U_S_C_I

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

Bugs preventing badge earning[LIST][*]Mu Guardians over level 19 do not give villains credit for the gladiator. (It is unknown if this bug exists for Heroes, too, now that they have a Mu Guardian gladiator. It is possible this bug was fixed when the Hero-side gladiator was fixed. A comment from a Dev would be useful here.)



[/ QUOTE ]I'll have to check this on Monday

[/ QUOTE ]

I can confirm as I did a Warburg mish with my lvl 48 tank the other day. Since it was a bug before I7, I didn't get any placeholder when I defeated my first one back when I6 was released. This past weekend, I defeated two in Warburg and still no placeholder appeared.

There has already been a few posts on the subject that I'm about to discuss; however, I'm stressing for the attention of a Red Name to address this issue. So, without further ado...

With I7, we got the added content of a PVP zone, Recluse's Victory. As with every major Issue that is released, there is also a plethora of new in-game badges that can be earned by the players. One of these new sets of badges is for obtaining control of the pillboxes located within Recluse's Victory.

Currently, a player must only "activate" the pillbox by placing the cursor over the center of the pillbox (once the four turrents are defeated) until it changes to the "blue hand" and left-click the mouse button. Doing so earns the player credit towards obtaining an Accomplishment badge. No other action is required to earn this credit.

This is where many of the players, especially the "badge hounds", take issue with the method of obtaining this credit towards the Accomplishment badge. The player that "activates" the pillbox is under extremely minimal risk; yet, receives a reward based upon other player's work. The person who activates the pillbox does not even need to be on a team nor is there any method to prevent another player from reaping the benefit of your work.

Additionally, even if there is no pillbox squatter and the team that took down the four turrents activates the pillbox, only the team member that activated the pillbox gets the credit and not the entire team.

Risk should always be rewarded. For example, the game developers have determined that a person (or team) must do a minimum of 10% damage to the overall health of a signature hero/villain or the giant monsters in order to obtain a badge. I assume that this 10% damage standard is to ensure that the player or team assumed a high degree of risk in order to inflict the health damage.

In activating the pillboxes, the only minimal risk a player assumes is by merely being present in a PvP zone. The maximum amount of risk the player assumes is slight damage taken from any turrent(s) that the others have not drawn aggro from.

What I would like to know (and many others here) is if this is really what the developers intended. Is it "everyone for themselves" or is it built upon the core purpose of an MMO that encourages teaming?

As a paying customer, I do possess certain rights and one of those is informing the seller that I am displeased with their product. As a seller, you possess the right to go tell me to fly a kite. However, I am compelled to try and raise awareness of this issue with the game developers for one main reason. That reason is that, if left in its current state and we're told that it is "working as intended", players will grow disillusioned as they realize that their risk in securing a pillbox is certainly not worth the petty experience point reward. After all, why should I risk debt for the benefit of another player gaining credit towards (or having been awarded) an Accomplishment badge?

I really wish that a Red Name would address this issue and provide feedback to the players that are concerned about a quality of life issue.

Thank you,

R.

Supergroup Name: U.S. Federal Bureau of Superheroes

Website: None at the moment

Leader: US Federal Agent

Preferred method of contact: Ingame tell to @ammon-ra

Guild Description: Our motto is, "Veritas pax et justitia" ("Truth, peace, and justice"). It is a very loose supergroup that has absolutely no requirement for minimum play other than logging in at least once every 30 days. Basically, it will be a supergroup designed around red, white, and blue patriotic themed heroes for those people that want to minor role-play along the lines of federal law enforcement.

The reason for the no minimum play time is that I tend to travel very frequently on my job, leaving town two weeks at a time.

I just love when people on these boards never fully consider the entire post but rather pick and chose small tidbits here and there to accept that as your entire opinion instead of considering the post in its entirety...

Makes posting on these boards uber-fun and wants to keep me coming back for more and more.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Aren't we the stars of our own comic book universe? Should we, as the star, be weak against others?

Aw, just my thoughts on the matter. Sorry for sounding so grumpy.

