Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Another look at Plan Z]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/22/a-mild-mannered-reporter-another-look-at-plan-z/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/22/a-mild-mannered-reporter-another-look-at-plan-z/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/22/a-mild-mannered-reporter-another-look-at-plan-z/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Please, guys, put out some art so I can stop using this header every time I talk about you.
When life hands you lemons, you build a new life. Out of lemons. The metaphor is a bit tortured, but the ultimate point is still the same: When City of Heroes fans found out the game was shutting down, some decided to band together and make a new game to incorporate all of the best of CoH while not being, you know, shut down completely. It's something that I've discussed a few times now because it's a really neat idea that also has some really big potential pitfalls.

The Phoenix Project and Heroes & Villains are the two big games working at getting themselves together, and they've had about half a year to do so. Both have been moving forward, networking, and putting together everything needed to make the games actually exist. And there's good news and bad news about both, some in tandem and some separately. So despite the possibility of missing an important context clue or two, we carry on with our look at what's going well and what is... less so.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Another look at Plan Z

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Another look at Plan Z originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 22 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reportercity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxf2pfeaturedfree-to-playfreedomheroes-and-villainsmild-mannered-reportermissing-worlds-mediancsoftopinionparagonparagon-studiosplan-zplan-z-virtual-studiossuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesthe-phoenix-projectWed, 22 May 2013 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: How Champions Online could get its groove back]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/a-mild-mannered-reporter-how-champions-online-could-get-its-gro/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/a-mild-mannered-reporter-how-champions-online-could-get-its-gro/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/15/a-mild-mannered-reporter-how-champions-online-could-get-its-gro/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

I believe I can fly! It's a demonstrable fact! Hence why I believe it.
It's hard to be a fan of Champions Online right now. The game has not been in a good state for pretty much any of its life cycle, but as I've discussed previously, its woes have really come into focus lately. It's been a long time since the game really sat down and advanced any sort of story, and it's been even longer since the game offered players something new in the endgame. When Cryptic has two other games with lots of ambition and promise, Champions Online is left looking like the unwanted sibling.

Part of the problem is the fact that CO currently has a skeleton crew working on it and a minimal budget. I suspect (without having hard numbers) that it's at the same sort of uneasy place as Vanguard was for a long while -- making just enough money to justify its continued operation while not making enough money for additional development staff. So with all of that in place, what can the game do to prop itself up a bit more without requiring a huge infusion of additional money? How can Champions Online get its act back together?

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: How Champions Online could get its groove back

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: How Champions Online could get its groove back originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 15 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporterchampionschampions-onlinechampscocrypticcryptic-studiosf2pfeaturedfoundryfree-to-playgame-mechanicsmild-mannered-reporteropinionperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpgcplayer-generated-contentpwespeculationsuggestionssuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesWed, 15 May 2013 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Nine reasons for nine years of City of Heroes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/a-mild-mannered-reporter-nine-reasons-for-nine-years-of-city-of/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/a-mild-mannered-reporter-nine-reasons-for-nine-years-of-city-of/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/08/a-mild-mannered-reporter-nine-reasons-for-nine-years-of-city-of/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Bree says this header makes her cry.
This is not timed perfectly to coincide with what would have been the ninth anniversary of City of Heroes. It couldn't be, honestly; trying to do so would have resulted in a worse column. There's also the simple fact that the ninth anniversary did not actually happen, the game was gone before then. Sanctifying the date will not bring the game back, nor will it assuage the fact that it's not there any longer.

Despite all of that, I liked the thematic structure put forth on the Titan boards, nine reasons for nine years. But since I'm incapable of doing things any way but the wrong way, I'm approaching this in my own style with my own nine reasons that I wish we'd had a ninth year. Even if the game comes back tomorrow in some form, it's never going to have the life that it should have had, and here's my nine reasons why I wish that weren't the case.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Nine reasons for nine years of City of Heroes

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Nine reasons for nine years of City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 08 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporteranniversariesanniversary-but-notcity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxculturef2pfeaturedfree-to-playfreedommild-mannered-reporterncsoftnine-yearsopinionparagonparagon-studiossave-cohsuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesWed, 08 May 2013 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Super news, super review]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/01/a-mild-mannered-reporter-super-news-super-review/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/01/a-mild-mannered-reporter-super-news-super-review/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/05/01/a-mild-mannered-reporter-super-news-super-review/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Incidentally, I want to visit a screen door factory.
It's been a fairly quiet month on the superhero front, which is the way of things. Some months it seems as if you can't go a day without a new launch; others you realize belatedly that it's the end of the month because another round of bills are due. Possibly including subscription fees. It all ties together.

Of course, the superhero arena has been quiet for a little while now, but we're seeing signs of life cropping up once again. There are titles in development, new content approaching, and a launch in about a month that should really be getting a bit more marketing support. That's a topic for another article.

So as we do once per month at A Mild-Mannered Reporter, it's time to look back over the past month or so and talk about the news stories that have cropped up relating to the genre of men and women in spandex punching robots.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Super news, super review

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Super news, super review originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 01 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporteractionaction-mmocity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohconsoleconsolescovcoxdc-universedc-universe-onlinedcuof2pfeaturedfree-to-playfreedomgazilliongazillion-entertainmentheroes-and-villainsinfinite-crisismarvelmarvel-heroesmarvel-universemarvel-universe-onlinemild-mannered-reportermuoncsoftopinionparagonparagon-studiosplan-z-virtual-studioplaystation-3playstation3ps3secret-identitysoesony-online-entertainmentsuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesturbineturbine-entertainmentWed, 01 May 2013 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: DC Universe Online's crisis of origins]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/24/a-mild-mannered-reporter-dc-universe-onlines-crisis-of-origins/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/24/a-mild-mannered-reporter-dc-universe-onlines-crisis-of-origins/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/24/a-mild-mannered-reporter-dc-universe-onlines-crisis-of-origins/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Haven't had time to remake these headers yet.
DC comics has always had a history of patch jobs. It's inevitable, really, since DC is both older than Marvel and replete with characters inherited from other publishers or characters originally designed to work in a vacuum. The fact that we've had multiple multiverse-spanning events that completely rewrite the fabric of the universe within the comics makes it clear that this is not a franchise afraid to retroactively remake an entire character only to change said character back in another remake four months later.

It sometimes makes DC rather painful to read even without the mess that the New 52 became, but that's a different article on a different site. Right now we're talking about DC Universe Online getting in on the whole parallel reality game.

