Energizing_Ion

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow

It's a question of game direction and the mentality of the people making it. At one point, after about the 12th month of hearing about nothing but still more Incarnates, I was beginning to get the feeling that this is all we were ever going to get. Not literally "only ever more raids," but what could be described in broader terms as "no-fun time sinks," which is to say game systems designed to keep us docile and addicted without having to spend inordinate amounts of time or money to make enough content to achieve this. I complain at times that there isn't enough Incarnate content PERIOD, let alone enough that I specifically like, but there isn't much room for accusation here - it's a whole new level range that content must be made for from scratch. It's only natural that a complete experience CAN'T be made right out the gate or even any time soon, if ever at all.

More than anything, it was the Neuron approach of giving us the bare minimum tolerable before moving on to the next gimmick, as though trying to keep us distracted by the shiny just long enough for the next shiny to pop up, ideally so we never have enough time to stop and look at what we're actually doing and how sad everything has become. That's how I saw things - Paragon Studios aren't interested in entertaining me, they're interested in swindling me out of my cash.

Yes, it's a few costume pieces. Yes, it's the promise of a large sword. Yes, it's shiny baubles. But there's more to it than that. It's an ideal, a promise, a very real hope. These are things that, in themselves, can't really make us addicted, can't keep us repeating the same content a zillion times over, can't keep subscribed for another seven years making half a percent progress per lunar month. These are, at their core, toys. Giving me barbarians and cowboys and street fighters and more gives me hope, because it tells me that these guys really do care about making a good game, about making a game people actually play because they enjoy it, rather than because they're compelled to play it through their addiction. It told me the studio still has a soul, and this counts for more than most people realise.

Today it's a girl abs. Tomorrow it will be a buster sword. The day after that... Who knows? But I'm sure it will be something else cool and fun and exciting. And that's really all I'm asking for - something cool, even if it's not statistically guaranteed to get another 750 hours of gameplay per character out of me. These guys are good at making cool stuff, and I'm happy to believe that they're willing to do it now that they've gotten enough iStuff to hold the system together. It's a vote of trust and a vote of confidence that I expect good things, rather than the exploitation I expected before.

Now, a cynic might call me naive, and I probably am. The reality is very likely to be that the studio is no longer looking to make money off endless subscriptions through time sinks as it is looking to make money off toys through ill-advised microtransactions, instead. In other words, the reality may well be that there's no more of a soul now than before and it's just a different way for them to reach into my pocket. I, personally, choose to believe this isn't the case and that these guys really do want to make a great game. But what keeps me safe in my naivete is that even if this were the case, even if this were a plot to get me to spend more, I'm happy to oblige. Because, honestly - that sort of awesome is worth the extra money (which I haven't even had to pay yet). To some, it may be just another kind of ripoff. To me, it's not a ripoff if the price is right for the service.

MMOs are, by their very nature, evil, horrible and treat their players like cattle. They have to, in order to keep us around. Maybe City of Heroes: Freedom will make money more through seduction than through addiction now - and that's a good thing - or maybe now that iStuff is rounded out, there will be more time for other stuff. Either way, if things keep going as they're going now, then I see nothing but good times ahead of us. Short of utter poverty on my end, I no longer see any reason for me to leave the game within the foreseeable future. And that's not something I could have said even as recently as a month ago.

It may not sound like much - and it probably isn't much - but to me, this is a very big vote of confidence that I don't tend to give out lightly. I21 has made me believe in the game again.

Originally Posted by Arcanaville

Will wonders never cease.

Since we were discussing it just the other day, I thought I would point you to something to think about when it comes to thinking about what you like (and don't like) about City of Heroes. I thought of you when reading it:

http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09...couldve-made/6

I'm not specifically endorsing everything in it (it still a pet peeve of mine people bemoan "balance" while clearly having zero understanding of what balance even is in a game), but I thought it was an interesting coincidence coming on the heels of discussing the general pace of combat in City of Heroes. People do complain about the very things the article writer complains about in City of Heroes as well, but we sometimes forget just how powerful CoH allows us to be compared to *most* combat situations. Three on one is usually a big deal in most MMOs, where as three on one is the norm in CoH, and seventeen on one means you hit the aggro limit and can't go any higher.

