NCSoft acquires "City of" Franchise!
By
2Negative,
Posted on: 2007-11-06 13:34 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
Memphis:
Faultline is not a 40+ zone.
Where are the new villain groups.
RWZ is not a new zone.
We were told that this game would never see the loot focus that other MMOs have. Explain to me how the market is not directly representing true loot being in this game.
Never mind, don't. The game has changed in my opinion. Changed in nothing resembling a good way. And yes, the last 6 or 7 issues HAVE focused on PVP/loot/raids, or things relating to them in a very large degree. I am glad for Dual blades, and this willpower set. Cusomization of powers is nice. With a 4 month lag time, some new arcs would've been nicer, if done with new villain groups.
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Anyone else have a sinking feeling that this game is goin' down?
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Frankly, no. I just got the feeling that the game improved ... alot.
But it's MY sadistic mechanical monster and I'm here to make sure it knows it. - Girl Genius
List of Invention Guides
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I keep seeing people laud the last year of development. I am not seeing it. Where are the new zones for the core user base of PVE people. Where is the new content for people like myself that actually LIKE the last 10 levels of the game?
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I9 gave us the Statesman's task force, a very challenging TF.
I10 gave us the RWZ. Yes, it's technically not a new zone, but it's all new content, including two rather difficult arcs in the 45-50 zone, and a new TF that's pretty good.
I11 flashback makes all the 40+ arcs infinitely repeatable. I've said for a long time that the "Hero's Hero" arc would make a great task force...and now you can do it as one.
I'm no fan of PVP...but I can't say that the focus has been excessively focused on there. Indeed, I'd say they have a legitimate complaint that PVP has been largely ignored. I don't mind it...but it is legitimate.
(I do think someone made a great point that in comic books, the main hero vs. villain interaction is "Villain tries to commit a crime, Hero tries to stop it" and PVP that was focused on that would be great, rather than just "let's just throw attacks on each other until someone's health hits zero".)
Base raiding is something else that can legitimately be described as largely ignored. Again, as someone not interested in base raiding (and isn't going to let my supergroup's hard-earned prestige be destroyed by some yahoos) it's not a big concern of mine, but I can't say it's been a big concern.
We did get new PVE raids in the new Hamidon Raids and the Rikti Mother Ship raids. I'm rather hoping they take another crack at the Hamidon encounter, it's far too dependent upon healing powers. Rikti Mother Ship raids can be fun, not something I do a lot of. But again, it's been only one feature in issues with other stuff.
As for the loot...I'm not much into loot, but I'm finding the IOs enjoyable. They aren't so unbalancing that you HAVE to get heavy into the loot (with the possible exception of PVP), I am as effective with my solely-SOed Messenger Dude as I am with my fully-IOed Roncobot-Omega. And it means that once I fit myself out with 35th level IOs...I no longer have to worry at level x*5-3 "damn, now I have to replace all my enhancements again".
I'll admit I'm a bit disappointed in the reliance on TF mode in I11, but so be it. I'd still say it's been among the best years so far in the PVE game, but your mileage may vary.
I'm cautiously optimistic. Yeah, lots of ways things could go south. But isn't that always the case? And there was one way I definitely saw things going south...Cryptic getting so tied up with MUO that CoH suffered, and that's not going to happen. Instead, as MUO gets closer, competition may pull the best out of the CoH team.
And if it proves to all go bad, well, things happen. But there's a lot of reason for things to go right.
Oh, and I'll take a cookie to feel better too. Cookies are always worth asking for.
My arcs are constantly shifting, just search for GadgetDon for the latest.
The world beware! I've started a blog
GadgetMania Under Attack: The Digg Lockout
I hope to sing your praises, and apologize profusely for lack of faith.
Really.
And I will do both, if I am pleasantly surprised.
Thank you for directly addressing the issue tactfully, E L.
Best regards.
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I have been waiting on that "pony" for, oh like 6 or 7 issues.
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Complete and utter bull.
New zones:
Croatoa
Faultline (hmm, empty, now has content... )
Rikti War zone (again - and GEE, MORE TO DO THAN A RAID. Or have you BOTHERED to go in and look at the arcs before crying and moaning?)
Newspaper missions, just for something different.
And coming up, if you 've skipped the other new stuff because you outlevelled it, I11, with multiple new arcs and *flashback.*
Yeah. Sounds like all PVP, raiding, and loot to me. </sarcasm>
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I realize that lots of people like PVP, and find that as their "new content", still more love to play the game pre- 40, ad infinitum, on numerous alts. I am a member of the core target audience CoH was marketed to at release. Unfortunately for me, I grow attached to my characters, and don't want a stable of 50s with 100 hours on then. I want to spend 400+ on each character.
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... which is barely any time. All of my 50s are over 400 hours, some over 500-600.
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The PVE player in the post 40 game that is not interested in loot has been largely neglected for well over a year.
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Again, BS. But you want to ignore story arcs, apparently, because ZOMG they didnt' make ANOTHER WHOLE NEW ZONE for it, leaving completely EMPTY zones alone.
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the 40+ game is now seemingly gearing up to be loot, raiding, and PVP. I'm sorry that I cannot be optimistic about this trend. I just can't be happy about this game becoming everything it wasn't.
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Again, BS.
Raids?
- The Hamidon had become snorefests, unless someone went in to ruin everyone else's time. So they revamped it, and gave the villains a version of it.
- The Rikti crash ship *has a purpose* in the story of the zone (for someone who's so focused on "new," you sure like to IGNORE that.)
And... hmm... that seems to be IT for raids.
What else can 50s do?
- PVP, sure.
- Statesman/Lord Recluse task forces.
- FOUR arcs (which you CONTINUALLY ignore) in the RWZ.
- Flashback with I11, for missed or favourite arcs.
- And new arcs coming in I11 as well.
Last six or seven issues? They've had to get COV out, and get it up to par with COH (issues six and seven,) move some of the tech over to COH (issue 8) - and they still fit in new "stuff." Yes, they put in inventions - which is completely irrelevant to the game, BUT still gives you ways to make your character different from others. I can give my Ice 'troller cold (and fire) resistance and mez resistance, if I choose, or make them more damage focused, or create a number of different builds... all of which are perfectly viable... as opposed to "Just slot 2/2/2 acc/hold/rech, 2/3 acc/dam.... " like everyone else.
No, it's not "all about level 50." Of course, the game *never has been.* It's about everything between 1 and 50. If you want to ignore all that, your loss. But that's where most people are - under 50 - and that's where the development time is going to go.
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r, perhaps I am seeing something that isn't there.
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Probably the most correct thing you've said so far.
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We are here to field any questions you may have about this wonderful news.
Ex
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You have probably answered most of these by now but:
i)Will we have a game to play over the next year or so?
ii)Does this move signal faster release of issues?
iii)Will there be a new 'Statesman'?
iv)Will City of Villains see new content added to it?
v)Will sub fees increase?
Thanks!
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i) The game will remain online and constant for the next year with our regular publishing schedule intact. We are in negotiations now about hardware upgrades for the servers, so there may be some down time associated with that, but it should be minor and we will be in communication with the community when that transpires.
ii) We hope this signifies faster iteration, with more people, more resources, and less communication sticking points all arrows point to yes.
iii) Statesman as the signature character will be determined, if I had my druthers it would be something the Community Team would acquire rights to, one can dream right?
iv) City of Heroes and City of Villains will be seeing new content. Both are award winning titles, and both deserve some attention, with additional resources we hope to be bringing the community wish lists to fruition.
v) Subscription fees will be determined by NCsoft, NCsoft has been researching every possible business model possible and will not make any decision affecting the community without clearly determining the bonus/backlash.
Ex
Thanks for your insight, G D, old friend. I do differ on the RCS to RWZ thing, in that a new zone is a new zone. As I think on it now, I have run a NWN2 persistent world server, and world size does become a hardware scalability issue. It is possible that back end database programming and / or hardware limits made a new zone an unlikely prospect in a short timeframe.
I want to be wrong. For now I will end my discourse on the perceived downsides. I've said quite enough.
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My concern is that it'll turn into SWG all over again.
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I am an optimist on this score. The industry saw the player reaction to the shenanigans with SWG and I hope that something was learned.
Also, my personal opinion is that if anything, CoX will not get that kind of changes, but will be used as a cash cow to set up the rest of the franchise - whether this is MMO/single player games in different styles or even a sequel, where they go to town with crazy ideas good and bad.
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I agree 100% with spidermonster on this. Statesman left CoX over a year ago to help develop Marvell Online. Everyone else who has been working on CoX for the last (awesome) year is moving with the game to the new studio. Even grumpy, yet lovable BAB...
Any similarity between this news and SWG's "New Game Enhancement" debacle is, well, I just am not seeing it.
Cautiously optimistic...
-Buxley
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I'm grumpy but loveable?
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Mostly. 
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Memphis:
Faultline is not a 40+ zone.
Where are the new villain groups.
RWZ is not a new zone.
We were told that this game would never see the loot focus that other MMOs have. Explain to me how the market is not directly representing true loot being in this game.
Never mind, don't. The game has changed in my opinion. Changed in nothing resembling a good way. And yes, the last 6 or 7 issues HAVE focused on PVP/loot/raids, or things relating to them in a very large degree. I am glad for Dual blades, and this willpower set. Cusomization of powers is nice. With a 4 month lag time, some new arcs would've been nicer, if done with new villain groups.
