Avatea

We announced a pretty exciting piece of news over the weekend and as promised, we have a few Questions and Answers to share with you about the upcoming Global Server Access that will see the unification of both the North American and European server lists in the Summer.

Thank you for reading, we hope you are looking forward to it as much as we are!


Global Server Access FAQ

1- When is Global Server Access going to be available?

Global Server Access will be available to all our active subscribers by the end of summer. We will have a more definite date for you at a later time so watch this space!

2-How will I be able to access the new server list? Will it have all of the North American and European servers?

All you need to do is launch your City of Heroes client via the NCsoft launcher, log in to your City of Heroes account and all 15 North American and European servers will be accessible on the Server selection screen. Read on if you are a European player.

3- What will happen if my European account name is the same as someone else’s in North America?

We wanted to keep this process as simple and manageable as possible to allow European and North American accounts to access all City of Heroes servers. All European accounts with a name conflicting with a North American account will be prepended with an “EU”. For instance, let’s take a hypothetical European account called “Cityof”. Pre-pended with “EU” would make it “EUCityof”. That is the only change to account names in that respect. We determined that this was the lowest number of users that would be affected by this account name change. North American accounts with conflicting names won’t be affected by this change.

4- So if I’m a European player with an account name conflicting with a North American account, what do I need to enter at login to get into the game?

All you need to remember is that, if you are a European player, you may be required to add “EU” (without he quotes) before your account name if your login fails the first time you try to access your account after Global Server Access has been implemented.

Don’t forget that you can check your City of Heroes account name by logging into your NCsoft Master account at https://secure.ncsoft.com/cgi-bin/accountManagement.pl. You will be able to find all your NCsoft games accounts on the account management page and will be able to verify the name of all your City of Heroes accounts if you have several of them.

5- How do I know that my account name is conflicting with another account?

We will be emailing all users who will be affected by this change at the email address registered on your NCsoft Master Account. However, emails sometimes don’t reach their destination so we recommend you keep in mind that you may need to “EU” before your account name if your game login fails. See 4- above.

6- Can previous bonus codes (Good vs Evil Edition for instance, or a costume code, etc) still be applied after the serverlist has been unified?

We have endeavored to have serial codes continue to work as they have before Global Server Access. However, it is possible that some codes may be affected as part of the transition. If a code fails to apply to your City of Heroes account, contact Customer Support (North American or European) and they will be able look into it. Please note that codes will still not be interchangeable. For instance, a European code will not be usable on a North American account or vice versa.

7- What about global handle in game? Will those be affected by name collisions?

Yes indeed. All European players with a global chat handle name collision will have their global handle changed to the name of the last character they log out with before Global Server Access is enabled. If the global handle still has a collision after the initial change, letters will continue to be dropped from the end of the name until no collision is present.

The European players that are affected by the chat handle collision will receive a global name change. This name change will only be offered to the players affected by the automatic name change.

Please note that character names will not be affected. We are merely unifying both server lists and as such, all characters will remain on their original server.

8- What are the advantages of a unified serverlist/Global Server Access?

The advantages are manifold and include the following:

• Access to 15 servers means more character slots if you have altitis.
• Access to the same Training room and the same Beta server so everybody gets the same treatment when it comes to trying out upcoming features or new builds.
• Better and easier interaction between our North American and European users not only on the City of Heroes forums but also the game servers.
• No need to update 2 different sets of clients now if you have a North American and a European account.


9- What happens to the global chat handles associated with trial accounts?


I order to minimize the impact of global handle renaming on full retail accounts; we will be renaming all global handles linked to trial accounts. Those global handles will be fully replaced with “Trial“ after Global Server Access has been implemented.

10- When can we expect a reactivation weekend in order to change our global handles?

The Reactivation will take place after Global server Access has been enabled between Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time (9:00 p.m. Eastern Time / 2:00 a.m. British Time / 3:00 Central European Time) and Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time (2:59 a.m. Eastern Time / 7:59 a.m. British Time / 8:59 Central European Time). a free global handle token will be applied to all accounts affected by a global handle name collision. If you own 1 North American account and 1 European account with the exact same global handle, and one or both accounts have lapsed, the Reactivation weekend will allow you to change both global handles

The European Training Room and North American Beta Shard will be open to all active accounts on Tuesday, March 15, Wednesday, March 16 and Thursday, March 17 and members of the Paragon Studios team will once again be there to run a trial or two with you and give away a few Costume codes!

