this game should lower its monthly fee to $9.99

I have some crippling difficulties when it comes to reading the original poster's posts, but from what I can gather, there are a LOT of things in that posted budget that can be cut before you go around asking for game subscriptions to be made cheaper. I pretty much started laughing at "Xbox Live subscription, WoW subscription, City of Heroes subscription... Did I mention my money is tight?" I guess that means I must be flat broke if I refuse to pay for another MMO unless it's so good I can stop playing City of Heroes...

On the "must be crazy or spoiled to not want to pay less" front, that is a farce. We're not little kids. We don't pay because we're told to pay. We pay for a service and I HOPE most of us understand that the money we pay goes towards sustaining and expanding that service (I've conceded it's a service AND a game, so don't bother). I highly doubt Positron is making a money house out of our monthly subscriptions, for instance. The money we pay goes right back into the game in large part. Because I like the game, I happen to appreciate that.

Would I like to pay less? Practically, yes. I'd like nothing better than to live life for free. But I know full well how heavily the game's revenue would tank if we all paid a third less, and I also understand that the support this game is getting from PlayNC is directly related to the game being one of their longest-running, most profitable games. Slash the profit margin, you're cutting right into the meat of the game. And, call me crazy, but I'd rather pay $5 a month more and have a GOOD game to play than squeeze my wallet and have an ill-supported game or, worse still, no game at all.

You get what you pay for. I'd rather not pay less because I'd rather not get less. Simple as that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.

[ QUOTE ]
This thread is flame bait at this point.

[/ QUOTE ]

It was flame bait when the OP made his first post. The OP's problem is he wants to spend more money than he earns. As adults we all learn to live within our means. If there is something we want that's outside our means we adapt. We give up something in order to get something, or we do without. Throwing a hissy-fit never works, and calling people names when they point out the obvious flaws in his argument just confirms his immaturity.

If the OP wants to spend more money than he earns, he should go into government.

[ QUOTE ]
another game i play phantasy star universe which is $9.99/month. it came out in october 2006. and ppl complain about the fee there all the time. and sometimes i subscribe to wow. also xbox live $50/yr these fees add up. 9.99 for psu, 14.99 for wow, 14.99 for coh. thats 50+ a month on games. this adds up.

along with about 200 to 300 on groceries/alcohol/restaurants per month, 279 for rent each month. 40/mo to my brother for doing the dishes, and cleaning the apartment. 20 for adult entertainment. 50 for car insurance. 25 for renters insurance. 10 for life insurance. 30+ for gas. i'm gonna have to pay for dental insurance soon. also money for furniture, new bed, bedding stuff, electronics, soon a new $1200 computer. also other games i buy such as sf4, fightpad controller, defense grid, castle crashers, ssf2thdr and other games, video rentals. and medical expenses i just paid 735 for a hospitol bill, credit report 25. gambling, movie theateres, postal stamps, luckily no credit cards currently. and i get about $900/month from disability, and i live in north county san diego, ca. i'm not working right now. soon i'll go back to work after i have a cataract in my eye removed. then i go back to pizza delivery for round table while getting disability.

i'm surprised so many ppl were against this. you must be rich or are you brats that live off your parents. how easily do you give away your money. talk about trolls, and flaming. it seems like you should want to save money not give it away. what are you gonna do when champions comes out? pay another 14.99 or let your characters die? i'll probably subscribe to this on, and off like i do wow. and switch to champions maybe when it comes out. also i was only trying this game out to see wheter i like it or if it was worth it, not promising to be a lifetime subscriber.

[/ QUOTE ]

Allow me to solve all your monetary problems for City of Heroes -and- save you a bit of money!

You're on the Internet. You can get porn for free. So that $20 for adult entertainment can pay for City. =-3

No? How about doing the dishes yourself? That'd save you $25, wouldn't it?

Still No, huh? Maybe cut back on the restaurants and alcohol?

Oh! Oh! don't gamble!

Or give up Movie theatres? Make it a once in a while treat?

We want to continue paying our $14.99 a month because we realize this game is worth it, if not more. We realize that a $500,000 a month hit to NCSoft's wallet would quickly cut into the production team of the game we like.

Perhaps if you were to cut your spending and/or live within your means you might have better luck at paying your bills on time while still being able to afford a game you like playing.

-Rachel-

[ QUOTE ]
You're on the Internet. You can get porn for free. So that $20 for adult entertainment can pay for City. =-3

[/ QUOTE ]

You know, that's actually a pretty good idea. I was going to say that there are things Live adult entertainment can give you that Online adult entertainment can't, but... Let's just say those aren't the things you can get for $20 anyway, so the point remains.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.

[ QUOTE ]
Of course Im currently paying $143.40 for 14 months, thanks to the special offer around the turn of the year.

Thats $10.24/month.

Annual billing works out to $11.95/month.

[/ QUOTE ]

Same here.

I'll break it down for ya pal.

Lower subscription fee = less new stuff in the game.

They just hired a LOT of new programmers and other people who all contribute to the game on a daily basis. Like the MA? Like the idea of Going Rogue? Like the fact that they actually fix things that are broken?

None of those things would happen if they didn't have the money to pay all the people they hired.

Where do you think that money comes from?

Continuing onward:

Less new stuff in the game = fewer players over time.

If new stuff was not constantly being introduced a lot of people would move on and take their business elsewhere.

Fewer players over time = even less profit for the parent company (NCSoft)

When the game starts costing more money to run than it is earning per month they will shut it down. They are, after all, running a business.

Your suggestion of lowering the game's subscription fee will cause the inevitable death of the game FAR sooner than it otherwise would be. And I'm sorry, but I would like to continue playing a game that I enjoy as long as I am able to. I would rather not have my pastime prematurely shortened because one jackhole can't budget enough money for his subscription.

So, in summary:

I would much rather pay $15 a month and have them spend the money they make on improvements and additions to the game than pay $5 less and have them do less to make the game better.

[ QUOTE ]
Like the fact that they actually fix things that are broken?


[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously? Where?? Im still getting that anoying chat bug thats been in game since i14 release. they need to hurry and fix that crap.

