Flaming1

I've heard that, too.

I've heard that about you.

OSNAP.

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Im sick of making New toons everytime I reach 50 because there is nothing more to do.

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Anyway my point is what is "Boring gameplay" to you doesnt always mean its boring to us.

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Quoted for non-irony.

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You know what you guys are right. This place would be much better off without all the conspiracy theorists around. I mean, if the devs say that Regen scrappers can plow through a dozen +8 bosses it must be true, right?

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Hyperbole.

What you imply, and what I take issue with, is that the Devs having borked that test means that they're also wrong about Defiance, Phase Shift, and retroactively, Purple Patch.

Do you see what I'm getting at here?

Take each instance as you see them. You're free to choose to see patterns or not. Some of them may actually even be there. However to forgo direct evidence is one thing. As far as the Dev/Playerbase relationship is concerned, to reject the principle of good faith from either party, frankly, forestalls any further communication.

If you're not capable of taking them on good faith, then the word for that is "grudge".

Your agenda was made clear long ago, we get it.

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So if your going to accuse the man of lying, please be prepared to back up your statements with fact instead of conjecture.

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I've said it elsewhere, the problem with conspiracy theory is that you can't ever disprove it.

Even if God Above Himself carved out The Truth in stone, a true tinfoil hatter would still easily dismiss it as part of the conspiracy.

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Are you an actuary?

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No, but I play one on Tee Vee.

Actually, I'm in Research Science. Data, statistical analysis of the data, followed by interpretive analysis of the data can be one of those keep-you-up-at-night things if you're not careful.

To further comment, with only a handful of exceptions, every player that I know has at least one L50. But then, the community and friends I've built up over the past year+ of playing kind of weeds out most all of the players who are just starting, or don't yet have a L50.

What I'm saying is that there are likely other layers of data that substantially alter the interpretation of the data, depending on which ones you take into the account. Only Cryptic and NCSoft have those numbers.

On a tangential note, numbers have a pesky way of playing perceptual tricks. It's not the numbers themselves; it's the temptation to interpret numbers as hard-and-fast. It's easy to forget that numbers are simply abstract representations with which we communicate ideas and relationships. As important as they are, the numbers themselves cannot be any more important than what the numbers mean.

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Just doesn't jive with logic.

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No, it just doesn't jive with your experience.

Not all CoH players play as much as you do, some more so, apparently, most, less.

A substantial portion of the MMO market is given to players who hop between games. A little bit of WoW, a little bit of EQ, a little bit of CoH. Some of those players even choose to keep accounts open, despite not playing them.

Also remember that the statistic itself doesn't communicate important qualifiers.

Those numbers may include the number of total accounts may include inactive, or partially active accounts. It may also be further obscured by players with multiple accounts.

Also consider that your personal sample size may be self-selecting. That is, you have a L50, you play with other players with L50s. It may be less likely that you play with players with only lower level toons or players who log in very infrequently.

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WoW has shown that an MMO *can* get a userbase in the millions.

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Just want to pop in and say that it was actually Lineage that proved it, which is produced by NCSoft. www.mmogchart.com shows it pretty clearly that 2 NCSoft games(Lineage and Lineage 2) had a userbase of over a million before WoW was even on the market.

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The author of MMOGChart explicitly states, as have other sources, that publisher-reported subscriber statistics are less reliable in the Asian market, due to complicated pricing structures and the popularity of bulk account purchases for Internet gaming houses popular throughout Asia.

The Lineage games appear to be the biggest benefactor of such reporting, and WoW to a lesser extent.

EDIT: Why do I find myself continually parroting this point? Either people fail to read the rather important qualifiers on the MMOGChart notes, or deliberately choose to ignore them in order to make a point.

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He said they would do that when they could. He never said that's all they would do.

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Well, tinfoil-hat theory doesn't allow for that particular factoid.

The blame-PvP camp has become sufficiently entrenched that no amount of evidence or official statements will be sufficient to disprove.

