We've got a problem: Powerset bashing

[mechahamham]

As the HC community grows and we engage both returning CoH and new players, we're developing a pretty serious problem. A vocal minority of players loudly deride certain power-sets in help and general chat. Some of these are people who are still bitter about nerfs that happened over a decade ago. Some just want to complain. The end result is the same -- new and returning players both hear power-sets described as inadequate, under-performing, and even unplayable by others who *seem* to be knowledgeable on the subject. Please note that this isn't the same as more quantitative discussions on why powers or power-sets need re-balancing. It's also different from in-jokes about powers. 'Can we even have an update if we don't nerf regen?' isn't the same as 'Regen has been completely neutered. It's a shadow of what it used to be'. The latter is something I heard pretty much verbatim in Excelsior's general chat channel.

 

Nobody wants to hear a power-set they like dumped on. In the mind, it's very easily equated with 'your character is weak' or 'you chose poorly when creating your character'. That's bad for player retention and for attracting new players.

 

More problematic, however, is that it leads players away from choosing power-sets they might otherwise have picked  to fit their character concept. When a new player asks 'What's the best power for brutes?' and hears nine players say something along the lines of 'We don't really do 'best' here. The strongest players are those who spend time learning their characters' but then hear a tenth player say 'Whatever you do, don't choose Energy Melee. It's been nerfed to the point of uselessness', that rail against Energy Melee stands out. Even if a player is attracted to the brightly-glowing fists of doom, one player's bitterness about a previous nerf has now been seeded into another's mind to fester and distract them from the positive qualities of the power-set. (Again, the line about Energy Melee is taken as verbatim as I can remember it from Help chat).

 

This reduces the perceived broadness of the game. It makes it look like it has less to offer than it does. In turn this has a real negative effect on the longevity of the game by reducing player retention in the long term.

 

This *kind* of complaint is endemic to MMOs in general. You can hear it on any forum or any chat channel in pretty much any MMO. It has similar effects. The reason it's a more serious problem in City of Heroes is the fact that our playerbase is somewhat tenuous and much smaller than it would be had we not all had an enforced hiatus from the game. Some people are wary of coming back to the game even if they want to for fear of a 'crack down' on private servers on NCSoft's part.

 

The damage inflicted has far less growth to overwhelm it. If the game and its playerbase were a cancer patient, large parts of the patient's body have already been amputated. While the patient hangs on doggedly, even small tumors are much more dangerous.

 

What can we do to counter this?

 

First, make it as well known as possible that the Homecoming staff is working with NCSoft to become officially licensed. Linking to posts like the one Jimmy recently made:

wherein he indicates that communications are still open with NCSoft is a good idea. Any official information from the HC Devs or NCSoft on this process will broaden the game's long-term 'viability', making damage done by bitterness less intense on the balance. Even little tidbits like this help significantly and can draw new players and returning players to the game.

 

Second, positively-minded players should increase their vocalness and engagement of new players. It doesn't really accomplish anything to argue directly with those who want to bitch. However, directly telling a player who's been told 'that power-set sucks', 'there's nothing wrong with that powerset. A lot of people really enjoy it. The person who told you it sucks is bitter about an old nerf. Choosing it absolutely does not mean that you won't be able to do any content,' does a tremendous amount of good. Reassure new and returning players whenever you can.

 

Finally, we need some real accountability rules in help, lfg, and general chat. These are the first places new and returning players see. Plainly stated rules that appear upon player login would help in other areas, especially with the U.S.. general elections coming up this fall, but would certainly help to stem this problem as well. "Rules: 1. No politics or religion. See our Code of Conduct for details.  2. This is not the place to complain. Do so in our Suggestions and Feedback forum. Please /petition players who break the rules."

 

Most players who complain, when asked why they don't play on another private server where changes they dislike have been reverted, will reply with something like 'I know, but I like to be able to group.' They know that HC is the best thing going for the CoH community right now. However, they also cling to the idea that because Homecoming is a 'free' service they can say what they want to without consequences. 'Let's call in a GM and have them tell me I can't say what I want.' (Once again, both directly taken from chat.)

