Big plans for City of Heroes 2nd Content Update Patch

[SirFozzie]

Holy Cats!!!!


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.

Brian: We go through a very rigorous process with these features of touching them up internally before getting them onto the external server. We’ll see how these things play out. If we have concerns about the overall quality or how they’re being received, we can make changes or put things off to another update. We’re very in tune with what the community is doing and how they’re playing the game. We want this to be their game. It’s Jack’s vision, and we want them to be able to share it in any way that they can. With everything that’s happening with Update 2 and all the events happening outside the game, I think we’ll see things cranked up to another level or two.

**end quote**

[Thomkal]

Interesting stuff Fozzie. Sadly the improvement in the missions area is coming far too late. They really blew it by not including more missions and definitely more interiors when the game started. It turned many people off the game completely.

I'm not sure I like the fact that you have to go through a whole Trial to respec. How do the solo players respec then?

But some good sounding stuff in there, we shall see.

[Bonegavel]

That is a good article and I think I will keep paying for the game for a bit in the hopes that they eventually "get it right." This is the first MMO that I've gone beyond the 30 days that come with the box.

[CraigSca]

For some reason, I just can't get into CoH. I played EQ for 3+ years loved it for a time, but then eventually hit burn out. I haven't seen a game as deep as EQ (or one that kept me up playing late at night) since. I'm not sure if I just can't find a new game, or if I've actually grown up a bit, but I miss playing games like this.

[Bonegavel]

For some reason, I just can't get into CoH. I played EQ for 3+ years loved it for a time, but then eventually hit burn out. I haven't seen a game as deep as EQ (or one that kept me up playing late at night) since. I'm not sure if I just can't find a new game, or if I've actually grown up a bit, but I miss playing games like this.
I tried EQ many moons ago and after i killed my 3,000th polar bear, spider, and skeleton, I almost used my cat-5 cable to hang myself from the ceiling fan. The animations were horrible and the combat was attrocious. CoH combat is fun fun fun.

I think what is great about CoH is that I don't have to worry about it. I log in, I kill some shit, I log out. With EQ, I had to find my body after dying, worry about buying equipment blah blah. I didn't have time for it. I want to play not work. CoH lets you play.

Sure, it is repetitive (as most games are), but if the updates deliver as promised I will be happy. Besides, playing Tues/Thurs with our FOFC group is a ton of fun (even though last night we barely said 3 words to each other. I think we were all tired).

I think for me, being an old pen and paper RPG guy (still play OD&D) any computer game that claims to be an RPG makes me laugh. If you think (not referring to you, Craig) Baldur's gate, Evercamp, or even Neverwinter Nights is an RPG, then I feel sorry for you. I think we'll have Jetson Briefcase-cars before technology can digitally (A.I. etc) create the experience of a pen paper RPG.

So, i think that is what jaded me to EQ. I read about all these people playing it for 3+ years and I couldn't help but shake my head. But, to each his own. :D

[Peregrine]

I tried EQ many moons ago and after i killed my 3,000th polar bear, spider, and skeleton, I almost used my cat-5 cable to hang myself from the ceiling fan. The animations were horrible and the combat was attrocious. CoH combat is fun fun fun.


Not sure I agree with this comparison. At least in EQ and other games you have a large variety of things to kill. In CoH there are maybe what, 20 monster types? And everything is fought in 5 or 6 environments/mission types? It's a fun game, no doubt, but the absolute tedium and lack of variety has burned me out on it in a big way. It's just not fun for me anymore to kill Monster X in Office Space Y, the same X and Y that I've killed hundreds of times before. At least in Everquest/DAOC etc, when I got bored I could move on to a new zone and fight completely different types of monsters in a different type of environment.

I agree the new update stuff looks good, I may hold off on cancelling my account till then just to see, but it will probably be more of the same.

[Raiders Army]

I just noticed something, Bonegavel. I didn't realize you were from Allentown. I was just at Dorney Park for the past two days! It was freaking hot out, and everyone was at Wildwater Kingdom, so you could sweat your ass off with the rides, or try to fight everyone for some water stuff.

Anyhow, sorry I missed last night. I have off the rest of the week, too, so I'll be playing CoH and NCAA alternately.

[Bonegavel]

I just noticed something, Bonegavel. I didn't realize you were from Allentown. I was just at Dorney Park for the past two days! It was freaking hot out, and everyone was at Wildwater Kingdom, so you could sweat your ass off with the rides, or try to fight everyone for some water stuff.

I live about 5-10 minutes west of Dorney Park and it is a good little amusement park. Where are you from?

[CraigSca]

I tried EQ many moons ago and after i killed my 3,000th polar bear, spider, and skeleton, I almost used my cat-5 cable to hang myself from the ceiling fan. The animations were horrible and the combat was attrocious. CoH combat is fun fun fun.

