The City Scoop! ~Front Page~ March 21, 2008
By
Ex_Libris,
Posted on: 2008-03-21 24:53 in Announcements
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Magnifique!Italian Food: Part IWell as I was reading the forums a few weeks back, I noticed the conversation about Lasagna. This got me to thinking about Italian food and the huge book I have of it and recipes I have made on my own. Italian food is really rich in taste due to the cheeses and meats they use, but when the meats and cheeses are put together the taste gets even richer and so delicious! So.. If you love Italian food, you have made your stop. Let's get started shall we? Note: All 'Italian Food' isn't just pasta.
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That's it for this week folks! Next week I will be bringing you Italian food Part II. That is where you will notice not all Italian food is just pasta. Thanks for reading! ~Mistress Noire
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Sunday Night FightsSunday, March 16th 2008 dUmb vs. Integrity The battle for Infinity's best raged on again on Sunday, March 16th 2008. dUmb is coming off a defeat to Whirligig while Integrity has recently lost to Old School. At stake is the 3rd rank in the Hero Test Ladder, currently held by Integrity. We would like to take a moment to wish the best to all members of Justice for All League (JAL), who recently removed themselves from the Hero Test Ladder after a stellar stay, including holding top spot for a period of time. Their presence will be missed. ArcticShu volunteered a few words about dUmb prior to the match: "dUmb is Infinity based. Every single person in our SG has the majority of their characters on Infinity. The PvP SG dUmb was based on the League of Extraordinary Stupidmen's motto "We put the 'U' in dUmb!" We were very close to some members of the Anointed Brotherhood (ABH), and some of their members joined us when ABH retired. We also have members from the 13th Sign and the Inner Group on our Test roster giving us some of the best PvPers on Infinity (in our opinion). "We've been on the ladder roughly six months now and are having a blast!" Excentric, Integrity's leader (also known as Proj) had a few words about Integrity: "We have worked extremely hard to get where we are now. I'd like to give a huge shoutout to everyone in Integrity for sticking with me, we've earned this spot regardless of any SG's dropping from the ladder. Our match against dUmb is going to bring us back home though, being the only SGs based on Infinity. They have us beat 1-0, but I firmly believe we'll even the score this Sunday." This match promises to be interesting from your scribe's point of view, as I will be playing a support role on Empathy for a portion of the play.
| Match 1 opened in the Atlas Park map. We loaded in south of Ms. Liberty's location and quickly buffed up, throwing RAs and single-target buffs while dUmb did the same at their end of the map. The action was furious off the start as everyone started dodging and weaving around Atlas's statue. Atlas Park makes it particularly difficult to evade because of the open spaces. dUmb's debuffs and spikes were very hard, forcing me to use many Sturdies and an occasional Healing Aura to counter them. Meanwhile, dUmb's Blasters kept on the pressure, backed by Sonic and Radiation debuffs to make Integrity do split-second decisions in targeting and buffing. Our Blasters were caged for a fair portion of the match, with Yosef lamenting the fact more than once on our Ventrilo server. Integrity spiked dUmb's support while occasionally throwing a debuff on their Blasters. It was all yours truly could do to keep buffs on my fellow Empathy Defender and the rest of the team. Integrity won Match 1 11-2 , with their kills coming from Excentric.P (6) Yosef-Vanya (3) Moar Pew Pew (2) vs. dUmb SMRT Welldone (1) and Target Hibernoobed (1) Match 2 gave us the Breakout map, offering a lot of chances for quick buffs and debuffs to both teams. Again in this match, Integrity's Blasters were caged as Excentric.P spent an early part of the game in a cage while