Eire Unlimited!

After trying out Bloody Bay and Siren's Call a few times, I'm starting to get a feel for PVP. However, this would have been nice to read before trying it out.

It lists seven important things about PVP that are helpful to know. Not minimaxing stuff, but broad concepts like PVP is not fair and You will be attacked by opponents you cannot see. The thread that follows, naturally, descends into vicious name-calling and can be safely ignored.

Here's another idea to be kicked around and possibly put on the CoV suggestion board: what if villains (and heroes) could make themselves the computer-controlled final boss in a mission, to be played by the other side?

To do this a character would need to reach a certain level or perhaps obtain a badge ("Master Villain" sounds good on the CoV side). They would then be able to bring up an interface that would let them loosely design a mission for the other game (e.g. CoH for a Master Villain), spending salvage to do so. When they're done, their character's powers, enhancements and appearance is saved for use when the mission is run. The player would not be present during the mission, but their character would be, controlled by the game like any other foe.

Essentially, this option would change PvP into PvE. These custom missions would create history and conflict between heroes and villains, without requiring players who hate PvP to engage in it.

The player would choose each of the following for their mission, which would appear when choosing newspaper missions:

• The basic goal of the mission (e.g. kidnapping, rescue, defeat a foe).
• The headline of the mission in the newspaper ("Lazlo the Evil Clown Strikes Again!").
• A description of the mission ("Lazlo the Evil Clown has been robbing banks all over Paragon City. Now you hear he's holed up somewhere nearby. Stop him before he launders the money and leaves town.")
• One of the locations from random newspaper missions (e.g. office building, sewer). If it's a multi-level location like an office building or Arachnos base, they would choose how many levels.
• What foes should be in the mission, such as Longbow, Scrapyarders, and so forth. They would also set a frequency for foes, from 50% to 150% of the usual foes for an equivalent random mission.
• If there are any glowies, how many, and if there are ambushes after finding them.
• A greeting to be used when your opponents find your character. This could be generic ("Welcome heroes!") or could use the $target variable ("I always said you were good for a laugh, $target. Too bad the joke's on you!")
• A death cry, if any, upon being defeated ("Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.")

The foes, glowies and ambushes chosen would give a final cost in salvage, which would vary by type. Choosing Longbow would cost Longbow salvage, for example. The amount of foes chosen would affect the cost as well.

Once all the options had been specified, the interface would deduct the required salvage from the player and save the character's current powers, enhancements, and appearance. It would also submit the mission to a NCSoft support person for approval. Approval here would mean nothing more than checking the text for obscenity or anything else that would violate the NCSoft EULA.

Once approved, the mission would be added to the list of random newspaper missions available to players of the other game – CoH in the case of Lazlo's example mission above. The mission would appear when randomly drawn until someone chose it.

The mission itself would mostly be like any other newspaper mission, with the location, foes etc. that the player has chosen. The biggest difference is the final boss.

When encountered, the usual boss for the mission would be replaced with the player's own character, promoted to Boss level (or Elite Boss depending on number of opponents and reputations). If the level of the opponents is below the character, the character would be exemplared down to match. If they're higher, the character would not be raised in level, but would instead gain more bodyguards to compensate.

The question of AI would depend on how it is handled for existing foes. If AI is calculated simply based on powers, then the existing system should be able to handle AI for the character. If, however, NCSoft has figured out an attack strategy for each foe, then the player will have to choose two more things when designing the mission:

• Which toggle powers should be turned on.
• Priority for attacks, buffs, debuffs etc.

The priorities chosen would determine the order in which powers are used. When encountered, Masterminds would always have the applicable number of pets summoned and buffed.

When the mission is successfully completed, the designing player receives infamy and prestige determined by how much damage the opponents took and how many times they were defeated. They also receive an in-system email listing the following:

• Which opponents went on the mission.
• Which opponents were defeated by foes and how many times.
• Which opponents your character defeated, if any, and how many times.
• Which opponent ultimately defeated your character.

