In addition to the stores for the more Common Inspirations, how about a cola vending machine at various locations. Kinda like Nuka Cola works for Fallout.
Healing, Damage, and Accuracy would just be different flavors. The COT version of inspirations would not change, just the venue for buying them. The inspiration shape, name and slot would remain exactly the same. We would just have a more colorful venue.
There could be more locations and cola machines are immersive, normal parts of any city. The vending machines would -NOT- replace the stores, and they could not buy player loot.
AND, we could get an emote for drinking a can of pop to boot. (would not need it to get the healing, just a cool emote)
We could even have a contest to name the various flavors.
What do ya think? Sound fun?
* something like this was mentioned before by some brilliant poster...but I forget his name.
[img]https://s15.postimg.cc/z9bk1znkb/Black_Falcon_Sig_in_Progess.jpg[/img]
Brilliant is a bit OP'd. If he was that brilliant you would remember him. Perhaps pop a can of memory juice.
Liked the idea then and still like it. Good for those of us that like a more immersive feel to the game.
Laidback Lemon with WAY too much caffeine. Speed and Recharge Boost.
You might want to go look up that old thread for the many reasons the forum community and MWM decided against something like this. They all still apply.
I've never even heard that we will be able to buy Reserves (CoT's version of Insps) anyway. I thought we get them from excess Momentum.
Spurn all ye kindle.
The difference here is simply the venue: more locations for the commonest of Reserves. AND the convenience of not having to treck to the ONE zone location to load up.
[img]https://s15.postimg.cc/z9bk1znkb/Black_Falcon_Sig_in_Progess.jpg[/img]
What [b][i]Cinnder[/i][/b] was referring to was that we get [i]reserves[/i] when our built-up momentum bleeds off. So by their very nature, they're non-purchasable.
Having said that, however, if there are consumables in this game then vending machines could be a good way to sell them.
[hr]I like to take your ideas and supersize them. This isn't criticism, it is flattery. I come with nothing but good will and a spirit of team-building. If you take what I write any other way, that is probably just because I wasn't very clear.
Atom Bomb Fizz - hour long boost to Nuka Powers.
Believe me, I can run through greens like candy (I was never that good at dodging), especially during invasions!
Reserves:
Mountain Brew (Green heal)
VOLT Cola (Red Damage)
Lemon Snow (it's lemon flavor - really! Yellow Accuracy)
[img]https://s15.postimg.cc/z9bk1znkb/Black_Falcon_Sig_in_Progess.jpg[/img]
Does it have to be Soda though? Like that's what always weirded me out about DCUO, the thing that can overcharge my hero and mend his very bones, is a cheap soda I can get from a vending machine? Heck why don't normal people use this stuff, like Soder Cola is an ordinary brand in the DCU and it can mend skin and bone like this?
not my video just one I lke ===> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6-SdIN0hsM
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It would explain why superheroes’ friends and loved ones could be knocked unconscious so often without suffering CTE or other long-term neurological trauma.
I thought there weren't going to be inspiration/potion-like consumables in-game - the reserve system kind of precludes them - though I could be mistaken.
A couple of things:
We do have a system for purchasing reserves, but. It the way you think of it. That is part of why the vending machine won’t work .
Another is that vending machines assumes something about the character (well a couple of things).
Which means we have to come up with a way to provide other sources of consumables that don’t make those assumptions and are just as available as a vending machine could be.
That being said, I wouldn’t mind making a vending machine aesthetic for your own base crafted buff station or something if the sort.
[hr]I don't use a nerf bat, I have a magic crowbar!
- Combat Mechanic -
[color=#ff0000]Tech Team. [/color]
That's because normal every day humans tend to be made of tougher stuff than normal humans in our world. It's why The Flash can pick up a bank robber and speed him all the way to jail without the robber disintegrating into a pile of cooked beef from all the friction burn.
not my video just one I lke ===> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6-SdIN0hsM
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Awesome, could be cool if we could also get stuff like hospital beds with robotic arms surrounding them for the self modicators, or like an alter for magic types, or a gym for apex humans that would be cool too :]
not my video just one I lke ===> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6-SdIN0hsM
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Curses! Foiled Again!
and here I thought I was all jiggy with it.