dUmb accumulated quick kills on AfllicShiN and Star Stryker, Integrity's Kin and Emp respectively. As the match progressed, both teams congregated toward the center of the area while dUmb enjoyed an early lead. Integrity's spikes were slower in this match, and as the last minute counted down Integrity's support was caged while dUmb evaded masterfully. Integrity lost one of its members halfway through the match, making their potential to score kills even smaller. dUmb won Match 2 4-2 with their kills scored by Fridgerator (2) and Azhriaz (2) while Excentric.P (1) and Yosef Vanya (1) responded for Integrity. Match 3 occurred in the Siege map. Integrity fielded a Run & Gun team while dUmb switched to a Storm to disrupt and impede range and targeting. Storm teams can be quite a nuisance as the reduced range from multiple Hurricanes can make buffing and blasting near impossible. Integrity got a series of quick kills by Phenomenal and Yosef-Vanya early on, while dUmb stuck very close to the left side of the map, dropping Freezing Rain and Lightning Storm, both mingling with Decoys to make targeting a painstaking procedure. Falcon Punch, one of Integrity's Sonic Defenders, spent most of the latter part of the match glued to the ground through an Arena-bought Webnade. Still, Integrity hung on for the win against dUmb's Storm team, with a 9-2 win. Integrity's kills came from Yosef-Vanya (5), Phenomenal (3) and Excentric.P (1) to dUmb's Fire Assailant (1) and Burning Majestic1 (1). Integrity retains the 3rd rank on the Test Hero Ladder. Good game dUmb |
Playing Support in PvP ZonesSo you've heard things about the almost esoteric PvP in the City of Heroes, and it caught your interest- only to find out from some hawker that you can't PvP because your build isn't "Leet", or because you've chosen the wrong Archetype. The more supportive people tell you "Perhaps you should find a team". Well, while the team comment is actually a good idea, in the zones, the rest of it can be a lot of bunk. I've seen well played Corruptors and Defenders take even the most tweaked out Spines/Regan to school. How, you ask? Tactics. Surviving with solo support in a PvP zone is all about two things: Movement, and Line of Sight. If you can stay out of melee range, do it. Don't fall into Scrapperlock with your TA/A Defender. Use the tools provided for you: Enemy mobs, blocking terrain, and allied mobs where applicable. Strafe through alleyways, laying down a well placed Tar Patch, Ice Slick, or Caltrops where your opponent isn't likely to notice until after he rounds the corner. Breeze by mutual enemies with Steamy Mist or Shadow Fall while your opponent catches their aggro. Be mindful of enemy lockdown, and break line of sight wherever possible by ducking into tunnels, behind buildings, under the foliage of a well-placed forest. Attack on YOUR terms. Keep your enemies unsure of when or where you'll strike next. Even the much-berated Fly can be useful to you for staying out of melee range while still being able to lay down your debuffs and blasts. Just watch yourself, because there's a lot of -Fly out there, and a flying person is rather easy to spot from far off. What did you build for? Try to swing fights towards the types of situation you're good at. The holes in your build are covered by the PVP "Fog of War", and the only thing your opponents see is what you show them. Show them your best. An important thing to remember is that support characters catch a lot of "player aggro". Defenders and Corruptors are usually the first ones singled out if you're with a team. You can use this to your advantage, as well. Set yourself up as bait, and lead the enemy on a wild goose chase while your allies win the hotspot, get their scientist, or down a firebase. Lead your foes back into your awaiting team once they're ready. You can score a lot of great wins this way. One thing I will advise in preparation is that you bring a few breakfrees with you. There's a lot of mez used in the zones, and while you don't have to pop out of it every time, if it's the difference between a win or a loss - do it.
