In the latest update from the virtual realms of Ship of Heroes, the superhero MMORPG takes character creation to an unparalleled level, allowing players to deeply intertwine their avatars’ looks with their backstories. A recent video posted on the game’s YouTube channel showcases this innovative feature, demonstrating the creation of four distinct characters, each with their unique aesthetics and narratives.

The video highlights the immense flexibility of Ship of Heroes’ character creator, starting with the selection from one of the 114 presets. These presets serve merely as a launching pad for customization, enabling players to modify appearances dramatically through body morphs, a feature often restricted in other games. This customization extends to costumes, offering endless variety through hundreds of interchangeable pieces that can be individually recolored, ensuring no two heroes look the same.

Ship of Heroes sets itself apart by ensuring that costumes, appearances, and powers are independently selectable, liberating players from the conventional constraints found in most MMORPGs. The game further democratizes character creation by including all costumes and skins within the standard subscription, avoiding premium locks on specific looks.

Introduction

Since the shutting down of City of Heroes, many MMO fans have been awaiting the next great superhero MMO. The wait might soon be over with the upcoming release of Ship of Heroes, a promising new title developed by Heroic Games Corporation.

The game is expected to launch in the 4th quarter of 2023 and is currently available to wishlist on Steam.

In this article, we’ll delve deep into the game’s features, design, and development to understand why it’s generating so much buzz in the MMO community. From unique gameplay mechanics and immersive storytelling to an extensive character customization system, Ship of Heroes is poised to make a significant impact on the genre.

Background and Development

Ship of Heroes was first announced in 2016 and has been under development ever since. The game has been created using Unreal Engine 4. The team at Heroic Games has been working tirelessly to develop a game that offers a fresh perspective on the superhero MMO genre, catering to both hardcore fans and newcomers alike.

The developers have been transparent about their progress, regularly sharing updates and behind-the-scenes insights through their official website and social media channels. This level of openness has fostered a dedicated and supportive community that eagerly awaits the game’s release.

The Story and Setting

Ship of Heroes takes place in a unique setting: a massive spaceship called the FHS Justice. The FHS Justice is a colossal, city-sized ship that traverses the universe, housing thousands of people who live and work on board. As the last of its kind, the FHS Justice is a beacon of hope and a bastion of safety in a universe filled with danger and uncertainty.

The game’s narrative follows the ship’s heroes, who are tasked with maintaining peace and order within the FHS Justice and defending it from external threats.

Players will join the ranks of these superheroes, becoming members of the intergalactic peacekeeping force known as the Justice Corps.

Throughout the game, players will encounter various factions and alien species, each with their own agendas and challenges. The game’s storyline is designed to be engaging and immersive, with players exploring the depths of the FHS Justice, solving mysteries, and uncovering the ship’s hidden secrets.

Character Creation and Customization

One of the most anticipated features of Ship of Heroes is the extensive character creation and customization system. Players can create their own superhero by selecting from a vast array of powers, abilities, and physical appearances.

The game boasts a diverse range of power sets, allowing players to develop unique playstyles and strategies.

Additionally, the game offers a deep and detailed character customization system, enabling players to design their hero’s appearance down to the smallest detail.

The developers have stated that the goal is to allow players to create a character that truly reflects their personality and preferences.

Gameplay Mechanics and Combat

Ship of Heroes aims to provide an engaging and dynamic gameplay experience by combining the best elements of classic MMOs with modern innovations.

The game features a hybrid combat system that blends traditional tab-targeting with action-oriented gameplay. This allows players to engage in fast-paced, tactical combat while still maintaining the strategic depth and precision that MMO veterans have come to appreciate.

The game’s PvE content is diverse, including story-driven missions, open-world events, and challenging dungeons. Ship of Heroes also offers a variety of PvP options, catering to players who prefer competitive gameplay.

Furthermore, the game emphasizes teamwork and collaboration, as players can form teams, join guilds, and participate in large-scale raids.

The developers have focused on creating a strong sense of community within the game, fostering cooperation and camaraderie among players.

Crafting and Economy

Ship of Heroes includes a comprehensive crafting system, allowing players to create and enhance their gear, weapons, and other items. This system encourages resource gathering, exploration, and trade, giving players additional avenues for character progression and enhancing the overall depth of the game’s economy.

Conclusion

With its unique setting, engaging narrative, and innovative gameplay mechanics, Ship of Heroes is set to usher in a new era of superhero MMOs. The game’s extensive character customization options, robust crafting system, and player-driven economy offer a level of depth and variety that is sure to captivate both veteran and novice MMO players alike.

The developers’ commitment to accessibility, inclusivity, and community engagement further solidifies Ship of Heroes as a promising title within the MMO genre. As the release date approaches, the gaming community’s anticipation continues to build, and it seems that Ship of Heroes will undoubtedly make a lasting impact on the superhero MMO landscape.

