Triplash

Howdy. So I made this comment in another thread, referring to emailing SG invites. I said I would prefer if characters just talked to the SG Registrar to request invites. It got a pretty positive response, so I figured what the heck, give it a proper Suggestion thread and see what folks think.

I'll just copy-paste my post from the original thread:


I vote they don't use email at all, but do everything through the registrar instead.

1. The SG changes its setting to "Accepting Membership Applications"
2. The character looking to join files a request form with the Registrar. This includes certain information about the applicant such as character name, global name, level and archetype, and a short note. Possibly also a link to pop open the character's Info Box, letting the SG view their description and power choices.
3. The SG (probably any member that has invite privileges) decides whether to accept or reject the application.

This removes the pesky issue of sending something through gleemail that can only be claimed on one server or by one character. And it makes sense thematically too, talking to the SG Registrar to perform SG-related tasks.

Wow... I figured something like this probably had been suggested before and just nothing came from it. But if it's really a new take, maybe I'll put this in its own Suggestion thread and see what happens there.

Thanks for the positivity, guys!

(And Angelxman, sorry for diverting your thread. It was unintentional, I swear!)

Edit: And here's the link to the Suggestion thread.

I vote they don't use email at all, but do everything through the registrar instead.

1. The SG changes its setting to "Accepting Membership Applications"
2. The character looking to join files a request form with the Registrar. This includes certain information about the applicant such as character name, global name, level and archetype, and a short note. Possibly also a link to pop open the character's Info Box, letting the SG view their description and power choices.
3. The SG (probably any member that has invite privileges) decides whether to accept or reject the application.

This removes the pesky issue of sending something through gleemail that can only be claimed on one server or by one character. And it makes sense thematically too, talking to the SG Registrar to perform SG-related tasks.

Over the last two years, all on Virtue, I've snagged:

Crash Test
Cage Match
Dual Core
Launch Code
Sequence
Crouch
Hard Ten
Tailgate
Right Cross
Caravan
Chaingun

and less than a month ago: Plucky Sidekick

I think those are the ones Coffee was talking about. And yes I totally agree... I've always thought those should be used for something. Preferably something popular, and the WST certainly counts as that.

Aww, and here I was getting all excited too. Ahh well.

That's kind of like the guy outside the Vanguard building, the one who still says he needs to check your security clearance. I think they're just keeping him on until he retires. You know, like a Walmart greeter.

Okay so, the first thing I did after yesterday's patch installed was run a cape mission. Upon zoning into the train station in IP, I hear this:

[NPC] Hershel: Well look at this... 'The Paragon Transit Authority has recently re-opened their Northern Green Line station.' I wonder why it was closed for so long.

When I read it I thought, did the patch put in a new North IP station?!? But no, it did not.

I'm just wondering, has this particular phrase been heard before? For instance could it be lingering around from when they added the station to Founders Falls? (I think that was the place, I've only been playing since I13.) Because if not, then it sure sounds like an indicator that a new station is being built

It's not about how much inf a player can make through the market... it's about how much inf a player realizes they can make through the market. That's where RMTers get their strongest traction in CoH: the players who think that making a profit via the market requires some sort of "heartless cutthroat" attitude, or Rain Man level number-crunching skills. I've spoken at length with people who, while otherwise very clever and level-headed, outright refuse to even listen once I mention the M-word.

As for the idea itself, I vote yes. I also vote yes to it including both game time and anything else you could buy in the store, like booster packs and respecs for example. There are plenty of players who would gladly spend their money to give others a few perks or help them keep playing. Sadly there are even more who love the game dearly but just can't financially manage it for a while.

Could it cause problems? Sure. More problems than losing customers while others have the desire and ability to pay on their behalf? I don't believe so. This way NCSoft gets more money coming in, more players are sticking around and having more fun while they're at it... sounds pretty win-win to me!

Yeah, we absolutely need more reasons to go to those places. But it also takes devoting a considerable chunk of developer time to create story arcs and zone overhauls. It seems much simpler (in theory at least) to add ten objects and/or ten characters, interconnected by zone transfer links. No drastic map changes to plot out, no new art assets to create or mob powers to balance. Just a few nice shortcuts to help folks get around a little faster. With the recent transit merge, it seems they aren't against that idea.

I'm sure not gonna make it a crusade or anything, hehe... I just think it would make a nice little bonus to tuck into a future issue. I mean, it can't lower the usage of those zones, can it?

Someone mentioned the other day about how giant monsters and zone events are getting largely neglected by most players. It got me to thinking how hazard and trial zones in general are suffering pretty much the same fate. I mostly play on Virtue, and even in peak hours the most I see is five or ten people in places like Boomtown and Crey's Folly, not counting a team or so coming in long enough to kill a GM (occasionally). There have been suggestions to add story arcs and maybe even task forces to help renew interest, and those are good ideas. But I've got one that I think might be easier or faster to put in.