 

Please make the game as welcoming and as positive an experience as it can be for both newcomers and returning players. That's the only way to make sure that CoH survives into the next decade.

[Greycat]

People are going to do this regardless. Complain about powersets, tell people "everyone takes X" even if everyone doesn't, etc.

Short of getting rid of people, you're not going to stop this. Granted, getting rid of "people" is tempting at times - let the meerkats rule the world now, they can't do worse - but not really feasable.

 

(Amusingly and off topic, my spell checker wants to change that to marketeers... )

[mechahamham]

11 minutes ago, Greycat said:

People are going to do this regardless. Complain about powersets, tell people "everyone takes X" even if everyone doesn't, etc.

Short of getting rid of people, you're not going to stop this.

Going back to the cancer analogy, I feel like this is saying 'Cancer is inevitable. You're never going to stop it.' Even if it's inevitable doesn't mean we shouldn't stave it off as along as we reasonably can. I think the kind of bitterness we see really is fatal in the long term to the game, especially with our pruned playerbase.

 

I highly doubt even the most stringent of rules would stop people from doing this. However, even basic rules and a sense of care among players would go a long way toward making it less harmful. Right now we have a situation where most players think there are *no* rules. Code of Conduct? What's that? I'll discuss my personal politics if I bloody well want to.

[Haijinx]

Oh my god. 

 

Can I just get the Cliff Notes version?

[macskull]

1 minute ago, Haijinx said:

Oh my god. 

 

Can I just get the Cliff Notes version?

TL;DR version: OP complaining about people saying powersets are weak/underpowered/whatever and would prefer people in-game just pretended that all powersets are good.

[MTeague]

This is not a thing that can or should be controlled.

Mind you, I disagree, vehemently, with the notions that "regen is crap" or "energy melee is not worth taking" or "force fields are useless".

 

But clamping down on people spouting off opinions, even opinions i consider to be flat wrong in chat?  Not without a darn good reason.  Having strong negative opinions about a powerset in no way constitutes any kind of infringement on terms and conditions of Homecoming EULA / Chat Rules, etc, even if I really really wish people would moderate / qualify their opinions more. 

 

At the end of the day, people give bad advice on all MANNER of subjects across the world every day. Just like every other arena, the listener is going to have to decide when to take it as face value, when to put it to the test, and when they just disregard someone who's being Loud Opinionated Guy On The Internet.

[Yomo Kimyata]

17 minutes ago, Haijinx said:

Oh my god. 

 

Can I just get the Cliff Notes version?

Nerf regen.

[macskull]

I suppose I should directly respond to the OP as well...

 

Nothing at any point ever has stopped a player from playing whatever powerset combination they want, picking whatever powers they want, and slotting (or not) those powers the way they want. Some combinations, power picks, and ways of enhancing those powers are going to be better than others, and some powersets and combinations are objectively bad. I'm not here to sugarcoat things for a new player. The example OP gave was someone saying something along the lines of "whatever you do, don't play Energy Melee, that set is awful." If I were giving advice to a new player on what power sets they should look at, I certainly wouldn't recommend it, and I'd probably discourage them from picking it, unless they liked the idea of it. I'd probably say something like "that set isn't very good and there are better options but if you wanna go for it, it's fine." I don't give two shits about character concept, but I understand there are players that do, so I won't tell them "that set is awful so you should rework your concept around a different set." I might ask "why not these sets or this power?" and if their response is character concept, then I shrug and help them anyways.

 

Also, god help us that people complain about something in a game. Using the "this is free and supported by volunteer efforts" as a reason why no one should be complaining is a shitty cop-out.

[Techwright]

29 minutes ago, Haijinx said:

Oh my god. 

 

Can I just get the Cliff Notes version?

Nerf Powerset Trash Talking.  Or NPTT, if the other is too long for ya.

