Finally, I brought up the recent news about the creation/acquisition of the new subsidiary, Cryptic North. While the company is set to begin work on the seemingly-ignored Champions Online, I asked Stahl what, if anything, we should expect to hear in regard to their involvement in STO. Stahl seemed very pleased in being able to say that there was another team that was working on Cryptic games. He said it has been great to have another "pipeline of talent" as well as another experienced executive producer who is involved in their regular meetings and is able to provide fresh and new perspectives to all of the games being developed by Cryptic. While Stahl wouldn't comment as to what, specifically, the Cryptic North team might be working on, he was able to say that what they have already been able to accomplish has been "phenomenal."
Stahl said that it takes a long time to train people on their proprietary tool system and to have a new team with those skills will be (and already has been) a boon to the company on the whole. He told me that they also have ideas as to what they want to do, and what games they would like to create, and that CEO Jack Emmert is currently entertaining those ideas.
SOUNDS LIKE A RINGING ENDORSEMENT OF CHAMPIONS ONLINE TO ME!
Choose your enemies carefully, because they will define you / Make them interesting, because in some ways they will mind you
They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
Well, yeah - isn't Stahl in charge of STO? Why would you expect him to say anything (or know anything) about CO?
"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!"
Well, yeah - isn't Stahl in charge of STO? Why would you expect him to say anything (or know anything) about CO?
Come on, Jon. It's the company line, and you know it. Hide behind LordGar and TrailTurtle as meat shields in these forums, with orders to never look more than two weeks in advance, while everybody else at Cryptic changes the subject as soon as Champions or CNorth becomes a topic of conversation.
Re-read what I highlighted in the second paragraph more closely, then tell me with a straight face that CNorth is anything other than a band-aid on a bullet wound.
Choose your enemies carefully, because they will define you / Make them interesting, because in some ways they will mind you
They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
Pretty sure they were behind everything Lemurian Invasion forward.
Yeah, you can really see on Fatal Err0r that they're ready to take our training wheels off and start on Some Other Game.
Choose your enemies carefully, because they will define you / Make them interesting, because in some ways they will mind you
They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
"How wrong Emily Dickinson was. Hope is not 'the thing with feathers'. The thing with feathers has turned out to be my nephew. I must take him to a specialist in Zurich." - Woody Allen
"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!"
New content comes out and you ask wheres the new content. I love you guys.
I feel like I'm back in Skyway City. When do Caliban and Ogre get here?
You know damn well this has nothing to do with short term demands for "new content". This has to do with engine upgrades, Foundry, Gateway, abandoned systems, broken promises, and above all else, a total breakdown of communication with and respect for this community.
Choose your enemies carefully, because they will define you / Make them interesting, because in some ways they will mind you
They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
I feel like I'm back in Skyway City. When do Caliban and Ogre get here?
You know damn well this has nothing to do with short term demands for "new content". This has to do with engine upgrades, Foundry, Gateway, abandoned systems, broken promises, and above all else, a total breakdown of communication with and respect for this community.
Wut? For you maybe but all I care about is some new missions and costume unlocks. Devs post in the PTS forums regular. Ive played MMO's with far less communication . And respect for the community? Why would people you have never met respect you? ( no offense met you seem nice enough. )
Do I need to say it again?
Its just a game.
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!
I feel like I'm back in Skyway City. When do Caliban and Ogre get here?
You know damn well this has nothing to do with short term demands for "new content". This has to do with engine upgrades, Foundry, Gateway, abandoned systems, broken promises, and above all else, a total breakdown of communication with and respect for this community.
Wut? For you maybe but all I care about is some new missions and costume unlocks. Devs post in the PTS forums regular. Ive played MMO's with far less communication . And respect for the community? Why would people you have never met respect you? ( no offense met you seem nice enough. )
Do I need to say it again?
Its just a game.
Yes, it is a game; a video game. What is the point you were hoping to convey by pointing out that obvious fact? o.o
If you think you can say "This is a game" and magically make people stop caring about something, I think you're starting to take the egyptian witch goddess thing a bit too seriously
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
Yes, it is a game; a video game. What is the point you were hoping to convey by pointing out that obvious fact? o.o
If you think you can say "This is a game" and magically make people stop caring about something, I think you're starting to take the egyptian witch goddess thing a bit too seriously
Dont mock my kitteh powers I say stuff and this little goblin with pigtails appears \o/
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!
