Lighthouse_NA
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Posts
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Joined
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And we're back! The forums are all trimmed down and should be running much smoother. If you notice old posts that have disappeared, well, they went off to the great beyond never to return. Each forum has settings of how long posts are kept - Player Guides, for example, is never cleaned out, while discussion forums chop off anything that hasn't been replied to in 2 weeks.
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We will be performing forum maintenance to the Official City of Heroes message forums on Wednesday, January 16th starting at 6 AM Pacific. The estimated downtime of the forums is 4 hours.
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Sorry 'bout that - I fixed the link!
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Edition 31 of "The City Scoop!" a publication for Supers by Supers is now available!
If you have any concerns regarding the content of the Scoop please feel free to direct your comments via PM to myself or Ex Libris.
If you would like to do a feature article, have an event covered, or join "The City Scoop" team please PM Lemur_Lad or Dirtwolf.
Additionally, the Editor-In-Chief Assistants will also be able to help you: Pants_Stealer and Snow_Globe (who would welcome puzzle submissions).
If you or someone you know should be considered for Behind the Mask contact Teldon or Encounters please contact MrsAlphaOne.
If you need some Advice contact Lady_Athyna or would like to Ask The X contact LiquidX. -
Edition 31 of "The City Scoop!" a publication for Supers by Supers is now available!
If you have any concerns regarding the content of the Scoop please feel free to direct your comments via PM to myself or Ex Libris.
If you would like to do a feature article, have an event covered, or join "The City Scoop" team please PM Lemur_Lad or Dirtwolf.
Additionally, the Editor-In-Chief Assistants will also be able to help you: Pants_Stealer and Snow_Globe (who would welcome puzzle submissions).
If you or someone you know should be considered for Behind the Mask contact Teldon or Encounters please contact MrsAlphaOne.
If you need some Advice contact Lady_Athyna or would like to Ask The X contact LiquidX.
To discuss this issue of the City Scoop, join us here. -
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Puzzles
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Classifieds
Buy Luptonius's latest album Demonic Musings. Available anywhere
that albums are sold in Paragon City or the Rogue Isles
Interested in seeing your character in a video? From humourous to
heroic to horrific, Samuraiko Productions (as featured in the City Scoop, Oct
27th, 2007) can showcase your character or supergroup. If interested, send a PM
to Dark_Respite, or contact @Samuraiko.
Saturday Night Fights, in conjunction with the PvPEC and KPOW
Justice Radio, will be hosting a three month long event to celebrate the
release of Issue 11 on Justice Server. Any questions, please feel free to email
Merry Prankster at; SaturdayNightFights@GMail.com
Become a hero! The first life you save maybe your own! Are you a
teenager who's been blessed, or cursed with power? Do you wish there was a
place that understood your "special" needs? Perhaps you want to become apart of
something bigger, or do you just need a warm place to stay and some company
along your way. When teens develop meta-powers, they face many risks.
Oftentimes these dangers leave them in need of a rescue from their own lives.
We're not just another community out-reach center offering an empty plate full
of good intentions, because we know what it really means to be "at-risk." We're
your peers. Come Join Us! The Artful Dodgers Home for Wayward Meta-Teens
Celebrating our first year as a super-group on VIRTUE!
Sentient liquid based life form seeks Writer to retcon him back in
continuity. Writer must be able to handle multiple crises spread over infinite
worlds with infinite crisis's and the occasional civil war. If interested, call
(912) 867-5309. Bendis need not apply
Converted_Clock and Genna are looking for recruits to their team! Having run
the Super Olympics on Champion the last three years we would like to take the
event game wide Feb. 2008! If you are interested in helping plan the events,
assisting with running the events on your server or just have a burning desire
to know more please PM either Converted_Clock or Genna. Currently we are
looking for people on all servers. Organization, Web Skills, or Prior Event
Experience a Plus! We are a non discriminatory group; casual player, RP'r,
PvP'r, WE WANT YOU!
A Triumphant Return Hey there kats and kittens! Player Vs. Radio
is alive and kicking! Yes, it may have taken a little while, but it's true!
