Demon Summoning is coming with the City of Heroes Going Rogue expansion. Today, Paragon Studios Character Animator Colin Brown tells us a little bit about bringing the new power to life.

You would think its hard getting reference material for how to animate a whip, but not where I work. You see, my boss has a real whip at his desk and he’s fully trained to use it. Have I mentioned how much I love my job?

Hi, I’m Colin Brown, a Character Animator at Paragon Studios. I’ve been hooked on video games ever since my first Apple II GS. One of my recent projects was working with Nelson Tam (Animator), Chris Bruce (Lead Animator) and Keetsie Braz da Cunha (Visual FX) to help create the Demon Summoning Power Set for City of Heroes Going Rogue.

Read the Demon Summoning Journal.

Not many MM's feel that way about demons. Demons aren't evil unless you're just going with very few myths. Demons can be just like humans. Like the Oni demons, yokai demons, etc. Theres tons of demons in fiction that protect innocent people. And then theres demons simular to CoH that are created to do their leader/master's will. So if they leader is evil, they are evil. If the leader is good, they are good.

Demons aren't automatically evil, just like angels aren't automatically good. 

I'm pretty sure paragon will add a good bit more of powers. They have kinetic melee which is mid ranged melee, so it makes sense to have more mid range melee, like whips, polearms, and thats probably about it since things like bo staves, halbreds, and  spears could be under one set with weapon customization

It's ultra comic book to have demons turn good.

SPAWN cha'll.

Demons and angels were the same beings. Demons just made the wrong choices. :P My first character to 'go rogue' (officially) will be a succubus. She's been a traitor to the cause (of her evil 'master') all through her career, and will defect officially when she can. She bypassed the more unsavory contacts, refusing to work for scum Westin Phipps, and ultimately refusing to betray Ghost Widow, because she understands her desire for wanting to be human. Both my first two 50 heroes are Nephilim, halrf sisters. Demonology is a hobby of mine after being married to one for nearly 13 years...  ;)  So not all demons are 'evil'. (Rarely is anything ever purely evil or purely good).

That aside, I like the set as far as the whip and animations. I am not a big fan of the 'skull head' demons. And for a prince? He looks more like an overgrown imp. The whip is pure coolness. However their method of 'spawning' the hellfires was... amusing to say the least. (I won't spoil this - you have to watch it for yourself). Summoning animations are fantastic, as are the dismissal animations. I realize they can't get the 'look' everyone wanted so I guess I will settle for the little cowheads. :P

I was really excited when I heard demon summoning announced, but when I actually saw and tried them I was not very impressed. I know they put a lot of work in to them, but I just cant get over the whole cow head thing. I call them cow head 1, cow head 2, and so on. I don't feel that there is much difference to them either. I would had prefered that maybe just the Prince had the cow head to make it really stand out. I was originally going to make this my new powerset for starting out in GR, but I'm going to pass on this powerset all together. I love master minds, probably my favorite class, so I hope to see more options in the future. A animal set would be nice.

I find the demons lacking to be honest.

Tier 2 pets die faster then the tier 1 pets, unless you team it with say Thermal, most time your pets just arnt hardy enough to survive with other secondaries(Ive tried them all)

So overall, I am quite meh about Demons, since Im not a fan of Thermal.

JJ

Originally posted by jinxxed0

Not many MM's feel that way about demons. Demons aren't evil unless you're just going with very few myths. Demons can be just like humans. Like the Oni demons, yokai demons, etc. Theres tons of demons in fiction that protect innocent people. And then theres demons simular to CoH that are created to do their leader/master's will. So if they leader is evil, they are evil. If the leader is good, they are good.

 

Demons aren't automatically evil, just like angels aren't automatically good. 

 

I'm pretty sure paragon will add a good bit more of powers. They have kinetic melee which is mid ranged melee, so it makes sense to have more mid range melee, like whips, polearms, and thats probably about it since things like bo staves, halbreds, and  spears could be under one set with weapon customization

What you say it is true, but the normal perception of evil demon and good angel is true, so in the end it caters more to villains than heros. 

I like how the created those demons, pretty gothic, nice for a villain or dark hero. 

I am a little put off by the Judeochristian look and feel of the demons.  I would much rather summon Japanese or Indian or Native American mythos demons.  Even Lovecraftian horrors would be nicer.

Hey, Lovecraft ain't in the public domain, but using Cthulhu Mythos stuff is almost a given in modern horror.  You don't have to reference Lovecraft or Cthulhu to use the basic forms, you can just be Lovecraftian style... LOL.

