Discussion - Dev Diary: Designing Day Jobs Feature

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Now I admit I havent taken much of an interest in this whole "day jobs" but that sounds very much like being rewarded for NOT playing your characters.....

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But you can only take advantage of the buffs/temp powers of the Day Jobs by playing your characters.

As someone said, the rewards you get by playing the game far, far outweigh the rewards for not playing.

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Here, lets clear that up for you: Don't care in the slightest about the powers. Didn't want any badge "given" to us. Want badges that can be earned by our own efforts in the game rather than watching the turning of the hands of a clock.

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I don't know if you're a man or woman in real life. All I know is, after that post, I want to have your babies.

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Originally Posted by Nethergoat it's NEVER too late to pad your /ignore list!

QR

Actually, I'm kind of disappointed at the simplicity of the system. I was expecting a multi-tiered badge structure, and 3-4 badges for the Accolades. And while I realize that we haven't seen the complete list, I was hoping for considerably more job categories; I was especially hoping to see some more quirky or esoteric "jobs" gained from logging out in places like the sewers, the Golden Giza and El Super Mexicano.

When the benefits you gain from not logging in for 24 hours outweigh the benefits you gain from playing for 2 hours, I'll agree that we're being rewarded for not playing the game. As it is, this is just a small gimme.

You have to be logged off for a full 24 hours to get half a bar of 'free' XP. (One bar of double XP split between 'normal' XP and 'free' XP.) This is just not a big thing.

Do we get badge credit for places we have already logged out in the last four years of playing? I doubt that there is some data file out there keeping track of every place we logged since we started playing the game but it would be kind sweet.

1. Edited. 30 days ok since ive been here this long, most likely ill be here in a year.

2. In order to help remind peeps to log off in an appropriate place, could it be done that a badge/proffession is set (which is being worked on) and if logging off at a site not helping to badge, a warning- "late for work" or something- go off?

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You have to be logged off for a full 24 hours to get half a bar of 'free' XP. (One bar of double XP split between 'normal' XP and 'free' XP.) This is just not a big thing.

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It obviously is to some people.

The double experience points thing isn't a HUGE deal for me, but given the choice I'd prefer to abstain.

MMOs aren't like other RPGs. In a normal RPG, you can power level and still go back to fight level 1 critters for gold and potion (or whatever) drops, and you can progress the story at a rate you're comfortable with. In CoH, you can't go back and beat up a level 1 Hellion to get the 15 exp and 20 inf once you're past level 5, and once you've outlevelled content, your only hope is Ouroboros (which, while not perfect, is far better than the options we had last year).

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Originally Posted by Nethergoat it's NEVER too late to pad your /ignore list!

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QR

Actually, I'm kind of disappointed at the simplicity of the system. I was expecting a multi-tiered badge structure, and 3-4 badges for the Accolades. And while I realize that we haven't seen the complete list, I was hoping for considerably more job categories; I was especially hoping to see some more quirky or esoteric "jobs" gained from logging out in places like the sewers, the Golden Giza and El Super Mexicano.

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Perhaps the devs are leaving room for the system to be expanded in the future?

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Originally Posted by Hyperstrike English does not borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, hits them over the head, and rifles through their pockets for loose grammar.

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Do we get badge credit for places we have already logged out in the last four years of playing? I doubt that there is some data file out there keeping track of every place we logged since we started playing the game but it would be kind sweet.

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No, because they're adding the "Day Job zone" flags to the maps with Issue 13.

I sincerely doubt there's a stored record of every X,Y,Z location your character has ever logged out in, as well as how long you stayed logged at those locations.

If a dev wants to correct me, though, I'll be very happy to admit that I was wrong.

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Originally Posted by Nethergoat it's NEVER too late to pad your /ignore list!

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Perhaps the devs are leaving room for the system to be expanded in the future?

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It was already said that this wasn't the complete list at launch, much less ever.

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You have to be logged off for a full 24 hours to get half a bar of 'free' XP. (One bar of double XP split between 'normal' XP and 'free' XP.) This is just not a big thing.

