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I swear this will be my last thread about Vehicles!
keikomyst
Posts: 626 Arc User
*crosses fingers behind back JUST IN CASE*
I'm gonna talk about how terrible the vehicle system is and go in-depth on why I think Cryptic blew it.
Issue 1: Vehicle power levels!
Compared to our heroes, these vehicles are pathetic! That isn't much of a problem, actually, since our player characters are infinitely more customizable than the vehicles anyway. The problem is, compare vehicles to other vehicles.
Some of the vehicles are straight-up better than others! (namely the high-end Salvage or grab-bag prize tanks) I understand that this is a pull to make money, but come on! That isn't balanced at all! Not that it matters, since I am confident that any well-built Freeform and a majority of Archetypes could beat a vehicle in a DPS race, tanking competition or a duel.
How can this be fixed? More customizable weapon slots for EVERY vehicle so at least the lower power bar is full. Fully customizable stats for every vehicle (if I want to dump my ATK and DEF stats into SPD, I should be able to, and so on and so forth), blocks for vehicles...
Issue 2: The mod system ain't all that great!
I think that mods take a lot out of customizing the vehicles, and really should be altered or scrapped entirely in favor of a more personalized system. I'd like to see passive mods that give vehicles... well, passives. Tune-up kits that rank up your stuff rather than the mod fusion system would be nice too. I don't think they'll bother changing this, anyway.
How can it be fixed? A garage (or the powerhouse) where you can 'retcon' your vehicle and allocate your stat points into the three different stat points, along with the ability to craft or earn (or buy) tune up kits that can rank up a mod immediately or boost a stat. Also, passive slots! Vehicle Invuln, Vehicle Targeting Computer, Vehicle Regenartion, Vehicle Medical Nanites or Aura of Radiant Protection... all could go a long way to making vehicles good.
Customization of vehicle stats are a staple of the racing or vehicle-based genre. Make it happen.
Issue 3: The bind-on-account system SUUUUUUCKS!
Realtalk. People wanted to test these vehicles out before they bought them. That wasn't possible before the vehicles were rolled out on PTS, and Silver players couldn't even ask their friends who had vehicles if they could test them out. Vehicles should be freely tradeable, like the other Become devices out there.
How to fix it? UNBIND THEM AND MAKE THEM FREE-TO-TRADE. Or Auction off. Or whatever.
Finally...
Issue 4: NO COLOR CUSTOMIZATION!
This is the biggest whammy there is, and we've gone over it time and time again. Of course, they said it'll take too long to make vehicles colorable... oh really now? There was a bug on PTS where male characters could equip the Grav Bike to their legs and the Grav Bike could be colored freely. Of course, the patterns on the tanks might make this more complicated, but it can be done!
How can it be fixed? Well, I'd say have four color mod slots, and the garage (or powerhouse) charges 10 G to change one, or 10 G to buy a color mod from the garage (or powerhouse). Ideally, you'd be able to choose from the whole palette of colors that are available to you in the tailor.
tl;dr: Vehicles are weak and limited, have sorely limited statistic customization, the bind-on-account is stupid and the lack of color customization is weaksauce.
ARGH I FORGOT SOMETHING
Issue 0 THE BEGINNING: Cannot be earned in regular gameplay!
Vehicles have to be purchased, earned via Q-grind or gambling. So you're telling me there's no way for my hero to build their own vehicle or pick up their own vehicle from Nighthawk or SOMEBODY? Greaaaaaaaat.
How to fix? Mission chains to earn a low grade vehicle that they can customize and upgrade to their heart's content! (every stat starts at 1, but is nice 'n customizable)
I'm gonna talk about how terrible the vehicle system is and go in-depth on why I think Cryptic blew it.
Issue 1: Vehicle power levels!
Compared to our heroes, these vehicles are pathetic! That isn't much of a problem, actually, since our player characters are infinitely more customizable than the vehicles anyway. The problem is, compare vehicles to other vehicles.
Some of the vehicles are straight-up better than others! (namely the high-end Salvage or grab-bag prize tanks) I understand that this is a pull to make money, but come on! That isn't balanced at all! Not that it matters, since I am confident that any well-built Freeform and a majority of Archetypes could beat a vehicle in a DPS race, tanking competition or a duel.
