Power Customization: A Job Half Finished
By
Aneko,
Posted on: 2011-09-15 10:28 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
I prefer to think of it as a work in progress.
Actually Obs I'm totally with you on wanting both Pool and Epic powers customized. I daresay players have been squawking about it since Power Customization was originally available.
- Green Lantern
"Say, Jim...woo! That's a bad out-FIT!" - Superman: The Movie
Me 'n my posse: http://www.citygametracker.com/site/....php?user=5608
I want power customized deaths. To be able to choose how I die.
Don't I know you???
I agree with you. Pool power customization - including the APP/Patron powers - should be on the TOP of the list, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, Paragon has a habit of letting something "into the wild" and then abandoning it. Simple bug fixes (like the female heads on the Beast pack - yes, I will keep complaining about that, because I paid for that booster and I only play females for the most part) are considered too much time to spend. Actually continuing to develop and improve (lookin' at you bases, Alignment system!) seems way beyond the scope.
And that is super sad.
The idea that the way we're going to get Pool Customization is to have to buy new aspects of the power is just sad frosting on this sad cupcake.
Thank you, developers (miss you BaBs!) for the hard work in getting us power customization. I hope we can see more of it (such as EATS, epics and pools) as time allows. I'll be dumping cash on the Paragon Store soon(tm) and I hope it allows for such further changes to happen!
Happy hunting and shopping, everybody!
Thank you, City of Heroes, for giving me a superhero social network combined with amazingly smooth game play. Petitions signed with realistic expectations.
in regards to Proliferation, who's to say that anymore they do wouldn't find it's way on the market as a purchasable power unlock? I don't wanna say they'll do it, but it can be likely... most of the powers left to cross ATs are more labor intensive to port (as stated by the Devs)... so why not get a little scratch for the effort. Not hard to imagine shelling 400 pts for Dark Control, just saying is all. I don't wanna see it, but I can imagine it.
"You sir, have never been in a hammer fight, that much is clear."
-Blast_Chamber
*yeah, I quoted myself.
I know one of the stumbling block was the fact that youdont have access to the pools at level 1 so they had trouble applying it to the character or something like that.
If that is the case, what is wrong with developing the pool customization and just requiring a player to hit a Tailor to customize?
Hell, this game hands out costume tokens like candy and with the trainers now doubling as tailors it's NOT like you can't cross a zone to one....
"Well, there's going to be some light music and a short note of apology saying, 'The universe ended last week, we're really sorry, we don't know what you're doing here, didn't you get the message?'"- Steve Moffat
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Old age?
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Originally Posted by dougnukem
I want power customized deaths. To be able to choose how I die.
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'I don't like the look of it at all,' said the King: 'however, it may kiss my hand if it likes.'
'I'd rather not,' the Cat remarked.
'Don't be impertinent,' said the King, 'and don't look at me like that!' He got behind Alice as he spoke.
'A cat may look at a king,' said Alice.
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<Grabs chest and falls over> |
Originally Posted by Aneko
Old age?
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We'll get the remaining power customization when they feel it is appropriate to charge for it; and we'll get charged per power pool (and potentially per character per power pool).
Or they can surprise me. (I don't expect to be surprised.)
I'll go on about power customization till it happens. It's a big deal for me.
Get to level 35 with blue mystic looking fire. Get lumped with orange fire APP powers. - NOT FUN. It takes away from the look and feel of characters.
Tough's Chest Pound on Activation - SILLY. I don't want it, I want something else.
Hasten Pompom hands - I don't want it that colour/that effect/visible.
So on and so forth. These are FX issues that detract from my character. They should be a focus. Everyone can use them.
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Ice Armor too. IMO all the powersets should have low/no effects options. |
Originally Posted by Obsidius
I was watching the recorded Issue 21 Launch Stream-a-thon - Part 1. Zwill & Positron was talking about Power Customization in regards to a question about customizable Granite Armor (near the 54 min mark). The short answer was that continued proliferation of Power Customization was "not a current focus" because resources could be better used to make things like more powers. Later in the podcast they talk about the new Rocket Board and perhaps expanding to other board-related travel powers for purchase in the future.
Although I've become a bit more even-keeled about CoH development, this stance struck me as a little disingenuous. Hear me out. Here's what I mean: for example, Travel Pool powers have no current customization. Fly poses are already in the game, but so tricky to use that they'll be beyond the grasp of many players. A lot of players would like to get rid of the Hasten pom-pom hands or the Super Speed blaze trail, but can't. And yet, NCSoft will be happy to sell you a Rocket Board power (and perhaps other similar powers in the future). Obviously, this isn't an honest comparison, since the Rocket Board locks out other powers in use (whereas one can still attack when using Fly, Hover, etc.). Nevertheless, as demonstrated by the Intrepid Informer article, even using tricks like borrowing animations from Prestige Power Slide, it took quite a bit of dev time to produce the Rocket Board (perhaps not as much to add PwrCust to Fly). I'd argue that the main reason is because NCSoft can sell a Rocket Board, but they'd have to give out proliferated Power Customization for free (well, in regards to the Market anyhow). My only hope is, that with all of the money coming into the game now that the Paragon Market has launched, that this issue will be revisited, especially for Travel Pool powers. Powers still lacking Power Customization:
Am I off base? What do you think about my assertion? How do you feel about the future of Power Customization? |
I would put this stuff at the top of the list too. I would hope that it wouldn't be something we'd have to buy, but honestly, the above is one of the very few things I would consider spending money on over and above my subscription.
