It takes less than an hour, two tops, to get from level 6 to 10 via standard missions. The gating seems reasonable enough.
I may be wrong, but what level gating XP alerts to level 10 would effectively do though is make it less feasible for people to make multiple silver accounts just to farm for questionite through q-dailies while letting their fresh level 6's get carried while doing so, if the daily consists of completing at least XP alert that is.
No one is even talking about if the gating is reasonable or not
Are the 30+ crowd still going to be downgraded to 30 though? or will the 40's actually be allowed to be 40's this time?
From what I understand it'll still be sidekicking to level 30 for the regular alerts.
However, they were testing out changes to the sidekicking system a while back and said at that time that one consideration was to shift alerts to being level 40. Taking that into consideration, I would not be surprised if they do change alert sidekicking at some point.
Not a typo. This is one of the best changes they've made so far. Maybe people will finally get back out in the zones now.
While I agree with the reward changes, the only reason I currently run so many Smash alerts is because I've done the zone missions so many times now that my eyes bleed whenever I think about starting a new character.
^
THIS. we need more alternate beginning mission content. we need new content in general.
110% agreement there. I don't alert, because of how crappy randomized/losing teams are. I don't mission because all we have is the same linear progression of missions.
Seriously, even adding in a few mini-zones like Queen City, would be nice. Maybe something with Argent or VIPER, in the lower parts of MC, or maybe a little teaser chain for the Gadroon.
(Or maybe something with Mechanon, so all the lore and Snake Gulch missions surrounding him don't feel like wasted potential.)
Just another average RPer, costume part collector, and tabletop gamer.
The more I think about the switch, the more I like it. I like the Grabs way more than the Smashes anyway. Much more varied action. More fun than "run up the middle, hit".
No one is even talking about if the gating is reasonable or not
I welcome it, but I suspect that the reception by the players will be less enthusiastic than ours when they play alerts that are 3-5x longer than current Smashes for less XP.
But leveling in this game has always been easy, and we really don't have much cause to whine about it. That said, as I mentioned on PTS:
In the larger issue of the early game, I'd make the Canada and Desert crises accessible at IL6 and scale down the first few early mission chains (thus giving the player three options for early game open world content). I know that's a lot more work than what you've done or likely want to do, but I think it's worth doing. I'm working on some crunching some numbers to make it a little easier, my preliminary work indicates that they should get heroes to about L13, leaving a gap between 13-15 that would be filled in by alerts.
To fill this gap, I'd also suggest putting together a Project Awakening size lair for Wayland Talos at L13-15; Ravenforce also suggested doing a "Queen City" style pre-MI crisis visit to MI, where you're introduced to Moreau and his creation of the manimals; a small map with 4-5 missions could be a fun way to help bridge any perceived content gap at L13-15).
And while we're at it, how about a mission that introduces Redstone so he's a bit of a bigger deal when you actually meet him? I'd suggest putting this right before "Something Fishy". Perhaps you're invited to a briefing inside inside Steelhead with Derringer (reusing the environment from Whiteout) where you receivea a briefing on VIPER that details nasty agent types, and presents Redstone and Mechaniste as VIPER's two chief operatives in Canada, and maybe mentions Electric Eel to foreshadow the immediate chain.
Make it a cutscene, but a *skippable* cutscene. Provided they are decently acted and written, cutscenes add focus and emphasis, and will make VIPER seem like a bigger deal in general.
I can't blame the players for the knocks, if they'er silver players it's not like they designed the character, and in most alerts knocks are perfectly fine. However when you're trying to beat the clock it's really unfair to the behemoth (who get's unfairly blamed) as well as the rest of the team. Disable knocks and instead give the might characters stacks of enraged whenever they use a knock power.
But I enjoy sending nemesis bosses flying with my Cascade.
"There is only one way to support a PFF tank: Send Cyrone lots of money weekly... because he's the only one to successfully be a true PFF Tank." - chuckwolf
^
THIS. we need more alternate beginning mission content. we need new content in general.
I miss the days of selecting Canada or Desert after tutorial.
"There is only one way to support a PFF tank: Send Cyrone lots of money weekly... because he's the only one to successfully be a true PFF Tank." - chuckwolf
While I agree with the reward changes, the only reason I currently run so many Smash alerts is because I've done the zone missions so many times now that my eyes bleed whenever I think about starting a new character.
Just think about how man MORE times you've run the Smash Alert missions!
Sure, I've run the world missions several times myself. Get's a bit tiring to run them over and over I agree. BUT, I've ran each Smash Alert about 500x OR MORE than I have the World Missions. So I'm more than ready to get back out in the world again.
While I agree with the reward changes, the only reason I currently run so many Smash alerts is because I've done the zone missions so many times now that my eyes bleed whenever I think about starting a new character.
So, you've done the zone missions so many times, but you'll go beat up Black Fang on the Vibora Bay docks 20 more times than the zone missions, and that's okay?
Just think about how man MORE times you've run the Smash Alert missions!
