But first, a bit of last minute procrastination: this blog entry.
You know, I think I need to scale back my work in progress a bit in that I'm attempting to be a little too in depth. I don't really need an elaborate backstory for everything, I just need to produce an entertaining game.
I bought a new chair. The Taskmaster - a simple metal stacking chair somewhat like so - has been upgraded to a still rigid chair that actually has some padding on it somewhat like this. I'm still not letting myself recline overmuch because I feel I fall into a stupor, and I also feel a chair with four solid legs is bound to last much longer, but that doesn't mean I have to be completely uncomfortable. An iron fist can wear a velvet glove and still be strong - perhaps this new chair shall be dubbed "The General."
Champions Online continues to seduce a great deal of time out of me. I have a goal of hitting level 40 - exhausting the majority of the content in the game - and that would normally just take about a week, maybe 100-200 hours of play.
However, I'm a chronic alt-a-holic by nature - I want to play all of the game at once, and MMORPGs tend to split the game between several different classes. However, Champions Online is interesting in that there's a great deal of flexibility in how you can build a character. For example:
- My current character (at least the one I spent yesterday playing) is a complete Dexterity/Ego crit-monster ("crit" standing for critical hit). You simultaneously maximizing your defensive potential if you take Lightning Reflexes (which is dexterity based). Munitions and Telekinesis are great sets for this, with Martial Arts being slightly less so due to a lack of Ego focus.
- Another mobile and effective offensive/defensive combination is a Strength/Constitution character whose stats work perfectly for Invulnerability. A real bruiser, you can get a lot of extra damage out of the environment by picking up and throwing big things. You can also hit enemies with things you pick up, just approach them and use any hotkey instead of the Z key. Might and Power Armor are both good picks for this, although Power Armor is better off with Intelligence instead of Constitution because of all their high-energy powers.
- By prioritizing your Presence and Intelligence, you can simultaneously be an effective team supporter while also having some beefed up pets to do your dirty work. Gadgeteering and Sorcery sets are good for this, Telepathy being a not half-bad but more offensive choice.
- You can also pull a good all-rounder who avoids the more specialized Strength, Dexterity, Presense, and Ego stats and instead spreads his points through the other four. These builds have no real weakness, while still remaining relatively strong. Being a jack of all trades often means being a master of sorts in Champions Online. A fairly good choice for Energy-based heroes (Fire/Force/Ice/Electricity) because they tend to have diverse enough powers to just need a solid platform to use them from.