Why the preamble? Because this was always pretty much inevitable given the franchise. That having been said, there's some interesting stuff within the upcoming Origin Crisis DLC that bears discussion, so let's talk about the upcoming DLC and how it ties into the game as a whole both thematically and mechanically.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: DC Universe Online's crisis of origins

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: DC Universe Online's crisis of origins originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporteradd-onsconsoleconsolesdc-universedc-universe-onlinedcuodcuo-origin-crisisdlcendgameendgame-contentf2pfeaturedfree-to-playlegendary-pvemild-mannered-reporteropinionorigin-crisispatchesplaystation-3playstation3ps3soesony-online-entertainmentsuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesWed, 24 Apr 2013 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Grim and gritty vs. light and funny]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-grim-and-gritty-vs-light-and-funny/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-grim-and-gritty-vs-light-and-funny/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-grim-and-gritty-vs-light-and-funny/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

To be fair, any time you see the multi-colored lanterns showing up I think it's a little funny.
A few weeks back, I saw a comment from a reader mentioning that the biggest problem with Champions Online was that it felt goofy. And that's true to a point. Certainly it never gets to the extremes of the Silver Age, but there's a definite feel of larger-than-life heroes battling it out without too much concern for plausibility. I'd peg it at late '70s to early '80s in terms of corresponding comic book eras.

For some people, this is a problem. And it's one that's worth discussing because each of the major titles has approached its overall theme slightly differently. But all of them have hit what I feel is a very important note insofar as all of them are unabashedly games about superheroes.

Superheroes are weirdly inconsistent partly because many of these same heroes have been in stories for nearly a century. It's really hard to reconcile a version of Batman who shoots and kills his foes with the modern incarnation or the modern brooding character with the light-hearted antics of the Silver Age. This is problematic when you have fans of different kinds of Batman all playing DC Universe Online.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Grim and gritty vs. light and funny

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Grim and gritty vs. light and funny originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporteratmospherebackstoryfeaturedloremild-mannered-reporteropinionsuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroestoneWed, 17 Apr 2013 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Stop digging up the grave]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/10/a-mild-mannered-reporter-stop-digging-up-the-grave/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/10/a-mild-mannered-reporter-stop-digging-up-the-grave/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/10/a-mild-mannered-reporter-stop-digging-up-the-grave/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Sometimes you just have to pull off the bandage.
My original plan for this week's column was to discuss themes and tone in superheroic games, but that got pushed to the side when Jack Emmert's comments about City of Heroes lit up the imagination of pretty much everyone still pining for Paragon City. For those who haven't already seen it, here's a helpful link to the video of the PAX East panel wherein Emmert makes a brief statement that the shutdown was not a good thing and that NCsoft should call him.

Friends of mine from the City of Heroes community let me know about this. People I don't know from the City of Heroes community let me know about this. Random strangers let the entire Massively team know about this. Never mind that I was at the PAX East panel where it happened and thereby already knew about this beforehand, that's not really important right now.

You are probably expecting me to join the crowd of the hopefuls, but no. We're long past that point, and even if we weren't, this is not a chance to start hoping that the game will return from the grave. Fact is, it's past time to stop hoping.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Stop digging up the grave

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Stop digging up the grave originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reportercity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxcrypticcryptic-studiosdearly-departedf2pfeaturedfree-to-playfreedommild-mannered-reporterncsoftopinionparagonparagon-studiosshutdownssunsetssuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesWed, 10 Apr 2013 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: A super month in super news]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/03/a-mild-mannered-reporter-a-super-month-in-super-news/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/03/a-mild-mannered-reporter-a-super-month-in-super-news/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/04/03/a-mild-mannered-reporter-a-super-month-in-super-news/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

For the record, I was disappointed by the 4/1 jokes this year.
Having spent the last couple of weeks systematically irritating the makers of every superheroic MMO currently on the market, I think now seems like a perfect time to go trawling for recent news and views. Especially since I am writing this on April 1st to meet my deadline, so there's a day-long moratorium on any real news being posted. (That Kickstarter of ours is very real, though. You need to give us money right now.)

Of course, the big news was a completely unexpected announcement that came out right after PAX East concluded: Another challenger is entering the arena, and it's something no one could have seen coming without insider information. Meanwhile, Marvel Heroes announced its launch date days after I had speculated on what that might be, and Champions Online is gearing up to kick off another event. So let's get talking about all the superhero news that's been going down since the last roundup.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: A super month in super news

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: A super month in super news originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporteractionaction-mmochampionschampions-onlinechampscocrypticcryptic-studiosf2pfeaturedfree-to-playgazilliongazillion-entertainmentinfinite-crisismarvelmarvel-heroesmarvel-universemarvel-universe-onlinemild-mannered-reportermobamuoopinionperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpwesecret-identitysuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesturbineturbine-entertainmentwarner-brosWed, 03 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: So what's the deal with Champions Online?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/27/a-mild-mannered-reporter-so-whats-the-deal-with-champions-onli/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/27/a-mild-mannered-reporter-so-whats-the-deal-with-champions-onli/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/27/a-mild-mannered-reporter-so-whats-the-deal-with-champions-onli/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

It's improved a lot from the game which I preordered and then un-preordered, but still.
Let's be honest here. Champions Online is not in a good state.

A couple of weeks back I wrote about how expecting a limited-time event to flesh out the game's endgame is silly to say the least, and I stand by that. But there are two issues under discussion here, and the second is "does the game need more content?" The answer, right now, is an emphatic yes. An event isn't the place to go looking for that content necessarily, but this is still a pretty significant problem, and the game certainly doesn't look as if it's fast approaching its fourth year of operation (and it is).

So what happened? It's no secret that the game launched to some pretty poor reception, but that doesn't account for the way that the game has been managed since then, especially when its free-to-play conversion has by all indications been reasonably successful. So why is it that after nearly half the lifespan of City of Heroes it still feels like a game that just recently launched?

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: So what's the deal with Champions Online?

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: So what's the deal with Champions Online? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporterchampionschampions-onlinechampscocrypticcryptic-studiosdevelopment-cyclesf2pfailurefeaturedfree-to-playmild-mannered-reporteropinionperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpweretrospectivesuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesWed, 27 Mar 2013 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: What's the problem with Marvel Heroes?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/20/a-mild-mannered-reporter-whats-the-problem-with-marvel-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/20/a-mild-mannered-reporter-whats-the-problem-with-marvel-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/20/a-mild-mannered-reporter-whats-the-problem-with-marvel-heroes/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

I got nothin' on this header. Just read some of the later alt text.
Marvel Heroes is going to release soon. Maybe. Probably? It's hard to say. We have a release window for the game but not a large amount of evidence that the game is actually moving toward that release window; there are beta updates but no clear signs that the game's open beta will be coming soon. That's a bit duplicitous for people already asked to purchase the game's high-end item packs, but that's a strategy employed by more than a couple of games now, so I'm not going to be too harsh about that.

