Mission variety and replayability

[Archived Post]

I've been playing since open beta started and I'm enjoying the game a lot but I have one big criticism. Given how open the character design, costumes and powers, is and the wide variety of choices available to us, the game invites us to make alts. My problem is this: why would I want to make an alt (or seven :) ) and play them consistently if they're all basically going to be running the same missions each time? Don't get me wrong, I like the starting zone but doing it over and over the same way every time for each alt is a grind. Luckily it's not too long. Unfortunately from there you're given a choice of two crisis zones and it's the same situation in those zones too. WOW had 6 different starting zones with a few class specific quests scattered in when it launched. CoH has one pretty quick tutorial and then you get a choice of two starting zones with 5 possible quest lines in each depending on your hero's origin. I've got a couple CO heroes up in their mid teens now and each one is doing the exact same quests as the ones before in their given starting zone. I like the quests and think they're fun but 2nd time around? 3rd time? With no variation there's not a lot of motivation to roll up an alt and go at it again. There needs to be more variety or this game is going to get boring fast. I want to play this game to feel heroic, which I think they accomplish well, but when we're all doing the same comic book plot lines over and over it doesn't feel like MY story, just a story that they've stuck me in...

[Archived Post]

When WoW launched, even though they had various starting zones, if you look at the quests in each zone, they were all pretty much the same too. It wasn't until the Burning Crusade came out that the starting zones of the Blood Elves and Draenei became very interesting as starting zones.

I wouldn't worry too much about starting zones anyway, there's bound to be quite a bit of content coming out within the next year alone.

[Archived Post]

When WoW launched, even though they had various starting zones, if you look at the quests in each zone, they were all pretty much the same too. It wasn't until the Burning Crusade came out that the starting zones of the Blood Elves and Draenei became very interesting as starting zones.

I wouldn't worry too much about starting zones anyway, there's bound to be quite a bit of content coming out within the next year alone.

Pretty much the same isn't the same as identical. 3 different starting zones per faction, different lore for each race and a little additional lore for each class, and a bunch of higher level zones with a variety of terrains makes for some pleasing variations. It goes along way for repeatability. I'm certain that they'll be adding content in the near future but most games wouldn't have to focus on low level content as heavily as this game will need it.

[Archived Post]

I've been playing since open beta started and I'm enjoying the game a lot but I have one big criticism. Given how open the character design, costumes and powers, is and the wide variety of choices available to us, the game invites us to make alts. My problem is this: why would I want to make an alt (or seven :) ) and play them consistently if they're all basically going to be running the same missions each time? Don't get me wrong, I like the starting zone but doing it over and over the same way every time for each alt is a grind. Luckily it's not too long. Unfortunately from there you're given a choice of two crisis zones and it's the same situation in those zones too. WOW had 6 different starting zones with a few class specific quests scattered in when it launched. CoH has one pretty quick tutorial and then you get a choice of two starting zones with 5 possible quest lines in each depending on your hero's origin. I've got a couple CO heroes up in their mid teens now and each one is doing the exact same quests as the ones before in their given starting zone. I like the quests and think they're fun but 2nd time around? 3rd time? With no variation there's not a lot of motivation to roll up an alt and go at it again. There needs to be more variety or this game is going to get boring fast. I want to play this game to feel heroic, which I think they accomplish well, but when we're all doing the same comic book plot lines over and over it doesn't feel like MY story, just a story that they've stuck me in...

I'd have to agree. I loved playing Champions Online, but was actually quite frustrated at how long I had to remain in the Canadian crisis zone... and once I defeated what I THOUGHT was the final boss of the zone, I figured I would go to the next zone. No such luck. I was in the same zone, but with a slight alteration to the environment. Interesting, but it took far too long to actually leave the crisis zone. I rolled up another character, and sent her to the desert following the Qularr stuff. Different crisis zone, same issue.

As it is, I like changing zones/areas in the early game every five levels or so... but it might be nice if the two phases of the crisis zones were a bit different, perhaps different areas of the same zone, so it feels like forward progress is being made.

I've been playing City of Heroes for five years now, and love some of the new directions that Champions Online is taking, but there will need to be a lot more variety in the mission possibilities or players are going to end up bored really fast. Brokenbottle makes a really good point in mentioning the CoH mission possibilities based upon origin and starting zone... perhaps CO could take another look at ways to add more mission variety. Also, maybe a way to skip the tutorial section?

