Changing Origin
By
AquaJAWS,
Posted on: 2009-08-18 19:52 in Archetypes and Powers General Discussion
Quote:
It would be nice (I'd love to switch out from Mutant to an origin that actually gets SO drops past lvl 25) but I can't see it ever happening.
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Originally Posted by Wavicle
I would really like to change the origin of one of my characters.
Shouldn't there be a way to do this? |
After gender-swapping, anything is possible
Origin has an increasingly minute effect on the game. I'd pay $2 to change a toon's origin, if I really wanted a title that was only available to a different origin than the one I had picked, but no more than that. For the most part though, origin has little to no impact outside roleplaying.
Even the comment about SOs -- You can make a killing by selling your drops if you don't use IOs, and buy the ones you want, or just craft common IOs. I've never found a need to slot drops.
I'd posted this before but I'll post it again on the subject:
From Here:
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Yes its possible, but the ramifications would either deter people from doing it or have very very little effect outside of role-playing. The majority of the players would probably not do this because of the enhancement issues, and that drops the priority of implementing it down a lot if they think that very few people would ever actually use the feature.
| since they have such a little impact on the actual game outside of which enhancements you can use...but that alone would make changing origins a big pain and expensive because all the sudden your SOs would be come invalid and you would have to buy new ones if you use those, which is what the game difficulty is balanced for...which would lead to the logic of 'why would you ever change your origin' since it has such a little impact except to cost you money getting all new enhancements. |
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Anything is possible when it comes to programming. It comes down to how long will it take, how much will it cost, and what value is returned from spending that time and money. Outside of roll-playing and titles, there really isn't much value from switching the origin, in fact it actually creates a pain unless they remove origin associations from enhancements, which you could argue then to just remove origins.|
Originally Posted by Silverado
After gender-swapping, anything is possible
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As far as switching to get useful drops from the current mob's drops, well that could be considered slightly exploitable, but after you get SOs, you'll also negate any SOs you had picked up before this so it would be harmful as well.
Honestly, with the current state of the game, if you are REALLY unhappy about your origin pick, you can always delete, re-roll, and within a day or two should be able to PL in the AE up to where you're at if you REALLY want to take the trouble to change it.
Well what if they did make Origins actually matter in some way other than "you use Wetware Eng Cyberhearts instead of Boron Exposures for endurance reduction."
I remember Origin mattered in what insp drops you got back in when the game was in alpha phase. Naturals got yellows, Magic got lucks, Technology got reds, Science got greens and don't know what Mutants got, blues maybe?
Should do some more digging with the wayback machine.
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Like how would you suggest they do that without causing a HUGE outcry from any origin that got nerfed and are all the sudden required to change to be useful 5 years after game is going? Not trying to be snarky, just I personally can't think of a way to do it without causing a big controversy.
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Originally Posted by Ethric
Well what if they did make Origins actually matter in some way other than "you use Wetware Eng Cyberhearts instead of Boron Exposures for endurance reduction."
I remember Origin mattered in what insp drops you got back in when the game was in alpha phase. Naturals got yellows, Magic got lucks, Technology got reds, Science got greens and don't know what Mutants got, blues maybe? Should do some more digging with the wayback machine. |
Wait, what? The majority of players wouldn't use it because of enhancement issues? Rather I should ask: people still use SOs? I suspect anyone motivated enough to pay to change his origin is already using IOs. We can't really argue that "things casuals won't use" will never find their way into the store, when things like respecs are already there.
Surely far more people would like to change their origin for a better title or theme than will ever make use of gender-swapping or switching to/from the hulk body.
There are four things that "define" a character in the game. Height and gender are not among them. The four things?
Archetype
Primary powerset
Secondary powerset
Origin
My *suspicion* is that it's tied too deeply into the foundation of the character to easily be changed. My suspicion is also that it is that deeply embedded because of how much of an impact it *used* to have (Alpha release, where origin determined how many powers you could get and just how far you could develop them. Overhauled pre-beta.)
So, while it doesn't have much impact *now* (though I'd agree the SOs/DOs, power effects, etc. might be a bit of a headache,) the legacy of what it used to do may make it far, far more difficult. Doesn't mean I disagree with making it changeable, if possible, just that it may not be realistic.
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Nothing would be "nerfed." Just like SOs weren't "nerfed" when IOs came along in i9.|
Originally Posted by AquaJAWS
Like how would you suggest they do that without causing a HUGE outcry from any origin that got nerfed and are all the sudden required to change to be useful 5 years after game is going? Not trying to be snarky, just I personally can't think of a way to do it without causing a big controversy.
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Give the current existing characters a chance to "retcon" if they want to "min-max" their Origin pick. Other people would pick the one that fits their theme anyway.
Also, make some changes to how Origins interact with the game. Early game heroside with DATA, SERAPH, etc. making it clear that you are of certain origin. Those are quite good, but that's only what, the first 5 levels? Temporary powers having different effects depending on your origin is good as well, Demon Box and the vet attacks coming to mind.
Third, we need more things like that! Not always temporary powers like EMP Gloves, Claymores or Wedding Bands, but perhaps inspirations that some Origins can use better than others. Maybe even temporary enhancements with interesting effects that disappear after X amount of use, leaving an empty slot (giving players more choices, to use Inventions or these temporary enhancements?)
More Origin specific stuff, please.
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In my experience, especially with my SG and VG which both have a lot of casual players, they don't want to bother with even using IOs because they are too complex and take too much time to deal with when they just want to play as they have been for 4+ years. I'd bet many of the players that do use IOs don't bother with them until after level 30 or so when they surpass SOs. Personally, I use IOs nearly exclusively all the way up, but thats my preference. But there are still a decent number of players that it will affect.|
Originally Posted by Thistletoe
Wait, what? The majority of players wouldn't use it because of enhancement issues? Rather I should ask: people still use SOs? I suspect anyone motivated enough to pay to change his origin is already using IOs. We can't really argue that "things casuals won't use" will never find their way into the store, when things like respecs are already there.
Surely far more people would like to change their origin for a better title or theme than will ever make use of gender-swapping or switching to/from the hulk body. |
I didn't mean to say that it shouldn't be done or it would be the end of the game if they did, just pointing out the complications to implementing it and how those complications and consequences could very likely deter the majority players from even using an origin respec if option were available, thus lowering the priority of spending the development time with so little effect in the majority of the gameplay and player-base.
+1 for making Origins more than a flavor decision.
I would really like to change the origin of one of my characters.
Shouldn't there be a way to do this?
I would be willing to pay a microtransaction fee in order to change the origin of my character.
Wavicle, Energy/Energy Blaster, dinged 50 in Issue 4, summer of 2005.
@Wavicle, mostly on the Justice server.