Check out our all new line up of DJs. Some faces and names you'll recognize
from our previous incarnation, and some you won't, but we hope you get to
listen to and love them all! Have any suggestions? Let us know. Send us your
requests. Got any news? Tell us! Are you a Dev from any games? Let us pick your
brain! Thanks everyone, again, for all your patience through this trying time
of getting things put together. Soon, we'll have everything just where we want
it, and you'll have the best PvRadio EVER! Stay tuned in for more details as
they happen. Viva la Player Vs. Radio! www.pvradio.net DJ Krelo, Administrative
Director
WANTED: a creative and talented web designer to be the lead
designer for a CoX WebTV station, which will contain videos edited by players
from in-game footage. For details or any questions, please send a PM to TheFrog
The Paragon City Medical Research Corps has just been formed and is looking for
researchers! Did you or someone you know lose someone to Outbreak? Do you have
an interest in cutting edge medicine, both traditional and otherwise? Have you
wondered if there will ever be a cure for Outbreak? Do you want to help find
it? If you answered Yes to any of these questions, especially the last, then
send a /tell to Dr. Greg Miller Jr. on Liberty or @Byssot to sign up. The
Paragon City Medical Research Corps needs YOU! Based on Liberty, we are open to
all heroes who want to make a difference. Since this is a new SG we are still
working on construction of our base, but that means you have more time to make
your opinion known! Also pending is a website, but it should be up as soon as a
good place for it is found.
VeronicaVenom is hosting "V-Games" on Victory Server, every Sunday
night at 8PM EST. Events include: PvP tournaments, TF races, and Gladiator FFA.
Please Send Tell to VeronicaVenom if you want in on the action.
Paragon City Choppers: Super Motorcycles for Super Customers!
Paragon City Choppers is a unique experience in motorcycling, based out of
Skyway City on the Virtue Server, our dedicated and creative staff is committed
to bringing our customers the custom rides that are every bit as super as their
superheroic riders! Whether you're a seven foot tank who's tough as nails or a
high flying flame-flinging blaster of evil, we have the bikes that you want at
your request! For more information contact our (occasionally hirsute) chief
designer Erik Love aka The Wulfen at his PM box: Wulfie
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Art & Entertainment
Collector Spotlight
Turbo Ski
What got you started collecting art?
I think it seeing what the art people were having done over on MMOART.com was
what first got me thinking about it. However, I wasn't willing to shell out
that kind of money for something I wasn't sure I would enjoy. So I waited for a
while until Battlewraith made a thread saying he was starting to take
commissions and his prices were quite reasonable for the quality of his work. I
commissioned him, and the work he did for me simply blew me away in the end,
but it was the experience of communicating with the artist throughout the
process that gave me the greatest pleasure. After that I was sure I was going
to enjoy future commissions, so I became less restrictive on my spending.
What was the first piece of art you had done of one of your
characters?
Turbo-Ski by Battlewraith
How many works of art are in your collection?
A total of 112. Seventy-two of it being free art I received, and forty of it
being commissioned pieces. Eighty-six of those feature Turbo-Ski, and the rest
feature one or more of my other characters.
What are a few of your favorite pieces in your gallery?
It's really so hard to narrow it down to just a few choices:
Sarix Morrison by John Becaro
Heartless by Graver13
Turbo-Ski vs. Kichi by Liz Chesterman
Project Reaver by Hugohugo
Sarix Morrison by LadyJudgement
Sarix / Rebecca by Toxic_SHIA
Lil Turbo-Ski by Imagesbyalex
Are there any artists that you would like a piece from?
I would really like to put down someone here, but I'm usually
nowadays looking to see if their style fits the idea and mood I had in mind. I
would probably like to commission someone in the future to do a plushie or
sculpture, just for a change of pace.
When you're looking for an artist, do you have a concept in mind
for what you want for the picture?
When I first started out collecting, I didn't have any clue what I
wanted in a piece. It wasn't until I started writing down my ideas into a
spiral notebook that I started picking artists based around the idea I wanted
for the piece. I also will commission friends in the community if they really
need the money as well.
Are there any galleries that you browse looking for new artists?
I mostly just use my DeviantArt watch list and these forums to find artists. It
seems to have worked out well for me in the past, and I haven't seen much need
to change that.
Any advice for beginning art collectors?
Don't rush hastily into getting a commission done of your
character (unless it's cheap!), take some time to think some of the things
you'll want in the piece. What kind of mood do you want to set? What will the
character(s) be doing? Is there anything special about your character you want
the artist to pay attention to?
Also make sure you can set aside the money for a commission. Too
often I see artists getting mad because people are not paying them the full
amount after the piece is completed. I would also recommend your first piece be
moderately priced ($50-$100 total) to see if you like collecting art. If you
end up not liking the process, at least you got a decent quality piece to
remember your character by.
What does your art collection mean to you?
I really consider it collection of love towards my characters both
from me and various artists who thought it was worth their time to draw fanart
of them. It's really a special feeling when people gather around to praise your
work or your character. It's also interesting to see how various artists may
view your character in different ways than you thought possible.
