SlackTech

Hey, Z, quick question to you (and due to the public nature of this medium, everyone else) - why isn't Willpower listed as a complimentary set?

I am genuinely curious, as that's what I've teamed SF with on my Stalker, but am only level 7 so although I've thoroughly enjoyed it, and haven't come close to death, still don't have a very clear idea how well it will perform in terms of survivability or damage output once I get to 50 and slot him with IOs (not the super expensive ones - just run of the mill IOs).

And before the influx of 'why didn't you go with Ice?', it may sound petty, but I hate the look of the set. I'm not a min/maxer, even though the above question suggests I am. If I can't stand looking at a set, I don't see how I could play the character for 50 levels

Agreed, but this competition is not available to NPCs, and everything else is instanced missions. Your 'pure' villain can't enter Paragon 'normally'. My point was not really this... it's about the wording used in announcements, and the fact that villains (or the Rogue Isles) are either left out or mentioned in passing, where heroes (and Paragon City) is mentioned constantly, even when something is open to both sides and/or held in a co-op zone (this one that specifically tells you 'do not think about fighting here - it's a neutral zone').

My point is about visibility.... but I concede that I'm bashing my head against a wall with this...

Wasn't meaning to 'attack' HS - it was a comment on the post, but it's not the only example of this style of post. I have commented on others, too.

Yes, the Carnies actually have a permanent settlement in St Martial. That's kind of my point - the Rogue Isles don't rate a mention. My answer - either mention both, or none at all (after all, the judging is occuring in a co-op zone...).

I just know I'm going to flamed for this, but I will still say it - villains can't get to Paragon (although Rogues can... with conditions), unless there's going to be a drastic shift in i23 where the Coming Storm destroys the Rogue Isles and we're relocated to Boomtown.

When this event is being held in an interdimensional party venue, I don't see why Paragon City even needs to be mentioned.

Except that, it seems, Paragon City (or simllar) must be mentioned in every announcement (because, as GG will say, this is City of Heroes I'm paying to play). I do thank you for mentioning villains, though (and I'm not trying to be snarky or sarcastic, even though I'm sure in text it will appear that way).

I love the sentiment of this post but, frankly, when a thread is started from a point of 'what is skippable?' or 'what is the best?' these sort of responses are more likely to happen, as people will state (what they believe to be) absolutes from their experience and referential framework. In short, if you ask a question rooted in subjectivity, you're going to get subjective responses.

However, that doesn't mean the responses have to be rude, patronising or stated as absolutes. It's amazing how the tone of a thought or message changes when commenced with 'I believe...' or 'I think...'

Well, said, Samuel

GG has hit the nail on the head. Be thankful that Paragon only gets destroyed in instanced missions, and not in the 'real' zone maps.

Now that I think about it, this could be used for the stagnation of Faultline's rebuilding - 'we keep rebuilding, but Arachnos and other villain groups keep destroying!'

And to support this, we turn to the official announcement of i22 by the company;

"Issue 22: Death Incarnate is now Live!
The fog has cleared from the streets of Dark Astoria, revealing a horror so terrifying that even the restless spirits dare not roam its streets. Heroes and Villains alike seek to master the powers of darkness that rest with the Demon God, Mot. Experience the all new revamped Dark Astoria, the new Dilemma Diabolique Incarnate Trial and the all new, free for VIPs Power Set: Darkness Control! Issue 22: Death Incarnate has arrived to your favorite super heroic MMORPG, City of Heroes Freedom!

<removed link to video>

With tons of new content, including the all new mid level trial Drowning in Blood, new Powersets, the new Olympian Guard costume set (free for all VIP subscribers), new low level missions found in Steel Canyon, and the much anticipated solo Incarnate Path in the newly revamped Dark Astoria, Issue 22: Death Incarnate is a great time for you to take to the skies in City of Heroes Freedom! So log in today and experience what's new to Paragon City!"

Source - http://na.cityofheroes.com/en/news/n...s_now_live.php

I do not apologise for posting this, even though I'm just going to get the 'whiney villain player' posts about it.

After this piece of spin from Paragon Studios, I fail to see that heroes are getting treated worse than villains - it is clearer with each passing day that the focus of Paragon Studios is on heroes. It's just a problem for the devs that there is villain content and villain players still around, and that they have to do something with that. I don't feel as though too many tears would be shed by more than a few players and Paragon bean-counters if they wiped out villain zones and merged us with Paragon City (and with the phasing tech, that could happen).

Back on Tony's track, I accept that SSA1 has, to date, been a huge blow to the Freedom Phalanax but, really, this may be part of some much bigger arc that will reveal a massive 'brand new day' and a 'new golden age' for villains (thinking Luthor as President, or Osborn as head of Shield/Sword). I have faith that it'll all turn out okay for our signature band of Avengers/JLA/JSA (when, I don't know).

What I'm trying to say is I do not believe that hero players' experience of the game world has been adversely effected by these 'dark' storylines (unless you're RP'ing, I guess), such as the changed Dark Astoria (even Tony would have to admit this zone was, pardon the pun, dead before i22).

I realise that I will be challenged on this, as it's a matter of perspective, but I'm focussing on the non-RP 'mechanics' of the world (e.g. travel, access to zones, power selection, access to auction houses, etc). While there is some lore to rationalise the conversion of DA to a co-op zone, it's basically 'the done thing' whenever new major content (such as a zone) is released as it's the best bang for the studio's buck (and for whatever reason, a villain zone, such as Monster Island, would never be acceptable because some hero players I've spoken to won't enter 'villain zones' any under circumstances).

