Londoner

[ QUOTE ]
I've never classed paper missions as farming, because you're not repeating the same mission ad-infinitum, unlike in the MA.

Makes me wonder though... Has anyone recreated the original Dreck mission yet?

[/ QUOTE ]


Yea but theres better things than freaks to stick on that map.

I usually put Dreck on it though... for old times sake

Hang on a sec, what constitutes a prestige "farmer" exactly?

Asking people to be in SG mode is not in my opinion farming prestige. It just builds up as a result of doing whatever your doing dosent it? Or am i missing something?


Well done to Bruce and his crew by the way.

I just love to farm a lot, do da, do da,

Farm all day it hit's the spot, do da do da daaaaay.

How about everyone just gets on and plays the poxy game how they want.

Not everyone wants to be a creative genius, some people just want to use the MA as a change from the same old same old content, to level a char.

Because lets have it right here, me and most of the people i know in this game play it to level.

If you keep knocking bits out of this MA in persuit of some purist creative vision, it aint gonna happen, your gonna have 6 people left using it.

[ QUOTE ]
Bad idea full stop!

Limit what players can get xp wise will see alot go, you dont even need the MA to lvl fast if you play the normal game you can still get a 50 in a few weeks if your a hard core player.

Dont forget if like me you have been playing for alomst 5 years it wont take long to get another 50 as you know all the content you know how the AI is going to work on all bad guys.

Content means nothing to me unless its new now i have no wish to do the same content every time i start a new toon and MA now lets me do something new, limits on a new game system is the best way to have that system die fast.

Im not sure if those who are calling for all these limits are long time players or not but do keep in mind this is an old game and some of us have been here for a long time and once you have seen the "content" for the 20th time it gets very dull

[/ QUOTE ]

Well said.

Heres my 10p worth, leave the bloody thing alone before you end up with no one using it.

Its had its nerfs and warnings just give it a rest now.

[ QUOTE ]
just loool
making team : max 10min
elite team now not realy just good players

seems like the vigilance server is not so bad after al

[/ QUOTE ]


When you complete a LRSF in 50 mins with a 10 minute pick up team, no nukes and no shivans, you come back and start laughing.

Till then keep loool'ing.

[ QUOTE ]
Respect1= 20min 15Merits
Respect2= 20min 15Merits
Respect3= 20min 15Merits
TF Rikti= 70min 30Merits
Rsf = 50min 25Merits

In 3,4hours you kan get up to 100Merits Vilain side.
why change??
I dont find that so bad

[/ QUOTE ]

Your never going to do any of those in those times without a specialised team.

Nor are you including the time it takes to get temps.

[ QUOTE ]
Well there is something in your suggestion that makes me wonder why your suggestion shouldn't fall on deaf ears.

One thing that maybe said, is that it's possibly more feasible to think that more people play heroes and so it's likely that more new people play heroes.

But despite all that, what we don't know from your under an hour account is what sets are in team and past experience of the players which does make a difference. That kind of thing does matter.

Also I am not suggesting that by omitting the team make up or tactics that you're partially making anything out of yourself, like you are elite or something but I do know many Defiant players tend to "well kit" a team for "fast runs" and then make out its more about skill when it's not. A lot of other people on other servers tend to be a bit more about the social side and have toons that are less about performance and more about concept or even more of a challenge. This does not make them bad heroes at all and just by possibly accidentally suggesting something as such can be seen as kind of snobbish.

People have said it time and time again that it is easier on heroes but then I wouldn't like to see them with less merits for an average team.

I think there may simply be an issue with merit awards on villains and so I agree however, because iirc it is as so many have said about it, that the merit awards on villains could be raised. It could be of greater interest for more to play it as old discarded goals are more easily obtained.

[/ QUOTE ]


I tell you the team we had that Sing is talking about.

3 level 50s (a brute and 2 corrs)

3 sk'd up lvl 30 odds (1 brute, 1 corr and 1 dom) and me on a 49 electric corr. ([censored] char, i would delete it if it wasnt so close to 50)

We stood about talking and feeding babies for half hour and then finnished it in 1 hour 30 odd.

The tactics used were all pile on the AV 4 times then kill the required number after. The rest of the missions were not turned into kill alls, but were completed in the usual way.

Nothing at all elite about that team, and i do agree with Sing, i think Villains should have the merits upped a bit.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Oh for the love of...


Pathetic? Understatement.

[/ QUOTE ]
Sourpuss and grumpyface!

[/ QUOTE ]

Fetch the bow!

(hurrah for Blackadder II quotes, the TV series that taught me that Beard of Evil might be a good look for me)

[/ QUOTE ]

Grizley Adams beards ftw!

Id like to nominate Sing Stars mission.

115250

What happens in the giza, stays in the giza.

Big Bit.

You can keep the inf

He's eaten the budget, thats where the money has gone.

