Liquid

Thanks for the additional info, Turgenev. I actually wondered if that was who it was, as I'd read his post about the flight issues. Again, it was really cool of you to donate your prize to him, and I'm glad he was able to get something to make up for the inability to be there. Transcendent One, congrats on the prize, sorry about the flight problems!

(Yeah, I could see Requiem sounding like that. )

Pepsiman: You're a way better photographer than I am. If people really want to see photos, please check his out! They're great. His summary of the event also has a lot more information that I didn't have.

TonyV: Thanks for the compliments, I will definitely pass them along. It's true, her sister helped out a ton, and she was getting over a cold at the time! Fatare has an awesome family, I feel incredibly lucky in so many ways. Also, thanks for adding your cents, I have to admit that the Summit is still on my mind and I want to read more people's thoughts about it.

Also, I added a brief section that I forgot to mention about chatting with Tunnel Rat, her husband, Dr. Aeon, and some other players. I didn't want them to think I didn't appreciate it.

Hey, I don't know if any of you guys felt the same way I did, and didn't feel like you had enough room on the survey or time to really give all of your feedback, but I posted a thread for extended Player Summit attendee feedback here. Feel free to post in it if you want. I also described my experiences at the Summit, feel free to do that too.

I had a blast and it was nice meeting those of you that I met, and seeing people I'd already met another time! Thanks again to the devs for having the Summit!

My thirst for pictures is quenched.

Thanks, Pepsiman!

(Again, nice meeting you!)

Because I didn't have a lot of room on the feedback form for the Player Summit, or a lot of time to fill it out (I should apologize to the people at my table for filling it out instead of talking to them more, but I felt it was important to get it done), I wanted to make a post with extended feedback. If you also went to the panel, please feel free to use this thread as well. I also figured include a description of the awesome time I had for those curious.

My fiancee (aka Fatare or Iris) and I got in late Friday night, so unfortunately we weren't able to spend any time hanging out or having dinner with any of the players the night before. The hotel/venue was beautiful and unusual, and the rooms were great and affordable (thanks so much for negotiating that group rate). The hotel wasn't your typical single high-rise building, it consisted of a few different two-story buildings with outside doors to the rooms. We had a balcony that overlooked the pool area, which was well kept. It really was a fun place to stay.

The next day, we had breakfast at the Grill by the Pool, which had really friendly wait staff, and great, reasonably priced food (unusual for a hotel). After that, we got to the keynote a couple of minutes late, as I had some trouble pinning the shoulder pads to my fiancee's costume. We picked up our lanyards and schwag at the registration table, and Avatea recognized us and congratulated us on our recent engagement. Thanks again, Avatea.

Feedback on the schwag: the Hero Registration cards are REALLY cool. However, the text on them is so small it's hard to identify people by them. At previous events, it was nice to be able to see people and know who they were by glancing at their names on the cards. I don't think it's feasible to have larger text on these cards, so for future events, I'd recommend giving out the cards if you want to keep using them, and having the primary identifying card on the lanyard be larger with larger text like you had at the HeroCons.

The shirts are great. I love the style of them, and I got stopped by a TSA agent in the airport (who actually had me worried because he was staring at me intently) who asked about it. The stylized Statesman on the back is really cool. The material is also really nice, it's much softer than the T-shirts from the HeroCons, and feels similar to the Guild Wars 2 T-shirts that were handed out at the SDCC 2011 Meet and Greet. For those that want to see them, here is a picture:



We snuck in as best as we could without disturbing people at the keynote, sitting behind Texas Justice, who we'd met at the previous HeroCons, making it a nice coincidence. The keynote was fun, and it was really amusing that the winner of the Flowbee haircut by Positron didn't really have a hairstyle suited to the event, so instead, he got to give Positron a haircut. I don't know how many people watched the UStream, but it was pretty funny. Here's a pic for those who weren't able to catch the UStream (my apologies for my terrible photography):



After the keynote, we stood outside for a bit trying to decide what to do for lunch. Fatare got lots of compliments on her costume, including from War Witch and Tunnel Rat who both recognized us and said hi. We kind of wanted to eat with other players and the devs, but thought it might be a bit awkward with Fatare in-costume, so we opted for take-out from the grill again. The wait staff was again very nice and the food was great.

