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City of Heroes Freedom™will be launching later this year and will be the new name for City of Heroes®. City of Heroes Freedom redefines City of Heroes based on the cornerstones of content, rewards, and choice. With City of Heroes Freedom, you will get the freedom to play and pay as you choose. Join the future of City of Heroes in City of Heroes Freedom. Freedom is the future!
Content
In City of Heroes Freedom, dive into new stories and features right away and enjoy more of them in the future. Freedom kicks off with a new free update, Issue 21: Convergence, and increases the pace of quality, high-energy content with regular new Issues, monthly signature story arcs, new weekly in-game store items, and high-level Incarnate Trials. Issue 21 packs in the First Ward co-op zone, gripped in mystical conflict, as well as the Time Manipulation Power Set, the IDF and Defense Costume Sets, and the Underground Incarnate Trial. Signature story arcs, free with VIP players' subscriptions, let you fight alongside iconic Heroes and Villains in story arcs that make a difference in the City of Heroes universe.
Rewards
Current City of Heroes subscribers will continue as a VIP players in City of Heroes Freedom, gaining more features, services, and rewards in addition to what they have already received. Some rewards begin today, as all current City of Heroes subscribers will accrue 400 Paragon Points per month starting on their first billing cycle after July 1, 2011 . At the launch of City of Heroes Freedom, you will be able to use Paragon Points to purchase new costumes, Power Sets, and hundreds of new items from the in-game Paragon Market. The new Paragon Rewards program also rewards all levels of loyal players with new bonus content that you select, including exclusive rewards for VIP players.
Choice
Pay for the content and features that you want. Choose to play for free, or become a VIP player and command VIP service. With City of Heroes Freedom, you don't have to buy the game or pay a monthly fee to play. You can download the game and play for free for as long as you wish. If you upgrade to VIP player status, you will unlock a bounty of content and benefits. You can also buy a variety of content and services from a new in-game store.
We will be giving you more information on the above features over the next few monthsbut in the meantime, an overview of Issue 21: Convergence, as well as a City of Heroes Freedom fact page and a statement by Brian clayton, Executive Producer and General Manager at Paragon Studios and are available for you to peruse!
City of Heroes® Freedom FAQ
Q: Why is City of Heroes® moving to a hybrid model?
A: Simply stated, it's the right time. We've been planning this transition to Freedom for well over a year now. We believe this opportunity is the best way for us to provide more value to our devoted player base than ever before, as well as grow our leadership position in the super-powered hero online gaming space. Over the past few years, MMO players have been enthusiastically embracing "choice". By making the transition now, we're putting our stake in the ground as a leader in the industry, helping to define the future of the MMO gaming space.
Q: I am currently a subscriber to City of Heroes. What does this change mean for me?
A: All current City of Heroes subscribers will automatically be upgraded to VIP accounts when City of Heroes Freedom launches. When City of Heroes Freedom launches, you will continue to enjoy all of the subscription benefits and content you enjoy today, as well as brand-new exclusive rewards, features, and services. Additionally, beginning on July 1, 2011, you will earn 400 Paragon Points each month. When City of Heroes Freedom launches, you will become a VIP player, and you will start with a tidy sum of Paragon Points to spend in the new in-game Paragon Market.
Q: What are Paragon Points?
A: Paragon Points are a form of currency that you will use to purchase items and services from the Paragon Market. You can purchase Paragon Points through the Paragon Market or our partners. VIP players automatically get a 400 Paragon Point bonus per month as part of their subscription.
Q: What is the Paragon Market?
A: The Paragon Market is a new in-game store where you can purchase costumes, powers, items, and game services or features without ever having to leave the game.
Q: Will booster packs be available from the Paragon Market?
A: Super boosters and booster packs will no longer be available for sale when City of Heroes Freedom launches. The costumes, powers, emotes, and auras from super boosters and booster packs will be available for sale individually or as part of different bundles in the Paragon Market.
Q: What will happen to the game servers?
A: All 15 existing global servers will be available in City of Heroes Freedom. We are also adding a new server exclusively for VIPs.
Q: Will VIP players play with Free players?
[/b]A:[/b] Yes, although we have taken several steps to make sure that our VIPs have the choice for how they want to play, including creating a new VIP-only server.
Q: What happens to my Veteran Rewards? Will I continue to earn new Veteran Rewards?
A: We are replacing the Veteran Rewards with the Paragon Rewards program, a rewards program superior in every way with Veteran Rewards, to add new rewards, features, and choices. The Paragon Reward program unlocks new exclusive rewards on top of the existing Veteran Rewards. All subscribers keep their Veteran Rewards and badges, even if they choose to play for free. We will have more information to share about that in the coming months.
Q: What is the difference between a Reward Token and a Paragon Point?
A: Reward Tokens can be redeemed to unlock free in-game benefits. They are earned as part of your monthly VIP player subscription or as a bonus for purchasing Paragon Points. Paragon Points can be used to purchase items through the new in-game Paragon Market.
