It's Hard...

...to let a character properly freak out when you're busy (1) keeping your pets and teammate(s) alive and (2) lagging really badly. Or maybe I've under-estimated Will. Or maybe both. Or maybe it's just that he's building up to a total melt-down when he finally sees the RWZ.

Whatever the reason, so far Will's reaction is milder than I had expected, consisting mostly of borderline paranoia (he's constantly checking the sky) and semi-fatalism ("We're all gonna die!"). He and his boys want to sign up with Vanguard and battle the Rikti threat wherever they can. An understandable reaction when you realize that all of them lost friends and family in the first Rikti invasion.

I busted out Will's new "Invasion" costume. Once again used the "Stealth" pieces as the base (chest and legs), but he's got the shield-projector gloves on still along with his new rocket boots and a helmet. I like the stealth set a lot, as those who've seen my most recent characters can probably guess. It's a good "light armor" alternative to the flak jacket. Most the other "light armor" costume pieces just don't look right to me.

In any case, I wish that it was possible to get Will into the RWZ while the event is still going on, but a run from 22 to 35 just isn't possible without cheating. So the invasion zone events will get fewer and farther between before Will sees what's happened to the crash site. That'll be interesting, but a long way off at this point.

I've got some screenshots from the weekend I meant to post. Maybe I'll remember when I get home tonight.

Random

Vagabond Mage attempting to teach the Devouring Earth the "Electric Slide".

E watches daytime television. Recluse is plugging his autobiography on "Oprah".

Futura Force plugging the idea of nanosurgery to E. StarWyng on top, then Kit (Equilibria), Lodestar (Masonry Redux), and Scott (Soldier Futura). I think Mas is flexing.

"They're moving in herds... they do move in herds..."

And last, but not least, this is what Jen would've looked like as E-VAC III.

Times Gone Past

One of the many faceplants Team Angst had against Infernal. E-VAC face-down in a pool of blood.

E-VAC (Kit's containment suit, still in Longbow) & Keen Frost (when the piston boots were new).

E-VAC (heavy operations armor) and Fyre Hex. Before Team Angst.

E-VAC & Masonry during the winter event. Also, see above.

Team 1.0 having just rescued Statesman.

Current Pics

Captain William Piett. Motorcycle jacket + leather pants = badass.

Vagabond Mage, sporting his new "yes, I'm in Vanguard, thankye" uniform.

Wizards don't always have to dress in robes or other medieval-looking outfits, after all.

Ryu and his servants, meditating in a Circle of Thorns cave.

Oh, the Rikti are Invading?

Last night, Will got his Dipersion Bubble.

Let the drama commence. :-D

Just Another Random Update

For those who've been wondering (just a couple of you, maybe), I was really hoping Will would finally (IC) figure out how to project a force field around himself. i.e. (OOC) I wanted to get Dispersion Bubble (not PFF) before the Invasion. As it is right now, Fyre and I have agreed to ignore the invasion for RP purposes for a few days 'til we're both ready for the drama it's going to cause. I don't want to wait too much longer, though, 'cause I read the event is only going to last for two weeks. Hopefully, I can get Will his big bubble before the week is out.

With Keen about to disappear on us for an indeterminate period of time, though, T3 could probably use a little more attention. It sounds like the current plan is to shelve T3 while Keen is away. Which is okay by me. Lord knows I've got enough characters on the shelf just gathering dust. And I really do want to get Vagz (all three of him) wading into the I10 fun.

I've got a new character (relatively: I created him a couple weeks ago, got him to 5, and stopped) that I created for potential RP. Unfortunately, I need to get him to a certain level before I allow him to be seen by the people I want to RP him with, and it's slow-going to level him solo, especially since I don't solo much. I suppose I could try and get on PUGs with him, but it's no secret: generally-speaking, I loathe PUGs. I can tolerate them if I'm on them with a friend or two (snarking in /tells helps me deal), but a couple of deaths or slow going in a non-RP team, and I get bored or irritated and start looking for something else to do. In any case, with the invasion going on, it's probably not the right time for the RP I was contemplating, so I'll shelve the idea for a little while. Get the character a level or two at a time, maybe. We'll see.

I've got a number of characters I'd love to RP the invasion with (Derick Darklight, Jack Royale, and Speed Trial all come immediately to mind), but a limited time for actually playing the game. And I admit to being kinda fixated on the Fyre/Will dynamic at the moment. From what I hear, there's a thread in the Virtue forums where people are writing out their characters' reactions to the invasion in a kind of "where were you when..." scenario. I might end up doing that here since this is the only CoX-related forum I can access from work, so don't be shocked if I do a little writing based on a character you've never heard of. :-D

Oh, and I want to thank Fyre, Keen, and Masonry for all the screenshots they've been posting lately. Since I mostly post from work, I don't have that capability unless I remember to do it at home. And as you can guess, I'm usually distracted by actually playing once I'm home. :)

Issue 10 - Invasion!

