I really want to like this game...

[An R Key5993]

I really do want to like this game but as of right now I just don't, I was hoping someone could maybe help me figure out why.

For context I've made two characters so far, neither of which have excited me so far. I also should say I'm very much a fan of older game philosophy, I don't mind having to grind, I don't mind prolonged gratification, all of this is fine with me but nothing is clicking yet.

So with all the praise this game gets I'm hoping more experienced players can tell me if its just simply not for me, which is fine, or if early level content is pretty much what I can expect throughout the entire game.

I hope given the topic no one takes offense, if the game is not for me it's just not for me.

[Glacier Peak]

Can you be more specific? What do you like? What do you dislike? 

[The Chairman]

19 minutes ago, An R Key5993 said:

I really do want to like this game but as of right now I just don't, I was hoping someone could maybe help me figure out why.

For context I've made two characters so far, neither of which have excited me so far. I also should say I'm very much a fan of older game philosophy, I don't mind having to grind, I don't mind prolonged gratification, all of this is fine with me but nothing is clicking yet.

So with all the praise this game gets I'm hoping more experienced players can tell me if its just simply not for me, which is fine, or if early level content is pretty much what I can expect throughout the entire game.

I hope given the topic no one takes offense, if the game is not for me it's just not for me.

 

It would definitely be helpful if you could more specifically describe what you are not enjoying. Many things change as you progress through the game, so I can't really tell you - based on your post - if the game will get better for you as you level up.

[Go0gleplex]

If by early content you mean; go to contact, get mission, go to mission entrance and blow thru per mission objectives, return to contact; rinse repeat with adding powers and enhancements as you level up...then yes. Granted it goes much faster if you're part of a team with larger groups of mobs to deal with than it does solo. But there is story-like content in with the clues, contact mission briefs/debriefs, and other things. One of the fun things for me personally is exploring the different zones though to be honest, red side and gold side are the only ones that seem like proper cities...more gold side than red even. 

 

That said, no reason to feel bad if you can't get enthused. Everyone has switches that flip for different reasons. 

[An R Key5993]

Of course

 

Pros:

-Obviously the character creator is amazing, for RP I could see falling even more in love with it.
-On paper the "class building" with powersets sounds amazing, I do love that there are near endless combos
-The 3rd powerset skills sound fun later, like group fly, and that things like super speed can actually affect fighting

Cons:

-Early game is just really.... boring. There is essentially no decision making up to where I am, just use power as soon as its off cooldown rinse repeat. 
-Map design for instances are really clunky to navigate (tight hallways, awkward floor layouts, etc)
-Questing/Missions are very redundant so far, just swap gang and do the same thing.

I'll start with these because to me these 3 are the biggest, especially number 1.

[Snarky]

37 minutes ago, An R Key5993 said:

I really do want to like this game but as of right now I just don't, I was hoping someone could maybe help me figure out why.

For context I've made two characters so far, neither of which have excited me so far. I also should say I'm very much a fan of older game philosophy, I don't mind having to grind, I don't mind prolonged gratification, all of this is fine with me but nothing is clicking yet.

So with all the praise this game gets I'm hoping more experienced players can tell me if its just simply not for me, which is fine, or if early level content is pretty much what I can expect throughout the entire game.

I hope given the topic no one takes offense, if the game is not for me it's just not for me.

Having to grind? Prolonged….???  
 

Granted you need to know what you are doing but i can get a toon 1-50 in a few hours.  With some advice and sliding into farms you should not need more than a couple days if motivated.  
 

Lets just forget “ the grind” totally

 

You want to like something? Car, girlfriend, school, job, game…. Invest in it.  In your head.  In this game that means finding something you want.  A character in your head that you want to create. To learn how to be a Blaster.  Understanding X.  That is the path to giving a shit.  Otherwise you will never like it, or anything 

Edited January 18 by Snarky

[Water]

One of the things I like about this game is that I can just jump into a PUG most of the time. It's instant teaming and most teams quickly learn to adapt and overcome weaknesses. I mainly level my toons through TF's - Task Forces. The long slog I did with my first character on live all of those years a go and it took ages as I was learning the game, lore, foes, intricacies etc etc. It can be a lonely place at first but the attraction to me is the teaming. It only gets better the more I learn and even today, 18 years after I first picked up the game I still learn, it's massive.

 

Feel free to elaborate if you wish because there is a wealth of helpful knowledge on here. But not everything is for everybody and there are a multitude of right games out there for the right player.

