Egyptoid Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Not Really. but here's a linkie I can't wait to read the FAQ for that one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCoy Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Re: Competition from Marvel ? I'm unimpressed with Marvel's track record in gaming. I can think of at leat three RPG's that have been released, then not supported, and I think I may be missing at least one. IIRC Champions Online stared with Marvel pulling out of an MMO development deal. "Fool me once --" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Samson Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Re: Competition from Marvel ? Going with a new production company might be a bad idea, they should have stuck with Cryptic who already had success with CoH (though I'm glad they are doing CO now!). Mediocre (and even some good) MMOs, even ones with alot of name recognition like Age of Conan, seem to die fast. That said, if they are just starting production now, CO and DCU will be out for a few years before we see it so who knows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Re: Competition from Marvel ? I'm unimpressed with Marvel's track record in gaming. I can think of at leat three RPG's that have been released, then not supported, and I think I may be missing at least one. IIRC Champions Online stared with Marvel pulling out of an MMO development deal. "Fool me once --" Yeah, you pretty much covered it. IF I get a superhero MMORPG, it'll be Champions online partially because I think the chance of executive meddling will be less than it would be with the properties of the Big Two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperPheemy Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 Re: Competition from Marvel ? Back in the late 80s Marve's support for the Marvel Super Heroes RPG lasted about 5 years or so, and was good for RPGs at the time. DCs RPG at the time also enjoyed a good amount of support for about the same period of time. Neither company has managed to get any game produced with similar quality or support since. Here's why I believe that the "Universe Licensed" MMO is always going to have a hard time thriving in the long run. It's about character ownership. In an MMO, nobody is going to get to play the signature characters of the Universe. Nor is anybody going to get the opportunity for their characters to fill the shoes of the signature characters. Or in other words, in a Marvel MMO, no one gets to play Iron Man as their character, and no player's character will ever get to be the icon that would eclipse Iron Man. By default, the Player Characters in an MMO are always "second string" heroes. Because Marvel (and DC) have a vested interest in "protecting their IP value". So no matter what I do with or to my character, he or she will never be stronger than HULK because "HULK strongest there is!!!". I don't care how noble or worthy I make my character, he'll never lift Thor's hammer. Because if I do it, then *everyone* can potentially do it, and soon we have a roster of hundreds and thousands of heroes with names like Roht77832, Wingnut, and "7h0r r001z" who have indeed completed the quest which at the climax has them wielding Mjolnir in the final fight. Which brings us to the culprit behind the scenes at Marvel and DC. Control. Both companies want as much control over how their property is used as possible (which is understandable), and players want as much control over their characters as possible. In the tabletop campaigns this wasn't a problem, because how the world was presented didn't really impact the greater perception of the Setting. If a group of players made replacement Avengers for their game in Reno, NV. Very few people knew, or cared about it. In a computer game like Marvel Ultimate Alliance, everyone who owns the game can play Thor, or Spider Man, or the Thing, because no two instances of MUA interact. One of the things I like about the potential of Champs Online is that Cryptics interest in having an evolving, entertaining setting in which to play is far greater than their interest in making certain that Defender or Sapphire's "value" as superheroes remain "undamaged". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egyptoid Posted March 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 Re: Competition from Marvel ? my buddy Bob and I laughed our butts off last night... (Bob owns a comic store, and I worked at one for 9 years) ... discussing exactly what Pheemy just said, and Then .... he got an idea. An awful idea. The Grinch got a wonderful, awful idea. get a bunch of buddies, and make accounts in Marvel, and then build Defender, Grond, Solitaire, Istvatha, Feur, Slug, Talisman, etc. etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narf the Mouse Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 Re: Competition from Marvel ? ...IP collision train wreck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwdemon Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 Re: Competition from Marvel ? The first thing that caught my attention in that article were the words "casual MMO for younger audiences". Great IP + low development costs + low maintenance costs + underserved market = cash cow. After that, you get into the more polished projects, but this is a big first step and, I think, the right one for Marvel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Re: Competition from Marvel ? The first game is aimed at the Superhero Squad property, which looks something like: Seems like a VERY young demographic to go after for an MMO. Will be interesting to see if they can tap into a market that young, considering the average age of MMO players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperPheemy Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Re: Competition from Marvel ? Its a very interesting strategy considering that with Champions, City of Heroes, and DC Universe, "mainstream" settings and mood will have a pretty heavy presence. With SHS, they're competing with FusionFall and ToonTown (though going head-to-head with the Mouse is *always* a challenge). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekros Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 Re: Competition from Marvel ? Marvel should just keep making movies and leave MMO's to people like Steve Jackson. After all, what makes an MMO popular is the ability to truly define a character you want to be. What more can be said for a game that will offer nigh unprecedented character customization abilities? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutsleeve Posted May 17, 2009 Report Share Posted May 17, 2009 Re: Competition from Marvel ? personally if i was going to get into a superhero MMO based on a comic property it would be DC. I just like the 70+ years of back story which ranges from the campy to the serious. Everything from Starro the Conqueror to Speedy's drug addiction. Other then that a more generic Superhero world is preferable to me. Champions has a lot of room to work in not so much Name Branding to trample on since its not as well known. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted May 20, 2009 Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 Re: Competition from Marvel ? Unfortunately, the DC MMO in progress looks like it'll be even more console-ish and that the player characters will be marginalized by the big guns of the universe. Of course, that's based on very early info, so things could change. It may be a fun game, anyway, even if it fails to interest MMO players much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutsleeve Posted May 20, 2009 Report Share Posted May 20, 2009 Re: Competition from Marvel ? If the DC MMO does go that way I hope that it will be free to play like Guild wars. I'm not sure if i wanna play second fiddle to the big guys even in a DCU game. Consoley I don't care much about I dont want to be helping Superman while he saves the day. I want to be the one to kick Lex Luthors teeth in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperPheemy Posted May 26, 2009 Report Share Posted May 26, 2009 Re: Competition from Marvel ? Well, that tends to be the problem in gaming Universes like DCU or MU. It's what a good friend of mine nicknamed the "Mel Gibson Syndrome. See, in Mel movies you have Mel, the BAD GUY, the Sidekick, and the GOONS. The GOONS beat no one, The Sidekick beats the goons, the BAD GUY beats The Sidekick, and Mel beats the BAD GUY. In this case, Lex is the BAD GUY, his robot minions are GOONS, Superman is Mel, and your PC is The Sidekick. So, while the PC will be allowed to wade though the Robot Minions by the dozen, he or she will never match up to Lex. Or to put it another way... your PC is Heath Ledger from the Patriot. Superman is Mel. At least you'll have a front-row seat to the beatdown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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