Or maybe I am, seeing as how the game is asking you to spend a lot of money sight unseen when it has some pretty stiff competition out already. I'm increasingly of the mind that Marvel Heroes is taking a hard sell and making it endlessly harder by launching into the teeth of other games without a solid strategy. Worse yet, it might be far too late for the game to change anything for the better in a significant fashion.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: What's the problem with Marvel Heroes?

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: What's the problem with Marvel Heroes? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporteractionaction-mmocompetitiondiablodiablo-roguelikef2pfeaturedfree-to-playgame-mechanicsgazilliongazillion-entertainmentmarvelmarvel-heroesmarvel-universemarvel-universe-onlinemild-mannered-reportermuoopinionqualityrantroguelikesecret-identitysuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesWed, 20 Mar 2013 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Champions Online, Lemurian events, and you]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/13/a-mild-mannered-reporter-champions-online-lemurian-events-and/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/13/a-mild-mannered-reporter-champions-online-lemurian-events-and/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/13/a-mild-mannered-reporter-champions-online-lemurian-events-and/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Sometimes I just can't seem to stop stirring the pot.
Every so often, I'm told that I don't understand an issue under discussion, and it's entirely true. There are a lot of issues out there, and the best I can do is get some of the information, form an opinion, and then change that opinion based upon new information. So I do my best, but I'm going to be wrong sometimes.

Other times I'm told I don't understand an issue when I actually do, and the problem is that the issue under discussion is not the most relevant issue.

So let's talk a little bit more about Champions Online and the Lemurian Invasion. If you haven't been paying attention, this spawned a little bit of controversy among the playerbase and more when I said that the people raising a stink were wrong. They still are, even if they're also right about an unconnected issue I only brushed against before.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Champions Online, Lemurian events, and you

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Champions Online, Lemurian events, and you originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Mar 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporterchampionschampions-onlinechampscocontentcrypticcryptic-studiosdevelopmentendgameendgame-contentexclusivityf2pfeaturedfree-to-playin-game-eventsmild-mannered-reporteropinionperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpwesuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesWed, 13 Mar 2013 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Asymmetry in superhero PvP]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/06/a-mild-mannered-reporter-asymmetry-in-superhero-pvp/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/06/a-mild-mannered-reporter-asymmetry-in-superhero-pvp/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/03/06/a-mild-mannered-reporter-asymmetry-in-superhero-pvp/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Actually, it's more about the lack thereof, but the title is clunky enough as it is.
If you stop and think about it, the fact that we've never really had good PvP in a superhero game is pretty darn weird. This is a genre in which heroes fight villains, villains also fight villains, and every few hours some misunderstanding crops up and the heroes wind up coming to blows as well. Even in games without player-controlled villains, there's plenty of room for good PvP, and in games where players can take a walk on the dark side there's even more reason for tussles to work out well.

Sadly, that hasn't been the case. But today, I come here not to roast games but to talk about how this could be made to work well. Which bespeaks a certain asymmetry.

I've mentioned before that heroes and villains have fundamentally different approaches to the world: The former are reactive and the latter are proactive. When it comes to pure PvP scenarios, this should be more true than anywhere else. Instead, most PvP matches wind up being slugfests, something that doesn't really match up with how things work in comics.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Asymmetry in superhero PvP

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Asymmetry in superhero PvP originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Mar 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporterasymmetrical-mechanicsasymmetrydesignfeaturedgame-mechanicsmild-mannered-reporteropinionpvppvp-mechanicsspeculationsuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesWed, 06 Mar 2013 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: News from around the superheroic world]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/27/a-mild-mannered-reporter-news-from-around-the-superheroic-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/27/a-mild-mannered-reporter-news-from-around-the-superheroic-world/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/27/a-mild-mannered-reporter-news-from-around-the-superheroic-world/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

Gotta get this header thing settled. Seriously.
I've been talking about superhero games in the conceptual state over the past few weeks, which has been great for those of us who really enjoy that sort of thing. (I also got some very nice feedback from the folks at Missing Worlds Media regarding last week's article, so that's also keen.) But there are two titles in the genre already out, plus one that's not yet out but is rapidly approaching launch. So rather than speak in the abstract, let's talk about the news in review, yes?

Marvel Heroes has been making the biggest waves recently with a major beta update that trimmed up systems, changed statistics, and revamped crafting extensively. Champions Online's latest event became a point of some contention when the finale was swapped from being a high-end event to being something for everybody. And DC Universe Online waited until I had just wrapped up my month in the game to launch a big update including housing. So in no particular order, let's talk about all of this.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: News from around the superheroic world

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: News from around the superheroic world originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 27 Feb 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporteractionaction-mmochampionschampions-onlinechampscoconsoleconsolescrypticcryptic-studiosdc-universedc-universe-onlinedcuof2pfeaturedfree-to-playgazilliongazillion-entertainmentmarvelmarvel-heroesmarvel-universemarvel-universe-onlinemild-mannered-reportermuonewsnews-roundupopinionperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentplaystation-3playstation3ps3pwesecret-identitysoesony-online-entertainmentsuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesWed, 27 Feb 2013 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The rocky road ahead for city revivals]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/20/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-rocky-road-ahead-for-city-revivals/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/20/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-rocky-road-ahead-for-city-revivals/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/20/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-rocky-road-ahead-for-city-revivals/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Sometimes there's no better header.
I can't currently talk about The Phoenix Project or Heroes & Villains in great detail because neither game is actually a thing just yet. They're both products of the best parts of City of Heroes fandom, of players deciding that if the game was going to shut down, they were not going to go gently into that good night. No, they were going to just make a new game that keeps all of the feel and winds up better besides. Rather than decrying what happened, they're building something new.

This is a good thing, and the thought of having a new game in the same vein as the lost one makes me happy for understandable reasons. But at the moment, it's just that -- a thought.