See, the reason I think that there are so few visitors to these zones is that they're awkward to reach. Newer players don't know how to get there, or sometimes that the zones themselves even exist; while older players find little to no motivation to street sweep in a desolate zone. Especially ones that require two or three zone changes just to get to, and then are vast and sprawling once you get there. There's more travel time involved than it's worth to experience their unique atmospheres.

My suggestion is to put in a transit system that takes you to each of the hazard zones. No need to put in special drop locations... just place them next to the guarded entrance for each zone, near the combat medics. I was going to suggest re-opening the Red Line, but that would require re-mapping those entire zones to include tracks and stations. Instead, I think a simple portal would do nicely... a recolored base portal, perhaps.

I think a group like Freedom Corps would be appropriate for running a program like this. It fits with their concept of organizing affairs for new heroes, plus it means that the devs don't need to create a whole new character group. Their HQ in Galaxy City could house the main porter which leads to each other zone, and in those zones there's a smaller portal which just takes you back to the Galaxy HQ.

This would cut down on travel time for experienced players, and increase awareness of the zones for newer players. With the removal of level restrictions in Issue 16 and the transit merges in Issue 19, this would seem to be a great next step. It ties together those "empty" zones and making at least getting there more attractive.

I'll /sign this too. GMs and zone events seem like a very superhero thing to do, they're a perfect fit for this game. Except that few people care about actually doing them. So yeah, a little reworking would be great!

Right now if the event goes along and doesn't get stopped, it times out and disappears. What I'd love to see instead is, the zone would get more and more overrun with the enemies from that event. For example, if the Hellions aren't stopped at that one building, then more and more of the spawns in the zone would become hellion spawns. That might inspire folks to gather up and stop the arson so at least the street spawns return to normal. Especially if the event enemies are much lower level than the zone enemies. (It doesn't really make sense to scale Hellions up to level 19. In game lore, they're just not that powerful.)

If not the spawn replacement thing, there should be some kind of consequences for letting events run completely unchecked. These things are supposed to terrify the civilians... but as it stands the threat is no worse than the thugs and monsters that walk the streets every day.

There absolutely is, and it's easier to find than the US version, I can tell you that from experience. Look up "City of Heroes Deluxe" on Ebay, there's a good seller in the UK with a few up right now. I'd give the link but it would be from Ebay Canada and you might have some weird issues trying to use it in another country. Who knows with these things.

Of course, do you want the actual box and stuff, or just the goodies code? Because I have one of those. I bought the UK edition before learning that the two were mutually exclusive. I'm keeping it for the stuff, but I don't need the code. If that's all you want, I can PM it to you.

Finally! A clear and simple set of rules that lets me play this game the way someone else wants me to. I'd hate to think Sucking was something only uninformed people could do.

But seriously, thanks for the laughs! This is hilarious.

Oh and also,

LRN2SUK VET!!1!1!!

Herman: Boy this is really awkward. Linda, I'm not sure how to tell you this. I think we should see other HOLY CRAP WHAT IS THAT ON YOUR LEG?!?!

It's Saturday Morning now, so does this make mine a SMAD?


In game:

• Giant Monsters. Seriously, nothing says "normal people can't handle this" like a fifty foot beast using a car for a hammer.
• Solo-ability. While there are plenty of great reasons to run with a team, some people don't always want to, or just can't make it work. This game has never for a second made me feel like it isn't worth staying because I play mostly on my own.
• Villains and side-switching. To be honest, I've rarely played a villain and never switched sides. But in most games that's all you get... here it's just a choice.
• Costumes. So many options! I've spent hours just playing in the costume creator. Plus, your "equipped items" have no affect whatsoever on your look; I love love love that part. I also enjoy that you can have a cyborg, an alien, a cowboy, a fairy, a swamp beast, and a ghost pirate fighting side by side and nobody bats an eye.
• Supergroup Bases. Their biggest supporters could cry at how much work they need. This very fact indicates how great an idea they are.
• Like others, I'll just say "And many more".

Because of this game:

• I've been playing City for two years. That's four times as long as any other game I've ever played. Sure I've taken breaks, but even then I didn't let my subscription lapse, because I knew I'd be coming back at some point. So I'm glad to have a pastime worth not just staying with but also coming back to.
• Real Life decided to be less kind to me and mine lately, and I'd be out of my mind with stress if I didn't have something that took my mind off it now and then. So I'm thankful to have a pastime I enjoy so much that it makes real problems easier to deal with.
• When I first read about Real World Hero and how it started, it blew me away. To think that something so positive sprang up from an online game community... this proved to me that truly wonderful things can come from unexpected places.

Thank you for making a game that, for many people, goes well beyond the code that runs it.