What would you do if you were a DEV?! (Fun Ideas Talks)

[TheMoneyMaker]

Some more ideas I had, in no particular order

1. Using the Assault Rifle model and Beam Rifle animations, I'd create a Flamethrower set that would make a full ranged fire setout of the Flamethrower and Ignite powers in the AR set
2. Introduce more female options to existing NPC groups where it makes sense; No need for continued sexism in all these villain groups
   1. Crey (scientists)
   2. Freakshow
   3. Lost
   4. Luddites
   5. Outcasts
   6. PPD
   7. Skyraiders
   8. Trolls (no physical changes, but I would add a couple named bosses and EBs to reflect female identity despite masculine appearance)
   9. Wyvern
3. Likewise, I'd introduce the rare male version of Cabal members because warlocks are a thing
4. New enemy groups:
   1. a proper dark Faerie Court using existing fey mobs unified under one enemy group, with the addition, adding the light and dark fairy buff pets as additional minions, as well as adding a fairy king and queen as AVs. They would have a role in an expanded Croatoa arc for high level (40+) play to give heroes more to do in the small town.
      1. Story arc with a new contact shows them taking an active role working against the existing individual Croatoa factions, seeing them as traitors to the court and/or trying to either unify factions into a fey army with the goal of being stronger against the human threat or perhaps with a desire to seek and conquer the Well of the Furies to add the incarnate power to the fairy realm (claiming it belongs to them for whatever reason). 
   2. Robots: utilizing reskinned versions of the MM pets (to differentiate from player pets), Council bots, and other non-Clockwork robots in the game to represent an uprising of AI as it "recruits" more and more machines, bestowing limited sentience into a hivemind collective. The group would have an AV that can be faced like the the immobile Hydra heads in the DFB trial but basically being in a force-field computer console instead of a fleshy blob. It defends itself with a combination of automated defenses spawned around it (gun turrets) and summoned bot minions and "flees" by retreating into a new computer unless (in a final confrontation mission) its escape is cutoff by first achieving some side mission goal that prevents it from transmitting its consciousness out of its current location. Even still, when finally defeated, it will still survive by having a backup copy of itself manifest elsewhere so that it can never truly be permanently defeated. 
   3. Vampires: there's 5th Column/Council vamps (fake) and the real thing (Halloween). The real vamps would be enemies of the 5th Column and Council for their arrogance in trying to copy the greatness of the Nosferatu (and bringing more awareness of them to the masses), but old hungers start to rise and the vampires start coming out at night (in various zones) beyond the month of October to prey on civilians.
      1. I'd probably introduce a few story arcs where someone is captured and needs rescuing before they are fed upon or turned, as well as have a later arc where they are actively involved in hunting Council vamps and heroes need to get involved to minimize collateral civilian damage.
5. New Locations; we have teleporter technology, ships and submarines in the water, and aircraft that can take us all over the country or the world if needed. Each would have a main location that can be visited at will with additional room to explore via instanced maps; enemy groups would be the levelless kind so that the zones can be used by players of any level, though instanced missions may be set for specific levels only
   1. Lunar base and moon surface maps (requiring temp power for survival in the vacuum akin to the bubble power in the Terra Volta respec trial); could also be a staging area for instanced missions to other planets
      1. We're going to the moon, damn it, and I don't know or care why
      2. Council in space as the main baddies, also maybe Kheldians and a new alien threat
   2. Desert map, mostly just endless sand and occasional minor features like some rocks, a broken down vehicle, pile of bones, etc
      1. Treasure hunt missions, maybe a minor instanced GM spawn, whatever
      2. Snakes and Circle of Thorns appearing here, perhaps seeking lost treasures or performing ceremonies tied to the land
   3. Small town, similar to Croatoa but with more modern architecture and without the spooky vibes, looking like generic Small Town, USA
      1. For occasional missions outside the city where the heroes have to investigate someone gone missing (or villains go seeking someone to hiding out)
      2. No police drones, just generic police; if trouble arises in town perhaps generic military forces start spawning as well 
   4. Jungle/Forest: Think Perez Park but on a much bigger scale and without the surrounding city architecture
      1. Mostly used for exploration, treasure hunt missions, but maybe introduce a new AV jungle protector that is hostile to heroes and villains alike as it doesn't like intruders in its territory
      2. Inhabited by animals from Beast MM pets and other critters as wildlife threats, mercenaries & treasure hunters with guns, eco nuts, etc
   5. Generic Military Base: can be a jumping off point for some hero missions, can also be a secure location for villains to raid to capture some new weapon
      1. Soldiers, soldiers, soldiers
   6. Another city.....well, maybe just a piece of it set up like one of the Paragon City zones but with different architecture to represent somewhere on the other side of the country or even a different country. You can visit to hunt down an escaped villain, or as a villain you can go looking for new criminal opportunities. It may not be Paragon City, but it has its own small hero team and loose collection of villains. I'd probably add to the villains in the various safeguard missions and all the new villains (whether they show up in Paragon City or not) originate from this smaller city zone and moved on to the City of Heroes to build a reputation for themselves.
   7. Cowboy town, basically another time travel zone accessible from Ouroboros and/or Midnight Club as you visit the American old west
      1. new "Gunslingers" faction that serves as an all-purpose ally/enemy group of the zone
      2. not sure what, but another new enemy group that is distinctly out of place in the setting as the reason for your trip to this time period
6. Customizable Nemesis Staff, Blackwand, Rocket Board, and Void Skiff prestige powers
   1. Nemesis Staff: change its appearance using options drawn from some of the staff fighting weapon options
   2. Blackstaff: create an alternate "Lightstaff" version that fires energy similar to PB light-based attack
   3. Rocket Board and Void Skiff: recolor options

