Because you need another damned CoH impression

[Alluvian]

Yup.  And that is why I will welcome the respec system with open arms when it shows up.  I think it would be good if they manage it within 3 months or so.  I suspect tailoring and improved supergroups are first on their list.

[Sky]

That makes three of us now who play without damage messages in our chat boxes. Nice, nice, nice.

Four. I also turn off /request and /broadcast, but then I always did that in EQ, too.

A respec option would be nice, something I've always called for. I particularly liked AO's way of offering respec every 10 levels or so, though with this system it may not need be so comprehensive. One problem might be handling the enh. slots, though I guess you could respec them as well.

I'm knocking on wood that I'm pretty happy with my character, though I'm eagerly waiting some self-buffs out of my energy manipulation line to make me feel better about it...

[schild]

I have damage, combat, broadcast, and request (the last 2 most of the time) turned off as well.

[The Hanged Man]

I have the obscenity filter turned off. Better performance boost than the other things mentioned.

[Venkman]

I have made one bad decision so far in my Fire/Fire Blaster build, but then it really is not a mistake, just does not fit a Blaster well, I took the leadership damage add power, but I go through my endurance so fast the damn thing drops like a rock almost every fight

It's good to hear this does become useful later.I've been considering it for my Ice Controller / Storm Summoner.

The mistake I wish I could undo on my Fire/Fire Blaster is Combustion. The Point Blank Area Effect is fine with enough enhancement mods, but I've long since stopped using it for the amount of melee damage I've taken. I sooo wish I took Rain of Fire instead. But now I've gotta wait to level 16 before taking it because 14 is Fly. I'm always grouped anyway and generally with an Ice Controller who gets the AOE Root that compelled me to make my Ice Controller alt :)

[Fargull]

Couple notes...

Bought three DOE endurance enhancers last night, one went in Fireball, another in Fireblast and the last in Fly.  Now I can make it through battle without going through End with the leadership damage buff running.  I also only use a little end flying, very little (Need to shut of any run power, as that drains End also).  I am going to add a second DOE Endurance to Fly as I heard it allows regen of end flying.  I can not conceive of not taking fly as a Blaster.  I have way to much control and using the Z axis outside to advantage is just way to good.  Also allows scouting in doors.

Side note, if you can team with a rad defender or controller that has the speed up power, you can become a damage machine since your End returns so fast.

[Alluvian]

Yeah, but when grouped with a controller is when rain is at it's best.  HUGE area of effect and if they can't run it does great damage.

I took combust in beta and soon it was off my main hotkey bar.  So this time I took flares instead.  Much happier with it as a cheap way to finish off an almost dead foe or as a 1-2 punch with fireblast to wear down a boss.

Don't sweat it too much.  I hear combust damage is being upped, if they move it around the fire breathing damage it will be sweet.  Otherwise the game will get respec at some point where you can swap it out for something else.

In the meantime you are still far from gimped without fire rain.

[Venkman]

Yeah, but when grouped with a controller is when rain is at it's best. HUGE area of effect and if they can't run it does great damage.

Hence my lamenting of taking Combustion :) It's still good, and yea, it's not like I feel gimped or anything. I'd have long since re-rolled, and 12 isn't that hard to get again if I wanted to rush it (I don't). I've got two +Accuracy and four +Damage in both Fire Ball and Fire Blast, with two +Damages one one +Accuracy in Fire Breath. Most are 12-15s. With Hasten, I can pretty much take out whatever the Ice Controller's got rooted while the melees work on the rest. It's atypical for us to have less than 15 NPCs to deal with at any given time on missions, and we basically always do missions.

Now that I've hit 12 with about 11k Influence, I'm going to see about picking up a few dual origin enhancements. I may finally pick up some Endurance reducers this time though. I basically live by the 10 mana potions I carry around at any given time when I'd so much rather have +Damage and +Accuracy.

But oh the flaming damage I could unleash with Rain of Fire modded up for Damage. Woe is me :)

Gimping is easy to prevent with some research and friends to ask. My earlier comments are really about the pure newbs who come to CoH as their first MMOG, and therefore are not predisposed to research and may not know anyone :)

[Nebu]

I've played several toons with my primary to level 12 and I'm still not seeing what the raves are about with this game.  For all that I can see, it is like the love child of GTA and AO.  I've played solo, in small, and in large groups and it's getting pretty repetitive.  Get mission, kill stuff, plug in enhancements, repeat.

