This is a perfect example the Cryptic Studios we all know and love (the ones that never made a MMO in their lives, as they all went to NCSoft to keep working on City of Heroes):
They make a good idea (a demo) and fall flat on their faces when they think about getting close to the finish line (not letting players get out of the GOD-AWFUL tutorial zone).
The only thing this demo lets players do is mess with the character creator and play with the starting (and near worthless) powers. They don't get to see any of the cooler powers, they don't get to see travel powers, and they don't get to see any of the decent parts of the game.
Instead, what players WILL get is rage for Ironclad and his constant rambling, and pure hatred for Defender and his need to shut down all the bacons.
For the love of all that's holy, let demo players play one (or both) of the Crisis zones and give them access to the Powerhouse. Is that seriously too much to ask?
For the love of all that's holy, let demo players play one (or both) of the Crisis zones and give them access to the Powerhouse. Is that seriously too much to ask?
Considering most of the devs are probably off for the holidays, it might be for a while
You'd be surprised how much people will play something for free.
You basically get to use the character creator and choose the first two powers with unlimited access with this version of a demo.
I don't disagree, but a cautionary note that there are specific expectations with free things. It's the same thing as linux; many people may try it out, but few will stick around if their first impressions are not good, precisely because it's free. A monetary investment in something makes subsequent effort and/or expectations justifiable. The opposite is also true.
A demo/trial is supposed to be a teaser of the full game, but the bottom line is that it still has to be interesting in and of itself.
As much as I like the idea, I have to agree that the implementation isn't the best. It's not a terrible idea, but it doesn't show off some of the best features of CO.
I will usually farm Ironclad up to about L8, because that let's me hit the crisis zones with two extra powers instead of just one. The idea of farming Ironclad - or worse still hunting mobs for - for another 7 levels isn't attractive.
I believe a better idea would be opening up one of the crisis zone and limiting the player to L8. This would a) give them a chance to see new geography, b) experiment with two more powers, c) add a superstat, d) try out different travel powers and e) use an advantage point.
Even letting the players access the powerhouse and fight the simulator would be better than being limited to the invasion zone.
It will be interesting to see how this is received by people playing the demo.
Created an account for my wife and tried the demo, and yup it is only the tutorial. The truly suck part is that once you complete the bit with Defender, you get to go to the staging part that would send you to the crisis, get the initial quest and then get stuck at the transport.
If a DEV pops their head in here, please add the crisis zones for the demo. I finished it in 15 minutes, and new players just following the prompts and menu should finish in about the same time. 30 - 40 minutes tops.
If nothing else, I don't have to save a character slot for my wife now
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.
I think this is best analogy used so far to describe what the demo represents.
If I'm not wrong, you'll be able to enter Millenium City below level 15. I say let the demo users experience the city and it's impressive environment; Wow them. In the meantime let them experience their first travel power, among other powers that they can mix-and-match to their hearts' content.
I have to ask; Which genius was responsible for this demo idea? A player would want to get to level 15 without any progression in powers whatsoever? What was going to motivate them to make all that effort in getting there? You really need a lesson in Rewards-vs-effort 101.
So I heard "free unlimited demo up to level 15!" and came running, because I've kept up (more or less) on patch notes and wanted to check out the gameplay changes made since launch. I'd been intending on subbing at some point once most of the initial balance tweaks were taken care of, and I figured now would be a good time to dip my feet back in and take another look around. Re-downloaded the client, re-installed, and breezed through the character creator (been there, done that, don't care). Got into the tutorial, ran through that in short order, went to click on the chopper to take me to the desert and... I find out I've gotta purchase the full game to even leave the tutorial zone, which is the part of the game I'd most want to skip. "Oh well," I figured, "It's no biggie, I can just go PvP since that's why I'd be playing anyways." Join the arena queue and... I find out I've gotta purchase the full game. It's okay though, I can level up to 15! Too bad they conveniently forgot to include access to the content that would actually allow you to get to 15, not to mention a place to train up and claim new powers. I mean, I can see how two powers might be fun the first fifteen minutes, but past that you're just looking at different-colored lights thown by people wearing different-colored tights.
Two buttons to click, no travel powers, limited contacts and missions, and only one zone to speak of really stinks. I don't know of a single other MMO that limits its demo users to the starting zone (WAR has trial users on a separate but fully functional server, and CoX allows the player to level to 14 with no zone restrictions and few other restrictions short of trade/chat limitations). Funny thing is, I was all ready to tell a friend of mine that they were doing a free unlimited trial and was almost disappointed he wasn't on at the time, but after actually "experiencing" the trial I think I'll conveniently neglect to tell him, as it's not worth even recommending to a friend.
Sorry Cryptic, but you screwed the pooch (again!) on this one.
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.
Just wanted to update this; I leveled a generi-noob to 6 on the open mission and then did the missions to complete the tutorial, and it's not setting XP value/level like it was at one point in the past. It was probably a temporary fix for some reason.
No fear of losing progress for people that do play the demo.
Y'know, I didn't even think about folks who finish the tutorial scenario..there would be no way for them to go back, and if they didn't get their levels grinding Ironclad, that would be it.
So, the "play to 15" only applies to grinding Ironclad or running around before completing the scenario.
first time I ever saw a post from a community rep get so much heat.
I have a geat idea too, I was in the shower the other day and I was thinking how great some toast would be, and I wished someone would make a toaster just for when that sort of thing would happen. So I too am pleased to announce my greatest invention that I will be sending to everyone as a holiday present. I call it the "Shower Toaster", I know, I know, I am too generous, you are all welcome, Happy Holidays !
PS. I am also working on a game proposal for Cryptic for "Chia Pets Online" cross your fingers.
Yesterday me and a friend of mine decided to play the tutorial (Actually the game finally arrived today!) and we did have a good ammount of fun. The "No Grouping" was a bit of a pain but thankfully even without being in the same team we managed to do quests together.
Now the only big complain I have is the "No Power House" thing. I knew of the powers but my friend didn't, so it was a bit frustrating when I understood it was impossible to show how cool some stuff was to my friend and even if I can lvl up to level 15, the only thing I could do was the same basic "charge" and the same basic strong attack. This is bad. Maybe add the Canadian thingie or the desert to the demo? That would make people go "wow" with all the travel powers and cool stuff.
But something I don't understand are the complains about the demo concerning the referencial program. Myself, I don't know anyone playing Champions. IF I wanted to try it, I needed a demo. So yeah, remember not everyone has a friend that can send a referencial invite.