[Starhammer]

On 4/30/2025 at 5:48 AM, TheMoneyMaker said:

Using the Assault Rifle model and Beam Rifle animations, I'd create a Flamethrower set that would make a full ranged fire setout of the Flamethrower and Ignite powers in the AR set

Love all of that, but especially this. I have a flamethrower character that I settle for AR with. I've (mostly) stopped lamenting being unable to get a full flamethrower set, because most people are like "We just use the Fire set, duh!" 😞

[rizlazz]

First thing would be to move the pop-up messages to anywhere other than the middle of the screen. It's real irritating when you get the 'tip' message slap in the middle of the window when you're fighting your way out of a scrum.

[Adeon Hawkwood]

A major overhaul to Kheldians with the aim of making tri-form Kheldians actually viable.

 

Basically my dream is that rather than the forms having separate powers they use your normal powers just with restrictions and modifications. So in Nova form you can't use melee attacks and your shields get nerfed/suppressed but in exchange you get a significant power bump to ranged attacks. Dwarf form would go the opposite, you get a buff to your personal shield powers but can't use ranged attacks. The various buff/debuff/control powers would be split on which forms they work in.

 

The general goal would be to make it so that all three forms are viable in different situations and you can build a Kheldian that's reasonably functional in all three if you want. So Nova would be the glass cannon, human would be a blapper with better defenses and Dwarf would be the tough melee fighter.

 

Of course this is a massive amount of work which is why it's unlikely to get done but it's what I'd really like.

[Lusiphur Malache]

I would mount my steed, hire a sidekick to feed, bathe, and patch my wounds as I charged into Enhancements.  I'd eliminate duplication of bonuses among similar sets in one category. reduce sets to no more than 4 yellows, 3 oranges, and 2 purples.  Encourage diversity by adding single boost enhancements to IO sets.  Rebalance the game around level 30 IO.  Consider getting rid of dual origin enhancements.  Find a way to increase Hamidon content so there are more chances for HO to drop.  Eventually I will emerge from my quest battered, bruised, and probably more crazy.

