Lord Rahvin

I think the 'origin selection screen' in the character generator needs a bit of an overhaul. The hero/villain/praetorian buttons are a bit subtle and I sometimes forget to select one. I think there should be three buttons "hero", "villain" or "praetorian", an each one should tell you something about the setting (Paragon City, the Rogue Islands, Praetoria) and the possible alignments available there.

I think the selection of an origin should wait until the very end, right before registration, but after costume and power customization. I don't tend to think of my origin first -- often I jump straight to powers or costumes before I've settled on a definite concept yet. Choosing an origin doesn't help me to decide on a concept the way choosing powers does, and i think power selection should come first.

Finally, I think the number of origins needs to be expanded. Perhaps not "needs", but it would be nice just for purposes of character-selection. The in-game behind-the-scenes origins could remain the same, but I think a player should have more choices to choose from.

My list would split each of the current origins into two:
Accident, Alien, Artifact, Creature, Experiment, Gadget, Inherent, Mystical, Psychic, Training, and Tech Suit.

Accident -- you got your powers in an accident that can't be replicated or do not know exactly how you got your powers
Artifact -- the superhuman abiltiies you have are not yours, but rather imbued on you by possession of a magical artifact, weapon, or sacred object.
Alien - your powers are no big deal where you are from but here they seem strangely fantastical
Creature - you are simply not human and therefore have non-human or even super-human abilities
Experiment - you acquired your powers through a procedure that was specifically and purposefully done to you
Gadget - you have cybernetics, gauntlets, a utility belt, a high-tech weapon, or some other tech items that grant you abilities
Inherent - you were born different from others and do not know why. Perhaps you were cosmically blessed or represent a natural evolutionary state
Mystic - you have been learned the art of magical spells, gifted with a divine legacy, or somehow acquired magical power
Psychic - your mind is more developed than others and you can tap into powerful abiltiies of the human brain
Training - you are an otherwise normal person but have honed your body and talents to superhuman levels
Tech Suit - your abilities are not your own, but come from a powered environment suit or armor that expands your abilities beyond the human norm

In-game, these would correspond with the existing origins as follows:
Magic (Artifact and Mystic)
Natural (Training and Psychic)
Technology (Gadget and Tech Suit)
Science (Accident and Procedure)
Mutant (Creature and Inherent)

I think there needs to be some sort of work done on the in-game announcements and information system. At the moment, there seems to be a lot of information that displays in popups for new characters that really aren't needed, and there's a lot of information that people should know but the game doesn't tell them.

For example, until I accessed the forums, I had no idea why it was always nighttime. It was awhile before I noticed, and I suspected it had something to do with my graphics settings but didn't find it important enough to check out. Until someone in my supergroup pointed it out to me, I had no idea how to access the signature story arcs or get to the First Ward.

Maybe this is intentional. Maybe this is to keep people constantly going to the website or to their in-game friends. I find it annoying, and kind of sloppy.

I don't have a definite suggestion on how this information should be available. Maybe new announcements should be released not only on the website, but in computer terminals in-game. Or something. Maybe we can have actual news vendor contacts to keep you up-to-date on in-game things you should know.

I think there needs to be a definite analysis of how much information is given to new players, and how and when that information is distributed. I don't think we should just assume people will find out on their own "somehow".

I first realized this when I went hunting for the Medallion of Atlas badge. Doing that was actually kind of fun because for once I wasn't just following someone else's mission instructions. I had my own objectives, completely optional, with a list of sub-objectives I could follow in any order, for a reward I specifically wanted. I even recruited a friend saying "this is going to take me awhile, will you help me with this" and felt more like a real superhero teamup (as opposed to missions that would scale down in difficulty if I didn't have help).

And yet, despite how useful and kinda' fun this was, the instructions weren't found anywhere in-game. I found them on a website. I was following instructions on a website. Why aren't the in-game contacts providing me with this kind of information? Why aren't groups like the Midnighters or Twinshot's group giving me guidance on optional things I can do to sort of form my own mission.

I think there's something wrong when you assume players read the forums and all the website announcements and thus you don't have to put your game pieces in some sort of logical order. I think its wrong to put goals, mission areas, and new content in seemingly-random places and just expect it to work without putting in supporting text in other game areas that make it seem like part of a cohesive whole.

I realize some of this is being worked on. The new starting contacts and the brand new tutorial are evidence of this.

I'm not saying this need is immediate. But at some point, I would like it if this content and its associated instructions could be introduced to players in-game in some way other than "bing! New contact wants to speak with you!"

(Btw, If you do decide to go the way of information announcement terminals, I'd really like to see these added to superbases.)

I like the idea of new power animations for all powers. I think its just as important, if not more important, than costume pieces.

I don't think there's any real need to make it accessible from all three zones.