How can this be fixed? More customizable weapon slots for EVERY vehicle so at least the lower power bar is full. Fully customizable stats for every vehicle (if I want to dump my ATK and DEF stats into SPD, I should be able to, and so on and so forth), blocks for vehicles...
Issue 2: The mod system ain't all that great!
I think that mods take a lot out of customizing the vehicles, and really should be altered or scrapped entirely in favor of a more personalized system. I'd like to see passive mods that give vehicles... well, passives. Tune-up kits that rank up your stuff rather than the mod fusion system would be nice too. I don't think they'll bother changing this, anyway.
How can it be fixed? A garage (or the powerhouse) where you can 'retcon' your vehicle and allocate your stat points into the three different stat points, along with the ability to craft or earn (or buy) tune up kits that can rank up a mod immediately or boost a stat. Also, passive slots! Vehicle Invuln, Vehicle Targeting Computer, Vehicle Regenartion, Vehicle Medical Nanites or Aura of Radiant Protection... all could go a long way to making vehicles good.
Customization of vehicle stats are a staple of the racing or vehicle-based genre. Make it happen.
Issue 3: The bind-on-account system SUUUUUUCKS!
Realtalk. People wanted to test these vehicles out before they bought them. That wasn't possible before the vehicles were rolled out on PTS, and Silver players couldn't even ask their friends who had vehicles if they could test them out. Vehicles should be freely tradeable, like the other Become devices out there.
How to fix it? UNBIND THEM AND MAKE THEM FREE-TO-TRADE. Or Auction off. Or whatever.
Finally...
Issue 4: NO COLOR CUSTOMIZATION!
This is the biggest whammy there is, and we've gone over it time and time again. Of course, they said it'll take too long to make vehicles colorable... oh really now? There was a bug on PTS where male characters could equip the Grav Bike to their legs and the Grav Bike could be colored freely. Of course, the patterns on the tanks might make this more complicated, but it can be done!
How can it be fixed? Well, I'd say have four color mod slots, and the garage (or powerhouse) charges 10 G to change one, or 10 G to buy a color mod from the garage (or powerhouse). Ideally, you'd be able to choose from the whole palette of colors that are available to you in the tailor.
tl;dr: Vehicles are weak and limited, have sorely limited statistic customization, the bind-on-account is stupid and the lack of color customization is weaksauce.
ARGH I FORGOT SOMETHING
Issue 0 THE BEGINNING: Cannot be earned in regular gameplay!
Vehicles have to be purchased, earned via Q-grind or gambling. So you're telling me there's no way for my hero to build their own vehicle or pick up their own vehicle from Nighthawk or SOMEBODY? Greaaaaaaaat.
How to fix? Mission chains to earn a low grade vehicle that they can customize and upgrade to their heart's content! (every stat starts at 1, but is nice 'n customizable)
Post edited by keikomyst on
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Comments
/signed, and /WANT
I'd make the vehicles better if they did have passives, maybe allocate a special mod slot in each model for a passive of the user's choice, and make these like the defense and support mods, a drop from mobs/missions/alerts, and allow us to rank them up.
/signed, and /WANT, no explanation necessary for this, it just needs to be implemented, it is a become device after all.
Vehicles...need.....appearance....customization, it would be nice to have an IN GAME Vendor to sell these color mods for RESOURCES, or incorporate them into the regular tailor, even if we can only customize the color, it would be a nice and NEEDED feature to the system. Also, I have another idea for them, maybe we can be able to choose a different chassis entirely for the vehicle, not interchange them, but make them look the same( chasis wise, still colorable) as a tank model, jet model, or bike model depending on the class of vehicle you have.
