Excitment... and FEAR.. about new "End Game" content..

This almost certainly explains why Positron is trying to spearhead a skunkworks within Paragon Studios to work on things like end game mechanics.

This does give me hope for the future, but it also makes me wonder what they will have ready in GR when it launches.

BS.

It's more like saying 'You can play...ONLY if you have X AT, Y powersets and Z IO specs.'

Grind moar phail plz? Some of us don't have the time or the ability to play all day (I used to, as well....thank you god-damn Uni internet...) that is required for grinding. And, in fact, some of us simply don't find it *fun*. New content should be as fun for as many people as possible, and not force a playstyle down your throat that you dont want to adhere to. Again, because it is not fun.

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

In general I tend to believe that content should not be gated without a very good reason, but its important to remember that this is not an absolute; there is a lot of grey area. There probably exist players that never level an alt to 35 and therefore cannot participate in the RWZ content. Those players have the same right to complain as people who don't want level 50 gated content, or people who don't endgame-gated content past level 50.

However, while they have every right to complain, and even quit over the issue, that cannot be the sole basis for the devs decision making. They have to strike a balance, and not everyone will be happy with that balance. The invention system, in my opinion, strikes an excellent balance in optional character enhancement and material enhancement gains, but not everyone agrees and some players have probably quit over it. While I don't specifically want players to quit, I believe the game is better off without those players and with the Invention system, than it would be with those players and without the Invention system. And that's just based on obvious observation: I was not the biggest supporter of the Invention system when it was first announced.

Similarly, the best possible end game system will almost certainly anger some, and perhaps even cause some players to quit over its implementation. But as cold hearted as this sounds, the success of the end game system won't depend on them, but rather whether the net overall improvement of the game for the remaining players and its increased marketability to future players far outweighs those losses.

I didn't ask for gear, I had serious reservations about gear, but its unambigously obvious to me that the invention system was a huge plus for the game (and I do use the system myself). I'm hoping that most people with serious reservations about a future end game system will be capable of sticking around long enough after it launches to at least make that sort of informed judgment for themselves, and to decide whether to continue subscribing based at least in part on whether they can concede that part of the gameplay doesn't appeal to them but makes the game richer and therefore stronger overall.

Agreed. I enjoy the stories for the Shard TFs but the actual task forces are horribly implemented. Three of them are just plain grinds and Justin Augustine is just a frustrating series of hunt missions. I would LOVE to see them re-made using along the lines of the newer TFs.

For example in Faathim the Kind's TF I'd probably keep the missions where you have to activate all four keys at once (7 missions total) and then make the end boss fight a little harder. It would still be longer than the newer TFs but by eliminating the first three kill alls and the annoying sub-plot with recovering keys from Paragon City you get rid of most of the grind and personally I find the key missions a lot of fun since unlike most TFs you get a lot of variety from the enemy groups present (Nemesis, Rikti and Malta). Also, give him a cell phone, he can communicate with Azuria telepathically, why can't he do the same with us?

Don't you mean Barracuda?

My Arcs
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Mission Architect Handyman

Yes, correct. Thanks for the catch.

Which server is this? Remind me never to go there.

You know, I've been playing since launch, but I take a lot of time off from the game so only have my 39 or 42mo vet badge. I also make (& delete) alts like crazy and spend a lot of time meta-gaming where zero XP is earned (but hey, I have 23 toons w/Field Crafter!). Consequently, on my main server I currently only have 6 50s, but another 7 in their 40s, 7 in their 30s, and 5 more in their 20s (nothing lower atm, but 2 free slots for the next powerset proliferation or whatever). I have various other toons scattered across other servers, but I rarely touch those guys any more (mostly villains, whom I don't play much).

I have 2 toons I've had for over a year at 49 & 48, and honestly, I don't want to level them to 50, cuz that seems like the end of the road. W/end game content, I foresee myself getting all my 40s to 50 in a real hurry. I just can't be motivated to play toons w/o some sort of "progress", I guess, esp since I love the stat-building aspect of most games (MMOs, RPGs, sims, etc). So for me, the prospect of new end game content is 100% win.

I think it's a good thing for this game to offer long term (i.e. achievable in months, years) goals. Not all goals should be like that, probably not even most goals. But some of them should be, and I think that currently the game does not provide enough. The new endgame is Paragon Studio's big chance to fix this once and for all.

I'm strongly opposed to the idea that grinding should be the only way to get there, though. There should be ways of progression that don't involve spending long hours doing menial work. The market is a pretty good example, since it offers rewards that are not strictly tied to how much time you spend in-game. If they can duplicate the success of IOs and the market systems, I'll be happy, and I'm pretty sure they will.

Just so long as "the end" isn't one of these goals, I don't have a problem with that.

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.

Amen to that. Thats something I can get behind.
Grinding for anything thoush, if made mandatory and not optional, is a no no.

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

The line between "mandatory" and "optional" is subjective.

See also: "I'm forced to buy Inf from RMTs to get purples" argument.

I agree. However, the BEST aspect of the invention system, and the main reason it works (IMO) is that you can choose to avoid participation entirely and yet still function effectively on any level content.

As long as the new system doesn't prevent my level 50 tanker (who I havent logged on in a year) from being valued when I take him off the shelf on a whim, then the new endgame system will be a success, for the same reasons inventions were a success: everybody still gets to play together at any time.

Making a system where (either by mission pre-requisites, grinding requirements, or power level differences) players have to jump through hoops to play together, well that's a step that undermines the entire purpose of the new feature where everyone sidekicks to the mission owner's level. I don't want a system that isolates players from one another.

I don't consider your comment about low level players being unable to do high level task forces equivalent to level 50s being unable to team (effectively) with endgame-maxed level 50s, because task forces are a small percentage of the game, whereas a new endgame runs the risk of becoming the bulk of the game at level 50, since its ostensibly a replacement for what is apparently considered unsatisfactory activity for level 50 characters now. Apples to oranges. In this scenario, making endgame content divide some level 50s from playing with other level 50s is effectively like raising the level cap, which many are against, primarily altaholics.

Anyway, I do respect your opinion, but I don't want my favorite level 50s to be unable to play with my friends' favorite level 50s, simply because I'm not grinding on a new tedious system. That's the whole reason I pushed to level 50 in the first place: to be able to play with anyone, anywhere. I hope their new system will respect that, because if it does, I can get behind it even without knowing the details.

Lewis

Eh. No fear at all. If it's 50's I already have at lvl 50 and don't play them anymore, no need to get the extra stuff on them. :P

This might be something different if you take those 50's and get every accolade on them that makes you tougher...but seeing as how many people who have a whole lot of 50's, I highly doubt that's the case...sooo...eh...