Issue 7 Press Release on MMORPG.com
By
Aaron123,
Posted on: 2006-01-30 15:05 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
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Statesman wrote:
For those who have speculated that Newspaper missions are coming to City of Heroes, they arent
yet. Thats coming a little later in the year. Id like to add something different to the CoH system
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You have got to be joking.
That is absolutely absurd.
CoV is an expansion pack that cost as much as a full priced game, but added LESS than a typical MMO expansion pack. As bad as that is, it also has major game features that are not even useable throughout the game.
It is bad enough that for 3+ months you couldn't use the costume options in CoH. But now its "later this year" for the newspaper missions?
The newspaper missions are what make CoV missions less craptacular than CoH ones. The horrible CoH contacts send you all over hell's half acre wasting your time on boring travel, randomly sending you to Perez Park to battle through "magic impenetrable trees" to find the right path, pop up timed mission, surprise cave missions that are so cramped you can't see a darn thing, etc.
CoH Contact Missions = High % chance of something horrible and not fun.
CoV Newspaper Missions = Puts the choice of what style missions you enjoy into the hands of the player. That's a good thing.
It is truly ridiculous that it is taking so long to make this feature enjoyable by the entire game.
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Calibre2 wrote:
With all due respect, I don't think you've chosen wisely. Taken together with your recent announcements in various interviews: power customization=no, new powers/ATs=no, new costumes=no, Skills=no, et al, the decision to exclude CoH content in I7 pretty much kills my remaining interest in your games.
How much, exactly, of the features you personally promised us back in CoH Beta are going to happen? Right now, I count zero.
Coincidentally, that corresponds exactly with my continued interest and soon, my subscription figures.
thanks
Cal2
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QFT
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"...while CoV was still under pre-release development" is the bit that I (still) think everyone's missing. Don't misunderstand, I'm not exactly thrilled that CoH isn't getting more with the new issue. I'm not terribly disappointed either since I've personally yet to exhaust the existing game... but that's a whole 'nuther issue.
I just think the "seperate developer team" quote was a specific statement addressing a specific timeframe and that people have subsequently blown it way out of proportion.
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Yep...my comments fall exactly into line with what you've said.
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Heh, so pretty much what I said earlier....more Statesman doublespeak.
Concern=Small Tweak
No more major changes
CoV will not hinder CoH
I'm sure I've missed quite a few.
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But I suppose some will always find something to complain about.
Person 1: This glass is half full 
Person 2: This glasss is half empty!!!!1!!1111!!!!
Person 3: Hey! This isn't what I ordered!
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Person 4: ALLRIGHT!! I'M GONNA FIND THE MUTHA-[censored] WHO DRANK HALF MY JUICE AND MAKE HIM PAY!!!
"OK, first of all... Shut Up." - My 13-Year-Old Daughter
29973 "The Running of the Bulls" [SFMA] - WINNER of the Mighty Big Story Arc Contest !
- The Stellar Wind Orbital Space Platform
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Energy Aura at the LEAST. Eletric Armor would be nice too, and giving tanks broadsword in trade for.. oh.. SS or energy melee would be great too.
Please...?
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Well I have to say I cant visualize Energy as a scrapper set. Ninjitsu on the other hand...
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I assume this means you're going with the Cat Stuck in Tree Missions ...
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That would be amusing. You're running through a zone and see some poor schmuck tanker holding a tree that's been pulled out by the roots, trying to shake loose some terrified cat... 
"OK, first of all... Shut Up." - My 13-Year-Old Daughter
29973 "The Running of the Bulls" [SFMA] - WINNER of the Mighty Big Story Arc Contest !
- The Stellar Wind Orbital Space Platform
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I assume this means you're going with the Cat Stuck in Tree Missions ...
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That would be amusing. You're running through a zone and see some poor schmuck tanker holding a tree that's been pulled out by the roots, trying to shake loose some terrified cat...
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There you go!! The hero version of a Mayhem mission!!
Big Tanker, there is trouble in Oaktree Lane! The Outcasts have been tormenting kittens in the area! They've chased them up trees! Locked them in cars without windows rolled down! They've even cemented them into walls! Get to Oakktree lane and smash those kittens free!!
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Energy Aura at the LEAST. Eletric Armor would be nice too, and giving tanks broadsword in trade for.. oh.. SS or energy melee would be great too.
Please...?
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Well I have to say I cant visualize Energy as a scrapper set. Ninjitsu on the other hand...
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Why wouldn't Energy make a good scrapper set?
And no.. Ninjitsu would not be a scrapper set. Ninjitsu trades in defense for stalker specific tools. Not for scrapper use.
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Big Tanker, there is trouble in Oaktree Lane! The Outcasts have been tormenting kittens in the area! They've chased them up trees! Locked them in cars without windows rolled down! They've even cemented them into walls! Get to Oakktree lane and smash those kittens free!!
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"Ooooooohhh..... Big Tanker smash too hard.... "
"OK, first of all... Shut Up." - My 13-Year-Old Daughter
29973 "The Running of the Bulls" [SFMA] - WINNER of the Mighty Big Story Arc Contest !
