Fire_Away
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Posts
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Joined
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This last Player Summit was the best one ever for me and the better half because of the player interaction. Calline Sunshine (who is an absolute dear) has already nailed much of it above. Special thank you also to Clockwork01 for rigging the door prizes so that our table cleaned up with four of them. Turns out that was just the beginning of the fun.
Somehow (I suspect Rangle gave a bribe to Texas Justice but cannot verify), we got an invite to Sunday breakfast at Holders. That turned out to be a who's who of some of the players I respect most associated with this game (Impish Kat, TJ, Samuraiko, Hyperstrike, Redlynne, TonyV) and several new friends too. I got to sit at the adult table without a bib and only had water knocked all over me by the waiter once (very refreshing). Apologies to Hyperstrike who drew the short straw and had to babysit us noobs in this gaggle of CoH heavy hitters.
Oh yeah there were panels and stuff too but I was forced to sign an NDA on the way out on my knowledge of how radiation armor made it to the drawing board as a new powerset.
Sorry for not having much to say of value in the way of constructive criticism about the event. It was just too good of a time because of my fellow players. -
Ok I think I've got it. They have added tons of new content in eight years, learned a ton in the process and have a ton of plans for the future. Sounds pretty heavy
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Quote:I very much appreciate the feedback (even if it's not the answer I was hoping for).Originally Posted by Zwillinger
At this point, with the myriad other QOL and game improvements our Engineers are working on, and the amount of work it would take, I'd say it would rest relatively low on the priority scale.
Is it possible? Sure, all things are, within reason. Is it probable in the immediate future. Most likely not.
It does seem like we are in a vicious cycle though. Players ask, GMs say no, GMs refer players to forum, players ask on forums, development says not now. Wash rinse and repeat. Do I have it about right? -
Quote:Hard to argue against any of this (other than say the $20 figure versus say limiting the number of times you can change... but I understand what you were suggesting with that part and why). At the very least, the GMs should immediately change the pointing people to the forum as a "solution" to these requests... it does seem very disingenuous.Originally Posted by Lothic
SG renames -should- be handled as purchasable tokens (just like character renames) that cost say $20 (just so no one will abuse them by using them too often) with the added rule that they can only be used by characters who are currently the "Red Star" superleaders of a SG. What was the point of creating the whole superleader SG rank if it wasn't to create single points of contact to handle things exactly like this?
I'm not saying what I suggested above would be trivial for our Devs to implement. But they've now had -years- to come up with a solution equivalent to this. How long should something like this actually take to figure out?
Quick comment on the abuse issue. Being an optimist, I've always subscribed to the "greater good" positive side over the "one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch" idea. But that is just me. -
Certainly comic culture supports the notion of personal living space and supergroup affiliation. Unfortunately, this game does not (that is, not without RPing mutiple versions of the same character... which to my mind is rather odd but is nevertheless done). I suspect the reasons for not doing this are because of the fragile nature of the base code, which was mentioned, and the server impacts associated with giving "everyone" what amounts to their own "base".
I keep wishing, hoping, and supporting something closer to the ideal (both more meaningful reasons to belong to a supergroup in the first place and for personal living space). What I've heard back every single time is how difficult this is to do practically given what we have for bases. -
"Some people get their kicks stompin on a dream" - The Chairman of the Board
"I learned long ago, never wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it" - George Bernard Shaw
Quote:No but it's a good point. Last I heard, the split was like 80% to 20% blue over red. But that was before Praetoria. What do you figure Praetoria is.. not incarnate trials... Praetoria... (and... wait a minute... where is the next new zone)? Where are the cries that people are "avoiding the redside and Praetoria like the plague" and it's past time to stomp them out? How about AE? How about hardcore marketeers? How about any other niche? Your strategy appears to be to find reasons on how bad something is so you can pretty much reject good ideas out of hand. Ok if that makes you feel better.Originally Posted by Forbin_Project
ROFL! What next? Are you going to argue that redside has more players than Blueside?
It's pretty simple... if you want the business you grow the business. People are going to do what they perceive as fun (and to a lesser extent for rewards). Base raids were an absolute mess in terms of both logistics and mechanics. But you know what? They were still an absolute hoot to do for me and to others. Best times in my seven year CoH gameplay. There are lots of lair raid based games out there that do just fine (pvp and pve). This one could too. It's a flat out shame that the devs could not grow the business with base raids. If a PvE attack/defend system can somehow provide half the fun value long term as base raids did for a very short time it would be a success... at least as much of a success as what some of the other niche communities have enjoyed with what we have received lately. -
Quote:Where do you get your data (or do you just enjoy making percentages up)? During the last player summit, the devs asked for a show of hands of ppl who would pvp if it were fixed. I assure you the percentange of ppl who sat on their hands was not 75%-90%. For the brief time they were around, Base raids were a heck of lot more popular than say Praetoria or AE buildings are today I'd wager and both of those things had to built from the ground up. The failure of the things you mention are dev design failures more so than player avoidance. It does work elsewhere and used to work here. But this is off topic for the sugguestion at hand (an NPC based attack/defend system). Have I heard all your best arguments about that?Originally Posted by Forbin_Project
I've playing City of Heroes for roughly 8 years straight, the game where 75-90% of the player base avoids PvP, the Arena, and Base Raids like the plague.