One of the things I love about City of Heroes/Villains is how beautiful the game is. They've got fantastic graphics, beautiful city-scapes, and if you ever get the chance, look up. I've got screenshots of the night sky just because it's so striking. And I look forward to seeing the new War Zone.

Which brings me to I10. I logged in on Vagabond Blade, aka ScrapperVagz, and found myself on Peregrine Island. It had been a while since I logged this character in, so I couldn't remember where I'd left him, only that the last thing I'd done was respec him into a travel power (yeah, Fyre: at long last, I know). I looked around and immediately noticed the color of the sky was an eerie greenish-blackish-brown color. And before it could really register...

KA-BOOM!!

Yeah, I'd zoned in not only in the middle of a bombing run, but right under one. Luckily, Fyre and I had chosen to start out on the scrappers because of their survivability, and I panned up to see what was lobbing bombs at me.

The drop ships are incredible. The UXBs they were leaving around are amazingly detailed. The dropping bombs, the changed sky... wow.

We headed to Founders Falls to intercept the newest attack, and the first thing I noticed was that the War Walls were down. I flew up there because I could quite clearly see the terrain on the far side of the wall. But the walls aren't mechanically down. Just graphically. Once you get right up close to where the force field would be, you can see it and can't move past it. Nice work, devs. Honestly.

Then I went looking for the re-designed Rikti. Okay, I know I'm gushing at this point, but wow again. No more naked Rikti. All of them are armored to one extent or another. The new swords are stunning, and the new Rikti types and armors are just amazing.

Then it hit. The lag. The rubber-banding. The whining in Broadcast. The slideshow-like combat. It was like "bullet-time" from the Matrix only... not cool.

[rant]
It drives me crazy that people will gather in large groups on the day a new issue comes out in already-crowded and laggy spots (like near the Talos tram stop). They've got all their powers, capes, and auras on. All 100+ of them are trying to fight spawning enemies from a new zone event that everyone is trying to get in on. And they're spamming Broadcast, bitching about the lag. Well, DUUUUHHH...

And to make it even more irritating, they're blaming it on the server and on the devs and programmers. "No, you idiot," I want to tell them. "It's the fact that you've joined a crowd of 200 people in the laggiest, most crowded spot on the second-busiest server available in the game!" Don't blame the server. Go find a less-crowded server, a less-crowded spot, or just deal with it. Heck, the event and the Issue are going to be around for a while. Wait a few days!
[/rant]

Once the "ooh, shiny" factor has had a chance to wear a bit, I fully intend to take both Vagabond Mage and ScrapperVagz into the WarZone and start working on the content there. I look forward to seeing the new zone and expanding Vagz' wardrobe. :)

Weekend Recap

Ryu Tatsu
I put the demon wings on him. They look great, make him look much more impressive (to my mind), and definitely make people go "dragon!". I might eventually want a pair of the Invention: Dragon Wings, but I'm having a hard enough time affording IOs and SOs, let alone spending infamy on costume pieces.

Silver Mantis Strike Force was a pretty fun SF... right 'til the very end. That last mission was a miserable pain in the butt. I don't plan to ever run that one again on any character. There was no room to breathe, no place to pause, and too many powerful guns with insane range. Not to mention the sheer number of times I was getting "TARGET BLOCKED" from something or someone that was shooting me. Sky Raiders are annoying in general, but their base...

Ryu has hit 24 and is now packing Assault and Tactics. I noticed the damage increase immediately with Assault. I didn't notice the boost from Tactics. Maybe the others did. I hope they did. Accuracy boosts are almost always welcome, so we'll see if I wasted my time or not. Will Ryu get Vengeance? Well, if Bomber stays suicidal, it might be worth taking, even though I consider the power morbid. I've got other things that'll be cropping up, though. Like Ryu's pet demon... >:-)

Cpt. William Piett
Will hit 20 and got Stamina. Oh, it was such a relief. A noticeable difference even slotted with just 1 DO. The set-up was getting to the point where I had to pause or pop a blue in order to get the pets all set up between summons, shields, and upgrades. Just like with Ryu, now I can look forward to getting the powers I want to get instead of the ones I need to get.

Will's got some issues he's keeping hidden from Fyre at the moment. Most of those will come exploding out when the Rikti re-invade. He finally told her some of his background, but he glossed over a few things. I think the player got more out of what Will said than Fyre did, but once a few more things come out, it'll come closer to home on Fyre.

Future
As soon as I10 hits live, it's going to be chaotic. I know I want to start playing with the new content, especially with Vagz, but I also know everyone else will, too. There'll probably end up being 5-6 instances of the Rikti War Zone, each one laggier than the last. The contacts will be crowded, and Broadcast will be useless. The number of PL requests in the mid- to late-20s will probably explode.

But still, I'm looking forward to this issue. The stuff being added in sounds really enjoyable, and it'll make some of the plots more interesting as well as giving us something new to play with. I can't wait to see what'll happen.