I think what is great about CoH is that I don't have to worry about it. I log in, I kill some shit, I log out. With EQ, I had to find my body after dying, worry about buying equipment blah blah. I didn't have time for it. I want to play not work. CoH lets you play.

Sure, it is repetitive (as most games are), but if the updates deliver as promised I will be happy. Besides, playing Tues/Thurs with our FOFC group is a ton of fun (even though last night we barely said 3 words to each other. I think we were all tired).

I think for me, being an old pen and paper RPG guy (still play OD&D) any computer game that claims to be an RPG makes me laugh. If you think (not referring to you, Craig) Baldur's gate, Evercamp, or even Neverwinter Nights is an RPG, then I feel sorry for you. I think we'll have Jetson Briefcase-cars before technology can digitally (A.I. etc) create the experience of a pen paper RPG.

So, i think that is what jaded me to EQ. I read about all these people playing it for 3+ years and I couldn't help but shake my head. But, to each his own. :D

CoH is a lot prettier and the effects are amazing, but I have to agree with a previous poster that said it gets repetive way too soon. EQ's variety really begins to open up once you start leveling. I mean, there are experiences in EQ that I will never see because I chose not to go into one of the uber guilds. But, for sheer variety EQ can't be beat (of course, it has had a huge headstart over the other MMORGs). However, you are right about the ability to log onto CoH for an hour, play some and leave - something that's really not possible in EQ.

One thing I have noticed in CoH...the interface requires you to use two hands. This REALLY cuts down on the chitchat among group members, guild, people you meet, etc. One of the best things in EQ was the camaraderie developed between different players. I don't think you can have that in CoH. I'm hoping that in the future developers realize this and allow you to pause every once in a while (instead of the grand running around looking for stuff to kill mode of CoH).

[Bonegavel]

Not sure I agree with this comparison. At least in EQ and other games you have a large variety of things to kill. In CoH there are maybe what, 20 monster types? And everything is fought in 5 or 6 environments/mission types? It's a fun game, no doubt, but the absolute tedium and lack of variety has burned me out on it in a big way. It's just not fun for me anymore to kill Monster X in Office Space Y, the same X and Y that I've killed hundreds of times before. At least in Everquest/DAOC etc, when I got bored I could move on to a new zone and fight completely different types of monsters in a different type of environment.

I agree the new update stuff looks good, I may hold off on cancelling my account till then just to see, but it will probably be more of the same.
That wasn't my experience with EQ. I started off in the north (i think i was a barbarian) and for 8 levels I fought the same things: Polar Bears, Spiders, and skeletons. That was it. And the combat model was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. You basically walk up to the creature you want to hit and just pressed attack.

At least in CoH you are mobile in combat and by the same level (better yet, same investment in time) i had way more powers at my disposal and combat is more fun by far in CoH.

Obviously, somebody was having fun in EQ as you hear all the "i played for 3+ years" but I didn't see it. Granted I only played for a month, but still. I had no fun playing EQ at all and in constrast I had a blast in CoH the first day.

Don't get me wrong, CoH is in desperate need of more to do, but I think they nailed the basics (ie, combat) and now just need to open up the missions and balance the ATs a bit.

[Bonegavel]

CoH is a lot prettier and the effects are amazing, but I have to agree with a previous poster that said it gets repetive way too soon. EQ's variety really begins to open up once you start leveling. I mean, there are experiences in EQ that I will never see because I chose not to go into one of the uber guilds. But, for sheer variety EQ can't be beat (of course, it has had a huge headstart over the other MMORGs). However, you are right about the ability to log onto CoH for an hour, play some and leave - something that's really not possible in EQ.

One thing I have noticed in CoH...the interface requires you to use two hands. This REALLY cuts down on the chitchat among group members, guild, people you meet, etc. One of the best things in EQ was the camaraderie developed between different players. I don't think you can have that in CoH. I'm hoping that in the future developers realize this and allow you to pause every once in a while (instead of the grand running around looking for stuff to kill mode of CoH).
What was the variety in EQ? From what I understood it became a camp fest at certain spawns for loot. Maybe I was just playing it too early (i think i was in it before any expansions were in place) and didn't give them time. I was just so turned off by the combat (only thing to do at lower levels) that I couldn't see paying a monthly fee to kill Polar Bears.

I think not having much time to talk in CoH is a testament to the fact that you are always busy. I've never camped. I'm always going somewhere or doing something.

As I've said before, I am a pen and paper RPG guy and EQ was a huge disappointment from what I expected. I guess I could have given it more time but there wasn't 1 time during my month where I actual smiled and thought "how cool!" The biggest thing I hated was the "training ground" that I was forced to fight in up north. People complain about Perez Park in CoH - well, they must not have ever been in that section of EQ that I was in. I was constantly lost and spent more time searching for my corspe than I did fighting Polar Bears.

