Ethereal_Savior

I still think Cryptic Studios threw away a creative gold mine in what they could've done with the comics. They had a perfect opportunity to synchronize comic book events with game events and for the most part, they threw that opportunity out the window. The main reason they didn't turn enough of a profit from the comics themselves was because they made them available for free download on their website (though one could arguably say the tone, outside of Hickman's arc, didn't do justice to the game, so making it free was the only way to get people to read it).

All in all, I think the reason the comic series project "failed" was because important people involved in the process didn't care whether or not it failed in the first place. There was a lot of potential there. Hell, the Top Cow run was the primary reason I got into playing City of Heroes. Not because I thought the comics were super awesome, but because I saw the massive potential of the characters involved in any number of mediums, especially the one on which the game is, itself, based.

I'm not wildly tossing out vitriolic comments to deal with the loss of what I believe was a great opportunity for the City of Heroes world, I'm just saying the things that ring true to me (or using more expected terminology: "calling it how I sees it"). From all that I've read about attitude toward the comics, including statements like (not exact quote) "we view the comics more like an alternate universe to the City of Heroes game," it seems like none of the higher-ups really cared much about the status, impact or worth of the comics in connection to the game's world at any point. If they put care and effort into ensuring the quality of the comics and making them meaningful to the City of Heroes world, it would actually enhance both the story and the game-playing experience. Part of the fun in playing a "Spiderman" game is knowing what Spiderman is like, being able to refer back to past treatments of the character, being able to get in Peter Parker's head, getting to live in his world. You know he's fictional, you know the characters are fictional along with the villains, but it means something because of how immensely detailed this world is in ways that background filler will never do justice.

I apologize if this comes off rude, offensive or hurtful in some way, but this is how it looks from where I stand. Like a newborn babe, the comics had the potential to be any number of things to the CoX world. Instead, it was cut short before most any of that potential could be realized.

There could be an argument here about whether "keeping in touch with our roots" is more important than "keeping with the times" or vice versa, but I'll leave that alone since that would derail the topic :P .

I think the people in charge of States' attitude want him to be a bit more like the ancient gods within the Classics that always had very human shortcomings despite their enormous powers. Zeus constantly cheated on Hera (even changing into different animals/forms in order to have sex), Hera was constantly jealous/suspicious of Zeus (clearly for good reason), Hades kidnapped Persephone, Athena "punished" Arachne for daring to claim she was better than the god at tapestry, so on and so forth.

Besides, if they didn't take that approach and allowed him to come off as this amazing avatar of perfection, he'd probably be way too much of an obvious clone of Superman. As it stands now, he's subtly unique enough to be considered his own character even with the Superman allusions.

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For a slightly different perspective on the story, check out Top Down Paragon's radio coverage, available in streaming or downloadable versions.

Huge *thanks!* to DJ Jester and w00t for putting this together!

cheers,
JS

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Statesman sounded like Shao Kahn from Mortal Kombat to me, which was a bit awkward. It sounds unnatural in an awkward way, but considering that Statesman indirectly gets his powers from Zeus, I suppose it should be fitting for someone that's practically a demigod. Maybe it's just the echo effect that makes it feel strange.

Sister Psyche's VA is alright. I feel like it's a little off from what I would've expected, but imagination is rarely something that can be duplicated in real life. Even with this feelings, I can't think of any other way for her to possibly sound that would be better suited to her personality and characteristics.

I was going to post a half-hearted gripe (in another topic, of course) over the lack of anything about Sister Psyche in the invention system (considering pretty much everyone else has at least one item based on them, including Malaise), but her prominence in the "news announcement" makes me feel like a jerk for it, so that's dropped :P .

All in all, thanks for all the hard work. The way I see things shaping, I expect that I'll be much more interested in CoH in the coming months than I have been for the past year.

I have two questions (if they were answered earlier, sorry for asking, I don't have the time to check all 12 pages).