| The Uproar Caused By Issue TwelveI12 is finally almost here fellow villains and heroes! I don't know about you, but this reporter is definitely excited about this Issue. Not only will there be some new powerset combining going on, but there will also be some new zones! If that isn't enough, new villain epic archetypes are now going to show their ghostly faces. With such a huge expansion to gameplay it is causing quite an uproar in the community. This reporter decided to take some questions to the streets to see what normal players like you and me have to say about this upcoming change. My first interviewee was a lovely lady named Kat in the Hat. Kat was a 36 month vet and spends time on the Liberty Server. Q: "Hello Kat, are you excited about the up and coming I12?" A: "Hey WG! Yes I am. It sounds like it is going to be very interesting and fun." Q: "What is your favorite part of the issue?" A: "I think the new storyline along with the new zones will be a nice addition to the game." Q: "I'm guessing that since you didn't say Villain epics that you don't have a lvl 50 villain?" A: "Actually I do have a villain, but it will be a long time before it hits lvl 50. I'm hoping that these new villain epics will speed up my progress a bit lol." Q: "Lol what would you like to see in coming issues?" A: "Well for one thing I'd like to see is to fix the SG coloring system so we can add more color." I agreed and we said goodbye to each other. I continued on my way, ready to risk it all villain-side. That's right this reporter was willing to risk it all just to get the scoop for you fellow readers. Even if it meant... going to Mercy Island. My journey to Mercy was absolutely horrible. The city itself reeked of sewage and blood from gang wars on the streets. This hero was scared, but I knew that I needed to do my mission and find out what the villains think about this new Issue. While I was cowering in the corner (with granite on, I might add), I happened to run into a pretty wretched looking villain named Kandirma, a level 50 brute who was terrorizing all the lower level convicts. Q: "Hello ummmm sir? Umm what do you think of the new Issue coming out?" A: "Ha hello pipsqueak. I'm always excited about a new Issue. The Dev's put a lot of work into them, I guess." Q: "I'm pretty sure your right on that one..What's your favorite thing in the issue?" A: "Probably the co-op zone, or the villain epics, though everything certainly sounds decent." Q: "You mentioned the new epics, what are your exact thoughts on those?" A: "At first I hated the idea, I mean COME ON, I was going to be a person that I can easily kill with my eyes closed? But after I cooled down I went out to Grandville and killed a couple Arachnos and found that they are quite strong and the idea slowly grew on me. Plus, it's like 2 new archetypes but with 4 new build possibilities." Q: "Lastly, what would you like to see in upcoming issues?" A: "More villain content for sure! I'm tired of all the crap that all those Do-Gooders are getting. I mean think about it, they already have more zones then us and now they're getting a new one we can't access? I mean common, we may be bad but we like nice things as well." This last comment caused Kandirma to go into a spiraling depression, and as he knelt on the ground crying I noticed a softer side of the villain. This reporter is happy to say that most the people, both heroes and villains are excited for this new change. I personally want to close this report by saying thanks to the Devs and to keep up the great work! -W.G. |
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Bonding ExperiencesBrother Frost and | Well Sister, I know you are a young lady. Do you have much trouble playing with older players in the game?
SF: No. My dad is usually playing with me so I have him to help. He tells me when to use Rain of Fire or to run. Sometimes I get on a team by myself, but no one minds me. I follow the red star, wait until someone attacks and beat the most dangerous bad guy in front of me. What type of characters do the both of you like to play? BF: I'll play anything at least once. I tend to use melee types and scrappers are what I am into know. When Flame and I start new toons, I let her pick first and I'll pick an AT that complements hers.... SF: I like blasters because you can shoot at things. I also like the aliens because they can fly right away. I don't like the punchers because you have to get close and they don't seem like much fun. Right now, I like to play fire blasters.
Which side of the game do you like to play on and why? BF: I tend to like CoV more because I find the story arcs really interesting and the powers are fun. I just started playing a dominator and was surprised at how uniquely they played. SF: I like both the same amount, but I really love robbing banks on City of Villains! It is so fun to beat up the hero and to try to get away. What other things do you two like to do together? SF: Play games. I like to play boardgames, card games and video games. If I could, I'd play games every night with my dad. I also like to read and draw with my dad. BF: She is a gaming monster. We do a lot of things together and it would be easier to name things we don't do together. *smile* Has the game helped either of you two in real life? BF: I don't think it has helped me so much. You could argue it strengthened the father/daughter bond, but it was pretty strong to begin with. If I had to pick something, I'd say that the game has helped me craft some interesting short stories. I write as a hobby. SF: The game has helped me practice my reading. I only started in school to read this year, but the game helped me learn a lot of words like "Atlas" and "Skulls". The game also helped me with numbers and something my teacher calls "strategy". I know that I am a much better reader than my friends thanks to the game. Well here's to many happy hours spent together playing the game! BF: And here's to many more to come! SF: I just wanna say hi to War Witch! She's my favorite!
