Belated PTS patch notes FC.31.20150819.4

[Brou]

[SIZE="5"]Release Notes for FC.31.20150819.4:[/SIZE]
This build is available on PTS now, 8/25/2015.

Supervillain Onslaught
- Added "Endbringer's Grasp" power unlock to the PTS store.
- Reduced magnitude of powers on UNTIL Defender units at Onslaught Target sites.
- Added villain player power unlocks to villain store.

September Subscriber Bonus
- Added new September Gold Subscriber emote rewards, "DeathReach01" and "DeathReach02", to PTS & Gold Subscriber stores.

[SIZE="5"]Release Notes for FC.31.20150819.3:[/SIZE]
This build is available on PTS now, 8/24/2015.
- Added a new icon for the Circus Malvanum Event.
- Added Villain & Guardian token boxes to the PTS store.
- Swallowtail Cut no longer obliterates Onslaught Villains.
- Added audio to several of Grond's powers.
- Added the following player powers: Gravitic Ripple, Nuclear Shockwave, Lance Rain
These new powers will be purchasable with villain tokens in the Onslaught store, but are not yet ready for testing. They will be available for testing, along with Endbringer's Grasp, later this week. (*EDIT Available as of 8/25/2015)

We are currently still parsing through all of your feedback and making iterations accordingly. We expect to have those iterations to you early next week if not sooner.

[SIZE="5"]Release Notes for FC.31.20150819.2:[/SIZE]
This build is available on PTS now, 8/19/2015.

Supervillain Onslaught Feature
- We're starting a Play-with-the-devs event right now. The devs will be the villains for an hour, while everyone else can join in by attacking them.
- After the event, we'll enable the rest of the feature on PTS so players can try out being the villain, look at the Onslaught store as well as check out the various Until Checkpoints. **EDIT The Supervillain Onslaught Store is now available and Onslaught NPCs will appear in-game.
- Read about it here: http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/335/feature/10007/Champions-Online-Get-Ready-to-Unleash-Your-Inner-Villain.html
- Remember, much this feature is still being iterated on. Your feedback is certainly welcome!

Endbringer's Grasp Ultimate Power
- Will appear in the powers list but is not yet ready for testing. (*EDIT Available as of 8/25/2015)

**EDIT Other Patchnotes
- Pressing 'esc' will close Event Details, Calendar, Welcome Page, Journal windows.
- Intelligence: Cooldown Reduction granted by Intelligence has been drastically reduced.
- Cooldown Reduction Rating: Cooldown Reduction granted by Cooldown Reduction rating has been drastically reduced.
- Telepathy: Psi Lash: Should now start up much faster and activate more consistently.
- Power Armor: Wrist Bolter: Should now start up much faster and activate more consistently.

Please format any bugs you find in the following format:
Bug
Where it happens
What happens


[COLOR="DarkOrange"]Please stay on topic in this PTS thread.  We use bug reports from this thread to decide whether a PTS build is ready to go live, and so we need to make sure we're seeing everything in it.  Please do discuss the changes, but if you find yourself writing about something that isn't specific to what's on PTS, then that should probably go here: LIVE Bug Reports

These player & moderator maintained threads are checked weekly by developers:
- Power Bugs
- Alerts Issues
- Costume Bugs
- Other Issues & QOL Concerns
[/COLOR]

[LaughingAlex]

So cooldown reduction is again becoming a dumpstat as it was before.  Well done cryptic studios, you make the game carry even LESS depth.  Don't bother with intelligence anymore everyone, when playing ranged.  Only use Ego.  Intelligence is USELESS as it was before in the old days.  Because ultimately, endurance or recovery always did a vastly superior job.

Glad I quit the fraud the game became.

Expect cost reduction to be next.

[Rejolt]

Thanks, Brou.

There's always casualties when you ask for a complete power overhaul.

And I try to be balanced and see all sides but, Alex... You have to chill with the anti-CO rants. If you have any valid points it gets lost in the hate and walls of text.

