Bright Shadow
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Posts
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Joined
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Quote:This is actually a really good approach.Originally Posted by Seldom
The problem that comes up time and again is the lack of carrot and stick methodology.
You whack one thing, well...you whacked it because you didn't like it. What is it you would like to be happening? Reward that. The stick for bad stuff, but the carrot for rewarding those who are sticking to what you would like to happen.
The unfortunate thing is that when many exploits happened in the AE, there was little done to redirect, and focus on what was being done to reward correct usage. Add insult to injury, the anti-exploit fixes also impacted the correct usage of the AE, and allowed some pretty obvious farms to continue.
Okay, the farmer gets his arc banned, he makes/finds another. Meanwhile, when the fixes for farming/exploits/etc. hit the correct usage that needs a carrot, it's a necessary evil. The mixed messages and negative impact on both "good" and "bad" AE usage is enough to make people leave it alone.
At this point I'd hope the Devs took a more proactive role in guiding the AE, if they do indeed have a preferred usage of it, but not via banning/nerfing/etc, but by inserting better rewards into the "right" use of their product. This means better filtering that guides toward story stuff, better rewards for authors, and so on. Getting out the carrots.
Especially the part about authors. As of now, not many people have much incentive to make legit, fun story arcs. Taking myself as an example, I have tons of ideas for story arcs; but I have no incentive. I keep thinking I'm gonna go invest a few hours in making an arc...and then only 3 of my friends are gonna play it and give it 5 Stars cause they're my friends, and it'll be forgotten in 2 days. And me, and the majority of potential AE users are not the types to go and actively advertise their arcs.
Give me and people like me an incentive to make proper stories in AE. Make the Developers' Choice system more active and visible. Put in more rewards for authors! Things like badges, cool temporary powers, tickets, and maybe even things like Reward Merits!
Of course...this would all need to be looked at from an exploiters' point of view as well... -
Quote:...or you just reset the map once you hit the ticket cap. Same thing for XP.Originally Posted by Necrotech_Master
well the ticket cap is really annoying, 1500 per map on a map that has enough baddies in it that could get double or triple that prior to the ticket cap severely cuts down on the tickets (takes 2 runs to get a gold roll, which is way too annoying to try to find the exact right size map with the exact number of enemies as to cap your tickets right at the end every time)
putting an xp cap like ticket cap could limit people to 5-10 bars of xp per map, so even on the most efficient non-exploitative farm, the most you could get is 1 lvl (and even with an exploit you would hit the xp cap VERY early)
the only thing i see them having a hard time limiting would be inf since inf gain scales with lvl -
Quote:No. It wouldn't. It would just be a very minor annoyance to people who want to farm. Minor being the keyword here.Originally Posted by Necrotech_Master
i think hard xp cap per day is a bit much, but if they did a xp/inf cap per mish like tickets cap per mish, then it would definitly even the playing field in AE a lot more
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Quote:What does this have anything to do with AE and Issue 14?Originally Posted by Solo_One
we had a good run, after the gr surge dies down this game will be dead.
Oh wait! You're one of those that thinks every issue is the end of the game, especially Issue 14! I know your type!
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You guys really think an XP hard cap would fix AE. Really.
Weren't you around for the Ticket Cap "fix"? It was just a mild annoyance towards farmers and exploiters. Diminishing returns on repetition of an arc/mission, XP Cap per day, and all the derivatives of this "solution" simply would not work. It's called point-of-efficiency; and that's the only thing farmers are -really- good at finding.
As I stated previously, the only thing that would "fix" the problems with AE is something along the lines of just stripping XP and rewards from non-developer-approved stories. And as we all may expect, this would simply mean that AE will turn into a ghost-town -- worse than now.
Unless...
The developers actually put some effort into picking out stories and promoting the good ones. Maybe even hire volunteer players with the sole purpose of playing arcs and rating them based on their standards. But this really only sounds good in theory... -
Quote:Door sitting is not an exploit. The "framing" character(s) who is power leveling the door sitters is facing great challenge, and he deserves great reward. He's just decided to split the reward with his/her friends.Originally Posted by Rodion
AE is not the first insta-leveling exploit that came about. Back in the day the Winter Lords were just about as bad.
The real problem is that the system has no inherent throttle on gaining levels. There is no reasonable case where a character should be able to reach level 50 in one hour, or 10 hours or maybe even 50 hours.
So why not just pick some maximum leveling speed in AE, and cap rewards that exceed it? Then when characters hit the cap, have the system log it and then the devs can investigate the exploit at their leisure.
Then there would be no need to ban anyone, or take away their excessive levels, or release poorly tested patches that have to be rescinded or repatched a few days later.
The devs quickly instituted a cap on ticket drops in AE. A limit on XP and influence seems to be a logical and simple extension that would be easier to implement than the complex set of standard/hard/extreme/custom XP percentages we have now.
And most PLing happens on on standard-content maps where lowbies doorsit and level 50s rampage through critters specifically chosen for an optimized PLing build. When you come right down to it, does it really matter how you get to level 50 if it takes you the same amount of time?
