Champions Online (Formerly Marvel Universe)

[Arakkis]

Originally Posted by bonanno

Champions Online Official Site has a countdown in the upper right, down to 22.5 days. (no idea what it is, but I'm assuming it is for the beta signup)

It is widely assumed that this is the countdown for the announcement for Star Trek Online, which Cryptic is rumored to have taken over after Perpetual dropped it. The background of the timer is a piece of concept art from Perpetual for STO, so odds are the chatter has it right.

Originally Posted by Genjiro

They need to add actual content. Yea seeing what game breaking IOd out guy I can make in Mids is fun, but really whats the fucking point when there is nothing for him to do? Needs to be raiding, something equal to progression in that avenue, actual carrot gear drops handled accordingly for a hero game, etc.

All of this has been confirmed to be in the game with examples given.

[Lyrical]

Originally Posted by Emmert

Something's different at CrypticPosted by Jack Emmert
What's different?

Cryptic was founded way back in July 2000 and has developed and released two MMORPG products and we are currently working on three projects right now. Champions Online is the closest to release and has the largest team by far. But what's changed over the years? What have we learned from developing and maintaining City of Heroes?

I was inspired to write this short entry because we just got done with something internally that we'd never, never done before. We finished a zone and were just about to head into working on something new. But we felt that the zone needed some attention. Sure, QA had identified some bugs in it, but the zone did "work." But the one thing we weren't entirely sure about was whether the zone was fun.

So we shut down the Champions team for two weeks. And everyone played the game. Each person was required to play for at least an hour each day, and a goal for the whole team was set for at-home play hours. As a reward, if the team played for 600 total hours for the month of June, the company directors would hold a BBQ for them. As people played, we expected them to use an in-game tool to log bugs, comments, suggestions and criticisms.

We generated several thousand entries. Our lead designer, Randy Mosiondz, and producer, Chris Lena, triaged these bugs every day and assigned them out to individuals on the team. If someone didn't have anything to fix, he or she would then try to tackle someone else's bugs. We wanted the whole team focused on just one thing: making this zone great.

One of the reasons for doing this was that earlier I had a meeting with my designers. We wrote up on a white board all the qualities that the designers believed they should be evaluated against. Innovative. Creative. Thoughtful. One of these characteristics stood out: Polished. We, as a Design team, wanted to be known for polished content. Using that as inspiration, I really wanted this zone to reach a new quality level.

It's not that we hadn't playtested our previous games. Not at all. But I think we were more focused on getting it done. Remember, just the act of making Cryptic's first MMO was incredibly challenging. We certainly stayed late at night and played together. But we never stopped development for two weeks and said – "stop making new things and just make what we've got GREAT."

So that's just one change that's happened here at Cryptic. And since we just went through this, I thought I'd share it.

They want to be known as putting out polished content? I am amazed they put stuff like this out on the same day that NCSoft is announcing nerfs to powersets that have been in the game for four years. On top of that, looking at the broken systems like no one PVP'ing and non-existent base raids, and Cryptic has alot to deliver. And the fact that they keep revamping old zones over and over again doesn't help.

These guys could say that they are on a new project, but they worked on CoH for years after launch. And they never fixed that crap.

Maybe I am being cynical, but when companies like SOE and Cryptic say that want polished games at launch (presumably to Blizz standards), I just don't believe it.

[Cantatus]

2K Games to Publish Cryptic Studios' Upcoming MMO Champions Online™

Strange. I could've sworn one of the reasons Cryptic wanted to strike out on their own was that they could self-publish.

Cryptic Studios™, one of the leading independent developers of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs), announced today Champions Online™, their first ever self-developed and self-published MMORPG.

I wonder why the change.

[grimsark]

Originally Posted by Cantatus

I wonder why the change.

$$$

[dechire]

Originally Posted by Cantatus

I wonder why the change.

money, infrastructure, support, jack talks a good game?

[Lyrical]

Originally Posted by Cantatus

2K Games to Publish Cryptic Studios' Upcoming MMO Champions Online™

Strange. I could've sworn one of the reasons Cryptic wanted to strike out on their own was that they could self-publish.



I wonder why the change.

You almost have to read between the lines. Cryptic sold off CoH and then talked about how it had enough money to self-publish from now on. They were all over the place talking about how they were independent (and that they finally reached their long-term goal). And then they start ramping up their dev team (they have want ads everywhere) and started bringing in expensive SOE executives. My guess is that this is $$$ related. Either they are burning cash faster than they thought (skilled technical labor in CA isn't cheap) or they were given an offer they can't refuse. My guess is on the former.

My spider-sense makes me think that this game will get launched before its ready. However, I have no l33t insider info on this.

[spronk]

haha

"2K Games is a terrific publishing partner for Champions Online," said John Needham, CEO of Cryptic Studios. "Cryptic is proud that Champions Online will be 2K's first MMO title and we look forward to working together towards a tremendous launch next year."

Yes, a terrific publishing partner is one who has never done an MMO before.

2k is a subsidiary of TakeTwo which has a hostile buyout offer from EA too. Kinda weird to hook up with a company that may get swallowed by EA, the killer of MMOs and independent studios.

[Cantatus]

I think I phrased my thought wrong. I should've posted, "I wonder what reason Cryptic will give for the turnaround."

[Cantatus]

New Gameplay Video

[Lyrical]

Would it have been that hard to embed?

[CylusSoulreaver]

Originally Posted by Lyrical

Would it have been that hard to embed?

Most likely, no...it wouldn't have been hard. Unfortunately, your link doesn't currently work either, at least in my Vista's IE7.

[Lyrical]

Originally Posted by CylusSoulreaver

Most likely, no...it wouldn't have been hard. Unfortunately, your link doesn't currently work either, at least in my Vista's IE7.

All I know is that link gives me about 3 FPS and I can't see what is going on. There has to be a better link.

And yes, I did see your pre-edited comment.

[bonanno]

woot, coh 2!

[Lyrical]

Originally Posted by bonanno

woot, coh 2!

I guess Cryptic couldn't afford new sounds effects

[McCheese]

I'm liking the art style. It looks as good in motion as it does in screenshots.