Fritzy

Ok, the line maybe was long for the one in Allen, TX.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQowy...layer_embedded

I live close to both Frisco and Allen. Wait time was about 2.5 hours at lunch time. Don't really understand the rush to get there TODAY - it's not like they're going away anytime soon. Several mon and pop burger joints serving fresh in this area (i.e. Square Burger in McKinney) that are probably just as good - if not better.

The puzzle concept was only one of what could be many suggestions for mission concepts. Recently, I've been running GW(Factions;Nightfall) content and am very impressed with many of the challenges and most not involving mega bosses to be difficult. GW missions are more varied and challenging than most of the solo content in CoX and highly repeatable in a virtually lag free setting. When I take time out to do some CoX stuff, the difference between the two games becomes even more startling. I can barely stand to run the CoX stuff before becoming very bored with the content and irritated with the lag and long load times.

Imagine how much better and inclusive the CoX end game could have been if they had chosen to put their time, money and resources into content with depth and imagination rather than taking the easy way out and creating dozens of trials with nothing but increasingly less imaginative bosses and 20 minute situations to 'challenge' the players. Admit it, few players do these TF's repeatedly because they admire the content - most simply want the rewards and they are willing to put up with any old crap to get them.

I want an end game created with Elegance, Class and Style in it's progression to a phenomenal finale. What we are getting instead is a laggy patchwork of loosely related Trials and Tf's that yield substantial rewards but are not very memorable beyond that.

Oh, no, please don't 'reward' us for the downtime with another 4 days of Halloween.

Seriously, I baked 2 batches of lemon poppyseed muffins from a packaged mix that had been sitting on the kitchen for 2 weeks waiting for me to get off this lame game long enough to make them.

Since the Incarnate system is in its infancy and is still a long ways from being fully realized and I don't want to burn out on it so soon in its development, I've purposely delayed devoting much play time or thought to it. 2 of my 6 50's have opened and filled the alpha slot with one of those going to 50+1. I refuse to grind for shards but if any drop during the course of my normal play (TIPS only) with those 2 50's, so be it. This constitutes about 1/2 of my play time.

The other half is dedicated to the quite a few AT's and character concepts I want to try out and develop. The game for me must always stay fresh and interesting so not spending too much time on any one thing is essential to maintaining my motivation.

I like the idea.

What bothers me is that many posters seem to view soloable content as stuff for a 'niche market' and the team/trial/TF stuff as 'mainstream' content. Lest we forget, soloable content can be played by EVERYONE. The new Incarnate content will NOT be played by everyone, perhaps not even by the majority of paid subscribers. It's like the devs decided to build the penthouse before erecting the foundation. The more 50+ content that EVERYONE can do, the better the devs will be serving their whole loyal paid user base.

In case you missed the main point of my OP, I think something as important to the future of the game should be based on principles more profound than those relying on the RNG and Luck. Ramiel's Arc to open the Alpha Slot was a foundation that should be built upon instead of becoming an important but isolated mission.

In real life, I am the father of two grown kids and the proud grandfather of two wonderful children. I raised my kids with purpose and direction and they are succeed in life and the work place.

Imagine how those kids would have turned out if, at every important point in their life, I rolled the dice and solely allowed RNG processes to determine their fate. Progressing in the Incarnate System is no less important to this game than how the rearing of children is to their futures. We want those future Incarnates to be skilled, tested and proven worthy to claim the title and the huge reliance on RNG processes that is in place now is NOT the way to achieve that goal.

There is a place in every game for RNG to be used. The distribution of TIP missions is a fine example of appropriate use of RNG application. Dumping items as important to the lore as Incarnate Shards into the same distribution category as Common Salvage is not.

Incarnate System: an insult to skilled players

1. Using the RNG (Random Number Generator) to distribute Incarnate Shards puts them in the hands of undeserving players and can deny the shards to worthy players. Randomness should not be used to determine who obtains Incarnate boosts but should be rewarded to those who succesfully demonstrate mastery of their individual skills.

Individual players need to have their skills tested before being rewarded with something as important as an Incarnate Shard. Using the same type RNG system as is used to determine the pick of real world lottery and slot machine numbers is an insult to the Incarnate System and the Incarnate characters. Skill, not luck, should determine who becomes an Incarnate.


2. I am concerned about the lazy programming that we seem to be heading towards with the future of the Incarnate System. Indications are that the future holds nothing but Raids involving many players. This means that the programming staff only need to create a couple of new TF's for each Incarnate slot release and throw them out to the user base while letting the RNG determine who gets the good stuff and who doesn't. Skilled players not required.

Look at the new content for Incarnates in issue 19. Two new difficult TF's...and that's it. Let the grind begin as these two TF's (and the others that give Incarnate rewards) are farmed over and over again by every type of PUG that can be assembled. Surely, the programming staff and management of this game can do better than that to weed out those deserving to be Incarnates from those not so worthy.


3. The Incarnate System should be totally skill based throughout. There are multiple ways this could be implemented but I will suggest two:

a. Create a huge arc wtih Ramiel as the primary contact where the rewards at the end of each mission is a Shard and the reward at the end of the arc is a Component. Each mission would fit with the Incarnate lore and would reveal more as the arc progresses. Missions could be done in teams or individually with equal rewards for a successful (not auto) completion. Arc could be repeated via Ourobouros.

b. Create a large, related series of Shard missions that are offered randomly to level 50 players who have opened the Alpha slot. A similar system is already in game offering TIP missions and a Shard Mission system could be derived from that programming. Yes, it would take a lot of work to create quality missions but this game deserves to have that work done so that individual players have a fair chance to demonstrate their skills to the esteemed Incarnates like Statesman and Lord Recluse.

4. RNG based rewards inevitably leads to incessant grinding which, most players will acknowledge, is the bane of any MMO game. Skilled players want content and massive amounts of meaningful content that provides them with a story line they can follow and be rewarded accordingly at the end for their diligence in completing it. Unskilled players just want the rewards without the thoughtful work and those players should not be Incarnates.

5. The Incarnate System could and should be much more individually testing that what it is and seems to be headed for in future releases. As it is now, the laziest, most unskilled players can join a TF PUG and be rewarded richly while more highly skilled players receive far fewer rewards (or none at all). In the lore of comic super heroes, the lesser skilled pretenders fail while the more highly skilled ones succeed. Allowing the RNG to determine who moves forward and who lags behind runs counter to everthing super hero lore is based upon.

Summary: Even with the first inteeration of the Incarnate System, the players deserve better and more than what has been done to this point. Allowing the RNG to control the system is an insult to the player base and to the Incarnate characters and lore. Change the thinking soon or risk the system crashing into disuse due its denial of skilled players the challenges and rewards they so richly deserve.

Opened the Alpha slot on Tuesday afternoon and already had 525 V-Merits saved. Doing only solo TIP and Borea mishes with sporadic street fighting in RWZ, PI and Rikti Invasions, tonight, finally accumulated enough shards to craft a Spiritual Common with 2 shards left over to be used for the Uncommon.

Solo'ers take heart. You can get there - maybe not as fast as the TF'ers - but it can be done.