Tripp Hazzard

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I'm literate and I read for entertainment, but I don't want to be reading a lot during computer play.

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^^ This. Reading SF is my #1 form of entertainment. Movies (primarily SF) are #2. This game is #3.

When I'm playing, I also don't want to stop and read a story. I appreciate that the creator may have put a ton of work into creating all these clever and amusing bits, but I want the action! (And the only characters I've used in MArch aren't even scrappers!)

I wish, though, that there was an option to have clues appear as on-screen popups. There is sometimes critical info in there, and I hate having to stop, open the clue window, find the latest clue, read it, carefully, to be sure I have any necessary info, close the window, and start up again.

Although now that I've been reminded that I already have a key bound to "Info", I may read more enemy descriptions. Maybe.

The Cthulhu Fanny Pack

No way am I sticking my hand in there . . . .

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Forbin, do you have any objection if I use your nicely highlighted quote elsewhere?

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Go right ahead, I only quoted what Posi said in his two posts on the subject.

[/ QUOTE ]Yes, but you also did a very nice job with the highlighting...saves me having to do the same.

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Sorry, Forbin. But I'm sick and tired.... Not of the arguments (though that too) I mean-sick-...

I'll try to get back to my happy go lucky self ASAP. Pleh. *hunts for Pepto Bismol*

-Rachel-

*Edit!* Awww... Forbin. *blushes* Touched! In the head. *nods firmly*



[/ QUOTE ]Activates transfer booth.

Sends dark chocolate truffles to Rachel.

Here. May not help, but they sure won't hurt.

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And yet people are being threatened by the Devs for creating/running missions that they want which include but are not limited to farm missions.

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No they aren't.

Positron actually said this.

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Players that have abused the reward system egregiously may lose benefits they have gained - leading up to and perhaps including losing access to the characters power-leveled in this fashion.





Players who knowingly use an exploit when creating an arc, run the risk of having access to MA suspended, or worse- depending on the severity of the action, their account banned.






Q) “If I powerlevelled a character, am I going to lose them?”



A) Probably not. Only the worst of the worst, exploitive, powerlevelled characters will be removed from the game.






Q) “What about all the farming and abusing that goes on in the normal game? How come you guys don’t put a stop to that?”



A) We address rewards abuse all the time. We put timers on missions that could get reset for rewards. We take rewards off of critters that are considered exploitively farmable. Or we just change the mission. Merit rewards are another way we have handled the situation. You can’t run really fast stuff over and over and get a reward every time. Again, we are looking out for “Disregard for the risk and/or time to reward ratio”, and we take action.

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Farming and powerleveling aren't banned. Using exploits and abusing the reward system is.

[/ QUOTE ]Forbin, do you have any objection if I use your nicely highlighted quote elsewhere?

Yeah, even though I checked it just before posting, I still messed up. Servers only require a single click, so strike that.

But the rest, yeah, you got it.

Wonka: you're saying you can double-click on a character at the character select screen, and it takes you into the game? You do NOT have click on the character, then click on NEXT?

What's your system? Mac/Windows/??? ? What OS?

Enable double-clicking and/or selecting through the keyboard.

Let me double-click on a server to select that server. Let me then double-click on a character to select that character.

And/or let me use the arrow keys to navigate through the servers, then hit Return/Enter to select one, and the same thing on the Character Select Screen. Let Page Up and Page Down move me through the Character Selection pages. Let Backspace take me back to the previous screen. Even Control-Backspace would be fine.

The thing I like best is that it's optional!

So if you know who you want to play, no delay waiting for the select screen to talk to the server.

Saving an info file when you log out is a good idea for working around the server talk.

I'd put an "as of" date in the details, though. Because if I didn't play a character for a while, logged in and got some significant stuff on him, then crashed out or something that prevented the update, I could tell from the date that the information wasn't current.

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I wouldn't have a problem with it in and of itself.

My issue would lie in the Coding. Would the Devs be able to mark specific spawns to carry that flag, after the most recent changes? Would they have to undo what they've just done to accomplish it? If so then I don't think it's a good idea, due to the possible game-glitches it would spawn.

If they can just move the enemies you're reffering to into a separate bracket "Hellions, Skulls, Rikti, No Rewards" I'd -definitely- be fine with that!

I do have a few arcs in mind that would be best if I could spawn Snake Eggs, but I'd be more than happy to have 0XP for the Eggs rather than not be able to do it.

-Rachel-

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Unfortunately the coding was something I thought of when I came up with the idea. I don't know if the devs could add them back in but with zero rewards. Or if there is a way, while running a arc flagged as No Rewards/XP, the player receives nothing (Like when testing).

But I imagine if its a change that has to go onto the critter itself its not something the devs are likely to do anytime soon.

