Lemur Lad
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Posts
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Joined
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Quote:If you're thinking of the NC game that had mass hacking that led to the clampdown measures on the NCStore and then later our Master accounts, that would be one of the Guild Wars titles. There may have been hacking incidents in Aion, but I'm not aware of them, and it's a much more recent game than GW.Originally Posted by DumpleBerry
I thought Aion was the game where accounts got hacked. I don't know if NCSoft thinks I'm an Aion player, or if my PlayNC master account is vulnerable. -
Quote:It's probably less than 3 a month, not counting accidental double mailings and/or accidental or intentional mails from other NC games (which as I said above is rare).Originally Posted by StratoNexus
I have my newsletter thingy turned off. How much mail a week do you guys get from NCSoft? If it is 3 or fewer, I may turn it back on.
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Quote:A quick search of my gmail shows I've gotten 3 emails from them over the years. It happens occasionally, and I don't know if I see much reason to make a thing over it.Originally Posted by Chyll
But I've never gotten them before. What was this their first ever email?
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Quote:When you said Cricket powerset, I instantly thought of the day Cricket Accidentally dropped the ban nuke on the old forums. She cut off about 20% of the forum population by an ooopsy. It was epic.Originally Posted by NuclearTwinkie
And here I was hoping this was about the new Cricket powerset. Summoning hordes of insects to do your bidding.
Ooo... or maybe the new Cricket powerset. Per requests from the Union server we get to run around smacking people with a cricket bat, using a whole new set of slang, and just being more British.
Hey, it could happen. -
Quote:*shrug* like it says at the bottom of the mail, it came because we're signed up to receive NCSoft newsletters. We're playing an NCSoft game, and that's another NCSoft game. If you only want to hear about this specific game and no others, I'd go see if there's an option for that in your account settings, or take yourself off the NCSoft list and hope for the best that you don't miss something cool about CoH.Originally Posted by DumpleBerry
Now imagine that you have nothing to do with Aion at all, and you're getting e-mail about this.
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Roomers (sic) have some basis in fact. What you're talking about is fantasy, as there's been no hint (official or leaked) of any sort of change of that nature.
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More than half those things are already coming, or already here, though maybe not in the form you'd hope.
Anything else requires Power Pool Customization to be online, and we've no word on when or if that's officially in the pipeline. -
Man, are they trying to piss people still playing off? What is probably a really desirable feature, tied to a micro-transaction, and a butt ugly pet to boot? If I were playing I'd give serious thought to quitting just for that one email.
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Quote:I think we have to be careful about this, but I'm in tentative agreement. After all there is a reason so many contacts are outdoors (convenience). However, if they made a serious effort so that every contact gave a phone number after mission 1 or 2, and there were only a couple forced physical visits during any given arc, there should be no problems with giving most contacts an indoor place to hang out. Hell, in the Mortimer Kal SF, the head of the Warriors has a nice 14th floor office in Talos. I think our contacts should too.Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
Sorry for the shotgun replies
This something I find to be a BIG failing of the game's theme, and is something sort of inherent in MMOs in general - everyone always stands around doing nothing. I get that technical limitations mean we can't expect our contacts to move around, OK, I get that. But can't we put them in more appropriate places just the same? Take, for instance, Efficiency Expert Pyther - why is he standing on a terrace with a Bane Spider welding ten feet from him? How is it efficient to conduct your business outdoors and away from all forms of communication? Wouldn't it make sense for him to be inside an office? Or how about Peter Thermai? He even talks about "his office," so why is he never in said office? Harvey Maylor runs a newspaper, so where is his Jay Jonah Jameson's office?
Or how about the fat afro white boy in Independence Port. He's supposed to be a weapons dealer and manufacturer, so why isn't he in a machine shop, or a lab? He's standing in front of a warehouse, supposedly housing weapons, so why couldn't he be INSIDE it? Or how about Dr. Steven "Science" Sheridan? What the blue balls is he doing next to a hazard zone checkpoint, back up against a fence next to the hospital? He's not a medical doctor. Wouldn't he have a lab set up where he works IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE? And why is Crimson standing under a giant statue's crotch? How did he get out to that little island outcrop without getting that ridiculously obvious red suit of his wet? Shouldn't we be meeting on a park bench or in a crowded restaurant or somewhere a little less conspicuous? That damn red suit alone on that little island within line of sight of the ferry is like a lighthouse in the night.
I would honestly love to see most contacts move either indoors in their own places of business or dwelling, or otherwise moved to places that make sense.
Actually I had a couple other examples of Contact setting that I think would be cool.
An outdoor setting would be perfectly appropriate for a contact that was a paranoid conspiracy theorist. Meet him sitting on a park bench feeding pigeons, like the old spy movies. Then using the same tech I talked about yesterday, have him move to a new clandestine meeting location after every couple of missions. Actually, if there were ever one contact I'd want to never give his phone number, this would be it. At least as long as he doesn't decide to meet us on the far side of Independence Port.
