New efforts!

[pinballdave]

Thank you for this kind of commentary.  As an avid AE writer who possibly wrote the last AE arc to go live ("PENGUIN Part 4: Waddle On" went live around 8 p.m. Eastern and got 6 hits of feedback before close), I pushed for the creative side of the Architect Entertainment, trying to get people to realize it was more than just a bunch of farms and nonsense missions.

Should we get the game back and should the AE even function, I definitely aim to continue with "PENGUIN Part 5: Waddle Home" and to rework the storyline for "Hammer and Sickle of Paragon City."

And that raises another question: if the arcs still exist in the AE system, how would they ever match up with their creators for editing purposes?  Merely by the coincidence of a global name shared with the original identity?  Or would the AE potentially be wiped to start from scratch?  Or would it even work at all for the creation of new arcs, if it were merely running from a permanent "last day" state?  It would certainly be disappointing to lose access to that part of the game.

Good thing I saved all the old AE arc files for my missions.  :)  Recreating them would take time, but it would be time well spent if I ever got the chance.

If we get the game back, I suspect that the frozen image of the last day meant we could play old AE missions. Nobody could edit them, and there is a possibility the zombie game would allow new content. I have no idea what Irish Girl has in store for CoH 1.5

[Baaleos]

If we ever get CoH back - do you guys want it back exactly as it was?
Eg: The city layouts the same, or signs of renovation etc.


I liked how Final Fantasy XIV did it.
The original version of VIV was 'shimmy white' - so they actually pulled it, then released FF XIV - A realm reborn.

They incorporated the destruction of the old game world (which was bland and not very lush ), into the story, saying that Bahamut laid waste to the realm.

Im just wondering if such a move in City of Heroes would be good?

Imagine the first time you login, you get an awesome cinematic showing the heroes all fighting against the onslaught of rikti.
Similar to how the first City of Heroes trailers worked - they showed the first Rikti invasion and if I am not mistaken, Atlas died in the first invasion or something? Didnt he?  (My Bad - he died fighting Nazi's  -  But im nearly sure someone famous died during first Rikti war: Was Hero 1 I was thinking of)

The Rikti invasion could be used as a plot point to explain redesign of the city, absence of characters (Statesman, Positron and co could have died in defense of the city etc)
The death of our old characters could even be used as plot points in the return of City of Heroes.

Eg: The Warshade Azazeel (my WS) rallied the Nictus on Earth against a common foe, they led a charge into the core of the Rikti Mothership in orbit and sacrificing themselves they created a massive implosion which decimated the Rikti warmachine - the wreckage of the vessel fell to Earth (can be seen in newly designed Zones)

I kinda like the idea of not 'getting the game back as it was' but getting the game back even better.
New engine, new zones, designs and capabilities.

City of Heroes v1 i23/4 was awesome and all, but imagine what could be achieved if it was used a as a lessons learned and built again using the engine and capabilities of today.
I would like the War Walls the be gone - and more natural looking zones.

War Walls removal could be tied in with a plot line involving the Rikti invasion.
They got destroyed etc
Then you get higher level missions that tell you to venture beyond the city limits.

I think the War Walls served a purpose, while the engine had its limitations - they developed a story around the War Walls, which perpetuated the keeping of War Walls.
Now that the Engine capabilities are undoubtedly better and more flexible - they should really get rid of War Walls and give players more freedom and lush natural zones to explore and fly through.

Imagine a huge mountain range in the distance that you could eventually fly to.
The Shadow Shard zones were huge - but they didn't have to worry about displaying lots of geometry or complex structures.
I'd love to be able to as a level x hero, eventually venture out towards the ruins of the War Walls, climb them, then jump down the other side and see a lush forest or jungle outside, trek through vast wild life and find mountains and rivers and all sorts.

Gosh - im starting to imagine Elder Scrolls meets City of Heroes.

[Felderburg]

...And what was Einstein's alleged definition of insanity?   ;)

The author of that quote never took musicians into account.   They constantly do the same thing over and over and get different results (improved playing).   We call it "practice".    ;D

....Or was the author claiming musicians are insane??    :-\

"Playing an instrument" is the "same thing" every time you pick it up, but I would venture to say that you do not do the "same thing" every time you play. Otherwise you would only be good at one song, or a few practice chords.

