Kitsune9tails
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Posts
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Joined
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I have a similar idea. Here I will just say that the place where I would set the cap would be at the speed necessary to reach level 50 in less than 50 hours. That is so high 90% of players would never see it, but low enough to not break the game (IMHO).
I would also have such a system only kick in after level 5. -
Just my opinions:
If you are gaining xp with 0 risk, it's abuse (if you can herd/pull 3 critter groups and drop them all in under 3 minutes with over 50% health/end remaining, I'd call that close enough to 0 risk). This includes door sitting.
If you are gaining levels faster than 1 per hour (beyond level 5), it's abuse.
Doesn't matter if it's a Dev mission or not.
I think that pretty much covers it.
BTW, OP, saw you on TV, you were cool. -
Even worse is a story I heard about a newguy that was bored from levelling in the AE because it was so easy.
A friend of his took him to the 'real world' so he could fight some challenging foes.
The newguy was unhappy because the levelling was so slow.
So now I'm thinking this guy is just out of here a month from now: challenging content is too slow, and easy content is no fun.
So in answer to the OP, the Devs are trying to find a balance. -
Oh, so your Batman character could stay in Gotham, or he could advance into bigger 'leagues' and eventually compete toe to toe with Martian Manhunter and the like?
Interesting.
That means there would be 50 'levels' of content for each 'league', which is daunting, but with an AE-like system might be doable. Of course, it wouldn't actually be levels per se, per your preference.
And you speak of choices 'altering' the character. So if you pick up Body Armor, would you have to give something else up? Or would there be some kind of preference, such as normal<tough<body armor at the Gotham level? Would aquiring Acrobatics lock you out of Quick McRunfast, or would you be able to aquire both during play?
You probably haven't thought it out to this extent, but just curious. -
So there would be x amount of content for "street level' heroes, 'cosmic' heroes, and every level in between.
Interesting idea.
I'm not sure it would work without something to provide regular improvements in combat effectiveness, It's a game, not a comic, so it has to have some game elements. You have to get more hp, more damage, etc IMHO, not just a more complex backstory and some optional costumes.
I think in an MMO, you want an MMO that works and feels a lot like a comic, not just an interactive online comic.
Of course, YMMV. -
<QR> To all:
What would be the perfect levelling speed in gameplay hours to the cap, in your opinion?
Slow enough that you feel accomplishment, fast enough that it doesn't feel like forever?
I am a 60 month vet with one level 50 (and over 100 alts), so the speed doesn't matter to me, but I'm curious.
For bonus points, how many purple IOs should you acquire in that same amount of time from drops? -
Following Venture's advice is a good way to get a good review from Venture. No guarantees, of course.
I think it's more important to identify what you consider good story elements objectively, then weave those elements together in a way that pleases you.
By "objectively", I mean, would this story still be good if you were playing it and had never heard of any of the characters before?
Be sure the end result pleases YOU. It doesn't matter how many glowing reviews, stars, or badges I get if I don't enjoy playing through the story myelf or feel that it is my own work. -
I am working on a film noir-ish story that includes a huge Elite Brute that pursues you in mission after mission.
You don't have to defeat him (maybe in the last one).
Should every mission come with an EB warning, if the fact that the EB is in all the missions is included in the Mission Description?
If so, should it be before or after mission accept? -
They NEVER said what was on Test now wasn't going Live. I'm expecting something like it to go live.
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Now, onto the next subject: What should be the minimums for each powerset at each rank?
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Fine with me, but one issue at a time (lol right).
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Someone earlier mentioned a Super Strength/Dual Blades critter. How would that work?
I had a Super Strength/Dark Miasma critter on test also; how would that come out? -
I am working on my own list of what powers should go in what categories. Unfortunately, I have sleep, then work, so it won't be done before tomorrow night. I suggest you also give it a try. It's pretty challenging.
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I agree that we should be able to start from minimums and pick any other powers we want via checkboxes. However, that is likely to bloat the size of the critters in terms of data. Would you still want that option if it doubled the data footprint of custom critters?
I would, but I'm not convinced I'm in the majority. -
I am thinking more like:
Standard: Damage dealing attacks, damage resistance, defense.
Hard: Debuffs/Buffs below 30%, short mezzes, status protection against things other than Holds
Extreme: Rezzes, 'godmodes', nukes, mezzes that last more than 4 seconds, stronger debuffs and buffs
I am absolutely in favor of Build Up and similar powers being available at Extreme for those people who want to challenge themselves or those who dare to play in their arcs (so long as those arcs are properly labelled).
The problem is not what is available at Extreme, it's what is available at Standard and Hard, where you want to build balanced or unusual critters. -
Critters becoming more powerful is the point.
It is evident that due to rampant farming, the Custom Critter minimum performance needs to be higher than it started as.