Now you may have been friends with a handful of people that liked base raids but don't come here trying to pretend it was even remotely popular with the overall player base. -
Quote:Not necessarily true at all. Granted it would probably take a lot of work (and a different dev attitude toward bases) but...it could be an added and optional feature to existing bases. Some of this is probably already done with old raid software (hey I can wildly speculate on the code in a positive way as much as you can in a negative way).Originally Posted by Forbin_Project
If the devs were ever going to consider something like this the only way they could do it would be by completely tearing out the current base feature and building a new one from scratch with this designed into it from the get go.
No big deal. Either don't harm anything in a base to start with or automagically restore everything harmed as OP suggests.Quote:They would also have to find a way to insure the players with current bases don't lose anything they currently have in their bases along with compensating them for anything earned/lost under the current base feature.
A big "so what" here on both accounts. Make this optional. Now you are just reaching for straws to throw up negativity. BTW, I'm not sure what game you were playing during the brief time raids were up but in City of Heroes there were plenty of people that got a kick out of doing those (in spite of, what at the time were, some very severe limits and problems). Maybe... just maybe an NPC base attack/defend system could be made to work.Quote:The OP's idea doesn't even take into consideration the fact that thousands of the existing bases are Solo SG's. Nor does the idea take into account how unpopular zone events are with the player base and how unhappy players will be when they can't use their bases because a raid is going on.
Ok make it optional.Quote:So in addition to the raids the devs would have to also add an option that allowed SG Leaders to opt out of the raids. -
I like the idea. It would take a complete one hundred and eighty degree change in dev mindset to implement (bases are classified as "legacy code" and they want to only "tread very carefully"). But I can see the fun in it.
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Quote:Welcome to the forum. The good news is you can get an inherited SG name changed. I've done it. The bad news is they will currently only do this is if the name is deemed "inappropriate" or a violation of the Rules of Conduct. In my case, I got lucky because the old name was a copyright violation.. but it took an appeal to a senior GM through the support "ask a question" system. You can try to do the same thing on the basis that the name is "offensive". Even if they turn you down, you will have a written record of what happened and why.Originally Posted by gwilson847
How about changing SG names? I understand name changes are possible if the SG name is offensive. I inherited the leadership of this SG and was offended when I joined by the name and since I've been in the potential members have declined because of the name. Since I am offended and others are too, why can't we change SG name?
If COH wanted to maintain and possible grow its customer base little services like this would help.
Please don't shoot the messenger here but I've heard this is not a trivial thing to do programming-wise and that is the reason this isn't offered as a service. That could change in the future; especially now that we have the Paragon Market and people can possibly spend points to do this. I'm sure that would help ease the pain of the overhead.
As far as supergroup perks go, count me in for anything that makes sense and makes supergroups more fun and functional for everyone. IMHO such things are long overdue.
Nice to see the interest in these matters. -
Quote:Frustrated CoH base guy since the demise of raids. This sounds greatOriginally Posted by Arcanaville
I have a solution for that which simultaneously draws interest to the new game without permanently stealing players from this game.
They should make a superhero-themed MMO version of dungeon keeper. Players design supervillain lairs and superhero fortresses and then the NPC heroes and villains try to attack them and bring them down.
And then they take the best of those and add them to City of Heroes. And then they datamine the players with the best performance running those missions and add them as boss critters in the other game.
The better the new game does, the better this game gets.
I'm not entirely joking.
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Quote:Wonder what the big reveal at the next summit will be now.Originally Posted by Zombie Man
And *another* web leak!
If Seattle was smart, they'd fake a gas leak tomorrow and not answer the phone.
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Quote:It's a shame these kinds of statements aren't flat out banned as trolling. They are that argumentative. Setting yourself up as a player as the arbiter of dev action (especially of future action) is inappropriate. I've known of too many cases were players have said on the record that things would "never" happen and yet they occurred. Also, I know that there is a dev sensitivity to the number and breath of players that ask for a particular feature. It has influenced change in the past (there are devs that actually count how many times something comes up in the forum as a means to determine popularity).Originally Posted by Forbin_Project
You can keep asking for it all you like, it won't change the devs minds.