Another self serving example would be if say my namesake were ever made a contact, I'd hope that he'd be placed doing an /em crouch up on something high. Just saying, not every contact/signature character needs to operate in a normal frame of reference.
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Already did it. Search for Lemur in the AE and you can find the Secret Cow Level. I need to update it though. I've been thinking of making it tougher for Incarnates.
PS- Crank it to +4 x8 and bring friends. That's the point. -
Quote:This thread has gotten into my brain and I wanted to put into words something else I'd like to see, or at least that I think would resonate.Originally Posted by Noble Savage
Let us know why it's awesome. That's what this thread is all about--what resonates with you and why.
I mentioned yesterday that we rarely see signature characters in their environment, or at least in an environment that illustrates their story. It's also rare to see a character doing anything other than standing there waiting to talk to us.
I had to dig through my memories to come up with one, and it's a fairly recent addition at that: Bobcat in her private room at Studio 55. Her costume is exceedingly plain, but that insolent pose tells a lot.
Another powerful image not in this game was always Professor X in his chair. He always stood out from other heroes, but still never appeared weak.
I think there are some great new idle poses, or even the old sitting poses, that when used well, could really bring some characters to life.
Some things that popped into my head:
A contact that during the progress of his arc is kidnapped. You go looking for him and he's not there (but the game drops a clue). In the ensuing investigation you rescue him, but not before he's injured. For your next mission you talk to him in his hospital bed (laying recumbent). Then later, possibly for another arc, you go back and he's where he was, but in a wheelchair.
I think this is the kind of thing you guys could manage through creative use of some of the tech we've seen with contacts that appear or disappear depending on your story choices. It also illustrates what I'm saying about telling characters through body language. It would be great to have a new Dean MacArthur arc where you find him lounging on a beach in a chair with really ugly shorts on. Totally appropriate for him, and a cool change of pace from what we're used to. -
Quote:All of this sounds most assuredly excellent. In addition to this, I'd say that a Hamidon type situation would be a great time to make use of a game "feature" that tends to be jarring and annoying at other times. I refer to the Super Civilian. If organelles drifted and went about their business in a normal fashion and pushed people out of the way without regard, it would make the whole thing feel more real. Like you're in a giant creature and you're pretty insignificant to it's function.Originally Posted by Noble Savage
Animation is indeed an art issue, and the way characters move (or don't) interact with each other profoundly affects gameplay.
Just for fun, let me run some hypothetical update ideas past you and see what you think. As a thought experiment only, let's say we were going to update the primal Hamidon model. Again, absolutely no plans for this, but it's an interesting topic to think about. You've expressed a desire to maintain the character's "amoeba-ness," and I whole-heartedly agree with you. That said, there are ways we could potentially make him more visually interesting while staying completely faithful to the character concept.
Off the top of my head, some examples:
--ANIMATED CILIA. What if, for decoration, Hamidon grew the occasional wriggling tendril? Or had several spread across his surface, constantly wriggling? For me, that would make the monster feel more alive, more like a microscopic organism, and a heck of a lot creepier too. (You'll notice 4 wriggling cilia poking through the Seed of Hamidon's shell incidently).
--CELL DIVISION. In keeping with the giant cell theme, what if the creature split into two smaller pieces at some point during the battle? For me, that would make the raid experience a lot more interesting-- maybe players would have to coordinate efforts between the two halves. Also, it would be great to see this guy move in a major way.
--SCROLLING SUB-SURFACE TEXTURES. This is something Jay hooked up on the Fallen Seers recently, and it would give the impression that liquid is flowing across/through the cell wall.
--DETAILED ORGANIC TEXTURES. I'm imagining semi-transparent capillary networks (perhaps with a slight glow, maybe even pulsing) across the creature's "skin." The more organic and alive it gets, the closer I think we'd be to the original idea for this character.
--FLOATING DEBRIS/BODIES. Again, to enhance the sense of realism and dread, wouldn't it be neat to have defeated heroes and/or rubble floating in the cell fluid? Just the illusion of things floating within the creature would help to sell the notion that it's composed of liquid.
--ADDITIONAL ORGANELLES. If I was in a giant single-celled organism, I'd expect to see more naturalistic and a greater variety of organelles within the creature. Maybe you can target it, maybe it's just decoration.
--CYTOPLASM BURSTS. We could rig up an effect where the creature sprays fluid after you hit it. You'd have the feeling that you'd punctured the cell membrane and that you were actually damaging it. Anything to make the the fight more visceral would feel like a win for me.
So there you have it. From an art standpoint, we want to do everything in our power to bring these experiences to life in the most engaging, breathtaking, and super-heroic ways possible. Again, a Primal Hamidon update is NOT on the docket at the moment, but if it were, these are some of the things I'd be thinking about.
For me, changes like these would simply be polish on the core experience, deepening the encounter's sense of immersion and realism and keeping the art fresh and modern. This is a living game after all, and ideally we want the graphics to impress both new players that decide to try us out for the first time while simultaneously keeping things fresh for the veterans. I don't think any of the hypothetical updates listed above would harm the Hamidon experience. In fact, I think they could take what's already cool and make it way, way cooler. What do you think?
