Poll: Issue 9 Breakthrough!
By
4_Thirty_5,
Posted on: 2007-05-30 18:24 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion
Issue 9, for me, is solidly "meh." STF = a bit more story stuff, yet I don't know if/when I'll get a chance to run it.
The "optional" invention system is ... not so optional. Yes, you can run the PVE game without it. PVP? I think I've gone in the zones once. Never had a stealth IO drop, even a recipe, and I'm not paying 10 mill plus for one - which, given I build for PVE, is pretty much my stalkers' only hope of getting competitive with stealth. (No room in PVE builds for the Concealment pool, and Hide alone after BB is suicide.)
There are some things that look interesting, sure... I'm looking forward more to the story-based issues, powersets, and EATs though. Hopefully they won't be "balanced" around having specific IOs though, as that would define "broken" for me.
That and I'm very annoyed with having costume pieces as invention salvage. I've had... three? boots drop, none of which fit any character of mine or (known) of my friends on the servers they dropped on. Meanwhile, some want specific wings to round out their characters... and the prices are insane. I would *like* two sets of dragon wings on Virtue for two characters... no way in hell I'm getting them though, and definitely not paying 20-30 million for them. I don't *have* that kind of INF there. So, they're sticking with my vet wings.
Boo to that decision.
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The only thing I didn't like about Issue 9? Costume drops are too low, and I think it should be a new NCSoft policy to include at least one new power set in each issue.
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I agree with the costume comment.
I would like a way to get the costume pieces directly...like maybe go to the tailor and pick a specific costume mission.
I have a blaster that needs tech wings and jet boots, I would like to run a mission in order to get the tech wings or jet boots directly from the mish, like a cape or extra costume slot. The IO recipes and salvage should be the big economic stimulus, costume items should not have to farmed to tedium to achieve.
add something to make the game less like gauntlet and more like a superhero game I would love it if "the grind issue" was solved with new ways of fighting villians and supervillian spawns outdoors like giant monsters but a super villian not a giant monster... also what happened to the idea of stealth missions and other ways of entering missions like though the roof or window... make the game mor like comic books and less like mob hunter the mmo...thx
I couldn't love issue nine more than I do.
Issue 9 was a very good issue, but not great. I gave it four stars. To get five stars, in my opinion, would require a new zone (like the remade faultline) or new powersets in addition to what we already got. Yes, I'm a very demanding customer.
I like the invention system, the auction houses and salvage. I was quite skeptical before trying it on test and was surprised to find myself liking it (once IO recipes were but back in the universities). As for the new hamidon, I haven't done it yet, despite attending raids nearly once a week under the old hami system. I also have not yet tried Statesman's task force, even though my sg has done it quite a bit.
I do think that with the invention system providing a reason to earn and spend influence, sg mode's prestige system needs to go away. Anyone in an sg should generate prestige without affecting the individual's influence gain.
I'm looking forward to issue 10 and the new co-op zone. I'm hoping it will be even better than the rebuilt faultline from issue 8. I have high expectations and I know you guys can meet them. You've done it before. 
The black mark on I9 is the issues with exemplaring and IO sets - both the bug, and the "intended behavior" as described by Posi. I want to slot 50s and still benefit from my sets at 30.
WHY were the new flight poses not mentioned? Everyone knows they're the best new part of the game!
Issue 16 made me feel like this.
Warning: This poster likes to play Devil's Advocate.
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My only issue with Issue 9 remains this. The feature (which I love don't get me wrong) means SG members tend to grind much harder for infamy/influence now then prestige.
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Odd, I notice just the opposite. Salvage and high level recipe drops provide so much inf, there's no reason to get out of SG mode. Especially with non-set IO enhancers being so cheap on the black market.
I gave 4 stars and a thumb for the lack of any stronger content for villains besides the new Hami, which I enjoy on a rare basis.
Dawnslayer on Virtue.
