MMORPG.com interview with Melissa War Witch Bianco


Adeon Hawkwood

 

Posted

And Ten Ton Hammer.


"I used to make diddly squat, but I've been with the company for 16 years and have had plenty of great raises. Now I just make squat" -- Me

Pediatric brain tumors are the #1 cause of cancer related deaths in children.

 

Posted

Quote:
("no one takes Leadership unless it fits a very specific role-playing character idea")
Um, Melissa? War Witch, dear? Sure you weren't thinking of something like, say, the Fear powers in Presence?


 

Posted

Quote:
We did also get a bit of a hint as to how the system would work, as Melissa explained that the Incarnate system would “reward you for stuff you’d be doing at endgame anyway.”
Interesting, and promising.




Character index

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Memphis_Bill View Post
Um, Melissa? War Witch, dear? Sure you weren't thinking of something like, say, the Fear powers in Presence?
it wasnt the best example, i know a lot of players, particularly defenders, who can do some nasty things to balance by stacking leadership and buffs. but i get her point, no example would have been totally safe(rian frostdrake actually enjoyed the ranged fear back in the day, it helped mitigate sapper alphas) some notables though. no epics can start in preatoria, that just makes sense really, i kind of wondered how they were going to handwave it otherwise. im interestd in the "gadget" type player thing they hint at, we kind of have that with traps and devices, but i will admit that the gadgeteering set is one of the things that i do like in co that you really cant do as well here, so it does interest me what they were thinking of.


 

Posted

Quote:
There will be two new tilesets (which will be available in the Mission Architect at a later time), one of which players are already familiar with are the tunnels in The Underground, and the second, which they have yet to talk about, is the Praetorian Tech labs.
Huh.

I suppose I'm glad we're getting any but I guess I was hoping for more of a facelift than that. Oh well, maybe later.


 

Posted

Can someone other than GG confirm we are getting more than just 1 to 20 content in the PAID EXPANSION?

And TBH, 1 new tileset? Your lying... Right?


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect_Pain View Post
Can someone other than GG confirm we are getting more than just 1 to 20 content in the PAID EXPANSION?

And TBH, 1 new tileset? Your lying... Right?
P_P, it's an expansion, not an entirely new game. Twenty levels worth of new content with new art assets, new NPC groups, new storylines; new endgame content; multiple new powersets; new costume sets; new tech; and whatever else may get thrown in there is a pretty damn nice expansion.

I realize that you have an almost pathological need for brand new shinies - be they powers, animations, costumes, zones, whatever - and that you have the boredom threshold of a chipmunk geeked on speed. But c'mon now ... you're really going to complain about this?! I honestly don't think it's humanly possible for the dev team to crank out new stuff at a pace that would EVER satisfy you, to be perfectly honest. And that's not their fault at all.


Positron: "There are no bugs [in City of Heroes], just varying degrees of features."

 

Posted

Quote:
For those of you out there who like to hunt out Easter Eggs, Melissa mentioned that players haven’t found them all yet, as there are still a number in the Rikti War Zone that have yet to be discovered.
This is interesting. I know there's a Council base that you can sneak into at the location of the Base Jumper badge (there's not much to it but it's still a cool hiding spot), but it sounds like there's even more stuff to find...


"You don't lose levels. You don't have equipment to wear out, repair, or lose, or that anyone can steal from you. About the only thing lighter than debt they could do is have an NPC walk by, point and laugh before you can go to the hospital or base." -Memphis_Bill
We will honor the past, and fight to the last, it will be a good way to die...

 

Posted

Quote:
("no one takes Leadership unless it fits a very specific role-playing character idea")
That line made me giggle.


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect_Pain View Post
Your lying... Right?
My lying what?


Head of TRICK, the all Trick Arrow and Traps SG
Part of the
Repeat Offenders

Still waiting for his Official BackAlleyBrawler No-Prize

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect_Pain View Post
Can someone other than GG confirm we are getting more than just 1 to 20 content in the PAID EXPANSION?
Yes, it was stated at PAX that the new endgame content (incarnate levels) will require the purchase of Going Rogue. We get the first level in GR and the other 9 in I19 but they all require GR to use.


 

Posted

Quote:
Um, Melissa? War Witch, dear? Sure you weren't thinking of something like, say, the Fear powers in Presence?
I think she meant Presence too, I get those two confused all the time.


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect_Pain View Post
Can someone other than GG confirm we are getting more than just 1 to 20 content in the PAID EXPANSION?
Off the top of my head, the things that buying GR gives you:

Access to Praetoria, which seems to be 1-20 at release.

Access to the 'incarnate' post-50 progression

Access to four powersets: pistols, demon summoning, kinetic combat, and electric control.

*Edit* I'd guess: some extra costume pieces as well.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect_Pain View Post
And TBH, 1 new tileset? Your lying... Right?
I'd hoped for a large variety of new maps as well, so this was disappointing to me as well. *To edit: it was 2.*


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Seldom View Post

Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect_Pain View Post
And TBH, 1 new tileset? Your lying... Right?
This disappointed me as well.
How did:
Quote:
There will be two new tilesets
Turn into 1?


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Karl_Rove_Man View Post
How did (2)
Turn into 1?
The low number disappointed me. Yeah, I did notice it's 2 new sets.
I hope eventually new map sets get attention, hopefully integrated into older content as well. With new staff, I hope they consider revising old content, bringing it up to par, and adding more varied environments for said content.


