Not terribly impressed with this new AT either. When I heard it was a new AT I was really hoping for something that had like 85-90% new powers with maybe one or two existing ones thrown in, especially since they were requiring not only that you have a 40 already, but that you then level the new AT to 40 to unlock the powers in FF. But the three powers they put in just aren't 'Wow' enough for me to want to trudge through leveling the AT to 40 to unlock them.
I'm not completely against the mechanic. I just think that if they are going to gate the 'Reawakened' ATs behind a leveling wall as a challenge for end game players then it needs to be way more powers. Also the challenge shouldn't be stemming from the AT build being a crappy one (as I understand this one is). Instead the challenge should be some cool new mechanics that might not work well separately, but once you learn how to use them in synch with each-other can be a powerhouse worthy of an endgame player. Then the required AT would be a 'training ground' to familiarize yourself with the multitude of new powers strengths, weaknesses, and mechanics before you started trying to mix and match them into a FF. That was honestly what I was hoping for when they first announced this system.
I don't want to sound like a complete downer though. They are trying something different. Trying to keep the game from getting stale. I applaud that. This one was a bit of a miss, but I am very glad to see new content coming out for the game. Hopefully they will take the feed back and use it to improve on this system in the future. I'm looking forward to getting into the new missions and think it's really cool of them to give out the costume set and a vehicle to us over this weekend. I already have toon ideas that can use those costume parts!
I have realized that AotM is one of the worst Form powers. With high stats I can get it to grant about 20% per stack. But it only stacks 5 times for a total of 100%.
Other forms with high stats I can get it to go to average 15% per stack. Since those stack 8 times I get 110% total or much higher since I usually push 17% per stack.
The biggest factor is maintaining 5 stacks of AotM's Frenzy. Lets be honest that isn't going to happen. So at best with getting the Form to R3, you'll get about 60% total, and killing enemies will only hurt you since the stacks will all fall off and take forever to reset to 3. Just don't bother with it.
This Form is literally worse than Aura of Arcane Clarity. A power that is mostly worthless.
The only power anyone is really wanting to unlock from this AT is Rocket Punch. Everything else is lazy and is as poorly made as the Laser Sword set. I thought GC wasn't working on Champions anymore.
So I took the AT for a ride through the quests trying to kill it with NPCs.
I did not manage to die. Not even once. My entite "tactic" being just tap-spam the Rocket Punch.
Basically...
1 - Take Force of Will spec to boost your defense
2 - Take Insight and Conservation specs for energy cost discounts
3 - The same about talents, whenever you can do it easier for you with Ens, Rec or Int
4 - Get Armadillo secondaries
5 - Rank your passive, Rocket Punch and Aspect of The Machine to 3.
6 - Prepare for very tactical play (ok, not really ;p) when your entire rotation could be as well limited to tapspamming Rocket Punch with an occassional use of the Chest Beam when NPCs are next to you. That's all.
7 - Eventually, after lvl 35 you can just stand there blocking, popping Reconstruction Circuits and spamming Energy Wave as it comes out of the cooldown.
That's it.
That's all. That's the entire arcane knowledge of leveling it in regular quests. You may die in alerts, but in quest NPCs once again proved to be harmless.
I suppose you can do it on a difficulty level above normal, but this AT would be a really pointless thing to be used that way.
The point is to hit lvl 40 with it in the shortest possible timeframe with the least possible effort, right?
Ok, now to the point.
The point is, what this AT inadvertently does is to show how brain dead and easy is leveling.
It can't give any more challenge because with how CO on the normal level works and how dumb are NPC... No kind of build can make it more difficult.
At best it can make the entire leveling process longer and more tedious.
Now.
This AT isn't really useful for alerts or PvP, it's entire purpose is to level it for more powers. But in terms of leveling it isn't very memorable or difficult.
Of course you could try higher difficulty modes, IF the AT was better built and rolling with it was interesting.
But the way it is? Nope. Not really. The easiest and quickest the way, the better.