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The black mark on I9 is the issues with exemplaring and IO sets - both the bug, and the "intended behavior" as described by Posi. I want to slot 50s and still benefit from my sets at 30.
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Yeah, that's the main drawback with I9 - I exemp a lot, and would like to be able to have even a bit of my bonuses left 
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
So far the only thing that's really affecting me much from Issue 9 is the tram stops. I will probably at some point explore inventions a bit more beyond having run the tutorial, but I probably won't bother until I've amassed enough salvage that I stand some chance of making what I want. I liked the fact that there isn't any loot in this game, and adding it, even though it's apparently pretty well done, doesn't appeal to me.
Honestly, I'm playing less these days, because of the things I am interested in there isn't that much I haven't seen. I'm really here for the costumes, powersets, and the fun of running the missions. Thus, I rated I9 with two stars, one of which is for having done what looks like a decent job with something I just don't happen to be that interested in.
Here's what I'd like to see:<ul type="square">
[*] New costume options. I'm less interested in making alts these days because I have used most of the costume options I like, combined in various ways, so new characters of mine tend to look a bit too much like my old ones. I think the costume editor is really, really good, but it could use more options at this point. There are some fairly basic things I can't quite do that would help a lot, such as a pattern like Sharp for boots and gloves without the pointy bit, just a band of color at the top. Maybe some jewelry. This is something where volume of additions would help. They don't have to be flashy and tough to animate. The costume designer is very cool; I just want more of it.
[*] More power sets. Like the costume options, these are incredibly fun and I just want a bunch more of them, as I've used most of the stuff that appeals to me. As soon as there are new options, I predict I will be making alts again.
[*] More variance in maps. Not so much new textures in the map as just not knowing the map already as soon as I've seen part of it. I don't really understand why there aren't random maps, but if that's not an option, enough new maps so that there are surprises again.
[*] More variance in foe AI. There are some villain groups with interesting AI already. I like the way the DE make the spot you encounter them in a bad place to be, and encourage one to lure them away from their emanators (or Hurricane them into next week), and the way one has to deal with Tsoo because of the sorcerers, especially when there are more than one. What I'd like to see different is to get away from having missions be fairly predictable clumps of guys that are mostly all the same level, mostly composed of the same mix of npcs, all basically standing around or milling about in a small area. The patrols were a good idea. Why not expand on that? Right now, basically the foes will wait patiently for us to come to them. This gives missions a strange sort of atmosphere in which the enemy is dumb enough to be completely oblivious to the band of heroes taking them out by the roomful. If the entire map full of enemies ever caught on and rushed us, we'd be toast. I don't think that's the solution, but maybe something in between? There could be some very interesting things done by adding some new roles for the npcs. I'd love to be able to stealth in and stun a lookout to prevent a room full of thugs from rushing us, or to stop an alert that will make the next level better prepared and set up against us. Have some dedicated roving defender types that will be easily defeated if caught alone, but will make a fight harder if they show up in the middle of it.
[*] More variance in distribution of foes. Again, though there is some difference on some missions, most missions seem to be composed of level X foes. I'd like to see some level X-4 guys that are unpacking crates in the warehouse missions. Maybe a couple level X-8 guys in the Council missions that are brand new recruits, and they just flee when the heroes show up. Throw in some warning signs and have a part of a level with a few X+2 guys in smaller groups. The goal isn't to make the missions harder, just more varied within each mission.[/list]
All of these are things the game was originally strong in, I think, but are core things that could use some attention as we've gotten quite used to them. Safeguard missions are a good example of what I am looking for here, in that they took game mechanics we already had, but added a new twist: stopping the villains from escaping.
Personally, I think it's a compliment that what I want to see is more of what drew me in right off. It's a hell of a game, and I think more could be done with it.
