co
Latest
One Shots: Look out below!
When it comes to being a freshly minted superhero, there seems to be a fairly common trope of the hero doing all manner of crazy, dangerous things to test just what they can do. When it comes to Champions Online, it's even more fun -- after all, if your character gets messed up, there's no real harm done. Today's crazy One Shots comes to us from David, who decided to push the envelope of just how much he could get away with. He writes in: My name is David and right now my game of choice is Champions Online; this is my shot from the top. I was in Millennium City waiting in the hero games queue for the zombie PvP instance. I got bored and went to explore how high I could go with my trusty grappling hook. After reaching the top of the Renaissance Center I decided to take the short way down.Are you fond of flinging yourself off the edge of buildings, cliffs, etc. in your MMO of choice? If so, why not capture a screenshot of your crazy stunt and send it in to us at oneshots [at] massively [dot] com. Be sure to include your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post it out for everyone to see -- and make "splat!" comments at. %Gallery-9798%
Champions Online launches new demo program
So you're interested in Champions Online, but you lack a friend playing the game who could give you a trial code. You've missed out on the free weekends the game has offered, and you're not quite adventurous enough to drop the full price of the retail box sight unseen. What's to be done? Well, as of now, the proper answer is to give the brand-new demo program a try. Following in the vein of Warhammer Online, those interested in Millenium City's superheroic population can now create two different characters and enjoy romping about in an unlimited free trial of the starting area. The opening area, in which players defend the city from an alien invasion, introduces most of the game's core mechanical concepts and allows the player to start brushing shoulders with the big names in the game's lore. The only real limitations are the number of characters, and the hard limit of level 15, which itself takes quite a bit of work to reach in the starter zone. While it's not quite the rush of the various free-to-play weekend within the game, it keeps things nice and accessible, and should certainly help anyone curious about the gameplay get a firmer handle on Champions Online. The fact that it's on Steam as well is just icing on the cake. [ Thanks to Edward R. for the tip! ]
The Daily Grind: How do you learn the game?
MMOs are complicated beasts. In most games you have at least a detailed set of game mechanics and combat systems to learn. That's not even getting into things like Fallen Earth with its maddeningly expansive crafting, or EVE Online and the detailed economy, or Champions Online and a costume creator that some find more engaging than the actual gameplay. There's a reason why most popular games spawn countless websites, forums, chat channels, and so forth -- because there's a great deal to learn, a large number of mysteries, and often a limit to how much useful information the game itself gives you. So how do you learn your game? Do you browse forums and ask questions, building up advice from a community? Do you read the numerous sites devoted to the games, such as databases and wikis? Do you buy print strategy guides and try and adapt to the changes as they come, piece-by-piece? Or do you eschew all of the above, preferring to just let yourself amble along and learn things by example and inference? There are a lot of resources out there, and we all have our preferred ones, but today we want to know about yours.
Cryptic: We didn't want to delete your Batman clone, we had to
One of the most talked about features of Champions Online is the outstanding character creator, practically a game in itself. It's a great part of the game, but there's a downside. It's so versatile, and you can do so much, that you can easily make the perfect Gollum or G.I. Joe clone. That's not as awesome as it sounds, because your character will get downgraded to a plain old shirt-and-jeans-wearing guy sooner or later. "Why is Cryptic so mean?" you might ask. The latest dev blog explains that that's not the case at all. Noel "Destra' Holmes has quite a bit to say about the ongoing issue of IP violations, but it boils down to this: "The requirement to remove IP Violation characters from Champions is completely based on the fact that having IP Violation characters in our game puts us at a legal risk, and the unfortunate fact of the matter is that we are required to remove them from our game, or the owner of the IP in question can take us to court for stealing their stuff." The full blog entry is very informative, and well worth a read for any Champions Online fan.
Winter screenshot contest for Champions Online
We're approaching the winter solstice yet again, known in some parts of the world as "that time when it gets so cold your eyes frost over." In order to take at least some of the sting off the weather, Champions Online is offering players a reason to get in the mood of dressing in seven layers of clothing and turning the heat up high enough to melt plastic. After all, even heroes can get cold on occasion, and being able to project beams of force from your eyes doesn't necessarily help you drive through a whirling blizzard, so it's high time for the game's first winter screenshot contest. The contest runs until 11:59 PST on December 20th, and to enter, all that one must do is post a screenshot with a winter theme to this thread on the official boards. It could be a costume that's suited to the chilly weather, a hero traipsing about in a winter wonderland, or whatever else you can come up with that fits the theme. The winners will receive an in-game Retro Destroyer action figure for their efforts, which won't help keep you warm, but might help keep you smiling anyway as you scrape seventeen inches of ice off the front windshield of your car.
