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Kudos for new Hi-Pan Alert
quasimojo1
Posts: 642 Arc User
The map is unique and very nice-looking, as are the cut scenes.
It has a bit of story/context.
It seems to take about the right amount of time I expect for an alert.
The quality of voice acting and sound effects are good.
The rewards are unique and interesting.
The Yin/Yang mechanic is different, changes things up a bit.
It can be a little difficult, particularly if the group members are new to the alert, but I think the challenge level is good, particularly considering the rewards.
Keep it up, Cryptic.
It has a bit of story/context.
It seems to take about the right amount of time I expect for an alert.
The quality of voice acting and sound effects are good.
The rewards are unique and interesting.
The Yin/Yang mechanic is different, changes things up a bit.
It can be a little difficult, particularly if the group members are new to the alert, but I think the challenge level is good, particularly considering the rewards.
Keep it up, Cryptic.
LTS since 2009. Author of ACT parser module for CO. Founder of Rampagers. Resident curmudgeon.
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"Without data, you're just another person with an opinion." -- W. Edwards Deming
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Could be a bit more difficult, but doesnt have to be.
Fun, real fun.
Dont know bout the rewards though.
It's kinda strange really. Gravitar for me is generally mindless, and something I've done more than I can remember. Hi Pan is far easier to deal with and rewarding enough in its own right, but I found myself struggling just to make it through 10 runs.
I thought the concepts were sound, and liked the use of the environment, I just found it really hard to repeat.
Just enough going on to keep everyone on their toes.
And the environment is fantastic. Love it. Nice going Cryptic folks!
very buggy- players can fall off the map, hipan sometimes spawns two copies of himself during cutscenes (one with old armor and the other with his c-store armor), yin-yang graphic buggs out visibility in some fights, players sometimes spawn two copies of themselves in cutscenes
mechanics can be ignored and the fight can still be won by just tanking and spanking
arbitrary timer
lemmings/feeder respawn mechanic
rewards aren't worth the replay. 800 resources and a semi-bugged box for costumes you can mostly purchase flat out
leechers still aren't penalized for going afk, why would they when everyone always gets 200 for the final score with the same rewards?
perks: it's a very colorful room they designed
Well of course, we wouldn't want to upset the "majority" of the population that absoloutely despises having to pay attention to the game they're forced to play.
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
Yeah it's short, but as far as alerts go, I'd rather have a short mission filled with fun rather than a long one filled with story.
The prize box at the end is bugged but it doesn't mean you don't get the reward. If you receive nothing, one of Hi-Pan's new costume pieces unlocks for you--you just don't see it till you get in the tailor.
Flare's guide to hosting and judging costume contests!
(link under construction)
I'd like to point out that, had I not read the PTS forums for this alert, I really wouldn't have even noticed what the Yin-Yang or bell actually do... It's not like there's anything that informs you to avoid the black parts of the Yin-Yang, or that the bell temporarily drives off the dragon, and trial-and-error gameplay isn't really the way to go about these things. There should have been, as part of the cutscene, some info or tips about the mechanics.
"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?" -Tony Stark
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As boss mechanics go, the fight is really easy to learn. It does require some paying attention, but I don't think this was one where pre-prep was called for.
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Wrong on the CO forums since November, 2008
Sure... the villian himself should hold a quick class on how you beat him. The fight could be considered the test on how well you studied.
In case you can't tell, I'm being sarcastic... I hate the fact that world of wikicraft made so many people feel entitled to being spoonfed everything they need to know about a fight beforehand and claiming that not doing so is somehow unfair...
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
The important mechanics are easy enough to figure out from the get-go.
Standing in circle and I start taking damage - I probably should step out.
There's a glowing bell to activate - oh look that dragon goes away and stops hitting me for a lil while.
My first run of this I was expecting randomness like 80k hits or getting sent off the map or holds that temporarily disable a team member that can't be broken....
Instead what I found was really mundane. I should be farming this since I need the Red Banner for a perk, but I think the lack of travels slow down the pace and intensity. I see that loading screen and wonder where they got that from this alert.
No... but that Ng lady seems to know a thing or two - it would be perfectly fitting for her to give you a few pointers. Also some flavor text as to why your TP is disabled would be nice.
Of course, some of us come from an era when games came with paper manuals that gave you some neat background info on the world, as well as some useful advice...
"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?" -Tony Stark
Official NW_Legit_Community Forums
Or brush up on basic symbology of the yin yang symbol, and understand that white has always been yin and black has always been yang. Learning a fight is part of the fun of the experience. Being spoonfed the answers removes a lot of mystery and challenge involved.
