Champions Online

[crownsy]

I've had to shut it down, just zero time with class to justify the 15 bucks.

 

Was a sweet game though, may come back if time allows

[jesterx7769]

Are you guys still playing? I am playing this weekend since its free to check it out, just waiting on the endless patching.

[jesterx7769]

I ended up getting it but how do you get the hood and overcoats? theres only a few costume sets at the store and none of them seem to have it

[Antithesis]

Hoods and trenchcoats etc were part of the default costumes when i bought the game. just have to play around with the costume selector to find them.

 

At the top part when you are on headgear, select hoods. When on chest parts, select jackets.

 

http://i994.photobucket.com/albums/af61/GateControlTheory/COX.jpg

[Moderndaywarrior]

Are you guys still playing? I am playing this weekend since its free to check it out, just waiting on the endless patching.

 

I'm still playing, just finished the Blood moon event and unlocked the Celestial power set yesterday.

[jesterx7769]

Thanks for the tips on hoods and jackets, I didn't even realize that drop down box hence why I don't rip on noobs cuz when I start I am a bad total noob at every game

 

I am finding it really interesting so far and haven't the completed the tutorial with anyone yet b/c I am having fun figuring everyone out. The guns and claws dissapoint me b/c they keep coming and going graphically. The supernatural is strong and i made some bad ass undead dude, of course fire and ice are always fun as well.

 

Anyone recognize the pattern used in this? http://champions-online.com/heroes/celestar its been pissing me off that I can't figure it out since it looks like a lightning pattern but its not

[Remianen]

I am finding it really interesting so far and haven't the completed the tutorial with anyone yet b/c I am having fun figuring everyone out. The guns and claws dissapoint me b/c they keep coming and going graphically. The supernatural is strong and i made some bad ass undead dude, of course fire and ice are always fun as well.

 

Anyone recognize the pattern used in this? http://champions-online.com/heroes/celestar its been pissing me off that I can't figure it out since it looks like a lightning pattern but its not

 

Stick with it. Munitions is ridiculously fun. Lead Tempest is basically the gun kata scene from Equilibrium. Right now, there's only one really good set in Martial arts and that's dual blades (and even that's not all that great compared to the ranged sets). The others (claws, single blade, unarmed) are...meh. Single blade currently has an overpowered ability (something with the Swallowtail Cut advantage) but that'll be changed soonish.

 

The patterns for several of the signature heroes and villains are unique and not available in the costume creator.

 

Oh and when you do finish the tutorial, when you get to the celebration part, as you're coming down the stairs (toward the mayor), turn left. Look who's hiding over there

 

Someone log in and invite mah Seraph to GDS. Unlocked the Celestial set and I like it so far. Once I unlock the support role, it'll get even better.

[Purple Cowboy]

I haven't been on much, but checked in this weekend. My WoW priest is now at 74 so I'm feeling more of a compulsion to get him to 80 than to lvl in CO atm.

[Purple Cowboy]

Anyone get their Star Trek Online beta invites? Apparently I already missed one session, next one on Thursday.

[Remianen]

Anyone get their Star Trek Online beta invites? Apparently I already missed one session, next one on Thursday.

 

I aint got squat and it's startin' to piss me off.

 

EDIT: Though I was told that the reason for that is my computer. They're trying to get the game working well on lower spec'd machines so having a bunch of people in CB with bleeding edge rigs wouldn't help much with that. I should've lied on my app.

[Purple Cowboy]

Weird... I'm running on a top of the line Asus lappy, guess it sucks.

[praguepride]

I feel like such a sucker. I got a lifetime sub and played it like, 2 weeks post-launch before stopping

[Remianen]

Weird... I'm running on a top of the line Asus lappy, guess it sucks.

 

Nah, it's not that. You might be one of the few admitted (I know someone else in CB who has a bleeding edge PC). I don't know if they consider laptops the same way they do desktops. Given the fact that the top laptops often lag behind the top PCs, they may just consider them as one group.

 

Like, the rig I registered with is a Core i7 Extreme with 8 gigs of RAM and a GTX 285 card someone gave me a few months back with 7.1 X-Fi Fatal!ty sound. Apparently, that is far and away above the 'recommended' specs for the game and not what they believe the 'core' user would be running. So they're loading up closed beta with people running PCs with specs that fit within the minimum to recommended spec range, with a few higher ends just to be sure. It seems they've caught on to the fact that people judge a game in OPEN beta as if it were 'done' so stability issues at that stage can wreck you (and that's largely true).

 

I understand it but understanding something and liking it are often two different things.

