Hi to you CoH people. I've never even opened this forum tab so I don't know how many of you guys there are but I'm hoping I'll recognize a few faces. Anyway, when my exams are over I have an extended summur holiday and I will be looking for a new game to play. Currently I play GW but I've also played WoW and enjoyed that very much. But I'm a little bored of fantasy and would like some futuristic fun.

I know basically nothing about CoH, now I understand the normal way to find out would be to go on the main site. But I feel it is better to get my info straight from the horses mouth (e.g. the players :) ). So, if you don't mind, I've got a few questions to ask:

1) Would it be possible to make my avatar in CoH, I mean his powers and his skin? (for more info on him see the spoiler tags)
[spoiler]HERO NAME: Lunarman

IDENTITY NAME: Graham Rexor

HERO TYPE: Energy X origins, powers passed down through father's energy X gene

ORIGIN: Graham Rexor was the child of Mentor and Sandra Rexor. Sandra Rexor was a ufologist in the state of West Virginia but she claimed she was an alien herself. Graham Rexor was born with weak control over gravity so Man-bot blessed him with extra Energy-X increasing his power many-fold. At an early age Graham learned of his father's past career as a superhero and was inspired to become a defender of peace himself. Soon he went into full time training with Minuteman and Mentor and adopted the name Lunarman. In his time at the DOD Lunarman defended Earth many times. After the third defeat of Time Master, Blackout discovered a device hidden deep within the celestial clock. The device was a dimensional transporter and when activated Lunarman, Ice Angel, Blackout and Flash Lass were thrown into another world. Whilst dimension hopping Lunarman discovered various versions of himself, some were almost identical, others were completely different. From the main 5 dimensions Lunarman found that he lived in the third, in the 1st dimension lived a weapon wielding Lunarman. 1st dimension Lunarman had the ability to create weapons/armour made out of moonlight and the brighter the moon was the stronger those weapons were. 2nd Dimension and 1st Dimension Lunarman fought together against the Domain many times over the course of thier lifetimes.

POWERS: Lunarman can create weapons out of moonlight. Similar to green lantern except he can only create weapons and armor, such as swords, axes , shield and full body armor. Lunarman's weapon creating abilities are strongest when the moon is full when he can create full suit of armor out of moonlight which dramatically boost his strength and speed.









[/spoiler]

2) Is the skinning done via a built in program or photoshop?
3) Is the meshing done via a built in program or photoshop?
4) Can it be compared to WoW or GW? What's the core gameplay like?
5) Can you play most of the game solo/with npcs instead of other players?
6) Are there guilds and such?
7) Do they do a 10 day trial?
8) How much does it cost, initial and monthly?
9) Are there any things in CoH you feel are really great/really bad?
10) Why do you play CoH?

And anything else you can think of that might persuade me to buy it

Thankyou very much for your time

Lunarman

Hi Lunar,

I'll try to answer as many of your questions as I can.

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1) Would it be possible to make my avatar in CoH, I mean his powers and his skin?

I think you can come very close to the costume.  You will literally be amazed at the amount of costume options available in the game.  As far as powers, I think you can get very close to that as well.  You won't be able to switch up weapons like your bio says, but I think he would come very close to your concept as a Katana Scrapper.

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2) Is the skinning done via a built in program or photoshop?

The skinning is all done in-game through a Costume Creator.  Again, you have to see it to believe how many options there are.

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3) Is the meshing done via a built in program or photoshop?

The meshing is done in-game as well.  You have alot of flexibility here as well.  You have 3 main body styles (Female, Male, and Male Huge (may be called Gigantic, but I can't remember)).  You also have sliders that can adjust specific areas of the body, like leg length, chest thickness, waist size, etc.

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4) Can it be compared to WoW or GW? What's the core gameplay like?

This is one of the questions I can't answer as I haven't played WoW or GW.  The gameplay, for me, is more attractive because you can jump into the game and start running missions right away instead of having to buy a bunch of gear or looking for a team.  Don't get me wrong though, teaming can be a very big part of the game, but when you only have an hour to play, you can still get alot accomplished in CoH/V.

