Full Reply to the recent 2012 Survey
By
Agent White,
Posted on: 2012-05-02 12:16 in Suggestions and Ideas
They would give us everything if they could. MMO's are tougher to pull off than normal games because of server constraints. A lot of the things you want have been asked for already and they are aware of them.
Yeah a lot of the costume stuff is due to technical limitations or it's in the works.
As for secret identities, the usual logic is that if you want to roleplay a secret identity you're free to make a 'normal civilian' costume you can use costume emotes to change into your Superhero persona. Adding more like what you're proposing would involve committing time, money, and personnel to developing a system that would be ultimately optional at this point.
As for the 'signature villains' ala Joker, Luthor, etc. Almost every villain group has a signature Archvillain that leads it. It's mostly just that you don't start running into them until later in the game. There are some 'low' villains that come into focus depending on the arc, but once you start getting into the 30's and on you'll start learning about some of the major players in the story like the Countess Crey that runs the Crey Corporation, the Prussian Prince of Automatons and master planner and manipulator Nemesis, Vanessa DeVore that runs the Carnival of Shadows, The monstrous Hamidon that controls the Devouring Earth, the 'mirror universe' counterparts to the Freedom Phalanx that rule over the alternate world of Praetoria lead by Statesman's counterpart, Tyrant. And there are others, like Recluse and his subordinates.
Maybe we'll see more of the signature villains in the SSA 
BrandX Future Staff Fighter
The BrandX Collection
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Bad idea, really bad idea.|
Originally Posted by Nordis
Take a look at (actually, just steal...) the Spore character creator. Hold the tab key down when placing an item on creation for 3 different adjustable planes in the sphere of orientation of an item + ability to make larger or smaller, and overlay items for so many more possibilities like an X or Y shaped pupil or multiple similar items in one place
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First, that (while being cool) would be a royal pain in the rear to code. Maybe for a new game, but as good as impossible for CoX.
Second, have a look at these:
You want CoX to get sued into oblivion?
@Redcap
ANARCHY = A Society that does not need government
114. Ahrouns do not appreciate my particular brand of humour, so I should stop bleaching bulls-eyes in their fur.
Would you like fries with that?
Rockshock (Druid Tanker), Medicat (Combat Medic), Dwarf From the North (Ice Mage), Rocket Gal (Energy Blaster), Graveborn (Undead Mastermind), Streeker (Punching Speedster), Op. Sidewinder (Recluse's pet Spider)
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Oh. Does it come with fries? Yes please. Well done. And could I have a side of ranch dressing for those. And a coke, no ice with lemon please.|
Originally Posted by Rockshock
Would you like fries with that?
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And see this. This is my money that I am paying with, and with that payment comes the right for me to make requests. With a brain comes the wisdom that I won't be getting everything (or anything) I ask for, but also the wisdom that if I don't ask, I may not ever know for sure.
At first I laughed at your comment. Now, not so much funny in it.
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Not impossible. Improbable because of the resources required and the size of the project.|
Originally Posted by Nos482
Bad idea, really bad idea.
First, that (while being cool) would be a royal pain in the rear to code. Maybe for a new game, but as good as impossible for CoX. |
Of course it's royal pain. It's a huge undertaking. But that's what business is about. Have a superior product and you have guaranteed success, a loyal customer base, and a future.
If you chose to offer inferior products, well, after returning the 7th can opener to Wal Mart, one decides to go find a quality product at a different store. Don't focus on the example, focus on the principle. CoH is already a quality product. I'm asking for it to be made superior. If and when I find a there is a better one, once I finally go there, I'll stop settling for where I was before. Case in point: I'm at CoH now, haven't been back to where I was before since I got here! Four years there, and I haven't looked back, except to spread the word that CoH is free to play now and I'm having a lot more fun now!
What is required is money, time, and effort.
The money is there. That's evident from when, while tooting your own horn you share:
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The time is there. It has been there for eight years. There is time now. (Profound, I know!) They are talking about future goals, so I presume that means there will be more time.
That leaves effort. Obviously not there. Why? Because it's a big job. So that means the attitude is basically, "Oh, that's too much work and we don't want to spend our money we made from our customers on making a better product and happier customers. Placate them with some new stuff which is actually a renaming of something that already exists, and add one or two new things to it so they don't complain too much."
