Marvel Goes MMPORG

aren't they going to run out of characters? by rmarquis · 2002-09-19 23:49 · Score: 2, Funny

How long before all the cool characters are used, and you're relegated to Mr. Furious and The Shoveler?

Re:aren't they going to run out of characters? by ites · 2002-09-20 00:19 · Score: 1

The solution is blindingly obvious
to any /. reader...
Create a Beowulf Cluster of your Favourite Characters!!!
(Sorry, could not help myself.)

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Sig for sale or rent. One previous user. Inquire within.
Re:aren't they going to run out of characters? by Kierthos · 2002-09-20 00:30 · Score: 1

No, the real solution is wait until City of Heroes comes out, and make your own damn characters instead of arguing over everyone else's interpretation of Spider-Man/the Hulk/Daredevil/whoever.

Kierthos

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Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
Re:aren't they going to run out of characters? by FeloniousPunk · 2002-09-20 00:40 · Score: 2, Interesting

Yeah, but you know that 90% of the player base is going to rip off comic book heroes, that there'll be hundreds each of Spiderman, Hulk, etc. and the Comic Book Guys will still be at each others' throats about how faithful their characters are to the ones they're based on.

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I know this because Tyler knows this.
Re:aren't they going to run out of characters? by Golias · 2002-09-20 00:59 · Score: 1

Oooo. Can I be the Comic Book Guy? That would be way cooler than playing the Hulk.

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Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
Re:aren't they going to run out of characters? by Kierthos · 2002-09-20 01:01 · Score: 1

Assuming that I have gotten tired of Dark Age of Camelot by then, I actually plan on buying City of Heroes and seeing what orignal* characters I can make. I already have a couple different ideas, but I'll have to see if the character creation engine and the costume design can support them. (And oh god, I am hoping that they at least put trenchcoats and capes in the game.)

*In this connotation, original is defined as not being deliberately based upon comic book characters I am aware of. If, through happenstance, I happen to greatly mimic a comic book character that I am unaware of (such as a great deal of independent comic characters, and most of the DC lineup outside of the Batman titles), I am not trying to "rip off" or "copy" this character.

Kierthos

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Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
Re:aren't they going to run out of characters? by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 01:45 · Score: 0

I'll buy it, too. I so want to create a character based on The Brown Dandy!
Re:aren't they going to run out of characters? by captainstupid · 2002-09-20 04:27 · Score: 2, Insightful

Whoa, hold on there tiger lilly...

Mr. Furious and The Shoveler are two of the most interesting, unique, and sure as hell funny comic characters ever created. Not only that, but the actors who played there characters in the movie could actually act! (take note toby maguire)

Just because they don't actually have any super-powers doesn't mean their not cool. Although I don't think any normal person could throw cutlery like the "limey fork flinger" Blue Raja. That's quite impressive.

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"Anyway, long story short... is a phrase whose origins are complicated and rambling...." - Abraham Simpson
Re:aren't they going to run out of characters? by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 06:47 · Score: 0

Just because they don't actually have any super-powers

Claiming that Mr. Furious doesn't have any super-powers makes me very, very angry...
Re:aren't they going to run out of characters? by JudgeFurious · 2002-09-20 08:55 · Score: 1

Mr Furious is my hero man and he's got a "super power" which he clearly demonstrated at the end of Mystery Men. Granted it's not on parr with Superman or The Hulk but he did get super angry and he did in fact kick the bad guys ass. Plus, on a smaller scale he completely went ballistic on Frankenstien's corvette earlier in the movie.

You can question the usefulness of his super power but you can't deny it's existence!

Remember: When you doubt your powers you give power to your doubts!

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Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.
Re:aren't they going to run out of characters? by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 08:58 · Score: 0

How can the first comment posted be redundant? Do you understand what redundant means?
Re:aren't they going to run out of characters? by TrevorTheIncredible · 2002-09-21 03:17 · Score: 1

I think the obvious and most important problem with the idea of being "relegated" to using Mr. Furious and The Shoveler as FC's is that they're not Marvel Characters! They're Bob Burden/Flaming Carrot characters and anyway, The Shovelor Rocks!! He has l33t shoveling $killZ!! UT!!!!

Character limit? by Spazholio · 2002-09-19 23:49 · Score: 5, Interesting

I've been a Marvel fan for quite some time, and am well aware that there are many charaters in there, however, that number is quite finite. Once people snatch up all the pre-existing characters, how do they plan on having anyone else play? Make up your own character? Give them whatever powers you choose? Maybe have 1,836 people ALL playing Spider-Man (not to mention all the irritating Venom/Carnage/clone divergents)? Sounds like an interesting idea, I'm all for anything that brings comics to the forefront, and dispels the notion that they're ONLY for children. Hope they can pull it off.

Re:Character limit? by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-19 23:55 · Score: 0

Good site, thanx. i did not realise there were so many!
Re:Character limit? by vjmurphy · 2002-09-20 00:03 · Score: 5, Funny

And does Marvel really want the typical MMORPG attracted to this game playing Spider-Man et al? Nothing like having your flagship characters spouting things like "fag" or "u r gay" to other characters.

I would bet that only GMs would get to play any named characters to avoid such problems. Of course, that would pretty much make the game worthless. Who wants to play Color-Excreter Lad when you really want to play Black Panther?

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Vincent J. Murphy
Spandex Justice
Re:Character limit? by 1nhuman · 2002-09-20 00:05 · Score: 1

Ha! Evil Villian! Your spam-ass link is stopped dead in it's tracks with my Opera's cool F12 plasma beam!

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The glass is half-full. With poison. And there are cracks in the glass. The dirty, dirty glass.
Re:Character limit? by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 00:19 · Score: 0

Truly a marvel, your link.
Re:Character limit? by Bilestoad · 2002-09-20 00:19 · Score: 4, Insightful

Did you play "Freedom Force"? There was a wealth of abilities and attributes for creating your own character. Running out of Marvel identities shouldn't be too much of a problem, in fact I wouldn't be letting random players have Marvel characters at all, but I would have all the big names as NPCs or hire people to play them as staff - kind of like walking into Disneyland and there's a guy in a Mickey Mouse suit, if you know what I mean.

Or, auction the Marvel characters, or compete for the right to play them. You could use a ladder system like Bungie did for Myth online, top player of the month gets to pick a Marvel character first, and so on.
Re:Character limit? by shut_up_man · 2002-09-20 00:37 · Score: 4, Interesting

These are the same problems Sony & Lucasarts are going to have with Star Wars Galaxies. What stops people from ALL becoming Dark Jedi called Darth l33t with double-ended red lightsabers? I'd expect Marvel start players as fairly weak heroes and allow them to improve their powers and run factions (superhero groups) up to the point where the highest level players might be in the realm of the X-Men, Alpha Flight, etc. If they want to be Spider-Man, yay... they'll just suck compared to the real thing. Sony have also indicated in Galaxies that heroes like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo will make the very very rare appearance, but will be impossible to kill, to prevent lame stuff. Of course, that didn't quite happen with Lord British on UO...
Re:Character limit? by Zathrus · 2002-09-20 00:51 · Score: 4, Insightful

What stops people from ALL becoming Dark Jedi called Darth l33t with double-ended red lightsabers

Presuming that there's interdependance on other PCs, then people will discover quickly that role-playing an "evil" character is no different from being an asshole. And in MMORPGs most assholes don't make it because they get a rep and can't advance by themselves.

So while there may be a preponderance of dark jedi (although I think SOE claimed they would be "limiting" the number of people playing Jedi somehow), they'll virtually all wind up being really nice guys, just like Dark Elves did in EQ.

Of course, as a reformed EQ addict, I can't implore people enough to stay away from EQ or SW:G or pretty much anything else like it. There are people who can balance something addictive like a MMORPG and real life, but most geeks don't fall into that category -- goal-oriented, highly focused personalities tend to get sucked in to this kind of thing, especially since it fulfills a social interaction need often not found elsewhere in geek life.

Of course, I appear to have replace the EQ addiction with a somewhat lesser /. addiction...
Re:Character limit? by EvilAlien · 2002-09-20 01:11 · Score: 2

Its going to be just like UO and Evercrack. You start as a useless little "hero" wannabe with barely noticable powers, and in order to succeed, you need to quit your job (or just not show up, like a former coworker did until he go fired for... not showing up) and/or setup some scripts so your hero can fish/knit all day to develop skills. Then you script repeated selling behavior of the fish or knitted products so you can raise money to build your secret lab, hideout, or whatever.
Its a revolution in gaming! Systematic boredom, but with superpowers! w00t!

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perl -e 'print $i=pack(c5, (41*2), sqrt(7056), (unpack(c,H)-2), oct(115), 10)'
Re:Character limit? by cheeseSource · 2002-09-20 02:01 · Score: 1

It would be better if Marvel worked with other comic companies like DC and Dark Horse. The more characters and diversity the better. Batman versus Lobo, that would be interesting...Lobo would win though...

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(Sponsored by cheeseSource for President 2012)
Re:Character limit? by RoboOp · 2002-09-20 02:04 · Score: 1

Sony have also indicated in Galaxies that heroes like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo will make the very very rare appearance, but will be impossible to kill, to prevent lame stuff.

