Ex_Libris
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Posts
3904 -
Joined
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Base Workshop
With the release of I-13 will come new changes in what we pay for base plots and
even some of the rooms we place so I decided to take a look at what Plasma
Stream posted and have found some interesting figures I give them to you here.
Hidden Plots
Size
Old Cost
New Cost
8x8
0
0
8x12
1,653,861
84,500
12x12
3,307,772
312,500
12x16
4,671,491
722,000
16x16
6,597,540
1,250,000
16x20
8,623,310
1,984,500
20x20
11,271,093
2,812,500
20x24
14,027,605
3,872,000
24x24
17,458,263
5,000,000
24x28
26,573,949
6,384,500
Secure Plots
Size
Old Cost
New Cost
12x16
11,250,000
722,000
16x16
20,000,000
1,250,000
16x20
31,250,000
1,984,500
20x20
48,828,125
2,812,500
20x24
70,312,500
5,000,000
24x24
101,250,000
7,812,500
24x28
137,812,500
11,250,000
Energy Room Costs
Room Type
Old Cost
New Cost
Energy Terminal
150,000
100,000
Energy Terminal
750,000
190,000
Energy Station
900,000
162,500
Energy Station
900,000
250,000
Secure Energy Station
2,900,000
253,000
Secure Generator Room
4,900,000
374,000
Secure Generator plant
8,900,000
646,250
Secure generator Core
16,900,000
935,000
Vault Room Costs
Room Type
Old Cost
New Cost
Containment Alcove
250,000
100,000
Containment Chamber
750,000
178,750
Containment Hall
1,500,000
275,000
Secure Containment Chamber
1,500,000
178,750
Secure Containment Hall
2,250,000
275,000
Secure Containment Vault
3,000,000
398,750
Secure Dual Vault
9,000,000
398,750
Transportation Room Costs
Room Type
Old Cost
New Cost
Teleport Bay
50,000
50,000 (no change)
Teleport Chamber
150,000
100,000
Teleport Chamber
150,000
162,500
Secure Teleport Bay
600,000
253,000
Secure Teleport Bay
600,000
275,000
Secure Portal Room
1,350,000
398,750
Decorative Room Costs
Room Type
Old Cost
New Cost
Studio
150,000
81,250
Rec
150,000
125,000
Meeting
150,000
181,250
Trophy
150,000
250,000
Assembly
150,000
331,250
Great
150,000
425,000
Medical Room Costs
Room Type
Old Cost
New Cost
Med Bay
50,000
50,000 (no change)
Infirmary
150,000
100,000
Trauma Center
525,000
250,000
Workshop Room Costs
Room Type
Old Cost
New Cost
Workshop
50,000
50,000 (no change)
Workshop
100,000
100,000 (no change)
Workshop
400,000
230,000
Control Room Costs
Room Type
Old Cost
New Cost
Oversight
50,000
50,000 (no change)
Control
100,000
100,000 (no change)
Control
150,000
130,000
Control
750,000
145,000
Control
1,500,000
162,500
Secure Control
1,750,000
159,500
Comm center
2,500,000
253,000
Comm center
3,950,000
275,000
Operations Center
5,000,000
398,750
Secure Comm Center
5,950,000
401,500
Secure Comm Center
6,250,000
374,000
Secure Ops Center
8,450,000
572,000
Command Center
12,500,000
646,250
The rest of this post can be found
HERE with further information
-
The People On...
Time Travel
So, Im back folks. Its been a while hasnt it? Well I finally got my car back
and that took me some time to get settled and then there was this little issue
of breaking my leg as I fell down a staircase. I know, I know, youre all
concerned for my well being but I am ok. Ive been pursuing the scoundrels who
wanted to keep me from revealing the truth. Or it could have just been my
landlord fed up with not getting rent for the last month and a half. In either
case, I am investigating it too. Getting back down to business, I interviewed a
very interesting woman who calls herself Mu'Vashnae. Rolls off the tongue
doesnt it? Trust me, she had some pretty good insight into the issue of time
travel which I have been pursuing for the last few weeks. If you remember, and
if you dont Ill tell you anyway, I spoke with Avenging Specter recently to
talk about time travel. We discussed the mysterious Orobouros organization and
their possible intents, along with the inclusion of villains in their work.
With all this intrigue, its no wonder that yours truly went back to The Pocket
D to find some hard facts on the weird and wonderful. There, I met Mu'Vashnae
Scoop Man: Ahem, pardon me.
Mu'Vashnae: You are pardoned.
SM: Um, thanks.
MV: You are the reporter.
SM: Yeah, well that was probably easy because of my clothes.
MV: That, and other reasons. I am MuVashnae. You wished to
speak with me.
SM: I do indeed. Ive got a few questions about time travel and
since Im no hero or villain I cant get them answered. So Ive been asking
around. Mind if I ask you?
MV: I do not.
SM: Well I talked with Avenging Specter recently and asked him
what time travel was like. He gave me the impression that it was disorienting,
but still a fascinating experience. Do you agree?
MV: In the purely physical sense? This depends upon the method;
some sorts of time travel are quite traumatic; others no harder than floating
through a door. In a larger sense? It is not disorienting once one acclimatizes
oneself to it. But it is dangerous. There are too many things one must
remember, for fear of causing unfortunate consequences.
SM: The Butterfly Effect?
MV: That and other paradoxes. Causality is a powerful tool, and
a terrible weapon. Those of strong will do not hesitate to take up such tools.