Ryu's Wings - poll

Traditionally, the tatsu or Japanese dragon is depicted without wings just as the Chinese and Korean dragons. Occasionally, they are depicted with wings, but when they are, they're usually small.

However, I've been browsing the web, looking for stories of Ka-Riu, and the last two I read specifically mention his wings. One of them even referred to his mighty wings.

The costume I've got now is wingless more in keeping with tradition, but I've been debating about adding wings, partly because most people (myself included) expect a dragon to have wings. Red scales or not, without wings people are going to think he's a snake- or lizard-man. I should add that, in my head, when in this "costume", he should appear as a dragon, not a dragon-man. But, you know: limitations of the game and all.

I would like to hear opinions on the matter.

Thought for the Day

I have discovered it is very difficult to play Ryu properly when I'm grumpy.

Yesterday was kind of a bad day. Very busy at work and at lunch, one of the belts in my car's engine snapped and knocked the other belts off in the process. Had to leave work early, get towed to the mechanic, make sure the belts were the only thing wrong, and make arrangements for transportation for today. End result? CrankyVagz.

Now Ryu is supposed to be ultra-polite with very little ruffling his feathers (scales?) one way or the other. During a fight, the ninjas do all the fighting with me debuffing the enemy, healing the pets and the team, and maybe taking a shot or two of my own. Usually, it's fun, it's interesting, it's different, and I feel like I get to be creative with how I fight. I can be a villain without being Evil(tm), and the RP we're building is interesting.

But honestly, after the day I had, switching over to Will and shooting things was much more relaxing. I hope everyone will write off Ryu's "off" day to his building hunger for real food. :)

And next time I'm feeling grumpy, I'll just have to remember I need to play somebody else.

Reptile Fetish

Yesterday was a good Task Fo... er, Strike Force Sunday. That first Strike Force is, to me, interesting and a lot of fun. I think we did really well on it, even though we struggled a bit to begin with. I think that had more to do with the fact that we were on a slightly-increased difficulty level and while we were all at 18, the mobs were spawning at 20-21. It became much easier once we all hit 19. The fact that by the end of the SF (and 1 newspaper mission to nudge the Bomber over) we were all 20 (except for our special guest star, the Green Corruptor, who started out a level behind us) was just icing on the cake.

So the next step was, naturally, the costume slot mission and the cape mission. The costume slot mission was the standard hunt, and although one of the ambushes kinda surprised me, we banged it out pretty quick. Only one of us actually wanted a cape, but if we were gonna do the mission for one, we might as well all do it and get the auto-complete. After all, we may not want a cape now...

If you've been following this blog or the associated ones at all, though, you know what that second costume slot means for Ryu. He can finally "reveal" himself as a dragon to his teammates, something I think all the players have been kinda waiting for. I had it in my head that, with Ryu getting hungrier and hungrier, once I had the costume, I'd wait for a defeat or a near-defeat (something that would really irritate Ryu) and have him change and go nuts. Dramatic, shocking reveal and all that.

The story said "no, we're not gonna do it that way".

After a dinner and costuming break, T3 started talking. First about Zen, then about Kain's costume change and powers. We were talking about how over-exposure to radiation is what gave Kain his powers, and just for a laugh, I threw out that something similar had happened to a friend of Ryu's and now he spewed radiation from his mouth.

Yeah, Godzilla reference. Sue me.

But instead of being a throw-away joke reference (like Ryu saying "I am not afraid of any ghost"), Luna and Bomber pursued it. I won't quote the conversation, but the reptile fetish thing that Luna brought up way back came up again, and the muse nudged me. Ryu isn't a rampaging monster, it reminded me. He would just tell people sooner or later. Do it now.

Oh, all right.

I'd designed the costume in my head back when I created the character. When I sat down to the costume creator that first time, I built Ryu's "second" costume first. Then I converted it into the human form that became his "first" costume. You can change faces, skin color, claws, hair... everything on the character is mutable from costume to costume. Except height and base body design. So Ryu had to be ready to be turned into a whip-thin seven-foot-long Japanese dragon.

That did make my job at the Facemaker very easy once the second costume slot was open. The only debate was wings. Traditionally, Japanese dragons don't have them, but people (myself included) would be kind of expecting them. I decided to go without for now. I can always add them later if I change my mind.

So, with a "I trust you three" and "let's keep this between us", Ryu stepped out of alakazamreact as a dragon. Oh, that was a fun pose, and a great scene to watch and play in. I'm not sure if the reactions would've been bigger if the players hadn't been expecting it. Kain had the reaction I expected (a slight raise of the eyebrow and the equivalent of "huh"). I had expected Luna's reaction to be bigger and more horrified, but she took it quite in stride ("Oh, so that's why it's tough to make you invisible. You don't look like that."). Bomber's reaction was fun. The insane person thinking he's going insane.

