Greetings Heroes,
I have a few questions and thoughts. Hopefully the things I have to say will be taken as intended and not considered trolling.
I played CoH from early in beta, I fell in love with it and all it represented to MMOs and heavy RP with loads of action and no need for the grind to gain gear or unlock content or gain new cosmetic visuals. I played in a moderate RP guild where story drove the action and we would taper the content of our RP to match the missions we were doing. We played at a casual pace and if at any point in time we needed a break or just wanted to grind out a bunch of levels on another character we did so. It was the single best RP and MMO experience of my life. I beta tested other games, I played some of them off and on for years; but none of them compared to my experiences in CoH. I was always pulled in to the backstories of the villains groups, the beautiful design of the game world, and the innovative creation process implemented for character design. There was a sensation, an ambiance, in facing off against the Skulls or Hellions, stumbling headlong into a pack of Clockwork, or having to deal with the Vahzilok. Just writing the names is nostalgic for me.
I played for a long time, but I started hitting a wall late in the content. I was seeing the same maps, the same villains, the same content over and over again. I found it redundant and at times boring. I could look at a map and know exactly which rooms to hit, I knew exactly where the boss fights were, I had a good feel for where each group of villains would be placed and how to address dealing with them. I tried coming back with the release of CoV, and played for a good solid year. But for me the magic was gone, in part because of the loss of cohesion that can only be felt in a close knit group of players coming together to make a game feel alive.
For a time I tried, unsuccessfully, to find solace in Champions Online. Though there were certain features I thought I would love, I found the game to be an overall letdown: bland, flat, uninspired, and tedious to a fault. Though I have returned to it from time to time since the final closing of CoH/V, the simple truth is that I can never manage to stay with it for more than a day or two.
Those bits of information out of the way I am wondering what will be done in CoT to alleviate the tedium of seeing the same content over and over. I am also curious, how they devs/writers/designers will breath new life into this genre after all the damage that has been done (imo) by Champions Online.
I desperately wish that CoH was still running. If it were I would be seeking a Super Team.
Thanks in advance,
Knyghte
I came onto the game when CoV started having a free trial and stayed with both CoH and CoV for the rest of its lifespan. I had tons of alts, all of which I wanted to play and level up. I miss the creative space that the multitude of character slots afforded me. I usually only played solo or with my wife (with the exception of a few TFs and holiday events). I made SGs for each server we were on, each one different in base style. We two were the only members of the SGs and that suited us just fine, because no one seemed to want to play at our pace (slooooww). We thought we had plenty of time to experience all the content, but that was not the case. I truly miss playing the game, I even now still have dreams of playing, and I hope CoT will be what we need to heal the wound caused by the untimely axe wielded by NCSoft. Lol, never thought I'd mention that den of inequity again. I'll certainly never buy another of their games. But I digress.
I never tried CO but I heard a lot of bad about it, so I didn't feel that I missed anything.
I never felt that CoX had tedium, but I guess I tolerate things differently. To each his own. What always tried my patience was the timed missions. I play games to alleviate stress. Timed missions were all about causing stress to me. I sincerely hope that they will not be an unavoidable part of CoT.
I also want to extend my thanks in advance for what I am seeing as a potentially even better game that CoX was.
City of Heroes / City of Villains player until the end.
Welcome to the forums knyghte.
To best answer your question on overly repetitive content, right now we just don't know the answer. BUT we DO know the Devs have improved their map making tools and the hope is that will make it easier for them to generate more maps. A great guide to what is currently "known" was compiled and updated periodically by Pyromantic. https://cityoftitans.com/forum/compilation-information-city-titans
So very many of us still long for CoH, but you don't have to let that stop you from joining a Super Team! Feel free to check out the RECRUITMENT: GROUPS AND EVENTS forum where several Super Teams have been organizing for years. (And why yes, I do run one.)
[Non Correction: "Super Team" IS the correct term for a guild in CoT. What were known as "Coalitions" in CoH will be "Leagues" in CoT.]
Glad to see someone is talking about timed missions. I hated those intensely. Please don't require those.
Hello, a fellow CoH Beta player here. Rest assured that CoT is designed mainly around you as a character. That is why you will have an unprecedented amount of customization. Also, the writers of the game are very passionate and hopefully you will enjoy the stories they have been working on for the past five years. We're all comic nerds here and all the developers want to share their love of the medium and offer every superhero a home after we lost Paragon City.
As to how to keep the game fresh, that is a complicated answer because not every player has the same needs. But I do believe the team is concentrating on the three Cs, Content, Commitment, and Community. As all good developers, the team has a vision of future expansions that they are very passionate about. Commitment, we'll I think working for five years without a pay check tells you how committed these volunteer developers are. They love this game and have sacrificed a lot. Community, now that is up to you. The developers will give the players the tools that will help you build your experience in the game. To forge your character how you see fit. To share your experiences in game with friends. They intend for there to be a lot of customization. More of a sandbox for you to create the adventures that you want and not the stay on the rails and keep your arms and legs in the vehicle at all times amusement park experience as some other games. If you want to street sweep, that's fine. If you want to explore, that's fine. If you want to take on hard mode raids, that's fine. If you want to hang out at the social hub and RP with friends, that's fine. They are working on an experience system that let's you level and gain experience in the game however you would like to play it. In future expansions, with the refinements to the character creator, a base creator, and mission creator will be available. With a possibility (this is just talk, not even an item on a white board yet) of these being mobile phone APS that can be done outside of the game. These were things we discussed at Norwescon a few years ago, basically the vision is to give the players the tools to build the experiances that you want, but first we must start with the character generator and then the world.
Thanks for the info and warm welcome. What you folks are telling me is that this is the game I want to invest in. Frankly, I love the fact that this is clearly the old CoH/V community. Its clear in the respectful way questions are addressed.
I'm excited for what the future holds here.