Wicked_Wendy
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Posts
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Joined
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Quote:Well the destinies I can understand. The group I runwith always does a Destiny count prior to Queue for MoM and the UG. The leader wants to be sure he has X amount of Clarion available (to negate Mez) and especially with MoM Barrier, the one with 1 or 2 rezzes depending on t3 or t4, comes in handy helping to avoid using the Infamous DEZ REZ.Originally Posted by Trilby
I know this guy, I was on the trial.
It went pretty smooth. Not badge perfect, but no OMG WTF WHY ARE WE FAILING! Dark and Widows make the zone a lot easier on a team, but they aren't needed, it is possible to do it without them.
But the IO thing was stupid. I'm full IOed and I need to be to play the game how I want as a tanking crab, but you can still rock this in SO, or basic IOs or whatever. He didn't ask me what IOs I had though, I just said I was a 53 crab and he was happy to have me. Maybe it is all that sweet buffing I bring :P
And he also had a bit of a thing about destinies. He wanted everyone rebirth/barrier, failing that, whatever gave you a shift.
So basically, a little silly, but it worked. I still prefer teams where anyone can join, so long as we get a majority of +3s :P
JUST to clarify based on a few of the posts... I never said I one starred or placed this person on ignore I simply said the advertisement seems silly. Come on .. I now have 17 incarnates that have nothing BUT t4s in all 5 powers and 12 of those have multiple destiny options. At some point every single one of them was a 50 +0 and it was being allowed to join trials and earn my level shifts that allowed me to get there.
The league I run with nightly has no problem letting a few +0 tag along .. No we aren't insane we make sure we have plenty of +3s to ensure we can carry those folks till they can carry themselves.
Now IF, as mentioned, someone was attempting a Master run sure I can understand wanting to optimize chances and seeking out only +3s but I have done every single trial countless times now and there is no particular AT that is required for any of them.. Heck we have even done the Penny battle on Mom with a SoA Bane taunting because we had NO tank or Brute! AS for Dark I have several characters that use it .. It has 3 powers that debuff ... So does RAD.
To each his or her own and if those leaders find enough players to join them I am sure they do just fine but they spend a lot more time looking for team mates and I am polishing off my second or third trial while they are just STARTING their first with all of those restrictions. The one thing I didnt bother to copy was some of the comment in broadcast the individual got in reply.. Not one of which was positive. Most regarded his shopping list of requirements to join his league as a joke. -
Okay so earlier today I was on and saw this post for a MOM:
[Virtuebadges09] Xxxxxx Xxxxxx: last call for MoM itrial leauge LFM. +3 incarnate shift appreciated, full io sets please. widow or dark miasma prefered, pst for an invite, thanks.
I couldnt help but want desperately to add something like..
Must enjoy long walks on the beach and watching the sunset. Will be required to submit detailed list of all purple enhancements and a complete diagram of build. Certificate of accomplishment detailing successful completion of all Itrials at LEAST once. MUST have appropriate costume and no one will be permitted to join without a Bio that is at least 450 characters in length. Check box to indicate preference(s) [ ] Star Trek Next Generation [ ] Battle Star Galatica [ ] Star Gate One [ ] Futurama .. Note: anything less than 3 check marks disqualifies automatically.
First as the title indicates let me clarify this is NOT a rant. I could care less what these leaders want and my very solution to dealing with them is very simple.. I don't send a tell and don't join their teams... EVER!
I realize that on some of these new trials having a team with more 50 (+0)s than those with 3 level shifts can be a problem. On trials like the UG or MoM attention to who has clarion, barrier, etc can spell the difference between victory and defeat but .. FULL IO Sets, 3 level shifts and widows or characters with Dark Maisma required? Please!! LOL
A while back the league I run with nightly had a guy join that INSISTED we needed at least 3 widows to have a chance at succeeding on a MoM .. The combined Mind Link helping to counter the effects of the psi.. Strange we do Mom nightly and prior to his arrival had succeeded constantly with exactly NO widows at all
Some of the advertisements are funny and others make you wonder.. So back when you were a 50 (+O) how would you have felt if no one wanted to invite you to their team until you some how managed to obtain 3 level shifts with no ability to get on a league and do trials?
OF course things are going to go easier with a 16 man league that all have 3 level shifts. But when you start requesting specific ATs and even Powers maybe its time to take a short break from the game and get back in touch with reality.. I'll take 16 players, with the right amounts of Clarion, Barrier and Rebrith, that know how to play the game and their character over a goof that can't follow instructions, can't grasp the concept of PINK CLOUD kills and spend more time whining about being dead than fighting any day!
Please feel free to add your own stories of ... ?? I am not even sure what to call it .. Trial Sobbery? hehehe
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Quote:Hmmm let's see if I can recall:Originally Posted by Frost Warden
My first-of record, just for an opposing POV:
BAF: Failed, as we tried using the LFG queue on the first day it was live. We had 13 people, no tanks.
Lambda: Success.
Keyes: Failed, as none of us had actually run it before.
UG: Success, but was very close on losing Des.
TPN: Failed.
MoM: Success.
BAF/LAM: Success but as you mentioned on both I had a leader that had done them on Beta
Keyes: Failed miserably .. no one alonmg that had done it previously
UG: Successful.. almost failed at the Lichen WarWalker but made it through.. we did have players along with experience
MOM: Failed but after we experimented 3 times we succeeded and have been running it nightly (with no failures) since
TPN: Failed but again after a couple test runs we came up with the right strategy and simply ignore the telepaths and Maelstrom outside and rush from building to building until with get our PO victories.
Of all the trials I'd say my favorite is the Underground. Yes I know its the longest but I enjoy the challenge and the rewards are better than any other .. 10 Astral, 2 Emps, better than 60 threads and a minimum of a RARE bit of salvage. Compare that to the Keyes. 3-4 astrals, 2 emps, a few threads and more often than not I wind up with a common or uncommon. And I get to endure frequent periods where I am flailing helplessly in mid air or trying to avoid an obliteration beam during the final battle. The Lambda is a close second to Keyes for least favorite.. Eve with all 3 level shifts my squishier characters can still get squashed during the glowie phase and these days teams seem to split up and do whatever they like inside .. instead of STAYING together to proetct one another. The rewards suck 3 astral, 1 emp a couple threads and just like Keyes more often than not very low level salvage.
