Ad Astra

Trix are for kids!

Hero

Arc Name: The Origin of Powers
Contact: Percy Winkley
Merits Awarded: 3 (+1)

Villain

Story Arc: Not really clear to me - the mission is "Travel to Cimerora" given after finishing "Midnighter's Hand Part 2"
Contact: Ashley McKnight
Merits Awarded: 1

Edit: I can't find it in the guides on Merits, so is this one that was added?

Villain 30-34

Story Arc: Chaos Unbound
Contact: Vivacious Verandi
Merits Awarded: 5 (+1)

Arc Name: Bonefire
Contact: Wes Schnabel, Willy Starbuck, Lorenzo DiCosta
Merits Awarded: 9 (+2)

I figured out the increase

[ QUOTE ]
I'll volunteer to test Posi solo or duo'ed, if someone will help me get it started up.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can help you get it started if you still are looking (soon as I apply the patch.)

the zombies attacked. And then...

[ QUOTE ]
I can *almost* see the point being made against the 60 month VetReward. As I'm reading through the feedback, the arguments make sense on the surface - this does indeed allow a Veteran to potentially dispense with a power in a tight build that he/she woudl otherwise have been forced to take, a build advantage that could create a gulf between haves and have-nots.

However, let's look at the four travel powers. The obvious weak cases are Flight and Super Jump, since temp power analogs of these can already be easily obtained and maintained forever by doing any of a number of things (spending real money, spending inf, doing an Ouroboros arc - if redside - and even just logging off in the right spot). Those temp powers create an even larger build issue if you argue it on these merits, since they allow you to skip not only the prereq but the power itself if you're so minded.

So let's look at the two you can't easily replace with temp powers - Teleport and Super Speed. Teleport temp powers are rare and to the best of my knowledge not possible to attain on a permanent basis (for one Siren's Call has to be in your faction's control, and the other is a villain-only temp that's not renewable - yet, anyway). Furthermore, the 60-month reward allows the much beloved Hover-Teleport combo to unlock with only two power choices rather than three. This is I think the strongest case, since Veterans already have acces to a team teleport power and therefore may not think much of dropping Recall Friend given the opportunity. The alternative, Teleport Foe, is useful but often situational. I can see a great many teleport-using characters dropping the prereq for something more useful.

Then there's Super Speed. With IOs, the stealth portion of the power can be attained with any number of other powers, so that's hardly a concern. And as for skipping the prereqs, the prereq that's overwhelming chosen here is Hasten, and I don't see that vanishing from many builds that are using it now.

So, I can see a case for a clear Veteran game-changing advantage in only one of the four travel power pools. But this is mitigated by the fact that a non-Veteran, if so minded, can create an even larger build advantage by relying on temp powers for travel rather than using a travel power pool at all. Yes, this reward is significant, but I don't feel it's game-breaking in light of the temp powers available to all players.

As for it acting as a negative for the retention of new players who feel they can't catch up, in my experience people who get upset because they can't have something RITE NAO usually get bored once they do have it. Just my opinion of course, but I suspect anyone the game loses over an issue like this they'd have lost in any case.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm going to agree with Justaris on this.

When I first read the announcement, I thought that the 60-month reward was too much, but then I sat down and looked at my 50+ alts. In most cases, it really doesn't "free up" another power slot. In fact, in several cases, I took the pre-reqs from more than one pool and I am using both of them.

Folks are assuming that vets will never take a pre-req again and will therefore always have an extra power pick - and that just really isn't the case.

Travel faster at level 6? Not really, unslotted Fly isn't better than the Raptor Pack. I have no numbers to support myself, but I suspect that unslotted Superjump or Superspeed won't be all that much faster either at level 6, and at least Superspeed will still have the disadvantage of being stuck on the ground (no hunting CoT on the rooftops of KR).

At best, the reward probably changes the order in wich I pick powers, delaying the pick of the pre-req to a later level. But since the lower levels go by kinda fast, in terms of the passage of playing time, it won't really delay it all that much, since I still want the use of the pre-req sooner rather than later.

Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones broke into the room and held up this sorta pen-like thingy and said "Look at the light" and then....