Once all three had gotten over their initial reactions, the conversation kept going, and that was fun, too. I revealed a couple of the cards I'd been keeping hidden. "Ryu Tatsu" is actually "Ka-Riu" (also spelled "Ka-Ryu"), one of the dragon lords of Japanese folklore. His seven-foot "height" is his full and actual size, he is fiery red, and an acid-spitter. (Search the web for more info if you're curious. I did a little research before creating this character. :) )

Ryu revealed that he is starting to get very hungry. The food available in the Isles is not suited to his needs and Arachnos has confiscated his attempts to import what he needs. And he also revealed that he has other needs that are not being met... but was somewhat shy and changed the subject. The others let him (or to be more accurate, it was very easy to distract Bomber), and so the only other "card" that got tipped was when Ryu said that his servants aren't what they appear to be either.

As a side note, we also got a little more of the Bombardier's back-story. I'll let Mason post on that in detail, but Ryu (and his player) loves stories, especially those that tell how things came to be as they are. But he is also polite, so when Bomber says "I don't want to talk about it any more", as far as Ryu is concerned, the subject is closed. Ryu's player, on the other hand, would love to push for more backstory from all the characters. Especially, at this point, Luna, who has been pretty quiet and hasn't shared much more of her story than is in her bio.

I think, though, that each member of T3 has now put out their backstory a bit. We've teased each other with some of the secrets our characters are keeping, so I think we're finally past the introduction/prologue of this story and into "chapter 1", the beginning of which I place on the Strike Force.

Now what happens next?

More Incidents at Steel Canyon Med

Dr. Scott Nguyen walked down the deserted corridor toward the lab and containment unit. It was very late, but he hadn't been able to sleep. A new idea had struck him, and he knew he wouldn't be able to rest until he ran the models on it. It wasn't terribly unusual for him to stay late at the lab, but going back at this hour? Well, at least he wouldn't be sharing the space with the rest of the team for a change. Hard to work with all those elbows bumping together.

He rounded the last corner and his shoes squeaked on the freshly-mopped floor as he skidded to a halt. There were figures in the hallway. Three of about average size, but on had to be at least seven to eight feet tall. And all four of them were glowing like dying flourescent bulbs.

It's one thing to see them on the security cameras, the doctor thought to himself, swallowing hard. It's quite another to see real ghosts standing guard outside the room. He steeled himself and continued walking. Nothing to be afraid of. Just figments. They haven't hurt anyone.

Dr. Nguyen looked up at the tall, faceless figure as he stopped in front of the door. "H-hi... umm... Doppleganger, isn't it?" As he had heard, the four figures didn't react to him except to stand and stare. Silently threatening. Panic started building in the doctor, and he began to sweat. "I'm just going to run another model," he found himself telling the ghosts as he fumbled his security code. "We're going to help Dr. Pace. Really."

Finally, he managed to get the door open and get inside. He breathed a sigh and flicked on the lights, fighting the panic and fear that seemed to come across him in waves. Just ghosts, he kept telling himself. Nothing to worry about...

He turned to power up the computer and picked up a tray of instruments, intending to draw some blood. He turned back around and the instruments clattered, crashed, and shattered across the floor.

The ghosts had surrounded him, the largest one standing firmly between the doctor and his patient. The three smaller ones glared, pounding their fists into their hands. The largest... well, without a face, it was hard to be sure, but the fear and panic took over. Dr. Nguyen found himself trying to make a run for it. Icy shards shot past his head. A flaming sword clipped his shoulder, setting his lab coat aflame. Bolts of pure energy slammed into his lower back, sending him flying into the hallway, his head hitting the wall with a crack.

* * * * * * * * * *

The next day, Dr. Nguyen found himself a patient in his own hospital. He was treated for a concussion and bruised ribs. When he finally managed to talk his way out of bed, he put back on his lab coat (odd that it was unmarked since he was sure he'd been burned). He stalked through the hallways to his office and began making phone calls to M.A.G.I.

"Yes, I know you can't give me her home number," he barked at the far-too-patient voice on the other end. "Just give a message to Obsydian Fyre or Fyre Hex or whatever she's calling herself now. I think there's a couple things she forgot to tell me about her friend."

Feelings

They say that coma patients can still hear. Brain-scans and such have provided evidence, and so doctors will often encourage their friends and family to talk to them as if they're sitting there not in a coma.

Well, a fat lot of good that does me. The radiation had already taken most of my natural hearing before the coma. I'd guess it's gotten worse, but then I'm in no condition to take a hearing test. And my team wasn't thoughtful enough to put my helmet on with its built-in amplifiers. So here I lie, physically deaf in my comatose state. Prisoner of my body.

...I wonder if it's like this for elderly coma patients? "Grandma, if you can hear me... we love you very much and want you to know we're taking care of your house." "What? Put my hearing aids back in, stupid kid!"