But they do so with appropriate caution. The profusion of time travel of late
is cause for concern to many, although the effects of the Aspects of the Pillar
are such to mitigate the worst dangers.
SM: The Aspects of the Pillar?
MV: The crystalline constructs filled with frozen flame
employed by Ouroboros, and others as a method of traveling through time.
SM: Ah, I know Orobouros. Avenging Specter doesnt trust them
too much. This could be due to his general disposition toward villains though.
How do you feel about them?
MV: I do not know your friend, but in this matter he is wise.
But then, *smirks* many say the same about the Mu Mystics.
SM: So you classify the Orobouros with the Mu?
MV: All people, ad all organizations have agendas, and most of
them reveal less than the full truth about theirs. This is as true of Orobouros
as anyone else, including my own order. That was my point. But I do believe
they hide much more than most. They refuse even to divulge the nature of the
threat they claim to oppose.
SM: I think I understand. I hear that one of those, Aspect
Pillars? , are in the Midnighter Headquarters. Is that true?
MV: It is. *chuckles* They are resourceful for overzealous
librarians, I must admit.
SM: Why does that one only go to one place and the others go to
several instances in time?
MV: Because that is where they wish it to go. There are
factions-including many rooted in our own present- at play in that era and
place in history. If they succeed in altering that particular moment of the
past, the Midnighters believe it will damage the present irreparably. In this,
they are correct.
SM: But whats to stop the Midnighters from damaging time
themselves for their own agenda? As you say, every organization has one.
MV: True. However, the Midnighters, whatever they once were,
are now scholars, not warriors. They rely on others to serve their purpose for
them. I /do/ fear that their lax screening practices may lead to disaster, but
the costs of inaction remain certain.
SM: Thats a sentiment shared by Avenging Specter as well. Do
you feel that allowing villains to aid the Midnightsquad repair time is
giving them an opportunity to create disaster?
MV: You /do/ understand that I am a Mystic for Mu a servant
for Arachnos?
SM: Yes.
MV: In any event, villain is a slanderous term that Statesman
and his regime have invented in their campaigning of propaganda. We in the
Rogue Isles do not grant it to be descriptive of any of our citizens and
consider it an offensive term. Indeed, it is the Citizen Crime Fighters of
Paragon City that concern me far more Paragons self-anointed heroes have
always been an eclectic lot, with divergent agendas, lacking both discipline
and cohesion. Amongst such a chaotic and diverse group, it is impossible to
predict what one such person may take it into their mind to do.
SM: But what about individuals like Doctor Crom, who does not
follow Arachnos or Mu? Surely letting people like him, who thrive world
domination, shouldnt be allowed to travel in time?
MV: I am not familiar with an individual by that name. However,
Arachnos has effective control for all its citizens and territories. No
super-human agencies operate in the Rogue Isles without Lord Recluses consent.
Based on what you describe of this man, I can only assume he is a criminal, and
that if he persists in troubling our shores he will soon be brought to justice.
Certainly I agree that no agency that deals in time travel would be wise to
have dealings with such a person.
SM: I see. Thank you, miss. This has been very enlightening and
Im sure my readers will want to know your thoughts on this issue to enlighten
them as well.
MV: You are welcome, thought I am properly addressed as Magus.
SM: Thank you, Magus.
MV: I am curious, before you leave: your publication is based
in Paragon City, is it not? That is why we are meeting here. Is it common for
you to interview servants of Arachnos in your pieces?
SM: It is actually. I try to show all aspects and points of
view, that way the public can have a broad understanding of the situation. I
would hate for them to have a narrow dogmatic view.
MV: I see. *chuckles* You are a man of some intelligence. What
do /you/ believe of time travel, oh nameless journalist?
SM: Oh, as a mortal with no extraordinary skills myself, I
believe that we should just let sleeping dogs lie. Know what I mean?
MV: I do. But extraordinary skills are a matter of perspective.
There is nothing so dangerous in all the cosmos as the power of words. I have
enjoyed speaking with you. You may contact me again, should you desire
my perspective.
SM: I just might do that. Thank you, Magus.
MV: You are quite welcome.
Ok so there are two things that you should take away from this encounter, in my
humble opinion. One is that time travel is extremely dangerous no matter how
man safeguards or heroes or villains there are. It just is. You never know
when you may stop your own bloodline from being created or change history in
the slightest degree. I believe firmly that time travel should be left alone
and not meddled with by heroes OR villains. Scientists or historians should
be the only ones to do so, allowing them to study the past. Not alter it. Then
again, there is the threat from people who wish to change the past, which makes
me feel that Orobouros should be doing all its work itself, and not asking us
to do it for them. The second thing: MuVashnae totally digs me. Come on, read
between the lines my friends. I am so in with her. Ladies, watch out, you have
competition. Scoop Man out.
-
Market Watch
The View on Blue
Billionaire Survey
In mid-October, I posted a
thread in the Market section of the forums asking billionaires to
answer a few questions. I don't have any way of auditing their accounts, of
course, and there is no reason to think that every wealthy forumite posted in
that thread, let alone every wealthy player. Nonetheless, I hope the answers I
received will be of some interest.
