galadiman

It can also be seen as a risk/reward calculation for the player:

For $200 (@$15, about 14 months subscription):

Risk: Maybe I won't like the game for as long a 14 months.
So I lose (200-15*months played.)

Reward: If I like it enough to play more than 14 months, I play for free from then onward. (well, not including packs/expansions/boxes/etc.)

I suspect the news from CO aftrer about 6 months will be, "Look! we still have X active subs! They love us!!" when those "active subs" will include Lifers who haven't played for 4 months.

Whatever. Some will stay, Some will go, So what? CoX will survive and thrive.

(apologies if anyone has already put this up...)

A Big Red Ball (tm)?

Any other thoughts for good Propel items to make you laugh?

(all unsubstantiated assumptions on my part, but here goes...)

In any business model, you need cash coming in to fund ongoing development/expansion.

So, for example, in the case of CoX, you have

· Initial purchase income
· Subscription income (A lot of this usually covers ongoing server upkeep)
· Special costume pack/powers packs, etc. (microtransaction) income
· Income from new boxes (CoV, Going Rogue, etc.)


In the case of a ‘free to play’ (TR) game, you usually have

· Initial purchase income (Sometimes this is also free)
· Special costume pack/powers packs, etc. (microtransaction) income
· (In this plan, microtransaction income content is usually a much higher percentage of content offered, otherwise not enough income to keep operations going)
· Income from new boxes

In the case of a lifetime subscription. It’s

· Initial purchase income (much higher than standard)
· Special costume pack/powers packs, etc. (microtransaction) income
· Income from new boxes

But after a certain number of months, the game effectively becomes ‘free to play’ to the player except for the added expenses – new boxes, more costume/powers packs/etc. (I mean, that’s the point of getting the lifetime subscription, right?)

So in the end, the game will have to find a way to charge at least enough to keep it going and be profitable, and move the development cycle to the income stream that achieves this goal.

In our case, CoX has a steady income stream from subscriptions. I think this is preferable to a one time, huge spurt of cash, as the predictable flow of cash allows for more consistent planning, longer term projects, and allows for ‘free issues’ (which, in essence, we pay for with subscription money, of course).

In the case of the lifetime subscription game, it would involve supplying more expansions as boxes, more content would be in Packs, and you get a lot fewer free expansions. This is theoretically made up for by the initial cash infusion… but who’s kidding who? The cash infusion gets used up, and then you’re left with people working for ‘nothing’ – but server upkeep costs money, as well as Customer Support, and as a result, focus shifts solely to ‘paying the bills’ – (new micro-content, new boxes) at the expense of free issues, bug fixes, and longer term planning.

I like the current model. I get a yearly sub at a significant discount, I only play this MMO, I get as many packs as interests me (and there aren’t an exorbitant amount) and I think it is a fair deal.

I like things that explode. Rain of Arrows makes Rikti Drones explode nicely.

Yes, but when seeing the powers is the point of the whole issue, you see where it might behoove them to test it a little more thoroughly. I mean, if these people react to not being in the closed beta like this, think of what might happen if their favorite character's favorite power has a bug that makes their character look like Pee Wee Herman (no offense, Pee Wee, but you're the least super-heroic dude I could think of on the spot).

There's a reason why the quote is not, "Impatience is a virtue."

Why do so may people react to something that they cannot have immediately by so vehemently hating those who have it now?

When you see someone with a Ferrari, or a fur coat, or a new cell phone, do you have the same negative reaction? Because, as much as people say, "It's different, it's only a game!", this access to Closed Beta is a Real Life benefit, for the PLAYER, not a benefit for your CoX character.

So really, can everyone just BE MORE PATIENT? Like, NOW??!??!?

<shocked>
Seeing as this issue is 99% about customizing the powers, which one could see from the Character Creation page, then it is SHOCKING that a) they would want the testers to actually, um, TEST the interface before allowing *anyone* to see it, and it is also SHOCKING that b) they might not want to let Everyone see it immediately. I am SHOCKED, really, just SHOCKED.
</shocked>

"Relax, Francis." We'll all get our turn, kiddies.

"YOU! On the end, with the piece. Number one, put it away. Number two, I said Put your LEFT foot in. See how everyone else is doing it? Are you some kind of moron?? LEFT!"

ACTIVE defenses, rather than the Passive defenses that other ATs have, are the difference. (Active defense is described previously in the thread - terrain, pulling, mobility, minor control powers, running away...) This is in exchange for big damage.

Goes to highest bidder no matter what.

Great to hear. Not trying to break b**** or anything, I just laughed this weekend when a character of the above description (Darkity DarkDark) won 20M this weekend.

And though most of the other costumes were, um, standard stock, they at least had put some thought and original effort in. I know a lot of people put a lot of work into their costumes and backgrounds...

Could you tell us the criteria you use to select the winner? I'm hoping it's more than "the coolest looking costume", maybe some guidelines like good use of color/color combinations, original concepts, use of different costume pieces in an original way, good biographies, humor, something a little more objective.

