The_Alt_oholic

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Ugh, I met a guy who, for reasons too long to go into, decided he had something to prove. He invited me to a Task Force the next night, using a second account, then "revealed" that it was him again, ha ha! I decided to stay and ignore the jabs. As soon as the TF started, he DCed, and I assumed he'd quit after "making his point," but he appeared for the last mission and got credit. God only knows what he thought he was proving about his skill as a player by not playing.

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Perhaps he was trying to prove how cool it is to cheat other players.
That guy is really "cool" - if cool means being an absolute jerk.
So maybe he was trying to be "smooth" - if smooth means being a leach.

I think that the AE exploits have brought a very bad crowd to this game.

I remember when we were known as the friendliest and most helpful players in any MMORPG.
These scum are going to ruin our rep pretty quickly if they stay here much longer.
I'm sure the DEVs can use their money, but what is it costing us?

I've heard that "money is the root of all evil".
Epimethius has been running wild.
Where's Prometheus when you need him?

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It is also counter productive to the standard methodology of tanking that is spoken of on the forums (Gather as many around you as close as possible for maximum results from your supporting team members).

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You know if you use Taunt they run right back to you when you knock them away.

Most AOE's aren't so limited that hand clap will knock all of them out of an AoE's range.

When they are on their backs they aren't attacking.

Most melee characters have more def/res at range then they do within melee range.

For thematic reasons, the wind gust of the hand clap is what is knocking the enemy away - it isn't just knocking them over - it is blowing them back.

If you are really worried about dispersing a group, you could strategically place yourself when you use the power to knock opponents into a corner or up against a wall.

I just wish knockback did damage

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They have made it faster already.

And quite a few people used it before, as it is... because you are *flying.*

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Wasn't it the most popular travel power chosen, based on the datamining the Devs did a while ago?

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Sounds right to me.

Teleport Self is the travel power that needs the most DEV love.
It was great when the "red circle of death" issue was finally reduced to what it is now.

Superspeed is the only travel power that really has no vertical component ... which I always find quite odd as I'm always seeing speedsters in comic books running up the sides of buildings.
(Forget the traction issue, have you ever used Super Jump? You can't move around like that while you're jumping)

Flight is fine. It gets you to a mission a safer manner than any other travel power - besides the mission teleporter.

Oh, and to the OP -- "flight is too slow" has become an all too common thread of late. Use your search-fu.

First of we have to define what skill is.
Apparently, you don't think that strategic skills or tactical skills are skills.

It is true that "aiming" in this game is limited to "targeting". It is auto-target, but knowing which target to attack first can often affect your (or your team's) ability to defeat a group.
So a player's skillful selection of targets is a factor (especially in pulling - see below).

It is true that you can't "push a button" to dodge or block an attack - unless you have a personal force field.
You do have to push a button to "dodge" around a corner which has 100% RES and 100% DEF.
Like knowing when to run away (usually pushing a button to do this too), the skills in these examples is in the timing.
Pushing the buttons to make it happen is manual dexterity.
I'm assuming you are relating skill to timing and manual dexterity.

First off "pulling" can pull a whole group, but for most of us that are tactical about play - pulling a whole group isn't the point, it is failing on a pull.
A successful pull drags one or two enemies that are on a fringe of a group away from the rest of the "mob" to another location where the team can ambush them.
This involves ranged attacks and corner dodging when your teammates are out of the LOS (line-of-sight).
(hero-side)This effects can be heightened by placing a tank with taunt just around the corner to "catch" the agro as the pulled foes round that corner. And the Defender de-buffing them. And by controllers then locking the pulled foes down. And by the blasters AOE'ing them. And the tank and the scrapper closing in for the kill at the same time.
Once again, it is a matter of timing and button pushing, - attacking, dodging around the corner, waiting for the foes to round the corner, and then initiating the timely dog-piling of powers.

The effective use of cone attacks means playing your character in a position versus the mob to have a chance of hitting the most opponents. They are moving and you are moving. I think this definitely fits even your definitions of skill.

Anyone that has seen a player that can use Hurricane well would know that it takes skill to use the power to maximize it's effect. I have seen some very skillful players with Hurricane and I've seen those that just scatter mobs all over the place.

Players tend to hate energy/energy blasters because of their power sets knockback. It takes skill to utilize the power set so that the set's knockback is an advantage to the team instead of a disadvantage. You can use blaster energy attack skillfully to "control" mobs in the same way that hurricane can - if you know how, are skillful in your targeting, and can time the right time to activate your attacks.

I can keep going. I don't think it is necessary. I've proved my point on these situations.

As far as character creation goes, I don't think it takes much skill to use tools to create a min-maxed character. Yeah. I mean mid's character designer. There is no skill in that at all.

