Zortel

For me, the two things that are intriguing me for i20 is the new Wisp aura, for using the NC Launcher, and incarnate shards when exemplared.

I quit that other big MMO because I found raiding no fun. (Heroic Instances, yes. They were quite enjoyable, and you only needed five people, and you had a system that let you join a random group quickly and get bonuses for it, that worked from levels 10-max)

The raiding though? Just burned me out. It just wasn't enjoyable, and was too much effort for a negative enjoyment factor.

Today, I enjoyed the banter in the Lambda Sector Raid. The content, I didn't enjoy. Golden Girl said it was supposed to be challenging, and that's fair enough. I just didn't find the challenge fun.

I'm reminded of a raid I was on. We finally got past a boss that had been a thorn in our side for a long time, and I didn't feel elated, or overjoyed that we did it. I just felt tired, and thought 'Jeez, thank hell that's over, I'm going to log out and do something enjoyable.'

That's the kind of feeling I got today.

"Oh, we failed? Yay, I can log out. Oh, wait, I can talk to the devs for a little longer. That's something."

I'm glad that people who wanted level 50 content are getting it (and I just hope that means that the turn of the RPer content will be coming soon, with QoL updates to emotes, the city, venues and so forth to make the game world a little more enjoyable to be in, and super group base updates to make building less of a pain and with better items to place) but it's just not for me, and I can live with that. It just makes me a little sad for the game I started playing because it didn't have this endgame stuff that bored me to tears and made me gnash my teeth.

And finally:

The i19 story arcs? I wouldn't call that solo content.

You can do the arc solo. You can do it with a friend. You can do it as a menage a trois or a foursome or a pentad, or even a hex crew or a septadude of peeps or an octogang. And the enemies grow in difficulty the more of you there are.

That's something to work on and build towards in my mind. Something that isn't 'Requires X people or Bust'. It's content for all, no matter how little or large that all may be.

No, nein, nee, mhai, non, nej, ne, tsis, nei, iie, aniyo, bo, nae, hindi, mai, hayir, nu, nyet, and nit.

These are just a selection of no's available.

Frustration from having to wait around for rest to recharge, or having to scrimp together inspirations, is not difficulty. It is not enjoyable difficulty. It is fake difficulty that stands between actually playing the game. My Ice/DB Tanker guzzled endurance like mad, even with careful toggle management and trying to use the best attack for the least endurance to finish enemies. Before inherent stamina at 2, it wasn't harder to play him. It was more annoying to play him. I'd get through a mission and think "Oh god that was painful" and then log to someone more fun to play who isn't tuckered out so easily.

Playing a character should never be a chore, and with some sets/combinations gulping down stamina from even an early level, shifting stamina from anywhere other than it is now would return them to being a chore. Granted, not quite a chore for so long and without the pure hatred of having to take three boring powers just so I can actually fight, but a chore nonetheless.

So no. 01001110 01101111. 4e 6f.

Off the top of my head, story lines that need revisiting/expanding/revising/re-imagining:

Skulls vs Hellions - Perfect for content for Perez Park. Make Atlas a Hellion and Galaxy City a Skull zone, to add zone-specific content to the other lowbie zones.

Tsoo - Expansionist Hmong gang trying to claim territory from the Family and Warriors? Perfect for three-way battles that heroes could stop and Rogues could hire themselves out for. They have the colour and character to be an interesting part of CoH lore.

Warriors - Tighten them up, give them a reason for being around other than 'Jack Emmert is a Classical Greek fetishist.'

Family - Get a writer. Netflix them a load of good mafia films and television shows. Get them to create crime families with mooks, people with powers, and just human schemers. Allow morality action in story lines. Simmer for 20-40 level range. Season with cross-faction story arc links to the RI family.

Trolls - Troll fight pits where they pit themselves against captured heroes/villains for tests of strength? Attempts to stop/corner the dyne trade depending on side? Bring Grendel back to kick Atilla's green rear?

