Champions Online

Champions Online Halloween Events and Free Play!

DoranM — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:56:13 GMT

We've received some information this week about what Champions Online has planned for the Halloween weekend! Here's a look at what they're doing:

Play for Free, All Weekend

From Friday, October 30th, until Monday, November 2nd, players can play Champions Online ... for free! There have been lots of new changes made to the game, including new missions, new powers and the free Blood Moon content update.

Check out our free weekend promotional page on the official Champions Online website to get started.

Spend Halloween under the Blood Moon

Experience brand new Halloween-themed content: Blood Moon! Play as a werewolf – or a hunter – during the Bite event. Join four friends in an all-out struggle for survival in the Zombie Apocalypse PvP map – but beware, those of you who fall to the horde will rise again as super-powered undead heroes!

Champions Online In Game Halloween Event!

DoranM — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:36:33 GMT

We were sent an announcement this morning letting us know that there will be a Champions Online in-game event taking place from October 26^th – November 5^th. Here's some background to set the stage for the event, followed by some highlights that players can take part in:

There is a chill wind blowing through Millennium City. It's late October and the moon has taken on a sinister aspect, staining the sky a bloody red. The superhero Witchcraft, of the Champions, warns that this is a dire portent of an approaching mystical threat. There have been sightings of strange creatures emerging across the world, those of savage werewolves and flesh-craving zombies. Even worse, they bear with them the tidings of a great evil returning to the world... Takofanes, the Undying Lord!

When Takofanes last strode across North America he killed all who crossed him to swell the ranks of his undead army. The first attempt America's superheroes made to stop him resulted in the death of half a dozen of them. A second more concentrated attempt managed to drive Takofanes from the battlefield, but he could not be defeated. Now Takofanes has returned once again with hordes of his minions, citing prophecies of doom and proclaiming his coming reign over humanity!

·         Explore the new Celestial Powerset. Use the power of the Seraphim to heal and strengthen your allies, or release the fury of the Nephilim in a battle against evil.
·         Beware the Zombie Apocalypse rising in Canada! Battle against zombies in PVP, but no matter what, do not fall there. Should you die, you shall return as one of the undead horde, bound to fight in Takofanes’ name.
·         Fight off ravenous werewolf packs, but be careful lest you get bitten and infected with their dark magic.
·         Stand against undead heroes who once fought in the Battle of Detroit, and do your best to free their souls from Takofanes’ necromancy.
·         Challenge Takofanes to drive him from our land, but beware – you must fight the dark sorcerers who serve him before you have any chance of facing the Undying Lord.

To find out more visit Champions Online!

Champions Online Hits 1 Month Milestone and Talks Updates!

DoranM — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:37:11 GMT

Champions Online is hitting the one month mark! That's right the game has been out almost one full month now and they've taken some time out to tell us what's happened, and what they're working on in the near future as Champions Online continues to impress!

Here's a look at the changes, both past and future, for Champions Online:

This Past Month

Lots of power balancing meant free Retcons for everyone!
Big changes to the Economy were made after we had overestimated the amount of resources players would accumulate while leveling. Increased item drops and decreased Retcon costs make it more affordable!
We began addressing gaps in content by adding new missions to Monster Island in Well’s Pass. We’ll be continually adding more as time goes on.

Coming up in early October!

Mission Tracking Updates! – New ways to share missions with groups, including setting primary missions, making more missions shareable, and granting “Assist Bonuses” if you help complete a mission you don’t have.
More Missions! – Bounty missions, UNTIL tasks, and more content in Millennium City and Canada to help address more of the leveling gaps.
Power House 2.0 – A new room to test out your powers against real enemies, Power Tips from the trainers, and a duel-free zone by the trainers to make purchasing a power much quieter.

The Blood Moon Rises October 27th!

Take part in an event of epic proportions. The evil Undying Lord Takofanes has returned to proclaim his coming reign over humanity. Help defeat his undead hordes all over the world.
Help save the 13 souls of the Undead Heroes to unlock the Celestial power set weeks before it is released to the public.
New PvP Map: Zombie Apocalypse – Fight for survival against the zombie hordes.
New power set: Celestial – A support-based set allows you to both heal allies and weaken enemies.

October is an exciting month to be a Champion! We have even more updates coming in the second half of October, so keep checking http://www.champions-online.com for more updates as the month goes on. See you there!

Champions Online - State of the Game: September 15th, 2009

Kody — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:24:43 GMT

With Champions Online now live, Cryptic Studios has decided it's a good time to release a State of the Game to keep players updated on where the game is currently, and what you can expect in the coming months.