Invasions are gonna be tough without a pocket full of greens. well it was a nice try. Further, this thread did not diverge into another topic altogether. So that is a little victory right there.
[img]https://s15.postimg.cc/z9bk1znkb/Black_Falcon_Sig_in_Progess.jpg[/img]
Summers Kiss (Strawberry) for that special after action victory celebration.
Because of Soder Cola!
*sip* ...Ah!
Refreshing and life-sustaining!
I liked the name "Mountain Brew" for a heal.
"Brew" makes me thing of healing teas and that would be perfect for a respite.
I wonder Tannim, if you could clarify what these assumptions are. I would love to toss some ideas around in this thread if we cant do a vending machine.
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[color=#FF0000]Graphic Designer[/color]
Make mine a 'Doctor Pop', for the extra feelgood flavor.
Be Well!
Fireheart
Character conceptual assumptions:
Don’t assume characters have mouths, heads, can drink, or have hands.
Works concept:
Considering the above, don’t assume that a one size fits all concept such as vending machine fits all concepts. Any one concept of a specific needs to be replicated in such a way to fit many concepts or any one concept should have a wide variety of application.
Consider asset design from 2d to 3d art for such pieces as well as how and where they would fit within the context of the world map.
Functional Design:
Don’t design a system that another system provided a benefit for without sufficient understanding in how it interacts with those systems. How do these function with the game
Mechanics systems? What other systems are required?
Consider the scope of these implications.
[hr]I don't use a nerf bat, I have a magic crowbar!
- Combat Mechanic -
[color=#ff0000]Tech Team. [/color]
Well, the player has hands and a head I would hope... They will just be clicking on the vending machine. Why does it matter if the player's character doesn't have a head? You cant think of every possible character and how they absorb/eat/grab items. Then why have doors if the players' characters may not have hands to open them? does it matter? The actual player will be clicking on it with a mouse.
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[color=#FF0000]Graphic Designer[/color]
But we are going to have a pizza eating emote. and besides people without a mouth don't really have a "say" in the matter.
[img]https://s15.postimg.cc/z9bk1znkb/Black_Falcon_Sig_in_Progess.jpg[/img]
Yeah but drinking soda for your reserves? That's just dumb... that's not really superheroic. Maybe the reserve sellers can be a gym for supers? That way we can pretend that we're trainers with people who know how to train people with super powers, or with mages who can help us learn magic, or martial artists and the like. I mean soda pop? Come on man...
not my video just one I lke ===> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6-SdIN0hsM
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How can I drink soda from a can with two hooks for hands and a fishbowl on my head?
"Let the past die. Kill it if you have to."
No. I just wanted a vending machine to buy inspirations. You would still just click on them to activate. The drinking emote is just a fun emote.
The whole cola theme was just a fun way to sell inspirations that are not going to be needed with reserves. so this thread is moot. I'm just having a bit of fun on a Saturday night.
[img]https://s15.postimg.cc/z9bk1znkb/Black_Falcon_Sig_in_Progess.jpg[/img]
Just so this thread isn't a total loss. I would like to suggest a super themed cola vending machine placed in various interior locations.
[img]https://s15.postimg.cc/z9bk1znkb/Black_Falcon_Sig_in_Progess.jpg[/img]
Really craaaaap…. I wasn't trying to be a buzz kill sorry...
not my video just one I lke ===> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6-SdIN0hsM
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I will likely have at least one robot character who is unlikely to enjoy soda.
He might not even have a head.
Eating pizza emote is superfluous and entirely optional.
Providing a way to obtain buffs that can affect game play has to consider much more when it comes to design and implementation.
[hr]I don't use a nerf bat, I have a magic crowbar!
- Combat Mechanic -
[color=#ff0000]Tech Team. [/color]
We could still have a vending machine but instead of sodas or food it could be patches like a green healing patch that you stick to your arm to get a health boost as it dissolves, or a temporary damage boost for a red patch. But I guess there might be characters that don't have arms. Or skin such as robots...back to the drawing board.