[Remianen]

I feel like such a sucker. I got a lifetime sub and played it like, 2 weeks post-launch before stopping

 

I dunno, I think your expectations might've been unrealistic.

 

I have a lifetime sub too but didn't expect to play it regularly until next year. MMOs don't launch in a perfect state. Heck, nowadays, MMOs don't always launch in a PLAYABLE state. I always believe that the first year post-release is when an MMO 'finds itself' or 'gets its sea legs' (in the case of Pirates of the Burning Sea ). MMOs from developers with deep pockets and firm reputations to protect (see: Blizzard, Bioware) tend to be held in longer until they're 'done'. But most developers don't have that luxury. As much as people pan it, World of Warcraft at launch was the single most polished MMO in the genre's history. The problems it had at launch were largely a result of demand they didn't expect. If you're planning for 500,000 users and you get hammered with 2-3 MILLION, your servers are going to crash constantly until you get more infrastructure online. The queue system was put in specifically for that reason. I remember that rather vividly.

 

But all I say is give it time. There are always extenuating circumstances. Personally, I don't think an MMO run by Bill Roper (and overseen by Jack Emmert) can really be a runaway success. It'll be niche but it'll be a strong niche (until DCUO launches, at least). But that's okay because CoX is in that position right now. If you recall, CoX didn't get REALLY popular...until after Cryptic sold it (or, more accurately, until Jack stepped back and let Matt run the show solo in the months leading up to the acquisition). This time next year, Champions (assuming it survives) will be a game worth playing as your primary MMO. By that time, you'll be basically playing for free. At least that's how I looked at it.

[Purple Cowboy]

Nah, it's not that. You might be one of the few admitted (I know someone else in CB who has a bleeding edge PC). I don't know if they consider laptops the same way they do desktops. Given the fact that the top laptops often lag behind the top PCs, they may just consider them as one group.

 

Like, the rig I registered with is a Core i7 Extreme with 8 gigs of RAM and a GTX 285 card someone gave me a few months back with 7.1 X-Fi Fatal!ty sound. Apparently, that is far and away above the 'recommended' specs for the game and not what they believe the 'core' user would be running. So they're loading up closed beta with people running PCs with specs that fit within the minimum to recommended spec range, with a few higher ends just to be sure. It seems they've caught on to the fact that people judge a game in OPEN beta as if it were 'done' so stability issues at that stage can wreck you (and that's largely true).

 

I understand it but understanding something and liking it are often two different things.

 

lol right on. Yeah, maybe they want to see about the laptop or somesuch. Sometimes it's hard to tell.

[Purple Cowboy]

I feel like such a sucker. I got a lifetime sub and played it like, 2 weeks post-launch before stopping

 

I haven't played much at all since launch, mostly because I'm nearing the end of a monster grind in WoW with a priest (he's 77 now) and am just focusing on getting him to 80 atm.

[alden]

I just picked up the game yesterday. I am enjoying it so far. A little comic bookie but i guess that is the point. The combat is a little basic at this point but i am only level 5 also. I am going to have to give it a few weeks to see if i actuly am going to keep playing.

[AlaskanHero]

I got the invite to the Star Trek beta, but my problem is that I can't download the game. I try to go to the Beta forums, but it says I'm not authorized. Despite the main site saying that I've been activated for the program.

[Moderndaywarrior]

I dunno, I think your expectations might've been unrealistic.

 

I have a lifetime sub too but didn't expect to play it regularly until next year. MMOs don't launch in a perfect state. Heck, nowadays, MMOs don't always launch in a PLAYABLE state. I always believe that the first year post-release is when an MMO 'finds itself' or 'gets its sea legs' (in the case of Pirates of the Burning Sea ). MMOs from developers with deep pockets and firm reputations to protect (see: Blizzard, Bioware) tend to be held in longer until they're 'done'. But most developers don't have that luxury. As much as people pan it, World of Warcraft at launch was the single most polished MMO in the genre's history. The problems it had at launch were largely a result of demand they didn't expect. If you're planning for 500,000 users and you get hammered with 2-3 MILLION, your servers are going to crash constantly until you get more infrastructure online. The queue system was put in specifically for that reason. I remember that rather vividly.

 

But all I say is give it time. There are always extenuating circumstances. Personally, I don't think an MMO run by Bill Roper (and overseen by Jack Emmert) can really be a runaway success. It'll be niche but it'll be a strong niche (until DCUO launches, at least). But that's okay because CoX is in that position right now. If you recall, CoX didn't get REALLY popular...until after Cryptic sold it (or, more accurately, until Jack stepped back and let Matt run the show solo in the months leading up to the acquisition). This time next year, Champions (assuming it survives) will be a game worth playing as your primary MMO. By that time, you'll be basically playing for free. At least that's how I looked at it.