[/ QUOTE ]

"...when everyone is super, no one will be" - Syndrome, "The Incredibles"

If I'm the star of my own hero universe, then I'm going to win. If you're the star of your own hero universe, you're going to win. So if you and I meet up, we're always going to draw, or find parameters where we both win.

[/ QUOTE ]

I didn't say anything about winning constantly...you just assumed that was what I was talking about.

Heroes do fall, but they do valiantly. They fight a knock-down, drag-out rumble with villains and they sometimes lose. Notice the key word there...sometimes, not "all the time".

Villains...would any of them be any good if they lost all the time? Of course not. If they lose, they always vow to come back and get revenge, which they do.

The point I was trying to make is that the numbers of victories and defeats for each type of hero and villain are slanted to one side or the other. With my hero, I'm going to give you everything I've got and if I lose, then I lose. Getting taken out consistently time after time with my tank from two assassin strikes is not what I call fun. Playing a stalker and getting two-shotted time and time again by a couple of blasters after I come out of Hide isn't no fun either.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
So we've only gone from a non-functional inherent to one that is, at best, 40% functional - and really something much less considering the 7% low end chance, and the fact that primary damaging powers don't Taunt.

Seems almost pointless.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't really want to get into a debate on this, so I'll give a couple reasons for it, and go from there.

We're testing this. We don't want to go overboard on it, then have to reduce its effectiveness later, which is a very real concern with this. This lead us to start off low, and build up from there. What you folks are testing currently is the 'second draft' of PvP Gauntlet.

For those of you remember the CoV End of Beta event with the signature heroes battling all the players, we found a very curious problem during that event: It quickly became completely impossible to know who/where your target was. There were so many characters taunting continuously, that it was not only not fun, but essentially not playable.
So, we are trying to make sure that Taunt Ping Pong doesn't become a major concern in PvP. We want Gauntlet to be a bonus which helps, but it is not meant to replace Taunt or related powers.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not for sure why tanks are continually getting short-changed when it comes to PvP.

If the "taunt ping-pong" isn't acceptable as a tactic to use in PvE, then why isn't getting multiple Assassin Strikes within a few seconds? After all, we really don't have any defense against three or four stalkers coordinating their AS to hit at the same time. Why can't tanks use group tactics with other tanks?

Now it seems that only damage will cause an interrupt in a stalker's AS. Well, I can certainly tell you this...getting hit with three AS by coordinated stalkers time and time again isn't fun, either.

I guess now is the time to forget building an Invul/ tank for PvE, huh? The ONLY defense that they could possibly have against it is to be forced to take the Leadership pool and slot it out.

I'm sure that I'll hear it from the Stalkers about how weak they are and the limited health points they've got (and they've got every justification to say so). Well, why not nerf their Assassin Strike but give them more health points and/or boost their defenses.

PvE isn't fun when any one AT can be taken down with one or two strikes. A tank that can go up against an even-level Arch-Villain and can hold their own gets taken out by two sneaky stalkers with an AS. A stalker that's supposed to be sneaky gets taken out with two hits from a blaster.

The balance isn't there.

A stalker is supposed to be silent, getting in where the others can't. However, as defensively weak as they are, there would be no stalkers in any comic book universe that would last past the first three issues. A tank is supposed to be strong, getting knocked around by a Galactus size villain, only to get up and come back at them again. Without being forced to take the Leadership pool, a tank drops from a strike when he's not looking.

To me, this balance isn't working.

Give the stalkers some more hit points and buff their defensives. Give the hero ATs more defense against the Assassin Strike. I'd like to see it where it gets really hard to take down an enemy in PvE.

Why?

Aren't we the stars of our own comic book universe? Should we, as the star, be weak against others?

I see taking on other villains in PvE with my tank very much like going up against a Boss level enemy in the PvP portion of the game. It should be hard to take out another player to make it more worthwhile. I can't even name one of the LTs of a mission, which makes them non-important. Taking out a player villain (or hero, if you play CoV) should be treated as something important...not as a 1-2, they're gone.