I guess I'm getting a little tired of seeing these guys dressed in black leather with black bat wings and a black cloud around themselves with a names like "Spectral Darkness" (or "Formulaic Cliche-ism" if you like) and bios that say, "They killed my parents. Three times. And it makes me... upset," winning 20 million inf.

There is no single IO that makes me wish more for a seventh slot in our powers than this *&amp;^*(^* IO.

Can anyone say, Siphon Life?

[ QUOTE ]
Really? I've heard that topped-out archery with huge recharge is ridiculous at clearing spawns.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know where you heard this. It is all lies. Especially the part with all of it. Archery is gimped. The nuke is weak and pathetic, like a tiny sleepy kitten. Using Aim makes your character explode. Blazing Arrow does a U-turn and punches you in the face. EVERY TIME.

No one will like you if you choose Archery. Your friends will all leave you. Your enemies will cackle with glee at your weakness.

Now you must leave this place never to return. And speak to no one of this. Except for the part where you tell them that Archery Suxxorz. Good.

I think when he was allowed to choose, he took both... AND RAN.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It's the truth.

Tell me about your (fake) MA horror stories.

( )

[/ QUOTE ]

Mission Architect is fueled completely by babies and puppies. Occasionally, they'll toss in a kitten. Running an AE means sacrificing a puppy, a kitty or a baby.
The next one could be yours!

[/ QUOTE ]

MMMM, my 3 favorite food groups.

Especially when combined, like turducken...

Ba-pup-ty!

MA killed Walter Cronkite. (edit) And replaced him with...

GERALDO RIVERA.


[b][i]AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

The Lord Recluse piece was terrific, Steel. Is it just me, or does anyone else hear Killface's voice from Frisky Dingo as LR's voice when reading this?
(link: Killface reveals his plan to destroy the world)

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Rularuu/his forces invading.

[/ QUOTE ]

Zinda! His face black, his eyes red! Uzani, his army at Lashmir. Uzani, his army, with fists open. Shaka, when the walls fell. Sokath, his eyes uncovered! Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra.

[/ QUOTE ]/golfclap

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought I was the only one that read this in that way. /e golfclap indeed! Darmok and Jalad.

[ QUOTE ]
Here's how I play on my kin/elec defender: hit aim as the tank runs in, run right behind, hit fulcrum shift, short circuit, transference, ball lightning, siphon speed, short circuit in quick succession. The entire group has no endurance, and is helpless as they die with the shifted lightning.

Alternately, when I play with another kin/elec defender and elec/ blaster: all three run in, I lead the charge. Double fulcrum shifted and short circuitsx3 with a follow up ball lightning kills everything, as it all watches drained of energy. Add another /elec defender with transfusions/transferences used liberally, and this works on giant monsters as well.

Here's how I play on my rad/rad defender: lay on the debuffs as I do a quick jump to cover, to mitigate aggro before the effects take hold. Jump into the mob, as the gather close, along with the toggle debuff targets, weakening them all. Blap till they all die, choking on my radiation, and hitting like sissies.

Here's how I play on my Dark/Dark defender: throw down controls/debuffs, kill everything. Control again as they become available.

Here's how I play on my storm/ice defender: open with gale, knock everything against a wall. Keep it there with hurricane, and snow storm. throw down the rains, and keep going until they all die.

Here's how I play on my EM/Dark brute: with oprressive gloom/cloak of fear running, hit stun on boss 1. He's controlled. Hit build up, hit boss 2 with Total focus. he's controlled, and in pain. Hit boss 3 with energy transfer, perhaps controlling him, definitely hurting him. Kill the weak as the strong stagger, turning back to bosses with the 3 controls. Once the minions/lieuts are dead, finish the bosses off. Nothing can counter attack, much less bother the team.

Here's how I play on my arch/em blaster:hit boost range, build up, then aim before a tank interferes. Hit rain of arrow on the mob before any team mates disturb their placement. Fire explosive arrow before the arrows hit. Fire fistfull of arrows as the leftover run forward, killing them all. If a boss survives, hit blazing arrow and any single target attacks to finish him off.

Here's how my ill/emp controller plays: send in the phantom army, then summon the scary ghost, controlling as the army tanks. Use buffs intermitently as controls/spectral wounds recharge.

Here's how my Bots/ff mastermind plays:

Bubble everything, then run at mobs, using force bubble to keep them plastered against walls so the team/pets can kill them.
OR, in a secondary build,
Make sure all my bots are bubbled in bodyguard mode. Taunt/challenge mobs as the bots clear those that attack me, keeping an eye on any foes that dare top attacking me to attack squishies or brutes, and taking that aggro back. &gt; Heal/bubble teammates and bots as needed throughout this.

That's just a few examples.

The problem with 'roles' is with the power sets: many power sets play so very differently that they cannot reach full potential without playing a different role than another power in the same AT. Throw in the way secondaries work with primaries, and sometimes you come up with very unique roles, within the AT and even the game. (I've not found another brute, for instance, that works like the EM/dark)

[/ QUOTE ]

And THAT's why the lady is a tramp!

Not that you're a lady, or anything... it's just the first thing that popped nto my head.

I'm just sayin'.