You may end up correct. This particular issue may not change for a long time (even forever). This is still a condescending statement... and nothing more. -
Quote:The marketing guy pointing the finger at legal. Good strategy BP. I always just blamed you.Originally Posted by Black Pebble
The Cosplay policy hurts Paragon employees the most. Because its our IP, legal insists that we adhere to it fully. It's okay for folks like Dr. Aeon, who can get by with a tube of hair gel and shades, but poor Black Scorpion needs to staple that cybernetic tail onto his back every morning. And have you guys tried coding with bionic claws? There are no thumbs! He still can't figure out how to use the shift key.
Even if the costume is just spandex, the RP requirements are brutal. Every time we work on a trailer, Synapse has to agree to get beat up for random cut scenes.
This is why our medical premiums keep going up every year. -
I'm not one to throw stones (if I was, I'd want to be one of those guys at TPN; they are killers ). Truth is, I'm a terrible typist, a below average speller and a very poor proofreader. But if I read the Z-man [edit: Zwillinger not Zombie Man] correctly, there is a (significant) level of effort, consistent with existing priorities, going into this type of editing already. So we players are supposed to do what we have been doing (if we want) and they are going to do the same (what they have been doing... if they want). I don't see much prospect of change under those groundrules. So I am not going to go into "compile a huge list of mistakes mode". Should anyone under these circumstances?
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I'm not smart enough to properly evaluate such an idea (and it's not my nature to put down ideas anyway because something good could can come out of them). Somebody like War Witch is smart enough and I'd suggest you give a pm to her a shot and see if you get a response.
Off the top of my head, I shudder to think what the impact to the servers would be if every basebuilder could essentially create their own City of Heroes environment (or even one part of one zone of an environment). Also, I'm picturing in my mind how an announcement like this would go over: "We at Paragon Studios have decided to think big! We are going to suspend all ongoing programing efforts while we build a new map editor. But don't worry, when we are done it'll be used by us internally and the AE and basebuilding communities." I suspect NCSoft corporate... and much of the player community would not respond with a standing ovation.
But that is just me. -
Quote:Sorry you went through such a ringer in game and here. Unfortunately, innocent comments sometimes unleash the fury of the self appointed keepers of dev dogma (and their opponents). The good news is not everyone is like that... and dogma can change if enough players can make a convincing argument. Looks like something positive resulted afterall. Keep your chin up and have fun.Originally Posted by Tutelary
tldr; people are reading way too much into the suggestion. It is simply informing PS what I'm willing to pay for as a Premium player.
Believe me, I've tried broadcasting, sending tells, etc for hours. I found one person, didn't expect them to stay in the SG but they did but now he hasn't shown up for a couple months and is on hide. I know this because I saw him in one of my global channels yet not on global friends list. We barely talked so either he decided he didn't want to pay base upkeep anymore or just doesn't care. Anyways, it is not as easy as some make it out to be.
The reason I never posted on the forums was that I wasn't sure PS wanted me saying "hey, would someone mind paying my upkeep on my existing base?" I feel like I am asking to help avoid the $15/month, which I am. I'm just not interested in Incarnates or the other freebies enough to pay the monthly fee and there is something about the appeal of buying once and having permanent access. But I would be willing to pay a smaller monthly license fee like AE and Inventions.
Since many thought this game would never go f2p and have a cash shop, I will keep asking from time to time for microtransactions more suited to me. I may eventually shell out for the extra storage for characters but right now, I can't justify what I consider exorbitant prices. I like bases and they are fun, but not $15 fun. You may consider that nothing but I enjoy the free play even though I shelled out $65 in points since Freedom started. Yes, I could have bought a few months play but I doubt there is a way I could make anyone in this thread understand my choices.
I'm not trying to argue or rally against others wishes which is what it feels like when reading the reply of some very vocal forumites. If others like to make snarky comments or imply I'm stupid in some way, can't ask for help, etc and the message gets lost then there is not much I can do about it except to continue letting a business know where I will open my wallet from time to time. I appreciate the VIP value argument as well but hopefully it clarifies where I'm coming from. I don't see this so much as a subscription game anymore.
Thanks for the reply and helpful info, Texas Justice. I'm assuming the place to post the request is in Player Help since I do not have access to the server forums?
And thanks Obsidian Light, I did send you a tell.
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Quote:So this datamining of player IO storage levels the devs supposedly did IN ADVANCE (per your post) to establish these ridiculous low levels is being circumvented by players anyway through the rise of solo bases. Got it. I agree on the second part. Sounds to me like the devs' logic behind this "cure" has resulted in nothing more than a larger "disease" (the growth of solo bases and the end of bases as a means for group content). It's typical of dev base related pretzel logic... no matter how you try to explain it. [edit add: If you want to talk about real datamining: I really don't get how the players doing all these "games" with solo bases, the personal vault, etc. like mentioned above isn't some kind of flag that their basic premises (more salvage storage bad, recipe storage bad) are totally off base (or at least easily circumvented) in the first place.].Originally Posted by Forbin_Project
Given the chance players hoard as much as possible. We are willing to jump thru hoops to increase our hoarding potential by creating multiple accounts in order to create solo storage bases for salvage. The devs can see how many solo SG's have been made, how many bins are in them, how much stuff is in each bin, and probably how long the stuff has been in the bins.
