Discussion: Cyborg and Jetpack Boosters
By
Acemace,
Posted on: 2008-09-17 10:55 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion
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Please, please, PLEASE, make the Cyborg costume options for PANTS available in Monstrous. Pretty please?
PANTS not LEGS. I'm hoping that we can use them in combination with the existing Robotic options for legs.
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Me too, it was the first thing I tried and it was hugely frustrating not being able to update my robotic characters and put the most robotic legs and feet on the same toon.
Guys, I know this isn't a popular opinion, but this is well on the way down a slippery slope. While we're all celebrating how cool this is, please remember to also see it for what it is. The jet pack temporary power is exactly that: a power, i.e. something that directly alters the gameplay experience and capabilities of the player. This isn't merely a cosmetic change like extra costumes. This is not merely screen candy like extra emotes.
It directly gives an advantage, a gameplay benefit, to a person based on their willingness to fork over an extra $4.99 a month. It takes a power, Fly, which normally requires at least two specific power choices (Air Superiority or Hover and Fly itself), and gives it to someone who would rather not take them for something else.
Having set the precedent now, I see no reason whatsoever NCsoft wouldn't decide to take any other power and do this to it. Why wouldn't they start offering 30-day Invisibility for $4.99? Or 30-day Super Speed? A 30-day regenration power? All of the above? If I'm willing to pay enough money, how long will it be before I simply buy the pool powers and not have to bother taking them, freeing up those power slots for making my characters more über? Before you convince yourself that it could never happen, please keep in mind that 1) I never thought that I'd see the day when they'd sell a gameplay-affecting power, and 2) All of the other powers I mentioned are 3rd-level pool powers, just like Fly.
To summarize, those who pay extra are now getting gameplay advantages over those who don't. This isn't even the first time those who pay extra get a gameplay perk; that precedent was set by offering respecifications for sale. (Money = infinite unearned respecifiations.)
While this may seem cool, and as a long-time player, I might even snag it, once the novelty of it wears off, it is a direction for the game that I think is so totally wrong. If I were a new player to the game, I seriously doubt I would keep playing it today. Once I realized how much it would cost to get the cool costumes, emotes, and now gameplay advantages that other players have, I'd look for some other less expensive diversion.
I'm going to ask the devs and powers-that-be at NCsoft one last time. Please stop nickle-and-diming your loyal players, and especially, never again offer a gameplay advantage to those who are willing to pay extra. I highly urge you to err on the side of not extracting as much money as you might be able to, because once you cross that threshold, once you finally go too far and lose the loyal players you've built up over the years, you won't be able to go back to the way it was before.
We've been saving Paragon City for eight and a half years. It's time to do it one more time.
(If you love this game as much as I do, please read that post.)
Four years old, not quite so slippery.
I disagree with your opinions, but I can certainly understand them. I do not object to other players gaining an advantage over me as much as I appreciate the funding they will provide to the developers (and I need not) for further enhancment to the game. I am PvE focused, and I belive the Devs when they say the Wedding Pack directly financed the VEATs. I think it is these two factors that place my opinion where it is.
Sure, freakishly stylized cartoon child! Never give up!
Strike Force
MArc #39397 - Welcome to Chapter Six
MArc #123195 - Ch6 1.1 - Under White Plains
MArc #202989 - Ch6 1.2 - The Summoning Dark
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I'm impressed with the Cyborg Booster pack. But, one thing I did not see was an actual "Chest" piece for any of the chest styles except for Chest Detail. Just seems that none of the tops match anything close to the Cyborg Pants.
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The chest piece is hilarious, talk about man boobs and forget about women looks like they're cyborg breast implants hahaha.
Virtue: @Santorican
Dark/Shield Build Thread
Tony, if you read Lighthouse's post, the $4.99 is an offset to the cost of the monthly gamecard that offers the item.
If they wanted to "nickle and dime" they would tell anyone that already pre-ordered a year or more that they'd have to pay an extra $14.99 a month which included more gametime, even if they didn't need it.
The Jetpack isn't manditory. No one is twisting your arm, saying that the only way to get temp flight powers is by purchasing it. As pointed out, people can run the storyarchs over and over through Ouroboros to earn a timed one.
I have no problem with paying for a "temp power" that frees up two powers (fly and hover). You may see it as a waste of money but I see it as adding two more damage dealing powers to my tanker.
pohsyb: so of all people you must be most excited about the veats
Arachnos Commander: actually, I am
pohsyb: I mean you kinda were one already anyways ^_^
Arachnos Commander:
Well, that's the other thing. I'm four years old in the game also, and I remember when we used to get all sorts of cool stuff like VEATs for free. Really! We got Kheldians for free, capes and auras for free, respecification trials, flypose emotes (among many, many others), at least three or four cool new costume pieces, the list goes on.
