Problem is, you can't blame people for that - MMOs of late have taught people that End Game is the only important thing, that rushing through Content to get there is good, because THEN they can get to the goodies.
CO is trying to break that mold, and sadly is failing because people are rushing to the end without stopping to smell the roses.
This is much more an "Enjoy the ride" game than a "Hurry and get to Disneyland so we can ride the rides" game. But just because what I typed is true doesn't mean people will slow down - it's almost a conditioned response by now thanks to WoW and the like, where a secondary (And more fun) game awaits at the highest level.
Actually all MMO's games are like this. All MMO's games have this problem. Most people who rush through the game won't stay around anyway.
It took me 700+ hours to level my CoH Manchine to 50. Yeah, way to long, I know. It took me 90 some hours to level my CoV hero (which leveled to 50 before my hero).
Problem is, you can't blame people for that - MMOs of late have taught people that End Game is the only important thing, that rushing through Content to get there is good, because THEN they can get to the goodies.
CO is trying to break that mold, and sadly is failing because people are rushing to the end without stopping to smell the roses.
This is much more an "Enjoy the ride" game than a "Hurry and get to Disneyland so we can ride the rides" game. But just because what I typed is true doesn't mean people will slow down - it's almost a conditioned response by now thanks to WoW and the like, where a secondary (And more fun) game awaits at the highest level.
Well, the problem is that there's very little to enjoy in terms of leveling in CO. The quests are standard MMO fare (and some very poorly written at that) and take place in only a handful of zones. PvP offers very little variety with only 1 scenario until level 20. There's nothing to make people want to slow down and smell the roses. Hell, there are no roses to smell.
I really don't see how CO is trying to break to mold of endgame being what matters other than the fact that there is no endgame.
Not when you've completed all the content lol. That 40 in a few weeks (meaning 2-3) by the way was a casual pace. If I were to rush it like some others I probably could have done in 2-3 days.
But hey........ what ever floats your boat man lol.
Sorry but I am a little above CASUAL pace and I still haven't got to level 40. (level 32 as of today) Every friend I have, who all play CASUALLY, doesn't have anyone even over 30.
Well, the problem is that there's very little to enjoy in terms of leveling in CO. The quests are standard MMO fare (and some very poorly written at that) and take place in only a handful of zones. PvP offers very little variety with only 1 scenario until level 20. There's nothing to make people want to slow down and smell the roses. Hell, there are no roses to smell.
I really don't see how CO is trying to break to mold of endgame being what matters other than the fact that there is no endgame.
Quests are standard but excellently written. I have run into a few that were bad but only a handful. The zones might be limited but each zone is huge. Higher you go up the larger they get.
Problem is, you can't blame people for that - MMOs of late have taught people that End Game is the only important thing, that rushing through Content to get there is good, because THEN they can get to the goodies.
CO is trying to break that mold, and sadly is failing because people are rushing to the end without stopping to smell the roses.
This is much more an "Enjoy the ride" game than a "Hurry and get to Disneyland so we can ride the rides" game. But just because what I typed is true doesn't mean people will slow down - it's almost a conditioned response by now thanks to WoW and the like, where a secondary (And more fun) game awaits at the highest level.
People definately have that attitude and I never understood it. Mainly because no game like this, not even WoW, launched with anything resembling solid endgame. Initial focus always is 'The Journey.'
And I'm a journey player myself. I love taking my time on the way up to enjoy myself. But that's likely because I find endgame raiding about the second most unenjoyable feature in an MMORPG. (Trailing substantially behind PvP as #1)
That said, its undeniable, even to someone who loves the game like myself, that the game needs lots more content on that journey and to have things slowed down a bit. Give me more roses to stop and smell please.
Sorry but I am a little above CASUAL pace and I still haven't got to level 40. (level 32 as of today) Every friend I have, who all play CASUALLY, doesn't have anyone even over 30.
Hmm, I've always considered an hour or two a day casual. But hey, 2 hours a week is casual too so I can believe you.
Sorry but I am a little above CASUAL pace and I still haven't got to level 40. (level 32 as of today) Every friend I have, who all play CASUALLY, doesn't have anyone even over 30.
You can easily play this game casually and have hit the level cap by now. Both my 40's hit the cap in less than 40 hours played. A person playing 90 mins a day on one character could not only be at the level cap, but could also have an alt on its way.
That said, its undeniable, even to someone who loves the game like myself, that the game needs lots more content on that journey and to have things slowed down a bit. Give me more roses to stop and smell please.
Oh yeah I agree this game needs more content. Just like any other game that comes out. Pretty much the content it has barely has enough to get you to the end, if you don't skip anything. Later this month the contect starts to get added. Which is a good thing.
Quests are standard but excellently written. I have run into a few that were bad but only a handful. The zones might be limited but each zone is huge. Higher you go up the larger they get.
The zones aren't that much bigger than other MMO zones to be honest. They don't even offer that much variety and their layout is often nonsensical. I mean an abandoned amusement park just seconds away from a nuclear wasteland? Really? The quests suffer from the same ADD mentality. Maybe I have a higher standard in terms of writing, but I find nothing special about any of the quest writing. Most of it strikes me as forced, to be honest.
And your last statement isn't true. Lemuria is possibly the smallest of the zones, excluding tutorial and crisis zones.
You can easily play this game casually and have hit the level cap by now. Both my 40's hit the cap in less than 40 hours played. A person playing 90 mins a day on one character could not only be at the level cap, but could also have an alt on its way.
See I don't believe that. http://www.xfire.com/profile/machineteen/ I know I could have a level 40 by now sure but I don't. I have friends who have played for 60 hours and still don't have a level 26. ( He has a 25 and a level 21 and several other lower levels.)
Hmm, I've always considered an hour or two a day casual. But hey, 2 hours a week is casual too so I can believe you.
I play for about 6 hours a day, about 5 days a week. I'm level 33. There's more for me to do in the game than level grind, so just because I'm not 40 yet doesn't mean I play "2 hours a week".
Problem is, you can't blame people for that - MMOs of late have taught people that End Game is the only important thing, that rushing through Content to get there is good, because THEN they can get to the goodies.
CO is trying to break that mold, and sadly is failing because people are rushing to the end without stopping to smell the roses.
This is much more an "Enjoy the ride" game than a "Hurry and get to Disneyland so we can ride the rides" game. But just because what I typed is true doesn't mean people will slow down - it's almost a conditioned response by now thanks to WoW and the like, where a secondary (And more fun) game awaits at the highest level.
This is an a very optimistic view of CO. I play the game very casually (maybe 10 hours a week), and I am not 'rushing through'. I stop, make alts (I have several in the 14-17) range and 2 at about 26. I am already getting bored of the game. Know why? I feel that the content I am moving toward as I level up will just be more of the same: mostly plot-less, whimsical, 4th-wall breaking, cookie-cutter quests that I can solo. And I feel that after my hard work of leveling to 40, there'll be nothing waiting for me. I like to PvP, but it's only part of my end-game experience (and the PvP in this game, while fun, needs a lot of work and variety).
I completed a mission yesterday to defeat Mechassassin. Who is Mechassassin? Why is he a bad guy and worth defeating? He's mentioned in the mission description of the quest to beat him and a loading screen, and that's it. He's a super villain, and apparently a badass mercenary. He is so badass it should take two people to take him down. I defeated him in 30 seconds, maybe less. He didn't really do anything special, he just seemed like one of those Mech robots the argent have patrolling everywhere.
Is it just me, or is the only mention of a super villain to be defeated in the mission to defeat them? I feel like these villains aren't built up at all, and then go down very easily. After defeating them, I don't think "Hell yeah! Finally got that *******!", I generally think "Oh, that was a super villain, okay, I guess I'm done".
