Champions Online F2P: Reloaded

[Mangoose]

Hm... play with body proportions?

 

[anus_pounder]

I doubt that would solve anything. I think its the idea itself thats the problem. You can't really make "generic civilian that took up arms" look that much different or unique from a generic civilian. Well, I suppose you could, but I don't know how. I'll stick to mercenary or vigilante costume and cook up some time travel blah...blah.. backstory in order to fit in the rebel hook. My inner retard should be appeased.

 

[Mangoose]

What about.. A commissar kinda look?

Or, really, find any country with a weird or cool military uniform, and try to match it.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Daymn this double XP is sweet. From level 6 to 20 in less than 3 hours.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

New State of the Game article went live just now. Cool stuff incoming:

Comic Series 2: Whiteout

Our new Comic Series is really something else. Like our first Comic Series “Aftershock” we are building a story that will take your Hero on an adventure that is unique and exciting.

Whiteout starts when you are called to Canada to assist Steelhead forces in an investigation of missing soldiers. Your search is interrupted when an Alien ship crash lands at the lake just south of Renegade Run. When you arrive at the site there are no signs of alien life. Your investigation will only bring greater questions and this new Alien Species will be like nothing you have seen before.

We are currently in the testing phase for Whiteout and the team is very excited to see the Comic Series go live this November.

Alerts

The Alert system is nearing completion and is going into test soon. We are finalizing the missions, and rewards, as well as working on improving the queue system. While developing the Nemesis Alerts we were also able to improve the nemesis encounter system. It will now be easier to get more nemesis encounters into the game.

Winter Event

Kickoff for the Winter Event updates and improvements is happening this week. We are getting a jump on the event so we can make sure everything is ready for the end of the year. As with all of our larger seasonal events we want this year’s winter celebration to be a fun, social event, which is easy to play. That’s not to say that Clarence won’t want to put a giant hole in the Holliday plans of your Heroes…

New Frameworks – Earth and Wind

Our next two frameworks are underway. The Wind Framework has just completed the FX pass and is going into preliminary testing. You can probably guess that making wind look good can be difficult but having some really talented FX artists working on the Champs team makes it easier. The Earth Framework is in the design stage and is moving into initial implementation in just a few weeks. The earth set will be in the Brick category and have a lot of very cool abilities. Both the Wind and Earth Frameworks will be available in December. As always these two new frameworks will be on PTS before going LIVE to give you plenty of time to test them out and give us your feedback.

Infernal Review

The Infernal Framework is now in review. We have been working on it for a little bit now and our PTS players got a sneak peek a few weeks back. The review will conclude in a few weeks and all the updates, along with a new Infernal Archetype will be live in November. Our goal for framework reviews is to make sure they are complete and ready before going live. The Infernal changes will be on PTS this week. We eagerly await your feedback!

Nemesis

The Nemesis options are getting some much needed additions. We are working to add more frameworks to the Nemesis as well as their minions. There have been several power and framework additions to the game that have not yet made it to the Nemesis system. That is changing!

http://www.champions-online.com/node/595562

Similarly, the latest UNTIL Field Report was posted as well, which contains what Cryptic has done recently, is doing right now, is doing next, and is planning further along. I for one am pleased that private Powerhouses and Crafting Stations are coming to hideouts as promised when they came out.

Completed and LIVE
Items in this list have moved out of development and test into the LIVE game.

Character Conversion
KotH updates
Crafting stations in MON/LEM
Jet destination update: Mon/Des/VIB
Player is unable to convert between silver and gold even though they are keeping the same archetype.
Character Conversion
Duel whitelists
Archery: Strafe: While using the power, the model in the characters hand turns into a sword.
BoP bags in loot tables.
PVP Acclaim and XP rewards
Tailor: Costume selection does not indicate which costume is being edited after a player completes editing.
Vibora Mini Arc (level 22): A new mini arc that starts in Canada and takes you to a pre-Crisis Vibora Bay. A place that is just seeing the arrival of the darker elements found later on.
LVL 40 PVP Gear Review: An adjustment to the Hero Games acclaim. This review looks to reduce the prices, increase the usability and remove previous bind restrictions.
Unarmed review: A review that will see, when complete, 2 new AT's (one Tank and one MDPS), new animations and several new powers.
MOAR tights: In addition to our regular costume updates we will offer more tights with options for non normal maps and skin.
Bloodmoon Updates: Several updates to the Bloodmoon Event including a fight with Takofanes


In Test
Items "In test" are being looked at and testing internally and on PTS. These are issues, features and fixes that are the closest to release as you can get. Occasionally there will be some items that are in test that are part of a larger release.