There were 60 respondents who claimed to have a net worth of 1,000,000,000
influence or more, some in cash on hand, others in slotted enhancements, or a
combination of the two. Some people mixed infamy with influence, but hey, I'm
not the IRS. Here are the questions I asked them:
1. How long have you been playing?
2. About how many hours do you play in a week?
3. How much of that time do you spend at the market?
4. How rich is ya?
5. What has been your most successful strategy for earning inf?
The markets were introduced to the game about eighteen months ago. At the time,
many people felt that veteran players had too much of a head start on earning
wealth and that no new players could ever hope to catch up to them. I never
bought that argument. I have been playing the game since it came out, but I was
poor as a churchmouse. I didn't even have a single level 50 character when the
markets came out. It's true that I am a billionaire veteran, but I don't think
being a veteran contributed significantly to my wealth. I was surprised to see
that almost all of the billionaires in this survey began playing before the
market was introduced, and most have been here for more than three years. Some
started the game three or four years ago and then came back after a break, so
they have an early start date but not as many vet badges. I'm not the only one
who earned most of his wealth after the markets were introduced, though.
Shred_Monkey has also been playing since beta, but he says that "I did all my
earning with 1 toon started in February '08." Overall, the average time in game
was three years and five months.
A far more important question, I think, is how much time people spend playing
per week. There are people who spend more time in-game on an average day than I
do in most weeks. The numbers in the survey varied, of course. Some people
barely play, either due to real life circumstances or because of burn out and
fatigue with the game. On the other extreme, Smurphy says he is logged in to
the game for more than 80 hours per week, though he spends a lot of that time
just chatting, and he often leaves the game up while doing other things around
the house. On average, the people in this survey spent about 20 hours per week
playing the game, but a lot of people play for 10 hours and a lot play for 30.
Some of that time was spent in the markets, but not as much as you might expect.
Some people say they barely use the markets at all, just stepping in for a
minute to dump all their salvage at the end of the day. Other people live
there. When I asked The_Bronx how much time he spent in the market, he replied
"All of it." On average, respondents spent 20% of their time at the market.
Most people spent less, but there were several outliers, like The_Bronx. The
median value was only 15%. For most people, that translated to about half an
hour per day.
The question of total wealth was difficult for people to answer, because their
wealth is tied up in enhancements, either slotted or sitting in storage bins.
There is an influence cap of 2,000,000,000 inf. No one character can hold more
than that at any one time, in cash. Even most billionaires have never brushed
up against it. Many players have wealth spread across multiple characters. Even
so, the total net worth seldom exceeded five billion, and never went over ten
billion.
What has been your most successful strategy for earning inf?
Seeing all the different strategies people used to make their billion was my
favorite part of the survey. Keep in mind, the survey was posted in the Market
section of the forums. It's only natural that the answers were skewed towards
marketeering. I suspect that a more scientific survey of the player base would
reveal far more farmers. Here are the most common responses:
Buying low and selling high: 27 respondents
Crafting common and/or Set IO enhancements: 26 respondents
Farming: 16 respondents
Playing normally: 12
Patience: 4
Vendoring (aka arbitrage): 2
Manipulating the market: 0
Note: Most people used multiple methods to amass their fortunes.
The most common response was simply buying low and selling high. As I discussed
in a previous article, the market moves up and down randomly all the time. It's
like being paid to ride a roller coaster. This is sometimes called "flipping",
but since that word is used to mean all sorts of crazy things, it probably
isn't worth using at all any more.
The second most common response, by a hair, was crafting. Most people crafted
some commons, but made their fortunes with set IO's. Combining base salvage is
another option. Miladys_Knight and JuliusSeizure even mentioned combining
inspirations for sale.
It's clear that the word "farming" meant different things to different people.
Nethergoat loves Dark Astoria, and other people spoke fondly of the walls in
Cimmerora. Some people talked about demon farms or task force farming. Some
specified solo farming, and others multi-boxed. I'm not sure where the line is
between farming and just playing the game, but I expect it's a very blurry
line.
Presumably, everyone makes some influence from just playing the game, but a
dozen people took the trouble to list it as a source of income. Some also
mentioned the drops they get from playing normally, especially the lucky ones.
A couple of people did not list anything but playing normally. Skydance said,
"I just punch stuff in the face."
Four people went out of their way to talk about patience, and the importance of
getting good prices whether you are buying or selling. Yomo_Kimyata said it
best: "Refuse to buy expensive or sell cheap."
Despite the fact that the word arbitrage was the source of much drama on the
forums when I9 debuted, or perhaps because of it, only two people listed
arbitrage, aka vendoring, as a profit method. I happen to know from other
threads that quite a few of the respondents have done it, but apparently it
isn't lucrative enough for them to bother listing it for this survey. Special
mention goes out to FourSpeed for reverse arbitrage: "The strategy that makes
me smile the most is buying EndMod recipes from the crafting table and selling
them on the market for crazy markups."
How many of the billionaires who responded to this survey listed market
manipulation as a source of income? None.
-
The
Redeemers
The next day found Garm and his crew taking the new guy to Atlas Park. They had
to meet with their main liaison to get Thomas formally inducted into the group
and get him on the payroll. With any luck, it would keep Crey off his back so
they could get back to work.
"I would think we'd investigate my problem," Redshadow muttered grumpily from
the back of the van.
"We're not detectives," Garm countered, "We're soldiers. We patrol for bad
things happening, and we deal with them. We don't crack open criminal hangouts
unless we've been told to."
He also didn't want to mention that it helped to show companies and groups that
you're not out for revenge when you join a group like this. They were composed
of nobodies and disillusioned malcontents from groups that looked very unkindly
to what they viewed as betrayal. The troll actually mused that it was probably
more disbelief than anything that had kept all of their former compatriots at
bay for so long.
"That doesn't make sense!" the former Protector almost shouted this time, "We're
supposed to be heroes now, right!?"
"One would suppose..."