[ QUOTE ]
I'm sure this is going to sound like a total newbie question, but since I am rather new to base-building, I guess that's ok... I have a *VERY* small SG (just myself, my Dad, and one friend of mine - and our alts). Needless to say, we're never going to be a LARGE SG, but we would like a reasonable level of functionality to our base. Until now, we've had a tiny hidden (8x8) plot, with 9 2x2 rooms. The free "entrance" room, a medbay, a teleport room with 2 porters (4 beacons), a power room, a control room, a central "SG meeting room", and 3 workshop rooms.

I was thinking about upgrading the plot to a 12x12 plot, and in working out the floorplan, I noticed that there's a good spot to put in a 3x3 oversight center (boy, that takes me back)...here's where my question comes in. Is it possible to have an oversight center WITH the combo unit *AND* separate power and a control rooms operating at the same time? In other words, can you run the combo power/control unit in conjunction with a Basic Generator and a Mainframe (with attached Database), in order to have enough power and control generated to run more teleporters? (I'm thinking about adding the 5x5 teleport room and eventually another 3x3, so that we can have teleporters to most (or all) of the zones...)

Is this possible, or just a pipe dream? <LOL>

[/ QUOTE ]

Not a pipe dream, absolutely doable.

In fact, I tend to keep the Oversight room because it's a nice-sized room that will hold a little extra workshop storage and the Combo Unit is actually a pretty nice-looking piece of decor (my scrying table in the corner of the temple/meeting room, for example. I actually recommend it as the way to gradually over time increase the size of your base. BTW, interested in a Coalition? I have similar small SGs on Liberty, Infinity, Guardian, and Victory and a small VG on Triumph.

Mad -

I think I disagree about making Tech Empowerment Stations take only Tech Salvage and vice versa. I rather like the fact that the 2-item recipes are identical for both types of Empowerment Stations. It lets me place only the Arcane one in my Arcane-themed base, instead of having to hide a Tech Station in a corner somewhere.

Plus the idea of having to keep in stock both Tech & Arcane Salvage for Empowerments in the current state of limited storage (either in a Rack or on the character) actually makes a requirement of having only one type of Salvage used on a particular Station a bit more onerous rather than less so, as you argue.

Since that point is opinion only, perhaps you should remove it from the list of "Issues"?

[ QUOTE ]
At the very least you could have Winter Invasions in the same way you have Rikti and Zombie invasions.

Just like the Rikti Invasuions, the Winter Beasts would always con at least White to everyone. This would prevent High Level characters from zipping along opening present after present and leaving the spawns behind.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have seen this suggested more than once, and I am struggling with the question of "How so?"

I can zip thru and leave white conning Snowbeasts in the event as it is currently structured, if I want to. There is nothing to "force" me to stay and kill them, other than normal xp & inf/prestige rewards. I don't necessarily see that changing the event to have all Snowbeasts con white will change behavior.

Having them drop Candy Canes, OTOH, probably would change the behavior of clicking and leaving.

What you are complaining about is already a known issue, per this post on 12/03 from Positron (found in the Dev Digest, BTW):

[ QUOTE ]
Hey everyone.

We’re aware that there is an issue with being able to select certain missions unless all of the team members are in the same zone. This affects any mission which can be accessed through the Flashback system, and any mission in a shared zone that is available only to Heroes or Villains. This behavior is not intended; it is a bug and we’re working to fix it. We apologize for the inconvenience it is causing.

I don't have an ETA on a fix, but I do know it is being worked on right now.

[/ QUOTE ]

So, yes, this is a bug, not a feature or deliberate change. Reporting it again doesn't hurt anything, but I just wanted to note they are already aware and are working on it.

Since a great many missions can be accessed thru Ouro, it affects most of our faves.

The new Defiance, hands down.

But followed closely by Inspiration Combining and Real Numbers....

[ QUOTE ]
GUI

Recipe window not resizeable.
Opening various GUI windows rooting the player.

[/ QUOTE ]

This.

I detest the way that the recipe window is almost as big as the Market interface. Together they take up almost the entire screen.

The rooting while a window is open is annoying as well.

Was there a reason for both of these or are they unintentional?

Happy Birthday, Turgenev!

Your kitty is very cute, BTW.

Objective: The pricing reduction was great. All of my bases now are on larger plots with more or larger rooms. Most of my bases had a reduction in rent (the smallest one went from zero to under 2K, however).

