CocoCabana

Hi folks,

In an architect mission I'm testing, as soon as I step into the mission, all the dialog spoken by the NPCs pops up, even that of a boss at the other end of a single-level Warehouse map. Any suggestions for fixing this?

I've been trying to edit my .storyarc file with a text editor (textpad.exe), but when I try to access it in CoH, its redflagged and can't be opened. Is there something I need to be careful of when I'm using a text editor, such as characters that need special formatting?

Thanks!

CocoCabana

If that's the case, then they need to invest in more customer service.

With Champions coming out next month, CoX isn't the only superhero/villain MMORPG anymore. CoX needs competitive differentiators to set it apart from what looks to be a pretty slick, well-put together game. Greater customization options would be an excellent route.

CocoCabana

How is that any different from

"PWNURMOM hits you with Fire Blast for 165 Fire damage!"

If they can monitor character names, why not power names?

They could extend the same profanity filter that the chat log utilizes to cover the combat log as well.

CocoCabana

Hmm. A few thoughts:

1) Previously, the ability to modify the colors/appearance of powers was also off the table.
2) They already have safeguards in place to monitor character names, why not apply these to the power names as well?
3) If this is a real concern, why haven't they locked down character bios? There's instant TTP for ya, right there.

CocoCabana

I've only played with the Power Spectrum tool a little bit on the test server, and I already love it. It goes a long way to furthering the uniqueness of each hero and villain in CoX. Why not take it a step further, and as well as allowing characters to change the colors and animations of their powers, allow them to be renamed as well?

Would this require a massive change in the game mechanics? I'm thinking this could be accomplished with a new text string which is only called for the character description and combat logs, a simple cosmetic feature that wouldn't touch the underlying processes of CoX.

This would be a massive step forward in customization. With the ability to change the appearance of powers, and their effects (through Enhancements and special IOs), the ability for players to actually name their powers is a logical step.

For example, the promo image for Power Spectrum has a character utilizing what looks like green Ice Armor. It looks pretty cool! I'd like to create a new character with that kind of look, but my vision of the character doesn't include his powers being Ice based. I'd like to think of them being Energy based instead. And if I could rename those powers....

Frozen Armor -> Deflector Shield
Hoarfrost -> Armor Amplifier
Chilling Embrace -> Warp Field

etc.

- CocoCabana

[ QUOTE ]

Problems:
You have a lot of very important high end powers; in particular sleet (35) and heat loss (38). You don't get your 3rd attack (Bitter Ice Blast) until 18. Ice-Cold is very endurance intensive and stamina at 20 is a must.

[/ QUOTE ]

Stamina is not a must, although I'd agree with you as far that taking Stamina at 20 is a good move, until you have enough slots (and money) to play with (mid to late 30s - although I did it at 27) to slot SO EndReds.

My Ice/Cold Corr, Dr. Celsius (Lvl 28, Protector) runs fine without Stamina, using 1-2 SO EndReds in his powers.

"The Jaunt" was also a Steven King short story, I think it was part of the "Night Shift" collection. It had a pretty nasty punch at the end - ever wonder what happens in that microsecond 'tween ports?

I’d like to play Devil’s Advocate for a moment, and get some feedback. Why? Because I didn’t buy CoV just so I could own another version of CoH, with a different spin on power sets and a face-lift on missions (Kidnap to target – Rescue the Hostage / Rob the Bank – Find the Glowie). I didn’t buy it for PvP. I bought it because I wanted to play a villain, and frankly I’m a little disappointed that the gameplay mimics CoH so closely – I mean C’MON, I can’t even terrorize civilians? Geeesh.

I’m not trying to bait anyone here – I’d really like to hear any observations (and critiques) on the following argument:

Thesis: The purpose of City of Villains was to provide a venue for gamers to play as villains. To that end, players might engage in behaviors described as griefing in other venues, including kill-stealing, insulting dialogue, ambushing and even mob-training (oh my!).

However, this thesis hinges on one caveat: that the goal driving these negative actions must be for personal gain, not the harassment of another player,

I will tackle the above actions point by point, with exceptions for when role-play turns into griefing.

Kill Stealing
One of the most well known and despised practices in CoH, particularly in the starting levels. Kill stealing is the act of jumping into someone else’s battle, “helping” the other player, who has typically done most of the work already, to finish off the opponent for a few easy points of XP and maybe a drop.

While kill-stealing is one of the grayer areas of griefing, as it not so much hurts another player as it is annoying, kill-stealing is considered discourteous (and rightfully so) and frankly lazy play, capitalizing on the work of another.

While villainy can certainly be hard work, there’s no premium on discourtesy for the dark-hearted, especially for experience or loot. It’s frustrating to watch someone reap rewards from your hard work, but that’s what villains do. It’s even more frustrating to lose at the hands of another player in a PvP zone, but you accept those risks when you enter a zone. If you are playing a game called City of Villains, shouldn’t you accept the fact that your fellow players might choose to play true to form?

EXCEPT: Kill-stealing only falls under role-play as long as the motive is personal gain. Earlier in this thread, several players described watching higher level players lure low-level mobs away from hunting grounds, for no other reason than to spite the lower level characters. No personal gain = griefing.

Dialogue
What’s the fun of being a villain if you can’t banter or insult your nemesis? I address this because some players will likely take affront to being cursed or taunted by foes and immediately chalk it up to griefing, rather than role-play. The purpose of the dialogue is simply to act the character, not insult or intimidate other players.

EXCEPT: It’s a game. Insults like “Evil will always Triumph, because Good is Dumb” (shout-out to Mel Brooks and SpaceBalls) is role-playing (albeit silly RP). “God, you are so f-ing stupid, I can’t believe you died” is just harassment, and griefing. I suppose it’s like the quote Lord Recluse cited re: pornography “I’ll know it when I see it”. Regardless of intent, if a player asks another gamer to stop insulting them, that gamer should cease, otherwise it moves from RP to griefing.

Ambushing and Even Mob Training (oh my!)
I’ll use Siren’s Call as an example here, because the zone mission “Collect the meteor shard” offers a definite personal gain for players, whether they’re a hero or a villain.

Earlier, Spinomania brought up the issue of being ambushed and defeated while weakened. This point was discussed ad infinitum, and I won’t dwell on it myself. Suffice to say “You enter the zone, you take your chances”.

Say I’m a villain. I found a meteor shard, but a couple of those pesky heroes are ahead of me. Fortunately, they attracted a mob of Shivan Behemoths, which are keeping them busy, but not for much longer. If they finish off the mob before I collect the shard, they can defeat me easily. So (being a Dominator?) I slap a hold on the both of them, and let the beasties make Shivan Strew out of them while I collect my meteor shard in peace, whistling a merry tune in counterpoint to their screams (errr….. in character of course).

Is this griefing? I couldn’t take them on by myself, and there was a definite motive for gain taking such action.

For another example, say I’m in Warburg, playing a villain (or for that matter, a hero) with Gravity Control – Wormhole. If I’m suddenly ambushed by a group of multiple opponents, is it griefing or self-defense if I Wormhole the sorry lot into a crowd of crabby NPCs across the street?

EXCEPTION: And back again to the meteor-ridden fields of Siren’s Call. Let’s say I’m still that sly Dominator, having collected all the meteor shards I need, and I suddenly (and unseen) come across a group of heroes in battle with a horde of Behemoths. If I slap a hold on them so they get slaughtered, there’s no personal gain for me at all, either in XP or in shard collection – and at this point it’s griefing, not role-play.

Whew- I got kinda long-winded on this one, hope I didn’t bore too many of you. Again, I’m not trying to bait anyone here, I just want feedback.

Thanks!