Xzero45
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Quote:I probs should have been more clear. I liked DA, too. I didn't like the Praetorian elements of it. They were badly written and didn't belong in Dark Astoria. Also not seeing what Sam Tow's opinion has to do with anything, but okay.Originally Posted by Scythus
Just because you're tired of an aspect of the game lore doesn't mean the quality of writing was bad. You list Dark Astoria as an example, and yet even Samuel Tow admitted that the writing there was awesome. -
Quote:Purely talking IMO here, but GR was great. Awesome storylines, very well written, overall just good writing. But then we kept getting storylines that decreased in quality drastically (The new Well of Furies, Apex/Tin Mage having Cole use his Super Saiyan swagger to weaken everyone just to explain the Alpha slot restriction, First Ward shoehorning everyone into being Resistance Warden while killing off an NPC every other arc just for teh drama, Night Ward ('nuff said), the SSA1's horribly killing off of States and Psyche by some loser in a trench coat just to put Yin in as the new FP psychic). Then we get Dark Astoria, which had Praetoria's elements thrown into nearly all it's arcs (Talons of Vengeance, Dominatrix, Daibolique). And I24's gonna give us Marauder the Good Guy while still managing to drag out the Praetorian storyline even longer.Originally Posted by Arilou
Huh, to me the quality of the writing has more or less steadily risen. (with some dips here and there) the pinnacle of writing in this game being Praetoria. (which was badly mishandled in the post-praetoria itself content, but that's a different matter)
Then there's the realization that we've spent over two years focusing on a dimension that was doomed to be destroyed from the very beginning. All the resources that went into fleshing out Praetoria, creating this new world with new laws and new storylines and characters, could have gone into developing the main setting of the game even more; Primal Earth. Our own Hamidon could have become a legitimate threat and is attempting to become the monster it is in Praetoria. Paragon City could have been revamped to look as good as Praetoria. The GR experience could have instead been used to give players a new starting experience based around being a Hero/Vigilante/Rogue/Villain.
But instead we got two years of storylines focusing on nothing but a zone doomed to die, while the overall quality of it's stories plummeted. -
Quote:Bad storytelling can easily drive away customers. I actually know a multitude of friends I used to SG with that just can't get back into the swing of the game and immerse themselves into it anymore because of just how badly the quality of storytelling has sunken. Other folks I know that still play don't even bother running official dev-written arcs, and instead will only stick with things they, or friends, have made in AE (which is something else the devs don't focus much attention on). All because of how badly written the game lore has been.Originally Posted by Nethergoat
Nobody who doesn't enjoy the gameplay will stick around only because of the story.
Hell, I went Premium recently and the main reason I'm not going back to VIP is because I think all the Incarnate Praetorian storylines are so poorly written I just don't think it's worth it to pay money to run them. The iPowers are fun enough, and I think the iTrial gameplay-wise cool, but the storyline in and of itself is enough to turn me away from the endgame.
Lore may not be the sole reason people flock to CoH. But that doesn't mean it's not a reason at all. Good storylines are a hugely important part of video games that people keep saying doesn't matter because it's not actual gameplay. That's false. Especially in an RPG. Story does matter. And like I mentioned above, they have actually lost money because of the quality of their writing. -
Quote:That practice is pretty common in the modern video game industry as a whole, not just for Paragon Studios. Some games have had entire sections cut out and turned into DLC, despite being finished and available on the disc itself, already ready for release. And the company will make you buy a key to unlock it, just so they can charge you twice.Originally Posted by Thirty-Seven
I really don't think this is a valid response to anyone who ever points out when the company crosses into "money grubbing" territory. (I don't know that I agree regarding this particular issue) but just because it is a business doesn't mean that any ploy or plan they use that might generate money is a good one.
There really is a line, and it really can be crossed (I'm just not sure whether this particular issue crosses that line). However, it really does seem kind of ridiculous to be purposely limiting in the options that are released for free and then charge people for the other options that could have likely been released at the same time considering at least a few of them were already in use in the game already.