Sure, I've run the world missions several times myself. Get's a bit tiring to run them over and over I agree. BUT, I've ran each Smash Alert about 500x OR MORE than I have the World Missions. So I'm more than ready to get back out in the world again.
I miss the days of selecting Canada or Desert after tutorial.
I look forward to a day when we can pick between Canada, Desert, Vibora Bay, Monster Island, or Lemuria after the tutorial... because I am a hopefilled dumdum s( o 3 o )z
Just think about how man MORE times you've run the Smash Alert missions!
Sure, I've run the world missions several times myself. Get's a bit tiring to run them over and over I agree. BUT, I've ran each Smash Alert about 500x OR MORE than I have the World Missions. So I'm more than ready to get back out in the world again.
Well, yeah. But the only thing that keeps me in the game at this point is trying new power combinations. Smash alerts, while incredibly mind-numbing, at least give good enough experience that I can keep making alts. Which goes back to the initial problem, of course- there's just not enough content, so making new alts IS what passes for content in CO.
I look forward to a day when we can pick between Canada, Desert, Vibora Bay, Monster Island, or Lemuria after the tutorial... because I am a hopefilled dumdum s( o 3 o )z
now that would be good, in the high level areas. Your characters have to sneak around the sidelines, doing minor missions while avoiding the OP mobs.
I welcome it, but I suspect that the reception by the players will be less enthusiastic than ours when they play alerts that are 3-5x longer than current Smashes for less XP.
But leveling in this game has always been easy, and we really don't have much cause to whine about it. That said, as I mentioned on PTS:
In the larger issue of the early game, I'd make the Canada and Desert crises accessible at IL6 and scale down the first few early mission chains (thus giving the player three options for early game open world content). I know that's a lot more work than what you've done or likely want to do, but I think it's worth doing. I'm working on some crunching some numbers to make it a little easier, my preliminary work indicates that they should get heroes to about L13, leaving a gap between 13-15 that would be filled in by alerts.
To fill this gap, I'd also suggest putting together a Project Awakening size lair for Wayland Talos at L13-15; Ravenforce also suggested doing a "Queen City" style pre-MI crisis visit to MI, where you're introduced to Moreau and his creation of the manimals; a small map with 4-5 missions could be a fun way to help bridge any perceived content gap at L13-15).
And while we're at it, how about a mission that introduces Redstone so he's a bit of a bigger deal when you actually meet him? I'd suggest putting this right before "Something Fishy". Perhaps you're invited to a briefing inside inside Steelhead with Derringer (reusing the environment from Whiteout) where you receivea a briefing on VIPER that details nasty agent types, and presents Redstone and Mechaniste as VIPER's two chief operatives in Canada, and maybe mentions Electric Eel to foreshadow the immediate chain.
Make it a cutscene, but a *skippable* cutscene. Provided they are decently acted and written, cutscenes add focus and emphasis, and will make VIPER seem like a bigger deal in general.
um, the canada and desert crisis areas,
desert area Burnside- Talisman still drops her old Level 13 gear reward from when she was level 13 boss mission
Even friggin Kevin Poe gets more screen time than Talisman. Who is supposed to be nemesis to one of the major heroes of the game. We get to fight her once. Ok, twice.
I guess they didn't have time to add more to the Witchcraft plot.
CHAMPIONS ONLINE:Join Date: Apr 2008
And playing by myself since Aug 2009 Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
Well, yeah. But the only thing that keeps me in the game at this point is trying new power combinations. Smash alerts, while incredibly mind-numbing, at least give good enough experience that I can keep making alts. Which goes back to the initial problem, of course- there's just not enough content, so making new alts IS what passes for content in CO.
^ This. And I personally think the roles should play a more important part of the game. There would be more teaming if tanks got fixed (better aggro abilities, more energy, maybe less damage), if healers were more needed (this might require hybrid role to change it's heal bonus to heal other or simply have it smaller), and if the melee/ranged roles had multiplicative bonuses instead of additive, and if some passives in general were role specific. CoH was nice, because usually for the heavier content you needed a tank or brute to tank the super-heavy hits that some of the Super-villains put out. You needed support toons so you could have Fulcrum Shift or Regen debuffing. Because of the setup of this game, a lot of that isn't as needed, though having someone with slightly higher stats in certain areas or certain moves certainly helps.
We would get a lot of content faster if they had players making mission arcs like they did in CoH. The devs in CoH made the missions stay in one place for entrances, but the better mission arcs were able to get normal rewards/exp from running them. If they devs had players submit arcs for possible inclusion in this game, and then let the players and devs work together to decide the best ones to add into the game, we would probably have new mission arcs maybe every month. I think it would work well for the players and the game. Part of the problem now is that it might take weeks for the devs to make a few nicely done missions, but we beat those missions in one night, then complain because we don't have anything new any more. The only way to keep up with people's desire for novelty is to have more people working on content.
