Lighthouse_NA

Ok, old news is good news. Yeah, this article was posted back on Oct. 3rd, but hey, I thought I'd pass it along.

About.com's Internet Games section ranks the top 5 MMORPGs.

#1: City of Heroes: Good vs. Evil Edition

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Please use this thread to discuss the below announcement:


Sean Fish, the designer behind the "Manticore" persona in City of Heroes, describes his involvement with the game's lore and creative process.

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Greetings from the shadows to all you CoH & CoV fans! Sean Fish here…aka Manticore. I have been part of the City of Heroes family for a long time, wrangling story and design since about a year before launch...

Now that the City of Heroes universe is fully in the NCsoft fold I get the chance to be more involved in the dev process again, which I am obviously thrilled about.

[/ QUOTE ]

Click here to read the full article.

Sean Fish, the designer behind the "Manticore" persona in City of Heroes, describes his involvement with the game's lore and creative process.

[ QUOTE ]
Greetings from the shadows to all you CoH & CoV fans! Sean Fish here…aka Manticore. I have been part of the City of Heroes family for a long time, wrangling story and design since about a year before launch...

Now that the City of Heroes universe is fully in the NCsoft fold I get the chance to be more involved in the dev process again, which I am obviously thrilled about.

[/ QUOTE ]

Click here to read the full article.


To discuss this announcement, join us here.

Use this thread to discuss the below:


More news and reactions can be found on the internet regarding the recent acquisition of 100% of the City of Heroes Intellectual Property rights by NCsoft. This includes:

<ul type="square">[*]City of Heroes Sold: WarCry's Interview with NCsoft's Brian Clayton

Click here to read the article.

[*] NCsoft Europe's MD, Geoff Heath, has spoken to GamesIndustry.biz about the recent deal to wholly acquire the City of Heroes/Villains IP from Cryptic, and set up a new studio in the US to continue work on the games.

Click here to read the article.

[*] Brian Clayton, NCsoft NorCal Studio Manager talks with Ten Ton Hammer.

Click here to read the article.
[*] Matt "Positron" Miller and Alex "Lighthouse" von Minden talk with w00t Studios on the Jester's Court Podcast.

Click here to listen to the podcast.[/list]

More news and reactions can be found on the internet regarding the recent acquisition of 100% of the City of Heroes Intellectual Property rights by NCsoft. This includes:

[*]City of Heroes Sold: WarCry's Interview with NCsoft's Brian Clayton

Click here to read the article.

[*] NCsoft Europe's MD, Geoff Heath, has spoken to GamesIndustry.biz about the recent deal to wholly acquire the City of Heroes/Villains IP from Cryptic, and set up a new studio in the US to continue work on the games.

Click here to read the article.

[*] Brian Clayton, NCsoft NorCal Studio Manager talks with Ten Ton Hammer.

Click here to read the article.
[*] Matt "Positron" Miller and Alex "Lighthouse" von Minden talk with w00t Studios on the Jester's Court Podcast.

Click here to listen to the podcast.[/list]

To discuss this article, join us here.

We’ve seen some concern over the “Special Thanks to Our Players” as announced here. This includes:

[*]Full Access to City of Heroes and City of Villains®
All players with City of Heroes retail* accounts will now have access to City of Villains, and all City of Villains retail* accounts will now have access to City of Heroes. Players that didn't previously have access to "the other side" will find that they do now. Just log in to check it out!
[*]Debt Wipe
After the launch of Issue 11: A Stitch in Time this Fall, we are removing Debt from all characters and giving you a fresh start. Actual date will be announced shortly. Have fun in the mean time.
[*]20,000 Prestige
Also after the launch of Issue 11, all Supergroups will receive an additional 20,000 Prestige per Supergroup member, meaning SGs could acquire up to 3 million Prestige based upon their Supergroup membership roster! Actual date will be announced shortly.[/list]

Our intent with all of these is to promote player interaction.


