Discussion: Happy Holidays from Paragon Studios - A Message from Brian Clayton
By
Aggelakis,
Posted on: 2011-12-02 10:59 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion
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Heh, well i suppose you can ask less money from your VIPs by having less store item additions require subscribers to pay extra for them. |
Originally Posted by Zwillinger
What can we do to add even more value to our VIP subscription?
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That'll definitely add more value to my sub. Or is a lot of that increased revenue you mentioned coming from VIPs?
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I see a lot of pissed off people if every single thing in that picture isn't included.
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
We are pleased to announce that we will be completing and detailing the designs and rolling out the costume set next year (details are still to be determined), and we hope to make this one of our regular Player Summit activities moving forward.
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I see more people buying two separate tightly themed packs instead of one very loosely themed set.
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Originally Posted by Chaos Creator
I see a lot of pissed off people if every single thing in that picture isn't included.
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Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters
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It's a huge mistake to reproduce those sketches as even quasi-official artwork at this stage.|
Originally Posted by Chaos Creator
I see a lot of pissed off people if every single thing in that picture isn't included.
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On the other hand, Noble Savage started a terrific workshop thread to continue to poll players about what they wanted from this work-in-progress costume pack.
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I just want to say that I think this is really awesome. David's work on these concepts was great, the experience of contributing via the panel and seeing ideas sketched before our eyes was a blast, and David's workshop thread on the set is fantastic. Getting to actually see the set in the game is something I look forward to, and will be happy to pay for.
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
One of the highlights from the Player Summit was our “Create a Costume Set” panel, in which our players worked with David Nakayama and our artists to design this new “Retro Sci-fi” costume set (see image). We are pleased to announce that we will be completing and detailing the designs and rolling out the costume set next year (details are still to be determined), and we hope to make this one of our regular Player Summit activities moving forward.
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If I don't get that hoop skirt and beehive hairdo for my huge tanker, I'm ragequitting. |
Originally Posted by Chaos Creator
I see a lot of pissed off people if every single thing in that picture isn't included.
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I'm going to selfishly pretend this little costume-centric tease - singled out from the other 10,000 things talked about and covered at the conference - was thrown out in an effort to quell the Great Gunslinger Debacle of 2011.|
Originally Posted by Zwillinger
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On the positive side - I can say that at least one or two offerings from each of the gender sets shown in the comp is nice, clean, simple and universally neutral enough to cover lots of themes and concepts. Some of the other things I see are still really odd, silly and have that “well we gotta slip some other fodder in there to make it seem like a great value” – but then again this is the positive portion of my post.
On the neutral side – At first glance I seriously no joke thought they were showing a long time existing costume set from “another hero game” – until I read through.
On the down side – Sweet retro “Ray Gun”… too bad it shoots lead bullets.
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No worries - you'll get it - but please bear in mind the hoop rings around the skirt will of course be pre-tinted perma-yellow as indicated.
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Originally Posted by JKCarrier
If I don't get that hoop skirt
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I can see people getting pissed off no matter what, really. I'm glad the mods are at least showing us concept art.
http://www.virtueverse.net/wiki/Shadow_Mokadara
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
What havent you liked?
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- Still not having a concrete date for all my VIP Perks.
- Having three separate dates for my VIP Perks.
- Having a market interface that is less useful and harder to navigate than a online market from the 90s.
- Not being able to see my purchase history in the market.
- Not being shown what I've already purchased INSIDE the market interface.
- Anticipating being treated as something to be preyed on with the new "Super Packs". Edit: this point not as applicable with the new Super Pack announcement.
- Any number of ongoing bugs that are getting neglected (Fog of War comes to mind).
Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters
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As someone who has already spent a lot of money on boosters, slots, and upgrades, the VIP subscription really doesn't add much extra value to the game for me. I've boughten over the years 10-20 character slots on all the servers I play frequently, and as a tier 8 vet, I keep for free everything I want and enjoy out of the game (IO access, market access, all AT access), which is great for me if I want to go premium.|
Originally Posted by Zwillinger
What can we do to add even more value to our VIP subscription?
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The issue with paying $15 a month for VIP subscription now is a tough call. All it gives me that I really want is 400 points a month, which I would be better off simply paying $5 a month for as a premium to unlock new costume parts. Incarnate access, while mildly appealing, doesn't really fill in the desire to pay that extra $10 a month for VIP status, since most of my enjoyment comes from taking a new character from the beginning up until they have really fleshed out the concept I had for them. And since I have no desire to server transfer any characters, the free character transfers just build up.