Yes, we still get some stuff for free, and thank goodness we do. But now, we're having to pay for a lot of the stuff that we also used to get for free, and that's even after they've rolled out in-game advertising to raise more money, the subscriber base is still quite large, and they're not having to split the take with Cryptic.
What are we getting for all of that extra money that we weren't getting before? I know I for one wish we could go back to the old days of not having to pay out the wazoo for everything, even if it means that we "only" get as much cool free stuff as we did back in the days when Arenas were free, the badge system was free, epic power pools were free, ...
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I have no problem with paying for a "temp power" that frees up two powers (fly and hover). You may see it as a waste of money but I see it as adding two more damage dealing powers to my tanker.
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Thank you for exactly illustrating my point. I fully realize that there are probably some players who would delight in having the game turned into one in which in order to have the best characters, you have to pay the most money each month. I'm not one of them. This is exactly the kind of game that City of Heroes has rallied to not be in the past.
We've been saving Paragon City for eight and a half years. It's time to do it one more time.
(If you love this game as much as I do, please read that post.)
*bangs head on keyboard*
I figured it out. Frequently, when I switch between costumes, my super group color settings get changed on me. I just went in and checked, and sure enough, the color settings on the aura had been reset to my SG colors instead of the colors I picked at Icon.
*sigh*
Go back to your homes, nothing to see here. . .
The Players' Guide to the Cities
Bought the Cyborg Booster.
Here's the thing: all that 'free' stuff came when CoH/V had a larger playing audience AND a larger development staff.
In the light of what NCsoft is doing to its other western titles, if my extra $10 goes a little way to keeping the CoH/V dev team expanding and CoH/V healthy, then it is a worthwhile investment.
Will I feel the same way if there are 8 Boosters released every year? Probably not. But the Cyborg Booster looks great and is worth supporting the game over.
Is it just my machine or do the combat auras not work very well with the stacking Dark Armor toggles? A regular aura shows through just fine on my machine, even with all the toggles up. However, if i have more then a couple toggles on the combat aura targeting eyes do not appear...
Oh well, it was worth the 10 dollars even if the combat aura's don't mix well with DA.
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Well, that's the other thing. I'm four years old in the game also, and I remember when we used to get all sorts of cool stuff like VEATs for free. Really! We got Kheldians for free, capes and auras for free, respecification trials, flypose emotes (among many, many others), at least three or four cool new costume pieces, the list goes on.
Yes, we still get some stuff for free, and thank goodness we do. But now, we're having to pay for a lot of the stuff that we also used to get for free, and that's even after they've rolled out in-game advertising to raise more money, the subscriber base is still quite large, and they're not having to split the take with Cryptic.
What are we getting for all of that extra money that we weren't getting before? I know I for one wish we could go back to the old days of not having to pay out the wazoo for everything, even if it means that we "only" get as much cool free stuff as we did back in the days when Arenas were free, the badge system was free, epic power pools were free, ...
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I have no problem with paying for a "temp power" that frees up two powers (fly and hover). You may see it as a waste of money but I see it as adding two more damage dealing powers to my tanker.
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Thank you for exactly illustrating my point. I fully realize that there are probably some players who would delight in having the game turned into one in which in order to have the best characters, you have to pay the most money each month. I'm not one of them. This is exactly the kind of game that City of Heroes has rallied to not be in the past.
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Folks, was no one paying attention to ANYTHING Lighthouse said about this? The ONLY reason they offered this jetpack up on the store is that they got a ton of comments from people WANTING the one that was offered with the time cards. This is simply giving us what WE WANTED. This does NOT imply that there will never be a jetpack costume part. If you don't want to spend $4.99 to have a 30-day temp power at level 1, THEN DON'T. C'mon, it's only providing an ancillary benefit for about 14 levels (EARLY LEVELS!). I think I can stand the inconvenience. Sheesh.
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*bangs head on keyboard*
I figured it out. Frequently, when I switch between costumes, my super group color settings get changed on me. I just went in and checked, and sure enough, the color settings on the aura had been reset to my SG colors instead of the colors I picked at Icon.
*sigh*
Go back to your homes, nothing to see here. . .
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Maybe THAT'S the issue here! SG costume options aren't playing well together with the costume creator. Betcha a dollar that's it....
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This is exactly the kind of game that City of Heroes has rallied to not be in the past.