Full Access to both incarnations of the game:
For over a year now, the main retail presence of the game has been the Good vs. Evil edition that includes both City of Heroes and City of Villains. By giving anyone who doesn’t have it access to the other “side” of things, we are hopeful to see those accounts taking advantage of the opportunity and out and about in the City or Isles, grouping up and having a fun time in the game. We’re not trying to diminish anything from anyone, but spur activity within the game.

Also, this really isn’t anything new for the MMO space. Other MMO companies “grant” their older expansions to all customers so the game has a more consistent feel. It gets to be a pain if your friends can't go through common areas or the like (for instance, accessing your SG’s base).

Some other facts:

For those who bought CoH or CoV in the store, they received 1 month free (a $14.99 value!). Those accounts receiving the grant will not.

For those who bought the Good vs. Evil edition not only received a free month, but also the extra powers and costumes. Those accounts receiving the grant will not.

Lastly: This is a one time grant. New accounts made after yesterday using only CoH or only CoV will not have access to both games.


Debt Wipe:
The intent here is for players to get out and get a little crazy! No, the debt wipe won’t count toward your debt badges (as those badges progress for debt paid off). We’re hoping to work with the community and encourage some “Chaos” events! Get out and see some new territory, get chased by a lot of critters and overall find some fun, creative ways to take a faceplant!

Ex Libris and I were chuckling at a player post who described it as, “You can Party all night and know that you won’t wake up with a hangover the next morning!” Have fun racking up a bunch of debt and then know it will be wiped out. The point is to have fun with it!


Prestige Grant:
The idea here is to encourage getting into a Supergroup. While such social groups may not be for everyone, we feel strongly that such groups really add to the game. Here’s a good reason for some quality recruiting to happen! Be open to joining a new SG on an alt and make some new friends!


More coming!
We know that the above gifts may not be for everyone. However, we do have some pretty great news of a new feature coming to the service in the very near term that everyone should enjoy! So, keep your eye on the website for details about that in the coming weeks.

Hopefully the above helps you understand why we are doing what we are doing. When everything is said and done, our bottom line to promote fun ways to enjoy the game!


To discuss this announcement, join us here.

[ QUOTE ]
...
I dont want CoX to be on the way out. I dont want NCSoft to TREAT it like its on the way out. Id have been just fine with this announcement if it HADNT included gifts to valued customers.

But it did include gifts, and those gifts are aimed at just about everyone else who plays CoX. And then I go back and look at my Auto Assault gifts, and my Tabula Rasa gifts, and I shudder.

In the end, I really dont want gifts from NCSoft on a game I love. It just doesnt bode well.

Im happy to be proven wrong.

[/ QUOTE ]

We'll be happy to prove you wrong. I'd like to reiterate the statement, found in a couple places in the announcements: "We are now in a position to make a major reinvestment in the City of Heroes product line.

We're aren't staffing up to sit around and do nothing

Everyone here is very excited with the prospects and plans for the future!

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Does this mean that since cryptic has an office in Texas and they will no longer be part of the project that the tax will no longer be applied to Texas Residents

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Similarly, does this also mean that maintenance windows will now be 8-10 PST rather than 8-10 CST? I would dare say that'll impact the player base a little more.

If so, standard maintenance windows become:
EST 11am-1pm
CST 10am-12noon
MST 9-11am
PST 8-10am

[/ QUOTE ]

Maintenance won't change as the game servers have always been set up and operated by NCsoft. None of that is changing.

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Not bad thinking . . . but let's take that further, then, and give bases a purpose besides for just storage and insta-TP-travel.

Like, maybe the original intent they were to have 2 years ago . . . ?

[/ QUOTE ]

Rome was not built in a day - but scripts to grant prestige, clear debt and flip authentication are not far behind that. Sure, while perhaps we could have pulled some dev time for something else as a "thank you" we do have Issue 11 beta in full swing and the team has the grindstone turning hard to polish that up and get it ready for launch.

To comment on the "Thank you" changes, the granting of CoH or CoV to those accounts who don't have it was done with the intent of giving players more people to play with.

