State of the Game – 10/27/09

Chronomancer · 10-27-2009, 05:37 PM

Happy Haunting, Heroes!

The Blood Moon has risen and we’re off to a howling good start with our big event. We’ve already seen our first players unlock the new Celestial power set, noticed some Takofanes action figures in tow, and seen a lot of lycanthropic heroes taking a bite out of the werewolf hunters out there. The Zombie Apocalypse is in full swing, and all in all, things are getting scary in and around Millennium City. In this time of undead uprisings, we wanted to spread some calm amongst the community and bring some treats to all you tricksters out there:

Get Your Free Costumes Here!
There was some unfounded panic that we were never giving out new costume pieces again once we introduced costume sets into the C-Store. We thought it would be nice to point out you all the free stuff you’re getting during the Blood Moon event to quell those concerns.

These are Free to ALL players and are persistent past Blood Moon

Celestial Costume Set
Chest & Hips Tights Patterns
Belt
Top accessory
Eye accessory

Assorted Additions
Tuxedo Jacket w/ Tails
Short Cape
Long Pointed Boot w/ various Patterns
Medium Hood
Female Long Hair and Braids for High Collars

These are Free Unlocks (Perks or Drops) found while Playing Blood Moon:

Zombie Hero Costume Parts
Partial Mask Head
Zombie Long Gloves w/ various Patterns
Zombie Long Boots w/ various Patterns
Zombie Tights Chest & Hips w/ various Patterns
Torn Cape

Emblems
Takofanes Symbol
Silver Bullet

Assorted Additions
Werewolf Head Variant
Zombie Half-Skull Head
Takofanes Symbol (Full Mask)

Earning Retcons and Character Slots
We just opened up the ability to purchase these in the C-Store, but we haven’t forgotten our promise that you’ll also be able to get them in-game. Players can already save up resources to retcon their character, but we’re currently working on the technology required to unlock both a free retcon and a free character slot when you get a character to level 40. This is one of the new things we’ll be able to do based on some of the tech we built for the Blood Moon event!

Unlocking Costumes for Your Account
Another side effect of Blood Moon is that we now have technology in place that allows us to track individual character progression to account-wide benefit. This means as soon as we go through all of the costume pieces in the game and tag them appropriately, the vast majority of pieces you earn will be useable on any character you make on that account.

Blood Moon Missions

Dawn of the Undead Heroes
There’s been some confusion as to what level heroes can and can’t get into the gateways after completing the open mission. So to make this simpler, we’ve made it so anyone that is commonly in Millennium City can jump right into the event. We’ve also removed the level restrictions on the mission to save the souls of the undead heroes. You should now see the mission appear for your level. The crypt critters will remain the same level as the enemies outside - so at lower levels, you might find yourself in some pretty tough situations. This is the PERFECT time to join a team and sidekick up!

Also, the intent was not to just have heroes blow through this event in an afternoon. This is why we set the open mission timers as high as we did. We knew that players on the Public Test Server wanted the timer to be shorter because of our smaller test time windows. Now that we’re in the live environment, we’re seeing a wide variety of times to complete this mission chain. To make this particular event more casual-play friendly, we’re going to reduce the timer on the mission so those of you that play for an hour a night have the chance to get into one or two of them.

Finally, we fixed a couple of bugs that cropped up where Vanguard's beacon stayed on even after he is defeated, and Flechette II & Vigil’s portals are not properly re-spawning.

Zombie Apocalypse
Although this was intended to be a high level event until after Blood Moon, we’re going to open it up to everyone during the event. This map will be available in the PvP queue starting at level 5! We also fixed a bug that prevented the score report from displaying when players click on the "report" button mid-game, so now you’ll be able to see where you stack up in that whole “who can survive the longest” competition (or how many non-zombie heroes you’ve taken down)!

BITE
There was a bug where credit for Bite player kills was not being shared across teams. The fix is in for this and will be live ASAP! This will make this part of the mission much easier to accomplish – as intended. However, you also won’t get credit for just standing there during the Bite mission – also as intended.

We also fixed a bug where Wolfsbane, Sol Amulet, and Talbot's Talisman had game time durations instead of real time durations. Also, Werewolf and Hunter amulets are now removed from inventory if the mission is dropped.

Our Mission: To Make More Missions
We’re constantly going through our forums, looking at what you want from the game. Based on this feedback, we’ve put in a lot of content out there in the first 2 months the game has been live – with our new Millennium City and Crossover Missions being the most recent additions:

New Millennium City Missions
New mission chains for heroes of levels 18 - 21 have opened up in Millennium City!

ARGENT at Arms - The corporate giant ARGENT has obtained of the top-secret schematics for the super-villain prison Stronghold and is planning to sell it to the highest bidder. Heroes must infiltrate ARGENT headquarters to recover the plans and discover the mastermind behind this plot.

Try it On for PSIs - There's a conflict breaking out between the mysterious PSI organization known and the ARGENT mega-corporation. What’s so valuable that has these two powerful groups fighting each other? No matter what the cause, the bloodshed must be stopped!

Crossover Missions
Heroes can now share missions with their teammates, even if that teammate is not eligible for, or has already completed the mission! This is an excellent way to help your friends with missions and get additional experience and resources for your good deeds in the process.

The shared mission becomes a “Crossover Mission” for your teammate. If there is an item required for the mission to be completed, they’ll receive it when you share the mission. The mission needs to be turned in at the contact that gives out the original mission, and a hero that completes the Crossover mission receives their own separate mission reward.

Blood Moon Rocks! What’s Next?
We’re working on “Flashbacks” that will let you replay missions you’ve previously completed but want to try again. There is a new repeatable Lair in the works that will feature some very special villains, as well as one that will shake you to the core of your reality. We’re also making passes on the powers right now, focusing on like-types of powers (Offensive Passives, Travel Powers, etc.) and will be rolling out balance changes in the weeks to come. We’re also starting work on our Winter Event that will roll out in December. And then there’s the very big surprise we have in store for early 2010…

What’s This Public Test Shard You Mentioned?
This is the place where we put new elements we’re bringing into the game through their paces. We’ve had it up and running for a few weeks now and the process of getting feedback from there into the game is getting better all the time. We’re just about ready to allow players to do specific Character Transfers from Live to PTS, and we’re also going to have an Incentives program to get you over there to help us test. More news on this in the coming weeks.

Did You Know?
Champions Online had 1 million characters created within the first month of launch! That’s an awesome display of creativity and a truly heroic endeavor.

See you online!

Goryus · 10-27-2009, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronomancer

What’s This Public Test Shard You Mentioned?
This is the place where we put new elements we’re bringing into the game through their paces. We’ve had it up and running for a few weeks now and the process of getting feedback from there into the game is getting better all the time.

Oh, hey, you guys ARE aware that you have one of these...given all the ignoring of things being reported there, I wasn't certain. (The QA guys do post a lot, though. I suppose I should give them that.)

Quote:

We’re just about ready to allow players to do specific Character Transfers from Live to PTS, and we’re also going to have an Incentives program to get you over there to help us test. More news on this in the coming weeks!

Oh, wait, nevermind. It seems the higher ups aren't even aware that the character transfers have been in and working for over a week now.

Agahnim · 10-27-2009, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronomancer

We’re also making passes on the powers right now, focusing on like-types of powers (Offensive Passives, Travel Powers, etc.) and will be rolling out balance changes in the weeks to come.

Oh crap.

Valtharius-the-Mad · 10-27-2009, 05:51 PM

Excellent! Glad to see you taking steps forward to continue to improve the game. I look forward to seeing what is in store for Thanksgiving. LOL Gobble Moon!!! Beware the Stuffing Gravy Lord and his evil minions, Diced Carrots and Peas!

duggera · 10-27-2009, 05:54 PM

Less hate, more great!

Agathorn · 10-27-2009, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronomancer

We knew that players on the Public Test Server wanted the timer to be shorter because of our smaller test time windows. Now that we’re in the live environment, we’re seeing a wide variety of times to complete this mission chain.

