Discussion - Ultra Mode, Issue 17: Dark Mirror and Going Rogue!
By
0verload,
Posted on: 2010-02-09 10:50 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion
~mimicking the dude from the 5th element~ gimme the invites ~twitches and sniffs like an addict checking her email~
The EAT change is sort of meh. I honestly thing that 20 was chosen for a reason. I have a lvl 50 hero. I do not have a level 50 villian. When GR comes out, if I switch my hero to a villian, I now have a 50 villian, do I get a villian EAT now?
To remove that issue, they lowered the level you get the EAT to 20 (which is presumably also the level you have to be to switch sides). That way, people aren't moving level 50's to the other side just to unlock the EAT's there.
Just my .02 Influence/Infamy.
YIHAAAAAAAA!!! Excellent news! A bit weird the fact of unlocking EATS so soon, I feel like it should stay as it is now, as a kind of reward for achieving a lvl 50, but the rest is simply superb!
Proud Coleader of: Fuerza Letal (H), Liga de las Sombras (V), Legion del Fenix (H), Infernal Justice (H), and a happy member of GammaForce (H) and D.O.A. (V).
My alts: http://cit.cohtitan.com/profile/13494
Woo-hoo! Sign me up for the $40 pack!
Here's hoping the Alpha/Omega pieces are as cool as I'm imagining!
These NC guys really have a bad habit of phrasing their announcements as vaguely and unclear as possible.
If you read the part about the preorder goodies and the deluxe edition it's clear that most people will go "What? Can't I preorder the deluxe edition? Do they mean the goodies itself will be available in july or are they talking about the deluxe edition? So I have to buy the regular preorder edition and the deluxe edition in july? What's going on?!?"
It's like that with every announcement they make. They always have to step in later to clarify how they actually meant it ...
Videos
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This is related to something I find a bit annoying.|
Originally Posted by Starsman
In-mission contacts: like the new Cape mission where you engage in boxed dialog with a mission contact, personally I dislike this as only the leader gets to know what happened.
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When running missions on a team, it's only really the team leader/mission owner that gets to see the full story. Other team members have the option of reading the mission briefings, but they can not see the *de*briefings. Further, they often do not get to see the clues associated with the missions either (recently some clues have been given to the entire team). Taken together, debriefings and clue texts can contain a significant portion of the story given by the missions, and this is something that only the mission owner gets to see.
This basically leaves other team members with the following options:
1) Ask the mission owner to copy the information for them
2) Look up the information on some external source (e.g. Paragon Wiki)
3) Run the missions again as a mission owner (now that we can simul-complete missions, it's sometimes possible to run your own missions in parallel to the team mission, thus at least giving you the debriefings).
4) Miss out on the information, thus leaving them with only fractured parts of the story given in missions.
I believe that most people opt for the latter alternative (the other options tend to be disruptive and/or unpractical). This is a pity, since there's a lot of interesting story in the game. To me at least, this is even more of an issue for Mission Architect missions. There we no longer have the option of simul-completing missions, and there are usually no external sources to refer to either (besides, I've already run most "normal" missions about umpteen times each anyway, so I'm fairly familiar with their stories. That's not the case for MA missions). Further, many MA missions have a strong story-focus, and the lack of debriefing/clue texts can really reduce the enjoyment you get from some of them.
So, I'm hoping that these things are among the i17 "enhancements" (or that they're added at some future date):
1) The ability for non-mission-owners to read mission debriefings for missions that the team completes.
2) That clues given in the currently active mission are also given to non-mission-owner team members (possibly with a few exceptions if such are warranted).
To me at least, those changes would make running MA missions on teams much more attractive than it currently is.
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Displeasure? As I recall the servers were burning up from all the flames of anger |
Originally Posted by Buxley1
This is the one detail I'm not crazy about. Right now, the (V)EATs are badges of honor -- we worked hard to earn them and it seems like they'll be cheapened somewhat if anyone capable of getting Stamina can unlock them.
I can't help but remember the Star Wars: Galaxies MMO whose Epic Archetype, Jedi, took a dedicated player a year or more of grinding to unlock. There was a certain amount of displeasure when the Jedi class was opened up as a starting profession with no prerequisites. -Buxley |
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fix't
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Originally Posted by F_M_J
/agree
I am glad they continue to refine to MA part of the game. It is a huge portion of what keeps people PLing, and is the only outlet other than Peregrine Island. |
Infinity and Victory mostly
dUmb, etc.
lolz PvP anymore, Market PvP for fun and profit
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Looking forward to this|
Ultra Mode |
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New Emotes: Eh. Some emotes are fun, some I can take or leave.
New badges: Disappointing. Between the AE badge nightmare and Dayjobs, I'm a bit burnt out on badging. Don't get me wrong though as I did enjoy the reevaluation of certain badge criteria as that was needed.
Epics at L20: this likely due to Praetorians at Level 20 deciding what side of the fence they want to be on. Hope this means getting an alt to 50 now unlocks something really cool, but not expecting it.