- The Stellar Wind Orbital Space Platform
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Energy Aura at the LEAST. Eletric Armor would be nice too, and giving tanks broadsword in trade for.. oh.. SS or energy melee would be great too.
Please...?
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Well I have to say I cant visualize Energy as a scrapper set. Ninjitsu on the other hand...
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Why wouldn't Energy make a good scrapper set?
And no.. Ninjitsu would not be a scrapper set. Ninjitsu trades in defense for stalker specific tools. Not for scrapper use.
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Indded. Ninigitsu is usually secrecy and stealth, two very stalkerish attributes and not all that scrapperish.
What heroes really need is choices, we always have. Saying someone who can take a lot of damage can't weild a broadsword is as silly as someone saying someone who is heavy damage can't use fire based powers.
So let's cut this silly power diversification and make issue 7 something we'd all jump at.
Melee is melee is melee...Scrappers can use all the tanker secondaries as well as the Blaster Secondaries only with scrapper based damage. The reverse is also true, Blasters with Martial Arts, or Tankers with Dark Melee. The only difference is their caps.
Let Tankers/Scrappers share defense sets, so you might have a stone scrapper or a super-reflex tanker, gives us more variety to make characters, and gives us something. These sets are done, ready to go. Maybe there can be 1 or 2 occasional power changes, but really nothing much needs to change.
Defenders get all sorts of blasts, including ones from the blaster/kheldian sets. Just their damage is lower.
This is at least something. Let heroes share each other powers for the same effect. Further forcing people to pick ATs to pick one power is kinda dumb. I'm not asking for giving a broadsword to a defender (though that could be cool), I'm asking for powers such as Katana to be available right next to Fire Manipulation/Melee for people who can get them.
Adding something for heroes that already exists, that they should normally be able to do. It gives us content for at least several months without adding much. I definately would be interested in a Fire/Dark Scrapper, or maybe an Ice/Dark Scrapper ^-^. I can imagine others would feel the same.
Add in personal apartments, add in villian/opposite sex costume options for heroes, let us pay more as a hero to access bases without buying CoV and call it an issue. A smaller issue, but still plenty of things for us to play with, especially if you throw in the current PDP available with a few repeating missions.
I find it hard to believe that there has been no time to do such things for heroes, even though they're available.
If you only add material to villians, people leave being heroes, no one else new joins. Without anything to attract people to heroes, heroes may be walking in the valley of death, with no hope for the future. That's my opinion, I understand not everyone shares it.
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Indded. Ninigitsu is usually secrecy and stealth, two very stalkerish attributes and not all that scrapperish.
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Kitty Pryde and Wolverine totally had ninja training! I would describe both as scrappers.
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 think i'll withold judgement until the patch notes hit test.
I'm getting nothing but a page of ASCII code even when I go directly to the site. Are they having tech problems atm?
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Energy Aura at the LEAST. Eletric Armor would be nice too, and giving tanks broadsword in trade for.. oh.. SS or energy melee would be great too.
Please...?
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Well I have to say I cant visualize Energy as a scrapper set. Ninjitsu on the other hand...
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Why wouldn't Energy make a good scrapper set?
And no.. Ninjitsu would not be a scrapper set. Ninjitsu trades in defense for stalker specific tools. Not for scrapper use.
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Besides hide, Ninjitsu can make a great scrapper sest. Only pure "stalker" tool is it's aoe placate, and it may actually proove an interesting tool in the hands of a scrapper (note it does not hides it just placates for a short time a few enemmies).
As for why not energy? Simply because there is no energy melee in the scrapper sets. And other than Dark Melee all scrappers are very physical, im not sure if the devs will give the at more non-physical sets.
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I'm getting nothing but a page of ASCII code even when I go directly to the site. Are they having tech problems atm?
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seems to be working now.
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As several have noted, I7 features content mostly for City of Villains (levels 41 to 50, in fact). This is exactly what we did for CoH. City of Heroes will receive a cool graphics upgrade, new base items (Empowerment stations!) and access to Recluses Victory. Its true that CoV received more attention, but thats mainly because we needed to fill out the levels. I had the option of releasing I7 or waiting until we could fill out the City of Heroes content. Obviously, I chose the former. New content should get out there when its ready. We'll be focusing equally as much as possible on each product moving into the future...
For those who have speculated that Newspaper missions are coming to City of Heroes, they arent
yet. Thats coming a little later in the year. Id like to add something different to the CoH system
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Statesman, I think the main concern here is that previous to CoV's release, we were told both games would continue to get Issue updates and both games would be supported. With the announcement of Issue 7's features and it being brought up that Issues would start being spaced out even more, you can surely understand why people are beginning to question that commitment. Some of them, myself included, are perhaps afraid that this sets a tone of how Issues from here on out will be. From here on out are those of us who are playing our respective games exclusively to expect less content per Issue for the game as well as less frequently? That doesn't really sound like something to get excited about.
As it is, CoH has gotten next to no PvE content since Issue 5, and given the time between Issue 6 and 7 and that you've said Issues will be spaced out more, we'll be looking at nearly a year since Issue 5 in which we've gotten PvE content for CoH. Surely you can see where people will have a complaint about that given how frequently we received content prior to CoV's release.