The TPN and BAF are great for farming... good rewards and unless the TPN bug bites very limited chance of failure
I personally enjoy MoM... the nightmare battles a make phase one interesting along with trying to avoid the pink stuff. The battle with Penny is epic and the final battle with Maliase/Tillman is fun.
I run with a group that nightly does the following: Keyes>TPN>MoM>UG and then MAYBE we add a BAF and LAM. We have a core group that actually has it's own private chat channel now and then we open it up to anyone else interested to fill. Our strategies are sound so unless the PUG players just completely ignore instructions we always win.
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The BUG is annoying and the trial is basically a repeat, repeat, repeat until done. Think of it as the BAF of the newer trials .. when the bug doesn't toss you out this is a gaurenteed 60 + thread, 2 Emps, X number of Astrals and whatever salvage you are awarded. It's easy to complete and complete quickly and unlike Mom or the UG doesn't require the league leader to do a Destiny check to ensure enough Clarions, Barriers or whatever are available.
Supposedly there are ways to avoid the bug .. I have a couple different league leaders I team with and depending on which you talk to there are different ways to avoid the mass map serve. One just keeps telling us all not to JUMP... Not sure exactly what that even means since I use Ninja run between buldings and frequently leap over obstacles to get to the next door. The other CLAIMS we all need to dismiss pets prior to the second Public Opinion Victory and respawn them once we attack Maelstrom for the final battle.. NO idea if that works or not since I don't even bother to rez my pets during the trial. Whatever .. for some reason BOTH leaders have a very good track record for not triggering the bug and for completing the trial.
Personally I agree .. MOM is a much more interesting trial. I love battling the nightmares in phase one and avoiding the pink clouds of death. The battle with Mother Penny is by far the most challenging phase of the trial and the final battles with Mother Malaise/Tillman are fun. If there is anything I'd criticize it's the cut scene...
1. We discover that Clavin Scott apparently is extremely crosseyed. LOL
2. We discover that apparently Paragon Studios Quality Control took a LONG vacation during the final stages of this scene since NOONE ever seems to be looking in the right direction except Penelope Yin.. and she is the only one with no lines!
and 3. After almost 30 levels, including First Ward, we discover that Calvin has based his entire resistance movement of a false memory. Sorry there big guy but the reality is you were never married to Aurora and you have been attacking and blowing stuff up for years based on that false impression!
Note to Emperor Cole from Scott
Dear Marcus,
Sorry about the devastation, the kidnappings, killings and such. Seems like my marriage never really happened. BTW.. know any cute girls interested in a relationship with a half crazed rebel leader? Tell them I am willing to blow stuff up to impress them.
Calvin
hehehehe Hopefully they fix the bug so it doesn't occur (SOON PLEASE). -
Quote:Originally Posted by Egos_Shadow
They crashed out doing the TPN incarnate trial. After that, you get a weird bug that makes you appear in random people's missions if you try and rejoin the crashed trial. That's why "abandon" - they had to leave mission, go back to the trial LFG and abandon it to clear the bug.
Yep ... I found myself in someone else's mission a few nights ago after a TPN crash. I turned around and went out the bank door and was back in the RWZ but it was interesting (???) and I can only imagine what the mission owner thought since I appeared right in front of him. -
Quote:Right.. and then let's say I am on my 14 level blaster fresh from DFB and wanting to continue teaming to advance quickly and tp start working on my TF Commander ASAP. I start the queue and it puts together the MINIMUM number of players required fora Posi part 1 TF.. 4. As we gather to begin the TF we discover that we now have 4 (14 level) blasters that all had the same idea. So the four of us, with minimal powers, and not one person on any sort of character that can even think about controlling aggro, debuffing, buffing or healing are supposed to face off against COT, Vahzilok and Clockwork... or to put it another way against one villain group that resists damage and is a major PITA at that level (COT), a second that has a ton of toxic damage which even higher level character have limited resistance to (VAHZ) and a third that can fire off holds leaving most if not all of the team helpless while they tear us to shreds (Clockwork).Originally Posted by Sarha
But what I am thinking is that there will be more people just sitting in queue for anything and someone will be like, "I want to run a Sister Psyche," and instead of broadcast on whatever channel their server uses they'll just hit Sister Psyche in the queue and start up that queue and it will be populated by the all those people who are just sitting on the queue list. Unless I'm not understand how this works (and do correct me if I'm wrong, cause my brain is now questioning me). Yeah, still will have a lack of leaders willing to step up, but if it is easier for them to just hit the button they might be more inclined.
Just curious, if there are 8 people who queue up for first available but no one is try to start any particular event will those guys get grouped into a random tf available for there level or will the just sit in LFG limbo until someone tries to form an actual group?
Until they fix the Queue it is a totally unreliale way of putting together a team because it doesn't care about ANY of that. If FOUR players enter and say "We'd like to do Positron part1" alll it sees is that the minimum amount required to start the TF exists and it WILL make a team. It doesn't care what ATs or power sets they have, it doesn't care wha the chances are those 4 can actually survive and succeed in completing the TF.. all it sees is .. the proper number of potential players exist to form said team!
And then there is the other side of the problem.. I enter the queue and there are not enough players with the mimimum skill level that are interested in doing a Sister Psyche or Posi 2 or whatever.. On Beta I entered the Queue to try and test out the new DIB trial (14 level +) and after an hour of doing other things I finally logged off without ever getting to do what i wanted.