*shrug*
For Staff Fighting, I don't know where it stands. It's been months since Staff came out. They might not of had any of these new models sketched, let alone designed at the time. Now that they've had the time they needed to plan it out and work on it, they were able to create more Staff skins, which they're releasing as an update. That's fine, that's what DLC's supposed to be for. Regular, new content updates you couldn't work into the launch due to schedule and resource issues, that help keep your product fresh and interesting.
Or maybe they've had these models ready since Staff's launch, but they wanted to avoid backlash and also milk us steadily instead of all at once, so they release them months later. Which isn't fine, is underhanded, and creates a reputation that all they care about is money versus creating a good, finished product they can be proud of. Who knows. I sure don't.
But with Titan Weapons they had the extra models right there, perfectly ready to be used at the powerset's launch. And yet they got restricted behind this faux-DLC practice I mentioned above, causing us to pay twice if we wanted the whole product. Fortunately they curbed this by giving it away for free for two weeks, even if you didn't own TW. But it's still causing us to pay twice for one finished product. Sure, you don't have to buy the new skins. No one's putting a gun to your head over it. But then you'll be getting an incomplete item that was broken into pieces just so those pieces could be sold separately for more money. -
Quote:Actually he's right. Staff came out, and the options were pretty limited. A purchasable Staff Weapons Pack #1 is on Beta right now, which offers four or five new options for Staff Fighting. And it's not free.Originally Posted by rian_frostdrake
well, one good thing about thread resurrections is they remind us of when posters want to prove how they know the biz better than everyone else...did anyone else buy the staff pack? dont remember which ones were included in that extra pack we were going to have to buy.
The only difference is they waited a few months, probably so people wouldn't rage. -
Quote:I'd love to get a legit energy skin look.Originally Posted by SilverAgeFan
Animated Textures as simple base skins:
With animated textures making their way into costume parts (the corsair cape and the chainsaw) would love to see some SIMPLE* base skins for characters made out of energy or exotic materials:
Swirling molten skin similar to the magma effects seen in SSA1 mission 1, final map.
Swirling plasmic energy that resembles the surface of the sun, complete with white hot glow and the occasional sunspot.
Parallax animations for cosmic skins that convey characters made out of outer space with stars, nebula and galaxies at their core.
***
*Note that when I say simple I mean "without seams, bits or baubles added on." In other words, simple in terms of design concept. I realize that technically these could be difficult to pull off as they may require multiple animated layers (like the magma in SSA1), tweaks to existing tech (glow and reflectance maps included with animated textures), and perhaps altogether new tech (parallax animations on a texture that function more like particle sprites do in game with their angle connected to the camera and not the object geometry, appearing to turn the skin into a window). Regardless, I think these sort of skins would be so cool that it would be worth it.
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Yo Dink, you're a huge fan of porting costume parts across genders or to new categories, and have done a lot of great work in this department. And I'm sure you've got a large list of parts that you plan on porting over as time goes on.
Any chance of adding the Princess Hat to that list, so that Males and Huge can wear it? Even thought it's called a Princess Hat, it looks like a cartoonish Wizard's hat and would be great for more silly looking wizards. Like the kind from old school Disney movies or cartoons. Just rename it "Wizard Hat" and change the hair to another existing hairstyle and we'd be set.
Just something to think on. -
Quote:lol watOriginally Posted by Xiang Shao
EVERYONE HUSH!!!
Anime will be in this game: COSTUME-WISE!
We need more over-the-top stuff anyway. This game is far too tame to be called a "super-hero" MMO! -
Quote:Only because the writers of this game choose to throw old lore out the window or just step all over it. They really don't have to. No one's forcing them to.Originally Posted by Decorum
When it comes to storylines, retcons and "respecting canon", there really isn't.
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Isn't this what a second build is for, which is something we already have?
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You gotta look at the game's setting. No, I'm not talking about "silly comic book world where anything goes" like some people love to say.
CoH's art, storylines, characters, etc. are themed around what if superpowers and myths existed in the real world. So it's more than a little ridiculous to see us getting costume parts that appear cartoonish and break that visual theme (like, for example, faces with those giant cartoon eyes). There's nothing wrong with getting, say, martial arts gear, Samurai armor, Japanese wrestling masks, or even just school girl outfits. But then these things aren't really restricted to anime, either. They're just requests for specific styles of outfits.