Virtue
Angel Witch II - Chord of Souls - Storm Witch II - Princess of the Dawn - Standing Horse - Witch of Xymox
Silent Scream - Shadow Witch II - Liquid Serenade - Nebulous Dawn - Ghost Witch II -Xiberia
Angel Witch II - Chord of Souls - Storm Witch II - Princess of the Dawn - Standing Horse - Witch of Xymox
Silent Scream - Shadow Witch II - Liquid Serenade - Nebulous Dawn - Ghost Witch II -Xiberia
the only thing I'll rate as a negative about this issue is the Invention Tutorial. Yes, it does the absolute basics fine. The Common IOs and how to find parts and build. Great. But the utter lack of important info on the Set IOs is killing me. Dozens and dozens of player posts in the Invention forum ask for simple information that should be explained in the tutorial.
Stacking rules of set bonuses and global effects
sets fitting into certain powers
unique IOs
global effect IOs and what they do in toggles/clicks/passives
All of that needs to be explained better. Hell, explained at all.
Level 50 is a journey, not a destination.
▲Scrapper Issues List - Going Rogue Edition▲
I gave I9 5 stars.
It's not perfect - I'm having some problems getting the IOs I want, but not because I can't get the recipes at a reasonable rate, it's because I can't get the salvage I need. I'm stuck looking to get multiple Pangean Soils, Essense of the Furies, Prophecies et al which are going to bankrupt me long before I even try to craft the IOs that need them.
However, at the top level, I9 is a great issue that has added a lot more life to CoH/V.
ok... i played CoH regularly from beta until ED, and the mass nerf that was ED killed the game for me. I have tried to come back on several occasions (every free weekend and 1 game time card and CoV) CoV had me for a month, weekends i couldnt take for more than a bit....
and then comes I9
Sets, and IO's, and changes Oh my... the last 2 patches really have made a diferance for me and as such my account is active once again and I have been playing regularly. For the 1st time since Ed i see the potential of the changes.
I understood the reasoning, but i believe they should have made them closer together. Oh well, i'm happy again and will be around for a while.
Thx Guys
Dark Justice - Even in Darkness Justice Shall Prevail
if u cant stand the heat... Dont start the Flames!
One thing I don't like about the Invention tutorial is that it starts off with a mission early on, and then there's practically nothing for the rest of the tutorial. I'd like to see at least one more mission during the tutorial, just to make me feel like I'm doing something other than just running back and forth.
At the very least, could you assign random library targets to click on? I get bored going to the same shelves time after time.
The Consignment Houses would be OK if only it weren't for the really out of balance supply and demand for the new costume pieces. Hopefully once we get more than just a couple Costume Recipes up on the market, the CH won't suck so bad.
your = Belonging to you.
you're = Contraction meaning "You are."
Ur = The name of an ancient Mesopotamian city.
ur = This is not a word.
Let see... I like Issue 9 all right but I'm not over whelmed or anything.
-I would vote on the market for the best new feature, but the lag it creates on the bussy servers makes it tough to really apreciate. +Instead I vote of IOs
-I would have voted for costume peices as my new shiney, but unless I get lucky or want to spend a ton of money, I don't get that new shiny. So imo thats not really a game addition for the masses. Even if they would have been vetran rewards people would have known eventually they would have the new costume peices. +instead I vote on enhancement sets, at least the're dropped enough that I may actually be able to buy what I'm missing without needing a main to drain money off of.
-I like that there is an economic system now to provide an alternative to the npc shops.
-Like most tutorials the Invention system seems fine.
-Over all I vote Issue 9 as "ehh, it doesn't suck."
now we have something to do when we stand around, lets get some new stuff to do when we're not. New powers and new epics ftw.
i gave it a fairly satisfied 4 stars, the costume bits being tied to inventions bugged me, And there really werent any new bits of story or mission content outside of the stf and new hami. but otherwise, i felt inventions were very well implemented and i enjoy crafting, which is a surprise given my past experiences with it in other games. so now lets see about those powersets that were originally supposed to be part of the expansion pack and maybe that epic at that was also supposed to be part of it. and lets NOT tie costume bits into inventions again, ok? I love everything else.