To each his own, I understand, but the EQ that I played soured me to MMOs for a long time.

[gi]

Looks like the content will be a nice update. I think I would have quit this game already if it wasn't for the group we established. Working together is what gives me enjoyment. CoH does it better than EQ or DAoC because you can get in and out quickly. I'm sure I will tire of this game in a couple months, but that is what World of Warcraft is for :)

[CraigSca]

Once you get in the high 40's you can "begin" to help out on raids. That was really what the high-end game was about - zerging to the named mob and then having 30 to 60 people work together to take him down. Taking down certain mobs unlocked certain quests that allow you to go to entirely new zones (the planes, for example).

Once you level your character enough, the game changes completely.

Also - the combat system has changed a lot, as well as them installing a new adventure system that allows you to take on an instanced dungeon (no competition). Via adventures, you gain points and can buy really nice stuff with those points.

I was lucky, I used to play with my wife and had a constant partner through the lower levels. However, if you can start making friendships and get invited to a guild, the complexity of the game changes immensely, calling for a lot of teamwork (which, of course, builds even more camaraderie).

[Bonegavel]

Looks like the content will be a nice update. I think I would have quit this game already if it wasn't for the group we established. Working together is what gives me enjoyment. CoH does it better than EQ or DAoC because you can get in and out quickly. I'm sure I will tire of this game in a couple months, but that is what World of Warcraft is for :)
Our group has definitely increased my experience here (I don't like solo-ing near as much) but every once in a while I can find a really good pickup team and my original Character is level 20 on Virtue and is part of a really decent SG.

Doom III is coming soon and will suck up a lot of my scant free time, but I think I will keep CoH at least until Update 2 and possibly ride it out to CoV. I think Cryptic has built a really solid foundation on which to build.

[Bonegavel]

Once you get in the high 40's you can "begin" to help out on raids. That was really what the high-end game was about - zerging to the named mob and then having 30 to 60 people work together to take him down. Taking down certain mobs unlocked certain quests that allow you to go to entirely new zones (the planes, for example).

Once you level your character enough, the game changes completely.

Also - the combat system has changed a lot, as well as them installing a new adventure system that allows you to take on an instanced dungeon (no competition). Via adventures, you gain points and can buy really nice stuff with those points.

I was lucky, I used to play with my wife and had a constant partner through the lower levels. However, if you can start making friendships and get invited to a guild, the complexity of the game changes immensely, calling for a lot of teamwork (which, of course, builds even more camaraderie).
That sounds a lot more fun. Must have been that I jumped in the game too early.

Still, I think my tastes have changed to wanting a less demanding system and CoH is extremely less demanding. I've heard that EQ raids (or something) took hours to assemble and you had to be on for huge clips of time to do guild things - I don't have the kind of time at this point in my life. Sometimes, if I'm lucky I have large stretches but I can't always count on them.

[CraigSca]

I don't blame you guys. My wife was actually the one who got me started in EQ. When she first started playing I used to make fun of her all the time ("Wow, you just killed giant wasp #426! Hurray"). Somewhere along the line, she and the game got me hooked. I think it was when she started traveling to other zones and started questing. Sure, it took a lot of time to go questing for things, but it was a great feeling knowing that you earned something.

Anyway...if my wife wasn;t playing the game, and I ended up killing polar bears for 8 levels, I probably would have been pretty bored, too. A great site for finding out mobs, loot and quests is allakhazam.com - that and the Prima Guide for EQ REALLY helped. The Prima guide allowed you to see what abilities and spells were available for each type of character - thus you knew what character to pick (rather than making a mistake after investing hours and hours into the game).

[Peregrine]

Craig, what do you think of the upcoming Everquest 2? Do you think a lot of people will be making the jump from EQ to it? Sounds like it has a bit of a different focus so possibly the established mega-guilds will want to stay in EQ and do epic stuff.

[CraigSca]

As for me, I hated the "end-game" - the pressure-laden, you must be in an uber guild and devote 12 hours a day to get the guild to the Planes. Ugh...no way.

EQ2 looks nice, but I think they're going to have a lot of difficulty bringing people over because the hardware requirements are so high. There are a lot of people out there who play EQ with a really poor machine, but just turn a lot of the effects/sound/etc. off. EQ2 will require them to upgrade their machine, and I'm not sure that's viable for a lot of people. I think what would greatly help is if there was some kind of "hook" between EQ1 and EQ2. Not necessarily the ability to export your character to the new system, but something that would make it advantageous to the existing community to move over.