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You have hit so many of my nails on the head. Are you me?|
Originally Posted by Zortel
I'll go on about power customization till it happens. It's a big deal for me.
Get to level 35 with blue mystic looking fire. Get lumped with orange fire APP powers. - NOT FUN. It takes away from the look and feel of characters. Tough's Chest Pound on Activation - SILLY. I don't want it, I want something else. Hasten Pompom hands - I don't want it that colour/that effect/visible. So on and so forth. These are FX issues that detract from my character. They should be a focus. Everyone can use them. |
My fire controller's blue fire turning orange with his APP
The Tough chestpound on my wee tiny girl defender characters
The Hasten pompoms obscuring my costumes and looking dumb while being too good not to take
And let me add the HORRIBLE PINK SCRIBBLES on the APP Psionic Mastery armor. Seriously? Whose idea was that??
Here's what I'm thinking - they said that to get power customization for Pools and Epics, they'd need to do a lot of UI work on the costume creator. They just did a lot of UI work on the costume creator. So what else is there to do? Almost all Epic powers that need customizing already have custom options in the powersets they're borrowed from, and pool powers could get at least SOMETHING. I'd get it if these just took a lot of work and were still being worked on, but the way I see priorities right now, they AREN'T being worked on at all. Not a priority.
Personally, I'd have power customization for Pools and Epics before I had a singe new powerset, because it would make my existing characters a lot better looking.
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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.
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Yeah, I'd love to see a low-impact version of Thermal and Ice shields too. We have the "snowstorm" effect, and snowflake auras. We have a spark aura and a firefly aura. With a little tweaking, the most intrusive of the shields in those two sets can have an option to a more low-impact "aura" effect so they don't destroy other people's costumes.
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This... Is actually kind of a good idea. I wouldn't mind being able to give my robots the Clockwork "crackle and fall over" animation, or my Kheldians the "energy pop" other Khelds get. It might be a good preliminary to stance customisation. Epics first though.
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Originally Posted by dougnukem
I want power customized deaths. To be able to choose how I die.
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Shiny Penny Syndrome, the devs' have it. Power Customization is so old, they'd rather work on something new and shiny.
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That's sort of my fear too. In the same podcast, Zwil & Positron talked about how new devs have their own agendas. Mostly, this was in context of story writers, but at the same time, I can't help but feel that without Chris Bruce, Power Customization has gone the way of bases and the AE System.|
Originally Posted by Sun_Runner
Shiny Penny Syndrome, the devs' have it. Power Customization is so old, they'd rather work on something new and shiny.
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In the same podcast, they also talked about how they have plans for bases about which they can't talk. But I've been hearing stuff like that for years, so I'll believe it when I see it
In short, I would love to be proven wrong and see something happen in the Power Customization front.
(and bases for that matter, but that's another thread)
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^ This|
Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
Personally, I'd have power customization for Pools and Epics before I had a singe new powerset, because it would make my existing characters a lot better looking. |
Sadly, this is something that certain members of the Dev team seem to have a major problem getting their heads around.
'New and shiny' is only so much good as the 'Core Game' aspects that it's being bolted onto.
For instance; First Ward is bloody awesome. It is, hands down I would say, they best zone in game. It is beautiful. It has TONS of content, all of it made from purest Epic Win.
That is new and shiny.
And then you have Kings Row and Perez Park.
Old, grotty zones with bad graphics and, worst of all? Sod all content. Perez has NOTHING except street sweeping and door mission from other contacts. Kings is more used for paper missions than for any of the 'story' contacts it has, all of which are old, outdated and, invariable, shite. I'm sorry, they are. Seven year old writing, contact outfits and mechanics.
Bolting new shiny, no matter HOW good it is, onto a chassis that is not only visibly rusting but seems to shove it in your face if you're not careful, is like putting a hue body-kit and pimped exhaust on a seven year old hatch-back car that grinds gears and can't reach more than 50 mph. It's bloody STUPID.
Guilty areas;
-Old zones and missions. Zones can be ok in some cases (Dark Astoria is still awesome) but the lack of content is contemptable.
-Power Customisation. Half finished, then abandoned. So the hell what if it requires work? So does everything! And given the importance of Pool and Epic powers I would have thought this should have been a much higher priority.