 

[TygerDarkstorm]

21 minutes ago, An R Key5993 said:

Of course

 

Pros:

-Obviously the character creator is amazing, for RP I could see falling even more in love with it.
-On paper the "class building" with powersets sounds amazing, I do love that there are near endless combos
-The 3rd powerset skills sound fun later, like group fly, and that things like super speed can actually affect fighting

Cons:

-Early game is just really.... boring. There is essentially no decision making up to where I am, just use power as soon as its off cooldown rinse repeat. 
-Map design for instances are really clunky to navigate (tight hallways, awkward floor layouts, etc)
-Questing/Missions are very redundant so far, just swap gang and do the same thing.

I'll start with these because to me these 3 are the biggest, especially number 1.

To your cons, you have to keep in mind that this game initially came out 20 years ago and always kind of did its own thing compared to other IPs that tried to emulate things like WoW. Unless you're upping your difficulty and creating challenges, there is very little "decision making" when it comes to power usage in this game, especially if you're soloing as opposed to being on a team as a support character or something. And in early game, you only have a few powers, what decision making do you expect there to be? Even in WoW you hit the same button over and over at the early levels.

 

Yeah, the old maps are wonky as hell. Some might say it's part of the game's charm.

 

Yep, the missions can be redundant. This game shines more with its storylines and actually reading the mission text/clues/etc. Things also change up if you team and do things like Task/Strike Forces. The Going Rogue starting area is often considered a little "better" than the blue/red sides because by then the team had more experience in doing these things. It's also considered a bit harder than the red/blue starting zones.

[An R Key5993]

7 minutes ago, Water said:

One of the things I like about this game is that I can just jump into a PUG most of the time. It's instant teaming and most teams quickly learn to adapt and overcome weaknesses. I mainly level my toons through TF's - Task Forces. The long slog I did with my first character on live all of those years a go and it took ages as I was learning the game, lore, foes, intricacies etc etc. It can be a lonely place at first but the attraction to me is the teaming. It only gets better the more I learn and even today, 18 years after I first picked up the game I still learn, it's massive.

 

Feel free to elaborate if you wish because there is a wealth of helpful knowledge on here. But not everything is for everybody and there are a multitude of right games out there for the right player.

 

I have not done any team content yet so maybe this is what I'm missing. 

[Snarky]

9 minutes ago, An R Key5993 said:

I have not done any team content yet so maybe this is what I'm missing. 

There is a learning curve. But jumping into a pug and running the task forces and strike forces is one of my favorite things in the game

Edited January 18 by Snarky

[An R Key5993]

3 minutes ago, Snarky said:

There is a learning curve. But jumping into a pug and running the task forces and strike forces is one of my favorite things in the game

I'll give this a shot

[Doc_Scorpion]

1 hour ago, An R Key5993 said:

Early game is just really.... boring. There is essentially no decision making up to where I am, just use power as soon as its off cooldown rinse repeat. 

The early game, you only have a handful of powers...  So, I'm not sure what else you'd expect.  Later in the game, when you have a larger toolbox, you'll have more of an opportunity for decision making.

[Snarky]

46 minutes ago, Doc_Scorpion said:

The early game, you only have a handful of powers...  So, I'm not sure what else you'd expect.  Later in the game, when you have a larger toolbox, you'll have more of an opportunity for decision making.

I love toons right from Posi 1 onward.  Sure, some powersets are one trick ponies.  Never found those fun

[MoonSheep]

i’d also say thesedays the game is 50% gameplay and 50% community.

 

lots of us play at roughly the same routined times each day or week and therefore form friends and networks

 

CoH isn‘t fast paced, edge of your seat thrills, but a game where you can invest in a character through gameplay and relax for an hour or two whilst chatting with friends

[Troo]

2 hours ago, Snarky said:

but i can get a toon 1-50 in a few hours.

 

Oof, is it even fair to say this in the context of a genuine new player?

 

2 hours ago, An R Key5993 said:

I hope given the topic no one takes offense, if the game is not for me it's just not for me.

 

No offense taken.

This is a big game and there are layers.

A big part of the game is choices and consequences.

• Which powers to select, how to 'slot' them with enhancements, and when to use them.
• Which enemies to dive into and which to be wary of.
• Prioritizing accuracy, damage or endurance.

