Discussion: Razer City of Heroes Questions & Answers
By
Aggelakis,
Posted on: 2010-06-30 14:55 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion
So everyone gets an APP, and villains can unlock their PPP. This does beg a question: has there been any thought to setting up Hero PPPs? Obviously not at the moment-- there are other things to focus on-- but how about down the road, would there be a chance to pick one of the signature heroes and by studying under them unlock a set of powers thematically related to theirs? Work with Manticore to hunt down Protean and be able to fire off a Teleport Arrow, for example, or help Positron save the Faultline Dam (again) to gain some radiation-manipulating technology. Who knows, since there are more top-tier hero characters than there are Recluse-Lieutenants, perhaps each AT could choose from 4 heroes, but not every AT would have the same 4. Posi could be available to blasters and defenders (and corrs eventually), maybe, while Citadel would help melee ATs.
This is of course just wishful thinking, but from a balance perspective, right now Villains can natively choose between APPs or PPPs, while Heroes only have APPs unless they switch sides. While the Villain PPPs are at least theoretically available to anyone, that is not the same as having PPPs for each side. This would be a great opportunity to introduce more variety in powers, either by giving specific powers to match a signature character's theme, or to give options that fit concepts that are currently neglected by epic pools (like radiation, for example).
Hero Patrons are something that make sense and could be fun, as well as giving existing characters more options.
(And a sudden thought grips me: Blue Steel patron arc...)
Just some of my 50s on Pinnacle... wave if you see:
Doctor Geist: Grav/FF Controller | Fighting Spirit: MA/Inv Scrapper (1250+ badges) | Bird of Paradise: Sonic/NRG Blaster | Pretense: Ill/Rad Controller
Gothic Horror: Dark/Stone Brute | Technophobe: Bot/Dk MM | Snow Leopard: Ice/Ice Dom
Gothic Horror: Dark/Stone Brute | Technophobe: Bot/Dk MM | Snow Leopard: Ice/Ice Dom
Hero PPPs would be so awesome to have! 
Playstation 3 - XBox 360 - Wii - PSP
Remember kids, crack is whack!
Samuel_Tow: Your avatar is... I think I like it
Quote:
How? Cimerora is a one-story sort of place: there simply isn't anywhere to attach more content. They can increase the ties to the rest of the game, but that's about it.
|
Originally Posted by Yogi_Bare
Now, they just need to do the same with Cimerora.
|
Quote:
Ok easy!|
Originally Posted by Katie V
How? Cimerora is a one-story sort of place: there simply isn't anywhere to attach more content. They can increase the ties to the rest of the game, but that's about it.
|
1) a GM of some sort plenty to pick from in Greek/Roman Mythology.
2) How about a different type of TF/SF. A PvE and Pvp type. Put the 3 fates as a contact on top of the mountain. Set the TF up like an Arena event. each team has 4 timed events to gain a goal (PvE) this will make speed runners happy. Then mission 5 would be the PvP.
Heroes go on a quest to help the Olympian Gods while at the same time Villians do the same for say the Titans. The last mission would square the heroes and their allies verses the Villians and theirs in a PvP winner take all the merits fight.
3) take a ship over to Egypt and continue the battle with giant scorpions, mummies, and other Egyptian myths.
4) story arc to Atlantis
See plenty to add to Cim.
---- Back on topic. Good read and now I want an Electric/storm controller and a Hero Bot mastermind NOW!
Quote:
And why the DE seem so much scarier in general over there?
|
Originally Posted by Golden Girl
Tha Hamidon as an Incarnate might explain why Tyrant was unable to defeat it.
|
Quote:
That's what they're planning - more Cimerora content will be linked to the Coming Storm.
|
Originally Posted by Katie V
How? Cimerora is a one-story sort of place: there simply isn't anywhere to attach more content. They can increase the ties to the rest of the game, but that's about it.
|
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
Quote:
I thoroughly agree with you Doctor_Geist and thank you for a very well thought out post. Posi Rep to you Sir! (or Ma'am)|
Originally Posted by Doctor_Geist
So everyone gets an APP, and villains can unlock their PPP. This does beg a question: has there been any thought to setting up Hero PPPs? Obviously not at the moment-- there are other things to focus on-- but how about down the road, would there be a chance to pick one of the signature heroes and by studying under them unlock a set of powers thematically related to theirs? Work with Manticore to hunt down Protean and be able to fire off a Teleport Arrow, for example, or help Positron save the Faultline Dam (again) to gain some radiation-manipulating technology. Who knows, since there are more top-tier hero characters than there are Recluse-Lieutenants, perhaps each AT could choose from 4 heroes, but not every AT would have the same 4. Posi could be available to blasters and defenders (and corrs eventually), maybe, while Citadel would help melee ATs.
