I like Champions Online.
Not unreservedly, mind you. There are plenty of places where it is still rough, still “1.0.” My comparison is with CoX, of course, and I’ve been playing that over five years, since Issue 3. When I compare CO to that, and to rumors of what CoX was like at release, I think it fits most favorably.
CO reminds me a lot (to change point of reference) to LotRO, in terms of the graphics and the feel — except that here I feel (super-)heroic.
One point of contention on CO is the graphics, and the “cartoon” look. I like it. Margie doesn’t.
I think we both got a sense of the “console” feel of the game which folks had written of. It’s hard to pin down — just a sense that the controls have been designed around a more limited keyset. I don’t find it that jarring, and it’s no so much different from a “keyboard” feel as to cause me any particular difficulties. It’s occasionally inconvenient, but not dramatically so.
I like that there’s no AFK timeout. We both like that when you exit, you don’t go through a 30 second cool-off before it takes. Margie (and I agree) dislikes the CO “interacting” for elevators.
The proximation algorithms and mechanisms for choosing between the various things you can do standing at point X (Talk to Fred, Lift that Crate, Visit the Arms Table) are awkward. Double-clicking on something actually sometimes chooses whatever is highlighted or at the top of the list, not what you clicked on.
I miss being able to level pact. Again, as a console game, there’s not a strong sense of people playing duos that would LP. Of course, CoX only recently got that feature (and it’s still limited to new characters), so it’s hard to bitch too much.
The crafting setup is irksome. It makes a bit more sense than some I’ve seen, either the doubletalk abstractions of CoX or the folk magical industry of LotRO, but it’s still just an annoying thing to have to do. And, at least for some stuff, you sort of have to do it. (Certainly the second string of missions forces you through it, though apparently there are gadgets in the final mission — Desert side, at least — that will take care of it if you haven’t been crafting what you’ve been told you have to craft).
I’m sure there are people who will just love piecing together bits and bobs and blueprints and different foci and schools and emphases and all to make (or deconstruct, for that matter) crafted widgets. I am not one of those people.
At least, though, inventory hasn’t been a problem. So far.
Margie isn’t happy with the HUD/interface, feeling that it feels more obtrusive than in CoX. I disagree, but I do agree that the chat window is nearly useless.
While there is (Praise the Maker) a way to see what level you are at, there is no easy way to tell if you need to go and train up (i.e., you have leveled).
One serious weakness to the game starting out is that while it provides a lot of numbers, it doesn’t do a good job of explaining them. There’s a lot of info thrown at players in the first several levels, but when it’s time to go into the Power House (a great concept) to level up, there’s a tremendous amount of guesswork and shrugwork going on. Take upgrade X that gives a 20% chance of some unexplained effect occuring? Take another level of the power? There’s some great possibilities here, but without explaining in plain English what it means (with numbers to follow for those who understand the shorthand), it’s a frustration of “OMG, did I choose the wrong thing?” That’s less of a concern in Beta, but it will be moreso in the future (though respecs are not wildly difficult).
It feels more difficult to defeat foes. Even moreso solo. In some instanced missions we’ve run both solo and duo, there’s not a lot of apparent scaling going on.
I miss the character selection screen not telling me where they are (thought it does, like the main HUD, tell me what level they are!). I also miss not being able to rotate the characters.
The mission play is more episodic, at least through level 8. In other words, you are in a setting, and there are missions around that setting. Again, that reminds me of LotRO, and less of CoX (where you are In The City). On the one hand, that provides a real feeling of depth and interest and difference over time. On the other hand, there’s a whiff of railroading, a resemblance to FPS games, and (so far) less feel for what life is like in Millennium (vs. Paragon) City.
And maybe (from the limited perspective I have, only having gotten up to lvl 8 with any characters) that’s the most significant difference between CoX and CO. With the former, I’m exploring the city, doing good, pursuing different arcs, but generally acting independently. (CoV introduced some destiny sorts of stuff, but we’ll disregard that for the moment). In the latter, we’re on a series of adventures around the world. It’s a much larger palette, but it also feels more like (as I said) a FPS game, going through scenarios.
Margie misses Superjump being something you can just hold the keys down for, rather than having to jump each jump. On the other hand CPO Sarah loves her flying disc. Acrobats is a freaking blast. And even Super-Speed isn’t very annoying. I like the way they’ve dealt with in-combat vs. out-of-combat travel powers.
Bottom line: I think we’re going to subscribe, probably for a 6 month block. I don’t quite feel the confidence to do a Lifetime sub (even if it gives me eight more precious character slots), but I can see this as a game I can enjoy for a while. And one I can enjoy while still playing CoX, too.
Bill Roper (Chrononaut) speaks on Champions Online on opening day (and beyond):
NO! NOT AN OPEN BETA! NOT AN OPEN BETA! FOR THE LOVE OF —