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have you even paid attention to the last couple of issues?
The loot which you hate is so light that it can be ignored and you miss nothing. The new war zone is basically a new zone with new arcs that can be done at any time after 35. Faultline is not 40+ but it is still a new zone with new arcs and new PVE content. Very little has been done to pvp in the last few issues.
You seem to want to complain just to complain, and not even complain about valid factual things.
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Anyone else have a sinking feeling that this game is goin' down?
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Sure, if you don't read anything except the headline to the announcement then try to post like you've actually thought about the change, I can definitely see where you're coming from.
"Null is as much an argument "for removing the cottage rule" as the moon being round is for buying tennis shoes." -Memphis Bill
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I want to be wrong.
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Don't worry about that.
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The PVE player in the post 40 game that is not interested in loot has been largely neglected for well over a year. the 40+ game is now seemingly gearing up to be loot, raiding, and PVP. I'm sorry that I cannot be optimistic about this trend. I just can't be happy about this game becoming everything it wasn't.
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So the extra level 40+ content in RWZ that I'm having fun with is an illusion? The fun of getting sets is not worth my time? The upcoming flashback system that most favors the 40+ crowd isn't of any use then? Oh lets not forget newspaper and policeband missions so I don't run out of things. And if I want to I can have fun collecting the new better sets that are coming in I11 since they favor the level 50 who wants to flashback.
I'm sorry, I'm not seeing the lack of content for the 40+ crowd here. It seems to me that the lions share of issues 9, 10, and 11 is for the PVE 40+ crowd.
The fact that your not intorested in any of it doesn't make it any less valid content.
But it's MY sadistic mechanical monster and I'm here to make sure it knows it. - Girl Genius
List of Invention Guides
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Memphis:
Faultline is not a 40+ zone.
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Most players are not 40+ players. Yet it's using a *completely empty* zone, bringing the story forward, creating four new story arcs.
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Where are the new villain groups.
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Vanguard! Yes, you do fight them. Maybe you've noticed (probably not, since you don't seem to be looking) Arachnos troops in missions.... And if you'd *deign* to give villainside a try, there's a whole slew of enemies, from Longbow and Wyvern, Goldbrickers, new Freakshow (including female Meat Doctors,) Coralax, Slag Golems, and Wailers... off the top of my head.
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RWZ is not a new zone.
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You haven't been in there, apparently. Gee, crucify Cryptic for actually USING what was, in essence, a big empty space to *move the story forward.*
Do you go to an artist and tell them their painting isn't a new painting because they used an existing canvas that had a splotch of paint in the corner? That's what you're doing here.
Rikti Crash Site:
Contents: A few mobs.
Rikti War Zone:
Contents:
Four arcs that push the COH story forward from where it's been for *years.*
One repeatable contact.
A raid.
Interaction (TEAMING) with the other side.
.... yeah, sounds EXACTLY the same to me. You haven't bothered *looking,* it sounds like, only whining and crying they didn't make a brand new zone to add to all these *empty* ones they've had for years.
I started in I3. Faultline, at most, I saw two other people in, once. RCS? One, maybe. And those were rare.
Yeah, they should *really* have left them alone and created "new" zones. Get over it.
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We were told that this game would never see the loot focus that other MMOs have. Explain to me how the market is not directly representing true loot being in this game.
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Do you need to do *anything* with IOs or the market to play the game?
No?
That makes it a side issue. Just like PVP, which you can go through the *entire* game and ignore. Not a focus. You don't NEED a Devestation set to beat the highest level mobs, you don't NEED a Numina's set to be able to run your /regen or empathy/ character. It's a *side issue,* not a focus.
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Never mind, don't.
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Because you don't want to hear it.
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The game has changed in my opinion. Changed in nothing resembling a good way. And yes, the last 6 or 7 issues HAVE focused on PVP/loot/raids, or things relating to them in a very large degree. I am glad for Dual blades, and this willpower set. Cusomization of powers is nice. With a 4 month lag time, some new arcs would've been nicer, if done with new villain groups.
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You haven't been seeing things because you don't *want* to see things. Six or seven issues? Two years. Why have you, then, *wasted* $360 (two years at $15/month) on something you don't like?
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We were told that this game would never see the loot focus that other MMOs have. Explain to me how the market is not directly representing true loot being in this game.
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Way to twist what actually happened and what was actually said, but no. We were told one of the strong points of the game was that loot wasn't essential to your progress. We were told that didn't mean there would never be any loot. When they came up with a way to add loot that added to the core game experience without becoming essential, they did it.
