The Champions Online Team is Looking for Overachievers - MMORPG.com

SBFord

The Champions Online Team is Looking for Overachievers - MMORPG.com

From April 12th to April 19th, Champions Online players are challenged to become overachievers! They are tasked with creating a brand new character on the 12th and getting that character to level 40 before midnight on the 19th. Those who do will earn the Overachiever title, a new Jazzercise emote and a pare of Exclusive Costume Tokens for their effort.

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Truvidien88

Rhoklaw said:

If this was City of Heroes / City of Villains, I'd be all over it.

You and I both.

KnightFalz

Rhoklaw said:

If this was City of Heroes / City of Villains, I'd be all over it.

CoX being all over makes that rather impossible.

This is for those open to playing the most similar presently available alternative.

Paragonian

Everyone needs to give Champions Online a second chance. I'll be the first person to tell you that it's not as good as CoX was, but people do need to accepet it for what it does offer. It's really not a bad game.

Hariken

Its so sad that every time a topic for Champions Online comes up the first replies are from sour ex COX players crapping all over it. Time to grow up and let it go.

KnightFalz

t0nyd said:

Hariken said:

Its so sad that every time a topic for Champions Online comes up the first replies are from sour ex COX players crapping all over it. Time to grow up and let it go.

Point to the post crapping on CO. Fake outrage is fake...

Saying they would be all over it if it was CoX event is an implication that because it is instead a CO one it is not worth being all over.

This jab wasn't particularly subtle.

Feigned obtuseness, along with characterizing an expression of disappointment as outrage, shows you're more interested in spinning here than responding.

seshses

Being honest , i tried it way back and felt is was ok overall , but really what are the negatives that people see in the game ? 

KnightFalz

Paragonian said:

Everyone needs to give Champions Online a second chance. I'll be the first person to tell you that it's not as good as CoX was, but people do need to accepet it for what it does offer. It's really not a bad game.

Need to, eh? That is a tad strongly worded.

CO has strengths in comparison to CoX, along with weaknesses. These strengths become comparatively greater over time due to circumstance. If CoX was still about to have a similar chance for continued improvement it would no doubt be a different story. But it isn't, so the situation is what it is.

Additionally CO has many things CoX never had: Freeform, the Nemesis system, functional vehicles to name a few. The costume creator is more sophisticated, with the addition of mult-slot auras adding yet another layer of customization (not to mention numerous thematic travel powers.)

CoX had a better story and setting (though less varied), better quality of life features, hero and villain play, less cartoon-like character aesthetics, vastly more effective control powers, functional (mostly) base design, better pug play, an excellent community (before the closure anyway), and other things I'm sure I don't currently recall.

To me CoX was an epic game, easily the MMORPG I felt most in tune with, the one in which I could reach the greatest levels of suspension of disbelief. I miss it greatly. But I won't reject what is available simply so I can wallow in regret of what was once had but now not.

Adamantine

So ... they reward people who have no life and can just take a vacation on short notice.

WarWitch

Man, I miss COH Cov so much the best ever character creation and being able to build your own mission was a blast. My baby doll and I spent so much time in that world.

Po_gg

Adamantine said:

So ... they reward people who have no life and can just take a vacation on short notice.

Not entirely. Since the Alert system was added, leveling in CO is not really a big deal. I've posted about it a few times in the past, so without repeating the cons (mainly that you'll miss the story that way and it will be kind of a bore), you can casually level to 40 in a week through the Alerts.

Especially with this mini-event, where I assume a lot of players will make an alt, so the queues will be short.

To be honest, the rewards reflect on the "challenge level" too, only an emote, a title and costume tokens...  I believe for many players the biggest hurdle to pass will be getting a new character slot if they don't have one empty.

edit: and for that reason there is a Zen purchase sale now, and also a FF character slot sale for the week.

(and a new box, for the marvelous captains around who say the magic word... I'm pretty sure they look very familiar https://www.arcgames.com/en/games/champions-online/news/detail/11136933-the-scion-lock-box-and-key-pack%21  )

Scot

I quite liked Champions got about six months on and off out of it. But if a MMORPG really grips me it is not on and off so I knew that long term it was never for me.

SBFord

Everyone stay on topic, please. It is Champions Online. If you want a discussion of City of Heroes, you can start a separate topic. 

Thanks.

SBFord

But the topic is Champions Online @T0nyd -- not COX -- so let's keep it to topic.

KnightFalz

seshses said:

Being honest , i tried it way back and felt is was ok overall , but really what are the negatives that people see in the game ? 