But I've got an edge on granny. I'm an empath. Able to sense the emotions, feelings, and moods of people around me. Before I was in this stupid coma, if I was "open", nobody could sneak up on me. Everyone's always feeling something. Well... almost everyone. And certain people... well, I can feel certain people a mile away.

Okay, that's an exaggeration, but only on the range.

I can tell when Mason is in the room. Sometimes I can sense him in the hall. Usually the first thing I feel from him is the fear. Fear is a more complex emotion than most give it credit for. Nathan brings the whole fear package to the table. Fear of loss. Fear of mortality. Fear of inadequacy. Fear of... "what's out there". There's love in there, too. Tainted and made tentative by the fear, unfortunately, but it's there. Friendship love and bonded love. Not blushing teenage "romantic" love. Thank God. 'Cause I don't think I could take sensing that in my current state.

And the anger. Always seething just below the surface or kept in check by the love and the fear. But it's there. Like a pulsing heartbeat or a low bass rumble. Orange and hot.

Have I ever mentioned describing what an emotion feels like to a non-empath is like trying to describe "red" to a person blind from birth?

Oh, speaking of red... Fyre... Alexandra... I can feel her the moment she enters the building. She is a complex bouquet of emotional states. She'd probably be really irritated if she knew I was sensing her like this. She never did like my mental powers. But since I can't see, hear, or touch her... well, this is the only sense I've really got left to me. And I'll be damned if I'm going to endure this... this prison without being able to sense her. I love her and there's nothing I can do about it but take in her emotional states as they flicker and dance around me and picture her as she sits there.

You know, I bet she talks to me a little. Probably not much, though. I'd try to guess what she was talking about based on her emotional state, but... well, she might be talking as she goes through her feelings, but she might not. She might just be sitting there thinking about stuff.

She's as fiery beneath the surface as she is above it, you know. Flickering from anger to fear, love to irritation, worry to hate. Being around her, even in this state... it's intoxicating. Like... the empathic version of a Michael Bay film. So much going on. So much to take in.

But she's rarely in the room alone. I mean, physically she probably is alone with me a lot. But Fyre is never really alone. Like sulfur in the nostrils, I can sense the demon that plagues her. Sometimes strong, sometimes distant. But he's almost always there.

And then there are the times where I'm alone. Especially at night. If I strain, I can feel the sickness in the floors above me. The fear. And it starts to get to me, you know? This whole... I can't see, I can't hear, I can't move thing. I can't stand it. Sometimes I just want to let go. Get it over with. Move on or whatever. But I can't. There's some... barrier. I'm not done in this life? There's something more for me to do? But what? I mean, what the hell can I do for anybody in this condition? Why can't I wake up? Why am I stuck in this useless shell? Let me out! Help me! Somebody! I'm trapped in here! God, why can't I wake up!?

...breathe, Jason... breathe...

I'm scared. And in my more lucid moments, I remember that my fear brings out the ghosts. Probably scaring the socks off some hapless janitor. Or getting in the way of my team as they try to work. Geez, I hope they know what the dead guys are all about. Fyre must've explained it to them by now. Yeah, she wouldn't forget.

Fyre... heh. I probably flood the room when she's around or I'm thinking about her. If anybody knew I was down here, my room would probably be declared the most romantic spot in Paragon. It's hard for me to broadcast in this condition but some feelings are too strong to contain. I wonder if she feels it? My empathic equivalent of hugs, roses, and soft music. Maybe she doesn't recognize it as coming from me. No way to really tell since I can't ask her.

If only I was strong enough to do more than perfume the air with my emotions. Give Nathan a phantom hot-foot or something. He wouldn't recognize it for what it was, though. Too distracted. I mean, it's good he's thinking about somebody else. He needs that. Spends entirely too much time thinking about himself, and that's when he gets in trouble.

Maybe Frosty is the one I need to give the hot-foot to. Then Mas would jump up and do something about it.

Oh, I can feel her coming again... my fiery angel... my love and my comfort... Fyre... Fyre, I want out of here... can't you tell I'm trapped in here? You've got to get me out! Fix me! Let me live or let me die! I want out! Anybody!? Help me!

S.O.S... Help me... somebody...

(("One", Metallica, And Justice For All))

Ever Notice...

Level 20 is going to bring a lot of things for Ryu that I've been waiting for pretty impatiently. A second costume slot for story, Stamina to help his endurance issues, SOs to help all his powers...

Yeah, I know. IOs are "better", but to me, they're still a huge pain in the neck. I don't like bidding when I could be buying. I don't like wasting time inventing. I don't like trying to figure out which set will give me the bonuses I want/need. I don't like waiting for someone to put the set piece I want up for sale. I don't like the mentality the invention system has brought to the game.

Sorry. End rant.

In any case, my original point. The closer we get to 20, the longer it seems like it's taking to get there. I'm still fine-tuning the mechanics of playing Ryu. Trying to figure out the best way to fight with him. Do I let the pets do all the fighting while I buff/debuff? Do I join in the fray? Meanwhile, it seems like my teammates have their stuff all figured out already.

