El D

Tons of superheroes have custom belt buckles that bear their own personal symbol or supergroup logo - Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, pretty much all of the X-Men. It's a minor touch that helps tie together a costume but also something that the game has never offered as an option. So I had the thought that the various brooch pieces and the shield models could excellently fill that niche. There's a lot of plain belt options from the early years of the game that would work pretty readily with a customizable buckle and most of the more fancy belts could benefit from them too. There would need to be scale adjustments to increase the brooch sizes and shrink down the shield models to make sure everything aligns properly (and even then some belt options still wouldn't function well with them due to clipping), but it seems like a fun way to add a decent amount of extra options using pieces the costume creator already has in it. Bonus points, they could have emblem details too provided the chosen buckle has enough surface area for a logo. I did some quick image editing as a proof of concept, with some tweaking on the Shield one to match up the color palette.

QFT. Had to blow the dust off for that one, but it's exactly what would happen. The devs don't have time to manage the entirety of the forums and discord at all times as is. They absolutely aren't going to bury their level of interaction with the playerbase under an unending avalanche of even more messages for even more things they weren't going to do in the first place. Also, the concept of 'the players give the exact same counterpoints the devs would, but it's mean when they do it' is odd. If anything, it seems that'd be more efficient than waiting who knows how long for the devs to personally reply to every post. So long as someone can actually back up their counterpoint with an accurate explanation via game mechanics or engine functionality as to why that something is unfeasible, what's the difference?

The dev team's time and availability is always a relevant consideration because it's a limited resource and without their taking action there is no new content of any sort for Homecoming. If we're just going to hypothesize without any consideration for the logistics of how an idea could actually be implemented, the potential return on investment of dev time, or the practical need/playerbase desire for it, we might as well just post stuff like 'What if every time you killed a mob, the game give the player donuts?' or 'Why doesn't Homecoming sponsor an international PvP E-sports league and build their own arenas?'

Fair point, the new take is a bit jarring. Especially in contrast to the other prominent media depictions of Supergirl - by which I mean the recent CBS show and somewhat less recent JL/JLU cartoon versions. The version from the Flash doesn't really count, I think. She isn't bad but given that she effectively just 'find and replaced' Superman's role in that storyline and it was the first introduction to her, the movie didn't do much at all with it being Kara there versus just having an alternate Clark. As a first step with the character I get why it could be off-putting (especially in-light of the prior decade+ of DC films...) but I trust Gunn will have the new Supergirl grow and adapt aspects of her other iterations. Her being a chaotic partygirl makes messy counterpoint to Superman's genuine wholesomeness, and provides a dynamic start for her to grow from. If she's only recently been released from whatever stasis they opt to go with, it makes sense that someone with actual memories of a life on Krypton would cope by leaving Earth (a planet she possibly doesn't even consider home yet) to go out and find escapism among the stars. Confronting that with Lobo, an embodiment of excessive force, bad/selfish choices, and partying gone wrong and her having to deal with Krem's depredations the whole time and all the evil nonsense he does seems rife with opportunities for her to rise to the occasion and become more heroic. Also, as a matter of practicality, a lot of Supergirl's comic arcs (at least the modern ones) tend to involve a ton of characters the new DCU hasn't put in yet. The Red Lanterns, Nightwing and Batgirl, Wonder Woman and the Amazons... Heck, even her becoming one of the Furies requires Apokolips, Darkseid, and all that. That's not even getting into the headache of meeting a Pre-Crisis version of herself. Seems like slim pickings of storylines she can engage in solo without cutting out a lot of important context (or involving context that's just outright impossible for a new film universe). I suppose a more traditional Supergirl approach could have been her finding Kandor out in space, run with the whole 'searching for home and finding it, but not how she wanted' plot with her taking on Brainiac. Though, that could still be a really good ending set up for this initial adventure with Supergirl. She's gotten over her hang ups and embraced being a hero, even found remnants of Krypton, but now she has to defend it from an evil AI overlord the same way Superman saves Earth from Lex. On top of the ticking clock that would be 'Brainiac now knows about Earth and Clark and is going that way fast.'