One of the major drawbacks to CO to many is the graphic style of the game. The characters remind me of  those from 'The Incredibles' in overall tone, and the default body proportions are a bit off from what they should be. This issue has been addressed by community members that have posted more properly proportioned models one can download to use, but this relies on knowing they exist and where to find them.

The stories in the game aren't very good for the most part, especially early on. It can often get campy, being somewhat reminiscent of the 60's Batman television series. For those that enjoy that kind of thing it isn't so bad but the story won't appeal as much to those seeking a more serious tone. It gets better as you go along, but never gets all that good.

CO loves the lock box, and if someone gets something good from one it can't wait to tell you about it. This annoyingly tedious message is displayed in the middle of your screen for a moment by default as they know it is more important to you than actually being able to see the game while playing it. Fortunately, the screen layout can be changed, so that the box can be placed so inconspicuously it can pop with abandon without obscuring your view. Still, it remains a bother even if only on principle.

What many consider the best element of CO, the Freeform system that allows you to cherry pick powers from all the sets to make a custom build, is now locked behind varying paywalls of mixed severity. It used to be possible to subscribe to the game, and have access to freeform characters so long as you did so, and otherwise only have access to mostly predefined characters know as archetypes. This option no longer exists. To make freeform characters now requires one to have a lifetime subscription (where any character you make can be freeform if you wish) or purchase freeform character slots from the cash shop, and they cost a fair bit.

Another aspect of the Freeform system some dislike is that it allows you to make very self-sufficient characters, often eliminating the need to group with others except in very difficult content. Many feel this negatively affects the social environment in the game. This reflects the source material though, as superheroes are often at different power levels compared to each other. It likely has a negative impact on PvP as well, but that isn't really a highly developed area of the game, making it a side activity of the minority.

I'm sure there are other issues to find fault with, but my well of observations is running a bit dry at this point. If I think of anything latter I'll be sure to add it to the list. Also, if you have any specific questions regarding the game I'd be happy to answer them the best I can, so please don't hesitate to ask if it pleases you to do so.

Amathe

Hariken said:

Its so sad that every time a topic for Champions Online comes up the first replies are from sour ex COX players crapping all over it. Time to grow up and let it go.

So if a post said the Iowa County Fair is giving out chocolate cake, and someone were to say if they were giving out cake at the Nebraska Fair I would get some, that's "crapping all over" Iowa?

Honestly this seems a tad sensitive.

Didn't see Suzie's posts until after I added this.

Po_gg

KnightFalz said:

The stories in the game aren't very good for the most part, especially early on. It can often get campy, being somewhat reminiscent of the 60's Batman television series. For those that enjoy that kind of thing it isn't so bad but the story won't appeal as much to those seeking a more serious tone.

That's from the IP... Champions is sort of a mock version of the superhero genre, it never takes itself too serious. The writing and the storylines reflect on that perfectly.

The displayed lockbox opening message (and the overuse of lockboxes) is not a CO problem, all three Cryptic games suffer from it...

I agree on the FF part, the removal of subscription put the former players in a tough position indeed. Archetypes are good, but FreeForm is where the real game is.

KnightFalz said:

Another aspect of the Freeform system some dislike is that it allows you to make very self-sufficient characters, often eliminating the need to group with others except in very difficult content. Many feel this negatively affects the social environment in the game. This reflects the source material though, as superheroes are often at different power levels compared to each other. It likely has a negative impact on PvP as well, but that isn't really a highly developed area of the game, making it a side activity of the minority.

I don't think that is really an issue - and on the flipside you can also make underperforming heroes too

Not to mention, the game is fairly easy, most (open world) content you can solo on Archetypes too, and for the more difficult dungeons you still need a group.

Pvp could get an entire post, I disagree on "that isn't really a highly developed area of the game", CO has a lot of interesting pvp modes. But since I don't pvp much, I won't shed a tear for it's neglected by most players.

t0nyd said:

At this moment I cant think of a single healing based character in all of comics. 

Wolverine's self regen, Iron Fist's chi healing, etc.

Point is, CO is based on Champions, and there is healing or regen in quite a few frameworks. Also, there are no healers in CO, there are roles (flexible, can be changed at will), and there is a support role which gives bonuses on support powers - among them healing.

But you can't really make a pure, heal-only superhero.

maskedweasel

I just don't think the rewards warrant the time invested or else I might actually consider it.

GeezerGamer

Hariken said:

Its so sad that every time a topic for Champions Online comes up the first replies are from sour ex COX players crapping all over it. Time to grow up and let it go.

Saying "I miss the old days of CoH." is not crapping on CO. I appreciate that the Super Hero Genre has this option. But remembering CoH fondly doesn't mean anything more than that.

