Ex_Libris
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Posts
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Joined
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It's Holiday Time again in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles.
This year join the festivities and be rewarded as well as get the chance to reward others.
By simply logging in between December 15th, 2008 and January 4th, 2009, players receive the following:<ul>
[*] [*] The Holiday Spirit Temporary Power. This temp power grants 48 hours of 25% Debt Protection.
[*] [*] The Frostbitten Badge
[*] [*] The Holiday Cheer Temporary Power. Use this power on another player to give them a random, Mystery Gift - possibly a Temporary Power, a sack full of Influence or Infamy, or possibly a winter themed hat.
Join up with the rest of the community to discuss this years Winter Event. -
Just an FYI we are planning forum maintenance on these boards soon. We always see an increase in posts from the beta process, so the slow loading is a result of the increased amount of content.
As we open up live feedback threads in the Developers Corner, you will see we are making efforts towards shutting out the Open Beta Boards and then those are archived and removed from the live boards.
This process is taking us a bit longer than normal due to limited internal resources for our team. So I'll put a move on things and hopefully we'll get our UBB's maintained within the next two weeks. The Community Team is running in critical operations mode for the time being and that is why many of you may have noticed some of the normal things we do on the forums slipping a bit.
We are working on building back up to where we were in September but it will take us some time. In the meantime please know that we are aware and experiencing the same issues on our end.
And we do appreciate the efforts of the greater community to deliver us feedback, as well as help to inform and educate one another.
Regards,
Ex -
Greetings Forumites!
We wanted to give you a quick update on where we are in the vBulletin Forum Migration process. As well as give you some insight and hints on how to help us in this process.
The original announcement from Lighthouse can be found here: Planned Forum Migration to New vBulletin Forums
This plan is still in effect, and we are currently working on our aesthetic image and we want that in place before we move.
Internally NCsoft is moving all of their game forums to this software platform so we are in line with other products for this process, and initial testing in the migration processing is happening on games that have a lower forum population and less content.
Ultimately we will take the time we need to ensure this is done properly and to minimize the chances for data loss. Now this brings me to how you can help us in this process.
What you see on the boards is only 10% of the data that will be migrated. We have found that the most data intensive and hardest area for us to transfer is our personal messaging system. We are working on a system that should enable us to move over messages for any active accounts, and we are also taking under consideration accounts that have been active within a certain time frame.
In the end we want this migration to be a smooth effort but we also know there are risks involved.
We would like you to consider doing the following within your personal message system.
- [*] Please delete old messages that you do not wish to save.[*] Please consider not using read receipt messages for the next few months while we are migrating, or work to delete these messages.[*]Clean out sent messages box and incoming messages box.[*] Save and archive messages you wish to keep on your computers or another source (this is an effort to protect your messages as we cannot guarantee at this point that this data will be secure.)[/list]Doing the above practices will help us minimize the data as there are over 10 Million messages stored within our system that will take the migration process days to move, and it will also help you to protect and save content that you value on a personal level.
Feel free to discuss this Forum Migration Update Here! -
Greetings Forumites!
We wanted to give you a quick update on where we are in the vBulletin Forum Migration process. As well as give you some insight and hints on how to help us in this process.
The original announcement from Lighthouse can be found here: Planned Forum Migration to New vBulletin Forums
This plan is still in effect, and we are currently working on our aesthetic image and we want that in place before we move.
Internally NCsoft is moving all of their game forums to this software platform so we are in line with other products for this process, and initial testing in the migration processing is happening on games that have a lower forum population and less content.
Ultimately we will take the time we need to ensure this is done properly and to minimize the chances for data loss. Now this brings me to how you can help us in this process.
What you see on the boards is only 10% of the data that will be migrated. We have found that the most data intensive and hardest area for us to transfer is our personal messaging system. We are working on a system that should enable us to move over messages for any active accounts, and we are also taking under consideration accounts that have been active within a certain time frame.
In the end we want this migration to be a smooth effort but we also know there are risks involved.
We would like you to consider doing the following within your personal message system.
<ul type="square">[*] Please delete old messages that you do not wish to save.[*] Please consider not using read receipt messages for the next few months while we are migrating, or work to delete these messages.[*]Clean out sent messages box and incoming messages box.[*] Save and archive messages you wish to keep on your computers or another source (this is an effort to protect your messages as we cannot guarantee at this point that this data will be secure.)[/list]Doing the above practices will help us minimize the data as there are over 10 Million messages stored within our system that will take the migration process days to move, and it will also help you to protect and save content that you value on a personal level.
Feel free to discuss this Forum Migration Update Here! -
We will have a message out about the crashing shortly.
To be brief and pull these comments from this thread as it is unrelated, we don't expect stability to the crashing issue to be in effect until tomorrow morning.
We are currently internally testing the fix and setting up production for deployment to all live servers tomorrow AM.
Please do not use this thread to discuss this issue as another thread and announcement is coming soon.
Regards,
Ex Libris -
Attention Players!
We are aware of issues that result in client-side crashes. We have identified the problem, and have prepared a fix that will be deployed to all North American and European servers tomorrow morning December 10, 2008.
Additionally, we are aware of instability issues caused by updated graphics drivers. If you recently upgraded your drivers on your graphics card, we encourage you to roll them back to a previous older version. If this does not resolve your problems, please file a support ticket for additional assistance on our support website. This will get you in contact with our Customer Support and Technical Support Teams.
We apologize for the inconvenience to your regular play schedules tonight, and want to assure you that we are working internally to fix the issue as quickly as possible.
Thank you for your on-going support!
The City of Heroes Development Team -
[ QUOTE ]
just a odd thing to point out why are there bullet headlines with no text to em, typo or hidden nerfs?
[/ QUOTE ]
I'll fix that when I have a minute, it is a formatting issue from the html to ubb translation.
If you want to see the web notes, they are showing all notes with proper formatting.