So anytime someone makes a "moar anime parts" request it's in and of itself a bad request right off the bat. They're either asking for something that would clash with CoH's visual theme very badly, or they're being too broad and need to specify what exactly it is they want to see added to the game. -
This thread is specifically dedicated to requesting maps for Architect Entertainment. Please direct any other AE related requests to other threads so as to avoid clutter.
It's great that the devs are still updating the AE with maps each issue. I definitely appreciate it. But there are still a large number of maps we just don't have access to. The only way the devs will know we want these maps is if we speak up and organize our requests. So let's compile a list of all existing maps currently unavailable that we would like to see implemented into AE. Please provide pictures if possible.
The Longbow Battleship
Reference 1
Reference 2
Reference 3
The Chantry
Reference 1
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Quote:I actually meant it the opposite way. SSA1 was filled with inconsistencies and painted the Phalanx as useless while killing people off left and right.Originally Posted by Severe
agreed ....i do like running with the p.f. and all...but im yawning on this one and really?..fusionette?..really?..come on
This one seems like it was actually written with some degree of care. -
Quote:That explains a lot.Originally Posted by Positron
Veridian wrote SSA 2, Dr. Aeon wrote SSA 1.
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Quote:Ouroboros has side specific TFs. This could be one purely for villains, as they help the Mu annihilate Oranbega to secure the Mu bloodline for future generations while ensuring a powerful potential enemy is kept down.Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood
That would actually be pretty cool. I'm not entirely sure how the arcs would play out though. The Mu vs. Oranbega war doesn't really have any good guys which would make it hard to find someone for Heroes to side with (Villains could happily help either side in exchange for magical power).
While heroes could get a TF that actually deals with Brass Monday, or the 5th Column invasion Atlas sacrificed his life to fight back, or any other number of moments in Paragon City history. -
Quote:This is an MMORPG. RPG by it's definition is a Role Playing Game, where you immerse yourself in a world rich in history and storylines. Writing is just as much a part of this game as the gameplay itself is, and needs to be treated as such. Some people have been drawn to this game specifically because of stories, and some people have actually left the game due to the drastic, ridiculous turns the writing has taken. We were even given the AE to make our own stories and share them with others.Originally Posted by MajorPrankster
Not really.
You are entitled to the opinion someone has to care, but no, no one really has to care about the story to the degree you choose to about this and other changes.
The writers are doing things you don't like. Oh well, feel free to complain.
Trying to say any of the changes to the story actually matter to the degree you imply is simply not true. It will not hurt the bottom line and that's all that really matters.
Even in this thread, I see the same people complaining just like they complain about every other little change.
No, no one has to care about this crap. You choose to and thus choose to be unhappy about it.
So when something comes up in the writing that needs to be addressed, like a blatant avoidance of past established history, it needs to be brought up. Otherwise we'll get more arcs like the original Closed Beta Field Agent Keith Nance, where he threatens us with off screen ninjas if we don't follow his orders, and our doppleganger is actually our Praetorian.
So yes, story is important. It may not be important to you, but there are a number of people in this game that are drawn to it. -
Yo Dink.
Thanks for making that Celestial Armor fix. Seriously, I avoided those costume parts because of the horrible faded pretinting. If you could give other pretinted costume parts this kind of treatment whenever you get a chance that would be freakishly awesome.
And to anyone out there who had their costume ruined by this fix, we do have faded colors available in the color selection already. So you can still have that faded look you want. But now the rest of us can have a nice, solid look to the armor, as well. -
Quote:watOriginally Posted by cursedsorcerer
...Good grief! Let's not even try to make ANY of the enemies interesting. Seriously, I just want this argument to end. I have a serious migraine right now and these arguments are NOT helping!
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Quote:If they want to write a compelling story that respects it's past and can be taken seriously, they wouldn't.Originally Posted by Nethergoat
and no comic book universe would EVER do that now, would they.
