Pixel City - Procedurally Generated City

nextnametaken

This procedurally generated city program showed up on reddit today and I found myself mesmerized by the process the guy goes through to make the buildings.
Video Link

When I tried to break away and get the yard smell off me, I spotted a familiar color scheme in the corner.




Then read the blurb beneath:

Remember the superhero MMO from 2009? Neither does anyone else.
It was dumb. So dumb I was compelled to write this.

Oh really? I clicked the link, ,and had a good laugh and a look at the original game.

Ah, the old Block tutorial.

. Socrates’ plan is thus: I stand still, police shoot me. Yeah... Directly to my left are four street cops holding off an endless wave of aliens with their sidearms, and here we have ten paramilitary guys with body armor and handheld howitzers who won’t join the fight until they can shoot someone and ask them if it hurts.

So, we’re countering the babies-first invasion tactics of the aliens with mandatory friendly-fire against our own troops.

Oh this was written in 2009 and still happening in 2011.

I elbow my way through the enemy forces and arrive to find the chief of police doling out little homework assignments for the never-ending parade of heroes. I run up to him, rip up the nearest street lamp and then stand there holding it over my head. He doesn’t comment or take notice at the fact that I’ve just flagrantly and senselessly vandalized the city right in front of him. This is because about half the people who come to speak to him do exactly the same thing, and he’s pretty much used to it by now.

I have leveled a lot of characters and I’ve probably done this newbie zone over a dozen times, and the only time I don’t make this mistake is when the streetlamp isn’t there because someone else beat me to it

championshewolf

Ah the good old articles from the CoH haters out there going out of their way to constantly bash Champions.

nextnametaken

Get your nose out of your tail.

kojirohellfire

Did I just see what I thought I saw? This guy literally spent time writing five whole articles... ON THE TUTORIAL?

nextnametaken

Get your nose out of your tail.

This document along with echoed complaints on the forums probably played a large part in the changes Rob Overmeyer implemented. If anyone wants to know why we don't go to Canada or the Desert at the end of the tutorial or don't have crafting, the reasons are illustrated in the linked essay.

Now with Arkayne, the guy responsible for the original content that was removed or releveled, back in the design chair , this Champions Online lore is relevant again.

kojirohellfire

But five articles. On the TUTORIAL.

championshewolf

kojirohellfire wrote: »

But five articles. On the TUTORIAL.

It's always lovely to see that much devotion isn't it?

nextnametaken

We are on the tutorials fourth revision and he'd have a lot less to write about about now.

meedacthunist

Nope, he played for longer.

http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=5581

championshewolf

You seem to be making a lot of assumptions that Arkayne wouldn't have changed the game as is anyways. Considering the complaint was that we did not start in the city to begin with, and everyone hated going to Canada or Southwest Desert, I don't get this superfluous line of thinking you are going for.

nextnametaken

championshewolf wrote: »

You seem to be making a lot of assumptions that Arkayne wouldn't have changed the game as is anyways.

No you are making an assertion that has absolutely nothing to do with what I said.
Just like your original comment has Absolultey nothing to do with anything in this thread.

Your delusions are getting the better of you again.
You jump to conclusions that are wholly wrong and go off on your own tangent about what other people are trying to say.

championshewolf wrote: »

Considering the complaint was that we did not start in the city to begin with, and everyone hated going to Canada or Southwest Desert, I don't get this superfluous line of thinking you are going for.

The complaint was generated by the original content that was Arkayne's responsibility.
Now he's back, and here's the old content that he made in a handy link with lots of funny text.

What's the problem?

championshewolf

nextnametaken wrote: »

No you are making an assertion that has absolutely nothing to do with what I said.
Just like your original comment has Absolultey nothing to do with anything in this thread.

Your delusions are getting the better of you again. You jump to conclusions that are wholly wrong and go off on your own tangent about what other people are trying to say.

I find it funny you call me delusional especially with your next paragraph. You really do make a lot of assertions.

The complaint was generated by the original content that was Arkayne's responsibility.
Now he's back, and here's the old content that he made in a handy link with lots of funny text.

What's the problem?

So in short, your attempt is is just personal attacks and negativity. Gotcha.

nextnametaken

If you are not going to discuss the content of the links in the OP, then you are derailing this thread as you attempt to do all the time.

This article is very educational, in four years nobody has ever told me this:

Group combat is a mess in Champions Online. If you are in a team of three or more people, bad guys will automatically run to get reinforcements. When they do so, they get to retreat at running speed while blocking. (Players can’t do that.) It’s extremely difficult to stop the runner before he gets help, and chasing him will often drag you into crowds of foes, who will in turn all scatter for reinforcements, etc.

I thought it was my passive or someone else's passive or something else this whole time and it was just that extra level 6 I pulled into a team because things with just two players (especially a behemoth) were getting boring or the newb was all alone in Westside...and then all hell would break loose.

Aha, all those calls from people to make the game more difficult and it's as easy as a team of three in different locations!

The thing is, the bad guys do this even if your team-mates aren’t anywhere to be seen. If you’re in a group of three people, it’s folly to enter combat while your compatriots are back in town, because the bad guys will smell the scent of a team player on you and run off for help. You’ll end up fighting gangs intended for three people. This means anytime one person takes a break, everyone needs to. So once you join a group, you must stick together or you’ll be worse off than the guy next to you who’s working solo. Actually, you’ll be worse off than him either way.

championshewolf

nextnametaken wrote: »

No you are making an assertion that has absolutely nothing to do with what I said.
Just like your original comment has Absolultey nothing to do with anything in this thread.