Briggs brought the van around a corner and started driving past the main plaza
of Atlas Park. A new crop of heroes was being welcomed into service by Ms.
Liberty. The squat driver had to resist the urge to wave a lewd gesture out the
window at her. He still didn't like any of the "proud, cape wearing" heroes and
heroines. They always looked like they had something to hide. Still, Garm
would've been ticked and the new guy would be shocked, and Briggs didn't want
to hear them complain, so he reigned himself in.
"We didn't even get a reception like that," Garm chuckled, "Still, it's better
than being thrown in a slammer."
"Well, what do we do?"
"We told you, man," Doug clapped the swordsman on the shoulder, "Patrol! We take
down those purse snatchers and mobs of baddies while the other, regular heroes
aren't!"
"Making us something of a costumed sweeper team," Briggs growled, "Something
ain't right about that."
"Not everything can be a grand, epic adventure," Garm sighed, "Which is probably
a good thing."
He absent-mindedly rubbed his shoulder where the Freak Swiper had slashed a week
earlier. The others couldn't tell because of his jacket, but a puckered scar
sat there now. It caused Garm more than a little distress. His powers were
starting to fade.
He could still lift and hurl boulders, punch through brick walls and all manner
of other things, but slowly, as the Superadine wore out in his system, he would
lose it all. He wondered just how far it would go. Would he keep the tusks and
horns? Would he lose more than his enhanced muscles and be left a wiry,
skeletal frame? Or would he look just like his old self, a stupid punk wearing
his mom's tattered leather jacket and torn jeans because he thought it made him
look tough?
Briggs pulled the van into the parking lot of the Freedom Corps center they were
told to meet their liaison in. It was time to sign up Redshadow and find out
who he would be working with. Garm hoped it wasn't his crew. He had more than
enough hitters. He needed another support agent, or Genji's brain was going to
fry.
Inside, it was the same
rigmarole that greeted them every time they walked in. It didn't matter which
one of their crew walked in first, the "newbie" they had manning the door would
always freak out and bring his assault rifle to bear as soon as he saw the
former Outcasts or Trolls. He would think it was some sort of raid before one
of his superiors ordered him to stand down.
Sometimes, they got a few shots off, so Garm or Doug had taken to walking in
first anyway. The Trolls could take the hits. Doug was about to take point
himself, but Tom beat him to it and walked into the Freedom Corps building like
he did it every day.
Once Doug walked in, there was shouting and yelling and he casually waved off
the rookie with his I.D. The private's face seemed to drain of color as another
Freedom Corps agent walked into the lobby to shake Garm's hand.
"It's good you guys can keep out of trouble sometimes," Agent Wild chuckled,
"So, this is the new guy? Where's his uniform?"
"I burned it," Tom replied as he shook the other man's hand, "It didn't seem
right to keep, you know?"
Wild nodded and led the group into a back office. Thomas had all of his
necessary information memorized still, so the paperwork was a breeze. Everybody
was glad about that the brain work Mortiganen, Genji, and the peculiar
plant-like girl, Olive, were able to restore the young man to working order
without damaging his gray matter. There was still some time to check and see if
everything was still in working order, but for now, his memory and motor
functions were all intact. On the plus side, Mort said they'd tweaked whatever
it was that killed other Protectors, so he should be safe from whatever the
killswitch's trigger was.
"Alright, so, I've got your record stating you're a Dual Blades, Willpower
Scrapper," Wild muttered as he looked at his computer's monitor, "Funny, I
don't think I've ever seen a Protector like that..."
"I think they're experimental right now," Thomas chuckled, "I guess my escape
proves why."
"Makes sense... Are you using your original swords?"
"Nope. I don't know what happened to them, but they gave me a pair of these
ninja swords, like on that old kids cartoon show with the talking turtles."
"And is there anything you can tell us about Crey? This is kind of important."
"Sadly, no. My mind's a big fog from my days working as one of them."
Agent Wild nodded and printed out his new identification. It had his new
designation as "Protector Redshadow," and he was assigned as a "Roaming
Redeemer."
"What's that?" Garm growled.
"It means he can pursue his own leads," Wild replied, "You've got enough people
in your group, it's about time some of you were out investigating."
It was times like this that Garm was glad he didn't grind his teeth. He'd have
clipped the tip of his nose off with the ends of his tusks.
-
Continued from page 3
Interviewer: Intriguing. I did want to ask some questions about
the public perceptions of the Freakshow...the group has been called "a highly
factionalized group of nihilistic anarchists... fueled by a drug called Excelsior
and their unwavering hatred of 'the system'." How do you, personally, respond
to this?
Dirk: What people don't seem to understand sometimes is that
being a Freak is more than just a lifestyle; it's a political movement.
Interviewer: Do explain.
Dirk: Honestly, not to many people stop to ask about it...they
just see a bunch of *censored* punks *censored* about, having a *censored* good
time, and they assume we're a bunch of *censored* party-animals looking for the
next score. And I'm not saying there aren't *censored* like that in our group;
you get those sorts everywhere. There's an underlying message, you know?
Interviewer: And that would be...?
Dirk: The world is *censored*. It's going even deeper into
*censored* as we speak. You know how much they're spending to rebuild
*censored* Faultline? Money that could have been used for *censored* education,
or *censored* healthcare. They only *censored* reason they're bothering is some
*censored* heroes made a big *censored* deal out of it. So, in retaliation, we
smash a lot of *censored* stuff.
Interviewer: Does that make you feel better?
