Cobalt Arachne

That is really unusual. I've let the admins know.

Rejoice, for this is in the works! The current plan is to have these invasions trigger when a player finishes the final mission of Signature Story Arc 2, Part 5.

Spicy! Can't wait to see what people put together! 👀

Please don't take it that way! No suggestion with thought and purpose put into it is ever a waste of time; Provoking new ways of thinking and always striving to make this game the best it can be is something I always want to support. Creating a more fluid definition of levels as you suggested is something other games have done, has worked in various capacities, and has it's own set of pro's and con's, as anything does. Strictly speaking, it's not an objectively bad or wrong idea. In City of Heroes' case, it's tricky given the game's many systems and overall gameplay structure that has already been established over the years; It's tough to introduce large high-level design changes like this without it being a consideration from the initial concept drafting, and Kallisti Wharf's planning is too far along at this stage. That being said, your suggestion was not a concept I had ever considered before. Obviously, I can't speak for what the unseen far future holds, maybe someday there'll be a "oh heck this new zone we're planning is PERFECT for a system like that!", in which case your having suggested this idea here would've been where that seed was initially planted. But it would definitely be something that would have to be baked into every facet of that zone's planning, from concepting to realization, and constructed with such a goal in mind.

It's not an Incarnate Trial Zone like Dark Astoria, so incarnate-level threats won't be out in the streets. Kallisti Wharf is planned to be a 40-50 zone, as it says on the tram destination in-game. Without explicitly detailing what; I can assure you, they're not generic thugs, and that the new threats vying for control of that zone are not ones that a brand new hero or villain (as the game defines them as players) could expect to handle. If you get too granular in either direction in regards to gameplay vs. narrative, the whole scope becomes weaker, it's about finding the right balance for any particular element within a given context.

I understand where you're coming from, and you're not wrong in that regard. This game was designed to flexibly accommodate as wide a variety of player concepts as possible, and is one of the reason that it is beloved so. Generally, any concept you can think of, with some elbow grease and flexibility can be realized in-game as a playable character. (Obviously there are limits, but imagination tends to cover the difference when it has to.) However, that being said, the player canon, will always be, the player's own canon. While it can be built off the game's canon, the reverse is not so readily presumable, nor should it be necessarily. The context of the City of Heroes narrative always has what we'll term the nebulous 'Players Identity' that it takes into account where the writing is concerned in terms of the player's role and current relation to the universe they're playing in. In City of Heroes, at the upper-end of the current writing, the 'Players Identity' is that they are Primal Earth's strongest defenders who, after the war with Praetoria, have siphoned power from the Well to become incarnates and are being meticulously primed by various efforts to face the Coming Storm. If you're existing strictly through the game's framework (which you don't have to, there is no wrong way to play the game in terms of personal writing!), that is how the game defines a player's character right now in relation to the narrative. Because the game's world operates by the rules the writing has established, it has to define the 'Players Identity' to some degree otherwise it makes it difficult to make consequences matter, and the whole thing gets muddy. While it's possible for players to create a character with the concept that they, at Level 1, could destroy the Praetorian Hamidon in a single punch (like a certain anime?😄). It's not hard to see why it'd be problematic for the narrative to attempt to officially accommodate that concept, and still have any meaning and weight. Essentially, the way I see it is this: If the player opts to discard the game's canon, rules, and definition for the 'Players Identity' for their own instead (which is totes cool! Again, City of Heroes thrives on being a medium to fulfill a player's personal creative vision in any way they see fit) then, by the same extension, the game's writing no longer strictly applies to them any longer, so it catering to them isn't viable.

I understand the thinking here, and I see the appeal of a 'I can do anything I want at any time and get rewarded; play my way' style of game but I would argue that outside of AE, the concept is best kept limited to zone events and giant monsters as it is now. I have two reasons for thinking this way: The first: The thrill and engagement of the new player growth experience. This is often underestimated in importance, but is an element that contributes to the long-term future and health of the game and its player base. While less important to somebody leveling their hundredth character, the growth and flow of a brand new player starting out as small-time hero/villain and working their way up in the world is part of the joy that helps them grow to love the game. Advancing from beating up lowly street thugs, to thwarting local crime syndicates, to saving the world from super villain legions is part of what makes a player fall in love with City of Heroes and makes curious first-timers into long-term players. Which plays into the second: Logistics and frame of reference. It would be difficult to explain in a satisfying way how that Level 1 is going toe-to-toe with the same enemy and having the same relative fight as the Level 50+3 super incarnate. It would also prevent crafting and moving the overall narrative forward as we continue the story. Requiring a villain group to somehow simultaneously (literally here, occupying the same space and time) be small-time and also the next huge threat warranting the response of world's strongest would be troublesome for writing. Long-time players are eagerly awaiting the next chapter of the City of Heroes world's story, and new endgame is naturally, going to be a part of that; Not to say that the early game isn't important too, but each has it's own purpose, design, and execution; Overlapping them would mean the loss of the granularity that makes them excel at their intended purpose.

