What do you really think of Champions Online?

[Lord Liaden]

As I'm not a subscriber, don't have the computer setup to run Champions Online, and am not interested in MMORPGs generally, I have no experience with the game. However, as someone with considerable interest in the Champions Universe itself, I find it annoying that much of the evolution of the setting is now occurring through ongoing scenarios in the game to which I'm not privy. I'm also sometimes frustrated that non-subscribers can't post to the CO discussion forums. I often see members of that community asking CU-related questions to which I could happily supply answers if I could just get on the board.

[RexMundi]

Well, technically speaking it IS their setting now. Some back and forth would be nice. Honestly, the only reason I keep it around anymore is just for the character creater, then it's Print Screen, and some paste onto a character folder.

~Rex

[Thunder92]

I logged in to the game for the first time in months a week ago. Got a bunch of perks that they must have added. Also found some of my powers missing and other changes in my characters configuration. Must have been caused by one of the updates since I was last on.

I did enjoy the game. Maxed out my character and moved on to other hobbies. I have a lifetime subscription, so will probably return to it at some point in the future. I do agree that I can see myself using it as a character image creator for HD.

Was interesting reading Champions Universe and recognizing some of the online events.

[Presbytier]

I find it it considerably enjoyable. Being a big comic book fan growing up I am glad to finally see some of my ideas coming to life using their wonderful Character Creator; now if they can only get around to implementing an UGC system so I can create my own scenarios.

[RexMundi]

Starting to notice though that the folks that jumped in on the lifetime subscriptions, seem to have the better opinion of the game......methinks a trend, *shrug*........Could be worse I suppose. A UGC system would rekindle my interest and bolster my resistance to the things that irritate the hell out of me about the set up.

~Rex

[Presbytier]

Starting to notice though that the folks that jumped in on the lifetime subscriptions, seem to have the better opinion of the game......methinks a trend, *shrug*........Could be worse I suppose. A UGC system would rekindle my interest and bolster my resistance to the things that irritate the hell out of me about the set up.

~Rex

The UGC would at least allow us to create our own scenarios, so we could essential create a good deal of content. Besides I am almost convinced that the players are capable of creating more compelling stories than the overly generic ones in the game.

[RexMundi]

Hell yeah, that's why I'd be interested in such a thing. The Generic got old before I burned up my second month of CO.

~Rex

[Doc Shadow]

Ok, I just got done giving it a try for a month. My impression is that it's pretty bland. Yes, there were some aspects that were enjoyable but by and large it was just blah.I find the crafting system to be just awful, and that goes for the dumba$$ equipment that I have to tack onto my characters in order to improve them. Something that I should be doing with with my XPs.

I'm sorry but this is not Champions except in the most superficial of ways. I'm done as of tomorrow and I won't be going back.

[Descent]

I played for a few hours in total. The char gen was very fun, and the game play was alright, but from what I heard, you only get a small handful of abilities, and that's it. Gameplay-wise, I felt like all I was doing was hitting 1-1-1-2-1-1-1-2 on the keyboard, with perhaps a third or fourth button.

After being told that was pretty much how the game plays through the higher levels, I cancelled my account about a week into playing. Maybe I was misinformed, but it just didn't sound engaging enough. I was hoping for more flexibility or variety I guess. I was somehow hoping for some magical marriage of pen and paper with MMO graphics and interactivity. If they were to add the Mission Architect feature from CoH, I would probably give it a try again. I'd love to somehow play pen and paper style with a game master, within the MMO. Why hasn't that happened yet?

[flyingcircus]

IMO the game should have used build for build, point for point the HERO system for character creation as is, it is lacking in power and character type builds. Example: No stretchy types, No Mimics or Power stealer types. They also need to add vehicles and the ability to travel through power-lines with electrical types. Just a few things off the top of my head.

[RexMundi]

I've noticed basically the single most common thing that the Pro people have, is the lifetime membership.....However since that's not available, I expect a few things coming up, to Kill CO, since it's not Champions enough to make the HERO folks happy, that just leaves the MMO folks, and that group, is very fickle. Attention Span of a gnat basically.

I expect a giagantic exodus for City of Heroes 2, DC Online, Knights of the Old Republic, then of course, what ever the only really successful MMO (WoW) comes up with as another chapter will draw even more folks away. Without something like UGC, or a real point build, or something different like stretchy characters, giant characters shrinkers and mimics etc.....It's just another MMO, and not a very exciting one for folks looking for Champions. It was cute for awhile, but it's basically, white bread mayo and bologna.....