Also, I reeeeeaaaalllyyy want to see a PUG composed entirely of the Automaton ATs. For a good laugh. :biggrin:
The point is, what this AT inadvertently does is to show how brain dead and easy is leveling.
It can't give any more challenge because with how CO on the normal level works and how dumb are NPC... No kind of build can make it more difficult.
At best it can make the entire leveling process longer and more tedious.
The leveling Process is long enough as it is, we don't need to add to it, it takes way too long to level, and I'm sitting here wanting or trying to find the best way to level to 40 within hours or a day.
And well, I'm kinder also waiting for TT to log-into CO so I can ask him a few qeastions, on leveling and such. As I whuold really like a Token, that can just get you to level 30 or 40 in a snap, like the debugger.
So, unless I find the most best and less time way to level then up, ugh I don't know.
I found it faster to level than some other ATs. The AT is one big walking issue, but speed with taking it to 40 isn't the problem (thankfully).
Now, obviously it's not as fast as FF and will never be. That's an AT.
But I think even with FF leveling would take some time.
The problem is more using leveling a new character as a way of unlocking anything.
Well, that's the problem, I'm a gold life sub, and I'm still enjoying it, its just the leveling system takes way too long in my eyes, I want to find a way to level within hours, or maybe just one day.
3-4 or even a week is way too long, and to be honest, I'm still waiting for TT, because well, what harm will it be posting a new service item, that adds the token to level up to 30 or 40 right away?, think about it, more money for them, and if people don't want it, then they don't have to buy it. its simple, you can still do missions, of course, I just want a power token that allows me to get to level 30, or maybe hell even 20.
Level 20 or 30 token I whuold love to see, and hell, I whuold even pay to let my toon go to full level at anytime, I might even considering asking.
But really, I just find it too slow, it needs to be faster.
Fun to play, easy to level... worst AT in the game. :l
Easy to level - that's objective. I have no idea how someone can struggle with leveling this AT.
But fun to play is subjective. I think easy leveling is actual fun, if tapspamming one power all the time isn't a bit dull at times. But then, that's exactly the playstyle for the Inventor and the Soldier as well...
But considering the worth of this AT outside of leveling (which is very easy in CO, probably with every possible build), like alerts?
Not really.
Not as a DPS AT, at least.
Fun to play, easy to level... worst AT in the game. :l
It's not easy to level, it's just viable. I've gained multiple levels with nothing but an energy builder in the past; I don't recommend it, but it's certainly doable.
I have realized that AotM is one of the worst Form powers. With high stats I can get it to grant about 20% per stack. But it only stacks 5 times for a total of 100%.
Other forms with high stats I can get it to go to average 15% per stack. Since those stack 8 times I get 110% total or much higher since I usually push 17% per stack.
The biggest factor is maintaining 5 stacks of AotM's Frenzy. Lets be honest that isn't going to happen. So at best with getting the Form to R3, you'll get about 60% total, and killing enemies will only hurt you since the stacks will all fall off and take forever to reset to 3. Just don't bother with it.
This Form is literally worse than Aura of Arcane Clarity. A power that is mostly worthless.
The only power anyone is really wanting to unlock from this AT is Rocket Punch. Everything else is lazy and is as poorly made as the Laser Sword set. I thought GC wasn't working on Champions anymore.
Just a thought, but stacking mechanics aside I think it's reasonable that it's full stack bonus is a bit under other forms' full stack bonus. Why? Because AotM buffs melee and ranged equally while other forms don't.
It just needs a different trigger for stacking, IMO. Otherwise, it's not a bad power.
Since chainsaw gauntlet is much, much less preferable to chest beam the only way you can get overdrive to run is with reconstruction circuits. It has a long run time so getting all 3 stacks of energy return while not doing any damage is going to suck. And they drop off too fast to be used in the next couple fights. So that's a horrid build idea right there.
Rocket punch is a pretty cool power, and it overshadows power gauntlet quite a bit. So that power is redundant. So most of your dps will be from rocket punch and chest beam, that don't trigger your energy unlock. (I'm going to hung up on that awhile.)
