Dragon_King

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Dear newer players,

Your advantage is that you have started playing when the game was in a more advanced state than it was in the beginning.

You didn't have to deal with the same buggy missions, early-level travel issues, the lack of radio/newspapers and the lack of a difficulty slider. You didn't have to wait for the level cap to be raised to 50. You didn't have to wait for capes/auras to be introduced, or or for any number of new costumes/pieces. You didn't have to wait for APPs, PPPs, HEATs, VEATs. You didn't have to wait for respecs, the markets, or IOs. In short, you didn't have to wait for a countless number of quantitative/qualitative changes which have improved the game over time.

Veterans did have to wait for many if not all of those things. Anyone who will be eligible for the 60-month badge any time soon will have waited for every single one. So sure, argue all you like that the fees vets have paid were "for five years of fun, and they would have paid anyway!" Just do keep in mind that the game is a much better product now -- and I don't believe it's a stretch to conclude that the participation of those very vets is a large reason for many of the game's improvements over the last five years.

That's your perk.

The 60-month badge is not as big a deal as some are making it out to be. Travel powers are optional, nowadays, more so than they ever were before -- and at least for some people, the usefulness of the pre-requisites is among the main reasons they take travel powers at all. Temp powers are marginally inferior mechanically, and certainly inferior conceptually, to normal pool travel powers, but they also don't cost power picks (and perhaps more importantly, pool picks).

Saving a power pick or having more flexibility in the early part of a build if they choose to take a travel power is the extremely long-time vets' perk. Take it from someone who's been around awhile; you've gotten the better part of this deal.

Sincerely,

Level Six Flyer.

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Could not have been explained any better... or more elequantly than this... Bravo!

/e clap

Now that open beta has begun is it not time to get the forums changed over to the new format? My understanding was that the closed beta folks were using the new format to keep information seperate.

It's frustrating trying to post or read information and it takes 15 minutes to open a page or it times out all together.

I like the fact that the page is way more responsive and easier to read now.

I do have a couple of niggles though even if the page is still "beta".

In "about the game" info under signature heroes and villains there are numerous spelling errors. Also, shouldn't the server status inquery be under game info instead of news?

Just asking. I believe they are on the right track though. Thumbs up.

Starflame- You need to make sure you are withen the level requirements for the zone you are in. To low or to high and you will get "cannot enter".

Also any entry will work. From sewer grates to doors as long as they don't open to stores and other entry areas.

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After looking at several of your post I have several questions for you monkman.

1. Do you actually read up on anything that your posting about?

2. Do you proof read your post?

3. What?

4. Do you have entitlement issues?

5. Whine much?

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For me... speaking for myself..

1. I only speak my opinions facts or for librarians
2. I gave up proof reading in college, to hell with how your interpret what I am saying
3. What? I could say the same to you
4. I am entitled to all the world has to offer, without having to come into direct contact with any of you
5. Hell ya I whine.. I would rather whine on the internet than to the people I love..

6. Deal with it

7. Issue 12 is dedicated to Perfect Pain.. I have been asking for roman costumes, tabbing the contact list and more slots forever

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What? Where did I refer to you PP in any of the body of the post I presented to monkman?

I was trying to bring to light that monkman's post are full of false facts, entitlement and genearly have nothing to do with the current topic except for his incessant ranting about NCSoft wanting to constantly rip us all off.

Maybe your post is over my head..

>.>
<.<

...Was that a 747 that just went over?

After looking at several of your post I have several questions for you monkman.

1. Do you actually read up on anything that your posting about?

2. Do you proof read your post?

3. What?

4. Do you have entitlement issues?

5. Whine much?

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not sure if i'm in the right place,Well is there going to be another game comming out? better to play with i have DirectX10, lets say i have a $3000. machine like to maybe have a new game to keep up with gamers advanced machines, this game is aprox 5 years old time to upgrade.

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Not sure exactly what your asking about. The game is four years old yes... That means four years of improvement and content. This is not a console game. Longevity in the MMO market is a measure of success.

If your looking for bling, bells and whistles to display your unholy rig with then it would be in the smooth as butter framerates and being able to turn all your settings to max. If you can do those things and still get max FPS, say in Grandeville, then color me impressed.

If the age of the game is discerning to you then there are more issues then just the age of this MMO.

Paragraphs!!! For the love of all please use paragraphs...