Hopefully, those who are receiving it will be interested to see how the other side lives and be leveling up a new character. Hopefully that will translate to more people to group with. Hopefully that will lead to more character being interested (and able) to take advantage of the great feature that Supergroup bases are! Hopefully, by giving some renewed focus on bases, everyone can take advantage of the prestige grant and have fun with their base!

That was our thinking anyway. Your mileage may vary.

Guys, can we please cease with the UO discussion? Thanks!

Please use this thread to discuss the below article:


Stratics.com exclusive: NCsoft’s Brian Clayton talks to us about the City of Heroes IP acquisition and the new studio.

[ QUOTE ]
NCsoft NorCal truly is taking care of its subscribers. CoH/CoV’s free updates will continue and the team is listening to community’s demands for more updates regarding the quality of life. Mr. Clayton made it clear that they are considering the whole gamut of options available for future expansion of the franchise. He also emphasized that there are a lot of good things in the works from both the community and web perspectives, and that the players are going to have a lot of fun with the upcoming winter events.

[/ QUOTE ]

Click here to read the full article.

Stratics.com exclusive: NCsoft’s Brian Clayton talks to us about the City of Heroes IP acquisition and the new studio.

[ QUOTE ]
NCsoft NorCal truly is taking care of its subscribers. CoH/CoV’s free updates will continue and the team is listening to community’s demands for more updates regarding the quality of life. Mr. Clayton made it clear that they are considering the whole gamut of options available for future expansion of the franchise. He also emphasized that there are a lot of good things in the works from both the community and web perspectives, and that the players are going to have a lot of fun with the upcoming winter events.

[/ QUOTE ]

Click here to read the full article.


Join us here to discuss the above interview.

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Here's to hoping this announcement is DOUBLE good news for me. Staffing up GOOD!

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For those interested in gainful gaming employment, check out the NCsoft North America Jobs Listing. Positions for "Mountain View" would be in our newly formed NCsoft NorCal Studio.

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I want to take a moment to raise a glass to Jack Emmert and Rick Dakan, and others with names unknown who are no longer associated with the City, but who conceived of it and made it a reality.

You did great work, and laid a masterful foundation upon which we continue to build. Especially you, Jack. You will always be Marcus "Statesman" Cole to me.

Good job, and thank you.

[/ QUOTE ]

Amen! Thanks to everyone, from whatever company, who got us this far! We're certainly stoked to take it all to the next level!

[ QUOTE ]
Ok, here is a question on the full access rights (sorry if this had been asked before). Are the special powers for purchasing things such as GvE or the premier editions (things such as special costume options, That slide pwoer etc..)) going to be added into the accounts also?


[/ QUOTE ]

None of those goodies, no. Just access to the other side like you'd bought the base game.

If you want the GvE goodies, you can still upgrade your account with that stuff stand alone for I believe $9.99 via the PlayNC store. Well actually log into account management here and you can upgrade your account to include the GvE goodies (jump pack, prestige sprints, Pocket D VIP recall, etc.)

[ QUOTE ]
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I do however have to hope that NCsoft doesn't decide that they need to make major changes to CoH - its a good game *now* - it can be better yes; but I fear the possibility of "WoWitization".


[/ QUOTE ]

Since they bought the game and are keeping the Dev team of a successful game, I can't imagine why they'd want to put their noses into the development and make too many changes. If they're smart, they'll simply let the Dev team do what they do so well, only with more money, more people, and more support.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's pretty much what Robert Garriot (NCsoft North America CEO) reiterated to us on the team when he was here to talk with everyone on Friday.

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How do I get on CoH?

I have a paid CoV account, but whenever I use the CoH Updater, and choose a server, it just takes me into CoV..

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Once your account is set up, you will be able to create a hero character.

Keep in mind that the flagging process will take a bit. Currently estimated at just over 24 hours for active accounts.

Thanks for your patience!

[ QUOTE ]
Ex, any news of a Multi-Pass type plan for NCSoft games?

[/ QUOTE ]

From here:

[ QUOTE ]
At this time, we’re not quite ready to disclose longer term plans. We’ll have the usual slate of announcements when we’re ready to reveal our plans.