We were a couple minutes late again for the first panel, and unfortunately, I didn't get to go to the panel I wanted to go to (Powers), because the room was full. In fact, that room was always full, because it was about half the size of the other room, so we were in all the UStream broadcasted panels. It would be very nice if at the next summit, both rooms could be large enough to accommodate at least half of the attendees. I realize you may not have a lot of control over that, I just wanted to give that feedback.

However, the costume panel was awesome, so I don't regret going to it. Avatea moderated, and David Nakayama, War Witch, Second Measure, and Eric Chyn, whose red name I don't know, if he has one, were on the panel. After the introductions, suggestions for what kind of costume set to design were gathered from the players. 50's retro sci-fi (one we wanted!) and street clothes were the most suggested ones, and they picked 50's retro sci-fi because it seemed like it would be more fun to do at the panel. People called out suggestions, and David drew them expertly. It was really impressive to watch him work. Here is a picture of the results:



We all got the bubble helmets we wanted, and among the more amusing ideas were the brain slug, the octopus back-pack, and the Galactic Star Sword (or whatever it was called). David also kept drawing dead (and sometimes happy) goldfish in the bubble helmets, glass shoes, and skewered by things. This was definitely the most fun CoH panel that I've been to (including both HeroCons), and I hadn't even planned on going to it! That's probably not a fair comparison, though, as watching David draw is naturally going to be more "fun" than just information and Q & A, no matter how cool the information and answers are. Still, I want to thank David and everyone else present for doing this panel, it was a blast.


The next panel was the lore panel (Signature Story Arcs and Where We Go From Here, I believe was the title). Avatea moderated, and Positron, Protean, Dr. Aeon, and Ryan Greene (whose red name I don't know, or can't remember anyway) were on the panel. They started with talking about the sig story arcs and the upcoming Dark Astoria Incarnate content (I'm very excited about that, though I missed the mechanical details in the End Game panel, so I don't know anything about it), and mentioned that they figured out that we like it when they revamp underused zones. Dark Astoria apparently has some suped-up Banished Pantheon and Tsoo in it (I hope that's handled well, but they didn't go into the details on it), and we will deal with the dark god Mot, which is something I've always wanted to see. After that, it was mostly Q & A, and lots of people requested specific storylines to be furthered, cleared up, or wrapped up. Turgenev asked for the one I wanted (the 5th Column), but I was close to the front of the line by the time that he did that I figured I'd just add some specific requests for dealing with the Reichsman vs. Requiem conflict in leadership and an in-game confirmation that Schadenfreude is Axis America's version of Nosferatu (it was on a trivia quiz in 2009's HeroCon, but isn't mentioned specifically in-game). The answer was "I think we've done that", so I'm excited to see how that turns out. Thanks again to everyone involved for this panel, I really enjoyed it.

After the panel, Fatare took a picture of a player's awesome Dr. Aeon doll. You have to see this:



Really nice work, I'm sorry I didn't get your name! Please speak up and take credit.

Next, we intended to go to the End-Game panel, but the room was again full. I was interested in the market panel, and wanted to give feedback on it and make requests for items in the market, but I have to be honest, the announcement of Super Packs made me not want to be present, as I'd been having a great time, and wasn't looking forward to hearing about those. Zwillinger encouraged me to listen to the details before forming an opinion, so I did my best.