Dirk: No, not a whole *censored* lot. People don't get that
we're *censored* protesting here, because they sure as *censored* don't listen
when we talk! People don't see what they don't *censored* want to, that their
*censored* heroes are more concerned with reputation, and the *censored*
politicians are just looking to get re-elected! When was the last time a hero
really stood for *censored* change?
Interviewer: So, ideally, what are you and your group hoping to
achieve?
Dirk: Change. *censored* change, you know? The government can't
be *censored* trusted, we still don't know anywhere near enough about the
Rikti...who are sitting right in our *censored* city! Why hasn't the Statesman
and his *censored* band of do-gooders driven out the aliens, who they keep
saying are so *censored* bad? Why haven't the *censored* bureaucrats pressured
him to handle it? Because they need the *censored* Rikti. They need the climate
of fear to keep their *censored* power.
Interviewer: Strong words...
Dirk: *censored* right they are! Things need to change, the
people should rule, not *censored* governments, not *censored* supermen. You
know why the Freakshow is growing? Because we give a *censored* way out to
those stuck in dead end jobs...people stifled by the structure of society. We
never *censored* got a say in the way things are! Cops say it's the
"hedonistic" lifestyle that seduces people, when really it's the chance to be
free. The *censored* powers that be just don't get that!
Interviewer: Yes, I've heard reports of an undercover detective
joining the Freaks...
Dirk: *censored* yeah! Iron Badge! He saw the world for what it
was, and joined our cause of his own free will. That's how it starts, you know?
One person at a time...soon, we'll bring change, no matter what those *censored*
fat cats say!
Interviewer: And what of the purported criminal activities of
your organization?
Dirk: I've seen *censored* soccer riots cause more damage.
Seriously, the *censored* heroes do more *censored* damage than we do! We show
up to a city council meeting, and everyone decides that it's a *censored*
hostage situation! We decide to hold a scavenger hunt, and they're calling out
the national *censored* guard! You know what it's like when you can't even
walking down the *censored* street, without a *censored* hero trying to kick
your *censored* for no real reason at all?
Interviewer: No, I can't say that I do.
Dirk: Well, it's pretty much *censored* sucks.
Interviewer: I suppose it does. Do you have anything else you'd
like to say to the audience?
Dirk: Stay in *censored* school, kids, and then see the world
what it's really for.
Interviewer: I did have one final question I wished to ask.
Your...ex-girlfriend was Valencia Cartwright, correct?
Dirk: Yeah, that was her. *censored*what of it?
Interviewer: Then were you aware of her death April 12th, 2002,
a victim of a botched robbery attempt?
Dirk: (Silent for a moment) ...yeah, I know.
Interviewer: Does that change your opinions of her at all?
Dirk: We loved each other, you know? Really *censored* loved
each other. She was coming to see me that day, you know? Coming to visit me...
(Tears well in his eyes)
Interviewer: We don't need to talk about this...
Dirk: Fifteen *censored* heroes. Fifteen *censored* heroes
walked, flew or jumped right past. She was yelling for someone to *censored*
help her. And fifteen of those *censored* capes just *censored* ran right past,
because they were too *censored* important to stop to help one *censored*
citizen in danger. If the heroes can't, or won't, then it falls to the people
to stand up and *censored* do something, to set things right. I don't know if
we're the right *censored*, but we've got to try and make sure those *censored*
heroes never forget. That's all there *censored* is to it.
Interviewer: Thank you for your time.
Dirk: *censored*
-
Continued from page 2
Interviewer: Tell us about that, if you can.
Dirk: Well, I had a job working for Lockhart, right? It's a
good gig, experimental stuff, and the pay's great. Now, there I am, minding my
own business, when some *censored* cape *censored* blows in there, blasting the
place to pieces. Last thing I remember is ducking under a table as that
*censored* brought down the whole *censored* ceiling!
Interviewer: So a hero destroyed the lab?
Dirk: *censored* yeah! Acts all high-and-*censored*-mighty,
like he had a right to be there. We weren't doing anything *censored* wrong!
There was no illegal experimentation going on! And when Lockhart tried to sue,
the whole thing got buried by the *censored* media!
Interviewer: So what happened to you?
Dirk: I woke up in the hospital three weeks later, missing my
*censored* hands. My *censored* girlfriend took off without so much as a
*censored* word, Lockhart didn't want a *censored* cripple, and I couldn't even
play the *censored* drums in my *censored* band anymore! I lost *censored*
everything!
Interviewer: It says here that you ended up leaving the
treatment program before finishing. Could you tell us about that?
Dirk: Sure! First off, the *censored* doctors didn't know a
*censored* from their own *censored* and a *censored* trying to *censored*! It
didn't go so well, you know? I was *censored* depressed, and I mean, who
wouldn't be? Of course, then the *censored* aliens show up.
Interviewer: You mean the Rikti?
Dirk: Ugly *censored*, they were. Now, I managed to avoid that
whole cluster *censored*, which was good by me, but next thing I know my
*censored* treatment's gettin' pushed back, now they don't have *censored*
cybernetics available because some *censored* hero lost a *censored* finger!
Interviewer: So you were marginalized by the treatment of the
heroes?
Dirk: *censored* yeah, I was! All the *censored* doctors were
busy helping the poor *censored* heroes that survived the war, like they were
somehow more *censored* important than everybody else! I know it was a terrible
time, and I'm not faultin' the docs for being a little busy, but where the
*censored* do they get off tossin' me some pills and ignorin' me because some
*censored* hero broke his *censored* leg when he tripped trying to *censored*
run from the *censored* aliens? Did I matter less because I didn't have my
hands blown off by some *censored* E.T. *censored*?
