Trial player impressions
By
DawgTagZz,
Posted on: 2008-11-05 18:48 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
A good post and always interesting to hear someone elses impressions.
I suspect that some will agree with things youve mentioned (I have heard the slow combat thing mentioned before) and will undoubtedly disagree (hopefully in a sensible way rather than just saying, No thats a load of tosh. 
)
I would agree with you about the sounds although some of this seems to relate to the age of the game. I know when I moved across from SWG (over three years ago) I was amazed at the amount of sound CoH had. I could run through water and hear it for example which is something SWG never did. Having said that I mostly play with the sound turned off in all games as I like to have the radio on in the background (as well as being on Skype with friends in a lot of instances). The NPCs saying something would be audio gold (for about three minutes until I turned the sound off again), but I know its been mentioned before and the Devs have said no.
I also agree with the need for a range indicator as with my blaster there is nothing worse than getting too close while trying to line up a snipe and agroing the mob. Having said that I always presumed it was some sort of lifelike thing and have just lived with it.
With regard to not feeling week, I have never had this problem more often than not faceplanting my blaster when against more than two foes, but maybe I run with the difficulty set higher.
For more fun combat try getting in big teams. Thats just endless smashing, but I suspect if youre only playing on a trial account this will be something you dont see a lot of (trials are still too restrictive as far as teaming goes). At lower level there is also the lack of attack powers (again I dont see this a lot due to having veteran attacks as well), but by the time you bit level ten you should have four or five attacks which will make a good attack string and it shouldnt take you more than a couple of hours of play to get to that level. (Still Ive had the same issue as you when playing LoTRO on a trial and my friends tell me this isnt the case at higher level.)
The one really sweet thing about the game you didnt mention was the teaming. As per above trial accounts miss out on this, but good, social teaming is what the game excels at (not just the team for a mission and then split stuff). All of my best nights have been in big teams and this sort of experience only comes from being able to send tells, being part of a super ground and having other people always inviting you.
Hope you stay around and watch out for those Americans. 
(Not checked for grammar and spelling as I'm busy writing. )
[ QUOTE ]
The bad
========
Combat seems to be too slow paced for me. (I'm not comparing this to FPSes, but rather other MMOs). I just stand there waiting for my powers to recharge, which takes quite a few seconds, then use one of them and stand around waiting some more.
[/ QUOTE ]
This changes very quickly after you get a few powers and it's pretty much the same in a lot of other MMOs where you only get one or two things to 'cast' when you start out. The only difference is the lack of an auto attack here, which I personally prefer.
[ QUOTE ]
Same with the mobs. They attack real slow, and frankly they barely make a dent on my HP, unless I take on high-level mobs.
[/ QUOTE ]
This game is based on one person vs lots of bad guys to make the fights feel more dramatic. I personally hate it in other MMOs when I can barely take on a single opponent at the same level as me. I'd much rather be able to take on gangs, like we can here.
[ QUOTE ]
Seems weird to have 4 mobs beating up on me and my health not budging, while I just stand around waiting to press 1 or 2, every few seconds, to slowly kill them.
[/ QUOTE ]
You can put your difficulty up if this is really an issue for you.
[ QUOTE ]
Another complaint is that I can't move during attack animations. Since the animations are rather long, you get multiple timespots in which your avatar is not responsive to your keyboard commands. It would be better to have movement stop whatever animation/action is currently underway. It would give a more fluid feeling.
[/ QUOTE ]
I would actually like this but it would probably require a heck of a lot of work.
[ QUOTE ]
The UI is sorely lacking in a "In Range" indicator. Why do I have to guess if I am close enough for my Blaster to shoot? I am getting annoyed at the 'not in range' messages. Just have the power icon signal if I am in range before I use it.
[/ QUOTE ]
This isn't an issue for me, it's never bothered me but it would make for an interesting addition.
[ QUOTE ]
UI also lacks any form of 'you are now in combat' indicator.
[/ QUOTE ]
That's because it's not necessary in this game.
[ QUOTE ]
Game seems to be low in population. Not many people around...
[/ QUOTE ]
Did you come from WoW?
