Via Greppo, it’s the I13 sneak peak! Hightlights:
Mission Architect: design your own missions and story arcs. Very spiffy (and, I suspect, a lot harder to make something interesting than it will seem). On the other hand, on a low level, this now means an unlimited pool of new (user-rated) content.
Day Jobs: While you’re offline, depending on where you park, you go to your “day job” — e.g., if you park in City Hall, you work as a City Official, which earns you extra influence; if you log out in a University, you’re working as a Scholar, which earns you salvage. Keep doing it, and Day Job Badges and Titles result in a higher “salary,” etc.
This is CoX’s version of other games which give you “stuff” even while you’re not on with your toon, which is kind of nice.
Power Sets: Shields! Pain Domination! The former is open to both sides; the latter is only for Villains (the opposite of Empathy).
More Cimerora Missions. That reminds me — we need to run some.
Merit Rewards: Okay, this sounds interesting:
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.
Hmmm. And how is that going to differ from Influence? And if there is a distinct difference, is that fair to folks who solo/duo and never run in Trials/TFs/SFs/,etc?
Etc.: New IO sets, Costume sets, Patron Power respec, Zone Refinements, and more.
Nothing earth-shattering, but a nice release. The boards have it that it may not go live until after the Winter Event kicks in, but they are trying to make it still happen in 2008.
Positron on the Mission Architect: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthreaded.php?Number=11778121
It sounds like they’ve gone to a lot of effort to come up with something that is as abuse-proof as possible. I expect it to further evolve as ingenious XP farmers come up with ways to abuse it, but …
Posi also talks about the “Day Job” — it can end up being something as simple as “patrolling” or “villainy.” If done right, this might be even spiffier than the “while you are away you are earning quick experience credits” that LotRO has, etc.
Posi on the Merit Rewards: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthreaded.php?Number=11778121
Still not clear, but it sounds like if you never do a TF you won’t suffer for it.
Hmmmm. Been … maybe a year since I did one. 🙁
Posi also mentions ( http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthreaded.php?Number=11779381 ) that the Devs will be able to flag “cool/approved” player-developed content, which will not suffer from whatever disads they have put in to prevent farming missions (as yet undisclosed).
And BAB confirms ( http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthreaded.php?Number=11781735 ) that you will be able to put any of the chest emblems onto the shields. Yay!
Lighthouse mentions ( http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthreaded.php?Number=11782733 ):
Okay, that sound a bit better.
In many issues I see things I don’t like or think will imact the game. I13 looks to be full of win for CoH! I know the Repeat Offenders plan to hit the mission creator system HARD.
I think the MErit system is a wonderful addition. This will allow more casual players to get those hard to find/ridiculously expensive TF pool recipes. THis will also, eventually, result in those truly rare recipes coming down in price in the market.
Personally I seldom have time to run a TF (although I recently ran a super fast ITF with some RO folks).
The other upcoming item that I’m excited about is the new purchasable content coming out soon ($10 pack entitled Cyborg). These packs add fun stuff and if we buy them they fund additional time/work on the game from the dev team. Win-win!
Though I’ve several solo characters, it seems whenever I have time to to a TF, there are only crickets and blowing tumbleweeds … until it’s time for me to get off, at which point I get peppered with invites. 🙂