So I was thinking about alerts...

sacerd75 · July 2013

So I was thinking about alerts and the XP alert system specifically. You see there is another thread about them and there are many who say stuff about how it has ruined the game because no one wants to do the missions because the rewards are too good. This got me to thinking about why I do so many of them and it made me think of the combat trainer in the powerhouse.
I was wondering how many people use the Alert System to test out builds against a really tough supervillian, and if the number of people in XP alerts would drop if they added a "supervillian" option to the combat simulation room in the powerhouse.
what do you all think?

nextnametaken · July 2013

Why would you want alert populations to drop?

This would prolong alert que times and make people log out when they are sick of waiting around and not getting action.

Alerts are 2 minutes to run, they don't involve being attached to any one or four other people for longer.
Nobody has to give orders, nobody has to take orders.
You don't need your crime computer, map, mission journal, or reading any 'go here go there' quest texts.

The system is popular because it works.

A whole demographic of players only plays content for XP.
If you handed this demographic a cheat code to reach 40 instantly, they would all use it
and their would be a lot less players playing anything.

sacerd75 · July 2013

So if I understand you correctly, you don't think that adding supervillians to the powerhouse combat simulator is a good idea. Correct?

chaelk · July 2013

to help with Nextnames explanation.

I have had to tell level 40's how to use the mail boxes and how to get missions because they have spammed their way to 40.
And my favourite, how do I get to Canada.
They are not testing builds as you are, they are doing the quickest way to get to 40. It's unlikely the group spamming alerts even knows there is a combat simulator in the PH.

theravenforce · July 2013

sacerd75 wrote: »

So if I understand you correctly, you don't think that adding supervillians to the powerhouse combat simulator is a good idea. Correct?

Adding Custom options to the Power House Simulator would be a fantastic idea.

However, this would require some additions to say the very least.

For example in Millennium City the PH options are:

-PSI
-The New Purple Gang
-DEMON

In every PH there are only three options, which do not necessarily span the different mobs you may face in that zone.

Example: In Millennium City alone there are:

-PSI
-Purple Gang
-Gadroon
-Fire Demons
-DEMON
-ARGENT
-VIPER
-Cobra Lords
-Escaped Convicts
-Maniacs
-Black Aces
-Red Banner
-Fox Battle Bots
-Dr.Destroyer's Destroid Robots

Only 3 of these factions are covered in PH. And the most they go up to are Master Villain level with a load of adds ranging from Henchmen to Villain.

It would be a good move to add Super Villain options to the PH, being able to test out builds vs signature villains like Medusa, Psimon, Menton, Ripper, Mind Slayer, Armadillo etc would be a great way to breathe some life back into the PH and make it more viable for testing builds.

Also adding Regen Dummies to the PH would be a good idea, instead of Respawning ones.

Back to the OP...I would never waste other people's time testing a build in an alert instance. I cannot imagine why you would do such a thing.

Unless you co-ordinated with other like minded players formed a team of 5 and went into the alert then sure that's good for you, but in general without any testing? Bringing an experimental build into an Alert instance, IMO, is a bad move.

I think adding "Super Villain" Rank opponents to PH Combat Simulator would be a good move, I don't think alert numbers would drop, PH Combat simulator users would increase I think. Hell, it may even prompt everyone to ask for that special combat simulator room in their hideouts to be completed and unlocked so they can fight super villains in their own home

smoochan · July 2013

It's a neat idea. It wouldn't cause alert populations to fall, but it would keep people from having to lock in a build just to test it out against something that isn't gonna die in 5 seconds. The current alternative involves getting a tough friend to come and duel you in the arena.

blumoon8 · July 2013

I thought about the xp alerts too and if new players are spamming it... they may not have as much munies as someone going the traditional path. So there are consequences.

akirasanbeer · July 2013

Throw in a Nems and Alts option; ya know, for ish' and giggles.

slumpywpg · July 2013

what i don't get is why they don't add the comic series, etc.. To the que system.

smoochan · July 2013

slumpywpg wrote: »

what i don't get is why they don't add the comic series, etc.. To the que system.