To those of you that really love this game I ask: Am I judging the game too hastily by only having made it to level 12 or is this pretty much what there is to look forward to with a steeper treadmill?

I'm not condemning the game by any means, the flight and combat systems are pretty interesting.  I just don't see anything all that revolutionary that is commanding all the rave reviews.

[Sky]

10 mana potions

BAD DQ!

Anyway, I carry 5 heals and 4 'mana', leaving one open for whatever drops, which I usually use immediately.

[Venkman]

I'm not condemning the game by any means, the flight and combat systems are pretty interesting. I just don't see anything all that revolutionary that is commanding all the rave reviews.

Oh, I'm fairly sure nobody here thinks CoH is revolutionary. Besides being MMOGers, we're all some form of experienced gamers, and CoH pulls ideas from many.

But the rave reviews come from one simply reality: it fucking works.

This isn't a highly over-promised and ultimately horrifically under-delivered grand virtual social experiment. It's just a game. A very simple game at that, with the two or three things you noted as the only goals.

I think we're still reeling from the collective shock of not having to apologize for the game. Finally, a game where we can actually discuss minor balance issues and stylistic considerations without having to prefice with things like "once you get passed the lag" or "once you get the client to launch at all".

The game is what it is. It also stable and playable enough for gamers to actually determine whether they like it, based on enjoyment, rather than patience.

It's kinda like the twisted antithesis of the discussion of the other NC soft launch :)

[Fargull]

I'm not condemning the game by any means, the flight and combat systems are pretty interesting.  I just don't see anything all that revolutionary that is commanding all the rave reviews.

Hmm..

Revolutionary, I find this in a couple aspects, the Z-Axis and the Sidekick system.

Yes, the game dynamic changes around 15th level.  And from what I have read again around 24th level.  Everything becomes larger than life.  Hell, last night was when my blaster came into his own.  Went through a group of blue (about 7) three white lt's, and one yellow boss in less than three minutes and I did probably 60% of the damage.  My fireball now does between 28-40 to those hit with the primary blast, 6-11 on the secondary, and 3-6 on the last two HOT pings...  Rain only does 1 damage still, but my fireblast ranges from 38-44 now.

Wham, Bam.... the team was just standing there going what happened.  Our primary healer kept asking to let the tank run in for about a half a minute so the healer could do something.  Course, the next mission we ran into some purple clockworks, and that took a bit more tactics.

[Venkman]

Blasters soloing is a thing to behold. But it's not a universal preeminence. Against a group of meleers, it's just a matter of time and a Catch a Breath or two, even if their Orange (missing is the biggest problem with Reds). But I've generally avoided even-conning Clockworks and Vahziowhatevers. Even with Hover, I'd just eat through health inspirations. And getting into teen-level stuff, I find Orange-conning meleers just as doable, but even-conning ranged fighters problematic.

I do like helping friends finish kill-count missions though. Last night we switched outdoor zones to find a gang we knew was more prevalent in Perez Park. It took my other three group members about 4 minutes longer than me to zone in (some server dealio I think, others were complaining). By the time they zoned, the mission was done.

But it's situational, as I assume everything in CoH is.

[Nebu]

Yes, the game dynamic changes around 15th level.  And from what I have read again around 24th level.  Everything becomes larger than life.

This is what I was interested in seeing.  Playing a scrapper as my primary does pose some situations that may be different than encountered by a blaster (i.e. flying more a means of transportation than a combat strategy) but the "larger than life" does seem like it would add some fun to the current scheme.  

Between your and Darniaq's comments a couple of things strike me: that I should a) give the game a little more time before coming to a conclusion and b) that I need to lighten up and just have fun rather than analyze everything.

As for lag, I've been playing on Protector, Victory, and a few other servers just to see how population affects gameplay.  I have to admit that Protector is nice as the lower population reduces lag pretty significantly.  With time, they may have these issues ironed out on the other servers as well.

[Fargull]

Blasters soloing is a thing to behold. But it's not a universal preeminence. Against a group of meleers, it's just a matter of time and a Catch a Breath or two, even if their Orange (missing is the biggest problem with Reds). But I've generally avoided even-conning Clockworks and Vahziowhatevers. Even with Hover, I'd just eat through health inspirations. And getting into teen-level stuff, I find Orange-conning meleers just as doable, but even-conning ranged fighters problematic.

