Ironically, it occured to me that the reason why I was in this limbo now was because I was so eager to get on to the next clue of the story arcs, that I stealthed through the click-blinkie parts of them. If I had bothered to clear the maps I would be playing with a brand new set of contacts now.
Anyway, I dislike timed missions. They are no big deal now for me, but I used to dread them beacuse I didn't start slotting my attacks until the early thirties.
This mission started out like the standard timed mission -- Devouring Earth had released mutagenic gas into an office compound, and I had 90 minutes to save the workers. I yawned and went to Brickstown. Then my eyes popped out of my head when I walked into the mission.
The place was really gassed. It was filled with greenish yellow gas. Mould was growing on the walls. This was your standard abandoned office building with a twist...because there were strangely bright green office plants everywhere. And burst pipes spewing waterfalls. And flooded floors. People who've been to Eden would conclude this place was starting to become a miniature Eden conclave.
Peaceful Devouring Earth, roaming the green pastures of the office building?
I took this one with the graphics options turned all the way up.
Oh yes, notice the group channel in those screenshots...more on that later.
Collide says that the Tsoo missions got revamped too. I want to make a new alt, and completely milk all the contacts of each tier dry Ravenhill-style, and make a little database of all missions. This could be tricky for the level 2-4 contacts, which are different for each origin, but it could be done. I should do this once my upgrades are in my computer and I4 is out.
The next question is what AT and powerset I should do this on. Granted, the easiest thing to do would be to make a scrapper for it, but I don't really like scrappers, and I don't have the proactive aggresive personality to play one well. A tanker would definitely work, but it would be a bit boring to just stand there and cut things down one by one. I like ranged, so a blaster would be exciting and fun (AR/dev or Ice/dev), although it would be horrible to be one soloing through some of the missions in the 30s without some form of crowd control. Defenders might work. A kinetics offender could buff itself to blasterish damage...but then there is no damage mitigation either until I get fulcrum shift, so same problem as blasters. A rad/* is most people's consensus. Storms would be fun but it lacks a self heal. Hmmmm!
Well, back to my little commentary on the screenshot group talks.
Juli would remember the GenericHero-fire tanker who wanted to do the Sister Synapse TF at level 20, and cussed her out and quitted when she warned him about taking a SK or getting kicked.
This time, he is back, with his ill-troller buddy. He managed to get his named changed to Flamin Ape. Just seeing the two of them together identified the fellow to me.
I was in Talos, making my way to Founder's Falls, when I got a tell from a Flamin Ape, asking me if I would make numbers. Sigh Another farmer/herder. Very well, he was polite enough to send me a tell, and I could spare a moment. So I let him invite me. But this wasn't a one moment thing, he was still finding people. Once I have identified who he was, I decided I wasn't going to do him that favour...
Call it Karma, or Tao, or the Wheel of Fortune. This is a very amusing reflection/role reversal. Except that we were running a legitimate Taskforce, and I was far more polite quitting the group.
I used to have a bit more respect for people who've had high levelled toons. Call it the age old MMO/MUD level syndrome. You think they've seen more or know more. Not really though...good players come in all ranges. And it's not what they've seen, but their attitude, because with a good attitude everything else comes in time. Everyone starts out kind of newbish -- I remember I kept getting lost/dying on Guernica. Bad attitude, well, that just says something about you as a person.
So I don't really "respect" someone unless I've grouped up with them for some time and see they are good players. Nowadays I pretty much say what is on my mind, or just go off if I can't be bothered. Kicking people, warning people too.
You see...when someone has a certain type of attitude (the F* u type), just because he's not doing it to you, doesn't mean that, under any random situation, he's not doing it to you.
