City of Heroes Issue 11 brings weapon customization. Open that link in a new window and look through it. That’s hot. I know that we are used to getting all kinds of pretty swords and guns in other games, but this is something new for City of Heroes.
Note a feature that Chronicles of Spellborn intends to use: appearance is independent of function. These weapon options are available in the costume creator. Apart from a few unlockable pieces in each set, these are all available from level one, and you can switch between them when you change costumes. You get your pretties immediately, and the developers only need to balance one set of numbers per power.
Unfortunately, applying this to all powers will be far more difficult. The developers have pled that no one realized how popular this (customization, the famed costume creator) would be during the original development. You have a long time to wait before you can start using green fire and black ice, if that gets added at all. Given how often costume options are obscured, this seems more important to me than the costume customization.
And yes, there is a shovel available for axe and mace users. Rejoice, The Shoveler cometh.
: Zubon
There comes a time when the costs of running a site become overwhelming and so you turn to your loyal readers to ask for their support. If your readers like what you do, they will frequently help keep things running smoothly. They appreciate what you do and want to keep it going. That time has come. No, not for us here at KTR.
My good friend Brent over at VirginWorlds has offered up some memberships to help support his site. If you enjoy the many services he provides, I encourage you to consider joining up over there. From the latest MMO news and articles to a large collection of podcasts and enough links to make even me cry - nobody does it better than Brent.
- Ethic
A few weeks ago, my wife finally got her beta invite to the upcoming MMO that I have been playing a lot of and really enjoying. I can’t wait to share my thoughts but they will have to wait until my NDA restrictions are lifted. So anyway, my wife logs in, makes her character and I start to show her around a bit, and not five minutes in, she looks over at me sheepishly and blurts out, “I miss Warcraft!”
Continue reading ‘Back In The Mud’
Last week Shortpacked!, a web comic set at a toy store, had a series starring That Guy:
I give you well-thought-out advice, and you don’t drop all your plans and do what I say? How arrogant are you? I just fixed everything, and you reject it.
The adventures start here and run for five strips.
I think you’ll see the relevance.
: Zubon
Previously, I discussed some of the reasons why I prefer to solo through most MMO content. This got me to thinking about something I’ve noticed since switching back from World of Warcraft to Guild Wars. Players in World of Warcraft, despite the ease with which the game can be soloed, seem to be far more likely to form pick-up groups than players in Guild Wars. I began to think about why this might be. I’ve come to the conclusion that this, like so many other things in life, is determined by a number of factors adding up to an individual’s experience within a game. Continue reading ‘How Players Are Affected By Solo Activities’
The character of Statesman is part of City of Heroes. NCSoft bought City of Heroes, but Jack Emmert, the Statesman himself, did not go along. So Mr. Emmert no longer has rights to that identity. I imagine the same thing happened with Lord British, and will with General British if Mr. Garriott leaves NCSoft.
Is that right? How does that work? Does the new IP owner ask the original fellow to stop using that name/handle/whatever? It is not as though Mr. Emmert can log into City of Heroes on Statesman, but it might cause some oddities to have a forum post from Mr. Emmert (anywhere, not just about CoX) under that name.
I like the notion, “We just bought you. Please vacate your identity by 5pm. Security will escort you out.”
: Zubon
Akela Talamasca at Massively posted today about why he enjoys soloing through his favorite MMOs. This is something that I find myself enjoying as well and I’d like to share a few more reasons why it can be fun.
Akela lists his reasons as such:
Feeling of being a hero, not a nameless part of a team.
Inability to trust other players.
Time management.
For my situation, the first two certainly apply. I enjoy being the star of the show and I detest when other players lower my enjoyment of a game. Time management isn’t a big concern for me, as I tend to be the one scheduling the guild events and trying to get everyone together.
Continue reading ‘Why I Play Multiplayer Games By Myself’
I’m going to be in San Francisco the evening of November 26th through November 28th for the Dow Jones Consumer Technology Innovations conference at the Sofitel Hotel. This is sort of last minute, so I am scrambling around to make arrangements…I need a pickup from the airport (SFO) around 11p on the 26th and a couch to crash on. Anyone interested? Otherwise, I’ll head over to couchsurfing.com because I’m cool. Email me.
Yes, we are presenting at the conference. Something wicked about AI-driven evolving and adapting ecologies, as well as dynamically scaling player driven economies. Yeah, no kidding.