Discussion: Developer Diary: Ken Morse
By
AMercNamedTracer,
Posted on: 2008-05-19 17:10 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion
Good stuff! I think that is the great thing about the Super Hero genre, there really isn't any area of time, space,or history you can't explore. Keep up the good work.
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where can it go? the sengoku period in japan, the three kingdoms in china, in amerca, pre european colonization, to see coyote, fox and bear, the mahabhrata legends of india, any case of larger than life entities who could be ancient heroes. heck, even the original battle between mu and ornabega.
TV's Heroes went to colonial Japan.
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Regarding the question about what belongs in the superhero genre: just about everything, in moderation. The more variety, the better. The superhero/villain genre's core is modern-day, stopping/causing disasters or halting/executing the supervillain's nefarious plans for revenge, world domination, or sheer chaos. However, alternate dimensions, space travel, other planes of existence (including that inhabited by deities), and time travel are all common concepts that are explored for the sake of an interesting story. We've got a ton of the genre's core in CoX's core content, currently, so I see no reason why new issues shouldn't branch out as long as they don't look too biased towards a certain genre (hint hint) that is dominating the market.
After Issue 10 with the Rikti invasion, and Issue 11 with Ouroboros (a very sci-fi thing), a historical or magic based zone is a great idea. This particular timeframe-- Roman times-- is very much a part of CoH lore, and it only made sense to go back there.
As long as you don't find a large percentage of your content devoted to elves, orcs, medieval weaponry, and wizards, when the MMO market is utterly saturated with that sort of content, then I don't think that you need to worry about being out of genre.
Back in Issue 5, I was pretty annoyed with Croatoa, and that annoyance grew until Issue 8, when Heroes finally got their first new zone that wasn't fantasy oriented since Issue 3. Issue 10 and 11 had great modern and sci-fi content that utterly crushed any lingering issues I had with disproportionate fantasy representation, so I'm not particularly concerned about it at this point (though I do hope we get a Batman/Daredevil style punching set for Scrappers before we get more medieval weapon sets, after Dual Blades).
Having tested the new content in Issue 12, I think the ideas and execution were great, and I'm glad you made the decisions you made for it in terms of content.
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I have to say, this zone has brought back a thought that I've considered many times since playing this game. I've often been disappointed by the "feel" and play of other Fantasy MMOs. When I played CoH, I was hooked. It wasn't just the genre...it was the feel, the play, the animations, the action style, the costuming, the everything. This was the game that I wanted to play.
Over the years, though, I've often wished this creative team would branch down a path of fantasy. D&D done right if you know what I mean. This zone---exquisite in detail and breath-taking in beauty---just reinforces that thought. Of course, if this team DID create yet another game, I'd have to give up my full time job and my family to become a gaming hobo.
I'm all for more zones that are out-of-history inspired. The exploration of your arts and skills is so very rewarding.
~ Jonathan
Greek and Roman inspired culture in a super hero game? No reason why it can't appear, its big in the genre at large, so in a super hero video game is fine. Hercules and Ares are prominent characters for Marvel right now. Thor, from another mythological-historical society has been big for as long as I can remember. Gilgamesh was an Avenger I think. I certainly think theres a place for stories and characters inspired by these ares of mythology in a super hero game. The ancient gods and demi-gods were basically super-heroes of the ancient world.
In terms of where to go next, I would like to see Cimerora fleshed out with more non-TF content before we add another mytho-historical zone. I would love a norse-inspired arctic zone though.
Heroes
Dysmal
Lumynous
Sam Steele
Pluck
Wile
Slagheap
Pressure Wave
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Verified
Stellaric
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Villains
Jotunheim Skald
Saer Maen
Jen Corbae
Illuminance
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Tarranos
I agree with a lot that has been said about how making those zones and history sided characters are a great idea and personally I would like to see more of them, like the Norse Vikings, and possibly Egypt inspired character. Who know what directions it could, but this directions seems like a great idea everyone is up to par with. I would love to see Atlantis or maybe some other lost civilization or maybe something like the Savage Land in Marvel Comics. But so far as this starts out, its rich full of art and content.
as a thought for a GM on the map you chould have a hydra that as you fight it more heads apper also for contact ideas you can go with the greek or roman gods and have us the players reach for demi god hood!