I personally am all in favor of tougher minimum critters (due to farming; not to punish anyone, but obviously the critters are not challenging enough out of the box for hardcore players). But it is just going to be tough to do without making the critters more annoying, especially in large groups. You just can't give a critter 5 powers out of a powerset (in the vast majority of cases) without ending up with a mez, a debuff, mez protection, or a strong self boost.
I am in favor of the baked in ranged attacks as a stopgap for now; they are appropriate in a generic sense, but I am also in favor of a mandaotory ranged attack pool when the code can be written for that. I would not expect it this month, or before this patch hits Live.
Rebuilding your missions is just going to be a way of life. Not just when the Devs break something, but also when they release a new feature you want to take advantage of. If they gave us the ability to choose powers with check boxes tomorrow, we would all be redoing our critters anyway, just with less complaining (or with more, if it also bloated the critter filesize).
I feel the pain about the energy blasting Trolls, but the same imagination that coverted an energy punch into a 'really strong hit' will have to be employed to convert the energy blast into a hurled object of some kind. -
True, but subjective.
Many players test thoroughly, but only by soloing with their main. And I myself discovered, a mission that is perfectly valid for an Inv/Fire Tanker with Stealth does not necessarily scale for all builds. In fact it can be simultaneously too weak and too strong for various teams.
So it takes more than a little effort. -
It's not the settings; it's the powersets.
I am going through and redoing all of the set difficulty settings the way I would if I were a Dev. In many cases it's impossible to minimize the amount of mezz, mezz protection, debuff, etc that custom critters --especially minions-- have access to without gutting them entirely.
I'll be posting that when I get it done. And this is just minions. -
Even without assignable spawn points, please let us get residential tilesets: the insides and outsides of suburban homes and apartment buildings, for instance.
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Updated my minion powerset chart: it now contains both Primaries and Secondaries.
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Do minions live long enough for Life Drain to help?
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Apparently, dataamining is showing that the previous minimum threat level for custom critters was underpowered.
Hmmm, I wonder why that is...
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Mental Exercise:
Here are the Dark Blast powers available to a Custom Minion on Live.
How would you divide them into Standard/Hard/Extreme?
Dark Blast
Gloom
Dark Pit
Tenebrous Tentacles
Night Fall
Torrent
Life Drain
Blackstar
My thoughts:
Dark Blast
Gloom
+ Night Fall
++Torrent -
Here are the Custom Minion Power Sets as they currently are on test (4/29/09).
This is both Primary and Secondary Powersets; MINIONS ONLY
+ = added at Hard
++ = added at Extreme
TEST MINIONS
*Archery
Snap Shot
Aimed Shot
Fistful of Arrows
+ Stunning Shot
++ Rain of Arrows
*Assault Rifle
Burst
Slug
Buckshot
+ Beanbag
++ Full Auto
*Battle Axe
Beheader
Chop
Throwing Knives
Gash
+ Whirling Axe
++ Pendulum
*Broadsword
Hack
Slash
Throwing Knives
+ Slice
+ Parry
++ Whirling Sword
*Claws
Swipe
Strike
Focus
+ Shockwave
++ Spin
*Cold Domination
Infrigidate
+Benumb
*Dark Armor
Dark Embrace
+Dark Regeneration
+Cloak of Darkness
*Dark Blast
Dark Blast
Gloom
+ Dark Pit
+ Torrent
*Dark Melee
Shadow Punch
Smite
Gloom
+ Siphon Life
++ Dark Consumption
*Dark Miasma
Darkest Night
+ Shadow Fall
+ Twilight Grasp
++ Tar Patch
*Devices
Web Grenade
+ Targeting Drone
++ Caltrops
*Dual Blades
Nimble Slash
Power Slice
Ablating Strike
Throwing Knives
+ Typhoons Edge
++ 1000 Cuts
*Earth Control
Stone Prison
Fossilize
+ Stone Cages
*Electric Armor
Charged Armor
+ Lightning Reflexes
+ Conserve Power
+ Power Sink
