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Storyboard: Profession discussion - The Merchant
People want stuff. It's a given. Part of this is because in the earliest days of human history having a sharpened stick was the difference between eating and starving, but part of it is just the way that we've structured our societies. And a lot of the things that people want are things that they can't make themselves, which means those people need someone to come to the rescue. That's where this profession comes in; the Merchant is all about getting people the stuff that they want. This is easily the strangest profession discussion I've done yet because it's easy to understand how you could have a lot of different people in the role of a spy or an aristocrat, but it's less obvious how you could have a character with certain archetypes be a merchant. The thing is that the merchant isn't just about selling things and making money. Being a merchant is what a character does on the road, and that ranges from selling mushrooms to selling your sword in the name of a good cause.
Storyboard: Mistakes I know I was making
When I write this column, I talk a lot about what works within the context of roleplaying. I make suggestions, declare certain things as being bad ideas, and otherwise make a point of speaking as someone who knows what he is doing. This is not unfounded; I've been playing MMOs for eight years and roleplaying for fifteen, so I at least have some benefit of experience to work with. But a lot of the conclusions I've reached and the ideas that I've formed have been the result of trying something, failing, and learning from the experience. Today, I'm going to look back to three characters whom I played, characters I was excited about, characters who absolutely failed to work. Beyond just that, however, I want to talk about why they failed to work and what I might have done to overcome their innate problems and make them fun to play after all. These are points I've touched on before, definitely, but it never hurts to fit these things into an actual context.
Storyboard: Archetype discussion -- the Trapped
Up until now, all of the archetypes we've discussed have had one major element in common -- they've wanted to be out in the world. Maybe it's out of a sense of duty, maybe it's a desire for something, or maybe it's just a need to teach. Whatever the actual reasons, these archetypes are made up of people who aren't going to be totally happy just sitting at home right now. Many want to end up in a nice home, but that's further down the road. The Trapped just wants to get out. She doesn't care about larger goals, she doesn't care about adventure, she doesn't want to make money or learn new things. She wants to go home and stay there. Unfortunately for her, she doesn't get to make that decision, and for whatever reason, she's out in the midst of an adventure when she never really wanted to be a part of it in the first place. So queue up your listening material and let's talk about being trapped in the midst of awesome.
Storyboard: Problem children, part the second
Creating characters is hard work. It's hard enough when you're just concerned with making a really cool melee character who can kick other melee characters up and down the block, and it gets infinitely harder when you're trying to put together something that at least looks like a three-dimensional individual at the right angle. That having been said, there are certain ideas that are just problematic, character types that might seem like a good idea when you're staring at the screen but become a really bad one as soon as you hit "create." Our last look at problem characters focused on the sort that you know you're creating at the time, the sort that sound nifty in your head but cause some serious problems in actual play. This time we're looking at the other side, the sort of thing that's far easier to notice while interacting with characters rather than while creating them. But it's still well worth keeping these types in mind so that if you start traveling down these roads, you can make a turn. On to the problem children!
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Because of reasons!
It's weird to say it, but City of Heroes feels like it's still on the cusp of a storm. Going Rogue was a fine expansion, but it doesn't have the sense of breaking that built-up tension, that feeling of something major just over the horizon. Or perhaps it's just me, perched out on my metaphorical porch and loudly proclaiming that this next one is going to be the big one, as I puff on my metaphorical corn-cob pipe and look across the metaphorical skyline of rural Metaphorbraska. OK, that one kind of got away from me there, but what I was trying to get at was that it's time for another question-and-answer session for City of Heroes and that I don't think I'm the only person feeling like Issue 19 might hold some great secret. We'll know soon enough, although right now it's time for Issue 20's super-secret beta, which even I don't know about just yet. I'm very curious. On to the questions!
Storyboard: Problem children
Sometimes you have a character concept that just doesn't quite work. We've talked about that before, at least in the context of trying to make sure your awesome new idea doesn't wind up on your list of discarded alts. But there are also times when the concept is problematic long before you get as far as playing. There are certain archetypes and ideas that just do not work for various reasons or that (at the very least) require your square-peg character to be shoved in the roundest of holes. The loner, of course, is the classic archetype that people love to play without its ever working correctly. It's hard to have a proper loner in an environment where socializing is necessary. But there are other problem types that aren't highlighted as often, sometimes because they're not as common, and sometimes because the people who want to play these concepts get very enthusiastic about them. Here, then, are some of the major problem children among character archetypes, as well as some suggestions about how to make them work right after all.
Kitsu Saga shows off character options and a preview trailer
Kitsu Saga, the newest free-to-play game from Aeria Games, is currently still in the midst of beta. While we were a bit unfamiliar with the game when it was first announced -- which is to say completely unaware of it -- we've just been given both a preview trailer for the game (embedded after the cut) and a small gallery of images showing off the range of body types available to players during character creation. According to the development team, characters can be aged as well as having different body types, which has a direct impact on the character's abilities. A middle-aged and heavily muscled man will have better physical stats at creation than a willowy little girly man, for example. Aside from character creation, both the gallery and the trailer show off the clean and cartoonish style of the game's graphics. Take a look past the cut for the trailer, and keep an eye as more news comes out about the coming Kitsu Saga. %Gallery-102068%
Vindictus shows off the dual-wielding mayhem of Lann
Vindictus has no small number of people looking in its direction with longing, on account of its detailed graphics and action-oriented approach. Potential players might get a chance at previewing the game at San Diego Comic-Con, but everyone will get the chance to take a look at the newest preview video featuring Lann, the dual-blade warrior of the game. Even within the context of the game, Lann is a high-speed character, spinning about and dispensing death with both of his weapons. Starting in light armor, Lann will eventually get access to heavy armor as well as the potential to wield paired spears instead of swords. He specializes in mobility, able to easily sidestep several blows and move quickly to engage an enemy. Even if he doesn't get out of the way, he also possesses skills to counterattack after a knockdown and hit multiple enemies at once. Take a look past the break for the short video, and keep your eyes peeled for more reveals about Vindictus as we approach the promised release late in the year.