THIS........this is what makes the whole vehicle system seem like just a cash grab and nothing more. It also makes it seem like they try to take everything from STO, even the things that will not fit here, and port them over somehow into CO, when I used to play STO, the vehicle prices then (and now) were about the same as the current vehicle prices. The thing comparing that to CO, is that we do not need them at all on most characters, in STO, you do need a starship; also, in STO, they did give you starter ships for every 10 levels or so, we could have that in CO, by receiving a standard police helicopter or car from the MCPD at level 10 IF you opt to do it, then at level 20, opt for a primus one, and at level 30, an UNTIL one, then finally, at 40, a champion vehicle, perhaps a modified version of a hawkjet or perhaps a special grav-bike. And another thing that we should have, a speed boost for those who can fly at mach 1, run at the speed of light, you get the point. Basically people with powers that allow them to easily get around on their own power, all I'm asking for with this is a speed boost, a little above the jets current speed (not the prototype's new or old speed, the current MK 2 jet's speed), so the supersonic flyers won't have to go and trade 2K G for a new jet so they can move faster. And now, for the last thing, we should have a zone teleporter in the vehicles, I mean, since we have our own jets(or tanks or bikes), can't we just pilot or drive them to canada, monster island, desert, vibora? (the reason I left lemuria out is technical, jets, tanks and bikes can't do well underwater)
Consolidate currency!
Munitions additions
Petition to take in game report spam function out
Why not to do surveys and free offers
This is really the only thing I even want now that the vehicles are here. I probably won't ever buy a vehicle if they don't end up making a model I actually like the look of, but I will buy every travel power available in the game at the first opportunity to do so, even if I don't have a character it fits yet. I will make a character entirely around a travel power (when we got rainbow flight, I had no idea what to do with it until I found binds for randomizing power hue; now I have Kaleidoscope, and he is one of my favorite character themes ever). Vehicles prove the game can handle people going faster, so let us all go faster. I don't care if it's a feature I have to buy, or unlock with Questionite or Silver Champion Recognition, or do some sort of mission chain. Even a combination of any of those. Whatever. Let me be the hero I want to be while still looking like the hero I want to be.
Travel power suggestion threads: Air Walk, Heavy Weapon Flight, Cape Glide improvement
Power suggestion threads: Annihilate
Don't let the vehicles replace or superceed the superhero superpowers... They should be on equal footing, and if you've got freeform and build synergies ideally you can outdo a vehicle. That would be fair, logical, and supporting the customization in the game.
AS IT SHOULD BE! :mad: I will fight you on this.
Meh... Not necessary
Champions Online, not Vehicles Online, FFS. This concerns and disappoints me that I'm even hearing you considering this... You're also asking for a lot more developer resources into something that isn't as important, like bug fixes and new explorable content. What good is a suped-up vehicle if you only have the same ol' Zones to fly it around in? What if you could have more interesting geometry to fly around (such as natural arches, twisting canyons, bridges over lava, etc.)
I completely, 100%, agree with you and support you on this.
I also agree with this. Customization is GOOD!
I agree 100% again, this is such a cash-grab as-is. Sadly I don't see this as changing, cash grab is totally how Perfect World Entertainment does their business. This should not be of any surprise, really.
In order.
No!
Meh.
Yes!
Yes!
Consolidate the currencies! (Please!)
Does your Champion have a theme song? (share it!)
Got a funny in-game screenshot? (share it!)
Please fix the Overdrive energy unlock! (Should help promote thematic build diversity!)
Having, or not, a vehicle is purely conceptual thing. Good for certain character concepts, redundant for others.
But because it is a conceptual thing, there is one huge mistake done by Cryptic:
lack of appearance customisation for vehicles.
While I can understand and accept why customisable geos are impossible, I can't understand why no effort was made for making vehicles at least colorable. Especially since bug on PTS proved that it was doable.
'course, if I REALLY had my way, vehicles would be devices we could board and use our normal powers on (one handed assault rifle ftw) and nothing more. I'm only pointing out ways their current implementation could be better.
... also, transparent cockpits we can see our heroes in? WAY TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR!
1:I'm against the fact vehicles should be more powerful than our toons.
2:on bikes, we should be able to use regular powers, or on any open thing whatsoever, if a tank has a side-window, we should be able to do this.
Other than that, we need customization, and the ability to change a vehicle around in both mods and appearance, by that I mean to have all vehicles on equal footing at the beginning, then be able to mod them to our content depending on the slots, which in my opinion, should be equal in every vehicle too (except for the lockbox ones, people would get very angry if those were nerfed to be equal to others).
Consolidate currency!
