wow thanks for the update Statesman. as a lvl 35 Rad/Rad i find taking on lvl 35 bosses not that hectic. pop a few inspirations, debuff, blast away. in fact i love the new boss changes because ti actually makes it slightly challenging and a ton of fun. i was seriously getting bored with missions before the boss buff. I'm glad you are working on a solution for those that are having a hard time with these new bosses but i hope you don't take away the fun that those such as myself have with these new bosses. heck i did the respec with 6+ freak tanks spawning in groups post update 3 and my pick-up team thought it was the most fun we've had. thanks for all the effort and communication. 
i don't know, one i dea that i really liked was to make enemies buff and debuff more often. i really like that idea as it adds some dynamic qualities to the mobs.
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Just that the industry belief seems to be that people who group and form social bonds in the game world are more likely to be loyal. That may be a myth for all I know.
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I think it's not so much that it's not true, broadly speaking, but that the devil is in the details.
It is very common for players to play MMOGs with people they know in real life. "Friend groups" of this sort are pretty "sticky" in terms of customer retention, because people are invested not just in their own play, but in the shared experience. However, this is a sword that cuts both ways -- if one person in a friend group is dissatisfied and moves on, there's a very high probability that he'll take the rest of the friend group with him. Over time, I've seen my group of friends migrate from EQ to DAoC to CoH -- and lately, to WoW. CoH's boss changes probably came at one of the worst times possible -- when a shiny new MMORPG showed up on the market. Frustration, however temporary it may turn out to be, with CoH is likely to drive friend group conversions to competing games.
It is also true that games with strong social structures that players can invest in tend to lead to higher retention. If you are a leader in a guild, and guild leadership is a meaningful position, you are far less likely to leave the game than you would otherwise. You are not just experiencing game content at that point in time, you are playing the "social puzzle" (as Puzzle Pirates players call it) -- your "play" has become explicitly social in nature, essentially acting as an extension of possible things to do within the game.
There is, as far as I know, zero evidence that simply making players group to achieve things improves retention in any way.
Very little of City of Heroes looks as if it was designed to be primarily a group game. If you are aiming to have a social component as a large part of your gameplay experience, you emphasize things like chat, buddy features, and rich, complex social organizations. Supergroups in CoH are basically nothing other than a shared buddy list that has a chat channel. While there's promised stuff coming in the future, fundamentally the unit of play is the individual hero, which sometimes teams up with other individual heroes in order to get access to a wider range of abilities and thus better threat-handling capabilities.
The nature of CoH gameplay also doesn't especially encourage social interactions. There's virtually no support for roleplay. The "as little downtime as possible" orientation means that there's not a lot of chatter in general, and the pace of combat rarely allows you to get out more than a few words -- and that's immediate tactics only. There are no places in the game that are designed to facilitate conversation, and the lag when a whole lot of heroes are in one place is significant.
If City of Heroes is going to be a primarily group-oriented game, there are a whole lot of group-oriented features that it's going to need. I expected that they would come with City of Villains, which could potentially emphasize group vs. group conflict as well as PvP. Until there's that rich stable of group tools and content, though, pushing the game towards teaming will only lower retention, not increase it -- and even once those additional group features are in place, having both a strong group and a strong solo game broaden the overall appeal and lend life to the game world.
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I know some people were upset when I didn't at least post a status in the Burn & Invulnerability threads (even when there wasn't much else to say), so I thought I'd try to avoid that mistake again!
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Hi. There's been a Dark Armor thread in the scrapper forum for over a month now that's been begging for a dev response since day one. And we're getting a bit upset about the lack of response, so if you could pop your head in *there* as well, that would be great.
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I know some people were upset when I didn't at least post a status in the Burn & Invulnerability threads (even when there wasn't much else to say), so I thought I'd try to avoid that mistake again!
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Thanks; it really does help to hear that it's still a concern.
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Sorry, but I don't think you can state that only the casual players are left. hell, every night, 4 of the 11 servers are in the yellow Post I3, when previously they were all in the green. Don't know about you, but with 1.5 weeks having passed, and the server load increasing, I would say most players are enjoying the changes, and have RETURNED to playing the game again.
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Be careful not to confuse "enjoying the boss changes" and "logging in to see what's new with Issue 3". I expect that the latter is certainly true, while the former is, for many people, not true.
Indeed, many of us are playing our pre-25 alts, and checking out the new content, while crossing our fingers and hoping that the boss changes get rolled back. My attempts to play my blaster post-I3 have been frustrating and disappointing, doubly so because that toon is in the perfect level range for the higher-end Striga content. Content that's a blast (cool stories and set-ups), but which leaves me deep in debt, ends up leaving me with very mixed feelings at the end of a play session.
