Eva Destruction
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Hamidon is, I think, far more "deserving" of massive power than any of the Statesmans. He actually made an effort to acquire power, and is constantly using it, even successfully in a few cases, to further his agenda. Whereas Statesman and Recluse drank some funky water and now sit around bickering like an old married couple.
Hamidon is also far more...well a "force of nature" would probably be the best way I can put it. An artificially created one, sure, but he might be able think like one instead of thinking like a human, and such he'd probably be more easily attuned to another primal force such as the well. -
Quote:A lot of that is more due to people getting their friends to rate their arcs highly or people genuinely liking stuff that you think (rightly or wrongly) just isn't very good than a small community of players giving out five stars to an arc that they honestly felt only deserved four.Originally Posted by rainmaker
I think we can bet that a number of potential users of the AE over the past year have been turned off simply by playing "5 star arcs" that were undeserving of the rating. The perception would be that even the best in the AE was substandard.
And yes, I beleive that the overwhelming bulk of AE 5 Starred content is substandard. I've played alot of it.
I am not going to argue with you here at all. I can't begin to count the times I slogged through a huge warehouse full of guys standing around pounding their fists into their hands just to get to something that moved the story along, or contributed to it in any way.Quote:2. My "Story first" comment was not aimed at Venture (despite the attempted redirect). I never held any conversation with him and generally enjoyed his reviews greatly. Story is important, of course. It's AS important as the action. The two must be balanced.
Oh, I leave feedback. I even leave feedback on stuff I genuinely felt deserved five stars. Five stars does not to me represent a perfect arc, because there is no such thing.Quote:That said, wasn't the actual way to help author to two star it, as it deserved, and encourage the author to change and republish based on objective feedback? -
Quote:Most people have an uncanny ability to put their fingers in their ears and go "lalalalala I can't hear you." People are stupid. The whole Praetoria storyline only serves to drive that point home again and again. The Warden path isn't about trying to wake people up so they'll see the truth, it's trying to convince them to see your truth.Originally Posted by EvilGeko
Before Going Rogue, I used to wonder (seriously, I've spent real time considering the question) how dictators so easily hold their grips on people. I see now it was a failure of empathy. I did not realize how strongly some folks feel about safety and security, as illusory as security is in a police state.
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Quote:We don't need to, because the story is basic enough that the missions themselves tell most of it. All you really need to know going in is "Romulus took over and we don't like that."Originally Posted by ClawsandEffect
Not everyone really cares about the stories when they play. I mean, when was the last time you heard someone say "Hold up, I want to read what Imperious has to say before we go fight Romulus."?
The last time I did an LGTF. Of course Infernia talked herself to death, but we did manage to save Glacia.Quote:When's the last time you saw someone say "Hey, we should save Glacia and Infernia"?
I'm all for occasional new systems. But right now it's all new systems, all the time. The thing is, even the fanciest mechanic in the world gets old and becomes rote after you do it a few times. I have not been killed by Battle Maiden's blue patches of death (barring people flying at a very bad altitude) since the second time I ran the Apex TF. In fact, I think I've gotten the MO badge on that TF on every run except one, and on that one I had several teammates who had never done it before and did get killed by blue patches quite frequently.Quote:Once you go through the story one time, it is going to be the same story the next time, and the time after that. Without the occasional new system to introduce, the game gets really stale when people are just doing the same repetitive things over and over as quickly as possible.....without even reading so much as a word of the contact's dialog.
Yeah, well when the game starts catering only to shiny-chasers over people interested in character background and game lore, then yes, those people will either stop caring about that stuff or find another game that caters more to them. And why do people keep assuming the two groups are mutually exclusive? It's like a good story can't have a nice shiny at the end or something....when did that happen? Last I checked, all those old arcs still gave out merits based on the same time/reward formula as Roy Cooling's new arc....Quote:Unfortunately, Leandro, you're in a minority. The majority of the people I know in the game stopped caring about the storyline ages ago in their quest to get more shinys. -
Quote:Uh, yeah, I wanted an end game for...well about four years now. I just wanted it to be good.Originally Posted by ClawsandEffect
The people who wanted a real end game had been dealing with exactly that for over 6 years.
