Futurias

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Nope NCSoft store has things as cheap as $5.99 for other games... so this is not the case.

As to the other BS about paying a subscription so expansion are suppose to be free... Look I came from GuildWars and WoW. I left WoW after the 1st month of play because quite frankly the game was not worth paying a continual subscription to participate in . So I now play it on illegal free servers... Which magically get huge free updates all the time. Illegally of course.

I also played GW from teh early Betas, and continue to play it today because it is a Free to play MMO, with Paid Expansions... Thats its model...

WoW, had Expansions and every word I ever heard on both of them was that they were a huge waste. Not so on GW. Every expansion in GW was a Huge success. Simply because each one had enough added content, Even the least successful of which still drew in millions of players each time.

Now I come to CoV. And I have to say I respect the idea of expansions. Indeed I would easily pay 29.99 for a HUGE campaign like expansion for CoX. Like a Space addon or whatever in the tradition of EQ2 going to the moon... But such a paid expansion I would expect a significant boost upgrade for my dollar... Higher level caps, More storage, Or real account storage. Some NEW instanced mission maps (not just the 5 or so we have now reskinned), and a large explorable persistent area. (IE New towns)

Now some of the issues in the past were hardly what I would call a expansion equivalent. maybe 3 or 4 of them put together... Essentially each issue were small little updates to the overall game design as I see it. And yes those would be what I would expect from a subscription based game for free... The last 3 together; 9, 10, and 11; could have easily been an expansion. I would have paid for those easily on top of subscription.

If they want to go to that model OK , but be straight with us. Dont dinker with us with stupid addons that only a moron with no sence of any value to money would purchase... A paid addon for a subscription based game MUST be of real value to be deserved. Indeed it would be just as easy for moders to take this engine and make illegal free to play servers for this game as well. But it has not happened... why? because the developers have treated their players as loyal customers.. and have provided content that has been worth the monthly subscription fee with the ongoing issue development...

But out of the blue having this has really shocked this community it seems. It makes us all look like idiots for doing business with NCSoft at all, as they throw what can only be called an insulting slap in the face at the community and just expect us all to pay up and shut the hell up, and be happy you got anything at all, paid for or otherwise.

I detest Pay to play games. Always have, always will. But I do pay for this one, because I felt welcome here, and have a very good group of friends online in a successful Villain SG and large coalition. I am proud of that. They are what keeps me here. Cause trust me if they were NOT here, I would be back in Guildwars in a heartbeat.

The point is up until this day. CoX was a good place to enjoy wasting a little money and have a good feeling that it is going to make things better for everyone in the paying of it... This paid addon with so little in it is a step towards a trend... that MUST not be allowed to happen to this game... Cause if it does we will all find ourselves paying extra for Every little thing, and suddenly our Subscriptions are meaningless costs with no value given to them by a player or the company.

That is what we all fear NCSoft will do to this previously successful game. Sure it lost some profitability in the last year. what game hasn't? Even the mighty WoW has lower numbers and they have 2 full expansions in that last year... That just goes to show that the people playing these games VALUE what they pay for and if they do not see that Value in the paying of it they move on. This is fact!!!!

The One thing a Company does NOT want to do is Drive them away by starting to charge even more for even less. and that is the possible trend we all see with this addon if it is repeated with somethign else equally as undervalued... Its just not worth the price. nothing in it is... and to expect the community to just pay up and be happy with it. Its insulting... And quite frankly I am starting to feel like I would have rather Cryptic just had said, it was a good run folks. were closing the doors now, instead of selling out to NCSoft and leaving all the loyal customers to the wolves.

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Thanks for the more information. When I first saw it, I thought that it should have been for about $5.99 or $4.99 too, actually.

But I do want to continue supporting the City of Heroes franchise, but I do think that they need to be aware that they may have over-priced this a bit.

That doesn't mean I think they are evil, but probably didn't consider all of the ramifications.