Munitions additions
Petition to take in game report spam function out
Why not to do surveys and free offers
Vehicles have never been the main feature for any superhero only for guys like Batman and Ironman who doesn't have flying or super speed powers. Or at least no a vehicle that they fight in the majority of the time instead of using their powers.
The whole point of being a superhero is to be able to oppose modern day physics like being able to use your own hands to take down a tank, or fly up into the air and shoot fireballs to drop a plane down. If anything vehicles should of just been a cosmetic travel power...
Grappling/Wrestling Power Set Suggestion 2012-2013
How a Wrestling Power Set Can Work
This.
/signed
Whoever you are, be that person one hundred percent. Don't compromise on your identity.
I agree 100%, and this was the original concept that was proposed in suggestions long ago. My search-fu isn't good enough to find the original thread.
Instead they have become a modifiable Become Device, and very expensive too (both in in-game resources & time -and/or- Zen cost). This makes me a sad panda, it does.
PS: Ironman doesn't really use vehicles (unless you count his power armor as one), but JonSills has given other good examples before: Ghost Rider's motocycle, Fantastic 4 jet, X-Men's jet, etc.
Consolidate the currencies! (Please!)
Does your Champion have a theme song? (share it!)
Got a funny in-game screenshot? (share it!)
Please fix the Overdrive energy unlock! (Should help promote thematic build diversity!)
By the way, my Soldier AT was able to hit 9.6k on a hovertank with 13k HP, and if I weren't just testing I probably could have finished it off with Assault Rifle. When the hovertank shot at me, the attacks it hit me with TICKLED compared to what I could do to the hovertank, and I had very little true defense. It could only ring me out with Heavy Cannon. Speaking of that, Shotgun? Works perfectly well on knocking heavy hovertanks around.
There are people paying $12.50 to upwards of $80 for a tank that can be roflstomped by a statistically balanced F2P archetype. It's the ultimate sucker punch.
(Cue someone complaining because their tank ought to be able to take out a super in 4... 3... 2... )
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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well, if the vehicles did out DPS/tank/heal ANY AT/FF, then this game would become pay-to-win, which is a very bad thing. Also for certain reasons, say a guy who can have superstrength, or can shoot lasers from his/her hands, should be able to make mincemeat out of the vehicles anyways. The main issue with powering them up is that they would become a pay to win option, and since everyone would have a vehicle, this would cease to be "Champions Online", it would become "Vehicles Online"
Consolidate currency!
Munitions additions
Petition to take in game report spam function out
Why not to do surveys and free offers
DONE!
So who says I can't make a super-tank that could take out a superhero? Maybe that's what it was made for.
LOL.
If vehicles must retain their crap-factor, then the price should be reduced to about... 500 Zen for the Avalanche, and downward from there for everything else. As it stands now, they aren't worth the cost.
I'm not saying outdo anything. I just want that hovertank to actually be a threat to me in a duel rather than a flying tank-shaped lump of cardboard with artillery crafted from papier-mache and confetti.
Also... you can't make a super-tank made to take out supers, because these tanks and jets are more flimsy than some of the arguments made about other things in other threads.
I hereby issue a challenge. Bring me your vehicles. I will put them to the test against my Soldier and my Freeform Archer and I will destroy all vehicles. (except maybe the protojets)
As it stands now, I think that reducing cost on them would be very reasonable, in fact it was one of the first things that bother me, no become, no matter how powerful, is worth 15 to 20 dollars. Unlike STO, we do not need such things, so the cost is absurd.
Consolidate currency!
Munitions additions
Petition to take in game report spam function out
Why not to do surveys and free offers
I remember when i said the same 4-5 months ago, that the majority of people here
told me that nearly every hero these days uses vehicles and fight with them.
I've learened that even the X-Men don't only use their Jet to travel, now they also prefer
shooting rockets or whatever from it, instead using their Powers. The same with the
Fantastic Four and masses of Heroes i never have heared of.
Makes me wonder where all these people are now, or have they finally realized how
"great" the whole vehicle thing is ?
Nepht and Dr Deflecto on primus
They all thought I was out of the game....But I'm holding all the lockboxes now..
I'll......FOAM FINGER YOUR BACK!