What's Wrong With Galaxy City?
By
8_Ball,
Posted on: 2005-06-30 21:49 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
[ QUOTE ]
My guess is because Altlas Park is the first choice and Galaxy City is the second. A lot of people seem to just roll with the default, especially if they don't know the difference.
[/ QUOTE ]
Perhaps but a good chunk of the time after going through the tutorial, GC is listed first and AP second.
[ QUOTE ]
Besides, you don't get your Hollows mission from your first contact, so usually you have to run from KR to hollows no matter where you start (*muttergrumble*)
[/ QUOTE ]
Actually, you can skip your second contact all together. As soon as you finish your first contact, you can head directly to hollows and talk to wincott, he'll hook you up with missions without having to run to kr or wherever.
I created my first Fire Tank last night and accidentally clicked the Atlas Park button rather than the Galaxy City button I usually go for these days.
Unbelievable! I've never really had a problem in AP before so much as I noticed it was a bit croweded.
Last night I couldn't turn around with either having someone else rush up and "help" me or once I even inadvertently started to "help" someone else! I was on for only 20 minutes before I logged. I didn't even have the heart to just go to GC or play an alt.
Galaxy City really could do with a bit of something to define it better. Its far less grand than Atlas Park and I think the main reason why AP is so popular is because of the huge gathering areas near city hall. Galaxy City has nothing of the sort and nothing that really makes it stand out and look unique, even the arena just sits there but since no one uses those the zone loses its appeal.
Frankly devs I think you need to seriously consider that feature you planned in beta where neighborhoods where heroes didn't go regularly enough started to be taken over by the local gangs causing larger spawns to occour and altering the surroundings to make them look abused. That would get people to go to Galaxy City because otherwise the place would look like the ghetto.
Every one of my toons has started out in Galaxy City. The friend who introduced the game to me sent me there on my first one and I soon realized why. The people in Atlas Park make me wish that I could just /ignore everyone in the zone at once. I swear, every time I'm there for more than 2 minutes, I have to /ignore at least one player . . .
Then again, I tend to play CoH like it's a single player game with built-in AIM.
Oh, and I heart Vazhilok. Sure, they're a challenge but they also give an XP bonus. Even with a little bit of debt once in a while you can still level much more quickly by fighting them.
[ QUOTE ]
Any ideas why this is? And what can be done to make people want to go to Galaxy?
[/ QUOTE ]
I don't really care why, but I actually don't want it changed.
Galaxy City is a place where you can avoid most of the stupid lowlevel behaviour when you're making your 50th alt. Whether it's a better starting location for a newbie or not is up for debate.
For a first timer for sure, and even for some of us veterans (from a sample size of 1), Miss Liberty seems just a whole heck of a lot more heroic than Back-Alley Brawler. Even though I'm not an RP-er, I still like feeling somewhat immersed, and for me, BAB isn't who I want to be associated with, Miss Liberty is.
Now, while my sample size was only myself, I bet there's a bunch o folks who feel the same way, and a bunch who don't. That leaves near 100% of the folks who agree in AP, and 50% of those who don't in AP...leaving GC pretty empty.
Galaxy is great for alts. Freedom HQ, the hospital, the Security Chief, and the train, are all within a block or two of each other. Atlas has you running all over the place. 
But Atlas is definitely the place to go for the first-time hero. Makes you say "ooh".
Dungeoncleaners! (ID#125715): Slay the Adventurers! Rescue the Monsters! Return the Treasure!
Peppermint Cat-- Lv50 Mewtant Ice/Eng Bls
[ QUOTE ]
Playing tonight I noticed how, on the Justice Server anyways, Atlas and Galaxy are like night and day. Atlas Park is bustling with activity and crowded with low level heroes, while Galaxy City is quiet and empty. Only a few heroes stand around the Back Alley Brawler, while a huge mob surrounds Ms. Liberty.
Any ideas why this is? And what can be done to make people want to go to Galaxy?