There’s a lot to cover this week, so let’s just dive right in like Armadillo tunneling his way into a bank vault.

Adding Some Meat to Team

We’re working on several new additions to the teaming system. We’re currently testing new UI that allows players to see the state of team missions even if they don’t have them. Upcoming additions (in development) include showing your team members’ current objectives on active missions and adding rewards for heroes that assist on missions, even if they don’t have the mission themselves.

Do You See What I See?

Graphics performance should be better overall for players. Some high-end users have experienced what appears to be a reduction in performance. But this is actually due to us fixing a bug where sliders that were set all the way up in certain categories weren’t actually providing that level of increase. Players with top-end graphic cards should retune their settings for maximum performance.

The Mail That Ate Sheboygan

Many fixes to our mail woes have already been pushed to the live servers, but one big one is currently on the Public Test Shard and will be pushed to the live servers ASAP. We also currently don’t have a way for players to send resources to other heroes. This is a known issue, and requires a tech solution to implement. I don’t have an ETA, but it’s on the list. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.

The Balance of Power

We’re currently making passes on all the powers in the game and will be making changes designed to not just bring aberrant powers into line, but increase the effectiveness of those that need it. We’re also examining the best ways to inject more resources into the economy. Our top concerns are what are concerning you as players. We're working as fast as we can to address issues, work on the overall balance of the game, and be as responsive to possible. Keep hitting the forums with solid, constructive comments and we’ll keep working to make the game better and more balanced in both the PvE and PvP arenas.

Powers Aren’t Black / White – Yet…

We’re big fans of being able to shift the hue of powers into the realms of black and white. The issue is that these aren’t hues, but tints. This means that with the current way our color system works, you would see pure black or pure white colors as opposed to the grayscale subtleties required to give you the look you actually want. Basically, it requires some new engine technology, but we’re looking into how to make this happen.

Celestial Power Set

Along with some incredible events and rewards, there’s a new power set coming out with the Blood Moon event. The Celestial set is designed to provide assistance to allies and destruction to enemies. The power effects are amazing and the versatility of the set makes it both compelling as a single-focus set and also as supplementary powers to other builds. We’re going to be doing a special feature on the website in the upcoming weeks showing off the powers, so stay tuned for a detailed look.

Tutorial? We Don’t Need No Stinking Tutorial!

While it sounds simple, there are few things we had to design out to allow players to be able to skip past the tutorial if they’ve already done it once. It’s next up on the list for our content lead, and we’re hoping to have this onto the Public Test Shard as soon as next week.

Where the Duels Are(n’t)

We’ve heard your requests for our more social areas like Club Caprice and The Powerhouse to be duel-free zones. Both our content and programming teams are combining efforts to get this in as soon as possible.

A Room of Danger in the House of Power

We’re designing a new room for the Powerhouse where you can try out your powers against automated enemies. We’ll be sure to inform you when this moves to the Public Test Shard so you can help us test it out!

See you online, Champions!

Champions Online Limited Subscription Details

Browncoat — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 23:23:35 GMT

With Champions Online shortly set to arrive on the MMO scene, Cryptic is taking the opportunity to let people know that if there are people who love the game, certain limited subscription benefits will be available. We've heard about the six-month and lifetime subscription deals before, but this time, all the details have been placed in one mail. Here's the skinny:

Limited Champions Subscription Deals!
August 22, 2009

We at Cryptic Studios and Atari are excited to announce our Champions Online six-month and lifetime subscription plans. Players who sign up for our long-term subscriptions will receive special perks, including eight additional character slots, special costume sets and guaranteed access to the Star Trek Online closed beta! "Beyond the deep discount on the subscription rates, we wanted to come up with added incentives and exclusives that, as gamers, we could get excited about," said Jack Emmert, Cryptic Studios' Chief Operating Officer. "With an early commitment to Champions Online, granting guaranteed early access to our next big game, Star Trek Online, seemed like a great way to engage Cryptic’s biggest fans in other projects at the studio.” Here are the great features our loyal customers will receive.

Discounted Lifetime Subscription

Guaranteed Star Trek Online Closed Beta Access
Eight Additional Character Slots
Foxbat Vanity Pet
Art Deco Costume Set
Retro Future Costume Set
STO Mirror Universe Costume Set

Discounted Six-month Subscription

Guaranteed Star Trek Online closed beta access
Retro Future Costume Set

Don’t miss out on these great deals! You can purchase your subscriptions now!

