co
Latest
Behind the Mask: Angels and Devils
Last week on Behind the Mask, we talked about the basic dimensional structure of the Champions universe and its parallels with the Kabballah. This week, we take you a bit deeper into the mythos of Champions Online. We'll take a look at the Astral Plane, or Yetzirah, and the key places that exist there. I'll be focusing heavily on the Quaternion -- a series of four planar zones within the Lower Astral Plane that embody most fantasy elements critical to the Champions Universe. If you have ever wondered about demons and angels, this is a must-read. The Vibora Bay story arc paints a very unusual picture about the nature of these planes, and we'll be covering just what Heaven and Hell are in respect to that story. We'll also be covering faeries, elves, dwarves, and other popular fantasy elements. If you're planning on creating a roleplaying character who fits into a fantasy subtype, travels through dimensions, or just uses magic, this information will be critical to you!
Behind the Mask: Between this world and the next
One of the exciting things about writing about Champions Online is that there is a huge amount of lore and backstory behind the game. Although Behind the Mask has a definite focus on concrete game information (that's just how I roll), the lore is always something I'm excited to cover. It offers a look into Champions that can't be experienced with just the online game. This week we're going to look at alternate dimensions in the Champions universe. I was going to take a more indepth look at the background behind the war between Heaven and Hell, but unfortunately there is so much information that paints necessary frameworks for those story elements. It's unfortunate, but the information I have to go over this week is pretty crazy stuff. Before you go through this, you may want to check out some of my other lore articles, including my magic lore article and my general lore primer. I do restate all the necessary stuff here, but having a broader understanding of what's going on can do nothing but help. A lot of the information here is from The Mystic World sourcebook, but there's also a fair bit of stuff cobbled together from ingame lore and some other sourcebooks. Definitely check them out if you want more information on these subjects.
MV Guide: December 26, 2011-January 1, 2012
MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively TV. Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During our streamed events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, streaming is subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) You'll notice a hefty lineup, some new faces, and some special events in this week's MV Guide. Joining us will be some brand-new members of the MV TV livestream team, so make sure you stop in while they're live and give them a welcome! Follow along after the jump to see what's on this week's schedule.
Behind the Mask: The Force Unleashed
Now that The Old Republic has hit the shelves, it seems like everyone has something to say about it. Cryptic seems to acknowledge it in its own unusual way: by lampshading it. Enter the Unleashed, Champions Online's newest free archetype. No, you're not misreading me here; the Unleashed is not a gold archetype. If you make an account right now, you can play the Unleashed from the moment you enter the character select screen, without spending a dime. Since it's the ninth free archetype, you'd think that he'd be a stable, bread-and-butter class. However, the Unleashed is nothing but. His wackiness approaches the Impulse, but where the Impulse is kind of ineffectual, the Unleashed is deadly efficient. Interested in a sword-wielding knight who slings force blasts? Hit the jump and we'll see what Cryptic's take on a Jedi can do.
The Squall breezes into Champions Online
Champions Online is on a roll this week with its bevy of new archetypes to check out. First it was the Star Wars-inspired Unleashed archetype, and today Cryptic announced the arrival of its newest hero, The Squall. As its name suggests, the Squall is a weather-based superhero who takes on the role of an avenger. By wrapping the awesome forces of nature around his little pinky, the Squall can whip up hurricanes, slap down tornadoes, and throw a big ball o' wind at enemies that are really irking him. The archetype primarily focuses on mid- and long-range attacks to repel and disorient enemies, but he suffers when bad guys get up close and personal. The Squall archetype can be unlocked across an entire player's account for 920 Cryptic Points.
Behind the Mask: A way to improve microtransaction consumables
A couple of weeks ago, I lamented the existence of grab bags in Champions Online and how they could be made more worthwhile. Although I made quite a few suggestions on what could be changed, the main concern was that the consumables placed in the grab bags were simply not worth anything. Improving the value of C-Store consumables won't appease the vocal minority whose sense of entitlement tells them that they deserve the ultra-rare grab bag items. These people only see the grab bags as chances for costume unlocks, so making the consumables worth the 80 CP ($1 US) won't matter to them. For the general public, though, making the consumables worth the gamble makes the grab bag items much more desirable. This week on Behind the Mask, we'll look at the C-Store consumables and weigh in on whether they're worth the money. If they're not, we'll look at what could be done to fix it!
Behind the Mask: What does unbalanced even mean?
One of the major criticisms of Champions Online is a lack of game balance. People claim that the phrase "your own hero, your own story" doesn't cover the fact that your hero might be a gimp compared to someone else's. Although archetypes have their own balance issues (even among themselves), this complaint most commonly leveled at the freeform game where there are millions of possible characters. However, I think that most armchair game theorists have a terrible understanding of what "balance" even means. Decades of competitive gaming (yeah, I'm that old) have given me a comprehensive understanding of what the term means, and I think it's worth looking at how CO stacks up.