Q: What will happen with the issue game content system? Will there still be free issues?
A: City of Heroes Freedom lets Paragon Studios continue to support free issue launches and major seasonal events that expand the lore of the City of Heroes universe. City of Heroes Freedom will feature numerous free updates. In fact, we are inaugurating City of Heroes Freedom with a new issue, Issue 21: Convergence! We plan to share additional information about issues as launch day approaches.
Q: What new game content will we see when City of Heroes Freedom launches?
A: Issue 21: Convergence will launch alongside City of Heroes Freedom. Issue 21 packs in the First Ward co-op zone, gripped in mystical conflict, as well as the Time Manipulation Power Set, the IDF and Defense Costume Sets, the Underground Incarnate Trial, the new Seed of Hamidon zone event, and over 60 new missions.
Q: Are there any incentives to maintaining my subscription or reactivating my subscription before City of Heroes Freedom launches?
A: Current subscribers and former subscribers that reactivate their accounts earn 400 Paragon Points per month beginning July 1, 2011. Any active subscriber also earns Reward Tokens in our new Paragon Rewards program.
Q: What content will Free players receive?
A: A free player can achieve maximum character level (Level 50) in the game and can choose from among eight Archetypes (classes). Free players can create up to two characters (total) and play as Heroes in Paragon City™ or Villains in the Rogue Isles™. Free players can join in most Task Forces, Strike Forces, Trials, and raids. However, certain content and rewards are reserved for VIP players only.
Free players are restricted from certain systems within the game (alignment change, Day Jobs, Mission Architect, and so on), and they will not receive any live support unless they upgrade to VIP player status. They can still access self-help support. View the free player benefits in the Freedom player choice side-by-side comparison.
Q: What additional content will VIP players get?
A: A VIP player will enjoy the same benefits as a current City of Heroes subscriber and much more!
In addition to the regular Issue content updates, VIP players will receive new monthly Signature Story Arcs as well as full access to Incarnate Trials and Going Rogue expansion content. VIP players have high priority status in any server queues, access to live in-game support, and one free server transfer per month. VIP players also receive 400 Paragon Points each month and earn exclusive rewards in the Paragon Rewards program.
View the VIP player benefits in the Freedom player choice side-by-side comparison.
Q: If I am a subscriber now, what will happen to my account if I choose to become a free player when City of Heroes Freedom launches?
A: Current City of Heroes subscribers who choose to become Free players will retain access to tons of content, however some Issue content will be reserved for VIP players, including power sets, costume sets, etc. One notable difference is that Free players will be limited to two character slots total, plus any character slots directly purchased or earned through Veteran Rewards. All existing characters will be saved and reenabled if a player subscribes as a VIP player.
View the Free and Premium player benefits in the Freedom player choice side-by-side comparison. -
City of Heroes Freedom™will be launching later this year and will be the new name for City of Heroes®. City of Heroes Freedom redefines City of Heroes based on the cornerstones of content, rewards, and choice. With City of Heroes Freedom, you will get the freedom to play and pay as you choose. Join the future of City of Heroes in City of Heroes Freedom. Freedom is the future!
Content
In City of Heroes Freedom, dive into new stories and features right away and enjoy more of them in the future. Freedom kicks off with a new free update, Issue 21: Convergence, and increases the pace of quality, high-energy content with regular new Issues, monthly signature story arcs, new weekly in-game store items, and high-level Incarnate Trials. Issue 21 packs in the First Ward co-op zone, gripped in mystical conflict, as well as the Time Manipulation Power Set, the IDF and Defense Costume Sets, and the Underground Incarnate Trial. Signature story arcs, free with VIP players' subscriptions, let you fight alongside iconic Heroes and Villains in story arcs that make a difference in the City of Heroes universe.
Rewards
Current City of Heroes subscribers will continue as a VIP players in City of Heroes Freedom, gaining more features, services, and rewards in addition to what they have already received. Some rewards begin today, as all current City of Heroes subscribers will accrue 400 Paragon Points per month starting on their first billing cycle after July 1, 2011 . At the launch of City of Heroes Freedom, you will be able to use Paragon Points to purchase new costumes, Power Sets, and hundreds of new items from the in-game Paragon Market. The new Paragon Rewards program also rewards all levels of loyal players with new bonus content that you select, including exclusive rewards for VIP players.
Choice
Pay for the content and features that you want. Choose to play for free, or become a VIP player and command VIP service. With City of Heroes Freedom, you don't have to buy the game or pay a monthly fee to play. You can download the game and play for free for as long as you wish. If you upgrade to VIP player status, you will unlock a bounty of content and benefits. You can also buy a variety of content and services from a new in-game store.
We will be giving you more information on the above features over the next few monthsbut in the meantime, an overview of Issue 21: Convergence, as well as a City of Heroes Freedom fact page and a statement by Brian clayton, Executive Producer and General Manager at Paragon Studios and are available for you to peruse!
City of Heroes® Freedom FAQ
Q: Why is City of Heroes® moving to a hybrid model?