They would be sort of an odd fit. Everything else in the que is stuff you can do quickly, 15 minutes tops if that. However, I'm all for that standard changing; I certainly wouldn't mind queing up with some randoms, even if we only get the first few parts of the comic series done. When I first started playing CO, comic series/adventure packs were the hot stuff, and that was back when they weren't even all free. Now if I want to run an AP... well, I'm probably doing it alone, or at best with a group that only wants to farm part of it, which isn't much fun.

Even if they added it to the que, that wouldn't necessarily get people to do it more. They should buff up the questionite rewards a bit; that always gets people coming in droves. Running an adventure pack should get more questionite-per-hour than doing the questionite daily on a bunch of alts, there should be recognition involved somehow, and a decent amount of resources to be gained, with the rewards increasing the further you get into the series to avoid people just farming the first part over and over. Throw that in the que, and you'll have people falling all over themselves to get at it.

zahinder · July 2013

90% of what they need to do to fix stuff in this game is either to increase or get around to adding at all questionite rewards.

PvP? Argue what you will about balance and maps, but the fact that PvP is utterly divorced from the questionite system is a huge, massive, WTF.

smoochan · July 2013

zahinder wrote: »

90% of what they need to do to fix stuff in this game is either to increase or get around to adding at all questionite rewards.

PvP? Argue what you will about balance and maps, but the fact that PvP is utterly divorced from the questionite system is a huge, massive, WTF.

It's even more WTF because it's entirely, 100%, purposely so.

zahinder · July 2013

Me, I'm not much for pvp. But I really enjoyed zombie cabin thing (because it was funny and not really arena ish), and I generally enjoy more strategic/cooperative pvp stuff.

On Alert pretty much smothered the casual pvp entirely.

I was a fan of On Alert initially, and now I think it was somewhat of a mistake -- it would have been good as a revitalizing element to segue into more aggressive release of content. It got people interested again, briefly, and there was a window to capitalize on that. But... nothing.

And what's worse is that while On Alert was arguably a good thing for vets (given I don't want to run Canada for the 50th time), it COMPLETELY derailed the new player experience (particularly when combined with the absolutely inexcusable reshuffle to 'westside only until 15th level.')

So you get the case mentioned above, the 'level 40 guys who've never been outside RenCen.'

ariesmajor · July 2013

zahinder wrote: »

Me, I'm not much for pvp. But I really enjoyed zombie cabin thing (because it was funny and not really arena ish), and I generally enjoy more strategic/cooperative pvp stuff.

On Alert pretty much smothered the casual pvp entirely.

I was a fan of On Alert initially, and now I think it was somewhat of a mistake -- it would have been good as a revitalizing element to segue into more aggressive release of content. It got people interested again, briefly, and there was a window to capitalize on that. But... nothing.

And what's worse is that while On Alert was arguably a good thing for vets (given I don't want to run Canada for the 50th time), it COMPLETELY derailed the new player experience (particularly when combined with the absolutely inexcusable reshuffle to 'westside only until 15th level.')

So you get the case mentioned above, the 'level 40 guys who've never been outside RenCen.'

I think what they could have done with XP alerts is allow fresh new accounts that have never made it to level 40 with a super high %XP buff without the crazy 37,000 100,000 etc xp bonus from the !. And for the people with level 40 accounts already give them a smaller %XP buff, but tac on the bonus XP.

jaguar40 · July 2013

slumpywpg wrote: »

what i don't get is why they don't add the comic series, etc.. To the que system.

Hmmm could be good on one hand, might solve the problem of having to find a team if one want and or need one and easier to find others and team up with people who may be "qued" for that same thing.

On the other hand, I hope in that vision it doesn't end up que only and still keep the ability to click on it and go at it solo. Or else, might as well remove Serpent Lantern as it seems the interest in doing that (when trying to form or find a team for it) seem very low and that is one I don't mind doing. Cant say the same for most people.

forrksakesexco · July 2013

slumpywpg wrote: »

what i don't get is why they don't add the comic series, etc.. To the que system.

Maybe they had pity on guys like me who like to solo these things. Maybe they saw how hard it is now to get the Lemurian crisis to pop. Used to be you could go do the LC all by yourself if needs be.

chaelk · July 2013

testing builds... I call that levelling. I adjust as I go.
If it seems a complete disaster at about 35, I wipe the character and start another.

nepht · July 2013

I was in an alert with 2 level 6 infernos and one level 6 Grimore I was totally doing it all we where wining all down to me doing MASSIVE dps.