Patch Notes on Website
Ex -
The patch has been updated to all Live North American Servers. European Servers are to follow early December 10th, 2008.
Here is a link to the recent patch notes: Patch Notes -- 12.9.08
Currently on live Character Transfer and the Global Auction House/Markets are offline until all maintenance on all servers can be completed.
The community can expect to see these services restored at that time. If you are having in game issues or technical support issues at this time please file a support ticket here!
To discuss the latest patch with the community join us in the Developers Corner! -
The patch has been updated to all Live North American Servers. European Servers are to follow early December 10th, 2008.
Here is a link to the recent patch notes: Patch Notes -- 12.9.08
Combined
Powers
<ul>
[*]Fixed issue when an attack power was in animation, you were unable to turn off a toggle. The fix now allows for all toggles to be turned off except costume changing powers.
[*]Dark Armor/Soul Transfer: This power's stun effect now correctly has 2 second duration in a PvP zone instead of 10 seconds.
[*]Temporary toggle powers with no offensive effects should now suppress instead of being de-toggled.[/list]
Leveling Pacts
<ul>
[*] Experience messaging has been fixed so that players are told the correct amount of experience they have earned from their group, and are reminded that the amount mentioned will be split by their group.
[*] Incorrect "Wait for your pact to catch up..." error messages have been fixed. You should now only get these messages when you are out of sync due to starting the pact with different amounts of experience.
[*] Occasional bug where extra experience is awarded during map transfers has been fixed.[/list]Invention
<ul>
[*]Fixed a bug that caused the +recharge components from Recharge Intensive Pet enhancements to carry over to the pet attack speed. These enhancement sets are designed to speed up the power's recharge time, not the pets' attacks.[/list] User Interface
<ul>
[*] Fixed an issue where help files were not displayed in French or German languages. (EU NOTE ONLY - NOT FOR NORTH AMERICA)
[*] Fixed a localization issue with the Researcher and Agile badges (EU NOTE ONLY - NOT FOR NORTH AMERICA)[/list]<ul>
[*]The Commuter and Clubber Day Job badges should no longer have P-string errors.
[*]Fixed P-String errors in the following Day Job powers: <ul>
[*]Monitor Duty
[*]Monitor Duty Specialist
[*]Law Enforcer
[*]Seasoned Law Enforcer
[*]Arachnos Agent
[*]Veteran Arachnos Agent
[*]Mortician
[*]Practiced Mortician[/list] [*] A Mission Selection button now appears while you are solo or the leader of a team that allows you to pick the current active mission.[/list]Merit Rewards
<ul>
[*] It is now possible to purchase Hold, Intangibility, Interrupt Time, Slow and Taunt Duration SO enhancements from the Merit Vendors.[/list] Bases
<ul>
[*] Fixed a bug for players using German or French languages where they were unable to move while editing their base.(EU NOTE ONLY - NOT FOR NORTH AMERICA)[/list]City of Heroes
Tasks
<ul>
[*]
[*]Fixed issue where players could cause Lord Recluse to get stuck behind the tower during Statesman's Task Force mission. [/list] City of Villains
Powers
<ul>
[*]
[*]Reduced the Megalomaniac accolade's potency by 33% and removed its ability to enhance knockback powers, this puts it in line with the hero equivalent Vanguard Medal accolade power. [/list]
Regards,
Ex Libris -
[ QUOTE ]
Attention! (December 8, 2008)
Weve identified an issue with the City of Heroes/Villains Consignment House/Black Market global services. Those services will be offline for emergency maintenance as we address the issue.
- [*]During this time, any items placed within the Consignment/Black Market for storage, items for sale and any influence / infamy bids will be unavailable. [/list]
We anticipate that services (along with your items and influence/infamy) will be restored by tomorrow evening. Thank you for your patience!
Thank you for your continued support!
The City of Heroes Development Team
[/ QUOTE ]
This notification has been extended until tomorrow when City of Heroes European servers can be updated and maintained.
All global auction services will be restored at that point.
Regards,
Ex Libris -
Hey all, we had a GM write an article for last week's City Scoop.
This GM has written three more articles as well to go out over the Scoop. He'd love some feedback from the community as I'm sure many of the folks within the Scoop staff would love to hear about their articles etc.
If you have read a particular article or enjoyed a feature within this last double edition Scoop let's make sure the folks that created that hear your feedback.
In the end there will always be typos and formatting issues etc. but I'm sure there is more focus and additional feedback we can give these folks who continually deliver something special and dynamic to the community each week.
If you enjoy the Scoop then let them hear about it, what, and why.
Regards,
Ex -
Attention! (December 8, 2008)
Weve identified an issue with the City of Heroes/Villains Consignment House/Black Market global services. Those services will be offline for emergency maintenance as we address the issue.
- [*]During this time, any items placed within the Consignment/Black Market for storage, items for sale and any influence / infamy bids will be unavailable. [/list]
We anticipate that services (along with your items and influence/infamy) will be restored by tomorrow evening. Thank you for your patience!
Thank you for your continued support!
The City of Heroes Development Team -
Welcome!
I want to formally welcome back any and all players who have returned to City of Heroes/Villains during this reactivation weekend. I hope that you enjoy your time with old and new friends, and ultimately decide to rejoin our active players in what we feel will be an exciting and bright future for Paragon City and the Rogue Isles.
Right now, Issue 13: Power and Responsibility is live on all servers. There are lots of new things to do and try out, so get out there and explore the new Day Jobs, Pact Leveling, Shield and Pain Domination powersets, and more! Weve made a ton of changes to powers, so a Free Respec has been granted to all characters. I know we didnt give much notice on this Freespec, so to make up for that, and in the spirit of the season, another free respec will be given out before the end of December. Remember, these dont stack, so if you want to take advantage of both, you need to use the one you have currently before we issue the next one sometime after Dec. 21st.
