Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Something we haven't seen mentioned in regards to Champions Online is voice chat. Was it going to have it? Roper pointed out a few challenges, "Part of it is the difficulty of us not knowing the what and when of the console version. If Xbox players were going to play with PC players we'd have to put in a common voice system." He also relates some of his experience from working on Hellgate: London, "With the number of things on our plate to launch the game, one of the things we don't want is to keep adding stuff in. I'll be the first to admit we tried to do way too much at Flagship on Hellgate. We tried to do everything, and while they don't look like a big deal individually, at the end they all have to be tested and checked." It appears Teamspeak and Ventrilo servers will be in full swing at launch, but will Cryptic follow suit and add voice like so many others?

Following that line of thought, I got to my last question regarding grouping and specifically their "open mission" mechanic. As I mention to him it sounds identical to Warhammer Online: Age of Reckonings Public Quest system, Roper cheerfully agrees. "It absolutely is! We did what every good developer does, saw something and went 'We should use that in our game!" He continues by explaining, "That is always the key to look at other games and say 'How do we make this work? What worked in the past?' This is perfect for the super hero theme." Warhammer's Public Quests were a core part of their mechanics, but would Champions rely on them as much? It doesn't sound like it, "I don't think it's the core of where all our stuff is focused. We have them in the zones and they are a mission type for us. We'll do more moving forward, but we wanted some everywhere." As he describes the various type of missions available, it appears this is one tiny piece of the overall pie.

As you can see, Cryptic appears to be pushing the envelope a little. A more accessible UI, tailored boss fights, and a carefully monitored beta program should generate the attention it deserves and hopefully produce a quality superhero game. What I did walk away knowing for sure, is there is never any guarantee of success, but Bill Roper wants Champions to succeed and has the experience to make it happen.