Very good

[ QUOTE ]
Already in this, great fun it is, although I just lost to Damz, which is unassailably embaressing :S

http://coinestus.mybrute.com

[/ QUOTE ]

Your ones just beat my man Grumpus69

[ QUOTE ]
I've always just called it Heroes... I feel like i've been cheating on Villains now... Hmmm


Ooh 1st time using my DSi to post and it aint half akward!

[/ QUOTE ]

Cant be any harder than my i pod touch

CoF

[ QUOTE ]
I'm currently enjoying playing "Does it herd?" more than playing "Find the content" while I wait for the two new TFs in I15 and hopefully some amazing news about I16 to keep me interested.

Mostly am just stock piling inf and rares for a rainy day on a 50 but I can see from that how could be fun to PL, to be PL'd seems dull though.

Basically until I get new story to follow on from what we have all I have of interest is "I wonder if I could do that........" which normally involves something stupid. I blame DSorrow for starting me off soloing AVs on scrappers, which led me to thinking "What can I do with my AoE toons" hence the game of "Does it herd?"

[/ QUOTE ]

Most spectacular death, involving as many mobs as possible is another good one till i15 comes along.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Thats being looked at "soon"

So during the next 9-12 months, just do your best with what you got.

[/ QUOTE ]


Last thing that was mentioned about zones being looked at was when i13 hit. In PD on test last week, Posi said he was happy with how PvP was. I assumed he meant everything.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh well thats it then, if hes happy it must be all good.

[ QUOTE ]
Fix the NPC's in RV so they no longer do epic 20 second holds. Please. Trying to PvP when your perma mezzed is extremely hard.


While your at it. Fix the heavys too. In fact, remove them.


Thanks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats being looked at "soon"

So during the next 9-12 months, just do your best with what you got.

Why on earth dont they just come on here and explain whats happening and put an end to all this.

Its almost as if they like unhappy customers.

Any normal company would just say this is happening, and this is how it is being implemented.

That way those that dont like it can lump it or leave.

This no one knowing is just another version of the same old "soon" [censored].

To me an exploit is using an automated bot, or getting under a map and killing things that cant target you.

Using what is legitimately available in the game, in my opinion, is not an exploit.

[ QUOTE ]
Hi board, you don't know me but I have probably played with many of you. I have just registered today to post this message.

Just a bit of background on me: I imported the game from the US and were playing on the US servers before COH came to Europe. I can remember when there was no "mission exit" button and patrolling around Paragon and clicking telephone boxes was considered a mission. So I am a bit of a Veteran, you see

I have seen many good developments and some bad ones. The invention system has to be my favorite addition, with City of Villains a close second, and my least favorite is probably ED.

I was really looking forward to MA, because I consider myself quite creative and wanted to have a bash at making an interesting and enjoyable story. When I14 was released I spent many hours making a 4 mission arc, with an interesting story and carefully created custom bosses. I was very happy with it, and played it several times. But later I stumbled on to a team that were farming a mission with Rikti Com Officers in it. I was using a character that was probably early 20's and by the end of the mission I had picked up an extra 10 levels. Now then, what do you think is going to be more popular: my 4 mission arc with custom bosses and interesting storyline, or a mission where you can level up 10-20 times in a mission? I admit that it took about half a second of being angry, to jumping straight on the bandwagon and leveling up a load of boring, stuck in a rut characters that were sitting at mid 20s. Yes I now have a whole load of newly created level 50's, who would never have gotten there had it not been for MA farming. I have now experienced what it's like to have a War Shade at level 50, and I'm loving it. I have spent approx 600 million on her to make her really special. I am not a fan of melee characters and now I have a scrapper and a tank at early 40s, again I would have not bothered to grind them up to such a high level.

Like many people who play this game, I am in full time employment and don't have time to grind (and it is a grind, especially levels 20-31). I want to come home, kick off my shoes and have a good game; it is my leisure time and I want it to be as pleasurable as possible. MA farming is another facet of enjoyment, along with buying and selling on the auction house, and doing TF's and missions with people we like.

I believe that NC Soft has reacted very badly to a situation that they have created. How difficult would it have been to just nerf the RCO as soon as it was spotted? They did it to the Council spawning pod thing! And what constitutes a farm anyway? And for that matter, what's wrong with farming? If people want to farm let them do it. I've done the TV mish hundereds of times with my dominator. Why? Cos it's fun to take down massive mobs with a super hero. We are super heroes right? Farming is fun to those that enjoy it, it's not everyones cup of tea, but so what?

Although the levels gained from MA farming was totally mad, it was still fun and the level boost was more than welcome. I expected that sooner or later the loophole would be tightened, and com officers would be nerfed (rightly so). What I didn't expect was the threat issued by Posi. He is saying that they are going to "fiddle" with our characters that have gained experience from farming. Oh right, are you indeed? Well since we're making threats here's one to you:

If you so much as look at my level 50 Warshade and restrict her access from me, I will leave the game and never come back. Simple as that! You will lose a loyal subs-paying customer because of your actions. And surely you don't need to be reminded that a certain new superhero MMO is due for release in 2 months time.

I have been with this game for a very long time, I have resisted the lure of WOW, I tried WAR and GW, but none of them compare with the great game of COH, which is still my favorite game of all time. I have tollerated your nerfs up to now, but I will not tollerate you restricting access to my new favorite characters. The power is mine, and I shall wield it in whichever way I desire.

[/ QUOTE ]

Top post, well said.

[ QUOTE ]
I understand that many are conjecturing wildly after what Positron said but, had we decided to react more lightly than this, there would have been just as much ruckus.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, all you had to do was tell people to stop as of now, these threats endear you to very few.

[ QUOTE ]
We haven't specified the exact extent of the measures we are taking against farming and those who have benefited from it, so let's not over-react.


[/ QUOTE ]


And that is this company all over, why dont you just explain where you want to draw the line, instead of all this vague rubbish?

[ QUOTE ]
"The Great Train Robbers should not have a legal requirement to return the stolen gold". That's what you're saying. You're saying that because the security wasn't as tight as it should have been, anyone who took advantage of that fact has a right to what they gained as a result. And that, my dear friends, is utter bunkum. Even if the devs knew there were huge holes in Architect, that does not give anyone the "right" to take advantage of those holes. That's the definition of an exploit. It's like saying that the devs don't have a right to ban people for things they did in the past... I remember the old Arena Confuse bug far too well to feel comfortable with that stance. Several toons (including my main, none of whom were higher than L38) got Inferno'd by a L50 Fire Blaster, who subsequently got banned (short term, I believe) for griefing. But by the time the punishment hit the player, it was something he had done, not something he was doing... does that mean he has no responsibility and the devs have no right to ban him?

[/ QUOTE ]

See all these real world analogy's?

Load of [censored].

Because this is a game, not real life thefts/frauds/deceptions, its a game that can do without losing anymore players.

Stop the problem and leave it at that, dont start up with all the threats, it dont work, dont keep GIVING people a reason to leave.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

Read more carefully.

The first sentence of the extract from the I14 patch notes is about banning missions containing 'exploits that provide unintended statistical advantages' - that could cover some farming missions (although I've asked before for definitions of terms which haven't been provided).

The second sentence mentions that players/authors advertising such exploitable missions may be banned from MA or have their game account closed. The second sentence even explicitly states advertising through the Mission Architect System.

So:
Farms providing great returns may be considered to contain 'exploits that provide unintended statistical advantages'.
If so then the authors may have their game account closed for publishing them (i.e. for advertising them through MA by making them available in the search browser).

I'd say that that pretty much mentions banning people for farming if farming is considered to use 'exploits that provide unintended statistical advantages'.

[/ QUOTE ]

Says ABSOLUTELY nothing about people who NEVEr made farm missions but just joined them.

It only cover people CREATINg farm missions and not even that, since farming wasnt an exploit before positrons post.


[/ QUOTE ]
More or less true.

Farming was an exploit before Positron's post if it was deemed by the rednames to be an exploit. If some farms were using the MA in ways not envisaged by the devs to gain greater rewards (a statistical advantage) then they may be considered an exploit. All Posi has done is maybe make it clearer that the farming enabled by the MA falls into the exploitative zone.

According to the patchnotes you could possibly just join a farm and not be doing anything explicitly declared as wrong.

However anyone recruiting people for a farm which is deemed to provide 'unintended statistical advantages' could be said to be advertising it and so will have broken the rules laid down in the patch notes.

And anyone mentioning how easy it is to level on the forums/in-game without putting a very definite negative-spin on it could possibly be guilty of advertising the practice...

And anyone giving an exploitative arc a positive rating could be said to be advertising it.

But then, all I pointed out was that you're claim that the patch notes did not mention farming nor did they mention account bans was untrue.

BTW it's not very important what is/isn't to be punished until we know whether the devs are going to punish people and how. Posi's post was a shot across the bows that leaves pretty drastic measures open as a course of action available to the devs if anyone is farming in an unacceptable way.

Sure they might ban every account that's ever managed a post 20 level in less than 1 mission. But until I see them doing that I'd consider it very unlikely. But the post makes it clear that they can. I'd guess that most people getting past a sticking point or even getting new characters to SOs would be pretty much unaffected.

So stop doing anything that you think is taking the mickey out of the system and you'll probably be more-or-less ok unless you've been hammering the MA farms like mad. And if you have been doing this, then did you really think you'd get any sympathy if the devs decide to address the situation?

[/ QUOTE ]

Thats another well worded post JD.

And i agree that whatever action he thinks needs to be taken is all good.

But lets have it right, now is not the best time to be ricing off yet another group of players.

Most of the anti farm lobby would be quite happy to see it end, without resorting to back dated punishments, so lets hope Posi just leaves it short of doing that.

Then everyone's happy... ish.