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"If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies." - Author Unknown
pohsyb: so of all people you must be most excited about the veats
Arachnos Commander: actually, I am
pohsyb: I mean you kinda were one already anyways ^_^
Arachnos Commander:
Soooo....
With the Cyborg pack being "Booster I" and the Jetpack being a "Minibooster".... I wonder how many more booster packs are about to appear before Christmas. Since this makes the 2nd wave of "boosters". Mayhaps "Booster II" is the Jetpack SUPER Booster? Hmmmm.... let the wild speculation begin.
The costumes are great! SexyJay outdid himself here. I esp. like the shoulder and chest pieces, which could be used for a variety of tech-oriented concepts. Well worth the price.
I want to buy a permanent jetpack power. Price that up for me and I'll buy it...and about 10 respecs.
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Well, that's the other thing. I'm four years old in the game also, and I remember when we used to get all sorts of cool stuff like VEATs for free. Really! We got Kheldians for free, capes and auras for free, respecification trials, flypose emotes (among many, many others), at least three or four cool new costume pieces, the list goes on.
Yes, we still get some stuff for free, and thank goodness we do. But now, we're having to pay for a lot of the stuff that we also used to get for free, and that's even after they've rolled out in-game advertising to raise more money, the subscriber base is still quite large, and they're not having to split the take with Cryptic.
What are we getting for all of that extra money that we weren't getting before? I know I for one wish we could go back to the old days of not having to pay out the wazoo for everything, even if it means that we "only" get as much cool free stuff as we did back in the days when Arenas were free, the badge system was free, epic power pools were free, ...
[ QUOTE ]
I have no problem with paying for a "temp power" that frees up two powers (fly and hover). You may see it as a waste of money but I see it as adding two more damage dealing powers to my tanker.
[/ QUOTE ]
Thank you for exactly illustrating my point. I fully realize that there are probably some players who would delight in having the game turned into one in which in order to have the best characters, you have to pay the most money each month. I'm not one of them. This is exactly the kind of game that City of Heroes has rallied to not be in the past.
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Folks, was no one paying attention to ANYTHING Lighthouse said about this? The ONLY reason they offered this jetpack up on the store is that they got a ton of comments from people WANTING the one that was offered with the time cards. This is simply giving us what WE WANTED. This does NOT imply that there will never be a jetpack costume part. If you don't want to spend $4.99 to have a 30-day temp power at level 1, THEN DON'T. C'mon, it's only providing an ancillary benefit for about 14 levels (EARLY LEVELS!). I think I can stand the inconvenience. Sheesh.
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Thats exactly the problem. People don't read..and don't pay attention. It's much more fun to come up with half-cocked conspiracy theories.
If they really wanted to make money..they'd drop the flight packs from the mayhems..and the free ones u can earn over and over in Ourorborus. Which isn't going to happen. This means u can earn a Free jet-pack whenever you want.
C'mon guys. CoX has the most transparent managment of almost any business on the planet. There is no plot and certainly no conspiracy to screw anyone over. I like the idea of booster packs. They are inexpensive (one time fee of under $10, less than you'd spend on a movie). And a company is in the business of selling things for a profit. No profit, no business. No business..then say goodbye to CoX.
My level 50 Dominators:
Madame Mindbender 50 Mind/Energy
Fly Agaric 50 Plant/Thorn
Nate Nitro 50 Fire/Psi
You know, I distinctly remember when the initial announcement of the Best Buy/Target game cards was released... (helpful hint: the thread is STILL IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT DISCUSSION FORUM)... It went something like this:
Forum People: "Hey, those cards are pretty cool if they come with a jetpack for the extra $5. Is there any chance I could just pay the $5 difference and get the jetpack?"
Lighthouse: "You're serious? You'd pay the difference? It never occurred to us that you'd want to pay more for a temp power."
Forum People: "No really, gimme gimme gimme."
Lighthouse: "Ok... no promises, but I'll mention it to marketing."
And now the jetpack has become a reality and people are, in gratitude, offering to crucify Lighthouse and burn his kitten in a microwave. All for doing EXACTLY WHAT WE TOLD HIM TO DO.
People... you're never happy.
I think that changes like pay content/services and ingame advertsiing are based upon one simple matter. CoH is no longer a young mmorpg and has to be able to function with a consistent userbase which probably doesn't support a live development staff large enough to create high quality issues.
Having extra sources of income (or, more accurately, extracting more money out of their present population) allows them to add more staff and therefore more content to the game. Without a sufficient flow of content, players begin to drop off and you also can't get new/returning players at a good rate. Slowly the game dies.
