Shining Stars arc #1

[Display Name]

When you start the first mish in Flashback and meet Twinshot inside their headquarters, she obviously has to go to the bathroom because she can't stand still.  Can this be fixed?  I don't know if this applies to the regular contact version.  It's just kind of annoying trying to click on her.

[Captain Fabulous]

2 hours ago, Display Name said:

When you start the first mish in Flashback and meet Twinshot inside their headquarters, she obviously has to go to the bathroom because she can't stand still.  Can this be fixed?  I don't know if this applies to the regular contact version.  It's just kind of annoying trying to click on her.

They're all like this unfortunately. They run all over the place, sometimes following you, sometimes not. AFAIK they've always been like this too. Not sure if it's by design or just buggy AI.

[Display Name]

I have to say that I really enjoyed this series of arcs (there are three.)  I play them solo so that I can read the story as it progresses and I must say that the suspense that builds over the course of the arcs and the climactic ending are very satisfying!

[Captain Fabulous]

It is a fun arc, tho IMO at times it feels like it runs a bit too long.

[Chris24601]

5 hours ago, Captain Fabulous said:

It is a fun arc, tho IMO at times it feels like it runs a bit too long.

It is long. But it’s also doing double duty as the extended tutorial a new player really needs provided they choose the Galaxy City tutorial (which covers only the most basic of basic tasks like moving, jumping, targeting, attacking, a moral choice, leveling up, and a zone event.

 

Matt Habashy and the subsequent Atlas Park arcs cover a few more things like contacts, calling contacts, dialogue trees, glowies, door missions, etc.

 

But it’s really the Shining Stars job to give newbies their sea legs if no one is there to help them… a lot of the “too long” parts involve traveling to various places and getting context clues about various game elements… here’s the trainer, here’s the hospital, the trams, here’s another trainer (“ah, so there’s one in every zone” says the newbie), Wentworths (yes, we have /ah now, but live didn’t and a newbie can access the market via Wentworths without ever knowing the slash command).

 

Further in you get bits on making sure your enhancements are up to date, the contacts for changing difficulty (we have a menu item, live didn’t, and a newbie can use the guy), the costume shop, the specialty enhancement shops (which used to matter on live), sidekicking, etc.

 

Maybe it could use SOME trimming with all the QoL things Homecoming has added, but overall, I think it still serves a purpose in showing new players where to find various parts of the game and at least start asking questions about parts of it.

[Chuckers]

I enjoy the arcs, but it's the same problem on the red side. The tutorial part of the first arc is too late. You've already had to do the things you're supposed to be learning about. HOORB.

[Doc_Scorpion]

5 hours ago, Chris24601 said:

But it’s also doing double duty as the extended tutorial

At which task is an utter and complete failure because it takes places far too late and it's far too easily outleveled.

[Chris24601]

13 hours ago, Doc_Scorpion said:

At which task is an utter and complete failure because it takes places far too late and it's far too easily outleveled.

It depends on what you’re doing.

 

If you’re not using XP boosters and have only done the Habashy originated mission chain (if you’re new you’re likely unaware of Death from Below) then you’re probably about level 6 when that wraps and after your level 5 level up you get a pop-up (which if you’re new you’re much less likely to ‘x’ out of without reading) for it. The first arc covers locations, the tram, and trainers.

 

The second arc starts at level 10 and starts in King’s Row, which is also where your next popup contact has you running missions. Level 10 is when your starter accuracy buff and the damage of your origin temp power starts to fall off and the first mission discusses keeping your enhancements up to date… level 10 is about the time that starts to matter.

 

Similarly, level 15 is when DOs used to start figuring into things and an important step of the arc that starts at 15 is going to what used to be the DO enhancement shops. That seems like it’s running right on schedule for the state of the game when it was added.

 

Now, sure, if you immediately pop a double XP booster and start running Death From Belows you’ll outlevel the starter zones before you know it… but that’s a playstyle choice and not exactly an intuitive one if you’re actually new.

 

Likewise, nuking TOs, while making DOs and SOs available from the get go from basic vendors does make some of the tutorial come off as too late/unnecessary. But that’s been Homecoming’s MO for a while now under the rubric of QoL improvements that ultimately amount to “get earlier access to things than on live.”

 

But at the same time, if you’re genuinely new, drinking from the firehose isn’t how you want to be introduced to all of CoH’s multitude of systems… so a slower approach is generally a better idea. If people figure it out via other means that’s okay too, but a default route for newbies seems like a wise course.

[Captain Fabulous]

21 hours ago, Chris24601 said:

It is long. But it’s also doing double duty as the extended tutorial a new player really needs provided they choose the Galaxy City tutorial (which covers only the most basic of basic tasks like moving, jumping, targeting, attacking, a moral choice, leveling up, and a zone event.

 

Matt Habashy and the subsequent Atlas Park arcs cover a few more things like contacts, calling contacts, dialogue trees, glowies, door missions, etc.

 

But it’s really the Shining Stars job to give newbies their sea legs if no one is there to help them… a lot of the “too long” parts involve traveling to various places and getting context clues about various game elements… here’s the trainer, here’s the hospital, the trams, here’s another trainer (“ah, so there’s one in every zone” says the newbie), Wentworths (yes, we have /ah now, but live didn’t and a newbie can access the market via Wentworths without ever knowing the slash command).

 

Further in you get bits on making sure your enhancements are up to date, the contacts for changing difficulty (we have a menu item, live didn’t, and a newbie can use the guy), the costume shop, the specialty enhancement shops (which used to matter on live), sidekicking, etc.

 

Maybe it could use SOME trimming with all the QoL things Homecoming has added, but overall, I think it still serves a purpose in showing new players where to find various parts of the game and at least start asking questions about parts of it.

Not arguing any of these points, but's it's the bits outside the tutorial aspects (which honestly I don't mind) that are too long, e.g. the multiple Manticore missions. I'm not saying any of the arc is bad, just overly long.