 

Posted

I think there's going to be a ton of unique maps too, and surely there's going to be another office tileset as well?!


[CENTER]Euro side: [B]@Orion Star[/B] & [B]@Orions Star[/B][/CENTER]

 

Posted

Your confusing what I am saying and bringing in your own angst. Please leave your baggage at the door.

I had really thought all this time, even thoe people were saying... That by now the Dev team must know that on both sides of the game, the game is stale 1 to 50. Not just 1 to 20. I get that there will be new end game, and one can ONLY PRAY that it is NOT gonna be just like Unity Missions...

Theres nothing on Earth that would make me wanna play through Sharkhead, Nerva, St. Martial, or Grandville ever again. Same for Heroes, Not much in the world would make me wanna hit Indy Port, Bricks, Talos, Striga, DA, or even PI... but I dunno, I dont get bored with behemoths in PI -much-.

I havent even log on to play this game for more than 6 hours for the entire last year just about.

I just thought, since they have split so much up that one of the big things they are keeping from us about GR, is the 21-50 content. And then we get new interviews that keep saying 1 to 20. I am not really ANGRY about it... I am just kinda like, oh, about it.

And yes, I am saddend to see we are getting 2 new maps... I was hoping for maybe 20 new maps.

Oh well.


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect_Pain View Post
I just thought, since they have split so much up that one of the big things they are keeping from us about GR, is the 21-50 content. And then we get new interviews that keep saying 1 to 20. I am not really ANGRY about it... I am just kinda like, oh, about it.
In that case I think you're going to be disappointed. it sounds like we're getting 1-20 and 50 content, there's been no word on 21-49 content.

Quote:
And yes, I am saddend to see we are getting 2 new maps... I was hoping for maybe 20 new maps.
Actually it's 2 new map tilesets. I expect we will get 5-10 maps per tileset.


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect_Pain View Post
Your confusing what I am saying and bringing in your own angst. Please leave your baggage at the door.
Madame, you voiced your angst, I simply stated my own concerns in a public discussion thread.

As to the whole 20-50 in Praetoria idea? Nothing has been said of it. In fact, the next issue's highlight will be upon expanding the incarnate system for level 50's. Nothing has been said of Praetorian level limit bumps.

Will they make this a three 'city' game, with Praetoria, Paragon, and the Rogue Isles as all different 1-50 areas? They could, but have not said anything of it. All that has been said so far seems to be that Praetoria serves as a means to change factions, and have an alternate beginning.


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect_Pain View Post
And yes, I am saddend to see we are getting 2 new maps... I was hoping for maybe 20 new maps.

Oh well.
This I am confused over. Are you talking about zones or tilesets. Because both are extremely different than "maps." As of PAX, we know of at least 4 new zones for Praetoria. That without war walls, the transitioning between zones will appear seamless, from city to city. This doesn't mean that they haven't added a ton of mission maps either.

What I remember being a discussion about what a "tileset" is, a tileset is the graphic set used to make up zones and missions. Now, if everything from GoRo on is shiny and set for Ultra Mode, then two tilesets could be all that is needed. One tile set is what makes up the look of the underground; one tileset makes up the look of the Praetorian Tech Labs. Everything in CoH is reused. Sometimes sets are duplicated and have battle-damage added; some sets are duplicated and made to look weathered.

They could add hundreds of new door missions, each using the same tileset, but wrapped over a different mission "frame." You would still have a different mission design, just that it would have similarities to others.

Example: all heroside and villainside warehouses use the same tilesets. Well, depending on the type of warehouse. Villainside is made to look darker while heroside is fresh and cleany (or is it vice-versa?) They have the same floors, walls, steel girders, steps, windows, doorways, catwalks, etc, all pulled from a tileset.


pohsyb: so of all people you must be most excited about the veats
Arachnos Commander: actually, I am
pohsyb: I mean you kinda were one already anyways ^_^
Arachnos Commander:

 

Posted

i was under the impression that 1 tileset was 1 map (1 sewer, 1 office building, 1 cave) not bunches of different.

for me Praetoria is a zone, but when we go in instanced missions those have maps that the devs call tilesets?


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect_Pain View Post
i was under the impression that 1 tileset was 1 map (1 sewer, 1 office building, 1 cave) not bunches of different.

for me Praetoria is a zone, but when we go in instanced missions those have maps that the devs call tilesets?
Yes. In map-design terms (not just for CoH but all games) a tileset refers to a collection of art resources (rooms, furniture, textures etc.) that can be used to make maps. So in CoH all of the sewer maps are considered to use the same "tileset" even though they have a different arrangement of rooms.


 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Adeon Hawkwood View Post
Yes. In map-design terms (not just for CoH but all games) a tileset refers to a collection of art resources (rooms, furniture, textures etc.) that can be used to make maps. So in CoH all of the sewer maps are considered to use the same "tileset" even though they have a different arrangement of rooms.
That's true although I'm fairly certain that "Abandoned Warehouse" and "Warehouse" are two separate tilesets, unlike what Commander said. There's actually little reusable between them -- the walls are different images (clean vs rusted), the railings and catwalks have cobwebs on them in the abandoned set, the racks are bent, fallen over and otherwise damaged in the abandoned set, the vending machines and chairs and photocopiers are all ruined looking, etc.

All "warehouses" use the same set but only for the functional, clean warehouses.