Roach Buddies

See ya'll round

2007-05-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

Taking myself out of the equation here so there won't be any further problems. Good luck ya'll.

THE BLACK-OUT HOUR -- New Radio Show by Black Spectre!

2006-10-29T15:14:00.000-08:00

Roach Buddies
The subject says it all! I'm hosting a new, weekly radio show on www.GRWL-radio.com every Monday night at 8 PM PST (9 PM Mountain, 10 PM Central, and 11 PM Eastern Standard Time). First show is this Monday, October 30th and will feature rockin' music from film and TV! Also new City of Heroes themed commercials will air as well! I envision this show mainly as a City of Heroes/super-hero themed show, but don't want to lock it in to only super-hero themes (or music for that matter)... just mostly.

-Black

P.S. I hope the time is good for all of you. I tried to pick a time to air the show when most of us were logged into the game. If there is a better time, please let me know... or maybe it would be a good idea to re-broadcast the show at an earlier time the next day or something? Around 8 PM EST?

Halloween comes to Paragon!!

2006-10-17T22:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween Heroes!

Gonna be organizing a Trick or Treat Party on Guardian for the Roachbuddies and Friends.
Starting at 7:00pm central, gonna be trick or treating in either PI or Rikti Crash Site (depending on crowds).
Just come on, and say hi, or join in on the party!

Also, doing this in Halloween Costumes! Come dressed as your favorite hero or villian!

GRWL - Gaurd Dawg Radio

2006-08-02T15:17:00.000-07:00

Yup its here and up for your enjoyment. Want to see what all the roachbuddies are listening to?? Check it out here. (You must be logged in and a approved member on forums to view this page.)

Z go bye bye

2006-07-16T23:18:00.000-07:00

Well, not permanently, but had to get you looking at the post didn't I? :) Going to be out for the next couple of days. Have a work trip I need to take for the week. Don't y'all level too fast, and don't forget about me! ;p

Anyone up for Synapse TF?

2006-07-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

My badge toon on Justice, Roentgen, is at the right level now to run the Synapse task force. I figured it'd be great to get a bunch of "the regulars" together on Justice and run it. I was thinking next weekend, preferablly Saturday, 7/16. Anyone care to join? Roentgen is an Illusion/Radiation Controller, but puts out considerable damage. Synapse is in the 15-20 range, so anyone 15+ is eligible to run it. I wouldn't also mind anyone a little lower to sk up, since that gets me working on my SK badge as well. :)

Lemme know! Hope you can make it!

NEW SG STARTING UP!

2006-06-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

After a month of wondering what the heck we should do with ourselves, we finally have a new SG starting up over on Justice Server! Launch date for the new SG is this Tuesday or Wednesday (either June 27 or 28). This is going to be a typical super group without any theme other than a group of individual heroes coming together to fight injustice and evil, similiar in mold to the Justice League or the Avengers. Any archetype, origin, etc. is welcome, so roll your new toon now! The only thing is to make a hero concept that you'll really like, so that when you get bored with your hero's powers, you will still want to play them because they are... well... cool! I'm planning on taking this SG all the way to level 50! So buckle up! We're going for a ride!

Oh! This new SG will need a name, a COOL name and you can help pick it! Think up the coolest super group name you can and post it over in the new SG starting up thread on the Roachbuddies Forum here. First Prize is 1.5 million influence and one Hamidon enhancement for your newly rolled hero! Second prize is 1 million influence, and 3rd prize is 500 thousand influence for your lowbie hero. Judged by Blueray and myself with lots of input from others.

I7 Goes Live on 6/6/06

2006-06-06T06:58:00.000-07:00

Bet they planed that. Anyway, the discusion latly has been, "Roach, what are we gonna do now?" Well friends, I was thinking, we have an awsome SG on Justice, mostly because we worked hard on it, How about bringing that same effort back home? Lets get some fresh blood into the Roach's Group of Other Heroes that Roach Likes and Asks. One of the reasons I was waiting on this was the new costume options (the new bug parts look cool). The other was to come up with concepts. Now that I7 is going live it's time to get moving. So make a new guy, here's the thing, YOU can make whatever YOU want. RGoOHtRLaA is a nice diverse group, and we all have been playing enough that we know what we like and don't like. If you want to make a re-imagined version of your old hero (al la The Ultimates) go for it, if you want to make a clone of an existing character ( like bring your favorite new char from another server) go for it, or if you just want something new, IT'S ALL GOOD! Let's get the old sg some new blood and some needed Prestige. Catch ya back on Guardian! (and ya, gonna make a new version of everyone's favorite bug).

Recluse's Victory Event on Test

2006-05-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

Going on right now! Check out the details here at the official CoH forums: Linky

Want to get a team going (villain or hero) and see what's happenin?

Cockaroach Roadtrip!!

2006-05-18T14:05:00.000-07:00

Going on a vacation/roadtrip up to Omaha Nebraska. So will be gone Fri-Tue.
Just letting ya'll know so ya don't worry.

RoachBuddies TS Server Has Moved

2006-05-15T07:25:00.000-07:00

I know alot of you don't use TeamSpeak as much as you use to. But just wanted to make all aware that I have moved our TS server. I have posted the new address in the forums (you will need to be logged in/registerd to view this page).

Hope to see or rather here some of yall again on TS soon.

My Behavior and what I'm going to do

2006-05-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

I've been real down latly, and it's been affecting how I've been playing. Gotta say sorry to the whole team, I've not been the same die-hard, get-er-done kinda guy you have grown to depend on and I'm going to fix that.

Logitech G-15 TeamSpeak Plugin

2006-05-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

I found this little plugin for the Logitech G-15 today and have to say... It is COOL.

Now I know alot of you don't use TeamSpeak as much as you use to, but still had to post info about this little beauty. This plug-in is great when you can't alt-tab to figure out what voice goes with what name, or if you want to figure out who just joined the channel.

If you want to give it a try you can download it here.

Z's rant on Issue 7 (version 1.0)

2006-05-01T15:26:00.000-07:00

IT'S HERE!!!!!111!!!ZOMG!!!!OHNOZ111!!!

Well, just on the test server at least. Check it out: link to Training Room on CoH forums.

Z's rant on new PhysX stuff

2006-04-26T17:44:00.000-07:00

Black posted over in the Roachbuddie forums about the new PhysX, which prompted me to take a look at it all. I've read a bunch of stuff and think I have it sorted out. If you want to see the full length discussion, run on over to the RoachBuddie forums and check it out. If you want the short and sweet version: if you don't upgrade your computer when Issue 7 hits, your CoH/CoV gameplay should not change.

HeroStats

2006-02-22T14:48:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered how long until that power you need will be recharged? How about that buff that was just put on you, or the buff you just put on the tank - How long will they last?? Or even the age old question 'What level am I?'

Well HeroStats answers all those and more. This simple little program records all the game information for you from chat to damage taken to what powers you used. HeroStats can run in the background or as an ingame window that holds tons of valuable information. Ever wonder how much debt you have - HeroStats will tell you. It will even count down time till your next level, and there is even a RL clock in the window. Trust me this is a must have program.

But wait there's more...
If you have the Logitech G-15 Keyboard (I know a few of us do have it), there is an LCD plugin for HeroStats. It gives you 3-4 lines of chat, health/end bars, and some toon info. Keep in mind though, for this plugin to run you will need to have HeroStats running.

I have tried both of these programs and I have to say I liked them both. The LCD plugin is cool, but HeroStats itself is just phenomenal.

Thanks BlackSpectre for the links to these great tools.

2006-02-11T00:58:00.000-08:00

Derick the Cleric as Cupid, wishing you all a save and sexy Valentines Day!

check this link for custom hearts

http://www.acme.com/heartmaker/

Rise of the Elves

2006-02-03T11:58:00.000-08:00

Well for the past 4 weeks we have been playing our Elf SG (The Misfit Elves) fairly regularly and have come along way. I for one am excited to see us finally have a large useful base that can be utilized for more than just gatherings.

I hope all who are in the Misfit Elves are enjoying there elf/dwarfs as much as I am. And for any RoachBuddies out there who have not logged in to CoH for awhile, well its not too late to join us and we would all love to see ya back in the game.

Happy Holidays

2005-12-25T00:37:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would take this time to wish all the Roach Buddies a happy, healthy & safe holiday season.

Roach has set the holiday party for Monday December 26th @ 7 PM central time. Log in as your main and head over to the SG base.

Also I am wanting some new screenies for the site (espicialy from the party or with a sata hat). If you don't know how to email them into the site, I will have instructions in a private section on the forums by the 27th.

****** UPDATE ******

The instructions for sending in your photos is now up. You do need to be logged in to the forums to see it though.

**********************

Hope to see you all at the party.

And again HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Cash in CoV, or how I learned to stop worring and love the debt.

2005-11-28T23:02:00.000-08:00

CoV is fun, but a lot of us are having withdrawls from our rich Uncles and Aunts back in Paragon. Well, Bot Queen here to tell ya, you can get your DO's and SO's with little trouble and a lot of fun, just remember a few things.
1. Trainers are best if you don't purchase them. No point going broke for 8%, until you can start getting DO's, just don't buy enhances. I know a lot of you are gonna say "WHAT?!?" but trust me, that little cash you save now goes a long way to getting your DO's latter.
2. If a power has Red enhances in it, your better of deleting the enhances then dragging your power down. Red enhances will penalize you, unless you can immediatly replace or upgrade that enhance, dump it.
3. Debt is your friend. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon. You don't get a prize being the first to 40, if you want inf for those DO's your gonna have to earn it. Debt will slow your leveling, so your enhances work longer, and improve your cash flow. This is the little unspoken trick of the game, if you have debt, you WILL have more cash. Don't fear the debt, compared to other games, CoH/CoV has a very mild penalty, that being your leveling is slowwed. You don't loose equiptment/levels/your family jewels, you just are slowed from leveling up a bit.
4. PvP zones are Dangerous. The dev's have a formula that big risk should= big reward. PvP zones being risky*, then = big rewards waiting for you. The mobs in PvP zones will pay 2x in xp and inf what normal mobs do. This also counts for the door missions in those zones. If you just run some of the door missions in Bloody Bay/Sirens Call you will see that the xp and inf are better then the story arcs at the same lvls. I have also seen serious DO drops in Bloody Bay, and Sirens Call. Couple of sidenotes, don't sell your loot at the PvP zones, the merchants will pay 1/2 of what the drops are worth, go back to a city zone and unload your loot. Sirens Call has Bounty in it. Once you earn 6000 in bounty you can cash it out for 4000xp, 2000 inf and 1 SO of your choice. That is worth the risk to me.
*honstly the only risk you run in these zones is hurt feelings, but when a single toon walks along and wipes my team I remember a little quote I heard about pvp "Hi, I'm a rock, just have to say, scissors is working as intended, nerf paper."

OMG Leroy Jennkins....JEPORDY QUESTION?!?

2005-11-17T07:24:00.000-08:00

http://ljjeopardy.ytmnd.com/

it's true...saw the episode yesterday...

New SG Colors??

2005-11-06T12:39:00.000-08:00

With the release of I6 on CoH came the ability to change the SG colors. And knowing most did not care for the Orange/Pink color combo, Roach jumped in and changed them to Orange/Blue (the colors of the RoachBuddies lowbie group). Now don't get me wrong, I know why he changed them, and I was one of the biggest complainers of the PINK. But as I look around the web site and at some of the old team shots, I have to say... I MISS THE PINK.

I know we don't play our 50s much these days, but the Orange/Pink combo was apart of Blueray for almost 30 levels of play, as it was for most of us. The Orange/Pink combo was silly, fun, and yeah... Hideous. But it was part of what made the whole damn thing fun. Hell we followed around a huge CockAroach, why should our SG colors make since.

The new Orange/Blue combo works for the new SG, but I want the old Orange/Pink combo back for my old, original SG. But again this is just me, so to help the Bugboy out, I will be starting a vote in the forums as to which color combo is best for the old, original SG. Please though... Before you vote... Take one more look at the photos section and the old team shots.

Z's rant on CoV...

2005-10-26T17:05:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

CoV is fastly approaching, what with the announcement of the Statesman Strike being announced, it looks like the beta is closing soon. Are the Roach Buddies going to be taking to the villainous side and making a home in the Rogue Isles?

I for one probably will be, but will also be playing CoH as well. How about everyone else?

I also posted this on the roachbuddies forums as well. Sorry for the double post, just trying to get to everyone!

- Z

Teamspeak 2, get it, love it.

2005-10-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

Blueray and I tested out teamspeak 2 to see how it would work with CoH, and all I have to say is...WOW. Real time communication with your teammates and having near instant responce realy does make a huge change. We logged onto Protector with some new characters and after a couple of tries, managed to get onto a teamspeak server that we both could reach. I can't believe that it is a free service. We were rocking and rolling better then ever. Usualy 2 blasters will have a hard time with numerous mobs, but being able to respond to changing situations without having to pause to type, made a HUGE differance. Do yourself a favor and get it NOW.
The website is....
http://www.goteamspeak.com/news.php
download the client and make sure you have a good headset!

Might be off line for a while....

2005-09-20T23:57:00.000-07:00

Huricane Rita's heading my way.
Just wanted to update ya'll on what is happening at the Roach's home. With a major huricane in the Gulf and the "fun" that comes with it, I might be off-line for a while. I'm not in the evacuation area "yet" but I know that Dr. M is. We're gonna need some prayers and some understanding coming up. So, don't be missing me. Just keep plugging away at the baddies and if you need to drop me a line use my hotmail, email address; R_adam@hotmail.com . It's a free account and I can check that anywhere with a internet connection.

CoH Mods

2005-08-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

As promised I have added links to the various CoH toon mods and the CoH map mod. The map mod is very useful and now even has the new zones in it (ie. Croatoa). As with any mod though, you will need to read the install instructions carefully. Most just need to be dropped into the CoH folder, but again read all instructions carefully.

As for the costume/toon mods, please note that if you add the mod to the folder it will replace original (ie. the original stars 2 cape = the new USA cape). These mods are great fun and I do highly recommend the Map Mod, but if do not fully understand how to install them, please refrain from doing so.

Also, if you have not already done so, download the CoH planner. It is a wonderful tool to help you design and set up your toons. You can also see info such as: recharge times, defense stats, damage stats and more. Another plus for this tool is the fact that you can start planning your Warshade or Peacebringer. And for those of you waiting to respec for the upcoming I5, this tool lets you build your toon as of now and then a build a respec version and compare the two.

So download, enjoy and have fun.

Forums

2005-08-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

As requested by Zerotemp, I have added forums to our site. I have put a link to it here on RoachBuddies. I am considering it still in Beta form, since I have never used this particular service before. Please go check it out and let me know what you think. The forum will be open to all RoachBuddies, not just the SG. So go and look, post and enjoy.

Also remember you can all send in your screenshots to the Flikr site. If you have lost or do not have the instructions on how to post them please let me or Roach know and we will get you the information.

All of these services are here for you to use and enjoy, so please take advantage of them and share your love of CoH and the RoachBuddies.

Real Life Roach Dance

2005-08-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my wife and I took our kids to a birthday party out at a ranch. Well as our kids were playing and I was impatiently waiting for cake, I overheard some teenagers talking about how tough roach was.

Well of course the first roach I think of is the one we all know and love. Of course I soon found out (after some funny looks), that they were talkin about a little black bull that had never been ridden the full 8 seconds. Well I jumped at the chance to take on this little black bull named Roach. To make a long story short, that little bull not only threw me off in 3.7 seconds, but I do believe he did a little dance afterwards (I guess all roaches have a dance).

Now I could make excuses and say that it was from not being able to ride well cause of my cracked ribs from another recent bull ride, but I think we all know... Ya Can't Beat The Roach.

Z's rant on Defiance

2005-08-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

In my testing of the new Archery blaster set, I also got the chance to test out the new inherent power Defiance for the blaster AT. I wanted to post my comments up here on it.

For those that haven't heard, they are introducing a new inherent power for blasters in issue 5 called Defiance. What it does is increase your damage output after you start taking large amounts of damage. Once you hit the yellow of your health bar, the Defiance meter starts to grow, and you start to do extra damage per shot. Note, this is just extra damage, not extra accuracy or anything else. (The specific numbers of how much damage in relation to your health are on the official boards, under 'The Training Room' forum, under the Defiance thread if you want to read up on them.)

So, after 7 levels of Archery blaster mayhem, I've come to the conclusion that Defiance will be a power that's used accidently most of the time, not something a blaster will try to use. To try to use it to its fullest means keeping your health almost always in the lowest orange to upper red area of your health bar. Not good tactics, IMHO.

But, on the upside, if you do happen to find yourself in the yellow/orange/red end of your health bar with no greens available, you do have a large salvo of damage at your disposal to unleash, if you hit with it. The problem I find when I'm in the lerch for health is not the damage I hit with, it's actually hitting with the damage I have. But, when you do land hits, they are quite devastating. I took down a Bone Daddy boss myself last night with my archer in the last hit cuz I was in the red and did about 300-400% more damage than normal.

So, to keep this short, in summation the Defiance power is not a bad one, and is definitely something I like, but I won't agree with what Stateman said about asking defenders/controllers to not heal me, no sir. The last thing I need as a AT who has little defense to begin with is to not be healed when I need it.

Z's rant on the Archery blaster primary

2005-08-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hey all. I spent most of today (Sunday) on the test server playing with the new Archery blaster powerset. There are a lot of posts up on the official CoH boards in the Archery thread, but I wanted to throw in my first hand experience of it all.

First, I want to point out that I went into the test with dual opinions:
1. I try to be open-minded about everything, and give everyone and everything the benefit of the doubt.
2. Upon just reading about the Archery set, I hated it. Before I even looked at it, I already decided that I wouldn't like it (so much for being open-minded, eh?). In the past, I've played other MMORPG's, such as EverQuest, where bows, arrows and such are commonplace. So, when this new set come out for CoH, I thought it was detracting from the "super hero" aspect and turning it into just another MMORPG.

Now, after being on the test server all day and playing multiple levels and getting the first 4 powers in the Archery blaster set, I have to say this:
The day Issue 5 goes live, I'm rolling an Archery blaster and never looking back. :-)

The set, like any other, has its ups and downs, givings and miss-givings, but in the end, it is a solid set that is coming out quite nicely. First, let me explain the powers I went through.

Level 1: Snap Shot
Very quick, "off the cuff" shot. The animation has the bow almost perpendicular to your player, giving the "hurried" shot. Low damage, but the animation time is fast and the recharge time of the power is nearly instant, so that you can get off a large number of arrows in quick succession. It misses like any other low level blaster power. The upside is that its range is long, so that you can really fire from a distance and get off about 2 shots before an enemy gets in range. After taking a few of the other powers, I would recommend only slotting this with one accuracy and leave it go. Trust me, it gets much better.

Level 2: Aimed Shot
This has a longer animation time than Snap Shot, but gives more damage and recharges quickly. If you fire a Snap Shot, then Aimed Shot, Snap Shot will be up again to fire, so you can usually get a 3-round hit before an enemy gets one. The animation has the bow upright as normal, with a small concentrated aim and then letting the arrow loose. This power seems to have an innate accuracy bonus in it, but the power description doesn't note that. I ran through about 4 levels without an accuracy in this power, and it missed as much as Snap Shot did with an accuracy in it. Once I put an accuracy in this power, I rarely missed. This power also seems to have a large range on it, so it can be fired from a long distance.

Level 4: Fistful of Arrows
The name of this power made me laugh, but I had to try it out, and let me tell you, this is a keeper. It's a cone area power, and I usually abhore cone area powers, but this one is awesome. The cone area on this power is amazingly wide, so you will never have a problem getting anything within the cone. The range is very long for a cone power too. It's damage is between that of Snap Shot and Aimed Shot, but is normal for a cone power at this level from my experience. But, the fact that is fast to recharge, the cone is very large and it is quite accurate make this power a must have. The animation has you pull a set of what looks like 5 arrows, place them on the bow (which is in a diagonal animation) and let loose. The baddies that get hit have 3 arrows stuck in their chest.

Level 6: Flame Arrow (I think, now for the life of me I can't remember the name)
Now this, this is a nice power. You pull an arrow with a large flaming tip out and let it go. It's a single shot, large damage plus DoT power. It recharges fast, and has a long range like the other powers do. The fire of the arrow splashes a bit when it hits the enemy.

Level 6 is as far as I got. When I got Flame Arrow, I knew that this set was good and I could call it a day (although, I plan to get back on. I need to know what the Explosive Arrow looks like). Here are my thoughts in general about the set:
- The powers are lower damage than I'm used to seeing with blaster sets. But, the powers recharge very, very fast, allowing you do get more damage off in lesser time. The powers are very small endurance intensive, but there is a small drawback: being that the powers recharge so fast and give smaller damage than most other blasters, you'll be firing much more often than others; ergo, you'll burn through endurance like nothing. I found that I was constantly just burning reds and yellows just so I could get more blue drops. CaBs will be your best friend until Stamina. My opinion is that an Archery blaster will need stamina to keep going, or just carry a full pocket of CaBs around (or an empath defender/controller). Being in groups, this will vary, but if you are looked at as the main damage dealer for a group, you'll need stamina.
- The animations are great, and make perfect sense for an archer. The timing seems right on the mark. I've read many posts already that folks hate the animation time and such, and it should be lowered. To me, that wouldn't make much sense. Honestly, how fast can you load a bow and fire and still hit your target? Except for Snap Shot, the other powers take a small moment to aim first. This is natural, and make sense. But, it all happens very fast.
- The sound is on target for a bow. For the normal arrows, you hear the recoil "twang" of the bow as you let the arrow go, and you hear a small "woosh" noise as the arrow flies. All very quiet though, and very nice. The Flame Arrow, however, you hear the roar of the fire at the tip as you pull it out. It kinda overshadows the normal recoil "twang" and such, but hey, it's fire, and teh uber. :-)
- The arrows look pretty thick and metallic, rather than wooden, which makes sense. You eventually will be fighting super powered beings rather than hoodlums and thugs. Most of them would laugh at you if you were carrying around wooden stakes. They are large, more like you are firing a pipe than an arrow, but it makes sense: bigger the arrow, bigger the hurt.

And, of course, here are my gripes, which are really "look and feel" rather than game mechanics:
- THERE'S NO QUIVER! You constantly unleash a flurry of arrows at your enemy, all which seem to be pulled from your arse. Kinda doesn't make sense. There should be a costume option to add a quiver, or to hire a sherpa to be with you which carries around all of your arrows. Unless you roll a magic blaster, thematically it just doesn't make sense (since as a magic blaster you could say you "conjure" the arrows, but it's a stretch, since the arrows seem to made of steel).
- While the set seems amazing, your secondary options are the same as before, which hurts a tad. The defender archery set seems like it would have been a perfect secondary set for the archery primary: it has holds, immobilizers, etc. The two I found that make the most sense are Devices and Energy. Shooting arrows and punching things across the street seem to work good (although it causes a redraw of your bow), and shooting arrows and laying bombs, caltrops, etc. work well together too. While I'm sure there will be combo's using ice, fire, etc. it seemed kinda goofy to me. I'm all about thematics and "making sense", so, that's just me. Your mileage may vary.
- This is an animation gripe, and one that is probably going to me and only me. When I fire an arrow, it does stick to the enemy, somewhere random in the chest area. But, by the time I get another one in them, the first one has disappeared. I'd like the arrows to stick a tad longer. Nothing more satisfying than looking at an enemy as they fall with a half dozen arrows in them. Even with Snap Shot, which has the quickest recharge time, if I get 2 successive hits there is only one arrow displayed.
- Going along with the last animation gripe, I'd like the arrow hits to be random on the body of an enemy. Right now, they are solely in the chest area. I know this is asking a lot, but perhaps some hits in the legs, which would cause a slow effect, etc? And if I happen to hit them in the head, well, use your imagination.
- Now, lets get to when you miss. This, man, is hilarious. Now, given that this is a game of super powered beings and such, the physics engine seems to be laid out pretty well. But, when you miss with an arrows, the poor laws of physics seem to go out the window. For example, using Aimed Shot, I fired at an enemy and missed. As a miss, I would expect that the shot would go sailing over their head, or by the side of an enemy, or heck, I once fired an arrow (in real life) than just dropped by my side when I let it go. Nope. Instead, the arrow goes on target for about 10 feet or so and then makes a hard 90 degree turn in any direction, snapping so fast you almost miss where it went. Now, this doesn't change the game at all, but, it just looks silly. It almost makes me wish the enemies were alittle more AI intelligent, so that they would sit there for a moment when that happens and wonder to themselves "how the heck did he do that?".

So, going into this I thought it was going to be the worst experience I've ever had. I came out wishing Issue 5 was in my lap so I could roll my blaster on a live server. Just goes to show you that with any change comes promise. I never looked for new power sets, and thought the game could use sprucing up a bit in other areas, but I have to say that Archery for blasters is quite nice and I can't wait to make my live one.

Oh, and in the process, I got to test out this new blaster inherent power named Defiance, but that's a whole 'nother rant for Z...

1st Character Bio Contest!!

2005-07-26T16:49:00.000-07:00

Yea! A contest!!
For us!!
Just submit your bio to Blueray bluerayblstr@gmail.com and you are entered!!
To keep things fair, I'm not eligiable or judging.
Temptress' and Voltanic from the Patriots of Paragon (our sister sg) will be acting as judges, so lets get those bios in!
First Prize- a cool Mil in inf. 1,000,000 statesbucks of your very own.
Second Prize- 1/2 a mil 500,000 statesbucks
Third Prize- 1/4 mil 250,000 statesbucks.

This will also get your bio posted on the site! So SEND THEM IN!!!
**********Deadline August 6th!!!*************

Where did the Roach go?

2005-07-20T23:23:00.000-07:00

I'll tell ya where.
It's a sad tale, full of sadness and sad things, but in the end things get better.
I broke Obsidian Zealots PC.
Yep.
Roach Smash.
Didn't meen too. Saw that she was having some weird lag and registry problems with her system after installing the new video card, and decided to put that 20years of experience and my A+ certification to work.
Sunday: afternoon. System is booting but keeps booting to a screen saying missing somthingorother.vmd registry. Hit internet and get a "fix" from a website. Try it out....

Sunday: Late afternoon. System is booting. Workaround didn't work. Keep hitting internet on my pc looking for workaround. Chuckle to myself, wow a challange.

Sunday night. Decide to nuke and pave cause internet is full of people that seem to believe that every hickup in windows requires a full bios flash and reinstall. Call em all idiots and keep pressing on. Nuke goes well, system formated. Reinstall 98, and forget to remove all the pci cards. Nothing loads. Curse myself. Remove all the cards, nuke again and reinstall. System boots to windows but no cd rom or access to disk drive.

Sunday Night. System is in pieces. I'm in my underware. Crying.

Monday. afternoon. System still not recognising cdrom. Try installing dos drivers for cd rom. No luck. Try every workaround I can find online. Wild hair, for some reason I decide to reset my router. Lose internet conection. Cry somemore.

Monday Night: Call drinking buddy. He gives a couple of suggestions. They don't work. Feel like whole world is colapsing. I've done this to my own system multiple times and have never hit a wall like this. Drink a beer, cry somemore.

Tuesday Afternoon: Look at system that is wide open and parts/cd's and floppy's lying around. Cry somemore.

Wednesday afternoon: Decide to install copy of WinXP that friend gave to me from a buisness liquidation. He has 10 site licenses and gave me 2. Start installing. Works. System recognizes HD, CD ROM and floppy. Thank the Lord. Thank Jesus. Thank Bill Gates. Reboot system. System doesn't boot. Cry some more.

Wednesday night. Reformated Hard Drive. Repartioned Hard Drive. Reinstalled xp. Works up to a point then has to restart and locks up, unable to boot. Convinced now that the internet "help" channels are filled with plants from repair shops telling people just how to majorly mess up their pc's so they have to bring them in. Cry somemore. Notice a button on the desktop after 3rd full installation. Activate Windows.. Holy Jumping Jackrabbits on Crack. That's it? Click. System boots fine. Faint from shock.

Wednesday/Thursday Late Night: All the cards are back in. New drivers for new o/s are in. City of Heroes currently Patching. Just letting you guys know why I've been a little cranky lately.

the CockaRoach.

Issue5 now on Test. Grab your ankles and Bite down hard Cause this might hurt a bit...

2005-07-16T00:36:00.000-07:00

Issue 5 has now hit the test server.
Lots of new changes and tweeks (I'm not calling them nerf's yet) have come out. So what are we going to do about it? What roaches have done for millions of years, were going to survive it. First we gotta know the beast though so guys, this is an invite to come join us on test server this Sunday the 17th and lets test the hell outta I5.
For information on how to get into test server and to copy your character over click here
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=shibboleth&Number=3022340&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

should give you the like and directions. I will be posting what we find out and how the changes will effect us. Personaly I don't see this as an end to how we do things. I'll give you my reasons why.
1. We don't herd, we gather. A herd tank will grab an entire map's worth of agro and bring it back to a spot. Roach grabs ONE room at a time. So, just have to grab less.
2. We do missions ALOT. We arn't street hunters, I've been with some SG's and that's all they do. We run our missions, we get the bonus and we move on to the next misson. The exp increase and the debt relief will accualy help us. So Not a nerf, a bonus.
3. We have FUN. It is just a game after all. Sheesh, to read about what some of the folks are saying in the forums you would think that they are throwing kittens off buildings. It's just a game. Yea it's a fun game, it's addictive as all get out, but when it comes down to it, it's still just a game.

That's my opinion anyway. I know we're in for interesting times ahead but I'm looking forward to the test.
In test , our global handles WILL change. I'm @ZEROPLASMA on test.
See ya SUNDAY!!!

Getting kinda lonly....

2005-07-12T17:19:00.000-07:00

...with just me and blue's being the only origins on the site so...
INSTRUCTIONS!!!

1. Make a bio. Make it your own. Love it, caress it like a lost puppy, JUST MAKE ONE!!!
2. Get a screen shot of you with your bio. Tricky. The arena is a good place for this, lots of easy stuff to get a shot infront of. Use the command:
/screenshotui1 this turns the user interface ON for screenshots.
Open your bio, strech it out so you can read it all. Then "snap" you got it.
3. Mail the screenshot to bluerayblstr@gmail.com
4. Watch it appear on this site!!

NOW!!! continued....

2005-07-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, ya got your agro.
You got a bunch of mobs all on top of where you said you would pull them.
Now what?
6. You give the signal. For Roach, you know what that meens. It meens that he says NOW and the exp starts rolling in. Why the signal?
a. My taunt has recharged. So I can grab back the agro.
b. My Rage is charged and I just fired it.
c. Knock Out Blow is About to land on the biggest stack.