Discounted Lifetime Subscription
$199.99 USD
$219.99 CAN
£119.99 GBP W/OUT VAT
€147.99 EUR W/OUT VAT

Discounted Six-month Subscription
$59.99 USD
$65.99 CAN
£35.99 GBP W/OUT VAT
€44.99 EUR W/OUT VAT

ABOUT CHAMPIONS ONLINE

Champions Online brings epic heroism back to the MMORPG with fast-paced, epic combat. A boundless character creator takes the experience to the next level; players can even choose the appearance and style of their powers to complete their vision! A unique Nemesis system also lets players tap into a powerful customization tool to craft their own enemy, an ultimate adversary who will appear throughout a hero’s career. For more details about Champions Online and the exclusive Champions Online pre-order event, please visit the official website at http://www.champions-online.com.

Champions Online Goes Gold, Will Release On September 1st

Browncoat — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:14:43 GMT

Good news is afoot for Cryptic Studios this weekend, as superhero-themed MMO Champions Online has now gone gold, meaning it's ready for prime-time and release to the public. Release has also now been set at the original intended drop date of September 1st, meaning that everyone who's looking to suit up in their favorite hero costume and do battle with villains will be able to do so that much sooner.

Open beta for Champions Online start this week for pre-order customers, and the NDA will be dropping shortly, so look to see more news and impression about the title from around the 'Net in short order.

Cryptic Reveals Gadgeteering Power Set

Kody — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:55:07 GMT

The Cryptic team is hard at working preparing Champions Online for a fall release, but that isn't stopping them from releasing information on the game! Today Cryptic revealed another power set called Gadgeteering. For players who enjoy fighting with gadgets, this power set is sure to sate your hunger.

The power set plays host to a slew of gadgets such as the Sonic Blaster, Experimental Blaster, Gauntlet Chainsaw, Particle Mine and more. Effects for the power set -- which appears to be well-rounded -- include direct damage, crowd control, area effect damage, heals and much more.

Of course, this is all still subject to change since the game is currently in beta, but to learn more visit the Gadgeteering Power Set page.

Champions Online State of the Game

Kody — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:21:53 GMT

Champions Online is progressing along through beta as Cryptic Studios prepares to release the game later this fall, and Bill Roper wanted to bring everyone up to speed on the latest developments in the game. Check out the latest State of the Game below for more details!

Quote from: Bill Roper (Source)

Another week, another update. Like clockwork they come out, which is just how this time-shifter likes it. As usual there’s a lot happening around Cryptic HQ, across every team in the company. This means that not only is the Champions Online team working on making the game as great as possible, but our core technology teams are cranking out new things, as well. Social features like Twitter support, networking backend tools for better customer support and service, and the web group is putting together more and more features to make our community stronger than ever. Cryptic has done a lot of growing over the past few months, so when you see announcements of new features that aren’t purely game-only elements, that doesn’t mean we’re neglecting things.

Balance, Balance, Balance

We’re in full balancing mode with powers and items now, so beta players should expect to see positive changes in the upcoming weeks. We’re also running our internal Combat Triage team at full bore, working to make fights more engaging and fun – and yes, we may even make some changes to different mechanics and powers in the game to accomplish this. Beta tester feedback is going to be more vital than ever, so watch the forums for specific announcements on where to put your focus starting next week.

Calling Our Heroes in Europe

We know that our European players have expressed dismay at not being able to enter any of our contests. We’ve been battling against the villainous super group known as The Rules Lawyers and are very close to victory. Cheeky banter aside, we’ve been working on getting EU contest rules in place that adhere to applicable laws and restrictions, and we should be able to extend our contests into several European countries very soon. We have always wanted to include all of our community, and now we’ll be able to do so!

Ramping Up the Hero Games

We’re putting a big focus on PvP this week both here at Cryptic and out in the real world. Select members of the press are going to be battling against developers at a live event in San Francisco this Thursday. Back here at Champions HQ, we’re putting in Ranks & Rewards, polishing up the B.A.S.H. battleground in Westside, and finishing up our final Area that will be reserved for the top tier of combatants. Beta players can expect to see some of these dropping in starting next week.

The Power House

Our beta players will see a new structure in Force Station Steelhead, Project Greenskin, Renaissance Center, the Bureau 17 Docks, and aboard the Aegir submarine. This is the portal and energy plant to the Power House and the facility should be fully operational within the next week or so.