The form (toggle) wears off fairly quick. So about the time you find a new group of mobs to kill the stacks from the last are gone. So that doesn't do you a lot of good.
So, there's only one power from the AT worth using. And I have to play this smoking pile of s@*t to 40 to unlock it? I just can't imagination accomplishing it. What a horrible idea! Now they can either piss off the players who won't play the AT by baring the powers to them. Or they can piss off the people who do get it to 40 by caving in and giving it away. Either way this whole idea is going to make a bunch of the player base unhappy. Why would they want that? I really just don't understand it. :mad:
I haven't used Binding Shot yet, but I'm told that power's good, too.
And it's actually pretty easy to get stacks of Frenzy going on - just rank up AotM.
Or, of course, assuming you're Gold (because otherwise there's no need to unlock powers), you could pick a 40 you don't play, retrain to an Automaton, unlock the powers, and build your own version of the AT...
"Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"
Or, of course, assuming you're Gold (because otherwise there's no need to unlock powers), you could pick a 40 you don't play, retrain to an Automaton, unlock the powers, and build your own version of the AT...
Is the AT perfect? Of course not.. If it was, it would be clearly the best ever AT made and nobody would ever play any of the others.
Is it fun? Hell yes. I am 39 now, and could have easily hit 40 this morning, but I found out I get a free retrain once per alt, so I don't have to do a *delete and reroll and grab the shuttle all before the free shuttle guy is gone* thing like I previously thought I did. Since I don't have to remake and relevel from the ground up, I'm just going to take the last level as casually as I like.
And seriously. It's been some of the most fun I've had leveling up in a weekend in this game in a long, long time. It was nice to see other people out leveling with me in Monster Island at odd hours too. Felt almost like old times, just less crowded, and faster thanks to XP alert buffs and of course the double XP buff. [and the Anniversary pots, of course!]
I mean it, try this at out with an open mind.. It's not a perfect build.. we can all make numerous improvements to take it in other directions, all superior.. but that isn't the point.. the point is, it's FUN, and it does give us a few new tools and ideas for builds off of it.
clearly the best ever AT made and nobody would ever play any of the others.
I would. Because i have Freeforms available....
And since amount of lvl 40s i own that i don't even play, it's just easier to retrain one to The New Awakened System's ATs. Get the powers and most likely to delete the trained lvl 40 AT than buy a Retrain Token to get it back to Freeform.
CHAMPIONS ONLINE:Join Date: Apr 2008
And playing by myself since Aug 2009 Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
So, wait. You tried the Automaton for a time in PTS, didn't like it at first, and dropped it. And haven't ceased telling us all about it ever since.
Rune's been leveling one on Live from 1 to (so far) 39. Actually playing it through all the content, not just grabbing one, running it through the target dummies in the PH, and parsing raw damage.
And he's the one who's "wrong" about the AT being fun?
"Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"
And he's the one who's "wrong" about the AT being fun?
He's welcome to have fun with the AT. I know I won't, so I'm not going to level one - but then, I also find the entire notion of "rocket fist" silly; if I do unlock these powers, binding shot is the only one I'd ever use. Other people may have their own opinions; fun is entirely subjective.
I do not condone this mechanic of adding new powers through AT's retrain or no, I believe trying to sell retrains like this will backfire. but my engineers are on vacation, and I had to make lemonade with the lemons.
Congrats on voting for the method rather than sticking to your beliefs then.
Anywho...
Having not been able to actually play the AT for myself, I've been keeping tabs based on feedback in the various threads. I'd have to agree with Rune's attitude overall. Be wary that it IS an AT, so while most build gurus out there will point out all it's flaws, it's best to keep in mind the sole purpose of it's existence is to unlock the special powers for FF usage. Otherwise if you actually enjoy leveling the AT (whether it's your own personal ideas of challenges or just a true like of the build) then by all means get the most out of it. And you can't really say that it's a bad thing to have returning players among the community again along with new faces in the game, so I'd have to say the new missions and the upcoming stuff is certainly going to be major steps in the right direction for Champs as a whole ^.^
@Aleatha1011 in CO | Keeper of the Cheesecake since Nov. 2011| Bunni BOT is on PRIMUS! | Come check out my deviantart page!
