The Last CoV Primer - How's This Gonna Work?
By
40Thieves,
Posted on: 2005-06-02 17:38 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
PART 2 of 3
CoV and PvP and PvE What do we know?
Lets review something stated in the coh.warcy.com (great site!) article:
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City of Villains also introduces optional PvP elements to the game. Jack firmly believes that players should never be forced to do anything in the game that they dont want to do. He feels the method by which PvP is incorporated in [City of Villains] is a fun, fair choice.
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That said, Shane Hensley is lead writer for CoV, and he had the following to say in an interview he gave at
www.gamersinfo.net Voidchild first spotted it on 12/14/04 Spongecake pulled the best quotes on PvP:
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[color= yellow]What's the "short take" on how PvP will be working (as far as you can tell us, at least)? [/color]
Shane Lacy Hensley: There are lots of different kinds. There are arena duels, PVP missions, and free PVP zones. The most exciting to me are the PVP missions and base raids. (Remember that all of this is consensual -- you'll *never* be forced into PVP if it's not for you.) PVP missions are just like regular missions, but give the other "side" the possibility of entering and intervening. We're still nailing down the way it works *exactly* but that's the gist of it.
[color= yellow]Will any level be able to PvP? Will level disparity be as large a factor in combat as it is in PvE? [/color]
Shane Lacy Hensley: You won't start PVP until level 15 at the moment.
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Building on that, I asked Lord_Recluse for a clarification since there are different modes for PvP. Currently, the level 15 PvP restriction is just for PvP missions and the 4 PvP zones. CoV's Arena will be open to all levels. As for Base Raids...?
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Base raids is an open question, since right now anyone can be invited to join an SG. We may set the limit so a group doesn't get hosed for having low-level members. {Lord_Recluse 6/02/05}
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Fair enough. 
From the 'CoV and CoH' thread, started on 5/23/05:
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Will there be PvE content in the PvP zones?
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No.
Both of those are confirmed, I'm just to tired to remeber who did.
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Hunh. Well, that's not exactly true. There IS PvE content (mobs, missions), but it's entirely optional. If a player wants to do a mission in a PvP zone, he can; but that mission doesn't gate any future PvE content.
In other words, if a player WANTS to go to a PvP zone and do a mission, he can, but if he doesn't, he won't need to. {Statesman 5/23/05}
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You will want to, though. David 'Zeb' Cook (Lord_Recluse) gave this tease to what's going on in those 4 PvP zones:
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[color= yellow]Destroid: What kind of different gameplay elements will CoV feature that may bring back old players who left due to repetitive missions, no endgame content, and so on? [/color]
DC: Were doing a lot with several kinds of gameplay. We are introducing PvP into the general zones [in CoV zones -UD], there will be 4 PvP zones with interesting unique gameplay in each zone that matches the character of that zone. There is a bounty hunting game in one zone that we are fine tuning. In the Warburg zone, if you complete a special task youll get the codes to call down a missile strike on your foes. There is even one zone where you go into the future and you are actually fighting for control of the future itself. We are also adding a lot to missions such as different objectives. Youll have escort missions, kidnapping missions, plant-the-bomb missions. We are adding more visual variety to the maps by adding more unique pieces.
[color= yellow]Destroid: Planting a Bomb? Will heroes be able to go in and defuse a bomb set by villain teams? [/color]
DC: Right now the things we are doing is having optional missions set in PvP zones where some of the hazard involved is actually getting to the mission. The ability for one group to disrupt another is something we are looking at for the future.
[color= yellow]Destroid: The Hamidon has become a pretty formulated encounter. Will CoV have any sort of Epic encounter for players? [/color]
DC: CoV will have a high level PvP zone which is an epic struggle between good and evil. It will be between other players, not AI you can formulate against. Were always looking for other stuff as well.
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From a CoV interview with Jack Emmert (Statesman) dated 4/07/05:
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[color= yellow]IGNPC: In City of Heroes, there were bunches of bad guys standing around in the city just waiting for a fight. Will the same be the case in City of Villains? Will there be groups of heroes around? Or cops? Will players have missions that will have them running away from heroes to escape capture?[/color]
Jack Emmert (Statesman):There are still criminals on the street in the Rogue Isles -- in fact, that's all there are! Villains, of course, can fight all they like amongst each other, but villains will also be facing Paragon City's police dept., the Freedom Corps and even the Freedom Phalanx.