The Daily Grind: Is it lonely in here, or is it just me?
There's nothing like the feeling of going back to an old favorite. You might or might not be enjoying Champions Online, but either way it could inspire you to go back to City of Heroes to see how the old stomping grounds are faring. Final Fantasy XIV might put you in the mood to take a trip into Final Fantasy XI just for nostalgia. Or maybe it's just the time of year that makes you think back to when you first fired up EverQuest and you want a chance to play around a little more. So you reinstall, resubscribe, and... where the heck did everyone go? What games have you headed back to only to find out that the critical mass of players had departed? How do you cope with adventuring again in an empty world? For some older games (EverQuest and Final Fantasy XI spring to mind from the aforementioned) you're more or less up the creek without a paddle if you don't have anyone around to play with, which exacerbates the problem. So how do you deal with being the last one left to turn the lights on or off?
The breadth of morality in MMOs
It's been touched on before, but there's still more thought to be put into it: morality in MMOs, if you think about it, can be a touchy business at best. Scott Jennings recently took the opportunity to discuss the genre's stance in light of the Modern Warfare 2 controversy, pointing out that the genre as a whole has generally failed to touch on morality tacitly but has frequently done so passively. The game we play are almost relentlessly imperialistic, as he puts it, with an unambiguous march toward taking everything at gunpoint (or sword-point, or laser-cannon-point) and becoming the undisputed master of all you survey. It's equally true in EVE Online, where the game implicitly sends you up against all other players in a bid for maximum possible gain, or in World of Warcraft, where you can find yourself invading homes for no reason or killing people for holding a legitimate grudge. The only games that even start escaping from the whitewashed attitude are superhero games such as City of Heroes and Champions Online, and even there you most likely send several thugs to the hospital without so much as an effort to negotiate. Whether this can or should change isn't easy to say -- much of the rationale behind it is tied to the game design rather than player choice. It's a topic worth considering, however, and one that will doubtlessly be addressed more as the industry grows in maturity.
The Daily Grind: What games can you just not stand?
We all have games we love, that's a given. But some of us also have games that we have a deep and abiding resentment toward. Maybe you were so disappointed with Champions Online that now even the mention of the game gets you annoyed. You might have disliked the grind in Aion to the point where you're actively happy to hear about people unsubscribing from it. Or maybe you're annoyed at World of Warcraft being as huge as it is and want it taken down a few pegs. Even as you know it's silly to dislike something that brings people happiness (we hope you do, at least), we can't help but do it here and there. As long as we're getting things off our chests lately, here's the question: what game do you just not like? You don't play it if you ever did, you have no real investment in its success or failure... but you really just plain dislike it. Do you dislike it because of changes, because of what you think its presence did to other games, or just for silly personal reasons that you know are ridiculous but you can't help?
One Shots: Everybody (no) pants now
When we opened up this email originally, we wondered what would cause so many heroes to strip down to their undies. Then when we read it was part of a party being held by the StormRadio crew from Champions Online, we understood. Those crazy radio people seem to inspire naked wherever they go. Today's scantily-clad screenshot of event fun comes to us from The Gentleman, who DJs with StormRadio. He writes in to tell us a bit more: This is a picture from our latest theme show event, with DJ Distraction's Drama Free Debauchery! Everyone was in their skivvies for the event. Although cold, we had a great time, and I think everyone who was there did too. Calling all people enjoying holiday or role-play events -- we want your screenshots! So send your snaps in to us at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name/group/game and a quick description of what we're seeing in the image. That way everyone can check out what's so cool about your favorite game's holiday events -- or rp community -- too! %Gallery-9798%
The Daily Grind: I've been meaning to tell you...
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day if you're in the United States, which makes it special. (If you live in the rest of the world, tomorrow is Thursday and not particularly special, but bear with us.) It's the start of a season devoted to good feelings and positive thoughts, as well as voracious consumerism, so it's best to start things off on the right foot. Start off by clearing the air and getting everything off your chest, out into the open. Today, we're asking you: what level is your blood elf paladin? Okay, that sort of question usually goes onto our sister site, but the message is there. What are your MMO secrets? Do you secretly adore Champions Online but don't tell your friends on City of Heroes because you're afraid of their reaction? Have you stuck with a game you hated because a friend was playing it and you didn't want to leave them by themselves? Even if it's something as mundane as hating Runes of Magic, today, the floor is open for you to vent whatever you just normally won't share. And then, tomorrow, we can feast with a clear conscience. (Unless you're not in the US, again, but maybe you can start up a regular feast day on Thursdays.)