That wasn't why we wanted it shorter. We wanted it shorter because we knew the result of a 2 hour timer on live would be exactly what we saw today. If you are going to ask us to playtest, you should at least trust that we are giving you sincere input.

Quote:

What’s This Public Test Shard You Mentioned?
This is the place where we put new elements we’re bringing into the game through their paces. We’ve had it up and running for a few weeks now and the process of getting feedback from there into the game is getting better all the time. We’re just about ready to allow players to do specific Character Transfers from Live to PTS, and we’re also going to have an Incentives program to get you over there to help us test. More news on this in the coming weeks.

We don't need incentives for people to play over there. We need the whole process to work better. I don't know what more we can do to help that but i've sent my concerns to Daeke and QA.

Roxstar · 10-27-2009, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronomancer

We thought it would be nice to point out you all the free stuff you’re getting during the Blood Moon event to quell those concerns.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronomancer

Unlocking Costumes for Your Account
Another side effect of Blood Moon is that we now have technology in place that allows us to track individual character progression to account-wide benefit. This means as soon as we go through all of the costume pieces in the game and tag them appropriately, the vast majority of pieces you earn will be useable on any character you make on that account.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronomancer

Crossover Missions
Heroes can now share missions with their teammates, even if that teammate is not eligible for, or has already completed the mission! This is an excellent way to help your friends with missions and get additional experience and resources for your good deeds in the process.

The shared mission becomes a “Crossover Mission” for your teammate. If there is an item required for the mission to be completed, they’ll receive it when you share the mission. The mission needs to be turned in at the contact that gives out the original mission, and a hero that completes the Crossover mission receives their own separate mission reward.

About friggin' time!!!!! Teaming finally means something!

Thank you so much Cryptic for listening to your player base. It's unfortunate that this couldn't be implimented sooner but HECK YA!!! it's finally in. This makes me a happy lifetime sub.

The_Warrior · 10-27-2009, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chronomancer

Also, the intent was not to just have heroes blow through this event in an afternoon. This is why we set the open mission timers as high as we did.

Then I must respectfully submit that you shouldn't have locked your much-touted, highly-anticipated new power set behind this event. Unless you fundamentally misunderstand your customers, you had to know that lots and lots of people were going to head straight for unlocking this set so that they could play with these powers as soon as possible.

It's fine if you want to spread an event out over time, that's great, but don't put the prize of prizes way down at the mouth of that river unless your goal is a frustrated logjam, and I don't think it is.

Also, I must respectfully question your philosophy on The Zombie Apocalypse being a "high level event" and the way you handle your PvP arenas in general. There is no need to level gate a frag-fest, be it a team frag-fest or a free-for-all frag-fest. It's just a frag-fest on a different map and there's no good reason not to offer the change of scenery to everyone; it is not a worthy prize for gaining 10 levels to get a new map.

A good reason to level gate your PvP arenas is that the rules of the arena demand something that only those allowed through the level gate will have (powers, skills, equipment, what-have-you). Just as an example (I know it's pretty much not applicable to this game) a map that had the flag to be capture is up in the air so it is level gated past when character get flight. But so far, from what I've played and read (can't play the Zombie Apocalypse yet) any set of equal level characters will handle these scenarios equally well, regardless of level.

BlueDagger · 10-27-2009, 05:58 PM

Ok I have been on the boat day one of "Give them time to get content going" but now I'm getting worried. Where is the permanent content?? Yes the events are cool, but there is currently 5 zones with the bare minimum quests to get you to the next set of quests making the game repetitive for alternate characters.

- We need permanent zones and several of them, just make them about 1/4 to 1/2 the current zone size.

- Level 40 needs content ASAP there is currently no driving force to get to max level, making leveling kinda lackluster.

These things need to be addressed asap and yet they seem to be going unnoticed.

Roxstar · 10-27-2009, 05:58 PM

Quick question how do we know where to get all the costume perks????