[ QUOTE ]
The UGLY
========
Sounds. Wow, just wow. This is so bad it is almost game breaking:
Combat just feels so disjointed and unreal, since there are barely any sounds. Just the slow 'swooshes' of my or my enemies attacks, and weird sci-fi noises on the use of powers.
[/ QUOTE ]
A few extra noises would be nice, but I really don't think it's 'game-breaking'.
[ QUOTE ]
Where are the grunts and moans? The visceral combat effects that let me know I took a hit, or made a critical. Why can't I hear my enemy moan when I hit him? Why do they just crumple to the ground w/o a noise when they die?
[/ QUOTE ]
They don't die, unless you're playing Villains
[ QUOTE ]
Also, clicking on NPCs really should evoke some kind of auditory response. Why can't Ms. Liberty say 'Hi hero!' or something to the effect when I begin talking to her?
[/ QUOTE ]
Ugh, I'd HATE that. I hate it in other MMOs, it's totally not necessary.
[ QUOTE ]
It might seem like a small matter, but its this kind of fit and polish that separates AAA titles from the also-rans.
[/ QUOTE ]
Well not really, there are plenty of MMOs that have the features you list that aren't very succesful.
[ QUOTE ]
Also, the game has barely no background music. All I hear is an endless and annoying cacophony of city street sounds such as cars, police drones etc., and only once in a blue moon do I get 5 seconds of background music.
Background music should be on all the time and should pick up in pace greatly once combat begins. Again, give me that visceral gut-feeling of combat.
[/ QUOTE ]
Well, no, again. This is a taste thing, I personally do not feel that incidental music is necessary, the BG music in the game is fine as it is.
[ QUOTE ]
Summary
=======
All-in-all an interesting game, with some nice, novel, ideas. I'll certainly give it few more days' trial, but the slow combat and utterly [censored] sound/music in the game really spoil an otherwise enjoyable experience.
[/ QUOTE ]
I don't think this game is for you if those are the problems you have with it. I mean, what level have you got to? Combat moves faster at higher levels when you get more powers and the enemies become harder.
[url=http://vox-doom.deviantart.com]Take A Gander At This.[/url]
[ QUOTE ]
I just stand there waiting for my powers to recharge, which takes quite a few seconds, then use one of them and stand around waiting some more.
[/ QUOTE ]
That's just because you are still low level. You will have lots of attacks later. Same goes for the mobs.
[ QUOTE ]
Seems weird to have 4 mobs beating up on me and my health not budging,
[/ QUOTE ]
That's because you are a superhero!
You will soon encounter more challenging foes though.
Also, mobs scale with team size, so it's not uncommon to be fighting 16 mobs at a time if you are teamed.
[ QUOTE ]
Another complaint is that I can't move during attack animations.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, don't think the devs like it much either, but it seems to be something they are stuck with, at least with the current game engine.
[ QUOTE ]
The UI is sorely lacking in a "In Range" indicator.
[/ QUOTE ]
It doesn't really need it, since you can queue up attacks and they will go off as soon as you are in range.
[ QUOTE ]
Not many people around...
[/ QUOTE ]
Most of the action takes place in instances, and there are also a lot (too many) large zones.
[ QUOTE ]
The visceral combat effects that let me know I took a hit, or made a critical. Why can't I hear my enemy moan when I hit him? Why do they just crumple to the ground w/o a noise when they die?
[/ QUOTE ]
It's taking it's stylistic cue from the rather sanitised world of silver age comic books. Gritty and visceral is simply not this game's style.
[ QUOTE ]
Also, clicking on NPCs really should evoke some kind of auditory response. Why can't Ms. Liberty say 'Hi hero!' or something to the effect when I begin talking to her?
It might seem like a small matter, but its this kind of fit and polish that separates AAA titles from the also-rans.
[/ QUOTE ]
It would be nice, however this game has never had a AAA development budget (more like DDD 
).
I really should do something about this signature.
I can certainly understand you saying combat is slow from playing controllers; it can take an age to do anything depending upon your specific power sets.
