Props to the Designers

It's time for a memo from the "Credit where Credit is Due" Department. Spider-Monkey's been fighting the Circle of Thorns a lot lately, and I noticed The new "Nerva Spectral Daemons."
This is an example of a well made villain. It's respectably dangerous; it's unnervingly unpredictable (sometimes flying off in random directions when taunted); and when you defeat it, it throws back its head, opens its mouth, and lets out a truly unnerving wail before crumbling to dust. I'm a little creeped out every time I defeat one.

Nice job, guys. I hope someone got a new Nerf gun for coming up with this one!

Allow me to Introduce the Family

I figured it's about time I did the stereotypically-geeky thing and posted a picture of my CoH characters. Without further ado, let me present....

From left to right: zee Stigmatador, Prankenstein, SomethingWicked, the AtomicKennedy, WhiteDwarf, Terrorgeist, and Spider-Monkey. Please take the time to look at the full size image here. I wasted a few too many hours making it.

White Dwarf, and Spider-Monkey are beloved old characters of mine from the Champions RPG. (Spider-Monkey didn't translate well, visually, but he's a fair representation.) The AtomicKennedy was created as a memorial to the Underground roleplaying game (created by the wildly talented Ray Winninger) which I line edited for a short while prior to its untimely death by strangulation. During his creation, it warmed my heart to learn that a character with the two-word name was already running around out there somewhere.

If you see one of these mighty folks running, flying, or jumping around Paragon City (Protector server), say hi.

Ghost Town of Heroes

It's a subject I think is too complex for me to easily work through. I also believe it's so complex that no one at NCsoft or Cryptic has a clear handle on it. The subject? What effect is City of Villains going to have on the CoH customer/player base and on the CoH/CoV base as a whole? City of Heroes seems to be going through a restructuring of sorts, and I'm not sure what it will look like when it's all settled down. I do know that right now, CoH is being described as a ghost town. I'd venture to guess that at least half its player base, and quite likely more than that, have jumped over to CoV. I know that my once very active and fully-membered supergroup has dwindled, in the blink of an eye, to a scattered few members, most of whom aren't online very often. I hold some hard feelings towards NCsoft and Cryptic for that. I was really enjoying teaming with my group and playing City of Heroes... And this, I think, leads to my concern. Has releasing CoV harmed the combined game as a whole? Are there enough players to go around? In trying to provide so many different aspects to the game, are they now no longer able to fully satisfy fans of any one?

When I first joined CoH over a year ago, it was to play a superhero game. No other online game had ever held enough attraction for me to join, but CoH had what I wanted. At first, I enjoyed just being the hero... exploring the powers, carrying out the missions. When that began to get tedious, I was lucky enough to find a mature, fun-loving, and unified supergroup to join. My enjoyment of the game then got to continue by regularly teaming with them. Now that group is all but gone, and I'm left soloing again, which has lost its novelty. I'm really not very interested in playing a villain (and hence, buying CoV) nor in going Player vs Player. So, I may eventually be coming to the end of the line with CoH... I don't know. And almost certainly there are other players out there exactly like me in these respects. Some will leave the game. I wonder if CoV will attract enough new players (and I mean new, ie, non-CoH players) to offset this loss. I simply don't know. And I'm fairly sure no one at the corporate level does either.

And Where are the Phone Booths?

I don't play on the "unofficial roleplaying" servers, but I imagine secret identities (or lack thereof) stick in some craws there. I admit, back during Issue 2's alien invasions, it would have been cool to be a mild mannered reporter on the street, and when a bunch of aliens suddenly appeared to threaten the city, to tear off my outer clothing to reveal my costume, and leap into action!

It seems to me that secret identities could open up a lot of interesting, experience-enriching options for the game. I haven't mulled through all the pros and cons of this... it started as a notion to allow heroes to take an alternative name with each costume slot to allow them to have a secret ID to change into and out of... But it's expanded in my head to provide a whole new layer to the player experience. Here's what I'm envisioning...

