Thoughts on SSA 2 Episode 1?
By
Agent White,
Posted on: 2012-06-05 18:15 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
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I think he's justified in being pissed off. The unexperienced new girl who's replacing his recently deceased wife was literally messing with his head. She's lucky she didn't take an arrow to the knee.
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Originally Posted by _eeek_
Well, except Manticore, who was still an ***, but made me laugh instead of want to slug him this time around.
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@Inquisitor
Haven't done it blueside yet but did redside last night and quite enjoyed it. Like others in the thread, I half-expect that we'll be turned on in the end, but only half. I'm holding out hope that it won't happen. I absolutely loved the tie-in to a particular NPC that I remember fondly from lower-level arcs.
Just did the hero one. It was well done. Will have to do the redside one to see how it is.
Too many alts to list.
My reaction to the big bad in issue one....
'Oooooh F***!'
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)
One thing that bugs me is why are the Clockwork the old Electric type and not Psychic, like they are in the rest of the high level content like the LGTF?
Current Published Arcs
#1 "Too Drunk to be Alcoholic" Arc #48942
#2 "To Slay Sleeping Dragons" Arc #111486
#3 "Stop Calling Me"
Quote:
BAB isn't going anywhere anytime soon |
Originally Posted by BrandX
With them able to kill Statesman and Psyche off, when that was a later in a heroes career deal, there's no reason they couldn't have set this story up as you having done all the things.
Also, they need an option for you to fight and then kill BABs in that story arc for heroes. It makes sense. Heroes meet, they have a fight, old man who's practically retired has a heart attack and dies. Win! \o/ |
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
He thought about going to Independence Port, but figured it was too much effort.
Current Published Arcs
#1 "Too Drunk to be Alcoholic" Arc #48942
#2 "To Slay Sleeping Dragons" Arc #111486
#3 "Stop Calling Me"
I love that they changed the max level to 50, makes alot more sense that we wouldn't be depowered after the fight with Wade. I also love the possibilities that these empowered enemy groups offer - it could mean that the old exemplaring system is about to get replaced.
Storywise, I get the feeling that we're about to find out where Statesman and Sister Psyche's powers went when they left Darrin Wade. While I'm sure #5 will see Penny as either ubber or dead, I'm kinda hoping this might also lead to a revamp/power-up on Ms. Liberty's part, accompanied with a little maturity gain - she's what, 35 now?
All in all, I very much enjoyed the hero side of this arc, fun and light-hearted stories are right up my alley 
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I've only done it once and picked Manti, so when he no-showed on me I figured he was just being his usual jerkish self. So the others no-show, as well?
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Originally Posted by _eeek_
Though I have done this on 4 of my toons, choosing a new partner each time, I have yet to have any of them show up to actually help!
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@Glass Goblin - Writer, brainstormer, storyteller, hero
Though nothing will drive them away
We can beat them, just for one day
We can be heroes, just for one day
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When you exit the base your helper should be standing on the edge of the cliff just above the cave door you come out of.
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Originally Posted by GlassGoblin
I've only done it once and picked Manti, so when he no-showed on me I figured he was just being his usual jerkish self. So the others no-show, as well?
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@Inquisitor
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Right. Just like any other follower combatant they will attack things in their aggro range so if you beeline for the marker you will lose them without some inventive pathing on your part.
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Originally Posted by Mr_Morbid
When you exit the base your helper should be standing on the edge of the cliff just above the cave door you come out of.
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@bpphantom
The Defenders of Paragon
KGB Special Section 8
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Because it would be kind of weird trying to apply metric prefixes to psychic powers.|
Originally Posted by DLancer
One thing that bugs me is why are the Clockwork the old Electric type and not Psychic, like they are in the rest of the high level content like the LGTF?
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Also, I got mapservered during the ending cutscene blue-side. I was disappoint.
61866 - A Series of Unfortunate Kidnappings - More than a coincidence?
2260 - The Burning of Hearts - A green-eyed monster holds the match.
379248 - The Spider Without Fangs - NEW - Some lessons learned (more or less.)
It was good fun. I played the hero one, and it was fun fighting Clockwork again, and meting the Clockwork King. Didn't he use to be taller? Anyway, I kind of liked being able to make a truce with him. Fighting alongside the Phalanx was good fun, and I picked Synapse as my partner for the final mission. A bubbled hyperactive Blaster is still a lot of fun to watch, even when it's just an NPC. And they don't get much more hyper than Synapse.
However, someone needs to get an implied facepalm over the name for the second mission. The one with Atta and the Trolls. Bad pun! Bad! (The mission is named "Problem?", in case you didn't notice.) Well done.
Aegis Rose, Forcefield/Energy Defender - Freedom
"Bubble up for safety!"
Did the red side and I agree, I like the new toy my brute got but that sinking feeling was in the back of my head. You know the one where you get all the cool toys and friends to play with but someone takes them away. yeah that feeling. I do not know why I have it....
edit: Oh yeah, fix the pathing on my helper please. I lost him on the last mission map and I did not really need but it would be nice to have him along. And nice to see an old friend before I curb stomb them.
