New efforts!

[Ryo Kinsaru]

The irony is that I never did put much time into my SG base, it was tiny but had the teleporters and a storage area.

Or to put another way, my characters had PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS...............and a itty bitty living space.  :)
[/quote]

I don't see how you folks tolerated it. I built quite a few SG/VG bases for people and was always told I did really nice work. There were always some who didn't like it because my bases were typically thematic and their idea was just to fill theirs up with things that they thought looked cool individually but made it look like a hot mess when you went for a tour. A geisha house that becomes a robotics lab with airplanes in it when you went through the next single-segment hallway before you passed into the area with trees and park benches? Made my noggin throb.

[ukaserex]

I don't see how you folks tolerated it. I built quite a few SG/VG bases for people and was always told I did really nice work. There were always some who didn't like it because my bases were typically thematic and their idea was just to fill theirs up with things that they thought looked cool individually but made it look like a hot mess when you went for a tour. A geisha house that becomes a robotics lab with airplanes in it when you went through the next single-segment hallway before you passed into the area with trees and park benches? Made my noggin throb.

Heh, to each his or her own, right? I've seen some fairly amazing SG bases. The Sisterhood on Liberty server (from the few that I saw) probably had the best balance between functionality and appearance, but in my base...all I cared about was functionality. A TP Beacon to every zone possible, a resurrector that left you with enough HP that my characters regen'ed any hp before they left the base, and as much storage for salvage and enhancements as I could cram in there. Crafting table, inspiration dispenser.

At one time, my fire/rad belonged to one of those superteam SGs. It didn't take long for the prestige to pile up, and one of the guys started building the base. I went in one day and found one of those Arachnos Flyers in it. In perspective, it was way too large for the base. I couldn't imagine why anyone would "collect" such an item in their base. It served no purpose. That made my noggin throb, using prestige for a decorative piece! Ridiculous!

Seriously though, I'll never "get" how some folks really enjoyed base building. For me, it was time spent that could have been spent in the market (another segment of the game that a lot of folks didn't "get", which I really enjoyed.

[ukaserex]

I'm the opposite. I would cheerfully take all the level 50s I had, all the characters I've nurtured over the run of the game since beta, throw them all on the bonfire and light the match, happily singing and dancing as they were irretrievably lost - IF that meant getting I24 instead of I23.

The loss of I24 cannot be overstated. I am disappointed.

I don't get it. I went on beta, saw a bit of I24 - a powerset or two, the change to blasters (not really that big of a deal to me).

What about Issue 24 was so great that makes you so disappointed? A powerset? The content?  I'm one of those guys who doesn't like change, so I never did look forward to any issue, preferring to let them just surprise me. I never really did get it. I bought the game at issue 3, I think. I never expected new content. When the ED change went live, I couldn't fathom why they tried to "fix" what wasn't broken. In hindsight, I get it, but boy, at the time, it really boggled my mind. A darn good thing I'm not a dev. I'd make the game, sell it - and that would be it. Spending gazillions for new content? That's crazy talk!

Of course, I'm one of those people who can farm a Dreck map all day and not get bored. Some folks get stir crazy after the second mob if there's not some dialogue or compelling story to encourage such actions.

[Rejolt]

I don't get it. I went on beta, saw a bit of I24 - a powerset or two, the change to blasters (not really that big of a deal to me).

What about Issue 24 was so great that makes you so disappointed? A powerset? The content?  I'm one of those guys who doesn't like change, so I never did look forward to any issue, preferring to let them just surprise me. I never really did get it. I bought the game at issue 3, I think. I never expected new content. When the ED change went live, I couldn't fathom why they tried to "fix" what wasn't broken. In hindsight, I get it, but boy, at the time, it really boggled my mind. A darn good thing I'm not a dev. I'd make the game, sell it - and that would be it. Spending gazillions for new content? That's crazy talk!

Of course, I'm one of those people who can farm a Dreck map all day and not get bored. Some folks get stir crazy after the second mob if there's not some dialogue or compelling story to encourage such actions.

1. Crashless Nukes.

2. Every blaster got a power change from their secondary that helped with survival (i.e., Conserve Power to Energize, a heal/+regen/end discount power).

3. Sniper attacks could skip the long, interruptable animation if you had a certain amount of +to hit.

That's pretty darn big to me. I can understand the disappointment.

EDIT: And finally having a set that synched up with Dual Pistols (Martial Arts! I finally get to kick something!)... sigh.

[Thunder Glove]

Plus a new Incarnate arc, a new Rogue-only arc, a new Vigilante-only arc, a fifth power for all Power Pools that didn't yet have one, the addition of the Sorcery Power Pool, and the long-awaited Power Customization for Pool Powers (including Epic and Patron pools).

I24 wasn't called "Issue Fix Everything" for nothing.

