Marcian Tobay

My thesis and theory is that some people are doing this.

Never said it was. Don't consider any of it immoral. Just providing food for thought.

But if you are grabbing Radio missions and chugging them as fast as possible without any regard to their stories...

or if you are doing one arc after another for the XP and have no regard for the setting or scenery...

or if you are rapidly pounding out Task Forces and skipping the clues because they bog you down...

... and all of this is brought on by the lust for XP brought on by Double Experience weekend? It seems to me that it's the exact same mentality as farming and that differences are irrelevant semantics.

To clarify, I don't consider farming a bad thing, nor do I partake in it most of the time. Just food for thought that think farming is the anti-game.

There are so many parallels, yet we, at large, embrace 2x Experience Weekends like they are the promised day, simultaneously lamenting that farmers are ruining this game.

Thoughts?

Edit: My current theory is that it's like Mardi Gras. If you flashed your body to anyone at any time during the "Real world", you'd be a terrible scandal maker of a person. On this fat Tuesday, though, you're a prude if you don't earn those beads.

Maybe it's okay specifically because it only happens once in a while, and we are indulging the way we break our diets for Thanksgiving.

My only beef with your thread is the implication you made that the developers were lazy. To be more direct, I suggest that you humble yourself and consider the distinct possibility that the issue is more complex than you previously thought it was.

Honestly, I think that the Veteran program is rather, ah, unsatisfying in its later years. The developers said at Hero Con that they were having trouble coming up with suitable and worthy rewards for the later levels, and it rather shows.

That being said, I take much umbrage at your implications that the Paragon Studios team is collectively lacking. That's when I begin trying to pick apart your arguments.

(One link included for clarification. Two others for fun.)

I know nothing about you except this: You did not start playing this game 36 months ago in order to get this item. Ergo, you do not get to imply that your money went toward this, nor that it was wasted.

Fair enough. I felt ick about that word as I picked it. Knew there was a better way to phrase it. Also, I like your other avatar better.

If I were involved in an MMO, the last thing I'd ever want is to have my finger in the waters of a player economy. Saying anything that affected it or how people view it would be detrimental bordering on unethical.

That's definitely a situation where you read what people say and quietly write reports on it.

Yes it is.

You know this statement in your OP?

Extend that to "Only the devs can comment on whether they are balancing their schedule properly, because only they know the schedule".

You, as a player, do not know their schedule. Please don't speculate unless you want one of us creating threads about how you don't dress properly enough for success at your job.

Even when I disagree with their developmental decisions, we have some of the most well-intentioned, earnest, player oriented developers and otherwise Red Names out there. The times they let you down are not a slap in the face. They are an inconvenience or vague frustration. Kind of like when your parent buys you a $90 gift every holiday season and then gets you a $30 one during the recession. It's disappointing, not a slap, a word which implies serious harm with active intent.

The truly beautiful part of the cycle will be when she effectively comes back to the forums and complains "They didn't help me, even after I used my best swear words!"

>.>

No, I'm not bitter at all.

That's not a token response. I worked customer support a couple years ago. It means that your issue merits special attention. Either because you are a special interest case or especially difficult.

Your ticket is being talked about by multiple people. You are being the opposite of ignored. I promise.

If you're still sittin' here, you're going to be waiting a while.

Not "a specific point" some "other poster" made. The thesis of the OP. In other words, the point of the thread.

Now, I can agree that if these suck in the long run, they'll lose interest. If the under performance issue becomes such that a notable number of people stop playing, I hope they recognize and address that. They've been pretty good about it, giving Blasters a new Inherent power and overhauling Stalkers entirely. I completely trust my Devs on this point.

The quality of the player really couldn't matter less. It is absolutely, unequivocally irrelevant to the statement I was countering: "This set won't be effective in bringing players in or regaining old ones". I was stating that you can log on at your convenience and literally see proof that this statement is incorrect; that people are interested in this set.

*Snip*

Doesn't really matter what you're about to say, because the entirety of my statement was that it was popular.

I have no interest in arguing whether the set is "good" enough. Therein lay madness and pursuit of balance, a concept that is virtually abstract in an abstractly virtual world. There will always be a set under-powered according to some, and over-powered according to others. Even though numbers certainly provide better weaponry when joining this argument, it is, at the end of the day, mostly perspective. *

Currently, my Dual Pistols/Trick Arrow/ Nemesis Staff Defender (appropriately named The Red Gamut) is the most fun I've had on a character in a very long time, and that's genuinely all I care to contribute to an "Is this power set good enough?" discussion.