Seconding this. Mr. Terrific's look in the film is, well, terrific. As is the man himself, honestly. Going forward I really hope this approach becomes the default for superhero outfit design, especially given the general malaise over nano-tech and CGI suits. When something is practical and functional and also accurately embodies the colorful, dynamic comic depictions? That's when it was done correctly. At that point it's just up to personal aesthetic tastes, which is much more reasonable digression. I can fully understand how some folks might not care for specific aspects of this Superman's suit (like @Excraft said about the S symbol design), but he still looks as vibrant and bright as Superman ought to and like the suit actually functions as an outfit he can put on and wear.

Try dealing with the fogies in an HOA or a retirement community. Advanced age imposes absolutely no limitations on the potential for arguments or pettiness. ... it has made me consider senior living in Paragon City, though. That would be either the best or worst experience, possibly vacillating back and forth in the same day. Sure, Old Man Rogers will ramble entertaining stories all about how he punched out the 5th Column back in the day, but good luck convincing him to turn down the TV and take his pills when he can still bench press a car.

It's been plenty clear that if a someone posts or promotes content that Homecoming doesn't officially approve of or want affiliated with them, the staff will remove it. Both in-game and on the forums/discord. So allowing spaces explicitly for the hosting of AI generated content, where players can freely post it, share the sites and prompts used to generate it, and actively encourage others to engage in using AI is a pretty clear signal that 'Homecoming supports players doing this.' Especially true with discord, considering the channel in your own example was directly made by the staff. The solution to 'some players complained about AI art' being 'we'll give AI art its own channel' is pretty cut and dry permission. If Homecoming didn't support generative AI or support their players utilizing it, those channels and threads allowing it and promoting its usage wouldn't exist. Frankly, it just feels like an unneeded can of worms. We can't make Superman in-game because that's stealing DC's copyright, but I barely had to scroll back into the ai-art discord channel to find this. That's not the only example of a player using AI to directly violate copyright in there, either. Maybe Homecoming's stance on AI content already is 'don't post direct evidence that you used AI to flagrantly steal an IP, especially not to our official channels' and this just slipped through the monitoring cracks, but even if generative AI is just limited to CoX-based content that still leaves the question of 'is this piece of AI content safe to post or does it violate some copyright?' as I guarantee none of those generative models are just trained on City of Heroes artwork and screenshots. Backing up a step though, lets say there is an AI solely used for CoX-based content. That's all this generative art AI has been trained with and does. That still has the core issue of allowing generative AI to copy City of Heroes IP in the first place. Homecoming doesn't permit players to 'pretend to be signature characters or canon factions' while playing the actual game due to strict ownership concerns, but it certainly seems to allow players to feed CoX's IP into AI generators that neither Homecoming nor NCSoft have any authority over. Is that a sanctioned usage of the IP that the NCSoft license allows? Players telling AI how to more accurately make unofficial, unapproved City of Heroes content outside of Homecoming's control? Seriously, personal distaste for AI and ethical problems aside, it just feels really dumb for y'all to have any official spaces allowing for this. I can't imagine the NCSoft agreement included a 'make sure Homecoming permits players to actively disregard our IP ownership by giving our content to third party generative AI companies' clause.

This. It's already galling enough that Homecoming supports AI 'art' but that's at least avoidable by skipping over that thread. Implementing AI voices or any 'generating' AI in the game itself would be a death knell for my interest and likely that of most of the players I know. The voice work in the Galaxy City tutorial isn't the best, but I'll take actual voice work over fake AI slop every time.