I've got a number of character-development ideas and story and background waiting at the gate for Ryu, most of it waiting for that second costume. It's getting hard to wait for that moment, and I'm worried in my anticipation, I'll let too much fly out all at once, saving nothing for later.

Bleh. I hate waiting.

Captain Piett

First of all, I admit it: I stole the name. I'm sure at least one of you knows from where. But I think it's an acceptable theft since... well, that'll come out eventually. :)

Fyre and Will make for an interesting duo. I've always been told that defense-based characters are risky at best, but teaming a force-fielder with a fire dom is proving to be pretty cool. It was rough at first, but now with Will on IOs and DOs, only bosses seem to be able to give the mercenaries too much trouble. I can't wait to see what happens once I've got Stamina, SOs, and Dispersion Bubble.

But mechanics isn't what I wanted to talk about here. I'm having a blast playing a "newbie".

Will was living in Paragon City when the Rikti attacked. He lived a fairly sheltered existence there, details of which I haven't let slip yet. He left shortly after the invasion and has been traveling the world, doing the mercenary thing for the past few years. He does his research before he takes a job, but he was never a hero and doesn't have any security clearance of any sort. So while he's heard of a few of the more obvious things, I take a large portion of what I've learned playing CoH to level 50 (almost three times), and I throw it out the window.

Will doesn't believe Fyre when she tells him about the connection between the Lost and the Rikti. He doesn't know who the Malta Group is. He's heard of the Tsoo but had never seen them before last night. He didn't know Crey was an evil corporation (although that was easy enough to believe since they have a headquarters in the Rogue Isles). He's never heard of the Paragon Protectors.

I think once you've played the game for long enough, especially if you've gone all the way through to 50, it becomes easy to take for granted everything you've learned. It's easy to forget that a huge majority of what your hero learns along the way is a secret from most the world. Look at people creating brand-new characters who work elements of the game world into their character's background and get it wrong. Especially the Rikti, who are [potential spoiler alert] not aliens from another planet, but humans from another dimension [end spoiler].

And honestly, while it's easy to get comfortable in the world of CoX, pull yourself out of the game for a moment and think about some of the plots, pretending that you know nothing about them. To the average Joe on the street, what the heroes of Paragon go through has got to sound pretty ridiculous. So that's the way I'm playing Will. Sure, some of the plots of Paragon bleed over into the Rogue Isles. And yes, Will will have to come to terms with some of it. Eventually.

My favorite moment of the night? I'll try to dig up the exact quote later, but as Fyre was trying to explain Rikti politics and the factions to Will, she said she regretted not paying more attention when E was talking. :)

Ryu Tatsu

Yes, he is seven feet tall and thin as a rail. His hair is a fiery red, and he appears to be Japanese. Those things are all obvious. But some things I imagine about him may not come across very well in the game, so here's some more things about him that would probably be obvious to the other characters.

Movement
I imagine that Ryu moves with the same almost-supernatural grace of expert martial artists. Every movement is smooth and graceful, and he almost never seems to be rushed or in a hurry. His servants also move with similar grace, but there is more of a fighter's edge to it. In contrast to Ryu, they move very quickly.

Speech
His voice is a soft tenor, although he seems to be able to make himself heard without needing to raise his voice. He does not speak with a noticeable accent. His servants, on the other hand, have definite Japanese accents even though they obviously speak English very well. I realized from reading others' posts that Ryu can sound sarcastic, but he is not. On the contrary, I am trying to play him as almost painfully polite. Difficult sometimes since the player likes to joke around and be sarcastic.

There is much more still to be revealed about Ryu, but I don't want to tip my hand too early. Some of it the players already know even though the characters do not. That part I'll be able to play into once I get a second costume slot. Unfortunately, that'll have to wait for level 20 since none of my characters on Guardian have Halloween salvage or the infamy to buy some.

Title Change

As you can see, I went ahead and changed the title. After several attempts at changing the URL, however, only to keep getting "not available" messages, I've decided it's okay to leave E in the web address. Besides, it saves those of you who're linked to me from having to change the links. :)

Name Change?

Well, seeing as my intention is to let E sit on the shelf while we focus on other characters, I'm contemplating changing the name of this blog. Here are just some random thoughts I've had on the subject...

1. Leave It - Most the people reading this blog are most familiar with E. I originally opened the blog to tell E's backstory. E might come back. The story we've built around Team 2.0 isn't over yet.

2. Ryu - With T3 being more of our focus now, maybe something like The Dragon's Lair would be more appropriate.

3. Vagabond - I still consider him my "main". I want to get back to playing him more. He's tangentially involved in the other storylines. He's the character I most strongly associate with. It's the online "handle" I'm most comfortable with.

4. Generic CoX - To avoid confusion in the future as "main" characters change, maybe something more generic and not character-specific.