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On PvP rewards:
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[color= yellow] Will there be any PVP-only badges or rewards, especially ones that improve your character in anyway (such as the accolades that give bonuses to endurance, etc.)? [/color]
Shane Lacy Hensley: Yes, but the rewards will mostly be tailored to PVP. We don't want people to feel they have to participate in PVP or their hero/villain is at a disadvantage in the PVE game.
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Bases Heroic Headquarters and Villainous Lairs
David 'Zeb' Cook (Lord_Recluse) talks bases 5/26/05:
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[color= yellow]Destroid: Will the design of the bases vary enough to offer different challenges from base to base? [/color]
DC: Yes. Every base can be unique. Players will be able to lay out the room. There are defenses and devices that can be placed and used. You can make a sewer base, or a high tech base, even individual rooms can be unique; all sorts of looks.
[color= yellow]Destroid: Supergroup base raids still in? [/color]
DC: Oh yes. Once you get a base built you can, at your option, become involved in base raids. If you want a base that no one raids, that is entirely possible. If you choose to, you can take part in base raids. Other people will need to send you a notification that they intend to raid at a certain time. We want base raids to be an event, and that requires people to be there. If your group doesnt show, then it isnt much of an event; we have to make Supergroups somewhat responsible for themselves.
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How does one decide to make one's base raidable? It seems that earning 'Trophies' or 'Items of Power' from new Hero or Villain supergroup Task Force Trials will flag your base as being raidable. Of course, stealing one from another supergroup's base will flag you as well. Reports from E3 indicated that having an 'Item of Power'/'Trophy' would force a supergroup to set a short raiding time window for their base. Multiple 'Items of Power'/'Trophies' would cause that raid window to lengthen.
Something else to chew on for base raids:
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[color= yellow]With the items of power in SG bases, won't Phase Shift make it a bit too easy, once the force fields are destroyed?[/color]
Who said you could carry an Item of Power with Phase Shift on?
Who said there weren't base defenses to counter Phase Shift? {Statesman 5/23/05}
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A few other factoids about bases that came prior and during E3:<ul type="square">[*]Bases are instanced zones accessible via Portal Corp transport points around the cities.[*]Bases are designed by one designated supergroup officer: the Architect[*]Bases are rented space details like How much? and How often? will be worked out in CoV beta.[*]Base styles: most mission tilesets and props from CoH were available for the E3 demo, plus customized lighting.[*]Base features: Hospital, Great Hall, Rooms/Corridoors, Vault, Transportation (for vehicles in the future), and Library & Lab (for Skills in the future) with all the decorative and usable objects applicable for each, including various modes of base defense (turrets, pain/sleep crystals. Etc.)[/list]The devs are still being cagey about when or if supergroups will be able to pool Influence, Inspirations, and Enhancements. Perhaps because of the Hammidon Enhancement issue still up in tha air? We'll have to wait and see.
Pics and dvcam footage of the base designer program in action at E3 can be found scattered in forums threads.
PART 3 of 3
Whats left? Oh, there are esoteric bits and pieces.
CoV Archetypes
Building on Dispatch's summary, here they are (the AT descriptions are conjecture in part at the time of this post):
[color= yellow]Brute[/color] (Captain Mako in the E3 CoV video)
Melee/Defense
Damage and defense between that of tankers and scrappers
[color= yellow]Stalker[/color] (Scirocco)
Defense/Melee
No specific word on damage, but they have stealth attacks with damage bonuses
[color= yellow]Destroyer[/color] (Black Scorpion?)
Blast/Buff or Debuff(?)
An offensive defender equivalent?
[color= yellow]Dominator[/color] (Ghost Widow)
Mez-Hold/Blast?
Presumably the controller equivalent.
[color= yellow]Mastermind[/color] (Lord Recluse)
The most secretive new AT - think minion pet summoner.
Will player-Villains be able to work with existing villain factions?