Zwillinger moderated, and Positron, Synapse, Ghost Falcon, and Second Measure were on the panel. They went over the Paragon Rewards program, and talked about the upcoming Fire and Ice Tier 9 costume sets (which apparently have glowing, moving areas on them, but they only had static pictures to show), and said that costumes would be in the tier 9 slots for 6 months, and then go back into the "Disney Vault". They also talked about the Paragon Market, discussed the possibility of having more convenience unlocks like the Cape and Aura unlocks (on the list were Midnight Club access, and something else I can't remember), and talked about two new upcoming items available in the Paragon Market: Enhancement Converters and Super Packs. As I'm sure most players know by now, Enhancement Converters will allow you to convert existing enhancements into another random enhancement of a certain type. Super Packs will contain 5 random items like Enhancement Unslotters, Inspirations, and Reward Merits, as well as exclusive costume set pieces and the exclusive ATIOs. After this, there was a Q & A, at which, I asked about the 3-below-enhancement-level rule for shutting off set bonuses while exemplaring, and how store bought enhancements ignore this rule. I mentioned that the rule was originally there so that high level characters couldn't outclass low level characters with more set bonuses from their higher number of enhancement slots. The response was that the reason SBEs can't follow that rule is that they don't have a level (I figured this was the case when we first learned how they worked), and that they've been talking about whether they should/could remove the rule for non SBEs, but that it might break some things. I gave an alternative suggestion for resolving the game balance issues (Enhancement Boosters earn able in-game, and level sliders to work on random rolls in the merit/ticket vendors to increase mid level supply), and while I don't recall a comment on whether they'd consider putting Enhancement Boosters in the Incarnate Merit stores, Synapse said that he knows people would like for the level slider to work on random rolls, and... I don't want to put words in his mouth, but I don't recall specifics. I think he said he just needed to find time to look into it. Maybe someone that watched the UStream can clear that up. Sorry, I get nervous when put on the spot like that with a microphone, so I just didn't retain it.

I love the new Paragon Rewards system, and think it's far superior to the old Vet Rewards system. The Fire and Ice costumes don't really appeal to me from what I've seen, but that's okay, lots of costume sets won't appeal to me. I'm cool with that. I'd prefer they didn't have to put rewards in the "vault", but I understand that it's a UI limitation (eventually, the list would get massive and unwieldy). I do hope you can come up with a UI that won't be so unwieldy, but I still understand.

I'm not 100% sure what to think about Enhancement Converters yet, but I have some opinions on them. The fact that they can't generate anything that isn't already in the game means there's no game balance impact, so I'm happy about that. The fact that you're paying real money for a random digital reward doesn't sit well with me. I won't use them, so they don't affect me personally, but I don't really like the effect they may have on other people without the willpower to avoid gambling, especially kids (this is a T for Teen game, after all). I'm not a fan of the idea of selling a chance for something good for real money, and I expressed that with the original version of Enhancement Boosters, which had an increasing chance for failure as you boosted a given enhancement. I was very relieved when you removed that chance for failure.

As for Super Packs, I didn't feel comfortable giving this piece of feedback verbally at the summit. I really enjoyed being there and talking with you guys, and I just didn't see this conversation going anywhere good. I noticed that nobody else commented on them during Q & A, and the room was pretty quiet, so maybe others felt the same way, or maybe they just weren't interested in them in general.

The Super Packs have three primary aspects to them, that, when combined, trigger alarm bells for me:

• They are only available via Paragon Points (which are only obtained through spending real money, either directly or via subscription stipend)
• They are random, and you can buy them and receive nothing you want. For me, most consumables are junk. 75 reward merits are nice, and all, but I'd never pay real money for reward merits.
• The costume pieces and ATIOs are exclusive to the packs.

I'm going to set aside the argument against the ATIOs only originating through the Paragon Market for now. I think I've posted enough on that to make my opinion clear: I do not like mechanical advantages that are only obtainable via real money, and I think they are bad for the game because they tilt game balance toward those who can afford to pay more. I'm just going to talk about the three points mentioned above.

There was a "pulling the lever" comment from the panel that shows that you know what this is. When you do that with in-game stuff (random drops), I don't really like it, but I accept it as something that I can't avoid, and I know some people who do enjoy it, and I wouldn't want to see it taken away from them. Doing it with real money for exclusive items is leaping over the line, and while it may be legal, it feels unethical to me.