Interviewer: So what happened next?
Dirk: Well, after about two months of that *censored*, I
decided to take off. I didn't have a *censored* goal in mind, I just needed to
get away. The city was still *censored*, so it wasn't too hard disappearing. I
ended up back in King's Row, back home...
Interviewer: I see.
Dirk: Starting running with the Lost at first. Bunch of
*censored* that turned out to be. More like a cult than anything. And they
didn't seem to *censored* like me anyways. Tried hookin' up with the Skulls
after that, didn't *censored* stick, finally ended up with the Trolls in
Skyway.
Interviewer: And how did that go?
Dirk: How do you *censored* expect? Got hooked on *censored*
Superdine, not to mention a bunch of other *censored*. I was a *censored*
super-addict, I was high 27 hours a day. I probably *censored* O.D.ed half a
dozen times. I know I was in and out of the hospital a *censored* lot.
Interviewer: Yes, we do have some records to that effect... seems
you even literally fought your way out on one occasion.
Dirk: I *censored* wish I could *censored* remember that. Any
of that; it's all gone now.
Interviewer: So what finally changed? How did you pull yourself
out of the spiral?
Dirk: Well, I've heard two versions, can you *censored* believe
it? The first is that my so-called "friends" just dumped me in the sewers after
an O.D., figuring I was *censored* dead. The other is that the Trolls and
Freaks decided to have a little rumble, and I got my *censored* head handed to
me. Rest of the gang runs off, leaving me behind, and one of the Juicers
recognizes me from when I was in my *censored* band, and they take me back with
them.
Interviewer: Captured by the Freakshow? That sounds
frightening.
Dirk: All I know is, I *censored* woke up totally coming down
*censored* hard. I don't *censored* know what was real and what wasn't, and I
know I got *censored* shocked unconscious a few times in there. After... a long
*censored* time, I came back to my senses. They kept me under guard, sure, but
they treated me well. Said I was one of their own, just lost my way.
Interviewer: Did you believe that?
Dirk: *censored* yeah I did! Everything finally started to make
sense, you know? Turned out I was some kind of *censored* celebrity to these
guys! Once they were sure I was over my habits, they started talking about
*censored* cybernetics! And not some *censored* hook-hands like the *censored*
docs were talking about. Real *censored* heavy metal! Serious *censored* stuff...
Interviewer: So you received prosthetics?
Dirk: *censored* yeah I did! These *censored* beautiful claw
right here... (Dirk manipulates his jagged metallic claw with incredible
precision, picking up a pen off the floor) Course, my drumming isn't as good
as it used to be, but I'm getting better every day now. Even got a special pair
of hands for the shows now!
Continued page 4
-
Community
Get Your Freak On
Dreck was out of the Zig, thanks to his high priced lawyer. Unfortunately, he
decided to leave this dimension, again thanks to his high priced lawyer. And I
thought collection agencies were bad. NEVER owe money to a Lawyer. Even if
you're a high powered Super Villain with a VERY large following.
Portal Corp managed to track Dreck down. Not all that surprising, given that he
broke into Portal Corp and used their equipment to leave this dimension in the
first place. To make a long story short, a friend "convinced" Dreck and his
cronies to return to this dimension, and judge the next to last set of winners
in the "Get Your Freak On" contest. What contest? The contest announced in the
August 29th issue of the City Scoop. There have been 7 winners already,
and they should have their Freakshow costume codes already.
So Dreck took a look through the remaining entries. But he didn't want to pick
just two. "Look, it's been a hassle dealing with you. And now I got that Lawyer
after me. If I decide to leave town, I don't want you coming after me to drag
me back. So I'm just gonna pick the last 4 winners and then say bye. Deal?" I
agreed.
He picked 3 pictures, and also an article. "You probably won't print this,
because it has too much *censored* swearing. But I think it really says
something about the Freakshow." I knew the article he'd picked, and just said
"We'll see what the editor says."
Congrats to the final winners in the Get Your Freak On contest, angusbeef,
dantedimorec, ikari0229, and petercullenbryan. The first 3 are pictures, while
the last is the story.
Winning Article
In our ongoing series on the other side of Paragon City, we sometimes
interview the people that no one else has the willingness to speak to. Last
time, famed documentarian Marcus Morsehead interviewed a member of Creys elite
Security Division. In this weeks installment, ace reporter Clint Cassidy will
be meeting Dirk, a member of the often feared, but perhaps misunderstood,
Freakshow.
Interviewer: So tell me a little bit about yourself, Dirk.
Dirk: Well, I was born right here in Paragon, grew up in Kings
Row. Now, I know what youre thinking that Im just some punk from the wrong
side of the tracks, and Ive always been. That just isnt true, you know? I
went to school, I got myself an education, I have a *censored* bachelors in
physics. But that just aint something that matters, you know? Not when things
are as bad as they are
Interviewer: It sounds like you had a pretty good life. What
happened?
Dirk: Oh yeah, I did. Things were going good. I had a
girlfriend, a job, even played drums in a band on the weekend. Life was pretty
*censored* sweet. Then everything came crashing down.
Continued page 3
-
The City Scoop
Formal Fashion
for the Serious Super
Hello to all my little American chums, and welcome to my very 1st fashion
column. It is my intent to explore the zany unpredictable world of super hero
fashion; I welcome you all to join me on this journey. Please bring a packed
lunch as we will not be stopping!
First of all, I would like a toast to the sexy one, J-Love. Without his heroic
efforts we would have no new fashions and for that I will always be his biggest
fan!