Players will be able to interact more closely with certain villain groups, perhaps becoming operatives for them. For TWO of them in particular
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Shane Lacy Hensley: Yes! But your choices are very limited in the first game. We're concentrating on two factions right now, and may add more if it proves as fun and popular as we hope in updates.
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Hmmm, concentrating on two factions eh? Anyone have guesses as to which they'll be? (Spongecake)
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One faction is an existing group, the other will be new. (Lord_Recluse)
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'Arachnos' has been mentioned as the new one, the other looks to be the Council, but they could pull a fast one...
2 ideas that Lord Recluse liked, but not necessarily being put into the game:
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Just a comment that KO'd villains should not wake up in hospitals the way heroes do. Instead, they should wake up in jail.
On the plus side, Jail should have trainers for villains and stores (everything is for sale in jails), and villains should have many many ways to escape from jail, ranging from the legal (lawyers) to the not legal breakout (physical force, stealth, teleport, etc).
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That would be a kool, idea. But we can take it alittle further. Just like in the beginning of CoH you have a little training session. Have the same type of training session except it is geared to escape from jail or released or paroled. That would help with the mind set and game play.
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I really like this idea for a tutorial. Start off in jail, you hear about the CoV island thing (forget the name), do some easy missions to break out... very immersing.
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I kinda like this. Not saying it's going to happen, but it's a good idea. (Lord_Recluse 10/05/04)
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Hall of Enemies. In your SG base, the defeated foes' "statue" or a grey stone version of the defeated enemy's character model, lines a hallway in your base. When you raid an enemy who beat your base, you have to see your statue in his museum room. The old school JLA, Batman, Superman, Legion, and Avengers had rooms like this in their HQs.
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Very nice. I'll add it to my list of fun ideas. (Lord_Recluse 12/17/04)
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On a suggestion of Increase Size powers or bigger models for villains:
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(Lord_Recluse 10/08/04):Yeah, but if you are big as Babbage, how do you fit through those mission doors?
(Not something happening anytime soon.)
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Can/Will Heroes Become Villains, and Vice-Versa?
Tentatively yes, but as part of an update of CoV after its release. There have been several off-hand comments from dev's about whether Heroes going bad/Villains going straight.
from the Shane Helmsley interview in December '04:
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[color= yellow]SeanMike: Can heroes become villains? Can villains redeem themselves and become heroes?[/color]
Shane Lacy Hensley: That's still on the table, but I think it's a good bet to say we will allow it at some point through a relatively difficult mission. It's more likely to be an update than a core part of CoV though.
[color= yellow]SeanMike: Will any NPC heroes become villains?[/color]
Shane Lacy Hensley: Heh heh heh.
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Questions on COH-COV transfer
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We haven't yet looked into all the why's and whatnot's of hero-villain transfer, but I'm willing to say that if you transfer a character you do lose out on the lower level content of your new home. That transfer is all about the life of one character -- the hero who turns bad (and vice-versa). He doesn't go back and relive his life as a villain -- he is the fallen hero.
The point of the transfer would not be to let one character experience everything in two worlds (hero and villain) but fulfill the story of a single character. {Lord_Recluse 01/12/05}
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CoVs Release Date:
End-of-Year Holiday season 2005. Pre-order boxes should be out in October-ish. CoV is planned to be released in US and the EU at roughly the same time.
How do I qualify for invitation into CoV's beta testing?
Beta begins in July/August '05
from the company press release, 10/28/04:
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... The plan will reward long time players of City of Heroes with beta testing slots for City of Villains, slated for release next year.
...
The program will give priority to those who have been subscribed to City of Heroes the longest. A percentage of slots will be reserved for City of Heroes veterans, players who have subscribed to City of Heroes for at least 12 months. Those players will automatically earn a slot as a Villains beta tester. Players with at least six months of time in City of Heroes will receive the next level of priority consideration for the beta testing program. Higher character level is not necessarily an advantage in the selection process.
We are announcing the plans today due to the overwhelming amount of requests weve received from our subscribers, said Jack Emmert, lead designer for City of Heroes. It makes sense for us to offer this incentive to our most dedicated players. Who else would be more capable of assisting us in the beta test than the folks most familiar with the way City of Heroes works?
