We’re about one week from the launch of Revelation and the response on the Public Test Shard has been awesome. The development team spent some time last week playing with the testers and had a great time going through missions and getting your very direct feedback. We’re spending the next few days cleaning up those last issues and putting another coat of polish on Revelation before releasing it on the Live servers. It’s been a real labor of love for us, and like proud (and tired) parents we’re ready to send our progeny out into the world. A HUGE thanks goes out to all our testers for spending so much time on Revelation. You’ve been instrumental in helping us get all the kinks out and we think that this is the best content yet in the game.
As soon as Revelation is Live we’re going to be working on several fronts simultaneously. Much like the dangerous Stainless Super-Steel Salad Stabber invented by the super-genius Foxbat, here’s our multi-pronged plan of attack:
New Missions
The content team has some pretty cool new tools to play with so while we start stretching our legs with them, it seemed like a great time to work on some more content to spread throughout the game. We know that there are a few areas where content is thin, so we’re thickening the plot, so to speak, with some new missions in specific level bands. As we get these into the testing phase, we’ll let you know what and where they are.
Adventure Packs
These are story-driven, themed mission chains playable by heroes at almost any level. Filled with new content, special rewards, and new perks, the first one in the queue is called Serpent Lantern. Here’s a sneak peek!
The Supreme Serpent has long ruled over VIPER and its Council of Thirty. Envious of the power held by the Supreme Serpent, members of the Thirty have devised many schemes to wrest control of VIPER from him. In order to secure his power, the Supreme Serpent has hatched a plot to recover the ancient lost artifact known as the Serpent Lantern, a mystical device originally used by the Thirty Founders of VIPER to grant themselves immortality. Deep in the jungles of Africa in the ancient Snake Temple of Nama, the Serpent Mages intend to summon the Spirit Serpent residing inside the Lantern to create a new artifact. With the Serpent Lantern recovered, the Supreme Serpent can finally bind the Council of Thirty to an oath of loyalty in exchange for the power of immortality.
Super Power Patch
We’re also hitting it hard on the powers and programming side with our sights set on:
We’ve been doing a lot over the past few weeks to be more involved with the community, change our development processes to better respond to your feedback, and do whatever we can to continue building Champions into the game we all want it to be. We’ve made some mistakes along the way, but I continue to be very proud of the dedication, effort, and love this team puts into the game. Champions Online is a much more solid experience than when we launched, and continues to have a great deal of promise and potential to become better and better in the future. I am grateful for the support and passion this community has for it.
Shannon Posniewski, or Poz on the forums, is taking over as Executive Producer on Champions Online as I move to other design responsibilities within Cryptic Studios. Shannon has been with Cryptic since back in the “City of” days, is Director of Game Programming, and has been serving as our lead programmer since before launch. He is an incredible force for getting things done and is tied into the technology of the game while having an earnest desire to work with the community and take Champions to the next level. He’s constantly on the forums, so rest assured he’s going to see what it is you’re looking for.
I am very proud to have Revelation be the addition to Champions Online that bridges my departure with the game’s new direction. The upcoming weeks and months are going to be an exciting time for us all, and I can’t wait to play what’s next.
See you online, Champions!