From a cost/value standpoint right now, it seems better for me to go premium for what I want out of the game, which is not a good thing. We actually had a discussion on this at the Repeat Offenders forums if you care to read (although it goes off topic a bit now and then).
Things I could see enticing me to be VIP:
*Redeem the free character transfer for something else (maybe a new character slot instead?)
*More free VIP content (it shouldn't be cheaper for me to play as a premium and just buy points for what I want)
*Incarnate content that doesn't have the 'dodge or die' and 'gather all these temps' mini games found in the current iTrials. I'd like to see some good old fundamental CoH gameplay for my incarnates.
Member of:
Repeat Offenders Network - The Largest Coalition Network in the Game, across Virtue, Freedom, Justice and Exalted. Open to all, check us out.
Current Team Project: Pending
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Give us a token for each of the $10 we spent on packs before Freedom hit? : P
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
What can we do to add even more value to our VIP subscription? |
http://www.virtueverse.net/wiki/Shadow_Mokadara
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Exactly. And add to this:|
Originally Posted by Snow Globe
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- OS X support issues: client's stability, market reliability, and NC Launcher bad patching
- Erratic server behavior and downtime
- Unscheduled server maintenance
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Getting? It's my natural "rest state"!|
Originally Posted by ShadowMoka
I can see people getting pissed off no matter what, really. I'm glad the mods are at least showing us concept art.
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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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Well we already have a beehive hairdo in the Halloween pack, so the only thing still needed is the hoop skirt.|
Originally Posted by JKCarrier
If I don't get that hoop skirt and beehive hairdo for my huge tanker, I'm ragequitting.
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Originally Posted by Hyperstrike
Getting? It's my natural "rest state"!
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Dr. Todt's theme.
i make stuff...
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Freedom itself was wonderful. You didn't short change VIPs, and you didn't lock out free players. If you wanted to add additional VIP perks, you can allow VIPs the opportunity to take free players and premiums on a "tour" of VIP only areas - perhaps a token, once per month that grants a character a week access to trials, etc.|
Originally Posted by Zwillinger
We wanted to know, what have you liked most about Freedom? What havent you liked? What can we do to add even more value to our VIP subscription? Hearing your thoughtful insights truly helps us to shape the City of Heroes experience.
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What's unfortunate is that, along with Freedom, the civility and entitlement on the forums that was rising has spiked to toxic levels. The amount of USELESS CAPS and petty complaints being touted as the most important issues ever and the lack of recognition to problems already addressed, communication, et. al. by the Dev team is seriously making reading these forums a chore. If there's one thing I'd ask for, it would be to find a way to discourage snarkattacks - Censorship of thought is bad, but censorship of how people get those thoughts across is important if you want to avoid driving away those constructive souls who may have something useful to contribute to your forums.
The Paladin
Steel Canyon, Virtue
Exalted
@Paladin
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Originally Posted by Paladin
What's unfortunate is that, along with Freedom, the civility and entitlement on the forums that was rising has spiked to toxic levels. The amount of USELESS CAPS and petty complaints being touted as the most important issues ever and the lack of recognition to problems already addressed, communication, et. al. by the Dev team is seriously making reading these forums a chore. If there's one thing I'd ask for, it would be to find a way to discourage snarkattacks - Censorship of thought is bad, but censorship of how people get those thoughts across is important if you want to avoid driving away those constructive souls who may have something useful to contribute to your forums.
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This.
I can understand being upset and wanting to voice your opinion on something, but I have to agree that it's getting a bit much.
The Devs are human. The company isn't perfect. And not everyone is going to be happy with everything.
I don't post her a lot, because I have found that my opinion on things very often goes against the overly-vocal few who seem to think their opinion is better then everyone elses. Honestly, from what I have read here, I wonder why some of these people are even still playing! (Not that I want people to leave, I'm just saying...)
Seriously, let the opinions be heard, but curb the vitrol spewing.
"The part of me that is leaving... is going to miss the part of me that is staying..."
Still not having a concrete date for all my VIP Perks.
Having three separate dates for my VIP Perks.
Having a market interface that is less useful and harder to navigate than a online market from the 90s.
Not being able to see my purchase history in the market.
Not being shown what I've already purchased INSIDE the market interface.
Anticipating being treated as something to be preyed on with the new "Super Packs".
Any number of ongoing bugs that are getting neglected (Fog of War comes to mind).
__________________
I am having a problem with the Gunslinger pack- made the mistake of purchasing it from the costume creator end so did not get whole pack and so far no joy from Customer support. I would like to be treated like a Very important person on my two vip accounts not a very insignificant problem.
I know this post was mostly a rhetorical "pat yourself on the back" type thing, but since I'm in the wrong country for the pummit I thought I might as well leave my feedback here.
