The News Thread

[shiznitz]

The devs keep trying to distract from this by offering increasing buffs. Who really believes these "benefits" were part of the original plan. They are scrambling.

[Signe]

Statesman also said they forgot to post that they were going to cut debt in half or something, but that post seems to have fallen into the void, so I don't if he changed his mind or what.  They'll definitely need to do that and more as characters will be dying in mass quantities.

I found it... it's now tacked on to the end of Statesman main post and the end of CuppaJo's repost:

The least they could have done is given us some sort of carrot  with this.

Couple of things didn’t get posted. We’re cutting Endurance costs by 12% across the board (to ameliorate the effect that Enhancement Diversification has on Stamina). We’re also cutting the Debt cap in 1/2 . Yep. In half.

[Llava]

Well, the debt cap is different from debt.  I've never had any character reach the debt cap.  That's the point where it doesn't matter if you die anymore, because you just cannot receive more debt.

So the maximum amount of debt you can have on a character has been halved.  But that means nothing for people who die, work it off, die, work it off, die, work it off.  Just people who die, die, die, die, die, then start working it off.

[Der Helm]

But that means nothing for people who die, work it off, die, work it off, die, work it off.

Yep. Thats me, right there. Me.

[Signe]

I never see the debt cap either.  I don't think all that many people do... of course, they will now.

[Nevermore]

My Ice Blaster back in the early days of the game saw the debt cap a couple of times.  That was back when my slotting was diversified.  Guess it'll be back to those good old days!

[Xanthippe]

Statesman says:


    Quote:
    CatMan
    Will powers that have a long recharge be compensated?



In these cases, I think most players will slot several Recharge Enhancements to compensate for anything lost by Hasten.


I already have 3 recharge enhancements on my most used powers, plus Hasten 5-slotted with recharge enhancements (lvl 25 SOs).  Hasten is not permanent now, but I can call up my 3 decoys twice during a big fight.  So now I'll be able to use one set of decoys and then die or run away.  In other words, fight smaller groups, plus fights will go slower.

I fail to see how this is in any way a good change.

[Rodent]

But how do you plan to deal with single-enhancement powers and powers that naturally gravitate towards a specific sort of enhancement -- like all resistance and defense powers, especially passives?

At the moment, those particular builds have an advantage in that they can use those extra slots on something else. We'll be looking at the Training Room and the forums for feedback and suggestions.

What the hell has the dev team been smoking. I know I certainly don't view less resist on my tanker as an advantage, I'm pretty sure the people I team with won't either.

[Big Gulp]

I know I certainly don't view less resist on my tanker as an advantage, I'm pretty sure the people I team with won't either.

That's because you're an insensitive, unfeeling prick who only thinks about himself.

Why don't you, for one second, think about Jack Emmert's vision?  Every time you fight more than 3 henchmen at once the poor man cries himself to sleep that night.

[CassandraR]

I can't believe how bad this game has gotten so quickly. I used to like it the best out of the current crop of MMOs but after the I5 changes to my regeneration scrapper I just left and I really doubt I'd ever come back if stuff like this goes into the game.

[Signe]

I can't believe how bad this game has gotten so quickly. I used to like it the best out of the current crop of MMOs but after the I5 changes to my regeneration scrapper I just left and I really doubt I'd ever come back if stuff like this goes into the game.

Me too.  My main is a regen scrapper and after I5 I sat there for hours, figuring stuff out and respecced it.  I did the same with 2 other characters I played rather often.  The other alts I just ignored.  They have said now, after all the fuss, that this change will be on the CoH test server.  I can't test it in the CoV beta because I don't have any character high level enough.  But it doesn't matter.  I don't think I'll bother.  The last thing I want to do is respec another bunch of characters.  That is definitely not my idea of a good time. 

[Nevermore]

Name policy change

Starting 10/24/2005 the City of Heroes and City of Villains character name policy will change. Names for characters under level 35 on game accounts that have been inactive for over 90 days will be changed to unreserved status. This means that those names will become available for new character names if picked by an active player. This policy is being enacted in order to free up character names based on player feedback.

If your game account is inactive for over 90 days and you reactivate your account you will need to log back in to any characters affected by this policy to move them out of unreserved name status. If your old character name has been taken by an active player, the game will prompt you to rename your character. You will be given only one opportunity to rename your character. It is possible that your character name may still be the same if an active player has not chosen to use that character name. Your global handle will not be affected.

All characters in an unreserved name status will be shown in your character selection screen; however, their photo will not be shown, indicating that they are in unreserved name status.

If you do not log into the game with a character in unreserved name status, the character’s name will remain available to any active player until you log that character into the game. Logging into the game with the affected character will change the character’s name status back to reserved.

Any questions about this policy can be directed to support@cityofheroes.com.

