Author Topic: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH  (Read 8480 times)

zoser

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Hi guys,

My apologies if this was posted before, but I at least could not find it. In the wake of Black Saturday, they have posted "A Mild-Mannered Reporter Extra: Interviews with Champions Online and The Phoenix Project", in which he interviews Brad. And for even as the cynic in me told me that he is fishing for customers, I could not help being moved.

This for example simply brought tears to my eyes:
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For me, what did it was one of the tag lines for the rescue campaign: "We are heroes. This is what we do." It doesn't matter whether you were with Cryptic when City of Heroes launched or only know it from the posters and cardboard standups: Seeing a community that passionate, active and organized is inspiring. Losing a game that can inspire that... it's a loss for the entire genre.

He also mentions the CoX channel:
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There's one particularly good chat channel mostly made up of former CoH players, and anyone with a question on that channel gets some of the most polite, helpful answers around.

Later in the same post, he talks to "Missing Worlds Media", who are running the "Phoenix Project".

Some really good stuff out there ...
Zos

houtex

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2013, 09:36:42 AM »
That is a really nice article.  MWM showed well with their responses, I think, and the Cryptic response is definitely well met.  Too bad that CO and I do not get along... me and the interface have shouting matches, and it always wins. :(

I had to come in and say this quote here from MWM:
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Since our early prototypes for combustible lemons were an epic fail...

I had no idea Cave Johnson was workin' for Missing Worlds.  I thoght he was an ex-human, pining for the fjords.. or at least, a cure for moon rock gel poisoning...

/I'm a POTATO.
//You monster.

Sugoi

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2013, 02:20:51 PM »
  Too bad that CO and I do not get along... me and the interface have shouting matches, and it always wins. :(

No uppity interface ever wins against me. 

First thing I was taught in troubleshooting electronics was
A) "Make sure the device has power / is plugged in" (and yes, that was a direct quote from my instructor back in '69)

Second thing I learned was in the case of a lockup or connection problem:
A) Pull the plug (let the device know who the boss really is)
B) Reset the system to see if symptoms repeat.

2A usually works quite well for me against uppity UIs.  ;D

Kaos Arcanna

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #3 on: January 13, 2013, 04:36:57 PM »
CO said their subs went up. I wish I knew by how much.  ;D

Lily Barclay

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #4 on: January 13, 2013, 04:42:12 PM »
CO said their subs went up. I wish I knew by how much.  ;D

Ditto.

ukaserex

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #5 on: January 13, 2013, 09:08:17 PM »
CO is free to play. No sub required. Heck, not even sure you could sub if you wanted to.
Those who have no idea what they are doing genuinely have no idea that they don't know what they're doing. - John Cleese

Kaos Arcanna

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #6 on: January 13, 2013, 10:05:08 PM »
Yeah you can. I had a monthly sub to it for a while before I went and got a lifetime one. The sub gives you access to the freeform builds.

Aggelakis

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #7 on: January 14, 2013, 12:48:18 AM »
CO is free to play. No sub required. Heck, not even sure you could sub if you wanted to.
CO is free to play the same way City was free to play. Meaning that, CO is hybrid.
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Nitekilla

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2013, 09:16:49 PM »
If I am not mistaken, didn't most of the developement team move over to Star Trek online?  I heard there is next to no new developement coming for CO.  This article fails to address any of this.  They make it sound like the game is booming and has a great future.....sure.....

antarcticaa

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2013, 09:35:01 PM »
If I am not mistaken, didn't most of the developement team move over to Star Trek online?  I heard there is next to no new developement coming for CO.  This article fails to address any of this.  They make it sound like the game is booming and has a great future.....sure.....

Man, have we heard that one before...

Noyjitat

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2013, 09:42:51 PM »
CO is free to play. No sub required. Heck, not even sure you could sub if you wanted to.