If its a feature and not a bug, than what's the purpose behind any character "phasing out"? Are they literally on a different zone? Do they not see every other character that you see? Can a phased out player see you?

Is Archery a blaster primary? Lately I've been wondering about an Archery/Devices combo.

It's themed appropriately -- in comics, archers are often into gadgets and tech.

Archery has an accuracy bonus, and devices has a little device that increases your accuracy, and combined with Tactics from the leadership pool...

What about Autumnal Melee...?

I agree with everything that Krieg_Jaeger has said about magic and assault rifles, although some of it is off-topic and I would encourage you to start a new discussion on the subject if you want to keep debating the merits of new magic sets.

I agree with Krieg_Jaeger's point in that I would love to see a re-design of the Assault Rifle effects to be more dramatic and cool-looking. With the exception of the Vanguard Rifle, most of them look a little plain and unimpressive but its really the effect and explosions that matter when it comes to guns.

Also, I think we need a rocket launcher.

Umm... what is phasing?

Yes, Hyperstrike... I'm sure that's exactly what's being looked for.

Agreed, but I'm sure this is going to be worked on in time anyway.

I wouldn't be surprise if the whole Market look/interface gets some continual updates over the next 6 months or so.

I ran into a similar issue with the Civil Society. I had an idea for a theme and wanted to recruit players in my time zone, which I find fairly rare. But the truth is, as a supergroup, I have nothing to offer.

I'm not an experienced player. I'm not looking to lead teams of end-game incarnate trials, but would like it if someone joined that could do that. We have a nice looking warehouse -- you could hardly call it a superbase. We have no teleporters. No members. I have forums setup but they are empty.

Bascially, I felt as a supergroup, I had nothing to offer but theme and a desire to team up with others for mission play. I'm not really eager to recruit players when I feel they could get a better experience joining another group, or worse yet, ask people to leave their current group to come and join mine.

So my friend suggested I start a global channel instead. It's called "West Coast Heroes", and the idea is that any heroes in the pacific time zone can use it to socialize and arrange mission teams. As people join, maybe I might meet some people I would like to invite to join The Civil Society forums. Or maybe not -- but at least I'll have met my goal of getting together with other Pacific time zone heroes.

So currently I'm trying out the channel idea as my attempt at creating a "superhero social club" that doesn't need an awesome base, doesn't ask members for prestige, doesn't require people to leave their current supergroup, etc.

The reward token should be available next time you login.

Just logout and log back in next time.

My latest tank is a little flying insect-themed girl. She has super reflexes and hover, so the premise is that she's too small and fast to get hit.

My next tank will be a living statue brought to life by magic.

Ooohhhhhhhhhhhh...



Thank you!

This sort of thing would be great for a new Super Senses power pool.

Lvl 1: Heightened Sense. Auto Power.
You can hear a sound to indicate nearby glowies, hostages, etc. Based on the sound, you should be able to identify what kind it is -- an object, a hostage, an npc, or a trap. In missions where you must find "the correct crate", the correct crate will have a distinctive sound to it. You get a moderate bonus to your perception.

Lvl 1: Super Sight. Toggle Power.
Red or green targeting recticles will show up around any glowies/hostages within perception range, even through walls. In missions where you must find "the correct crate", incorrect crates within perception range will show up as yellow instead of green. You get a slight bonus to the accuracy of all your powers as long as this toggle is on.

Lvl 14: Situational Awarness
Activation Power. All hostages/gloweis/enemies/bosses show up on your map. In some cases, you may be able to see the spawn points even if a boss has not yet arrived on the scene. You get a slight bonus to range on all powers for the duration of this effect. You must get either Super Sight or Heightened Sense and be level 14 before getting this power.

Lvl 20: Rapid Analysis
Activation Power. Effectively a limited version of Aim (in much the same way Provoke is a limited form of Taunt), this power will grant you a small bonus to accuracy and a significant bonus to perception for the duration of its effect. Objects (such as crates, turrets, bombs, etc.) that you attack will have a -resistance(smash/lethal) debuff. You must take any two of the previous powers (Heightened Sense, Super Sight, Situational Awareness) and be level 20 before you can select this option.

I would like to see some stats and/or information in the character selection screen -- especially now that some characters may be locked and I have to decide which ones to unlock on occasion.

Right now, we can see the character's name, archetype, loyalty, level, the last uniform they were in, and where they logged out. That's great.

I would like to see a bit more such as their two chosen powersets, and the ability to switch between their costumes.

This makes it more than just a character selection tool, but also a gallery to admire and display all of my heroes and villains.

i think the tutorial needs some more info on how to access global channels, what they are for, and what kind of global channels are out there.

Perhaps just as an optional "talk to this guy to learn about your communication gear" or something.

Someone who could walk you into, say finding a channel, joining it, and adding it to your chat window.

I think its been fixed now!