Author Topic: And the mask comes off.  (Read 1712290 times)

silvers1

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #680 on: September 03, 2014, 11:09:54 AM »
Quote
Even if only 30 percent of players are there, that's still 30 percent, and I always felt having Redside (and later Gold) was critically important to making City of Heroes what it was.

Personally, I would put less of a priority on Gold side.   The devs royally screwed up on so much of the content there, as far as soloability goes.   There are a number of missions that are a royal pain on a DPS toon, and virtually impossible on a support.   And since everyone stopped playing there, getting a team was difficult.   After all, why go through all that pain when you can rinse/repeat a DFB?
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Scendera

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #681 on: September 03, 2014, 11:25:09 AM »
Both City of Titans and Atlas Park Revival are using the same game engine.  So you have compatibility there.  Unreal Engine basically renders the environment, the characters, the mobs, the powers via particle effect animations etc..,

However the engine still needs instructions on what to display, when to display it, where to display it, etc...
This is where the build comes in to play.  By using a modified version of the COT build it gives APR a leg up on the code end of the game without having to right their own code.  They will most likely need to tweak, modify, adapt such code to better suit the look and feel of the game.  Even with the MMO support built in you still need to tell the engine what to do. 

Seems perfectly sensible, and even optimal if you want to keep the feel close.

Safehouse

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #682 on: September 03, 2014, 11:28:21 AM »
At the moment It's just myself, with some occasional helping keeping the website running from Neo Ravencroft.
That's going to be changing soon however. I plan on ramping up the team size.

I'd be happy to help, in any way I can. I'm not the BIGGEST techy (maybe I could get my brother-in-law involved there) but I'm a writer, with a weird and wild imagination, and I tend to look at things from different angles.

And I'm sure if you asked around here you'd have TONS of people who would want to get involved.
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Ironwolf

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #683 on: September 03, 2014, 11:42:43 AM »
At the moment It's just myself, with some occasional helping keeping the website running from Neo Ravencroft.
That's going to be changing soon however. I plan on ramping up the team size.

I am ready to learn UnReal 4 and start helping. I have a few questions - the $19 a month is it for just one "slot" or rather per person? I just wondered if it can be installed on more than one computer at a time for that price - if so we could pool the licenses.


Cobra Man

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #684 on: September 03, 2014, 11:46:54 AM »
I suppose I could be convinced to bring some APR-related enlightenment to the masses.
Let's see here... Zone wise...

Atlas Park - The zone with the most work into it, by far. Perhaps 70% finished. All the streets are laid out, many of the buildings are in place, Trees are even starting to be put down in places.
Steel Canyon - 20-30% completed
Galaxy City - 20-30% completed
Independence Port - 10% completed
Founders Falls - 20-30% completed
Talos Island 10-20%
Perez Park - 10%
"The Hollows" - 10%
Sirens Call - 5%
Pocket D - 50%
and of course, the zone we unveiled our move to Unreal Engine 4 with...
Ouroboros - 95%

Technically, I can walk around any of the zones atm. I'm nothing but a Rikti Drone, and I've got no powers or anything.
Since we're going to be using a version of the City of Titans UE4 build, more work on character creation and powers and what have you is dependent on their work schedule. Not that APR is lacking in work in the mean time!

The geometries from the meshes are currently mostly pulled from Legacy CoH, but rarely are they un-modified. Many meshes have simply had to be re-built from scratch for one reason or another.
Don't even get me started on textures. -shakes head- 64x64 textures for the sides of buildings might have cut it in 2004.

I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff...I really should write all this down. heh


Hey Irish Girl  :D

Would it possible to share some images or clips of the zones that you've started on that haven't been put online so far?

If you've already fielded this question please ignore it - I couldn't see it being asked in this thread.

Cailyn Alaynn

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #685 on: September 03, 2014, 11:58:29 AM »

Hey Irish Girl  :D

Would it possible to share some images or clips of the zones that you've started on that haven't been put online so far?

If you've already fielded this question please ignore it - I couldn't see it being asked in this thread.

I have not fielded said question, actually.
Yeah, I think I can scrounge up some teasers if you guys really want.
I'm not sure if I want to turn this thread into a Revival picture show however... I suppose it's teeeeeechnically not off topic?
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Cailyn Alaynn

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #686 on: September 03, 2014, 12:01:12 PM »
I am ready to learn UnReal 4 and start helping. I have a few questions - the $19 a month is it for just one "slot" or rather per person? I just wondered if it can be installed on more than one computer at a time for that price - if so we could pool the licenses.

I'd have to re-read the UE4 license agreement... But yes, I believe it's $19 per person. You don't have to pay monthly, I don't. You only need to pay initially, and when you need updates from Epic.
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themamboman

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #687 on: September 03, 2014, 12:01:31 PM »

Hey Irish Girl  :D

Would it possible to share some images or clips of the zones that you've started on that haven't been put online so far?