I specifically noted this passage:

City of Heroes, it should be pointed out, is designed around the three hit kill on average; our "DPS classes" can generally two-shot even minions often. Stalker assassin's strikes can one-shot both minions and Lts, and the only reason that's not looked upon favorably in CoH is because AoE can get you a dozen kills in just two or three shots: in a manner of speaking a one quarter of one hit kill.

An MMO made the attempt: the author just apparently hasn't found it yet. I suspect if you put a light saber into the hands of a Katana scrapper you'd have something rather like the Jedi he envisions.


Of course, the author also says the most mathematically illiterate thing I've read in a long long time:

But still, its an interesting read nonetheless when compared to how combat works, and sometimes doesn't work, in City of Heroes.

Originally Posted by Feycat

I agree with you. Pool power customization - including the APP/Patron powers - should be on the TOP of the list, in my opinion.

Unfortunately, Paragon has a habit of letting something "into the wild" and then abandoning it. Simple bug fixes (like the female heads on the Beast pack - yes, I will keep complaining about that, because I paid for that booster and I only play females for the most part) are considered too much time to spend. Actually continuing to develop and improve (lookin' at you bases, Alignment system!) seems way beyond the scope.

And that is super sad.

The idea that the way we're going to get Pool Customization is to have to buy new aspects of the power is just sad frosting on this sad cupcake.

Originally Posted by EvilGeko

I'm glad to hear, you're enjoying the game again Sam.

Originally Posted by Mr_Squid

So I've run the Underground Trial a few times now, and I keep running into this interesting phenomenon. Namely, the Avatar of Hamidon is completely ridiculous.
...

Originally Posted by Atomic_Saint

3 Questions about the UG badges-

Where does one find the bombs that you shouldn't blow up, and how do you prevent a horde of MM pets and other hooligans from exploding them?

For the bomb/hamitoad badge, does someone have to wait by the bomb and hamitoad and kill/detonate simultaneously?

Originally Posted by warden_de_dios

I'm going to jinx myself but I haven't been logged out since I had to use EvilGeko's brilliant plan to regain forum access.

Has anyone been logged out since they had to change their password?

Originally Posted by Severe

so whos in charge then?.... posi or ww?

...

Originally Posted by EvilGeko

If you're still having problems logging in, it might work to log into your NCSoft master account and change the password for your game account. This allowed me to log back in no problem.

Originally Posted by Positron

Foster City Stealth (Positron) 104
SF RabidChihuahuas (Crosscheck) 129

Team Robo Dominato (Giant Monster) 82
Pacific Outsiders (Friend of Studio) 74

St. Martial Pai Gow (Alpha Wolf) 102
Los Gatos Bastardos (Clockwork 01) 85

Philadelphia Stars (Skippy Sidekick) 99
Fremont Traffic Jam (Zwillinger) 84

Yup, I lost Week 1 with the SECOND highest score of the week. The only team that could have beaten me was... the one I played against. I was all prepared to blame my loss on Nate Keading's Out For The Season 0 point performance on Sunday, but I don't think he would have scored me 25 points.

Lots of scores in the 80's (or less), so my performance in week one bodes well for the rest of the season.

Originally Posted by EvilGeko

I'm headed that way too. Street Justice probably would have won out if it went live tomorrow.

Originally Posted by MrPlayskool

Galaxy, nooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Originally Posted by Mr_Morbid

Zwill, you should take some time on the UStream to read the EULA out loud. Use an evil sounding voice and throw in some "MUHAHAHA"s. That should really freak out the tinfoil hat crowd.

Originally Posted by TonyV

To Clockwork O1: On behalf of the citizens of Atlanta, we're sorry. This was... unexpected.

Originally Posted by Rodoan

Just finished watching it. It was okay. I think it really did a good job of fitting the original concept of the show, which was a show for young people.

I didn't really feel the danger in this one. Not like, say, the Weeping Angels or the Vashta Narada. The weird, yes, the danger, no.


SPOILERS




Every once in a while, my poor American ears don't pick up on some of the wording because of British accents. I'm unclear what they were calling the alien du jour and some of the details. I gather its a reality-bending creature, and somehow bonds with societies alien to it, but I really didn't catch the details.

I'm also unclear why the child's song was used at the end. Are they implying something about the alien knows something about the Doctor's fate? It seemed a little silly to again bring up the obituaries. Those who've followed the season know it very well. So I'm guessing I missed something that would justify showing it again.