What could have been a fun and unique feature in CoX

[Knak12]

So I was just talking to my friends about how we used to play and the awesomeness that is CoX, and I eventually got to talking about my Ninja Mastermind. I told them I wished how instead of shooting arrows at my enemies, I could join my fellow henchmen in melee martial arts, or with a katana. I always wondered why I couldn't do that. There are NPCs out there who have multiple power sets from different archetypes.

I really wish they made that a feature. Make it like a "multi-Class" thing that happens sometimes like D&D. Where you pick your class, and as you level up, you can choose to continue leveling in a current class you posses, or start in a new one. I know you'll get into certain issues where certain class powers (like the DOMINATOR's power) could be overpowering when adding other classes powers, but they can make it that as soon as you multiclass you no longer have any class power. Also you always start the new class as if you were level 1, so if you were a level 20 Tanker, and now you want some energy blasting, you have to start with the powers you get at level 1.

Maybe have more limitations (like a limit to 2 multiclasses, or only certain powers can be multiclassed with others, etc), maybe not.

If CoX ever gets re-made, or brought back up, I would really want to push this idea. If this happened, no 2 characters would be the same, ever.

[Kyriani]

So I was just talking to my friends about how we used to play and the awesomeness that is CoX, and I eventually got to talking about my Ninja Mastermind. I told them I wished how instead of shooting arrows at my enemies, I could join my fellow henchmen in melee martial arts, or with a katana. I always wondered why I couldn't do that. There are NPCs out there who have multiple power sets from different archetypes.

I really wish they made that a feature. Make it like a "multi-Class" thing that happens sometimes like D&D. Where you pick your class, and as you level up, you can choose to continue leveling in a current class you posses, or start in a new one. I know you'll get into certain issues where certain class powers (like the DOMINATOR's power) could be overpowering when adding other classes powers, but they can make it that as soon as you multiclass you no longer have any class power. Also you always start the new class as if you were level 1, so if you were a level 20 Tanker, and now you want some energy blasting, you have to start with the powers you get at level 1.

Maybe have more limitations (like a limit to 2 multiclasses, or only certain powers can be multiclassed with others, etc), maybe not.

If CoX ever gets re-made, or brought back up, I would really want to push this idea. If this happened, no 2 characters would be the same, ever.

One thing I had always hoped we'd see with the evolution of the game was more branching in the existing powersets. Think of the VEATS. They had some mutually exclusive powers where taking one meant you were locked out of another... so imagine if more powers were added to sets in that manner. It could very well have made your concept possible!

[Kaos Arcanna]

So I was just talking to my friends about how we used to play and the awesomeness that is CoX, and I eventually got to talking about my Ninja Mastermind. I told them I wished how instead of shooting arrows at my enemies, I could join my fellow henchmen in melee martial arts, or with a katana. I always wondered why I couldn't do that. There are NPCs out there who have multiple power sets from different archetypes.

I really wish they made that a feature. Make it like a "multi-Class" thing that happens sometimes like D&D. Where you pick your class, and as you level up, you can choose to continue leveling in a current class you posses, or start in a new one. I know you'll get into certain issues where certain class powers (like the DOMINATOR's power) could be overpowering when adding other classes powers, but they can make it that as soon as you multiclass you no longer have any class power. Also you always start the new class as if you were level 1, so if you were a level 20 Tanker, and now you want some energy blasting, you have to start with the powers you get at level 1.

Maybe have more limitations (like a limit to 2 multiclasses, or only certain powers can be multiclassed with others, etc), maybe not.

If CoX ever gets re-made, or brought back up, I would really want to push this idea. If this happened, no 2 characters would be the same, ever.

Champions Basically has that a Freeform option.

[Remaugen]

I wanted exactly the same thing, an MM with MA or even the stalkers stealth powers to better represent a ninja. Imagine the MM and all of her ninja pets stealthing into a mob to attack simultaneously! Yeah, it's probably over powered, but still a very cool visual. I really wanted MM power customization and an greatly increased variety of pet types. Clowns, Pirates, Goldbrickers, Longbow & Wyvern, PPD pets or even Hellions, Skull and such as thugs.