It sucks to be told what you want doesn't matter, doesn't it?
Well, I guess now you know how the people who wanted an end game felt for all that time.
And somehow, the fact that you have to do it again and again and again is supposed to make up for that.Quote:Originally Posted by Leandro
I can be done with all the content in this issue in 3 hours.
I keep holding Issue 10 up as an example of something they did right, even though it was a Nemesis plot. It picked up and continued a pre-existing major storyline. It had something to appeal to different kinds of playstyles. It added a pre-established faction you could choose to ally yourself with/take advantage of and costume pieces you could choose to wear to show your allegiance/show how you suckered them into giving you cool stuff. And I got a Rikti sword.Quote:Issue 10 is still my favorite issue content-wise: zone revamp, four story arcs, a task force, a raid, and a world event.
Again, it's something logical based on the backstory. Frostfire's profile on the official website states that he originally tried to be hero, and screwed up royally. His redemption didn't just come out of left field.Quote:The one mission that I like the most in the past 3 issues is the tip mission where Frosfire and Ms. Thystle ask for my help. Why? Because I know Frostfire from years ago, I handed him his butt way back in the first week I was playing. And now he's redeemed himself and got a girlfriend. I'm more emotionally invested in that than in the one-dimensional evil Fascist Praetors from another dimension.
I20 went into closed beta before i19 did. They've had longer than four months. If it takes that long because all the shiny new mechanics take so long to implement and test, they should really take a long hard look at how many of these shiny new mechanics are really necessary to provide a fun and engaging play experience.Quote:Originally Posted by Leandro
Issue 19 was released on November 30th. It's almost been four months. And yet, only 2 trials are ready? Come on. It shouldn't take 2 months to perfect one trial. If anything, I'd say 4 months to release 4 trials is fair; one month of development for each trial. If it takes 2 months to fine-tune each trial, the process is not efficient in the slightest. -
Quote:I dunno, I find Hro'Dtohz a much better example of "I had a taste of power and found that I liked it and now I don't want to give it up" than Tyrant. For an "alien," his motivations are a hell of a lot more human.Originally Posted by Blue_Mourning
Alien invasions that frequently have no character other than the survival stories of those who fight against it you're not interested in, but a dimensional invasion with people that could very well have motivations that they might talk about eventually you do have a problem with?
Nope. My only actual Loyalist is a Malta spy. So he's not really a Loyalist at all. I ran the Responsibility path with an undercover Resistance member.Quote:Originally Posted by SpyralPegacyon
And am I the only one around who hasn't rolled a Praetorian who couldn't escape Tyrant fast enough? Even my duty-bound police officer loyalist said 'what the heck am I doing' after Mother Mayhem's arc. -
Quote:You forgot 6b) Come to the forums and have your open and frank discussions constantly hijacked and derailed by people who obstinately refuse to understand why you are dissatisfied and why you feel your dissatisfaction (which, as it turns out, isn't just you) is symptomatic of a problem with the direction the game is taking.Originally Posted by Chyll
6) Come to the forums and attempt to have an open and frank discussion about something that concerns you and try to determine if it is a flawed solo viewpoint, or one that is shared - perhaps even promote moving towards something everyone would appreciate and be able to enjoy.
Oh, and 6c) Have your open and frank discussions constantly trolled and spammed with the same inane garbage over and over that amounts to "haha, I get a cookie and you don't, now STFU." And for once I'm not just referring to one person. -
Quote:Just because they had a bad idea once doesn't mean it's okay to repeat it. What's a big complaint about villainside? Too much Arachnos and Longbow. You would think that would have sunk in after four years.Originally Posted by je_saist
Question: is anybody else bored with all the new players to the game who weren't around when Cryptic had their multi-year love-fest with Arachnos complaining about Paragon Studios spending less than a third of that time on Praetorians?