The skill I see in character creation is by players that are attempting to build their powers by character conception and then tweak them in a way to make the powers perform in a way that the "conceived" character's powers would.
This may not be as efficient as min-maxing your character, but you have crafted the character to what you want it to be... and crafting is a skill.

I also think that it takes some skill to work the Markets.

It definitely takes skill to make a complex base.
It definitely take skill to run a good team and keep a team going as players drop out.

If you really want a "skill" challenge make a hero and keep it level 1 - with no xp. Use Sprint only to get from Atlas to Portal Corps Peregrine Island without using the trains, pocket d teleporter, mission tp'r, sk'ing, any team mates, etc.
It can be done, I've done it several times. I know other players that have done it. I was in a race that was based on this premise.
If you are able to do that and don't think it takes skill to accomplish it, I applaud your skill in evasion.

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Is the ability to work work with a team a skill?
I think it is a skill to work well with a team for sure.
Some players don't even worry about what the rest of the team is doing and they just play like they would regardless of if they are on a team or not and regardless of their archetype.

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I think that good CoX players are very skillful at adaptation. They learn how to use different power sets and archetypes to blend in with ever-changing team compositions to fight foes with varied powers.
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I play with a Logitech Dual-Action controller.

I've played "twitch" games before. I've played snipers to head shot opponents. I've played game where I had a button to push in order to block.
So I've been in positions where players thought that they were more skillful than I because they had a bigger television with higher resolution and higher-end more sensitive game controller than mine.
That's not to mention a better or faster internet connection.
We are playing a game that is on a computer and not a platform system. The computers are of various makes, designs, etc.
Calling into play this disparity, how much do you think hardware goes towards "skill" in a "twitch game" versus player abilities?
Is the player that can use minimal technology to the level of someone with advanced technology actually more skillful?
If both press the buttons at the same rate, which is more skillful if the technology makes the difference which player wins?

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Of course, this discussion of skill could apply to any MMORPG or any game of any type for that manner.
Many are games that repeat the same content in the same or nearly the same conditions being defeated by a player's skills increasing or is a matter of memorization of sequences and thinking up strategies in order to win?

Part of the trick is also getting swift and slotting up 3 fly enhances in that as well.

Slow...hah! Hover's base speed has been increased quite a bit!

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But i think all the AE farming really is making really bad players for the other content.

Don't get me wrong. I love PLing, farming, and IO'ing out my characters. I don't RP, i don't like telling anyone how to play there game. I just thought id say maybe those of us farmers out there can take a little more care in who we invite to our teams.

Last night i did a synapse TF on Freedom. A pretty well rounded team, balanced, and pretty fluent in terms of moving along at a good pace. Well, 8 people started, only 5 finished. We went down to 5 after about 45 mins. Players that were invited to a TF, who knew there were being invited to a TF that were going to be exemplared down to level 20, had no idea why they were getting no XP, and didn't even know the benefit of the task force commander accolade and 50 or so merits you get upon completion.

It's unbelievable what people get themselves into, with no regard for the team or task at hand.

I hate to blame AE, but it's hard not too.

So, all i am saying is....don't pl with the n00bs, they are probably leaching in your farms anyway.

-Inc

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It's not AE's fault.
It's the fault of farm exploiters and PL'ers like you.

You are the one to blame.

I'd fill it with alts right away, but that's because I've filled up all my other "free" slots already.

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I'm still for moving the farmers to their own server.
I don't think AE is the problem. It's the cheaters (yeah, I know I've made that clear before). I'd put the i13 PvP there.
Do I think that farmers might possibly be trying to purple out toons for PvP? could be.... (certainly don't need to purple them out for PvE game play).
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I have also posted suggestions about restricting ma use to characters that are of that zone's level or lower. This is to force characters that want to use the AE out of the zones that they have out leveled.
it would put a stop to level 50's broadcasting for AE teams in Atlas or Mercy.

This is, of course, about opinions. So there is no need to restate that continually that these are mine.

Sure, you can find some stuff to do when you are 50, they are good for helping lower level characters get the gear and inf they need for stuff. They can help make prestige for a supergroup.

The most fun about a level 50 is the adventure you took to get there.
Don't ruin the adventure by cheating away the fun of the game just to get to 50.

I find that I have much more fun on teams between level 5 and about 35 than I do on teams that are above that level. (I usually just solo hunt to level 5.)

When the game gets to be all about rushing and blinking lights it kind of loses my interest.

Okay.
Go to an invention station and pull up an invention you want to craft.
Look at the bottom of the window. Click the little radio button - says something like apply coupon or something.
Then craft.
You get the discount!
Hurrah!

Yeah - that one got me too.

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Well, take into account if pistols are used in this manner...

https://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthre...ue#Post13597821

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That is the worst powerset idea I have ever seen. It's laughable to think of that as a real sugestion. Dance Sucker, Pistol Whip, they're powers geared twords comedy.