1) How long will this submission period be open, if it hasn't ended already?

2) What format are you expecting? By that I mean, do you want it in fictional prose format, straight retelling, or is the approach pretty much whatever feels comfortable for the writer?

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Of course, some jerk who plays like a fool and gets everyone killed and won't listen to anyone is certainly a pain. I usually play a bit more conservatively with a new pick up group to test the waters before I open myself up for the rollercoaster ride to Debt City

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That reminds me of when I used to play FFXI. Someone got a group together in a level 20 area (myself included), but instead of actually preparing for mobs and giving healers time to heal and the like, he just kept running over to monsters and attacking. He wouldn't listen to anyone trying to tell him to chill out until the healers recovered, he just kept at it. Naturally, we all said "screw this" and left the party. I still remember his cries for help as we all left him to fight a monster.

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I can't believe they didnt start it on Friday the 13th.

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Now that you mention it, that's almost criminal not to start this on Friday the 13th! It's almost like playing an April Fool's prank in August.

Blah...long time to wait. Glad we're having it though!

I'm probably too late for this one, but question: do you want the stories to be about the canon characters taking on the Praetorians, in-game characters taking on the Praetorians, or either or? I know it says "your Hero's take," but I want to check to be sure.

Also, is this meant to be more of an action story, drama, or just anything we feel like adding? The comics tend to veer on the side of action, but some people (like myself) prefer going into character development over that.

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Besides: if it were for "the people who didn't get a yellow title," then why couldn't Manticore have just stayed there and continued to give titles for the same amount of time as all that post-CuppaThon stuff went on?

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Because he spawned all the crap and then just stood there. I imagine he wasn't even at the keyboard for most of it.

If it's any consolation to you, if we could go back in time and trade places so I could get my gold title and you could repeatedly faceplant, I'd gladly make that trade

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Oh god, I would definitely take you up on that offer. Heck, if this event were on the live servers and the yellow title were permanent, I'd STILL trade you. I care far, FAR more about being involved in the events than getting some nifty little extra. Miss out on a badge? Sucks, but ok. Miss out on a title? Sucks but ok. Miss out on an event because of bad timing, ignorance, or limitations on my part? Fine. It's a different story when it's something like this.

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It was sort of like a concert's encore, only instead of offering it shortly after the main performance, they waited until there was no way anyone would know about it and the only people who could join in were people who decided they'd sleep in the theater rather than go home that night.

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Actually I think it was a gift for those of us who stood in line for over an hour and didn't get a special gold title, to be honest with you. You got your gold title, so don't feel cheated.

And, let's face it, our "gift" was basically repeated instant death anyway! I'm not saying it wasn't fun, but... it might not have been all you've made it out to be in your mind. It was the laggiest thing I've ever seen, and I mostly just faceplanted over and over

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That would've worked for me (the "faceplanting" and all). Which would you rather have: a great meal at a decent dining restaurant that won't mean much a week later, or a fantastic experience that sticks with you for months, maybe even years?

Don't know about you, but I'd much rather take the latter. This isn't something where it happened and I'm now thinking "oh cool, I wish I'd thought to stick around to join in." This is a case of "I was hoping for this kind of event to take place all night, tried to make sure I wouldn't miss it if it happened, and I still missed" it for reasons I've stated already. If the two options were put in front of me as a choice (this is hypothetical, not something I would expect them to do), I would've definitely said "meh, I'll pass on the yellow title, bring on the awesome event!"

A yellow title and a great event are not equal. Months later, the two-anniversary party itself is far more memorable and meaningful than the neat little extras people got from it for their toons. The yellow titles are cool, but I could've handled not getting one if it meant participating in the post-CuppaThon activities. This isn't rosy retrospection, I actually said that as CuppaThon took place before Manticore started handing out the titles.

You might think I'm making it out to be more than what it really was, but that event is exactly the type of thing I was waiting for the entire night. Lag and constant death are a reasonable trade-off for something like that. I'm saying this knowing that my comp loves to lag, and having complained about the lag over and over again during mishes last night.

