Moving Van

Well its hard to say this but I am officially moving to my other blog down at blogspot, please come visit! The blogroll will not be moved over for awhile but I will try and do that as quickly as possible.

http://gamingonearth.blogspot.com

Oops!

I tried to port the posts manually to Blogger, which is one of the things I would like to say, along with an unfortunate piece of news; I accidentally deleted some posts, lucky I have been able to revive all but 1 of them down at the blogger site, check it out @ gamingonearth@blogger.com.

Park Naming Contest!

From the Champions Online website:

Contest: Urban Planning

Posted by IronAngel

The Urban Planning Commission is scrambling to rename parks that have been destroyed by the most recent Qularr invasion in an effort to boost local morale. To honor the fallen, they have taken the City’s most treasured heroes and built monuments in their name. One remains to be named. The council has determined that our citizens shall take on this task.

It is your challenge, nay your duty, to make your mark on Millennium City – name this last city park! The council will choose the most appropriate name for the park and they will honor you with a plaque in the center of that area. As a bonus, they will also give you a key to play there. Check out the images below, and e-mail your entry to contest@crypticstudios.com today!

 

 

New Updates

Well it’s time to pull off the Warhammer information like Squigy’s Pile. It will now be acessable in a new page creatively named “Misc”. The RSS feed for Warhammer will also be replaced with a Champions Online one, hopefully.

Sedsigafew

Champions Interview with Altern8

Link: http://www.alltern8.com/library/mmo_games/press_release/champions_online_-_exclusive_qa_session_with_bill_roper/l-4053.html

After reading that, I have felt that more of the Champions Online features are expalined to me. As some of you might also feel, Champions have not ben really open with the game and I have trouble finding good solid information about the game. This is somewhat worrying because the game is launching very soon and maybe they wanted to keep most of the details hushed up for a explosive launch.

I would have liked to hear more in detail about the customisation factor that this game has but I might as well wait till I get into the beta or I would find out during launch. If anyone has any information or is currently in the beta, conatct me! I would love to know more about Champions and how the customisation works.

Cryptic Q and A

From Champions Online website! Gives quite a load of juicy information about the game. Read on!

How many powers are we able to gain over the 40 levels? Will we be required to take a certain amount or can we just take one or two powers that we want and stick with them, like the PnP version of this game? Also, are we limited in how many movement powers we can take? (Nexus)

Different powers are on different economies. For example, as the game stands right now, there are many sorcery variants (different circles of power) which cost advantage points instead of active power points because they’re all mutually exclusive to each other – you’d only have one going at a time. You’ll get 14 powers plus one movement power plus one endurance power. Every character will get 34 advantage points, total, to spend. This may change before launch.

One of the most important things to me in an MMO is being able to Roleplay. In previous games (CoX) you provided a lot of emotes for people to use to interact with each other. Will you have an equal or greater range of Emotes in Champions Online?(Bandyt)

Currently we have 54 emotes in the game and are constantly adding more. I’m not sure how many we had in CoX at ship, but I think 54 is quite a bit!

Will players be able to walk around instead of the slowest form of movement being a light jog? (Bandyt)

Not currently. We will likely add that in the future, but when it came down to getting jet boot animations or walking, we went with the jet boots.

Can we get some information on how healing is going to work in the game? Is it going to be an offensive or defensive power? Can we target others with our heals, or are we just going to be able to heal ourselves? Is there anything in the crafting sets that will allow us to make a small robot, or gun, that heals for us? (1000_Tons_of_Awesome)

Healing is going to primarily come from telepathy, gadgeteering and sorcery sets. They’re going to be simple directed heals. There will be some special purpose heals in both martial arts and supernatural. There will also be healing from gear.

Additionally, every crafting school has two different healing items they can make, and those are thematically different for the different schools. Players can build those and give them to their friends or trade them. So players could gather multiple healing items from the different crafting schools. Each school has one that gives you a preemptive amount of healing ahead of time, and then one that heals you after you’ve been hit. They function differently for the different crafting schools. Science has nanobots that heal you over time, for example, or that can provide a shield of sorts ahead of time that will protect you from a certain amount of damage.

Are there plans for more travel powers after launch? For example, City of Heroes has had the same travel powers since launch (unless I’m mistaken). (Belstaffar)

We’re actually going to be launching with an impressive number of movement powers, but it’s safe to say that we’re likely to add more variants after launch based on what players want.

Are you planning on expanding the 3-hit combo combat system, perhaps not at launch, but further down the line?(Saikyo-RyuHatman)

Powers that go in multiple hit combos within the same button are that way for aesthetics as much as anything else. The idea is that every character has 10 or 15 different combos based on the interactions of the different buttons in their trays. The fact that individual buttons go through one, two or three hit combos tends to be very button specific. The fighting powers are all built to be three hit combos simply because the first hit is very good efficiency for damage and energy, and the second and third hits (it rotates between those two) are very low efficiency on damage but they generate energy at the same rate. So, if there’s a good reason to expand on that we will, but right now there are no plans do so.