Scrappers should give a slightly better impression and even the blasters you have dabbled in but they will both suffer at early levels from a lack of quantity of powers. The only cure to this is to play to a higher level to experience a full attack chain (is it even possible to get a full attack chain on a trial account? Certainly not for some combinations of powers, possibly on others it would be though.)
I suspect that many veterans forget exactly how much hang time there can be as much of that is gone with the veteran temp powers of which some lucky people now have 3 of... pretty much an attack chain from level 1.
As others have pointed out, being part of a big team may well make it feel like a faster tempo in combat. It may not, but it is all perception.
Music and sound effects... well, many people I know tend to play with the in-game music off and their own music playing instead, so perhaps you are on to something there. Saying that there are numerous cases of people having a hugely positive reaction to the atlas park music.
Thankyou for giving us your perspective, is always interesting to hear what a newcomer to the game feels as some of us have been around so long we can hardly remember what it is like! I do hope you stick around a bit longer, perhaps buy the game and play the free month without the massive trial restrictions and tell us what you think then
I am only going to echo what the others said. I suggest you take a much closer look at the game, and if you still don't enjoy it, this isn't the game for you.
Also I hate it when there's only one "good" and there's two "bad and UGLY". Positive stuff always helps your own mood and others.
My thoughts...
[ QUOTE ]
Combat seems to be too slow paced for me. (I'm not comparing this to FPSes, but rather other MMOs). I just stand there waiting for my powers to recharge, which takes quite a few seconds, then use one of them and stand around waiting some more.
[/ QUOTE ]
As others ahve said lev up abit, gain a few powers and this dies off, the early levs can be a little easy and repetitive but thats cos they're easing you into the game.
[ QUOTE ]
Same with the mobs. They attack real slow, and frankly they barely make a dent on my HP, unless I take on high-level mobs.
[/ QUOTE ]
See above
[ QUOTE ]
Seems weird to have 4 mobs beating up on me and my health not budging, while I just stand around waiting to press 1 or 2, every few seconds, to slowly kill them.
[/ QUOTE ]
This again changes as you progress and after fighting certain mobs you'll be wishing your hp would quit budging! The mobs are larger in CoX to reflect the comic book world, how many times have you seen heroes (or villains) battle their way through a group? It reflects the genre.
[ QUOTE ]
Another complaint is that I can't move during attack animations. Since the animations are rather long, you get multiple timespots in which your avatar is not responsive to your keyboard commands. It would be better to have movement stop whatever animation/action is currently underway. It would give a more fluid feeling.
[/ QUOTE ]
I don't actually like this, thinking about certain animations done with weapons this would spoil my experience. I love doing the big moves and seeing mobs fly about, wouldn't have the same feel if I activated the power and interupted the animation by moving.
[ QUOTE ]
The UI is sorely lacking in a "In Range" indicator. Why do I have to guess if I am close enough for my Blaster to shoot? I am getting annoyed at the 'not in range' messages. Just have the power icon signal if I am in range before I use it.
[/ QUOTE ]
No it isn't...never needed this and again it would spoil my experience of working out tactics etc.
[ QUOTE ]
UI also lacks any form of 'you are now in combat' indicator.
[/ QUOTE ]
red numbers appear...thats enough
[ QUOTE ]
Game seems to be low in population. Not many people around...
[/ QUOTE ]
in instances there won't be as they're made just for you (or any team you're in) get yourself on a team and travel to the hollows!! (or vice versa). Not sure what restrictions the trial gives.
[ QUOTE ]
Sounds. Wow, just wow. This is so bad it is almost game breaking:
Combat just feels so disjointed and unreal, since there are barely any sounds. Just the slow 'swooshes' of my or my enemies attacks, and weird sci-fi noises on the use of powers.
[/ QUOTE ]
Again not really bothered by this as I usually have music pumping out, altho the newest zone (Cimerora) does have grunting romans...if that floats your boat.
[ QUOTE ]
Also, clicking on NPCs really should evoke some kind of auditory response. Why can't Ms. Liberty say 'Hi hero!' or something to the effect when I begin talking to her?
[/ QUOTE ]
No they shouldn't this is cheesey and tiresome, the MMORPGSs I've played where this happens its like "oh the character spoke...great!" and ignored it for the rest of the time, again it fits the genre, comics don't talk! Make your own voices 
[ QUOTE ]
It might seem like a small matter, but its this kind of fit and polish that separates AAA titles from the also-rans.
