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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: In praise of City of Heroes' zone revamps
If the classic MMO is an open sandbox wthout direction and the modern MMO is a guided ride along the quest railroad, City of Heroes was made on the day in between those two points. Nowhere is that more evident than in classic zones from the earliest days of the game, which featured a large number of contacts who would send you scurrying across a zone to largely random points without any real rhyme or reason. It was a different time then, and I think we all still expected to get most of our rewards via killing random things on the streets. You knew that they were criminals because they attacked you, see. These days, MMOs are very different, and not entirely coincidentally, City of Heroes as a game keeps revamping its zones. After the Atlas/Mercy/Galaxy revamp that we all thought would never happen, it seems that the team behind the game is really making an effort to give players some redone and more invigorating zones with coherent plot threads. And for many reasons, this is one of the best things that can happen to the game from start to finish.
Leaderboard: Superhero costume creators
Every cape worth his, her, or its salt knows that without a snappy fashion statement, all of the powers in the universe won't be able to make you a cool superhero. That's why our current trifecta of superhero MMOs place such a premium on giving players tools to create a unique, memorable, and suitable outfit for their comic book star. But this being Leaderboard and all, we can't just allow the three costume creators to co-exist peacefully. Nay, we must throw them into the DoomSphere™ and spin that puppy around until only one good-looking candidate remains. Will it be the grand-daddy of them all, City of Heroes? Or Cryptic's follow-up with Champions Online? Or perhaps the upstart, DC Universe Online? Vote for the best costume creator after the jump and help to pulverize the competition!
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Praetoria's invasion in review
It's all over and done for Praetoria now. Well, not all done; as long as new characters can start in City of Heroes as Praetorians and later run through the relevant Incarnate Trials, it'll never really be done. And we'll have more stuff in the postscript, of course, because there's always a postscript. But this big overarching story arc that the game has been running since the launch of Going Rogue almost two years ago is finally finished. And that prompts an obvious question: How did the whole arc look in retrospect? Let's face it: This whole arc has been something new for City of Heroes, an attempt to replicate the huge multi-comic crossovers that are really fun until they make up all the comics ever. You know, like what happened to Marvel comics from the late '90s until the early '00s or what's currently happening at DC. And just like those big crossovers, this one had some big flashes of brilliance and some moments that seemed like a letdown.
City of Heroes unveils fan-created Retro Sci-fi costume set
City of Heroes players, we hope you're ready for a flashback because the game's new Retro Sci-fi costume pieces are full of old-school goodness right out of yesteryear's sci-fi classics. Ray-guns, jetpacks, and shiny suits with rings on them are all present in the new costume pieces that were initially conceived with fan input at last year's City of Heroes fan summit. The folks at PC Gamer had the chance to sit down with Paragon Studios' Eric Johnsen to talk a bit about the new additions. Johnsen talks briefly about the creation of the costume set's conception at the fan summit and the process of taking those ideas and turning them into full, in-game costume pieces. If you want to know anything about the design process of the Retro Sci-fi set or about the most recent fan-designed costume set and its release, head on over to the full article and give it a read.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Underused enemies in City of Heroes
Last week I discussed why I'm not fond of Nemesis as a group, and this week I promised to discuss villainous groups that I think that City of Heroes could use a bit more actively. So I am certain that longtime readers expected me to spend most of this week talking about the Fifth Column because of course I would. I love the Fifth Column, I think they're a fantastic group of villains, and I've talked about how great they are as a group over and over. Surprise! Not this time. For all that I love the Column (and their continual curbstomping of their pale imitation in the Council), that wasn't my goal this week. No, this time around I want to highlight other groups that I think Paragon City could use a bit more often, enemies that either fall off the radar or just don't get as much attention as they're due. Even in a game that's been around as long as City of Heroes, there are certain enemy groups that just never get the love they deserve. Maybe the future can fix that for some of these guys.
