travel-powers
Latest
City of Heroes looks to take players on a magic carpet ride
Travel powers can show you the world as you level through City of Heroes. Unfortunately, they've long been limited mostly to powers that come from within each individual character. But that's changing -- first with the Rocket Board, and now with the newest addition to the game's travel power library, the Flying Carpet. If you've long wanted to use decorative surfaces from your home to explore the dark alleys of Paragon City, your wait is finally over. Running 600 points (around $7.50) in the Paragon Market and available to characters starting at level 4, the rug is similar in function to both the aforementioned Rocket Board and the magical rugs found in games such as World of Warcraft and EverQuest II. If you're attracted to the idea of levitating upholstery but still on the fence about the money, there's a trailer showing off the latest addition to the game just after the cut.
Champions Online gives players a full pack of jets
Even in superhero games, people still have a deep love of jetpacks. There's something innately wonderful about the idea about strapping on a backpack and slipping the terrible dominion of gravity. That's why Champions Online has introduced a new option for travel powers for players of all types -- the jet pack. And as you would expect, it allows you to take to the skies with style and rocket-powered precision as you soar along. It probably comes as little surprise that the pack is available in the C-Store. That being said, it's only the actual appearance of the packs is for sale -- all users have access to the Jet Pack travel power, which uses the costume parts. So if you have the urge to strap a rocket to your back and take to the air, your time is now -- and if you're not quite convinced, why not check out the video just past the break?
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The freedom to travel
The issue under discussion today is not something that will make or break City of Heroes. It is not a massive problem or a huge threat to the game's continued operation. But it is an issue, and in many ways it's the same sort of issue that led to the development team finally granting us the Fitness set as an inherent power set more than six months ago. And just like that, it requires a bit of a history lesson, some conceptual nattering, and an understanding of what relevance gameplay restrictions had in the past and have in the present. See, today I'm talking about travel powers. The fact of the matter is that we've gone from having travel powers as an important milestone at level 14 to having those powers be more or less irrelevant in their restrictions. There are arguably bigger issues that have to be attended, more pressing areas of the game in need of updates or cleanup... but it's important to look at these issues as well. In the wake of the (singularly awesome) Steampunk Pack, it's as good a time as any to look at what the game is doing now and ask whether there are pieces of complexity that aren't really necessary.
Behind the Mask: High speed, low drag
It's not like Champions Online is the first MMORPG with travel powers. Back in the ancient days of Ultima Online, we had things like boats and teleporting spells. Getting a mobility boost to get from point A to point B is nothing unique or special. CO has something a little different, though. Travel powers are as much a thing of individual expression as they are a transportation method. Sure, there's something to be said for riding a semi-transparent sparkling blue horse, but when you can wrap yourself in a shroud of blue fire and streak through the skies, it says a little more about your character. There's a reason I think people who still go AFK to ride griffons from zone to zone are chumps. Hopping over buildings to get to your next quest objective or sprinting at ludicrous speed into a group of foes and using the momentum to start up your attacks is the epitome of personal expression. It's all about what you drive, and my ride is Teleportation.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Everybody needs a question answered sometime
If you haven't read Jason Vuic's excellent history of the Yugo, you're doing yourself a disservice -- at least, if you have any interest in terrible cars, history, or just the crazy stylings of Malcolm Bricklin. What does that have to do with today's bevvy of City of Heroes questions, hot on the heels of our anniversary? Well, not everyone can afford the Batmobile. There are places where the Paragon Monorail (aka Justice Mass Transit) won't take you. And on those occasions, well, you truly wish that you'd just dropped the ten dollars on the Martial Arts booster or taken the darn travel power. Onward! Dashel asked: "When will Blasters get more secondaries, original or proliferated?" Soon! Maybe. I've heard tell that we may well be due for another wave of powerset proliferation with the release of Going Rogue, although that's far from a confirmed fact. So Blasters can expect to get some more love there. But we don't have any idea of exactly when we'll see more secondaries as opposed to more primary sets. The trouble is that as Blasters have been designed, they have the undesirable trait that Masterminds share: they've got a setup for one of their sets that nobody else shares.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Riddle me this, riddle me that
We've all heard the repeated statement that there are no stupid questions. This is pretty obviously incorrect, and can be proven as such by asking what color has the most pizza, or how much a clearly-priced item costs, or how you mine for fish. But when it comes to being unsure about things in City of Heroes, that old chestnut rings true. Certainly you can ask questions that have obvious answers in retrospect, but there's enough to learn and know about the game that it's never a bad idea to ask a question. We'll kick off with a question asked by Sharko: "Are we ever going to see new Epic Archetypes in the game?" The developers have been fairly close-lipped on this point, and for somewhat good reason. Making a new archetype requires a concept that doesn't fit within any of the existing power frameworks, has enough to do that it can sustain itself for the same range of play as the other archetypes, and usually requires some complex balancing against the other archetypes to avoid being more powerful or less. With the breadth of options available to current City of Heroes characters, there's not always a lot of new space to squeeze in something else.
