Darkonne

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Castle - is the 60 month badge planned to be the final vet reward or is there going to be more after it?

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To the best of my knowledge, future veteran rewards are planned. However, I'm not on the rewards team, and don't know that answer as a certainty. Positron would have to give a difinitive answer.

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That's unfortunate. But thanks for all the clarifications, Castle!

-D

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I get the feeling a lot more characters will be getting Teleport with the 60 month reward in place >_>

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I dunno. I usually take some other travel power and then only take Recall Friend from teleportation. I find it more useful than teleport. But for Tanks and anyone using teleport in combat, this will be fantastic.

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This is purely theoretical since I won't have the option until ~2011, but I wonder if Fly and Teleport would be a good pairing? I know I liked combining the Jingle Jet with Teleport during the holiday months...

-D

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Actually, it means you can SKIP taking the first or second power in the Travel Power Pools and, at level 6, pick the travel power immediately. No pre-requisites.

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I do not feel this is an appropriate benefit for a Veteran's Reward, certainly not one that take s 5 years to earn. It is very analogus to giving a an extra power pick (possibly 2 picks for some characters) to vet characters: some characters may well pick what they already had, but that's still a bigger advantage than I think is appropriate for this system.

I shudder to think what the 6 year reward will be.

-D

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I am sorry, but I do not feel as if co-op content is Villain content. It is what it is called CO-OP. It is not Villainous

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I don't feel that Positron's TF is worthwhile content, but it's still content. I'm sympathetic to the desire for more Villain only SFs, but just because you don't like the co-op ones does not invalidate them. They are still content added for villains. There's no guarantee that you'd like new villain exclusive content, either.

-D

I haven't had a lot of time to play Co* recently, so my experience with the Merit system is extremely limited. However, Zaran did make one point that I feel very strongly about, so I'll quote it for emphasis:

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Subjective[*] I've lost most of my ability to do task forces and I miss this alot. Task forces are THE teaming environment. Pick up groups for missions are OK but lack the commitment and comeraderie.

I can't commit more than one continuous hour to the game; I have too many other things I have to do. Doing the the Katie TFs is now passe because of the lack of a good reward, but it was the only TF I could do that I was sure could recruited and completed in a timeframe I could work with.


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This is a serious problem from my point of view. To be clear, I can sometimes arrange longer blocks of time on the weekends, and I certainly enjoy running longer TFs on occasion. So the merit system certainly has some good side. But I really liked the way the KHTF's combination of reward and short time investment made it possible to get in a group and run the whole thing in a very manageable time frame. Sure, I'd almost never got a useful recipe out of it, but it was quick, easy and fun.

I know the devs felt that ~30 minutes was too short a time to be worth a random Pool C recipe, but I respectfully disagree with their decision. Two hours of solid playtime for a Pool C random (for a slightly above average group, in all likelihood) is an impractical model from my point of view. I hope that will be changed.

Unfortunately, I have no objective comments at the moment.

-D

I must say, that is a fine looking robot. It's almost a shame we can't have more of those rampaging across the city. :-)

-D

Thanks for taking the time to talk with us, Sunstorm. Here are a few questions I had after reading your answers.

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Q. Salvage Storage Racks, Why only 30 pieces of invention salvage?

A. In short, the market. The market system is designed to have a steady supply of salvage coming in. If large salvage racks were added, it would create a temporary supply problem of unknown duration until the salvage racks filled up.

Since having salvage temporarily dry up would be a big problem for all players, this number was intentionally kept low. Once the impact on the markets as a whole can be measured, we will look at adjusting these numbers again.


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I have no problem with the 30 invention salvage limit, but I am a little curious about the difficulty in adding a separate limit for event salvage. Could you add a different type of salvage bin for event salvage only, and thereby allow it to hold more? It's a clunky solution, but it might serve as a stopgap if making a single container with differing limits is too hard to do right now.

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Q. What’s happening to Rent?

A. Rent still exists, but it has been reduced dramatically. Rent is no longer charged by plot size, and is instead based on the number of utility items in the base.

These are the items that charge rent:
- Storage bins: 100 prestige per bin.
- Workbenches, and Enhancement terminals: 100 per tier
- Medical Items: 100 per item, excluding Basic Reclaimator

No rent is charged for basic utility items like Teleporters, Teleport beacons, Medical Reclaimator's, Basic Work Tables, and Invention work tables. Rent free bases of any size can still be built, with all the normal utilities available. In the future, we will be looking into improving how rent is charged as well.


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As other posters have mentioned, this is a serious potential drawback for some. I'm a member of several supergroups that currently have minimum plot size bases, and thus had no rent for their bases. The new system is a serious disappointment for me. Even with the new discounts, a larger base is extremely expensive for a small group to afford, but now we won't even be able to save up for it without paying rent. I really do not understand just what it this change is trying to accomplish. What purpose is rent supposed to serve in this game?

