Champions Online Open-beta First Impressions

[Damionic]

As the NDA is lifted, I can run off a few things.

After Several hours downloading and redownloading and patching the game client at 2:00 in the morning (GWT) I got in......yea don't be so smug...remember lama client....nuff said.
So when in and after selecting a few options like keyboard layout choices. I get to create my first hero...and I just like to point out the customization from CO ****es over DDO for a country mile...everything you can think of is there (you can even add elven ears should you feel inclined)
So after a few minutes (I'm quite like spending my time creating toons..I remember spending hours creating wrestlers on my brothers "Smackdown" games.

I come up with "Nimbus"...always liked the concept of STORM from the X-Men and wanted to create a male one.


His skin has a "Metal" reflexion to it to give it this look (which I may change later on) and the "Eyes" not just glow..but they have a customizable "Twinkle" effect which is quite nice to look at.



GAMEPLAY
Bearing mind I was tired last night I managed to try a few things out.

COMBAT SYSTEM
This is the Crux of the matter (Is this combat system as good or better then DDO) and..I'd say yes..The combat system takes the best bits from your beloved game and improves it. For example casting spells now have a "charge up level" to increase the damage output but this costs more endurance (you SP if you like) but you never run out of it as you have an Endurance builder for each Power set.
If you want to just going round beating things up then you can..the same way you do in DDO.
At the start I don't think there is a designated "block" button (or I haven't found it) but that can be easily keyed via "key settings"

GRAPHICS
This is a comic game and that is reflected in the game so poorly made toons will look very cheesy but I'm sure the already extensive graphics options will be improved over time (I remember DDO from Beta!)

A few things...
Monsters DO Respawn
The Quest system is quite like Warhammer (do one and more open up) which I quite like as it gives a sense of achievement that random quests via DDO didn't.

[captain1z]

You make some bold claims here.
- better combat?
- better customization?

I want to believe but gotta try it 1st. Whats the system requirements?

Ive played or run 6 superhero pnp games to date

- marvel hero game - confusing system with silly ratings like Power level X and Z str..silly
- dc universe game - way over powered but easy to create whatever u want
- heroes unlimited - lots a rules but very open ended character creation
- Champions- played 2 games but was a bit complicated and rules heavy
- GURPS: hero - gurps makes it real e z 2 die
- My own custom created monstrousity, which worked pretty well. The guys generally liked it.

[sephiroth1084]

Is the combat real time, like in DDO? That is, can you move out of the way of incoming attacks? Does facing matter? Or is it like WoW, where your character automatically closes with a foe and then you just stand there pressing a button on occasion?

You have more visual customization, but is there any character customization? Do you have as many choices when leveling a character (classes [3], feats, enhancements, skill points, ability score points, etc...)? Or does this run like many other MMORPGs where you select a class/role and make a few minor adjustments within that predetermined path?

[FluffyCalico]

Looks like it was designed to run a on 386 with 8MB of ram.

[Mindspat]

Looks like it was designed to run a on 386 with 8MB of ram.

Keep in mind that those screen shots are from the OP's machine. I have a EVGA GTX 285 SSC and the grapphics look pretty damned good on my system; it appears to scale to older/budget systems well.

OP, can you share with us what video card you're using and how you have the graphical settings?

I've been playing Champions since march and think the screen shots look as if they were taking at low settings. Also, the metal texture looks absolutely awesome which a screen shot can not do justice.

[nycgamer]

I was in the beta from the very beginning.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who might really enjoy what Champions Online has to offer, I am not one of them.

I never played for more than 30 minutes. I couldn't bear to.

I was bored and never felt drawn into the game.
I've been in Aion beta as well. Although Aion is not going to be a purchase, I was drawn in enough to play the game until level 10. Champions Online - level 2 was as far as I got.

I didn't like the interface. It seemed clunky to me (including the character cutomization interface). There was just something clunky and very unrefined to the whole thing. It felt like a placeholder.

Gameplay - bleh. It just wasn't fun.

I rather just play City of Heroes if I want to play a comic book genre game.

Others will disagree. Objective opinion works like that.

I would just be cautious to purchase that pre-order lifetime membership offer they got going. Try it out first. I think this game is going to be another small blip in MMO history.

[Damionic]

[quote=Mindspat;2364066]
OP, can you share with us what video card you're using and how you have the graphical settings? quote]

Sorry been working

Rig
Asus Crosshair second edition mother board
6gig Ram Corsair 800
Windows Vista 64bit
2 1TG hard drives (1000 gigs each)
SLI Duel Nvidia 250 Graphics cards
Creative X-Fi Extreme Gamer "Fatality" Sound Card

in game graphics to full..everything and the framerate rocks

[Vivanto]

Is the combat real time, like in DDO? That is, can you move out of the way of incoming attacks? Does facing matter? Or is it like WoW, where your character automatically closes with a foe and then you just stand there pressing a button on occasion?

You have more visual customization, but is there any character customization? Do you have as many choices when leveling a character (classes [3], feats, enhancements, skill points, ability score points, etc...)? Or does this run like many other MMORPGs where you select a class/role and make a few minor adjustments within that predetermined path?

I think even if it had a reasonably good character customization, 1 simple trait can still kill it vs ddo/dnd, multiclass

[Damionic]

1. Combat is real time (oh and I found the block..its the same as DDO = Shift) as in you can move, countermove run down enemy's ect....just like DDO

On Character Customization re level ups...ive not tested that yet.

But re Customization in general..yes you can do what you like...you do get suggestions but then you can pick your own.

Multiclass...lol there are no classes...no restrictions..just powersets and they are unlocked by ranks.

[Pyromaniac]

Interesting - how about the quest design, is it 'fetch 14 of these' or is there more of a point to each quest?

So far what I've heard about Champions Online hasn't been very good, so its interesting to hear a different point of view...maybe DDO has a challenger finally.

[noinfo]

I think even if it had a reasonably good character customization, 1 simple trait can still kill it vs ddo/dnd, multiclass

lol if it is anything like the pnp version it would kill ddo for character customisation, mulitclassing is a joke by comparission.

[Vivanto]

lol if it is anything like the pnp version it would kill ddo for character customisation, mulitclassing is a joke by comparission.

Ofcourse it is, I only mentioned dnd since ddo is loosely based on that system, and even tough it still lacks a lot of things, without that great ruleset, ddo wouldn't even exist, including its multiclass model.

Without a great ruleset to back it up, no mmorpg will be able to challenge ddo's character customization.

[sirfink]

lol if it is anything like the pnp version it would kill ddo for character customisation, mulitclassing is a joke by comparission.

It is nothing like the pnp version, unfortunately.

There is very little room for customization. Powers are pretty much set and you can pick up new ones every few levels. Some minor customizations of the powers themselves, but pretty much a fireblast is a fireblast. And seeing characters shooting ice shards followed by a fireball, then pulling out a pistol and shooting a stun beam is just incongruous and stupid.

In so many ways it is like a better-looking City of Heroes. It's way too MMO-ish. What I mean is you get quests to go rescue 5 people in a field. You got to the field and there's ten people needing to be rescued surrounded by dozens of monsters. There's half a dozen other players flying around doing the same quest "stealing" the rescuees out from under you. So you wait for another to respawn. It's just stupid. There's some instancing but not enough. The whole point of multiplayer is kind of lost. You can solo most of it and it seems most players are content to just solo their way through, which makes you wonder why they don't just release it as a single player game and be done with it.

Eh, bitter feelings from a guy who played the PNP version of Champions a long, long time ago and had high hopes for this one. Oh well.