Bright Shadow

Originally Posted by MOUT__

I'll have to look for a forum game dedicated to "boosting" negative reputation. If there's not one already, I might just start one.

Originally Posted by NuclearToast

I've just deleted three separate attempts to reply to this post. Instead I'll just report a few more AE "challenges" in your honor.

Edit: You know, to help the devs balance the game.

--NT

Originally Posted by Pendix

And, strictly speaking; a Game, that is ment to be played for fun, should not be encoraging it's players (also paying customers) to do something that is not fun. One of the harshest critisims that can be leveled against an MMO is that it functions more as a Second Job than a Fun Game, and I can certainly see some new players comming away from the current CoH experience with that impression.

Originally Posted by Lucretia_MacEvil

I agree with many of the posters in this thread: AE is not the problem, people are.

I have seen many new players who never leave AE and some who have no idea that there are other zones/contacts/non-AE teams/anything else that would become apparent if they left the AE building.

I'm not angry at all about this; I'm just concerned that these players are missing the big picture. There is more to the game than just AE, and a lot of it can be extremely enjoyable.

Therefore, those players who enjoy the RC should make an effort to get the new players interested in it. Yes, this might involve doing a few AE missions just so that you can spend time with the "AE babies", but use that opportunity. Talk about your favorite RC arcs while in AE, politely compare them to the current arc, and pique the curiosity of the players who have never done that RC arc before.

When they can't stand the suspense, and ask you to show them what you're talking about, do it. Politely. Don't fall back into the "AE sux" mentality, as this will seem hostile to the AE-only-so-far player. Answer questions politely, even if your first reaction is "OMG, you don't know this already?! But you're lvl *whatever*!" This reaction can be seen as judgemental, and no one wants to play with someone who thinks that they're ignorant/stupid/both of the previous.

Getting others to show interest is (in my experience) fairly easy, and it gives RC players a great opportunity to show off thier favorite RC stories/missions.

Now for the hard part. When the new player has had enough of the RC and makes a decision about whether to continue to play it or not, let them do so without trying to coerece them into choosing what you want them to. After all, they have the right to play this game the way they want to, just like you do.

Ultimately, it is thier choice. If they decide to go back to AE and stay there, they are (now) making an informed decision. You did that, and, hopefully, the newer player will tell others of their experience in a positive way, which will make your "job" easier if you choose to continue giving these RC tours.

If they talk about your RC tour in a negative way, they should at least be able to say, "But *your name here* was really nice, at least." This will make the other newer players wonder about what (and who) they're missing. Curiosity is a powerful tool. Use it to your advantage (but please don't abuse it).

Originally Posted by NuclearToast

No, you misunderstand. Farmers often say what they're doing isn't hurting me, why don't I leave them alone. Then I remind them of all the changes made to the game =because= of farmers. Changes to the game I had nothing to do with, and now have to live with and work around. Changes like the timed Shadowhunter mission.

Sometimes what you are doing does affect others, even when you think you're alone.

--NT

Originally Posted by The_Alt_oholic

Yes. Responsibilities are a matter of opinion.
Exploiting and, therefore, cheating, are a gray area, but only until you get to that point that you are obviously getting greater returns than you deserve. It should be obvious by now that many that are doing the ae farming/pl'ing are "obviously getting greater returns than they deserve" if not the are certainly "getting more than is intended".

I think that players should be responsible enough not to intentionally cheat while playing.

Originally Posted by Hydrophidian

lies!

Originally Posted by NuclearToast

To the people who say, Stop telling me how to play, I pay my 15 dollars a month; I respond, I'll stop when your tactics no longer force the devs to make changes to the game =I= play, and for which I pay my 15 dollars a month (actually much less, with the year renewal and free months, but you get the idea).

--NT

Originally Posted by Maleficent

My quibble is not with you. One or two missions, while not my preference, is your right. And, Yes we all have the right to level our toons as we see fit. What I have noticed is that there are many [IMHO] people in AE who are only in AE because they have no comprehension of the amount of content that is out there that is not boss farming. They know nothing of Steel Canyon, Talos, Founder's Falls. The Rikti War Zone is "What?". If you want to sit in AE and play mindless NPC bosses for hours and hours and never leave, that is your choice and all my discontent will do nothing, but the Dev's [IMHO] need to make sure that there is more to the game than that.

I like AE. I enjoy making my own arcs. I can't stand being in AE because the number of cronic-abusers outweighs people who are playing it for enjoyment. All I ask is that they find a new home, someplace other than Atlas Park.