[/ QUOTE ]
Simple answer...boobies.....Liberity's got'em...Brawler doesn't..
l think that galaxy city is fine the way it is. let the social butter flies stay there in Atlas Park and had their dance partials Leave Galaxy for these who want to play City of Heroes!
On Various Servers:
Maiden Victory 50 MASD Scrapper
Brazen Prime 41 Fireenergy tank
Lady Stratega 50 FireSS tank
& Tons of other Alts
When I first started playing I used to go to Atlas park a lot, I never considered Galaxy. However, now I go only to Galaxy. In Galaxy you don't find as many new players, or as many jerks. When you team, you usually team with people who have had expierence in the game. I also level a lot faster without lag from Atlas :P
[ QUOTE ]
Eidolons play a part in it i think...
[/ QUOTE ]
That's something else I find odd- level 1 Bosses. Seems sort of contradictory, doesn't it?
Another simple issue that some have alluded to is the travel aspect. Yes its annoying sometimes to go all the way across Atlas pre-travel powers, but Atlas is connected to four other zones with doors, where as Galaxy only hits two. Simply more traveled I think. Atlas is more of a "hub" and especially when you're going through the Hollows arc, a bit more convenient for leveling, and perhaps insp buying if you haven't advanced with Wincott and are just playing someone else's missions.
Plus I've been annoyed before by starting in Galaxy, being sent across Atlas, and at times to Atlas, but without any contacts there to pick up needed inspirations.
Galaxy is still nice, but the 'activity and travel hub' still seems to be Atlas, for good or ill.
global: @SuperSean
Undersecretary of Awesome
I'm one of those guys that like Galaxy City. My main started out in Galaxy so when I hit lvl 50 I went back to BAB to "let him see how ub3r I am" 
BAB saw my main when he was lvl 1 (going on 2) and when I was lvl 49 going on 50
I tried to go to each trainer at least once just for fun...I think I did accomplish that too.
Leader of The LEGION/Fallen LEGION on the Liberty server!
SSBB FC: 2062-8881-3944
MKW FC: 4167-4891-5991
Sometimes when I find myself in Outbreak after a nice little Isolator Badge team, I'll get asked by a newbie whether they should go to Atlas or Galaxy. My answer is allways thus:
Galaxy and Atlas are pretty equivalent in terms of gameplay- all the same things you can find in atlas are in Galaxy too, however, Atlas is usually more populated for whatever reason...
Personally, I think the reason it remains so is viral: people continuing to gather where there's the most people.
GC is full of Vahz...that's enough to make me avoid it with any lev 1 hero .
COH/CoV - Virtue
8 Ball - Lev 50 Kin/Energy Defender
The Canadian Fist - Lev 50 Ice/EM Blaster
Omega Ghost - Lev 50 Robo/Dark MM
Ghostfall - Lev 50 Arachnos Crab Soldier
EH, I was walking around Atlas park, and in place of those Vahz are those damn clockwork! If you ask me, I like Atlas Park better because I feel more open in it, since it is a park.
[ QUOTE ]
My guess is because Altlas Park is the first choice and Galaxy City is the second. A lot of people seem to just roll with the default, especially if they don't know the difference.
[/ QUOTE ]
I like it better because of the way its set up, you know with Miss Liberty and your contacts in the center, etc. etc. Easier to learn your way around. If you were to disable my UI and drop me off in Galaxy, I wouldn't be able to find my way from point a to point b. @_@
[ QUOTE ]
If you rolled a character before you know that when you reach lvl 5 you will be sent to the Hollows and that means through Atlas Park at that lvl. So to reduce long travels (= more action faster XP) you start in Atlas.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah what is it with that. It looks like the Hollows is the first and only zone that contacts send you to. I am so sick of the Hollows I do without contacts now and just team up for other peoples missions. I deliberately went Galaxy with my latest character with the hope that I would get sent to Kings Row or Sky or ANYWHERE besides the Hollows.
Thats the first real negative I have seen with CoH so far (only been playing 4 weeks now).
