Cobalt Arachne
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Posts posted by Cobalt Arachne
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31 minutes ago, Major_Decoy said:
I understand the restriction of that specific ghost look because of particle counts, but would it perhaps be possible to have transparency as a aura option so people can make ghosts and other transparent characters without needing to devote a level 4 power to stealth or infiltration?
In the past for my characters I've managed this by slotting a Celerity: Stealth IO (costs ~mil or less inf on the AH), and then slotting it into one of the prestige sprints set to 'MinFx' in the power customization for toggle transparency on any character.
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As Six mentioned, the game suffers from an issue where players can reasonably get to maxed out very quickly. For veterans, new maxed characters can be a done in matter of *hours*, but then these built-out characters have nothing to do and have nothing to work towards.
The higher tier rewards are aimed at giving a long-term goal to the players who hate having nothing to work towards, but have otherwise have completed everything there is to complete in this game.-
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4 minutes ago, dom9630 said:
As someone who was extremely critical of the pricing the first time around, this seems a lot better considered.
I am a little confused on the 'deluxe' costumes per the posting's wording.. Are these essentially 'wombo combos' of two other tier 3's?
In a matter of speaking, they are kind of a wombo combo of sorts.
Costume: Undefined Mode changes your head, chest, gloves, hips, and boots to green blobby textures, adds the unique aura effect, and then inherits certain extra costume parts from your normal costume that it can fit on-top. Buying it also gives you Costume: Undefined Mini Mode as a bonus for free, which does all of the above + Mini Mode proportions.
Tier 4 is meant to serve as a currency sink for the people with too much aether, and to show off something weird.-
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15 minutes ago, Dispari said:
That sounds like a good reason to lower the prices. I'm from the RP server, everyone there has lots of characters. Altitis is a pretty common ailment for City players in general I hear. Hundreds of prismatics for one costume for one character is pretty unreasonable.The T3 price points are due to the offerings being customization options that wouldn't be ideal to have on every character easily and be an abundantly common thing but low enough that somebody who really wants them can get them. For every individual person who's ultra psyched about mini mode characters, there's another who hates how they look at doesn't want to see them everywhere.
It ensures they are limited to people who actually want them to facilitate character ideas and not abundantly used for reasons like throw away meme characters or to bother people.
For the Effect toggles, which are essentially cosmetic armors, we have to be conservative with large-scale particle density access, this ensures they don't become something everyone uses constantly simply because they have easy access to it.-
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57 minutes ago, Dispari said:
Do the EBs just spawn randomly alongside other spawns (at 25+)? I feel it would make more sense if it was context-dependent. Like you don't get the beefy EB spawns during zombie invasions if you're by yourself.
Correct, at lower rate (2% chance per EB, per mob rolled, with a cap of one EB possible per door).
18 minutes ago, Bionic_Flea said:It's not supposed to spawn EBs solo.
We originally wanted them to only spawn when the team was above a certain size, but unfortunately after we dug into it, we learned that the code is wonky and it made team-size dependent mob-exclusions not possible with the current system.
The way the trick-or-treat mobs works currently is a series of continuous dice rolls, spawning mobs with weights until a certain weight threshold is met depending on the trick-or-treater's team's size, but the ability to exclude mobs from the table it uses wasn't possible with the way they originally coded the trick-or-treat's spawn code.It'll require rewriting that code, which we didn't have time for before the Halloween event had already begun. The best we could do with the time we had was to limit them to levels 25+ by adding a second level-dependent table.
We aim have it working the way we'd originally intended by next year's Halloween.-
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38 minutes ago, Lazarillo said:
I'm not really sure I like the idea of running into someones leftover ToT EB, either. If anything, I've seen people miffed in past years about ToT "leftovers" that were just the normal classes of enemies.
Those leftover Trick-or-Treat mobs can only exist idle for a brief 60 seconds while also only spawning within that zone's possible level ranges.
If a player runs into somebody else's mobs, in a zone where they are a threat to them, the only possible way they can be a danger is if they intentionally stop traveling to fight them by choice like any other zone mob spawn.Unless you're far below the level of the zone you entered, which is a choice a player made accepting the risks, there's not a realistic threat of getting killed by these leftovers.
City zones are also enormous, numerous, and every one contains hundreds of mission doors to choose from to use for Trick-or-Treating.Zones are public spaces and everyone is allowed to use them however they'd like as long as they're not being disruptive per Homecoming's Code of Conduct.
If one player doesn't like seeing evidence of others in a zone enjoying a seasonal event, that player is free to move to a less populated zone or server where they're less likely to encounter others. Expecting us to restrict or remove options from other players instead isn't realistic.-
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12 minutes ago, Lazarillo said:
Not super thrilled about the idea of EBs spawning in randomly when Trick-or-Treating. Some of my characters aren't really built for that.
These elite bosses will only spawn if you are above level 25. If you do get one solo and don't want to fight it, you can simply run away and they will despawn automatically after 60 seconds.
Trick-or-Treat enemies have a 3-second safety window after they spawn before they can do anything, giving you ample time to escape if it's not a fight you want to take.
This addition was meant to make Trick-or-Treating in teams or leagues more engaging/lucrative/rewarding.-
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An autumn's October greetings to all you do-gooders or evil-doers out there!
It's that time of year again!
...what time you might ask?
Spooky time! Oh yes!🎃 It's almost time for the Homecoming: City of Heroes Halloween Event 2022! 🎃
October 4th - November 1st
I spy some familiar and not-so-familiar faces...
So, what new things does this year's Halloween event bring? I'm glad you asked!
Each year, the fallen fae of the Unseelie Court attempt to invade our world by opening rifts when the spirit realm and the mortal realm are at their closest during the spooky Halloween season. Fortunately for us, they have been thwarted every year by the valiant efforts of Heroes and Villains who stop these spooky beings in their tracks!
However, this year they've decided they will need to bolster their ranks if their attempts at world scaring are to succeed. The Unseelie Court's Hollow Reapers have devised a method to bring new levels of frightening to our world! These reapers have used their spectral scythes to widen the rifts, allowing even more powerful creatures of the night to invade when somebody is tricked whilst Trick-or-Treating! This can't be good...
What does this mean for our brave Heroes and sinister Villains?🎃 What's New in Halloween Event 2022? 🎃
New Trick-or-Treating Enemies!
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Five new Elite Boss enemies that can now spawn while Trick-or-Treating above Level 25!
- Ancient Vampires
- Spectral Werewolves
- Arisen Mummies
- Crone Matriarchs
- Hollow Reapers
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These spooky new Elite Bosses will reward five-fold experience and influence for each one defeated!
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Have any alts that still need some levels? Haven't tried out Symphony Control? Want to build a character for Advanced Difficulty modes?
- This would be a great opportunity to find some time to go Trick-or-Treating!
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Have any alts that still need some levels? Haven't tried out Symphony Control? Want to build a character for Advanced Difficulty modes?
- Each of these new Elite Boss mobs also count for the older defeat badges. Spectral Werewolves count as both werewolf and ghost defeats.
- These new mobs spawn at a lower rate than other Trick-or-Treat enemies and were designed to be tough. For the best results, try Trick-or-Treating with a group!
Looking for an efficient Trick-or-Treating spot? Might I recommend the motel near the hospital in Peregrine Island? 👀
Ouch! Best be careful, these spooky Elite Bosses are looking for unsuspecting victims to scare!
New Halloween Event Badges! + Aether Rewards?!
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Five new badges for defeating each of the new Trick-or-Treat Elite Boss types:
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Vampiric Heritage - Defeat 5 Ancient Vampires from the Halloween Event to earn this badge.
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Spectral Anomaly - Defeat 5 Spectral Werewolves from the Halloween Event to earn this badge.
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Mummy's Curse - Defeat 5 Arisen Mummies from the Halloween Event to earn this badge.
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Unholy Cabal - Defeat 5 Crone Matriarchs from the Halloween Event to earn this badge.
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Reaper of Souls - Defeat 5 Hollow Reapers from the Halloween Event to earn this badge.
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- Not only that! But each of these new badges also rewards 2 Prismatic Aether Particle salvage as a bonus, for a grand total of 10 possible on each character! Wow!
Ten whole Prismatic Aether Particles that you can earn on every character!
Costume Goodies!
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Fancy any of those Halloween costumes and wish you could keep them permanently?
- If you earn all five of this year's new Halloween event badges, you'll have enough Prismatic Aether currency to purchase one permanent Tier 1 Prestige Costume of your choosing from any of the BenevoLabs vendors found at Vault Reserve locations! Nice!
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The Halloween Salvage vendors are also offering a new limited-time Fir Bolg Prestige Costume, which will be available for the entirety of the month of October each year!
- The Fir Bolg prestige costume costs 10 Prismatic Aether Particles + 50 of each Halloween salvage type.
- All Tier 1 appearances have been added to the Halloween costume temporary power rewards pool, this year should certainly be diverse!
- The 'Halloween' in the Halloween costume temporary power names has been removed to make them easier to read in the power menu.
Other Adjustments
- The Bored Guy and Bored Gal in the Dr. Kane's House of Horror trial have been given updated looks of their own.
- Trick-or-Treat Werewolves now throw coffins instead of rocks when using their Hurl power.
🎃 New to Halloween in City of Heroes? Check out the legacy spooky activities! 🎃
https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Halloween_Event
Badges, Badges, Badges!
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There are a ton of event badges to be earned during the Halloween Event each year!
- Here's a list of all the badges up for grabs! https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Halloween_Event/Badges
Zone Trick-or-Treating! https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Halloween_Event/Trick_or_Treat
- Go to any zone appropriate to your level range, click any mission door, and you'll be surprised with either a Treat reward or a Trick spook!
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Treats will reward a variety of things:
- Halloween costume temporary powers, these come in many flavors! Collecting many rewards badges!
- Halloween salvage that can be redeemed for an extra costume slot, a spider vanity pet, and more! Talk to the Halloween salvage vendor appropriate for you:
- If you are wearing a costume power (Halloween or Prestige) while trick-or-treating, you can receive a Whispered Rumor tip mission that allows earning up to six badges! https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Mission:Tip_-_Whispered_Rumor
- Inspirations!
- Sometimes though, all you get is a rock...
- Tricks will spawn Halloween enemies! Worry not, as these enemies can be defeated for badges!
Zone Giant Monster Hunts! https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Halloween_Event/Giant_Monsters
- For the duration of the Halloween Event, you can find the giant monsters, Eochai and Jack-in-Irons, randomly throughout standard zones!
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The pair are worth an exclusive badge for the first time defeating each, but every time they're defeated grants 6 Reward Merits to everyone who participated!
- After being defeated, a new Eochai or Jack will respawn somewhere in the same zone shortly afterward, so if you search the zone, they can be defeated many times repeatedly for lots of Reward Merits!
Eochai is glad to get out of Croatoa for once!
Zombie Apocalypse Zone Invasions! https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Zombie_Apocalypse
- Keep an eye on the Zone Event channels! Frequently during the Halloween Event's runtime, zones will be attacked by a Zombie Apocalypse!
- During this event, waves of zombies will spawn anywhere there are players and can be defeated for badges and experience!
- Group up somewhere with a lot of allies and mow down zombies for rewards! Don't stand too close to Police Drones though!
Deadly Apocalypse Zone Events! https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Deadly_Apocalypse
- Keep an eye on the Zone Event channels! If a spooky fog and four banners roll in, it's time for a Deadly Apocalypse!
- In this event, players must coordinate to defeat enemies simultaneously at all four Banner locations marked on the map.
- As the Banner's defenders are defeated simultaneously at all four locations, the protection on the Banners will gradually weaken. Remember if there aren't people at all four banners fighting, you won't be able to make any progress!
- Eventually, the Banners will become vulnerable, and players can destroy each one for a total of four badges!
- Once all four Banners have been destroyed, a Greater Mystic Aspect giant monster will spawn somewhere in the zone! If defeated they will reward players with another badge and choice of a temporary power!
Dr. Kane's House of Horrors Trial! https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Dr._Kane's_House_of_Horror
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Grab four allies and queue for the Dr. Kane's House of Horrors Trial from the Looking For Group (LFG) tab on your chat window!
- Face lots of spooky enemies and earn plenty of badges in this short trial that's only available during the Halloween Event!
- Tip: Prestige costumes also count for the 'Tricked Out' badge criteria!
Atlas Park Zone Makeover! https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Atlas_Park_Seasonal_Changes#Halloween
- During the Halloween Event, Atlas Park will get a spooky makeover! Enjoy the change of scenery while it lasts!
Eternal Night!
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For the last two weeks of the Halloween Event, starting on October 22nd, most zones will be covered by an eternal night!
- If you're interested in hunting for enemies that only spawn at certain times of the day like the ghosts in Croatoa! This is a great chance to get those badges!
That's everything for Halloween this year!
We hope everyone has a grand & spooky time playing City of Heroes!
🎃 Thanks Homecoming for being such awesome players! 🎃
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Five new Elite Boss enemies that can now spawn while Trick-or-Treating above Level 25!
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1 hour ago, KaizenSoze said:
I tested it again. No amount of jumping inside or outside to inside will trigger the exit.
I'll check on it, that is odd.
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Does it work if you jump inside the cube? I believe that was changed to be a 'be inside the cube and jump' to make it less accident prone, since if I recall, when moving quickly the FX doesn't actually start playing fast enough and you could enter the exit zone before you could see it.
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17 minutes ago, Lazarillo said:
because team content, and story rich content, are very highly mutually exclusive
You aren't wrong, part of the thinking was with repeat content you'll be exposed to it more, but it can certainly be difficult to fully absorb all the details while on a team.
Adding a 'story difficulty' option to TFs is something that's been on our radar, just another feature we have to iron the details out for and find time to implement.-
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4 minutes ago, BurtHutt said:
If you read my previous line, it sorta indicates I am also referring to the newer freak arc. Apologies if this wasn't clear.
Anyone that as run the Aeon SF is aware it's not a zone hopper.
Ah! I totally misread, my apologies on that! 😨
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About the Dr. Aeon's Strike Force's length...
There are two main reasons for that, one more simple and one more complex:First: The simpler, is that story in the Dr. Aeon's Strike Force was not written as a two-parter narrative and was meant to be a lore dense piece of content, but that should be expected for content that is the capstone finale of an existing story.
The strike force was always meant to be the finale moment to the original Gold Bricker's story in Cap Au Diable, which never got a proper conclusion and the players never got to tango with big bad King Midas himself, despite numerous arcs about him and involving him.
As a result, this means that for full enjoyment of the Dr. Aeon SF's story, it is best to have played all the Cap Au Diable mission arcs about/involving the Gold Brickers and have some familiarity with those stories since it obviously plays a big role in whether you can follow along and understand what is happening during Aeon's wacky inter-dimensional romp to settle the score.
Second: The more complex, is that in City of Heroes there's always been a stigma that 'long content = bad content', and while older player availability as adults may be a factor certainly, that's a bit heavy-handed as the only reason when people use it with so much objectivity.
I don't necessarily see longer content as an objectively bad thing; It allows for more build-up and anticipation on the way to the finale showdown with the mastermind, it often lets the player feel like they're part of something more epic, and let's us really flesh out the characters, locations, and story.
Penny Yin's TF typically being a 15-30 minute romp makes me feel like I'm on a chore during lunch, not thwarting a major scheme of a villainous organization bent on my city's destruction; That is obviously a very subjective take, and I've run and enjoyed my fair share of Penny Yin's, but it was never the type of experience the Dr. Aeon's SF was aimed to be.Dr. Aeon's Strike Force was designed from the beginning to be a longer, more elaborate piece of content. Variety is the spice of life, and players already had lots of shorter content choices already. If a player wanted to pick a piece of longer content, they generally had to look at the oldest team content in the catalogue which is infamous for obvious reasons...
(Looking at you, Dr. Quarterfield!)
The real question is how & why bad longer content is actually bad:
Older long content that has coined this infamy mostly achieved its length with frustrating/slow mission objectives:
Lots of 'kill all' missions, 'glowie needle in a haystack' missions, 'rescue & escort' missions.
I believe the real reason people don't play the older longer content as often is because the objectives can be very dull, they can't really be streamlined much, and they often contain copious amounts of padding to make the content bulkier when it doesn't make it any more interesting.
All of those things mentioned are completely absent in the Dr. Aeon's SF, which is longer content by virtue of it's content richness, variety, and scope. With many considerations also taken to allow the team play the content to speed it up or slow it down as they desire, it is a very flexible piece of content, with speed PUG teams finishing it regularly in 30 minutes, and other teams taking longer by their choice, not by force, which I believe is the key difference.-
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54 minutes ago, BillyMailman said:
So because they're the same enemy internally, I don't think they can count for different badges.
This is exactly the case.
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On 9/1/2022 at 8:09 AM, Zhym said:
but have the devs said why they introduced another "currency" into the game?
Because we wanted players to actually have new incentives to play the game and earn the costume rewards (or spend a lot of influence) instead of just logging in for 15 minutes to buy everything new immediately after Page 4 went live with massive stockpiles of existing currency and then go back to being 'caught up with nothing to do or work towards'.
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Looks like the child FX for the Arachnos Soldier AR weapon FX were missed for the disjointed firing point fix.
Just fixed it, so expect that to go out next patch.-
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Thought I had fixed this; I'll check again.
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Hmm, assuming maps that have a Vault Reserve present out of bounds (since those stores are library objects the vendor is added literally anywhere they are used); I'll make the Vault version of that vendor just not have any shout text.
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I don't think there's a way to put a preview image like that into the store interface, but what you can do to preview the costumes is buy the 14-day temporary version found on the Halloween vendors as a way to demo them.
The Halloween vendors and event have already been updated and include all the new costumes in Tier 1.-
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I've improved the positioning offsets for where the Rularuu Mace (and a few others with the same issue) sits on the back of Male/Huge costumes for next patch so they don't lean as far away from the torso. It should be positioned very similarly to your second screenshot.
Unfortunately, I can't revert the size, as it needed to be increased by approximately 20% in order to accommodate the two-handed Bane Spider/Mace Mastery animations.
Example of how it'll sit next patch:-
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Given the seriously bizarre state of things, and the totally inconsistent introduction, we may end up just making her unlock for owning the Sister Valeria arc completion badge instead to ensure she's accessible on every character and no matter how you do the arc.
I can't see anything in her contact data or Sister Valeria's that would explain the level of inconsistency we're seeing here.-
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3 minutes ago, Emerald Fusion said:
On each character I've gone to her in person in Cim and started the arc.
All on Torchbearer:
Emerald Fusion - Vigilante - went to her in person, did the first mission, no new contact, completed the arc, no new contact
Shadow Fusion - Villain - went to her in person, did the first mission, offered new contact
Ultra Fusion - Hero - went to her in person, did the first mission, offered new contact
Diablo Verde - Vigilante - went to her in person, did the first mission, offered new contact
Okay that IS bizarre; I'll keep digging. 🤔
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We've figured out the issue here is that if you do Sister Valeria's arc by going to Ouroboros instead of talking to her in the zone. Since Ouroboros mode does not offer contact introductions, she can't introduce you to Alexandra Sideris after the first mission.Looks like this is working as intended and, unfortunately, there isn't a way to do a dual unlock condition. The solution here will be to go talk to Valeria in-person and complete Mission 1 of her arc outside of Ouroboros, it will then unlock Alexandra Sideris for you.Edit: Apparently something else is going on, continuing to dig into it.
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2 hours ago, Starhammer said:
Is there some technical problem with the custom weapon model "Arabian Scimitar" from Broadsword that prevents it from being viable for Dual Blades?
Probably not, I just wasn't aware of it until your post.
I'll check on it... It may end up being a part of a post-Page 4 patch though.-
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Vampiric Heritage - Defeat 5 Ancient Vampires from the Halloween Event to earn this badge.
Spectral Anomaly - Defeat 5 Spectral Werewolves from the Halloween Event to earn this badge.
Mummy's Curse - Defeat 5 Arisen Mummies from the Halloween Event to earn this badge.
Unholy Cabal - Defeat 5 Crone Matriarchs from the Halloween Event to earn this badge.
Reaper of Souls - Defeat 5 Hollow Reapers from the Halloween Event to earn this badge.
Focused Feedback: Costume & Pet Reward Updates
in [Open Beta] Focused Feedback
Posted
The system is explicitly NOT hardcore min-maxers only, if it were, we would have made the Aether account-bound and/or hard mode exclusive.
Instead, we designed it to be a commodity, purchasable from others with the influence, the currency that that is commonly mentioned as being over-abundant and without enough uses, to create an ecosystem where those with an excess of influence can buy the herd income Aether from those who need influence more than costumes (under-geared and new players), which helps the entire playerbase thrive. For this reason, we added smaller easy income methods to non-difficult content, and yes while hard mode does give more, why shouldn't it? It's much more involved/difficult content than spending 30 minutes to run the WST or join a quick iTrial.
Nobody should forget that the Aether is NOT market seeded, the only available stock to be purchased has to be put on the AH by those earning it.
It's also a bit strange seeing the various posts who's stance could be boiled down to:
"It's unfair that players who play more and at a higher level have an advantage over those who play less and more casually."
...Huh?
If somebody spends an enormous amount of time playing City of Heroes, they're naturally going to have more currency, resources, and 50's than somebody who plays less or very casually? Was there going to be any other result to playing more? Is that inherently unfair?
Isn't it more unfair that somebody who puts in that larger effort isn't allowed to have anything (even just something entirely cosmetic) to show for it?
99% of the Aether costumes are extremely reasonable to obtain.
People should be viewing the 1500-Aether costumes (if the costumes even interest them in the first place) the same way badgers view the 1500-badge collected badge. Tier 4 rewards are less about what you're getting visually and more about being an accomplishment, hence why the more widely desirable rewards like Mini Mode were moved down in price by nearly 500%.
It's an achievement, something that isn't just granted. It's a journey, not a short-term destination.
You won't get Tier 4 costumes in a few days, but you can easily monitor your progress as you're saving up Aether over time, and you can decide how to tackle the Aether from many different angles (using influence to buy it on the AH, doing the WST on your 50's, joining any random quick iTrials, doing hard mode content at any level), and when you finally get there, it's something that shows you actually put in the work, it wasn't just handed to you like almost every power-related growth is.
Some of the responses in this thread have shown that for goal-chasers, this change has made the game substantially more enjoyable for them. Some players need goals to work towards to keep their gameplay time focused and is key for them to enjoy the game long-term, this change was aimed at giving those goal-chasers something to work on.
There are a huge number of types of players in this game...
Roleplayers, powers number-crunchers, AH economists, AE writers, SG base builders, PvPers, costume contest runners, and many more.
We aim to give everyone who plays City of Heroes additions to enhance their favored gameplay experience, but some player types were extremely marginalized, specifically, challenge-seekers and goal-chasers. So we aimed to enhance and improve those aspects of the game with recent feature additions.
This game can have something for all type of players, and those who advocate for unconditional and instant accessibility be mandatory in every single element of the game (even non-gameplay impacting elements like vanity cosmetics) are doing so at the expense of those other player types, and that isn't a stance we agree with on the developer team, despite agreeing that the game should be as accessible as possible in all gameplay content elements.
Perspective: being a maxed Tier 4 incarnate on full superior Invention Origin enhancements isn't even an achievement today, rather, it's become the baseline for what is commonly considered to be a functional high-level character by many players. On live, very few players ever had this without spending an insane amount of time and/or money in the game.
It's all about providing options and variety; Just because a game is extremely accessible to play doesn't mean that it can't accommodate more invested player type styles too, and again, Aether rewards will only ever be used for cosmetic vanity items. If you view Influence as one of the designed and intended methods to obtain Aether via the AH, nearly all content in the game can be played toward earning Aether.