*Electrical Blast
Charged Bolts
Lightning Bolt
Ball Lightning
+ Short Circuit
+ Voltaic Sentinel
*Electrical Melee
Charged Brawl
Havoc Punch
Lightning Bolt
+ Jacobs Ladder
+ Lightning Clap
++ Lightning Rod
*Electricity Assault
Charged Bolts
Charged Brawl
Lightning Bolt
+ Static Discharge
+ Voltaic Sentinel
++ Zapp
*Electricity Manipulation
Electric Fence
Charged Brawl
+ Lightning Clap
*Energy Assault
Power Bolt
Bonesmasher
Power Blast
+ Power Push
+ Whirling Hands
++ Sniper Blast
*Energy Aura
Kinetic Shield
Dampening Field
+ Energy Drain
*Energy Blast
Power Bolt
Power Blast
Energy Torrent
*Energy Manipulation
Power Thrust
Bone Smasher
+ Stun
*Energy Melee
Barrage
Energy Punch
Power Blast
+ Whirling Hands
*Firey Assault
Flares
Incineration
Fire Blast
+ Combustion
++ Consume
*Firey Aura
Fire Shield
+ Healing Flames
+ Consume
*Firey Melee
Scorch
Fire Sword
Fire Blast
+ Incinerate
+ Breath of Fire
++ Fire Sword Circle
*Fire Blast
Flames
Fire Blast
Fire Ball
+ Rain of Fire
*Fire Control
Ring of Fire
Char
+ Fire Cages
*Fire Manipulation
Ring of Fire
Fire Sword
+ Combustion
++ Fire Sword Circle
*Force Field
Force Bolt
+Deflection Shield
*Gravity Control
Crush
Lift
Gravity Distortion
+ Crushing Field
*Ice Armor
Frozen Armor
Hoarfrost
Energy Absorption
*Ice Blast
Ice Bolt
Ice Blast
Frost Breath
+ Ice Storm
*Ice Control
Chilblain
Block of Ice
+ Frostbite
+ Shiver
*Ice Manipulation
Chilblain
Frozen Fists
+ Chlling Embrace
+ Shiver
++ Ice Patch
*Ice Melee
Frozen Fists
Ice Sword
Ice Blast
+ Frost
+ Ice Patch
++ Frozen Aura
*Icy Assault
Ice Bolt
Ice Sword
Ice Blast
+ Ice Sword Circle
+ Chilling Embrace
*Illusion Control
Spectral Wounds
Blind
*Invulnerability
Temp Invulnerabilty
+ Dull Pain
*Katana
Sting of the Wasp
Gamblers Cut
Shuriken
+ Flashing Steel
+ Divine Avalanche
++ The Lotus Drops
*Kinetics
Siphon Power
+ Transfusion
+ Siphon Speed
*Martial Arts
Thunder Kick
Storm Kick
Shuriken
+ Cobra Strike
+ Crippling Axe Kick
++ Dragons Tail
*Mental Manipulation
Subdual
Mind Probe
+ Drain Psyche
++ Scare
*Mercenaries
Burst
Soldiers
Slug
+ M30 Grenade
*Mind Control
Mesmerize
Levitate
Dominate
*Necromancy
Dark Blast
Zombie Horde
Gloom
+ Life Drain
++ Soul Extraction
*Ninja
Snap Shot
Call Genin
Aimed Shot
+ Fistful of Arrows
*Ninjutsu
Hide
Ninja Reflexes
+ Kuji-In Sha
*Pain Domination
Soothe
+ Nullify Pain
*Plant Control
Entangle
Strangler
+ Roots
++ Spirit Tree
*Poison
Alkaloid
+ Weaken
*Psionic Assault
Psionic Dart
Mind Probe
Mental Blast
+ Telekinetic Thrust
+ Psychic Scream
++ Psionic Lance
*Psychic Blast
Mental Blast
Subdue
Psychic Scream
+ Scramble Thoughts
*Radiation Blast
Neutrino Bolt
X-Ray Beam
Electron Haze
+ Irradiate
*Radiation Emission
Radiation Infection
+ Radiant Aura
+ Accelerate Metabolism
*Regeneration
Fast Healing
Quick Recovery
+ Reconstruction
+ Dull Pain
*Robotics
Pulse Rifle Blast
Battle Drones
Pulse Rifle Burst
+ Photon Grenade
+ Repair
*Sonic Attack
Shriek
Scream
Howl
+ Sirens Song
*Spines
Barb Swipe
Lunge
Impale
+ Throw Spines
++ Spine Burst
*Stone Armor
Rock Armor
+ Earths Embrace
*Stone Melee
Stone Fist
Heavy Stone Fist
Throw Boulder
+ Fault
*Storm Summoning
Gale
O2 Boost
*Super Reflexes
Focused Fighting
Focused Senses
*Super Strength
Jab
Punch
Hurl
+ Foot Stomp
+ Hand Clap
*Thermal Radiation
Cauterize
+ Warmth
*Thorny Assault
Thorny Darts
Skewer
Impale
+ Thorn Burst
++ Thorntrops
*Thugs
Pistol
Call Thugs
Dual Wield
+ Empty Clips
*Trick Arrow
Entangling Arrow
+ Flash Arrow
*War Mace
Bash
Pulverize
Throwing Knives
+ Jawbreaker
+ Whirling Mace
++ Crowd Control
*Willpower
Mind Over Body
+ Quick Recovery
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I tested it on a Dark Blast (hard)/Super Strength (Standard) Elite Boss I have. Noticed no real difference in gameplay. Going to test some more, but could use a team to get more to spawn.
Maybe someone should present a list of what they think should be included in the Standard/Medium/Hard categories for all of the powersets so that we can hash it out on the forums before it ends up getting changed 12 more times? No offense to the Devs; this is just going to be hard to get right.