My free trial is activated, but I can't login

[rk47]

I created 2 weeks trial account, downloaded the CoV client and all that.
But when I tried to login, the game just wouldn't let me, I reset my password on plaync, but still no luck.
Anyone know what else can I do to make this work?

[stray]

Contact technical support?

[Trippy]

Make sure you are using your CoH/CoV login name and password *not* your PlayNC master account login name and password. And just to confuse you even more your Forum account has a different password and display name (but same login name) as well.

[stray]

Strange. My PlayNC account is the same as my login.

[Trippy]

You can make them the same but they used to advise against it (dunno what they say now when you sign up since it's been so long). The reason why all three can be different (master, game, forum) is for security reasons. You can make all three the same with all the same password but then that increases the risk somebody might hack your account.

[Signe]

Strange. My PlayNC account is the same as my login.

You are such a rebel.

[rk47]

aha. found the problem turns out i used a EU client starter...nvm got the US one and tried out Mastermind - Merc/Poison...I got bored at Lv 7 ...:( I'm gonna try to make a Bruiser now.. or something robotic.

[Llava]

Brutes are great for the lower levels, you feel insanely powerful at times.

Some of the sets can feel a little slow, though.  I recommend avoiding Electric Melee if you're just trying those levels, because it doesn't really take off until later.

[rk47]

This game sucks when you solo, ^^ I'm loving the grp aspect at the moment, I went back to my Mastermind again and loving grps with Brutes.
Questions though, there's no 'gear' in this game is there? All I see are enchancements...so shd I just keept boosting my soldier's damage till I'm broke? Cause I don't really see any other stuff worth boosting.

[Morfiend]

[geldonyetich]

CoH needs no moles, it stands on its own.  I can tell that english isn't his first language, however.

"Gear" in City of Heroes is the enhancements.  People don't think of that as gear, but that's functionally what it is.  In World of Warcraft (now the benchmark by which other MMORPGs are compared) you might get a sword or armor, but what does that sword or armor really do for you?  The sword increases your damage.  The armor increases your damage resistance (how much damage disappears when you are hit) or defense (odds of an attack against you having no effect).  City of Heroes' enhancements serve the same purpose as gear in other games, but differ in that players have a bit more flexibility in the type of gear they'll find because they choose what goes in their enhancement slots.

Because of the "Enhancement Diversification" change in City of Heroes, it's no longer beneficial to put more of the same kind of enhancement as would be equal to three Single Origin (SO) enhancements.  A Single Origin enhancement (available at character level 22+) is equal in potency to two Dual Origin enhancements (available at about level character 12+).  A Generic enhancement (available at level 1+) is equal in potency to two Dual Origin enhancements.  So, at lower levels, you can slot as many generic enhancements of the same kind you want and you will still notice a difference.

In the long term, for a Mastermind's first pets (in this case, Soldiers) I would start off with two generic accuracy enhancements and four damage enhancements.  In time, I would transition those to being three Accuracy, three Damage, because the soldiers become lower level than the mastermind and this makes their accuracy poor against the targets likely encountered.

[Sky]

I've got my soldiers slotted with 5 +damage DOs and 1 +heal DO and my spec op with 5 +damage DOs. I think they are around +80-85% damage total, according to the mouseover. The only other thing slotted up right now is my triage beacon which I have a few +heal DOs and a couple +recharge DOs in, it's real handy in a big fight.

[stray]

CoH needs no moles, it stands on its own.

I don't see why he'd be a mole for CoH anyways. He said the game "sucks when you solo ^^".


As for your statement above.

Please stop.

[geldonyetich]

There comes a point where one can freely identify:
1) City of Heroes is a MMORPG.
2) City of Heroes is fun.
And fair to deduce that City of Heroes is not a game that requires moles to stand on its own.  It's not World of Warcraft popular, but neither are most world religions.
Granted, then we get to the last factor.
3) City of Heroes is a grind.
But tying this into factor 1, this isn't that surprising.

[stray]

3) City of Heroes is a grind.
But tying this into factor 1, this isn't that surprising.

Lets tie it into factor 2 as well, shall we?....

[geldonyetich]

Once the horse of beaten into a lovely pulp and reconstituted with corn syrup, it's been discovered that there are more complicating factors yet.  Such as:

a) Fun is subjective.
b) Some people like the grind.

As for me, I'm not in love with City of Heroes grind, but (and this shouldn't surprise folk around here that have labeled my brand of genius as bonafide asylum fodder) I'm thinking that if I can refocus my perception in such a way as to not simply boil everything down to the game mechanics, I can reconstitute the fun and avoid noticing the grind.

[Nebu]

I don't think that it's the grind that really does the game in.  It's the fact that you don't really gain any fun and interesting powers as a result of time invested.  The game at 40 gave me less to look forward to than the game at 20. 

This game shines from character creation to about level 30.  After that, it's almost more fun to just start over.  I find this to be a major design flaw. 