Tell me you can't play from 1-50 just as well as you could before Inventions, if you close your salvage and recipe windows, turn off the alerts, and just buy your enhancers normally. You can't tell me that because it's not true.
It's not the devs fault they made something a lot of players find fun and exciting. It doesn't hurt the game any, except maybe there's a little less spare influence floating around for superfluous costume contests under Atlas Statue.
"Null is as much an argument "for removing the cottage rule" as the moon being round is for buying tennis shoes." -Memphis Bill
I'm shocked by this development, but it seems like it'll be good for CoH/CoV and I truly hope it is.
I see there's already talk of expansions, which the game desperately needs. Despite the ease of a downloadable trial and then purchasing a game online, it takes new boxes to get media write-ups about your game. Getting shelf space in stores also helps keep it in people's minds and I suspect new boxes get more space than old ones. Overall, expansions will be good for the game and should help expand the playerbase.
Here's to many more years in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles!
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I don't think anything will get rid of my fear of the game going the way of SWG or Matrix Online. I suspect this will be NCSoft's true test to see if they can keep the game the way it has been or make it better. Making it better obviously is pure win. But even if they kept the status quo, I wouldn't complain.
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Time.
Many of us have some degree of trepidation. Anyone who has been disappointed when their favorite __________ (fill in the blank: restaurant, bookstore, comic book title, movie franchise) has come under new ______________ (fill in the blank: management, writers, director and studio) knows that sometimes these changes are clouded by capitalistic motives and hinder good judgement on the part of the new stewards.
Only time and a track record from today forward will asuage those nagging doubts, no matter how small they may be.
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I'm grumpy but loveable?
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They were only half right.
Ex Libris, is Manticore coming too? (Not sure if he's still even working on CoH, to be honest, since he's shy.) And, if not, who's in charge of CoH's lore nowadays?
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Thanks for your insight, G D, old friend. I do differ on the RCS to RWZ thing, in that a new zone is a new zone. As I think on it now, I have run a NWN2 persistent world server, and world size does become a hardware scalability issue. It is possible that back end database programming and / or hardware limits made a new zone an unlikely prospect in a short timeframe.
I want to be wrong. For now I will end my discourse on the perceived downsides. I've said quite enough.
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Fair enough. We'll agree to disagree about new zones, but let me put one last word in (heh heh heh). The reason you want new zones is for new content. New stuff happening. CoH's hazard zones had no real content, and other than being sent in to do a hunt or an occasional door mission, might as well not exist. Seeing them rebuilt into places with content is good.
And while neither introduced new villain types...Faultline brought heros against the forces of Arachnos in a purely PVE basis, introducing you to the groups and their infighting. And given the importance of the Rikti in the backstory, they needed a chance to step up...and the RCS was the natural zone to place them.
So, if Boomtown becomes the center of a renewed battle between the 5th column and the Council, I'll be happy.
My arcs are constantly shifting, just search for GadgetDon for the latest.
The world beware! I've started a blog
GadgetMania Under Attack: The Digg Lockout
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If you can answer those questions you will find the root of your complaint as well as the solution that is presented in this acquisition.
Ex
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Well, thats Cryptic enough. Heh heh.
Masterminds annoy everybody, sooner or later. Heck, Masterminds annoy themselves.
-ShadowsBetween
now they just need to offer Lifetime Subscriptions like a couple other MMO's are doing and EVERYTHING WOULD BE RIGHT WITH THE WORLD!
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I'm grumpy but loveable?
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They were only half right.
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and depending which half you pick, that's either a zing! reply or a bom-chika-wow! reply.
"Null is as much an argument "for removing the cottage rule" as the moon being round is for buying tennis shoes." -Memphis Bill
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I'm grumpy but loveable?
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Originally, he said you were "fast, good or cheap. Pick two."
BTW, to those hating on Lallendos, I don't think you're being fair. I do understand the desire for a really new zone. I remember exploring Striga, and going wow. And "You mean there really is a secret base in the volcano????" Faultline is still pretty much the same zone for exploring, just levelled out a bit because of the flooding (and you do now get to go beyond the dam). The RWZ, other than the Vanguard base, is pretty much the same landscape.
I would love to play on a moon zone. Or, just the Paragon City MegaMall (all destructable, please) or the Paragon City Airport. As much as I'd also like to see what they'd do to Boomtown or Crey's Folly, a whole new zone would be whole new types of cool.
My arcs are constantly shifting, just search for GadgetDon for the latest.
The world beware! I've started a blog
GadgetMania Under Attack: The Digg Lockout
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One other small question, will Cryptic's logo be removed from ingame stuff? It would feel kinda odd if it was.
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Well, it would be an awful lot of work to remove this Cryptic logo from the game...