In this case, though, I think it was just the good fortune of having a barely used zone with an existing story that was easy to work into a Praetorian storyline to justify the 'solo incarnate path' that some players have been screaming for. To me, it was a logical choice for the devs to make (rather than the alternatives of creating a new zone or using a Praetorian zone).

Frankly, if the death of States and the myriad of other threats (which, obviously, do hit villain zones and players, too) results in revised zones for heroes, I'm all for it. I don't even care if the next SSA leads to the death of Recluse if it would mean that the Rogue Isles/villain zones and content got some attention and some space in conversations and media releases (hell, ANY public documents that aren't patch notes would be nice).

Edit - any blue text is either 'Paragon' (as in the city) or an exclusive hero zone or content

I didn't miss your point, Tony, I just don't see how it can be done with current (lacklustre) storylines in the game. The way I see it, the devs have painted themselves into a corner, and are jammed right in there with each issue they release.

I believe this has been the case since the RWZ went co-op, and we had to band together 'for the greater good'. After this, we got to time travel to stop the Fifth Column 'to save the world' again (admittedly, this has zero effect on either hero or villain 'pure' content). Then we had the threat from Praetoria. Now, we have the continuation of this in Dark Astoria. Soon, we have the 'Coming Storm'....

The threats are a lazy way to create co-op content to get the most bang-per-buck and appease us (apparently whiney) villain players. Unfortunately, it has the side-effect of creating so many threats that poor Paragon's villain community (NPCs, obviously) are having a field day due to all the heroes being in ancient Rome, the RWZ, Praetoria or, soon, DA. Why would the situation be getting better??

For the record, this is why I disputed GG's comment, and why I'm not arguing Brand's - the former didn't give a basis for the analogy, while the latter did (i.e. 'action').

To argue this would be (a) severely off-topic and (b) long-winded, as people all over the world may have different opinions on 'where the action is' (e.g. Brits might say London, Japanese might say Tokyo). It's clear that in-game (hero), Paragon is where the action is (not much other option, really...)

Good catch!! It looks like Cryptic really did take the 'DC Approach' with the game world, which is understandable in the circumstances, I guess

Frankly, so is comparing a comicbook city (to use the language of the conversation) to a 'real world' city. Paragon City is what it is, much as Gotham is what it is - I do not believe they can be compared to 'real world' cities, except in terms such as has been quoted from lore (i.e. 'largest population'). These demographic elements are easily comparable, but to say that Paragon occupies the same status or cultural position in Primal Earth as London, NY, Tokyo, et al does in our world is, in my view, problematic in that it is prone to subjectivity.

I think this is why DC took the route they did (but only the staff of this company know for certain) - it's much easier to give the city its own character when not placing the characters in real world cities, and rarely (if ever) mentioning them. I would venture this is why Cryptic did a similar thing.

Anyway, sorry Tony for my part in possibly throwing this thread off-course...

While I was typing my last post, you posted this. I still disagree, and for the reasons please see my last post.

Thank you - signature changed.

I still disagree with GG's analogy (because, frankly, NY isn't the largest city on earth in terms of population - http://geography.about.com/od/urbane...omerations.htm - and NY is always depicted as fast, fashionable, hip and full of culture and opportunity - Paragon doesn't feel that way to me on the rare occasion I visit)

However, I call BS on the analogy used by GG and the concepts expressed in lore, as the in-game world doesn't seem to make this claim seem plausible (e.g. number of people on streets, number of buildings, etc).

I also don't understand why the '...the largest city in the US' would be the one that's attacked consistently by threats and seems to have a ridiculously high crime rate. Yes, this would logically attract more heroes and boost the population, but it would severely hinder economic and social growth.

For example, I wouldn't open a retail establishment when I know in the first day thugs are going to loot it. I realise I would have heroes to help, but insurance companies would find it hard to calculate risk levels in this crazy world. Setting premiums and getting insurance coverage would be a nightmare and I'd spend most of my time filling out paperwork and confirming that the truck my stock is in is going to get to me. This sort of thing tends to make people think twice about setting up shop somewhere.

Summary - this is obviously lore, but it's preposterous

Shade, let me say that I don't disagree with anything you've said (I've stated the same issues in other threads). However, I also appreciate where Tony's coming from.

The reality is, most of the population's there, and the game's branding has wiped redside completely, so from an in-game and public relations view, this is a hero's universe. It often feels as if villains are just along for the ride, and get thrown a bone every now and then for the sake of parity.

As I've stated previously, I will continue to sub while we get content on a equivalent basis (e.g. new SF to new TF (non co-op), SSA). I would like more, but this will have to do, as the alternative is villains get nothing or villain content is shutdown completely.

Having said that, what I would like, though, is if hero zones are getting some love, please apply some attention to existing villain zones (e.g. Monster Island) or, heaven forbid, work on creating a new villain zone (yes, I know the chances of this happening are less than me winning enough before the end of the week to retire completely). I don't think either of these are going to happen, but one can dream.

I would love to see you support that somehow (with evidence, not just your opinion). If you can, I will change my signature immediately.

Referring to what GG is referring to, I agree, it's odd that the 'major' cities of the world are rarely, if ever, mentioned in game lore. I can't remember, off the top of my head, too many references to real cities, even in passing (e.g. 'The Rikti launched minor offensives in London and other cities while the major focus was Paragon City'). It's like they've taken the 'DC Approach', not the competitor's.

I would venture the pantless nead pants (and a belt) more than friends. Unless they are a politician and then all's fair, I guess...

I acknowledge your point, GG, and thank you for raising it.

I'm still half a world away, and hence outside the geo-political boundaries of Paragon Studios contest entry rules (and therefore forbidden to enter if the previous terms and conditions are to be taken as applying to this 'contest').

Of course, we don't know for certain that they will be... but I would be amazed if they're not, particularly if prizes are offered.