Announcements
Join the ongoing conversation on Discord: https://discord.gg/w6Tpkp2
Please read the current update for instructions on downloading the latest update. Players with Mac versions of the game will not be affected, but you will have a slightly longer wait for your version of the new maps. Please make a copy of your character folder before running the new update, just to make sure you don't lose any of your custom work.
It looks like we can give everyone a list of minimum specs for running City of Titans. Please keep in mind that this is 'for now' until we are able to add more graphics and other system refinements. Currently you will need :
Windows 10 or later required; no Intel integrated graphics like UHD, must have AMD or NVIDIA card or discrete chipset with 4Gb or more of VRAM
At least 16GB of main DRAM.
These stats may change as we continue to test.
To purchase your copy of the City of Titans Launcher, visit our store at https://store.missingworldsmedia.com/ A purchase of $50 or more will give you a link to download the Launcher for Windows or Mac based machines.
Yup. I think we all have stuff that won't be there at launch, but is on the list. The main thing at this point is to make sure there's a game for them to add it to.
Global: @Second Chances
SG: Fusion Force
"And it's not what I wanted
Oh no, it's not what I planned
See it's not where I thought I'd be
It's just where I am"
@DeathSheepFromHell:
By my count there are still a lot of man hours in the stretch goals that directly compete with development time that could have been put towards Masters, but please, explain to me if I'm mistaken in this list:
Wings at $550,000 and Tails at $950,000 demand additional engineering, modelling, and rigging time to add additional movement states and animation blending for what is probably close to every single animation in the game.
More Power! at $600,000 is at least 5 additional complete powersets, at least one for each Classification. That's work in the pipeline of absolutely everyone as well, is it not?
Double your Boom! at $750,000 is... literally doubling the number of "classes" by adding an additional Specification to each Classiciation. I have a hard time understanding how this by itself isn't more work than Masters.
And between there and the 1m goal of Masters is also two additional complete zones. Maybe not a lot of Engineering work, but that's an awful lot of art and design time.
The AI issue is a more distinctly Master specific problem, but it's a problem that, in my opinion, you should really consider not delaying. In 2004, when City of Heroes launched, rudimentary, uncontrolled pet AI was already starting to look a little dated. In today's market, relatively sophisticated controllable pets have gone from a luxury to an expected staple of the MMO genre; World of Warcraft made it mainstream in late '04, CoV caught up in late '05, and contending against games like SWTOR and Neverwinter where every character has a decently managed AI companion, not to mention whatever else may come about before you launch, is going to have people criticizing you pretty heavily for this decision.
I will be the first to admit that I haven't gotten to work on a modern AI system yet, but I would imagine given the resources out there, especially for UDK, that there are probably also cookbooks available to drop in the framework for at least a basic, passable controlled AI. Lord knows Cryptic/Paragon didn't have the most cutting edge work in the world. We made do with extremely buggy and erratic pets for years, you don't really have a high target to hit for playability, and it would be a small price to pay if it meant the class could at least exist. I'd even settle for uncontrolled pets to start with, under the premise that they would become controlled down the line after further engineering resources could be dedicated to making it work.
@SyntaxError37, as I already said, Blast/Support is a LOT closer to Blast/Manipulation than... nothing... to Pets/*
I've never "got into" the MM style of play, but when Masters are released, I will.
Fantastic post, DSFH. Thanks!
[img]https://i.imgur.com/26pBVBG.png[/img]
([i]Currently developing the Sapphire 7 Initiative[/i])
/^_^
Foradain, Mage of Phoenix Rising.
[url=https://cityoftitans.com/forum/foradains-character-conclave]Foradain's Character Conclave[/url]
.
Avatar courtesy of [s]Satellite9[/s] [url=https://www.instagram.com/irezoomie/]Irezoomie[/url]
Maybe close is good enough for you. For him blast/support is as close to what I would want as melee/defense. But you are missing the point of my comment. It's more than just MM lovers who will (probably) have to go without their favorite combination, or at least the one that would best fit resurrecting their mains. Would I love for pets/* to be there at launch, yes, of course! But I am also pragmatic enough to understand why they are not, even without getting an explanation from a dev.
Both my main hero and villain were not my first characters I rolled up in CoX, I believe they were 4th and 2nd respectively. Who's to say of the alts you would make waiting for your operator one of them may not become your main in CoT?
-----------------------------------------
I never set anything on fire accidentally!
