The pay-per-view effect

This whole thing will represent abstract musings on several subjects, so if this doesn't seem appealing to you, then simply skip the whole thing. You have been given fair warning.

I've been watching the Spoony One's Wrestle Wrestle show, where he more or less reviews professional wrestling (long story), and the one thing that keeps recurring (other than "how is this still airing") is "save it for the pay-per-view." It seems that in wrestling circles, if a match is so good, so... Epic that it would gather crowds across the country, the logical thing is to save that match for the exclusive, paid for pay-per-view special. After all, the logic goes, if you could see cage matches on free TV, why would you pay to see them on a pay-per-view?

The reason I bring this up is because the more I listen about this, the more I'm reminded of a similar effect I keep seeing here. I'd title this "save it for the TF," but it's not just TFs this happens for. However, for the purposes of this exercise and to make it easier to talk about, let's just call it that.

It seems to me that there is this recurring trend, and one much more pronounced lately with Incarnates, which dictates that if something is very good, you have to save it for a Task Force or a Strike Force or a Trial or some other gating system. While I understand that the idea is to keep the quote-unquote "epic" elements the quote-unquote "epic" encounters, this has a rather curious effect that I don't think we fully appreciate: regular content is not allowed to be awesome.

I'll just let that sink in for a while.

You see, I've been whining and complaining about a whole host of solo issues and storyline issues and task force issues and whatnot, but I realise now that this is the singe centre-piece problem that it all comes down to. Regular content is not allowed to be awesome, because any awesome idea is just too awesome to be in regular content. No, it has to be in pay-per-view exclusive content. And I don't mean that to say I'm somehow excluded from this, not at all, but more to say that if a story is written, designed and delivered such as to be awesome, then it just isn't allowed to be part of regular content and so must become a TF or equivalent.

This has always been the case to differing extents over the years. Just as a random example, the only way to face down the Clockwork King and put an end to his reign of crime is to do the Synapse TF. And, indeed, the only way to complete the Hollows, Striga and Croatoa storylines (if you can call them that) is to do the Task Force at the end. It's pretty much exactly like what I experience watching wrestling, here in a country where pay-per-view doesn't exist. I get to see the storyline, the build-up, the excitement, and right before the resolution *bzzt* You cannot experience this. Oh, sure, I hear about it next week from recaps and retellings, but I'm still missing the end.

However, on completely the opposite side of the spectrum is City of Villains, where Task Forces are auxiliary to the main plot. Virgil Tarikoss has his demon to deal with that is kind of a part of another story, but not really part of that story's actual storyline. And then Ice Mistrall has that deal with Archos, which is interesting, but not really pivotal and not the conclusion of any particular storyline. And, of course, taking on and beating down Lord Recluse (of the future, but still) is still part of regular content. It's not easy, mind you, but it's not locked behind a gating restriction, and I don't really count prerequisite story arcs as such.

Generally, it's been a relatively good mix of regular and special content. But then come Incarnates, and the whole system appears to be marketed as a pay-per-view TF-fest with no actual "regular" content to be seen anywhere in there. And this is less so a beef with that particular system and more a general gripe I've had with game design for a while, but it seems to me that... Well, let's put it this way: I got to 50, I unlocked my slot, I'm right on the threshold of a brand new adventure and... That's continued in the members' section. Why? Well, it's awesome, so we can't just leave it into normal content. It has to be "special," so it's put in "special" content.

Now, as I've said before - I don't mind having special exclusive content. Hell, I don't even mind content I CAN'T access for a variety of reasons. We've always had things like that even since 2004. What has been turning into a consistently increasing concern for me, however, is that notion that if something is really good, then we have to stick it in a TF. Sure, TFs are supposed to be good, but that leaves regular content decidedly mediocre.

And I just don't like that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.

Have you played Ray Cooling's arc?

Play Ray Cooling's arc.

Whoever's been writing the new backup arcs for the past couple issues clearly does not believe in saving it for the pay-per-view.

There is also a practical reason for saving some things for TFs. There are ways to structure an encounter such that teamwork is required or at least strongly rewarded, and I don't mean simultaneous glowies. These encounters can be quite thrilling, but they simply don't work as solo content.

I agree with this to an extent, Sam....but I have to qualify that by saying that I feel what Paragon Studios are doing here are pushing their own boundaries. They themselves have said they're doing things in these TF's and in fact in the whole zone of Praetoria that they've never done before.

I can't fault them for that. I don't know if what they're doing now they want to apply to the overall gameplay, but I've never felt these things are exclusive in any way. If it were, then it'd be like fantasy MMO's, where you need special weapon/armor/items just to get in the door, let alone fight against the horrible nasties. No, here you just have to form a group and off you go. Even this issue lets you go and do these things. Does being an Incarnate help? Absolutely. But they haven't gated that to any of us; anyone who wants to do that can go off and do it and the way to improve those abilities isn't gated either.

TF's in my mind are group content play that you do with people you like hanging out with (or maybe by yourself with a group of individuals also), and it should deservedly be a highlight of a story (or a story unto itself) that stands out. Now, not all our TF's are like that (out of the original six TF's, only Positron's has been given a makeover to the point where people love doing it enough to exemp down happily), but Praetoria's stories are pretty epic with some definitely epic choices and none of that is gated at all.

Are the new TF's different? Certainly. Are they replacing regular content? Hardly. Ask anyone who played in Praetorian Earth.


S.

I'm going to agree (at least partially) with Sam here. Regular content SHOULD be awesome. And I think we could have had that in this issue, but that probably would have meant Paragon Studios hiring more writers.