So, I suppose my question is this: Is Issue 7 representative of how we should expect Issues for the foreseeable future? Or is Issue 7 finishing up CoV (so to speak) and Issue 8 will be when things are kicked into high gear? I ask this, because right now it looks like neither game is going to be able to get the support that CoH was able to get prior to CoV's release. I'm basing this on one Issue, however, and I'm sure you guys know what's going on much, much, much better than I.
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I'm getting nothing but a page of ASCII code even when I go directly to the site. Are they having tech problems atm?
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seems to be working now.
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Not for me
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Quote:
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"...while CoV was still under pre-release development" is the bit that I (still) think everyone's missing. Don't misunderstand, I'm not exactly thrilled that CoH isn't getting more with the new issue. I'm not terribly disappointed either since I've personally yet to exhaust the existing game... but that's a whole 'nuther issue.
I just think the "seperate developer team" quote was a specific statement addressing a specific timeframe and that people have subsequently blown it way out of proportion.
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Yep...my comments fall exactly into line with what you've said.
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States: It would have been beneficial to have this cleared up earlier. I totally admit to working under "assumptions", so much fault lies with me, but the fact that many others here feel just as disappointed suggests that the info we were given wasn't as clear as the dev team thought.
Ok, now, where are we going from here? Will Issue 8 be a combined issue? Issue 9? How many more content issues do you currently see as being necessary for CoV to catch up? A little heads up would go along way.
And, how about clearing up the "time issue". A lot of quotes from you/dev team are being thrown around re: the time between Issues now. But, much like the "combined issues" statements, it's pretty unclear. Has the dev team nailed down an expected range of time between issues, and will that range of time include Issue 8?
Finally, just noticed that shields, newspaper missions, and server transfer continue to be a ways off (at least, that's what posts from devs suggest). I can personally say, then, that I do not know what the next big design addition is for CoH. I'm willing to bet a lot of others around here wouldn't have any good guesses either. So, is there any chance you'd put out a list of the top 5 additions currently in development for each game? Just so that in the future, we aren't surprised when we find out that X feature was put on the back burner.
Thanks for your time
CoV 1-40, CoH 1-50.
It makes sense to even them up before working on them evenly. I have no doubt that future updates will be more or less even, the next may even be a bit CoH weighted
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It makes sense to even them up before working on them evenly. I have no doubt that future updates will be more or less even, the next may even be a bit CoH weighted
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But, as others have pointed out, even after I7, CoV will still have fewer zones and fewer powersets.
So, if I8 came out, and it had mostly zones and powersets for CoV, I'm sure the argument could/will be made again that CoV was behind and needed to catch up.
Which is why I wouldn't mind hearing from a dev what their vision of "caught up" is, and, perhaps, when they forsee that happening.
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CoV 1-40, CoH 1-50.
It makes sense to even them up before working on them evenly. I have no doubt that future updates will be more or less even, the next may even be a bit CoH weighted
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That was my assumption as well. Granted, it's late, I can't remember where I heard it, but somewhere I thought States or Recluse or somebody said that i7 for CoH would also be i1 for CoV. Combining issues like that might mean one issue would have a little more hero content or villain content, but the first issue after CoV launched would be to get the villains to level 50 and bring the hero graphics up to CoV's levels.
I'll look through of the dev posts I saved from beta and a couple of live chat interviews tomorrow. Right now, my contacts hate you all. Don't take it personally. My contacts hate my monitor right now too.
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That was my assumption as well. Granted, it's late, I can't remember where I heard it, but somewhere I thought States or Recluse or somebody said that i7 for CoH would also be i1 for CoV. Combining issues like that might mean one issue would have a little more hero content or villain content, but the first issue after CoV launched would be to get the villains to level 50 and bring the hero graphics up to CoV's levels.
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I'm almost 100% positive the quote said the I6 would actually be the first "combine issue". Meaning I6 was really CoH I6/CoV I1, and so on.
So, even if I'm getting it wrong, I'm not imagining it...
Good to know.
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"...while CoV was still under pre-release development" is the bit that I (still) think everyone's missing. Don't misunderstand, I'm not exactly thrilled that CoH isn't getting more with the new issue. I'm not terribly disappointed either since I've personally yet to exhaust the existing game... but that's a whole 'nuther issue.
I just think the "seperate developer team" quote was a specific statement addressing a specific timeframe and that people have subsequently blown it way out of proportion.
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Yep...my comments fall exactly into line with what you've said.
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Many have asked if we will have to wait the usual issue cycle until Issue 8 for some substantial new PVE content in CoH.
Is your expectation that such content will not come until Issue 8 and that Issue 8 will likely not come until 2-4 months after I7, or is such content further along in the queue such that we can expect to see it sooner than (march + 3 months =) July?
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Thought States said that he wanted patches to start coming out every 4-6 months. I am not expecting Issue 8 until Sept.
This is a service-oriented business, and it's all
about keeping the player happy over the long term.
So you have to listen and pay attention. If a large
portion of your playerbase is screaming about
some change, you be wise to listen. - Raph Koster