Edit #2: umm check to see the boss with the last big bad debuff is right. I was getting debuff to almost 2/3 health and no defense from her scream. Not the big bad, her helper. Ughh.
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Ties into my big complaint with it. As a mastermind, this episode combines some of my least favorite maps: the Sky Raiders carrier that minions can't navigate without getting slaughtered, and the Skyway City highway map where I have to chase NPCs that jump off the ramps and then slowly coax my minions up two highway ramps, with the all-new Port Recluse map where once my minions or my helper fall off of the walls, I never see them again.|
Originally Posted by fallenz
... fix the pathing on my helper please. I lost him on the last mission map and I did not really need but it would be nice to have him along. ...
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As I said about the Keyes Island Reactor trial, I get why they assume that all superheroes fly, and why having maps where flying helps you in combat feels superheroic. But not all superheroes fly. And minions, in particular, basically never fly.
I haven't run it live; I managed to finish it on beta so it's doable, but for a mastermind, it's content that is as unenjoyable as they know how to make it. It does nothing to persuade me from my ongoing conviction that none of their content designers and nobody in their internal QA department play masterminds.
I really think the SSAs are an opportunity to introduce some new NPCs/players in the CoH lore. I played both versions of this one and it was ok. I think I prefer the red side one but as far as story goes; blue side wins for NPCs.
The NPCs on both sides are really not my thing. Sky Raiders are just weak and they never appealed to me. Their base, look, concept...blah. The Sky Raider boss looks awful...flame pants and boots?! Terrible. Blue side has has the clocks and trolls which are fun but done to death. We see the clocks all over.
Is it that tough to design some new, cool looking NPCs? After seeing the Raider Captain dude, maybe it is?!
Played the hero one...
Oh look, more of The Facts of Life, featuring Penelope Yin and Positron as Mrs. Garrett. Because clearly we haven't had enough of Penelope rammed down our throats in the Minds of Mayhem trial, the new TF and now this.
So after Penny acts like a total brat and uses the same RP-breaking device of reading other's minds without their consent, we have to help them fight...Trolls. Yes, Trolls. At level 40+ no less.
Okee dokee, won't be running these heroside, that's for sure.
Hopefully Posi and the writers get over this real fast. There are TONS of unexplored groups that could use a nice lore boost: Scrapyarders, Legacy Chain, Luddites, Outcasts, Hellions, Devouring Earth, Longbow (yes, we seem them eveywhere but how much do we know about them), Goldbrickers, etc. etc. etc.
Please, please, PLEASE take some time off after this arc and give us something fresh and not yet again the Positron and Mary Sue show, feating Penny "I'm an Invincible Psion!" Yin.
Blech.
Questions about the game, either side? /t @Neuronia or @Neuronium, with your queries!
168760: A Death in the Gish. 3 missions, 1-14. Easy to solo.
Infinity Villains
Champion, Pinnacle, Virtue Heroes
By far my favorite part of this one was the seemingly simple addition of "pick your ally" on the blueside arc.
Also liked seeing the ridiculously low-level villain groups suddenly fighting up at level 50. That's when you know something's wrong...
I also couldn't help noticing how the Phalanx's reactions to Penny pretty much mirror the comments I've seen in many threads on these here boards.
Just played through the villain-side arc as well. Not quite as exciting, though for some reason I do like taking over my own warship and filling it with my underlings.
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To be fair, your villain is the one approaching them.|
Originally Posted by Unknown_User
Honestly you have a up and coming new group that wants to rival Arachnos in controlling the Rogue Isles and as soon as you meet someone within that organization they propose a team up, and the way they propose it is by trying to massage your villain's ego mixed with the theme of 'we have a common goal' Sorry but warning bells would be going off in my head.
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Played through both of these last night, and I absolutely loved them. As someone else said, best SSAs so far (they just keep getting better and better). Nothing really innovative like some of the previous SSAs in terms of tech and content, but a lot of really good story and a smooth progression. Only one grammar error that I spotted (a line in the Atta mission referring to Positron's cracked armor had a repeated word, IIRC); I hate being a grammar Nazi, but when I see the spelling and grammar errors, it is so jarring to me, but none of that here!
The dialogue was really well done, and some interesting new characters and ideas are introduced. I especially loved how both missions were very different (featuring similar stories and bosses, but not just mirror sides of the same mission), and how the villain's initial "contact" is basically just themselves being proactive, which has been a common complaint regarding villain content.
I like the new villain base- seeing a medi-bay there along with the other work has me hopeful that it will be a recurring locale for the villainside SSA#2. As others have noted, it's almost too bad that we are almost inevitably going to see our contact turn on us and have our shiny stuff taken away (like in the Protean clone arcs), but it will be interesting to see how/if that does happen, and what twist might be taken with it.