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[color=#FF0000]Graphic Designer[/color]
This seems like it could be an issue far larger than vending machines. All sorts of emotes and animations could be affected by the same character design issues of aesthetic decoupling, even combat animations and idle animations.
To address this, it may make the most sense to have the player answer a few questions in character creation before they enter the game world. Some example questions could be:
Does your character have a face? This effects emotional emotes and other animations which involve facial details, such as using a spyglass or eating
[indent]Yes or No[/indent]
How does your character refuel/recharge?
[indent]Eat and drink normally through mouth[/indent]
[indent]Recharge via a plug[/indent]
[indent]My character needs no external fuel or charge[/indent]
[indent]My character draws sustenance from the environment somehow[/indent]
Which hand does your character use to interact with everyday objects such as phones, food, doorknobs and switches?
[indent]Left[/indent]
[indent]Right[/indent]
[indent]Either[/indent]
[indent]Neither, my character uses powers to interact with the world[/indent] (this would open up an interaction aesthetic design option in the powers customization screen)
Depending upon the answers to the questions would determine which animations and emotes to run, if any, for any given situation.
...Actually, all of these questions don't even need to be questions, they could all be just additional aesthetic options that are included into the character generator.
[hr]I like to take your ideas and supersize them. This isn't criticism, it is flattery. I come with nothing but good will and a spirit of team-building. If you take what I write any other way, that is probably just because I wasn't very clear.
The difference for emotes is that a player usually chooses to do them.
If vending machines are a thing that players have to go to to get a specific thing then that starts raising questions. "Why does my robot have to get a soda for [blank]?"
"Let the past die. Kill it if you have to."
Aye, exactly.
Spurn all ye kindle.
One thing I liked about the Insps that CoX had was that it enable the SuperPacks in some ways. Back when CoX had the SuperPacks, you could get like Insps from them. That was one reason to buy the packs, for some of us. That and the enhancements, and ultra-rare shadow wolf vanity pet.
I'm playing Overwatch now (friends got me to try it), and because they put a lot of thought into game balancing the different characters (except, apparently Winston, who I think really needs a buff, but I digress) they don't have that kind of stuff to put in their loot boxes. Instead you get:
1. voice lines for your character to say (they're all specific characters, you can't really customize them, so they all have their own voice actor who they use to record the lines, and that ain't free)
2. emotes (you can do them in game, if you want to, no combat advantage at all)
3. victory poses (at the end of the match, the winning team get's a glory pic, with each toon doing their victory pose)
4. "Play of the Game" highlight reel intro bumpers (this is a short bit of video of your toon doing something to introduce the Play of the Game video you earned by using your D.Va bomb ult to kill like 3+ people)
5. different skins for the characters (some are just different colors of the same outfit on the same frame, some are different textures and colors)
6. sprays (you can literally hit a button to graffiti up a wall or the ground or whatever, and what you draw is based on which spray you have selected from among the spray patterns you own)
None of that stuff has any in-game benefit to you winning or losing a match, for game balance reasons. They do sell Loot Boxes, I don't buy them for that reason. One of my friends did buy me a bunch of Loot Boxes as a birthday present though.
What I'm getting at is, the Loot Boxes in Overwatch are nice, but probably not worth the money if all you care about is winning and losing. And I mean, Overwatch is JUST a PvP game, nothing more, so really, you only actually attract players who care about winning and losing. Even many of the maps you play on are made symmetric so that no one side has a geography advantage.
So I personally I think the Insps were a good thing to have for CoX when they were trying to sell SuperPacks, because it gave you a good item you could put in there as cheap but useful "filler" for the packs. If you want to sell randomized packs of goodies, you have to have, like, more than one thing in there and it helps of the filler items are at least somewhat useful. If any of that stuff is consumable, or if any of it could be used in any way as currency on the open market, or if you could condense many many useless cheapo items to make one relatively common but useful item, etc, then you've got some filler items you can put in packs as "stocking stuffers" to satiate people's craving for loot while they try to buy packs to get the rarer stuff. I personally like that. Some people think it's the worlds worst ripoff to sell randomized anything, or that every pack should contain the same amount of in-game utility because they all cost the same. I think those people are wrong, and that "randomized" means "sometimes you get a lot more utility, sometimes you don't" but that's just me.
