woodone

[ QUOTE ]
If the money for making this came out of our subscription fees and that money now becomes available to pay for something I can enjoy, like more game content, then I'm happy.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is how I'm takeing the whole thing. Even if I loved the comic (which is not the case) I love the game more and always hope the in-game needs trump the City of side projects.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Cryptic starts working with Marvel.

Cryptic shuts down its own comic.

Uhhhh, somebody want to pop a quick "In no way was this decision influenced by Cryptic's partnership with Marvel Comics" in there? I'm feeling a tad paranoid today and could use the comfort disclaimer.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, let me refer to an event that happened about '93-94':

The Malibu Comics line of comics was started by three popular comic book writers that were fed up with how DC was running the editorial staff at the time. Malibu Comics (off of the top of my head, they held the 'Solitaire', 'Prime', and 'Deep Space Nine' comic series) became very successful very rapidly due to excellent writing and artistry. This caught the attention of Marvel, and they bought out the Malibu Comics franchise for a considerable sum of money. Once it was bought, Malibu Comics and its titles were never heard from again. Marvel brought back 'Deep Space Nine' in the quickly-launched 'Paramount Comics' line, but, it was garbage.

Eversince I've heard Marvel was starting its own MMO with Cryptic, I've been worried that the past is about to repeat itself again.

If you want to know how I know so much about this event that happened, I'll tell you; Gerard Jones and I used to write to each other often in the early '90s. Gerard Jones wrote for, at the time, DC Comics, writing on the titles of 'Green Lantern' and 'Justice League Europe'. He left DC shortly after the 'Breakdowns' JLE/JLA storyline ended and Andy Helfner left his editorial position. Gerard Jones got together with a couple of other writers to form 'Malibu Comics'. Once 'Malibu Comics' was bought out, Gerard left the comics scene to concentrate more on raising his family. I was lucky to have such a friend as Gerard, he taught me alot.

[/ QUOTE ]

Eh I know what you're talking about to some extent I was a fan of prime. However, today I was looking back on those issues and wondering what in the world I was thinking.

-I think what we saw posted today was code for...
"The comic cost money to produce and publish. And while the City of fans love it, we're not selling quite enough to non-playerbase comicbook fans to continue sapporting it. We will in stead spend the money and time use to meet with Top Cow and plot story as well as aprove content to instead bring more ingame activities to life"

just my perspective on it. I do think it's funny Marvel at one time had a pending lawsuit against the City of world and that they now work together... money real does pwn.

[ QUOTE ]
Finally, let me add my name to the chorus that would gladly pay $50 for a significant expansion that was this fall and had a lot of new stuff for everyone: powersets, costumes, loot, story, etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

Man do I agree...however heres what I wonder.
1. Would something like this have been another sectioned expantion like CoV, that split much of the population up? So servers may have the some load, but only half as many people on each side.

2.Was the game coded in a way that makes it dificult to put in a pay expansion and make it only accessible to those who paid without the seperation of zones as in CoH and CoV?

3.Could a smaller pay update not be made if the "time table" was unreasonible? I mean we'd still expect more than the usual round of updates that have either been perceived nerfs or effect less then half the playerbase.

and not really a question, but it seems like maybe an I10 teaser and then this polling may have helped put things in perspective..maybe it's just me, but I think some of the player outcry here is because of time tables. We wanted a train in FF and that only took three years, so how often are we looking at power set expansion, and how long before the expansion of power sets begins?

[ QUOTE ]
We did plan out Power Sets for the retail box, but we've gone the route of free updates instead (woohoo!). Yep, we had some planned...and we thought about just putting those into updates as schedule permitted...

but then we thought it'd be cool if we polled the players what they wanted first. Not all of these power sets are of equal difficulty - some are tougher than others - but they are all possible. I can't promise exactly when it'll get in, but please know that we've heard loudly and clearly that players want new power sets.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sometimes I'm really at a loss with the development staff. We could possibly like any of the "pre-planned" sets just as well as the few choices we have up. I mean I may be missunderstanding, but does that mean I10 is going to be some of these preplanned sets? or that it will contain no new power sets? I feel a little like I'm shooting in the dark.


[ QUOTE ]
BTW...Ball and Chain was my little addition last minute. It would be just be SO cool!

[/ QUOTE ]

lol. thats nice that you added your two cents into the poll of what players suggested, really, it is. I'd like to see some sort of elastic power instead of the "ball-n-chain" set. Something that maybe works the same as you may be imagining but with players contorting to make the weapon.