My point about the sewers seems to have been lost so I will take this opportunity to attempt to bow out gracefully. All the finger pointing in the world between the AE supporters and AE haters won't change the fact that this is a game and we are all paying to have fun. We have multiple alts and many chances to explore it all. I just would hate for people to leave the game because they don't know that there is more to CoX than AE. Not as a matter of choice, but just because they don't know it even exists.

Originally Posted by Barata

I found that what I dislike about AE farm missions is the lack of variety. Not that every mission is exactly the same, but that once you're in it, there's not much difference.

Originally Posted by Barata

You too? I put that in my Fireball and love it. The fireball itself is like a minor explosion. Seeing some of the mobs get tossed up from it just seems right.

Originally Posted by TeChameleon

Yep, I know PLed nooblets are nothing new- I've been playing long enough to remember Winterlord Babies, after all; it's the sheer quantity of them now that I'm pointing out as a problem. I can still find mission PUGs, too- that's not the issue. The issue is that the AE has created a minor monster in the form of a vast horde of players who are adamantly convinced that their AE-fixated min/maxed low-risk high-reward playstyle is the only valid or viable one, and they're squatting in the starter zone.

Originally Posted by Maleficent

If you had to choose today to change only one: AE or The Sewers, so that it can be enjoyed in a more responsible manner, which would you choose?

I'd be delusional if I thought we could stop the farming entirely. If they are driven enough, they will find some way and be joyous in exploiting the system. This is nothing new and it is evidenced not only in online games, but in everyday life.

The Sewers are not without their faults, but it has graces as well. I find The Sewers a far lesser evil than the AE farming that goes on. There is even a taskforce exclusively for the Sewers!

You don't get salvage in the lowbie Sewers. You do speed through the first 6-7 levels, but then you and you team get bored, die, or have other things to do, and leave to catch a real team in King's Row, usually to get a Raptor Pack. And you don't get tickets to buy recipies or salvage or enhancements without having to spend precious influence.

While I am sorry to offend, I still stand by my statement. I personally would far rather endorse The Sewers than AE.

Originally Posted by Hugginator

So I used the word ALL and you want to take me to task on it. OK, how about 97% of the nerfs are caused by Farmers/PL'rs and PVP? Now do you want to argue that its actually 93.2% not 97%? Obviously its not all, but its close enough.

Originally Posted by Hugginator

I don't want to speculate either, but at least that one was a complete sentence that makes sense in an of itself.

Here is what some brainiac repped me negatively for:

'your as dumb as alt'

I'm leaving mine on if I can get some more of those, that one is priceless.

Originally Posted by Barata

If I can deviate for a second....

I got one of those anonymous remarks you can give now that deal with reputation or something. Apparently for the post I made where I illustrated some game concepts a new player wouldn't intuitively know (how enhancements work, positional versus typed defense, etc), I received the following remark:

Uh.... are you sure you were directing that to the right person? I rarely use AE, don't farm it when I do, and I've been playing for over five years. I'm definitely not an "AE Noob". Whoever you are, there's no reason to be rude just because you can do it anonymously (that's a poor character trait), but if you positively must, then at least direct it to the right person.

Originally Posted by VKhaun

1) Yes. I like fighting tons of bosses, it's awesome.

Originally Posted by Not_Epsilon

Quite a few do, but Holy Anti-Farm preachers would rather blindly pursue the complete destruction of any way to farm MA, then come to an understandable solution.

Originally Posted by Nethergoat

I've got that one in the Goat's Rain of Fire.

Super fun- the more the merrier!

Originally Posted by Not_Epsilon

I'm still of the opinion that AE should have a required tutorial that is, in itself a story arc that allows the new players a chance at dev created content, gives information and tutorial-related information while intergrating the funnest part of RC. Then, once they finish the story arc, they have the choice of AE or RC.

Originally Posted by PhiloticKnight

I have no problem if the kids want to cheat on the test. Because in the end, it just makes them an idiot with a degree. They don't learn anything so they cheat themselves.

Like I said earlier in the thread, as long as farmers leave me alone, I don't care WHAT they do. And once I16 hits, they won't have to bug me at all anymore.

Originally Posted by Hydrophidian

I take it to mean that, if an arc mission is of a particular level range, you'll have to go to an AE building in a zone that covers that level range in order to do the mission.

So, for example, I've an arc wherein the missions are set 42 and up. Under this proposed restriction, the arc would only be able to be played in Peregrine Island or Grandville.

If an arc has missions with varying ranges, you'd actually have to go to different zones to complete it. Either that, or there would be a further restriction, preventing varying ranges within an arc.

Arc missions set to 1-54 would also, presumably, have to be blocked, as their existence would largely defeat the purpose of the restriction.

This is just my understanding, though. I might be entirely off the mark.