Now look at the globals channels we have now and use constantly .. I decided I want to do a Posi part 1 and post on 5 different channels i belong to on Virtue. Unless its just a totally bad time of day within a very short period of time I have gotten numerous responses back and even have players alting to log on characters they have that NEED and WANT that task force. Some players even send tells asking "WHAT DO YOU NEED ME TO BRING?" So I can monitor my teams build and make sure I have buffs, debuffs, heals, aggro management and sufficient damage to ensure success. Best of all I accomplish ALL of this in a matter of minutes . not an hour and half later. Oh and I decide if I want to run a 4 man minimal sized team or a full sized 8 man one .. not a program.
Maybe you weren't around when the trials first started and the queue first became available but I tried it, so did a lot of others, and found myself on an 8 man team heading into Lambda. No one on the team wanted to lead because no on on the team had ever seen a lambda trial before and had no idea what we needed to do. We didnt have half the powers we needed to attempt to battle Maurader and because no one knew where to find them we only managed to acquire a few grenades and acids.. We were quickly overwhelmed by ADDs and failed after multiple deaths. Noiw there have been SOME improvevments I will grant you back then I couldn't do half the things I can now ewhile waiting for an invite.. like travel from one zone to another, place fresh enhancements in my powers slots or anything else that required a full screen .. IF I did I was bumped out of the queue and had to begin all over.
Players got tired of finding themselves on teams with absolutely no chance of victory and before long it evolved into what you see now.. Trial league being built in locations like the RWZ or Cimerora or Pocket D by a leader who HOPEFULLY knows what to do and they can examine the ATs they have and search for ones they may still need. I realize on many servers population is small and finding enough people to do a single trial is hard but on Virtue we an have so many trials running at once we fill up 1, 2 or more RWZs and not a single one is built by the QUEUE. It didnt work for the trials and I can just aout gaurentee it won't for task forces either. -
Quote:Originally Posted by vorpal
Just auto complete it. You just need to wait out the auto complete cooldown and you can do every step while staying in place.
Have you ever tried that theory? Because I tried doing that ONCE with the mission that involved escorting crazy Lady Jane and by auto completing I did not get one vital piece of salvage required to craft the curing wand. That ultimately lead to being unable to complete the arc and earn the badge on my own because.. I couldn't craft the wand and then cure 20 lost before being allowed to contact the Latin Student outside the Club in Steel.
If this change is live it SUCKS. I had squishy characters that only obtained their entrance into the Midnighter's Club by joining someone else's mission and aiding them in completing the arc. It is rediculous to think that an 8 man team would not be able to sync missions and all get credit for completing the arc once .. but would instead have to run it 8 times for all to obtain the badge and access. -
Quote:Originally Posted by Kioshi
Empathy and probably Mind Control. Played a Mind/Emp (first toon I rolled in the game) from i9 to i14. Very busy toon, 3 months to get to 50 because it was harder to level then, and then I stated IOing her... Got her to permahasten in i11 or so, after that she was like 'Imma Mass confuse this groups, now Fort the blaster, wait the auras are recharged, now Terrify the groups, lemme sleep the other, this guy needs CM, oops Fort is up again, gotta hold the boss, this one is attacking the defender imma mesmerize-levitae-dominate, the scrapper needs healing, who do I use Fort now, oh time for Adrenalin Boost again OH MY GOD I'M IN MULTITASKING HELL'. She has 7 keybinds iirc. Had tons of fun with her but that's why my second 50 was a scrapper
Powersets/ATs I got to 20-40 and have no desire to play again: Willpower (bland), Warshades (don't like the gimmicks to achieve max potential like targetting dead bodies, changing forms a ton, Mires, felt like too much work to do things other ATs can do with few clicks, mine was also full of keybinds), Elec Blast (couldn't 'feel' the set).
There are always the ones I have no desire to level due to aesthetic reasons, like KM (animations don't appeal to me) and StJ (hate the sounds).
But this game is fun because even 4 years and some later, I can find a powerset I never played and I'm enjoying (Energy Blast, MA, Thermal, Storm).
THIS is the way I feel these days about my very first 50 level.. my Ill/Emp. First there is the epathy side of the sets .. I am not now nor have I ever been the type of Emp that just puts Aura on auto and assumes I have done my job. I have fort slotted so it comes back in about 30 seconds so I am constantly using that on some one. Unless its against a group that has no Mez, good luck on that at higher levels, I am constantly hitting folks with CM. I keep the team roster visable so anyone showing signs of trouble gets healed quickly.. In short just constantly scanning and clicking to do my best to keep the team buffed and healthy. Then as you mentioned .. get on a PUG that splits up and like an idiot I find myslef trying to run back and forth to do all that to 2 seperate smaller teams in different locations on the map. I have had missions where I barely got to use my attacks.
Then I added Illusion which is great for soling. I enjoyed sneaking into a building, confusing everything in sight and then sending in the pets to mop up while they battled each other. BUT .. on teams when the pets are gone I had almost no significant attacks.
The character is semi retired now and I have no desire to every make another. -
As I-22 approaches, SLOWLY, and a lot of us have done trial after trial after trial I wondered how players would rate each. So for some fun let's list them from favorite to "god I hate that thing!" along with a short explanation why.
1. MoM ... Yeah I know some don't like dodging the pink stuff but the battle with Mother Penelope is awesome and the battles with the nightmare add to the fun. Heck people are running farms just to get those so they can acquire the badge
2. The Underground ... Okay I think you can see I prefer a challenge to mind numbing ease LOL This forces players to actually PAY attention and listen to instructions if you want to succeed . About the only thing I am not crazy about is the long run through the tunnels where I am constantly taking damage from spores. I don't mind damage but when there is nothing I can do to fight back and my only means of survival is to Run fast and use greens it takes a bit away from the enjoyment.
3. BAF ... probably the easiet trial of all these days. If you can't succeed on a BAF you may want to hang up the spadex tights and look for another line of work. LOL The dual battle with Siege and Northstar add just enough excitement to keep it from putting you to sleep these days. Now if we can just PLEASE stop that cut scene.. I have seen it like 1000 times now.. which may be why I picked MoM as #1 .. i can get back at her for that ~totally~ ~horrible~ ~acting~~!
