Discussion: Matt "Positron" Miller's Anniversary Address
By
2short2care,
Posted on: 2012-04-26 14:08 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion
The one thing that raises a bit of concern is remembering descriptions of the Batallion, some time ago, as "needing" IOs to fight them. While I've criticized the dev team for dropping old ideas in the past - this is one I *really* hope did get dropped.
Other than that, someone else can bring the cake, who's bringing the booze? (Hey, I started on Pinnacle, I'm allowed.)
"On July 15th, 2003, I started working at Paragon Studios."
Really? At Paragon Studios back in 2003? I thought the game started at Cryptic...
Also: "(For those interested, this server was Triumph, the last server added until Exalted)"
What of the four EU servers added in 2005? Did Triumph not come until after those?
Quote:
Ouroboros is to blame. Therefore... nemesis plot.
|
Originally Posted by Arctic Man
"On July 15th, 2003, I started working at Paragon Studios."
Really? At Paragon Studios back in 2003? I thought the game started at Cryptic... |
Quote:
Really?|
Originally Posted by Arctic Man
"On July 15th, 2003, I started working at Paragon Studios."
Really? At Paragon Studios back in 2003? I thought the game started at Cryptic... Also: "(For those interested, this server was Triumph, the last server added until Exalted)" What of the four EU servers added in 2005? Did Triumph not come until after those? |
Ok then. It was a nice trip down memory lane. I got a 2 week late start in CoX because of Paramedic school. I didn't realize it had been released even though I had followed the development of it for quite some time.
Since then it has been a big part of my life. I have friends in CoX that I have shared important events in my life with. Yeah, I can honestly say that I love this game, and have enjoyed the ride.
Types of Swords
My Portfolio
Hurrah for the game I've been playing *almost* as long as I've been married!
The Nethergoat Archive: all my memories, all my characters, all my thoughts on CoH...eventually.
My City Was Gone
The whole "movie" thing... is that a sly indicator that the City of Heroes movies will finally come to fruition after the rights were bought up back in 2007?
Quote:
I think they might just have upgraded it from an IO level threat to an Incarnate level threat |
Originally Posted by Memphis_Bill
The one thing that raises a bit of concern is remembering descriptions of the Batallion, some time ago, as "needing" IOs to fight them. While I've criticized the dev team for dropping old ideas in the past - this is one I *really* hope did get dropped.
|
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
Ok I think I've got it. They have added tons of new content in eight years, learned a ton in the process and have a ton of plans for the future. Sounds pretty heavy 
One man's terrorist is another man's freedom (or freem?) fighter; just as one man's exploit is another man's feature.
Quote:
I thnik that it's more likely to be the Blockbuster Summer event buliding on the personal story mission and the new temp power tray tech to let us play as the characters in some of the popular CoHverse movies |
Originally Posted by VoodooGirl
The whole "movie" thing... is that a sly indicator that the City of Heroes movies will finally come to fruition after the rights were bought up back in 2007?
|
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
Quote:
I would assume it is a direct reference to the movie-themed Summer Blockbuster event that will be added to the game. Finally we will have a yearly event that occurs in the summer!
|
Originally Posted by VoodooGirl
The whole "movie" thing... is that a sly indicator that the City of Heroes movies will finally come to fruition after the rights were bought up back in 2007?
|
Quote:
Woohoo! Take us to 50 in Praetoria!|
Originally Posted by Matt Miller
Then, of course, will come Issue 24 and the new content it will bring (some of which deals with the fallout of a post-Tyrant Praetoria, for those that are curious where we are taking that story arc).
|
I would really like to see Praetorians keep their alignments (Loyalist or Resistance- Or possibly just Praetorian now that those chapters have closed, at least later on in their carreer) and have their own unique path to 50, yet not be barred from Paragon or the Rogue Isles (like Rogues and Vigilantes). I'm hoping now that Tyrant is soon to be... dealt with... that may become a possiblity.
"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.
Quote:
Paragon Studios is the evolution of the group that started at Cryptic. I figure that might just be how he thinks of it off-hand when thinking "I've been working on the same project for all these years"|
Originally Posted by Arctic Man
"On July 15th, 2003, I started working at Paragon Studios."
Really? At Paragon Studios back in 2003? I thought the game started at Cryptic... Also: "(For those interested, this server was Triumph, the last server added until Exalted)" What of the four EU servers added in 2005? Did Triumph not come until after those? |
An * with a notation at the bottom might be warranted
Orc&Pie No.53230 There is an orc, and somehow, he got a pie. And you are hungry.
www.repeat-offenders.net
Negaduck: I see you found the crumb. I knew you'd never notice the huge flag.
