Hyper_Man

Being a long time player (63+ months and counting), it is obvious to me that they way to promote diversity in player powers in the game is not more ATs, but have more Power Pools. Especially considering the fact when a new AT comes out, a player is stuck with rolling a new character to try it out. While with a Power Pool, someone could respect to try out the new powers much more easily. So I submit for your consideration my idea for a new Power Pool: Rocketry.

Tier 1 Power: Jump Jets - A power much like the Jump Packs already available in the game. A toggle with a high base Endurance cost that allows players to jump great heights.

Tier 2 Power: Rocket Flight - A high-speed flight power. Again, with a high base Endurance cost to reflect the fact you are burning some type of fuel while flying. In addition, have the turning radius be very wide and slow. And finally, no hover mode. The rocket is on or off. You are either flying forward, or you are falling.

Tier 3 Power: Directed Thrust - This would be the Hover power of the set. The reason for it being a higher tier power than the Rocket Flight being it is harder to hover with a rocket than fly with one.

Tier 4 Power: Sub-Orbital Flight - The final power of the pool, this would be a power that allows a player to travel to any other zone. No more traveling on the Green or Yellow lines. Just a long animation in which the player rockets into the sky, a selection screen asking to which zone you wish to travel, and finally arriving in the sky above the zone you choose (with no Endurance and plummeting fast, of course ).

Hyper-Man
Founder and Leader
ButtKickers of the Fantastic
Guardian Server

I just feel it is sad that we are being asked to pay for new costumes and emotes for an event. Especially when a couple of the costumes are just re-textured old ones.

And for a 45 month Veteran Reward, we only get a Respec.

My guess would be either:

a.) New animation for the Scrapper Spines set we have not seen yet. Or,

b.) A graphics bug within the Devs internal test server that conflicts the samurai armor and the body animations for the spines.

Personally, my money is on choice b.

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'Quick' animations -- You guys are right, in the comics, Archery is seen as very fast and accurate. Fortunately, they don't have to animate them...they just draw as many arrows flying as the story warrants (see Manticore in our comic, for an example.) In the game, having all the animations be as quick as snap shot would definitely decrease the visual appeal of the set. If any of you have ever seen a movie called "Hawk, the Slayer" you'll remember how absolutely silly the archer in that looked. A similar effect would happen in CoX if we animated all the shots that quickly.

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I believe it was DaVinci who said:

"An Archer must be:
Keen of eye,
Sure of hand,
Fleet of foot,
Canny of mind."

When I imagine an Arrow-power based Hero, that is the feeling I am looking for while I play.

As I said before, I trully feel the two major problems with Archery and Trick Arrow are Accuracy and Speed. _Castle_'s point the animations looking silly as "Hawk, the Slayer" was little off. Snap Shot is WAAAAY slower than anything I saw in that movie. But anything is slower than that. :P If a movie reference for animation speed is what you are looking for, might I suggest Legolas from the LotR films. Much more sensible choice, I say. But that is besides the point. Here is my opinion on the Speed issue: No animation for a bow should take longer than 1.75 secs, with the exception of Ranged Shot. I believe the talented programmers at Cryptic can manage to use that amount of time to make the animations come out right.

Now, Accuracy. This is a major point that needs to be looked at for Archery and Trick Arrow. Archer heroes should NOT miss. Shooting an arrow a large thug from 10' away and missing is not... NOT... what a heroic archer does. Heck, junior high school girls in gym class can make that kind of shot with a bow consistantly. A heroic archer makes that shot even if he/she was standing on a leevy in New Orleans during Katrina. Unless some major forces are acting upon the archer in question, such as a supervillain's powers for defense, etc; a miss should be a rarity for the Archery hero. Can anyone see a way I am wrong on this point?

The last post hits the major problem with all the arrow powers right on. That is for a game that means to replicate the feel of comic-book superheroism, these powers are as far from what an Archer hero as can be, other than the fact the powers use a bow and arrow.

You look at any hero that uses archery as his/her primary form of attack... whether it be in comic books, literature, film, etc... and I will point out the two factors that make them effective as a hero: SPEED and ACCURACY!

Now as things are, Archery and Trick Arrow are some of the slowest attacks out there. Yes, with I7 three powers are having their attack animations shortened. I say this is not enough. ALL arrow-based powers need to be faster. Arrow-attack powers are already weaker than any other based on the fact they are purely Lethal damage, which everyone knows has the most defense and resistance against it. Counteract this by giving the speed they need.

Finally, the point on Accuracy. For an Archery based hero, a miss should be a rarity. Again, citing the heroes for which this game is meant to emulate, a miss for them is very, very uncommon. If it does happen, it is because of extraordinary defenses, abilities, or circumstances happening with their target. So I say adjust the accuracy of arrow-powers to reflect this fact.

