Mindtaker

I prefer the current CoH comic, it feels much more like a proper story, with proper characters. I like things a bit on the dark side.

The previous CoH series...was an embarrassment. Very cheesy, very camp. The trial storyline improved it a bit, but for the most part it felt like amateur hour.

Its nice to enjoy reading the comic now, rather than just skipping to the cartoon as I did before

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The "numbers" issue. I know there is a post around here somewhere where a dev says something about not providing #'s because we don't want it to be "City of Math" - I have seen some of the calculations required to get numbers and I have to say that my head a-sploded. Plus there is the maintenance of such a list - and well, you have seen how often the manual gets updated. (note on that - it is coming this month with I4 included) So I would also state that there are some resource constraints in that area. I doubt this will change.


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While it would be nice to see how an enhancement affects a power, and thus to be able to make informed judgements on how to slot it instead of 'just guessing' as it is now, how about another way of doing it?

Say, my MA/SR scrapper. I'm slotting up his reflex powers with defense SO's. Since I cant see the numbers, I dont know when I've hit my cap and further slotting will be useless, and since apparently thats something thats unlikely to happen, how about, a internal enhancement check program that analyzes the power, then, if it detects that the player has hit a cap, asks, "This power has reached its limit. Are you sure? Y/N" or some such.

Of course, that might be just as difficult as revealing all the numbers, I dont know.

I do know, that slotting blind isnt fun, and as the casual player does NOT have hours to spend on the test server going through every possible combination of enhancements just so as not to have anything wasted.

I think most of the players here would like to see SOMETHING along these lines. Especially since our powers are subject to change, and after a patch or issue may have to be reworked out.

I have more than my share of alts, the highest being in the early 40's, the others ranging from the teens into the 30's.

I dont powerlvl at all nor do I street hunt much, I mostly do missions. So I've done a lot of the same missions, over and over.

I've noticed some of the early ones have been tweaked--better maps, new features. The clockwork box of parts that spewed endless gears surprised the hell out of my latest alt. Its great that these missions are improved upon, and not left static.

That said..what I'd love to see, is more...villain specialization, for lack of a better term. Where a hero can choose to specialize one one group of specific viallins, unravelling more and more of that groups plots and backstory, leading to a final, satisfying confrontation.

Perfect example is the Crey.

(My apologies for the spoilers, but I have to outline this to make my point.)

Your hero starts out just sniffing around the corporate giant, uncovering more and more of its dark side. Eventually you start to dig up dirt on the Countess herself.

Then, it turns personal. The Crey frame you, make you a wanted felon. (I actually kind of wish that other players could attack you at that point, try to bring you in. Story-wise it would make much more sense and make the end more satisfying, but I can see where that would also make it too hard, or, invite griefing.) The pressure is upped a few notches.

A few missions later, you are bringing down the Corporation, and arresting the Countess herself.

Beginning, middle, satisfying end, and, a 'personal' stake put in it as a result of the storytelling. THE most fun villain story arc I have seen in this game yet.

Some of the others have similar arcs...the Vahz, for example, have a beginning, middle, and a fight with the good doctor himself. Nemesis is another.

But not all villain groups have a long, complete story arc. The Tsoo, Family, and Sky Raiders, for example, have a few, apparently unconnected arcs. And when your character outlevels them, thats it, no more. No conclusion, and you dont see them again unless your high lvl char wants to squish some in the street for fun.

This is such a waste... I would love to take one of my chars, and specialize in, lets say the Tsoo. I choose contacts who give only Tsoo related missions, who, in turn, introduce other Tsoo contacts with more misisons. The arcs correspond with my level and are playable until I reach the end of the Tsoo storyline and fight its boss AV--no more outleveling a villain group you love to fight! Your character becomes that villain group's most feared adversary.

A beginning, middle, and end of a storyline, plus personal involvement with a bunch of bad guys you love to hate. This is what makes a fun storyarch.

This would also have the side effect of making each players experience unique. As is, most of us do or have done the same misisons, as all of our contacts have them. By letting players specialize, player A, who concentrated on the Tsoo, has a totally different play experience than player B, who preferred fighting the Sky Raiders. And when they team, and alternate each other's missions, players A and B both get to experience something totally new.

Players would also start new alts, just to specialize in a different villain group and get a whole new storyarch and game experience. And when that arch ends, they move on to another villain group of their choosing, one of the higher lvl ones, appropriate to their exp level.

Long post. I get carried away a bit. I love this game, you see, and see so much potential in it.

What do you think?