The Titan Legacy - Defender of the Inner Flame
Now that I've had some time to get around to actually looking into all of the updates (I have twins at home that take up most of my free time these days), here are my answer's to Warcabbit's questions:
The [url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/missingworldsmedia/the-phoenix-project-city-of-titans/posts/616095]first[/url] update, and the [url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/missingworldsmedia/the-phoenix-project-city-of-titans/posts/622169]ninth[/url] one. Just showing a single person, a fan of City of Heroes, giving a heartfelt soliloquy and monologue about who you are, what you want, and where you are going, did more for my desire to support this project than any other update. This is what I want to see more of, the real people behind the scenes, their personalities and their interests. The game City of Heroes was great, but it was the COMMUNITY that it spawned that was the real gem. Which is [url=http://www.philotix.net/forum/]why I tried to salvage what little part of that community that I could on my own tiny slice of the web.[/url]
Probably [url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/missingworldsmedia/the-phoenix-project-city-of-titans/posts/626654]number 13[/url], because I can see a future where a single server goes down, and then I can't go into the zone that I want to when I want to. All the other zones may be open, sure, but what if I need that one single zone to get the thing/story/completion that I need? I LOVE the idea of no shards and a giant all inclusive game world, but I would rather you setup the servers in some sort of "RAID" type fashion (RAID as in hard drive, not RAID as in WoW end game content), where a single server doesn't completely control everything, and there are multiple redundancies so that when one server goes down, there's one or two others ready to pick up those functions/zones/whatever.
Not really, I think you do a fantastic job of explaining yourselves in a clear and concise manner. It is much appreciated.
Cowbell!
Heh, I'd actually like to see more updates about the gameplay mechanics, power structures, and the functioning parts of the games. How missions will work, how the auction house will work, how powers will work, etc. etc. Nuts and bolts stuff, as it becomes available.
I'm not a big art person, so I trust what you will do. I don't need to see any more of that, but what was there looked really good. I especially liked [url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/missingworldsmedia/the-phoenix-project-city-of-titans/posts/641418]update # 30[/url] as a great sneak preview of what the character creator may be capable of. I'd like to know if it will be possible to "stick on" decals, rather than just shifting things around on the character frame. Because that would be awesome, to be able to "make your own pattern" by taking a basic color, and sticking on decals/shapes in strategic locations.
Mostly though, I'm all about lore and story, not art. However, there is a caveat to that: I also like to be surprised. So most of the lore updates, I will probably try to ignore or just skim, because otherwise it's like spoiling a good book. I'd rather experience it myself in-game and be pleasently surprised.
Absolutely! I'd like to see more of the game engine in ACTION!
Meh, you're talking to the guy that still watches his grainy VHS tapes of mid-80s fansubbed anime, so I don't care too much for fancy technology displays. I care about content, not pizzazz.
As I said above, I'd rather be surprised by what I will run across and see it for the first time in-game.
A little bit here and there, but mostly in the form of...
THIS! [url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/missingworldsmedia/the-phoenix-project-city-of-titans/posts/631801]Update #19[/url] was probably my favorite "non-personnel" based update. I adored what you all did with viewing the game world from a single person's perspective, and I'd love to see a whole lot more like that, from other citizens' perspectives, both powered and non-powered.
More Easter Eggs and pop-culture references?
As a Kevin Smith fan, I would say yes, cram as many as you can in there. Even if they become outdated, they will just remain more precious as time capsles of a bygone age. I still laugh during Seed of Chucky when Chucky runs the Britney-clone off the road, and quips "oops, I did it again!". In 20 years, none of the kids will get that joke, but it will still make me smile.
Final notes: I have always been a story-monger first and foremost. One of my biggest gripes about CoH was that the team would leave entire story arcs uncompleted, just to move on to work on the next big shiny. I didn't get any real resolution of or exploration of the massive Shadow Shard zones, because they wanted to work on "new" Preatorian content which retconned existing characters. If you can give me your word that you will never start an NPC's story arc without finishing it, and won't make a zone just to leave it decay and forgotten while new zones keep popping up, you will have my support forever.
Final final note: I've got a gripe with [url=http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/missingworldsmedia/the-phoenix-project-city-of-titans/posts/629385]Update # 17[/url], as I feel it is still FAR too simplistic to try to explain morality. There are so many more dimensions that a fan made game like this could realize. When I went to college, I was dual majoring in Computer Information Systems and Philosophy. I was a couple of credits short of my dual Bachelors in philosophy, but it wasn't because I didn't want it, it was because I ran out of time. I LOVE philosophy, and waxing poetic about the complexities of morality. I'd like to work with the team on this some more, if anyone wants some more input on that aspect.