Travel powers trailer for Champions Online
Yeah, we know the Champions Online open beta is out and many of you have probably been messing around with all these travel powers already, but it's always nice to get a preview of all your options in one nicely packaged trailer. Plus, trailers are a great way to kill a minute or five, depending on the game in question.For travel powers we get a short-yet-sweet look at all the currently available modes of super traveling within the game. Don't be surprised to see more options from Cryptic in the future, since regular updates are one of their strong points. So until launch -- which is only two weeks away -- enjoy the video and ponder what your first character is going to be, or else you'll end up like some of us here at Massively who have far too many alts.See the full trailer after the break!
Massively's top four upcoming MMOs that let you fly
The ability to fly has always intrigued us as humans. Even in Leonardo da Vinci's day, the fascination with flight was so overwhelming that he dedicated much of his life to the discovery of getting us off the ground. Modern(ish) technology has helped us realize da Vinci's vision, through the use of enclosed vehicles or other large mechanical contraptions, but we have yet to truly master the art of personal flight.This is where games can be more than just a way to have some fun; they can be a way to live vicariously through our avatars. As in-game art gets more and more realistic -- especially in scenery and lighting effects -- we can visit lands that we wouldn't ordinarily be able to, for a much smaller hit to our wallets. In-game flight is becoming very popular lately as we've noticed a certain influx of upcoming games with this feature. Not only can you fly in these games, but you don't need much to do so. Much like Second's Life's wildly popular avatar flight feature, these new games let you take to the skies without the use of a mount. Follow along after the jump as we showcase four upcoming MMOs that use personal flight as a feature.
Cryptic's Bill Roper on balancing powers in Champions Online
When news came in of the Champions Online launch being delayed to September, a few of the writers at Massively were despondent. It's always better for a game to launch once it's solid rather than release in a buggy state, though. While we wait for the re-scheduled September 1st launch, we're keeping up with the news and interviews surrounding the upcoming superhero title. In fact, we've just come across an MMOCrunch interview with Bill Roper, executive producer of Champions Online you might be interested in. Roper gets into how some of the game mechanics in Champions Online will play out, and explains a bit about how travel powers like flight and teleportation can be countered by those without such capabilities. (For example, how does a ground-based melee character engage a kiting opponent in flight?) He also touches upon the game's sidekick system, which will allow newer players to temporarily boost their powers to keep up with higher level friends. Alternately, the sidekick system will give advanced characters the ability to tone their powers down to the level of their appallingly weak lower level buddies.
Massively Hands-on: The first five levels of Champions Online Part 2
Yep, that's right, you get your travel power at the end of Champions Online's tutorial. Jet Boots is very cool, and will please many an Iron Man fan -- myself included -- right down to the hands and feet pointing forward to stop animation. For Jet Boots, you'll hold 'T' to charge up your bar.
Ice Slide and Foxbat teased in Champions Online screenshots
We've known for some time that Ice Slide was going to be a travel power, but now we've got our very first look at it with the most recent release of screenshots from Cryptic Studios for Champions Online. And what a screen it is, what with an ice-armored shark-man in a surf pose as he, well, surfs on ice!The image really makes you start to wonder what sorts of characters are going to be possible in just a short couple of months away when the game is finally released.There's also an image of the elusive Foxbat, and while we've been denied a look at his in-game face, those sneaky Cryptic developers have given us a really cool distortion effect to gawp over. Just imagine it now: a shark-man trained in deadly martial arts. It's enough to make you want to cry with joy, really.%Gallery-17946%
Swinging travel powers and expansive cities in Champions Online
The ability to swing around has long been one of the most requested travel powers from many a caped player. And so it's with great joy that we announce this video showcasing the newest travel power in Champions Online, swinging! Now, ill themed adult-orientated jokes aside, this new video has really got us excited for the forthcoming launch of Cryptic's next game, because it give a brief glimpse of Millennium City's expansive scale.Actually, we'd be lying if we told you that the expansiveness of the city in the video wasn't more astonishing than the characters monkeying it up with their hook guns. Although speaking of hook guns, it'd be a nice comicbook classics nod if players were able to attack bad guys with said devices -- even though they were never meant to be used like that.Check out the entire video after the break.
