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Author Topic: 09/14 CoV Dev chat  (Read 5252 times)
Nevermore
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4740


on: September 15, 2005, 09:23:32 AM

I debated whether I should link to where I found this or just copy/paste it.  Then I realized it was from the Vault, so here it is:

Quote
Brannoc: You may begin sending questions to [QT]Bot1 OR [QT]Bot2 by using /msg [QT]NICK My Question Here
Brannoc: that's [QT]Bot1 OR [QT]Brekkee (all the questions sent to Bot2 have been saved, no need to resend them)
Brannoc: Welcome to the another great Stratics house of commons with the developers of City of Villians! Tonight the topic be a general chat, so all questions are welcome.
Brannoc: Please send those questions to [QT]Bot1 or [QT]Brekkee - to do so type /msg [QT]NICK My question here. Please only send questions to our QT's as those sent to myself or the developers will not make it into the lineup.
Brannoc: The full logs will be posted on (Link: http://coh.stratics.com)http://coh.stratics.com after the chat. We'll begin with a quick intro from our guests...now would be a good time to send in those questions!
[CS]Zeb: Hi, I'm zeb cook, senior designer on CoV.
CuppaJo: I'm CuppaJo - CoH Community Rep Welcome everyone!
Alexa: Hi, I'm Alexa Archer, online community coordinator for CoV. Thanks for coming!
Awry: Hi, I'm Awry, the shiny new CoV web content editor. Glad to be here!
Alexa: yay, Awry!

Brannoc: *SmallWonder* How exactly do you defeat Sally and can Sally be triggered by a player?
[CS]Zeb: Sally is a cream puff -- one hit is all you need. But there's nothing you can do to trigger her.

Brannoc: *Atr0x* How do you pay for a lair? Daily? Upfront? Does size and what is inside effect the price? Who's influence is used?
[CS]Zeb: Bases are paid for with Prestige which belongs to your supergroup. You'll need it to place items and then pay upkeep. Right now that's 2 times a month.
[CS]Zeb: Size has a big affect on upkeep, because it's calculated off the cost of your base and other stuff.

Brannoc: *Quixotico* CoV will introduce a whole new aspect of play to CoH. Will CoH players who don't purchase CoV be able to interact with CoV players at all?
[CS]Zeb: To get the benefits of the new features in CoV, CoH players will need a copy of CoV. You don't need to play a villain, just have a copy of the sequel.
[CS]Zeb: Doing that will give you access to the PvP zones we're introducing and the base building features. Other minor features will be added later that expand both.

Brannoc: *Shadow_Jinx* What can we expect for epic battles in CoV? Such as CoH has The Hamidon...
[CS]Zeb: One new feature we're adding is special trials that are for Super Groups only. One of these is the Cathedral of Pain. You'll need to have a large (more than 8) team to take it out.
[CS]Zeb: There are special rewards you'll earn for your success that will aid your entire SG.

Brannoc: *Witchchild* What can you tell us about the tidbit released by PCGamer about the Inventing/Skills system?
[CS]Zeb: Nothing more than you have read.

Brannoc: *Doc_Satanis* I love playing Pet Classes and the Mastermind archetype sounds intriguing. Will this be a pet class comparable to, say, the Hunter in World of Warcraft? What level of control will Masterminds have over their minions?
[CS]Zeb: Masterminds have new controls for their henchmen. They'll be able to set a level of aggression and direct order (Stay, Attack My Target, etc.).
[CS]Zeb: You'll even be able to name your henchmen and have them spout lines in response to your commands.

Brannoc: *Kelp_Plankton* Are the epic ATs going to be shared between CoH and CoV? Will we be able to play Warshades and Peacebringers in both games? Coralax?
[CS]Zeb: At release, we're not including Epic ATs. That's something that will come down later. So at this point I'm not saying what they might or might not be.
[CS]Zeb: Bwahahahah!

Brannoc: *scrap* Will there be any form of "Open" pvp, or will it be mostly restricted to missions and arenas?
[CS]Zeb: PvP mainly occurs in 3 special zones -- Bloody Bay, Siren's Call, and Warburg. Each has its own different goals and objectives.
[CS]Zeb: In Bloody Bay, it's free for all -- your team against all others with some cool temp powers you can gain.
[CS]Zeb: In Siren's Call it's strictly hero vs. villain. Again there are reasons and goals for your side.
[CS]Zeb: Warburg is interesting because it involves a rocket launch that's fun to watch if nothing else!
[CS]Zeb: One important part of all these, however, is that none of the goals REQUIRE PvP. You'll be able to accomplish the main goal without it if you want.
[CS]Zeb: Of course, it's sometimes easier to PvP your way to victory...
[CS]Zeb: There are also special optional missions that take placy in PvP zones. These are just like normal missions but because there's more risk, there's greater reward.