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It obviously is to some people.

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My contention is that perhaps they are making mountains out of molehills.

I'm sure no one is still looking at this thread with the huge number of posts, but I wanted to chime in...

I've been playing since day 1 (actually month 1, as the dialup connection I had at the time was not a good way to get the patches). I go through long periods when I have little time to play the game. Sometimes I get on just specifically because I know it's time to start looking for a vet reward. I don't think I'm blowing my own horn to say that I am very, very loyal, but quite casual, gamer - and I feel like this is a reward aimed at me and those like me (and certainly a bonus for everyone else).

I am 100% certain that this will encourage me to revisit old characters, cycle through characters rather than playing just one and get me playing the game more.

As much as I love the game, and as certain as I am that leveling is 'quick' compared to other games... if you can only play for 2 hours a week, that exp bonus will be very nice. It can be a drag to be in the 30s and feel like it will be a month before you see another level (hence all my low level alts - when you can only get on once in two weeks, it helps the enthusiam to know you will level).

Really, that's all. I just felt this spoke to me - a loyal long term customer - and wanted to thank you (and perhaps balance out those who feel like this rewards people for 'not playing' - though I envy them their free time, just what are they thinking?).

Musashi

I think what will really be interesting will be to see how much the population will grow in certain zones...

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Agreed, I don't want everything "now now NOW!" I just want it in a reasonable amount of time.

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"Reasonable amount of time" is entirely subjective. I think the time they've set the badges at looks about right. Obviously you don't. Neither one of us is 'right' because what's reasonable is just an opinion. So keep in mind when you say "I just want it in a reasonable amount of time", everyone's definition of reasonable is different.

I'll say this much though: better to err on the side of a long timer because if it's set too short, people will get all the badges quickly and then there'll be no other badges for them to get.

I think a lot of people in this thread don't really realize how much their characters are really offline, Heal farms excepted. But then it's not intended that someone get a Heal badge using a Heal farm anyway. In fact, the more people who do that and get the badge that way, the less likely Positron will ever change the requirement to something more reasonable.

I don't like the idea of being rewarded for NOT playing the game. 30 days offline to earn these badges is a ridiculous time sink.

But it's not 30 days offline. It's 30 days cummulative time credit. As I said earlier, is someone plays 4 hours every single day, it would only take them 35 days to get these badges.

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I don't like the idea of being rewarded for NOT playing the game. 30 days offline to earn these badges is a ridiculous time sink.

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You, and most others complaining about this, are completely missing how this will work. It's cumulative time, measured in seconds. So if you play a character every day for 4 hours a day, you're still racking up 20 hours off offline time PER DAY. So you get 83% credit for a day offline for every calendar day that goes by. How is this so worthy of angst? In 5 weeks you'll have your "month offline badge" for a character you play constantly. Big frickin' deal.

It's not even a month and a half, it's 35 days. To do a month and a half, you'd have to play exactly 8 hours every single day with the same character.

Edit: Ack you edited on me

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I don't like the idea of being rewarded for NOT playing the game. 30 days offline to earn these badges is a ridiculous time sink.

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You, and most others complaining about this, are completely missing how this will work. It's cumulative time, measured in seconds. So if you play a character every day for 4 hours a day, you're still racking up 20 hours off offline time PER DAY. So you get 83% credit for a day offline for every calendar day that goes by. How is this so worthy of angst? In a 5 weeks you'll have your "month offline badge" for a character you play constantly. Big frickin' deal.

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Click the link in my sig for why I think the proposed implementation is weak for thematic concerns, conceptual concerns and timesink concerns, and how a few minor tweaks will make this far more palatable for the playerbase who've voiced up in the last 24 hours.

@TURGENEV - Freedom Server / IRON / B.A.N.E / HORDE

Turg Fiction: Ghost in the Machine Acts III & IV coming 2012!
Turg Fiction: IX is now LIVE on Architect Entertainment!

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You, and most others complaining about this, are completely missing how this will work.