It's not nearly as fun without subscribing. Freeform being the big benefit and access to all powers. Come join me, I'd like to start a supergroup for Liberty players and get that community feeling going again. CO has a CoX channel but it doesn't have that community feeling that LB had.

Victoria Victrix

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #11 on: January 15, 2013, 04:01:34 AM »
I am not giving any MMO any money again, ever.  When the MMO is shut down it's like having bought an expensive set of golf clubs only to have them taken away from you.
I will go down with this ship.  I won't put my hands up in surrender.  There will be no white flag above my door.  I'm in love, and always will be.  Dido

TimtheEnchanter

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #12 on: January 15, 2013, 04:04:03 AM »
The trouble with the F2P model, is that 5 years from now, every single MMO will probably feel like a Facebook app (and may actually be one). The genre might also probably become just as dependent upon advertising as television is.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has noticed that even reading articles online now requires watching some 45-second ad about something we don't give a crap about.

Kistulot

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #13 on: January 15, 2013, 10:46:29 AM »
If I am not mistaken, didn't most of the developement team move over to Star Trek online?

This happened during the closed beta.

Not for emphasis against you, but just because of how dumb that was. Ugh.
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Segev

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #14 on: January 15, 2013, 01:59:16 PM »
I am not giving any MMO any money again, ever.  When the MMO is shut down it's like having bought an expensive set of golf clubs only to have them taken away from you.
Ideally, there will come a stage in the development of these sorts of games wherein the game will have a self-sustainment period, after its publisher no longer wishes to be a part of it, whereupon it will be turned over to a group dedicated to its preservation so long as sufficient funds remain to keep it in maintenance mode. In this golden utopian ideal, there would also be a means of purchasing, in the sunset period of the publisher running the game, private server tools so people can run their game personally. Possibly with a limited licensing requirement to help support the official maintenance mode trust, as long as that lasts. Possibly not.

This is all somewhat pie-in-the-sky, but there is doubtless a solution to the problem you face, VV, with playing any MMO in the future. It just has yet to be found and implemented.

Omega Mark V

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #15 on: January 15, 2013, 02:53:09 PM »
If I am not mistaken, didn't most of the developement team move over to Star Trek online?
This happened during the closed beta.

Crap. No wonder the game fell flat.

I didn't know that!
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KnightHawk Prime

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #16 on: January 15, 2013, 03:13:01 PM »
someone is still working on it, they've released new content recently, and they've released the new speeder bike and swoop a few days ago.

and I hate to say it, but the hideouts are cool, even if the customization is limited.


2cp. ;]

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #17 on: January 15, 2013, 03:19:56 PM »
Yeah, but to be fair a lot of that wasn't Cryptic's fault. Some of it was, sure, but not all of it. They were under huge pressure from Atari, who had the utterly retarded idea that they could get Cryptic to make a new MMO each year and sell content updates much like normal games sell DLC these days. They also had the idea that these content packs could be made by the same hugely downsized team a normal game has after release, which is equally braindead. The Vibora Bay zone in CO was to be the first of these paid content packs, until their players threw a fit on the forums and forced them to change it.

Atari's response was to cut Cryptic's budget to almost zero, while still expecting them to finish STO and somehow support Champions as well. Because hey, if we're not making money off the game why continue to put money into it? Nevermind all those subscribers paying us their 15 bucks a month, that doesn't count.

And yeah, I'm sure you can all figure out how well that went. MMOs don't do too well without a steady stream of content updates. And it's unlikely to get any better under PWE, as their stance on things tends to be 'if we can't charge for it, it doesn't get made'. Which amuses me cause now that the game is free they probably COULD get away with charging for content packs. DCUO does it, and DDO's been doing it for years.

Disclaimer: The above post may not be entirely accurate. I'm a little hazy on the details, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

someone is still working on it, they've released new content recently, and they've released the new speeder bike and swoop a few days ago.

and I hate to say it, but the hideouts are cool, even if the customization is limited.