Patrol Missions in the Desert

Since they were such a hit in Millennium City, Patrol Missions have been extended in to the Desert. Next up – Canada!

Our Biggest Arch-Enemy? BUGS!

We’re crushing some last minute show-stoppers that prevented us from getting Nemesis back into the beta test this week. QA is running a white-glove test and as soon as they give us the green light, Nemesis will return.

See you online, Champions!

Champions Online PvP: Hero Games Details

Kody — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:12:24 GMT

Following up on yesterday's news about system requirements, Cryptic Studios has released information on the player-versus-player system that will be implemented in Champions Online when it releases later this fall.

Rob Overmyer provides details on the system in general, as well as a few maps players can expect to encounter foes on. Multiple types of maps will be available, including team-based, free-for-all, and team scenario events, all offering fame and rewards to the victor.

Quote from: Cryptic Studios (Source)

The Hero Games is the Player vs. Player system that includes a series of events or locations our players can participate in to earn fame and rewards. The Hero Games are comprised of team-based arena style instances, free-for-all open brawls and team scenario events. Heroes will compete against the greatest of all foes, the heroes and champions of their world.

Bringing PvP to a game of heroes.

One of the challenges of bringing PvP to Champions Online was figuring out how PvP fits into a game where players would not be playing a villain. The Question; Why would heroes fight each other? The answer was actually easier than we first thought. The Champions RPG had always had a Tournament of Champions. Why wouldn't we include that experience into our game? It was decided to add the Tournament of Champions as a reason for heroes to battle each other.

When we looked at the background of the Tournament of Champions we recognized that it was great as an event more so than a complete system. It needed to be spiced up a bit and modernized, but the game was a good start. What it became was the Ultimate Tournament of Champions, or UTC. Once the team decided that the UTC was going to be a game type we immediately started thinking about the other game types we could bring to Champions Online. Lucky for us, or you, the PvP team is comprised of some of the biggest PvPer's in the company (*cough*gankers*cough*.) It took less than a few seconds for a ton of great ideas to flood our little conference room. We all agreed that we would like to have a little PvP for each type of player, (the aforementioned gankers included,) something small and contained, something with objectives, a place for an all-out rumble and the always popular impossible scenario. This was the beginning of the game types within the Hero Games. The UTC, B.A.S.H. and Apocalypse games.

The UTC

You can think of the Ultimate Tournament of Champions as a highly-publicized and grand combat event much like the gladiatorial games of times lost or the more modern wrestling troupe’s that spotlight the fan favorites and create a drama of combat and circumstance. The UTC is the event the citizens of Millennium tune into to see their favorite heroes battle it out in true dramatic arena style.

Players are randomly paired in 2 teams of 5. The arenas are generally small and intimate. Each team begins in their locker room and are given a short period of time to prepare a strategy. Once the game begins the players can leave the locker room and head in to the main arena. When a hero is defeated in the arena they are sent back to their locker room. It is up to them to decide if they want to jump right back in or wait for the team. The goal of each UTC match is to win by defeating members of the other team. There are no time limits in the UTC. The first team to get the required number of defeats will win the match. Not all arenas share the same defeat totals. The number increase as players go up in tier. At the end of the match a scoreboard is displayed and everyone can see how they did compared to the other heroes. The scoreboard will also show the rewards that the other heroes received for their participating in the match (more on that later.)

B.A.S.H.

Early in development we were all aware that players do not want to fight in an arena all the time. Some of the members of the team are really big fans of FFAPvP. Short of making some crazy PvP versions of our regular PvE zones we would not be able to give them what they wanted. The next best thing was a place for solo players to play in a style that felt like a free-for-all game. The BASH is an outdoor zone where heroes fight in large numbers against one another. The BASH allows players to fight in a way that is closer to villainy than heroics. It is because if this that it is not officially sanctioned by the Hero Games and furthermore not approved. Participants are free to gang up on players, steal defeats (kill steal), lie, cheat, and smash their way to victory. In the end the game is all about the last one standing. The game supports 20 players at a time. Participants scramble to earn the most player defeats in the fastest time possible. The first player in the map to earn the required number of player defeats is the winner.

Apocalypse

One of the first test maps we put together, even before the UTC and BASH, was called it was an apocalypse scenario event that turned players into < CENSORED> every time they were bitten by these huge < CENSORED>. The other members of the team would have to choose between their teammate or...

Okay, enough of that... What we did know by then end of that was, it was awesome! It was easy for us to imagine all the things we could do with player vs. player combat and scenarios. What we eventually arrived at was a series of scenarios that would put the Hero in unimaginable situations. The Stronghold Apocalypse pits Heroes against one another on opposite sides of a prison breakout. Players get to battle alongside well known Signature Heroes and Villains in an attempt to subdue the other side. Apocalypse Games will have various game play mechanics like reinforcements, control points and triggered events. The Apocalypse represents more than the end and be all, it is the beginning of what the Hero Games will allow players to do.

Cryptic Reveals Champions Online System Requirements

Kody — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:57:30 GMT

Today Cryptic Studios has finally announced the system requirements for Champions Online, their upcoming super hero MMO based on the popular pen-and-paper RPG Champions.

Cryptic took a fairly unique approach to graphics with the game, deciding on a cell-shaded graphics engine, rather than the typical realistic or cartoon-inspired directions many MMOs employ, and it looks to have paid off -- allowing Cryptic to reach a broader audience of computer users than many recent MMOs.

Minimum System Requirements

OS:Windows XP/Vista
CPU:2.5GHz Single Core or 1.8GHz Dual Core
Memory:1GB RAM
Video:NVIDIA GeForce 7800 / ATI Radeon X700 or HD / Intel Graphics with Dual Core
Sound:DirectX Compatible Soundcard
HDD:5GB Free Disk Space
Network:ADSL / Cable Modem
Disc:DVD-ROM
Driver:DirectX 9.0c

Recommended System Configuration

OS:Windows XP/Vista
CPU:2GHz Dual Core or Better
Memory:2GB RAM or Better
Video:NVIDIA GeForce 8800 or Better / ATI Radeon HD3850 or Better
Sound:DirectX Compatible Soundcard
HDD:5GB Free Disk Space
Network:ADSL / Cable Modem or Better
Disc:DVD-ROM
Driver:DirectX 9.0c

Champions Online: Rate My Champion Is BACK!

DoranM — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 15:42:50 GMT

Rate My Champion

The Champions Online website has re-opened the Rate My Champion page! The rating system periodically lists the top rated champions and awards the winners accordingly! Visit the official website to rate some champions and visit the Champions Beta Signup!

Here's what the rating system looks like:

Champions Online Quiz Asks: "Which Champion Are You?

DoranM — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:05:04 GMT

"Which Champion Are You?" Asks the Champions Online Quiz! Champions online has put together a quiz for users to fill out. After you fill it out it will instantly tell you the champion you most closely resemble. The quiz asks questions about what best describes you, how you got your amazing power, how you feel about humanity now that you're "Oh So" super human, what type of minion you would like, and then several situational questionis that ask you to explain how you would react in certain situations. For the record I am most like:

Noble and true, you are the hero other heroes aspire to be. You are a natural leader, selfless and kind, who will put the lives of others above your own, and are steadfast in your pursuit of justice.

So yea...Pretty much me to a T. Post yours below and lets compare!

Champions Online Hosts "Ask Cryptic" Official Dev Q&A!

DoranM — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:09:57 GMT

Cryptic's upcoming title Champions Online has recently posted a plethora of information in their "Ask Cryptic" dev blog post where they take a shot at answering several questions that have arisen on the community forums, via email, and from fans about the game.

Checkout the original post:

Welcome to the latest edition of Ask Cryptic! Today the Devs answer your questions on powers, defense, Supergroups, Champions lore, and various and sundry other issues! Thanks to Balseraph, Vurt, Arkayne, and TheMightyLayman for answering!

Can we take multiple defense sets, or mix max between them? (Steamtank)

Defense is going to come from several different sources. The first of which is your gear. Whether it’s that your vest is made of Kevlar, or some sort of nano-gear, or you’re shielded by your heroic certainty. That’s not the majority of your defense, though. The majority comes from your choice of defensive powers. The defensive powers in the game have been reworked such that while they can stack, they all have differing areas of coverage. For example, the Forcefield defensive power is extremely strong at the start of a fight, but it will wear down and weaken during the course of that fight. Conversely regeneration will ramp up in effectiveness, being a very slow heal as you’re first getting wounded, but the more times you get hit, the faster you’ll regenerate – up to a certain cap. Similarly Invulnerability and Lightning Reflexes are on their own axis. Also, every defense has an active power, a button you can press on a cool down which gives you an extra little burst of defensiveness. All of these powers have a certain amount of inherent strength, and they’re also going to be driven by your stats. No two defenses use the same stats. While there is some stacking, because the defense powers all have different areas of specialty coverage and are all pumped up by different stats, you’ll never be able to get maximum protection from all of them at the same time. This is our inherent balancing factor.

In a previous "Ask Cryptic", you stated that there are essentially four categories of defensive powers, two axis of two (resistance & dodging, force fields & regeneration). Will players be allowed to mix-and-match from these pools, or are they mutually exclusive? Or is there some other limitation, such as players can only pick from one power in each axis (resistance and force fields = okay, resistance and dodging = not okay)? Finally, if I wanted to make a character who is impossibly tough, could I give him resistance, defense, force fields, and regeneration? (The_Altruist)

Question 1 answers this, but here’s an addendum. Certain defenses are specifically tuned to synergize well with certain power sets. We are setting up the rules so that you can synergize any defense with any power set, you just have to deliberately take some build steps to do it, as opposed to it being the default. We build in some synergies so that we can easily point them out to players so we can say to players if you want to be this guy, here’s the simplest path to doing it. For people who really want to tweak and customize, as much as possible we are putting in the ability to redirect which stats benefit which powers. That’s our secondary priority, though. It will never be the case, however, that you’ll be able to strongly combine two defenses for example.

It’s been mentioned that this game may have shapeshifting. My questions are: will there be shapeshifting and if there is shapeshifting, can we customize our forms? (Jriggle45)

Shapeshifting is not a feature at release. A lot of people on the design team have played shapeshifters, or metamorphs, in other MMOs; we think metamorphs are freaking cool. It was a conscious decision on our part, though, not to put them in until we have the time, budget, and resources to make them a highlight. We want to take the time to do it right and make them really shine. We don’t want to do them halfway. So, yes, there will be metamorphs in the game, just not at launch because we’re doing it right.

Many supergroups have already formed and are working out how they will play together. Are there any details that you can provide for how the player can approach supergroups upon launch? Will we have to wait until a certain level to make a supergroup? Will there be supergroup options for costumes? For the really involved or themed supergroups, will they enjoy the same customization as found in character creation? How interactive will the player be allowed to be with their supergroup? Can you disclose any other future plans for supergroups? (Runaway)

You can form new super groups at level 10 by paying a resource cost, but you can join an established super group at any level. Super group costumes are supported with super group specific emblems and colors. Super groups also have a rank system, chat channel, message system, and super group vault access. As the game progresses we're looking at adding other features to super groups; possibly a leveling system or super group hideouts.

Can you use the same power to heal others as you use to heal yourself? (i.e. are there single target powers that can be used on friends and self alike depending on what's selected, or put another way: can you target yourself or must we have separate skills for self buffs/heals than for ST effects?) (SaintKairos)

Some of them. Some Powers natively will heal you and everyone in front of you. Some Powers natively will heal only you. Some Powers natively will heal only your allies. Some of those Powers can be modified by Advantages to cover multiple categories of people.

As a longtime fan of the Champions setting I'm pleased to see from the screenshots that VIPER will be in play. Will we also get to deal with the other Champions organizations, such as UNTIL, DEMON, Primus, the Tiger Squad, the War Machine and/or Eurostar? (Strannik)

Absolutely. In addition to dozens upon dozens of signature heroes and villains in the game, we have a great variety of different organizations and villain groups we’ve plucked from Champions’ rich history and its many game supplement books. If you know Champions lore, I have no doubt you’re going to be impressed by how many of your old favorites make their way into the game—and we’re constantly coming up with stories which will allow us to get even more groups and organizations into Champions Online. And if you don’t know Champions, you’ll still be impressed by the variety, and how each group and organization has its own distinctive flavor and visuals, motivations and objectives, and unique styles of gameplay.

In many of the videos and interviews we've seen so far, the Devs seem to be playing with XBox 360 controllers. Most of us are used to playing MMOs with keyboard and mouse. Do the Devs prefer the XBox 360 controller over a KB/Mouse? If so, why? (JuryDuty)

It's not so much a matter of preference. Console controls are something we definitely had to keep in mind while developing since there's a restriction on the number of buttons you can press, so there was an initial emphasis on getting those to work naturally. Usually for demos it's easier to step back from the screen with a controller, so most of the devs have been doing that. Also, there haven't been a lot of MMOs for the console, so we wanted to show that was possible. But don't worry! We're doing UI revisions right now to make the keyboard feel as natural as the console controller.

How varied are the number of effects/advantages you can add to a power? For example, could you create some sort of self-buff power that increases your defense/offensive power when near-defeat? (openget)

The advantage system has a small number of generic effects that can be applied to a large number of powers, like increasing your Constitution characteristic or giving you a chance on use to return Endurance. Then there is a substantially larger number of per power customized tweaks that are ridiculously varied. There is no direct sense of something just increasing your defense or offense conditionally. That sort of thing happens in the Ranks. And we don’t want to step on the toes of the Ranks too much. For most of the custom advantages we wanted to change the way you use the power rather than change the efficacy of the power conditionally. For example, there’s a power that’s an area of effect, that zaps people around you. The custom advantage is you can turn that into a toggle, press it down, and then do other stuff while it zaps people for a certain duration, but it also acquires a recharge time.

If Telekinesis is to be implemented, will it allow manipulating objects at range (such as picking up cars/enemies) like Strength/Superstrength could? If so, how will we 'control' Telekinesis? (Alluvian_Est-Endrati)

Yes, still in development. Telekinesis will work like strength at range, as opposed to a very catch all power, like it is in comics. To get that catch all power -- the way telekinesis is normally represented in comics -- you will have the ability to select a combination of powers from different sets. For example force and psionic powers might be a good match up.

Will summonable minions or creatures/robots/drones/whatever be directly controllable via commands or will they be uncontrolled? (Alluvian_Est-Endrati)

We are going for a mixed model on pet control. For the most part they’re going to be intelligently uncontrolled, where they aren’t sticky to targets, but instead assist you. They will only attack your target. If they have any untargeted or party non-combat abilities then they will use those intelligently in and out of combat. If you have a pet that has a heal power, and that’s one of it’s more important powers, it’s going to choose to use that power over randomly attacking dudes. That being said, we’re also going to have a certain number of modal pet commands that can make the pet only passive or only aggressive, or only stay in one spot and do its normal thing. We don’t have the concept of telling individual pets to attack specific targets. We wanted to avoid micromanaging pets as a gameplay aspect. We would rather pets be something where you manage their abilities as complimentary to your own, as opposed to managing their every action. We find that managing pets in games ends up being a fight with the UI, rather than fight with what you’re currently engaging.

Meet the Dev Team - Champions Online Lead Character Artist Brad Stokan

DoranM — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 19:58:52 GMT

Brad Stokan, the Lead Character Artist for Champions Online, took some time out from making new super leeto super hero's for a Meet the Dev Team: Champions Style!

Learn about Brad Stokan - Lead Character Artist for Champions Online!

Q: What do you do on Champions Online?

A: I have the second best job in the world! I’m the Lead Character Artist on Champions, which means I help to create our amazingly customizable and always visually stimulating characters. Being a character artist at Cryptic is fantastic; we have a lot of creative freedom and the best tools and support I have seen in the industry.

Q: How long have you worked in gaming, and what did you do before Champions Online?
A: I’ve worked in games now for almost five years. Before Champions and Cryptic, I worked at Sigil Games and then Sony Online on the fantasy MMO Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. Working on Vanguard was challenging but invaluable as a learning experience. I got a great education in game design and development and learned a lot from the talented artists with whom I was priveledged to work. Also, working at Sigil allowed me great lattitude to grow as an artist and as a person.

I should mention that until college I was convinced that working in games was not even a real job! I mean I knew something was going on over there in California and Japan, but I certainly didn’t know how I was gonna get in. Luckily, I’d been creating art and playing games for years and years, even working on mods and side projects as a hobby. I foolishly almost pursued another so-called “real job” as a biomedical engineer, but at the last moment decided to follow my love of art and interactive entertainment. I discovered that working in games is not only possible but creatively fulfilling and challenging. But the best part is that it offers the chance to meet and work with passionate, intelligent people between whom spontaneous fist fights occasionally erupt.

Q: What are you most looking forward to in Champions Online?
A: I am stoked for the Nemesis system. I think it’s going to be one of the coolest features in a superhero game to date. As every hero worth their salt knows, a protagonist deserves a fitting arch enemy to drag their good name through the dirt and expose their true character through conflict. And who better to create that dastardly devil than you, the player?

Q: Who is your favorite Champions Online character?
A: I dig Defender. I can really relate to a charming, wealthy playboy who crafts his own suit of power armor. I had plans to create my own suit, but got hung up on the “wealthy” part.

Q: What is an interesting fact about you that players would be surprised to know?
A: When concept art is in short supply, I can exercise my right to pose for reference. Also, I have an amazing singing voice. Reading these words does not do it justice.