[Darmian]

Ah...every now and again the Newsies give some information that's NOT about Paragon/Rogue Isles.  I tend to see COH (COV+Praetoria) in a very Astro City kind of way, it's where all the BIG stuff happens, but apart from I dunno, mention of Chicago being eaten or something and talk of a Neo Tokyo on Praetoria, we know nothing about the rest of the country/world.*

 

*Yes, there are mentions in NPC backgrounds and some Lore, and where exactly is West Libertalia in Africa?

[Enchantica]

---

I would CRUSH MY ENEMIES!.. SEE THEM DRIVEN BEFORE ME! and listen to the lamentation of their women

[Mjolnerd]

Dual auras. Like, true dual auras, not "regular aura/path aura" or "eyes aura or fists aura or eyes-and-fists aura" or "aura, and also if you farm enough drops you can get a full-body visual effect taken from an existing armor powerset." I just mean literally two aura slots -- fiery eyes and electric fists at the same time, or fiery fists in combat and smoldering fists out of combat, or a fiery left fist and an electric right fist, or even a fiery left fist that's red and a fiery right fist that's blue. That kind of thing.

 

A "sell all junk" option to get rid of common salvage at vendors with a single click.

 

Go though every last contact in the game and make very, very sure that every single one of their missions that has a timer attached is clearly marked as such before the player selects it.

 

Stop introducing a whole new form of single-use meta-currency to the game every few months, and probably remove a few of the existing ones -- is there really any use, at all, for Astral Merits at this point? Just give me the threads directly. And speaking of threads -- I'd add something for people to do with all of the meta-currencies they already have too many of. Either a conversion option (i.e, 100 threads = 1 reward merit), or just by making them the way you pay for things that currently require currencies I'd be removing (i.e, spend threads to get the stuff that currently requires prismatic aether). Something like that.

 

Raise the level required to do the Summer Blockbuster by 2, because if getting into the theater means you have to be 17, then we can add some blood and nudity and cursing to it.

 

My most radical one, though: (Hasten activation noise) remember the before-times, when the Fitness pool required you to use actual power choices to get it? Not only did you have to (Hasten activation noise) wait until level 20 to get Stamina, but you'd be forced to give up a different power in order to get it, along with two others before that! And it took up (Hasten activation noise) one of your four pool selections. But then they changed it and gave it to everyone for free, because it was, essentially, required -- or at least (Hasten activation noise) as close as something could be to "required" without there actually being a rule (Hasten activation noise) forcing you to do it. So since it wasn't fun to be "forced" to take those three powers, but everyone was taking them on every single alt anyway, eventually we got (Hasten activation noise) "Inherent Fitness" instead.

 

Okay, fast-forward to now, and while, again, nothing is technically (Hasten activation noise) mandatory, we've got a situation where more players than not are taking pools and maybe even (Hasten activation noise) epic/patron pools they don't really want -- and sometimes going three powers deep into those pools -- just so they can (Hasten activation noise) slot one more LOTG 7.5% Recharge IO. We're all taking Boxing or Kick and never (Hasten activation noise) using them, then taking Tough and never turning it on, just so we can get to Dodge... and not even because we really (Hasten activation noise) want Dodge, we just want a slot that accepts Defense IOs.

 

And then we all (Hasten activation noise) also take Hasten, just so we can set it on (Hasten activation noise) autofire and forget it forever apart from every once in a while when the activation noise plays.

 

So I'd replace Hasten with something else that doesn't boost recharge. And I'd replace that one absolutely critical defense IO with something else that doesn't boost recharge. (I'm not saying I'd remove recharge bonuses altogether, just the ones that are so completely, obviously great that they're basically assumed just like Stamina-at-level-20 used to be.) And then I'd just improve the base recharge time of every single power in the game that would have been boosted by either of those things by... whatever the math on that works out to. Inherent Hasten!