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Except that what seems to happen is that you take damage if you are hit by the "eyes" of each half - doesn't matter if it's the white one or the black one. If I avoid those 2 dots I don't take damage. It spins too fast to actually place yourself anywhere other than in the path of the 2 eyes or not. And if a game wants me to research things from other sources, it either needs an in-game browser or not to crash every time I alt+tab out to check something.
It isn't unreasonable to ask for a little instruction regarding a new fight's mechanics, or things like that a fight may lock you out. Things like falling off the edge of some floating islands in the sky not being good for your health are obvious... this was not.
"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?" -Tony Stark
Official NW_Legit_Community Forums
Sorry but you got it wrong there.
Yin is the black/dark side. Yang is the white/light side.
Neither is good or bad in particular and neither is harmful. They arent supposed to be opposed forces, complimentary instead.
I think the alert is fine. Like it alot in fact. But studying up on Yin and Yang wouldnt tell you anything about this alert since it dont follow the the actual philosophy.
What will tell you about this alert is playing it. After the first time you get killed or hurt bad by the effect you should be putting some thought into what happened. Something that calls for players to pay attention is a good thing to me.
Yea, it actually is unreasonable to ask. This is part of learning and remembering. It isn't unfair and it isn't contradictory that you might actually fail at something. It's part of the learning experience. It's not a difficult concept that you need to have a hand holding exercise through it nor do you need instructions.
Champions has handed things too long on a platter to players, without giving them the incentive to look at their environment, what's happening or anything. This is actually a good thing for the game, because paying attention is something that is needed for this game. Just like in the Super Hero comics, Batman, Superman, Wolverine and many others don't have some mystic voice over head telling them where the magic weak point on something is. They have to discover through trial and error. This also brings up the point of working as a team in Champions, but one step at a time.
In fact, it was one of the things I rather enjoy; going into a new fight fresh, seeing the nuances and learning how they might be utilized. Not something I can get a how to straight out (something that actually annoys me about Paragon's method of giving all the answers for all the new boss fights). Learning things can be apart of the experience, and figuring it out just makes it feel better to knwo you did it instead of relying on the game to tell you what to do.
It's why I despise Dungeon Helper mods in WoW and such, the ones that pretty much tell you what to do straight away. It removes a large part of the experience from the encounter.
Silverspar on PRIMUS
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Typos and bugged rewards are a massive shame.
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I guess we don't read the same comics - non-mystical heroes generally *do* have someone familiar w/ what's going on, tell them what the story is. Dr. Strange will tell Wolverine, Spiderman, or other heroes that they are in another realm, what the "rules" of that realm are, and what to look out for.
Given that we have Ms. Ng who tells us, specifically, that she's using the artifacts we collected for her last week to open and maintain the portal that brought us here, and that she plans on sealing said portal after we've defeated Hi Pan, plus that she *is* knowledgeable about the mystical realm, it is completely within reason to be given some sort of heads up about how things work there. In the comics, there is no "keep trying till you figure it out" - the heroes are given hints and clues, and react to the situation based upon that knowledge. They don't figure things out through trial and error and multiple deaths. Maybe you like "learning" something by brute force repetition and failures, but I'd prefer to be given something to work with. You don't need to give me a multi-page tutorial on how to win, just some useful advice and tips...
"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?" -Tony Stark
Official NW_Legit_Community Forums
Actually, most comics they don't tell you anything until it actually happens, after they see some clue at the proper moment or many other factors. Only the long drawn out, same old same old fight that got played over and over do we get the same old exposition of "I have to do X to avoid Y pointless plot point" scenario.
And yes, it is unreasonable. Players should start thinking for themselves again. I mean this is MMO and gaming basics in general right here in the Hi Pan alert. Saying we need to be told what to do just demeans our heroes, it doesn't improve upon them. Again, this is something we should figure out for ourselves, and heroes, again, do not have all the answers or know everything about what the big bad is getting ready to lay the smackdown with, and nor should it.
Silverspar on PRIMUS
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Its an MMO, but not a jump & run game. I never was good in jump & run and that was
maybe a reason i prefered RPGs, before online gamining even mostly turnbased RPGs.
So yes .. i simply suck at things like that, and don't want more of that stuff. And i don't
want to "l2p", since i'm 48 meanwhile and "i'm to old for that s h i t"
You realize this game is built as an action MMO right?
Silverspar on PRIMUS
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