Anyway, down to business. Issue 13 is still some way away, but lets look at the
fashion implications in J-Loves fall catalogue. Shields are shaping up to be
very sexy, with a variety of unexpected options such as the elemental shields.
However, there are also the new suits and shirts the will be available as part
of the Day jobs and regular clothes line.
So whats on offer this season I hear you ask?
Shields!
Well I for one was stunned by the options presented under shields. Like many I
was expected a Onan the Barbarian and other friends from the Age of the World
of Lord of the Everquesting Vanguard type power set, In essence a lot of
medieval style, ho hum, been done a thousand times before shields. I have been
pleasantly surprised with whats on offer.
The shields are for all supers, not just fantasy characters. Be sure to check
examples like the manhole cover, the riot shields and the tech shield. The
elemental shields however take the cake, and mix very nicely with their
relevant melee powerset, (Fire, Ice, Earth, Energy, Electricity, Dark and
others). If you cant make it to test check out
this link for a good number of shield screenshots, as always thanks to
paragon wiki!
Formal and normal wear
Oh yes, the suits! I love the new suits, especially how Jay has left the bottom
button undone in the correct manner. Once issue 13 goes live you will find
these sexy new suits under the Jackets tab. There are multiple blazer styles,
some vests, an official shirt and many more. Another great new item is the
official belt under belt selections, finally a belt with a sidearm and cuffs
for all your law enforcement needs *although other uses spring to mind*
The expanded range of normal clothing is of benefit to roleplayers who wish to
role play their new jobs as well as any super who just wants to look good. If
spandex is not for you, and you feel more comfortable commanding your goons in
a three piece suit then I suggest checking out the new threads come issue 13.
Montage
I jumped on test a few nights back and asked if anyone would model their issue
13 fashions for me. Thanks to those who popped along, here is a montage of
those sexy new Issue 13 looks.
Farewell, and peace to you all
Crime of Fashion
City Scoop fashion report and runway diva!
Vol. 2, Issue 23
November 14th, 2008
This Issue:
Upcoming Events:
November 15th
Freedom
Justice
Triumph
Virtue
November 16th
Virtue
November 18th
Virtue
November 22nd
Infinity
November 23rd
Justice
November 26th
Liberty
-
NOTICE TO ALL SUPER POWERED BEINGS:
CONFIDENTIAL MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM OMEGA TEAM:
OPERATIVE--AJAX
Be advised. Incoming attack inevitable! Evacuation orders for all civilians. Call all available Super Powered Beings. Rikti Alien Invasion NOW!!
Star Strider Forces Registry
Name:
Global Contact:
Level of Classification:
Origin:
Super Rank & Super Group: -
NOTICE TO ALL SUPER POWERED BEINGS:
CONFIDENTIAL MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM OMEGA TEAM:
OPERATIVE--AJAX
Be advised. Incoming attack inevitable! Evacuation orders for all civilians. Call all available Super Powered Beings. Rikti Alien Invasion NOW!!
Star Strider Forces Registry
Name:
Global Contact:
Level of Classification:
Origin:
Super Rank & Super Group: -
NOTICE TO ALL SUPER POWERED BEINGS:
CONFIDENTIAL MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM OMEGA TEAM:
OPERATIVE--AJAX
Be advised. Incoming attack inevitable! Evacuation orders for all civilians. Call all available Super Powered Beings. Rikti Alien Invasion NOW!!
Star Strider Forces Registry
Name:
Global Contact:
Level of Classification:
Origin:
Super Rank & Super Group: -
NOTICE TO ALL SUPER POWERED BEINGS:
CONFIDENTIAL MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM OMEGA TEAM:
OPERATIVE--AJAX
Be advised. Incoming attack inevitable! Evacuation orders for all civilians. Call all available Super Powered Beings. Rikti Alien Invasion NOW!!
Star Strider Forces Registry
Name:
Global Contact:
Level of Classification:
Origin:
Super Rank & Super Group: -
NOTICE TO ALL SUPER POWERED BEINGS:
CONFIDENTIAL MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM OMEGA TEAM:
OPERATIVE--AJAX
Be advised. Incoming attack inevitable! Evacuation orders for all civilians. Call all available Super Powered Beings. Rikti Alien Invasion NOW!!
Star Strider Forces Registry
Name:
Global Contact:
Level of Classification:
Origin:
Super Rank & Super Group: -
NOTICE TO ALL SUPER POWERED BEINGS:
CONFIDENTIAL MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM OMEGA TEAM:
OPERATIVE--AJAX
Be advised. Incoming attack inevitable! Evacuation orders for all civilians. Call all available Super Powered Beings. Rikti Alien Invasion NOW!!
Star Strider Forces Registry
Name:
Global Contact:
Level of Classification:
Origin:
Super Rank & Super Group: -
NOTICE TO ALL SUPER POWERED BEINGS:
CONFIDENTIAL MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM OMEGA TEAM:
OPERATIVE--AJAX
Be advised. Incoming attack inevitable! Evacuation orders for all civilians. Call all available Super Powered Beings. Rikti Alien Invasion NOW!!
Star Strider Forces Registry
Name:
Global Contact:
Level of Classification:
Origin:
Super Rank & Super Group: -
NOTICE TO ALL SUPER POWERED BEINGS:
CONFIDENTIAL MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM OMEGA TEAM:
OPERATIVE--AJAX
Be advised. Incoming attack inevitable! Evacuation orders for all civilians. Call all available Super Powered Beings. Rikti Alien Invasion NOW!!