4. The TPN .. Its fast paced, its not that difficult once you get the strategy down but I am still not crazy about a trial where an average citizen can send my character to the hospital with a BRICK!
5. Lamda .. This one has never been a favorite because even with level shifts it is still a nightmare for a squishy character when you hit the acid/grenade collection phase. And let's face it the battle with Maurader can get annoying too.. If the man is soooo powerful why does he feel the need to run around like a Slag Golum in Sharkshead? I spend more time chasing him around the compound than actually fighting him
6. Keyes Island .. And last but definately least, imo, Keyes. First off the cut scene leave you wondering if you should be battling Anti Matter or getting him the number of a really good shrink.. The man has serious issues he needs to resolve. The reactor phases are fairly easy now that we have a sound strategy that in most cases eliminates the need to even bother leading AM around. It's the final battle I hate with a passion.. After one run when I was playing my Rad/Rad Defender I made the comment .. "Okay so Anti Matter and I are both rad/rad. When do I get my ability to freeze time, regenerate, and blast people from space with MY obliteration beam?" I like to actively participate in battling the Av at the end of any TF or Trial.. not spend half my time running from some auto killing beam from outer space when I am not flailing around helplessly in mid air cause time has frozen and the damage I did help do is being erased. Of course we always wind up winning but its just annoying and I can't wait to finish it and move on to one's that are more fun.
Now for the clarification .. absolutely none of these trials are so horrible that I won't do them and with a good team I enjoy what ever I am doing. I will also admit the the placement of the UG Trial MAY be partially based on the fact that I always get either a rare or Very rare.. I did 5 trials early today. A speed LAM>BAF>Keyes>TPN and then a second BAF. I didnt get a single thing higher than an uncommon and I only got one of those. Of course last night I did a Keyes>TPN>Mom>UG>BAF and got 4 rares and an uncommon so it does even out!
Okay now.. if interested.. your turn. and PLEASE no flame wars and YES we all know how the mechanics suck and yada yada yada... I just want to know what you like, dont like and a quick reason or two why. We don't need detailed schematics outlining the flaws in the basic design that forces us to do silly things over and over. have fun!
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As mentioned a DEATH in a super hero comic is not unheard of so the idea of Statesman passing on is not that outrageous. What it does for the game and for NC Soft is...
1. Since the game began Statesman has been regarded as the most powerful hero in Paragon City. With him gone it allows the players to fill the game as the new "Incarnates" and the focus of the game shifts from us working for ONE guy or at the very least working to be like that ONE guy to a place where we can feel like we are that ONE guy!
2. From the company side the figure of Statesman, for many of us older vets, is always associated with the former head of Cryptic Studios who used Statesman as HIS in game persona. With the in game death of the character Statesman NC Soft sheds the last remnant of the old days ... In short Statesman, Cryptic, is gone! We run things around here now!
Personally I don't have and extremenly close ties to any of the NPC characters... If any at all I would say i enjoy Back Alley Brawler .. was glad to see they moved him to Atlas when Galaxy City was destroyed. Manticore because I like the idea of the hero with no special powers plus it seems like in some of the comics he's actually the one that is willing to speak up and oppose Statesman from time to time.
One thing the death of States does do is raise a few interesting questions..
1. Okay exactly who is this guy sending me off to battle Arachnos and Lord Recluse? Obviously they can always say that the "STATESMAN Task Force" takes place prior to the eventual death of Statesman but as a 50(+3) Incarnate that 20 minutes ago just completed the underground Trial I can join an STF... Getting even wierder.. as that same 50(+3) I could complete SSA part 5 an watch Statesman die.. then turn right around an form an STF.
2. I am a 45-50 level villain and I just completed SSA part 5 and saw Statesman dead.. so who is this guy that looks exactly like him I am now battling on the final mission of the Lord Recluse Strike Force?
3. in keeping the tradition going.. I am about to complete the final mission of Marie Jenkin's Arc in Peregrine Island.. So who is this Statesman guy I am rescuing and why am I now his pal? Oh also was that a ghost that actually helped me complete several of the earlier missions in the arc?
Okay you get the idea LOL And of course they can easily state that all the events I just described and more occurred in a timeline that preceeded Statesman's eventual death but it is a little strange to think we can go to PI and run a short story arc that ends with him dead and then moments later be standing on that ship in IP staring at him.
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Well let's start off giving them the same resistance to damage that CoT Spectral Demons have at lower level.. only all the way to 50. you know what I mean .. by the time you manage to defeat 3 +0 minons you have no end left and are 3/4 dead.
Staying with CoT for a bit, because imho the devs already created the most annoying villain group in COT [lol], lets use that same annoying habit they have of vanishing into thin air in the middle of a battle.. then show up later wanting your head WHILE you are battling another group.
Now for some powres and I saw some really great ideas already
1. That stick stuff the PPD throw all over the place that slows you to a crawl and makes it impossible to jump
2. Caltrops lots and lots of caltrop .. the combined effect of 2-3 or more minions tossing those is your character looks like some one set the film to slo motion.
3. psi attacks specifically anything that will lift a character up and toss it half way across the room like what you see in the final battle of the Renault SF. Hey everyone loves to watch their helpless character being tossed around like a wash rag while they are completely unable to attack.
4. Something similar to Ion Judgement .. If we really want maximum annoyment why not aid ONE attack that does mutliple damage to multiplr targets as it bounces back and forth!
5. ahhhh almost forgot .. Superior invisibility. Your walking down what seems to be a deserted hallway and then BAM.. your dead! That always registers high on the annoyance scale. while we are at it ..
6. Assassins strike.. if we are going to let them roam around unseen may as well make it possible for them to take us out with one strike .. right?
