Champions Online: The No-NDA Merged Edition

[Soln]

I've never Twitter and I used it back on CompuServe days.  Regardless, I got the message.

[Lantyssa]

He banned someone for teasing him using the 'at' symbol.  He really, really hates it.  Sometimes you just have to learn not to push that one button.  Even I'm smart enough to not be a smart-ass about it.

[Triforcer]

I don't think that person was really banned.

[Lantyssa]

It was short, but I believe there was.  Even if it's smoke and mirrors, I believe.

[Trippy]

Teleku did in fact get temp banned for being a smartass.

[Koyasha]

If Blizzard knew then what it knows now, I think they probably would have done a lot of things differently. If EQ had offered a lifetime sub, I'm sure they would have considered it.

Blizzard will offer lifetime subs on their next title and could get away with charging $500 for them. Entire guilds would pay it.

Or they could charge $20 a month for sub fees. Or go fully microtrans. Or offer a mix. It's Blizzard.

If EQ had offered lifetime subs I don't know if I would have bought one, but looking back on things, even right now, today, having not played in a long time, I would wish I had bought two.  It would make it easier to go back for just a little bit, screw around for a week or two, whenever I get nostalgic for it, which I do quite often.

Interestingly for Sony and any other games that offer veteran rewards, one of the things that prevents me from coming back anymore is veteran rewards.  It discourages me that I won't have the rewards for all the time I wasn't subscribed.  I wonder if rewards like that retain more than they keep away.  After a certain point for me it's just not worth going back because I don't have all the cool rewards.  It also hurts when you have multiple accounts that you didn't buy at the same time.  Again in EQ, I have an account I started at launch, one started somewhere in the late Kunark or early Velious Ages, and one started days before the Planar Age.  The last one is the one that the character that became my main is on, and when later on, they introduced veteran rewards and things that are related to your account/character's creation date, it really, really dissapointed me that I couldn't get them on my most significant character.

I strongly feel that any game that's going to offer rewards for staying subscribed should let you back-purchase old rewards so that if it is important enough to you, you can pay them extra and get the old rewards.  Also, I feel that it's important that they announce that there are/will be such rewards at launch and not several years later, so you can plan accordingly.  If you get to an 'I like this game but I'm gonna take a break' point, knowing that there will be veteran rewards may make a difference in your choice as to whether to stay subscribed or not.  Perhaps you feel the rewards are worth the money even if you're not actively playing.

On a slightly related note, one of the things I strongly support microtransactions on is for time-limited stuff.  Such as something that's available only during X time period, like during a holiday.  If I can pay a couple of bucks and buy something that was only available during halloween or during a specific event on a specific year or something, I might do that.

[Sky]

Trippy, I'm not sure how this post will ever get your attention without using the @ symbol in front of your name. How will you ever realize this paragraph is intended for you to read? I think it's outrageous you are depriving people of the ability to talk to each other within a thread.

[Trippy]

Trippy, I'm not sure how this post will ever get your attention without using the @ symbol in front of your name. How will you ever realize this paragraph is intended for you to read? I think it's outrageous you are depriving people of the ability to talk to each other within a thread.

I banned Teleku for being a smartass. I will ban you other smartasses too. I HAVE NO SENSE OF HUMOR REGARDING THIS MATTER.

[Sky]

HAO DID U KNOW? UR SYKIK! 

My point, for your unhumourousness, is that it's silly to use the @ symbol, when not using it still prefaces the motherfucking sentence/paragraph/reply with the person's name. I agree witchu.

[Typhon]

Powersets section of the CO website recently updated with Ice.  I hadn't seen that this section was finally populated with content (first update was July 28), so I found it interesting to get some concrete info on how the breakdown between building powers and consuming powers worked out.

I wish the NDA would lift as I'm leaning toward being excited about another super hero game, but I rather not waste my time if it's not as least as good as CoH.

[Sky]

I've always figured it was going to be exactly like CoH. I don't think that's a bad thing, I just hope they tweak the formula a bit to cut down on repetition.

[Goreschach]

I know they're going for the minimalist, arcadey style combat, but are those skill sets listed complete? They seem pretty short and generic.