Dollipop is level 36 now, just unlocked Vibora Bay, soloed the new content around mid level 20s (died a lot on the bosses!) Soloed Stronghold, Whiteout, and been having a blast doing missions and alerts. This is thus far the most fun I have ever had leveling up an AT. None of the abilities feel useless, Using the self heal triggers the energy unlock and power gauntlet can be fired on the move adding some mobility, it also interrupt attacks and sometimes it is preferable not to aoe everything lined up in front of you(or knock them around, thou I have not taken the knock advantage on rocket fist yet and I am not sure I am going to.) Looking forward to getting this character to 40 and getting some gear on it... and then I may just have to do it all again on my gold account to unlock the powers for future freeforms.
My only complaint: Wrist Bolters is a pain in the @$$ sometimes.
I may be nuts but this AT really does suck. Rocket Punch is fun, but the AT itself is heavily flawed which takes away from the "fun" part. Like the basic energy issues that it will probably have even at 40. Or the choice to use a power that gains nothing from the passive and is basically pointless to have. Or the equally pointless choice between two AOs where one is SIGNIFICANTLY better than the other. The only reason it can even make it to 40 is because the game is just that easy.
I've been leveling a RA. Fun is not the word I'd use for it. It's really just a chest beam spammer, with the option for rocket punch when the target isn't in range for a chest beam. The energy unlock doesn't work with almost all of the powers it has, which in combination with its stats and lack of energy from the form makes it massively energy starved, targeting computer is pretty much my least favorite offensive passive, Aspect of the Machine is way worse than Concentration, if you draw aggro (which you will) you have absolutely no tools to deal with it and you have no defenses to speak of so you'll die lots, you have no area effects that aren't narrow lines, ...
If I'm going to play a squishy who dies when someone looks at me crosswise, at least I want to do lots of damage before going out. That means either a better single-target synergy or a better AoE (PA has no particularly good AoEs).
I would still have preferred that the AT be built to embrace both range and melee powers or give you power choices throughout to focus into one of the other. But there things wrong with it that no other AT has done so badly.
The passive doesn't work for melee in the slightest being a concept that is supposed to also do melee. The Energy Unlock doesn't go with any of the stats. There are redundant powers from the gate that you don't have the option to avoid. There isn't a block. There is no defensive power on it at all.
I'm glad they dumped the original concept of naming the AT as "epic". Its main purpose is more than obvious that this was to give players a difficult time in leveling without being incredibly useless. Its secondary purposes, giving incentive to level one character to 40 and keep veteran players in the game to get new powers, fall flat. Considering that they defeat the main purpose of the main reward and that the new powers are either poorly designed or reskins of powers that already exist in the same tech tree.
They could have easily made Bolas a drop down to make it a wrist firing projectile. They could have made Aspect of the Machine proc from a secondary requirement.
The only real shame I have for this turnout was that Grapple Gun Pull was removed from the build, which I suspect it was because they didn't want to add NttG to it. Instead we got Bolas REDUX instead of a power tweak that was greatly needed.
Fighting the whole thing is a lost cause. The only redemption is to wait for a dev that can acquire enough sway within Cryptic (and maintain their reason and sanity) to understand the futility of broken concepts and retool them so that they are engaging, meaningful, and fleshed out.
The passive doesn't work for melee in the slightest being a concept that is supposed to also do melee. The Energy Unlock doesn't go with any of the stats. There are redundant powers from the gate that you don't have the option to avoid. There isn't a block. There is no defensive power on it at all.
This just about sums up the complaints. I've been playing the AT.. and it's not horrible. It's not terribly fun or all that interesting either. We got a couple neat new powers, and I actually prefer Binding Shot to Bolas. It makes a wonderful hold spammer, if you build for it.
But other than that - the new AT itself.. well just see the quoted paragraph above.
Meet Autoscrye, Courtesy of a retrain token, and my imagination.
A giant hammer wielding, Rocket fist shooting, Recently Awakened to Sentient life Robot/Machine, Capable of evolving and improving over time, thanks to a body built kind of like a transformer plus nano hive.
Every time she shoots her fist off, a nanobot factory inside her arm rebuilds a new fist very quickly, although she'll need to assimilate raw materials and energy to refuel her regenerative capacity every so often.
I do not condone this mechanic of adding new powers through AT's retrain or no, I believe trying to sell retrains like this will backfire. but my engineers are on vacation, and I had to make lemonade with the lemons.
What costume pieces are those? Particularly the chest piece and the boots/shins
I do not recall voting for anything about CO before.
You voted for the method of how the new powers were delivered by converting your character as the AT to unlock them. So any dislike or argument you had about that method is now a moot point.
@Aleatha1011 in CO | Keeper of the Cheesecake since Nov. 2011| Bunni BOT is on PRIMUS! | Come check out my deviantart page!
Meh, each to their own. I sub mainly to use freeform so that I can create the heroes that I want to play. I really don't want to use an AT and I really don't want to create a hero that uses those types of powers at the moment. I may further down the line....and then I will. A freeform one.
Those who want to level it go ahead. I think I'll just skip that and retrain a lvl 40 that I never use anymore into the reawakened automaton AT. I really don't see why that equates to me "missing out on something".
The problem is, this AT is being hyped as an AT for "end-game players". When the build looks like something a new player would create on their first Free Form. I just haven't seen that much positive feedback about it in-game or on the message boards.
Decent suggestions were given on how to improve it... and they were completely ignored. At least the bugged form was fixed, so it stops dropping while in combat. But still, AotM doesn't proc nearly enough while teamed or fighting an end boss.
The good news is, that soloing in Champions is relatively easy. You can level almost anything you want, and not run into much trouble.
The bad news is.. this is a build that I don't see doing well in end-game content. I can't imagine taking it into Gravitar or Fire & Ice. Or even a particularly nasty end-game lair. And it's been touted as an "end-game" type of build.
I'm leveling one now - but lost patience at round lvl 21. I might stick to it and try to get it to 40, to see how it does end game. But I'm not hopeful. If someone has a lvl 40 Automaton they've been taking into lairs and such.. I'd love to hear how it performed.
Comments
I'm not completely against the mechanic. I just think that if they are going to gate the 'Reawakened' ATs behind a leveling wall as a challenge for end game players then it needs to be way more powers. Also the challenge shouldn't be stemming from the AT build being a crappy one (as I understand this one is). Instead the challenge should be some cool new mechanics that might not work well separately, but once you learn how to use them in synch with each-other can be a powerhouse worthy of an endgame player. Then the required AT would be a 'training ground' to familiarize yourself with the multitude of new powers strengths, weaknesses, and mechanics before you started trying to mix and match them into a FF. That was honestly what I was hoping for when they first announced this system.
I don't want to sound like a complete downer though. They are trying something different. Trying to keep the game from getting stale. I applaud that. This one was a bit of a miss, but I am very glad to see new content coming out for the game. Hopefully they will take the feed back and use it to improve on this system in the future. I'm looking forward to getting into the new missions and think it's really cool of them to give out the costume set and a vehicle to us over this weekend. I already have toon ideas that can use those costume parts!
Other forms with high stats I can get it to go to average 15% per stack. Since those stack 8 times I get 110% total or much higher since I usually push 17% per stack.
The biggest factor is maintaining 5 stacks of AotM's Frenzy. Lets be honest that isn't going to happen. So at best with getting the Form to R3, you'll get about 60% total, and killing enemies will only hurt you since the stacks will all fall off and take forever to reset to 3. Just don't bother with it.
This Form is literally worse than Aura of Arcane Clarity. A power that is mostly worthless.
The only power anyone is really wanting to unlock from this AT is Rocket Punch. Everything else is lazy and is as poorly made as the Laser Sword set. I thought GC wasn't working on Champions anymore.