Ok, I have to admit, I'm a bit touchy and defensive on the game nowadays. It's funny in a way. When I'm play a support AT (controller/defender), I get pretty harsh. When I'm playing a tank (or scrapper), I become very pleasant and tolerant. When I'm a blaster I'm pretty much a selfish bastard and don't even care about others. :P
But with this, I resolved that I am simply not going to put up with any dubious behaviour anymore. But herding and plevelling does happen with even people with good attitude or playstyles. I am not going to write everyone off. It is a mathematical set -- Many people with bad attitude herd and plevel. Not all people who plevel and herd have bad attitudes, but some do. Either way, what detracts from my enjoyment of the game, I will keep away from.
And I clicked the Quit button on my SG. As I have learnt in RoD, if you don't don't like what's going on, you can quit. I am not interested in pulling people out and causing drama. If I was in leadership, yes, otherwise I cannot be bothered. If someone can gain two levels in the time I took to log out and log in to make 25 for the Hess TF, yes, they are being plevelled. Drastically. If the orignal vision for the Supergroup has come to this, whatever -- it's not what I subscribed to.
2 comments:
So that's where the waterfall-covered Hollows-type Ruined Building tileset fits!
You remember I was asking you about that once, probably just as I3 hit? I kept seeing the green, water-covered office building pic in my load-screens, and wondering about it.
Heh, you're not the only one who may use the quit SG button eventually. Remember Ochre and his second Synapse TF to go get Clockstopper? Completely safe with 3 bubblers, but the team was a little Typo/leet-speaking and irritating. Weirdly enough, one of them offered me a blind SG invite, and I was feeling weird enough to just click accept to see what the SG looked like.
Now being obsessed with Raggy, I've just been letting Ochre lie fallow, but if I ever get Calvin Scott done (and possibly to lvl 32 since I'm so damn close already...) then it'll be time for massive alt-age to take place, and I'll be able to explore that weird SG a bit more before giving up and running away from 'r' and 'ur' and 'u' and 'plz' and 'healr'. *misses Grammar Police* Or maybe they'll kick my stagnant ass out and save me the trouble.
Re: your behavioral changes on different ATs
How funny. Mine is completely different.
When I'm on a controller, I have a very laid back, welp, let's see what kind of trouble they can get into, sort of attitude. I always like to stress their secondary support role, I bubble and I do rad anchors as need be, usually. And that can help out even a crappy team. Only if the mobs are within range of me, and can conceivably be held consistently (ie. hasten, only one or two mobs, or a second controller) do I hold 'em. And I normally hold the ones already picking on someone or a lt. around the tank.
I notice Assail's strategy is different. More pro-active, holding before people even notice the mob is there, sometimes. I find it a bit risky because if I can't maintain the hold or people don't realize it's there, I'm stuck with some very pissed mobs coming out and beating me up later. :P Could be because ice hold is obvious and fire isn't.
And as a controller, I figure I can always run first when the going gets rough.
As a defender, I try to take a similar attitude, but I feel a bit more obligation to the team. Like it's my responsibility to keep them alive, and that can get a bit stressful sometimes. And then I also feel obligated to blast now and then and do a lil bit of damage.
As a blaster, hrm, I think I have a similar attitude on that one. I'm squishy, I'm gonna be a bastard and a coward if need be. But possibly because my main blaster is /dev and lowbie, I feel fairly self-sufficient. I can web down mobs, slow 'em with caltrops and take them apart by myself, even if I drop to red hp in the process. As a fire/ type, my thought process works like this: Good tank? Ok, you get my AoEs and the team benefits. No one taking mob aggro? Well, don't expect the blaster to either, and I'll cut back down to hastened single-target blasting, assisting the scranker or the scrapper.
As a scrapper, I seriously don't care. I can take care of myself, I'm a big boy, I can do major damage and I have decent defence. I'm the lone wolf, the independent guy and the scrappus feralis that hangs around the pack and helps out if the team deserves it and fends for oneself if they don't. See that big boss man? That's mine. Grrrrowl. Rest of you can go worry about something else, big boss man will not bother you anymore.