-During character creation, the player has the option of setting up the hero's secret identity, or a "choose later" option allowing players to completely disregard this aspect of the game if they're not interested.
-A secret ID involves choosing: an alternative name (i.e. civilian ID), alternative "costume" (i.e. civilian clothes), a civilian occupation, a potential selection of friends/relatives, and whether or not a hero's civilian identity is "secret" (kept secret from the public) or "public" (the public knows the hero and his civilian ID are one and the same).
-Civilian Identity: Enter an civilian name for your hero (Calab Kent, Paul Parker, etc.) and choose how they dress. This is basically designing a second costume from a selection of street clothes, most of which we already see on CoH civilians. (This could also involve choosing a different body type, for Hulk-like heroes.) Civilian clothes can be changed at any time. Also choose a method of changing into your hero identity from a short list of graphics-based options... tearing off outer clothing, gradually transforming, changing in a flash of light, etc. Players need not worry about choosing a unique civilian name, as it has no in-game significance... It's like part of a costume. Besides, how many John Smiths are there out there?
-Occupation: Choose your hero's civilian occupation from a list of things like reporter, photographer, student, policeman, etc. Each of these options comes with one or more civilian contacts (contactable only in civilian ID) who has civilian "missions." However, instead of the character calling his contact, civilian contacts call the character. At random times during game play, a small flashing telephone icon will appear next to the character's "Contacts" menu. This means that a character's civilian contact has a mission for him. A player may choose to ignore this call, but the sooner the character completes the mission, the more Influence he'll get from it. A hero may also choose "none" from the occupation list to not explore this aspect of the game.
-Friends & Family: Choose a number of the hero's close friends and relatives from a list of possibilities (father, grandmother, daughter, girlfriend, coworker, etc.), give each a name, and choose what they look like from a selection of images appropriate to each relationship. I don't think full fledged costume design is necessary here; a selection of randomly created CoH civilians should suffice. In comic books, friends and family members are always getting into trouble that the hero must save them from. In game, friends and family members represent potential bonuses or penalties in missions. When a mission is generated, it has a small percent chance of a hero's F&F member being somehow involved. In mission, they appear as someone who must be saved and protected throughout the mission. Successfully doing so brings a bonus at mission's end, failing to do so means a penalty to the normal bonus. (To keep team members from abandoning a hero in mission, all team members share this bonus/penalty.) A hero may also simply choose to not have any friends or family to ignore this aspect of game play.
-Secret/Public ID: How the hero's civilian ID is shown in game. See below.

Life as a Civilian
While a hero is in his "civilian identity," he appears on the street as a civilian, dressed in his civilian clothes and showing his civilian name. If the hero chose a "public identity," his civilian name will appear over his head (just as it does in his hero ID) and his hero name will appear below his civilian name. If the hero chose "secret identity," the hero appears jut like any other man on the street. His civilian name is only visible if he is "moused over" like any other civilian. His hero name is not shown.

When in his civilian ID, the hero has none of his powers and cannot attack or be attacked. (If targeted by a villain, a hero is unable to change into his civilian ID until he is no longer targeted.) If a player doesn't like this disadvantage, he should just choose civilian clothing as a normal costume option for his hero (and perhaps here, the ability to choose an alternate name, like any other costume option, might be appropriate).

That's what I've got at this point. Rereading it, it looks pretty solid and do-able from a programming standpoint.

Take Note

Do you find yourself juggling multiple characters (like I have lately)? You used to play MightyMegaManglerMan all the time, but put him aside for a few weeks to play SneakyButtKickinBoy. Now you've gone back to play MMMM again and, hey look!... he leveled! Now, where was it you'd decided he desperately needed those extra enhancement slots? Swearing softly, you realize you should have kept notes a few weeks ago. Or perhaps you did, and your little brother Jimmy decided his next Crayola masterpiece should go on that particular scrap of paper.

I think it'd be handy if each character had a place to keep notes. Maybe on the ID page, maybe a selection of its own in the character's Menu. It wouldn't need to be complicated, just a way to save small amounts of text, perhaps in a multipage, notepad fashion.

Peeve #3: I Think I Feel Violated.

I'm the kind of player who likes to spend a lot of time making his heroes' costumes look just right. In a game where all the special effects are the same (Dark Mage's power bolt is going to look exactly like Fairie of Light's power bolt)... and, honestly, the costume options are somewhat limited once you get into them... I think a character's appearance is about the only way to convey what the character's feel is. Now, I think this whole "supergroup mode" stuff is a good idea.... But what's with everyone being branded on the chest with a blazing gold lightning bolt when they're in SG mode?? I feel like a ...well... there's a mildly offensive historical precedent that I'll avoid making. First of all, it totally destroys 99% of costume concepts with its mere presence. Second, whose business is it anyway if I'm in SG mode or not, except for me and perhaps my SG team mates? I see no reason for it to be a banner, emblazoned for the whole world to see from a distance.

So, guys... if you really think it's that important for everyone to know what mode I'm in, find some other way to show it, and get it off my costumes!

Legal Doodaa.

Per NCSoft's legal requirements for being listed as an "official" CoH fan site, I'm going to be including this little doodad in any post I think utilizes CoH original source material.

OK, boys... pass your lawyers another nickel.

Army of the Afterlife

This is another, smaller, story arc that brings a little more of a horror feel to the game.

