Z3NZEN

So THAT'S what the '33' on the back of a Rolling Rock bottle stands for!


Let's keep '33' alive until we save CoH or the lights go out. Thank you all!

Used serial code --

35AC-43JV-D8DL-LKVG-FTP7

Wow, they are definitely still available. I randomly picked this from the 3rd post of codes (buried down the page are a w). First code I tried.

To everyone who ever sent a tell saying "Nice costume", or "Great bio", to everyone who ever dropped a level 50 SO on a level 2 character for starter funds, to everyone who dropped a heal or a buff on a newbie struggling with Hellions (or a not-so-newbie up to their eyeballs in Rikti), and yes, for every unasked-for drive-by Mystic Fortune, I say THANK YOU. For everyone who ever politely answered a question that you had heard 500 times before, THANK YOU.

As you can see from my post count, I'm not exactly active on these here forums. Though I probably haven't gone more than three days without diving in and reading what drove people to praise or disgust, often passionately stated, and passionately disagreed with. And funny thing, that passion for the game - for what helped it or hurt it - is what made me choose City of Heroes as my first MMO.

I heard about CoH when it was released. It interested me, but no way was I going to pay for a box and then a subscription too! City of Villains came out, and that was even more interesting, but, again, I pay for a game, then I have to pay more?! That's crazy talk! So I again said 'thanks, but no thanks'. Then a couple years later I read about this new Mission Architect, so, well now, that was very interesting. And it's on City of Heroes? I liked that idea, and yes, I liked liking the idea of CoH, too. Hmmmm, but I had friends who played MMOs, and despite the fun they had I also heard about the crud infesting MMOS - unwelcoming to noobs, vicious forums, the right builds or players ignored... I did NOT want to put myself through that sort of garbage to get to the point where people would actually play the game with me. Ughh....

So, I decided to go to the forums, and see what the community was like.

And my, what a time I picked to jump on in. The 5th Anniversary month was about to drop, and the forums were alight with the *pancake*storm (see what I did there? I really do read the forums) about the newish Mission Architect "problems". Words were being said; Positions were being staked. And everything I read here actually made me want to try the game.

Yes, I read intemperate outbursts and ad hominem attacks. Straw men lined up and burnt down. And I also read the why of it all. The community was so very much in uproar because the members were passionate about the game. These weren't attacks about the influx of 'those newbies', but rather strong statements that those new players were learning the game in ways that would hurt them as players, and that would not convince them that this was a game to stay with for the long haul. That they would be sent off into a fun super-leveling fest, and when they quickly bored of it they would go, without ever trying the stories, experiencing the missions and the zones, and having the fun of learning all the ins and outs of how their powers and how their characters worked.

Of course, YMMV, and maybe I'm the only one who came away from that time with this impression, but that is what I saw on these forums, and hey, I decided, how could you not want to know how this game worked with a community like this driving it? After all, right next to the threads bursting with napalm and vinegar there were helpful and welcoming threads answering the questions posted by new members, often answered civilly and helpfully by the same people up to their elbows in passionate argument right next door. So, let's give it a try...

I rolled up a character (very slowly, because that Character Creator is so... wondrous), I did Outbreak (and for the record, I really missed Outbreak when it was canned, though I REALLY missed Breakout), went to Atlas, tried my first missions (Azuria, I think). Took me until I had leveled up two more times before I found where in the heck Ms. Liberty was standing (She was swamped by people leveling up - it was a weekend and the AE surge was fully upon the game - and I didn't see her as an NPC in that crowd. Yeah I know, but IRL I need glasses, too). I did Kings Row; I ran the Hollows, then Steel, and so on.... I LOVED this game. I paid for my subscription before the Trial ended.

And strangely, after it was the Mission Architect that spurred me to explore, I rarely went into there. I did the Dev Choice arcs, and award winners, but no, I quickly learned that this game was just the perfect canvas for me to create my own characters.

I caught a terminal case of alt-itis really fast. I refused the interventions. I snuck sips of it from my desk drawer. I just loved that this game let you make any character you could ever want, from any genre, and with any powers, and still have fun, and have a community that was just as in love with letting any idea bloom. I loved PUGs. I loved being able to see what other people created. I loved bios. I loved seeing characters breathing with life. I loved costume contests, whether win or lose, just so I could feel my jaw drop at how amazingly creative other players can be.

