City of Heroes Gone Gold/NDA lifted!

[Thomkal]

For anyone that might be interested-City of Heroes, the superhero Massively Multiplayer game I've been harping about has gone gold! It's due out on the 28th of April. The NDA has been lifted which means I can finally talk about it after having been in the beta for about a month.

Here's a review of the current beta game that explains things better than I can:

http://coh.warcry.com/scripts/columns/view_sectionalt.phtml?site=36&id=171&colid=2459

How do I like the game? I have mixed feelings about it. The City is incredibly alive and full of details. I love the fact that you can "chat" with the people walking down the streets and watch the cars dodge and citizens run away as you are fighting some thug in the middle of the street. The costume generator has quite a few options, but still needs more. Power animations are mostly cool and fun to watch.

But the designers vision in terms of grabbing new players interest as soon as they start the game is lacking. Though they are working on it a bit. You start off with a good (and for now mandatory) tutorial, which gets you to level 2 quickly. Then you start out in one of the newbie zones. You can go patrol the streets against various street gangs or get a mission from your initial contact. (you get more contacts as you go along). Do your first indoor mission...hmmm that warehouse/office (and soon cave) is looking awfully a lot like the inside mission you do at the end of the tutorial isn't it...yes it sure is. They use the same tilesets over and over again ad nauseam and that quickly gets boring. Even if the mission suggests a bit different atmosphere-like breaking up some gang fight at a rave-you'd expect to find an actually rave in process when you get there, but all you get is another boring warehouse. This game has been in development for almost three years, they could have made more tilesets I would have thought?

Another problem with the designer's visions is the low (and even mid and high) level "mobs" you will face. This is a City of Heroes right? So you'd expect to be facing villians with superpowers right? Guess again. You get instead a couple of street gangs (Hellions and Skulls) as one of your main opponents who don't have any superpowers that I've seen so far. They attack you with knives, guns, baseball bats, and the occasional flame thrower...yawn excuse me. There's also the 3rd Column, a Nazi leftover "gang" that I find the most interesting to fight of the low level gangs.

You do get a robotic "gang", the clockworks, that shoot lightning at you, so at least it feels like a superpower being used against you. And fairly soon thereafter you have the chance to go up against the Circle of Thorns, a magic using "gang". And there's the zombies "gang" (can never remember how to spell it, most call them the Vaz)-they vomit on you which is always fun. And some of their guys shoot crossbows at you. I purposedly didn't play any of my characters to high level, but I've read that things do get a little better in this area. But even low level indoor missions with a "boss" fail to produce a supervillian. They just seem to hit harder/have more hit points than the usual gangster.

I just don't get how they completely missed the boat with this-superheroes fight supervillians in the comics, so wouldn't you expect it in City of Heroes?

You can solo in the game (which I like to do), but especially at low-levels you'll probably have more fun with grouping. It's the usual mass chaos as you fight bunches of mobs in the same old buildings, but at least if you are in a good group you can have fun chatting during it all. And I never did get to experience a "Hazard Zone" or a "Task Force Mission" for groups since I concentrated on low-level characters.

The game's stability has improved since they went to a second server and should improve more when they take off some of the testing programs they were using on the main server today. You still get some "mapserver" disconnects which normally are temporary, and you "rubberband" a bit coming out of them, but now that I've installed new video drivers, I haven't had any complete game crashes like I did before. And I'm on a 56K modem. Other's people mileage may vary. They've squashed a lot of bugs and did a lot of work on balancing powers and such, but that will never be perfect and will continue upon release.

The development team has been very forthcoming in answers/updates, etc and many who have done betas before are saying it was the best beta they've ever done due to the stability and dev response. They already have a large update ready to go once the game goes public and will continue updates at a rapid pace it sounds like as necessary.

I'll still be playing the game come release day, but in some areas the game is a large disappointment to me. If anybody is interested in this game still, I'll try to answer any questions about it.

Dan

[sachmo71]

What if you run into someone who is using your hero name? Can you sue them? Or fight them for copyright laws?

Methinks this game is going straight down the toilet.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

What if you run into someone who is using your hero name? Can you sue them? Or fight them for copyright laws?

Methinks this game is going straight down the toilet.

Agreed.

It's sad really. The super hero genre has never truly excelled like it should have on the PC. I liked Freedom Force and am looking forward to the sequel, but there have been so many mis-steps along the way...