It's hard to keep playing alts past level 17, because it literally is the same mission content I've done on all my alts, with almost no variation. Sure, I could go to Canada crisis instead of Desert crisis, but after doing that once, it's all repeats. Also, because you can access tier3 powers by level 14, I generally fill out a concept by level 20. After that, I just start min/maxing for PvP with powers I can loosely justify as fitting concept. There's no real reason to min/max for PvE, as most heroes can beat everything with a passive defense and 1-2 attacks. (For the record, my two 26's both run offensive passives).
I went to the Long Beach Comic Con this past weekend and sat in on the DCUO panel (even asked some questions). I asked about end-game content, and Jens (I think it was) said that they want the leveling to be fun, but that end-game is where the focus would be. You spend this time getting cool powers, now you need something fun to do with them.
Before the panel, I didn't pay attention to anything relating to DCUO. Now I am a bit intrigued, as I am not loyal to DC or CO or anything - I want the best product for my money. I bought the 6-month sub for CO, and I'll continue to play it and have fun 'till those 6 months are up. But honestly, they have a lot of work to do to get me to shell out another chunk of money. CO feels more like a free-to-play quality game to me, of late =/
*Side note* Jim Lee did a SICK drawing of Green Lantern at the panel, I hate that guy who got it! GRR!
Well, the problem is that there's very little to enjoy in terms of leveling in CO. The quests are standard MMO fare (and some very poorly written at that) and take place in only a handful of zones. PvP offers very little variety with only 1 scenario until level 20. There's nothing to make people want to slow down and smell the roses. Hell, there are no roses to smell.
I really don't see how CO is trying to break to mold of endgame being what matters other than the fact that there is no endgame.
Exactly - the Journey is messed up right now because people have to take too many "detours" along the road. But the game IS definitely a Journey one - the Art, Writing and a bunch of relatively minor things that are easily overlooked point to this.
Once sufficient Content is added, the true feel and flavor of the game will be seen - now Cryptic - get to it. Show us how good a Journey can be.
See I don't believe that. http://www.xfire.com/profile/machineteen/ I know I could have a level 40 by now sure but I don't. I have friends who have played for 60 hours and still don't have a level 26. ( He has a 25 and a level 21 and several other lower levels.)
You don't believe what? That it's possibly to play 90 mins a day and hit the level cap or that I have two 40's both of which with less than 40 hours play? I can assure you that both are true.
I play for about 6 hours a day, about 5 days a week. I'm level 33. There's more for me to do in the game than level grind, so just because I'm not 40 yet doesn't mean I play "2 hours a week".
You don't believe what? That it's possibly to play 90 mins a day and hit the level cap or that I have two 40's both of which with less than 40 hours play? I can assure you that both are true.
If you rush through it. Thats not casual play. Some people play the game and not rush through.
If you rush through it. Thats not casual play. Some people play the game and not rush through.
Casual play is playing casually. The can mean a ton of different things and certainly doesn't exclude single character focus for a small amount of time daily.
And honestly, there's no need to rush in order to level in this game. I could have leveled my characters a TON faster if I had focused on it. Instead I spent a lot of my time bumming around, dueling, PvPing and helping out lowbie friends.
It took me less time to hit 40 in this game than it did for me to hit level 20 in the original Guild Wars.
People definately have that attitude and I never understood it. Mainly because no game like this, not even WoW, launched with anything resembling solid endgame. Initial focus always is 'The Journey.'
And I'm a journey player myself. I love taking my time on the way up to enjoy myself. But that's likely because I find endgame raiding about the second most unenjoyable feature in an MMORPG. (Trailing substantially behind PvP as #1)
That said, its undeniable, even to someone who loves the game like myself, that the game needs lots more content on that journey and to have things slowed down a bit. Give me more roses to stop and smell please.
Sorry for near double-post, but I wanted to address the statement about WoW end-game at release and the 'journey'.
I agree, I want more roses to smell too! I find the combat very fun in this game, I just need more instances to use it in a fun way!
But anyway, regarding WoW. If I leveled a Human Mage, let's say, to 60 and found no end-game content in WoW, I could make an alt and experience almost no redundant content on the way to 60 (barring those late-game instances). I could play a Troll Warrior and play a completely distinct quest line from 1-60 than my Human Mage. It's even possible to have 2 character from the same faction experience very distinct quest lines for most of their leveling career.
This is not possible in CO. All of my characters partake in the same quests in mostly the same order. Sometimes I do Canada first then Desert, sometimes the other way around. That's all the variety I get. In WoW, I initially leveled primarily on the Eastern Kingdoms. Playing a Night Elf alt I got to experience a whole new continent. There's no such option in CO.
Side note: I'm all about immersion in a game world, I'm not a heavy RPer in video games, but I like to feel connected to a fun fantasy world. The zones in CO are completely separate in my mind, they might as well be on another planet. I simply teleport between the few zones with no cool travel animations or anything. At least in WoW, I would wait for a ship to come into port, then the ship would travel out to see before 'zoning', then it would pull up to port on the other continent. It was still 'teleporting' in a way, but that little bit of detail added to my immersion significantly. If I really wanted to, I could literally run from the top of the Eastern Kingdoms down to the very tip of Stranglethorn Vale. I can't do something like that in CO.
If DCUO can create a game world that flows and feels connected, instead of a group of disjunt questing instances, it will create some stiff competition.
This is an a very optimistic view of CO. I play the game very casually (maybe 10 hours a week), and I am not 'rushing through'. I stop, make alts (I have several in the 14-17) range and 2 at about 26. I am already getting bored of the game. Know why? I feel that the content I am moving toward as I level up will just be more of the same: mostly plot-less, whimsical, 4th-wall breaking, cookie-cutter quests that I can solo. And I feel that after my hard work of leveling to 40, there'll be nothing waiting for me. I like to PvP, but it's only part of my end-game experience (and the PvP in this game, while fun, needs a lot of work and variety).
I completed a mission yesterday to defeat Mechassassin. Who is Mechassassin? Why is he a bad guy and worth defeating? He's mentioned in the mission description of the quest to beat him and a loading screen, and that's it. He's a super villain, and apparently a badass mercenary. He is so badass it should take two people to take him down. I defeated him in 30 seconds, maybe less. He didn't really do anything special, he just seemed like one of those Mech robots the argent have patrolling everywhere.
Is it just me, or is the only mention of a super villain to be defeated in the mission to defeat them? I feel like these villains aren't built up at all, and then go down very easily. After defeating them, I don't think "Hell yeah! Finally got that *******!", I generally think "Oh, that was a super villain, okay, I guess I'm done".
It's hard to keep playing alts past level 17, because it literally is the same mission content I've done on all my alts, with almost no variation. Sure, I could go to Canada crisis instead of Desert crisis, but after doing that once, it's all repeats. Also, because you can access tier3 powers by level 14, I generally fill out a concept by level 20. After that, I just start min/maxing for PvP with powers I can loosely justify as fitting concept. There's no real reason to min/max for PvE, as most heroes can beat everything with a passive defense and 1-2 attacks. (For the record, my two 26's both run offensive passives).
I went to the Long Beach Comic Con this past weekend and sat in on the DCUO panel (even asked some questions). I asked about end-game content, and Jens (I think it was) said that they want the leveling to be fun, but that end-game is where the focus would be. You spend this time getting cool powers, now you need something fun to do with them.
Before the panel, I didn't pay attention to anything relating to DCUO. Now I am a bit intrigued, as I am not loyal to DC or CO or anything - I want the best product for my money. I bought the 6-month sub for CO, and I'll continue to play it and have fun 'till those 6 months are up. But honestly, they have a lot of work to do to get me to shell out another chunk of money. CO feels more like a free-to-play quality game to me, of late =/
*Side note* Jim Lee did a SICK drawing of Green Lantern at the panel, I hate that guy who got it! GRR!
