Patterson, CA
Hey guys!
I'm actually thinking of sending an email to Stern software with a suggestion/proposal on the code to make things more interesting. I know there's bugs that need to be addressed too, but this is always a gameplay bone to pick that other pinsiders and I have had, and I figured the emails and posts on bugs are specific enough. It's the same thing me and others on the boards have been kvetching for months, but I'm going to get specific and spell it out bluntly, as giving vague suggestions doesn't seem to get our point across. So I'm bringing the proposal to here first to make sure this is a good idea. Chances are the email will fall on deaf ears and blind eyes anyways, but at least I'll feel better, like I've gotten something off my chest,lol.
I also come at with with NO authority, obviously. I'm a game designer, but I'm not dilusional enough to think that I have then end all be all solution to the XM code, but I like this idea, and it makes sense to me, as well as other pinsiders from the looks of things......anyways, not getting on a high horse, just looking to make sure I'm not making a complete ass out of myself before I send the email out.....
This current code is lacking in ways to make Villain modes more interesting. Even with the villain modes made "easier" with the update, I still don't hear people here getting to DP mode with any regularity, if at all on 3 ball. So what I (we) propose is to integrate storyline into the game and make Hero modes mean more, allthewhile adding incentive to villain modes by making DP more attainable through clever and precise hero mode play before choosing the villain mode.
The basis of the "story" for this is that each Villain is "weak" to a certain combination of heroes. By activating these hero modes beforehand, the villains can be made much easier to deal with by reducing the villain's starting health at 50%, given the correct combination of heroes are activated.
This also adds incentive to choose a particular villain to fight, rather than just choosing whatever villain the player feels is easiest and moving up.
Here is my proposed list of villains, with the Hero teams they're "weak" to:
Sabertooth- Wolverine, Rogue, iceman
Shadow King- Xavier, Storm, Phoenix
Juggernaut- Xavier, cyclops, beast, Storm
Sentinels- Wolvie, beast, Iceman, rogue
Omega Red- Phoenix, cyclops, Wolvie
Hellfire/Brotherhood Multiballs- damage bonuses for the shots of whatever heros currently activated, with a x2 end of round bonus multiplier if you beat the multiball(s) for each COMPLETED hero mode you had going into the MBs.
Wolverine is in more team-ups than any other hero, simply to give his MB more meaning to beat it, as his mode will be more "valueable" than the others and more useful.
So Starting with current Hero mode rules, you get a x3 end of round bonus for that ball for each hero mode you complete on that ball. That's fine, a good bonus for closing things out. In order to activate the Team-ups for the villain "weaknesses", the player need only to start (flashing insert) the hero modes needed. However, if any of the needed hero modes are COMPLETE when starting the villain, the player gets an additional x3 or x2 end of round bonus multiplier per completed hero upon defeating that villain. If ball drains, or villain times out, no bonus given.
What to do with inserts- so players know what team they need for certain villains, and I doubt that players will remember or even know the whole list, when players are cycling through the villain menu to choose whom to fight, the needed hero "team" that the villain is "weak" against will have their respective center inserts flashing (I.e.; for Sabertooth,Wolvie, Rogue and IceMans inserts will flash if you haven't started any of their modes yet) if you don't have the hero needed, the insert will flash, if you've aquired that hero(s), they will be solid (I.e. If the player has started Wolvie and Iceman, but not Rogue, Wolvie and Ice's inserts will be solid, but Rogue's will be flashing)
You always need the whole team in order to get the health reduction of the villain, but the player still gets the end of ball bonus multiplier for the completed hero modes of heroes in that specific team-up if they still beat the villain even without a complete team. So in the above example, if the player is going to fight Sabertooth, and hasn't started Rogue, but has started IceMan, and has COMPLETED Wolvie going into it, Sabertooth would NOT start at 50% health, but should the layer still beat Sabertooth, they will still get the x2 or x3 multiplier for the end of ball from the completed Wolvie. Bonuses in this way for villains ONLY apply to the heroes they are weak to, so even if you have Xavier and Phoenix completed beforehand, you wouldn't get an end of ball bonus multiplier from them if you beat Sabertooth, just Wolvie, Rogue and Iceman would be eligible for that villain.
so that's all I can think of right now. To me, these changes make sense, and would not only elegantly integrate story, strategy, reward and meaning to these modes, but also add an incredible amount of depth into this great game. Please consider.
If I've overlooked something small or forgotten anything, I'm sure I'll edit or reply later, but for now, thank you for your time and let me know your thoughts!
-Ryan C.
Vancouver, BC