Doorsitting is as much an exploit as any bug in AE -- you can get XP without ever attacking enemies or buffing your team mates -- yet no one seems concerned about plugging that hole.
However, when you're level 4 Stalker, with four of your level 3 buddies, and you go into a mission and start taking down +4 Elite Bosses because they cannot attack, and you're buffed to the teeth thanks to the buff-bots; that's an exploit. Because NO ONE on your team is facing any sort of challenge whatsoever, and you're getting unfair rewards. -
Quote:Glad you found a server right for you! Welcome to Virtue!Originally Posted by Predatoric
I actually forgot i13 even existed it was that minor lol, other than the PvP destruction I dont even think there was anything worth mentioning in it. Most pointless issue award goes to that one
Im really glad I escaped freedumb though, virtue is like a whole other world compared to that. 2 minutes into game on virtue, i get a regular team recruiting, asking for members, which lasted more than two minutes and they didnt go to AE to farm. This is what I chose to pay for, not to run the same damn exploit over and over again.
All I worry about now if how the devs are going to deal with the revised version of the ally nerf... I cant see them really sorting the issue and not effecting regular players as well, thats simply impossible as far as i can see but if the farmers do return to the extent they were before, im gone.
And Galactor, your post made my eyes bleed. Please stop posting one sentence per line; it makes your post incredibly hard to read. You're not a poet.
I'm sorry that you think that way though, and I wish you the best of luck. -
Quote:Survivable, yes. And I think DP/RAD and DP/KIN would be two exceptions to that list because of the massive -RES and +DMG. Maybe DP/SON as well.Originally Posted by JD_Gumby
Despite the lack of Build Up and thus lower damage overall, I'm finding my DP/RadEm Corruptor to be much more survivable than my DP/NRG (for the early BU) was.
I personally, haven't tried a Corruptor's version of DP. So I could be very wrong. I'm just trying to suggest that maybe lack of Build Up and lower overall damage is maybe what's causing the original poster to not enjoy DP as much. -
Quote:Exactly what I was trying to say.Originally Posted by Daemodand
Is the benefit worth the cost? IMO no, especially when considering the opportunity cost. The massive resources spent on AE could have been used to revitalize the low-level game, expand the high-level game, any number of things that would have improved the game and not brought the serious downsides brought by the AE.
Paragon Studios released an entire boxed edition of CoH on shelves dedicated to promotion of Architect Entertainment system. Issue 14 was pushed back and delayed because of the development time and resources dedicated to Architect Entertainment.
When it was released, people went out and bought the boxed edition purely for Architect Entertainment. CoH's marketting was all over the place, advertising itself as the first MMORPG to allow player-created content. For the first time, we were actually getting tons of media attention.
In the end...all we got was Comm Officer Farms. Followed closely by Bubble Farms, X Farms, Y Farms, and so on. Almost every few weeks they have to release a patch just to squash another farm method.
It's almost turning into a piracy battle.
"As long as there is a lock, there is a key."
People will continue to find ways to abuse this system, and this will go on until either:
A. Developers implement a fool-proof system that would only happen in miracle world.
B. Developers beat down on AE so much that even its normal players would lose interest in this system (i.e. Cutting rewards from AE, be it tickets or XP).
At this point, I really doubt there is any hope for option A. It just looks like AE's rolling down hill.
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Quote:Really? Me and most people I know haven't really had that issue. I run and join regular teams on Virtue almost every day, and there are tons of requests for TFs and regular teams. What server are you on?Originally Posted by Predatoric
Trying to find a regular team is like trying to get blood from a stone nowadays and thats just wrong.
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The strength Dual Pistols comes from the fact that it's like the Swiss Army knife of blast sets.
Did that Archvillain just activated his awesome shield and now all your Lethal attacks do 2 points of damage? Toxic time!
Is that a fire-based demon over there? Oh, what's that? He resists Fire but has a weakness to Cold? Ice ice baby!
Hey look! Your team is a little low on the damage side! You need more oomph. Only if you had some way of pumping out more damage at no cost! OH WAIT! You do!!!! Burn baby, burn!
Oh look over there! Is that a boss with some Defense? Or wait, is he rushing at you? Here, have some -DEF and Knockback! Lethal time!
HOWEVER.
I do realize that Corruptors don't get Build Up. And Build Up tends to help Dual Pistols immensely. I can understand why Corruptors keep complaining about it, and if anyone wants to try out the awesome-ness of Dual Pistols, I recommend them to roll the Blaster version percisely for higher damage and Build Up. Dual Pistols/Mind Manipulation Blasters specifically! Bring out the Shockwave!
Either way, I think you should notice greater performance at higher levels. Especially after you get your two heavy hitters: Executioner's Shot and Piercing Rounds. -
While I wouldn't call it the "worst", I do think AE is one of the failed features of this game; purely because from a cost/benefit standpoint, it did not satisfy what it was aiming for, while consuming lots of resources and attention.
But I can't think of any "worse" issue; because frankly, I've loved every single issue release in CoH's history. Even Issue 14. The stance that AE is a failed feature doesn't mean I didn't enjoy making a story or two on it before getting bored! -
Quote:Mmmmm...rage threads...Originally Posted by SwellGuy
Prepare for a fresh round of posts asking why the devs nerfed their missions.