Costume Tokens have been issued to all characters, one token per Costume Slot you have unlocked. These allow you a free trip to the Tailor/Facemaker in the game to try out all the new Day Job related costume pieces we have put into Issue 13.
If you havent tried PvP in a while you might find some new changes to the system enticing. I encourage anyone who has wanted to try the system to give it a chance. To those of you who were happy with how the old system worked, I have some good news for you. We have designed an Arena Options system that will allow the user to create a unique experience using some aspects of the pre-Issue 13 PvP along with the newly introduced changes. This will allow for more dynamic user controlled experiences to occur in the Arena environment. We expect to have this on the training room very soon.
Again, welcome to the new Issue. We hope you enjoy the stay!
-Matt Positron Miller
Lead Designer, City of Heroes, City of Villains
Discuss this message here! -
Welcome!
I want to formally welcome back any and all players who have returned to City of Heroes/Villains during this reactivation weekend. I hope that you enjoy your time with old and new friends, and ultimately decide to rejoin our active players in what we feel will be an exciting and bright future for Paragon City and the Rogue Isles.
Right now, Issue 13: Power and Responsibility is live on all servers. There are lots of new things to do and try out, so get out there and explore the new Day Jobs, Pact Leveling, Shield and Pain Domination powersets, and more! Weve made a ton of changes to powers, so a Free Respec has been granted to all characters. I know we didnt give much notice on this Freespec, so to make up for that, and in the spirit of the season, another free respec will be given out before the end of December. Remember, these dont stack, so if you want to take advantage of both, you need to use the one you have currently before we issue the next one sometime after Dec. 21st.
Costume Tokens have been issued to all characters, one token per Costume Slot you have unlocked. These allow you a free trip to the Tailor/Facemaker in the game to try out all the new Day Job related costume pieces we have put into Issue 13.
If you havent tried PvP in a while you might find some new changes to the system enticing. I encourage anyone who has wanted to try the system to give it a chance. To those of you who were happy with how the old system worked, I have some good news for you. We have designed an Arena Options system that will allow the user to create a unique experience using some aspects of the pre-Issue 13 PvP along with the newly introduced changes. This will allow for more dynamic user controlled experiences to occur in the Arena environment. We expect to have this on the training room very soon.
Again, welcome to the new Issue. We hope you enjoy the stay!
-Matt Positron Miller
Lead Designer, City of Heroes, City of Villains
-----------------------------------
Discuss this message here! -
Vol. 2, Issues 25 & 26
December 2, 2008
The City Scoop a publication for Supers by Supers! The Scoopers are showing double duty this week as we were not able to support their last week publish due to the Thanksgiving Holiday. We hope you enjoy this double feature from the City Scoop.
Read the latest publication and then join in on the community discussion!
If you have concerns regarding the content of the Scoop please direct your comments via PM to Ex Libris.
If you would like to do a feature article, have an event covered, or join "The City Scoop" team please PM Snow_Globe
If you need some Advice contact Lady_Athyna or would like to Ask The X contact LiquidX
If you have a base you would like featured, please contact EnnVee
Finally if you have a Classified Ad or Recipe you would like included please contact: MistressNoire -
Vol. 2, Issues 25 & 26
December 2, 2008
The City Scoop a publication for Supers by Supers! The Scoopers are showing double duty this week as we were not able to support their last week publish due to the Thanksgiving Holiday. We hope you enjoy this double feature from the City Scoop.
Read the latest publication and then join in on the community discussion!
If you have concerns regarding the content of the Scoop please direct your comments via PM to Ex Libris.
If you would like to do a feature article, have an event covered, or join "The City Scoop" team please PM Snow_Globe
If you need some Advice contact Lady_Athyna or would like to Ask The X contact LiquidX
If you have a base you would like featured, please contact EnnVee
Finally if you have a Classified Ad or Recipe you would like included please contact: MistressNoire -
Greetings Players,
This message is to inform you that Character Transfers from server-to-server and the Character Copy tool from the Live servers to Training Room (the Test Server) are being disabled. We have discovered an issue where Character Transfers are affecting stability of some in-game systems.
We will keep you updated with messaging as we know more details on when we can expect these services to be restored.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us via PlayNC Support. -
The City Scoop Staff
-
Base Showcase
Guardian Force
Q) Who is your base designer and who are your supergroup leaders?
A) I am the Base Designer (Plasma Stream), the leaders of the Guardian Force are
Plasma Stream and Captain Valor.
Q) What server is your base on?
A) Virtue
Q) When was your supergroup established?
A) The Original Guardian Force was formed in May of 2004 by Captain Valor, then
merged with another group to form the Guardian League which is when I joined.
Then once again reformed into the Guardian Force in March of 2005 with me
leading until Cap returned from a hiatus and we've been going strong since.
Q) What is the approximate value of your base?
A) 37 million, give or take.
Q) How much time do you spend working on your base?
A) When I am working on a room, it could take hours. I do minor maintenance once
in awhile, each room could take hours until I get the details and lighting
right. The next project should be a medical suite that I estimate taking around
20 hours, even with the new floating we are getting. I am a perfectionist in
that regard.
Q) How much time have you invested in your base so far?
A) Ball park figure? Well over 200 hours. I know that the pirate ship the Star
Strider took me most of the summer off and on, ranging around 120 hours. The
Hangar bay took around 50 or so, maybe more. Each other room a scattered few
hours here and there. I've been working on the base since we had bases, with
the group contributing prestige and salvage when they can.
Q) What is your favorite base item? Least favorite?
A) I have to say the AES is one of my favorite base items look at, it just has
the right feel for our Justice league style group. I think my least favorite
are the inspiration collectors, they are too large and kinda noisy.
Q) What is your favorite thing about base editing? Least favorite?
A) My favorite thing about base editing is that I see myself as an illusionist.
I love creating the illusion of things without actually having them, be it a
pirate ship or a hangar, a movie theatre or a swimming pool. My least favorite
thing is the lack of items we know are available for us to create even more
complex illusions, such as boxes or blocks that are rendered on all sides, or
that full list we have in the base forums of things we know exist and just
arent there yet.
Q) If you could give just one piece of advice to a new base editor, what would
it be?
A) Take your time, don't expect a masterpiece over night. Use your imagination
and ask yourself "Can I make this illusion?" and then try it. Odds are you will
find you can. Some plan, some do it in our heads like me, but take your time
and use your imagination. The sky is the limit.
-
Advice
Advice from the X
Greetings boys, girls, and beings of indeterminate gender! It's
LiquidX here again. Now, I know you may wondering... "X, why haven't
you been doing more articles recently?". That is, in fact, a very good
question. And, since I'm legally obligated to answer questions as per the
settlement terms, I'll tell you!
...At least, that's what I'd like to say. In fact, I actually can't answer that
question due to said legal obligations due to said settlements that I can
neither confirm nor deny arose from certain pictures I may or may not have
taken of certain people who may or may not be prominent heroines in what may or
may not be the city. However, I'll be more then happy to answer any other
questions that I am legally compelled to answer due to afforementioned legal
obligations*!
"Dear LiquidX,
Whatever happened to CuppaJo?
-Sincerely,
The Crimson Accountant"
Dear Crimson Accountant,
Shortly after CuppaJo resigned as the mayor of Paragon City, she was drafted by
Vanguard to assist in a top secret operation. She, along with several other
notables including Richard "Lord British" Garriott, Jerry "Salmonela" Jones,
and Yorick "Last Man" Lilyheimer were sent through a Portal Corp portal into
another dimension. The task force was tasked with assisting the army of the
Allied Free Sentients with their last ditch efforts to fight against the Bane,
an army of Aliens that had taken over their Dimensions (Dimension 33-b-Alpha,
codenamed "Tabula Rasa") version of Earth.
While Garriott quickly took over as leader of the AFS, CuppaJo was assigned as
the Commanding Officer of a M.A.S.H. unit (Thanks to the fact that she took the
Medicine Power pool) where she directed such notable AFS meatball surgeons as
Franklin Deleware "Dovefoot" Blunt and Trapper Dave. CuppaJo spent several
months there, before learning she was finally being sent home. However, on July
13, 2008, Lieutenant April "CuppaJo" Burba's shuttle was shot down over the
Orion Nebula. There were no survivors.
"Dear LiquidX,
Whatever happened to Lady Athyna's Horroscopes?
-Sincerely,
Dodger Bilco"
Dear Dodger Bilco,
Lady Athyna was summoned back to her Ninja Village, the "Village not quite
hidden in the grass, but hidden enough that we can call it hidden" where she
was forced to once again govern as their Hokage, after their Fourth Hokage died
while protecting the village against the Nine-Toed Sloth and sealing it's
destructive powers in a rambunctious yet annoying boy. However, Lady Athyna was
unfortunetly killed while defending the Village against the evil LemurMaru and
his band of Voice Samurai.
I think there was also a subplot about some emo goth boy with Deus Ex Machina
pupils eventually defecting, or some such [censored] like that too, but I'm not
a 14 year old girl so I really didn't care.
"Dear LiquidX,
Just out of curiosity, but where did UncleBob go? I haven't seen him lately.
Sincerely,
Mystic Mother"
Dear Mystic Mother,
UncleBob discovered a dark artifact that turned him into an evil being known as
"Hippo-Z" who became determined to defeat some teenagers with attitude. He
eventually married a Witch who had escaped from a Space Dumpster, thanks to
some brainwashing shenanigans and a magic potion, which led him to assist her
and her ineffectual monster servents who rarely bore any signifigance to the
plot. Although they managed to briefly defeat the teenagers, they eventually
gained greater powers due to some plot holes and a Robot-Space-Samurai thing.
Hippo-Z and his evil witch bride would eventually drive off in their space
winnebago and fade quietly from the plot.
And then UncleBob died from Dysentary while herding space buffallo along the
Orion Trail.
"Dear LiquidX,
Whatever happened to LaserJesus?
Sincerely,
Bobo and Boo-Boo"
Dear Bobo and Boo-Boo,
LaserJesus continued killing Lowlanders and gaining their powers until he and
his Arch-Nemesis LaserJudas were the only ones left. This culminated in their
ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny, where their immortal powers set of a
chain of destructive events that led to LaserJesus finally killing LaserJudas
and claiming ultimate power, before launching into space as the last of his
kind.
Or at least, that's what I'd LIKE to say happen. They actually just got drunk
and were arrested for public nudity, and are now living out their days in a
retirement home in the Bahamas.
And there you have it folks! Now, with this latest round of court orderered
community servi... er, "Completly unsolicited advice giving" out of the way,
I'm off to take this camera and do things that are in no way involved with
taking scandelous and possibly incriminating pictures of certain people which
will in no way violate any terms of probation that I may or may not be under!
(*Void in California, New Mexico, and other cities where prohibited by law)
[It is with Sadness that we state that this will be the last issue of Advice
from the X. Shortly after this article was written, LiquidX stepped into the
Quantum Leap Accelerator, and vanished. Accompanied by Troy Hickman, a hologram
only he can see or hear (Or quite possibly a hallucination), LiquidX leaped
from person to person in an attempt to set right that which once went wrong..
Unfortunately, he was eventually shot to death in a duel with Andrew Jackson.
He will be sorely missed, as no one else would be willing to work for Freedom
Phalanx CCG booster packs and the occasional 10% off coupons to City of Gyros.
Now if you'll excuse us, we have to go celebr... er, mourn his passing. Yeah,
that's it. Mourn. -The Management]
(Note from Snow_Globe: No reputable staff members were killed making this
article.)
Because I have to look at you...
Dearest Citizens of Paragon City and the Etoile Islands, it is I, Arbiter
Reginald Fabulous here to dispence my vast knowledge of what you should be
wearing because it's painfully obvious every day that many of you simply do not
have access to this new invention we call "mirrors".