I also wanted to see new Nictus and Quantum based PCs like Galaxies with an MM variant.

[Shenku]

I think the Devs commented on ideas like this one before a few times years ago(or at least once I think), and their response was basically that by adding the ability to do multiple Power types on a single character, it would reduce the need to create more alts, and thus eliminate half of the game's replay value because why would anyone ever need more than one character if that character could do everything(especially with the ability to respec unless the choices became locked-in)?

Heck, half of the fun I had with the game was coming up with new character concepts whilst trying out different power combinations/ATs. If I could try everything on a single character, I would never need to play through the low level content more than once, and once I got to the high level content(pre-Incarnates), I'd run out of things to do, get bored, and leave to play something else.

I think that the variety that CoH offered was one of the most unique things that any MMO ever had, because you could literally create hundreds of different characters with different costumes and powers, and never have two characters play/look the same if you really wanted. No other MMO has really offered that, especially since most MMOs use the dated "holy trinity" concept for character roles, cookie cutter builds, and generic armor appearances for everyone of the same class. This tired old concept is what makes most MMOs feel stale and unappealing. Even with ATs and their specific Powersets, the customization in CoH was great enough that you could make almost anything as it was, and was leagues better than anything else out there, past or present.

Besides, we all know that if you could mix and match, there would be hundreds of builds such as Energy Melee/Kinetic Brutes running around spamming Fulcrum Shift+Total Focus to one-shot just about everything short of an AV or EB, and those types of FotM builds would have just ruined the game... :P

[Drauger9]

Heck, half of the fun I had with the game was coming up with new character concepts whilst trying out different power combinations/ATs. If I could try everything on a single character, I would never need to play through the low level content more than once, and once I got to the high level content(pre-Incarnates), I'd run out of things to do, get bored, and leave to play something else

Yep I was a proud altaholic. :P My favorite ATs where Masterminds and Controllers. I tried to make every combination of Master Minds with the exception of a few ninja/archer or Mercenary/anything.

That's one of the things I liked. I'd be on my Bots/dark MM and go "You know a plant/storm troller would be awesome." Finish my farm run and off to character creator I'd go. LOL!

Or on my claws/fire brute and think hmm... could I farm on a fire/thermal troller IOed? The answer was yeah but not well. Atleast in my case. :P

I do wish they would of came out with way more Master Mind powersets though. Bots and demons where the only two main sets I could really get into and now that I'm thinking about it.... I'm kicking my self for never trying a Bot/Storm MM. :(

[Little David]

Personally I always wanted to see a /Thugs PVP war.

Preferably set to music from West Side Story.

But yeah, a "Scrappermind" powerset/build would have been really interesting. My first thought was that the way Masterminds are designed, they're too squishy to go for melee even if they had the powerset to do so. Which is why people can get away with being Blasterminds, since distance is a ranged attacker's primary defense usually.

But if Masterminds had a Martial Arts powerset that included powers which boost their evasion or defense to compensate, maybe even make it so that they are harder to defeat as long as they are nearby their henchmen (scaled to quantity of henchmen present?) that might make being a Scrappermind viable.

[JaguarX]

I think the Devs commented on ideas like this one before a few times years ago(or at least once I think), and their response was basically that by adding the ability to do multiple Power types on a single character, it would reduce the need to create more alts, and thus eliminate half of the game's replay value because why would anyone ever need more than one character if that character could do everything(especially with the ability to respec unless the choices became locked-in)?

Heck, half of the fun I had with the game was coming up with new character concepts whilst trying out different power combinations/ATs. If I could try everything on a single character, I would never need to play through the low level content more than once, and once I got to the high level content(pre-Incarnates), I'd run out of things to do, get bored, and leave to play something else.