I know way back in Asheron's Call houses had periodic rent, but there each house was unique, and thus the rent served to keep innactive accounts from choking off the supply. Bases in Co* are not unique, so that doesn't seem to be an issue. I had thought the purpose was to serve as a "cost" for a well defended PvP fortress, but the new system charges nothing for that either. Could you explain the philosophy behind the new rent structure?

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Q. Base Pathing issues, why was pathing changed?

A. The base pathing was never intended to be changed. The fix for it was not simple though, so it took some time for the programming team to get the fix in. We are actively looking at ways to make the pathing system easier for base builders, however, in the future there may be pathing requirements for raiding.


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Could you clarify this further: would future pathing requirements be mandatory for all bases, or only for bases that wish to participate in PvP? I can understand the need for pathing requirements in PvP, but it is a LOT more fun to decorate a base without those restrictions. Can we keep the unpathed option available?

That's it for now. Thanks again!

-D

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And yes, it really is all a Nemesis Plot.

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Ah. In that case *bzzzt* welcome aboard, Sunstorm!

-D

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I'm Phil Zeleski, a Game Designer here at NCSoft NorCal. I work closely with Floyd "Castle" Grubb designing powers and with Matt "Positron" Miller designing rewards (this includes things like badges, new invention sets and pretty much anything granted from the game and given to the player.)


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Welcome, Synapse!

I'm glad to hear you're working on rewards; now I know exactly where I should concentrate any begging that might be called for.

-D

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However, this world we live in is not a static place. If anything, one certainty we have is the knowledge that things change. It is with this in mind that I write you today to say that I’m making a change. I have decided to pursue other opportunities outside of NCsoft.


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I'm late in noticing, but I'm still sorry to hear that you're leaving, Lighthouse. You did a good job running the place. Good luck to you in your next endeavour.

So long, and thanks for all the photons!

-D

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I forgot to add a correction I originally posted in the closed beta post: surround the ATAN() function with ABS: i.e. ABS(ATAN(stuff)). The function is symmetric about the origin.

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I'd thought the positive value was assumed, but that's (another reason) why I'm not Arcanaville.

At any rate, I think I grasp the rough details of the system now. Thanks, Arcana!

-D

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And if you're an anti-badger like CodeJunkie and Venture,

Don't have time for a full reply, just wanted to hit this: my main, whom I rerolled (at 50) in i11 to switch origin and primary, has 369 badges.

I'm not "anti-badge". I like badges. I just don't think that a) they should be free or easy or b) that anyone should have any expectation of having them all on one character.

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Strictly speaking, Venture, he said "anti-badger," not "anti-badge." I think your longstanding stance against the desire to get every badge on a given character could reasonably be described that way.

-D

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What I'm getting at is they want all the badges so they can show off that they have all the badges. Who cares if they have all the badges? I sure as hell don't.

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Obviously the badgers care.

But that isn't really the issue here: unless the devs regularly add new day jobs the way they promised to add Veteran's Rewards, badgers will eventually get all the Day Job badges anyway. The question is whether "time logged out" is a good metric for awarding a badge, and if so how much time logged out it should take.

-D

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As for people worried that this won't get tested during Beta... you forget we have access to Mender Silos, Ouroboros, and the Pillar of Ice and Flame... we can manipulate time. It's a perk.

(For those who do get into beta, you will notice that the "Time to Earn" is DRAMATICALLY reduced, for exactly the reason of testing the rewards and badges. Around the time of Open Beta, the times will be restored to a far less accelerated state, and we can ensure those are working before we go to Live)


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I understand your vast powers of time manipulation, Posi. It just seems a little odd to adjust the "time to earn" of Day Jobs based on Beta, when either the time to earn you test will be entirely ficticious, or the beta will not go long enough to actually test it. Either way, I'm not seeing how the beta experience will contribute any useful data points for the earning rate (I'm sure it will help test the jobs themselves).

For myself, I like collecting badges where I can but I long ago stopped trying to be a completist. So in that sense I don't mind the 30 day timer. But it does seem like a very long time to wait, too long to be something I'm actively working towards. It takes some of the fun out of the system knowing that I'll only be able to play with it in the month (or two for accolades) after I decide to acquire it.

To be honest, the system feels a little disjointed. On the one hand, the powers and badges associated with it encourage people to get all of them. On the other hand, the long timers and the fluff nature of "day jobs" encourage people to pick one or two and stick with them. I guess that might allow different types of players to each find something good in the system, but I think it's more likely to result in widespread disatisfaction.

-D

I'm not a great fan of the vBulletin format (at least from the front end), but it looks like some sort of overhaul is indeed called for. Of course, I too would hardly mourn the flash animation at the top of the forum if it didn't survive the freezing process...

Anyway, Here's to a smooth re-launch!

-D

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Tee hee! Here's the bomb I dropped on Champion redside when the Cyborg pack arrived...