Both projects have big goals, and I don't fault either of them for lack of ambition. Nonetheless, I wonder whether either will wind up coming to fruition. The fact of the matter is that making an MMO is really hard, even more so when you're working in a genre with several pitfalls, and ambition alone does not make a game.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The rocky road ahead for city revivals

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: The rocky road ahead for city revivals originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reportercoh-revivalsfeaturedheroes-and-villainsmild-mannered-reportermissing-worlds-mediaopinionplan-z-virtual-studiopost-cohsave-cohsuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesthe-phoenix-projectvirtual-studiosWed, 20 Feb 2013 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The crafts of heroes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-crafts-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-crafts-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/13/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-crafts-of-heroes/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

I need to be better with headers.
I want to give major props to Cryptic Studios for Champions Online at launch because the studio did something that most superhero MMOs don't even try to do: Crafting was in the game at launch, and while you can say that it was absolutely terrible, it wins respect for existing no matter what else happened afterward. I didn't play around with the crafting at launch, but I can still respect that it was there.

Of course, even if I had liked it, it clearly was disliked enough for the game to completely redo its crafting system later. And from what I saw, it was not well loved. But the crafting systems for DC Universe Online and City of Heroes are both not received with open arms either. Don't get me started on the half-hearted effort Marvel Heroes has for a crafting system, which makes The Secret World look downright deep. (Although that could be revamped for release.)

So what's the deal here? Superhero MMOs are often ahead of the curve in a lot of areas, so why can't we get a superhero game with a proper crafting system?

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The crafts of heroes

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: The crafts of heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 13 Feb 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporterbeing-craftycraftingcrafting-heroescrafting-mechanicscrafting-systemexobitsfeaturedinventionsmild-mannered-reporteropinionsuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroestradeskillsWed, 13 Feb 2013 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: What makes a superhero game?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/06/a-mild-mannered-reporter-what-makes-a-superhero-game/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/06/a-mild-mannered-reporter-what-makes-a-superhero-game/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/02/06/a-mild-mannered-reporter-what-makes-a-superhero-game/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

I really need to pick a header and style to stick with. It's not my strong suit.
If I want, I can play the same character in Champions Online that I play in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Pick one, any one will work. I can also recreate my Shaman from World of Warcraft, my Dervish from Guild Wars, or my captain from Star Trek Online. And I don't mean that I can just recreate them within a fair margin of mechanical error; I mean that I can straight up cop the same origin story and everything.

That being said, the characters in their original settings are not superheroes. That brings us to an interesting situation. Superheroes are in no small part defined by their abilities, but in another setting, those abilities are in no way out of the ordinary. So it's interesting to try to define what makes one game with mages and robots and supernaturally skilled swordsmen a superhero game while another one isn't.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: What makes a superhero game?

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: What makes a superhero game? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Feb 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reportercontextfeaturedgenre-conventionsloremetametacontextmild-mannered-reporteropinionsettingsuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesWed, 06 Feb 2013 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: DC Universe Online in review]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/30/a-mild-mannered-reporter-dc-universe-online-in-review/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/30/a-mild-mannered-reporter-dc-universe-online-in-review/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/30/a-mild-mannered-reporter-dc-universe-online-in-review/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

In unrelated news, I apparently lost the stuff I had saved about how to do these headers properly, so now I have to try and recreate them from memory.
One of the things I like about my job is the part where I have to play a lot of different games. This is not my default state -- I will happily latch on to games that I like and play them into the ground. The 100-plus hours I've clocked into every Mass Effect installment is proof enough of this. But playing a wider variety of games has given me several opportunities to see things in games, nod my head, and exclaim, "Yes! This is what people should be doing? Why do more games not do this?"

DC Universe Online had me saying that about a lot of elements. And every time I figured I was good and done, I found another one.

A month boomeranging back and forth between lower levels on both factions isn't enough time to get a sense for how the game shakes out over the long run, but it does provide a fairly good overview of the game as a whole. And there's a lot of elements in the game that I found astonishingly clever. It didn't offset the parts that I found somewhat tedious or broken, but it did make the game as a whole interesting on multiple levels.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: DC Universe Online in review

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: DC Universe Online in review originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 30 Jan 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporterconsoleconsolesdc-universedc-universe-onlinedcuof2pfeaturedfree-to-playgame-featuresgame-mechanicsimpressionsinterfacemild-mannered-reporteropinionplaystation-3playstation3ps3second-impressionssoesony-online-entertainmentsuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesuiuser-interfaceWed, 30 Jan 2013 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Shall I play the villain?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/23/a-mild-mannered-reporter-shall-i-play-the-villain/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/23/a-mild-mannered-reporter-shall-i-play-the-villain/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/23/a-mild-mannered-reporter-shall-i-play-the-villain/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

I'm not such a bad guy once you get to know me. For a given value of bad.
Superheroes are defined by their villains. A lot of what makes Spider-man and Batman such celebrated characters is the fact that they've got no shortage of interesting opponents. DC Universe Online knew this when it launched and gave players a villainous option right from the beginning, something that even City of Heroes didn't manage until its first expansion.

Not that this is the norm. Admittedly, calling anything the "norm" in a subgenre with only three launched games to go by is a bit complicated, but that's not the point. Champions Online doesn't let you take a walk on the villain side, and Marvel Heroes will launch without the ability to play a villain now or (presumably) ever.

This seems a bit odd on some level. We like villains, we interact with villains as readers, we enjoy seeing what the villains will do. But does it diminish a game to lack the option, or does it diminish villains as a whole when you can play as one?

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Shall I play the villain?

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Shall I play the villain? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 23 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporteractionaction-mmochampionschampions-onlinechampscity-of-heroescity-of-villainscocohconsoleconsolescovcoxcrypticcryptic-studiosdc-universedc-universe-onlinedcuof2pfaction-dynamicsfaction-splitsfactionsfeaturedfree-to-playfreedomgazilliongazillion-entertainmentmarvelmarvel-heroesmarvel-universemarvel-universe-onlinemild-mannered-reportermuoncsoftopinionparagonparagon-studiosperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentplayable-villainsplaystation-3playstation3ps3pwesecret-identitysoesony-online-entertainmentsuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesvillain-factionvillainsWed, 23 Jan 2013 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: How superheroes died and why it's good]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/16/a-mild-mannered-reporter-how-superheroes-died-and-why-its-good/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/16/a-mild-mannered-reporter-how-superheroes-died-and-why-its-good/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/16/a-mild-mannered-reporter-how-superheroes-died-and-why-its-good/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

I really need to settle on a header instead of randomly pulling old ones. Thoughts, oh handful of readers who look at the alt text?
2012 was probably the worst year ever for fans of superheroes in the MMO space. The best months of the year were just kind of there, and then the biggest game in the genre unexpectedly closed. Unpacking what caused the City of Heroes closure is something that's ongoing to the moment, and I'd be remiss to not talk about the recent anonymous claims that City of Heroes was profitable up to its closure combined with a denial that... isn't, really.

