Caligari

Here's from my CoH/V playlist (rather than the one I listen to outside the game):

1. Amon Tobin - /Penthouse Stealth (from the Splinter Cell Chaos Theory soundtrack)
2. Mist - Protocol Rain (from A Gamer's Guide to Rez)
3. Lemon Jelly - '76 aka The Slow Train (from '64 - '95)
4. Amon Tobin - Easy Muffin (from Bricolage)
5. Layo and Bushwacka -- Let the Good Times Roll (from Night Works)
6. Superfluid - Veritech Defender 2049 (from The Vectrex Project)
7. Lemon Jelly - '88 aka Come Down On Me (from '64 - '95)
8. Cujo - Northstar (from Adventures in Foam)
9. Meat Beat Manifesto - Flute Thang (from At The Centre)
10. Gecko - Love (from Lizard Point)

I'm suprised there is not more Amon Tobin, as there is a lot of his stuff in the playlist. That Gecko track is excellent background for pounding away with my Brute - "Love will keep us together..." Ah yes!

- Caligari

When I and my friends started with CoH we didn't have any high-level patrons to fund us. Even now (well over a year later for me) our highest level characters are not even 40 (we play a lot of characters, and we play socially/casually).

While we do now have enough influence to get by, for most of our characters it was a constant struggle, and we got a load of influence from a pair of level 40s who were leaving the game (a few million only, but we made it stretch), and a few characters have won costume contests along the way. We should not have to rely on those sorts of handouts, I think.

I think the apparent reliance on high-level income is a flaw in the planned economy of the game. It has seemed that way from the start. CoV is simply making that more obvious to those who have been funded by high-level heroes in CoH for some time.

[ QUOTE ]
Only CoH/CoV subscibers can make a base.

Anyone can enter a base or provide Prestige for their supergroup.

[/ QUOTE ]

A CoV Beta Forum post by Positron (on the 7th, I think) explicitly said that while non-CoV owning SG members will be able to earn Presitge, they will not be able to "visit the base or do anything else base-related"...

Has that been clarified or elsewise corrected? (Personally I think entry should be permitted.)

I'm probably wrong, but it seems to me that the Def portion of these powers was a reflection of the difficulty of completely locating the user, even when you know they are there. When an attack is used (or whatever) the stealthy person's presence is made known, but you still are not certain where they are. The Def was reflecting that uncertaintity, and was small, but reasonable, as a result.

The way you lay things out here, you are effectively halving that Def, and thus that uncertaintity, for most of the powers in the only situation where they made sense in the first place - when the stealth component was compromised. That seems to be an unecessary additional step. If you want the Def reflecting the difficulty of telling exactly where the stealthy person is to be reduced, just reduce it. Supression is, it seems to me, only adding complexity where it is not needed, here.

Personally, I also agree with the general feeling that reducing stealth commponents is reducing play options. Regardless of "reality", I'd leave them active, to encourage multiple approaches to situations. But that is another, higher-level, matter.

- Caligari

Couple of things I've noticed:

1) as far as I can tell, Combat Jumping (maybe all jumping?) is not affected by the speed reduction from Stealth - my Kinetics Defender is noticably faster (watching the map zoomed in) using CJ while looking for someone to Siphon Speed on, as opposed to Sprinting around.

2) You might want to mention the uses of Swift for those like Rooted Stone Tankers (and those Invuln Tanks and Scrappers) who have powers that completely reduce movement speed. With a few slots in Swift my Stone Tank is happily moving around in combat, without it he's an amusing slow show-piece.

Excellent intel, TopDoc. Great work!

- Caligari

Income: Based on the security level of each of the members, the group earns influence as the members earn influence. This influence is available to the whole group in the pool.

Also semi-permanent sub-teams: as an example consider all of the various teams which make up the greater X-Men family. I know my SG members would like to be able to create sub-groups within the SG that have a unique existence but are still within the great SG. Probably they would have an additional name component, and would default to the same colors although those would be able to be modified (or perhaps a third color added?). Personally I think the logo should remain as for the overall SG, however.

The obvious resource pools: influence and enhancements able to be stored with the group for withdrawal by any member.

Also, though, shared maps: if someone in the supergroup has explored Founder's Falls, when I go there I should have that much of the map revealed as well.

More ranks possible.

Some missions for supergroups to obtain, as distinct from its members. Perhaps ones that require doing a couple of missions at the same time (not requiring coordination like the bombs that must be disarmed at the same moment, but having two places that must be dealt with at generally the same time).

This is an outstanding example of why this development team has what it takes: they have the ability to design a compelling game experience, implement it, update it, but they also are able to look at the way it is being played, listen to the players, and they have the willingness, above all, to alter the game when doing so will make the experience richer for the players, even when it means taking back a reasoned change recently made - we are indeed lucky to be invited to play here, in your playground!

[For the record I had no opinion on the boss changes, as none of my alts are high enough level to be affected.]