If you can't kill Jar-Jar, what's the point in participating?

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"First you get the Linux, then you get the power, THEN you get the women"
Re:Character limit? by artemis67 · 2002-09-20 02:09 · Score: 4, Funny

Will there be a nuclear power plant near by? Radioactive fallout from a nuclear accident should be good enough to generate a few hundred thousand Silver Age heroes.

Or, maybe a hole in the ozone layer allows the city to be bathed by those mysterious Cosmic Rays(tm).
Re:Character limit? by Kintanon · 2002-09-20 02:32 · Score: 2

That must have been some good shit you were smoking this morning... It's got you believing all KINDS of crazy stuff. Lobo would get soundly thrashed by The Dark Knight.

Kintanon

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Check out JoshJitsu.info for Brazilian Ji
Re:Character limit? by thomas.galvin · 2002-09-20 02:53 · Score: 1

Isn't Lobo already a DC character?

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Thomas Galvin
Re:Character limit? by Herkum01 · 2002-09-20 03:08 · Score: 2, Funny

It would be like "The Tick" in Capital City. There are no villians, because there too many superhero's. Everyone will just hangout at disco clubs, arguing over who is the real "Spider Man" or who the real "Hulk" is. Every once in a while two super hero's with the same name will break out in a fight with the winner being the true *superhero name here*.
Re:Character limit? by Fred+IV · 2002-09-20 03:14 · Score: 1

Isn't Lobo already a DC character?

Yes, and he would destroy Batman, no sweat. I recall Lobo fighting after having limbs torn off and being riddled with hundreds of bullet holes....gonna take more than a psycho with a utility belt to beat Lobo.
Re:Character limit? by Syncdata · 2002-09-20 04:25 · Score: 1

You're probably going to want to turn down your speakers when playing this game. All you're going to here is endless repetitions of *Thwip!* *Snikt!* *Thwip* *Snikt* *Snikt* perforated only by the occasional "Puny Humans!"

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"Inattention makes clowns of us all" -Bean
Re:Character limit? by Lemmy+Caution · 2002-09-20 04:33 · Score: 2

I think I would be happy playing Regular Guy. His amazing ability: he can send a memo. During times of duress, he'll write a letter to the editor!
Re:Character limit? by Buck2 · 2002-09-20 04:41 · Score: 1

He looks like he basically already won here .

Follow the versus Batman link.

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As my father lik@(munch munch)... ....
Re:Character limit? by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 09:00 · Score: 0

-1 redundant
Re:Character limit? by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 09:22 · Score: 1, Insightful

"..then people will discover quickly that role-playing an "evil" character is no different from being an asshole."

That's because this game won't be a roleplaying game.

EverQuest is not a roleplaying game.

Roleplaying != "OMG I GET UBAR ARMOR N LEVLZ N EXPIRIENZ AND WIN DA GAME!"

Hell, let's go back in the day. These games seem to take a lot from UO, if not everything from muds (EverQuest raped the default Merc/Envy socials.)..

UO is not a roleplaying game. How could it be? When they ban an account of a player who killed Lord British, instead of keeping the game going with a dead Lord?

Roleplaying? Most of the people who think they're 'roleplayers' wouldn't know roleplaying if it bit them in the ass, kicked them in the groin, and then stole their shoes.
Re:Character limit? by Erasmus+Darwin · 2002-09-20 10:46 · Score: 2

"Presuming that there's interdependance on other PCs, then people will discover quickly that role-playing an "evil" character is no different from being an asshole."
Yes, but you're assuming the stereotypical notion of evil (similar to D&D's 'Chaotic Evil'), rather than the more interesting types of evil expressed in both Marvel comics and Star Wars.
For example, in the recent X-men movie, the bad guys weren't fighting others out of greed. Rather, they felt it was their only means of survival. Now I'll admit that they had distorted, extremist views, but they honestly did believe that what they were doing was the only way to ensure that they live, "by any means necessary".
Similarly, "evil" in Star Wars generally implies alignment with the Empire -- an organization attempting to bring law, order, and control to the galaxy via military means. At the end of the day, they merely want to make the trains run on time.
Re:Character limit? by Zork+the+Almighty · 2002-09-20 12:40 · Score: 3, Funny

This game will end up just like "The Tick", with thousands of superheroes, all with useless abilities. Me, I'm SlugMan, oh no ! Salt ! AARRGGHH....

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In Soviet America the banks rob you!
Re:Character limit? by TheLostOne · 2002-09-20 16:25 · Score: 1

Previously I've always been against the idea of SWG but now that you mention this I'm thinking there is a 'Dork Camp 1' somewhere out there with jedis camping Jar-Jars relitives waiting for the named spawn...

maybe I need to play afterall :)

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'..that kernel panicked like a nun in a crack house!'

You can already do this! by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-19 23:50 · Score: 3, Informative

Try freedom force -- www.myfreedomforce.com!

What the hell... by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-19 23:51 · Score: 0

Has Marvel's decision to make an MMORPG got to do with the Mary Magdalene Project?

will it.. by odyrithm · 2002-09-19 23:51 · Score: 0

support linux? linux could really do with a good MMPORG.

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moo

Re:will it.. by odyrithm · 2002-09-19 23:59 · Score: 0

oh and its not your dads fault your to stupid to understand or use linux.

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moo
Re:will it.. by Jacer · 2002-09-20 01:01 · Score: 2

i hate it when people troll to, trying to make themselves feel better it IS your dad's fault YOU'RE TOO stupid to understand.

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--fetch daddy's blue fright wig, i must be handsome when i release my rage
Re:will it.. by Jacer · 2002-09-20 01:04 · Score: 1

and god damn, you're such a karma whore! did you think that you'd get modded up just because you mentioned linux support. post something based on how you feel, not something that'll get you modded up

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--fetch daddy's blue fright wig, i must be handsome when i release my rage
Re:will it.. by odyrithm · 2002-09-20 12:30 · Score: 0

look at me dance.. look at me dance, u fucking moron.

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moo

Dreams Of Things Which Never Were by SEWilco · 2002-09-19 23:53 · Score: 1

"Maybe DC will get their act together, and then CowboyNeal can fufil his wildest dreams as the Green Lantern."

I see dead universes...

Re:Dreams Of Things Which Never Were by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 00:30 · Score: 0

I see dead universes...

i'll believe you when netcraft confirms it.

Re:FUCK OFF ALREADY by odyrithm · 2002-09-19 23:56 · Score: 0

you gotta do what you gotta do.. I gotta do what I gotta do... "FOAD"

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moo

Re:Green Lantern ? by morie · 2002-09-19 23:58 · Score: 1

As was stated surprisingly correct by the editor...

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Sig (appended to the end of comments I post, 54 chars)

Re:Green Lantern ? by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 00:00 · Score: 0

Ok, goof. Re-read the original post and then look at your comment.

Thank you for your time.

The Beyonder by 1nhuman · 2002-09-20 00:00 · Score: 1

I've got dips on The Beyonder character. GOD-mode! Let's rock!

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The glass is half-full. With poison. And there are cracks in the glass. The dirty, dirty glass.

Re:The Beyonder by Ubergrendle · 2002-09-20 00:36 · Score: 3, Insightful

Oh yeah, well i have the Infinite Gauntlet, so there! Actually, no, wait, I'm the Anti-Monitor so there! No, wait a sec -- no, actually, I'm Dr Manhattan...

The problem with comic book universes is that they're always trying to one-up the past and come up with the REAL ultimate threat. Take a took at the X-Men. Magneto was the real badass mutant...but hold on, if you think HE was bad, just wait until you tangle with the Hellfire Club. Whoops, never mind...those Sentinels are even WORSE...except, well, for that Mutant Massacre thingy with Mr Sinister.

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John Maynard Keynes: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do?"
Re:The Beyonder by Manos+Batsis · 2002-09-20 00:40 · Score: 1

Ah, the secret wars are my fuv story. The only thing that came close was the Onslaught just some years ago.
Re:The Beyonder by sharkey · 2002-09-20 04:00 · Score: 2

I've got dips on The Beyonder character.

The Beyonder can seriously mess you up, so you won't see me putting dip on him, much less more than one. Unless it's his favorite dip? Mmmm... French-Onion.

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"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.

Not shacknews by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 00:01 · Score: 0

This is NOT shacknews.com. If I want to read about some pathetic stupid game I would go there and I should NOT have to read about it here.

Re:Not shacknews by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 00:49 · Score: 0

If I want to read about some pathetic stupid game I would go there and I should NOT have to read about it here.
You don't. Set your preferences, take Games out of the list of viewable catagories...done.

if anything... by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 00:02 · Score: 0

i want to be the bad guys!

Right back at ya... by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 00:03 · Score: 0

And it's not your fault you can't use proper grammar or spelling...personally I blame the education system.

Re:Green Lantern ? by koh · 2002-09-20 00:05 · Score: 1

Ouch. You're absolutely right. Seems like it's time for me to bury myself and get some sleep I'm lacking....