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Second, have a look at these: You want CoX to get sued into oblivion? |
Excellent pics, and you make my point for me. Look at the versatility that can be achieved. The capability of the technologies is growing at an exponential rate. But the product doesn't reflect that. I want to step out of the two dimensional paper doll experience and see a contemporaneous improvement.
I made suggestions. What I would like to see. I never said I'm right, or it has to be done, or so on. Often I see where things can be improved and maybe sometimes I voice my opinion on it because maybe there is a chance the powers that be will see it, maybe some light bulbs go on above their heads, and maybe it's already been tried, and there is a good reason that I'm not aware of for why it isn't done that way, and I want to learn. But hearing it's too much work, or costs too much, that just makes you sound greedy and lazy. Yes, coding is a huge task. I know this. But it's not impossible.
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A good thought. And a perfect place for them to start! Thanks!
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Originally Posted by BrandX
Maybe we'll see more of the signature villains in the SSA
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I would very much like to believe it's being addressed. Including the technical limitations. I would love to see some effort made to improving things!|
Originally Posted by Agent White
Yeah a lot of the costume stuff is due to technical limitations or it's in the works.
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| As for secret identities, the usual logic is that if you want to roleplay a secret identity you're free to make a 'normal civilian' costume you can use costume emotes to change into your Superhero persona. Adding more like what you're proposing would involve committing time, money, and personnel to developing a system that would be ultimately optional at this point. |
As far as being ultimately optional at this point, I think that applies to people who have their level 50 characters, and to people who want to start game play on the hero-is-established level. And yes, it should be offered as being optional. I don't want it forced on me.
But look, I have my lvl 50. I started game play in the middle of this character's story. Give me the prequel option! Now I, the existing veteran player, can take that toon back through Ouroboro to the Echo: Paragon City to add a brand new facet to the character. To expand the character development. This provides new interest in old characters that have been set aside. This also provides new interest for people who want to start new characters at their beginnings, and then make the journey with them to becoming levle 50 heroes and villains. This also potentially provides a completely new facet to AE, where I, or a much more capable person, could construct the story of the origins as I/they imagine them, rather than being confined to the standard and specific missions that every other player in the game has done for their origins. Achieve whatever goals in pre-established game play, or in AE to gain your super powers, then continue on into the game as it exists now to become more powerful. I think there is a lot of potential here.
And yes, just as the new DA content and all other new content requires money, time, and effort, so would the new Origins content also. That's a given.
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As for the 'signature villains' ala Joker, Luthor, etc. Almost every villain group has a signature Archvillain that leads it. It's mostly just that you don't start running into them until later in the game. There are some 'low' villains that come into focus depending on the arc, but once you start getting into the 30's and on you'll start learning about some of the major players in the story like the Countess Crey that runs the Crey Corporation, the Prussian Prince of Automatons and master planner and manipulator Nemesis, Vanessa DeVore that runs the Carnival of Shadows, The monstrous Hamidon that controls the Devouring Earth, the 'mirror universe' counterparts to the Freedom Phalanx that rule over the alternate world of Praetoria lead by Statesman's counterpart, Tyrant. And there are others, like Recluse and his subordinates. |
Thanks for your response and input.
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Thanks. I know it's not a tiny request. I know it's a learning process still, which is why things like Betas exist.|
Originally Posted by _Klaw_
They would give us everything if they could. MMO's are tougher to pull off than normal games because of server constraints. A lot of the things you want have been asked for already and they are aware of them.
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I pretty much figured most of my suggestions have already been given a voice. My idea is that if I support those original voices, perhaps the CoH powers that be will start to take notice and consider things.
Thanks again.
Could you guys that post obscene amounts of images put a space between them?
It kind of destroys the page for those of us who shut off images and have to look at the link.
Dawncaller - The Circle of Dawn
Too many blasted alts to list, but all on Virtue.
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Just out of interest, what exactly do you envision Secret Identity gameplay actually being?
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Originally Posted by Nordis
Day jobs was a big let down. I log off and that's playing a game? Where do I get to be mild mannered? And though cell phones may have made Superman's phone booth obsolete, I can still spin around in a circle and change from Diana Prince to Wonder Woman can't I? No? What do you mean, "No"? Super heroes have a secret identity. That secret identity is usually where hero tasks come from. You're missing out on that whole side of the story/experience. Day jobs has potential to be all new fresh content. An additional and completely different costume potential lies here. Day Jobs can become a facet of the Secret Identity game play of CoH.