My main peeve with the I13 base changes so far is that stupid bug placing on the south & west walls noted by almost all your posters in this thread and documented multiple timesin the I13 bug thread - any ETA on that fix?

Subjective: I can't complete my changes to the bases because I really really need to place items flush to the south & west walls and hang things on them. I cannot stress too much how this annoys the bejeebus out of me!

Also, the only way I was able to afford the larger bases was because I was able to cash in on the Prestige grant last year, as the jump from starter base (oversight room + Combo energy/control) to the next step up (separate energy & control rooms and the associated items) did not drop significantly when measured against Prestige earned by a small group playing in SG mode (my group is basically 2 players and their alts).

I do not like the way the elimination of base salvage was handled. Back during Beta, I predicted a lot of confusion and disappointment about the change - which was often overlooked in the Patch Notes (and, bless your heart, Ex, not explained in enough detail to get the idea across to many). Predicting the hullabaloo was not a stretch prediction, because I saw how the limited audience in Beta on the Base Builders forum reacted to it, and I knew that there would be many, many players out there who never go to the forums or test in the Betas. I am hoping that the next time something like this occurs, NCNC handles communication better - especially in treating the players as grown-ups rather than trying to fob us off with simplistic "it was too confusing" types of explanations.

Adding Sunstorm as a specific redname with base building answers was great. His relative silence since the Issue released is not so great.

I want to close with another reiteration of my point that the bug placing items on the south & west walls needs a fix ASAP! It's making redoing the bases unnecessarily difficult and just plain looks goony!

[ QUOTE ]
Maybe for you it is. For me it still takes weeks or months, because I don't get to play that often. Having to level up a character from 1-50 before I could play the new game with it would be a fair bit annoying.



Having CoH2? Fine.

Having it be a completely new game? Great!

Having it require you to get to 50 in the old game? No thanks.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm with Aett on this one.

We all know by now that you consider CoX to be too easy, Phil, and maybe for you levelling to 50 numerous times to get a character into your new CoH 2.0 woud be fast. But some of the rest of us don't breeze through the levels as fast as you, obviously, since many of us don't have multiple 50s even after months of playing the game.

I love this game so much that I would most likely buy CoH 2.0, even if it was set up in your structure. But I would only have one character I could play in it, instead of the many that I have in the current version. And that would be very sad.

[ QUOTE ]
Supergroup Base Editor

Server: Infinity
Zone: Any/Supergroup Base
Character name: T r a n c e'
Time: Any
Location: Supergroup Base
Mission: None
Mission Contact: None
Bug Description:

I can't place items on the wall in the position that i want it. Its locked in x-axis and can't move up and down. Other parts of the room it may work and others you can't even if the room is competely empty. I haven't seen any other reports/comments in the forums on this issue.

Link to Forum Discussions: None

[/ QUOTE ]

I have reported this at least 4 times so far with Bug Reports in Open Beta (after each test patch did not fix the issue). I also reported this in the Base Repricing Bugs thread in the other I13 Bugs forum (as did Obsidius).

To add details - the problem is along the western and southern walls. You cannot place items flush to the wall - they stand away from the wall about the thickness of an invisible floor trim (note I said invisible as the floor trim is not there). This happens at any height on those two walls.

Additionally, along the same two walls, you cannot place a wall item at any height except very low along the walls. As a workaround, I can place the item in question on either the northern or eastern wall at the desired height, then slide it around the corner. It still stands out from the wall, however.

This bug has prevented me from redoing my bases in the new larger plots other than restoring/adding functionality. I refuse to try to decorate with this going on.

I didn't expect a response to all my bug reports, but I did expect to see this listed in the Known Issues that pops up after each patch or here in the forums. Can we please have it added/noted somewhere officially?

[ QUOTE ]
Server: Liberty
Zone: Port Oakes
Character name: Cryo Sage
Time: Tues Dec 9, 7:00 PM pst
Location: Base Portal
Bug Description: Cannot enter Base.

After a 200 day leave of absence, cannot enter base.
Base is using the smallest plot and previously paid no tax.
According to Super Group Settings, there is 200k prestige to spare.
Message: CANNOT ENTER YOUR BASE. BASE UPKEEP IS DUE.
So I go see the guy in Port Oakes.
He says, "Your base upkeep is already paid up!"