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To address concerns that beta slots would be given to players who waited until the month before beta, then bought a 12-month CoH subscription (We forum people are a crafty, paranoid lot, arent we?), CuppaJo clarified how "loyal subscribers" would be determined (10/28/04):
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Ok - let's see if I can clear this up.
Two players -
One has been playing since launch with game cards, month to month. Beta starts and it has been 1 year since CoH launch. (just an example - not saying when the beta is)
He would have 12 "credits" towards beta.
Another player has also been playing since launch but bought 12 months with a credit card.
Then she renews for {a second} year as CoV beta comes out.
She would have 12 "credits". No "forward" credits.
Game card or Credit card - doesn't matter.
No, we are not trying to get you to "buy" your way into beta. We are just rewarding those players who have been with us the longest.
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{editing note: added bold emphasis and replaced 'another' with 'a second' for clarity. This was a BIG semantic debate at the time that we needn't have again.}
Short answer: As of now, tentatively, there will be two rounds or 'waves'of beta invites. A 1st round will be limited to subscribers who have 12 'paid & played' months under their belt. Later, a 2nd - and likely larger - round of invites will be sent to players with 6 'paid & played' months accumulated. Also, other beta invites will likely be offered though promotions through third-parties and to seasoned testers of the company's choice. If Cryptic/NCSoft follows the beta model for CoH's release, there might be a few weeks of beta access made available to pre-orderers. However, no CoV pre-order beta access has been announced. So don't get your hopes up if it doesn't happen.
And finally
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(Lord_Recluse 10/06/04) There MUST be mullets!
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Watch out, Zeb. We'll hold you to that!
Well, that was fun, wasnt it? Id like to thank all the eagle-eyed players who narrowly beat CuppaJo to the punch in pointing out new articles/interviews, and those industrious people with their good note-taking during convention panels and the E3 Expo who share the pearls with us swine. Big Thanks to Spongecake, Voidchild, Dynamic, SDragon, WitchChild, Circuit_Shorter, Doc_Obvious, Caios, Mantid and the guy who first coined the term Expanshalone! Sucktastic is great, but Expanshalone! is sublime.
You may now return to your regularly scheduled cautionary warnings of CoHs doom
Please PM or post any typos I missed or nitpicks by 11pm today, so I can incorporate edits. Enjoy! 
Thanks Clint.
Without you the forums would fall into chaos and the Earth would be pushed into the sun.
>.>
<.<
What? It could happen.
Ah, very useful. If you aren't already going to get one, you should get a beta slot just for putting these things together.
Thanks. 
It's really a team effort, which is why so many are credited and linked to.
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Awesome job Clint 
I'd give you 5 stars, but I did that last time.
I've got a question, though; how do you tell how long your account's been active?
"Cupcake cupcake cupcake; Cupcake. Merry_Mint is the best." - Abraham Lincoln
There's nothing online to indicate your full sign-up date. Your PlayNC Account page only shows your next billing date. Many people sign up for the forum when they start their subscription, but some don't. Best thing to do is check credit card statements or count up used game cards. I've never seen a post from someone whose gotten the info from emailing support, but it's something one might try.
This thread sucks Clint. You've out done yourself in losy posts.
Sorry ... that must have been posts my by evil twin.
NCIS: Best gorram show in the 'verse.
-------------------------
One word:
SWEEET!
Nice job, man.
Nice stuff, thanks Clint and those who brought the info back to E3. Much appreciated!
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[color= yellow]Mastermind[/color] (Lord Recluse)
The most secretive new AT - think minion pet summoner.
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OK, OK. I got a PM after the editing timeout on this. Lord Recluse has been referred to by the dev team as a flavor of Incarnate (a yet-to-be implemented Epic Archetype). Lord Recluse portrayal in the two CoV vids may be indicative of something similar to the Mastermind AT, much like Statesman as an Incarnate is something similar to the Tank AT in the vids.
The intent of the linkages in that subsection was to offer preliminary personifications of the new ATs but the bit about Masterminds should have been made more clear. There's a bit of blended info in that subsection and it slipped my mind in the final edit pass. Mea Culpa.
Speaking of CoV ATs, ShadowPraxis browsed the latest issue of Computer Gaming World which just hit the stands with the CoV sneak peek article. Oh what a difference a day makes, eh?