Okay we have a pretty good feel for their powers now .. make the minons all look like Teletubbies and the lieutenants like an off shoot of the smurfs (no not evil nasty looking little dwarves like the red caps...cute adorable looking like the actual smurfs) .. Imagine the increased annoyance of all those powers when you relaize something that sickeningly cute is what is doing it to you. LOL Can anyone tell i HAD to watch way too much of that stuff while my daughters were growing up? -
Quote:You do whatever you please on your teams and I'll do what i like on mine. By the way so let me see if I have this straight. A cartoon is a drawing or series of drawing that act out a story. Now in their day Disney spent months or more drawing frame after frame after frame to create such classics as Sleeping Beauty, Fantasia, and Snow White. In more recent history the computer has cut the time require to animate films but the process is still fairly similar.Originally Posted by Doctor Roswell
Speak for yourself. The ones I left in there have been making me fantasize about doing Jack Bauer-like things to people since before "Jack Bauer" was a thing.
Also, a "cartoon" is a drawn picture, or a story told using drawn pictures. The characters contained therein are "cartoon characters." Calling Fry from Futurama a "cartoon" is like calling Jack Bauer from 24 a "TV show." In my opinion.
Now lets go to the Super Hero Comic book where this game got its basis. Each frame in a Superman comic book is a SINGLE picture used to tell a story so can we then assume that Superman is a Cartoon? Especially since at some point do to it's popularility the comic was adapted for television and became an action cartoon. Now we have shows like the Dark Knight tha again use compuetrs to speed up the animation process but still create multi frames to moves characters. And then finally lets go to this and any other on line, off line, or arcade game where a program uses pixals to generate an image .. the character we create in the costume creator .. and they move it through a series of actions to attack and defeat enemies.
And the difference between that and an animated cartoon is what again?
MY original point was its a GAME and when people put too much emphasis on any part of it they SUCK the life/fun right out.
I personally don't care one way or the other if a player decides to refer to himself as a character or a toon as long as he can do two things when he teams with me..
1. Listen to the instructions given by whover is leading so we actually succed and reap the rewards at the end.
2. Plays to the best of his or her ability
Other than that.. my motto is have fun. -
Okay got this onlie from the Urban Dictionary:
It became a popular way to refer to a cartoon character in the 1981 Gary K. Wolf novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?
This from Dictionary.com:
noun
1. a sketch or drawing, usually humorous, as in a newspaper or periodical, symbolizing, satirizing, or caricaturing some action, subject, or person of popular interest.
2. comic strip.
3. animated cartoon.
4. Fine Arts . a full-scale design for a picture, ornamental motif or pattern, or the like, to be transferred to a fresco, tapestry, etc.
Obviously here on line or elsewhere the term toon is simply a shorter way of referring to a cartoon... The other alternative makes no sense at all .. "I just ceated a new TW/WP Car! Its a brute!"
It is interesting that on several online games, including coh in certain circles, using toon seems to reflect ignorance or stupidity. Yet it is perfectly acceptable to shorten entire phrases like IMO, OMG, BRB, AFK, LOL, LMAO, ROFL. ROFLMAO, Bio break, LFT, LFM, OOC, ((OOC)), BBL, Gratz, etc, ect ect! We have no qualms abbrieviating just about anything to shorten our chats but "TOON" is taboo.
Personally I very back and forth between referring to my many "TOON" as characters or toons... Sorry if this upsets the hard core, almost maniacal, role play set but the entire game is based on comic books that are filled with CARTOONs! Sorry but I have close to 45 characters on virtue alone and while they all have a bio when I am at the keyboard playing them they all have the same personality... If I had 45 different personalities I could keep track of and switch to at will I'd probably need therapy and meds. -
Quote:I do think your right Wing but here's the thing.. Just how much more Ixp can the new powers cost? After a while i was able to start converting astrals into thread credits on email for newer characters and with several I used those to simply open up all their powers. It took 30 threads each to open justice and interface and 45 each to open destiny and lore for a grand total of 150. At this moment I have a Tw/Wp brute that is running 4 trials a night to get the vrs needed to get all powers to t4... That character has accumulated 128 astral and 28 emps. If I converted all of those to threads when the new powers arrive, not counting any threads I already have, I'd have 1040 to spend on Ixp and potentially any salvage I stilll need. That's seven times more than what I needed to open up the powers I now. Now I have 21 incarnate characters and not all of them have any where near that much saved up but some do. I just think the dev team is going to be a little shocked at how quickly a LOT of players that run trials daily are running around with 7, 9 or whatever powers all at t3 or higher because they are waiting so long to release.Originally Posted by Wing_Leader
I thought that it was stated outright, during a player summit or ustream thingy or whateverthehell, that the next set of Icarnate slots would not introduce any new currencies. If so, then yes, a lot of folks will be tier 3 or tier 4 almost immediately (once they've acquired the iXP to unlock the slots). I think the expectation is that the new slots will require a lot of iXP, maybe an order of magnitude more than the existing slots, so as to encourage runs through the newest trials which will provide commensurately more iXP. Folks trying to farm BAF for the new slots will probably find it to be an excruciatingly slow grind.
I can think of at least 4 or 5 of mine that will be that way.
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Quote:I'm sure it varies greatly from server to server. Now I have a great group I hooked up with here on Virtue. We get together nightly and have a certain core group of players to start with and then simply recruit whatever eneed to begin. Very rare for it to take long for us to start the first trial.Originally Posted by Hopeling
This must vary from server to server or something. Most of the leagues I've been in disband after a single trial. I've never been on a league that ran 6 trials in a row at all, much less reliably.
Then we do Keyes, TPN, MoM and the UG in that order .. sometimes switching depending who all stays or goes. Sure some folks leave after a few trials but most join up and stay till they have all 8 available emps. Usully after that we disband but at times we even do a speed lambda and a BAF if there is enough interest. Just to make sure I am undestood i am NOT talking about a SUPER GROUP here that provides 18 players a night.. We all just sort of found one another and even have our own private global now. Thats about as close to an organized group as it gets!
I understand your point though A while ago I would spend as much time standing around in the RWZ while a league leader tried to assemble a team for a BAF as it took to complete one! -
Quote:Oh lord don't get me started.. So many examples of that one or two players that simply can't follow instructions or don't bother to read them.Originally Posted by Issen
My only problem is the players.
