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Marvel's MMORPG should focus on...
retrospectic
Member UncommonPosts: 1,466
The Inhumans
The society which the Inhumans live in is perfect for an MMORPG. The mists which create each hero's powers would be great for a quest line to give your character his or her powers. The society which is 100% super heroes would also make much more sense than a bunch of superheroes being created on fake version of U.S. cities.
From Wikipedia:
Attilan's society and culture are predicated on a conformist belief system which permits individuality as it applies to genetic development and physical and mental ability, but demands rigid conformity in that each member of society is assigned a place within that society according to those abilities following exposure to the Terrigen Mist. Once assigned, no Inhuman, no matter how great or powerful, can change their place within this rigid caste system. [5] The Inhumans' culture also strictly prohibits miscegenation between Inhumans and other races.[citation needed] Although a member of the royal family, the Inhuman Crystal ignored this prohibition to wed the mutant Quicksilver [6].
The Inhumans are led by their king, Black Bolt, and his royal family, consisting of Medusa, Karnak, Gorgon, Triton, Crystal, Maximus the Mad, and the canine Lockjaw. Both Crystal and Medusa have been members of the Fantastic Four; Crystal has also been a member of the Avengers. Their city Attilan has frequently been relocated and, as of 2005 stories, rests in the oxygen-bearing Blue Area of the Moon.[7]
The once-secret existence of the race has come to light among the general public as the Inhumans interact more often with many of Earth's superheroes — including the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and the X-Men — whom they have aided against threats such as Doctor Doom[8] ,Galactus [9] , Ultron 7[10] , Magneto, and Apocalypse[11].
I think this would be a perfect world for an MMORPG to invest in. The society and idea of a caste system completely lends itself to the way in which most MMORPGs operate.
Comments
Even without using the Terrigen Mist, the Kree modifications, combined with centuries of selective breeding, have given all Inhumans certain advantages. Their average lifespan is 150 years and an Inhuman in good physical condition possesses strength, reaction time, speed, and endurance greater than the finest of human athletes. Karnak and other normal Inhumans who are in excellent physical shape can lift one ton and are physically slightly superior to the peak of normal human physical achievement. However, most Inhumans are used to living in a pollution-free, germ-free environment and have difficulty tolerating Earth's current level of air and water pollution for any length of time. Exposure to the Terrigen Mist can both enhance and in some cases reduce these physical capabilities.
This would also be a really cool idea for the first 10 or 15 levels of your character's growth. The entrance into the mist could be a risk vs. reward system. Perhaps no real way to control the outcome (which could be a tricky system to get users to try). A strong Inhuman could turn into an artist or craftsman and vice versa.
Doktar - 70 Troll Priest - Perenolde
I just wish more information was out there, this is one of my and my comic book geek buddies most anticipated games.
You ask for a "comic geek" and you receive one! lol me... Seriously though, I will be at the San Diego Comic-Con and will be talking to some of the Cryptic developers for the Marvel MMO. I will attempt to get as much info from them as possible. They(Marvel video games) are having their own panel this year. Im stoked for this one, CoX is a solid game and I feel that this is pretty much the sequel to it. If they get their questing system more advanced (ie, more dynamic and deeper than just grinding mobs) it could be one of the best MMORPGS on the market.
But to answer your question, I think Cryptic should first focus on what are they gonna do about main characters. Obviously most Marvel fans are going to want control over pre-existing characters. I heard that one "solution" was that players will create their own heroes and use them in common areas and zones. Pre-existing characters will then be used as teammates to complete instanced missions/quests/dungeons.
For my "wishlist" item.....
I think it would be cool to have pretty much every faction in the universe at some point. Such factions like The Sinister Syndicate or the Avengers could be joined by your PC once you "earned your stripes" with them and of course certain missions you do with them would be exclusive so that certain missions could be done while you are a member of that faction only. Of course factional PVP would be nice too. Getting "jumped out" of certain villian factions could be a mission of its own before going ronin or joining up with another faction. Its only an incremental evolution of what players are doing with CoX, so it may be easier for Cryptic to handle.
meh you guys really excited bout the marvel MMO seriously? Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 would be more exciting to me at least in that you get to really "Be" the superhero.
hope cryptic is really at the comic con. I will ask them when do they plan to hire some designer that knows how to add and subtract seeing as how their game is overrun with balance issues whereas one template >>>>> all others
in regards to the topic you can be a Mutant but I guess inhuman not a bad way to go
I loved MUA as well. I look forward to a sequel to that as well. I am honestly hopeful for Marvel Online as well as DC's offering, but even with Jim Lee working on the art, there isnt alot of info on their dev team.
So, you are going to Comic-Con too?
The reason I posted this was because I thought that the Inhuman society fit best with an MMORPG. When I played City of Heroes it did not feel genuine. There were human beings within the city, but every player was some sort of crazy pink or yellow guy named "The Stinker". In the Inhumans society everyone becomes a mutant when they go into the mist. This would make a society which having many mutants would be understood. Also, being able to earn your passage into the mists would be very cool especially if the system picked your powers rather than you creating them.