At the same time, I'm a firm believer in the idea that bad things can have positive outcomes. So I think that for all the bad that happened in 2012, we might be looking at 2013 as a banner year for superheroes. Not that it's certain by any means, but between last year's media and the current state of affairs, there's space for some awesome possibilities. And a lot of screwups, too, but isn't that always the case?

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: How superheroes died and why it's good

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: How superheroes died and why it's good originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 16 Jan 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reportercity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxculturef2pfeaturedfree-to-playfreedomgenreheroes-and-villainslincoln-davismild-mannered-reportermissing-worlds-mediancsoftopinionparagonparagon-studiosplan-z-studiossave-cohsuperherosuperhero-culturesuperhero-genresuperhero-mediasuperheroesthe-phoenix-projectWed, 16 Jan 2013 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter Extra: Interviews with Champions Online and The Phoenix Project]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/10/a-mild-mannered-reporter-extra-interviews-with-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/10/a-mild-mannered-reporter-extra-interviews-with-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/10/a-mild-mannered-reporter-extra-interviews-with-champions-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Still sad? Still sad.
I promised you that we would be doing interviews next time, but astute readers would note that I did not say "next week." So welcome to our special extra installment of the column looking at two different sides following the City of Heroes shutdown.

We've already seen two projects coming from the ashes of CoH; The Phoenix Project and Heroes and Villains are both currently being assembled by passionate fans of the now-departed game. But we'd be remiss if we failed to note the impact that the game's closure has had on existing games like Champions Online and DC Universe Online. Rather than just speculating on any of this, we decided to just ask.

So today you've got two interviews. One is with Brad Stokan, Executive Producer at Cryptic Studios, about how the City of Heroes shutdown has affected Champions Online and the studio that helped bring the game to life in the first place. The other is with the lead staff at Missing Worlds Media, the team behind The Phoenix Project. So let's take a look behind the scenes, yes?

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter Extra: Interviews with Champions Online and The Phoenix Project

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter Extra: Interviews with Champions Online and The Phoenix Project originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 10 Jan 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reportera-mild-mannered-reporter-extrabrad-stokanchampionschampions-onlinechampscity-of-heroescity-of-villainsclosurecocohcoh-shutdowncovcoxcrypticcryptic-studioscultureextra-editionf2pfeaturedfree-to-playfreedominterviewinterviewsmild-mannered-reportermild-mannered-reporter-extramissing-worldsmissing-worlds-medancsoftopinionparagonparagon-studiosperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentphoenixphoenix-projectpwesave-cohshutdownsuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesthe-phoenix-projectThu, 10 Jan 2013 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Starting fresh in DC Universe Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/09/a-mild-mannered-reporter-starting-fresh-in-dc-universe-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/09/a-mild-mannered-reporter-starting-fresh-in-dc-universe-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/09/a-mild-mannered-reporter-starting-fresh-in-dc-universe-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

I couldn't find a good font for use here. Also, whose bright idea was it to keep re-doing the title image?
I'm not going to lie to you, gentle readers -- I did not have high hopes for DC Universe Online when I signed in.

Why not? Lots of reasons. For starters, Champions Online turned out to be very good, and I'm not in the habit of expecting good luck twice in a row. My last outing with a licensed superhero game left me pretty cold. I already knew the game broke from a lot of accepted superhero conventions, and it sure didn't seem like a game that would encourage the same sort of roleplaying atmosphere I love. Last but certainly not least, it's always dicey playing a game designed for both consoles and computers, since frequently one or the other gets the better interface.

Despite all of this, I am happy to say that these fears were unfounded. Or at least unfounded enough for it not to matter, which is close enough to the same thing. DC Universe Online is certainly not a successor to City of Heroes, but it's a lot better than I would have guessed, and it's certainly an interesting game thus far in its own right.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Starting fresh in DC Universe Online

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Starting fresh in DC Universe Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 09 Jan 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporterconsoleconsolesdc-universedc-universe-onlinedcuof2pfeaturedfirst-impressionsfree-to-playimpressionsmild-mannered-reporteropinionplaystation-3playstation3pretty-cool-actuallyps3soesony-online-entertainmentsuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesWed, 09 Jan 2013 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Farewell for now, Champions Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/02/a-mild-mannered-reporter-farewell-for-now-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/02/a-mild-mannered-reporter-farewell-for-now-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/02/a-mild-mannered-reporter-farewell-for-now-champions-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

I'm fond of this header. So fond of it that I'm using it twice.
So I've spent a month in Champions Online, and I've taken enough time to understand most of how the game fits together on a conceptual level. This is from equal parts playing and reading about the game in various places because I just do that for fun. Those of you who were here for my first outing will remember that I was pleased with the game as a whole. Upon further play, though, my impression has... well, remained pretty darn positive. This is not one of those twist endings.

Of course, I can also see why the game never quite hit the level of widespread popularity that City of Heroes managed, and some of the problems that plague it are a direct result of what I like about it. So with my first outing in the game out of the way, I'm going to offer a more complete look at the game, starting with the bad and ending with the good.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Farewell for now, Champions Online

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Farewell for now, Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporterchampionschampions-onlinechampscity-of-heroescocohcrypticcryptic-studiosdesignf2pfeaturedfree-to-playgame-mechanicsmild-mannered-reporteropinionparagon-studiosperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpwerecapstaffsuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesthe-good-and-the-badWed, 02 Jan 2013 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Tips for City of Heroes refugees in Champions Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/26/a-mild-mannered-reporter-tips-for-city-of-heroes-refugees-in-ch/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/26/a-mild-mannered-reporter-tips-for-city-of-heroes-refugees-in-ch/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/26/a-mild-mannered-reporter-tips-for-city-of-heroes-refugees-in-ch/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

I'm not sure if Voltaic will remain a main, but she's been a useful learning tool.
Champions Online has been a breath of fresh air for the past couple of weeks. It's not a perfect game, nor is it a perfect substitute for City of Heroes, but it's a remarkably good approximation. I would imagine that most players familiar with the latter will feel fairly comfortable in the former, once they get over the obvious differences between the two.