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5) Can you play most of the game solo/with npcs instead of other players?

This kind of goes back to my answer to the previous question (no, I didn't read ahead).  I have a couple characters that have pretty much solo'ed their entire career, and they haven't had any troubles with it.  There are some character classes that excel in solo, while others are more support classes and get a LOT of benefit from teaming, but even those (with a little patience) are quite able to run solo.  The game is extremely flexible in this way.

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6) Are there guilds and such?

Yes, they are called Super Groups (or Villain Groups in CoV).  The Freedom Reborn community has several active Super/Villain Groups all more than willing to get new recruits.  For a complete (as complete as I can get) list, go here ----> Active Super/Villain Group List

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7) Do they do a 10 day trial?

No.  They have a 14 day trial  ;)

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8) How much does it cost, initial and monthly?

$15/month if you pay monthly.  They offer discounts if you purchase 3, 6 or 12 month blocks of time.  You can also pick up Game Time Cards good for 2 months of play for $30 if you don't want to use a credit card.

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9) Are there any things in CoH you feel are really great/really bad?

There are a lot of things that I feel are really great in CoH.  I have tons of memories of great moments on good teams, and also some bad memories of bad teams.  The first time I flew around the city taking in the skyline, it was just one of those "Oh COOL!!" experiences.  I've been playing since the game launched in 2004, so I've got more memories than I can mention here.

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10) Why do you play CoH?

Now I play because I'm completely and utterly addicted.  Yes, its just that damn good.

As far as what else I can say to make you want to buy it...

The FR community.  Its second to none in helping new players get up to speed and showing you the ropes.  There are a LOT of people from here who play the game and a LOT of forum avatars in the game.  With that many people from all over the world playing, there is almost always someone from here on no matter what time of day to help you out.

If you do get into the game, you can add friends through the Global Chat system. When you add a Global Friend, you can see if they are online no matter what server they are on.  Which reminds me, most of us play on the Freedom server, so that would be a good place to start if you get into the game.

Just thought I'd mention this thread for some examples of costumes

1) Would it be possible to make my avatar in CoH, I mean his powers and his skin?

Sort of... You could make him able to summon a single weapon, such as a sword of an axe, and give him invlunerability or something to simulate armor... or maybe ice armor... You could probably get pretty close to his appearance, too.

2) Is the skinning done via a built in program or photoshop?

It's not "skinning" in the same sense as FF skinning. You choose between 3 basic models, then choose among amny, many options for the details. You can choose differnt masks, faces, helmets, shirts, pants, emlblems, gloves, etc., etc., and then choose colors for each part. The possibilities are a lot greater than theat makes it sound. Costume creation is the single thing this game is best known for. It wouldn't really be possible to do FF-style skinnning in a MMORPG- when a large group of characters happened to be together at once, they'd all have to download each other's skins in order to see each other.

3) Is the meshing done via a built in program or photoshop?

From the player point of view, there isn't really the same distinction between "meshes" and "skins" in this game that there is in FF. You choose things like helmets and cuffed boots at the same time you choose their appearance. For many options, you can choose different patterns, as well.

4) Can it be compared to WoW or GW? What's the core gameplay like?

I've never played either game- this is the only MMORPG I've ever played. Basically, you get missions from contacts and fight bad guys. Of course, there's more to it than that, but that's the most basic way to describe it.

5) Can you play most of the game solo/with npcs instead of other players?

You can solo the whole game, if you want- depending on your build, that may not be easy, though.

6) Are there guilds and such? There are super groups, which basically take the role I understand "guilds" take in other games. They have their own bases, too... There's even a "Freedom Reborn" super grop, on the Freedom server. Most of us have characters who are members of that.

7) Do they do a 10 day trial?

Currently, they have a "refferal" system, where players can give 10-day trials to non-players, and if the latter end up subscribing, the player gets a free month. They sometimes offer 14-day free trials for special occasions, too.