Ahhh!! Thank you!! I've been dying for an article like this. We haven't seen any behind-the-scenes or concept art since Issue 2's drawings of the Chantry!
I just wish we can travel to a WW2 era zone.
It would be cool to fight actual Nazis instead of Facists.
In the Arena of Logic, I fight unarmed.
You do have one more ancient Roman story arc to tell, and I'm surprised you didn't fit it into Cimerora for this issue: the flip side of Diviner Maros, "Cult of the Shaper" (Sharkkhead, level 25-30). After that, though? My vote would be to do something new: 3rd-world drug war, Banished Pantheon in the south Pacific, underwater city, orbiting space station, moonbase, Praetorian Earth, Nemesis Earth, Council Earth, or Rikti homeworld. Actually, no, my first choice would be a major revamp of all blue-side contacts other than the Hollows and Faultline from level 5-20; there's some really lame mission design and story arc design in there, and it's got to be costing you players. But if you're determined to spend your assets 100% on new content rather than fixing old content, then yeah, the new content should be new new content.
You've got a gazillion dangling plot threads. Don't spend several issues in a row on any one of them.
Kinda like the article. It's a good insight into what thought went into the Roman zone and all. I do hope it's just the beginning, I want Nazis, I want dinosaurs, I want feudal Japan...
I do wonder if we'll ever see 'reverse time-traveling' ATs come in. If heroes and villains can go back in time to meet the Romans, why couldn't the Romans go forward in time, following their new hero/villain friends? Give us more ATs to play as, ones who start off in Cimerora and take that plunge thru the gate to get to Paragon City or the Rogue Isles.
Of COURSE the cross-genre stuff works. The "Super Hero Universe" concept is virtually meant for genre-fusion ideas. Look at the Classic Icons of "The Avengers" where you have a supertech suit of armour (clearly a sci-fi idea-IRON MAN) right next to Mjolner (Straight out of scandinavian ancient Myth-THOR). The Other major company has the same platform in the "Justice League" where you have a crashlanded alien (another sci-fi idea-Superman) side by side with an Amazonian Olympian (More Greek and Roman Mythology-Wonder Woman).
The super hero genre is as malleable as they come. There IS no "outside of the genre" with superheroes. I'm a longtime Vet, (my croatoa inspired toons get thier pixie sidekicks next week via the 4 year award) and What keeps me here instead of the other MMO's is that IN a super hero universe you can drastically change the backdrop of mood and theme, and KEEP your main characters in thier gaudy spandes. We can buy Wolverine in his Canary Yellow and Baby blue spandex tackleing a Dinosaur in the Savage lands we can certainly swallow Paragon City Heroes Timetravelling to Ancient Rome.
Now as to future suggestions:
You guys start Crackin on our World War Two timetravel zone where we can see young statesman, and meet the Sand Kings. I really want to bust up some Storm Korps. A December 7th, 1941 Task Force would be the coolest thing EVER!
And Also: An ancient sunken city of Mu (the pacific's atlantis) with a Hero Sea King Leader who has it IN for Mako & Scirocco. A Superhero universe just isn't complete till we have an underwater zone complete with Hero Sea King Character.
One more vote for a Savage Land kind of zone.
I want to punch dinosaurs.
Thanks, that is all.
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TV's Heroes went to colonial Japan.
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No, they went back to the 1600's. Japan wouldn't started colonizing anyone yet for over 200 years.
The Opening of Japan didn't happen until the mid-1800's and that wasn't colonization. Japan was the only Asian country not colonized by the West.
There is no such thing as Colonial Japan...
Where should COX go next?
I say have a bunch of these guys invade us on these guys and do battle! Then we all run to here and have fun fighting around here or here 
ROFL
that's my 2 inf anyways...
either that or head to Mars and fight the aliens AKA Total Recall style - lol
btw - I am Canadian and lived there for 20 years, so I'm not bein anti-Canadian or anything, I luv Canada! I just think it'd be funny - lol 
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We can defend the White House from Crazed Canadians in I13 when we go back to the War of 1812.
