Balancing Base Teleport (Long)

[mechahamham]

tl;dr: Add all zones to Ouro and remove the level restriction on the portal. Nerf enterbasefrompasscode so that it only works next to base portals.

 

When I first started playing on Homecoming, one of the very first things I was shown on Excelsior by another helpful player was the p2w vendor and a macro for accessing the 'Cosmic Transport Platform', a universal Supergroup Base.

 

"Do we not have regular SG bases any more?"

 

"No, you still can have one, and all the items are free. There's no more prestige or anything like that. This is for players who don't belong to SGs or who don't feel like decorating bases."

 

And, yes, it is broken, and probably should be eliminated as an exploit, especially when it removes the effort of 'Master' badges or is used as an ejector seat in PVP. However, it's not nearly as badly broken as many think, especially when you look at all the factors that affect zone-to-zone travel.

 

Let's look at our current intra-zone travel methods:

 

• Trams, Ferries, and TUNNEL - Free, No teleport, instant travel to connecting zones.
• Ouroboros Portal - Free, 5m rech teleport, connects to Atlas, Talos, IP, FF, PI / Cap au Diable, Sharkhead Isle, Nerva Archipelago, St. Martial, Grandville, and Echo zones.
• Pocket D VIP Pass - Free or via p2w Purchase, 30m rech teleport, connects to KR, Talos, FF, Faultline / Port Oakes/ Sharkshead / St. Martial
• Base Transporter - 1m p2w purchase, 30m rech, instant travel to all zones if you've set up teleporters
• Mission Transporter - 1M p2w purchase, 30m rech, Direct-to-mission TP
• Team Transporter - 10M p2w purchase, 30m rech, Direct-to-mission TP

 

The enterbasefrompasscode macro is by comparison, free, no recharge, instant travel to all zones

 

When we compare the various transport methods, we see that there's a fairly mild curve to their use. The various long-recharge portals are differentiated in *when* you can acquire them, as measured by a player's wealth, rather than how often you can use them.

 

The only times when enterbasefrompasscode is truly superior to the Oroborous Portal is when you want to travel to one of the few zones NOT on the connecting list, when you're finishing missions faster than 5m apiece, or, and this is the big one, you're under level 14 and can't use the Ouroboros portal.

 

The first condition is going to cover teams that are doing missions or taskforce content that has them crossing zones frequently. On Live, before the advent of Team Teleporter, it was not uncommon for players on the same taskforce, say Citadel, Manticore, or Numina, to race each other, trying to figure out who knew their connections the best and who timed their powers to be used the best.

 

The second condition applies to speed-runners. I think we can fairly safely assume that teams of dedicated speed-runners are going to shell out for the Mission Transporter and Team Transporter powers. An 8-person team, if they're careful and coordinate their power use, can transport from mission to mission a little less than every 4 minutes.

 

The last condition targets players who are traveling between lowbie zones and doing the first few taskforces.

 

If the game were not 16+ years old, and almost all the current playerbase is returning from the long sleep, I'd be tempted to say, 'well, new players *should* run from zone to zone so that they learn the way things connect.'

 

In reality, I think that the player who doesn't know how everything connects is such a rare and special animal that they are, maybe, a little overwhelmed by how helpful the CoH community can be. Any question they have is almost immediately answered. There are three or four players willing to drop what they're doing and shepherd them along for the first few hours of gameplay. (Congratulations, City of Heroes! We've become so friendly, we've crossed the line between warm and creepy! That's not a bad accomplishment in my book!)

 

So, anyway, with this comparison, the only real reasons that a person would feel *forced* to use the enterbasefrompasscode command is that they need something that:

 

a.) provides reliable travel for characters at low levels or with low funds

b) provides all the amenities of a LARGE supergroup base

c) provides reliable travel to the handful of zones Ouroboros does not connect to.

 

All these 'forced' conditions can be relieved by making a few tweaks to the Ouroboros zone, the Ouroboros portal, and Ouroboros portal power:

 

First, change the Ouroboros zone so that it connects to all zones rather than a select handful.

 

Second, change the Ouroboros portal so that it accepts all comers, regardless of levels. If a level 1 clicks on it, he'll be teleported to Ouroboros, regardless.

 

Finally, and completely optionally, if you want to preserve the 'level limit' feel, only have the Ouroboros portal power activate if a player is level 14 or over. This way, if a team of all level 8s is together with no other travel options, then it may be in their best interest to hoof it to the tram. Otherwise, a single higher-level member of the team can summon a portal and grant them all access.

 

Ouro was always intended to be available to all players, spreading virally. That level limit, initially 20, and now 14 doesn't really do anything to stop the 'spread', so to speak. All players can still eventually get the power with little effort. In my opinion, we're at the point that level limit should probably just be eliminated all together, especially since Ouro can be used to access Echo: Galaxy and Echo: Atlas, which are ideal places for low-level players to get in some quiet street-sweeping.

 

Now that the 'forcing' conditions are relieved, the travel is happening after a 5 minute cooldown, we can set about making changes to enterbasefrompasscode to make it less of an exploit.

 

I've seen a suggestion before that it would work only when next to a base portal... allowing bases to work as sort of extended coalition bases. That 'Cosmic Transport Platform' and other public transport bases will still be useful and used. Just, most people will want to use Ouroboros instead. If the changes are made to Ouroboros, this is really the only change that needs to happen to enterbasefrompasscode.

[mbre2006]

So how does this argument apply to people who want to use the base teleporter for faster access to things enhancement vendor, tailor, crafting station, etc... Everything about this game has evolved to time efficiency ( Efficiency Expert Pither be proud of us), so trying to encourage them to learn where the connection from one zone to another seems a bit outdated as a form of travel, and only nostalgic to returning gamers.

 

Another thing to keep in mind due to the new pace of the game a majority of zones are quickly out leveled. XP bonus is now a thing. Farming is far more common and convenient really leaving the usage of Ouroboros to be used for:  a gather point for incarnate trials and related or SBB, going back to badge hunt for various accolades requirements or badge hunting in general.  The whole point of the zone which is still unfinished is now for the main purpose of going back to run unfinished or never explored content you either skipped or outleveled to actually finished. And even then the zone is used to travel to a mission where it normally requires you to take the trams avoiding it all together. Using the ouroboros system to go back and do outleveled content also defeats the purpose of learning connection point because the large crystal takes you to either to the contact or the zone to the mission itself.

 

i like the idea of using Ouroboros as a means of travel as well eliminating the level restriction since that would only keep you from actually using the Ouroboros system til you're level 14. The five minute cooldown is far more efficient than the 30 minute cooldowns from mission teleporter, assemble the team, or team teleport. Two of those act as a more direct connection to point A to B while one can be more of a liaison to gather the rest if you're already there. Nerfing the base teleporter would seem more a blow to single players who aren't part of a SG. It also can be used if you're defeat as with the O portal you have to be up and running to use it.

 

A fine point then to using Ouroboros as a mean of travel should also include the amenities the bases offer like a crafting table included like in RWZ, and access to a tailor again also in RWZ. Ouroboros also has access to a vendor and medical center (though that's available only during certain missions). (Just regurgitating what you said on this) Having to be next to a base teleporter is redundant because the base teleporter itself is a teleporter. 

 

All in all, I like the idea, but I would add some more stuff to Ouroboros before you would replace the sg teleporter. 

 

 

Edited June 26, 2020 by mbre2006

[ShardWarrior]

6 hours ago, mechahamham said:

Nerf enterbasefrompasscode so that it only works next to base portals.

Please do some searching on the subject of removing the command as it has been discussed at length in various threads.  As the Homecoming folk have said, the slash command is going to get removed eventually.  The current plan is to replace it with an Oro-portal like power.