Good thing I saved all the old AE arc files for my missions.  :)  Recreating them would take time, but it would be time well spent if I ever got the chance.

You could also write them as standalone stories.

[Azrael]

A lot of them were made before Ultra mode was a thing, too. Or have graphics settings turned down so their recording software can get a decent framerate.

I had an 'old hamster' Athlon 1.4 xp with Radeon 'something' (I forget...) getting me 14 fps on outdoors and 30-40-ish indoors.

Pretty much with that spec' after CoH launch.  (I wan't in Beta...my 'friend' was...bah.  He kept that a secret from me...meh.)

The iMac Core2 Duo with Radeon 'something' (I forget that too...) could run decent outdoor and indoor frame rates on 'standard' settings.

It was a 'slideshow' in Ultra Mode.

I finally get a 'rig' that could run and kick around Ultra Mode 2 months after shutdown. :/  *emotes and rails at an angry sky.

And I have to say 'Ultra' Mode is more than competitive with WoW's 'timeless' graphics.  That being the 'biggest' MMO out there. 

I really liked the shadows and water fx in ultra.  I remember seeing them for the first time in the 'developer' preview conference with CoH fans whooping etc.  It seemed to breath new life into the engine.  The zones already being a very impressive part of CoH lore and design.  Each being distinct with it's own design, music and 'vibe' with mobs of a unique flavour.  That's why I'm glad we've got the client and can explore care of Icon and Paragon Chat.  We may not have 'THE' server.  But those zones would be very hard to replace.  Loads of artwork and unique map design.

Short answer.  Very few youtube videos do CoH justice. :(

Azrael.

City of Heroes v1 i23/4 was awesome and all, but imagine what could be achieved if it was used a as a lessons learned and built again using the engine and capabilities of today.
I would like the War Walls the be gone - and more natural looking zones.

A case of 'what might have been.'  The graphics might be 'fancy.'  But...will they capture CoH's kinetic gameplay and tiered mob structure with hoards of mob around you?

I've seen lots of 'mixing bowl' style 'slippery' combat in MMOs.  *shrugs.

As for the War Walls.  I liked them.  I didn't like Champions anymore for having 'one big' open zone.  'Natural?'  Meh.  I liked CoH's distinct zones that you had to 'security clearance' or 'tram' into.  Part of its charm.

I will say it again : I love City of Heroes - I WISH it would come back, the gameplay was amazing, I loved the physics interactions with powers and all sorts of things. There are so many things from CoH that I just wish the existing MMO's would do, but I am always disappointed, cause no MMO gets it right.

Gameplay.  Lightning in a bottle.  Physics interactions of powers with mobs/combat.  Ballet.  Classical ballet.  Radiant Strike?  Kidney punch.  Felt that one.  Solar flare?  Footstomp godliness.  Total Focus.  KO.  Energy transfer?  Ker-POW!  Energy torrent?  SKITTLES!  Mob scattering fun - great with headphones on.  (*thinks of all the green and blue Trolls I'd rack up on 'juicy mob' hunting...) 

Ice?  Slows...holds...ice 'snipe.'  Frozen fists - a dignified 'dusting off' of a mob on the last slither of health.

We can say 'old' engine.  But the powers, the physics, the combat...?  Even the sound fx were decent.

'She may not look like much kid, but she's got it where it counts.'

In ultra mode.  I'd say she looks competitive. ;)

Sure, a 1.5 'Irish Girl' APR may give it a bit more 'lush ness' in URE4.

But...I'd just like to play it as it is.  And if someone could get issue 24 working with 'teh' instant snipe...and the blaster 'reboot' 2ndary energy/health booster?

*sign me up.  I'd rather pay £8.50 for that a month than anything else out there.

[Felderburg]

Imagine the first time you login, you get an awesome cinematic showing the heroes all fighting against the onslaught of rikti.
Similar to how the first City of Heroes trailers worked - they showed the first Rikti invasion and if I am not mistaken, Atlas died in the first invasion or something? Didnt he?  (My Bad - he died fighting Nazi's  -  But im nearly sure someone famous died during first Rikti war: Was Hero 1 I was thinking of)

Lots of people died during the Rikti War - I would hazard a guess that if we weren't getting a condensed version of the history, as presented to players of the game, the amount of "famous" people that died would be far higher than 1.