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Well if we're talking strictly in a sense of a shift to the new hybrid model, I like that it has brought back some old friends who stopped playing a while ago.|
Originally Posted by Zwillinger
We wanted to know, what have you liked most about Freedom?
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| What haven’t you liked? |
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| What can we do to add even more value to our VIP subscription? |
A circle forms, everybody comes round
Just to hear the incredible sound
Of a genius smashing expectations
- Jonathan Coulton
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So much stuff coming out so quickly. That's great.|
Originally Posted by Zwillinger
We wanted to know, what have you liked most about Freedom?
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| What haven’t you liked? |
I also don't like that no one in support has any idea what's going on with VIP rewards, and so copy-pastes a bunch of stuff that's old and wrong -- if they even bother to reply at all. It's pathetic that something so easy should be so screwed up. The only reward that's functioning properly is the server transfer token granted each first of the month. Why complicate things when you could tie the other two rewards to that functioning script? If the person is subscribed on the first, grant them three rewards, a) transfer, b) points, c) token. If the person is not subscribed on the first, grant them nothing. VIP rewards is not rocket science.
I also detest most of the prices in the paragon market. I've bought very, very little there precisely because everything is so overly expensive. It's ridiculous. $20 for 10 extra enhancement slots? Give me a break. That's half the cost of a new game!
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| What can we do to add even more value to our VIP subscription? |
Paragon Wiki: http://www.paragonwiki.com
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Originally Posted by Dispari
I don't know why Dink thinks she's not as sexy as Jay was. In 5 posts she's already upstaged his entire career.
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Originally Posted by Snow Globe
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This is pretty much a concise list of my general feeling as well, except the bugs I can understand because as they say, stuff happens.
I don't like the 'buyer beware' feeling I get from using the Paragon Market. The fact that some items cost more when bundled than when not in a pack is just silly. With the lack of the market knowing what I already own and/or a purchase history, I don't feel comfortable using the market unless I know exactly what I intend to buy.
The whole 'super pack' thing has been talked over relentlessly, but again, the exclusivity of the items being included in them makes me feel like the studios is trying to nickle and dime me as a VIP, as we're the most likely portion of the customer base to try and 'collect them all' relating to costume pieces. Please continue to rethink the exclusive costume parts in super packs.
Member of:
Repeat Offenders Network - The Largest Coalition Network in the Game, across Virtue, Freedom, Justice and Exalted. Open to all, check us out.
Current Team Project: Pending
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Hello Brian Clayton I'm certain you have heard my name... more than once.|
Originally Posted by Zwillinger
We wanted to know, what have you liked most about Freedom? What havent you liked? What can we do to add even more value to our VIP subscription? Hearing your thoughtful insights truly helps us to shape the City of Heroes experience.
Sincerely, Brian Clayton Executive Producer and General Manager, Paragon Studios |
What have I liked most about freedom: The base love. hands down. there are others, but nothing outshines that base love.
What I haven't liked: pointless nerfs. The appearance of development frowning on this thing called "farming"... name one surviving game that doesn't have it. Put a stop to developer farm hate or the rmt's are going to take over. <get the rmt's out of Atlas WW> Misconceptions of this word "value" case in point, and I should add, you've probably seen this a few times as well. 500 pp for a dog that does...nothing. Want money? re define your concept of values and pay attention to the concept of mine. You will see they are two different things. If work is put into a thing it becomes obvious as does the value increase, you will see more people buying.<glares at art dept> requires digesting a thing called feedback. Pay attention to those beta testers they aren't running their mouths just to hear themselves talk. Pay better attention to your trans-gendered community they aren't wearing that duct tape because it's comfortable. value=money. we both want that. Personally I'd love to have the income to throw at anything that comes out, just because I love the game and want for its longevity however, I can't justify a purchase if there's no value.
So many thing wrong with costumes available to players, so many things wrong with many costume pieces that -should- be available. I blame this dated thing called "formula" you know, the one where men are swollen with skulls and women are prostitutes? Break that mold. I'd also like to know where is my "Bonanza" badge? Where is my ten gallon hat? where oh where are the other incarnate powers? Omega and such?
What can be done to add more value to VIP?
I don't know if I was heavily sedated or if my feet were nailed to the floor...again.. I misunderstood this at launch. I thought that VIP's <well having that title sort of places emphasis on something valuable> would have access to all costume sets, powers, and every facet of the game. Then I found myself vip -and having to purchase- costume sets, powers, etc... in my case I can only assume it was a perception issue... either that or I was mislead. Iv'e been all for this business model conversion and in retrospect I'm glad it happened. A bitter sweet victory it was. In the whole vip sense, isn't as vip as I thought it would be. at least that's been my experience. I was hoping that communication breakdown would be damage controlled to a point. It seems like it has... to a point... I'd really like to see and hear more development regarding bases, -new decorative items dammmiiiiiit- dont make this another two year stretch! relevance of bases for larger groups, group buffs, that base server storage limit needs attention.