[Reg]

If they want to makie absolutely sure that nobody ever returns to the game wouldn't it be more efficient to just delete the characters entirely?

[Nevermore]

Cryptic is kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one.  On the one hand, you want there to be every incentive for people who have quit to come back.  On the other, people who are still paying to play have been asking for something like this for a long, long time.  With an expansion/companion game coming out that would just exasperate the problem; they really had to do something.  Personally, I think they set the level cut off too high.  Based on the responses I got when I expressed that on the official forum though, I seem to be the only one who feels that way. 

[Signe]

I wonder what they're next "return to CoH, your characters are waiting" promotion will look like?  "Come back to CoH... Your characters are still there but you won't recognise them by name."  Other than the fact that when someone yells, "I'm quitting!", the new response should be, "Can I have your name?"... I think it's a lousy idea.  If people can't come up with a name that's not already used, fuck 'em.  Who needs 'em?  It's not as if there are bajillions of people playing this game.  If the name you pick first is taken, then it wasn't very original anyway. 

Ho hum.

[shiznitz]

I wonder what they're next "return to CoH, your characters are waiting" promotion will look like?  "Come back to CoH... Your characters are still there but you won't recognise them by name."  Other than the fact that when someone yells, "I'm quitting!", the new response should be, "Can I have your name?"... I think it's a lousy idea.  If people can't come up with a name that's not already used, fuck 'em.  Who needs 'em?  It's not as if there are bajillions of people playing this game.  If the name you pick first is taken, then it wasn't very original anyway. 

Ho hum.

This policy is idiotic. If the game had 500,000 customers it might matter. Why are names an issue for CoH yet they weren't for EQ1 when that game had 450,000 subs? What this policy means is that Cryptic is in pure customer retention mode. Of course that theory ignores the new Enhancement Diversification idea.

[Cheddar]

I think the name change makes perfect sense.  One of the draws of COH is rerolling multiple characters with different abilities/looks.  I imagine if you compared the amount of alts a person has on COH compared to other games then the results would show COH having more characters rolled per person.  I do believe I read this somewhere as a matter of fact; I do not have the wherewithal to dig up the facts at this time.

[Merusk]

This policy is idiotic. If the game had 500,000 customers it might matter. Why are names an issue for CoH yet they weren't for EQ1 when that game had 450,000 subs? What this policy means is that Cryptic is in pure customer retention mode. Of course that theory ignores the new Enhancement Diversification idea.

Because people like me took all the "Good" names like 'Radiance' (Rad/ Energy Def) and 'Issues' (Empathy/ Psych Def) and 'The Martian Flea' (invuln/ SS tank) and then promptly quit the game 6 months later.  They want those names, NOW, dammit!

Yeah, this and ED pretty much guarantees I'll never return.  Just like when they announced the deletion of unused SWG characters.  I just couldn't be bothered to come back even to save the name.  A resounding Meh, good luck with that from the sidelines.

[Llava]

I stand 100% behind the name policy.

Is it so hard to log in once every 90 days?

It's not just the uncreative names that are taken.  For instance, I couldn't even get the name "Somnus" on my server.  I altered it to "Somnuos" and got that.  I frequently spend a couple hours trying to get a decent name.  It is a problem, and would be a worse problem for new players just picking up CoV and finding that just about every goddamn name (and every variation of that name) is taken.  I'm really happy with the few names I have that sound like they might actually be superhero names (Gin, Deepsea, Eldritch, Dullahan... I was amazed neither Deepsea nor Dullahan were taken, Eldritch I nabbed like three weeks after release and have been using it on various characters since... I used to have Margrave too, but couldn't come up with a good character for it so that might be gone by now).

Also

An email will be sent to ALL inactive and active accounts soon.

[Big Gulp]

I stand 100% behind the name policy.

Is it so hard to log in once every 90 days?

Shouldn't the onus to make people want to log in be on the developers and not the players?

[Signe]

I stand 100% behind the name policy.

Is it so hard to log in once every 90 days?

It's not just the uncreative names that are taken.  For instance, I couldn't even get the name "Somnus" on my server.  I altered it to "Somnuos" and got that.  I frequently spend a couple hours trying to get a decent name.  It is a problem, and would be a worse problem for new players just picking up CoV and finding that just about every goddamn name (and every variation of that name) is taken.  I'm really happy with the few names I have that sound like they might actually be superhero names (Gin, Deepsea, Eldritch, Dullahan... I was amazed neither Deepsea nor Dullahan were taken, Eldritch I nabbed like three weeks after release and have been using it on various characters since... I used to have Margrave too, but couldn't come up with a good character for it so that might be gone by now).

Also

An email will be sent to ALL inactive and active accounts soon.

