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* Shadow Shard Maps show the location of each Jump Pad. A dotted line connects the Jump Pad with its end point.
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Not Functional in the 15 July 2005 Test release.
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* A teleporter on Firebase Zulu takes players to any of the other three zones in the Shadow Shard (works both ways).
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Poorly implemented to the point of crying disappointment. 
Mole Points!
Mole Point Gates function like Trams ... except that you have to visit them "the hard way" first in order to enable them.
May I recommend:
Mole Point Echo in the Bastion of Denial at -1060.6 770.2 -5900.1 as a "most useful" location for a Mole Point in The Chantry.
Mole Point Tango in the Path of Rage at -7346.8 1777.6 3438.1 in The Chantry ... or ... in The Lock Of Malice at -4464.1 -20.0 9005.8 in The Storm Palace. Of the two, I prefer the Path of Rage location. 
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* Dr. Scott Wachhorst, a prominent xenobiologist and Portal Corp. leader, willingly purchases Enhancements from players in Firebase Zulu.
* A renegade Brute, Kallarn, purchases Enhancements with the hope that he might gain enough power to overthrow Ruladak. It can be found in the Cascades.
* Slarrah, a Wisp who has been converted by Faathim the Kind relieves players of excess Enhancements in the Chantry.
* Nameless Mystic. An interdimensional mystic feeds off the energy kicked off by the dreaded Lanaru. He happily accepts Enhancements. Found lurking near the Storm Palace.
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Regrettably, these are pretty much unnecessary. With "quick access" (relatively speaking) to FBZ via Mole Points, you'll only need a single NPC Store (a Quartermaster?) back at FBZ to handle Enhancement Sales transactions within the Shard.
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Many existing missions have been updated with hostage escorts, friendly heroes who fight by your side, villain wave attacks and more.
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Okay ... am I the only one who wishes that the Shadow Shard missions had been chock-a-block full of Missions like these from Day 1? And as far as Hostage Escorts goes ... is there any reason why the Shard can't have Outdoor Escort Missions? Rendezvous with Native Resistance Fighters "here" and escort them to coordinates "here" to complete the Mission. Talk about a fun way to learn to explore the Zone(s)! It's "street hunting" Shard Style ... but with an objective ... beyond simply blue handing the phone boxes, because you'll need to protect those people you're escorting from the outdoor spawns along the way.
And as for Friendly Heroes ... why are the Military People so frakkin' useless everywhere you go? Why aren't there Croatoa-style combats going on between Our People and the Rularuu, the Rularuu and the Reflections, the Reflections and the Nemesis Army and Circle of Thorns and Crey? Don't just stand around out there waiting for some Hero to come along and liven things up for you! Fight it out! For Real! Mobs damaging each other! Oh no, those soldiers are about to be overrun! I must save them from a Fate Worse Than Death!
As for actually GETTING to the Shard ... it might help if there were some actual form of Signage somewhere ... ANYWHERE ... around Portal Corp Plaza indicating that the Shard not only exists, but can be accessed through THIS building (you know the one). Every other Zone in the game clues you in to where you need to go in order to go somewhere else. Even the Portal to the Rikti Crash Site from Portal Corp gets a couple nice big signs saying "THIS WAY!" for people. The Shard? You have to open your Map and Zoom way in and LOOK to see that the Shard is even there. Inside the (correct) Portal Corp Building ... aside from the (now visible) sandbags and supplies ... there is absolutely NOTHING telling you which way to go after you take the elevators. You don't come out of the elevators and see a sign with an arrow on it saying "SHADOW SHARD Firebase Zulu --->" anywhere. If you don't TELL people it's there, odds are extremely good that unless they already know (or are just absurdly observant) that new first-timers will never even know that the Shadow Shard even exists (much as a large proportion of the CoH population STILL doesn't know that it exists at all ... and it's been here for 3 issues already!).
