What you need to know

jesad

Infinite Crisis is a DC Superhero based MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) similar to games like Defense of the Ancients (aka Dota and Dota 2) and League of Legends (aka LOL).  It utilizes heroes and villains from the DC Comic book universe as characters that will fight in 5 vs 5 matches against the computer AI or against each other.

As of this posting Infinite Crisis has just entered its Open Beta stage.  Prior to this, in order to play, you had to go and find a key from one of a variety of sites.  Now however, you can just download the game, make an account, and play.

Things you need to know about setup. 

Occasionally during setup users have experience black screens and other issues.  Many of these issues are a side effect of games trying to change your windows environment and most often can be cured by running the game as an admin at least once.  (Note, this happens in a lot of moba type games for some reason).

Once you have set the game up the next thing you will notice immediately is the coarseness of the lobby interface.

(Doesn't even look as sharp as this on my machine)

This is in spite of its having a higher video card requirement than some of its contemporaries (Requires Shader 3.0 Support).  Turning up your graphics will not have a great effect on this however it will make the game itself look better.

I say this not to detract from the game but to state a fact so that you will be prepared.  Do not let this hinder your progress, push on through.  Remember, this is open beta.

Like many MOBA's there will be characters on rotation that will be free to play with without purchasing them. 

Visit the store to see all the characters available and their costs prior to spending your points in any other way.  Points come in two flavors, the kind you can earn by playing and the kind you can purchase.  The kind that you can earn do not come easy so be careful how you use them.

With open beta comes the practice map where 5 players can team up against the AI.  I suggest you use this map extensively until you have a firm grasp of how your character works.

Also, with each character there is included a video explanation.  It is HIGHLY suggested that you view these videos before attempting to play any character.

Superman Champion Video

Once you are in a match you must complete the basic MOBA objectives of destroying the opposing teams base or capturing the opposing teams platforms (depending on the map). 

Differences from other MOBA's

Infinite Crisis features destroyable environment items like cars that can be thrown, interchangeable "stolen powers" that can be used with any character, and that can also be leveled in order to be stronger by leveling the player that they actually belong to.  Beacons that can be unlocked by destroying npc's in the games inner city "jungle", to use a LOL term, and upgradeable passive powers that add an extra level of umph! to your characters combat abilities.  Also you can buy equipment while below any tower, unlike in other games where this option is only available at the base.

If you have never played a MOBA before, take your time and learn how all of these things work.  Many matches can be lost or won by the use of the deployable beacons or proper handling of the jungle npc's.

The game interface is very involved as well.  Take your time and really look at everything that is going on as you continue to play matches.

Rule #1 of any MOBA - Don't get frustrated.

There WILL be people getting frustrated.  There WILL be people acting out.  There WILL be people going afk, cussing you out, calling you names, and in general insulting you.  You must learn to ignore all of this if you really want to grow to be effective at your own style of play.

People will attempt to divert you from what you are doing in order to have you do something that will free them up to play their version of the game.  You must learn, over time, how to tell when that guy is telling you to do the right thing and when he is telling you to do the wrong thing.  The best players are the ones who don't need that much communication because they are all already of the same mind.  Play until you get like that and you will rise above the rest of the chatter.  Then, at best, the only communication you will need to have is to let the other guy know that you are handling any one situation so that you both don't peel off and try to handle it at the same time.  Just some advice.  This is optional.

As you character levels you will have the option to build up your powers as well as your equipment.  Powers are fairly straightforward but equipment is a little confusing at first. (No screenshot available so you are going to have to remember this).

Again the issue of graphics will be a factor here.  Seemingly every website that talks about Infinite Crisis seems to have better icons for the heroes and the equipment than the game itself.  Take your time and study everything, and be sure to use the tab on the side of the equipment screen to switch from the suggested equipment to the full list . Once you have learned how to build your character effectively the rest is just learning good tactics.

All DC superheroes have a lore behind them.  You can play with this but make no mistake, this is a MOBA.  A lot of people aren't going to play along and a lot more might even have something negative to say about it.  I say have fun, its YOUR game.

Finally, there are enhancements that can be slotted as the game progresses.  Not a lot of people have these yet because the game is still fairly new.  These enhancements will be given to you as you gain levels.  My advice is to try to stay consistent with what you pick so that when you finally do get to slot them you won't have skills all over the place.

I originally ran the game on an i3 with 6 gigs of ram and an Nvidia gt 620.  It ran ok but a little slow at times and I did not feel comfortable turning the graphics all the way up.  I upgraded to a GTX 650 ti and 12 gigs of ram (and a new power supply) and now it pretty much runs like butter.  I know that a lot of you high end guys are snickering right now but, of course, I am not talking to you. 

Well, I guess that is enough to get you started.  If you like comics, you are going to love this game.  If you like MOBA's, well, you are going to complain about how it is not the MOBA you are used to but, in time, I think you will learn to respect it.

Infinite Crisis has a lot going for it.  It is a great distraction from your MMORPG when you don't have the time to really get involved.  Matches last anywhere from 20 - 45 minutes and no matter how often or how little you play it there are odds that there will always be people around your level to play with.  Another great thing about this game is that it allows you to somewhat get in on the ground floor of a MOBA.  With games like DOTA, DOTA2, LOL, and others already having so-called "Pro" players in them, who will not hesitate to verbally abuse you at the hint of not adhering to some kind of meta-game (pre-defined style of playing), Infinite Crisis is a reasonably safe place (right now) to go and learn some entry level skills about this genre of games.

And if you get in there and you see me, give me shout and we can go and grief some bitches with our newbie skills!

I enjoy it, and I hope you will to.

Mikeha

Just came across this game a couple of days ago. Never really could get into mobas but I find this game to be pretty fun.

 

Very nice post btw.

jesad

If you haven't checked it out yet you should.  Since my last post they've done a ton of work on it and a lot of the things that I took issue with before have either been updated or completely changed.  There's now a tutorial system that offers you free characters as a reward for completion.  A single lane 1 vs AI match that allows you to test your builds before heading out to fight alongside or against others.  The lobby system and graphics have been overhauled to give the game a far more polished appeal, and new characters are being added all the time.

Queueing is still a bit slow as the game has its peak playing times and its lower use times but matchmaking is fairly solid and the items and enhancements used to differentiate your character from others make playing this game well worth the wait.

I'll pop back with some updated screen shots later but right now I'm going to get my Saturday morning thing on first.