would you like semi-productive downtime?
By
dugfromthearth,
Posted on: 2012-02-29 15:53 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
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Is this a trick question? Because my answer to this is "I don't want downtime to begin with."
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Originally Posted by dugfromthearth
Would you like semi-productive downtime?
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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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/Samuel_Tow
My downtime would be more productive if I could view chat channels while in the costume creator.
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Speaking of viewing chat, I'd really like to be able to chat while zoning and when using full-screen menus. I don't know what it would take to make that happen on zone loads, but I do know that it would take UI work to integrate chat into the costume creator, and getting any UI work done with this game causes developers to hiss like a vampire at a cross for some bizarre reason.
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Originally Posted by warden_de_dios
My downtime would be more productive if I could view chat channels while in the costume creator.
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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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In the base editor I can view the default chat window by hitting the C key, I'm not able to view any chat tabs that I have detached from the main chat window though.
I'm not sure what makes the enhancement screen and costume creator different but being able to communicate with others while in the base editor makes for a more enjoyable experience compared to not being able to talk to anyone until you leave the editor.
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Amusingly enough, it's possible to bring up the chat window while in base editor mode by hitting [enter] or whatever key you use to startchat. Wonder why it only works there ... ?
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Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
Speaking of viewing chat, I'd really like to be able to chat while zoning and when using full-screen menus. I don't know what it would take to make that happen on zone loads, but I do know that it would take UI work to integrate chat into the costume creator, and getting any UI work done with this game causes developers to hiss like a vampire at a cross for some bizarre reason.
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she who needs no mic
"You couldn't be more wrong if you were upended in a vat full of toxic wrong by Captain Wrong and his Wrongbots and earned a permanent inherent power called Aura of Wrong."-Lady_Sadako
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I'm aware, but the base editor is not a full-screen menu. Nor is the Architect, for that matter. They are both interface overlays that play with interface windows.|
Originally Posted by Naienko
Amusingly enough, it's possible to bring up the chat window while in base editor mode by hitting [enter] or whatever key you use to startchat. Wonder why it only works there ... ?
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By contrast, the respec screen, the enhancements screen and the costume editor are full-screen menus, in the sense that they operate outside of the standard UI rules. For instance, you can't take screenshots from the costume editor (not via in-game screenshotting, at least) because the command isn't hooked up, and there used to be a time when the costume editor wouldn't make use of antialising settings. You can still hear chat prompts through full-screen menus though most other in-game sounds are muted, but you can't bring up the chat interface.
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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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I hate crafting and respec'ing as it is. I hate that the Incarnate system is a crafting system. Adding more such irritations to the game is not something I'd be interested in.
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Originally Posted by dugfromthearth
We currently have shopping and crafting as downtime, plus leveling and respecing.
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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
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Yes, I would. And it does. You listed several forms of it.
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Originally Posted by dugfromthearth
We currently have shopping and crafting as downtime, plus leveling and respecing. You can just hang out and chat with people, have costume contests, or other player generated downtime. But would you like the game to provide semi-productive downtime.
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If it involves a pinball mini-game, count me in.
We've been saving Paragon City for eight and a half years. It's time to do it one more time.
(If you love this game as much as I do, please read that post.)
I do actually like the idea of tiny little benefits from a little interaction with the in-game world (honestly, for me, even if the benefits were simply flavor text... I still love hearing NPCs say things or clicking on them to see what they'll say).
I don't think the developers would find the use and/or call for it worth their effort, but I do always love a more interactive game-world.
The Day Job aspect is interesting, but perhaps a bit troublesome. It's always a little weird to add such "grinding" tactics into a game... Maybe if the time spent in those areas actually counted towards the Day Job, just as equally as the time-logged-out does, it'd work out fine. Increasing the rate (while completely understandable from a legitimate use standpoint), really just creates a quicker way to get those rewards and likely would encourage afk or semi-afk grinding for it.
I especially like the idea of visiting the sick and earning some inspirations or so.
To twist Sam's personal stance with my own... There is no downtime while I'm playing. 