So yes it is the same thing. -
Quote:Yay 4ft Fury! I had the honor of sitting at your table for dinner at the last player summit (you seemed tallerOriginally Posted by 4ft. fury
My first red name post! Huzzah!
I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself. You can all call me The 4ft Fury. I've been a part of the COH environment team for a little over two years now helping out on environments such as the Victorian mansion interior/exterior as well as the Atlas Park and Dark Astoria revamps. I had the pleasure of meeting some of you during the player summit and look forward to interacting via the forums as well.
Anyway, I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who is choosing to participate in this contest! Were seeing some great submissions so far and I know I cant want to see what other fantastic things you guys come up with. Good luck, get creative, and more importantly have fun! ). Hopefully, in late April you can be with some ppl that win a door prize. Anyway, welcome to the forum and keep up the great work (love the mansion, AP, and DA revamps).
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Quote:Good info. Thank you sir. Yeah I jumped to the end. Obviously I didn't know that the four missions sent Max to inactive. Now instead of a cool to be continued feature I'm wondering if the guy is gonna stay on my active list with a partially filled bar "forever".Originally Posted by Texas Justice
If you run all three of the optional missions and the final mission then Max's bar fills and he disappears from your Active Contact list.
He only stays in your Active Contact list with an unfilled bar if you skip one or more of the optional missions.
Unfortunately, it looks as if they tied moving him to the Inactive Contacts list to having completed all four of his missions. Even on a character that has complete all four missions and is showing him on the Inactive Contact list the bar is still looking like it's about 1/3 to 2/5 of the way filled.
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I wonder out loud if good old Max is to be the first "to be continued" type of contact in a future issue (with a subsequent arc award). He remains in the active contact list... even though he d/c'ed his phone. Maybe, it's not over yet.
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Quote:Ah, the decorator's call for the non functional... got to love it. At least you guys are consistent. No offense and you are certainly entitled to your view. I just think we need to head in the opposite direction. In this case, I think the OP's main point was:Originally Posted by Kierthos
Honestly, I'd love to see non-functional (decorative) versions of things like the Robo-Surgery/Spirit Signal added too. I'm a one-account Super-group (my main and several of my alts), and I'm not likely to earn them on my own, but I want them just for the looks anyway....
Specfically, wrt to the Auto Doc, though he/she did not say it, my take was the desire for a functional upgrade that distributed all the inspirations to everyone in a supergroup [edit add: Actually, I think making it a give/sell off type item is more correct.].Quote:WHY? A good question. To me it seems like Bases no longer have any real value... short of a few Hazard Zone via teleport room. Base Raids have seem to take a dive ever since PvP zones and the loss of Items of Power. The only ones really gaining any kind of fun factor are the few ppl that have access to actually build the base with.
I'm for anything that makes bases more fun and functional for everyone. That seems to be the real direction the OP was headed. -
Quote:I guess... if you mean that datamining of the now defunct base salvage hoarding led to the current restrictions on invention salvage in a base. That's really not the same thing as the kind of analysis you imply (of IO crafting/market action etc.). IO salvage levels started out lousy and never changed.Originally Posted by Forbin_Project
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the habit on an individual scale, but the devs were able to do datamining and see how much was going on in the entire game. They saw how much was sitting idle never being used, not being sold on the market, not being crafted into enhancements, just collecting digital dust, and decided that SG salvage storage needed to be cut back as a result.
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Quote:Now that is what I call hitting the nail right on the head.Originally Posted by Impish Kat
It's a problem for Supergroups.
Which is what these sub-forums focus on.
The Devs have consistently said that Supergroups and bases are supposed to be group content.
Yet they do things that undercut the functionality of said group content. Then they wonder why everyone is making solo SG's.
What's the design goal for the Supergroup content?
Is it a success when something meets one goal, but creates a problem elsewhere?
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Welcome to the game. You are exactly the kind of player I feel for the most when it comes to supergroup issues. All I can say is the devs have a long history of being very much opposed to increased storage... but some of us still try to change their minds.Quote:I'm a new player, and having more than 2-3 players in a supergroup rapidly decreases how useful it is. -
Quote:Speaking of clones, I like what happens to get the Army of Me badge. Click the glowie, pick your difficulty. Would more of that work? I'll throw it out there for consideration.Originally Posted by Golden Girl
Isn't that what your clones are for?