Any alteration to Invulnerability is going to have to account for the fact that the set is incredibly solid as is and overcomes it's minimal weaknesses very easily with IO slotting. Which admittedly is possible for most sets but Invul does it very well. Also like @tidge said, Dull Pain already exists. If used proactively there's no need for in-combat healing beyond procs and innate regeneration - an Invulnerability character should have enough health and blunt enough incoming damage that their HP bar remains green for entire combats against most enemy groups. Not that I'm opposed to additions or modifications, I'm just having trouble seeing where they'd factor in given the current performance of the set. Any alternate to Dull Pain would need to be equivalent to it after all, at which point... just use Dull Pain. Unstoppable is probably the easiest option to modify, given how outdated the original tier 9 design is by this point between IOs and Incarnate powers. Maybe it could be a toggle that adjusts resistance/defense buffs depending on in-coming damage-types (though that feels a bit too Bio Armor-y). A toggle or auto +Absorb mechanic could work too. Armor Tier 9s not being early 2000s god mode powers but just useful extra options would make them... well, useful.

Yes, the evergreen nature of early CoH content, containing such amaranthine concepts as the timely context of Operation: World Wide Red, the repeated use of 'ex-Soviet Union' mad scientists, and Freakshow l33tsp34k. Or references to gang leader NPCs like Frostfire and Tub Ci having been active in the 70s and 80s or Back Alley Brawler spearheading the Regulators in the perennial War on Drugs. The game wasn't even 'evergreen' through the first year of it being live, much less over its entire original lifetime. Every new event, zone, story arc, and task force after launch progressed the timeline when they were added. Also, First Ward was literally a lead-in to the finale of the Praetorian War storyline. It was put in the game in the middle of the then on-going Incarnate content and introduced concepts and plot points that directly linked into subsequent Incarnate trials and arcs that capped off Praetoria. Regarding OP's post - if I understand the gist right, I agree. More options for the existing Incarnate powers to fill concept gaps (more Judgements types, Lore pet options, etc.) would be fine additions. Higher tiers of powers or more level shifts though, no.

If Rage were to get a rework, I think it should reflect the intentions of the existing ATs better. Spitballing various ideas, Tanker and Brute Rage could increase the effect of taunts and available aggro limit while active. Give greater damage boosts to the lower tier attacks and proc effects to Knockout Blow and Foostomp rather than just flat +damage across the board. -Resistance/-Defense could work, the classic 'I put my back in it this time' of hitting harder to break through the opponent's protection. The more you hit, the harder you hit the next time. Works with Fury as a mechanic and with Gauntlet. Hell, maybe even tie it into the inherent powers - Brute Rage builds in-conjunction with Fury for even higher damage numbers and enemies affected by Gauntlet while Tanker Rage is up have their Resistance debuffed. Brute spends Fury to negate the lessened damage of the crash and keep punching, while Tankers - even with the -damage - can still be the center of the mob and dole out debuffs. Bonus points, having AT bespoke Rage seems like it would make it easier to proliferate to Scrappers and Stalkers. Maybe call their variant Frenzy or Rampage to illustrate the difference. Have it boost accuracy and damage but also offer crit chance effects. Greater crit chances for lower tier attacks, proc options for Knockout Blow/Hurl/Foostomp. Scrapper could proc additional effects like holds or immobs while Stalker could proc Hide. Hit someone so hard they just recoil in pain for a moment or lose all track of where the opponent is. Thematically the idea of 'precisely applied' Super Strength feels more fitting for those ATs than Rage as is.

This. It's incredibly easy to make boatloads of influence already, to the point where any even moderately played 50 is capable of fully financing other alts. Hell, if someone engages in AE via door-sitting or AFK farming it's possible to make boatloads of influence by not even playing the game at all. The whole 'it's just a repeated grind over and over' comments earlier in this thread never actually account for the fact that A) the game asking players to commit to playing once is fully reasonable and B) doing 'the grind' once already means the effort needed the second time is immediately halved by the sheer amount of rewards earned. Subsequent alts similarly reduce the amount of effort needed. Influence gain is practically geometric growth in CoH. It balloons extremely quickly under practically all circumstances and any amount gained increases the amounts gained later. The barrier of entry posed by inf is, essentially, 'did you bother to log in' and I'd rather not have the game 'win' itself before I even accessed my account.