But in all seriousness, $15 a month isnt much for a great game. like it has been pointed out here paying that monthly subscription gets you new FREE Updates and patches, pretty good customer support, and new hiring of programmers that looks like they are kicking butt on a new expansion.

This game may be 5 years old, but it sure doesnt play like it.

Is this like a joke thread or is the OP being for real?

he's being serious cause he doesn't know how to control his impulse spending lol.

[ QUOTE ]
I think you should all cut the OP some slack. This game is old, and not only that, look how many people have already played it!

[/ QUOTE ]
amusement parks have been around for a while, museums have been around for a while. Lots of things have gone up in price although being "around for a while"

i guess i'm going to on, and off my subscription to only pay it when i'm committed to heavily play this game instead of having an on-going subscription all the time.

i'm kinda newby to this game. do they really add all that much content all the time? or do they mostly just fix game errors all the time?

one thing all this flaming shows to me is that alot of ppl seem to like this game are apparently satisfied with the game the new content addition, and the fixing of game errors/brokenness.

Take a look at each of the links to Issues on this page: http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Issues

Issue 1, for example, added the following:
2 New City Zones

* Peregrine Island - This zone, north of Talos Island, is home to the secretive Portal Corporation.
* Rikti Crash Site - In this zone, the Rikti War still rages. Join the battle and keep Earth safe from the alien invaders.

New twists to missions

* 5th Column Prison - When you're defeated in certain equipped 5th Column bases, you will have more to deal with than a hospital bill.
* Circle of Thorns Crystal Prison - Like the 5th Column, if you are defeated in selected lairs, the Circle of Thorns will have a big surprise in store for you.
* Circle of Thorns Gate Room - The Circle has found a new method of protecting its dark secrets: the Gate Room.
* Circle of Thorns Orichalchum Crystals - Magic can bring power, or magic can bring pain. These crystals have become infused with the Circle's dark magic, and heroes will often find themselves surprised by the results.
* Tech Danger Lab - Technology can be somewhat unreliable. The only way to find out what the Tech Danger Lab holds is to experiment and observe the results.

Outdoor Mission Maps

* The villains of Paragon City have taken the fight to the streets.

Content For levels 40-50

* The sick amusements of the Carnival of Shadows have turned deadly. Learn the source of their powers on your quest to save a single soul.
* Expose the darkness in Countess Crey's closets and bring her secrets to light at last.
* Begin to plumb the depths of the mysterious Malta Group.
* Nemesis: How far will the Prussian Prince of Automatons go in his bid to conquer America?
* As with many new technologies, Portal Corporation's advances involve great risks. Venture to alternate realities to keep Paragon City safe from the many hazards of the multiverse.
* Is there any hope for peace between the Rikti and Earth? Not if you don't keep your eye on the factions that have begun to splinter Rikti society.
* The Praetorian supervillains may well be the greatest threat your fair city has ever faced. Take the battle to their home dimension to keep Paragon City safe.

Trial Room

* Sewer Trial Room - Deep within the sewer system, something is growing. Characters between levels 38 and 40 must battle the Hydra to keep it contained - but be sure to come prepared for a long, hard fight.

Tailor

* Now your costume can change and evolve with your hero. At 3 locations within Paragon City, you can update your outfit - for a price.
* At levels 20, 30 and 40, you can earn extra costume slots by performing tasks for Icon's tailors. Now you can customize your look on a daily basis! You may perform these tasks at any level after the initial level.

Power Bug Fixes

* Decreased the difficulty of higher level foes. Foes 4 and 5 levels higher than you are now easier. Foes 6 and 7 levels higher than you are slightly easier, but still very difficult.
* Fixed a bug that made some powers buff/heal less in an AoE if it hit a villain target (like Transfusion, Siphon Power, or Twilight Grasp) that was higher level. These powers will now buff/heal based on the casters level.
* Fixed a bug that was causing Scrapper/Regeneration/Resilience to drain a tiny bit of END every 10 seconds.
* Fixed Short Help description for Claws/Focus. It used to say it was a Melee AoE, but it is actually a Ranged Targeted power. Power did not change, only description was corrected.
* Fixed Short Help description for Storm Summoning/O2 Boost. It used to say it was a Ranged AoE, but it is actually a Ranged Targeted Ally power. Power did not change, only description was corrected.
* Fixed Short Help and long description for Energy Blast/Explosive Blast. Actual damage is Moderate, but description said it was Minor. Power did not change, only description was corrected.
* Fixed O2 Boost and Clear Mind Resistance to Sleep (it would awaken slept Allies, but it gave no resistance).
* Burn now also protects the caster from Sleep and Hold effects.
* Fixed inconsistency in the short and long help of Energy Blast/Explosive Blast (power did not change).
* Provoke now accepts Accuracy Enhancements.
* Added a Critical Hit (small % change to do double damage) to ALL Scrapper Primary attack powers. Existing scrapper powers that already had critical hit damage have a higher success chance than other powers.
* Added Resistance to Hold and Knockback to Moment of Glory (technically, this is a bug fix).
* Decreased the Accuracy BONUS of higher level villains when attacking lower level Heroes. This change effectively improved Defensive powers (buffs and Defense armors). There was a discrepancy that made Resist Damage powers more effective against higher level foes than Defense powers. This change does not change any power directly, but allows Defense powers to be more effective against higher level foes. They should be equally effective as Resist Damage powers. This change does slightly reduce a higher level Heroes ability to hit lower level villains, but it should be hardly noticed since High level Heroes are significantly more powerful than lower level villains and will still hardly miss anyway.
* Fixed a bug that allowed Slow (Slow Recharge Time) powers to increase a target's recharge time to infinity. Maximum debuff to recharge time is now 4 times normal recharge (this applies to villains and Heroes).
* Fixed a bug that allowed Debuff Damage powers to debuff a target's damage to zero. A target's damage can not be debuffed below 10% of its normal damage (this applies to villains and Heroes).
* There is now a MAX damage resistance of 90% for all (standard) damage types. No combination of powers or enhancements can bring your damage resistance beyond 90%. Any damage resistance beyond 90% will go towards damage resistance protection (it will protect you from getting your damage resistance debuffed).
* Increased Max possible Resistance to Speed Running, Flying and Swimming to 100% (villains and Heroes).
* Fixed Collision/Selection box of many larger villains.
* The minimum resistance for a character has been increased. This change limits the susceptibility of characters to damage when they are debuffed. The limit is now four times the damage the power would do if the target was not debuffed.
* Increased defense of Ice Armor/Frozen Armor and Glacial Armor.
* Increased defense of Super Reflexes/Focused Fighting, Focused Senses and Evasion.
* Heal Other and Twilight Grasp can now be resisted (in case the target is suppose to be resistant to Heal). This is a fix. All other Heals were always resistible.
* Changed schema of CoT Mages Kamikaze power (Without giving away too much, their Kamikaze power will appear less random now, and you should be able to employ countermeasures to deal with this now.)
* Added system chat message to villain sniper attacks.
* Fixed small typo in Shadow Maul critical system chat message.
* "Underling"-class villains like the Rikti Monkeys have had the reward for defeating them placed more in line with their difficulty.
* Fixed Totem Damage resistance.
* Fixed Provoke's accuracy.
* Fixed Burn Radius (it was smaller than intended. It now functions as it should).
* Fixed a bug with certain Powers that debuff resistance's. Before this change, a power which affected resistance would apply this resistance to itself. This resulted in compounding the intended effect, which made the power work incorrectly overall.