A: Simply stated, it's the right time. We've been planning this transition to Freedom for well over a year now. We believe this opportunity is the best way for us to provide more value to our devoted player base than ever before, as well as grow our leadership position in the super-powered hero online gaming space. Over the past few years, MMO players have been enthusiastically embracing "choice". By making the transition now, we're putting our stake in the ground as a leader in the industry, helping to define the future of the MMO gaming space.
Q: I am currently a subscriber to City of Heroes. What does this change mean for me?
A: All current City of Heroes subscribers will automatically be upgraded to VIP accounts when City of Heroes Freedom launches. When City of Heroes Freedom launches, you will continue to enjoy all of the subscription benefits and content you enjoy today, as well as brand-new exclusive rewards, features, and services. Additionally, beginning on July 1, 2011, you will earn 400 Paragon Points each month. When City of Heroes Freedom launches, you will become a VIP player, and you will start with a tidy sum of Paragon Points to spend in the new in-game Paragon Market.
Q: What are Paragon Points?
A: Paragon Points are a form of currency that you will use to purchase items and services from the Paragon Market. You can purchase Paragon Points through the Paragon Market or our partners. VIP players automatically get a 400 Paragon Point bonus per month as part of their subscription.
Q: What is the Paragon Market?
A: The Paragon Market is a new in-game store where you can purchase costumes, powers, items, and game services or features without ever having to leave the game.
Q: Will booster packs be available from the Paragon Market?
A: Super boosters and booster packs will no longer be available for sale when City of Heroes Freedom launches. The costumes, powers, emotes, and auras from super boosters and booster packs will be available for sale individually or as part of different bundles in the Paragon Market.
Q: What will happen to the game servers?
A: All 15 existing global servers will be available in City of Heroes Freedom. We are also adding a new server exclusively for VIPs.
Q: Will VIP players play with Free players?
[/b]A:[/b] Yes, although we have taken several steps to make sure that our VIPs have the choice for how they want to play, including creating a new VIP-only server.
Q: What happens to my Veteran Rewards? Will I continue to earn new Veteran Rewards?
A: We are replacing the Veteran Rewards with the Paragon Rewards program, a rewards program superior in every way with Veteran Rewards, to add new rewards, features, and choices. The Paragon Reward program unlocks new exclusive rewards on top of the existing Veteran Rewards. All subscribers keep their Veteran Rewards and badges, even if they choose to play for free. We will have more information to share about that in the coming months.
Q: What is the difference between a Reward Token and a Paragon Point?
A: Reward Tokens can be redeemed to unlock free in-game benefits. They are earned as part of your monthly VIP player subscription or as a bonus for purchasing Paragon Points. Paragon Points can be used to purchase items through the new in-game Paragon Market.
Q: What will happen with the issue game content system? Will there still be free issues?
A: City of Heroes Freedom lets Paragon Studios continue to support free issue launches and major seasonal events that expand the lore of the City of Heroes universe. City of Heroes Freedom will feature numerous free updates. In fact, we are inaugurating City of Heroes Freedom with a new issue, Issue 21: Convergence! We plan to share additional information about issues as launch day approaches.
Q: What new game content will we see when City of Heroes Freedom launches?
A: Issue 21: Convergence will launch alongside City of Heroes Freedom. Issue 21 packs in the First Ward co-op zone, gripped in mystical conflict, as well as the Time Manipulation Power Set, the IDF and Defense Costume Sets, the Underground Incarnate Trial, the new Seed of Hamidon zone event, and over 60 new missions.
Q: Are there any incentives to maintaining my subscription or reactivating my subscription before City of Heroes Freedom launches?
A: Current subscribers and former subscribers that reactivate their accounts earn 400 Paragon Points per month beginning July 1, 2011. Any active subscriber also earns Reward Tokens in our new Paragon Rewards program.
Q: What content will Free players receive?
A: A free player can achieve maximum character level (Level 50) in the game and can choose from among eight Archetypes (classes). Free players can create up to two characters (total) and play as Heroes in Paragon City™ or Villains in the Rogue Isles™. Free players can join in most Task Forces, Strike Forces, Trials, and raids. However, certain content and rewards are reserved for VIP players only.
Free players are restricted from certain systems within the game (alignment change, Day Jobs, Mission Architect, and so on), and they will not receive any live support unless they upgrade to VIP player status. They can still access self-help support. View the free player benefits in the Freedom player choice side-by-side comparison.
Q: What additional content will VIP players get?
A: A VIP player will enjoy the same benefits as a current City of Heroes subscriber and much more! In addition to the regular Issue content updates, VIP players will receive new monthly Signature Story Arcs as well as full access to Incarnate Trials and Going Rogue expansion content. VIP players have high priority status in any server queues, access to live in-game support, and one free server transfer per month. VIP players also receive 400 Paragon Points each month and earn exclusive rewards in the Paragon Rewards program.
View the VIP player benefits in the Freedom player choice side-by-side comparison.
