Rubberlad

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Good day to you all. This the The Player (Formerly Known as The Philotic Knight).

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Can somebody please explain to me why people change their global/forum handles then constantly refer back to what their handle used to be? Wouldn't you just keep the name you used to have? Or is this a cry for attention?

Speaking of which... Was this post really necessary? Its not conclusive of anything other than being an opinionated blog. If you're gonna blog, then get a website (or use LiveJournal). If you're gonna comment, then post a comment and get on with it.

Seriously.

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Maybe make some outdoor mobs drop 'clues' which allows you to start a story arc...

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I suggested that one in 2005. Oh but how we've come so far...

This:

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Q: Will there be more free updates/Issues between now and the launch of Going Rogue?

A: Yes, in fact we recently announced Issue 15 Anniversary, launching early this summer.

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Will Issue 15 be the *last* free expansion pack we see in 2009, or can we expect to see Issue 16 this fall/winter as well? I (and I'm sure many others) are worried that we'll only see two free expansions this year like last year. Be nice to know if we'll make it to three and/or how many more booster packs we can expect to see before "Going Rogue" comes out in stores.

I think he's referring to "open sandbox" gameplay - ie, you can go *anywhere* in a game environment and play any content/story arc in *any* order you want w/o being restricted by your achieved level status versus having to follow a set pattern of leveling certain stories in certain zones only at certain times of your toon's leveling lifespan.

Recent examples of "open sandbox" gameplay would be Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Mass Effect, Fallout 3 and the upcoming western game Red Dead Redemption.

I can't take it anymore. Every day I log in, I keep finding emails for [censored] and its driving me insane. I hit the spam button 9 million times and still it comes back - every day, more and more.

Please, somebody, take the time to update the in-game email system so it scans/spams email on the basis of keywords. This would help *so much* its not even funny.

Thanks for listening.

Good luck Ex. You'll be sorely missed.

Rubs

a great new addition. i love it.

God I miss Zork.

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The known issues list is kind of in unknown territory. I'm not sure if there is anyone who's responsibility is to keep that thing updated on a regular basis...and I'm not sure if there actually is a way to keep it updated anyway.

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I *dimly* recall from a few years back (years?!) that Positron was compiling an informal list. But that was yesterday I guess, and this is today...

Sounds like y'all either need more interdepartmental meetings or an open bar to bridge the gaps in communication. May I recommend Bacardi?


PS: Good post. Its good to have you back online - thanks for making the time to comment. It's *extremely* appreciated.

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I hope this clears up some of your additional questions and concerns.

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If anything, you just reminded me how *dated* this game is becoming.

Seriously? You guys keep complicating the most simple "gaming" experiences with these anal-retentive "not so fast" systems. People game and they game *fast* - why do you insist on working [censored] backwards in a market full of platform games that conditions the player to game faster? The slower this game gets, the quicker folks move on to playing something else.


The Merit reward system wasn't necessary. It punishes 10% of a surviving player base that got fed up with the same old "grindy" Task Force content after 4+ years and took matters into their own hands to make it interesting. You shoulda used the time spent making "merit rewards" to update a bunch of the Year One TF's.


We play because we want excitement - not because we want rewards. Develop a content system that works to this philosophy and the playerbase will come back in droves.

Base Repricing

1) How will the repricing of bases affect you personally?
- It helps big time. I dismantled and rebuilt our base on test and found I had enough prestige for three extra rooms. That was a nice surprise. The pricing on plot sizes is much better as well.


2) Will you dismantle your base to gain the additional prestige from the repricing?
- Yes. So long as I can keep the design pattern in the Entry Room, I can apply it to the base again later.

3) How long would this process take you if you were to engage in this practice?
- It took about two hours. One to rebuild the rooms; another to replace all the items (big ticket items like enhancement tables et al are easy; its trying to put back the smaller room details that give the base personality that are exhausting).

4) What are the positive and negative concerns regarding repricing?
- Not sure yet. I'd like to see base rent become due on Test before I13 goes live. That way I can weigh the costs of building "big" against the recurring rent tab.

5) How will this feature affect you long term and short term?
- Short term: more room to grow.
- Long term: better prestige management for big ticket items.


Base Salvage Exchange to Invention Salvage

1) What is the negative effect on your base for this feature implementation?
- Lack of storage space. I'd have to buy multiple storage racks just to get back the storage space we used to have. Object limits in certain rooms will work against doing this.

2) What is the positive effect on your base for this feature implementation?
- Less salvage pieces to manage. That's not a bad thing.

3) How long will it take you to adjust to learning this new system?
- No time at all, really.

4) What side effects to this system do you currently see from transitioning the old to new system?
- Greater demand on the auction house market that's already experiencing a shortage and unreasonably high costs for common salvage items.

5) What security concerns do you have regarding this change?
- None at the moment.

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I was stunned upon hearing the news that you'd resigned.

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I am just having a hard time buying into this.

There was clearly a disconnect between LH and the other rednames or he would never have been forced to post his PVP retraction statement. Yes, I do believe he was forced and this departure is no coincidence.

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Then you're a fool. There's no mistaking the fact that people change jobs regularly, and there's absolutely no need to politicize someone's announcement of resignation as "DOOOOOOM!" There are plenty of Devs in good standing who were able to post their farewells upon resignation including CuppaJo, Alexa, and Gilgamesh. And those who weren't in good standing just left quietly.


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If I had to guess I would say that NorCal is in a bit of upheaval right now over the direction the game is taking and we, as a community, are going to suffer from its implosion.