Another thing which the Shard could use, and which Striga and now Croatoa demonstrate can be done, would be to implement flying patrols in the Shard. Could be mainly Wisps and/or Observers or Storm Elementals ... but there needs to be SOMETHING flying around in the Vast Empty Reaches even if they're just going from A to B. The best option of course would be to code the Patrol Routes such that they are NOT the same as the Geyser Routes ... that way, Flyers who take shortcuts have the possibility of having a hostile encounter out where there's no land to stand on (thus requiring the use of Hover/Flight during any combat there) and where they weren't expecting one (thus keeping players "wary" at all times, even when travelling through the Big Vast Empty).
It's the end. But the moment has been prepared for ...
I like the changes in principle, but--as nearly everyone else has said--the tacked-on feel of the new portals is bothersome. It would be much better to have a couple more mole points, accessed via a menu from the one in FBZ.
Failing that, could we at least have some in-game justification for the new portals? Maybe a plaque explaining how they came to be, or a contact you have to visit to unlock them? Ideally, of course, the explanation would be tied somehow to the things heroes have been doing in the Shard.
For example:
"Thanks in part to heroes like yourself, Dr. Huxley's Kora research has borne unexpected fruit. She has discovered that the Kora fruit and the strange vines that connect various regions are actually all part of a single massive plant that spans the entire Shadow Shard. The visible portions of the plant are connected by an intricate network of dimensional conduits. She has worked with Portal Corp scientists to find a way to commandeer a few of these conduits for our use. The mole points are safer, of course, but these new portals provide quicker transport for those hardy enough to face the hazards of the Shard head-on."
Something like this explains how the portals work, why they look improvised, why they terminate near the vines, and why the mole points are still in use. It also has the benefit of making it feel like we've been accomplishing something in the zone. Now all we need to know is why one of them apparently requires an air compressor to function... 
The Way of the Corruptor (Arc ID 49834): Hey villains! Do something for yourself for a change--like twisting the elements to your will. All that's standing in your way are a few secret societies...and Champions of the four elements.
* The Teleporter change = Excellent. Travel anguish is what keeps me away from the beautiful Shard.
* Add a SUPERGeyser (suggestion) = would have been way cooler.
Add a SUPERGeyer in each of the Shard Zones that SUPER catapults you all the way to the other side of the screen to a spot next to the other zone entrance, instead of the teleporter solution. It would be so cool viewing the Shard scenery wiz by during your 7 second? catapult accross the entire screen. And way funny seeing all the heroes zipping in an arc across the zone sky.
* Unreliable Geyser trajectory = needs fix.
Geysers catapult me to god knows where when I use them, even will all my travel powers off. Maybe my inherent Hurdle is messing it up. This geyser problem causes hairpulling travel difficulties, which is why I unfortunately have to avoid this beautiful zone.
Like the changes. Have encountered the following issues (which I have /bugged in game as well):
1) I do not see any of the arrows or 'dotted lines' that are supposed to be part of the new SS zone maps for the Gravity Geysers (Note: This char never used the Geysers beyond the one 'get aquanted with Geysers' mission because he has personal TP as a travel power).
2) The 'Kora Fruit' graphics are all invisible in all Kora Fruit missions. You can still hear the audio portion that tells you a glowing object is near; and th invisible Kora Fruit can still be clicked on; but they are a [censored] to find with just the audio cues alone.
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* Dr. Scott Wachhorst, a prominent xenobiologist and Portal Corp. leader, willingly purchases Enhancements from players in Firebase Zulu.
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I can't get on test, but wasn't this Gen Hammond's job?
I don't think that this is going to draw enough folk in. Accessability to a zone isn't enough, there has to be a good reason to go there.
Alrigth, the Shadow Shard is definately one of my favorite zones, even if I don't spend alot of time there. As for the changes:
The teleporters to the Chantry and the Storm Palace really look.. well.. thrown in there. They are nice to have, but they kind break the feel of the millitary base, especially with those big blue signs.
Why not extend the mole points and keep with the theme of the zone. Its even been suggested that the existing mole point in FBZ be used like a train, allowing you to pick which of the three to travel to. An excellent idea!
The dotted lines for the geysers are nice, they make it a bit easier to tell where you're headed. I do notice a few lines that don't seem to match the direction that the "ramp" on the geysers point. The missing geyser on the map in the Cascades are understandable since there are so many close togehter, but it certainly won't help a hero new to that area get around.
