Is relying on procs good game design?

[UltraAlt]

On 2/15/2024 at 6:28 PM, Runetide said:

Even so, I've seen players talking about spending BILLIONS of Inf so they can get their build completed.

 

I like their influence.

Please keep buying procs!

 

On 2/15/2024 at 6:28 PM, Runetide said:

I'll make like dozens of characters and level them, but the whole proc set farming/buying/etc. stuff just doesn't feel like it should be the way end game progression should be.

 

What do I know, I don't play the end-game.

 

But I would say, why not play the actual game instead of what is tacked onto the end of it?

The original game ended at level 50, and there wasn't anything after that for years.

 

1

"Through the Looking Glass"

Raised the level cap from 40 to 50, introduced new high level enemy groups and zones for these levels, and added a tailor feature allowing players to alter character costumes.

June 9, 2004

 

19

"Alpha Strike"

Issue 19 included the first part of the new endgame changes referred to as the "Incarnate system", as well as an Ouroboros task force that unlocks an "Alpha Slot" on Level 50 Characters. Two difficult task forces were added for characters who had gained their Alpha Slots. Other changes included Zone events in all Praetoria city maps, opening Praetoria to levels past 20, merging subways/ferries to include all destinations (across same alignment only), power animations, increased tip mission drops, mission architect enhancements, hazard zone badges, and making the Fitness Power Pool inherent to all characters.[33]

November 30, 2010

 

22

"Death Incarnate"

Issue 22 relaunched the Dark Astoria zone as an Incarnate Co-op Zone. The first zone of its kind in City of Heroes, Level 50+ characters could gain Incarnate XP to unlock slots while fighting solo or in teams in normal missions (whereas before, Incarnate XP was only gained by participating in trials with League play). Further additions included a new Incarnate Trial (Dilemma Diabolique), new power sets (Beast Mastery and Darkness Control) available from the Paragon Market or free to VIPs, and a new Trial (Drowning in Blood) for Level 15+. Also of note, starting with this release Statesman had been removed as a living contact/NPC in City of Heroes after the cliffhanger of the "Who Will Die?" Signature Series player arc was revealed in January.

March 6, 2012

 

I quit subscribing about a year before the Sunset and was completely turned off by the P2P of the Incarnate system on top of paying for a subscription. P2W microtransactions were getting shoehorned into the game left and right.

 

The extra stuff for the "end-game" was tacked on originally to keep subscriber's subscribing. 

By that point the game was already F2P (in order to get more players into the game to game with the subscribers and keep them subscribing) and, it seemed like a large number of players were bypassing the "game" to go directly to the "end-game" by being power-leveled in the AE. This created the wave of "AE babies" that were power-leveled in Atlas Park who came out thinking the game world was incredibly small because they had no idea how to out of Atlas Park. yes, seriously. 

 

Some people still feel like that is the only way to enjoy the game.

Why take the long journey to level your character when you can bypass it and have all your powers?

Well, because the journey of leveling is "the game".

 

I'm not sure when the whole veteran level thing started, but that has just helped those that only want to play the end-game and the people that think that they will enjoy the "end-game" more than playing "the game".

 

To me, if you only play a couple of Alts - or for some just one - and you bypass "the game" then you are really no getting the full experience and varied content of THE CITY.

 

But that is on each player.

 

You don't have to play the "end-game".

I have like 3 50's.

The Incarnate system works better than it did, but I still don't like it, and I certainly don't feel that the Incarnate system works into any of my characters' conceptions ... even the ones that I went ahead and used to check out the incarnate system because I felt I had to do so due to peer pressure. 

I will be level locking all my characters at 49 from now on, not just because of the Incarnate system, but also in protest of the "name release" system allowing level 50's to never lose their names without ever having to log in ever again - simply because they are level 50s. So far the "name release" policy active but it isn't turned on.

I hope it never is unless the "name policy" affects level 50's as well.

I know full well that I have characters that have been active in THE CITY many more hours than a good number of level 50's, and I'm not the only one in that position.

 

But that is all kind of going off track.

Back to my point, the "end-game" stuff is a grind intentionally. 

There is far more game in the actual "game" than there is in the "end-game".

But some people like to grind and to feel L337.

 

I like their influence, so I'm not going to complain if they need the procs I sell in order to grind at the end-game.

[Carnifax]

On 2/15/2024 at 11:28 PM, Runetide said:

These rely on specific IO enhancement sets which sell for millions if you aren't the fortunate sort to get a drop. Even so, I've seen players talking about spending BILLIONS of Inf so they can get their build completed.

No they don't. I bought 3 regular attuned procs for 1 million a pop yesterday. One Posi Blast, one bombardment and one Ice Mistral. 

 

PvP IOs (regardless of whether or not they're a proc) will be 7-8 million but that's because they're rarer PvP IOs rather than the fact they are procs. 

Purple Procs cost about the same as other purple IOs.