News from PAX

If both solo and trial paths yield the same rewards and you're afraid players would choose not to run trials, then maybe there is something that needs to be addressed with the trials?

Not for nothing, but maybe you guys need to design better trials for the last 5 Incarnate slots? And by better I mean less lag, clearer objectives, maybe involve non tank melee types a bit more? Now I can only speak for myself, but when running trials I see a huge success/time difference when playing on an always in demand buff/debuffer as opposed to any of my scrappers.

No one ha- correction. No one SANE has ever asked that Soloists be able to progress at the same rate as Team triallers. That would be stupid. It would also break continuity with the past seven years, e.g. teams have always gone faster.

The fact that you guys were actually surprised people wanted a solo option in this game, when so many people have always found CoH solo friendly, is rather baffling.

Then again, you also expected us to all love the CoT redesigns. That went....not well?

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.

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

... because, by their own admission, *they didn't consider it.*

That's like pulling a Henry Ford and making a line of cars all in black, then saying "We didn't think people would want other colors." (I know that's not why he did it.) And you're arguing that, basically, the design of a car includes the requirement that it's black because all cars so far have been black, since they never considered people wanting something else.

There is nothing in being an incarnate that's inherently tied with teaming. How do I know? I step out and still have my level shift and alpha slot working when I run missions in the RWZ. I still have my Judgement, Lore, Interface and Destiny working. It's designed to be *high end* content (not least because the powers vanish below 45 just due to general design of the game) but it's not inherently "team-only" - other than the utterly *blind* lack of consideration that people would want solo/small team content.

Which, given this game's history, is like opening up a baseball stadium and being amazed people want to see a baseball game there.

See my Guides and Tutorials

^ QFT and agreed

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.

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

I hope they aren't taking this too seriously. When costs are largely irrelevant the choices made tell more regarding what player's are curious about than what they truly value.

People are still going to farm the AE after I21 - perhaps the devs should take a look at the new low level content?

That's because incarnate content was imagined as large-scale team based content first. Then the rest came after it.

Gameplay first, the rest later.

EDIT: And remember, a lot of people did want large-scale team-based content, and has been asking for it for years.

It's been pointed out before: Team tasks by their very nature takes more effort (to organize etc.) than solo tasks do. So therefore even if people prefer to do teams, if you can do a task just as easily (same rewards) solo they're going to do it solo because the net effect is that it is an easier task.

Great post and thanks for confirming that we weren't crazy like SOME other posters wanted us to believe.

And as for the bolded. Anyone who actually believed the solo path would be faster was being unrealistic.

Thanks again! And looking forward to issue 21's release!

No worries. Hope to hear from you soon, Lisa!

I think he was just making it clear that it wouldn't be the same progression, but as you mentioned, nobody sane would expect that, but you're already aware at how many dumb things get suggested here

As far as the CoT designs go...if you're talking about the ones people took w/ their cell phones, I believe it was said those weren't official. The current redesigns are a much better improvement, though I'm nitpicky w/ a few of them...

With the exception of Enhancement Boosters...I feel that list is pretty legit, though it's missing Street Fighting (boo Justice!) since it got pulled from beta.

Just like the Banners in the Halloween Event.

I miss doing them. They were fun and required coordination among teams, and they carried a real possibility of failure, but they had commensurate badge rewards to compensate. I hope more people are interested in doing them again when October rolls around.

I will admit I've stated this before also.

I'd have no issue with an EMP every 7 days. That sounds fair.

You mean like introducing Mothership raids?

Note that introducing that did not preclude getting solo/small team content related to it as well. (Or the zone events.) And nobody would suggest one means the other can't happen.... well, except in this case the incarnate "raid raid raid" crowd who, since the Incarnates beta, seem to be absolutely adamant that it's the only way to get Incarnate stuff unlocked in a reasonable (IE, less than - what was the latest estimate with what was announced? A few years?) timeframe. And who seem to want to demonize anyone wanting anything else.

Strangely enough, nobody asking for solo/small team content has said "No more raids!" They may have said they're not fun for them individually, but nobody's argued against having them or having more of them.

And yet, somehow, it was so far out of the devs orbit to consider - given the nature of this game's audience - that people might want solo/small team content instead of or in addition to the "OK, herd 12-500 people together!" raids?

The other thing that's getting me is that posi somehow seems to believe having that available would kill the trials. Again, if that's the case, there's something *wrong with the trials.* However, I'd feel fairly safe putting money down that most people would run *both.* I have half an hour? I can hop into an Incarnate arc and run a mission and make some progress, as opposed to spending a part of it waiting for the trial itself to form (since the LFG tool is useless) and running out of time. I have more time? Run part of the arc because I missed the one leaving, then join up with the next trial run.

Amazing how that works. But it apparently is an alien idea now... *shakes head*

See my Guides and Tutorials

To play devil's advocate: Someone made up the point earlier that it would be easier to have participants if each trial only required the standard 8 players.

Arguably it MIGHT be easier to design solo content if the current trials didn't require larger numbers of players. Thus if some folks decide to solo, you'd still have plenty for the group content.

Afterall, nearly every ARC in game can be solo;d, but there are tfs being run on every server 24/7.

EDIT: With that said the devs have said they are looking into Incarnate mode for the existing tfs later on. Sooooo . . . there ya go.

If they tweak the Banners to only appear in one zone at a time I think that would help a lot; as it is, they tend to appear during the Halloween Event in multiple zones at once spreading anyone who might be interested out all over.

It really isn't. It's basic MMORPG-mechanics. Soloing is EASIER than teaming. Therefore, teaming is going to need better rewards. Again, really basic math.

Somebody has a case of the Mondays.

Errr, no.

People asking for endgame content have may or may not been asking for raids.

The only thing we can say 100% they asked for was Endgame content.

That does not in any way shape or form have to be raids.

Then pass this feedback along to them!
Nice work, think we can get the barbarian sword as a katana customization too?

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow City of Heroes is a game about freedom of expression and variety of experiences far more so than it is about representing any one theme, topic or genre.

And hence my MAJOR issue with use the Praetorians as the main end game group.

Forgive my ignorance, but what else is there?

There'll be quite a few extra players around in October to try them out for the first time

Things like the Mac client crashing in the Paragon Market?
Oh yay! So you want the developers to make the missions nothing but fire farms from here on out?
"I know it's a free extra, but I'd rather have that more expensive upgrade for free..."