Q: If I am a subscriber now, what will happen to my account if I choose to become a free player when City of Heroes Freedom launches?
A: Current City of Heroes subscribers who choose to become Free players will retain access to tons of content, however some Issue content will be reserved for VIP players, including power sets, costume sets, etc. One notable difference is that Free players will be limited to two character slots total, plus any character slots directly purchased or earned through Veteran Rewards. All existing characters will be saved and reenabled if a player subscribes as a VIP player.
View the Free and Premium player benefits in the Freedom player choice side-by-side comparison.
Join in the Community discussion now! -
Thank you Dr. Aeon, I knew I was right to root for you all this time!
Architectophiles and players of all 15 server universes!
As Dr. Aeon mentioned, members of the Paragon Studios Community team will be jumping onto a random server every Thursday (or at least most Thusdays), starting June 30, to test a Mission Architect arc that we've either seen in this thread, or which we have discovered through ... other means! *nefarious laugh*
We will be sending out an admin message on the server we'll be visiting in order to gather a full team but it will be on a first come first serve basis so mind that pesky red messaging every Thursday!
Get ready for T.G.I.M.A.T. (Thank Goodness It's Mission Architect Thursday!) soon on a server near you! -
The Intrepid Informer is back with a three-part story to tell you about Mission Designing!
First off, let us introduce you, or re-introduce you, to John "Protean" Hegner, Lead Mission Designer at Paragon Studios.
John has been devising attention-grabbing missions for years now. As the Lead Mission Designer on city of Heroes, he is the one coming up with ideas and finding ways to overcome seemingly insurmountable roadblocks to keep a coherent and cohesive lore in City of Heroes while unraveling riveting plots and unveiling unexpected denouements.
Please enjoy this insight into the mission development process at Paragon Studios!
Mission Design part I
by John "Protean" Hegner
Greetings intrepidly informed! I'm John "Protean" Hegner and I'm here today to give you some insight into what I do as Lead Mission Designer for City of Heroes here at Paragon Studios.
Firstly, the job isn't all fun and games. As one might expect, there is some tough decision making that goes on during my day on what stories to tell, and which ones to pursue in each of our issues. This is the sort of thing akin to Praetorian Moral choices, only it's on the level of pirates or ninjas, robots or zombies, pie or cake, dinosaurs or aliens, etc. You get the picture. It's the tough choices, the choices you want someone like me to be making when that phone call comes in at 3 am, except I'm usually still awake at that hour, so it's no bother, really. (If "Second Measure" calls me at 3 am with a story question I will probably act annoyed, but then answer it with appropriate geeky enthusiasm).
But how do I get to those choices in the first place? You might ask. Well, City of Heroes is chock full of lore and content, and it's a super hero game, so really, there are any number of entry points that can lead us to a story about anything we want. A story, like rain water, will always find a way to its destined ending. The path may be full of twists and turns around immovable obstacles (or ones you don't want to touch with a 10 foot pole), but that's what makes it fun to lead the mission team. The journey is always interesting. The point is, there are a lot more choices that just whether or not we should do something, and often, in exploring those choices, we determine that the journey is too long and we should pick something else to do. Design can dream up anything, but whether that dream can be crafted into pixels and code is something that I have to keep in mind when we're aiming for the moon. My advice; aim for the moon, but do everything in your power to make the job of the engineers and artists that are building your rocket, easier. Sometimes that means moving the moon closer, or eliminating pointless things like gravity or physics to do it, the end result remains however; hitting that moon, which is what you, the players, get to experience.
My day to day tasks vary quite a bit depending on where we are in the development of an Issue. When we start work on an Issue we begin with some pre-production meetings to discuss what all we are going to be able to pack into the time allotted for said Issue (like which moon we are aiming at this time). This is the first of many decisions. We want to give you guys everything, but time is the eternal enemy of production schedules, and reality has to cut or push ideas off until another time. Usually this process is mostly painless, the Issue has a theme to it and we want to put content in that matches that theme. That automatically rules out a lot of the items on the table. So once we've boiled things down to the real meat and potatoes (see what I did there? hungry?) the production leads work to fit it into the time tables, and that's where the tough decisions start to occur.
As a general rule, we are always trying to push the City of Heroes story forward. We have a list of big stories that remain unfinished and plans for the order in which we want to roll them out to the players. Sometimes the order changes or things are delayed in order to fit something else in that is more immediate and pressing, but we have a pretty solid order to how the big ticket stories are going to roll out and be presented. When we put an Issue together, we look at this order for the stories and see how things will fit. Sometimes a new system or feature is being presented to the players and we shift the focus more toward that, other times we have more stuff to tell than a single Issue can possibly carry, so we wait, or stretch the story out over multiple Issues. There are a lot of factors to take into account and I'm happy that I'm just responsible for the cool story telling part. When the meetings happen, I'm the one who reiterates where the story needs to be heading.