Wut? For you maybe but all I care about is some new missions and costume unlocks. Devs post in the PTS forums regular. Ive played MMO's with far less communication . And respect for the community? Why would people you have never met respect you? ( no offense met you seem nice enough. )
Do I need to say it again?
Its just a game.
Your apathy is your business. My Irish blood refuses to share in it. It's the same blood that boils when Cryptic sets a standard for community relations in Star Trek and Neverwinter, but falls far short of it in Champions.
Choose your enemies carefully, because they will define you / Make them interesting, because in some ways they will mind you
They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
Your apathy is your business. My Irish blood refuses to share in it. It's the same blood that boils when Cryptic sets a standard for community relations in Star Trek and Neverwinter, but falls far short of it in Champions.
Yeah I do have a bit of a I dont care attitude but I respect your passion for the game.
I wish you luck in your bid to get more love for CO though and it wouldnt harm the devs to pop into general discussion now and then .
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!
Guys... Let's not turn this into another argument thread. Gets a little bit grating.
To stay on topic, I personally don't like to put too much faith into a game. If it croaks, that's that. Sure, I'll be a bit sad because it's something I play on a regular basis, but all good things have to come to an end. Once I'm not longer satisfied with the game or another game comes around with the same sort of customization, I'll skip town. Until then, I'll ye CO a little faith. However, I won't say I'm blind to the things that are wrong with the game.
It is a dangerous thing because it primes you to be manipulated. Not saying one should be without hope, but just be careful with it.
I am not hopeful CO will change.
This more than anything really made the "promise" of Champions Online come on a collision course with the "reality" of Champions Online.
I had waited a full 3+ years for telepathy to finally be brought up to par with its counterparts using the things that made it great at launch (Crowd Control). There was a grand release in September 2012 that did much of what I'd hoped for though it needed some revision and bug-fixing.. then that hope was stagnated for 10 months.. then Crushed (no matter now gentlemanly).
Abandon hope all ye who sign-in here.
Still, they got a good year out of me they wouldn't have otherwise.. so .. hats off to you PWE.
I'd like to know where the idea came from that arguing over these topics is unhealthy. I mean, point me to one, *just one* forum topic that begins with "I used to love this game and the people here but because of all the arguing and bickering among the community I'm leaving."
From what I can see, aside from people leaving due to general dissatisfaction with the game, everyone here who is trying to hammer out a discussion regarding the state of CO, from one side or the other, is still here. Whether you're proud of the game or not, you should be proud of the community, yourselves, for sticking around and remaining as part of the discussion, despite what side of the fence you sit on.
And the Devs don't need anyone sucking theirs and defending them.
Cryptic is not my Daddy working in the hot sun to put food on my table, and I am not the spoiled son crying for a new toy every week. They are a game developer and I am a customer. When I say I want more, it's not only a good thing- it's kind of how it works. I don't feel guilty for asking a company to produce what an overwhelming number of its customers want to see.
If you think otherwise, I'll make sure the short bus picks you up on the way.
Leaked footage for that was around since 2012, about Fall if I'm not mistaken. So, they're doing really good at recycling work that's been done.
I wouldn't be surprised if Lemurian Invasion got put straight-up on hold when the exodus of Neverwinter happened, and Cryptic North got it handed to them when they came on board in December.
There's several projects that have been started, even before Lemurian Invasion, that still haven't seen the light of day. I'm willing to bet that Forum Malvanum was their first set of missions built from the ground up.
I'm with Nepht on this. It's not that quoted interview that we should be looking at for hope, though. This Fatal Err0r storyline so far has some things we should be applauding:
1. Permanent missions being added. (We've all been complaining about temporary content, right?)
2. Perks, costume pieces, and AFs along with said missions. (Granted there might be a couple of bugs to work out, but hey, there's some rewards for doing the missions and smashing baddies!)
3. New powers, with more on the way (Sure, the Telepathy powers aren't as good as we hoped, but I think they could have been much worse and it was good to see them at all).
4. Devs have been paying attention to PTS feedback and used opinions gathered to polish up the new content. (Especially with Fatal Err0r.)
Fatal Error is certainly a step in the right direction. I'm hoping that when all of the missions for the arc are released, that it gets converted to an adventure pack (I haven't tried it yet so I'm assuming that the 2nd mission isn't the end of the arc).
Also regarding the scrolling binary texture for those costume pieces, seriously they're remarkably well done giving credit where it's due.