Not that the hurdles are exactly minor. For all that I've grown fond of Champions Online, it still has a lot of strange fiddly bits, doing with six different systems what most games do with two or three. Just jumping in cold, as I did, can leave you looking around aimlessly and quite possibly result in your making some choices regarding character builds that you swiftly regret. As I also did.

So here are a few tips for players new to the game, tilted in no small part to anyone coming over from our dearly departed CoH. I can't keep you from making every mistake, but I can at least help you get a feel for the game's systems in some small part.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Tips for City of Heroes refugees in Champions Online

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Tips for City of Heroes refugees in Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporteradvicechampionschampions-onlinechampscity-of-heroescocohcoh-refugeescomparisoncrypticcryptic-studiosf2pfeaturedfree-to-playmild-mannered-reporternew-player-advicenew-playersopinionperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpwesuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroestipsWed, 26 Dec 2012 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Playing as icons in superheroic MMORPGs]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/19/a-mild-mannered-reporter-playing-as-icons-in-superheroic-mmorpg/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/19/a-mild-mannered-reporter-playing-as-icons-in-superheroic-mmorpg/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/19/a-mild-mannered-reporter-playing-as-icons-in-superheroic-mmorpg/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

I feel bad for Storm, she kind of got cropped out of this header image.
For the past week or so, I've been playing Marvel Heroes. If you missed my impression piece on Monday morning, let me spoil the big reveal for your right now: I wasn't very happy with it. It produces some minor thrills here and there, but at this point in testing there's not a whole lot to celebrate about the game. So I'm understandably not champing at the bit to talk more about the game this week, which I had originally planned.

I do think there's something to be discussed when it comes to the game's central conceit, however: the fact that you're playing as the iconic characters instead of alongside them. I'm not a fan of the approach in general, but considering the panoply of superhero properties out there, it's worth considering. Could you actually make a functional game in which you play as just the official characters rather than original creations? What sort of things do you need to do to make this work? How would a superhero MMORPG with only the official characters work in practice?

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Playing as icons in superheroic MMORPGs

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Playing as icons in superheroic MMORPGs originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Dec 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporteractionaction-mmof2pfeaturedfree-to-playgazilliongazillion-entertainmenticonic-charactersiconic-heroeslore-characterslore-figuresmarvelmarvel-heroesmarvel-universemarvel-universe-onlinemild-mannered-reportermuoopinionsecret-identitysuperherosuperhero-genresuperheroesWed, 19 Dec 2012 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: A new start in Champions Online]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/12/a-mild-mannered-reporter-a-new-start-in-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/12/a-mild-mannered-reporter-a-new-start-in-champions-online/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/12/a-mild-mannered-reporter-a-new-start-in-champions-online/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Coming to you live from the Canadian wilderness!
Apparently, my phrasing in last week's poll was unclear, so let me make myself totally clear right now: Starting this week and with every subsequent week, A Mild-Mannered Reporter will be focusing on the whole genre of superheroic MMOs. Last week's poll was meant to be a place to start, not a place to end up. With that in mind, it's time to jump into Champions Online, a game that I haven't played since it was in beta... which was enough to convince me to cancel my pre-order after months of being excited.

Let me step back. It's not that the game was terribly bad back then; it's that I could tell the designers loved active combat, and as it turns out my computer at the time could run the game in only the most cursory sense of the word. Trying to take part in semi-active combat when every action has about a half-second of delay attached is not what I'd call fun or smart.

But that was ages ago, so it's time to give it the old college try once again. I loaded it up on Steam and got started anew, and after some frustration with login verifications and getting the subscription working, I filled in a month of subscription time and went to make my first character.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: A new start in Champions Online

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: A new start in Champions Online originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Dec 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporterchampionschampions-onlinechampscocrypticcryptic-studiosf2pfeaturedfirst-impressionsfree-to-playmild-mannered-reporternew-player-impressionsopinionperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentpwestarting-freshsuperherosuperheroesWed, 12 Dec 2012 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Moving forward after City of Heroes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/05/a-mild-mannered-reporter-moving-forward-after-city-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/05/a-mild-mannered-reporter-moving-forward-after-city-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/12/05/a-mild-mannered-reporter-moving-forward-after-city-of-heroes/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Hopefully you didn't just start crying again.
Last week was painful, not just for me but for a lot of you was well. I'm touched by the number of comments I received on last week's article, and I can understand why a lot of you thought that this was curtains for the column as well as for the game. It was a sad ending, with a note of hope almost buried by all of the crushing emotion. You and I lost a friend that's been with us for more than eight years; it's hard to be optimistic.

But I'm still here. And I'm still the same person I was a week ago, if somewhat diminished by loss. And now it's time to move along.

I've written the last word there is for me to write on the subject of City of Heroes, but as it turns out, I still have a lot more to say about the genre. This probably doesn't come as much of a surprise to regular readers. I'm a guy who loves superheroes, and losing a home hurts, but it doesn't mean I'm hanging up my cape. It means that I need to find a new home. And I'd be remiss in not asking anyone else along for the ride.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Moving forward after City of Heroes

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Moving forward after City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporterchampionschampions-onlinechampscocolumnconsoleconsolescrypticcryptic-studiosdc-universedc-universe-onlinedcuof2pfeaturedfree-to-playgazilliongazillion-entertainmentmarvelmarvel-heroesmarvel-universemarvel-universe-onlinemassively-metametamoving-forwardmuoopinionperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentplaystation-3playstation3ps3pwesecret-identitysoesony-online-entertainmentsuper-herosuperherosuperheroesWed, 05 Dec 2012 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The end of the city of heroes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/28/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-end-of-the-city-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/28/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-end-of-the-city-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/28/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-end-of-the-city-of-heroes/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

All illustrations by A. Fienemann, words by me, sorrow by a lot of people.
"Name?"

"Mr. Swift."

The small man on the other end of the table sighed as if he'd heard the punchline too many times already. "Sir, I understand that you're unhappy about recent events, but this is a necessity. I don't want to keep you here longer than necessary, but I can throw you in jail for a night for obstructing this audit. I'm not asking for your moniker; I'm asking for your name, and it's only out of politeness." He tapped the side of his laptop for emphasis. "Now before I have to look it up -- your name."

It was a little thing, really. But it felt huge. "Orson Herschel Siegal," Swift replied, purposely looking away from the auditor and searching for something in the stark white room to pull his attention away.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The end of the city of heroes

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: The end of the city of heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Nov 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reportercity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohconclusioncovcoxendingf2pfarewellfeaturedfree-to-playfreedomgoodbyei-was-promised-cakemild-mannered-reporterncsoftopinionparagonparagon-studiossadsave-cohshutdownsunsetsuperherosuperheroesthe-endWed, 28 Nov 2012 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The cost of closing City of Heroes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/21/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-cost-of-closing-city-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/21/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-cost-of-closing-city-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/21/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-cost-of-closing-city-of-heroes/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Almost goodbye.
Shuttering a game carries a heavy cost. This seems counterproductive from a math standpoint; after all, you aren't spending money on a game's servers any longer, so how can it be costing you more? But gamers have long if inaccurate memories, and there are a lot of ripple effects that spread slowly outward after the game has gone dark. Some of these costs aren't even obvious when the game closes, and the full effect won't be felt for months.

With only a little while left until the end of City of Heroes, I think it's only fair to look at these costs. Obviously, I've discussed some of the unseen costs already, but all of those have been looking at the cost of losing City of Heroes for the players and the developers. Today, I want to see what it actually offers NCsoft because there's a long list of things that are getting burned away by this closure, and I'm having trouble pointing to any given element as actually being a benefit for the company in the long run.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The cost of closing City of Heroes

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: The cost of closing City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Nov 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Call me in to talk.
Chronicling the last months of City of Heroes has been a strange ride. A sad one, certainly, and that's part of it, but it's also just been strange in certain ways, such as how every single column on the subject -- and I do mean every single one -- has garnered at least one person acting shocked that this column would continue to cover the game on the way to its shutdown instead of just throwing in the towel back in October or something.

I really don't get that, considering that this column has been running for nearly three years without interruption, even when I had to send the text off to someone else because I was out of power due to a hurricane. There's no way I'm not going the last few feet. But I think some of it comes down to not understanding what about the game makes some of the players so passionate about the city.

Passion is a lot of things, none of them logical. It's not possible to just point to items on a list and say, "I'm passionate because of that." But I can try to outline what's made the game so special beyond just its length of operation, and I'll do the best I can with today's column.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The passion for City of Heroes

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: The passion for City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporterbrandingcity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxdesignendgamef2pfeaturedfree-to-playfreedomgame-loyaltygame-mechanicsloyaltymechanicsmild-mannered-reporterncsoftopinionparagonparagon-studiospassionsave-cohsuperherosuperheroesWed, 14 Nov 2012 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The story of City of Heroes that wasn't]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/07/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-story-of-city-of-heroes-that-wasn/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/07/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-story-of-city-of-heroes-that-wasn/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/07/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-story-of-city-of-heroes-that-wasn/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The stories that could have been, as well.
I started playing City of Heroes for one reason and one reason alone: I love superheroes. Yes, the game entranced me afterward, and there were a lot of things to like aside from the superhero aspect, but I came first and foremost expecting a game of superheroes. And while I've occasionally taken issue with the way the game tries to model superheroes, that doesn't extend to the game's lore in the slightest.

Lore is an important part of what makes superheroes work, after all. That sense of a bigger world, that sequence of big events that rewrite the world as a whole every so often, the cadence of enemies rising and falling. There's a certain feel to superhero universes, one that City of Heroes had to replicate without shamelessly copying another world -- and the team at Paragon Studios succeeded in doing just that.

Unfortunately, we're never going to see all of the revelations in the game that could have stretched on for many more years, but the recent lore AMA answered a lot of lingering questions about the game's universe and backstory. So as we enter our final month, yeah, I'd like to look at that.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The story of City of Heroes that wasn't

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: The story of City of Heroes that wasn't originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Nov 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A few weeks left.
It's been about a year since Star Wars Galaxies was shut down, and for a lot of people that wound is still fresh. For a sadly vocal minority, that wound is so fresh as to provoke a lot of groundless vitriol toward any available target -- but that's not the point. The point is that what happened to that game is happening again, to City of Heroes, and the players are just as powerless to stop it.

Except that it's not the same thing, not really. There are different reasons behind the closure of City of Heroes, different protests, and different player organizing taking place. The result is a scenario that's both a clear parallel to an earlier tragedy and its own unique blend of awful circumstances at the same time.

When we first heard the announcement, fellow City of Heroes player and former Star Wars Galaxies player Brianna Royce asked me if I felt the same way about CoH as I had about SWG. As we talked about it, though, it became clear that there were certain parallels being drawn that just didn't work. So I'm going to talk about what happened to both games, starting with the very significant difference between the two games shutting down.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: A tale of two shutdowns starring City of Heroes

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: A tale of two shutdowns starring City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I don't want to move out, I just moved in.
Despite what many of us might feel, the world is not ending when City of Heroes shuts down. Just our world. But the sun will continue shining, other games will continue running, and most likely your interest in video games will not evaporate. So after an appropriate period of mourning, it's going to be time to think about getting together with another game.

The problem, of course, is that nothing else can ever be City of Heroes. Like Benjamin Franklin, nothing can serve as its replacement, merely as its successor. But it's worth examining some of the more reasonable and likely destinations for the community.

I'm sure there are more, but the four I've listed seem to be the games that either are or will be hoovering up a large number of the game's former players, games that are close enough to what CoH represents to serve as a reasonable successor. So let's look at our potential new homes and see what they have to offer, both good and bad.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Potential new homes after City of Heroes

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Potential new homes after City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Oct 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>a-mild-mannered-reporterchampionschampions-onlinechampscity-of-heroescity-of-villainscocohconsoleconsolescovcoxcrypticcryptic-studiosdc-universedc-universe-onlinedcuof2pfactionfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playfreedomfuncomgazilliongazillion-entertainmenthorrormarvelmarvel-heroesmarvel-universemarvel-universe-onlinemild-mannered-reportermuomythologyncsoftopinionparagonparagon-studiosperfect-worldperfect-world-entertainmentplaystation-3playstation3ps3pwesave-cohsci-fantasysecret-identitysecret-worldskill-basedsoesony-online-entertainmentsuperherosuperheroesthe-secret-worldtswWed, 24 Oct 2012 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The unseen cost of closing City of Heroes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-unseen-cost-of-closing-city-of-her/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-unseen-cost-of-closing-city-of-her/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-unseen-cost-of-closing-city-of-her/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

In addition to all of the very well seen costs.
City of Heroes is leaving a lot of victims with its closure: the employees of an excellent and underrated development team, a group of players with a lot of passion and energy, and an entire world that deserves to keep going. But there are a lot of other costs along with all of those, things what we're losing out on that you might not have even considered at the time.

At least, not until some writer on the internet decided to call attention to all of those things. Guilty as charged.

Those of us who are adamant fans of the game have been lamenting the loss of the game that is. But one of the reasons I tied every single anniversary post with another post looking forward is that City of Heroes has always been a game that moves in both directions. It's a game where a lot of the fun is tied into what it will be. And while there are some directions I've been critical of, there's a lot about what's coming up that's never going to be realized.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The unseen cost of closing City of Heroes

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: The unseen cost of closing City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Death need not be the end of hope.
By now every City of Heroes fan has no doubt seen NCsoft's backhanded dismissal of the entire Save CoH movement. If by some coincidence you hadn't seen it, congratulations! Welcome to Wednesday; here's your bad news. NCsoft has heard us and responded with, "Aw, shucks, we really tried," which is the equivalent of a five-year-old child claiming that he did try to clean his room after three minutes of picking up toys and putting them back down in roughly the same spot.

If I sound bitter, it's because I am. But what does this mean for City of Heroes? Is all hope truly lost? Have we lost the fight to save our city? Is there no chance for a reprieve or some shining light in the late night?

Well... not much. But this is not actually the change that it's being framed as. This is what we went in knowing, and while it changes the game being played, it doesn't change many of the hard facts. I said in my first column that we were fighting a battle with a slim hope, and the fact that it's now pretty much no hope doesn't change much, nor does it mean we should stop fighting.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: No hope for CoH, no faltering for us

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: No hope for CoH, no faltering for us originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It didn't allow me to connect with other people as a crippled youth, but that's due to my non-crippled-youth status.
Not long after my first column on the City of Heroes shutdown, I received an email that contained several of the testimonials from this full-to-bursting thread on the Save CoH boards. And they're not the only ones out there. There are countless stories about what the game means to people, ranging from the silly to the sublime, stories that can only really accumulate in a game that's run for eight solid years.

When it comes to recollections about the game, I'm not Mercedes Lackey or Scott Kurtz or even Eric Burns-White. I'm what the byline says: a mild-mannered reporter. But I'm also a guy with a lot of feelings about the game, one that I've been playing on and off for nearly all of its eight-year run. To be blunt, I've got the microphone and you don't. So I'm going to go ahead and throw my hat into the ring when it comes to remembering City of Heroes, starting with the game that I played at launch for less than two weeks.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Remembering my time in City of Heroes

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Remembering my time in City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sometimes it feels like a very dark environment.
The City of Heroes community has been great in rallying to save the game, but I'm wondering whether that's enough.

If you missed it, this week has not been a good one for efforts to keep the game alive. I'm not going to reprint everything laid out in TonyV's recent post, but the short version is that there are currently no signs that things are changing. NCsoft has set up an email for players to send letters, one that I suspect is not read vigilantly, and there have been no signs that any of the various talks about the game's future have resulted in anything.

It's the email thing that really set me to wondering about whether or not City of Heroes fans are the right people to be protesting. While I love you guys -- beyond a shadow of a doubt -- there's a certain revolutionary spirit necessary for an effective protest. I'm not entirely certain that we've got that. And if there was ever a chance to save the game, we may just be unable to do what's necessary.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: To save City of Heroes, we must be jerks

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: To save City of Heroes, we must be jerks originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We stand until the end.
When I started my career at Massively, I wasn't hired to be the City of Heroes guy. I wasn't hired to be the anything guy, although I quickly earned a reputation. It was a few months after I got hired that I got the opportunity to start doing a pair of weekly columns, one on City of Heroes and one about the online Final Fantasy installments. This was due to the fact that my affection for City of Heroes was well-known on staff, and I was already knee-deep in the game, so...

It wasn't quite three years ago, but it was close enough. And I've said many times that my professional career has been tied in directly with City of Heroes because of that. As I've grown as a writer and a journalist, I've been working alongside City of Heroes. So today I'm not going to talk as much about the game itself. I'm going to talk about the people of Paragon Studios, some of whom I had the good fortune to interact with over the years and all of whom seem to be absolutely astonishing human beings.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: A personal tribute to Paragon Studios

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: A personal tribute to Paragon Studios originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
City of Heroes fans took to the streets on Saturday. Specifically, they took to the streets of Atlas Park, running a massive in-game protest against the game's cancellation. I'm going to assume that you were there if you're reading this column, as I certainly was, and I got quite a number of screenshots of the whole protest part of the event. If you missed it, we've got video.

I didn't stick around for the costume contest, mostly because it turns out I didn't have a slot for Melissa Bianco with a crab backpack.

The protest was the brainchild of TonyV, who is also the organizer behind the entire movement to save City of Heroes via a special message board dedicated to keeping the community organized. And considering what I've said in the past regarding other games that have shut down, you probably knew I would have something to say about this movement. It's something I support, but there's more nuance to it than just that. So let's talk about the fight to save the city.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The fight to save City of Heroes

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: The fight to save City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter header by A. Fienemann
Sometimes I know about things before other players do. Friday was not one of those times. Friday I heard the rumor, and I dismissed the whole thing as being patently ridiculous... and then the reports poured in, and I could only stare with horror.

City of Heroes is going to be shut down. Later this year. November 30th, less than three months away.

For me, this isn't just a game closing. This is a huge chapter in my professional life coming to an end. Covering City of Heroes has been a major part of my writing for the site over the past three years. To think that it's going to be gone soon is just... baffling.

So this is a column written in mourning. It's going to be disconnected, and for that I apologize, but there are a few things that I think should be put down right now. Next week I can start in on the process of creating a tribute; this week, it's about sadness.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Requiescat in pace, City of Heroes

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Requiescat in pace, City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 Sep 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter header by A. Fienemann
Whether you play NCsoft games or work for NCsoft, it's hard to ignore that this is the week Guild Wars 2 launches to the general public. And if I know the folks at Paragon Studios, which I sort of do but not really, they are scouring the game right now to figure out what can be yanked from the game and adapted for City of Heroes.

This is not an insult. City of Heroes has always done a great job of taking ideas from other games and blending them into the core engine, creating a game that takes some good snippets from other games and puts an interesting spin on each individual element. Granted, some of those adaptations work better than others, but it's the core concept that works so well here.

So I wouldn't be surprised to see some elements from Guild Wars 2 leading into updates for CoH. But to save a little time for the team at Paragon Studios, I've gone ahead and figured out what could be nicked for the game. (Or for a sequel. Just saying.) You can all take a look at it now and thank me later.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Things to steal from Guild Wars 2

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Things to steal from Guild Wars 2 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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