I say this knowing not many people would want to be forced to play what the game told them, but it would make much more sense in the Inhuman world to have to adapt to a power rather than customize it yourself.
Remember, Wolverine and Spiderman didn't pick their powers.
Doktar - 70 Troll Priest - Perenolde
I've always tended to like Image Comics mostly. also liked Dwayne Turners stuff (Fathom series). gonna be weird to see some of these artists in person
I really hope the game isn't like SW:G in the way it deals with lore. I hope that Spiderman isn't just standing in a city waiting for people to come and accept missions from him. Marvel has an opportunity to really make an outstanding game in terms of the massive scale and amount of lore the property has to deal with.
The whole idea of a super hero sort of goes against what usually makes an MMORPG successful. There is a real challenge in a world where gear isn't really that important to most of the characters. Spiderman has webbing, but he makes it himself.
I am really interested in way they deal with this game, and I hope they do it in a way that makes things understandable and interesting.
Doktar - 70 Troll Priest - Perenolde
The problem with COH is that its creators do not get what is special about comic books. During Beta, when I complained that "all there is to do in the game is fight," I was told by Statesman (the lead COH dev, now the lead of Marvel Online or whatever it'll be called) in a direct response on the forums, that "fighting is what comics are about." My answer to him then was, and remains, "If you think comic books are just about fighting then you don't understand comics."
Certainly, hero-villain combat is a central part of many comic book stories. But it's not the ONLY part. Superheroes have secret identities, non-combat skills, arch-enemies who hunt them, Achilles' heels like Kryptonite, and so on. Often the most powerful heroes, like Superman, are faced not with challenges that require brute force to solve, but rather, challenges that can NOT be solved by such force... they have to think or plan their way out of the situation instead. In COH, all there was to do was use brute force, and fight, at least when it launched.
Now, they have finally added things like bases and inventions, but it's too little too late. I'd like to believe Cryptic learned something from this experience, but I've seen no evidence that Statesman understands that comic books are not just "super fight sequences." Most of the non-combat elements they added were done because "other MMOs do it and players expect it of an MMO" -- rather than because they finally realize that a world of supers should not be JUST about combat. States has given us no reason to believe he has changed his mind at all on this... so I am not that hopeful.
But we shall see.
C
how bout this guys how many supers would it take for us to fight the planet eater, Galatucus?
Would be awesome to see the marvel universe get created like in the old comics! how Galatucus was there since begining of time (if memory serves me correctly). well begining of marvel
yeah gonna be weird waling up to spidey and getting missions lol
they can have uber missions where you have to fight Magneto and his goons
Iceman would be sick. If you can be an iceman type and create the ice bridges to travel on!
I wonder if it will be strictly class based or we have freedom to choose powers? I suppose if they force us into archetypes its okay. There s gonna be a bunch of spidey noobs though you just know it. whereas you can wall crawl and shoot webs lol. that would be aweosme to see all the web swingers just swinging around the city
will be sweet to see the Fnatastic Four and do the Inhuman missions
The asgard lands would be cool
or how bout this- join Professor X and get trained at the mansion!
or the Avengers. Captain America still alive in the universe right?
or be a villain but not sure how they can work in villians
I played a Pen and Paper superhero game with a few friends. Although we did fight a villian and his goons throughout the game the most memorable parts involved figuring out puzzles and the overarching mystery that was behind the story. Most of these puzzles involved clever use of our skills and knowledge to infiltrate and acquire knowledge about a villians organization. I remember only one or two fight sequences, but mostly how we decided to stop the villians without punching them. Plus, if I remember correctly, the main villian couldn't even be hurt directly due to his power (which was something like power absorbtion and redistribution aka if you shoot a laser at him he eats it and fires it back).
Basically this could never be turned into an MMORPG because almost 100% of MMORPG is fight for reward. I would love to see some mystery and required use of knowledge of the lore you've been exposed to while playing. Here's hoping.
Doktar - 70 Troll Priest - Perenolde
yeah i share your concerns all the way bro
It certainly could be turned into an MMORPG... you just have to do it right. For example, in COH right now, in some warehouse missions, you are invading the base of the villains who use the warehouse for operations. As you walk past certain doors, there are security cameras. It would not be hard to make those attackable, and able to see you. If you are "seen", you would trigger an attack by some of the spawns in the warehouse, and "alert" the base. This might bump the "con" of everyone up 1 notch to indicate they are "ready" for you or something. If you manage to take out the sensors without being seen (or stealth by them) you would fight unprepared/weaker enemies (i.e. you get to "surprise" them).
That is just ONE example of how a superhero game could have, and should have, been different. There are thousands of others I could choose. But I don't buy that it "can't be done." The problem is that the designers didn't want to invest their energy in that, when it was easier to just build a simple spawning system and spawn stuff for us to fight.
C
i am interested in seeing how the powers and character creations will work. I really hope its not the same holy trinity that we see in every game.