Brannoc: *revolver* Will there be Assault Rifle and/or Devices sets in COV?
[CS]Zeb: Assault rifle is a Corruptor power. Instead of Devices, there will be Traps.

Brannoc: *Dinshu* Will Villians be able to travel to Paragon City and Heroes to the Rogue Isles? If so, how?
[CS]Zeb: There will be instanced missions that occur in Paragon for villains. With updates, you can expect to see the same for heroes in the Rogue Isles.
[CS]Zeb: However, except for the PvP zones, you won't have heroes and villains living together...

Brannoc: *Doc_Satanis* It looks like City of Villains has a substantial graphics upgrade. How long before this starts to trickle into City of Heroes?
[CS]Zeb: As soon as possible! Actually, some of these have started appearing with Issue 5. For others, it depends on how long it will take to rework art.

Brannoc: *Auz* If I own the US version of City of Heroes, but now live in the EU will I have to get the US version of CoV to have the two play nice together?
[CS]Zeb: Yes, you'll need the US version.

Brannoc: *Mrpickle* What risks and rewards are involved in CoV's PvP system?
[CS]Zeb: We're trying to make PvP friendly... There's no debt with PvP defeat, but no XP either. There is a Repuation System that tracks how you've done. That will unlock some titles and badges for PvP players.

Brannoc: *Dinshu* What exactly is Prestige and how can you earn it?
[CS]Zeb: Prestige is what your SG needs to build and pay for a base. You earn it by defeating foes similar to earning influence. However, you have to be in SG mode to gain it.
[CS]Zeb: And yes, we're looking at allowing you to turn off your SG emblem for those folks who don't want to ruin a costume.
[CS]Zeb: One thing about Prestige is as you get higher, it becomes a trade-off betwee Prestige or Influence. As you get more of the first, you get less of the second. So there are times you'll want to change to or from SG mode instead of being in it all the time.

Brannoc: *shiv* Is this Zeb Cook the same one that played a large hand in the Dungeons and Dragons 2nd edition rules/quest lines? And if so is he going to be writing some of the story archs for CoV?
[CS]Zeb: Yeah, I'm the same guy. At least my wife tells me I am!
[CS]Zeb: For CoV, I've been involved from the basic building up -- coming up with the concepts for the zones, working on gameplay systems and kicking things off. Shane Hensley (the Deadlands guy) has done a lot of the basic story outlining and there are a lot of other folks here who have contributed tons.

Brannoc: *[tI]jetuser* In regards to PvP between heroes and villans, will there be a "destory the base" type of thing where you can actually destory the other team's base or will it be more of a "indestructable" base, but you will lose everything inside it?
[CS]Zeb: Base raiding is definitely part of the PvP play. The things in your base are a mix of items that can be destroyed or not.
[CS]Zeb: You'll be able to take out some important base features, although your main goal in a base raid will be to get an Item of Power.

Brannoc: *Celestial_Lad* Zeb, you mentioned that you will need a team larger than 8 for some content. Does this mean we can expect the team limit to expand to, say 12 for example?
[CS]Zeb: Team size is only increasing for certain special missions such as the one I mentioned. In this case the number will be noticeably higher.

Brannoc: *QueenVoodoo* For the SG only trials, can you bring along coalition SG players? If not, will there be SG trials for small SGs?
[CS]Zeb: For the SG trials, it's SG only. However, we're not making these trials require enormous teams -- just larger than what we've done to date.

Brannoc: *SmallWonder* Will each zone in CoV have a event like Lusca, the Ghost Ship, SC fires?
[CS]Zeb: One thing we're doing with all the CoV zones is giving them some special gameplay right from the start.
[CS]Zeb: Every zone should have something unique going one that is a special challenge for the players.
[CS]Zeb: There's a fort filled with ghosts and some unique play. There's something to do with electricity in another. And more...

Brannoc: *Guest76* will there be instanced pvp missions for 1 hero vs 1 villain, or just zone pvp
[CS]Zeb: For now, PvP play is zone based. Mission-based PvP presents a whole set of challenges that we are still looking at. It's something I would like to see in the future, but not at start.

Brannoc: *El_Fuego* Will CoH players obtain tasks/missions to complete in the 3 PVP CoV zones?
[CS]Zeb: CoH players aren't being left out as regards the PvP zones. They can take part in the same zone gameplay and there will be missions for them set in these zones. In fact, succeeding in missions will have a greater goal for the overall zone.