Sky Raiders - Flesh the abandoned-feeling soldiers out, give them a reason for their crimes, pit them against the Lost. Make them a real 'Rogue' kind of group, with their good and bad side.

Banished Pantheon - See the Dark Astoria ideas.

Council/Column - Now that they're separate, how about some story arc love?

There's plenty of other ideas. I just worry that Praetoria will be the be-all and end-all of upcoming content, with its fingers in everyone's pie.

Like Nemesis.

I'd like to say read and write more (and RP with friends) but I can also see myself getting sucked into Minecraft more.

People like booster packs. (Except those who don't.)

And people like bang for their buck. (Except those who don't.)

And sometimes, people look at something and go 'eeeeeh, maybe if it had x' and then don't buy.

I have some ideas, for additions to the Booster Packs. For people who own them already, they get them for free. For people who don't own them already, well, it may provide some incentive to buy.

I shall go by the Super Boosters first, then additional packs.

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Cyborg Pack:

Travel Power Addition - Rocket Dash.

Operating in the same line as Ninja Run and Beast Run, Rocket Dash is an ability available from level 4, and its Run and Jump Boost Values scale in level, from 4 to 50. The jist of the power is a tilted forward 'glide' type motion, as demonstrated here in tiny-o-vision by our old 2D friend, Mister Sonic of Hedgehog:



A similar effect can be seen sometimes by flying, entering villainstance 1, and then using the descend button to force yourself along the ground at speed, tilting the camera to move forwards and back. The idle pose I'd say would be the character upright, in a similar stance, ready to blast off and tilt forwards at a moments notice. Cool points would go towards the jump style not changing.

Why call it Rocket Dash?

Cyborg Backpack. Use either the back of the neck (where the stationary part finishes) or the wing point to add two Cyborg costume style thrusters. Even without it, the power would still work for concepts. Especially if the Rocket Boots would animate flames with it.

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Magic Pack:

Costume Parity - Genders

The Baron coat is awesome. As is the Baron hat. Why not a Baroness version of the set for female characters? Girls can't wear large hats of win and heavy coats, or Skull Masks?

Guys are left out too, with no witch hat, bolero, or a batty, mysticy skin-tight option. The Arcane Bolero sans Fur would look neat on some male costume ideas I can think of, not to mention the others!

It's the 21st Century, guys! Gender disparity is so last season.

Emote - Magic Circle

Simply uses the Mystic Fortune Animation. Maybe a version with cards swirling around them before fading, and one with just... mystic glow?

Costume Change Emote - Magic Circle

See above.

(There's probably ideas for a Magic Booster Travel Power, and I can think of some aura designs too, like Wisp Aura, that comes in the current Wisps we see in game version, and floating fire balls akin to the Asian mythologies regarding ghost fire/Gui huo/doggaebi bul/kra sue.)

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Super Science Pack:

Travel Power - Slime Slide

A crouched, sliding emote with a blob of gunge in a circle around the characters feet, with a trail. Because Slime: It's what's for dinner.

Hair - Female Mad Science.

Something unkempt and all over the place, maybe with an option for a headband keeping the fringe from her eyes.

Aura - Lab Accident

C'mon, we have a flea aura now, how about little wafts of smoke coming from the hair, shoulders, hands and chest?

Emote - Examine Needle

Examining the glowing blue needle used to do the Super Serum costume change.

Costume Change Emote - Calculate

Changing costume with the power of math! (Or complex magical musings!)

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Martial Arts Pack:

Hair - New Styles.

Look at Book 3 of Avatar - The Last Airbender. Pick 4 Fire Nation hairstyles, 2 for women, 2 for male/huge.

Weapon Customization - Chinese Jian + Chinese Dao

Ninja Blade and Katana currently cannot select these two options, which is a shame because the Jian in any case would fit better with those power animations than Broadsword.

Emote - Ninjitsu

The three click powers from Ninjitsu for Stalkers (Kuji-In Rin, Kuji-In Sha, Kuji-In Retsu) have some interesting looking animations, it would be nice to have access to them as normal emotes, and access to some of the finishing poses would be neat. (Also, the idle after summon animation for Genin/Jounin from the Ninja powerset.)