It may have just boiled down to 'let's try $10 because that's pretty disposable amount' instead of thinking that $5 would get more than twice as many sales.

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Like the RWZ Rikti maps through the caves? Those totally unique maps?

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Unfortunately, those are barely more than a reskin. There is nothing FUNCTIONALLY different about them at all. There are no power plants you can destroy to shut down their power grids or force fields. There are no storage pods that hold rikti who will spawn if you don't smash them or turn them off. There are no laser fields that damage you, or damage rikti if you knock them through them. In other words, they are just a reskin.

But I will say, at least RWZ did have that one small cosmetic change - the first one in a long, long time. The vast majority of RWZ uses the same tilsets we have been seeing for years.

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You confused place-ables with maps. Any of those things, if created, could be set to be used on any map.

The actual *map* of the RWZ with the high-tech look, was brand new (and required quite a bit of de-bugging to fix too.)

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I think Sister Psyche is like Selene from the Hellfire Club. She's nearly 80 years old and no one in the CoX gameworld seems to wonder how or why she's still young. They fall all over themselves explaining Statesman's and Recluse's longevity. Why not her? She did stop Nemesis in the early part of the 20th century. She isn't a private sort of person, it's not a secret. Why isn't it even included in puff news about her?

She makes the journos and fans forget!

She's evil I tells ya! Evil ancient telepathic redhead and she's going to marry Manticore and mind jump into him and continue to live forever!

EDIT: Or make him into a evil immortal telepathic vampire like her!!!!!!!

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Um, it has been explained. She's naturally long-lived (only ages at at least 1/2 human normal speed) and her body didn't age at all when she's mind-riding someone.

Sorry, conspiracy theory debunked! BOOM!

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quick reply:

I'm not a fan of paying for so little content. A few costumes and emotes is not much for the money. If it was $1.99, I might buy it, but not at the price of $9.99.

I don't like microtransactions and don't play games that use them extensively. I'm all for monthly fees and paid boxed expansions, but those expansions better have some decent content, not just a few costume pieces.

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It actually just occurred to me that this may have something to do with credit-card negotiations and minimum payments.

Some shops refuse to run a credit card for less than $5, as their Visa/Mastercard fees eat them alive if they do.

I know that there are some ways around it, but it might not be available for so few transactions.

So this may not be entirely NCSoft's decision, but a limitation on their current contract for running credit cards.

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Completely new tilesets that are not just a reskinned warehouse. The famous "moon base" idea, possibly with different gravity (you jump higher and farther, and fall slower) would be awesome. You could make moon environments actually feel and play different.

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Like the RWZ Rikti maps through the caves? Those totally unique maps?

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Minor nitpick: The Rikti maps aren't completely unique. They use the same cave models introduced way back in Issue 2 while adding new Rikti elements, along with a few new cave pieces, in much the same way the Faultline missions and zone rework existing cave maps and tech lab maps with new bits to create underground submarine lairs or abandoned supergroup bases.

It's an effective and economical re-use of assets but it is not the same as 100% unique maps, of which we have seen few over the last nearly four years (and is probably my #1 overall beef with the game).

And to stay on-topic, I will re-iterate my position on the wedding pack: too little value for too much money. I won't be purchasing it for both of those reasons. I'm not going to act all outraged over it, though.

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That is a minor nitpick and I'll blow it out of the water.

Why should they have to create whole new map parts for the tack-ons to get into the yummy-goodness?

Should they have created all new maps to merge the sewers to caves to inside office? Even though it was just a unique mix-and-match, that's a new, unique map that was quite awesome in how it worked out!

And they *should* have reused those parts, as it makes you really think that you are going from a standard sewer and into a building through caves.

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Completely new tilesets that are not just a reskinned warehouse. The famous "moon base" idea, possibly with different gravity (you jump higher and farther, and fall slower) would be awesome. You could make moon environments actually feel and play different.