10-27-2009, 05:37 PM	#1
Chronomancer Cryptic Studios Team Join Date: Nov 2008	State of the Game – 10/27/09 Happy Haunting, Heroes! The Blood Moon has risen and we’re off to a howling good start with our big event. We’ve already seen our first players unlock the new Celestial power set, noticed some Takofanes action figures in tow, and seen a lot of lycanthropic heroes taking a bite out of the werewolf hunters out there. The Zombie Apocalypse is in full swing, and all in all, things are getting scary in and around Millennium City. In this time of undead uprisings, we wanted to spread some calm amongst the community and bring some treats to all you tricksters out there: Get Your Free Costumes Here! There was some unfounded panic that we were never giving out new costume pieces again once we introduced costume sets into the C-Store. We thought it would be nice to point out you all the free stuff you’re getting during the Blood Moon event to quell those concerns. These are Free to ALL players and are persistent past Blood Moon Celestial Costume Set Chest & Hips Tights Patterns Belt Top accessory Eye accessory Assorted Additions Tuxedo Jacket w/ Tails Short Cape Long Pointed Boot w/ various Patterns Medium Hood Female Long Hair and Braids for High Collars These are Free Unlocks (Perks or Drops) found while Playing Blood Moon: Zombie Hero Costume Parts Partial Mask Head Zombie Long Gloves w/ various Patterns Zombie Long Boots w/ various Patterns Zombie Tights Chest & Hips w/ various Patterns Torn Cape Emblems Takofanes Symbol Silver Bullet Assorted Additions Werewolf Head Variant Zombie Half-Skull Head Takofanes Symbol (Full Mask) Earning Retcons and Character Slots We just opened up the ability to purchase these in the C-Store, but we haven’t forgotten our promise that you’ll also be able to get them in-game. Players can already save up resources to retcon their character, but we’re currently working on the technology required to unlock both a free retcon and a free character slot when you get a character to level 40. This is one of the new things we’ll be able to do based on some of the tech we built for the Blood Moon event! Unlocking Costumes for Your Account Another side effect of Blood Moon is that we now have technology in place that allows us to track individual character progression to account-wide benefit. This means as soon as we go through all of the costume pieces in the game and tag them appropriately, the vast majority of pieces you earn will be useable on any character you make on that account. Blood Moon Missions Dawn of the Undead Heroes There’s been some confusion as to what level heroes can and can’t get into the gateways after completing the open mission. So to make this simpler, we’ve made it so anyone that is commonly in Millennium City can jump right into the event. We’ve also removed the level restrictions on the mission to save the souls of the undead heroes. You should now see the mission appear for your level. The crypt critters will remain the same level as the enemies outside - so at lower levels, you might find yourself in some pretty tough situations. This is the PERFECT time to join a team and sidekick up! Also, the intent was not to just have heroes blow through this event in an afternoon. This is why we set the open mission timers as high as we did. We knew that players on the Public Test Server wanted the timer to be shorter because of our smaller test time windows. Now that we’re in the live environment, we’re seeing a wide variety of times to complete this mission chain. To make this particular event more casual-play friendly, we’re going to reduce the timer on the mission so those of you that play for an hour a night have the chance to get into one or two of them. Finally, we fixed a couple of bugs that cropped up where Vanguard's beacon stayed on even after he is defeated, and Flechette II & Vigil’s portals are not properly re-spawning. Zombie Apocalypse Although this was intended to be a high level event until after Blood Moon, we’re going to open it up to everyone during the event. This map will be available in the PvP queue starting at level 5! We also fixed a bug that prevented the score report from displaying when players click on the "report" button mid-game, so now you’ll be able to see where you stack up in that whole “who can survive the longest” competition (or how many non-zombie heroes you’ve taken down)! BITE There was a bug where credit for Bite player kills was not being shared across teams. The fix is in for this and will be live ASAP! This will make this part of the mission much easier to accomplish – as intended. However, you also won’t get credit for just standing there during the Bite mission – also as intended. We also fixed a bug where Wolfsbane, Sol Amulet, and Talbot's Talisman had game time durations instead of real time durations. Also, Werewolf and Hunter amulets are now removed from inventory if the mission is dropped. Our Mission: To Make More Missions We’re constantly going through our forums, looking at what you want from the game. Based on this feedback, we’ve put in a lot of content out there in the first 2 months the game has been live – with our new Millennium City and Crossover Missions being the most recent additions: New Millennium City Missions New mission chains for heroes of levels 18 - 21 have opened up in Millennium City! ARGENT at Arms - The corporate giant ARGENT has obtained of the top-secret schematics for the super-villain prison Stronghold and is planning to sell it to the highest bidder. Heroes must infiltrate ARGENT headquarters to recover the plans and discover the mastermind behind this plot. Try it On for PSIs - There's a conflict breaking out between the mysterious PSI organization known and the ARGENT mega-corporation. What’s so valuable that has these two powerful groups fighting each other? No matter what the cause, the bloodshed must be stopped! Crossover Missions Heroes can now share missions with their teammates, even if that teammate is not eligible for, or has already completed the mission! This is an excellent way to help your friends with missions and get additional experience and resources for your good deeds in the process. The shared mission becomes a “Crossover Mission” for your teammate. If there is an item required for the mission to be completed, they’ll receive it when you share the mission. The mission needs to be turned in at the contact that gives out the original mission, and a hero that completes the Crossover mission receives their own separate mission reward. Blood Moon Rocks! What’s Next? We’re working on “Flashbacks” that will let you replay missions you’ve previously completed but want to try again. There is a new repeatable Lair in the works that will feature some very special villains, as well as one that will shake you to the core of your reality. We’re also making passes on the powers right now, focusing on like-types of powers (Offensive Passives, Travel Powers, etc.) and will be rolling out balance changes in the weeks to come. We’re also starting work on our Winter Event that will roll out in December. And then there’s the very big surprise we have in store for early 2010… What’s This Public Test Shard You Mentioned? This is the place where we put new elements we’re bringing into the game through their paces. We’ve had it up and running for a few weeks now and the process of getting feedback from there into the game is getting better all the time. We’re just about ready to allow players to do specific Character Transfers from Live to PTS, and we’re also going to have an Incentives program to get you over there to help us test. More news on this in the coming weeks. Did You Know? Champions Online had 1 million characters created within the first month of launch! That’s an awesome display of creativity and a truly heroic endeavor. See you online! __________________ Chronomancer Changing Time since 2142