Fan Fiction
Hello again, my minions! Tropic here once more to bring you a fine
tale of superheroic (or villain-ic...is that a word?) adventure in this little
thing of ours called City of Heroes!
This time, it's from our friend the Dark Harrier titled
The Chronicles of the Heathen Hammer!
If you want to check out some other stories by Dark Harrier, please give a look
see at the authors section of
The City of Heroes Writer's Guild site!
And now something I want to call "Tropic's Tips," wherein I give a
very minor writing tip that may or may not help you aspiring scribes out there!
This week it's a little gem I've entitled:
There and Their - They're Not Interchangeable You Know!
Follow me here...You've got your scene set, and you're hammering
away on your keyboard. Your hero has just had a fight with his girl at a
restaurant and you write:
"He left her on the sidewalk and got into there car."
What? There car? That's like...Young Frankenstein!
"Werewolf!"
"There wolf...there castle."
A simple rule (simple because I'm really not that
smart!)
There = location
Their = possession
They're = they are
The sentence should be, "He left her on the sidewalk and got into
their car." Because it was...er...their car.
That's my little tip (or pet peeve) this time. Nothing brings one
out of a story faster than an unexpected grammar hiccup!
In conclusion, our hero and his girl have made up and now...
"They're getting into their car, which is parked over there."
Gee...I love a happy ending!
Letter from the Editor
Dear Readers,
I hope you all had a good holiday season! It's been an eventful
winter for me, if only that it was relaxing. The beginning of December, I was
in California hanging out with some of my favourite people of all time after
the NCsoft Meet and Greet, my father reappeared in my life after being AWOL for
nearly four years, I became Editor in Chief for the City Scoop, and a whole lot
more.
I hope everyone got to spend time with their family and friends,
or whoever you chose. It's a whole new year, and hopefully it'll be a good one
for everyone. I know I'm being optimistic!
In this issue, you'll see Rastafari Man's debut of his bi-weekly
Top 10 list and the return of /em Smack. Soon, we'll have a PVP section back in
motion, and an event reporter (finally! hoorah!). We're constantly recruiting
and adding writers to our publication, so if you are interested--please do
message Lemur Lad or myself for more information!
Sincerely,
target="_blank" class="Byline">
"http://www.unitedpowersofparagon.com/newscreens/epsilon.jpg"
border="0" width="300" />
Epsilon Indi from Kundunis
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Behind the Mask
Beautiful Inferno
Freedom Server
Where do you live at?
Miami Florida
How long have you lived there?
For about 10 years
Your age and gender?
21and Female
What do you do for a living?
I freelance model but right now I'm a bartender
What has been the weirdest thing you had to model?
Um...toughie...I must say a stuffed dog and they said look it in
the eye and walk it. But of course it just slumped there...and I was
like...um....
What is the most interesting drink you have been asked to fix?
Some guy wanted me to make a martini/soda/rum hold the alcohol and
I was like...is that possible? So I just ended up giving him a non-alcoholic
soda martini.
Did he notice the difference?
He did actually, but he tried making a scene saying I'm not doing
my job before security got him.
So what do you like to do in your free time besides play the game?
Hm...I like working out...SHOPPING...I like reading for some
reason I love hanging out with my brothers because I live with them because
I'm there guardian and....hm...shopping? I said that but I'll say it again.
What type of books do you like to read and who is your favorite
author?
Oh wow...hm...I don't really have time for those huge adult books
so I stick with the high school sort of books but I really enjoy the Twilight
series by Stephanie Meyers
What would be your all time five favorite songs?
That's hard, I think I'll say "Push the Button" by Sugababes.
I love Sugababes.
What are your favorite movies?
Hm...two movies that I can watch over and over are Catwoman and
Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
What TV shows could you not live without?
Heh, this may sound cheesy but I can't live without DEPSERATE
HOUSEWIVES!
Do you have any pets?
Yes I do I have 2 dogs Furlough and Rocky. They're the best.
Moving on to the game now...
ok
How did you end up picking your home server?
Well I originally was on Protector for awhile but I got bored from
the lack of people so I moved to Freedom and I made so many friends and I ended
up staying
Who of all your characters would you say is your "signature"
character and tell me a bit about him or her.
Well even thought this girl is my global I have to say Beautiful
Heal is my signature character, I've had her since Protector and I moved her
here and I just love her so many people call me heal and I just couldn't
delete her so now she's my main hero.
What would you say is your most favorite thing about this game?
The community, even though there are the few idiots scattered
about its great, this is the best game when it comes to the people playing it
in my opinion.
