I hate to do this but... WoW vs. CoH??

[Slyy Daugg]

I've been looking forward to WoW for quite a while now. I didn't even try to get into beta, because I get attached to my characters and would hate to see them get wiped. I frequently visit my local comp shop where they have WoW beta running from 9 to 5 for people to behold, and it looks great.

I got so bored with EQ, I couldn't stand it anymore. And I just have to have my persistant world, so one night on a whim I picked up City of Heroes at my local wally world. I fully expected to be disappointed. I've played UO, EQ, and DAoC, and have followed this industry for a long time. I had read plenty about CoH, and I really had my doubts about it.

As any of you who have played COH know - I was wrong. I am flat-out hooked on this game, and when I imagine how they can improve it, I am drooling more than I have for any game since early EQ.

Now, when WoW comes out, I'll have a decision to make because I can't afford to play both. My question isn't which game should I play, because when the time comes, I'm sure I'll make a decision. But I wonder how many others are now in the same boat I am. And how will this effect the population of WoW?

I really believe that people who give CoH a good trial run are going to be locked in pretty hard. My main is now 22 and it's only getting more fun for me. Frankly, I'm surprised this "controversy" hasn't been brought up before. CoH looks to me to threaten the anticipated ownage of the MMO industry that seemed so destined to belong to WoW.

Thoughts?

SD

[Nocte]

I haven't played COH but I've had a similar experience with WoW. I stopped logging into EQ last month and have been loving WoW for the last week. It's genuinely fun, self tutoring, and has pulled me in as EQ did originally. It does have some cosmetic flaws, but all in all, it may just be my game until Vanguard comes out. I haven't tackled the mid to high level game yet, but I still feel "into" the game.

Perhaps we are feeling the SOE blackhole losing it's pull on us depending on which game we chose to start up. DAoC did nothing for me, nor did NWN, mainly because I enjoyed the EQ game at the time. Now, I'm genuinely betrayed by the integrity of Norrath... angry to be truthful. WoW has returned fun to my evening gaming. CoH returned yours. I haven't officially retired Nocte of Norrath as of yet, but he's definitely hibernating indefinitely.

I am also a fan of high fantasy, and the superhero thing doesn't appeal to me in the least. That is a distinction that a lot of old RPGers will make. Sci-fi, survival horror, super heros and war games to me are only appealing in an FPS atmosphere. I like Fantasy RPGs, I'm stubborn and vanilla that way.

/shrug

I'm betting the monkey has left our backs, and the it's the next "fix" that jumps on will stick. :pulid

[Ruccus]

Well I guess I'm in a rare position because I'm playing CoH and I'm in the WoW beta as well. Depth-wise it's no contest - WoW is a much deeper, more complex game than CoH; the tradeskill system in WoW is impressive, and the character development is well done as well, allowing you to use skill points to raise attributes, add weapons proficiencies, and add tradeskill proficiencies. And there are still 'talents' to be worked on before the game goes live.

But CoH can more than hold its own when it comes down to the all-important combat aspect; in WoW multiple mobs around your level can cause you trouble, and with regards to the rogue class I find combat a bit overly complex (though I'll probably get used to it in time). With CoH you can wade into a group of minions your level or a level higher and still win quite easily, and you can use most or all of your powers in a battle; with WoW you have to choose certain routes to take, which sometimes causes you to question the 'right way' you should be using your fighting skills. WoW combat also relies on equipment - high damage per second weapons and high armour class clothing, while CoH you're the weapon regardless of the clothes you wear.

I can't really compare the worlds - they both feel 'right' for their respective settings. There seems to be more freedom of movement in CoH (less invisible walls/steep unclimbable cliffs; frankly speaking, WoW characters have rather pathetic jumping abilities), but WoW appears to be a larger world. The fact remains though that they are very different games, and I couldn't give you an answer right now as to which is better; I believe WoW is still several months from being released, and CoH has the CoV expansion which should increase depth and add PvP. We also can't forget EQ2 - while I thought the screenshots were 'okay', the movies seem to capture the game in a much better light (both figuratively and literally, as the in-game lighting looks excellent), and I can't wait to add EQ2 to the mix.

The fact that City of Heroes is even being mentioned in the same breath as games like World of Warcraft and EverQuest II is an achievement in itself for Cryptic; I've followed CoH since before the change to the powerset format (to prevent the tank-mage syndrome) and while I thought it had great potential, it's quite another thing to actually execute on that potential. Cryptic should be proud of the game they created because as of right now it's unique; and that's something I can't say about WoW or EQ2.

[Arafain]

To be fair, WoW is fairly unique due to the quest-driven exp system, if nothing else.

[Nocte]

To be fair, WoW is fairly unique due to the quest-driven exp system, if nothing else.

This is the reason I find it so intoxicating. By picking up the quests from your home city and tackling every "!" you see, you are learning game mechanics and the layout of the world. Not only that, you're getting pretty substantial XP and loot.

