I'm sure everyone has heard of this, or if they haven't, chrono trigger is a pretty good example, perhaps great. Though a lot of games don't use this mechanic, I think it may help in replayability with CoT.
In DDO there's reincarnation, which can happen whenever. I don't really want this, just let us respec. But if you've played through blah, character and want to play through some other set combination of powers and keep some awesome, New Game Plus.
Perhaps it isn't a total new game, for instance you want to have the new power set that's New Game Plus only, level down to 20, pick it or respec into it. Though complete new game plus could yield specialty sets maybe. Your 'gear', enhancements, whatever, depends on what you want to do.
Personally I had a mixed feeling about crafting. I think crafting can be done sensibly and fun, and have seen it. Usually by using parts that are used across objects, obvious and have some manner of puzzling to them. Recipes could do this, A diagram and an 'unlock' for purple content, maybe making without from memory gains a different variety? I dunno. I wanted crafting that had quality and quantity, this is getting to what would happen to your stuff. If you keep a set you had before, or switch to a new one, keep the applicable enhancements for later if they were so great. Maybe you have a few awesome sets. The rest would be broken down into parts and recipes, or kept as enhancements. Any you kept in powers could be bound-graded? Basically you get the bonus of the set and the pieces, but a little lower to keep you on par with the top tier or lowbies, though if you take them out and sell them they can still do that, but you can't put them back in.
I wasn't a fan of VEATS and HEATS, mostly because I had trouble getting into the lack of flavor? I mean, there was plenty of variety in what they could do, sort of, but they weren't as what I wanted. Ideally there could be things fit into this category, maybe your character has good rep with TCPD, and you unlocked something special. I know we're getting a lot of customization here, but sometimes there's something iconic made in a game that feels like you want to be a part of it. (One instance of this is kind of the lantern corps thing, which I kind of like in notion, but can't get into DCUO)
You'd also keep all your inf and other things, super group rank, whatever, you could rename if you chose completely redesigning you character, since it's in some ways a special new game rewarding those who got to the end, but also lets you alt out if you want to make a new one. I personally only got two fifties, but made sooo many alts...
Why bother recycling an old character, when you can have the excitement of a brand new character? There's no need for conservation of 'progress'. Mail the new character a couple-thousand credits and Go... Hunt... Kill Skuls!
Be Well!
Fireheart
i like New Game Plus my not like other peoples make lots characters i play wow ff14 or star wars online i have 2 or 3 characters to make craft items
whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster and when you look into the abyss, the abyss also look into you, -Friedrich
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I play DDO and never use reincarnation because the idea is utterly repulsive to me but that's just me. All the other guys in my guild do it and some on their 5th or 6th life. If people want it let them but don't make the rewards so great that you'd be an idiot not to do it.
Crafting in Coh was easier to figure out than DDO but a lot harder to get the ingredients. I like the fact that in DDO there are some common ingredients used in many recipes.
In both COH and DDO I feel like there are just too many steps and I'd rather not do any crafting if I didn't have to but both games pretty much made you have to.
Frankly I think crafts should be only for certain character types, and they should be a way for those classes to activate their own abilities not a way to make enhancements that you pass around or sell. Reed Richards doesn't sell unstable molecules to get rich and Tony Stark doesn't pass out suits of armor to his friends. If you can craft stuff for other people to use they should always be temporary powers.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse/pub/3185/Crusader-Game-Books
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC48O9dPcNVdeyNM4efAvX6w/videos?view_as=subscriber
I never got very far into DDO, I'm curious as to why you find the idea so repulsive, just for understandings sake.
For me it's the ability to keep all the work you put into the character and redefine them, or increase or change their capabilities. It's like a Respec but with the work of leveling again.
As for the crafting aspect, which I've never brought up previously. CoH had a moronic crafting system. I agree that certain characters should /could use it as a means to interact, though Reed Richards definitely made money from his inventions. I felt like the components made no sense, the results made no sense, they just arbitrarily threw it in. I don't know anything about DDO crafting, while I agree it shouldn't be a necessity, you should be able to get your sets or whatever the way you want, if it can be made, it can be found. I thought that CoH was too simple, get these things and click a button and you got a thingeh! Nevermind how the thing works, why you know how to make it, etc. I don't want it to just be a distraction either though, oh, I'm gonna go craft for awhile, making no progress on character or etc. Somehow it needs to relevant and useful but not intrusive and cumbersome.
