What 3 content items (missions, tfs, etc.) would be the models you would choose for all future content?

[DougGraves]

Assume you can tell the devs make content like these 3.  Ignoring powersets and costumes, just content. 

 

What 3 would you choose and why?

[Saikochoro]

What I would like most is a horde survival mode. Have an instanced horde survival mode with various special maps. Start of with low number of low power enemies. Increase difficulty of the attacking horde with each wave. Conceivably end with lots of AVs throwing out high damage and large debuffs.

 

Given that that is unlikely to happen I’d be happy with more task forces and trials. 

[Nayeh]

Admiral Sutter: Varying difficulty, several enemy types, cut-scenes, and unique combat mechanics. This is probably my favorite Task Force.

 

Synapse, Katie Hannon, Lady Grey, Virgil Tarakoss: Each of these TF's can influence the outside gameworld to trigger some kind of event (an invasion, spawn a monster, maybe temporarily open a portal to a unique zone, some kind of event that doesn't necessarily have to be destructive). I would like to see more TF's that give the opportunity for more community-oriented content.

 

Multiple objectives within a mission alongside environmental hazards and more dangerous attacks that can ignore defenses unless certain actions are taken. I would like to see less content that could be done in a speedy manner and more content that calls for more tactical approaches that would otherwise trigger more team wipes.

 

 

[Techwright]

Incarnate missions, trials, and task forces.  Because so many of us have a parking lot full of incarnates just waiting to do something.

 

Revitalization projects for under-utilized zones.  Pretty self-explanatory reason.

 

Reformation of current Task Forces and Trials.  Get rid of all the dead wood and repetition, add exciting new content, and meter them well to fit within a reasonable time budget (assuming a skilled team, of course.  a bad team can even take some short TF and turn it into a nightmare time sink).

[MTeague]

I love strong Story-Driven arcs with multiple endings / player choice deciding the outcome.

Specifically, like the various 1-20 Praetoria arcs.

 

Now I get, for a team mission / task force, that would probably mean "only leader decides".  It would be neither practical nor desireable for half the team to stand with one faction and half the team to stand with the other faction and go all MCU:Civil War over it. I mean, OK, there's memes, and god knows we need more memes, but really, it'd have to be leader-choice only for any kind of TF, and you want to choose the outcome, you be the leader. 

 

I'd also love to be able to put in that kind of choice / branching outcomes into AE missions.  I'd love to see how creative mission writers could be with that. 

[Snarky]

Incarnate Trials.  For obvious reasons, big Leagues, overarching league strategy, big goals/rewards.  I think the Magisterium might be the best example of this, but I also enjoy Keyes.  Except green patches.  

 

LGTF.  A non partisan romp that requires an understanding of the goals, has some interesting mechanics (a Hami fight!), and just has a ton of stuff if you want to go Brutal Melee clearinghouse.

 

The new story arc from the current Dev Team.  I am literally floored by how good the Doc Buzzsaw arc was.  You look at what we got from people who were paid to do this compared with what the volunteer Devs did.  (okay, the Late Game Devs did okay w Praetoria, except i HATE the politics behind it)   But when you get right down to wish list for the future.  More story arcs from the Dev team.  Out of the park, beyond the parking lot, It's Gone!!!

 

[Coyotedancer]

I like Dark Astoria and Night Ward's arcs... and I'm fond of most of the iTrials. I also like the ITF and Yin TF quite a lot, in spite of being a little burned out on running them. And yeah, zombie invasions are always fun.

[Clave Dark 5]

Me, I'd go for the Summer Blockbuster.  No worries about canon, short and sweet and with a wide possible range of mission types (meaning formats, stuff that plays with the mechanics of missions in ways that radios never do), etc.  You guys wanna take fan-made AE missions into "the real world" of the game?  SBB is sittin' right there.  Plus those popcorn bots are the best.

[Myrmidon]

A full-on zone that culminates in the complete destruction of the terrorist organization known as Longbow.

[The_Warpact]

10 hours ago, Myrmidon said:

A full-on zone that culminates in the complete destruction of the terrorist organization known as Longbow.

One where we can kick their asses out of Mercy. Look at the area they "control" its a hellhole, riff with diseases, creatures, and polluted.

Arachnos controlled area has a nice old town feeling, law enforcement out on the beat, the local bars and restaurants are nice too.

Longbow moves into an area and just wrecks it.

 

Look at Nerva, they take an island turn it into a military base. Meanwhile, on Arachnos islands its nice, with Crey corporate offices, a university, housing, a lively seafood industry. 

In St. Martial LB walks down the streets fully armed scaring off tourists trying to enjoy the casinos, c'mon man!