PvE Queues: Each Lair added to the PvE queue list
Tab targeting fails to target closest enemy.
Camera Zoom when zoning
Comic Series 2
Alerts
Wind Framework
New Mail notification issues
KotH: Victory perk is being credited to the losing team



A closer look (On Deck)
These are hot topic issues in the Player Community, QA and CS. This list does not represent all the issues we are taking a closer look at, but are issues at the top of our list.

Zone balancing
Zoning or changing instance causes the slow fall for teleport to fail.
Female Average Walk: Arm swing and lower body leg steps are out of sync.
Remote Access: After interacting with the robot, it does not begin moving, preventing completion of the mission.
Escort mission improvements
Malevolent Manifestation: Hold resistance not applied to target every time the hold duration refreshes.
From Bad to Worse perk
Event items are appearing randomly when events are not running
Sea Slug becomes stuck after the first wave of critters.
Cave: Venue: Tropical Venue is no longer available unless Primal Cave hideout is purchased
Players become friendly to both teams after disconnecting or logging out in a PvP match
Trade issues: improving the trade system to better protect from scams



Up Next!
In Development
These are features we are working on right now. They have made it through the design phase and are being implemented. Items in this section will move to "In Test" once complete.

Comic Series 2: Whiteout
Alerts: Repeatable instanced missions that offer a variety of encounter and reward types set in various locations
Team Duels: Team leaders will be able to challenge a member of another team to a duel.
Events Calendar: A system that will allow you to see what there is to do in champs at any time and get right to the action.
Xp Gifting: Gift some of your experience to your alts or friends.
C-Store Coupons: Items that give you a discount in the c-store.
Winter Event
Cat animations and emotes (for players as well)
New Super Speed run anim
Wind Framework: Very windy! This is an Energy framework.
Infernal review: A review of the Infernal framework that will include new powers and additional AT's
New RenCen Powerhouse: Costume stage w/tailor, dueling area, revamped powers testing area.
Hideout additions: Training and Crafting rooms


On the schedule
These are updates that are next on the list to implement. Some features have a longer development time than others but these are what the team will be looking to move on to soon.

Neighborhood Events: Small open missions focused on Heroic encounters
New Zone Events: Large scale, multistage, zone events that offer new encounter opportunities and large group gameplay.
90's Iron Age Costume Set
Wizards/Fantasy Costume Set
Earth Framework: Very earthy stuff! This is a Brick framework.
Swinging improvements and skins
Auto Teaming, temp teams: Auto teams for open missions (if solo) and optional for groups. These are temp teams that overlay your existing team.
Costume set preview for the C-Store
Further improvements to streamline the early game
Hueshifting improvements to allow further hue shifts for FX attached to costume pieces (Jetpack flames)



In Design Discussion!
These items in design discussion are for features that are being considered for an upcoming update. The next step for these topics is to have them added to the schedule. Some of these are smaller, quicker tasks while others are a lot larger and require more to design and implement.

Itemization: Improvements and updates to the gear/items you get in the game and how you use them
Nemesis Updates: Any and everything we can do to get you more time with your Nemesis. This includes more frequent encounters and opportunities to fight your nemesis with your fellow heroes. Additionally we are looking to add more minion types and options.
Crafting improvements
Mini Arc level 32: This may fall in the area of Wells Pass and offer a break from Viper and Manamals
KotH Perks
Comic Series 3
A new slot for Aura's: Special costume Aura items could be slotted to add an aura to you character. The aura items would range from costume slots like gloves or head to full body auras
Item Smash: A new way to create items that improve your character and enhance customization
Epic Lairs: Updates and changes to the existing lairs to add high level gameplay
Lair Boss reviews: Improvements to the Lair Bosses.



The Future
These are features that we are working towards. Items listed in this section need the most discussion and are subject to the largest change. This list does not represent all the things we want or are planning to do but they are some of the larger things we are planning and working towards.

New Zone (3-4 Neighborhoods)
Level cap to 45
More Comic Series
More Events both small and large
Super group Bases
Guild Improvements (Leveling, Duels)
New Zone (Moon is being discussed)
Level Cap to 50
End Game (Currently looking at Star Guards)
And so much more!!

http://forums.champions-online.com/showthread.php?t=140100

 

[anus_pounder]

£190....Still on the fence. God dammit. I really want to try out the full game, but I'm not sure whether CO can hold my next-gen attention span, full features or not.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Full features actually means a 400 CP monthly stipend, access to freeform characters, all Gold content unlocked (which is quite a bit), 16 character slots (normal sub gets 8), +1 character slot for each level 40 char, and a shitload of other benefits you normally would buy from C-Store as a Silver.


Personally I think I've made a fairly good deal by getting the LTS when I did (additionally so due to the sale they had on them at the time).


PS: Leveled up Cenobite to 40, created last Friday, finished yesteday. Double XP rules.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Tonight they're adding in a new premium travel power skin, Blazing Speed for super speed types.

