What Makes CoH Great?

[ZeeHero]

On 4/5/2020 at 10:23 AM, Heraclea said:

Excellent summation.  There are other drama driving mechanics that other games have that CoH doesn't, like gear repair costs.  Most combats are straight-up and don't require elaborate choreography and catherding.  No one uses live voice chat to actually play the game, which I always found immersion breaking. 

In a game which does not have the huge creative freedom of COH, having fun and interesting combat is a necessity. It's not a bad thing to have fun, engaging combat. it's just not something possible to do for COH.

[Shred Monkey]

Reversing the question to get more insight.... When I go to other games, I always compare it with this game.  Here's where I end up *NOT* liking about the other games compared to this one.

 

1.  My costumes are not unique.  I really enjoyed monster hunter world...  but when I optmized my build, my costume looked horrible... PLUS it looked like every other high end player who used my weapon choice because we all basically have the same build.  I want to own my own look.  In CoH the only way you'll look the same as someone else is if you plan it that way.

2.  World is too, small.   Here's where Champions online fails miserably.  It's like 5 zones.  Plus no unique random map missions.  The endgame is about 2 hours of content... less if things go well.  After that it's repeat the same thing over and over.  In CoH you can play for weeks without repeating anything if you choose to.  I'm sure there's zones I haven't been to yet since returning (Shadow Shard?).. there's definitely mission arcs I haven't completed.

3.  Limited progress for casual player.  My experience with WoW comes from the early years of the game.  I never made it to max level, I never did endgame content, I never got into a raiding guild because I just couldn't do the time commitments.   I needed a game that allowed me to make progress playing 1 hour at a time... sometimes 20 minutes at a time.  I can do that in CoH.  Not every game has that.

4.  Game lacks complexity.  There's a load of games where this is the failing compared to CoH.  A lot of RPG games you basically run in and attack and collect items.  You slot the items if they're better then what you have.  And, well that's it.  There's no planning for progression and optimization.  The progression is all repeated.  The only difference between level 5 and level 25 is that the numbers just get bigger on the items and enemies.  There's no calculating optimal attack chains.  In CoH, it's not unusual for me to spend all my free time for 2-3 days in spreadsheets and build planners before I create a new toon.  I generally plan attack chains and builds for level 12, level 22, level 32, and level 50 and a new power I get at level 32 makes my toon play different than it did at level 20.  I tweak my costumes probably 2-3 times per day (and undo 80% of those changes).  I can spend a whole play session just doing marketing stuff if I want to.  I could spend months working on badges on a single toon before you'll hit a hard barrier to further progression.  I could go on and on about this, and that's really the point.  CoH is HUGELY complex if you want it to be.

5.  The playerbase is not open and friendly.   This is really where Homecoming shines.  We all have this shared love for the game.  Sure thee's mild drama once in a while... but generally every team I join is a positive experience.  Every conversation I have I leave feeling good.  I don't see nearly the amount of greifing and trolling in this game as I see in others.  And it's really easy to make new connections.  It's easy to find teams at any level.  It's easy to join the endgame raids.  It's easy to communicate across servers and worlds.  Even these forums are alive with fresh comments every few minutes (seriously, that's a big thing.)  All that together is something I've never found anywhere else.  In MHW I don't think I ever even spoke to another player... if i wanted to, I"m not sure i know how.  It's not really a social game at all.   In WoW the global chat was famously chlidish and filled with drama.   CO has a really small playerbase.. so other than the automatic pairing options in the alert system, it because pretty hard to get teams to do anything.  

 

That's probably not everything... but it's all I have time for now.

 

 

[Crazyleo]

One of the things I discovered about myself when playing this game was the love of writing. Weather is writing up a brief blurb on the profile or writing up a 1,000 word post for an RP post; is the love of creating my own content in written form that makes me love CoH.

[Gremlin]

1 hour ago, Shred Monkey said:

and a new power I get at level 32 makes my toon play different than it did at level 20

This is one of the things I love about the game. I like to take time levelling my toons so I can experience they way they change as they progress. Picking a power that gives you more end feels like winning a prize when you've been constantly short of end for a few levels. Getting your first AOE when you've only had single target powers makes the toon feel awesome. When I hit the high levels I can look back and think how far the toon has come.

[Galaxy Brain]

The number one thing for me is the customized way you can build a character. In other games, each class is essentially the same within said class, but in CoH two controllers using the same primary can be totally different beats depending on the secondary and other choices.

[Doc_Scorpion]

8 minutes ago, Galaxy Brain said:

In other games, each class is essentially the same within said class, but in CoH two controllers using the same primary can be totally different beats depending on the secondary and other choices.

And this is so common we actually have terms for those hybrid builds/playstyles - Scranker, Offender, Blapper...  And they're [usually] merely descriptive rather than pejorative.

[Gremlin]

21 minutes ago, Doc_Scorpion said:

And this is so common we actually have terms for those hybrid builds/playstyles - Scranker, Offender, Blapper...  And they're [usually] merely descriptive rather than pejorative.

That's a good point. Even when I've seen someone try what should be a totally gimped build, the general reaction is a combination of amused interest and encouragement.

[Luminara]

On 4/4/2020 at 5:37 AM, Gremlin said:

Back in the before times, when CoH was a subscription only game, I remember reading a list of the average subscription periods for various MMOs. IIRC, they were usually around 6 months but CoH was double that. There clearly is (or was) something unusually sticky about CoH. Is that still true, and if so, why?

 

In far too many games, you have an automatic attack, and interrupt that attack with keyed abilities, and all of those abilities use either a fixed cooldown rate, or a very limited cooldown reduction stat system.  Co* uses a player-oriented combat model, eschewing the use of auto-attacks and placing complete control over keyed attacks in the players' hands.

 

I've played a lot of games over the past four decades, but Co* is the only one I've ever played which gave me the power to create my own attack chain.  That one thing restructured my approach to gaming in general and elevated my expectations of games to such a plateau that nothing else has even come close.

 

Like System Shock 2 and Deus Ex, Co* treats the player like a thinking entity and works to enable that player as fully and effectively as possible.  And that makes it one of the landmarks in gaming, in my opinion.

[ZekeStenzland]

One thing I don’t see listed here... I love watching the character animations!

 

I realized after CoH shut down that I didn’t watch the character animations in LOTRO, or WoW, or EQ, or CO, or SW:L. But I love watching my guy do silly, over-the-top Dual Blades sword fu. And I love watching the cape physics while doing my Staff Fighting break dance moves. And Dual Pistols’ John Wu gun fu. And that glacial 3sec slo-mo hover in mid air while you pound the snot out of some baddie. And the fact that Brawl on my Dual Blades stalker is actually a kick. And don’t get me started on street justice!
 

Edited April 6, 2020 by ZekeStenzland

[DSorrow]

15 hours ago, Shred Monkey said:

3.  Limited progress for casual player.  My experience with WoW comes from the early years of the game.  I never made it to max level, I never did endgame content, I never got into a raiding guild because I just couldn't do the time commitments.   I needed a game that allowed me to make progress playing 1 hour at a time... sometimes 20 minutes at a time.  I can do that in CoH.  Not every game has that.

No idea how I missed commenting on this thing in my previous post, but I think this is huge. I absolutely love the fact that basically every second I spend doing something in CoX is worth the same no matter whether the total time commitment is 4x 30 minutes or 1x 2 hours as well as the complete lack of daily/weekly quests as the main source of progression. CoX enables me to play around my schedule and never feel bad because I missed a limited chance at progress when many other games are the polar opposite. In my opinion one of the best ways to burn players out on a game is to require them to log in when they don't actually feel like playing it.

 

[Sura]

I really like battling large numbers of foes, which I can't remember being a real possibility in other MMO's.  The aggro cap is 17 here!  Many other games you're working to pull one foe at a time, or two, or maybe three.  Get to six or seven and you're probably dead. 

[justicebeliever]

On 4/6/2020 at 12:30 AM, Oubliette_Red said:

What makes CoH great?

 

I'd have to say a few things:

 

1. The community, where people will help out others whether it be with a mission, a costume, build suggestions, drive-by buffing, or just dropping inf on a random lowbie in AP.

 

2. The community, where folks will spend their time bringing back a game that we all love without expecting anything in return because they love it as much as we do.

 

3. The community.

I was going to say the forums...both Live and now...On any given day they will make me laugh, shake my fists in anger, think quickly and quirky, or think slowly and thoughtfully.

[MTeague]

On 4/6/2020 at 11:14 AM, ZeeHero said:

In a game which does not have the huge creative freedom of COH, having fun and interesting combat is a necessity. It's not a bad thing to have fun, engaging combat. it's just not something possible to do for COH.

I .... clearly do not use your definitions lol.  I very much enjoy the combat in CoH.  

No it's not super duper tactical. 

There's not tremendous amounts of consequence to using the "right' or "wrong" power at any given moment.

 

But it's stompy arcady fun.  And after a long day at work, it makes me smile.

 

[kiramon]

For me it’s because powers are interesting, rarely are things “deal x damage.” 
 

gravity is a good example - what a fun set that’s totally different from every other set despite still having the fire of the class in tact. 

[DeepRootz]

For me one of its biggest strengths making me look and feel awesome at everything I'm doing.  I'd say build diversity is a huge draw for me as well.  

[Nafsmar]

Being able to play COH again. Oh wait I read that title as what makes the homecoming DEVS so great. My bad oh wait not really they are truly great. 

[Gremlin]

Thanks again for all the answers. They've been a joy to read.

[Gulbasaur]

For me, it's the focus on instanced missions that scale to the number of people. I really like being able to rock up with a group of friends and have a suitable challenge, no matter how many of you there are. 

 

It's something I definitely miss in other games. 

[EmmySky]

So many right answers to this question.  I do love the play.  Character customization, so many different paths you can take your toon, team or solo, story content or farm, OPTIONS! 

 

By a large margin, I think its the people and their acceptance of my smart-ass-ery.  Its like having friends but nobody invades my personal space or private home, no impenging on my anti-socialness.  And soooo many folks with the same demented humor as me. 

 

Definitely the people.  Definitely.

Edited April 9, 2020 by EmmySky

[justicebeliever]

21 minutes ago, EmmySky said:

By a large margin, I think its the people and their acceptance of my smart-ass-ery.  Its like having friends but nobody invades my personal space or private home, no impenging on my anti-socialness.  And soooo many folks with the same demented humor as me. 

This.  100 times this (please don't actually write it 100 times).  This is me, and one of the many reasons I love this game!

[cranebump]

Variety, and far and away nice people. No one way to enjoy the game. 

 

And you can pretend to be a super hero. I like that...

[EmmySky]

1 hour ago, cranebump said:

And you can pretend to be a super hero. I like that...

Pretend??  Pfft....we ARE superheroes!  😁

[Yomo Kimyata]

For me, it's a path of progression.  Rewards in the form of gaining a new level are noticeable and in some cases character changing.  I very rarely ding and am not looking forward to my new slots or new power.

[SeraphimKensai]

This might not be a popular opinion but for me anyways, CoH attracted me based on the concept of being a superhero, the people I met in the game are what kept me around.

 

 

I started playing MMO's actually with SWG back in about November of 2003, I was living in South Korea at the time, and moved back to the US in January. I played a lot of SWG at the time, but I had received a beta invite to try a new MMO named City of Heroes. During Beta I was blown away at how different the game felt to SWG, but SWG was still my main game, I mean I had my own outpost village on Naboo and had mastered 23 of the 24 classes. All trying to unlock that force sensitive character slot to be a Jedi. I played both CoH launched in the spring end of April if I remember right, and I mostly solo'd and struggled on an i0 Elec/Elec blaster.

 

Playing both games was working out alright, but I wasn't fully invested into CoH, as I was also working full time and then some, plus SWG and a social life. But it all changede when the Jedi Trials Patch came out, and one of my neighbors started the game I recruited them to and did the trial to become a Jedi. Here they are waving their light saber around after about a week of playing, and I've been there for about 9 months still not having finished collecting holos to unlock that force sensitive character slot, and he became a Jedi without any effort. I felt like Vegeta struggling to become a Super Saiyan only to see Trunks and Goten do it while goofing off. It didn't sit well with me, and I quit SWG and rededicated my time and effort into CoH.

I ran a Sister Psyche TF back when she was in Aurora's body, met a couple of people in an SG, got recruited, applied, and joined. Got placed on a team within the SG, and spent years in the game because of the people.

 

The content instead while extensive is trivial at best. It's the people that make this game a home.

[justicebeliever]

9 minutes ago, SeraphimKensai said:

CoH attracted me based on the concept of being a superhero, the people I met in the game are what kept me around.

I agree 100%.  The concept is why I play CoH instead of other MMO's.  The people are why I play at all.