City of Heroes nears launch...

[LiquidDamage]

And even if it does, I wouldn't be the person to admin it.  As much as I'd like to offer, I know myself well enough to nip that idea in the bud before it ends up giving you (and me) a migraine.  :(

Same. I am a total flake. It pains me to admit this, but I have flaked out on about 90% of the pro-bono projects I have agreed to be involved in, and lost some friendships because of it.

Also, I have my doubts about whether CoH will hold my interest. The subject matter has potential, but in looking at the implementation, it looks like AC2 with "haymaker" instead of "backstab", and "energy blast" instead of "fireball". I swear, if this game winds up with me endlessly alternating between two or 3 hotkeys in some standard boring pattern (rage, haymaker, taunt, haymaker, taunt, haymaker, rage, taunt, haymaker, etc), it is going to get every bit as old as the other MMORPGs I've played.

To put it simply, variety is the spice of life. I want lots of options, even if they only differ in animation, as the appeal (for me) of playing a superhero is the wild, destructive battles they tend to get in. I am already extremely disappointed that I won't be able to pick up and hurl cars because of some conflicts between immersion and server resources. I don't care if the car blows up when I throw it, and its bits vanish after 2 seconds, I just want to have fun doing what I imagine superheroes doing. If the car reappears in the same spot one minute later, it won't bother me one bit.

Along these same lines, there are unnecessary restrictions in character creation from what I have seen. I like the archetype idea, I am all for balance, but why is it that while both Scrappers (high melee offense, medium defense) and Tankers (high defense, medium melee offense) can choose Invulnerability and Power Punch, only Tankers can take Super Strength, and only Scrappers can take Regeneration? Obviously, if all power sets in a given class (defense, melee) for a particular archetype are balanced with each other (which they darn well better be), then Tankers and Scrappers might as well have the ability to choose from all the melee and defense sets. If there are balance reasons that Tankers can't have Regeneration, and Scrappers can't have Super Strength, then both Invulnerability and Power Punch must be inferior power sets, since they are allowed to cross over.

Anyway, I pre-ordered, because I am sure it will be fun for at least a month or two, and I would prefer to not have to be named MrSuperGuyMan687. Getting the game as soon as possible will give me the highest chance of being able to have a decent name. It's all in the name, you know.

[WarLocke]

I am already extremely disappointed that I won't be able to pick up and hurl cars because of some conflicts between immersion and server resources.

I don't think the ban on lifting/tossing is due to server resources. Awhile back (before they went to the archetype system, IIRC) they had lifting of characters and certain objects (I'm thinking traffic lights and vehicles, probably) working in-game, but it was disabled because they feared it would lead to griefing. An example: say you need to talk to Jimmy Olsen for your next mission (in the middle of a story arc), but some jerk picked him up and put him on top of a skyscraper. Unless you can fly, you're SOL. :angry:

Obviously, if all power sets in a given class (defense, melee) for a particular archetype are balanced with each other (which they darn well better be), then Tankers and Scrappers might as well have the ability to choose from all the melee and defense sets.

I'm worried about this as well. And I'll take it even further: why do Tanks only get the Fire/Ice/etc melee powersets, and Scrappers only get Katana/Broadsword/Axe/Mace/Shadow Fighting? So what, now Thor (Mace) is supposed to be a Scrapper? :blink:

And also, the lastest wave of beta invites went out at noon today. Guess who didn't get one? Uh-huh, if you guessed me, you guessed right. :angry: :angry: :angry:

[LiquidDamage]

I can understand not allowing you to move npcs, but all I want is just to be able to pick up cars and stuff. As long as "don't let this car be damaged" is never a quest requirement, it should be perfectly fine. Anyway, I read that it was because of server resources: keeping track of where the cars were and such.

I didn't get an invite either. I registered in June of 2003, but I have only made like 4 posts.

[AtomicKitKat]

That stinks, that you can't pick stuff up. What's the point of being super-strong if you can't lift jack? They could simply have made NPCs have an "Immovable" flag, for one thing. Or give punishments for grief play(eg, suspended account, loss of account, loss of powers, etc)

Badly handled, IMO.

[roguebanshee]

I just wish there weren't a NDA on this, registered on the CoH boards oct '01... Damnit I want to hype you guys even more :P

Good news is that the next waves of beta will include those who pre-ordered, which should bring an end to that evil, evil villain NDA.