Star Strider Forces Registry
Name:
Global Contact:
Level of Classification:
Origin:
Super Rank & Super Group: -
NOTICE TO ALL SUPER POWERED BEINGS:
CONFIDENTIAL MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM OMEGA TEAM:
OPERATIVE--AJAX
Be advised. Incoming attack inevitable! Evacuation orders for all civilians. Call all available Super Powered Beings. Rikti Alien Invasion NOW!!
Star Strider Forces Registry
Name:
Global Contact:
Level of Classification:
Origin:
Super Rank & Super Group: -
NOTICE TO ALL SUPER POWERED BEINGS:
CONFIDENTIAL MESSAGE RECEIVED FROM OMEGA TEAM:
OPERATIVE--AJAX
Be advised. Incoming attack inevitable! Evacuation orders for all civilians. Call all available Super Powered Beings. Rikti Alien Invasion NOW!!
Star Strider Forces Registry
Name:
Global Contact:
Level of Classification:
Origin:
Super Rank & Super Group: -
Boomtown one of Europe's premiere gaming news and gaming communities resource outlets recently caught up with Senior Lead Designer Matt "Positron" Miller. Catching the cape of this Hero is no small feat so Boomtown's interviewer Jakob Paulsen worked to unravel as many mysteries as possible about 'City of Heroes' upcoming release of Issue 13: Power and Responsibility.
Positron speaks of PvP, day jobs, shields, pain domination, inventions, powers, and more resources for the NCsoft studio that is focused on bringing 'City of Heroes' on to bigger and better ventures like the upcoming Mission Architect.
Check out the article here: City of Heroes Issue 13 interview
Discuss the article here with the community! -
Boomtown one of Europe's premiere gaming news and gaming communities resource outlets recently caught up with Senior Lead Designer Matt "Positron" Miller. Catching the cape of this Hero is no small feat so Boomtown's interviewer Jakob Paulsen worked to unravel as many mysteries as possible about 'City of Heroes' upcoming release of Issue 13: Power and Responsibility.
Positron speaks of PvP, day jobs, shields, pain domination, inventions, powers, and more resources for the NCsoft studio that is focused on bringing 'City of Heroes' on to bigger and better ventures like the upcoming Mission Architect.
Check out the article here: City of Heroes Issue 13 interview
Discuss the article here with the community! -
Vol. 2, Issue 22
November 7th, 2008
The City Scoop a publication for Supers by Supers! We have a late edition for last Friday but we are expecting more great news Coming Soon from our beloved City Scoop Staff.
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 Lighthouse or 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
Finally if you have a Classified Ad or Recipe you would like included please contact: LadyK or MistressNoire -
Vol. 2, Issue 22
November 7th, 2008
The City Scoop a publication for Supers by Supers! We have a late edition for last Friday but we are expecting more great news Coming Soon from our beloved City Scoop Staff.
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 Lighthouse or 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
Finally if you have a Classified Ad or Recipe you would like included please contact: LadyK or MistressNoire -
The City Scoop Staff
-
Base Showcase
To my Readers:
To my Readers:
Due to a shortage of base entries this week I have decided to run an instructional article from the forums. With the price changes coming in I-13 I am guessing alot of bases are under construction ( I know mine are ) and since it seems the magic desk is still going to be useful at least into I-13 I figured this would be a great thread to get out there again. (Editor's note: With Issue 13 this will not be needed. The article was written before the beta opened to the public. -Snow_Globe)
This one is from Mook_gone_Amok
These are somewhat simple instructions on how to make a Magic Desk. A Magic Desk is any typical coutner-style desk that is used to place normal, everyday item like Microscopes and such. However, a Magic Desk also has the special property of being able to be combined with other Magic Desks to create a large base in order to float large objects in the air that could not normally fit onto one desk.
Here are some examples of larger items that I have floated in the air by using the MCG_Warface floating technique and some instructions that Zengor posted on these forums.
Now, before you get all excited about making Magic Desks. Be aware that quite of few of the larger items that you can put in a base refuse to be floated in the air.
OK, here are the steps on how to make a Magic Desk. Please forgive for the poor quality screen shots. CoX and my video card do not play nicely together.
Step 1: Place a counter style desk on the ground.
Step 2: Place a second counter style desk next to it. Make sure that the front or drawer side is on the same side as the first desk that you placed.
By imagesbyalex
Step 3: Drag the desk that you created in Step 2 exactly on top of the desk you created in Step 1. You will mostly like have to change your camera angle in order to be able to do this.
Steps 4-7: Ok, this is were is gets a little tricky to explain. While on Step 3 make sure not to let go of your left mouse button. With the desk from Step 2 stacked directly on the top of the desk from Step 1, rotate the desk a total of four times by click on your right mouse button. Now releae both mouse buttons in order to set the desk down.
Step 8: Now this is another important step. Repeat Steps 4 though 7 again! If you do not repeat the process your Magic Desk will not work.
Congratulations! After follow these 8 steps, you have created a Magic Desk. Although you better test it by placing another desk across the top.
As you can see, there is a gap between the two base desks, and the desk on top is crossing this gap. Your Magic Desk is the base desk that you rotated.
Now, you can make several Magic Desks and use them to form a base of desks to float a large object. Just make sure that there are enough desks so that the object that you are floating does not hang over the edge.
I understand that these instructions may be a little hard to follow, but keep trying it. With practice, I am now able to make a Magic Desk in about 15 seconds.
Thanks to Xeaon for giving me many hours of fun by letting me play with one of his VG's bases.