I've played both games. We'll just leave it at that.

Amathe

As I read the article, the focus is more about having an achievement for leveling a character within a certain amount of time. Personally, I'm ok with that. I have done worse things to get achievements.

There was one game *cough*, for example, where I needed to kill an insane number of monkeys for an achievement. I don't think I ever finished that one, although I feel monkeys should have become an endangered species by my efforts. Leveling up an alt would be preferable. 

Po_gg

Amathe said:

Personally, I'm ok with that. I have done worse things to get achievements. 

To stay in the vicinity, CO has a few as well... FoxbatCon just finished, you can get a Foxbat Swag Bag there. If you open it, you get an another Swag Bag. It's an infinite recursion, with silly comments like "How is this possible", "I'm sure this time there will be something in it" , "I can't believe it", etc.

If you open it 10 times, you get the perk Persistent - but also a next one, starting from 10/50... and you keep getting the perks (the achievements in CO), but nothing else, until your finger breaks off.

Allegedly after you open it 1000 times you get the title Clicker, so you can be a Clicker hero. Plus you get the next goal, to open it 5000 times

Amathe

Po_gg said:

Allegedly after you open it 1000 times you get the title Clicker, so you can be a Clicker hero. Plus you get the next goal, to open it 5000 times

Ok you got me thinking, and I fact checked. The achievement I mentioned above required the slaughter of 10,000 monkeys. No lie. They later changed it to 1,000. I wonder what you get in CO for clicking 10,000 times? Probably carpal tunnel, same as with monkeys. 

momintim

MisterZebub said:

SBFord said:

Everyone stay on topic, please. It is Champions Online. If you want a discussion of City of Heroes, you can start a separate topic. 

Thanks.

Don't make her turn this car around!

"If I have to come back there your gonna be in trouble"

Rinswind89

Eh... Maybe I would've checked this out if they didn't effectively kill their game by removing the ability to subscribe. Archetype characters are boring and bad, I'm not playing those (plus you have to pay for each type, lmao - No) . Had a bunch of characters but I'm not about to spend $30-40 or whatever the feck PER character to change them all to freeform slots so don't even bother replying with that argument.

Been a while since I was even bored enough to look this game up since that change, so not sure if they ever reverted it or not, but meh, that ship has sailed anyways.

But hey, their character creator is better than DCUO's at least, so they have that I guess?

seshses

KnightFalz said:

seshses said:

Being honest , i tried it way back and felt is was ok overall , but really what are the negatives that people see in the game ? 

One of the major drawbacks to CO to many is the graphic style of the game. The characters remind me of  those from 'The Incredibles' in overall tone, and the default body proportions are a bit off from what they should be. This issue has been addressed by community members that have posted more properly proportioned models one can download to use, but this relies on knowing they exist and where to find them.

The stories in the game aren't very good for the most part, especially early on. It can often get campy, being somewhat reminiscent of the 60's Batman television series. For those that enjoy that kind of thing it isn't so bad but the story won't appeal as much to those seeking a more serious tone. It gets better as you go along, but never gets all that good.

CO loves the lock box, and if someone gets something good from one it can't wait to tell you about it. This annoyingly tedious message is displayed in the middle of your screen for a moment by default as they know it is more important to you than actually being able to see the game while playing it. Fortunately, the screen layout can be changed, so that the box can be placed so inconspicuously it can pop with abandon without obscuring your view. Still, it remains a bother even if only on principle.

What many consider the best element of CO, the Freeform system that allows you to cherry pick powers from all the sets to make a custom build, is now locked behind varying paywalls of mixed severity. It used to be possible to subscribe to the game, and have access to freeform characters so long as you did so, and otherwise only have access to mostly predefined characters know as archetypes. This option no longer exists. To make freeform characters now requires one to have a lifetime subscription (where any character you make can be freeform if you wish) or purchase freeform character slots from the cash shop, and they cost a fair bit.

Another aspect of the Freeform system some dislike is that it allows you to make very self-sufficient characters, often eliminating the need to group with others except in very difficult content. Many feel this negatively affects the social environment in the game. This reflects the source material though, as superheroes are often at different power levels compared to each other. It likely has a negative impact on PvP as well, but that isn't really a highly developed area of the game, making it a side activity of the minority.

I'm sure there are other issues to find fault with, but my well of observations is running a bit dry at this point. If I think of anything latter I'll be sure to add it to the list. Also, if you have any specific questions regarding the game I'd be happy to answer them the best I can, so please don't hesitate to ask if it pleases you to do so.

