Now Testing in the Training Room - 1/27/06


COMBINED NOTES

Powers:

* Updated Kinetics/Increase Density text and buff Icon. The Mez protection of Increase Density will stack, but the damage resistance and the slow debuff will not stack.
* Targeted AoE powers now properly hit moving primary targets; this includes most Tanker attacks.
* Fixed bug that caused power animations on some teleports to play twice

Training Room:

* Character transfers will now transfer Influence/Infamy to the Training Room.

Arena:

* Fixed awards for Scheduled Tournaments. It is no longer possible to actually lose ranking by winning a Tournament.
*Rated Gladiator matches now award points correctly to the match victor.

Paragon Dance Party:

* DJ Zero's transdimensional dance club has been renovated and expanded.

Rewards:

* XP earned for defeating Archvillains/Heroes has been doubled.
* Defeating an Archvillain/Hero will result in a random SO Enhancement 3 levels higher than the level of the AV being awarded to everyone who recieved XP (if you have inventory space).
* Defeating an Archvillain/Hero will result in a random Large Inspiration being awarded to everyone who received XP (if you have inventory space).
* Defeating an Archvillain/Hero while in Supergroup mode will award you a piece of Salvage 100% of the time.

UI:

* Improve movement in "Free Camera" mode: Pressing up will now move the player towards the top of the screen, instead of the last direction of movement. Rotate will now rotate the player and the camera instead of just the player in. Click to move no longer cancels autorun.

Bases:

* Fixed bugs with Move Room function that allowed players to create rooms that are impossible to get to.
* Fixed several bugs with Base data not updating properly when a new Item of Power Mount is added to the base.
* Characters will no longer be able to rez to Base Reclaimators from the Tutorial Zones. Characters who did this and then used base telepads to enter city zones would not be given any level 1 contacts.

Miscellaneous:

*Fixed issue where the DE Eminator would sometimes not spawn.


CITY OF HEROES

Powers:

* Modified Blaster/Energy Manipulation/Bone Smasher. Increased its energy Damage, decreased its smashing damage (no net change). Increased its unresistable damage in PvP to its proper 30% .

City Zones:

* Independence Port and Talos Island: fixed bug that where the Ghost ship would sometimes get stuck in one location.


CITY OF VILLAINS

Powers

* Gamblers Cut for Ninja Blade was inadvertently giving double the critical damage. This has been corrected.
* Fixed some Combat text for Mastermind/Mercenaries Player Assault Rifle.
* Fixed Mastermind/Mercenaries/Commando Grenade Launcher range.
* Freedom Corps Sonic Grenades no longer have an irresistible hold.

Tasks
*In Hardcase missions, wave attacks properly spawn after protection OR destruction of obelisk. Mission can now complete in either instance.
*Caleb is fixed and should spawn now. Bring on the madness!

Tailor

* Arachnos Cape unlocked by buying the Special Edition DVD for City of Villains now appears correctly in costume selection.

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It seems that they want to reward some for defeating the big guys. The experience could be nice, but most of the time it seems that you have a chance at earning a bit of debt that you'd be repaying with the extra experience. The guaranteed SO could be nice but the random factor kicks in. We'll have to wait and see how well the scaling factor goes in.

Also, for those that want to help. They will be testing Caleb, nerva giant spawn, this Tuesday night at 9pm Central. The copy tool is linked in their test server forum if you want to join in.


Edit: Reading the forums more, it seems that the code to turn AV/Hero into Elite Bosses was snuck in but not included in the patch notes.

I'm not entirely impressed with the rewards. If the idea is to still encourage people do to AVs, this really isn't going to cut it? Doube exp? Nice, but considering how long it takes to actually kill and AV, I could probably make more than that just taking out the Elite Boss and going on to the next mission. Large Inspiration? Big deal. I get those often enough, especially since I can just go to Shadow Shard and farm a mission. +3 enhancment? The only time people are clamoring for these is when they hit 50. Prior to that, mostly everyone just upgrades at x2 (eg 22, 32) or x7 (eg 17, 47.) Salvage? Ok, garuanteed salvage is nice, but again, nothing that's really in short supply.

What I'd rather they had done:
- Temp power: Each AV defeat gives you a temp power corresponding to the AV's own powers. For example, defeating AntiMatter gives you 24 hours of X-Ray Beam. Vahzilok could give you 3 charges that summon an Embalmed Cadaver.
- Enhancement/Inspiration: Rather than the best, why not some unique ones? Nothing incredibly overpowered, just slightly better than what we get as it is. For example, a +33% dmg +10%rng enhancement or a "no debt" 15min inspiration.

I just don't think the current plan is going to encourage people to fight AVs at all. Instead, people are just going to make them Elite Bosses to get the boring inconveniences out of the way.

Yup, this won't encourage me to fight AVs except maybe with level 20ish characters (to get SOs before you can buy SOs, or get filled out more quickly with SOs). A hammi-O would've been nice, but considering how common AVs are through the storylines, a group of players could quickly end up with most of their powers filled with hammi-Os making it a bit overpowering.

In my opinion the 'elite bossing' of AVs is more important, allowing you to get through a storyline more easily without having to gather up a bunch of players to fight an AV. I still think even as an elite boss, AVs like Calstyx are going to be a huge pain.

For those who haven't heard of the club, this place allows for heroes and villains to come together in the same zone and not have to fight each other. There is what appears to be an unlockable contact in the center of the zone and two portals that look like they are for missions. The most interesting part of the zone is that heroes and villains are allowed to be in the same group.

It's a great improvement over what we have now. I'm just hoping they do more to make this zone more useful. A minigame of some sort would be a huge addition to the game.

That reminds me of all those cartoons where the hero (reluctantly) sides with a villain (also reluctantly, though plotting the hero's downfall all the while) temporarily to defeat a greater threat.

They've sort of hinted towards doing something like that for the next expansion. No clue if they were just throwing around ideas or not, but it isn't unheard of in the comic world. The whole X-Men Legends 2, for example, is based around that idea. Personally, I'm sort of hoping they go that way so they can develop one big expansion for both games rather than two smaller ones.