CO possibly going to get some actual real attention?

[General Idiot]

http://www.vg247.com/2013/06/06/perfect-world-announces-formation-of-cryptic-north-in-seattle/

Not so much the forming a new studio, but that it mentions Champions specifically and the article uses Champions art rather than either of the two arguably more successful and well known games. A small ray of hope for a game that's been pretty neglected almost since it launched.

This coming just after Neverwinter and STO's big expansion are out the door coupled with the fact that Cryptic actually owns the Champions IP outright rather than just licensing it makes me cautiously optimistic about this.

[Kaos Arcanna]

http://www.vg247.com/2013/06/06/perfect-world-announces-formation-of-cryptic-north-in-seattle/

Not so much the forming a new studio, but that it mentions Champions specifically and the article uses Champions art rather than either of the two arguably more successful and well known games. A small ray of hope for a game that's been pretty neglected almost since it launched.

This coming just after Neverwinter and STO's big expansion are out the door coupled with the fact that Cryptic actually owns the Champions IP outright rather than just licensing it makes me cautiously optimistic about this.

I like the fact they are specifically mentioning Champions Online several times in the article.

I have become fond of Champions over the last six months, and I really want to see it thrive because I think there's a lot of potential in it still.

[General Idiot]

I still say it's not an inherently bad game, it just has a few flaws that could be fixed in a general balance pass (See also: Most builds at 40 being spam one power forever) and it needs a heap more content - missions, powers, costume pieces. That last one they're actually pretty ok on but more costume pieces is never bad.

[Captain Electric]

Gamasutra interview with Jack Emmert as well as Russel Williams. Keep an eye out for that name, it's the new director of Seattle-based Cryptic North, a studio dedicated to Champions Online.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/193707/QA_With_Neverwinter_inbound_Cryptic_founds_Seattle_studio.php

brb flying pigs outside

[Tenzhi]

As long ass it's not a studio dedicated solely to the creation of new lockboxes and keys.

[Captain Electric]

I'm still probably going to unsubscribe in a few days. I want to support the genre, but Cryptic is getting my money regardless and I haven't logged into CO in over two months. I tried to give CO a fair shake, but its underdevelopment combined with my hangups...it's not COH and it would take several years for the Flying Labs guys to turn it into something as good as COH. I wish them all the luck in the world; they truly have their work cut out for them.

I still dream about COH, I still miss COH, and I've realized that playing other super hero MMOs doesn't improve my life at all in this area. I think part of the reason I've been getting into NW is that after going ten years avoiding the fantasy genre in MMOs, it doesn't remind me of anything, but it does abstractly scratch a few of the itches.

[Xev]

I didn't read about Pirates of the Burning Sea until it was announced that it was going bust. There was a lot of praise for the original crew that brought it online and a lot o the opposite for the crew that went down with the ship. The original Pirates! was one of the most awesome games ever imho. So I get some warm fuzzy from that association.

Change can be good, change can be bad. With CO's potential, the odds that it will improve with any kind of real attention from anyone that has a clue seem stacked pretty high in favor of the positive.

I see people in Zone chat just as passionate and happy about CO as I ever did in CoH. I like the game too. Glad to see it get some attention.

[JWBullfrog]

It's good to see CO getting some dedicated attention. Gods know it can use it. If they seem serious about this, I'll check back in with them from time to time to see how much 'polishing' they've actually done.

[eabrace]

Good for them. 

[DJMoose]

Good for them. 

Indeed.  After all of the grief that has been expressed on the CO forums about lack of development, vehicles, and lockboxes, it looks like things are taking a turn for the better.

[JaguarX]

hope so and not lip service to the press aka meaning just the usual lockboxes and temp. events and the same peristant bugs on top of new bugs.

There isnt many super hero mmos out there and maybe someone up there finally had a head lightbulb go off and getting on the job and taking advantage before someone else beats them to it. Hope this means that CO will finally get some attention and at least have a fair shake in becoming a powerhouse like it can be if not becoming a power house.

But overall I heard them say stuff like thise for years. I'll believe it when I see it, but I do have hope that this time they are serious.

[Empyrean]

I have been on Champs during this inexcusably stagnant time, and I have to say this is exciting.  Why?

1) Because Flying Lab is a GOOD studio and is excited about the lore and IP, and,

2)  as has been said over and over, Champions is DRIPPING, OOZING, near BURSTING with totally neglected and in many cases repressed potential.

I don't think Cryptic North has nearly as much work to do as Paragon Studios did when they took over CoH.  Colorization is baked in, customization is great, the mechanics are already there for user generated content, and the precedent has been set for endgame content with comic issues and action packs, it's just been vastly underutilized.  And they were already moving away from the cartoony feel and look, and this team is used to a much grittier, more CoH-like style.

This could be it, kids.

[Kaos Arcanna]

I want Champions Online to be a success for several reasons.

For it's own sake, because the game has a lot going for it. I love the individual travel powers a lot. (Fiery flight, blazing speed, tunneling, platforms, and so many more.) I like the concept behind the Become Devices though I haven't found them that useful in the game. The vehicles can be fun.  The zones that it does have are fun. (Canada has Bigfoot, the Desert has radioactive mutations, Monster Island has dinosaurs, and Lemuria is an honest to gosh underwater zone.)  The individual hideouts can be very cool-- I have a moon base with lower gravity, for example).

