Mornediel

Whatever... well, at least you can all be thankful this is probably my last post, and most likely last look at the forums. I came here to voice a legitimate concern, not to be insulted because I don't worship the developers every choice. Its funny... every person on here seems to think I am 100% wrong here, but EVERY single person I have discussed it with in the actual game agrees with me completely, and is very upset about it. I talked with a number of people before even writing this post, and if I didn't think it was an important issue, I would not have brought it up. But if the statements made here line up with the general voice you make on the forums, at least I know who the devs are listening to... not people petitioning and making suggestions in the game, but forum lurkers. Maybe one day they'll just make every person a lv 50 after creation, and then everyone can sit around the forums and talk about how much easier that is. Hope you all enjoy that.

Yes, it is a game. It's a game that I pay to play. One that I've been paying to play for quite some time. So, I think I've got every right to voice my opinion when I feel something is going on that shouldn't be; decisions being made that I think are in complete lack of respect for the people that make the game possible. Paying players are what keep an MMO in existence, and the veterans are those who have been contributing the longest, and should be respected. And I don't feel that this decision is doing that.

OK, Fleeting.... 30 thousand posts in 3 years.... Do you actually play the game, or just bash people that actually do, and are concerned about things they feel are detrimental? I wasn't going on a rampage or something, like you are seeming to imply. All of my points are valid arguments, based on facts and experiences with this and other games.

Whether you like Kheldians or not is irrelevant. They are still meant as a reward. So, complain that its a sucky reward if you want... but I like my kheldians, and I feel my hard work has just been slapped in the face.

Also, you mentioned new end game content.. Again, not relevant. That is great that there is new content for lv 50 characters to participate in, I am excited about that, but that is NOT the same as a reward for reaching 50 for the first time ever.\

And Ion, ok, so getting a 50 isn't hard, it just takes time, right? Same thing with veteran rewards... even less effort required, just time. So, let's just give all the veteran rewards out at the beginning then, since there's no effort lost.

And you all seem to be jumping me about the term "Epic". Yes, the story of the Kheldians is epic, so what is that?

Epic: 1)Noting or pertaining to a long poetic composition, usually centered upon a hero, in which a series of GREAT ACHIEVEMENTS or events is narrated in elevated style.
2) Heroic, majestic, impressively great
3) of unusually great size or extent

Yes, this is true with the Kheldians themselves, but is it to be exclusively that, and the person controlling them needs none of the same requirements? I personally don't think so. As a reward at reaching level 50, a person has shown a series of great achievements, has shown these same traits. They will have a knowledge of the world of CoH that a person who has only reached level 20 can not have. (This is NOT referring to people who exploit aspects of the game, but those who play through the content as intended. Decisions for game content should not be determined by those that utilize exploitation for gain. That is something for developers to work on eliminating, and an entirely different issue altogether.)

That is my opinion, I feel veterans efforts are being completely disregarded, no different than if veteran playtime rewards were given to new players, and I think it is a horrible choice by the developers.

So, I read the new announcement about I17, Dark Mirror. Mostly really cool stuff. But, I did notice that with it, people will gain the ability to create "EPIC" archetypes after only reaching level 20. Even before AE and the power-leveling madness that ensued, it was not hard at ALL to reach 20 in a single day. But 50 on the other hand took some work. Especially the 40's range, which anyone who was around then will attest to, was the hardest leveling stretch in the game. BUT, we persevered. We worked. We toiled. And after all of this, we were rewarded with the fruits of our labor, EPIC archetypes. A symbol of persistence and patience. Simply walking across the street on your Warshade or Peacebringer demanded authority. Anyone who saw you knew what it took for you to get where you are.

And now, that SAME reward will be given to someone who very well just got the game, got hooked up with a team for some fast xp, and hits 20 day 1, and makes a kheldian. I'm sorry, but what exactly is epic about that? I mean, they're called EPIC archetypes for a reason. It's supposed to mean something. Not just handed out on a whim, because some newbie is whining that its too hard to get to 50.... What's next? Start giving out 2 year vet rewards after a month of play? Maybe make a booster pack for $9.99 that sells vet rewards early.... hey, anything for more money right? Who cares about the people who actually EARNED the rewards...

So, I'm expecting that since the glory and honor of our efforts is being flushed down the toilet, there is going to be some sort of substantial new bonus for those who have reached the pinnacle of effort in the game, correct? It is a real shame that something as great and wonderful as most of Issue 17 appears to be has to be ruined by such a foolishly stupid decision to include this in it.

I hope this post will be taken seriously, and not just a hate bashing note. I'm just fed up with decisions like this being made in games that seems to take no regard to the veteran players and their efforts. So many MMO's have been nerfed to suit new players who saw the "cool" stuff and wanted it, but weren't willing to put forth the effort, so the developers bowed to their wills, and suddenly, it looses all its lustre, because its no longer something special. Probably the best example in the history of stupid developer decisions being the Combat Upgrade system that Sony implemented in Star Wars Galaxies. And I am quite certain any pre-CU swg player is agreeing right now. They took the rewards that veterans had, and either gave them away like candy, or got rid of them entirely (along with screwing up an awesome game, but that's another issue). And what happened? Most of the vets left, and you're left with the people who are after a quick buck, and don't care who they step on to get it. Quality communities are built through a mutual respect. Loose the respect, you loose the people who make the game what it is. I like this game, and I care enough that I don't want that to happen. I only hope I'm not alone in that.

Yep... seconding all the suggestions. Just hope that someone reads them who can actually do something about it. They've already got the items in existance, so there's no reason not to have them in base editing. I'm a veteran of Anarchy Online, and though nowhere near as customizable as CoH bases, they still had lots of items I'd love to see in CoH. Party areas with disco lights. Swimming pools. Hot tubs. NPC staff & guards that wandered and talked. PvP arenas for sparring practice. I'd like to see things like this in CoH.

If I had to make a list of my absolute top desires, a few things (already mentioned, just seconding them):
Other plot themes, such as outdoors. There's a lot of SG's out there that fit in an outdoor setting, not in a building.
Decor and lighting for doorways. MUST HAVE!!! I hate lighting changing drastically in the middle of a doorway, or flooring styles changing abruptly... please, fix this.
Water. Have different sized/shaped water tiles, or at least pools/ponds.
More trees, larger trees, plants without planters.
ITEM COLORIZATION! Just like costumes, open up the color spectrum for items too.

There's a lot of stuff I'd like to see, but that is by far my list of what I would consider the most important things.