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 Blaster (Aquarius) Cycle of Unique Creativity Transiting Neptune Conjunct your Natal Uranus Sudden flashes of inspiration and intuition will enable you to see everyone and everything around you in a new light, and come to the original and practical solutions to problems which have, till now, constantly plagued you and seemed insurmountable. Goals and ambitions will also seem much clearer. During this time you may discover some latent psychic power, or become more involved in religious or spiritual teachings.  Brute (Virgo) Transiting Mercury Square your Pluto Taking life more seriously, thoughts will be directed inwards. However, someone may burden you with a secret, or you may find that you are prying into affairs, which do not really concern you. Powerful emotions may reawaken painful past memories, but use this opportunity to learn from past experiences. Problems may arise concerning joint finances. Also, take special care when you travel.  Controller (Pisces) Transiting Venus Conjunct your Natal Sun This is a lovely period when you will be feeling very loving, affectionate and looking for fun. Do not be surprised if small gifts or presents come your way. Health will be good, as long as you are not too self-indulgent. The magnetism of Venus attracts love and this could be a happy, fun-loving and sociable few days.  Corrupter (Libra) Transiting Sun Opposite your Natal Mercury Although compromise may be almost impossible today, try not to lose your temper and remain open-minded. If possible, postpone important negotiations and meetings until the 23rd when communication skills improve dramatically.  Defender (Aries) Transiting Mercury Square your Natal Saturn As you may have trouble in getting your message across for the next few days, much of what you do and say may be misunderstood. Your reaction may instinctively be one of frustration and anger, but ask yourself have you become too set in your ways? Are you truly considering the thoughts and feelings of others? At work, you may be burdened with additional responsibilities.  Dominator (Scorpio) Transiting Mars Trine your Natal Venus Full of energy and raring to go, nothing will be able to stop you during this week. Around the 25th though, thoughts will shift inwards in a serious manner. Secrets may be revealed to you that you really don't need to know. Also, during this time, your pride will be easily bruised. Resist the desire to control friends. |  Mastermind (Sagittarius) Transiting Saturn Sextile Natal Venus Being more willing to consider your partner's point of view and feelings, a practical, no-nonsense attitude to love and romance will ensure that any personal differences between you should now be satisfactorily resolved. This is a time when the head will rule the heart and not the other way around as is usually the case.  Peacebringer (Taurus) Transiting Venus Sextile your Natal Sun Feeling confident, optimistic and outgoing, this should be an excellent time for being with friends and loved ones. Business negotiations should go well as should meetings or job interviews on a one-to-one basis. A good impression will be made.  Scrapper (Gemini) Transiting Mercury Square your Natal Sun During these next few days you should be busier than usual. Nevertheless in your haste to accomplish as much as you can, you may inadvertently tread on a few wrong toes and alienate colleagues, friends or family. If you have a point to make, state it and then allow others to make their own decisions.  Stalker (Capricorn) Transiting Mercury Sextile your Natal Sun During the next few busy days, your active and curious mind will ensure that you do not miss a trick, nothing will escape your attention. Unexpected good news may literally fall into your life, seemingly from nowhere. Also, confidence and optimism should be very high this week.  Tanker (Cancer) Transiting Mercury Trine your Natal Sun Your thought processes should be much more clear and concise over the next few days. Knowing what you want, this would therefore be an excellent time to plan for the future. Discussions and communications via phone calls and letters could take up much of your time especially if they involve business and career matters.  Warshade (Leo) Transiting Sun Trine your Natal Jupiter A lucky, pleasant day awaits you. Just sit back and enjoy all of life's pleasures. Be willing to take a few calculated risks as the results should prove quite lucrative. As travel may be linked to work, you might find yourself mixing business with pleasure.