I don’t know if this person (the writer of the linked article) was paid to write a smear article against MWM and CoT, but clearly he hasn’t been following the nearly-one-year-old community conversation that has been generated. Also, the fact that there’s been no response from the author to any of the comments is telling for me …
Plus, this is an investment to help ramp up the launching of the game. All the information in this post is straight from the KS page -- It was there for you to read before you made your investment. By investing you're saying you believe in the people creating this game. Why would you let some random blogger derail your belief in the MWM team? For that matter, why would you make a fear-mongering post like this in the first place?
[hr]
[center][img]https://googledrive.com/host/0B9gVpwCfM5l0TmJSRE5kbFVLV0k/Wanderer-of-phoenix-rising-sig-w-phoenix.jpg[/img]
Join [url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/phoenix-rising-initiative-0]The Phoenix Rising Initiative[/url] Today![/center]
Even the title of the interview article tells me the guy's intent is to slam the project. It's only "controversial" because someone told him its controversial.
You could call any Kickstarter project "controversial" ... but it's not a controversy. Its a CHOICE.
Everyone who participates in a Kickstarter project does so because something about the presentation of the project speaks to them. I've noticed that most Kickstarters tend to be well thought out and well depicted on their home pages. MWM has gone above and beyond in their openness about how the funds are expected to be used. Plus there's been almost a full year of discussions on blogs leading up to the Kickstarter launch. I'm fully convinced that the people at MWM are going to give every effort they can to make CoT a reality.
Does that mean there's no risk? Of course not. But unless the people who launch the Kickstarter deliberately lie in their presentation, then regardless of the outcome, a person who chooses to invest in that project is doing so by choice.
I am positive backing City of Titans is one of the best CHOICES I've ever made (when it comes to gaming experiences, that is ^_^)
[hr]
[center][img]https://googledrive.com/host/0B9gVpwCfM5l0TmJSRE5kbFVLV0k/Wanderer-of-phoenix-rising-sig-w-phoenix.jpg[/img]
Join [url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/phoenix-rising-initiative-0]The Phoenix Rising Initiative[/url] Today![/center]
No, your point was not lost on me. I made your point before you did. Masterminds are not the only City of Heroes Archetype not represented perfectly by the starting lineup of Classifications and Specifications.
You'd better believe close is good enough for me when the alternative is nothing. That's the alternative for Mastermind players right now: nothing. That's my problem with the launch plan, and apparently you're the one missing the point.
Yes, alts are an option, but none of the other Archetypes have the same draw because none of them are even close to unique. You'd be harder pressed to find an MMORPG that [i]doesn't[/i] have Ranged Damage, Ranged Support, Melee Tanks, Melee Damage, and Crowd Control. These concepts are a dime-a-dozen in AAA titles. The reasons I loved City of Heroes were the things that made it [b]different[/b] from other games, not what made it the same, and they're the same things that I'm hoping to get out of City of Titans. If that doesn't happen, there are plenty of other games to play.
I sympathize ... I do this, and still have my "lost server connection" screenshot as my Facebook panel.
[hr]
[center][img]https://googledrive.com/host/0B9gVpwCfM5l0TmJSRE5kbFVLV0k/Wanderer-of-phoenix-rising-sig-w-phoenix.jpg[/img]
Join [url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/phoenix-rising-initiative-0]The Phoenix Rising Initiative[/url] Today![/center]
I want to second this sentiment and throw in an addendum: CoX's best decision, IMO, was the Ouroboros project.
As a casual gamer, one of the things I disliked about the game's progression was A) There were badge hunting bonuses that required getting a specific mission at a specific level, which could easily be either 1) outleveled or 2) missed because you picked the wrong contact. And B) the major updates where things changed so much that content was removed. Even though I started playing about three months after CoH's launch, I was unable to finish some of the story arcs I started due to updates that killed my story arc. Also, a couple of my favorite arcs were unavailable to alts because of this.
But Ouroboros (along with dynamic sidekicking) solved all of this, by allowing any character to participate in any mission throughout the game's history (if the character qualified of course). I had fun going back and doing old favorites, and checking out missions I was never able to do.
And, of course, completing arcs I was cut off from the end of.
Anyway, all this is just to say, once you get things going, before you make any wholesale changes to the world, make sure you give us a way to continue to experience everything that's come before.
Thanks!
[hr]
[center][img]https://googledrive.com/host/0B9gVpwCfM5l0TmJSRE5kbFVLV0k/Wanderer-of-phoenix-rising-sig-w-phoenix.jpg[/img]
Join [url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/phoenix-rising-initiative-0]The Phoenix Rising Initiative[/url] Today![/center]
I agree with that, with the proviso that there are also plenty of MMORPGs that have "pet classes" that do about as well at delivering the CoH experience that they do with those other things you listed. The key point you make, from my perspective, is "The reasons I loved City of Heroes were the things that made it different from other games, not what made it the same, and they're the same things that I'm hoping to get out of City of Titans."