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Always remember, we were Heroes.
There's something about the way you are responding to the forumites here, and in the OP that, were I a Dev, would make me less than enthusiastic to acquiesce to your requests.
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Uhm, Just want to point out that your logic here is faulty. Paying a subscription does not give you the right to make suggestions in this game. Everyone that plays the game has that right bestowed upon them regardless of whether they are a paying customer or if they play for free.
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Originally Posted by Nordis
And see this. This is my money that I am paying with, and with that payment comes the right for me to make requests.
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Can I suggest you don't go play another MMO if you find this creator limited... I've played a couple of others and honestly... we have it good, really good. |
Originally Posted by Nordis
PLEASE IMPROVE THE CHARACTER CREATOR. I can't stress this enough. Character creator is so limited it's infuriating. It is just so very lacking. |
Yes, there are some limitations, but really... other games will give you say 8 faces and maybe 10 hairstyles. How many games will let you wear the hat you want right from the start?
2 colours? A recent spaced based game allows NO, read that No, colouring of costumes. A ring based game allows 1.
Added to that, the Art team are adding new stuff regularly. We finally have backpacks, something we've asked for forever.
I would like to see some of the items spread across the different categories, so that you can have horns and glasses etc, but their are engine limitations to the character rig that means we can only attach so much stuff to the character. To overhaul this we'd need a whole new rig, which would possible mean redoing every single animation in game as well. For an 8 year old game, I'm not sure that's viable.
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Take all of your experience with super heroes, and apply what you know about how they came into being: |
Originally Posted by Dr_Darkspeed
Just out of interest, what exactly do you envision Secret Identity gameplay actually being?
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As stated in my original post (I had a bit more of a brain storm then, but used existing stories as examples). Five different origins exist. Build stories behind each one. The standard game missions, in origin form. Situation or adversary causes powers to be bestowed, attain certain achievements to get through these mission arcs to obtain your experiment, accident, bestowment, and so on. Have x number of points, titled accomplishments, goals to achieve. When these are achieved, you've reached the beginning of your transformation from everyday Joe/Jane to SuperJoe/Jane.
Let's take a Paragon approach, with my vague knowledge of the story. Aliens invade earth. Weapons kill many, but you survive because of whatever stroke of fate, easy to go with mutant I guess. You survive because bad thing is less effective on you because of your already mutated self. No plague kills everyone type of thing. Energy/poison/magic/science weapon exacerbates your mutation, sets it off where it would have never gone. You're trying to save yourself, or family or friend from alien attack/impending doom, suddenly you do something you couldn't have done before. You're discovering your changed/changing. Escape the hazard zone, or not. Find a mentor/scientist/doctor, or not. At some point you'll need to get some practice time in to learn what to do and how to do it. Escaping hazard zone allows for that time, learning somewhere quiet. Or maybe you want a street approach where you're thrown into it and it's survive or die (do again) so you learn the hard way on the streets and "in the field" Stop the purse snatcher, thugs, corrupt cops, speeding truck headed toward school bus or old lady. Do so many heroic deeds to achieve next level. Once you're getting a name for yourself, pics in the paper, a buzz about that new masked freak, then maybe you want to go join a hero group and be recognized and do your thing in the public eye. Maybe you want to be low profile and work solo. All this applies to villains as well. Whatever way you do it, once your known and recognized, then you're ready to hit the intro to the existing story line and game. Basically, think up a prequel to what we have, and there is your storyline. It occurred to me that if you have it so you have to achieve specific goals/items/achievements based on xp (?) and missions, then the creative people could set up their own versions in AE. If AE is limited to 5 mission arcs, then make multiple arcs if need be. Several of my toons have their own origins. Perhaps some could be tweaked to fit into the formula/game play. Imagination and know how are only limited by the practicality and how far the Dev/business chooses to go.
Perhaps it would be best to have your AT and power sets predetermined, so the story could lead up to that. Perhaps Origin game play ends with your character having the two powers current game play starts with?
I really can't give you more details than what I've already written in the original post and in responses. But whatever was presented as a final offering, I wold love to play my toon's origins out.