Bill Roper talks powers in Champions Online
Two of the biggest aspects of Champions Online are easy to point out: the character creator and the wide selection of powers. Certainly it's not the first game to use a classless system by a long shot, but the visual and immediate nature of power selection and the cosmetic effects of those choice are a big part of the game's distinctiveness. So it's hard not to be interested when Bill Roper sits down and talks with MMOCrunch about which powers he thinks worked excellently out of the gate and which onces were a bit less impressive. Bill gushes quite enthusiastically about powers such as Force Cascade, Killer Instinct, and Thermal Reverberation -- powers that encourage alternate playstyles or different combinations of abilities. He's also enthusiastic about Uppercut and Haymaker, which he feels have an excellent payoff if they're used successfully and force the player to think more carefully. On the flipside, passive offensive powers don't have nearly enough effect, Chain Lightning tries to encourage alternate approaches but fails to do so, and summoning doesn't mesh nicely with the game's core play aspects. Roper also talks about what's being planned for the underwhelming powers to help bring them more in line, as well as discussing data mining and the infamous launch day nerfs. Take a look at the full interview for more details.
The Daily Grind: How do you juggle multiple games?
So you're jumping back into playing your favorite character on, say, Champions Online, and you press the button that you're pretty sure is bound to your energy-building power. It's only a minute later as you stare at an empty gauge and watch your health slowly disintegrate that you realize you hit the button bound to your opening skill in Guild Wars, because you've been playing that more lately. So then you mentally adjust to the keybindings that are, you soon recall, for your Fighter/Monk in Dungeons and Dragons Online... and then you remember what you had bound on Champions Online, but it doesn't matter because you've died. Everyone has done it. (Probably.) If you're reading Massively, you very likely have more than one game that you play on a regular basis. That means there's always the issue of remembering different keybindings, abilities, playstyles, et cetera. And all this doesn't even mention the problem of varied amounts of playtime. So, how do you juggle multiple games? Do you allot certain times to certain games, do you follow your interest at any given moment, or is it all more or less random? If you've tried multiple methods, what's worked the best for you?
Why RMT won't go away
"Companies should just stop gold farmers." It's a consistent complaint in many games, with "gold" replaced by your game's currency of choice. As complaints go, it's right around "somebody should do something about all the problems" in terms of overall utility, but heck, no one likes the practice and it should just be eliminated, right? Well, as Scott Jennings has pointed out recently, it's not quite that easy. As Lum points out, there are several common misconceptions about the entire process. Among them are the idea that the game company doesn't step in because they're getting kickbacks, which is pointed out to fail the simple test of Occam's razor. When developers want to get more money from an existing game, there are usually better ways to run it, such as the Champions Online model or the Dungeons and Dragons Online approach. He also tackles the infamous statement that the farmers are paying customers and therefore the company has even less incentive to stop them. So if everyone hates RMT, why is it still around? The article briefly touches upon it, but We Fly Spitfires had a recent post that articulates more specifically: more people buy gold than would necessarily admit it. Since no one will admit to it, no one ever asks, and as a result there's a large culture of silence that publicly despises it and privately takes part. In short? As long as there's a customer base, the farming will continue. Food for thought all around.
Champions Online previews Nemesis Confrontation
What's more dangerous than an interdimensional prison in which malevolent creatures of immense power plot the destruction of the entire Champions Online world? That same prison being taken over and used as a lair by your hero's Nemesis and the dangerous Shadow Destroyer. After hints and the surprise playtest event, the official site has unveiled a preview of the upcoming Nemesis Confrontation, which looks like an interesting jump forward in the content offered by the game. Obviously, the Lair in question is the highlight of the update, which features combat against alien gladiators as well as a collection of powerful villains. There are other rewards to be earned as well, however -- ranging from a number of different hero enhancements to costume pieces in the vein of the enemies fought within the lair. If you can't wait to run the lair in order to get the costume pieces (perhaps you have a perfect character concept to start with), the preview promises that they will also be available in the C-Store. Champions Online isn't going to make players wait long for the event, either, as it's launching on the 24th. It should give players quite a bit to be thankful for -- when they're not battling extradimensional alien gladiators, at least.
Champions Online has a secret
And they're not going to tell you! However, you can probably make a few guesses as to the secret if you haven't already, when you participate in their secret playtest tomorrow. Champions Online Community Team member David "Daeke" Bass posted this interesting piece of news today: "We've got a big feature coming out next week, but we want your help to test it before then. We can't give too many details now..." When this super secret new feature hits the PTS tomorrow, it will not be as a timed event, so you can log in and take a look at your leisure. Don't have any speculation as to what it is yet? A few simple instructions on what to bring to the party might help. Daeke requests that you bring a 5-man team of level 40 players and interestingly, a Nemesis. If you want to participate you can either transfer your own characters over from the live server, or level up using the contact outside the Millennium City Powerhouse. Champions Online promises more information tomorrow -- we can't wait!