[Xev]

I have to say that LA has been very non wall of texty in these last posts. In my last topic, it wasn't too ragey either even tho the perfect opportunity existed. Here, we see a more focused rage, which, while still very ragey, is also completely non wall of texty.

I still don't get why you post about the game still, LA, lol... but hey I had to stick up for ya! Some. Sorta. In my way.

*shuffles off*

[Xev]

Power Armor: Wrist Bolter: Should now start up much faster and activate more consistently.

HA I told you guys! (Automaton thread). I KNEW this thing was bugged!

**EDIT Other Patchnotes

For many of you, we will be completely destroying your builds and invalidating some equipment you have, including a piece that you had to participate in our new Rampages to get.

[LaughingAlex]

Thanks, Brou.

There's always casualties when you ask for a complete power overhaul.

And I try to be balanced and see all sides but, Alex... You have to chill with the anti-CO rants. If you have any valid points it gets lost in the hate and walls of text.

Trust me, I've said far more about CO in the past in a very large, fully written complaint about CO's problems.

I truthfully, don't really care anymore.  I expect a shutdown of CO any moment, and to me, this is just another nail in the coffin.  The fact is, my walls of text back then were because, I did care about CO, now I do not give a flying *pancakes* anymore.  CO WILL be shutdown, and it deserves it, and the assholes who asked for the nerfs deserve every ounce of blame they are getting for it's inevitable shut down.

I'm honestly going to just sit back, get the popcorn, and enjoy the carnage.  Thing is other than trailturtle, the moderators of CO forums are on board the trolls who ask for the numerous nerfs, and don't pay any attention to the consequences.  Because it's two moderators and a few other friends of theirs who keep crying nerf nerf to the devs, well.

To CO as a game: Rest in peace, or pieces, however you look at all the parts and depth you lost.

[LaughingAlex]

I will also say this.  It's awfully coincidental that they have the forums in maintenance mode only a day after the patch notes were released.  I suspect fraud.

[Rejolt]

What if... (Gasp) CO becomes playable on Xbox One... There's four weeks of fun six years in the making.

(See, Alex! Be creative with the sarcasm!)

[Xev]

I dunno that PWE would take the forums down for all their games due to a nerf in one game (darn good timing, for sure, though....)  but I do like how they bury major nerfs in "**EDIT Other Patchnotes".

Like "Oh, by the way, we will be negatively changing the way you play again. Oops, we almost forgot to mention it".

edit:

There is a definite bright side to this nerf. It was pointed out to me in-game when someone mentioned they didn't feel bad for missing out on the LTS sale anymore. I just started saving for a LTS sale (I have lots of things in line before this..) and felt bad I was going to miss another one. This feeling is completely gone for me now, too. It's not just this nerf but the game in general. Just when I get happy about it for long enough to forget how it can be... something dumb happens like a nerf or I am rubberbamding and snr'ing and I'm so pissed I don't want anything to do with the it hehe. I mean, I luv the game and all but it's times like this that I prefer not being subbed.

[LaughingAlex]

What if... (Gasp) CO becomes playable on Xbox One... There's four weeks of fun six years in the making.

(See, Alex! Be creative with the sarcasm!)

I apologize for the post.  I was only replying to the bottom sentence, rather than the casualties to balance issue :/.

I just wish they'd be more responsible but they never are, or will be.  They continue listening to the feedback of the worst players in CO's community, the ones that only want others playing exactly like them.

[Xev]

Rejolt... I always have my wall-o-text-o-meter on I don't like walls of text either. Apols that I couldn't condense this but on the good side, it's about all I have to say on the subject  : )

I dunno.. The Dex nerf was a big hit to dps. The Dex tree got seriously downgraded and nothing was given back in return. You don't go to a loved one and take away one of their favorite toys and hand them back a sand covered lollipop. That's not luv. Device nerf? Huuuuge nerf. Another lollipop in return. Dodge nerf? ditto. And now dps is taking another hit right at the heart of a goal (to varying degrees) every dps toon I have ever made, has - better recharge.