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Mutant Pack:

Organic Armour - With Skin option.

It is rather annoying to have the Organic Armour option, but no way of having it with skin. Also, a version of the Organic Armour faces, but with just the glowing eyes would be good. The Organic Armour headpiece does not seem to take a secondary colour, IIRC. If I do recall correctly, then a fix to that would be good.

Costume Change Emote - Energy Eruption

Like Rapid Boil, but with a brightly glowing aura and appropriate sound effects.

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Phew, that's my brain drained for the moment. Tune in later on when I go over the other pack options, but for now, MUSE! MUSE AND PONDER!

A Costume Creator Pass, to add the following:

Items and Patterns that should exist, but don't -
Wrists Option for Male/Huge/Female Hands. Colour pattern that goes from the top of the forearm to the wrist, leaving the rest bare. I recently tried to create one of those... polo shirt? style tops, but had to leave the forearms bare.

Adding in pieces to sets. Angelic Plus for example has no glove/boot options. There exist others like this.

Fixing the Bridal set. The skirt can take a second colour. There exists a pattern on the gloves and top, but no option to colour it. Same goes for Shoes.

A reduction on the amount of items not given because they 'may clip'. We have items already that clip. We just have to work around them and find what works. It's annoying when I get an idea but can't impliment it due to it not being available in the right area.

The addition of a second colour for make up, so you can have different coloured lipstick and eyeshadow.

An extension of the patterns and textures to all available areas. Same goes for options. Since the Introduction of Sneakers, did you know that Male/Huge characters cannot have sneakers without the huge knee socks? Only females get the option without socks.

Fixing the VEAT Costume Creator, it's missing a load of options.

Porting the old Alpha/Omega aura options from VEATS and giving them to everyone eligable for the pack.

Removing the Aura mission and implementing it from level 1, as every booster pack aura is available then.

Enabling the Capes from level 1, and having a special reward Hero-1 (or even a few nation capes) for the Hero Cape Mission, and Arachnos capes or something for the male option.

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A pass on the powers available, tweaking them and bringing some up to standard. Non-Granite Stone powers, for instance. Energy Aura, Regeneration, Gun Drone, Time Bomb, Serum, Blaster Secondaries. Look at the feedback given by people who know the numbers and make good suggestions, and see about implementing them.

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Continued Powerset Proliferation:

Scrappers:
Ice Melee (Hopefully with Ice Sword Slash/Ice Sword Circle from Icy Assault), Ice Armour, War Mace, Battle Axe, Super Strength, Energy Melee, Energy Aura.

Tankers: Broadsword, Claws, Martial Arts, so on.

Don't let the power sets speak for the AT. Give the ATs the power set options available, and then tweak them for the AT. Rejiggle Tanker Dual Blades so that combos are available from before level 16. (Scrappers get Dual Blade Combo Options at 4, 8, 26, 32. Tankers from 16, 20, 35, 38. Dual Blades needs those combos, really. It's what the set was designed around. It's why I also have issue with dual pistols and the 'utility' of the Swap Ammo power.)

Introduce the craved for, logical extensions of powers.

Dark Control, Dark Assault, Dark Manipulation. (for Controllers/Dominators, Dominators, and Blasters respectively.)

Martial arts set for Blasters. Maybe even a weapon set.

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Add art elements that already exist to the base editor:

CCTV Cameras, jukeboxes, bars, pinball machines, pool tables, TVs, radios, Praetorian computers.

The art exists already, after all. Just a case of porting them.

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Begin revamping the old content instead of focusing on the new and shiny. Old TF's, story arcs.

Purge the boring, grindy missions from CoH contacts.

Make the notification of new contacts a pop up, rather than a mission. This can be seen between Roy Harding (i19) and Stephanie Peebles (i...3?)

