Kid_Flash

Ok, whatever genius at Cryptic decided that they'll start the first server-wide event since the game launched at the start of the work day (PST), needs to be arrested...immediately...

[ QUOTE ]
That change will not do much good in a group setting at higher levels. The combats don't last all that long.



That will also be changing soon.

[/ QUOTE ]

Statesman, you've been hinting at changes "coming soon" to deal with lack of challenge at the mid to upper levels for quite a while now. We're clearly talking about the AoE damage issues (ala fire blasters) and the idea you've tossed around about upping minion hp's. But honestly, when is "soon" in your mind? I've been hearing this for weeks now and I don't see anything in update#2 which addresses AoE damage or minion hp's. I'm afraid that if your idea of soon is a couple months from now a lot of my SG will have left the game by then because of the balance inequalities.

Harker, you seem to be missing the point.

You can solo SOME mobs in the game. You can't solo ALL mobs in the game.

You can solo SOME missions in the game. You can't solo ALL missions in the game.

There is a hell of a lot more that you can solo in CoH than in any other mmorpg I've played. Be happy with that instead of trying to turn what is a group based game into a solo fest. That's not part of the design doc or intention of the developers. Above and beyond all else it's a GROUP based game that allows anyone to solo if they want to. It doesn't mean you'll necessarily solo as fast as if you were in a group. It doesn't mean you can solo every mob or every encounter. It means you can solo specific things if that's how you choose to play the game.

Gaffer, I don't understand why this has to all be done as one HUGE update. Let's say there is a list of 100 changes coming in this update. Certainly you don't have bugs in all of those things and some percentage is working fine on test. Now, I'm not talking about releasing new content prior to the patch, like the capes or new levels. But why can't you do a bug fix release in the meantime which addresses the existing known issues in the game that you have fixed? I know it's been considered because I've seen Geko and Poz allude to "trying to get something live before issue#2". Yet it hasn't happened for some reason. Why? It seems like when the game first shipped you did a lot of these interim releases, and now there are less and less. It's really frustrating to read the boards, know that things that are bugging you are fixed already, and then be told you have to wait weeks and weeks because you guys are play testing completely unrelated items.

[ QUOTE ]
Cryptic does use the boards entirely to judge player desires. They do a lot of datamining to determine how people play.

[/ QUOTE ]

In most cases you are correct. For things like SG or balance issues they datamine to determine whether the code is working properly. However, in this case Positron is entirely reacting to the message board threads where people complained about forced grouping. There is no data they can mine to determing whether people don't like being forced to group. That's a subjective category. My point is that the people complaining about forced group missions on these boards make up such a tiny, tiny fraction of the player base that I'm saddened they would make game design decisions solely based on those complaints.

[ QUOTE ]
No one is asking to make it impossible to group. Why anyone would ask to make it impossible to solo is beyond me.

[/ QUOTE ]

That is an absolute misstatement of the issue in an attempt to gain sympathy for your position. No one is asking to make it impossible to solo. In fact, this game makes it easier to solo than probably any other mmorpg out there. What we're asking for are more missions which emphasize team-work, tactics, group play, and strategy. And less cookie-cutter, kill everything, solo-fest rinse and repeat missions.

So to repeat, no one is saying you shouldn't be able to solo. I'm saying don't remove things from the game which require grouping just so that every solo player can solo every single mission and story arc. IMHO that's the wrong direction for a game like this to take. Anything which reduces the incentive to group and makes that less appealing is going to have a detrimental long-term effect. There should be plenty of missions which require and encourage grouping as the only effective solution to complete them.

[ QUOTE ]
We have gone back and removed the multi-tasking missions from Story Arcs and multi-stage missions.

[/ QUOTE ]

Positron, I for one just want to say that I am saddened by your decision to cave to a very vocal, but very small, minority of players who wish to play this game and do every mission solo. Statesman has said ad naseum that this board represents less than .5% of the active player base. And of those posting against the "forced group" missions what are we talking about, .01% of the active player base? Yet, due to their whining you're going to remove the forced grouping missions from Story Arcs? For shame good sir, for shame.

Gaffer posted a very eloquent message not long ago explaining how from a design standpoint it's up to the developers to guide and direct the players experience. In his words, if you gave players xp for hitting the spacebar all day that's what they would do. And so here you are removing a valuable addition to the game design which would have encouraged grouping. Which would have forced people to go out and interact with...shudder...other people. I find this very dissapointing and the fact that you have made this decision based on the minority whining of a vocal group of hardcore soloers on these boards saddens me. Of all the moves you've made so far and the faith I put in you guys this one shakes my beliefs a bit. I had always felt that you put the interest of the game and it's long term viability before all else. Until now.

[ QUOTE ]
The way it was explained to me is that anytime you open the client and modify any file in an unsanctioned way, you violate the TOS. Even if you are just photoshopping a pic or turning off a sound, it is a violation. We cannot and will not condone violating the TOS on our boards.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just as an FYI Cuppa Jo, people are generally adding NEW files in a separate folder (i.e., maps and blank sounds). They are not actually modifying, opening, or touching the original files in any way. In other words I can make a map from scratch, in Photoshop, and put it in a folder which the game can see, and I haven't modified ANY game data. None. Zero. Zilch.

Now of course you guys can interpret the TOS however you see fit. Microsoft routinely includes things in their TOS which would never be enforceable in any court of law. However, it's your game and your playing field, so if you say we can't discuss making our own maps here then so be it. I just think it's important to clarify that things you're calling "mods" aren't actually modifying any game data.

[ QUOTE ]
Client modifications are against the Coh Terms of Service agreement found here.
I will be removing all posts/threads about client modification as a result.

[/ QUOTE ]

CuppaJo, don't take this the wrong way, as I know your name shows up in all red and everything. But this seems like a pretty sweeping announcement to be coming from the board moderator. Can we get something official from Statesman, Gaffer, or one of the other people in charge of development? I mean to just come on here out of the blue and make a blanket statement that all mods are against the TOS after months of people using them and sharing their tips on your official boards is a bit obnoxious.

Does this mean that all sound and map mods are now verboten? Even though they don't modify the game data at all and sit in separate, user-created folders? I think we'd all appreciate some clarification "from above" on this one. Up until now the dev posts have said they don't officially condone mods like the map mod, but they also haven't explicitly banned it. I think we were all living under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy...

Poor London. The smoke carcinogens have surely already rotted his brain... At least that helps explain his posts a little better...