If your going to do time travel, you have to do a "Land That Time Forgot" with cavemen riding dinosaurs (I know, different eras). Make is a hazard zone, teaming with targetable beasties of all sizes.
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I just wish we can travel to a WW2 era zone.
It would be cool to fight actual Nazis instead of Facists.
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Yes, WWII is such an influential period in comics. It would be fantastic to be able to visit it and participate in it.
What would be really awesome is if the zone was a sort of "PvP via PvE" zone, where heroes would assist the allies by fighting the Axis, and Villains would assist the Axis by fighting the Allies, but in their own copy of the zone. Missions completed by either side could have some effect on the opposite side, like unleashing a giant wave of tanks, or Sky Captain-style giant robots. If you wanted, you could also have a PvP version of the zone where actual full-on PvP could take place, but I'd love to see a zone that had the Hero vs. Villain struggle in it without the very different style of actual zone PvP (e.g. superjumping hit-and-run stalkers, TP Foe + mines and caltrops, 8 on one ganking, long periods of unbalanced population where you have nobody to fight, or you're the only one on your side-- all things I don't find particularly "epic" or "challenging").
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Death for Dollars! (ID 1050)
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Kinda like the article. It's a good insight into what thought went into the Roman zone and all. I do hope it's just the beginning, I want Nazis, I want dinosaurs, I want feudal Japan...
I do wonder if we'll ever see 'reverse time-traveling' ATs come in. If heroes and villains can go back in time to meet the Romans, why couldn't the Romans go forward in time, following their new hero/villain friends? Give us more ATs to play as, ones who start off in Cimerora and take that plunge thru the gate to get to Paragon City or the Rogue Isles.
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Fully in agreement with the first part. Also, to go with the Nazi's I'd like more military uniforms, with dinosaurs I'd like loincloths/wrap skirts/leather/fur (primitive) clothing options (and staves/spears) and more samurai/ninja-esque costume options to go with Japan.
You will not see new ATs from the past making their way into CoX though. Once you have the /shield defensive set, you have the tools you need to make ancient warriors. All you need is a little imagination and backstory.
How about some end game content... do we really need to keep beating the dead amoeba? I think more high level TF's with rewards or... give us lvl 60 heck 100.
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Good gawd...I can't believe some people WOULDN'T think that a Greco-Roman timeframe woulnd't be appropriate for superhero gaming. I mean, we've got Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel in the DCU with ties to ancient gods from that era, the Marvel Universe has both Thor and Hercules that ARE ancient gods from that era, frankly it seems like a natural to me.
Where to go next? Heck, the sky's the limit IMHO. Why not go back to the Renaissance and help da Vinci? The 20's and 30's would give you gangsters and molls, and I know Brass Monday has already been requested as an event players would like to have recreated. The 40's gives you the events of WWII, along with in-game events like Atlas' push against the Nazis in Independence Port. The 50's would be great for a "Red Scare" storyline against Communists...the 60's could be a big "Hawks vs. Doves" storyline using the events of Vietnam as a backdrop. Even the 70's could use Statesman's injuries from a Soviet missle in '76 as a reason for heroes to time travel (plus it could tie in with America's bicentennial!).
Yeah, I haven't thought about this much. Okay Devs...I've just given you, like, six issues worth of content ideas for free. You're welcome. Now go to it!
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In this in depth look at the creation of the new zone "Cimerora," Ken Morse takes us behind the scenes and through the seven steps that brought Cimerora from concept to virtual reality."Stretching the Genre: Creating Cimerora in City of Heroes" not only features interesting insights from Ken, but also includes a new set of beautiful concept art and environment screenshots.
Join Cody on the Ten Ton Hammer Forums, to answer this question: Should a Greek and Roman inspired culture be included in a super hero game? Where can (or should) the CoH team go from here?
Join us in discussing this topic here:
Regards,
Ex Libris