Use the player MA talent to introduce new missions to the game. People have redesigned the initial hero story arcs. See about giving them to the players. have votes, use the talent rather than keeping it to the AE system.

New Tip Missions and Morality Missions for all ranges.

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Make Paragon and the Rogue Isles more... lively. Use the new Event system to make interesting zone events for the zones. From gang stand offs in Perez Park to robberies. Introduce the little small things in zones that make them seem more real and add character.

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Continue work on power customization. The new Fire/Frost Breath animations to Firey melee/Icy Melee, as a point. Epic and Power Pool customization as well.

I think there'll either be 3 or 4 Level Shifts.

Alpha (First Level Shift)
|
Level Shift at Incarnate Slots 4 and 7, or Level Shift at Incarnate Slot 5.
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Omega (Last Level Shift)

This'd bring the player up to Level 53 (Max level for SO's) or Level 54 (Max level seen in game so far.)

Edit: In Addition, I think the Omega will be, as others have said, a Global Enhancement, similar to the Alpha.

I've been watching this thread on and off with some interest, and the mentions of Praetoria being harder originally remind me of this screenshot from a now, thankfully changed, mission:



The pain train, the pain train is coming! That was solo, at the then default Praetoria difficulty.

Even now though, I'm wary of going through Praetoria. There are missions there that I know are very, very painful. And if I want to play a game for pain, I tend to find a ludicrously hard platformer.

Browsing Forum Time: 11am - 3pm / 6pm - 9pm / 12am - 3am

Importance of Responses: Parity of Events/Escalation of issues of the EU Players over Peak Time Interaction.

Also, a merged server list would be nice.

(As fair as parity of events go, I remember a few years back the Americans getting access to an issue beta for testing, with no access for us. That's the kind of thing that tends to stick in people's craws, as it can sometimes get across the impression of a second tier playerbase, not needed for feedback. During the i19 Beta, however, Avatea arranged a testing (I think during a lunch break, actually) of some of the Praetoria Zone events which really worked. Some better display of notice of EU events would be nice though, like on the patch server. I tend to stick to General/European/Suggestions/Roleplay, which meant that I sometimes miss events if they're brought up in say, Union or Defiant. Now that I read the Dev/Community Digest, this isn't such an issue, but just getting it out there.)

This weekend, between some RP in City of Heroes, I am going to start the planning phase for my first novel. Going to need a whole lot of gnomes...

Copious amounts of tea shall be drunk. BBC Radio (of flavours 2, 3, 4, or 6) shall be listened to in abundance. And if I have time, maybe reading a bit more of Raymond Carver's 'What We Talk About When We Talk About Love' or J.D. Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye'.

Used to play BESM Tri-stat myself. Did they ever do a Silver Age Sentinels D20 version? BESM D20 wasn't great :/

Used the Martial arts pack gear to make a complimenting robe:

Beast Run, the run itself is great. The jumping animations are awful. It looks -very- wrong and doesn't really fit with the run itself. Maybe some kind of pounce instead for jumping forwards, while jumping back is something more... defensive agility looking?

The bird heads are great, but there is no feathered option for bodies.

There is no menu space that I can see for the new emotes.

The Emote /em Savage does not fit with the rest of the pack at all, due to a lack of simian parts.

Feather Spin and Burst seem to work best if you have white feathers. Otherwise it looks a bit odd.

Aura - Beastly Rage: No Body and Eyes selection available, no Body selection available. (Full Body and Eyes gives you the chest glow and the breath, Body and Head gives you the breath.)

The company that was working on it had issues and dropped it to concentrate on other things IIRC, and it withered and died.

I think that not only do we need more powerset proliferation and costume proliferation, we also need a powerset pass to smack about some of the really crappy powers. Cottage rule, damn you!

Still, there's way's around that.

1: Give Ice Manipulation's Frozen Aura the damage component that Icy Melee's Frozen Aura has.
2: Will someone please go over the Mastermind primary attack powers? Way too much end for nowt, Demon Summoning tends to have the main, useful secondary effects in -Res.
3: Kick Dual Pistols about a little, and ponder on the pointless secondary 'utilities'.