Exclusive City of Heroes dev diary: Design insights from the Magisterium trial
Today the war ends in City of Heroes. Today players are taking up arms (and mutated plant spores) in the final battle of the Praetorian War, and it will be a glorious eruption of particle effects and superheroic feats. The Magesterium incarnate trial is arguably the centerpiece of Issue 23, and Associate Designer Jeff Hamilton flew in to give us the skinny on this chaotic fight. You can get all the details on the Magisterium as well as an exclusive sneak peek at images from the fight, all after the jump!
City of Heroes Issue 23: Where Shadows Lie launches today
City of Heroes' Issue 23 launches today, and Paragon says that Where Shadows Lie is "the culmination of two years' worth of storytelling as it heads to its epic conclusion." It's not all about story, though, as the patch also includes the new Night Ward zone, the Magisterium Incarnate Trial, a server-wide chat channel for both VIP and free players, and new incarnate powers. Perhaps the best part of all this is that it's a free update. You can head to the official CoH website for a complete breakdown of all the patch additions. [Source: Paragon press release]
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: It's all a Nemesis plot
City of Heroes has a lot going for it, but it doesn't offer an easy nemesis for your character. Which is kind of a problem in a superhero game, but also a problem in the sense that you always want a nemesis in a game. You want someone that's just plain bad, a villain whose motives you don't need to understand in great depth. Every so often, it's nice to just have an adversary. I think that was, at one point, the goal behind Nemesis. But the group has wound up in a very different and much less entertaining place. At a glance, Nemesis isn't really all that overused in City of Heroes. Sure, there's the vague implication that he's behind a lot of different schemes, but for the most part that's just window-dressing. Despite the fact that I should adore a group of steampunk criminals in modern-day Paragon City, I feel my hackles raise every time Nemesis shows up, because the group and the leader are both massively overdone.
Wurm Online rewards loyal players with more new land
When Wurm Online's website and wiki was hacked earlier this month, many players thought it meant the game itself was hacked and potentially posed a threat to their own computers. Since the game client is entirely Java-based, that worry was not entirely unfounded, but Wurm creator Rolf Jansson eases our concerns with a new announcement today. Not only is the website back online and safer than ever, according to Rolf, but players are also being rewarded for their patience with a brand-new Freedom (PvE) server named Celebration. In the world of Wurm Online, servers are basically islands of virgin land, ready for exploration. Some server islands have various rules (such as open PvP), but they're all connected to each other through waterways or portals, which expands the persistent world even farther. Celebration will open its doors at 9 a.m. EDT tomorrow morning and will be accessible from the southern border of the Exodus server.
One Shots: Bamboo Kat's
If you followed MJ's Choose My Adventure in City of Heroes throughout the month of May, you know that veterans constantly recommended that she do one thing: roll blueside. More people play superheroes than villains, and if you want to group, Paragon City is the place. But I say the villains of the Rogue Isles surely have the best scenery. Massively reader Jeromai chipped in two gorgeous shots of the grimy skyscrapers of redside with this note: One of my favorite spots villain-side is the Jackpot area of St. Martial, especially when it gets dark and the building lights are a stark contrast to the gloom of all the other previous zones. Sure, it's still a soulless Las Vegas-style strip wannabe, but I love super-jumping down the street as the music changes. This is my normal view of things when super-jumping. But if you get down to street-level, it's also surprisingly immersive. Notice the Marcone or Family gangster leaning nonchalantly against one building as the cars and pedestrians cruise through. Both shots (and a few others) are tucked behind the break!
