Super Group HQs

[Old Glory]

I've been waiting for these things since before the game launched, and I'm very interested to see what CoV is going to add to CoH in that regard. As the leader of my SG, I've been banking influence and a month into being level 50, I have 51 million INF. That is a lot, but I know others have been level 50 for way longer than me, so they could have crazy amounts of cash.

So it makes me wonder, what will it all cost? Will big SG's and little SG's follow the same rules? Is it modular and expandable? How will it all work?

I am an artist by trade, and I designed an HQ for the team for fun already. I built an 8 level underground bunker with room for 20 heroes, training room, kitchen, meeting room, hospital, holding cell, vault, workshop, rec room, and a reactor.

I'd love to be able to build something like that with the lab tiles available in the game. I'd also liek for the rooms to really do something. If you had the choice to go back to your HQ or the hospital, maybe I'd want my HQ's facilities. The training room, although not missions or street hunting, would be nice to train and get some XP and/or some Insirarations. I am assuming since Statesman has said there may be vehicles in future that there can be hangars or garages for your vehicles. Meeting rooms would let you call any contact, regardless of how well you know them, and maybe even give you random missions. I dunno. I see a lot of potential for cool stuff.

[AfterglowNoMore]

Yeah, after all the work you did designing the Quarry, I'd love to see what it looked like in game.

[Old Glory]

Heh. Good to see you AG. ;-) Thanks.

[Emerald Sky]

You have a link to the stuff you've designed? I remember your SG way back in beta days and would love to see what you came up with.

[Gaia]

Go to www.universe-m.com there is a whole bunch of Concrete Gurus goodness there. And "Hi US!"

--ever observant Outburst

[Stalking Shadow]

I'd like to see the Dawn Patrol Headquarters in game... that's one of the main places that the DP RPs are set.

[coldcut]

I did a few preliminary sketches for a City Watch headquarters. They never really went anywhere, but they ended up being real interesting architectural exercises. Turns out that the classical (and otherwise) three-tiered system doesn't mesh up real well with a giant Times Square type video screen.

[Tsarmina]

I'm also interested on how the HQs are going to turn out and the level of customization. Then there are the HQ raids, monthly 'rent', and maybe a 'bank' for storing SG funds. :singdance

[Akamaz]

that and a hope that you get to pick a building for your hq, and not just have a building that ALL sg's use...

[Plasma Wisp]

There's a building in Founders Falls that is where HQ's will be bought/rented. I was runnin through there with CR and got a badge for it.

[Yin]

From the way Statesman keeps talking it sounds like they implemented a Sims-like creation system. I hope that is true, because I want Tempestria's base to be real medieval/gothic/dungeony/CoT. That real eerie feel to it. The kind of base you wouldn't visit on a stormy night.

[Quakester]

From the way Statesman keeps talking it sounds like they implemented a Sims-like creation system. I hope that is true, because I want Tempestria's base to be real medieval/gothic/dungeony/CoT. That real eerie feel to it. The kind of base you wouldn't visit on a stormy night.

I generally don't like to visit those kind of places on bright sunny days either. :P

[Akamaz]

well i hope that's not the case pwispcrobbie

cause that would suck...

I hope that we can make our own hero rooms, and design it an stuff. cause having the SG leader make your room could kinda be bad.

Allowing a SIMS style build would make it a bit easier to make defensive floorplans, but it'll probably end up more like a cut and paste build, where each room is a piece, and you put them all together, like the mission maps, they're all pieces that get strung together by hallways.

[BvS]

I would imagine that that's what they'll be like, 'Maz.

It'd be difficult, from Cryptic's point of view, to make the HQ's as easily customised as we'd like. They'll probably settle on a number of tilesets (like the mission maps) that we'll be able to pick from and maybe charge rent in influence based upon the number of tiles (floorspace) used.