I really hate to say it, but I give I9 a 2. I very much like the addition of the crafting system and the IO system, but it does need fine tuning.
As for the market system, I don't believe I can convey how much I despise the market system.
I'm writing a longer post discussing I9 (for people to flame 
), but here's the short list:
<ul type="square"> [*]Consignment interface is incredibly clunky (Try pricing salvage for 10 different recipes on a limited budget)[*]Market prices are easily rigged (200 items for sale, 500 bids? Definatly not normal.)[*]Market prices are crazy high or crazy low, due to lack of common pricing scheme (and rigging)[*]Last 5 sales indicator useless. (if cheaper items already sold, the next sale will probably cost X more)[*]Hidden price system useless for purchasing. (Start low bid, then keep increasing until item bought)[*]Hidden price system useless for selling. (Since last 5 fluctuates wildly, and no common pricing scheme, setting prices is a guessing game)[*]Overpriced bids cutting out all lower bids. (Throw up high bids for 20+ items, then let it sit there to control the market)[*]Most set bonuses are very low, (and figuring out how to slot sets is very complex)[*]IO slot planning incredibly complicated, set or individual IO's (good for hardcore, bad for new/casual)[*]Planning to get salvage for full IO sets is insane. (thanks to market flux, consignment interface and lack of pricing scheme)[*]Recipe creation screen somewhat clunky, (not too bad, but it does take extra sorting)[*]Recipe/salvage storage overly complicated (x slots at y level?!?)[/list]Ya, I was one of those "laying explosives under the market system" I don't like saying it, but since I'm no longer a hardcore player with tons of time to experiment, I find the new market/IO system is pushing me out of the game.
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I find the new market/IO system is pushing me out of the game.
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Then don't spend too much time on it - it is optional, remember? 
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
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Then don't spend too much time on it - it is optional, remember?
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Fair enough
However, its either the option of using the market system, or having my high level chars farming to twink my chars with SO's.
The drop rate on SO's improved very nicely, but not that much.
*edit* Although that does seem like the option of: ignore half the game content now. I'm not sure that a professional game reviewer would write a good review of a game that they had a hard time using some of the functionality.
*re edit for clarity. yeesh. *
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Allow a percentage slider for missions from 100% infamy/influence to 100% prestige.
This way you can get 50/50 if you would like to do both.
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That is, I think, one of the best idea I have heard this year.
Main Hero: Flame Blade (Scrapper lvl 50; Katana/Regeneration)
Main Villain: Elenor Seahawk (Mastermind lvl 44; Necromancy/Poison)
My Arcs: #337278: Learning Curve
Fight my Brute: SMASH
399% graduated with honors? Obviously they don't teach MATH at the university.
It's too bad you have to have an empath with 36 months veteran badge and 50 million influence to be able to afford a single healing set.
It's too bad they couldn't find a healing set for transfusers and twilight graspers with some accuracy in it.
It's basically a slap in the face to non-empath defenders, the whole I9 spiel. Empath, scrapper, tank, that's all the devs want the community to play.
Triumphant Defenders Forever
Psylenz FF/Psi, ArticQuark Storm/Rad, Symon BarSisyphus Bots/psn, Max VanSydow Thugs/Dk, Cyclone Symon Bots/stm, Blue Loki Ice/Cd, Widow 46526
HelinCarnate:OMG it is so terrible. I have the option to take 3 more powers but no additional slots. Boo F'ing hoo.
Love the costume pieces. Hate having to pay some schlub twenty million for them.
5 stars, easily. Probably because I'm having phenomenal luck with drops, true, but this is by far the best "loot" system that could've been implemented, imo. So not necessary but SO nice if you choose to play with it.
I'm looking forward to some more powersets in the future, as well, but this Issue is awesome enough.