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<ul type="square">[*]We have confirmation on the [color= yellow]Mastermind [/color]powersets. The primary summons minions of different types (ninja, robots, henchmen, etc based on which pool was taken - nice because it allows different themed villains to have lackeys more appropriate to their flavor instead of just generic ones). The secondary consists of buffs/enhancements/weapons upgrades for said minions.[*][color= yellow]Brutes [/color]are a bit more than just reverse scrappers. There was something mentioned about the most powerful enemies being drawn towards them and that they would mainly lock down AVs, bosses and the like. Sounds less like the normal herding duties a Tank has. They also said Brutes have a Rage ability that slowly increases their damage output the longer they're in combat - the longer they fight, the more dangerous they get.[*][color= yellow]Destroyers[/color] are confirmed to be something of a hybrid between blasters and defenders - not much new news there, just more confirmation of speculation.[/list]
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NICE info
a little a clarification tho.... does this mean even if i dont have my COH account active...can I still go to the PVP zones? With COV alone?
hehehe i just found the answer to my question 
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How will CoV tie into CoH?
DC: If you have CoV and CoH you get full access to everything. Both sides can build bases. Can play as both heroes and villains. If you have CoV, you can go to PvP zones, play as a villain, and build bases. The only thing we have not absolutely determined is if you only have CoH: we dont know exactly what youll have access to; were still deciding that.
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this came from this site:
http://cohvault.ign.com/View.php?vie...tail&id=17
anyway good job clint
Clintonian,
Here's some info that's since been obsoleted:
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Player villains dont start out with fully functional power sets as their heroic counterparts, but instead must work their way up from being a common thug in order to prove their worth as a criminal and be recruited by a member of an NPC villain organization....Once the player villain proves his worth and becomes part of a NPC villain group, the villain group empowers the thug with superhuman powers. The player then is able to choose an archetype/origin.
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Lord Recluse nixed this later, saying that player villains will start out with powers at level 1 just like in CoH so that the super-powered fun can start right away.
NewScrapper
Thanks, I'm aware of the change. Much of that particular quoted section indicates design ideas that have evolved over the past year. I don't think Zeb Cook had even been hired yet at that point to be Senior Designer for CoV.
I probably should have been more explicit that that entire blurb from the May 2004 teaser was there for historical context. The hazards of writing copy for free without an editor. Unfortunately, posts can only be edited for 6 hours after they've hit the forum server. Future generations will just have gloss over that quote.
I could have SWORN I JUST read an interview where the getting your powers later thing was still in the game, but now I can't find it.
COULD be my imagination, but I was almost sure...Hhmm..
You can also count how many comic books you got its a fair evaluation.
edit: just counted mine 10 + june + july HAAAA may get lucky
You could have read it in my COV FAQ, I don't remember Lord Recluse ever nixing it back to level one. I'd love the link to the post to where he does, so i can add an appendum to my FAQ....
BTW great work Clintonion
Zones Of City of Villains
PVE
Mercy Island -intro zone (this may not be a seperate zone, could be an island in another zone, it's ghost enemies are similar to Port Oakes, but it's mentioned in the "Fiction")
New Villain Group - Pirate Ghosts
Sharkhead Island
- New Villain Group - Scrapyarders
Nerva Isle
- new villain group (Guess) - U.S. Military
Cap Au Diable
- New Villain Group - Luddites
- New Vilain Group (Guess) Dr. Aeon's minions
Port Oakes
- New villain Group - Ghosts
The villains' Arena is here
St. Martial
- A monster fighting Casino is here
Grandview
PVP Zones -
Bloody Bay - meteor hunt with Shivan monsters, two bases fro each faction
Warburg - get codes for missile strike temp power
Recluse's Victory - zone changes appearance due to who's winning
1 mystery zone we haven't heard about yet.
I also think I've head a "Fort Hades" mentioned, not sure if this is a zone or a building.
Other Villain Groups mentioned or seen -
Skyraiders, Paragon Police, Freedom Corp, Freedom Phalanx, Tsoo, Arachnos
Note - all of this is from Dev info.
PART 1 of 3
I'm going to start posting some questions to the forum -- things that hopefully get you thinking about those good ideas.