Love to hear some thoughts from those of you actually reading.

Oh, and I do hope to make a more interesting post soon. :)

Striga Island

Will checked his gear one last time before heading back up to the deck of the freighter. It was tough, turning down such a lucrative offer, but this job... it just sounded too dangerous. Escorting some socialite with super-powers and a temper around the Rogue Isles? No explanations. No specific goals. Sure, he'd worked for her on other jobs, but this... no, it was better he turn it down and go back to Venezuela. Maybe the political unrest was heating up again.

He went up near the front of the ship, his favorite spot when a ship was about to leave port. Standing nearby, already leaning against the rail, was a rather unremarkable young man wearing a gray, travel-worn cloak. Some decorative symbols traced the edges of the cloak, or Will wouldn't have given him a second glance. As it was, he watched the stranger out of the corner of his eye as he took his spot at the rail.

"Nice weather out here on Striga," the stranger remarked, apparently deciding conversation was called for.

Will grunted. Why does everyone talk about the weather? he thought. "'Sallright, I guess. Be nice if it rained once in a while, though."

"Aye," said the stranger. "From your lips to the Powers' ears."

With a sudden move that was obviously supposed to look casual, the man in the cloak turned toward Will. Will's hand was on the pistol he kept hidden under his jacket, but something stopped him from actually pulling it.

"I'd like to make you a business proposition, friend," the stranger said casually. "See, you're about to turn down a business proposition from a friend of mine, and I'd like the chance to change your mind. I'll compensate you for the time spent listening to an old man's chatter even if you decide afterward that you're not interested."

Will was wary, but something put him at ease at the same time. Maybe the fact that this twenty-somethingish kid was calling himself an old man. "Okay," he found himself saying, "I'm listening."

The stranger smiled and leaned sideways against the railing. "The contract that Fyre Hex is offering you is important to me. She needs a guide in the Rogue Isles, 'tis true. Someone who can put the right... face on her visit there. Someone who knows those islands and who can deal with the... element found there. Without setting them on fire." The stranger chuckled.

"Oh, I agree," Will replied, letting his hand slide from his pistol, "but it sounds like too dangerous of a job for me. Even for the pay she's offering."

"What if I sweeten the deal?" the man asked. "Not just in the way of more compensation, but something to make the job safer?" He pulled a pair of sleek high-tech-looking gauntlets out from under his cloak and showed them to Will.

"And what are those supposed to be?"

"Solid energy projection gauntlets," the man said simply. "Advanced technology, even for the plane I got them from. Added to the weapons and men you already have, they ought to give you an edge over anything you run into in the Rogue Isles. Or anything that might... come up."

Will's eyes narrowed, but he was itching to try the new weapon out and took a step closer to the other man. "What did you say your name was?"

"They call me 'the vagabond', and I'm a friend of Alexandra Kelly."

Will glanced up at the man's face, seeing a flicker of silvery light in the man's eyes. "All right, vagabond," he said after a moment. "Let's discuss terms."

Beneath Mercy Isle

Ryu curled up in a corner of the cave and sighed. Even though the mutants had been cleared out, the cave still smelled like Snakes. To most, it was the same dry, dusty, "scaly" scent that accompanied most reptiles. Ryu, though, smelled chemicals and mutagens and the subtle smell of something that had once been human. He snorted and stretched, uncoiling along the fire-warmed rock wall and digging his claws into the sandy floor.

His servants had taken some of the money they had acquired and were attempting to purchase more of the things Ryu needed. Jewels and gold were expensive, however, and so those comforts would have to wait while more important things were acquired. Tea and the proper utensils, a number of space-heaters and a truck to haul them in, and food...

Ryu growled and rubbed his scales on a sharp rock to scratch. Food would be troublesome. He was making do as the people on the Isles did for now, but the food was neither nutritious nor filling. And most of it tasted like the Isles looked. Soon, though, the hunger would be upon him. He would need at least a cow or a few sheep. And not what passed for meat on the Isles. Something more suitable to his digestion.

It was becoming clear that this "Recluse" did not care for these Isles as was proper. He lived in them and kept his forces here, but his attention was elsewhere. It would take very little effort to make the Isles a more suitable place to live and to make its people prosperous. Ryu was sure that with the right nudges in the right places, the people of the Isles could be made to see this. Made to see that they did not have a proper ruler. Made to see that their best course of action was to depose this "Recluse" and put a new ruler in his place. A better emperor.

Ryu sighed and coiled back up once again, sighing contentedly as he drifted off to sleep. When the time came, he would safe and happy again. And he would have many, many servants to see to his needs. It was only fitting. Only fair.

Unrest in Steel Canyon Med

Dr. Nguyen looked over the short older woman in front of him, a puzzled frown on his face. "I'm sorry," he said gently, "no hablo español. Do you speak English?" Or Vietnamese, he thought wryly.