Once production has given the green light on the content and story context of the Issue, that's when I go and talk to the rest of the Mission Team. We discuss the broad story that will unfold in the Issue and then discuss the production time we have allotted to us to do it in. Until this point I have a very broad overview of the Issue with a few story points that I know I want the Mission Team to hit. Some Mission Design meetings happen and we come up with a basic framework of what can get done. Usually this is something along the lines of X number of missions, Y number of story arcs, and Z number of Task/Strike forces. Once I get those numbers from my designers I take that back up to Production and give them the overview of what we are planning on doing. Sometimes they'll push back and say we should focus more on one area or another, but usually they just do a sanity check and give me the thumbs up to do what we do best.
With carte blanche from production (mwahaha!), the Mission Designers and I now start to really dig deep into the stories we want to tell by working within the framework of the number of missions, story arcs, and task/strike forces we know we can do. Matt "Positron" Miller and Sean "Dr. Aeon" McCann each lend their individual expertise to this discussion, with years of CoH history, lore, and experience along with utilizing our mission mechanics in new and interesting ways. Together we pretty much form a tri-force, or a three-branch style of government that keeps checks and balances on each other. With the characters and stories giving depth and richness, and the mechanics fresh and new, we lay out our plan and then start writing and playing our missions.
At this stage, my role of Lead Mission Designer takes a back seat to me actually getting into the guts of writing missions. I don't sit on some lofty perch, surveying the good works that my team does with three fingers of whiskey in my hand. I jump down into the trenches and use my hands to scoop up raw clay and form it into stories right alongside them. But, to better explain the more detail oriented aspects of mission design, I'm going to have "Positron" and "Dr. Aeon" fill you in on their particular areas of expertise and the day to day of writing and designing missions.
That'll be for the next two issues of the Intrepid Informer!
John "Protean" Hegner
Join in our Community discussion now! -
The Intrepid Informer is back with a three-part story to tell you about Mission Designing!
First off, let us introduce you, or re-introduce you, to John "Protean" Hegner, Lead Mission Designer at Paragon Studios.
John has been devising attention-grabbing missions for years now. As the Lead Mission Designer on city of Heroes, he is the one coming up with ideas and finding ways to overcome seemingly insurmountable roadblocks to keep a coherent and cohesive lore in City of Heroes while unraveling riveting plots and unveiling unexpected denouements.
Please enjoy this insight into the mission development process at Paragon Studios!
Mission Design part I
by John "Protean" Hegner
Greetings intrepidly informed! I'm John "Protean" Hegner and I'm here today to give you some insight into what I do as Lead Mission Designer for City of Heroes here at Paragon Studios.
Firstly, the job isn't all fun and games. As one might expect, there is some tough decision making that goes on during my day on what stories to tell, and which ones to pursue in each of our issues. This is the sort of thing akin to Praetorian Moral choices, only it's on the level of pirates or ninjas, robots or zombies, pie or cake, dinosaurs or aliens, etc. You get the picture. It's the tough choices, the choices you want someone like me to be making when that phone call comes in at 3 am, except I'm usually still awake at that hour, so it's no bother, really. (If "Second Measure" calls me at 3 am with a story question I will probably act annoyed, but then answer it with appropriate geeky enthusiasm).
But how do I get to those choices in the first place? You might ask. Well, City of Heroes is chock full of lore and content, and it's a super hero game, so really, there are any number of entry points that can lead us to a story about anything we want. A story, like rain water, will always find a way to its destined ending. The path may be full of twists and turns around immovable obstacles (or ones you don't want to touch with a 10 foot pole), but that's what makes it fun to lead the mission team. The journey is always interesting. The point is, there are a lot more choices that just whether or not we should do something, and often, in exploring those choices, we determine that the journey is too long and we should pick something else to do. Design can dream up anything, but whether that dream can be crafted into pixels and code is something that I have to keep in mind when we're aiming for the moon. My advice; aim for the moon, but do everything in your power to make the job of the engineers and artists that are building your rocket, easier. Sometimes that means moving the moon closer, or eliminating pointless things like gravity or physics to do it, the end result remains however; hitting that moon, which is what you, the players, get to experience.
My day to day tasks vary quite a bit depending on where we are in the development of an Issue. When we start work on an Issue we begin with some pre-production meetings to discuss what all we are going to be able to pack into the time allotted for said Issue (like which moon we are aiming at this time). This is the first of many decisions. We want to give you guys everything, but time is the eternal enemy of production schedules, and reality has to cut or push ideas off until another time. Usually this process is mostly painless, the Issue has a theme to it and we want to put content in that matches that theme. That automatically rules out a lot of the items on the table. So once we've boiled things down to the real meat and potatoes (see what I did there? hungry?) the production leads work to fit it into the time tables, and that's where the tough decisions start to occur.
As a general rule, we are always trying to push the City of Heroes story forward. We have a list of big stories that remain unfinished and plans for the order in which we want to roll them out to the players. Sometimes the order changes or things are delayed in order to fit something else in that is more immediate and pressing, but we have a pretty solid order to how the big ticket stories are going to roll out and be presented. When we put an Issue together, we look at this order for the stories and see how things will fit. Sometimes a new system or feature is being presented to the players and we shift the focus more toward that, other times we have more stuff to tell than a single Issue can possibly carry, so we wait, or stretch the story out over multiple Issues. There are a lot of factors to take into account and I'm happy that I'm just responsible for the cool story telling part. When the meetings happen, I'm the one who reiterates where the story needs to be heading.
Once production has given the green light on the content and story context of the Issue, that's when I go and talk to the rest of the Mission Team. We discuss the broad story that will unfold in the Issue and then discuss the production time we have allotted to us to do it in. Until this point I have a very broad overview of the Issue with a few story points that I know I want the Mission Team to hit. Some Mission Design meetings happen and we come up with a basic framework of what can get done. Usually this is something along the lines of X number of missions, Y number of story arcs, and Z number of Task/Strike forces. Once I get those numbers from my designers I take that back up to Production and give them the overview of what we are planning on doing. Sometimes they'll push back and say we should focus more on one area or another, but usually they just do a sanity check and give me the thumbs up to do what we do best.
With carte blanche from production (mwahaha!), the Mission Designers and I now start to really dig deep into the stories we want to tell by working within the framework of the number of missions, story arcs, and task/strike forces we know we can do. Matt "Positron" Miller and Sean "Dr. Aeon" McCann each lend their individual expertise to this discussion, with years of CoH history, lore, and experience along with utilizing our mission mechanics in new and interesting ways. Together we pretty much form a tri-force, or a three-branch style of government that keeps checks and balances on each other. With the characters and stories giving depth and richness, and the mechanics fresh and new, we lay out our plan and then start writing and playing our missions.
At this stage, my role of Lead Mission Designer takes a back seat to me actually getting into the guts of writing missions. I don't sit on some lofty perch, surveying the good works that my team does with three fingers of whiskey in my hand. I jump down into the trenches and use my hands to scoop up raw clay and form it into stories right alongside them. But, to better explain the more detail oriented aspects of mission design, I'm going to have "Positron" and "Dr. Aeon" fill you in on their particular areas of expertise and the day to day of writing and designing missions.
That'll be for the next two issues of the Intrepid Informer!
John "Protean" Hegner -
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If you did purchase the pack before 8:59 p.m. PDT / 11:59 p.m. EDT today, June 15, 2011 (4:59 a.m. BST and 5:59 CEST, 16 June in Europe), please contact support, either ingame via the /petition command or via our NCsoft Support centre: https://help.ncsoft.com/app/ask
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Please be aware that there will be a maintenance on all live servers on Tuesday, June14, 2011 starting at 6:00 A.M. PACIFIC / 9:00 A.M. EASTERN / 2:00 P.M. BRITISH TIME / 15:00 CENTRAL EUROPEAN TIME for a scheduled end at 8:00 A.M. PACIFIC / 11:00 A.M. EASTERN / 4:00 P.M. BRITISH TIME / 17:00 CENTRAL EUROPEAN TIME.
There won't be patch notes available since this is a maintenance.We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience! -
San Diego Comic Con is a place of choice for City of Heroes®. We've been going there for several years now and have not only met many of our players that way, we've also spread the word amongst avid comic book fans and people like you and us who like a good super-powered game!
Well, guess what? We'll be back this year! Come and see us from Thursday, July 21 to Sunday, July 24 at the San Diego Convention Center, 111 W. Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92101, booth #5345, where the City of Heroes team will be available to show you the game or have a chat with. We will have representatives of the Community and Development team of Paragon Studios so don't miss out on this opportunity to talk to the people behind the game!
If this doesn't sound as sweet a deal as you'd expected, maybe you're wondering whether you'll be getting a costume code? Meet Mk-VI "Victoria", a deadly assassin that could soon be yours to impersonate!
To get your very own Mk-VI "Victoria" costume code, come and meet any representatives of the Paragon Studios Community team at the NCsoft booth #5345!
Stay tuned for more info, so we can tell you more about our NCsoft San Diego Meet & Greet on July 22, 2011 at the Hard Rock Hotel!
See you all in San Diego!
Join in the Community discussion now! -
San Diego Comic Con is a place of choice for City of Heroes®. We've been going there for several years now and have not only met many of our players that way, we've also spread the word amongst avid comic book fans and people like you and us who like a good super-powered game!
Well, guess what? We'll be back this year! Come and see us from Thursday, July 21 to Sunday, July 24 at the San Diego Convention Center, 111 W. Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92101, booth #5345, where the City of Heroes team will be available to show you the game or have a chat with. We will have representatives of the Community and Development team of Paragon Studios so don't miss out on this opportunity to talk to the people behind the game!
If this doesn't sound as sweet a deal as you'd expected, maybe you're wondering whether you'll be getting a costume code? Meet Mk-VI "Victoria", a deadly assassin that could soon be yours to impersonate!
To get your very own Mk-VI "Victoria" costume code, come and meet any representatives of the Paragon Studios Community team at the NCsoft booth #5345!
Stay tuned for more info, so we can tell you more about our NCsoft San Diego Meet & Greet on July 22, 2011 at the Hard Rock Hotel!
See you all in San Diego! -
I guess nobody's expecting me to sing it, fortunately enough!
Thank you Dark_Respite, you're as creative as ever
I don't think I can live up to all of that but songs notoriously enhance one's qualities. I also note I've fooled you all with my shy demeanour!!!!
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The Global Character Copy tool is now functionnal from European servers. We thank you for your patience with this matter and urge you to let us know, should you be encountering issues with the tool going forward.
Thank you all! -
Quote:We are looking into this. I blame Nemesis...Originally Posted by JanusFrs
According to facebook, the European Character copy tool should be working now. The thing is, whatever character I try to add either on the beta or test server gives me this message in return: "That name is invalid." (Or something rather close to it) What is this bug now??? -
The City of Heroes Forums will be unavailable for a maintenance on Tuesday, June 7, 2011, between 10:30 a.m. PDT (1:30 p.m. EDT / 6:30 p.m. BST / 19:30 CEST) and 1:30 p.m. PDT (4:30 p.m. EDT / 9:30 p.m. BST / 22:30 CEST).
During that time, the City of Heroes forums won't be accessible at all but we will be keeping you posted on our Facebook and Twitter pages if any problem were to arise or if the maintenance were to end earlier than expected!
Thank you for patience with this matter! -
The City of Heroes Forums will be unavailable for a maintenance on Tuesday, June 7, 2011, between 10:30 a.m. PDT (1:30 p.m. EDT / 6:30 p.m. BST / 19:30 CEST) and 1:30 p.m. PDT (4:30 p.m. EDT / 9:30 p.m. BST / 22:30 CEST).
During that time, the City of Heroes forums won't be accessible at all but we will be keeping you posted on our Facebook and Twitter pages if any problem were to arise or if the maintenance were to end earlier than expected!
Thank you for patience with this matter! -
Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight #25
This is it! The conclusion of the 3-part "Galatea Dawning" storyline is HERE!
Who can stop the threat posed by the increasingly unstable Leona Powers? What is the secret behind her return? And what, if anything, can be done to save Galatea Powers?
Find out here in this special Twenty-Fifth issue, which includes guest appearances by members of the Dawn Patrol and in-game characters Lady Jane and Sister Psyche!
For more information about the Guardians, please visit their official website:
GuardiansOfTheDawn.wordpress.com -
Today we are pleased to announce that the all-new Steampunk pack is live! It is available for purchase in the NCsoft Store, for only $9.99 / 8,99 / £5.99! With the Steampunk pack, you'll be able to let out your inner Victorian, with many technologically advanced, yet steam-powered, gadgets, gears and whizmos! With over 60 new costume pieces, including a backpack and steampunk wings, you'll be able to give your characters an all new look! The very exciting new auras included in the pack will allow you to leave a trail of oil behind you, and the clunker aura will ensure that your friends will always be able to fix their gear with the nuts and bolts you leave in your wake! New emotes are also available to show off to your friends! if you haven't seen the Steampunk pack in action, check out the trailer here!
So head over to the NCsoft Store and pick up the Steampunk Booster pack now!
Join in the community discussion now! -
Today we are pleased to announce that the all-new Steampunk pack is live! It is available for purchase in the NCsoft Store, for only $9.99 / 8,99 / £5.99! With the Steampunk pack, you'll be able to let out your inner Victorian, with many technologically advanced, yet steam-powered, gadgets, gears and whizmos! With over 60 new costume pieces, including a backpack and steampunk wings, you'll be able to give your characters an all new look! The very exciting new auras included in the pack will allow you to leave a trail of oil behind you, and the clunker aura will ensure that your friends will always be able to fix their gear with the nuts and bolts you leave in your wake! New emotes are also available to show off to your friends! if you haven't seen the Steampunk pack in action, check out the trailer here!
So head over to the NCsoft Store and pick up the Steampunk Booster pack now! -
This thread is to discuss Second Measure's Producer Letter for the month of May:
Quote:Originally Posted by Second MeasureOne of the most common questions we are asked as developers here at Paragon Studios is what existing content we are going to update in the future. A lot of our legacy content is still getting played regularly, and it’s content we love. Those early missions and zones and features set the tone for everything we still do today. But over recent years, we’ve also chosen to update some signature gameplay to demonstrate who we have become to new players, as well as reinforcing who we have been in the past to our old friends. The Positron Task Force revamped in Issue 17 is one great example. I remember very well the first time I ran the original Posi TF in 2004. I was excited to see so many villain groups and to travel around the world: I truly felt like I was part of an important and evolving story. But that Task Force also took what could be politely called a significant investment of time to play, and it was missing a few key features, like, say, the dam you were trying to protect (a dam we had added many issues after launch, in an issue that was itself centered around updated content, come to think of it). So we revisited the Positron Task Force and updated it, bringing it more in line with the changes we had made to the game over the ensuing years.
