Paragon Chat Development Roadmap and Wishlist

[Codewalker]

Important: All of this is preliminary and is subject to change!
There are probably a number of things I'm forgetting about and will be added to this list as I remember them.

Target Milestone: 1.1.x
Estimated Completion: In a bit

• Global MOTD
  
  
• Cross-zone player search and notes
  
  
• Hide options to opt out of player search
  
  
• Limited server-wide GM abilities for moderators
  (testbed for later use in private instances)
  
  
• Plaques and associated badges.
  
  
• Sentinel+ importer
  
  
• Base love!
  
  

Target Milestone: 1.2
Estimated Completion: A while

• Private instance support using arbitrary maps
  
  
• GM abilities in private instances
  
  
• Costume change emotes
  
  
• NPC spawning in private instances
  
  
• Supergroups
  
  
• More base love!
  
  

Target Milestone: 1.3
Estimated Completion: Longer than a while

• 
  To be determined.
  
  

Target Milestone: Future, near to mid term
Estimated Completion: Sometime after 1.3

• Better cross-server support for federated XMPP servers
  
  
• Basic AI and means of coordinating non-combat NPC movements efficiently
  
  
• Simulated self-affecting powers such as armor toggles
  
  
• Lua scripting for client-side modifications
  
  

Target Milestone: Future, long term
Estimated Completion: Whenever

• Simulated attack powers, possibly usable on target dummies
  
  
• Handoff to realtime communication service for more demanding activities, such as PVP Arena matches
  
  

Wishlist
May be inserted into the roadmap as time allows or technical feasibility is determined

• Finding time to go through the thread and figure out some wishlish items to put here.
  
  

Scrapped

• Account management
  See list of accounts and characters and manage them - Not a huge need for this, probably not worth spending development time on.
  
  

Completed Items
Estimated Completion: Yesterday

• Persistence of keybinds in the database
  
  
• Persistence of window positions in the database
  
  
• Auto-update
  
  
• Dice rolling command
  
  
• Prompt for closing main window while client is running
  
  
• Whoall command
  
  
• Persistence of power trays in database (needed for macros)
  
  
• Travel modes emulating Fly, Super Speed, Super Jump, Ninja Run, Beast Run, and Walk. Teleport![/i]
  
  
• Teams
  
  
• Exploration badges.
  
  
• Base building. Yes, it's really a thing!!!
  
  

[AmberOfDzu]

Looks great!

I just hope you all pace yourselves and don't let us push you into feeling burnt out.

[Rejolt]

[Golden Aurora]

My favorite part of those posts are the estimated completion field. lol
He really has the spirit of the Paragon Studio devs.

[Eoraptor]

Tis great to see the roadmap, Codewalker, but I am ominously reminded of the old Parable; "If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans"

[Rejolt]

I kinda like acrobatics in Dcuo and co. Super speed is fun in Dcuo for world exploring (farming exobytes/feats is as addictive as badging in cox but with an added purpose) and flight is ok in both...

... But man nothing combines them all like cox did. Acro or Sj with ss was brilliant. Co's leaping is horrifically bad.

The fact they'll be simulated here I fear that we won't be able to combine them.

[TheFlea]

Suffice to say.... Walk would make me happy. If only cause the forced not quite run feels awkward. But patience is a virtue.

[duane]

I cannot believe the fun I have had just playing "dress up" and going to Atlas Park and Pocket D.

Thanks for letting me relive the good old days.

[laufeyjarson]

All this is awesome, CW.  Let us know how we can help.

[Rejolt]

Suffice to say.... Walk would make me happy. If only cause the forced not quite run feels awkward. But patience is a virtue.

It's a RP server.

Patience is Codewalker.

[Kassandros]

Travel modes emulating Fly,

 

Thanks for the timeline!

[healix]

I still feel like I am dreaming. I can't believe I can finally be in Atlas again, dance in PD and talk to friends!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can wait for other goodies to happen....

[Solitaire]

Important: All of this is preliminary and is subject to change!

Exploration badges. Depends on if they can be done algorithmically, or if they depend on serverside data that would have to be reconstructed by hand.

Badges  Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeee

[Tipsy]

This roadmap makes perfect, logical sense to me, and it's pretty damn exciting!  The only thing I'd be curious about adding or looking into would be any way to implement Supergroups--even if not for bases, but as another form of custom channel & listing of select characters.

[BitLoadR]

• Simulated self-affecting powers such as armor toggles

So, bubbles? self-heal? healing aura's? rock armor? fire shield? ... nova?

• Costume change emotes

It's on the wishlist, it's been mentioned before, I so hope it's possible to implement that. *fingers crossed*

Further more: Yeey!
and: omgomgomgomgomgomgzomg!!!!111011eleventyoneohone

[Antipode]

I'm not sure if we're allowed to add to the wishlist or request things or what have you, but I have what I hope might be a tiny QoL change to request - can we opt in/out of the developer console being enabled somehow or possibly remap what key it's set to?

[Leandro]

The console is enabled by the same thing that enables /mapmenu to work, so I don't think you can be disable one while leaving the other active.

[Void Huntress]

The console is enabled by the same thing that enables /mapmenu to work, so I don't think you can be disable one while leaving the other active.

... can we actually do that on the end-user side? Because I found /mapmenu to be pretty horrific as UIs go, and have just stuck with the popmenu approach.

[Shadowe]

I have a small (ish) QoL improvement suggestion for Paragon Chat itself: make hitting Enter in the password field trigger Launch City of Heroes. Every time I've logged in so far, I've done this, and then remembered that I have to click or tab down to the button.

[Azrael]

I was secretly wishing for a 'Timeline' for Paragon Chat's development.

Very excited to see this.  It gives people an idea of where we're going with this, what to expect and when.  'Hope.'  People can 'buy' into this.  Who would have thought that the CoH chat window would be running from 'Xmap' as I call it?  After testing the waters with Icon.  We now have Paragon Chat.  Round 2!  DING!  DING!!

Logical development and progression...with some very exciting features on the road map.  Even little 'quality of life' things like persistence of user interface items e.g..  Where I put my map or my chat balloon colour...

Team chat.  Door animations.  SGs.  Travel powers?  Bases.  Power simulation?  A 'hand off...' of PVP and arena combat to...?  Non combat NPC AI?  Lua?  (The latter of which is VERY intriguing...)  Basically, we're getting 'most' or sizeable chunks of the game back.  And that's just from Paragon Chat and not 'other' said projects which it might contribute to...

At the rate the legendary Codewalker is knocking out patches we could be reasonably far along those patch milestones by the 3rd closure anniversary.  ...and THAT I'd very happy with...more so than all the successor projects thrown into a cocked hat.

Codewalker's steely determination is noted.  Like some kind of 'unholy' war.  No quarter asked.  No quarter given.  He was described by 'some' latterly as an 'Adamantium Dragon.' 

'Quite.'

Azrael.

PS.  Codewalker.  The idea of using NPC 'dummies' for power simulations...'testing' or facsimile 'combat'.  I had an idea...  You know the 'lollipop' spawn/NPC points in the developer preview mode?

I KNOW you can insert 'persistent' NPCs.  (Re: the 'easter egg' NPCs currently in Paragon Chat.)  Is there any chance you could take the 'code' for the lollipops NPCs (which must translate into a particular 'mob' type...) and 'spawn' them as 'persistent' 'still life' NPCs where they USED to spawn.  Sure.  They'd be just statues at this stage of the project.  BUT think about how dramatic that would be!  To have a city wide 'tableau' of all the NPCs.  'Frozen' in time.  With the prospect...that maybe...just maybe...one day...they come alive!!!!

Maybe it's something some of the community could help with unbundling.  You could 'pop menu' the lollipops of the developer preview into a zone ward spawn!  Sure.  We couldn't fight them.  But imagine flying past them...or walking up to them.  Looking them in the eye.  Asking the question...'what if...?'