"but we're constantly trying to outdo ourselves."
Might want to rethink the whole clicky feely thing with hybrid and the path to unlock it.
There's more being UN-done than OUT-done.
Biiiiiig difference in those two words...
Ignoring anyone is a mistake. You might miss something viral to your cause.
Quote:
I would love to see that!|
Originally Posted by Thirty-Seven
I would assume it is a direct reference to the movie-themed Summer Blockbuster event that will be added to the game. Finally we will have a yearly event that occurs in the summer!
|
/hopes up!
Ignoring anyone is a mistake. You might miss something viral to your cause.
Quote:
The hyperbole, it burns!
|
Originally Posted by MrHassenpheffer
"but we're constantly trying to outdo ourselves."
Might want to rethink the whole clicky feely thing with hybrid and the path to unlock it. There's more being UN-done than OUT-done. Biiiiiig difference in those two words... |
Quote:
It'd be kinda pointless to keep the Resistance and loyalist dynamics when the situation that caused them is now gone - Praetoria is free now, and there's no need for resistance to an evil system, or loyalty to it.|
Originally Posted by Lycantropus
Woohoo! Take us to 50 in Praetoria!
I would really like to see Praetorians keep their alignments (Loyalist or Resistance- Or possibly just Praetorian now that those chapters have closed, at least later on in their carreer) and have their own unique path to 50, yet not be barred from Paragon or the Rogue Isles (like Rogues and Vigilantes). I'm hoping now that Tyrant is soon to be... dealt with... that may become a possiblity. |
Currently, all Restance members are flagged as Heroes, and all loyalists are flagged as Vilalins, so what they could do would be to convert them "officially" to Heroes and Villains after their final Praetorian arc.
Or as an alternative, they could convert all Resistance members into Vigilantes, and all loyalists into Rogues, giving every Praetorian access to both sides of the main game once they hit 50.
They could also possibly have a final moral choice arc dealing with the aftermath of the fall fo the dictatorship that would be open to all Paretorians, and at the end of it, they could decide if they wanted to be hero or a Villain - like Resistance Crusaders might decide that they wanted to continue their anarchist antics, and devolve into a Praetorian version of the Freakshow - or loyalists might decide to follow the example of Provost Marchand and other former loyalsits who switfhed sides during the final battle for Praetoria.
I'd certainly like to see a 40-50 Praetorian zone for the DE as a set up for a Praetorian Hamidon Trial - but like Nova Praetoria, Imperial City, Neutropolis, First Ward and Night Ward, the Resistance path would be the only fulfilling one, as it feeds directly into the Trials - and the higher the level of Praetorian content, the closer it has to be tied in with the fall of the dictatorship.
That's always been the problem for loyalist content - they've been marked as losers since level 1 - the devs wrote the end of the story at the same time as they wrote the start, and they've been filling in the middle part ever since.
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
Quote:
Do we know that? Killing Tyrant doesn't eliminate the entire Praetorian system any more than killing the president lets you take over all of America. That's sort of the "Return of the Jedi" version of imperial decapitation, but it rarely works out that way (and I know it didn't work that way in the Expanded Universe either, before anyone mentions that).|
Originally Posted by Golden Girl
It'd be kinda pointless to keep the Resistance and loyalist dynamics when the situation that caused them is now gone - Praetoria is free now, and there's no need for resistance to an evil system, or loyalty to it.
|
Surely there are going to be people who thought Cole had the right idea but executed it wrong and will try to preserve the imperial system, whether it be on the ruins of Praetoria or within Primal Earth itself.
From a gameplay perspective keeping those two factions around may not be practical. But I see no story-based reason why they suddenly dissolve once Cole is defeated. Heck, the Fifth Column is proof that even when the war is over, the war isn't over, and even within the Fifth Column itself the Council took over the organization, and then the original leaders of the Fifth retook it over again. Taking out the leaders doesn't actually mean anything unless most or all the minions capitulate simultaneously.
And I cannot imagine why all those resistance terrorists/freedom fighters are going to just stop fighting their good fight suddenly. They were willing to risk their lives to overthrow Cole. Why wouldn't they try to do that to Recluse? And are you certain they would consider all of Primal Earth's "good guys" to actually be good guys?
[Guide to Defense] [Scrapper Secondaries Comparison] [Archetype Popularity Analysis]
In one little corner of the universe, there's nothing more irritating than a misfile...
(Please support the best webcomic about a cosmic universal realignment by impaired angelic interference resulting in identity crisis angst. Or I release the pigmy water thieves.)