[/ QUOTE ]
If that makes WoW and WAR AAA's then how come neither can hold my attention for more than a week? I'd rather play a good game than listen to one
[ QUOTE ]
Also, the game has barely no background music. All I hear is an endless and annoying cacophony of city street sounds such as cars, police drones etc., and only once in a blue moon do I get 5 seconds of background music.
[/ QUOTE ]
Again not an issue, music kicks in on certain missions and different areas within zones, I usually have music on anyway so its no biggy. But the music that hits as you enter Atlas Park is without a doubt one of the greatest MMORPG moments...I've never played a MMORPG thats kicked in and had me thinking "oh yea...lets GO!!!"
[ QUOTE ]
All-in-all an interesting game, with some nice, novel, ideas. I'll certainly give it few more days' trial, but the slow combat and utterly [censored] sound/music in the game really spoil an otherwise enjoyable experience.
[/ QUOTE ]
The game is interesting, I've been playing it for far too long come this New Years Eve, I've tried other MMORPG's and none have hooked me as much as this, yes I'm a comic geek which helps but I also love Star Wars and a good bit of fantasy. SWG, WoW and WAR have hooked me but then I got bored for some reason I've never gotten bored of CoX and have 40 alts. Its pick up and go gaming and suits me nicely, I can do want I want...when I want. I'd give the game abit more time, create different ATs and see which interests you more, the differences in ATs are very different and unlike other MMORPGs your experience changes depending on what you play. 
@SkullFester
I'm not changing this signature until I'm proclaimed 'King of the World'.
pls remove the message that is poppin up every time when u enter a mish,on the trail account.
it pushes people away from the game.
why do we get this reminder "playing trail" so manny times during gameplay?
well thats what a friend of mine said... i didnt play a trail account recently,but can imagine that [like him] i would be fed up after 2 days playing and having that message over and over again, its horrible. [he says]
so now hes gone...
[i dont know if i can turn it off ingame]
im just posting this to translate his experience with the trail.
In all honesty, the OP sounds as though he's played WoW for a decent length of time.. as all the things missing are present in WoW.
I've recently moved over to WoW until i13 comes out, and the voices annoy me, and the music is always off. There's lots of things in WoW that I haven't liked that the OP has listed missing from the CoX universe... but that's ok, but difference is good, and that's why I'll always come back to CoX.
@Wolfybane
-Defiant Server-
H: Wolfsbane(50 MA/ReGen), Orthoclase(50 Stone/Axe), Dreamhunter (50 Ill/Storm)
Daybreak(50 Fire/Kin) Tygrrforce (50 Hooman PB), Tygrrstryke(50 NRG/NRG), EbonWolf(50 WS)
V: Spektor(50 Spiddy)
Re: DawgTagZz's Post:
[ QUOTE ]
pls remove the message that is poppin up every time when u enter a mish,on the trail account.
it pushes people away from the game.
why do we get this reminder "playing trail" so manny times during gameplay?
well thats what a friend of mine said... i didnt play a trail account recently,but can imagine that [like him] i would be fed up after 2 days playing and having that message over and over again, its horrible. [he says]
so now hes gone...
[i dont know if i can turn it off ingame]
im just posting this to translate his experience with the trail.
[/ QUOTE ]
Marketing's Pester-Power is a false (but I suspect surprisingly effective) strategy - Reminding the trial-player to upgrade all the time through system messages would be annoying for anyone. It really isn't rocket science is it? ...If you like the game you will want to upgrade at the end of it, right?! - so messages on logging-in/logging-off in the final 72 hours of the trial should be enough.
Re: Wobulation's Post:
[ QUOTE ]
Also, clicking on NPCs really should evoke some kind of auditory response. Why can't Ms. Liberty say 'Hi hero!' or something to the effect when I begin talking to her?
It might seem like a small matter, but its this kind of fit and polish that separates AAA titles from the also-rans.
Also, the game has barely no background music. All I hear is an endless and annoying cacophony of city street sounds such as cars, police drones etc., and only once in a blue moon do I get 5 seconds of background music.
