Cottage Rule

[Troo]

The Cottage Rule is less of a hard rule and more of a design guideline.

"The original quote used the analogy of a player using Build Up one day to buff their own damage and tohit, then the next day after a patch it now builds a small cottage at your feet instead. It can be a nice cottage, the best around in fact! But it doesn't buff the player as they had expected anymore."

 

Is Homecoming throwing this concept out? I don't think so. I've gotten the impression there is effort to be mindful of impacts of changes.

 

Has the Homecoming team made changes that seem to go against the Cottage Rule? It can be subjective.

 

"as long as the original, core functions and purpose of the power is intact it does not violate the rule." - Player-1

 

 

My take or wish has been that Devs be respectful of existing characters and the time that players had put into them. Tweaks up and down are to be expected, this is how it is. Significant functionality changes to existing characters would be taken seriously with care and thoughtfulness. Has this always happened here on Homecoming? No.. but there is often, like it or not, a reasonably decent explanation.

 

 

Players stating what is or isn't worth a Dev's time:

"I've also heard the devs say that their time shouldn't be used by players as a rhetorical sword or a shield.  The Devs are big boys and girls and can decide for themselves if they think an idea is worth their time." -the Great @GM_GooglyMoogly

[Glacier Peak]

What are we arguing about this time?

[PeregrineFalcon]

1 hour ago, Troo said:

Is Homecoming throwing this concept out? I don't think so. I've gotten the impression there is effort to be mindful of impacts of changes.

So what's the purpose of this thread then?

[FupDup]

29 minutes ago, Glacier Peak said:

What are we arguing about this time?

I think Troo is indirectly referring to Regen, given his presence in the open beta regen thread. 

 

It might also be referring to the split choice power thing that just got expanded in many places in open beta (like in Regen and Dark Armor now). 

[Octogoat]

But-but a tiny cottage at my feet would be cute!

[High_Beam]

Contrary to HGTV's insistence, the Tiny House trend is not sweeping the nation.

[Snarky]

3 hours ago, Troo said:

The Cottage Rule is less of a hard rule and more of a design guideline.

"The original quote used the analogy of a player using Build Up one day to buff their own damage and tohit, then the next day after a patch it now builds a small cottage at your feet instead. It can be a nice cottage, the best around in fact! But it doesn't buff the player as they had expected anymore."

 

Is Homecoming throwing this concept out? I don't think so. I've gotten the impression there is effort to be mindful of impacts of changes.

 

Has the Homecoming team made changes that seem to go against the Cottage Rule? It can be subjective.

 

"as long as the original, core functions and purpose of the power is intact it does not violate the rule." - Player-1

 

 

My take or wish has been that Devs be respectful of existing characters and the time that players had put into them. Tweaks up and down are to be expected, this is how it is. Significant functionality changes to existing characters would be taken seriously with care and thoughtfulness. Has this always happened here on Homecoming? No.. but there is often, like it or not, a reasonably decent explanation.

 

 

Players stating what is or isn't worth a Dev's time:

"I've also heard the devs say that their time shouldn't be used by players as a rhetorical sword or a shield.  The Devs are big boys and girls and can decide for themselves if they think an idea is worth their time." -the Great @GM_GooglyMoogly

America had slavery when it formed.  Not everything is a great idea just because it was in issue 1. 

 

If the COTTAGE RULE means hanging onto things like intangibility in Black Hole?  

[The Trouble]

I'm glad we're finally talking about this again because Cottage/Rules Controllers are way overpowered.

[Skyhawke]

I now want a non combat tiny cottage pet summon. 

[Maelwys]

1 hour ago, Skyhawke said:

I now want a non combat tiny cottage pet summon. 

 

Conjure Gazebo!!

 

 

[lemming]

3 hours ago, High_Beam said:

Contrary to HGTV's insistence, the Tiny House trend is not sweeping the nation.

I live in a tiny house.  Definitely not for everyone, but I like it.

[Troo]

4 hours ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

So what's the purpose of this thread then?

 

Some folks don't know what the cottage rule is or where it came from.

 

If you would like to discuss it, feel free. I included my thoughts regarding the cottage rule, do you have any?

[Troo]

On 6/7/2025 at 12:09 PM, FupDup said:

I think Troo is indirectly referring to Regen, given his presence in the open beta regen thread. 

 

It might also be referring to the split choice power thing that just got expanded in many places in open beta (like in Regen and Dark Armor now). 

 

More overall.

