Dark_Respite
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Posts
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Joined
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Actually, Zwill, I'll make Paragon a serious offer right here and now. No snark, no attitude, this is one hundred percent sincerity.
I'm a technical writer/editor. Twenty years' experience. And I think I know the lore better than most.
Here's the offer:
I know PS doesn't have the funds to hire a full-time proofreader - but you might be able to contract me.
- You tell me, "Okay, Michelle, we're setting a budget cap of X dollars (or Y time). Fix as much as you possibly can in that allotted time." (And for the record, I have brought the last five major projects I've worked on to completion in half the time originally estimated.)
- I've worked as a 1099 contractor before. I will handle the taxes on my end - Paragon just has to cut me the check.
- You show me how to get to the in-game text (whether it's in .pigg files or if it's something I can VPN into if they're kept server-side).
- I will sign any NDA you want.
- I will present the information in whatever format you need to facilitate its serverside correction for future updates.
- A separate file can be created for ambiguities, contradictions, or statements that would require further dev review.
Again, this offer is as honest-to-God real as I can convey. Because I love this game.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:What if I can provide both massages AND brownies? Not at once, mind you. I'd have to wait til the Tier 3 Sugar Rush wears off before you guys'd sit still long enough for me to work on your shoulders...Originally Posted by Black Pebble
We don't get massages. Unless Tunnel Rat kicking me in the head counts.
Arcanaville, just so we understand each other... if you ever do this and you DON'T tell me about it beforehand so I can film, I will make your Nancy Sinatra video, starring your character, put every ounce of talent I can muster into the thing, and then ERASE IT IN FRONT OF YOU BEFORE YOU CAN WATCH IT.Quote:Originally Posted by Arcanaville
If I ever became a dev, I don't see what the point of being called anything other than "Arcanaville" would be, because it seems unlikely that could be kept a secret for very long.
On the other hand, if they let me design my own signature character... let's just say there's a lot about the powers system players would learn is possible when I started showing up in Pocket D and stomping on everything in sight.
Heck that would almost be worth applying for a job all by itself. I could take on other devs' super-alts in Atlas Park and it would be like watching Green Lanterns duke it out only more colorful. There'd be Kronos Titans summoned to fight Warwalkers and unresistable damage unleashed on unhittable targets while things kept going in and out of phase and clone duplicates made it impossible to figure out the right one to kill while Storm Elementals and Rikti Heavies blotted out the sky.
So like if one day you see someone in Atlas going all Brad Pitt in Troy calling out Positron and Zwillinger and then yellow mitos start showing up all around them, it might be because I decided to move to Mountain View.
Actually, why Black Scorpion hasn't done this yet I'll never know. "You want to see a decimal point error? Oh, was that supposed to hit for 100? I'm sorry it hit for 10000, my bad. You don't think buffing recharge on pets is overpowered? Well say hello to my 500% recharge Gremlins. Who else has a problem with the powers spreadsheets; show yourselves you cowards."
All of a sudden, I have this idea of Arcanaville as River Song, from the new DOCTOR WHO series. The current rednames (combined) are the Doctor, who think they're all suave, they know everything, they've got all this cool stuff, and then in she breezes, and just leaves them going, "ummmmmm..."
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:Upside - we finally get water-based powers!Originally Posted by Zwillinger
Downside - they only work on people using the Coyote travel power.
To be fixed in Issue 31. Maybe. It's on the radar.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
I honestly wonder how much it would cost to buy Paragon Studios away from NCsoft. Get them out from under that banner and go, "Okay, here's the deal. Brian Clayton is the Metatron, and I'm God. Let's go."
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Bah... even if I ever become a dev, I'm keeping my personal account. Doesn't matter that lots of folks know me.
I just dread the day that some newbie over at Paragon takes the redname I staked out for myself years ago.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
I still cry because I got denied permission by a management company to license a song for a Rikti War video. It was just so perfect, but they couldn't allow me to do it. ARGH.
May have to come up with something else, though.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:Every time I see your signature, DW, this is the video that comes to mind.Originally Posted by DreamWeaver
Quite liked that. Someone clearly enjoyed Cowboys & Aliens quite a lot, as well as Return Of The Jedi...
Oh, and do remember that Amy (and possibly Rory) are leaving in episode five. Not in a fun way either.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
a) Buy the movie rights and make the COH movie. (Including voice cast, custom music, the whole schmear.)
b) Spend the rest of my days happily making COH vids after leaving my full-time job forever. (But still no more ads! Screw that. Music videos, parodies, etc. But no ads.)
c) Subsidize four major COH Pummits - one in the Midwest, one on the East Coast, one in Europe, and one in Australia. (For THAT one, I expect thank-you cards.)