In regards to post launch game content, will we be seeing expansion in the forms of more end game content (more dungeons, different Pv types, etc.), further character development (Raise in level cap, more powers, more unlock-able costume pieces, etc.) , or more general game content (More travel powers, vehicles, playable Villains, etc.)? (jhonderbler)

Yup! We’re working on our post-launch content plan, and it covers almost everything you mentioned!

Will powers in power frameworks be sequentially grouped (meaning you need powers x and y to get power z) or bound by level, or will they be freely choosable? (Ex: choosing Fireimps at level 2 and then working on upgrading that till the end game). (andrewvanmarle)

None of the above. Powers in individual frameworks are grouped into tiers, to unlock the powers in a tier, you need to buy a certain number of powers within that framework, or a greater number of powers from anywhere in the game.

Tier 0: no prereqs
Tier 1: at least 1 in category, or any 2
Tier 2: at least 3 in category, or any 5
Tier 3: at least 5 in category, or any 8

End builder powers do count as in category, but don’t count towards the “any.” Movement powers don’t count.

Say I choose a power at creation, and right off the bat the next few levels I upgrade that power three times (that is the limit, so I’ve heard) so it is as powerful as it can be. Will I out grow that power after say, 20 levels, and be required to choose new more viable powers for my level – or will the power continue to ‘level’ up with me so I can use it viably all the way to 40? (Shaolinwind)

All powers scale up automatically in their efficacy. The ranking up is actually a multiplier. Rank 2 is 20% better than rank 1, and rank 3 is 20% better than rank 2. The base automatically scales with you. The game is actually balanced around an assumption of most of your powers being at rank 2. So, having powers at rank 3 puts you ahead of the curve. Having powers at rank 1 puts you behind the curve. This is why you have just a few more enhancement points than needed to take all your powers to rank 2. This way you can take one to rank 3. Or, you could take several up to rank 3, but that means you’d have to leave several powers at rank 1 to afford it.

What form of music will the CO Universe be surrounded by? Is a specific form of music focused on (i.e. Electronic, Hip Hop, Rock), or is the music simply ambiance regarding the area in which the player is playing? Or is CO moving to the more commonly used “epic-symphony” form of music? (Seraphus)

We currently have a variety of types and styles of music in Champions. The style of music we choose to employ is dependent upon the character of the zone you are in, and the type of gameplay found within.

In general, we have three main types of music:

* Neighborhood (zone) music – plays when you enter a clearly defined area or region of a map. This music is designed to establish a mood for a specific area, and may vary in style depending upon what that particular area is, and what it contains.
* Mission music – music that plays during a specific mission.
* Boss music – interactive music for significant bosses in the game. This music is designed to increase in intensity as your battle against the boss progresses.

There are a few miscellaneous uses for music as well (login/character creation, etc.) but these three categories comprise the bulk of our music score for the game.

Regarding music styles, in general we chose a contemporary orchestral (“epic”) style to help convey a heroic feel. We are a superhero game after all! But in many areas of the game, such as the Burial Caves (in Canada), Snake Gulch, or the Atomic Wasteland (both in the Desert) we try to match music to that particular area and the action that takes place there. Hence you get some frighteningly spooky-flavored music in the Burial Caves, Ennio Morricone-style spaghetti western music in Snake Gulch, and something with a little radioactive techno–scifi feel while you are in the Atomic Wasteland.

Please note that we are still adding music to the game…there is much more to come!

Is the CO loot system going to be closely like the WoW system where finding/making new armor will greatly improve your character? Or will it be more like the Beta version of LOTRO (Lord of the Rings online) where items are helpful but most just add very slight boosts? (Terajn)

In most other MMOs the value of gear varies greatly depending on your level. The higher the level you go, the more important your gear is. At high level gameplay the value of your gear is far more than half the total value of your character’s efficacy. In Champions the value of your gear, or Upgrades, is less than half your total efficacy at all times. It’s always going to be important, but it won’t double your efficacy.

Upgrades will, however, have an impact. They will help you enhance your character in a variety of ways. There are plenty of Upgrades in the game that aren’t simply items. Some are skills, some are talents, some are physical objects. People can also craft Upgrades. You get them from doing missions, in group activities or solo play activities, from PvP and PvE. There are going to be Upgrades people can gain to enhance their characters and their character concepts. You’ll want those Upgrades when you’re playing at the highest level; the game difficulty is balanced around the assumption that players will use those Upgrades.

Will Champions Online have the equivalent of badges from COH for exploration, completing certain tasks, etc? (numar)

Champions Online has an extensive system of Perks players can earn through exploration, defeating villains, completing story arcs, etc. There’s actually a reward system attached to Perks that allows you access to various titles, costumes, and items.