I agree - the journey in the game really DOES need more 'fleshing out' so that things are more readily apparent as to WHY you are doing something, not just "because he's a Super Villain, that's why!" There's a flow there - but because of gaps, we tend to not notice them.
At this year's SOE Fan Faire, we got to PLAY DCUO a bit. Play wise - it's 'meh' to me. But what they HAVE gotten done well (Thanks in large part to Jim Lee IMO) is Art and defining the Role you play. It looks great, it FEELS like you are in Gotham or Metropolis. The problem is, you are very much treated in-game as either a 2nd rate Hero, or just a Sidekick for the DC characters. To ME, that's not a selling point - it's detrimental to the game as a whole, because unlike other MMOs where I have a very defined role in a group that's important, in DCUO I felt like I was going through the motions of being a Superhero, but not actually BEING a Superhero - If that makes any sense.
Casual play is playing casually. The can mean a ton of different things and certainly doesn't exclude single character focus for a small amount of time daily.
And honestly, there's no need to rush in order to level in this game. I could have leveled my characters a TON faster if I had focused on it. Instead I spent a lot of my time bumming around, dueling, PvPing and helping out lowbie friends.
It took me less time to hit 40 in this game than it did for me to hit level 20 in the original Guild Wars.
But by the same thought process, in SWG I was able to get to the 250 point Skill max (INCLUDING the then borked Investigation 4) in less than a week. Here, I am still level 34 despite playing since Head start.
The why for ME is simple - I've been enjoying the role of Superhero, and playing it as I see a Comic Book Superhero would work. I 'patrol' MC by foot, making sure "my city" is safe from evil doers. I run to assist whenever one of my SG calls for help or a group - because that's what my hero would do (Avengers Assemble!).
In fact, I do these things more often than I do a quest for myself - which explains my level.
I agree - the journey in the game really DOES need more 'fleshing out' so that things are more readily apparent as to WHY you are doing something, not just "because he's a Super Villain, that's why!" There's a flow there - but because of gaps, we tend to not notice them.
At this year's SOE Fan Faire, we got to PLAY DCUO a bit. Play wise - it's 'meh' to me. But what they HAVE gotten done well (Thanks in large part to Jim Lee IMO) is Art and defining the Role you play. It looks great, it FEELS like you are in Gotham or Metropolis. The problem is, you are very much treated in-game as either a 2nd rate Hero, or just a Sidekick for the DC characters. To ME, that's not a selling point - it's detrimental to the game as a whole, because unlike other MMOs where I have a very defined role in a group that's important, in DCUO I felt like I was going through the motions of being a Superhero, but not actually BEING a Superhero - If that makes any sense.
Agreed. I am very concerned about DCUO placing my characters in the background. I forgot who said this, but basically: "Too many mission in CO can be handled by the police, or worse, an messenger boy."
The scale of the mission in CO tend to be very small, with some exceptions (Dr. Destroyer's Lab chain, for example). I don't feel like my super hero is worth anything.
Random question: When do I get to fight alongside the Champions PnP heroes again after the tutorial? I liked fighting alongside Defender, he was voice-acted and helped me and we had a common goal. It was cool helping Iron Clad defend the cannon. I don't think I've done that once since the tutorial (now in my late 20s).
But by the same thought process, in SWG I was able to get to the 250 point Skill max (INCLUDING the then borked Investigation 4) in less than a week. Here, I am still level 34 despite playing since Head start.
The why for ME is simple - I've been enjoying the role of Superhero, and playing it as I see a Comic Book Superhero would work. I 'patrol' MC by foot, making sure "my city" is safe from evil doers. I run to assist whenever one of my SG calls for help or a group - because that's what my hero would do (Avengers Assemble!).
In fact, I do these things more often than I do a quest for myself - which explains my level.
Oh, I'm not saying there's something wrong with not being 40. I was merely pointing out that it's 100% possible to play casually and be at the level cap.
Random question: When do I get to fight alongside the Champions PnP heroes again after the tutorial? I liked fighting alongside Defender, he was voice-acted and helped me and we had a common goal. It was cool helping Iron Clad defend the cannon. I don't think I've done that once since the tutorial (now in my late 20s).
You wind up meeting a TON of other superheroes (with voice acting) in the course of your Nemesis missions. In fact, you meet so many that they tend to become faceless entities. In one mission I think I had something like 6 other superheroes following me around like lost puppies.
At this year's SOE Fan Faire, we got to PLAY DCUO a bit. Play wise - it's 'meh' to me. But what they HAVE gotten done well (Thanks in large part to Jim Lee IMO) is Art and defining the Role you play. It looks great, it FEELS like you are in Gotham or Metropolis. The problem is, you are very much treated in-game as either a 2nd rate Hero, or just a Sidekick for the DC characters. To ME, that's not a selling point - it's detrimental to the game as a whole, because unlike other MMOs where I have a very defined role in a group that's important, in DCUO I felt like I was going through the motions of being a Superhero, but not actually BEING a Superhero - If that makes any sense.
This was another concern of mine playing DCUO. Your not the hero in the game. Your there to help the heroes in the game. In Champions Online You are the hero.
Talking, helping friends. Looking for perks. Its not that hard. :cool:
See thats not content and not doing those things does not mean you rushed through the game.
What would perk me up is if there was more purpose to cleaning the streets, more point to fighting mobs outside of quests both solo and in groups. I'm not big on perks in this game as there simply isn't a point to them. Oh yay......I just spent 3 days killing Viper soldiers so I could walk around with a title that says I just spent a massive amount of time doing nothing but killing mobs that gave me next to nothing and the only point to doing it was to get me this fancy title..........................
I want the crafting to be worth while and fun and not feel like it's a very simple waste of time which it currently does.
I'd like more side things just for the sake of fun. I couldn't tell you how many hours I spent in UO just playing chess with friends or participating in the Mongbat fight club.
There really isn't anything to do besides PvP and PvE and that gets so old so fast if thats simply all there is to do. Generally you would break up the PvE grind with quests or vice versa...... here that simply isn't a real option.
UO had community collection quests which I actually got into as well. You would donate animals you tamed to the zoo to build up points to get new animals into the Zoo. Donate books and stuff to the library to get decorations for the different NPC's there such as a Forge or a Sadle etc or donate to the library to get more exhibits opened up. You actually got rewards for doing this. Fluff items such as titles, or Armor or weapons etc. One part community reward one part personal reward.
Housing is another type of side thing.
in game games, mini games, gambling, contests, tournaments, races etc. These are the kind of side things I am use to in MMO's. Those are there to go along with the PvP, PvE and Questing (Yes PvE and Questing are usually seperate things). Dungeons you could go do with a friend or guild, or in other games cases instances.
The only meaningful things I've run into are the Quests which actually are worth doing as they give you globals and xp, PvP because it's fun even though the rewards it gives aside from the xp I'm not really into (why just luchadore customes ). Crafting in CO is just bad............ so not really going to harp on that.
I just don't see the roses that I normally see in other MMO's. There simply aren't many if any to stop and smell currently.
That pretty much leaves me questing and PvP'ing. With those being really the only things I can find in game to do as far as content goes, it's hard not to hit level cap fairly fast even at a casual pace.
See thats not content and not doing those things does not mean you rushed through the game.
If you constantly did missions and in 48 hours got to level 40. Thats rushing it. Getting perks, crafting, creating alts, helping friends in troubled areas thats all part of content.
I want the crafting to be worth while and fun and not feel like it's a very simple waste of time which it currently does.