There are 60+ zones/maps, https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Zone_Overview

There are dozens of of enemy groups across the zones with various strengths and weaknesses. (this can drive different tactics to stay alive and defeat them)

There are different ranks of enemies and different levels (purple = tough, run from purple early on)

There are thousands of hours of content someone can play or completely skip.

There are short missions and sweeping story arcs made up of lots of missions and tasks.

There are over 2,000 combinations of archetype and powers sets.

 

Early game is a bit repetitive with only a couple powers, around level 15 things start to get interesting and the world opens up a bit.

 

The website can help figure some of the stuff out: https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Main_Page

 

To start I would suggest playing hero side first and doing the Galaxy City tutorial. (life will just be easier at first, I myself play villains)

Selections when creating a character and doing the Galaxy tutorial which can send you to hero side.

 

Finishing the tutorial as a hero should take a player to Atlas Park, there look for contact Matthew Habashy do his missions. Then look to join a DFB team (death from below trial) and do a couple runs. You'll level up get new powers and knock some heads in. Tell folks you are new and they will likely be patient.

 

There is a 'looking for group' channel where you can type in and announce "new player, level 2, looking for team' or 'new player just starting looking to learn the ropes' and folks will likely invite you to join their team and show you some stuff.

 

All kinds of player types can find niches that are almost addictive. Crafting, character building, marketing, number crunchers, socializers, smashing upclose, shooting from distance, control to defeat, support, base building, completionists, explorers, bug hunters, solo, team, forum trolls, pvpers, giant teams (called leagues), super group builders, event organizers, and on and on.

 

-Good luck!

 

Edited January 18 by Troo

[An R Key5993]

28 minutes ago, Troo said:

 

Oof, is it even fair to say this in the context of a genuine new player?

 

 

No offense taken.

This is a big game and there are layers.

A big part of the game is choices and consequences.

• Which powers to select, how to 'slot' them with enhancements, and when to use them.
• Which enemies to dive into and which to be wary of.
• Prioritizing accuracy, damage or endurance.

There are 60+ zones/maps, https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Zone_Overview

There are dozens of of enemy groups across the zones with various strengths and weaknesses. (this can drive different tactics to stay alive and defeat them)

There are different ranks of enemies and different levels (purple = tough, run from purple early on)

There are thousands of hours of content someone can play or completely skip.

There are short missions and sweeping story arcs made up of lots of missions and tasks.

There are over 2,000 combinations of archetype and powers sets.

 

Early game is a bit repetitive with only a couple powers, around level 15 things start to get interesting and the world opens up a bit.

 

The website can help figure some of the stuff out: https://homecoming.wiki/wiki/Main_Page

 

To start I would suggest playing hero side first and doing the Galaxy City tutorial. (life will just be easier at first, I myself play villains)

Selections when creating a character and doing the Galaxy tutorial which can send you to hero side.

 

Finishing the tutorial as a hero should take a player to Atlas Park, there look for contact Matthew Habashy do his missions. Then look to join a DFB team (death from below trial) and do a couple runs. You'll level up get new powers and knock some heads in. Tell folks you are new and they will likely be patient.

 

There is a 'looking for group' channel where you can type in and announce "new player, level 2, looking for team' or 'new player just starting looking to learn the ropes' and folks will likely invite you to join their team and show you some stuff.

 

All kinds of player types can find niches that are almost addictive. Crafting, character building, marketing, number crunchers, socializers, smashing upclose, shooting from distance, control to defeat, support, base building, completionists, explorers, bug hunters, solo, team, forum trolls, pvpers, giant teams (called leagues), super group builders, event organizers, and on and on.

 

-Good luck!

 

Very good answer. I do think I'm gonna keep going, you guys have inspired me to at least try to 15 or so haha. I also wasn't aware Galaxy City allowed you to be a hero still, I thought it was only for the rogue/vigilante thing so I did outbreak.

Thanks for the advice!

[KC4800]

Work on your characters back story. Make something up that you would be proud of, and another player would read and would want to team with you. Challenge given.

[cranebump]

If you’re comfortable with game play, you might try villain play instead. Stories are generally better, since it came out later. If you want more narrative choices, that’s Goldside (Praetoria). That said, if you follow contacts Habashy, Stockwell in Kings Row, The Hollows arcs starting Wincott, then Faultline starting with Jim Temblor, you’ll see some good stories. Laura Lockhart inn Steel Canyon is a great arc. The new content is also very good (or at least interesting?). That said, this may not be your jam.  Nothing wrong with that.
 