8) How much does it cost, initial and monthly?

I'm not sure what the current cost of the game is. You pay a $15 monthly fee, but if you also have City of Villains, you still only pay $15 for both games.

9) Are there any things in CoH you feel are really great/really bad?

Well, I tend to have a somewhat unusual play style, and most of the things I really dislike don't bother some of the other players so much... As far as really great, well, there are a bunch of things... Don't actually have time to describe them right now. Maybe I'll come back and edit this later...

10) Why do you play CoH?

1: It's fun being able to play alongside people I've known for years on these boards.
2: I love coming up with new character concepts.
3: It's a lot of fun playing hero and beating up the bad guys.
4: I like the fact that the game keeps changing and expanding (even though I don't always like the changes/additions). I always want to see what's coming next.

Those are probably the main reasons...

I've been playing for almost 4 months now and I'm loving every minute of it.

-MJB

It is a lot of fun. I'm coming up an 3 years of play (brought in by the original gang) and i'm not bored yet. There are lots of folks to play with from the comunity. Try a 14 day trial and if you like it 9and I bet you do) sign up!
:direwolf

Time cards: The cards have been consolidated into the NCSoft Card, which is $15 and much more readily available than the 2-month.

I would suggest getting CoH/V as well, even though I'm currently inactive. It's loads of fun, you can't beat teaming with the folks from this board, and, as an extra added bonus, if you're lucky.........



you get to see Spud die. Alot. :D

You can Buy the GVE edition of COX for only 19.99 at the  Mart of Wal.

In there you get a free 30 day time card.... so you're only paying 5 bucks  for the game its self, and you get the  nifty bonuses.

Quote from: B A D on May 10, 2007, 06:41:13 AM
You can Buy the GVE edition of COX for only 19.99 at the  Mart of Wal.

In there you get a free 30 day time card.... so you're only paying 5 bucks  for the game its self, and you get the  nifty bonuses.

And you get both CoH and CoV in one box!

Spud is sending me a buddy key so I'm downloading the client atm. Is it server based like WOW (as in people on different servers can't interact) or like GW where everyone can meet everyone?

Its server based.  People on different servers can talk to one another through the Global Chat system, but that's all.  To see anyone in game you have to be on the same server.

We're mostly on Freedom server, with small contingents on Champion and Virtue. Probably best to stick to Freedom at first.

I'll sign up on freedom then. I hope to be up and running by tomorrow night. My friend (with a fast internet than moi is downloading the client now) I've made an account too. I'm looking forward to it :)

I don't know you, but I'll take a stab at answering anyway :)

1) You have some fairly impressive character creation options when creating the 'look' of your character. The Powers can offer a lot of diversity as well. I seriously have spent hours creating characters just because it was that much fun. It sure beats the hell out of the generic WOW looks, and the fairly ugly SOE character generators.

2) I'm not sure what you mean by skins, I'll assume how it looks in play? The only issue I've noticed is that sometimes the same color selections for different parts of the body can look slightly different in color. And capes can do some weird things too, nothing 'critical' or that ruins the look, just annoying on a petty level ;)

3) not sure what you mean by meshing.

4) I think  WOW has more depth to it than COH, but they both have remarkable and distinctive 'flavor'. I spend way more time in WOW, but honestly I think that is because so many of my friends are there too. I used to be in a world ranked raiding guild, I hit HWL, I did about everything worth doing.. and got bored with it. COH I feel much more inclined to stop and smell the roses, or go make a stupid alt just for the sake of enjoying a new look and power set. I maintain both accts and play both games. I do get burned out on WOW though, but have yet to get burned out on COH. Does that help any?

5) You can solo all the way if you want. it's boring as hell though. my main is a storm/rad defender and I solo with him way more often than not. it's slower pace, and more suited to those days when you may need to stop a mission for a nap. I suggest grouping though, or ideally playing with friends. That's the best for any MMO though :)

6-8) others have answered those better than I would have :D

9) I have yet to run out of "COOL!" moments. The first time I used a flight power I thought I had become god. The game never fails to deliver moments of grace and awe.