You just suck at making names!    Anyway, I think it's for inactive, not unused, accounts.  So if you pay, regardless of whether or not you use that character, the name will still be there.  That better be the way it is.  If someone pays, it's there business how often they play an alt.  Some people, like me, only play a few hours a week.  It would be difficult to play all my alts in 90 days, maybe... or even remember which I haven't used for 90 days.  Just because I haven't played an alt for a long time, doesn't mean I never will.

[Typhon]

I also agree with it, but I think the level cutoff should be much lower, say level 5 (someone playing to level 35 wasn't just reserving a name, they actually put a fair amount of time into that char).

In fantasy or sci-fi genres the drive is to create a name that is unique.  The comic-book oriented genre is all about choosing an archtypical name.  Using a borked spelling that is close to the real name often is extremely lame (Insindiary instead of Incindiary... course I hope I'm spelling that right)

There are only so many Archtypcial names, and for some weasel to log in to a dozen servers and use the name "Typhon", "Surtur" and "Acetyline" is just wrong, and I should be ashamed of myself.

[Llava]

I do think the level they chose is a bit high.  I would've made it 15 or 20.

And yeah, Signe, I believe you're right.  Your account actually needs to be closed and inactive for 90 days, not just the character.

[Signe]

Most of my names are German, anyway, and no one wants them.  No one EVER uses Signe, either... even though I've asked people on game forums to use it.  It's almost always available everywhere... which makes me feel rejected and depressed. 

I have a sekret club and none of you are invited to join, by the way.   

[Cheddar]

Most of my names are German, anyway, and no one wants them.  No one EVER uses Signe, either... even though I've asked people on game forums to use it.  It's almost always available everywhere... which makes me feel rejected and depressed. 

I have a sekret club and none of you are invited to join, by the way.   

Ain't that some shit.  I can NEVER pick Cheddar.  I mean seriously, who the fuck in their right mind would want the name Cheddar?  Sheesh.

[Llava]

Llava is almost never taken.  Probably because it means nothing.

[Signe]

I have no trouble getting the name Cheddar.

[schild]

Schild was taken in a game. Oddly enough, by me. I never remembered making the account.

[Typhon]

I have no trouble getting the name Cheddar.

lol!  that's good stuff.

Am I in the minority of folks that get bugged if I have to mangle a name to get it?  I'll do it, I'll get over it, but it's itchy for awhile.

[schild]

I refuse to mangle a name unless it's really goddamn good and won't fit in the space alotted. My unused character in CoH right now is Mr. Ripley. I wanted the Talented Mr. Ripley. Wouldn't fit. That's about as extreme as I get. I despise seeing mangled names in game. Should be against policy. I find mangled names incredibly hard to send 'tells' to, just bleh.

[Llava]

I absolutely refuse to mangle a name.  I will first try to find some variation (for example, if Dullahan was taken I could've gone with Durahan.. they mean the same thing) and if that doesn't work, I'll try for a different name.  It really sucks if you can't get a name that fits the concept.

I've had more than a few good concepts fizzle out because they got saddled with some crappy name and I just didn't want to bother playing them.  Artisan was an okay name on its own, but really didn't fit the concept I was going for (I wanted Carpenter, tribute to the White Wolf character.. what going to be an ex-hitman nicknamed The Carpenter... doesn't really work as well with The Artisan).  Ashen Eidolon is a name I really hate, actually, but I won't delete and remake the character because he's level 40.  He's my oldest character on the server, but I have two that are higher level than him.  I only play him when I see a group that needs more for the Eden Trial.

But right, there was a point there- I hate mangling names.  I won't do it.  I would have absolutely no desire to play Eldrytch.  Because that's fucking retarded- that's not how you spell eldritch.

[schild]

Of course, you wouldn't want to use the name Eldritch, right? I mean really, would I use the name Yggdrasil? No, I don't think so. Just sayin'.

Edit: Ok, now I kinda wanna start using Yggdrasil. Damnit. Must make a druid in  .

[stray]

Hell, the reason I play my characters across multiple servers is because of names. A couple of them, I think too, were just outrighted jacked. Some of the names I had would be suspiciously missing on servers just moments after messing around in Outbreak, then deleting to reroll into a new costume.

Anyways...Signe, it may not seem that important in the context of other online games, but with comic books, it's a unique problem. I usually don't get hung up about this sort of thing (Though I did get pissed recently to find that a name I've been using for awhile in fantasy games is forbidden in WoW. I found out that a CRS coincidentily goes by the same strangely spelled name, so it's forbidden across all servers. Kind of makes me go through an identity crisis or something  ).

[shiznitz]

You guys are pulling me around to your side on the CoH naming policy. I don't know why I really care anyway. The game is gone from my harddrive finally.

[Signe]

I don't know about comics.  I don't read them.  I don't like them.  You're all a bunch of dumbass babies.  You should name yourself Wah-Wah Man.   

So there.