Joystiq interview: NCsoft talks about updating City of Heroes, keeping it relevant
by Jason Dobson 
{ Dec 1st 2008 at 2:30PM }
Of course, the now wholly NCsoft-owned super powered MMO has released updates of its own to keep from becoming stale, including everything from the libertine City of Villains to this week's latest addition, dubbed Issue 13. We recently caged Matt "Positron" Miller, and spoke to the senior designer for NCsoft NorCal at length about the unluckily numbered update, as well as a number of other topics, including the availability of City of Heroes on the Mac and the superhero MMO's relevancy in today's overcrowded market.
NCsoft will issue its thirteenth major update to City of Heroes this week. However, with WoW, Warhammer and LotRO taking up such a large portion of the MMO mindshare, what are you doing to ensure that City of Heroes/Villains remains relevant in the American market?
NCsoft is stressing what makes City of Heroes different. First, it's a superhero game, not sword and sorcery. If players are really looking for something different, they can find it here.
Second, City of Heroes still has one of the best character customization systems ever made. It seems that a lot of new MMOs are stuck in the 'gear = looks' paradigm that games like Everquest and Ultima established. City of Heroes offers billions (no exaggeration) of possible costume combinations right from level 1.
One of the biggest changes coming in the Issue 13 update in our mind is the Merits Rewards System, which will let players earn tokens to be purchase things such as enhancements or costume updates. What was the stimulus behind this new system?
Our encounters do not tie specific rewards to specific entities. In WoW if you wanted to get a specific item, you would just end up farming the same boss over and over again. It doesn't work that way in City of Heroes. One problem that players have pointed out was that this does make it hard to actually "work towards" a goal of a specific item.
The merit system now allows you to work towards your goal, by accumulating merits simply from playing the game as you do normally, and spending them on the desired recipes or rewards you want.
Last month you announced plans to bring the game to Macs. What took so long?
It really was Transgaming Media who really got us excited. They showed us what they could do, and had done in the past, and it really was a no-brainer at that point to get City of Heroes up and working on the Intel-based Macs as soon as possible.
Is a Mac beta still planned to roll out alongside Issue 13?
You bet.
"In WoW if you wanted to get a specific item, you would just end up farming the same boss over and over again. It doesn't work that way in City of Heroes." |
Not at all. A lot of Mac software is done digital-only. We will be putting the Mac version in boxes next year, and all future boxes of City of Heroes will have the Mac client included as well.
Can you talk about some of the work the team is doing on the Architect system? What can players look forward to when this next big batch of content arrives for the game early next year?
The ability to create your own story arcs of up to five missions in length. Each mission can have a single or multiple completion goals, as well as use practically any map we have used for missions previously. You will also be able to put in allies or bosses, and these can be pre-set entities, or custom one you create yourself. Oh, you will also be able to choose what Contact hands out your story arc, or create your own Contact in the same manner as you would create a character or a boss.
You've said before that the team has more microtransactional content planned already. Do you have any details to offer on any of these future 'Super Booster' packs?
Super Booster II will be a magic-themed pack that will sit alongside the Cyborg pack very well. It will have costume pieces and other goodies that are themed for both stage magicians as well as your more traditional fantasy mages.
Finally, looking beyond Issue 13, we're interested to know what concrete plans you have in place for the following Issue.
Issue 14 is all about the Mission Architect. Issue 15 will be centered around the Fifth... Anniversary of City of Heroes. [Note: The MMO's 5th anniversary will be April 28, 2009.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rvkremer @ Dec 1st 2008 2:48PM
Played and loved COH/COV for a few months and really liked it as an alternative to WoW. I always found designing my character more rewarding than playing it, so I had lots of low level alts. Life got in the way and my time in Paragon City waned, so I could no longer justify the monthly cost.
Now if it were to move to a free Guild Wars model, I might be up for a return trip.
bAssackwards @ Dec 1st 2008 6:27PM
Is that Steven Colbert on the very front of that picture?
Max @ Dec 8th 2008 2:18PM
This pretty much sums up my CoH experience.
Character creation was awesome - gameplay was meh.
GRT @ Dec 1st 2008 2:55PM
Of course, this being NCSoft, they might pull the plug in 2 months, too.
Pudge @ Dec 1st 2008 2:57PM
baddum-dum!
Lord Negatron @ Dec 1st 2008 3:01PM
TKSSss! *hi hat*
Rentaro @ Dec 1st 2008 7:48PM
Only, it's been here for 4 years already
RookieJr @ Dec 1st 2008 2:59PM
I gotta say, this is the one MMO that I keep finding myself going back to. I played WoW for a while, and WAR for a month or so since it came out, but I think I'm being drawn back to CoH once again... so many new features...
I guess I'm just a sucker for character customization and shiny power effects.