[Thomkal]

Each server has its own unique sets of names-thus if a name has already been used for that server, you can't use it. So no fighting or suing I'm afraid.

I'm cautiously optimistic about the game. Given the horrid history of superhero PC games, this one certainly does many things right and as with all MMORPG's, it will improve over time.

[condors]

boredom is my biggest complaint about mmrpgs and muds before them.

The game will be as good as the people you play with.

I haven't play an online game that is a better solo exp than fallout2 (insert you own favorite rpg).

I enjoyed comics and i played marvel superheros(the orginal), dc heroes, champions, villians and villgantes, supervillans and hero system so i definatly have interest in this type of game.

the whole rinse repeat aspect of the game worries me but i am sure i will be one of the thousands of superheroes running around in a couple weeks.

daredevil is probally already taken

[sachmo71]

Yes, I don't want to be stuck with a superhero name like "Super Sachmo124324" or something.

On the subject of superheroic computer games pretty much sucking all through history, while this is a valid point, I'm not willing to overlook poor gameplay just because this game "does it better than the other did". Nor am I saying that anyone will, but based on your statements, this game has a long way to go before it delivers what I'm looking for.

[Peregrine]

Wait, you can't fight supervillains, just thugs and gangs? Bah, any chance I was going to try this game just went out the window, that's the whole point of the game I thought?

[condors]

i think it would be better if players were heroes and villians (ai can never replace a human) with solo missions built in to build up your toon

[LivnLegend]

Originally Posted by Peregrine

Wait, you can't fight supervillains, just thugs and gangs? Bah, any chance I was going to try this game just went out the window, that's the whole point of the game I thought?

I am fairly certain you get the chance to fight super powered villains, but it's probably a bit later in the game.

Sort of like a D&D style MMORPG where you spend the first couple levels of your life fighting rats in the sewers...you have to put in your time before you venture off slaying dragons.

[LivnLegend]

Originally Posted by condors

i think it would be better if players were heroes and villians (ai can never replace a human) with solo missions built in to build up your toon

I think that will be the biggest downfall of the game -- no human player villains.

The only role playing game I really played as a kid was Champions. Part of me would love the chance to relive that part of my youth. I'm not sure this game will recapture that spirit since you basically play “solo” in front of your computer rather than around a table with your best geek buddies. It’s like going out and buying a Hot Wheels track as an adult and trying to recapture that childhood memory of racing your cars. There’s something kind of pathetic about it

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

Yes, I don't want to be stuck with a superhero name like "Super Sachmo124324" or something.

On the subject of superheroic computer games pretty much sucking all through history, while this is a valid point, I'm not willing to overlook poor gameplay just because this game "does it better than the other did". Nor am I saying that anyone will, but based on your statements, this game has a long way to go before it delivers what I'm looking for.

Sachmo,

Point well taken. The gameplay that is there is not poor in my opinion, its just the gameplay that its lacking that is the problem. If you can accept for now at least there are no supervillians (at low levels-there are some at higher levels) and that the tilesets need expanding, the gameplay is good. My fear is that because of what its lacking, the game may fail, which would be a shame. It certainly deserves a shot at survival in the MMORPG world. The developers I think have taken such complaints as mine to heart and have said they are working on things in the areas I mentioned.

For those looking to play a supervillain some day, that's in their future plans. They wanted to get the hero and player versus environment "right" before they added in the additional factor of Player Vs. Player.

As always MMORPG's are a work in progress. The Everquest of today is far removed from the original. City of Heroes will no doubt get better if it can survive these first few months.

[daedalus]

Thanks for the mini-review, Dan.

And good to see you around again.

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Sachmo,

Point well taken. The gameplay that is there is not poor in my opinion, its just the gameplay that its lacking that is the problem. If you can accept for now at least there are no supervillians (at low levels-there are some at higher levels) and that the tilesets need expanding, the gameplay is good. My fear is that because of what its lacking, the game may fail, which would be a shame. It certainly deserves a shot at survival in the MMORPG world. The developers I think have taken such complaints as mine to heart and have said they are working on things in the areas I mentioned.

For those looking to play a supervillain some day, that's in their future plans. They wanted to get the hero and player versus environment "right" before they added in the additional factor of Player Vs. Player.

As always MMORPG's are a work in progress. The Everquest of today is far removed from the original. City of Heroes will no doubt get better if it can survive these first few months.

Are there quests errr...missions?