Also, Whiteout is slated to start in two weeks. Team Duels and Infernal archetype (and new powers) scheduled for later this month.

 

[RK47]

£190....Still on the fence. God dammit. I really want to try out the full game, but I'm not sure whether CO can hold my next-gen attention span, full features or not.

You should just give DCUO F2P a spin. Combat felt much faster.

 

[Excidium]

PVP in DCUO with a third worldian ping must be grate.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Personally the most off-setting things for me about DCUO are the extremely limited character and costume creation, and most of all the overwhelming feeling of instead of being your own superhero but that "The Next Sidekick Is You." There simply isn't room for new heroes in this kind of style when the universe already has the Justice League, and you sure as fuck aren't qualified to that either fo realz.

The combat is fun though.

 

[Excidium]

The F2P restrictions are really on the shitty side.

I quit in disgust after realizing I couldn't even get the quest reward on the mailbox.

 

[Mangoose]

Wish you could just combine the elements of different games... The costume/freeform power selection of Champions, the combat of DCUO, and the slightly more diverse class mechanics of City of Heroes. Plus, I'd be willing to pay full price for this, instead of paying nothing for two games that I play once a week or so.

Edit: I'm pretty sure you only get Emblems from any rewards in the mailbox. So you should still get the full range of costume rewards from completing quests... Unless there's another F2P restriction.

 

[Excidium]

Well, I dunno exactly what it was, it's on the e-mail you get from the AI after leaving brainiac's ship on the Hero side.

Wish you could just combine the elements of different games... The costume/freeform power selection of Champions, the combat of DCUO, and the slightly more diverse class mechanics of City of Heroes. Plus, I'd be willing to pay full price for this, instead of paying nothing for two games that I play once a week or so.

That would be cool indeed.

 

[RK47]

Oracle isn't an AI
I'm not saying it's perfect, but for a one-time $5 spent you can access your e-mail - basically upgrades your account to Premium status. I do agree costume seem limited, but the gameplay seems solid enough for me to stick around and check it out...if it wasn't so crowded already. I'll be back a week later and see how the traffic is and maybe stick around.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Yea, Oracle isn't an AI like RK said. She's a hot redhead who was violated by Alan Moore back in the 80's and she hasn't felt her legs since.

...

...

...

Actually, an interesting thing is that the Champions Universe itself has really grown on me as I keep reading the lore entries peppering the game. It's a really well thought-out and pretty unique universe, and it's got the admirable PnP quality that it's designed to accept infinite amounts of player characters, and that there aren't any characters like the Justice League to overshadow you (since the Champions themselves are actually just the usual Example PC type characters). It's also pretty sneaky how it combines the whole meta-history of superhero fiction as well, in-game as well. You'll notice that you start out doing a lot of campy Silver Age style stuff, and then progress steadily into a darker, more modern style, but thankfully it never goes into SUPER CEREAL mode and keeps tossing in communist zombies and the like. It's a nice bit of genre awareness.

Also, apparently the Alert system and Nemesis update are hopefully going live next month. This is actually really cool, since the way they've described the Alert system is that it's like a procedural mission generator system, and in one of the types of base mission types you can take for the system to build on from has you and your teams go ULTRA-POWERED (anyone who has played Resistance knows what kind of battles this might mean).

 

[Excidium]

Well, she sure as hell sounds like an AI.

 

[SuicideBunny]

how could you have lived all these years and not picked up on what happened to batgirl?

 

[Excidium]

Dunno mang, never got into comics. But I approve hot redheads

 

[SuicideBunny]

neither did i, still, she had her own shitty tv series once and is both in arkham asylum and arkham city.

 

[Excidium]

Ah yes, now I remember.

 

[RK47]

 

[Excidium]

Indeed! :D

By the way, it seems that not being able to get mail attachments in DCUO is actually a bug. Less shitty, I suppose.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Well, she sure as hell sounds like an AI.

It's actually her "superhero identity" type of thing, with most superheroes (and obviously all villains) thinking Oracle is an AI.

Personally though, I always though Barbara just clicking her fingers and becoming a computer genius after being disabled was more than a whiff of bullshit (as were her excuses to stay that way, since DCU like Marvel is one of those universes where super-tech is not accessible to the layman in any way).


Actually that's another thing I like about Champions Universe: Superscience is widely available to everyone (ie, military and superpower style cybernetics actually came after the widely available medical cybernetics created by superhumans in the setting), and superheroes have genuinely made the world a better place.

 

[anus_pounder]

Wish we could see more than North America and underwater though. I want to know whats going in Europe and Asia. Especially since the loading trivia mentions China's own superhero group. (though every country seems to have a few, at least) Can't wait for the level cap to increase, then I can go play my blade again. I don't think the soldier is as bad as they say, but goddamn is it boring to play. As soon as I hit Lv.40, I'm going to forget I ever created one.