The Store contacts are kinda nice... but really by the time I get to the 40s, influence is normally not a problem.
The TF badges give people a little more reason to visit the zone, though some exploration badges would be great too! History badges might work if the are more like the monuments (something Faathim errected perhaps) or something more rustic, like the human natives had put them up.
What the TF needs more then anything else is a story! The contacts hardly give anything, and the TFs are too long! The Dr. Quarterfeild TF, for instance, is full of "busy work" missions that add nothing to the story.
Yet another voice chiming in to protest the slap-dash teleporter idea. Not only do they look half-baked and out of place, especially on the remote ends, but it flies in the face of the existing material set out in the mole points. The hidden bases buried in the heart of the Shard, secret, well-protected links to move men and supplies around, these made sense. They encouraged exploration, as to open up the mole point you had to get there the hard way first, making you feel like you were really breaking new ground and being rewarded for it. They even had a bit of a plot behind them, as there were originally more mole points that had fallen to one disaster or another, and new, deeper mole points were planned for the future. An interesting part of a unique zone and a bleedingly obvious way to facilitate speedy travel deeper into the zone for whenever the devs revisited it. You could almost see the train-style destination selection waiting to show up on a portal click. But no, we get this 30 minute cut and paste job instead. What a waste.
My other beef with the zone are the task forces. These are the only real chance you get to see the story of the zone, but for me they're functionally unplayable. An eight-man requirement to begin them is prohibitive. It's difficult in the first place just to assemble an eight man team of 40+ characters to do something other than powerlevel. It's extremely difficult to then get that team out in the Shard and willing to fight what are by far the hardest enemies in the game. It's nearly impossible to have all that and then get them to stick together for six hours. Four or five people I can manage, but eight? Way too high. Even offering to pay people just to come out to the Shard for a few minutes just so we can start the TF has been unsuccessful. I've been wanting to do the Shard task forces since the zone first arrived, and so far, because of the minimum team requirement, I've only been able to do one.
And it needs saying that one TF was possibly the least fun experience I've had in COH. The Quaterfield task force needs major revision. Not only is 3/4ths of it spent fighting Crey, enemies who are no challenge and majorly overplayed by level 40+, but most of the missions are flat-out clones of each other, and the TF done with a quality team at a fast pace is STILL a seven hour endeavor. Most of the missions in this TF can be outright deleted without impacting the (very dull) story at all, and they need to be deleted just to rein this in from the boring, repetitive slog that it is. It doesn't have any unique content, nearly no backstory into the Shard, and no sense of finale at all. You just defeat the portal base boss and his linked glowies, all in the same rooms on the same maps, for a few hours and then, oh look, it's over (thank god). None of the group I was in would have done it had we known what it would be like, and we feel it's our duty to warn everyone else about it as well. It's the worst content in the game.
I finally made it to the Shadow Shard on Test and I have to say I was extremely disappointed in the slapped-on teleporters. They're completely out of place with the theme of the rest of the zone and the Mole Point idea. They feel like what they are - a cheap fix.
Please remove them until such time as you can spare someone to actually implement new Mole Points.
Quick and easy transport won't get people into the Shadow Shard. Content will. Things to learn, badges and plaques to get. If content is there, people will be there, regardless of how easy it is to get around. If there's no content, nobody will be there, regardless of how easy it is to get around.
Appreciate the thought, but I'd rather see it done right.
@Mindshadow
I like these changes alot. No complaints about them.
Real heroes jump off skyscrapers!!!!!!!
Thanks for the suggestions...we'll definitely revisit the Shard to add new content (badges, missions, etc.), reformat current TF's (a little less grindy), make the teleporters fit the zone better, etc.
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Thanks for the suggestions...we'll definitely revisit the Shard to add new content (badges, missions, etc.), reformat current TF's (a little less grindy), make the teleporters fit the zone better, etc.
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Ah, but the question is "When?", my face-plated friend.
Never surrender! Never give up!
Help keep Paragon City alive with the unofficial City of Heroes Tabletop Role Playing Game!