^ This. And I personally think the roles should play a more important part of the game. There would be more teaming if tanks got fixed (better aggro abilities, more energy, maybe less damage), if healers were more needed (this might require hybrid role to change it's heal bonus to heal other or simply have it smaller), and if the melee/ranged roles had multiplicative bonuses instead of additive, and if some passives in general were role specific. CoH was nice, because usually for the heavier content you needed a tank or brute to tank the super-heavy hits that some of the Super-villains put out. You needed support toons so you could have Fulcrum Shift or Regen debuffing. Because of the setup of this game, a lot of that isn't as needed, though having someone with slightly higher stats in certain areas or certain moves certainly helps.
We would get a lot of content faster if they had players making mission arcs like they did in CoH. The devs in CoH made the missions stay in one place for entrances, but the better mission arcs were able to get normal rewards/exp from running them. If they devs had players submit arcs for possible inclusion in this game, and then let the players and devs work together to decide the best ones to add into the game, we would probably have new mission arcs maybe every month. I think it would work well for the players and the game. Part of the problem now is that it might take weeks for the devs to make a few nicely done missions, but we beat those missions in one night, then complain because we don't have anything new any more. The only way to keep up with people's desire for novelty is to have more people working on content.
LF2M to be able to do something, need tank and healer... been looking for 2 hours now.
Even friggin Kevin Poe gets more screen time than Talisman. Who is supposed to be nemesis to one of the major heroes of the game. We get to fight her once. Ok, twice.
I guess they didn't have time to add more to the Witchcraft plot.
Kevin Poe gets more screen time because he's farmed for Questionite.
In all seriousness, Talisman could've been an Alert boss, but she's more of a solo villain. It might also be because Witchcraft is one of the less popular Champions:
Defender - BEACONS! PENETRATION!
Sapphire - *drool*
Ironclad - I can has ham? If you thought he was hammy in the tutorial, check him out in MI Crisis!
Witchcraft - ...
Kinetik - z0MG! An NPC with an actual travel power on!
Grind for the Grind God! Tokens for the Token Throne!
Villain-Mart, the only shopping franchise that caters to that diabolic need. This week at Villain-Mart, save 2 dollars on smoke machines when you shop with your CrimeCard and get buy-one-get-one-free on henchmen and scientists. Villain-Mart! You might be criminal, but our prices aren't!
I don't care what the whiners say, this is one of the best changes they've made to improve the game. Those of us who have understood the mechanics know it will help a ton.
Also, to those whining about "this is not fair for {insert name of archetype here}", get a TEAM for crying out loud!
Yes, freeforms can be designed to be solo-play machines of destruction (also note that specialized freeforms outperform jack-of-all-trades freeforms at their specialized functions), but most archetypes are/were designed with teamplay in mind. Why? We used to have a lot more teamplay in this game, until On Alert made it largely obsolete (and not even desirable to for most to explore outside of RenCenter and West Side). Keep in mind that Cryptic wants to sell you Freeform slots or a Gold or LTS membership. (note I've consistently advocated a fair balance between too much pay-to-win and too little, and I'll point out I've been harshly critical of certain pay-to-win things such as Legion Gear only being accessible via lockboxes you must gamble for or trade for somebody else to gamble for you)
I would like to see a return to a focus on teamplay. Especially considering how little new content we're getting, it's far more rewarding and engaging doing missions with a team than alone. (granted you can still do nearly everything solo if you want to prepare for it properly and take your time).
And no I don't think FlyingFinn is being "L2PNOOB", SpinnyTop. I think he's making a valid criticism and it's YOU who is just trying to be contrary because it's your forum persona schtick.
Healers should not be "needed" in CO like they are in other mmos. the holy trinity is a bane.
But healers should be "wanted".
I'm tired of my level 40 dedicated healer only being truly useful or even wanted on a team for the following extremely limited set of gameplay:
Team PvP (where you need somebody who can heal and mitigate damage)
Therakiel (where you need somebody who can resurrect and heal)
Gravitar (where you need somebody who can resurrect and heal, especially because of lockout)
Cybermind, FATAL ERR0R finale (where you need somebody who can resurrect and heal, especially because of lockout)
That's it. Otherwise it's more of a "get off my team if you don't have enough DPS". My dedicated healer doesn't have an "attack" outside of her Teleiosaurus Pheromones. This allows her to be extremely focused on healing, buffing, and debuffing; but comes with the price that she has no "attacks" per se. It also fits the theme and lore of her character perfectly (she won't kill another living being).
Are you trying to say I can't enjoy having a strong healer because you personally dislike the holy trinity design? I find that to be a tad arrogant of you, no offense. Maybe you should outline specific reasons as to why you feel it's a "bane" so I can critique them and show you where there's some things we agree or disagree on.
You've.. played a behemoth... right Finn? They are in fact a wildly perfect example of ATs that are poorly designed for timed Smashes. Telling someone "L2PNOOB" doesn't really change that.
Awright, champ, since asking around or reading threads on the topic is apparently asking too much of you, here's the lowdown:
When you have a charged power that causes knockback, tap it, don't charge it. That'll trigger KB Resist on your target, which will appear as a little yellow box under the target portrait with a picture of a boot in it. Keep doing that until the number on the box is 3. Then cut loose. As long as that says 3, the target's immune to knocking. Also, if anyone has a power that causes knock-up, that helps too - it still triggers Resist.
"Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"
I'm all for healers being wanted. but the way to do that is to change the enemies, not the players.
That's not entirely correct. And more realistically, that's very unlikely to happen (enemy changes).
Consider this... We hoped for NPC AI improvements (i.e.: the enemies work as a holy trinity format with some enemies acting as tanks, others as ranged DPS, and healers keeping the group alive; as an AI functionality) with On Alert's release or at the very least some improvements to the damage output of many enemies. Instead we got alerts with enemies that have buffed up resistance to damage and us players being nerfed down to level 30.
Also based on your original comment I quoted, you are NOT "all for" healers being wanted. You apparently think healers like my Ynnea are "a bane". So please, don't backtrack.
PS, this is Ynnea's build which fits what her character's lore and theme is supposed to be perfectly (she enables others to fight and kill, but will not do any killing herself): PowerHouse(Link to this build)
Name:Ynnea
Archetype:Freeform
Super Stats: Level 6:Presence(Primary) Level 10:Constitution(Secondary) Level 15:Intelligence(Secondary)
Talents: Level 1:The Radiant Level 6:Healthy Mind Level 9:Shrug It Off Level 12:Diplomatic Level 15:Quick Recovery Level 18:Negotiator Level 21:Jack of All Trades
Awright, champ, since asking around or reading threads on the topic is apparently asking too much of you, here's the lowdown:
When you have a charged power that causes knockback, tap it, don't charge it. That'll trigger KB Resist on your target, which will appear as a little yellow box under the target portrait with a picture of a boot in it. Keep doing that until the number on the box is 3. Then cut loose. As long as that says 3, the target's immune to knocking. Also, if anyone has a power that causes knock-up, that helps too - it still triggers Resist.
Knockdowns also applies the stacks.
I make sure to dive straight at the boss with my Beastial toon, hit 'em a few times with tapped Massacres, then let loose with everything as I know they'll be sticking around for a while.
Get's annoying trying to hunt guys around the map. Only a 3 second cooldown on lunge guys, how are you keeping them airborne that much?
Well, yeah. But the only thing that keeps me in the game at this point is trying new power combinations. Smash alerts, while incredibly mind-numbing, at least give good enough experience that I can keep making alts. Which goes back to the initial problem, of course- there's just not enough content, so making new alts IS what passes for content in CO.
The smash alerts are also very quick, especially Siphon Soul, go in defeat the boss and get out. With how quickly I can go in and out, I don't really think of how often I do them. With this change I forsee Fighting city hall to become the new Siphon Soul, while most of the current smashes becoming abandoned for not being worth the hassle.
I can't say the same for the missions. Many of the missions just as mind-numbingly boring, with horrendous writing and unskippable cutscenes. Then you have crypt bay, which is mostly just going into the same crypt map over and over doing almost the exact same thing over and over.
If they want more people to run missions they should fix that first, perhaps raise the xp reward for doing missions to be on part with alerts, and then add more places to go.
I guess the changes make running Nemesis docks Smashes with your not lvl 40 alts kind of pointless... Since those were nice for leveling and you got a nice Qbox as an extra.
Now you get the Qbox and some pocketchange.
...
CHAMPIONS ONLINE:Join Date: Apr 2008
And playing by myself since Aug 2009 Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
I guess the changes make running Nemesis docks Smashes with your not lvl 40 alts kind of pointless... Since those were nice for leveling and you got a nice Qbox as an extra.
Now you get the Qbox and some pocketchange.
...
The change makes a lot of the smash alerts not worth doing, especially with certain bosses. But Nemesis alerts will probably see the biggest impact.
I just can't see point on the whole change.
Nothing was broken, on mission wise. The level changes are nice, those needed to change. Now it's just extra work fixing all the allready made infowindowns and stuff. Taking time away for, like making new stuff.
CHAMPIONS ONLINE:Join Date: Apr 2008
And playing by myself since Aug 2009 Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
Defender - BEACONS! PENETRATION!
Sapphire - *drool*
Ironclad - I can has ham? If you thought he was hammy in the tutorial, check him out in MI Crisis!
Witchcraft - ...
Kinetik - z0MG! An NPC with an actual travel power on!
Witchcraft is the champion I hate the least. Not that I really like her but she did give me missions on two maps so she's the one champion I feel a slight connection to.
They are basically ****ing over the bigger population of players that prefer to run Smashes for XP. Smashes are quicker then those boring Grabs. Then to salt the wound they are nerfing the XP reward gained after the alert (for Grabs now).
Does it end there? Nope we only get 1 alert. So no two grabs, one smash, or two smashes and one burst. If you get stuck with Ao'qephoth Grab, well you got to either do that or wait until it's gone. Let's also not forget ATs will have a blast trying to run through a Grab while dying dozens of times.