(interesting…your comments on what you don’t like here echo mine about Neverwinter (gather X widgets, defeat X number of this type enemy, go inside a structure and kill a boss). Maybe stuff is better behind the paywall on that one.)

Edited January 18 by cranebump

[Sovera]

11 hours ago, An R Key5993 said:

Of course

 

Pros:

-Obviously the character creator is amazing, for RP I could see falling even more in love with it.
-On paper the "class building" with powersets sounds amazing, I do love that there are near endless combos
-The 3rd powerset skills sound fun later, like group fly, and that things like super speed can actually affect fighting

Cons:

-Early game is just really.... boring. There is essentially no decision making up to where I am, just use power as soon as its off cooldown rinse repeat. 
-Map design for instances are really clunky to navigate (tight hallways, awkward floor layouts, etc)
-Questing/Missions are very redundant so far, just swap gang and do the same thing.

I'll start with these because to me these 3 are the biggest, especially number 1.

 

- Early game IS boring. Even I will say that. We are just so used to it we don't notice it anymore, but, few attacks, endurance running out, waiting for attacks to recharge while we stare at the mobs, then whiffing, etc.

But the good news is that with the double XP you get from the P2W vendor the early game flies. Eventually the goal is having just enough powers (not too many that they are not used) but not too few you have to wait until another power has finished recharging. Some powersets can do with as little as three attacks and some as much as five. If you're expecting a dynamic rotation it will not happen as there are no variables. So if you set your powers as 1,2,3, then it will be always be 1,2,3.

 

- Map design will mostly not change. Some rare maps are open world but most will be inside offices and warehouses and etc.

 

- Questing is questing. It's  the same in every game? Something bad is about to happen, please go kill X of Z to prevent it from happening or find X of Z items. That will be the same through the game.

 

 

By level 22 things will get better in terms of feeling more solid but it doesn't mean the early levels have to be a slog:

 

- Take your first two attacks since they recharge the fastest and can be respecced out later.

- Take the free attacks from the P2W vendor (especially the free IOs). Take the double XP. Very much in particular take 8 of each Amplifier (8 of each will cost 23k which is nothing) at level 1.

- Use your Origin Power (it's not by default on the bar, but if you press P it can be found (someone with Natural origin will have throwing knives, someone with Technology Origin will have a Taser, etc). This power is super useful up to level 10 or so and is meant to help with the lack of early powers. By level 10 there is barely a point in using it since it will just chip an enemy and we will still be using one of our attacks to kill a mob anyway, but I find myself using it as a filler until the 20s or have a better fleshed out attack chain.

- Use and abuse inspirations. Purple ones (Luck) are the strongest so try to keep a few in reserve for when in trouble, yellow ones are the ones I find super niche and not worth keeping (your mileage may vary) and if you're playing any of the melee classes or a Sentinel then the protection against mez inspirations are also useless. Get rid of those and make use of the more useful purple, greens and reds. If possible replenish these via the /ah since /ah can be used anywhere as long as it is the open world,

 

 

Check my newbie guide for more tips.

 

Edited January 18 by Sovera

[Snarky]

5 hours ago, An R Key5993 said:

Very good answer. I do think I'm gonna keep going, you guys have inspired me to at least try to 15 or so haha. I also wasn't aware Galaxy City allowed you to be a hero still, I thought it was only for the rogue/vigilante thing so I did outbreak.

Thanks for the advice!

Okay. I stop experience on quite a few of my toons ti enjoy the game.  
 

It is not really fair to tell you i can 1-50 in a few hours.  But….

 

You can 1-15 in about an hour in 3 DFB Atlas park teams using a double exp booster….

[Skyhawke]

My two cents in easy to read bullet points:

 

*Create a character, don't do Going Rogue as your first few characters

 

*Do the Galaxy City tutorial

 

*At the trainer in the tutorial is a woman in black...take everything she has for free except the double xp...don't zoom through on your first go(read descriptions on some to choose what best suits you)

 

*In Altas, go to Matthew Ashby and do his arc...AVOID getting on a DFB for your first character or three...great for vets that want to zip past Atlas, but will only teach a new player zerging

 

*When given a choice of new contacts, the cop one has the harder enemies, fyi

 

*When training up to level 5, you'll get a pop up for a new contact. This is Twinshot. Do her arcs at level 5, 10 and 15. They give you basic training while telling a fun story.

 

*If you do end up on a Positron 1 or 2 task force LISTEN to anyone calling ambushes or saying to not approach a door. Your team will thank you.