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Thanks for the suggestions...we'll definitely revisit the Shard to add new content (badges, missions, etc.), reformat current TF's (a little less grindy), make the teleporters fit the zone better, etc.
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Yay!
Is that something we can expect to see in (or shortly after the escape of) I5, or will it have to wait for I6 or beyond?
@Mindshadow
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Thanks for the suggestions...we'll definitely revisit the Shard to add new content (badges, missions, etc.), reformat current TF's (a little less grindy), make the teleporters fit the zone better, etc.
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Yes the question is when? Will we have to wait til Issue 6 for there to be any reason to go to the SS?
Hope its not to late to post, but i just wanna say that on test, i noticed the return of the evil invisible Kora fruit glowie . Encountered it twice in 3 missions, while i haven't seen it on live in about 20 missions.
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Thanks for the suggestions...we'll definitely revisit the Shard to add new content (badges, missions, etc.), reformat current TF's (a little less grindy), make the teleporters fit the zone better, etc.
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Ah, but the question is "When?", my face-plated friend.
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i suspect the answer is either "soon" or "when it's ready".
Dr. Todt's theme.
i make stuff...
I don't understand the point of these threads.
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Thanks for the suggestions...we'll definitely revisit the Shard to add new content (badges, missions, etc.), reformat current TF's (a little less grindy), make the teleporters fit the zone better, etc.
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Isn't the whole point supposed to be, you ask for comments from the player base on listed changes so that any modifications can be made BEFORE they are added to the Live servers????
What is the point of the test server and these developer threads, if things are just pushed through anyway and brushed to the side with comments like "we'll definitely revisit the Shard"???
I hope you mean "we'll definitely revisit the Shard" BEFORE I5 hits live!!! Otherwise, what is the point to all this??
The teleporters would be much cooler if they were mole points. Heck, you already have the basic graphics for the mole point caves....Finishing the graphics for the mole point in the Cascade Archipelago would help too...running around invisible machines, boxes, etc. is not fun nor does it add to the "feel" of the game
You know, there's an old saying that the devs should consider as a motto....Do it right, or don't do anything at all.....
One recommendation I would have is stop with the HUGE updates, where everything is changed at once. It seems to me that things would be much more efficient with smaller, more regular updates, so that less things slip through the cracks and you don't have a mole point where the graphics for the entire room don't exist .
I realize the updates are free, but they are also unavoidable. The player base has no choice but to buy in to the developer's vision for the future....and for those of us who care about the game, it would be nice if our suggestions that make sense actually get incorporated into the patches BEFORE they hit live....not 6 months down the road, if ever.
How many things have been put on the "thanks for the ideas, we're looking into it" file, never to be heard from again???
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Thanks for the suggestions...we'll definitely revisit the Shard to add new content (badges, missions, etc.), reformat current TF's (a little less grindy), make the teleporters fit the zone better, etc.
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One word:
YAY!
Although some of the stuff listed by Statesman might be relatively easy, I wouldn't think that reformatting a task force is a small task. I think we should at least give them the time to get it right. Although, I will be the first to admit, I'd like to see these changes sooner rather than later. 
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Thanks for the suggestions...we'll definitely revisit the Shard to add new content (badges, missions, etc.), reformat current TF's (a little less grindy), make the teleporters fit the zone better, etc.
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Probably the worse thing about the zone is the FBZ TF (Dr. Quartermain, I think). Its the longest TF in the game, but the story isn't too interesting, and theres not even an AV at the end.
My suggestion is to give all the contacts there a hollows style arch between them, rather then just endlessly giving out the same missions over and over again. Admitedly, I did do some leveling off these, but that was before the mission slider. Also hopefully some people will check out the crash site now that its easier to get to. Its remoteness was only half the reason people never went there, though.
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Thanks for the suggestions...we'll definitely revisit the Shard to add new content (badges, missions, etc.), reformat current TF's (a little less grindy), make the teleporters fit the zone better, etc.
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a little? last time i did one it took 8 hours. 4 hours TOPS. would be nice.
much less repetiveness in the mission flow would also help them be more enjoyable.