[rk47]

I don't think that it's the grind that really does the game in.  It's the fact that you don't really gain any fun and interesting powers as a result of time invested.  The game at 40 gave me less to look forward to than the game at 20. 

This game shines from character creation to about level 30.  After that, it's almost more fun to just start over.  I find this to be a major design flaw. 

So true, that's why I'm not so keen on picking up the box set anytime soon. I can't find any cheap boxset for sale here in Singapore (where I live).

[Llava]

How do you know that's "So true"?  How high have you played the game?

I'm glad Geldon's taking over as resident CoH defender here, I was getting tired.

And you're losing, Stray.  Just over in the other thread, Sky referred to the game as "relatively grind-free".  And it'll stay that way for a bit because he's interested in the missions he's doing, they're still interesting to follow and you don't really notice the progress you're making.  Soon, he will be one of us.

Then he'll make an alt and do the same missions and start thinking "Wow, this has more grind than I remember."  But he'll be one of us by then so he'll just take a break for a month or so and then come back and find the fun again.

[stray]

Soon, he will be one of us.

Soon he will hit level 23. Then quit. Forever.


[edit] And for the record, I liked you better as resident CoH "defender". Geldon makes way too many excuses.

[Sky]

Actually I hit 24 when I quit CoH. I'm playing CoV now, and reserving my judgement. I can't believe the game made me a debtard. Before we ran out for groceries last night, I said "hold on, let me sell these enhancements." Then I forgot we were going to the store and jumped into a group of goldbrickers so I could rack up some debt and not outlevel my contacts. She was giving me a knowing chuckle (I got absorbed into a game again!) and then asked what the hell I was doing just dying like that. When I explained it, it's just so retarded.

I guess it all depends on my powerset not gimping out and the missions staying interesting. I have my doubts on both scores ;) I was doing a mayhem in skyway and was massacred somehow, one instant I was fine and the next all my guys were down and I went down within about two seconds. I can see that happening more as bad guys bring more powers into the mix, that's partly what screwed over my blaster, he just couldn't solo anymore. I only solo.

Gothic 2 awaits :P

[rk47]

How do you know that's "So true"?  How high have you played the game?

I'm glad Geldon's taking over as resident CoH defender here, I was getting tired.

And you're losing, Stray.  Just over in the other thread, Sky referred to the game as "relatively grind-free".  And it'll stay that way for a bit because he's interested in the missions he's doing, they're still interesting to follow and you don't really notice the progress you're making.  Soon, he will be one of us.

Then he'll make an alt and do the same missions and start thinking "Wow, this has more grind than I remember."  But he'll be one of us by then so he'll just take a break for a month or so and then come back and find the fun again.

Well there's not much to do as far as I can see but missions and sad to say my timezone just doesn't make it possible to group often which is the only way to make it fun and bearable. I tried grinding mission solo with my MM but that's just boring.  I can't see what's there to aim for at the high end of the game besides trying to unlock that special archetype for heroes and maybe more powers. It's 8 PM here in Singapore and I can hardly find a single soul to play with :( Pretty sad, if only this game is one time box purchase like Guild Wars I would have no second thoughts of picking it up.

[geldonyetich]

[edit] And for the record, I liked you better as resident CoH "defender". Geldon makes way too many [good] excuses.

Fixed that for ya.

Over the years it seems that my cantankerousness has been counterbalanced with my wisdom, which simply says this: "Harboring a grudge towards a game just makes it harder to better understand its value."   If I were to mentally label CoH a grind, as I have on occasion in the past, then it's very difficult to recognize that City of Heroes is actually a pretty fun game.  Compared to most MMORPGs out there, which are often poor EverQuest or Diablo clones at best, that CoH is capable of fun at all makes it golden.

Although I do agree that taking a vacation from the game once in awhile is a good thing.  It's a pity I rarely seem to start playing the same characters I left behind, or I'd have had a level 50 by now.  Oh well.

It's 8 PM here in Singapore and I can hardly find a single soul to play with

I've found that server selection can make a big difference.  Virtue or Freedom seem to have about double the population of Victory.  If you are not too deeply invested in your existing hero or villain, you might want to do some comparison with the /search command.  Leave the parameters of that tool unspecified and hit the search button and you'll get the current population of the heroes or villains (depending on which you are playing) on that server at that time.

[geldonyetich]

(Ack, quoted when I meant to edit. )

[Typhon]

It's a pity I rarely seem to start playing the same characters I left behind, or I'd have had a level 50 by now.

A madman wrote the below chapters, however I have manged to apply the restraints and medication and he is resting comfortably.  I'm honestly surprised that CoX still generates this much response in me.  I guess there is still a sizeable part of me that hopes to see them make a change to the game that will bring me back into the fold.

<madman ravings>
Is it possible that the post-30 game causes you to need to take a break because by then the game is a repetitious, grindy torture?  And that your 'break' is really a mental method of hitting the reset button?  And did you think that maybe it's a design flaw that the game has 20 un-fun levels?  Did you ever wonder why the developers haven't done something about that?  Did you ever get a point where you said, "yeah, this game is fun for the first 30 or so levels, but then it stops being fun.  But if I grind for 20 more levels... what? what is there? there's nothing?! No reason to get 50?!  WTF?!"

I did.  Still, I have to admit, they have a great character creator, good game controls, great combat, nice power selection.  I probably wouldn't bitch at all if the character cap was 32.  But it isn't, and over time it's the biggest thing in the game and it's why I don't play anymore.

Yes, me having a bunch of non-capped (unfinished?) characters needn't be a problem if I don't let it be... but I do.  I do let it be.  I does bug me that they would create a game that causes so few to make it to 50, (hell, so few to make it to 38) and yet do nothing about it. [Note: I have nothing but forum posting in a realatively unbiased forum, aka f13, to back up that "so few" characterization].  It's like they are unaware of WoW versus EQ.  EQ was first, and punishing as all hell, and had decent numbers because they were first.  WoW has gameplay that isn't significantly different from EQ, but is significantly less punishing, and has numbers out the ass.

Repetitious, tedious slogging through levels to get character-level "rewards" that become continuously less rewarding as the game becomes continuously more repetitious is punishing gameplay.  I hope to god that if WoW teaches game developers anything it's that the words "punishing" and "game" do not belong in the same sentence, let alone anywhere else.
</madman ravings>

[geldonyetich]

There are a few reasons to 50 in City of Heroes.

First, there's the unlocking of the Kheldian, an advanced and interesting couple of archetypes to play not only because of their strange power distribution but also because they cause things like Void Stalkers, Kheldians, and Nictus Shards to randomly appear throughout the mission.  Two words: Hard Mode.  Three more words: Forced Partying Incentive.  They're an "epic" archetype.

Second, there's the epic power pools, which are only available from 40 to 50.  A little bit of pre-Kheldian incentive, those.

Third, there's the storylines and scenarios you can only access from higher level contacts.  Many of them are actually quite good.

Fourth, every 10 levels or so you'll unlock access to a new tier of baddies that you start getting pitted against.  Each new tier has a bit more powers and are a bit more challenging to overcome.

However, the main problem that City of Heroes has is for many people, the time required to unlock these goodies exceeds the amount of time the game entertains them.  Cryptic would not regret being a bit less miserly with their content.  Unfortunately, these things have a nasty tendency to get set in stone, and (much like the pre-NGE players in SWG), the remaining CoH players are somewhat conditioned to enjoy being tortured in the manner the game does.

[stray]

A veritable list of shit "not worth striving for". In my world at least. It's doubtful that I would even care about those things within a less grindy, single player atmosphere.

Thanks for posting it though. It was pretty eye opening.

[Llava]

A veritable list of shit "not worth striving for". In my world at least. It's doubtful that I would even care about those things within a less grindy, single player atmosphere.

Thanks for posting it though. It was pretty eye opening.

If new content is not an incentive to you, this and many other games are not for you.

[stray]

New "content" as "content" is generally conceived of in MMO's.

Yes, you're correct. I find it all to be a giant waste of time and effort. But....It's not really a knock against CoH specifically.

[Sky]

I'm with Stray that I don't particularly find new content that forces grouping to be anything worth bothering with. New power pools and story lines are cool, though. Too bad about the kheldians, they sounded kinda cool.

[geldonyetich]

I hear at about the time Single Origin enhancements come into play, the Kheldian get enough powers to keep those pesky Void Stalkers and Quantum arms-bearing foes staggered too much in order to take them down.  However, it's clear that the only purpose of those extra NPCs (and perhaps the Kheldian power boosts from the presense of other archetypes) is to force Kheldians into groupage.

[Llava]

I wouldn't say Kheldians are forced into groups.

They certainly do better in groups, but my Warshade can rock pretty decently on his own, and he has a VERY sub-optimal build (human only, I didn't want to shapeshift at all).

Void Bosses are a problem, but I've seen none of them spawn solo.  Lieutenants and Minions I can hold (it's melee range, but that's why you get inherent teleport) and take down before they can hurt me.

It's tricky to play, but it's powerful if you can figure out what you're doing.  It's very much a hybrid, since I'm not quite there for damage, or tanking, or control, but somewhere between the three of those, and I'm good enough at each that it's worth having me around.

Forced grouping really isn't an issue in CoH/V.  You're encouraged, certainly, but you're never forced to group unless you're a total completist.  This is a far cry from WoW and its elite monsters that you are flat out not meant to solo.

[Tragny]

Is there a free trial currently running? I couldn't find one when I looked before, but this is a pretty recent mention of one. Thanks in advance.

[Llava]

Can't find one.  He might have had a friend with a spare code from the purchase of the box.

[geldonyetich]

Here it is, a mention of a 14-day free trial that requires  MMORPG.com registration.  Offer good until the end of October.