Guess what I did with 40 seconds left on the clock.

Thats right Kiddos I stopped helping , opened a packed of chips sat back in my super comfy chair and watched the fail unfold

Oh all the wonderful names I was called in the following moments. I love alerts.

xienth · July 2013

nepht wrote: »

I was in an alert with 2 level 6 infernos and one level 6 Grimore I was totally doing it all we where wining all down to me doing MASSIVE dps.

Guess what I did with 40 seconds left on the clock.

Thats right Kiddos I stopped helping , opened a packed of chips sat back in my super comfy chair and watched the fail unfold

[pic]

Oh all the wonderful names I was called in the following moments. I love alerts.

Now that made me laugh out loud.

smoochan · July 2013

nepht wrote: »

I was in an alert with 2 level 6 infernos and one level 6 Grimore I was totally doing it all we where wining all down to me doing MASSIVE dps.

Guess what I did with 40 seconds left on the clock.

Thats right Kiddos I stopped helping , opened a packed of chips sat back in my super comfy chair and watched the fail unfold

[Pic]

Oh all the wonderful names I was called in the following moments. I love alerts.

Proof that level 6s do not cause alerts to fail. Bittervets with too much time on their hands do

clcmercy · July 2013

nepht wrote: »

I was in an alert with 2 level 6 infernos and one level 6 Grimore I was totally doing it all we where wining all down to me doing MASSIVE dps.

Guess what I did with 40 seconds left on the clock.

Thats right Kiddos I stopped helping , opened a packed of chips sat back in my super comfy chair and watched the fail unfold

Oh all the wonderful names I was called in the following moments. I love alerts.

....you really ARE evil incarnate.

sistersilicon · July 2013

nepht wrote: »

I was in an alert with 2 level 6 infernos and one level 6 Grimore I was totally doing it all we where wining all down to me doing MASSIVE dps.

Guess what I did with 40 seconds left on the clock.

Thats right Kiddos I stopped helping , opened a packed of chips sat back in my super comfy chair and watched the fail unfold

[pic]

Oh all the wonderful names I was called in the following moments. I love alerts.

Nepht, that is Incarnate-level trolling. I'm not sure if Foxbat would run in fear or take down his Sapphire posters.

nepht · July 2013

sistersilicon wrote: »

Nepht, that is Incarnate-level trolling. I'm not sure if Foxbat would run in fear or take down his Sapphire posters.

Yeah well Foxbat is getting trolled and not by me. I can tell you a few thing about Sapphire we share the same surgeon.

flyingfinn · July 2013

Yea, sometimes my 2GM runs out of ammo at the crucial moment....I do a lil' dance, maybe some aerobics, load my guns again at the last second...

...and Backflip away.

:cool:

chaelk · July 2013

nepht wrote: »

I was in an alert with 2 level 6 infernos and one level 6 Grimore I was totally doing it all we where wining all down to me doing MASSIVE dps.

Guess what I did with 40 seconds left on the clock.

Thats right Kiddos I stopped helping , opened a packed of chips sat back in my super comfy chair and watched the fail unfold

Oh all the wonderful names I was called in the following moments. I love alerts.

see the cat did it :biggrin:
I 'accidently' say in local..... 'oh god this is gonna hurt' and die a lot.. I have a problem wiht finding my shift key. Which is odd SINCE I HAVE no problems finding the caps lock

or theres the old excuse laaaagggggggg

allthebuckets · July 2013

I second the motion to have Adventure Packs added to some sort of team-up. They could even rotate them in and out on say, a daily basis, with the reward being Questionite, a big XP drop or more resources than you can shake a [insert object here] at ..

As for adding Super Villains to the PH, I don't really use the PH that much. If I get a new power I might go wail on the dummies (I also agree that dummies should Regenerate rather than respawn. Should also have a few immune to knockback). The addition of more groups to the PH training-thingy would also be good, as there is a notable difference between fighting say, VIPER or DEMON.

So I was thinking about alerts...

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