Thanks Statesman.
I am extremely interested to see what your possible solution may be. Please keep us informed. Communication is a two way street. We try and keep you informed of our issues and its good to see you trying to keep us informed. Too often Developers shut down and don't discuss with their customers, I'm glad your not one of them.
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I stand corrected then. There is at least one person (presumably representative of some kind of group of people) who do enjoy street hunting. Frankly I'm a bit astonished. Nobody I have met in game has said they enjoyed this, but tastes do differ. Enjoy then. At least that is still perfectly doable solo.
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I enjoyed street hunting in Boomtown, Steel Canyon, Skyway, Independence Port, Talos Island, Terra Volta, Dark Astoria, Brickstown, Founder's Falls, and Crey's Folly.
I don't like it as much on Peregrine Island, due to the tendency for things to rise from the street.
Elsegame: Champions Online: @BellaStrega ||| Battle.net: Ashleigh#1834 ||| Bioware Social Network: BellaStrega ||| EA Origin: Bella_Strega ||| Steam: BellaStrega ||| The first Guild Wars: Kali Magdalene ||| The Secret World: BelleStarr (Arcadia)
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Just wanted to drop a line...
I've been discussing many of these issues internally with the team...and I think I might have something interesting that satisfies both parties...but I've got to do more research first.
I know some people were upset when I didn't at least post a status in the Burn & Invulnerability threads (even when there wasn't much else to say), so I thought I'd try to avoid that mistake again!
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That's reassuring, however, please keep in mind that on at least one of these issues (the amount of increase in the life/damage/etc. of the new bosses) it really does appear to be the case thet you are mistaken in your belief that an even level I3 boss=+1 I2 boss.
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Note: It's very important that you don't get something like this in the contact's mission selection window:
Go Rescue the hostages from the Freakshow!
and then get this once you selected the mission from your contact:
By the way, you'll need help, because you'll be facing Dreck!
Or, seeing, once you select the mission for your nav bar:
Arrest Dreck and his crew, rescue 5 hostages.
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I got that! Or rather, one like it:
"Go rescue these hostages from the Banished Pantheon home dimension! You have two hours!"
"Okay, I'm on it!"
"Great. By the way, you also have to defeat Adamastor!"
Fortunately, I had a team at the time I took the mission.
Elsegame: Champions Online: @BellaStrega ||| Battle.net: Ashleigh#1834 ||| Bioware Social Network: BellaStrega ||| EA Origin: Bella_Strega ||| Steam: BellaStrega ||| The first Guild Wars: Kali Magdalene ||| The Secret World: BelleStarr (Arcadia)
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You're asking the developers to change the fundamental design of the game, a design they are only now reaching. I doubt you will succeed.
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Why not? This game was wildly successful even without that "vision" being realized, and it's not as if rolling the changes back would negate any longstanding status quo.
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Lothart likes to preach the "3 white minions = challenging fight for one hero" statement Statesman made. While he may not directly admit it, I think such a prospect overjoys him.
Elsegame: Champions Online: @BellaStrega ||| Battle.net: Ashleigh#1834 ||| Bioware Social Network: BellaStrega ||| EA Origin: Bella_Strega ||| Steam: BellaStrega ||| The first Guild Wars: Kali Magdalene ||| The Secret World: BelleStarr (Arcadia)
I'd just like to join in saying taht I don't like the Boss changes. Before I3, taking on a Freak Tank was a prospect that got my adrenaline running, even if I had a nice, open killing field in front of me.
Now, it is utterly impossible for me to take on an even-level tank without resorting to Hoversniping.
Obviously, this makes office missions very difficult. I had one office mission during the Freaklympics story arc where a RED tank was sitting in what I call the "dogleg from heck." Through a door, up a stairwell, turn a corner and there's a very short corridor where the boss spawns. So not only is it FAR too close for comfort and impossible to set up a SNipe without using STealth, but it's a pain in the tail to get out of when pulling.
I managed to get him out of the room, down the hall, and even into a room where I could hoversnipe him. (and wasn't THAT an adventure) And then I get him to 1/3 and he heals up and almost immediately runs away.
I called in a +10 friend to blow him away for me.
The changes have made it impossible to solo a even-or-higher boss.
At the same time, I STILL have no issues with minions. I tried out the slider (and you know, larger groups of evens are harder for me to deal with than normals sized groups of Tougher minions). When I saw a group of Orange minions, I prioritized targets and my alphastrike dropped two out of three before they had a chance to get off more than one shot, and the last was cold meat with only minor damage to me.