My other complaint is the end cost of fly compared to toe super speed run. You can run all over creation and hardly burn a bit of endurance but you start flying and your doing good if you can cross a map. Whats up with that? And don't say it is a balancing factor because with fly you can avoid all the random encounters; with SS you can run past most of those just as successfully as flying over and sometimes even more successfully. And my initial observation is running is faster initially (with no enhancments) than Fly.
Sorry, had to speak my mind.
Actually, that's not true. Your first contact will send you to another contact that's in Atlas/Galaxy/Kings Row. That second contact will, right off the bat, send you to Hollows to see Wincott. If you return, then you'll do missions normally.
If you're in Atlas when you hit 5th level, then just head to Hollows, click on Wincott, then head to your second contact.
Dungeoncleaners! (ID#125715): Slay the Adventurers! Rescue the Monsters! Return the Treasure!
Peppermint Cat-- Lv50 Mewtant Ice/Eng Bls
[ QUOTE ]
Any ideas why this is? And what can be done to make people want to go to Galaxy?
[/ QUOTE ]
I always pick Atlas because I have better luck finding enemies to fight at the right levels. I have found some great places to hunt that are usually empty of other players and I already know the right area to go for whatever level enemies I want to fight. I know I could do the same thing with Galaxy if I took the time, but to be honest, I like Atlas more anyway. Of course I do have an advantage, I only play my lowest level alts late at night when the servers are at their most empty. This means although it is still semi busy, it is not as crowded as daytime.
Another reason that might play into it now is the Hallows entrance is there, but I doubt that one because by then, people are already traveling between Atlas, Galaxy and Kings anyway.
Final reason could simply be the amount of people there. There tends to be more contests there and more people just hanging out socializing.
[ QUOTE ]
Yeah what is it with that. It looks like the Hollows is the first and only zone that contacts send you to
[/ QUOTE ]
Not for me, it is always my third or fourth contact and the mission to Hallows always comes from a contact in Kings. The guy right across from the train, but I can not remember his name. I am guessing this is because I usually take the Magic origin.
I always go to Galaxy because I never get KSed there, and I just like the layout better.
Also, it was the first one I picked back in the beta so it holds a special place in my heart.
[ QUOTE ]
Galaxy City really could do with a bit of something to define it better. Its far less grand than Atlas Park and I think the main reason why AP is so popular is because of the huge gathering areas near city hall. Galaxy City has nothing of the sort and nothing that really makes it stand out and look unique, even the arena just sits there but since no one uses those the zone loses its appeal.
Frankly devs I think you need to seriously consider that feature you planned in beta where neighborhoods where heroes didn't go regularly enough started to be taken over by the local gangs causing larger spawns to occour and altering the surroundings to make them look abused. That would get people to go to Galaxy City because otherwise the place would look like the ghetto.
[/ QUOTE ]
I must say it could use a little something. Its always so "Gloomy". Not what I'm feeling
when I start up a new hero. Another reason I like going to AP is cause I know
at some point there will be a costume contest starting. A chance to show off my new
super suit or a new hero with a cool bio screams Atlas! Maybe some PR work in Galaxy will
help. As far as the Hollows from Galaxy, maybe adding some kind of portal. But don't make it easy!
To gain entrence to it you have to complet a mish, then you may use as needed. Just a thought.
I always pick Galaxy. When running to/from missions in galaxy city, there's less chance that you're going to have to find some way to get around a large wall that has been placed in your path in a warehouse district. Galaxy is more "flat" than Atlas is, making it easier to travel around pre-travel power.
That and galaxy is less populated with idiots on broadcast 
Atlas is more impressive visually though, but now galaxy has the arena right there when you log in for the first time, which is also an impressive building.
I always start in Galaxy. It's quieter, and the layout is much much nicer. Everything you might need to fight is within reach of the central building and just a few steps off.
Atlas has those walls, the statue, walls, and drops, and bridges... It's just harder to get around, not to mention get where you're going.
I thought that Galaxy City would get more populated with the opening of the Arena, especially since that's how it was on Test, but then it wasn't. *shrug* I like Galaxy City as it is. Atlas Park is definitely hero central, but Galaxy City is the quiet secondary.