Threatening the Super Group Registrar produced no results.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is not a bug linked to I13. It has existed for quite a while now as a Known Issue.

It happens after long periods of inactivity in a base. You need to petition a GM to come and fix it for you. Once a GM gets to you, it is a very quick fix (or so I have been told).

[ QUOTE ]
Ok, I'm in panic mode.... We are moving from a 999 capacity storage unit to a 30?!?!?! Will I be able to convert this stuff before I13 goes live with this change? My SG has over 120 of each piece of Halloween salvage from the last 3 years of ToT events... What will happen to that? (Not that we need anything remotely close to that, but I like hoarding).

[/ QUOTE ]

Just wanted to point out that this is the general reaction I am expecting to see when this issue goes live. I have not seen nearly enough discussion about the changes to bases to head off such panic, just a few very vaguely worded announcements about base repricing (who could hate base repricing, lower costs are better, no need for anyone to panic, right?)

The few times I have answered questions about I13 changes in the BaseBuildersInc. global channel, there has always been a fair amount of surprise at the elimination of base salvage - and that's from folks savvy enough to subscribe to the dedicated global channel. I think that folks who have not followed the last month of discussions in the Testing or Base Building forums will be in for one very nasty shock.

So I guess my next question for Sunstorm (and Ex, since communication is part of her gig) - Are there plans to announce the upcoming changes prior to Issue 13 going live that might allow folks to plan accordingly? A la some of the discussions Posi and Castle have had with the various mags about PvP changes, etc.? Or even just a more focussed "What's New?" discussion link on the main CoH page?

I am guessing not, given that it very much looks like this is going live the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and if they aren't scheduled now it's probably too late.

Group: Paragon Arcanum
Server: Infinity
Side: Heroside
Approximate Size/Cost: 8X12, just over 3 million (estimated because of the Prestige grant last year)
Other Stuff: Small SG, no magic desks, a little bit of stacking, pics in the thread of pics.

Alternatively,

Group: Alliance of Mayhem
Server: Triumph
Side: Villainside
Approx. Size/Cost: 8X8, under 3 million (didn't get this group as padded unfortunately)
Other Stuff: Smallest plot, packed with stuff, what can be done with a relatively low budget.

Both groups are 2 players with all their alts.

Welcome, Sunstorm!

I do have a question regarding the elimination of Base Salvage:

Base Salvage is currently also used for Empowerment Buffs. Those buffs are therefore really "cheap". Do you anticipate that in the future use of Empowerment Buffs might decrease due to the higher cost of the Invention Salvage used in those recipes? If so, would you consider a change in the recipes to salvage that might be less expensive?

Base Repricing

1) How will the repricing of bases affect you personally?

We will be upgrading plots in 4-5 small bases, using larger rooms such as Energy & Control (we are already using the largest Workshop)


2) Will you dismantle your base to gain the additional prestige from the repricing?

Not much dismantling since most of what we will be doing is growing into more available space. Also I *DO NOT* want to even try to re-craft any telepads using the current recipes on Test (see later comments on crafting telepads).


3) How long would this process take you if you were to engage in this practice?

The biggest time sink would be getting the Invention Salvage to craft base items. I don't have nearly the required salvage on any one character and would have to go buy it at WW/BM.


4) What are the positive and negative concerns regarding repricing?

Positive - We can have a larger plot, larger rooms for Energy & Control.

Negative - Except we really can't have large rooms that are just decorative due to them becoming significantly more expensive.


5) How will this feature affect you long term and short term?

Long Term - not so much
Short term - Lots of work designing the bigger rooms and more work to get the inf/salvage for the items to go into them


Base Salvage Exchange to Invention Salvage


1) What is the negative effect on your base for this feature implementation?

All my base salvage will take time to convert to Invention via Brainstorming. And based on what I had to do on Test to try to get enough *useful* salvage for 8 telepads, I don't expect that I will be using the Base Salvage on hand to make the new telepads - I will have to go to the Market to buy necessary salvage (11 usable pieces of salvage out of over 600 pieces of base salvage converted).

Also, I will lose current capacity to store Halloween Salvage. My SGs are mainly 2-3 people with lots of alts who like to make costumes. We specifically accumulated costume salvage last month, only to find out when Beta opened that we would be limited in storage to keep it. BTW, the current units used to store base salvage are ungainly and UGLY and hard to fit into any decor scheme other than trying to hide them. And now I have to try to work more of them in (ugh!)


2) What is the positive effect on your base for this feature implementation?

Not for my base per se, but now I can move inention salvage between my own alts using the base very easily (assuming I have enough storage space to do so). Otherwise zero positive effect, and I don't see this one as all that positive since I rarely shared salvage between alts anyway.


3) How long will it take you to adjust to learning this new system?

Done already, although shopping for the new recipes was a PITA.


4) What side effects to this system do you currently see from transitioning the old to new system?

- Groups who keep up on the coming changes will weather this just fine. Those who didn't check the Testing Forum will be getting a very nasty shock.

- Related to the above: The market will go even more "out of kilter" because not only will people be trying to IO their dual builds, they will also be trying to buy salvage to re-do bases.

- Due to the invention salvage cost, more bases will have severe limits on who may edit bases.

- Players will have to decide if a particular character will be dedicating Inf to base building or to crafting IOs (to supply the SG)

- New SGs starting out will have to make diffiicult choices between getting IOs for the members or building telepads, upgraded control & energy, etc.

- Lack of individualized security controls on storage will lead to a rash of 'thefts" of the more valuable invention storage

- Groups will not be able to store up special event salvage for future use (costume salvage for new alts or CC prizes, for example) - although to be strictly fair, AFAIK, individual characters will still be able to store such salvage in somewhat more generous quantities.

- More space within bases will be used up by the large ugly salvage storage buns as opposed to the more aesthetically please enhancemen tables or inspiration bins,


5) What security concerns do you have regarding this change?

For my own groups, none, since I also know where all the members live (literally in my own home). For others, I don't see how anyone could feel comfortable allowing access to storage if anything at all valuable on the Market is stored, but that is not a new problem,


Additional Notes:


- I am also in the group wondering why we made so many prior lists only to be asked to do it again. It appeared that great attention was paid to the uproar over PvP changes while nearly zero was paid to Base Building concerns (3 measly threads in which LH said nothing more than "we hear your concerns" with no resolution offered as compared with pages and pages of discussion from Castle over PvP). Although I understand that PvP appears to be a big future focus and therefore deserves a lot of attention, ignoring other areas is not good business.

- Like several others have stated, my SGs will *NEVER* be engaging in any base raids. My bases are personal space for storage and transportation. If it ever comes about that all bases must be made available for raiding - I will dismantle them all and likely disband the underlying SGs and never join another SG. I cannot express too strongly how distasteful I find the idea of base raids to be.

- Rather than simplifying the system to make bases more accessible, I feel that the change from base salvage actually makes starting up a new SG/base more difficult. The lowest level rooms and items (Oversight Room, Combo Unit) have not been reduced in price, and in fact, the cost of telepads is arguably more expensive, both in inf costs at the market and lost opportunity costs of forgoing IOs.

- The recipes are somewhat outrageous. Seriously, why does a basic telepad require any rare salvage at all? It's the one single most used item in base building (bases only use 1 generator or supercomputer but they use at least 4 telepads). And then to require a LUCK CHARM for the lowest level Tech recipe? When even during the glut of them caused by ToT, they never fell below 12K inf heroside? Please, please reconsider your recipes. (Since you said no suggestions, I am guessing that a request to eliminate any crafting requirement for telepads at all is probably out of scope).

PlasmaStream has done a very good job capturing most of my feelings as wel, so please consider those comments as copied over here. I also second Remidi's post.

<QR>

Decorative, completely non-functional, right?

Different wall textures, a la the offices in CoV

More "art" to hang on the wall - I am so sick of the same 2 ginormous pictures and one little dinky white rectangle and the weird black linked rectangles. There are lots f very cool pix hanging on the walls in instances, I want them.

Snack machines, coffee makers, microwaves, refrigerators, etc. - stuff to make kitchens & break rooms look better.

Smaller Arcane decor, including the gargoyles thrown by Grav trollers

On the same note - most of the stuff thrown by Grav Trollers, including the burned-out car shell (would be nice in your sewer base)

Televisions.

The computer stations seen in Council bases.

Different couches, chairs in colors besides black

Room detail items to set on desks - blotter pads, pencil holders, staplers, books between bookends.

Most of the stuff in the Midnighters' Club