Some Assembly Required: City of Heroes' Mission Architect
The few. The proud. The quest writers. At the best of times, the fruits of their labors guide us along in our progression of a local or global story, immersing us in the world. Even the nefarious "kill 10 rats" versions can be mini stories that pull players in when done well. But how many of us have ever had a "I could do better than that" moment or have simply wanted to live out a personal story or share in a customized grand adventure with our friends? Someone wished upon the right star because with features like the Mission Architect in City of Heroes you can do just that. I am just going to come right out and say it -- the quest builder is one of the greatest boons ever for player-generated content in MMORPGs. Besides housing, it is the feature du jour for the creative crowd; I honestly can't see how any game can actually go without one. During this latest round of Choose My Adventure, I had the opportunity to check out the system in City of Heroes and revel in the creativity of others as well as try my hand at developing missions. And I tell you, it is addicting. Feel like trying your hand at shaping some stories for heroes (and villains) to star in? Stick with me, kid, and you'll be directing your own missions in no time.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The growing, creeping power
City of Heroes is a rarity. It's a well-established game that hasn't yet raised the level cap even once. Oh, sure, the Incarnate system is cheating a couple of extra level-like improvements out, but you hit the cap at 50 now just like you did when the game first launched. Compared to World of Warcraft, which ups its top level biannually, the game provides a real sense of security that the cap hasn't changed. Level 50 content is still relevant because the top end of power has remained stable. Of course, there's a downside to that as well. While having a forever-rising level cap has its own issues, a firm cap has left us with an endgame that's grown bloated as only games with entrenched caps can. We're not constantly having to relearn the entire endgame so much as we're getting new widgets added on, and we're finding ourselves stuck with a growing problem of old-fashioned power creep.
Choose My Adventure: The last mile
You haven't steered me wrong. At least, not yet. I am pretty sure there is that nagging worry at the back of the Massively writers' minds when they give themselves over to the masses for Choose My Adventure. Sure, there is an element of mystery and excitement, but what if... just what if the majority manifests an evil streak and sends you careening over an embankment to your virtual doom? Or banishes you to tasks that would make you want to lobotomize yourself with your mouse -- things like run Death From Below repeatedly? Thankfully, you all spared me from such torture. And with this week's tour of the Mission Architect system in City of Heroes, you definitely steered me right -- this is my favorite aspect of the game yet! I am glad to say that my trust in you all has not been unfounded, and I will speak on your behalf to the others. The fact is, I have enjoyed our little road trip immensely and am sad it must come to an end. So let's take one last cruise through City of Heroes together before you drive off into the sunset with Eliot.%Gallery-155409%
City of Heroes puts players in the action with its Summer Blockbuster Event
Summer is almost officially upon us, and you know what that means: summer blockbusters! But we're not talking about the movies; we're talking about City of Heroes' Summer Blockbuster Event, which will put players in scenarios straight out of huge summer films, but with a special Paragon Studios twist. The double-feature begins with Time Gladiator, which puts players in the coliseum's spotlight as they go head-to-head with opponents pulled from across the annals of time, such as "deadly assassins, outlaw gunslingers, cybernetic soldiers... and the mighty God-Champion." Of course, if suave subterfuge is more your style, perhaps The Casino Heist will tickle your fancy. Ocean's Eleven's got nothin' on this scenario, which puts players in charge of busting up the Tyrant's Palace Casino. Of course, they'll have to do something about the Tyrant's "armed guards and state-of-the-art security" first. The Summer Blockbuster Event goes live on July 10th, so grab some popcorn and get ready for action. [Source: Paragon Studios press release]
Previously on MV TV: The week of May 12th
What a week of livestreaming! We've got quite the variety and tons of hours of video to watch. What's that? You had to work and missed half of the cool streams we showed? Don't worry! I gather all of the best streams from the week's collection and list them for you right here. Still, you need to bookmark our livestream page so you can see which videos are going to be shown during the week, but if you miss any, you can check out the recap here. That's why we do it. This week we had a lot to offer. First we had good old Mike jumping into EVE Online for some space action, then into TERA for some scantily clad combat! He then explores some of the great browser-based game Drakensang Online. MJ brought a ton of goodies to the streaming table, goodies like a run-through in EverQuest II, some base-jumping in City of Heroes, a bit of hardcore survival in Xsyon, and a flight around the beautiful lands of Aion. I rounded out the end by streaming some BatMUD, a cool MUD that has been around since many of you have been in diapers! Click past the cut and grab some popcorn. Keep the butter light but add some salt. Thanks.
