I think — as may be blindingly obvious to most folks still hanging out here, waiting for me to post — that it’s over.
Yeah. I think I’m done, mostly, with CoX. Mostly.
It’s not anything the game has done. Indeed, the most recent Issues have been great — faboo content, wonderful character customizations, etc. Yeah, the whole crafting bit left me cold, but that’s minor. The game is, I declare, better than ever.
But it just doesn’t move me, any more. I don’t feel any desire to go out there and pound on the same (or even different) bad guys any more (or good guys, for the few characters I have over in the CoV side of things). I’m not even feeling the burn to duo up with My Favorite Player, which irks me greatly, but there it is. We’re not talking “I no longer obsess all day waiting to get home so I can play CoH.” We’re talking “Playing CoH no longer crosses my mind as something I feel like doing right now.”
So now what?
Well, I’m not canceling my account yet. There may still be hope, or the occasional impulse to play. Margie’s said the duo door is always open …
I do want to do a lot of screen caps and notes on the stable of characters I’ve developed. I have a nascent idea for a super-hero novel, and that’s all grist for the mill.
It’s possible I’ll eventually “migrate” over to another MMORPG (hopefully with Margie). If so, it would most likely be LOTRO (for a variety of reasons) — but, at the moment, I’m not feeling any sort of MMO drive, so don’t expect anything soon.
The general ennui extends to this site, alas. Been a while since I’ve updated, and I’m falling far behind on keeping up on red-name posts and the like. If something happens to attract my attention, I’ll post it here, so if you’ve an interest, I recommend either keeping me on an RSS feed or using the FeedBurner e-mail subscription, so you get notification at such time as something more shows up here.
It’s been a great run. City of Heroes/Villains was and is a faboo game — and for all those still actively in the fray … give those bad guys a good kick for me. 🙂 Perhaps I’ll see you again when both of us least expect …
As I said before, whenever you guys decide you want to give LotRO a try, I and Kate would be happy to hook you up with 10 day trials — maybe after the holidays, natch. 🙂
If it grabs you, then it does, and if it doesn’t, then it doesn’t, but either way, with something like two weeks to test it out, you’ll probably know one way or the other.
And I agreed. CoX is a great game, and IS better than ever. Just not the game(s) I’m playing right now.
I’ve been playing LotRO since Beta, and it’s still lots of fun. In fact, I should be playtesting Pirates of the Burning Sea (I even got my “Getting booty since 1720” t-shirt), but keep finding myself logging in to play LotRO instead.
I suspect that you’d enjoy the way the quests are lore-driven. This game is obviously made by people who know and love Tolkien’s books. It’s just too bad they don’t have the rights to The Silmarillion and other such books.
If you want to use a 10-day free trial, consider getting your referrals from me. As a Founder, I can get you discounted pricing ($9.99 per month, as opposed to $14.99, or $199 for the lifetime membership, rather than $299).
If you decide to play any characters on Silverlode, where I am, look into Carpe Jugulum as a Kinship. It’s a relaxed group of older folks (mostly 35+), though we’re not an RP Kinship.
You would be welcome over at EQ2 or WoW I am most certain, and can hook you two up with a free trial for either if you wanted when and if you get the desire to play a MMORPG again.
So, go out and have fun in RL Dave.
**Waves by to Psy-Clone and Amorpha**
Thanks all for the free offers. Will definitely consider them at such a time as — well, as I or we decide to take the leap. 🙂
So another question that’s arisen: how Tolkien-geeky do you have to be to enjoy LotRO? Granted that it does what sounds like a fun job for those of us who once (or still) eat, breathe, and drink the LOTR canon — but for someone whose experience with Tolkien is passing (“Huh, those were pretty cool movies”), is it Sword-n-Sorcery with a bunch of annoying nerds who are giggling over inside jokes, or does it stand up (or even “educate”) without that back knowledge?
I know many players who have never read the books and still enjoy the storyline. Cut-scenes in the Epic Quests, which tie most strongly into the backstory of the books, let the casual player know what’s going on.
Other quests deal with the rivalry between different Middle-earth factions, but the quest-giver will explain, for example, why the Longbeards are so unhappy with the Dourhand dwarves.