Newest Ask Cryptic for Champions Online covers the flames of fashion
There are many components to making a great superhero game, but one of the key elements is ensuring that players can be astonishingly good-looking. So it's no surprise that the latest installment of Ask Cryptic sees several questions from Champions Online players about current, upcoming, and conceptual costume sets. That includes promises of more beast-oriented sets and a hard look at any powersets with major clipping issues (although minor clipping issues for certain poses are to be expected). Equally interesting to players will be the promise that the staff is hard at work trying to give players more options for power emanation points, such as staves or wands for magical characters. While some of the answers given will be seen as a bit disappointing, such as the fact that tattoos and scars will not be usable outside of the chest pieces already featuring them, overall the answers promise all sorts of ways for players to look as good as possible while fighting crime.
Issue 3 of Whiteout available for Champions Online players
No job ever goes quite right, no matter how well you plan it. It's as true in Champions Online as it is anywhere else, and it's certainly the case in the latest installment of the Whiteout series. After all, the first two issues made it plenty clear that heroes would have their hands full dealing with a downed alien spacecraft, but now things are going from bad to worse for the Steelhead soldiers and the player characters. It seems there's another player involved in the game who hopes to get in on the wrecked ship... As with previous installments of the series, the new issue can be played by any character over level 11 and provides special rewards in addition to the usual mission benefits. But if you've already played through the mission, you can take a look at the game's latest Art Corner, which shows off the design of the mechanical antagonists plaguing the newest mission installment (and the subsequent ones as well, most likely).
Behind the Mask: Are grab bags a scam?
Everyone's heard of the "gift box" phenomenon. It's a common theme in F2P MMOs to release an item that doesn't have guaranteed contents and instead has a random selection from a pool of items. Sometimes there are rare bonus items inside; other times there are things the buyer didn't really want. Champions Online has taken its second foray into this territory with the Service and Cursed Grab Bags, a pair of C-Store items that grant a chance at a variety of tradable goodies. Gift box items sell to a variety of people. Some find the idea of chance more fun, and others absolutely must have the rare items and will spend lots of money trying to get them. Are the grab bags a scam, though? After the jump, we'll look at just why that is and hopefully give you enough information to come to your own conclusion.
Behind the Mask: Charging to maximum
Once upon a time before the Champions Online beta, I was introduced to the idea of charged attacks. The concept seemed pretty cool; you had your basic attack, and charging the attack would do something neat and special. Unfortunately, CO kind of fell short on my expectations. Energy is used for all attacks, rather than just special or charged attacks, and it builds much too quickly. The choice to charge an attack is not as much of a tactical decision and mostly hinges on how much health the enemy has left. This week on Behind the Mask, we're going to cover charge powers. Although some of this may seem obvious or simple, there is a lot of nuance to be understood. I won't treat you guys like noobs or idiots when it comes to these mechanics; we're going to look at the in-depth reasons why charging powers isn't the best idea in CO.
New Champions Online archetype available in regular and controversial editions
It might seem a little late for a demonic archetype, but Champions Online has still rolled one out into the store. The Scourge is a new ranged archetype focused on poisoning and debuffing the target, with less durability and melee power to balance its slow ranged ramp-up. Like all archetypes, it's free to subscribing players and available for free players in the cash store. But it's also tied to a new grab bag offered in the cash store, which is provoking a few player concerns. The Cursed Grab Bag, among other things, contains a special token to unlock the Cursed archetype, which is essentially a color-shifted version of the Scourge archetype. Some players are a little concerned about the slippery slope being established here, as the Cursed archetype is not free to subscribers (although color-shifting powers is). As a result, concerns have been raised about what this cosmetic change might mean for future archetypes being released, although as others point out, you can always just change the color if you subscribe to begin with.
Behind the Mask: Comparing the archetype bruisers
A lot of people seem to get the wrong idea about Champions Online's Gold archetypes. For the most part, the Gold archetypes are simply different options to play with. As I mentioned previously, the Master is kind of an exception, since it's the only dedicated archetype tank. However, this does not mean that the Master is the beat-all-end-all or that Gold archetypes are outright superior to Silver ones. For the most part, the Silver archetypes are better at their focused roles than the comparable Gold archetypes. This week, we're going to look at the damage-soaking tanky archetypes and compare them. I'll also give a quick comparison between these bruisers and a comparable freeform hero. There's quite a few to cover, so let's get to it!
New video diary outlines designing comic series for Champions Online
The second comic series for Champions Online is just around the corner, but before it launches, the team at Cryptic Studios has a few things to say about the design of these missions. After all, the comic series work a bit differently from normal missions or even the older adventure packs -- it's designed to feel more like a short arc for a comic book. In a new video diary, the team explores not only how the arcs are put together but some of what players can expect from the second series. As players of the game are no doubt familiar with, the comic series place a heavy emphasis on keeping the trappings of a comic book alive, which was one of the major goals in designing the arcs. Whiteout, the second arc, will see players encountering a new alien threat in the north, one that comes crashing down around players' ears. You can watch the full video just past the break.
