issue 27 Patch Notes for June 2nd, 2021

[Number Six]

Powers

•  Sorcery > Arcane Bolt / Arcane Power
  • Activating and deactivating toggles will no longer grant Arcane Power
  • Removed the "...crackle at your fingertips" combat log message, this was mainly for testing purposes
  • Removed the "ARCANE POWER" floating message
    • With the VFX and yellow ring around Arcane Bolt, the added floating message was overkill as it kept triggering if you didn't make use of the proc
•  Inherent > Walk
  • Movement speed cap adjusted from 3.15mph to 3.25mph (to match NPC walking speed)
  • Jumping speed cap increased to 14.32mph (the base jumping speed)

Miscellaneous

• Removed Arachnos ambushes from delivery missions to Mercy Island in the Temple of the Waters SF
• Removed Malta ambush from delivery missions to Mercy Island in Vernun von Grun's story arc.
• Removed Crey ambush from door mission to Mercy Island in Operative Grillo's story arc.
• Renamed the Shopkeeper badge to Proprietor (as Shop Keeper already exists as a day job badge)

The Lady Grey Task Force

• The minimum level to start the TF has been changed to 45

  • We've had it at 35 for a while, but there are numerous issues related to starting it at lower levels (on live the minimum was 45)
• All enemies in the TF (including the Weakened Hamidon and its buds) can now spawn from level 45 to 54

Paladin Event

• Reverted the Paladin Event to the pre-Issue 24 version; you have to prevent the Paladin from being built by defeating waves of Clockwork
• The event runs the same as it did on Issue 23, with two changes:
  • The Clockwork support mobs are level-less in order to reward XP and drops
  • The timer to win the event was reduced to 10 minutes, and the Paladin Construction heals to full in 5 minutes.
• Note: The workaround for spawning new copies of Kings Row to fix the old event has been removed

Arena

• You can no longer begin observing an arena match if you had any combat activity in the past 10 seconds
• Arena Observer / Gladiator modes will now automatically kill all pets on entry (certain pets could still be summoned when entering an arena match)

Pocket D

• DJ Zero has added some additional entrances to the club
  • An Atlas Park entrance has been added to the Hero-side lobby
  • Mercy Island and Nova Praetoria entrances have been added to the Villain-side lobby
• The minimap has been updated to reflect these changes (and also include the Tiki Lounge, Monkey Fight Club and Architect Entertainment areas)

 

Bug Fixes

• Firebase Zulu: Closed holes in the collision boundary of the zone
• The Chantry: Closed holes in the collision boundary of the zone
• Echo Plaza: Added a collision boundary around the zone to fix issues with teleportation powers
• Talos Island: A number of floating rocks and bushes have been brought back to the ground
  • The Paragon City Hall has issued its monthly statement reminding Gravity Control heroes that this isn't funny
• Cleaned up some unintended behaviour with the Fortunata Hypnosis proc

• Fixed the geometry of certain Goldbrickers NPCs that had a major hole in their neck

• Fixed the animation of Tech Generator objects inside missions using the tech base lair so it animates properly

• Fixed the Ally Revive script used in the Brickstown story arcs

• Fixed an issue with Cognitive and Spectral Interface Procs

  • This was a bug introduced last year when Interface DoT procs got fixed

  • It turned out that the procs were missing the tag needed to turn on the effect group

• Ambrosia and Essence of the Earth inspirations should now be usable even if the player is under Untouchable state

  • Henchmen in Untouchable state, if any, will still see no benefit from these inspirations
• EMP Arrow: Possibly fixed a bug that made procs use the unintended pseudopet formula instead of the original click formula
• Fixed a bug that would cause Orbital Lance (from War Walkers) to never fire
• Fixed the glowing VFX on Rikti weaponry not scrolling properly (this has been broken since Issue 10)

[MindCurrent]

5 minutes ago, Number Six said:

Fixed an issue with Cognitive and Spectral Interface Procs

• This was a bug introduced last year when Interface DoT procs got fixed

• It turned out that the procs were missing the tag needed to turn on the effect group

 

Say it's finally true!

[VulnaviaPhibes]

I'm glad this means the Paladin event will trigger more than once per server reset, but I did rather like the new event, it was dynamic and fun and it came with a cool temporary summon power! This reversion is just until the trigger behavior on the new event can be fixed, right? I still get to summon my good good clockwork boy again someday, right? 🥺

[KeepDistance]

1 hour ago, Number Six said:

The minimum level to start the TF has been changed to 45

😞

[Li_Sensei]

2 hours ago, KeepDistance said:

😞

 

You say that, but being on a team with nobody >45 and trying to take on a pegged at 50 Hamidon who sprogged 54 Buds after he was eventually beaten was NOT fun...