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I'm sorry, but there's no earthshattering scandal to be found here other than LH is moving on to new opportunities (and now's a good a time as any as new opportunities arise across the nation). I'm sure there was internal communication regarding LH's departure and BAB's was just joining in the public forum's lament.

Now please, be civil and acknowledge LH's resignation with generosity and respect rather than turn it into a JFK MMO conspiracy worthy of the National Enquirer...


Good luck, LH. I wish you well in your future travels and endeavours.

vBulletin is *GREAT* forum software.

Smart choice.

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Side switching in the future?

Brian Clayton: We're going to be doing more and more in-depth focus groups and research, and things like that, going forward, so eventually I think this is going to become more noise for the community than it is groundbreaking news! But what I can say is that having players go from hero to villain, and villain to hero, would nicely tie together what we've already done to date with City of Heroes and City of Villains. We certainly like the concept and the idea, but we're just not ready to talk about the details yet.

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Am I the only person who looks at these two game resources and thinks ... "Finally, I'll be able to play my character as a Hero *AND* as a Villain!"

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He's eluding to COX2. The marketing surveys aren't asking about COX1. Or did everyone forget NCSoft bought the franchise to develop a PC-friendly console game for PS3/X-Box? COX1 can't compete on that front.

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... or he could be talking about this game.

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He's not.

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Side switching in the future?

Brian Clayton: We're going to be doing more and more in-depth focus groups and research, and things like that, going forward, so eventually I think this is going to become more noise for the community than it is groundbreaking news! But what I can say is that having players go from hero to villain, and villain to hero, would nicely tie together what we've already done to date with City of Heroes and City of Villains. We certainly like the concept and the idea, but we're just not ready to talk about the details yet.

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Am I the only person who looks at these two game resources and thinks ... "Finally, I'll be able to play my character as a Hero *AND* as a Villain!"

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He's eluding to COX2. The marketing surveys aren't asking about COX1. Or did everyone forget NCSoft bought the franchise to develop a PC-friendly console game for PS3/X-Box? COX1 can't compete on that front.

I like it. Its not quite what I expected (aside from the Mission Creator), but I like it a lot.

For some reason, I kept expecting I13 to be the first half of "omnibus content" that would conclude in I14. This however is clearly a stand-alone issue delivered with affectionate TLC for the long and faithful player. Is it safe to assume that the two-issue content items have been pushed back in the schedule?

All else aside, I'm very keen to test the mission creator. We've got some very imaginative players on board this game - I'm sure the tools included here will complement their contributions brilliantly.


Thanks for the content update. Have a great weekend at the Penny Arcade Expo!!!

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I think it's pretty crappy that they're giving out a permanent in-game item that everyone isn't reasonably able to get.

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Read my lips: its a marketing hook.

Its a great way to bridge awareness of the game in non-gaming communities - plus it is a cool incentive to offer potential new subscribers that've never played the game before. I mean, hey - look how much you guys are going gaga all over it. If its making you druel, just think how well it'll work to snag new subscribers.


So yeah, I agree with the Marketing gimmick - however, I think its a bad idea to advertise this on the front page. Yeah it raises visibility of the event for a select few that are willing and/or able to go, but it alienates the larger population who have been wanting some kind of access to this costume option for years.

Hey ho, life goes on. Come back at Halloween and be pleasantly suprised at what you earn from trick-or-treating (at least that's my guess).

I think its a good idea, but $9.95 per respec seems steep (esp for student players on a shoestring budget).

Any flexibility on pricing it out @ $5.95 or $6.95 per respec instead? That'd justify current and future costume packs @ $9.95 or higher in my book.

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It is also important to mention that the reference on Massively.com to an idea that Issue 13 will be the last free issue for City of Heroes is completely false. We have no plans whatsoever to stop supporting the game with free Issues.

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They're not reporting its the last free issue *ever* - they're saying its the last free issue scheduled for 2008 (ie don't expect Issue 14's free content to go live until 2009).

Seriously, big difference - y'all lost something in your translation...

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Lame

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Disappointed, more like - but not ungrateful. Not sure I'd say lame.
Definitely not surprised however.

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Seems hover/flight needs re-re-tweaking. Flew into the train and upon exiting the train in a new zone Cerebrawl is vibrating like he's having siezures.

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Flight or Hover on?

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Definitely flight. Didn't try hover. Its fine once you get out of range of the train station (odd as that is) but until you do, its COH Parkinson's Disease.

Okay, so YAY to this:

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[*] Accolade / Portable Workbench accolade will once again summon a Workbench in non-PVP areas.


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But BOO that you didn't fix the player's ability to accurately click on the damn thing. Once the workbench is summoned, we still have to search around it in order to use it.

Come on guys, if you're gonna bother fixing it then fix *everything* that's wrong with it while you're looking at it.

*shakes head*

You guys have me worried now. Twice now, you've lost the Community/Dev Digests, now the scheduled patch isn't ready, and I'm still not sure if y'all got the Toon Server Transfer tool back online again.

Is everything ok?

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[*] Global Chat Handle reset
All accounts initially start with the ability to change their global chat handle one time. This grant will reset that and allow accounts who had previously changed their global chat handle to do so again. This is a one time chat handle change, so please use it wisely.


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Hey LH,

Couple folks on my end are asking if a change in global chat handle will affect the global friends list for other folks? IE will the new global name automatically update on the friends list, or will the old name drop off the list entirely and the new name has to be manually added back?

Now that's cool. Thank you for doing this!