Based on DeathSheep's reply, it sounds like he would agree that Masters should be available as soon as they can be. As soon as launch day, if possible. But DS also goes on to address why he doesn't believe they can guarantee to deliver properly on that experience by then. Maybe that will be right or wrong, but it sounds like they are at least committed to delivering the experience properly, which is something I can't say about the "plenty of other games" you refer to.
I am probably "projecting" too much of myself on you, but the fact is, I am pretty screwed when it comes to making threats on this. There are things that would keep me from playing the game, but there are two riders on that pronouncement on my part that make it less dramatic. One is that they would have to be fundamental design things that the designers don't intend to address. The other is that I can't seriously pretend there are truly other choices of games that would satisfy what I am looking for. Sure, there are other games, and sure, I play other games at times (and sure, then I drop them). But, for me, there are not other games that deliver the experience I had in CoH. I dunno if this game will deliver on what they are promising. I dunno if it will deliver the experience I am looking for. But I do know it is the only viable option I am currently aware of for doing it, so there's definitely no harm in my supporting it... not supporting it isn't going to get me closer to getting what I want, after all.
Anyway, I am not suggesting you be happy about the schedule, but it might be okay for you to be happy about the possibility that they may deliver on this thing no one else is lining up to deliver. And, I'll be honest, that is just selfishness on my part, since people who are happy are more fun to be around, and we'll be hanging out together here. We can be cautiously happy together. :3
Global: @Second Chances
SG: Fusion Force
"And it's not what I wanted
Oh no, it's not what I planned
See it's not where I thought I'd be
It's just where I am"
Updates I felt were great:
1) I really enjoyed #10, #29 & #30 the most. I would love to see MORE ANDY's !
2) #1 & #9 - The videos were also great. Keep those going often. It is a great way to "meet the devs" without having to go to conventions. Please, do include the other devs in this process too.
3) #16, #24, & #34 - Loved the unlocks. Feels like getting upgrades in game--and it's not even out yet. That, and it's more costume pieces, which is my #1.
Oh, and Happy Birthday FireFairy !
4) #12, #17, #18, #22, #25, & #28 - The descriptions of how the game works interest me greatly. I like the power/theme set up. And especially this: "4: PvP design should never affect PvE play".
I'm underwelmed by the enemy/allies group/character information because I would like to be inside the game with all the neat graphics, character quotes, and lore around myself to experience these aspects together--to really appreciate them. Kinda prefer to learn the lore as I go and discover all of it in that manner.
Pinnacle:
Solarblaze (Fire/Fire Blaster)
Kitty Phoenix (Fire/Emp Controller)
Phoenixblaze (Fire/Fire Dominator)
- A friend gifted CoH on my birthday, 5/1/2004.
I had never heard of it before then...
It still is the best birthday gift to this date.
I must object to the notion that there were no positive religious references in CoH. As the proprietor of a SG made up entirely of Irish priests (Fr Duffy, Fr Doyle, Fr O'Malley et al) and their friends, I can assure you we represented. Moreover I was aware of other SG's that were more serious and of assorted denominations.
But to get to the topic at hand, I'd like to hear more about what's being kept from CoX. What can I count on in particular? I like very much all I've heard, I just worry that at some point its such a cool new game it's no longer the cool old game.
It was rather disasterous. I don't want to undersell that fact. It is still worth bearing out certain beta testers released the information on it before the company was ready to explain it (violating their non disclosure agreements with the company).
That didn't help Paragon at all. I mention the background for those who weren't around for City of Heroes as it's easy to forget or overlook that point.
if I point that out, I'd also have to point out I understood why people were willing to take a permanent ban on testing so people knew what was coming - we had just been hit with several balances that generally made our heroes weaker. The lead developer had said the last one would be the last major reduction in how effective heroes were. Obviously it wasn't since ED came next. As much as I think people demonize Jack Emmert for the wrong reasons, which I could write at length on if I wanted, his defense that it wasn't 'really' a downgrade of powers but enhancements was at best, a weak defense. Some called it intellectually dishonest.
Even after ED and before invention enhancements came along, offering set bonuses of all sorts and a number of other highly desirably features, though, I never really got the impression the game was too hard for the majority of players. When people talk about 'feeling powerful,' that is probably the mistake City of Heroes made - trying to make the heroes 'powerful' and having to go back later and balance that out. I don't think they realized how much they'd be able to add to flush the game out when they launched.
People rarely mentioned the original 'huge nerf' that had people doomcrying about the game's future- back early in pre alpha or alpha when we went from a totally freeform system to classes.
