We'll be posting our top pics of the week of screenshots and videos from the Alpha in this thread. Since we haven't launched yet, we'll post internal ones for now, but in the future it will be a mix of developer and player screenshots and videos.

Check out the screenshots and videos and discuss here!

The hospital looks awesome. I can't wait to rez there, lol.

SavageFist wrote:
Even it if costs you XP debt?

IronSight wrote:
I hope there won't be XP debt in VO. It just feels punishing to squishier characters while encouraging everyone to make tanks.

Yes, we have XP debt but it doesn't start until level 12. There is also special therapists that you can meet with to relieve your character of a certain percentage of your debt as long as you meet with them before dying again. At lower levels they relieve a lot of the debt, but as your characters level increases, the therapists' relief percentage is lowered. The therapists are not extremely close hospitals, but not too far from them as we want players to be able to easily detour from their next task to get relief. We also want them to make an effort to earn that relief. It's featured in the new alpha build, too, so I'm interested to hear how you all feel about it.

IronSight wrote:
How I feel about it is pretty simple, that it should be removed or replaced with another system, but I'll wait and try it in the alpha.

The problem with XP debt is you end up penalizing characters with less defense who die often, and no one really likes to see their leveling progress undone just becuase they died to something.

Maybe consider some kind of bonus for staying alive a long time which is removed by death.

Also if XP debt is used as a death penalty, how would you penalize death after someone reaches the cap?

Unless VO plans on using a level scaling system similar to Elder Scrolls Online where characters of all levels are scaled for the same content, I would highly recommend re evaluating this system.

There should be some kind of penalty. XP debt is a small price to pay. It's the equivalent of losing your reputation as a hero. If a hero runs into battle just to get defeated time and time again, then there should be some consequences for that. Maybe not one defeat but maybe two or more within a certain period of time.

No one said being a hero was easy.

Servant wrote:
I feel like XP is the wrong penalty becuase of the fact you eventually run low on leveling content if you keep dying, making it more and more difficult to reach the cap.

And once you reach the cap it becomes meaningless becuase you no longer require XP.

IronSight wrote:
I never had any problem with CoH's XP debt system. Just like a great villain makes for a better hero, some type of penalty makes for a better player. I view it as a way to give your leveling more meaning and do not see it as diminishing. I don't want everything being participation trophy type of rewards. THAT makes it meaningless to me. If anything significantly affected my leveling speed it was something like playing a defender or controller and doing little damage so battles took a long time, it was something like playing a character for the first time and not being used to the powers, it was being careful when encountering new enemies/zones/missions, etc. It was NOT dying and/or XP debt. Also, you just know someone will complain about leveling too fast.

How about twisting it on its side where your hero or villain is sent to a lair or prison then has to break out, fighting mobs with no XP gain(or maybe half of a normal mission)? That would be much better from a roleplay point of view. Solved...no xp debt.

Anyway you look at it, I don't agree with a system with no penalties. It makes combat almost meaningless if there are no consequences.

How do you deal with the fact an XP penalty is meaningless at level cap once you no longer require XP? and the fact that when you're actually able to LOSE XP or constantly require more to reach the next level, you very well might run out of content to level on, making reaching the cap impossible if you die enough.

I didn't see either of those issues addressed, and they're kinda important.

ZeeHero wrote:
No XP debt at cap, I don't see that as an issue and that is a strange way to argue something you are against. "I don't like XP debt but I want it on all the time." Huh? Maybe you need to explain that better. I guess they could penalize whatever monetary system they have at the point if you want consistency that badly. You appear to like the carrot more than the stick so think of no more XP debt at cap as a reward. I have no idea what their end-game will consist of but I assume we will be dealing with other issues such as grinding pseudo-levels/skillpoints like Marvel Heroes Infinity Points, Diablo's paragon system or CoH's incarnate system.

As for running out of content, street sweeping, repeatable missions, dailies, task forces, etc. I don't see an issue here.

As far as no cap to how much debt you can accrue, I could see an issue but only in extreme outlier cases where a player is just completely clueless and doesn't ask for help. You learn to play every game so to me there is no difference in learning how to deal with or avoid XP debt. However, I have no issue putting a cap on amount of debt you can accrue like CoH did. Get in a good group and it was wiped out in one play session and goes good with Servant's comment on roleplaying reputation. Join a group and accomplish larger tasks than you could on your own and your reputation is increased by proxy.

The reason I don't like XP debt is partly becuase I don't think it's a good system. If it becomes meaningless at level cap how is that working as a penalty?

And you're right I find the "stick" entirely unnecessary in games, people work towards a reward, and that's enough to motivate them. Defeat is punishment enough in itself. players don't enjoy failure.

IronSight wrote:
My first thought about XP penalty was pretty much "ew! Begone foul spirit!". But this sounds pretty cool. I guess the game is build that getting down is not as common as in other RPGs but if it happens a more wholesome experience?

I call dibs on the doc

The area around the city hall looks like paradise to me. Our heroes will feel great in that beautiful place... at least mine

Anothername wrote:

New pics posted!

valiance.shogn.net/forum/bulletins-annou...p-screenshots-videos

Gorgeous. Brings a tear to my eye. I can't wait to dive-bomb into the sidewalk so I can wake up in that glorious medical facility.

Tank wrote:
Assuming theres fall damage. I personally hope there's little to none. Knocks and fall damage became a major problem in another game I played.

ZeeHero wrote:
Maybe Silverhelm is creating a character trait that prevents fall damage.

Fall damage is kind of a bad thing to have in a super hero game, it doesn't feel very super to die from falling. Having to take a character trait just to prevent it wouldn't fix that.