Server / zone/ Game Maturity

[jpark]

The one obvious test of MMORPGs is the passage of time.  As the player base level's up what happens to zone populations.  I will never forget how EQ zones became deserted in concentric circles as the whole server level advanced.

I visited the boards for CoH and saw some threads about grouping.  Seems many zones are relatively deserted and it is very difficult to get groups.  Power level groups seems to be rampant right now and the only active groups that form.

Someone posted a great point to all of this:  with the massive changes in mission difficulty and experience bonuses, people have shifted from the streets to mission instances.  That would partially explain the so called zone population decline.

That's great to hear - but in general - can anyone shed light on this whole topic in CoH currently?

[Alkiera]

From what I've seen, there are lots of people in the newbie zones still, and steel canyon and skyway still have people in them too.  Part of it may be the new zones stealing the thunder of older areas, the way Perez Park, which used to be the place to go for a group, is empty now because people go to the Hollows, as it's a much less annoying hazard zone.

Alkiera

[Llava]

And some zones have been deserted since release, pretty much.  Like Faultline.  Though it's an awesome zone, it's just not well thought out.  If your travel power is super speed, you're not getting around Faultline.

[Alkiera]

And some zones have been deserted since release, pretty much.  Like Faultline.  Though it's an awesome zone, it's just not well thought out.  If your travel power is super speed, you're not getting around Faultline.

Replace 'well thought out' with 'suitable for anyone who didn't take flight or superjump as a travel power' and you have about the right idea.  It's just Very tough to get around without one of those two, and Flight is very much the preferred option.  I solo'd there with my flying scrapper a bit.  It was.... exciting.

Alkiera

[Lanei]

Terra Volta has much the same "not designed for speedsters" theme.  Course it could be said that pretty much any map in the office or laboratory tilesets have the "not designed for flyers or jumpers" themes.

[Abel]

Seems many zones are relatively deserted and it is very difficult to get groups.

Well I have started on the Euro servers which are younger then the USA servers but still half a year old. I NEVER HAVE HAD SO MANY RANDOM INVITES OR PMS FOR GROUPS. Even more then on the USA servers despite the lower population, so it seems to be a culture thing too.

CoH is designed for alting really, even the most important end-game reward consists of leveling up an alt (hero classes). It might be that on USA servers things have gotten more elitist and people don't invite outside of their personal circle. Also most of the lowbie action has moved to the better designed new zones like The Hollows and Striga Island, so for newbies in the wrong zone the game must indeed seem deserted.

[Alkiera]

Seems many zones are relatively deserted and it is very difficult to get groups.

Well I have started on the Euro servers which are younger then the USA servers but still half a year old. I NEVER HAVE HAD SO MANY RANDOM INVITES OR PMS FOR GROUPS. Even more then on the USA servers despite the lower population, so it seems to be a culture thing too.

CoH is designed for alting really, even the most important end-game reward consists of leveling up an alt (hero classes). It might be that on USA servers things have gotten more elitist and people don't invite outside of their personal circle. Also most of the lowbie action has moved to the better designed new zones like The Hollows and Striga Island, so for newbies in the wrong zone the game must indeed seem deserted.

Emphasis above is mine.  This is true on the US servers as well... if you want a random pickup group, it's certainly easy enough to get, just log in and wait a bit.  People actually use the search system to find people of a desired archetype and invite them to group, frequently without so much as a tell to say what they want to do... you just get a 'Soandso has invited you to his team.  Accept?' box.

Alkiera

[ClydeJr]

And some zones have been deserted since release, pretty much.  Like Faultline.  Though it's an awesome zone, it's just not well thought out.  If your travel power is super speed, you're not getting around Faultline.

They should really go back to some of the old Hazard zones like Faultline do like they did in Hollows/Striga: give a set of contacts in there that would give missions only in that zone. Maybe have a set of 3 contacts in Faultline that would give you missions in the 15-20 range. Have another set in Boomtown for the 10-15 range. The only time I ever go to Faultline is when I get the Faultline security chief mission. After I do that one, I bail out of there.

Of course they'd have to do something to fix Faultline. Either add a bunch of ramps where you could climb out of some of the canyons. Or maybe you could buy an inspiration that gives you a 10 second fly power, just enough to get out of the bottom if you fall.

[jpark]

And some zones have been deserted since release, pretty much.  Like Faultline.  Though it's an awesome zone, it's just not well thought out.  If your travel power is super speed, you're not getting around Faultline.

Of course they'd have to do something to fix Faultline. Either add a bunch of ramps where you could climb out of some of the canyons. Or maybe you could buy an inspiration that gives you a 10 second fly power, just enough to get out of the bottom if you fall.

Bah. I used teleport and never had a problem in that zone.  That's three travel powers that work in that zone save super speed - that's not bad.  I don't have a problem with the idea that some zones can't be negotiated if you just have one travel power of a particular type.  It adds variety to the game.

It would be interesting if they had a "space" travel power.   A power pool that permits travel and survival in space / low orbit.  It would be a similar principal as Faultline in a way - an accessible zone if you have the right travel power(s).

[Llava]

Faultline would be fine, actually, if there were frequent enough outcroppings in the canyons that you could more easily find a way to jump back up to the surface.  Just some protruding metal sheets or bits of building foundations and such would do it.

[shiznitz]

It is ok to expect a hero to have more than one travel power - after level 22 or so. But Faultline greys out at 20 and no one is investing in an extra travel power at that level usually.

[Cuular]

Terra Volta has much the same "not designed for speedsters" theme.  Course it could be said that pretty much any map in the office or laboratory tilesets have the "not designed for flyers or jumpers" themes.

Actually in terra volta, just about any of the really high walls can just be run up.  I had a fighter type that I had respecced out of super jump by accident, damn those 3:30 in the morning respec missions, and when I went back to redo the respec mission I found out that any of the walls between the entrance and the reactor I was able to run up, without any travel power.  That was after the inital jump down into the first big one.  I couldn't "climb" up the outer wall, but once inside I could climb out of them.

Maybe it was a change they added in over time.  Because way back in the beginning, I don't remember ever being able to do that.

[Glazius]

Terra Volta has much the same "not designed for speedsters" theme.  Course it could be said that pretty much any map in the office or laboratory tilesets have the "not designed for flyers or jumpers" themes.

Actually in terra volta, just about any of the really high walls can just be run up.  I had a fighter type that I had respecced out of super jump by accident, damn those 3:30 in the morning respec missions, and when I went back to redo the respec mission I found out that any of the walls between the entrance and the reactor I was able to run up, without any travel power.  That was after the inital jump down into the first big one.  I couldn't "climb" up the outer wall, but once inside I could climb out of them.

Maybe it was a change they added in over time.  Because way back in the beginning, I don't remember ever being able to do that.

Did you still have combat jumping on? That horizontal control is just enough to run up the slanted trench walls.

--GF