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Karma cannot be described by words alone.

Re:MMORPGS (and RPGs in general) by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 00:06 · Score: 0

hey now, what about us *underweight* slobbering geeks? im calling the NAACP...

i should be... by bje2 · 2002-09-20 00:10 · Score: 5, Funny

well the girls have always told me i'm like "The Flash" in bed...oh, wait...

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"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true." - Homer Simpson

Re:i should be... by vidnet · 2002-09-20 01:42 · Score: 1

well the girls have always told me i'm like "The Flash" in bed...oh, wait..
Really? What a coincidence, people say I'm like The Flasher in the park.

City of Heroes by aculeus · 2002-09-20 00:10 · Score: 2, Informative

There is a super-hero MMORPG already in the works that will let you roll your own hero. Should be out sometime next year. It is called City of Heroes

Re:City of Heroes by Golias · 2002-09-20 00:32 · Score: 2

I can't help but think that the MMORPG bandwagon is not likely to live into 2005 anyway.
I'm tired of games that just put a new candy-coating on games I played before. Every time a new FPS comes out, my response tends to be "thanks, but I already played Quake." To hook me into a multi-player shooter these days, companies need to be a little more creative.
Likewise with the MMOPRPG's... Simply putting it in a new genre (SW Galaxies, City of Heroes, Lord of the Rings, etc.) is not going to get me to re-play EQ. The act of slapping a first-person view on top of a MUD has been done. If the mechanics of the game don't offer something new and original, I'm not going to pay $60 + $10/month just to look at the new purdy pictures.

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Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
Re:City of Heroes by Lejade · 2002-09-20 01:43 · Score: 2

>I can't help but think that the MMORPG bandwagon is not likely to live into 2005 anyway. I'm tired of games that just put a new candy-coating on games I played before.

It's not so much about the game mechanics or the graphics as it is about the community. Just look at all the text muds that keep on going...

The big difference between Persistent worlds and the rest of online gaming is that PW have real communities that can interact inside the world by other means than shooting at each other.

That alone makes me believe that not only will MM games be there in 2005 but there will be many, many more. Each catering to their community in their own unique way. Eventually, there could even be one persistent world for every economically sustainable niche...
Re:City of Heroes by nege · 2002-09-20 02:19 · Score: 1

Well have you played Unreal Tournament 2003 yet? It has this really cool game called Bombing Run. Its like Death Match football, very cool.
Penny Aracde did a little write up of it, and a comic.
You can get the demo from fileplanet of course.
Re:City of Heroes by FeloniousPunk · 2002-09-20 02:35 · Score: 1

What makes me tend to agree with Golias is that MM games have very expensive operating costs, totally unlike text MU* games. If you had a persistent internet connection, you could run a MU* server from your home computer. When I was in grad school I had a friend who did just that from his laptop. But MM games require sizeable server farms, serious bandwidth and expensive staff just to run it all, not to mention the developers who must continually tweak/ patch/ nerf the game to deal with all bugs and cheats. To cover all these costs and make a profit, you need a large subscriber base, so I think the market will only end up being able to support a handful of such games. A niche MM game will never pay the bills.
A better model for online multiplayer roleplaying is Bioware's Neverwinter Nights. A brilliant game, despite the buggy release, and its true potential won't even start to be realized for at least a year.

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I know this because Tyler knows this.
Re:City of Heroes by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 04:52 · Score: 0

Yes, but this article is talking about an MMPORG. I'm not sure what that is though. I *am* looking forward to a good ___MMORPG___ someday though.

So the whole world is about to be blown up and... by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 00:11 · Score: 0

One problem with narratives vs. games that really jumps out for the typical superhero comic book plot: just in the nick of time, the hero stops the bad guy from blowing up/taking over the world. So here we all are on the same world, with no author/editor, and all you need is one superhero to fail to stop the bad guy.*poof* Game over, we all lose.

Or is it just stopping muggers, saving cats stuck in trees, and falling female reporters?

Peter Parker Use The Force by Photon+Ghoul · 2002-09-20 00:11 · Score: 1

*yawn* Sorry, but MMORPGs that let you be specific characters seem to defeat the purpose. 200,000 jedis running around or 300,000 spider-men. Fun.

Re:Peter Parker Use The Force by birder · 2002-09-20 00:38 · Score: 1

300k spider-men, or hulks, or some such wouldn't work. In SW, Jedi is a profession not a unique name. In SWG it will be the culmination of a lot of hard work to build your character to Jedi but it would still be your own unique character and not "Luke Skywalker".
Re:Peter Parker Use The Force by Destoo · 2002-09-20 01:33 · Score: 1

or you will eventually be able to purchase a maxed out Jedi for 29.95$.

There is no "own unique" character for MMORPGs. Unless the servers each have a few megs of data on each characters, I don't think a population of +50k players will each be unique.

They may not be wearing the exact same color of hat, but the stats will be the same.

Maximization of a character is always what it gets to, in the end. That's according to my personnal experience, of course.

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Nouvelles de jeux et technologies en français. TC

Marvel Superheroes by BiteMyShinyMetalAss · 2002-09-20 00:13 · Score: 1

It would be really nice if the MMORPG resembles the old Marvel Superheroes RPG. It's been a long time since I've played it, but it was a remarkable easy RPG to get into, easy to create characters, and focused more on comic book action and storylines than something as deep as Neverwinter Nights. That might draw the crowds intimidated by EverCrack et al.

hyping up for hulk.. by gl4ss · 2002-09-20 00:13 · Score: 2, Interesting

.. is all that this looks now, seriously, if somebody announces a game FIVE years beforehand, it is nothing yet except first level talks and maybe some sketches to show to top level officers that so that they can have something to chat.

there is no mention of platform, gameplay, or anything really.

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world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.

Re:hyping up for hulk.. by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 00:20 · Score: 0

...FIVE years beforehand...

It's almost 2003, foo'.
Re:hyping up for hulk.. by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 00:23 · Score: 0

I'm sorry to hear of your coma, but I'm glad you're out of it now.

MMORP suckage by Vodak · 2002-09-20 00:15 · Score: 1

Well it looks like MMORPGS are about to go the way of the fighting game and the first person shooter. gimmick games suck ass. You know 1on1 fighting games where going the way side when everyone from marvel comics to F`ing sesame Street were duping it out. the same held true with the first person shooters.

Read that wrong... by flamingdog · 2002-09-20 00:15 · Score: 2

Thought it said "then CowboyNeal can fufil his wildest dreams of the Green Lantern."

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Fufil? by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 00:16 · Score: 0

You have got to be kidding me.

Marvel Comics must be doing something right now... by bdbosstone · 2002-09-20 00:16 · Score: 1

X-men movie came out, Spider-Man, and soon Hulk. And Now, Finally, a MMPORG.

The Article speaks of "wondering how big the market can get," though and I think that statement is kinda silly -- it will end up similar to everything else, Blazingly Popular for a while, then gradually reducing to the dedicated players as everybody else moves on to the next great thing. It'll have to follow the path and example of Quake/Quake 2/ etc. and similar type games in order to keep in the "market."

but then thats just my $0.02

I'm a little skeptical by Metaldsa · 2002-09-20 00:18 · Score: 4, Interesting

I love games, I love comics, I love Marvel. However, this just doesn't sound that great. The point of being a superhero is that you are unique. Its not really strength, but relative strength, that people desire.

An example is how Wonder Woman is not unique in her amazonian land. However, when she is off fighting against normal criminals she is unique. Imagine living (as an amazonian) in the land of the amazonians? Everyone is the same strength so it would be quite boring.

The only way to alleviate this problem would to make the server size limited compared to other MMORPGs and the size of the maps huge. If you could visit 30 cities, average of 50 heroes to a city, it would be fun. That makes only 1,500 per server. I have heard the new Star Wars MMORPG might have 50,000 per server (but I could be deadly wrong). If you end up in a city with 1,000 heroes it would seem like you wouldn't get that unique feel you read about in the books.

Re:I'm a little skeptical by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 01:49 · Score: 0

Wonder Woman is DC, not Marvel.
Re:I'm a little skeptical by ed1park · 2002-09-20 01:56 · Score: 1

Not only that, but I think she was also unique among the amazons. Wasn't she their princess and greatest warrior or something? i don't remember if i got that from the comic book or the tv show with linda carter, lol.

I never really followed the comics at all... although I did buy an issue that George Perez penned. awesome artist.
Re:I'm a little skeptical by TubaGuy · 2002-09-20 02:04 · Score: 1

1000's of hero's per city! Sounds like Supermegatopia
Re:I'm a little skeptical by squaretorus · 2002-09-20 02:53 · Score: 5, Funny

Imagine living (as an amazonian) in the land of the amazonians?

WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO ME!!!!!!
Re:I'm a little skeptical by IIRCAFAIKIANAL · 2002-09-20 04:25 · Score: 2

Current MMORPGs fix this sort of issue by promoting crafts as a non-heroic activity.

Who's gonna play the non-heroes is another issue - It's gonna be a shitload of heroes and villians fighting for control of a city. It makes sense in Dark Age of Camelot - three lands, lots of heroes becoming an army and the armies fighting each other.