What would you say is your favorite archetype in the game?
Oooooo that's a tough one! Ok...I love love love
Dominators/Controllers but I never seem to be able to past level 25. But, I
rock playing a healer so I gotta say Defender is my favorite even though I'm
in denial.
What zone is your favorite in the game and why?
Hm...I think ill say St. .Martial. I like the concept of glitz and
glam...and I LOVE carnies and they have a whole lil' area dedicated for
Carnies. ;P
Well we know this year has been a busy year for the game with many
new impressive features added. Which of them all would you say is the best and
why?
Hm...I think I'll say the invention system/vanguard ones. I love
fighting Rikti and all that good stuff and since I'm an alt freak I can buy
Halloween salvage off BM and it's easier to find enhancements I'm looking for
and make them without the hassle of missions.
How would you describe your playstyle in the game?
Hm... slowly but surely ahhaha I'm one of those bums who like to
hang around Atlas or just sits by the BM. I still level just not as often as
most people who don't hang in Atlas, heheh.
What advice would you give to new players of the game?
Make friends and get a good Supergroup! Without those you are not
going enjoy the game as much.
Finally, do you have any closing comments?
Um...THANKS FOR THE INTERVIEW! If y'all need help just come to
Freedom and pm @Beautiful Inferno =D
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I C O N S
Server and Side: Victory hero SG
Established: Dec 25, 2004
Number of Members: About 40
Value of Base: 17.4 million
Who is your base designer and who are your supergroup leaders?
Deadly Nightshade is the base leader and base designer, however
the park was co-created with Green Bear and the club was made by Branche
How much time do you spend working on your base? How much time
have you invested so far?
I'm in there everyday, however I think i only make lasting changes
about once a week.
What is your favorite base item? Least favorite?
My favorite is the Auto-Doc. He's a lifesaver in difficult
situations. My least favorite is the Fusion Generator. The thing's too *&$#
expensive!
What is your favorite thing about base editing? Least favorite?
My favorite is using pieces in unconventional ways to make a room
work. My least favorite is the storage device limit and the work table limit
(let's increase those limits, devs!).
What is the highest thing on your wish-list for new base items?
Water and music (yow! That's two)
If you could give just one piece of advice to a new base editor,
what would it be?
Check the official CoH base builders forum. The people there are
really friendly and helpful! You can also find a lot of inspiration by browsing
the builders' screenshots.
Anything else you'd like to add about your SG, your base or the
base system in general?
We're the perfect example of how a friends and family SG can be a server leader
(#25 in the top 100 on Victory) and have an expansive 24x24 base. Our website
is icons.guildportal.com.
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Base Showcase
Spartan Guard
Server and Side: Test server, blueside
Established: 11/20/05
Number of Members: 38
Value of Base: over 20 million
Who is your base designer and who are your supergroup leaders?
Betty Sizzle is the leader, and Taos is the base designer.
How much time do you spend working on your base? How much time have
you invested so far?
It varies widely from week to week. I've probably spent at least
a hundred hours, although I don't keep track.
What is your favorite base item? Least favorite?
The magic desk is my favorite, of course! My least favorite are
the missing items, like small wall banners, and a SG tile that goes on the
wall, instead of the floor.
What is your favorite thing about base editing? Least favorite?
I most enjoy creating a room that looks good that appears
functional instead of artificial and empty. I least enjoy reworking most of the
base because the locations of the "sell" and "apply to base" buttons are in the
same place.
What is the highest thing on your wish-list for new base items?
I want more, better stackable items, and a less intrusive pathing
system.
Anything else you'd like to add about your SG, your base or the
base system in general?
The Spartan Guard is an SG of convenience on Test, currently existing to
provide transport and resource access to people who aren't native to the test
server. It's basically a sparcely populated, benign anarchy, as far as I can
tell. Everybody I've run across gets along fine. Betty Sizzle is the only
leader type I've dealt with much.
There was still a block of legacy base-test prestige when I
arrived in March of this year, and I inherited the base design position by just
asking for access and then producing results. Most recently, I've been using
the float trick to build a two level flight control in the middle of my hangar.
Moonshadow over in the Base Construction thread came up with a great idea for
using float to split level a whole room, and so I'm in desk stacking hell,
along with all the other base addicts.
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The City Scoop
Go.
Hunt. Get Badge
Dimensional Warder
One of the more troublesome badges for people to get is the Dimensional Warder
badge. An important badge because it is a part of the Portal Jockey Accolade,
which gives a 5% bonus to health.
Here are some of the frequently asked questions for it:
Do
arch villains (that have a badge linked to them) that spawn as elite bosses
count towards the badge?
Yes, according to Positron Elite Boss versions of Arch Villains
count the for the badge. According to him there is no way to do this any
differently.
Is there a level restriction on Dimensional Warder?
There is no level restriction provided you could find someone who
is doing the missions out of flashback mode. Tina Macintyre is level 40-45, and
Maria Jenkins is 45-50, but you can sidekick up with friends and others to get
in on the arch-villains pummeling. Tina also has the Multi-Dimensional badge
mission twice. For those flashing back, you cannot take anyone lower than the
lowest level of the arcs (Tina level 40, Maria level 45).
How come I can't get the "A Hero's Hero Arc?"
You have other contacts with open arcs. With Issue 8, there was an
addition to the contact list: the book icons. Open your contact list, and look
for the yellow/golden books. You can only have two of these type of arcs open
at once. Do missions from one of those contacts until the story arc completes.
Yes, the villains in those missions will most likely be much lower than you
are. When you finish an arc, call Maria. You should get missions from her
again.
You can also flashback to the arc.
How do I find Anti-Matter for the Dimensional Warder badge?
Anti-Matter is in several missions from Tina Macintyre, including
her story arc. Note: Make sure it isn't the Anti-matter that teleports away,
because that one doesn't count (self-defeats).
The best mission is the very last in the The Praetorian War story
arc:
Stop Anti-Matter's invasion
[Character Name], those dimensional scanners you planted just went
off! It looks as though a massive force of Praetorians just teleported into a
lab here in Paragon City! I need you to get over there on the double,
[Character Name]! This could be the beginning of Anti-Matter's invasion.
According to the data, there are overwhelming forces in that lab.
I'd take a full team along, if I were you.
You can flashback to this arc as well.
This mission also has Anti-Matter (Upsilon Beta 9-6):
Check out the strange signal
[Character Name], we're tracking a strange signal from another
dimension. Ninety percent of the time these things turn out to be some other
dimension's version of satellite TV. Still, it's got the guys over in Risk
Management all atwitter. They asked if I'd send you to check out this strange
signal. Scout out the area, determine the signal's source, and report back.
You'll be going to dimension Upsilon Beta 9-6. Not much is known
about it yet.
This mission is not available through the flashback system, as it
is not a badge mission.
I've defeated all the arch villains in Maria's arc including
Tyrant, why do I not have the Dimensional Warder badge?
- [*]Tyrant isn't needed.[*]Anti-Matter from Tina Macintyre is needed, but he does not show up in any of Maria's missions. The mission at the end of the arc or the Upsilon Beta 9-6 missions will give the correct Anti-Matter. The one in the middle of the arc teleports away at the last second, and does not count towards the badge.[*]There are some reports that with Marauder and Bobcat that do not count for the duration when their god mode power is active.[*]Make sure you've defeated Black Swan. You do not have to fight her to complete the mission she is in.[/list]
What arch villains do I need to defeat for the Dimensional Warder
badge?
Only thirteen of the sixteen Praetorians are needed. They are:
Anti-Matter, Chimera, Nightstar, Siege, Bobcat, Neuron, Battle Maiden, Black
Swan, Malaise, Infernal, Diabolique, Dominatrix, and Marauder. 99% of the time,
people are missing Anti-Matter. See above on how to find the "right"
Anti-Matter missions.
Do I need to defeat the arch villains in order to get the
Dimensional Warder?
No, any order will do, though Anti-Matter is in the 40-45
missions.
Do you have to complete the Praetorian missions, or just defeat the
Praetorians themselves for the Dimensional Warder badge?
No, you have to defeat the arch villains, not the mission, to get
credit.
Is there a way to track your progress on the Dimensional Warder?
The Dimensional Warder will have a progress bar. Of course, it
will not tell you which ones, so a pen and paper might be useful still. Others
use the bio information section of the ID screen to record which defeats they
have done. I have made the following for tracking your progress for the
Dimensional Warder badge:
What are the remaining badges for the Accolade and how do I get
them?
The remaining badges needed for the Portal Jockey Accolade are:
Scholastic
history badge. The plaques can be found in Founders Falls at the coordinates
1725, -8, 2400, and in Brickstown at the coordinates -229, 8, -370 and -3463,
4, 2062.
Multidimensional and Shrouded exploration badges. These are for
being on specific mission maps.
Both Tina Macintyre (twice) and Unai Kemen give the mission for
the Multidimensional.
Maria Jenkins gives the Shrouded mission. There are several
others, but given the badge text, there is only one mission that should.
Vol. I, Issue XXXI
Jan 11th, 2008
This Issue:
Base Showcase:
Spartan Guard &
ICONS
Art and Entertainment:
Collector's Spotlight,
Fan Fiction, Letter from the Editor
Behind the Mask:
Beautiful Inferno
The Top Ten
Issue 11 saw a lot of great new features and items added, but did
you ever wonder what didn't make the cut? Here are a few scrapped ideas i
managed to get my hands on, and I figured I share them with you in a comical
Top Ten list format because everyone loves lists!
Number 10: Instead of debt, you receive a small
electric shock delivered through your keyboard upon defeat
Number 9: Adjust Defiance to be tied directly to
a Blaster's debt bar.
Number 8: Forget rescuing Baby New Year, this
year you can punt that little thing...Oh man, he's creepy!
Number 7: Vet reward power dubbed "Delete n00b."
Number 6: Paragon Police Officers now run away
from level 1 Hellions in a much more manly way.
Number 5: Every time you ding, you get a kitten!
Number 4: New in-game sponsorship deal with General Mills. Goodbye HOs, Hello
Cheerios!
Number 3: Number 3 is not available due to the
WGA strike.
Number 2: New Controller power set - Cable TV!
And the number one rejected Issue 11 feature: Human
shields! Wait, that's not very heroic...
"http://sodacan.deviantart.com/art/Lucretia-de-Loccia-72651331" target="_blank">
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Lucretia de Loccia by Soda Can
"http://juggertha.deviantart.com/art/Avatars-73238568" target="_blank">
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Icons by Juggertha
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[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Statements like "our plan is to release x new issues in '08".
[/ QUOTE ]
Actually, I had this question last night.
If any red names are still reading this, is the plan to still stick with three issues this year? Or will we see fewer formal "Issues" and more "in-betweeners"?
Things are looking good so far, but it would be nice to know the general release plan for 2008 for the Issue Roadmap.
[/ QUOTE ]
There's definitely more coming in 2008! But, as we started off saying, we're not quite ready to reveal those larger initiatives. So, for now, we stuck with highlighting what is coming in the shorter term. -
[ QUOTE ]
Pointed question: Is Jack Emmert still involved with City of Heroes/Villains?
[/ QUOTE ]
No. Mr. Emmert is an executive of Cryptic Studios. Prior to NCsoft acquiring the rights to the City of Heroes franchise he had not been involved in the day to day development of City of Heroes since Positron became the Design Lead. -
[ QUOTE ]
i guess this is just a personal peeve, but i wish youd stop calling game updates 'free expansions'.
every pay to play online game updates and expands there game as it progresses through patches, these are not some unique 'free expansions' we are getting, they are simply patches and updates to the game just like every other paid mmo you can subscribe to.
i guess its just semantics, but calling them 'free expansions' makes me feel like you think you are talking to idiots who dont realize every single paid mmo has the exact same thing, but they just call them patches.
[/ QUOTE ]
Please keep in mind the history of City of Heroes. Back when the first Issues came out as "free expansions" other comparable Triple A MMO's were turning out for pay boxed expansions. I guess the term has just stuck around as a hold over. I'll pass your sentiments along to the Marketing Types. -
I just move away from the portal. I mean, it is a giant super thingy gizmo after all.
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[ QUOTE ]
Fixing up the leveling curve will be very nice since so many of my alts are in the 25-35 range. Although I wonder what the devs have in mind... Like, if they were gonna lower the actual needed XP/Level, that could cause some people who are like, 39.9 to level up to 40 and maybe half a bar's XP. I can see many people loving that.
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We'll have more details when that patch goes to public testing on the Training Room, but as I understand it, we won't be changing the actual xp needed per level. That would have the kind of repercussions you speak of where someone could just level without doing anything. Rather, I believe it has to do with increasing common ways that people get XP in the level ranges the team is targeting (defeating critters, for example). -
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Real Numbers....finally. Thank you, NCNC!
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Is it NCNC or NCS NC?
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NCNC is our current abbreviation for our new development studio located in Mountain View, California which houses the support team behind the City of Heroes Franchise. NCNC comes from NCsoft NorCal.
If you follow the link in the original post to "A New Age Dawns" you can read the original announcement of the formation of the NCNC studio. -
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My hope is that it displays IO information such as set bonuses.
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It would more or less have to, otherwise its value as a tool would be pretty low The only question is how they categorize the various bonuses (i.e. tack damage set bonuses on top of the damage enhancement bonus of individual powers, list them as a global damage bonus, etc). I think the way its done in Mid's right now would be a pretty good model to start with.