Besides: if it were for "the people who didn't get a yellow title," then why couldn't Manticore have just stayed there and continued to give titles for the same amount of time as all that post-CuppaThon stuff went on? The message that take on it gives me is "never listen to the devs if they ask you to do something to help out other people, because you'll end up missing out on something good."

And if I started sounding hostile to me, I apologize. Not my intent.

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I doubt very much that anyone 'planned' the release of all the giant monsters and such after the event was officially over. It was very likely Manticore's inner beast chuckling after a very very long day (the devs apparently were in meetings from what a w00t interview indicated, don't think it was him but I'd assume they'd have several in a meeting) and I'm sure he was just as tired as everyone else.

I sent a tell to Cuppa but didn't get a reply either, but there were like 400 people doing the same. After 12 hours, if they didn't feel like answering pm's, I think that's pretty much their perrogative, as this wasn't an 'ask the devs' moment - it was a 'good bye cuppajo' moment.

And just curious about what you've said: 'leaving PD1 as requested' who requested people leave? No one said anything in 2, so I am wondering what went on there?

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Yeah, I know all that, I even mentioned it numerous times in my own little rant. I'm just very miffed because I missed something awesome for no reason other than that I wasn't in PD1 and I was given no way of knowing about it taking place. Though I enjoyed the festivities and I know it was an event for CuppaJo (and it served its purpose exceptionally well), I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel cheated or just bottled it all up so you guys wouldn't have to see it. The entire night, I was hoping for a Psyche cameo and a mega-event like this one. It didn't look like we were going to get one, but I could handle that. It's when I found out that all this actually took place not only after doing what little I could to make sure I wouldn't miss something like this but also after clearing out of PD1 despite my having wanted to stay in the first place that's got me all wound up.

I probably wouldn't even be in such a ranting mode if it took place while I was at class earlier in the day or if it happened in Recluse's Victory where I couldn't go, but I could've actually gone to this thing and really enjoyed it. Heck, I probably wouldn't be making such a fuss if I had fully resolved to get off the second CuppaThon ended no matter what was going on, since then I'd only be able to say "well, my fault, missed out on an event because I was too stupid to consider that there might be more." That's what's got me in a bit of a tizzy; that I could've gone but wasn't given the slightest chance no matter how hard I tried. There were probably only one or two people left in PD2 by that point. It was sort of like a concert's encore, only instead of offering it shortly after the main performance, they waited until there was no way anyone would know about it and the only people who could join in were people who decided they'd sleep in the theater rather than go home that night.

I missed out on a few cameos earlier in the night (Posi and States), and that was fine by me. It sucked that I missed those cameos, but I was in class during that time and there was nothing I could do about it. I also missed out on the Recluse's Victory part of the event with Cuppa. I'd have loved to join in with her, but I wasn't a high enough level, and that was understood by me because it was my own problem for not being able to get to that level. There's a huge difference with me between something I miss due to restrictions or time constraints/bad timing, and something I actively plan for but miss because nobody bothered to give me the slightest hint. In my personal experience, that place is dead unless an event is happening, so I had no reason to randomly check it before getting off. A simple "anyone who wants to continue partying post-CuppaThon, come to PD1" would have sufficed. If even that were said and I missed the event, I wouldn't be ranting here right now; instead, I'd be telling myself to pay more attention to subtle hints.

Yes, my ranting about an in-game event that I missed is a bit immature/obsessive/whatever, and the devs weren't obligated in some way to let me know (nor to let me specifically know about it, though I never expected them to treat me special), but I still feel cheated. What's the natural impulse when you feel cheated? To complain about it. Likely for worse, I'm just going through the motions of the human response mechanism and trying my best not to be a complete jerk in the process. I went to the event for the reason it was intended, my heart was in the right place in going from the start, but I'm sure at least some of you can relate to the feeling of something you've been wanting for a while getting snatched away from you just as it's within your reach.