I'd like more side things just for the sake of fun. I couldn't tell you how many hours I spent in UO just playing chess with friends or participating in the Mongbat fight club.
There really isn't anything to do besides PvP and PvE and that gets so old so fast if thats simply all there is to do. Generally you would break up the PvE grind with quests or vice versa...... here that simply isn't a real option.
UO had community collection quests which I actually got into as well. You would donate animals you tamed to the zoo to build up points to get new animals into the Zoo. Donate books and stuff to the library to get decorations for the different NPC's there such as a Forge or a Sadle etc or donate to the library to get more exhibits opened up. You actually got rewards for doing this. Fluff items such as titles, or Armor or weapons etc. One part community reward one part personal reward.
Housing is another type of side thing.
in game games, mini games, gambling, contests, tournaments, races etc. These are the kind of side things I am use to in MMO's. Those are there to go along with the PvP, PvE and Questing (Yes PvE and Questing are usually seperate things). Dungeons you could go do with a friend or guild, or in other games cases instances.
The only meaningful things I've run into are the Quests which actually are worth doing as they give you globals and xp, PvP because it's fun even though the rewards it gives aside from the xp I'm not really into (why just luchadore customes ). Crafting in CO is just bad............ so not really going to harp on that.
I just don't see the roses that I normally see in other MMO's. There simply aren't many if any to stop and smell currently.
That pretty much leaves me questing and PvP'ing. With those being really the only things I can find in game to do as far as content goes, it's hard not to hit level cap fairly fast even at a casual pace.
Which game had that out on release?
None. Everything you mentioned comes after the game comes out. The problem is some people want more then what the game offers at that time.
The game was labeled (see below) and all this was provided. The extra stuff always comes later.
The First True Action MMORPG
Hi-Octane Excitement: Champions Online delivers furious, fast-paced encounters previously reserved for action and fighting games. No more boring auto attacks and lengthy recharge times. Champions Online combat is instantaneous and electrifying!
Brains required: Every enemy and super-powered threat in Champions Online has its own unique abilities and combat specialties. Use your head or wind up dead!
Bring friends, make friends: The Champions Online universe will be jam-packed with thousands of heroes, facing thousands of threats. Join up with other heroes, create your own superteam, and prepare to take on the ultimate threats!
Be the Hero You Want To Be
Total customization, at your fingertips: Choose from hundreds of different costume pieces, colors and body types to create your character's one-of-a-kind costume and look. There are billions of possible combinations, and in a universe b******* with the fantastic and the unforgettable, you can still be completely unique!
Your powers, on your terms: There are a multitude of astonishing powers to choose from in Champions Online, and its flexible character creation system gives you total control over your hero's abilities. You can even pick the appearance of your powers. Do you want purple force fields? Green fire blasts? Jet black claws? In Champions Online, you decide!
Keep your enemies close: Every hero must have an archenemy. In Champions Online, you design your character's supreme adversary, choosing a name, powers and costume for a superpowered foe to bedevil your hero throughout his or her career.
Bigger and better: Vanquish evil, and your successes will be rewarded with costume pieces to enhance your powers and abilities. Then customize the appearance of those rewards to your vision of your hero's look and abilities!
Vast Universe
Endless exploration: The battle against evil in Champions Online rages across the world into outer space and alternate dimensions. No other MMOG offers players the chance to explore such diverse realms from the shining skyscrapers of Millennium City and the frozen wastes of Canada to the interstellar gladiatorial arena on the moon, the hidden underwater city of Lemuria and the foul mystical dimension known as Qliphotic.
Evil most foul: Battle supervillains, aliens, giant monsters and secret, sinister organizations. Doctor Destroyer is launching new plans to conquer the world. VIPER lurks in the shadows, seeking chances to strike at humanity. The ancient Lemurians are plotting a return to power. And Mechanon won't stop until it has wiped all organic life from the planet. Can you stop these heinous threats to humanity?
Make your mark: The story of Champions Online is constantly changing, continually evolving. Villains are defeated. Heroes rise and fall. Cities transform. Your actions may decide the future!
COH has been around a while, its not going anywhere. Not sure why people keep thinking that, its like saying "X game is the WoW killer!" no idea how many times Ive heard that... CO is great and will probably be around for a while, however if they dont start fixing some of these bugs they wont be. I still question the sanity of putting out another powerset when they have broken several of the others and many still need work. still my months paided.
If you constantly did missions and in 48 hours got to level 40. Thats rushing it. Getting perks, crafting, creating alts, helping friends in troubled areas thats all part of content.
Have tons of Alts the 40 I had was on my second account which I canceled lol. Crafting was maxed so didn't skip that and the perks...... nah, not going after perks simply no interests in that kind of uninspired, lazy tripe. I want real content, not this lets throw some crud in type content.
Helped plenty of people in game so didn't skip out on that.
Have tons of Alts the 40 I had was on my second account which I canceled lol. Crafting was maxed so didn't skip that and the perks...... nah, not going after perks simply no interests in that kind of uninspired, lazy tripe. I want real content, not this lets throw some crud in type content.
Helped plenty of people in game so didn't skip out on that.
How many level 40's you have (or 40 and whatever). If you have a level 40 in less then a month time. Then your not a casual player. There is a lot of people that don't have level 40's and they are considered a casual player. Sure they could have a 40 but to know all that and do that in less then 50 hours game time you don't get considered a casual player.
Of course what is considered a casual player. I am sure each person views it differently. Thats another subject all togethor LOL.
None. Everything you mentioned comes after the game comes out. The problem is some people want more then what the game offers at that time.
The game was labeled (see below) and all this was provided. The extra stuff always comes later.
That would be fine and dandy had the High Octane excitement not ended and Endless Exploration?
Where is the Endless Exploration? I feel cheated now.
lol No I know what the game advertised itself as and I am not so much focusing on what it should have had but what I would like in the future as what it should have had didn't pan out very well.
For Endless Exploration with High Octane Excitement the game simply didn't pull through.
The Customization they did a great job on.
They should have researched what Endless means, because I simply don't think it means what they think it means oO............
That would be fine and dandy had the High Octane excitement not ended and Endless Exploration?
Where is the Endless Exploration? I feel cheated now.
lol No I know what the game advertised itself as and I am not so much focusing on what it should have had but what I would like in the future as what it should have had didn't pan out very well.
For Endless Exploration with High Octane Excitement the game simply didn't pull through.
The Customization they did a great job on.
They should have researched what Endless means, because I simply don't think it means what they think it means oO............
Endless is very vague. LOL Its endless as long as they keep putting new zones in.
I thought the "no monthly fee" for DC had been proven to be fallacious? Not that I care, as its SOE so I wont be playing it anyway, and I know many feel the same. Even so, I wouldnt write off DC just yet, the screens are nice, and who knows, SOE may get it right.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! No, really. Thousand monkeys, typewriter .
It was. The comment by Wes Yunagi was removed from the original article that stated there would be no monthly fee.
As to the OP's comments, estimating the survival of a game like DCUO, that isn't even in the alpha stage yet is sort of like predicting next years weather.
Champions Online needs more content. Having several different ways to get to level 40 is a must.
In a 'perfect MMO" discussion in relation to the genre CO is in, IMO you need separate "tracks" for each power set to follow. After all, the Journey someone who is a Power Armor character in Comics is vastly different than someone born on a different world and was 'flung' to Earth to be imbued with Force powers.
Seriously, could you imagine the replay value of a game that saw subtly variations different based upon your initial Power choices?
