cartophilus

I'm glad to see them go. It was not an engaging nor fun comicbook. The writing was stupid although the art was good.

More thetan trash.

This bulletin board is for airing user opinions on the game, not for bullbaiting SPs. So knock it off. Stop following me around the forums as if I'm wearing a miniskirt.

At least I do not have to pay hundreds of dollars for spiritual counselling fees.

Typical Cryptic BS. We could be having biweekly events on the scale of Issue Ten if Cryptic employee were doing their jobs.

Keeping in mind that the dev/des team of CoH and CoV are not identical to those working on other projects, what I see advertised here is insipid. I would prefer to pay $50-75 for a new expansion than receive such garbage.

What could be improved is as follows: enlarge the existing zones by about ten times existing size adding street signs and block numbers using the larger graphic tile sets rather than a pretended small set, add new "shops" where one can "buy" NPC friends and background/life event options, add new gameplay features that extend simlife elements entertainingly for the players of this game sensibly in regards to game history and theme, update many NPC enemy groups with new outfits and in some cases add new types to each including named villains along each common echelon of power (underling, minion, lieutenant, boss), permit new and more detailed character creation along with signature powers for player characters. This and other additions would take about two months of normal work (rather than playing pocket pong most of the day) without introducing problems into the game as "play testing" -- I noticed some of the defective methods of play testing undertaken by Cryptic during the CoV Betas which included introducing old graphical glitches and map glitches that were smoothed out early in CoH before the appearance of Founders Falls.

Guys, really. Just slap together an expansion full of features and pretend you've been working on it for a few years. That sorta thing would work well in tandem with your normal method.

Why he didn't design this game as mecha combat and then retrofit superheroes into it, I'll never know.

Zones and PvE need an entire reformat. This doesn't sound like it would help.

[ QUOTE ]
Great minds think alike. Posi and I have been talking about this for awhile.

Here's the not so simple bit: the tech. But it's an interesting idea that we're wrangling at the moment.

[/ QUOTE ]

Please do not forget personal housing besides SG bases. I do not want to start an SG -- it changes reward items percentages.

I'd suggest you reread what I wrote although it really does not matter to me even a trifle whether or not you understand.

Thing is, Castle, you seem to have forgotten that in a superhero MMO there is such a thing as different to-hit scores and different defense scores. Mental defense and magical defense are only part of it.

Also, both villains and heroes are pretty good at pulling clever manuevers that are not simulated in this game. Inspirations *can* simulate this, but an even better approach would be to have character attributes (such as are found in actual RPG as opposed to the drawn out experiment of MMORPG). Among other things, these might be applied to add (not multiply) a numerical amount to an inspiration usage.

If a percentage system is too wide a scope to handle, try using a wider scope of numbers within that percentage and using straight numerical addition and subtraction rather than just percentages. This might help, but do keep in mind that within parameters of normal, supernormal, and semi-deific power limitations and boundaries should exist on just how much additional power a person might exert any way. Luck as a numerical addition should not be limited boundaries so much as kept minimal in its influence.

Best wishes.

[ QUOTE ]
1) You have the default To Hit value (ie no buffs), your target has no Defense value. How often do you WANT to hit him? Conversely, as the defender, how often do you expect to be missed?

[/ QUOTE ]

You make too loose a statement, Castle. Think a bit. Are you talking about a first level hero against an equal level minion, a twentieth level hero against a lieutenant one level below, or a fourtieth level hero against a boss two levels higher? Also, what attack is being used? Brawl agaisnt an opponent made of steel? Fire against an aquatic enemy?

To answer assuming two equal opponents in a normal fight, no super powers, trying insistantly to cause deliberate long-term harm and trying to avoid damage, manuevering should last at most two seconds and hits should be pretty much immediate and very harmful.

In comicbooks, two supers fighting? In this game? That's a complex question but can be answered as follows: a hero fighting an equal villain should be able to "hit" about eightyfive to ninety percent of the time, depending on environmental conditions, emotions, and other factors normally disincluded by this game.

A good thing to remember was mentioned in a roleplaying game a long time ago. Attacking a visible, mansized inanimate object under normal conditions permits a hundred percent chance of hitting. Attacking a living, breathing human of health and some experience or training in fighting would entail scrambling for weapons or seeking a quick kill if one could be obtained.

As an attacker, I'd want to kill the opponent fast, immediately. As a defender, I'd want to keep out of the way until it was obvious I could make a series of strikes that would stop my opponent from ever attacking again, hopefully murdering that person.

I'd expect in any simulation of this sort of process that an attacker would hit if any unprotected defender came close enough to hit. Again, environmental and emotional situations do come into play as does psychological orientation, inclusive of ethic.

In essence, an initial attack would be the result of the attack and the defense meeting and set a standard for the rest of the battle. This would begin as a four in five chance of hitting both ways with varying success thereafter.

[ QUOTE ]
2) You have the maximum possible To Hit value, and your target has no defense value. How often do you WANT to hit him? Conversely, as the defender, how often do you expect to be missed?

[/ QUOTE ]

Again, not enough information, Castle.

However, what should happen is consistant hits with no misses in both cases, unless this is a trick question.

The question at this point is how hard does a person want to hit and what effect they wish to yield. As we know from life experience, a tool that is considered lethal does not always result in lethal use even in direct employment for battle. A seemingly nonlethal tool or bodypart could be used lethally.

In comicbooks, it should be noted that heroes normally approach a battle without exercising lethal force. In the game, there appears to be no choice to select a nonlethal approach or a lethal one. Nor does it seem to make much difference whether or not, say, Vahzilok is killed or captured or persuaded to leave.

[ QUOTE ]
3) You have the default To Hit value, and your target has the maximum possible defense value. How often do you WANT to hit him? Conversely, as the defender, how often do you expect to be missed?

[/ QUOTE ]

By maximum, you mean maximum permittable under normal game situations? Let us assume that Super Reflexes were restored to being a Tank power set and a fiftieth level Tank was fully slotted for Defense with the best special enhancements possible and inventions to support this. The default, first level character would not be able to hit under normal conditions -- and even should that Tank lose normal mobility, they might still avoid through any number of comicbook standards.

I'd expect that in the reverse situation, a character of mine that is a superhero would never be hit under any condition *except* for utter helplessness that includes immobilization, surprise, and prior effect by a special weapon that is crafted to target that character's origin and defense ability -- if not that character specifically.

[ QUOTE ]
4) You have the maximum possible To Hit value, and your target has the maximum possible defense value. How often do you WANT to hit him? Conversely, as the defender, how often do you expect to be missed?

[/ QUOTE ]

At this point in comicbooks and in this game, the two opponents would have to rely on wisdom, drive, resourcefulness, and opportunity. They would go on fighting for quite some time, and a decisive blow would probably be the result of building tactics, ascending passion, and manifestation of will, of destiny.

I'd say a hit should be roughly one in three at this point.

Should be within 25 feet rather than fifty feet. If you want to make it an even ten yards, this might work too -- but you'd have to make yards into actual yards, three feet of simulated area instead of the one and a half feet it seems to be presently.

Other concepts: There is a Rikti ambassador. There should be an embassy seperate from the meeting hall with various ambassadors. What would be realistic is for a dignitary to recieve a reserve and secured chamber is that they must be able to declare an accessible region their own and for the Rogue Isles to recognise their region as independent. Territorial disputes might be handled outside the Rogue Isles or discussed in proper care over the table.

I can imagine that Circle of Thorns would claim a sizable region beneath Paragon as their own independent territory by right, and due to political clime and dictatorial whim, I suspect they'd be recognised but not allied with immediately.

Other ambassadors (such as non-psychic Clockwork from Paragon, Skulls, Hellions, Outcasts, and Warriors among others) would probably share a set of chambers that are monitored by Arachnos directly and overtly.

I manuevered a 12th level character through Grandville with only one incident. However, if you're having trouble it's not your fault and you needn't respeculate your character without justifiable grudge against poor design. The design situation extends not from thematic sense en large nor necessity but rather hasty emulation of an unworkable approach to MMORPG design: mobs that are "monsters" without exception.

It would be better for Cryptic to redo their mission and encounter constructs. Far better would be the concept of relying on player character investigation and/or espionage skill or relying on NPCs that offer flexible assignments that react to the game situation instead of same-old story arcs. Investigation would be done to find a plot that has transpired in secrecy and Espionage would be done to find plots that are formulating or being substantiated..

These could result in clues and intelligence dossiers that could be traded with PC and NPC alike for the formation of larger missions and provide NPC movements. False clues and false dossiers could be crafted too.

The idea that all Arachnos would be fighting their own side (heroes who factionally align with Lord Recluse and his "trusted" generals) doesn't make sense except as has been described: a slothful and insipid approach to game design that disrespects the campaign setting and unique world flavor.

I've noticed what *might* and what *should* be included in police radio missions. However, as to something that is doable, why not collect data on preferred enemy types and preferred mission types and put together mission stories (I've noticed Cryptic is kinda slow with mission story development though) based on the preferences.

This would work if there were a sort of personality test spread to the missions offered, so that eventually they achieve a mission as a reward that seems worthwhile to them, based on their decisions.

Another thing I see that would be useful is permitting players to design their own missions to go on through speaking with various people in the police department, something similar to what David Cook suggested with characters assembling arch-enemies.through pieces that were available depending on owned souvenirs. Except that it would just be assembling mission types through choices made in police department conversation.

That your character is thousands of years old is hardly of issue to the game at large where the very game structure assumes that characters begin as new heroes. Notably, we all start at first or second level. Even with greater and greater age variants we come into the problem of some characters beginning with more power than others, and due to the nonreactive and scattershot opponent response function that Cryptic seems hampered with, there is no way to balance great power with greater responsibility.

What would work is to establish that more powerful heroes attract focused attention from villain groups, their friends tend to be kidnapped, their professional life goes haywire, etc. However, Cryptic seems to see fit to permit that criminal groups stand around on busy public streets, in clusters fifty feet from eachother, and do not change their plots often -- for seasons superheroes encounter exactly the same villain plots as eachother.

Hence, the constant balancing and rebalancing that Cryptic does, their limit on individuality in power choice and their disconcerting boundaries on gameplay variance.

Now, when you mention that heroes should have individual backgrounds and that it should have influence on gameplay in a mechanical fashion, I agree. Game mechanics should permit this. Game mechanics should also permit that heroes have individual housing, that supergroups are not necessary nor even of foremost expedience in assisting heroes in inventions, headquarters, artifacts, and other nicities that are presently offered superheroes.

The problem is City of Heroes seems to be adhered to a dysfunctional paradigm of MMORPG design that is founded in the less than entertaining forms of text-based MUD hack and slash games. Rather than emulate WoW or Everquest, they should consider both LARP and RPG structures and fit these into a larger game. Oh, and can the stupid redundant "story plot" lines. Theme can be carried on through large story events and clues.

However, the only thing I disagree on is your suggested form for the "background story" that is incorporated into a life experience chart. I do not believe there should be a listing of past profession rather than modern profession outside being a superhero.

What you seem to think is that to provide "D&D feats" such as merchant, rogue, etc. categorically embraces all City of Heroes backgrounds that are economic or ex-criminal (or just sly). The reason why I refer to these as D&D feats is because you gave a list that could feasibly come from a D&D game -- and probably did.

While on the one hand you claim that merchants are justifiable because *some* characters have archaic backgrounds, do you think that the game has a plethora of merchants and rogues wandering around at present date? I think not.

As to the other "background classes" you offer and their powers, these seem to be without recognition of the gameplay as it occurs presently. For example, permitting large discount of influence for purchases because of a mercantile ability seems both inapropo and slightly more powerful than it should be.

What *should* happen is considerably more complex and interesting -- and involves an adaptation of sims game structure to a larger extent than City of Heroes presently has -- and, as I have stated, an adaptation of roleplaying game structure excluding what is dross in present MMORPG structure.

Yes, but you immediately suggest at the wrong ideas when you use medieval rpg terms such as rogue and merchant in preference to reformed convict or tycoon. A rogue is just as much a category with use as reformed convict, but the problem is that in the minds of the wider public the word rogue suggests medieval fantasy roleplaying not modern superheroism.

I suggest that you come up with terms and modes from non-medieval sources for a superhero game. But this is a suggestion that has no more nor less merit than your own suggestions.

As to "back story", the problem is that there are so many various backstory elements that any single one could close off hundreds more. A backstory should in any case include present structuring of life as primary. Especially in a game that is not RPG enforced.

I actually think a square boardgame structure for "life structure" would work, especially if there was some sort of high level addition of "adding squares" by laying down tiles in a square spiral pattern -- creating areas so to speak.

Of course, keep in mind this would be "present life" so that ones background and past would not be included so much as ones as ones present management of all resources and activities.

As to 2.0, I really do not think it makes much of a difference to me, if it's still a bunch of feats. I mean "rogue" and "merchant" for crying out loud? This is a superhero game. Try "reformed criminal" and "CEO".

It is my opinion that more missions should be offered from detectives as a result of missions accomplished over the radio. Furthermore, opponents fought and crimes halted during these radio missions should be considered preferential opponents and focal crimes that the player would want to see their character fight.