I agree, I have had to spend more time testing regen than I wanted but my participation has not been limited to just regen. There are a lot of new shinys and changes.

 

 

Edited June 9 by Troo

[PeregrineFalcon]

16 minutes ago, Troo said:

Some folks don't know what the cottage rule is or where it came from.

 

If you would like to discuss it, feel free. I included my thoughts regarding the cottage rule, do you have any?

Sure, you quoted a lot of people talking about the Cottage Rule, but you didn't post the original.

 

The term was coined by Castle on the official forums around the time Defiance was altered (December 11, 2007) and discussed. Castle's original post has been lost to forum purges, but the rule, in summary, is this:

 

"An existing power will not have its core functionality and purpose changed, though its strength may be altered and effects secondary to the power's true purpose may be added or removed."

[Glacier Peak]

Oh I remember what the cottage rule is! Sharing in case folks aren't aware:

 

Cottage cheese should not be left out of the refrigerator for more than one hour to prevent bacterial growth and potential foodborne illness.

[Captain Fabulous]

13 minutes ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

Sure, you quoted a lot of people talking about the Cottage Rule, but you didn't post the original.

 

The term was coined by Castle on the official forums around the time Defiance was altered (December 11, 2007) and discussed. Castle's original post has been lost to forum purges, but the rule, in summary, is this:

 

"An existing power will not have its core functionality and purpose changed, though its strength may be altered and effects secondary to the power's true purpose may be added or removed."

IIRC the "cottage rule" got its name because Castle's example of a violation would be changing Build Up from a power that gives you +dam and +tohit to a power that builds a cottage around you.

Castle and I rarely agreed on anything in regards to power design, including the Cottage Rule. 

[Sakura Tenshi]

Basically, it'd be more accurate to say the limit of the cottage rule would be that build up would have to still provide damage and tohit buff still, but it could also create a nice cottage at your feet.

[Skyhawke]

3 hours ago, Sakura Tenshi said:

Basically, it'd be more accurate to say the limit of the cottage rule would be that build up would have to still provide damage and tohit buff still, but it could also create a nice cottage at your feet.

 

I'm sold. Issue 28, Page 3: Cottages!

[Scarlet Shocker]

Cottaging has never been a rule here. Long may that continue!

[Forager]

17 hours ago, Troo said:

If you would like to discuss it, feel free. I included my thoughts regarding the cottage rule, do you have any?

 

16 hours ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

Sure, you quoted a lot of people talking about the Cottage Rule, but you didn't post the original.

 

So...no?

 

Lol.

Edited June 8 by Forager

[shortguy on indom]

On 6/7/2025 at 1:03 PM, Troo said:

Has the Homecoming team made changes that seem to go against the Cottage Rule? It can be subjective.

 

• YES, EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THE RULES WITHOUT THEM NEEDING TO BE SPELLED OUT.
• 50%

[Yomo Kimyata]

On 6/7/2025 at 4:33 PM, The Trouble said:

I'm glad we're finally talking about this again because Cottage/Rules Controllers are way overpowered.

 

Just you wait until they migrate it to tankers

 

[Yomo Kimyata]

On 6/7/2025 at 3:09 PM, FupDup said:

I think Troo is indirectly referring to Regen, given his presence in the open beta regen thread. 

 

Last night I was the only melee (and therefore tank) on a 54 ITF with a lvl 44 Radiation Melee/Regeneration scrapper, and it was just fine.  Regeneration is great as it is, but I also understand that people don't want to have to build around Oh No! buttons.

 

I regret that the devs felt a need to dumb down the set and I lament that we are about to enter the age of City of Regen/SS tanks.

[Troo]

34 minutes ago, Yomo Kimyata said:

and I lament that we are about to enter the age of City of Regen/SS tanks

 

..at least until the inevitable Super Strength revamp where Rage, Hurl, Hand Clap, and Foot Stomp are "addressed" in order to proliferate the set to Stalkers, Scrappers, and Dominators.

[Heliphyn34u]

On 6/7/2025 at 8:00 PM, Captain Fabulous said:

IIRC the "cottage rule" got its name because Castle's example of a violation would be changing Build Up from a power that gives you +dam and +tohit to a power that builds a cottage around you.

 

Coming soon: Cottage Rule armor set!  Each armor power in the set builds a little cottage around you -- log cabin, gingerbread house, stone cottage, though the most skippable power is the thatched roof cottage (vulnerable to fire damage).  Just imagine fighting enemies while looking like a literal brick s-house!