Profile: VuDu_DawL
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• • City of Heroes: Musing on Superheroes

  • Very well written article.

    Being female, I never tied a towel around my neck. In fact, having three brothers, I inevitably was cast as the villainess. Much to their misfortune, they were all smaller and weaker than I, so unlike the comics and movies, evil usually triumphed over good, unless they caught me in a rare streak of altruism wherein I feigned ineptness to allow them to best me in the name of justice. I suppose letting them win was only fair vengeance for the "Cowboy and Indians" play when I would plait my honey blonde hair into two braids, and ambush them from the bare back of my paint pony and drag them off to be tied to a tree while I took a break from our imaginary play for an hour or so.

    I think the role-play games that allow us to temporarily immerse ourselves in long-forgotten childhood fantasies are a great escape from the pressures of day to day life. I don't have much free time during the school year. That first week of returning to Paragon City after a brush with death and finals week (yes, all in the same week) was absolutely exhilarating! It felt wonderful just to forget the stress and blow off steam by cracking a few Arachnos heads.

    The City of games offer so much in the way of individual expression. The writer within me loves the ability to design such intricate and unique characters, and build their strengths and personalities as they advance through the levels of the game.

    I thank NC Soft for the great venue to relieve stress and enjoy my (very sparse these days) free time!

  • Posted: 8/11/08 4:02 PM
    General Discussion
• • City of Heroes: Character Respecs Available

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    Originally posted by ebonfire
    I agree that NCSoft has done a much better job managing then game then Cryptic ever did, but this still makes me a bit uneasy.
    Yeah on the villain side it is a pain to find Respec Taskforce because everyone that has a veteran account is stilling on more respecs than they'll ever need. I had a friend that I brought into the game try to find a respec taskforce.. lol good luck. Then I explained all the freebies that come with account age, and the freebies with new issues. He was not amused and felt like it was a aspect of the game that had been mismanaged... I'm sure $10 would have sat well with him at that point, pppfffftt well not really.
    I doubt this is going to make a dent in the RMT market, and heck if they would rebalance the pool drops in a way that made sense.. the RMT would have much less of an impact on the game.
    Oh yeah.. lol free expansions. I love that every time I see it because its such a spin on the truth. I mean as if its the only game that takes subscriber money and puts it towards new content.. other games call it game updates, publishes, chapters, or patches btw. Now it is turning into the only subscriber based game that I can thinking of which is slowly integrating a cash shop. Look for double xp potions next!

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    I bet there are a lot of people who would gladly pay for Double XP tokens. I would, on some of my characters. Good suggestion. They often schedule double XP weekends when I have other committments. I don't mind a cash shop at all. It's nice being able to purchase things I want for my characters without resorting to dealing with the scum-of-the-earth influence spammers.

    Perhaps you should suggest to your friend that he join a good, active supergroup. I've never had problems running any TF, SF or Trial. I just let the guys know I need something and tell them when I'd like to do it and often have to turn people away. There are also badge global channels that are great places to pick up folks to do a respec or task force. Badgers will do them solely for the badge, even if they don't need the respec. (The only reason I have ever done them). Often you can find people who will help just for the sake of helping out.

    I don't know much about SOE. I do know I don't trust Sony as far as I can throw them since they began installing rootkits on their customers' machines, so I tend to avoid anything made by/created by/run by them.

  • Posted: 8/05/08 12:14 PM
    General Discussion
• • City of Heroes: Character Respecs Available

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    Originally posted by TwwIX
    This game is slowly turning into a joke. First they started charging for emotes then renames and now respecs!? Don't like your toons name? Reroll! Picked the wrong powers? Run a respec trial! Want to pay 10 bucks for emotes? You are a fucking idiot!
    NCsoft is going to run this game into the ground with these microtransactions and their constant nerfs.
    I Am just glad that Cryptic Studios got rid of them.

    ---

    Why is giving players what they have been ASKING for is a joke? I have seen many other games that were far less responsive to their player base.

    And FYI, no one paid ten bucks for emotes. The ten bucks was for the costume set, which included some emotes. Go to any 3D modeling program and see what two separate outfits (tux and bridal dress) would cost. In addition to those outfits, you also got special textures for other costumes they gave EVERYONE for free (Hearts, Angelic). I would have gladly paid the ten bucks even if the emotes weren't included. It's less than I spent on one gown for my 3D characters. And I had to PAY for my wings at the DAZ store. CoH gave them to me for free, just for being a loyal customer.