LMAO 1

LMAO 2



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Well, that's just prime. :-)


A lot of fantastic costumes here; I particularly liked Rocket Fool. I'm still not sure if I want to get the Cyborg Costumes, but you are all making a good case for it.

-D

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A guide for Night Widows would be absolutely fantastic, if anyone feels up to the job.


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I echo the call for Moonlit_Whisper's guide to be added.

-D

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Nylonus:
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Busboy - Log out at EL Super Mexicano

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So if I don't want that job I have to log out in the middle of the ocean?


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I think you need to convince the Confessor to take you on as his sidekick.

(Well, that or log out at Pandora's Box and hope they stay solvent this time!)


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Day job bonus: zone teleport power that returns you to alley or television, so you can log out.

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That would actually be a neat idea, depending on how the system handles the potential for multiple jobs.

-D

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Maybe as a temporary solution ask one of the following, politely of course, to please comment in the thread to get it into the Dev Digest so it can be seen.

Castle


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As you wish!

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Well, what do you know? It worked!

-D

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I suggested long ago a plan that had near universal player approval (just try and do that!) wherein you can choose which of the Vet Reward costume pieces to unlock for your character each time you had a costume reward. This way, if you're here only a year and want to make a boxer, then you chose the boxer reward at three months instead of wings. None of this waiting three years or more for the costume piece you want. Long time vets get more costumes, so, they have their prestigious honor while newer players don't have to wait five years for a particular costume piece.


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I've never liked the way the Veteran's Reward System was handled, so I'll continue to push for Zombie Man's suggestion (and Arcanville's too). The longer the system goes on, the harder it is to balance the need for new, cool toys with the fact that those toys won't be readily available to everyone. Why not solve that problem once and for all before someone gets hurt?

At any rate, I'm giving the 51 and 54 month rewards a thumbs down. Getting the CoV pre-order helmets is great, but why on earth are they given out over three years after that CoH pre-orders? That seems very arbitrary, especially with the new VEATs. Arachnos ATs might be expected to use those helmets in their 'civilian' garbs, yet it is very possible to earn access to a VEAT in well under 51 months time.

As for the 54 month power, it seems to get the worst of two different worlds. On the one hand, I don't like giving even more temp powers to such long time vets: the difference between a starting up a true newbie character and a veteran's alt just got even bigger. I'm not a big fan of that. Yet on the other hand, these new temp powers are about as boring as you can get: we already chose not to get them once, after all. With a completely new set of powers to choose from, there's at least a chance of finding something that might help a character concept, provide an interesting bit of synergy, or even just look really cool. So from my view, this seems like we get some of the downsides of new powers without most of the upsides. Not a lot to get excited about here, I'm afraid.

-D

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Here's where I agree... to some extent. The patch notes clearly say "all accounts that log into the Live Servers will receive 2 free Character Slots". While it mentions a "limited time", the logical interpretation is that, so long as one logs in within the "limited time", one receives the slots. There is no mention of needing to assign them or use them, lest they be lost at a later date.

I read this as functioning much in the same way as the anniversary badges (except, obviously, they are not character specific). So long as you log in during the "limited time" window, you get and keep them.

If this is, indeed, not the case, then that statement was [u]extremely[u] poorly worded. If that's the case, then there needs to be a clear restating of this issue, including announcements at the login links, and a very long window before unused "freebie" slots are revoked. And by that I mean 1-2 months. Bear in mind this is the summertime and people are often on extended vacations w/o game access.

It's my hope that GF worded his post poorly, and that this is largely much ado about nothing. Wouldn't, after all, be the first time a dev did this.

Also, the question of "what slots get used first", when one has a mix of "freebie", vet and purchased slots, needs to be addressed as well.

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I was going to say something like this but since Hallowed beat me to it, I'll just do one of those QFTJatAW things.

-D

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Whole lotta shakin' going on here to while zoning in fly/hover. Going forward doesn't help, but hitting the space bar does for me.

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I've noticed this too. The shaking ends if I move up from the ground, but no amount of distance seems to help if I hover as close to the ground as possible. Even if the ground slopes up or down, it seems to be my distance from the ground that matters.

-D

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Seems hover/flight needs re-re-tweaking. Flew into the train and upon exiting the train in a new zone Cerebrawl is vibrating like he's having siezures.

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Flight or Hover on?

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I had this happen with frequently (though not always, just to be confusing) with Darkonne, using Hover, after he would zone.

It looks to me as though Darkonne begins to play a falling animation (as his arms start to move up and all), then stops and resumes his flyring default, then starts falling again, etc. As with the others, moving a ways or turning off Hover ends the siezure.

-D

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I'm wondering something about the Global reset: Are you just resetting the "rename available" flag, or is it being reset as if it were a new account? ie, When I first log in after maintenance, will my global remain what it currently is, or change to match the name of the character I just logged in? The reason I ask this is that my global on Test recently changed to the name of a random character that I logged in.

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That's a good question.

-D

Yay for forewarning! Thanks, Lighthouse!

-D