 

Longbow are just bad and should be before the world court for their actions of hostility and invasion of the Rogue Isles. 

[Andreah]

8 minutes ago, The_Warpact said:

One where we can kick their asses out of Mercy

I understand the sentiment, but IMO, stories that purport to change the world state just don't work well in MMO's.

[The_Warpact]

36 minutes ago, Andreah said:

I understand the sentiment, but IMO, stories that purport to change the world state just don't work well in MMO's.

Really? Arachnos controlled ALL of Mercy until LB took over the lower half and started invading the upper half. Thats a change...

[Techwright]

9 minutes ago, The_Warpact said:

Really? Arachnos controlled ALL of Mercy until LB took over the lower half and started invading the upper half. Thats a change...

Yes, but did it happen in-game, or has the duality been there since the game began?  I think that's what Andreah is suggesting, that once a game design is established, world changes don't work well.

[Snarky]

Ach! The days of breaking out of the Zig and landing at Fort Darwin.  The sprint across the island to the infected warehouse.  Good times my fellow redsiders.  Good times.

[The_Warpact]

2 hours ago, Techwright said:

Yes, but did it happen in-game, or has the duality been there since the game began?  I think that's what Andreah is suggesting, that once a game design is established, world changes don't work well.

In Operative Kuzman arc is when LB invaded Fort Darwin and took over.

But, in Lt. Harris arc you use him to decimate LB in Mercy and drive them away.

Before these contacts appeared Mercy was totally under Arachnos control and LB was only on the fringes.

LB is still an invading force regardless of their excuses or justifications.

Their should be a TF for hero and villain and based on the outcome should influence events in the Rogue Isles, think Sirens Call but more far reaching.

[Shred Monkey]

I like tip missions.  They're slightly more difficult and involved then regular missions.  They have more difficult enemies.  As implemented, they actually alter your personal story (changing alignment).  Some of them are actually well written (I still remember the first time I killed that CoT demon and it looked at me knowing that with it's defeat, I was being turned me toward evil... which in game terms was actually true!  *goosebumps*)

 

I also like the iTrials just because they use more interesting mechanics and have more difficult battles, but would prefer to see content like that put into an 8 man mission format.  And with 1 maybe 2 exceptions, they're not so long that I have to think about whether I really have time to finish.

 

DA and Rikti Warzone both are good examples of single zone content.  Completing a contact unlocks another to provide a complete story line within the setting of the zone that slowly escalates as you progress. They provide an elevated level of challenge by using more difficult opponents and AVs. They're broken into 3-4 mission long segments which feels about right.  I often see people asking for hazard zones to get a revamp to make them more meaningful.  If they use these 2 zones as models, that'd be fantastic.

 

 

 

Edited March 27, 2021 by Shred Monkey

[nihilii]

1) ITF - solid medium difficulty content with good pacing and unique maps. Never gets old after all these years. Many other task forces come close, but I think the ITF hits the sweet spot between "so standard it's dull" and "too special to flow nicely for everyone".

 

FLOW. That's perhaps the biggest thing about the ITF, it just works no matter how you approach the content. Speed, kill all, split the team, stick together, start with the AVs and work backwards, start with the minions and progress to the AVs.

 

Snarky mentioned the LGTF. It is another good pick and at first I was struggling to justify "why the ITF and not the LGTF"; but in comparison, if you try to play the LGTF "kill all" then it's just a drag of killing hundreds of riktis in almost standard rikti maps. ITF just has excellent variety even in its most basic gameplay loops: first mission starts you in caves then brings you outdoor, second mission has you in caves against nictus, third mission has you outdoors with generals and monsters and nazis, and fourth mission finishes with a glorious romp. Liberal use of ambushes and patrols helps too. The environments are so different encounters against the same foes play differently.

There's beautiful verticality thorough all the ITF, too; with the notable exception of mission 2, which actually enhances the rest by contrast. Not only you can approach the ITF in many different ways on the horizontal plane, but you can also make ample use of the vertical plane.

 

2) Apex - fun Incarnate romp with special mechanics. Short and sweet and action-packed. The gimmicks force you to switch things up but they don't force you into a single specific strategy.

3) Dark Astoria story arcs. It truly pulls you into the hopeless fight against Mot, and the adventure keeps on going and going. It's satisfying both mechanically and in terms of atmosphere. Story arcs after that were good too but didn't quite get to that level of epic, using the word literally, DA does a good job at making you feel like you're the hero of a self-contained story.

Edited March 27, 2021 by nihilii

[Darmian]

18 hours ago, Snarky said:

But when you get right down to wish list for the future.  More story arcs from the Dev team.  Out of the park, beyond the parking lot, It's Gone!!!

LOVED the detail and care and just fun of it. BUT...I play a lot of AE, give some of the writers in there those tools and maybe you'll see a whole extra bazoom alongside the cool Dev material.

 

53 minutes ago, The_Warpact said:

Their should be a TF for hero and villain and based on the outcome should influence events in the Rogue Isles, think Sirens Call but more far reaching.

From this player's perspective LB should just be gone from the Rogue Isles and have the Isles move forward in a better way.

[Darmian]

15 hours ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

Me, I'd go for the Summer Blockbuster.  No worries about canon, short and sweet and with a wide possible range of mission types (meaning formats, stuff that plays with the mechanics of missions in ways that radios never do), etc.  You guys wanna take fan-made AE missions into "the real world" of the game?  SBB is sittin' right there.  Plus those popcorn bots are the best.

This would be ideal for things that "didn't fit canon" or were just completely odd!  It'd fit the rest too as well.

[DoctorDitko]

Darn it, I missed the chance to do more than echo others' excellent responses.

So I will:

 

1. Mini-events: Summer Blockbuster (Torch players may have noticed I kinda like it).

2. Story Arcs: The Dark Astoria/Mot arc. Wow!

3. TF: The ITF is great, I just wish we could for once fight the Giant Robot.

3a. Speaking of which, Ernesto Hess has some great stuff, including a very 007-esque ending!

4. Tips missions! I love how they often spin the game's conventions.

5. Actually, all the missions that break the rules to one degree or another. Get through the RIkti without attacking them. Avenge your contact, who just got murdered. Go back in time and save your contact!

 

Also, I would love to see a way for the  most excellent of AE missions to be promoted to reality, as the best art often is.

[Darmian]

16 minutes ago, DoctorDitko said:

Also, I would love to see a way for the  most excellent of AE missions to be promoted to reality, as the best art often is.

People are probably getting sick of me crossposting this, BUT...I'm crossposting this.  LOL.

 

16 minutes ago, DoctorDitko said:

Go back in time and save your contact!

I LOVE that one.  LOVE it.

[Clave Dark 5]

12 hours ago, The_Warpact said:

One where we can kick their asses out of Mercy.

The more I think about this one, the more I like it.  That would be a really epic strike force for villains.

 

ETA - and then at 50, another one based around the same idea, but that has you stealing Mercy from Arachnos for yourself.  Mwuhahahahaha!

Edited March 28, 2021 by Clave Dark 5
Another idea

[The_Warpact]

5 hours ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

The more I think about this one, the more I like it.  That would be a really epic strike force for villains.

 

ETA - and then at 50, another one based around the same idea, but that has you stealing Mercy from Arachnos for yourself.  Mwuhahahahaha!

That's the thing I like about being a villain and why heroes suck.

As a villain when you start, Arachnos is a guiding principle under Recluse. They help you grow until finally one day you realize you don't need them and ultimately surpass Recluse. Its a tale of growing up, first you need your parents and finally you surpass them (well some people at least).

 

Heroes on the other hand never really guide you and just have you go do shit jobs they don't want to do. Any of the TFs are a great example, most of the TFs are a time sink and the heroes could handle them but they're too busy to do them and really they are the signature heroes and its just beneath them.

No lesson other than hey go do this because I'm just sssooo busy standing here picking my nose.

Arachnos hires you, except in Tarikoss SF but ultimately he was a good guy so I knew something was up from the get go the lying bastich.

 

No matter how you try to spin it, Arachnos is a harsh task master, intent in making you learn discipline, loyalty, and making your own way by your hand.

Heroes its always do this and do that cuz I said, for the greater good, or just go do it. Where's the lesson there? Other than do as I say not as I do.

 

Sorry but I'll take the "villains" side any day. 

[Mr. Vee]

Morty Kal, LRSF (sans longer cutscene), Tin Mage. 

[Turric]

 

Revitalization of some zones. (Boomtown needs construction workers milling about! Crey's Folly needs sewage plant workers)

 

Edit some of the extra crap from the old task forces. Citadel and Synapse are just ridiculous. Other task forces need some things fixed. Like there being no map available on Admiral Sutter.

 

Introduction of a handful of new factions. Paragon City and the Rogue Isles need a true vampire faction. Not those artificial vampires created by the Council, but real ones. Call them the Vampire Nation! Savage melee / Dark Melee / Dark Armor / Super Reflexes etc.

 

If I had designed this game, I would have made both solo and group content that highlighted the zones within, telling more of a story about Paragon City / Rogue Isles. The arcs within Striga, Hollows, Croatoa do this to an extent. I wish more zones had their unique arcs.