How would you make CoH lower lvl content more fun?

I decided to make a thread to see what people would do to make lower lvl CoH content better. As we all know the lower lvl stuff is very old and generic. What I would do is add in more Boss type villains that aren't just standard issue. Like include more Rogue Gallerys. Also I like the cut scenes, they are generally more plentiful in CoV mission content. So what would you guys suggest?

Now that GR is out, I seriously hope that the Devs focus on non-lower level development. Anything level 21+ is good for me.

From what I have read, Issue 19 is a good step forward down that path.

Deleting Goldbrickers and low level CoT Ghosts would make it so much more fun for me.

Making more missions in offices/warehouses than in Caves/Sewers.

Make it easier to get contacts so I don't need to do the Newspaper/Radio missions to get a proper contact.

More interesting dialogue in missions (The newer missions have their minions saying things like in my sig)

If you couldn't tell I mainly play villains...

Villains:
Different starter zone for those who *want* to start as a villain and not in Mercy Trash Heap/Rescued by Arachnos.

More contacts.

Heroes:

General content revamp. Some tweaking has already been done, to the Hollows, Faultline and the Posi TF. Just bring it up to date, freshen it up some.

See my Guides and Tutorials

Re-build the pre-Villains game from the ground up.

I'm not joking. The old Cryptic built content is really damn dire, and showing its age.
I'm gonna be very interested to see what happens when Cataclysm comes out, and just how opinions shift...

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.

I gotta agree with Bill and Techbot.

Might also be interesting to see some level of hero versus vigilante-esque choices in the lowbie missions as sort of your own character alluding to future choices they'll make.

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.

I understand that GR has lowbie content but what about the times when you want to start out in Paragon City.

Pretty much what M_B said.

But NO CUTSCENES! Hate cutscenes.

I still laugh that, on a team, the enemy Frostfire tries to freeze in his cut-scene becomes boss-rank, so it's more as if he just ice-slaps him.

EDIT: more of a complaint about Steel Canyon than lower levels, but can the Council-5th war be less pronounced? It's making it hard to hunt Council for a mission because they're either spawning in groups of +3 or are spawning as a single soldier pinned-down by +2 Columnists, both of which are deadly and annoying.

Well for starters... I'd make it so that exemplars do not lose their higher level powers/IO buffs when joining a lowbie team. They'd still be scaled down to the numbers of the lowbie version (which are quite clearly already there as detailed by the "level sliders" when looking at the detailed versions of powers) and the equation to apply the buffs are already there.

Would it be slightly overpowered? Sure, but we are freaking superheroes/villains.

Disable it in PVP because those people would whine endlessly and everything's golden.

1. Please, please, PLEASE make it so lowbie contacts don't force you to go talk to another contact in another zone just to be able to do one of their missions. I've been playing for over a year, I do NOT need to talk to the Bloody Bay Liaison.

Suggestion: Make it optional through dialogue. Say the contact asks "Have you heard of Bloody Bay, a PvP zone?" You can say "no" and get that talk-to mission that would be useful for newbies, or you can say "yes" and skip it entirely.

2. Would be controversial I'm sure, but get rid of the sewers and create more level 1-8 content in Atlas. I hate to get started as a hero I have to solo mobs up to 5 to get a radio, or farm the sewers in order to access better content sooner.

Suggestion: At this point in the game it would be a pipe dream to get rid of the sewers, so have content to encourage heroes to do other things. Give access to radios to level 1 heroes and allow Atlas to host level 1-5 content.


Also see: New Positron TF. Apply to: Everything: Better Dialogue, Lack of Tedium, Interesting Ideas.

Basically a total rewrite of the way you level up so that won't happen. For me the issue is not content, the issue is gameplay. Unfortunately, content becomes stale and takes an awful lot of work to make more. Players will burn through it faster than devs can make it, so I don't see it as a valid 'fix' to low level play.

What is wrong with lowbie content?

You have a bare minimum of powers to attack, or do anything, with.

Of these powers, there is almost no customisation - enhancement values are minimal and set bonuses basically non-existant and very quickly redundant.