Bosses didn't need upgrading: Minions are still wusses.
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That's reassuring, however, please keep in mind that on at least one of these issues (the amount of increase in the life/damage/etc. of the new bosses) it really does appear to be the case thet you are mistaken in your belief that an even level I3 boss=+1 I2 boss.
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I'd have to agree with that. Fighting a orange con boss, he was 36(council "archon", Im a level 36 fire tanker) he was hitting quite a bit harder than a red con boss in I2. I'd say he was about +3, give or take. Like fighting a purple con boss from I2, a lvl 38 or 39 maybe..... Ive fought plenty of 38s, and know how they "feel" 
, damage wise. This guy was hitting that hard.
Doom Food, 50 +3 Plant/fire/fire Dom.
"oo oo wait! I'm having one of those things.. A headache with pictures!"
An idea I've been tlaking about to other people for a boss change.
Named Bosses - The current HP/XP/Damage Increase to ALL bosses only apply to named ones
UnNamed Bosses - drop them a little to be easier but not terribly easy.
Special Bosses - ie: Teh Pwnzororoz (however its spelled). MAKE THEM ELITE BOSSES!
This space is intentionally left blank.
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Before the change, there was a success rate of just under 80%.
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I am curious - does this statistic take into account all of the teams that fall apart or quit before they receive the 'mission failed?'
If not I'd suggest that to be an important statistic unto itself - how many start it and quit or are booted.
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I've been discussing many of these issues internally with the team...and I think I might have something interesting that satisfies both parties...but I've got to do more research first.
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This is the sort of thing that reassures me. A willingness to take another look at changes and try to think of something creative.
Well do it soon please, this is a show-stopper for me. 
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Thank you for the explanation. Detailed posts like these go a long way towards easing your playerbase; players handle "changes done for X reason I disagree with" better than they handle "changes done for seemingly arbitrary or ill-defined reasons." And I'm glad you're looking into the one-shot deaths; for a few nights there, I felt like I was playing Space Invaders , because I kept getting blown up after one hit.
As to this portion of your post:
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As for why we put Bosses in missions at all in other words, why isnt everything solo-able the answer is simple. We want gameplay that encourages the best part of the game: teaming up. Soloing is fine, but a MMP really shines when you meet other people and play alongside them.
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So your stated goal for the boss inclusion in missions is to "encourage teaming." I wish you would reconsider other means to encourage teaming instead. There are other methods that don't penalize soloing. Increasing XP, increasing enhancement drops, and adding in easily accessible team content would all encourage teaming, but they wouldn't prevent players from doing their own story arcs and badge missions.
Having a game that's viable for soloers has to mean more than "street sweep" and "scrounge for missions without bosses or AVs in them."*
*: And I'm aware many people can still solo, even against bosses. I can too... my regen scrapper is almost as strong as he was pre-nerf (which makes me think nerf #2 is coming soon). With my controller, it's possible, but it's just now tedium with very little reward. My illusion controller beat on a Sky Raider robot boss for nearly 10 minutes before killing it the other night. The remainder of the mission didn't take me that long.
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If this was my game I would try to have as much new areas, factions, powers, AT's. Even though these would be good changes they would not be top priority on my list. Balancing powers and making more missions with a lot of variety would be number one.
And since mmo's shine when you team I would tell all of my players that from day one. Do you think everyone that plays this game has played other mmo's? The answer is no, for me this is my first mmo. I did not know that teaming is where mmo's shine. I would promise my players that I would make changes that would making it easier to form teams and find super groups. The only idea that I could think of for super groups is to have the same person that registers also be able to tell you about all of the super groups and how to join them.
By this issue I would make many team required missions that solo players could not accept (like task force and trial missions). I would even have team story arcs. I would make super group missions and story arcs. I would allow players to choose for themselves how to play this game. How would I encourage teaming.
Step one make the players that choses to team feel like they are important, more than the simple thank you that you would get from your team mates. If someone would solo (please do not get mad just bare with me), I would have an ending for the soloist that would tell him that he really made a difference in the lives of everyone. Also I would remind him of how much content he missed and try to wet his appetite for the team and super group missions.
Step two, I would tell the soloist that if you run out of missions you could always choose to team up and do some of the team missions by wetting their appetite to do them. I believe that if you make people feel good about teaming then I believe more will team. It would be doing the same thing as dangling a carrot (team and super group missions) in front of a horse (hero).
Ebony Fists: Level 50 DM/Regen Scrapper, Gloom Piston Robotics/Dark mastermind level 34, QueenFireMare: Level 34 Fire blaster (pure fire),
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Note: It's very important that you don't get something like this in the contact's mission selection window:
Go Rescue the hostages from the Freakshow!
and then get this once you selected the mission from your contact:
By the way, you'll need help, because you'll be facing Dreck!