Fatal Error is certainly a step in the right direction. I'm hoping that when all of the missions for the arc are released, that it gets converted to an adventure pack (I haven't tried it yet so I'm assuming that the 2nd mission isn't the end of the arc).
Also regarding the scrolling binary texture for those costume pieces, seriously they're remarkably well done giving credit where it's due.
a 10 minute adventure pack... look... I'm trying really hard to get excited by the idea... but...
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
the two parts together so far take a bit more than 10 minutes. Is that much different from each section of other adventure packs? Both installments so far are just hall runs though.
the two parts together so far take a bit more than 10 minutes. Is that much different from each section of other adventure packs? Both installments so far are just hall runs though.
I dare say, a single episode of Aftershock blows away the entirety of fatal error or any of these other mini-arcs.
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
While Stahl wouldn't comment as to what, specifically, the Cryptic North team might be working on, he was able to say that what they have already been able to accomplish has been "phenomenal."
I think this was in reference to what work they've done to help NWO and STO right? I thought they hung out there first and then came over here... At they very least I'd hope he was referring to that. >.>
I say stuff and I say things, sometimes together but only when I'm feeling adventurous.
Comments
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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This sounds like bull**** PR speak meant to keep people excited and anticipating the best when there's nothing. In other words...
A Stahl tactic.
... you have no idea how long I've been saving that one up.
You deserve a slow, dramatic clap for that one.
*clap*. . .*clap*. . .*clap*
Come on, Jon. It's the company line, and you know it. Hide behind LordGar and TrailTurtle as meat shields in these forums, with orders to never look more than two weeks in advance, while everybody else at Cryptic changes the subject as soon as Champions or CNorth becomes a topic of conversation.
Re-read what I highlighted in the second paragraph more closely, then tell me with a straight face that CNorth is anything other than a band-aid on a bullet wound.
They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
In any other game, that would be considered outright silliness, especially if they still have a subscription option.
Pretty sure they were behind everything Lemurian Invasion forward.
Yeah, you can really see on Fatal Err0r that they're ready to take our training wheels off and start on Some Other Game.
They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
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!
Yea, pretty much. Like lil' birdies cheep-cheep-cheeping for moar food even when they're choking down the meal they have nao.
Never mind misread it :<
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!
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
They drop a crumb on your plate and you start worrying that we're being spoiled. I love you guys too
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
A Crumb? its a whole series of missions with new costume unlocks.
Mishes and Costumes >_>
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!
I feel like I'm back in Skyway City. When do Caliban and Ogre get here?
You know damn well this has nothing to do with short term demands for "new content". This has to do with engine upgrades, Foundry, Gateway, abandoned systems, broken promises, and above all else, a total breakdown of communication with and respect for this community.
They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
Yes, a whole new series of missions! ...that add up to 10 minutes of reskinned mob hallways with siderooms ._.
And yeah, new costume pieces! ...that you have to farm the aformentioned content for rather than just buying it.... ._.
Yeah... yeah totally... I see why you're so satisfied with that... I might not when I come off the drugs, but for now I totally see it
I also see Caliga climbing a tree to help a kitten.
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
Wut? For you maybe but all I care about is some new missions and costume unlocks. Devs post in the PTS forums regular. Ive played MMO's with far less communication . And respect for the community? Why would people you have never met respect you? ( no offense met you seem nice enough. )
Do I need to say it again?
Its just a game.
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!
Sums up my frustrations pretty succinctly
Religion
Lotteries
Dating websites
Advertisers
It is a dangerous thing because it primes you to be manipulated. Not saying one should be without hope, but just be careful with it.
I am not hopeful CO will change.
Yes, it is a game; a video game. What is the point you were hoping to convey by pointing out that obvious fact? o.o
If you think you can say "This is a game" and magically make people stop caring about something, I think you're starting to take the egyptian witch goddess thing a bit too seriously
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
That was in production for, what, two years?
Hey, I paid good money for some bag grabbin'!
Dont mock my kitteh powers I say stuff and this little goblin with pigtails appears \o/
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!
Your apathy is your business. My Irish blood refuses to share in it. It's the same blood that boils when Cryptic sets a standard for community relations in Star Trek and Neverwinter, but falls far short of it in Champions.
They're not there in the beginning, but when your story ends / Gonna last with you longer than your friends
Yeah I do have a bit of a I dont care attitude but I respect your passion for the game.
I wish you luck in your bid to get more love for CO though and it wouldnt harm the devs to pop into general discussion now and then .
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!