Robot mania continues with Champions Online's latest screenshots
This time last year we'd consider selling a non-vital organ to get as many screenshots for Champions Online as we are nowadays, but that's just a testament to our impatience. Now we realize the folly of our kidney selling ways and can simply enjoy all these menacing robots.So that guy up there, he's very likely using a superspeed travel power. Either that, or he's practicing to audition for the upcoming remake of Flashdance -- but we're gonna go with the former.Both this shot and many of the other more recent screenshots appear to have been taken without the cel-shading effect seen in earlier images. We had heard rumblings of the option to turn the cel-shading off in the graphical options, but can now safely say that it looks to be true. Options are a good thing, and this way people who like and dislike the cel-shading approach should be happy with how their heroes look come launch day.%Gallery-17946%
Retcons, non-combat and superpowered travelling in Champions Online
The first Ask Cryptic for Champions Online in February spends a lot of time clearing up questions concerning travel powers, non-combat features and, well, even more non-combat features. Yeah, this set of questions definitely run the gamut -- but that's how we like 'em!What caught our attention in this one was the reveal of respecs in the game or as Cryptic is calling them, "Retcons" It sounds like we may actually be able to get Retcons on specific power choices in Champions Online. Our reason for thinking this comes from the line saying, "Up to a certain level, retcons are fairly cheap, but the higher the level of your character, the more thorough the retcon, the more expensive." While this could simply be some miscommunication, it does sound like less thorough Retcons will be available to those looking for only a little take-back.Additionally, there's a good amount of discussion on how physics and the balancing of travel powers in combat works as well. Mostly it's concerning the functionary bits on how it'll all work in the game come launch, but if you're interested in that you should definitely check this one out.
Massively interviews Champions Online's lead designer, part 2
For those interested in the PvP experience, what will Champions Online offer at launch? Champions Online has a LOT of achievements/perks related a various game activities – completing storylines, exploring new areas, defeating signature villains, PvP, etc. In addition to providing goals for players to achieve and tracking story progress we are providing an extensive rewards system.
PAX08: Talking with Champions Online's content lead, Zeke Sparkes
After speaking with John Layman at PAX08, our second Champions Online interview was with content lead Zeke Sparkes. We talked sound effects, travel powers, character creation, controls and zone creation among other things. In fact, we actually got a short period of hands-on time with the game prior to the interview.So far, Champions Online had only been playable with the Xbox 360 controller, but we were able to finally try the keyboard and mouse controls at PAX. Instead of hitting a face button on the Xbox controller to do your basic attack, you tap an assigned number-key on your keyboard. As you do this, you build up energy and can move through the rest of the powers, which for us were set to the rest of the numbered keys. Overall, the keyboard and mouse controls feel tight and responsive for a game scheduled to launch in Spring of 2009.
The Daily Grind: Long treks and earned mounts, or easy fast travel?
Long overland quests are a fantasy staple which migrated into the MMO genre. This blogger remembers when World of Warcraft was first nicknamed World of Walking. It may not have been the first MMORPG to use the model, but it's the most famous: have a huge world that players begin by walking around in, eventually giving them the ability to use mounts to travel much faster. Age of Conan follows the trend, providing glorious landscapes and not allowing players to use horses until around level 40, a full half way through the leveling progression. Even sprinting in Age of Conan can only be done in short bursts.City of Heroes took a radically different approach. (It could hardly not do so, what with comic book heroes superspeeding and flying all over the place.) The individual zones were much smaller, and characters could take 'travel powers' at level 14, which would get them from place to place in a fraction of the time it would take to run. Later issues introduced temporary travel powers given out as rewards for Mayhem and Safeguard missions, which allowed characters to fly as early as level 5. The flipside is that the game world feels a lot smaller, with no sense of the long trek into the unknown, far from home.Should games still adhere to the familiar format of walking a long way, taking in the sights, then earning your mount and really appreciating it? Or should characters be able to skip trekking from an early level, and just get to go where they want to go, at risk of missing out on the scenery? Is walking a tiresome chore, or a valid way to ensure players see the world the designers created?