1: Contact: "Recent storms have unearthed many of the coffins in the Paragon Cemetery. Cleanup crews found many of the coffins empty. I want you to get over there and investigate the missing bodies." Mission: (Train Mission) Investigate missing bodies at Paragon Cemetery. At the cemetery, the hero finds the Skulls (of widely assorted levels) have moved in to vandalize the rest of the cemetery. The hero must rescue the cleanup crew and search for clues to the missing bodies. In the caretaker's shack, the heroes find records that show the empty coffins all came from the same mortuary (assuming a shack can be placed here, given the current floorplan options of CoH; if not, a rescued groundskeeper will have these records). The hero proceeds directly to mission #2.

2: Mission: Investigate suspicious mortuary. The hero goes to the mortuary. This is a small mission and map, using perhaps one of the magic store maps for the outer room and a hospital map for back rooms. In the outer rooms are Vahlizok zombies. In the back room is an Eidolon about to kill the undertaker. "There are heroes here! You can't be allowed to speak to them!" There is a ("glowie") briefcase full of money on the table. The undertaker has health bars and will be attacked by the Vahz here. The hero must protect him and defeat the Vahz. If rescued, the understaker will tell the hero that he was being paid to send empty caskets to the cemetery and send the real bodies to a storage warehouse. If the hero saves the undertaker, the mission changes... Mission: Investigate storage warehouse. (Proceed to mission #3.) If the undertaker dies, ("Mission Failed") the hero must return to his contact with the glowie clue. (Go to mission #2A.) Additionally, the hero (heroes) loses all XP and Influence gained in this mission.

-2A: Contact: "It's too bad you couldn't save the undertaker. He was our best lead to the missing bodies. Take this money over to Jonathan Smyth for analysis. Maybe he can get some clue where it came from." Mission: Take money to Jonathan Smyth. Smyth: "I'll run this money and case through a full analysis and report anything I find to [hero's contact]" (Go to mission #2B.)

-2B: Contact: "Smyth found nothing unusual on the money or case, but he reported that the serial numbers on the bill match those reportedly destroyed by the Federal Reserve. I smell the Family's hand in this. Go talk to ?? (a Family-related contact) and see if he knows anything about the mob's recent money laundering activities. With the undertaker dead, all we can do is follow the money." Mission: Talk to ?? about the Family's money. (Go to mission #2C.)

-2C: (Family-related contact): "Yeah, there's a couple of Family guys laundering money out of a storefront in Steel Canyon... Frankie "Fold" Gionelli and Paulie "Press" Gionelli. I'll bet if you shake them down, they can give you a lead on this money." Mission: Shake down the Gionelli brothers about the undertaker's money. The Family isn't expecting any trouble, so when the hero arrives there will be a couple of thugs immediately inside the door but little else for the first parts of the map. Resistance will get heavier deeper into the building. Once both Gionelli brothers are defeated, one will talk. "Yeah, we gave this money to one of them creepy zombie lords of the Vahlizok. He also rented a storage place from us over on 5th Street." Return to contact. Contact: "This sounds like the break we've been looking for! Get over to that warehouse and see if the missing bodies are there. But be careful... If the Vahlizok are involved, this could be something bigger than simple grave-robbing." Mission: Investigate storage warehouse. (Go to mission #3.)

3: The storage warehouse is located in one of the most populated areas of Paragon City. The hero arrives as usual, but upon clicking the door, they find it locked. This triggers an ambush on the street by a large group of Vahlizok. "They must not be allowed to reach the device!" Once the ambush is defeated, a key to the door will be found.

4: Entry message mentions the "smell of death." Standard warehouse layout, many of the halls are lined with roll-up doors. Behind all the doors are rooms lined with racks; on the racks are body bags. Upon defeating the Eidolon boss ("In just a few days, the device will have built up enough energy to bring to life every corpse in Paragon City, and this will be the epicenter!"), the hero is left with a strange, arcane looking device (combining graphics of bombs with some Tsoo portal or artifact). The device is both clickable and has a life bar. Heroes with a magic or technology origins can click on the device to disarm it normally and the mission ends. Heroes of other origins will receive a "you cannot disarm this device" message. (Alternately, whether or not a hero can disarm the device could be tied to those skills I keep meaning to write up.) If the device is destroyed, it will explode with some mystical effect, draining some life from all nearby. The lighting of the mission map will lower (as it is in the Tsoo "tattoo parlor" mission, or darker, as in Dark Astoria), and the sound of multiple roll-up doors raising can be heard. All of the body bags change into Vahz zombies (who appear in a laying-down position) who slowly begin to spread out throughout the warehouse. The zombies are all 1-2 levels higher than the hero. The mission window message changes to "Get out!" The mission then ends when the hero has exited where he entered or he is defeated and goes to the hospital. If the hero completes the story arc without dying and without letting the undertaker die, he is rewarded with [higher bonus or a badge].

Obviously, this story arc is set up to accomodate different outcomes to protecting the undertaker, and to make the mission harder if the hero fails to protect him. The final mission is designed to bring a creepy feel to the outcome, should the hero be forced to destroy the device. The hero must flee through darkened hallways filled with zombies, or defeat them all before leaving.

