Ruin Mage

Sorry, that bean burrito really hit the spot.

I'm going to honestly and bluntly put this as best I can: We are owed nothing. This game does not belong to the community. This server does not belong to the community. If Homecoming developers wanted to suddenly table-flip power balance on its head, it is full within their right as the ones running the show to do so. It is in that same line that feedback and suggestions are just that - feedback from the community and suggestions from the community. They are not hardcore things that need to happen - but things people want. Which HC can decide if they want to give it or not. Transparency, or whatever word/reasoning is used here, is a load of crock for a not-live server's development. I would rather they keep the forums at an arm's length because development-by-the-forums is a great way to lead into a proverbial dumpster fire. I know some people probably think they can power balance better than Powerhouse, but I have also seen enough on the forums to consider that to be hilarious. The better route is for people to realize that this is their show, they can add in input, but HC is not obligated to implement anything we desire / anything we desire precisely as is. The better route is for people to be content in being able to give feedback and be heard, but understand that being heard does not mean anything/everything you desire is going to happen. We do not need a heavy handed approach of "Include us in this ride please!!" because we do not need to see everything under the hood. There's a lot already seen when they tease pages/Issues, when they talk about costs, and when the beta shards get updated. Hell, the fact they made this thread in general to give us a general heads up of what they're doing is more than enough in my eyes. While community engagement is great? I would rather it be done with the arm's length distance mentality - because inviting the community closer is a recipe for disaster. Especially if you take a look at the Suggestions and Feedback forum since HC came up. There is no easy or good way about it. Wavelengths don't really matter, honestly. I'm not trying to say we can't/shouldn't hold the HC team accountable, but people need to stop getting false hopes and assuming. This isn't our show, and that needs to be recognized. Speaking as if there's a need for anything in particular, to me, comes off as arrogant and claiming as if one knows better than the rest. Which, honestly, no one does except the team - as they know what sort of server they want to give to us. The community's influence needs to be moderated or else the snowball effect will happen and that is bad. One thing will lead to the next. Case in point - the entire 79 pages of this thread has been back and forth, circular debate, and more. The community should be cherry picked, and not listened to wholesale. Otherwise, things get dumb and fast. Take it from a couch potato who loves this game and has spent way too many hours reading forum posts. who thinks he knows how to develop games but actually doesn't.

It is a very bad move to suddenly adjust their plans off a thread that was made after plans for i27 were already underway. Just because feedback wasn't catered to instantly is not the end of the world, Lockpick. They are still looking for feedback (Beta forums) and who knows what sort of things are coming past Page 1.

Updates: So I am going to be preparing towards the end of this year for the next one. The idea here is to make these happen two to three times a year depending. My next one is unknown due to the fact that it's a little early to call a date. However, I wanted to get out and make some updates for how this event is going to be run when it is run. Please note that there is no set date for the next run of this. Do not send me money unless you just want to give me it. I accept charity. Specifics There are to be no advertisement bots or dual boxing during this event. This is targeting specific groups, but you are not welcome to do this because zone caps ARE a real thing. It is also asked that you do not show up with your entire supergroup to lock out the entire zone. This happened to the first run of the event and will not be tolerated during any future run. GMs will be called if a group shows up with ad bots/dual-boxing. This event caters to the hero & villain community - those supergroups that would fit for a comic book universe. In future events, these may take place within a base - handled like Black Friday where a code is given at a portal. This is to ensure that the theme of the event is catered to. I apologize to the strip clubs, night clubs, bars, and other night life facilities, but you advertise on a daily cycle as is - your names drown out, intended or otherwise, other groups. Contests will now be held at the end of the night rather than in the middle. This is to ensure that people aren't bouncing back and forth between costume contests and roleplaying. These will be held in areas separate from the fair still. Themes for costume contests will remain grounded in similar themes to the ones from the first event. I will be seeking to try a better approach for villains - be it having help to run a villain appropriate version on another day or asking people to go to a different area. This is still being worked on - but if anyone wishes to volunteer, they can. While the original intent was the wider community, this event is now being shaped towards fitting what this game's core universe is about - superpowered heroes and villains likened to Marvel & DC - and promoting such roleplay and their groups. I apologize if this seems a bad move, but this is how I wish to run my event. I am considering a different zone, bases, and more while looking towards the next date I'll be hosting this. Suggestions, feedback, and more are welcome towards future iterations of this event.

Page 6 (which is now I27) was underway long before this thread was made. So going off about how the devs don't care or don't have their priorities straight just sounds odd and baffling. Game balance is not, from my couch potato position, an easy task. It's also that they are going to design things based off the community's forum voice. THAT in itself is a bad idea. They'll make their decisions based on what they want to do and weigh it with the general idea they can gauge from the community. I27 is also not the last time they'll do a power balance revamp/sweep.

AE is different than in-game, friend. Balance would need to be considered, and I'm pretty sure the server that does freeform in a fashion can manage it due to low pop. God knows what'd happen if HC did freeform with the larger popuatlion.

Freeform would need to be handled very carefully in CoH, imo

GOOD GOD. Space your paragraphs, please!

Neat. I still want the Carnie masks for men, even if it means having to wait ten years for them to be able to make masculine versions

The City of Roleplay just finished hosting an event under the Epoch's End story arc, and it went very well - we even had GMs show up!

This is not the thread for feedback you dingles. >:(

I believe its to mean the 7th Generation PP. The ones you encounter in...I believe Unai Kemen's missions?

Not enough changes to Dark Melee to make it the best set. I'm mad. Jokes aside, not sure why a change to Touch of Fear.

If I wanted to grind, I'd play an official MMO. No thanks to the maximum.

Bumping because a single new developer exists does not mean an idea is possible or plausible.

The command was never intended. It's not going away until viable alternatives are found. Breathe. It's not the end of the world.

I tried to! But duly noted for the future.

damnit taco, you deleted some of my relevant posts.

On the power creep / game difficulty. Welcome to City of Heroes and any long-lasting MMO ever. The power creep was intentionally part of the design of the original game - look at later sets and how they performed before shut down. Now look at what soars above and beyond on HC as well. The game is easy as it is because of things the original devs introduced. IOs and Incarnates both bolstered power to a whole new level. That's perfectly fine, because this is a game set in a comic book super-power universe. I mean, taking IOs and Incarnates to task and trying to take a bat to them is going to fundamentally be the worst challenge to undertake. It would backfire as well, or so I'd speculate as a couch potato who doesn't know what the heck I'm talking about. On 8-manning stuff / doing stuff with way less people: iTrials have been 8-manned, duoed, and soloed. You know what you need to achieve this? Meta builds and determination. Not everyone cares about meta builds like TW/Bio scrappers or fire/fire blasters or fire/x corrs (usually cold, storm, or dark) - some people just want to enjoy the game. Taking balance to task because people have figured out how to min-max the game's numbers is not a sound for alarm. There's some real stand out combinations that just snap the game's balance over its knees, but the entire community isn't out to figure this sort of stuff. When it becomes common place that everyone is duoing itrials or doing very wacky stuff? Sure, maybe. The problem is that people won't be doing that. Some builds can't solo +4/x8. Some builds can't solo AVs (not counting lore pets) - but plenty of builds / ATs can. On and on it could go.

stop comparing an i24 ourodev server to homecoming holy shanks. HC actually tests stuff out, the other servers go by the edge of their seats or the rule of cool. I24 / Ourodev vs HC/SCORE are two very different beasts VERY different operations behind the scenes. HC doesn't take on every Tom, Jerry, Richard, and Susan as a developer.

Fair point, Xanatos, that was just one example - but you're right.

https://fbsa.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Main_Page Someone is also making this.

Take your time. I was pretty dumb back then.

I'm going to get into a potentially long-winded reply here as something has come to mind. If you wanted toxic, you need look no further than Virtue on Live. That place was the height of MMO community toxicity for me. Take myself as an example: I made the simple mistake of getting caught ERPing in the Arena when I was pretty new to the game - and the game was still all the hot rage. This group of friends saw this and took it into their own hands to harass and belittle me. On Live, that was pretty much my go-to experience - harassment over the slightest littlest mistake and getting mocked into oblivion. Of course, I lashed back and like so many others at the time period I was pretty rash and stupid. This was when a majority of the players were in their teens / early 20s. This sort of stuff is what I'd consider toxic - harassment over a simple newbie mistake that lasted for about five years on-off. This sort of stuff just isn't okay. Now we flash forward to today. The community is older, different, and filled with newer faces for a lot of us. People are generally adults and know better now. So the tolerance for things has dampened or changed. So, for example, Everlasting had a community channel called Everlasting TFs and a related Discord that I run - and the Raid Leaders (Veracor, myself, Chi, Mojo, etc and so on) have met hundreds of different people. All of us are adults in this circle of raid leading, and us leading puts us at the forefront of seeing all sorts of different attitudes. Victim complexes, just want to watch the world burn types, and more. We see it all, and we kind of get a bigger insight into how people are. Things are generally pleasant, but occasionally we get that one or two players who just don't mesh well with a community. When we act on it, its not to alienate people but for the sanity and safety of the other people who come to our scheduled content. But we keep that usually (for the most part) to ourselves - we don't out people, and we try to make reports where possible. This paragraph was more for insight into Everlasting's side of things. I myself have experienced different sorts of toxicity over the course of Virtue and Everlasting. Grudges are a real deal it seems - people seem to hold eight+ years worth of old information over your head, or perhaps that's just my bad luck. I'm not the only one going through it - but I've experienced personally the brunt of being slandered and having my name dragged through the dirt. That in itself is the real toxicity that people need to be more aware of. The sort of stuff I go through / went through is the sort of stuff I don't wish on anyone - no matter who they are. I don't condone that sort of stuff at all - and no one should have to go through it at all. Not a singular soul at all. I love City of Heroes and I adore the community built on HC - both the RP side of things and the general broad community. I've personally found great friends and people to relax with through persevering and remaining flexible to what's around me. Word jumble aside: I agree with what some folks are saying. There's a way to go about it, and there is a group of people out there for you. Somewhere. Over the rainbow.

I'm terrible with my words, but my goal is to merely point out that there's more to the tale than meets the eye. I've genuinely been trying to cut back on my open disdain for things and people, and trying to be a better individual overall - but it does agitate the old noggin when things are painted the wrong way. Here's my general take; The community isn't toxic. The community is fine. It is individual people who are often the most vocal that get things going. There are certainly a handful of people who make thing seem like the entirety of the community is toxic, but its not as simple as that. It's always best to hear out all sides of the story somehow.