Brannoc: *Dinshu* Will CoV work off of the same enhancement system as CoV? DO's, SO's and all that?
[CS]Zeb: We're using the same systems for enhancements and inspirations. The game system is the same between the two, so that made the most sense.

Brannoc: *El_Fuego* Is there a cap on the complexity and or number of rooms the Villain bases can have?
[CS]Zeb: We have some caps in place right now. We need to see how they work in beta testing before we will have any final numbers. It's important for us to make sure that bases don't become gigantic screensavers, after all.

Brannoc: *SuperCollider* Why the initial lvl cap of 40? How does this affect pvp if theres lvl 50 heroes vs lvl 40 villains?
[CS]Zeb: Simple reason -- content. There is a lot of content that needs to be made for that range -- and we want to give you stuff that is really good. We are going to extend the level range after launch.
[CS]Zeb: As for PvP, we are already doing things to even the playing field between level ranges, so this doesn't really present a major issue at this time.

Brannoc: *Chizakice* In City of Villains, will henchmen be available for each villain? While the Mastermind Archetype specialized in summoning pets, every evil villain should still be able to have mobs. Is it going to be part of the base building feature?
[CS]Zeb: Henchmen are the sole province of Masterminds. If we gave them to everyone, then Masterminds wouldn't exactly be unique after all. We don't want to use them in bases because we want you, the players, there taking part and getting involved in base battles.

Brannoc: *Contingency* I was just wondering what content there will be and other things other just just beating things around that will keep someone playing this game? I'm thinking about WoW they boasted plenty of end-game material but when you got to the end-game material you were done it rather quickly. What are your plans to keep the updates coming?
[CS]Zeb: We definitely plan to keep updates coming -- for both CoH and CoV. Obviously, timing, what form they will take, what the content is I can't tell you. However, we read our forums daily and play a good deal ourselves, so we try to listen and respond to the things players notice and want.
[CS]Zeb: At the same time, we've got a lot of people here brimming with all sorts of great ideas and not enough time to do them all. So it becomes a challenge!

Brannoc: *Anon963* When he says "Going into Paragon City for missions" does he mean instanced outdoor missions?
[CS]Zeb: Both. Some will be indoor missions. Others will be instanced outdoor settings.

Brannoc: *Kosmo111* In an earlier interview it was mentioned that you could help trap ghosts for Arachnos. What will doing that or things like that get you?
[CS]Zeb: Hmmm. XP, fun... oh yeah, maybe a badge or two.

Brannoc: *Quixotico* A later feature of allowing a Hero to become a Villain has been talked about. If the ATs don't match up 100%, how will the conversion be carried over? A Brute is neither a Tank nor a Scrapper...
[CS]Zeb: A brute is a brute, of course. If the crossover is implemented as planned, you'll keep your archetype. You'll just be in a different set of zones with a new mental attitude.

Brannoc: *Anon963* Will all of our missions be selected through Brokers or will some be things that we "figured out" or "plotted"
[CS]Zeb: In CoV, you'll get missions through a variety of methods. First, there are brokers who provide information about what is happening in the Rogue Isles.
[CS]Zeb: From these you'll be able to choose your targets, so to speak. Then there are contacts who have jobs they want done. These are much more story driven and focused, so the contact and the jobs they have all fit together more as one piece. Plus we're doing some interesting things with contacts. There will be a few suprises there.

Brannoc: *Hawkman* As a Game designer, are you helping out on the RPG game and what are your thoughts of it?
[CS]Zeb: Okay, Hawkman is asking about the City of Heroes paper rpg. That's being produced by Eden Studios and they have talented guys doing it. Although it does tweak my paper background heartstrings, I've been so busy with CoV that I've had little time to do more than skim what they've been doing. I have to say, though, I think it's pretty good.

Brannoc: And that's it for this one folks, please be sure to join us next time! Thanks for joining us tonight, the logs will be up on (Link: http://coh.stratics.com)http://coh.stratics.com shortly - and remember #CityOfHeroes will remain open for chat right here on Stratics IRC!
CuppaJo: Thanks Evil Ones!
Alexa: bye all - thanks for coming
[CS]Zeb: Thank you all for the questions!
« Last Edit: September 15, 2005, 12:58:34 PM by Shockeye »

Over and out.
Signe
Terracotta Army
Posts: 18942

Muse.


Reply #1 on: September 15, 2005, 10:17:16 AM

I'm so not reading that.

My Sig Image: hath rid itself of this mortal coil.
shiznitz
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4268

the plural of mangina


Reply #2 on: September 15, 2005, 10:36:51 AM

Why not? It is perfectly coherent.