Besides, CoV had stories dealing with CoT, Council, Sky Raiders, Wyvern, Legacy Chain, Goldbrickers, Malta, Crey, Tsoo, Family, etc etc etc. as well as Arachnos and Longbow. Praetoria has much less variety, and the Praetorian end game has almost none. -
Quote:The non-Preatorian content is not a valid way to advance mechanically beyond the Alpha slot.Originally Posted by Extremus
Each of those were the focus of a specific Issue (bar Nemesis iirc, but - lolnemesis/oro/storm). That's the revolving door, that content is still there; that content is still valid. You can still go and do it. You are removing yourself from the latest content you do not like, this is personal choice.
Hate it. I hate the large group "focus fire on this objective, now focus fire on this one" aspect, I hate the "we need three damage and three debuffers per team" aspect, I hate that once you go in your personal contribution amounts to mashing buttons and being able to read chat. I hate that the last one I did took longer to put together than to actually complete. As far as the story goes, there really isn't one. They picked Rularuu because they're hard.Quote:What's your stance on the Cathedral of Pain? Running it, not running it, love it, hate it?
I don't have a problem with stuff being hard and I like different mechanics. I like the sewer trial and the Battle Maiden fight, mechanically. The CoP just happens to use a mechanic I don't like.
Both TFs are Praetorian content, and villain SF is specifically setting you up for Incarnate content, since it gives a buff that can be converted to a Notice of the Well once you hit 50.Quote:Originally Posted by BrandX
You know there are 2 level 20-40 TFs coming in i20. That's non-incarnate content.
So, does Incarnates count as as eating up i20? -
Quote:Oh, you mean that Well that's giving out all our new powers?Originally Posted by ClawsandEffect
Or possibly our enemy is actually the Well itself, and it has completely taken control of Cole.
You can fight it, but you may have to metaphorically make a deal with the devil. And by devil, I mean the Well. And by metaphorically, I mean get your coat. Deals with the devil have never ever ever in the history of literature ever gone well for anyone except the devil.
It would depend on how they did it. If they kept a sense of "to be continued" with each storyline, and continued every few issues, it would avoid the "this came out of nowhere" aspect, avoid burnout with a particular enemy, and avoid the railroading aspect of "this is a bad so big you have to drop everything and go fight it RIGHT NOW."Quote:Originally Posted by Zombie Man
Bored after two and a half issues with the same story arc?
You know if each issue had it's own 'Big Bad' there would be complaints about the villain-of-the-issue and the lack of a story arc between issues. -
Quote:The Rikti have cool stuff we can steal. Axis Amerika....well they took over their world, didn't they? We can learn from their successes and find out where they went wrong and not repeat those mistakes. They also have a huge power vacuum with Reichsman gone. Praetoria has really cool giant robots, and is ripe for "liberation." And Nemesis has a pony. Plenty of opportunities for villains to actually be villainous.Originally Posted by Scarlet Shocker
Which has the bonus of working for both sides of the wire, heroes and villains: For Villains it's simply a grab for power for Heroes it's a make the world safer. Job done.
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Quote:I wouldn't mind a bit of "clean up" in my end game. Go to the Rikti homeworld, walk up to the last holdouts of the Lineage of War, go "hey, guys....war's over. We won. Deal." Go to Axis Amerika earth and do the same. And yes, do the same with Praetoria. And hunt down every single last Fake Nemesis and melt it down for ponies.Originally Posted by Scarlet Shocker
I want to go back to the Rikti homeworld, kick their science butts from here to kingdom come, rescue Hero 1, punch H'rod'tz and Ukon'grai in the face and tell them to get the hell out of our dimension!