~Rex

[Patrick Mackey]

I actually kind of disagree. I write for the game so I'm a little biased, but the game has come quite a long way since release. There's a lot of ways to build a character that doesn't cycle the same power over and over. The fact that the open character system is so open makes it a little unintuitive, but I feel it's worth the trouble to learn. After all, you guys learned how to play Champions, and that game has way, way more difficult nuances than CO does.

[RexMundi]

I actually kind of disagree. I write for the game so I'm a little biased, but the game has come quite a long way since release. There's a lot of ways to build a character that doesn't cycle the same power over and over. The fact that the open character system is so open makes it a little unintuitive, but I feel it's worth the trouble to learn. After all, you guys learned how to play Champions, and that game has way, way more difficult nuances than CO does.

And that's very true Patrick, but unfortunently, much like any MMO, the game lacks the over riding controling influence of a GM that says, NO, that's just Stupid. While the open character system allows for a lot that is similar to the book game, it doesn't build the same way, to do the same stuff, and where it deviates it deviates so much, it actually irritates, especially to a lot of us that have been playing the Book version of the game, for Longer then what a lot of your typical MMO players have been Alive, or at least old enough to be outside past the time the street lights come on. It's not that we can't or don't want to learn it, it's that it's so simplified and easy it's like going back to playing chutes and ladders after you've been rated as a grand master in Chess or Go. The Lowest Common Denominator approach that any MMO takes to generating it's respective audience, bores the hell out me, probably a few others I can think of as well.

While it HAS come a long way, it's also exceedingly repetitive. Now that's not really fair to pick at since it hasn't been around very long yet, but it's still a point. As for the LCD issue, it wouldn't be a wise move on your guy's parts to crank things up to the level that I or others like myself would find enjoyable, because quite simply that would be to "Hard" for the general MMO grognard, making it feel like "work", and they would wander off to find something less thought intensive.

You made a good point there, coming from a computer gamer point of view about the Champions game book wise, having more difficult nuances then CO does. Here's the thing though. CO, Isn't the Book Game, and we that love the book game, don't find the book game difficult at all, it's vastly intuitive and instinctive for a lot of us. The CO game though, to us at least; well let's use an old example. A long time ago there was a toyline called The Micronauts. They were the thing to get for a christmas or birthday present back in the day. Lot of cool interchangable parts and what not. Lot of potential for good clean kid fun. Then one day, the LCD crowd got involved, and you opened up your cool box with Force Commander or Baron Karza in it, and the LCD movement, had GLUED all the parts onto the toy.

Looked kinda like a Micronaut....wasn't a micornaut anymore....That's what CO feels like.....Looks like Champions.....doesn't act like it or feel like it, doesn't let you do as much and what you can do, is repetative. Everything new is just MMO rewash (Pets....hmmm) that's been seen in every other MMO out there. What would have made it stand out, and unique, is if, just if, it had been structured like the book enough to where we that play and enjoy the book game, could feel that we had made a book character. It's just another Micro Transaction Driven MMO....which is fine, there are people out there that are happy with that. It's just missing things that would make me want to spend 15 bucks a month on it, and in todays economy, I can save that up for a half a tank of gas, or in two months time, have almost enough scratch to pick up another of the HERO system books. When it develops past ...."Talk to A, go to B, Beat up C, pick up D, take it back to A, get a GIZMO to add to my non gizmo using Mutant whatever...." Then I'll take another look. It has improved, I'll grant it that much.

~Rex

[Nagisawa Takumi]

Personally, I think CO should have been what CoX should have been. The current animations and power sets are PERFECT for Super's play. More than CoX Fantasy set up (Controllers, and Defenders? Really? Have you seen anything remotely like that in any comic book?) Unfortunately, CoX has momentum behind it, and CO has nothing, also the former management didn't exactly expand from the CoX formula, which cripples the game more than it should.

But the powers and the current animations, man... What it could have been... Pity.

[Certified]

To Patrick and Rex's points the Hero system cannot be translated to an MMO because there is no GM. However, CO is the most flexible game I've seen currently on the market the only game that was more flexible was Freedom Force but that was a traditional computer game not an MMO.

One of the things that has always bothered me about CO is the rolling puns and lack of quality writing. Honestly I think people, myself included, would be a lot more involved with the game if the missions felt less generic and drew more from the history of the setting. Actually this is something I think they tried to address with Serpent's Lantern and hope they continue to work on with the Adventure packs. Although I really wish they would go back and clean up some of the pitiful story arcs already in the game, give us a reason to read the mission descriptions.

Lastly, yes Pets are an MMO staple but in the Hero system you have both Summons and Followers and I'm sure there are people on these boards that can give you a list of Summoner type characters.