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Champions Online Demo!
Archived Post
Posts: 1,156,071 Arc User
Were pleased to announce the launch of the free Champions Online demo!
Starting today, new players can create an account and play the beginning zone of Champions Online for as long as they want, completely free of charge.
The Champions Online demo offers unlimited playtime in the games first zone (Millennium City under alien attack), two character slots, and the ability to play up to level 15. Meet other Champions and help save Millennium City from a Qularr invasion.
Players who choose to continue playing past the first zone and level 15 cap by purchasing the full game will have their restrictions lifted and will gain immediate access to the rest of the Champions Online universe.
[url=]Join the fight[/url]!
Link to the news article.
Starting today, new players can create an account and play the beginning zone of Champions Online for as long as they want, completely free of charge.
The Champions Online demo offers unlimited playtime in the games first zone (Millennium City under alien attack), two character slots, and the ability to play up to level 15. Meet other Champions and help save Millennium City from a Qularr invasion.
Players who choose to continue playing past the first zone and level 15 cap by purchasing the full game will have their restrictions lifted and will gain immediate access to the rest of the Champions Online universe.
[url=]Join the fight[/url]!
Link to the news article.
Post edited by Archived Post on
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Happy Holidays.. bet u did not miss the snow shovel this weekend blizzard..
http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/0bb369151146763d99d2c8c142e44bacb4e6a873.pjpg
doesn't this go against the whole point of the refferals?
Still, I say yey! MMOs should launch with demos, I've always said so. Good to see this one come up early.
@RKBauer: There is already a player called Powerhouse Trainer that camps the Ironclad Defense public mission and has gotten to level 24 without leaving the tutorial zone.
This seems highly illogical to me. You can't even get to a Powerhouse to pick other powers, and aren't the highest mobs in the invasion level 5? I hope they are looking to let the Crisis zones be available, too, or else this kind of poor decision making speaks more volumes than any of the fun a player would have from the tutorial.
When i saw "qular invasion" that was my exact same thought
No, what's going to be funny is the nerd rage that comes when someone gets to 15 in the tutorial, then gets reset to level 5 at the finish. I can't remember what part of the tutorial does this, but I noticed before that if you reach, say, level 6 before completing the tutorial, it resets you back to 5 somewhere between the open mission and crisis canada/desert.
Unless this has been changed recently, that could be very nasty for demo players moving to the real game.
http://www.champions-online.com/dyncontent/fightclub/uploads/co_screen_041609_18.jpg
I swear that looks like Talisman is helping Defender save Champions HQ from the Qularr . . .
It makes sense, actually. I wanted to go villain after Defender kept talking about shutting off those bloody beacons, too.
One of the biggest selling points in the game is character customization, not only asthetically but also with in-game mechanics. Let the users experience this. Limiting their advancement in the demo to ZERO is you guys basically not showing off the best part of the game!
You want them to spend, what, 5 or so hours in the tutorial getting to level 15? Nobody wants to do that with starting powers. You see basically no character progression in the tutorial other than obtained items. Once again, not selling the game.
I think this unlimited free weekend thing is a step in the right direction, but let the players do what they want. Limiting their powers to their starting ones is on par with you guys telling them that they can only play with the butt-ugly yellow-and-blue super-dork default guy.
In less words, giving the free-demo people access to an energy builder and one power is as detrimental to the game as not allowing them to create their own costume. Nobody will be satisfied with an energy builder and one lame power!
So either over hall the tutorial or expand the demo to include one of the crisis zones.
Demo is a great idea. Thank you guys for making it happen. Hope to see our community here grow and grow.
I have to say two things:
1. A free demo that folks can play forever is great. It gives them plenty of time to get hooked and make friends.
2. Access to only the tutorial zone is about the worst demo they could give.
Seriously, it's a terrible demonstration of the game. In the tutorial you get two attack powers...that's it. Folks will only have two buttons to press with no real options. Sure, they can fiddle with character creator, and that's great, but as a demo to the game itself...bad, bad, bad. I can't possibly imagine getting to level 15 without ever visiting a Powerhouse. No travel power, no passives, no support powers, no superstats, no crafting...and no way to really experience anything about any of those things. If the goal is to get players to fall in love with the game, the tutorial is not the place to do that.