[/ QUOTE ]
Welcome to the Eu.game and forums Wobulation!.
Without wanting to put you off what is a fantastic game...I agree with you 110% regarding the sound design.
The sound design in City of Heroes is beginning to show its age more than the visuals in my opinion.
The background cacaphony as you put it, the generalised ambient drone you get as part of all the zones (as what seems to be designed as a base for the urban ambient noise) is way too prominant, and the forementioned urban ambient noises are repetitive, not differing much (if at all) in variation of whatever zone you find yourself in.
The different neighbourhood/borough loop triggers are tiresome (especially when fighting on the border of two different ones and the music keeps chopping and changing between the two) and some if not all of the jingles are,I feel, rather dated.
There is no excuse not to have voice talent in City of Heroes for Signature Heroes/Villains, contacts and In-game cutscenes - Initial impressions for me personally after playing Age of Conan's tutorial missions was utter refreshment and made me realise just how dated the City of Heroes MMO is in sound design.
That said Wobulation, Stick with it and you will find a real gem of a game that (if you are into the whole SuperHero genre) will grab hold of your Imagination and shake it around like a frenzied terrier!. The content and gameplay variation is varied and getting deeper all the time thanks to a development team that actually listens to the community's suggestions.
As some of you have surmised, yes, I am coming from a long WoW playing period.
There are really quite a few fresh game mechanics I am enjoying here:
Character creation is brilliant. I can see myself wasting hours upon hours tweaking everything. It's like a game in its own.
I really, let me stress that, *REALLY*, like the whole powerset/pick your own powers idea. WoW annoyed me in that I had the exact same powers that did the exact same thing as everyone else.
And even if someone else picks similar powers I still have the option of modding them via enhancements to the exact way I like. I give this two thumbs up only because I don't have three.
The only thing still putting me off right now is that I just don't feel sucked into the game world. I am intimately aware that I am just controlling an avatar on screen.
That was the reason I brought up the audio bit. I think proper background music, non-annoying ambience, and great combat audio effects really do a whole lot more for a game than visuals. Witness WoW which has out-dated visuals yet the combat sound effects still make it engaging.
So far in CoH I am getting put off by the simplistic, repetitive swooosh, swooosh noises that seem to make up 90% of the combat.
I'll report back after I get to level 10.
Welcome to the best game in the world - your period if WoW insanity is forgiven
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
i hate MMO's where u need to grind all stuff that comes with ur lvl,and then have to sell it and start over again.
in coh is what u get for keeps,i dont have to sell my focus power when i become lvl40 and start lookin to get focus lvl41 sumwhere...
also i dont like midget and knights kinda games,this concept is used in so manny lord of the rings kinda games that its not interresting anymore.
i tryed wow once but was fed up with it in 1 day.
but the same i had with guild wars,these games based on that awfull grinding are just not my cuppa tea at all.
also coh is not that expansive like wow.[must buy the expansions]
my first impression with coh was "yeah! this is what im l00king for!"
but i am a superheroe freak and got so manny superheroecomics and movies collected from childhood that i think its just in my mutant genes...
i also loved [and still do] the gameplay in coh from the first second,surrounded by 8 warriors fightin all going down,instead of trying to slice 1 midget with a lill sword...
the fact that no one looks alike in coh is makin the game verry special compared to other MMO's.
and so is the XP system imo.
in coh u can build ur char from lvl 1 to 50,in other MMO's u start over and over again to grind to ur lvl,and start over and over again.
oh and if they decide to pull the plug on coh in a couple a years,im comin to the office with my mind troller and change there minds!!!!
i agree witg GG "The Best Game In The World !!!"
and yes welcome !
I think the point about the dated sound is valid. It's probably something that could and should be updated, but it never seems to get mentioned on the suggestion board (only specific power effects).
I really should do something about this signature.
The sound isn't great in the game, in fact I have never had the music turned on so wouldn't know what it was like. However the voices on NPCs... NO THANKS. That is one part of other games I play that I can't stand as the speech is always generic no matter the situation.