I think its just a question really of how the testing flag works and if its something that could be applied to the mission itself and not just how its access.

Maybe... *hopeful*

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Seeing as how they have been removing them individually, I'd bet its something that has to do with the critter itself. If not, why couldn't they just mark all the things they removed as no XP? Or even severely reduced XP?

I don't see this happening anytime soon, if at all.

[/ QUOTE ]If Super Banana Bobs are being exploited in MA, they can't change them without affecting Super Banana Bobs in the rest of the game. So they have to pull Super Banana Bobs out of the MA until they can create an identical, MA-only version that avoids the exploitative behavior.

Although having a mission that uses ANY "flagged" mob give NO rewards might be a good long-term solution.

/Signed.

I miss being able to knock mobs clear out of sight.

Now I can only knock them into the next block.

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I agree with OP and what others have stated as a good way of dealing with broadcast spam. I resubbed a few days ago to see what the commotion was about, and the AE spam in broadcast is HUGELY annoying. It drowns out CCs and ppl looking for sewer teams. Personally, if they don't do something about this soon I won't renew my subscription.

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One fix the devs could make would be to make any broadcasts from inside the AE building stay local to the AE building. They did something similar for /local chat in Pocket D.

The lag in Atlas could be fixed by further optimizing the way information is transmitted to the client. Currently the server seems to send data about other characters to your computer when you come within about 150 yards of them.

Since you can't see inside the AE building there's no reason to send data about characters in there to characters outside the building. Doing this would remove the huge "lag spike" you see when you approach the building when it's crowded.

The data wouldn't be sent until you actually entered the building.

Another way they could "fix" this would be to move the interior of the AE building to a location, say, 200 yards below the ground. This is where most building interiors are actually located. You can see this by selecting a team mate who's inside a building -- you'll see they're far below you. They've also played this trick with the "quiet" room in AE -- it's not really where you think it is, it's actually many yards below that.

They probably don't want to move the AE interior below ground because one of the nice things about AE is that the interior is actually where you would expect it to be -- you can look out the windows and see the zone around you.

[/ QUOTE ]Many people kept complaining that they can't see out any of the buildings, so the devs finally added one that you can. And we are seeing that, as expected, it causes lag for many people just like WW's does. (I like it, myself. It's fun to people watch from inside the Atlas Park AE lobby.)

I think putting a "can I actually see that" filter would be likely to INCREASE the data load, because it would have to constantly calculate line of sight, and figure out which ones you could or couldn't see. As it is, there's a short lag during the spike of the character data being sent to your system when you get close enough, then you can continue as normal. People with systems that continue to lag after that because they can't handle the extra characters have already had to find workarounds so they can avoid the WW spikes. They will have to apply them to AE buildings, too. (I used to have such a system. I know what a pain it can be.)

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I just discovered the upper level doors yesterday - very nice feature.

I think having them all point to the same "instance" which can spawn additional instances makes some sense - but what happens when you exit?

[/ QUOTE ]I just remembered/realized, you can see the exterior zone from the upper windows, too. So they CAN'T make it a separate instance.

Oh well, it was a good idea while it lasted.

The magnitude of Speed Boost's speed enhancement is not only a benefit, it's also a balancing factor for the other benefits of Speed Boost.

So they're not likely to add something that would allow you to reduce the 'downside' while still getting the full Recharge and Recovery boosts.

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Leave the buildings (shoot, leave the lobbies).

Make the elevator invoke a zone-change to the AE proper.

And yes... spawn new instances as population goes up. Also, if it's large enough (say, the size of Pocket D, or larger) it can accomodate more people.

[/ QUOTE ]And the upper level doors would go directly to the separate zone? I use those to enter directly on the playing level.

As long as I can still people watch from the main lobby, this would be fine by me.

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With the number of reports, this isn't something as dumb as "thousands of players simultaneously were charged with vastly-overdue rent this morning between server-down and server-up, and can no longer access their bases."

[/ QUOTE ] [churchlady voice]

"Never mind"

[/churchlady voice]

I know this is on the same level as "Is it plugged in?", and is the rent paid?

You mention "returning" in another thread, so perhaps you aren't aware that base rent is now based on number of storage items, not floorplan.

And it could be coincidental with the patch. Maybe bases are all checked for rent and lockout at the same time of day.

Go to Galaxy City and talk to the SG representative. Make SURE it's plugged in (that you don't owe rent).

Hmmm...SM posted while I was typing. No way it's just rent, then.

Apparently #1 has been in place from when they first limited trial accounts. I was told that they considered the level 10 limit but realized it would still be used for spamming, and implemented the full limit from the beginning. Information to the contrary is inaccurate.

The RMT emails we're getting are coming from paid accounts.

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I want shoulder pets as missle weapons.