[ShardWarrior]

Asking to curtail opinions we do not like is an extremely terrible idea.  Hard pass to this.

2 hours ago, mechahamham said:

The person who told you it sucks is bitter about an old nerf.

Telling others something like this is ignorant and jumping to conclusions.  Perhaps the person saying a powerset stinks has tried it out and found it not to be to their liking.  That is a completely acceptable, totally valid opinion and they are entitled to that.

 

Someone asking in General chat for opinions is going to get a wide range of viewpoints.  That is a very good thing.   We do not need rules to ensure everyone shares the same opinion.

[Coyotedancer]

Nothing around here is useless, but some things are a little better than others. I don't think it's BadWrong on general principle to point out those differences or to make recommendations based on them. Not within reason, anyway.... Just expressing an opinion or describing an experience with a set is, hopefully, about helping someone else make an informed choice.

 

Case in point? As much as I like Sentinels, for example, I wouldn't ever suggest that someone take Assault Rifle on one without explaining that set's issues to them. I wouldn't tell them NOT to make one if they really wanted to, but I'd think they needed to know what they were getting themselves into. 

[dragonboyut]

I'm gonna chime in too. If someone asks "what's good on a brute?" Then I doubt the player is all too concerned with concept for their character. Me, I have tried all sorts of sets based around concept alone, even 'so-called' bad set choices and have never been told I picked poorly. Maybe because I play on Everlasting where concept seems to be a driving force on these decisions or maybe because I haven't teamed with those types. Alternatively, I also think those that gripe about certain powersets probably have bad experiences with them personally (it isn't their play style) or second hand (someone else wasn't as skilled with the set as they were hoping and weren't impressed because of it).

 

Of all my alts I have never found a set that was definitively bad. Even my fire/Regen brute or rad/energy tank that I got to 50 before deleting because I didn't like their concept.

[cranebump]

This is one reason why I turn the General channel off, and stick Help in a different tab. It can get...noisy sometimes. 

 

Also: “good” and “bad” are subjective terms. Not everyone is here to powergame (so let’s not slam someone for not playing the 7,051st spines/fire brute). What’s good might just be what’s fun, or what fits the concept. Now, if someone specifically asks for an opinion, well, all bets are off. They’ll get one (or two...or three...or...). I do agree that we all should show basic manners in our interactions. And, for the most part, people really do. Haven’t met many who do not. Then again, I stay away from build discussions, so...that may be it.:-)

Edited June 12, 2020 by cranebump

[Menelruin]

Speaking as someone who's taken an NRG/NRG Brute to 50 and fully incarnated, any time I see someone asking about Energy Melee I tend to write paragraphs explaining why they may want to look at another set, at least until they de-nerf it.

[Llewellyn Blackwell]

3 hours ago, mechahamham said:

As the HC community grows and we engage both returning CoH and new players, we're developing a pretty serious problem. A vocal minority of players loudly deride certain power-sets in help and general chat. Some of these are people who are still bitter about nerfs that happened over a decade ago. Some just want to complain. The end result is the same -- new and returning players both hear power-sets described as inadequate, under-performing, and even unplayable by others who *seem* to be knowledgeable on the subject. Please note that this isn't the same as more quantitative discussions on why powers or power-sets need re-balancing. It's also different from in-jokes about powers. 'Can we even have an update if we don't nerf regen?' isn't the same as 'Regen has been completely neutered. It's a shadow of what it used to be'. The latter is something I heard pretty much verbatim in Excelsior's general chat channel.

 

Nobody wants to hear a power-set they like dumped on. In the mind, it's very easily equated with 'your character is weak' or 'you chose poorly when creating your character'. That's bad for player retention and for attracting new players.

 

More problematic, however, is that it leads players away from choosing power-sets they might otherwise have picked  to fit their character concept. When a new player asks 'What's the best power for brutes?' and hears nine players say something along the lines of 'We don't really do 'best' here. The strongest players are those who spend time learning their characters' but then hear a tenth player say 'Whatever you do, don't choose Energy Melee. It's been nerfed to the point of uselessness', that rail against Energy Melee stands out. Even if a player is attracted to the brightly-glowing fists of doom, one player's bitterness about a previous nerf has now been seeded into another's mind to fester and distract them from the positive qualities of the power-set. (Again, the line about Energy Melee is taken as verbatim as I can remember it from Help chat).

 

This reduces the perceived broadness of the game. It makes it look like it has less to offer than it does. In turn this has a real negative effect on the longevity of the game by reducing player retention in the long term.

 

This *kind* of complaint is endemic to MMOs in general. You can hear it on any forum or any chat channel in pretty much any MMO. It has similar effects. The reason it's a more serious problem in City of Heroes is the fact that our playerbase is somewhat tenuous and much smaller than it would be had we not all had an enforced hiatus from the game. Some people are wary of coming back to the game even if they want to for fear of a 'crack down' on private servers on NCSoft's part.

 

The damage inflicted has far less growth to overwhelm it. If the game and its playerbase were a cancer patient, large parts of the patient's body have already been amputated. While the patient hangs on doggedly, even small tumors are much more dangerous.

 

What can we do to counter this?

 

First, make it as well known as possible that the Homecoming staff is working with NCSoft to become officially licensed. Linking to posts like the one Jimmy recently made:

wherein he indicates that communications are still open with NCSoft is a good idea. Any official information from the HC Devs or NCSoft on this process will broaden the game's long-term 'viability', making damage done by bitterness less intense on the balance. Even little tidbits like this help significantly and can draw new players and returning players to the game.

 

Second, positively-minded players should increase their vocalness and engagement of new players. It doesn't really accomplish anything to argue directly with those who want to bitch. However, directly telling a player who's been told 'that power-set sucks', 'there's nothing wrong with that powerset. A lot of people really enjoy it. The person who told you it sucks is bitter about an old nerf. Choosing it absolutely does not mean that you won't be able to do any content,' does a tremendous amount of good. Reassure new and returning players whenever you can.

 

Finally, we need some real accountability rules in help, lfg, and general chat. These are the first places new and returning players see. Plainly stated rules that appear upon player login would help in other areas, especially with the U.S.. general elections coming up this fall, but would certainly help to stem this problem as well. "Rules: 1. No politics or religion. See our Code of Conduct for details.  2. This is not the place to complain. Do so in our Suggestions and Feedback forum. Please /petition players who break the rules."

 

Most players who complain, when asked why they don't play on another private server where changes they dislike have been reverted, will reply with something like 'I know, but I like to be able to group.' They know that HC is the best thing going for the CoH community right now. However, they also cling to the idea that because Homecoming is a 'free' service they can say what they want to without consequences. 'Let's call in a GM and have them tell me I can't say what I want.' (Once again, both directly taken from chat.)

 

Please make the game as welcoming and as positive an experience as it can be for both newcomers and returning players. That's the only way to make sure that CoH survives into the next decade.

I do understand the good intentions behind your post, but I simply can not say your idea would prove a positive one. If anything it would likely lead to people being reported for all sorts of paltry things.

 

Look im one of those always standing up for sets that get hated on like Regen. I do certainly get tired of people acting like its something radically inferior to other sets when its far from bad or unreliable.

 

However, I feel that the best approach is for you to simply interject and challenge others when you see them stating things in chat you feel are wrong. Better a healthy argument in help chat that may allow those curious to glean something useful, then let them only have the side of the haters.

 

Ultimately all we as a community can do is try to be civil and helpful best we can, report genuine bad actors like those speaking outright racism and bigotry, or being verbally abusive etc to others when we see it.

 

Someone being negative about an aspect of the game, isnt speaking ill of anyone directly, and as such I cant say its crossing any lines like direct abuse would be.

[MunkiLord]

I just took my level 31 Energy/Storm Corruptor(with no KB to KD) out of Atlas Park for the first time last night. I suggest new players do that and embrace what happens next. In fact, if I can talk a new person into I'll pay for their build.