Here are the specifics for those beta sessions:

EUROPEAN TRAINING ROOM

• Tuesday, March 15, 2011 between 8:00 p.m. GMT and 10:00 p.m. GMT.
• Wednesday, March 16, 2011 between 8:00 p.m. GMT and 10:00 p.m. GMT.
• Thursday, March 17, 2011 between 8:00 p.m. GMT and 10:00 p.m. GMT.

NORTH AMERICAN BETA SERVER

• Tuesday, March 15, 2011 between 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time and 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
• Wednesday, March 16, 2011 between 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time and 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
• Thursday, March 17, 2011 between 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time and 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

The focus of those testing sessions will be the Behavioral Adjustment Facility, the Lambda Sector Incarnate Trials and the Team Up Teleporter system but the Issue 20 Hero Task Force, Villain Strike Force AND brand new Incarnate abilities will also be available.

If you are not familiar with the ongoings of this beta, here are a few useful links for you:

How to connect to the Beta server for our North American testers
How to connect to the Beta server (European Training Room Test Server) for our European testers
Issue 20 Beta Patch Notes - March 3, 2011
Issue 20 Beta Patch Notes - March 10, 2011
I20 Beta: Chatter and Discussion forums
I20 Beta: Feedback
I20 Beta: Bugs

Happy Beta testing everybody!

Changed it back just for you

Hmm I've pinged our publishing team. Thanks for the heads up.

Please bear in mind that the NCsoft Knowledge base is happening later today:

Wednesday, March 9 in North America:
Planned Start: 8:00 p.m. PST / 11:00 p.m. EST
Planned Finish: 1:00 a.m. PST / 4:00 a.m. EST

Thursday, March 10 in Europe:
Planned Start: 4:00 a.m. GMT / 5:00 CET
Planned Finish: 9:00 a.m. GMT / 10:00 CET

Patch notes for 1950.201103080206.1.

COMBINED

Powers

• The 78 Month Veteran Award power, Experienced is now applied to characters even when exemplared up.

Critters

• Animal Pack Costume NPCs have been added to Pocket D and Studio 55.

CITY OF HEROES

• None.

CITY OF VILLAINS

• None.

PRAETORIA

• None.

Patch notes for 1950.201103080206.1.

COMBINED

Powers

• The 78 Month Veteran Award power, Experienced is now applied to characters even when exemplared up.

Critters

• Animal Pack Costume NPCs have been added to Pocket D and Studio 51*.

CITY OF HEROES

• None.

CITY OF VILLAINS

• None.

PRAETORIA

• None.

*It actually is Studio 55.

EERC sucht ein paar Leute, die auf Zukunft spielen, um die Moeglichkeit zu haben, Events auf Zukunft zu organisieren. Wenn ihr ein bisschen Englisch sprechen koennt, waere es ganz toll, weil niemand in EERC Deutsch sprechen kann.

En raison de la récente mise à jour des mesures de sécurité des comptes NCsoft, nos GMs ont reçu des milliers de pétitions, ce qui explique le silence radio actuel. Si tu ne reçois pas de réponse avant vendredi, envoie moi un MP avec le numéro de ta pétition et je leur demanderai ce qu'il en est.

The European Training Room and North American Beta Shard will be open to all active accounts on Thursday, March 10 and members of the Paragon Studios team will be back in the Beta to run a trial or two with you as well as give away a few Animal Pack and Rikti Mentalist Costume codes!

Here are the specifics for those beta sessions:

• The European Training Room will be accessible between 8:00 p.m. GMT through 10:00 p.m. GMT.
  
  
• The North American Beta Server will be accessible between 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time through 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

The focus of this testing session will be the Behavioral Adjustment Facility, the Lambda Sector Incarnate Trials and the Turnstile queueing system but the Issue 20 Hero Task Force, Villain Strike Force AND brand new Incarnate abilities will also be available.

