I have been running Heroics almost religiously since the new and improved Dungeon Finder was released by Blizzard. Rewards are great, the action is fast, and it provides a nice steady income of gold. The down side is some of the dungeons themselves. Oculus was a big group breaker and would “pop” too many times, but was fixed by Blizzard Bribery.

The new one I see pop way too often is Old Kingdom (O.K.). I have been getting O.K. once a day for the last week and half! Coincidence or maybe some evil Night Elf Hunter plan, well maybe. Either way Blizzard has decided to bring the nerf hammer down and address some player issues. Here is the quote from Blizzard;

Ahn’kahet, the Old Kingdom
With that said, we plan on making some changes to The Old Kingdom in the next minor patch. For instance, Elder Nadox will only get one Ahn’Kahar Guardian and Jadoga Shadowseeker will only use her Ascend ability once during their respective encounters. In addition, a couple of the stagnant groups of bad dudes between the Befouled Terrace and The Desecrated Altar will be removed, while some of the roaming groups will have their pathing altered. These changes are not to make this instance easier, but rather to make it a slightly quicker run and more in line with some of the other Wrath dungeons.
Nexus
I think you mean Anomalus. Yes, he will use his Create Rift ability less often. [...] we’re continuing to learn that time and difficulty aren’t synonymous measurements. For instance, Anomalus could use his Create Rift ability 20 times before you could kill him if we wanted to make it so. This would increase the encounter’s difficulty by a negligible amount, the hardest part of which would be staying awake.

The Culling of Stratholme
We plan to do something to allow players a quicker start to this dungeon, however, the fix to the scripting is more complicated than the changes we’re making to some of the other dungeons and likely will not be ready for the next minor patch.

I, for one welcome these changes. Anything that makes these old dungeons speedier, not necessary easier also makes them more fun. With cataclysm rumored to be out later this year, I foresee many improvements and changes coming our way.

“Yes, I play City of Heroes/Villains”.   That is what I end up saying every time I go to buy a game time card at my local EB or GameStop.  With the upcoming release of the Going Rogue Expansion Pack and DCU Online on the way I thought this would be the perfect time to discuss what keeps bringing me back to Paragon City and the Rogue Isles since I started playing March 20th, 2005. City of Heroes began in April 27, 2004 in North America and in Europe (by NCsoft Europe) on February 4, 2005 with English, German and French language servers.  They started when MMO’s were just beginning to gain mass appeal, with the biggest competition coming from titles such as World of Warcraft and Star Wars Galaxies and we all know what happened to Galaxies.  Billed as the first super-hero MMORPG it quickly caught on with people who were tired of fighting ogres or enemies in a galaxy, far, far away.  Since its creation NCSoft and Cryptic Studios merged to become Paragon Studios in 2009 to become a dedicated IP for the game.

At first I was very skeptical of having to keep paying for a game that I just bought.  Call me old school, but I used to think that you should only pay for a game once and updates should be free.  It was some co-workers of mine at the time that kept telling me I should give it a try.  So after many weeks of badgering I downloaded the 14 day free trial and was hooked.  Suddenly all of those reasons I had before melted away as I smote bad guys and righted wrongs.  Then when City of Villains came out, I could finally embrace the dark side, sans lightsaber, running rampant through a whole new zone and mission maps. What keeps the game fresh is the semi constant releasing of free updates called “issues”  that constantly adds new content to the game.

What really sets the game apart for me is character customization.  Unlike other games where the most you can change is the face and hair, COH goes far beyond those simple restrictions.  Not only can you adjust the face and hair, but there is a wide arrange of costume options (notably far more for the female body type) to choose from.   The customization increased with the release of issue 16 (Power Spectrum)   where the addition of changing the color of certain power sets was given.  Mind you there are some powers that are still off limits; most noticeable are the archetypes that are unlocked after a hero or villain reaches level 50.  By allowing this amount of creative freedom it really lets the player have a wide variety of looks for their character and lessens the chance that someone else is going around looking like you.  This does not stop people from trying to recreate their favorite comic book character, but be forewarned.  The game developers do frown upon that and you run the risk of being “genericed” by them.  This mean your character will not only get a completely new outfit of their choosing (which can’t be changed back by you), but you might lose your name as well.

One of the funniest incidents to arise when the game came out was Marvel suing the company over copyright infringement due to the character creator.  Their beef was that the game allowed players to make their heroes look too much like copyrighted ones such as Wolverine or the Hulk.  They went even as far as taking NCSoft to court over this issue.  Suffice to say they did not win the battle and no changes were made to the creation engine.  As mentioned before the company makes sure that you keep your creations original and not clones of copyrighted characters.

Here’s a brief summary for all those who still are not familiar with it before I get any further.  The way the game works is right at the start you get 5 archetypes to choose from, whether you want to be a hero or villain.  Each archetype choice depends on the type of game play you enjoy in a MMORPG.