This is second update of A CoV Primer Hows this Gonna Work?, and the last one before beta testing begins. We get new players in the forums and - understandably - old questions get asked again. This is intended just to get late-comers to the discussion more up to speed with current discussions. This 'CoV Primer' will not cover every minute factoid, nor is the purpose of this thread to wag a self-important finger at people who post juicy unsubstantiated gossip. We love the gossip, but your SG buddys word comes second to actual dev quotes and interview extracts. Expect some serious Search-Fu thrown your way if you cant provide a link. That said, some sections are relying heavily on player reports from the recent E3 Expo, where City of Villains was a prominent fixture. Game On!
Useful links:
US City of Villains site FAQ (with Flash)
UK City of Villains site FAQ (similar info - no Flash)
SDragon's >Lots of CoV info here< thread with tons of various people's E3 reports
Caios's E3 Report
WitchChild's Semi-Official COV FAQ
Plus the posting histories lately of SDragon, WitchChild, Circuit_Shorter, Doc_Obvious, Caios, Mantid and others are littered with good nuggets of CoV info.
Before we dig into the juicy bits gathered here, how about an introduction to Lord_Recluse, the Lead Designer for CoV:
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Ah, after months of plotting in the background it is time to properly emerge from the shadows...
I'm David "Zeb" Cook, lead designer on CoV and happy to be here (in a villainous sort of way). Right now we're forging ahead on CoV. There's a lot of work to do so I'll be reading this forum and posting when I have time.
However, having read "How to Be a Smarter Villain in 30 Days", I'm not going to gloat and reveal our evil plans just yet. If you ask me to "Tell us all about the bad guys" or "How are you going to fix the llama problem?", don't expect details. Some of that will come in time -- and I think I'll save a few things as surprises.
For now, I want you to know I check this forum almost every day and I am listening to you ideas, suggestions, concerns, and debates. In the months to come, more details will emerge but right now I get to tantalize and tease you!
So what will help right now? You ideas, especially constructive ones. Just posting "PvP will suck because..." isn't nearly as useful as "I've got a suggestion for how to make PvP fun..." I've seen some good suggestions on these boards which have helped me think through some of the challenges.
And so as not to just complain myself
Mwa-ha-ha! (Okay, I had to do that once.)
--Zeb
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And he has put questions to the playerbase in the CoV section, and it was good er, evil.
Standalone sequel, expansion, Expanshalone! huh? Just Tell Me What It Costs and I'll Figure It Out...
One can quibble about whether CoV is really a standalone sequel or a merely an expansion I prefer to split the difference and call it an Expanshalone! Here's the barebone factoids: <ul type="square">[*]CoV introduces a seperate cluster of cityzones (7 PvE, 4 PvP), seperate from CoH's setting, Paragon City[*] Unique character customizations, unique mission structures, and a combo of new & variant character Archetypes and powersets[*] Introduces base-building feature and Villain vs. Villain base raiding[*]Option to build on CoH gameplay using limited interoperability with CoH's player-Heroes via the PvP zones, PvP missions, and Hero vs. Villain base raiding if a subscriber owns and subscribes to both games (see below)[/list]It has not been formally determined or announced by NCSoft/Cryptic whether the purchase of City of Villains unlocks the base-building feature or the Hero vs. Villain PvP zones for current CoH subscribers like the DVD edition serial number unlocked the Sprint variant and new cape style, or whether the a slight raise in the monthly fee will be required. Before you hyperventilate, read further:
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On the issue of a hypothetical fee increase to keep both standalone games active concurrently:
- Gaffer mentioned no more than $3-5/month back in November of '04.
- bruce mentioned "somewhere between 'zero' and 'not much'" in May '05.
- Gaffer , Lord_Recluse , and Statesman have stated clearly and definitively that the company WILL NOT be doubling the fee.
How many times is that shrill air horn of a comment of 'I'm not paying $30 a month' gonna go off, lol? Of course you're not - IT WAS NEVER AN OPTION.
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You're exactly right! {Statesman 5/24/05}
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Furthermore, the company's internal discussion of raising the monthly by a buck or two is to fund the development of Issues for each game as regularly as they have for just CoH. The hypothetical minor raising of the fee to play CoH+CoV has little to do with additional server/bandwidth costs, and little to do with PvP, so people who think that PvP is ruining everything should avoid that blame card.
