Dark_Respite
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Posts
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Joined
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The idea I'm working on for my own farewell to COH has (not so) surprisingly similar notions to Steelclaw's epitaph... and when Bloodspeaker saw the rough cut of the intro and ending, he got REALLY quiet and sniffly.
The idea I'm working on as a community farewell has almost completely jelled at this point, just a matter of narrowing down which song I want to use. More on that later.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
I'll take what I can get, Doc...
Real names, globals, character names, servers, pictures, screenshots, anything. I already know the music I'm using for this one.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Having played through some of this stuff on beta, I was QUITE impressed with what I'd seen. The revival tech, the new cutscene tech, all of it just elevated the game.
(BTW, I heard from Protean and Viridian that you wrote Anti-Matter's personal story and cutscene... damn you for making me tear up during that!)
At least now I can tell you how many times, when I saw the new cutscenes in beta, I blurted out aloud, "Now THAT is how cutscenes should look!"
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
As cool as it is, I am just overloaded right now.
There are other great vid-makers in the COH playerbase who could do this, though... with luck, one of them will spot this.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
The bug I remember most vividly was one that cropped up during HeroCon 2008. 20 computers are set up and people were beta-testing Shields. I'm chatting with Matt Miller and someone else when a group of players start HOWLING with laughter. We all look over, and see that a player has, on his arm, not a shield, but the solid green male default body model.
Of course the developers immediately tell him to submit a bug report, but I dash over and say, "Quick, lemme demorecord that!"
Then there was the AE graphics glitch where upon zoning out of a mission, one might sometimes turn around to see the mission contact down on all fours. Which led to:
(I swear by everything I hold sacred, that was not demoedited. If it were, he'd have been looking up Tava's skirt, not Jo's.)
Demorecording lent itself wonderfully to graphic glitches, such as disappearing map geometry (which works BEAUTIFULLY in my original Incarnate video), turning the four-legged models into mobile origami or kanji, FX that were displaced from their source so it looked like a torch had a ball of flame following behind it by a foot and a half, ghosting (where an object would be destroyed but then reappear), and other fun mishaps.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:Oh, so it's YOUR character that can't keep the MAGI vault door closed?Originally Posted by Positron
Derek Amberson (old Galaxy City contact): Sean Fish's Amber character
Gregor Richardson (old Galaxy City contact): My Amber character
The Amber game lived on in City of Heroes... until Dr. Aeon dropped Shivan meteors on Galaxy City anyway.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:Wait, wait, wait, hold the phone.Originally Posted by Black Pebble
[*]I love generating assets (screenshots and trailers). Most people don't know this, but I am a pretty hardcore demorecord user. With Tim "Black Scorpion" Sweeney and Ryan "No Redname" Roth's help, we even figured out how to do awesome stuff like Depth of Field. I even had a python script that stripped out most VFX so I could make the screenshots cleaner. Most of my screenshots were layers where I outputted the characters, backgrounds and effects separately. That's why you'll notice that in any screenshot I personally made, you see almost no buffs or debuffs on the characters (those really made my life a pain). In fact, most of the large group shots were done by me editing the demorecord file on one computer to make it look like we had 6+ characters interacting at the same time. I was even able to sneak in a major improvement (actually two) to demorecord for Issue 24.....
Demorecord improvements for I-24? Oh, that is it. I was upset, now I'm angry. I am one step away from getting on a plane, flying to Korea, and throwing SOMEONE down a ******* flight of stairs there.
Gods, I still remember when Ultra Mode was first presented at HeroCon 2009. Ken Morse, Chris Bruce, Posi, and Co. are up there, and everyone is ooohing and ahhing over how awesome it looks. But I had only one question... and the moment I stood up during the Q&A to ask, Ken Morse looked over, recognized me before I even opened my mouth, laughed, and said, "Yes Michelle, Ultra Mode works with the demorecord feature." And everyone in the room laughed (including me) and I sat back down, satisfied.
I had no idea you were into demoediting. Why the hell didn't you say so before? Do you have any earthly idea how much Matt would have appreciated me knowing that because I'd have been busy pestering YOU instead of HIM?
EDIT: On second thought, I'm glad I didn't know. You see, one of my worst faults is that more than money or fame or whatnot, I want people to be proud of me and my work. (I say not-so-jokingly that I should make myself a t-shirt that says "Will Fish for Compliment" or "Will Work for Affirmation".) Especially so when it's someone who's better at what I do than I am. *sighs*
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:Thank you, I needed that. I was trying not to cry again while working on my vid, so I desperately turned to the forums thinking, "Someone please make me laugh."Originally Posted by Black Pebble
True story.
The room we were filming this in was right next to the men's bathroom.
And because we didn't have any sound-proofing, EVERY TIME someone went to the bathroom, it'd ruin the shot.
This was in spite of me hanging out signs, sending out emails, and yelling at people to just stop using the bathroom that day. That's all I asked for. I didn't think that was unreasonable.
So that's me yelling off-screen, every time we had to redo the take.
Matt "The Television" Stults ruined more hours of footage that day then we probably captured. I guess he drinks too much coffee.
Cue me reading this post and snorking because I was laughing and crying at the same time.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Finish as many videos as I can.
Get location-appropriate screencaps of all my characters.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Twitter: @Samuraiko
RIFT: on Faeblight as Raelskye, Trisstesse, Samuraiko, Tetsutsuru, and Chrisanti
Website: http://www.wanderingcrane.com
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/samuraiko
LiveJournal: http://samurai-ko.livejournal.com
deviantArt: http://samurai-ko.deviantart.com
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
I was sniffling at the end of AM's personal story. I also (thank God) demorecorded the cutscene. I will set it to music and upload it as soon as I can.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
And before I forget, thank you all for mentioning song ideas - you've given me a lot of great possibilities...
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
This thread is too important to lose.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Thank you for making it a joy to shoot footage in-game. The world FX you (and Honey Badger) added gave me new options and new ideas for my videos.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:Oh that is just frigging awesome. Damn, I don't know whether to laugh or cry or both.Originally Posted by Triplash
Posi, man, your namesake character was such a central fixture in this game that I went and created an homage to him for a Halloween event a couple years back. And I loved the little guy so much that I just couldn't bear to delete him after the event was over. I never leveled him or played him much or anything... I just couldn't bear to erase him. He made me think of how much I liked the dev team who used some of these characters as their community nicknames.
If you're curious, his name is Paws-itron and he leads the Freem Phalanx. Together with his sidekick Valkyttie he battles against his archnemesis, an interdimensional version of himself called Anti-Catter, and his sidekick Beagle Maiden. When he's not saving the world and clicking on bombs, Pawsy likes to spend what little free time he gets on his personal space station. His favorite pastimes are researching prototype defense technologies, chasing laser pointer dots, and collecting bits of yarn.
If you don't mind too much, he's just gonna curl up by your feet in Steel for the big log out, kay? You won't even notice he's there... he's only level 4, he's grey to you.
Good luck with whatever project you take on next, Matt. And I promise this: if you help make it, I'll help play it.
Stay safe out there, hero!
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:I will be there with Jo... this is a great chance for me to film as many of the players as I possible can.Originally Posted by Rubberlad
Folks,
In the name of everything Paragon Studios has done for us, for what City of Heroes has done for us and for what we have all done for each other over these great many years, may I please ask a big favor?
This Monday, September 3rd @ 8pm ET/5pm PT, can I ask EVERYONE to gather together in Atlas Park beneath the big globe, ON ALL AVAILABLE SERVERS and assume the "/em Lotus" position and enjoy a moment of silence as we gather together as a sign of peaceful protest and to pay homage to the greatest superhero MMO game ever made!
Please, spread the word. Even to your friends on Facebook and Twitter who remember the game fondly but haven't logged in for years. Monday night is the time for everyone to log in once -JUST ONCE - and make their heartfelt presence known in a show of solidarity in love. And who knows? With any luck, folks will take screenshots; various media outlets will run those photos in their feeds on Tuesday morning and everyone across the world can see how many of us were truly moved to care and just BE THERE for the developers and their game when they really needed us...
A show of solidarity on EVERYONE's part will speak volumes. Help spread the word - and please say you'll come, whatever server you play on...
Thank you.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:I apparently misjudged how long I'd be crying. I've been doing it on and off since Friday afternoon.Originally Posted by Dark_Respite
Believe it or not, I'd probably just sit at my desk and cry for the better part of an hour.
Then I'd do my damnedest to finish all my COH writing.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite
And now I'm doing my damnedest to finish my last COH videos.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
To return some of the thanks...
Bear with me for this, because like you, I have to back up a bit to explain it.
Back in 2007, when I was a tech writer for GoDaddy, I was a prolific fiction/short story writer in my spare time. I never understood the concept of writers' block, because ideas just flowed. (Not necessarily GOOD ones, but even bad stories make for good practice if I learn from them.) But I had a supervisor there who belittled everything I did - my work, my attitude, my goals... and eventually, my writing. Both my tech work and my fiction. She was the only person who did it, but because she was my boss, her opinion carried a lot more weight. And slowly, inevitably, I lost confidence in my writing, until I couldn't write anymore. Because every time I'd start, I would catch myself looking over my shoulder for her, waiting for her to appear out of nowhere and start yelling at me.
I didn't write fiction for over a year and a half.
At about the same time, I started playing City of Heroes on my husband's account to see if I liked it, and once I was able to play more than five minutes without getting motion sickness, I got my own account. And fell in love with the game. It inspired me to make teasers and trailers, and a whole new creative world opened up to me. But in the back of my mind, I still missed writing, even though I was afraid to do it anymore.
Then one day in June 2008, I helped an SG mate fight Anti-Matter (he was playing an invuln/energy tank, I was on Tava, my grav/kin controller), and after a knockdown, dragout fight, we finally beat him. As we exit the mission, being a casual RPer, I had Tava whip out her cell phone and call Positron, being a fellow scientist and hero and whatnot. (Before now, her only interaction with him was his TF.)
"This is Agent Tavarisch... da, we just finished fighting your Praetorian counterpart... I was able to scan his armor, do you want a copy of the report? Good... yes, coffee would be terrific. Tonight? Fine. Da, don't worry, you're still better looking. Goodbye."
Talyn was howling at this, and as soon as the rest of the SG logged in, he immediately told everyone how Tava was secretly in love with Positron.
And thus a new story idea was born. I wanted to write it... my SG mates wanted me to... But could I write it? So I stalled by PMing you and Hero 1 and asking a few questions about the character and whether it'd be okay if I did, so that I'd have an excuse not to write it if you said no.
You said yes, and Hero 1 (after checking with you) sent me answers to all my questions. There went that excuse. I was no longer at GoDaddy by that point - in fact, my new boss at my new job was amazingly supportive about me writing in my spare time (and had no objections to me writing at work when we were between projects). No excuse there either.
So... on October 8th, 2008... I posted a little story, told from Positron's POV, about an upcoming date. That became the first chapter of THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE: A TALE OF NERD FLIRTING.
Over the course of writing TCOSR, Tava and another character of mine (the irrepressible Andrea Blake) took on lives of their own, their character backstories becoming much more layered and complicated. In-game lore was expanded upon, and new ideas created within it. By May 17th, 2009, the story clocked in at 44 chapters and something like 183,000 words. Somewhere in there, I realized it was going to be a trilogy, so on July 17th, 2009, TCOSR II: COURTSHIP AND CRIME FIGHTING was begun. That book is now up to nine chapters, 27k words (and chapter 10 is in the works). It's taken longer thanks to job changes, schedule changes...
... a major crisis of confidence when the official lore now stated that Positron and Numina were a couple...
I was paranoid enough to wonder if that had been done on purpose, as a way to get me stop writing. Thankfully, my more level-headed friends pointed out that if you hadn't told me to stop after the first few chapters of Book I, this could hardly be directed at me. So, with the help of a couple other lore fanatics, I figured that my books were set approximately one year prior to current in-game events, which would then allow for Posi and Tava to split in some fashion, freeing him up for Numina by the end of Book III.
And so I kept writing. I had art done for the series. It became part of our SG lore. And it spawned several video ideas (one of which actually got made just for them).
So... thank you. For not only creating a character and then generously allowing me to turn him into a romantic leading man, but for giving me back the confidence and inspiration to write again. I have it on VERY good authority that other rednames (both past and present) love giving you a hard time for this, but for what it's worth... consider it one more testament to a game that we both love.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Thank you...
Today is another massive day of filming in-game for 'my' goodbye thread. I think I've just about finalized my idea for the community vid, but it's still percolating in my brain.
Michelle
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Ahhhhh...
Johanna Sinclair. My time-bending, troublemaking, techie pagan nun. Click the picture for a larger version and to see other great ingame screen caps of the sassy Sister.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
I will happily contribute to fundraising, and whatever video talents I have are yours for getting the word out.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
/facepalm
You know, I don't think there's a single video I've made that could possibly top this for sheer comedy gold.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
For those fans of TCOSR I and II, since I own the domain name superheroromance.com, I will be moving both stories over there, as well as whatever comments I can manage. If you don't already, follow me on Twitter as @Samuraiko, and as the story is updated there, I will Tweet about it.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
At least here I can properly thank you for all the help you've given me on the beta server when I was running around like a hummingbird on crack trying to get a video done. From unlocking story content to giving me personalized tours of new zones, you (and Beastyle) were of tremendous help. *hugs*
Look me up if you're ever in Seattle - I'll buy you a drink or three.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
I will see what I can do.
Also... if I can find the time before it's too late...
I'd like to make a full compilation of the videos listed in the Fan Videos thread, so that these wonderful CITY OF HEROES memories aren't lost. I can host the list on my WanderingCrane.com site, or if the ParagonWiki will be sticking around, put it there for posterity.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite
