Live Feedback: Issue 14: City of Heroes (Blueside)
By
Alpha_A,
Posted on: 2009-04-16 14:34 in Developers' Corner
I love tickets. I love being able to take bronze rolls and throw them all on the market......FOR CHEAP
Ignoring anyone is a mistake. You might miss something viral to your cause.
Although i read the forums literally everyday, i rarely, if ever respond. Due to the current events going on in game, i feel compelled to voice my 2 cents.
I think most, reasonable, people would agree on a couple things that could be done to stop alot what is killing the intended flow of the game. Right after the luanch of i14 there was a post that suggested making teaming the same as the rest of the game (That needs to be done) no "ifs" "ands" or "buts" about it. Thats gonna slow things down. I think we all missed a point here (devs included) that MA should , at most, be a "nifty feature" and not nearly as rewarding. CoX has been a "nerf happy" game ever since i started (why kill the streak) and should jump on this issue soon b4 everyone gets too comfortable. This issue is a deal breaker for many. Even if you disagree with my assesment, mark my words, you will get bored. The tickets need to be passed out like merits, 2 at a time for "junk farms", as if it were a special story arc or such. Then perhaps lessen the amount for purchases to accomodate a little (not much) and the rest should fall into place. I know i may have over-simplified things a touch, but the dev staff is a group of intelligent people, i have faith.
* Dig it! *
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The tickets need to be passed out like merits, 2 at a time for "junk farms", as if it were a special story arc or such. Then perhaps lessen the amount for purchases to accomodate a little (not much) and the rest should fall into place. I know i may have over-simplified things a touch, but the dev staff is a group of intelligent people, i have faith.
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I have gotten 225 tickets over cap since the MA went live. If they lessen the tickets you get then the normal gamer like myself will suffer. Get people to stop power gaming and farming, then there wouldnt be a problem 
OK I have a love/hate thing going on with AE. I love the ability to gain fast levels and try new builds. I hate the secondary effects its having on regular teaming and TF.
That being said it has all been covered in this thread.
The only thing that I would 100% like to see changed is remove the AE building from Atlas.
I dont care if you keep it in Galaxy for low level toons or drop both since the contact isnt until you hit level 6. But the AE has destroyed the Social gathering of Atlas.
By removing the AE building in Atlas; Galaxy would have the Arena and the AE. Atlas would have the Sewers, Wentworth's, Vanguard, and the return of the social gatherings.
Doing this will still allow level 1-5 to still use the AE and spread the load of the server around to different zones.
The lag in Atlas is too much. MMO are as much social as they are game play. Please rethink keeping AE in Atlas.
Well, it's been 10 Issues since Travel Power Suppression was inflicted on the subscribers with all the forethought of using manure to sculpt a masterpiece, and you STILL haven't got rid of Travel Power Suppression.
Get rid of Travel Power Suppression and you'll at least be on the right track again. You'll probably get a lot of subscribers back, too.
Dasher
HELP SAVE THIS GAME!
If we can save this game, I promise I will never complain about Travel Power Suppression again! You have my word on it!
"The customer is always right."
Many of the complaints against the overwhelming presence of MA farmers would be ameliorated by one action: make the AE center its own zone, along the same lines as Pocket D.
You click on the AE door, and you are taken to another zone entirely.
That ends the lag problem in AP, it ends the farmspam problem that drowns out attempts to put together mission teams, and it allows the farmers to congregate with people of like mind (and gets them out of the sightline of people who really, really dislike the farmers... happiness all around).
Put a trainer in, and there's no reason for a farmer to ever poke his nose out of AE, and he can farm to his little heart's content without once giving an anti-farmer heartburn. Again, happiness all around.
... You're assuming everyone playing AE is a farmer.
I want to use the AE without being bothered by farmers, or without having to wade through their sh... shinola.
No, I'm assuming that the majority of people playing AE are farmers. There is a difference in the two points.