An even better response to you, I think, is what do you imagine your toon's origin game play could/should/would consist of?
Sorry if I can't be as detailed as you were wanting. I'd have to think about it, a lot. As NCSoft, I'd get ideas from the staff and players, and I'd let the staff and player community vote on what options seem doable out of those initial ideas.
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Originally Posted by Diggis
Can I suggest you don't go play another MMO if you find this creator limited... I've played a couple of others and honestly... we have it good, really good.
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I'm not the most experienced player. I've seen a few creators. That's all. I've read that Champions O has an amazing one, but I like CoH and NCSoft as a business. And I agree with you, CoH is good. As I've stated in a response somewhere here, CoH has a quality product. The fact that I spend money on it is a big deal in my life, so that right there is showing what I think about CoH!
Just know that I'm always seeing things from a business point of view. If I see a product could be improved, especially one I like, I may or may not voice my observations. Again, I do this to learn why it didn't work out because certainly my ideas aren't original and they have probably already been considered. So I want to know the reasons behind why those ideas don't work. That helps me carry on my thought processes and learn.
And note, I said please! I would be very surprised, and happy, if any of the suggested changes were actually made. Shocked too. I like the game. I plan on playing for a long time. It's fun. And I'm surprised by how 95% of the people I meet are Supernice! That was unexpected.
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Yes, there are some limitations, but really... other games will give you say 8 faces and maybe 10 hairstyles. How many games will let you wear the hat you want right from the start? 2 colours? A recent spaced based game allows NO, read that No, colouring of costumes. A ring based game allows 1. |
Yes, I did use Spore as an example, and have another in mind as well, but CoH is not those. And, CoH can be a sweeter orange, without the seeds! I want it to be. So I put my opinions out there when I was asked for them!
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Added to that, the Art team are adding new stuff regularly. We finally have backpacks, something we've asked for forever. I would like to see some of the items spread across the different categories, so that you can have horns and glasses etc, but their are engine limitations to the character rig that means we can only attach so much stuff to the character. To overhaul this we'd need a whole new rig, which would possible mean redoing every single animation in game as well. For an 8 year old game, I'm not sure that's viable. |
I agree with your comments. Thanks for them. And again, I like CoH. I consider it to be a quality experience, despite the holes I see that could be filled. I'm not saying it sucks and I don't like it and I don't want to be here.
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You've taken this out of the context it was present in I believe.|
Originally Posted by Forbin_Project
Uhm, Just want to point out that your logic here is faulty. Paying a subscription does not give you the right to make suggestions in this game. Everyone that plays the game has that right bestowed upon them regardless of whether they are a paying customer or if they play for free.
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It's not true that the customer is always right. And some customers act in a way that they deserve to be refused service.
I do not presume that I am special because I am VIP. Or that I am in anyway better than any other person, in the game or in life. My game play alone will attest to why I am a humble person! I suck at it! Everyone can tell you this! I'm the comic relief of the team most of the time!
No person is better than another, and no person is lesser than any other, and every person is deserving of my respect and my assistance if they need it. Unconditional acceptance and without judgement. This doesn't mean I can just walk around tipping my halo at people. I have my issues as well. I'm not perfect.
The money reference does stand in business though, specifically in the context it was presented: the food industry. We all know in this business the voice of the customer goes a lot farther. And like I said, if you're spouting off with an attitude at me, I'm likely to refuse you service. If you're polite and have a legitimate issue, I'll bend over backwards to fix the problem.
I'm not reading all that I've written before, so if I'm wrong here and I did say I pay therefore my opinions are to be heard, let me just say this. It is because NCSoft made CoH free to play that I came to play. And it is because of how the staff at NCSoft/CoH handled my issues that I decided I liked their customer service, as well as their product, so much that I decided to spend money I shouldn't be spending on some game rather than on more important things in my real life. So I know the game as a free to play-er, I know the company from that aspect as well, and in my opinion, again, it's a quality business with a quality product. Wouldn't waste my time if it were not.
I apologize if I made it seem that my attitude was what you perceived. I would never be so bold or conceited as to expect to be treated differently because I have money in my hand. Much peace.