-AE. Dear god, how long is it going to be before that damn censor gets fixed so it doesn't break arcs with nothing worse than 'death' in it's text? When are EATs going to be added? When is more functionality going to be added? Why the hell do you THINK only farmers seem to use it? Because It's. Not. FINISHED.
-Bases. lolwut bases? I...Yeah, I don't even need to cover this. Seriously.
Revamp > New Shinies. Revamps and fixes and finishing things makes the entire game look good, it removes parts that can discourage new players and tick of veterans, and brings everything up to the +7 year mark that the newer stuff is. New shiny just makes it painfully obvious how badly made some of the first stuff was.
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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.
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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon
NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.
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Operational word "was".|
Originally Posted by Benchpresser
I know one of the stumbling block was the fact that youdont have access to the pools at level 1 so they had trouble applying it to the character or something like that.
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Look at Incarnate powers. You don't have access to them until 50. But you can still customize 'em.
The stumbling block now? It's called "I don't wanna do it."
Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.
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I'm going with... that's not what Tunnel Rat said: |
Originally Posted by Hyperstrike
Operational word "was".
Look at Incarnate powers. You don't have access to them until 50. But you can still customize 'em. The stumbling block now? It's called "I don't wanna do it." |
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She has her own thread about FX improvements for the game: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=260438 Here are some of the things she has said in that thread: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showp...&postcount=113 Quote:
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My biggest complaint with power customization? I CAN'T MATCH "ORIGINAL" COLORS.
On my force field/energy defender, I wanted to make the energy blasts with the same colors and the force fields (which I didn't change). But there's no way to find out what the Original colors are. As soon as you hit Customized, some sort of random colors comes up. Which then requires me to trial-and-error my way into matching the colors.
(I've had to do this for several characters. The above is just one example. And I'm rarely pleased with the results, even after several iterations.)
--NT
They all laughed at me when I said I wanted to be a comedian.
But I showed them, and nobody's laughing at me now!
If I became a red name, I would be all "and what would you mere mortals like to entertain me with today, mu hu ha ha ha!" ~Arcanaville
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Normally, I'd say "just customize all of your powers to match each other," but I have no reason to expect that the custom bubbles are not still bugged despite me reporting them about five times via at least three different channels, so... I don't know. If you do try to customize them, though, note how people have the tendency to jump and step out of their bubbles as their powers animate, because the bubbles are locked to character position, rather than to character model.
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Originally Posted by NuclearToast
My biggest complaint with power customization? I CAN'T MATCH "ORIGINAL" COLORS.
On my force field/energy defender, I wanted to make the energy blasts with the same colors and the force fields (which I didn't change). But there's no way to find out what the Original colors are. As soon as you hit Customized, some sort of random colors comes up. Which then requires me to trial-and-error my way into matching the colors. (I've had to do this for several characters. The above is just one example. And I'm rarely pleased with the results, even after several iterations.) --NT |
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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.
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By the way, if anyone has suggestions about the most unobtrusive Force Field colors, I'm interested.
'I don't like the look of it at all,' said the King: 'however, it may kiss my hand if it likes.'
'I'd rather not,' the Cat remarked.
'Don't be impertinent,' said the King, 'and don't look at me like that!' He got behind Alice as he spoke.
'A cat may look at a king,' said Alice.
I was watching the recorded Issue 21 Launch Stream-a-thon - Part 1. Zwill & Positron was talking about Power Customization in regards to a question about customizable Granite Armor (near the 54 min mark). The short answer was that continued proliferation of Power Customization was "not a current focus" because resources could be better used to make things like more powers. Later in the podcast they talk about the new Rocket Board and perhaps expanding to other board-related travel powers for purchase in the future.
Although I've become a bit more even-keeled about CoH development, this stance struck me as a little disingenuous. Hear me out.
Here's what I mean: for example, Travel Pool powers have no current customization. Fly poses are already in the game, but so tricky to use that they'll be beyond the grasp of many players. A lot of players would like to get rid of the Hasten pom-pom hands or the Super Speed blaze trail, but can't. And yet, NCSoft will be happy to sell you a Rocket Board power (and perhaps other similar powers in the future).
Obviously, this isn't an honest comparison, since the Rocket Board locks out other powers in use (whereas one can still attack when using Fly, Hover, etc.). Nevertheless, as demonstrated by the Intrepid Informer article, even using tricks like borrowing animations from Prestige Power Slide, it took quite a bit of dev time to produce the Rocket Board (perhaps not as much to add PwrCust to Fly). I'd argue that the main reason is because NCSoft can sell a Rocket Board, but they'd have to give out proliferated Power Customization for free (well, in regards to the Market anyhow).
My only hope is, that with all of the money coming into the game now that the Paragon Market has launched, that this issue will be revisited, especially for Travel Pool powers.
Powers still lacking Power Customization:
Am I off base? What do you think about my assertion? How do you feel about the future of Power Customization?