[Old Glory]

I wouldn't mind stringing together rooms. Just as long as they make sense. I have joked around at my teamsite, usually just taking pictures from a mission with the lab tileset, and said they were the Concrete Gurus HQ. But, thats almost enough for me, visually. Things like an Enhancement and Inspiration bank for players to stock up for each other is key in my mind. Not to mention stuff for group perks like hangars for vehicles (space missions as hinted to by Statesman) or workshops for temp powers to be built(my wishlist).

I am also keen on the "defensive" strategy since I seem to recall that groups or villains can raid other HQs. Being able to hire NPC guards that look like the black ops guys from Firebase Zulu, and maybe dropping some gun turrets down would be great, IMO.

My original concept for a base was a bunker, but I get the feeling the bases will all be towers, or expansive single floor sprawls. I believe I also read that having your own real estate in game is not viable. However, a nice touch would be to have it accessible from "booths" or public transportation so that you can just pop in to the instance. As you load it up, have a nifty "hall of justice" screen shot, and layer your SG's symbol over the top of it with a transparent gif or something. Personalization is the key. ;-)

[Stalking Shadow]

Ideally, I'd like to be able to call one of the buildings in town the HQ. I always invisioned the DP headquarters really to be just a simple office complex, using the office tileset. A nice lobby downstairs, then elevators that take you to different floors of the building. You could rent more floors for space, just like companies do with large buildings like the Empire State, Sears Tower, and John Hancock Center.

[Old Glory]

Ideally, you could go to a location and have your "sign" up on the door. Although, everyone renting one building is like an invitation for the Rikti to bring a starship over it and do an Independence Day style beat down on it. ;-)

I don't know how many of you were in the beta, but the Rikti ships flew over many of the zones. It was a nicely done invasion event. ;-) They just teleported down troops. No giant laser blasts.

[Stalking Shadow]

I've seen the screens. It looked wicked awesome!

[TheImperial]

There's a building in Founders Falls that is where HQ's will be bought/rented. I was runnin through there with CR and got a badge for it.

What badge is that?

[Old Glory]

That should be the Foggy badge. If you'll note, when issue 4 went live, they appear to have begun construction on the building mentioned in the badge.. just my guess anyway.

[BvS]

All HQs in a single building? Accessible through a single door similar to instanced missions?

Will someone be so kind as to go over to the official boards and make the suggestion that HQ access be done at tram stations, like the outdoor instanced missions are? (I can't, I'm not a customer at the moment.)

At least, that way, players can 'pretend' to be going to a unique location.

[coldcut]

I'd be real surprised if that ended up being the superbase central. For one thing, it's absolutely covered in snipers. For another, it's a hideous building, looks like the evil building from Ghostbusters. I think it was an early idea that isn't going forward. At least I hope so.

[coldcut]

All HQs in a single building? Accessible through a single door similar to instanced missions?

Will someone be so kind as to go over to the official boards and make the suggestion that HQ access be done at tram stations, like the outdoor instanced missions are? (I can't, I'm not a customer at the moment.)

At least, that way, players can 'pretend' to be going to a unique location.

I've made that suggestion in the past.

[Old Glory]

I think I managed to get that in too, inbetween them screwing up my accounts. Grrr. So mad at them about that. I can't even log in right now my info is so messed up, and customer support takes turns telling me I am and am not a customer. I just want to be able to use my name, which is also Old Glory, or else I'd make a new account. Sorry, now I'm off topic.

Where did you guys see pictures of the building?

[coldcut]

I think I managed to get that in too, inbetween them screwing up my accounts. Grrr. So mad at them about that. I can't even log in right now my info is so messed up, and customer support takes turns telling me I am and am not a customer. I just want to be able to use my name, which is also Old Glory, or else I'd make a new account. Sorry, now I'm off topic.

Where did you guys see pictures of the building?

I actually went and found it. Got a screenshot around here somewhere.

http://users.adelphia.net/~dmorgan78/images/Zuul.jpg

There we are. Pretty freakin' hideous.