Heck, with a small change, this could be done without affecting the game as it is today. Just tack on the "Power Story" version immediately after the Tutorial (Instead of heading to Celebration, the Stories branch out), and after the initial part, head THEN to Celebration, and your choice of Canada or the Desert. After that, add a few missions through the levels that focus on your powers - including options at each stage to CHANGE your powers (Where free Retcons would come in) because some Villain used a 'Change Ray' on you. Treat these like Nemesis missions (After all, who but your Nemesis would want to alter you?) - and you now get the idea, I'm sure.
How many level 40's you have (or 40 and whatever). If you have a level 40 in less then a month time. Then your not a casual player. There is a lot of people that don't have level 40's and they are considered a casual player. Sure they could have a 40 but to know all that and do that in less then 50 hours game time you don't get considered a casual player.
Of course what is considered a casual player. I am sure each person views it differently. Thats another subject all togethor LOL.
1-2 hours a day on the 40 toon and it took less than 3 weeks a bit more than 2 to hit level cap. Is that not casual? Keep in mind I'm a smoker and I don't smoke inside, so that cuts that 1-2 hours down a bit :P.
Now you say 50 hours of game play................so lets break that down then shall we?
So if you could do that in 50 hours your casual?
I stated I played about 1-2 hours a day on that toon. 50 hours divided by 2 = 25 so 25 days correct?
So 25 days would be how many weeks? 3 weeks = 21 days
I said 1-2 hours a day for 2-3 weeks and I hit 40
You say anything under 50 hours of gameplay to get that isn't casual and 50 hours of game play at 2 hours a day = 25 days which is about 3 1/2 weeks..................
So................................
Now I am also very sure there are more people with 40's than those without.
I agree - the journey in the game really DOES need more 'fleshing out' so that things are more readily apparent as to WHY you are doing something, not just "because he's a Super Villain, that's why!" There's a flow there - but because of gaps, we tend to not notice them.
At this year's SOE Fan Faire, we got to PLAY DCUO a bit. Play wise - it's 'meh' to me. But what they HAVE gotten done well (Thanks in large part to Jim Lee IMO) is Art and defining the Role you play. It looks great, it FEELS like you are in Gotham or Metropolis. The problem is, you are very much treated in-game as either a 2nd rate Hero, or just a Sidekick for the DC characters. To ME, that's not a selling point - it's detrimental to the game as a whole, because unlike other MMOs where I have a very defined role in a group that's important, in DCUO I felt like I was going through the motions of being a Superhero, but not actually BEING a Superhero - If that makes any sense.
I was at Sony Fan Faire this year too and my experience was completely different. I liked the feel of the game. As far as feeling like a sidekick to the Iconic heroes, I'm not sure how you can come to that conclusion based on the short demo and PvP that was on display. The game is still early in development so how can anyone compare it to a game that is currently out? Besides the fact that they are both super hero based that is.
In a 'perfect MMO" discussion in relation to the genre CO is in, IMO you need separate "tracks" for each power set to follow. After all, the Journey someone who is a Power Armor character in Comics is vastly different than someone born on a different world and was 'flung' to Earth to be imbued with Force powers.
Seriously, could you imagine the replay value of a game that saw subtly variations different based upon your initial Power choices?
Heck, with a small change, this could be done without affecting the game as it is today. Just tack on the "Power Story" version immediately after the Tutorial (Instead of heading to Celebration, the Stories branch out), and after the initial part, head THEN to Celebration, and your choice of Canada or the Desert. After that, add a few missions through the levels that focus on your powers - including options at each stage to CHANGE your powers (Where free Retcons would come in) because some Villain used a 'Change Ray' on you. Treat these like Nemesis missions (After all, who but your Nemesis would want to alter you?) - and you now get the idea, I'm sure.
Ah, for dreaming...
I could even see tacking on missions just what your nemesis version you would take. (Mastermind, Savage, CRAZY! I am also hoping they add on to these.) Just think if you got to pick which one they were at the start ( say level 10) and your missions went along with what you picked.
Level 18 the nemesis minions start to attack you. Level 25 you pick what your nemesis looks like and what powers he has.
I was at Sony Fan Faire this year too and my experience was completely different. I liked the feel of the game. As far as feeling like a sidekick to the Iconic heroes, I'm not sure how you can come to that conclusion based on the short demo and PvP that was on display. The game is still early in development so how can anyone compare it to a game that is currently out? Besides the fact that they are both super hero based that is.
Because that was my opinion of it. Yours can differ - and know what? We could both be right, based on our point of view.
But "early development" is not true. 3rd year in a row it's been featured at FF. First was just concept and some art. Second year they showed us the video of game play. We played around with the game this year.
Every source says DCUO is hitting Beta later this year, or early next - quite a difference from 'early development'. What I viewed was from the eyes of a gamer knowing the game was hitting Beta soon.
Side note: I'm all about immersion in a game world, I'm not a heavy RPer in video games, but I like to feel connected to a fun fantasy world. The zones in CO are completely separate in my mind, they might as well be on another planet. I simply teleport between the few zones with no cool travel animations or anything. At least in WoW, I would wait for a ship to come into port, then the ship would travel out to see before 'zoning', then it would pull up to port on the other continent. It was still 'teleporting' in a way, but that little bit of detail added to my immersion significantly. If I really wanted to, I could literally run from the top of the Eastern Kingdoms down to the very tip of Stranglethorn Vale. I can't do something like that in CO.
So...you want to *run* 2000 miles from Millennium City to the Southwest Desert?
So...you want to *run* 2000 miles from Millennium City to the Southwest Desert?
Haha, no, silly! C'mon, you knew what I meant. I was simply stating that the game world does not feel like a connected world; it just feels like a few separate maps that are artificially walled off that I instantly teleport between.
Not sure who mentioned this, but in regards to different tracks for different origins:
DCUO offers three tracks: metahuman, tech, and magical. Each character chooses one at creation, sort of like origin from CoH. This controls which super heroes you encounter, the sort of missions you undertake, and what villains you regularly face.
At LB Comic Con, they mentioned that Spectre vs Calipso would be a big quest chain for magical themed characters. The Spirit of Vengeance goes nutso and starts rising vengeful spirits from Arkhum (sp?) Asylum. Magical heroes have to investigate what's going on and stop it, and it ends with Specter fighting Calipso in an epic battle that the players get to participate in.
City of Heroes had this, CO should have had this. It adds to immersion. Crafting profession is the only connection I have to my backstory, and crafting is a mostly useless endeavor (except for PvP items) that provides mild fluff and a steep money sink.
I know it sounds like I am a DCUO fanboi or something, but I am really not. I fell in love with CO in beta and am still enjoying it. As a consumer, however, I will harshly dissect products in order to make sure I am getting my money's worth. Right now, a lot of what I'm hearing about DCUO intrigues me, enough for me to investigate the game further and compare what I can find out with what I'm playing right now (CO).
It was. The comment by Wes Yunagi was removed from the original article that stated there would be no monthly fee.
As to the OP's comments, estimating the survival of a game like DCUO, that isn't even in the alpha stage yet is sort of like predicting next years weather.
It's gon' rain!
Joking aside, I agree that its foolish to pass judgments of lifespan, at least on DCUO, at the moment. The game is still in its very early stages, few of us have played it, and it does have a long road ahead of it. That being said, the fact that SOE is making it will constantly be a niggling little worry in the back of my mind. I mean, I've enjoyed games they've put out before, but I can also see where they have truly botched some of their better creations, with horrible, nonsensical changes.
As for CoH, well... its CoH. Many folks on these forums have played it, are playing it, will play it, whatever. At the moment, it seems like some people feel its in the middle of a drought of content, with Going Rogue looming on the horizon. I think that game's fate hangs on how its expansion performs, AND on how CO performs in the upcoming months. I'm not going to hold my breath, but I doubt CoH is going anywhere anytime soon.
