Snippets of 3

[Hothgorn TheBlack]

Here's an interview, it includes some interesting things on the upcoming 3rd patch...just a few hint really, but interesting none the less.

Onward and Upward!

Super heroes. You have to love them. They're a mainstay of childhood (and adult) fantasies all over the world. It's a genre that is ripe with a new form of mythology that we can all appreciate. From good against evil, black and white power struggles; to the detailed, gritty, and dark tales. Wherever there is a city at need there are the few who in costume or unmasked stand tall in defense of all that is good, right, and free. When City of Heroes came out as a beta, I knew I had to be in on that. Why? I love superheroes.

So, with my heart and comics hope in hand, true-believers, I went to NCSoft/Cryptic Studios and asked for an interview. I was pleased and lucky enough to have had the excellent opportunity to get my questions answered by Jack Emmert and Mike Crouch. Read on, McDuff, and learn about things that mortals were better off not knowing!

Gaminggroove: Where did you get idea to go with the super hero route? How did the design phase begin?

City of Heroes: Two childhood friends, Rick Dakan and Michael Lewis, had an idea for a brand new type of MMORPG. They saw the success of fantasy games, but both thought that superheroes were a natural fit for the burgeoning medium. When Michael Lewis sold his video chip company, he provided the angel investment to found Cryptic Studios. Rick Dakan asked his frequent co-author, Jack Emmert to join Cryptic because of Jack's immense comic book knowledge. Michael got Rick in touch with a trio of ex-Atari developers: Bruce Rogers, Matt Harvey & Cameron Petty. Those three had been shopping around a technology demo for a sci fi MMP, but hadn't seen much luck. The five decided to join their efforts and to create City of Heroes.

GG: Are you planning on creating more class types and powers any time soon for the heroes?

CoH: We certainly are. Expansion 3 introduces an Epic Archetype -- the alien Kheldians. In order to play one of these energy beings a player must first attain level 50 with a single character. After that, he can make as many Kheldians as he'd like. The goal with these Epic Archetypes is not simply to provide a new Archetype, but also to immerse the player in the game's rich mythology. As players will see, the Kheldians are deeply intertwined with the history and villain groups of Paragon City. In following expansions, we hope to continue opening up more of these Epic Archetypes.

GG: How quickly has the server population expanded and did it meet or exceed your expectations?

CoH: Sales were about 30% above Cryptic's most optimistic projections. Admittedly, we are a first time developer, so we didn't know how our game would be received. NCSoft, however, had the utmost confidence in our product and believed that it would be very successful. And lo and behold -- it was! I never would have believed that City of Heroes would be a best seller for four months running. Never.

GG: Are you planning on spending any time rebalancing classes after Villains comes out?

CoH: We're spending time now trying to adjust the Archetypes! That's an ongoing issue for us. We hope to get the Arena out before City of Villains so that we can get an idea of how PvP plays out. As every designer knows, plans go right out the window once players get a hold of a game.

GG: Are any new ways of experiencing being added to the game that are different from the normal crime fighting and questing?

CoH: We just recently added a Badge system that rewards not just combat successes, but also exploration. Players who adventure through the nooks and crannies of the city can find out bits of background and earn a badge in the process. We're also looking ahead to the Arena, which will naturally satisfy those with a competitive urge. Lastly, we're going to expanding what players do outside of combat, but that's something that's still an expansion or two away.

GG: Are the developers involved comic book fans? What comics are they reading?

CoH: I'm a huge comic book fan. I read maybe 90 titles a month. I've been collecting seriously for over twenty years. In fact, I even worked in a comic book store for quite some time (in fact, I'll give a shout out to Showcase Comics outside of Philadelphia!). I've also read & played just about every super hero pen and paper RPG out there. I like to say that comic book ink flows throw my veins!

GG: What have you done to prevent cheating online?

CoH: I'm not really sure what "cheating" means, to be honest. I'll assume the question refers to "exploiting" -- which means that a player is obtaining experience points or other rewards in a manner that the designer did not foresee and doesn't want. I actually don't mind that at all. If a player can "trick" our game, more power to him. What I focus on, however, is those tricks that incentivize "unfun" behavior. If doing something incredibly monotonous and boring nets more reward than doing something fun and risky, then I've done something wrong as a designer. So I need to dis-incentivize the boring activity to steer the player back towards the fun stuff.

GG: Tell us about the upcoming expansions... What's coming up, and what will be in them?

CoH: Expansion 3 is on the horizon. In addition to the Epic Archetype mentioned earlier, we're adding a brand new villain group, as well as a new zone. Naturally, this means there will be new missions galore. We're also hoping to get a new chat system in this update, as well as several other quality of life issues. And players will also get their long awaited mission difficulty slider. Perhaps most importantly, we're moving the storyline of the game ahead; players can take part in a world changing event whose consequences will reverberate for years to come.

GG: Why is it heroes are limited to one server, I've wondered why we can't export and import our creations to another server and thereby fight in differing environs?

CoH: This is a feature which we'll be adding in the near future.

GG: What's happening with the novel, The Web of Arachnos? What's it about?

CoH: The Web of Arachnos will transport readers back to the golden age, before the dawn of the masked hero. In the novel's thrilling pages, fans will learn the origins of Statesman and other prominent pieces of the game's background. It's the first of a planned trilogy that will uncover history up until the end of the Riki War.

GG: Hero Clicks, will we see more of those from you?

CoH: Well, that's up to the great folks at WizKids. I'm a HUGE fan of Heroclix and I'm pleased at the work we've done together so far. I think it'd be great to continue this partnership.

GG: Many gamers are also into pen-and-paper RPGs. Any plans to release something along those lines?

CoH: That's a guarantee. We're in discussions now about this. Given my own background as a pen and paper RPG writer, this has been a priority.

GG: How will Hero vs Hero work, when it is implemented early next year?

CoH: We'll start out with an Arena, where heroes can test their might against one another. It's purely consensual and purely optional. We're making a couple of tweaks to powers so that no Archetype is too powerful, but I'm not ready to talk about those things yet.

GG: How is Villains vs Heroes going to work? Can you fight anyone anywhere or is it only going to be in certain areas?

CoH: We're working out the final designs at the moment, so I can say is this: PvP should be a choice. Players should never be forced into situations that they didn't want to be in. That said, there's a lot of stigma attached to PvP play that I hope we can do away with in City of Villains.

I'd like to thank Jack Emmert and Mike Crouch for their awsome answers, without whom this interview would never had taken place.

Up, up, and away!

-cheers

Hothgorn

[Zemach]

Very Cool stuff again, but I'm afraid it will still be a long time before I make level 50 with any characters.

[Soke]

Max Fury is level 33 right now and if I played her, and nothing but her, I could make 50 in a couple months I think (maybe less). However, Chaoskitten is 21 now, Shock Therapy is 23, Miss Abyss is 25 and all my other alts on Virtue are at least 11, but most are around 14. So, I've been spreading my attention around....

I DO want to see what this epic archetype is like tho, so I might have to get cracking.

[Hothgorn TheBlack]

Actually, I'm looking foward to the mission difficulty slider bar, for those nights when my motivations is nonexistent. They are adding more, I'm sure. Possibly more powers, the rumor being that archery is coming. Who knows? It's a wee bit early to tell.

-Hothgorn

[Maga]

That is so awesome Hoth, thank you for posting that. it had some good information of things to come.