[Archived Post]

Brokenbottle makes a really good point in mentioning the CoH mission possibilities based upon origin and starting zone... perhaps CO could take another look at ways to add more mission variety. Also, maybe a way to skip the tutorial section?

Since there are so many power combinations it wouldn't be practical for them to create some individual content off of that. I was thinking that your crafting specialization kind of doubles for your origin in this game and there are only 9 choices, maybe they could use that for some mission differentiation like they did in CoH.

Seriously, that's what my criticism comes down to: with all the character customization options available, why are all the heroes in this game living the same lives? It's a waste of the customization and a let down after spending all that effort to create your hero just the way you want him/her.

[Archived Post]

All of this pours down to that more content at the lower levels would be good. I find it natural that there's not much content right now - the game haven't even started officially yet. But there will be more content.

But Cryptic, please don't forget the n00b levels when you add content. Don't just add endgame content, please.

[Archived Post]

Couldn't agree more. Specially for a game like CO where one of the big appeal is to create different characters. But once you've done the same content 7-8 times, you kinda get it.

I like switching characters from one day to another but since that would mean I get to repeat the same quests for 3-4 days in a row, that's a bit less appealing.

But yeah, content takes time to build. Back to my main hero for now.

[Archived Post]

All of this pours down to that more content at the lower levels would be good. I find it natural that there's not much content right now - the game haven't even started officially yet. But there will be more content.

But Cryptic, please don't forget the n00b levels when you add content. Don't just add endgame content, please.

Pretty much this, there's a distinct lack of content now, probably more so than in any other MMO I've seen. This is unsurprising given the amount of attention layered on other areas, but we do need some attention paid to starter zones to let all that attention pay off.

[Archived Post]

All of this pours down to that more content at the lower levels would be good. I find it natural that there's not much content right now - the game haven't even started officially yet. But there will be more content.

Yeah, there will be more content but not tomorrow at 10AM when the game opens officially. I just don't think that it will take long for people to get sick of the current opening levels.

I think this is an issue that will be exasperated by the leveling speed. I don't know about you, but it didn't take me long to get my hero into his mid teens. Maybe I found the magic configuration (Super Natural w/a ranked up venomous breath and super natural power is a big I Win button) but it's looking like it's going to be an express trip to lv40.

All of this just encourages multiple characters. Content, especially low level content, needs to be a high priority.

[Archived Post]

Ok, so the tutorial zone blows the 12th time through. Duh. Then you get into Canada and the Desert. Both areas have a TON of content. I love the viper stuff, the West world stuff, but hate the Giant Mutated Force using Space Frogs. There is a ton of different stuff out there, and I am just 26. Have you all seen the posts about the proposed new content? Ok, so the area I spend the least amount of time playing in is kinda bland. The areas that I spend most of the time in is awesome.

[Archived Post]

Pretty much this, there's a distinct lack of content now, probably more so than in any other MMO I've seen. This is unsurprising given the amount of attention layered on other areas, but we do need some attention paid to starter zones to let all that attention pay off.

Yeah, I feel like I'm playing an RPG parallel to a bunch of other people. I will say this: with all the customizations and crafting options, early travel powers, etc... they certainly have the foundation for something great in place. The content just doesn't sing. moving up to level 10 in the desert, I did the radiation vault at level 8ish like everyone else. I was shocked to see the EXACT SAME MAP used again when I was level 10ish when I was given the mission to kill Major what's his name in his lair in the spiral mesa. I don't mind recycling maps but since everyone who goes to the desert is going to see that map in the radiation vault, you'd think that they would have reused it later. Same goes later on when you enter the mine near the haunted town. AT the end of that instanced mission you get a quest that sends you to an irradiated gold mine. That mine is also instanced using the exact same map. Things like that just make the lack of content glaring. Add to that the linearity of the mission progression and that everyone runs that same progression each time they play and it just highlights a serious problem.

[Archived Post]

Ok, so the tutorial zone blows the 12th time through. Duh. Then you get into Canada and the Desert. Both areas have a TON of content. I love the viper stuff, the West world stuff, but hate the Giant Mutated Force using Space Frogs. There is a ton of different stuff out there, and I am just 26. Have you all seen the posts about the proposed new content? Ok, so the area I spend the least amount of time playing in is kinda bland. The areas that I spend most of the time in is awesome.

Roll another character and work him up to that same level. You'll probably be doing that exact same content. THAT is the main issue.