CoX customization and modding

How do you feel about users being able to develop mods for CoX?
By mods I dont mean actual game mods but maybe new maps, UI customizing, costume parts (altough not sure how possible this one is).
Could this be the next step in Architect Entertaining ?

Unless it goes through some sort of quality control, exploitation will run completely rampant (this mainly applies to the custom maps idea). Quality control is a costly thing for a company to do, which is why you don't see it very often in typical MMOs.

Of course,everything released in the game should be dev accepted. And there was plenty f things to learn from the months AE was mostly the only thing playied in the game

Most mods are stored client side, which means just because you have it, dosen't mean they do. In the early days a friend of mine ran a mod to make himself look like Spiderman, all I saw was one of the most idiotic looking costumes I have ever seen (that is saying a ton in this game).

I personally am not a fan of it. When I play SP games I hack, mod, and cheat all the time, and because of that lose interest. I can't help myself, I just do it. I continue to play this game and have for 5+ years because it remains pure. I can't cheat my way to the top, and I like that.

Pirates of the Burning Sea has a system where players can submit new content that, if approved, were added to the game for anybody to use (primarily sail and flag designs but a few ship models were also made by players). Something like that for costume pieces would be VERY cool. But on the other hand the effort required for the devs to make new costumes is somewhat complicated so I don't know how practical it would be for them to have a system allowing users to provide costume parts for them.

As for UI mods, I don't really think it's needed. City of Heroes already has a lot of options for how you want to configure your interface, and I've yet to hear someone complain that they can't configure it the way that they want to.

A slightly more robust macro/scripting feature would be nice. I've got no problem with the 1 click, 1 power rule but even within that there is room for improvement. For example, the ability to select an icon for a macro to use and/or have it display the recharge that it's using would be nice. Also it's possible to use bind files to make a rotating bind, some sort of rotating macro functionality would be nice to have.

I'm against this, and always have been against it. Instead of rambling, let me make a list as to why:

1. Quality. Most of what's on the Internet is crap, and most of the customizations people make for games that permit it are utter crap. UT2003-2004, a game that practically lived on mods, is still a prime example. Pick anything but the most famous few and you had a good chance of getting something which not only sucked, but got you auto-booted from most server. We have professional game developers who get paid to do this. I'd rather they were the only one to do it. While it's true there are people with unbridled talent out there, the sea of horror such a thing would bring is simply not worth it.

The architect should have been evidence enough.

2. Validity check. Every bit of content needs to pass quality and validity check. Maps with holes in them, player models lacking textures, bounding boxes too small or too big, the list goes on. And that's not even counting the possibility of corrupt content that causes client problems and exploitive content that gives some an unfair advantage. Again, the architect stands as an example of what the developers are and aren't willing to permit. The workload of cross-checking EVERY bit of customer content is intolerable for any business of this size, which is a big problem.

3. Location, location, location. Any user-created mod has to be downloaded by each user separately and cannot be hosted on the server and foisted on every player who logs in. Do I REALLY need twelve thousand variants on "naked female" in my costume creator? As long as it's local only, other people won't see you as you see yourself, creating a very, very significant problem of ugliness. Back when I still played Wages of Sin, someone had a "naked Sinclair" skin, but on my screen it just looked like Blade. This is NOT a good idea. Half-Life 2: Deathmatch had it worse, where half the servers I logged into forced me to download all their custom crap, keeping a library of sounds and textures I wanted nothing to do about.

I still remember what a British programming teacher once told me: "Because it fills the stack with crap." His were wise words, and in this case, there really is no good way to go about it.

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.

If they came up with a decent and efficient way to filter out the crap, then sure. But it's unlikely that will happen without a massive waste of resources.

Look at the AE.

Look how long and how much resources it took them to finally get it a way they wanted. Player regulating REALLY didn't work for the AE at all...

They went overboard trying to kill the farming to be fair and now it's reduced to the same level of usage as the Arena, a dedicate few really keep going but otherwise it's ignored by the community at large...atleast that's the impression I got personally, ever since they did the Issue 16 XP nerfs I only ever see one or two people in there at the most.

Now imagine the amount of abuse something like an ingame costume creator would suffer. Sure there would be awesome costumes and probably quite a few very good replicas of NPC only pieces but most of it would either be 'naked female' 'phallic hat' or 'stuff I threw together in five minutes as a test'.

I wasn't a fan of the farming, but I will admit that I engaged in a bit of it, for the tickets. (I only had level 50s at the time.) It was necessary, as the farming had gotten out of control, but at the same time a bit sad, as AE buildings are deserted compared to pre-Issue 16 days.

When ever I go, I see one other individual, if I'm lucky.

I really hate the image that the farms gave to AE. I doubt it can ever be redeemed.

It would never happen, OP, regardless of the immense possibilities.

For one, a good number of vocal forumites will always burn the idea in effigy before it gains any traction (change of that order is an unwelcome outcome to them).

+1

-> TT MA Arc ID 1755 -> Join TankHQ -> Media -> @AceMACE

There is some modding capability - for example, you can customize your quickchat menu, or even add new ones without modifying any of the game files {which would go against the EULA}.

That said, I'd grief to have a way to modify context menus.

An open letter to NCsoft

I'd love the ability to really mod the UI. About every time I log in, I end up glaring at a piece of the interface and going, 'THIS SHOULD WORK DIFFERENTLY.'

Hello,

A long time ago you could customize some costumes items ( Carnie corset ) / weapons ( Auto Rifle mod ) but only client side. This "option" was later disabled.

I personally would love to be allowed to mod for CoH. Even though I can't do anything complicated, I would like to switch out sound effects for some of the powers. The assault rifle sound effects are so dull and repetitive I had always wondered what replacing the Sniper Shot with a musket sound effect would be like. Or perhaps an AK or M style weapon sound effect added to burst or Full-Auto?

*sighs*

Maybe one day NCsoft will realize these mods are CLIENT side and that only those who use them can hear / see them. It's all audio and visual, they can't be used to exploit to my knowledge. That means no instant levels, no massive damage or health increases.