For example: Imagine one de-buffed a villain's resistance to Fire Damage powers, thereby making them more susceptible to powers of that nature. On the next combat tick, the villain's resistance is calculated again, but this time he's susceptible to Fire Damage powers-- including the one which made him susceptible in the first place. So, he would be made even MORE susceptible. On the next combat tick, it would happen again, etc. The compounded resistance makes the initial debuff much more powerful than intended. In fact, a very small stack of this debuff ends up being completely unresistable. Freezing Rain and Enervating Field are the two powers which are affected by this change. In typical circumstances, you should see little difference in their effects. When stacking these powers, though, you will see the change. If you've been using a small stack of these powers to trivially take out an archvillain or monster, you will find that you will need to stack more of them. In short, instead of the stack multiplying and compounding over time, its strength becomes the sum of the stack; as was intended by the original design. Hero resistance buffs have always been unresistable; they will not be affected by this change at all.

Mission Bug Fixes

* Penny Preston will no longer give her mission to characters under level 30.
* Serafina will now sell the proper Enhancements.
* Broken Story Arcs have had a fix-attempt made to them. If you have had clues in your clue bag for several levels, go back and talk to all your Contacts to see if you can complete Story Arcs that failed to complete the first time (depending on your level, completing these missions might be rather easy).
* Many, many missions that were giving "Internal Errors issuing this task" or no waypoints appearing have been fixed.
* Many instances of out-of-range Bosses appearing in missions and spawns have been fixed.

Exploits

* To deal with an XP sharing inconsistency for teams containing members with very wide level gap, we've made the following changes: XP splitting has now changed, giving a larger share to higher level people in your group. Characters groups with a level range of 6 or less should see no significant change as long as they fight mid-range encounters. This is to compensate for how much easier encounters are when the villains are well under the level of the Heroes in your group. Grossly under-level characters (not-sidekicked) in a group are ignored when determining the group's level in regards to rewards.
* Increased the XP reward for villains 3 or more levels above the Hero defeating them.

Physics

The jump code was slightly changed to better reflect reality, to be modified by powers better, and to provide overall better gameplay.
Networking

Added networking code that handles client stalls better and should reduce disconnects for users with poor network connections.
New Slash Commands

* /nojumprepeat - Disables jump auto-repeat
* /whereami - Tells the name of the shard/map you are on
* /costume_change, /cc - Changes current costume

Misc

Added character delete confirmation





So while there were a pile of bugfixes they also added new zones, new content, and new abilities.

The Issue went live on June 24'th 2004. The game went live at the end of April, wasn't it? Or was it May?

So in 2-3 months from launch that's what was added to the game.

-Rachel-

[ QUOTE ]
also xbox live $50/yr these fees add up. 9.99 for psu, 14.99 for wow, 14.99 for coh. thats 50+ a month on games.

[/ QUOTE ]

Simple. Decide which services you can afford to stay on and drop everything else.

No fuss. No muss.

If this means you drop CoH? So be it.

[ QUOTE ]
along with about 200 to 300 on groceries/alcohol/restaurants per month,

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe cut back on the booze? Or eat a sandwich one night instead of hitting a restaurant?

[ QUOTE ]
20 for adult entertainment

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditch the porn...uh...never mind! Carry on!

[ QUOTE ]
i buy such as sf4, fightpad controller, defense grid, castle crashers, ssf2thdr and other games, video rentals.

[/ QUOTE ]

Cut back on buying STUFF. Or, as I said before, prioritize what means most to you, and drop anything that doesn't fit into your budget, starting with what matters least.

And no. I'm not rich.

I'm single. Live on my own. Don't drink. Don't smoke. Work my [censored] off (well, I'm trying, there's an AWFUL lot of it there). I catch an occasional movie. Read a lot from an extensive library. Barely watch TV. And I play exactly ONE MMO.

My monthly rent is roughly 3x what you're paying (and you're in friggin' San Diego!). Plus renter's insurance. I'm making mega-payments on a loan to pay off my school loans early.

Your problem isn't that CoH is too expensive. It's that you're living BEYOND YOUR MEANS. You're out of work, or delivering pizzas. NOT conducive to financing an active consumer-social life.

What am I going to do when CO comes out? Simple.

Continue playing CoH. I've seen and played CO. I'm not impressed TYVM. Combined with some CS issues, they will not be getting a monthly fee from me.

CoH has a better community, more content, and as pissed as I get at the devs for some of their ham-handed screw ups, my preference still lies with them, rather than the CO crew.