If you are not familiar with the ongoings of this beta, here are a few useful links for you:

How to connect to the Beta server for our North American testers
How to connect to the Beta server (European Training Room Test Server) for our European testers
Issue 20 Beta Patch Notes - March 3, 2011
I20 Beta: Chatter and Discussion forums
I20 Beta: Feedback
I20 Beta: Bugs

Happy Beta testing everybody!

Join in the Community discussion now!

On Wednesday, March 9 2011, NCsoft Account Services will be brought down for maintenance. All NCsoft Account services will be unavailable at that time.

Planned Start: 4:00 a.m. PST / 7:00 a.m. EST / 12:00 p.m. GMT / 13:00 CET
Planned Finish: 9:00 a.m. PST / 12:00 p.m. EST / 5:00 p.m. GMT / 18:00 CET

You will be unable to access the following areas during the maintenance:

• The NCsoft Store (to purchase items like the Booster packs for instance);
• The City of Heroes Ingame Store (to purchase services or items like character transfers, renames, character slots or Respec tokens);
• The NCsoft Account Management System (to manage, create, upgrade or re-activate your account for instance);
• The creation of new Forum accounts (the use of existing Forum accounts will not however be affected).

The NCsoft Knowledge base will also be brought down for a maintenance later that day and will consequently be unavailable between the following times:

Planned Start: 8:00 p.m. PST / 11:00 p.m. EST / 4:00 a.m. GMT / 5:00 CET
Planned Finish: 1:00 a.m. PST / 4:00 a.m. EST / 9:00 a.m. GMT / 10:00 CET

We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience with this matter.

Please note: the Live servers will still be available at that time and you will be able to log in to the game. Please make sure to check this very thread for updates on the status of this maintenance!

This is now resolved, thank you for your patience with this matter!

We are currently investigating connectivity issues on the Union server. Players may be experiencing stuck maps and loss of connection to map server due to this.

Thank you for your patience while we attempt to resolve this problem in a timely fashion.

We are introducing a new way to download and patch City of Heroes, through the NCsoft Launcher! For a limited time, all customers who use the NCsoft launcher will unlock the new Wisp Aura for free!

The NCsoft Launcher provides several new enhancements, including the ability to download patches faster through a content distribution network.

We will be discontinuing support for the current City of Heroes updater soon so bear in mind that when that happens, customers who have not upgraded to the NCsoft Launcher will be unable to log into the game using the City of Heroes updater!

But read on for more informations on the NCsoft Launcher!

The NCsoft Launcher FAQ

Question 1: What is the NCsoft Launcher?

Answer 1: The NCsoft Launcher is a separate game client add-on that allows you to update City of Heroes® to the latest version and launch it, from a single windows interface. Other NCsoft games can also be updated and launched from the same interface. The NCsoft launcher does not come included with City of Heroes, and must be downloaded from the City of Heroes website.

Question 2: Where can I download the NCsoft Launcher?

Answer 2: NA and EU customers who run Windows XP/Vista/7 can download the new City of Heroes game installer, which now includes the NCsoft Launcher, at http://www.cityofheroes.com/account/...taller_en.html


Question 3: What is the new City of Heroes installer?

Answer 3: The new City of Heroes game installer now includes the NCsoft launcher. If you already have City of Heroes installed, the new installer can also be used to make necessary client-side changes so that the client will be able to fully use the features of the NCsoft Launcher.

Question 4: I already use the NCsoft launcher. What do I need to do to prepare?

Answer 4: If you have already installed the NCsoft launcher and are using it, you will still need to download the new City of Heroes game installer from http://www.cityofheroes.com/account/...taller_en.html
. This will modify your game client so that it will be fully supported by the NCsoft Launcher. You will not need to re-download or re-install your game client.

Question 5: What new features does the NCsoft Launcher provide?

Answer 5: The NCsoft Launcher gives us more tools that we can use to enhance your gaming experience. For example, the NCsoft Launcher will allow you to download patches faster by using a content distribution network. The NCsoft Launcher also uses a newer API that will allow us to add more functionality throughout the coming months. Also, if you have multiple versions of City of Heroes installed (Live, Beta, Test), all of those versions will now be accessible through the NCsoft Launcher.