R.S.O. of Phoenix Rising
Radiac, remember that we aren’t going to sell anything in the store that would be perceived as p2w. Even consumables.
Second, loot boxes, even those of the most benign nature such as Overwatch have been met with opposition by some governments. A random pack is no different than a loot box. If that pack provides anything which affects game play, it is generally perceived negatively now.
Side note: You are entirely incorrect about Winston. He is the best dive tank. Learn to use his jump pack for 50 damage on landing+Melee for another 30 and his Tesla gun takes 2 seconds to finish off your typical target. Learn to shield dance. Learn how to use map geometry to jump onto a part of the map which “holds” your jump action and landing on an enemy still does damage.
End side note.
[hr]I don't use a nerf bat, I have a magic crowbar!
- Combat Mechanic -
[color=#ff0000]Tech Team. [/color]
Yeah, part of the trouble with Overwatches loot boxes is that while they may not have pay to win elements in them what they do hold is 100% of the game's progression.
That and they use predatory practices to encourage people to buy them such as items that are only available between set times. Really like this limited offer skin? Better either play a ton to get the handful of free boxes or slam down a huge chunk of change to buy a bunch now on top of the full price you paid for the game.
"Let the past die. Kill it if you have to."
That’s a good point. In a game with no levels, no stats to increase, no story to complete, the only form of advancement becomes the “fluff” you can acquire. When that stuff is behind a random gambling system, you have the same problem every lootbox has. It’s maybe not as bad as the Battlefront 2 fiasco, but not a lot better either.
even if we sell nothing for COT through them I would like Vending Machines with buy and drink emotes. Robots and people without mouths will just have to suffer.
It would just be cool to interact with the environment.
[img]https://s15.postimg.cc/z9bk1znkb/Black_Falcon_Sig_in_Progess.jpg[/img]
If it's just an emote then go for it, and it can be extended to more things than just vending machines. Since it's completely optional I see no problems with those who have a character that can't "use" it.
If they provide something more, like reserve refills, then there should be more options that serve the same function so more character concepts can choose their preferred way of "acquisition".
I mean...an absurd work-around to this would be an option to buy "Universal Substance" in the vending machine as well as whatever soda/oil/etc. A universal substance can work with anyone/anything.
...
...
...
Sarcasm.
Compulsively clicking the refresh button until the next update.
"Universal Substance" would solve one issue but from what I'm reading, they are concerned with how the player's character will interact with the vending machine from buying the item to how they will use the substance without limiting it to a drinking animation...It's kind of out there if you ask me, but I guess people are that particular about their rp experience...
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[color=#FF0000]Graphic Designer[/color]
If nobody cared about an “RP experience” they wouldn’t bother having vending machines anyway. Just make it a menu item in the UI.
Ah, I see. Personally, I think if the vast majority would use it/like it/appreciate it, it should be put in the game. If you don't see how your character could use the vending machine or imbibe whatever you buy, and you are a strict RP'er...don't buy from the vending machine. It won't be, or at least shouldn't be, the only place you can get whatever they sell.
Just because some don't want to use it doesn't mean that can't put it in there for everyone else.
Compulsively clicking the refresh button until the next update.
Completely agree
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[color=#FF0000]Graphic Designer[/color]
Yup. Me too. There comes a time when catering to the special cases (read: meeting 99% of your customer base instead of 95%) becomes just not worth it.
On the other hand, if we can somehow satisfy even the special cases for a minimal effort outside-the-box solution then I'm all for it, because it those little things that really make games special.
[hr]I like to take your ideas and supersize them. This isn't criticism, it is flattery. I come with nothing but good will and a spirit of team-building. If you take what I write any other way, that is probably just because I wasn't very clear.
Or a cola-themed super hero that stocks vending machines and delivers his brand of cola to thirsty drinkers everywhere.
The trick would be making it so that it's not too blatant a rip-off of PEPSIMAN...
….Coca Cola man?
not my video just one I lke ===> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6-SdIN0hsM
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Tell me Dr. Pepper is not a superhero name.
[img]https://i.ytimg.com/vi/apUsi5YYrs8/maxresdefault.jpg[/img]