HeroSmash Update

I got to play HeroSmash the second it was released and got the name I wanted! Here are some points in a super-bulleted list:

• The short-cut keys from AdventureQuest Worlds work in HS. V= display health, U= users, 1= attack, etc.
• The "/join" command also works. /join park, /join mainstreet, etc.
• There are some shops and quests to play around with.
• I haven't encountered any major bugs since las night. Makes me kind of nervous...

For more information, check the unofficial HeroSmash wiki, which is starting to be populated.

Check in with you later!

Holy schnit, Manbat! HeroSmash and Cataclysm on the same night!

I'm doing two things right now- reloading the HeroSmash page for updates from Artix and watching Cataclysm load on my PC. What to do? I guess World of Warcraft can wait for a while. I'm going to get my awesome super or villain name.

Come on come on!

HeroSmash Alpha Today!

Artix is gearing up for the HS Alpha test. He is posting play-by-plays on the HeroSmash page so you can enjoy all the excitement of server crashes, coding errors, and superlag!

The HS forums is now running.

So excited!

HeroSmash Alpha Tomorrow!

Phase one of HeroSmash Alpha starts tomorrow night. Everyone who supports AE games will be able to create a character and pick their name. Sometime after, 1,500 lucky AdventureQuest Worlds members will be able to play the game!

I'm not hopeful that I'll be one of those players. There are millions of AQW mems and the odds of getting into the game are really slim. Hopefully, really late that night, I'll be able to join.

Click here for more information about HeroSmash.

Picking the Right Hero Name

 Picking just the right name for HeroSmash


One of the most popular pages of this blog is the "Character Names" page that helps player pick the right AdventureQuest Worlds name. I'm going to extend that to HeroSmash.

The same basic rules apply to both AQW and HS:

Good names are memorable and can be spelled correctly. They allow you to form friendships in the game because people remember you and talk to you even if you're not on their friend's list. Good names also tell people a little about yourself or, even better, your character.

Bad names are not memorable. That's because people can't spell them, like "3vil K1LL3r." Using l33t, strange character combinations, and really long names work against you. Avoid using numbers. If you are spelling a word, avoid alternative spellings, like "Cowboiz" for Cowboy. People won't be able to remember you.

Also, do not to use offensive or suggestive language. You will alienate many people. At the very least, you will be silently ignored by a large number of people.

In picking a name, remember shorter is better. Easier to remember, right?

Don't Forget the Title

Since there can only be one of a kind names in an MMO like HeroSmash, odds are the name you want is gone. So give yourself a title and see if you like it. Titles can be:

• Supreme
• Doctor
• Professor
• Colonel, Major, Sergent, Captain, etc
• A color: blue, red, silver, black, green.
• Fantastic
• Dubious
• Amazing, etc.

For example, if you wanted the name, "Omega," but it was already taken, you can call yourself "Professor Omega," or, "Silver Omega," or, "Major Omega." You get the picture.



Rules For Choosing A Superhero Name

I found this on the Interwebs without a citation or attribution. It's not my list but it has great advice.

• Don't call yourself by your real name: e.g., The Incredible Jenny Pinchuck, The Amazing Stevie Foster.
• Don't call yourself by someone else's real name: e.g., Super Teddy Kennedy, Captain Dean Martin.
• Choose a name that suggests power, heroism and prowess: e.g., Captain Power, Thunderman, Mr. Invincible, Justiceman.
• Don't be too modest: e.g., Mr. Pretty Good, Captain So-so, Fairly Incredibleman, Captian Invincible on a good day.
• But don't labor the point: e.g., Mr. So-Powerful- Don't-Even-Think- About-It-Buddy.
• Don't choose a name detrimental to your crime fighting image: e.g.,Captain Spongecake, Mr. Silly, Yellow Streak, Purple Slippers, Captain Sweetiepie.
• Don't choose the name of an existing Superhero unless you have lots of money and enjoy fighting litigation instead of supervillains.
• It's no use calling yourself Captain Invincible if your only power is control over Hostess Twinkies and you suffer from a congenital hole-in- the-heart condition. It's just asking for trouble.
• Don't call yourself the Invisible Boy if you're not.
• Don't call yourself the Invisible Boy if you're a girl.
• Don't give away important information in your name, e.g. The Glass Jaw, Captain Vulnerable To Strontium 90.
• Don't call yourself The Green Avenger if you wear an orange costume. You'll confuse people.

Name Generator

A name generator can help you come up with some great ideas for hero names. Seventh Sanctum has a several different Superhero name generators for you to play with. Have fun!

More SuperHer-- er, the hero game News!