Now with all that being said, I've gotta throw this out there - CO does need more content in order to flourish. Maybe not in order to survive or sustain itself, but in order to flourish. I think the CO devs have realized that in hindsight they launched a product that was in some way lacking, but see their error and are working to fix it. I have high hopes, and I have nothing but the best wishes in mind for CO, but again, time will tell. In a few months after Blood Moon and the first major content update, we'll have to see how people feel about the game and how the game itself feels.
At least in WoW, I would wait for a ship to come into port, then the ship would travel out to see before 'zoning', then it would pull up to port on the other continent.
The boat is neat like once. After that it's "Why isn't this thing here yet?" The biggest nerf in vanilla WoW was removing Captain Placeholder.
At LB Comic Con, they mentioned that Spectre vs Calipso would be a big quest chain for magical themed characters. The Spirit of Vengeance goes nutso and starts rising vengeful spirits from Arkhum (sp?) Asylum. Magical heroes have to investigate what's going on and stop it, and it ends with Specter fighting Calipso in an epic battle that the players get to participate in.
Doesn't that strike you as a bit of a severe limitation and NOT a bonus? You HAVE to make a Magician in order to see that quest line, and so on?
While not perfect, CO has the opportunity to become a lot more than DCUO will be. Cryptic just has to grab the ball and start running, instead of calling Audibles repeatedly..
Doesn't that strike you as a bit of a severe limitation and NOT a bonus? You HAVE to make a Magician in order to see that quest line, and so on?
As opposed to in CO, where I can be a mutant, magician, alien, skilled human, etc., and it makes no difference as to what content I see?
At least it sounds like DCUO is trying to offer some content that fits your character concept. CO offers awesome ability to customize characters and then gives you a generic experience for all of them.
If CO can step up and add additional content that's more catered to, say, crafting professions, or perhaps an "origin/backgroung" choice we get to assign to all characters, I'd be very impressed, but there's been no indication they're thinking that way.
Which was a surprise, given COH/COX had you choose origin type at character creation. Sure, it only impacted some intial contacts and missions, but it added to the character.
I do agree with you that it's still their game to make or break, and I think your reference to them calling audibles feels very right. Seems like they may have had a game plan when things started but things didn't go as planned and they're now scrambling to figure out the right offensive to make this game a "win"...
Comments
Actually all MMO's games are like this. All MMO's games have this problem. Most people who rush through the game won't stay around anyway.
It took me 700+ hours to level my CoH Manchine to 50. Yeah, way to long, I know. It took me 90 some hours to level my CoV hero (which leveled to 50 before my hero).
Well, the problem is that there's very little to enjoy in terms of leveling in CO. The quests are standard MMO fare (and some very poorly written at that) and take place in only a handful of zones. PvP offers very little variety with only 1 scenario until level 20. There's nothing to make people want to slow down and smell the roses. Hell, there are no roses to smell.
I really don't see how CO is trying to break to mold of endgame being what matters other than the fact that there is no endgame.
Sorry but I am a little above CASUAL pace and I still haven't got to level 40. (level 32 as of today) Every friend I have, who all play CASUALLY, doesn't have anyone even over 30.
Quests are standard but excellently written. I have run into a few that were bad but only a handful. The zones might be limited but each zone is huge. Higher you go up the larger they get.
People definately have that attitude and I never understood it. Mainly because no game like this, not even WoW, launched with anything resembling solid endgame. Initial focus always is 'The Journey.'
And I'm a journey player myself. I love taking my time on the way up to enjoy myself. But that's likely because I find endgame raiding about the second most unenjoyable feature in an MMORPG. (Trailing substantially behind PvP as #1)
That said, its undeniable, even to someone who loves the game like myself, that the game needs lots more content on that journey and to have things slowed down a bit. Give me more roses to stop and smell please.
Hmm, I've always considered an hour or two a day casual. But hey, 2 hours a week is casual too so I can believe you.
You can easily play this game casually and have hit the level cap by now. Both my 40's hit the cap in less than 40 hours played. A person playing 90 mins a day on one character could not only be at the level cap, but could also have an alt on its way.
Oh yeah I agree this game needs more content. Just like any other game that comes out. Pretty much the content it has barely has enough to get you to the end, if you don't skip anything. Later this month the contect starts to get added. Which is a good thing.
The zones aren't that much bigger than other MMO zones to be honest. They don't even offer that much variety and their layout is often nonsensical. I mean an abandoned amusement park just seconds away from a nuclear wasteland? Really? The quests suffer from the same ADD mentality. Maybe I have a higher standard in terms of writing, but I find nothing special about any of the quest writing. Most of it strikes me as forced, to be honest.
And your last statement isn't true. Lemuria is possibly the smallest of the zones, excluding tutorial and crisis zones.
See I don't believe that. http://www.xfire.com/profile/machineteen/ I know I could have a level 40 by now sure but I don't. I have friends who have played for 60 hours and still don't have a level 26. ( He has a 25 and a level 21 and several other lower levels.)
I play for about 6 hours a day, about 5 days a week. I'm level 33. There's more for me to do in the game than level grind, so just because I'm not 40 yet doesn't mean I play "2 hours a week".
This is an a very optimistic view of CO. I play the game very casually (maybe 10 hours a week), and I am not 'rushing through'. I stop, make alts (I have several in the 14-17) range and 2 at about 26. I am already getting bored of the game. Know why? I feel that the content I am moving toward as I level up will just be more of the same: mostly plot-less, whimsical, 4th-wall breaking, cookie-cutter quests that I can solo. And I feel that after my hard work of leveling to 40, there'll be nothing waiting for me. I like to PvP, but it's only part of my end-game experience (and the PvP in this game, while fun, needs a lot of work and variety).
I completed a mission yesterday to defeat Mechassassin. Who is Mechassassin? Why is he a bad guy and worth defeating? He's mentioned in the mission description of the quest to beat him and a loading screen, and that's it. He's a super villain, and apparently a badass mercenary. He is so badass it should take two people to take him down. I defeated him in 30 seconds, maybe less. He didn't really do anything special, he just seemed like one of those Mech robots the argent have patrolling everywhere.
Is it just me, or is the only mention of a super villain to be defeated in the mission to defeat them? I feel like these villains aren't built up at all, and then go down very easily. After defeating them, I don't think "Hell yeah! Finally got that *******!", I generally think "Oh, that was a super villain, okay, I guess I'm done".
It's hard to keep playing alts past level 17, because it literally is the same mission content I've done on all my alts, with almost no variation. Sure, I could go to Canada crisis instead of Desert crisis, but after doing that once, it's all repeats. Also, because you can access tier3 powers by level 14, I generally fill out a concept by level 20. After that, I just start min/maxing for PvP with powers I can loosely justify as fitting concept. There's no real reason to min/max for PvE, as most heroes can beat everything with a passive defense and 1-2 attacks. (For the record, my two 26's both run offensive passives).
I went to the Long Beach Comic Con this past weekend and sat in on the DCUO panel (even asked some questions). I asked about end-game content, and Jens (I think it was) said that they want the leveling to be fun, but that end-game is where the focus would be. You spend this time getting cool powers, now you need something fun to do with them.
Before the panel, I didn't pay attention to anything relating to DCUO. Now I am a bit intrigued, as I am not loyal to DC or CO or anything - I want the best product for my money. I bought the 6-month sub for CO, and I'll continue to play it and have fun 'till those 6 months are up. But honestly, they have a lot of work to do to get me to shell out another chunk of money. CO feels more like a free-to-play quality game to me, of late =/
*Side note* Jim Lee did a SICK drawing of Green Lantern at the panel, I hate that guy who got it! GRR!