Your delusions are getting the better of you again.
You jump to conclusions that are wholly wrong and go off on your own tangent about what other people are trying to say.

Funny, the only tangent here is your's.

The complaint was generated by the original content that was Arkayne's responsibility.
Now he's back, and here's the old content that he made in a handy link with lots of funny text.

What's the problem?

This article is very education, in four years nobody has ever told me this:

Actually the original design was that players went to Canada and Southwest Desert, the complaint was people wanted the option to start in the city, since city content wasn't until level 14 at the earliest. But doing so would have left a level gulf, so the option was either the desert and canada would remain the same or they would be level bumped and the city would be lowered. In the end people wanted the city.

I thought it was my passive or someone else's passive or something else this whole time and it was just that extra level 6 I pulled into a team because things with just two players (especially a behemoth) were getting boring or the newb was all alone in Westside...and then all hell would break loose.

So, you're upset that the system has dynamic combat system? I am still confused because your tangent still has yet to apply a point.

Games changed. These design decisions weren't made in a vacuum and aren't solely the responsibility of one man. An entire team did that, just like an entire team made the choice to change things. Just like now an entire team is making the choice to change things again.

So yes, you're the one going on a deluded tangent. I made my comment about all the quotes and I will stick by it, standard hate message. Especially since you are being all personal about it.

decorumfriends

I don't think he's trying to make a point. I get the impression he just found it interesting, hence posting it in the off-topic section.

nextnametaken

championshewolf wrote: »

Actually the original design was that players went to Canada and Southwest Desert, the complaint was people wanted the option to start in the city,

Actually nobody said we didn't go to Canada and the Southwest Desert and you don't speak for everyone who made the original complaint, and you are definately not talking about the content of the links that this thread is about. You are derailing on your own little delusional conversation.

championshewolf wrote: »

So, you're upset that the system has dynamic combat system? I am still confused because your tangent still has yet to apply a point.

Who is upset about anything? Do me favor, don't have delusions about what I think or feel.

championshewolf wrote: »

Games changed. These design decisions weren't made in a vacuum and aren't solely the responsibility of one man. An entire team did that, just like an entire team made the choice to change things. Just like now an entire team is making the choice to change things again.

Yes the game's changed, and here's a link about the way it used to be, which doesn't require you to come trolling in here.

championshewolf wrote: »

So yes, you're the one going on a deluded tangent. I made my comment about all the quotes and I will stick by it, standard hate message. Especially since you are being all personal about it.

You are trolling, again. First comment from you was a delusion, let's reflect:

championshewolf wrote: »

Ah the good old articles from the CoH haters out there going out of their way to constantly bash Champions.

Who mentioned CoH?
You did. CoH has nothing to do with this, word 8 of your first remark is a delusion.

Did the author 'constantly bash on Champions', no, he made very many honest and funny observations about the game while also teaching people how to play it.

So , part two of your first comment was a delusion.

pantagruel01

nextnametaken wrote: »

This article is very educational, in four years nobody has ever told me this:

At launch there were chaining bugs where someone would run off for help and half the zone would land on your head. The current situation is quite tame, and really isn't a bug at all -- the theory is that a team of 2 should have 2-man challenges, so an extra group of adds should be brought into the fight. Seems reasonable enough.

nextnametaken

decorumfriends wrote: »

I don't think he's trying to make a point. I get the impression he just found it interesting, hence posting it in the off-topic section.

Indeed, there's so much content in the link that could be addressed.

I was really hoping for someone else to find something interesting in the articles and bring it up.
There is really funny stuff in there, I wish I played CO with this guy.

He talks about players standing in line waiting to do quests. Gives me chills.

pantagruel01 wrote: »

At launch there were chaining bugs where someone would run off for help and half the zone would land on your head. The current situation is quite tame,

I don't know about tame, outside Fight Club and Rescue the Researchers and ...somehere else, we get swamped and we are low level with people sidekicked up to only another low level, usually half naked of gear. It's almost always been a nasty mess. There was a bunch of stuff I used to avoid because of this. Like when I first started playing, I spent a whole month in game making new characters instead of going passed the prison because I hated being jumped from every direction and having to respawn and slow-poke fly back to do it again. I only played in teams, usually of five, scattered everywhere, causing aggro, and had absolutely no idea it could be so safe and easy solo.

jerax1011

That was a good and entertaining read; definitely a flashback to my first forays into this game 4 years ago. I have to agree with his overall take on the tutorial, and understand a bit more about why certain changes were made. That being said I think I may actually take a look on the PTS (something I haven't touched in well... I'm pretty sure Atari was still in charge when I was last there) and take a look at the re imagined tutorial for the future.

decorumfriends

nextnametaken says HURRY UP!:

I was really hoping for someone else to find something interesting in the articles and bring it up.

I'm still reading (slowly, in between customers).

nextnametaken

This is CO Gold.


From Here

ashensnow

Thank you for sharing this. The adventures of Star on Chest were a hilarious read.

nepht

kojirohellfire wrote: »

But five articles. On the TUTORIAL.

Cause the tutorial is so meta.

jonsills

kojirohellfire wrote: »

But five articles. On the TUTORIAL.

No, a five-part story on the tutorial, because Shamus Young is (at least sometimes) freaking hilarious. (There was a disclaimer on at least one of those that he has, or at least had, "an embarrassing number" of other characters to entertain himself; The Adventures of Star On Chest were meant to entertain us.)

I'd love to have him take a new incarnation of Star On Chest through the upcoming revamped tutorial and early game, and do a writeup on that.