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Frankly in the grand tradition of Microsoft I wouldn't be surprised to learn that some of these much desired improvements such as City Vault and 'Real Numbers' are actually based on some licensing partnerships between NCsoft and the more popular fan based websites/applications such as CiT and Mid's Hero Designer. As you pointed out it'd be easier for our Devs to leverage off of existing implementations rather than to recreate these things completely from scratch.
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It's all in house work - no partnerships such as what you speak of. -
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Any sort of timeline for Beta with the XP curve and Real numbers? Or should I assume it will be Soon (tm)
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As outlined above, all of the things discussed are:
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... short term initiatives to share:
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So, they are all stuff you will see soon, and definitely before we kick up into talking about Issue 12 and the medium to longer term stuff. Hopefully that helps to frame the time lines. -
The New Year is always a time for reflecting upon the year past, as well as setting goals and outlining plans for the year to come. In looking back, we feel that 2007 was a banner year for City of Heroes. Three major free expansions, among the 21 total game updates over 12 months, made for exciting times! We added a completely new game system with Inventions, bringing “loot” and strengthening our economy, invited players to fight off an alien invasion and travel through time, among other things! Click the links below for highlights:
• Issue 9: Breakthrough!
• Issue 10: Invasion!
• Issue 11: A Stitch In Time
Additionally, in 2007 we expanded our services by offering Character Renames and Transfers. We are looking to add more such conveniences to facilitate a great gaming experience.
Then, in November of ’07 we announced the exciting news of the consolidation of the City of Heroes franchise under the NCsoft banner and formation of the NCsoft NorCal studio to support it: A New Age Dawns. As Brian Clayton, Executive Producer and NCsoft NorCal Studio Manager, alluded to in his Dev Blog, there are some big plans in the works for the game and the franchise. While we’re not quite ready to reveal the details of those plans, we do have several other short term initiatives to share:
The City Vault
We gave a sneak peak of the new “City Vault” feature at the recent San Jose Meet ‘n Greet. The City Vault is coming soon to the City of Heroes website and will showcase the millions of interesting Heroes and Villains found in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. It will allow you to search for characters by a number of different criteria, and then view those characters, including images of different costumes, powers, badges, friends, stats by zone and other fun information! As we have previously announced, you can manage what information will be displayed through the City Vault for your characters via several in game options.
We will have more details about the City Vault Beta soon.
Double XP Weekend and Server Hardware Improvements
We have another Double XP Weekend coming! Currently we are targeting February for this event. It will be the same format as we have run previously: a weekend long fest of double rewards of experience gain, influence or infamy, and prestige! Double XP is always popular and usually drives our online numbers to record heights.
To better address performance issues that tend to arise under such conditions, we are investing in server hardware upgrades. Technology is always marching forward and we are making this investment back into the game to take advantage of the latest tech and help create the best gaming experience possible for our players.
Our plans are to have all of the new hardware online before the coming Double XP Weekend. We will post more details of the server upgrade schedule, along with the dates of the actual Double XP weekend soon, so keep your eye on the City of Heroes website!
Valentine’s Day Event
Also coming in February, we have an expanded Valentine’s Day Event! We’re adding a few new twists to the previous event and also have a very special surprise to go along with this romantic holiday. More details will be coming soon!
Smoothing the XP Curve
One thing that we constantly examine is the rate of advancement in the game. In a future version, we intend to smooth out the leveling curve by changing how much experience is given out for defeating opponents. The intent is to smooth out the “bumps” where players typically get stuck leveling up their characters. Keep an eye on coming patch notes for specifics.
Real Numbers
As a general quality of life improvement we will be adding new functionality in a coming version of the game to display the “real” numbers behind your characters and their powers. This includes a user configurable display of important characteristics such as movement rate, regeneration rate, resistances and many more! Additionally, you will be able to see how those statistics are affected in real time by buffs and/or debuffs affecting your character.
Issue #12
While we’re not announcing the specifics of what will be included in the next free expansion, Issue #12, we do want to reiterate that we will continue to add great new free additions to the game in 2008. The team is working hard to ensure our next free expansion will be an exciting, feature-filled addition to the game.
Overall, it is exciting time for the City of Heroes franchise. We are looking forward to bringing the above items to you in the short term, and much more in the medium and long term! As always, thanks for your continued patronage and support.
