B:  As much as I like confrontations between superheroes and their arch villains I wasn't really looking forward to City of Villains. Being bad isn't my thing. They say that most people like to bad because in real life they're good and/or always have to be good in real life.  I heard this while playing a RP MUD once, where incidentally, I was one of the few "good guys"  and naturally the good side won very rarely. I think I remember getting special items for being on the MUD for so long, and the stories that were run were more inline for the good to win, but more often it lost. The reason: it'd get boring if good always beat evil, and it wouldn't be fun that way.  I guess they had a point but I was always the minority. I really didn't share the same values and such as most of the players either so even though we all played civilly I think my stay there was more of just because I've been there for so long.

              Anyhow, fast forward to COH/COV. Things have drastically changed as I'm more into comics that I was then so much so that COH is an extension of that than a game to me.  Always has been, always probably will be.  I've been in this since COH Beta and cliché as it may be when Heri first gained flight, and while she wasn't the first person or the first person I knew too get it, to fly like Superman was unreal.  So protecting the city and giving one's life seemed like the fun thing to do. I'll admit I don't like dying as anyone else in the game, but if it prevents your teammates from dying its worth it. I've done that with my tank, my emp defender and my bubble defender. And even though you feel kinda stupid to die at all, as long as it wasn't done stupidly there wasn't much harm from it.

              As City of Villains approached and Betas invites were being handed out. I just kept playing COH, kinda being cheerful of people getting excited about COV but not expressing my own feeling either way on it. Especially as I got commentaries on it from SG members that got in before I did. Because I was in COH Beta I eventually did get my entry into COV Beta and because I felt like it was my duty to help out. I'll admit I kinda liked it just to keep up with my friends and see the new content, but it it being villainous was still on my mind.  With all the villainous costume parts open that rally make a villain look villainous I can't picture them. Heroes I can, I know what I'm looking for in a shiny protector, designing those evil looking villains I can't do.  I know one when I see one in the comics, but for the life of me I can't do the same.  Partly why I guess I did the Praetorian Heris I guess, not much change costume wise, just more reflections of the Heris.

              It's not too bad playing a villain, as you're often going against the other villain factions as much as you are the good guys. So it seems less evil. But I've had a lotta missions with Longbow, Legacy, and Wyvern.  I'll admit that when I'm playing with friends I don't think about this as much, just more of beating the mobs and completing the mission, especially if its for something like a level or a badge or something. But when I'm soloing and even then still when I'm teamed it occurs to me I'm fighting the good guys. Hell, I didn't like it when I fought the longbow while confused as Herri to get their badge, but I knew I was going to get an easier shot while others were farming it and making it easy.

              I did say that I'd never play City of Villains, after I gave it a chance when it first went live, even got a few toons going. But I just couldn't get into it. Just felt wrong. and when it didn't feel wrong it didn't feel right. I have tons of motivation for playing COH, seeing comic book movies or movies about people doing good deeds against the odds, reading comic books, etc.  I don't get that same drive with COH, or at least I didn't so I deleted my toons and thought I'd never play again.

              I'll admit I was wrong as I found a way... and again its related to Heri. My Praetorian Heris. I'll admit I got flack from my SG mates. And I got the usual.. " Ohh another one turns to the Dark Side" Whether they were joking or not or knew me well enough thru my Heris I really wanted to last out, but I kept it to myself. My lack of dedication to my villains I think speaks for itself.  I've been told repeatedly that I will eventually become a badge-whore villain side. Because others have said they wouldn't but eventually did.  Just like they didn't expect to like CoV but eventually did. Seemingly good argument, except for that my own reason for playing COV is to develop the Wherls so they're at a level to fight one on one with their Heri counterparts. At the time I don't see any reason I'll be badging on this side, other than unlocking hidden contacts. But I did find a way to enjoy COV so who knows.

              Anyway, onto my COV screens like COH Beta I didn't create very many alts, created a MM, a brute and a dom. And just for leveling to test out content and the like I only really focused on the MM. I also had COH to keep up with. That and I don't explore much with alts and power sets.  I dunno why, I find one I like concept wise and stick with it.  It'd probably be smart to know how each set is like to know how to both recognize and fight them properly, as well as to be able to advise what to take for other players. That and I'm so slow a game player that it takes me a long time to develop a few characters much less a bunch of them. When one sits unplayed I kinda feel bad about it. So the 5 villains I have are enough. 

             4-3-06 - I don't know how long this feeling will last, but the feelings I had initially about playing COV have come back to an extent. I was reading the summary of the story arc for Crimson Revenant for Mynx, and I read the part where it mentioned her fur isn't so shiny and not all confidant now that she's in Arachnos' chains. I guess it's kinda silly but when I read that it chilled me. Helping capture a hero. I'm sure that once I'm in the mission I wouldn't be thinkin that as much since it'd be my own player that'd die if I didn't take her down.  Story wise I'd still feel bad to know she's captured. But on the other hand I'd like to experience the content, if nothing else to help others through it. Luckily I'm nowhere near that level atm so I have time to hopefully just let this issue go away by itself. LOL

             Anyhow here's my experience in my first time in COV Beta:

             B: My robots/poison MM, Mistress Robota. So it wasn't original. I didn't give much of a care. After all, I was half lagged most of the time and I got the usual "Domo Arigato" nearly from everyone so no one seemed to mind the name. This shows early on as well in Beta where females had very limited new COV costume parts. Only parts I really could take from the COV sets were her gloves and boots, everything else was standard COH. Still came up with a nice design. :) Also of note, the pulse rifle, this version for all is know is long gone. and been replaced by the one shown in the pics of MR while she's in her maroon colors. The same pulse rifle is seen in a few screenshots of my char Wherrlwind.

            B: Something unique to COV, bank robberies. I liked these but in a way I didn't. Fairly easy mission. But I don't like being the bad guys robbing stuff.  But, villains don't go around saving stuff so.... Also something that came out with COV Beta that everyone in COV/COH takes for granted now, but still an amusement... rag doll physics. Some COHers weren't too happy about the added lag that came with this, but its the price you pay for getting the cooler graphics. Below is an interesting position for a mob to fall into after dying and rag dolling. Last pic: TWO robots! 'nuff said.

           B: These last 3 shots show a few things. Regardless of what rifle is used now in main, it certainly changed in Beta. take a look a the shots below compared to the rifle in the shots above. 2nd I was able to get high enough level to get the 2nd tier bot, the protector bot. Even in Beta these things were pretty powerful, decent damage and bubbles normally and more damage and healing when equipped.

          B: My first look for a scary villain. Wasn't too bad. Name needs work. I wanted something similar sounding to Hericane, storm related and with "her" or "she" in there somewhere.... so  came up with Sheer Tempest. I didn't like it much then, but I wasn't coming up with anything else, so I went with it. Like my usual habits, Sheer has a buncha little things that some of my chars still keep. Wherlwynd's secondary set is taken from her for Lady W .  And the baroque and chain costume sets both have also gone to Lady W. I might use this look for Wherl later on sometime, if I can work some reasonable way for them to wear so. It'd be neat to have a look I've used since Beta in both sides. Wouldn't be exactly the same since Wherl's name and concept I didn't have back then like I did Heri.

          B: A Dark Blast from Sheer, along with her Glacial Shields on the Ninja pets of a VG mate. And below is a shot of Infrigidate.

          B: My in-game reasoning for no more Sheer Tempest, running into both States and Posi. These we shots from the COV End of Beta event.  Why I didn't take end of Betas shots for COH I dunno. The Rikti Mother ships above and tons of Rikti around were amazing to see. Anyhow, this was a fun event. And luckily on the Instance I was on, Posi and States showed up.  They didn't do much but get hammered by the throngs of villains around. then heal up again, and rinse and repeat. Hit a few attacks here and there which pretty much one or two-shotted most of hte villains nearby, IE the reason why Sheer is dead in the last screenie, but you can see States and Posi's names in orange there, with Posi having a reduced bar so all in all it was kinda fun.