[/ QUOTE ]

You'll just have to hang tight.

Oh, in other news, we patched to the Training Room today with a new version of Issue 11 beta. Notes found here.

To clarify the announced thank you changes coming to the game, read more here:

[*]The Debt Wipe will be announced with enough lead time where you can have fun, rack up some debt and know it will be wiped out.
[*]The Prestige Grant will be following Issue 11 so the Supergroup cap will be 150. Also, when we run the Grant will be announced with plenty of time to allow you to recruit.
[*]The granting of access to CoV for those who only have CoH or vice versa, granting of CoH for those who only have CoV is happening as follows: Active accounts should be receiving that within a day or so. Inactive accounts should all receive that by within the weekend or so.[/list]

[ QUOTE ]
Hm. Anyone know if COH-only accts have COV access yet? The post said "check it now and see", and I checked... and I see nada. =/

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll have a more detailed post about the short term goodies in a few.

To clarify here:

* Active accounts who don't have CoH or CoV should be hooked up within 24 hours.

* The Prestige Grant and the Debt Wipe will be done after Issue 11 launches. We will announce the date well ahead of time so you can bulk up your SG roster and have fun gathering some debt

[ QUOTE ]
...

* NC Soft bigwigs may usurp more creative control than is healthy for the long-run of the game.


[/ QUOTE ]

Just to address this point, the creative control stays with the studio. Brian, my boss and the Executive Producer and Studio Manager, is still steering the ship with the same great crew (Positron and the other leads) along with the rest of our Production Staff all still here.

Hopefully that helps to address any concerns over creative control.

[ QUOTE ]

Can we get a Dev list of who's around and who stayed with Cryptic?

[/ QUOTE ]

Jack Emmert remains in his position as Creative Director of Cryptic Studios, that he has been doing back since he transitioned off the day-to day CoH team and Positron took over as the Lead Designer.

As was mentioned by Brian Clayton in his Dev Corner, the previous Cryptic Team Leads all join us, consisting of:

Matt “Positron” Miller (lead designer)
Aaron Brady (lead engineer)
Ken Morse (lead artist)

With one exception, everyone who was presented with an offer to stay on the City of Heroes team under the NCsoft banner has accepted and is looking forward to working hard on the future of the franchise! While this includes a good number of people, it also includes many of the familiar “red names” from the forums, such as: Melissa “War Witch” Bianco, Floyd “_Castle_” Grubb, Back Alley Brawler, Ghost Widow and “Sexy” Jay Doherty.

Please use this thread to discuss the below announcement:



A New Age Dawns!


NCsoft® Corp, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games, today announced the formation of a new development studio in Mountain View, California. The announcement comes as the company begins a renewed push to further develop the City of Heroes® property, which is now 100 percent owned by NCsoft. Previous to today, ownership of the intellectual property (IP) was split between NCsoft and Cryptic Studios, the original developer of the project.

Click here to read the full player announcement, including the coming special Thank You changes to the game for all customers!

Click here to read the Official Press Release!

Click here to read NCsoft® North America’s, executive producer and NorCal Studio general manager, Brian Clayton, discusses the acquisition of the intellectual property rights to City of Heroes® and City of Villains® and the formation of the new NCsoft NorCal Studio to support it.

A New Age Dawns!


NCsoft® Corp, the world’s leading developer and publisher of online computer games, today announced the formation of a new development studio in Mountain View, California. The announcement comes as the company begins a renewed push to further develop the City of Heroes® property, which is now 100 percent owned by NCsoft. Previous to today, ownership of the intellectual property (IP) was split between NCsoft and Cryptic Studios, the original developer of the project.

Click here to read the full player announcement, including the coming special Thank You changes to the game for all customers!

Click here to read the Official Press Release!

Click here to read NCsoft® North America’s, executive producer and NorCal Studio general manager, Brian Clayton, discusses the acquisition of the intellectual property rights to City of Heroes® and City of Villains® and the formation of the new NCsoft NorCal Studio to support it.


Click here to discuss this announcement!