How Can Origin Be Better?

[Golden Azrael]

12 hours ago, Techwright said:

Hmm, there's the concept that's used in some of the instanced missions of The Old Republic, which is, depending on your archetype, there's certain shortcuts and beneficial effects that can happen in the instance that only one of your archetype can do.

 

So, here, in theory, add content where mission/task force functions alter how the scenario plays out.    Example:  your team reaches a level where a large fire started by Hellions blocks your path.  To your right is a stairway but the Hellions have placed a magical ward on, blocking entrance in hopes of forcing you through the flames.  To your left is a custodian's closet that they didn't put a ward on.  Do you:

 

      A.  Brave the fire and take notable damage

      B.  Have a magic origin teammate attack the ward on the stairway door (melee or range strikes) shattering it and allowing you a means of circumventing the fire.

      C.  Have a science origin teammate McGuyver the chemicals in the custodian's closet to create a primitive fire-snuffing foam to create a passage through the fire.

 

These kind of adventures would offer several points of decision making encompassing all 5 origins.

 

This would mean you'd not have any power creep, nor the potential of one origin outperforming another.  You wouldn't even have to form a team with all 5 origins.  You could always muscle through either taking extended damage, or possibly having a longer path, etc.  And you might have multiple origin options at each challenge point.  Hey, you might even have two origins working the same problem:  how does that flame-retardant foam get delivered to target?  The tech origin jury-rigs an extinguisher.

 

Good ideas.

 

I like the idea of missions tailored that requirement a 'team mate' of a certain origin to complete.  Rather than just grab a brute who can mash his way to completing a mission.

 

ie.  Yeah.  You're the Hulk.  But you can't 'mash that rune magic entity.'  Why?  Cuz it's magic and won't respond to melee damage, brute boy.  So yer stuck.  Mebbe Dr. Strangelove could lend a hand wit his magic?

 

Heroes that have limits.  That makes them interesting.

 

Azrael.

[Golden Azrael]

As an aside.  Be nice for the 'pool' heal to represent each of the Origin types.

 

The current one looks very Tech.  What about a Magic style heal?  

 

Azrael.

[TheZag]

The origin temp power was available before homecoming but transact 4 victory vendors allow you to select a different one if you want.  They lose effectiveness as you level to the point that they are basically useless.  It could be nice to have the origin powers slowly gain effectiveness as you level if they match the players origin.

 

The matching origin powers could also be the mechanism of activation for those previously mentioned origin related mission extras.  They absolutely need to be mission extras though,  having a required team composition sucks.  It could even be something as simple as your origin power lets you skip the timer of clicking the appropriate blinky.  The tazer lets you delete computers instantly and so on until each origin has a type of blinky that they can complete at short range with no timer.

[Ukase]

Regarding origin, I've felt like there should be a reason to choose one origin over another. And a reason to not choose that one, and choose the other one, and then the next. 

I don't think it can be a power buff, or folks would opt to choose the "best" one, and that's all they'd ever choose. 

What struck me was the Spelunker badge. On live, before Ouro, you'd have to be of Magic Origin to get this mission from a magic contact. Haley, Hugo or Trevor. 
And, it really galled me that if I opted to go a different origin because I'd forgotten about needing Spelunker for Atlas medallion, I'd have to pay close attention to chat. Back then, it was kind of like the Patron pools are now - offered up fairly often, but somehow, not always when you were ready for it. 

Having to rely on people in the community to offer these types of badge missions always rubbed me the wrong way. I never understood how Jack Emmert thought when it came to teaming. Most folks jump in a game to get away from the world, and Jack deliberately made it so I would have to engage with people. But, I digress. Teaming and getting to know other players is ultimately the glue that keeps the game going. 

There could be a specific mission that would require any AT, any powerset, any level - but one of each origin. That might be interesting, depending on the mission. At least then, folks would look at origin. But it should be more than that, and unfortunately, I'm not thinking of anything. 

[Jiro Ito]

On 6/24/2022 at 4:43 PM, Techwright said:

Hmm, there's the concept that's used in some of the instanced missions of The Old Republic, which is, depending on your archetype, there's certain shortcuts and beneficial effects that can happen in the instance that only one of your archetype can do.

 

So, here, in theory, add content where mission/task force functions alter how the scenario plays out.    Example:  your team reaches a level where a large fire started by Hellions blocks your path.  To your right is a stairway but the Hellions have placed a magical ward on, blocking entrance in hopes of forcing you through the flames.  To your left is a custodian's closet that they didn't put a ward on.  Do you:

 

      A.  Brave the fire and take notable damage

      B.  Have a magic origin teammate attack the ward on the stairway door (melee or range strikes) shattering it and allowing you a means of circumventing the fire.

      C.  Have a science origin teammate McGuyver the chemicals in the custodian's closet to create a primitive fire-snuffing foam to create a passage through the fire.

 

These kind of adventures would offer several points of decision making encompassing all 5 origins.

 

This would mean you'd not have any power creep, nor the potential of one origin outperforming another.  You wouldn't even have to form a team with all 5 origins.  You could always muscle through either taking extended damage, or possibly having a longer path, etc.  And you might have multiple origin options at each challenge point.  Hey, you might even have two origins working the same problem:  how does that flame-retardant foam get delivered to target?  The tech origin jury-rigs an extinguisher.

 

Dr Aeon has a neato version of this with technology-origin villains, who can do a little optional content that, while very cool, isn't required to complete any piece of the SF.