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:I'm not talking about mainstream news - granted, "The Death of Superman," "The Assassination of Captain America" (and his subsequent resurrection), those were big.Originally Posted by Silver Gale
Okay, how often do "new storyline starts in comic book" or "comic book storyline continues after death of major iconic character" make it into the mainstream news?
How often do "comic book kills off major iconic character" make it into mainstream news?
There you go.
"Will Archie Marry Veronica or Betty?", that was big (though I have no idea why - had Veronica and Betty married EACH OTHER, *THAT* would have been big).
I'm talking about just within the news feeds of the gaming industry - Massively, TenTon Hammer, OnRPG, IGN, maybe even Kotaku, etc.
Hell, even just within our own COMMUNITY! They could have kept the ball continuously rolling from 1-6 to keep the hype up for 7, but no.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:Seriously?!Originally Posted by Zortel
Considering we have players completing Paragon Market posts to list what items are on sale...
*goes to look*
Oh, FFS...
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
I so wish that that last cutscene of Wade and Lady Grey had sound effects... just to hear his choked-off gurgling scream as the screen abruptly goes black.
Yeah, baby.
And a cutscene of ALL the nukes going up at once? Would have been epic. Especially with your character standing there looking up as they launch, coz you could practically HEAR yourself thinking, "INCOMING!!!"
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:See, that's what I'd love to know. Did NCsoft shove it down their throats, or did they do it to themselves? That's what I'm trying to understand. Once I know how their Marketing operates (note I did *not* use the word "works"), then I know what to expect... or not to expect.Originally Posted by SlickRiptide
Michelle, you're asking these questions of a marketing team that thought "Who Will Die?" was a great title for a story.
I don't think that Marketing 101 even applies to SSA1. I've more or less concluded that the marketing was spearheaded by suits at NCSoft, maybe even NCSoft Korea, who didn't give a rip about marketing but who are using SSA1 as one part of a big experiment to decide what direction ALL NCSoft games ought to be moving towards as they all move to Freemium status.
That's the only way I can make sense of the whole thing. Either it was done by amateurs who had no business getting near a marketing plan, or it was done by Korean bigwigs who figure that Americans need things simple and so they broke it down into the simplest marketing effort possible.
And now having played WWD7, I *REALLY* know how I would have done ads for both the entire series and just for WWD7 (as a final buildup).
Oh, well.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Like I said, it's not even so much about the storyline. That raises its own debate.
I'm strictly talking about how the publicity for this was handled. I sometimes wonder if they throw darts at a board to determine what gets publicized and what doesn't. And Gods know that if given the chance at the Pummit, I'd love to corner Brian Clayton, Black Pebble, Ghost Falcon, and whoever, and go, "As someone who obviously doesn't understand Marketing, how was this meant to be successful?"
Coz I honestly can't grok this. I've tried. I only know what *I* would do, but I'm not in Marketing. And I'm hardly in a position to say, "MY way would work," because for all I know, I'd make some novice mistake that violates Marketing 101 and it'd fail. But I'd really like to understand the rationale behind it.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
So with luck, WWD7 will be going live tomorrow or the week after. I, for one, am really wanting to see how this all shakes down (for better or worse). But as we head into the last episode of the arc, something mystifies the hell out of me.
When the whole SSA/WWD thing first started, there was really just minimal hype - the notion of an overarcing story that would be released over a period of time rather than the entirety of a task force in one go. But it being "Who Will Die?", this was potentially really big news.
Issues 1-4 were mentioned, casually discussed...
Then Issue 5 was RAMMED DOWN OUR THROATS OMG SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER THIS IS HUGE YOU GUYS WILL LOVE THE CUTSCENE SNAPE KILLS DUMBLEDORE IT WAS HIS SLED ETC ETC ETC...
Then nothing on 6 or 7.
Ummmmmm... color me confused, Marketing.
I can see how they'd want to play their cards close to the chest as to not give away huge plot spoilers from the get-go (although the Salute to Statesman thing - come on...), but we're now heading into 7.
A recap of 1-6, build the hype, hint at what's to come not only in 7 but SSA2 (which we already know is in the works)?
Vi-docs on the development of the arc as a whole, the player response, what this means in future, what worked and what didn't?
Another flurry of talking to every gaming site that'll listen to our devs on WWD7 and what this means for the game?