I have never played WoW.
Signe
Terracotta Army
Posts: 18942

Muse.


Reply #3 on: September 15, 2005, 10:50:58 AM

Because it makes me go squinty.  And it's way long.  And I'm sure I must have heard it before... somewhere.

My Sig Image: hath rid itself of this mortal coil.
Nevermore
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4740


Reply #4 on: September 15, 2005, 10:51:44 AM

Next time I shall post it as a solid block of text, just for you!  Heart

Over and out.
Signe
Terracotta Army
Posts: 18942

Muse.


Reply #5 on: September 15, 2005, 11:00:08 AM

I guess you told me.   embarassed

(I never read all those patch notes I post, either)

My Sig Image: hath rid itself of this mortal coil.
HaemishM
Staff Emeritus
Posts: 42628

the Confederate flag underneath the stone in my class ring


WWW
Reply #6 on: September 15, 2005, 12:03:32 PM

The more I hear about CoV, the less excited I am. And no one has answered the important question... pricing.

tazelbain
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Posts: 6603

tazelbain


Reply #7 on: September 15, 2005, 12:20:15 PM

The more I hear about CoV, the less excited I am. And no one has answered the important question... pricing.
Cryptic is really bumbling the ball on this.  It distracts from game, instead of everyone being excited about an upcoming everyone is worried if Cryptic is trying bending them over the table.

It will say a lot about Cryptic and what they think about the state of CoH.  If they CoH is a growing brand than they wont charge extra to expand the brand.  If they think CoH is a dying brand then they will charge extra to squeeze a few extra drops from the players.

"Me am play gods"
shiznitz
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4268

the plural of mangina


Reply #8 on: September 15, 2005, 12:38:25 PM

Here is the way they should do it:

You can play either one exlcusively for $14.95/month using a single NCSoft account. Enter the CD-key from CoV to turn it on for your main account. If you want access to both at any time through that same account, $2.95/month extra.

I don't think it is entirely unreasonable to charge something extra for CoV. While the system isn't new, it is a whole slew of new content from level 1-40. Most MMOG expansions ad 10 levels of content at most. Calling CoV a sequel is stupid, but it is way more than an expansion too.

That is just the opinion of someone who won't be buying it regardless. I might have if the EQ2 combat changes were a disaster, but they aren't so I am staying put.


I have never played WoW.
Llava
Contributor
Posts: 4602

Rrava roves you rong time


Reply #9 on: September 15, 2005, 01:10:16 PM

Quote
Awry: Hi, I'm Awry, the shiny new CoV web content editor. Glad to be here!

*growl*  You took my job.  :-(

Actual new information in that talk:

Brannoc: *Kelp_Plankton* Are the epic ATs going to be shared between CoH and CoV? Will we be able to play Warshades and Peacebringers in both games? Coralax?
[CS]Zeb: At release, we're not including Epic ATs. That's something that will come down later. So at this point I'm not saying what they might or might not be.

Brannoc: *revolver* Will there be Assault Rifle and/or Devices sets in COV?
[CS]Zeb: Assault rifle is a Corruptor power. Instead of Devices, there will be Traps.

Brannoc: *Doc_Satanis* It looks like City of Villains has a substantial graphics upgrade. How long before this starts to trickle into City of Heroes?
[CS]Zeb: As soon as possible! Actually, some of these have started appearing with Issue 5. For others, it depends on how long it will take to rework art.

Brannoc: *Quixotico* A later feature of allowing a Hero to become a Villain has been talked about. If the ATs don't match up 100%, how will the conversion be carried over? A Brute is neither a Tank nor a Scrapper...
[CS]Zeb: A brute is a brute, of course. If the crossover is implemented as planned, you'll keep your archetype. You'll just be in a different set of zones with a new mental attitude.
« Last Edit: September 15, 2005, 01:24:48 PM by Llava »

That the saints may enjoy their beatitude and the grace of God more abundantly they are permitted to see the punishment of the damned in hell. -Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica
tazelbain
Terracotta Army
Posts: 6603

tazelbain


Reply #10 on: September 15, 2005, 01:14:16 PM

Here is the way they should do it:

You can play either one exlcusively for $14.95/month using a single NCSoft account. Enter the CD-key from CoV to turn it on for your main account. If you want access to both at any time through that same account, $2.95/month extra.

I don't think it is entirely unreasonable to charge something extra for CoV. While the system isn't new, it is a whole slew of new content from level 1-40. Most MMOG expansions ad 10 levels of content at most. Calling CoV a sequel is stupid, but it is way more than an expansion too.