10) Because in my heart of hearts, I want to have super powers :) I love the game, I love the content. I've made some great friends. I'm not a regular enough player to have made many bonds yet in FF, but the times I have shared with FF's have been tremendous fun. I love the sense of community here. I hope that when the day comes that I hit 50 (Prelate has to be the very last original active pre-launch beta head start account main character to NOT be 50!!) that I will have more opportunity to do stuff with people, but never fear.. in the meantime I'll be making my lvl 3 alts like no tomorrow <3

Be certain to post your global chat handle so yer mates can remind you to empty the dust bin, wash behind yer ears, and, oh yes, watch out for that band of Hellions!  Mine is @Bunburyist, and other community member chat handles can be found here.

:)

ow_tiobe_sb
Phantom Bunburyist and The Prat in the Hat

Quote from: ThePrelate on May 10, 2007, 12:32:34 PM5) You can solo all the way if you want. it's boring as hell though. my main is a storm/rad defender and I solo with him way more often than not. it's slower pace, and more suited to those days when you may need to stop a mission for a nap. I suggest grouping though, or ideally playing with friends. That's the best for any MMO though :)

Heh... I think your problem is that you're trying to solo a defender. It's a lot more fun with a scrapper...

(Actually, in my opinion, soloing works better whith any other AT than it does with a defender, even a controller...)

And the "skinning" and "meshing" comments in Lunarman's post reffered to the way you create the look of your character in  :ff: and  :ffvstr: . The concepts don't really translate well to CoH, unless you're part of the team of artists actually creating content for the game.

Quote from: Alaric on May 10, 2007, 01:00:57 PMHeh... I think your problem is that you're trying to solo a defender. It's a lot more fun with a scrapper...

And the "skinning" and "meshing" comments in Lunarman's post reffered to the way you create the look of your character in  :ff: and  :ffvstr: . The concepts don't really translate well to CoH, unless you're part of the team of artists actually creating content for the game.

yeah.. I've been told my choice in soloing content is worse than a bus full of nuns on a sunday drive.

but man I love that character so much  :banghead:

I love soloing, it can be lots of fun with the right toon. That said, I'd advise you to group for the first little while, as it's easier to learn the game around other people.

I didn;t realize the size of the client and so there was no way of transfering it from my friends computer to mine. Therefore I'm now downloading it on my own comp.

It's downloading in the CoH updater but slowly (14.7 k/sec arrg). Aparently it will take 48 hours. Do you know if you can close the updater to pause the download and later resume were you left off?

Thankyou

I look forward to seeing you in-game, Lunarman!  I do think you will be amazed at the costume options, and believe you'll come quite close to your avatar (I'm almost 100% certain there's a crescent-moon chest emblem).

The content is vast and will keep any newbie engaged for a looong time.  You also enter at a time when everyone is a newbie as far as Inventions go, so that's pretty cool.  I must ditto what everyone has said about the FR community: it's a good reflection of what you see here on the boards, with lively chatter about the game and someone always willing to help out a fellow Reborner in need. 

Drawbacks? Hmm...not really anything too bothersome, IMHO.  The game definitely can have performance issues (lagginess, random disconnects, etc.).  The better equipped your computer (and connection), the lesser these problems tend to be, but do expect burps every so often.  Otherwise, the game is really a blast.

Good luck, amigo, and make sure you get your global handle posted ASAP!

EC

Quote from: Lunarman on May 11, 2007, 09:22:42 AM
I didn;t realize the size of the client and so there was no way of transfering it from my friends computer to mine. Therefore I'm now downloading it on my own comp.

It's downloading in the CoH updater but slowly (14.7 k/sec arrg). Aparently it will take 48 hours. Do you know if you can close the updater to pause the download and later resume were you left off?