Aw, just my thoughts on the matter. Sorry for sounding so grumpy.

[ QUOTE ]
We are currently rieviewing either a timer or a refresh of the Heavies during the temporal reversion. In the mean time, thanks for all the great feedback and keep testing!

[/ QUOTE ]

That would be greatly appreciated, Archon_Voss. All the times I've been on the test server, only one or two heroes have controlled the Heavies, not giving anyone else the opportunity to experience it.

If a fix isn't found, I can just imagine some Saturday one toon having control of a Heavy for eight to 12 hours of straight gameplay.

I think the best way to write it in would be the reversion since it already resets everything else.

I hope it's someone whose got pie.......

There is also the issue about heroes who have already outleveled a PvP zone to get the contact to issue them a mission that awards a badge. For example, the Forward Observer and Risk Taker badges.

I'm pretty glad that I found this thread as I was going to start one of my own...

Yeah, my tank can't hit a damn thing if the target is moving and it aggrevates me to no end. Half the time, I'm able to hit "Follow" from the target tray, wait for them to stop, then hit an attack.

I seriously hope this issue gets addressed soon. I'd hate to break my brand new CyberSnipa gamepad.

Ammon-Ra

Short and simple, something a little more serious was done to Stealth.

I enter a mish with Stealth already activated, haven't encountered ANY villains, health at 100%. My scrapper, with no aggro powers, still gets seen by villains such as the Ritki, Freakshow, Family, Tsoo, CoT, and Devouring Earth at ranges where any hero gets seen by a villain.

Petitioned and still haven't even gotten a response yet.

I believe simply because Atlas was to be the sole "entering" point for all the heroes when they completed the Outbreak tutorial in the beat of CoH. Back Alley Brawler was originally going to be the NPC trainer for King's Row; however, the developers saw the need to an additional "training ground" for new heroes so Galaxy City was born, BAB was relocated, and they created Blue Steel (my favorite) to be the NPC in King's Row.

That's why Atlas looks all flashy with the giant statue of Atlas and seems to be the "center" of Paragon City and Galaxy seems like an afterthought.

Personally, I like it that way. Just as someone else mentioned, you have that dropoff on the west side of Atlas that is a pain in the butt everytime you have to run missions there. The only pain about Galaxy is that it's loaded with Vahz and their toxic damage.

Rob

[ QUOTE ]
Hellion Arson – The Hellions are torching buildings and it’s up to the heroes to snuff them out!

[/ QUOTE ]

Boy, oh boy...I just hope they give my Fire/Fire blaster a fire extinguisher or else I'm in real trouble!

Rob

A history of Blue Steel

Hey folks,

After not really hearing anything back from other members and a message from the support staff that no background information exists for Blue Steel, I took it upon myself to write a little fan fiction detailing his history. It's a really rough sketch of his background and I may have made some errors on the precise timeline. I did have to take some liberty with "creating" a few new elements to Paragon City but it works, in my own opinion.

Please feel free to comment here or over at PimpRig where I posted it. Thanks.

Rob

[ QUOTE ]
Holy reanimated thread Batman .

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry, my bad. Heck, I'm a lead writer for a computer mod forum and you'd think that I would have caught that. However, I was looking for some background information on Blue Steel for an e-novel that I'm writing and this was one of the few threads that I found on a search.

Rob

I believe, from reading the History Plaques, may be part of the Regulators, a group of superheroes formed by Back Ally Brawler in August of 1972. The plaque states that "Blue Steel coined their motto" leading me to believe that he was a part of it, although it's not really that clear.

Oh, my motto for blasters?

We come with our own bodybags.

Rob

This is a base-line story using mostly Egpytian mythology as a guide for the six characters that I have created to play City of Heroes...

Ammon-Ra, King of the gods of Egypt, traveled daily across the sky ruling all that was below and every sunset, did battle with the evil Apep who sought to destroy him and take his place. Apep grew tired of his daily defeat and devised a plan to take out Ammon-Ra.