In this way the two CoX games can be more closely linked, and more conflict added between heroes and villains, without depending solely on PvP.

With the upcoming release of Issue 7, more people are asking about Ageia’s PhysX technology. Ageia’s PhysX NovodeX Physics Software is incorporated into City of Heroes and City of Villains (CoX) and will be experienced to some extent by all players. Issue 7 introduces Ageia’s hardware based PhysX processor (PPU) technology to CoX. This requires a separate card to be installed into your computer in an available PCI slot. The Ageia PPU (Physics Processing Unit) works with your existing video card to bring more immersive game play to you by allowing an unbelievable number of objects to act and behave in a realistic manner not possible before. BFG Technologies and Asus will be bringing these cards to retail May 2006. Ageia PhysX PPU cards are currently available in new systems released by Dell and Alienware (which was purchased by Dell).

So, what’s possible in existing systems and what needs to be taken into consideration? The first thing you need to do is take a look at your graphics card. Chances are most of you have AGP based graphics cards in your systems. AGP graphics cards require an AGP slot on the motherboard. It’s also good to keep in mind that some new computers have motherboards with PCI-e slots while others only have PCI slots (PCI slots are not the same as PCI-e slots). Nearly all AGP, PCI-e and PCI based motherboards have a spare PCI slot. For AGP owners who do not want to consider replacing their motherboard, processor and likely their RAM, the best current option is an NVIDIA 7800GS 256MB AGP. NVIDIA 6600 and 6800 based boards are available and less expensive. They are fantastic cards and should be considered if your budget is $149 or less. Graphics cards with a minimum of 128MB of RAM would be decent. It is rumored that hardware manufacturers may release a 7600 based AGP board. The pricing for 7600 based AGP solutions is thought to be between $149-$299 and if released would offer more for your dollar than the current 6600 and 6800 based solutions. Several different manufacturers produce boards with NVIDIA based GPUs. BFG Technologies, eVGA and XFX sell versions of the 7800GS board with lifetime warranties. As of this post, the lowest price I’ve found is via Newegg.com which sells an eVGA version for $284 +$4.69 shipping. Currently there’s a $15 rebate as well. So, it’d be $273.69 after all is said and done with the *graphics* side.

What about the Ageia card? The PCI based Ageia PhysX card will initially be manufactured by Asus and BFG Technologies and is expected to be available for purchase in May 2006. Those boards are rumored to sell somewhere between $199-$299. If you recall from my Infamy Unlimited post Like Destruction? Become A PhysX Major!, a Firingsquad.com article stated that the settings for two top of the line NVIDIA 7800GTX cards in SLI (two cards work as one on a PCI-e (not AGP) graphics bus) had to be toned down in order to allow the presentation to run smoothly (it wasn’t CoX). Though that should be a consideration when deciding if an Ageia PhysX card is in your future, a single 7800GS with or without the Ageia based card is still a fantastic solution. Keep in mind, there’s nothing preventing a user who already owns an NVIDIA based 6600 or 6800 system from purchasing an Ageia PhysX board. Chances are it will work and allow the features of the PhysX board to be used. To what extent has not been shown in any preview I’ve seen though.

Need to know stuff:

- Like video cards, more powerful Ageia cards will be released at some point. Currently, there’s no notation on how the differing boards affect game play.

- CoX is an OpenGL based (not DirectX based) game. This is the primary reason as to why NVIDIA based solutions run better with CoX. Note that while ATI has addressed some CoX based issues, they have yet to correct all issues with CoX since they were first reported over 7 months ago. This is part of the reason why the CoX community (myself included now) have moved away from ATI based solutions for CoX. There’s more to this but, you get the idea.

- AGP bus based cards were supposed to no longer be in production by now. However, the number of people that would consider and/or have bought upgrades for AGP systems has kept manufacturers making AGP solutions for longer than expected.

- “SLI” is not possible with AGP

- The 7800GS is currently the top of the line AGP GPU solution from NVIDIA.

