Power/Build Testing/Tweaking Store

It'll take people a whole five seconds to figure out where this idea comes from, but frankly I don't care.

Make a store, which could even be it's own zone or be like the AE store buildings, where a player can freely respec his/her character "temporarily" and try out new and different powers and slotting.

I know there are dual builds, which is a step in the right direction, but you only have one shot to get those builds perfect.

Due to the final nature of the respec process, any respec tends to be valued very highly. From the new issue freespec to the Trial/Patron respecs to the respec receipes.

As it stands now our only real option is to copy the character to the test server and perform the respec there to test it. This creates several problems:

Closed Betas and similar times when the test server is offline.
Having to perform the "Final" respec twice, once on test and then once on live.
The test server isn't explicitly designed for this and the game interface isn't designed either. It requires copying the CoH client and using an external web tool to perform the character copy.

I realize with a Given AT/Powerset combination there are only so many builds that could be made. This is more for people who want to get a first hand feel of how the new character plays without creating the feeling they wasted time and money getting the respec.

Is it not called the test server?

No really, the test server is where you can do everything you need to, you can even duplicate your toon several times over to have enough inf to buy those expensive items, provided they're available there (which is rare lol).

Yes, the test server is unavailable in those few times when it's being used *as a beta server* which is its actual pointed use.

But we have plenty of respecs, plenty of chances to tweak and change really without repercussions.

Wait it out. Make a new toon and play it for a while before the test server opens again. I know it's frustrating - I made a contest toon there, right before it went to closed, and haven't been able to rework or even get a screenshot of him since. But... I'll live. You will too.

More ways to plan and test your build without having to consult Mids or the Test Server is a good thing, and it's one of the few nice ideas I've actually heard about that mysterious game.

Here are the problems with "Just use the test server":

1) It's not common knowledge to newer players. Not everyone who plays CoH reads the forums.

2) It's fragile. The test server could be down, closed for beta, or the character copy tool (which is described as a work in progress) could be broken.

3) Lack of access to resources on live server. When you copy to test you only have what you copied on your specific character at the time. I know you don't have access to storage on the market or in your SG base, I'm not 100 percent sure you have access to vault storage. My point is that you can only take what you have on you and you might have forgotten something. It a way were possible to do it on the live server then it would be simplier to get the missing item, rather than re-copying the character to the test server.

4) I don't know if this is possible but I'll put it out here anyways, a respec is currently an all or nothing process. You repick your powers, and you repick slots for those powers. Sometimes you only want to make 5 levels worth of change. Not all respecs require a complete rebuild of the character, especially those that are mistakes.

Call these QoL issues if nothing else.

@Coyote: I'm not taking it the wrong way, just pointing out that there are already plenty of ways to get around this issue, already.

Myself, I'm notoriously bad at respecs. Really, really bad.

The last ones I think I'm running about 1/3 botched, I managed to screencap my enhancement screen and figure out what I wanted out of the other two. Normally I was running at least 4/5 botched, but I hardly ever really DO respecs, just tweaking.

Since I just hit 60 months I respecced a character out of teleport and into flight, and actually only needed that one-page printout and *thinking*.

Mids is there, test is there (mostly), and really - we've got so many respec options now it's not even funny. If you want to claim "those of us who were there then" - you've GOT what, at least 3 vetspecs on every single toon you make, including level 1's. They're available on the market. They're repeatable in the game with trials.

... Thinking and being meticulous about what you want out of each respec is more important than a quicker "I might forget what I did anyway but let's test it out" feature.

Im' not saying that the respec process couldn't be cleaned up a lot, but there are so MANY of them out there, and so many helpful guides and such... I don't think it is really that insane to think it'd be unnecessary.

Well, on that note though, how many other games actually do supply such things? I don't know, I don't play any others so I'm clueless. IS there precident set from other mmos?

No. The Test Server is not a solution. It is no way to try out a power. The Test Server runs builds that may not be stable; it is not guaranteed to be up (like right now); it may be tied up in a closed beta; it is not easy or intuitive to test something out with it. Of all the retorts to the original suggestion, which can range from "it's too much effort" to "it isn't needed", the test server is NOT one of them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zekiran_Immortal Well, on that note though, how many other games actually do supply such things? I don't know, I don't play any others so I'm clueless. IS there precident set from other mmos?

Hnnnnnnnnnnnnng...

Raithnor, you were wrong. It took me half a second.

In truth, the powerhouse is the one thing that I absolutely love about the Other Game. Absolutely, positively love. Trouble is, it was more fun arsing about in the powerhouse than playing the game.

So I think we have a "none" on that 'precident for allowing full playbox respec before trying it on live character'?

Doesn't Guild Wars allow you to re-do your powers/stats whenever you're in a town?

Of course why this turned into an argument of precedent I'm not quite sure.

I think that it should be added.

The only real resources I know of to "test" powers are Mids for number crunching and predicting how a power will work for you, and the test server for actually seeing it used (though you must have a respec and the character copy tool). I do use Mids frequently, but I, though I've played the game for over a year now, have never gotten on test.

In my opinion, I don't see the average player logging off, copying a character, figuring out how to get on test, and then respeccing, just to test out a power that might have taken him 3 minutes if there was a way to test powers within 5 levels of your current level or something. As for Mids, same deal. The point is that there really is NO way to test powers IN GAME without a respec. It all requires programs from outside the actual game that many players don't have access to.

Man, I'd love this. But they should go even farther, and allow you to create a simulated build with any enhancers you want, even the uber rares, purples, and PvP IOs.

The reason?

Because I'd never play the rest of the game ever again.

No seriously, if there was a "Danger Room" that did that, and let me play AE missions or something, I'd just play that, completely content, for the rest of my stay in CoH.

Seriously.