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Date: March 21st. Time: 8pm EST/7pm CST. Location: Atlas Park City Hall. Server: Infinity. That's right gang, it's time for Paragon City Search and Rescue's 3rd Annual Easter Egg Hunt! We'll also be having a Bunny themed costume contest starting at 9:30 EST/8:30 CST. Testers Wanted: For a new and exciting video game. Contact Black Scorpion for qualifications. Standard fees apply. I can has Cheezburger? - Catgrrrl. Lost: One Apex. If found, please return to the Ghost of War Witch. Need to sell something? Post it in The City Scoop Classifieds. Send PM to LadyK. | Lost: Hub of the Wheel of Destruction. If found, please contact Azuria. P.S. Please do not use to construct deadly wheel of Destruction. Thanks. -Azuria Help Wanted: Writers for The City Scoop. Please contact Marcian_Tobay our staff recruiter, or one of our Editors in Chief (Pants_Stealer or Snow_Globe) for submission details. Roses for sale: $12,000.00 per dozen. Contact Mikey the Ear in Port Oaks for delivery. Do you have an event coming up? Are you going to attend an upcoming event? Do you want to see or even write an article for The City Scoop? Drop a line to LadyK a week in advance, and you too could be a guest writer for The City Scoop. All you can eat taco night at El Super Mexicano. Tuesday at the Atlas Park store. | |||
Love LeatherHexGirl
Primitive man used to skin the animals they hunted and used the hides for tents, clothing and footwear. Ancient Egyptians used leather for sandals, clothing, gloves, buckets, bottles and shrouds for burying the dead, as well as for military equipment. Romans used leather large scale for footwear, clothing, military equipment including shields, saddles and harnesses. To this day, it is still a heavily used material.
Cowboys wore leather chaps to protect their legs from getting thrashed while riding, and bikers today do the same, but also wear leather to protect against the wind, rain, bug splatters and even the pavement. Bikers have taken leather and turned it into their own style, some with a clean look, others much more intimidating. Its durability, along with the protection it offers and the ability to treat it to be water resistant makes it a great material for todays hero or villain on the go.
With the right treatment, it can be dyed any color you desire. It can be soft and pliable to use for gloves, or hardened to use as armor. No matter what piece of clothing you want, you can probably find it available in leather. So the next time you are looking for a new outfit to wear while you are out saving the town, or causing mayhem, think about a little leather. From a pair of boots or a belt to a whole outfit, remember to add some color and mix and match your pieces for a unique look! | From the Editor:Snow_GlobeHi folks! I know the Scoop has been getting a bit lean as of late, and I am glad to announce that we are getting a lot more people interested in helping out! Mr. Grey and Sooner have joined our fan fiction section last week. This week we also have Acanous Quietus, Hostile V, and White Gravel joining the Scoop, while StormyOne has joined our group as an art correspondent. However we are not the only ones getting new people! Two new Rednames have joined the forums: Blue Steel and Mynx. We look forward to hearing more from these new Rednames. For those interested, there is currently a contest (no prizes) to design Blue Steel an avatar for the forums. He will decide on a new avatar on March 31st. This week also brought about some details of the Hollows revamp. Among the changes are that new groups are going to be present in the hollows: Skulls, Hellions, Lost, Coralax, Devouring Earth "Bees", Legacy Chain, Hydra, Tsoo, Vahzilok, and Longbow. Not all these groups are there for players to fight, as a few are going to help out a bit against the forces of evil. There will be a path between contacts, the contacts other than Meg Mason will only give missions in their "area". Speaking of Meg, she will give repeatable missions throughout the zone. She will be located at the Supergroup Teleport exit point. If you are looking for a discussion thread about this hollows revamp, you can find it in this thread.