- 7600 GPU based AGP boards are rumored to possibly come out sometime in the next few months. They are pin compatible with the PCI-e based 7600 boards (which were just released in mid-March). This and rumored mullings from manufacturers are reasons why a quick release for AGP versions of this GPU are believed to be in the hopper.

- NVIDIA is set to release 8000 series cards with DirectX 10 compatibility and more eye candy features sometime this summer (typically June/July). This will likely be expensive and introduced as a PCI-e only solution for quite some time. The 7800GS was released on February 2nd, 2006. The 7000 series of processors was introduced on June 22nd, 2005. Based on that, the recent introduction of the 7800GS series and the expectation of 7600 based boards in the next couple of months, AGP based 8000 boards are not expected to be available for some time, if ever. If they are (as the 7600 series is) pin compatible with what would be AGP counterparts, then it is *possible*. Typically though, flagship GPU solutions are released first and refinement solutions such as a budget minded “8600″ series likely will not be released for some time. NVIDIA has been known to pleasantly surprise the public though.

- All DirectX 9 graphics solutions are compatible with Windows Vista per Microsoft’s Windows Vista Capable PC Hardware Guidelines

- XNA Architecture was introduced in March of 2005 with ease of development transition for Xbox/Xbox 360 and PC based titles in mind.

- The Xbox 360 is based around an ATI GPU. Windows Vista’s graphics layer and DirectX 10 which uses XNA Architecture were developed with the assistance of ATI.

- Most games up until this point were developed with NVIDIA based boards in the dev’s systems. It’s believed that most still are using NVIDIA based solutions. Electronic Arts and several other development houses and publishers have specifically signed agreements with NVIDIA. Though they are largely marketing techniques, certain developers (such as Cryptic) specifically take advantage of NVIDIA based solutions. Microsoft’s recent push for their XNA Architecture based products (Xbox 360 and Windows Vista) may have an effect on the long standing custom of developers using NVIDIA based solutions and optimizations for their games.

- Per Wikipedia: A shader is a program executed concurrently (with other shaders) by multiple graphic processors running in parallel on a video card.

- ATI’s current generation products have significantly more pixel shaders than their current competing NVIDIA adversaries.

- Two next generation games F.E.A.R. and The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion show slightly improved performance and visual quality with ATI based solutions which have more pixel shaders.

- Microsoft has long said the next generation of games will involve the use of more pixel shaders than current generation games. This however also plays into Microsoft’s Xbox 360 agenda.

- Currently, it’s generally accepted that NVIDIA’s current product lineup has more efficient designs while their current ATI counterparts have more cutting edge technology. At one point, the reverse was generally accepted. Both positions have been promoted as strengths by both companies whenever the situation suited. In other words, they’re in the buisness to sell video cards. ATI is releasing newer technology and NVIDIA is refining their previous technology.

- It is rumored that NVIDIA is set to introduce a new high end enthusiast “Tritium” platform this summer. This amounts to high end certification of top tier products. This should only be a consideration if you plan on spending big bucks on an entirely new system.

- Intel’s latest processor due this fall has been knocking the socks off of current gen processors. It’s very impressive, but again should only be a consideration if you’re planning on spending big bucks on an entirely new system.

- Technology always gets better. “As soon as you buy it, a better and cheaper one comes out.”

Links:

HardOCP’s High-End Video Card Comparison

GPU Review’s fantastic Video Card Comparison Database

The Unofficial Ageia PhysX & PPU Links & Info Page

EDIT: It should be noted that a 7600 series AGP solution has yet to be confirmed. As a result, we’ve updated the article to reflect this. A number of tech sites have said that a 7600 release on AGP has been mulled by manufacturers. Several mentions of this have spread like wildfire across multiple forums all over the internet. Unfortunately at this point, we can only catagorize a 7600 series AGP release as wide speculation.

Sources:

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=30223

http://www.techspot.com/news/21303-could-we-see-a-7600-gt-and-7900-gt-for-agp.html

Last time, we covered gaining a secret ID and a corresponding secret ID contact who gives you missions. But what do those missions consist of?