[Gunrunner]

Pocket D's EA franchise might actually get some use now.  Well done.

[Ymedron]

Arcane power might accidentally no longer be proccing at all, i've been keeping an eye on my hotbar and it hasn't activated at all when previously it'd have activated several times in the same timeframe. (from normal attacks, not toggles.)

 

Apologies if this is the wrong thread to report this.

[Acroyear]

Not sure why an entrance to Pocket D was needed from Atlas Park. King's Row entrance is just a short ride away on the Tram.

 

Nice to see more bug fixes though.

[Argus_The_Risen]

Speaking of entrances, where did Echo Plaza go? Tried going through the portal in Atlas and it wasn't there. It wasn't in the Long Range Teleporter either. Am I missing something?

[Glacier Peak]

1 minute ago, Argus_The_Risen said:

Speaking of entrances, where did Echo Plaza go? Tried going through the portal in Atlas and it wasn't there. It wasn't in the Long Range Teleporter either. Am I missing something?

It was only available through those methods for the month of May. It will be opened up for future events though.

 

Quote

Introducing Echo Plaza

Echo Plaza is a brand new zone that's built from the ground up for hosting events!

 

Along with a giant costume contest-friendly square, Echo Plaza also features a winners podium, an Icon store for making last-minute costume changes, a power-suppressing prison for dastardly players who leave Steamy Mist running, and a hospital for... reasons.

 

Echo Plaza is easily accessible from Pocket D, meaning all characters - including Praetorians - can access it and join in with future events. During official Homecoming events (and the entire month of May), Echo Plaza will also be accessible via TUNNEL portals and by using the Long Range Teleporter power.

 

[FallenHero]

3 hours ago, Number Six said:

Powers

•  Sorcery > Arcane Bolt / Arcane Power
  • Activating and deactivating toggles will no longer grant Arcane Power
  • Removed the "...crackle at your fingertips" combat log message, this was mainly for testing purposes
  • Removed the "ARCANE POWER" floating message

Thank you. I returned to the game recently. I found that my Staff/SR scrapper was generating a lot of visual and audio "stuff". It was a bit overwhelming at first because of the frequency at which the stuff was happening. With this update I should feel less overwhelmed playing my characters (I use the Sorcery pool a lot). I'm still not a fan of the sound (when it procs). But overall I'm happy for the update!

[ForeverLaxx]

34 minutes ago, Acroyear said:

Not sure why an entrance to Pocket D was needed from Atlas Park. King's Row entrance is just a short ride away on the Tram.

Not really a fan of that change, either. I remember reading somewhere that they didn't like how Talos had become the "connects to everywhere hub" because it discouraged visiting other zones, but Atlas is becoming that very thing slowly over time.

 

I understand the desire to put common areas close to new players so they can find it easier, but it just makes the whole city feel that much smaller when everything is attached to a centralized hub.

[Glacier Peak]

2 minutes ago, ForeverLaxx said:

Not really a fan of that change, either. I remember reading somewhere that they didn't like how Talos had become the "connects to everywhere hub" because it discouraged visiting other zones, but Atlas is becoming that very thing slowly over time.

 

I understand the desire to put common areas close to new players so they can find it easier, but it just makes the whole city feel that much smaller when everything is attached to a centralized hub.

There have been options available to get to any zone from any zone for a while now (LRT, base teleporters, Blackline/PvP heliocopters, trams, TUNNEL portals, etc.). Players can choose to use them or they can choose not to use them. Best of both worlds.

[ForeverLaxx]

1 minute ago, Glacier Peak said:

There have been options available to get to any zone from any zone for a while now (LRT, base teleporters, Blackline/PvP heliocopters, trams, TUNNEL portals, etc.). Players can choose to use them or they can choose not to use them. Best of both worlds.

Not really the point. It's inconsistent with stated past grievances regarding a centralized zone "hub" that I'm noticing.

 

Being able to teleport to any zone through LRT first requires you to have actually visited the zone at least once. Bases used to be limited on power and connections so you couldn't use a base to go to every zone in the game at once (this was obviously removed for our version of the game and I'm not sad to see it go as a creative person), the dev command was let out of the box and players got so used to being able to just jump into a hub base that the removal of said command demanded a compromise that didn't need to be made. Trams used to be restricted so you had to travel to a zone with both sometimes and TUNNEL is just another tram system. PvP helicopters used to be limited so you had to go to the appropriate linked zone first. "Quick Travel" restrictions have been lifted across the board already.

 

And now, travel powers have increased in speed, cutting travel time even further.