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Like the RWZ Rikti maps through the caves? Those totally unique maps?

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Hate to say it, but I'm somewhat unimpressed.

A "special event" in which only 300 out of the 25,000 plus CoH subscribers will be able to participate? Up to this point, CoH's special events have been somewhat egalitarian, with effort made to be as inclusive as possible. For instance, the CuppaJo farewell party, where a dozen different Pocket Ds were instanced and the devs were present in all of them. This kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

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We really wish we could accommodate more. However, please keep in mind that Sean Fish and his wife Jen will actually be at the keyboards running Manticore and Sister Psyche respectively. Matt "Positron" Miller will actually be playing Positron in the event, as will all the rest of the dev team. As much as we'd like to keep them at their keyboards all weekend long - or hire stand ins to play them, we aren't. This is a special event and a testament to the involved members of the Dev. Team, the friendships on the team and love story between two of them.

We have made some special arrangements to have media available so everyone can relive this very special wedding. More details will follow. Thanks in advance for your understanding.

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Lighthouse? Has anyone thought about Demo-Recording this to make a movie? While some of us might get in for this, it should be something that 'everyone' can be at least able to see.

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How many costume options... versus how many that are already in the game? And several of the pieces you can't even say are that *different* from what's in the game - there's already a tuxedo jacket (male,) all the skirts are essentially getting another pattern, there's... a new pair of shoes, two more-detailed versions of *existing* patterns (Excess and Angelic,) one more deviated version of another option (Hearts - v-day event piece) - ... so, really strictly, the veil, chest piece (female,) gloves (female) and two jackets, plus some emotes.

Doesn't sound like it's really making anyone's costume concept impossible, or even all that difficult.

Seriously, the way some people are reacting, you'd think they'd started charging *real* money for costume changes at Icon, and a fee for each time you use the tram. Or *forcing* them to buy it.

Robbery. Ha.

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Bill, they really are spectacularly better though. I, too, was apprehensive about $9.99 for just some costume parts and the emotes, but then I really got to see the Bridal stuff (which can just be used for fancy lace items) and then the Angel Plus, Excess Plus and Hearts Plus and I was sold. Definitely worth it, but it will probably sell better at $5.99.

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My problem aside from the cost is that you can only buy it with a credit card. I use timecards, I won't be able to get this, or any other online option like this in the future if I continue with timecards.

(And I hope this isn't a harbinger to come for timecards eventually being discontinued.)

If I really wanted this, and I'm balking at the price, I would have to ask one of my friends to purchase a code for me with their cc and I just pay them.

Secondly, since part of the pack includes stockings, think that we'll see stocking options other than 'Fishnet' in I12 or other future update?

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You can buy one-shot credit card (technically just pre-paid debit cards) at places like Wall-mart, so there is still choices.

This is probably the first Trick or Treat that I played for about one or two hours and then decided to ignore.

While the temp costume change was vaguely neat, the fact that they aren't/can't be permanent or unlockable as costume options basically made me go 'meh'.

50 costume temp power drops for a badge was "too much work" and not enough fun. I probably would have only done it on one character even if it did allow unlocking a particular 'halloween' costume bit.

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MAKE WARSHADES USEFUL IN PVP!!!!!!!!

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I think this could use a little more in depth detail here. I'm pretty sure you are talking about corpses disappearing and low corpse number.

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I9, I10, I11 -- it just keeps getting better. Keep up the good work, devs!

One minor issue though. I wonder if Flashback will kill altoholism, which is a great strength of CoX..

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Hardly anyone who has been here since the begining plays this game for the content, we play to try new powersets or powerset combinations we have yet to try out.

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Speak for yourself!

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Hmm, looking at the screenshots I'd say the swords are little large. Besides, I have nothing to wear with them. Now if Sexy Jay puts in a 17th Century frock coat, I'm all in. Highwayman for win!