I'd also like to hear more about pvp development. rumors can fly the grapevine can talk and oh boy it does... I think the pvp crowd needs some tlc if thats even possible. as cracked out and pistol whipped as this post is and the pages are that I would like to add, this is where I stop as I have a gun pointed to my head.
next!
Ignoring anyone is a mistake. You might miss something viral to your cause.
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I'm told I don't like anything. |
Originally Posted by Zwillinger
What havent you liked?
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But seriously, the only thing I haven't really liked about Freedom (aside from a few point prices here and there) is the Tier 9 exclusive costume pieces that have to be purchased with three tokens. Not least of which because I have to waste tokens on stuff I don't want before I can even spend tokens on those costumes. I'd rather that section were separate from the tier tree, being a 'VIP Bonus Section' that VIPs can spend tokens on. Of course, going forward this will be a moot point for me as I just filled in Tier 8 completely.
Looking ahead, I dislike the CCG-esque Super Packs in principle. However, the only thing I'm all that interested in that I've heard was going into them are the costume pieces. I'm not a gambler, and I will not buy these packs even if you lock exclusive costume pieces in them. Of course, if you wanted to add value to my VIP subscription by giving me one of these packs for free each month I wouldn't complain about it.
As for what I like - new stuff coming out with more regularity, even if it's not necessarily stuff I want. If nothing else, it makes the game feel a bit less stagnant.
Goodbye may seem forever
Farewell is like the end
But in my heart's the memory
And there you'll always be
-- The Fox and the Hound
I like the influx of new people. Although it'd be nice to have better teaming channels per server for ALL of us to use. Seriously.
I really think more polls should be taken of the players. An alert when you log in asking people to give input on the site would be cool. I think there is a real disconnect over what we want and what the devs put out. So, instead of asking us what we think about something when it's 95% complete, why not ask us before you start it?!?! I honestly think if you asked us: hey would you like the new expansion box to include a new starting world with 3 new zones - I am sure a lot of people would have said no. However, we did not get this and Praetoria is, pretty much, a ghost town. This is one example of how the game could have better content if some initial feedback was obtained.
So, good on you guys for getting the idea of a retro space pack from the players. A SMALL step in the right direction.
Hello and Happy Holidays to the City of Heroes Community!
Over the last year we made substantial improvements our production philosophy in preparation for Freedom. Our success with a new “hybrid” business model depends upon our ability to bring more value into the game, especially for our VIP subscribers. Our continued goal remains consistently delivering more compelling content, more frequently, whether it be through your VIP subscription or the Paragon Market.
I want to thank you, our players, for supporting City of Heroes Freedom during its very successful transition to a new business model and subsequent launch! The Freedom initiative and Issue 21: Convergence have significantly increased our active player base and our revenues, and have invigorated our game with amazing new content including monthly Signature Stories, weekly items in the Paragon Market, Paragon Rewards, a kickin’ Halloween event, and plenty more! I can confidently say that the City of Heroes game has never been better.
As we continue to support our game and service we will be looking more than ever to you, our players, to help us steer City of Heroes into the future. In accordance with this philosophy, on November 19th we had our Fall Player Summit in Palo Alto, CA. Our venue was packed and a good time was had by players and Paragon developers alike! Not only did we have the opportunity to show you some of the exciting content coming before and within Issue 22, but we also took the opportunity to listen to you, our players. We wanted to know, what have you liked most about Freedom? What haven’t you liked? What can we do to add even more value to our VIP subscription? Hearing your thoughtful insights truly helps us to shape the City of Heroes experience.
One of the highlights from the Player Summit was our “Create a Costume Set” panel, in which our players worked with David Nakayama and our artists to design this new “Retro Sci-fi” costume set (see image). We are pleased to announce that we will be completing and detailing the designs and rolling out the costume set next year (details are still to be determined), and we hope to make this one of our regular Player Summit activities moving forward.
So I would like to thank all of the folks at Paragon Studios and NCsoft for their passion and dedication, and I want to thank our awesome players for helping to make the City of Heroes Community the best there is! We wish you well during the holidays and look forward to seeing you online in Paragon City the Rogue Isles and Praetoria!
Sincerely,
Brian Clayton
Executive Producer and General Manager, Paragon Studios
Andy Belford
Community Manager
Paragon Studios