Question 6: Is migrating to the NCsoft Launcher mandatory?

Answer 6: Yes. In order to implement new game and account services, the NCsoft Launcher will soon be the only way to load the City of Heroes game client. After this migration is completed, the City of Heroes game updater can no longer be used to launch City of Heroes.


Question 7: Does the NCsoft Launcher continue to run in the background?

Answer 7: You can choose to have the NCsoft Launcher continue to run in the background, which will allow it to update your game for you. Or you can choose to have the NCsoft Launcher close upon loading the game. The very first time you close the NCsoft Launcher, it will ask if you want it to run in the background or not. You can change this behavior at any time in the NCsoft Launcher settings menu.

Question 8: How do I repair my City of Heroes client if I have a problem with the install? It doesn't seem to be doing it automatically anymore.

Answer 8: You are still able to repair your game by right-clicking on the City of Heroes game in your NCsoft Launcher. This will bring up a menu with "Repair (Consistency Check)" second from the top. This will then repair your game from within the NCsoft launcher and you can be on your way again!

Question 9: I'm on a Mac. Does the NCsoft Launcher work for that?

Answer 9: There will be a Mac OS version of the updated NCsoft Launcher. We will be giving you more information on this as soon as possible.

Question 10: Do I get anything from transitioning over to the NCsoft Launcher early?

Answer 10: As mentioned before, the sooner our PC players start using the NCsoft Launcher, the sooner they will get access to a brand new Wisp aura on your live account. As for our MAC users, you will all get the Wisp aura once the NCsoft Launcher is available for the MAC client.

Question 11: I’m in South America. Is there anything special I need to do to use the launcher?

Answer 11: Please follow the instructions here.

Question 12: I play City of Heroes through STEAM, what do I do?

Answer 12: STEAM users should continue to use the CohUpdater via STEAM. STEAM will release an update that is compatible with the NCsoft Launcher at a future date. The Wisps aura will be available to STEAM users at the time of the NCsoft Launcher transition.

Join in the Community discussion now!

We are introducing a new way to download and patch City of Heroes, through the NCsoft Launcher! For a limited time, all customers who use the NCsoft launcher will unlock the new Wisp Aura for free!

The NCsoft Launcher provides several new enhancements, including the ability to download patches faster through a content distribution network.

We will be discontinuing support for the current City of Heroes updater soon so bear in mind that when that happens, customers who have not upgraded to the NCsoft Launcher will be unable to log into the game using the City of Heroes updater!

But read on for more informations on the NCsoft Launcher!

The NCsoft Launcher FAQ

Question 1: What is the NCsoft Launcher?

Answer 1: The NCsoft Launcher is a separate game client add-on that allows you to update City of Heroes® to the latest version and launch it, from a single windows interface. Other NCsoft games can also be updated and launched from the same interface. The NCsoft launcher does not come included with City of Heroes, and must be downloaded from the City of Heroes website.

Question 2: Where can I download the NCsoft Launcher?

Answer 2: NA and EU customers who run Windows XP/Vista/7 can download the new City of Heroes game installer, which now includes the NCsoft Launcher, at http://www.cityofheroes.com/account/...taller_en.html


Question 3: What is the new City of Heroes installer?

Answer 3: The new City of Heroes game installer now includes the NCsoft launcher. If you already have City of Heroes installed, the new installer can also be used to make necessary client-side changes so that the client will be able to fully use the features of the NCsoft Launcher.

Question 4: I already use the NCsoft launcher. What do I need to do to prepare?

Answer 4: If you have already installed the NCsoft launcher and are using it, you will still need to download the new City of Heroes game installer from http://www.cityofheroes.com/account/...taller_en.html
. This will modify your game client so that it will be fully supported by the NCsoft Launcher. You will not need to re-download or re-install your game client.

Question 5: What new features does the NCsoft Launcher provide?

Answer 5: The NCsoft Launcher gives us more tools that we can use to enhance your gaming experience. For example, the NCsoft Launcher will allow you to download patches faster by using a content distribution network. The NCsoft Launcher also uses a newer API that will allow us to add more functionality throughout the coming months. Also, if you have multiple versions of City of Heroes installed (Live, Beta, Test), all of those versions will now be accessible through the NCsoft Launcher.

Question 6: Is migrating to the NCsoft Launcher mandatory?

Answer 6: Yes. In order to implement new game and account services, the NCsoft Launcher will soon be the only way to load the City of Heroes game client. After this migration is completed, the City of Heroes game updater can no longer be used to launch City of Heroes.


Question 7: Does the NCsoft Launcher continue to run in the background?

Answer 7: You can choose to have the NCsoft Launcher continue to run in the background, which will allow it to update your game for you. Or you can choose to have the NCsoft Launcher close upon loading the game. The very first time you close the NCsoft Launcher, it will ask if you want it to run in the background or not. You can change this behavior at any time in the NCsoft Launcher settings menu.

Question 8: How do I repair my City of Heroes client if I have a problem with the install? It doesn't seem to be doing it automatically anymore.

Answer 8: You are still able to repair your game by right-clicking on the City of Heroes game in your NCsoft Launcher. This will bring up a menu with "Repair (Consistency Check)" second from the top. This will then repair your game from within the NCsoft launcher and you can be on your way again!

Question 9: I'm on a Mac. Does the NCsoft Launcher work for that?

Answer 9: There will be a Mac OS version of the updated NCsoft Launcher. We will be giving you more information on this as soon as possible.

Question 10: Do I get anything from transitioning over to the NCsoft Launcher early?

Answer 10: As mentioned before, the sooner our PC players start using the NCsoft Launcher, the sooner they will get access to a brand new Wisp aura on your live account. As for our MAC users, you will all get the Wisp aura once the NCsoft Launcher is available for the MAC client.

Question 11: I’m in South America. Is there anything special I need to do to use the launcher?

Answer 11: Please follow the instructions here.

Question 12: I play City of Heroes through STEAM, what do I do?

Answer 12: STEAM users should continue to use the CohUpdater via STEAM. STEAM will release an update that is compatible with the NCsoft Launcher at a future date. The Wisps aura will be available to STEAM users at the time of the NCsoft Launcher transition.

Hi all. We understand this is a pretty big change for some of you and while this was implemented in order to increase the security of all NCsoft Master Accounts, we certainly don't want to create situations where you are no longer able to access your Master account, therefore limiting your access to your City of Heroes account. Our Support team certainly expected to receive a lot of tickets after the announcement was made and they are dealing with every single one of those tickets as diligently as possible. This will however take a little while and we would like to thank you for your patience while this is being done.

We'll be posting more information about the NCsoft Launcher shortly. We will include a download link so you can get it now

Patchnotes for build 1950.201102230015.1.

COMBINED

NCsoft Launcher Support

• Players can now access City of Heroes, City of Villains and City of Heroes Going Rogue via the NCsoft Launcher on Windows-based PC platforms.
• Wisp Aura will unlock for players who use the NCsoft Launcher to access the game.
• This aura is a limited time bonus for transition to the NCsoft Launcher.
• The Mac version of the NCsoft Launcher will be released afterwards, and can be used to unlock the Wisp Aura for Mac customers.
• The User Agreement is now presented after login.
• Players who are still running CoH Updater will continue to see the User Agreement from CohUpdater as well.

CITY OF HEROES

• None

CITY OF VILLAINS

• None

PRAETORIA

Badges

• Clarified hint text for Moral High Ground badge.

KNOWN ISSUES

Task Force Warning for Tourists

• We are aware of an issue where Rogues or Vigilantes leading a Task Force or Strike Force who phone the TF contact from the opposing city can receive a mission door in that city, potentially blocking TF progression. A fix for this issue is being worked on.In the meantime as a workaround, please only call the TF contact while in the proper city of the contact and do not call them from Ouroboros zones or co-op zones such as Pocket D.

We are increasing our security measures again by setting up additional security questions for all accounts. This enhanced system is part of our ongoing effort to ensure a safe and secure gaming environment for you.

