Those going or are in CO
By
Another_Fan,
Posted on: 2012-09-23 14:49 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
It's a lot harder to figure out that. They are all kinda pretty and strong, so I need more time to find out which is the prettiest and strongest of all.
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Yeah, that's kind of Champions' attitude, and it's more than a little off-putting. For as goofy as City of Heroes could be, one of its strongest aspects was the ability to take normally preposterous ideas entirely seriously, because the fictional universe took itself seriously. When you exist in a grounded reality, even your goofier ideas become more grounded just by virtue of environment. Not if you actively aim for a joke character, obviously, but if you want to take a purple bunny girl seriously, City of Heroes will provide.|
Originally Posted by Scythus
Actually it does work, because no one takes emo people seriously. Except maybe other emo people.
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I've always found that how a character comes off depends less on how the character is written and more on the reactions of those around him. If the fictional world takes me seriously, I feel confident to try more unusual story. If the fictional world treats everything as a joke, it makes me not even want to try.
Consider this example: It's like trying to explain your City of Heroes character backstories to someone who thinks video games are for kids. Yeah, he might be polite enough to listen to you without interrupting, but at the end of the day, are you really going to want to come back and tell this person stories time and time again?
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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Sam, I finished a particularly egregious story arc over there last week and thought to myself "Good Lord, Sam Tow would absolutely HATE this thing!" |
Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
Yeah, that's kind of Champions' attitude, and it's more than a little off-putting. For as goofy as City of Heroes could be, one of its strongest aspects was the ability to take normally preposterous ideas entirely seriously, because the fictional universe took itself seriously. When you exist in a grounded reality, even your goofier ideas become more grounded just by virtue of environment. Not if you actively aim for a joke character, obviously, but if you want to take a purple bunny girl seriously, City of Heroes will provide.
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It was the sort of pop culture in-joke storyline I usually like and you really hate, but it was so poorly handed that even I couldn't stand it. Basically a ripoff of the movie Anchorman, but so heavy handed, with character dialog that beat you over the head yelling "DO YOU GET IT!!! DO YOU GET OUR FUNNY JOKE YET!!!"
Some of the writing over there is alright, but in overall it is weak to unbearable. As much as I've carried on here about the weakness of our "old content", the worst writing in CoH would rate 'average or better' were it transposed to CO.
The Nethergoat Archive: all my memories, all my characters, all my thoughts on CoH...eventually.
My City Was Gone
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The problem is, this is how the rest of the world, especially the Real World, sees people who are unnecessarily angsty:|
Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
Yeah, that's kind of Champions' attitude, and it's more than a little off-putting. For as goofy as City of Heroes could be, one of its strongest aspects was the ability to take normally preposterous ideas entirely seriously, because the fictional universe took itself seriously. When you exist in a grounded reality, even your goofier ideas become more grounded just by virtue of environment. Not if you actively aim for a joke character, obviously, but if you want to take a purple bunny girl seriously, City of Heroes will provide.
I've always found that how a character comes off depends less on how the character is written and more on the reactions of those around him. If the fictional world takes me seriously, I feel confident to try more unusual story. If the fictional world treats everything as a joke, it makes me not even want to try. |
Unless you surround yourself with people who are also angsty, miserable, emo gits, chances are you'll just be called a whiner, a crybaby and told to get "over it."
Believe me. I know. Being bipolar, I know. It's one of the reasons I don't socialize anymore because no one gives a **** about my problems. So likewise, I don't really see how anyone would ever give a **** about the problems of your characters. In Real Life, if superheroes were real (humor me, I know it's a stretch), they'd be seen as the whiners of the superheroing community, regardless of how many good deeds they've done.
It'd be like: "Did you see that emo punkass Sam Tow whine about his tragic past on that CNN interview last night? What a crybaby."
Gathered, CO, being one thinly veiled joke after another might be worse, but unless everyone else in the world was a whiny ******* that wallowed in agony, I doubt anyone in any other universe would take your characters seriously.