I did Calvin scott twice because it was quick and light.
read: i liked it that way
capiche?
i shouldn't dread signing on for a TF like i dread signing for a mortgage loan.
Alright, I've played around some on the Shadow Shard, so I'll toss my two cents in here. I really like the zone, and it's potential, but at the same time, some tweaking wouldn't hurt.
First, I have to agree with others that the portals to further sections of the Shadow Shard just don't make sense, with the concept of "Mole Points" already existing. If humanity is having to fight to keep a foothold in the Shard (as the large number of military troops indicates), I don't think they'd have the luxury of opening portals to heavily-contested areas. Building a secret base in a mountain, however...
I've poked a few monsters with my SL 50 Scrapper, and I like how the balance feels. A group of SL 47 foes (Noble Brute, a couple LTs, and a few minions, plus an Observer) was difficult to fight, but that seems about right. The only thing that I have a question about is the Optic Blast from the Observers/Overseers (the eye blast that debuffs defense). When my SR Scrapper is hit with this, almost all of the eye-guy's subesquent attacks will land, including further Optic Blasts. Is this level of Defense debuff intentional? Currently on Live, I know Overseers' Optic Blasts can hit and debuff my defense enough to allow regular hits by SL 45-46 foes. Whatever changes to the monsters in the Shadow Shard seem to have been for the better, at least.
I haven't had the opportunity to run any of the Shadow Shard Trials, so forgive me if this is already revealed. But is there some way to learn why the different villain groups, like Crey, the Circle of Thorns, and the Nemesis Army are in the Shadow Shard? I'm sure they all have their ways of getting there, but to what purpose? It would be nice to explore this, and not just see Crey or Nemesis troops standing around on a rock in an alien dimension... 
At any rate, I'm glad that the Shadow Shard hasn't been forgotten! Like I said, it has alot of potential, as it's a very original setting. 
Please reduce the minimum number required to start a TF.
Yes, a shortening of the task forces would be very much appreciated. The team I was on for Lanaruu TF broke it up into 3 nights; unfortunately, I was not able to attend the last night due to work and lost my oppurtunity at getting the badge (whenever it is decided that you will retroactively give them). I kind of feel like I wasted 2 nights for nothing--my toon was already 50--I was just doing it for the badge possibility. As it stands now, I probably won't do too many others unless they are shortened. Four hours is perfect for a task force. Six hours like Positron is getting too long. In fact, I wouldn't mind it if Positron was shortened a bit. But I must get back on topic.
I would like to see you guys "rebuild" the shadow shard in the Striga standard that all new hazard zones are going to have. Going from contact to contact, having unique missions, and moving on to the next contact for more. I would also like to see you guys make the tunnels that the missions occur in the SS look more "alien" Seeing the Ruraluu in the trolls tunnels just doesn't feel right.
Proud member of the LEGION, and Sisterhood
I'm not on test, so I can't check:
Are both mole points actually appearing on test? Last time I was in one (I think it was FBZ) everything except the people were invisisble.
I applaud the devs for paying some attention to the Shadow Shard. It is a wonderful zone. There are a few extra enhancements that I feel would make the zones even better.
1. Have some lvl 40+ contact actually send the hero to Firebase Zulu for a delivery mission. Yesterday I escorted two level 40+ heroes (one of whom was a warshade) to Firebase Zulu and showed them around. Neither had even been there before. Most days I am the only hero in the zone.
2. Have a trainer somewhere in the Shadow Shard, maybe in the Cascade Archipelago. The closest trainer is in Talos, since Peregrine Island is the only City Zone without a trainer. Make it a Shadow Shard Reflection of Blue Steel.
3. Please, please, please add some exploration and history badges for the zone. Part of the appeal of the zone is trying to get from point A to B, especially without Fly or Teleport. I, personally, would love to be rewarded for exploring.
4. Please add something that explains more about the zone. Why are there Shadow Shard Reflections of villains in the zone? Why are normal humans loving there? Why is there such a large military presence there? What are the Nemesis Army or the Circle of Thorns trying to do there? Some history plaques or better mission content. Anything.