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Thank you. It is not my intention to be rude. Understand that I am an extremely emotional person. And I do get frustrated. Especially if it's over a long period of time. When i feel strongly about something, I tend to be very emphatic, and some people perceive this as me being angry or upset or ..... |
Originally Posted by Thirty-Seven
There's something about the way you are responding to the forumites here, and in the OP that, were I a Dev, would make me less than enthusiastic to acquiesce to your requests.
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This isn't the case. I do try very hard to convey in written script my feelings, but lacking the ability to use inflections and stress this word and say that one gently complicates this to the point that I'm often misunderstood.
I feel also that I am likely affected by this fact when reading what another person has written as well. Add to that my tendency to take things extremely literally, and it's a sure bet that I misinterpret just about everything if it is possible to do so. So, while initially I laughed and found much humor in "Do you want fries with that?" over time I began wondering if it was actually meant to be humorous, or was it meant as a passive aggressive attack? Regardless, I would have been better to take it and formulate a response based on it being only meant as a joke. And it was irresponsible of me to respond when I was tired.
"Bob's new hair cut is over his ears." Does over mean above, or does it mean covering? Invariably I will choose the wrong meaning. And oddly enough, many people will do the same with what I'm saying. It's uncanny and there is no explanation for it. The mission is in Steel Canyon. I ask where is it. I'm told Steel Canyon. I can see that on the compass, as we all know. I ask where is the mission located. I'm told it's on the map. Ah, progress! Now we're getting nowhere! So I reword again until I get it right. Is it north or south. (Because I'm not in Steel Canyon yet as we can also all see.) Maybe you would have known what I meant the first time I asked. Maybe you wouldn't. Not always a bunch of time to elaborate when in game. But the less you say, the greater the miscommunication.
Food again: Do you have any lemon for my coke? (If they serve iced tea, they have lemon!) We don't have any lemons, but we have limes. I say, "Ok' with a tone of "that will work" along with a nod of the head saying the same thing. I get a blank stare. Could I have a lime please. She handed me a lime. A whole lime. My turn for the blank stare. Manager walks by, sees me looking helpless and stupefied. Would you like me to cut that for you? See, he got it! She didn't get it. A simple misinterpretation of words taken literally.
Thanks for pointing it out. I apologize profusely to anyone who thought I was being snappy, rude, or snotty. I'm not like that. I'll try harder to make sure I don't come across that way. Much Peace
Edit: This is what I wrote in answer to the recent survey we were asked to participate in. I hadn't intended to post it in the forums. But since it won't all fit, I'm putting it here because I like talking to walls anyway. I am directing this post to the people that make these things happen, to the NCSoft/CoH staff, artists, and so on. I'm not looking for people to tell me that I'm wrong because this or that already exists. That I'm a noob. I know this already! And I don't like the way it seems the word is used most often. If you want to tell me where what I'm ignorant of can be found, great, and thanks in advance. If you want to tell me that I'm a nutty bunny, then you had better be making the same reference I am, or I don't want to hear from you! The intention of the post is for me to express my opinions and wishes and input to the people who asked me to fill out the survey. It is an attempt for them to get my input and say, "Huh, good idea." " Maybe we could do that." "That's a huge project, but yes, he's right, we need to revamp the character creator!" "Never thought of that." "Here's another person who wants this." "Not gonna happen." and so on. And hopefully not say, "Costs too much so don't do it." I'm sure there are may other places/threads to say I want to see this and have you thought about that. I'm posting this because it makes me feel like I voted, even though that vote doesn't make a bit of difference.
Response written in the "Other" line at the end of the survey:
This is a very vague survey. The choices are apples and oranges, but I can only pick one. There are no "other" choices for any of the other questions. How does one say what is a favorite, or rate favorites in a scale if one cannot see what Bio Armor looks like, or what Night Watch is, or what Nature's Affinity consists of?
Allow for player submissions for art, and give the players a choice from those, pick the top 3, make those top 3 available in game.