Will there be a “hero hangout” spot like the Atlas statue in CoH? Such a place doesn’t exist villain side. And what are you planning to do to ensure people will still be coming there even at high levels? (andrewvanmarle)

One of the main hangouts for hero types is Renaissance Center in Millennium City. The Ren Center is an enormous plaza surrounded by the tallest skyscrapers in the city. Players can shop at the many vendors there, do their banking, queue up for PVP bouts, or just hang out in the Club Caprice nightclub. Players looking for a bird’s eye view of the city can see the sights from a lounge beneath a tethered blimp at the top of the Heroes Inc. building.

Are hero names exclusive to an individual, like in City of Heroes, or can two heroes have the same name? (Nexus)

Rejoice, the days of name-squatting are over! In Champions Online, character names are unique to a single player’s account. Everyone can now be “Odysseus.” Each account can only have one “Odysseus,” though. If Champions Online can’t figure out the precise character you’re referring to, you specify the player who owns the character. This is done by appending the player’s handle (also call an @name or public name) to it. For example, “Odysseus@poz,” “Odysseus@Simmons,” and “Odysseus@Homer.”

Talk about it in the forums!

Whiter Layout

Trying out a new template! Hope you like it, because I sure hope I do.

ATARI AND CRYPTIC STUDIOS ANNOUNCE SHIP DATE FOR CHAMPIONS ONLINE ON PC

Directly from Champions Online official website!

Who:

Atari, Inc., one of the world’s most recognized videogame publishers, and Cryptic Studios™, a leading developer and publisher of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), announced today Champions Online for PC systems will be available worldwide July 14, 2009.

What:

On July 14, European and North American gamers will be able to pick up their copy of Champions Online and dive into a massive world of super powered heroes, villainous Nemeses, ancient gods, underwater civilizations, alien invasions, and much, much more!

From Cryptic Studios, the creators of the acclaimed City of Heroes and City of Villains, comes one of the most exciting new MMOs of 2009… Champions Online! Powered by the groundbreaking Cryptic Engine and based on the award winning Champions setting from the HERO System of pen & paper role playing games, Champions Online taps into a rich and established universe of heroes, villains, and intrigue.

Champions Online takes the MMO genre to new heights with fast paced, “real time” action combat. This high flying action delivers a heroic feeling unlike anything experienced in another MMORPG, while the total customization of character creation takes the experience to the next level. Choose from thousands of costume pieces, body types, and modifications for a level of personalization never before imagined. Create unique power sets to break outside the prison of class archetypes – players can even choose the appearance, and style of their powers to complete their vision.

While players transform into the ultimate hero, the Nemesis system lets Champions Online’s powerful customization tools craft an enemy of the extreme opposite, a villain of nightmares. This ultimate adversary will appear throughout a hero’s career, and even form diabolic supergroups to bedevil other players throughout the universe.

Champions Online brings epic heroism back to the MMORPG genre, with depth to challenge the most experienced online gamers and fast paced action to engage new entrants to the genre. Champions Online promises to redefine online gaming, now the only question is… What hero will you be?

When:

The game will be available at retailers worldwide starting July 14, 2009.

Where:

For more information, please visit http://www.atari.com and http://www.champions-online.com

Why:

Champions Online brings to living color one of the most beloved tabletop RPGs of the last century. More customizable than any superhero game to date, Champions Online truly provides players with limitless character creation options. Be any superhero you can dream!

Link to the forum post

Demigod

Demigod is a RTS from Gas powered games, who has made titles like Supreme Commander. So far i have only played 1 game in skirmish just to try it out and its seems like Supreme Commander in a different time slot, minus the building of structures and the large maps. You just control 1 demigod, kill the creeps and other Demigods, much like the Warcraft 3 mod, DOTA. I only have played 1 map as I mentioned  and maybe you can build structures, but I have not seen it yet, and therefore cannot report about it.

Graphics of demigod are pretty nice, the atmosphere is great, as the only map i played was on a giant tower top, with the fog of war being a bit different from normal RTS – clouds instead of the normal blackness. The demigods skills also look impressive and the game’s box art shows one of the demigods, which looks exactly like that in the game.

The game play is focused around demigods fighting each other, using skills and items that you can buy from a shop in your base, which is controlled not by you, but by a computer. You can however upgrade the creeps to deal more damage, your citadel to have more health and others similar to it. Your citadel is the structure that your enemy must destroy to win the game, the other buildings there also can be killed but in order to win the game you must kill the citadel.

Achievements can be obtained by performing certain feats in any game, such as killing 25 demigods in a single game or something as simple as winning the game.I’m not sure what this gives but they seem like an interesting touch.

Overall Demigod seems like a nice refined game, I am not sure how long it will last me but it can be safe to say that I will be playing this for some time.

Tea Time!

Taking a break gentlemen! Besides, I’m capped 😦