Cobalt Arachne

You don't want those badges back as they were... They promoted aggressive and unhealthy 'rating farms' where player circles would organize running pointless empty missions (which fill up the AE database) for the sole purpose of quickly finishing them and ranking them 5-stars to try and farm/boost their way up to Hall of Fame and the 2,500 star badge. Things that promote negative community interactions are not good ideas for badges.

One must appease the baconizer or it will create insufficient bacons and the map will be angry. >o> 🥓

This is fixed internally already; Just wrapped into Page 3. 👍

Correct, this is exactly why. Immunes Surgeons have no offensive powers whatsoever. This was required for them to be added to AE, where players could make a custom enemy group containing nothing but Surgeons and farm enemies that can't fight back.

There's a LOT coming; Page 3 is shaping up to be one of our biggest content releases to date. The AE updates were a tiny piece of the pie that we shipped early so we could run the story contest currently happening. Good (and EVIL) things in store... 😈

Slight update to the patch notes... The Cimeroran Traitors restored power 'Energized Shield' received a small update for better tracking and theming and was renamed 'Roman Armor', which has confused some players checking the Combat Attributes when they did not see Energized Shield. Also worth noting due to the fast track; The powers on the level 50-54 Cimeroran Traitors bracket are not quite final, and will be getting a few updates when Page 3 goes to testing later. Also, the (currently very WIP) Minotaur Nictus Axe will be going to players at that time as well. Stay tuned for more good things, there's a lot coming soon! 😉

Pineapple on pizza is simply the current stage of evolution that humanity is on before we advance to the promised land of kiwi on pizza. 😄

No Trammel! Oh wait...

To clarify on my statement, as it's being quoted to the wrong effect here. New methodology of increasing the difficulty are already built and in testing now, and in more engaging ways than just making numbers bigger. As always, we're watching the feedback and are always looking for opportunities to improve existing content. When we approach adjustments, it will be with intent and in ways beyond purely stats. Various elements have already proven that simply having bigger numbers alone does not engaging challenges make. (Keep in mind challenge is not strictly the same as difficulty, and the degree of punishing elements and accessibility play into what defines that.) We're absolutely interested in giving the players a good challenge. The upcoming team content should be extremely difficult if players choose to play it on max difficulty. Setting difficulty should be a choice that means something. Perhaps it is more accurate to say there are no plans to retroactively adjust the difficulty floor, but the ceiling, that's a different matter. What's important is players having the ability to opt up or down depending on their preference so that people who enjoyed previous content where it currently is can continue to do so.

I'm happy to say that with the next batch of new content, we're aiming to do just this using some new methods of dynamic enemy definitions and power assignment. The new content should be able to be played sub-50 (under enhanced), 50+0 (SOs), or 50+ (IO incarnates) and will change to accommodate and challenge the players depending on their preference for the game. This should enable all player types to enjoy it how they prefer, be it leveling an alt, feeling powerful on their built character, or facing an intense challenge. Reading a lot of what's being said I think people will be happy with what's coming. This is controlled via the levels at which the enemies spawn, with enemies at 52+ being given additional powers to make them more dangerous to built incarnate players; Players who wish to play the content at max level and not deal with challenge or the additional mechanics will be able to simply set the difficulty to +0. That being said, there are currently no plans to retroactively adjust or change previously-existing content's difficulty; But we're always evaluating based on the feedback.

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.