Homecoming Server Update (November 29th): Winter!

[quixoteprog]

46 minutes ago, Grouchybeast said:

Maybe they could shoot down a few Longbow skiffs and hang them on the statue of Lord Recluse in Grandville?  They're a festive colour and they'd make good baubles.

Deck Recluse with Longbow Baubles Fa La la la la, la la la la!

Now we just need some word that rhymes with Baubles. Hobbles?

[50caltech]

1 hour ago, Grouchybeast said:

Maybe they could shoot down a few Longbow skiffs and hang them on the statue of Lord Recluse in Grandville?  They're a festive colour and they'd make good baubles.

lmao agreed

[Grouchybeast]

1 hour ago, quixoteprog said:

Deck Recluse with Longbow Baubles Fa La la la la, la la la la!

The Fortunata chorus warbles, Fa la la la la, la la la la!

[ChromeFamily]

When is the planned end date for this event?

[DoctorProteus]

On 11/29/2019 at 4:25 PM, Li_Sensei said:

While this isn't really the place to discuss the subject, it's my personal opinion that redside would need a *TOTAL* overhaul of both aesthetics and story content to be more appealing to the people who mainly play City of *Heroes*.  Such a task is IMO far beyond the capabilities of a relatively small volunteer team.

I may be late in replying to this, but I actually think the story content is better on Villain side. it doesn't help that the Hero contacts often give the player story arcs that don't even happen in the zone the contact is in. Ultimately it's just due to remnants of the original game, which hasn't aged well compared to the more recent additions, including missions and general thought put into decision making.(like the lack thereof in deciding contacts would give out story arcs that take place in different zones entirely)

[Cinnder]

7 hours ago, DoctorProteus said:

I may be late in replying to this, but I actually think the story content is better on Villain side. it doesn't help that the Hero contacts often give the player story arcs that don't even happen in the zone the contact is in. Ultimately it's just due to remnants of the original game, which hasn't aged well compared to the more recent additions, including missions and general thought put into decision making.(like the lack thereof in deciding contacts would give out story arcs that take place in different zones entirely)

 

I agree about the quality of content, though some of the more recent arcs on blueside are pretty outstanding as well (with the notable exception of the abysmal Twinshot content).  I especially like the mediporter story, not to mention the SSAs.  It seems clear that as time went on the devs really developed their writing and mission design skills.

 

What's the problem with contacts giving mishs in different zones, though?  To me, CoX more than any other MMO makes travel not only simple but enjoyable.  I especially like when they send higher level characters back to a starter zone -- gives a real sense of 'look how far you've come.'

[DoctorProteus]

10 hours ago, Cinnder said:

 

I agree about the quality of content, though some of the more recent arcs on blueside are pretty outstanding as well (with the notable exception of the abysmal Twinshot content).  I especially like the mediporter story, not to mention the SSAs.  It seems clear that as time went on the devs really developed their writing and mission design skills.

 

What's the problem with contacts giving mishs in different zones, though?  To me, CoX more than any other MMO makes travel not only simple but enjoyable.  I especially like when they send higher level characters back to a starter zone -- gives a real sense of 'look how far you've come.'

Being sent somewhere from earlier in the game for one mission is fine. But when the entire arc is in another zone, that's just bad design. Villain/Red side arcs mostly take place in the zone the contact is in, sometimes with a mission or two involving a specific place that makes sense within the context of the setting, for example, it makes sense to go to Ghost Widow's tower on Mercy Island to face-off with Ghost Widow or retrieve something from her personal vaults. But the contact is in one zone, Independence Port for example, but they give you a contact arc which takes place entirely on Talos Island, there is a problem, and the player is just being made to jump through hoops pointlessly.

 

The contacts in question and their arcs are very old, of course, they're just holdovers from the games beginnings when things were not as refined, but it would have been nice if they could have made things more efficient before the shut-down.

[Cinnder]

OK, fair enough.  I guess we just have differing preferences on this.  I find it odd when everything a contact wants done is close by, so I have no problem doing a bit of travel to get to a mission.  Along the way I might bump into friends or come across a zone event I might not have noticed otherwise.  But none of that makes your personal preference any less valid.