Seth, the god of thunder and storms, had grown tired of his brother Osiris, king of the dead, and his throne. Apep knew of this and set about to exploit their family's rivalry to his benefit. He offered Seth a deal...Apep will join forces with Seth to overthrow Osiris in exchange for unnamed favors to be granted at a later time. Seth, already eyeing his brother's wife, Isis, agreed.

Apep, the god of evil, slipped away and told Osiris about his brother's plans to kill him and take his throne and wife. Apep mearly explained that he simply had Osiris' best interest at heart. Osiris knew of the type of evil Apep was capable of and decided to heed the warning but to keep an eye on him.

When the battle began between Seth and Osiris, Apep held back, preserving his power. He sent a message of distress to Ammon-Ra that his daughter, Hathor, was in dire need of help. Thus, Ammon-Ra was lured into the crossfire of a mighty battle between Seth and Osiris. Apep, seizing his chance, directed his full might at Ammon-Ra, nearly destroying Ammon-Ra.

Seth, seeing this betrayal, turned his remaining strength upon Apep and kept his attention. Osiris, weak from the battle, used what little remaining strength he had left to send Ammon-Ra to the mortal plane. Seeing that Seth and Apep were now engaged in a battle of their own, Osiris sought help from his son, Anubis, the god of the underworld. Anubis realized that his only course of action was to direct the soul of the DeadKing to the mortal world.

Apep finally defeated Seth and took his place as the King of All Gods in Ammon-Ra's absence. Apep believes that Ammon-Ra is now dead, along with DeadKing Osiris since his thinking did not include the mortal world. He now rules the Egyptian pantheon with an evil fist.

When Queen Isis hears of her husband's (DeadKing Osiris) defeat and death, she bears a son from his body and hers and names him Hernedjitef (Horus the avenger of his father) to protect DeadKing Osiris in the afterworld. When Hernedjitef arrives in the afterworld to protect his father, Anubis informs his that his father is not there. Mindful of a child's duty to their parent's, Anubis grants Hernedjitef mortality. Herneditef now wanders in Paragon City in search of his father and to fulfill his role as protector.

When the rumor that DeadKing Osiris is not dead but living on the mortal plane reaches the ears of Queen Isis, she departs immediately for the mortal plane in search of her husband. Hernedjitef has no idea that his mother, Isis, is on the mortal plane.

In a related story, since the rule of Apep is evil, the goddess Baset also decides to leave for the mortal plane. Not in search of Ammon-Ra and Osiris, but rather in search of her son, Salem Black. Salem Black was the ******* child of Ammon-Ra and Baset. Baset had stolen a little essence of her grandfather in the aftermath of the great battle because she so desperately wanted a son. However, since Salem Black was a ******* and many questions would be asked, Salem Black was born from a mortal worshippper of Baset. Salem Black knows who his father is and harbors an anger towards him for his station in life. Baset has traveled to the mortal plane in an effort to reach her son before he finds Ammon-Ra and confronts him.

Ammon-Ra and DeadKing Osiris are now seeking a way back to the pantheon, Hernedjitef seeks to protect his father (DeadKing Osiris), Isis is in search of her husband (DeadKing Osiris), Baset is in search of her son (Salem Black), and Salem Black is in search of his father (Ammon-Ra). Funny thing is that they'll never meet because they were all created on one account and one server.

So, that's the base-line story for my six characters...

Ammon-Ra - magical blaster
DeadKing Osiris - magical defender
Hernedjitef - magical tanker
Queen Isis - magical defender
Baset - magical controller
Salem Black - mutant scrapper

This gives me at least one of each archtype available to me at the moment. I try to play the characters evenly, although Ammon-Ra is now a 17 level and DeadKing Osiris is a level 10 (the others are sub-10 level now).

Rob

EDIT: I chose the name Salem Black because I do have a cat by the name of Salem and yes, he's a black cat. He's screwed up some of my mission by walking across the keyboard at the wrong moment so I thought I might as well put him in the game.