Remember that to keep your account secure you should always use unique passwords that you do not use for email, forums, or websites, and make sure you never provide your personal information on phishing websites. For additional information on security updates, contact Support (North America or Europe).

New Security Feature Added

We will be turning on a new security feature that verifies that you are logging in to your NCsoft® Master Account with a computer authorized by you. To help prevent unauthorized access to your NCsoft Master Account, you will need to confirm your identity when you attempt to log in to a different computer. This new security feature is part of our ongoing effort to ensure a safe and secure gaming environment for you.

How Does This Work?

You correctly answer some additional security questions. Verifying this information authorizes a one-time login. Once your identity is confirmed, you can add a computer to an approved list.

You are trying to log in for a computer that has not been approved by this account. For security purposes, please answer these security questions to verify this computer's use.

Password Hint Questions

Your answers must exactly match those on your account, including the capitalization. These questions must be answered correctly to proceed past the authorization stage and reach your NCsoft Master Account.

What was your first pet's name? [text box] (limit 32 characters)
What is your mother's maiden name? [text box]

If you don't remember what information you entered when you registered your account, please contact Support (North America or Europe).

Join in the Community discussion now!

We are increasing our security measures again by setting up additional security questions for all accounts. This enhanced system is part of our ongoing effort to ensure a safe and secure gaming environment for you.

Remember that to keep your account secure you should always use unique passwords that you do not use for email, forums, or websites, and make sure you never provide your personal information on phishing websites. For additional information on security updates, contact Support (North America or Europe).

New Security Feature Added

We will be turning on a new security feature that verifies that you are logging in to your NCsoft® Master Account with a computer authorized by you. To help prevent unauthorized access to your NCsoft Master Account, you will need to confirm your identity when you attempt to log in to a different computer. This new security feature is part of our ongoing effort to ensure a safe and secure gaming environment for you.

How Does This Work?

You correctly answer some additional security questions. Verifying this information authorizes a one-time login. Once your identity is confirmed, you can add a computer to an approved list.

You are trying to log in for a computer that has not been approved by this account. For security purposes, please answer these security questions to verify this computer's use.

Password Hint Questions

Your answers must exactly match those on your account, including the capitalization. These questions must be answered correctly to proceed past the authorization stage and reach your NCsoft Master Account.

What was your first pet's name? [text box] (limit 32 characters)
What is your mother's maiden name? [text box]

If you don't remember what information you entered when you registered your account, please contact Support (North America or Europe).

With Issue 20: Incarnates, Heroes and Villains must push themselves to new levels of power in order to protect the world. The Well of the Furies, a sentient source of cosmic super powers, has started taking an active role in the universe again, but appears to have gone mad! It has empowered Emperor Cole, ruler of Praetoria, with nearly limitless energy. Emperor Cole has shared his newly imbued power with his lieutenants, turning them from already powerful Archvillains into cosmic menaces.
The Heroes of Paragon City® and the Villains the Rogue Isles® have faced the likes of Marauder, Mother Mayhem, Nightstar, and Siege in the past, but now each of these Praetorians possesses the power of an army. Only a dedicated group of Incarnates stands a chance of defeating them.

You'll find a lot more information on the upcoming Issue 20 here!



Join in the Community discussion now!

With Issue 20: Incarnates, Heroes and Villains must push themselves to new levels of power in order to protect the world. The Well of the Furies, a sentient source of cosmic super powers, has started taking an active role in the universe again, but appears to have gone mad! It has empowered Emperor Cole, ruler of Praetoria, with nearly limitless energy. Emperor Cole has shared his newly imbued power with his lieutenants, turning them from already powerful Archvillains into cosmic menaces.
The Heroes of Paragon City® and the Villains the Rogue Isles® have faced the likes of Marauder, Mother Mayhem, Nightstar, and Siege in the past, but now each of these Praetorians possesses the power of an army. Only a dedicated group of Incarnates stands a chance of defeating them.

You'll find a lot more information on the upcoming Issue 20 here!

The character copy tool should be back back up and running. Please let us know if it were to misbehave once again. Thank you!

It should be back back up and running. Please let us know if there's any further issue with the character copy tool!