I've been at this for 3 years, and have rarely not spent a day without logging in. I maxed my slots on Virtue, and when they made more available they sure weren't available for long. My first character (a grav/force field controller, and yes, that IS an "interesting" choice for a new player) still hasn't made level 50, because I can't stop trying out new characters/stories (though she's real close. I and my wife are now dutifully leveling up our mains, and I'm at level 49.4 so far)

I had (and still have) kids, and they take a lot of my time. A lot of AFK whenever I'm on, so I never tried to experience deep RP sessions, or commit to task forces. I just couldn't in good conscience start something and then have to disappear or walk away. But I looked forward to having the time to do so. I still stayed true to how my characters would act and react, even if it was a solo mission.

Dang it - there are too many things not done! I always intended to use the MA and create stories about Captain Futura and the Tomorrow Squadron (I was immensely pleased to see that supergroup name wasn't taken). I always intended to create an account at Virtueverse and write that bio which was more like a short story for Donnie Brook, and how she grew up on Mercy Island. And all the other stories about all of my other characters. This game breathed creativity, in practically every character I saw - even the joke characters (sometimes especially them), and I had my fair share of them too.

Well, this is rambling far more than I intended, and there's so much I would like to say (in an entertaining way - unlike what I've done so far ^_^). I will be here until the lights go out - I have to get that level 50, I have to experience Night Ward, I have to park my characters, not just leave them at their last mission doors. Since Virtueverse is intending to go on, I will get logged in there and "migrating" my characters onto it. I will make those bios, and the little tales that made them living people. I may go to CO, or DCUO, and hope I can continue their stories, at least for a few of them, though I only have experience here, and a Guild Wars account that I barely touched. I guess I 'll head where I can find the most CoH players, because I don't want to miss the creativity, the helpfulness, the joy of seeing great people infuse characters with life, and do it all without the begrudging anyone of their knowledge.

THANK YOU Virtue. I never said it here, because I don't say much, but your example brought me here, and I tried to be just as helpful and encouraging as the folks who welcomed me over the years, too. My characters thank you, because without you, I would never have found a place where they could live.

sincerely,

Sanctitas
Captain Futura
Rip Roaring
The Edison Automated Man
Servant of Lamashtu
The Galvanic Pugilist
Mojo Dojo
Star Princess M
Donnie Brook
La Demoiselle
Chef Death
Sister Patience
The Dragon Lady
The Terracotta Warrior
Prickly Pear
and family...

OMG!

*faints*

*wakes up

OMG!

*faints*

Thank you! This is nomnomnom-awesome! You win (as does everyone perma-clamouring for this)

Thanks for restarting his thread.

Additional stuff about the Victorian chest detail: if you start a new alt using the Victorian Costume Set there is no clipping on the corset.

Now, how about the "Here Today/ Gone Later Today?"

Female

* Added choker without cameo

Originally I was going to post a note about not finding that choker, but while double checking the path (using the premade Victorian Steampunk Costume Set - it's in Head/Details2) it was there! Suddenly! Okaaay... SO I decide to remodel one of my characters with it - and it's gone.

Now that's interesting. I fiddle about in the costume creator -

If I start with the female Victorian Steampunk Costume Set, I have access to the Choker without cameo (Victorian Steampunk 02) as well as the original (Victorian Steampunk 01). But I can't get the new Choker without the cameo if I am using one of my 'custom' costumes. And who doesn't use all-custom costumes?.

I checked the other Costume sets - some have access to both chokers, and some have access to only one. And Classic Steampunk Costume set only has access to the original choker(!). Was the new choker without the cameo given a different 'status' than the original choker, so it's deemed incompatible with certain costume pieces?

That whole mess has me wondering about my next item -

From the patch notes:

Female

* Added extra hats

"Extra hats"? It looks like all the usual hats (including the one female Steampunk item) but I could be confusioning myself with this one. Has anyone seen any additional female (apparently Steampunk) hats?

I and my wife play together, though not all the time. Like you, sometimes those characters that are great solo don't always mesh well when we team them. But one pairing that has been a lot of fun for us both is her Broad Sword/Shield Scrapper with my Empathy/Dark Defender. I debuff the dickens out of the baddies and punch up her blue or green bars when she needs it, and she gets to wail on sacks of XP ^_^

As always, YMMV. It's really going to depend on how and what you like to play, too, not just how the sets compliment each other.