Exactly - the Journey is messed up right now because people have to take too many "detours" along the road. But the game IS definitely a Journey one - the Art, Writing and a bunch of relatively minor things that are easily overlooked point to this.
Once sufficient Content is added, the true feel and flavor of the game will be seen - now Cryptic - get to it. Show us how good a Journey can be.
You don't believe what? That it's possibly to play 90 mins a day and hit the level cap or that I have two 40's both of which with less than 40 hours play? I can assure you that both are true.
Aside from the quests what are you doing?
If you rush through it. Thats not casual play. Some people play the game and not rush through.
Talking, helping friends. Looking for perks. Its not that hard. :cool:
Casual play is playing casually. The can mean a ton of different things and certainly doesn't exclude single character focus for a small amount of time daily.
And honestly, there's no need to rush in order to level in this game. I could have leveled my characters a TON faster if I had focused on it. Instead I spent a lot of my time bumming around, dueling, PvPing and helping out lowbie friends.
It took me less time to hit 40 in this game than it did for me to hit level 20 in the original Guild Wars.
Sorry for near double-post, but I wanted to address the statement about WoW end-game at release and the 'journey'.
I agree, I want more roses to smell too! I find the combat very fun in this game, I just need more instances to use it in a fun way!
But anyway, regarding WoW. If I leveled a Human Mage, let's say, to 60 and found no end-game content in WoW, I could make an alt and experience almost no redundant content on the way to 60 (barring those late-game instances). I could play a Troll Warrior and play a completely distinct quest line from 1-60 than my Human Mage. It's even possible to have 2 character from the same faction experience very distinct quest lines for most of their leveling career.
This is not possible in CO. All of my characters partake in the same quests in mostly the same order. Sometimes I do Canada first then Desert, sometimes the other way around. That's all the variety I get. In WoW, I initially leveled primarily on the Eastern Kingdoms. Playing a Night Elf alt I got to experience a whole new continent. There's no such option in CO.
Side note: I'm all about immersion in a game world, I'm not a heavy RPer in video games, but I like to feel connected to a fun fantasy world. The zones in CO are completely separate in my mind, they might as well be on another planet. I simply teleport between the few zones with no cool travel animations or anything. At least in WoW, I would wait for a ship to come into port, then the ship would travel out to see before 'zoning', then it would pull up to port on the other continent. It was still 'teleporting' in a way, but that little bit of detail added to my immersion significantly. If I really wanted to, I could literally run from the top of the Eastern Kingdoms down to the very tip of Stranglethorn Vale. I can't do something like that in CO.
If DCUO can create a game world that flows and feels connected, instead of a group of disjunt questing instances, it will create some stiff competition.
I agree - the journey in the game really DOES need more 'fleshing out' so that things are more readily apparent as to WHY you are doing something, not just "because he's a Super Villain, that's why!" There's a flow there - but because of gaps, we tend to not notice them.
At this year's SOE Fan Faire, we got to PLAY DCUO a bit. Play wise - it's 'meh' to me. But what they HAVE gotten done well (Thanks in large part to Jim Lee IMO) is Art and defining the Role you play. It looks great, it FEELS like you are in Gotham or Metropolis. The problem is, you are very much treated in-game as either a 2nd rate Hero, or just a Sidekick for the DC characters. To ME, that's not a selling point - it's detrimental to the game as a whole, because unlike other MMOs where I have a very defined role in a group that's important, in DCUO I felt like I was going through the motions of being a Superhero, but not actually BEING a Superhero - If that makes any sense.
But by the same thought process, in SWG I was able to get to the 250 point Skill max (INCLUDING the then borked Investigation 4) in less than a week. Here, I am still level 34 despite playing since Head start.
The why for ME is simple - I've been enjoying the role of Superhero, and playing it as I see a Comic Book Superhero would work. I 'patrol' MC by foot, making sure "my city" is safe from evil doers. I run to assist whenever one of my SG calls for help or a group - because that's what my hero would do (Avengers Assemble!).
In fact, I do these things more often than I do a quest for myself - which explains my level.
Agreed. I am very concerned about DCUO placing my characters in the background. I forgot who said this, but basically: "Too many mission in CO can be handled by the police, or worse, an messenger boy."
The scale of the mission in CO tend to be very small, with some exceptions (Dr. Destroyer's Lab chain, for example). I don't feel like my super hero is worth anything.
Random question: When do I get to fight alongside the Champions PnP heroes again after the tutorial? I liked fighting alongside Defender, he was voice-acted and helped me and we had a common goal. It was cool helping Iron Clad defend the cannon. I don't think I've done that once since the tutorial (now in my late 20s).
Oh, I'm not saying there's something wrong with not being 40. I was merely pointing out that it's 100% possible to play casually and be at the level cap.
You wind up meeting a TON of other superheroes (with voice acting) in the course of your Nemesis missions. In fact, you meet so many that they tend to become faceless entities. In one mission I think I had something like 6 other superheroes following me around like lost puppies.
This was another concern of mine playing DCUO. Your not the hero in the game. Your there to help the heroes in the game. In Champions Online You are the hero.
Thats a totally different topic.
See thats not content and not doing those things does not mean you rushed through the game.
What would perk me up is if there was more purpose to cleaning the streets, more point to fighting mobs outside of quests both solo and in groups. I'm not big on perks in this game as there simply isn't a point to them. Oh yay......I just spent 3 days killing Viper soldiers so I could walk around with a title that says I just spent a massive amount of time doing nothing but killing mobs that gave me next to nothing and the only point to doing it was to get me this fancy title..........................
I want the crafting to be worth while and fun and not feel like it's a very simple waste of time which it currently does.
I'd like more side things just for the sake of fun. I couldn't tell you how many hours I spent in UO just playing chess with friends or participating in the Mongbat fight club.
There really isn't anything to do besides PvP and PvE and that gets so old so fast if thats simply all there is to do. Generally you would break up the PvE grind with quests or vice versa...... here that simply isn't a real option.
UO had community collection quests which I actually got into as well. You would donate animals you tamed to the zoo to build up points to get new animals into the Zoo. Donate books and stuff to the library to get decorations for the different NPC's there such as a Forge or a Sadle etc or donate to the library to get more exhibits opened up. You actually got rewards for doing this. Fluff items such as titles, or Armor or weapons etc. One part community reward one part personal reward.
Housing is another type of side thing.
in game games, mini games, gambling, contests, tournaments, races etc. These are the kind of side things I am use to in MMO's. Those are there to go along with the PvP, PvE and Questing (Yes PvE and Questing are usually seperate things). Dungeons you could go do with a friend or guild, or in other games cases instances.
The only meaningful things I've run into are the Quests which actually are worth doing as they give you globals and xp, PvP because it's fun even though the rewards it gives aside from the xp I'm not really into (why just luchadore customes
I just don't see the roses that I normally see in other MMO's. There simply aren't many if any to stop and smell currently.
That pretty much leaves me questing and PvP'ing. With those being really the only things I can find in game to do as far as content goes, it's hard not to hit level cap fairly fast even at a casual pace.
Champions Online needs more content.
That I can agree on lol.
If you constantly did missions and in 48 hours got to level 40. Thats rushing it. Getting perks, crafting, creating alts, helping friends in troubled areas thats all part of content.
Which game had that out on release?
None. Everything you mentioned comes after the game comes out. The problem is some people want more then what the game offers at that time.
The game was labeled (see below) and all this was provided. The extra stuff always comes later.
Have tons of Alts the 40 I had was on my second account which I canceled lol. Crafting was maxed so didn't skip that and the perks...... nah, not going after perks simply no interests in that kind of uninspired, lazy tripe. I want real content, not this lets throw some crud in type content.
Helped plenty of people in game so didn't skip out on that.
