Massively.com offers up an exclusive first look at the Villain Epic Archetype's that will be coming in the next free expansion, Issue 12: Midnight Hour.

Click here to watch!

Also, for those of a villainous bent, read the video analysis from the red side on Massively.com's City of Villains web page.

Join us on the Soldiers of Arachnos forums to discuss this video.

The Rikti Return!

The looming threat of the Rikti Invasion Force still hangs like a dark pall over Earth. Despite the best efforts of humanity, aggressive Rikti incursions still plague the planet. Advance warning systems indicate the Rikti are massing for attacks on the following dates throughout the year:

• April 18th through April 24th
• June 13th through June 19th
• August 1st through August 7th
• Sept 26th through Oct 2nd
• November 14th through November 20th

Prepare for a desperate battle to save Earth from the Rikti Invasion Force! Aggressive Rikti forces will attack Paragon City and Rogue Isle with increased frequency at any time during the above dates! Some important items to remember about Rikti Invasions:

[*] When Zones within the cities are under attack, a world-wide alert will be issued by Vanguard. This alert will show up in your Chat window on the System channel, warning you in which zone attack is imminent.
[*] While the invasion is occurring, players do not receive debt while outdoors in an invaded zone.
[*] Those in that zone that do not wish to be at risk of Rikti attack are asked to take shelter immediately. They can do so by leaving the zone, or moving inside buildings or under cover (overpasses, parking garages, etc.).
[*] The combative inhabitants in a zone will move off the streets and to safer locations when a Rikti Invasion takes place.
[*] Rikti bombs appear to be unstable and not 100% reliable. Some do not explode on impact and only embed themselves in the ground. These bombs have been noted to detonate after a time, so take caution when you see these. They can be disarmed or delayed by inflicting damage upon them.[/list]Click here to discuss this announcement.

In case you need to get pumped up to fight off the Rikti Invasion Forces, take a look at this fan created video!

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So....since you're answering all sorts of other questions Lighthouse, what about being able to transfer across accounts under the same master NC account with this? If you don't know, just an 'I don't know' would be nice so we know at least someone's reading the posts and know its a concern

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We're aware of the desire for cross account transfers. However I don't have any public statement on it, nor would I hazard a guess if or when or under what conditions it would be implemented.

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Well, wont you deliver my request for consideration???

Max Out Character Slots on 1 Server for 84.99$ ??
and
Half price Character Return to your Home server??

Example: I moved Love Hysteria to Freedom so I would have more space on Virtue.. But now that I can have 36 slots on Virtue.. Cant I move her back for just 4.99$ ?

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We discussed larger price points like what you are suggesting. However, doing so sets us up for more possibility of being in a refund situation.

For example, a customer purchases 36 slots for whatever nifty price we offer it for, thinking that they can apply them all to a specific server, only to find out that they can't because of the current max slots limitation. We can then envision that they won't like that and, not wanting to apply those slots to a different location, contact us for a refund. Unfortunately, all sales are final (as will be clearly stated in the disclaimers when you purchase said slots).

Given this possibility of buyer remorse, we'd prefer to have the user buy them as they go and feel the 5 for $19.99 is a very reasonable "chunk" to do that in.

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So....since you're answering all sorts of other questions Lighthouse, what about being able to transfer across accounts under the same master NC account with this? If you don't know, just an 'I don't know' would be nice so we know at least someone's reading the posts and know its a concern

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We're aware of the desire for cross account transfers. However I don't have any public statement on it, nor would I hazard a guess if or when or under what conditions it would be implemented.

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All current subscribers will receive 2 free character slots

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Could we have clarification on the word 'current'. I have friends seriously considering a return for I12. What date (roughly) do they actually need to have an active registration in order to get these two free slots? I would be very interested in the info as a potential recruiting (re-recruiting) tool.

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You should have a pretty good idea of when Issue 12 (and optional character slots) will go live by how the beta progresses. We are in closed beta and have more weeks of that to go, then weeks of open beta, then launch. That's as clear of a picture I can give at this juncture.

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Wow.



Just...

Wow.


Edit: Now get the City Vault up and running!

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Working on it

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This gets a big thumbs up in my book.

Just a side question, (and I'm sorry if it was answered elsewhere), but can we sort of hold onto these free slot allotments and use them sometime after i12 comes out?

Anyway, great work devs!

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You won't -get- them until I12 comes out? Or do you mean hold them indefinitely? (which I expect will be possible. It probably works something like the costume tokens, in so far as you use them when you want, rather than at the time, and simply renders the service free for the first however-many-free slots.

Dev confirmation on this would be neat, tho.

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The current implementation (that is subject to change during the iteration process of developing Issue 12) as I understand it is a token on. When you are granted your two free ones, they are tokens on your account that only you can use on the specific server of your choice to open up a single additional character slot on that server. Buying more simply adds to the number of tokens you can use. I'm not aware of any time limits of how long these tokens are available once you have them (nor can I really think of a good reason that they would decay or otherwise become unavailable).

Hope that helps to answer your question. Be sure to check it out when Issue 12 enters open beta.

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I love all of this. One question:

Why 36? Not that I object... just curious. Is it some internal limit or just a realistic/manageable number?

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There are current internal limits to the number of character slots. Sure, like anything else, we could change that with enough time, money and manpower, but the team felt 36 was a good initial offering and worked with the current architecture. Of course, there is still actual playtesting to be done with the systems that involve Optional Character Slots, so it's always possible that the total character slot amount could change (up or down).

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As I read it, you get anywhere from 2 to 6 free slots when it goes live. It's not 2 per server, it's 2 free (but still 2 more than you had before). So if you get all 6, you can add one slot each to six different servers, or can add three each to two servers, or any combination you want.

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Sorry, but Posi said this:

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Thus, existing players will be eligible for up to 4 additional character slots at the launch of Issue 12.

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I'm seeing a lot of folks assuming that 2 free + 4 vet rewards = 6 slots total. But Posi's statement contradicts this. Can we get a clarification please, Positron?



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You need to take the statement in context. When Positron made that statement, it is in a bullet point discussing Veteran Rewards. So, through Veteran Rewards, a 4 year Vet will have 4 additional character slots. Outside the context of that statement, that 4 year vet will also receive the 2 free, so all told, they will have 6 free when this feature is implemented.

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Dead serious question: Does Test count as a server, or do vet rewards repeat on it?

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That is an interesting question. How do extra slots work on Test in general?

-D

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I'll have to get some clarification from the tech guys, but as I understand it the Training Room Test Server Environment touches against it's own authentication, test billing and account server. As such, anything done there would be separate from your live account. I'm not sure how Optional Character Slots will be tested or allowed to be used on Training Room. When we find out more details, we'll let you know.

City of Heroes Senior Lead Designer, Matt "Positron" Miller brings us the details about a player requested feature that has been added to Issue 12: Midnight Hour: Optional Character Slots!

Click here to read the details.

Edition 43 of "The City Scoop" a publication for Supers by Supers!

The City Scoop delivers a wide range of content this issue, including some great coverage on player events. The Scoop is LFM (looking for moar!) So if you have a talent that would fit in nicely with this weekly publication please contact Snow_Globe or Pants_Stealer

[*] If you have concerns regarding the content of the Scoop please direct your comments via PM to Lighthouse or Ex Libris.
[*] If you would like to do a feature article, have an event covered, or join "The City Scoop" team please PM Snow_Globe or Pants_Stealer
[*] If you or someone you know should be considered for ‘Behind the Mask’ contact Teldon.
[*] If you need some “Advice” contact Lady_Athyna or would like to “Ask The X” contact LiquidX
[*] Finally if you have a Classified Ad you would like included please contact: Lady_K[/list]Click here to discuss this issue of the City Scoop

Please use this thread to discuss the below...

Edition 43 of "The City Scoop" a publication for Supers by Supers!

The City Scoop delivers a wide range of content this issue, including some great coverage on player events. The Scoop is LFM (looking for moar!) So if you have a talent that would fit in nicely with this weekly publication please contact Snow_Globe or Pants_Stealer
<ul type="square">[*] If you have concerns regarding the content of the Scoop please direct your comments via PM to Lighthouse or Ex Libris.
[*] If you would like to do a feature article, have an event covered, or join "The City Scoop" team please PM Snow_Globe or Pants_Stealer
[*] If you or someone you know should be considered for ‘Behind the Mask’ contact Teldon.
[*] If you need some “Advice” contact Lady_Athyna or would like to “Ask The X” contact LiquidX
[*] Finally if you have a Classified Ad you would like included please contact: Lady_K[/list]

By LadyK

The City Scoop Staff Editors-in-Chief Pants_Stealer Snow_Globe Assistant Editors-in-Chiefs LadyK Teldon Editors Bowfling - By Popular Request, Point/Counter Point Teldon - Behind the Mask LadyK - Food and Restaurant, Classifieds Puzzles - Need correspondent Plater - Content Watch Rastafari_Man- Top Ten Lists HexGirl - Fashion editor StormyOne - Art Editor Copy Editors Markets Pants_Stealer SpaceNut peterpeter - Wentworth's Spmurphy - Black Market Food Fan Fiction ~Mistress Noire~ LadyK Tropic Sooner Mr_Grey Advice Bases Lady Athyna LiquidX Bonker 2Negative Staff Recruiter Event Reporter Marcian Tobay White_Gravel More needed! Apply today! PvP Correspondents Layout Neuronia Acanous_Quietus Mantid - Lead layout Snow_Globe - Assistant Additional Staff Hostile_V - Humor Evitron The City Scoop is always seeking comments, suggestions, and articles from our readers. Just send them to the corresponding department or one of our Editors-in-Chief.

Food & Recipes

The Wonders of Food Safety Cooking and holding temperatures This time of year is unique. The temperature is getting warmer, and the sun is coming up earlier and staying up longer. In Arizona, where I live, the daytime highs are already in the low 90's. However, at least in the US, the one thing most of us start to think about is summer. Summer means barbecue, grilling on the back porch, and having friends and family over for Memorial Day, Labor Day, and the Fourth of July. The one thing you don't want to invite to the party is bacteria. People will not come back over if you give them Hepatitis, Camplibactor, E.Coli, Salmonella or any of a host of others that could show up uninvited. We've covered a lot in these little mini-lessons on how to keep your kitchen healthy and happy. However, the one thing I cannot stress enough is what is laughingly referred to as “The Danger Zone”. This temperature range, from 40 degrees to 140 degrees F is no laughing matter. Thing of it as the “hot” new club in a tropical location during Spring break, and that somebody spiked the drinking water with fertility hormones. Now speed it up. A food item or a dish can go from safe to teaming with billions and billions of potentially lethal bacteria in under 2 hours. This does not mean that you can play “The Hokey Pokey” with your food. “You put the egg salad in, you take the egg salad out, you put the egg salad in, and there isn't any doubt....” Every minute in “The Danger Zone” is accumulative, and you only have 2 hours total. Say that lovely potato salad you just made is sitting on the counter. The potatoes were still hot, say 102 degrees, which will bring up the temperature of the mayonnaise to about 90 or so. Now, you wait another hour to get it into the refrigerator, letting everything cool down to about 78. Now you take it to a picnic, where it is going to sit, in the sun all day. Doesn't really sound that bad, does it? Well, the potato salad has just spent at least 3 hours in “The Danger Zone”, and about an hour and a half ago, cousin Debbie's questionable boyfriend didn't use the spoon, contaminating it with the staphylococcus aureus he didn't know he was fighting. Your other aunt, Peggy, who has a weakened immune system already, catches this “bug” and holds on bravely, but eventually succumbs to dehydration and food poisoning. At least with cold foods, a good way to avoid this it to place every bowl in a bowl of ice, which should keep the temperatures at a reasonable level. Also, consider smaller serving portions. Is not having to refill the salad bowl worth potentially killing your hypothetical Aunt Peggy?

Another place you have to watch food temperature is hot food - not only holding but cooking them to the right temperature. The FDA has put out a list of appropriate cooking temperatures. You can throw these out the window, and I do on occasion. You have not lived until you have eaten medium-rare pork or chicken. Yummm! However, I don't do this out, you see. I do, however, order my steaks “Blue”. It's a professional term for “Rarer than rare”, and the meat is very purple. This is a game of Russian Roulette that I gladly play for a good steak. Here is a list of cooking temperatures in the United States. Beef: Rare: 140 Medium rare: 145 Medium: 160 (this is the minimum temperature for hamburgers under ½ lb in most states) Medium well: 165 Well Done: 170 Roast beef: Reheat to 140 Chicken/Turkey: Whole: 180 Breast: 170 Ham: Raw: 180 Reheating a smoked ham: 140 Pork: 160 to 170 Stuffed foods, force meat (meatloaves) and reheating: minimum of 160 All temperatures are taken from the thickest part of the item in question, close to the center. If bones are an issue, try to stay away from the bone as they take heat quickly and retain heat longer. What to take temperatures with: Instant read thermometers are weapon of choice here. You can get a fairly accurate reading in about 2 seconds. There are several styles to choose from out there, from small pen sized analog and digital ones that are available at the grocery store to large digitals that are being phased out by health inspectors for the high tech and high priced infrared thermometers. The benefit of the infrared style is that there is no contact with the item in question, which is good for checking liquids, sauces and sides, but not so good for checking roasts and hamburgers. Because most probe style thermometers do pierce the skin it is best to only take the temperature once, twice if needed. Recap: Hold food under 40 degrees F Cook food to over 140 degrees F Use ice baths to help maintain temperature Use a thermometer to insure proper cooking temperatures Next time: Carryover cooking or "Throwing all this stuff out the window"

You've All Heard of the Muffin Man! By MistressNoire

This week: muffins! They go great with coffee, tea and orange juice! I am dedicating this week's Scoop article to my grandfather (who passed away this past Christmas) and my grandmother. The reason for this is that when I lived back home in Canada, I worked for a coffee shop named "Tim Hortons". I made the baked goods there: muffins, cakes, pies, etc., and every now and again when my grandparents visited me or I visited them, they always had to have a muffin and their coffee. If you have your own recipes and would like to see in the Scoop, send them my way. I will get them published for you. ^_^ If there is something you would like to see more of (for example: more chicken recipes), send me a PM. I am always looking forward to requests! Now I leave you with the recipes. See you next week! Mistress Noire Morning Glory Muffins [*] 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour [*] 1/2 cup whole wheat flour [*] 1 1/4 cups white sugar [*] 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon [*] 2 teaspoons baking powder [*] 1/2 teaspoon baking soda [*] 1/2 teaspoon salt [*] 2 cups grated carrots [*] 1 apple - peeled, cored, and chopped [/list] [*] 1 cup raisins [*] 1 egg [*] 2 egg whites [*] 1/2 cup apple butter [*] 1/4 cup vegetable oil [*] 1 tablespoon vanilla extract [*] 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts [*] 2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ[/list] DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly oil 18 muffin cups, or coat with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, apple butter, oil and vanilla. In a large bowl, stir together flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in carrots, apples and raisins. Stir in apple butter mixture until just moistened. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 full. In a small bowl, combine walnuts and wheat germ; sprinkle over the muffin tops. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed. Banana Nut Muffins [*] 3 cups all-purpose flour [*] 2 cups white sugar [*] 2 teaspoons baking powder [*] 1 teaspoon baking soda [*] 1 teaspoon salt [*] 2 eggs, lightly beaten [*] 3/4 cup milk [*] 2 teaspoons vanilla extract [/list] [*] 1 cup melted butter, cooled [*] 2 bananas, mashed [*] 1 banana, chopped [*] 1 cup granola [*] 1 cup chopped walnuts [*] 1 cup shredded coconut [*] 1/4 cup banana chips (optional)[/list] DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the eggs, milk, vanilla, and butter. Fold in mashed bananas, chopped banana, granola, walnuts, and coconut. Scoop into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with banana chips. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Apple Strudel Muffins [*] 2 cups all-purpose flour [*] 1 teaspoon baking powder [*] 1/2 teaspoon baking soda [*] 1/2 teaspoon salt [*] 1/2 cup butter [*] 1 cup white sugar [*] 2 eggs [/list] [*] 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla [*] 1 1/2 cups chopped apples [*] 1/3 cup packed brown sugar [*] 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour [*] 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon [*] 1 tablespoon butter[/list] DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack. Blueberry Muffins [*] 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour [*] 3/4 cup white sugar [*] 1/2 teaspoon salt [*] 2 teaspoons baking powder [*] 1/3 cup vegetable oil [*] 1 egg [/list] [*] 1/3 cup milk [*] 1 cup fresh blueberries [*] 1/2 cup white sugar [*] 1/3 cup all-purpose flour [*] 1/4 cup butter, cubed [*] 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon [/list] DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture. To make Crumb Topping, mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Behind the Mask By Teldon

Bonding Experiences Electra Outlaw and Rhealm EO Pinnacle Server Where do you live? Electra Outlaw: We live in Canton, Ohio And your age and genders? Rhealm: Male, 28 EO: Your relationship to one another? EO: That's my bro! R: She's my lil sis. How did you two start playing the game together? EO: Rhealm started playing when the game first came out. R: Then she eventually saw fit to take over my account. EO: He made the mistake of letting me build a character on his account. Just because I watched him play sometimes and wanted to try it. I actually hated video games until I got hooked on heroism. R: I "strongly urged" her into getting her own. I never hated video games, for the record. So how do you two play the game together? R: We play together whenever we can. EO: We play together as often as we can. We often team up on whichever characters we're trying to level and sidekick or exemplar, so we can hang out. Usually I'm damage and he's support though. So Mr Big Bro, what has all this shown you about your lil sis that you did not know? R: Well, one thing I didn't realize about her was her natural leadership abilities. She runs about three SGs, and keeps up pretty well. She can rally up people for events infinitely better than I can as well. EO: Aww! He was nice! R: Plus she is a power hungry fear monger. EO: Punk... And Lil Sis what have you learned about Big Bro? EO: Well, I've learned that he's still tons of fun to hang out with. And after growing up with so much brotherly abuse. . .err- love, I am surprised to find that he's -not- a fear monger, but a fantastic team player. He makes friends naturally because he's just so much fun. Well what types of characters do you tend to play? EO: I love blasters! I guess I'm spoiled that way and want the instant gratification of dealing damage. But I do enjoy my Ice/Kin controller a lot too. Team support can be really busy and fun. R: I lean more toward support toons. I like being in the background, silently knowing the real reason the team is doing so well. I have never been one to like the spotlight. Unlike SOME people. :P EO: His two main characters are /Dark. He loves that. And he likes weird costumes, too.

Which side of the game do you enjoy playing? EO: Definitely heroes. R: Heroes, no question. It really is just a lot more polished. EO: I like the scenery here much better. The Rogue Isles are so dirty! Plus my PC doesn't handle CoV very well. EO: And I'm afraid he'll tell Mom if I rob a bank. R: Give me a little credit. I would definitely try blackmail first. EO: Heh, true. . . R: No! I said you need to use a WHOLE head of lettuce. Otherwise that stain will never come out! Oops, MT... EO: Ahh- one of the highlights of teaming with my brother, the random mistells. What do you two like to do together outside of the game? EO: We live close to each other, so we hang out a lot. He and my hubby play other games together, so we're at Rhealm's house or he's at mine. We go to lots of family functions together and I love to hang out with his 3 kids. We used to go to concerts together all the time, before the marriages and babies. R: We still see movies and go out to eat and the like though. EO: We've been really close since we were kids. We used to make mud pies in the backyard :P R: And I liked to make her eat them... Just kidding. EO: Yeah, we do see a lot of movies. Would you say that the game has been a positive thing or a negative thing for you, and why? EO: Definitely positive. I remember when he and his friends would be sitting around playing video games, and I'd just scoff at them. But I think I was just jealous. He and I now have something in common that we don't have with the other people around us, and we love talking in CoH speak in front of people. R: Well, I don't get to play nearly as much as my sis, what with family and college and such. But for me, it is a great stress relief. Nothing like pounding some face to make the worries melt away. EO: He's very dedicated to his family, and I've seen that come through in the past few years, because I've been spending more time there. EO: R: And I am a natural introvert and the game has allowed me to meet a lot of really neat people that I never would in real life. Yes, he doesn't like crowds usually, but I think he opens up more in Paragon City. R: Indeed. Well, here's to many more hours of enjoyment in the game! EO: Many, many more! R: Absolutely.

Base Showcase By born2luz
The Ghosts Reborn
Who is your base designer and who are your supergroup leaders? Ice9, Sooner Spirit, and Cowboy Dream Which server is your base on, and is it a Hero or Villain SG/VG? Protector - Hero SG When was your supergroup established? Originally founded as The Ghosts in May 2004 but reformed in August 2005 as the Ghosts Reborn. How many players are in your supergroup? 16 Players covering over 100 heroes. What is the approximate value of your base? Roughly 10 million prestige. How much time do you spend working on your base? How much time have you invested so far? I don't work on it much anymore since the base has all the equipment we require. We are not a raiding SG so our needs are met by the base as it exists today. All in all though, I have well over 100 hours invested in tweaking the layout. What is your favorite base item? Least favorite? Favorite item? Our ten teleport pads and the access they grant us to the city. Least favorite item? I really don't know what to say, not sure if I have one. What is your favorite thing about base editing? Least favorite? The ability to move whole rooms at once is invaluable when doing major overhauls of larger bases. However, I wish the door or linking logic were a bit better, it's very frustrating when trying to fit a room in just the right spot. What is the highest thing on your wish-list for new base items? I would love to see Wentworth's/Black Market access in bases, and while we're at it, Icon access would be great as well. If you could give just one piece of advice to a new base editor, what would it be? Tour other bases, as many as you can, to see what you like and what you would rather skip. Then take your time and be patient when designing and building your own base. It takes time but in the long run it's worth it. Anything else you'd like to add about your SG, your base or the base system in general? I wish I could add something sage and wise here but nothing springs to mind. Thanks for your interest in our SG and our base.

Rogues Bane

Who is your base designer and who are your supergroup leaders? Red Archmage, Dark Stripper and -Haz Mat are the leaders. - Haz Mat is the main designer. Which server is your base on, and is it a Hero or Villain SG/VG? Hero SG on Freedom. When was your supergroup established? September 21, 2005 How many players are in your supergroup? Our roster has 100 characters and there are about 35 people that play on a regular basis. What is the approximate value of your base? About 23 million prestige. How much time do you spend working on your base? How much time have you invested so far? 200-300 hours What is your favorite base item? Least favorite? Favorite is the magic desk and least favorite is the magic desk. what you can do with them is awesome, but sometimes to get there is a pain. What is your favorite thing about base editing? Least favorite? Favorite is using items to create things not found in the editor, and least favorite is how limited the editor is. What is the highest thing on your wish-list for new base items? Everything in Pocket D . If you could give just one piece of advice to a new base editor, what would it be? Take your time, ask questions and have fun with your project. Anything else you'd like to add about your SG, your base or the base system in general? Hit us up ingame at @-stacker website at www.Roguesbane.com

Community

Fan Fiction Spotlight For it that sleeps where eyes don't see By Samuel_Tow Journal Entry #33507467 Author: Dr. Miles Steinberg, Paranormal Psychiatry Date: April 5 Subject: The Unforeseen Body: I got lost on my way to my quarters last night. I don’t know how it happened, I must have taken a wrong turn and ended up in a section of the base that I wasn’t familiar with. The strange thing, though, is that I’m familiar with the all sections of the complex that I’m permitted to visit, so either I managed to slip past a guarded checkpoint somehow, or something strange is going on here. I have no memory of the evening up until I was sitting in Interrogations, answering questions I didn’t even comprehend. I spoke with colleagues today, and several people described similar symptoms. Aloofness of mind, loss of sense of orientation, zoning out and strange pervasive thoughts, nightmares... All of those could be explained with certain paranormal effects. It's a bit early for horror. However, this piece clearly needs mentioning. It's disturbing, distressing, and we never really know what's going on. It plays out quite nicely. If you're ready to have tingles going through your spine, I highly recommend this piece. Winged Wardrobe by DisposableMilk

By Teldon A few weeks ago, PERC announced an exciting contest for the artistically inclined. It was City of Commercials, and we asked for the community to make a commercial for the game. After many entries and with the votes tallied, we now present the winners: Heroes 1st prize: Leandro 2nd prize: Dark-Respite 3rd prize: Ashcraft Honorable Mention: Dawthm, DDH_Hamenopi, Pedestal Villains 1st prize: Ravenlore 2nd prize: Midnight_Blue 3rd prize: Corrosion Honorable Mention: BungeeBall, PoptartsNinja, Vorac The decisions were made based on ten PERC members’ votes on the finalists that you, the general public, chose. In the event of a tie (and there were a few), the person with the highest vote percentage from the general public vote was ranked higher. Thanks to all that participated! Hope you enjoyed another great PERC event!

Fan Art Battle The Clash of the Titans Continues! With only two competitors remaining in Juggertha's Fan Art Battle Royale, it's time to get to know both of the finalists! This week, we bring you an interview with Aerones, who has graciously consented to answering a few questions for us. Aerones, it's down to just two of you - yourself & the Projectionist! How do you feel about the competition? A bit intimidated, honestly. Proj does incredibly good work, and I really enjoy his style. I know he's not gonna hold back, either. How do you feel about your chances? I really don't know. I know I'm feeling pretty upbeat about the competition, and am working on something very ambitious for me to present for the finals, but on the other hand I have no clue what Proj is gonna pull out of his hat. I'm looking forward to seeing what he pulls off, though. Why did you decide to join the Fan Art competition? Originally I was mostly just looking to get in some practice taking artistic direction from someone else. I've never taken an Art Class (at least not since the 6th grade) and have no real "professional" experience to speak of. So I wanted to see if I could pull off creating images on someone else's terms. What's been your favorite thing about the competition? I love seeing the other creator's works. The level of talent the Fan Art community here possesses is incredible. I also very much enjoy interacting with each of them on the forums. They're a great group of people to be around.

Tell us a bit about Aerones... Not much to tell, really. I'm pretty much a farmboy from Michigan who grew up reading X-Men as a kid. I fell in love with Jim Lee's artwork and then later Whilce Portacio's as well. When I was old enough to actually realize that real people had to make the pictures, I decided it was something I'd like to get into, so I started drawing. In my early 20s I sent out a couple of submissions to some of the comic companies, but didn't make the cut. Eventually real life caught up with me and I ended up giving up on art completely. I honestly didn't even make more than a doodle or two in nearly four years. Finally, last year, I realized how much I missed it. It had been a big focal point throughout much of my life. So I picked up a pencil and started sketching again. I've spent the last year trying to get back to my previous skill level. I honestly don't think I'm back to that level yet (especially in background work) but I do think my coloring skills are better now than they were before my "retirement." Now, tell us more about Phoebus... Ah, Phoebus... I guess I've always been a little bit of a pyromaniac. I don't know where it comes from, but I find fire quite attractive. So, naturally, I made a Fire/Fire Blaster. He wasn't my first character in the game, but he was the first I fell in love with enough to work him to 50. Since then I've taken other characters to 50, but whenever there is an event of some kind it is inevitably Phoebus who attends them for me. Is there anything you, or Phoebus, would like to tell the competition? I wanna see your best effort, Proj. Both because I think it'll be incredible, but also because I'm definitely gonna try my best. Any last words or closing thoughts? To anyone who may be interested, please check out my DeviantArt Gallery. And don't be afraid to point out flaws. I'll never get better if I don't know what I did wrong. Thank you, Aerones, for taking the time to speak with us! Next week, we'll bring you an interview with the Projectionist! Stay tuned to the Scoop for more to come!

Market Watch

The View On Blue By peterpeter Hi, I'm PeterPeter, your hero market columnist. Since this is a brand new column, I'm going to share a tip for brand new characters. When you roll up a new hero, you start with 0 influence. If you follow all of the instructions in the tutorial, then you will enter Paragon City empty handed. What happens if you don't follow all of the instructions? While doing the tutorial, you will be given a couple of inspirations. Not just any inspirations, but top tier large inspirations - Righteous Rage and Resurgence. Keep them. You can finish the tutorial without them, I'm sure. You will also receive two enhancements. The instructions tell you to slot them and combine them. You should certainly read the instructions if it's your first time through. You do need to know that stuff. You don't actually have to slot them to learn about slotting, though. Just keep those in your pocket for now. After you finish the tutorial, open up your map (the 'm' key is a shortcut) and look for a dollar sign ($). The dollar sign marks the location of your first store: a field trainer standing off to the side of Back Alley Brawler or Ms. Liberty. These characters will buy your training enhancements. They won't pay much, probably 80 influence total, but those first few points of influence are critical to the next phase of our plan. You see, the NPCs won't buy your inspirations, but other players will. Off to Wentworth's! The nearest Wentworth's is in Atlas Park, not far from City Hall. On your map, it looks like a golden W. For some of you, this might be your first trip to the consignment house. If so, you may want to check out Zombie Man's Guide to the Consignment Markets. Once you enter the marketplace, it's time to make some choices. You need to pay a 5% listing fee to put an item up for sale. If you have 80 influence, then you can only afford to list your items for a total of 1,600 influence. How are you going to divide it? Do you want to list your inspirations low, make quick sales, and hope for a big score? Do you want to list them for high prices, and hope that they sell eventually? Either way is a gamble! It's kind of like The Price Is Right. The winner is the one who can come closest to the price without going over. See, the market is a mini-game within CoH!

Since this is an advice column, I'll give you my advice on how to unload those inspirations. The Resurgence inspiration (the green one) is generally worth a lot more than the Righteous Rage. List the red one first for the whole 1,600 influence. It might sell quickly, but probably not. If it doesn't sell right away, just head to your first contact and start playing. It will sell eventually. Once it does, use the proceeds from that sale to pay the listing fee on your big green inspiration. Prices go up and down over time, so there are no guarantees, but my advice is to list it high. If you sold the red for 1,600, then you should have 1,440 after fees. That's enough to list the green for 28,800. If you've managed to scrape up any more influence (perhaps the Hellions over there in the parking lot will lend you a little if you ask violently), then you can afford to list your inspiration for even more. If you can manage the listing fee, I think you should go ahead and put it up for 90,000 influence. It will cost you 4,500 influence in fees, but I think it's a good gamble. I'm willing to bet that you'll be able to sell a Resurgence at that price within 24 hours. Of course, it's easy for me to bet when it's your influence on the line! Even if it doesn't sell overnight, try leaving it up for at least a weekend. If your gamble pays off, then you'll have enough influence to buy every inspiration and TO enhancement you could ever use. If you don't bother with TOs, then you'll have a nice head start on DOs or IOs. Now Go. Hunt. Kill Helions! (Because Hellions drop valuable arcane salvage, and Skulls drop worthless tech salvage!) Sarix the Devourer by Julia "Kaiserin" Sprenz