All this is not going to stop me from using Demon Summoners.  It does, however, stop my room mate, who is deeply evangelical Christian, and is upset by the feel of these demons.  He loves superheroes, so he's not quitting CoH.  But he don't play redside much at all.

This puts me in the mood for a short story session.  Innoscent MMO creators use demon themes in their games, referencing "real demon summoning text" and wind up summoning millions of demons into the world, precipitating Armageddon.  LOL.

I once ran a Champions Scenario similar in concept to that.  Players really liked it.  Code embedded in the graphics of  a game tutorial for a popular MMO caused players to become hypnotised,   They could not be awoken once in this state and were trapped in the tutorial, living the actions of their characters.  This was a fun scenario to run.   I knew that tutorial forwards and backwards, having played it a few dozen times.  Needless to say, the mastermind villain was a disgrundled gamer with a positive genious at all forms of game code.  LOL.

Originally posted by FoxySpirit

 

The whip is great.  I just don't like the sound the pets make and the look of the pets and the fact that it is Demon Summoning.  The powers are so cool.  Strong MM's just wish it didn't have to do with and look like Demon .... I don't mind the being bad part of COV but when you add the Demon.  I am not comfortable with it.  Hope they get some Heavenly MM's :)  Crack the thunder.  Send the lightning.  *smile*

 

 "Strong MM's..." Dude I play Storm Summoning (a tricky powerset) MMs, a and I love the demons.  You speak for fringe of christianity only, not the CoX player base.

The word Demon comes from daimon a greek word that just meant spirit, it was not necessarily malevolent nor evil.  Its just the cult like perspective of Christianity that all rival religion etc is based on the devil.

If Paragon Studios were to censor this, it would not be merely catering to a fringe group, it would be in fact be recognising and legitimising one hostile Religious perspective over other religious perspectives and therefore siding with it.  One would hope that a company with a international player base would have the good sense to ingnore atypical local variations, such as the strength of the Evangelism in the USA, in favour of a more diverse player base internationally.

Demon Summoning is out: To censor after so many have already paid for it will not go unnoticed.

If YOU, not your PASTOR, has a problem with the DS powerset then by all means say so, but dont even think about pretending to speak for other players.

I think I'll roll a toon called Sky Bully

Originally posted by JJDrakken

I find the demons lacking to be honest.

Tier 2 pets die faster then the tier 1 pets, unless you team it with say Thermal, most time your pets just arnt hardy enough to survive with other secondaries(Ive tried them all)

So overall, I am quite meh about Demons, since Im not a fan of Thermal.

 

JJ

I took the pain domination secondary, and I really don't have much of a problem with them surviving so far (level 20) unless an enemy is using cold damage or spamming AOEs. The only thing I regret about taking PD secondary is that most of the powers aren't very useful for a solo player. Oh well, too late now.

Edit: I will add that, as a christian, I think the demons look cool. A bit cliched, but cool. People need to lighten up about such things. I'd be very, very angry if they got censored because a few overly uptight fellows who happen to share my faith whined and complained.

Originally posted by gandales

Originally posted by jinxxed0

Not many MM's feel that way about demons. Demons aren't evil unless you're just going with very few myths. Demons can be just like humans. Like the Oni demons, yokai demons, etc. Theres tons of demons in fiction that protect innocent people. And then theres demons simular to CoH that are created to do their leader/master's will. So if they leader is evil, they are evil. If the leader is good, they are good.

 

Demons aren't automatically evil, just like angels aren't automatically good. 

 

I'm pretty sure paragon will add a good bit more of powers. They have kinetic melee which is mid ranged melee, so it makes sense to have more mid range melee, like whips, polearms, and thats probably about it since things like bo staves, halbreds, and  spears could be under one set with weapon customization

What you say it is true, but the normal perception of evil demon and good angel is true, so in the end it caters more to villains than heros. 

I like how the created those demons, pretty gothic, nice for a villain or dark hero. 

It IS a villain exclusive set, even with going rogue Masterminds qualify as villains trying to redeem themselves when they switch sides.  So, an evil character controlling demons makes more sense than the same using angels. 

So I fail to see the complaints about demons being too evil anyway, that was the whole point.  Remember, they even remodeled Empathy to avoid giving villains a "nice" powerset, the villain players aren't too fond of having things watered down to be more hero friendly.

It'll be good to take the villainous MMs into Atlas, Steel Canyon and the like when you hit 20 and can cross zones. I prefer to solo so a Corruptor or Dominator have always been my favourite classes, even though I prefer Hero-side (in which I play a lot of Defenders) so getting to make a "good" Corruptor or Dominator will be great!