It just... I don't know... "galls" isn't the right word. "Disappoints" is probably better... it disappoints me that when all is said and done about SSA1/WWD, the devs are probably going to wonder why it wasn't as big a deal as they'd hoped. And I personally think a good chunk of it has to do with how it was 'marketed', not only in general but to us as a playerbase.
There was so much potential here, guys, and I really think you missed it.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:I figured if anyone would know already, it'd be you... so much for that theory.Originally Posted by Golden Girl
So, is he PPD? Something from SSA2, or something very early from I23?
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:What if we got the feature and I promised never to use it in a published arc? I just want it for filming purposes.Originally Posted by Venture
People keep saying "we should have cut scenes in MA!" and I keep saying "no, we shouldn't" and they say "why not?!?!?" and I say "because you would use them".
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:I've already started work on the next chapter of TCOSR.Originally Posted by White_Warlock
Beautiful vid Michelle; though you *do* realise this is just going to result in a bunch of us asking when we are going to get our next TCOSR fix right?
Seriously though keep up the awesome work; and devs - hire this woman already!
COH would never lose me (unless Matt gets that restraining order). I would stop doing ads, sure, but music videos and stuff are still fair game.Quote:Originally Posted by Archiviste
Excellent interview, and I whole-heartedly agree with the interviewer's parting comment (i.e. "hire this woman !") - even if it means CoH would lose D_R
Oh, and by the way: when we are going to get our next TCOSR fix ?
Re: TCOSR, see above.
And Zwill is making fun of me for it over on Twitter... meanie.Quote:Originally Posted by Darth_Khasei
Very touching vid to a song by one of my sleeper favs Linda Eder!
You and me both, Kat... you and me both.Quote:Originally Posted by Impish Kat
Great collaboration on that vid.
And 'gratz on the interview... hope good things come of it all.
.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:Nope, that's all me. The only thing I got from the cutscene is the model of Monica Richter Cole.Originally Posted by dugfromthearth
nice interview.
I liked the statesman video. I haven't done the arc so I don't know how much is stuff you made up vs a cut scene. I get the impression it is basically all you.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Woo! First, I am thrilled to say that MeticulousMeta, columnist for OnRPG.net, interviewed me for her CITY OF HEROES feature column! (For those of you who enjoyed her interview of Matt 'Positron' Miller a week or so ago, she turned that same refreshing quality of questioning on me!)
In other news, in a fantastic collaboration with artist syrusbLiz, I'm pleased to unveil a totally new video (downloadable version here) that's not only set in the COH world, but is also a tie-in to THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE! (It is VERY VERY slightly NSFW, just to warn you - but I gotta say that Liz absolutely outdid herself with this one.)
EDIT: The downloadable version is near the bottom of the page, righthand side, under MUSIC VIDEOS.
NOTE: If you haven't read TCOSR, the links are in my signature. And yes, Matt knows. Well, not about the video. But he does now. The story he already knew about. He just hasn't read it. Or if he has, he won't admit it.
So... yeah!
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:Bah, if he does that, I'm going to find a way to stick him in stasis, and then hold an auction for who gets to actually kill him.Originally Posted by GlassGoblin
Maybe after his defeat Cole will switch into Statesman's costume and pretend to be a reborn Statesman, hiding in plain sight. From there it's a short step to taking over Freedom Corps and building a new army.
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
But if you guys all win the lottery, how am I supposed to win and spend all my newfound free time making videos for you all?
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Welcome back!
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:DIBS on one session! Can we run the sequel to the previous D&D game? I still have my Sister Solaris character sheet...Originally Posted by Positron
I am going to TRY to get the D&D session to around 2 hours, so I can run it for 2 different groups.
If we finish and there is no interest in another group, then we can play Hex Hex or WizWar or something.
"Marathon, scout the canyon. Marathon, scout the Hydra. Marathon, scout the Fifth Column..."
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Quote:Dude, the last time I made the mistake of asking Matt about that (which I think was at the first HeroCon when he ran the D&D game), the temperature in the room dropped about forty degrees. *I* was oblivious (admittedly because I was fangirling over Sean Michael Fish), but my husband mentioned it to me later and suggested I try not to stick my foot in my mouth like that again.Originally Posted by mousedroid
How about a P'nP game of Champions?
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite -
Me and the roommates will be there! I want in if Hegner or Matt runs a D&D campaign!
(I wonder if I can fit BETRAYAL AT HOUSE ON THE HILL into my carryon luggage...)
Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite