Some Ideas for Triggered Events (Rikti Invasion)

[Canadian Anvil]

I understand some of this may already be discussed in the FORUM.

 

When a Rikti Invasion is triggered, sometimes it is triggers in a villain zone then a hero zone. (My EVENT tab is Hero, Pretorian, Villain, Event messages, Request (That's for Oklahoman's (sic) League runs.)) I have gone from Villain zone then Hero zone for Rikti Invasion - and it's great - especially if I missed a bomb team. Can we get this for Nemisis, Zombie as well? And possibly have it trigger first in an Echo and Pretoria zone? (Yes, I know, different dimension.)

 

Can we get radio, paper missions in KW, and for any level in Echo zones? (I'd spend an hour in Galaxy leading radios.)

 

The new TF's are great, and I've been enjoying them and new settings. Can we get a string of TF's in Echo, Ward, Pretoria...too?

[Uun]

Nemesis Invasion is triggered by completion of SSA2 - Pandora's Box Part 5. Hero or villain zone is determined by the alignment of the arc. Zombie Invasion is triggered by completion of Katie Hannon TF (hero zone) or Virgil Tarikoss SF (villain zone).

[Rudra]

The Echo zones were stripped of all mission content because those zones as they stand don't exist any more. Those contacts and missions/arcs only exist in the current version of the zone. So most likely? The Echo zones are not going to get any mission content.

[srmalloy]

2 hours ago, Rudra said:

The Echo zones were stripped of all mission content because those zones as they stand don't exist any more.

Or, if you want a more lore-based reason, the Echo zones don't have any mission content because they're a mirror of how those zones existed in the past, and your characters weren't in their databases back then, so the contacts have no idea who you are, and won't talk to you to offer missions because you're not registered.

[sbloyd]

I have *so* many questions about the Echoes... 

[Canadian Anvil]

17 hours ago, Rudra said:

The Echo zones were stripped of all mission content because those zones as they stand don't exist any more. Those contacts and missions/arcs only exist in the current version of the zone. So most likely? The Echo zones are not going to get any mission content.

 

15 hours ago, srmalloy said:

Or, if you want a more lore-based reason, the Echo zones don't have any mission content because they're a mirror of how those zones existed in the past, and your characters weren't in their databases back then, so the contacts have no idea who you are, and won't talk to you to offer missions because you're not registered.

 

Huh? They don't know us when we start in Atlas or Mercy, or prior to Issue 21, Galaxy. So you're telling me, Homecoming can't place Shadowstar back in Galaxy with a new TF - off the top of my head - NIctus have penetrated the echo zone of Galaxy City and are working with the Hellions to capture this pocket of time to establish a base of operations out of normal time...yadda yadda yadda. Or, a series of TF to be introduced over time from a Ouro contact of Pretoria trying to invade Echo zones. The possiblites are numerous and only limited by an individual's stigma.

 

It seems Homecoming is already taking steps to break "traditional" norms. Have you not noticed more Quantum powered "villains" on mission maps on teams without a PB or WS?

[Rudra]

The Echo zones exist so players can go back to them and revisit them. They are stripped of contacts and missions because they do not exist any more. They are not active content because the active versions of those zones exist and have their contacts and missions. And there will not be two different versions of any given zone that is meant for active play. Multiple instances? Yes. Multiple versions? No.

 

The only Echo zone not currently replaced with an active version of itself is Galaxy City because it is destroyed. You can still access Galaxy City as part of the Shining Stars arc, Hearts of Darkness arc, and the TF where the giant Shivan splits in two. Whatever plans the devs have for restoring Galaxy City to an available zone is unknown to everyone else, but the status of the zones and the existence of the Echo zones shows the progression of the story.

 

For players that wanted to continue playing in the Echo zones, the street mobs were left there so players could go there and street sweep if they wanted to. I cannot definitively say active content will never be put back in the Echo zones, but I am more than willing to bet on it. The Echo zones are not meant to be active play zones. That is why they are not linked to anything any more and you have to go to Ouroboros and find the gate behind the temple/shrine/whatever the building is to access them.

[srmalloy]

On 9/10/2022 at 4:36 AM, Canadian Anvil said:

Huh? They don't know us when we start in Atlas or Mercy, or prior to Issue 21, Galaxy.

We're all newly-registered heroes (or villains, recorded in Arachnos' files) when we arrive in the starting zones -- but we weren't in the 'then' that Echo: Galaxy City or Echo: Atlas Park exist in, so we're not registered there.

On 9/10/2022 at 4:36 AM, Canadian Anvil said:

So you're telling me, Homecoming can't place Shadowstar back in Galaxy with a new TF - off the top of my head - NIctus have penetrated the echo zone of Galaxy City and are working with the Hellions to capture this pocket of time to establish a base of operations out of normal time...yadda yadda yadda.

As you describe it, that should properly start in Ouroboros, requiring you to go through the Pillar of Ice and Flame to put you back at the appropriate points in Echo: Galaxy City for you to change the events leading to the Nictus establishing a base of operations.

 

[Canadian Anvil]

On 9/12/2022 at 6:19 PM, srmalloy said:

We're all newly-registered heroes (or villains, recorded in Arachnos' files) when we arrive in the starting zones -- but we weren't in the 'then' that Echo: Galaxy City or Echo: Atlas Park exist in, so we're not registered there.

As you describe it, that should properly start in Ouroboros, requiring you to go through the Pillar of Ice and Flame to put you back at the appropriate points in Echo: Galaxy City for you to change the events leading to the Nictus establishing a base of operations.

 

Fair.

 

Okay. I see that.

 

On 9/10/2022 at 1:25 PM, Rudra said:

The Echo zones exist so players can go back to them and revisit them. They are stripped of contacts and missions because they do not exist any more. They are not active content because the active versions of those zones exist and have their contacts and missions. And there will not be two different versions of any given zone that is meant for active play. Multiple instances? Yes. Multiple versions? No.

 

The only Echo zone not currently replaced with an active version of itself is Galaxy City because it is destroyed. You can still access Galaxy City as part of the Shining Stars arc, Hearts of Darkness arc, and the TF where the giant Shivan splits in two. Whatever plans the devs have for restoring Galaxy City to an available zone is unknown to everyone else, but the status of the zones and the existence of the Echo zones shows the progression of the story.

 

For players that wanted to continue playing in the Echo zones, the street mobs were left there so players could go there and street sweep if they wanted to. I cannot definitively say active content will never be put back in the Echo zones, but I am more than willing to bet on it. The Echo zones are not meant to be active play zones. That is why they are not linked to anything any more and you have to go to Ouroboros and find the gate behind the temple/shrine/whatever the building is to access them.

If I can go there, collect Badges and kill, then why can't I sectretly occopy it with an army? We arrive, have a constant scout watching the portal; and when safe, kill everyone in a warehouse, and start building our own portal - well, really it's a stolen pillar as one of WE is - was a Menders of Ouroboros. And as WE grows, we'll take over more warehouses, office, and seceret run the hospital with androids resembling the murdered staff. From there WE will occupy Paragon, Rouge Isles, and the parallel universe, Pretoria. For WE Are WE Who All Like The Knights of Ni.

[Rudra]

The only reason why there are street mobs even in the Echo zones is because when the devs first presented the Echo zones, players asked for the ability to still do something other than sight see there. The Echo zones were originally supposed to be empty museum pieces. (Edit: I think because the devs couldn't just delete the zones without problems.) Since players wanted to still be able to level there, and the devs said no those zones are dead and only there for historical purposes, the compromise that came about was street mobs were left there so players can still level there. So I really don't see missions being put back in those.

Edited September 15, 2022 by Rudra

[Canadian Anvil]

On 9/15/2022 at 7:43 PM, Rudra said:

The only reason why there are street mobs even in the Echo zones is because when the devs first presented the Echo zones, players asked for the ability to still do something other than sight see there. The Echo zones were originally supposed to be empty museum pieces. (Edit: I think because the devs couldn't just delete the zones without problems.) Since players wanted to still be able to level there, and the devs said no those zones are dead and only there for historical purposes, the compromise that came about was street mobs were left there so players can still level there. So I really don't see missions being put back in those.

Unless they are contractually obligated to maintain these zones as pristine, Homecoming can take another bold step to separate themselves from other servers with new, dramatic content that can take a course of years to release in steps. Also, prior to this, you said "Multiple instances? Yes. Multiple versions? No." However, we already have multiple version: Recluses Victory, and Pretoria. To simply dismiss something because this is canon - especially in a fictional world - leads to not getting great new content like DC's Gods and Monsters; the MCU is a complete break from what is considered Canon - for example, Peggy Carter of Captain America: The First Avenger, didn't make her first appearance till 1966 - over twenty years after the canon debut of Captain America. But I will end it here. They do, they do; they don't, they don't. Either way, I'm grateful for the opportunity to be playing City of Heroes again with a team who's maintaining it for donations.

[Rudra]

5 hours ago, Canadian Anvil said:

However, we already have multiple version: Recluses Victory, and Pretoria.

What are you talking about? Recluse's Victory is not Praetoria. It is not even remotely associated with Praetoria. Recluse's Victory is an alternate dimension where Recluse conquered the world. It is a zone because Primal Earth Recluse is trying to fold that reality into Primal Earth as a way of achieving that victory without knowing how he actually did so. It is not an alternate version of any zone, it is an alternate dimension.

 

Which does not automatically make it Praetoria. We as players spend a lot of our time in the 40-50 range running into different dimensions to fight what is happening there. From the Shadow Shard to Praetorian Earth to Council Earth to Clockwork Earth and so on. None of these are multiple versions of anything. So my statement that multiple instances is fine but multiple versions is not still stands.

 

The Echo zones however, are previous states of existing Primal Earth zones. So they do not fall into the same category as the other dimensions your characters are sent to because they are not another dimension, they are not an alternate reality, they are previous versions of existing maps. Except for Galaxy City which is currently in a non-active state outside of tutorial, Shining Stars, Hearts of Darkness, and possibly the twin Shivan Obliterator TF.

[Pazradym]

On 9/9/2022 at 8:04 AM, Uun said:

Nemesis Invasion is triggered by completion of SSA2 - Pandora's Box Part 5. Hero or villain zone is determined by the alignment of the arc.

Slightly unrelated, but I never knew this. I must have run this arc like a dozen times last week (I found it to be a decent, easily repeatable, easy to tank, exp farm) I am so sorry civilians of Paragon City. I must have spawned so many Nemesi on you.  Sometimes several time a day T_T

 

More on topic, I love the idea of more events like this.   Triggered events like that are great fun and flavor.

[srmalloy]

On 9/9/2022 at 1:05 PM, srmalloy said:

Or, if you want a more lore-based reason, the Echo zones don't have any mission content because they're a mirror of how those zones existed in the past, and your characters weren't in their databases back then, so the contacts have no idea who you are, and won't talk to you to offer missions because you're not registered.

It occurs to me that it might be possible to take the old Atlas Park and Galaxy City contacts and their missions, and set them up as Ouroboros mission sequences -- temporal scaling exemps you down to level 1, and you're registered as a new hero, to talk to your origin contact in the zone, and go through the origin story, with the missions curated to have them in the Echo: Atlas Park and Echo: Galaxy City zones (removing any that would send you to Perez Park or Kings Row). I'm not sure whether the Ouroboros mechanics could handle your being handed off to the second contact in an origin story, so they might have to be separate mission sequences, the second with a prerequisite of completing the first.

[Canadian Anvil]

On 9/18/2022 at 2:47 PM, Rudra said:

What are you talking about? Recluse's Victory is not Praetoria. It is not even remotely associated with Praetoria. Recluse's Victory is an alternate dimension where Recluse conquered the world. It is a zone because Primal Earth Recluse is trying to fold that reality into Primal Earth as a way of achieving that victory without knowing how he actually did so. It is not an alternate version of any zone, it is an alternate dimension.

 

Which does not automatically make it Praetoria. We as players spend a lot of our time in the 40-50 range running into different dimensions to fight what is happening there. From the Shadow Shard to Praetorian Earth to Council Earth to Clockwork Earth and so on. None of these are multiple versions of anything. So my statement that multiple instances is fine but multiple versions is not still stands.

 

The Echo zones however, are previous states of existing Primal Earth zones. So they do not fall into the same category as the other dimensions your characters are sent to because they are not another dimension, they are not an alternate reality, they are previous versions of existing maps. Except for Galaxy City which is currently in a non-active state outside of tutorial, Shining Stars, Hearts of Darkness, and possibly the twin Shivan Obliterator TF.

 

I was gonna move on, but after reading that, I had to reply. Where do I say Recluse's Victory and Pretoria are the same? Where do I even indicate they are the same? I was replying to you saying "Multiple instances? Yes. Multiple versions? No." When multiple versions already exist, and listed examples: Recluses Victory, Praetoria. Good thing I didn't mention Portal Corp or your mind may have exploded in an even greater illogical rant on me for something I didn't say nor imply. And I'm not going to keep arguing the Theoretical Physics of a dimensional pocket in time, or Echo zones. I got that from the beginning: you don't agree. Christ. Now I remember why I stop posting on CoX live forums.

[Rudra]

You specifically said as I quoted:

 

On 9/18/2022 at 6:52 AM, Canadian Anvil said:

Also, prior to this, you said "Multiple instances? Yes. Multiple versions? No." However, we already have multiple version: Recluses Victory, and Pretoria.

That is where I came up with you thinking they are different versions of the same zone. If that is not what you meant, then please explain what you did mean by that. Multiple versions of Recluse's Victory how? Multiple versions of Praetoria how?

 

Recluse's Victory may be Atlas Park, but it is Atlas Park from a reality where Recluse conquered the world that he is trying to merge into Primal Earth so Recluse can have his victory without going through whatever he did in that reality to get it. There are no mission contacts there. There are no missions there. It is not an active zone with available content other than street sweeping and PvP. You know, like the Echo zones in their lack of missions and contacts. Not available for game story.

 

And Praetoria? ... Yeah, my comments still stand until you or anyone else explains to me how it is multiple versions of anything.

[Marine X]

The Echo Zones are what they are advertised as, an Echo from the Past, this is also why they are accessible only from Ouroboros ( they removed the Echo TP beacons from bases some time ago ), I do admit it would be interesting to do something with them but would it really be worth the amount of time it would take, for the amount of players who would access them, I doubt it. Most of the Echo Zone missions were just reassigned to the updated zone, assigned to a different contact, or placed in Ouroboros where they can be accessed.

If anything were to be done with them I feel it would have to be Retro Zones, where they are in the 1940s, 1950s or 1960s, which would fit with them being part of Ouroboros, with the signature Heroes mentioned in the Lore, from those eras involved in one large Arc/Taskforce. But it would be a monumental Task, and I don't believe that it is going to be done instead of things that have been mentioned for years, like completing Kallisti Wharf. Ideas and suggestions aren't going to hurt anything, as long as you realize that there is little chance of them being implemented any time soon, if at all.