When the dual blades were announced I was thinking more like the little fist blades those wicked fortunatas have. Or that guy Sparkblade(?) had in the Korean trailer.

Wait and see I guess.

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Ruffles and a long coat that would allow you to see them? That would be pretty cool.

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Arctic_Sun, can you confirm that you meant the 20th Amendment? Because yeah, if it is the 20th amendment in this reality, that's some very interesting implications.

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Didn't Arctic_Sun fly from the coop to a new job?

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Yeah, but killing off all those NPCs? That's a major blow to the content of COX.

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Unless of course we can go back in time and stop the outbreak... Sounds like flash back to me. 1) you have the outbreak and you have breakout referenced in that article... Where else would you begin again.

--Rad

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I had the same thought after I left work.

Orrobus (SP?) infinity - time - time travel - flashback!

This doesn't surprise me at all. Now if they mention that all new accounts will not be allowed to create characters on Freedom or Virtue, I could see them limiting copying under the same concept.

Doesn't work with the current "open" system as it is now.

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Theres another bug pertaining to the spawn in wrong factions thing...The other day my warshade was in Bloody Bay, and as I flew over the base I saw a Void seeker in the middle of a longbow, which promptly got his [censored] handed to him by the turrets, and the nearby warden. Shouldn't some groups just be not flagged to have Void/Quantums?

Another gripe, is Clockwork. Yes they're a low level enemy, but I really can't see them hiring a Void. Maybe a special Clockwork with a welded on Quantum array gun?

Actually, on the topic of the mezz protection I sort of had an idea. Give Mag 1 mez protection for every blaster/scrapper on the team for Peacebringers, and Tanker/Defenders for warshades. You could stack this on top of the damage resistance bonuses and the controller bonuses. The Controller's bonus could be Mag 2 or something. Given a typical team make up, you could have a respectable Mag 4 or 5 protection.

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I just can't see them 'diluting' the controller benefit by spreading it around, unless their own bonus is changed to something like +1 Mag and +10% Regen/End buff (which I'd love, actually.)

But just giving the other ATs the controller bonus? not going to happen, IMO.

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Bear in mind that a slight coding bug means that Rikti Quant gunners show as enemies to regular Rikti - leave them alone and they will fight it out amongst themselves.

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Yup, and the bug is also listed in the Q/V/C section. But the enemy flag is not dependant of the quantum status of the riktis, it's dependant of a bug related to teleported reinforcement being flagged as enemy to the already present troops.
In other words, the quantum in the spawn won't be attacked by his unit brethen. The whole unit might be, or not, attacked by surrounding and theorically friendly spawn. If you pay more attention, you'll see that many time, when a quantum gunner of the wrong faction appear in a spawn, he won't even be threatened. Even if it's a vanguard spawn.
There are 2 different bugs at work here.

Currently, the only time you'll see voids, novas, dwarves and cyst killed on sight by anything whatever their faction is, will only be on pvp maps.


Phantom_Fox,
Thanks for the idea, but it's already present since the initial version
It's in I -Dwarf form / High vulnerability to quantum/void damage
Thanks for posting anyway, suggestions are always welcome.

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That's actually incorrect. I've seen voids actually killed by Longbow and Rikti in all the new missions, but not old ones.

I think they created some new "mobs" for the "new missions" and forgot to set the faction correctly on Voids in them.

BTW, the Nictus/Quantum damage is unresistable, with a high chance of stun *and* knockdown. Sadly, even just removing part of this made the characters much easier to play.

Yay! Stickied and (hopefully) protected so it doesn't disappear like the last one did because I didn't make sure to respond each week.

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One thing with the inherent is no bonus grouping with other khelds. Easy way is make Dwarf = tanker, nova = blaster, human = controller for bonuses when balance checks ever 10 seconds, or can create new ones for them.