You absolutely can transfer character concepts, redux builds, and recreate established characters with new powersets/archetypes. I've remade established characters at numerous different points, especially when new, more fitting powersets were dropped or proliferated. My original main from 2004 was a Fire/Fire Blaster who became a Fire/Fire Scrapper in Issue 12, which was a full retcon of his identity up until that point for a more fitting concept. Another character was an Energy Blast/Ninjitsu Sentinel who was deliberately rerolled as Water Blast/Ninjitsu when the right story milestone was hit for unlocking their true powers and things carried forward from there. I've got a character who spent three years with his identify defined by being an Electric Melee/Energy Aura Scrapper and now has a 'depowered' Katana/Willpower variant due to plot reasons. Both versions exist simultaneously and are canonically the same guy - just armed with different abilities depending on if he's using magic or not. So to answer your question yeah, you absolutely can. Also given the usage of the name 'Barbie' for Kendo Barbie, you probably should. As a forewarning, if that character is what the name implies (blonde woman in a pink outfit armed with a samurai sword, may or may not be from Malibu and possibly lives in a dreamhouse dream dojo) that's skirting an IP line Homecoming has limited tolerance for.

That's a very interesting point. The original mission map designs feel a lot more like FPS maps of that era than MMO maps, much less anything like the map designs CoH got later or that MMOs institute now. Travel powers being accessed much earlier - and the overall cranking up of gameplay speed - definitely adjusted how open and free-roaming mission maps became. Though, remembering the original map progression, by the time players had travel powers a lot of those big 'area of city zone/destroyed zone/forest' maps were more available around then too, so there was some semblance of player-related progression there. A lot of the endgame maps back then were also the giant open-air ones. Also I'll echo some earlier posters - the massive Oranbega maps with all the little side rooms and buildings to explore is a fantastic set piece, but a major pain on any character taller than the default height. My main for a long time was an 8'+ tall demon man and he'd end up getting caught on every one of those green crystal chandeliers. I imagine its even worse if your character is a Huge player model. I have friends whose mains use the Huge model with near max height and body sliders and I don't see how they've managed all these years.

The Homecoming wiki is a quicker source than scouting through the forums. The pages for the newer Issues detail which arcs and contacts were added in which Page. Issue 26, Issue 27, & Issue 28. Edit - if you are in the right level range for them, hitting the Find Contact button in-game does point to newer content first, so that is also an option.

Golden Girl's project was Heroes & Villains. Basically been entirely dead for at least the last 5 years or so and made a bunch of claims that never went anywhere. Which, remembering her from the original forums... tracks. Valiance Online and City of Titans were the other two. City of Titans/The Phoenix Project had a kickstarter that was successful (got twice as much funding as they asked for at the time) but have been incredibly slow-going. I was briefly an assistant proofreader/lore editor at the start of their volunteer efforts, then bailed when the progress and administrative oversight stalled out even that early on. Valiance Online apparently cancelled their kickstarter some time ago, no idea what they're doing now. Seeing the Ship of Heroes trailer and the content from their Steam page... I applaud them for actually getting something made but that is rough. It looks like an AI filter applied to early CoH beta footage. It'd look dated for the 2010s, much less for something intending to be a 'new and exciting' MMO in the year 2025. I understand the need to pay the bills but that's not a finished product, much less one worth charging a box price and an on-going subscription for. Especially when the competition - the professionally made game they're cribbing off of with 10+ years of fully developed content and an actual community - has a 'just sign up and make an account!' policy.