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

[ QUOTE ]
i'm kinda newby to this game. do they really add all that much content all the time? or do they mostly just fix game errors all the time?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes.

The last three issues have all bought new content. i14 brought the Mission Architect, which is effectively endless content.

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

[ QUOTE ]
i'm kinda newby to this game. do they really add all that much content all the time? or do they mostly just fix game errors all the time?

[/ QUOTE ]

Issue One

New City Zones
The Rikti Crash Site
Peregrine Island, home of Portal Corp
The Sewer Trial Room
Battle the massive beast that dwells in the depths of the city
Instanced outdoor missions
Fight rooftop to rooftop in the neighborhoods of Paragon City
New Villain groups
The ultra high-tech Malta Group
The wicked Carnival of Shadows
The super-powered Praetorians

Issue Two

2 New Zones:
The Hollows – A subterranean realm beneath the city holds dangers beyond imagining – and a gateway of almost limitless power.
The Shadow Shard – This deadly dimension is a mystery badly in need of solving, but at what cost?
New Villain Groups:
Rularuu – Battle massive Brutes and fearsome Sentries in your efforts to learn about the Shadow Shard.
Igneous – Face deadly Pumicites and molten Magmites in the Hollows.
Trials:
Terra Volta – In the devastation following the Rikti War, the Terra Volta reactor is Paragon City’s sole source of power. Unfortunately, the villains know this all too well.
Eden - Battle the Devouring Earth and free captured heroes before they become the Devoured.
Cavern of Transcendence – Discover what lies at the core of The Hollows.
Mission Enhancements:
New custom mission artwork – See the marks the many strange villain groups have left upon their surroundings.
New mission gameplay features – Smash stolen weapons to smithereens. Use teamwork to bypass Crey’s security protocols. Seek the key to the Outcasts’ inner sanctum – but watch out for the wandering patrols!
Features:
Power Re-specification – The Terra Volta reactor has been running beyond full capacity for quite some time. Heroes who venture within it may experience untold side-effects.
Capes at level 20 – Only those heroes who prove themselves worthy may wear this symbol of heroic might.
Effects at level 30 – New visual effects add a whole new dimension to your character.
Badges – Explore Paragon City and achieve badges to proudly display your accomplishments to other heroes.

Many Quality of Life issues, including:
Sidekick system – Sidekicking is now easier and more convenient than ever.
Enhancement Inventory – View, remove and trade enhancements more easily.
Give – Trade Inspirations or Enhancements quickly and easily – even during combat!
Looking For Groups across zones – Put together a crack team on the fly.
Teleportation\Resurrection confirmation – Confirmation windows put the power in your hands.
Email Notification – In game alert when you receive email.
Change Team Leader – Change your leader after team formation.

Issue Three

New Zone: Striga Isle (Security Level 20 – 29 recommended)
Smugglers on Talos Island and Independence Port can secure passage for anyone Security Level 20 or over to Striga Isle, an island just off the coast of the United States in international waters. This criminal haven is rumored to be a stronghold and training center for Council troops.
Heroes interested in investigating the island are advised to contact Stephanie Peebles near the docks.
New Villain Group: The Council (All Security Levels)
An internal coup d’etat has shattered the 5 th Column, and from their remnants, a new villain group, the Council has emerged. Rumor has it that the Council is not as new as we would be led to believe. Heroes are urged to investigate every aspect of this new group across all Security Levels.
Zone Events

Dock workers in Independence Port have gone on strike until their security can be ensured (Giant Octopus problem). Also, Independence Port and Talos Island citizens are reporting sightings of ghosts haunting the waterways. Levels 22 – 29 and 20 -27 respectively).
The Clockwork King is hard at work on something big in Kings Row. (Levels 5 – 10)
Epic Archetypes

Upon attaining level 50, you will unlock the first Epic Archetype available in City of Heroes. The Kheldians are a race of energy beings that have made Earth their new home. Kheldians and their dark cousins, the Nictus, attach to humans and form a symbiotic relationship with them.
You can play one of two new Archetypes, Peacebringers are the typical Kheldians, while Warshades are reformed Nictus who now fight for good.
Peacebringers are Natural Origin, while Warshades are Science based.
Peacebringers and Warshades have only one Primary and one Secondary Powerset to choose from, but these powersets have more powers to choose from than a normal powerset.
Kheldians and Nictus both have a severe vulnerability to a specific type of energy. Unfortunately sinister forces have made every villain group in Paragon City aware of this, and even supplied some with weapons that can severely hurt Kheldians. Be wary of villains wielding strange weapons, and the mysterious Void Hunters.
Ancillary Power Pools
Upon reaching level 41 , you gain the ability to choose from a new set of Ancillary Power Pools to help round out your character. You can only choose one of these Pools, so make your choice wisely

Blasters
Cold Mastery
Force Mastery
Flame Mastery
Munitions Mastery
Controllers
Stone Mastery
Fire Mastery
Ice Mastery
Primal Forces Mastery
Psionic Mastery
Defenders
Dark Mastery
Power Mastery
Psychic Mastery
Electricity Mastery
Scrappers
Body Mastery
Darkness Mastery
Weapon Mastery
Tankers
Energy Mastery
Pyre Mastery
Arctic Mastery
Earth Mastery

Issue Four

Player-Vs-Player Arena Matches!
Heroes now have the opportunity to compete against each other in a variety of battle scenarios designed to hone their fighting skills to incredible levels!
Solo, Team or Supergroup slug-fests for characters of all levels.
Arenas are found in zones accessible to all levels of characters: in Galaxy City, Talos Island, and Peregrine Island.
Matches can be preset or customized by the players.
Options include pick-up instant matches or scheduled events between teams and supergroups.
PvP is only done with the consent of each player involved.
Includes constantly updating Ranking System where players see their character’s ranked among the best of Paragon City.
Winners in the Arena matches gain recognition and the losers gain valuable battle experience without earning character debt.
New Costume Selections!
The award-winning character creation system has expanded to include all-new costume choices for the players to customize their heroes!
A robust selection of Anime-inspired costumes add another level of depth to the characters created by the players.
Body & Face Scaling Feature!
Players can break the mold even further by utilizing this new addition to the character creation system.
New face and head types provide players with the ability to create original hero designs that are truly unique to the super-powered character genre.
Updated Mouse Controls!
This new feature allows players to control their characters movements with just the mouse.
Coalition Chat Feature!
Different Supergroups will now have the ability to communicate with each other as they team up to simultaneously take on the largest menaces found in City of Heroes!