I think the OP is wanting this to be a Superhero game with WOW combat system. Thats the system you've polayed, fine. But the combat system in this works fine imo. Yes, at low level it can be slow due to the lack of powers, but its the same in any game. Once you have played a character for a while you learn the range of your attacks, which is a system I prefer over being mollycoddled by the game system. And I hate the games which put you in a 'combat ready' stance, its pretty easy to tell you are being attacked.
Think of the great stuff this game got that WoW is lacking.
For example: Travel powers. Flight, Superspeed, Superjump and even teleport. Nothing gives the feeling of being a hero better then by jumping over skyscrapers, flying around the atlas statue, zipping past almost non moving automobiles or bamfing from spot to spot.
Unique methhods to fight. You can play the basic tanker, melee, archer nuker or healer like you do in WoW. But how about Controlling your opponents? Sending out your minions to do your evil work or using a specialised melee like dual blades where you have to combine your attacks to get special results?
Or try to team and experience that in this game you CAN team with level 50 and level 1 at the same time! So you never will outlevel your friends truly.
And about the sounds. Sure individually there is not much of it. But in a full team? The rattling of machineguns, the thumps of grenades exploding, the swords whistling through the air, the powerfull Boom from the tankers footstomp. With all those simultaniously sound effects going of at once it makes a cacophony of noise.
My tip? Buy the game, pay for one month and try to team as much as you can inbetween the restyling of your favorite hero or villain. Then try WoW again.
Just thought. We need to get this guy into one of the invasions in Atlas, either zombie or Rikti. You definitely can't say that those are quiet...
[url=http://vox-doom.deviantart.com]Take A Gander At This.[/url]
[cross-posted from US forums since I set up an account there first and recently came over here]
Well, I downloaded the trial and am testing out the game in anticipation of the release of the Mac client. Been playing for a day or two, and my first impressions are:
The good
=======
Graphics are very nicely done
The character models and animations are *excellent*
UI is very well done
The bad
========
Combat seems to be too slow paced for me. (I'm not comparing this to FPSes, but rather other MMOs). I just stand there waiting for my powers to recharge, which takes quite a few seconds, then use one of them and stand around waiting some more.
Same with the mobs. They attack real slow, and frankly they barely make a dent on my HP, unless I take on high-level mobs.
Seems weird to have 4 mobs beating up on me and my health not budging, while I just stand around waiting to press 1 or 2, every few seconds, to slowly kill them.
Another complaint is that I can't move during attack animations. Since the animations are rather long, you get multiple timespots in which your avatar is not responsive to your keyboard commands. It would be better to have movement stop whatever animation/action is currently underway. It would give a more fluid feeling.
The UI is sorely lacking in a "In Range" indicator. Why do I have to guess if I am close enough for my Blaster to shoot? I am getting annoyed at the 'not in range' messages. Just have the power icon signal if I am in range before I use it.
UI also lacks any form of 'you are now in combat' indicator.
Game seems to be low in population. Not many people around...
The UGLY
========
Sounds. Wow, just wow. This is so bad it is almost game breaking:
Combat just feels so disjointed and unreal, since there are barely any sounds. Just the slow 'swooshes' of my or my enemies attacks, and weird sci-fi noises on the use of powers.
Where are the grunts and moans? The visceral combat effects that let me know I took a hit, or made a critical. Why can't I hear my enemy moan when I hit him? Why do they just crumple to the ground w/o a noise when they die?
Also, clicking on NPCs really should evoke some kind of auditory response. Why can't Ms. Liberty say 'Hi hero!' or something to the effect when I begin talking to her?
It might seem like a small matter, but its this kind of fit and polish that separates AAA titles from the also-rans.
Also, the game has barely no background music. All I hear is an endless and annoying cacophony of city street sounds such as cars, police drones etc., and only once in a blue moon do I get 5 seconds of background music.
Background music should be on all the time and should pick up in pace greatly once combat begins. Again, give me that visceral gut-feeling of combat.
Summary
=======
All-in-all an interesting game, with some nice, novel, ideas. I'll certainly give it few more days' trial, but the slow combat and utterly [censored] sound/music in the game really spoil an otherwise enjoyable experience.