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I got that! Or rather, one like it:
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Yes, this happens quite a bit. I believe some of the early Lost, Hellion, Skull, Clockwork, and Vahz missions do it too. Once you've accepted the mission, you get: "Watch out for the (faction's boss mob) called (tough sounding name). He may be tough."
Armsman:
I'd suggest waiting a few days, to see how many people are just logging in to use and then try out the results of their free respec. If loads drop into the green again, we'll know.
Statesman: Thanks for popping back in to give us an update. I'm very interested to see what you and the team come up with.
Lothart:
Your artistic ideals are breathtaking in their uncompromising purity, but irrelevant - we are talking about a commercial product, with a publisher and customers with monthly subscriptions. By your own statements, you are "not a capitalist," so please go back to starving in your garret, kthxbye.
My characters at Virtueverse
Faces of the City
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but regardless the mission briefing only mentioned one boss.
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My mission briefing just now (I'm still in the mission, as I type this) did not mention any boosses at ALL. After investigating a kidnapping of human doctors by Rikti, I discovered that they were being used to find a cure for Chicken Pox for the Rikti, who had been infected somehow. I'd saved all but two of the hostages.
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Jonathon St. John-Smythe: Chicken pox, eh? That's a pretty nasty one. Alas, there is no cure, strictly speaking. However, we may be able to exchange some anti-viral medicine for the remaining hostages. I'll also throw in some vaccine; it should help the uninfected Rikti remain healthy. I know they're our enemies, but somehow it seems like the right thing to do. Now, go out there and get those doctors back, Celtika. Oh, and tell the Rikti not to scratch!
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That's it. that was the mission briefing from my contact. No boss mentioned, nothing. Just rescue the hostages.
The mission had an orange boss in it, named "Deknar."
A boss, not mentioned in the mission briefing?! what a shock (not).
I was able to beat him (barely) and only by running for my life a few times (I'm an En/En blaster). I've now saved both scientists, defeated the unmentioned boss, and I'm STILL not done with the mission. I still show "Exchange cure for hostages" in my nav-bar. so, now, it looks like this is, in fact, a "Defeat All enemies in building" mission.
*rolls eyes* oi.
Yup. just killed the last minion in the building. Suddenly mission is completed. So, it wasn't just a rescue mission. It was a defeat all, including a boss that was NEVER mentioned mission.
As long as we are talking specifics to look into. I just ran into Smart Carl. I was playing a lvl 11 blaster. First 2 mobs I ran into were lvl 9 Lost Bosses which could mezz. Thinking this was not a good sign, I made it slowly past them with the liberal use of inspirations.
Then, as I went around, every third group had a boss of gradually increasing level. The worst was a +1 boss which I had to call in a friend since I couldn't get past the mezzing. In the end, smart carl was a lt. which was a joke to say the least.
It's something to look at for sure.
Also known as the Unlucky Pete mission. Also a Joe? Anyway, it's interesting that the named leader is a lieutenant, while there are also multiple unnamed bosses wandering around. All in a level 10-14 Lost mission.
Thank you - I received the impression that this was the state of affairs from a previous post of yours, but it's good to just have a "things are moving along" statement.
Elsegame: Champions Online: @BellaStrega ||| Battle.net: Ashleigh#1834 ||| Bioware Social Network: BellaStrega ||| EA Origin: Bella_Strega ||| Steam: BellaStrega ||| The first Guild Wars: Kali Magdalene ||| The Secret World: BelleStarr (Arcadia)
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And through teaming and playing with your SG, you are, theoretically, creating your own story around the framework the devs have provided with the Paragon City mythology, backstories to the various villian groups, story arcs, badges, etc... The classes are clearly designed to be interlocking and complimentary. What does this tell you? It's a massively MULTIPLAYER online ROLE PLAYING GAME we're playing here. By definition, it has to defer to the mass of the player population. IF you don't want to bother with dealing with other players, why are you here? Why not just go play X-MEN Legends or something?
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Whenever someone is tempted to say something obnoxious like this, can't you just pretend that we already know your point of view but don't care for it?
Wait, you don't have to pretend that.
Elsegame: Champions Online: @BellaStrega ||| Battle.net: Ashleigh#1834 ||| Bioware Social Network: BellaStrega ||| EA Origin: Bella_Strega ||| Steam: BellaStrega ||| The first Guild Wars: Kali Magdalene ||| The Secret World: BelleStarr (Arcadia)