Discussion: What's your Origin?
At the very least, this seems to offer more than the friggen emote pack.
Although I am a bit disappointed with the association between 'Natural' and 'Nature'. All Soldiers of Arachnos are Natural... But have powers that have nothing to do with Nature. Granted... I could see it being difficult to find an aura that yells 'Natural' when you see it... which is pretty much the purpose of this pack (for people to be able to identify your origin by the specific cape/aura). And while I do believe some 'storm' based characters could benefit from the aura... I also think it should have been packaged in a different booster.
All in all, I think I'll buy this when I manage to renew my subscription.
Exactly.
I see the micro transactions business model is going strong, but it's probably not the devs I should be thanking for this. Remember the times when this used to be included with the monthly payment. Never bought a booster pack before and this pack doesn't really change things. Edit: Seriously? 10 bucks? That's the price? |
There have been occasional releases of a bunch of free costume pieces, the civilian/day job pieces being the most recent that comes to mind, but there was never some sort of golden age where all new costume sets were gratis and supplied with every issue.
Dr. Todt's theme.
i make stuff...
i know i keep running into this fallacy in every thread and eventually i'll stop bothering to point it out, but i've been continuously subscribed to CoH since issue 0, and there have been paid packs that added additional costume pieces and other perks since at least 2005.
There have been occasional releases of a bunch of free costume pieces, the civilian/day job pieces being the most recent that comes to mind, but there was never some sort of golden age where all new costume sets were gratis and supplied with every issue. |
However I still long to issues like "Invasion" with Stealth,Vanguard,Exoproto and 4-5 (can't remember) new contacts and a task force (but that's besides the cosmetics.) I believe there were costume pieces included in at least 2 or 3 of the issues when counting back from i12 or i13. So that's what keeps bothering me, but I guess that's the nature of my "fallacy."
Just saying.
Edit: typos....
Remember the times when this used to be included with the monthly payment.
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This imaginary golden age of a rainbow in every pot and free ponies for everyone sure would've been awesome.....if it ever existed.
The Nethergoat Archive: all my memories, all my characters, all my thoughts on CoH...eventually.
My City Was Gone
Actually Lemur Lad, I think my last sentence in that post specifically said otherwise. Here let me post it again:
"For you to dismiss someone's feelings about this Pack is just as inappropriate as it would be for other people to dismiss yours." Now I think you are mostly refering to one slighlty over the top post, but letting yourself get caught up in one persons heated argument is not going to keep your blood pressure down. I personally agree in general with the feeling the guy has about these packs, while I disagree with the specifics of his post. I don't know if it will help you any, but try to look past the words and really firgure out what he is saying. I have been forcing myself to do just that for the last few months and the only people that irk me now are the ones that think no one else has a right to an opinion. |
Maybe you should focus a little less on what's "past the words" you're not that good at it. Especially if you think of me as someone who doesn't think other's have a right to an opinion.
What I object to are ill-informed opinions. Or people who think opinions are sacred just because of what they are (like you) and can brook no argument over the facts. If someone gets worked up over wrong information or mistaken impressions there is nothing wrong with giving them correct information and telling them to rethink their position.
Maybe it would do you better to stop reading tea leaves to divine people's meaning and accept that in a discussion forum, discussions happen.
"Null is as much an argument "for removing the cottage rule" as the moon being round is for buying tennis shoes." -Memphis Bill
I'm curious about costume addition history now, how often we've been getting them in regular issues compared to boosters, how many are locked behind specific content goals or badges or whatever, how many are tied to seasonal events, how many pieces have been removed from the game entirely or swapped out for "updated" models... hmm. But that would be a matter for another thread.
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Just off the top of my head, only couple of costume pieces have been removed. The hairy shoulders and Wyvern boots. Yes there used to be Wyvern boots for a brief period, but they only appeared under "pants" option. But then again I believe the entire thing was a mishap. Office belt was removed for a brief period, again a mishap.
Only altered costume piece I can think of is the gladiator shoulder option. Also one of the Roman chest detail armors were altered in the current issue. I tend to pay attention to details in this game, like ragdolls and textures.
As for issues with costume pieces, well, going back from i13 pretty much. Of course some of the additions weren't groundbreaking, like new hairstyles.
Edit:
oh you mean never?