John Z @ Dec 1st 2008 2:58PM
I still have a few friends who play the game, so seeing all this stuff-- and knowing that the game's survived all of the troubles that so many NCSoft games have endured (I left CoH for Tabula Rasa, ha ha)-- really makes me feel good to know it's still there for folks to enjoy.
I do miss hanging out on Virtue, though. Architect sounds awesome, though. I might have to come back Soon(tm).
One last thing: DAMN YOU POSI. Teasing us with the Fifth Column like that...
RookieJr @ Dec 1st 2008 3:04PM
The Fifth Column was so much cooler than the Council, I'm still annoyed that they replaced the 5th.
Nazis are way more fun to beat up than generic military-type guys.
DLancer @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:49AM
Fifth Column you say?
Fortunately, they are only a zone, and 20 years, away thanks to Oroborous, your friendly time travelling continuity muckers!
Also, check out Cimerora, the ancient Roman zone added in i12, for a few more Superhuman Nazi/Energy-based Parasitic Alien suprises!
Needless to say, they've been adding the Fifth back over the past two issues with the help of time travel.
Demona @ Dec 1st 2008 3:00PM
Issue 14 is all about the Mission Architect. Issue 15 will be centered around the Fifth... Anniversary of City of Heroes.
*cough* 5th Column *cough*
Jimmay @ Dec 1st 2008 6:00PM
Funny not one mention of PVP, which was the main focus of this issue. They made huge pvp changes giving the users the ability to have a pve and pvp build for each toon, added in pain domination (empathy for villians) as a secondary for corruptors and master minds. They radically changed the resistance for a lot of toons and retooled damage for a lot of toons. They also put in some hate inducing changes to pvp that drove away a lot of dedicated pvpers before the issue has even gone live. They nerfed movement so that almost everything supresses it. They put in diminishing returns on buffs and heals (including self heals that also supress). The DR extends to the invention origin set bonuses that were given just a few issues ago. People who worked hard to get IOs for set bonuses now lose that stacking. Those are just the tip of the iceberg but removing the fast paced pvp from a game known for fast pace pvp is just..well..dumb.
Real @ Dec 1st 2008 5:16PM
Basically all of the PvP community unsubbed because of Issue 13. In pre-i13 PvP you could run and jump, buff, heal, and use set bonuses without being suppressed. All of that has changed.
Now CoH PvP is like every other MMO in that you stand still and button mash.
Chas @ Dec 1st 2008 7:55PM
Jimmay, We lost some PvP'ers... largely before any PvP testing was even done. Movement, while "suppressed" in parts of a fight is still as fast as running with "sprint" on, so I don't know where you're getting the "stand in one place" misinformation from. The changes were drastic but very much needed.
Meh286 @ Dec 1st 2008 9:53PM
I've been playing CoH/CoV for 3 years now on and off. I can always go back to it and leave off on where i last stopped playing. Like the rest of the commenters are saying is that its a nice change from playing WoW every now and then.
Moutheater @ Dec 5th 2008 4:36PM
Very much disagree with Chas. CoX had one of the most amazing multi-layered pvp systems, which coupled with unsupressed movement competed in a rare niche between FPSs and slow MMOs (a la warcraft and warhammer). Diminishing returns turned everyone into an offensive character and completely destroyed a 1000 player team arena ladder that had been years in the making.
The Devs completely destroyed the community with total disregard. They were warned. We tested. We gave feedback. I wrote at least 20 VERY respectful walls of text in the beta forums before I was banned for playing forum games with two of my sg friends (I told them to be "quiet baddos" three times on the PVP arena forums).
Needless to say the community rep got fired a few days after (lol@those that say he left) a very embarrassing slip in which he stated that the PVP community's feedback was very much disregarded in this issue as we were not the targeted 'segment'. He was forced to retract this statement a few days later after a big uproar and another cancellation wave.
With the suppression changes, CoX now occupies the same niche as Warhammer and WoW, and those two have a devs that might actually listen. Since these the CoX devs will not respond to feedback, I'm taking my money to Warhammer until Champions is out.
ExNihilo @ Dec 2nd 2008 3:58AM
Have fun over there Moutheater!
Judging from your tone, We are better off without you. 4 Year vet here. With a total of 12 Hero 50's and 5 villain 50's. And I PvP quite a bit. So I think I know what I'm talking about.
And I am not saying that the changes are warranted. Just stating that your attitude can drive away players even faster.
Sorry to hear your leaving but perhaps it's for the best.
Artifice_Arrow @ Dec 2nd 2008 5:49PM
*Sigh* My enjoyment of CoH/CoV has been permanently Diminished, and I won't be returning. Too bad they couldn't suppress my movement though, Champions here I come. =) R.I.P PvP.
