counter to the other end while roleplaying in the base. But it's not going to happen withuot a massive RP-centric paradigm shift.

The Majority of players would never use it beyond once or twice so it's an overall waste of resources. Unless we can convince the other 70% or more of the population to RP constantly: It's prolly not gonna happen.

-Rachel-

(quick reply)

Alright. here's my entry: Scwarze Faust

Schwarze Faust is German for Black Fist. The character is actually a French woman named Yvette D'vitri. She was kidnapped during the late 80's to be a test subject for the Vampyri "Purification" process. Unfortunately her DNA was a bit off with a few slight mutations (nothing even visible) and the process interacted with them, poorly.

Instead of the prototypical dark powers and mental prowess she turned into a sort of animal for a time, losing most of her mind. Eventually she recovered, but the Council was already planning to dispose of her in the outskirts of Cannes (where she'd lived most of her life)

She managed to fight off her captors before her execution and fled. Due to her obvious difficulty blending in she left for the Rogue Isles.

Black Fist, you ask? She was given her code name by a former column member and still proud german scientist, the man who transformed her.

-Rachel-

Actually, Forbin... I think it was less a copy-paste job and more a matter of verisimilitude and continuing storylines and interactions...

Though in some cases it makes -0- sense.

Trolls in the Isles is fine. They come from someone taking too much of a certain drug.

Council makes sense: A European Organization attempting world conquest.

Tsoo are fine: Thieves, Pimps, Murderers, and Slavers going to a lawless area to do what they do best.

Circle of Thorns are fighting against their ancient foes, the Mu. Who are apparently indigenous to the Isles?

But the Hellions and Skulls? Vahzilok?Warriors and Outcasts? Those are Streetgangs and a Mad Scientist's experiments. They shouldn't be a global phenomenon in their straight form. You don't have American street gangs in Europe, for example. So why would Skulls and Hellions be in the Etoille?

And the Heroes and Villains both -now- fight almost everything identically. Putting the Longbow and Vindicators on that list was a bit of a stretch, really... Especially since you didn't put Corallax on it (which are in the Hollows)

But yes. I'll once again suggest that if there is a 'Vigilante' designation or side-switching designation: Use the one I worked on.

If it's just opening all classes to all sides I'm fine with that, too. *shrugs* Though I know some people are vehemently against both.

-Rachel-

Actually... Read my suggestion (linked in Signature) and see how you like it. I think it's fairly balanced?

-Rachel-

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Speaking of searching and repeat posts, my current favorite take on any kind of side-switching is the related amoral AT idea as suggested by Kerinna here.

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Also! Kerrina is now Rachelthulu >.> For those who were unaware, before. =-3

-Rachel-

Sometimes I play with her. She's really nice!

I'd suggest Broadsword/Shield. use robotic arm 2, with the cyborg arms and hands. Valkyrie 3 shoulders. Valkyrie boots and chestguard and belt Turn off the 'wings' option on the belt and boots. Use the Valkyrie broadsword and go to town as a cybernetically enhanced knight sworn to his (or her) duty, beyond even the pain of losing their arms.

-Rachel-

Both, Really. I understand if something happens in the interim.

If the character is taken into protective custody in the aftermath of the incident, is taken care of and evaluated before getting a license that's -fine-.

But so many bios I read go just from the murder directly to 'I am a hero, now!' Without any explanation. No arrest, no parole, nothing. It comes off as 'Oh. You killed your parents. HERE! Have a Hero License!' Which just makes my brain-meats hurt.

-Rachel-

This is a recurring theme I've seen more often than I'd like. a Hero character's history includes violent, often aggravated, assault which leads to murder.

Either the character lashes out at bullies or long-time enemies and destroys them or they accidentally kill their most cherished love/Best Friend/Parents when their powers go haywire.

So here is my conundrum. As a Hero a player character is, essentially, a powered police officer. Harsh, but true! You're given a license by the Paragon City government which empowers you to go out and fight crime legally on the city's behalf.

So why are Felons being given licenses without question? MOST of these Murder/Manslaughter player characters just describe coming to Paragon immediately after or before the event and signing up for Hero Work without a word to the interim.

Ever gone in for a gun license? YOu get to go through a nice long background check to make sure you're not a psycopathic killer. Cops do the same thing, but they also get psychiatric evaluations. Heck, even people applying for the job of High School Janitor get the same thing.

If you're going to the government for licensing or employment there will be inquiries made into your history/life/credit/criminal record.

So what makes it different for Heroes? Because they're MORE powerful than a gun, nine times out of ten? That certainly makes no sense. Because they're upstanding pillars of the community whom children everywhere should look up to? SURE! But not when they've murdered or committed multiple counts of manslaughter...

I can understand the idea of a villainous character who's been in prison for a while given a probationary duty in community service. That's fine so long as they are ASSIGNED to a supergroup of people who constantly keep an eye on them and help to rehabilitate them. That makes sense!

But characters who've murdered or killed without a backward glance whom the government hands licenses to without asking.... That makes no sense at all.

Thoughts?
-Rachel-