That is just the opinion of someone who won't be buying it regardless. I might have if the EQ2 combat changes were a disaster, but they aren't so I am staying put.


nah, the full price box price should cover the content creation. Speaking as someone who will only buy it if doesn't raise the monthly fee.

"Me am play gods"
Nevermore
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4740


Reply #11 on: September 15, 2005, 01:42:49 PM

Quote
Awry: Hi, I'm Awry, the shiny new CoV web content editor. Glad to be here!

*growl*  You took my job.  :-(

Yeah, I noticed that.  undecided  I also noticed no one but Zeb answered any questions, which doesn't surprise me given the subject matter likely to come up in a chat like this.  They should have just made it 'A Chat With Zeb Cook'.

Here's something else I hadn't seen before:

Quote
Brannoc: *Shadow_Jinx* What can we expect for epic battles in CoV? Such as CoH has The Hamidon...
[CS]Zeb: One new feature we're adding is special trials that are for Super Groups only. One of these is the Cathedral of Pain. You'll need to have a large (more than 8 ) team to take it out.
[CS]Zeb: There are special rewards you'll earn for your success that will aid your entire SG.

Like you mentioned in that Blizzard thread Llava, hopefully these new SG trails will involve more than just 'bash the new super duper 5 bajillian hit point AV*'.  Otherwise it'll just be another Hamidon snoozefest.
« Last Edit: September 15, 2005, 01:47:20 PM by Nevermore »

Over and out.
ClydeJr
Terracotta Army
Posts: 474


Reply #12 on: September 15, 2005, 01:44:34 PM

The more I hear about CoV, the less excited I am. And no one has answered the important question... pricing.
Cryptic is really bumbling the ball on this.  It distracts from game, instead of everyone being excited about an upcoming everyone is worried if Cryptic is trying bending them over the table.

It will say a lot about Cryptic and what they think about the state of CoH.  If they CoH is a growing brand than they wont charge extra to expand the brand.  If they think CoH is a dying brand then they will charge extra to squeeze a few extra drops from the players.
I wonder who actually gets to have the final say on what the pricing scheme is: Cryptic or NCSoft? While Cryptic is the one who's making the game, NCSoft is the one who holds the pursestrings I think. I don't mind paying a little more for a combined subscription, but I don't want to pay a ton extra for what is a stand-alone expansion.
Signe
Terracotta Army
Posts: 18942

Muse.


Reply #13 on: September 15, 2005, 02:07:13 PM

Here is the way they should do it:

You can play either one exlcusively for $14.95/month using a single NCSoft account. Enter the CD-key from CoV to turn it on for your main account. If you want access to both at any time through that same account, $2.95/month extra.

I don't think it is entirely unreasonable to charge something extra for CoV. While the system isn't new, it is a whole slew of new content from level 1-40. Most MMOG expansions ad 10 levels of content at most. Calling CoV a sequel is stupid, but it is way more than an expansion too.

That is just the opinion of someone who won't be buying it regardless. I might have if the EQ2 combat changes were a disaster, but they aren't so I am staying put.



They've stated it can be used as either an expansion or a stand alone game.  If you use it as an expansion, why should there be an additional monthly charge?  You've already paid $50 for an expansion, which is $20 more than any other expansion, no?  If you use it as a stand alone game, then you should pay the same as CoH, $50 for the game and a $14.95 per month sub.  I'm trying and I can't wrap my head around doing it any other way.  Now, if they want to do an SOE and offer up a group of games for a higher monthly fee... that's great.  They certainly have enough games to do that. 


My Sig Image: hath rid itself of this mortal coil.
Llava
Contributor
Posts: 4602

Rrava roves you rong time


Reply #14 on: September 15, 2005, 02:07:57 PM

I wonder who actually gets to have the final say on what the pricing scheme is: Cryptic or NCSoft?

I believe it's NCSoft's decision, as Statesman has said a few times previously that it's not really up to him.  And if it's Cryptic's decision it's hard to imagine he wouldn't have control of it.

Nevermore-
Oops, forgot about that one.  Yes, I really hope they're not repeating Hamidon.  I also hope by "more than 8 people" they mean "not more than 16 though".  I know that my SG is fairly active but it's rare we have 10 people online at the same time.  What would be REALLY nice is if they'd just set a minimum difficulty level and let you try it with whatever group size you want.  If it's meant for 16 people, scale it to 16 people and let me go in and try with 8.  If we die, oh well we were warned.

That the saints may enjoy their beatitude and the grace of God more abundantly they are permitted to see the punishment of the damned in hell. -Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica
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