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dev are not worried about PvP
only care about PvE

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Again as the PVP player base may make up only 8 to 10% (My opinion only) of the total game and that PVP was slapped on to compete with other MMO's this is probably where it should be.

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Should I be upset the Devs 'wasted' effort on a AT I'll never play? I think it would be laughable for me to think that way.

Now don't get me wrong I happen to think there are problems with the way this particular Vet System was implemented. But I have no problem with having Vet Systems in MMOs in general.

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How does that example make any sense here. You have the option. I don't. Most people don't. I'm sure if COX gave us the option to purchase them it would help keep the game alive and increase the income of the COX franchise. Which in turn will keep this game alive.

Afterall veteran rewards don't mean much if this mmo gets canceled.

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You claim that your money is being wasted by devs working on vet rewards that most new players wont be able to utilize.

Lothic explained that devs spent time on creating content that she will never utilize.

You say they don't have the option but they do. A person can continue to play the game and rack up vet rewards normally or they can choose not to play. In my opinion, if you play or leave solely on vet rewards, then you have other issues with the game than just vet rewards.

Long story short, I do see the correlation.

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You and Cambios need to get together and have mutant idiot hate babies. I'll pay for the hotel room.

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I'm sorry you feel that way. There is no hate coming from me. I just don't feel it's right. If ever 3 months a new set vet rewards are being introduced there is a majority of the population who will never have "all" of them.

And as people leave the game there will be less and less people who will have the latest vet rewards. Yet my subscription money is going to pay for the salaries of the developers who make them. You don't see that as unfair?

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The player base has waxed and wained for years. people leave and come back all the time. Since the vet rewards came on board people have been aware that if you let your account lapse for a time then you lose that time towrds vet rewards. The people that I have introduced the game to have told me the vet stuff is cool and they see them as incentive to stay playing on top of the coolness, fun, addictiveness and social interaction they get from COX.

For those of us thats been here since the begining or close to it and have never stopped playing, even before the vet stuff came along, it is a nice warm and fuzzy bonus awarded to me.

Can I live without them all? Sure. Do I use every one of the vet rewards on every single character? No.

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It's the negative and somewhat hostile responses like some I've seen in this thread that make the development team and its representatives less than excited about communicating anything to the player base. It's "damned if you do and damned if you don't" - if you have concerns, I understand - just try to take the announcement in the spirit in which it was undoubtedly intended: information for us to have BEFORE the event.

What if they hadn't told us there was any possibility of servers being locked if they reached whatever threshhold has been determined? What if they'd simply locked the servers and when you tried to log in on Friday night you were greeted with grayed out servers? Some of you would be here screaming bloody murder why is my server down! And then, when told "Oh, we locked it because it reached a pre-determined threshhold" these same people would be screaming "You never TOLD us you would be doing that!! You have no right!"

By announcing this ahead of time, IF the situation occurs, you'll know WHY the servers are greyed out and to keep checking.

I do wish they would put a queuing system in place now that they have the means to lock servers, as it does seem more fair to me that those who MIGHT get locked out get to access the servers in the order in which they got in line once they become available again. I really hate when I'm 5th in a line of 8 in a grocery store and another lane opens, taking the people who got in line behind me and checking them out before me....

As for those of you who plan to AFK in missions until you are really ready to play - well, I can only observe that it must often be very difficult to be so much more important than everyone else...

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I agree with everythng said here. The Devs are consistently called upon by the formites to share information big or small about what's happening in the game and then Lighthouse lose's a hand for it.

All these dead horses being beaten into oblivion needs there own merry-go-round.

Can you ToT in the RWZ?

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I got on virtue around noon the other day and it was 3 bubbled red and barely connected after 3 attempts. I honestly think Cryptic hasn't improved their servers at all since launch of CoH...they obviously have trouble handling even 2-3000 simultaneous players on a server....whereas at one time I remember them saying the servers should run fine with 4+ thousand on at one time. Not to mention that a year or two ago they altered the method for determining the color code of activity level for servers. They reduced the numbers required to show a server as being in the yellow and red for usage because there were fewer players...

We see the same issues whenever there's a new issue or an account free-weekend or a double xp weekend. The servers get swamped. There's tons of lag, tons of login problems and no explanation as to why in 3 years of seeing these problems they seemingly haven't upgraded their servers to be able to adequately handle more players on at one time. The technology has improved but they haven't invested the money into getting it apparently.

And it's not like it takes a genius to know when it's gonna happen...new issue, free-weekend, double xp weekend...sigh


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I humbly ask how you know that they have not invested in new technology? What proof do you offer to support your opinion?