As for the point that you could just make a new character, that's not really the point here. The point is to get something cool for getting your character to completion that you can use and there. Eh, it's a silly idea outside of single player I imagine.
Why do I find it repulsive? Well, as you said, it's like a respec but with the work of leveling again.
The point should be you get something for getting your character to completion. And I would like that But it's not that at all.
You have to start over, and this time the XP requirements for leveling are higher, and yeah you have improved ability scores but they don't make up for having to go through the whole game again.
I'd rather just let my 28th level paladin keep playing and passing stuff through the bank to my other toons
As for crafting do you like my suggestion that crafting be for specific classes?
Oh and Reed did get rich off his inventions but we're never told what inventions he sold or to whom and we don't see other superheroes in the marvel universe going down to Best Buy to get their Mr. Fantastic Essential Superheroing Kits or any other standardized superhero stuff. So I don't think he's done the kind of thing COH or DDO crafting suggests.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse/pub/3185/Crusader-Game-Books
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC48O9dPcNVdeyNM4efAvX6w/videos?view_as=subscriber
Crafting is a big debate much like the Auction House is. It's one of those Reality vs. Fantasy arguments. I also believe there is a separate thread for crafting as well. So you might want to try to look that thread up and read the arguments for or against it there and insert your opinions about it there as well.
I got chills! They're multiplyin'. And I'm losin' control. Cuz the power, I'm supplyin'. Why it's ELECTRIFYIN'!!
Paladin: Ahh, I can somewhat see where you're coming from in that case. I don't see it that different from making a new alt, and though my experience with DDO wasn't bad per se, I wouldn't want to go through it more than once, maybe twice.
As for the suggestion that it should be class based, I don't necessarily agree there. Classes are a framework to categorize the combat capacity of the character for the most part, not their means or capacity. I really think that there should be some kind of growth mechanic. Mutants get stronger cause their mutantation gets stronger, or they learn to use it, techs get better by building something, Science origins get things by making a better Mr. Hyde potion, or what have you. Though having all these seperate methods for character progression thematically make sense, mechanically I'm not sure they can.
We've been told that the Non-Combat Powers framework seem to include a lot of things, I'm not sure this would be something that fits there. The next question would be asked, how do we make scientists and techies able to build or craft to improve themselves? It really just comes down to the already logical ideas of gear and such, which also have to be universal. No we don't see Cyclops or Superman modifying their genome to improve their powers, but we do see them getting fancy glasses or suits.
Static: Ah, never intended it to be about crafting, more about the ability to revert an old character to a new one and keep all your stuff. Kinda mutated into that inadvertently, since I mentioned crafting... Woops
One that we do know of is the unstable molecule cloth. There was a story arc where the FF was in financial trouble because Sue, while under the influence of her evil side, had released the patent for Reed's unstable molecule cloth into the public domain and they weren't getting money from it anymore.
That's Hilarious
As for the reason I prefer to keep my 28th level toon and start playing another lowbee, instead of reincarnating my 28:
I can keep playing as a 28th level toon from time to time, getting rewards for epic missions and passing money through the bank to help my lower level toon. or I can have a lower level toon with slightly higher stats and a bank full of stuff I'm no longer high enough level to use.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse/pub/3185/Crusader-Game-Books
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC48O9dPcNVdeyNM4efAvX6w/videos?view_as=subscriber
Ahh, that's really useful information! I did think of a possibility...
Crafting, investigating, scavenging and another skill could be a catch all power? It's an interactive non-combat power that lets you use it under certain circumstances, let's be clear, these are not powers, these are loot or progression non-combat powers. In this case you get the capability to either unlock a hidden potential to a power by getting an augment or something, or you just get EXP, or you just get cash.
Lets look at all the ways a character can advance and lump them all in as that. You're advancing, you're either working on a work bench, or you're clicking on a dumpster, or you're beating up a robot and tearing out it's robotic heart! Whatever. Basically these powers let you flavor how you could get your augments and enhancements, not ALL of them, but a good number of higher value items, no crafting supplies needed, you flavor it with a few options, or have the interaction menu unlock more options or 'powers' as you go. First you're just scavenging, then you're fabricating, then you're inventing! Or whatever.