Ok wow things have changed sad too see video games come to this level of lockboxes and tactics for more money or whatever their secret agenda is , well back to my board games.

KnightFalz

t0nyd said:

KnightFalz said:

seshses said:

Being honest , i tried it way back and felt is was ok overall , but really what are the negatives that people see in the game ? 

What many consider the best element of CO, the Freeform system that allows you to cherry pick powers from all the sets to make a custom build, is now locked behind varying paywalls of mixed severity. It used to be possible to subscribe to the game, and have access to freeform characters so long as you did so, and otherwise only have access to mostly predefined characters know as archetypes. This option no longer exists. To make freeform characters now requires one to have a lifetime subscription (where any character you make can be freeform if you wish) or purchase freeform character slots from the cash shop, and they cost a fair bit.

Another aspect of the Freeform system some dislike is that it allows you to make very self-sufficient characters, often eliminating the need to group with others except in very difficult content. Many feel this negatively affects the social environment in the game. This reflects the source material though, as superheroes are often at different power levels compared to each other. It likely has a negative impact on PvP as well, but that isn't really a highly developed area of the game, making it a side activity of the minority.

I'm sure there are other issues to find fault with, but my well of observations is running a bit dry at this point. If I think of anything latter I'll be sure to add it to the list. Also, if you have any specific questions regarding the game I'd be happy to answer them the best I can, so please don't hesitate to ask if it pleases you to do so.

Do you mean source material as in comics in general or the source system the game is made from? As far as comics/movies are concerned power level doesnt dictate group activity. Wolverine, cyclops, and storm all have very different levels of power. Ironman and the hulk arent even on the same playing field. The difficult part of these games is that anything that hits the hulk hard enough to actually hurt him would kill hawkeye outright. How do you translate comic book teams to game content? 

 In my opinion, the only way is to develop strong roles and give characters the tools to deal with it. I think the way to create strong roles is to add a focus that the player selects. You pick one power set to be your primary. If you pick defensive, then all defensive traits are elevated and all others suffer. Otherwise you get these jack off all trades characters with no need to group. If you do this then how do you stop an offensive focused character from getting deleted? Maybe the method would be to design a system that detects if you are solo/grouped, what abilities you have, and then modifies the content to fit? 

If you look at basically all comic material there is one thing that you will not find and that is the trinity. I believe the trinityin  CO is a huge theme breaker. The avengers dont have a dedicated healer. The X men dont have a dedicated healer.  Does batman throw healerangs at robin? Healing in comics is mostly an out of combat even. At this moment I cant think of a single healing based character in all of comics. I guess maybe you could consider dagger as healing cloak but its more feeding him then healing.

 Without dedicated healing this leads to the freeform system as being a logical system. People must be self sufficient. But can the freeform system work in a game where people can freely and easily heal each other? I simple dont think healing fits the comic book theme unless its toned down severely.

 I believe that there needs to be a strong separation between group and solo content. Batman doesnt go after doomsday solo. Black Widow doesnt attack thanos alone. As a player, you should make your character to do what you want it to do and live with that. Is batman better off solo? Doesnt it depend on what his target is? The problem is that players will cry about it. Players want to do everything and do it well. 

When I said source material I meant the comics. For the pnp role-playing game the comparative power of the characters of the players would depend on the whim of the one running the game.

How CO translates comics to to the game is to allow players to create characters at varying power levels depending on their intent.

Players that wish to create characters that can function well solo in a good deal of content can do so, though will likely eventually have to group for more extreme tasks. Those that would rather make characters that need to work together to overcome content can do so as well. This would work best with a static group of players with characters designed for that purpose.

The above options only apply to players with access to the Freeform system whether it be by account or character slot. Those confined to archetypes do not have that flexibility in design. They are confined to archetypes, largely preset builds with few options that conform more what you seem to feel ideal, a focus on dps whether melee or ranged, tanking, healing, support or hybrids containing a mix of two such things to give versatility at the cost of raw power with a singular focus. As such, they are often more reliant on grouping than freeforms. These archetypes are also available to those with access to freeform if they are so inclined.

No character can "freely" do anything. Each choice made when designing a freeform character comes with an opportunity cost. Power selection and customization has limits. The more you focus on one aspect the less you can the others. You can't have high offense, defense, and utility all. Having the ability to make a jack-of-all-trades character isn't of much use or interest to someone wishing to excel at melee or ranged dps, or be a tank for high end content.

Regarding healing powers in comics, they are more prevalent than you think:

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Healing

https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Healing

Freeform has been working in CO since it began to my understanding. If it was going to collapse due to player angst or woe it would have happened long ago.