I would like to bring up the other side of the coin though. In a Primal Hami raid with 3+ teams, Mitos, Hami, pets, attacker powers, etc. We're at the razor's edge of performance. I remember in Beta before the optimization passes, we had a habit of crashing the zone even on not full raids. That was before Incarnate powers even. In short, it can get ugly. Mainly what I'm trying to say is, as awesome as all this sounds, and as much as I want it, I need (really need) you guys to make as many tests and optimizations as you can to make this thing run smoothly for people.
I've been a staunch advocate of Primal Hami ever since the change, but performance issues, the repetitive nature of the raid, and the lackluster rewards all made it next to impossible to whip up enthusiasm. Shiny and cool looking tend to wear off fast. If people feel like completing the thing is a grind more than a challenge, then they won't go. I know that aspect of things isn't so much your wheelhouse. I just wanted to bring it up because it's clear you care. I want to see your stuff as much as you want to put it out, and I want everyone to see and enjoy it too. That doesn't happen unless they bring the fun and the smooth experience along for the ride. -
Quote:It does work as intended. It just doesn't work in all cases. That's not the same thing as claiming it doesn't work at all, and that anyone that says otherwise is wrong.Originally Posted by Aneko
Not working in part is not working as intended, so close enough. I don't consider it worth nitpicking about, and I enjoy that kind of thing. <.<
I'm not picking nits, I'm picking what is clearly a swollen ego balloon that needs to climb down off the high horse for a while. -
Quote:In what universe does saying "It doesn't work" when it does mean you were right?Originally Posted by Cobalt Azurean
Except for that part where I was right.
But 'ey, thanks for comin' out.
Does it work for >99 days? No. But it does work. Ergo, your statement that it doesn't function is incorrect.
Why is it so hard to admit that? You can do it, I won't judge. -
Still happens quite often on Pinnacle, at least among the people I play with.
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Quote:Bill Z has few qualms about deleting characters but he only rarely deletes a 50. Usually he gets them into the 20s or 30s and decides whether to keep them.Originally Posted by FourSpeed
PS> I think one of the Bills (BillZBubba or Memphis Bill) has probably
*deleted* that many L50's over the years. -
Quote:You really don't pay much attention to development do you.Originally Posted by Noyjitat
That wasn't full issue that was just something the gave us due to people complaining about having only 2 trials to do. About as small of an update as issue 15. They might have issues finished quicker if they stopped working on 2 or 3 of them at once and focused all efforts on one issue at a time.
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I missed several episodes, but the one's I've seen I've for the most part enjoyed. I plan to try and catch most of the marathon next weekend before the finale.
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Quote:LoL I'm sorry. It takes me several months to adjust my default memory responses sometimes. It also doesn't help that I perpetually file Kinetic Melee under Jazz Hands.Originally Posted by Madadh
Still no love for the fire/kin tanks that we don't even merit a mention?? True, you got it on your second guess, but still.. *feels so forgotten..... sniff*
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Not to mention, that even if you couldn't email to a character, Primals can go visit now.
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Quote:Damn, totally forgot this, and you're absolutely right. I love brains in jars. I've always wanted a big glass bubble for a costume piece as well.Originally Posted by Doc_Reverend
I'm a big fan of the Clockwork King. Sure, he's not very big compared to later stuff, but brain in a jar, man.
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Quote:It's unfortunate for the hardcore players that there's this information > delivery lag, but we shouldn't get too frustrated over it. They have to take advantage of the summer convention season to generate some buzz about the big changes coming.Originally Posted by EarthWyrm
edited to add: yes, I know, beta blah blah important roll-out etc.; there's a point past which tons of information that I'm unable to act upon becomes frustrating, though.
It doesn't mean they're not eager to deliver it to us. It's just a concession to real world timetables. -
Quote:A) these are tips, not world saving mission arcs. Random Acts of Heroism/Villainy don't need to be so overly limited.Originally Posted by uberschveinen
The point of the mobs that stop showing up as you level is that you've moved entirely beyond them. At level 50, the enemy groups you face are the elite of the villain world, and their missiosn generally pose a real threat to entire cities and occasionally threaten the entire world. The low-level street thugs, organised crime figures, and rotting zombies are so far below you that they aren't worth your time. You're leaving them for the smaller heroes to handle, because you have more significant threats to face.
B) there are a lot more 50+ foe groups than what we're given currently in Tip Missions. There are even several foe groups that could be tweaked a little bit and work quite well in the endgame.
I am 100% behind the suggestion.
I understand Tip Missions are not the glory work their big mission writers should get paid to put a ton of time into. I've always wished they would have a Player Contest to make fair fun and engaging tip missions. -
Quote:I can think of better reasons to necro a 2 week gone thread.Originally Posted by Aura_Familia
I would call that comment he threw at you alot of things other than charming.
Internet tough guys are SRZ BZNZS!!!!! -
Quote:This is what the Lock Button is for.Originally Posted by Hercules
- Leagues being randomized after entering a trial. Private leagues should preserve both team composition and the leader.