I've 'only' been here for a bit under 2 years, and have a bad case of alt-itis, too. Usually, I can almost get that name I want, but it needs a tweak or five to pass the "Name Available" review, but this month - yes, February 2011 - I scored 2 that really surprised me. Both on Virtue --

Hammurabi
Catgirl 2.0 (what? no robotic cat girls had this yet?)

Yesterday, in honor of the Animal Pack, also on Virtue, I got another surprise:

The Fowl Fiend

In my short history in CoH I've picked up 'The Girl from Ipanema', 'Judge Dee' (for you chinese-detective-book fans) and 'Chef Death'.

So, two thumbs up, as far as I can see. There are still "Good Names" out there.

Well, sent in the petition yesterday around dinner time about the stuff lost in email, and had a "we found it" reply received back to me after lunch today. Everything is there, despite my vague recollections of what was missing and when.

Happy about the way this was (not) explained by the Dev side? No. Happy about how Customer Support made it right quickly? Yes.

I logged in tonight and have the same thing happen to me! I had 9 emails: 1 had cash money influence, the remainders were recipes or enhancements, and all mailed to myself. All but the influence email are gone. In addition, the enhancements I had sitting in my enhancement tray also disappeared. Salvage is ok, however.

And no resolution or scaling adjustment by me, Daemodand. I think (hope?) it's server/system strangeness.

Okay, while I was reading the forums in between doing work today (honest boss, only when I just had nothing at all to do) I saw this thread:

http://boards.cityofheroes.com//show...=220722&page=2

It's a little older, and has other folks with wireless/graphics issues. One of the forumites disconnected their USB peripherals and it seemed to mostly cure their mapserving. When I got home today, I gave it a try, too. It's the only thing I did, and it's premature to say "Voila!" and giggle maniacally, but I haven't mapserved, lost a connection, or generally frozed up in near 2 hours of playtime. So, besides sound drivers, there are probably other drivers - or combinations of drivers - which cause wirelessly networked players to experience the wonder that is constant mapserving. I highly suggest trying this too.

But of course, if you don't have stuff plugged in or it doesn't work, then sound turned off is probably the next practical/easy step.

Thanks for the help, Earthwyrm

I'm also having this problem.

I have 2 PCs using my cable modem. One is wired through ethernet to the router (and hence to the modem), and that machine is generally fine - rarely any connection issues. The other PC is wireless, connecting to the router through it's 802.11g. This PC is mapserving/lost connection-ing and freezing regularly, often while zoning , but also randomly in missions (beginning/middle/end - doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason). Nothing changed in my setup except the addition of i17.

Saturday or Sunday evenings only -- after 7pm Eastern. I might be able to make Saturday afternoon, but the likelihood of that occurring is zero to none.



My weekend days are claimed by work or family

<<Time warps have a funny way of acting after all. :P>>

True. Since time warps are very unpredictible, there should be allowance for people being from different steampunk worlds, as closely (or as distantly) related as the game's Paragon Earth and Praetorian Earth. That avoids any difficult-to-explain-away origin or back story contradictions between characters. Folks can arrive via the dirigible adventure, others from Tir's story, and others from their own epic and peril-filled journey. They do gravitate to Paragon due to the presence of a (relatively) large number of steampunk refugees. Only after arrival do they discover that their world may not be everyone elses.

And whereever and whenever their origin, all refugees know that any Victorian world is better than this technologically advanced, half-barbarian Paragon in which they are marooned.

Curses! I cannot make the start time. But I will run Tir_McDohl's updated arc afresh so my char has experienced the same perils as the others in the party.

Hi!
...errmm, this is the first post I've ever done in the forums ... uhh ... I'll try to sound 'competent' here...

Hi! This thread has intrigued me. The idea of a Steampunk SG has greatly intrigued me. I've done the Twisted Victorian thing before in paper-n-pencil rp, but never expected to run across it in Paragon. I've run Tir's arc in MA on a sort of test basis, and even rolled up a steampunk toon -- The Edison Patented Automated Man (and I hope no one has thought of a mechanical man butler/bodyguard/gentleman's gentleman yet.) I'd like to join the festivities on Saturday, if it works out as an evening thing (RL has a habit of making me work on weekend days).

So... Hi there!
^_^