Go find a Brick and tell me the tank's are easy.  When you take the boulder in the chops, you will be thinking you need more health inspirations, EVEN with hover.  Fly makes this issue a little better, but taking a yellow Brick out is not that easy.... though, I guess if I had a sniper shot I might not be in that boat....

[Sky]

I have to concur that the game changed completely for me at level 14 when I gained flying. And in a very good way, I really felt like the Cosmic Anomaly who flew in from the depths of space rather than the guy who took the tram in from brooklyn.

b) that I need to lighten up and just have fun rather than analyze everything.  

That's the tactic of this die-hard mmog hater (the treadmill/foozle variety, anyway). It's a game about comic books. I treat it as such, a light and shallow but fun and exciting game. CoH is the comics and EQ is tolkein (sorry, not really, but only for purposes of comparison!). One is light and fun, the other takes time to get into and is a lot more work to get through. Just my take on the whole thing.

[Venkman]

b) that I need to lighten up and just have fun rather than analyze everything.

Hehe. Well, at least you're in the right place for that. I get that way about Planetside. Fun as hell to play, but when I log off, I'm wondering what I'm paying for :)

Go find a Brick and tell me the tank's are easy

That's why I said "it's situational" :D I've encountered Bricks, but only with three other blasters, two tanks and a controller to, err, back me up.

[HaemishM]

That's funny, talking about a hover blaster not fighting clockworks. I actually will wade into most clockworks as a scrapper, because they hurt my endurance more than they actually damage me. Put 3 white clockworks together and I can take them all with more than half life left, even more if I'm lucky. I'll just be stamina drained. But 3 Vaz cadavers will require me to pop off some damn heal inspirations or run away to heal many times, because of the damage they do.

[Alluvian]

And the vahz cadavers/abominations are walking jokes to a solo blaster.  They are too stupid to properly follow and their range attack is hideously innacurate.  They will be chasing you and then just stop and wander the other way, if you are solo you can EASILY pull them out in singles or pairs.  In fact I find them boring as hell solo.  But I HATE clockworks, hehe.  That endurance drain is a royal pain in the ass (not too hard, but annoying as a non-hover blaster)

More than clockworks though, the WORST standard non-boss enemy is the mortificator for me.  Enough hp to take a beating and they are very accurate and damaging with their ranged poison darts.  Couple that with the snare effect.  As a non-hover blaster, that snare messes me up bigtime.  I rely a LOT on my freedom of movement.

[daveNYC]

Those mortificators mess up my tank.  Those darts, plus a lucky hit from the zombie vomit of one of their pals, and I'm down to half life.

Clockworks are cake though.  Actually, anything that is willing to go toe to toe with me isn't that bad.

[Fargull]

The mortificator can go to hell and die.  I hate those fuckers.  Hover, Fly, they stop that shit dead.  Makes me think Teleport is the only option to get the F out, maybe super leap.

Clockworks seem to either be less resistant to fire or I just hit them easier because I generally dont have an issue with them.  Except the Tesla Ball.

Oh, and F those flying COT Deamon thingy's in Faultline.  Damn thing dark tenticled me flying by and a whole group came and ate my arse.

Give me trolls anyday.  BURN baby BURN.

[schild]

Mmmmm, trolls.

I used them to level from 12-14 in one night. So easy. Find a group of 3, 2 will run away. Find a group of 1, one will run away. These aren't groups of minions, we're talking Lt's and Bosses or any combiantion thereof, it's wonderful times with the trolls. My level 10 blaster likes dropping an m30 in and watching them scatter even though they're all red-pink to me.

[Alluvian]

Yes, Kaid and I had too much fun in beta nuking trolls.  He holds them still, I nuke them to the stone age.  A whole group of evens would take maybe 3/4 of my endurance to kill every single one.  The bosses and lts would be left, but they are not that scary at all.

[ClydeJr]

What I really hate about those mortificators is if you aren't careful, they'll go revive a cadaver when you aren't paying attention. You're concentrating on a mortificator over here and suddely you'll see green healing number appear over at the mort that you missed. Then you have to kill that damn cadaver again while it pukes on you.