@Zethustra
"Now at midnight all the agents and the superhuman crew come out
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
and round up everyone that knows more than they do"-Dylan
There was a point when... somewhere in Alpha testing of City of Villains, I was given to understand there was actually some 'mini-games' you could participate in at the Golden Giza. I think that was a capitol idea, but unfortunately somewhere in the mix, someone decided this could be seen as 'online gambling' and it didn't fly. I feel bad about that, because I'd love to see 'mini-game' slot machines, and 'mini-game' Pinball', 'Poker', or 'Blackjack' games incorporated... especially into St. Martial. I'd probably spend time in there just having fun 'til my SG showed up some nights.
As it is, there's legalities and such. Even for fictional currency apparently.
As for the other concepts, I have no problem with the previously suggested "Cat in a Tree" scenario" where basically a random child calls out because their cat is stuck in a tree. It's a 'Zowie' and you free the cat by clicking it to the gratitude (and inspiration gift) of the little girl. Or the 'mugging' of a random Rogue Island Citizen, which produces the same effect.
Hell, I have suggested (and it is my only permanent AE mission) having random citizen spawns throughout zones that their purse/wallet has been stolen for heroes to talk to and get a very short 'door mission' to get it back- while villians have the option of gaining the loyalty of informants and thugs who got double crossed who'd help them after they just got betrayed... well you get the idea.
I like the idea of coming up with more ways of personalizing, and coming up with more 'between the frames' things for our characters to do.
Just going to a hospital, as you suggested, is nice, but how about a 'tip' or arc of some kind (maybe dependent upon your origin) that has you go and rescue a hospital from a particular character. Take Comatorium for example. Someone who doesn't trust outsiders to take care of ANYONE, and seeks to foment that distrust. Now attach that to Origin... Now attach that to alignment... Now attach that to where you park at for 'Day Job' status, and for how long. How many derivations can you see emerging that cater to the most ammount of players?
When you start taking everything from Origin, Alignment, and as you suggest where you park, into account, there's a bunch of options you can play with.
This is, of course, presuming there's enough writers and programmers to create such missions, but it would be a sweeeeet concept if they did. But I'm of the mind the more stuff made for Heroes, Vigilantes, Rogues, AND Villains, the better.
"I play characters. I have to have a very strong visual appearance, backstory, name, etc. to get involved with a character, otherwise I simply won't play it very long. I'm not an RPer by any stretch of the imagination, but character concept is very important for me."- Back Alley Brawler
I couldn't agree more.
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pinball, dartboard, various minigames in pocket D that require inf,|
Originally Posted by TonyV
If it involves a pinball mini-game, count me in.
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dayjobs that allow you to earn rewards <gasp! purps?>
Ignoring anyone is a mistake. You might miss something viral to your cause.
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How are crafting and shopping not productive?
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Originally Posted by dugfromthearth
We currently have shopping and crafting as downtime, plus leveling and respecing. You can just hang out and chat with people, have costume contests, or other player generated downtime. But would you like the game to provide semi-productive downtime.
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Virtue Server
Avatar art by Daggerpoint
Quick answer. i would like more productive downtime, but then i found the forums...
the other ways to ask this are:
1. do you want more non-combat activities that are rewarded in some way?
2. or do you want the non-combat activities you do to be rewarded in some way?
1 would be new things like minigames or such
2 would be things like hanging out in Pocket D roleplaying earns you something
QR: No
To elaborate: In a well known virtual world, there used to be a scheme known as "Camping" where people would park their avatars for hours in a given location hoping to earn money, whilst giving an impression of high traffic on the map. It was a spoof to make others believe there was something happening in that location, but it's net outcome was nothing but trouble. It proved to be a playground for griefers, and accounts were created just to camp, which had the net effect of causing extra lag and strains on the servers.
I don't think any of us want that - apart from the fact that on face value, it would encourage players to break the EULA by parking their character and going AFK
Thelonious Monk
We currently have shopping and crafting as downtime, plus leveling and respecing. You can just hang out and chat with people, have costume contests, or other player generated downtime. But would you like the game to provide semi-productive downtime.
Examples:
In a day job location you could "do" the job and earn the time faster including the temporary benefit of the day job. Go to Pocket D, stand in an area and do the dance emote. Go to the police station and talk to a criminal in a holding cell, or do filing. In my ideal world these would be mini-games. In my less ideal world it would be a way of grinding out day jobs.
Earn inspirations via NPC's. Go to the hospital and click on beds of sick people and earn an inspiration for each one. Or go to the Arena, click on fans standing in line and get an inspiration from each of them.
None of these are game changers. Many would not consider them worth the time/effort.