And so forth.

I tend to downplay the second part of the mediport system. Transportation, fine. It can be blocked as we've seen. The instant rejuvination and up on their feet again part? That I have issues with. If taken literally, it means heroes could just zerg rush without fear of defeat taking them out of action for a while.

I ignore the whole going to trainers to get powers thing. Doesn't make sense on some characters.

Security/Threat level I tend to disagree with. It just doesn't sit right with me.

I can probably be more coherent after a cup of tea and some food.

Shay 'Azure Arrow' Bennet's father was in property, and he's now in property well. His money and contacts let him help the city with good housing, charity projects and the like, and give him the funds to help the people on the street as his superhero persona. He could still be a hero on a budget, without some of his more hi-tech arrows, but his ability to provide the homeless and the isolated with aid would be much reduced. He's kind of a nice Batman/Green Arrow type of character, hence the wealth.

Zorielle 'Zortel' Rolando is a scientist, and was a businesswoman. She built her company up riding the high-tech wave in Paragon, and shrewd investments have given her the ability to not only fund her own side projects, but the Unity Vigil as well. With portal tech giving her access to a council of herselves, she also can draw on resources from other dimensions. She was inspired in part by Tony Stark and Sylia Stingray from Bubblegum Crisis, hence the monetary background.

The rest of my characters are either affluent, well off, modest, or on a shoestring budget.

I thought the latency on satellite broadband made it rather... unfriendly for MMO's?

Gray alignments are pretty pointless, really.

No A-Merits
No Rogue/Vigilante Content outside of Tip Missions
Tourists can't take missions from the 'other side', can only join teams.
Tourists therefore can't get story arcs and the merit rewards for them.
Tourists don't have access to the 'other side' Ouroboros, meaning a lack of content and the above.
Rogue/Vigilante Powers aren't really all that good compared to the Hero/Villain ones.
End up either repeating Rogue/Vigilante tips, or doing the issue 19 ones that lead to the 'fall' of your character.

Half baked like many ideas implemented into the game.

Examples:

Ouroboros - To quote Justice League Unlimited: "You invent a time machine and can't think of anything useful to do with it?" It could be a tool to explore the historical events, and far off futures with, a staple of hero comics, and instead it's just repeating the old story arcs, the incarnate story arc, and the original TF's.

Cimerora - Ancient Rome with no arena/colleseum type place to battle monsters of myth and legend, for rewards and badges? 1 TF, a couple of story arcs and some repeatable missions? Croatoa had more than that!

Shadow Shards - Nuff Said.

Most Hazard Zones - Nuff Said

Arenas - Some form of PC vs NPC fight system, even a tournament story arc/TF?

If you don't like saying Cox, say C O X? After all, I don't say Coh, I say C o H, or C o V.

• As usual, the friends who keep me roleplaying on Union for over 6 years now.
• The guy who's writing makes me go 'Hell, I want to write like that!' and 'Damn, I can never write like that, why try?!' which is conflicting but awesome (That'd be Ravenswing.)
• Shedding the coffee demon on my back for tea instead. Earl Grey, Lady Grey, Assam, Ceylon, Lapsang Souchong, English Breakfast...
• Good chats with my friend, and with my honorary brother that helped me deal with some stress attacks.
• The local fish and chip shop, for an excellent portion of sausage and chips.
• My parents, for generally being awesome as usual and making me laugh.
• The huge amount of books besides me that I need to read, don't know where to start, and keep adding to. (Yes, the CoH books are there. Yes, I want more CoH novels. And yes, I actually enjoyed both. And yes, even Freedom Phalanx.)
• iPlayer and 4oD: The best way to watch television, without having a television in my room.
• Work: It's not glamarous, and I need a job that pays more, but I love the people I work with and the responsibility I have.
• My favourite band giving me music to game to, and new musicians I've stumbled across.
• Finally (Because 11 is good) my computer. Still Flying, just like Serenity.