Don’t forget that Ship of Heroes is expected to launch in the 4th quarter of 2023, marking an exciting milestone for fans of the superhero MMO genre. The game is currently available to wishlist on Steam, ensuring that players can keep track of its progress and be among the first to know about any updates, promotions, or special events leading up to its release.

As the countdown to the launch of Ship of Heroes continues, gamers everywhere can look forward to stepping into the shoes of their own unique superhero, joining the ranks of the Justice Corps, and embarking on an unforgettable journey through the vast and mysterious FHS Justice. The combination of a dedicated development team, an enthusiastic community, and a game that promises to revolutionize the superhero MMO experience makes Ship of Heroes a title to watch as we approach its highly anticipated release.

Ship of Heroes, the highly anticipated superhero MMORPG, has announced its arrival on Steam. The game’s Steam store page now features a gameplay trailer and screenshots, with some of the latter never seen before, even by past Beta participants.

Ship of Heroes was initially planned to be hosted without using a platform, like World of Warcraft or Black Desert Online. However, during its Betas, several players reported taking hours to download the game, and hours more for every patch. The developers needed a better downloader/patcher and decided to look into building or licensing a new patcher. After reviewing options, they chose Steam, which has the best patcher available and has performed flawlessly in two housing Betas. Typical patch times have gone down from hours to minutes.

Steam also provides other benefits, such as access to the largest single hub of videogame players in the world, with 132 million active players each month and 33 million peak concurrent users. This exposure will help Ship of Heroes build the “Massively” part of the game. The developers think Steam is more than worth the cost, given the size of the platform and value of the launcher.

The developers are also working to upgrade and expand their server system, as they’ve held a number of Betas on internal development servers in prior years, with surprisingly good results. Every new player starts in the character creator (CCT), which could become a bottleneck at launch. They’re planning a new event in the near future to stress-test this new server structure before launch day.

Ship of Heroes is expected to launch at the end of 2023, with very significant advancements and expansions from what players have experienced before. The developers are still looking into Steam Fest events, which are free demo events for upcoming soon-to-be-released videogames, and whether they can automate SoH account creation with Steam.

In addition, the developers are migrating their system from the current development servers to Linux servers for superior stability and affordability. They plan to preserve characters, accounts, and “stuff” earned in prior Betas, so players can see familiar avatars in the next event. They have also ensured it will be possible to migrate Ship of Heroes from the final version of Unreal 4 to the new version of the Unreal 5 engine if they ever want to.

The game’s Steam store page encourages players to wishlist Ship of Heroes on Steam to help the developers gauge the server capacity they will need for launch to prevent waiting queues. Players who want to be notified of events and updates through Steam can also follow the game’s Steam store page.

As we bid farewell to 2022 and welcome in 2023, the team at Heroic Games reflects on a year filled with progress and achievements for the upcoming superhero MMORPG, Ship of Heroes.

The team at Heroic Games spent the majority of the year focusing on writing, building, testing, and polishing new missions and features for the game.

Players can look forward to a variety of new and exciting maps, including underground tunnels, as well as new enemy groups and game mechanics. In addition, players can expect to find story mission arcs such as the Iris arc, challenge missions, task forces, and massive raids. And for those worried about being limited by the confines of a 20-mile-long ship, fear not – the game will offer plenty of opportunities to explore and discover new areas.

In the spring, the team introduced a brand new player housing system, complete with fun options and props. Over the course of two player housing betas in May and July, hundreds of players participated, providing valuable feedback that was used to further improve the system. Housing is now close to launch-ready, and players will be able to acquire their own homes as soon as they begin playing the game.

The character creator has also seen significant updates, with the number of costume options nearly doubling. Civilian items that were previously only available for NPCs are now available for players to use. Additionally, the team has created 114 preset faces for players to choose from, each of which can be completely customized.

In addition to these major updates, the team has also focused on several “quality of life” improvements, such as rebuilding the keybinding system, fine-tuning countless items and animations, correcting mouse oversensitivity, expanding gamepad controls, and upgrading NPCs.

Internally, the team at Heroic Games has also seen growth, with three new artists joining the mission creation team. These new hires, along with the upgraded tools used by the development team, have allowed for more efficient mission creation and player metrics analysis.

While a launch date has not yet been announced, the team plans to launch Ship of Heroes at the end of 2023. The Steam store page is currently in development and is expected to be made public in the first half of 2023. In the meantime, players interested in beta-testing the game under a non-disclosure agreement can keep an eye out for registration in the first quarter of the year. As always, the team at Heroic Games values player feedback and encourages players to share their thoughts on the forums and in polls.

Heroic Games recently posted a preview of the missions and some locations in the upcoming MMO Ship of Heroes.

In the post it was also announced that the next beta event for Ship of Heroes is scheduled for next month.

“Our next major Beta event is approximately scheduled for April-May of 2021, and it will allow our community to playtest several different kinds of missions. During the event, you’ll be able to run through the entire Iris story arc – the most technically challenging for us to create out of the five. You’ll also be able try out two challenge missions and three holiday missions… or just play in the snow of the Snow Lair.”