Plans for the Future

With announcements of the next few big updates, we know what to expect over the next year- Going Rogue brings us side switching and Praetoria, while Issue 19 will finally bring us the long awaited end-game system. With these great new additions coming to the game, is it time to stop moving forward and start fixing what we have?

The next update coming brings me to my first suggestion- a look at existing story arcs. Issue 17 brings us 2 new story arcs on each side, and I went on test and have done the villain side arcs...and THOSE are what story arcs should be. Possibly some of the best content so far, as the missions aren't a cookie cutter of everything else; defeat all, rescue, get glowie, etc., and I actually get options of how I want some of the missions to go! I feel like I'm doing new content, not the same thing I've had for years with a new face. Maybe it's time to look at all this content we've had since the start and bring it up to date with the technology of the newer bits of the game.

Although we have limited knowledge of Praetoria, one thing that has been announced is both the openness of the zone and its compliance with the new Ultra Mode system coming with i17. I'm sure the player base wouldn't mind a few aesthetic and maybe geographical changes to some of the current zones, as there's likely been more advances in zone creation since some of these were made as far back as 2004 and 2005. Although I will admit Ultra Mode does give a new face to all zones, I'm sure many people believe there are other changes to be made.

I know I didn't provide very many specifics, but you get the idea. Although new things have been added, there's so much more pre-existing content that hasn't been touched since we've been given more mechanics and creativity in more recent updates (Cimerora and Ouroboros brought us time travel/interesting story lines while we're still fighting thugs and stopping bank robberies in older arcs).

So hopefully I got my point across...any opinions?

I know exactly what you're talking about, and I whole-heartedly agree with you. You can definitely tell the difference from old content and new content. It just sticks out like a sore thumb. We've added all these new contacts and missions with fun new additions, but the older contacts are still doing the same ol' song and dance. Not to mention the blah-feel of the older zones like Port Oakes and Steel Canyon.

Unfortunately, while this cause is a just one and one that deserves looking into, it most certainly is not an easy one. To go back and update all the contacts and all the zones would be an impressive feat to say the least. They would have to practically drop everything they were doing and work for a very lengthy amount of time in order to bring the old content up-to-date with the new stuff. Then the players would complain that there's not enough "new" stuff, and it would just be a mess.

I propose that every new issue or so, they should spend a little time upgrading something old. Not everything, just work in baby steps. One issue they could add some interesting contacts and stories for Dark Astoria. Another issue they could spice-up the old stories that the old contacts use in Port Oakes. Not neglecting new stuff of course, just sort of give a little of each.

It's probably wishful thinking, but I really believe that we need to do something about the old content; It's past the expiration date and needs to be replaced or upgraded.

I for one would prefer they spend time applying rust-cure and polish to the old content, ESPECIALLY the old blueside stuff. Run the current Praet arcs. Defeat all. Defeat all. Defeat all, huge map. Defeat all, huge map. Something of a pattern, no? And its DULL. It's really, really, mind numbingly, will sappingly dull.

The redside content, for the most part, is a bit more varies, better written and less grindy. But blueside, once you've exhausted Hollows and Faultline, which have both had more recent overhauls and are much fresher, quickly becomes a horror house of same old same old.

"But we need new shinies-"
NO! No you don't, not if the chassis of the game is starting to rust and crack from being nearly six years old content!

New shinies will not distract from the fact that the old stuff, especially blueside, is still the mainstay of the levelling content. The old arcs and the old mob models are really, REALLY starting to show their age. Ultra mode gives a much needed breath of life to the settings, but not to the mobs themselves. And Praetoria and the I17 new arcs dont give new life to old, repetitive content, which is in dire need of some attention.

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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.

a powerful /sign to this post.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow City of Heroes is a game about freedom of expression and variety of experiences far more so than it is about representing any one theme, topic or genre.

Agreed we need something along the lines of WoW:Cataclysm, one of the key reasons a WoW dev says for completely reworking the 'old world' of vanilla WoW was that it just didn't come up to the standard set by Outlands and Northrend, it was starting to show it's age, especially since they want to move AWAY from the Everquest model as it appears to be in recent years.

Perhaps this should be the next expansion, City of Supers: Rebirth.

Tell you what, just before the expansion is released, crank up the Rikti invasions to eleven, I don't mean more just more frequent, I mean a day before the expansion hits slowly crank up the invasions to the point where they're non-stop in all (being revamped) zones with a mothership hovering overhead then cut off the servers at their height...

...once people log back in after the update have the MOTD display something like the following.

"It has been six months since the end of Second Rikti War, Paragon City and Arachnos have enlisted your help and now the rebuild is finally complete, however while you have been busy cleaning up the mess of the Second invasion old foes have reared their ugly heads...the rebirth of this world is finished but the battle of good and evil will never end.."

Add bomb and assault suit spawns in the Rikti Warzone so people can still get the invasion accolade and BAM! Not only have you've moved the story forward properly but it's a wonderful excuse to have the zones revamped.

I really don't think the old content needs an overhaul, they just need to hire a "Content Editor" to weed out some of the...weeds...in the mission lists.

They really need to dedicate a issue or two to going through blueside and fix the contacts up a bit.

And by a bit I mean completely revamping them. Keep the basic plot, unless the plot itself is garbage, and rework the particulars. Then add in the new wizbang of the new story arcs.

Plus, revamp the Shadow Shard and its TFs. And revamp Boomtown, Eden, and Dark Astoria to have some zone arcs while you're at it. And the Freedom Phalanx TFs could also use some reworking, especially Manticore, his TF is just awful in terms of story at the very least. Maybe add Blue Steel into Synapse's TF too.

I0 and I1 content desperately needs an overhaul, both to bring it up to current standards of game design and tech and to deal with developments in the game's story. (It's a little absurd to have Agent McQueen thanking you for preventing a second Rikti invasion while drop ships are cruising through the skies of Founders Falls.) It would also be nice to have the endless slogs of the late-game blueside arcs broken up into more digestible chunks, like the revised Positron TF was.

Let Doc Aeon or whoever wrote the new Hero and Vill side arcs from I17 loose on them. Even if it wasn't using all the new shiny tools, it'd still be better than the absolute Jackinated trash that is there now.

Oh, and Sam; I lol'd

Quote:

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.

Quote:

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