 

That's the thing,WoW was well done at launch and still there were more than a few problems,being as that was one of the better releases it's a tad much to think that a smaller company with less capital will approach that level,much less surpass it.

 

My thing with the WoW release is now that seems to some sort of expected standard,as if a smaller company with maybe 1/4(if they're lucky) of the capital to invest is going to do as well as a corporation that sunk a very good chunk into development.Not only that,you see people refer to the WoW launch as if it were almost mythical,some perfect and smooth unhindered thing when the truth was it was smoother than most but by far it wasn't without annoying problems....maybe it's just WoW is so popular and liked people tend to look back and forget about it's fault a little,who knows?

 

I do find though if you bring up the long queues and everything else that annoyed people @WoW launch,you usually get jumped on and flamed by a bunch of so called "experts"(or fanboys,as is the case) who have all "played since WoW Closed Beta" will try and tell you some revisionist version of history as if what I saw with my own two eyes never happened....for Pete's sake,what is this,The Manchurian Cnadidate?Still,the inevitable annoyed reaction tells me I hit on a nerve....it's ind of sad to see folks with no stake beyond consumerism get so defensive over a bunch of little pretend men running around swinging their pretend sword at other little pretend men to the point of Crusader like zeal and fanaticism.

 

I guess the bottom line is: Games are just a fun way to pass time and escape the real world a little,and like everything else, no game is perfect.....go into it with grand expectations are surely you'll be let down every time....just relax,play,have fun, and take each game for what it is.

[praguepride]

Compared to other MMO's at launch, I'd say Champions was very well polished.

 

Most people (including me ) are just bitter about the huge nerf patch that sucker punched us all with no warning.

 

Before the patch I really felt like a super hero, I could charge into huge groups of enemies and take them all down lickity split.

 

Now I have to fall into Everquest patterns where you carefully aggro one mob at a time and lure them back so your fight doesn't roll into another yadda yadda yadda. It went from fresh & fun to standard boring blah pretty quickly.

 

I'm hoping they'll un-nerf some stuff so it goes back to being fun.

[Moderndaywarrior]

Compared to other MMO's at launch, I'd say Champions was very well polished.

 

Most people (including me ) are just bitter about the huge nerf patch that sucker punched us all with no warning.

 

Before the patch I really felt like a super hero, I could charge into huge groups of enemies and take them all down lickity split.

 

Now I have to fall into Everquest patterns where you carefully aggro one mob at a time and lure them back so your fight doesn't roll into another yadda yadda yadda. It went from fresh & fun to standard boring blah pretty quickly.

 

I'm hoping they'll un-nerf some stuff so it goes back to being fun.

 

I agree,it wasn't quite as bad as some folks made it out;it was the anger over "The Launch Patch"(which is how it will be remembered in the mythology of Chapions Online,perhaps even all of MMO's) that caused the problems....I would imagine for those who had no contact with Closed beta or Pre-Launch it was confusing...."Seems about what I expected,what is everyone so mad about?" lol.

 

All in all, "The Patch" did suck and there were definitely more and bigger changes than they should have done at one time(and some changes not at all),but I find I can still handle 3-4 even con or 2-3 +1 con bad guys as long as I use all the powers at my disposal so i'm alright;which makes me wonder how much of the frustration was more related to "the patch" suddenly making some powers bad picks which kind of destroyed the idea of "effecive concept characters".

 

My big worry is the whole "PvE vs. PvP" thing; seems like they won't be going to truly separate systems for PvP and PvE,which means,being a PvE guy,I wonder how much of my fun will become "collateral damage" because of the nature of PvP and its players,in MMO's.

[praguepride]

I think Guild Wars actually did it right. You could create a seperate PvP character that was automatically max level. Questing in single player would unlock better gear and abilities for your pvp stuff, but the two were pretty independent.

 

I thought that was brilliant, as well as their free online play. Only problem is that the game sucked a** otherwise.

 

Good graphics, but only 20 levels? And the whole game was just "make your way to the next town"

[Moderndaywarrior]

I think Guild Wars actually did it right. You could create a seperate PvP character that was automatically max level. Questing in single player would unlock better gear and abilities for your pvp stuff, but the two were pretty independent.

 

I thought that was brilliant, as well as their free online play. Only problem is that the game sucked a** otherwise.

