If there was one thing that everyone should know about CoH...

Variety.

As a player who is obsessed with trying out all the ATs, powers, skills, or whatever an MMO offers to characters, my experience with every other MMO is every new character has to do almost exactly the same things every character before it had to do.

Not here. I have 10 different mission paths I can start with, I can streetsweep and level just as effectively as missions at the start, I can do a sewer run and bypass the low levels entirely. The last couple years, I've had dozens of new story arcs to take my new characters through in the AE (and people can knock it all they want but the fact is there are few 5-star dev created stories in the game, so there may be only a few stories in AE whose writing may blow someone away, but there are tons of stories as good as most of what is in the game).

Not to mention the numerous activities that are not related to running missions and beating up bad guys that can be engaged in.

This is the only MMO I've played where, after 125 alts, I don't lose interest in making a new alt because it means doing the same thing I've already done 100 times before.

That BrandX has the cutest in game avatar of all and all should be jealous!

<_<

>_>

What? It's true!

It is!

You can't say otherwise!

The tram has both an entrance and an exit. Do not confuse the two.

Add my voice to the ones saying "variety".

Variety in appearance and concept, both in terms of powerset flavour and costume creator, such that there's very little you can come up with that can't be translated into a character in the game (only really one other MMO rivals CoH for this, and it's debatable which one comes out top).

Variety in builds - the huge variety of classes, powerset choices, and then power choices within whatever you choose; and the sheer volume of time that can be spent on setting up builds, the different directions you can go without even changing the powersets much less the AT.

Variety in playstyle - solo, teaming, casual, minmaxing, farming, badging, raiding, etc. All viable ways to enjoy the game.


I probably wouldn't cite "community" personally, as while we do have a better quality community than many MMOs, I've played some that are pretty much on par with this one, and outside of the obviously awful examples (usually the bigger name MMOs), pretty much *every* MMO's forums reckon theirs is the best community on the net - as a result it doesn't tell an outsider as much when you tell them how awesome your community is, because they're hearing it from the other MMOs too.

For me it's definitely the variety in all areas that CoH is leading the pack on.

The community. I've been here for...how long has this game been around? I was there for the Mothership event in Beta. I was there when Burn Tankers were the rage.

I remember finding my first SG, my first band of friends and getting my first level 50, an Illusion/Kinetics. I remember Dumpster diving with them, farming hundreds of freaks and Fulcrum Shift buff bubbles scaling off the screen.

I remember coming back after City of Villains released and moving servers, finding new friends and old friends at the same time. I remember starting a global channel when it was introduced and funneling all my friends into there, and making so many more.

I've known people in this game longer than people I've known in real life. I've met my Fiance in this game, and we still play together.

I remember CuppaJo. I remember Lighthouse. I remember Ex Libris. I've never once been to any other MMO, any other game, and felt as home as I do in City of Heroes.

I remember the PvP leagues, and still can commiserate with old PvPers from the test ladders about the changes.

I remember a memorial we had after we found that a celebrated Server personality had passed away, everyone talking about how much fun we had playing with him, and the time everyone took to play together.

One day this MMO will probably shutdown. But I know that the community will be here til the day they unplug the last server.

That's what everyone should know about this game.

"It's instance-tastic!" <-- that's a major selling feature for me or something about how you feel like you're the star of the game because of how the arcs are written.

Aside from the fact that its THE super hero game, that its possible to log on, do a couple of quick missions and log off in under an hour is a big big factor for me.

This game is very casual friendly, if it wasn't I don't think I would be here.

I also think that when you are describing this game to people its important to tell them that the "real" content is in the different powerset combinations available to a player.

I have to echo the 'variety' theme but I would also say do not discount the power of the Forums.
I have often commented to people that of all the MMO's and games around, these forums are the most active, the most informative and the most visited and contributed to by the red names.
If I am having a break from the game I still visit here every day and I can guarantee after only a short time I will see/read something that will inspire me to get back ingame and join in again.

It has evil steam-powered brass ponies in it. And they're evil.

This gal and her friends are here to help when things get too tough to handle:


City of Heroes is the only MMO I am aware of that has an actual "difficulty slider".

The one thing people should know:

That when it comes to video games, I have the attention span of an ADHD kid hopped up on sugar and stuck in an elementary classroom on a bright and sunny day - and yet I have stayed with this game for 7+ years.


I am not playing CoX because of the theme... I read my first superhero comic book 7+ years ago.. which would be the comic book that came from my subscription to CoH.

I am playing CoX because it's fun, engaging, and surprising.

It's fun in the way I want it to be fun - which changes from play session to play session depending on my mood. It's solo fun, team fun, or league fun on any given day - including Sundays and Holidays. It's street sweeping, badge hunting, arc completion, or farming fun.

It's engaging because the writing is just that good. The stories are fantastic and they just keep getting better. Going Rogue - to me - has some of the most intriguing stories in the game. Each new release just builds on the world and the writing. I amvery excited to see what's next.

It's suprising because you just don't know what the developers are going to release next. From awesome new costumes to QoL thing we never thought we would get. The devs listen to our feedback and give us what they can when they can as well as stuff we didn't ask for!

Power customization? Yup... Reflections? Not only on windows, but costume pieces reflect as well.. how freakin' cool is that!? How many remember the story behind the Kill Skuls badge or the plaque at the substation next to the KR tram stop? Coyote?

All in all, City of Heroes is where the people playing the game are just as passionate about its future as the developers who create the game.

Hahaha I think it's great that no one can keep to just that one thing. But if it had to be summed up to that 'one thing' than it definitely would be the community.

It's what has had me stay in the game mostly for long time now.

I also wanna say that the community aspect of the game was taken into affect at great success by the development team since day one in Coh. Which after trying out a few other games makes me love the game that much more.

i dunno, saying that its a fun community to integrate into might work for some non-gamers, how many non gamer friends of mine are addicted to farmville? thats mostly community(sending stuff to friends looking at each other's farm). dunno. As for me, id say to a gamer or non gamer(and have) that the game lives on its customization. you can make a wide variety of looks and enjoy yourself.

Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.

Oh! Then tell them it's like Farmville with superpowers or Angry Birds that you can dress and color anyway you like!