[Flickershow]

I24 had disappeared into the mists of time a bit for me.  But re-reading the plans in the previous two posts--ugh--my chest!  It all comes flooding back.  I was ready to re-roll my Corruptor as the Blaster I always wanted him to be.

*continues to lurk*

[rebel 1812]

on their own time, at their own expense, with zero to no compensation

If the deal goes through I bet they will get money and a sweet job from the company hosting it. 

[hurple]

Heh, to each his or her own, right? I've seen some fairly amazing SG bases. The Sisterhood on Liberty server (from the few that I saw) probably had the best balance between functionality and appearance, but in my base...all I cared about was functionality. A TP Beacon to every zone possible, a resurrector that left you with enough HP that my characters regen'ed any hp before they left the base, and as much storage for salvage and enhancements as I could cram in there. Crafting table, inspiration dispenser.

At one time, my fire/rad belonged to one of those superteam SGs. It didn't take long for the prestige to pile up, and one of the guys started building the base. I went in one day and found one of those Arachnos Flyers in it. In perspective, it was way too large for the base. I couldn't imagine why anyone would "collect" such an item in their base. It served no purpose. That made my noggin throb, using prestige for a decorative piece! Ridiculous!

Seriously though, I'll never "get" how some folks really enjoyed base building. For me, it was time spent that could have been spent in the market (another segment of the game that a lot of folks didn't "get", which I really enjoyed.

Not sure when I took the time to type this in, but I must have.   :o ;D  :o

[Harpospoke]

How can you lose something you never really had? :p

That's the MMO attitude that needs to eventually change I think.

The, "don't get attached to the game or your characters because they aren't yours....just give us money!" thing.

It's asking many of your customers to resist one of the main emotional attachments that causes them to want to play the game on a long term basis.   It can and does lead to disenchantment and bitterness....the kind of thing that comes back to bite industries right on the arse.

[GenericHero05]

I don't get it. I went on beta, saw a bit of I24 - a powerset or two, the change to blasters (not really that big of a deal to me).

What about Issue 24 was so great that makes you so disappointed? A powerset? The content?  I'm one of those guys who doesn't like change, so I never did look forward to any issue, preferring to let them just surprise me. I never really did get it. I bought the game at issue 3, I think. I never expected new content. When the ED change went live, I couldn't fathom why they tried to "fix" what wasn't broken. In hindsight, I get it, but boy, at the time, it really boggled my mind. A darn good thing I'm not a dev. I'd make the game, sell it - and that would be it. Spending gazillions for new content? That's crazy talk!

Of course, I'm one of those people who can farm a Dreck map all day and not get bored. Some folks get stir crazy after the second mob if there's not some dialogue or compelling story to encourage such actions.

Amen to that.

[Power Gamer]

That's the MMO attitude that needs to eventually change I think.

The, "don't get attached to the game or your characters because they aren't yours....just give us money!" thing.

It's asking many of your customers to resist one of the main emotional attachments that causes them to want to play the game on a long term basis.   It can and does lead to disenchantment and bitterness....the kind of thing that comes back to bite industries right on the arse.

I feel your pain.

I gave them my money for access to the game, but that only applied as long as it fulfilled both of our needs.

When one side decides that the agreement does not fulfill their needs, it is perfectly reasonable to terminate the relationship. In this case, NCSoft shut down of the game.

If we had decided that CoX was not worth our time or money, we could have stopped paying for the service and NCSoft would not have any gripe about it.

I was very attached to the game. So was my wife. We played the game together.
I led SGs/VGs across multiple servers.
We used every aspect of the game and tried to find new ways of incorporating it into unique experience for our guilds and teams.

But loyalty to the game was not enough for NCSoft. A moderate success was not enough. Gaming companies are not comfortable with mediocre market gains. They want runaway growth, and only that would have satisfied them.

There are reasons why WoW outstripped CoX, but I think that sword and sorcery fantasy tends to be more accessable to the psyche than the superhero fantasy subset. Just guessing.

[Waffles]

Something tells me this is either going to be the best Christmas ever....

Or the worst.

[Cailyn Alaynn]

Seriously though, I'll never "get" how some folks really enjoyed base building. For me, it was time spent that could have been spent in the market (another segment of the game that a lot of folks didn't "get", which I really enjoyed.

I can't even count how long I spent working on various SG bases... Hundreds of hours easily...

[Sugoi]

Something tells me this is either going to be the best Christmas ever....

Or the worst.

No, the all time worst Christmas ever (in regards to the game) was Christmas 2012... right after we lost everything, gamewise.

[Tubbius]

There are reasons why WoW outstripped CoX, but I think that sword and sorcery fantasy tends to be more accessable to the psyche than the superhero fantasy subset. Just guessing.