Last night I downloaded and tried this demo to see if anything has improved over the months that I spent with the closed beta, I was thinking to myself, "level 15 should give me a good sampling, I should be able to delete and recreate new characters to see how the various powersets have been "fix|improved" since beta. Maybe they will have made teaming a more enjoyable experience where support characters feel useful. Maybe the game will feel more fun if I can actually play with my friends and wife". As it turns out I kind of glossed over the bit where it said it was limited to the MC Crisis zone|tutorial, or maybe thought it far too terrible of an idea that Cryptic could not have ment that. Suffice to say I was flabbergasted when on hitting the end of the tutorial and running off to the Canada heli when I was met with the, paraphrased "You must buy the game!" message... I was still being overly kind when I figured Cryptic probably just limits the demo accounts to the Desert for some reason, but no I was met by the same message. I hated not being able to pick new powers while in the tutorial MC Crisis zone when Cryptic first implemented it in beta, limiting the trail to there does not only just give the players with no previous experience with the game no where near enough of a feel for the game, but also will likely drive most people who want to give the game a second try to see if anything has improved crazy.
EverQuest II's Trial of the Isle was so much better than this one. Even though it was limited to just the Island you could feel your character was improving over the time you were there.
Even a standard time limited, but not overly restrictive, trials of most MMOs are better. Even though they are limited by time you can still explore a lot of content and feel your character improving.
I saw there was a free trial, I told a friend that if he wanted to check it out there was a demo that he could play. He spent a while in the character creator and enjoyed the hell out of it. He still says he likes his character. I made a newbie and played through the tutorial with him. I find it kind of sells the game short to cut it off right before the crises, he seemed to enjoy what there was of gameplay in the tutorial, but I think not enough to sell him on the game. I think if the crisis zones were opened up it would give a much better impression of the game.
Personally I began playing during the Halloween event free weekend and I distinctly remember when I felt like a superhero, it was during the crisis, after I got my travel power, fighting radioactive scum >:] I think at that point I was sold on the game and decided to buy soon afterward. I think the game will seriously benefit from opening up crisis zones in the demo, I really can't think of a reason not to, honestly. The main meat of the game is much afterward, but you get to show the basic features that make CO stand out from the other games.
They can't let players get to Millennium City. Why? At that point, they've seen 5/7ths of ALL the zones the game has to offer. Crisis zones, definitely. But not the 'fixed' Canada/Desert. That way they get to see 3/7 (or just 2/7 if they limit them to one Crisis) and at least the Powerhouse and such.
first time I ever saw a post from a community rep get so much heat.
I have a geat idea too, I was in the shower the other day and I was thinking how great some toast would be, and I wished someone would make a toaster just for when that sort of thing would happen. So I too am pleased to announce my greatest invention that I will be sending to everyone as a holiday present. I call it the "Shower Toaster", I know, I know, I am too generous, you are all welcome, Happy Holidays !
PS. I am also working on a game proposal for Cryptic for "Chia Pets Online" cross your fingers.
LOL!! That'd actually be pretty cool.... *dreams of growing 300 ft tall godzilla chia pet*
I too agree that the Demo has to show a bit more than what it is now to really entice someone new to buy the game. I really hope Cryptic will listen to it's community on this one and make some changes ASAP. It's too bad they didn't ask us all before they implimented this! Haha it could have saved them some work. But I feel pretty confident that some changes will be made. :rolleyes:
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
Well said, there not much to add.
The demo is a good idea, but by doing it that way, the ppls testing the game can't see many of the best sides of the game that might make them want to buy it after.
I kind of fear that in its actual state it might just make the persons that are going to test it with the demo not want to buy the game, since at the moment they cant test more than the two starting powers, cant test travel powers, cant test crafting, cant test most of the fun stuff about Champions Online.
A simple solution like said by many other peoples here and on other boards would be to let the demo give you access to Canada/Desert Crisis zones with even a lower lvl cap if needed, since its where the fun realy start with the acces to the PowerHouse and other stuff.
This is one thing it would have been nice they talk with the community first. Hopefully Cryptic will make some changes to this soon.
not really needed, if they just add the powerhouse at the end of the tutorial (the choppers), they can then go back to the game and play along without loosing track of the actual story of the tutorial.
they could even shrink it so much that it's nothing more then a market vendor, you talk to the guy and you can do the exact thing a powerhouse can.
it's even a cheap but efficient way, they don't need to make an entire different shard for just the powerhouse out there and the player is in it's own instance so no problems of a busy instance all the time.
The tutorial is the least fun part of the game. Add the fact that you can't get any new powers/travel power but you can play to level 15 is just painfully sad. Let them into the Crisis' and lock them out of MC. I hated the tutorial and was ever so happy when I could start a new toon at Crisis level. This demo along with the brilliant Winter Event has me thinking Cryptic Studios is based out of Korea..
The tutorial is the least fun part of the game. Add the fact that you can't get any new powers/travel power but you can play to level 15 is just painfully sad. Let them into the Crisis' and lock them out of MC. I hated the tutorial and was ever so happy when I could start a new toon at Crisis level. This demo along with the brilliant Winter Event has me thinking Cryptic Studios is based out of Korea..
Hi, I'm one of those people who played the demo and I feel like I've been screwed the second time by this game/company. My patience and goodwill is gone, no more. You all remember the first free demo? The one where 90% of the people couldn't even download the patches let alone even log in to the game? Yeah, I was there. I said to myself "well, they are clearly incompetent in doing business but maybe the game is still good" and waited for a new opportunity. Here it is and what a waste of time.
You level up and nothing happens. So I needed to ask google how you level up and learned, that you don't. Instead you need to visit a powerhouse. Fair enough. Soon I stumbled upon a NPC who told me the same thing. Ok, then I guess I have to play some more and eventually I come across such a house. So I finished this first and rather boring zone, tapping my two buttons and realized, that there is no such house in this first zone. Hmm, damn it but ok, the NPC said there will be one in Canada or at this other place and that I need to hop in the helicopter to get there. So I tried to board it and received the message to buy the game.
"I must have clearly made something wrong" I thought because why would they make an unlimited demo where you can't even level up and try new powers. So I came here to this forum to read what that could have been. I'm pi$$ed. I'm sure the game is great and all but how should I know? Cryptic clearly doesn't want me as an customer and that's fine by me. I'm sure BioWare won't mind. Next candidate is the new Star Wars MMO.
Calm down boys. A demo like this is the most logical option for an unlimited demo. It shows off the biggest highlight (character creation). Maybe if they unlocked the Desert/Canada crises it'd be better, but the MC tutorial is the most logical option.
If you'd like to go further, PM me your email address, I can give you a referral key, and you can level more, and see more of the game. That goes for anyone else who'd like to go further, just send me a PM and I'll get you a referral.