P.S. - I'll take this to a separate topic of my own creation if the topic creator or a mod/admin requests/demands it.

Honestly, part of me knew I'd feel like an idiot in the end for leaving PD1 as requested, but I did it anyway.

Anyway, hope you had fun at it (that's not sarcasm, I genuinely mean it).

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Yeah no kidding! I heard people chatting through other channels about this or that but wasn't really intent on leaving my nice dance area by Cuppa to visit Recluse or the others in different instances.

But... then... I went to bed... *sigh* All that good stuff happened after I logged, and in an instance any of us could have gotten into by then because it'd cleared out too. Look at the screenies, see how few people there are compared to earlier?

I wonder what the final tally of people in each instance was!

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I'm just a bit annoyed right now, despite how I know my annoyance is a bit immature/childish. I was really hoping for a post-Cuppathon event to get involved in, as well as hoped for a Sister Psyche cameo. I realize they likely had a lot of people pestering them and that they really don't need to respond to me at all, but I even /telled Manticore twice and Recluse once and asked if there was anything else going to happen last night at the end. They never responded to me, so I took that as "we're done, you can go get some much-needed rest without regretting it in the morning" and logged.

I also left PD1 after getting my yellow title so other people could get it; now I wish I had never left that PD, because while last night was a great event overall, things went a bit downhill after I left PD1.

Basically, to use an analogy, I feel like someone who spent hours to set up a fantastic house of cards, and then just as I was about to take a picture of it, some random jerk walked in and blew on it. I know I'm just whining a lot, and the devs don't "owe" me anything or any crap like that, I just wish I had at least some sort of indication that there was more coming up and I could've been there for the Psyche cameo. I can take being screwed out of the Recluse's Victory part of the event because I don't have the time to get my character up to lvl 50, I could've handled not getting a yellow title, but it just bothers me that I missed a really cool event for no reason other than that I was in the wrong place even if I was on for it (because a dev asked me and others to go elsewhere) and had no indication it would happen despite attempts to make sure I would miss as little as possible.

I'll try to shut up about it, since I know this is the last thing any of you want to hear, I just don't like missing something when I did everything in my power I could think of to make sure I wouldn't miss anything. I've missed a lot of cool events either because I didn't have a chance to be part of CoX when they occurred (e.g. - Christmas 2005) or because I don't have the kind of time to devote to getting to level 50 unless someone powerlevels me. I don't want to miss events I could very well participate in if I'm given at least an inkling of a notion of their occurring.



To state some positives, so this post isn't all me complaining to the point where I'm bound to get a lot of ire from people:

-I AM glad that Manticore was kind enough to give yellow titles to so many people, and even told people not to complain about the long wait in line (he didn't HAVE to do it, but he did).

-I AM glad we got cameos from dev-controlled characters, and that they interacted with the players.

-I AM glad that we were able to have such an awesome party for such an awesome person, one who I hope we get to see around here despite her moving over to Tabula Rasa. I realize this was first and foremost an event for Cuppa, and while I didn't get to do a whole lot with her because of low level or not knowing current events taking place in the game, it was great to hang out with her before she left.

-The overall atmosphere (at least of PD1 while I was there) was rather carefree and easygoing, which rocked. More fun than I've had in at least a year, given current circumstances.

Wait...all this happened AFTER the event technically ended?

...right. Note to self: never take silence or a gap of 15 mins of inactivity past the event as a sign that you can go to bed without missing something.

And if all this happened in PD1 and only there, I'm staying in one PD the entire time even if asked to go elsewhere.

Positron's antimatter problems sound to me more like "setting him up for a fall" in the creative sense. I don't want to completely ruin any storyline surprises if that's what's going to happen, but it makes me think of Batman's constant "I'm so freakin old" diatribes in The Dark Knight Returns.