[Ingmar]

Ice burst looks a little, ah, suggestive.

[tmp]

For that matter so do ice shards...

[UnSub]

For that matter so do ice shards...

If your penis looks like that, please see a doctor about it.

[tmp]

Not exactly the penis itself; but what bursts out of it, welp

[Lantyssa]

Using Ice Burst leads to Ice Shards...

[Ashamanchill]

Using Ice Burst leads to Ice Shards...

Hahaha.  I'm sure there's room for some joke about snowballs in there too.

[Malakili]

The gadgeteering power set looks pretty entertaining: http://champions-online.com/node/112713

Experimental Blaster is a weapon of your own invention that fires a beam at your target, dealing damage and sometimes having other more. . . unpredictable effects.
Tap
Single target particle damage
1% chance to turn target into a teddy bear for a short time

[Hayduke]

The gadgeteering power set looks pretty entertaining: http://champions-online.com/node/112713

Experimental Blaster is a weapon of your own invention that fires a beam at your target, dealing damage and sometimes having other more. . . unpredictable effects.
Tap
Single target particle damage
1% chance to turn target into a teddy bear for a short time

Yeah AD&D used to have that.  Fea's Flesh-to-Plush.

[Soln]

Sorry, I haven't been paying attention at all.  Still confused why anyone cares.  How is this game just not CoH? 

[Kageru]

I'd like it more if it was CoH refined. But it isn't, it's a very different game. Of course the specific differences are 

[Jimbo]

Yep, so much  I wish I could answer the questions you all are asking but not till they drop it.

[Trippy]

Stop it with the before I smack all of you. It won't be long now and then you can blab all you want.

[ezrast]

Sorry, I haven't been paying attention at all.  Still confused why anyone cares.  How is this game just not CoH? 

This game looks less similar to CoH than most MMOs look to Everquest. And there are some of us who would be pleased with a CoH 2.0.

[Big Gulp]

Stop it with the before I smack all of you. It won't be long now and then you can blab all you want.

Jesus, man.  I don't know if someone pissed in your Cheerios lately, but take a damned break if you need to.  The boards will still be here when you get back. 

[Trippy]

http://forums.f13.net/index.php?topic=13793.0

[Nebu]

This game looks less similar to CoH than most MMOs look to Everquest. And there are some of us who would be pleased with a CoH 2.0.

I'd be among them. 
 

[eldaec]

This game looks less similar to CoH than most MMOs look to Everquest. And there are some of us who would be pleased with a CoH 2.0.

I'd be among them. 
 

All of this.

[Typhon]

I pre-ordered this weekend.  Now I'm wondering if i"m likely to play for 6 months.

[Kageru]

I'd love a CoH version 2. Paragon are trying to refresh the live game but that's a pretty tall order.

[Numtini]

Has any game reallly done a real refresh? Something that really made it feel like a new game?

[Kageru]

I suspect SWG probably qualifies, but not as a very good argument in favor.

CoH is pretty weird though because I as understand things cryptic were running it down in favor of focusing on CO. So getting more developers and actually becoming the focus of the supporting company gives them some new possibilities. Though there's just such inertia and legacy with an old game.

[Rake]

Has any game reallly done a real refresh? Something that really made it feel like a new game?

I think the 2 WoW expansions made it feel like a new game in many ways.

Many characters have been changed so much that they play quite differently, and with many other changes, it's almost fair to say they have become like new games each time.

I also think Asheron's Call 2 was pretty much remade, just not instantly, but over time they replaced all the fun with so called fixes and balances.

SWG is still the one that I remember most for having a complete change for the worse.

[Triforcer]

I don't think a "revamp" is ever going to turn an elderly game (and for this genre, 3 or 4 years is elderly) with rather average numbers into a smash hit.  Could a fresh infusion maintain sub numbers or slow the natural rate of decay?  Probably, but potential new customers are always going to gravitate to the new shiny- there isn't a daunting barrier to entry on day 1 like there is on day 1,100. 

As to COx specifically, a few grognards will claim CO "sucks" and stay forever- but between CO and DCUO later, COx isn't going to be growing anytime soon.