For those of you playing the home version of this gameshow, here's the math for current CoH subscribers! <ul type="square">[*]pay $40-$50 for CoV - less if you wait 6 months[*]the regular content updates may DOUBLE[*]CoH+CoV subscribers pay $0-$5 extra/month for up to DOUBLE the added content[*]cue complaints from casual players that they can't keep with all the new stuff.[/list]Now then, if Cryptic goes with blended content updates that are not any larger than the ones we have now at the pace we have now, the problem isn't that they need more money - they need to trim some payroll. If the updates expand as my tea leaves indicate, an added $0-$5/month is worth the money and the problem becomes, "How will I find time to burn through doubled content updates?"
The official US City of Villains site's FAQ states, Pricing will be announced when pre-order boxes are available at retail stores later this year. That'll happen October-ish in the US. Cue teeth-gnashing much to the delight of dentists everywhere... Can we get to the good stuff now?
OK, CoV Is in a Different City. What's the Deal, Where Is It, and How Do I Get There?
An early design blurb for E3 dated 5/17/04 - pertinent quote:
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City of Villains, slated for a 2005 release, brings a brand new style of play to the table and some exciting twists to the current CoH formula. As is obvious from the title, players now get to experience how the other half lives. Player villains dont start out with fully functional power sets as their heroic counterparts, but instead must work their way up from being a common thug in order to prove their worth as a criminal and be recruited by a member of an NPC villain organization. An example of one such organization that players can be a part of is S.P.I.D.E.R. (Second Phase Infiltration to Destroy Empires Resistance).
All villains start out on [The Rogue Isles], a remote island similar to Bermuda. Once the player villain proves his worth and becomes part of a NPC villain group, the villain group empowers the thug with superhuman powers. The player then is able to choose an archetype/origin. The available powersets for villains are planned to be similar to those available to heroes currently. City of Villains also introduces optional PvP elements to the game. Jack firmly believes that players should never be forced to do anything in the game that they dont want to do. He feels the method by which PvP is incorporated in the expansion is a fun, fair choice. .
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Adding this tidbit that Dynamic pulled 11/24/04 from the EU CoH site:
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[color= yellow]Can you tell us a little bit about City of Villains? [/color]
At the moment, were still in the design documentation phase. I can tell you that we hired Dave Zeb Cook, author of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, and creator of the famous Planescape campaign setting, to be the City of Villains senior designer.
Our design goal is simple: allow players to be the bad guy. Were focusing more on the megalomania inherent in super villains, rather than simple anarchy. So a lot of gameplay will be focused on joining organizations, forming super groups and gaining power. More importantly, we want the missions to reflect the pro-active nature of villains. Heroes, for the most part, are reactive. They only spring into motion once the villain has tried something. Villains, on the other hand, instigate the adventures. Its their schemes that initiate the plot. Thats why I hired a RPG expert like Zeb; I want people to feel like they are villains.
Besides the ability to play a bad guy, City of Villains also introduces bases. Super Groups can pool their resources to create customized headquarters. As part of this functionality, villains and heroes can invade each others bases in the struggle to obtain Items of Power....
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The highlighted part is verrrry interesting...
From an IGN interview with Jack Emmert (Statesman) dated 4/07/05:
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[color= yellow]IGNPC: Where will City of Villains take place? Will it follow the same city structure as City of Heroes? Do you have a background story planned as you did for the heroes of Paragon City? [/color]
Jack Emmert: The City of Villains is the infamous Rogue Isles, controlled by the villain group Arachnos. The Rogue Isles were once a French colony, but they were quickly converted into a haven for pirates. Despite the Rogue Isles' reputation, nations found it convenient to have "law free" zone in the Atlantic, so the Isles acquired UN status. As you can see we've got a backstory as deep and rich as that of Paragon City.
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From the brilliant EU summary of our own CoV and CoH thread:
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[color= yellow]How will the new zones be linked? Will we get an airport that can fly us back and forth from the islands? [/color]
Zones are linked through ferries, helicopters and plain ole' swimming! {Statesman 5/23/05}
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