Champions Online - Bag of News

Myrthos

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The bag of Champions Online news is a big one today, so here it goes:
Effects Artist Chris Mennard writes on IGN about the challenges in creating superhero effects.
My name is Chris and I'm one of the Effects Artist for Champions Online, which means I work on things like player powers and travel powers. Typically, someone will come to me and say, "We need a quasi-dimensional fraculator cannon." No problem! A little research tells me it's a beam power and I know it has to do certain things when it hits a target, so I make an effect that does just those certain things and looks cool doing it.

http://media.pc.ign.com/media/844/844881/img_6921926.htmlPowers aren't cool unless they have cool effects.

I have to bring style to the boring. For example, there was a power in the game that was called "Ice Column". Pillar. Ice. Done. Boring. We definitely needed something snazzier for our polish pass. On my drive in, I fantasized about the fortress of solitude. Who doesn't? Hours later, the Ice Column was killed and Ice Spikes were born. It looks cooler than a column of ice growing out of damn-nowhere. And it also works in-air!
The system specs have been released.
Recommended System Configuration
  • OS:Windows XP/Vista
  • CPU:2GHz Dual Core or Better
  • Memory:2GB RAM or Better
  • Video:NVIDIA GeForce 8800 or Better / ATI Radeon HD3850 or Better
  • Sound:DirectX Compatible Soundcard
  • HDD:5GB Free Disk Space
  • Network:ADSL / Cable Modem or Better
  • Disc:DVD-ROM
  • Driver:DirectX 9.0c
An interview in German with Community Representative Gesine Fischercan be found on MMORPG-Planet.
Another interview (in English) can be found on ZAM where they interview Staff Writer John Layman, who also makes comics.
ZAM: What are some of the similarities and differences between writing comics and writing for an MMO? It seems like a daunting task that must require a lot of collaboration.

John: There are only similarities in a lot of the topes and conventions of a superheroic universe. Superheroes and supervillains tend to do the same sort of stuff whether it is in games or comics, but the approach to writing it is much different. Collaboration exists in both forms, but it is a bigger collaboration in a game. In a comic is it just the writer and the artist, and possibly a colorist, letterer and editor. In a game you are working with literally dozen of different talents, all working to achieve the same goal of making a great game, but there are many more components. Still, at the end of the day, there is a similar thrill to seeing a level or mission you wrote come to life, just like seeing a finished page of a comic book you wrote, or a printed copy of a current issue.
And finally more information is given on the PvP system in Champions Online, which is called Hero Games.
When we looked at the background of the Tournament of Champions we recognized that it was great as an event more so than a complete system. It needed to be spiced up a bit and modernized, but the game was a good start. What it became was the Ultimate Tournament of Champions, or UTC. Once the team decided that the UTC was going to be a game type we immediately started thinking about the other game types we could bring to Champions Online. Lucky for us, or you, the PvP team is comprised of some of the biggest PvPer's in the company (*cough*gankers*cough*.) It took less than a few seconds for a ton of great ideas to flood our little conference room. We all agreed that we would like to have a little PvP for each type of player, (the aforementioned gankers included,) something small and contained, something with objectives, a place for an all-out rumble and the always popular impossible scenario. This was the beginning of the game types within the Hero Games. The UTC, B.A.S.H. and Apocalypse games.
More information.
 
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An 8800 for recommended... the MMOs are getting beefy!
 
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