As for your problem, I have no solution. If you want to use AE, you have to put up with the problems caused by the AE farmer.
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Many of the complaints against the overwhelming presence of MA farmers would be ameliorated by one action: make the AE center its own zone, along the same lines as Pocket D..
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There's one problem I see with this. If the AE is consolidated down to one zone, then there will be no quiet AE buildings for me to just work on my stories and solo-test them. I like being able to go to a less-populated zone and work without too many distractions. This would be impossible if all AE doors led to the same zone. It would also further defeat the purpose of having any other sort of zone-teleporting power, unless they make it function like the SG base entrance where it spits you back out only in the zone that you can from. Although, to do that, I think they might have to set the AE up to be a different kind of zone, similar to missions/bases; I don't know though, maybe it could work.
What I think would be a *possibly* better solution would be for the devs to just acknowledge that people are going to farm - no matter how much they're told not to - and make a new zone for it. I know, I know, new zone for just the farmers? What the hell am I thinking? Well, it would benefit the farmers and the whiners. In my head, this new zone is called The Farm and it's set up to look like an actual farm to poke fun at the farmers (heck, maybe just re-use the one Croatoa map), but with an AE building in it; throw in a trainer, a crafting spot, and an auction house and they're set. The Farm could be connected to the yellow line trains and then the farming could be completely contained. Now, once The Farm is set up; make it a ban-able offense to broadcast farms in any other zone. If you want to farm, you *need* to be in the right zone, no exceptions. If you don't ever want to farm, just don't go to The Farm (just like PvP zones; don't wanna PvP, don't go. Also, the zone shouldn't get any exploration badges put into it so that it doesn't force non-farming badge-hunters [isn't that an oxymoron?] to go there.) If you do want to farm, you're free to go to The Farm and bust out your pitchfork and hoe and get to work.
Heck, throw in some witty dialogue that pokes fun at farming for any NPCs in The Farm and the devs will have a way to vent some of their frustration at the farmers while giving them what they want. I wouldn't say this is a perfect solution, but it would give everyone what they want; and I'm sure the devs would get some satisfaction from watching farmers get banned for broadcasting their farms outside of The Farm.
Also, I do farm occasionally. When you have as many toons as I do, you get tired of running through the same low level missions over and over again; sometimes it's nice to skip by it and move on to the more interesting aspects of the game (I'd much rather fight Malta and Carnies with a full arsenal of attacks than trudge through the lower levels fighting Trolls and Outcasts waiting for my two attack powers to recharge; also, low level CoT vs. high level CoT, I'd much rather fight the high level ones since it means I am more equipped to deal with them).
tl;dr: Segregate the farmers into a new zone. Ban people who try to farm outside of the new zone.
@Johnstone & @Johnstone 2
ediblePoly.com
All my characters
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There's one problem I see with this. If the AE is consolidated down to one zone, then there will be no quiet AE buildings for me to just work on my stories and solo-test them. I like being able to go to a less-populated zone and work without too many distractions. This would be impossible if all AE doors led to the same zone. It would also further defeat the purpose of having any other sort of zone-teleporting power, unless they make it function like the SG base entrance where it spits you back out only in the zone that you can from. Although, to do that, I think they might have to set the AE up to be a different kind of zone, similar to missions/bases; I don't know though, maybe it could work.
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I'll give you the same suggestion a pro-farmer gave me: move to a less populated server. I know, I know, you've likely played on the same server for five years now, and all your characters are on your home server, but its only fair that, since you're the one with the complaint, that you're the one who has to move.
<That was meant ironically and tongue in cheek>
Tongue in cheek? That was kind of your response to me...
Not at all. I just can't come up with a solution for you, Doc. Sorry about that. I'd like to get the farmers out of sight, because out of sight equals, well, you know. I can't make everyone happy, so I try to make most people happy.
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Not at all. I just can't come up with a solution for you, Doc. Sorry about that. I'd like to get the farmers out of sight, because out of sight equals, well, you know. I can't make everyone happy, so I try to make most people happy.