Issue Five

New Zone: Croatoa. Designed to challenge characters level 25 to 35 in a mysterious region infamous for its links to powerful magical forces and deadly creatures.
New Villains: The Cabal of witches, the nasty imps called Red Caps, the giant Fir Bolg and the legendary Tuatha de Dannan rule this realm.
New Task Force: Perform missions for contacts in Croatoa to unlock the exclusive task force.
New Power Sets:
Archery for Defenders and Blasters
Trick Arrows for Defenders and Controllers
Sonic Blast for Blasters and Defenders
Sonic Debuff for Defenders and Controllers
New Badges for epic character accomplishments and special badges for events within Croatoa.
New Zone Events:
Hellion Arson: The Hellions are torching buildings and its up to the heroes to snuff them out!
Troll Rave: There's an upgraded Superadine source and the trolls are overdosing to create "Super-Trolls" that are out of control!
New Debt System: Half XP Debt when characters are defeated in missions and no XP Debt until Level 10!
Mission Customization Many existing missions have been updated with hostage escort missions, villain wave attacks and more!

Issue Six

All New PVP Zones!
Along with the player-vs.-player action in each of these new zones, players may also choose to partake in hazardous missions; the risks are higher in these zones but well worth the effort!
Bloody Bay
Hero vs. Villain
Minimum character level to enter: 15
Scientists are looking for fragments of the meteor that destroyed the island of Bloody Bay. These valuable pieces, they believe, hold the answers to the mysteries of the Shivan.
Siren's Call
Hero vs. Villain
Minimum character level to enter: 20
A major breach in the Paragon City War Wall has created a beachhead for a villain invasion. Join the forces of the Freedom Corps in battles waged against villains and Arachnos troops to defend the city!
Warburg
Free-For-All Battles
Minimum character level to enter: 30
Players investigate the subterranean Web Complex searching for the codes that enable the launch of a powerful weapons satellite system. Successful missions reward players with temporary powers like the ability to call down a missile strike from space!
Gladiator Battles ' Arena (only)
An entirely new way to game has come to Paragon City! Located throughout the city are all new Gladiator Badges. Once players earn their badge(s), they may enter the Arenas to compete in Gladiator Battles. The badges themselves have the unique ability to transform into controllable minions within the Arenas. Compete against other Gladiator teams for ultimate bragging rights!
Super Group Improvements
All new rankings and permission systems enhance the management and membership of Super Groups. This includes special badges only obtainable by Super Group members. In conjunction with the launch of City of Villains, the City of Heroes Super Group members will have the ability to collect Salvage and earn Prestige that counts toward the construction of their Super Group's base. NOTE: Players must own City of Villains to actually build a base.
Graphical Improvements
The world of Paragon City will become even more dazzling as a series of graphical improvements are applied on a citywide scale! From water diffraction to bloom effects and depth of field enhancements, the Heroes' world has never looked better!
New Technical Enhancements
With Issue 6, City of Heroes supports 3D sound and Dual Core CPU technology.
Quality of Life
Drop-down menus will be found in the Character Creation UI. Players will now have 20 letters to use in naming their characters. Player-to-player trading and pet management will now be quicker and easier.

Issue Seven

New High Level Zones
Grandville (Levels 40-50, PVE, COV only) – A vertical zone, Grandville contains Spider City, the capital of Arachnos™, where players encounter mutated Arachnoids and a huge new cast of characters including Lord Recluse™ himself!
Recluse’s Victory (Levels 40-50, PVP, COV and COH) – Recluse’s Victory represents the villains’ assault on Paragon City™. Heroes and villains battle for control points, use heavy artillery to their advantage, and watch the zone change dynamically as a result of their efforts.
Mayhem Missions (Villains only)
Take villainy to the streets of Paragon City with tense new timed missions among destructible environments, which also unlock multiple random events. Players harass citizens, rob stores, destroy property, plant bombs and battle the police in these exciting open-ended timed missions. Causing extra mayhem results in bonus rewards!
Other New Missions (Villains only)
Over 300 new missions, including new custom missions, take villain players from levels 40 to 50. Choose signature villains as Patrons to unlock more exclusive mission content and additional unique powers!
Patron Powers (Villains only)
Villain players can select unique new Patron Power Pools based on the specific signature villain that they select (Scirocco™, Black Scorpion™, Ghost Widow™, Captain Mako™). For example, Captain Mako’s Spirit Shark power releases lunging shark spirits towards opponents!
New Power Sets! (Villains only)
Introducing new Power Sets with which players can expand the choices of some of their favorite villain archetypes.
Electric Melee, Electric Armor (Brute)
Thug pets (Mastermind)
Dark Armor, Dark Melee (Stalker)
New Base Features (Heroes and Villains)
Players can take their bases to the next level with Storage Items, Empowerment Stations, Supergroup Banners, and Base Color Tinting.
Quality of Life Features: (Heroes and Villains)
New Global Chat and UI features improve the overall ‘City of’ experience.
CoH Art Upgrades (Heroes)
City of Heroes gains reflective windows, added bump and specular mapping, a variety of higher resolution textures, and full screen depth of field effects.