Do these two things I suggest, and you will make a person playing a hero who has choosen Archery or Trick Arrow feel like the hero they wish to be.

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Neither are in I7 (fyi)...BUT Geko and I have talked a little about Shields. We're thinking that Shields would be a Primary AND a Secondary Power Set for Tankers - and a Primary Set for Scrappers...but this thinking might change. I'd imagine the set is mostly about Defense, but again, nothing has been designed yet.

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Honestly, I do not believe Shields would work as a Primary or Secondary Power set for any of the Archtypes. This is because you would have conflicts between powers. Especially if you tried to make a Defensive set for Scrappers? Could you imagine a Claws scrapper having to draw out a shield between each attack? Or a Dark Melee trying to Shadow Maul with a Shield? Just will not work. (Yes, I know he said it would be the Primary for Scrappers. But a Shield's primary purpose is defense. )

Even for Tanks, the conflicts with other power sets would just be too great.

The way I see it, the best solution for a Shield-user is to make it like the Epic Archtypes. A single Archtype dedicated to the Shield.

At least that is my opinion.

Ok, I would just like to post one more thing about this, and I am done.

I honestly believe that "Prestige" is an addition to counter/compliment something that will be in CoV. And allow both Heroes and Villians to be on the same footing when it comes to bases.

Could be wrong though.

And hope this does not count against the NDA. :P hehe

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Just because you're in SG mode doesn't mean you automatically get Prestige. You still have to do things.

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Wow. Another "great" idea from the Devs. :P

Here is a little acronym that you and the others should take to heart, Lord Recluse: K.i.s.S. And just incase you have no clue what that means, Keep it simple STUPID!

We have Influence. Use it! There is little other use for it in the game. That is unless you plan to finally open up the bowling alleys for us. :P Adding "Prestige" to the game just for the sole purpose of base building stinks of over-thinking the idea. Especially if getting said "Prestige" will probably involve something like SG's going on TF's or certain missions, with only other SG members, while in SG colors. That sounds just plain tedious.

Not to mention all the data mining that will need to take place. And the numerous petitions that you as Devs will have to deal with from players stating they already did what was required to get Prestige.

And here is another bit of info you might find insightful. While SG mode is a cool little feature; if players wish their SG members to match, we usually design a specific costume for that purpose. Your European site has a perfect example of that showing right now, with the costume contest they are holding. So if "Prestige" is just another way to make a little thought of feature have some importance finally, stop it.

This is a game. Games are meant to be fun. Yet it seems that ever decision coming from the Devs of late is working against that purpose. Admitly some are good, like the cap on AoE effects. But others like Prestige, Defiance as a Blaster power, and the Phase Shift changes, just to name a few; are just plain stupid.

Influence: Good and Simple.
Prestige: Bad idea.

'Nuff said.

"Defiance" is meant to fix Blasters? It does not.

As many have said, looks like it works at lower levels, where Enhancements are not as effective. But it is useless at higher levels.

"Defiance" is a power more suited for Scrappers. If the power was described to me as is, without knowing which AT it was for, I would immediately assume it was a Scrapper power. Heck, even as a Tank power it would work... making them 'hulk-out' with their damage.

But not Blasters.

You are missing the mark when it comes to Blasters. Mainly because you are ignoring the one strength they should have over all other AT's: Accuracy.

Look at Heroes in all forms of media throughout the years. From the all the different comic book heroes, to those of the silver screen, to those in literature, and even those in legends of antiquity... what is the common to all those heroes that used any sort of ranged weapon or power? THEY HIT WHAT THEY AIM FOR! From the gunslinger in old Westerns using his superior skill with his Colt Peacemaker to survive a shoot out at high noon. To heroic archer that slays the dragon by hitting the one weak spot in its scales in classic fantasy. To the legendary Robin Hood, splitting the shaft of another arrow with his final shot to win the archery tournament. And when in a comic, unless they are facing an equally powerful super villian, do you see a Blaster Hero miss? All examples of Accuracy over Damage.

Yet in game, Blasters regularly miss. Especially at higher levels, even against equal level minions. How can you not see the problem with this?

Give Blasters the power they need: an inherent Accuracy Power. And if you want to add a damage buff to it as well, make based on how well a Blaster hits its target, and not how close to death the character is.

Blasters will do more damage if they hit their targets more often, instead of missing.

Blasters will survive longer if they hit all the minions they target, taking them out. Instead of having them running up and beating the Blaster to death after multiple misses.

Admit "Defiance" was a bad idea for Blasters, give it to another AT, and move on.

Major Cleavage
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