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I already posted most of this elsewhere but I'll repeat it here:
I would like to see a mix of large raids, smaller TFs, and soloable/small team story arcs, all more challenging than regular content and designed with Incarnate powers in mind. I would like to see the story come first and flashy gimmicks come second, and only if they could support the story. If they really want to do a gimmick but don't have a good story for it to support, make like the sewer trial and keep it basic. "Bad guy do bad stuff. Stop him." and "Guy have cool stuff. Take it." is better than some convoluted nonsense full of plot holes and character derailment.
I would like mechanical progression to remain separate from story progression except in the vaguest possible sense. I would like a variety of credible threats to fight. Preferably each issue would hint at the next big threat. I would like an end to evil goatee universes and multiverse-hijacking insane sources of power that force our characters to become total idiots, build up a big threat, then reward us for stopping the thing they started to begin with. I would like to track down the person who came up with the idea of the Lore pets, sit them down, and ask them what the **** they were thinking.
As for what powers and upgrades I want, I'd want powers and upgrades that allow us to make our characters more unique, not give us all the same thing. The Alpha slot was great in that sense. So is Interface, or at least it would be if one choice wasn't so obviously superior for so many people. A giant nuke and a giant team buff though? Not so much. And pets? Just no. I am not impressed by the flashy. I do not enjoy losing the actual character interaction in a sea of flashy. Some of my characters are not flashy, and I don't need or want them to be flashy. Even with the ones that are, the flashy is secondary to the character. If I'm playing my Fire Blaster, I want to see my Fire Blaster, not a bunch of fire flying around with maybe a Blaster somewhere in that mess. When you add 20 other characters throwing flashy crap around....now I'm looking at a lightshow and not a game. -
Quote:No, it really doesn't, because if you thought Nemesis was lolworthy you could go fight Rikti, and if you thought they were lolworthy you could fight Recluse. If you think Tyrant is lolworthy (which he is, from a lore standpoint, and I don't care how many superawesomecosmicpowersofkilleverything they give him, he will always be evil goatee Statesman) you have no choice but to suck it up or give up on the endgame.Originally Posted by Extremus
This is the "big thing", be it the storm, the well (or them being one and the same!). It beats bouncing continuously between 'lolrikti', 'lolrecluse', 'lolpraetoria' and 'lolnemesis' like a revolving door of comedy enemies. We have had a variety of credible threats until now. This is just their Lex Luthor to our Superman for the forseeable future.
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Quote:I would like to see a mix of large raids, smaller TFs, and soloable/small team story arcs, all more challenging than regular content and designed with Incarnate powers in mind. I would like to see the story come first and flashy gimmicks come second, and only if they could support the story. If they really want to do a gimmick but don't have a good story for it to support, make like the sewer trial and keep it basic. "Bad guy do bad stuff. Stop him." and "Guy have cool stuff. Take it." is better than some convoluted nonsense full of plot holes and character derailment.Originally Posted by Extremus
You have end game content, you personally just do not enjoy it. While we're at it, mind defining what you see as "end game" content? I once asked a very irascible Greek and didn't get a straight reply, so I figure I'll throw it out to you too.
I would like mechanical progression to remain separate from story progression except in the vaguest possible sense. I would like a variety of credible threats to fight. Preferably each issue would hint at the next big threat. I would like an end to evil goatee universes and multiverse-hijacking insane sources of power that force our characters to become total idiots, build up a big threat, then reward us for stopping the thing they started to begin with. I would like to track down the person who came up with the idea of the Lore pets, sit them down, and ask them what the **** they were thinking. -
Quote:It pretty much does. Because the search engine sucks.Originally Posted by rainmaker
Some authors contended that a single non-5 star rating kept a newly published arc from ever getting to the front pages of the search result. I'm not hyperbolizing when I say that there were those people who would whine in open chat whenever thier arcs received anything but 5 stars about how they had been screwed over.