I think that the variety that CoH offered was one of the most unique things that any MMO ever had, because you could literally create hundreds of different characters with different costumes and powers, and never have two characters play/look the same if you really wanted. No other MMO has really offered that, especially since most MMOs use the dated "holy trinity" concept for character roles, cookie cutter builds, and generic armor appearances for everyone of the same class. This tired old concept is what makes most MMOs feel stale and unappealing. Even with ATs and their specific Powersets, the customization in CoH was great enough that you could make almost anything as it was, and was leagues better than anything else out there, past or present.

Yeah I created more alts when I was able to mix and match then with ATs. Because with ATs, if good portion of a power set wasn't liked, then that is the entire powerset tha tcould be gone because couldn't pick maybe one power that may fit with the concept out that set it was all of nothing. Then there was only certain powers on certain sets. Maybe I wanted say something that shoot a bit of energy but was itching to be squishy just merely for high damage.  Thus that is an entire set gone. That left maybe a couple  each time and even less with concepts.

With mix and matching I was abele to create more thus ran out of ideas and ways less quickly like wit hthe AT system. Tank- means it will have melee powers ,and it will be either fist, ice, fire, energy melee,  or lightning. All punches basically just with different skins.  Then a few weapons wets thrown in there. But no access to other sets outside the set AT power selection even if concepts were created to  fit and not aimed to be over powered.


Although yeah, I think many COX players would simple pick up energy melee with kinetic secondary just for the high damage stuff. But then again, there always were FoTM which in a way is the same deal. No creativity just doing it simply because it's viewed as the most powerful. But do not discount the people that do and would create for concept if given the freedom. Even in COX with the scores of people that built only FoTM AT there were many that created stuff just to create. Those that do that will continue to do so even if given greater freedom. Those that didnt wont and probably never will and probably will play the FOTM AT or freeform combination for a little bit eventually get bored, say the game is too easy, and leave.

But no point in limiting the creativity of those that want to be creative simply because. Because if creativity or how many people will be creative is the true issue then one would have to get rid of FOTM ATs too then to make sure everyone is being creative and not just choosing combos simply because it's viewed as most powerful.

Because wwith set ATs there are only so many sets which is limited between the AT which can then be limited by the play style. Many people may like illusion but didn't want to be squshie to have it. Maybe they wanted to created a gruff pistol shooter that doesn't doesn't go down with a relative flick. But with ATS hard to do. Maybe someone wants to heal their team mates but doesn't want to be mostly team bound to live. Maybe they want ot be able to heal and take a bullet for them too but cant do it in packaged solely as a defender easily. But with choices outside the AT set and letting them actually build they can be creative. Again of course you will have people that will go to the "most powerful" simply because it's most powerful. People will do that even with ATs. And they have.

[Shenku]

Personally I always wanted to see a /Thugs PVP war.

Preferably set to music from West Side Story.

But yeah, a "Scrappermind" powerset/build would have been really interesting. My first thought was that the way Masterminds are designed, they're too squishy to go for melee even if they had the powerset to do so. Which is why people can get away with being Blasterminds, since distance is a ranged attacker's primary defense usually.

But if Masterminds had a Martial Arts powerset that included powers which boost their evasion or defense to compensate, maybe even make it so that they are harder to defeat as long as they are nearby their henchmen (scaled to quantity of henchmen present?) that might make being a Scrappermind viable.

You must be thinking of a different AT then, because played properly, MMs were anything but squishy. Heck, the Devs stated once back around the early days of CoV that MMs were originally intended to be red-side's "tank" AT, and most people misinterpreted Brutes as the tankers and MMs as being more "DPS" related. All you needed to do was throw your minions into defensive stance, and you could withstand most hits save especially brutal AVs. (Even better if you had a good secondary set to help keep you going, such as /Traps' Force Field Generator, and/or took Aid Other/Aid Self from the medicine pool)

My MM almost never got defeated except in cases of extreme circumstances(seriously not happy AV) or my own carelessness. I literally played my MM in melee range almost entirely like that of my scrappers/tanks, just with a lot of "friends" even when I wasn't teaming. :P

[saipaman]

I, too, played as a 'hands on' mastermind.

I remember teaming with another mastermind that would send in his pets, throw on personal force shield and then hide.  I had a very low opinion of that!