[MTeague]

Most of what I want (the complete removal of Arachnos, Recluse and all his Patrons, entirely, POOF, they're gone) would never be given approval by either the Homecoming Dev Team, or NCSoft. So this is absolutely a never-gonna-happen spitballing wish-list. But in their place I'd setup a power vaccuum on the Rogue Isles. You could pick any faction, join it and gradually come to literally rule that faction, and then have your faction war against other factions for domination of the Rogue Isles. 

 

Oh, and I would also banish Longbow to Niflheim forever, too.

 

..... there's a reason I've never run a game company.....

[CaptA]

In the base editor, I would do the following:

 

1.) Allow for the ability to do fine movements on items with arrow keys. This would be very helpful when you have large bases with many items that cause lag. OR find a way to stop re-drawing the entire base when you move something (this would stop the lag). 

 

2.) Allow for setting up circuits so that you can have certain objects move throughout the base. This would primarily be for NPCs and vehicles. 

 

3.) Allow for items to be groups so they could be moved as one. 

 

4.) Add more options for storage items so there is a variety of appearances. 

[Lunar Ronin]

Revert the game back to Issue 17 as much as possible, sans new power sets, power set changes, and supergroup changes.

 

Incarnate abilities?  Gone.  ATOs?  Gone.  Winter origin enhancements?  Gone.  PPM?  Gone.  ATs would be side-locked again.

 

Probably a good thing that I am not a developer.

[TheMoneyMaker]

13 hours ago, Lunar Ronin said:

Probably a good thing that I am not a developer.

Probably.

 

More thoughts of things I'd want to work on: partial revamp of Boomtown, clearing some of the destroyed buildings to show progress in the rebuilding effort. The green outlined area in the southeast corner would be akin to the rebuild efforts in Faultline. Smaller structures, no giant skyscrapers yet, though some foundations with the framework of such taller buildings under construction. North of that would be a new generic U.S. military base with an airfield with a military jet and helicopter at the ready as a staging area to do military themed missions, some of which will be representative of the government's interest in taking a more active role against Council activities (and choosing to help start the renovation of Boomtown so they can establish a presence where the Council's GWW appears. The military will be in over their heads against Council resources, thus their need to recruit heroes for missions. This can also lead to later missions in other zones where the military interest becomes more questionable, perhaps even looking to send heroes to the Rogue Isles (instanced maps) to raid for technology, capture prisoners, and so on. This could even lead to missions where the heroes discover rogue factions within military leadership, forcing conflict with military troops (which can also lead to military troop ambushes against the hero until they finish the arc and clear their name by exposing the rogue faction). 

 

 

Previously, I mentioned creating a new independent Robots enemy faction that is led by an AI that converts other robots to its cause of rising up against humanity. I'd make Terra Volta the primary zone for introducing those bots as they seek to overthrow the city with constant attacks on the reactor, knowing that if they control it that they not only take the power source for themselves but also potentially cripple the city's ability to defend against them. Fun twist: because Sky Raiders have bots in their ranks, they will become enemies with the AI bots who are converting/stealing jumpbots and force field projectors. They will have skirmishes against each other in the zone much the way Council and 5th Column skirmish elsewhere. A new rogue Sky Raider contact would be made made available in the zone, discreetly offering tips to the heroes against the Robots and possibly other level-appropriate threats in other zones (to show an effort to work with the heroes, but perhaps also to divert them away from Sky Raider activities). I'd set up a primary "base" for the bots in the central Eastern side of the map, just into the red labeled area, and this area would be heavily fortified with bots as they are converting and manufacturing there. There would also be 2 smaller bases, either decoys or start ups to facilitate more Robot servants.

[Seed22]

Add real mechanics difficulty based walls to the game. No more Feels Good to Me™️ builds being argued as viable for endgame or high end content. 
 

Skipping critical powers in a set would mean you couldn’t complete this content. Healing Aura spam empathy defenders would disappear overnight. 
 

It’d be a harsh but golden age of builds.