10-27-2009, 05:51 PM	#4
Valtharius-the-Mad Champion Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Northern Wastes of Minnesota	Excellent! Glad to see you taking steps forward to continue to improve the game. I look forward to seeing what is in store for Thanksgiving. LOL Gobble Moon!!! Beware the Stuffing Gravy Lord and his evil minions, Diced Carrots and Peas! __________________ ~Valtharius the Mad Wildcard - Co-Leader of T.E.R.R.O.R. - Lone wolf, gambler and expert gunman. Other Characters: Mother Russia - Whiplash - Valhalla - Lich Lord - Kurgan the Axe Murderer "Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc"

10-27-2009, 05:54 PM	#5
duggera Champion Join Date: Feb 2008	Less hate, more great! __________________ What I said is just my two cents. You can pick them up, or leave them on the pavement for others. They're only pennies. - LIFETIME SUBSCRIBER -

10-27-2009, 05:58 PM	#9
BlueDagger Champion Join Date: Apr 2009	Ok I have been on the boat day one of "Give them time to get content going" but now I'm getting worried. Where is the permanent content?? Yes the events are cool, but there is currently 5 zones with the bare minimum quests to get you to the next set of quests making the game repetitive for alternate characters. - We need permanent zones and several of them, just make them about 1/4 to 1/2 the current zone size. - Level 40 needs content ASAP there is currently no driving force to get to max level, making leveling kinda lackluster. These things need to be addressed asap and yet they seem to be going unnoticed. __________________ Thanks Superchum! I'm still very angry about VB, but there is signs of improvement. Keep on the up n' up and you may win back my heart.

10-27-2009, 05:58 PM	#10
Roxstar Champion Join Date: Feb 2008	Quick question how do we know where to get all the costume perks???? __________________ ExtantForce.com Roxstar \| Rush! \| Dr. Bionic \| Arella \| Ice Penguin \| Purple Psychic Original Artwork by Scott Turk