Yeah, Issue #8 was only released less than two weeks ago but the players are already starting to gather information on Issue #9.

This was posted on the CoH boards by Frostouch on finding some stuff on the Test Server about the upcoming Invention and Consignment system...

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Aplogies if this has either already been posted/discussed, or if it's already hit live and I'm just unbelievably slow today. I was running around on my old blaster, and arbitrarily hopped over to the Steel Canyon PCU campus on my way to IP, when I noticed there are three new plaques (and two new NPCs) giving more details on the Invention system.

The plaques' text are a nice window into inventions, which is why I was surprised my search-fu didn't turn up anything.

(Note, these are numbered in the order I read/took the screenshots)

Plaque 1:
The invention enhancements are level-based, and you'll be able to outgrow your created enhancements. You can invent enhancements up to three levels higher than your current level. Also, your origin is completely irrelevant.

The uncommon and rare enhancements can also use use recipes that are dropped by enemies that you defeat along the way. These recipes will help you invent better enhancements than the invention tables can offer.

Plaque 2:
Invention salvage dropped will have three different types: Rarity, common, uncommon and rare.

The common salvage can be used in the invention tables in the universities and if your Supergroup's base has one, the invention table located in the workshop room.

The uncommon and rare can be used in combination with recipes to invent stronger enhancements.

Plaque 3:
There are two types of salvage dropped by enemies when defeated, base salvage and invention salvage. Base salvage is used to create items for your Supergroups' base, where invention salvage is used to create enhancements for yourself. The two types of invention salvage that are dropped is magic and technology.

The trading floor is where you can buy and sell invention salvage and recipes.

Here are some notes from the training room on the upcoming stellar Issue #9!!!

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Issue 9: Breakthrough

Known Issues:

1. Respecing deletes all salvage in your Personal Invention Storage
2. No salvage received from invention tutorial if invention salvage is full
3. Auction House teleport temp power is consumed if the power in interrupted while casting it.
4. Invention enhancements are sold for 0 influence when respecing
5. Opening up the stack window causes a player to be unable to move unless they click the chat window
6. Putting a ++ or + enhancement on the auction house removes its pluses
7. Base salvage no longer drops when Invention salvage inventory is full
8. Players do not receive rare recipe rewards for the Terra Volta Trial.

HEADLINES:

Invention System: The Invention System has come to Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. Players can now find and earn Recipes and Salvage to build Invention Origin Enhancements that can never be out-leveled, build Costume pieces or build Temporary Powers.

Universities: Universities have been spread throughout Paragon City and the Rogue Isles to teach players how to use the new Invention System and build their technological breakthroughs at Worktables.

Auction Houses: Where better to buy and sell all of these new items than in the new auction houses! Wentworth’s Fine Consignments have sprung up throughout Paragon City while the villains prefer to do their bidding alongside “black-market” trucks placed throughout the Rogue Isles

Statesman’s Task Force: Eight heroes team up in order to face and defeat Paragon’s greatest enemies! Completing this difficult challenge results in some of the game’s rarest rewards!

New Hamidon Encounter: Villains finally get their own end-game raid encounter with the “Hamidon” and the new experience is also brought to the Heroes side where players must use new tactics to bring down one of the “City of”s greatest threats.


COMBINED NOTES :

The Invention System

The Invention System is a new system coming to Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. Players will be able to earn and find common, uncommon and rare Invention Salvage drops that when combined according to Recipes to create technological breakthroughs that can be used to evolve your character.

• At level 10, characters can participate in the Invention system by undertaking a brief tutorial at Universities in Steel Canyon (for Heroes) and Cap Au Diablo (for Villains).
• If your character is higher than level 10 they can still participate in the Tutorial.

The Invention System has many facets to it:

• Invention Salvage :
  • There is a new class of Salvage called “Invention Salvage” that drops off of NPC enemies you fight on a daily basis.
  • There are two classes of Invention Salvage: Science/Tech and Magic Salvage that drop off of an appropriately themed villain group for the Salvage.
  • Common, uncommon and rare Invention Salvage can be acquired in the game.
  • You can click “Info” on any enemy and see what the possible Salvage reward is for defeating that enemy.
    