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Damn, that's a great idea. Wish I had though of it

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Thats a good idea. The one I'd mentioned in the past was PB's getting +acc/+dam (5%/10% or so) for each WS (to represent racial anger) and WS getting +regen for each PB (to represent the leeching of the "pure" Kheld energy). Can't remember the thoughts I had for WS to WS and PB to PB buffs though, but with more and more SG's being Kheld only, some sort of buff would be nice.

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Well, human-form to human form should be blocked by the 'logic' of it, but gaining a bonus from Dwarf and Nova makes perfect sense.

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Voids, Quantums, dwarves, novas and Cyst Crystal

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I noticed that the reward/balance of Voids/Quantums wasn't resurrected from the old thread. (Not the fault of the guy who did all the research, there are a lot of minor things there.)

Basically it boiled down to all of our powers being knocked down by the GDN and then ED to make Kheldian's match the rough power level (solo) of most characters.

In theory, this would be very good, though I've noticed that I'm slightly too squishy against Bosses and Elite Bosses.

The problem is that while Kheldian's were rebalanced versus all normal mobs, all Quantum/Voids were left with the super-massive-unresistable damage at their old levels.

As a note: A +2 Void Slayer can one-shot a Kheldian.

Voids/Quantums are also designed to detoggle (minor stun) and knockdown very heavily. We can sort of work around the KD know (thank you Inventions!) but we have no recourse other than teaming with *particular* builds to not get stunned.

This is, of course, on top of the fact that they are an *additional* threat in a spawn already designed (supposedly) to challange the player. On teams, this is not a bit deal. One more out of ten mobs and it only plinks your team mates is nothing. Solo, an ambush with two Lts Longbow Wardens, several minions *and* a void minion was a guaranteed face-plant for a level 48 warshade on *heroic*.

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[*] Remove the detoggling powers ore make it a much lower percentage. We have been told that powers strictly designed to detoggle were not cool (way back from the Mag 50 mezz that level 35+ Longbow used to have.)
[*] Rescale the damage of the anti-kheldian damage on Voids and Quantums so that it only adds up to 30% more damage at best There should be no reason that NPCs have a "I win" button against PCs.
[*]Double check that Kheldian's can actually survive that extra spawn solo and on teams. Added danger is good, overwhelming having to use lots of inspiration for a normal spawn on heroic is a sign of a problem.[/list]

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Second problem, group composition : it wouldn't really be one if the inherent gave pure buffs. It is when the human form is balanced about what should be in the group. Especially in the resistance and mez protection category, while the human form is melee centered (lightly for the warshade, heavily for the peacebringer). With the new cooperation introduced in Issue 10, the composition of the group matters even more, especially with the blurry nature of the villains AT between their roles.

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I think this need to be a bit rephrased away from a specific non-exclusive 'fix' here.

I truly, 1000% do not believe that they will spread out the Mezz protection from Controllers and Dominators.

Why bother having controllers/dominators?

Really, the problem is that the lower limit on mezz protection without Controllers/Dominators. They should enhance existing powers like +Dam/+Resistance works best by enhancing the slotted up powers you have.

So I'm more for advocating a base +4 Mezz Protection (shield, passives *WHATEVER*) that Dominators/Controllers add on top of. Proably a +2 Mag protection.

Yes, on teams, they become more tank-magery, but right now this sitaution is making them glass-jaw wimps.

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Gamespot has the first look at the full City of Heroes Issue 10 Trailer for the Rikti War Zone, narrated by Matt "Positron" Miller! Matt discusses the features of I10, and takes a close look at Vanguard, the revamped zone, and the Rikti threat.

Check out the trailer here.

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Er, that was sorta useless. Basically couldn't watch it on that site at all.

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how long will the actual invasion event last?

I mean, I know that the War Zone will have this permanently,

but how long will the attacks on Atlas and other city zones last?

To the weekend, I hope?

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Actually, semi-permanent (until they are removed due to plot.)

Each time you finish the Lady Gray TF, you spawn an invasion.