So I took the AT for a ride through the quests trying to kill it with NPCs.
I did not manage to die. Not even once. My entite "tactic" being just tap-spam the Rocket Punch.
Basically...
1 - Take Force of Will spec to boost your defense
2 - Take Insight and Conservation specs for energy cost discounts
3 - The same about talents, whenever you can do it easier for you with Ens, Rec or Int
4 - Get Armadillo secondaries
5 - Rank your passive, Rocket Punch and Aspect of The Machine to 3.
6 - Prepare for very tactical play (ok, not really ;p) when your entire rotation could be as well limited to tapspamming Rocket Punch with an occassional use of the Chest Beam when NPCs are next to you. That's all.
7 - Eventually, after lvl 35 you can just stand there blocking, popping Reconstruction Circuits and spamming Energy Wave as it comes out of the cooldown.
That's it.
That's all. That's the entire arcane knowledge of leveling it in regular quests. You may die in alerts, but in quest NPCs once again proved to be harmless.
I suppose you can do it on a difficulty level above normal, but this AT would be a really pointless thing to be used that way.
The point is to hit lvl 40 with it in the shortest possible timeframe with the least possible effort, right?
Ok, now to the point.
The point is, what this AT inadvertently does is to show how brain dead and easy is leveling.
It can't give any more challenge because with how CO on the normal level works and how dumb are NPC... No kind of build can make it more difficult.
At best it can make the entire leveling process longer and more tedious.
Now.
This AT isn't really useful for alerts or PvP, it's entire purpose is to level it for more powers. But in terms of leveling it isn't very memorable or difficult.
Of course you could try higher difficulty modes, IF the AT was better built and rolling with it was interesting.
But the way it is? Nope. Not really. The easiest and quickest the way, the better.
Also, I reeeeeaaaalllyyy want to see a PUG composed entirely of the Automaton ATs. For a good laugh. :biggrin:
The leveling Process is long enough as it is, we don't need to add to it, it takes way too long to level, and I'm sitting here wanting or trying to find the best way to level to 40 within hours or a day.
And well, I'm kinder also waiting for TT to log-into CO so I can ask him a few qeastions, on leveling and such. As I whuold really like a Token, that can just get you to level 30 or 40 in a snap, like the debugger.
So, unless I find the most best and less time way to level then up, ugh I don't know.
Now, obviously it's not as fast as FF and will never be. That's an AT.
But I think even with FF leveling would take some time.
The problem is more using leveling a new character as a way of unlocking anything.
Well, that's the problem, I'm a gold life sub, and I'm still enjoying it, its just the leveling system takes way too long in my eyes, I want to find a way to level within hours, or maybe just one day.
3-4 or even a week is way too long, and to be honest, I'm still waiting for TT, because well, what harm will it be posting a new service item, that adds the token to level up to 30 or 40 right away?, think about it, more money for them, and if people don't want it, then they don't have to buy it. its simple, you can still do missions, of course, I just want a power token that allows me to get to level 30, or maybe hell even 20.
Level 20 or 30 token I whuold love to see, and hell, I whuold even pay to let my toon go to full level at anytime, I might even considering asking.
But really, I just find it too slow, it needs to be faster.
Easy to level - that's objective. I have no idea how someone can struggle with leveling this AT.
But fun to play is subjective. I think easy leveling is actual fun, if tapspamming one power all the time isn't a bit dull at times. But then, that's exactly the playstyle for the Inventor and the Soldier as well...
But considering the worth of this AT outside of leveling (which is very easy in CO, probably with every possible build), like alerts?
Not really.
Not as a DPS AT, at least.
Epic Stronghold
Block timing explained
Just a thought, but stacking mechanics aside I think it's reasonable that it's full stack bonus is a bit under other forms' full stack bonus. Why? Because AotM buffs melee and ranged equally while other forms don't.
It just needs a different trigger for stacking, IMO. Otherwise, it's not a bad power.
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I've been rocking this look in Black since I started years ago.