The City of Heroes Development Team
Click here to discuss this thread. -
Please use this thread to discuss the below announcement:
The New Year is always a time for reflecting upon the year past, as well as setting goals and outlining plans for the year to come. In looking back, we feel that 2007 was a banner year for City of Heroes. Three major free expansions, among the 21 total game updates over 12 months, made for exciting times! We added a completely new game system with Inventions, bringing “loot” and strengthening our economy, invited players to fight off an alien invasion and travel through time, among other things! Click the links below for highlights:
• Issue 9: Breakthrough!
• Issue 10: Invasion!
• Issue 11: A Stitch In Time
Additionally, in 2007 we expanded our services by offering Character Renames and Transfers. We are looking to add more such conveniences to facilitate a great gaming experience.
Then, in November of ’07 we announced the exciting news of the consolidation of the City of Heroes franchise under the NCsoft banner and formation of the NCsoft NorCal studio to support it: A New Age Dawns. As Brian Clayton, Executive Producer and NCsoft NorCal Studio Manager, alluded to in his Dev Blog, there are some big plans in the works for the game and the franchise. While we’re not quite ready to reveal the details of those plans, we do have several other short term initiatives to share:
The City Vault
We gave a sneak peak of the new “City Vault” feature at the recent San Jose Meet ‘n Greet. The City Vault is coming soon to the City of Heroes website and will showcase the millions of interesting Heroes and Villains found in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. It will allow you to search for characters by a number of different criteria, and then view those characters, including images of different costumes, powers, badges, friends, stats by zone and other fun information! As we have previously announced, you can manage what information will be displayed through the City Vault for your characters via several in game options.
We will have more details about the City Vault Beta soon.
Double XP Weekend and Server Hardware Improvements
We have another Double XP Weekend coming! Currently we are targeting February for this event. It will be the same format as we have run previously: a weekend long fest of double rewards of experience gain, influence or infamy, and prestige! Double XP is always popular and usually drives our online numbers to record heights.
To better address performance issues that tend to arise under such conditions, we are investing in server hardware upgrades. Technology is always marching forward and we are making this investment back into the game to take advantage of the latest tech and help create the best gaming experience possible for our players.
Our plans are to have all of the new hardware online before the coming Double XP Weekend. We will post more details of the server upgrade schedule, along with the dates of the actual Double XP weekend soon, so keep your eye on the City of Heroes website!
Valentine’s Day Event
Also coming in February, we have an expanded Valentine’s Day Event! We’re adding a few new twists to the previous event and also have a very special surprise to go along with this romantic holiday. More details will be coming soon!
Smoothing the XP Curve
One thing that we constantly examine is the rate of advancement in the game. In a future version, we intend to smooth out the leveling curve by changing how much experience is given out for defeating opponents. The intent is to smooth out the “bumps” where players typically get stuck leveling up their characters. Keep an eye on coming patch notes for specifics.
Real Numbers
As a general quality of life improvement we will be adding new functionality in a coming version of the game to display the “real” numbers behind your characters and their powers. This includes a user configurable display of important characteristics such as movement rate, regeneration rate, resistances and many more! Additionally, you will be able to see how those statistics are affected in real time by buffs and/or debuffs affecting your character.
Issue #12
While we’re not announcing the specifics of what will be included in the next free expansion, Issue #12, we do want to reiterate that we will continue to add great new free additions to the game in 2008. The team is working hard to ensure our next free expansion will be an exciting, feature-filled addition to the game.
Overall, it is exciting time for the City of Heroes franchise. We are looking forward to bringing the above items to you in the short term, and much more in the medium and long term! As always, thanks for your continued patronage and support.
The City of Heroes Development Team -
On Tuesday, January 8th starting at 9 AM Eastern (6 AM Pacific) the following servers will come down for scheduled maintenance:
Freedom
Pinnacle
Liberty
Infinity
Victory
Triumph
We anticipate the down time to take up to two hours. -
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remove e-mail access from trial accounts.
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THERE it is, right there.
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Hey everyone,
I just wanted to chime in and let you all know that we are well aware of the angst unwanted solicitations cause. We see the report s of the accounts being banned for engaging in such behavior (which the use of the /ignore_spammer command streamlines for our Support, so thank you to those who make use of it).
Currently, one of the hurdles in addressing e-mail spam, such as the suggestion quoted above, is the fact that the game doesn't know if you are on a Trial or Regular account. That's all taken care of by the log-in process and previously the game hasn't had a need to know about that. We're working to change that, as well as a few other things with log-in, but as it involves a lot of moving parts, it's not a "quick fix," unfortunately.
Long story short - we hear you and hate the spammers as much as you do. Thanks for your patience as we work to put more roadblocks up against them.