[Knak12]

I wanted exactly the same thing, an MM with MA or even the stalkers stealth powers to better represent a ninja. Imagine the MM and all of her ninja pets stealthing into a mob to attack simultaneously! Yeah, it's probably over powered, but still a very cool visual. I really wanted MM power customization and an greatly increased variety of pet types. Clowns, Pirates, Goldbrickers, Longbow & Wyvern, PPD pets or even Hellions, Skull and such as thugs.

My ninja mastermind had the Grant Invisibility Power pool and I always made my minions invisible and then made them move up on the boss, I'd Sets my Buffs, and them we'd all attack at once. It wasn't "Overpowered" but it was effective.
Also, I wish they made the costumes of the Henchmen customizable, that way if you have "Mercenary", you can make them look like Cops or whatever.

I think the Devs commented on ideas like this one before a few times years ago(or at least once I think), and their response was basically that by adding the ability to do multiple Power types on a single character, it would reduce the need to create more alts, and thus eliminate half of the game's replay value because why would anyone ever need more than one character if that character could do everything(especially with the ability to respec unless the choices became locked-in)?

Heck, half of the fun I had with the game was coming up with new character concepts whilst trying out different power combinations/ATs. If I could try everything on a single character, I would never need to play through the low level content more than once, and once I got to the high level content(pre-Incarnates), I'd run out of things to do, get bored, and leave to play something else.

I think that the variety that CoH offered was one of the most unique things that any MMO ever had, because you could literally create hundreds of different characters with different costumes and powers, and never have two characters play/look the same if you really wanted. No other MMO has really offered that, especially since most MMOs use the dated "holy trinity" concept for character roles, cookie cutter builds, and generic armor appearances for everyone of the same class. This tired old concept is what makes most MMOs feel stale and unappealing. Even with ATs and their specific Powersets, the customization in CoH was great enough that you could make almost anything as it was, and was leagues better than anything else out there, past or present.

You make a god point. I had a thing going on in one of the Servers, I think Liberty. I had 1 of every Archetype and I leveled them all up at the same time. Meaning when I'd Level on up, I'd finish my current mission, and log into another character. I did this when I didn't feel like playing aas any of my 4 50s, or my other 2 main level 40 alts (or my 30 OTHER other alts who didn't make it much past 30). I got all 14 characters to level 28ish. It was really fun, even though my Tank died MORE THAN anyone else (also, not many people played Liberty, so It was mostly Soloing.

But yeah, I did have a few (I think a total of 44) alts. And maybe in this idea I had, it could be very limited. Like if you are a Fire blaster, then you can multi-class into anything else, but only with Fire powers. Or maybe you are allowed only 1 other class you can multi-class in to. Having different power sets though would make this whole multi-class idea a bad idea.

And I agree with CoX having the most interactive, costumizable character creation and everything else. No other MMO (or Game) has ever filled in the hole that was left over when CoX went away. But I do not agree with the "never playing low level content". There was just SO MUCH missions and stuff do you, you would level up way before you can complete everything. Plus I loved all the low level stuff.

[Blackshear]

I personally considered the Fighting pool a must for my masterminds...one or both attacks, and definitely Tough and Weave.  I had a level 50 incarnate thugs / traps MM who was one of my all time favorite characters...was there a solitary power in the game more fun than Gang War?  I think not!  Anyway, with the support of his boys he could shoot it out with you, mix it up in hand to hand (Punch!  Kick!  Sands of Mu!  Ghost Slaying Ax!), mess up your day with his traps, whatever.

Of course he was still a weak combatant on his own (unless Pyronic Judgment was charged), but I would drop a Seeker Drone or two and stay near my bruiser, and that kept most of the heat off of me.  There were a few times when my thugs got wiped and it came down to my MM alone vs. some wounded lieutenant, and I always took a certain enjoyment in scraping out those hard fought victories.

[Little David]

You must be thinking of a different AT then, because played properly, MMs were anything but squishy.