If anything, the demo convinced me that the game still doesn't worth it.
I'm not talking about the ridicilous choice of content for the demo, that was already stated numerous times. I mean the connectivity issues. The game constantly drops connection after a little while. I can't even finish the tutorial without having to recconnect at least once.
But the crown jewel of this mess was during two sessions of character creation. I deleted my old characters and started making a new one. Around making the torso, the game terminated the connection and deleted everything I created up to that point.
Then after a bit, I started anew and this time, I was disconnected while putting together the head of the character. If I can't even finish creating a character whitout losing connection, then how they expect people to pay for the game, is beyond me.
And it's not on my side, I have an 8Mb connection, with nothing going on in the background that would cause any kind of interference.
That Steam discount was extremely tempting. Glad they released the demo.
If anything, the demo convinced me that the game still doesn't worth it.
I'm not talking about the ridicilous choice of content for the demo, that was already stated numerous times. I mean the connectivity issues. The game constantly drops connection after a little while. I can't even finish the tutorial without having to recconnect at least once.
But the crown jewel of this mess was during two sessions of character creation. I deleted my old characters and started making a new one. Around making the torso, the game terminated the connection and deleted everything I created up to that point.
Then after a bit, I started anew and this time, I was disconnected while putting together the head of the character. If I can't even finish creating a character whitout losing connection, then how they expect people to pay for the game, is beyond me.
And it's not on my side, I have an 8Mb connection, with nothing going on in the background that would cause any kind of interference.
That Steam discount was extremely tempting. Glad they released the demo.
No it is your end.
I'm playing this on a laptop wit ha 5MB connection with no problem, heck i put every setting at max and used it for a stress test at work with my Mac Pro Tower running win xp in boot camp and i only have a 1.5mb connection there, AND i was running FRAPS
I'm playing this on a laptop wit ha 5MB connection with no problem, heck i put every setting at max and used it for a stress test at work with my Mac Pro Tower running win xp in boot camp and i only have a 1.5mb connection there, AND i was running FRAPS
What does graphics and Fraps has to do with connection issues? None as far as I know.
It's more likely that the tutorial zones are overpopulated, but it still only makes a very bad impression that one usually cannot finish the tutorial wihtout losing connection (usually happens around Ironclad where everyone and their grandmas are farming). And the character creation was disconnected due to the login-server issues that recently appeared on the main site (the error message was pretty clear).
I played the free weekends uninterrupted, so these connection issues must have appeared recently and are still not on my side. If every other game works perfectly fine (including the older versions of CO) without frequent disconnects (not even lags), then it's a pretty safe assumption that CO is the one that terminates the connection for some reason.
I won't buy a pig in a poke. I simply wanted to let the dev-team know that these issues are the only things that keep me from buying. If they imprve, they got a new costumer.
What does graphics and Fraps has to do with connection issues? None as far as I know.
It's more likely that the tutorial zones are overpopulated, but it still only makes a very bad impression that one usually cannot finish the tutorial wihtout losing connection (usually happens around Ironclad where everyone and their grandmas are farming). And the character creation was disconnected due to the login-server issues that recently appeared on the main site (the error message was pretty clear).
I played the free weekends uninterrupted, so these connection issues must have appeared recently and are still not on my side. If every other game works perfectly fine (including the older versions of CO) without frequent disconnects (not even lags), then it's a pretty safe assumption that CO is the one that terminates the connection for some reason.
I won't buy a pig in a poke. I simply wanted to let the dev-team know that these issues are the only things that keep me from buying. If they imprve, they got a new costumer.
The higher the graphics the more packets you have to send and manage, this means your video card and connection are both important fo smooth mmo performance.
By the same token FRAPS can reduce performance while recording. Granted the office mac is pretty powerful but considering everything i threw at it without a hiccup it's not CO. And the fact it runs on my far less powerful laptop is again testament it's not CO.
The higher the graphics the more packets you have to send and manage, this means your video card and connection are both important fo smooth mmo performance.
By the same token FRAPS can reduce performance while recording. Granted the office mac is pretty powerful but considering everything i threw at it without a hiccup it's not CO. And the fact it runs on my far less powerful laptop is again testament it's not CO.
Face it, it's you.
No, you're wrong. The higher your graphics the higher your graphics. The exact same packets are sent regardless. You still need a good video card for good performance, and if someone's having connection isues it's almost certainly on their end (or between Cryptic and your ISP, something that neither side has any real control of). But graphics have no effect on latency.
No, you're wrong. The higher your graphics the higher your graphics. The exact same packets are sent regardless. You still need a good video card for good performance, and if someone's having connection isues it's almost certainly on their end (or between Cryptic and your ISP, something that neither side has any real control of). But graphics have no effect on latency.
ok set the graphics to best, max out everything and then run it on a GeForce 2200, THEN tell me GPU means nothing.
Before there was no free unlimited demo. Now there is a free unlimited demo. At least Cryptic have released something "trial-like" for potential new players to try out. Whilst its not (remotely) the whole thing it's something and it gives cryptic something to work with. You guys (or the majority) have already paid you're money and experienced vast ammounts of the game, the target audience has not. For free demo users are being given one of the games big selling points (its character creator). Now I'm no genius, but giving away its only other quality that differenciates it from other MMORPG's, its vast character skill customisation would be aweful for potential buisness. Cryptic need people to buy thier game and by giving potential's a taste instead of 1/5 of the game, it may entice them to get the real thing rather than play it through then toss it aside. But inevitably I bring it back to my origional point, it's not perfect but its far better than shelling out £39.99 for a game you may not play for longer than a week.
Before there was no free unlimited demo. Now there is a free unlimited demo. At least Cryptic have released something "trial-like" for potential new players to try out. Whilst its not (remotely) the whole thing it's something and it gives cryptic something to work with. You guys (or the majority) have already paid you're money and experienced vast ammounts of the game, the target audience has not. For free demo users are being given one of the games big selling points (its character creator). Now I'm no genius, but giving away its only other quality that differenciates it from other MMORPG's, its vast character skill customisation would be aweful for potential buisness. Cryptic need people to buy thier game and by giving potential's a taste instead of 1/5 of the game, it may entice them to get the real thing rather than play it through then toss it aside. But inevitably I bring it back to my origional point, it's not perfect but its far better than shelling out £39.99 for a game you may not play for longer than a week.
Except that their turning people off, Trail guys have posted here.
sure you can make a character but then thats it, they mayke you think you can do more but you spend the entire trial doing nothing cause all you have is 2 powers.
im actually surprised there are people actually defending this insult of a demo
now for my story
im one of those people who are on the fence of whether or not to buy this game after reading the problems this game has and the bad choices made by cryptic i decided to give it some time because i really liked the premise when the free weekend surfaced i was unable to download the patches for the game so i missed out on that
now with the free unlimited demo i have made my decision
after playing through the character creation (the ONLY redeeming factor about this "demo")
i ended up with a cool looking character that i really wanted to develop up to the aforementioned level 15
but as we all found out we cant leave the tutorial
so not only do they leave us in the boring tutorial they actually expect us to grind to level 15
with two powers from level 1 to 15 and no new powers to achieve this demo made me rethink my purchase of champions online if this is how cryptic treats their potential buyers then leave me out
I'm playing this on a laptop wit ha 5MB connection with no problem, heck i put every setting at max and used it for a stress test at work with my Mac Pro Tower running win xp in boot camp and i only have a 1.5mb connection there, AND i was running FRAPS
i have a 20MB connection and i still have some lag, blaming it to your equipment is quitter talk.
in fact, i have a 2.3GHz core 2 dual with a geforce 8800GTS with almost everything maxed out, still lags sometimes.
it's no ones fault, if anything, cryptic's fault.
i have a 20MB connection and i still have some lag, blaming it to your equipment is quitter talk.
in fact, i have a 2.3GHz core 2 dual with a geforce 8800GTS with almost everything maxed out, still lags sometimes.
it's no ones fault, if anything, cryptic's fault.
I gave up. If he purposefully ignores the fact that I played without a single connection issue during the two free weekends (and every other MMO I played since then), and keeps on with the notion about graphics affecting connectivity, then there is nothing to talk about.
Thanks for clarifying that I'm not alone with the problem, I'll wait a few months and try the demo again, maybe things clear a bit by then.
I'm a new player, tried the game during the free thanksgiving weekend, going to pay for a couple of months and see how it goes when I've recovered from holiday bankruptcy. I am saddened to say that the demo, and the tutorial zone in and of itself did nothing but **** me off. It wasn't until I got onto one of those choppers, made my way to the desert or Canada and hit the powerhouse that I started to enjoy myself. The sheer NUMBER of power combos I could play with BLEW MY MIND. I could hurt and heal with magic lasers while wielding a mecha's energy sword and flying ON FIRE? Claws and guns with jet boots? Super strength, ice beams and teleportation? Whaaaaat? THIS IS AWESOME. I have since asked other people to try the demo when I saw it was released. They all agree with me, and they've never gone past the tutorial invasion area, so there's two differing points of view: people who've seen more, and people who haven't. THIS DEMO IS TERRIBLE. It doesn't give even a "taste" of the gameplay and content that make most people want to keep playing. Yeah, sure, creating a character is fun, but with the demo being free and all, who would pay for a game they think is boring outside of the character creation? I can make an infinite number of characters from the creator tool, screenshot them, and post them on facebook, without ever paying a dime. How do I know this? Because half my friends are doing it. Free character creator tool just means my friends can visually make characters they've come up with in their heads for tabletop games, role play, stories they've been writing, or printing them and sticking up them on their wall or some such thing. They don't want to play the game. The demo SUCKED. Why would they want to risk paying money for a game that as far as they know, was terrible in all its bland flavor. "I press 1... I press 2... I press 2... I press 2... Nope, screw that. I do two things over and over and over and over for FIFTEEN LEVELS? I'm done. Sorry man, this game is lame. I thought you said it was all customizable and stuff. I don't want to pay for more of that. I mean, I might keep it installed to make screen shots of stuff I make...but nah. I ain't gonna play it." - one of my friends I pressured into getting the demo.
They hated it for all the same reasons I did. And unfortunately, first impressions are EVERYTHING. The only reason I KNOW the game is any good is because I got lucky and the free thanksgiving weekend actually gave me meat to chew on instead of the same gristle in EVERY MMO game. Show new players the POWERHOUSE. Give them some REAL customization to work with. You make the character's looks...to LOOK at. You make the character's POWERS to PLAY. The very thing you advertised isn't being advertised! Getting to level 15 with NO character growth, not even a single new power at all REEKS of boring to prospective players. Other players can rip on this train of thought all they want with words like, "Shut up. You're getting a FREE demo to play. Just enjoy it.", I have this to say: The enjoyable part is over as soon as you're done making your hero. I'll keep making characters in the demo, and so will my friends, but as it is, they won't be paying for it. They have no reason to. They can make heroes until they run out of ideas, but the demo gave not even the slightest peek at any of the actual content that keeps all the other subscribers playing this game.
Here's a hint: Look at World of Warcraft, the heavyweight champion of MMO games with huge bags of money, huge player population, and great success as a business. Their trials give you FULL access up to level 20. You can do anything any other player can do, including a couple of dungeons, earning talents, skills and attacks at every level, and upgrading equipment. This is the very same stuff that keeps most players playing World of Warcraft once they've upgraded from trial to subscription. Full access trials are amazing and earn companies the money of their players for more of the same, but cut corner demos only serve as a warning of things they don't want to pay for. Either drop the meager demo and stick to full access 15 day trials like the more successful MMOs, or just make it full access with a lower level cap, say, level 10 for Champions Online. It WILL earn you more players.
EDIT: Oh conundrum. I seem to have left typos littered about my post.
I gave up. If he purposefully ignores the fact that I played without a single connection issue during the two free weekends (and every other MMO I played since then), and keeps on with the notion about graphics affecting connectivity, then there is nothing to talk about.
Thanks for clarifying that I'm not alone with the problem, I'll wait a few months and try the demo again, maybe things clear a bit by then.
I'm not ignoreing it but saying "GPU has nothing to do with conectivity" is a bold faced lie. they are very related.
And as i've said i played without a hickup on medium setting on my laptop and max settings on my tower with no lag. So blaming the lag by default on the game sounds like quiters talk to me.
There was the proxy error a bit ago that effected connections and effected EVErYonE that WAS Cryptic's fault, but unless the lag is widespread and effects everyone the problem falls squarly on you.
People that are complaining about the "free" demo seem to forget there is the "free" trial to use after you are done messing with the tutorial. If the "tutorial" + 10 days are not enough for you to decide if it is good enough to continue playing, barring technical issues on your or Cryptic's end, then CO is probably not for you.
I played for a few hours over the Blood Moon event, I like it and then joined. The 10 day trial would have allowed me to have the same amount of access as I used that weekend. Actually, that is not true, I made it to level 16 that weekend and zone chat was helpful once or twice.
People that are complaining about the "free" demo seem to forget there is the "free" trial to use after you are done messing with the tutorial. If the "tutorial" + 10 days are not enough for you to decide if it is good enough to continue playing, barring technical issues on your or Cryptic's end, then CO is probably not for you.
I played for a few hours over the Blood Moon event, I like it and then joined. The 10 day trial would have allowed me to have the same amount of access as I used that weekend. Actually, that is not true, I made it to level 16 that weekend and zone chat was helpful once or twice.
Also referals, and if past incidents hold out free weekends for any holiday event...
People that are complaining about the "free" demo seem to forget there is the "free" trial to use after you are done messing with the tutorial. If the "tutorial" + 10 days are not enough for you to decide if it is good enough to continue playing, barring technical issues on your or Cryptic's end, then CO is probably not for you.
I played for a few hours over the Blood Moon event, I like it and then joined. The 10 day trial would have allowed me to have the same amount of access as I used that weekend. Actually, that is not true, I made it to level 16 that weekend and zone chat was helpful once or twice.
then can you point out where the site is saying free trail?
because there is nothing saying that, and you still need a player to send you a referral....
I'm not ignoreing it but saying "GPU has nothing to do with conectivity" is a bold faced lie. they are very related.
your GPU is local, the connection is depending on both sides.
you are the one that ether lies or don't even have squat knowledge of computers, if you even put your settings on low, the connection is still depending on the other side.
regardless of what you do on your settings, it's the connection you need to check, the GPU has absolutely nothing to do with your connection.
the GPU is your video power, not your connection power.
then can you point out where the site is saying free trail?
because there is nothing saying that, and you still need a player to send you a referral....
your GPU is local, the connection is depending on both sides.
you are the one that ether lies or don't even have squat knowledge of computers, if you even put your settings on low, the connection is still depending on the other side.
regardless of what you do on your settings, it's the connection you need to check, the GPU has absolutely nothing to do with your connection.
the GPU is your video power, not your connection power.
And if the GPU is underpowered and the settings are to high you will experience lag and stuttering. What your not getting is is the VAST MAJORITY are not getting lag problem but YOU are the problem is not Cryptic.
The Demo is free(for a reason) The demo is should get people excited about the game so they eventually buy it and sub it. This Demo will do the opposite, it will drive them away. Why? Most MMO ppl have played so many mmo's that they are just more critic about a game.
This Demo will not sell the game, unless it is extended like most posters have suggested. Defending this very bad DEMO eventhough it is free unlimited, is saying it's okay if cryptic doesn't get new customers as long as I can play. Really try the Demo even as an already paying customer and then give us your honest opinion if it really represents the game, if it really has that selling point in it and not some generic MMO that you could label "a dime a dozen".
A demo should really impress people, this is just not it. So many good ideas by posters how it could be done differently without really showing too much.
As for the internet connection to CO servers, I am from the Netherlands and my connection is as stable to the server as it can be.
The one or two people that has these connection problems probably already contacted support about it, if not there are so many things you can check:
Router(if using wireless check your connection strength, check if this type of router have issues and needs a firmware update), Network Card(have issues, hardware problem, or just plain getting old), OS (especially Vista admin mode, not running in admin mode causes for some programs to disconnect ), Virusscanner with or without Firewall (could be you missed a block message and now it automatically made a custom rule to block certain processes that the game needs. So check your rules set, might have to modify to let certain parts through)
When using a laptop it is always tricky, everything is cramped into a flat and small casing and is running for a long time. Components like network card might get overheated and stop working properly)
You could do a tracert to one of their servers and see where it lags out.
If it is pure animation choppiness and fps lag and not the ping, then I suggest checking your g-card for overheating problems or perhaps try it with another card to see if it is g-card related.
And if the GPU is underpowered and the settings are to high you will experience lag and stuttering. What your not getting is is the VAST MAJORITY are not getting lag problem but YOU are the problem is not Cryptic.
sigh, you really need to stop the "IF" because you're only making your self look ridicules.
just as friendly advice, stop talking stupid assumptions.
IF your settings are still on low and your vid card can easily take it, it's still your connection.
also, lag is made because of connection, if your vid card is to weak the game should never start in the first place, unless the game is not protected properly.
Let's just all agree that Cryptic screwed the pooch on this one.
It DOES NOT matter what current players think of the demo, it matter what POSSIBLE players think of the demo. YOU play. You have been playing a while. You have seen what else there is.
New players get 2 powers and one zone. I'd equate that to just getting the bread from a grilled cheese. Sure, it's something, but you were expecting a grilled cheese. Just getting bread sucks.
Possible players have said their piece.
And they find it to be an unabashed failure. All this demo did was make possible players pretty damned sure they don't want to play.
Let's just all agree that Cryptic screwed the pooch on this one.
It DOES NOT matter what current players think of the demo, it matter what POSSIBLE players think of the demo. YOU play. You have been playing a while. You have seen what else there is.
New players get 2 powers and one zone. I'd equate that to just getting the bread from a grilled cheese. Sure, it's something, but you were expecting a grilled cheese. Just getting bread sucks.
Possible players have said their piece.
And they find it to be an unabashed failure. All this demo did was make possible players pretty damned sure they don't want to play.
Im a potential player and have played the demo. Truth be told I should have expected this from Cryptic and their half truths. I am happy with the costume editor, well except I cant seem to edit what my Dual Pistols look like, and I enjoy the limited game play Ive seen. But this Demo has just made me rage so hard as I couldnt sample the next set of powers and team with my partner. Really I was seriously consdering buying the game but it hinged on travel powers, teaming and the custom frame work of getting different powers. All of which I cant access on the demo. Guess Ill go back to waiting to see what City of Heroes:Going Rouge will be like, yes I am a City of Heroes player.
GG Jack, Bill and Cryptic you still know how to **** off players.
Wohooo!!! At least i thought... What the hell is the meaning with this? In the end of the demo it says, go to powerhouse and learn som new skills and so, and i thought "Yeees!! Finally!!!" But nono.. spent like 4hours installing and playing this game. And i didn't get any wiser. That's stuff that really ****es me off.
Im a potential player and have played the demo. Truth be told I should have expected this from Cryptic and their half truths. I am happy with the costume editor, well except I cant seem to edit what my Dual Pistols look like, and I enjoy the limited game play Ive seen. But this Demo has just made me rage so hard as I couldnt sample the next set of powers and team with my partner. Really I was seriously consdering buying the game but it hinged on travel powers, teaming and the custom frame work of getting different powers. All of which I cant access on the demo. Guess Ill go back to waiting to see what City of Heroes:Going Rouge will be like, yes I am a City of Heroes player.
GG Jack, Bill and Cryptic you still know how to **** off players.
Wohooo!!! At least i thought... What the hell is the meaning with this? In the end of the demo it says, go to powerhouse and learn som new skills and so, and i thought "Yeees!! Finally!!!" But nono.. spent like 4hours installing and playing this game. And i didn't get any wiser. That's stuff that really ****es me off.
I really, really, really, hope Cryptic is reading this thread.
Let's just all agree that Cryptic screwed the pooch on this one.
No. Let's not.
I've seen posts from folks that have been asking pretty basic questions about how the game works. I've seen posts that say "I am a new player." I have seen posts that specifically mention upgrading the trial to the full game. These all indicate that the demo is attracting folks; this evidence seems to run counter to the predictions in the the whiny and condescending posts about how it's the "Worst. Decision. Ever."
Folks need to drop the hyperbole. It's stupid and doesn't accomplish anything. In my opinion, needing to resort to over-the-top statements indicates a weak argument. Stating your opinion as if it were fact doesn't make it so.
As a demo player, I have to agree with the others that are . I saw the unlimited play and level cap of 15 and thought I would get a good feel for the character development, powers and some indication of what the game might be like if I subscribed and got to level cap. The way this demo works I only ever get to use two starter powers, only experience very basic, boring autoattack combat and have no clue how interesting the later stages of the game might be.
the thing is, i am one of these fortunate players who have played the closed beta and open beta before it got live.
i have bought it, just a shame paypal is so damn slow with payment, my bank pays within a few seconds and paypal needs at least a week to do the exact same thing
anyway, i have seen how the game works first hand, but because i am currently limited to the demo, i know exactly how they feel.
you make a character, you choose two basic powers, and when you can finally play the game stops you on the critical best part of the game.
a demo is suppose to show the best parts of the game, not some basic things with a sign that says "if you want to have fun with this game, pay 25 euro to get past this point"
Comments
They make a good idea (a demo) and fall flat on their faces when they think about getting close to the finish line (not letting players get out of the GOD-AWFUL tutorial zone).
The only thing this demo lets players do is mess with the character creator and play with the starting (and near worthless) powers. They don't get to see any of the cooler powers, they don't get to see travel powers, and they don't get to see any of the decent parts of the game.
Instead, what players WILL get is rage for Ironclad and his constant rambling, and pure hatred for Defender and his need to shut down all the bacons.
For the love of all that's holy, let demo players play one (or both) of the Crisis zones and give them access to the Powerhouse. Is that seriously too much to ask?
Considering most of the devs are probably off for the holidays, it might be for a while
I don't disagree, but a cautionary note that there are specific expectations with free things. It's the same thing as linux; many people may try it out, but few will stick around if their first impressions are not good, precisely because it's free. A monetary investment in something makes subsequent effort and/or expectations justifiable. The opposite is also true.
A demo/trial is supposed to be a teaser of the full game, but the bottom line is that it still has to be interesting in and of itself.
Why release this right after the refferal program?
Why allow a person to reach level fifteen, yet make them stay in the tutorial?
then said, I can think of multiple good answers to those.....
I will usually farm Ironclad up to about L8, because that let's me hit the crisis zones with two extra powers instead of just one. The idea of farming Ironclad - or worse still hunting mobs for - for another 7 levels isn't attractive.
I believe a better idea would be opening up one of the crisis zone and limiting the player to L8. This would a) give them a chance to see new geography, b) experiment with two more powers, c) add a superstat, d) try out different travel powers and e) use an advantage point.
Even letting the players access the powerhouse and fight the simulator would be better than being limited to the invasion zone.
It will be interesting to see how this is received by people playing the demo.
If a DEV pops their head in here, please add the crisis zones for the demo. I finished it in 15 minutes, and new players just following the prompts and menu should finish in about the same time. 30 - 40 minutes tops.
If nothing else, I don't have to save a character slot for my wife now
I think this is best analogy used so far to describe what the demo represents.
If I'm not wrong, you'll be able to enter Millenium City below level 15. I say let the demo users experience the city and it's impressive environment; Wow them. In the meantime let them experience their first travel power, among other powers that they can mix-and-match to their hearts' content.
I have to ask; Which genius was responsible for this demo idea? A player would want to get to level 15 without any progression in powers whatsoever? What was going to motivate them to make all that effort in getting there? You really need a lesson in Rewards-vs-effort 101.
Two buttons to click, no travel powers, limited contacts and missions, and only one zone to speak of really stinks. I don't know of a single other MMO that limits its demo users to the starting zone (WAR has trial users on a separate but fully functional server, and CoX allows the player to level to 14 with no zone restrictions and few other restrictions short of trade/chat limitations). Funny thing is, I was all ready to tell a friend of mine that they were doing a free unlimited trial and was almost disappointed he wasn't on at the time, but after actually "experiencing" the trial I think I'll conveniently neglect to tell him, as it's not worth even recommending to a friend.
Sorry Cryptic, but you screwed the pooch (again!) on this one.
Just wanted to update this; I leveled a generi-noob to 6 on the open mission and then did the missions to complete the tutorial, and it's not setting XP value/level like it was at one point in the past. It was probably a temporary fix for some reason.
No fear of losing progress for people that do play the demo.
So, the "play to 15" only applies to grinding Ironclad or running around before completing the scenario.
That does NOT sound like much fun.
I have a geat idea too, I was in the shower the other day and I was thinking how great some toast would be, and I wished someone would make a toaster just for when that sort of thing would happen. So I too am pleased to announce my greatest invention that I will be sending to everyone as a holiday present. I call it the "Shower Toaster", I know, I know, I am too generous, you are all welcome, Happy Holidays !
PS. I am also working on a game proposal for Cryptic for "Chia Pets Online" cross your fingers.
Yesterday me and a friend of mine decided to play the tutorial (Actually the game finally arrived today!) and we did have a good ammount of fun. The "No Grouping" was a bit of a pain but thankfully even without being in the same team we managed to do quests together.
Now the only big complain I have is the "No Power House" thing. I knew of the powers but my friend didn't, so it was a bit frustrating when I understood it was impossible to show how cool some stuff was to my friend and even if I can lvl up to level 15, the only thing I could do was the same basic "charge" and the same basic strong attack. This is bad. Maybe add the Canadian thingie or the desert to the demo? That would make people go "wow" with all the travel powers and cool stuff.
But something I don't understand are the complains about the demo concerning the referencial program. Myself, I don't know anyone playing Champions. IF I wanted to try it, I needed a demo. So yeah, remember not everyone has a friend that can send a referencial invite.
EverQuest II's Trial of the Isle was so much better than this one. Even though it was limited to just the Island you could feel your character was improving over the time you were there.
Even a standard time limited, but not overly restrictive, trials of most MMOs are better. Even though they are limited by time you can still explore a lot of content and feel your character improving.
I saw there was a free trial, I told a friend that if he wanted to check it out there was a demo that he could play. He spent a while in the character creator and enjoyed the hell out of it. He still says he likes his character. I made a newbie and played through the tutorial with him. I find it kind of sells the game short to cut it off right before the crises, he seemed to enjoy what there was of gameplay in the tutorial, but I think not enough to sell him on the game. I think if the crisis zones were opened up it would give a much better impression of the game.
Personally I began playing during the Halloween event free weekend and I distinctly remember when I felt like a superhero, it was during the crisis, after I got my travel power, fighting radioactive scum >:] I think at that point I was sold on the game and decided to buy soon afterward. I think the game will seriously benefit from opening up crisis zones in the demo, I really can't think of a reason not to, honestly. The main meat of the game is much afterward, but you get to show the basic features that make CO stand out from the other games.
LOL!! That'd actually be pretty cool.... *dreams of growing 300 ft tall godzilla chia pet*
Well said, there not much to add.
The demo is a good idea, but by doing it that way, the ppls testing the game can't see many of the best sides of the game that might make them want to buy it after.
I kind of fear that in its actual state it might just make the persons that are going to test it with the demo not want to buy the game, since at the moment they cant test more than the two starting powers, cant test travel powers, cant test crafting, cant test most of the fun stuff about Champions Online.
A simple solution like said by many other peoples here and on other boards would be to let the demo give you access to Canada/Desert Crisis zones with even a lower lvl cap if needed, since its where the fun realy start with the acces to the PowerHouse and other stuff.
This is one thing it would have been nice they talk with the community first. Hopefully Cryptic will make some changes to this soon.
they could even shrink it so much that it's nothing more then a market vendor, you talk to the guy and you can do the exact thing a powerhouse can.
it's even a cheap but efficient way, they don't need to make an entire different shard for just the powerhouse out there and the player is in it's own instance so no problems of a busy instance all the time.
No, Korea is famous for thier free MMO's
You level up and nothing happens. So I needed to ask google how you level up and learned, that you don't. Instead you need to visit a powerhouse. Fair enough. Soon I stumbled upon a NPC who told me the same thing. Ok, then I guess I have to play some more and eventually I come across such a house. So I finished this first and rather boring zone, tapping my two buttons and realized, that there is no such house in this first zone. Hmm, damn it but ok, the NPC said there will be one in Canada or at this other place and that I need to hop in the helicopter to get there. So I tried to board it and received the message to buy the game.
"I must have clearly made something wrong" I thought because why would they make an unlimited demo where you can't even level up and try new powers. So I came here to this forum to read what that could have been. I'm pi$$ed. I'm sure the game is great and all but how should I know? Cryptic clearly doesn't want me as an customer and that's fine by me. I'm sure BioWare won't mind. Next candidate is the new Star Wars MMO.
If you'd like to go further, PM me your email address, I can give you a referral key, and you can level more, and see more of the game. That goes for anyone else who'd like to go further, just send me a PM and I'll get you a referral.
I'm not talking about the ridicilous choice of content for the demo, that was already stated numerous times. I mean the connectivity issues. The game constantly drops connection after a little while. I can't even finish the tutorial without having to recconnect at least once.
But the crown jewel of this mess was during two sessions of character creation. I deleted my old characters and started making a new one. Around making the torso, the game terminated the connection and deleted everything I created up to that point.
Then after a bit, I started anew and this time, I was disconnected while putting together the head of the character. If I can't even finish creating a character whitout losing connection, then how they expect people to pay for the game, is beyond me.
And it's not on my side, I have an 8Mb connection, with nothing going on in the background that would cause any kind of interference.
That Steam discount was extremely tempting. Glad they released the demo.
No it is your end.
I'm playing this on a laptop wit ha 5MB connection with no problem, heck i put every setting at max and used it for a stress test at work with my Mac Pro Tower running win xp in boot camp and i only have a 1.5mb connection there, AND i was running FRAPS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDqZ3fueq6U
it's you
It's more likely that the tutorial zones are overpopulated, but it still only makes a very bad impression that one usually cannot finish the tutorial wihtout losing connection (usually happens around Ironclad where everyone and their grandmas are farming). And the character creation was disconnected due to the login-server issues that recently appeared on the main site (the error message was pretty clear).
I played the free weekends uninterrupted, so these connection issues must have appeared recently and are still not on my side. If every other game works perfectly fine (including the older versions of CO) without frequent disconnects (not even lags), then it's a pretty safe assumption that CO is the one that terminates the connection for some reason.
I won't buy a pig in a poke. I simply wanted to let the dev-team know that these issues are the only things that keep me from buying. If they imprve, they got a new costumer.
The higher the graphics the more packets you have to send and manage, this means your video card and connection are both important fo smooth mmo performance.
By the same token FRAPS can reduce performance while recording. Granted the office mac is pretty powerful but considering everything i threw at it without a hiccup it's not CO. And the fact it runs on my far less powerful laptop is again testament it's not CO.
Face it, it's you.
No, you're wrong. The higher your graphics the higher your graphics. The exact same packets are sent regardless. You still need a good video card for good performance, and if someone's having connection isues it's almost certainly on their end (or between Cryptic and your ISP, something that neither side has any real control of). But graphics have no effect on latency.
ok set the graphics to best, max out everything and then run it on a GeForce 2200, THEN tell me GPU means nothing.
Except that their turning people off, Trail guys have posted here.
sure you can make a character but then thats it, they mayke you think you can do more but you spend the entire trial doing nothing cause all you have is 2 powers.
now for my story
im one of those people who are on the fence of whether or not to buy this game after reading the problems this game has and the bad choices made by cryptic i decided to give it some time because i really liked the premise when the free weekend surfaced i was unable to download the patches for the game so i missed out on that
now with the free unlimited demo i have made my decision
after playing through the character creation (the ONLY redeeming factor about this "demo")
i ended up with a cool looking character that i really wanted to develop up to the aforementioned level 15
but as we all found out we cant leave the tutorial
so not only do they leave us in the boring tutorial they actually expect us to grind to level 15
with two powers from level 1 to 15 and no new powers to achieve this demo made me rethink my purchase of champions online if this is how cryptic treats their potential buyers then leave me out
i have a 20MB connection and i still have some lag, blaming it to your equipment is quitter talk.
in fact, i have a 2.3GHz core 2 dual with a geforce 8800GTS with almost everything maxed out, still lags sometimes.
it's no ones fault, if anything, cryptic's fault.
Thanks for clarifying that I'm not alone with the problem, I'll wait a few months and try the demo again, maybe things clear a bit by then.
They hated it for all the same reasons I did. And unfortunately, first impressions are EVERYTHING. The only reason I KNOW the game is any good is because I got lucky and the free thanksgiving weekend actually gave me meat to chew on instead of the same gristle in EVERY MMO game. Show new players the POWERHOUSE. Give them some REAL customization to work with. You make the character's looks...to LOOK at. You make the character's POWERS to PLAY. The very thing you advertised isn't being advertised! Getting to level 15 with NO character growth, not even a single new power at all REEKS of boring to prospective players. Other players can rip on this train of thought all they want with words like, "Shut up. You're getting a FREE demo to play. Just enjoy it.", I have this to say: The enjoyable part is over as soon as you're done making your hero. I'll keep making characters in the demo, and so will my friends, but as it is, they won't be paying for it. They have no reason to. They can make heroes until they run out of ideas, but the demo gave not even the slightest peek at any of the actual content that keeps all the other subscribers playing this game.
Here's a hint: Look at World of Warcraft, the heavyweight champion of MMO games with huge bags of money, huge player population, and great success as a business. Their trials give you FULL access up to level 20. You can do anything any other player can do, including a couple of dungeons, earning talents, skills and attacks at every level, and upgrading equipment. This is the very same stuff that keeps most players playing World of Warcraft once they've upgraded from trial to subscription. Full access trials are amazing and earn companies the money of their players for more of the same, but cut corner demos only serve as a warning of things they don't want to pay for. Either drop the meager demo and stick to full access 15 day trials like the more successful MMOs, or just make it full access with a lower level cap, say, level 10 for Champions Online. It WILL earn you more players.
EDIT: Oh conundrum. I seem to have left typos littered about my post.
I'm not ignoreing it but saying "GPU has nothing to do with conectivity" is a bold faced lie. they are very related.
And as i've said i played without a hickup on medium setting on my laptop and max settings on my tower with no lag. So blaming the lag by default on the game sounds like quiters talk to me.
There was the proxy error a bit ago that effected connections and effected EVErYonE that WAS Cryptic's fault, but unless the lag is widespread and effects everyone the problem falls squarly on you.
I played for a few hours over the Blood Moon event, I like it and then joined. The 10 day trial would have allowed me to have the same amount of access as I used that weekend. Actually, that is not true, I made it to level 16 that weekend and zone chat was helpful once or twice.
Also referals, and if past incidents hold out free weekends for any holiday event...
then can you point out where the site is saying free trail?
because there is nothing saying that, and you still need a player to send you a referral....
your GPU is local, the connection is depending on both sides.
you are the one that ether lies or don't even have squat knowledge of computers, if you even put your settings on low, the connection is still depending on the other side.
regardless of what you do on your settings, it's the connection you need to check, the GPU has absolutely nothing to do with your connection.
the GPU is your video power, not your connection power.
And if the GPU is underpowered and the settings are to high you will experience lag and stuttering. What your not getting is is the VAST MAJORITY are not getting lag problem but YOU are the problem is not Cryptic.
This Demo will not sell the game, unless it is extended like most posters have suggested. Defending this very bad DEMO eventhough it is free unlimited, is saying it's okay if cryptic doesn't get new customers as long as I can play. Really try the Demo even as an already paying customer and then give us your honest opinion if it really represents the game, if it really has that selling point in it and not some generic MMO that you could label "a dime a dozen".
A demo should really impress people, this is just not it. So many good ideas by posters how it could be done differently without really showing too much.
As for the internet connection to CO servers, I am from the Netherlands and my connection is as stable to the server as it can be.
The one or two people that has these connection problems probably already contacted support about it, if not there are so many things you can check:
Router(if using wireless check your connection strength, check if this type of router have issues and needs a firmware update), Network Card(have issues, hardware problem, or just plain getting old), OS (especially Vista admin mode, not running in admin mode causes for some programs to disconnect ), Virusscanner with or without Firewall (could be you missed a block message and now it automatically made a custom rule to block certain processes that the game needs. So check your rules set, might have to modify to let certain parts through)
When using a laptop it is always tricky, everything is cramped into a flat and small casing and is running for a long time. Components like network card might get overheated and stop working properly)
You could do a tracert to one of their servers and see where it lags out.
If it is pure animation choppiness and fps lag and not the ping, then I suggest checking your g-card for overheating problems or perhaps try it with another card to see if it is g-card related.
But I am sure you have tried it all
just as friendly advice, stop talking stupid assumptions.
IF your settings are still on low and your vid card can easily take it, it's still your connection.
also, lag is made because of connection, if your vid card is to weak the game should never start in the first place, unless the game is not protected properly.
It DOES NOT matter what current players think of the demo, it matter what POSSIBLE players think of the demo. YOU play. You have been playing a while. You have seen what else there is.
New players get 2 powers and one zone. I'd equate that to just getting the bread from a grilled cheese. Sure, it's something, but you were expecting a grilled cheese. Just getting bread sucks.
Possible players have said their piece.
And they find it to be an unabashed failure. All this demo did was make possible players pretty damned sure they don't want to play.
Im a potential player and have played the demo. Truth be told I should have expected this from Cryptic and their half truths. I am happy with the costume editor, well except I cant seem to edit what my Dual Pistols look like, and I enjoy the limited game play Ive seen. But this Demo has just made me rage so hard as I couldnt sample the next set of powers and team with my partner. Really I was seriously consdering buying the game but it hinged on travel powers, teaming and the custom frame work of getting different powers. All of which I cant access on the demo. Guess Ill go back to waiting to see what City of Heroes:Going Rouge will be like, yes I am a City of Heroes player.
GG Jack, Bill and Cryptic you still know how to **** off players.
I really, really, really, hope Cryptic is reading this thread.
Worst. Decision. Ever.
No. Let's not.
I've seen posts from folks that have been asking pretty basic questions about how the game works. I've seen posts that say "I am a new player." I have seen posts that specifically mention upgrading the trial to the full game. These all indicate that the demo is attracting folks; this evidence seems to run counter to the predictions in the the whiny and condescending posts about how it's the "Worst. Decision. Ever."
Folks need to drop the hyperbole. It's stupid and doesn't accomplish anything. In my opinion, needing to resort to over-the-top statements indicates a weak argument. Stating your opinion as if it were fact doesn't make it so.
i have bought it, just a shame paypal is so damn slow with payment, my bank pays within a few seconds and paypal needs at least a week to do the exact same thing
anyway, i have seen how the game works first hand, but because i am currently limited to the demo, i know exactly how they feel.
you make a character, you choose two basic powers, and when you can finally play the game stops you on the critical best part of the game.
a demo is suppose to show the best parts of the game, not some basic things with a sign that says "if you want to have fun with this game, pay 25 euro to get past this point"