If any of you ever have need of such advice, let me know so that I may fix you.
...and here we GO!
Dear Arbiter Fabulous,
As a plus-sized death-dealing robot decked out in sky-blue metal and armor
plating, I often have trouble finding the right clothing and accessories that
are really 'me'. This is especially difficult when I crash^H^H^H^H^H am invited
to black tie socials, important diplomatic functions, keggers, and court
appeals.
Also, can you recommend a fabric that is both stylish and resists Rikti
bloodstains?
Thanking in advance,
-Sleepless in Steel (Canyon)
Dearest Steelsweets,
Ok, honey, it's a letter, you are writing it.. pen to paper.. so I have to give
you some kudos for originailty for those Tonka Truck treadtracks you put
halfway in the letter.
Now then, bloodstains and black tie affair... lucky for you I've come across
some inspiration in Milan where I was recently showcasing a new line. Might I
just note that Serge's "clothing" *scoff* did NOT make it to the runway. It's
amazing what couture houses will do when your style reeks of lip gloss and
shame.
Now then, to your "problem". You are robotic, yes. Then EMBRACE that. You need a
hose down after a hard day, but you don't need sparks and circuits blown, then
I recommend a nice bio-organic rubber coating. Such coating can then be
painted, stripped and reapplied for much needed versatility. The spray rubbers
I am sure you can find for a good price from various technology shops, and any
auto detailer worth his weight can fix you up with the color scheme.
I never understood why mechanical people want so much to be like humans, I mean,
you can be BUILT to fit a standard inseam. Bunny, you know what a relief that
is to us?
Also remember, using overlays for the paint and the protective coating can give
an added dimension and illusion of fabric, or texture... with this technique
you can really hit jackpot!
See you on the Runway!
Arbiter R. FABULOUS!
Our next letter really touches my heart, as it brings into question where
chairty ends and mercy begins... and honeysweets, there ain't either of those
once you start getting models strutting in New York...
Dear Arbiter Fabulous,
I'm constantly driven to wound, maim and murder Longbow agents because of the
horribleness of their uniforms. Is this wrong?
Signed,
Homicidal in Grandville
How Resplendant!
Dearest Fashion sense in Grandville,
First off, I'm not going to call you homicidal if it's a mercy killing. I mean,
if anything it's an assisted suicide, right? Who has the logic of going en
masse, to invade a foriegn country that you have no legal standing in wearing a
dang candycane all over you and not expect a few people to gasp in shock and
horror and take up arms? If anything to protect their property values...
So no, it is NOT wrong, however we should be aware that many of these people are
just trying to do the right thing, which is wearing a coordinated uniform. So I
implore you to leave them alive and bring them to your local Arachnos
Re-Education Factory, so that we can show them that a bit of steel, leather and
a good helmet go alot farther than looking like a barber shop pole!
TOODLES!
Arbiter Fabulous!
Whew, that was EXHAUSTING! But still, with fashion it's a neverending job that
you are on call for 24/7/365...
OOH One last letter, sweetums!
Dearest Arbiter Fabulous,
Seems I have encountered myself in a trap of my own thematic choices...
As the Psychotic Hatter I must wear my large maroon Top Hat, of course this is
all fine and dandy, but variety is the issue. There is little I can wear
outside of looking like a Victorian or a Businessman with it.
I crave a tad more variety with my look, while maintaining my reputation. I am
afraid I used up all my options as it is.
James, the psychotic Hatter
Dearest Hats Off!
When I first saw this...
You know what, I want to be the best Fashionista I can be, and for that I will
need * YOU! * my loyal readers. ((And you had better be, or you'll never get
your Kheldian Sashes...)) I want to embrace you, all of you and now in return I
ask YOUR opinions on what Psychotic Hatter should do for his situation? *cough*
Retrofuturism *cough* Send me you questions, and your words of wisdom for James
to @Equation
A note on the Author: Arbiter Fabulous is the head of the Bowl and Doily
Spiders, a small but critical part of Arachnos, dedicated to the Arachnos
Aestetic. Uniform design, archetecture, visual propaganda, and even casings for
cybernetic implants all fall under their jurisdiction. He resides in St.
Martial sharing his quaint condo with 2 cats, a ferret, 3 dogs, and his loving
girlfriend.
-
The Redeemers
The battle with the Hellions went as Mider Caid expected, which was that it
wasnt a complete disaster. It helped that the Strik brothers were both
extremely competent fighters in their own rights, and they took the brunt of
the assault. The leader of the cell, a heavily scarred man who called himself
Boil, had a few nasty tricks up his sleeves, like fiery imps and a blazing
sword, but he was outnumbered and was easily over-powered. In fact, Olive had
her vines drag him and most of his crew out.
Why do they do this? Cinder asked as the police drones arrived to zap the
unconscious men to the Zig, Why do they take a crew like us, and say Hey,
youve got Tsoo in your crew. Would you go wipe out Golden Dragon for us?
I dont know, Mider muttered, Look, guys I know these people used to be your
friends-
Not Boil, the Hellion interrupted, That man was scum
Look, they hurt people You guys dont want to do that anymore, do you?
No Tommy Strik replied, No we dont. With the Tsoo, we were always harassing
people who couldnt fight back There was no honor in that, no matter how the
bosses spun it
I got my reasons for this, Slag growled, I dont need your moral trip to
bring me down.
Mider shook his head and started walking away. They were done for all intents
and purposes, and it was time to get the paperwork taken care of. He was about
to fly away when he felt Olives light hand catch his shoulder.
Caid I need to thank you, she said, For For sticking with us.
What are you talking about?
We heard you were considering leaving
He looked to the rest of the team members, which were preparing their egresses
from the area. Some of them were scratching their necks at the sudden
attention. Johnny, however, just sneered and leaped away in the direction of
the Green Line station.
