test content
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc

Starting to feel like a simple socializing MMO in the end.

ilztasilztas Posts: 95 Arc User
I suppose it's my own fault for not getting into making new characters, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels like this game lacks "replay value"... outside of assembling another thought that sprang to mind which there wasn't space for in their existing character. Many people just ignore the missions too, once they hit level 10, doing nothing but Grab alerts.

I tend to live off of one character in games like this. My enchantment-style wizard here has all of its equipment, and two bags of permanent devices, so there's no need for me to do any more alerts unless I need resources for some little changes, or someone needs a hand to get an alert going. I want to make use of this thing somehow, or... have something else to do, like the crafting that was taken away from us. I suppose I could beat up enemies 100+ times n' attempt to get costumes for other people, but that gets kinda mind-numbing after a while.

Does anyone else feel like this at times? A friend commented how "it's now just a better IMVU".

Comments

  • kojirohellfirekojirohellfire Posts: 2,075 Arc User
    I suppose you might be right. With very little being added to it, it seems like the game's only merits are the costume creation to design your "avatar." Nevertheless, I have severe altitis and too much fun with said costume creator to ever consider moving on (since, well, there is nothing else to move on to).
  • decorumfriendsdecorumfriends Posts: 2,802 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    Nope, don't feel that way at all, but then I'm all about creating characters (and a LOT of them), not gameplay. Heck, if I didn't get a free slot for every 40, I'd probably only have one or two (if any) instead of 25+ (out of 45+ and still going).
    'Dec out

    QDSxNpT.png
  • nextnametakennextnametaken Posts: 2,212 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    Make new characters, meet new people, play the old content differently, that's the game.

    Playing the same character for three years...or more, when there are options to play many is like nailing your own foot to the floor.

    Gameplay running out of fun and thus reducing the game to a chat room has been standard operating procedure around here for years. Happens to player after player, its the CO STD. For some though it starts out as a chat room and the gameplay just gets in the way.
  • championshewolfchampionshewolf Posts: 4,375 Arc User
    While playing new characters might be fun for some, it adds little variety for others, especially since very little changes. MMOs are about worlds that continue to expand and allow us to continue the story of a character, not just keep up a printing press on slightly different variations.
    Champions Online player since September of 2008, forumite since February of 2008.
    Silverspar on PRIMUS
    Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
  • KagamiTheMagicalCatGerlKagamiTheMagicalCatGerl Posts: 357 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    Simply put: This game isn't for everyone. And that's okay.


    If you're the type of MMOer who needs to constantly be burning through new end-game content, overcoming new challenges and feeling the rush of a well-earned victory, then CO isn't for you. This game is made for people who like to express themselves through their in-game creations, and for people who like to turn their brains off and just engage in some mindless button mashing content. If that description doesn't appeal to you then you likely won't be playing CO for very long- and don't worry, that doesn't make you unusual. In fact, that makes you part of the majority if the RPG consumer base. You see, while RPG consumers are by and large very much into the expression half of the equation, they're not so much into the "turn your brain off" part, so for a lot of people once the game stops presenting any sort of thought-provoking challenge they get bored. RPG fans like figuring out systems, maximizing potential, and then seeing how their efforts fair against the game's challenges, challenges where they have to pay attention, react correctly, and use the tools they have to their best potential in order to succeed, with that success then allowing them to climb the great holy ladder of progression - so, when they realize there are no challenges in this game (at least none that can't be very easily overcome), no "pay-attention-or-fail" combat, and no progression, they realize that a crucial part of the equation is missing for their enjoyment.

    That's okay though. Cryptic has chosen, with CO, to appeal to a niche consumer group - RPG fans who aren't too much into the "challenge" part of the genre, who want to engage in the expression part for the pure sake of expression rather than as part of the process of overcoming challenges. That's why the combat is so mindless - specifically to foster the ability of players to engage in self expression without fear of being unable to meaningfully participate in content.

    So if the game isn't for you, that's fine - this game isn't for a lot of people, and that's by design.
  • championshewolfchampionshewolf Posts: 4,375 Arc User
    Simply put: This game isn't for everyone. And that's okay.

    So if the game isn't for you, that's fine - this game isn't for a lot of people, and that's by design.