I'd also heard there were two huge buffs that I've almost never heard mentioned outside of once or twice- that the game, late in beta, that the game featured only 10 types of enhancements that dropped regularly. Does anyone remember how that went? So you'd have to spend more for classes that relied more on the other enhancements.
There was also, I believe, one buff which, had it not gone into effect in the beginning, might have removed the ED debate from having to happen- heroes were going to get one additional power slot when they leveled up and didn't get a power. Instead, the game let them get two power slots early on (3 power slots in later levels). (Can anyone else confirm or deny this? It would have been sometime before launch- but I don't think long before public beta.)
It seems to me if they'd done that, they might have avoided the mishandling of ED- but the heroes we played at would have had a lot less slotting options and been much less powerful in general with a big percent less slots in their builds.
I mention this all because it brings to mind the dangers of carelessly upping the player's effectiveness, especially doing so where it really can't be 'seen and admired,' so to speak. But of course, you don't want to launch and have your first few months be about how the game is overly difficult or too hard to solo either.
It's a tough balancing act to be sure.
Longtime City of Heroes player, longtime writer. :) Working in Nebraska.
COT: Mission tips writer, studying Cinema 4D animation program
That was what made me angry about it. After the i5 changes I acquainted myself with build planners (I had never bothered with them before) and came up with (and tested via respecs on the test server) lots and lots and lots and lots of builds until I found ones that seemed workable... and then we find out about the i6 changes. I was... not happy. Would I have spent all those hours and hours of tedious planning and respec-ing and reslotting and testing if I knew another major change was right around the corner? I guess we will never know for sure, but my guess is [em]you are damn right I wouldn't have![/em] :3
So, yeah, I was pissed and I had used up my year's supply of plan/respec/slot/test patience already... I couldn't play my characters at that point. So, I didn't. Instead I rolled new ones on another server, and played them up from scratch in the new system. After many, many months of that I was ready to return to the old ones to update them for the new world (all except for my AR/Dev... I never could bring myself to do that for some reason, so that one just collected virtual dust.).
I dunno for sure, of course, but it seemed much more likely to me that he was sincere and stupidly clumsy than duplicitous. After all, the whole thing was presented with clumsy stupidity, wasn't it? It was such a great and awesome idea that they were going to go through a major upheaval in the game, and yet there wasn't a meaningful attempt to communicate the overall plan ahead of time, to sell the virtues of it, etc. I am sure they knew there would be pushback, but I hope they learned that pushback delayed was not pushback denied. Ah, well.
I am glad I walked away from my mains for a while and started fresh in the new system, as opposed to ragequitting. I think, even then, the game was about something more to me than the company that had provided it (frankly, there were a number of indications that lead me to believe that they were more lucky than clever in coming up with the features that made the game special). As much as they had pissed me off, I still loved the game... leaving it without a fight was not going to happen.
Which brings me back to why we are here today. :)
Global: @Second Chances
SG: Fusion Force
"And it's not what I wanted
Oh no, it's not what I planned
See it's not where I thought I'd be
It's just where I am"
I remember a comment Emmert made on the official forum after the fire tank nerf, i2 or i3, that made it clear to me that he grossly misunderstood what I, at least, found to be attractive about CoH, although to be clear the fire tank nerf had to happen I saw one agro the entirety of the Hollows and just tank them till the burn got them. Also making everyone wait to l14 to get a travel power pretty clearly showed they didn't get it.
I have to say, for a supposed bunch of amateurs with no relevant experience, MWM has already shown a lot better grasp of the importance of software design, architecture, and project management than some other game development studios.
In some ways, at in terms of the need for continuous development throughout their lifetime, MMOs have more in common with enterprise software than classic games, and I think it can be a strength that you have a team with a lot of people from outside the game industry.
Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for? - Robert Browning
I might be in the minority here....but one thing I REALLY like about Champions Online is the ability to play with an Xbox controller. DC Universe went a little bit further and made their game pretty much a button masher, which I personally love. When I play those games it just feels like I am doing more than clicking on the power watch the animation, clicking on the power watch animation, rinse and repeat :p. I would really like to see CoT implement this feature if they can.
If they do I'll want my money back. If I want to play a button masher fighting game I'll buy one of those.
There are reasons we didn't migrate to CoL or DCU after CoH closed and that is a major one for me.
Err, is this over the usage of the controller or the "button mashing".
Just because the will support the controller does *not* mean that it will be a button masher.
Based on the examples given, it sounds the original poster he's replying to is asking for a controller-based gameplay, rather than just the ability to plug one in and map things to it. e.g. "made their game pretty much a button masher, which I personally love"
Global: @Second Chances
SG: Fusion Force
"And it's not what I wanted
Oh no, it's not what I planned
See it's not where I thought I'd be
It's just where I am"
As an aside, please tell me that the name of this update is an Animaniacs reference.