As a result, final mission generation should be an accumulation of these factors. I among others am growing weary of the same missions over and over again.

One thing I'd love to see is Origin-based power pools, but this is also beautiful! I think there should be a more categorised set of Background Power Pools and the powers you suggest are a little too strong for a power pool that might advance and be enhanced.

However, perhaps these Background Pools could be simplified to be somewhat like existing superhero RPG standards and traditions, rather than D&D RPG feats -- GURPS, White Wolf, and Hero Games (as well as Central Casting) have better systems anyway. This game is too much like a graphical LP-MUD anyway.

I'm not sure that these should operate as "click on" powers, but rather as alterable structures, sort of like enhancement management or base construction, except one alters ones characters situation in the civic sense.

Imagine either an enhancement set that does not permit powers but rather makes small adjustments to existing gameplay such as permitting a monthly influence revenue. An alternate concept is that one may begin with cards or tiles and place them around a square track or linear route boardgame-style. One may gain new cards/tiles as rewards or on a monthly basis. This would not overtly deal with subjects such as family and friends but generalised wealth, fame, study focus (not educational background), and what sort of activities a character might be doing when off-screen, off-duty so to speak (such as serving the FBSA, patrolling a district, smoozing at the nightclub, secretly helping Arachnos, spying on villain groups, etc.).

This would permit a TF to respec ones Background, which might occur as encounters with time fluxes (preventing a scheme to alter the past), alternate dimensions (saving a replica of oneself), rescuing ones own winning lottery ticket, salvaging a portion of the city (or secretly conquering a rural area near Paragon), etc.

Man, they've had the same damn sounds for Mind Control powers since they first appeared. Hearing the voice cry "ow" two hundred times a day can only be tolerated for so long.

My suggestion is that not only should colors be selected but sounds.

Dr. Vahzilok: You're brilliant.
Nemesis: No, you're brilliant.
Dr. Vahzilok: No, really, you're absolutely brilliant. Stunning. A true gem of intellect.
Nemesis: Aww... seriously though, you've got brains as well as beauty.
Dr. Vahzilok: Really? Positron says I need some ab muscles, but he still loves my bedroom voice.
Nemesis: Uh....

[ QUOTE ]
LOL I'm glad you guys are enjoying the dialogue. It's pretty wild to see something we thought was kind of cute while writing it make this list. Some stuff I wrote, I laughed out loud. Then I told someone and they kind of cocked their head and went, "Yeah...I mean that's amusing, but...it's not wildly funny or anything."

I was just cackling over this thread with Josh, who wrote the Luddite / Gold Bricker stuff and the rest of the dialogue for Cap au Diable (with some input from Capn Mako). (No, he doesn't have a cool board name yet.)

We're like, "That's hysterical. Did you write that one?"

"Yeah, that one was mine."

"You're brilliant."

"No YOU'RE brilliant."

"No YOU are."

"Okay, I'm brilliant."

And so on and so forth.

Thanks for compiling these. It's great fun to see you guys appreciate our humour.

The mission writers did some great work, too. They're responsible for all the dialogue you see IN the missions.

War Witch

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks, Jack! I'll try to respeculate my character to an older concept of tactics now. Originally, I wanted a character who focused strongly on defensive tactics so he could notice movements of NPC, roving PC who were potentially endangering the group through attracting aggro, and unpredicted arising inclemencies. As a player of a Controller character, I saw this all the time, and as a player of a few types of AT now, I realise that it's the quality of players I'm with that is at issue.

Anyway, tactically, I prefer playing hard-to-hit characters who can use dodging and evasion to gain a good tactical position, in this game simulated by regaining endurance more than anything else.

I'll miss your writing, Giglamesh. Among all the employee, it's the timeline and newspaper writers I'll miss most, and I guess that's you. Please let us know which project or job you're going to. What's your name so I can look up your future projects?

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Hey Posi - just so ya know.. Spectral Wounds also does damage to the fires. Don't know if SW does "imaginary" Ice damage or it's just a bug, but there ya go. :]

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess tankers aren't the only ones who have a vulnerability to Psi damage...perhaps you're scaring the fire away?

[/ QUOTE ]

Perhaps it creates a palpable illusion that disorders the real so strongly that temporary damage occurs until reality sets in slowly, and the fire is restored. In a living opponent, this disarray of reality would slowly be turned into the "realisation" that the damage was only illusionary after all, while in nonliving opponents no rationalization is possible, and hence it takes actual damage.