dugfromthearth

I suddenly have the VIP power, self destruct, bride outfit, cyborg stuff, valkyrie,

I've never bought any of those sets.

And this is on my characters - not MA.

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if they want to. It's a game. They should do what they want.

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Personally I find avoiding optional allies a little immersion breaking as I generally have to barrel past them and kill their spawn outside of sight of them which just feels way too gamey when I'm trying to enjoy a story.

In any case optional or no, allies should really only be there if the story calls for it. If the mission is too hard for most characters without them then it is probably time to tone down the mission.

When allies are included I personally highly appreciate when they're lieutenant only (ideally with a defense set so they stay alive better). I can't stand being paired up with an elite boss who is not only stealing rewards, but also showing my character up in a story that theoretically is supposed to be player centric.

Just my 2 cents in any case.

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Yeah I did an arc that had 2 allies that were EB's. My character only served to lead them around while they killed everything.

It was bad.

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The problem with short arcs is that no matter the length, you still get only three published arc slots. I put up a short arc that I made as a joke. It's gotten more plays than both my longer arcs put together (although it's also been up longer). I've gotten some badges out of it and it's made some people laugh. But it's not staying up, not while I have actual stories to tell and limited arc slots to tell them in.

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this. I play shorter arcs usually. But I want to make as much content as possible - thus I make longer arcs (okay I've only finished one, but it was 5 missions until I cut it to 4)

good tip

I have edited my published arc probably 40 times.

From minor typo fixes that have been reported - to removing a mission and re-doing major plot points based on feedback.

I want my arc to be great - and I'm willing to put in the effort do to that.

what makes pvp fun is that it can be different every time. But in a pvp "game" the rules and such don't change so you try different things.

PvP is like figuring out how to beat an AV at the end of a TF - but the AV changes its tactics every time too.

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So what needs to happen to make the Zone minigames better? I would say instance them and make them team-required like Battlegrounds, but then they aren't Zone minigames.

Let's start with the Shivan Shards. Obviously, the Pets were made very powerful to motivate around the idea that you are fighting other players for them, but that isn't happening.

What would change this equation? Is the zone just too big?

What makes, say, Capture the Flag more fascinating than battlling big green Rad Monsters and other players over super-pets?

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1) the zones are too big. A couple of people wandering around won't see each other.

2) you can't solo it, but teams are not created for it.

So simple but ineffective solution is to make it soloable. That way players will go there for Shivans or nukes more regularly and run into each other (if it is smaller).

Better solution is to have it be an event - broadcast that meteors have been found or whatever (it works for Rikti and Zombie invasions). It could happen every hour, but making it available for concentrated periods of time would hopefully concentrate the players (have them open full time, but the mission for temp power is only available at limited times).

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As a tip, the Hellions probably have not set their own headquarters on fire

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Not that the rest of the post doesn't have a lot of good ideas, but IIRC the early Hellion map you run into which is on fire IS their headquarters. Hellions love fire and are resistant to it. So I think setting a place on fire is their version of making it look "homey".

Skulls wouldn't set their place on fire, though.

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The mission intro (you get from defeating 5 hellions) is:

The note reads:
'Another new hero has arrived on the scene. This could become a serious problem, and might disrupt the unloading of the latest artifact. We need to meet and discuss potential solutions.'
There is also a time and place on the note.


No mention that it is there base. They are meeting at a location that they have to tell in a note (you shouldn't need to tell Hellions where their base is).

a later mission in that arc is:
"Investigate the Hellions hideout and capture Hades"

So I'm assuming that is their hideout.

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Fighting someone who just respawns is a waste of time?


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Not CS

And FPS put in a goal or an end.

You can just gank people for 5 minutes than count score - different from just ganking people endlessly

Or gank people who respawn - but your goal is to seize all 5 flags.

Just endless fighting between people who respawn is meaningless.

Edit: and I know that the PvP zones have other goals - but not on a scale that encourages casual players. I can't solo the shards in Bloody Bay. And even if I go there - it isn't a contest, there is just someone trying to gank me solely to gank me. It's not a game - it's the devs trying to lure you into an ambush.

if there is one ally and you "need" it to solo
boss - the same toughness as a hero in theory

if there are multiple allies and you "need" them to solo
lt

if there are allies for flavor that you don't need
minion

in the OP case I would say boss

players should have to pay attention to the ally. Lazy players don't want to - but they aren't just a buff. They are an ally.

the problem with pvp in this game is simple:
there is no easy way to go and start meaningful, "balanced" pvp.