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Yes, the connection problems were miserable, but to all of you who couldn't log on, you didn't miss much.
I was on all weekend, Heroside and Villainside, all manner of AT's all kind of levels, Sg or no, several servers. You'd think it would be easy to find a team during an event like this. Still, no invites, no one LFT. The few teams I did get were hopeless. Special thanks to the lvl 9 turd who begged his way on to our lvl 40+ duo and zeroed my xp.
This was seriously pathetic. The amount of time I spent waiting for people to get organized just so I could earn little or no XP was horrible.
If this is the best our player base can manage on an event that I have never seen the like of on any other MMO, then this is going in the tank fast.

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I'm sorry that your play experience was so poor. I was fortunate to have teamed with some great duos and pick-up groups. I was having to beat invites off like flies myself. From Friday till now I was able to play on and off and level my fire/ice blaster from level 9 to 21. I had no isssues beyond some rubberbanding every once in a while. I enjoyed myself thouroghly.

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Yep if only the servers could handle the load. Justice just crashed. double xp would be great if the servers could handle the extra load but appearantly they cant.


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Beyond the argument that the servers are oudated and weak technology, I hope this puts to rest the argument of merging servers together as we would surely have this problem on just normal prime hours

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*Trying to Stay Positive Here* Im disappointed to hear about the subject matter of i10's Content. Don't the Ritki already have an Entire Zone ?? (Ritki Crash Site) It sounds like there will be new mishes & other new game content where Ritki are concerned, but was expecting new player content in maybe a lil different way. (Post 50 levels or something else rather super)
The team did SO WELL With i9 on giving players new content of actual value. Was just looking forward to keeping it rolling.

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I have to mirror Dadzillas feelings here. Issue 10 , 3+ years of Heroes , 1 1/2 years of Villains . . .

And this sounds like Rikti Invasion redux.

I already have a level 50 , I would have loved to see 50+ content. Especially for the release of Issue 10.

This is how I saw it going down:

First of all, more than a few months between Issues, let the anticipation swell a bit before throwing the sharks more chum.
Next, hint on the forum boards at a release of an issue with a new map - not a reopening of an old one with new content. The smell of blood is in the water.
Now you reveal screenshots of maps in zones nobody has ever seen before in either Heroes of Villains with mobs noone has ever fought - not just new guns.
The sharks are cirlcing.
Finally you open the test server to the new Issue 10 with level 50 - 60 content for both Heroes and Villains working together in new zones on . . .


THE RIKTI HOME WORLD ! ! ! ! !

That is worthy of an Issue 10 Release. I was so looking forward to that. Oh well , guess it is back to collecting badges.

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I believe if your not happy your free to do something else. Developement team are out of magic wands to produce new content every 2 weeks.

I'm not sure where your getting the 60 level cap from either... It's been pretty much put in stone that a level 50 hard cap is not changeing. Wont say ever but I'm sure it won't be any time soon.

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They gotta add some more SFs for villians! We need a SF for lvls 30 to 35 and 40 to 45.

I love doing the TFs/SFs and that fact that villians have only 5 total while heroes have what 10+? Time for villians to get some love!

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I would happily hand over Positron to you at no cost...

O_o... "Partial" information released on I10 and the usual suspects come out of the wood work. Where's my... What about... I want and so forth. Regardless of the workings of I10 in that it may or may not be introducing new technology, they are giving us new stories. Not only Dev created but player created also.

Hero: Dude, for a Lord recluse boot licking and stealing candy from a baby villain you did an awesome job of takeing out that Rikti ship!

Villain: Why thank you, for an overgrown boyscout I found you semi tolerable and may team with you again to enslave or.... (cough...cough..) I err mean defeat our enemies. Now give me your wallet...

We do not ever know what these crazy guys and gals are working on at any moment in time so second guessing and asking what, where, when, why and why not at this juncture doesn't do anyone any favors at this point..

I'm sure they will string out the information as we go along as they always do. It keeps the player base interested and abuzz, create's hype and excitement and hopefully may even bring the most jadded who have left back into the CO* fold. The only thorn is if they mistep they end causing a feeding frenzy. Hopefully this wont be the case.

I for one pee'd just a little in my excitement at this small bit of information.

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Every weekend should be double XP; rather, the XP we earn during double XP should be the norm. It just takes way too long the other way.