[WarLocke]

WHOA WHOA WHOA

Are you saying that you're IN THE BETA??

(The NDA can't keep you from even telling people that, can it??)

[roguebanshee]

Yes.

I can admit that I'm in the beta, but it's not encouraged.

[WarLocke]

I am so jealous right now. :angry:

I'd ask you about Technology-origin costume options, but I know everything's still hush-hush, so I won't...

Having fun? :D

[roguebanshee]

Having fun?  :D

Definately, but having limited pla... testing time is pure torture.

[WarLocke]

Holy new screenshots, Batman!

Check out that moon in the first shot... Oh man! :D

Also, there are some COH wallpapers available. B)


EDIT: I really like this costume... :huh:

[AtomicKitKat]

I really like this costume...  :huh:

Who doesn't? :lol:

[Walkiry]

EDIT:  I really like this costume...  :huh:

Sorry, but Phenomic already made the best costume ever.

*Drool*

That's the sole reason why I don't mind the long loading screens of this game :lol:

[WarLocke]

*Drool*

OMG!

:blink: :blink: :blink:

*Drool*

[WarLocke]

....

OMG!

[WarLocke]

City of Heroes now has an official release date!

B)

[LiquidDamage]

I'm getting overly excited about this game.

I'll be sure to contact you when I start playing. :)

[roguebanshee]

The NDA has finally been Lifted.

I'm going to do a minor write up of my experiences during the beta soon. I'm going to have to sort through my screenshot folder first though (239 and counting).

Just one thing to say now: Blowing other people up is fun! (And no that doesn't have anything to do with PvP).

[WarLocke]

Now that the NDA has been lifted, I can post some stuff. B)

First up is my character collage. I've made tons more than this, but these are the ones that got played past level 10. I will definitely be playing the Atomic Woman and Flashfrost after release, and possibly Terra Sevus. The others are up in the air.

Next are my comic covers. They're all made with in-game screenshots that I've doctored a bit in Photoshop. I'm afraid my lack of 'shop skillz will show in them, but here they are, anyway:

Flashfrost #1

Flashfrost #2

Flashfrost #3

More stuff as I get it ready. I don't have near as many screenshots as roguebanshee, because I'm always forgetting to get them in dramatic moments, and the default third-person view isn't conducive to very good snapshots (although I'm very happy with the image I got for Flashfrost #3!).

[roguebanshee]

Some of my best screenshots so far:

Dark Astoria is a hazard zone filled with a thick fog and lots of zombies:
http://img6.imageshack.us/my.php?loc=img6&...arkAstoria1.jpg

http://img6.imageshack.us/my.php?loc=img6&...arkAstoria2.jpg

This is one of my early characters:
http://img6.imageshack.us/my.php?loc=img6&...aveentrance.jpg

And this is after she got Hover (a slow version of Flight that is suited for ranged combat)
http://img6.imageshack.us/my.php?loc=img6&...aige-flying.jpg

My main, Toxic Torch level 36 Rad/En Defender, during the beta, here seen exploring a part of Oranbega, the home city of the Circle of Thorns
http://img6.imageshack.us/my.php?loc=img6&...Tox-cotcave.jpg

http://img6.imageshack.us/my.php?loc=img6&...ox-cotcave2.jpg

http://img6.imageshack.us/my.php?loc=img6&...Tox-CoTcity.jpg

Here she is, disguised so she could get back a holo device that was stolen by the Freakshow
http://img6.imageshack.us/my.php?loc=img6&...x-disguised.jpg

Posing with various bad guys, first up a Rikti Headman Gunner and an Improved Drone
http://img6.imageshack.us/my.php?loc=img6&...-hellorikti.jpg

A CoT Spectral Knight
http://img6.imageshack.us/my.php?loc=img6&...meetspectre.jpg

Some 5th Column robots
http://img6.imageshack.us/my.php?loc=img6&...meetthebots.jpg

Relaxing after a long days work
http://img6.imageshack.us/my.php?loc=img6&...ox-meditate.jpg

Enjoying the view in Founders' Falls
http://img6.imageshack.us/my.php?loc=img6&...verfounders.jpg

So far the beta has been a blast. It's a fun game to play in it's current state but I don't feel as if I'm just there to stress the servers. The development team listens and responds when there is need to, so far I've only seen 1 dev team being more in touch with their testers and that was an indie team for a small project.

More to come later, I'm off to bash the armies of Nemesis.

[kandrathe]

noodle twisting