Imp @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:29AM
Oh really? You PVP'd a bit? For what ladder team? I like it when people qualify their statements.
And yeah, after two years, I had 15 50's, 5 of them fully purpled and IO'd out, 10 of them fully accoladed. Only managing to get 17 50's in four year just suggests that you have no idea how to work the game or are just.. well.. a PVEer.
ExNihilo @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:39AM
I think your missing the point of my post. I wasn't trying to say I am the god of CoH, or PvP for that matter.
I was just disappointed in the negativity.
And was wishing him good luck and happiness where he did decide to go.
And as far as the number of 50's I have, Well I am A father, husband and I hold a full time job as well as am finishing up my second degree.
I am a little short on game time. But congrats on what you accomplished. Very impressive.
Hello @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:18PM
And Imp demonstrates once again why people don't like PVPers
Imp @ Dec 2nd 2008 8:25PM
LOL
Yet in the end, I'm a better player than you.
Hello @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:21PM
Thats funny, considering CoH isn't a very skill based game.
I'm sure you can farm, hop around, and whine about PvE like a pro though.
Imp @ Dec 3rd 2008 12:03PM
Oh really, so what character did you pvp in that made you think that?
Gel @ Dec 2nd 2008 7:40AM
I think that what CoX will need next year, or sometime soon, is a revamp of the Graphics totally - a new Client, to remain competitive with DC Heroes Online and Champions Online which are supposedly due out next year.
The graphics are still great, but they are showing their age compared to the other hot new releases due out.
Bartleby @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:51AM
ExNihilo, I must say that that was a subtle yet excellent burn. I don't know about CoX, but your internet messageboard pvp skillz are on point.
Bartleby @ Dec 2nd 2008 10:05AM
Another thing, about this new issue: I've been playing CoX on and off for about 3 years. I only have 3 50s but all 3 have been respecked into IO slotted pvp builds. I say this to explain that I do regularly participate in some form of pvp. I'm no ladder pvp-er, although at points in my CoX life I easily could have been if the builds that I wanted to take into pvp(mainly fliers and non-mind Doms) weren't all completely blown out of the water by the people who obsessively min/max their toons and zip around cheaply with SS/SJ laying their cheapsauce holds and KB powers on you until you are dead because flight=no escape ever.
So anyway, I'm not an uber pvper, but I do think that at this point in the lifespan of CoX, those uber pvpers are a major source of the game's lifeblood and don't deserve to be disregarded the way they were. That said, I think the movement nerf actually makes flight a power worth having again, but the DR on power stacking has me seriously pissed and worried that the depth of power customization that came with the release of IOs has been completely thrown to the winds.
praeter @ Dec 2nd 2008 1:31PM
4 yr vet of the game here. I'd like to offer the voice of someone who really doesn't pvp much at all. The draw of the game for me is designing a character (theme, backstory, look, etc.), and then career-ing them to 50. So, part of the reason I don't pvp, probably the biggest reason, is because I love the pve experience. As long as they keep adding to that like they have, they'll still have my subscription.
The other reason I don't pvp is because I tried it a few times, and other than the times like I spent in a pvp zone with like 5+ of my SG buddies, it wasn't very fun. The primary reason is wasn't fun, to me, was Stalkers, and I see this as the primary reason for the travel power suppression. Every single Stalker I have ever faced is just a huge wuss. Every Stalker I've ever faced takes TP or SS, and basically once they don't finish you in two hits, they run.
The formula is, basically:
* AS, one more attack to finish off, then run
Or
* TP Foe, AS, one more attack, run.
Without the travel suppression, a Stalker might as well be limited to Hide, AS, travel power, one or two toggle defenses, 1 other moderate damage attack, maybe tp foe. All the other powers are useless, literally. They are never used. Besides, you get travel power suppressed when you attack in PvE, so it's also consistent with the rest of the game.
Thankfully, I hear they've added a delay between TP Foe and AS. What a crock that was.
Anyway, my own gripes about Stalkers and pvp aside, this talk about the hardcore PvP'ers being the unsung lifeblood of the game seems suspect. Issue14 itself pretty much states that the PvE side of the game is important enough to devote a whole issue to.
Snorkal @ Dec 2nd 2008 4:46PM
I'm a three year vet and I must say that I'm rather confused. @_@ I'll try and lay this out without getting to much anger towards me. It's the pvpers faults, specifically people like you Imp. Is it wrong that you've made gods of characters, no, but did you do it anyway, yes.
The PvP aspect of the game has always been an after thought and catch up game to the PvE, but sadly a logical one that came after they decided to release CoV. I blame a lot of the major shifts on PvP specifically Heroes V. Villian combat (ED specifically comes to mind).