[hukarez]

I was really looking forward to this game...at least, until I found out it was a MMORPG. I'm not much of a fan of multiplayer games, though I've considered it in the past.

Am I correct in assuming this will be some kind of "pay per month" deal?

[LivnLegend]

Originally Posted by hukarez

Am I correct in assuming this will be some kind of "pay per month" deal?

Yes

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Agreed.

It's sad really. The super hero genre has never truly excelled like it should have on the PC. I liked Freedom Force and am looking forward to the sequel, but there have been so many mis-steps along the way...

Anyone know when Champions is due out???

My biggest computer game disappointment evah!

[Thomkal]

Sachmo,

Yes there are missions. You start out the game after the tutorial with a contact who sends you on missions. As you gain in level and finish the initial contact's missions, you are either given the name and location of another contact, or you get to choose between two. Many of the missions follow a broad story arc about the various gangs and other evil groups you face in COH. If you get to choose between two contacts, you get a description of the groups that contact will have missions for, so you at least have a choice in what story arcs to follow.

These missions are the same for each player with that contact, but the actual mission itself is unique for each player-for instance if you get a mission to break up a drug ring, everyone with that contact will get to choose that mission eventually. But when you enter the mission, the tileset is not exactly the same (same look but the setup of the rooms, hallways, etc, will be different), the mobs are in different places, there may be more or less mobs than someone else who has the same mission. At least that is my understanding of how they work.

If you don't want to do a mission, or don't have time for one, you can patrol the streets of the zone you are in as mentioned above-you can catch the various mobs in the act of committing a crime-stealing a purse, breaking into a car, buying/selling drugs, etc. And the people come up and thank you after you save them, which is really cool. Sometimes they give you an "inspiration" (a temporary bonus, or heal of some sort).

I did go into a "Hazard Zone" today for the first time, and it was a lot of fun, but definitely not for solo activities as large masses of mobs are encountered. The zone I went in is called Perez Park in honor of the comic book artist/writer George Perez.

If you really have a lot of time on your hand, you can join a Task Force, which is a very very long series of missions for a group.

So you do have some options in what to do in the game.

Oh and Daedalus, I'm always around, I just don't post much. Good to "see" you too. You need to come play COH with me.

Hukarez,

It is a pay/month game, I think its going to be around $14-15. But you get additional content added to the original game on a regular basis, so its kind of like you are paying for an expansion to the game. At least that's how I try to justify it. As a unique bonus, you also get a monthly comic based on the activities of the players in COH-and you can submit your artwork as well to it. At no extra cost. I have no doubt they will follow other MMORPG's and offer a "trial" plan where you can play the game for free for seven or 15 days to see if you like it or not. So far they haven't announced something like that, but I'm pretty sure they will soon enough.

Any other questions?

[hukarez]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

Hukarez,

It is a pay/month game, I think its going to be around $14-15. But you get additional content added to the original game on a regular basis, so its kind of like you are paying for an expansion to the game. At least that's how I try to justify it. As a unique bonus, you also get a monthly comic based on the activities of the players in COH-and you can submit your artwork as well to it. At no extra cost. I have no doubt they will follow other MMORPG's and offer a "trial" plan where you can play the game for free for seven or 15 days to see if you like it or not. So far they haven't announced something like that, but I'm pretty sure they will soon enough.

Any other questions?

I'm still not quite sure. A whole lot of my friends ended up playing that "Star Wars Galaxies" game and all (ironically, I haven't really heard much about it from anyone lately), as well as those EverQuest games. Paying a monthly fee and all isn't really my cup of tea - for a game. I don't even subscribe to XBOX Live and what not; nor do I have a PS2 network adapter for my console. I think the only 'multiplayer' game I've ever played on my PC are strategy games - a la StarCraft, Civilizations.

I'll have to see the system requirements of this game, as it's time for my to build another OC'd machine - seeing as I'm 4-5 years old on architecture. I'll have to see. I was really hoping this would've had some single campaign of some sort, but we'll see. Decisions like this are usually 'mood-based' with me...and the moment I see: "Monthly Fee", my mood sours.

Still, I'm a patient man. I'll most likely wait a bit before jumping in for a try. Thanks for the 411, though. I much appreciate it.

[DanGarion]

City of Heros is actually pretty fun.

Here is a brief story I wrote up for my game site last night after a couple hours of playing.

http://www.theprc.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1021