To stay on topic, I personally don't like to put too much faith into a game. If it croaks, that's that. Sure, I'll be a bit sad because it's something I play on a regular basis, but all good things have to come to an end. Once I'm not longer satisfied with the game or another game comes around with the same sort of customization, I'll skip town. Until then, I'll ye CO a little faith. However, I won't say I'm blind to the things that are wrong with the game.
Sure, we can do that, let's all stop arguing in this thread! *watches the thread die and fall off the front page almost instantly*
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
@flamingbunnyman in game. Formerly @Roderick in City of Heroes.
Moments later...
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
@flamingbunnyman in game. Formerly @Roderick in City of Heroes.
This more than anything really made the "promise" of Champions Online come on a collision course with the "reality" of Champions Online.
I had waited a full 3+ years for telepathy to finally be brought up to par with its counterparts using the things that made it great at launch (Crowd Control). There was a grand release in September 2012 that did much of what I'd hoped for though it needed some revision and bug-fixing.. then that hope was stagnated for 10 months.. then Crushed (no matter now gentlemanly).
Abandon hope all ye who sign-in here.
Still, they got a good year out of me they wouldn't have otherwise.. so .. hats off to you PWE.
From what I can see, aside from people leaving due to general dissatisfaction with the game, everyone here who is trying to hammer out a discussion regarding the state of CO, from one side or the other, is still here. Whether you're proud of the game or not, you should be proud of the community, yourselves, for sticking around and remaining as part of the discussion, despite what side of the fence you sit on.
Leaked footage for that was around since 2012, about Fall if I'm not mistaken. So, they're doing really good at recycling work that's been done.
And the Devs don't need anyone sucking theirs and defending them.
Cryptic is not my Daddy working in the hot sun to put food on my table, and I am not the spoiled son crying for a new toy every week. They are a game developer and I am a customer. When I say I want more, it's not only a good thing- it's kind of how it works. I don't feel guilty for asking a company to produce what an overwhelming number of its customers want to see.
If you think otherwise, I'll make sure the short bus picks you up on the way.
I wouldn't be surprised if Lemurian Invasion got put straight-up on hold when the exodus of Neverwinter happened, and Cryptic North got it handed to them when they came on board in December.
There's several projects that have been started, even before Lemurian Invasion, that still haven't seen the light of day. I'm willing to bet that Forum Malvanum was their first set of missions built from the ground up.
1. Permanent missions being added. (We've all been complaining about temporary content, right?)
2. Perks, costume pieces, and AFs along with said missions. (Granted there might be a couple of bugs to work out, but hey, there's some rewards for doing the missions and smashing baddies!)
3. New powers, with more on the way (Sure, the Telepathy powers aren't as good as we hoped, but I think they could have been much worse and it was good to see them at all).
4. Devs have been paying attention to PTS feedback and used opinions gathered to polish up the new content. (Especially with Fatal Err0r.)
Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!
Also regarding the scrolling binary texture for those costume pieces, seriously they're remarkably well done giving credit where it's due.
Hope is good.
Whoever you are, be that person one hundred percent. Don't compromise on your identity.
More like Durandal. Slow claps seems like something he'd do while saying something like " Look at the big brains on you", in a way only he could :P
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!
I think you just activated my rarely-used giggle center.
Tee. Hee.
Wicks and Things: NW-DI4FMZRR4 : The Fenwick merchant family has lost a caravan! Can you help?
Beggar's Hollow: NW-DR6YG4J2L : Someone, or something, has stolen away many of the Fenwicks' children! Can you find out what happened to them?
Into the Fen Wood: NW-DL89DRG7B : Enter the heart of the forest. Can you discover the secret of the Fen Wood?
a 10 minute adventure pack... look... I'm trying really hard to get excited by the idea... but...
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
I dare say, a single episode of Aftershock blows away the entirety of fatal error or any of these other mini-arcs.
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
Just saying.
And playing by myself since Aug 2009
Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
Git Gud M8!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Cause I'm worth it. Playing since 2009.
I think this was in reference to what work they've done to help NWO and STO right? I thought they hung out there first and then came over here... At they very least I'd hope he was referring to that. >.>
I say stuff and I say things, sometimes together but only when I'm feeling adventurous.
I'm @blu8 in game!
Really now? Because as far as I see, Champions is the only game cryptic made that doesn't have a foundry. What makes CO any different?
Things like manpower, money and more importantly can it be done without exploding the damn game.
Git Gud M8!
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Cause I'm worth it. Playing since 2009.