Mission Architect: hope the Giant Monsters are added in.
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Remember Going Rogue? That's right, how could you forget? Well, you have the opportunity to get access to the Dual Pistols and Demon Summoning power sets in March and April, if you pre purchase City of Heroes Going Rogue (MSRP $29.99 USD)! You will also be able to get your hands on an exclusive item pack if you get the City of Heroes Going Rogue: Complete Collection (MSRP $39.99 USD), that will be available when Going Rogue releases in July! What's in that item pack, you ask? Well, a few nifty things like: [/B]
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Has this question been answered yet???|
Originally Posted by Tarkenchi
Will the GR: Complete Collection version be available for pre-order at the same time as the standard version?
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Because, if the Complete Collection can't be pre-ordered, I'm not gonna bother. I'll just wait and buy the GR: CC when it's released later in the year. I am NOT buying both.
Heres hoping that the pre-orders are available throught he ncsoft online store. Importing CoV was a nightmare that I realy don't want to have to repeat 
What are?
Alpha- and Omega-themed auras
Alpha and Omega themed costumed sets
Four stance emotes
The Shadowy Presence invisibility power
I'm sure they're the stuff for the extra $10. But, what are alpha and omega themes?
If it ain't broke set it on fire, then say it was a fault in the design.
Main:50 Force Encephalon Mind/Kinetic Controller, Protector Server
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A badge of honor? All it tells me is that someone has dinged 50. It took me nearly a year and half to get my first 50, but (especially during the AE pl'ing fiasco) I've seen people with a 50 in less than 3 months. It certainly was exciting the first time I hit 50 to think I could roll a new AT, but this change doesn't retroactively diminish the excitement I felt. The clunky playstyle of Khelds did enough to tarnish the idea of "epic" for me.|
Originally Posted by Buxley1
This is the one detail I'm not crazy about. Right now, the (V)EATs are badges of honor -- we worked hard to earn them and it seems like they'll be cheapened somewhat if anyone capable of getting Stamina can unlock them.
I can't help but remember the Star Wars: Galaxies MMO whose Epic Archetype, Jedi, took a dedicated player a year or more of grinding to unlock. There was a certain amount of displeasure when the Jedi class was opened up as a starting profession with no prerequisites. Be that as it may, I'm looking forward to Issue 17 and hope my computer is up to the task of running Ultra Mode in all of its pixelly goodness. -Buxley |
The comparison to SW:G isn't very strong either. The changes to Jedi's came as a part of the disastrous NGE. It wasn't only unlocking the Jedi class for everyone. People were in an uproar about the vast changes made to the game with so little notice from the developers.
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Originally Posted by Amarsir
More Architect stuff, huh?
Not to make a big complaint but I'd like to remind you that some of us never really cared about an Architect addition in the first place. But hey, an issue that's not really something I care about, I can overlook that. For i14. But man, 15 16 and now 17 all have chunks of developer time dedicated to Architect as well? Is it blasphemy for me to suggest that you stop adding bells and whistles to the Mad Libs and try something different? Again I know some people like it and I don't disparage that, but I'd like to suggest that "more changes to Architect" goes right up there with "power rebalancing" on the list of phrases the marketing department shouldn't be leaning on. |
Didn't read to the end, so sorry if someone else said it, but they hired a developer whose sole (or almost sole) responsibility was MA. So no developer time is being "wasted" that could be spent somewhere else.
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Feel free to post your own opinions, but do not deny me mine, nor alter what I have said. Thanks.|
Originally Posted by Slax
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Originally Posted by F_M_J  /agree I am glad they continue to refine to MA part of the game. It is a huge portion of what keeps people playing, and is the only outlet for creativity other than costume making. . fix't |
Yes, I PL when I want to get past that dead part from 12-20 when all you get are travel powers and fitness, however I have also run some amazingly good arcs, and continue to do so through AE.
We have some very creative people making some fantastic story arcs, and I am glad they will be getting more options to further build upon their already considerable talents.
They pretty much nixed the PLing capability of AE with the Boss farm fix and I was happy about that. I personally am glad they added the ability to alter your level/team size. That way the farmers aren't looking for fillers and quietly farm away in their own little world not bothering me or anyone else.
Is it wrong that the little evil guy on my shoulder wants the badges to include a bunch of day jobs, so that he can enjoy the forum drama resulting from people who are now "forced" to miss out on all the new content because they "can't" play their main character(s)?
Popping in to give my feedback on Issue 17 announcement.
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Badges: I stopped caring about those when Inventions were introduced unless they gave me an Accolade power that boosted stats or performed some sort of combat use.| • New badges, new missions and new player emotes |
Missions: Great, hopefully pertaining to upcoming content? But how many? 4-5 per side like Cimerora? That'll be absorbed in a few days.
Emotes: Wow. I'm sorry, but this should not have been at the top of the list or one of the new features primarily mentioned.