That pretty much sums up why I don't like the lowbie levels whatsoever. There's barely any choice. No matter who or what you are, you're pretty much taking a bare few powers and repeating the same attack chain ad nauseum until you level. There's nothing tactical when you have no choice.

The upcoming stamina change is long, long overdue, because it gives us a much needed boost to recovery (which was just a crippling frustration for lowbies) and opens up 3 more powers for those who don't wish to burn respecs at 20 (and especially for new players who don't have respecs at all).

That's why the system needs to be rewritten to make the low levels fun to me. That won't happen, so that's why I don't really care much for it and I level as fast as possible until I can start a bit of actual customisation.

Why not just make Atlas/galaxy content not suck? That way people wouldn't see the Sewers as the best way to level early on. Personally, I love the feel of the Sewers; a rookie team hurling itself into the under dark to bring multi-pain justice to the mugs down there. Heck, if anything it should be considered its own hazard zone, have arcs down there, a 'forward base' and hospital/trainer.

Personally, any zone that doesnt have content that allows it to stand up on its own should get some before ANY new zones are made. End of.

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.

I like the villain side lowbie content. It has some interesting missions like the 4 ally Arachnos one and you don't have to zone at all until 7 or 8 if you don't want to (although I usually go to PO at 5). They even moved the zombie mission closer to the base.

I'd create a series of 1-10 MA arcs, advertise them, and tell people there's an alternate levelling path.

If I was going to fix it, that's what I'd do.

Maybe I should.

Firstly I'd make Fitness inherent so I wasn't gasping for end every two minutes...

Oh wait...



Seriously though, instead of reworking loads of story arcs that would eat up a lot of developer time, I would do one simple thing:

I would spend time creating one, maybe two very low level Task Forces / Strike Forces. A sort of 'baptism of fire' for anyone wanting to throw themselves into the game quickly and for letting veterans blast through the dull levels early. I played a neat little arc in the AE that was aimed at low level heroes and had Back Alley Brawler sending new heroes out against some of the low level villain groups to get to know them and learn the ropes as such. First mission was against Hellions, the next against Skulls, then Clockwork, Trolls, Outcasts, Council etc. Whoever designed it spent a lot of time writing clues and extra dialogue explaining who these groups are and what they want.

It was such an excellent introduction, it could work really nicely as an introductory TF. As long as there was a coherent storyline to it, it would be good to give people a crash course in CoH villain groups and a different route for those who get bored by the sewers. By the end of the TF, the team could be 10-12, into DOs and ready to take on the Positron TF.

That would do it for me I reckon.

Villain side: Let us battle something beside snakes. There are badges available for Hellions and Skull, both of which disappear after about level 19, but when you arrive in Mercy aside from a couple missions against Arachnos and Longbow all we see are snakes, snakes and more snakes.

Hero side: revamp and actually give us a few story arcs like they did in Mercy. Okay they aren't long and they don't give many reward merits but at least they are arcs and tell a story not just give us some randon missions to get us from level 2 to 5. The same should be considered at slightly higher levels... there aren't very many actual story arcs even at level 10.

Praetoria: Love the arcs but they could add in some sort of newspaper/radio mission system to give those that start there the ability to get a Raptor Pack and Jump Pack without having to beg players to let that exemplar down to run the Atlas and Kings row Safeguard or mayhem after they arrive in COH/COV after level 20. Sure by level 20 most players have a permanent travel power anyway but I have 50 levels still using their raptor pack during things like Hamidon raids to save on End.

People don't do sewers because the Atlas/Galaxy content sucks. They do it because they don't care about that content, and just want fast fast levels, without any running to and from contacts and mission doors. Fast fast grind grind.

Ditto AE farming. People don't AE farm because everything except the one mission that they do (over and over) sucks; they do it because they don't care about anything but fast fast levels.

You will never come up with content cool enough to make these people do it, because they don't care about content. At all.

I would like tips to give you a chance to follow each villain group to its core. Newpaper missions could start earlier and you could follow the stories deeper in each villain group.

Possibly click on random building doors and get a list of missions to choose from concern situation inside that building (random of course).

I would like Villains to run through the city being criminals, "dungeons" like the sewer system in atlas) in every zone with optional story to follow inside.