I absolutely love when the redcaps get thrown at you and land on your shoulders. I want to be able to do the same thing with kittens and pandas!

[/ QUOTE ]ow ow ow ow ow ow ow . . . ain't nuthin' on the planet sharper than kitten claws!


Shoulder Cannons to go with Arm Cannons. Someone did a Power Armor Set write up recently that I thought looked pretty good. Most of the items from that would look bitchin on a robot or cyborg.

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Faultline is my favorite zone, and it makes sense to have the AE building there, as they're in the rebuilding mode anyway (all those new apartments).

I don't understand why there's an AE building in RWZ, though. That makes absolutely no sense from a "Paragon City" perspective.

[/ QUOTE ]To allow coop access. I had the same question/objection.

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Obstacles

The biggest one I see is that, AFAIK, we only have one "waist" attachment point. So a waist-mounted sheath would have to override any other waist item choice, and the graphic would have to include the appropriate belt/strap/baldric/etc. But we have plenty of other mutually exclusive costume choices, and someday, when they add more anchor points to the basic character skeleton, they could give us a second waist anchor, and move the belts/straps/baldrics/etc. to the appropriate menus.


I don't think we'll see them in the next issue or so, but this is one way Scabbards, Sheaths and Holsters could be implemented with the existing system.

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You're also forgetting that, thanks to weapon customization, not all weapons look the same any more. Using the system you describe, the grips of Rularuu's Fang and the Rikti Katana would be identical to the grip of the Legacy Katana, which, while being explainable within the confines of roleplay, is going to look goofy to the guy who actually wants to see his hard earned Rularuu's Fang hanging off of his back. The only way I can see around this is to directly link the sheath to the weapon. If you choose the Legacy Katana, you get the Legacy Katana sheath, possibly recolored.

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Actually, I covered that under "Graphics":

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There would have to be a sheath version for each version of the weapon, to show the proper hilt/butt/handle, and the portion of the weapon that's still visible would use the colors specified for the weapon itself.

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The other problem with the sheaths is that rigid items close to the body don't work well, especially when they're across parts of the body that are going to be moving a lot. Whenever the characters bend backwards, the sheath would disappear into their back (and possibly appear out the other side). Whenever they bend forward, it would either float off of their back (if the attachment point is high on the back) or pass through the upper portion of their torso (if the attachment point is lower). In order to avoid these issues (it still wouldn't avoid all of them like when the torso turns quickly and the cape passes through limbs), the sheath would have to use similar mechanics to the cape, which wouldn't work because a sheath is supposed to be rigid.

[/ QUOTE ]Yeah, there would be clipping issues with Capes/Wings, the Magic Pack Bolero, Trenchcoats, and Jackets, too. They wouldn't stop me from taking a back scabbard for my AR, but people that found them unacceptable could just not take the scabbard. If I didn't make it clear, I intended that these would always be optional. No one has to take the scabbard/sheath/holster if they don't like how it looks.

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The way I've seen this explained, weapons are animated costume pieces similar to wings, but only have two frames of animation - visible and invisible. I have to wonder, then, if weapons can't be made in two parts, or can't come with an extra item that would have two frames of animation, itself - empty and with a weapon in it.

Of course, Standard Code Rant applies, but I do agree it would be cool.

[/ QUOTE ]Even better. The sheath would be, like you say, the same thing, and use the exact same triggers the weapon does.

Agreed, Standard Code Rant, but that means the mechanics are truly already there. It would still require additional pieces to be drawn, and there's probably a strong overlap between it being a weapon animation and it being a costume piece. But it still could happen within the existing engine.

The pieces needed for adding Scabbards, Sheaths and Holsters are already in place. This is one way they could be implemented.


The Graphics

If, for example, you chose Assault Rifle, there'd be a new menu choice under the Weapons tab for a Rifle Scabbard on your back (since that's where the Rifle appears to be drawn from). If you chose to have the scabbard, then your costume would show a scabbard on your back, and a strap across your front to hold it. You could color it to match the rest of your costume through the normal means.

Since we only have one Back Anchor point, you couldn't have the scabbard and Wings or a Cape, but maybe in the future that will change. Even if you did have both, there might still be some clipping issues, but a cape could be RPed as tailored to fit around the scabbard.

For Katana, you'd have the option of a sheath mounted at the proper location on your hip, that you could still color as you chose. There might be clipping issues with jackets and capes, and I can't think of an easy fix for those. I suspect many people would simply ignore them to have the sheath.

The same thing would apply to all the weapons that we "draw". The option of sheaths, scabbards, or holsters mounted in the proper location would all be available, and all could be colored as desired. There would have to be a sheath version for each version of the weapon, to show the proper hilt/butt/handle, and the portion of the weapon that's still visible would use the colors specified for the weapon itself. While creating all those sheaths/scabbards/holsters/etc. would be a fair amount of work, much of it would be reusing portions of existing items rather than creating completely new ones.


The Mechanics

The Holster/Scabbard/Sheath would have only two states, and wouldn't require any new animations at all. State one ("Full") would show the weapon in its sheath, and state two ("Empty") would simply be the empty sheath. Full would be visible whenever your weapon wasn't in your hands, and anything that triggered weapon draw would also cause the sheath to switch to Empty, allowing the normal weapon draw animation to provide the weapon itself. The sheath would then stay in Empty for as long as the weapon was in your hands.

While weapons would appear to return to their sheaths instantly, but that's no worse than the way they currently just disappear. And I wouldn't want to see a "sheath weapon" animation added, because of the delays it would on top of the current "weapon draw" ones.



Obstacles

The biggest one I see is that, AFAIK, we only have one "waist" attachment point. So a waist-mounted sheath would have to override any other waist item choice, and the graphic would have to include the appropriate belt/strap/baldric/etc. But we have plenty of other mutually exclusive costume choices, and someday, when they add more anchor points to the basic character skeleton, they could give us a second waist anchor, and move the belts/straps/baldrics/etc. to the appropriate menus.


I don't think we'll see them in the next issue or so, but this is one way Scabbards, Sheaths and Holsters could be implemented with the existing system.

(Revised 05/01/09)

Ways to reduce RMT email spam:

1. [DONE] Block Trial Accounts from sending email at all. (They currently can send at level 10.) Allow them to receive as normal, and to reply to received emails, but not to change any of the addresses on the reply. [Apparently, trials are already completely barred from sending email.]


2. Limit each global account to X number of emails per 24-hour period. Set "X" to whatever value allows a generous but reasonable use of email. Exempt SG members sending to SG/Coalition members. Allow all others to apply for exemptions on a case-by-case basis. Exempt all appropriate accounts at implementation. (Obviously, Mods/Devs/GMs/etc. would all be exempted.)


3. Put in filters that allow us to choose whom to accept Email from:

[x] ALL
[x] Trial Accounts (#1 would make this superfluous)
[x] Friends List
[x] Global Friends List

Supergroup/Coalition and Game-related emails would not be blocked. Friends and Global Friends lists refer to the recipient's lists, not the sender's.


4. For extra credit, put SPAM ignore on its own list, thus restoring the functionality of our ignore list.


5. For Super Mega Extra Bonus Points, when an account is banned as a spammer, automatically delete ALL emails from that account, Server-wide.


This list is collected and refined from various people's posts all over the forums.

I think it's more likely we'll see a significant game engine upgrade at some point, to the point where we might have to "translate" characters to play them, but not a true "City of Heroes II". It will completely redefine the base character skeleton, and how ALL powers are defined, to allow:


True Power Customization:

Someone else posted the ultimate power customization dream a little while ago. Blasters, for example, could choose if their blasts emanated from their chest, their hands, their eyes, their head, or a selectable, somewhat customizable prop. (No groins, it's still a Teen ranked game!) And colors could be chosen from a defined palette or even RGB sliders. Red ice? Sure, why not? (A Palette of predefined colors similar to what we have, with revealable RGB sliders at the bottom. Pick the base color, then fine tune it.)

Other powers would offer choices, such as choice of Flypose, choice of prop for things like Aid Self/Aid Other, etc.



Character Customization Deluxe:

Much more customization of characters, with separate left/right options, and more "anchor points", with more animation and detail (My graphics card is whimpering). Heads, Helmets/Hats and Hair all separate for example. The hair options might be limited by the helmet or hat, but still separate and individually customizable. Hair might be animated from the back of the head, where a hat wouldn't interfere, but a helmet might force you into hair choices that are only animated from below the helmet. Discernable fingers and toes. Maybe not individually animated, but at least not "club hands".

Maybe even different body settings for different costume slots.



The Translation Process:

One character at a time. If you chose a character you hadn't played under the new engine yet, it would ask "This character needs to be updated. Would you like to update now?" It would map the old options to the new ones through a preset translation table. A tailor coupon issued when the engine was updated would allow you to polish any costume details, or take advantage of new ones, and a standard freespec issued at the same time would allow you to make any changes to your powers you wanted to.

You wouldn't be able to change you character to any new powers, though. You would have to play any new powers that came with the new engine from level 1, just like you do now.

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There has been alot of talk about spam e-mails being the worse thing about CoH. I think setting a limitation on e-mails would clean that up. Make e-mails accessable to only friends, SG/VG and coalitions. If these were the only things you could e-mail, then the spam would be stopped dead in it's tracks. The only other way for the spammers to hit CoH if this was implimented, would be in broadcast but that could be petitioned.

[/ QUOTE ]How about this?