Issue Eight

Safeguard Missions (Heroes only)
Vandals are creating mayhem and destroying Paragon City while high profile villains are attempting major bank heists! Emergency broadcasts from the new Police Band scanners (see below) call Heroes to action, resulting in a frantic new twist on Mayhem Missions. Heroes must stop the mayhem (in massively destructive versions of Paragon City zones) and prevent the heists from occurring.
Police Band (Heroes only)
Offering similar functionality to the Newspaper Missions in City of Villains, new Police contacts throughout various Hero zones grant Heroes Police Band access, opening a plethora of new missions and rewards.
Pocket D Arenas (Heroes and Villains)
For the first time, Heroes and Villains can officially battle each other using Arena kiosks set within the neutral ground of the Pocket D nightclub.
Faultline Reborn (Heroes only)
Faultline transforms from a hazard zone to a city zone! Paragon City's Measure X has passed, reconstruction of Faultline has begun, and the effort has revealed some major surprises.
Veteran Rewards Program (Heroes and Villains)
Launching together with Issue 8, the Veteran Rewards Program retroactively* rewards City of Heroes and City of Villains players for their past active playing time. Specifically, for each increment of three months played, players will unlock special costumes, powers, badges, and more! The program is retroactive by player account and rewards will be applicable to all characters within each respective account.



Issue Nine

Invention System (Heroes and Villains)
Using the highly anticipated Invention system, players acquire and collect “loot” in the form of Salvage and Invention Recipes. These are used together to invent uber-enhancements, costume pieces, and more. This creates a world of new activities, rewards and character evolution!
Auction Houses (Heroes and Villains)
Where better to buy and sell all of these new items than in the new auction houses! Wentworth’s Fine Consignments have sprung up throughout Paragon City™ while the villains prefer to do their bidding alongside “black-market” trucks placed throughout the Rogue Isles™.
Statesman’s Task Force (Heroes only)
This high-level PvE content allows eight heroes to team up in order to face and defeat Paragon’s greatest enemies! Completing this difficult challenge results in some of the game’s rarest loot!
New Hamidon Encounter (Heroes and Villains)
Not only do villains get their own end-game raid encounter with the “Hamidon,” but the new experience is also brought to the Heroes side where players must use new tactics to bring down one of the “City of”s greatest threats.

Issue Ten

Rikti World Invasion
Issue 10 begins with a World Event that spans across numerous zones in both Paragon City and the Rogue Isles, as the Rikti return in devastating waves. They are armed with new, brutal weapons and seek to establish a beachhead on Earth, presumably to save their lost brethren and to finish what they started the first time … the destruction of Earth!
Rikti War Zone (Levels 35 – 50)
The site of the crashed Rikti mother ship has become a hot War Zone. Pylons of unknown purpose have appeared around the mother ship, and Rikti presence is extremely heavy. In an attempt to contain the Rikti from breaking out of the area or launching their ship, the government has cordoned off the zone, allowing only select agents access. Government officials have turned the region over to Vanguard, and given them the authority to recruit forces from across the world. This zone is open to both Heroes and Villains, in their combined, desperate struggle to hold the front lines against the second Rikti Invasion.
New Threats
Rikti Pylons are multi-purpose warning and attack devices that surround the crashed mother ship. It takes a concerted effort to take one of these pylons down, but once enough of these are destroyed, access to the ship may be granted. UXBs, “unexploded bombs” that arm, power up, and detonate if not stopped in time, provide a constant threat. Rikti destroyers zip through zones dropping troops, UXB’s, and Rikti Assault Suits.
New Inventions
The Vanguard base contains a special Vanguard Workbench that will allow for special costume pieces (tied to Rikti War Zone recipes). Vanguard Support Machines (“Heavies”) can be requisitioned using Special Salvage (unique to the War Zone). These Heavies function as powerful pets.
New Missions
The first missions in the Rikti War Zone are for characters level 35+. The characters meet a new contact, Levantera, who introduces them to the U.N. security force, Vanguard. They’ll also meet Borea, who sends them on several repeatable missions in the zone. From there, characters meet contact Serpent Drummer, Gaussian, and also talk to the Dark Watcher and learn one of the darkest secrets of Paragon City.
Rikti Co-op Task Force
The Rikti Co-Op Task Force is available for both Heroes and Villains. It is for 6 to 8 players, level 45 – 50. The mission is given out by Lady Grey, leader of the Vanguard. Co-operative missions create a new layer of depth and story as heroes and villains work toward a common goal.


Issue Eleven

Ouroboros System
Through the mysterious Menders of Ouroboros, players gain the ability to "Flashback", that is to travel through time and relive major events from the history of Paragon City™ and the Rogue Isles™. Heroes who travel back in time will embark on missions such as preventing the Circle of Thorns from unleashing a devastating demon on a defenseless world, a story originally presented in the City of Heroes comic book. Villains who journey through time will get the chance to assist Lord Recluse™ in his initial campaign to conquer the Rogue Isles, and much more.
Heroes and Villains also use the Ouroboros System to return to story arcs that they may have missed and replay hundreds of missions from earlier in the game. Players will even get to set mission parameters for these missions to earn special badges. Heroes and Villains will be auto-exemplared to the appropriate level for each story arc to ensure the challenge level remains constant.
New Inventions
Issue 11 brings with it new invention sets including "Very Rare" Purple sets, as well as brand new invention sets for Taunt, Buff and Debuff powers, among others.
Weapon Customization
Sometimes an assault rifle just isn't the right tool for the job, or character, especially when he or she should be using a sniper rifle instead. Players can now change their weapons in the same way that they change their costume parts! From within the costume creator and tailor screen players select the new "Weapons" region. A number of new options are now available for appropriate power sets. Current power sets that benefit from this upgrade include Assault Rifle, Mercenaries/Assault Rifle, Bow, Broadsword, Claws, Villain Claws, Dual Blades (see below), Katana, Ninja Blade, Mace, Robotics/Pulse Rifle, and Thugs/Dual Pistols.
Two New Power Sets
The City of Heroes universe expands with two new amazing power sets: Dual Blades and Willpower.
Dual Blades
With a flashing blade in each hand, the Stalker made quick work of the Coralax hybrids guarding the shipwreck.
Now Heroes and Villains can wield paired weapons to devastating effect! Use the new Weapon Customization interface to choose from several types of weapons. Dual Blades also uses a brutal new Combo system, where the order of your strikes can create new advantages for you to take down your foes! Dual Blades is available to Brutes, Scrappers, Stalkers and Tankers!
Willpower
Available to Tankers, Scrappers, Brutes and Stalkers, the Willpower set offers a strong mix of resistance, defense and regeneration powers. This is the perfect power set for those characters who have the mental will and determination – the willpower – to ignore pain and press on through insurmountable odds!