For the hero side if you want to be an up-close fighter then scrapper or tanker is good for you.  Both are primary a melee set with various types of defense power sets thrown in.  If you prefer to be more of a range fighter then you are looking at a blaster, defender or controller.  The advantages to the controller power set is more holds and buffs to fellow players where defenders can include buff, but functions more of an offensive power.

A tanker (foreground) confronts one of the game's arch villains, the mad scientist Dr. Vahzilok, in City of Heroes

When it comes to villains the same rules basically apply, just with different names.  For those who prefer melee combat and high defenses Stalkers and Brutes are the way to go.  For more of a range fighter with some healing buffs then Corruptors are more your game.  Then things get interesting when it comes to villain archetypes.  Masterminds give you the leader of the pack feeling as you can control a gang of thugs, zombies, robots, ninjas or military minions along with a range power of your choice.  With Dominators you get various hold powers along with a newly introduce healing aura of sorts.

As you level up in both games you increase your powers potentiality with enhancements of various types, including damage, accuracy or defense.  The game allows you to customize each power slot to what you want to emphasize more, offense or defense.  There is even an option to do a respect on your character if you have tried a power in a set and it is not to your liking.  The only powers you cannot change with a respect are Epic power pools for heroes and patron power pools for villains.  There is a lot more to say about the game, but I will save that for another post.

What really keeps me playing COX (City of Heroes and Villains combined) is the community within the game.  To me a good part of what keeps you coming back to a game, especially with MMORPG’s, is the people you play with.  In the years I have been playing I still have a great group of people I meet with on a nightly or weekly basis that are fun and good game players.  Nothing frustrates me more than joining a pick-up group full of strangers and dying over and over again because of player stupidity and poor judgment.  Although watching the infamous “Leeroy Jenkins clip from W.O.W” may be funny, living it in game is another story.  Luckily the death penalty of debt in the game is far less impactful as it used to be.   To me a good MMORPG lives on the support of the users and can make a difference between it surviving and dying.  Key to the success of the franchise is the developer listening to the users and making changes from their suggestions.  The power color customization is prime example of something the fans wanted for years and the developers worked on to make it happen.

I know for many MMORPG users World of Warcraft is still widely popular and still has more than the estimated 124,939 subscribers that COX has, but that does not mean it makes it a better game.  I for one like the ability to get a travel power early in leveling and not having to run back to my body when I run out of health.  Nothing to me is more frustrating than wasting time trying to get back to a mission or instance door to try again.  Not to say COX is perfect, there are times when I get tired of playing the same maps over and over again and well fighting in caves is just in a word, annoying.  Still for all that bugs me there is enough that keeps me coming back, even if I take a breakfrom it every once and awhile.  To me that, the true test of any MMORPG is what makes you come back to play it on a regular basis.

Well there is a lot more I can say about COX, but I don’t want to be long winded on my first post.  In future posts I will give my take on the special events that take place in game such as the Winter Event which just ended.   With Going Rogue expansion on the horizon look for more in depth coverage and possible developer interviews in the works for a future post as well.

So as I and many fellow heroes and villains anxiously wait for issue 17 and the release of the Going Rogue expansion, I state that “yes I am proud to be a denizen of Paragon City and the Rogue Isles.  I enjoy every minute of it, whether I am punishing evil or beating up the good.  Yes, I do play City of Heroes and will play for months to come.”  In the words of the Great Stan “the Man” Lee, Excelsior!

Russel is a freelance writer, regular MMORPG user and professional podcaster – Ramble With Russel (http://ramblingruss.libsyn.com)

For those of you who play World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, you might have noticed that trash mobs aren’t as mindless and boring as they used to be. Yes folks, gone are the days of trash pulls that required no thought. It has become standard these days for tanks to just round everything up and let dps just AoE everything down. But Blizzard has taken a step in the right direction and implemented a creative way to make every Icecrown Citadel (ICC)  raid unique.

The Lower Spire (First wing of ICC) has very unique trash mobs. Most of the mobs are made up of undead melee attackers that do a significant amount of AoE damage when killed. This discourages people from AoEing a large group of them down and also forces healers to pay more attention. There are also sets of spiders that web wrap random people and a skeleton mage that must be facing away from the raid since they shoot down a path of ice that does a lot of damage.

Now my personal favorite mob in Lower Spire is the big skeleton statues that are on the sides of the room. These guys can only be activated if someone steps on an alarm. The alarm is invisible and can only be seen by rogues (they need to be really close to it to see it). The alarm is put in random locations so it is always a new experience every time you do ICC. The mob itself cleaves hard and has an AoE silence so healers and dps need to watch for it. I absolutely love this mob because you could be fighting a whole pack of trash mobs and someone can trigger an alarm (or two) making the encounter much more difficult, fun and interesting.