I'm on the "little" island of Darnassus which is freaking huge. Comparativly to the world map, this world must be enormous. There is so much for me to do at the moment on my night elf island, that I don't need to leave yet. :heart

[Krimzan]

I'm still pissed I haven't gotten into beta yet.

[Ruccus]

I'm not saying that WoW and EQ2 don't/won't have unique aspects that engage the player, but CoH is a non loot-centric MMOG set in an urban world where you play a comic book hero - no other MMOG gives you that. WoW is a loot-centric fantasy MMOG, which is the rough foundation for a vast number of games that came before it.

Don't interpret my use of 'unique' as being 'better' though; I'd consider a MMOG in which you play a non-sentient piece of driftwood being taken around the world by way of water currents as unique, but I really wouldn't want to stare at a horizon of pixel shaded water for hours on end.

[Krimzan]

That would be the best water evar. Could do like, real physics based, deep-water simulation. Model the effects of currents, warm AND cold. Could have weather simulation, typhoons, crazy storms...

And don't get me started on the potential for barnicles!!!

[Arafain]

"barnacles" :)

[Qutsmnie]

I dont understand coh and im to cheap to try it.

I think alot of the highs people get from coh are prolly similiar to what you get from FPS'rs.

[Jeters]

I've got CoH and I'm in the WoW beta....


and unfortunately niether can hold my interest for more than a few hours a day, if that. Maybe its the fact that both games feel like, well, "games" to me, instead of the persistant world I know in EQ.

the other problem I've had with both is that I feel that the community and chat aspect is completely lost in both games. I feel no need to seek out other players to group and hang out with, or make new friends.

oh well, perhaps im just too jaded.... That said, I've got a lot of friends who are just loving CoH, as well as people thouroughly enjoying WoW. I'm still playing both games, hoping they will grow on me =)

[Peebs]

I can sympathize with the original poster. I haven't played EQ in a long time and have tried a fair share of games since (DAoC had me hooked the longest, followed by Planetside).

Anyway, I've been looking forward to WoW for quite a while now. I'm not in the beta, but then again I don't really care about betas to begin with. I picked up CoH because of all of the things I've read about it and I'm pretty hooked at the moment. If WoW were to be released next week, I honestly wouldn't know what to do. I can't afford the time to play two of these games (can hardly play one as it is) but CoH is just a blast (and City of Villains just sounds so.... cool).

Ah well, it's nice seeing these great games finally get released.

[Orodruin]

All the competition recently in the MMORPG genre should result in better end-user games, which has got to be good :kroe

[Dime]

CoH pulled me away from WoW. I havnt logged on in weeks to WoW. For some reason WoW just seems too much like EQ so it's kinda like been there done that. I'm hoping it get better but who knows. I'm sure people new to MMO's will love WoW.

[ShadowCross]

I've been playing CoH for a while now and I am also in the WoW Beta. I got into WoW Beta around the time I got CoH - of course I did log into WoW at once (after I had DLed 2 gigs and installed it), but somehow it didn't capture my curiousity at all, I played for 2 hours or so and resumed to play CoH. Fast forward 2-3 weeks later, I DLed the new WoW Beta and I played 8 hours straight and I like it a lot more than the first time (even though the game didn't actually change in the part I am now).

For the record, I've got a lvl 22 and a lvl 18 scrapper in CoH and a level 8 rogue in WoW.

As Ruccus already said, CoH is a great and unique game, which certainly will improve largely with the first content patch and CoV. It's unique, fun to play and fast to learn. It's what I consider a perfect game for casual players, because you can group with any level (sidekicked) and still participate in the group. You can also just log in for an hour or two and actually achieve something. But CoH doesn't have tradeskills, items and stuff like that. While you gain powers and enhancements, you don't actually change the look of your char (not yet). And the missions might get repetetive for some people, depending on your taste for instanced dungeons. CoH is some sort of an "arcade MMORPG" - in a positive meaning.

WoW on the other hand is a real fantasy MMORPG, lots of story, quests, large world, tradeskills, items etc. I cannot comment on the grouping issue yet, I am too low in level, but I think WoW will require more interaction with others and grouping than CoH does. I can solo exclusively in CoH - even at level 8 in WoW I had to group to finish a quest I was given. WoW has many nice features I would have liked in other games that make me go "Wow (no pun intended), that cool!". I like the whole quest system, seeing what reward you get, the game keeps track of what you did and what you need to do. The world is really large and once you got used to the colorful graphics, it's actually pretty nice to look at.

I think CoH might be the better game for you if you are a casual gamer that likes to solo or just play a few hours now and then - WoW is probably a more fitting replacement for EQ, if you are someone who plays a lot and likes to group and socialize to advance.

[Gorlab]

I am in the WoW beta and have played CoH as well. Personally I hate CoH, I was bored to death the first night I tried it. CoH is a very shallow game to me with no depth and nothing to actually keep my interest. I love WoW on the other hand. It has given me the sense of wonder and excitement about what's around the next corner that I had when EQ was new.

-Gorlab
Keepers of the Faith