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| Consider this example: It's like trying to explain your City of Heroes character backstories to someone who thinks video games are for kids. Yeah, he might be polite enough to listen to you without interrupting, but at the end of the day, are you really going to want to come back and tell this person stories time and time again? |
I have played COX off and on since issue 4. I took a year off for CO and DCUO, about 6 months for each game, and returned for incarnates. Ultimately neither game compares to COX but they do allow me to play the only MMO theme I am interested in. For me, it is about being a super hero, not an elven wizard.
I have already resubbed in CO. The only thing I find it truly lacking in is teaming. 99% of the content is easily soloable and you just don't see people joining together for the joy of teaming. DCUO has the same issue (along with many many others).
The thing is, CO has changed a lot since release. My old 40s are all gimp now requiring total retcon (which is thankfully free). The crafting system has totally changed along with the old stores. Suddenly the game is new again for me and likely to hold my attention for another 6 months at least, more if teams become more evident. I even have a slight hope that increased revenue from COX refugees might lead cryptic to reinvest in the game. COX closing might even allow them to bring some of the ideas cryptic left behind when they licenced the engine out to paragon studios:. Like I said it is a slight hope. At the very least it gives me something to do while waiting for marvel to launch an MMO
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The Foxbat mission where you go into the news station to save the anchorman? I was told by someone else that it was a reference to the Anchorman movie, but I wouldn't've known it otherwise since I managed to avoid that movie. I always enjoy doing that mission, though. |
Originally Posted by Nethergoat
It was the sort of pop culture in-joke storyline I usually like and you really hate, but it was so poorly handed that even I couldn't stand it. Basically a ripoff of the movie Anchorman, but so heavy handed, with character dialog that beat you over the head yelling "DO YOU GET IT!!! DO YOU GET OUR FUNNY JOKE YET!!!"
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Goodbye may seem forever
Farewell is like the end
But in my heart's the memory
And there you'll always be
-- The Fox and the Hound
Spoilers ahead!
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Yeah, I facepalmed through the rescue of the cast of Anchorman. That was the worst part, names aside it literally was the cast of Anchorman. Between that, rescuing the cast of Lost, the recent mission where I re-enacted the plot of the first Persona game, and something like half the characters being ripoffs of other characters, I was missing the maturity of the City storylines.|
Originally Posted by Nethergoat
Sam, I finished a particularly egregious story arc over there last week and thought to myself "Good Lord, Sam Tow would absolutely HATE this thing!"
It was the sort of pop culture in-joke storyline I usually like and you really hate, but it was so poorly handed that even I couldn't stand it. Basically a ripoff of the movie Anchorman, but so heavy handed, with character dialog that beat you over the head yelling "DO YOU GET IT!!! DO YOU GET OUR FUNNY JOKE YET!!!" Some of the writing over there is alright, but in overall it is weak to unbearable. As much as I've carried on here about the weakness of our "old content", the worst writing in CoH would rate 'average or better' were it transposed to CO. |
And yet...
The fridge logic of Hi-Pan busting out the rival gang leaders, just to have his demon prince smite them all in front of their troops was Nemesis-level clever. I just wished it wasn't done by yet another blatant Big Trouble In Little China ripoff.
And it took a bit of thought for me to realize just who's giving me these missions. Not some guy in civilian clothing, its a Superhero FBI Agent with a Monster Truck, its a plucky news reporter, its the Chief of Police of Millenium City himself. Its a nice touch that makes you feel like a classic superhero.
And only once have I run in too late to do anything but cleanup, and that mission was pretty much the setup for the Canadian adventures. I'm not greeted by piles of bodies or a poor transformation victim I have to put out of their misery. The only dead guys are the ghosts and zombies. Nobody dies. Its all Silver Age tomfoolery, and coming after SSA 1 and Dark Astoria... its a nice change of pace. I just wish they had more originality in their characters and a clue system.