Cool that they kept the leveling so that my 50s were playing at full strength, and I liked having a companion on the final mission (although my choice, Citadel didn't show up to the party, but the villain side guy did- who would have thought the Sky Raiders were more reliable than the Freedom Phalanx? lol)
I'm feeling like a certain villain group is getting overplayed, but they clearly fit into things here.
Some things in particular that intrigue me going forward:
1) Who is the mysterious backer of the new villain group? Does he (at least he's referred to as a he) have some connection to Pandora's Box?
2) Is Pandora's Box connected to Prometheus? That it has ties to the Well is almost certain, given the mythology and the villains involved here. Mythologically, Pandora was married to Prometheus' brother, Epimetheus, so I think they must be bringing him in somehow (in fact, my first thought about things was that the villains were somehow empowered by the Flames of Prometheus).
Whoever wrote this- individually or collectively- did a really bang up job!
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There's a lot more Penny still to come |
Originally Posted by Neuronia
Played the hero one...
Oh look, more of The Facts of Life, featuring Penelope Yin and Positron as Mrs. Garrett. Because clearly we haven't had enough of Penelope rammed down our throats in the Minds of Mayhem trial, the new TF and now this. So after Penny acts like a total brat and uses the same RP-breaking device of reading other's minds without their consent, we have to help them fight...Trolls. Yes, Trolls. At level 40+ no less. Okee dokee, won't be running these heroside, that's for sure. Hopefully Posi and the writers get over this real fast. There are TONS of unexplored groups that could use a nice lore boost: Scrapyarders, Legacy Chain, Luddites, Outcasts, Hellions, Devouring Earth, Longbow (yes, we seem them eveywhere but how much do we know about them), Goldbrickers, etc. etc. etc. Please, please, PLEASE take some time off after this arc and give us something fresh and not yet again the Positron and Mary Sue show, feating Penny "I'm an Invincible Psion!" Yin. Blech. |
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
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The Captain has always been like that... |
Originally Posted by TheJazMan
The Sky Raider boss looks awful...flame pants and boots?! Terrible. Blue side has has the clocks and trolls which are fun but done to death. We see the clocks all over.
Is it that tough to design some new, cool looking NPCs? After seeing the Raider Captain dude, maybe it is?! |
It's just the way that particular character is. He's a flamboyant, theatrical goof-ball with questionable taste and an ego the size of Detroit.
I had a great time with him, and suspect that even if they revamped the character with a 100% new model, he'd still have a costume that involved loud colors and a flame job. XD
@Brightfires - @Talisander
That chick what plays the bird-things...
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I've done blue side, enjoyed it. Realized the Phalanx has no melee members anymore. Wondered if this is a commentary on how the players approach the game.|
Originally Posted by bpphantom
I've done both red and blue side, and I liked both. Same plot device and reveal, but different motivations and methods. I approve. b^^d
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Red side... I would love to play it, but was unable to get the stupid tip to drop so I could start. In that evening's play, I managed to get four normal alignment tips to drop, mind you. Even turned things up to x1/+4 just to have more enemies to drop tips. Nada. Is there some trick or zone I should be using to get this?
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There's no tip or actual contact for this one red-side. Just click the Signature Arc box on you contacts list and select SSA2 to start.
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Originally Posted by Seschat
I've done blue side, enjoyed it. Realized the Phalanx has no melee members anymore. Wondered if this is a commentary on how the players approach the game.
Red side... I would love to play it, but was unable to get the stupid tip to drop so I could start. In that evening's play, I managed to get four normal alignment tips to drop, mind you. Even turned things up to x1/+4 just to have more enemies to drop tips. Nada. Is there some trick or zone I should be using to get this? |
@Brightfires - @Talisander
That chick what plays the bird-things...
Played both sides now, and I'm just not feeling Blueside. I don't care for Penny, overall as a character. And I really have to wonder about her after playing the Redside arc. We force a fortunata to read Clamor's mind and she's terrified. She says their thoughts were beyond sadism. Penny just hops right in and doesn't seem bothered at all. Now I'll just go ahead and circumvent the obvious answer to this, Penny is much more powerful and can block out the thoughts better than a low-level Fortunata could, but even is she could keep the thoughts out of her mind, she would still see them and presumably be disturbed, but no. This made it all fall into place. The Signature story arcs were all Penny's evil plan!
It explains everything! The Phalanx were acting like idiots throughout the first one, Penny was affecting them. Darrin Wade as the big villain, nope Penny was controlling him. She got rid of the two members on the Phalanx that she couldn't completely control, Psyche and States. Now she's making sure that they keep you close by, so she can keep an eye on you and make sure her plans are messed up. She's targeting Manticore at the moment because after Psyche's death, Sis gave Manti the power to resist Penny! Penny is clearly making a power play! She's a villain!
I've done both red and blue side, and I liked both. Same plot device and reveal, but different motivations and methods. I approve. b^^d
EDIT: I absolutely loved the dialogue and interaction between Russel and Penny. /e applaud
@bpphantom
The Defenders of Paragon
KGB Special Section 8