This is of course just wishful thinking, but from a balance perspective, right now Villains can natively choose between APPs or PPPs, while Heroes only have APPs unless they switch sides. While the Villain PPPs are at least theoretically available to anyone, that is not the same as having PPPs for each side. This would be a great opportunity to introduce more variety in powers, either by giving specific powers to match a signature character's theme, or to give options that fit concepts that are currently neglected by epic pools (like radiation, for example). Hero Patrons are something that make sense and could be fun, as well as giving existing characters more options. (And a sudden thought grips me: Blue Steel patron arc...) |
As for the the whole "Q & A Event" I have to say I am pleasantly suprised by the amount of information. The accepted questions were very well thought out to give us more new information as well as clarifying a lot of old information and even giving us a little history/developmental info.
I personally would like to thank Paragon Studios for doing a great job on this event. The time and effort are apparent and seems to be very well appreciated by almost all, if not all.
Quote:
Please, no. This just reinforces the whole "Your hero plays second banana to these guys" thing. I'm pretty sure my blaster can learn to fire arrows without having to be tutored by Manticore.|
Originally Posted by Doctor_Geist
So everyone gets an APP, and villains can unlock their PPP. This does beg a question: has there been any thought to setting up Hero PPPs? Obviously not at the moment-- there are other things to focus on-- but how about down the road, would there be a chance to pick one of the signature heroes and by studying under them unlock a set of powers thematically related to theirs? Work with Manticore to hunt down Protean and be able to fire off a Teleport Arrow, for example, or help Positron save the Faultline Dam (again) to gain some radiation-manipulating technology. Who knows, since there are more top-tier hero characters than there are Recluse-Lieutenants, perhaps each AT could choose from 4 heroes, but not every AT would have the same 4. Posi could be available to blasters and defenders (and corrs eventually), maybe, while Citadel would help melee ATs.
This is of course just wishful thinking, but from a balance perspective, right now Villains can natively choose between APPs or PPPs, while Heroes only have APPs unless they switch sides. While the Villain PPPs are at least theoretically available to anyone, that is not the same as having PPPs for each side. This would be a great opportunity to introduce more variety in powers, either by giving specific powers to match a signature character's theme, or to give options that fit concepts that are currently neglected by epic pools (like radiation, for example). Hero Patrons are something that make sense and could be fun, as well as giving existing characters more options. (And a sudden thought grips me: Blue Steel patron arc...) |
I would much rather prefer them unlocking PPPs to everyone and making the Patron missions just an optional arc where your character wants to become a higher member of Arachnos, working closely with one Patron to reach said goal.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that heroes that go bad should just keep their APP's and let villains that turn good keep their PPP's AND get APP's.
Its bout time villains get a lil extra? Our PPP's suck...
http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/n...stumes%202011/
Quote:
Erh, that's what they said will happen?
|
Originally Posted by Shadow Wail
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that heroes that go bad should just keep their APP's and let villains that turn good keep their PPP's AND get APP's.
Its bout time villains get a lil extra? Our PPP's suck... |
@True Metal
Co-leader of Callous Crew SG. Based on Union server.
Quote:
It would be great to see the war walls finally get torn down and the new seamless zoning tech get applied to Paragon City. It would be amazing to be able to see, for instance, Steel Canyon off in the distance and just go there.|
Originally Posted by War Witch
Nova Praetoria is about one and a half times larger than Atlas Park. I think Praetoria appears larger because there are no war walls to "close it in". The way we've seamlessly tied the visuals from one zone to another also gives Praetoria a really large scope. And thats just the zones youve seen so far.
|
It would most likely take massive amounts of work from the art department to make Paragon a seamless city rather than a jumble of interconnected zones.
Quote:
Part of the problem with that, though is that the zones aren't adjacent in Paragon City. Atlas Park is not directly adjacent to Steel Canyon. There's actually a road in between them (possibly a tunnel, since we enter a tunnel to get there). And the cityscape we see beyond the War Wall is not indicative of the next zone over. Of course, said cityscape is clearly incomplete when you look closely, so they should be able to easily replace it with something useful, but still.
|
Originally Posted by Novapulse
It would be great to see the war walls finally get torn down and the new seamless zoning tech get applied to Paragon City. It would be amazing to be able to see, for instance, Steel Canyon off in the distance and just go there.
It would most likely take massive amounts of work from the art department to make Paragon a seamless city rather than a jumble of interconnected zones. |
Kung Ru - 50++ MA/Regen Scrapper
Kalleesta - 50 Necro/Dark MM
Hidden Justice - 44 Kin/Psy Defender
Altaholic
Quote:
I cant even say that is what they said, they are so good at making statements that make me sit here and question my critical thinking skills!
|
Originally Posted by TrueMetal
Erh, that's what they said will happen?
|
http://s305.photobucket.com/albums/n...stumes%202011/
Quote:
So how about the Hero Patron Pools are tied to ingame organizations rather than signature heroes? Longbow, Midnighters (or Ouroboros directly), Portal, and Vanguard. They each have their own distinct enemies and wars to wage, giving great ways to expand a hero both in power and story.
|
Originally Posted by Xzero45
Please, no. This just reinforces the whole "Your hero plays second banana to these guys" thing. I'm pretty sure my blaster can learn to fire arrows without having to be tutored by Manticore.
I would much rather prefer them unlocking PPPs to everyone and making the Patron missions just an optional arc where your character wants to become a higher member of Arachnos, working closely with one Patron to reach said goal. |
I'd have to vote "no", but then, I consider how the Patron Pools are set up (and almost all of CoV, really) as a mistake in the first place, so I have a little bias.
Dec out.
Quote:
Fair enough. But if the question is making sure both factions have the same amount of options, then you either need to remove the villain pools, or add new hero pools. And it's a little late to remove the villain pools.|
Originally Posted by Decorum
I'd have to vote "no", but then, I consider how the Patron Pools are set up (and almost all of CoV, really) as a mistake in the first place, so I have a little bias.
|
If you're adding, then it only makes sense to go with similar storyline reasons. Patron Power Pools are explained as working more closely with a powerful mentor, helping to achieve that mentor's goals. So Guidance Power Pools should be like that, but for heroic reasons, like protecting the planet from dimensional invaders or ruthless unstoppable villains.
That's the part I don't like. My powers should have nothing to do with them. It's far too "railed" for my tastes. I like them just being powers, like blueside.
Dec out.
That was a pretty good dev chat! Thank you to all the devs for the good answers.
Quote:
I obviously don't know how you mean this but I certainly feel the same way on a letter-of-the-law level. The Arachnos Overlord You Suck You Little Wimp Go Off And Die Or Beg For Your Life attitude is why I play more in the marginally better blue-side.
|
Originally Posted by Decorum
I'd have to vote "no", but then, I consider how the Patron Pools are set up (and almost all of CoV, really) as a mistake in the first place, so I have a little bias.
|
--If we can have huge sig images, why can we have only five lines of text?
--...faceplanting like a Defender pulling an AV (Nalrok_AthZim)
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Techbot Alpha
...I have the patience of a coffee-fueled flea...
|
Quote:
Not surprising, but this will not work very well in practice for those who switch often.|
Q6 “How will SG’s function when you switch to a Vigilante or Rogue?” GF: Characters who are Vigilantes or Rogues will continue to enjoy the same access as their previous alignment (i.e. Vigilantes/Heroes and Rogues/Villains). Once a character moves from Hero to Vigilante to Villain (and Villain to Rogue to Hero), the character will not be able to enter their base. |
Quote:
|
Q7 “When a character changes his alignment, will he/she be able to use that alignments epic pool powers? such as a Stalker that goes Rogue/Hero can use Scrapper’s Ancillary power sets or a Defender that goes Vigilante/Villain and can earn the Patron power sets?” WW: All characters will have access to the ancillary power pools for their AT. For ATs without ancillary power pools before I18 the powers are not exactly the same as the existing AT pools, but are very similar. Patron pools require running a patron arc to gain access to them, but once that’s been done once you always have access to the patron pools, even if you go to hero. |
Quote:
| This is of course just wishful thinking, but from a balance perspective, right now Villains can natively choose between APPs or PPPs, while Heroes only have APPs unless they switch sides. |
Quote:
|
Q8 “What is your favorite feature of the Alignment System?” BS: All of the alignment missions are structured based upon a single event, but the missions you can take go in completely different directions based upon which path you decide. The aspect of choice is something really new to the game, and I'm excited for where we can take it. |
Quote:
|
Q12 “Since the world outside of Praetoria is decimated, what does that world look like and will we ever visit that area?” WW: There has been fighting, yes, but the Devouring Earth has also played a large hand in taking over. If there is one thing the Devouring Earth does well (and this seems to transcend universes), it’s to return Earth (Primal or Praetorian) to its natural state. So even though Emperor Cole has created a pristine safe zone, there are still parts of Praetoria that are war-torn, but also parts that have been reclaimed by the Devouring Earth (and everything in between). Praetoria is vast and the desire to rebuild is innate. There is no limit to where we can take it. |
That would be up there ahead of moon base and shadow shard. A jungle or wild nature zone would be so cool and a welcome variety from most zones.
Quote:
|
Q19 “What is the lore of the Incarnate System, meaning is it tied to the Well of the Furies like Statesman and Lord Recluse being Incarnates? BS: The source of Incarnate power goes by the name "The Well of the Furies," but that is not its only name, and the Fountain of Zeus is not the only way to gain its attention. The truth fits within existing lore, but the concept actually goes a little deeper than previous speculation might imply. As a possible example, what if I told you that Hamidon was one of those who found another way to tap into the Well of the Furies, thus making it an Incarnate as well? |
Every MMO pointlessly sticks 'gods' into the center of its lore. Doing so would go against strengths of the superhero genre, which include near universal concepts.
Quote:
| I am *so* happy that this is one of the questions answered, because that means even though "Well of the Furies = Incarnates", it doesn't mean "ONLY Well of the Furies = Incarnates", which means characters are not railroaded down a single story path. Kudos, devs! (Also, thanks for answering my question ) |
What they did say is that the fountain of zeus is not the only way to access it.
Quote:
| At the end of the day, if all of your attempts to circumvent "players who try to do this" or "players who try to do that" makes the system unfun, maybe the system needs to change. |
I'm very pleased with the War Witch leadership so far.
A game is not supposed to be some kind of... place where people enjoy themselves!
Quote:
I never liked how villains had to "aspire" to be one of Recluse's idiots. lol|
Originally Posted by Decorum
That's the part I don't like. My powers should have nothing to do with them. It's far too "railed" for my tastes. I like them just being powers, like blueside.
|
These are folks that can't get anything done!(the patrons, I mean) It always seemed like Patronage was more of a hero thing (looking up to people) and did not fit a villain at all, in my opinion.
What I find interesting is that people want to add hero patrons, presumably to "be fair" or "balance" things, while admitting there are more potential hero patrons. Shouldn't we add more villain Patrons? Why ARE there fewer villain signature characters, anyway? Aren't heroes supposed to triumph over greater odds?
SadysCHICK ALL the Badges! (I can get. 1396)
Full image by David Nakayama
Arc ID 1435: Performing without Annette
Arc ID 7206: Sadystic Tendencies
Arc ID 3864: The Chronicles of (In)FERNIA!
Quote:
It's never to late to remove or rework anything in this game. The Dev's have proven this time and again with things such as taking away or "updating" costume parts, or reworking things such as the Positron Taskforce.|
Originally Posted by Triplash
Fair enough. But if the question is making sure both factions have the same amount of options, then you either need to remove the villain pools, or add new hero pools. And it's a little late to remove the villain pools.
|
My character's powers should have nothing to do with some in game character whatsoever. As I said before, my archer can fire arrows just fine with out Manticore's guidance. They should rework it, making the Patron arcs optional and making PPPs unlocked just like the APPs. And, if they want, they could add in a hero version of those optional Patron storyarcs where heroes can choose a heroic group to work with, IE Legacy Chain, Longbow, Wyvern, or the PPD. But this would all be in the name of adding content, and be related to a character's abilities in no way.
Solutions:
1. Add a way to unlock PPPs as a hero.
2. Add clone pools that are just like PPPs except cosmetically: elec, dark, water, tools (could be what they are doing).
3. Convert PPPs to clones and implement the PPP as optional power customization, after pool customization is added.
A game is not supposed to be some kind of... place where people enjoy themselves!
Quote:
Sir, please correct me if I am wrong, but I think Question #7 states pretty clearly that every AT will have access to Ancillary Pool Powers (and that current AT's w/o APP's will get them with GR) and every one will have the option of running the Patron Arc to get Patron Pool Powers.|
Originally Posted by Triplash
Fair enough. But if the question is making sure both factions have the same amount of options, then you either need to remove the villain pools, or add new hero pools. And it's a little late to remove the villain pools.
|
So, why would there be a need to add or subtract anything? It seems to me that everyone will now be on an equal footing.
I have to say, this was an excellent Q&A.
Lady-Dee: Hey my fat keeps me warm in the winter and shady in the summer.