Good morning Players!
I wanted to be the first to let you all know that the primary Feature
list for Issue 13: Architect is now live! That said, I’d like
to take this opportunity to talk to you about some of the new features,
more in depth.
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The
Issue 13 Architect Logo.
First off is the issue name, Architect. I liked the correlation that
the name has between some of the improvements we are making to bases
(in the way new things are purchased for them) and to our Mission
Architect feature. Players can now be architects of their own story
arcs that other players can play. When I first mentioned this system in
the 4th Anniversary post, I had no idea how wildly popular that single
concept would be. The thread that followed that post had a plethora of
ideas of how such a system could, and should work from a
player’s perspective.
With virtually no information to go on, some people very much
underestimated what would be possible with the Mission Architect. Some
got it spot on, and some people wanted features that were simply
impossible to get into the system at launch. Even so, we are very proud
of the system as it stands. Players can make their own story arcs using
a customized version of the tool used by our mission writers, in some
cases rivaling our own internal tools in ease-of-use. I am really
looking forward to playing the stories you all create with this amazing
tool!
I should probably take this moment to talk about what the Mission
Architect is not meant for. It is not meant for “easy
leveling” or “badging” or
“farming”. Those are things that we specifically
wanted the Mission Architect NOT to do. This may be a disappointment to
some, I know. The goal was to give creative minds an outlet to tell the
stories they have in their heads. We didn’t want the system
clogged with Farm missions, so actually finding someone’s
story that they lovingly crafted became more a chore than it was worth.
To that end, the Rewards in the Mission Architect are something we,
ahem, discussed with raised voices time and time again. How much was
too much? How little was too little? What limits needed to be put into
place to stop farming? Should we even have such limits? Etc. In the
end, we have a system that we believe is the best suited for what
Mission Architect was made for, and is not abusable. Time and testing
will tell if that is really the case though. Like the Invention System,
there will be many iterations on the Mission Architect to make sure we
get it right before it goes to the Live servers.
Next I want to talk about Day Jobs. This started out as a kind of
“secret identity” system, but we wanted to save the
term Secret Identity for a system that fit that name better. Day Jobs
works well because it is “what your character is doing when
not being a Hero or a Villain”. It’s their
“day job”. A character who logs out in the Hospital
is assumed to be working in a medicinal capacity, and they will receive
a themed bonus when they log back in, that sort of thing. We even made
it possible to have your character’s Day Job to be
“On Patrol” or “Committing
Crimes”, just in case you couldn’t envision your
character having a “normal life” while you were not
actively playing them.
There are plenty of other features in Issue 13: Architect as well, like
the new powersets, including the much requested “Villainous
Version of Empathy” called Pain Domination. We’re
also adding some great new missions to Issue 12’s Roman Zone
“Cimerora,” as well as a brand new reward system
that will hopefully see the end of “necessary” Task
Force farming trying to get that one specific Recipe you have been
dying to get. The Issue 13 Feature List explains more about that.
We’ll be announcing more specifics of each of these features
between now and the beta testing for Issue 13.
Finally, I want to tell you about two “Booster
Packs” that will be available in a month or so. Many players
have requested the ability to buy the 30 day temporary jetpack that
comes with the new City of Heroes Game Cards. Once the retailer
exclusive period ends next month, we are making the same jetpack
available for purchase for $4.99 (which is the cost difference between
the one month game time and the $20 Game Card price). We are also
excited to launch our Super Booster I: Cyborg Pack for $9.99. This pack
has an awesome set of costume pieces, emotes, auras and a power.
We’ll be sharing all of the details shortly.
So thank you players for the enthusiastic support and I can’t
wait to get these new features into your hands and to answer your
questions about Issue 13 over the coming months and at Hero-Con in
October.
Happy hunting!
Matt
“Positron” Miller
style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">
Lead
Designer, City of Heroes/Villains
style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;">ISSUE
13: ARCHITECT FEATURE LIST
Mission Architect:
First the City of Heroes Character Creator set a new standard for
player creation and customization. Now, Issue 13 takes another giant
step, allowing players to design their own missions and story arcs to
share with the entire City of Heroes community. Using an intuitive
interface similar to the game’s detailed Character Creator,
players can create missions from the ground up. Players will determine
details ranging from environments, mission objectives, and enemies, to
written fiction and character dialogue; giving their stories nearly
infinite depth and personalization.
Among other rewards, authors and architects who create the most
extraordinary content will garner acclaim and reputation. Community
feedback will be paramount and some missions will elevate in status
unlocking new rewards and benefits for their creators.
Day Jobs (Offline
Character Progression)
Scholar? Caregiver? City Official? Now when players log out of City of
Heroes / Villains they’re just getting started! A
character’s day job is determined by the actual in-game
location from which he or she logs out. If players log out from a
University their day job is considered to be a Scholar. If they log out
from City Hall they're a City Official. The benefits are thematically
appropriate to the location. For example, a City Official earns extra
Influence, a Scholar is granted Salvage, a Caregiver is granted Health
Regeneration Buffs, etc.
Once characters have accumulated the required amount of time for each
Day Job, they are rewarded with the appropriate Day Job Badge and
Title, increasing their “earnings” for that job.
Multiple Badges can be combined to unlock Accolades and the ability to
accumulate additional new rewards. Almost every location within Paragon
City™ and the Rogue Isles™ has an associated Day
Job, resulting in a wide selection of jobs and rewards!
New Powersets
- Shields – Heft a Shield for Heroic of Villainous
Ends! This new powerset brings a classic power to City of Heroes:
Shields! Now, you can arm Tankers, Scrappers, Brutes and Stalkers with
a powerful shield to protect themselves and their allies. - Pain Domination – Villains can now bend the power
of pain to serve their own ends! Those playing a Corruptor or
Mastermind have access to this new powerset. The antithesis of the Hero
healing powerset “Empathy,” Pain Domination brings
parity between Heroes and Villains with a distinctively evil flair. - New Cimerora Missions – New Hero and Villain
story arcs expand upon the history and lore, and delve into the players
and politics of Cimerora.
The Merit Rewards System is a new game system that allows players to
earn tokens by completing Trials, Task Forces, Strike Forces, Raids,
etc. The most challenging and time consuming tasks grant the most
reward tokens, which can be redeemed throughout Hero and Villain zones
for recipes, enhancements, salvage, costume pieces, badges,
inspirations and other game items.
Other features include new Invention Origin Sets, new Costume Sets, a
Patron Power Respec, Zone Refinements, and more!
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our City of Villains Game Page.
