WW's reasoning for no weather. Disagree!

Sounds like a lag fest to me...no thanx don't need it.

In a game that is mostly based on customization, immersion and putting things in just because they'd look neat, I'm still somewhat mystified by WW's statement on weather. The massive costume customization, weapon customization, power customization, ultra mode-- *all* of those add nothing useful to gameplay, and some of them had a very massive time cost that could have been spent on useful gameplay additions. Do I think they're neat? Yes, I do. It's nice to play a game where the characters are varied and colorful. Did some of them go overboard on time spent versus what we gained? Yeah, they did. There are some costume items that I've never seen in years of playing this game-- and some that I think are outright eyesores (older ones, generally). Yet the developers still took the time to add these in.

In the meantime, we put all of these colorful characters in what is probably the most static world environment I've ever seen. Nothing changes day-to-day. NPCs walk around, but are as interesting as most walls. The sky never almost changes. Day and night cycles have the barest effect on the world aside from dimming my screen. The closest thing to an atmospheric change is when there's a Rikti invasion event, where I get to enjoy a color that looks like someone designed it to make them remember being sick. Colorful, lively characters walking around in a static world.

So yes, I strongly disagree with WW's statement. They add tons of things to the game for no reason aside from "It's cool looking," so at least a basic weather system should be no different. Even just the occasional slight dimming of the sky and falling rain would be preferable to the constant, static world. Add a switch to turn them off so that people worried about framerate loss or the ones who are particularly against anything but sunlight don't have to deal with it. Let those of us that would prefer at least a little more immersion have it. I'd welcome anything to make the static world seem a bit less out of place with all of the lively characters in it.

I'm trying out another MMO that has weather effects and while I haven't experienced the complete wide range of them, it is one of the few things I actually like about it. It is atmospheric, immersive (I don't think that is a word), and non-evasive. As far as I can tell, visibility doesn't drop to zero when it rains. You get the rain and the sound effects and that is all. I like it.

Our Devs do sometimes seem to get hung up on realism so if they took that tact and said weather has to come with fog, lowered visibility, and some other kind of mild debuff....I'd likely still be in favor of it. I've never really run into this "oh noes Dark Astoria" attitude in-game...it is true that folks don't go to hang out there and I ain't looking to build a summer home but I haven't detected rage when a mission has sent the team there. My RP SG has used it for a number of storylines as it can work in a variety of supernatural scenarios. I'm personally glad that we have Dark Astoria if only for a change of pace.

More than most MMOs I've played, a fair number of the CoH crowd really seem to cry foul when anything is introduced that makes the game a wee bit harder. I'm not talking about zone events that make street hunts impossible until they're over - I'd be pretty annoyed if I were running Numina on a challenge setting and failed because a zone event prevented completion in a timely manner but if fog in IP caused a mild visibility issue and slightly reduced range accuracy, so be it. It would be part of the challenge and fun.

I still say yes to weather.

The problem with War Witch's statement is that it seems to fly in the face of one of the core things this game was built on.

"No weather for the sake of weather" (I'm paraphrasing) basically saying she wouldn't do it without a good game play reason.

Well what about simple looks\ambiance\realism\feel? CoH has always been a game that was a lot about feel, and looks. One of the KEY components of CoH is the costume creator. You can create your own look with no consequences or bonuses to game play.

I want my squishy ol blaster to wear big thick armor, does it make my Blaster tough? No but it looks good. I want my big tough brute to wear shorts, no shoes, no shirt. He can still take a hit with the best of them and best of all still gets service in the stores.

So why is it something like weather, which could give the game a great sort of ambience, which is important to the game, especially since it's in a modern environment and is supposed to feel like the real world, off limits unless it has a game play component?

Weather could be done easily, hell with the powers they have they already have animations for rain and snow. They could just be tweaked to work for zone rain or snow. In addition we already have gray skys, (See: rogue isles) We already have skies that can go from blue and sunny to gray, (See: Imperial City.) We already have fog (See: Dark Astoria) We already have lighting, sky and color changes across zones (See: Zone Events, Rikti Raids, Holloween Events)

Seriously most of the work for this sort of thing is already in the game, it's just a matter of bringing the existing special effects or sky or atmosphere effects together with the existing change in environment systems.

Just do it already.

It's not Weather for the sake of weather, it's weather for the sake of a prettier game and happier fans.

Im all for weather related zone events. The winter event should spawn some snow i think. Otherwise we see zombie attack zone events, Alien invasion events, fires, why not dramatic weather / natural disaster events? Instead of the sky turning red have it turn grey with flashes of lightning and spawn tornadoes or something. Good times.

When it comes to "immersion," I feel that rain that doesn't puddle/change the sky color/make the leaves move and snow that doesn't accumulate/change the sky color/happens with bright green trees and grass is ANTI immersion. If you want weather effects, I want seasonal and environment effects to go with them, otherwise it makes things WORSE, imo. And if one bit of fluff is worth it, for the sake of RP/immersion, they both are.