Now for the new wing: Plagueworks. I haven’t spent a lot of time in there, but like the Lower Spire wing it seemed to have unique mobs and traps set up.

As soon as you enter you will notice blue gas/steam coming out from the sides of the room. You need to move in between them because the gas will kill you. I know from firsthand experience..that gas hurts…..a lot.

I have only encountered the flying Val’kyr Herald in Plagueworks. She spawns essences that take on the form of a random raid member. The essence will use abilities that a normal player will use so if a healer is “copied” that essence will start healing. She seems to spawn these essences very frequently so pulling two Val’kyr Herald at once is a pain.

Giving trash encounters that element of surprise, that feeling of uncertainty is a refreshing break from what trash mobs in Ulduar, Trial of the Champions (free loot, no trash!), etc previously offered. Hopefully this trend will continue as the other wings of ICC open up giving us the biggest and most epic raid ever.

When it was released, the first Guild Wars was different, to say the least. To a professional video game developer or hardcore MMORPG gamer the concept of ArenaNet’s debut game may have sounded more like an experiment. Guild Wars combined classical hack and slash gameplay in a brand new shell, while rewriting the laws of instance based gameplay and featuring a merciless PvP system where everything comes down to your skills. It was proudly branded “MMORPG with no monthly fees”. Then out of nowhere – it turned into a hit. But not because it was original, but because it was flawless on almost every aspect, other than the lack of content of course.  This was later on fixed with the release of two stand alone campaigns – Factions and Nightfall and one true expansion – Eye of the North. Now it is time for me to present to you the true sequel to Guild Wars – Guild Wars 2. This Guild Wars 2 preview will inform you of almost every bit of information that was released since the announcement of the game.

A new world

Guild Wars 2 is set about 250 years after the events in the first game. The world has shifted to a point where even the bravest of skill hunters that stormed the servers of Guild Wars will not be able to recognize it. The cause of these changes, other than time, is the brand new and much more serious threat – the Dragons. These massive beasts have awakened after a millennia of sleep. So far we were introduced to three dragons – Primordus, Zhaitan and Jormag. The awakening of the dragons has caused havoc and despair throughout the land. The only hope left is for the races to unite. Old conflicts must be forgotten for the greater good of the land. As you may have already noticed, you will now be able to choose between one of the five playable races: Asura, Charr, Human, Norn and Sylvari. Each race promises a completely different look on things and each will have its advantages or disadvantages. The asura, for example, will be able to summon golems to help in battle. Not much is known about the race-driven gameplay yet, but more information is to come. The companions system of the first game will be reworked so that we’ll once again be able to bring henchman for aid, but they will not take a party slot but instead serve as an extension to the the character. As for the presentation of the world – it will now be open and containing all the players at once.

Migration

Guild Wars 2 will offer a sort of migration feature from the first game to the second. No, you won’t be able to transfer your pumped fire elementalist with that awesome AoE build, but instead you will be rewarded for spending so much time to build it. As some of you may remember, Eye of the North introduced a hall of monuments feature. This is the key that will allow you to transfer some of your titles/items from the first game to the second. It will not be a direct transfer, though. You can also reserve your names through that same system.

Quests

Guild Wars 2 will utilize a brand new quest system different that anything we’ve seen. The game will feature the so-called “Event system”. Different events will occur through the world of Guild Wars 2 and if you happen to be present at one of those – you can participate. One of the examples demonstrates a dragon attacking the bridge of a small village. The players will then have a choice whether to fight the beast or not. If they succeed in this, the dragon will flee and they will be rewarded. Should they fail then the dragon destroys the bridge of the village and a new series of quests is unlocked to fix the bridge.

Player versus Player

There will be two types of PvP in Guild Wars 2 – World PvP and Structured PvP. World PvP will allow large numbers of players to participate in massive battles in the world of Guild Wars 2. It was noted that this PvP mode will have different objectives to complete. There will also be a Lineage-ish castle system where players join each other to take control of a selected castle. The other side of the coin – the structured PvP – will be similar to GvG’s in the first game.

Technical info

Guild Wars 2 is powered by an updated version of the engine from the first game. Actually “updated” is not the right word, “complete makeover” is more like it. The engine will offer more detailed models, better lighting and shadows, new animation and effects systems, plus new audio and cinematics engines and a more flexible combat and skill-casting system. There have been rumors about the game supporting Dx10, too. As for the physics system – it’s Havok. To sum this up – the game will look astonishing. The music will be recorded by Jeremy Soule, who did the music of the first Guild Wars.

Closing comments

Guild Wars 2 is shaping up like a great MMO. A revolutionary one, even. ArenaNet have tweaked the right places and are offering us a more massive and epic adventure. No release dates have been announced as of yet but the game is nearing it’s completion. Which reminds me that ArenaNet have said the game will have no monthly fees. One thing is for sure – I will be getting Guild Wars 2. And it looks like I’m not the only one.