The general why is already addressed in the current Kallisti Wharf content and lore write-ups - the pre-existing PPD division was corrupt and got ousted, and Blackwing was brought in to manage Kallisti Wharf in their place. Given the co-op. nature of the zone it actually makes more sense frankly. The PPD wouldn't permit villains or rogues, same with Longbow or Wyvern, and allowing an organization like Crey or any out-and-out villain group to take over Paragon City's shipping port was never going to happen. This is also the first major zone showing the post-Praetorian War influx along with the morality-shifting and plot evolution of older factions from past arcs. Having a new organization not tied to any of the old ones by previous conflicts makes Blackwing a perfect neutral party to all of them. Vanguard theoretically could have worked, but they're an actual military organization who I expect still have their hands full managing the fallout of the Rikti War and the Praetorian War (plus keeping watch for any future threats). Also, while a bit more meta, the overall usage of neutral mobs in Kallisti Wharf is a way for the game mechanics to reflect that Blackwing is actually doing a pretty good job. All these divergent elements are mostly playing nice with each other (at least on the surface). Hence why the story arcs are put in for player characters to dig into things more deeply.

'She can get a job' - that's not how Marvel characters work. Heck, that's not how comic book superheroes work with money in-general. They're either self-funded billionaires where money is of no consequence, government/secret society agents whose blatantly excessive funding is never actually addressed, have extraterrestrial or magical means to just ignore the issue (usually 'being an alien/wizard/alien wizard' is their job), or are constantly broke. Also, her having a job like that robs the show of its focus. It's the same core issue with the 'Batman would accomplish more if he invested his time and money in civic improvement and proper rehabilitation' argument. Sure it's the 'logical & real' choice, but the point is to watch him be Batman. Riri having to go through questionable means to acquire funding and resources after the legitimate paths are closed to her is both a practical means to get to her being Ironheart and a narrative means establish an on-going test of character. 'Our hero has a nice, well-paying job that allows them to safely moonlight as a gundam on weekends with no moral quandaries or ethical questions' does not possess nor allow for the same level of drama. Will she gain effective employment as an Avenger or with some other faction by the end of the series? Possibly, but that will be a result of her arc as a superhero, not as plot-miring starting point that prevents her from being one in the first place. Listing out the 10+ years of feature-length film progression and accomplishments against the brand new origin series is going to be one-sided, yes.

I just ran through the zone and had no issues with any of them outside of the 'spawn as hostile' mobs. Do you have a taunt aura active? Anything that pings against NPCs will provoke the neutral mobs into attacking the player.

This is a really good point. The Shining Stars/Hearts of Darkness arcs do a lot to intro the game's mechanics both new and old but they're also easily skipped by doing other starting arcs, joining trials, or the ever present AE farms. Using zone trainers for something like this is a good idea, but I'd go a step further and also have it be a constantly accessible 'assistance hotline' in the players' contacts. Perhaps a Hero Corps thing, to restore a bit of the function the Field Analysts used to have. That way if there's a specific problem during a mission or something, new players can readily look up a solution or how a particular mechanic works. Bonus points if it can detect possible issues with a character's slotted enhancements or chosen powers based on what problem they select. 'My powers keep missing!' -> 'You have not slotted any Accuracy boosting enhancements in X, Y, and Z' or something to that effect. That'd probably be a lot more intensive to set up than just a static string of suggested solutions though.

I was writing out an entire other post when I saw this thread get updated, so I'll just respond to this instead. Willpower. That description is Willpower. Mechanically, that's exactly what the set does. To make it work for the initial concept, just set it to minimal/no FX in power customization and use a few costume slots to show different levels of worn equipment. Works for any sort of armor that's meant just to be armor - steampunk, platemail, samurai, cybertech military gear, etc. - rather than high tech or magical or stuff like that. It's the 'I'm just a tough son-of-a-gun' option precisely to fulfill that particular niche.

