Posted - 2008.08.27 10:30:00 - [2]

 

I love the game, it's really easy to group up and have good times.

I know it's a kinda obvious thing to say, but it's not a great single player experience at all.

If you want a game with lots of random action, this is it, well it was last year when I played it :)

Posted - 2008.08.27 10:40:00 - [4]

 

I only recently stopped playing this myself, Was a Robotics Mastermind with Traps.
Enjoyable game but I decided that with other things too (EvE, Planetside) I just don't need a third MMO.

Posted - 2008.08.27 11:25:00 - [6]

 

It IS still going yes but numbers are hugely reduced from what they once were, only two servers now and one of those is a desolate wasteland to be honest, only the US server worth playing on (but on the US server it's perfectly good, you still get pop-locks every day).
Right now there isn't a free trial available, HOWEVER, They are planning on bringing Planetside Reserves back in the near future (Free play indefinitely but with a limit on how high your Battle Rank can go) so that'll be an option soonish.. maybe

Posted - 2008.08.27 12:19:00 - [8]

 

Cool. well i think i will buy both games for the one price of £9.99 cant complain about that. Witha months play and a few powers included as a gift :)
Whats the difference with being a bad guy or goodie. Apart from the obvious things. Can you start good and become bad or strict good guy and bad guys?

Posted - 2008.08.27 12:54:00 - [10]

 

You're either a hero or a villain, and they both have different classes, and can possibly PvP against each other if they want.

In my experience you should try both sides, because they work differently. Heroes seem to have classes that are very specialised and good at one thing. You can have a good bit of fun there. Villains on the other hand tend to be more mixed up and less specialised, which can also be interesting and fun. I think the villain areas are also a little more interesting, if usually a little dark and gloomy. But that isn't surprising as they were developed later.

I'd also suggest looking for groups as much as possible. There's nothing in that game quite like blasting through wave after wave of NPCs in a flurry of colours and explosions and craziness. Simple stuff, but pretty damn fun. It isn't as populated a game as it once was though, I don't think, and finding decent groups at low levels can sometimes be a little difficult, depending on the time. But on the other hand the groups you do find are often more experienced players on an alt, and many are willing to help and give advice too.

Posted - 2008.08.27 16:17:00 - [12]

 

Edited by: Rialtor on 27/08/2008 16:17:33

Originally by: LordSwift

---

Thanks for the infor. i think il give it a go. ten quid for a months play. think thats worth it myself. time to go strap on my spandex and make sure my underpants are on the outside.

---

How the game works. The game is divided into skill sets, skill sets are just a grouping of powers/skills. Each skill sets is given a type, control, ranged, defense, etc.
Each character type is given a primary pool type, and secondary pool type which they can select from. When you create the character you pick from a list of primary, and a list of 2ndary sets. Set types are often shared across Characters.

For example a Defender (healer) uses ranged as a 2ndary. The Blaster uses ranged as a primary. The Blaster does more damage for 2 reasons. Primaries are more effective than 2ndaries on your character. So a blaster does more damage than a defender.

All characters have sets they can all go into called pool powers. These are where you travel powers are. Flying, Jumping, SuperSpeed, Teleport, as well as an array of other powers that do a different things that will help to round out your character.

Also each character type has some sort of specialized ability.

Heroes
Villians

Heroes are they types you'd expect to see in a game of this nature:
Tanker (Tank), DPS Melee (Scrapper), AOE Nuker (Blaster), Defender (Healer/Buff/Debuffer), Controller (Control, Buff, Debuff).

Villians are more of a mixed bag for the most part:
Brute - A scrapper with a different special ability, a bit more tank.

Scourge - The "healer" but his heals are a 2ndary, his primary is a ranged damage. So a Defender Blaster Mix.

Dominator - The controller, but without the debuff 2ndary of a controller. Instead he has the ranged skill set.

Stalker - The rogue class. Weak tank, has a tree based stealth mode, does more damage attacking out of stealth.