But hey, ATs should just gear up some dodge/avoidance for mitigation... oh WAIT we lose that too! Well, how about we start making a balanced team of a tank, healer and DPS.... oh well, that's what we're going to be doing for the next 24 hours... trying to make a team with this small community.
Go and do those missions instead? Oh hell yeah, those missions I already ran dozens of times on multiple characters, gee are we going to get any new zones and new missions to try out after this alert and dodge/avoidance nerf? OH **** NO? Great.
It's funny... I was pretty sure that they were making both these changes - the level gating of alerts, and the change to one of each, rather than a random mix - because the players have been begging for it the whole time I've been here, and for quite some time before.
So yeah. The devs are making changes we asked for, and in doing so are "****ing over the players".
_________________________________________________ @flamingbunnyman in game. Formerly @Roderick in City of Heroes.
Look back at my post did I say anything wrong about the level requirements? Because that's all they should of just changed. I have no problem with that, the problem is what I mentioned on my previous post.
^
THIS. we need more alternate beginning mission content. we need new content in general.
Canada was a great alternative.
As for knock. Its fun to knock. Its fun to watch baddy fly through air. Much more fun than watching them stand still, twitching, while everyone spams big damage power. /goes to add numbers on his calculator weee!
The players have asked for a lot of things both in game and on the forums. I'm not sure if there was a reason to focus on this particular one rather then tackling issues of content first.
That being said, it is possible that they are nerfing the xp rewarded at the end of the grab because of the xp gained for defeating the minions/villains on your way to the end. The only question is, will these cancel each other out or will the lose of xp make grabs sub-optimal in terms of both xp gained and time spent.
The players have asked for a lot of things both in game and on the forums. I'm not sure if there was a reason to focus on this particular one rather then tackling issues of content first.
That being said, it is possible that they are nerfing the xp rewarded at the end of the grab because of the xp gained for defeating the minions/villains on your way to the end. The only question is, will these cancel each other out or will the lose of xp make grabs sub-optimal in terms of both xp gained and time spent.
They're nerfing the mass XP reward, but bumping up the XP boost afterward. This encourages people to actually go out and, you know, play the game instead of leveling all their toons to max in Alerts alone, leaving them at 40 with basic gear and no idea what goes on outside RenCen.
And Slaps, this is indeed a change many people have been begging for. Now, when you get, say, an APB daily, you don't have to spend hours hoping vainly that a Burst will show up to complete your trilogy - one of each type will always be up. And since the Alert itself rotates with a speed based on its popularity (the more people queuing for it, the longer it stays around), you won't have to wait that long until Ao' vanishes again and another Alert comes up without him. And last but not least, by changing which sort of Alert gives XP, which attracts lower-level characters, we reduce the number of people complaining that their Alert failed because the newbs couldn't put out enough damage to win in time.
Gama, I'm glad you're having fun knocking your opponents around the map. Perhaps, though, you could consider just running your solo missions? Because it's a major pain when my Savage Pounces on the target, gets in maybe a slash with his claws, then has to wait until his Pounce finishes its cooldown before he can attack again because the enemy is on the far side of the dock. You're having fun, but nobody else is.
"Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"
Awright, champ, since asking around or reading threads on the topic is apparently asking too much of you, here's the lowdown:
When you have a charged power that causes knockback, tap it, don't charge it. That'll trigger KB Resist on your target, which will appear as a little yellow box under the target portrait with a picture of a boot in it. Keep doing that until the number on the box is 3. Then cut loose. As long as that says 3, the target's immune to knocking. Also, if anyone has a power that causes knock-up, that helps too - it still triggers Resist.
You weren't talking to me, but thank you anyway. This will help me a great deal.
nd last but not least, by changing which sort of Alert gives XP, which attracts lower-level characters, we reduce the number of people complaining that their Alert failed because the newbs couldn't put out enough damage to win in time.
Isn't that allready dealed with level gating?....
So, can we have Nemesis Grabs?....
CHAMPIONS ONLINE:Join Date: Apr 2008
And playing by myself since Aug 2009 Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
A
Isn't that allready dealed with level gating?....
Not really, no. Since the one that gives XP is still gated to 10 (because it's more useful to lower-level toons), if it's a Smash, there'll still be people whining that they lost because the lowbies somehow kept their uberl33t builds from winning.
So, can we have Nemesis Grabs?....
We do already. I've seen them come up.
"Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"
Comments
No one is even talking about if the gating is reasonable or not
My super cool CC build and how to use it.
I just gave my own input regarding the gating. The thread is about the level gating isn't it?
Some folks are talking about the use of knocks in alerts and I'm getting singled out?
I got flak for not staying on topic in another thread, and now I'm getting some for staying within topic in another. Good !@$#ing grief.
From what I understand it'll still be sidekicking to level 30 for the regular alerts.
However, they were testing out changes to the sidekicking system a while back and said at that time that one consideration was to shift alerts to being level 40. Taking that into consideration, I would not be surprised if they do change alert sidekicking at some point.
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While I agree with the reward changes, the only reason I currently run so many Smash alerts is because I've done the zone missions so many times now that my eyes bleed whenever I think about starting a new character.