Blood Widow Ricki * Tide Shifter * T-34 * Opposite Reaction * Shaolin Midnight * ChernobylCheerleader
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Yea it's afunny mish. |
Originally Posted by Tenzhi
The Foxbat mission where you go into the news station to save the anchorman? I was told by someone else that it was a reference to the Anchorman movie, but I wouldn't've known it otherwise since I managed to avoid that movie. I always enjoy doing that mission, though.
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IMO:
But I think many missions in CO is written a bit more serious tha COX. I mean it's hard to take serious that some magic tossing villain group is about the take over the world when the first couple of missions are something like, visiting 5 phones around a zone, or retrieving another book off the bookshelf of CoT for Azuria and the likes. And Villian side where you are suppose to be evil and the most evil thing in the arc is to destroy a few school books. Most of the time what is considered a tough battle is by throwing in a bunch of ambushes.
In CO, especially in something like the Resistance pack, it gives an air that the alternate world you trying to save is really in danger with all the Megadestroids running around and the things you have to do to save it.
I mean on CO, Aftershock, The resistance, and the Demonhame packs seem to be a little serious if not ot right dark, especially the Demonhame (might got the name a little twisted).
With that said, I still think COX overall have better written storylines, especially the later content. Some of the early content is no better if not worse than the average CO stroylines.
Both games have it's ups and downs and both to me are enjoyable. I dont pay too much attention to the artwork or not, as that is not even a deal breaker for me. But I do like the travel system and combat method in CO better. And also like not having to travel across some over sized map after every mish between contacts/missions sometimes just to deliver an item or talk to some random contact in person like in COX.
While COX dont feel like a grind fest as much as many MMOs, CO is a lot closer to casual player type game than COX is to me. In CO for most of the content, even the good stuff, a team is not even required. In COX, to get to the meat of the Trials/TFs, you have to form a team.
I think CO have better variety of NPC character personality. In COH seems like everyone is just some self righteous ***** that send you off to do the dirty work. In COV, never got why villians needed contacts. That to me did not feel very super villain like but more like, you are a mere free-agent for Arachnos and you will do the tough jobs to further our cause, outside the patron arc at the end. Felt more like a minion than an actual super villian that is trying to build an evil empire or wreak pure chaos.
-Female Player-
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Originally Posted by mauk2
Evil_Legacy became one of my favorite posters with two words.
"Kick Rocks." I laffed so hard.  Never change, E_L! |
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Yep, the golden rule definetely applies to going fast. I've got an odd rear factory tire size and BFGoodrich quit making that rear tire so its either go back to the 1st gen GYF1 tires (absolutely craptacular) or drop some coin on new rims and get the Michelins I really want... sigh... 3600.00 bucks later that is.
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Originally Posted by KnightOwl
One of the nice things for me about video games as a hobby is that they're comparatively inexpensive.
About a year ago, I bought a car (for me, a high performance car) and was introduced to the world of the performance/car modding enthusiast, and wow, that stuff gets expensive quick -- even cosmetic or minor modifcations (like wheels/tires, exhaust) add up quickly, and "high end" mods like forced induction systems and the subsequent tuning required, get prohibitively expensive really quick. |
------->"Sic Semper Tyrannis"<-------
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I can see how it would scan better if you had no idea what they were incessantly beating you over the head with.
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Originally Posted by Tenzhi
The Foxbat mission where you go into the news station to save the anchorman? I was told by someone else that it was a reference to the Anchorman movie, but I wouldn't've known it otherwise since I managed to avoid that movie. I always enjoy doing that mission, though.
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The Nethergoat Archive: all my memories, all my characters, all my thoughts on CoH...eventually.
My City Was Gone
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Originally Posted by Nethergoat
I can see how it would scan better if you had no idea what they were incessantly beating you over the head with.
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Yes. I agree with this.
Elsegame: Champions Online: @BellaStrega ||| Battle.net: Ashleigh#1834 ||| Bioware Social Network: BellaStrega ||| EA Origin: Bella_Strega ||| Steam: BellaStrega ||| The first Guild Wars: Kali Magdalene ||| The Secret World: BelleStarr (Arcadia)
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You're a horrible person and you should feel bad.