All that being said, if they add a Powerhouse for the tutorial and a basic crafting trainer (doesn't have to have many recipes), then it could be quite effective. Otherwise, I think it might actually drive new folks away from the game by giving them false impressions.
If they want folks to think the game is cool, then they have to give those folks some character progression, and as it stands, the tutorial area has none. I really hope they tweak this.
Kayn
Yea I fully agree. Is it me, or does it seem that they just don't think out their events? I have to wonder, do they even play the game? Who in their right mind (Mighty Pencil said he was goin to get to lv 40 in the tutorial) can get pass lv 6, let along lv 10-15 in the tutorial! Plus if they had access to desert/canada crisis, those trying out the demo can get to the powerhouse and try out different travel powers, talents, SS, and more importantly, get more than just the energy builder/'first attack. Again, another epic failure by CO? only time will tell.
Fully agree, this could rebound on them and turn people away from this game
This was, without a doubt, the worst demo of a game I have ever played, and I actually kind of resent the hour or so I spent installing, messing around, and playing.
If you can level up but not get any new powers then it's basically pointless.
So, a demo of an MMORPG where you can't properly level up.
Yeesh. :rolleyes:
Welcome to Champions Online!
Not well thought out ideas that are half-heartedly implemented!
Annnnnnd... That's the exact review almost any one's going to have of this demo. LOL
Posh, the game itself really isn't that bad, it's just painfully linear. It's good for a month or two, but in all honesty you're probably better off waiting for this 'legendary' content update that's supposed to be coming "early 2010".
Yeah this.
Its nice to have the demo. I will certainly point it out to a number of friends, who might be interested in testing the game out.
But just the Qularr invasion isn't really enough to get a good taste of the game at all. Adding one or both of the crisis encounters would be a MUCH better advertisement.
Here are some examples:
Age of Empires 2: You only get access to a few maps, no story mode, and only one civilization. Result, I played the demo for forever and did actually buy the game with expansions.
Diablo 2: You can only play as the barbarian, only have access to ACT 1 up to the first mini-boss. Result, I played the demo and bought the game and expansion.
Age of Empires 3: You only get access to one civilization, but is pretty unlimited. Result, not at all like any other AoE game so did not purchase.
Age of Mythology: You only get access to a few maps, no story mode, and only one or two civilizations. Result, broken mechanics in the game so I did not purchase.
Diakatana: You only get access to the first level. Result, I played and died repeatedly and figured out the first level had no save points, so I did not purchase the game.
Spore: You get a limited number of creature parts, but is unlimited in time and number of creatures you can create. Result, the creator was just too much fun so I never bought the game. Hell, my kids love the demo and I still haven't purchased the game.
These are only a few, but I hope the gist gets through to some folks. The demo is a good idea, but honestly if I had waited until now I still would have bought the game. Limiting it to the tutorial is a good thing, for the simple fact it does show case the very well, gives a real reason to purchase the game, and is just limiting enough you WANT to purchase a retail copy if for no other reason to get onto the actual game.
Putting a powerhouse in the tutorial just would not make sense, especially in continuity (it's happening right outside the Champions HG which the PH for MC is pretty far away). If you open too much of the game for the demo, you lower the desire to purchase the actual game for the truly cool stuff. You have to give a taste and create the desire in the demo.
II'll admit the tutorial is lacking in, and it might be a good idea to open up the crisis zones, but it needs to be that way to not overload a new player. Costume options aside, the game essentially gives you 15 classes and an option for a custom class that gives 225 (not including innate characteristics) possible combinations. for a starting character
IMO if they just extend the demo to include one of the crisis zones, then it'll be all good. It'll give potential players a better feeling for the game, access to the PH and a tailor, a taste for the travel powers, and more suits the level 15 cap.
Yes, powers and stats are very good, and while I think playing in the tutorial zone is fien and dandy, I will ad my vote to the extended version of a crisis zone... maybe make it that they get a message at the end of Enter the Strom or Radiation Domination of... If you'd like to go further, please get the full version... then getting a return to crisis button instead of the exit/dig your way out ones.
Crisis Zones don't let you fully explore Canada, Millenium City, nor The Southwest, but they let you peer through the fields to see glimpses of the tantalizing things on the outside.
Also, maybe cap the levels at 10 (You can upgrade to level 2 crafting at level 11, so denying the mid tier crafting stuff will help to make their mouths water)
But giving a demo of an MMO where you never get to see how the game advances or any mechanics outside of spamming 2 freakin' buttons is just...well...it's useless.