There were voting cartels. People would get stock tells amounting to "I played your arc and liked it, 5 stars. Please return the favor." A lot of this died down when the badges were removed, but for a long time arcs would still suddenly get a 1-star rating right after a 5-star rating bumped them up to the first page.Quote:What made this issue even worse in my mind was that these very same people would go off at points on how voting cartels were ruining the rating system, while systematically promoting a culture where their arcs were supposed to be 5 starred regardless of quality.
The rampant 5-starring in this community was a logical outgrowth of that. Basically, if the system was worthless and was being exploited, why not exploit it to promote stuff we like? A four-star rating is intended to convey that you liked the arc, and thought it was worth your while. What it actually conveys is that you don't think casual AE users should bother playing this arc. If I liked an arc I want other people to play it. If I want other people to play it I have to 5-star it.
Yes. Yes they are. Venture is hardly representative of...well anyone else but Venture really.Quote:I think I debated with three seperate people at one time or another that the gameplay, in terms of enemy balance and fun factor was at least as important as a good story. I contend to this day that since we are creating content for a video game, that the balance and fun factor, the rewards gained ect must all be as vital to an arc as the story.
You know, it's funny because I found this community to be full of generally helpful and throughtful people. Even though, as Zamuel said, we are in competition with each other, people still try to help their competitors "get ahead" as it were....even in developer sponsored contests where they are actually in direct, unadulterated competition with each other.Quote:Maybe I'll make something again, but it sure won't be for the reasons others are. For now the community surrounding this tool is not something I really want to be part of.
If it's bad, I'll rate low. If it's not my cup of tea or it's meh but the author seems to genuinely want to make it good, I won't rate. If it's good, I'll rate five stars. The ratings system is utter garbage, and I don't see any reason to "hurt anyone's feelings" in a vain attempt to make my actual opinion of their arc visible to the general public. If my four star rating was actually seen as "I think this is a pretty good arc, not totally awesome, but you should try it, you might like it" instead of an aggregate of five-star ratings and one-star griefers and a two or three star rating from someone who didn't like the end villain's hat, I'd think more carefully about how I rate.Quote:Originally Posted by PoliceWoman
There are definitely a lot of people who believe you should only rate 5 stars or leave arcs unrated, so as not to "hurt" the chances of the arcs you play. I don't agree with this philosophy (in my opinion, the idea smacks of the 5-star cartels that were prevalent when AE first opened), but it has become very prevalent on this forum. I can distinctly remember a couple of angry tirades I received for rating someone's arc "only" 4 stars. When I get these, I try to remind myself that people invest a lot of their work and spirit into their story arcs, so are naturally very sensitive about them. -
Quote:This is actually an entirely new thing. Even Project: Destiny didn't turn out the way Recluse intended. In the end, he's forced to admit that you overcame the destiny he had planned out for you.Originally Posted by Extremus
I was holding it up as a poor example, not a good example. Infact, most of the story telling in this game is... lacking somewhat. You're constantly forced along a path, trying to carve some story out for you, but finding out - guess what? Destiny, prophecy, machinations of the omnipotent super fountain.
Um, so how does that help me with the wanting an end-game part?Quote:If you do not want to do the Incarnate stuff, do not like doing it or have an aversion to end game raiding of this sort - if you care that much about your hero's story, what is stopping you making your own? It's what everyone used to do before the magical days of 'progression' in this game, as much of a cop out as that may seem now we're getting Post-50 stuff to do. -
Quote:And so it begins. The influx of people who missed the part about "I wanted an endgame" and completely miss the point of yet another post expressing dissatisfaction with the direction the endgame is taking. Am I going to have to resort to obnoxious multicolored giant font for people to get it?Originally Posted by Extremus
So don't - that is your choice. Much like utilising the Invention Origin system, the in-game concept of which is pretty pitiful (and treated with much derision on launch as I'm sure you remember) you either take it or leave it. The Incarnate system is optional progression, it furthers the current (or one of) storyline's of the game rather than, specifically, your personal one. You just kinda go along for the ride, much like CoV's Project: Destiny.