My MM almost never got defeated except in cases of extreme circumstances(seriously not happy AV) or my own carelessness. I literally played my MM in melee range almost entirely like that of my scrappers/tanks, just with a lot of "friends" even when I wasn't teaming. :P

No, I wasn't thinking of a different AT. You'll note that I mentioned Blasterminds when I was talking about potential "Scrapperminds," in the sense of Masterminds who focused on their ranged attack powers and as little as possible on their henchmen.

As I understand it, doing so would greatly weaken the viability of using Defensive Stance for survivability, because depending on how the Blastermind took powers, he would have far fewer henchmen to distribute and mitigate damage taken.

But I don't see that as "not playing the AT properly" no more than I think any of the other hybrid AT attempts are.

[Chance Jackson]

One thing I had always hoped we'd see with the evolution of the game was more branching in the existing powersets. Think of the VEATS. They had some mutually exclusive powers where taking one meant you were locked out of another

I would have loved to see a Going Rogue IDF EAT like that with branching paths towards Commander or Heavy Commander mostly so I could get those sweet shoulder mounted missile pods and do some macross missile massacre attacks(even outside of EATS those missile pods would have been great as a judgement attack)

so imagine if more powers were added to sets in that manner. It could very well have made your concept possible!

Mastermind DMG mods were so poor and others powers so good I would only have bothered if AOE punch-voke was added to MM melee attacks

[Shenku]

Well, there's a difference between "playing properly" and "building properly" (the second of which is very subjective depending on play style, and I won't even go into it because there's no "right" answer there).

You could still leave minions in defensive with a so-called blastermind and do significant amounts of damage by letting your minions respond to incoming damage(just make sure you're in the mob first to maximize their response), or alternatively you could leave all your minions save one or two on aggressive, and save one-two minions as "damage sponges". Or, you can micro-manage all of them and switch to aggressive when you're doing fine, and switch to defensive when you need a little extra help.

My thugs/traps MM left my minions almost exclusively in defensive stance until I knew I was safe enough to switch over to aggressive(typically with a focused "Attack my target" command), with frequent commands to my more powerful thugs to attack stuff.

Regardless, my point was that MMs actually could be very durable, it just depended on how you played them(again, comes down to build/playstyle, for which there is no right answer, which was also half the fun of rolling new characters).

[MaidMercury]

I would like to have seen 'Giant' ability....maybe as an incarnate power for special missions. :roll:
https://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i451/BlueDalek/nicesave_zps4ba5ac56.gif

[doc7924]

I would like to have seen 'Giant' ability....maybe as an incarnate power for special missions. :roll:
https://i1094.photobucket.com/albums/i451/BlueDalek/nicesave_zps4ba5ac56.gif

In Icon - if you change a value of saved costume file (Scale I think) you can make a hero as tall or as small as you want.
I tried making one like 50 feet tall and its fun but weird. You move a LOT slower (which makes sense actually) but if you hit an entrance for say Wentworth, the game would still make you fit inside.  Also I 'fell' through the map in a few spots being a giant walking around. It is fun though for a laugh.

[Lucky666]

I always played my masterminds as tankerminds. I would always take the aoe taunt from the pool powers and slot that shit up. Really good set bonuses for some of those taunt sets. I tried other ways but I could just not keep myself alive and play the active way I liked without my pets sharing the damage. The taunt I felt always allowed me to keep my pets alive considerably longer also.

What I always wanted with masterminds was a new set where all your pets could merge like Voltron into one super giant awesome pet.

[Chance Jackson]

In Icon - if you change a value of saved costume file (Scale I think) you can make a hero as tall or as small as you want.
I tried making one like 50 feet tall and its fun but weird. You move a LOT slower (which makes sense actually) but if you hit an entrance for say Wentworth, the game would still make you fit inside.  Also I 'fell' through the map in a few spots being a giant walking around. It is fun though for a laugh.

Pics please

[Vanex]

you want to be uber, what about some MasterMind Commander ?

where you can pick all your minions from any of your 50s? (or any alt), keeping their purples maybe hahaha

or just create all your minions with character creator where you decide which powers they get.. haha, can you imagine 7 doms ? :)