Give us 'grindy' stuff (like vanguard) and costume unlocks back

[CrudeVileTerror]

If unlockable costume pieces were just "glowy" versions of existing costume pieces (like the eye-glow skull mask suggestion), I could find that personally tolerable.

However, I still don't think it would be in the spirit of what makes City of Heroes the awesome and special game that it is.

[Blackfeather]

While this video is more about microtransaction-locked cosmetics in games, I do like it for how it touches on the significance of character customisation for players, especially for multiplayer games with a high amount of social interaction involved in them.

 

[AerialAssault]

Yeah, Jim puts it right.

 

Homecoming is in a unique position where, with regards to appearance & costumes, there are no "haves" and "have nots". We all have the same costumes available, so everyone has equal opportunity to look their best.

 

I would rather not upset this. If you want bragging rights, collect badges. That's literally what they are for.

[Greycat]

4 hours ago, Tyrannical said:

Cos you ironically cant wear badges

Technically, you can - at least one - as a title.

Plus your badge count and the badges themselves are easily able to be seen by anyone, so...

[Leogunner]

On 10/24/2020 at 4:18 PM, HelBlaiz said:

I stand by my dramatics. In order to use any costume piece I want to design costumes, I would be forced to do something completely unrelated to costume design/character creation. I don't "have" to do the content, but I'm denied a costume piece if I don't, and for no other reason than to artificially inflate a dopamine response. If I'm not invested in doing the content without the reward of more costume pieces, locking costume pieces behind it will only make me resent the content. This is not the effect anyone wants. Badges are the reward for running content/completing challenges. Let's keep it that way.

I'll just say a metaphorical gun to the head ain't dangerous.  Dopamine response aside, that's all there really is to playing games in general and considering all the costumes parts are already unlocked, the only option such a suggestion has to go is for new stuff that might be added.  Maybe I'm just too open minded but I would try a lot of different kind of ideas if a good enough implementation were set up for them.  Accessibility doesn't have to equal carte blanche, you just have to be open new ideas.

On 10/24/2020 at 4:33 PM, LaughingAlex said:

I agree with Helblaiz on this.  People who have full time jobs often have half hour to an hour travel time to and from work, kids and family to take care of ect, don't have time to unlock everything. 

I feel that's an exaggerated excuse.  If you are so busy to unlock a specific costume part you want, how can you find the time to play at all?  How is a costume part any different from tier 4 incarnate powers?  Or merit points?  Or contact unlocks?  Or leveling at all?  Not only that but who even said you have to unlock everything?

On 10/24/2020 at 4:46 PM, Indystruck said:

Gonna be honest, don't care what a random youtuber says about something that I don't mind doing.  I get that people don't enjoy it, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to laugh when someone compares it to putting a gun to their head.

 

On 10/24/2020 at 4:54 PM, CrudeVileTerror said:

I'm rather wary of Extra Credits, because on a few occasions they've said some really ass-backwards things 

Extra Credits is on my "meh, I'll pass" list.  I used to enjoy watching his stuff when I was super into trying to make games but now I'm a lot busier not to mention a few of his videos start to morally preach to the audience which I'm not fond of.

 

8 hours ago, AerialAssault said:

Genuine question to those who want unlockable costume pieces: Why is a badge not enough?

I never cared about badges.  Even most accolades I tend to pass up unless it's on a specific character who could use extra END or HP or one of the clicks really fits into the character's concept.

 

Don't mistake my criticism for blind support, I am not advocating locking anything behind anything.  It's just, from my perspective, if I'm logging into a game, it's usually to get something done whether that is ranking up with PvP matches, mining daily quests for resources/money, gaining a few levels.  There's definitely a positive to giving the player goals to reach for (even if they are small), namely retention.  I'm sure there are other benefits as well as negatives but that's neither here nor there.

 

As for the avid costume enthusiasts in the crowd, you could still create costumes using pieces you didn't unlock on live (I think you could even save it).  You just couldn't go into the game with it on (it would notify you if a piece was locked).  If anything, that was how you'd find out about parts you wanted and find out how to get them.  There were plenty of noobs, I'm sure, that tried to put a cape on on their first characters who then sought out how to get that cape (or half-cape) and ended up interacting with a friendly player who would guide them.  I'm not a huge socializer but I always hear people talking about "how great the community is" and giving players more reasons to interact could be a side effect of adding limitations of any kind in the first place.

Edited October 30, 2020 by Leogunner

[EmmySky]

5 hours ago, Tyrannical said:

Cos you ironically cant wear badges

Finding the right badge to wear on a character to fit their concept.  You totally can wear badges.

[Alchemystic]

57 minutes ago, Greycat said:

Technically, you can - at least one - as a title.

Plus your badge count and the badges themselves are easily able to be seen by anyone, so...

Oh of course.

 

But you don't see the nice badge art 😖

[Hero_of_Light]

9 hours ago, AerialAssault said:

Genuine question to those who want unlockable costume pieces: Why is a badge not enough?

If all costumes were locked but all badges we're free to everyone, would badges be enough for you?

 

It's not just having a grindy thing to do. It's about having something worth working towards. The same as if homecoming was an instant 50 full incarnate without an option to not be: I'm sure many wouldn't like that either.

 

There's a reason why Paragon Chat was never popular like Homecoming.

 

Many players want end game content too, and unlockables we're part of that for many of us.

Edited October 30, 2020 by Hero_of_Light

[AerialAssault]

27 minutes ago, Hero_of_Light said:

If all costumes were locked but all badges we're free to everyone, would badges be enough for you?

 

It's not just having a grindy thing to do. It's about having something worth working towards. The same as if homecoming was an instant 50 full incarnate without an option to not be: I'm sure many wouldn't like that either.

 

There's a reason why Paragon Chat was never popular like Homecoming.

 

Many players want end game content too, and unlockables we're part of that for many of us.

Paragon Chat wasn't popular because there wasn't a game to actually play, don't make stuff up.

 

There's a tonne of stuff to do in this game. Just because you don't get a big gold crown saying how great you are doesn't mean there is no content.

[Ruin Mage]

Personally, playing the game is enough for me.

[Davy]

Remember when you had to run iTrials just to fall over?

[Leogunner]

1 hour ago, Hero_of_Light said:

If all costumes were locked but all badges we're free to everyone, would badges be enough for you?

 

Ah, I like that spin!

 

I always felt variety is the spice of life.  Having some things already unlocked and some things you have to work to unlock keeps a nice medium.  If capes required an unlock (with the over-the-shoulder capes being he only ones available at the start), you might see more people skating through that mission. Then they could have added an option in the P2W vendor to spend like 5 merits to unlock it without the mission.

 

Frankly, if they added alternative means of unlocking them like that, maybe that would be a bit more inclusive just in case that working mom with 7 kids and working 80hrs a week can have an easier time getting that cape lol

[Leogunner]

54 minutes ago, AerialAssault said:

 

There's a tonne of stuff to do in this game. Just because you don't get a big gold crown saying how great you are doesn't mean there is no content.

That's a bit of an exaggeration.  I don't think unlocking capes on live was somehow a "big gold crown saying how great you are".  It's just a thing to get people to do some missions.

[Randomxxx]

9 minutes ago, Leogunner said:

That's a bit of an exaggeration.  I don't think unlocking capes on live was somehow a "big gold crown saying how great you are".  It's just a thing to get people to do some missions.

Yeah, on the one hand capes were not a big deal; everyone had them at 20.  On the other hand you could not wear a cape until you earned it. (at 20).  I kinda miss the level gated goals... they made for some great stories.  Like having to hover across The Hollows to get to Frostfire, because everything would kill you, and you had no travel powers until 14.  The rush to endgame always seemed like such a waste to me. 

[Leogunner]

4 minutes ago, Randomxxx said:

The rush to endgame always seemed like such a waste to me. 

It kind of is.

 

As for unlocks, I still impose a "gotta collect 100 merits" on myself to "earn" an ATO unique on my Stalkers/Scrappers early on so I tend to turn off exp periodically to get more story arcs complete.  If there's a negative to unlocking them like that for my characters, the positives are definitely doing more story arcs more often as well as joining in on as many SF/TF as possible.  I also tend to notice the difference between not having the ATO and having it if I delay that gratification and keeps me playing that character more than if I just skirted to end-game using my trust fund from my marketeer characters.

 

Again, I'm not advocating locking anything up but maybe hearing all the dissonance just sours my view of the forums overall.  You don't have to like something to appreciate the positives of it, some of my mentors have said in different wording.

 

 

[Alchemystic]

Lets bring back microtransactions and subscription rewards too.

That way I can make all these people grinding for their cosmetics feel just as envious as everyone else.

[Leogunner]

14 minutes ago, Tyrannical said:

Lets bring back microtransactions and subscription rewards too.

That way I can make all these people grinding for their cosmetics feel just as envious as everyone else.

Well if they did, you'd lose them too and have to re-earn them.

Edited October 30, 2020 by Leogunner

[Alchemystic]

1 hour ago, Leogunner said:

Well if they did, you'd lose them too and have to re-earn them.

 

I never truly cancelled my sub so I must have at least 10 years worth of subscription awards banked.

[Indystruck]

I gotta also roll my eyes at the "ugh, you just want a DOPAMINE response, you filthy addict" bit that goes on in unlock topics. Like, buddy, it's a video game, that's why we're all here, you're not putting in a 9-5 at Terra Volta or standing on the street corner peddling philosophy like you're Socrates.

[EmmySky]

48 minutes ago, Indystruck said:

...standing on the street corner peddling philosophy like you're Socrates.

You don't know my life! 😁

[Hero_of_Light]

18 hours ago, AerialAssault said:

Paragon Chat wasn't popular because there wasn't a game to actually play, don't make stuff up.

 

There's a tonne of stuff to do in this game. Just because you don't get a big gold crown saying how great you are doesn't mean there is no content.

Then why are some afraid to play the game for a couple costume unlocks while still having the majority of them insta free 😉

[Hero_of_Light]

16 hours ago, Tyrannical said:

Lets bring back microtransactions and subscription rewards too.

That way I can make all these people grinding for their cosmetics feel just as envious as everyone else.

Having to spend money you don't have is different than unlocking something during game play.

 

You can't tell me you don't have time to kill 100 skulls, or get a boomtown badge, ect... during regular game play

[Alchemystic]

Apparently people think I'm serious about bringing back microtransactions and sub rewards.

 

Let me be clear;

 

I'm very bad with money.

 

[Hero_of_Light]

18 hours ago, Randomxxx said:

Yeah, on the one hand capes were not a big deal; everyone had them at 20.  On the other hand you could not wear a cape until you earned it. (at 20).  I kinda miss the level gated goals... they made for some great stories.  Like having to hover across The Hollows to get to Frostfire, because everything would kill you, and you had no travel powers until 14.  The rush to endgame always seemed like such a waste to me. 

Agreed.

 

I choose to lvl characteres (except my main because I had already got to 50 in live) the old fashion way.

 

Do I care if people grind AE for exp? No.

 

Would I care if the only way to lvl was AE and people just did missions for fun pretending to lvl'd? Yes

 

That's how I feel about having every costume for free including potential new costume pieces.

Edited October 31, 2020 by Hero_of_Light

[AerialAssault]

45 minutes ago, Hero_of_Light said:

Then why are some afraid to play the game for a couple costume unlocks while still having the majority of them insta free 😉

Costume unlocks create a system of "haves" & "have nots." We saw this in live with Ascension & Celestial costumes, literal bling to show off how much time & money you invested into the game.

 

Perhaps it's just me, but I don't feel that adding that back in will improve the game health.