Expanding Millennium City

This is a project that I think would need to be done in phases. It’s not even going to be remotely simple, and I certainly don’t expect it all at one whack, but certain this is something that needs to be considered due to the fact that the core city, Millennium City, has such rich history and lore that is not being capitalized on. I think this would go a long way in helping bolstering the community and even prove to the other games out there that Champions is far from finished with anything.

First I want to say, this is not going to be easy. Second I know several of these parts I am about to suggest might be unrealistic, but I feel would be worth it. Finally, what I am suggesting would take place over phases and not all in one whack. So each new zone I suggest would actually be released over time instead of just all in one whack, doing several things at once; delivering new content, expanding the city everyone wants to feel like a city, and providing new locations for players to explore and be a part of.

Phase One – Revitalize the current Millennium City
This phase is probably going to be the most controversial and cause the most drama to be blunt. It involves a rather large change that could potentially upset a few players. However, here is what I am presenting; Divorce West Side, City Center, and Downtown from the Ren Center. This is the social hub of the game. Keep the Jet, UNTIL Building, and Champions HQ. There will undoubtedly have to be some exterior design changes for flows sake as well. Put in a few starter quests for basic getting your feet wet in heroing style in the area again like their use to be, but this can have a central hub feeling like Atlas Park did for CoH. Redesign Club Caprice and make it look more like an actual club, maybe something more like this.

West Side, expand the zone north like it is on the actual map and add in more points of interest. Add a couple of new lairs to deal with meant for teaming in. This can allow for things like Little China, Little Italy and such to be expanded upon as well as providing new turf, locations and content for players to explore and be a part of, and the high school can be made to look like an actual high school. Zone events can then be added as well that add more heroic flare such as putting out building fires and the like, not simple one off missions. Bring in Freakshow as a plot thread that is muscling in on West Side.

Broaden City Center making it much bigger and spreading out the various villain locations and hubs. Add in more lore and make the activities of ARGENT also seem more active like a corporation and less hokey. Bring in another villain group besides the Gadroon as well. Make Wayland Talos a bigger sub plot of the whole story as well. Perhaps make the Incubus Club a sort of front for villain business ala kingpin style with clues perhaps leading to Franklin Stone. Since the current City Center involves bits of the Cultural Center expand it to encompass that as well.

Downtown broaden it more and make it look more like a thriving downtown metropolis setting with banks, businesses and the like. The Battle of Detroit would still be here of course and thus still accessible, but make it larger and redesign it to look more like a memorial. Make the Barlowe and Harmon building more central to plotlines as well instead of just buildings that are there, including interiors as well. This could also be a perfect opportunity to create a bigger story arc with Nighthawk and Hazard.

This would probably be the biggest part of the changes and require a ton more work as it sounds so it is probably the most unrealistic of what I am suggesting. Though I think the payoff would be big as in more interested players, a community that feels the city might actually be thriving and the actual feeling that the city itself feels like a city and not just a box. Further additions I would suggest is adding Greer & Harlick clothing stores in some of the updated zones similar to how they are in the power house, though maybe taking the flavor and context of the current zone they are. Powerhouses might also have to be considered but instead of giant, intrusive gears, how about taking some of the old crafting zones and reconfiguring them as micro training zones to test powers and abilities instead of full power houses.

And for help travel all those bus stops, repurpose them as travel hubs that players can choose to use to get to other city zones within MC quickly.

Phase 2 – Theater District
This is where the big bucks are made, Millennium Cities casinos, the night life, and of course the street crime. The casinos are buzzing, muggings are common and Franklin Stone is above it all. This can be where the concept of Dark Champions spring from, providing an alternative starting point for heroes to begin their adventures, starting their career by trying to crack Stone’s illicit operations and involvement in organized crime. This can be reached by going east of City Center.

Phase 3 – Rivertown, Waterfront and Belle Island
Rivertown is a sports complex with New Tiger Stadium, New Lions Field, New Joe Louis Boxing Arena, the New Millennium City Palace and Hero Games Arena. The area would have bars and theaters surrounding these complexes for pre and post game entertainment design style and of course be connected on the east end of downtown. Criminal activities would most likely involve groups like Mind, Inc attempting to use the sports entertainment as a way to bolster mass mind control in people, as an example. This area could also provide an alternative to mid level range for players tired of starting in City Center and Downtown.

Waterfront area is a boat dock and harbor that is just an extension of Rivertown area. Here you would probably find crimes related to illegal shipping and merchandising, more mafia related crimes than anything.

To the south would be Belle Island, which has the Yacht Club, Science Center and a few beaches, providing a nice location to soak in the sun in the city. This area would provide more social events and happenings and create a place for RPers to go.

Connection to this zone would be east of Downtown and south of the Theater District.

Phase 4 – North Side and Memorial Park
This zone would be for higher level players to get involved with, with bigger named villains and more organized groups. North side contains many residential areas for the upper class as well as Memorial Park being surrounded by lots of upper and middle class housing. Millennium City University can be located here as well providing a large area of involvement with heroes like Dr. Silverback and the like as well as providing another social area for players to kick back at.

In Closing
I know full well what I am suggesting is quite large. But the general idea is to break up the zones and provide a much large city feeling experience instead of trying to cram as much as possible into an itty bitty space. It’s also aimed at expanding the lore of this city that is devoid of a lot of it, as well as providing alternative leveling paths and new content and adventures for players as a whole. I also am aware that what I would suggest is controversial, especially the phase one stuff, and that what I am also suggesting is quite bare bones, but I do think this would be one of those projects that would be well worth the investment and help turn Champions around.

It is my personal feeling that what many players crave is that they want the city to feel like a city, like a real place they would indeed visit, and while zoning might be a nuisance to some, I think that is a small price to pay for getting that feeling. I think one of Champions basic problems is too much crammed into small areas to try and only tap a little bit of the potential instead of devoting a singled out large space to those areas as a whole and expanding greatly on their potential.

Additional things could include new lairs as well, making them level appropriate and specific zone events. Could revamp the alert system to be more like skirmish system to allow for a more short dungeon event thing like Neverwinter while providing level appropriate lairs throughout the game for larger groups. This would do a lot as a whole.