Or you may be delivering pies or the post in the Shire, and will have to keep an eye out for hungry or nosey [sic] hobbits. If you didn’t already know that hobbits are preternaturally interested in food, you will after the need for vigilance has been explained to you.
In short, it’s a good game for anybody who likes story-driven quests in their MMOs.
And, in choosing LotRO as one of the top 10 PC games of the year, and the MMO of the year, Gamespy called it “one of the best-run, most enjoyable casual-friendly PvE-style MMOs on the market today.”
http://goty.gamespy.com/2007/pc/6.html
I hear you with the burn out! I get that at least once a year and take a little time off. I’ve tried other MMOs, but I’m afraid that CoH/V has spoiled me for other games. The customization, ease of control and (especially!!!) movement powers so early in the game (Jet Packs by lvl 5 ftw!)all make other games ponderous for me. I keep trying to free trials and even beta tested Tabula Rasa . . .I keep coming back to CoH/V.
So, I understand the burnout. Go, play, have fun elsewhere, the City will be there when you need to come back! If it’s not fun, then you definitely shouldn’t be there . . . .
Hope to see you in-game some time!
Thanks, Arty.
I will say that Travel Powers seem to be a very keen thing, all the moreso for their even-earlier appearance in CoH since the police missions came in.
I was pretty burnt on the game a couple of issues ago and the Crafting bit was the nail in the coffin for me. Don’t gt me wrong….I login from time to time to jet around a bit but the old magic is gone for me.
That said, I play LoTRo and love it. Granted I am a Tolkein geek but the Dev team has a decent balance so that you don’t have to be a Master of the Lore to play and have a great time. One of the greatest things was being able to go to a place from the books or movies and just soak it in. I too could be in Pirates Beta but LoTRo keeps drawing me in everytime.
I do find myself judging othe MMOs by the COX yard stick though. Travel Powers are a huge plus in City of and the avatar character creation is hands down the best I have ever seen and really expect to see in a looooong time. New content is head and shoulders over things they’ve done since COV went live….its just….I’ve lost the Heroing feeling.
I am expecting great things from the game for the future now that its all under one house. Hopefully it keeps climbing that hill.
I do sorely miss travel powers in LotRO. It’s pretty painful to wait until level 35 to get your own horsie. Of course, Founders and Lifetime Members now get a (slower) horse at level 25 (and it’s free, not like that as-expensive-as-three-houses one you have to buy).
Of course, you can always play a Hunter, and get that 15% speed boost fairly early, and “porting” later on…
Hi Dave,
I’ll miss these posts. They’ve been a really enjoyable way to stay on top of the various CoX happenings over the past couple of years so I have to say a big thank you for that.
I also feel pretty sad that I too lost the burn a few months back, with my play time dropping to an hour or two at most each week.
It’s sad because I hadn’t really enjoyed anything as much as CoX for a while before I discovered it almost three years ago and am struggling to find something to replace it. It was great have something to look forward to every day!
Having said that, I was never really into the ‘massively multiplayer’ thing, almost always choosing to solo, or play with small groups of known friends, or my real life brother who kept me up to date with life back home while we played.
I too will keep my account as I still dip in and out (and I want my ‘non combat pet’ in Feb!), but can’t see me getting really excited about it again unless something dramatic happens.
For now though, thanks again and good luck with whatever comes next!
Stuart.
Thanks, Stuart. I, too, have “pets” coming in not too many months, and some good characters to load them on.
We’ll see what the new year brings.
I’ll tell you the other thing that keeps CoH/V fresh for me: the people I play with! If any of you get the chance stop by and visit the Repeat Offenders (linked url in my handle . .. click it, you know you want to!). I’ll let the forums speak for themselves, but these are some of the best players in the game that are super casual friendly. I’ve dropped to less than 10 hours a week and I still find fantastic opportunities to play with knowledgable and friendly folks. Of course the rampant altitis means someone always has a character in the right level range and on the right server.
OK, advertising over! 😉 I strongly advocate that anyone burned out on a game like this take time away. Grinding for it’s own sake is eggregious and makes any bad aspects to the game much worse.
Now, if someone would develop an Ars Magica MMO I’d probably have to jump to that! =) Now THAT would take crafting/researching to new levels!