[Ukase]

At the risk of becoming a pariah - I see absolutely no need to mention anything about "talks with NC Soft". First - we've heard that song and dance for years, with absolutely zero evidence of such occurring. Not that something like that would be easily proven - but talk of NDA's is just silly. 

The code is released into the wild. It's done, nothing NCSoft can do about it, except maybe legal whack-a-mole to every server that pops up every alternate Thursday. 

What would be the point, anyway? We all know (or should know) that a company paid fair money to people to develop the code for this game. None of us should be playing it without giving the owners their due, despite our feelings for how they conduct business. And since the legal owners of the code pulled the plug, we're all basically software pirate opportunists. It doesn't matter if HC gets some operating license in the future or not. We'll still be able to play. It would be nice if they did - but discussing these potential happenings with a new player is totally pointless. 

As for a new player being influenced by 1 out of 10 or 12 people saying "Don't get power set XXXX", that's not a real problem. That's someone taking advice from a player who feels strongly enough to express their dismay after a number of years. It may have, in fact, saved the player asking from making a horrible mistake. (Conversely, the mistake could be listening to this 1 person) Either way - they'll play something else. Perhaps, over time, they'll learn more about the game and realize that some folks aren't happy unless they're complaining about something and roll that blaster that dishes out KB with almost every attack and have the most fun they've ever had playing a character. 

That said, if you play a Mind/Psionic Assault Dominator, I feel really sorry for you. They are the worst! Weakest character I've ever played. Got one with perma-dom, up to level 47 now, and I just can't bring myself to play it any more. It's horrible. I just don't get why they even made this AT when they're basically controllers that lack buffs. 

See what I did there? 

[MoisesG]

2 hours ago, Yomo Kimyata said:

Nerf regen.

hahahaha

[Heraclea]

The truth is that some powersets are in fact worse than others.  Some deserve praise, others should come with warning labels.  And likewise some combinations work better than others. 

 

If somebody intends to roll an energy melee brute, I wouldn't try to talk them out of it.  Maybe they've seen it in game and like the look.  This was the chief motivation for my poor Fire/Energy Melee tanker back on Victory.  But if they asked in a public channel for advice about which secondary to pair with it,, I would tell them quite forcefully that Willpower would serve them well and that Regen would be a poor pairing.  The animation traps would become a problem eventually.  Willpower is not made less effective by animation traps.  Regen is.   And likewise, if somebody had their heart set on Regen and asked me for advice, I'd steer them towards the traditional pairing with Claws, or maybe Savage Melee, something with mostly brief animations.  Or maybe, a controlly set like Stone Melee, which is not fast but might give the Regen some breathing room.  And I'd also tell them that if they really wanted to run Regen they need to stoke recharge, use various powers proactively, and have fast reactions and a fast Internet.  I am definitely not a fan of either Regen or Energy Melee right now.  If someone was asking if they're any good my report will indeed be negative.  But if someone had their heart set on either set I would tell them about the problems they'd be facing and suggest workarounds. 

 

I'm not entirely negative about everything.  Earlier today, I started a thread specifically touting the virtues of a Plants/Poison controller, and how worthwhile all the powers in both Plants and Poison seemed, and how remarkable this seemed.  These are two sides of the same coin.  There are powersets and combinations that I have enjoyed, and combinations that tripped over their own shoelaces.  And if asked for an opinion about them I will give it. 

[Sovera]

...but EM *is* bad.

 

If someone asks my opinion on sets I'll be honest with them. Why should I lie to maintain political correctness?

 

'Is Titan Weapons good? Yes, but I would not advise you to take it as a first character since it involves complicated IO builds, it will never exemplar decently. On the upside it's the most powerful thing we have.'

' What about Energy Melee? Man, I would not advise you to take it. The last two skills hit hard as nuclear bombs, but animate *so* slowly you'll get annoyed. But, they *do* hit super hard so if you're into that....'

' What about Radiation Melee? Great damage, good heal, but it also animates pretty slowly in general and you might find yourself annoyed with it. The heal is pretty good but it will very rarely come up if you're rushing through missions with a steam roll team so I wouldn't tell you to trust it.'

'What about Kinetic Melee? Play it on a Stalker. I advise you not to take the T9. Get prepared to do low damage at a fast pace which evens out but does not make for biggo numbers. You can combat this by throwing three and four damage procs into each attack and not slot in recharge.'

 

[blayzemaster]

7 hours ago, dragonboyut said:

I'm gonna chime in too. If someone asks "what's good on a brute?" Then I doubt the player is all too concerned with concept for their character.

Agreed.

 

Maybe there are more examples you could have used OP, but if someone is asking for feedback on powers, I don't think it's fair to say that people should pretend they have a wholly positive experience. I'd really hate if I asked for feedback and seomone gave me meaningless positive plantitudes. I know that i can do all the content with most powersets, it's about the ease of doing so, and what level I might be able to do it at.

 

Ultiamtely, if it is not against the ToS/CoC, they CAN say what they want. Being overly negative about powersets is not against either of those documents. It's hyperbolic, but ultimately it's just people's opinions. People can discuss how things would like to be changed even if those are done by another server, its a useful metric because it goes someway in showing what *is* possible.

 

I also have no idea why the fact that HC are still negotiating should be mentioned in these sorts of discussions. I'm glad they are, but its really just not relevant.

[Neiska]

@mechahamham - A few thoughts.

 

1. - People are going to have opinions. For arguement sake, let us pretend that every powerset was mathmatically equal in every possible scenario, with regards to defense, offense, damage, buffs, debuffs, enemy type, game activity type, and choosen game difficulty. (Quite the undertaking to accomplish!) Even in such a state, you will "still" have people saying "Dont take X, Y is best, etc." Because it is very much open to personal preferance and opinion.

 

Now, are the power sets equal? Far from it, and I dont think anyone is debating the fact. But one think I would like to highlight that is sometimes overlooked is what "investment" might be required to make a powerset "OP".

 

2a. - Which brings me to my point - some powersets require quite a lot of infamy, slots, and incarnates to reach their maximium. Lets take Titan Weapons for example. As others have pointed out, in end game it is quite strong, but doesnt exemplar down very well. This is due to the large amount of global/recharge cooldown required. Without Luck of the Gambler IOs, the powerset can feel clunky, unwieldly, and awkward. It will still hit like a truck certianly, but you might have gaps in attack chains. 

 

And to reach that level, it can be quite an investment. I have had sub-optiomal sets perform far superior while leveling up, and also as a "fresh 50" before getting over loaded with all the bells, whistles, and purples.

 

So some sets and combinations that are often spoke about I would argue are only OP as long as you invest heavially into them. If you dont, they can actually underperform.

 

2b. - Some builds even have "zero wiggle room" for choice or "fun" powers, which can be a large turn off to many players who like to have "fun" things as well, and dont necessarially build to be 100% total maximum combat effectiveness. What I am saying is people often forget to consider what is "optionial" in a powerset. (What else you can take, while still being "OP".) As well as how much money/slots/incarnates are required to reach that point.

 

Taking the often spoken about Titan Weapons/Bio Armor scrapper, there is very little wiggle room. Perhaps 1-2 powers are optional in titan weapons, where pretty much "every" power is required from bio. (Thats just how bio armor works, powers have a domino effect on their overall effectiveness.) So that leaves you with very little optional powers after you take your pool powers. Which can be a big negative to many players.

 

3. - Lastly, I would like to mention that the game is always in flux. It evolves, changes, gets tweaked as things are added or removed, and numbers get changed. Granted changes might be slow, but I dont think anyone is suprised by that. (Honestly, I am extatic we have dedicated staff to make changes at all to a game that is older than my car!) 

 

In closing I would simply urge people not to get trapped into the thinking of "what is most OP" or "what is the biggest numbers." You dont NEED the biggest numbers, which is something I consider the beauty of the game. I tried so hard to make my Crabber equal to my Scrapper or even my Mastermind, but it simply isnt possible. My crab soldier will never be able to solo what they can, no matter what investments or changes I make. And I have learned to accept that. And I am fine with her having a lower "solo ceiling". Because honestly, once you get trapped into "chasing the bigger numbers" line of thought, well, then you will only consider a handfull of ATs and powersets valid. I urge people to just focus on having fun. Personally, I consider lvl 50 3/8 as my "benchmark". If I can solo that, then I am happy. Every AT I have tried so far is able to do that, it just depends on how much money/incarnates are required to get them there.

 

Anything higher than that I consider bonus content for the people who like to "red line" character builds. Some people like that. Heck, I like doing that. I like to push the engine and see what I am capable of. But that is hardly my only game focus and drive. After all, in the end its just pixels.

 

Just my thoughts on it.

 

TLDR - 1. People are going to have different opinions, no matter what. 2a - different powersets require different amounts of effort/money, you cant just look at flat damage numbers. 2b. different powersets have different amounts of "wiggle room" for optional/fun powers. 3. Things change. Focus on having fun, not just chasing bigger pixels. 

 

 

[SuperPlyx]

*sigh* If you're not playing a TW/Bio scrap what are you even doing?

 

/sarcasm

[Crysis]

12 hours ago, macskull said:

TL;DR version: OP complaining about people saying powersets are weak/underpowered/whatever and would prefer people in-game just pretended that all powersets are good.

Thank you.

 

Lets just nerf the busybodies and get back to the game.  I sometimes feel like this game is a bunch of old Homeowners Association members bitching about a the depth of mulch around Mrs. Johnson’s flowerbed not being up to their interpretation of code.

 

As for power set inequality, I’ve long believed they shouldn’t be equal.  The AT’s themselves, and the unique combinations of power sets within each AT, are to me the games real “difficulty slider” mechanism.  As a brute (pretty much any brute) I can solo just about any content the game can throw at me up to and including many AV’s.  And do it starting in my late 20’s/early 30’s on max difficulty.  That’s a much harder proposition to do that with a Controller until my late 40’s, and even then, only SOME Controllers.  That’s your difficulty setting.  If I want an easy experience, I roll a Brute.  If I want a more challenging one, I roll a Controller.  Trying to equalize them simply breaks the harmony that makes up the play style difficulty settings.  And frankly, you’ve got different methods for achieving same goal (eg; completing the mission) ranging from “Brute Force” to “Trickery via Devices” and “Masterminding the victory.”  

Edited June 12, 2020 by Crysis

[Neiska]

@mechahamham - after some thought 3 more quick points I would like to add.

 

1. "Speech control" is a dangerous line of thinking. First off, no one is going to agree on what is and is not acceptable. Moreover, Homecoming or any other company for that matter is NOT under any obligation to curtail communication that you personally dislike, find distasteful, or disagree with. And if they were, it would lead to something akin to 1984's "thought police", where options to disagree on anything are closed before a discussion can even take place. Is this what you really want?

 

2. However, Homecoming like many games already have tools in place available for players. If you see anything in a channel, you can simply leave the channel. Or even better, simply rightclick the persons name whose dialogue you find unlikeable for whatever reason, and select "ignore". Poof. Done. You never have to hear from that person ever again in the entireity of your Homecoming experience.

 

3. I would also argue that players complaining about powersets is a GOOD thing. Becuase it highlights to the staff which powersets might need to be looked at and tweaked. They have tweaked poewrs before, and certainly are likely to keep doing so. (such as the recent cleave targets change.)  If everyone always said "everything is perfect" then the staff might assume that the numbers are good where they are. How are staff to fix energy melee or any other powerset for that matter, if no one is talking about it?

Edited June 12, 2020 by Neiska
for clarification.