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Yea... And while your at it i want level 50 on completeing the tutorial, and all veteran rewards even though I havent earned them and...and...and... sheesh.

This is a perk. Not meant to be a game mechanic. As said a million times before, this game is about the journey and not the destination.

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Well, the devs never answered, satisfying me that they no longer really care about the PvP game or in catering to their customers. They’ve moved on to creating an elaborate “loot” system without fixing obvious bugs in their arenas and sundry balance issues. We can only hope they’ll learn and improve with their Marvel game. I’ll come back to give that a try.

I suppose what remains is to briefly discuss what the team did right and wrong.

The greatest thing the devs accomplished is to design a game that teaches teamwork. A tanker, blaster, defender or controller can only progress very slowly alone. Together they are a force to be reckoned with, each fulfilling a vital role in keeping the others alive. Even the scrapper, good at working alone, can have an exciting role in the team. On the villain side they were less successful. Stalkers and dominators combine in exciting ways, corruptors combine with everyone. But the Mastermind adds so much clutter that many teams refuse to work with them, forcing brutes to “tank.” Still, the archetype system and the resulting teamwork is the crown jewel of their game design success. This design made CoH a valuable experience.

In the PvP game, teamwork is also essential due to the power of the stalker. Even a scrapper cannot do well against a pair of stalkers, and individual controllers or defenders are as victims walking alone in a horror movie. Only together can they hope to survive this horrific threat. I for one enjoyed fighting these villains and only wish the other villain classes offered such a challenge.

The devs designed an immersive, elaborate city (and island chain) with an interesting storyline.

As to what they failed to do, it falls under two categories: immersion and game design.

The game reminds its players that it –is- a game all too often, and violates rules both of the superhero genre and of reality. We are asked to believe that we’re heroes arresting criminals, and we’re allowed to do so with – battleaxes!? Surely many powersets are more appropriate to villains than to heroes.

The PvE game depends entirely too much upon taking advantage of the AI’s stupidities. One may stand in plain view of an enemy for as long as you please and they don’t “see” you until someone enters their pre-programmed radius or attacks. One of their own can run past –on fire!- and they will not notice. Fine for Vahzilok zombies but not for the hyper-elite Malta. Patrols were a step in the right direction.

Tankers as a class are immersion-breaking. The Gauntlet power added to them works for me, but this “taunting” mechanism is a relic from older, cruder MMOs. Neither Captain Marvel nor The Thing send out mind-control rays that make people attack them. Indeed the "taunters" are... Spider-Man and Robin?!

“Conning” is a relic. Does it make sense that past a certain level the enemies simply ignore you? They should always either attack or flee.

Many, many powers are broken and little used: Maneuvers, Group Flight, scrapper and pool taunts, Jump Kick, the redraw factor in pool melee attacks, War Mace, the entire Dominator AT. Other powers outclass their competing options: Energy Melee, Regeneration, Radiation Emission. The devs have fixed some problems such as Super Reflexes and Fire Manipulation but their progress has been glacially slow.

Sadly, the heroes outperform the villains in PvP. Brute “rage” is broken. Dominators are defenseless. Corruptors lack the power of the APP. Masterminds spend two minutes resummoning for three seconds in combat.

..which brings me back to the problem I brought up at the start of this thread, the developers’ failure to engage in “Iterative Game Design.” They have not adapted the game rapidly and decisively in response to game performance and player feedback.

And now it seems they cannot be bothered even to respond to the question. I’d give this “invention system” a chance if they’d replied. You win the wager, Kitten.

It’s been fun.

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Not a PVP'r by any standard, but a few observations since reading the entire post...

1)The coming of PVP in issue 3 (or 4, can't remember) has caused the problems the PVP crowd is claiming that is wrong with the PVP experience...

2)It's been stated in the past that the actual numbers of players that post in these forums is in the very low percentages. The actual feelings and concerns posted on the forums is not a true representation of the entire subscribed player base...

3)I have not read where you sent a developer a PM with your concerns or did I miss that. Calling out devs is not good form either.

4)Can I have your stuff?

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amen!!!

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Well, the devs never answered, satisfying me that they no longer really care about the PvP game or in catering to their customers. They’ve moved on to creating an elaborate “loot” system without fixing obvious bugs in their arenas and sundry balance issues. We can only hope they’ll learn and improve with their Marvel game. I’ll come back to give that a try.

I suppose what remains is to briefly discuss what the team did right and wrong.

The greatest thing the devs accomplished is to design a game that teaches teamwork. A tanker, blaster, defender or controller can only progress very slowly alone. Together they are a force to be reckoned with, each fulfilling a vital role in keeping the others alive. Even the scrapper, good at working alone, can have an exciting role in the team. On the villain side they were less successful. Stalkers and dominators combine in exciting ways, corruptors combine with everyone. But the Mastermind adds so much clutter that many teams refuse to work with them, forcing brutes to “tank.” Still, the archetype system and the resulting teamwork is the crown jewel of their game design success. This design made CoH a valuable experience.

In the PvP game, teamwork is also essential due to the power of the stalker. Even a scrapper cannot do well against a pair of stalkers, and individual controllers or defenders are as victims walking alone in a horror movie. Only together can they hope to survive this horrific threat. I for one enjoyed fighting these villains and only wish the other villain classes offered such a challenge.

The devs designed an immersive, elaborate city (and island chain) with an interesting storyline.

As to what they failed to do, it falls under two categories: immersion and game design.

The game reminds its players that it –is- a game all too often, and violates rules both of the superhero genre and of reality. We are asked to believe that we’re heroes arresting criminals, and we’re allowed to do so with – battleaxes!? Surely many powersets are more appropriate to villains than to heroes.

The PvE game depends entirely too much upon taking advantage of the AI’s stupidities. One may stand in plain view of an enemy for as long as you please and they don’t “see” you until someone enters their pre-programmed radius or attacks. One of their own can run past –on fire!- and they will not notice. Fine for Vahzilok zombies but not for the hyper-elite Malta. Patrols were a step in the right direction.

Tankers as a class are immersion-breaking. The Gauntlet power added to them works for me, but this “taunting” mechanism is a relic from older, cruder MMOs. Neither Captain Marvel nor The Thing send out mind-control rays that make people attack them. Indeed the "taunters" are... Spider-Man and Robin?!

“Conning” is a relic. Does it make sense that past a certain level the enemies simply ignore you? They should always either attack or flee.

Many, many powers are broken and little used: Maneuvers, Group Flight, scrapper and pool taunts, Jump Kick, the redraw factor in pool melee attacks, War Mace, the entire Dominator AT. Other powers outclass their competing options: Energy Melee, Regeneration, Radiation Emission. The devs have fixed some problems such as Super Reflexes and Fire Manipulation but their progress has been glacially slow.

Sadly, the heroes outperform the villains in PvP. Brute “rage” is broken. Dominators are defenseless. Corruptors lack the power of the APP. Masterminds spend two minutes resummoning for three seconds in combat.

..which brings me back to the problem I brought up at the start of this thread, the developers’ failure to engage in “Iterative Game Design.” They have not adapted the game rapidly and decisively in response to game performance and player feedback.

And now it seems they cannot be bothered even to respond to the question. I’d give this “invention system” a chance if they’d replied. You win the wager, Kitten.

It’s been fun.

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Not a PVP'r by any standard, but a few observations since reading the entire post...

1)The coming of PVP in issue 3 (or 4, can't remember) has caused the problems the PVP crowd is claiming that is wrong with the PVP experience...

2)It's been stated in the past that the actual numbers of players that post in these forums is in the very low percentages. The actual feelings and concerns posted on the forums is not a true representation of the entire subscribed player base...

3)I have not read where you sent a developer a PM with your concerns or did I miss that. Calling out devs is not good form either.

4)Can I have your stuff?

Wonderful

Well maybe instead of listing powers the OP thinks are the !!!SUXOR1!1!, he could have listed these powers with a brief guide to what each one does with maybe the best time to use during solo and team. Just telling a "newbie" this power sucks, dont take it with no backing info does not a guide make. I also agree this is probably the wrong place to be posting this info.

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I didn't suggest that, and no one else here suggested that, that I know of. I'm actually against that idea myself. I think having stamina as a selectable power is a good idea, I just think 2 prereqs is a bit much.

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I never said that anyone here suggested that the fitness pool be taken away and be automatically rewarded at levels. I was alluding to post in the past.....Sheesh.

There are a lot of players who for role-playing, concept or just for the heck of it may not take a pure travel power and instead take swift and hurdle. I have two natural characters I play around with that I have done this with. Because of concept I am not looking to add either health or stamina to the mix. I just wanted an alternative to the big four. As has been said before, this getting rid of the health pool and making it as part as a leveling reward has been suggested since I3. If it has not happened by now I'm pretty sure it's not going to.