Thankyou

Yes; if you stop the download and re-start it, it should continue from where it left off.

Heh... You think 14.7 k/sec is slow... You should try MY connection...

It took me several days to download the latest minor update... (admittedly, for a minor update, it was pretty big, and for some reason the download speed was slower than usual...)

Just a few little starter notes for ya:

Your global chat handle, which will be how we identify you in the FR channel, is initially based of off your first character's name, so make it Lunarman (if you can get the name *crosses fingers*) and it will be that.  Now you can change it, but ONLY ONCE EVER.  So if you were messing around and made someone else first you can change it to lunarman but dont mess up cuz its one global handle change ever.  period. wait there was another period after that period, well you get the idea.

As for making Lunarman, please note that the developers essentially take ownership of any character created in the game.  This has been re-evaluated and re-interpreted on these and the official forums, but there is still some legalese in the terms of service that the dev own all intellectual property in the game.  So if you were planning on have a lunarman comic or cartoon someday there could be legal ramifications from having made the character.  Recently most have argued that this is not actually the case as previously thought, so i wouldnt worry too much.

Above all dont be shy in chat (sometimes it gets real quiet but folks are out there) and since CoH has a great system to allow low levels play with high levels (called Sidekicking) dont feel like you cant come play with the big kids just cuz you are only level 1.  And have fun out there.

Hey Lunar, my global chat handle is @figurefan88

I'm usually on the Freedom server as either Hypno-phibian or Figure Fan. I hope to see you in-game!

Don't worry Camma, I'm never quiet. I spend most of my time talking, lol.

The download's almost done!!! 2 hours :)

OH NO! City if Heroes has turned into City of Hell!

This is what's happened. I downloaded the updater which then proceeded to download the client. 10 hours later it did this updating thing and then got stuck. I was presented with a pop-up message saying it couldn't write a file becuase I didn't have enough room or my permissions weren't correct. Thing is the drive I'm saving it too has 150gb left and can hold individual files up to 4gb in size. CoH was nowhere near that.

Anyway I'll try again on my HD instead of external. The annoying thing is my trial key has started already and every day I spend setting up loses my time. Anyway. thanks for hearing out my rant ;).


--------EDIT


ARRRGG Now I've redownloaded the updater and it won't even connect, lol

Quote from: Lunarman on May 12, 2007, 09:33:42 AM
OH NO! City if Heroes has turned into City of Hell!

This is what's happened. I downloaded the updater which then proceeded to download the client. 10 hours later it did this updating thing and then got stuck. I was presented with a pop-up message saying it couldn't write a file becuase I didn't have enough room or my permissions weren't correct. Thing is the drive I'm saving it too has 150gb left and can hold individual files up to 4gb in size. CoH was nowhere near that.

Anyway I'll try again on my HD instead of external. The annoying thing is my trial key has started already and every day I spend setting up loses my time. Anyway. thanks for hearing out my rant ;).


--------EDIT


ARRRGG Now I've redownloaded the updater and it won't even connect, lol

I'm wondering if the problem could have something to do with you initially downloading the thing on someone else's computer, then trying to re-download it on your own.

In any case, if I were you, I'd go to the PlayNC support center (click here) and try to contact support with your problem. They may be able to help.

YEAH!
Well it worked on my C drive and I've just been ingame making Lunarman. I've come pretty close to what I want, which is great! I changed the graphics settings and quit but when I log on again I'll learn how to play.

I'm be contacting you!


my global chat handle is @Lunarman

Did you actually get the name  Lunarman?

yep I did!k

I have a quick question.
Do you get a third power pool? Atm lunarman can take powers from Broadsword and Defense (and inherent but everyone gets those). He's also supposed to shoot weak lasers. Or at least have some pitiful ranged potential. Does something like this become avaible. The problem is, most of the chars I think-up are versitile. For example: melee and area attacks, melee flying and weak ranged.
Also, what is the secondary mutation thing mutants get later on?

Thankyou

Lunarman