Incarnate Strikes - A proposed solo/small team path

THAT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE. Not even by your standards.

FunstuffofDoom is right. "Because the big blue guy told me so" is a stupid reason to not do something. Let us show some initiative for a change. We're Incarnates, we're supposed to be the world's movers and shakers, not obediently doing what we're told by one mysterious figure after another.

Heck, screw the Vanguard, and just throw in "Incarnate tips." Yes, it's another currency. I don't care. These tips would only drop from level 50+ enemies, and only if you have your Alpha slot unlocked, and would be used to set up solo incarnate missions, or even mini-arcs. Each tip would offer a heroic option with a slightly vigilante slant (because sometimes heroes have to get their hands dirty for the greater good) and a villainous option with a slightly rogue slant (because no matter how much of a jerk you are sometimes you have to realize it's not all about you.) None of them would have anything to do with Praetoria. They'd be a firm reminder that there are still other threats out there, and if done correctly could be used to foreshadow future developments.

Arcanaville once expressed, to her visible chagrin, something along these lines. Yes, I do have a great track record for seeing my concerns addressed and ideas realized.

Part of that is that I'm very tenacious, but more importantly I think is that the devs probably think about many of these things themselves. They do probably think more like I do about games. But then, while I'm considered "hardcore" here, I'm fairly casual by the standards of other games. I do tend to think I represent a fairly middle of the road MMORPG gamer. It's just that our average player here is further down the casual continuum.

As for this idea, the only dev response I got when it was PMed, was that anything along these lines would take some time to get implemented. I always get encouraged when they don't laugh in my face as they're telling me no!

Actually, I'm half inclined to think Prometheus might be the letter-writer. "Or depending on when you read this, you may have just seen me minutes ago." In other words, doing Ramiel in i19...we haven't met him yet. Doing Ramiel in i20+, minutes ago. Cagey, Prometheus. Cagey.

And, hands up, who here trusts the letter-writer? Hmm? Anyone? Anyone at all?

And just to provide a counter-point for those who solo and are not blessed by the Random Number Generator... In the same period, running a similar amount of time per day, doing tip and newspaper missions with my favorite level-shifted, purpled-out DB stalker... How many shards have I gotten?

Seven.

Not seven per night, mind. Seven in total. And I clear maps pretty quickly with Kestrel.
So, yeah... Color me unimpressed by the viability of the current "solo path". <_<

Geko's idea is a fine one, and I really hope the Devs eventually give us something like it. Random chance drops being what they are, it'll take years for some of us to even equip commons the way things stand now. That's not just "slower" than the teamed option, it's down-right depressing.

Actually it is internally consistent with her other arguments. I recall a while back GG was making an argument that since NPCs were targetable by heroes they were therefore evil. This new statement is at least consistent with that. If being targetable by heroes makes a person evil then giving heroes missions clearly makes them good.

It's completely and utterly illogical but it is at least consistent.

Actually, it does - co-op content has to be heroic, otherwise Heroes wouldn't be able to play it.

These are the current co-op contacts in the game:

Imeprious
Marcus Valerius
Lady Gray
Dark Watcher
Serpent Drummer
Gaussian
Borea
Levantera
Apex
Tin Mage

None of them give unheroic missions or arcs - they're all based around protecting and saving people and places from enemies ranging from rogue Vangaurd and vigilante Longbow to Rikti, Nemesis, Cimeroran traitors, Nictus, 5th Column and loyalists.

And now Prometheus is being added to the game as a contact/guide for the new co-op content - which is also about protecting and saving people and palces from the evil loyalists.

Co-op content is always heroic, because Villains might do something good in the hope of being able to do something evil later, but Heroes will only ever do good things.

Villains can save the world or try and take it over - Heroes can only ever save the world - so when the devs are making co-op content, it has to be about saving the world, as that's the only option that both sides can play.

That's correct - Hero content is only ever fighting bad people - like Longbow are a heroic force, but when we fight them, it's because they've turned bad - we're still Heroes.
Or on Roy Colling's arc - when we fight the PPD, it's only because they've turned bad.
Every single enemy we fight is a threat to innocent people and often the whole world too - but Villains fight other villain groups all the time, and they're both still evil.

Actually, what I said was that you have a weird tendency of getting what you want without the devs ever actually implementing anything you ask for.

Naw, that's not what you said, my dear. IIRC you accused me of having blackmail materials against the devs. I forgot if it was after the 5-6th time they did something I wanted!

I think you're just mad that it took longer to fix Martial Arts than it took to change MoG!

Actually, since Prometheus is in Ouroborus, that makes him both Heroic and Villain, much like Mender Silos.

Just like every other co-op contact, you mean?

Erm, not quite.

Look at Mender Silos' Strike Force and contrast it against Mender Silos' Task Force .

It was after they changed MoG, and the thing they eventually did was the one thing you didn't suggest to my recollection: turn it into a very short term defensive buff with no crash.

If I remember correctly, over the years you suggested changing it into a burst +regen, keeping the +Def but losing the +Res/-Health, keeping the -Health but allowing heals, reducing the recharge to I2 levels, adding +health, giving it an offensive buff, and turning it into IH and changing IH into something else. Also, after Willpower came out, turning it into an SoW variant.

Also, MA's not actually fixed yet. They need to fix the crit proc in Eagle's Claw because it suffers a timing problem. And I'm still not completely happy about the status effects in the set. It still lags a lot in that area, which really should not be because its intended to excel in that area.

Silos isn't a co-op contact - he doesn't give co-op content.

Prometheus is a co-op contact, and he gives heroic content that Villains can join in with.

I just wanted them to do SOMETHING. Hell at one point, I said just remove it because it was a detriment.

It's like with this idea. I really don't care if they create a Vanguard Hammer or do the mechanics exactly how I want. Just give people a solo option that's reasonable. Whatever they think reasonable is.

Now with you my Queen O' Maths, you actually always have in mind what fixing something right means, often so specific as to even note where to put the decimal point. And since the devs reject your math voodoo (as well they should ), you get a lot of what you want, you just don't want what you get!

So, what finally changed your mind?

Having read EG's posts I don't think he was ever against a reasonable solo option. Actually, from what I've read, almost no one is against a reasonable solo option.

Never was against a solo option. Supporting multiplayer content doesn't mean you don't want to see solo content.

Then why the bloody hell did you spend so much time and effort arguing against and belittling those of us that were asking for a solo option?

I believe it's the difference of perceiving the system as a failure without it as opposed to thinking it could be a good component.

I never belittled anyone. I vigorously opposed the following ideas:

1) That the game was going in a significantly different direction;

2) That the Incarnate trials were not casual friendly;

3) That casual play and solo play can be conflated.

Challenging ideas is not the same as belittling someone. Sam Tow doesn't and probably never will understand that. Many other people can't see that distinction so they get upset when people oppose them. I find you, Eiko-chan, quite amusing, I have no need or desire to belittle you.

It's not and never has been personal with me. I might fight against you on a point then support and defend your position the next. For example, the whole time you all were complaining about the lack of solo options (and saying I was belittling folks), I was in PMs and other places arguing for a solo option. I argue because I enjoy arguing, not because I particularly care about an issue.