The players will never get a feel for the game. They might as well have released just a demo video and at the end it says "Huh? Well? You gonna buy this or not?"
All of the demos you listed have enough meat to them to give a potential buyer enough gameplay to make an informed decision. CO's demo shows nothing but formulaic MMO gameplay. All of the game's unique draws like character customization and travel powers are specifically absent from the demo, making it a poor marketing tool at best and a shining example to Cryptic's lack of focus and proper decision making skills.
Really? I've been playing since September, and most of my characters have been level 6 going into the crisis, but I have never seen any of them reset to level 5.
This is how I feel about it. Basically the only cool feature you get is the character creator. Beyond that, if you've played an MMO before, the game ain't showing you anything different. A few missions and the open mission, and getting to fight alongside Defender.
I agree with an earlier poster who said to let them get in on the Canada/Desert (or maybe just one) Crisis zones, and cap them at level 10. I usually reach level 9 coming out of the Rakshasa fight, so keeping them bottled up in the Crisis at level 10 is spot on. And this gives them access to new powers and they'll be able to pick from other powersets, showing them how cool it is to have a sorcery archer or gadgeteering werewolf or whatever.
You're selling complete character customization; let the players experience that.
I don't doubt that Cryptic will see all our feedback and make some changes soon. But they'll have to pop in quick and let people know before too many people try the demo and get disappointed by the lack of character building.
@Halorin - you are right, and I guess I didn't really think it too far through. And I am in agreement with at least getting to the crisis zones, I was just mostly getting po'd at the nonsense changes for the tutorial. No excuse for the tone of my post though.
Hopefully with the level cap being 15 you can get to the crisis zones, and it just wasn't mentioned (left out) in the initial post/advert. I'm going to create an account just for the demo, and take a look. If someone doesn't beat me to it, I'll have a little more detail or at least a confirmation that you're stuck in the tutorial.
This feels like executive decisions at most places I've worked, "Idea is great.....but implementation sucks...."
Bad moving Cryptic, because the Tutorial its not representative, its far from the real game.
You basically get to use the character creator and choose the first two powers with unlimited access with this version of a demo.
With everything in the tutorial, not to shabby. Though, letting you get to level 15 without a way to gain powers would be a little aggravating
When a trial isn't limited by time, at least I get to experience the game. If drivers are causing problems, I can wait for them to be fixed without losing access. If I don't have time, I can find time later. I don't feel pressured.
So maybe what people here have suggested is better, and maybe Cryptic will listen to them, but the demo is better than not having one, so I'm happy I'll get a chance to spend some more time with the game.
There is no reset that I am aware of. I have leveled most of my characters to 10 on Ironclad before moving to the Crisis zones.
Now, if you elect to SKIP the tutorial (having done it at least once already), THEN it sets you to 5 and puts you in a special powerhouse to enter the crisis.
IMO there's no point to a level 15 cap in the tutorial zone, as has been said. The only way to reach it would be to grind the Ironclad mission and that would get old fast if there's nowhere else to go.
Letting folks get to the crisis zones and capping them at 10 there would probably work a lot better.
The desert Crisis already has an option to get back out of Gigaton's encounter without leaving the crisis; add one like that to Rakshasa's lair and I think you're good to go for a demo setup.
I'm sure a lot of people will try it out solely because it's free and unlimited. But it makes no sense to have what's offered for free to be an uninteresting retread of the past 5 years of MMO gaming that's without anything that makes CO special. You don't turn window shoppers into buyers by letting them sample more of the same.
It'd be like a restaurant advertising a free sample of a new steak dinner they're offering, but the sample is only of an appetizer that every other restaurant in town has. It's bass ackwards.
This behaviour may have changed, then. I noticed it sometime in, I believe, October. I had been goofing off in the tutorial while waiting on a friend to finish making a character, got a bit of kill XP, and ended up level six before finishing the mission chain. Somewhere between doing the open mission (and turning that in) and finishing the tutorial, I got a message that my XP had been set to a static value and I was suddenly level 5 again.
This may have been modified so it only occurs if you're under level 5, revamped completely, or it could have just been a bug. I've only made one new character since then, and I forgot to see if it still applies. Maybe I'll make a generic-dude and test it again. If I do, I'll say something here.