[Old Glory]

Is that the building that was there in FF? Or is it from Test? Right now in FF there is a new piece of construction going up over what used to be docks and a courtyard. Well, either way I guess the final proof will be when HQs go live. Then it it will either be hideous or cool. :-P

I have a screenshot I'm going to doctor up of a pair of skyscrapers from Talos. Gonna put some super logos on them. ;-)

[coldcut]

Is that the building that was there in FF? Or is it from Test? Right now in FF there is a new piece of construction going up over what used to be docks and a courtyard. Well, either way I guess the final proof will be when HQs go live. Then it it will either be hideous or cool. :-P

I have a screenshot I'm going to doctor up of a pair of skyscrapers from Talos. Gonna put some super logos on them. ;-)

Nah, you're thinking about the university. Quite frankly I'm not real impressed with the developing team's grasp of architecture to this point. The area looks nice, but that's about it.

[Old Glory]

It is indeed the University that is being built in Founder's Falls. Once I read down the really really really long list of items that Issue 4 fixed or introduced I saw that note. Of course, now I wonder how much fun it would be to go to a school where 5th Column and Council Vampires are less than 2 blocks away, not to mention Devouring Earth nasties and Soul sucking Circle of Thorns demons? Sure Numina and Infernal are also 2 blocks away, but that last time they did anything was well before Beta planted them in that courtyard. ;-)

Let's say they don't make the HQ's an instanced entrance, shouldn't they put the team building in a zone where everyone can go safely? They give the badge for the superbuilding HQ in Founder's, but I mean, everyone who has at least one guy over 25 is probably experienced enough to navigate all the way to Founder's Falls and not die more than once...but all those folks with no travel power...thats an awful haul from where their missions are in the 1-level 1-20 over to FF. Steel Canyon seems to me to be the ideal place with access to the lower zones, and the level 20 zones, am I right?

[Kinetix]

I wish it would go liek this:

First go to the City Rep in atlas and apply for a building permit. She gives you a mission, you pay a small fee and you go to different buildings and click the doors. They give you an option to see the different floor plans, prices and sizes of the plots in that building. Once you say, "yes, choose this building" she'll tell you to go to an Architect and then it would be like the sims, except: Choose a floor plan, place objects, rotate objects, set in stone. Then the Architect will say how much it is, he gives you the plans for the base and you pay another small fee. Next you go to some construction man, hand him the plans and pay him. He builds it and you're done.

Lotta hoops to go through but I think it'd be worth it.

What do you guys think?

[Stalking Shadow]

Yay! City of Bureaucracy!

Though I would prefer it to having everyone in one building.

[Old Glory]

A reasonable number of hoops is fine with me. Talking to a few contacts, paying the influence, whatever. Just so long as you can reasonably get your HQ.

Like, making it a level 50 mission will make a ton of people crazy just because they have to make the level recquirement, although there are tons of 50's now. Doing it as a level 25 mission will make it a joke for most of the people who have been playing, so why bother even making it a mission? Tough call.

In general I have been pleased with what the Devs have done, so i won't scream bloody murder til I have to.

[The Widowed]

What about the Anarchy Online solution? Instead of having everybody living in one big building, why not have them take their pick from a bunch of little buildings scattered all across the city? Just set up headquarters buildings or buildings for private residences in every zone, from Atlas Park and Galaxy City (for the SG's who aren't too good to dredge up members from all the newbies pouring in from Outbreak) to Steel Canyon (for the groups who want public exposure while still giving themselves the privilege of being choosy with their members) to Faultline (for the secretive types) to the Rikti Crash Site and Peregrine Island (for the hardcore or high-level-only groups).

Anarchy Online didn't charge anything for a home; Each new character began play with an apartment key in their inventory, and the key would be consumed with the first apartment door you entered, making it your own. Exclusive ownership of that door was an illusion to the uninformed, of course; If ten people chose the same door, those ten people would each get their own apartment but all ten would still access their apartments via that same door.