Also please tell me that it confirms George Wendt Melee and Bean Blast power sets.
That is precisely what I was talking about.
More crunch.
I know it's early but I really want to know more about how the mechanical side of character creation will work. Will we be slotting powers in the same way, are IO's being considered. If I want to make a Gravity/Storm Summoning Controller can I and what would be different?
I know a huge amount of this stuff is going to be wildly different come launch but knowing your present thinking on these matters goes a long way toward making me feel more comfortable with my pledge - hell, it could make me up it. Something that no amount of concept pictures or short fiction will do.
I think i'll gradually start adding a number of CoT Surveys as the days go on and have tham all in one place in Google Forms.
ex: http://tinyurl.com/Survey-Avatar-Body-Dimensions
Like I said I might be in the minority...but I personally enjoy that style of game play...it makes me feel like I am doing something. I've played CoH from beginning to end and migrated over to Champions and DC Universe. There's a LOT of things I liked about CoH that I wish those 2 games had, more than I can mention to be honest. But the one thing I do like about both games is the OPTION to play with a controller or play with a mouse and keyboard. CoH you COULD play with a controller but it was very difficult, it didn't have the same feel like Champions or DCUO has.
Button mashers are no more than pushing a certain set of buttons to execute one power. Would I personally like to push X,X,Y to activate power 1? Yes. But would I like the option to point and click to activate the same power? That would be a yes as well. And sometimes I would just like to lean back and play the game instead of leaning forward with a mouse and keyboard (back problems).
What my post boils down to, is the ability to have those OPTIONS, not one or the other. Just like some people like PVP and some don't, at least you have the OPTION to choose which style of game play is more fun for you.
And that really is what it comes down to, what type of game would you have FUN playing. I like playing one with a lot of options, which I hope CoT will continue to do.
One thing I'd really like to hear/see more about is power progression, interaction and customization.. character development in a nutshell. What kind of power levels are you reaching for design-wise? Are ST and AoE going to be more competitive than they are in EVERY other game, or will everyone just need to default to "ZOMG I NEEED DUH AOEZ 2 B337 STUFFS"? Will I be able to effectively re-create a likeness of my Invuln main tank from CoX who was literally Invulnerable to 95% of the game?
Aside from character progression, How about Supergroup bases and player housing... i'd like to know if there are more in-depth plans for group development tied in with bases, like something along the lines of fleets/starbases in STO. I'd like to see systems/mechanics in place to make having a base and a group with others MEAN something... be more than just a social gathering. What actual benefit would there be to joining and collaborating with others as opposed to just making my own solo group and filling it with my alts... aside from just reaching base unlocks faster?
I'd like to see more of everything, but the 2 above specifically. You all seem to be doing a great job so far. keep it up!
Regards,
D. A. Cross
CEO of Phoenix Rising
CoX: @Mystic Cross ; @Pareidolia // CO: @Deadman-X ; @Citymystic // CoT: @Cross ; @D.A.Cross
One thing that would be possible to do with supergroups, given the overview of what the MWM team has planned for non-contact mission acquisition, is to have a class of random clues that appear as drops that you could 'upload' into your SG's computer system; one of the functions of the SG computer would be to cross-reference the mission-related clues that a character has collected, and the SG computer has a chance, dependent on how many of these random clues that members of the SG have entered, to produce an additional mission-related clue that links with one of the sets of clues the character already has. There would be some limit on the number of times a week that an SG computer could produce a clue for any given character, and how often you can try to find one (or perhaps it's something that you feed to the computer to do, and it takes some amount of time to run while you do other things), so you can't just keep hammering the computer again and again until it coughs up a clue.
This would represent how the members of a supergroup might encounter bits of information that don't have any connection to anything [i]they're[/i] doing, but with enough correlations, it would be possible to link that bit of information with something that another member of the SG is investigating. With more members, there would be more unrelated items that could produce a lead, so the bigger and more active the group is, the more 'productive' the group is at assisting each other in their activities just by pooling information.
I'm a 7+ year continuous COH player, so the closure hit me pretty hard. I really hope COT succeeds, and you're able to meet
the high standards you're setting up for yourselves. I'm also a developer, and recognize how huge the task is.
Things important to the game and the updates for me: concentrate on the core values that made COH great, and less of
the fluff that can come and go without changing the game much. IMO the core values should be:
1) Fabulous male and female character models and animations. Not so much the costumes, but the models themselves
should be gorgeous like in COH. Also they should be realistic, not cartoony or anime. I liked the female/male/huge
approach. Also the large number of options with faces, hair etc. so chars are not all looking alike.
2) Powersets and powers - more can be added over time, as this is a massive amount of work, but the initial design should
be varied, balanced, and respect different team roles in a deep way. That is, different choices should play very differently,
but all should be possible to solo with. COH never got the balance totally right, scrappers and brutes were always
overpowered. Tanks should be able to take tons of damage, but not be able to dish it out much. Damage classes the
opposite, etc. Control and healer classes should excel at that, but all should be soloable. One of the strengths of COH
was how differently the classes played, I had over 20 alts and no two were alike. Also similar powerset classes should
have similar specs as to damage, one of the balance problems in COH was for example different blasters had quite
different damage output, some had no snipe, some had a better nuke, etc. They can be slightly different if some have
control powers etc, but not totally nerfed. Also the technical details of powers should get a lot of focus early - AOE balance,
crowd control balance, cooldowns, cast times, all critical to gameplay.
3) Travel powers - this really defined COH too. At a minimum the ones from COH should be supported - fly, teleport,
superspeed, superjump. The behaviour during combat should be nailed down early in the design, not changed later.
Also different animation styles would be a big plus, I used flyposes a lot in COH. Oh and on the subject of travel,
can we lose the subways, ferries, etc for zoning? That was so annoying and grating, superheroes/villains don't
take subways!
4) Fairness for all - no power levelling, farming, griefing, killstealing, etc. "People" who want to race to the endgame or
grief others should go play another game. It's a journey not a destination.
Some of the stuff that's less important to me for the game and the updates:
1) Lore, "stories", plotlines - that stuff can come and go and is not part of core values IMO, although I did like the idea
of the Freedom Phalanx in COH being the "heroes' heroes". As long as there are lots of hero/villain groups for
variety and a deep storyline, with lots of paths through it, I'm happy.
2) PVP - zero interest. Raid encounters - zero interest. Bases/housing - zero interest.
What do you suggest? Most other MMOS make you walk from one Gate to the next at the opposite sides of the current map. In CoH/V, Tram was in the middle of the congested areas of a map. So, do you want us fly all the way to the edge of a map?
@Izzy, A teleporter, I would say a hero/villain wouldn't look crazy porting across a map
The Carnival of Light in the Phoenix Rising
"We never lose our demons, we only learn to live above them." - The Ancient One
Avatar by lilshironeko
I'd still want "public transportation" to still be an option for getting around ... but I'd want it to be done more like WoW where you use the game engine to get from place to place, instead of making it an "instant" zone transition like the Paragon Tram or the Ferries did for zoning. Even if the "public transit" puts you onto predefined pathing to get from here to there, actually MOVING you from here to there (so you can see the city along the way) seems like a better option to me. Couldn't be done in City of Heroes of course because of Zoning (and, let's be honest, the War Walls, which never made any "real" sense), but in a game that doesn't have Zone Loading Screens (except for when you do things like change continents) you can do a "public transit service" that involves doing things like "taking the train" to go from station to station [i]at a decent speed[/i] (which the Paragon Trams did NOT move at!).
And then there's the possibility of taking helicopter rides to get around the city ... if you've got a high enough Reputation with the correct Faction that has such toys, and you're in your Secret Identity ...
[center][img=44x100]https://i.imgur.com/sMUQ928.gif[/img]
[i]Verbogeny is one of many pleasurettes afforded a creatific thinkerizer.[/i][/center]
No, I'm not suggesting removing travel routes altogether, or travelling to the edges of maps.
I agree that would be a big step backwards. Just don't use trains or boats. They're so slow
and inappropriate for supers, plus the whole "public transit" thing. I'll give two alternatives:
1) Portals - towards the end of COH they were adding portals all over the place anyway.
Many were right next to train stations too. They fit more with the super-beings/magical/tech
themes anyway. I just can't picture a Lvl 50 Master of Death whatever sitting down and
reading a paper while he/she takes a half hour to get to his zone, then superjumping out
of the train station!
2) In SWTOR you can teleport directly to your personal spaceship and go to another planet (zone).
Maybe some variation of that would work in COT. Not spaceships obviously, but some
kind of personal plane/jet/etc. Replace train stations with small airports? Think XMen, or
Wonder Woman, or Batman?
I like these ideas ... and maybe another.
In Lord of the Rings online, pretty much your only "public" transportation option is via horse (men/elf) or pony (dwarf/hobbit) (or goat in the mines of moria) from stables located around Middle Earth (a transportation hub).
Most of the locations offered "swift travel" where you could chose to either take normal travel from point A to point B and watch the world go by, or take "swift travel" and start the journey, fade out and then fade back in at the end of the journey.
