Champions Producer Reflects on Free-to-Play Switch [Champions Online]

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Following our recent adventure in Champions Online: Free for All, we decided to sit down with Producer Rob Overmeyer to get his thoughts on the free-to-play switch. He talks about the response from the player base and future plans for the game, including the upcoming release of the Devastator Archetype and some new PvP maps.

Check out the full interview after the jump and head over to the official Champions Online site if you'd like to try out the Free for All update.



ZAM: Champions Online went free-to-play a few weeks ago. What's the past week been like at the Cryptic offices?

Rob Overmeyer: Any time before a launch, there are a few tense moments where you hold your breath in anticipation, but it only took a few minutes for players to make their way to Millennium City and take in everything we had done for Free for All. That was when we all collectively exhaled, and it’s been a blast since then.

We are really excited to see so many players in game and having a great time. Around the office there has been a ton of support and the team is really excited to get our next update wrapped up and ready to play.

ZAM: How has the response been so far from the player base? Are you seeing more returning players, or newbies or a mix of both?

Overmeyer: The response has been great. Players are excited about the changes the Free-to-Play transition brought, and they really appreciate the improvements we’ve made to the early parts of the game.

As for the types of players we are seeing back in the game, I would say we have a good mix of old and new. One thing that has really helped new players is the veteran player community. A lot of veterans are warming up to newbies, helping them along the way, answering questions, and so on. I think that is really going to help us keep people interested in the game long-term.



ZAM: What's the current balance between Silver players and Gold members?

Overmeyer: We have a good mix of new gold members and new silver players, but what’s pretty cool about our system is they’re not segregated from each other, so there’s this great sense of community right now, regardless of a player’s status.

With so many new players, the game and community has grown and feels alive and fun. Each week it isn’t surprising to see an increase of silver players that are checking out the game for the first time, and a fair number of those players will convert to gold members.

ZAM: Even though it's only been a few weeks, how would you rate the overall success of the free-to-play switch? Is it a model that we may see in other Cryptic games, such as Star Trek Online?

Overmeyer: Free for All has been successful for Champions Online, partially because it’s getting new people into the game, but also because we really set out to improve the game from beginning to end.

Starting with the planning stage, we took a close look at players’ feedback to see what our current players wanted from the game. We needed to make the game feel and play better. Along with our content, we updated numerous powers and improved some of the basic combat mechanics like holds and other controlling abilities. Our success was really supported by our dedication to make Champions Online a better game.

The switch had a lot of moving parts, and they all came together.

As far as Star Trek goes, I can’t really speak to their plans for the future, since I’m so much more focused on what we’re doing with Champions.

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ZAM: The change in payment format was but one part of the re-launch of Champions Online. What other major changes were implemented?

Overmeyer: We changed the leveling progression from levels 1-18. We made Westside in Millennium City the neighborhood you start exploring following the Qularr invasion in the Tutorial. After that, you’ll head to an improved early Desert experience. The missions and stories from Westside to the Radiation Pools in the Desert have been updated and tell a better story about those locations.

We also took a good, hard look at our power systems. One of the largest changes was to the Force power set. Several frameworks got buffed up and some gained new abilities that improved the overall framework and added more utility.

Then, we gave the UI a serious update. We gave it a new look, improved how we display information, and have given players more tools to customize their UI.

ZAM: If a veteran player came back today, what do you think would surprise them most outside of the new archetype features?

Overmeyer: If I had to pick from all the changes we’ve made over the past few months, I think it would be the content and powers changes. Pretty much anything a vet sees will be new and improved.



ZAM: When it comes to new players, have you changed any content to make it more inviting for beginners?

Overmeyer: We absolutely changed content to make Champions Online more inviting to new players. Starting in the Tutorial, we have updated the way we inform players about the basics of the game. A player will no longer have to click through various extra contact dialogs to learn about basic game mechanics. We use pop-ups that are contextually relevant to what you are doing.

Following the Tutorial, you will find yourself in Millennium City in the heart of the Renaissance Center, with a mission to speak to Defender. He will guide you through what Ren Cen has to offer and get you on your way to defeating baddies in Westside.

Starting in the city following the Qularr invasion and playing missions that are relevant to that recent invasion offers an improved and smoother transition than before.

ZAM: Are there plans to add new powers and Archetypes to the game?

Overmeyer: We have a lot of plans to keep growing the game and building powers and frameworks that Champs players want to see.

You can expect to see new Archetypes regularly. We get a lot of suggestions from players, and usually we are thinking along the same lines for what would be really cool to get in the game. One of the Archetypes we will be releasing in the near future is the Devastator. This Archetype will be using powers from the Heavy Weapon framework. Players have been asking for a Heavy Weapon Archetype since launch, so we’re really excited to get that to them.

ZAM: Will most new content be released as purchasable adventure packs, or can Silver players expect to see new zones and content as well?

Overmeyer: We will have some purchasable content for Silver Players but we also have plans to keep updating and building content for free. We want to grow and improve the game for everyone to enjoy.

ZAM: Can you give us any hints about future Champions Online content?

Overmeyer: We have a lot on deck and some really cool things that are in the design phase. Nothing is close enough to launch to talk about just yet, but I can say we are excited to get players more of what they like and what they have been asking for.

Generally, though, we will be adding new PvP maps and game types for our PvP community. We will be updating our existing instances to scale with team size. This will make our instances feel more alive and allow you to dish out even more justice. We are also working on Lair reviews that include Boss updates and an easier way to find and group with players for Lairs.



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