Tuesday, July 21, 2009

News Filter: Forget Soloing Champions Online [Updated]

  • ***UPDATE 08/31/09*** - Now that Champions is out, I've written about soloing on a post right over here. If you don't want to click the link, at least take my word for it: soloing is great.



  • ***UPDATE*** - Via Syp in the comment section, we have this contradictory Tweet from Cryptic developer Randy Mosiondz:
    FYI, Champions Online is completely solo-friendly; any mentions to the contrary are incorrect.
    Thank goodness. Not sure where the disconnect was. I did track down a dev diary from 2008 stating that the game would have solo play available, but this isn't something that's emphasized anywhere on the Champions Online website. Considering what a dealbreaker soloability can be, I hope they push this facet of the game a little more (or at all).

  • Now someone get me a beta invite so I don't have to put up with third-party sources anymore.



  • And like that, my interest in Champions Online has fallen to nil.

  • AJ Glasser has a new article up over at Kotaku about the combat system. He was skeptical about whether Champions could break out of the cooldown standard used by, well, just about every MMO out there. Cryptic Studios, being the cool folks one would expect, invited him to a second hands-on session with the game to really dig into the system. The resulting story makes it sound like Cryptic is on to something more than just Hero Costumer 2.0.

  • It all sounded good until I got to this last bullet point:
    —The biggest criticism Emmert fears hearing is from superhero players who want a purely solo masked avenger experience. That's just not what Cryptic is out to do with Champions Online – so if any potential reviewers are reading this, think Justice League instead of Dark Knight going into it.

  • Normally, I can understand, even applaud, developers focusing on a specific type of game. So many MMOs are solo-centric nowadays that group-oriented players have been feeling left out in the cold. Good for Cryptic for filling that niche.

  • But why do they have to do it with the game I'm looking forward to?

  • Aion is coming out the same month. I wonder how solo friendly that will be.

  • /sigh

5 comments:

  1. This disappoints me as well

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  2. And like that...sales will be cut in half.

    Sad

    Going to spotlight this post on Twitter...cheers

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  3. Posted by Cryptic today in twitter:

    "CrypticArkayne: FYI, Champions Online is completely solo-friendly; any mentions to the contrary are incorrect."

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  4. @ Syp - Thanks for the info, Syp. Glad to get official contradiction. I wonder if Glasser misunderstood or Emmert was just wrong. I'll put post an update.

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  5. No prob -- also from the recent State of the Game:

    "The Lone Wolf

    There was a BIG miscommunication in a recent interview where the writer made it sound like there wasn’t enough content for solo players to get to the level cap. While we have been putting a greater emphasis on getting group content into the game, players can easily solo their way to the level cap if that’s how they want to play. We hope this clears things up."

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