The woman shook her head, but as luck would have it, Dr. Sanchez passed by down the end of the hallway. "Dr. Sanchez!" he called out. "Claudia! Can I borrow you a sec?"

The female doctor smiled and changed direction, coming over and looking between Dr. Nguyen and the woman. "Hi, Scott," she said, still smiling. "Something wrong?"

He nodded and indicated the woman. "She seems very agitated about something, but, uh... I can't understand a word she's saying. Can you help me out?"

Dr. Sanchez nodded as well and proceeded to question the woman in Spanish. The conversation was lengthy, and while Dr. Nguyen tried to follow, he caught only a word or two here and there. He did notice, though, that Dr. Sanchez went from smiling to frowning deeper and deeper.

Finally she sighed and turned to Dr. Nguyen. "Her daughter is part of the custodial staff here," she started to explain. "She came home last night screaming and crying. Her hair had turned white from shock. Apparently, she was working near your labs when suddenly she felt an overwhelming feeling of fear and helplessness without any visible source. She tried to continue her work, getting closer to the lab as she cleaned the hallway. When she reached the door of your lab, she said four apparitions appeared, one of them towering over her. She ran screaming home. She refuses to return."

Dr. Sanchez sighed. "Mrs. Echevarria came here to ask that her daughter not be fired. That she be transferred to a different section of the hospital. Or maybe another hospital entirely. But she will not come back to a haunted laboratory. Do you know what this is about, Scott?"

Dr. Nguyen stared at Mrs. Echevarria for a long minute. "No," he finally said. "But I'd better find out. Get her daughter's name and I'll see what I can do. She won't have to work that hallway again, though."

As Dr. Sanchez explained to the older woman, Dr. Nguyen continued to watch. Now what? he thought.

More Thoughts on Team 3.0

This started as a comment on Masonry's blog post today, but as it got longer and longer... well, I'll take up my own space instead of Mason's. :)

On Mayhem
We seemed to get a Longbow ambush right when we reached the bank. These ambushes were huge. The only time it seemed smaller was when, as Keen had suggested, we took out a SWAT van before getting to the bank. May have to try and do that in every Mayhem from now on.

The Mayhems do seem a lot harder than they used to be. It felt like bonus time was a lot harder to come by, the Longbow were individually a lot tougher, and just getting to the bank, dealing with the ambush, cracking open the vault, and dealing with the hero and subsequent ambush... that was taking up all our time.

We'll have to figure out a better way to handle it, I guess.

On Story
Mason commented: "Storyline didn't seem to be happening, I'm not sure why." I have a different point of view on the subject: Everyone is laying down the groundwork for storyline. Here's what I've seen...

Kain X' - Brainy, scientific type, hates/fears Longbow, did something terrible to them to make them hate him, desperately trying to keep his identity (and more?) secret, not enthusiastic about what he has to do to make a living in the Isles, but does it anyway.

Lunatrix - Used to be a huckster but turned into the real deal, doesn't like to be touched, is a big fan of money, doesn't like snakes, thinks Ryu might be more insane than Bomber, still has a few qualms about breaking certain laws, may have a conscience buried in there somewhere, and kind of likes Bomber.

Ryu - Is more than a bit curious about the Rogue Isles, has a hatred of nuclear weapons, seems to be trying to see to the needs of each member of the team, dislikes the Snakes but was offended by Luna's comments about "flying snakes", his servants return almost immediately after being killed, and he says his servants have "duties" to perform.

Suicidal Bombardier - He's nuts, was in the Air Force, flew a helicopter, hates submarines, has taken a blind and fast liking to Luna and one of Ryu's servants, loves weapons, and treats Ryu as if Ryu is the leader of the group.

I know there's more I'm not getting yet, but since these are brand new characters, I don't expect we'll really get to the "meat" of the story-telling 'til the late-teens, early 20s in level.

On Tactics
The tactics Mason suggests (setting up the traps, sending in the pets, calling them back, battle ensues) are exactly what I was hoping we'd get to. Unfortunately, Mason and Keen are still fighting like tanks, running into the badguys and fighting from close range. With the team make-up we have, range and traps are our strongest assets, and we're not using them to best effect yet. In my opinion, we should be pulling more, relying on the pets to "tank"/draw aggro, and trying to take out the badguys from a distance as often as possible, using the traps to create a field of death between us and them.

Oh, and Keen and Mason keep trying to "save" the pets. Silly. :)

As far as I'm concerned, we can take as much time as we need, especially with larger groups. After all, how many times did E, Fyre, and Mason stand around waiting while Frost "gathered them up"? I don't see any difference in waiting a minute while the Bomber lays down his traps and then either sniping to pull or sending the pets in and then pulling them back out (probably the safer way to manage the aggro).

In Conclusion
These are just some thought and ideas that occured to me while playing and while reading the post on Masonry's blog. Obviously the team is still young, both RP-wise and mechanically, and everything is subject to change.