On the other hand, our commitment to ever expanding content is one of the things on which we pride ourselves, and that commitment has helped us achieve phenomenal success over the last seven years. In addition to the Positron revamp, Issue 17 had some of the most thrilling new missions we have added yet. Issue 19 updated the Monorails and Ferries and brought back the Calvin Scott Task Force due to popular demand, but it likewise had some great new features and missions. In any particular issue we may focus more on new content or on content updates. This is not an indication of a change in the big picture, but rather an indication of an opportunity we have identified to add more value to the game for new players and our existing Community alike.
The value we are adding to the game is in offering more viable choices for how players can spend their time in City of… When we updated Faultline, our goal was to ensure that there were good reasons to go to an underused zone, giving you more gameplay and more reasons to explore. When we updated the Positron TF, we wanted give new players and old players alike a more engaging challenge, increasing your ability to find a group for an important gameplay experience.
One of the drawbacks of updating existing content is that the original content is replaced. When we make these updates, we go to great lengths to avoid permanently removing things from the game. Fortunately, the Menders of Ouroboros give you the ability to experience some of this legacy content in its original state, or near to, and you can still play the old version of Story Arcs or Task and Strike Forces if you wish. When we must remove content, we try to bring it back when we have the technology or a great idea about how to make it work. In recent years we have revived the Cathedral of Pain and the Calvin Scott Task Force after long hiatuses. I certainly can’t promise that we won’t ever need to remove something from the game, but we give a great deal of consideration to the ways we can keep familiar favorites around when the time comes to make a change. In the end, if we can keep something around without sacrificing our ability to improve the game, we make every effort.
Last month I let you know that the next issue features a new zone, and I’m very excited about how it is coming together. We are also going to be making improvements to our early gameplay experience, starting with updates to some of the lower level zones. I wanted to share the specifics, however Black Pebble threatened my life if I divulged the details. That being said, we’ll have more information in the coming weeks! -
The Character Copy Tool from the Live Europan servers to the Beta Server refusing to copy characters at the moment, we are unfortunately having to cancel our European Keyes Island Beta for the time being, and will instead be jumping onto the European Live servers to give away Steampunk pack codes as well as Costume codes to a few randomly selected players. We'll be doing that during the time slot that was orginally allotted for the European Keyes island Beta so that, if you were planning on participating, you will still be getting something out of it!
For your chance to get your hands on the amazing Steampunk pack before it even comes out or one of our fabulous Costume codes, meet us in Pocket D on the following servers and following times, today, Tuesday, 31st May 2011:
Zukunft: Between 7:00 p.m. BST / 20:00 CEST and 7:30 p.m. BST / 20:30 CEST
Vigilance: Between 7:30 p.m. BST / 20:30 CEST and 8:00 p.m. BST / 21:00 CEST
Union: Between 8:00 p.m. BST / 21:00 CEST and 8:30 p.m. BST / 21:30 CEST
Defiant: Between 8:30 p.m. BST / 21:30 CEST and 9:00 p.m. BST / 22:00 CEST
We apologise for the cancellation and hope to have the Character Copy tool back up and running as quickly as possible! -
Our apologies for the confusion, you cannot save them for later at this point but there is a work around to be able to see the missing servers. You can sort the list alphabetically in order to access a more comprehensive list.
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Please be aware that there will be a live maintenance on all live servers on Thursday, May 26, 2011 starting at 4:00 a.m. Pacific / 7:00 a.m. Eastern / 12:00 p.m. British Time / 13:00 Central European Time for a scheduled end at 8:00 a.m. Pacific / 11:00 a.m. Eastern / 4:00 p.m. British Time / 17:00 Central European Time.
There won't be patch notes available since this is a maintenance.
We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience! -
The super team over at the City of Heroes Podcast "Off the Cape" had the chance to sit down with some of the development team for a special extended Anniversary Episode! Join Matt "Positron" Miller, Nate "Second Measure" Birkholz, and Tim "Black Scorpion" Sweeney as they discuss upcoming content, current happenings, and 7 years of CoX memories! You can find them on iTunes, Twitter, and on Facebook too but first, visit their website here!
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Issue 20 keeps on growing with more Incarnate content available soon!
Incarnates Ascend is the second wave of content in Issue 20: Incarnates and it will roll out more of the robust features of the Incarnates system. A brand new Incarnate trial will make its appearance and will pit you against one of the most dangerous scientists around Praetoria! You will need all your wits and skills about in order to stop a catastrophe of cataclysmic proportions to happen in the shadows of the Keyes Island Reactor!
But that's not all this upcoming update to Issue 20 has to offer. Expect new Lore pets for your increasingly murderous / powerful army! New rewards and a myriad of quality of life improvements that will make it that much easier for you to enjoy this brand new content!
Check out our Game Updates section now for more details on Issue 20: Incarnates Ascend and a guide to Keyes Island!
Join in the community discussion now!