Oh well, I gave up MMORPGs several months ago and don't intend to go back. They were mostly a banal experience - I met some interesting people online, but I'm a gamer and I don't consider it a game if I can't end it (apologies to Scott Kurtz :)

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Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel.
Re:I'm a little skeptical by JudgeFurious · 2002-09-20 09:04 · Score: 1

All I ever got from the tv show with Linda Carter was a profound fixation on breasts but hey, that's just me.

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how to deal with the characters by testadicazzo · 2002-09-20 00:20 · Score: 1

I can just imagine it now. They only let one person have spiderman, another hulk, etc. So it's first come first serve. Schrewd investors grab characters up early, and a few weeks later auction them off on ebay.

Some variants:

1) Marvel auctions off the popular characters. Everyone else gets no name characters. Long standing characters in the game who reach past a cerain level or accomplish a certain quest get to have their character appear in a comic book Imagine how much money Marvel would make if they auction off the popular characters?.

2) The big name characters are NPC's who move the plot. You play a created, unknown character that interacts with them. If you get to be famous (achieve a certain level/prestige, accomplish a certain task) you get to team up with Spider Man, or join the Avengers...

3)Big name characters are awarded people via a lottery process. You enter the lottery via a) accompilshing a big task with your created character or b) paying for lottery tickets online. If you win spiderman, you keep him until you die, or you fail to maintain the character properly (like a tamagotchi, or that fish video game)

Just some possiblities that I like better than 50 000 different peter parkers living in New York And what do I have to do to get to play Galactus? I'll send the ultimate nullifier to the end of the universe, and then chow down on earth... bwa ha ha!

Re:how to deal with the characters by Golias · 2002-09-20 00:45 · Score: 2

And what do I have to do to get to play Galactus?
Now that is an idea I can get behind! What a great MMORPG a "Marvel Villians" game would be. Play a super-villian, and try to cause as much mayhem and distruction as you can before Spidey comes in to ruin your diabolical schemes. Curses! Foiled again!
Being a bad guy on a server with 1500 other bad guys, all trying to plunder the city, would be a blast.
It would certainly be more fun that being in a League of Heroes so big that you gotta carry union cards, which is what this announcement sounds like.

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Information wants to be anthropomorphized.
Re:how to deal with the characters by Bonker · 2002-09-20 02:02 · Score: 1

Being a bad guy on a server with 1500 other bad guys, all trying to plunder the city, would be a blast.

You'd think it would be, wouldn't you?

Just check with the guys who play 'Teams' PvP on EQ. On the servers were the alignment works as 'Good', 'Evil' and 'Neutral', there is a massive number of evil characters, a few more 'Neutral' characters and a really small percentage of 'Good' characters. The evil characters are so numerous that they don't really get into the whole PVP vibe until much later in the game and then only to make sure that the other teams can't havea successful raids or dungeon crawls.

PVP is just not enjoyable for people who enjoy roleplaying (as compared to people who like player-killing) in the context of MMORPG's.

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Re:how to deal with the characters by Fred+IV · 2002-09-20 03:31 · Score: 1

Long standing characters in the game who reach past a cerain level or accomplish a certain quest get to have their character appear in a comic book ...

You, sir, are a genius. What uber-geek wouldn't want to see their online persona as a four color hero or villan?

Reverse the characters by squaretorus · 2002-09-20 00:21 · Score: 4, Funny

Rather than playing a super hero, the game could be based around inhabiting the land of the superheroes - and trying to get yourself into positions where you require their attention.

I'm not into Marvel, having been a DC kiddie, so forgive the character references. But if you kick some ass outside a cinema you get a pounding from Batman, if you don't wash for like, a year, you get a fungus on your toes that Swamp Thing has to come and eradicate. Say 'Im gonna shag that Lois Lane good' enough and eventually Superman will kick your ass.

You build up 'exposure' points until you earn the right to BE a supe for a while!!! Then you can go around listening out for people saying "Where's little jimmy!"

Re:Reverse the characters by mccalli · 2002-09-20 00:56 · Score: 3, Funny

Say 'Im gonna shag that Lois Lane good' enough and eventually Superman will kick your ass.
Well no. Say that for long enough and eventually it would be Lois Lane that kicks your ass...
Cheers,
Ian

MMPORG? by Soul-Burn666 · 2002-09-20 00:26 · Score: 1

Massively Multiplayer Playing Online Role Game?

Slashdot newsflash: "Spelling mistakes attack Headlines too and not only content!"

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Re:MMPORG? by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 01:11 · Score: 0

Massively Multi Player Online Roleplaying Game

Depends how you separate the words out. I agree that this is not the traditional acronym form for this phrase, but it does make sense.

hehheh by gl4ss · 2002-09-20 00:30 · Score: 1

well, i admit, i made an error there, but, check it out, i got +2 intresting! :D
and you could add two years to the developing easily, Duke's still not out..

seriously tho, i was going to first ask what platform it would be on, and then decided that i'd read the article before posting.. and couldn't find anything of about anything.

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world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.

aaaHAHAAHA by iamwoodyjones · 2002-09-20 00:32 · Score: 1

dispels the notion that they're ONLY for children

aaaHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Yea, and pokemon is geered towards the intellectual masterminds such as Knuth. I remeber during one of his lectures he had a freudian slip of, "Alpha-Beta, I choose you" when he was doing a proof.

Thanks man you made my day, bro. True they're not only for children, but you have to admit they're made mostly for children. So don't get too surprised when blood doesn't spill and you can't rip people's heads off.

Re:aaaHAHAAHA by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 00:36 · Score: 0

You should read some Roald Dahl sometime. Fantastic gory childrens books, they are.
Re:aaaHAHAAHA by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 00:48 · Score: 0

I'm sure they've made a Saturday morning cartoon from it too.
Re:aaaHAHAAHA by Farley+Mullet · 2002-09-20 01:03 · Score: 2, Funny

what's really funny is that he thinks that making a computer game out of something dispels the notion that the thing is just for children.
Re:aaaHAHAAHA by joshsisk · 2002-09-20 02:14 · Score: 1

Actually, I've read that most superhero comics today are bought by adults. I have noticed the fact that they don't seem to have comic racks in drug and convienance stores any more, like when I was a kid. Apparently this is because kids don't read them very much anymore... weird.

I guess they'd rather spend their allowance on video games, which sort of makes sense... Comics are EXPENSIVE. For the price of 6 comics you can get a PS2 game (used, or from their "best sellers" line). The PS2 game you can play for many, many hours (depending on the game). A comic is at MOST fifteen minutes worth of entertainment.

Sorta sad, since I _LOVED_ comics when I was a kid.

Comic book setting not appropriate for an MMORPG by FeloniousPunk · 2002-09-20 00:36 · Score: 1

Imagine roleplaying in a gameworld where everyone you meet is a superhero or a monster of some sort. Isn't a key part of the whole comic book superhero thing the rarity of superheroes, trying to save the normal population from Evil with their unique powers? Who are you going to save from Evil, your fellow superheroes? A superhero setting has to be one of the worst settings imaginable for a massively multiplayer game.
Sometimes I think the current MM craze in gaming is like the early days of the .com bubble - a lot of clueless business types with more money than sense leaping at every idea, however ridiculous, because supposedly savvy people tell them that (idea) is the Next Big Thing. "I don't know what an MMORPG is, but we gotta have one!" MMORPGs I think are suitable for certain types of settings but it seems now that every possible game setting is getting a MM game to go along with it. There are so many being announced now it's insane, and most you can tell at a glance are doomed to fail.
Still, a superhero MMORPG could have great comedy potential, if only to laugh at the absurdity of it all. For those of you who have played Ion Storm's great game Anachronox, this recalls that Planet of the Heroes where Paco Estrella was from.

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Well, duh.. by Havokmon · 2002-09-20 00:36 · Score: 2, Funny

Everybody knows your mutant powers don't surface until you reach puberty.

If you join NOW, you can practice throwing fireballs in 2018...

For those non-mutant wanna-be heros, there will be radioactive spiders, and gamma-ray explosions randomly througout the game... If you're lucky, you can take 99% damage, and have your gamma-irradiated friend heal you, greatly increasing your strength and agility (and breast size) permanantly (rather than just when you get pissed).

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"I can't give you a brain, so I'll give you a diploma" - The Great Oz (blatently stolen sig)

Re:So the whole world is about to be blown up and. by Golias · 2002-09-20 00:38 · Score: 2, Funny

I can see it now. Spidey, Wolverine, and three different Invisible Girls from the Fantastic Four all standing on the same street, waiting for the bad guy to spawn so they can take turns capturing him. What fun.

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Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

MarvelCrack. by DarkHelmet · 2002-09-20 00:40 · Score: 2

Oh, great. A game we'll most likely call "MarvelCrack" in a few years.

It's all good, I prefer getting my online drugs from Captain Picard in a Wheelchair (TM) than some silly EQ dwarf.

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Or maybe by Rik+Sweeney · 2002-09-20 00:41 · Score: 0

Maybe DC will get their act together, and then CowboyNeal can fufil his wildest dreams as the Green Lantern.

Or maybe Capcom will get around to producing the much wanted Marvel Vs DC game.

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Summation 2

Reservation by KinkyClown · 2002-09-20 00:41 · Score: 1

I want to reverve the character "Orgasmo"

Sounds good... by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 00:44 · Score: 0

Let's hope the contract does'nt go to some two-bit developer... What are the odds of Capcom getting involved in this Marvel project?

Re:Comic book setting not appropriate for an MMORP by Foggy+Tristan · 2002-09-20 00:47 · Score: 1

It would actually work for the Tick (now there's a thought), where the ridiculously saturated super-hero population were relegated to a single block to watch over.

The only way for this to work well is for new players to either have some base super-powers to start or be normal humans who get the urge to put on a domino mask and spandex tights. Let them fight the small crimes to gain experience (forget the machinations of Dr. Doom and find a child that was abducted a few hours ago), eventually moving up the chain. Marvel's established super-heroes should only be NPCs in this system...or trusted players hired by Marvel.

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Beware typoes.

The Problem with Marvel is... by ackthpt · 2002-09-20 00:48 · Score: 1

...when they get more mutants than they can handle they'll have a big war and kill lots of the less popular ones off to make the Marvel Universe managable again.

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A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar

Re:Comic book setting not appropriate for an MMORP by Havokmon · 2002-09-20 00:49 · Score: 2

Isn't a key part of the whole comic book superhero thing the rarity of superheroes, trying to save the normal population from Evil with their unique powers? Who are you going to save from Evil, your fellow superheroes? A superhero setting has to be one of the worst settings imaginable for a massively multiplayer game.

I don't agree. X-Men is a team for a reason. So are all the other teams: X-Force, Excalibur, Fantastic Four.
You must be thinking of DC. DC is more 'one loner vs them all'. In Marvel, the good guys get their asses kicked all the time, and regularly get help from other characters.

Look at Spiderman.. He gets help from/helps other 'New York' superheroes all the time. Having 50 in a large city such as NY still makes it a rarity.

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"I can't give you a brain, so I'll give you a diploma" - The Great Oz (blatently stolen sig)

Did anyone ever read Zenith? by Hobbes_ · 2002-09-20 00:50 · Score: 3, Insightful

2000AD comics.

It's about a superhero who couldn't give a toss about saving the world.

One point in the story line was that there were multiple universes. In one of these universes it was all populated with superheros and only one normal person, who was being pestered the heck out of.

In a world where everyone wants to be a hero, who plays the normal people?

One of the things, well really the only thing that makes MMORPG's is the human element. I think this alone is what may stunt the growth of such games. If all the normal characters are NPC's then there are no worries about secret identitys and a lot of players will treat the NPC's as fog of war.

By the way, anyone who can't wait until 2005 I recommend you check out City of Heroes which plans to Beta test in early 2003 and has some nice movies of the gameplay. They also have a very indepth FAQ (Geek level :)

Re:Did anyone ever read Zenith? by biglig2 · 2002-09-20 01:03 · Score: 1, Offtopic

That's indeed the basis behind the respected indie satirical comic normalman by Valentino...

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~~~~~ BigLig2? You mean there's another one of me?
Re:Did anyone ever read Zenith? by hobbitsage · 2002-09-20 05:30 · Score: 0, Offtopic

That would be NormalMan

who also had a crossover with Cerebus. Who I would play in a "super hero" rpg if possible.

Re:Comic book setting not appropriate for an MMORP by mccalli · 2002-09-20 00:58 · Score: 4, Funny

Who are you going to save from Evil, your fellow superheroes?

Yes. You see, it's all in a day's work for Bicycle Repair Man...

Cheers,
Ian

Re:Comic book setting not appropriate for an MMORP by FeloniousPunk · 2002-09-20 01:00 · Score: 1

Bear in mind that the "MM" means "massively multiplayer." We're not talking about a team of 4 heroes or a superhero population of 50 in a city of 12 million. We're talking about 10,000 or more heroes (players) in the city. Everyone in the game is a hero. That's quite a difference from what you are saying.

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Who wants to be a super hero... by clickety6 · 2002-09-20 01:00 · Score: 4, Funny

... when you be a super villain instead, and get away with using cheats because it's only acting in character ;-)

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----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------

Re:Who wants to be a super hero... by unicron · 2002-09-20 04:56 · Score: 3, Funny

Or just choose an invulernable, omnipotent character, like the Overseer. Destroy the universe as a whole everytime you log in.

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Finally, math books without any of that base 6 crap in them.

Superheroes are not suitable for MMORPGs by Chokma · 2002-09-20 01:03 · Score: 1

Mosts MORPGs seem to lack real content - a fact that is hidden by a grueling leveling thread mill and a hundred colorful cape-designs.

To keep players and collect the monthly fee, the games make character advancement slow and painful for the casual gamer. In a fantasy game, your character advances by killing monsters and doing quests. He starts as a lv 1 rat basher and eventually becomes a lv50 nut crasher. But a super-hero who starts at lv 1 is about as much fun as Clark Kent with a stick of kryptonite stuck up his ###. You need to start as the real Superman, otherwise it just sucks.

In a superhero-game you would want to be -- a Hero! And this entails being better than someone else or at least being able to do something that is remarkable and exciting. If 1000 players do rescue Ms Nobrains from stepping into doggy poo, there is very little heroic about this, even if they burn the offending substance with laser eyes or push it out of the way by their flatulent power move.

You could play a superhero RPG with a couple of players, but having a Massive Multiplayer environment of hundreds or thousands of would-be-heroes? A Hero is something unique. Make a 1000 of them, and you have... Munchkinland.

What is next? A MMORPG chess game?

Of course, a Slapstick MMORPG with weekly replays of the most funny things the players did...*g*

Re:Superheroes are not suitable for MMORPGs by joshsisk · 2002-09-20 02:46 · Score: 1

To me, superhero comics are about heroes vs villians.

_IF_ they make this game in such a way that it emphasises the competition between the two camps, then it could be really cool.

The old marvel game did this my having "Karma" points. Heroes got postive karma for beating villians, saving people. They lost it when they did bad deeds, or hurt a civilian, or even if they killed a villian. Villians, reversely, got negative karma for bad deeds.

You could use your karma points at certain times... To perform a "special" stunt, or (I believe) to guarantee a dice roll would succeed.

I think this game could be fun, even without a great emphasis on leveling, if it was more like a big competition between heroes and villians, with some sub competition between teams on both sides.

I mean, look at online shooters - there is no leveling in those games, yet people are fiercely competitive.

I can totally see people banding together as superhero groups, claiming a city on a server as their turf, and trying to defend it. Villians would be the flip side fo this coin... moving from city to city on the server, trying to find areas that aren't as defended, so they can knock over banks or what not.
Re:Superheroes are not suitable for MMORPGs by Chokma · 2002-09-20 04:21 · Score: 1

It depends on how clever this Capture-the-City is implemented. My post referred to MMORPGs as they are today. A refreshing alternative would be to remove the first M - let the game be Multi- but without armies. A fight 20 heroes vs 20 villians or so can be fun. If a Player Character dies, he is declared "defeated" and cannot re-enter this specific combat ground for some time. He has to set up shop elsewhere.

But after seeing absolutely chaotic and unfunny battles of about 100 vs 100 in Dark Age of Camelot, I shudder to think of a 100 blue clad men who wear their red panties over their trousers trying to defend a city.

And as to "roleplaying" - don't get me started... I think Superheroes have a great potential for a fast action game in a super-realistic city. So forget about 'Massive' and 'Roleplaying', add a dose of equipment and ability shoping, fire up the UT/Q3 engine and let's have fun.
Re:Superheroes are not suitable for MMORPGs by joshsisk · 2002-09-20 06:57 · Score: 2, Insightful

Do people _really_ role-play in MMORPGs? I haven't played any, so I really don't know.

And as far as it being armies trying to capture a city, I'm imagining it being more like groups of heroes claiming sections of the server as under their protection.

Scattered throughout the server would be "objectives", basically areas that have missions that villians can undertake (I'd imagine there would be missions that heroes could undertake, too). If a villian or multiple villians initiate a mission, the heroes in that area are alerted, so they can rush over in their superheromobile.

A mission objective would be something like a bank, or a mayoral debate, and would have goals and scripted events. For example, the bank goal is to open the vault and get the money. A random scripted event might be a NPC having a heart attack. Thus the villians have to decide whether to let some of the hostages in the bank take him out, and it would make the heroes have to decide quickly what to do.

There could be lots of these objectives scattered around, and they could have a variety of scripted events and mission conditions... So that every time you rob the same bank, it's a bit different.

There could also be certain time-limited missions. For example, the newspaper (which could flash up every time you log on) might report that there are protests today against a uranium shipment that is going through town... Villians could then decide - hey, let's hijack it! And heroes might think, well, let's go there in case some villians show up.

As far as armies go - you could also encourage "caps" on the size of supergroups... An easy way would be to only allow so many heroes to claim one neigborhood as their own. This wouldn't effect the villians, but there are other things you could do... Such as only allowing so many people to communicate on a shared channel, or something. OR, simply only allow X number of PCs to gain "karma" from a mission or encounter...

The problem with these licenses by Lejade · 2002-09-20 01:05 · Score: 2, Interesting

The problem with licenses such as Marvel, Star Wars, or LOTR is that they were never created with MM (Massively Multiplayer) games in mind.

Take Star Wars: most people will want to be a Jedi, right?
But you can't have 100k Jedis running around choping heads with their light sabers: that just wouldn't work nor would it be true to the license. So the designers have to come up with game design tricks to limit the number of people that can be a Jedi at any given time. And that's just one example of the hundreds of problems that will pop up when you to stick a license on a MM game: it's like trying to force a square peg in a round hole.

Persistent worlds are communities. As such they have dynamics of their own and the best way to stick to these dynamics is to craft a world specifically around them.

I believe that, in the long run, MM games that will be the most successful will be the ones that take into acount the nature of online communities and tailor their game design accordingly. Unfortunately, licenses that come from other media aren't flexible enough to do this...

Re:The problem with these licenses by Kintanon · 2002-09-20 02:42 · Score: 4, Insightful

Star Wars RPG takes care of this nicely. In the Star Wars RPG most people end up being more like Han Solo or Leie, or a Storm Trooper than a Jedi. Each party of 6 might have 1 Jedi in it. Some parties will have none, and in some rare campaigns you'll have 5 Jedi and a noble. I think that with the range of character classes available the Mass Jedi problem won't be quit as big as people think. I personally would rather be Han Solo than Luke Skywalker (Whiny farmboy....) but then, that's just me.

Kintanon

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Re:The problem with these licenses by Mente · 2002-09-20 03:52 · Score: 2, Informative

You might want to check out http://www.starwarsgalaxies.com

They are building a community within the continuity of the Star Wars Universe. The game will be huge and well accepted. Even if everyone can't be Jedi.
Re:The problem with these licenses by Lejade · 2002-09-20 04:40 · Score: 1

Please don't get me wrong: I'm certainly not saying the game won't be a success. I'm sure it will go over a million player.
Also, the Jedi thing was simply an example, I could have picked ten others...

All I'm saying is that, IMHO, the most successful Persistent Worlds will be the ones that break away from old media licenses to invent their own identities.

VS Fighting by BigJimSlade · 2002-09-20 01:06 · Score: 2

I'd look forward to a VS fighting game from Capcom that would pit DC characters against Marvel characters (this was rumored a while back but nothing ever came of it... anybody at Capcom listening? Put this out!)

Green Lantern? by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 01:06 · Score: 0

Ummm, If this is a Marvel universe, then you're out of luck. Green Lantern is a DC Comics character. :-)

is n't the green lantern by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 01:08 · Score: 0

gay in the dc comic book?

Re:is n't the green lantern by bje2 · 2002-09-20 01:56 · Score: 1

i think you have him confused with the "pink lantern"...

oh, c'mon, i was just kidding

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"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true." - Homer Simpson
Re:is n't the green lantern by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 04:28 · Score: 0

So does that mean CowboyNeal plays for the other team...so is he a batter or a pitcher...
Re:is n't the green lantern by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 04:36 · Score: 0

Nope, but he does have a gay sidekick (Terry Berg)

Re:Comic book setting not appropriate for an MMORP by Havokmon · 2002-09-20 01:17 · Score: 2

But what defines a hero? Like someone else said, Wonder Woman is unique in OUR cities, but not on that island of her's. Same goes for Superman. Wasn't Supergirl 'on vacation' when the planet blew?

Everone will start as equals (that doesn't necessarily mean equal to you and me - see my other post

Just like any other MMORPG, there will be a slew of 'normals' and then a small number of higher-ups. Even on UO, 'normal' is much more advanced than a 'regular person'. I sure as hell can't make myself invisible ;)

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"I can't give you a brain, so I'll give you a diploma" - The Great Oz (blatently stolen sig)

helo by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 01:24 · Score: 0

Hi, i ams Randy. commcs are very nice. he in mexioc we dont give hte same comics as the USA. some bad poeple call me a spic because of this. my brother sean loves the camics aswell Come and visut my site on the web. all of the geeks and my brother seanbaby will like my page.

http://www.geocities.com/randythegreatus

-Randy

Marvel/DC by Apreche · 2002-09-20 01:24 · Score: 2, Interesting

Green Lantern? what crap! seriously. Marvel has always been the company with the best heroes. Spiderman, the hulk, x-men, etc. But marvel villains were all crap. Except for Doctor Doom, Thanos, Magneto, and Mister Sinister. Look! I can count the good marvel villains on one hand! DC however, have very few good heroes Batman, Superman, that's about it. However, all of the DC villains totally rock the house.
I don't think the comic book industry is doing as well as it once was. I mean didn't marvel almost go bankrupt a few years back? Now it seems as if they aren't really competing anymore. I mean they both have Heroclix http://www.wizkidsgames.com
Both companies should merge and pit the marvel heroes against the dc villains. it would be like the second coming of the golden age of comics.

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Re:Marvel/DC by tedrlord · 2002-09-20 02:19 · Score: 2, Interesting

I don't know if I agree with you about the villains. I was having a conversation about this at the local comic store. Most of the villains in the DC universe are custom-tailored to be the arch-nemeses of the heroes that they fight. Usually pretty one-dimensional, and often totally useless against anyone but the one particular good guy that happens to go up against them all the time.

There are a couple of exceptions, though. Lex Luthor is a pretty damn good villain in any book, and the Joker is my favorite bad guy ever. He's a shining example of how pure unbound psychosis can overcome superhuman abilities. Serves as a shining example to the common man trying to get somewhere in life.

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Paper andPencil by ACNeal · 2002-09-20 01:25 · Score: 1

I think both DC and Marvel had a paper and pencil game loosely based on them.

They both had very similar (from a high level view point, don't flame me with the exact differences).

You created new characters with sets of powers, each having a cost. You paid for these costs with selecting weaknesses.

The most fun characters to play had really whacked out weaknesses. Picture building Superman, but having no balance, or orientation problems. Flying to save the day, and suddenly, wham, right into the ground.

Re:Paper andPencil by cheeseSource · 2002-09-20 01:45 · Score: 1

There has to be some sort of balance though or all of the "weaker" heros will just get wiped out My question is: how can they be super"heros" if they go around destroying each other? You know that it's just going to end up being one big slug fest to see who the strongest superheros are and some have obvious advantages over others. All the while there will be cats stuck up trees...

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Re:Paper andPencil by rhost89 · 2002-09-20 01:49 · Score: 1

mabey they should rename it to DC/WWF superhero smackdown?

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I will bend your mind with my spoon
Re:Paper andPencil by great+throwdini · 2002-09-20 03:32 · Score: 1

I think both DC and Marvel had a paper and pencil game loosely based on them.

Yes. Both did. There were several versions and spin-offs of "DC Heroes" games. I don't recall whether "Marvel Super Heroes" (MSH) was quite so prolific in its developement and expansion.

MSH wasn't "loose" at all -- players were encouraged, more or less, to play actual comic book characters. At least, that was the big pitch and there were frequent articles in Dragon Magazine covering new heroes from the Marvel Universe(TM). From what I remember of the rating system, there wasn't one in terms of point-based character creation. If heroes or villains were to be formed from whole cloth, it was to be guided from story-telling, not point accounting.

Don't know about "DC Heroes" so much, but I assume there was a strong bias toward the comic characters there, as well -- I have a copy of the "Batman Role-Playing Game" [Mayfair Games] sitting somewhere in my apartment so I can only assume so.

You created new characters with sets of powers, each having a cost. You paid for these costs with selecting weaknesses.

I don't think the original "Marvel Super Heroes" worked that way (it's been a long, long time). I can't comment on the "DC Heroes" line. However, what you describe is very similar to other superhero roleplay systems: "Villians and Vigilantes", the "HERO" system, even the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" roleplaying system ... all before GURPS popped onto the scene (and though I stopped following these things over a decade ago, I assume there is a GURPS superhero system now, too). These games were far more open to invention of new heroes than the games sanctioned by Marvel and DC. At least, my recollection of the time when these games were first released is as such.

Yes. I'm a recovered RPG geek. Never really played, just collected rulebooks and analyzed systems. Honest. Except for Car Wars.
Re:Paper andPencil by FunkSoulBrother · 2002-09-20 04:49 · Score: 1

Yes. I'm a recovered RPG geek. Never really played, just collected rulebooks and analyzed systems. Honest. Except for Car Wars

I did that too!! I think Nintendo warped my imagination far too much to enjoy a roleplaying session. I was always the kid who started doing stupid shit with my character and started up games of cards with the other players while the GM was tending to one of them one-on-one.

But I had a huge colletion of rulebooks and I loved the different systems!
Re:Paper andPencil by great+throwdini · 2002-09-20 05:23 · Score: 1

One more lead I forgot (and the system I enjoyed the most that I read over): "Champions" ... great system.

I never played, true believers. Honest.
Re:Paper andPencil by valour · 2002-09-20 08:23 · Score: 1

I thought Champions == HERO?
Re:Paper andPencil by great+throwdini · 2002-09-21 12:17 · Score: 1

I thought Champions == HERO?

Memory ... foggy. IIRC, Champions is based on the HERO System, but the two aren't identical. I may be wrong there. I simply wanted to correct it's representation alongside DC Heroes and Marvel Super Heroes ... the name of the actual game line was Champions, not HERO. I may have flubbed things in doing so, but I belive the HERO system was just the innards upon which the Champions gameworld was built.

MMORPGs, MMORPGs, everywhere MMORPGs by Winterblink · 2002-09-20 01:41 · Score: 1

Soon the rarity will be the companies not producing MMORPGs. I'm really surprised people haven't become totally bored with the saturated market already. I say saturated, because with what a dozen D&D style RPGs out there, who the hell has the time and money to play more than one or two? Now we have the upcoming Eve and Earth and Beyond to satisfy the cravings of the spacefarers out there, and Star Wars Galaxies for the uberdorks. Then what?

Dunno what the point of this post is. Maybe I don't see the reasoning behind a MMORPG based on a comic universe? I can just picture some NPC running a red light in an urban area and a couple thousand superheroes obliterate the area to catch him. Then sit around doing nothing while their superpowers recharge. *snore*

--
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn

MMPORG!?? by Recca · 2002-09-20 01:43 · Score: 1

Woah, I glanced at the title and thought it said MMPr0n and got excited for a second.

Re:MMPORG!?? by Hoi+Polloi · 2002-09-20 02:48 · Score: 2

I'd definately subscribe to that. Just imagine how you'd gain experience! Think of all of the cool silicone and leather gear you could collect. And no more "player killers", instead you'd have "player f*****s"

Seriously, I'm surprised it hasn't been done already.

--
It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
Re:MMPORG!?? by 21mhz · 2002-09-20 03:15 · Score: 0, Offtopic

from the mmporg-is-a-terrible-acronym dept.

No wonder they couldn't spell it right (twice), falling victims to Freudian slips.

--
My exception safety is -fno-exceptions.

Earth - Smoking hole of hellish torment by Chase · 2002-09-20 01:43 · Score: 3, Insightful

Ha, what a riot. It will be a realm with a few super heroes and thousands of super villians. How much fun is it to sit in your Heroes Hall when you could be out throwing cars around and knocking the top of mountains off.

The major problem will be PvP. You can't really have a Marvel story with out Super-hero vs. super-villian.

Chase

--
-==-

Re:Earth - Smoking hole of hellish torment by Herkum01 · 2002-09-20 11:16 · Score: 1

How much fun is it to sit in your Heroes Hall when you could be out throwing cars around and knocking the top of mountains off.

This does not sound like a bunch super heroes, it actually sounds like the Gods of Olympus. Maybe they should just skip the BS of pretending we are mortals, because PC's just don't die(unless you play hardcore Diablo II), they are all immortal. So just make a god game where you cause mischief(like Loki), escort people to the realm on the dead(like Hades), or score with all the mortal women(like Zeus). It would fit with people personalities in these types of games anyways because there are just going to be some poeple out to create trouble which is usually the background for most ancient stories anyways.

I just want.... by Jaysyn · 2002-09-20 01:53 · Score: 1

...to be a bad guy.

Dr. Doom? nah, not enough vision.

Galacticus, now there is a serious bad guy....

Jaysyn

--
There is a war going on for your mind.

Re:I just want.... by schon · 2002-09-20 04:42 · Score: 1

Galacticus, now there is a serious bad guy....

Oh come ON; Galacitucus is one of the stupidest excuses for a bad guy there is.. I mean someone really big who eats planets?

Yeah, I can hear him in an interview now.. "Yes, I eat planets - I'm not too fond of the taste, but my doctor said I need more roughage. Ever since I switched to eating just planets, I've never had a problem taking a crap - they're better than metamucil!"

Where exactly does Galacticus take a dump anyway? I think that the number of restroom stalls that would accomodate him would be kind of limited, no?
Re:I just want.... by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 06:26 · Score: 1, Informative

Actually, it's just "Galactus".

And he doesn't really eat the planets... Just the yummy core inside (which happens to be a delicious and evil Celestial embryo).
Re:I just want.... by Master+of+Transhuman · 2002-09-21 15:52 · Score: 1

Galactus? Yeah, he's cool, but in the latest infinity Abyss mini-series, Thanos created a replicant of himself with MORE than Galactus' power, and preceded to defeat his replicant (which went off on its own along with four other Thanos replicants) by strategy and cunning and the help of some lame Earth superheroes.

Thanos is THE MAN!

--
Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!

Read the article by JJ22 · 2002-09-20 01:54 · Score: 1

If you read the article, it really doesn't say much except that Vivendi is looking at putting a game together. I would expect that if they do build this, it will be modeled the same way as other MMORPGs, where "main" characters are not available for the masses... maybe you could sign up to be Aunt May or Jarvis where you get to come into contact with the actual heroes, but for the most part you're looking at corner store owners and cops as your core characters. I would like to see how they render the typical/average women in the game, tho - will they be like all of the heroines in the actual mags (ie barbie doll proportions)?

Re:Read the article by joshsisk · 2002-09-20 02:49 · Score: 1

I think average people will be NPCs... The players will probably have the ability to create their own character.

There are at least 1,836 X-Men alone! by Sans_A_Cause · 2002-09-20 02:20 · Score: 1

No one can keep them straight, there are so many. You could also split the "regular" characters with the "Ultimate" and "X Universe" characters to give you an infinite number.

Re:So the whole world is about to be blown up and. by joshsisk · 2002-09-20 02:26 · Score: 1

I think that could be awesome, actually. Caveat - I've never played a MMORPG. But the idea that you can fail to save the world and the game keeps going is appealing. I'm imagining a scenario where the players fail to stop a villian from conquering the world, and then for the next few weeks/months they have to fight against his armies "guerilla style". There could be curfews and the police would suddenly be against all heroes.

If the villians are played by actual humans, instead of the computer, maybe even some of the villians could join forces with the heroes, because they realize that the "new world order" isn't good for the jewel-thief business, or they have a change of heart, or whatever. This way you could switch from being a villian to a hero, after the "revolution".

That'd be pretty fun.

Superpowers in bed? by 1nhuman · 2002-09-20 02:29 · Score: 2, Funny

I always wondered how superpowers would work in bed.

I don't think sex with Superman (DC I know) would be nice. Can imagine it would be rather lethal for the average girl. Picture this:

girl: how about this?
supe: nope, nothing..
girl: and this?
supe: still don't feel a thing
girl: but I'm biting in it!
supe: well... urm..let's try some Viagronite then

hulk: here it comes!
girl: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarch!! aaaaaa..*

On the other hand:

Girl: WOW! is that your hand??
Mr.Fantastic: guess again baby!

Girl: WOOOOOOW!
Vision: Yea I know. I've upgraded it with the new Vibro Pro Powerpac. Btw, I'm using the lowest setting...
Girl: AAAAAH!

Girl: Impressive!
Collusus: Yep. Wood is overrated.

Girls (in-sync): AAAAAH, so soft!
Beast: He, he, he well, in this case soft is a good thing!

Flash: Quit the crappy remarks!
Flash2:..I'm..
Flash3:..so fast..
Flash4:..I can be..
Flash5:..6 guys..
Flash6:..at once!..
Girl: I only got 3 slots!
Flash1-6: Thats what you think!

--
The glass is half-full. With poison. And there are cracks in the glass. The dirty, dirty glass.

Re:Superpowers in bed? by bje2 · 2002-09-20 02:46 · Score: 1

not marvel, but how about "Stretch Armstrong" and "Silver Streak" (DC)...

--

"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true." - Homer Simpson

Re:Comic book setting not appropriate for an MMORP by joshsisk · 2002-09-20 02:38 · Score: 1

Well, for one, there could be multiple cities on one server, of course.

And, two, hopefully they will allow players to be heroes AND villians.

I'm imagining a game where there are certain areas (hopefully many and varied) that villians can "rob". Each area would have it's own "mission objectives", and some scripted events as well. Gangs of villians could band together to try and knock over a bank, or steal some technology, or kidnap someone, or whatever. Then the heroes could be alerted, and have to try and stop them.

Sounds like fun to me.

Likely "roll your own" characters... by claud9999 · 2002-09-20 02:38 · Score: 2, Interesting

Nowhere on the CNet adver^H^H^H^H^Harticle does it mention that players will *play* famous characters like the Hulk, Spidey, X-Men, etc, they'll likely meet them (then again, a really cool feature would be to give control of famous characters to players who are particularly good or well-liked; or, better, have famous actors guest star as famous characters)...I'm assuming that players will develop their own super-powers as they play the game, making each character unique. 'course, if they're really smart, they'll allow player-developed skins/models.

('course, I'll only play this game if they bring back Nightcrawler, I still miss 'im.)

Anyone see the actual press release? (www.vivendiuniversal.com gives me a ColdFusion error, heh!)

That's easy -- CLONES! by mblase · 2002-09-20 02:42 · Score: 3, Interesting

Spider-Man's been cloned at least once, maybe twice. One clone of Cable. Two of Marvel Girl (if you count Phoenix). The villain Carnage had, I think, six "spawns" with basically identical powers. If you need to re-use the same Marvel character more than once at a time, it's insanely easy. The technology's there. :)

I foresee two big problems with a Marvel MMPORG, though. First, the resurrection factor -- it's impossible to keep ANY Marvel character dead, whether he be good, evil or civilian. So there's no danger to the player, right? Get killed, come back a few days later, repeat ad nauseam. Want to fight? Just run in, guns or powers blazing, and expect to get resurrected next week if it turns out to be fatal.

The second is the power-upgrade factor. This is a corollary of the death factor -- ninety-nine percent of the time, in the Marvel Universe, a super-hero's resurrection is ALWAYS accompanied by an amplification of his powers, if not a completely new set of them. So there's actually an INCENTIVE for players to rush in and get killed -- they'll increase their level status that much more quickly, possibly taking entire quantum leaps with each successive death.

I'd like nothing better than to play a Marvel mutant super-hero online, myself. By skillfully employing the above tactics, I'd be at god-level powers in a month, no sweat.

CowboyNeal as Green Lantern? by Savatte · 2002-09-20 02:49 · Score: 1

Maybe, but I see him as more of a Kingpin type, slowly and methodically working behind the scenes. Not to mention the similarities in body shape.

Weighty subject by Dirtside · 2002-09-20 03:27 · Score: 3, Funny

Maybe DC will get their act together, and then CowboyNeal can fufil his wildest dreams as the Green Lantern.

Don't you mean the Green Lighthouse?

--
"Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased

Re:Weighty subject by D_Gr8_BoB · 2002-09-20 07:54 · Score: 2, Funny

Or judging from the going rate of VA stock lately, the "got no green" lantern.

SpydrMn by QEDog · 2002-09-20 04:21 · Score: 1

Just imagine: sp1derman sp1d3rman SpydrMn and all the other variations... jeez.

--
"There is no teacher but the enemy."-Mazer Rackham

When super heros aren't super... by MojoRilla · 2002-09-20 04:31 · Score: 1

I can't help thinking this will end up like Mystery Men or The Tick, where lower grade super heros sit around in diners and talk about how they would have saved the day if they had the chance.

This would a perfect addition to the Sims! by sellerdoor · 2002-09-20 04:38 · Score: 1

This way there would be actual innocent bystanders in peril, instead of just another predictable mob.

Arm-Fall-Off Boy by Libertaine · 2002-09-20 05:12 · Score: 1

better get DC on board. then we can have Arm-Fall-Off Boy http://www.ian-rowland.com/Vault/FunAFOB2.htm

2nd rate heros by phriedom · 2002-09-20 05:13 · Score: 5, Funny

The very first thing I thought of when I read this was: Mystery Men. Since it just wouldn't do to have everyone be Spider-Man, most of the players will, at least at first, have to throw forks or swing shovels. Then I realized that if people create their own characters and make their own names, it will be more like The Tick because if people can't be Batman, then there will be a Der Fliedermouse (spelling?) I think I would choose something like The Mutterer or The Umpire if I were to play.

--
Don't moderate flamebait as Troll. Know the difference or you will be Meta-moderated.

I smell a cross over... by 3Y3 · 2002-09-20 05:28 · Score: 1

I'll be happy if they do create a DC version of the game and then join the servers up and have a full cross-over event (i dunno, have all the hero's battle it out for awhile then tell em to go and defeat some uber-god that threatens both universes), he I can see it now "The losing side will have their server destroyed..." how about that for universal pressure ;)

Of course, the whole issue with using duplicate characters could be solved easily with a DC mmorpg if they just ignore the whole "crisis on infinity earths" story arc and make certain games for certain earths/times. oh..damn..my head is spinning now...ugh..

Note: If an amalgamation is planed then I look forward to my IronMan character being spliced with cowboy neil's Green Lantern to form the godly 'Iron Lantern' (yes, he was cheesy, but cool nonetheless)

--
---- Anyone can act smart, but it takes a smart person to act stupid. ----

Re:Comic book setting not appropriate for an MMORP by Loligo · 2002-09-20 05:39 · Score: 2

>Everyone in the game is a hero

Of course. Who wants to play Leo the Newstand Guy?

Normal people are represented by NPCs.

Nobody in Ultima Online wanted to be a goblin foot soldier, did they?

-l

Dibs on... by Dannon · 2002-09-20 05:46 · Score: 2

Particle Man!

--
Good judgment comes from experience.
Experience comes from bad judgment.

The Hulk... by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 05:55 · Score: 0

That's a good idea.

I already get very nervous with snipers (who bby definition *are* cheaters --- even if unaware).

I could change my rage into something constructive, like becoming Hulk, jumping directly to the enemy's deck and tearing one or two snipers apart.

Besides, this is a no-gun approach... :-P

Re:Comic book setting not appropriate for an MMORP by FeloniousPunk · 2002-09-20 05:59 · Score: 1

True. But it makes suspension of disbelief that much harder when the hero:normal guy ratio is 100:1 or so.

--
I know this because Tyler knows this.

MMORPG chess game has been done by brokeninside · 2002-09-20 06:29 · Score: 1

Google for "Kasparov vs. World"

Re:MMORPGS (and RPGs in general) by REDNOROCK · 2002-09-20 07:13 · Score: 0

It's great to have a game thats specificly geared for ME!

--
Even if I say something insightfull or inteligent, it doens't matter cause I'm an ass.

Spoon! by webbroberts · 2002-09-20 08:03 · Score: 1

Finally, my chance to actually BECOME Mucilage man, or the Human Ton (with Handy)!

("Read a book!")

I suppose you could just populate the place with a million zillion ninjas.

("We're a hedge. Move along")

Webb

Re:Comic book setting not appropriate for an MMORP by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 08:19 · Score: 0

There are no normal people in these games. The guy who sells food on the street is 50th lvl.

City of Trolls? by Ra5pu7in · 2002-09-20 08:21 · Score: 1

This might work better if all the rude, ignorant, obnoxious trolls had their own gaming community and didn't try to screw up everyone else's. There are several games I would enjoy IF I didn't have to put up with "u r gay" "STFU" etc. Trolls are worse than newbies, because trolls know better.

--
I was taking one day at a time, but then several days got together and ambushed me. (from a Rhymes with Orange comic)

Re:City of Trolls? by Golias · 2002-09-21 03:27 · Score: 1

That's what the "/ignore" command is for. I wouldn't consider playing a MMORPG without it.

--
Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

EQ addict? by JudgeFurious · 2002-09-20 09:00 · Score: 1

Anyone claiming to be addicted to an online game is simply worthless and weak.

--
Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.

Re:MMORPGS (and RPGs in general) by JudgeFurious · 2002-09-20 09:02 · Score: 1

Amen

--
Appended to the end of comments you post. 120 chars.

One small difference by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 11:29 · Score: 0

Roald Dahl writes books for BRITISH kids. And everyone knows Britain is populated entirely by murderers, pedophiles, and children too stupid to pass their 'A' levels properly.

That's all very well... by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 12:25 · Score: 0

But how long has Green Lantern been a NIGGER? Now, I can stretch my imagination to believe that men can fly. That aliens exist and regularly attempt to invade the earth. That a hero can keep his secret identity a secret by wearing a scrap of cloth over his eyes. But a NIGGER Superhero?

Be real now. If a subhuman coonskin were to receive mystical powers, he'd use it to become a Superpimp. Harnessing the forces of the universe to fulfill his pathological need for commiting crime, smoking crack and watching bootie videos.

And his ring would have to be solid gold and several feet wide.

Fucking niggers. KEEP THEM OUT OF OUR COMIC BOOKS! I thought that's what the Comics Code was for!

Marvel, on the other hand, had the right idea. Who could forget that episode of the Fantastic Four cartoon where Super Skrull demanded Earth's armies send their best men into his spaceship to be used as slaves, and the next shot being the 43rd Nigger platoon marching up the ramp? Not I, that's for sure.

don't get your hopes up.. by Anonymous Coward · 2002-09-20 12:56 · Score: 0

Come on people, this is Vivendi/Universal we're talking about here. The game's going to run on Windows only, and when someone tries to make an open source version of the server, they'll get sued and we'll all be back here cursing their name. Mark my words..

Last Post! by alpg · 2002-10-04 04:36 · Score: 1

Speaking as someone who has delved into the intricacies of PL/I, I am sure
that only Real Men could have written such a machine-hogging, cycle-grabbing,
all-encompassing monster. Allocate an array and free the middle third?
Sure! Why not? Multiply a character string times a bit string and assign the
result to a float decimal? Go ahead! Free a controlled variable procedure
parameter and reallocate it before passing it back? Overlay three different
types of variable on the same memory location? Anything you say! Write a
recursive macro? Well, no, but Real Men use rescan. How could a language
so obviously designed and written by Real Men not be intended for Real Man use?

- this post brought to you by the Automated Last Post Generator...

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