I really am starting to see AE as a major nuisance in this game though. Seriously, since the day it came out, it has done very little good compared to how much crap it brought up.
One month from now, people will inevitably find another exploit in AE, and all developers can do is take a hammer and squash it. Rinse and repeat. It's really starting to look like whack-a-mole... -
I can confirm by trial that this patch fixed the present AE exploit.
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Quote:Isn't AE wonderful?Originally Posted by Tally
I know it is just me.... but I am really tired of the AE exploits fix patches.
People are smart and will always find a new exploit with the current system of AE rewards. Thousands of cats are out of the bag and Paragon Studios runs around trying to herd them now .good luck with THAT.
How about the rewards for an AE mission are capped ..so no matter what goofy intentional farming/PL exploit is discovered ..you still cant get more then the cap rewards for a mission.
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It could be Loyalty program...don't be TOO happy...
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Quote:Like GR is gonna go live on April 1st?Originally Posted by Ravenous33
Exactly, I am expecting this all to be played into one devious, evil, prank on us!
Hey, I can dream!!!! -
Quote:Yush!Originally Posted by Dispari
So wait, if it came out TODAY on live, you'd use it and play with it and enjoy it.
If it came out TODAY on test, you wouldn't want to get on because you wouldn't want to spoil it.
Even though me and everyone else you know are going to tell you all about it and spoil it before you get to see it for yourself!
I'm probably gonna get on test and take a peek at Ultra Mode and Demon Summoning animations. But I won't roll out, and play a Demon Summoning Mastermind until it goes live! -
Quote:What's wrong with the test server? It's not the live server! That's what's wrong with test server! >:OOriginally Posted by Mattwo7
Why? What's wrong with the test server? Edit: seems there was a small patch with the aforementioned "A" or was that there? I missed it for the fourms...
I rarely ever try stuff out when they go into beta. I hate spoiling things for myself. Which sucks...
But I wanna see Ultra Mode so bad... -
Quote:on live!Originally Posted by rogue_md
i17 come out nao.
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Quote:I so wish we could have that...Originally Posted by Angelxman81
4 weeks of CB should be enough...
So, Open beta NOW or totally skip it and go live!!
Its about time, they said April so... xD -
Quote:What about Blasters? =DOriginally Posted by Oldeb
Do not ask about Tanks though.
They'd need to start the bonuses at a quarter of Scrapper levels and work down from there. -
Quote:I laughed so hard at these. xD Thanks!Originally Posted by Prof_Backfire
This makes me want to start a gimmick team.
Speaking of gimmick teams, every AT in this game is capable of soloing if the team consisted entire of it. And it's usually hilarious.
8 Blasters: Kaboomies!
8 Controllers: Remember when enemies used to have attacks?
8 Defenders: Just ask the Repeat Offenders.
8 Scrappers: TONIGHT WE DINE IN HELL!
8 Tankers: Well okay it'll be a little slow.
8 Kheldians: Between Dwarf and Nova, you've pretty much got an entire team.
8 Brutes: SMASH! multiplied.
8 Corruptors: See Defenders.
8 Dominators: See Controllers.
8 Masterminds: So much carnage. So much lag.
8 Stalkers: Everyone on three... I said three! Three!
8 Soldiers of Arachnos: Possibly too good.
But 8 of these things? Brawling everyone to death? That could be hilarious, actually.
Me and my friends actually did try an all Mastermind, and an all Corruptor ITFs. The all Mastermind one was exactly that! If I could use one word to describe that 2-hour-long experience, it'd be "clusterf**k".
We had over 50 pets in total...without Gang War... -
Another thing occurred to me. Can you guys imagine how horrible it'd be if MORE than one of these was on your team?
I mean, you know how when they roll a new Powerset into Beta, everyone on test will be playing it for obvious reasons? And when it goes live, it's Shiny of the Month for a while, like Dual Pistols?
Yah. This Archetype would be horrifying under those circumstances...
"Hey, Recluse! We're an 8-man team of buffers!!! WE'RE GONNA F**K YO' S**T UP!"
...and then 8 buffed-to-the-cap characters start brawling Recluse to death... -
Quote:There is a difference, however. A subtle one at that. It's called cost vs. benefit.Originally Posted by Ben_Arizona
The tools are also there, if one is sufficiently masochistic, to solo with a character who doesn't have or use any direct-damage attacks from his primary or secondary. Isn't this what used to be called man-style or some such nonsense? Of course, they didn't have two buff sets perpetually cranking up their Brawl, and it wasn't endurance-free back in the day...
(You see I bring it all full circle with my amazing powers)
If you want to apply the "The tools are there, use them at your own discretion" ideology to everything, then you might as well demand that we have ponies in the game, along with rainbows and lollipops. And that developers should come to our homes and scratch our backs...
However, you cannot apply that ideology to everything. The benefit of bringing a Buff/Buff Archetype to the game just for the sake of "having more tools to play with" is simply absurd when you consider real, tangible factors such as cost. Note that cost isn't the only factor that decides whether or not a "tool" should be implemented. There are many. But I'm sure you can figure them out on your own.