110% agreement there. I don't alert, because of how crappy randomized/losing teams are. I don't mission because all we have is the same linear progression of missions.
Seriously, even adding in a few mini-zones like Queen City, would be nice. Maybe something with Argent or VIPER, in the lower parts of MC, or maybe a little teaser chain for the Gadroon.
(Or maybe something with Mechanon, so all the lore and Snake Gulch missions surrounding him don't feel like wasted potential.)
Looking for a lore-based Superhero RPSG? Why not http://earth-guard.shivtr.com/?
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I welcome it, but I suspect that the reception by the players will be less enthusiastic than ours when they play alerts that are 3-5x longer than current Smashes for less XP.
But leveling in this game has always been easy, and we really don't have much cause to whine about it. That said, as I mentioned on PTS:
In the larger issue of the early game, I'd make the Canada and Desert crises accessible at IL6 and scale down the first few early mission chains (thus giving the player three options for early game open world content). I know that's a lot more work than what you've done or likely want to do, but I think it's worth doing. I'm working on some crunching some numbers to make it a little easier, my preliminary work indicates that they should get heroes to about L13, leaving a gap between 13-15 that would be filled in by alerts.
To fill this gap, I'd also suggest putting together a Project Awakening size lair for Wayland Talos at L13-15; Ravenforce also suggested doing a "Queen City" style pre-MI crisis visit to MI, where you're introduced to Moreau and his creation of the manimals; a small map with 4-5 missions could be a fun way to help bridge any perceived content gap at L13-15).
And while we're at it, how about a mission that introduces Redstone so he's a bit of a bigger deal when you actually meet him? I'd suggest putting this right before "Something Fishy". Perhaps you're invited to a briefing inside inside Steelhead with Derringer (reusing the environment from Whiteout) where you receivea a briefing on VIPER that details nasty agent types, and presents Redstone and Mechaniste as VIPER's two chief operatives in Canada, and maybe mentions Electric Eel to foreshadow the immediate chain.
Make it a cutscene, but a *skippable* cutscene. Provided they are decently acted and written, cutscenes add focus and emphasis, and will make VIPER seem like a bigger deal in general.
But I enjoy sending nemesis bosses flying with my Cascade.
"There is only one way to support a PFF tank: Send Cyrone lots of money weekly... because he's the only one to successfully be a true PFF Tank." - chuckwolf
I miss the days of selecting Canada or Desert after tutorial.
"There is only one way to support a PFF tank: Send Cyrone lots of money weekly... because he's the only one to successfully be a true PFF Tank." - chuckwolf
Just think about how man MORE times you've run the Smash Alert missions!
Sure, I've run the world missions several times myself. Get's a bit tiring to run them over and over I agree. BUT, I've ran each Smash Alert about 500x OR MORE than I have the World Missions. So I'm more than ready to get back out in the world again.
So, you've done the zone missions so many times, but you'll go beat up Black Fang on the Vibora Bay docks 20 more times than the zone missions, and that's okay?
Yes, it's okay. I do it too. :biggrin:
Oh come on! :P
I look forward to a day when we can pick between Canada, Desert, Vibora Bay, Monster Island, or Lemuria after the tutorial... because I am a hopefilled dumdum s( o 3 o )z
My super cool CC build and how to use it.
LoL, did you not know I was a ninja by day(which usually doesn't work out well for me.)
Well, yeah. But the only thing that keeps me in the game at this point is trying new power combinations. Smash alerts, while incredibly mind-numbing, at least give good enough experience that I can keep making alts. Which goes back to the initial problem, of course- there's just not enough content, so making new alts IS what passes for content in CO.
now that would be good, in the high level areas. Your characters have to sneak around the sidelines, doing minor missions while avoiding the OP mobs.
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desert area Burnside- Talisman still drops her old Level 13 gear reward from when she was level 13 boss mission
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I guess they didn't have time to add more to the Witchcraft plot.
And playing by myself since Aug 2009
Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
^ This. And I personally think the roles should play a more important part of the game. There would be more teaming if tanks got fixed (better aggro abilities, more energy, maybe less damage), if healers were more needed (this might require hybrid role to change it's heal bonus to heal other or simply have it smaller), and if the melee/ranged roles had multiplicative bonuses instead of additive, and if some passives in general were role specific. CoH was nice, because usually for the heavier content you needed a tank or brute to tank the super-heavy hits that some of the Super-villains put out. You needed support toons so you could have Fulcrum Shift or Regen debuffing. Because of the setup of this game, a lot of that isn't as needed, though having someone with slightly higher stats in certain areas or certain moves certainly helps.
We would get a lot of content faster if they had players making mission arcs like they did in CoH. The devs in CoH made the missions stay in one place for entrances, but the better mission arcs were able to get normal rewards/exp from running them. If they devs had players submit arcs for possible inclusion in this game, and then let the players and devs work together to decide the best ones to add into the game, we would probably have new mission arcs maybe every month. I think it would work well for the players and the game. Part of the problem now is that it might take weeks for the devs to make a few nicely done missions, but we beat those missions in one night, then complain because we don't have anything new any more. The only way to keep up with people's desire for novelty is to have more people working on content.