    Getting rid of Cryptic was the best thing NC Soft could have done for the game. It has improved 200% since then. Look at all they've GIVEN to the players, FOR FREE. The debt wipe and prestige grant. Upping the number of members for Supergroups. Upping the number of global channels you can belong to. Tons more costumes. Lots of touch-ups to the scenery. A complete remodel of the Hollows. Access to both games for those who owned only one side or the other FOR FREE. More content. And even more content. Many of these are things that players suggested or asked for. It seems NC Soft is willing to listen to its players, and that can't be a bad thing.

    Every issue is free. No one asks you to spend one dime more than the regular subscription to play this game if you don't want *the extras*. Why whine about things that others WANT to buy? It is merely giving others who are WILLING to spend the money the option to do so. Your character isn't going to change one bit if you don't buy the emotes, costumes, renames, or respecs.

    Players, LONG TIME players, have asked for the ability to rename characters, and to move them across servers. They've asked for special costumes. They've asked for purchasable respecs. NC Soft is just giving them what they want. Just because YOU don't want it, does not mean there has not been a great demand. Why should WE all do without because you can't or won't buy these things?

    Some people just want everything for nothing. If there is greed being displayed here, I am not seeing it on NC Soft's part. It appears to me to be coming from those who expect to be given and given and given, and don't want to give anything back in return.
    

  • Posted: 8/04/08 12:01 AM
    General Discussion
• • City of Heroes: Character Respecs Available

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    Originally posted by noxdraconis
    In a sense there has been purchasable respecs for while, in that you could always buy the necessary influence from some third party to acquire a respec recipe at the market. If this means taking a bit of business away from the influence peddlers, then I am all for it. I just hope they use the extra cash to do something useful, like doing a complete overhaul of the game engine.

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    I can't agree more about taking business from the influence spammers, er, peddlers.

    I cannot understand the whining. PLAYERS asked for this (just as they have asked for special costumes for which we are willing to pay). I have said MANY times that I would be willing to pay to get more slots on a server. NC Soft (not Ubisoft, rofl) is just answering a demand from their players. This answer does not affect ANYONE that does want it. If you don't want to pay for a respec, you STILL have all the FORMER options to obtain one (including sinking to the pits of moral turpitude by giving business to the influence peddlers, if that is what you choose to do).

    Other people having an "OPTION" to buy a respec (or a character slot, or a special costume pack) does not affect anyone but those who wish to purchase it. Whining about this is akin to whining because there are Lexus cars on the market but I can't afford one so NO ONE should be able to buy one... please.

    Answering a demand with a supply is the business model of any successful company. There are MANY things I would pay to add to my game. I'd pay for more enhancement slots on my Warshade. I'd pay for a real 'formal' (long) dress. I'd pay for the ability to swap characters between accounts. Yes, I can afford it. I understand there are some who can't. I don't know what to tell them, but they don't have the right to limit what is available to those who can afford it. Want and need and the ability to purchase creates a market. How can you fault a business for utilizing that market.

    You know, no MMO 'owes' us a say in how they run things. You can't please every customer. But one thing I have noticed since Cryptic is out of the picture is a serious effort to give players things they have been asking for, for years. I think NC Soft is moving in a positive direction. They have my vote of confidence, in the form of a few subscription fees.

    For those who don't like it? All I can say is, you have the right to take your subscription to any other game.

  • Posted: 8/02/08 12:18 PM
    General Discussion
• • City of Heroes: Character Respecs Available

  • I am glad to see them offering new options. I'd like to see more 'for pay' costumes, as well.

    The bottom line is, no one is forcing anyone to pony up any more cash for the game than they have since day one. Are they still giving Veteran Reward Respecs? Yep. Are they still allowing you to earn them in game? Yep. Nothing has changed for anyone who doesn't want it to change. Just ignore the 'paid' ones, and play your way.

    Same with the 'for pay' costumes. Don't like the price tag? Don't buy it. Me? I bought the Pocket D VIP upgrade, the Wedding Pack and the GvE upgrade. On more than one account. If they offered another costume I wanted? I'd pay the ten bucks, or whatever.

    One of my other hobbies is 3D Art (http://www.daz3d.com). The program is free (YAY!), LOTS of content is free, but there are also TONS of things that you can buy, ranging from $1.99 (for the Platinum Club members) to hundreds for bundles. It doesn't bother me to pay $10-15 bucks for a dress I like, or a new set of wings, or a new 'character' (morphs and textures).

    I am glad to see NC Soft offering these options. It isn't like they are forcing them on anyone, and they are still adding LOTS of new costumes for free. The costume creator has grown immensely since I made my first character, years ago. They added sliders, to make it easy to make your character truly unique. They added lots more faces. They added a ton of new hairstyles. I am enjoying all of it, including the bits that sometimes cost me extra, but usually less than dinner for the family at McDonalds.

  • Posted: 8/01/08 8:48 PM
    General Discussion