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No, we aren't.

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It's cumulative time, measured in seconds. So if you play a character every day for 4 hours a day, you're still racking up 20 hours off offline time PER DAY. So you get 83% credit for a day offline for every calendar day that goes by.

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Yeah, ok. Not that much of a mystery.

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How is this so worthy of angst?

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Because....

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In a 5 weeks you'll have your "month offline badge"

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Too long. That is the issue. That you disagree is not a....

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Big frickin' deal.

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How does the counter work? If I am logged out for 8 hours do I get a 1/3 of a day credit, or do I need to be logged out the full day. I assume it's the first

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The counter is based on seconds, so every second you are logged out you are getting credit.

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60*60*24*30= 2,592,000seconds in case anyone besides Empire cares.

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How is this so worthy of angst?

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Because the badgers are approaching this from the perspective of "When I decide to get a badge, I devote the whole of my gametime toward earning that badge." Sort of like how if you want the badge for killing Vampyrs, rather than just accumulating them as you do Council missions, you go to Striga and run around for a couple hours killing nothing but Vampyrs. From that perspective, when a badger decides to get a day job badge, they need to do everything they can to progress toward getting it, and in this case that means logging off the character for a month.

I really do think the offline badges would be best approached without that mentality. It's something that happens in the background. When you're online, focus on getting the badges you can get through hard playtime, but the only thought you should really be putting toward the offline badges is where you log out. You'll get them eventually, and like as not you won't even notice. I'm shocked every time I see I've received a new veteran award, for example. Three months went by that fast?

I know whenever someone posts a negative view of something it just appears like complaining, but here's my 2 cents.
While I like the addition of new ideas and new content to any game, this issue just strikes me as, well, "meh."
There wasnt some movement of people and posts requesting or pining for some sort of offline advancement system, no months or -years- of waiting for it be released, nothing, while there -are- said flocks of people asking for/suggesting/pining for other things. I also realize some of the things people are clamoring for; bug fixes, power streamlining, blue side epic archetype love are being addressed, I cant help but feel a bit cheated that one of the major focuses on our bi-yearly issues was something no-one wanted, and from what I've read about it, not everyone will agree with.

I also cant help but feel cheated that the base-oriented changes were scrapped, no new base content, no (and now on this I'm not 100% on) fixes to base raiding, nothing. They have said they WERE working on a base overhaul, but in the end it sucked so they scrapped it, perhaps it wouldnt have flopped if all the manpower devoted to this dayjobs project had been free to help.
And on top of all of that, months at a time spent OFFLINE to gain rewards from this system? A system based on PAYING to NOT play the game? I realize this is mostly a boon to players with multiple alts, so when you do go to pick up your alt he has some newfangled stuff that lasts for...10 minutes to 2 hours? I know your not REQUIRED to be log off to gain these benefits, but thats saying basically heres a half year of work that your not REQUIRED to interact with, but if you want to you need to pay us to not play the game. Bleh.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but I couldnt help but express the sour feeling I get from every single facet and aspect of this Issue, not to mention the base salvage total revamp feature that, again, NO ONE ASKED FOR.
Thank you.

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In a 5 weeks you'll have your "month offline badge"

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Too long. That is the issue. That you disagree is not a....

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Big frickin' deal.

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I think the majority of early complaints on this were indeed from people who thought they'd have to log off for 30 consecutive days. If that was the case, they'd have a legitimate beef. Or if the number was really huge, like 2 years, I could see folks being annoyed. I would object too!

From the time it takes you after character creation, how long does it take to earn Portal Jockey? How about Task Force Commander or Field Crafter? There are many examples of current badges that can't be earned very quickly.

Anyway, you clearly understand how the mechanism works, and you're certainly entitled to express your disagreement but I don't agree with you.

Posi,

Do these badges have progress bars? I know a few things don't (gladiators and fabricator I'm looking at you), and these are the sort of badge that, to me, will be very hard to keep track of and keep the spirit to keep going without a bar to show I am, indeed, making progress.