Master Mind - An advanced char. Need to know how to make macros ingame to use this char well. He summons units and you get to control their modes, and make them move to different locations. They choose which ever attack they want, but they're pretty predictable based on where you tell them to go. Fun class if you like minion classes.

I recommend Villians side more, they're a bit mroe fun imo.

Also the best part of the game is that you're fairly unique looking in the world, since there are so many clothing options.

Posted - 2008.08.28 06:57:00 - [14]

 

Edited by: Nomakai Delateriel on 28/08/2008 06:59:09

Originally by: Rialtor

---

For example a Defender (healer) uses ranged as a 2ndary.
[snip]
Heroes are they types you'd expect to see in a game of this nature:
Tanker (Tank), DPS Melee (Scrapper), AOE Nuker (Blaster), Defender (Healer/Buff/Debuffer), Controller (Control, Buff, Debuff)
[snip]...

---

1. Calling the Defender class "healers" is a strong misrepresentation. Of all the Defender powersets only one has any major access to healing powers (the Empathy powerset) and even that one is more Buff than healing focused.

2. While tankers are always tanks, Scrappers can be anything from DPS melee to Melee crowd control and Blasters can be everything from AoE nukers, to single target ranged DPS to Melee DPS. Controllers are indeed mostly crowd control, but the various Defender powersets can do pretty much everything except DPS (and that limitation is no longer there when we're talking about a group of defenders. A group of Dark, Radioactivity and Kinetic defenders can deal insane amounts of damage because they've been buffed sky high while their opponents have been debuffed to kitten status).

It's all about how you spec your character.

As for villains.
There are no healers. At all. None of them can heal very well.
Villain side it's all about aggro management (divide and conquer). No one can tank all that well, no one can heal and the crowd control is quite short term.

Brute - Bulldozers. Get in there. Hit people. The more you hit people the more damage you'll deliver. The brute class is fairly durable but no tank. Brutes can also do some fairly spiffy melee crowd control.
Corrupter - Ranged DPS/Buffing. Unlike the blaster the Corrupter is all focused on ranged blast (no melee powers at all) supported by buffs and debuffs. Some sets do have healing powers, but they're incredibly weak. Corrupters also have the Scourge power which means that they're the vultures, best suited to picking off opponents that have already been seriously wounded.
Dominator - The "problem solver". Dominators are overall not as powerful as controllers, but they have a "domination" mode which can get you past difficult encounters. Their control isn't as much control as the Divide portion of the Villain "Divide and Conquer".
Stalkers - Well, kind of rogue like. Focused on surgically removing the most troublesome opponents. Melee Alphastrikers.
Masterminds - Pet class. Difficult to use. Operates according to the principle that there is nothing you can't solve by throwing enough disposable minions at it.


Overall while you can play Tank/DPS/Healer reasonably well in City of Heroes it doesn't work at all in City of Villains.
In villains, the more you try to focus hostile aggro on one character the faster you'll teamwipe as the "aggrosoaker" is first killed and then the rest of the team. The key is breaking up enemy groups and making sure that each villain only fights about 2-3 opponents while you knock out key mobs with crowdcontrol/Debuffs (or kill them quickly).

If you want to know how to play Heroes/Villains, watch a few episodes of Fantastic Four or Justice League. Everyone is trading punches and singling off against their chosen opponent/opponents.

Posted - 2008.08.28 09:12:00 - [16]

 

Originally by: Spaztick

---

This post was too damn articulated and punctuated. I'm calling viral marketing.

---

I've spent 2 years in this game and on this forum and I think this is maybe the second time I mention that I used to play CoV/CoH.

Are you sure your shill-dar is tuned properly?

Posted - 2008.08.28 19:51:00 - [18]

 

I played it for a couple years, got an empath defender to 50. I keep thinking of going back for a month here and there, but then I remember the reason I left... no desire to see her again.

That being said, it's a fun game, gets the comic book fix out of the way. But all in all, I couldn't recommend it to anyone for the long haul anymore.