My Lovely Tights! (and other musings)

[EmeraldTitan]

Hello everyone, I'm John, aka The Emerald Titan, so far I'm very much looking forward to Champions Online.

I just wanted to put a few questions/thoughts out there.


Will there be just plain tights for heroes who want a "classic" look?
Will we have similar costume parts as the ones available in CoH/CoV? I know I'm not the only one who'd like to port over their character :P
Will there be decent and dynamic flying animations? I.E. the latest superman games?
How is the world being created, will Millenium City be one large zone or will it be split up like Paragon City?
Is there attention being payed to cloth physics? I.E. capes? Will we see improvements over what CoH offers?
PS. I love the idea about creating Arch-Vilains, I was actually talking about that with a friend the other day. If you ever offer villain players in the future, would you consider allowing the players to form "rivalries" and declare eachother arch-rivals?
Secret Identities, I don't know anything about the Champions RPG but I certainly think that some sort of "secret identity" system would be very cool for those who didn't want villains attacking them at every turn. Perhaps something that you could toggle to strip you of your powers, but also remove aggro from villains, until you hit the toggle again and changed back... just an idea ;)


I guess that's enough to get started. Again, glad to be here, can't wait to see the awesome game you guys come up with.

[Smog]

Though I can't answer all of your questions (or, more than likely, any of them to the degree you would like) I can toss you some info which I've attained through work, and to be more specific, Game Informer.


Will there be just plain tights for heroes who want a "classic" look?
Will we have similar costume parts as the ones available in CoH/CoV? I know I'm not the only one who'd like to port over their character :P

In the latest issue of game informer Mr. Emmert talked about some of the features for the game, and one of the things he said was (roughly) "we know that our character creation system in city of heroes was a huge hit, so we plan on taking it to an entirely new level with Champions. Not only will your entire costume be customizable with hundreds of different options, but each power will also be able to be personalized" (again, rough quote, don't have the mag with me at home)

How is the world being created, will Millenium City be one large zone or will it be split up like Paragon City?

from what I remember, Emmert discussed no longer being limited to a single city like in the CoX game, but instead it spanning into many other locations including things like underwater fortresses, underground complexes, and even the moon.

Secret Identities, I don't know anything about the Champions RPG but I certainly think that some sort of "secret identity" system would be very cool for those who didn't want villains attacking them at every turn. Perhaps something that you could toggle to strip you of your powers, but also remove aggro from villains, until you hit the toggle again and changed back... just an idea ;)

It was stated in the article that the choice would have to be made whether or not the character has a secret identity or went public with the fact he or she was a hero, and that the choice made would greatly affect the later life of that character.

[EmeraldTitan]

One other thing that I forgot to mention, is that you(Cryptic) might want to look at utilizing User-Created Content to allow for an incredible number of chest symbols, this type of system, as you most likely know has proved very useful to Pirates of the Burning Sea.

[EmeraldTitan]

Though I can't answer all of your questions (or, more than likely, any of them to the degree you would like) I can toss you some info which I've attained through work, and to be more specific, Game Informer.



In the latest issue of game informer Mr. Emmert talked about some of the features for the game, and one of the things he said was (roughly) "we know that our character creation system in city of heroes was a huge hit, so we plan on taking it to an entirely new level with Champions. Not only will your entire costume be customizable with hundreds of different options, but each power will also be able to be personalized" (again, rough quote, don't have the mag with me at home)



from what I remember, Emmert discussed no longer being limited to a single city like in the CoX game, but instead it spanning into many other locations including things like underwater fortresses, underground complexes, and even the moon.



It was stated in the article that the choice would have to be made whether or not the character has a secret identity or went public with the fact he or she was a hero, and that the choice made would greatly affect the later life of that character.

Thanks for that info Smog, the secret identity part is pretty titillating for me :D And it sound like they're thinking about it at least.

I also really like the part about being able to customize powers look and colors, that's a big selling point for me, since in CoH I've tended to make a hero's costume based off of what color his powers are... when in reality, I'd like it the other way around, make the hero and define his powers around his story/design.

[Raindog]

One other thing that I forgot to mention, is that you(Cryptic) might want to look at utilizing User-Created Content to allow for an incredible number of chest symbols, this type of system, as you most likely know has proved very useful to Pirates of the Burning Sea.

Signed. The ability to manipulate some clip art (scale, position, rotation, ect) or create your own with a simple editor would be great. Not sure how memory demanding that would be in a MMO though, so there may be some practical considerations to work out.

Speaking of user-created content, a "build-a-story" mode would be great for all us would be writers and GMs. IIRC though, Emmert said before he thinks user-content like that is a cope out and no subsititute for "real content". So have to see what they think now. Considering the PnP roots though, I think the ability to write your own story lines and mission arcs for your SG buddies to play in would be a kick.

[EmeraldTitan]

Nice avatar Raindog :D

[Tralmek]

Nice avatar Raindog :D

heheh I agree. Zapp's my hero! :P

One other thing that I forgot to mention, is that you(Cryptic) might want to look at utilizing User-Created Content to allow for an incredible number of chest symbols, this type of system, as you most likely know has proved very useful to Pirates of the Burning Sea.

Totally! I loved that system. Some players designed some great visual content for the game. It was also just a great way to get players involved in the game and to really take ownership of their own piece of the world.

[Charon]

Hopefully we can grab some traditional spandex. Most of the screenshots so far depict heroes/villains in tech suits or leather, but I'm sure more traditional looks have been far from overlooked.

[Raindog]

Nice avatar Raindog :D
heheh I agree. Zapp's my hero! :P
I am the man with no name, Zapp Branigan!

[EmeraldTitan]

Another thing I was pondering was whether the game will feature a class/archetype system, or a free-form skill/powers based system. I suppose this will depend on what the Champions RPG features. I would personally like to see a game based on what powers you choose defining your character, instead of choosing your character type (tank, controller, etc...) and having that define your powers. I guess I'll go look and see what they do in the Champions RPG.

Also, another thing that I'd like to see promoted in a superhero MMO would be more roleplaying, giving the players a reason to roleplay, give the players housing and other "own-able" areas that they can invite their friends into.