The jets, hovertanks and hoverbikes are cool, but I wish they'd add an actual proper car or motorbike. There's technical issues there though, same ones CoH had what with vehicles not being able to move sideways and remain believable.

And yeah, hideouts are cool. But I wish there were supergroup level hideouts too, along with more variety. They have the same problem everything in Champions has, there's just not enough variety.

Also, the new content the released was a single mission. That's all. Not even an arc, a single solitary mission. Everything else has been more overpriced reskinned travel powers and the glorified become devices they call vehicles.

Starsman

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #18 on: January 15, 2013, 03:45:39 PM »
They were under huge pressure from Atari, who had the utterly retarded idea that they could get Cryptic to make a new MMO each year and sell content updates much like normal games sell DLC these days.

I remember this. If I'm not wrong they licensed Godzilla to make another MMO quickly after STO came out. I think a huge reason for STO disappointing launch was the rushing. Game is much better now but could be also much bigger had they taken just a bit more to make it just right. Instead it was obvious they had to speed run through it.

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They also had the idea that these content packs could be made by the same hugely downsized team a normal game has after release, which is equally braindead. The Vibora Bay zone in CO was to be the first of these paid content packs, until their players threw a fit on the forums and forced them to change it.

Would had worked if the game had any content to begin with, but all I hear is there was not enough content for players to even level up, grinding street hunts was forced. It may also had worked had the game been F2P from the start. Mind you, there was also that nerf they implemented between the end of the open beta and launch that got a ton of people asking for a refund on their lifetime subs. Not saying the nerf was not needed, but it's something that should have been part of the beta, not tossed out there without any testing.

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Atari's response was to cut Cryptic's budget to almost zero, while still expecting them to finish STO and somehow support Champions as well. Because hey, if we're not making money off the game why continue to put money into it? Nevermind all those subscribers paying us their 15 bucks a month, that doesn't count.

All in all, I rather they cut budget to almost zero than kill the whole game like... you know.

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The jets, hovertanks and hoverbikes are cool, but I wish they'd add an actual proper car or motorbike. There's technical issues there though, same ones CoH had what with vehicles not being able to move sideways and remain believable.

Sideways movement is not hard if you get inventive with Si-Fish vehicles. Just take a page from the recent Batman movies where he can twist around his wheels sideways to move side to side.

Another not-so-far-fetched option is for them to use spherical wheels, like so:



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Also, the new content the released was a single mission. That's all. Not even an arc, a single solitary mission. Everything else has been more overpriced reskinned travel powers and the glorified become devices they call vehicles.

My impression is they are focusing on systems more than on content (like the vehicles and now hover bikes.) They should get worked either on some dynamic content system more along our radio missions (with added variations and complexity) or a mission maker.

Champions would be WAY better with a mission maker.
For the sake of the community: please stop the cultural "research" in your attempt to put blame on the game's cancelation.

It's sickening to see the community sink that low. It's worse to see the community does not get it.

I'm signing off and taking a break, blindly hope things change.

V-Mink

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Re: "Massively" Interview with Brad Stokan and "Missing World Media" on CoH
« Reply #19 on: January 15, 2013, 05:44:58 PM »
One thing to point out: I don't think it was entirely Atari's fault that Cryptic had/has a frantic and sometimes disappointing development cycles -- Atari didn't help, but to some extent Cryptic brought it on themselves by billing themselves as a 'lean' development studio that could produce a game in 18-24 months, in part by using a standard engine.  This is something they said proudly and often.  And it came back to bite them when CO released light on content, and when STO released light on content (almost completely lacking missions for one of the two factions) and when NWO *almost* released.  (One of the few things I approved Perfect World doing after they had purchased Cryptic was to look at NWO and tell them to not release it, and to keep working on it for a year.)  Caveat: My impressions of STO after being in closed beta and playing for two years may be coloring my reflections of STO.

This being said... Atari severely mismanaged Cryptic.