Edit: And in the sake of full disclosure, I don't pay attention to numbers, because I tend to Barbie doll it and make things up as I go in a fight. No idea what numbers I'm putting out or taking in. If I'm still alive at the end, I math'd the **** out of them enough to get by.

Ah, the Kristin Kreuk Syndrom, or "KKS". The tragic belief that because someone doesn't personally like something, it is harmful for the Intellectual Property at large. So named because many bloggers that did not like Kristin Kreuk's role on Smallville claimed she was damaging to the show, oblivious to the fact that she was one of the leading stars of a wildly successful series.

No, friend, just because you personally don't like it doesn't mean it's failing or will be ineffective. Please go to Atlas Park, Galaxy City, or Mercy Island and pick five random new characters. I promise more than one will be wielding Dual Pistols. I also promise that these low-level zones will be far more populated than typical.

The launch was generally well received, despite your KKS.

Incidentally, would anyone back me up if I entered KKS into the Urban Dictionary?

More people need to give Marcian props.

I think so. Didn't check, but I would recommend picking up a copy before I plagarize the entire thing.

Yeah. They had a preset list of questions for each MMO, and it was only fair to answer just those questions. Kinda wish one of them was "What can we look forward to this year?" Would have built anticipation and separated the stagnate from the imminent awesome.

---------- MMO World Tour: City of Heroes ----------
Be evil. Be good. Be powerful.

What is it? What's better than playing a super hero or villain in a fantasy game world? Playing one in a world that you created. The original superhero MMO, City of Heroes has been around since 2004, and has the content, polish and stable community to show for it. But last year's addition of the Mission Architect, which allows players to create and publish mission arcs for themselves and other players to play (for XP and loot), really defines this superhero/villain simulator now.

What's the endgame? This is the odd part about CoH: There isn't much sectioned-off endgame content, but there's a lot to do at max level. There is no abrupt change when you hit the level cap. You keep doing what you were doing before- grouping with other superheroes and learning how to tackle enemies with your unique combination of superpowers, fighting through more content to accumulate rewards and titles, touring the city for bad guys and saving the day yet again. Fans insist that unlike other MMOs, this game is "about the journey, not the destination," a sentiment supported by the 132 available character slots on each account.

How good is it? It excels at enabling you to create and play out your superhero fantasy. Allowing you to create your own content to play through is a dream come true for anyone who grew up a gamer.

Any problems? The game is almost six years old at this point; the graphics are dated and some desired features simply aren't possible without a complete overhaul of the game engine. Some of the community left for Champions Online, but CoH still has a solid player base (enough to make 344,000 mission arcs in the Mission Architect). The heavy reliance on instance encounters can make you feel disconnected with the rest of the game world.

How has it improved since last year? 2009 saw three content updates, bringing new taskforce missions, power effect customization and difficulty adjustment options. But none of that compares to the introduction of player-made content. The Mission Architect is incredibly powerful and intuitive, resulting in a near-endless supply of new content to play and roleplay through at any level. Random elements ensure that your favorite missions are replayable.

Is it here to stay? Browse the CoH forums and you'll notice a significant lack of whining, the sign of a very reasonable, content player base. City of Heroes could have easily gotten lost in the shadow of Champions Online, but it took bold steps not only to establish itself as a viable alternative in the superhero genre but as an exciting stand-alone MMO. The upcoming Going Rogue expansion is highly anticipated and should bring significant additions.

How should I start? Virtue and Freedom seem to be the most populated servers for heroes, with Freedom being the best option for villains, as well.

Verdict: It's not as flashy as Champions Online, but City of Heroes has unique gameplay elements that will appeal to any MMO fan, not just would-be heroes and villains.




Pretty dead on. I love this, as its great an accurate press. My only wish is that they'd point out the imminent graphical upgrade with Going Rogue. Other than that, my qualms are nitpicky (Virtue's an RP server!). It's fantastic that they emphasized what 2009 meant to City of Heroes.

Additionally, I'm really proud of you. Yes, you reading this post. Twice in this article, the forums were referenced, once as proof that the game is viable. Paragon Studios has repeatedly said that the City of Heroes community is great. The more I see things like this, the more I realize that isn't just them screaming "I love you, Detroit!" at the end of the concert. It's not lip service. You people rock and it reflects well on the game you love.

While I wish that they would have touched on the costume creator and how City of Heroes/Villains are two full and separate MMOs for the price of one, I understand that they had to cover multiple games. Can't bear that a grudge.

Awesome write up! Thank you for taking the time to post this, Marcian!

Megan's Law in full effect, yon P.Bear decides to focus on game updates.