[ QUOTE ]
Updated


The Harsh Reality of PVP

Are you thinking about taking your favorite hero or villain and enter a Player versus Player (PVP) zone to see what it is like? If yes, then there are a few things you should be prepared for when you enter PVP combat. I will first attempt to tell you what to expect. Then, I will attempt to give you some suggestions how to counter what you learned to expect. The thing I will not do is tell you how you must play. You play the way you want to. Just have fun

The most important thing to expect in PVP is that there will be many times you will be defeated without any possible way to defend yourself. You may be thinking, "What? How is that possible? How can I be defeated without any way to defend myself? That does not sound fair!". PVP is not fair! That is exactly what you should expect when entering a PVP zone. Do not think PVP is fair. If you do not learn anything at all from reading this, then please remember this one thing: PVP is not fair!

Now, that you know what to expect, let me tell you ways to lower the amount of times you will be defeated without any possible way to defend yourself. But, keep in mind, that you will still be defeated without any possible way to defend yourself. Why? Because PVP is not fair! Hopefully, I have stressed that enough. So, what do you do to survive?

You should have on you at all times some Break Free inspirations. You may be thinking, "But, I have status-effect (mez) protection. I never get mezzed! Well, maybe once to about a dozen Malta throwing stun grenades at the same time. And, maybe once to some Carnies (Carnival of Shadows), but those were flukes". No, those were not flukes. Those were indications that mez protection is not total protection. It is a magnitude of protection that can be overcome when more than one mez hits you at one time. These mezzes stack with each other, each building more magnitude, and will eventually over-come the magnitude of protection you have. In PVP, you will be mezzed. Everybody gets mezzed. Carrying Break Free inspirations will help you when you are mezzed. If you remember nothing else from this section, remember this: In PVP, you will be mezzed.

You should have with you at all times some teammates. You may be thinking, "But, I like playing solo. I can solo invincible missions. I do not want to always team up with others. Pick up groups (PUGs) are usually horrible". What if my friends are not on?". It does not matter what you can do solo in PVE, PVP is not fair! You will be attacked by every opponent that sees you, whether you are alone or with a team. You must expect that. So, if you decide to go it solo, remember this, you will be attacked by many opponents at the same time. Therefore, you will be defeated without any possible way to defend yourself. When your inspirations run out, so does your health points. You can go it alone, but you will be defeated. In PVP, you will be attacked by multiple opponents, simultaneously.

You should stay close to your teammates. You may be thinking, "But, if someone kites us (kite: ranged attacker steps into range, fires, and steps out of range), we have to close in on their position." All of you must close on their position. Any separation of the group will cause some individuals to be at a great disadvantage. Opponents prey on weakness. If a group is scattered in all directions, they are easier to defeat. In PVP, you need to stick together with your teammates.

You should know that the Archetypes (ATs) with the lowest amount of hit points are the easiest targets. You may be thinking, "I wish I was not so squishy (low hit points)". Any non-melee oriented AT will be considered the easier target. The non-melee oriented ATs are the easiest to defeat, but are also the largest threat when grouped. If you are one of these ATs you will be targeted first. The non-melee oriented ATs have very little, if any, mez protection. In PVP, non-melee ATs (squishies) are targeted first.

You should know that you will be attacked by opponents you cannot see, some of which can defeat you before you will even realize you are being attacked. You may be thinking, "How can that be? How can I defend against that?". Well, the good news is, that perception (the ability to see stealthy/cloaked/invisible opponents) at it's maximum is 10 feet higher than negative perception (-perception) is at it's maximum. The bad news is, that it is easier for an individual to reach a -perception value higher than any +perception another individual can achieve. In other words, you alone will not be able to see them. That is another reason why going it alone is not a good idea. To enable you to see -perception opponents, you will need things that give you +perception. If you want to know more about perception, click here-> perception. In PVP, you will be attacked by opponents you cannot see.

*You should not get caught up in the emotion of victory or defeat. You may be thinking, "How is it possible to not celebrate victory or mourn defeat?". You can, but don't let the opponents know it. If you openly boast, you will be alpha-target number one. If you openly cry foul, you will be alpha-target number one. Never say anything to the opponent in local chat, private chat, or global chat; especially, global chat. Resist the temptation to do so. If you have a fit of rage, count to ten, go get a drink of water, or just go watch some television. Never say anything to the opponents, ever.

In summary, PVP is not fair! You will be mezzed. You will be attacked by multiple opponents, simultaneously. You need to stick together with your teammates. Non-melee ATs (squishies) are targeted first. You will be attacked by opponents you cannot see. Never say anything to the opponents, ever.