There's always ONE person in every PuG league who, despite having all the instructions laid out in plain English, goes and seems to either forget everything, or purposefully does NOT follow instructions:
Biggest example? On a Keyes, we were going for "Avoids The Green Stuff". So what happened? First time an Obliteration Beam Reticle appears, everyone scatters...except one person who runs past us and head-long INTO the reticle.
Lambdas where 3 people ended up TRYING to gather grenades while 13 were over doing acids and somehow still managed not to get them all(???)
Recent.. TPNs where players PULL the IDF away from the terminal and then .. COME back to attack the technician trailing a horde behind them.
BAFS where half a team that is supposed to be on the SOUTH side gaurding choke points is NORTH.
Yes I also have been on more than one Lamdba where an idiot just had to be in the cut scene and moments later the trial was over when Maurader chased them outside .. also seen the opposite where they rushed to get back to the assembly point PULLING Maurader and all the reinforcements along with them before anyone had time to buff and not a single door was closed. The amazing thing on this one is.. At this point most players have probably been on at least one failed Lam that was a direct result of this but no one ever seems to ban or kick these @@@'s that just HAVE to dance.. gets particularliy interestig when you realize it also normally means that while your team was still up in the facility dodging mobs and pounding glowies this JERK was standing around outside waiting to pose!
Okay before this becomes a book I quit! LOL Let us simply summarize by saying we know that the game has a fairly mature player base.. of course we have some teenagers but many of us are well beyond even college so why is it when some folks log onto COH they regress and become a rebellious 15 year old that "doesn't have to listen to you!!" -
Quote:Ahhh see you have hit on my biggest fear. I have more than 20 characters I am pushing through the incarnate system and all but one are +3 on any trial. While a number of them have nothing but t4s in all powers and are semi-retired until something new arrives, trial or powers, I am rapidly approaching the stage you describe. I have characters that have nothing but t4s and already have 4 very rares, 4 or more rares and assorted others components along with a lot of astrals and emps.Originally Posted by TwoHeadedBoy
I don't want to say I "hate" anything, but I strongly disagree with some of the design choices. To name a few...
1. Untyped damage is used too heavily. We have toxic and psi damage for a reason- Most people don't resist them well. Incarnate enemies already have massive tohit and the AV's resist debuffs, so I hardly think most peoples defenses would cover it all the time.
2. Mez that Clarion at t4 doesn't fix. The gimicky holds in Underground come to mind- I got this tier 4 Incarnate power so that I have it when I do Incarnate trials. It would only seem logical to me that it would, well... Work.
3. The Lambda badges. Yeah, the Keyes badges are harder, but I think they're also one of the best incentives to run the trial. I like Keyes. The Devs like Keyes. The Devs want you to like Keyes, and they want you to play Keyes. Fine, I get that, and I understand the MoM nightmare badge for the same reason... But there is absolutely no reason to have MoLambda take three runs other than to grief people who want the badges. The trial gets run to death, the extra incentive is hardly necessary.
Overall though, these are just pet peeves. I really like all the trials, I like running the newer ones especially because I'm bored of BAF and Lambda, and TPN and MoM are a couple of the most fun things in the game for me.
And a quick side rant:
I think the Devs made a mistake in releasing MoM, UG, and TPN when they did. If these trials were the only ones that provided *non-purchasable* Incarnate XP for new slots, I guarantee that they would get run just as much if not more than BAF or Lambda.
As it stands now, the I Trials serve as Empyrean merit farms for most people- We already have every single power available and stockpiled goodies. The new alpha/interface/judgement powers were a nice addition but it really just encouraged more BAF/LAM/BAF/LAM! The only incentive for playing the newer trials is that you like them or you're saving Emps up for a PVP IO (or the previously mentioned badging.) For people like me, who happen to like the trials themselves, it's kinda crappy.
I wasn't particularly happy when we finally got destiny, lore, justice and interface and discovered all the salvage my characters had stored was practicaly useless aside from converting from shards to threads. They are taking such a long time releasing the next set of powers I am almost certain we will, once again, find ourselves forced to start mining some NEW form of salvage to open them... Otherwise many players will have some powers open to t3 or even t4 in no time.
This game is getting entirely too many forms of currency etc as is without another set of components and salvage we have to farm to open and slot the next range of incarnates.
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Don't take the title the wrong way I run trials constantly and with the group I have hooked up with I enjoy the experience .. however a lot has been written here of late about some of the frustrating mechanics of these trials and I thought this would be a good topic to explore..
okay one by one then
The Underground Trial .. An entire section of the map where basically I am in a race against infection that threatens to defeat me. There is NO way to fight what is attacking me all I can do is run as fast as I can and keep popping greens. {Great timing too since shortly afterwards we face the AV in the final chamber .. lovely time for a squishy character to be out of respites when the general rule of thumb is don't use heals... if you are confused you'll heal the AV} My Tank and Brutes manage this area just fine since they have a ton of hit points and great defenses but by controllers and defenders barely make it through alive at times.
Oh and the lichen phase has it quirks as well. I am not certain HOW this works exactly and I have been picked on numerous occasions to collect them. I am GUESSING here, please feel free to correct if I am in error, that like the grenades in the lambda we use to pacify Maurader the lichen can only be used one at a time. Once someone has thrown one at the warwalker you need to wait for it to wear off before using a second??? Okay I have had trials where I stood face to face with a WW that was at 100% and no matter how many time I clicked on a lichen in my trays i couldn't get it to work. IF this is the case couldn't they have at least come up with a warning like in lambda letting us know it was okay to use the glowies we collected again??
The TPN Trial .. A mechanic which requires players to avoid using any form of AoE while outside or risk failure. Yes there are ways around this issue .. the league I run with doesnt even try to deal with telepaths and simply runs from building to building defeating techs and accessing terminals but .. this is basically asking some players to stop using more than half of the attacks they spent 50 level obtaining. Oh I almost forgot to mention.. this also nullifies one of the incarnate powers you run trials to opbtain in the first place.. there was a thread on the forums the other day talking about a trial that failed because some one, NOT paying attention to instructions, used their judgement outside and killed off so many civilians the trial failed right there and then.
