City of Heroes Preview

In the MMORPG City of Heroes you'll be playing as super hero, fighting against villains, aliens, and vicious underground monsters that roam the streets of Paragon City. You will be able to customize and advance your character; that is to say you can do almost anything from setting the character's statistics and designing your own costume (and general appearance) to advancing his skills and powers. While you're running around Paragon City, you will be offered a chance to try out over 40 different super hero powers.

The game's being created by NCSoft and Cryptic studios. Players are going to have the opportunity to participate in the game's BETA test some time during the first half of 2003. Until then, check out what Rick Dakan, the lead designer on the project, had to say about City of Heroes.

ActionTrip: What's the City of Heroes all about?

Now I'm all dressed up and ready to smite down villain butts.

Well, that's one way to avoid a traffic jam.

Rick Dakan: City of Heroes lets players become their own, super powered hero. The entire focus of the game is about exploring what being a hero means and what life and adventure might be like in a world where costumed crusaders flit between the skyscrapers and alien invasion and villainous plots are commonplace.

AT: We've heard that the level of character customization is very high, allowing players to create a unique appearance. What exactly can the players customize?

RD: The players can customize every aspect of their hero. Face, hair, masks, helmets, hats, skin color, chests, gloves, boots, logos, pants, and belts all have a tremendous variety of geometry, texture, color, and pattern options. There are literally billions of unique costume options.

AT: At the beginning of the game, does the player get a character with predetermined statistics, or can he adjust some of his skills and abilities himself?

RD: Players will have the option of choosing one of many different pre-made characters or they can start from scratch and decide everything themselves. Even if they choose a pre-made archetype they can still go back and alter it to their heart's content.

AT: In what way can the player advance his existing skills?

RD: Players earn experience from fighting villains and completing missions. They can then use the experience to train and increase their skills and powers.

AT: Can you reveal some of the tasks players can complete throughout the game.

RD: Well, there are a variety of different options available to heroes in their quest to do good. Some neighborhoods in the city are so overrun with villains after the recent alien invasion that they are in need of constant patrolling. There are also various Hero Organizations that offer heroes missions that need accomplishing right away. These can be anything from rescuing hostages from an office building occupied by a gang of cyber enhanced thugs to infiltrating an enemy base and capturing a leader.

AT: Tell us more about the AI you've induced into villains and NPCs.

RD: The Villains use a wide variety of weapons and powers against the heroes. They'll know how to cooperate and combine their effects to get the best result. Additionally many villains have access to a number of different powers and attacks, so players can never be 100% certain what kind of challenges they will be facing.

Hm, no cabs around. What now?

The world is not what it use to be.

AT: While exploring the City of Paragon, where can the players meet to engage in combat with other players?

RD: Most of City of Heroes revolves around working with other players. Heroes can form permanent teams that allow them to share vault space and work together to change the future of the city as a whole. However, we do plan to implement an arena where players can engage in "friendly" bouts with one another.

AT: Give us more details about the various items players can pick up and utilize.

RD: Many of the items players can use take the form of either weapons or enhancements for their costumes. There are mundane, magical, and high-tech items which players can use to mimic super powers, attack enemies, and create other effects. More powerful items require the appropriate security clearance to use as well as the right skill.

AT: Out of all the villains players will come up against, which group is the most deadly?

RD: Hmmm, that's a tough one as each Villain group offers a whole spectrum of challenges and all present a grave and continuing threat to Paragon City. Still, the primary threat to the city in recent months has been the extra-dimensional Rikti that still menace the metropolis. The brilliant and nefarious Nemesis also ranks as one of the biggest continuing threats to all that is good in the world.

AT: How did your development team handle in-game death? Will the death denote any loss of experience and collected items?

RD: All heroes have an emergency insurance service that teleports them to safety at the last instant before death. They appear at a nearby hospital or clinic and are charged a fair chunk of change for their trouble. They also lose Fame, an important statistic and useful tool in City of Heroes.

AT: Creating a MMO game must be tough task. How far have you guys gone with the development? And can you reveal the release date of game?

RD: It is indeed a long process and we've been at it just over two years now. We're targeting a release for the first half of 2003.