WHTJunior

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Another linky post, this one from CoVJunior.

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Thanks! I tried to spot my other entries in Muad_Dib's repostings, but either they're missing, or I didn't look hard enough.

Lookit 'im go! Go, Muad_Dib, GO!

I really should have saved the ones I did. I'll root around, and see if I can find them. Pretty sure I didn't save them, though.

Viva la Jenkins!

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PvP will be consensual(a waste in my opinion) and is likely intended to eventualy become an important part of the game being more "dynamic", as Statesman put it. Not having any risk of debt in PvP is what is ludicrous. People cry about debt way to often when it is merely a sign that they need to change their play style. If you get debt to often than it would be easier for you to change than it would be for the devs to change the game.

[/ QUOTE ]I heartily disagree. Play style for the does not need to change. Not everyone likes PvP, and it isn't fair to those people to make it an 'all the time' feature. Even WoW's PvP servers allow some zones to be safe for lower levels. And just because you happened across a level 50 in Galaxy, while you're trying to kill Hellions, doesn't mean you should incur debt. In PvP, you will die. You will die a lot. Everyone would be permadebt, and there would be no way out. The reason for debt, at that point, would be worthless.

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PvP zones them selves should not have consensual PvP. The idea of a PvP zone should be to give players areas with lvl ranges, so that those who want none restricted PvP can have it.

[/ QUOTE ]I agree, and disagree. I don't think there should be specific zones where only the PvP crowd should enter. Either the entire server is PvP, or the whole server is consentual. There should be no middle ground between servers, where some zones are PvP and others aren't, because you then alienate the the non-PvPers from that zone. Go ahead and tell the game community that you've added new content, but that you HAVE to do something you don't like (but is optional) in order to get to it. This type of thing gets discussed all the time, and the answer is a resounding, "That's BS!"

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It would be rather pointless to not have the bases be upgradeble or they would all be the same. These up grades should be dependent on the lvl ranges and PvP success rates of the SGs/VGs that own the bases. By this I mean there should be tiers like a tech tree in an RTS. Bases should be one place where people should be able to have things that others don't. This would inspire people to be competetive and would be a real sense of reward.

[/ QUOTE ]Again, you can't rely on PvP for a reward that should go to everyone. People who do not PvP should have just as much right to make their base look exactly how they want, within their budget. If base rewards are based on PvP, then you're not promoting healthy competition, you're encouraging all SGs to become huge gank squads, so they can have the cool stuff.

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The offline combat using player heroes idea couldn't work because the devs don't need another type of AI to deal with. The guard idea, on the other hand, would allow them to use what is available instead of trying to be over ambitious, as the arena so far seems to be.

[/ QUOTE ]While I agree that they don't need to overcomplicate matters. The general MOB AI can probably handle offline members. Granted, they will not have the player's skills, and will likely not be as much of a threat as if the player was controlling them. However, in order for a base raid to be worthwhile, you have to have something. Guards are a good option, as well as servants and automated defenses. However, to tell a game developer to not push themselves, and come up with new ways to do things, is part of the staleness that many people complain about in the game industry. I say let them innovate more, try things that may or may not work, and let the R&D department come up with wild and crazy ideas. They don't have to run with any of them. I just want them to think ahead.

Summary: I don't hate the ideas. I just want to make sure that everyone is open to the fact that not everyone wants to PvP (I have personally enjoyed CoH mainly BECAUSE there is no loot or PvP). Some game mechanics will rely on PvP, while many others should not.

A few things that come to mind:

No debt. PvP should never incur any debt. I can't believe this is even a debateable topic.

Allow choice of whether your character is visible while logged off, AND whether they will fight. Use any power listed in the Power Tray and/or Alt Power Tray for whatever distance you are from your foe. Targeting could be a pain, unless you just set them on 'closest' or 'random targets'. A default rule could be set in Options, allowing modification, or one method could be chosen. My question on this would be, "If your base is being raided, and you are offline while your character is fighting, what happens if you log in?" Are you immediately thrust into battle or does your lookalike vanish from the fight? Maybe you can receive a dialog stating you are in combat, allowing you to enter combat-in-progress. As far as my main is concerned, being En/En Blaster, he would never run from an attack on his base, he would shoot as soon as they are in snipe range, and he would fall in combat before letting villains ransack the place.

I like the idea of including a hobby or activity that your hero can do while logged off. Some activities can be opened up by specific room purchases. If you are using the Circle of Thorns cave / underground city base, you'll need to buy a room with a portal, in order to monkey around with portals. I also like the idea of having all of the emotes available for your character while offline, so maybe your mystic can have all those books hovering around him while he studies.

As far as purchases go, I like the idea of buying rooms and defenses. Placing the rooms isn't a huge desire for me, but it would definitely be cool. As far as guards / minions / servants go, if they are a purchase, I would rather see packages, instead of price-per-unit. Package 1 would be only enough guys for one room, probably with a Lt as the highest grade. Package 2 might have a Boss in the mix, while providing defenses for multiple rooms. The higher packages would include the packages before it, but add something to the mix, that helps cover more area. If you have price-per-unit costs, the really good bases will only have the high-end stuff. Why pay for mediocre help, if you don't have to? Either that, or set requirements for the purchases. In order to have 1 Wolfpack MkII Boss, you have to have 2 or more Lieutenants. In order to get 1 Lieutenant, you have to have 5 Minions. Stationary base defenses, such as turrets and gas traps should be classified in such a way that you can get the same type of defenses as you would with mobile defenses.

Summary: No debt. Offline combat option. Defensive packages.
-Jr

I had the Oscillator problem as well. I /bugged, then Petitioned, stood around for a while, and then thought I wasn't going to get a response. I decided to call all of my contacts, since I only had the one mission, and no one else would give me any until I got to 10. One of them decided to give me a new contact, allowing me to get a new mission, thereby clearing the bugged mission. I reselected the Clockwise mission, and was no more than 3 enemies into it, when a Police Drone showed up. I explained my situation, the mission was checked for any more Embedded 'bots, and I went on my way. The next day, in Perez Park, a Police Drone flies up behind me, asking me about my 'Clockwork problem'. "Sorry, officer. I don't have a Clockwork problem. Someone helped me with that yesterday." (I didn't actually say that. ) I think they blackballed me, because I had one other Petition after that, and haven't heard back on it at all (Talos Black Hole).

BTW, is it some weird coding that requires a GM to pop in behind you? Freaky! lol