Maybe not more accessible to the human psyche, but certainly more accepted by the general public as an "adult" thing.  People go watch superhero movies for kicks, but superhero cosplayers are seen as this weird outer fringe of society.  Comic books are seen as things for kids, when, admittedly, many comics aren't even remotely aimed at younger audiences any more.  In a recent Nightwing book I'd seen images from in an online article, there's a scene where Nightwing is talking to a woman.  He says, "My name is--" and the panel cuts off to shift to a sexually excited image of the woman in a nightgown shouting, "Dick!"  A different issue--one of the Avengers books from Marvel--flat out shows Sentry ripping Ares in half into a bloody smear.  However, the public perception is that "Comics are for kids or for mindless fun on the big screen."

Meanwhile, there's the undercurrent that swords and sorcery, high fantasy is automatically for adults.  With some exceptions like Rowling's Harry Potter series, Beagle's The Last Unicorn, Cooper's The Dark is Rising series, and Paolini's Eragon series that are generally accepted as being aimed at younger audiences, people point to works by Tolkien, Martin, Lewis, and Jordan to show fantasy as a genre designed for adults who want to dig deep in their storylines with allegory, political intrigue, honor, blood, sex, and more.  Many other literary classics, such as epic poetry like Beowulf and some of Shakespeare's plays, seem to fit this impression as well.  The idea is that if you're an adult, if you want to be able to talk about your reading and sound like you're smart, cultured, or generally accepted, fantasy is the way to go--especially when compared to those silly comic books.

Heh.

I'd love to introduce folks with that mentality to stuff like Maus, Pride of Baghdad, Watchmen, Frank Miller's run on Daredevil (particularly the issue titled "Roulette," Daredevil #191), and the original Arkham Asylum.  Comics and superheroes can definitely be addressed on as much as an adult level as the greatest works of high fantasy.

[FloatingFatMan]

That's the MMO attitude that needs to eventually change I think.

The, "don't get attached to the game or your characters because they aren't yours....just give us money!" thing.

It's asking many of your customers to resist one of the main emotional attachments that causes them to want to play the game on a long term basis.   It can and does lead to disenchantment and bitterness....the kind of thing that comes back to bite industries right on the arse.

You misunderstand.  You never really had i24, because i24 was never released to the live servers.  So how can you really miss it when you never really had it in the first place? :p

[Felderburg]

You misunderstand.  You never really had i24, because i24 was never released to the live servers.  So how can you really miss it when you never really had it in the first place? :p

It was released to Beta... and I also thought you were referring to characters in your initial quote (well, first I (apparently correctly) thought you meant I24, but then I reread and saw that the syntax made it seem like you were referring to characters).

Pride of Baghdad

Hmmm.... I didn't really like it that all that much. It was good, but then there were these moments where they inserted moralizing that was hitting the reader over the head with "wars started for oil are bad!" Plus, the line at the end, that said something like

Spoiler for Hidden:

"In the Iraq war, a pride of lions was killed. There were also other casualties."

just seemed like it was trying so hard to be deep and all "the story of this group of lions was an allegory for how terrible war is!" but really felt to me like it wasn't taking seriously the lives lost - seemed like everyone else killed in the war got one throwaway line at the end of the book.

[MM3squints]

Seriously though, I'll never "get" how some folks really enjoyed base building. For me, it was time spent that could have been spent in the market (another segment of the game that a lot of folks didn't "get", which I really enjoyed.

I enjoyed it and it actually encourrage me to farm more (well that and purple drops) Can't speak for other base maker, but the power for you to turn something that is not intended to be used in a certain way and turn it into a vision which looked very close to what you were trying to create was just so gratifying. I don't know if it is because I had to work for it by  farming the crap out of the Council map just to get the fund or that I had a plan, enacted the plan, and executed it to about 95% what is supposed to be, limitations of course is number of pieces you can have and certain thing just can be "fully" made how it supposed to look (Warbase made a Abrams a1 tank. It looked like a tank, but of course the barrel looks little funky, but considering the limitation with the pieces you can use, it was damn impressive)

The bases I enjoyed created was my Base City, complete with apartment structure, PC Cafe (where the invention station was located), a Satellite Portal Corp for the Porters, a bank for storage, a hospital, and a Buffalo Wild Wings. My final project was to create the USS Ronald Regan with a full flight deck and certain non classified parts of the ship. Unfortunately I only got to the flightdeck before the game ended

[FloatingFatMan]

It was released to Beta... and I also thought you were referring to characters in your initial quote (well, first I (apparently correctly) thought you meant I24, but then I reread and saw that the syntax made it seem like you were referring to characters).

Beta doesn't count as released, and I'm not responsible for your thinking.  I meant i24 itself.  It was never officially released, ergo you had nothing to miss.

Peeking at what's in beta doesn't count.

[microc]

In i24 I was waiting for bio and rad powers to hit live server. (mostly tank) and love using new power sets.