That leaves, you know who. The tank. If I'm playing scranker, then of course, my playstyle is more scrapper-like and I don't care either, though on any non-Armoured Frosty ones without taunt, I feel obligated to at least -try- to punchvoke stuff.
As a taunt tank? Grrrr. I can see red if you are not a team playah. You likea da taunt bot, you gotta a taunt bot with insane defence and resists, he is a team playah, you bettah be a team playah also.
That is, you bettah SUPPORT da taunt bot instead of doing your own solo thing or taunt bot no happy no more. Cos you taking him for granted. Cos you think you da ub3r and are not hurt cos you da MAN. Cos you no see da sparklies that say taunt bot is taunting them OFF you despite your lack of aggy management, fool.
If anything, taunt bot is da man. Taunt bot just wants your damage to hit his mobs. Dat's your part, dat's the part you should like, cos damage-dealing is fun, wot?
Or if you a support guy, then you can help make taunt bot's job easier and lessen damage or buff him or even yes, heal him. You do that, then taunt bot will not die, we will all be capable of sitting here forever, and taunt bot will slowly mudpot everything to death for you. If you ignore taunt bot, leaving him to slow death, and go rescue the suicide lemmings, then taunt bot feel real mad. And will start stewing like a volcano and will quit (abruptly if necessary) before she blows. Otherwise, you will not like it when Juli's temper gets riled.
All you no help people, just wait till taunt bot gets his AoE attacks, then you will cry as taunt bot doesn't even need to taunt and goes to kill stuff that will one shot you... all by himself.
But for good teams, taunt bot takes it real personal-like if mobs are not beating (ok, whiffing) on him all the time. Taunt bot is very miffed if anyone's hp bar moves.
(Although if you are just a little brain dead as a scrapper or suicide lemming, tauntbot does not really care about that after the second or third repeat attempt to stop you. It is unlikely you will even manage to train anything on teammates because that is a damn big group you aggyed just there, y'know. When tauntbot no taunt, then you will learn. Or the hospital doc happy to see you again. And again. And again.)
I dunno, it's just something about the taunting tank. You have an expectation that because you have taken the burden of absorbing the alpha and any subsequent hits if there are no controllers, you are the point man (and team leader, usually, because of it, and all the responsibilities of trying to be a good leader follow).
People must follow you. The skillset almost seems built to polish your ego. If they follow your lead, and do their part, all will be well. If they run off like cats despite your coaxing, then well, divided we fall. And that gets infuriating for some reason.
Of course I know the taunting team tank is not the be all and end all of a good team. Otherwise he may as well just go solo. Everyone has a very important part to play, and if someone doesn't do their part, then you don't get the great team euphoria feeling.
But imo, the team tank is the -first- part of a good team. On his shoulders can you stack the rest of the pieces. And there's a kind of responsibility and obligation in that, and a sort of frustration when you are there - contributing that crucial piece - wondering why aren't the rest of you doing your part then, it's not that hard to do your natural jobs - deal damage and support? Just do it around me? Don't go off into your own corners to have a private nookie with your own personal mob?
Without him, you have to make do. You could use PA, which is ok for taking an alpha, but cannot maintain aggro. Controllers can pre-empt the tank and lockdown, but you take the risk of massive alpha before the lock, or if (shudder) it misses, which a tank can mitigate easily. You could use a scrapper, but they are a little less tough, usually. And don't do the aggro-holding thing so well, unless built for it. In which case, he's really a team tank crucial piece in a scrapper AT. Or you could pull. That works also, needed in some cases, but much more slower going, meh?
I like playing Raggy, but he needs a good team around him. Without it, it gets too frustrating to go on playing.
I wonder what Kheldians are like and how my behavior would be on 'em. Knowing me, I'd have to make a couple. One would be a team type who will build his/her own team around him and require the team to function properly. And one would need to be Mr Adaptable, replacing whatever necessary function in whatever team. And one a scrapper/tank, and one a blaster and so on. :P Thank goodness I have 88 character slots.
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