Whether or not CoH imposed an influence charge for a dwelling or gave it away for free would be up to the developers; If there was an Influence cost, that could go towards the size of the dwelling and/or the maximum number of furnishings permitted. Single low-level Heroes with little means would have to settle for a one-bedroom apartment, while teeming supergroups full of high-level Heroes could chip in for a mansion-sized base complete with the whole Justice League package. Influence may or may not also reflect which zone the dwelling was in and any "security costs" related to more hazardous zones (though speaking realistically, heavily-populated zones like Atlas Park might have shortages of vacancies and therefore higher prices, while whoever wanted to sell a place in blighted Crey's Folly would have to drop the price considerably just to get it off their hands). As with AO, furnishings--tables, refrigerators, statues, et cetera--could be purchased separately and placed where the owner saw fit.

Of course, seeing some Hero you don't recognize enter the door which leads to your condominium might be a bit disconcerting, but this arrangement would solve the problems with variety and subjective desirability (by placing homes all over the city) while avoiding the problems which come with offering a less than infinite number of dwellings, a problem which still scourges Ultima Online, where every lot is occupied with homes and players--some of the players bring opportunistic price gougers who take unfair advantage of the housing shortage by selling their homes for an exhorbitant mark-up; These gougers may even use their hefty profits to buy another marked-up home, turn around and sell it for even more, thus ensuring that younger players without massive hoards of gold will never have a home in Ultima Online.

Thoughts?

[Akamaz]

I like the idea of a free apartment for everyone, with the option of upgrading for a fee. then Maz could have his crappy apartment with rock band posters all over it.

[Old Glory]

I think there's a lot to be said for the illusion of exclusivity. It could be a nice touch to have real estate in different zones available for HQs. The statistical numbers that CoH offered that there were 10 million new heroes created is something of a misnomer. Since they are speread out on the 8 servers and many of those were alts, we'll never see that kind of potential population glut in action. Some days it may get a little wierd as lots of folks hit a building.

Although, the city of heroes is a unique animal in many ways. Heroes were called here. So Devs will probably make it an overt HQ system, whether its centralized buildings, or centralized access to instanced HQs.

Individual apartments (small HQs) would be neat, but they need a good reason to have them...like letting you personailze it, do crafting, improved rest, or something there. That way giant HQs are not the "be all, end all" possession available to just uber rich groups.

[The Widowed]

That's what I was thinking: Functionally, homes and HQ's could serve as an alternate to the Rest ability, which could also lead to some interesting "siege" situations should a herd of tough villains ever corner you outside your home. Fight them, run back inside when they start beating you down, heal up (nap, drink milk, watch some TV, take a quick shower, however you wanna roleplay it), then run back outside to battle some more. Meanwhile, the Rest ability isn't used, thus leaving it free in case you get into a bad fight not long after you leave the house. :cool:

[Akamaz]

That wold be a problem tho, because how long will it be until some enterprising team has their invuln tankers herding stuff to the hq and then the blasters just nuke the crud out of stuff, and when they run low on end, go inside (have a coke, or something) and then come out to blast some more)

I mean, it would turn into an exploit imo

Now I dunno about crafting (and i'm still not entirely sure why this keeps getting brought up)

{sarcasm}
What would folks craft? furniture? c'mon! in a modern setting "Joseph the Mighty" is gonna sit back in his HQ an whittle up some rockin' chairs with his laser eyes?

better make sure to buy some of those rocking chairs, they add +5% regen rate while in your HQ

or better yet!!