LF2M to be able to do something, need tank and healer... been looking for 2 hours now.
No thanks :O
My super cool CC build and how to use it.
Kevin Poe gets more screen time because he's farmed for Questionite.
In all seriousness, Talisman could've been an Alert boss, but she's more of a solo villain. It might also be because Witchcraft is one of the less popular Champions:
Defender - BEACONS! PENETRATION!
Sapphire - *drool*
Ironclad - I can has ham? If you thought he was hammy in the tutorial, check him out in MI Crisis!
Witchcraft - ...
Kinetik - z0MG! An NPC with an actual travel power on!
sorry... you mean
Sapphire - OHMYGODSHE'SSINGINGTHISISTHEWORSTPAINAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
*head explodes like in Scanners*
Also, to those whining about "this is not fair for {insert name of archetype here}", get a TEAM for crying out loud!
Yes, freeforms can be designed to be solo-play machines of destruction (also note that specialized freeforms outperform jack-of-all-trades freeforms at their specialized functions), but most archetypes are/were designed with teamplay in mind. Why? We used to have a lot more teamplay in this game, until On Alert made it largely obsolete (and not even desirable to for most to explore outside of RenCenter and West Side). Keep in mind that Cryptic wants to sell you Freeform slots or a Gold or LTS membership. (note I've consistently advocated a fair balance between too much pay-to-win and too little, and I'll point out I've been harshly critical of certain pay-to-win things such as Legion Gear only being accessible via lockboxes you must gamble for or trade for somebody else to gamble for you)
I would like to see a return to a focus on teamplay. Especially considering how little new content we're getting, it's far more rewarding and engaging doing missions with a team than alone. (granted you can still do nearly everything solo if you want to prepare for it properly and take your time).
And no I don't think FlyingFinn is being "L2PNOOB", SpinnyTop. I think he's making a valid criticism and it's YOU who is just trying to be contrary because it's your forum persona schtick.
But healers should be "wanted".
I'm tired of my level 40 dedicated healer only being truly useful or even wanted on a team for the following extremely limited set of gameplay:
That's it. Otherwise it's more of a "get off my team if you don't have enough DPS". My dedicated healer doesn't have an "attack" outside of her Teleiosaurus Pheromones. This allows her to be extremely focused on healing, buffing, and debuffing; but comes with the price that she has no "attacks" per se. It also fits the theme and lore of her character perfectly (she won't kill another living being).
Are you trying to say I can't enjoy having a strong healer because you personally dislike the holy trinity design? I find that to be a tad arrogant of you, no offense. Maybe you should outline specific reasons as to why you feel it's a "bane" so I can critique them and show you where there's some things we agree or disagree on.
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!)
When you have a charged power that causes knockback, tap it, don't charge it. That'll trigger KB Resist on your target, which will appear as a little yellow box under the target portrait with a picture of a boot in it. Keep doing that until the number on the box is 3. Then cut loose. As long as that says 3, the target's immune to knocking. Also, if anyone has a power that causes knock-up, that helps too - it still triggers Resist.
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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That's not entirely correct. And more realistically, that's very unlikely to happen (enemy changes).
Consider this... We hoped for NPC AI improvements (i.e.: the enemies work as a holy trinity format with some enemies acting as tanks, others as ranged DPS, and healers keeping the group alive; as an AI functionality) with On Alert's release or at the very least some improvements to the damage output of many enemies. Instead we got alerts with enemies that have buffed up resistance to damage and us players being nerfed down to level 30.
Also based on your original comment I quoted, you are NOT "all for" healers being wanted. You apparently think healers like my Ynnea are "a bane". So please, don't backtrack.
PS, this is Ynnea's build which fits what her character's lore and theme is supposed to be perfectly (she enables others to fight and kill, but will not do any killing herself):
PowerHouse (Link to this build)
Name: Ynnea
Archetype: Freeform
Super Stats:
Level 6: Presence (Primary)
Level 10: Constitution (Secondary)
Level 15: Intelligence (Secondary)
Talents:
Level 1: The Radiant
Level 6: Healthy Mind
Level 9: Shrug It Off
Level 12: Diplomatic
Level 15: Quick Recovery
Level 18: Negotiator
Level 21: Jack of All Trades
Powers:
Level 1: Radiance
Level 1: Conviction (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 6: Compassion (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 8: Aura of Radiant Protection (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 11: Molecular Self-Assembly
Level 14: Iniquity (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 17: Illumination (Brilliance)
Level 20: Ascension (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 23: Masterful Dodge
Level 26: Palliate (Absolve)
Level 29: Redemption (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 32: Ego Sleep (Plagued by Nightmares)
Level 35: Sigils of Radiant Sanctuary (Rank 2, Rank 3)
Level 38: Evasive Maneuvers (Sleight of Mind)
Travel Powers:
Level 6: Athletics
Level 35: Flight
Specializations:
Presence: Repurpose (3/3)
Presence: Selfless Ally (2/2)
Presence: Grandeur (3/3)
Presence: Vulnerability (2/2)
Warden: Fortified Gear (3/3)
Warden: Elusive (2/2)
Warden: Tenacious (2/2)
Warden: The Best Defense (3/3)
Sentinel: Caregiver (3/3)
Sentinel: Sentinel Aura (3/3)
Sentinel: Wither (2/2)
Sentinel: Genesis (2/2)
Mastery: Sentinel Mastery (1/1)
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!)