It's the logical problem with conspiracy theory -- evidence to the contrary is just a manipulation of the conspiracy.

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My fellow Heroes, I am here to bid you all a fond farewell.

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<3

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Uhhm, have you noticed that the customization of your hero is feature that CoH has gotten a lot of praise for. Building your own base is just as meaningfull as running to Icon and changing your costume.

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Forced grouping over an issue of vanity, then?

I won't dispute the point that character customization is a strong point of CoH, relative to other MMOs. Frankly, I don't see player housing (which your suggestion essentially is) has much of any game mechanic purpose in the game, if not for the purpose of base raiding.

Is base raiding the only thing to do in a base? No. But then, I rather doubt that Atlas Park City Hall was designed to optimally maximize the efficacy of boomboxing.

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It is fun to build / design something for your own. I think there are many (including SG:s) that wants to build a base but never wants to take part in any raiding or PvP.

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Considering the reportedly purely consensual design of base raiding, I don't doubt that there are plenty of players/SGs who have very little intention of raiding. My point being that such alternative uses are a happy byproduct of the design of the fundamental game mechanic.

Design a lamp for people who are going to use it as a lamp, not for people who are going to use it as a coatrack or a doorstop.

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Base building is a BIG part of CoV (and I6 for CoH+CoV). Hamidon TF:s and such are just small events in the game.

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Assuming you're not violating NDA, I don't see how you claim to have authoritative knowledge of the relative balance of PvP versus PvE content in CoV. Link?

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It is not forced grouping.

I know there are several solo SGs out there.

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Yes, but do you really think that solo SG will get enough prestige to finance a base???

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Hamidon forces grouping!

TF minimums force grouping!

Arch villains force grouping!

Forced grouping kills puppies!



Okay, the last point was a lie, but I hope the point comes across that we have plenty of examples of game content that is, by design, inaccessible to the devout soloer. The overwhelming majority of storyarcs should still be competable (if slowly) by just about any AT, given the patience and wherewithal to slog through.

It's also tautologic, so I'm not sure where the argument lies.

SG bases may require an SG with multiple members.

I suspect that there may be instances of individual player SGs able to build bases -- just exceptionally teeny ones, perhaps.

My question is this, why the interest in base raiding or having a base if a player isn't inclined to belong to an SG with other persons?

Isn't this a veiled demand for player housing, which is dubious at best, considering the near total lack of loot and items in this game?

Cue the Double Dragon clones!

Can I get an Amen?

Testify!

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Thanks for the Notes Butler! Some interesting stuff there, but like many of the other posters, I don't understand the hate towards the NPC shops. They serve a purpose and they work pretty well to me.

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<shrug>

Sounds vaguely like other comments States has made, most recently at GenCon -- where he's alluded to his belief that higher-end enhancements (read: SOs) are substantially more widely available than originally intended.

What really are the alternatives for players?

1) Increased dependence on drops
2) Increased trading -- anyone remember early Request?
3) Greater reliance on Contacts for enhancements, consistent with general trends towards encouraging storyarc- and mission-oriented play.

/em smelling salts

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...I'm in it for the Chicks.

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Thats your pickup line?

LiquidX: "Hey baby, I got 8000 posts all for you."

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It's better then my last one.

"Hey baby, do you like Italian? 'Cuz you've got Angel Hair!"

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/em rimshot

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I'd like that Nathan's Hotdog mobile. If that doesn't pick up girls, I don't know what does.

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<ears [censored] up>

Must...

Resist...

Urge...

...to DOO--

I can't!

1) Mild hallucinogens

2) A schizophrenic mp3 playlist

3) A complete lack of standards, morals or shame

4) Profit!

Ill-tempered?

Or perhaps served grilled over rice with a lovely dill beurre blanc?

AAACK!

Thread necromancy most foul!

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Fire blasters, what weaklings

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I appreciate your helpful, articulate response - and will amend the text accordingly.