The Perfect Ten: The truth about lockboxes
Call them lockboxes, lootboxes, super packs, gift packs, treasure boxes, mystic chests, or Chupacabra's lunchpails, but these virtual boxes of mystery, fame, and fortune are all the rage in MMOs these days. Few studios have resisted the siren's call of such easy money, much to the dismay of many-a-gamer. The idea is that a game will dish out to players free locked treasure boxes that require purchased keys to open. The allure of the box's mystery prize is often too strong to resist, especially when there's the possibility of a huge reward inside. The result too often is strong buyer's remorse and studio glee. There's been a lot of conversation around lockboxes here on Massively, so I wanted to dedicate this week's Perfect Ten to dissecting the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth of these items for you.
Choose My Adventure: Cruisin' with the gang in City of Heroes
You've experienced it, right? That magic moment on any trip of significant length when you've been living and breathing the locale long enough that the place starts to feel more familiar and you settle in, that time when you feel less like a tourist and more like a local. After the last few weeks traveling with you all, I have hit that moment in City of Heroes. While I still may not be able to tell one inspiration from another by sight, I can find my way around the 'hood and know the skyline when zipping about -- well, at least in Atlas Park. Oh, and I found a Mexican restaurant! It's almost like a second home now. It was upon reaching this comfort zone that City of Heroes got better for me; this past week has been more fun than the previous ones during this Choose My Adventure road trip. (And yes, I'd even call the torture of the expansive character creation fun. Exhausting, but fun!) What transpired this week? Buckle up and step on the gas to see.%Gallery-155409%
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Why there are no more Epic Archetypes in City of Heroes
My weekend plans went cross-eyed, as they often do, but as a result I found myself looking through some old notes for future columns on City of Heroes. There were a lot of notes I took early on when I was first writing columns, some of which I wound up using and some of which wound up being discarded, but one particular idea jumped out at me: a column about potential future Epic Archetypes. Specifically, I was looking back over and noting how a lot of the archetypes I listed wouldn't actually work at all. I've gone on record as having been a big fan of EATs right from the beginning, as they're meant to be classes that break up the regular structure of the game's classes. That strikes me as laudable. But even disregarding the technical aspects of the epics that makes them more complex to develop and balance, I think there are some noteworthy basic problems with them on a conceptual level. We may very well never get another one just because the game has been structured to make them almost a design mistake that's never been corrected.
City of Heroes announces Paragon Market Freebie Fridays
Everyone loves free things, and the folks at Paragon Studios know it. That's why the studio has announced a new treat for City of Heroes players: Paragon Market Freebie Fridays. The program is exactly as it sounds: Every week, the studio will choose a new item to be that week's freebie. Players then simply have to log on during the specified time frame, claim their free items, and enjoy! That's all there is to it, folks. The premiere Freebie Friday will be taking place this week, beginning on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. EDT and ending at the same time Friday, giving players 24 hours to claim their free stuff. The announcement states that the freebies "could be almost anything currently available in the Paragon Market," so be sure to log in each week and get your goodies!
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: How City of Heroes almost died
If it hasn't become clear over the past two and a half years, I really enjoy speculation. I like crazy theories, I like exploring possibilities, I like thought exercises, and so forth. There's some speculation that I find particularly ill-informed or lacking in some fundamental point of logic, but that doesn't mean I don't learn about them first. Why am I making a point out of this? Because I've developed a theory about the state of City of Heroes, and I want to make it clear before I launch into this somewhat grim theory that I'm basing this entirely on outside observations. I want it to be clear that I could, in fact, be totally wrong, and when I say that City of Heroes nearly committed unintentional suicide a couple of years ago, I don't want that to be seen as some grand behind-the-scenes revelation. And if it weren't obvious from that line, yes, that's where I'm going. I think Going Rogue nearly gutted City of Heroes and burned the whole game to the ground. And I think everything the game has done since can be directly traced back to that expansion.