Knockdowns also applies the stacks.
I make sure to dive straight at the boss with my Beastial toon, hit 'em a few times with tapped Massacres, then let loose with everything as I know they'll be sticking around for a while.
Get's annoying trying to hunt guys around the map. Only a 3 second cooldown on lunge guys, how are you keeping them airborne that much?
Deliciously nutritious!
The smash alerts are also very quick, especially Siphon Soul, go in defeat the boss and get out. With how quickly I can go in and out, I don't really think of how often I do them. With this change I forsee Fighting city hall to become the new Siphon Soul, while most of the current smashes becoming abandoned for not being worth the hassle.
I can't say the same for the missions. Many of the missions just as mind-numbingly boring, with horrendous writing and unskippable cutscenes. Then you have crypt bay, which is mostly just going into the same crypt map over and over doing almost the exact same thing over and over.
If they want more people to run missions they should fix that first, perhaps raise the xp reward for doing missions to be on part with alerts, and then add more places to go.
Now you get the Qbox and some pocketchange.
...
And playing by myself since Aug 2009
Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
The change makes a lot of the smash alerts not worth doing, especially with certain bosses. But Nemesis alerts will probably see the biggest impact.
Nothing was broken, on mission wise. The level changes are nice, those needed to change. Now it's just extra work fixing all the allready made infowindowns and stuff. Taking time away for, like making new stuff.
And playing by myself since Aug 2009
Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
Witchcraft is the champion I hate the least. Not that I really like her but she did give me missions on two maps so she's the one champion I feel a slight connection to.
Does it end there? Nope we only get 1 alert. So no two grabs, one smash, or two smashes and one burst. If you get stuck with Ao'qephoth Grab, well you got to either do that or wait until it's gone. Let's also not forget ATs will have a blast trying to run through a Grab while dying dozens of times.
But hey, ATs should just gear up some dodge/avoidance for mitigation... oh WAIT we lose that too! Well, how about we start making a balanced team of a tank, healer and DPS.... oh well, that's what we're going to be doing for the next 24 hours... trying to make a team with this small community.
Go and do those missions instead? Oh hell yeah, those missions I already ran dozens of times on multiple characters, gee are we going to get any new zones and new missions to try out after this alert and dodge/avoidance nerf? OH **** NO? Great.
In other words we're ****ed.
So yeah. The devs are making changes we asked for, and in doing so are "****ing over the players".
@flamingbunnyman in game. Formerly @Roderick in City of Heroes.
@flamingbunnyman in game. Formerly @Roderick in City of Heroes.
Canada was a great alternative.
As for knock. Its fun to knock. Its fun to watch baddy fly through air. Much more fun than watching them stand still, twitching, while everyone spams big damage power. /goes to add numbers on his calculator weee!
That being said, it is possible that they are nerfing the xp rewarded at the end of the grab because of the xp gained for defeating the minions/villains on your way to the end. The only question is, will these cancel each other out or will the lose of xp make grabs sub-optimal in terms of both xp gained and time spent.
VARIANT
"Nearly all men can withstand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
-Abraham Lincoln-
Word. Death to the Holy Trinity.
Although how aggro works here could probably take a look...
And Slaps, this is indeed a change many people have been begging for. Now, when you get, say, an APB daily, you don't have to spend hours hoping vainly that a Burst will show up to complete your trilogy - one of each type will always be up. And since the Alert itself rotates with a speed based on its popularity (the more people queuing for it, the longer it stays around), you won't have to wait that long until Ao' vanishes again and another Alert comes up without him. And last but not least, by changing which sort of Alert gives XP, which attracts lower-level characters, we reduce the number of people complaining that their Alert failed because the newbs couldn't put out enough damage to win in time.
Gama, I'm glad you're having fun knocking your opponents around the map. Perhaps, though, you could consider just running your solo missions? Because it's a major pain when my Savage Pounces on the target, gets in maybe a slash with his claws, then has to wait until his Pounce finishes its cooldown before he can attack again because the enemy is on the far side of the dock. You're having fun, but nobody else is.
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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You weren't talking to me, but thank you anyway. This will help me a great deal.
So, can we have Nemesis Grabs?....
And playing by myself since Aug 2009
Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
We do already. I've seen them come up.
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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And playing by myself since Aug 2009
Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
On it. Ima pointing my orbital ray of slight deathy death at WW, Bats and Supes as we speak >:C
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!
"Need healorz stat."