Bill Roper talks about Champions Online successes and failures
Champions Online is still wet behind the ears, but we're moving through the game's third month of operation, time enough to take a slightly calmer look at how things went at launch and how the game has been shaping up. Jeux Online recently interviewed executive producer Bill Roper regarding the game's launch and its future, which might not contain as much information on the latter as the fans would like but still contains some interesting bits and pieces. Looking forward, the most interesting bits are the promise of an upcoming Lair in which each player's Nemesis makes an appearance, in a union of several high-level threats to face off against a team of heroes. (Shades of the Masters of Evil or the Legion of Doom.) He also discusses a bit about the upcoming winter event, which he states will not include a new powerset but will include a number of "presents", as well as a fight against a truly massive opponent. There's also discussion regarding mission instancing a la City of Heroes, PvP maps, and the ongoing task of balancing Champions Online. How the game will mature in practice is yet to be seen, but we're getting a clearer and clearer idea about the game's direction at the very least.
Developer communication as it affects games
Developer chats aren't only important when it comes to what players know about the game -- they're also important in how the players approach the game. That's one of the more interesting conclusions to be taken away from Elder Game's latest discussion regarding the interactions between developers and community. As Eric Heimburg points out, developers and community teams have two main approaches to dealing with their players, both of which affect the attitude of players and their perception of the game as a whole. Aion is his choice of examples for the first type of communication, in which the development team is essentially totally silent. The attitude is either complete silence, or denying that a bug is actually a bug. On the flip side, Champions Online embraces an open style of communication in which the developers loudly talk about bugs, system problems, and so on. Heimburg goes on to point out the positives and negatives of both sides -- Aion, for instance, creates an impression that things are working as intended even when they aren't. That works well until it becomes absolutely transparent that something is wrong, at which point the credibility is lost. Champions Online has a much more prevalent sense that the players should work with the developers and give them slack, but that only extends so far. It's an interesting look at a complicated issue, and worthy of an in-depth reading.
One Shots: Full moons bring out the crazy
With the last of several Halloween events wrapping up, we figured we'd put out one of the last few screenshots for the recent in-game events folks have sent in to us. Today's One Shots comes to us from Grey, who captured this bit of silliness in Champions Online. Why silly when it looks relatively peaceful? Check out the note that came along with it: Hi guys. Thought this might interest you. Here is a screenie of my character, essentially a robot, musing under the red moon (not quite Blood Red) during the event in Champions Online. As the bard, Christopher Cross said, "If you get caught between the Bloodmoon and Millennium City, I know it's crazy, but it's true..." If you've got a bad pun lurking in relation to one of your screenshots, get it out and into an email to us. Those things can hurt you if you leave 'em unpunned too long. Email the punbomb (and screenshot) to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll unleash the pun-ishment on the world and let them know it was all you. %Gallery-9798%
Champedia launches for Champions Online
As MMOs become more and more complex, there's an increasing need for information regarding the game at a player's fingertips. Especially since most of them are being played while on the computer, so a quick search of information is just an alt-tab away, no matter what the situation. Champions Online has stepped up to the plate with their own official offering: the Champedia, a database of every superpower, mission, super group, and character currently in the game. It's fully searchable at this point, although it's still in beta. There have been debates in the community about adding on currently-played characters into a publicly accessible database, but Champions Online also includes the feature for guild masters to manage their organization directly from the site. A quick log-in allows the group leader to do everything from changing the message of the day to handling promotions without ever having to enter the game. It's not perfect yet, of course -- the Mission section, for instance, includes nothing but the basic mission text -- but if properly managed it could be a great asset to the community looking for information straight from the official source. Now if only it included wiki functionality...
The systems of battle in Champions Online
We've been getting a generous look under the hood of Champions Online courtesy of designer Brian Urbanek, with the second part of his system-focused developer diary now available. The first part covered the progression and improvement of a player's heroes, while this diary focuses on the mechanics of that ever-present diversion in almost every game -- combat. As one can imagine, with a game whose systems are based on a tabletop roleplaying game dating back more than twenty years, there are a lot of numbers and expressions to be thrown around. Urbanek explains, in detail, how the team set up values for stats and durability with some baseline assumptions. They knew what they could expect for an "average" player to do in terms of damage-per-second at high levels, and they had some idea of how long they wanted each fight to last (the time cited is twenty seconds). From there, the diary goes into the balancing and scaling factors needed to ensure that players and enemies both are dealing reasonable damage and surviving for the preferrable amount of time. If you like numbers and systems, or just a clearer picture of how Champions Online works, this diary should be perfect for you, with promises of still more to come down the pipeline.