I'm sorry if this feels harsh to you. I don't want to be harsh. I love this game more than one should love a really great game-- it's a big part of my life, I've met good friends over it, and I met the woman I'm going to marry over it-- and you guys are great people. This was a surprise coming from Paragon Studios. This is the kind of thing I expect from Zynga, and I don't play their games because I object to the degree at which they exploit psychology to make money. I don't know if any one else has done this, specifically, before (MtG has physical items that may have value due to rarity for collectors), but it sets a terrible precedent for this game, and if you are the first, a dark precedent for the video game industry. Super Packs make me feel like you will be exploiting your playerbase, your community, with a skinner box that costs real money, for rewards that come in no other way-- which is a problem because it means people who don't want to gamble but would gladly pay a set price, and want the costume parts, will have to gamble to get them. Also, some people will have bad luck, and end up spending more than others in order to get the items in these packs if they want to purchase them. Others will have good luck and get them (relatively) cheaply. This might be good for business reasons due to psychological reasons that cause people to spend more if they get random rewards, but it's not good for customer morale.

As for the ATIOs, sure, you can trade them and buy them from other players, but not the top tier versions, and someone has to have gambled for them in the first place. I don't think that's good for the game, or the people playing the game that would like to give you money for these items. There has never been anything announced for this game that I have felt so strongly about.

I know you are trying to come up with ways to increase your revenue. I want you to succeed, but not this way. Get rid of any one of those three points, and I'd be fine with Super Packs.

For the non-devs reading this, please keep in mind that this is intended to be an extended Player Summit attendee feedback thread. Please do not turn it into another flamewar about super packs and converters. We've got a thread for that over here.

Thanks again to everyone involved for holding this panel, I really appreciated the opportunity to learn about your plans and to give feedback. I apologize if you wanted in-person feedback on Converters and Super Packs, but I just wasn't comfortable giving it yet, and in that forum. I needed time to collect my thoughts to give an adequate explanation as to my reasoning.

After the panel, Ghost Falcon came up to us to talk to us, which was really nice. We'd seen him at both HeroCons, and he was involved in some fond memories of the first time I met Fatare in person. Thanks again, Ghost Falcon, it was great to see you and talk to you again.

During the Q & A, Fatare's boots started falling apart. She bought these great boots online a while back for the costume, but apparently their equally great price was low for a reason. They had started disintegrating (parts of the material just falling apart) in the closet after being in there for about a year, and we'd hoped they'd survive the con, but the sole of one of them just came off. Always prepared, she wrapped a rubber band around it, and we went back to the hotel to superglue it back on during the break before the mixer on the patio. At one point, she ran into War Witch on the stairs, who (I think, Fatare's not here at the moment to remind me) noticed the rubber band. Fatare told her that the boot was falling apart, and that she'd "MacGyvered it".

I wish I could have attended the other panels as well, I really wanted to hear about and give feedback on the powers and the new Incarnate path.

When we came back from fixing Fatare's boot, we stood in the drink line (we each got 2 free drinks, I had a Coke so I can't really comment on the quality of the bartending other than that it seemed very prompt), and chatted with another player (I'm sorry, but I've forgotten your name, if you're reading this, please remind me ). When we got our drinks, Positron was nearby, and started chatting with us. We talked about Mass Effect, Jennifer Hale, Expendables and the impending sequel, and obviously City of Heroes. Fatare asked some questions about the Haunted House trial, and Posi called over Think_Tank (I think that's who it was, sorry that I'm not sure!) who discussed it with us. Then Ross Borden showed up, and I totally mistook him for the guy at 2008 who did that awesome Eminem Karaoke performance (I don't like Eminem, but it was still amazing). I didn't actually think he looked like that guy, but I'd thought that guy was named Ross Borden. It was nice meeting you, Ross, I'm sorry I thought you were someone else!