Better watch out Atlas park, Warblade the lvl 50 scrapper is looking to make a new cape, and needs 15 more hellion bandana's to make the set...
{/sarcasm}

[Stalking Shadow]

A lot of people have pointed to temp-powers as craft items. This might be where origins come into play: magic origins make magical artifacts or healing/mana potions, tech origins make "ace-in-the-hole" items like bombs or grenades or other extra attacks, Naturals can meditate/train for "practiced techniques" that could act as disorients/debuffs, Mutants could... I dunno, squeeze a pimple and sprout a tentacle? :P Science origins might have temporary bursts of cosmic rays/chemical exposures that wore off after a while, and so on and so forth. It'd make origins become slightly more than just an aesthetic choice.

[Akamaz]

I know, I've just seen the things that go on when crafted items are brought into a game. the "lower level" stuff always costs more to make than to sell, and the higher level stuff gets increasingly ridiculous in price. that and the before mentionted thing with

WarBlayde! the 50 BS/INV scrapper running around farming lvl 2 hellions for their masks an stuff.

[Stalking Shadow]

What if you could just spend influence for them? No stupid commodity harvesting.

[Rottweiler]

I like the idea of the option to deem an existing building/door to enter your HQ.
Honor Society has officially deemed this building in Atlas for EMAC.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v438/bruinmaximus/Screenies/emaclocation1.gif
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v438/bruinmaximus/Screenies/EMAC.jpg

[Metropolis1927]

I would love to see trials or long story arcs that, when conquered/beaten, allow SGs to add on to their HQ. For instance, someone mentioned a medical lab in the HQ where defeated heroes could opt to go to instead of the hospital (awesome idea!). I think it would be cool if you couldn't just buy it w/ influence, but instead, you had to earn it through a difficult trial or arc.

Oh, and Rottie... Abby wants one of the rooms w/ a balcony for her and Goopie! ;)

[The Widowed]

It could be a good idea to win exclusive furnishings from certain tasks or missions, just like you win certain badges or temp powers. It would add character to your home while allowing you to brag to the lowbies. "See that throne? I got that when I beat up Nemesis." :cool:

It kinda reminds me of the time Ed was the Judge for our Marvel Supervillains campaign. Our supervillains were just a bunch of no-account scoundrels living in--and maintaining a "secret headquarters" in--some guy's basement. Then we decided to go rob a bank, and our attempt was foiled by another supervillain--Dimmu Borgir and his reptilianoids, who were also there to rob the same bank. So we followed Mr. Borgir to his secret swamp base, beat up on him and all his reptilianoids, and took all his money and all his stuff. It was a lot of loot. So our villains moved out of the basement, blew up the house and moved into a warehouse, which we converted into a real supervillain headquarters. :)

[Stalking Shadow]

That sounds like fun!

[Charon]

The Bone Squad have had three seperate HQs since their creation.

One was an abandoned apartment block that Charon moved into when he actually became Charon and operated out of for something like 9 years, then when he met the other three members of the team they just moved in and they converted it into a low-budget, run down building with as many low budget traps to keep people out as possible. It had a garage for a vehicle, a training room, sleeping quarters, an observation room (feeds from government security cameras all over the city) and that was pretty much it.

The second was an abandoned subway station below Perez Park called "Bone Yard." It was bassically beneath the city, and the only access was through abandoned maintenance tunnels. It was attached to abandoned tunnels that ran all the way through the rest of the city, and the Bone Squad could be anywhere in minutes using one clapped out old train that still ran on the tracks. Again, the actual station they stayed in had observation room, training room, living quarters.

The third is the tower in King's Row in the King's Garment District next to the Independance Port exit - the only HQ the team has ever RPed as actually being in-game. They had the very tower itself, and the top floor of the warehouse it was attached too - the bottom floor was just abandoned and all entrace points to the second floor had been sealed by the team except one hatch that lead down to a garage below. That HQ had an observation room and training room in the second floor of the tower, one garage below it, and the actual tower itself was the living quarters.

Of course, looking back on these plans - only the first one is going to be possible :(, Because we won't get to use the actual building for the third one in-game, and 'Bone Yard' is competely out of the question because it's too adventurous for the system they'll implement. Shame really, since I really liked the concepts behind the second two...