"Nobody Messes wit' Moider Inc!"

You've brought the fight to the Family's doorstep. You've defeated over 100 of their bosses, and the city has awarded you their Untouchable badge. But nobody has that kind of impact on the Family and gets away clean....

...You've been marked for death.

Suggestion for a new mission story arc:
1: This story arc begin without prompting from a contact. Upon attaining the Untouchable badge (defeat 100 Family bosses), the hero will be attacked by ambushes of Freakshows at random times and places. After defeating 5 such ambushes, the last Freak says (via dialog box like those of contacts), "You may have stopped me, hero, but you're a dead man! There's a price on your head, and the Freaks intend to collect it! And you'll never know who wants you dead! We'll never talk!" Mission: Defeat 30 Freakshow. Find lead on contract. The hero can choose not to follow this lead, but ambushes will continue until he does.

2: After 30 Freaks have been defeated, the last one will be found to be carrying a short list of heroes' names, including the mission hero's name. Mission: Take list to City Representative.

3: The City Representative will recognize the names on the list as being heroes who have recently hit the Family's organized crime activities especially hard. All the heroes on the list have been accounted for except a hero named Gangbuster, who was recently seen following a Freakshow boss into the city sewers. Gangbuster is overdue in meeting up with his contact. Mission: Rescue Gangbuster.

4: The heroes must rescue Gangbuster from the sewers. He's been captured by a Freak boss. Gangbuster must be rescued and escorted out of the sewers. Once freed, Gangbuster will help the hero fight his way back out of the sewer. Near the Freak boss is the body of a fallen Family member. Once defeated, the Freak boss will be carrying a safety deposit box key. Mission: Investigate safety deposit box.

5: The key is to a safety deposit box in a local international bank. Inside the bank, the hero will find it being occupied and searched, not by the Freaks... but by the Council. The bodies of Freaks are scattered about, and some are being cornered and attacked or terrorized by Council soldiers. In some places, if a Freak body is approached too closely, it will regenerate and attack. In the basement is the safety deposit box room (we've all seen it, unused, in other mission maps) where many of the boxes have been broken into. A Freak boss and a Council boss are fighting here. In the corner is a terrified Family man (a "victim," not a targetable villain). Once the bosses are defeated, the Family thug will spill his guts. The Freaks came here to claim the gold that the Family promised for the contract on Gangbuster, but found the Council here and the gold already gone. The Family's "Banker" has found out that the Council is taking his gold out of the country on a ship and will be assembling a recovery team. And the Council will surely be able to use the gold to fund huge advances in their criminal plans. If the hero moves quickly, he can recover the gold and head off a battle that would certainly harm many bystanders in the crossfire. Mission: Recover the Banker's gold.

6. The trail leads to a ship in either Independence Port or Talos Island. If the hero has acted quickly on the mission, it will be a ship still docked; if the hero has waited to act on the mission, the ship will be one of the ones already sailing in IP or TI waters. The hero must fight Council on their way through the ship to the gold. The gold itself is in a room behind a guarded and locked door but has no other guards in its immediate vicinity. The guards must be defeated and more will spawn until the locked door is destroyed. Upon reaching the gold an ambush will be triggered, and the Banker & his men will storm into the room. The Banker will make some dramatic proclaimation of the hero's death, and the group will attack. Once defeated, the Banker will confess and give up the location of the Family boss who put out the hit on the hero. Mission: Arrest the Family boss.

7: This is a fairly simple "seek and destroy" mission. The Family boss's headquarters is somewhere in the city. The hero fights his way through unusually heavy numbers of Family thugs and finally must confront the boss. This would be an excellent place for a Family archvillain, of which there are surprisingly none in CoH. Alternately, when the Boss is reached, this unusual situation could take place: When the hero comes within normal visual range, a dialog box will open (like those that open when talking to a contact). The Boss will offer the hero one last chance to survive and basically offer him a payoff to let the Boss escape. The payoff amounts to a high level Enhancement (like the hero would get at the end of the mission anyway) and a 50% increase on Influence gained from all future (non-Family) kills and missions. The downside of accepting the offer is that all contacts will charge the hero twice as much for Enhancements and Inspirations, no contact will every consider the hero a "friend" nor allow the hero to call him, it will cost twice as much to change the hero's reputation, and the hero will lose the Untouchable badge. Should the hero refuse the Boss's offer or just take him down normally, the mission will conclude with the reward of an appropriate Enhancement (and the ending of hit squad ambushes).

As you can see, this story arc is designed to break some traditional molds in CoH missions, something the game needs very badly. The story and game balance are rough, but I think it offers a new direction in CoH missions. More story arcs to come.

Hot Times in the ol' Town Tonight

You know, stuff like this really should do damage when you're standing on it.
I really don't need to expound on that, do I? I didn't think so.