 

Good graphics, but only 20 levels? And the whole game was just "make your way to the next town"

 

That's pretty much everyone's opinion on Guild Wars, in a way they did as well as they did because it was far enough under the radar that there was no pressure to try and put itself on a level of this or that game,plus the whole free thing.

[Remianen]

Compared to other MMO's at launch, I'd say Champions was very well polished.

 

Other MMOs? What, like Anarchy Online? EVE?

 

Most people (including me ) are just bitter about the huge nerf patch that sucker punched us all with no warning.

 

That's just it. 'Polish' means the game plays well from beginning to end without major changes from the prerelease version. Sure, you have to fix minor issues and bugs that crop up with hundreds of thousands of people hitting your systems. But having to completely revamp the game and throwing all of the previous balance out the window on launch day is not polished.

 

When WoW shipped, a friend of mine hit 60 in 11 days. There was content enough for him to do that, without having to take quests 5+ levels above him. CO at launch had massive gaps in some level ranges AND most of the time, you had to take +4 quests because they were the only things available. And hell, WoW had the advantage of being able to grind mobs for good xp which you can't do in CO (mob xp is atrocious).

 

I'm not gonna sugarcoat anything. WoW's launch was freakin' stupid. The game had 1.1 million preorders....and they didn't plan for 1.1 million people to hit the damn servers. WHA? They developed the queue system in open beta, gee, I wonder why? So no, its first month wasn't flawless like some newbies who wish they were playing at the time would have you believe. But the game itself, was as polished as any MMO to date. People were hitting max level within weeks...by doing quests. That means there were enough quests to do from 1 to 60, even while skipping the ELITE ones (until they were yellow or green). Molten Core wasn't finished at launch but there were several different paths to take to 60, all of which worked from day one.

 

I agree,it wasn't quite as bad as some folks made it out;it was the anger over "The Launch Patch"(which is how it will be remembered in the mythology of Chapions Online,perhaps even all of MMO's) that caused the problems....I would imagine for those who had no contact with Closed beta or Pre-Launch it was confusing...."Seems about what I expected,what is everyone so mad about?" lol.

 

All in all, "The Patch" did suck and there were definitely more and bigger changes than they should have done at one time(and some changes not at all),but I find I can still handle 3-4 even con or 2-3 +1 con bad guys as long as I use all the powers at my disposal so i'm alright;which makes me wonder how much of the frustration was more related to "the patch" suddenly making some powers bad picks which kind of destroyed the idea of "effecive concept characters".

 

But that's a huge problem. Many people were sold on the game as it existed in open beta. They told their friends about it based on that experience. People ran to the store to preorder to get the headstart benefit. Then, on release day, the game goes from present-day CoH (made even easier) to EverQuest circa 2000. That's a huge problem and it'll kill their STO preorders, I believe.

 

My big worry is the whole "PvE vs. PvP" thing; seems like they won't be going to truly separate systems for PvP and PvE,which means,being a PvE guy,I wonder how much of my fun will become "collateral damage" because of the nature of PvP and its players,in MMO's.

 

This is going to be a problem with every game that doesn't state its focus straight up. For example, EVE is a PvP game. That's how they sell it, that's how they promote it, that's what it is. However, PvE has a very valuable place in the game (it's what you do to support your PvP activities, it's how newbies are introduced to the game, it's the backbone of the game really). You can't PvP there for very long without PvE to replenish your stores, and keep up on skills. CO is trying to serve two masters who are diametrically opposed more often than not, and you can't do that effectively.

 

So yeah, PvP is going to destroy PvE eventually, unless Cryptic chooses a side.

[Moderndaywarrior]

But that's a huge problem. Many people were sold on the game as it existed in open beta. They told their friends about it based on that experience. People ran to the store to preorder to get the headstart benefit. Then, on release day, the game goes from present-day CoH (made even easier) to EverQuest circa 2000. That's a huge problem and it'll kill their STO preorders, I believe.

 

Agreed,it is a huge problem and was undoubtedly a screw up of epic proportions on the part of the CO team;just saying that although it had it's flaws they were minor compared to "The Patch", it was far and away "The Patch"(and accompanying furore) that screwed up release more than anything else.....unfortunately it is recent enough that no amount of spin is going to keep gamers from remembering how they got burned by "The Patch" when STO rolls around.

 

 

 

Couldn't agree more on the PvE/PvP thing as well; trying to keep everyone happy without going separate systems is an absolutely impossible balancing act,and more often than not it is PvE which takes the hit for it....years of DAoC,CoX,and even AoC has taught me that.