Q: What was your first favorite video game?
A: It’s a toss up between Mega Man 2 and Ninja Gaiden. My eight year old brain was staggered by the precise controls, notorious challenge, razor sharp visuals, and amazing music. Plus, Ninja Gaiden’s then-revolutionary cinematic cut scenes just exploded with style. The funny thing is, not only are these games just as good today as they were then, they are better than a lot of games coming out now. You can’t help but love them.

Q: What is your secret superpower?
A: I have a secret man-crush on Kurt Russell. Does that count? Seriously, though, I can walk in my sleep.

Q: Which is cooler: monkeys, robots, pirates, or ninjas?
A: The word “ninjas” just eviscerated the other words in that question.

Q: What advice do you have for someone who wants to break into the gaming industry?
A: I’ll speak purely about character art and directly from experience. First, learn good low-poly modeling techniques. Learn your edge loops, learn polygon density distribution and how to skin your model to a skeleton. Also, don’t lean too heavily on Zbrush. Game engines still require characters of low to mid range poly count and reasonable texture sizes. There are so many candidates who show off nice sculpts but completely ignore the fundamentals. Know that everything looks awesome in Zbrush. Show that you can make art that looks good while observing realistic limitations. Enter online competetions. This will put you on a deadline just like in the real world, and it will force you to get your work out there.

Finally, put something you’ve made into a game engine. There are plenty of engines and editors freely available for mods and personal learning. Getting your characters into one of these engines will show your passion for games and prove that you can work within the constraints and learn the tools. If you can show that you’ve done this, you will jump right off the resume page and grab attention.

Q: Is there anything you would like to add?
A: Yes. Play Champions, because we need to eat. Also, never give up your dream of working in games, kid!

Yea..You DO have a cool job!
Keep the good work Brad, and looking forward to playing the game!

Meet the Team - John Hopler

Zyuu — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:23:19 GMT

One of the Lead Content Designers on Champions Online has been internally interviewed by Cryptic Studios and they very recently published an interesting Q&A. Check out what John Hopler has to say below!

Q: What do you do on Champions Online?
A: I'm the content implementation lead for the Champions Online content team. Zeke (Sparkes) and John Layman come up with the who, what and where of our content; I concentrate more on the HOW. My time is split between implementing cool new mission content and events, answering implementation questions and talking with our programmers and producers about any new technology or tool features the team needs for the areas we are working on.

Q: How long have you worked in gaming, and what did you do before Champions Online?
A: I've been working in gaming for almost 20 years now. I started out as a freelance writer/designer for pen-and-paper games, and eventually turned that into a full-time job with Pinnacle Entertainment working on the Deadlands games. I used that experience to hoodwink Cryptic into giving me my dream job of working in the computer game industry.

Q: Tell us about the pen-and-paper RPGs you designed.
A: I'm probably dating myself, but I started our doing freelance work for West End Games (who doesn't love TORG?), Iron Crown (Silent Death) and Chameleon Eclectic. I designed my own collectible card game, The Last Crusade, which was published by Pinnacle Entertainment. Not long after, I started working there full time on the Deadlands RPG. My time at Pinnacle was an awesome learning experience since I got to wear many hats: writer, designer, editor, art director. At some point I worked on all three of the Deadlands lines – Weird West, Hell on Earth and Lost Colony – but I'll always have a soft spot for the original. I love that Brom cover. I was also fortunate to work with a lot of talented people who have gone on to bigger and better things in the pen-and-paper and computer game industries.

For the full Q&A simply click here.

Champions Online

Champions Online Halloween Events and Free Play!

Champions Online In Game Halloween Event!

Champions Online Hits 1 Month Milestone and Talks Updates!

Champions Online - State of the Game: September 15th, 2009

More Content!

The Hidden Base

The Lost Caves

The Manimal Lab

Adding Some Meat to Team

Do You See What I See?

The Mail That Ate Sheboygan

The Balance of Power

Powers Aren’t Black / White – Yet…

Celestial Power Set

Tutorial? We Don’t Need No Stinking Tutorial!

Where the Duels Are(n’t)

A Room of Danger in the House of Power

Champions Online Limited Subscription Details

Champions Online Goes Gold, Will Release On September 1st

Cryptic Reveals Gadgeteering Power Set

Champions Online State of the Game

Balance, Balance, Balance

Calling Our Heroes in Europe

Ramping Up the Hero Games

The Power House

Patrol Missions in the Desert

Our Biggest Arch-Enemy? BUGS!

Champions Online PvP: Hero Games Details

Bringing PvP to a game of heroes.

The UTC

B.A.S.H.