While we are on the subject of outside on a TPN.. this has been brought up repeatedly in numerous threads why is it that my super powered hero can easily be defeated and find herself in hospital because some irate civilain threw a brick at me? This can be annoying enough when rushing from building to building but have you ever noticed how LONG it takes for a Public Opinion victory to take affect? We teleport out of a building after gaining 500 points of PO and then my character is defeated by angry citizens while i am waiting for the offical notice to appear! If we gained their support INSIDE the facility exactly why are they still trying to kill me when I head outside to battle Maelstrom?
The MoM Trial .. Okay this one isnt too bad except it employs the same annoying "clouds of death" we find in the Apex Trial. Now my ranged characters could care less as the run around the outer edges dealing damage and avoiding the pink clouds but once again its a melee character's nightmare .. you cant stand and just fight you HAVE to hit and run, only use the powers you have with short animation times, or stand your ground and die again and again and again. I have a number of characters that have the master of badge for Apex.. every single one of them is a ranged character and not one of my melee characters has ever completed it .. [this is because after several failures I stopped sending melee characters anywhere near Apex].
Keyes Trial .. much better since the nerf! That constant death beam made the whole experience just annoying. I like to participate in battles not spend half the trial running back from the hospital. I guess if there is anything left thats anoying its the amount of things AM has to throw at you in that final battle. I have to avoid being obliterated, worry about being disintergrd and every time I turn around time freezes .. THAT last one is the one I'd like more clarification on. I have had times where I was within melee range of Anti Matter and while people all around me were held I was heading toward the generators to destroy them. And then on ONE particular trial I had died and was out of awakes so I headed to the hospital. I got to spend an additional 20 seconds inside because for SOME reason the time freeze Anti Matter used had me chocking helplessly at the door?????
The BAF .. while much less of an issue than others mentioned here the prisoner escape phase can be a nightmare for single target melee characters. Blasters, Troller and Defenders sit at a choke point and fire away at things running toward and a way from them but my tanks, scrappers and brutes either man a door, which highly upsets some leaders that insist I should be at a choke point, or I wind up racing around like a maniac for 5 minutes trying to get in more than 1 hit on anything! Of course my melee abilities shine when we battle the AVs so it doesn't feel like I spend the entire trial watching other people work.
Lambda.. Here again we see a phase that sort of discriminates against certain ATs. During the glowie search Tanks, brutes, Scrappers, even WS and PBs in Dwarf mode can easily wander around ignoring the mobs as they destroys glowies.. Squishy types on the other hand find themselves dying and paying the hospital a visit again and again. The rest of the trial is fine but it can be a real pain during that part.
NOW... general annoyances.
Any trial any time.. how often do you enter the Q and those well thought out teams your leader put together are a huge MESS when you actual arrive inside? Lately? It seems like always! In many cases it even requires whoever the game as selected as the new offical trial leader to turn control back over so the ACTUAL trial leader can straighten out the mess.
Any trial any time part 2... this one is hit or miss but the other day I ran a Keyes, TPN, MoM and UG on my brute on full sized leagues. EVERY single trial that day I had to send the leader a tell asking to be reinvited because the game had kicked me off the team as we tried to teleport inside.
Now as I said at the beginning none of this has driven me away from doing the trials and on the league I run with I actually enjoy doing them but I do wonder exactly who on the Dev team thinks that coming up with one annoying restriction after another on every new trial is winning over players? I hear it all the time in broadcast in the RWZ.. "I'll do anything BUT .. {insert name of trial you can't stand here}" This is ually followed by a remark about how said trial sucks or worse. Okay I look forward to comments and other opinions. Please dont turn this into a flame war
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As mentioned trying to base story line on Level progression doesn't work... I have done the LRSF and never assumed I "killed" any of the heroes.. i simply defeated them and of course Statesman would be upset to hear his Grand daughter was badly injured!
If we try to use the level logic then how can Statesman die when we are in our low 40s and then turn right around and be alive and sending us to battle Arachnos at level 45 on his Task Force?
We have to assume, levels aside, that the SSA takes place NOW... Statsman is still alive to send you off on his tf, etc, etc. -
Top 10 reasons I won't buy a flying, magic, carpet with my points...
1. I have a total of one character that is sort of a middle eastern Genie and would look in character flying around on the thing. I'm sorry my Titan Weapon Brute would look totally silly on it.
2. Like the rocket board before it this "power" nullifies all my other powers when used and when done riding it I have to reclick all my toggles to activate. My Tanks and Brutes would waste all the time I MIGHT have saved flying standing around outside a mission reactivating their defenses.. and obviously it's useless for attacking anything the is airborne.. all your attacks are greyed out!
3. Alladin called and is threatening to sue if we don't stop selling the carpet immediately... suprisingly he has no problem with the proposed new non-combat pet... Yago the talking monkey.
4. Okay I lied I really only had those 2 reasons. lol
I'm sure it looks great and on test I did try out the rocket board and enjoyed it but with staff weapons on the horizon I am not going to spend points on something that just "looks" cool which is why i also have no non combat pet/dog! If you have the points and are into that sort of thing.. fine. I will wait and use mine on other things
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yes so far we have episodes 1-4 .. Part 5 will be out soon and the contact is near the ferry in Peregrine. I am not certain on the time frame for part 6 and 7 but the contacts are also in place ... Part 6's contact is also located in PI and part 7's can be found in the RWZ.
Part 1 contact is in Skyway outside the Police Station
Part 2 contact is in Talos on the hillside behind the Vault and the Police Station
Part 3 contact is in Founder's falls near the hospital
and Part 4's contact is in Brickstown
The minimum level to do the first arc is level 10 after that as long as you find someone to team with your 20 level could easily do 30 or even 40 level stuff using SSK. -
Sadly this is something the SGs have been after for years and as Forbin mentioned the Devs seem dead set against. The interesting thing is back when the lowered the cost of base items a lot of solo SGs sprung up or ones with only a handful of members. Interesting that they made it possible for one person to have an exclusive SG but can't come up with a way to make sg invites easier
Myself I have dual accounts, I have for some time and both are vip, so I simply log both on and invite the new character to the appropriate sg.