7. Let the bodies hit the floor. Don't just stand there, HIT SOMETHING, you've seen me, I run around and keep hitting, keep taunting and keep firing off KOB as fast as I can. This way I stay #1 target and can respond when that boss starts looking for the squishies.

That's about it.

NOW!!!

2005-07-05T17:26:00.000-07:00

A brief herding guide
By Cockaroach

Good bet if your reading this you've seen me in action gathering whole rooms and then giving the signal to attack. This is just a little guide to help you know how I'm doing that and hopefuly will help if you ever want to roll a tank.

1. Agro. Ya'll know what it is. To a Blaster it's pain, to a defender is an op to use their powers, to a controler it's what you stop, to a scrapper it's what you don't want to get too much of, to a tank? It's your lifeblood.
A tank lives and dies based on how much agro you can get. The idea is to make yourself the #1 target and everything else just not there. Taunts, punchvoke and auras are what you will use to accomplish this. Each one of those powers will take a Taunt increase, but you get the best bang for your buck with your auras. Fire tanks use Blazing aura, Ice uses Chilling embrace, Invulnerablity uses invinciblility, and stone uses Mudpots. Slap a taunt enhance in one of those and the baddies will be jumping at the chance to take you at. You want that.

2. Your Primarys. Roach didn't start taking ANY secondarys till 16.* Was hard to solo, but found teams. With the reduction in offense though roach is able to take a beating more then any other member of the team. Resist Physical damage, Temp Invulnerablity, Dull pain, Resist Elements and Unyielding all let me take the beating that was going to squish the squishies. The one execption to that was taunt. I took taunt as early as possible simply because the taunt aura for inv tanks comes so late.

3. Find a spot. Look at the map. Find a corner, a box, some crates a pillar, a tree. All those spots are your herd spot. Usually I show the team where I'm pulling to with my bind "Roach Dance!!" to show where I'm coming back to.

4. Go tick off some mobs. With your aura, your taunt and your punchvoke, this will NOT be a problem. Start small, 1 group is good to begin with. Preferably close to your spot. You can only herd them so far. Run to the spot and...

5. Break Line of sight. Yep. Don't just wait at the spot, get behind it, get out of sight of the incoming mobs and THEN wait.

Looks like #6, #7 will half to wait.

Happy 4th of JULY!!

2005-07-04T01:42:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July from Roach Buddies, and the Patriots of Paragon!

Level 30? Need an Idea for your 3rd costume? One word. Bugsuit.

2005-07-03T00:14:00.000-07:00

Little idea I had when making this sg. You don't have to be a bug to join. Shoot, you don't even have to be a particular AT or origin type. Just one thing. When you hit 30. Make a bugsuit. Doesn't have to look like mine, or blues, or Rough's or zeros, doesn't have to have armor, or antenne or any of that, just should make you think, bug, when you look at it.

Happy July 4th!!

2005-07-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I tried at least.

Apparently, you can only herd so much before the mobs loose intrest.
Was a fun attempt anyway.
Hope you got some screenshots.

The CockARoach is 1 year OLD!!!

2005-06-29T23:43:00.000-07:00

One year ago, in our fair city, Cockaroach entered and began his quest for justice, truth, and to get into the chicken place in Talos. Now in celebration of being 1, Roach will attempt the unthinkable.

HERD PEREZ PARK

Yep, the whole park. Not just a street, not just the outside, the WHOLE park. Can it be done? Can the bug make and hold THAT much agro? Will this get him banned? Or at least yelled at? Not sure. The idea is to have a MASSIVE pull, from both inside and outside the park, so Hydra, CoT, clocks, Lost, Hellions and Skulls will all be together trying to squash the bug. I don't know if invulnerable can generate enough agro to "pull" this off, but It's worth a try. Once the pull is done, from the inside I'll be taking the herd to the Galaxy door then working my way to the SE corner. There, I'm going to try to stuff the whole herd into the open crate and hit it with ONE knockout blow. There will be a LOT of mess on this, so I'm asking everyone who can to show up and warn the lowbies to watch out. I'll also need some blasters/controlers/defenders/scrappers to act as a clean-up crew in the crate area, SE corner, cause I'm sure this is going to get messy.
The pull will start at 9pm central and I hope to have it done by 11pm-12am central (might not take that long)

So show up, take some screenshots and warn the lowbies, cause ROACH IS IN DA PARK!!!

Roach.

Site approved

2005-06-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

Well the colors and base design of the site have been approved by Roach. So now the site is fully underway. It is still under construction though, so don't think that this is it. Check back soon :)