I think it would be really cool if the game "picked" your powers for you. I would love to see a game do something like the "bartle test" to determine your powers/class.
it would be an interesting experiment at least.
I think one fundamental problem with making a Marvel MMORPG is that not many MMORPG mainstays are going to integrate into a superhero game.
There are more. I will post them later.
Doktar - 70 Troll Priest - Perenolde
I would LOVE a game which gave you your powers. It would feel like more of a superhero test than just WoW with capes and tights. The whole superhero drama is partially about learning to live with what has happened to you. Only a select few in the marvel world have chosen the path, and most of them aren't "super" in the same way as Spiderman. We'll see.
Doktar - 70 Troll Priest - Perenolde
Interesting concept, but for a Marvel MMORPG to have mainstream appeal, it'll have to be based in NYC since the NY tristate area is home to virtually every iconic Marvel character: Spidey, Daredevil, Fantastic Four, The Avengers, X-Men, Dr. Strange, Avengers, etc. They can't get too wrapped up in the Marvel mythology that only us hardcore comic book fanboys care about. When you read those silver age Marvel comics, NYC is just as much a character in those books as the heroes are. If they can capture that feel, that'd be great. I think the big challenge for Cryptic will be to create a realistic, virtual NYC. I hope they can pull it off.
I also hope this is a true MMORPG and players must create original characters rathers than playing pre-existing characters from the Marvel Universe. That's been done and redone way too often in plenty of arcade and console titles. How cool would a game be if you're battling villains on a midtown skyscraper and Spidey randomly swings by, or you get called in because the Hulk is smashing up South Street Seaport? Morlocks living in sewers and abandoned subway tunnels? This has the potential to be bad ass if done correctly.
I don't think they'll need to create a lot of convoluted lore as to WHY there's 1000s of superhuman types overcrowding one place. Sure, it's not the most feasible scenario, but if the game is done well enough, most people won't have an issue with this.
was that pnp villians and vigilanties(sp?) by chance? that one was great. man, so much fun with that game. was too many games to play back then though. i think we started playing TMNT not long after that, and i gave up my hero for a mutant killer whale. heh. .. and then came call of cthulu..
but yea, been having this love/hate relationship with coX for a long time now. i think its just that one thing that keeps me coming back for a month here and there... the flying. but thats about it. it was fun for awhile, but its just too mindless. and limiting.
would be nice if marvel was skill based over level based, with maybe some sort of structure to it. maybe, at early stages you are sort of free-form. and then at a certain point, maybe through a quest line or after you reach a certain milestone, you are given some choice that helps to awaken your innate ability. maybe this would be where you could implement your idea about the 'random' factor. players could choose to guide their powers down a certain path, or maybe go through some sort of trial that shaped their power based on choices they made/have made in the past. this way people cou ld either work toward a specific character they had in mind, or sort of go with the flow and play the cards they were delt. ( would still have to give them a way out if they ended up with something they really didnt want or something, like some way to mutate their powers towards another path).
then throw in skill trees or something, one tied to their base power set, and one maybe more universal , similar to the pool powers of coX, that let them round out their characters with more mundane abilities.
i dunno, i just hope that whatever they do, they do something DIFFERENT than the rest of the ncsoft/cryptic line of games. ie, put the story and the meaning first and get that really solid, and then make the gameplay compelling and not so mindless.
i really do hope its not just a rehash of cox but with trademark heroes
I've always tended to like Image Comics mostly. also liked Dwayne Turners stuff (Fathom series). gonna be weird to see some of these artists in person
If you see a guy dressed up as Zaphod from Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy, stop him and say hi! That guy would be me! Its a great thing to be able to shake hands with your favorite artists/writers and talk about the comics. Im looking forward to talking with Marc Silvestri and Michael Turner if he is there. Jim Lee, will be worth talking to, especially about the DCU online game.
I played a Pen and Paper superhero game with a few friends. Although we did fight a villian and his goons throughout the game the most memorable parts involved figuring out puzzles and the overarching mystery that was behind the story. Most of these puzzles involved clever use of our skills and knowledge to infiltrate and acquire knowledge about a villians organization. I remember only one or two fight sequences, but mostly how we decided to stop the villians without punching them. Plus, if I remember correctly, the main villian couldn't even be hurt directly due to his power (which was something like power absorbtion and redistribution aka if you shoot a laser at him he eats it and fires it back).
Basically this could never be turned into an MMORPG because almost 100% of MMORPG is fight for reward. I would love to see some mystery and required use of knowledge of the lore you've been exposed to while playing. Here's hoping.
Its a shame more people dont play Pencil and Paper RPGs. They will always be better in that format than in digital format, due to the endless imagination of some of their players and GM's. But I totally agree with you. More missions which need guile/ Con skills, Diplomacy, Stealth, that sorta thing. Combat is a huge part of the comics, but the backstories behind the characters are just as important.
How bout missions that allow you to create and protect your heroes' / villans' secret identity? Or diplomacy missions with human goverments to gain society acceptance to set up a base in a town, for example???
that's an accurate list there guy. yeah they have the trinity: mage, tank, priest