Food For Thought:

[SurfD]

http://www.gamedaily.com/mmoguide/article.asp?aID=367

[Murgos]

Ya beat me to it.

On update 2:

GameDAILY: What do you want to tell us about Update 2? What new features will there be?

Brian: It’s something we’ve been entrenched in for a couple of months. We expect to release it around the September/October timeframe.

Jack: We can earn their capes starting at level 20. There’s a whole storyline regarding why you can’t get it earlier. There is a new lower level zone called The Hollow. A new interdimensional zone called the Shadow Shard will introduce players to a conqueror named Rularuu the Ravager. The Terra Volta Trial will have players save the nuclear power plant from attack. If they succeed, they will be able to re-spec all their powers. You can do this trial once every ten levels, so you can choose to redo this should you have any powers you don’t like. We are also going to include mission customizations.

Our goal is to make every mission seem unique. We’re adding in new art, new A.I., and most importantly – new mission objectives. This isn’t just for high levels. This is for all levels. We’re going to have locked door technologies, wandering sentries, and new mission objectives that don’t necessarily include defeating everybody or freeing hostages.

At level 30, just capes and costumes are available at level 20, people can choose from ongoing special effects on their bodies. They can have flames around their head, crackling electricity around their body, or eyes that glow more prominently than they do currently. Then there are the quality of life issues. Teleport and resurrection confirmation will be included. We’re looking into a quick trade, where someone can give a person an inspiration quickly in the heat of battle. People will be able look for groups across zones. So, instead of being limited to one zone, they can see the entire server. There are other things too, but I don’t want to spoil you. It all depends on how hard the software guys can work and how difficult some issues are.

And some hints at update 3:

Jack: Web-slinging is pretty much the hardest thing in the universe. Spider-Man 2 is a great console game, but their entire budget went into making web-slinging and wall-crawling work. We’re working on it, but it’s probably not going to be out as quickly as other things. In Update 3, we’ll be giving signature weapons, where you can design your own weapons for your heroes. We’ll be doing archery power sets and sonic power sets. We’ll also be adding powers to existing power sets. There will be new archetypes, but it is a matter of when things come together. There is a rough plan of when they’re going to go in, but I can’t give you a date. Until it’s rock-solid, I’d hate to commit to something.

[CmdrSlack]

Sounds like a lot coming down the pipe.

I personally can't wait for Necromancy.

[SurfD]

Sounds like a lot coming down the pipe.

I personally can't wait for Necromancy.

Yep, cant wait till they give me whatever powerset those death shamans get (summons his Dessicated Husk pet to lay waste to the enemy)

[CmdrSlack]

Hehe, I was making a UO joke, but not that you mention it, zombies and junk should totally be a powerset in CoV.

[Alluvian]

Nice to see them confirm archery.  They have talked about it in the beta period, but it looks like it will be release 3 or so before it gets in.  I already have a character name reserved ready for archery to come in.

If web slinging is in he will probably take that as well, and pretend he is doing more of the daredevil swinging thing than the web swinging thing.  Wall climbing is already in pretty much, they just named it combat jumping.

[Fargull]

Hehehehe...

"In Update 3, we’ll be giving signature weapons, where you can design your own weapons for your heroes."

Screw the broadsword, I want a chainsaw.

Ash all the way baby!

[kaid]

They have already mentioned that minions would be available in some manner in COV. I would have to assume that they will have a variety of types and I can only imagine that undead or something like it will be part of it.


Kaid

[Big Gulp]

Arggh!  September/October until the new goodies come to fruition?  Damn.  Of course, I still haven't seen the post 40 lvl stuff they've added, so maybe I shouldn't be bitching.

Also, most companies would have made they type of stuff they've already included as free updates into a commercial expansion pack.  So once again, I should probably STFU.

[ClydeJr]

we’ll be giving signature weapons, where you can design your own weapons for your heroes.