But you're right, this is CoH. We got two years of Praetoria and it's still going strong, I don't expect much anymore. -
Quote:They disappeared, yeah. Which is a shame, and also shows just how much the devs like AE.Originally Posted by TroyHickman
I should mention that I also wrote a guest author arc for AE that was something of a sequel, featuring the little boy from the comic, but I don't think those guest author pieces are playable anymore, are they?
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Quote:Think I gotta agree with this. But that's pretty much the standard for our current writers; Tossing old lore in favor of their own version of it.Originally Posted by SlickRiptide
The big problem here is that this is a step backwards, not a step forwards.
Let's imagine that the original Skulls were all from a neighborhood that was primarily Central/Eastern European refugees. (Interesting to try to imagine what housing situation led to these people all settling near Perez Park and turning the area into a gangland warzone.) The Shadows were the local ethnic gang running roughshod over the neighborhood, so having the survivors join the Skulls wouldn't make it any less of an ethnic gang.
Then the Rikti War happens. The neighborhood is laid to waste. That's part of the reason that the War Wall is placed where it is placed. That was the battle lines where the No Man's Land existed between the Rikti and the Terrans. (Granted, that's generic lore, not specific to any particular zone or wall.)
What isn't leveled by the War is abandoned to the gangs and the aliens. The suvivors are scattered in a diaspora that dissolves whatever remained of the original ethnic neighborhood. Unless the Petrovics had some really deep hidey-holes, they lost most of their members to the Rikti. If they're going to rebuild then they have to look to more than just their ethnic brethren. They have to embrace all of the disaffected and displaced and there are thousands to embrace, who are just as lost and forgotten as the original refugees were. These are people that the Skulls know how to attract and manipulate because they've already been there.
Hell, the trick they're pulling in Atlas Park is not a new one for them. It's the same one they pulled in King's Row when the City lay in ruins and people were scrabbling for any kind of a life to reclaim from the wreckage. It's how they got a foothold in The Row and laid claim to it.
That's what they should be, not a throwback to a past from ten years ago, historically speaking, that is long gone due to time and the War.
One of the irksome annoyances to me about the War is the way that it gets glossed over so frequently and this is just another example. We should not be getting "new" Skulls who are based on what they might have been before the War. We should be getting "new" Skulls that expand on what they have become since the War. -
Quote:What else did you expect? No one's putting you down for having an opinion. Everyone's entitled to one. Including the other people in here that are posting their own opinion on the subject. This just happens to be a case where the majority disagrees with your own opinion.Originally Posted by Nalrok_AthZim
I keep forgetting that the possession of an opinion is an internet crime. I'll request a mod lock. I should have figured most of the posts in this thread would be "Why doesn't the OP like this, he must be wrong."
Come on, man. -
Quote:If they're gonna make a third of their issue's story content centered around this one specific group, I hope they take as much time as they need to get the group right.Originally Posted by gameboy1234
I feel like they're gangers, they aren't really suppose to look "good." Also, they're a level 5-10 enemy, I don't want Paragon to spend a lot of time on them, nor do I think Paragon wants either.
That said, like I and everyone else said earlier, New Skulls are good and the only problem's the hair. -
Quote:I mean catch on in a fashionable, trendy sense. I think I've probably seen maybe five people ever in game use it, compared to much more popular and good looking hairstyles that get commonly used.Originally Posted by Golden Girl
As it's available free to every single player, I'm not sure why you think the devs might be trying to promote it or get it to catch on.
If you'd said it about the male Club Hair, which every single player has to buy, then that would at least have made some kind of sense.
It's like they're trying to say "This hairstyle isn't bad. We'll use it on our NPCs because it's so good!" -
Quote:It's called "Doofus". It's also on some of the new Family members. The devs keep using it, thinking it's good and it'll catch on. It won't. It's awful.Originally Posted by Aggelakis
EDIT: Turns out, this shows the ugly shaved-bowl-cut I was talking about - the one on the right, with his back to us. That is FUGLY. GET RIGHT ON OUT OF HERE. You are not an edgy gang member, you're 8 years old and your gramma did your hair.