There is always the "OLD" option.. Find anyone that doesnt belong to an SG and ask them to assist you. Invite them to your sg and set them up to invite.. this can be as simply as setting the controls so the lowest level can invite and guards against anyone getting into your base and doing things you don't want done. Then log on your new character and let that person invite you. Afterwards you can either wait for them to quit or simply kick them from the SG. If they are doing you a favor remember to say thanks and IF you can afford it a nice tip would be in order.. back then handing a player a million in cash or even less was fantastic.. now its a small amount lol -
For the most part choke points are the better strategy but I have seen a combination of both work very well. Let's face it choke points are great for ranged ATs that can sit back and just blast away at anything within range. Melee characters find themselves running back and forth chasing down 1 or 2 escapees for five solid minutes. That can get old after a while.. As long as the choke points are manned to handle anything that slips through I see no problem, and have seen it work very well, for melee toons to man the doors. With their pets out to assist them they cut down on the runners dramatically and make it even easier for those at the choke points.
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Quote:This was my first thought in those regards as well. While I really dont think there is any one character that fills every single need for every single trial .. My crab is a combination blaster/MM with tons of AoE and, along with her lore pets, 8 pets she can summon to add to her damage output.Originally Posted by Dark Energon
My VEAT is a jack of all trades, master of nothing.
I always say he is a Blapping Cranker (Blaster Scrapper Crab Tank Controller)
Come to Guardian and ask about Nephila.
Her pets ake her perfect for the prisoner escape phase of any BAF
Her defense and survivability make her good on any Lambda
Defense, Damage and pets prove usefull on Keyes
As long as she is assigned to inside teams she is great at taking out IDF and Tecnicians on a TPN
Thanks to her long range attacks she can move around and continue to do damage on the nightmare phase of any MoM
He natural resistance to psi, and confuse, along with the properly slotted destiny allow her to breeze through a well run UG
Any well played AT can be beneficial to any trial and with the right incarnate powers slotted you just add more. -
Quote:Originally Posted by UberGuy
IMO, the interaction between the LFG queue and iTrials has been a severe miss from the get-go on the devs' part. The concept of "end game trial" has always had strong elements of incompatibility with "randomly assembled group of players". While many leagues are formed "by hand" in ways that seem random (as in with whoever is at hand), many are not. They just seem random because the leaders don't relay in league chat what they are doing with people they have other communication channels with (global channels , SG chat, etc.) to round out a league. Unless nearly everyone is under-shifted for a trial, you only need a small core of people playing the "right" things to provide a solid pillar on which to build with otherwise mostly random people. A leader with a handful of friends can make sure a league has core roles covered without having to rely on the pick-up members to be able to perform those roles. Everyone feels included and the trial usually goes well.
In my opinion, the LFG queue has been one of the most floundering features the devs have added to this game with the possible exception PvP (though generating far less angst). It could provide excellent utility, if only anyone knew what it was supposed to really be for, or if it bore some resemblance to how a lot of people actually form teams. It seems to have been created with a sense of "build it and they will come" that simply never materialized.
Oh I definately agree 100%. The group I run trial with works JUST like that. We actually have a private channel the core grouip belongs to and any recruiting we do begins there. Depending on the trial after that our fearless leader will open it open to whoever is available and out there looking. We do role calls prior to starting to see who has what destiny slotted and many of us have 2 or 3 different ones so we can switch to fill a particular need. We can even alt from one character to another to fill a hole before we start although usually we can all just play what ever we feel like that evening.
Now if someone joins us and proves to be a good player that can follow instructions and plays well.. we invite them to join the channel and they become a part of the core.. heck I have even run other task forces with players from the channel cause I know the chances for an easy run are much better.
Now while I am here I also agree with Tex.. the LFG is broken, has been broken and I dont ever see it being fixed in regard to the trials. I dont know if they ever took any steps to make it better but at one point when all the arguing was taking place if you tried to find a league using it this was what you dealt with:
1. forget travel between zones .. hop a train, a ferry or even use the portal to ouroborus and you automatically got bumped of the waiting list and had to start all over when you got to the new zone
2. Don't try to enter your base for anything .. just like the portal .. you got bumped and had to join the q again when you left base. THIS one i know still exists!
3. You can craft IOs, if a table is available, but if you tried to slot them to enhance your build you were knocked out of the q and had to join again.
4. You cant do any sort of door mission while waitin or you get bumped as well.. about the only thing you can do along these lines is street hunt so its best to be in a level appropriate zone.. since all the trial s require you to be 50 level that means the RWZ, Cimerora, Grandville or Peregrine.
5. Lastly after discovering all the other things i COULD NOT do I tried joining the LFG and waited to see if I could get a invite to any league.. 30 minutes later I got tired of sitting doing nothing and dropped out fo the q and joined a league forming in the rwz.
Now I am not saying the lfg is worthless.. I have used it a number of times to join death from below trials with new characters, It also worked fine when they gave us the halloween trial this year. But the biggest problem is the lfg will build a team based on the "minimum" requirements for a trial.. so it would grab the first 8 players it finds looking for a Lambda, as example, and throw them into a trial. It doesnt care it you wind up with 8 stalkers, 8 blasters or even 8 tanks.. the requirement is 8 .. you get to deal with figuring out how to win with no buffs, debuffs, holds, etc or with whatever you find yourself lacking. CAN you imagine trying to do a BAF with 12 TANKS none of which has a level shift yet! Okay you can probably pull and deal with the AVs but does anyone honestly think you will survive the prisoner escape phase? THAT is the sort of thing that is possible with the way the lfg is set up. Its not a trial leader and doesnt bother to look to see if you have aggro control, support, dps, ect.. it just throw together the minimum amount to run a trial and say "GO HUNT, KILL AVs!