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I know. There is no place for humor in a MMORPG based on super heroes genre from the comic book.

I have never seen comedy in comic books, ever.

I guess getting bullets shot at your feet is kind of funny - until it's done to you.

Oh, I guess you've been hit in the face with a pistol barrel and found it to be a complete laugh as well.

Satire, comedy, serious medicine?

Stand back and take a look. You might just see what what want to see even if your eyes are open. Judgment clouded by preconception. The world is what we make it more often than we might think.

Yes, it is extremely ridiculous.
I seriously think that since the PL'ing exploits became available there was a massive influx from a certain other MMORPG where the players don't behave as politely and are nowhere near as friendly as the average CoX player of old.
I have a feeling that this new crowd came because they don't think you can "really" play an MMORPG until you hit level 50.

Those of us that have been here for a while know that is not the case with CoX.
If you rush to level 50 in CoX, you missed the "playing" of the game.
CoX is about exploring the game environment as you progress.

Once you are level 50, pretty much everywhere except for the MA and the highest level zones aren't a challenge or worth taking the time to explore.

I can only hope that once they get to level 50 they take the time to make a new character and really play the game.
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For any of you new players reading this. Here are somethings that I really think that you should do ::
<ul type="square">[*]Run the training/tutorial mission - read everything in it. This will help you out a whole lot. (Sure you might know a lot about another MMORPG, but you don't know the basics of CoX)[*]I strongly suggest running some missions with your contacts before you do anything else.[*] If you team up early on, do it with a team that is your level.[*]Around the time you hit level 10 and before level 17, go to the university in Steel Canyon and run the University arc to learn about IO's.[*]Before you start selling stuff on the market, talk to the Market Rep and read the info about the Market.[*]If you have questions, use the [Help] channel by typing /hc [message]. There are still those of us who will help you. - but if you don't know basics, you might want to start at the top of my list before asking. I know that's the first place I will send you if you are asking about information that is in the tutorial/training area.[/list]

Well, take into account if pistols are used in this manner...

https://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthre...ue#Post13597821

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doing the same thing over and over and over, hoping to get a different result? insanity.

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Actually, in many situations that is what practice is.
Not being able to do something and striving to do better so that you can get the desired results.

At the same time, I completely agree with the rest of your post in general.... other than insulting other players. That really is not necessary.

I think consolidated threads are a good thing as well.

I wish there was an easy way for the Moderators just to link a new thread to the existing thread without needing to delete a new thread that comes up about the same issue. Maybe it is already going on and I don't see it when it is happening.

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If they allow you to keep your stuff when switching sides but they dont merge markets I definately will be moving tons of villains blueside especially my stalkers. I will end up farming the hell out of positron TF just so I can have recipes and enhancements to take back to the other side when I switch again.

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I've said it before. I'm against the two markets being linked.
I don't think that you should be allowed to carry more than your character can hold across side-change.
If you go to all the trouble of switching sides to get gear, then that will increase your play time - which is a good thing for the game's longevity.
I just hope that all that progress is made without needing to exploit the content to do so.

Hopefully, switching sides won't be a piece of cake, so that players can have their cake and eat it both.

I still see the potential of characters being stripped of all gear and starting back at level 1 if they change sides. This isn't my idea to do so, but because Going Rogue is a separate but connected game, it might very well work that way.

I do tend to think that the DEVs aren't intending to have level 50 whatevers running around on the opposite side the day of or the day after the release of "Going Rogue", gearing up for what they can get, and then transferring back to the otherside the next day.
I could be wrong, but I think that they would want the content that they are making worth something more than allowing players to switch sides to get IO sets.

I asked about the age of your hard drive too.

I started having a similar problem with CoX. It was a sign that my hard drive was going south. Within a week or two, I started getting error reports about the hard drive. I replaced my hard drive and the problem went away.
If you game a lot and your computer gets hot, I'd expect you might have hard drive issues after 4-5 years.

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Someone may have mentioned this already, but you and your friend can team if you are both on trial accounts. It will require the help of someone who is not on a trial account. You will need to have this person invite both you and your friend to a team and then they will have to quit the team.

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I didn't see the part about another trial being involved.'

The easiest way to get help getting the two trials on a team together is probably using the [Help] channel. I don't know how much info is given on the trials at this point, but use the /hc command to send a tell on the [Help] channel - like ::

/hc me and a friend of mine are on trials and we would like to team together. Can anyone help us?

That should probably do it. Many of us are still very friendly and helpful and are more than willing to help.

Have you checked to see if your drive needs to be defraged?

How old is your hard drive?

How much free space is on your hard drive?

1. The game is solo-able. It is easier for some ATs to solo. The game is designed as a team game. There are great advantages to players that team.

