Ok, listen, this is starting to get to a critical mass

I disagree, completely.

If you by "the incarnate path" mean the story of incarnates, there's a lot more incarnate stories that is not in the trials. In all the top level task forces, you get to kick an incarnate's bum. In the trials, you get to kick two minions of an incarnate and two robots made by a third minion.

If you mean the powers, then again no. You do not need to be on a trial to convert your ingredients, create powers or slot them, and you certainly do not need to be on a trial to use them.

The only thing that ties the incarnate path to the trials are the reward tables.

Too big to fail ?

That's the developers hope. PvP 2.0 was supposed to get lots of new players in the game as well.

That attitude, and the fact that so many share it is why we won't see a solo path any time soon. The devs may very well be convinced these trials are key to the end game. If that is the case they are going to need you and everyone else spoonfeeding the new players a happy populous successful set of trials.

I'd go so far as to say the more people hate the Itrials, the less likely the devs will get rid of them, If anything they may try upping the rewards again and again. (Note they are already giving away the store with the things as it is)

This is me.

And this is my fear.

The soloist mentality hasn't killed the game in 7 years. It won't kill it now.

But I repeat myself.

And regardless of my opinion, I have completely given up hope on seeing any kind of solo incarnate path that is any better than the current ridiculous shard path.

Most people (I include myself here) do not hate the Incarnate Trials themselves, they hate having to do them over and over as the only option. On a similar level, I very much enjoy running a Rikti Mothership Raid because it is the quickest and most efficient way to gain Vanguard Merits, but it is far from the only way. And the thing is: I see Rikti Mothership Raids being run on a weekly basis, despite the other available options for obtaining Vanguard Merits.

A solo-friendly option would not be the end of the Incarnate Trials. The trials would probably remain the quickest and most efficient way to obtain Incarnate Threads, Astral Merits, Empyrean Merits, and possibly components as well (rares and very rares specifically). They would simply be run less frequently, most likely with a weekly night on a given server devoted to them (like many have done already with Mothership Raids and/or Hamidon Raids), and spontaneous leagues here and there provided they are able to round up enough people. And with them being run less frequently, those people like myself (who are more burnt out on the trials and dislike that they are the only option) may actually enjoy a Trial run here and there.

Way too big

Why not just run them 'here and there' now and get the rewards when they come? Why burn yourself out chasing shinies?

The right direction?

I still don't know why you like raiding over narrative.

Eco.

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow [The Incarnate System is] Jack Emmert all over again, only this time it's not "1 hero = 3 white minions" it's "1 hero = 3 white rocks."

The Incarnate content is the narrative of the Praetorian war

Personally, I have never, ever, played the game for the narrative or even for the comic book genre.

I play the game because it is a fun way to kill pixels.

I have read the narrative enough to know most of it, but be it good or bad, it is not, at all, what keeps me playing.

On the other hand, my wife plays nothing but single player story based games.

We all have our tastes.

That doesn't really answer my question.

Eco

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow [The Incarnate System is] Jack Emmert all over again, only this time it's not "1 hero = 3 white minions" it's "1 hero = 3 white rocks."

Surest sign its already failed.

You are preaching to the choir, sir. That's all I am doing, but then, so far I have only wanted one power each for every one of my 50s (for thematic reasons), and a handful of the rewards from Christy and Michael (which did not include the pricy Ascension Armor pieces). The fact is that everyone loves options, and unfortunately most of the options are still in production.

This is my attitude. When I get tired of Trials, I go badge hunt for a while, and do tips. No one is forcing you to do Trials, rewards notwithstanding.

You really need to vote in the poll on the CoH Facebook page - your friends are feeling kinda outnumbered right now

We have heard that song for 7 years.

Got anything new?

I would have thought that Another_Fan directly arguing with Golden_Girl would have caused the thread to disappear in a flash of gamma rays by now.

She is 10 times as massive a particle as I am by post count, we can't annihilate. Basic quantum dynamics.

Post count isn't mass, its momentum. If post count were mass Golden_Girl would have an event horizon by now.

Yeah but if you look at the quarterlys the melody really hits home.

I think I stated upthread, or maybe in another thread, that the game could likely go on running off just the people that can't figure out how to unsub.

Her posts do seem to have the information content of Hawking radiaton.

A new tune is being written with CoH: Freedom