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| • Epic Archetypes now available at level 20 |
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| • Improvements and additions to Mission Architect |
If XP & Influence/Infamy is to be kept low, why not throw in a perk like improved Prestige bonus at least?
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| • Enhancements to UI and game systems |
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| • And more |
There are quite a few current aspects of the game that are VERY UNAPPEALING to a majority of players that have continuously been passed by. PvP rewards, Base Raids, MA rewards, the way Merits are handled for team members on another player's Story Arc, the decline of teaming outside of TFs/SFs from my perspective, undesirable zones such as Boomtown, Crey's Folly, Dark Astoria, Terra Volta, etc.
As I've been logging on lately, I find myself only caring to do TFs/SFs because it's the fastest/easiest way to get a team and the best way to get probably one of the only things worthwhile right now in Merits.
So, basically I find myself farming the same content over and over and over and over because the other systems are subpar. This is not helping me want to continue on my subscription here since Beta.
The two things I'd like to participate from time to time are AE and PvP, but as I said... they're unappealing in their current state.
Right now, it's like TFs and SFs are the Death Shaman and AE and PvP are the two minions he summons to annoy us. I defeat the Death Shaman and leave his unrewarding minions in the dust.
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| A while ago, we announced Ultra Mode... |
I love this game and have been a loyal player for over 5 years.
Please take note...
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If "the MA dev" is working for free (and insists on only working on MA stuff), then sure, whatever time they spend on MA could not have been spent somewhere else. However, since I'm presuming that they're actually being paid, this is not the case - the money that's used to pay their salary could instead be used to pay a dev to work on something else. If anything, having a "single function" dev is the extreme case of "locking up" a resource. |
Originally Posted by TehHippeh
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Anyway, even if that wasn't the case, you still also have several *other* devs working on MA from time to time, so there'd still be time spent on MA that could in theory be used elsewhere.
That's not really interesting though. The question is "simply" if it's worth spending resources on developing the MA, and the devs clearly believe that this is the case.
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My assumption there was the person was so focused on MA from the start that there are few other areas where the person could make an impact. Probably should have been stated. For example, asking me to troubleshoot the phone network in my office would yield little to no positive result |
Originally Posted by Stargazer
If "the MA dev" is working for free (and insists on only working on MA stuff), then sure, whatever time they spend on MA could not have been spent somewhere else. However, since I'm presuming that they're actually being paid, this is not the case - the money that's used to pay their salary could instead be used to pay a dev to work on something else. If anything, having a "single function" dev is the extreme case of "locking up" a resource.
Anyway, even if that wasn't the case, you still also have several *other* devs working on MA from time to time, so there'd still be time spent on MA that could in theory be used elsewhere. That's not really interesting though. The question is "simply" if it's worth to spend resources on developing the MA, and the devs clearly believe that this is the case. |
Peoples definition of 'Epic' obviously differs heavily from the Devs'. They view it as 'tied in heavily to cannon and the in-game story'. They have also said that 'making them unlock at 50 was a major mistake'.
So they changed it. Does it cheapen it? Only if you're that narrow minded. Does it allow people far more access to cool stuff in the game? Yes. Does it make the game less 'grind for elite content'? Yes.
It also took me 15 months to get my first Hero 50, and maybe a bit longer for my Villain. And Im am glad that other casual players don't have to go through the rough ride I did to get the EATs. This was before the exp smoothing curve, and my Hero was before the debt changes. Not my idea of fun, for one thing.
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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.
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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon
NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.
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But if they were focusing on MA from the start, then hiring them was by default taking up resources that would have otherwise been used on something else. Similarly, if they can not make an impact anywhere else, then keeping them is using resources that could otherwise be used for something else. Unless of course they're working for free...|
Originally Posted by TehHippeh
My assumption there was the person was so focused on MA from the start that there are few other areas where the person could make an impact. Probably should have been stated. For example, asking me to troubleshoot the phone network in my office would yield little to no positive result
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Of course this doesn't mean that spending resources on MA is a bad idea, but if you have a dev completely dedicated to MA, then MA is most definitely using up resources that could have otherwise been used on something else. The question is if you feel that it's worth spending these resources on the MA, and the decision was made that it is.
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As well as a large portion of the player base.
| That's not really interesting though. The question is "simply" if it's worth spending resources on developing the MA, and the devs clearly believe that this is the case. |
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Or mabye there is a nemesis plot to make us all think everything is a nemesis plot, when actually it isn't!!!!!!|
Originally Posted by Melanie
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Do people who preorder GR still get access to closed beta???
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I don't see where that was called for. If something used to cost $50 and now it's $20, that makes it cheaper.| Does it cheapen it? Only if you're that narrow minded. |
I'm not going to get into some stupid Socrates evaluation of the word "Cheapen" vs "Epic". By definition, it's been cheapened.
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Hey wait, don't we already have halos?
MA Arcs: Yarmouth 1509 and 58812