[MUD-Dev] CoH (was: MMORPG Cancellations: The sky is falling?)

[Scott Macmillan]

Sean Howard wrote:

> At least gear gives you a collectable aspect. Sure the "Mythril
> Chainmail of Heebeejeebs" keeps the status quo at a higher level
> than the "Cardboard Box of Plaid", but the metaphor given to the
> equipment makes you feel like you are getting something out of
> it. In most MMORPGs, your visual look changes to make you look
> more armored and bad ass.

>>From my time playing it, the appeal I find in this system is that it
is simple (I don't have to hit the fansites to figure out what my
current equipment does, and what I need to get next), and that I
-don't- have to worry about it being a commodity.  It has the same
effect as an equipment system would in DAoC or EQ, except that it's
been streamlined down to the essentials.  This keeps with CoH's
extremely focused design (getting out there and kicking villains
around with a minimum of fuss).

> When you hear about City of Heroes, you always hear about the
> character creation system, and the
> flying/jumping/speeding/superhero-motion, because that's the only
> thing the game has going for it, those things aren't even part of
> the gameplay in any meaningful way.

I disagree.  The fact that the gameplay has near-immediate
gratification, and that you can play the game in 15 minute chunks is
an extremely important gameplay related USP.  These things are
realized by a polished combat system, a streamlined enhancement
system, and a level design that lets you get right into whuppin'
some bad guys.

IMO, Cryptic managed to keep focused to deliver a relatively
"shallow" but extremely rewarding game.  It allows non-hardcore
players to enjoy it without the frustration of having to take part
in 9-hour raids.  I am assuming from what I have read, they are
endeavoring to now make the game "deeper".  The alternative would
have been to try to jam that depth in at the start, and probably do
a mediocre job of it.  Given the realities of finite resources and
time, I'm glad they polished a lower number of features, instead of
half-assing a bunch.

As a note, I'm curious if the people reported to come right back to
EQ and DAoC from CoH are hardcore or casual MMO players.  My hunch
is that most of them are the more hardcore types.  Can CoH do well
with a game that may not appeal to the hardcore?  I don't know.  I'm
interested in seeing if their updates and expansions address the
concerns on depth, and if they do it fast enough for CoH to not lose
too many people.

(Sean - just got your latest email, but I don't have time to
refactor this one to take it into account!)

Scott Macmillan
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