How many level 40's you have (or 40 and whatever). If you have a level 40 in less then a month time. Then your not a casual player. There is a lot of people that don't have level 40's and they are considered a casual player. Sure they could have a 40 but to know all that and do that in less then 50 hours game time you don't get considered a casual player.
Of course what is considered a casual player. I am sure each person views it differently.
That would be fine and dandy had the High Octane excitement not ended and Endless Exploration?
Where is the Endless Exploration? I feel cheated now.
lol No I know what the game advertised itself as and I am not so much focusing on what it should have had but what I would like in the future as what it should have had didn't pan out very well.
For Endless Exploration with High Octane Excitement the game simply didn't pull through.
The Customization they did a great job on.
They should have researched what Endless means, because I simply don't think it means what they think it means oO............
Endless is very vague. LOL Its endless as long as they keep putting new zones in.
It was. The comment by Wes Yunagi was removed from the original article that stated there would be no monthly fee.
As to the OP's comments, estimating the survival of a game like DCUO, that isn't even in the alpha stage yet is sort of like predicting next years weather.
In a 'perfect MMO" discussion in relation to the genre CO is in, IMO you need separate "tracks" for each power set to follow. After all, the Journey someone who is a Power Armor character in Comics is vastly different than someone born on a different world and was 'flung' to Earth to be imbued with Force powers.
Seriously, could you imagine the replay value of a game that saw subtly variations different based upon your initial Power choices?
Heck, with a small change, this could be done without affecting the game as it is today. Just tack on the "Power Story" version immediately after the Tutorial (Instead of heading to Celebration, the Stories branch out), and after the initial part, head THEN to Celebration, and your choice of Canada or the Desert. After that, add a few missions through the levels that focus on your powers - including options at each stage to CHANGE your powers (Where free Retcons would come in) because some Villain used a 'Change Ray' on you. Treat these like Nemesis missions (After all, who but your Nemesis would want to alter you?) - and you now get the idea, I'm sure.
Ah, for dreaming...
1-2 hours a day on the 40 toon and it took less than 3 weeks a bit more than 2 to hit level cap. Is that not casual? Keep in mind I'm a smoker and I don't smoke inside, so that cuts that 1-2 hours down a bit :P.
Now you say 50 hours of game play................so lets break that down then shall we?
So if you could do that in 50 hours your casual?
I stated I played about 1-2 hours a day on that toon. 50 hours divided by 2 = 25 so 25 days correct?
So 25 days would be how many weeks? 3 weeks = 21 days
I said 1-2 hours a day for 2-3 weeks and I hit 40
You say anything under 50 hours of gameplay to get that isn't casual and 50 hours of game play at 2 hours a day = 25 days which is about 3 1/2 weeks..................
So................................
Now I am also very sure there are more people with 40's than those without.
I was at Sony Fan Faire this year too and my experience was completely different. I liked the feel of the game. As far as feeling like a sidekick to the Iconic heroes, I'm not sure how you can come to that conclusion based on the short demo and PvP that was on display. The game is still early in development so how can anyone compare it to a game that is currently out? Besides the fact that they are both super hero based that is.
I could even see tacking on missions just what your nemesis version you would take. (Mastermind, Savage, CRAZY! I am also hoping they add on to these.) Just think if you got to pick which one they were at the start ( say level 10) and your missions went along with what you picked.
Level 18 the nemesis minions start to attack you. Level 25 you pick what your nemesis looks like and what powers he has.
AHHH the WHAT IF's.
Because that was my opinion of it. Yours can differ - and know what? We could both be right, based on our point of view.
But "early development" is not true. 3rd year in a row it's been featured at FF. First was just concept and some art. Second year they showed us the video of game play. We played around with the game this year.
Every source says DCUO is hitting Beta later this year, or early next - quite a difference from 'early development'. What I viewed was from the eyes of a gamer knowing the game was hitting Beta soon.
So...you want to *run* 2000 miles from Millennium City to the Southwest Desert?
Thats a question we may never know. From the people I know I would of said the opposite.
Haha, no, silly! C'mon, you knew what I meant. I was simply stating that the game world does not feel like a connected world; it just feels like a few separate maps that are artificially walled off that I instantly teleport between.
Not sure who mentioned this, but in regards to different tracks for different origins:
DCUO offers three tracks: metahuman, tech, and magical. Each character chooses one at creation, sort of like origin from CoH. This controls which super heroes you encounter, the sort of missions you undertake, and what villains you regularly face.
At LB Comic Con, they mentioned that Spectre vs Calipso would be a big quest chain for magical themed characters. The Spirit of Vengeance goes nutso and starts rising vengeful spirits from Arkhum (sp?) Asylum. Magical heroes have to investigate what's going on and stop it, and it ends with Specter fighting Calipso in an epic battle that the players get to participate in.
City of Heroes had this, CO should have had this. It adds to immersion. Crafting profession is the only connection I have to my backstory, and crafting is a mostly useless endeavor (except for PvP items) that provides mild fluff and a steep money sink.
I know it sounds like I am a DCUO fanboi or something, but I am really not. I fell in love with CO in beta and am still enjoying it. As a consumer, however, I will harshly dissect products in order to make sure I am getting my money's worth. Right now, a lot of what I'm hearing about DCUO intrigues me, enough for me to investigate the game further and compare what I can find out with what I'm playing right now (CO).
It's gon' rain!
Joking aside, I agree that its foolish to pass judgments of lifespan, at least on DCUO, at the moment. The game is still in its very early stages, few of us have played it, and it does have a long road ahead of it. That being said, the fact that SOE is making it will constantly be a niggling little worry in the back of my mind. I mean, I've enjoyed games they've put out before, but I can also see where they have truly botched some of their better creations, with horrible, nonsensical changes.
As for CoH, well... its CoH. Many folks on these forums have played it, are playing it, will play it, whatever. At the moment, it seems like some people feel its in the middle of a drought of content, with Going Rogue looming on the horizon. I think that game's fate hangs on how its expansion performs, AND on how CO performs in the upcoming months. I'm not going to hold my breath, but I doubt CoH is going anywhere anytime soon.
Now with all that being said, I've gotta throw this out there - CO does need more content in order to flourish. Maybe not in order to survive or sustain itself, but in order to flourish. I think the CO devs have realized that in hindsight they launched a product that was in some way lacking, but see their error and are working to fix it. I have high hopes, and I have nothing but the best wishes in mind for CO, but again, time will tell. In a few months after Blood Moon and the first major content update, we'll have to see how people feel about the game and how the game itself feels.
The boat is neat like once. After that it's "Why isn't this thing here yet?" The biggest nerf in vanilla WoW was removing Captain Placeholder.
Doesn't that strike you as a bit of a severe limitation and NOT a bonus? You HAVE to make a Magician in order to see that quest line, and so on?
While not perfect, CO has the opportunity to become a lot more than DCUO will be. Cryptic just has to grab the ball and start running, instead of calling Audibles repeatedly..
As opposed to in CO, where I can be a mutant, magician, alien, skilled human, etc., and it makes no difference as to what content I see?
At least it sounds like DCUO is trying to offer some content that fits your character concept. CO offers awesome ability to customize characters and then gives you a generic experience for all of them.
If CO can step up and add additional content that's more catered to, say, crafting professions, or perhaps an "origin/backgroung" choice we get to assign to all characters, I'd be very impressed, but there's been no indication they're thinking that way.
Which was a surprise, given COH/COX had you choose origin type at character creation. Sure, it only impacted some intial contacts and missions, but it added to the character.
I do agree with you that it's still their game to make or break, and I think your reference to them calling audibles feels very right. Seems like they may have had a game plan when things started but things didn't go as planned and they're now scrambling to figure out the right offensive to make this game a "win"...