Quote:
I think that there's plenty of scope for stiff armers and anarchsits to carry on their evil antics after the war is over - but as Villains.|
Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Surely there are going to be people who thought Cole had the right idea but executed it wrong and will try to preserve the imperial system, whether it be on the ruins of Praetoria or within Primal Earth itself.
|
Quote:
| Taking out the leaders doesn't actually mean anything unless most or all the minions capitulate simultaneously. |
We're also told that once the loyalist thought police were smashed in the MoM Trial, the citizens decided to flee the "utopia" of Nova Praetoria once they were free from the Seers.
Basically, all we've seen of the loyalists since level 20 have been war robots, jack booted DUST thugs using civilians for life fire exercises, genetically enhanced IDF troops and faceless Olympian Guard stormtroopers, with a variety of crazed Praetors thrown into the mix - and by the end of the Praetorian trials, all of those are gone, so it's hard to see how any stiff armers could hope to preserve their evil system when it's been so totally wrecked by the Primal Earth liberators and their Resistance allies - we've not been shown any even semi-normal people siding with Tyrant and his loyalists, so it's hard to see where any of the heil brigade would be able to form enough support to challenge the new reality of a free Praetoria.
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
Quote:
How exactly is anything being "undone" by the Hybrid slot? Show your work, please, if you wish to register a complaint.
|
Originally Posted by MrHassenpheffer
"but we're constantly trying to outdo ourselves."
Might want to rethink the whole clicky feely thing with hybrid and the path to unlock it. There's more being UN-done than OUT-done. Biiiiiig difference in those two words... |
Loose --> not tight.
Lose --> Did not win, misplace, cannot find, subtract.
One extra 'o' makes a big difference.
Quote:
I see what you did there|
Originally Posted by Fire_Away
Ok I think I've got it. They have added tons of new content in eight years, learned a ton in the process and have a ton of plans for the future. Sounds pretty heavy
|
I wonder if a new base editor/system would fall under "content".. or maybe "zones"...?
Hey, a girl can dream, right?
.
Quote:
|
Don�t say things. What you are stands over you the while, and thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary. - R.W. Emerson |
YUMMY Low-Hanging Fruit for BASE LUV
I'm kind of in the middle on the Praetorian alignments. In part, I kind of agree with GG. While First Ward and Night Ward let you play along a little longer, they're both largely irrelevant as neither actually gives unique content, it's all railroaded along on the same track regardless of choice. At best, we could see a redefinition of the alignments in some fashion but even so that's going to be for maybe one zone? If they even put Praetoria to 50. In the end, you still have to turn to Primal earth.
But, on the other hand, I agree with Arcanaville too. While the alignments, as we see, are largely irrelevant, there's still stuff that could be done with them. Not every corner of Praetoria may even be aware of Cole's defeat, some pocket cells of loyalists stuck on black channel but unable to give up their posts (Say, a pocket cell defending against the Devouring Earth). Praetoria city was the heart of Cole's Empire, but we know from First Ward there are wayward pockets of it.
My cynical side though says that there's no more support coming for them and at best we may get some dressing that is largely irrelevant, like the repeatable First Ward contacts for all flavors. I don't think Night Ward had even that much, did it?
The further along they add to Praetoria the more and more it feels like they gave up on the initial concepts they started with being able to play a praetorian and are just slowly boxing the place up so it can be shuffled away for us to play with new toys (Battalion) and maybe serve as something the writers can dip into now and again when they're bored, like pulling a praetorian villain or faction out to use.
Quote:
Yeah its pitiful if a so called Lead Dev cant even get basics like this straight and dont let someone of his Coworkers read over such a statement before he post it.|
Originally Posted by Arctic Man
"On July 15th, 2003, I started working at Paragon Studios."
Also: "(For those interested, this server was Triumph, the last server added until Exalted)" What of the four EU servers added in 2005? Did Triumph not come until after those? |
When i joined this Game in July 2004 Triumph existed,... a few years later the European servers started. But even if u could argue they was not on the NA server list, the list merge happened May 2011 so even if u count that date as adding of those servers they existed before Exalted (which came live with I 21, so in september 2011).
greetings
Quote:
That's his official title - it's not some self-appointed thing like "Lord" Nemesis or "Lord" Recluse |
Originally Posted by SuggestorK
a so called Lead Dev
|
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
Quote:
I'm sure you've never made mistakes.
|
Originally Posted by SuggestorK
Yeah its pitiful if a so called Lead Dev cant even get basics like this straight and dont let someone of his Coworkers read over such a statement before he post it.
|
Matt "Positron" Miller wrote an article where he discusses the last eight years of City of Heroes.
Jessie Lawrence
Assistant Community Manager
Paragon Studios
'Like' us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Circle us on Google+
Watch us Live on Twitch.TV every Wednesday!