Really, a lot of people have given up EQ for CoH, but I think that's a temporary stopgap until WoW comes out. That's the game that's been getting the buzz in the EQ community, even moreso than EQ2. It's funny, there's a definite love/hate relationship between the playing community and Sony. If you read the community boards, 95% of the postings complain about the game, the people playing the game, etc., then they log off the boards and play for 12 hours straight.

[Peregrine]

I've watched my friend play the WOW beta several times, hasn't really struck me as anything special yet. Maybe it's just the early levelling, but it's all just go kill 10 of this and get 5 of that. No story or anything that I have seen so far. Plus the graphics are very cartoony and I'm not a big fan of that, I prefer a more "realistic" style. But I'm sure it will be popular when it comes out.

[Qwikshot]

I live about 5-10 minutes west of Dorney Park and it is a good little amusement park. Where are you from?
Small world, I live in Quakertown.

[Bonegavel]

Small world, I live in Quakertown.
Small world for sure. Funny thing is when I think of quakertown, I think of that business that has that giant barbell out front. Always makes me laugh as i pass it. That, and the stock car on the roof of Montana West. :D

[CraigSca]

small world, etc...

My brother lived in Quakertown until they moved to South Carolina. I used to live in Doylestown, before my trek to Delaware.

[Qwikshot]

Small world for sure. Funny thing is when I think of quakertown, I think of that business that has that giant barbell out front. Always makes me laugh as i pass it. That, and the stock car on the roof of Montana West. :D
I'm closer to the Kohl's. But I do recall the barbell lots of times. I think Guitar Villa has a big guitar on the sign. When I grew up in Lansdale and would drive /be driven up there, it was all fields, it's amazing how built up it's become. Of course, a Borders and Best Buy wouldn't hurt to have.

Back on to the subject, I haven't touched CoH in a while. I think it was giving me migraines. The game is hard for a casual gamer because the more rewarding tasks seem to be team oriented (hard for a 2nd shifter like me), and the loner stuff gets quite monotonous. I suppose once the work level calms and the fact that my ex will be watching our daughter a lot more will allow for some more time dedicated to it (though I rather spend the extra time on a girlfriend).

[ageofquarrel]

Cool, I still have alot of fun playing the game. I like it because i can just get in and get out. There is no worrying about armor and crafting. Plus combat is still more fun then any other mmorpg I played. I can do fun stuff that at least makes sense in the game. I made a assault rifle blaster named The Repo Man and was running around town yelling quotes from the movie. "The life of the Repo Mann is always intense!!!". Another thing I hated was you had to buy armor to increase your defense, but sometimes it was ugly. I hated having to run around in basically what looked like gay bondage gear, but i needed the extra defense.

[Raiders Army]

I live about 5-10 minutes west of Dorney Park and it is a good little amusement park. Where are you from?
I'm originally from Wellsboro, PA. Right now, I'm at West Point, NY.

[Thomkal]

COH is definitely "MMORPG Lite". Nothing inherently wrong with that, because its nice to be able to play for an hour here, an hour there like others mentioned and accomplish something. So even though the mobs, non-trial zones, quests, and interiors can get stale rather quickly, it's still a nice game to play.

EQ on the other hand and has become the most "massive" of all the games. I restarted EQ last year after a long time away, and the amount of things you can do, zones you can go to, etc have grown quite a bit. I loved the expansion set on the moon because you never had to leave the moon to get your character to high level. Each zone had its own feel, history, and quests associated with it, and if you chose the "tiger-like" race, each character class had a huge crafting quest that took many levels to complete and needed things from many of the moon's zones. I have my highest level character ever in one of these games, 30 something, because I so fell in love with that expansion. (currently not playing though for financial reasons). I also liked the Lost Dungeons of Norrath expansion that gave you group instanced missions developed around a story line with quests and special objects as rewards, and I'm not much of a group player.

I'm definitely going to check EQ2 out if my computer can handle it. I'm not sure if I like how its set up initially with limited choices in character classes to begin with, but with EQ's track record, its certainly worth trying out.

I think perhaps the games that closest to EQ in terms of "massiveness" is Anarchy Online for the science fiction fans, and Asheron's Call 1 (and to a lesser extent AC2) for the fantasy fans. COH has its own niche due to its theme, and may survive if they can deliver on additions to the game like in this update. But they need to do it quickly.

[Peregrine]

COH is definitely "MMORPG Lite". Nothing inherently wrong with that, because its nice to be able to play for an hour here, an hour there like others mentioned and accomplish something. So even though the mobs, non-trial zones, quests, and interiors can get stale rather quickly, it's still a nice game to play.

Definitely. It is the ultimate casual gamer's game, which is a good niche because there are a lot of people who never liked playing MMORPGs because of the time commitment, and want to just be able to jump on, play for a while, then jump off. This includes a lot of my RL friends. It's the first game to really be engineered from the beginning to allow this, and that's definitely great.