    
• Recipes :
  • Recipes are used to make Invention Origin Enhancements, Costume Pieces, or Temporary Powers
  • Recipes can be dropped as rewards from NPC enemies you fight, bought from University Worktables or earned from Trials, Task Forces and Strike Forces.
  • The most basic types of Invented Origin Enhancement Recipes can be purchased from Worktables.
  • Like Salvage, Recipes can be common, uncommon and rare.
  • To use a Recipe you need to find the Salvage ingredients on the Recipe list and go to a University and use a Worktable (aka Crafting Station).

• Worktables :
  • Worktables allow players to invent Enhancements, Costume Pieces or Temporary Powers if they have the appropriate Recipe and required Salvage.
  • Players can craft any item that they have a Recipe and ingredients for, and do not need to be able to slot a high-level Enhancement to create it.
  • Worktables are found inside Universities, and can also be placed inside a Supergroup Base.
  • Players are able to summon a “Portable Workbench” after earning a Field Crafter Accolade badge. This allows players to craft without having to return to a University or Supergroup Worktable.

• Enhancement Sets :
  • Uncommon and Rare recipes can form Enhancement Sets which grant special “set bonuses” when slotted into a single power.
  • Set Enhancements can only be slotted into specific powers that fall within the type of powers that set is for.
    • Examples include Melee and Ranged attacks, Holds, Pets, Flight, Teleport, etc.
  • Enhancement Set Recipes are found by :
    • Defeating NPC enemies
    • The Reward Choice tables for the end of Trials and Task Forces have an option of selecting a random rare recipe from a select pool of recipes.
    • There is a small chance you will get a “rare” recipe when you complete missions,
  • Set Bonuses are not tied specifically to the power that the Invention Enhancement Set is slotted into. Set Bonuses will always persist, and will boost other powers (i.e. Damage and Accuracy) that your character has.
  • Set Bonuses can be temporarily disabled if a player exempts below the level of when a power was gained (in which the IO Set Bonuses are slotted into.)
    
    
• Inventories :
  • Characters have a limited Invention Salvage Inventory which grows as they gain levels.
  • You must have free Invention Inventory slots in order to receive more Invention Salvage rewards.
  • Characters also have a limited Recipe Inventory which works the same way.
  • Characters can unlock Invention Salvage Inventory slots by earning badges.
  • Players have access to external storage areas known as Vaults. (see Vault section below)

Universities:
Universities have been spread throughout Paragon City and the Rogue Isles to teach players how to use the new Invention System and build their technological breakthroughs at Worktables.

• Universities are located in Steel Canyon, Croatoa and Founder’s Falls (Heroes)
• There is a University in Cap au Diable (Villains)
• The Invention Tutorial can only be accessed in Steel Canyon and Cap Au Diable.

Wentworth’s Consignment House (Heroes)/The Black Market (Villains)

In Atlas Park, King’s Row, Steel Canyon, and Talos Island there is a Wentworth’s Consignment House (marked on your Minimap with a W icon. This is an “Auction House” for heroes to buy, sell, and trade anything they could normally trade in the game, including Invention Salvage, Recipes, and created Enhancements from the Invention System.

Villains have a similar “Auction House” in the Black Market located in Mercy Isle, Cap au Diable, Sharkhead, and St. Martial. The Black Market is marked with a dark grey $ on your minimap.

