@NetBlais

Thanks for the explanation! I know most of this stuff aswell, CO isn't my first MMO after all. I just think that instead of complaining and *****ing in the forums, a little more help would be needed - especially ingame. A simple "go read the forums n00b" or "l2p" isn't helping - never was. But that is about general social skills and the reason why many gamers lack of - kind of a different story :D

Perfectly summarized up.

I'm simply amazed that 43 pages later this is still an on going hate filled topic. To the point where even logging in game and viewing zone or sg chat leads to see this same discussion being carried there as well.

I do wonder, however, if this would have gone on this long if the original post (and the OP's subsequent replies) hadn't been so spiteful and full of vitriol.

That in mind, If any low level players want to run alerts please add @Enochian_Cub to your F-List, I am always willing to team up, give build advice, run some missions with you or just have FUN playing this GAME. I will not power level you nor dole out free Globals (Mainly because I haven't the G's to spare between my need to alter costumes and builds so friggen often)

No, alerts exist simply as content filler. If they were truly meant to be a learning mechanic they would be mandatory and better explained. And there would be a lot less hate for low levels participating.

This might be a valid argument if this was a class based game. It is not. And with the addition of silver free forms. it continues to expand its defiance of classes.

The very thought that after hours of playing, learning, tweaking, testing, dying, winning, loosing and countless remakes. That it takes a random grouping of mostly self centered partners to better teach you that character YOU'VE created and made is beyond absurd.

You want to learn how to group. Join an SG. To expect any real useful info from random PUGS is simply a path to disappointment

You need to stop judging this game by other MMOs. Trinity and classes have far less meaning here then in virtually any other place. And to try to take the few UNIQUE aspects of this game and make it like all the rest is a sad waste.

Actually, it was a targeting error, and my bad. But I took care of it. I was aware that it was an error. The time to discuss these sorts of things isn't when the clock's ticking, though.

And I hope you get your own private queues, too, because you don't sound like someone I want to be playing with.

There are a couple of issues here. They are related in net effect but probably should be discussed seperately.

The first is q farming lowbies. After last nights session, I really think alerts should be gated. Not by level, but by missions. I suggest that until a character has taken down Kevin Poe in the Westside missions, the charcater can't go on alerts. That makes getting there a time sink for lowbie characters and reducing the "create toon, get 8000Q then delete" strategy. If a character gets that far at least they have gear and powers to contribute to the cause. If they just stand in the back, then I and my wife are exiting alerts. It's not meant to upset the players that do contribute, which is a possible side effect. It's because there is a minicule cash value to questionite. If the players that want to farm it can't get in the game, we won't let ourselves be 'time taxed' by thier laziness.

AS to underskilled/undergeared players. This is to be expected. This game has some amazing choices, and those choices can lead to pitfalls in character creation and play. There are more than a few ways that I can think of that will help them get to speed. If anyone needs help, they can look to CORP, COWiki, the champions online free player forums. The can join a SG, they can use zone chat.

This just in, playing Champions Online is now a job. Contact Cryptic to get your pay if you have not been seeing your direct deposits.

I wonder how hard it would be, (or if it would even be possible), to have the Alerts queue try to get an average level before popping. For instance, let's say the queue wanted an average of 60 levels or more across all 5 players that it brings into an alert - that might help a bit. It'd still have to have a timeout so if that level range can't be reached, it'll still allow players in.

As for the teaming thing goes - there's no reason I couldn't get some of my buddies w/ their mid to high level characters to take my lowbie along so I can get some levels. You'd be surprised - once you get to 14 or so, you can start contributing quite well. Of course, that's assuming we're all playing at the time, which isn't always the case.

Still, my biggest gripe isn't so much the level of players in Alerts - it's those that simply don't play smart - running in and aggroing all groups, trying zerg-rush tactics and failing miserably, using only their EB and hardly using anything else, wasting time healing players that are at or near full health.

They need to put in some more obvious aggro indicators and such so players can see what enemies are aggroed to what players. I'd also like to see a more clear-cut explanation of Alert objectives so people are clear on what is needed to win one - I've seen people shouting in chat during an alert that we needed to clear all the side groups for Recruiting Drive, or ones that say to ignore the additional mobs on Dockside Dustup - and that misleading info often leads to failure.

I think he was referring to level 17 characters, not 17 year old players.

So you put him on ignore for criticizing you, but he is at fault for not accepting criticism from you. Got it.

I do understand your complaint though. I mean fighting bad guys in a superhero game ? He should be called out on the forums and ostracized for that right ?

Remember, Alerts are, "not necessary to play the game."