Statesman answers questions about CoV

[Sword]

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=2921667&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1

Read the whole thread. He answers numerous questions along the way.

[suburbanhell]

We're still working on our pricing. We want to keep CoV affordable, but at the same time, it is a brand new standalone product.

GRRR!

Bases have a construction costs and a rent.

WTF?!? Not all of us are rich, how the hell am I supposed to pay for rent?

[Sword]

Heh, that's easy to answer:

go.hunt. kill skuls.

[suburbanhell]

ROFLMAO!!! If only I could, sadly I'm at work. Otherwise I think I'd go do that right now.

[Remianen]

That subscription question is the definition of hilarity. CoV has gotta have one helluva robust set of features to justify paying two subscription fees. I'm going to go out on a limb here (rofl) and say that existing CoH subscribers will pay a few more dollars (euro/yen/drachma/whatever) per month for CoV while new subscribers get an either/or/both option. Anything else alienates a decent sized chunk of the playerbase, I think.

[inkblaster]

Or, those that have always wanted to be the villain will just switch over.

[Krypto]

WTF?!? Not all of us are rich, how the hell am I supposed to pay for rent?

Get a SG?

Bases are for SGs, not individual people. Apartments and lairs arent coming out for a while.

[vyxzuw]

At high levels (Starting around mid 30s and especially in the 40s) you will have more influence than you know what to do with.

You'll be able to purchace an entire set of enhancements every level, if you wanted...so, having several high levels in a SG, will be able to rent a very cool base. (Of course, then you have to decide what goes in it...)

[8 Ball]

At high levels (Starting around mid 30s and especially in the 40s) you will have more influence than you know what to do with.

You'll be able to purchace an entire set of enhancements every level, if you wanted...so, having several high levels in a SG, will be able to rent a very cool base. (Of course, then you have to decide what goes in it...)

Turrents, Turrents & more Turrents...keeps those pesky salesmen out :P.

[Bari Jon]

Get a SG?

Bases are for SGs, not individual people. Apartments and lairs arent coming out for a while.

While apartments and lairs aren't coming out yet, I wonder how many people have thought about forming an SG just for the ability to have a "base", get some people to join up to get the base, and then those people leave to go back to their own SG? Then again... that probably would not work, just because you couldn't then help the other people get their own "Base/Apartment". Except with maybe an alt?

[Remianen]

While apartments and lairs aren't coming out yet, I wonder how many people have thought about forming an SG just for the ability to have a "base", get some people to join up to get the base, and then those people leave to go back to their own SG? Then again... that probably would not work, just because you couldn't then help the other people get their own "Base/Apartment". Except with maybe an alt?

There are many 1-person SGs out there now (I know of at least 15 and I'm still a lowbie). Folks hit 10 and automatically run to register their 'cool' SG name. I'm sure everyone can testify to having seen people in broadcast advertising their 'small' or 'newly formed' SG recruiting.

I'm thinking the cost would be prohibitive for a single person to have a fully decked out base. Kinda like trying to rent a pre-war 3 BR apartment on the Upper West Side on a teacher's salary (absolutely impossible here in NYC). But it would be easy enough to help friends set up their own single member SG with, as Bari Jon said, alts. 8 character slots per server can go a long way.

[MaligneFamily]

That subscription question is the definition of hilarity. CoV has gotta have one helluva robust set of features to justify paying two subscription fees. I'm going to go out on a limb here (rofl) and say that existing CoH subscribers will pay a few more dollars (euro/yen/drachma/whatever) per month for CoV while new subscribers get an either/or/both option. Anything else alienates a decent sized chunk of the playerbase, I think.

Also the question arises, How will they handle this with Game cards?

[Extractor]

Maybe they'll add some new animation if someone can't pay rent and gets evicted:

A truck rolls up and out jumps a small army of Crey security guards that make an ant line of guys caring boxes out of the base!

[Jade_Dragon]

There are many 1-person SGs out there now (I know of at least 15 and I'm still a lowbie). Folks hit 10 and automatically run to register their 'cool' SG name. I'm sure everyone can testify to having seen people in broadcast advertising their 'small' or 'newly formed' SG recruiting.

I'm thinking the cost would be prohibitive for a single person to have a fully decked out base. Kinda like trying to rent a pre-war 3 BR apartment on the Upper West Side on a teacher's salary (absolutely impossible here in NYC). But it would be easy enough to help friends set up their own single member SG with, as Bari Jon said, alts. 8 character slots per server can go a long way.

I, for one, have a 1-person SG. It's supposed to be a two person SG (maybe three) but I need to have someone join so he can add Blue Diamond, and then leave. :D Not that I wouldn't mind anyone else being a member of the group, but it's supposed to be my team from my stories.

I agree about it being pretty ambitious to want a base for only one person, though. The whole concept of the base seems built around raids, so that means Supergroups. There's probably a lot of stuff (not the least of which would be the Objects of Power) that are going to be totally extraneous to the person who just wants a little apartment.

That's not to say that a similar kind of editor couldn't be used to create apartments. I kind of see those as being pre-generated, though, with maybe the ability to customize the interior. You wouldn't be able to just "carve out" a bunch of space as you could with a base.

Also, assuming they allow this, I can see individual villains wanting to set up a base as a sort of pseudo-PvE kind of mission. He won't have a whole team of player villains behind him, just NPC minions, if that's available. Then again, such a villain would probably be high enough level that he's no longer worried about spending time on his own levelling. Either that, or he can have a hero Supergroup behind him to supply him with Influence. Although the alts of those heroes could band together to form a villain Supergroup, and then take turns playing base designer.

[Remianen]

Also the question arises, How will they handle this with Game cards?


Maybe the same way? CoH game card, CoV game card, and a combined game card (either/or/both). If CoV is a standalone product in and of itself, folks currently playing would have no advantage or seniority over someone who starts playing with CoV's launch.

And ink, I dunno, maybe I'm just jaded but I don't see too many folks just dumping their CoH account (and all the levelled characters on it) to jump to CoV and be a n00b again. CoH isn't a hard game to level in, true, but it still requires SOME time and effort (even if you're PLing). And the folks who can/do have multiple accounts generally don't sweat this kinda stuff anyway. If the two games are seperate, they'll just have a hero account (or two) and a villain account. At least the ones I've spoken to (which is by no means a majority).

[suburbanhell]

That subscription question is the definition of hilarity. CoV has gotta have one helluva robust set of features to justify paying two subscription fees. I'm going to go out on a limb here (rofl) and say that existing CoH subscribers will pay a few more dollars (euro/yen/drachma/whatever) per month for CoV while new subscribers get an either/or/both option. Anything else alienates a decent sized chunk of the playerbase, I think.

Agreed.

[suburbanhell]

Get a SG?

Bases are for SGs, not individual people. Apartments and lairs arent coming out for a while.

Right, but, what do I charge people a weekly/monthly/whatever duration fee to be part of the SG? Like that's gonna fly...

[suburbanhell]

At high levels (Starting around mid 30s and especially in the 40s) you will have more influence than you know what to do with.

You'll be able to purchace an entire set of enhancements every level, if you wanted...so, having several high levels in a SG, will be able to rent a very cool base. (Of course, then you have to decide what goes in it...)

Major's 35 and can barely afford to re-do his enhancements each time -- am I doing something wrong?

[Tsarmina]

Right, but, what do I charge people a weekly/monthly/whatever duration fee to be part of the SG? Like that's gonna fly...
Maybe that's what the SG vault is gonna be... kinda like a bank account for the group. Who really knows, but I am certainly looking forward to it.

[suburbanhell]

Maybe that's what the SG vault is gonna be... kinda like a bank account for the group. Who really knows, but I am certainly looking forward to it.

O_o SG Vault? O_o

[Tsarmina]

Yes indeed. A vault. To store enh and objects of power and such. Exciting ain't it?

[suburbanhell]

Yeah it would be quite useful if we could take out enhancements we were using and NOT have ONLY the option to upgrade or throw them away -- placing them in an SG vault would be a much better option.

[Tsarmina]

Gang,
There's TONS of questions here - we can't answer them all right now, but I promise I'll cut and paste them so that nothing is forgotten.

We'll be releasing more and more info as the weeks pass. Closed Beta starts in July.

2005 is a good year to be BAD!
>:]

[D'Arkaine]

MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!

sorry had to get that out of my system.

[Seadevil]

Awesome. Now I actually get to make a character named Doctor Death and not have him me some pansy, goodie-two-shoes hero! :D

[Noble]

I think making CoV a stand alone game was a big mistake. If you are going to make two games compatable you should just make an expansion. If the price is 10$ or higher to add CoV onto current CoH subscriptions it most likely won't reap in a very high profit, if one at all.

[The Icy One]

I was thinking the same thing.. especially since both are going to be very similar gameplay. I mean it's a nice concept to make a EXPANSION able to be playable for those who'd like to START with CoV, but it is a expansion and most of it's sales are going to come from people buying it as a expansion to CoH.

[Thermyte]

1. Bases will be in hidden areas - accessible only through the wonders of Portal Corp. teleporters. You'll find these throughout both Paragon City and the Rogue Isles.

2. Who's in charge of designing the base - that's up to the Architect, as chosen by the Super Group leader.

3. Time frame for pricing - before launch. :-)

4. Content - we'll be talking about that eventually. We've got a good system right now!


Atleast we have reassurance that the bases may actually turn out better then we thought. Atlease it won't be ONE building for everyone :P