Issue Twelve

The Midnight Squad
Join The Midnight Squad (Levels 10 - 20)
The clandestine organization of mystics, scholars and mages, known only as the Midnight Squad, seeks to rebuild its numbers since the devastating assault of the Rikti Invasion. The Midnighters hold a secret that could bring the alien assault to an end, but without the help of the Heroes of Paragon City™ it will remain Lost forever.
New Roman-Style Zone Maps (Levels 35 - 50)
The Midnighters hold many secrets within their walls, including a highly coveted Ouroboros crystal, enabling them to travel to the far reaches of time. There is a familiar threat in an ancient land and the Midnighters need the help of both Heroes and Villains to stop it. Players step foot upon the ancient land of the Roman Cimeroran Peninsula, where they battle deadly creatures, defend an ancient city and ultimately come face to face with the enemy of time itself. Throughout this journey players uncover the mysteries of power and the origins that guide them today.
Unlock Roman-Style Armor Costumes
Through their accomplishments, players unlock the new Roman themed armor costume set.
Villain Epic Archetypes
Infiltrate the Arachnos organization from within! Upon reaching level 50, Villains unlock two new Epic Archetypes; Wolf Spiders and Blood Widows. They have their own unique storyline and missions, power combinations and costume sets. Branching powersets allow the Wolf Spider to specialize as either a Bane Spider or Crab Spider and the Blood Widow chooses from the Fortunata and Night Widow branches. Each brings with it unique costumes for your Arachnos duties, as well as your newfound role as a Destined One.
Powerset Proliferation
Using his newly built Resonance Manipulator, the Villain scientist known as Dr. Brainstorm™ has discovered a way to alter the energy strands which connect every Hero and Villain to their powers. This discovery has not only opened the door to new powers for his fellow Villains in the Rogue Isles™, but has also done the same for the Heroes of Paragon City ™! Specifically, new characters of almost every Hero and Villain archetype gain access to an additional primary and secondary powerset that they didn’t have access to previously. Details to come!
Hollows Zone "Gameplay Makeover"
Significant changes have been made to the Hollows zone to make it more fun! NPC encounters have been rebalanced, including new spawns, new villain groups, mission door improvements, and a mobile hospital has been added to the entrance of the zone. Additionally, Meg Mason, a new contact, has been added to give out repeatable missions.
Major Gameplay Improvements
Eight configurable new power trays let players customize their User Interface by placing them anywhere on the screen.
Contact display redesign: Contacts are now listed separately as Active and Inactive, and players can sort contacts by a range of criteria including Name, Zone, and Level Range.
Inspiration Conversion: Right click an inspiration to convert three of that kind into any one inspiration of another kind.
Level Up Boost: Upon reaching enough XP to level up (at all levels), one of each type of large inspiration is immediately cast upon your character, and health and endurance bars are immediately filled.
Chat improvements: Right click on character names in chat window to ignore, add to friends list, invite to team, etc. Drag any item (enhancement, inspiration, salvage, etc.) into the chat window so that you and others can click a hotlink to view the complete info box.
More Real Numbers: Players can now display stats on powers before they choose them enabling more informed power selection and new temporary powers allow players to display enemy stats.

Issue Thirteen

Day Jobs (Offline Character Progression)
Scholar? Caregiver? City Official? Now when players log out of City of Heroes / Villains they're just getting started! A character's day job is determined by the actual in-game location from which he or she logs out. If players log out from a University their day job is considered to be a Scholar. If they log out from City Hall they're a City Official. The benefits are thematically appropriate to the location. For example, a City Official earns extra Influence, a Scholar is granted Salvage, a Caregiver is granted Health Regeneration Buffs, etc.
Once characters have accumulated the required amount of time for each Day Job, they are rewarded with the appropriate Day Job Badge and Title, increasing their "earnings" for that job. Multiple Badges can be combined to unlock Accolades and the ability to accumulate additional new rewards. Almost every location within Paragon City and the Rogue Isles has an associated Day Job, resulting in a wide selection of jobs and rewards!

Multiple Builds
Another character customization option and City of Heroes innovation, Issue 13 delivers the ability to have two different build-outs for each character, including which powers are selected and which Enhancements are slotted. With this feature it will now be possible for all characters to diversify their game experience by visiting any Trainer and switching the entire build of their character to an alternate one. You can use this separate build for whatever you like. If you wish to use different power selections for soloing and groups, you can do that. This even makes it possible to have different IO sets slotted for PVP and PVE. This new system gives characters the added depth and flexibility to tackle any challenge!
New Powersets
Shields - Heft a Shield for Heroic or Villainous Ends! This new powerset brings a classic power to City of Heroes: Shields! Now, you can arm Tankers, Scrappers and Brutes with a powerful shield to protect themselves and their allies.
Pain Domination - Villains can now bend the power of pain to serve their own ends! Those playing a Corruptor or Mastermind have access to this new powerset. The antithesis of the Hero healing powerset "Empathy," Pain Domination brings parity between Heroes and Villains with a distinctively evil flair.