If you've already fielded this question please ignore it - I couldn't see it being asked in this thread.
https://www.facebook.com/AtlasParkRevival

Ironwolf

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #688 on: September 03, 2014, 12:52:59 PM »
I'd have to re-read the UE4 license agreement... But yes, I believe it's $19 per person. You don't have to pay monthly, I don't. You only need to pay initially, and when you need updates from Epic.

Ok, I will pick it up and download it tonight. I will also make the offer that if any graphic artists don't have the $19 let me know I may be able to speak to Epic and make an arrangement to buy more than one and be able to give out the codes.

Irishgirl, I asked Tony V but I am not sure he asked you - do you want a section of the forums for this project? It might be nice to have threads for each part of the effort?

Now time to change focus for me! The deal is in process and we know the future of our new home is UnReal 4. Deal or no deal anything we do can be ported to CoT as it will not be NCSoft's work but ours. To me this is a good way to help as we could share assets with CoT as they will be with this project.

AlienOne

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #689 on: September 03, 2014, 01:01:50 PM »
Ok, I will pick it up and download it tonight. I will also make the offer that if any graphic artists don't have the $19 let me know I may be able to speak to Epic and make an arrangement to buy more than one and be able to give out the codes.

Irishgirl, I asked Tony V but I am not sure he asked you - do you want a section of the forums for this project? It might be nice to have threads for each part of the effort?

Now time to change focus for me! The deal is in process and we know the future of our new home is UnReal 4. Deal or no deal anything we do can be ported to CoT as it will not be NCSoft's work but ours. To me this is a good way to help as we could share assets with CoT as they will be with this project.

Yeah, I'm already delving into my "Mastering Unreal Technology" book and I'll be purchasing a license myself by the end of the week and hopefully expanding on the tiny sliver of knowledge I gained about Unreal about a decade ago... I'm sure thousands of things have changed since then.
"What COH did was to show [developers of other] MMOs what they could be like if they gave up on controlling everything in the game, and just made it something great to play."  - Johnny Joy Bringer

Sihada

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #690 on: September 03, 2014, 01:03:52 PM »
So basically any efforts on 1.5 would be from the ground up?
Not entirely.

Thanks to the efforts of many folks in the community, a great deal of the data that drives the game is known and documented (e.g. how much damage does a level-1 energy bolt do?  How much damage is added by one damage enhancement, etc.).  Because so much of this is known, re-implementing those numbers into a new engine is actually one of the smaller tasks ahead of the developers.

Also, the new developers get to reap the benefits of all of the balancing work done by the CoH team during the game's lifecycle.  Balancing game systems is some of the hardest work in game design; while CoH isn't perfectly balanced, it's way ahead of where a completely new game would be.

Most importantly, there is a concrete picture of what the finished product should resemble.  I'm a software developer, and I can't overstate the value of this.  Once the MWM developers start getting playable builds, they'll be able to run their build side-by-side with I23 CoH and say, "does this feel like COH?  Is this better?  Is this worse?  Is it too different?  Not different enough?  Is this what we want?  Is this what we believe the community will want?"

So, from the perspective of actually writing code and building the game, they are starting from scratch.  However, they get the benefit of years of pre- and post-launch design work.

Hope this answers your question. :)

Ironwolf

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #691 on: September 03, 2014, 01:09:46 PM »
Yeah, I'm already delving into my "Mastering Unreal Technology" book and I'll be purchasing a license myself by the end of the week and hopefully expanding on the tiny sliver of knowledge I gained about Unreal about a decade ago... I'm sure thousands of things have changed since then.

I actually tinkered with UnReal 3 a bit back and made a map and was flying around in it. However UnReal 4 is completely on another level. I know once we get things organized we can start sharing best practices and any easy ways we find to do things. I was even considering taking a look at re-creating Icon if possible - because having the character creator back as a stand-alone would damn near be worth $5-10 dollars on its own.

Of course their would be one in game but having the stand-alone as an option and I know UR4 supports mobile phones too. So a character creator app for $5 might be a great way to start funding the project.

Ironwolf

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #692 on: September 03, 2014, 01:14:13 PM »
Not entirely.

Thanks to the efforts of many folks in the community, a great deal of the data that drives the game is known and documented (e.g. how much damage does a level-1 energy bolt do?  How much damage is added by one damage enhancement, etc.).  Because so much of this is known, re-implementing those numbers into a new engine is actually one of the smaller tasks ahead of the developers.

Also, the new developers get to reap the benefits of all of the balancing work done by the CoH team during the game's lifecycle.  Balancing game systems is some of the hardest work in game design; while CoH isn't perfectly balanced, it's way ahead of where a completely new game would be.

Most importantly, there is a concrete picture of what the finished product should resemble.  I'm a software developer, and I can't overstate the value of this.  Once the MWM developers start getting playable builds, they'll be able to run their build side-by-side with I23 CoH and say, "does this feel like COH?  Is this better?  Is this worse?  Is it too different?  Not different enough?  Is this what we want?  Is this what we believe the community will want?"

So, from the perspective of actually writing code and building the game, they are starting from scratch.  However, they get the benefit of years of pre- and post-launch design work.

Hope this answers your question. :)

Also in UR4 a lot of this information can be directly entered and those exact values copied over. So in CoH 1.5 that bolt will do the exact same damage. It saves a ton of time and people don't have to be programmers to enter data once we have the Engine figured out. Some of the grunt work can then be done by basically anyone. This is a huge advantage and with thousands of willing minions to proofread, double and triple check values - it should be very helpful.

AlienOne

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #693 on: September 03, 2014, 01:23:58 PM »
I actually tinkered with UnReal 3 a bit back and made a map and was flying around in it. However UnReal 4 is completely on another level. I know once we get things organized we can start sharing best practices and any easy ways we find to do things. I was even considering taking a look at re-creating Icon if possible - because having the character creator back as a stand-alone would damn near be worth $5-10 dollars on its own.

Of course their would be one in game but having the stand-alone as an option and I know UR4 supports mobile phones too. So a character creator app for $5 might be a great way to start funding the project.

That's an EXCELLENT suggestion. Putting some kind of functionality for saving a costume you created within the app and importing it into the game would be invaluable. I'm imagining some people in the community having jobs where they travel and can't always log in. But, while they're in a hotel, they can tinker around on the app on their iPad or Android device and come up with some ideas for a new toon.

I know some of the coding members of our community's heads would explode, but wouldn't it be cool to have an app for Mid's Hero Designer as well? Or....even better, make the costume creator and Mid's into one standalone "Hero Designer" app that allows you to literally design your hero from the ground up (costume creation AND power selections)! I'd pay for that!
"What COH did was to show [developers of other] MMOs what they could be like if they gave up on controlling everything in the game, and just made it something great to play."  - Johnny Joy Bringer

Cailyn Alaynn

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #694 on: September 03, 2014, 01:25:15 PM »
Yeah, I think I can scrounge up some teasers if you guys really want.
I'm not sure if I want to turn this thread into a Revival picture show however... I suppose it's teeeeeechnically not off topic?

Ok, so...by special request. New pictures of REALLY unpolished stuff.
Warning: Seriously under construction.
Images will be hidden under spoiler tags, so Agge doesn't smack me with her mod hat.

Spoiler for Hidden:

Spoiler for Hidden:
The plaza of Steel Canyon's University.

Spoiler for Hidden:
The first shot of Independence Port.
In this picture, you might be able to see the hintings of one of my favorite changes that I'm making.
If you're flying along, and you look out past the War Walls...You can see the rest of Paragon City in the distance.

Spoiler for Hidden:
Another shot of I.P. a tad closer to the bridge.

Spoiler for Hidden:
I have no idea where this is. I think it's from a different game. /sarcasm

Spoiler for Hidden:
This picture...is Paragon City from above. It should have the War Walls for just about all of the cities zones. Only Atlas Park, Independance Port, and Founders Falls have any of the zone detail showing in this image however.
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hejtmane

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #695 on: September 03, 2014, 01:30:11 PM »
Wish I could offer help but I am not a coder or a graphic artist; I am an infrastructure guy. I can help support servers VMware and stuff like that good luck with all the code and unreal ports you guys got a lot of work ahead of you. I just hope NCSoft does the right thing I have faith that it will happen

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #696 on: September 03, 2014, 01:31:10 PM »
I've read so much in the past two days on every forums and Facebook  Fansites  and now a lot of the gaming magazines are posting about the possible second coming of city of heroes, I just hope that NC Soft see this as a positive to let the players play the game that we all loved for so long.Yesterday I decided to download the icon and play around with it I didn't want to get hook back into that like this I want the whole thing even if its without our toons I JUST WANT TO PLAY.   Like my other passion is Disney im going to quote a song title LET it Go. Long time player.

Scendera

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #697 on: September 03, 2014, 01:33:50 PM »
My sister is wanting to use UR4 for our studio's project and has a license. Might be time for me to pick up one as well if I can help out with it. I don't have the sort of clear memories of a lot of it to build the world again, but I'd cheerfully help with data entry.

MWRuger

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #698 on: September 03, 2014, 01:34:12 PM »
I am ready to learn UnReal 4 and start helping. I have a few questions - the $19 a month is it for just one "slot" or rather per person? I just wondered if it can be installed on more than one computer at a time for that price - if so we could pool the licenses.

I'll pay for a license for my use in the team. I also have CS6 licensed and legal.
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Eiko-chan

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Re: And the mask comes off.
« Reply #699 on: September 03, 2014, 01:34:37 PM »
I know that's essentially a really fancy way of saying "-shrug-", and I'm really sorry I don't have a better answer as of yet.
It's better than the "Nah, screw villains" I could have expected from NC, so I'll take it!  ;D