Artix put up a big post about SuperHero Quest. Here's another excuse for me to make a bullet list (yes!):

• The name might have to change. DC/ Marvel told AE to stop using "SuperHero Quest."
• DC/ Marvel sort of suck. I blame Disney.
• There's a secret working name but we won't know what it is until it comes out.
• I'm calling the game HeroFable for now. Don't like it? Leave a comment with your idea.
• Galanoth will lead the game. Thyton and Yergen von Smergenbergen are doing the art and animation.
• Who's Yergen von Smergenbergen?
• The art is done in a "vinyl" style. Looks like that YouTube video floating around was not a fake.
• The game will not have classes. You will get individual skills.
• As you level up you can get new powers, skills, and abilities.
• Of course there will be flying!

There were several posts in the forums about AQW mems getting to test the game and everyone else was shut out. Artix bent over backwards and come up with this solution:

Phase 1: Everyone who supported the games will get to make an account.

Phase 2: One server will open to AQW mems only.

Phase 3: Multiple servers will open and all supporting players will join in.

There you have it!

SuperHero Quest Needs Drama

I've been thinking about how I want SHQ to be built. Most players are centering on skills and powers for the upcoming super hero MMO. I've been more worried about how the game can have comic book depth and interest.

I don't read comics much anymore. But I used to collect every issue of every comic put out by Marvel. Blade, Spider-Man, the Avengers, and the X-Men where my favorites. There are reasons why I liked these specific comics and I hope AE can get those in the game.

First, the back story and the origin. Super heroes need an interesting past and a way they got their powers. Spider-Man was bitten by a radioactive spider. Wolverine was a mutant who was enhanced through mysterious circumstances. Blade was born to a vampire mother.

How can we get these elements into the game? I'm not interested in writing my own origin and having it on my character profile page. No one reads those things anyways. I want to play out my origin. I want to start as a geeky, unpopular teenager or a mutant on the run.

Playing an origin would mean that AE would have to make five or six starting quests. They could do it.

Then we need drama, compelling drama. Lots and lots of over the top, super-drama. This will come from NPCs, groups, rivals, and secret identities.

Peter Parker was constantly saving MJ and Aunt May. Mostly MJ, who had a knack for getting kidnapped. And Aunt May needed help with little things because she lived alone. SHQ could have dependent and love interest NPCs that need to be rescued. Even the bad guys have this (think Green Goblin from the Spider-Man movies).

None of my favorite comics had sidekicks. But most had supporting characters that would help the hero from time to time. It would be fun to have a sidekick. And a wise super hero mentor. That wouldn't be to hard for AE to build into the game. For villains, minions are a must!

And lets talk about super hero groups. Even Spider-Man joined the Avengers and the Fantastic Four from time to time. How fun would it be to make your own super hero team? Freakin' awesome fun! It should not be like a guild, though. Super hero teams don't have big memberships, four to twelve people. Multiple memberships would be fun.

Spider-Man and the Green Goblin. Fantastic Four and Dr. Doom. The X-Men and Magneto. We simply have to have arch-rivals in SuperHero Quest. What good is a super hero or super villain without his or her nemesis?

Then there's the "normal life" part of a super hero's existence. I'm talking about jobs, going to school, keeping the secret identity a secret, romantic love interests, science experiments in underground labs/ lairs. Let's see that in SHQ. Please.

Players will certainly create their own drama and groups will supply the platform from which it will develop. AE can supply the rest with the daily life of the hero.

I'll probably play SHQ for a little while even if it's just a super hero game built around the AQW game engine with no drama and tons of clicky-clicky grinding. It all depends on how it develops.

News Bullets 7 November 2010

Just an excuse to make a bulleted list:

• I've been surfing around looking for any little news on SuperHero Quest. Nothing new so far.
• Found the official SHQ Twitter page. No tweets since the beginning of October.
• Still grinding away at getting the Shaman class. There's got to be an easier way! Look at my guide and see if you have any hints yourself.
• Updated my SHQ page with what little I have. Added Twitter feed.
• Do you know of any active Artix Entertainment blogs out there? Please let me know so I can update my blogroll.
• Built my way back up from 70,000 gold to 600,000 by kicking the crap out of Eugene the Unfortunate Grinding Dwakel.
• I'm going to buy the AE 2011 wall calender. Mostly because it contains a code for the Chronomaster class.

SuperHero Quest Frenzy

In my vigilance to keep on top of the SuperHero Quest launch I've been digging around the corners of the interwebs. I've found some interesting tidbits about Artix Entertainment, some old AE games and sites, and a lot of rumor and speculation.

Here's all I know about SHQ right now:

• It'll go into Beta in November. We don't know when.
• AQW members will be Beta testers.
• Maybe members of other games will be Beta testers.
• The SHQ site redirects to the BattleOn Portal.

Yeah, I know. Not a lot, right?

I did find something interesting, at least for me. The creators of my favorite unofficial AQW wiki have already started on an unofficial SuperHero Quest wiki. I like the AQW wiki because it has facts and hints the official wiki doesn't.

Looks like we're all ready for this game. Now Artix has to get back from that convention and get to work on it!