Also, most character's best option for private transportation is also a private horse/pony/goat mount. The public transportation steeds are fairly generic, while the private steeds are very diverse. Also, if you interrupt a public transportation steed you're immediately dismounted.
What I always thought would be cool would be if they had added the ability to go to the stable while mounted on your own steed and chose the travel path, then you'd just turn and auto-ride the path on your own mount.
So, what I'm getting at, is I think it would be cool if there were Travel Hubs where you arrive with your travel power on, click on them like the tram or stable, choose your destination, and your character just zooms/jump/teleports/races off on the predetermined path under their own travel power. (of course, if you forget to turn on your travel power, you'll just start jogging ^_^)
[i][b]TLDR:[/b] How about using pre-determined travel paths to auto-travel between zones using our own travel powers? [/i]
Any thoughts?
[hr]
[center][img]https://googledrive.com/host/0B9gVpwCfM5l0TmJSRE5kbFVLV0k/Wanderer-of-phoenix-rising-sig-w-phoenix.jpg[/img]
Join [url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/phoenix-rising-initiative-0]The Phoenix Rising Initiative[/url] Today![/center]
I've had this thought, as well. It may not be the quickest way to get about, but sometimes it's more about seeing the sights and [i]being there[/i] than getting from Point A to Point B in a few seconds.
This is also a neat idea. I'd also suggest a time compression factor so that it can also function as a time saving device (especially since such routes rarely follow the shortest path, especially for flight (I'm looking at you, WoW)).
- - - - -
[font=Pristina][size=18][b]Hail Beard![/b][/size][/font]
Support [url=http://cityoftitans.com/comment/52149#comment-52149]trap clowns[/url] for CoT!
I think the idea of having a choice between straight travel and "swift" travel (start the journey, fade out, fade back in at the end of the journey) could accommodate that.
[hr]
[center][img]https://googledrive.com/host/0B9gVpwCfM5l0TmJSRE5kbFVLV0k/Wanderer-of-phoenix-rising-sig-w-phoenix.jpg[/img]
Join [url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/phoenix-rising-initiative-0]The Phoenix Rising Initiative[/url] Today![/center]
BTW, have to add something: I don't mind the idea of CO's version of teleport, but don't call it teleport, call it "phase travel" or something like that. I really liked how teleport worked in CoX: Pick a target and you're there. The stronger your power, the farther you can go (or the more times you can teleport without draining). The only place I didn't enjoy teleporting was in Dark Astoria ... I could never navigate that place without hitting a building ^_^.
(I even figured out how to set the camera angle to actually teleport through buildings on occasion ^_^)
[hr]
[center][img]https://googledrive.com/host/0B9gVpwCfM5l0TmJSRE5kbFVLV0k/Wanderer-of-phoenix-rising-sig-w-phoenix.jpg[/img]
Join [url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/phoenix-rising-initiative-0]The Phoenix Rising Initiative[/url] Today![/center]
Yes no need for spoilers on the story lines. We will dive into that when the city is ready. What interests me most at this time is how things like power sets, super groups and base editing will work.
I used to love working on our base in CoH. With its many flaws it was still fun to tinker and see what you could come up with using the limited items we had to work with. I would love to see a more robust Base editor. It always amazed me how you could find all this cool stuff in the missions and we could never use any of it in our bases.
A suggestion I have, don't go the trinity of Tank/Support/DPS.
What was one of the biggest complaints from players? Playing the kryptonian styled brick and basically giving the enemies love taps.
Given that CoH was renowned for NOT having the Trinity model, I think I can be fairly certain that Titans won't either.
One of the things that I would like to see is having only the [b]functional[/b] parts of bases having to be paid for -- teleporters, crafting stations, power units, defenses, etc. -- along with the base footprint itself, and all of the purely [i]cosmetic[/i] aspects of base design were free, so even the most minimal solo hideout could be as ornately decorated as the base for an SG with a thousand active members. Even better would be to abandon a direct footprint cost and allow base builders to add as many 'unpowered' rooms and corridors as they liked -- space that could [b]only[/b] have cosmetic items in it -- and only have to pay for spaces that can have powered equipment installed. That way, someone with the 'All Your Base' or 'Mogul' packages would be able to outfit each of their characters, by themselves, with a base that was lavish and decadent, but didn't necessarily have all of the bells and whistles a large supergroup would have in their base (supercomputer, cold-fusion power generator, teleporters, autodoc, etc.).
Doing this would allow base architecture to become entirely a personal-style thing; the functional aspects of a base would still be dependent on acquiring the resources to install better equipment, but any lone hero or villain could have all the non-game-effect decoration they want.
Pages