I'm curious as to what these signature weapons are actually going to be. Is it just a graphical change, such as picking the type of blade on your sword or changing the color of your blasts? Or will it be something better such as building your own power or enhancing a current power with a secondary effect, like adding a taunt component to Burn?

I hope they're also working on adding new costume items. Since the tailor is now in, people can change their current characters to have new items. I'm not sure how that would affect memory requirements though.

[Alluvian]

Well, looks like the second update will have capes and particle effect clothing at the least.  I would suspect wings in update 3.  They seem like they are considering making winged avatars a new body build, which I think is a mistake.  I think they should just add wings as a 'back' slot clothing item.  Include jetpacks, backpacks, capes, wings, etc...  The advantage of making it a new body build is that they could take the wings into effect with any combat or movement animations on the new body build.

[Sable Blaze]

I'd love a set of wings. Would fit into my whole valkyrie motif.

Also, I want a Oakshott type XXa great sword sooooooooo badly! Even if a type X would be more correct for said valkyrie.

This would be too cool for words.

[Alkiera]

we’ll be giving signature weapons, where you can design your own weapons for your heroes.

I'm curious as to what these signature weapons are actually going to be. Is it just a graphical change, such as picking the type of blade on your sword or changing the color of your blasts? Or will it be something better such as building your own power or enhancing a current power with a secondary effect, like adding a taunt component to Burn?

I believe they're doing the former, i.e. having more than one axe, broadsword, katana, assault rifle, etc, and letting users of those powersets choose which one shows up when they use their powers.  I'm not sure if this will allow others to modify colors on their particle effects or not.

I hope they're also working on adding new costume items. Since the tailor is now in, people can change their current characters to have new items. I'm not sure how that would affect memory requirements though.

I'd guess that the current requirements give them at least some room to expand costumes.  We aren't exactly in the 2MB card era of early EQ.

One of my friends is eagerly awating the opportunity to braid her character's hair.

--
Alkiera

[Glazius]

One of my friends is eagerly awating the opportunity to braid her character's hair.

--
Alkiera

Apropos of nothing, but if you go with the skullcap helmet you get a braided ponytail trailing down behind it.

Probably doesn't fit the concept, though I make it work with my spunky little kineticist.

--GF

[kaid]

I believe the custom weapon thing will either come in one of two ways and the second is the one I expect to see.

1. Big number of different axes, swords, guns and what not that a person can select.

2. A selection of a number of different weapon templates that you could change things like hilt/blade/runes and what not similar to how the character is created.

I expect the second if it is at all doable in their system because that would allow for the easiest addition of new looks and give the players the most diversity. One thing that kept me away from assult rifle is it just seems silly with every assult blaster out there all having the exact same gun. Must have been a gun blow out sale at S Mart.

I am hoping beyond hope that when those weapon selections come out perhaps they will let us tint or change the color of other super powers blasts. I love the defenders psy blasts but the freaking pinkness is just to much.

Kaid

[Murgos]

Shop Smart, Shop S Mart!

Models are hard, textures are easy.  I would expect to see a few new models for each of the hand held weapons with several textures for each.

Sword A, Sword B?  Black blade with gold hilt, White blade with red hilt?

But thats just because I'm a pessimist.

Now, what would really be cool would be a plugin for 3DS max and photoshop and let the players make stuff from scratch.  Of course that would require unlimted memory (RAM, Storage AND Video), Massive Bandwidth and a reasonable reviewing policy to stop all the giant pink penis shaped swords from entering the game but I can dream can't I?

[HaemishM]

Ohhhh, but if I could add a Bo staff to my current Martial arts scrapper, that would be the bizzomb, y0! That's what I was hoping Martial Artists could do when I took the power.

Every update they put out seems to have something I want in the game.

[shiznitz]

What good is a Bo staff if all you do is kick? The Tae Kwon Do MA scrapper was a bummer. I wanted a more Jeff Speakman-type fighting style.