WoW has imbalanced pvp - but they have battlegrounds. You can easily get a pick-up group of 10 to pvp in a game against your foes. The pvp is not just endless defeat/respawn - that isn't popular in WoW either. And you get rewards for it - making it meaningful.

Wandering into a pvp zone and hoping for a fight - when they are largely empty, is a waste of time.

Fighting someone who will just respawn is a waste of time.

The imbalances in pvp don't matter - except to hardcore pvpers.

The rest of the players avoid pvp because it isn't something you can do casually and feel like you accomplished anything.

Going Rogue expansion should let all AT's be on either side - PvP balanced

except for the lack of redside players

They are stored in a local file on your computer apparently - not on the server

yes - the devs know this is needed. Doesn't mean we will get it.

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The Shadow Shard.

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Yes!!!

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yes, an alien environment is desperately needed

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What I really want is missions that require thought. AC had such missions. Maps were mazes (literally), there were puzzles you had to solve (or were teleported back to the entrance), keys and levers to find, secret doors.

I want CoX to move beyond beating up every spawn in sequence until you reach the end of the map.

We can tell stories now. And you can sort of put in riddles, but there really isn't a challenge to the player other than combat

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Heart Boxers!

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can't you fake this with red dots on boxing shorts or something?

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I read whatever the people put in their missions. Sadly, I don't tend to find many people that actually DO that.

They write up a decent description for the arc to lure me in and then I get inside and BLAMMO, nothing else. No chatting mobs. Generic descriptions when I hit info on the mobs. No clues, nothing for collection items. Just bland old defeat boss, collect clues, defeat all enemies.

I'd really like to find a way to sift through the flotsam and find some really good arcs. I mean, apparently there are some out there.

Aren't there?

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check out my arc for a ton of dialog, animations, descriptions. There are arcs out there like that.

But I agree most are what I call "bookend" arcs. Great intro text, great post mission text - but the mission itself is standard spawns standing around with one objective (usually a boss). Only the boss has dialog and usually doesn't have any animation.

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Yes, none of the outside missions should require a specific rare spawn that could be farmed or camped for...

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If they could figure out how to do that and do it right, I'd be all for it.

But so far most of the open world games I've played (including the other one that folks are openly talking about now) haven't.

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Bolded because it is FACT.

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um, it is easy in fact trivial to avoid this

don't have rare spawns
and don't make them something you benefit from killing more than once (or one mission).

Playing WoW there is no problem with the standard "defeat Big Bad X" mission. You go do it, they respawn 2 minutes later. You get nothing for defeating them - just for doing the mission. So no one camps it.

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Put something in the Singular text input area. Make it the same for all three.

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this

yep, there are pages of SFMA content in the architect now

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I'd be ecstatic about improved zone content.

That was the one huge edge WoW had over CoH for me. Running around the "zone" was a lot more immersive because there was stuff to do and investigate.

I'd love to have something variation of that in CoH. Bank robbery in progress, riot in the Silver Lake district, CoT invasion through the entrance to Perez Park, some *reason* to pay attention to the zone, a reason for them to exist beyond putting distance between mission doors and having some stuff to farm if you're in the mood.

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I totally agree, I always thought it would be cool if perhaps if a zone went unattended, (not a lot of players going to it) perhaps the mobs slowly take over that zone over time, perhaps start building stuff. Almost like weeds in your yard. Have to stay on top of it or stuff happens. I know that's a pipe dream and the "devs" really can't sneak entire zone remodel with out the player base knowing but those surprises would be cool. We effect environment. If I saw a building destroyed in AP, that was fine the last time I saw it, that would draw me in and start to ask questions. I know impossible but that would be fun.
~Iggy

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it's really not that hard.

put spawns in some places on longer timers.

So spawns in back allies respawn every minute. But have spawns right outside WW that spawn every 45 minutes, every hour, every 75 minutes (to stagger them). If no one goes there for 75 minutes all 3 spawns are there. But if you clear them it is clear for another 45 minutes.

a farm has one purpose - to maximize rewards. If a farm is good for one farmer it is basically good for all farmers.

a story will never appeal to every one - even those looking for stories. So one should expect that stories that some love, others will hate.

I haven't played an DC arcs. But even if I did, I probably couldn't say if they were good - only if I liked them.

Keep in mind that most DC arcs were chosen in beta. So these are not the best of the best, they are the ones that got noticed early on.

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There are also at least two illicit arcs about you, but I can't tell you how to find them...

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okay I normally don't push my arc - but with a character named Shadow Dancer and a zombie master, I have to get your take on my Arc - it is about a voodoo bocor named Grave Dancer working with the Skulls to summon zombies.