I don't want to see the devs do a half-***** job with it like other MMOs do, and I think that's all MMO devs are willing to commit to these days.

You people want rain and other adverse weather but what about the poor people working as your contacts. They'd be standing out in that weather all day and night. Unless, the devs allowed them to move* and they'd go seek shelter either at home or in some local store such as a restaurant or drinking establishment, which of course, us supers are not allowed to enter due to liability insurance issues. Then you people will scream about not being able to reach your contact at all since they would turn off their cell phones as well and call it a day (or night). Poor Indigo, standing on top of that windy hill in the cold; she'd get frostbite and nipply... hmmm.


*kinda wish they did at at least wander a little instead of standing like wooden Indian statues.

I just feel that each different seasonal event takes care of weather for me. though... it would be nice for trees in a place like RI to change color with the seasons. I mean... were in New england arent we?

I just want to say I wasn't badmouthing Dark Astoria, I personally like the atmosphere, but alot of my friends have complained. Yes part of it has to do with there is little to do there, so livening things up would be great. Anyways I was just saying that it is Full of Atmosphere, and it Should be awesome, and yet, there is nothing happening. My computer does have problems with weather issues in other games, and when the Rikti or Zombie events, whatever atmosphere they introduce with those kills my video card every time. I go to stutter-rate framing and wish I could turn off those effects. I can't so I have to Run for it, and live with it, and it does get annoying.

I just say that weather would be great, If it was implemented correctly. I don't wish for a "Do it because we can" shiny, and would love it if they used that same time on making even more 3D seeming parts for our costumes. The newer parts are great, but alone they fit a little off unless with other 3D seeming parts. I want to get rid of my tights and upgrade! Also more animations for powers would be great. I just would prefer other things before something I would most likely turn off it if lets me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Galactoman Poor Coyote... I've always wondered what he did to piss off Statesman badly enough to earn himself a lifetime of telling newbies to punch sick people...

I just want to say I wasn't badmouthing Dark Astoria, I personally like the atmosphere, but alot of my friends have complained. Yes part of it has to do with there is little to do there, so livening things up would be great. Anyways I was just saying that it is Full of Atmosphere, and it Should be awesome, and yet, there is nothing happening. My computer does have problems with weather issues in other games, and when the Rikti or Zombie events, whatever atmosphere they introduce with those kills my video card every time. I go to stutter-rate framing and wish I could turn off those effects. I can't so I have to Run for it, and live with it, and it does get annoying.

I just say that weather would be great, If it was implemented correctly. I don't wish for a "Do it because we can" shiny, and would love it if they used that same time on making even more 3D seeming parts for our costumes. The newer parts are great, but alone they fit a little off unless with other 3D seeming parts. I want to get rid of my tights and upgrade! Also more animations for powers would be great. I just would prefer other things before something I would most likely turn off it if lets me.

I also like the new auras that come with the origins pack. I don't have it yet, but I like how they are a li

Quote:

Originally Posted by Galactoman Poor Coyote... I've always wondered what he did to piss off Statesman badly enough to earn himself a lifetime of telling newbies to punch sick people...

I've always thought that LOTRO had good weather effects. Rain splashes when it hits the ground, etc. Snow falls pretty convincingly. Even the occasional blizzard is cool.

I would like to see weather and seasons (the trees turning colors and/or losing leaves in winter), but only if it was cosmetic. I wouldn't want it to mess with my powers or limit the availibility of finding group x in a hunt mission. It's bad enough trying to do Numina's hunt in every zone mission while dealing with Rikti invasions or Zombie invasions.

Having the NPC's being shown to dress appropriately for the weather would be a very nice touch as well.

Then again, after playing in Praetoria, I want the war walls gone in Paragon.

A bit off topic but it goes along with the weather discussion.

The medi-teleport mission for i19 is amazing. However I noticed something in one of the missions and for those that also have completed it, you would have had to notice it also.

Staircases where added to the level design; what! Why do we need stairs added to a building now after 6 years? Sure the building is on fire, so what. We have been using working elevators now in buildings that have fallen over sideways, buildings that are frozen with sheets of ice, flooded buildings without the need of emergancy staircases. So why add them now???

WHY???????

I'll tell you why, because it's cool. It adds to the overall story. The building is on fire and the elevators are down, what now? The stairs!

So I ask again, why now? What purpose does it bring to the game. Why are these stairs not in every office building?

The answer: when it suits the design, it will be put in. The stairs are not needed, yet they were added to help drive the story.

Before, I get flamed(no pun intended). I do know that adding a door to a level that does the same thing as an elevator door is a no brainer and probably very easy to do programming wise.

My complaint is simple, you should not add something as trivial as stairs, but be so dismissive of weather. When it comes down to brass tax, they do the same thing; create atmosphere and nothing else; just like honking cars horns and NPC's walking around doing absolutly nothing. And the argument of, not adding weather just for the purpose of it being there just got thrown out the window in my humble opionion.

Again, I do not pretend to even understand the complexity of adding weather, from a programming aspect.