firesnakearies

Re: Announcing the Crime Computer 2.0! Find those missing missions! Wow, awesome!

Re: Abilities Discussion I have a bunch of Force powers, plus Empathic Healing, Ego Hold, Immolation, and Teleport. I am very happy with all of it. Force is a really fun powerset, and the few things I've cherry-picked from Telepathy, Telekinesis, and Fire so far work really well with it and fill out the gaps in the framework nicely. I've never felt the need or desire to retcon anything on my main character Intensity (really the only one I've played much at all past the tutorial). So lucky me, I guess! It's weird too, because I almost ALWAYS play melee-only guys in pretty much every game. But this time, Force just struck me as cool and enjoyable to play, and I went with it. Teleport is AMAZING. Especially since I learned that I can teleport away to relative safety, and immediately start healing myself with Empathic Healing, while in mid-teleport, or while drifting in the air post-teleport.

Re: Escapist reviews CO. Random thoughts on this thread: 1. Yes, the game is very humorous in tone most of the time. But it's nice-looking, actiony-fun to play, and lets you create a very wide variety of personalized heroes. So I like it. 2. Would I like a dark-themed superhero game? Hell yeah. I'd like it more than this, all else being equal. But that doesn't mean this isn't still quite enjoyable. 3. Mind Slayer looks great. I just got to the point where I found her in-game, and I thought she looked awesome! 4. Zero Punctuation is hilarious. I love it.

Re: Free character pics Wow, I love your style, man. Been looking through your Deviant Art gallery, and you've got some GREAT pieces in there! I especially like the way you use shadows on some of the faces. The ones where the characters are really angry or in pain or otherwise screaming or howling are really good. Very expressive and believable. You do a great job of making certain characters seem really dark, too, but without a lot of over-the-top obvious stuff. Just the subtle use of shadows and positioning that conveys a lot of tone. Gorgeous stuff. I'm not sure that my character would be interesting enough to warrant one of your awesome portraits, but I'd definitely love to see your take on the wicked cool character that Eightfold_Path posted above.

Re: Cryptic to develop Neverwinter Nights MMO? I'm actually playing DDO as well as Champions Online currently, and enjoying it quite a bit. I pay for my Champions subscription, but I can play DDO a little here and there for free, so it's a fun diversion. But as to the original topic . . . I'd be very interested in a new Neverwinter Nights MMORPG. Or any new D&D MMORPG really.

Re: Crafting Oh man, that's really cool! I'ma gonna make some Intensity comic strips now...

Re: Disappointment It IS based on the pen and paper game. The phrase "based on" is not a precise one, and could mean a lot of different things. It could mean anything from taking a very basic inspiration from the general concept of something, all the way to an attempt to re-create something in as exacting detail as possible. You're obviously expecting a greater level of granularity in the degree of strictness in that "basing on" than is actually present in Champions Online. There's nothing wrong with wanting that, or being disappointed that they chose to go for a broader, looser "basing on" instead. It's fine that you hoped for a more rigid adherence to the pen-and-paper rules as such, and I'm sorry that you're unhappy not to have gotten what you would have preferred. However, the phrase "based on" in itself still doesn't HAVE TO mean exactly what you expect. If they'd used more specific language, such as "Champions Online offers the first faithful translation of the Champions roleplaying game rules to the online gaming format!" then perhaps you'd have more of a case against them for being misleading. But "based on" can mean a very wide range of things, and using that phrase isn't a deception just because it is representing a point on the spectrum of "basing on" that is on the far end from your expectations. Look at it this way. If they'd made this game without buying any IP or rights from the Champions RPG owners, or entering into any agreement with them at all, and they'd named it something like "Super Champs Online", and never claimed any relation to "Champions" the pen-and-paper game . . . but everything about the game was exactly as it is now, don't you think they'd have been easily sued for copyright infringement? Of course they would have. You said "literally nothing" of the pen-and-paper rules exists in the game? Literally nothing, really? How about the Champions-specific stat names? Ego? Presence? Recovery? These are common RPG attribute names? No. The fact is, they could make any sort of RPG where you build a customized superhero character by choosing various powers, and say it was "based on" Champions, because that's a game concept that Champions pioneered. Legal issues aside, they could call City of Heroes "based on the Champions RPG" and it would be true. At least true enough, in the wide variance of possible meanings of "based on", to not be a lie or a trick. None of this is even mentioning the fact that there are hundreds of place names and likenesses, character names and likenesses, events, and organizations in the game which are drawn directly from the pages of written Champions products. If the creators of Champions Online were to sit down and make a detailed list of everything which exists in their game which also exists in the Champions RPG, every concept which has served as inspiration or which has been carried over directly, the list would be many thousands of items long. All of this is more than sufficient to allow for a claim of "based on the pen and paper game" to be at least minimally accurate, if not more so. At least true enough to invalidate any nonsensical "they're trying to deceive/trick/lure people!" claims, and to make such claims look absurd to many rational observers. Precedent shows us that there are many possible meanings and applications of the phrase "based on" when it comes to entertainment and media. They didn't mean the same thing by it that you wished they meant. That sucks, and I'm sorry for you. But what they DID mean by it was still just as legitimate, and honest, and factual. So stop suggesting that it was some kind of nefarious lie and that you've been wrongly deceived by it. Really, it's just ludicrous at this point. Complain all you want about the lack of adherence to the pen-and-paper rules, that's fine. Make suggestions. Tell us how they might implement some changes that would, in your opinion, make the game better. That's all good. But stop attacking the company and acting like they did something "wrong" or deliberately misled you. They didn't.

Re: Crafting I thought the Club was cool.

Re: Do you play CO as an MMO? I like grouping, I like playing with other people. I really do. But I hate feeling forced into it in order to progress. I think that the vast majority of content should be at least technically possible to solo, with additional benefits for grouping. I never want to have to group with random people who, perhaps, I don't like, or whose playstyle is quite different from mine, or who might detract from my enjoyment of the content. I don't like feeling like I'm grouping up because it's "necessary". I want to group with other players for one of three reasons: 1.) I have an in-character motivation. I love roleplay, and I enjoy MMOs the most when my character is actually working with another character, for reasons that fit the character himself. 2.) I like the other player(s). I love playing the game with one or more other players whose personality and playstyle agree with me. Playing with people I actually like is much more fun than playing with random folks who irritate me. 3.) I'm choosing to help someone else out. I am happy to group up with people to assist them, if they need it or just want it. I like helping people. This especially applies to members of my guild, friends of friends, and such. Reason 4, "Because I have to" is not a reason which I prefer to be included in my gameplay.

Re: Do you play CO as an MMO? This is the opposite of what I want from a game.

Re: Crafting Wow, that's awesome. I didn't know that. Cool!

Re: What's Next? I'm looking forward to some extra-dimensional stuff, like a Qliphothic World zone.

Re: List Your CO Nemeses! Intensity's first nemesis is Twist, a female supernatural mastermind with dark magic thugs for minions. She looks like a hot young semi-punk chick in a tiny latex minidress and combat boots with long purple claws. Her minions glow with dark purple fire, and tend to kick my ass. The story is, she's one of Intensity's ex-girlfriends from back before he did time in Stronghold, when he was still a bad guy. Hell hath no fury, and all that...

Re: Civilian misson givers There's a guy getting mugged right outside of the entrance to Fight Club who seems to always give a mission when you rescue him, too.

Re: Crafting