 

I'm not inherently against making it easier for players to get from Point A to Point B. I'm just against changes that run contrary to previously stated issues of turning a single zone into a "everything you need is right here" affair. With how quick players can get around, even before this change, the city felt more like a small town. Now it's just going to be the size of a city block. You've got AE, the Tram System, TUNNEL System, Base Hub access, Pocket D Access. and the auction house (via another command) all without ever leaving Atlas Park. The "best of both worlds" line is cute, though. When faced with 3 loading screens vs 1 loading screen, players are going to take the 1 loading screen. Expecting players to intentionally avoid quick travel as a counterpoint to adding even more quick travel is silly. It's the same as saying you can use as much hate speech as you want because people can use /ignore or turn on their profanity filter if they don't like it. It's really a non-argument.

 

Again, I'm not against methods to get around the city quicker. I'm just perplexed with changes that turn a zone into a catch-all hub when the major criticism against adding connections to Talos was to avoid enforcing the view that it's a catch-all hub.

[Heraclea]

One odd thing I noticed doing the new old Paladin event in KR.  The level-less Clockwork mobs were dropping KR level  salvage like Spell Scroll and Boresight.  No complaints here; lowbie salvage is more worthwhile than level 50 salvage (for me at any rate) and the ability to earn that salvage while  using level 50 powers is most welcome. 

 

The new old event awards the Knight Errant badge, but not the Knight Errant temp power.  If you have the temp power you may now want to save it for special. 

[Burk]

After the patch, Teleport's hover effect no longer breaks when you move. You are able to fly around at max fly speed until the buff naturally expires after 15 seconds.

[Warboss]

It will be interesting to see if the KR roll back will prevent multiple instances of the zone spawning during TT events.

[dtj714]

1 hour ago, ForeverLaxx said:

Not really the point. It's inconsistent with stated past grievances regarding a centralized zone "hub" that I'm noticing.

 

Being able to teleport to any zone through LRT first requires you to have actually visited the zone at least once. Bases used to be limited on power and connections so you couldn't use a base to go to every zone in the game at once (this was obviously removed for our version of the game and I'm not sad to see it go as a creative person), the dev command was let out of the box and players got so used to being able to just jump into a hub base that the removal of said command demanded a compromise that didn't need to be made. Trams used to be restricted so you had to travel to a zone with both sometimes and TUNNEL is just another tram system. PvP helicopters used to be limited so you had to go to the appropriate linked zone first. "Quick Travel" restrictions have been lifted across the board already.

 

And now, travel powers have increased in speed, cutting travel time even further.

 

I'm not inherently against making it easier for players to get from Point A to Point B. I'm just against changes that run contrary to previously stated issues of turning a single zone into a "everything you need is right here" affair. With how quick players can get around, even before this change, the city felt more like a small town. Now it's just going to be the size of a city block. You've got AE, the Tram System, TUNNEL System, Base Hub access, Pocket D Access. and the auction house (via another command) all without ever leaving Atlas Park. The "best of both worlds" line is cute, though. When faced with 3 loading screens vs 1 loading screen, players are going to take the 1 loading screen. Expecting players to intentionally avoid quick travel as a counterpoint to adding even more quick travel is silly. It's the same as saying you can use as much hate speech as you want because people can use /ignore or turn on their profanity filter if they don't like it. It's really a non-argument.

 

Again, I'm not against methods to get around the city quicker. I'm just perplexed with changes that turn a zone into a catch-all hub when the major criticism against adding connections to Talos was to avoid enforcing the view that it's a catch-all hub.

There is already a catch-all zone.  It’s called your SG base. Make a base and you can have ports to virtually every zone in the game without ever having been there. You don’t even need to bother getting one exploration badge for LRT - you just use it as another way to get to your base. 
 

I say this with a negative connotation. Point being, they’ve already gutted inter-zone travel in the game, such that any further changes or restrictions are pretty much arbitrary.  Nobody uses the tram, TUNNEL, ships, choppers, etc. etc. Hell, at this point they might as well just make all the base portals into direct portals to every zone, and stop all the work-arounds.

 

”You don’t have to if you don’t want to” is a straw argument. It’s not like skipping content. It’s a QoL thing, and everybody is going to use it if they can. Does it make the game world feel smaller and less immersive?  Absolutely, but the devs clearly feel convenience trumps that. 

Edited June 2, 2021 by dtj714

[Glacier Peak]

1 hour ago, ForeverLaxx said:

Not really the point. It's inconsistent with stated past grievances regarding a centralized zone "hub" that I'm noticing.

 

Being able to teleport to any zone through LRT first requires you to have actually visited the zone at least once. Bases used to be limited on power and connections so you couldn't use a base to go to every zone in the game at once (this was obviously removed for our version of the game and I'm not sad to see it go as a creative person), the dev command was let out of the box and players got so used to being able to just jump into a hub base that the removal of said command demanded a compromise that didn't need to be made. Trams used to be restricted so you had to travel to a zone with both sometimes and TUNNEL is just another tram system. PvP helicopters used to be limited so you had to go to the appropriate linked zone first. "Quick Travel" restrictions have been lifted across the board already.

 

And now, travel powers have increased in speed, cutting travel time even further.

 

I'm not inherently against making it easier for players to get from Point A to Point B. I'm just against changes that run contrary to previously stated issues of turning a single zone into a "everything you need is right here" affair. With how quick players can get around, even before this change, the city felt more like a small town. Now it's just going to be the size of a city block. You've got AE, the Tram System, TUNNEL System, Base Hub access, Pocket D Access. and the auction house (via another command) all without ever leaving Atlas Park. The "best of both worlds" line is cute, though. When faced with 3 loading screens vs 1 loading screen, players are going to take the 1 loading screen. Expecting players to intentionally avoid quick travel as a counterpoint to adding even more quick travel is silly. It's the same as saying you can use as much hate speech as you want because people can use /ignore or turn on their profanity filter if they don't like it. It's really a non-argument.

 

Again, I'm not against methods to get around the city quicker. I'm just perplexed with changes that turn a zone into a catch-all hub when the major criticism against adding connections to Talos was to avoid enforcing the view that it's a catch-all hub.

You missed the point of my post it seems. It's about options. 

[dtj714]

9 minutes ago, Glacier Peak said:

You missed the point of my post it seems. It's about options. 

Pointless options. He’s right - nobody is gonna do in 3 steps what they can do in 1, if it’s just a QoL thing. I’d bet dollars to donuts virtually NO ONE uses the tram anymore, except for those few missions that actually require it. But again that ship has long since sailed...(pun intended?)

Edited June 2, 2021 by dtj714

[ForeverLaxx]

2 minutes ago, Glacier Peak said:

You missed the point of my post it seems. It's about options. 

I addressed your flimsy "point" regarding the so-called options. It had nothing to do with my point, but I addressed it anyway because you can't seem to help yourself when it comes to defending developer decisions. I'm ending this here. I've said my piece, and running around in circles with you on yet another topic you refuse to understand due to being overcome with defender zeal just isn't worth my time at this point.

 

11 minutes ago, dtj714 said:

”You don’t have to if you don’t want to” is a straw argument

Yes, that's what I said. Thank you for agreeing with me.

 

I'll just leave this thread repeating what I said earlier: declining to add connection options to Talos because it would turn the zone into more of a hub than it already is, but adding connections to Atlas and turning it into a hub are contradictory actions. I don't care that people can get around easier, but I'd like some consistency in application of these changes at some point. If the devs don't want a hub zone, but then create a hub zone for newbies, I feel like they're going backwards.

[Nerio72]

Thanks for the update! I'm still just stoked to be able to play this game again!

[Sailboat]

3 hours ago, Ymedron said:

Arcane power might accidentally no longer be proccing at all, i've been keeping an eye on my hotbar and it hasn't activated at all when previously it'd have activated several times in the same timeframe. (from normal attacks, not toggles.)

 

Apologies if this is the wrong thread to report this.

 

Yeah, I am not seeing any indication arcane power works at all currently.  It worked last night.

[Chris24601]

1 hour ago, dtj714 said:

Pointless options. He’s right - nobody is gonna do in 3 steps what they can do in 1, if it’s just a QoL thing. I’d bet dollars to donuts virtually NO ONE uses the tram anymore, except for those few missions that actually require it. But again that ship has long since sailed...(pun intended?)

You'd lose that bet.

 

I used the Trams throughout the Library of Souls arc just today because its not that much further to a tram from the base portal and it saves an entire loading screen just bouncing from Talos to Founders to Altas in various combinations.

 

So, how many dollars (or donuts, I'm not picky) do I win?

Edited June 2, 2021 by Chris24601

[PeregrineFalcon]

1 hour ago, ForeverLaxx said:

It had nothing to do with my point, but I addressed it anyway because you can't seem to help yourself when it comes to defending developer decisions. I'm ending this here.

He keeps defending the poor developers from you because you forgot to preface your posts with "I realize that the developers are volunteers and that I get to play this game for free..."

 

Remember, we learned, back in November, that the only acceptable way to criticize anything the Council of Thirteen says or does is to start your post off with those magical words.