[Stalking Shadow]

Looking at the creation engine for the bases for the first time, Charon, I actually think you might be able to jury-rig a large warehouse- or subway-type base.

Dawn Patrol HQ is probably going to go with the office tileset, if it's available. :cool:

[The Widowed]

That sounds like fun!
The build-a-base thing or the reptilianoid thing?

[Stalking Shadow]

The reptillianoids. But build-a-base will be fun too. I just hope we can spread them out on multiple floors/levels

[Tsarmina]

The second was an abandoned subway station below Perez Park called "Bone Yard." It was bassically beneath the city, and the only access was through abandoned maintenance tunnels. It was attached to abandoned tunnels that ran all the way through the rest of the city, and the Bone Squad could be anywhere in minutes using one clapped out old train that still ran on the tracks. Again, the actual station they stayed in had observation room, training room, living quarters....
Oh see? No one makes sewer jokes to the Bone Squad. But when the Underground says their HQ is in abandoned subway tunnels we are the brunt of sewer jokes galore. :grr:


Though however they are implimented, it sure is exciting to be getting our own hangout! :cool:

[Stalking Shadow]

Oh see? No one makes sewer jokes to the Bone Squad. But when the Underground says their HQ is in abandoned subway tunnels we are the brunt of sewer jokes galore. :grr:

"Yes, well, no one ever worries about beating a droid."
"Yeah, that's because droids aren't known to rip people's arms off when they lose. Wookies are known to do that."

:P

[Old Glory]

I'm joing back in late becuase I haven't been auto-replied to somewhere along the way. I'm hoping my CoV beta invite gets here soon so I can see the HQ builder in action.

[Eomatrix]

I think the sims thing is stupid and we should be able to just build a sky base have it empty sans outside walls. you could have the number of floors and customize the size of the floors and be able to link coalition bases together, with a mystic or hi-tech portal or air craft to link them together which you could reconfigure if you wanted to go to a zone on the opposite side of the city. or an under ground sanctum for brooding hermits and magic origins, something underground and batcave-esque with computers you could either build, loot from criminals or buy you could use them to hack and stuff and find out history of the archvillains you catch or hack them from the rouge islands data base. you would have a work shop where you could tinker with your suit, weapons, and implants if you are a tech origin, or make temporary powers and post things people in every zone can hear so statesman can do things like a state of the union address. besides real heres always have their HIDEout hidden from prying eyes. and the sky bases would have drop pods and cloaking devices. and you could have a vault where you could store influence, enhacments, clues and souvenirs. or you could build vehicles with enough people and parts. Whadda you guys think? :chuckle:

[iggy880]

I'll add what I know from my magazine based knowledge, there will be the need fo a power station, and each base only needs one because they are so advanced, but you may want more beause they can be destroyed in an attack.

[Old Glory]

I have read that there will be vaults, and I can guess that from the numerous tile sets said to be available, they wouldn't short us the underground themed Council/5th Column or Circle of Thorns-like sets. They are too cool to not share.

[Magna Harrier]

First thing in the que for the Experts?
The Hot Tub of Justice!
What? I can hope it cleaves that close to the Sims.

[Stalking Shadow]

I think the sims thing is stupid and we should be able to just build a sky base have it empty sans outside walls. you could have the number of floors and customize the size of the floors and be able to link coalition bases together, with a mystic or hi-tech portal or air craft to link them together which you could reconfigure if you wanted to go to a zone on the opposite side of the city. or an under ground sanctum for brooding hermits and magic origins, something underground and batcave-esque with computers you could either build, loot from criminals or buy you could use them to hack and stuff and find out history of the archvillains you catch or hack them from the rouge islands data base. you would have a work shop where you could tinker with your suit, weapons, and implants if you are a tech origin, or make temporary powers and post things people in every zone can hear so statesman can do things like a state of the union address. besides real heres always have their HIDEout hidden from prying eyes. and the sky bases would have drop pods and cloaking devices. and you could have a vault where you could store influence, enhacments, clues and souvenirs. or you could build vehicles with enough people and parts. Whadda you guys think? :chuckle:

I think you need to breath, and put in line breaks. :lol: But cool ideas, I agree for the most part.

[Eomatrix]

:lol: ImnotalkingtomuchwhaddyatalkinaboutfooaAAAAAHHHHHH HYOURERIGHTACKKKNOAIRSENDHELPdies :mahaf:

[Eomatrix]

my spirit is coming back to haunt my bases. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[Eomatrix]

This thread seems to be dead, who wants to do the autopsy? *everyone slowly backs away*

[Old Glory]

OK, let me get thet paddles...

CLEAR!

There we go. I actually have done some layouts in a top floor to basement view, which will of course not work at all with the new HQ set up. So, I have re-done them in a sprawling top view and think I am pretty stoked to try it for real...hurry up CoV beta invite.

[Randomus]

I got the impression that the hideous building in FF was for individual hero apartments, not supergroup HQs.

[Old Glory]

It could be, but I think that it is still subject to what we finally see. All the info i have read to date and the examples i have seen suggest that when you go through the front door, it will be like any door mission, where the layout inside could not possibly match where you just enetered.

[Stalking Shadow]

What kind of idiot puts all the heroes sleeping in the same building? It just makes it that much easier to destroy us all in one fell swoop.

[Old Glory]

I believe that's been brought up before, but as potentially dangerous as that is, it has always been the nature of warfare that a fortified position is safer to rest and recoup in than individual positions, even if they are fortified, because a centralized location can have the best and biggest defenses.

Consider any castle within multiple parapets and a moat. Consider Masada, a fortress built on top of a mountain. Consider Helm's deep from LOTR The two Towers. The JLU's orbiting Watchtower. All fortified, all recquiring a huge amount of effort to storm and enter/secure/destroy. None of them are perfect, but you ensure the invader's losses will be greater than yours by making them attack you.

So, I agree to a point but the logic is tried and true, and well within the spirit of the game despite any real world logic or exceptions (Glactus eating your base, a world power dropping a nuke on you, the Rikti going Independance Day on your head, etc). A seceret fortress is the best because attacking a secret location is by definition, impossible.

Last note, I'd feel better sleeping within a hundred feet of the JLA than just about anyhwere else if trouble was going to happen. And maybe the closer to Black Canary or Wonder Woman the better. ;-)

[Stalking Shadow]

The Watchtower is in Space.

Helm's Deep and Masada didn't take nukes into account.

This is a building in the middle of an urban environment. I'd say it's smarter, from an enforcement perspective, to have heroes living all over the place, so that one is always nearby to be dispatched.

[Old Glory]

Yes, the Watchtower is in Space. Yes, Helm's Deep and Masada didn't take nukes into account but no one has nukes in either situaton. I totally agree. However, there are no nukes in this game, just guys who are gonna storm your base like in my examples with those named places.

If you really want to bring nukes into it, it doesn't matter where they sleep in Paragon City, they are all gonna die in their apartments alone and extra crispy when the blast radius decimates everything.

[Stalking Shadow]

Point taken.

[Zonis]

well if u defend ur base lay booby traps and decive your opponments into following you into them.

[Eomatrix]

Oh, come on you are back in the hospital already!? SUE GET THE DEFIBRILATORS!

[Eomatrix]

Dammit Sue Hurry It Up Woman!!

[Old Glory]

I like how Eo kicks this thread every so often and shakes up my e-mail.

I heard some rumors that Influence would not be the driving force behind base building. Disappointing considering the 100 Million I saved up for that possibilty. I did hear that You would begin saving up something else, but that was not fully realized yet. So I'm waiting to hear more.

[Eomatrix]

That currency would called prestige and you get it by fighting in your supergroup mode and it will be datamined after the release of CoV.

And thank you for acknowledging my efforts Glory.

[Old Glory]

There you go. Perfect explanation by a person determined not to give up on the the HQ thread. Bravo.

[Eomatrix]

Why thank you Glory, I just don't like to give up on things. This thread is one of those things. I saw it start to die and it was one of the interesting threads so why let a good thing die?

[Old Glory]

I totally agree. Having started this thread, I'll take it as a compliment that you like it so much. I'll also offer this to see if we can't fire it up some more.

I want to have a really big base. My SG has about 40 members with 20 being quite active right now. The provider in me says we'll need space. Not being able to use my saved influence makes me worry how to cover costs on such an endeavor. Anyone know if its going to be a numbers game? Like, does a lvl 50 in SG mode outweigh a lvl 1 in SG mode? Does everyone count equally towards your base? What's my upkeep going to be like? I'm starting to watch these threads again, but am sure I haven't seen recent news.

[Eomatrix]

Hey Glory this is completely off topic, but what server do you play on and could you spare room for a level 2?

[Old Glory]

I can be off topic for a minute.

The Concrete Gurus and I are headquarted on Guardian. We have a few alt teams on some other servers but Guardian is "home base." We are always actively recruiting, especially players who are up for teaming and playing the game as a group. We have run an 8 man squad minimum every night for over a month, typically in the 30's range with people exemped or SK'd as needed. We have all levels of player. Send me a tell @ UnknownSoldier in game for a tryout or e-mail me, I'll find ya. We have some team history and guidelines at www.universe-m.com , and even on topic related schematics of out base, the Quarry. I've redesigned it based on what I think basebuilding will allow, but I'm not going to make it public yet, if at all.

[Eomatrix]

Come on people post more replies!

[Eomatrix]

Ok I hear we make are bases raidable by getting items of power, which you loot from Ruladak the Strong in The Shadow Shard. Anyone care to elaborate?

[Eomatrix]

Come on people, post SOMETHING! ANYTHING!

[Old Glory]

Allrighty, time to weigh in on bases as they DO exist.

I have made 3 at this point, and am an editor on 6. My mainstay belongs to the Concrete Gurus. It has 8 rooms right now on the starter plot of land. It has functioning medical facilities and is RAID ready. I'll come back to that part. It costs a lot in upkeep, and it has losts of extraneous touches, but it looks really darn good. Let me add that Prestige to pay for bases is really badly in need of being made more reasonable, in case you didn't already know. I say this because the little starter base i made for our coalition team has just one room, and no functioning pieces, so upkeep is free, and it looks really good too. it was made with the money we got from just having our SG members, which is I think a total of 300K when you hit 15 members, after that, they don't give you any more Prestige for people joining the SG.

Base raids, as I understand them because I haven't done one (I'm happy to be corrected if I need it), become available when your SG successfully completes a TF at the Cathedral of Pain setting and brings home an item of power. You need to create a Mission Computer from Salvage to be able to activate the mission, 6 rooms that can hold a dimensional anchor each, and one vault room with an item of power Base unit. That means, you can only own one item of power on the smallest plot of land, to my knowldege. Once you have one, you can actively RAID other HQs that agree to go in the RAID pool (there is some debate about everyone being in whether they like it or not, but I don't know). I am also told its a double blind system, so you don't know who you are up against, heroes or villains or what.

The key issues I have seen people complain about RAIDing right now is that you have to work really hard to get slavage, earn prestige, and then place everythign and deal with the associated costs. One RAID can cost you hundreds of thousands of prestiege that it took you months to get, not to mention potential salvage costs. So, people have said they don't have a compelling reason to allow themselves to RAID or be RAIDed yet. We'll see wat happens when it all goes live, soon.

Hope that helped.