The City Scoop

Heroes, Villains, and Witches - Oh My! By White Gravel It’s me gang, WG, back to the Scoop to give you the latest and greatest on parties and other events going on today! Today is April fools day and I'm in in Pocket D on the Champion server to attend the April Fools Costume Contest Bonanza hosted by The Coven of Witches and The Galactic Empire. First and foremost, I have to say that it was a night of sheer enjoyment in Pocket D. When I first entered Pocket D (an hour before the scheduled time to start), there were already people lined outside the door just to get in! Pocket D was full of young heroes and villains hoping to gain the spotlight and become the villain or hero of the night. The contests went on for about an hour and a half with some very creative costumes. The choices seemed to be getting tougher and tougher as the night progressed, but thanks to the organization of The Coven of Witches and The Galactic Empire, most people went home happy. These are the results of the spectacular contest: Best female hero costume: Regular (Back) Best female villain costume: Harpy Queen (Back) Best male hero costume: Great Briton (Back) Best male villain costume: Dark Holiday (Back) Most whimsical hero: Sparkacho (Back) Most whimsical villain: Ted the Ninja Bunny (Back) After all the winners were announced, I had to admit that I was a little down in the dumps for not winning anything. However, on my way out the door I happened to run into Witch Spark, who filled me in on a lot of thing in the following exclusive interview: Hello, Spark. My first question has to be why? Why did you create this event? Howdy WG. Well, you see, it’s quite simple, really. We wanted to bring the Champion server community closer together and give them some fun while they do. Mostly, just to give back what I’ve received over the last 3 years. What did you think about the turnout you had tonight? I’m absolutely blown away. A little in awe actually. More importantly, did you and your supergroups Coven of Witches and Galactic Empire have fun? I had a blast. This contest gave me a lot of time to chat with others and relax a bit. Now that the night is nearly over do you think you accomplished your goals? I couldn’t have asked for a better turnout. Most importantly, what all the editors of the Scoop really want to know is why didn’t I place at all!?!? Well when there are three judges, one must go with the flow, or end up being turned into a newt. I must say I most certainly had a fun time with you tonight. Do you have any closing comments? On behalf of The Coven of Witches and The Galactic Empire, thank you all for joining us and having some fun! Also a special thanks to Cobalt Azurean and The Bronx for all their help. We departed and I must say that it was a night I most certainly won’t forget. I would personally like to thank both supergroups for bringing the gaming community closer together. This is White Gravel, giving you all the news from all the events. Happy Gaming and thanks once again to The Coven of Witches and The Galactic Empire. ~W.G. Want me to cover your event? Please don’t hesitate to SEND ME A PM right away so we can work things out! Breaking News! The dates for the next Rikti Invasion have been changed slightly to avoid conflict with the badge grant that will be running for the 4 year Anniversary of City of Heroes. The new dates for the next Rikti Invasion are: April 18th through April 24th.

Vol. 1, Issue 43 April 11th, 2008 This Issue: Hard Knocks Panic and Mayhem Market Watch Community Fan Fiction Spotlight City of Ads Fan Art Battle Base Showcase The Ghosts Reborn Rogues Bane Behind the Mask Food & Recipes Food Safety The Muffin Man Excelsior Messaging Upcoming Events: April 12th: Infinity: Tree of Thorns Trial II Liberty: HAMI Raid, Heroside Virtue: The Teen Hero Gathering! April 13th: Test: PvPEC Intro to Base Raids April 19th: Virtue: HERO DAWN REMEMBRANCE BASH April 20th: Protector: Rasta Appreciation Day! Archive by Juggertha

Hard Knocks By Hostile_V In a technical sense, my education was... lacking. However, I compensated through the wonders of prison. Spending a sentence of four months in the Zig teaches you a lot in a short period of time, before Arachnos came "to deliver my pizza". As a benefit to all you new villains, incompetent villains and boys in blue who wanna be bad, I'm gonna share some useful knowledge. Remember these tips, because you definitely don't want a face-full of fist on your first day. A cavity search is not a conspiracy to see you "au natural". Actions speak louder than words. If you're getting beaten by a guard, chances are your cries for help will be ignored. The human spirit is priceless, it can be harnessed for a pack of smokes and a tube of NutriPaste. Be respectful to others. If you aren't, aim for the face. Everything has another use. Toothbrushes become knives, toilets become breweries and a candy bar is worth a favor. Never combine the three into a toilet-knife covered in candy. Any situation is less awkward when the first punch is thrown. It's more awkward if you throw the punch. Orange never goes out of style. Never mess with the prison librarians. They're tough enough to endure jerks like you. Don't be that guy who sings in the shower. "Pizza deliveries" occur every other week on alternating days. Check with someone to see "when your pizza will be delivered". Never trust a man named Shifty, Twitchy, Nosey, Shady or Trixie. Forbidden movies: The Shawshank Redemption, The Rock, Ernest Goes To Prison, Let's Go To Prison, Gigli, Ishtar and How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. Never pass on the chance to watch a snake-man fight a Nazi. Best way to distract a guard: Spin, kick, wave your hands, leap, sashay, promenade and finish with a split. It's especially impressive if a male prisoner pulls off the split. It's all fun and games until someone gets tasered. Or beaten, kicked, thrown in solitary, loses their teeth... y'know, anything that really hurts. Remember these well, because these tips could help save your life. Turbo Ski by Sargasso737

