nemesis-system
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Shadow of Mordor enemies less devious on Xbox 360, PS3
Monolith Productions is doing "whatever we can" to ensure feature parity between the Xbox 360, PS3 versions of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and the Xbox One, PS4 offerings. But the developer admits this may be an impossibility and reveals the game's core hook, the Nemesis system driving its procedurally-generated enemies, will likely lack some complexity on Xbox 360 and PS3 when the game launches this year. "To break it down, some of the stuff we're pretty confident will still be very similar on current gen: the core mechanics, like combat, stealth, ranged and movements; the basic control and gameplay, that should all be really solid," Monolith Design Director Michael De Plater told IGN. "What it won't have is the same level of depth and variety and simulation within the 'Nemesis system.'" De Plater added that the Nemesis system is "just so huge in terms of content, calculations and AI we'll just have to try and get as much of it in as we can." The Nemesis system is the mechanic driving Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor's core gameplay loop. Protagonist Talion, on a mission of revenge, explores Mordor and isolates Orcs in order to extract information on Sauron's army. This information reveals not only Orc hierarchy, but also the vulnerabilities and strengths of individual Orc commanders, each of which are procedurally-generated by the game. We were able to go in-depth with Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis system last month, though admittedly all we saw was the next-gen version running on a high-end PC. Monolith was unwilling to discuss the planned Xbox 360 and PS3 versions at the time. [Image: Warner Bros.]
April Ask Cryptic talks nemesis, heavy weapons, and player-generated content
The nemesis system has long been one of the coolest features of Champions Online -- on paper, at least. The reality of the implementation leaves something to be desired according to players, though, and Cryptic hasn't offered much in the way of concrete details on a possible revamp. Today's Ask Cryptic focuses exclusively on Champions and showcases a number of questions from players keen on divining the future for their favorite costumed alter-egos. In addition to answering a query about nemesis, Champions devs are put to the test regarding a variety of issues including new heavy weapons skins, targeting concerns, lair updates, and the possibility of a player-content system like Star Trek Online's Foundry. "There is a bit of work to get it to fit Champs but we are checking it out. The Foundry is doing great in Star Trek and we have no doubt you can build stories in Champs that can blow theirs out of the stars," Cryptic says.
Behind the Mask: The mysteries of UNITY
If you've never made the trip to level 40 in Champions Online, the endgame is somewhat of a mystery. I remember prior to getting my first level 40 that people would talk about things like "Nemcon" and "dailies." I found it kind of strange that a level 35 character couldn't sidekick or otherwise experience anything similar to these things. That all changed for me when I journeyed into the UNITY building for the first time. It was a little confusing -- there were no easy guides telling me where to start NemCon or what the "Qliphothic research" was for. Fortunately, you guys don't have to feel as much like a noob as I did. Warning: This article includes some spoilers for the plot of NemCon.
The Digital Continuum: Applying Foxbat liberally to Champions Online
I thought about writing about a lot of different subjects this week. I knew that I wanted to discuss Champions Online, but I couldn't decide on a topic until I played a lowbie character and re-experienced the amazing Foxbat mission in the teen levels. Then it occurred to me, that what this game sorely needs, is an event of epic proportions centered around the maniacal -- yet lovable -- super villain.
The Digital Continuum: Five reasons to play Champions Online
It's been a long wait since the announcement of Cryptic's next project, so long that some of us began to run around our houses wearing towels around our necks. Thankfully, September 1st is now less than a month away. Open beta? That's even sooner. Before we know it the game will be sitting on our desks and shelves.So why should you be playing it come launch day? A fair enough question for any game, which is why that's the topic of today's The Digital Continuum. Hopefully in just five reasons given I'll have you convinced that come early next month, you'll be romping around Champions Online with superpowers -- tights optional.
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.
Champions Online dev blog talks designing Nemesis system missions
As its release date creeps ever closer, we're bound to continue seeing more peeks into the development process of Champions Online. This particular look at the game lifts the curtain on designing Nemesis missions, an interesting topic considering we haven't heard too much about the system beyond its basic feature parameters.Mostly what's discussed is the challenge of giving your nemesis more to do than kidnap people or try to rob a bank. Granted, they'll probably do that, but it depends on the personality you give them. Are they a maniac, a savage or a mastermind? Maybe they're something else even more dastardly, it's all up to you and that's the system's beauty.We're considering making an evil robotic penguin themed nemesis. Our only difficulty is in decided what to call him. The Menacing Waddler? Hmm, that has possibilities.
Nemesis system for Champions detailed, but not via dramatic monologue
Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad, and in this case we get news of Champions Online's console release being delayed along with tasty new information on the game's nemesis system. It turns out the creation of a player's arch nemesis happen around mid-level and according to Bill Roper, the same tools used to build a hero are employed.Players'll get to design a villainous costume, choose their dastardly powers, select some conniving minions, peruse for minion weaponry and also decide upon nemesis' motivations. After all that's completed minions will begin to harass the player via ambushes, but eventually one will talk and reveal a clue or two about his boss. This opens up a series of side missions that are designed as the biggest solo challenge in the game, although Bill pointed out that a nemesis showdown battle can be completed with a group of friends as well.The nemesis system stands out as one of Champions Online's most unique features, and it seems like the tip of the iceberg of features designed to allow players to create custom in-game content for others to experience. A good start for the second superhero game to hit the MMO market.