I am not part of a ladder or even a major server (originally Protector) but a lot has to be said that the unbalances comes from people who have decided to take their Arena PvP skills to Zone PvP and piss off a bunch of people who aren't used to fighting someone of that level. Yes maybe its really freakin' annoying that the stalker stabs you in the arse, but when it comes down to it that's what they do. If they where anything else they would be called Scrappers. A blaster can be just as ridiculous as a stalker can be any day so they even out.
But the nature of the imbalance comes from one very important fact. City of Heroes characters where designed to be played PvE. They could be as unbalanced, weird, and godly as ever and no one would really complain because you could solo ArchVillians as a controller with illusions. When City of Villians was add, along w/ PvP, some of these imbalances became even more apparent, as they made counter parts that could kill them (specifically the stalker).
It is a terrible shame that movement is getting hit with the big yellow foam bat, because part of the fun of the game was that you could run circles around, jump over, and fly past your enemies all while firing away (or mauling).
But in the end I must say that it is wrong of the developers to give us the power of purple IOs and then take them away because a very small percentage of the population is going all out and actually making near perfect characters. I choose my words carefully because those people did go through a lot to make these characters the juggernauts that they are, but I still like to make fun of them.
These changes in the name of PvP are once again annoying us PvErs to no end, but not quite ED proportions. In a way I want to yell at you for you have gone fucked it up again, but in another way it is the developer's faults for trying to make a game balanced that can't be without remaking the game, with a completely new launch and all our memories erased.
(R.I.P. Invul tanks farming Wolves)
Laylobrown @ Dec 2nd 2008 6:50PM
I've been playing this game since before Issue 2 and I am looking forward to issue 14. I want to create a story arc that tells origin stories for my toons. I would like to tell mid level stores that interact with my arch villain group of choice. And for toons I rarely play now I can even tell a story of their retirement..lol
I enjoy pvping all over the place too...... but..i have seen how number crunchers take their obsession with perfection and scared creativity out of character building.
So what if I didnt take taunt? No, I want this character to have no travel powers. What? You are booting me for not having vengence?
Thank goodness for dual builds. Shields have gotten some complaints but I see the build creating team players again.
mad hobbit @ Dec 2nd 2008 9:34PM
I'm 10 days short of my 51 month badge so I have been around a long time,i find the game is slowly going down hill, hte DEVSare doing a lot of nice things but most of them are Fluff,the new merit system would have been nice as a OPTION,but as a main choice and the LONG amount of playing times to get the number of merits needed ,I would rather ignore them,and while there are ways to earn merits in bunches on hero side,(Dr Q taskforce) the villian side has no such option (that I know of)The changes to the Hami raid has killed about 99% of the hami raids on my home server(pinnacle)while other servers like the new form and do well, It almost seems like the DEVS only want us to play the game they envision and not allow for freedom of style.
Baryonic @ Dec 11th 2008 4:47PM
I played the game for it's first 3 years, CoV for another year, and I have to agree with Moutheater's comments. I have lots of great memories but no desire to return. If they rebuilt the entire game into a cohesive whole with world PvP rather than designated zones then maybe, but it is an elaborate spreadsheet driven hack job at this point. They should just start over.
gazz22 @ Dec 14th 2008 9:21PM
im a part time gamer, i enjoy city of heroes/villains, i'll respect both sides but give my honest opinion.
im not a pvp'er although i get killed quite often, i enjoy the game to an extended amount.
i only have 1 50, he is my main, i wouldnt say im making him into a god, but i do have visions of creativity and spend alot of time on him, i have altitus i cant stop making alts.
but i dont pvp.
i respect the peopple who put effort and time into pvp, its a shame they messed up like that.
i dont play on any other game, no offence to those hardcore gamers but i dont game much, again my mind is focused entirely on this game and i love it.
we all have a life, but to me this a form of escapism.
to enjoy a world within a world
but guess what?
i dont pvp.
and why should i?
blasters aint much use in there, and they need to make more power sets that are relevant to superheroes.
not guns or knives or shields (btw seen all the cap americas on the servers now?!)
water mimicry, oxygen consumption, luminescence, devs cumon use your brains, im 22, but u hav a whole building block of guys who can create a world.
make it better for us and i'll stay.
if not then champions might be a good idea.
its unfair alot of good gamers r goin, they r nice people.
listen to the people and they listen to u.
enough said.
Rob @ Jan 11th 2009 12:41AM
You can please some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time.
Daemon @ Feb 17th 2009 5:26AM
Not sure if anyone cares anymore, but for the hardcore PvPers that liked PvP before the change, you can turn off the diminished returns and travel suppression in the arena. In the zones it is enforced mostly because the changes allow a lot more builds and archetypes to be effective. Personally I see that as the best middle ground they could do, the hardcore PvPers can do there thing without damaging the experience for the more casual PvPer.