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Originally Posted by Tenzhi
I was told by someone else that it was a reference to the Anchorman movie, but I wouldn't've known it otherwise since I managed to avoid that movie.
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Ok, so I figured out Anchorman is a movie from the convo, but what the hell is it about?
-Female Player-
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Originally Posted by mauk2
Evil_Legacy became one of my favorite posters with two words.
"Kick Rocks." I laffed so hard. Never change, E_L! |
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Originally Posted by Evil_Legacy
Ok, so I figured out Anchorman is a movie from the convo, but what the hell is it about?
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To me - I learned to enjoy CO in the same way that I enjoy Batman: Brave and the Bold or Teen Titans.
I prefer a more grounded and serious take on the whole superhero thing but I do kinda get burned by the Nolanesque(TM) version of comics. I didn't even see the last Batman movie because I just don't need to feel that gritty.
So the Anchroman skit would be very insulting in CoH but in CO where I'm feeling more of classic Superfriends rather than Justice League: Unlimited, it kinda works. I just decided to play my mains in the same vein.
When I want my characters to be dark, gloomy, serious, and gritty, I've rolled them in the Secret World too.
E.
A'KO SMASH!!!
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hmm a Will Ferrell movie. Is it funny?
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Originally Posted by Xzero45
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-Female Player-
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Originally Posted by mauk2
Evil_Legacy became one of my favorite posters with two words.
"Kick Rocks." I laffed so hard. Never change, E_L! |
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A terrible movie whose trailers alone are enough to demonstrate why it shouldn't even exist. Ferrell demonstrated he really can act in Stranger Than Fiction, but pretty much the rest of his career is a giant case of Money, Dear Boy.
| Ok, so I figured out Anchorman is a movie from the convo, but what the hell is it about? |
Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"
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That's the same way I feel about Will Ferrell, and thus why I avoided that movie. |
Originally Posted by Xzero45
You're a horrible person and you should feel bad.
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Goodbye may seem forever
Farewell is like the end
But in my heart's the memory
And there you'll always be
-- The Fox and the Hound
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Originally Posted by Venture
A terrible movie whose trailers alone are enough to demonstrate why it shouldn't even exist. Ferrell demonstrated he really can act in Stranger Than Fiction, but pretty much the rest of his career is a giant case of Money, Dear Boy.
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Yea some of his movies are a little...stupid and not funny.
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Originally Posted by Venture
A terrible movie whose trailers alone are enough to demonstrate why it shouldn't even exist. Ferrell demonstrated he really can act in Stranger Than Fiction, but pretty much the rest of his career is a giant case of Money, Dear Boy.
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-Female Player-
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Originally Posted by mauk2
Evil_Legacy became one of my favorite posters with two words.
"Kick Rocks." I laffed so hard. Never change, E_L! |
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Originally Posted by Nethergoat
It was the sort of pop culture in-joke storyline I usually like and you really hate, but it was so poorly handed that even I couldn't stand it. Basically a ripoff of the movie Anchorman, but so heavy handed, with character dialog that beat you over the head yelling "DO YOU GET IT!!! DO YOU GET OUR FUNNY JOKE YET!!!"
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Originally Posted by Tenzhi
The Foxbat mission where you go into the news station to save the anchorman? I was told by someone else that it was a reference to the Anchorman movie, but I wouldn't've known it otherwise since I managed to avoid that movie. I always enjoy doing that mission, though.
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The whole game feels like someone poking me in the ribs and going "Laugh! Laugh! It's funny! Laugh!" And it's not funny. It's just grating.
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Originally Posted by Scythus
Unless you surround yourself with people who are also angsty, miserable, emo gits, chances are you'll just be called a whiner, a crybaby and told to get "over it."
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The game itself always treated my characters with respect and seriousness. OK, ALMOST always. But at the end of the day, I always felt that City of Heroes took me seriously, because it took itself seriously. It's always felt like home, because I've never felt unwelcome.