These all hit dps hardest because, come on, do you really need to be a tougher tank or support? Nuuuu.

My tank and support toons have been OP since day 1 and this has not changed. What *has* changed, dramatically, is DPS. As a player who's spent decades trying to perfect dps builds due to they are usually my favorite - I think this sucks.

DPS needs luv. NAO.,

Quit punishing us for beating the crap out of your game: p We're just using the tools you gave us since years now. The only thing that significantly changes to our rules are things get taken away.. Start BUFFING things. You know, getting bigger, not SMALLER... sheeeesh.. It's mmorpg 101..

If the goal is to make dps less and less interesting so more people will play whatever else, I have to say the result *is* going to be people playing something else - another game. This isn't a threat - I know they won't mi$$ me  : )

I have to say this is the first nerf I don't agree with, too. The other nerfs? Yeah, they probably needed to happen. The device nerf for sure. The vehicle one, probably, but honestly, who cares about vehicles anyway. My experience with them has been a complete time sink and you can't even use them indoors which is where I am, and would imagine most players are, the vast majority of the time.. Dodge? Probably. I wasn't into dodge that much up to the time they hard nerfed it so it didn't hit me too bad. It hit my Unleashed but I wasn't utilizing dodge to it's potential at all with him due to being a complete newb at the time and not really understanding it. I will say, the Dex tree used to be baddass and now it kinda sucks (I do have a dex primary FF toon tho) due to some of its better tree choices are broken with nothing given back in return.

This nerf? Now that I have an Int build going that does what I want it to I can see how I can convert my Ego based dps toon Deeps to Int. I'm not gonna do it you know why? Because Deeps ends up tanking all the time and his big fat ego pops him out of holds in a snap while my Int toon is still button mashing and getting creamed. I can't see a way to raise his dps as high with int as I can with ego, either. Ego was still a very viable choice over int even as it was before this patch going in.

And why kill recharge on gear?? It wasn't all *that* great to begin with and now we have next to NOTHING.

Whatever Int was exploiting I wasn't getting it.. Whatever the exploits were, they should have fixed *those*..

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Game balance does not exist. No human can make up rules another human can't break in any kind of game like this that is not totally rigid in it's play. So, if you're never going to make everything equal and it is only a goal to strive for, then why not give things instead of taking them away.

There's only so many things to take away before we're all vanilla con/con/con toons with a combine button that is supposed to be a tradeskill system and then they'll nerf Con at the rate things have been going until now. This is not a good player attitude. I should be looking forward to things not dreading them..

The new content they added with being/fighting Grond and whatnot? Totally lost interest. Like I did when I was spamming Party Balls and wearing their 4th anniversary costume pieces and they nerfed....devices? I stripped that stuff right off in embarrassment.

[LaughingAlex]

And why kill recharge on gear?? It wasn't all *that* great to begin with and now we have next to NOTHING.

Whatever Int was exploiting I wasn't getting it.. Whatever the exploits were, they should have fixed *those*..

What Int was doing, and it's more the powers to blame, but it basically combined with a ton of recharge made it easy to nearly endlessly keep both unbreakable and then masterful dodge up with little cooldown between the two when you had JUSTICE OR LEGION gear.  This was more of a problem with the powers, not intelligence or recharge itself.

The real reason they have the maintenance?  I bet they want to force the change down everyones throat with no testing.  Or more, they don't want people to be able to speak their mind about it.  It's the worst timing for such a long time maintenance policy.

[Xev]

Unbreakable and Masterful dodge being up all the time doesn't *have* to happen no matter how fast of a recharge is possible. They could fix the cooldown on those 2 powers (or all Active Defenses) and people would lose out a lot less than losing Recharge, a very fun thing to chase, as being a thing to strive for in the game.

I have Unbreakable and Masterful Dodge up all the time on Xev and I am going to miss that, but, whatever. I'll find something new to round out his build. Widespread nerfing Recharge is worse than losing that 1 build.

Honestly I feel bad I ranted about something that hasn't even happened yet. I thought it was coming with the next patch, which was TODAY.

And I was really looking forward to some FM and whatnot this weekend - not retconning my favorite and newest build and tossing out my 4 Justice Masks of Speed.
You have to ease me into stuff like that I can't be sprung into it! hehe.. Apparently..


~~~
And yeah, I see the Subject says PTS, not LIVE, patch notes... now.. Dang forums were down which didn't help either.

~~~~~

Here's another thought for ya for virtually removing Recharge vs. fixing whatever it is they have a problem with, like AD's... Recovery and End are already the two most boring Superstats in the game. The only thing that makes them interesting is that you need some of one or the other to keep your powers going. Now, with no reason to get recharge gear and every reason to stack up on cost reduction, Recovery and End, two Superstats you didn't think could be more boring, are.

[LaughingAlex]

Unbreakable and Masterful dodge being up all the time doesn't *have* to happen no matter how fast of a recharge is possible. They could fix the cooldown on those 2 powers (or all Active Defenses) and people would lose out a lot less than losing Recharge, a very fun thing to chase, as being a thing to strive for in the game.

I have Unbreakable and Masterful Dodge up all the time on Xev and I am going to miss that, but, whatever. I'll find something new to round out his build. Widespread nerfing Recharge is worse than losing that 1 build.

Honestly I feel bad I ranted about something that hasn't even happened yet. I thought it was coming with the next patch, which was TODAY.

And I was really looking forward to some FM and whatnot this weekend - not retconning my favorite and newest build and tossing out my 4 Justice Masks of Speed.
You have to ease me into stuff like that I can't be sprung into it! hehe.. Apparently..


~~~
And yeah, I see the Subject says PTS, not LIVE, patch notes... now.. Dang forums were down which didn't help either.

~~~~~

Here's another thought for ya for virtually removing Recharge vs. fixing whatever it is they have a problem with, like AD's... Recovery and End are already the two most boring Superstats in the game. The only thing that makes them interesting is that you need some of one or the other to keep your powers going. Now, with no reason to get recharge gear and every reason to stack up on cost reduction, Recovery and End, two Superstats you didn't think could be more boring, are.

Endurance and recovery had always been boring stats.  At the rate CO is going though they'll likely be nerfed to.  Honestly CO's developers just as well make all superstats near useless and only when superstatted give a 20% advantage in one area or another.  But then they'd likely end up handling that in a way that'd cause everyone to use the exact same thing thats super powerful because they'd likely listen to the devil-horned forum cartels and only gimp the stats those cartels did not like.

*****EDIT******

I agree with you about adjusting the active defenses, I'd have overhauled them entirely so as to all be useful to anyone, without encouraging taking all four of them.  I mean two were awesome but two were pretty weak/useless regardless of build or cooldown times.

[General Idiot]

It's worth noting that the forums are down for ALL PWE games, not just CO. I very much doubt the forums being down is some grand conspiracy to stop people commenting on a CO patch.

Also, the forums aren't actually down. Go here: http://perfectworld.vanillaforums.com

[Xev]

It's worth noting that the forums are down for ALL PWE games, not just CO.

I noted that! It's 8 billion ranty words up and to the left.

[LaughingAlex]

It's worth noting that the forums are down for ALL PWE games, not just CO. I very much doubt the forums being down is some grand conspiracy to stop people commenting on a CO patch.

Also, the forums aren't actually down. Go here: http://perfectworld.vanillaforums.com

That was actually my being somewhat jokeful about it .  It was still very, very bad timing for CO as a game, though, because less time discussing alternatives and whatnot, even though I'm sure it probably wouldn't have mattered anyways.  CO's trolls even pretend to be unaware of what cooldown reduction was primarily used for, which course, is total double-standard BS.  From what I saw in the forums, anyways.

[Mistress Bloodwrath]

That was actually my being somewhat jokeful about it .  It was still very, very bad timing for CO as a game, though, because less time discussing alternatives and whatnot, even though I'm sure it probably wouldn't have mattered anyways.  CO's trolls even pretend to be unaware of what cooldown reduction was primarily used for, which course, is total double-standard BS.  From what I saw in the forums, anyways.

As I said while venting in PC, those idiots on the CO forums seem to be in denial about everything. And then a certain mod locks the thread to win the argument. 

[Soul Resonance]

As I said while venting in PC, those idiots on the CO forums seem to be in denial about everything. And then a certain mod locks the thread to win the argument. 

There is one particular poster(not naming  ) who, when speaking on matters involving CoH or Nerfs/responding to post by players aggravated by a certain change(like a price increase of items(I get it, the game needs money, but still, if someone wants to complain in a respectable manner, I feel they should be acknowledged respectfully)) will sometimes dismiss the post as non productive(some actually aren't but a lot of the ones they reject/dismiss are.) or go on the offense(especially if its a CoH player(granted..the ones over at CO are still working on tact/deliverance  of their opinions to what I believe to be an extremely sensitive player base(forum wise)). He will go as far as to call said CoH players 'bitter vets' or fan boy(ironic, isn't it  ), or talk about his experience in CoH(Only to level 5. Granted, to each their own..but, from what I could gather from his post, it seems he's speaking in a 'matter-of-fact' tone about the whole of CoH(AE Babies, anyone? lol)).
Every time I read his post about 'CoH bitter vets' and "..because this game lives and his beloved CoH is gone...and if someone would just bring back Paragon City everything would be rainbows."
Funny.
If it wasn't for us, your game would have never of been made. Ever.

[LaughingAlex]

There is one particular poster(not naming  ) who, when speaking on matters involving CoH or Nerfs/responding to post by players aggravated by a certain change(like a price increase of items(I get it, the game needs money, but still, if someone wants to complain in a respectable manner, I feel they should be acknowledged respectfully)) will sometimes dismiss the post as non productive(some actually aren't but a lot of the ones they reject/dismiss are.) or go on the offense(especially if its a CoH player(granted..the ones over at CO are still working on tact/deliverance  of their opinions to what I believe to be an extremely sensitive player base(forum wise)). He will go as far as to call said CoH players 'bitter vets' or fan boy(ironic, isn't it  ), or talk about his experience in CoH(Only to level 5. Granted, to each their own..but, from what I could gather from his post, it seems he's speaking in a 'matter-of-fact' tone about the whole of CoH(AE Babies, anyone? lol)).
Every time I read his post about 'CoH bitter vets' and "..because this game lives and his beloved CoH is gone...and if someone would just bring back Paragon City everything would be rainbows."
Funny.
If it wasn't for us, your game would have never of been made. Ever.

I know exactly who you speak of and I won't say his name here either, that guys hated by many CO players to.  After all, he's responsible for the ideas behind some of CO's WORST nerfs.

Edit: The player in question, and some of those on his side, are perhaps the pinnacle of bigotry and intolerance that I speak about when I talk of the bigotry and hatred CO players have towards CoX players.  These are players who often accuse us of wanting CO to shutdown on some false notion of our game coming back with CO's shutdown, which of course, is not at all true.  The irony is that every change that they favored that was implemented cost CO numerous players.

And it infuriates me that a couple of the forum moderators actually side with these bigots.

[Mistress Bloodwrath]

Yeah, I think I know who you speak of too. In fact, it was I that was able to deduce how far in level he had gotten by his description of the mission in question that he had "grown bored by" and quit. I, at that point, refused to take anything he said further on the matter seriously, because really... you might as well judge an entire film for the first ten minutes.

[Brou]

For the record, we don't think there are CoH players who want CO to close and think that will make CoH spring back up from the dead... that we know of.

I had to address this in person when grabbing some feedback from a few CoH players in person at a recent M&G event. There is this climate where former CoH people believe that the community believes that CoH players unanimously want this to happen, when that certainly isn't the case.

Anyways, there is another patch on the PTS at the moment, no notes yet.

[LaughingAlex]

For the record, we don't think there are CoH players who want CO to close and think that will make CoH spring back up from the dead... that we know of.

I had to address this in person when grabbing some feedback from a few CoH players in person at a recent M&G event. There is this climate where former CoH people believe that the community believes that CoH players unanimously want this to happen, when that certainly isn't the case.

Anyways, there is another patch on the PTS at the moment, no notes yet.

We were talking about the more trollish members of CO's community that tend to spend 90% of there time in the forums.  The same types that also ask for the most destructive nerfs also tend to throw snide or downright cruel insults and accusations towards CO players within an instant.  There are a few who don't ask for nerfs that also tend to attack CoX players and what we try to do, to.

Edit: We do not believe every CO player is like that, but the most vocal and most dangerous CO players to CO itself are and have routinely proven very hateful of CoX players and tend to jump on every moment.

[Mistress Bloodwrath]

Seriously, even mention it in passing where it's largely innocuous to the overall post you've written, it becomes a virtual "COX SUCKS!" dogpile trollfest. Like the few times where I just mentioned something I read on a certain Facebook community or rambled off a list of MMOs where CoX was only one of the many items on the list. Apparently it's supposed to be treated like Voldemort or Hastur over there.

[LaughingAlex]

http://www.arcgames.com/en/forums/championsonline/#/discussion/1199831/no-new-contents-and-expansion-for-years/p1

Read this thread Brou when the original poster said he's waiting for city of titans to come out, and the reactions many players there have.  It's clear a good number of them both believe it won't come out, but also write as if they clearly want that effort and every CoX revival effort to fail.

The level of hippocracy and intolerance couldn't be more apparent.

[Mistress Bloodwrath]

http://www.arcgames.com/en/forums/championsonline/#/discussion/1199831/no-new-contents-and-expansion-for-years/p1

Read this thread Brou when the original poster said he's waiting for city of titans to come out, and the reactions many players there have.  It's clear a good number of them both believe it won't come out, but also write as if they clearly want that effort and every CoX revival effort to fail.

The level of hippocracy and intolerance couldn't be more apparent.

Well, thanks for causing me to touch those god-forsaken forums again... now I have to go take a shower again.

But yeah, that's a pretty fair example of all the usual forum trolls lining up to do their thing. Same old song and dance. Hohum. I'm skeptical about CoT's arrival myself, but I also maintain some good will for the project as well. I'm just concerned that its developers may have taken on more than they can chew. I hope I'm proven wrong, though.

[Angel Phoenix77]

http://www.arcgames.com/en/forums/championsonline/#/discussion/1199831/no-new-contents-and-expansion-for-years/p1

Read this thread Brou when the original poster said he's waiting for city of titans to come out, and the reactions many players there have.  It's clear a good number of them both believe it won't come out, but also write as if they clearly want that effort and every CoX revival effort to fail.

The level of hippocracy and intolerance couldn't be more apparent.

Wow, reading that has hurt my brain for realz. Are they trash talking tsw that has more deving on it in a year then the entire time co has been out for. Love the fact they think people are trashing co because it will help the other projects, wonder if they know slamming co is not because of the projects it is because pwe/cryptic/atarii has brought it on themselves; with a lack of deving on co.
The way I see it, nothing the usual suspects that cheerlead for co have no idea about other games so all they do is trash. I have my problems with tsw, but I am not going to trash that game, because it does soo much better in other areas.

Well, thanks for causing me to touch those god-forsaken forums again... now I have to go take a shower again.

But yeah, that's a pretty fair example of all the usual forum trolls lining up to do their thing. Same old song and dance. Hohum. I'm skeptical about CoT's arrival myself, but I also maintain some good will for the project as well. I'm just concerned that its developers may have taken on more than they can chew. I hope I'm proven wrong, though.

I agree Mistress Bloodwrath, one of the reasons I stopped posting was because I was called a troll by asking one of the forum "elites" where I posted I wanted to see co go burning down, they could instead I was ignored. I don't even sign in to my pwe board account anymore.
I have hope for the revival of City of. I have hope for City of Titans, and Valiance Online which in its current form of Alpha is far better then co, that is six years old.