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Listed as a feature for I15
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New Server-wide Architect Chat channel
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Be patient grasshopper. 
The development team and this community deserved better than this from NC Soft. Best wishes on your search.
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There's one problem I see with this. If the AE is consolidated down to one zone, then there will be no quiet AE buildings for me to just work on my stories and solo-test them. I like being able to go to a less-populated zone and work without too many distractions. This would be impossible if all AE doors led to the same zone. It would also further defeat the purpose of having any other sort of zone-teleporting power, unless they make it function like the SG base entrance where it spits you back out only in the zone that you can from. Although, to do that, I think they might have to set the AE up to be a different kind of zone, similar to missions/bases; I don't know though, maybe it could work.
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I'll give you the same suggestion a pro-farmer gave me: move to a less populated server. I know, I know, you've likely played on the same server for five years now, and all your characters are on your home server, but its only fair that, since you're the one with the complaint, that you're the one who has to move.
<That was meant ironically and tongue in cheek>
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Did you notice my "Loc"? I'm on Guardian. I *am* on one of the less populated servers. It's still damn noisy in the AP AE.
@Johnstone & @Johnstone 2
ediblePoly.com
All my characters
'Not at all. I just can't come up with a solution for you, Doc. Sorry about that. I'd like to get the farmers out of sight, because out of sight equals, well, you know. I can't make everyone happy, so I try to make most people happy. '
You propose a 'solution' to YOUR problem and then say _I_ just have to deal with it.
Maybe your solution isn't a good one?
I have to agree that making AE a zone for itself is a bad idea, it would defeat the purpose of making the AE building with actual windows which show everything in the zone outside. Not only that, but I appreciate finding a less traveled zone to make/edit/test actual stories my fellow players created.
As for the lag issue in AP for low leveled characters trying to find teams and the rediculous amounts of AE farm broadcasts, go team in Galaxy City. I mean, honestly, Galaxy is as empty as nearly any other zone when it comes to AE farmers. Sure, it may be hard to find a team there, but if everyone who was frustrated with AP being full of AE farmers were to start going there instead you could easily find a team of individuals who want to play the game in the same style as yourself.
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'Not at all. I just can't come up with a solution for you, Doc. Sorry about that. I'd like to get the farmers out of sight, because out of sight equals, well, you know. I can't make everyone happy, so I try to make most people happy. '
You propose a 'solution' to YOUR problem and then say _I_ just have to deal with it.
Maybe your solution isn't a good one?
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Maybe it isn't. I'm trying to solve my problem, not everyone's. My proposal is what I think will help the maximum number of people. I can't help everyone, so somewhere, somehow, someone will lose out. I'm sorry that in this case its you, but nothing personal was meant by it.
Lag is Lag is Lag....
Making a "pocket D" AE isn't an effective option....
How about if you didn't have to be in the same zone as the rest of your team to enter the AE mission. Like i can be in St. martial , player 2and3 in cap, player 4 in shark, player 5 6 7 in po, and player 8 in mercy. I set the mission and you can enter from any AE terminal?
That way you don't have to have everyone crowded into certain AE buildings to team with them.
The Mission Architect is a real frustration for me. To my way of thinking it has just about killed the rest of the game. It is very hard now to find regular mission teams and task forces. It is difficult to make money outside the architect because prices are way down on items because no one is buying since they can get them in architect. I can no0t make enough money anymore to even buy enhancements. It is like the outside AE has regressed back to before the wentworth's system came in.
Worse. Many, many of the AE missions are not well balanced for the players abilities and seem to just be some one trying to go power crazy and beat up on other toons, but, until you try a mish you do not know if it is balanced or not so there is a lot of time wasted.
I am sick of AE and I am not sure I can see a future in this game to keep my interest for me to reach my 5 year mark.