Panic and Mayhem in the Streets By Snow_Globe As we all sit in anticipation of Issue 12 coming closer to closed beta, it is time to take stock of what a great game we all play. If you have any thoughts on this, please PM me or use the Scoop discussion thread. Thanks to some comments taken out of context by a novice reporter and people being disappointed in a few of the choices for the power set proliferation, the last few weeks have seen a huge amount of "DOOM!" threads. While this is not really new to issue releases, it did come close to the all time "DOOM!" level of the Enhancement Diversification leak of Issue 6 beta. The difference? Multiple rednames on the forums gave out information that diffused the situation, on their own time, instead of letting misinformation build over the weekend. Last week LadyK and Teldon assumed the role of Assistant Editors in Chief. This means that they'll help the Editors in Chief (Pants Stealer and myself) keep the Scoop running smoothly. This week marks the return of the Base Spotlight feature and the Markets section. Born2Luz has renamed himself Bonker, so bear with any confusion in what I call him for the next little while. We have two new staff members covering the markets! Peterpeter joins us to report on Wentworth's and Spmurphy will be covering the Black Markets. The current plan is to alternate between them so that both factions get equal, focused coverage. I am looking forward to see what both will cover. I am sure their individual approaches will be very different. Speaking of markets, Lighthouse dropped a bomb on the forums on April 3rd. In Game Advertising is coming to the "City of" franchise. Besides the fact that it came past our internal deadline, among the reasons I did not want to include commentary on it was to allow the initial "DOOM!" to pass, and to be able to provide concrete facts about it. Here is what we know as of press time: When you zone a bit of code will download several small images (no larger than 512x 512 pixels for each). Images at this size are tiny, typically under 200kb. There will be an opt-out option available. You will not get a discount if you do not opt-out, nor will there be an extra cost for the game if you do opt-out. This option will never disappear from the game. Positron has commented that they are working on a load/save command to store and retrieve all your options, not just the In Game Advertising settings. Positron, Ken Morse (the Art Lead), and many others will pre-screen all ads. Free community-based ads and fan submissions will be displayed in addition to the ads for those who have chosen to opt-in. Revenue from In Game Advertising will be used for further game development. For the most part reaction was guarded but optimistic. I'll talk more about the retrospective in the coming weeks.

We are proud to announce our latest addition to the City of Heroes / City of Villains Community Team: Niviene, Forum Moderator.

Niviene is the 2nd of two new moderator to join us here at NCsoft NorCal. These additional positions to support the forums and community have been created in part because of the re-investment NCsoft is making back into the game. Niviene has a wide breadth of knowledge about the game and considerable experience working with online communities. As a Community Moderator, Niviene's main role will be to support and moderate the Official Message Forums. However, look for her out and about on servers and in attendance at other community gatherings supporting our great game!

Please join me in this discussion thread in welcoming Niviene to the forums!

We are proud to announce the latest addition to the City of Heroes / City of Villains Community Team: Koschej, Forum Moderator.

Koschej brings a strong knowledge of the workings of the game industry along with considerable experience in working with online communities. While his core role will be to moderate the Official Message Forums, he will also be involved in larger community support activities and initiatives.

Please join me in this discussion thread in welcoming Koschej to the forums!

The dates for the next Rikti Invasion have been changed slightly to avoid conflict with the badge grant that will be running for the 4 year Anniversary of City of Heroes. The new dates for the next Rikti Invasion are:

April 18th through April 24th

I wanted to post further to address any concerns about security with the implementation of the Double Fusion technology into City of Heroes. As has been stated previously in the discussion about optional in-game advertisement, the addition of this to the game does not change our User Agreement or [url=http://www.plaync.com/help/privacy.html]Privacy Statement.

From the Privacy Statement:

[ QUOTE ]
We here at NC Interactive, Inc. (“NCI”) consider your right to privacy to be of paramount importance. Because the trust of our users is key to the success of our business, this Privacy Policy is intended to make you feel as comfortable as possible visiting our website and playing NCsoft games....

[/ QUOTE ]

If you are concerned about security or personal information, I encourage you to click the link above and read the Privacy Statement. We would never jeopardize our business with you, our customer, by releasing your private information or by exposing you to viruses, malware or spyware.

If you have further concerns or questions on the subject, please don't hesitate to send me a Private Message.

We’ve recently had reports of fraudulent websites and e-mails that attempt to steal your password. We want to alert you to this activity so that you are not taken in by them. You account security is very important to us. We have an article in our PlayNC Knowledge Base with information about how to protect yourself or what to do if you have received such fraudulent correspondence: PlayNC Phishing Scam Alert.

As always, an NCsoft employee will never ask you for your account password and you should never disclose your password to anyone. We won’t ever contact you directly to ask for your account information. We will only ask for such information after you contact us for assistance.

If you have any concerns, questions or if we can be of assistance with this, or any other, issue please don’t hesitate to contact us. To do so, visit the Contacting PlayNC Support web page and click the Ask a Question link.