Basically you would get to pick a classification of interactive objects, what your glowies look like to you. They're the same glowies as everyone else can access overworld, but to YOU they look like a pile of bananas, because bananan's are good, and maybe you get powers from radioactive bananas... Dunno. Essentially the only time anyone else see what you're doing, is if you're using it. There could be group and single player nodes that are effective invisible, non-rendered, to anyone who doesn't want to flavor their progress, just run through.
I have mixed feelings about Firehearts thoughts on sending a new toon credits, and material, or whatever passes for currency in game. Saw a lot of what could be abuse and new player envy in CoH and Champions because of that. Could potentially be a turn off for new players, seeing a low level high roller all geared out.
Finding and/or Crafting upgrades for powers is, I believe, one of the biggest draws to CoT for me. Great idea, LeadWanderer!
Capt Odee, saving the city one click at a time.
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Gearing out a Low level toon was a No No. In just 1 hour you already out-leveled the enhancements. Not worth it. :/
Yeah, before level 20 mostly all I ever geared my alts with was ACC and End reduction. This was mostly cause I spent most of my high level characters inf finishing their build or making costumes. Finishing a build was an arduous task since playing the market was a minigame in and of itself and there was no way to compete with farming. I want there to be a market, an economy within a game is a way to keep it thriving from what I've seen.
The powers I suggested earlier would be a good way to get the things a new player needs and progress their build gradually over the course of their 'career', it also removes the issue or illogical crafting materials but leaves it so that you can't simply pull an enhancement out of thin air. The first of these could simply be a collection method to get your gear at lowby level, the next would essentially introduce you to 'crafting' where you drop a glowy that's your crafting station, or go to a relevant crafting station for your progression choice. Here you basically play a minigame where skills that can be useful to other aspects of the game can be sharpened and honed. If you're not good at it don't sweat it because the law of averages will eventually lead you to something you want or need.
I'm not really sure how to progress the idea too much further, the first ability would have to scale so that basics you pull out of whatever are still viable, the next power could probably work by 'combining' your enhancements and such and then turning them into something useful, or a hybrid enhancement. That way you have a closed system in essense, enhancements become enhancements, augments become augments and no one has to worry about whether they collected three thousand snaptooth hats, or whatever might make a damage enhancement.
I used my low-level IOs (level 10, 15, etc) on my new alts. That'd keep them more-or-less enhanced til they hit the point where SOs were an option. I had tons of them from when I got the crafting badges on my crafting alt, and after those ran out whipping up a new batch was simple enough and let me get badges on other characters.
I have no problem with transferring funds (influence, enhancements, etc) to new characters. I tended to swing by Atlas Park and hand out whatever level 50 SOs I had on me to whatever new hero I could find to fund their new career. Just as easy as selling them and more satisfying.
I only ever send alts cash. Not that will always use it, but sometimes, just sometimes it comes in handy. I generally try to keep alts self sufficient, because if I find it hard to level up X/Y/Z because they are always short on funds, then in my mind I am either doing something wrong OR there is something broken with the game.
And for all the hate that "repair costs" get in other MMO's, I have yet to actually be broke through it.
That is not to say that I didn't play more carefully, I might do that. But not because of repair costs. I played carefully in CoX as well... and that was because debt (at the start) actually made it harder to level
Before Flashbacks, I actively worked to keep my XP debt bar filled, just so I wouldn't outlevel content. :)
By the time I learnt about that "workaround" for content, I had already hit the level cap, so it was pointless for me. And running content in an empty SG was not my idea of "fun". Course, it didn't help us EU players that we didn't get global chat channels until after the Americans (by several months)
ohhh, was that for the Portable Workbench!
Mannnn.. that was a Pain in the a$$ to get. I tried it once... and after a few days i said to myself "Gawd... I Need a Life!" :P
Took me a day or two and a boat load of inf to do it. But it wasn't all that bad, especially if you bought the materials you needed in bulk
Yep, the Portable Workbench. I certainly didn't get it on every alt, but it wasn't too troublesome to get. Of course, I'd been slowly buying everything I needed in bulk until I had all of the ingredients, then burned through it all in an orgy of crafting exuberance.
Was nice to have, but I think only 2 alts had it. For everyone else, I just ported to the SG base.