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I was playing CoH late last night and I had a mini satori (awakening).  What I am about to say is hardly complex but it made a mark on me never the less.

Powerlevelling:  Why do it?

I may as well 'fess up and tell you straight out that I don't like powerlevelling.  Folks that play characters that have been PL'ed, or bought off Ebay, seldom have a clue about how to play the character that they spent good money or (very little) time getting. 

In CoH I have personally heard Kheldians (an AT that is unlocked only after your first lvl 50) asking where they can get SO (single origin) enhancements.  As SO's are available from shops from level 22 and even earlier if you do the right missions, it is literally impossible to have got a character to 50 without knowing that... I guess that they thought that no one would notice that they didn't have a clue... 

Anyway, enough.

Ok, so it isn't like you are doing any thing wrong.  It ain't exactly illegal is it?  But the centre piece of my little awakening was really this. 

City of Heroes is a game.  Games are played (mostly) for fun.  Where is the fun in paying for a game where your character has already completed, or out levelled most available story arcs?  No doubt the same people that buy toons off Ebay are also the same ones that complain that CoH "lacks content"!   

Effectively (if you buy a level 50) you have just bought a dead end character that all it is good for is some badge hunting and a bit of posing in Atlas.  You probably have no contacts, because you didn't complete the story arcs to make contact with them, so you have to travel all over the map(s) for a lousy awaken.

I know that many people like to go to Atlas and "scare the n00bs" with their 50's.  I do not intend to knock them, they have earned the right to do what they like with their toons.  What confuses the h$ll out of me is why someone would want to do the same with a character they they bought?  Where is the pride in that?

If anyone has any thoughts on this, feel free to add 'em.  I would especially like to hear from anyone that has bought an account off Ebay or has been PL'ed for 30 plus levels.

Sidekicking per se is not really what I was commenting ranting about! lol

I just think that being PL'ed spoils the fun of the game for the person being PL'ed and actually buying an account so that you can have a level 50 is well...just beyond words really. 

Sidekicking in a party is less important than it used to be anyway.  The level difference is now a max of five levels rather than seven.  To be honest I think this is an improvement although it does make getting a party together a pain sometimes. 

For some reason a party that is full of side-kicked toons tends to be less effective in combat for some reason.  It isn't just the lack of powers either, because it still applies in the high 40's.  The game designers tell is that you fight as your sk'ed level, but I am not so sure.  Maybe you get the level (as regards attack and defence) but not the hitpoints?  All I can say about this is that the majority of wipes that I have been involved in is usually with a party split 4/4 ie half sidekicked, half not.

Everquest is a whole different bag of tricks I think.  The people that play it seem to like sitting around.  It is part of the culture of the game apparently.  I am not the "sitting around watching pretty graphics" type!   

From what I read about EQ the levels are sort of random anyway.  Read a great article of modified Skinner boxes (psychology) or some such and how it conditioned people to spend ever longer online playing it.  As I don't play it, despite having it sitting on the shelf here, I really shouldn't comment further.

As to the final point about sweat shops...well at least one guy has made his millions from sweatshops like that.  No, his name wasn't Nike either!  Exploitation of folk like that isn't a pretty thing, especially for the benefit of people doing something as pointless as playing a game, any game...nuff said.

Yep, couldn't agree more about the powers and SO's comment. 

Some people don't understand (or don't want to) that a level 5 toon WILL NOT fight as a lvl 49 if he is sidekicked to a lvl 50.  The main reasons being no powers, no slots in the powers he does have and no SO's. 

But hey, I guess I am preaching to the choir.

As a side note:  I have a level 40 something empathy defender on Union (Onion!) and a guy once asked me if I would PL him! lmao  He obviously doesn't get the fact that an emp def has all the kill power of wet semolina...

Yeah, I agree with what you say about a guy with multiple 50s just wanting to skip a few levels.  Some of the big landmarks in the game are early on and there is little to be gained by doing them again.  I am thinking about lvl 14 for a travel power, maybe 20 for stamina (!) and 22 for SO's. 

PL-ing after that just seems a bit daft.  I mean why?  If you don't actually want to play the game why pay your money every month? lol

The main thrust of what I was talking about was really this:

• PL for inexperienced players is a pain for everyone else (How DO you get back to Atlas btw? )
  
• Extended sessions of PL kills the content of the game

I guess my deepest objection comes from my time on union (playing an emp defender).  I frequently got invites for a mission in which I couldn't really add anything as the toons attacks were weak.  Why was I invited?  To supply an endless supply of hitpoints to someone as they don't have the defences to survive.  Sometimes I would be sk too and effectively you are being PL'ed also, but I found it dull beyond words.  And yes, I have been on Dreck... (before they altered it)   

Maybe another aspect of why I come down against PL is that all the debt I accrued while playing an emp def was in teams with PL going on.  The inexperienced player, flushed with his new found power, goes off and agros a second mob...then a third.  (The XP just wasn't coming in fast enough you see?)  Oh dear...party wipe.  Does he get kicked for his retarded behaviour?  No, he stays because he is the muppet that is being PL'ed. 

One thing this did teach me is that there is a time to lie.  Normally I would leave a party and explain why I was going.  "The n00b that you are PL'ing has just cost me X debt, so I think I need to go and earn XP not debt.  See you around"  To which the response would be something like "Im not a n00b, I have two 50's!". 

Now I try not to publically grief...I just utter the usual lie "The SG needs me" or "Sorry, my mate needs help".

PS.  I am going to send a note to the devs for a request for a new power.   

Semolina - PBAoE (15ft)  Restores hitpoints if used on a friend, or choking if used on an enemy (no jam option).  Semolina explodes from the defender in an err spectacular fashion (animation needs some work as this is a 12 game)

Vs Enemies
Damage over time (choking) light.  Causes immobilisation effects.

Vs Friends
Light heal (10%).  Activation time, interruptible (needs to be eaten)

Slightly off topic, but I think you just hit the nail on the head there Rock. 

I actually enjoy the n00bs in the hollows.  Makes me laugh my ass off when they run into one of the Frosty ambush rooms and get wiped...even AFTER I said "Be careful here, this is an ambush".  I regularly get a higher level toon out and exemp here for fun.  Maybe this is why I make so many alts?   

I just really like doing Frosties!   

What drives me bonkers is when the Khelds run in and die too.  Did they never do a Frosty?   

(A Frosty a day helps you work, rest and play!  Something like that anyway...)