Can we have a GOOD reason for no Bright Pain Domination or Dark Empathy colors?

Currently, the devs have said "because pain domination is for villain archetypes and empathy is for heroic archetypes." I postulate that this is a load of bull:

1. In the next issue, you will be able to have a heroic Mastermind or Corruptor, or a villainous Controller or Defender, who has never even set foot in Praetoria, let alone the opposite side's home turf. With that, there is no longer any such thing as a "hero or villain AT" besides the Epic Archetypes which will still have to be created on the original side regardless of what you do with them later.

2. Even if there WERE such a thing as a "heroic or villainous archetype," Illusion Control - available only to the "heroic" Controller - can be colored dark, so that's a precedent.

3. Pain and Empathy are not identical sets with different colors, as I understand, but they are similar enough visually and game-mechanically that a heroic Mastermind or Corruptor who wants to look like a real Empath or a villainous Controller or Defender who wants to look like they're channeling pain should be able to.

Honestly, what is so hard about this?

There's probably nothing "hard" about implementing Bright Pain Domination or Dark Empathy colors. These were likely simply aribitrary decisions along the lines of females not getting cigars or males not getting stockings to wear...

Sadly the Devs decided (or were forced) to cut corners. Obviously they could have given all powersets Bright and Dark versions but each one took time to create. To save time they decided that coming up with lame excuses was easier than creating all the combinations.

Hopefully these "excuses" will be fixed some day. *shrugs*

Because Pain is the dark theme and Empathy is the Bright theme! It's so simple! Want your Empathy powers to use the Dark theme? Just make them as a Pain!

Can we have a GOOD reason?

No.
Because there IS no good reason.

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.

Because they said so.

Now eat your asparagus.

See my Guides and Tutorials

You come over here, boy, and I'll give you asparagus...

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.

"Dark Empathy". So that'd be like, "I feel your pain. I don't give a crap about it because it's not my problem, but I feel it." Sort of a Goth take on tough love.

I believe Captain Photon spoke in jest, but point taken.

As to the light/dark empathy/pain. Part might be to distinguish the two, which are otherwise VERY similar, part VERY likely to be the dev's ideas on themes. See: Why ice can only be color whitish/desaturated/pastels.

The situation was that there was an inherently illogical reason for what they did and they refused to see the illogic.

And now, the basis for that illogical reasoning is disappearing from the game. If they continue to hold onto it, it will no long be an act of logical gymnastics but an exercise in absurdity.

So, an Empathy/Dark Blast Defender who is bending the power of the netherealm to heal wounds can't have dark powers, and the insane Energy/Pain Corr who has shiny powers and a manic grin can't use bright powers.

There is no logic. Only fail.

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 suspect there may have been at least somewhat of a reason at the time. I don't know much about pain or empathy (hardy har har), but I do know that Dark powers use a combination of additive and subtractive effects. Dark, in essence, is neither Dark nor Bright, it's a combination of the two, and any custom version that doesn't hold true to that would look like a completely different powerset. I know Pain is mostly Dark, but I'm also positive it uses some Bright effects, as well. Not sure what the deal is with Empathy. When they were first making Power Customization, they had a LOT of work to do, so cutting corners on some powers that needed too much extra artwork is sort of expected.

On the other hand, we have the nonsense which is the colour palettes for Earth-, Ice- and Air-related powers, which IS NOT a technical limitation, but rather BABs simply not thinking it looked good otherwise. In light of this, I can't really dismiss the possibility that not making Dark Empathy or Bright Pain was just as much a "judgement call."

I really don't want to speak ill of BABs, because he's the guy who spearheaded weapon and power customization, and he had a real passion for making the game the greatest thing ever. But the guy had a little too strong a sense of aesthetics and disliked a great many things that I actually wanted to see. Bright ice is one of these things, and women using large weapons is another.

Either way, when we're paying MORE for our game, I suspect we'll have more leverage to ask for these old cut corners to be sharpened back to a point.

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.

Agreed

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.