Day jobs was a big let down. I log off and that's playing a game? Where do I get to be mild mannered? And though cell phones may have made Superman's phone booth obsolete, I can still spin around in a circle and change from Diana Prince to Wonder Woman can't I? No? What do you mean, "No"? Super heroes have a secret identity. That secret identity is usually where hero tasks come from. You're missing out on that whole side of the story/experience. Day jobs has potential to be all new fresh content. An additional and completely different costume potential lies here. Day Jobs can become a facet of the Secret Identity game play of CoH. In addition to this concept: Origin missions for those original identities. Here you have another whole aspect of the character that is undeveloped. How cool would it be to design your goal character, then start the game as a simple student that gets visited by an alien, apprenticed to a wizard, bit by a radioactive spider, reaches puberty and mutates, designs some cool tech, starts off on a distant world & winds up on Earth because of rogue black holes or Rikti attacking and downing their ship, or mixes the wrong energy and test tubes and becomes Supertoon!?! I know people who have gotten bored with doing the same tips and playing the same game for so many years. Expand on what you have to generate the interest in continuing to play. For existing toons, Ouroboro makes this all possible and plausible.
I'm new to game, but where are the Jokers, Lex Luthors, Venoms, Galactus, and whatever other arch nemesis? Whole new line of content in each one you add. Super battle, close to capture, and escapes to have to be fought again another day. Other than Recluse, whom I've not seen, I know no super villain by name. Could be I'm ignorant though. I'm not interested in PVP at all, but it seems that there is room for every hero to have an arch nemesis, and for such missions to be developed if they don't already exist.
I dislike that some people can't get what's cool as far as costumes because they aren't tier 9. This is unfair. Give Tier 9 free respecs or merits or whatever the unobtainable reward is, sure, because yes, they deserve their rewards. Or, better still, do not discontinue costume sets so that I don't get to have them by the time I reach tier 9. I could have done things with the Celestial (?) costume pieces and don't think the character creator is so full that costume pieces need to be removed from it yet. Discontinuing the costumes after letting only a few people have access to them makes for frustration, and wouldn't you rather have customers who are having fun and have long term goals in CoH? I think the number of elitist players that wouldn't want others to have what they have has to be very small, and I think most of the players are still able to create very unique toons even within the confines of the existing options.
Which leads me to my main peeve:
PLEASE IMPROVE THE CHARACTER CREATOR. I can't stress this enough. Character creator is so limited it's infuriating. It is just so very lacking.
Horns or goggles, but not both? That's more apples and oranges. And worst of all: only one head detail 1, shoulder item (also usually too big), or one chest item? Allow for combining and resizing for players to achieve new and unique looks. I want at least 3 sets of horns, hair, and head tattos, and fangs, maybe a helmet, and maybe some eye gear, and a face mask. I can't do that. If you're thinking I'm going to fall over from all that on my head, then let me fall over! Do the same with chest emblems - allow for overlay. And if it's a chest emblem, then it should be in the options for the Super Group logo as well. Stressing that last line: Chest Emblem = SG Logo, always! Emblems should also be able to be displayed on belt buckles, shoulders-front or side, forehead, and boots-top front or side or at ankles on top or side or on toe, and gloves-on forearm, wrist, back of hand, or palm.
Only able to select 2 colors for most pieces. Allow for more. Coloring scale needs more choices as well. It's far too limited.
Proportions: Almost All horns are too big, can't scale them down or reorient them. Another example: birds feet are too small, normal legs that become stunted and skinny.
Take a look at (actually, just steal...) the Spore character creator. Hold the tab key down when placing an item on creation for 3 different adjustable planes in the sphere of orientation of an item + ability to make larger or smaller, and overlay items for so many more possibilities like an X or Y shaped pupil or multiple similar items in one place. Why shouldn't I get to have smaller horns or pads at knees and elbows?
Adjust the physical trait scales so when changing them they actually make a visible difference, the scales are too narrow. If I want a mongoloid Hulk face, the brow needs to be adjustable to that. The same goes for the body scales. And consider taking all those faces, and let me put the Face 17 eyes with the Face 2 nose and the Supernatural 7 mouth! No idea what that would look like, chose randomly, but look what a variety of choices you've just given me!
If you're going to make a costume set, then make a whole set. Don't leave out boots or gloves or the chest. matching capes never hurt either. That just sucks, and lessens the amount of people who will purchase the set. The same stands for the designs for coloring costumes. Give me a boot and glove option to match my chest and pants option, for All designs. And if a costume set has 10 pieces, it should go for less points than a set that has almost 30 pieces I think. Summing Up: No more incomplete sets.
Monstrous hands should have All glove types available. Spiked for instance. And fingernails/claws should have a color selection. This is a basic for female characters as well as what I want to do. This goes as well for hooves and claws of the animal sets, make them color selectable.