*being polite and engaging in polite conversation can be fine. I have done this. But, the opponent may not know if you are being polite or sarcastic. Just be careful what you say and how you say it if you decide to say anything.

Note: you will not receive debt if defeated by a player. You will receive debt if defeated by a Non-Player-Character (NPC)

I hope you have enjoyed 'The Harsh Reality of PVP'. Have fun

[/ QUOTE ]


very true I'd also add.

-Most people will not be "fine" with death or defeat, and will in all liklyhood flee a fight they can not win, or can not imagine haveing an advantage to. This means when out numbered, or faceing a more powerfull set, players will run, hide, enter missions, log off, leave the zone, sit in "base". All the while these tactics will be seen as sound survival tactics by the player fleeing, and one or more people on the chase will be upset. Such is life please see PvP if unfair.

-Players will capitalize on any advantage they can. Any advantage at all. This means TP foe, drones, hide, range, mez, pets, temp powers, NPCs, and even chatting. In a PvP zone do not expect to be safe anywhere outside of the hospital.

Thats what I can think of, hope noone else has added those in, iff so... i repeat thiem

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It makes me think that they thought of only 8 powers, but had to fill in 9 tiers. So... let's subtract DEF here (UY) and put it over here (TH), to tone down the potential DEF provided by Invinc. Viola! 9 powers!

[/ QUOTE ]


Unyielding was originally Unyielding Stance and it had no -DEF component. It did, however, make you immobile. This was incredibly unpopular and it was decided to remove that penalty. At that point, the -DEF was added to replace the Immobilize penalty.

[/ QUOTE ]


This was however added before the cap to invincibility, and was seen as a way to not only balance it, but also keep the set from reaching a higher deff bonus than other sets with set deff figures. Now we get both, capped deff bonus on invincibility, and -deff on unyielding... now with the introduction of ED we get less resistance and even less of a deff pottential.

or an end shield that resists the effects of an end drain, like -10% so that instead of lossing 50 end points per hit its like 45...and i know, thats not a lot, but lets be realistic. if thats out the window then can we get the "Uber Vest" allowing me to move at +2 speed with no acc debuff - end use +damage and unable to take damage while in use.....lol.

another cool one would be to alter shape, become a wolf with there resist and damage powers, or someting like it.

oh, oh, i would also like to be able to duplicate myself, and not a pet... i mean a replaca, maybe a lesser verssion, but one that looks like i did when cast..heck even if it has no powers but acts as a shadow decoy to hold agro for a time

i too had a rock bug

i recieved a temp power and untill i used all of the rocks from the temp powers section in the powers menu(9) i could not use the other temp attack. it would keep only one rock in the tray at a time, and only allow the other temp attak to be used once (even though it had 500 charges) i would have to leave the zone or mission to reset it....saddly i needed the new power to use on an AV son now i have no rocks....i sent a couple of bug reports but none saved me in time.....i'm so poutting right now

ok...who really expected a no? hmmm...i saw that face and we all know you expected the yes also, dont plat coy. really lets keep thiem rolling they make me feel like batman with all the extra (@#*%) he gets off of his defeated foes...and i to think less than 25 mins would be a shame, right now it's perfect.

[ QUOTE ]
OH and just a note... (In a Mothers voice) You need to know that if you are on a holiday break, although we love hearing from you guys LEAVE THE WORK AT WORK!!!! Take your break or you will be the ones getting burned out!!! and THAT will not be good for the game... No need to post right before you plan on catching a plane home, you should have been saying bye to the family and all... That goes to all of you. (OK I am done with the overbearing Mothering voice. )

[/ QUOTE ]

i love this post.....it's true, and i love it. everyone needs the time down every now and then.

i too have found PP to be sliding away from the busy hub it once was, and i'm on pinnical. i truely feel that is for two major reasons.
one is the forest, lets face facts. hunt teams do the street and the hydra but stay clear of the forest, even at high lvls when a mission calls for going into the messy maze i dread it.
the second is because of the hallows. the mob lvls ther are just as broad (and they seem to respawn faster) but you can enter sooner, and it has the trail.
as far as boom and faultline go i agree that niether see heavy trafic but i too love boom and despise faultline and i have sj. they both feel "out of the way" at the lvls they become active and seem to be at that rough time in a char's life when they are trying to pick up the travel powers and get fitness in hand, and by default are not comeing from the strongest stand point in a chars career. i think it would totally help if there were hospitals in those zones. Dark Astoria, Rikti crash Site do, and Crey's folly has one just out of the zone but Terra does not and i only go there for the same reasons i went to the booms and fault. and thats for the missions.