I wonder if they copied me?
Rocket punch is a pretty cool power, and it overshadows power gauntlet quite a bit. So that power is redundant. So most of your dps will be from rocket punch and chest beam, that don't trigger your energy unlock. (I'm going to hung up on that awhile.)
The form (toggle) wears off fairly quick. So about the time you find a new group of mobs to kill the stacks from the last are gone. So that doesn't do you a lot of good.
So, there's only one power from the AT worth using. And I have to play this smoking pile of s@*t to 40 to unlock it? I just can't imagination accomplishing it. What a horrible idea! Now they can either piss off the players who won't play the AT by baring the powers to them. Or they can piss off the people who do get it to 40 by caving in and giving it away. Either way this whole idea is going to make a bunch of the player base unhappy. Why would they want that? I really just don't understand it. :mad:
New effects for old powers
More EXP for Adventure Packs please.
And it's actually pretty easy to get stacks of Frenzy going on - just rank up AotM.
Or, of course, assuming you're Gold (because otherwise there's no need to unlock powers), you could pick a 40 you don't play, retrain to an Automaton, unlock the powers, and build your own version of the AT...
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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Ah, can we actually do that Jon?
Click here to check out my costumes/milleniumguardian (MG) in-game/We need more tights, stances and moods
Is the AT perfect? Of course not.. If it was, it would be clearly the best ever AT made and nobody would ever play any of the others.
Is it fun? Hell yes. I am 39 now, and could have easily hit 40 this morning, but I found out I get a free retrain once per alt, so I don't have to do a *delete and reroll and grab the shuttle all before the free shuttle guy is gone* thing like I previously thought I did. Since I don't have to remake and relevel from the ground up, I'm just going to take the last level as casually as I like.
And seriously. It's been some of the most fun I've had leveling up in a weekend in this game in a long, long time. It was nice to see other people out leveling with me in Monster Island at odd hours too. Felt almost like old times, just less crowded, and faster thanks to XP alert buffs and of course the double XP buff. [and the Anniversary pots, of course!]
I mean it, try this at out with an open mind.. It's not a perfect build.. we can all make numerous improvements to take it in other directions, all superior.. but that isn't the point.. the point is, it's FUN, and it does give us a few new tools and ideas for builds off of it.
And since amount of lvl 40s i own that i don't even play, it's just easier to retrain one to The New Awakened System's ATs. Get the powers and most likely to delete the trained lvl 40 AT than buy a Retrain Token to get it back to Freeform.
And playing by myself since Aug 2009
Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
Rune's been leveling one on Live from 1 to (so far) 39. Actually playing it through all the content, not just grabbing one, running it through the target dummies in the PH, and parsing raw damage.
And he's the one who's "wrong" about the AT being fun?
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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He's welcome to have fun with the AT. I know I won't, so I'm not going to level one - but then, I also find the entire notion of "rocket fist" silly; if I do unlock these powers, binding shot is the only one I'd ever use. Other people may have their own opinions; fun is entirely subjective.
Congrats on voting for the method rather than sticking to your beliefs then.
Anywho...
Having not been able to actually play the AT for myself, I've been keeping tabs based on feedback in the various threads. I'd have to agree with Rune's attitude overall. Be wary that it IS an AT, so while most build gurus out there will point out all it's flaws, it's best to keep in mind the sole purpose of it's existence is to unlock the special powers for FF usage. Otherwise if you actually enjoy leveling the AT (whether it's your own personal ideas of challenges or just a true like of the build) then by all means get the most out of it. And you can't really say that it's a bad thing to have returning players among the community again along with new faces in the game, so I'd have to say the new missions and the upcoming stuff is certainly going to be major steps in the right direction for Champs as a whole ^.^
@Aleatha1011 in CO | Keeper of the Cheesecake since Nov. 2011| Bunni BOT is on PRIMUS! | Come check out my deviantart page!
My only complaint: Wrist Bolters is a pain in the @$$ sometimes.
What's wrong with the Squall?