I WANT AN END GAME BUT I DON'T LIKE THE DIRECTION THE END GAME IS TAKING.
And CoV's Project: Destiny was also a bad storyline. It was a hamfisted attempt to explain why a Chaotic Evil cliche wanted your character around, and should not be imitated or held up as a good example of anything. -
Quote:I did not wish for an endgame that consists of raids. I also did not wish for an endgame that forced me to participate in an overarching, character-hijacking and frankly lame storyline in order to advance my character mechanically.Originally Posted by NightshadeLegree
"Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it."
I've made no secret of my dislike of the idea of Endgame Raiding, but it's early days yet. It will certainly be interesting when the Raids hit the live servers to see how often they are run, by whom, and most importantly, for how long. -
Quote:Cause Malta would have you fitted for a shock collar and threaten to shoot your mom if you didn't do exactly what they said. That's my only nitpick with your post. I agree with everything else.Originally Posted by Scarlet Shocker
Why would I sign up to be an Incarnate at the risk of my soul when I could be a cool Malta or somebody?
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Quote:I want the work itself to be gratifying. That way you get both instant gratification, and an end goal to work towards.Originally Posted by Santorican
I've never minded working toward a never ending goal but I'm quickly understanding that I am a minority of people(or at least a silent majority) who do not want instant gratification.
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Quote:I hear it quite a bit too, I just always thought it had something to do with drinking. Since nobody ever bats an eye when I warn them I'm playing under the influence, and ever time someone says "brb, getting another beer" it's met with a round of "get me one too," I've just assumed I play with a lot of drunks. No, I'm not on Pinnacle.Originally Posted by Zwillinger
I hear more and more Yanks using the term "Cheers" (it's pandemic with my friends) while in game. It's an odd phenomenon.
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Quote:And the only villain zones that are total craptowns are Mercy and Sharkhead. Villain zones are bigger and more internally diverse than hero zones, so all the others have their nice area and their not-so-nice area. It would certainly help if the Isles didn't have a chronic case of perpetual cloud cover though.Originally Posted by EvilGeko
No: Atlas, Galaxy, Skyway, Steel, Talos, IP, Founders, Brickstown, Croatoa, and Striga are not bused up, in ruins or industrial craptowns.
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Quote:Recluse is Chaotic Evil, and Chaotic is generally portrayed as the kind of person who leaves dirty socks and coffee cups all over their living room, has a life form on the verge of sentience growing on a half-eaten ham sandwich in the back of the fridge, and uses a stack of empty pizza boxes as an end table. This is the real reason he and Statesman had their falling-out; they were roommates until States kicked Recluse out for being a slob.Originally Posted by Memphis_Bill
And do you REALLY think the residence of High Lord Mucky-muck Recluse is going to have crap buiding up in the streets? Yes, the "fort" part is clean - but they're not going to have garbage piling up where he can take three steps and look over the side and see it. If Recluse can't terrorize - not even all the Isles, but just the one he's ON into being spotless, what makes him think he can do anything to the rest of the world?
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Quote:That's probably the best way to do it. QoL improvements on their own can't carry an issue anymore, since there really aren't that many left. The biggest ones I'd push for would be to allow players to choose the level of recipes generated through random merit, A-merit and AE ticket rolls, to make Mayhem and Safeguard missions available through Ouroboros, and about 50 million AE and base related QoL improvements. The AE stuff I will continue to campaign for until my eyeballs bleed, the base stuff I will occasionally complain about but let other people with more experience in the area campaign for, and all the other QoL issues put together aren't game-changing enough to sell an entire issue.Originally Posted by Scarlet Shocker
Fair point. I guess I'd overlooked some of those because they get buried in the new content.