What I envision is this: Imagine, if you will, that at the launch of I19 we had a Praetorian invasion along the lines of the Rularuu invasion back in I2. The War Walkers, some Praetorian AVs, etc. showed up in KR, Steel Canyon and two of the redside zones (PO and Cap, since they're in the same level range as Steel). This goes on for at least one full day or week, whatever and then, at the next server reboot after that period in time, we all log in to see that KR, Steel, PO and Cap are now mucked up. Or they could muck up each zone a little every day until the end of the invasion cycle. Basically, the four zones all end up looking like KR and Steel do in the Apex TF.

For the next however-long-until-Issue-20, we would still have Praetorians porting in on occasion to try and press the attack but the main thrust of it would have been blunted by our efforts on that initial day/week/whatever. Basically, the Apex TF would, instead of being a TF, take place out in the game world.

Where the extra writers/stories would come in would be giving extra story arcs to the contacts in those zones. Arcs that could involve such things as preventing looting by the various gangs that make those zones their home, aiding in the rebuilding effort, helping to gather the materials needed to take the fight to Praetoria or some such thing like that hero-side. Or using the opportunity to gain power for yourself, infiltrate Arachnos while they're reeling and bring portions of their organization under your sway, find a way to be part of taking the fight to Praetoria, etc. That would take a lot of writers and a lot of talent to make it all exciting and awesome, but it could have been done.

Heck, there could even have been a live event on each server, a summit meeting between Statesman and Recluse and their respective associates/lackeys where they announce that they'll stop trying to actively kill each other until the war is over. Prompting possible high-end story arcs where one or the other group tries to "Uriah" the other while still attempting to win the war.

The Tin Mage TF could still have gone in place as blue & red's first counterstrike, establishing a beachhead in Neutropolis in preparations for stories/TFs that would be part of the issues to come. And it could still have been tied to unlocking and slotting your Alpha ability so that you'd be better prepared for the war awaiting you in Praetoria. But in addition to that, you'd have all that other awesome stuff in the regular portion of the game.

To bring it back to Sam's wrestling analogy, it would not just be "save it for the pay-per-view." It would also be the long and careful "Sting vs the nWo every week on Nitro."

I think it would have been fun with a double-dose of awesome, but maybe I'm just weird that way.

Sorry, I can't agree. Recently there have been some good new arcs come out. Dopplegangers... we get an arc each side dealing with them as well as the new Posi Pt 1. I've only played the new hero Arc, but it was pretty epic and required no teaming or TF to finish the story, which included an epic battle on top a burning structure. And all of Preatoria... not a TF in site.

Sure, some stuff does require a TF to close it out, but recently the Dev's have seem to have been going away from that. The 2 new ones... you are battling an invasion... makes sense you should grab some mates for that. I wouldn't be surprised if we see some arcs introduced eventually for the incarnates amoungst us, but I feel you are overstating the problem.

I've never played Ray Cooling's arc, and looked it up in the wiki...only to not find it. Apparently it's Roy Cooling's arc, if one is searching for it.

I think the breakdown is as follows. Great new stories can appear anywhere...solo content or TFs. New game mechanics are going to show up in TFs first.

Roy Cooling, yes. My memory isn't what it used to be, and I don't remember what it used to be...

Using comic books I would prefer TFs have the JLA or Avengers vibe and not be part of the individual story of Batman or Iron Man.

I disagree that the devs have taken to this strategy and I think there are many recent examples that directly contradict what Sam is stating here. To wit:

• The Mender Ramiel arc is AWESOME!;
  
• The new Hero Morality Mission (Save the Rogue Bane Spider) is awesome;
  
• The new "fall into the darkness" Vigilante to Villain missions over in the Rogue Isles are awesome. Haven't done the Rogue ones yet, but I'm hoping they are as good.
  
• The new level 20 arcs added in Issue 17 and 19 are awesome!
  
• Praetoria is awesome. Heck the major problem I had with it was that so much awesome was limited to regular content.
  
• The Praetorian zone events are really fun.

There is lots of non-TF content that is pretty epic. The example I think best exemplifies this is A Hero's Epic. While I'm not entirely happy with the story (I think they should have just treated it as a ret-con of A Hero's Hero rather than trying to act as if both arcs happened with the same plot just several years apart) the arc itself gives a very epic feel, especially if you solo it. It manages (IMHO) to go a good job giving the impression that your character is one of the City's premiere heroes ranked up with the Freedom Phalanx. I'll also throw a nod to the villain clone arc mentioned above.

I agree that older content doesn't necessarily have an epic feel to it but the newer solo content does a much better job.

Disagree. And anything you don't immediately see in missions will probably show up in the future. (The awesome invention of airbags in cars was not available immediately in every car; some cars had it, for a high price, then more had it, cheaper, and now nearly all have it.)

And there is the fact that the devs are human, and can't do it all at once.

And let's remember: special content is, erm, for lack of a better word... special. If every mission had Recognized-name AVs, they would get somewhat passe just like... Frostfire, for example.

Niklarus' idea sounds great, but sounds more like a several-issue-release, rather than a single issue - to reprogram all the contacts with added content? That is a HUGE undertaking.

To add tot he list of awesome regular content, The Civic Squad mission. Sure it's been eclipsed by some stuff that's come out since then, but it's pretty awesome.

Viridian's arc also comes to mind (especially the Council mission) but I think that qualifies as gated - even though it's not a TF - since Viridian is such a pain to unlock.

At first I thought this thread was gonna be about complaining that you need to buy GR to make use of the Incarnate system and content, but this turned to be even sillier. Fun times.

I just got ambushed by a 60' tall mecha while running solo... How is that not awesome?