At that point, dinner started. The devs scattered amongst the tables, and sat with players. At our table, we had Arbiter Hawk, Alpha Wolf, Synapse, and two other devs whose names I unfortunately didn't get (sorry!), but one was a programmer, and the other one I forgot to ask what he did. They were all very friendly, Synapse recognized me from HeroCon 2009, and Arbiter Hawk from the forums, which was cool. It's nice to be remembered. We talked about various things, though I probably shouldn't talk about them here, as promises were not made (though I made a promise which I will be sure to keep at the next opportunity), and one thing that I think I can talk about will have to go in the beta forum (check it here). Thanks to everyone at the table, and again, I'm sorry I lost myself in the feedback form when I did. I really appreciated having the time to talk with you all. I'm also sorry that I didn't get any of the players' names, or have much time to talk to them either.

The raffle was held, someone at our table won something (a video card, I think), and Turgenev didn't need what he won, so he donated it to someone else who couldn't make it (I didn't hear who it was, or what it was that he won). +Rep for Turgenev, who should consider getting into voice acting-- he has a deep, commanding voice.

The Karaoke was great. The lady running it was very nice, and had a ton of great songs. A couple of people sang Time Warp from Rocky Horror Picture Show, so a bunch of us got up to dance. Also, Fatare got this picture of Avatea and someone I didn't recognize dancing (they were very good):



Some of the devs sang, including Positron and most notably Zwillinger, who did an amazing rendition of Wicked Game by Chris Isaak.

Right at the end after Karaoke, we and a couple other players chatted with Tunnel Rat and her husband (Honey Badger? Is that official?), Dr. Aeon, and David Nakayama (I think there may have been someone else there, but I'm not remembering, sorry!). Fatare is a big fan of the Rainbow Aura, so she wanted to meet the man that made it (Honey Badger) and thank him for it.

I want to say that I was very happy about the survey forms provided at the end. We didn't have that sort of thing at the HeroCons, and I really appreciated having the opportunity to give that direct feedback on the upcoming features. I didn't expect that when I signed up, and it was a pleasant surprise.

The next morning we chatted with a player in the hotel lobby while waiting for the Shuttle. He was very happy about the Stalker changes, which I'd missed. In the Shuttle, we sat next to a very nice woman whose husband plays City of Heroes, and we talked to her about the game, which she knew quite a bit about. She said she also enjoyed the Summit.

Thanks to the devs (particularly Andy "Zwillinger" Belford, who put the whole thing together from what it sounded like, and was helpful to me on multiple occasions at the event) for organizing this event. Thanks so much for being so friendly, and for taking time out of your weekend to hold such a great event for us. Thanks for listening to us, taking our feedback, talking to us about mundane things and even other games.

Also, thanks so much to everyone who congratulated us on our engagement, and for the compliments on Fatare's costume. She and her sister worked very hard on it, with a small amount of my help. I'd post a picture of it, but I don't think our pictures turned out very well (again, I'm a terrible photographer). Some other people took pictures, so hopefully they'll post some. I'll repost them here if I find any. EDIT: Check 2 posts down for Pepsiman's pictures. Thanks, Pepsiman!

Edit 2: I forgot to mention the last bit about the conversation with Tunnel Rat, her husband, and Dr. Aeon, after Karaoke. Edit 3: and David Nakayama!

I believe using costume pieces as loot is antithetical to the superhero genre, and I oppose it every time it is done. Making it a rare raid boss drop like in other MMOs is even worse, as that sort of thing is the reason I don't play other MMOs.

Thanks for running and reviewing my arc, Fantastic Foe, and thanks to Bubbawheat for recommending it!

I think this is a great idea, and I'm glad they did it.

First, I'd like to say that I really enjoyed looking through that gallery. Thanks for posting it.

New bug, guys!

You know how Devouring Earth from the same spawn won't drop multiple emanators at the same time, to prevent things like stacked Cairns that make them unkillable?



I watched them drop all their emanators the instant they saw me. This is actually after we pulled some away, out of their range, because we were doing 8 points of damage to the Cairns.

For those interested in seeing the UI bug in action, here is the UI on one of my characters as it should be:



And this is what happens to it after the patch, sometimes when logging in, sometimes when zoning: