OMG RPG

Five years ago today, Paragon City was born.  Small MMO developer Cryptic Studios set out to create a new type of online persistent world, giving players the chance to live as a super hero.  They called their game City of Heroes, and focused the gameplay on small missions you could complete on your lunchbreak.  Speak of gameplay, a character creator unlike any other, and a solidly unique take on the MMO were the secrets to CoH's success.

 The City of Heroes team wasn't set on simply remaining in the middle of the MMO genre heap.  A year after their incredibly successful launch, Cryptic released a stand alone title to expand their universe.  City of Villains released on Halloween of 2005, and was the first game to trule allow players to play the bad guys for once.  Although it was possible to  play City of Heroes and City of Villains separately, the purchase of both titles unlocked other added bonuses enjoyed by heroes and villains alike.

 Throughout the years, major new features were added to the game to keep content fresh and exciting for players.  With Issue 6 Supergroups were allowed to build their own bases and use item drops called Salvage to create furniture, tools, and other elements for their groups base of operations.  Issue 9 allowed players access to the Invention system, which gave players the power to create Enhancements for their power sets with items that dropped throughout Paragon City.  No content patch was as pivotal as that of Issue 14, where players were given tools to create their own missions using the Architect system.  

While the game continued to thrive, its ownership shifted.  In November 2007, NCSoft, who had published City of Heroes, took over both City of Heroes and City of Villains, allowing Cryptic Studios to move on to work on other projects.  This month it was announced that the branch of NCSoft that houses the City of Heroes team was being renamed to Paragon Studios in the game's honor. 

With so much innovation going into one game, we are all eager to know what is in store for City of Heroes in the future.  Luckily Matt "Positron" Miller, Lead Designer at Paragon Studios, took the time to fill us in on how the developers are celebrating this monumental milestone.   

What were the original goals when you set out to create City of Heroes?  Do you think the game has evolved over time?

The goal that we still carry forth to this day is to bring the excitement and entertainment of comic books online.  If you see it in a superhero comic, then we should have something like it in the game. This is where ideas like Side kicking came from. Even the Mission Architect system (a holographic combat simulator) has its roots in the comics of various superhero teams.

And as for the game’s evolution, I barely would recognize the original game today. We have added so much in the 14 free content updates we have done that evolution might be too light of a word.

 Does the recent transition from NCsoft NorCal to Paragon Studios mean that there is another City of Heroes project in the works?  City of Aliens perhaps?

City of Aliens? I can honestly say that is the first time I have heard that one, very interesting! I think that the name shift shows that we are serious about the property and are supporting it whole heartedly.

I can’t discuss future plans at this very moment, but I will say we have some great ideas in store for players. With NCsoft’s support, we are doing things we could only dream about before they took over the IP and development.

For a game that launched only months before World of Warcraft, City of Heroes has been able to survive where other games fail.  What’s the secret to your success?

 

I think our super-powered heroes (and villains) cater to an audience that loves comic books.  And the popularity of comic book related entertainment has grown over the years, and we see this trend only getting bigger and more widely appreciated. Especially with the MMOs space, we fill a void that speaks more so to the interactive side of comic books. You get to create your own character, and fly around a modern city, shooting bolts of energy from your hands, taking down everything from petty thugs to super-powered villains bent on world domination. 

 

Also, our costume editor lets you look great even at level 1. That’s a big draw and a mini-game in itself.

 

But really, the crux of our success involves our community. We have the best community – by and large, everyone is helpful, very interested in the genre, and supportive.  Their loyalty and commitment to the franchise and the development team at Paragon Studios is very much appreciated.  You can make a really good game. What makes it great is the community.

 

Are you at all concerned about the competition that Champions Online and DC Universe may pose?

 

Concerned? No. Excited? You bet. Nothing like a little healthy competition to get your development team fired up. 

 

When it comes to competition in any genre where there is a clear leader, you have to really look at what you are going up against. The leader has years of a content head-start on you, so you can not skimp at all. Your product, in order to be competitive, should ship with at least as much content as the other guys’. Being first, we have a clear “leg up” on the competition and with major content updates and massive systems like Mission Architect, I hope we have shown that we aim to continue our leadership position in the genre.

 

What is in store for Issue 15?

 

Issue 15 is called “Anniversary” and has a couple new Task Forces, one for Heroes and one for Villains, a bunch of enhancements to the Mission Architect system, new costumes, and a bunch of other quality of life improvements.  It’s currently in development and we’ll have more details to share down the road. 

Five years of City of Heroes: How will you celebrate? 

 

Well, the work day will be very much “business as usual”, with only some minor interruptions for celebrations. Before I leave for the night, I will make an address to the players from within the game. Then, when I am home, I will crack open a bottle of Van Gogh Double Espresso vodka and celebrate with the players in the co-op zone of Pocket D (on the Training Room server) for the rest of the night. 

 

The players are the best part of this game, and interacting with them is the best part of this job. I can’t wait.

 

 

Celebrate with the players, eh?  Well that sounds like a great idea.  We at omgRPG don't want to be left out of the party, so we're running a little contest to give away a City of Heroes: Architect Edition.  Simply post a comment below listing which super hero you would be if you could.  We'll keep this open until Friday May 1st, 2009. Only one comment per reader please.