Well, I cant, he finally said to the green-skinned girl, Im not good enough
to do this on my own, and M.A.G.I. wont take me back, my positions already
been filled by another eager young mystic.
Yes, but, you and your brother could-
Olive, have you ever worked with my brother? Lets just say that when they say
siblings shouldnt work together, they were thinking about us
Garm's crew hadn't had quite as rough a day, but there had been a lot of work in
it. From settling disputes between Outcasts and the Tsoo to ushering civilians
from yet another round of bank robberies, they had definitely earned their per
diem for the day. On their way back to the base that evening, Garms cellphone
started to ring. He looked at the number and almost spat out his drink.
Who is it? Gregory asked, the light of the phone drawing his attention from
his reveries in the back seat.
Its Its Atta the Caliban replied, Should I take the call?
Go ahead, Briggs chuckled, Itll be worth listening to him whine that you
ditched him again.
Garm looked back to see if he could get any other words of concern or
encouragement. However, the rest of the crew was exhausted from the days
events and if they werent dozing, they were well on their way to dreamland.
Figuring it probably wouldnt matter if he just talked to his old commander, he
answered the phone.
What do you want?
Garm! the voice came through garbled, but worried, too.
Tatu? Whatre you doing with Attas phone?
We need help static interrupted what the other troll was saying, breaking
down the caves!
Soul Train by johnbecaro
Who is? Garm shouted, Atta? Tat, youre not making any sense!
Garm the panicked troll was breaking up, Lives Grendel lives
The signal cut out and there wasnt even static anymore. The former Caliban
turned to his enforcer and Briggs snorted.
A mountain got dropped on Grendels head, he explained, Aint no coming back
Plain and simple.
All we know about that fight is what Atta and his cronies said when the dust
settled. The Hollowing had just finished, we were looking for leadership cause
the heroes were moving in to wipe us out and the Outcasts were pushing in What
if Grendel really is alive?
Then we should let him beat the tar out of the trolls out there.
How long until he goes after heroes, though? How long until he tries to leave
the Hollows and becomes a threat to innocent people? It sounded like the cave
was coming down around Tatu in that call Whatever was hitting them, it was not
in control of itself
Whatre you trying to say?
Hes saying that Grendel, whatever it is, isnt gonna care if its kicking
over houses and munching a few kids, Gregory Caid explained from the back
seat, You really want to let it go unchecked?
Briggs growled something, but he started driving toward the Hollows. He knew
there wouldnt be much they could do with the crew in its exhausted state
(heck, Garm was stifling a yawn), but they could at least get an idea of what
they were dealing with.
They found Julius in his apartment and got him to take him to wherever he
figured Atta had been hanging out that week. The thin troll picked their way
through the territories largely controlled by the Circle of Thorns. Garm hoped
they didnt run into too much trouble, he only had Briggs and Gregory with him,
and none of them were in top form.
They should be right Julius paused at the lip of a small rocky crag jutting
out of a hill overlooking the Red River, Here What the ?
Garm and the crew crested the crag and looked down. The full moon showed them
all they needed to know. Something had come here and torn the cavern down on
top of everyone inside. A few Trolls struggled to escape and Briggs immediately
set to helping his former compatriots from out of the rubble. Garm followed
shortly after, but he was looking for someone in particular.
Tat! he shouted as he pulled large rocks up, Come on, man, where are you?
Garm? he heard weakly whispered from the center of the crater, Atta its
Garm
He crept cautiously to the center and saw Atta and Tatu pulling boulders off
their friends. The Troll leader glared angrily at him and said nothing before
going back to work. Tatu, however, was quick to explain.
Grendel lives. Grendels back But he dont have body by 'Dine no more.
-
Community
Fan Fiction Spotlight
The time: a future that may or may not happen. The place: the Throne Room of
the Mighty Clockwork King. The people: The Mighty Clockwork King himself, his
beloved Penelope Yin, and the great Sister Psyche.
Are you sure you want to do this? Sister Psyche knows the answer before she
asks, but she feels like she has to give them the option one more time.
Penny, are you sure? To a casual observer, the electronic monotone of the King
would reveal nothing, but the love behind the words burns in Sister Psyches
mind like a torch. The risk
I can live with the risk, CK. The voice of Penelope Yin is calm, certain. She
reaches out and grabs one of his mighty metal hands. But I need this. You need
this.
You think that this will heal his madness, dont you? Sister Psyche asks with a
thought.
Yes, Penny replies. Nothing else has worked. He doesnt mean to do bad things,
but sometimes he cant help himself. This unionthis joiningwill cleanse him
of his madness or at least beat it back so hell be able to control himself.
Ive got it all figured out, Shalice. But we cant do this without your help.
Help me. Help him. Please.
You know that it will cost you most of your power to do this, Penelope. Why are
you doing this?
Because I love him, Shalice.
Reason enough then. Ck. Penelope, hold onto each other and give me your free
hands.
Without hesitation, they do so.
Concentrate, Penny, CK. Concentrate on each other.
The human woman and the inhuman monstrosity stare deeply at each other. Psionic
energy crackles around their heads.
With the precision born of decades of practice, Sister Psyche weaves the threads
of power provided by two of the most powerful minds the world has ever known.
Deftly, she shapes it, letting it build to the point where it can shape itself.
What will It be? Sister Psyche wonders. Is she helping to midwife a miracle or
a monster?
The energy pulses brighter and brighter.
The Clockwork King and Penelope Yin collapse to their knees. The energy
continues to pulse around the Kings head, but the aura around Penny is much
fainter than it was before.
Sister Psyche knows that she only has seconds left before the strain takes its
toll on her as well. Live, little one! Live!
The energy crackles and sinks into a pile of metal. The metal shakes and shivers
and something crawls out of it. It looks around and begins to cry.
Sister Psyche picks it up and looks into its eyes. She laughs and turns to her
companions. Congratulations, you two. Its a girl.