👀

I've been watching like six different places since this was posted, and you're the first person to actually notice it; Bravo! 👍

Appreciate this! 😄 Glad you're enjoying the exploration tips, and I love your idea, that sounds like a fun mini-game! I've been pleased that people are finding them to be a fun addition to the game; Can safely say that everyone can expect more writing work from me in the future! (Additional zone's Tour Guides for Page 3 and beyond)

Aaagh! Stop ousting my secrets! >:T 👀

I have access to totally legit and not at all biased secret knowledge that reveals the long hidden origin of this phrase: 👀 In the beginning (2004) Cryptic created the City of Heroes. And the game was blue and heroic, and NPCs were upon the face of the zones. And the devs moved upon the maps. (slowly, using OG hover speeds) And the devs said, Let there be red side: and there was the City of Villains. And the devs saw the red side, and that it was the best side: and the devs divided the red from the blue. <cough>

As somebody with no friends, I sure am relieved there are technological advancements to allow me to pretend like I do! Feeling blue doesn't mean being alone! QvQ (Hint: Say no!) Thanks GM_Bot! 🤖

Fragmentary Veritas - New Release: Chapter 2, Page 16 - 'Handy Solutions': http://fragmentaryveritas.webcomic.ws/comics/31

Tipped Off was a badge that existed before Tour Guide, it was given for receiving a tip drop; The change added Tour Guide tips to triggering the badge as well. I would guess your badge hunter already has Tipped Off; If not, any normal alignment tip drop should trigger the badge for them.

That's a fair thought to have. Expanding the PvP system to SG bases as an optional tool would likely see it function with nearly identical nuance to how the system operates right now in the PvP zones. In the context of City of Heroes as it functions today, are there regular occurrences in which non-consensual PvP griefing happens that substantiates these concerns? (Going into a PvP zone and leaving the safe area is consenting to PvP. Being attacked while trying to get badges, Shivans, or Warburg nukes does not constitute griefing.)

(Disclaimer: My original post in this thread was written before I became a member of the Homecoming development team, so please don't read into things too deeply! 😅) I understand your concern! As it has existed in City of Heroes, the idea of PvP causes a lot of players to back away, even worse, the idea of being pulled into PvP unwillingly and griefed. Player vs. player is not something that will appeal to everyone in the community, and that's totally fine, but the system itself has applications that could see use beyond competitive play. The idea of using the PvP system as a creative tool involving organized players to put towards anything their creativity can think of has value. Roleplaying, mini-games like capture the flag, or player-created boss raids... The applications I had in mind for the concept are anything but competitive, it's more about giving players more options to work with on the realization of their creative outlet in City of Heroes. Without even needing to check I can guarantee, if a PvP-enabled SG base system were to be introduced (reminder; there are no current plans!), every precaution would be taken to ensure that griefing was impossible and it always remained 100% opt-in. If this criteria couldn't be met, the system likely would not see implementation. When I wrote that previous post, my thinking was that you would get the 30-second countdown with a pop-up, (like PvP zones currently have), with an opt-out button to leave the base on it. Both the countdown and the pop-up would be prompted if the base had PvP enabled before you entered, or if the base's owner toggles it on while you are inside. With these measures in-place my thinking was that it shouldn't be possible grief somebody with this feature unless you AFK in untrustworthy bases. Obviously some kind of failproof option like this would be good to have; My thinking on suggestions is usually oriented with "What seems reasonably doable using the systems and functions I know exist in-game currently." as anything else usually is either not possible or requires coding and still might not be possible.

Same! Haha; The system is fairly minor, but robustly intrusive? These tips will pop-up in players' inventory doing other things and make everything feel more vibrant/alive for it. Especially new players, given the outdoor mission sections in the starting zones where all those enemies will be eligible to drop the Tour Guide tips. They'll be made aware right away of several systems that will help orient them if they do the whole zone and unlock the Long-Range Teleporter. So the system naturally introduces new players to: -Tips and tip missions -Exploration badges and badges as a system -Accolade badges and powers with the Long-Range Teleporter -Reward merits from the exploration accolade -Minor tidbits of the world's lore that rewards them digging in

I can get this fixed in both the original badge and the tip's mentions. 👍

Perhaps they should all get taunt to make things extra fun. 😈

The tips will drop off any standard rank enemy, bosses are just optimal if/when they can be found, but in lieu of bosses, lieutenants can work just as well.

Fragmentary Veritas - New Release: Chapter 2, Page 15 - 'Freebie': http://fragmentaryveritas.webcomic.ws/comics/30

Huh; Didn't see this thread until just now. Casual stroll through memory lane with a lot of familiar Protector names haha! 👋 On Live I was @Karonax and I played a Stone/Stone Brute of the same name pretty much exclusively for most of my time on live. I was extremely active primarily on redside, was a leader in C.A.R.E.S.S. and Syndicates of Evil, and led runs of the Lord Recluse Strike Force almost nightly during Issue 7. I also spent a ton of time PvPing in Siren's Call and Recluse's Victory on my Brute up until Issue 13.

I can say odds are looking favorable that those remaining zones will get Tour Guide missions in the future; Page 3 most likely.

For me it was finding a character that played in a way that fit my personality and playstyle preference. I like to move into the fray fast and hit hard; my Broad Sword/Willpower Scrapper has been perfect in that regard. Like an unrelenting ball of hyperactive violence zoomies, she rushes into danger! (which eventually lead to me needing to bulk-up her resistances so she'd stop eating pavement so frequently.) 😅 As long as the character can move fast, and their hits have 'oomph' they're usually keepers in my book. By this same thought I've had a hard time finding a support-type character I've enjoyed, and still haven't loved any Masterminds haha; but the game's ability to provide many flavors is what makes it fun, I know people who live to play support.