We choose if the content is worth it, or if we are comfortable paying for extra content at all. In a sense then, it is the people who can more afford to support the game who do so (but with the side effect that they get more content than those who do not pay more). In my case, I spend enough time on CoH in a given month to thoroughly justify spending extra money on the experience above and beyond my monthly fee. Still, though I have considered purchasing the Wedding Pack, the content has never felt right to me ('xcept maybe the bow-ties). Maybe some day.
Sermon
@sermon
One of Six, Cannibal 6
yeah yeah, whatever you nay sayers, and right on you adopters of packs... Include me in the "bought it" category. I now expect Moon Base for I-15, kthxbai.
/wif a space suit costume free.
//and correct gravity
///wif awesme physx bits.
////and a cookie... iced oatmeal cinnamon rasin.
August 31, 2012. A Day that will Live in Infamy. Or Information. Possibly Influence. Well, Inf, anyway. Thank you, Paragon Studios, for what you did, and the enjoyment and camaraderie you brought.
This is houtex, aka Mike, signing off the forums. G'night all. - 10/26/2012
Well... perhaps I was premature about that whole 'signing off' thing... - 11-9-2012
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You know, I distinctly remember when the initial announcement of the Best Buy/Target game cards was released... (helpful hint: the thread is STILL IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT DISCUSSION FORUM)... It went something like this:
Forum People: "Hey, those cards are pretty cool if they come with a jetpack for the extra $5. Is there any chance I could just pay the $5 difference and get the jetpack?"
Lighthouse: "You're serious? You'd pay the difference? It never occurred to us that you'd want to pay more for a temp power."
Forum People: "No really, gimme gimme gimme."
Lighthouse: "Ok... no promises, but I'll mention it to marketing."
And now the jetpack has become a reality and people are, in gratitude, offering to crucify Lighthouse and burn his kitten in a microwave. All for doing EXACTLY WHAT WE TOLD HIM TO DO.
People... you're never happy.
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I guarantee that when they finally DO release a jetpack costume option, there will be a ton of folks complaining about clipping issues and how it doesn't look good with butt length hair and butt capes. I do think some folks are happier thinking that BaBs, Castle, and Lighthouse have a personal vendetta against them....
Heh, they hate us ALL, taking no favorites. :P
So, now that actual powers can come in the boosters, maybe they can go back and add a long recharge placate effect to the wedding pack throw rice and confetti animations. It'd be a load of fun to use on a ninja themed character.
MA Arc: School Spirit #89349
Original member of the Dream Team Aeon, Virtue division
"A base here or there is a small price to pay for good mad science."--Arbiter Daos
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Maybe THAT'S the issue here! SG costume options aren't playing well together with the costume creator. Betcha a dollar that's it....
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That was definitely it. One of the SG colors is black. The aura was set to black, so it was just about impossible to see.
I consider this my n00b moment for the week.
The Players' Guide to the Cities
As I seem to recall, there was much negative response to the wedding pack. The same excuses were given. A few emotes, some costume parts for a little extra money. Lots of players told NCSoft they didn't want to see them pull off that stunt again. Yet here we are now.
I'm not saying that the new stuff doesn't look cool or that the company shouldn't try and make money. But they've been going strong for the past 4 year and now with a monetary system in place, I still see no reason why they need to change or do these things. I;d be just as happy to shell out 10 dollars for each issue they brought out if they included these boosters with them. We pay for expansions in most MMOs, I don't see a problem in giving them money for a whole lot of new content. What I do not like is how all these little things they come out with are just 10 dollar candies you can buy just to sugarcoat the game.
They get money off of monthly subscription fees.
They make money off character transfers.
They make money off additional character slots.
They make money off ad endorsments now.
They make money off a wedding pack.
Now they make money off a Cyborg Pack.
Need I go on? They're not in bad shape.
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Maybe THAT'S the issue here! SG costume options aren't playing well together with the costume creator. Betcha a dollar that's it....
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That was definitely it. One of the SG colors is black. The aura was set to black, so it was just about impossible to see.
I consider this my n00b moment for the week.
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Right there with you.
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Wow. So when did NCSoft start becoming a marketing [censored]? Don't go the way of WoW, with it's always wanting to sell you stuff.
It's just like the wedding pack fiasco. Buying a few emotes and costume parts seem to be the thing nowadays. Why not make em available as recipes in Wentworths or something? At least then there be some other things of value in it, plus getting one will make the player feel like they accomplished something. Instead, your trying to pad your wallets again. But you are a company so we should expect that.
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So the free updates/Issues you get each year is NCSoft padding their wallets? Wow, sorry but what you wrote is the fiasco!
If its broke, don't fix it... I like the chaos!