Hero 1 was indeed the leader of Omega Team, which went through a portal to the Rikti home dimension, and was not heard from again until several years later. Most of the team is / was presumed dead. Of course, they only got to the portal due to the distraction of Alpha Team, which was 1,000 heroes, most of whom died.

[Azrael]

Good thing I saved all the old AE arc files for my missions.

I think, if we can ever get a 'simulated' CoH working...then AE missions is part of renaissance to get the game back 'online.'  We played the original missions to death anyhow.  If the deal goes through...great.

If not.  AE.  Leading AE community mission creators could have missions randomised through radio missions or the 'NPCs' in the game.

'A' solution.

Story missions.  Arc missions.  TF missions.  Farming missions.  1-50 arc levelling 'Sunstorm' style missions.  (I remember really liking the idea of 'single' story campaign following you on your way to L50 and felt it was under used.  Ie.  Almost like you had a story 'just for you' and your 'unique' character.)  Themes in general?  eg. Horror theme missions.  Mob frenzy missions.  Solo player missions.  Duo player missions.  This is how we 'roll' missions.

Tailoring content just to each type of 'archetype' missions. 

AE.  With categorised focus and more structure (I felt the AE lacked a bit of focus in that regard...and a lack of true integration into the game...  ie.  Can you imagine leading 'fan' content appearing with fan created NPCs in certain zones?  Or a zone created by the fans with 'fan' content and contacts?

A few lost opportunities can become opportunities in the future.

Azrael.

[Felderburg]

We played the original missions to death anyhow.

Hey now, speak for yourself. I took a lot of time off between I... 20? and the shutdown. Plenty of Praetorian and Incarnate stuff for me to play :P

Besides, I think you mean we played them to "arrest."

[Tyger42]

So it's about time for someone to be annoying again...

Has there been any even insignificant sounding trickle in the 7 months since the last update on the main post that isn't showing there? Or has it all been complete silence from the "official" sources? I can't wade through this thread when I only have internet access once every few days to see if there's anything more than reminiscing and speculation. ;)

[Codewalker]

I think, if we can ever get a 'simulated' CoH working...then AE missions is part of renaissance to get the game back 'online.'  We played the original missions to death anyhow.  If the deal goes through...great.

I really don't get why people are so caught up on the idea of using AE for this. It's just a bad user interface that can't create anything much more complex than radio missions.

Technically, it's not possible for AE to exist unless all of the framework for creating standard missions is already there (it builds on the same systems). It can't be used as a shortcut.

If we're ever in a position to be able to create real missions, there's so much more that can be done with that than could be done with AE.

[KennonGL]

Assuming we do get the game back and it's without old account info, I think it's most likely that the AE database will have been wiped out as well.  Don't see any reason that new arcs would be prevented though.

[Arcana]

I think there is lots of potential there - but it would have to be done right.

The challenge that has foiled many a good idea.

[Felderburg]

So it's about time for someone to be annoying again...

Has there been any even insignificant sounding trickle in the 7 months since the last update on the main post that isn't showing there? Or has it all been complete silence from the "official" sources? I can't wade through this thread when I only have internet access once every few days to see if there's anything more than reminiscing and speculation. ;)

If you don't want to wade through this thread, subscribe to this one: http://www.cohtitan.com/forum/index.php/topic,10649.0.html It will only be updated when there's news, which not only answers your question, but saves you precious internet time.

[Arcana]

I mostly agree.   No "musical genius" got to that point without hours and hours of what some would label "work".   It takes a lot of time for something to look effortless.   That's probably what fools people into thinking some are born with a gift.    I often talk to people at shows who express a desire to play guitar...but claim they don't have any talent.    I'm always quick to point out the main thing musicians have is stubbornness.    We started out sucking just as bad as everyone else, but refused to give up until we could do it.   I think you are right on with that.