If what you're describing is your impression of people, I think you need new friends. And I don't mean that as a disparaging comment, I've been there. I've lost contact with pretty much all my old friends from school and university just because I got sick and tired of having to put up a face lest I be ridiculed for playing games or enjoying weirder stories. I've ended up without too many real life friends at this point, but the ones who remain are the kind of people I know I can trust. I can tell them about my Tale of Two Hearts, I can tell them about my sexy succubus demon, I can tell them about Sam Tow (the character) and his frankly emo backstory and know for a fact that they'll take me seriously and be supportive.
That's what it comes down to. City of Heroes was a supportive game. Champions is a heckling game. My fragile psyche and wounded heart works much better in the former.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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Honestly I don't think you're doing yourself any favors by describing your storytelling as "emo", simply because of the (rightfully) negative connotations of that word.
What you're looking for is Pathos,I.e. emotional appeal. CoH allowed you to make heroes that projected any sort of emotion. There were silver age groups to feel pride and heroism, modern age groups to show responsibility and teamwork, school-based groups to represent growth and change. Whatever emotion or theme you wanted to play, you could find.
CO on the other hand, is a one key piano. Sure the key is played well, and every part of the game is tailor-made to improve that one key. The graphics ooze silver age, the dialog ooze silver age, everything is factored into that one key, which is why the game falls short to everything who was used to CoH's variety of playstyles.
Emos having nothing to do with it.
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Fair enough, and a good description. I think a better word to use for my writing is "melodramatic," as I try to inject weight and backstory into everything I touch. You said it quite well that City of Heroes allowed me to project a variety of feelings. Champions just doesn't seem as accommodating. The people are accommodating, I should say, but the game's fictional universe just isn't. It's best suited to campy hero who doesn't take himself too seriously, and "take himself too seriously" describes 2/3 of my character roster. Well, "him" or "her." Or "it."
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Originally Posted by Vyver
What you're looking for is Pathos,I.e. emotional appeal. CoH allowed you to make heroes that projected any sort of emotion. There were silver age groups to feel pride and heroism, modern age groups to show responsibility and teamwork, school-based groups to represent growth and change. Whatever emotion or theme you wanted to play, you could find.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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Venture and Tenzhi hate it, so that's proof enough it's funny.
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Originally Posted by Evil_Legacy
hmm a Will Ferrell movie. Is it funny?
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I'm having a BLAST in CO, i'm @traegusprime over there (really???? who took traegus? that's just not right) forum name photonhammer. i don't mind the slightly campy/goofy feel, i can appreciate that as much as the darker, more 90's style CoX. i LOVE the freeform concept, it may not have every option you want in it (they could definitely use more power sets.... ALWAYS MORE POWERSETS) but the freedom of building a toon like that is intoxicating. CO isn't perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but it definitely scratches that itch that the lack of CoX will cause.
i recommend CO, i really do. but like has been previously stated, it's its own thing, don't go in comparing the two, just enjoy it for what it is. and i love the fact that everything is NEW, controls, game mechanics, fighting style, etc... it is the only piece of CoX you could never get back no matter what they added to the game, the newness of when you first started playing and everything was amazing. enjoy that for CO while you can, and appreciate the unique qualities of the game, i am and have no regrets.
and MOST IMPORTANTLY PEOPLE... the one and only Mr. Playskool posted on the first page of this thread.... THE MR. PLAYSKOOL, what the fracken heck is fracken wrong with you people????? if he is playing CO why has no one asked the obvious????? this is almost unforgivable. so, Mr. Playskool, over in CO, what's Strong and Pretty?
(i love the freeform stuff, but i started an AT as i my first toon, an Impulse, the Impulse is truly strong and pretty imho, i recommend it highly).
Oh yeah, that was the time that girl got her whatchamacallit stuck in that guys dooblickitz and then what his name did that thing with the lizards and it cleared right up.
screw your joke, i want "FREEM"