• Secret Bid System (Buying and Selling) – Buyers can not see what price sellers are selling their items for. Sellers can not see what buyers are willing to pay. This is intentional to make sure that sellers get what they deserve, and buyers pay what they feel is appropriate.
  • A seller sets the price of whatever he is selling. This is the minimum that they will take for that item.
  • A buyer bids the price of whatever he is willing to pay for that item. If that price meets or exceeds the seller’s price, the buyer “wins” the item, and pays out what he bid.
  • The seller then receives what the buyer bid, minus the Transaction Fees appropriate to the sale. Since the buyer didn’t know what the seller was asking, he could get practically any amount over what he was originally asking. For example, a seller could put a recipe up for 1,000 inf, and a buyer bids 250,000 inf for it. The seller would sell that recipe to that buyer, and end up almost 250,000 inf richer for it.
  • So if you really want to move your product quickly, set low prices on it. Your stuff will move first if it’s the lowest price. However, you run the risk of someone bidding low, and you being the only qualifying price.
  • If you really want to make sure you get an item that is for sale, bid as much as you are willing to spend on that item. Ask yourself how much is it really worth to you, because what you bid will literally be what you spend.
  • Characters can buy or sell Enhancements, Inspirations, Salvage and Recipes.
  • Characters cannot buy or sell Temporary Powers or Costume Pieces through the Auction system to other players.
  • Auction House Teleporter:
    • For convenience, all Auction Houses now sells a one-time use Temporary Teleporter power that will allow a character to teleport themselves instantly to Wentworth’s or the Black Market.

• Drag and Drop User Interface :
  • To do anything with the Consignment House/Black Market, you just need to drag and drop the items in question to or from your inventories to your transaction inventory slots.
  • If you are moving a stack of things, you will see a slider asking how much you want to move. Only Recipes and Salvage can be bought or sold in stacks.

• Transaction Inventory :
  • Characters have a limited number of Transaction Inventory Slots that grows as the character levels up. These inventory slots can be used for the following:

• • • Selling an item or stack of Salvage :
      • You set a minimum price you want to receive for an item or for each piece of Salvage in a stack of Salvage. Buyers will not see your minimum “sell price”, but if any buyers bid over your price, AND you are the lowest qualifying seller, your item will sell to that character for the price the buyer offered (minus any transaction fees).
    • Buying an item :
      • You can bid on any item that can possibly be listed for sale.
      • If your bid meets the minimum price of at least one item, then you will automatically buy that item.
      • If your bid fails to meet the minimum price of all items being sold (or if no units of that item are for sale), this will create a “Buy Order” instead.
      • Buy Orders: If someone puts up the exact item you are looking for at your Buy Order price or less, you will immediately buy it, even if you are not on-line.

• • • Storing an item :
      • You can simply store items in your Transaction inventory slots, without placing them for sale, if you wish.
      • A single stack of Recipes or Salvage will take only one Transaction Slot.

Vault Reserve

Characters can now store a limited amount of Invention Salvage at the Vault Reserve. These independent shops are set up near Wentworth’s and the Black Markets as well as a branch inside Pocket D.

• These areas allow you to access a personal storage locker to store more Invention Salvage.
• Base Salvage, Inspirations and Enhancements cannot be put into the Vault Reserve.
• Supergroups can place a Personal Storage Object in their base that ties in directly to the Vault Reserve storage (it’s simply another way to access the Vault Reserve storage for characters).

Badges

Issue 9 brings with it over 60 new badges, most of which are Invention or Consignment House (Black Market) related.

• Some badges have rewards such as increased Inventory sizes for the various Invention related Inventories.
• Other badges allow you to “memorize” recipes so that you no longer need to buy them from the Worktable (or have a copy of the recipe on you) in order to make those Enhancements. An Invention System Accolade exists as well that allows field crafting.

Statesman’s Task Force

Marcus Cole himself now stands aboard a Freedom Corps ship in Independence Port. If you have 8 level 45 to 50 Heroes, you can start the Statesman Task Force and undertake a mission that is of vital importance to the fate of the entire planet.

• Your reward for this can be either a Synthesized Hamidon Enhancement (courtesy of Positron) or a random rare Recipe for use in the Invention system.
• Each of these rewards can be given out only once every 24 hours.

Villain Hamidon Encounter

The Hamidon has invaded the Rogue Isles in a zone known only as “The Abyss” which is accessed through Grandville.

• New tactics are called for requiring better team coordination and fewer raiders.
• The Abyss will now create a new zone when 50 players have entered it.
• Hamidon himself is now spawned via player actions and is no longer on a timer.

• Heroes in Paragon City will also see the revamped Hamidon in the Hive zone.

• Defeating Hamidon will earn a Hamidon Enhancement or a rare Recipe for use in the Invention System. Each of these rewards can be given out only once every 24 hours.