Secret ID missions are stealth missions, akin to the Thief series. The missions will require you to sneak past guards and the like without arousing suspicion. Combats will be rarer and involve fewer foes than in normal missions. In these secret ID missions, your secret ID contact follows you around, and unlike a captive, they'll keep pace with you if you sprint. They're immune to damage, like most captives.

No problem, right? Except there's a complication: you have to be careful about using your powers around your contact, or else they'll figure out your true identity.

Now, they'll never actually figure it out. Secret ID contacts are dumb. However, they can get suspicious.

The way this works is secret ID contacts have a circle around them, showing their zone of suspicion. The 90 degrees in front of them is highlighted, like in the freebie Adult Swim game Jailbirdman. The contact will always try to turn so you're in that wedge.

When you're in that wedge, however, using any powers besides the basics (Brawl, Sprint, Rest) arouses suspicion in your contact. This is shown by a green question mark above the contact's head.

Repeated use of powers while standing in the wedge increases the suspicion: the question mark turns yellow, then red. Then a second question mark appears, and then a third. After that, the question marks turn into exclamation points, and that's when it gets bad.

You see, when your contact is this suspicious, you can't risk using your powers at all around them. Your powers cannot be activated when in the wedge (Toggled powers turn off). Having this happen while, say, a gang of Trolls is bashing your head in could really wreck your day.

So how to get around this? Well, a contact's suspicion level will drop over time. If you can pace yourself, you may be able to get away with using your powers in brief spurts. The second tool at your disposal is a temporary power you get in secret ID missions: Distract.

Distract lets you send your contact away for brief periods of time, letting you use your powers without arousing suspicion. Distract is targeted like Teleport; a circle appears which can be put along the floor or a nearby wall. When clicked your contact will run over to the spot, look around for a few seconds, and then come back. If you target a glowie in a mission, your contact will stay there twice as long, and will then activate the glowie for you, saving you the trouble.

Finally, in team secret ID missions, you only have to worry about raising suspicion in your own contact; you can use your powers as much as you want around other secret ID contacts. Secret ID contacts are dumb.

Cryptic Studios' City of Heroes and City of Villains community is holding the 2006 Player's Choice Awards.  One of the awards is Favorite Villain Group.  Obviously, we are the most powerful group since the dark beginnings of time.  Their pathetic contest means nothing!  However, humor them for now.  Then when all the votes are counted, we will beat them back into submission for daring to think that any other could be greater than INFAMY UNLIMITED!

Muhahahahahaaaaa! 

How many different versions will be done of The Odd Couple? Apparently at least one more. Tomorrow marks the debut of ArchEnemies, a new four issue mini-series by Dark Horse Comics. The link provides a six page preview of the first issue. Here's the teaser from the site:

Ethan has no idea that Vincent, his roommate, is the villainous Underlord. Vincent has no clue that Ethan is the superhero called Star Fighter. In their costumed identities, they're mortal enemies, but as Ethan and Vincent they're the best of . . .wait, NO, as Ethan and Vincent they STILL hate each other's guts. Can comics' ultimate, super-powered odd couple keep their secrets secret AND learn to live together in peace? ArchEnemies is high-concept superhero action comedy drama times eleven. In our debut issue, it's a battle of wills as Ethan and Vincent try to drive each other OUT of the apartment and OFF the lease. But, in a moment of weakness, will one roommate go too far? [SPOILER ALERT: Yes. Yes, he will.]

Written by Drew Melbourne (stand-up comedian, South Bronx public school teacher, and freelance writer), with pencils by Yvel Guichet (Batman: Harley Quinn; X-Men Unlimited) and inks by comic book veteran Joe Rubenstein (Formerly known as the Justice League and "practically everything else at some point over the past several decades!")

This "Superpowered odd couple" gives a fresh take on the mismatched roommate genre and the never-ending battle between superheroes and supervillains!

Pub. Date: April 05, 2006
Format: Full color, 32 pages
Price: $2.99

I'll be sure to check it out. It sounds delightfully EVIL.