 

*It's incredibly tempting to powerlevel through the game to get to the juicier stuff. Dont. Enjoy the ride. 

 

Edited January 18 by Skyhawke

[Frostbiter]

My advice would be get out of the normal contacts and start doing zone content. The Hollows, Faultline, Striga Isle, Croatoa, etc. These provide an alternate leveling path and some more in depth storylines. Plus, they tend to be a little more difficult as well. Tip missions start dropping around level 20 or so and these missions are all fun and provide some different challenges. Then there are things like the FBSA Agent missions.

 

The older mission arcs from regular contacts are probably better run with Flashbacks later.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 18 by Frostbiter

[InvaderStych]

9 hours ago, An R Key5993 said:

-On paper the "class building" with powersets sounds amazing, I do love that there are near endless combos
-The 3rd powerset skills sound fun later, like group fly, and that things like super speed can actually affect fighting

 

Welcome Home!

 

Character building is actually an incredibly deep part of the game experience around these parts. It helps to long-play a few toons into higher levels where more power choices and enhancement slots are available. This will give you a better idea of what higher level play looks like, and will probably give you a better sense of what types of toons are the most interesting to you. If this is an aspect of the game that looks interesting, you might want to get a preview of what's in store for character building through a few additional resources.

 

If you haven't already done so, take a tour through the archetypes section of the forum and browse the figuratively endless ways that players have setup their toons. It might also give you some new ideas for characters to try out:

 

https://forums.homecomingservers.com/forum/43-archetypes/

 

Once you've gotten down some of the fundamental concepts, you might also consider checking out Mids Reborn. It is an external tool for planning out character builds, completely optional, but if it is an aspect of the game that interests you it is an invaluable tool:

 

https://forums.homecomingservers.com/forum/74-forum/

 

Personally, I very much enjoy exploring the possibilities of what can be done when designing a toon from a mechanical perspective. Almost as much as I love playing with the costume creator. 😉 

 

Investing a little bit in the "backstory/concept" of the character is also something I like to do. Even if you don't engage in active or deep RP (I don't, but I'll occasionally chat in team chat in a psedo-IC manner), writing up a short narrative or description for the Character Bio screen (the editor is wonky, but serviceable) helps flesh out the experience nicely.

 

Most of all, don't sweat the low-level play so much. Even if you solo through the first 20 levels doing Zone content those levels will fly by and are a drop in the proverbial bucket of the game experience, especially if you deep dive into builds and costumes.

 

[FFFF]

10 hours ago, An R Key5993 said:

I really do want to like this game but as of right now I just don't, I was hoping someone could maybe help me figure out why.

For context I've made two characters so far, neither of which have excited me so far. I also should say I'm very much a fan of older game philosophy, I don't mind having to grind, I don't mind prolonged gratification, all of this is fine with me but nothing is clicking yet.

So with all the praise this game gets I'm hoping more experienced players can tell me if its just simply not for me, which is fine, or if early level content is pretty much what I can expect throughout the entire game.

I hope given the topic no one takes offense, if the game is not for me it's just not for me.

 

The early game can be dull. You have very little in the way of powers. Some ATs only have 1 powers-based attack, brawl and a temp power. That's not very good. As you level, you gain attacks/powers quickly. I'd say play to level 10 or so, you'll have 5 power selections and can get a decent sense of what a character can do.

 

The early contacts / mission show their age - they were introduced in 2004 and the devs didn't quite understood their own game. If you want to see a better example of when the devs started to get it, play villain side (missions are a lot better, more interesting, but you have to be a bad guy) or Praetoria (wait a bit because the difficulty ramps up a lot compared to being a hero or villain). City of Villains was implemented a full year after game launch and it shows. Praetoria implements the morality system, and you'll have choices on how to end key missions. Praetoria missions is probably the standard in which the devs wanted their missions to feel, but they never went back and updated their earlier work.

 

Why I play? The game is a sandbox. You conceive a character and the character designer and selection of powers enables you to create it very accurately. Want to play Superman? This game allows you to pick fly, laser eye beams, super strength and invulnerability. That's pretty flexible. Wolverine? Claws and regeneration. With that said, your own original concepts (in my opinion) will be more fun rather than a homage / copy of someone else's.

[TheOtherTed]

10 hours ago, An R Key5993 said:

For context I've made two characters so far, neither of which have excited me so far.

Sorry if this has already been asked and answered, but what were the characters' archetypes and powersets?