2. We go on missions. We don't "quest".
There are two "settings" that you will see in the mission window. One is related to the side of the mission (hero or villain. The other is difficulty.
Difficulty usually sets the level of enemies in a mission. Your starting setting is "heroic". The even diff effect spawn size, the odd effect the level of the enemies. If you have set yourself to "invincible", you might want to cut that back down to "heroic" or "rugged" for a while.
If you are in the AE your experience my change.

If you get far enough ahead in some mission arcs, you might run into a situation that is above the normal play level. See if you can do some other missions and then come back to the other mission once you have leveled up again.

Part of the game is based on having a fear of the enemy and then eventually over-coming them. Some players don't like that fact, but I suggest enjoying the thrill of learning to fear enemies and then the sense of accomplishment when you are able to defeat them.

I don't know what level you are, but since you said you were in Atlas, I'm thinking it is pretty low.

Another option is...
If you are over level 5, head to Kings Row and go to the detective contact. He will give you a police radio. It will appear at the top of the contact window. The Police Radio provides zone level content that is appropriate to that zone and to your characters level.

Make one of each AT that you haven't played.
Play each to level 5.
By that time you can figure out which one is more fun for you to play.

Are you playing solo or are you teaming?

My highest archery blaster is level 32.
The character is archery/psi.
I like the archery set. I have no problems progressing with the character.
I'm not worried about number crunching. The character is fun to play and I don't feel I'm having any more difficulty playing the set any more than any other set.

Empathy Defenders have a lot more to offer than just heals. They have plenty of buffs as well.

You seem fixated on a level 50 empathy defender.
It doesn't appear that you have been here too long if this kind of thing is setting you off.
I have to ask how much lower and mid level content that you've played?
I've played a lot of it and characters with heals can be useful to any team. Of course a good player uses all their powers and not just their heals. (I've also been on teams where healing and buffing/debuffing was I could do, otherwise, I wouldn't have enough end to heal when I really needed to.)

If someone is advertising themselves as a healer, you can probably expect that ::
<ul type="square">[*]They haven't played CoX for long.[*]It is a joke (and they might be a scrapper with a self heal)[*]They intend to just heal if you invite them to a team[*]On rare occasion, it just means that they can heal (and as you have pointed out, some players are looking for "healers")[/list]
A group of any mix of ATs on a team should be able to accomplish pretty much any mission in CoX if they work together as a team to augment each others powers.

If a team starts whining for a "healer", I would tend to think that you are on the same kind of team that would whine for "tank" (or a "brute" in your case, however, I still firmly stand with my belief that mm's are the "tanks" of the villain side).

Sit back for a moment and watch the play style of the players that are asking for "healers" and "tanks". Check their info to see if they have any vet badges.

<ul type="square">[*]Are they rushing in all the time?[*]Are they new to the game?[*]Are they fighting like melee characters even though they are squishes?[*]Are they biting off more agro than they can chew?[*]Do they stand there and die instead of making a run for it when their health starts to drop to far?[*]Are they rushing into the next group or agro-ing more than one group at once when the team is wiping?[*]Do they insist on fighting a whole group at a time instead of pulling when it obviously isn't working?[/list]
There are a lot of situations that can go on.
Some people start playing CoX and immediately think that they know how to play because they played some other MMORPG.
Those of us that have been here a while know that that simply is not the case no matter how many people want to say otherwise.
We have seen the result of it enough times to know what we are looking at.
I can tell you that the people that think that they are "healers" aren't the only ones in this boat - but I will admit that some of them do consider themselves to be "healers".

I've played all the archetypes. There are good players and bad players. There are players stuck in certain mindsets. There are players that can join a group and figure out how they can use their powers to the best benefit of the team. There are players that join and make an excuse to go afk as soon as they are in a mission. There are players that rush into battle before the rest of the team is ready and think that it is their place to do so because the rest of the team is lazy.

It is your decision of as a player to stay on a team if it is good, or leave a team if it is bad. As a team leader it is your place to recruit and dismiss players as you feel fit. Players have the NOTES function and Ignore to keep track of players that they don't want to play with.

Got me. Probably because you have Marvel in the name. That might not be allowed any more.

If you recall what happened to Marvelman...I mean Miracleman ..you can see where this might be an issue...

I used to read Warrior and Marvelman wasn't an "issue" until a summer special came out with Marvelman on the cover and that seemed to pretty much be when the axe dropped and Marvel went on the attack saying that using Marvel in the characters name was causing confusion in the market place or some such. It wasn't even Marvel US that started the suit; it was Marvel UK - at least that's the way that I heard it.

I wouldn't try to use Ultimate in a name either....

I would still be around regardless of the market, but the market does make the game far easier for me when it comes to inf.

I'm assuming that if there were IO's and no formal "market" that players would have set up and organized a market-of-our-own in game by this point....I'm sure some of that would have spilled to posting in the Forums.

Uh, because 90% of the thought behind creating the MA was that players would be creating missions for other players to play?