Having said that however....I've been around enough musicians to notice some are able to learn quicker than others.   That's the "gift".   I know one bass player who is almost perfect.   She makes a mistake about once a year.  (which gets looks from the rest of the band..."Hey!  Darla made a mistake!")    Her ear is so developed (through hours of listening) that she would just walk into practice and ask what key were were playing a new song in and just PLAY it without having to work on it.    Drove me crazy in a good way.    Another musician I know learned to play drums in about 6 months for a one-off Halloween show we did.

Mozart taught himself to play instruments at four and wrote original musical pieces by five.  I'm sure there was some effort involved but he wasn't alive long enough to expend the amount of effort it would take most people to get there.  There's a tendency for many to (want to) believe that natural talents and prodigies don't exist because they think it diminishes the respect for hard work but the truth is some people are born with a combination of an inclination and ability to do certain things that others aren't.  That doesn't mean they don't subsequently work hard at those things or that other people can't get good at those things through hard work, but in my experience while most people have the capacity to get good at most things, it is not true that everyone has the same potential in everything.

If anything, we tend to underestimate the potential most people have to do most things.  We assume it takes significant intrinsic talent to get anywhere.  The problem is the opposite: we can drive people to do things we assume it takes significant intrinsic talent to get good at, and assume that if the work they put in generates results that must be an indicator of intrinsic talent.  Often though, the amount of effort required to excel at that thing is simply torturously high.

[Brigadine]

Assuming we do get the game back and it's without old account info, I think it's most likely that the AE database will have been wiped out as well.  Don't see any reason that new arcs would be prevented though.

The missions had a copy in your game files I think.

[Biz]

If we're ever in a position to be able to create real missions, there's so much more that can be done with that than could be done with AE.

I'm intrigued....

[Tyger42]

If you don't want to wade through this thread, subscribe to this one: http://www.cohtitan.com/forum/index.php/topic,10649.0.html It will only be updated when there's news, which not only answers your question, but saves you precious internet time.

...except the most recent activity on that one is even farther back than the last update on the main post here. So there's that. Thanks for the snark, though.

Look, I get there's been nothing significant. Just wondering if there've been any stirrings at all to indicate there's still life in the project, even if it's some throw away nothing bit of info that maybe didn't seem to warrant a main post update.

[MM3squints]

I really don't get why people are so caught up on the idea of using AE for this. It's just a bad user interface that can't create anything much more complex than radio missions.

Technically, it's not possible for AE to exist unless all of the framework for creating standard missions is already there (it builds on the same systems). It can't be used as a shortcut.

If we're ever in a position to be able to create real missions, there's so much more that can be done with that than could be done with AE.

Would be awesome to include platforming in a mission. From stuff like avoid the green circle, to the boss hit the ground and lava shoots out the ground in random spots doing massive dmg.

[Surelle]

...except the most recent activity on that one is even farther back than the last update on the main post here. So there's that. Thanks for the snark, though.

Look, I get there's been nothing significant. Just wondering if there've been any stirrings at all to indicate there's still life in the project, even if it's some throw away nothing bit of info that maybe didn't seem to warrant a main post update.

Sorry, but there's been nothing at all.

Sign up for the email alert.  It's the only thing you can really do.  And do try Paragon Chat while you're here; at least we have that!

[Felderburg]

...except the most recent activity on that one is even farther back than the last update on the main post here. So there's that. Thanks for the snark, though.

Look, I get there's been nothing significant. Just wondering if there've been any stirrings at all to indicate there's still life in the project, even if it's some throw away nothing bit of info that maybe didn't seem to warrant a main post update.

It wasn't snark; I was acknowledging that you said you only have the internet every few days. No need to waste it "wading through this thread" when that one exists.

[Sinistar]

Assuming we do get the game back and it's without old account info, I think it's most likely that the AE database will have been wiped out as well.  Don't see any reason that new arcs would be prevented though.

I expect characters, SG's, bases and AE missions to be gone.

However AE missions that players created were saved to a folder on their system so if people didn't wipe them out they could upload them to the AE.

I remember someone made a 5 part "story" where one would enter one of the big outdoor maps and click a glowie to spawn a GM.  They managed to input all the AE available GM's into it. 

Fun practice for GM fights.