The problem of this thread is that's fundamentally impossible to 'agree to disagree' a core mechanic. Endurance is factored into every aspect of gameplay for CoH - every power that provides some measurable effect on the outcome of combat has an endurance cost that is factored against everything else it does; damage, recharge time, stat boosts or debuffs, everything. If there is no endurance cost, such as the case with auto-powers or inherents, the effects and detriments are adjusted to account for that. Endurance is literally one of the core pillars upon which players engage with the game world and powers are designed around. Saying 'I hope some day they'll do a massive rework for endurance or remove it entirely' is akin to suggesting 'they should remove the dice rolling from D&D and replace it with something else.' The HC devs can't just do a 'find and replace' with a whole separate mechanic without possibly breaking how the game functions and bricking every character in it. Even if removing endurance and forging a suitable replacement mechanic was somehow successful, that'd still require every player to do respecs for every character they have across every account. The forums already get inundated with gripe threads when specific sets get bespoke reworks - removing endurance would be Homecoming nuking the playerbase from orbit with the force of a thousand exploding Enhancement Diversifications. Also, to reiterate, the game was built with endurance being a core mechanic in-mind. That is why it offers players so many ways to manage it (as many others in this thread have already pointed out). It is entirely possible to build any character in this game to function continuously in active combat outside of fighting enemies that use endurance drain/-recovery. My go-to while leveling is two Endurance Reduction in every attack/control power and armor toggle, at least one in any teammate buffs, and one in every travel power/sprint/etc. Add in a 'chance for +Endurance' proc in Stamina and Health and then coast to 50 without any issues. Always slot end. reduction first at lower levels and toss in accuracy/damage or defense/resistance as you get more slots. It gets even easier if a character's build uses lower level IO sets, as the set bonuses can build up as they progress.

Easier said than done when some posters' ideas of engagement in these discussion threads is to quote the same odious critic's repetitive talking points. Seemingly every time there's a comic book thread made. Makes it a bit hard to have discussion about a piece of media when some participants' only contribution is to dismiss said media entirely via a second-hand opinion from someone whose commentary they know is incredibly polarizing. Regarding Ironheart - having now seen the first three episodes (thank you, day off from work), I think they have a solid start. The show gets the plot moving and motivations going pretty quickly, the practical effects are great (and emphasize the differences in the Ironheart suit vs Tony's), and Riri having to McGuyver the high-tech results from less than ideal resources is a fun way to showcase her intelligence/capabilities as well as her circumstances. It hits on a lot of the ideas from the Iron Man films and also has a sort of Sam Rami Spider-Man/Spider-Man: Homecoming vibe to it as well. The young prodigy hero wants to do good and accomplish great things but life - both superheroic and social - just keeps throwing curve balls. The idea of succession & plagiarism is actually present as a theme of the show too, with some characters saying Riri 'isn't living up to the legacy of Tony Stark' so the set-up for her forging her own identity via inspiration from him is pretty front and center. Other characters delve into that too, though I won't get into spoilers. Also Eric Andre is as funny as I expected him to be, which is always a plus. I understand why this show might not be some fans' particular cup of tea, but it was enjoyable and snappy enough to keep me entertained. Also we've finally gotten to the point where the MCU is fully embracing its own overarching, interconnected setting (which they could have done a lot more with the prior phase) so it feels a bit like catch-up/reminders at times, but also they're making something new with it at the same time. I'm curious to see where it goes, and at minimum wherever that is can't possibly be worse than Thor: Love & Thunder.

Hey, let's give Critical Drinker the benefit of the doubt when it comes to understanding content no one engages with. I expect he's plenty familiar with media nobody likes, considering his alcoholic rantings are far more popular than the novels or comic books he's written under his actual name. Regarding Ironheart, haven't had time to sit down and watch yet but the clips I have seen looked pretty fun. Also the fact that the suit isn't nanotech and is actually a mech suit alone has me more interested than the final iterations of MCU Iron Man. Love ya Tony, but nanotech is still boring to watch. Practical & props > CGI.

Volunteer to cover the full cost of adding and maintaining a Hardcore server, along with the dev time spent setting it up and monitoring it, and Homecoming might take you up on the suggestion. Otherwise? Exercise self-control and choose to play that way on any of the existing shards, where every player is already currently capable of their own hardcore perma-death run. Don't want in-game mail, markets, START venders, trading, or rez powers? Don't use them.