[DoctorProteus]

On 12/28/2019 at 7:09 AM, Cinnder said:

OK, fair enough.  I guess we just have differing preferences on this.  I find it odd when everything a contact wants done is close by, so I have no problem doing a bit of travel to get to a mission.  Along the way I might bump into friends or come across a zone event I might not have noticed otherwise.  But none of that makes your personal preference any less valid.

Not really a matter of preference, but one of efficiency and good design. Just because one person "prefers" having the kitchen in the attic but the pantry in the basement doesn't mean it's OK to design the house that way. Besides which, what you said about discovering things from earlier zones, you'll probably have out-levelled the content of that zone by the time you discover it. Remember, games are meant to be pleasant. People generally don't want to play games that frustrate, annoy or bore them by design.

[Force Redux]

I'd love Cap Au Diable to have the winter and holiday treatment. That is all. 

[Cinnder]

16 hours ago, DoctorProteus said:

Not really a matter of preference, but one of efficiency and good design. Just because one person "prefers" having the kitchen in the attic but the pantry in the basement doesn't mean it's OK to design the house that way. Besides which, what you said about discovering things from earlier zones, you'll probably have out-levelled the content of that zone by the time you discover it. Remember, games are meant to be pleasant. People generally don't want to play games that frustrate, annoy or bore them by design.

Actually, it's entirely a matter of preference.  Some like to travel across zones to mishs and some don't.  Claiming that your personal preference is empirically correct doesn't make it so.

 

I blame myself for thinking that an internet conversation could end with each participant respecting the other's opinion.  Silly me!

[Player2]

On 12/27/2019 at 12:53 PM, DoctorProteus said:

Being sent somewhere from earlier in the game for one mission is fine. But when the entire arc is in another zone, that's just bad design. Villain/Red side arcs mostly take place in the zone the contact is in, sometimes with a mission or two involving a specific place that makes sense within the context of the setting, for example, it makes sense to go to Ghost Widow's tower on Mercy Island to face-off with Ghost Widow or retrieve something from her personal vaults. But the contact is in one zone, Independence Port for example, but they give you a contact arc which takes place entirely on Talos Island, there is a problem, and the player is just being made to jump through hoops pointlessly.

 

The contacts in question and their arcs are very old, of course, they're just holdovers from the games beginnings when things were not as refined, but it would have been nice if they could have made things more efficient before the shut-down.

Early game design was intended to make you jump through those hoops.  It was a time sink to keep people playing because some people might "finish" the game and move on to other things if everything was too convenient.  There's so much to accomplish now, and replayability with all of the different powerset and AT combinations, not to mention being able to switch sides after Going Rogue, or to build your own content or play others' with Architect Entertainment, that it's really not an issue anymore... but those old time sinks are still there.

 

21 hours ago, Force Redux said:

I'd love Cap Au Diable to have the winter and holiday treatment. That is all. 

I'd really like for winter to reach out to all of the zones.  It's a little jarring to be running around in Atlas Park with snow in the air and on the ground and then hop on the tram to Kings Row and it looks the same as it does all year long.  I get that it's a lot of work and not as simple as the Halloween event where building windows can be swapped out with decorated windows and some pumpkins randomly strewn about the landscape...  but it would be nice to see patches of snow everywhere and all of the water frozen over.

 

[boggo2300]

1 hour ago, Player2 said:

I'd really like for winter to reach out to all of the zones.  It's a little jarring to be running around in Atlas Park with snow in the air and on the ground and then hop on the tram to Kings Row and it looks the same as it does all year long.  I get that it's a lot of work and not as simple as the Halloween event where building windows can be swapped out with decorated windows and some pumpkins randomly strewn about the landscape...  but it would be nice to see patches of snow everywhere and all of the water frozen over.

 

I prefer it the way it is, this way I only have to avoid AP until it's over

[Chris24601]

If they were to do snowy landscapes in more areas let me suggest though that it be more like Atlas currently rather than pre-New Years, because the falling snow is actually a temp aura that even shows up in the costume designer screen and persists in areas it really shouldn’t and is overall just not all that enjoyable after the first five minutes (kinda like the solid MONTH of night during Halloween was about two weeks too much... to the point I sought out story arcs that had outdoor missions because those still had the day-night cycle).

 

Grant the falling snow temp power as a toggle for those who want it if you must, but please, don’t make me have to spend the holidays in the shadow shard because you want falling snow everywhere in Paragon City.

 

Also worth noting in terms of winter in the Rogue Isles is that while instant zoning makes it feel next door to Paragon City in Rhode Island, the Rogue Isles are much further south (more in line with Virginia) and in an Oceanic climate to boot... meaning they pretty much don’t ever have snow.

 

Any sort of holiday spruce up for the Isles should be looking at how Florida, Bermuda and the Bahamas decorate for the season.

 

 

[Player2]

1 hour ago, boggo2300 said:

I prefer it the way it is, this way I only have to avoid AP until it's over

Well you're just no fun.

[boggo2300]

Just now, Player2 said:

Well you're just no fun.

plenty of people disagree with you

[Player2]

1 minute ago, boggo2300 said:

plenty of people disagree with you

Plenty of people disagree with you, too.  That's the thing about opinions: they're just that, and none of them are right.

[boggo2300]

1 minute ago, Player2 said:

Plenty of people disagree with you, too.  That's the thing about opinions: they're just that, and none of them are right.

disagree with me about what?  all I've said is my personal preference is the zone change being restricted to AP makes my life easier, disagreeing with that sentiment is basically telling me I don't know my own mind

[Player2]

Just now, boggo2300 said:

disagree with me about what?  all I've said is my personal preference is the zone change being restricted to AP makes my life easier, disagreeing with that sentiment is basically telling me I don't know my own mind

Plenty of people disagree with your sentiment that the holiday zone change makes the zone something to be avoided.

 

And just how does the change make your life difficult?

 

[boggo2300]

1 minute ago, Player2 said:

Plenty of people disagree with your sentiment that the holiday zone change makes the zone something to be avoided.

 

And just how does the change make your life difficult?

 

if it went everywhere I'd pretty much stop playing for the month,  and I made no comment about people enjoying the zone change or not, I simply informed you that people disagree with you that I'm no fun, a fair number of people think I am, I know because they tell me

[Player2]

2 minutes ago, boggo2300 said:

if it went everywhere I'd pretty much stop playing for the month,

You didn't answer how the zone change makes life difficult for you.

[boggo2300]

Just now, Player2 said:

You didn't answer how the zone change makes life difficult for you.

I would have to change my established habits, I, like pretty much anyone else consider forced changes to my recreation an inconvenience

 

this is pointless, you are just trying to stifle my opposition to a change, my personal feelings about it are just as valid as your own, I made no attacks, no sweeping statements all I said was it is better as it is now, in my opinion, rather than pushed to all zones as I only need to avoid AP ffr a month now rather than the entire game, I wont answer you any more on this, it's getting silly

[Player2]

So there's no actual reason beyond you don't like change and would choose to avoid the entire game if the winter zone change were spread out across the game.

I'm going to stand by my opinion that you're no fun, and I don't believe your assertion that there are people who would genuinely disagree with me.

[Player2]

13 minutes ago, boggo2300 said:

I would have to change my established habits, I, like pretty much anyone else consider forced changes to my recreation an inconvenience

 

all I said was it is better as it is now, in my opinion, rather than pushed to all zones as I only need to avoid AP ffr a month now rather than the entire game

You would not have to change your established habits, nor would you have to avoid AP or the entire game.  You're choosing to, and that's entirely your choice to do.  But you aren't forced to do anything, so it comes off as you just not wanting to have a little fun with a seasonal change.

 

[EmmySky]

The added decor and the snow temp power do stress some graphics cards to where the game isn't enjoyable for some people.  I agree with spreading the decorations around to other zones but maybe in a more minor way the way Halloween was done, not graphically laggy.  

Edited January 4, 2020 by EmmySky
Grammer