Leveling Pact
A new innovation to MMOs, this system allows you and a friend to create new characters and have your XP be permanently in sync, whether both characters are online or not. You will always be the same level, even if your friend plays ten times more often than you do! It's sort of like "Extreme Sidekicking."
The Merit Rewards System
A new game system that allows players to earn tokens by completing Trials, Task Forces, Strike Forces, Raids, etc. The most challenging and time consuming tasks grant the most reward tokens, which can be redeemed throughout Hero and Villain zones for recipes, enhancements, salvage, costume pieces, badges, inspirations and other game items.
Villain Patron Power Respec
Villains level 40 and above can respec (re-select) their Patron Powers, offering the same flexibility that heroes are afforded with Ancillary Powers.
Supergroup Base Repricing
Base Salvage is being replaced with Invention Salvage and all Base room and item prices are being adjusted to more accessible levels. Remaining base salvage can be traded in for invention salvage, or can continue to be stored in base and personal storage.
PvE and PvP Powers Rebalancing
There are a wide selection of PvE (Player vs. Environment) and PvP (Player vs. Player) related power changes in Issue 13. These changes focus on either Quality of Life issues or on powers which were not quite in balance with others.
New Cimerora Missions
New Hero and Villain story arcs expand upon the history and lore, and delve into the players and politics of Cimerora.
Other features
New Invention Origin Sets, new Costume Sets, Zone Refinements, and more!
Pain Domination


Issue Fourteen


The First MMORPG to Offer User Created Content!
First City of Heroes® set a new standard for player creation and customization in MMOs with its Character Creator. Now, with Issue 14, this game takes another giant step, allowing players to design their own missions and story arcs to share with the entire City of Heroes community across all of our live servers. Using an intuitive interface, players can browse through other player created missions and create their own missions from the ground up. Players will determine details ranging from environments, mission objectives, and enemies, to written fiction and character dialogue; giving their stories nearly infinite depth and personalization.
Gain Fame and Rewards as a Mission Designer
Among other rewards, architects who create extraordinary content will garner acclaim and reputation. Community feedback will be paramount and some missions will elevate in status, unlocking new rewards and benefits for their creators.
Create Stories - Present your story to other players in the game through the story title, description, and character dialogue. Stories can be as short as a single mission and as long as five.
Create Characters - Use existing characters from City of Heroes lore or create your own characters from scratch using the costume creator and a robust powers selection interface. Create individual characters which can be used as enemies, allies and contacts or create whole enemy groups to fill your missions.
Write Dialogue - Every character that you place into a story or mission has its own dialogue. Whether it's the contact that directs characters to their mission, the hostages that you rescue, or the enemies that you must defeat, they all speak through text bubbles at various points during your encounters.
Define Objectives - Defend, collect, defeat, destroy, rescue, and more. Mission architects can string objectives together making missions as simple or complex as desired, using up to a current maximum of 25 objectives per mission.
Use Advanced Options - For characters and missions select alignment, placement, difficulty, animations, behavior and more. Every mission objective has multiple advanced options, allowing you to truly customize how you want your story to play out.
Test and Iterate Before Publishing - Take as much time as you want to create your content and test it by yourself or with others. Once your masterpiece is complete, you can Publish it for other players to enjoy and rate.
Find / Browse Other Stories
Sort Stories and Search for Key Criteria - Players can use the Mission Browser to sort published stories by rating, date, length, and title, or search for content using key words like the character who created them or the subject matter within the stories.
Hall of Fame - Stories that have achieved a critical combination of high player ratings and number of views will be elevated into Hall of Fame status and will be listed under the Hall of Fame section.
Developer's Choice - Stories that are hand-picked by the developer will be deemed Developer's Choice and listed within the Developer's Choice section.



Issue Fifteen

5th Column Task Force
Villain Strikeforce (Levels 45 - 50): 5 Missions
The Villains are hired for what seems like a simple, high-paying job: Steal information from the Hero 1 Time Capsule. Things go awry when the job ends up leading to the return of an enemy from the past. Now the villains have to deal with the mess they've made - while trying to make as much profit from it as possible.
Hero Taskforce (Levels 45 - 50): 5 Missions
The Heroes follow the trail of some stolen information to find that an old foe is returning... in a big way! Forced to deal with an invasion, the Heroes must scramble to find a way to defeat a seemingly unstoppable enemy.
New Costumes - New Issue 15 costumes include the Vines and Ulterior themed costume sets. More details to come!
New Costume Change Emotes* - Just recently introduced in Super Booster II: Magic, Costume Change Emotes represent a brand new feature type that provide fun and colorful transitions between two different costumes for a given character. Players activate them using the costume change interface, selectable from the main Menu.
Backflip
Salute
Howl
Evil Laugh
Peacebringer Transform (Kheldians only)
Warshade Transform (Kheldians only)
Vanguard Sigil
*By default characters only have one costume slot, and must unlock additional costume slots through activities in the game. This can be accomplished by completing costume slot missions at levels 20, 30, and 40; and by using Halloween Event salvage (which can also be bought, sold or traded via the in-game Consignment Houses).
New Character Faces - Over 20 new character faces provide even more options for character customization
Mission Architect Updates
Architect toolbox allows players to better and more easily polish their content before sharing it with the public.
Missions can now be selected for both "Hall of Fame" and "Dev Choice," allowing players to attain both badges. "Dev Choice" missions also have selectable reward types.
Enhanced searching and navigation options like key phrase tagging and arc difficulty display help players find the content they're looking for even faster
New Server-wide Architect Chat channel
Plus several other features and improvements to Mission Architect

So to answer your question . . . Yes they are constantly adding new content to the game. It is nothing like it was when it first came out 5 years ago.

Forbin, I so imagined a post in-between each of those...


*deep breath*


EDIT: But I see your point, absolutely nothing about the game has changed in the last 5 years, they should definitely lower the subscription price.

/endsarcasm

I think for someone who might have come into the game within the last 3 months, it may seem like "is this all there is?" but... Seriously. 3 months isn't enough time to really 'explore' the game, let alone really become familiar with its background information.

One thing I remember that doesn't really happen any more, is "stability fixes". Old-timers may remember when there was a bug patch almost every other week, which habitually included something mysterious called a "stability fix". Don't know what it was, but... sometimes I wish they'd bring it back lol.

The fact that there aren't myriad weekly patches (with the exception of this last couple weeks, obviously, since those are not "fixes" but "changes" to the game) tells me more that the game is ridiculously stable, has fewer bugs that are obvious, and is basically chugging along perfectly well without help.

I would rather *reward* that work and effort, rather than remove from it by snubbing the devs and their payment.

I've been playing for 15 months and I've still only touched maybe 50% of the available content... and that's playing daily about 1-3 hours. By the time I catch up they'll have released another 2 issues and the Rogues update. Enough content? Question answered.