I think I'll let this one stand on its own for the most part. BlueBattler wrote
this a while back, but it was so soon after Kat Scratched Fever, I wanted to
put a little time between presentations.
It's an interesting tale about a daughter of the Clockwork King and Penelope Yin
that may or may not be... That's the funny thing about the future, it can be
whatever you want.
Writers Block
Hi folks! Well its been some time since my last piece but I am back and ready
for more! Its taken some time to think of something to write about but I think
I have it: characters back-stories. Well I know that may be something youre
all going Huh? about but follow me for a second. A lot of fan fiction is
written from the players perspective, am I right? Thus, a lot of fan fiction
is written about a players character. Many readers have a hard time jumping
into a story because the writer does not provide enough background information
to let the reader connect.
This may not be a problem for some of you because you may be writing for a
select group of people who know your work or are creating origin stories, but
for those of you who arent I would like to talk to you. I am notorious for
writing fiction that is hard to follow because of a lack of knowledge of
character back-story. Granted I kind of do it for myself and for others who
already know my character, but when I put the story on Virtueverse or something
like that I try to provide some background.
For instance, when your character is following someone of interest or is on the
way to a mission, try and give some background for those new readers. Obviously
if you are writing for a group who knows you already this is probably not as
important, but if you are trying to give the feeling of an established hero
from the get go then give some background. Example anyone?
As Jacknife flew through Skyway, his mind whirled at how his career as a door
to door cutlery salesman turned to hero work. Granted the latent mutant
abilities of absorbing metal into his body, giving him the razor sharp claws
that he sported as weapons, did help steer him in the right direction but it
was all a blur to him. Ducking under the highway he remembered the fateful day
he stopped a burglary with his fierce claws and knew that must have been the
epiphany moment for him
Not a Pulitzer Prize winner but you get the idea right? Not only does it help
the reader understand your character more but it also adds a little flavor to
your literary dish. But HM, what if Im doing a series of stories? Well lets
talk about that shall we?
A series can be tricky, but when tackled the right way you can easily avoid the
tricks. So youre writing the sixth part to you ten part saga where your
valorous heroine fights the Clockwork menace, and someone new to the forums
sees your story. They click on it and begin to read but are totally lost. Well
duh, they came in the middle! True, but you can grab them as another eager
reader with the background trick of your own. In a similar instance to the one
I reference before, such as traveling or something, try and do a little recap
of past events
Sally kicked the tiny robot off the roof, sending it crashing to the ground.
The motions of dispatching the Clockwork were second nature to her now. Her
mind wandering as she fit into the hypnotic role of a Clockwork-crusher, she
pondered what had happened last week when she had taken out the warehouse of
Paladin robots. Sure she hadnt found any evidence that it wasnt normal
procedure of Clockwork, but something told her to be on the lookout for more
strange activity. Thats what had brought her to this particular office
building. She had gotten a tip from a contact that people were being ushered in
here by Clockwork and knew that she had to check it out.
See? Quick, easy, and a hook for your previous work that someone might say She
took out a warehouse of Paladins? Wow I have to check that story out! This
technique gives your writing a feel of professionalism that some will be
impressed with and keep others around. Its like advertising, but without
having a commercial. Heck, you could even throw in a Previously on the
adventures of Jacknife! part at the beginning of your work to just get it out
of the way in the first place.
Now this was a relatively short Writers Block so forgive me. I hope this has
helped some of you or inspired you to look into other aspects of writing that
might help enhance your own unique style. Feel free to PM me if there is a
particular topic you want me to write about or if you want to talk to me
personally. Until next time, KEEP ON WRITING!
-
Phil at the Movies
Hellboy II is a different kind of Hellboy movie. Where the first was a movie
that explored the eponymous character's origin and destiny, by the time of the
second movie all of that's been figured out and we can get to the fun stuff.
Where the first movie was filled with dark angst, dark storylines and dark
characters, the second movie jumps right into the world of fantasy. It is a
much more lighthearted "popcorn" film that I think more people would
appreciate... it's fun for the whole family!
Why is it? Because if you know inherently the Laws of Hollywood movies (and who
doesn't anymore, we're programmed with them from BIRTH now), and once you've
heard the "fairy tale" presented at the beginning of the movie, well you'll
know exactly what's going to happen for the rest of the movie. Is that a bad
thing? Maybe for Roger Ebert, but for us people who just want a film to
ENTERTAIN us, this movie does it in spades. You can turn your brain off at the
door, and just sit back and take it in with your eyes and ears, no translation
necessary. And it is a beautiful and entertaining film to watch.
Oh, you want a basic plot summary? Well I'll give it to you from the lips of the
Co-Writer and Creator himself, Mike Mignola:
"The focus is more on the folklore and fairy tale aspect of Hellboy. It's not
Nazis, machines and mad scientists but the old gods and characters who have
been kind of shoved out of our world.
I kind of equate it to the whole American Indian situation. The Indians were
shoved onto reservations. You had your old, wise Indians who said, 'You know,
this is the way it is. We can't fight anymore. We just have to accept our
fate.' You then have your Geronimo character saying, 'Or we could just kill the
White Man.' That's kind of the situation we have in the film. We have our elf
characters resigning to the way things are and then there's one saying, 'Or we
could take the world back.' The main difference is - what if the Indians had a
nuclear warhead? The elves have their equivalent of the weapon that is too
terrible to use. What if this guy decided to use it?"
And that weapon? The Golden Army, an indestructible army of magical mech men.
Yeah, beat THAT!
This film is about 30% action similar to the monster-bashing action of the first
film, 10% character development with the addition of Johann Kraus as the new
ghost in town with a chip on his shoulder, 10% dark beauty when you see the
fantastic world of the Fae, and 50% comedy. What type of comedy? Mostly the
slapstick-three stooges-Sam Raimi variety and I loved it, which surprised me as
I don't normally like that kind of comedy... I think you will like it too.
So what are you waiting for? Go pick up the DVD off the shelf. Because honestly,
I still think it's worth taking the chance on a film that you may not like just
to hear two mutated-looking guys like Abe and H.B. singing a love song drunk
together.
Yeah..... it goes there. It also had a nice setup for a sequel, leaving a couple
dangling threads, but they also made it a good stopping point if no one ever
picks up the rights to Hellboy 3.
If the series ended right now, I'd be happy. If it continued.... I'd be more
than happy to keep watching!
A Legitimate Reason to Break It Down
Hey, Hostile V again, here to tackle yet another pertinent topic! All-Women
Jell-O Wrestling! ...right, I can't write this article for legal, personal and
sane reasons. Uhm....what else makes me celebrate...right! As you all know,
Thanksgiving just flew by. And this starts a whole insufferable season of
jingles, commercials and screaming masses. And while I think it's touching that
Arachnos lets its American troops take Thanksgiving off for their family, what
about all of the other holidays people celebrate? I fight for my right to party
as much as the next man, so here's a few shin-digs to light your fires.
Dreck Day: The international Freak holiday dedicated to their fearless (and
mindless) leader, Dreck. Occurring whenever he wants it to, D-Day is
characterized by excessive drinking, Excelsior feeder keg-stands and "Pin the
Blade on the Meat Doctor". Some think it's a grotesque display of hedonism and
power. A-doy. That doesn't mean it's not fun.
International Pyromania Day: See? I made a Doors joke for a reason. The patron
holiday of Hellions, it normally takes place on August 23rd when the grass and
woods tend to be nice and flammable from water loss. How will you know it's
IPD? Simple: rampant fires in cities and woods, 911 being temporarily disabled
and a spike in sales for "Solid Steel Firefighters of Steel Canyon" calenders.
Pack your lotion and if you can't take the heat, get out of the city!
Dia de Los Muertos Caminando: When there's no more room in Hell, the dead will
walk the earth. Or maybe it's just the Day of the Walking Dead. Started in 1968
by the fledgling PETR (People for the Ethical Treatment of Revenants), December
15th is the official holiday for all undead heroes, villains and in between.
Make sure to enjoy festivities like 'World's Largest Thriller Dance' and 'Human
Tag', but I recommend avoiding all food stands and barbeque pits. Just a hunch.
Council v Column Re-enactment Day: Only for the legitimate, die-hard fans of
historical re-enactments. Disgraced/converted Column soldiers, fans and
enactment buffs don the old colors while the Council prepares for mobilization.
January 2nd is when the preparation comes to fruition, as Column actors and
Council actors brawl and fight in the streets with the Council inevitably
becoming victorious. This is mainly because the Council doesn't use actors;
live ammo and real troops are used to slaughter the other team. For all
interested: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
International Arms Trade Amnesty Day: Ever had a craving for a SPAS-12, AK-47.
RPG or butterfly knife? You're probably not the only person to want new gear
for your foot soldiers, so make sure to hit up Port Oakes on April 26th. You
know the parking garage by the hospital? Imagine that filled with every weapon
imaginable by man, and a few thought of by Rikti. Please keep in mind that
ammunition is sold separately before trying to kill the dealer to get your cash
back.
So that's five more reasons to party. Ask for time off, get involved in Thorn
holidays (too many to count), try to make your own holidays, even join the
Thriller chain. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to blast some Throwing Stones
to get these holiday songs out of my head.
-
The City Scoop
Four points
Shiver Strike by Juggertha
These are things we want you to know. You, being players of City of Heroes/City
of Villains; we, being the NCsoft Support Team for same.
We know were not seeing you at your best. Players dont contact Game Masters if
everythings fine. Theres always something, be it a misunderstanding or a
confusion or discomfort or missing piece of information. Were supposed to be
the safety net for the whole operation, and were constantly trying to find new
ways to improve our service, but we know we can never be fast enough or smart
enough or conscientious enough to soothe every ache.
Occasionally, a player will respond with praise when weve done especially well.
We like that. Often, though, well never hear from them again. We hope theyre
doing all right, and dont need our help anymore. We like the idea of that.
Respect is key. We know it isnt always easy to treat other players with
respect. Everyone is different, and everyone perceives the world of Paragon
City and the Rogue Isles differently. Every player has to use the same Internet
to reach that world or use these forums, and there are few aspects of the
Internet at large that encourage respect among its users.
Whether its cooperation through teams and supergroups or competition through
badges and PvP combat, every player necessarily depends on others for part of
his or her enjoyment. City of Heroes is not a single-player game, even though
it has many aspects that can be accomplished and enjoyed alone. We believe and
observe through experience that players get into less trouble, have less stress
and enjoy each other more when they respect each other.
December Calendar
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We dont like it when things dont go right either. Our job is to handle things
when they dont. Its not that we dont enjoy our jobs, but while were looking
forward to the changes coming in Issues 13 and 14 as they will make the game
more interesting, we know there will inevitably be adjustments to make. That
goes for players making adjustments to their play behavior as well as
developers and support technicians who have to discover, plan and implement
fixes. Its work, and its rarely fun work. But we get it done. We hope youll
be patient.
We want you to enjoy yourselves. Happy players are much easier to deal with,
both for us GMs and for fellow players. We remind you of why you enjoy City of
Heroes and hope youll continue to do so. We try our best to fix your problems.
We hope its enough.
There is more. Well be in touch.
Vol. 2, Issue 25
November 28th, 2008
This Issue:
Upcoming Events:
November 29th
Guardian
Nerva
Caleb Raid
Virtue
THE
ULTIMATE EXTREME PVP TOURNAMENT!!!!!!!
December 6th
Liberty
PERC Mr/Ms Contest
Pinnacle
PERC Mr/Ms Contest
December 7th
Champion
PERC Mr/Ms Contest
Guardian
Gladiator
Tutorial!
Victory
PERC Mr/Ms Contest
-
The City Scoop Staff