    This is amusing. I seriously doubt the current state of Champions was their intended design goal. Furthermore, a MMO that doesn't continue to grow just continues to lose players, as evidenced by the fact that's what Champions has done. Just trying to hide behind "this game isn't for everyone" philosophy seems to be desperately trying hard to ignore the fact that Suzy Dress Up was only suppose to be a part of the whole. But since that part has become the whole due to neglect, that's not good game design or philosophy.
    Champions Online player since September of 2008, forumite since February of 2008.
    Silverspar on PRIMUS
    Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
  • decorumfriendsdecorumfriends Posts: 2,802 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    I gotta go along with champs here. No way was this neglect "intended design". I'm ONE of the "paper dolly makers" and even I see the problems this has left in its wake. Much closer to "they didn't give a crap".
    'Dec out

    QDSxNpT.png
  • kajkrkajkr Posts: 37 Arc User
    ilztas wrote: »
    A friend commented how "it's now just a better IMVU".

    Wow, someone actually reads what I say.
  • KagamiTheMagicalCatGerlKagamiTheMagicalCatGerl Posts: 357 Arc User
    Simply put: This game isn't for everyone. And that's okay.

    So if the game isn't for you, that's fine - this game isn't for a lot of people, and that's by design.

    This is amusing. I seriously doubt the current state of Champions was their intended design goal. Furthermore, a MMO that doesn't continue to grow just continues to lose players, as evidenced by the fact that's what Champions has done. Just trying to hide behind "this game isn't for everyone" philosophy seems to be desperately trying hard to ignore the fact that Suzy Dress Up was only suppose to be a part of the whole. But since that part has become the whole due to neglect, that's not good game design or philosophy.
    I gotta go along with champs here. No way was this neglect "intended design". I'm ONE of the "paper dolly makers" and even I see the problems this has left in its wake. Much closer to "they didn't give a crap".

    You misunderstood what I typed then. There's a difference between "intended design" and "slowed development". The amusing part is that you thought I was saying that their intended design was to not develop it a lot... that's a desperate leap to make.

    Play any part of the game and you'll see that I'm right about the intended audience. If you can find a part of the game that goes against what I said, please do share, because I'm certainly part of the "prefers challenging content" crowd and would love to discover any kind of content like that.

    If you have a convincing argument to make for why Champions Online was not made to cater to the niche crowd of "casual RPG fans" then go ahead. I'm all ears. @( o_o )@ So far all I'm hearing is your usual snark.
  • kajkrkajkr Posts: 37 Arc User
    If you have a convincing argument to make for why Champions Online was not made to cater to the niche crowd of "casual RPG fans" then go ahead. I'm all ears. @( o_o )@ So far all I'm hearing is your usual snark.

    On Alert update.
  • decorumfriendsdecorumfriends Posts: 2,802 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    The intended audience was Marvel Comics and video game console fans, but had to be cobbled together into something else. :D
    'Dec out

    QDSxNpT.png
  • jonsillsjonsills Posts: 6,315 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    The intended audience was Marvel Comics and video game console fans, but had to be cobbled together into something else. :D
    And here, I believe, we see the crux of the issue. When first conceived, this game was to have the software capabilities of Cryptic Studios, the inventiveness of Marvel, and the money of Microsoft behind it. Then Marvel decided that MMOs were a passing fad, and pulled out; Microsoft decided that without the Marvel name behind it, the project was doomed, and also pulled support.

    What we have here is what the studio was able to put together out of the pieces left behind by that, in order to stay afloat. It's by no means for everyone - I like it, but then again I'm weird - but the fact remains, what we have is what we've got. And without more players spending more money, it's what we're going to get. Since I like what we have, I can be comfortable with that; sure, it'd be nice to have more adventures than there are, maybe the fabled MOOOON ZOOOONE!!, but what the hell, at least I've got my altitis issues contained in one place. (You should have seen the notebooks of RPG characters I made in college! I even managed to play most of them, at one point or another... :smile:)
    "Science teaches us to expect -- demand -- more than just eerie mysteries. What use is a puzzle that can't be solved? Patience is fine, but I'm not going to stop asking the universe to make sense!"

    - David Brin, "Those Eyes"
    Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
  • queencestaqueencesta Posts: 17 Arc User
    I do tabletop-like stuff with some of my friends on here. We've got (admittedly simplified) hero system character sheets for our characters and the whole shebang. We've made our own challenges and our own fun in that fashion, so I suppose for us its less a 'better IMVU' and more a 'tabletop gaming engine'.

    Its been rather nice over the years. I like to think we're renting digital space at a gaming table when it comes to our sub fees here rather than the more common view of subscribe, grind a lot, farm the same content alot, repeat when new content comes down the pipe.

    Diff'rent strokes and all, but personally, I prefer it this way. My friends and I come up with much better stuff for our interests than game devs ever could.

    If they'd add the content creation tools STO has to here, I doubt we'd ever even wind up taking breaks. It'd then be quite glorious indeed, and its already pretty dang alright for our interests.
  • KagamiTheMagicalCatGerlKagamiTheMagicalCatGerl Posts: 357 Arc User
    kajkr wrote: »
    If you have a convincing argument to make for why Champions Online was not made to cater to the niche crowd of "casual RPG fans" then go ahead. I'm all ears. @( o_o )@ So far all I'm hearing is your usual snark.

    On Alert update.

    Your argument for why the game wasn't made to cater to casual RPG fans is to mention the update that made the game even easier?
  • kajkrkajkr Posts: 37 Arc User
    kajkr wrote: »
    If you have a convincing argument to make for why Champions Online was not made to cater to the niche crowd of "casual RPG fans" then go ahead. I'm all ears. @( o_o )@ So far all I'm hearing is your usual snark.

    On Alert update.

    Your argument for why the game wasn't made to cater to casual RPG fans is to mention the update that made the game even easier?

    Oh, my bad. I somehow understood "casual" as "hardcore".
  • KagamiTheMagicalCatGerlKagamiTheMagicalCatGerl Posts: 357 Arc User
    kajkr wrote: »
    kajkr wrote: »
    If you have a convincing argument to make for why Champions Online was not made to cater to the niche crowd of "casual RPG fans" then go ahead. I'm all ears. @( o_o )@ So far all I'm hearing is your usual snark.

    On Alert update.

    Your argument for why the game wasn't made to cater to casual RPG fans is to mention the update that made the game even easier?

    Oh, my bad. I somehow understood "casual" as "hardcore".

    Don't go to any bondage parties :p
  • kajkrkajkr Posts: 37 Arc User
    kajkr wrote: »
    kajkr wrote: »
    If you have a convincing argument to make for why Champions Online was not made to cater to the niche crowd of "casual RPG fans" then go ahead. I'm all ears. @( o_o )@ So far all I'm hearing is your usual snark.

    On Alert update.

    Your argument for why the game wasn't made to cater to casual RPG fans is to mention the update that made the game even easier?

    Oh, my bad. I somehow understood "casual" as "hardcore".

    Don't go to any bondage parties :p

    I'd be more afraid of casual friday.
  • rianfrostrianfrost Posts: 578 Arc User
    ilztas wrote: »
    I suppose it's my own fault for not getting into making new characters, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels like this game lacks "replay value"... outside of assembling another thought that sprang to mind which there wasn't space for in their existing character. Many people just ignore the missions too, once they hit level 10, doing nothing but Grab alerts.

    I tend to live off of one character in games like this. My enchantment-style wizard here has all of its equipment, and two bags of permanent devices, so there's no need for me to do any more alerts unless I need resources for some little changes, or someone needs a hand to get an alert going. I want to make use of this thing somehow, or... have something else to do, like the crafting that was taken away from us. I suppose I could beat up enemies 100+ times n' attempt to get costumes for other people, but that gets kinda mind-numbing after a while.

    Does anyone else feel like this at times? A friend commented how "it's now just a better IMVU".
    co is one of only 2 games of its type, , and its better than the other one, so kind of a captive audience, but really mmos an "replay" value in general seem to be a question of distraction. you keep progressing till you dont, and when you dont then you either alt, socialize or quit until they add more "progression", now co is a a little underdeveloped relative to other mmos due to its issues of publishers not giving it teh resources ti deserves, but its a difference in magnitude, not kind, every mmos is going to run into the same problem, some just can afford shinier mirrors and better smoke machines. i loved coh, but it was because of the alting and fun people in the channels, not because it was a neverending cavalcade of new stuff, and here, when i play, i alt, because for a customization heavy game, thats where its at.

  • nephtnepht Posts: 6,883 Arc User
    Its an MMO though its meant to be about the social aspect ....thats something I hate about MMOs as people are just awful /o/
    nepht_siggy_v6_by_nepht-dbbz19n.jpg
    Nepht and Dr Deflecto on primus
    They all thought I was out of the game....But I'm holding all the lockboxes now..
    I'll......FOAM FINGER YOUR BACK!
Sign In or Register to comment.