The New York Comic Con was, as one would expect, overflowing with comic book fans, making it the ideal place to show off Champions Online. There was even a live-action Defender walking around the booth, enticing people to come take a look at the gameplay demo. We got the chance to speak with Design Director Bill Roper about numerous topics, from character customization to the creative nemesis system. And while I was highly impressed with numerous aspects of the game, such as the physics system that will lend itself to some interesting quests, the somewhat repetitive nature of the Monster Island demo didn't completely pull me in to the world or show off all the game has to offer. Regardless, Cryptic is obviously listening to its fans in beta, as shown through a recent UI revamp to make character creation less confusing, so hopefully the game will be a polished machine for launch.

As I said, Roper began his demonstration by showing us Monster Island and the character Tinker, a heroic gadgeteer. Tinker did look amazingly customized, wearing all sorts of Steampunk-like gadgets as she ran around the cell-shaded area. Roper explained there aren't really classes in the game; instead, you can base your character around a theme, such as fire or ice. "You can pretty much make any hero you can think of," he said. You can either completely embrace a theme or mix-and-match different powers to create a unique hero. "The character costuming system is amazingly robust," he said, noting the costume creation for City of Heroes was the base level for Champions Online. I'm certainly a fan of character customization, so I'm definitely looking forward to this aspect of the game.

While he again emphasized there's really not classes in Champions Online, Roper did say you can build a character with a concept in mind, such as a tank, by selecting specific powers during the character creation process. When asked if you'd be stuck in that role for the life of the character or if you'll be able to change abilities later on, Roper said, "You're probably going to want to make a different character if it's that radical a switch."

This conversation led directly into the concept of roles, which, for lack of a better analogy, gives you the opportunity to become a mediocre version of a second class for a certain amount of time. He gave the example of a tank-like Colossus dropping on the field and the DPS Wolverine switching to become a secondary tank for the rest of the fight. Another example would be a damage dealer having some secondary healing abilities, items or gear to fill in for the group's main healer in a pinch. "Where it tends to get used a lot is making it so one guy dropping doesn't mean auto-wipe," Roper said.

I do like the idea of avoiding an auto-wipe through the use of secondary powers or items, but part of me wonders if this is almost too much to choose from when you first begin your character. Roper told us the only time you're forced into decisions with your character is very early on when you choose your basic fighting ability, your basic defense power and your travel power. But from talking with him at Comic Con, it would seem you really need to have an idea of your character's concept from day one, including your secondary roles. I have no doubt the character creation options will be impressive (you can even pick where force beams will emanate from your character), but some players may get frustrated with their heroes if they don’t choose their favorite path from the beginning. Sure, those of us with "alt-itis" will be happy to create numerous characters, but others may not be as willing to experiment.

On the other hand, Roper did say they just rolled out a UI revamp to make character creation less confusing. Prior to the update, Roper compared the creation screen to a "power soup" where it was difficult to select which abilities you want. Now the powers are categorized by theme, such as defensive powers and ice powers. We weren't able to see the new UI at the convention, but even a small change such as this may alleviate my concerns regarding choosing a direction for your character.

Getting back to the Monster Island demo, Roper showed us Tinker's powers, including a ray gun, attack toys and a bow and arrow. The toys looked like miniature robots and their details were quite impressive. Once released, they would run to the enemy and start attacking while Tinker generally stayed back and performed ranged attacks. Honestly, I was impressed with the toys and attacks, but it seemed as though Tinker was using the same handful of abilities on every fight. Hopefully players will be able to switch up abilities a bit in fights as they gain more powers through the customization options.

Although the demo seemed a bit repetitive to me, Roper did show us you'll be able to charge up your attacks to make them more powerful, which adds a welcome dimension to battles that should be taken into account. "There is a lot of strategy involved. It's definitely not just button mashing," he said. Also, the game is designed so you're running around as you fight. Moving does not interrupt your powers, which helps keep the action constant.

As far as cooldowns are concerned, it all depends on the ability. Also, different power themes have various ways to build up energy to use these abilities. Every character has a small attack, such as a ray gun, to build up energy when you're a lower level character. Once you level a bit, you'll focus on other ways to gain energy. For example, a fire-based hero could gain energy every time he sets something on fire. This seems like an interesting variation on the MP bars of most fantasy games.

Roper then switched topics to items. He showed us that boosts, or temporary bonuses, can drop off enemies and explained that resources are used as currency. He said different heroes would use currency in different ways (Tony Stark would want cash, while other heroes could care less about money), so they wanted to keep resources generic to match all play styles and keep them open to the players' interpretations. He said one type of resource is evidence, which they have big plans for in the future. For example, you may be able to find pieces of rare evidence, such as maps, and put them together to start a rare mission. This would be a cool way to get heroes in the investigative spirit, but Roper said not to expect it at launch.

He also said items don't have to be physical devices. A training pod for martial arts, a tome of spells and a Kevlar vest can be examples of items. "We want players to be able to really play around and do what they want," Roper said, noting a mutant may not want to wear the Kevlar vest since it doesn't fit their character's personality. As with the currency example, I'm glad the development team is taking "roleplayers" into account so the game makes sense in its comic setting.

Roper then happened to kick a coconut, which rolled across the ground. This led him to discuss the physics-based system in Champions Online, which I can't wait to see implemented in the game. He gave the example of Foxbat, a comic book fan who became a villain, dropping a ton of ping pong balls on the street. If your character steps on the balls, you'll fall, so you'll have to fly or find another way around them. This added sense of realism is quite impressive and could lend itself to some interesting quests.

Last, but certainly not least, Roper talked to us about building your own nemesis. Basically you'll design your master enemy, including his or her looks, powers, demeanor and minions. You won't be worrying about your nemesis when you first enter Champions Online. It's something that you'll build up to as you level up and gain notoriety in the game, and you'll ultimately start interacting with your nemesis through special missions. "We want the nemesis to be a real challenge," Roper said, noting he or she should be the most difficult enemy you face solo in the game. You won't be able to have complete control over the selection of your nemesis' powers, which will keep players from abusing the system and creating a weak enemy.

Overall, Champions Online is full of some great ideas, but I don't feel the Comic Con demo really touched on any of them. I would have loved to see more of the character creation process or a high-level character fighting his or her nemesis, but instead it was simply a run through Monster Island. It honestly didn't contain the excitement I would have liked to see at such a huge comic convention. With that being said, I am looking forward to playing more of the game as we get closer to launch and seeing how the game ultimately fits into the library of comic MMOs players will soon have to choose from on store shelves.

Darryl "Togikagi" Gangloff
News Reporter
Allakhazam.com