Powers – Players:

• • Controller: Fixed an issue with Stone Cages which caused it’s cast time to be too long.
  • Mastermind/Corruptor: Poison Trap can now only be used while in contact with the ground.
  • Undead Slaying Axe now uses a different attack animation.
  • Spines’ Throw Spines animation will no longer pitch to target
  • Many powers with regeneration debuff effects are now resistible by non-player entities. Powers effected are:
    • Radiation Emissions 'Lingering Radiation' and 'EM Pulse'
    • Poisons 'Envenom'
    • Robotics Assault Bot 'Plasma Blast' and 'Dual Plasma Blast'
    • Electric Armor 'Power Surge'
    • Trick Arrow 'EMP Arrow'
    • Electrical Master 'EM Pulse'

Powers - Critters

• • Archvillain and Giant Monster class entities have had their global debuff resistances reduced. This should offset the changes made to -Regen powers and lead to more diverse team composition for certain encounters.
  • You can now pick up escort hostages while stealthed or when you have a Stealth Invention Origin Enhancement slotted. Everyone around the hostage will receive a stealth debuff when it is acquired. The debuff to stealth powers will remove when you exit the mission map.
    • Note: The purpose of this change is to allow players to not be penalized by new Stealth Invented Enhancement.
    • The perception bonus has been affected, however any defense buff associated with a stealth power is still maintained.

Rewards:
·Enhancement drop rates have changed and been decreased as you level up. Players at higher levels will no longer receive enhancements that are of no use to a character at that level.

o1 to 11 100% TO
o13 to 21 50% TO, 50% DO
o22 to 31 50% DO, 50% SO
o31 to 40 25% DO, 75% SO
o41 to 50 100% SO

·You should still receive optimal enhancement drops at near, or sometimes faster than the rate you received them in Issue 8.
oFor example, if, at level 45, you previously got an SO 25% of the time you got an enhancement drop, you now should receive enhancements 75% less often, but they will be an SO 100% of the time.

City Zones:

·King’s Row :
oKing's Row now has Superpowered Field Trainers (NPC Stores)


·Green Line Tram :
oThe Green line now runs to Skyway City and Founders' Falls


Emotes:

• • New Emotes Added!

Emote Binoculars
Emote Camera
Emote Cellphone
Emote Clipboard
Emote Crouch
Emote Drum
Emote DrumLow
Emote Fishing
Emote FlippingCoin
Emote FloatBooks
Emote Howl
Emote Talk
Emote Waiting
Emote Wounded


Custom Flying Animation Emotes. (These will only interrupt the flying forward animations)
Emote FlyPose1
Emote FlyPose2
Emote FlyPose3
Emote FlyPose4

• • Emotes should more reliably interrupt certain combat cycles, particularly post-attack cycles and combat ready cycles (triggered by some toggles, such as Tough)

Wow......



Like I said.....wow.

This new invention system is going to be something else.

Some of my notes on the notes...

Statesman's Task Force - Really looking forward to this one. I've always like running a task force and the highest level that was available was the Numina at lvls 35-40. With the Hami-O or the recipie, this one is going to be extremely popular.

Powers - Don't like the idea of non-player enemies being able to resist the regen debuffs. Without that, nearly all of the Giant Monsters and Arch-Villains are impossible to take down. However, they have had their resistance reduced, too.

I like the new enhancement drop feature. Now you won't have to deal with stupid lvl 50 training origin enhancements, which I know of absolutely no one that uses them. The reduction in drops....well, with spending influence on the new invention system (plus trying to earn prestige for your supergroup), you gotta earn money somehow.

I like the Green Line running to King's Row, but not Founder's Falls. Takes away from that city zone being a upscale, snobby kind of place. If they had to put it in the zone, the least they could have done was to put it off over in the corner besides right in the middle of the canal.

New emotes are cool; however, they didn't add one for walking. They also put in the new flying emotes. When they tried to add them to the last issue, it was based upon a random emote when you activated the fly power. Some of them are really stupid looking, but one or two of them are really, really cool.