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Edition 40 of "The City Scoop a publication for Supers by Supers!
The City Scoop continues to roll out the win with their 40th edition of this player operated publication. There is something for everyone in this weeks Scoop!
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 PMSnow_Globe or Pants_Stealer
If you or someone you know should be considered for Behind the Mask Teldon or Encounters please contact MrsAlphaOne
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
Discussion on the latest edition of "The City Scoop" is located here.
The City Scoop
The Whitmoore Apartments Roleplaying Thread
By Mithril_Zeta
In the 'For Fun!' section of the Official Forums are the Roleplaying Threads. This is where storytellers go to tell the stories of their villains and heroes. The roleplaying threads are a little on the fickle side. Many threads don't make it past three pages. Some will start out hot and fast, get many pages very quickly, and then the writers get overwhelmed and drop it. Others move steadily along, telling deep stories over months or years. The Whitmoore Apartments thread is one these steady, long term threads. It started on June 18, 2004 and hit 10,000 posts on December 4, 2007, and is still going strong. The Whitmoore moves along slowly at a working person's speed; the average day sees the various writers post once a day per character.
The Whitmoore Apartments were first introduced in Reason, a short story by Slipshod (Matthew Miller) submitted on June 3, 2004. It was so popular that he decided to start the Whitmoore Apartments thread on June 18, 2004. People started posting immediately. Since then, the thread has had over 80 contributors, over 10,000 posts, five spin offs (Paragon University, The Two Six, the Blakmoore Safehouse, Tales of the Council, and the Cult of Mu), and hours of enjoyment.
The Whitmoore thread follows the stories of the residents of cheap housing for superheroes. The apartment building is located in Steel Canyon. If you were to get off the Yellow Line in Steel Canyon's southeast corner, and your home sweet home can be found northwest from the exit archway. Slipshod suggests to go stand on the roof at /loc -4205.9 228.1 1613.2, and you can get from the roof corner to top of the tram with one good superjump bound. Or you could try the front doors at /loc -4146.5 -100 1600.0 just 248 yards north-northwest of Yellow Line in Bronze Way.
Over the years, the Whitmoore Residents have dealt with death and rebirth, love and loss, power and weakness, failure and redemption. Their first major story arc was against a Hellion assassin, and the second followed a former Lost scorcher to redemption. Over the years, however, the most resilient of their foes have been the Fifth Column and their successors the Council and the Rogue Columns.
While the first generation of writers for the Whitmoore - Slipshod, 0_Celsius, Geariven, Prodiguy - started a great saga, some of the second generation - Dark Harrier, Sol-Ar, Averick, Murat, American Valor, and Pseudodonn7 are still actively writing, and Steele Magnolia is still actively following the stories.
In addition to the stories, Seikon has produced a few pieces of digital artwork for the Whitmoore, in particular a picture of Dark Harrier, and Mithril Zeta is constantly updating the Whitmoore resource website. Mithril Zeta is also working at creating novellas of the Whitmoore Apartment sagas. The first one, called The Whitmoore, is just about done and should be available for download within the month.
There is a certain amount of pride involved in the storylines, and sometimes feelings and egos get bruised, but that is true in most creative endeavors. The Whitmoore community welcomes any creative writer who would enjoy interacting, writing stories, and developing their characters with other creative folks. The best way to enter the community is to read at least the last twenty pages, introduce yourself, and start posting. If you have questions about joining, pm Mithril Zeta, who is the unofficial 'keeper of knowledge' and who would be happy to answer them.
Vol. 1, Issue 40
March 21th, 2008
This Issue:
Food & Recipes:
Magnifique!
The Arena:
Sunday Night Fights
Playing Support in PvP Zones
The Uproar Caused By Issue Twelve
Behind the Mask:
Brother Frost and
Sister Flame
Horoscopes
Costume Contest
Classifieds
Love Leather
From the Editor
Scoop Staff
Nova Fire Juggertha
Citenik whiteperegrine