Behind the Mask: How tanking got easier
I've mused for a long time about the problems with tanking in Champions Online, since it's my preferred PvE role. Gold members can build freeform characters with everything one would need for a tank, leaving only skill as a requirement. On the other hand, Silver members have been left out in the cold. It's unfortunate, but there has simply been no decent archetype tank. This all changed with the launch of the Master, a martial arts-themed melee fighter with everything needed to compete in the toughest lairs. Although he isn't a perfect tanking package, he is completely functional and does his job well. He's the Mind of tanking archetypes: He soaks damage, he owns face, and he isn't reliant on a healer for sustainability. I think I'm in love. Although he is not a free archetype, unlocking the Master is a one-time purchase. If you're into the tank playstyle but you're not into a subscription, this archetype is for you.
Behind the Mask: How freeforms work
This week on Behind the Mask, we'll be looking at freeform characters and how they work. This is more of a primer for players who are interested in the Gold subscription and would like to know more about how freeform characters differ from archetypes. I'm also spotlighting it to show just how archetypes are built poorly and some ways they could be improved. Freeform characters differ dramatically from archetypes. However, they follow a concrete set of rules on how they must be built. A hero can't just select Gigabolt, Ego Storm, or other high-level powers right from the start; there's a list of power restrictions that must be selected first. The power restrictions basically correlate to level restrictions, although there are some ways around that too. While this may be familiar to Gold players, it will serve as a primer for those who are not experts at maneuvering around the power selection process.
Cryptic posts Champions Online's November state of the game
Cryptic Studios has just uploaded its most recent state of the game letter for Champions Online, and the post begins by reinventing itself. Rather than focusing on "answering all the questions about future development plans and the status of top issues and player concerns," the Champs team aims to use the SOTG to reveal what the team is working on right now. Long-term plans and feedback will be addressed instead on the forums as part of the UNTIL Field Report. The SOTG covers the pair of new archetypes, the Halloween event, new costume sets, and the archetype roation promotion before briefing players on the upcoming comic series 2, called Whiteout, which will "take your Hero on an adventure that is unique and exciting." The (apparently still growing) team is also working on the Alert system, the Winter event, two new frameworks (Earth and Wind), and tweaks to the Infernal framework and the Nemesis. And as promised, this month's UNTIL Field Report fills in the details of these development nuggets and more.
Behind the Mask: The choice of team support
Last week's Behind the Mask covered Champions Online's super team support solo monster, the Mind, but I thought it would be prudent to cover the other ways a player can support a team. Some of this will tread existing ground, as I've already talked about the Mind and Grimoire archetypes in previous editions, and both have one of the four team support options. I'll be covering the Mind's passive in more detail, taking a brief look again at the Grimoire's passive as well as covering the other two options, Seraphim and Medical Nanites. While we don't have a Celestial archetype just yet, it is only a matter of time before Cryptic adds one, so this will give a bit of a preview for what a Celestial healer plays like.
MV Guide: October 24-30, 2011
MV Guide is a weekly rundown of the MMO gaming events planned on Massively's Livestream channel. Every week, the Massively staff logs in to play various MMOs live and in person, and we'd love for you to drop by the channel and visit. We have a combination of regular weekly games and new surprises, so you'll find a variety of titles to take a look at. During livestream events, you can participate in the live chat, ask questions to learn about the game, and simply spend some time with Massively staff and readers. (Of course, livestream events are subject to the whims of outside forces like server-side gremlins once in a while.) It's no surprise that we're heavy on the Halloween festivities in this week's MV Guide. Nearly every game out there is partying with the ghosts and goblins, from the newly discovered Little Horrors (pictured above) to the familiar Free Realms. Our livestream team is going to spend plenty of time checking out events in various games. If Halloween's not your thing, don't worry -- we've got plenty of regularly scheduled gameplay as well, so follow along after the jump for this week's lineup!
Behind the Mask: Mind over matter
I have been hounded a bit lately for more coverage on the free aspects of Champions Online and the options available to free players. Fortunately, even before I wrote last week's article on the penultimate freeform tank, I was planning to cover the Mind archetype next. The Mind is the Silver answer to a dedicated support character, and it is perhaps by accident that she is also the most interesting and powerful archetype in the game. She combines team support, healing, survivability, DPS, and self-sustainability into one neat package that is literally unrivaled by any other archetype, free or otherwise. Unlike other archetypes, the Mind is too complex to be summarized by one article. She's an exceptionally varied creature with many options. Because the essential advantages in her build are pretty loose, she can get all of her key powers with a minimum of sacrifice. Hit the jump and I'll show you how playing the Mind is more like playing a freeform character and less like playing an archetype.