Since I!$ came in and AE caught on there is so much lag that the experienc is miserable. Why can;t the servers be larger so accomodate the load instead of punishing the subscribers by lagging them and disconnecting them. Worse, when a
Rikti attack or a zombie attack takes place the servers are nearly paralyzed. The last one I was in half my powers never would go off and others if I stubbornly waited for it to work would take as long a 18 seconds (I timed it) for one attack. Where is the fun in that?
If the devs blame it on my machine then my reply is that it did not use to be like this so if the game is growing beyond my machine then I will have to quit playing because I will not replace a computer just to play this game.
halfthief, what server are you experiencing this problem on? I've noticed a little lag around some of the AE buildings on my servers, but nothing worth worrying about. I'm playing on Liberty, Triumph, Protector, Champion, Guardian and Pinnacle.
Solve the problem in a few easy steps:
1: Create a character.
2: Use search to find people who are not looking to farm.
3: Team with these people and add them to your friends list.
4: Find an active SG that is not focused on farming, or start one yourself.
5: Play the game the way you want.
That said...
Ticket drops need to be reduced by 1/2 while increasing merit drops in story arcs 2x.
OR
Ticket drops remain as is but Presteige, Inf and XP is only purchacable with tickets, halving the value of AE missions.
Regular and uncommon salvage needs to drop normally in AE missions, as do normal enhancements and regular IO recepies.
I agree that power supression needs to be implemented throughout the entire AE building, as well as the Markets.
Devs should keep deleting missions that are pure farms with no artistic integrity. There will still be missions that are good farms by chance, we don't need missions specifically for that.
If chocolate cake could be as nutritious as a well balanced meal as well as low calorie and fat, but still taste the same, every one would eat nothing but chocolate cake. Would this be a problem? Yes. Why? Because there are people who do not like chocolate, or cake, or any combination of the 2. So if it's "what's for dinner" there will be people going hungry.
Wrong, there is still everything else that was out there before the perfect chocolate cake was introduced.
And you do realize that you can get all the stuff you want as drops from the ticket store right?
In a literal sense you are right.
In a practical sense you are wrong.
The food is still out there, it's just far less convenient for those who want it to obtain it since it's gone out of style.
And sure you can get that stuff from tickets. But is anyone? Unlikely.
I'm not big on farming. I like the game, and I like playing thru it's content.
That said, I also would like to point out I'm a serious badger. I go out of my way to try and get as many badges on my main as I can...
The MA brought with it numerous new badges. Most of which are fairly easy to obtain ( I mean by the legal methods ). However, some of them are basically impossible outside of farming, or coersion. Not to mention some will be downright impossible period( what are the odds of getting an arc into the Hall of Fame with so many arcs out there? And I won't even get into the odds of getting DevC'ed). This, makes things incredibly frustrating, for everyone.
I decided to test the odds a bit. I have 3 published arcs at the moment. One is a 5 part arc, story driven and designed to be a challenge (see sig). The second is a one mission story, has alot of opportunities to earn progress for badges, but still story driven and difficult. And the last is a straight out farm, no story, no content.
My main arc took me 2 weeks of hard work to make and was published the day after MA went live (i started work on it in beta); the second took me a day to make and was published a week ago, the third took me 15 minutes and was published yesterday. Out of all three arcs, the third (my farm) has had the most reviews, the most people played and has gotten me the most progress towards the writer badge...
Now, seeing these facts, we can see how this affects everyone: People looking for good content can't find it cause it gets buried in all the farms. People making content in order to get badges are forced to make farms cause players don't do 5 mission arcs to get badges, they do the one mission farms.
Even if the devs nerf the heck out of the rikti dolls, or what ever else people will be using, people are still going to make farms for reasons other than exp.
What needs to be done is to find a way to filter out content in the MA better, giving players a better chance to find the good (read: hard worked) content. We also need to change the requirements on the badges that ask for "# of players that have run your arcs" and "# of stars rated on your arc", this will help reduce the famrs a bit.
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