[A couple of tweaks for the Kick power from Fighting, if you will]

8 hours ago, Uun said:

It's because they would have to create new Kick animations for each weapon set. All pool, epic and non-weapon set primary/secondary powers cause redraw for the same reason. Brawl is the only power for which they created the extra animations.

That said, the Kick animation is already there for many of those weapon sets - you can see it when you use Brawl. You can even see how it's the exact same animation as Kick, but it doesn't put the weapon away.

It just has to be tied to Kick as well, with whatever flag the power needs to not despawn the weapon.

 

As for the "change the animation" part of the suggestion, only if it's an option. I like Kick the way it is and even use it sometimes.

[Make cage powers a toggle.]

3 hours ago, Shenanigunner said:

Are there any other powers that are both limited duration/with a cooldown, and cancelable?

 

As of page 7, Telekinesis in Mind Control. And I believe either Spirit Ward or Enflame (or both) from the Sorcery pool may work that way as well.

[Make cage powers a toggle.]

7 minutes ago, Shenanigunner said:

No. All powers cannot be made perma. Regardless of the reasoning or justification or lore or backstory, the game is built around powers that have differing levels of application, and to make short-term debuffs perma unbalances the whole concept.

I don't see this as a request to make one of these powers (such as Detention Field) perma, I see it as a request to make the power cancel-able early. There are toggles in the game that can only be active for a maximum duration and then are shut off and put on a cooldown, and I think powers like Detention Field would be an excellent candidate for the same treatment.

[Inspiration tray key binding]

I'm with you there - to be honest, I mostly intend to unbind the inspiration keys because I'm using F1-4 for other functions. But I'd also like the game to not lie to me, and for the system of showing the current bound keys to be consistent like they are now with the powers bar. Ultimately I wouldn't consider my suggestion to be "high priority", but I don't want it to be completely forgotten either.

[Inspiration tray key binding]

In the newest page update, the power trays were updated to showing the keybind associated with the slot. I'd like to request the same functionality for the inspiration tray, showing an updated keybind if one is created.

[Niche but important control detail: Right-click camera look and pop-up menus]

I definitely have this problem too - usually I accidentally set an ally as my map waypoint (W). Luckily setting a map waypoint is not the end of the world, but it is definitely annoying. I think once or twice I may have nearly removed someone from my friends list (R) or global friends list (E). Removing from the global friends list asks for a confirmation, but removing from the character-based friends list doesn't!

 

I think the proposed solutions are good ideas. Another possibility could be that the right click context menu should only come up if you right click on your target, instead of right clicking on any random thing.

 

[/unbind overriden by Keybind Profile]

Oh, ok. I stand corrected.

[/unbind overriden by Keybind Profile]

The basic issue: /unbind seems to be overridden by the now-functioning "Keybind Profile" system. Tested by trying to unbind "C", which closes the chat window by default. Also tested by trying to unbind W and I can still run forward.

 

The story: In trying to rapidly fix all my Combat Attributes across all my characters after the new update, I created the following commands in a text file:
 

Quote

 

C "monitorattribute To Hit Bonus$$monitorattribute Damage Bonus$$monitorattribute Recovery Rate$$monitorattribute Endurance Consumption$$monitorattribute Recharge Time Bonus"

shift+C "monitorattribute Ranged Defense$$monitorattribute Melee Defense$$monitorattribute AOE Defense"
alt+C "unbind C$$unbind shift+C$$unbind alt+C"

 

 

Loading that file and using those commands all worked great, but after using alt+C to remove the new binds, I found that pressing C now reverted back to the original function of closing the chat window, rather than having C do nothing at all.

I manually attempted to use /unbind C as well, which did nothing.

I then used /bind C "" to remove the functionality of the key, which worked fine. /unbind C returned C to the "close chat window" function.

I also tested /unbind W, which did not unbind W.

 

It occurs to me that this might not be a bug, and that /unbind might be intended to reset the bind back to whatever is currently default, but to my knowledge that's not how the command worked prior to the update.

[Minimal Graphics for team stealth powers]

12 hours ago, MonteCarla said:

Fade is the worst though

 😭

 

(But yeah, I would love the ability to turn off transparency effects for my characters. I find the semi-transparent models to look incredibly janky most of the time and would appreciate any way to minimize that effect.)

[CAN WE FIX: Secondary Chat Windows?]

Sorry Shenanigunner, I think this one might be on your end.

 

I have no issues creating new chat windows, disconnecting them from the main chat window, resizing the new chat windows, creating new tabs, dragging and dropping them into the chat window, or even creating the halfway split chat window like I see in your image.

 

If the issue is being able to create these windows with slash commands, I have to admit I've never tried doing that and wouldn't know how to go about it.

[Focused Feedback: New Player Experience (NPE) Improvements]

Tested resizing a window while using quicklook, and its working great. Moving the chat window is also working great. No issues anymore.

 

[Focused Feedback: New Player Experience (NPE) Improvements]

8 hours ago, Number Six said:

If you don't mind, could you re-test on RC3.5? Copied characters from live should now default to "Classic", while newly created characters get "Modern" unless you've overriden it by saving default key bindings.

 

I can confirm that a newly transferred character gets none of the new control scheme changes. The profile under keybinds shows up as "classic". Characters that were previously on the beta server also have the "classic" profile and no longer have the new functionality.

A newly created character does have the "modern" profile by default, and has the same experience I outlined before - they correctly inherited my saved default keybinds, and the only new control scheme functionality they have by default is the quicklook on left click. This makes sense because it uses the new "LeftDragWorld" label, which I have not overwritten with my default keybinds.

I think that means it's working as it should be.

[Focused Feedback: New Player Experience (NPE) Improvements]

I've tested the control scheme changes with:

1. Characters that existed on the Beta server before Release Candidate 3
2. A character that I transferred from Live to Beta after the Release Candidate 3 update
3. A brand-new character created after the Release Candidate 3 update

Characters 1 and 2 had the new quicklook left mouse button features, new mouse movement functionality, new shift+# for the third tray buttons, and the new walking towards a turned camera (free-look) functionality.

Character 3 inherited my default saved keybinds when I created it and had none of these new changes except for quicklook, which seems to be bound to a new "LeftDragWorld" keybind rather than "LBUTTON" like I would have first expected. (EDIT: I think this part is a good thing and I like it.)

[Focused Feedback: New Player Experience (NPE) Improvements]

11 minutes ago, Lunar Ronin said:

This is just my two cents, but I think changing the default power tray labels and key bindings for a 20 year-old MMORPG is a mistake.  I mean, for me, it doesn't matter because the first thing I'm going to do when Page 7 launches is change everything back to the way it was and save it to my options.txt file.  As options, they're fine.  But for people returning from both live and earlier on Homecoming, changing the way a 20 year-old video game works by default isn't the way to go.  It'll just cause confusion.  City of Heroes is City of Heroes, not any other video game.

I think this one is a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" kind of situation.

New players expect certain things to work in a modern way, like the new "quick-look" feature, turning the camera without turning your character by using left click, which is standard in almost every other MMO I can think of.

On the other hand, existing players either will or will not like the changes based on their personal preferences. Hopefully people know to save their binds and options the way they like them before the update, and load them up after the update if they'd rather have things function as they do currently.

The "classic" default bind profile is probably the best way to handle the situation, though.

 

Which brings me to another point:

1 hour ago, Jimmy said:

• These changes only apply to new characters, and overridden by customized bindings that were previously saved.
• Applying some or all of these settings on existing characters requires either resetting to the default bindings or manually applying the changes.

This part is somewhat misleading. Previously existing characters ARE affected by these new changes (especially noticeable with the changes to free look and moving forward, and the change to how mouse movement auto-run works), but loading a bind file saved before the update reverts them.

[Focused Feedback: New Player Experience (NPE) Improvements]

The /tray_always_shrink 1 command returns an "unknown command" error.

 

EDIT: After the post-update update, this is no longer true. Requires "power tray animations" to be enabled, but works fine.

[Focused Feedback: New Player Experience (NPE) Improvements]

One more voice for the "shrinking power icon support" chorus. This seems like the kind of thing that should be an option.

 

1 hour ago, Doc_Scorpion said:

So, what exactly does this setting do?  I've played with it some and can't figure it out.

 There is a subtle "sparkle" effect that plays when a power is finished recharging by default. This disables the little sparkle.

[powexec_location cursor doesn't work properly with Shield Charge]

To be honest, I've experienced this happening on occasion as well, with the Translocation secondary power from Mystic Flight. When I use my teleport bind and try to teleport across the map rapidly, I rarely see the same kind of issue as shown in the video. I always chalked it up to user error (in my case, trying to teleport too quickly before the first one finished executing) but it seems like my initial assumption might have been mistaken.

[powexec_location cursor doesn't work properly with Shield Charge]

Try throwing "shield charge" in quotation marks in your bind.

/bind shift+t "powexeclocation cursor "Shield Charge"" just worked fine for me.

 

EDIT: I didn't read the thread very well! Didn't realize the issue you were having was based on it not going where you wanted it to, rather than not working at all. I didn't test it with a bind using a mouse click to activate, that might be a factor.

[Focused Feedback: Team Badges]

I really appreciate this change. It solves a number of the pain points I brought up in the last thread:

• Being a one-time badge, instead of a daily repeatable bonus, does not incentivize repeating the same short TFs over and over every day to maximize rewards
• While it doesn't solve the issue of roles not matching up with how archetypes actually play, it notably lessens the problem. Now any given character might experience the problem only once in their career, instead of potentially every day.

Perhaps a one-time bonus of aethers can be associated with the badges (or is it just a single badge for doing either team? I'd assume its two badges, but a bit unclear), like there are aethers awarded with the newest halloween badges. That would be a small, but still meaningful, injection of aethers into the economy accessible by lower level characters and newer players.

[Focused Feedback: New Player Experience (NPE) Improvements]

1 hour ago, Doc_Scorpion said:

It's entirely possible to build a playable and effective toon using nothing but the information available in game.  That's the entire point of this subthread, that we don't need to push players towards MIDS.

 

I totally agree with you there. MIDS is a nice program to use, I enjoy it, but it isn't (and shouldn't be) a necessity. And providing the most accurate information in an easy-to-understand manner is why that's the case.

 

---

 

Something I completely forgot to mention in my first post there is that providing numbers in the power descriptions doesn't have to be at the expense of descriptive language (or dots, if that's something people like better). A block that looks like this:

Damage: High (1.64)

Attack speed: Medium (1.33 seconds)

Recharge: Medium (8 seconds)

would be helpful and flavorful in equal measure. But if they're going to stay, the "Light"s, "Medium"s, "High"s, etc. should at least be re-evaluated to be consistent across copies of the powersets, and IMO across powersets in general, to be as truthful and accurate as possible.

[Focused Feedback: New Player Experience (NPE) Improvements]

3 hours ago, Doc_Scorpion said:

Or, to make it plain, I absolutely agree with the other posters.  We absolutely do not want to flood new players with information they lack the necessary background and experience to properly interpret.  And we absolutely do not want to give the impression that min maxing and/or build planning is a prerequisite for being able to play (or enjoy) the game.  The kinds of folks who enjoy that kind of stuff will almost invariably either encounter it through osmosis or deliberately seek it out.  We don't need to force it on everyone else.

 

Presenting too much information at once can definitely be a problem. But I don't think the "descriptive language" system of describing powers is any less overwhelming than directly presenting the damage scale, and it's less useful to boot. Any player, new or old, can see that 1.4 is higher than 1.2 and decide whether they care about that or not. But to this day I can never remember whether "Light" damage is supposed to be more than "Minor", or whether "Superior" is more than "Extreme". And in some sets, like Archery for Blasters*, you're presented with two options that are both labeled as "Light" (although the description of the power says one does more than another).

 

Personally, for power information, I'd like to see animation time be a described in that same block of text. Using Hack as an example again, I'd format it like this:

Damage: 1.64

Attack speed: 1.33 seconds

Recharge: 8 seconds

Giving players an idea of "this attack hits harder, but this one is faster" gives them the information to make a meaningful choice right off the bat, or they'll continue to ignore that description and pick based on the power icon like I often do.

 

*side note: Looking at the first two powers for Archery across multiple archetypes shows inconsistencies. For Blasters, both Snap Shot and Aimed Shot are labeled "Light". For Corruptors, they are "Moderate" and "High", and for Defenders, they are "Minor" and "Light". An objective, numbers-based system would help alleviate this confusion.

[A common complaint among older players is that "the game is too different, now." I have some thoughts.]

It's pretty niche, but what about a temporary debuff available from the P2W vendor (now the P2L vendor, I suppose)?
If Stamina gives a +25% recovery bonus, grab an anti-Stamina -25% recovery temp power.

[Focused Feedback: Role Diversity Bonus]

What I like about this system:

• More Prismatic Aethers earned, especially during the lower levels, seems like a good thing.
• I like seeing what I call a "rainbow team", when every member of a team has a different archetype symbol on the team window, for aesthetic reasons.

 

What I don't like about this system:

• The specific roles assigned to the archetypes are too limited. In an attempt to be "fair" to the archetypes that are designed to specialize, the system is unfair to archetypes designed to do multiple things well.
  • The "Corruptors don't count as support"  argument is like beating a dead horse at this point.
• I feel like the roles provided here make sense from a game design perspective but not a game play perspective.
  • I have never looked at a team and thought "This team is well balanced, except we need more melee damage. No blasters allowed, no brutes allowed, get me a scrapper or a stalker only!"
  • "Support" being a single category feels limited. I think there's a difference between offensive support (damage buffs, resistance debuffs), defensive support (defense and resistance buffs, damage and tohit debuffs), healing, and endurance (recovery buffs or outright +endurance effects). Most support sets have a mix of capabilities, but may focus on one way over another.
• This system defines role as something you are, rather than something you do.
  • At the very least, this idea is clearly divisive.
• I don't think all-support teams, or all-tank teams, or what have you, are any less "healthy" than a more balanced team.
  • I do agree that it is unhealthy if characters that focus on a particular role feel like they have no place in the game. But I think this isn't solved by being the tag-along so the rest of the team can get more rewards, and has to be solved with game design. If controls (for example) feel inadequate in the late game, more situations where they are useful must be introduced.
• I don't want to be the guy who feels like he has to switch characters in order for everybody to get a 3 million influence bonus. Likewise, I don't want to be the guy who thinks about his teammates "I wish you were playing a different character."
• The system incentivizes speedrunning shorter TFs multiple times with different characters over playing a single longer TF.
  • This also doesn't do anything for mission teams.

Overall, I think the negatives outweigh the positives on this one.

[Focused Feedback: Role Diversity Bonus]

4 minutes ago, Cobalt Arachne said:

If the consensus here is that this change will be a negative for the game, we can simply remove the free bonus and drop this feature.

The sense I'm getting from reading feedback is that many feel like any attempts to influence the nature of team assembly is antithetical to the nature of City of Heroes.
 

 

Honestly, I think that would be for the best. I know the dev team is trying to do something nice for the players, but I think this idea needs a bit more time in the oven.

 

I don't know whether trying to promote more balanced teams in some way is something we should strive for, but if we do decide to do that, here's how I would tweak the system as presented:

As for "what counts as a well-balanced team", the game already tells you what ATs do what roles, on the character creation screen. In this section of the character creator (which I skip every time) we have listed roles that perfectly match the roles in this new system, plus "Pets" which isn't so much a role as a playstyle. Clicking "support" gives you a list of the archetypes that someone, at some point, considered the full list of archetypes that can fulfill a support role. While I can see why it might be seen as "unfair" to give the classic ATs like Corruptors more roles than a more focused AT like Scrappers, I think it's more unfair to not recognize their full contributions to a team. Personally, I'd align the roles listed here with the roles for the system. Simultaneously, I'd limit each player to "counting" as only one role at a time for the system - not as something a player has to choose (so player's don't have to "queue as support" or whatever), but as something calculated in the background. This would mean that it requires a 5 person team to get this bonus, which I don't love but makes more sense than assuming one player is performing three roles at a time.

[Focused Feedback: Role Diversity Bonus]

1 hour ago, macskull said:

Yes and yes. The epic ATs intentionally count for multiple roles.

Ok, cool. To be clear, I was more focused on whether those ATs could count for multiple roles at the same time, rather than whether they could count for any one role as needed to fill out a team. But it sounds like the answer to my questions is "yes" either way.

 

As for whether non-epic ATs should count as multiple roles, I can see both sides on this one.

• On one hand, I play my corruptors specifically to bring support to a team. The game already tells you during the character creation process which ATs can provide what roles, and it seems silly to disregard that and have a much more narrow focus of what each AT is doing.
• On the other hand, this doesn't change the way the game is played at all. It's only used for getting a bit of bonus rewards. And the end goal clearly seems to be nudging players towards playing "classic" teams of one of each AT, so I can see why there's exactly one traditionally Hero AT in each category and one traditionally Villain AT in each category.

Ultimately I'm not going to worry about the design too much, just make sure things are working as they're intended to be working.