And there are fans who are just as passionate about their game as we are about COH.


And beyond the fact that I like CO,  I also want to see it succeed as a  possible "In Your Face" to NcSoft.

"Everyone rated the game we had as being far superior to Champions Online. Why is that game making so much profit in a market we left?"

[Nos482]

hmm, how to best say it...

[JaguarX]

"Everyone rated the game we had as being far superior to Champions Online. Why is that game making so much profit in a market we left?"

I wouldnt say everyone think COX was superior overall, but the second question is easier to answer. Less competition on an even less competative scale, which still make NCSoft decision a bit...strange looking. There was basically CO, DCUO, and CO-the biggest of the three I think. Now many people who played those typeof game more than likely mostly didnt find the regular fantasy made by the dozen games out there much enjoyable. So, the biggest one goes pop. That leaves two. Many will move on the next big thing either DCUO or CO. Some will not, and some move on to other games.

CO- So you have many move on to it, but still these arestill gamers and as much as they like super hero games they probably wont stick around long in a game that seems one foot in coffin. And thye probably in CO because DCUO didnt cut it. Thus either these customers will go to another genre, potentially losing customers of the super hero genre forever, or they can get their stuff together and capitalize it before one of the big dogs get a bright idea and make an "epic" super hero game that rivals WoW and smash everything else in its path. Looks like someone in cryptic or PWE they finally realized, "hey, the biggest threat is gone, took itself out of the game. DCUO, we can take them and there isnt much else right now. What are we doing?"


I do think CO have potential to be a far superior product than COX was but unless they get the part of actually putting some real work in outside temp events that dont even reach the scale of COX double xp weekend, and more lockboxes which look like it takes about 5 minutes for a third grader to make on a cell phone to do, then yeah quality will suffer. CO crew is like a bunch of newbies behind the wheel of a S65 AMG with Paragon riding in an old Mustang V6 and still winning the race. Of course which is superior in what manner is all a matter of opinion, just in case it wasnt made clear and the assumption was missed by a relative few.

[dwturducken]

As someone who was dragged kicking and screaming to CO (my Friday night group took a vote, and we missed spandex), I can express nothing but hope for this. And that this Gamasutra article is the first time I've seen a "release date" for NW. Clingin' to that "open beta" conceit for another two weeks, I guess.

Morale has been pretty low on the CO forum. There will always be those whom nothing will satisfy, but I suspect this to liven things up.

[JaguarX]

As someone who was dragged kicking and screaming to CO (my Friday night group took a vote, and we missed spandex), I can express nothing but hope for this. And that this Gamasutra article is the first time I've seen a "release date" for NW. Clingin' to that "open beta" conceit for another two weeks, I guess.

Morale has been pretty low on the CO forum. There will always be those whom nothing will satisfy, but I suspect this to liven things up.

"dragged kicking and screaming to CO (my Friday night group took a vote, and we missed spandex)"   

Interesting. Hope you at least enjoy your time there somewhat is isnt like one of those situations where like a person goes to a rap concert because their friends went but despises rap and rather be listening to Pantera.

[dwturducken]

Not so much. I tried it when it went F2P, much like anything else that has come out or made that transition, but all I saw was where CoH had "done it better." At the moment, I'm only gaming on Fridays, with the guys, and it's more about hanging out with friends, but other games are more interesting to me right now. I like the storytelling in SW:TOR, for instance. I'm also curious to see what has changed in STO, particularly now that you can start a Klingon from level 1.

I don't despise or look down on CO. It's like my girlfriend died, but her sister is trying to start something up with me. (Apologies to anyone who has ever actually been in that situation; it's not a very good analogy, but it's the closest I could get.)

[JaguarX]

Not so much. I tried it when it went F2P, much like anything else that has come out or made that transition, but all I saw was where CoH had "done it better." At the moment, I'm only gaming on Fridays, with the guys, and it's more about hanging out with friends, but other games are more interesting to me right now. I like the storytelling in SW:TOR, for instance. I'm also curious to see what has changed in STO, particularly now that you can start a Klingon from level 1.

I don't despise or look down on CO. It's like my girlfriend died, but her sister is trying to start something up with me. (Apologies to anyone who has ever actually been in that situation; it's not a very good analogy, but it's the closest I could get.)

Yeah been in that sibling situation before, except the GF didnt die.

Why not shoot on over to STO and check it out?


While hanging with friends and doing what they want is cool, from experience, sometimes ya own desires get pushed back and no one else thinks about doing stuff you might actually enjoy and when later ya bring it up, ya looked at the one that got uppity and changed and is the bad guy. Dont let it happen. It's road I'm very much familiar with and if could do it again, I would just simply said not interested and left it at that and focus on other stuff that we all might enjoy.

[dwturducken]

I'm not letting my self be sublimated to serve the greater good of the group, to exaggerate your point. I was just exaggerating with the "kicking and screaming" pat.

Most of my time during the day is spent in front of a computer or at my laptop, so my "down time" tends to be less computer-related. I will give STO a try, maybe even tomorrow. I've run the updater and opened it up to see if I was one of the lucky ones to get four character slots (I wasn't), but I wasn't in a position to play, then. I actually have a light weekend planned, so I may get more gaming time, particularly since my son is asking if there is something "like City of Heroes" that we can play. From his perspective, that really is just an MMO that we can play together, so any of those is a possibility.