There is no jewelry. Is there a rule in the super hero handbook that says they can't wear accessories? Poor Hal Jordan.
More variety in the animal, reptile, and alien heads. Lots of different bird and reptiles out there, how about a horned toad, a basilisk with the frill, a thorny devil, a bearded dragon, a cobra with a combat cobra hood effect, and so on? And a dragon head. Not over sized. And please give the animal heads you make in the future a neck unless you expect me to name all of them Dr. Scott.
Existing power sets are limited in their expressions. Plants do a lot more than use thorns, but everything is thorns and strangling. What about pulling people underground? Confuse power could have been cooler by having the aoe vines have pods or flowers that diffuse the chemicals. This limitation applies to many of the sets. Mastermind pets should be color selectable. There are so many more types of pets that can be made as well. The joke on April Fools about the clown pets was a great idea! Why is it only a joke? (And a clown costume set would do well I think too. Big shoes, red nose, villain players would love it.) I wonder if a chameleon power set would be doable? Blending into the background would be a nice way to re-present the invis abilities.
Recipe costume pieces: Add this category to the creator, and expand the selections there. Give players a goal to aim for. I need to see how piston boots or bone wings look when I'm creating the character. Fine, I know that I have to play to get the recipes, but if I don't know I have the option, how do I know I want them? And I have to be VIP/paid to craft them! So now I want to be VIP! See how it works? Basically, if it goes on the character as a costume piece and it is available and not discontinued, then it belongs in the creator. I have designed at least 7 toons specifically for using one recipe crafted costume piece.
More wings. Better wings. Wings fold against the back, not stick out as all the ones in game are doing. Bat wings wrap around! Wrap around at rest while inactive, held behind during grounded battles, and fly when flying. And fill in the space where wings connect to the back. Wings aren't leaves on a stem, they are part of the body, no vacant space at base of wings!
More gear. Backpacks, more than one or two that are so type specific they can't be used for other stuff. Grappling hooks & other tools. There are so many varieties of weapons, (weighted chains & flying hammers on ropes, Chinese fans, scythes, potions, spells, dual hammers) which makes for so many limits here in game. Expand the tech and gear. Expand the magic and sorcery. Expand the weapons. And expand all the accessories that all of those areas require. I'll need a fanny pack to carry my potions in! (Please don't make it look like a fanny pack though!)
Change the lighting in the creator so the lights can be dimmed or raised on the toon, not just the background. In game day to night to day lighting changes appearance of toon. We need to have this perspective in the creator as well: add a clock or a day/night scale to the creator to set so the light is adjusted to how character will appear at that time of day in game.
After initial character creation, allow for a trial run through a testing area where a player is able to see the character just created in action, with all powers in use. Here a player can have the ability to test the physical traits, costume, and colors selected for All powers. If something needs to be changed, allow for the ability to go back and make that change, instead of having to start the game to realize that I made it too short, or to wait until level 3? to see how my color choices will look on a power that I only got to see .05 seconds of in the creator. It would be nice to include this test area when changing costume designs in game as well, at trainers and tailors. It's frustrating to make and pay for the change, then have to go outside the tailor to see how it looks, then go back in and pay for it all over again to adjust the color because it's not a light or dark enough shade for the costume or aura.
Once I'm happy with my toon, and click that I want to start the game, THEN: This is the area where items that need to be purchased should be directed to the shopping window. Not before I can even select the colors of the power sets. Why would I spend points if I don't know how it looks in game?
I actually tried to keep this short. If your staff is running out of ideas, ask for the players input. Let players vote on the different ideas that are submitted. Pick more than one design to give players a choice, and the interest in making even more costume slots or more characters which means playing more. '
Variety in all aspects, power sets, character types, costumes, game content, and all the rest is key. To give you an idea, I have over 100 different avatars on another site. Each one is a character of my creation or based on fictional characters from favorite stories. In 5 months here I only have about 20 toons to play. I have 24 original designs with 53 total variations from those. But I have 58 more names. 58 toons I want to make. I can't make them if I don't have the proper costume pieces.
Thanks for making CoH a fun way to pass my waking hours. I'm always grateful to all of you for everything you've done to make this possible for me. I'm looking forward to new and more everythings!
Much Peace, Nordis