This imaginary golden age of a rainbow in every pot and free ponies for everyone sure would've been awesome.....if it ever existed. |
To be honest, I don't even know why I'm commenting this.
I love the look on pretty much all of the stuff in this (probably not going to be using the mutation capes though).
Thanks Devs, can't wait to get my hands on it!
I'm curious about costume addition history now, how often we've been getting them in regular issues compared to boosters, how many are locked behind specific content goals or badges or whatever, how many are tied to seasonal events, how many pieces have been removed from the game entirely or swapped out for "updated" models... hmm. But that would be a matter for another thread. |
All these new "level 1 auras" really kind of mess with the coolness of unlocking an aura at 30.
A: "Sweet, I got to level 30 and did these missions and look what I got!" B: "Big deal, I spent 10 bucks, got mine at level 1, AND it looks cooler." I know it's not power creep, but...eh. |
True. However i13 was approximately 3 years ago and I believe by 2005 you refer to CoV which was acceptable "costume pieces and other perks" that I was willing to pay for. Technically in year 2004 they had collectors edition which had the DVD-cape exclusive, but calling it a booster is probably stretching a little bit. Again, nothing against people who wish to purchase boosters, but I don't believe anyone had that assumption about my posts to begin with.
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Sweet, I've been sigged!
And I just had another idea for a Natural aura... not quite sure how it would look (maybe folks have an idea) but something that represents, for lack of a better term, charisma. You know how some people just draw you to them? Is there a way to do an aura that instead of radiating outward, actually seems to pull INWARD?
Just a thought.
Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite
THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE CONTINUES!
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Exactly.
I see the micro transactions business model is going strong, but it's probably not the devs I should be thanking for this. Remember the times when this used to be included with the monthly payment. Never bought a booster pack before and this pack doesn't really change things. Edit: Seriously? 10 bucks? That's the price? |
$10 is less that what I spend on my Sunday breakfast out which is a one shot deal. I sit down at my favourite restaurant for a couple of hours, chat with the other regulars, eat my meal, read the paper. Then it's over.
vs.
$10 and I get to enjoy new auras on my characters from creation on up, for as long as the servers are alive.
I find the second option to be a much greater value.
EDIT:
LOL!
and eww.
i know i keep running into this fallacy in every thread and eventually i'll stop bothering to point it out, but i've been continuously subscribed to CoH since issue 0, and there have been paid packs that added additional costume pieces and other perks since at least 2005.
There have been occasional releases of a bunch of free costume pieces, the civilian/day job pieces being the most recent that comes to mind, but there was never some sort of golden age where all new costume sets were gratis and supplied with every issue. |
True. However i13 was approximately 3 years ago and I believe by 2005 you refer to CoV which was acceptable "costume pieces and other perks" that I was willing to pay for. Technically in year 2004 they had collectors edition which had the DVD-cape exclusive, but calling it a booster is probably stretching a little bit. Again, nothing against people who wish to purchase boosters, but I don't believe anyone had that assumption about my posts to begin with.
However I still long to issues like "Invasion" with Stealth,Vanguard,Exoproto and 4-5 (can't remember) new contacts and a task force (but that's besides the cosmetics.) I believe there were costume pieces included in at least 2 or 3 of the issues when counting back from i12 or i13. So that's what keeps bothering me, but I guess that's the nature of my "fallacy." |
I actually slogged through Paragon Wiki's Issues and Boosters pages and laid out a timeline of added costumes. Anything that wasn't listed in the original issue's announcement page didn't make it into the wiki, of course, but here's what we were given:
Sept 04, i2 - Capes and brooches
May 05, i4 - Costume pieces (unspecified)
$ Oct 05, i6/CoV - many costume pieces if you bought CoV
June 06, i7 - New costume parts and revamped pieces (unspecified)
$ Sept 06 - GvE items released in an item pack
Nov 06 i8 - chest emblems, new pieces and revamped pieces
July 07, i10 - costume tweaks, female bunny tail, earned Vanguard pieces
Nov 07, i11 - weapon customization, new hairstyles
$ Feb 08, Wedding Pack
May 08, i12 - unlockable roman costumes, Rularu/Talsorian/Roman weapons
$ Sept 08 - Cyborg Pack
Oct 08, i13 - day job costume options
$ March 09 - Valkyrie/Mac Pack
April 09, i14 - waist capes for female widows, Valkyrie DB options
$ April 09 - Magic Pack
June 09, i15 - Vines and Ulterior costume overlays, new cc emotes, new faces
$ July 09 - Superscience
Sept 09, i16 - power customization
$ Nov 09 - Martial Arts
April 10, i17 - animated tails, reflective parts
$ June 10 - Mutant Pack
Aug 10, i18 - combat-only auras
$ Aug 10, Going Rogue - clockwork, sport, PPD sets
$ Aug 10, GR complete - alpha & omega
$ Sept 10 - Party Pack
$ Nov 10 - Origins Pack
Nov 10, i19 - firefly & snow aura at least
The fact is that we HAVE been getting tweaks and additions trickling into the game for free the entire time the game has been out. However, it's never been a giant flood, and in very few cases have they been whole sets. The wiki didn't list when/which issue Jester, Stealth or ExProto came out, and Vanguard and Roman pieces are free but unlockable. Regardless, the dev team has very rarely put out full sets of anything.
Frankly, putting this list together made me MORE willing to shell out my $10 for the Origins pack. Seeing all the work they've put in, remembering playing at i0, and seeing how they've picked up steam to add more to the game in a more timely manner over the last 2 years just makes me want to support them all the more.
december 3 2008 was issue 13's release date, not quite two years. and this is one of those touchy points, because costumes auras, effects, weapons and power/animation customizations are all things that have come, over time, to be part of total customization, each element could be considered an option, and in that case issue 16 carried a motherload of new options, and issue 19 is bringing more, and lets not forget that issue 17 did finally bring animated tails and issue 18 was basically the chair that a paid expansion sat on. So, it becomes a very strained argument when those things are excluded from free things that we have gotten over the years. we have gotten numerous customization options in addition to just costume pieces, but the field has expanded so much that we really cant say just "costume pieces" any more, it really is a bigger concept now.
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Issue 17, had the most recent costume pieces I had, but again, paid update, not included withint monthly subscription. Of course I look forward to next issue hoping it can remedy.
But yeah, my bad for forgetting some of the costume pieces. I however still feel that majority of the costume sets and good looking pieces have been with paid expansions.
I don't want to be harsh to anybody, but "so what?" I'm not entitled to be slightly displeased without buying a booster pack? I haven't bought a booster pack, true. But that doesn't mean I have entirely canceled out the possibility of buying one. I think some of the options here and there in within the booster packs look nice, for example hoods in magic pack.
Feel free to describe what a "natural" aura or cape would look like
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Cape:
I would want it to look like something that a person could make in their home with their own resources. If Kick-*** made a cape or something. It would have the shape and size of the traditional rectangular cape, but extremely subtle recurring patterns invoke recollections of the type of cloth one could buy in a store.
Many of the capes in the game have this "I acquired it through a high-level contact or my own fancy resources" vibe. They're well made, professional, and crafted with meaning. The only non-professional ones are tattered from war.
I want things that have frayed edges or textures that one sees in a hobby shop. Things that inspire the idea that someone just made it when they started out but didn't have their rhythm yet.
Aura:
Subtle. Subtlety is key. I think what I'd want to do with this one is less based off of "Reality" and more based on how people
Faint sparkles and stars. Not like the stars we have now, no. More infrequent. Hecks, remake any of the other auras but more infrequent or subtle. An Earth-born natural hero is the most understated of heroes. Like Batman and Daredevil, there's the recurring implication that they are weaker than other heroes but compensate through something extraordinary. Batman uses his brains, whereas Daredevil's just really really well trained (His super-senses were retconned into "Not super powers, he just practices a lot" during the original Frank Miller run). Any auras that emphasize that are a win with me.
Addendum: Currently, the vast majority of free auras have this "I am brimming with POWAAAAHHHHHHHH" approach. I never play characters like that. Auras have very little appeal to me for precisely this reason. The only aura I've ever sincerely used is the Battle H.U.D. in the Technology pack. I use it precisely because it shows up rarely and only in its appropriate context. Walking around going "Hey, look at me! I'm powerful and glow! LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!!!1111" is how I perceive a lot of the auras. I turn them off.
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It should also be noted that when one says Natural, they don't mean "Earth-born mortal with no powers and will never earn any ever". They mean natural for that species. Superman is a natural hero. So is Starfire. Once you keep this in mind, the possibilities open up vastly. Simply saying "Batman is natural and has no aura" limits things far too much.
Not every player of CoH has a pile of money to spend on these overpriced Booster Packs. Less content for more money equals no sale and unhappy customers. Why should I "be happy" about that?
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No one says you have to have them except yourself. If something turns you off about them, then you save money by not buying it, while others buy it and help contribute to the extended life of COH.
Also if the target amount of people do not buy it, then maybe in the future they will try different things and add more.
Question, so basically if the pack came with a temporary power that wasn't useless (not that I can think of one off the top of my head), would people not complain about the pack then?
Yeah, costume pieces were never included without separate payments.
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Here, I'll elaborate:
There has never been a time in the history of the game where we got all these awesome free costume parts, in contrast to the dark current regime where we get nothing free and have to pay for everything.
We've pretty much always gotten a mix of free and premium costume bits.
The pretense that we've ever played in some sort of Free Costume Utopia and that paying for stuff is some grotesque modern invention is patently untrue.
The Nethergoat Archive: all my memories, all my characters, all my thoughts on CoH...eventually.
My City Was Gone
That isn't what I said.
Here, I'll elaborate: There has never been a time in the history of the game where we got all these awesome free costume parts, in contrast to the dark current regime where we get nothing free and have to pay for everything. We've pretty much always gotten a mix of free and premium costume bits. The pretense that we've ever played in some sort of Free Costume Utopia and that paying for stuff is some grotesque modern invention is patently untrue. |
Aura:
Subtle. Subtlety is key. I think what I'd want to do with this one is less based off of "Reality" and more based on how people Faint sparkles and stars. Not like the stars we have now, no. More infrequent. Hecks, remake any of the other auras but more infrequent or subtle. An Earth-born natural hero is the most understated of heroes. Like Batman and Daredevil, there's the recurring implication that they are weaker than other heroes but compensate through something extraordinary. Batman uses his brains, whereas Daredevil's just really really well trained (His super-senses were retconned into "Not super powers, he just practices a lot" during the original Frank Miller run). Any auras that emphasize that are a win with me. |
Addendum |
: Currently, the vast majority of free auras have this "I am brimming with POWAAAAHHHHHHHH" approach. I never play characters like that. Auras have very little appeal to me for precisely this reason. The only aura I've ever sincerely used is the Battle H.U.D. in the Technology pack. I use it precisely because it shows up rarely and only in its appropriate context. Walking around going "Hey, look at me! I'm powerful and glow! LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!!!1111" is how I perceive a lot of the auras. I turn them off. |
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It should also be noted that when one says Natural, they don't mean "Earth-born mortal with no powers and will never earn any ever". They mean natural for that species. Superman is a natural hero. So is Starfire. Once you keep this in mind, the possibilities open up vastly. Simply saying "Batman is natural and has no aura" limits things far too much.[/QUOTE]
Currently at work so I can't check, but I believe stars and sparkles have a light (infrequent) and heavy(constant) mode. On characters that have auras, I tend to use the light mode.
[B] I believe all aruas are now available in 'Combat mode' only, like the H.U.D. As for subtlety, I use the left-most colour column in the CC, this really tones down the saturation and brightness of the auras. |
I know we have Combat-Only now. I love it, and I want that mentality of "Less is more" to be a starting point for Natural auras.
I'm with others who think this and the "Party Pack" should have been combined. Each is interesting, and the work that's gone into them is certainly top notch, but each feels like there should be a bit more. I'll pick it up, because in comparison to a couple shots at the pub, this will likely be more useful, but if this is stage 2 of a new marketing trend, then I'll probably be less likely to grab the next one. On the other hand, give this a more reasonable price than the party pack (say $4.99) and I'll be much more please with the value for money spent.
Dear NCsoft, if you go through with this shutdown you've guaranteed you'll not see another dime from me on any project you put out, ever.
http://xx-starhammer-xx.deviantart.com/
That isn't what I said.
Here, I'll elaborate: There has never been a time in the history of the game where we got all these awesome free costume parts, in contrast to the dark current regime where we get nothing free and have to pay for everything. We've pretty much always gotten a mix of free and premium costume bits. The pretense that we've ever played in some sort of Free Costume Utopia and that paying for stuff is some grotesque modern invention is patently untrue. |
But why all the hyberbole? I haven't seen anyone else talk about "dark current regime" "rainbows" or "golden times." Sounds almost like a straw man.
It was fun.