People are broken. - Lum the Mad
I may be nuts but this AT really does suck. Rocket Punch is fun, but the AT itself is heavily flawed which takes away from the "fun" part. Like the basic energy issues that it will probably have even at 40. Or the choice to use a power that gains nothing from the passive and is basically pointless to have. Or the equally pointless choice between two AOs where one is SIGNIFICANTLY better than the other. The only reason it can even make it to 40 is because the game is just that easy.
[at]riviania Member since Aug 2009
If I'm going to play a squishy who dies when someone looks at me crosswise, at least I want to do lots of damage before going out. That means either a better single-target synergy or a better AoE (PA has no particularly good AoEs).
Epic Stronghold
Block timing explained
The passive doesn't work for melee in the slightest being a concept that is supposed to also do melee. The Energy Unlock doesn't go with any of the stats. There are redundant powers from the gate that you don't have the option to avoid. There isn't a block. There is no defensive power on it at all.
I'm glad they dumped the original concept of naming the AT as "epic". Its main purpose is more than obvious that this was to give players a difficult time in leveling without being incredibly useless. Its secondary purposes, giving incentive to level one character to 40 and keep veteran players in the game to get new powers, fall flat. Considering that they defeat the main purpose of the main reward and that the new powers are either poorly designed or reskins of powers that already exist in the same tech tree.
They could have easily made Bolas a drop down to make it a wrist firing projectile. They could have made Aspect of the Machine proc from a secondary requirement.
The only real shame I have for this turnout was that Grapple Gun Pull was removed from the build, which I suspect it was because they didn't want to add NttG to it. Instead we got Bolas REDUX instead of a power tweak that was greatly needed.
Fighting the whole thing is a lost cause. The only redemption is to wait for a dev that can acquire enough sway within Cryptic (and maintain their reason and sanity) to understand the futility of broken concepts and retool them so that they are engaging, meaningful, and fleshed out.
This just about sums up the complaints. I've been playing the AT.. and it's not horrible. It's not terribly fun or all that interesting either. We got a couple neat new powers, and I actually prefer Binding Shot to Bolas. It makes a wonderful hold spammer, if you build for it.
But other than that - the new AT itself.. well just see the quoted paragraph above.
What costume pieces are those? Particularly the chest piece and the boots/shins
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How to build a freeform character...the Kenpo way
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Serving since September, 2009 / 65 Characters, 63 Level 40's
http://co-forum.perfectworld.com/showpost.php?p=4382641&postcount=243
And playing by myself since Aug 2009
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There are Emblem Headphones? Have not seen them. What kind of Emblem is it?
You voted for the method of how the new powers were delivered by converting your character as the AT to unlock them. So any dislike or argument you had about that method is now a moot point.
@Aleatha1011 in CO | Keeper of the Cheesecake since Nov. 2011| Bunni BOT is on PRIMUS! | Come check out my deviantart page!
Meh, each to their own. I sub mainly to use freeform so that I can create the heroes that I want to play. I really don't want to use an AT and I really don't want to create a hero that uses those types of powers at the moment. I may further down the line....and then I will. A freeform one.
Those who want to level it go ahead. I think I'll just skip that and retrain a lvl 40 that I never use anymore into the reawakened automaton AT. I really don't see why that equates to me "missing out on something".
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Decent suggestions were given on how to improve it... and they were completely ignored. At least the bugged form was fixed, so it stops dropping while in combat. But still, AotM doesn't proc nearly enough while teamed or fighting an end boss.
The good news is, that soloing in Champions is relatively easy. You can level almost anything you want, and not run into much trouble.
The bad news is.. this is a build that I don't see doing well in end-game content. I can't imagine taking it into Gravitar or Fire & Ice. Or even a particularly nasty end-game lair. And it's been touted as an "end-game" type of build.
I'm leveling one now - but lost patience at round lvl 21. I might stick to it and try to get it to 40, to see how it does end game. But I'm not hopeful. If someone has a lvl 40 Automaton they've been taking into lairs and such.. I'd love to hear how it performed.
yes and?.....
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