Ex_Libris
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Posts
3904 -
Joined
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Hey Gang,
We aren't doing the in game exclusive item to upset anyone that cannot make the event. We are part of the show and this is part of our giveaway to our supporters that will be at the show.
Someone mentioned the in game wedding, and that by and large was also an exclusive event because not every player got the chance to attend. We will never be able to keep everyone happy, but we do like to take the opportunities that are presented to us to do what we can when we can.
If you have concerns you would like to discuss you can always contact me via email at exlibris@ncsoft.com or here on the boards via PM.
Regards,
Ex Libris -
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
July 23-July 27th members of the City of Heroes team will be at Comic Con to share in the fun. Stop by the NCsoft booth # 5209 to meet up with Lighthouse, Ex Libris, and Blue Steel from the City of Heroes & City of Villains team.
Be sure to ask for your Pocket D VIP Pass *** to gain access to the Pocket D Jubilee** event scheduled for Saturday July 26th. The VIP Pass will also unlock a special in game item that was selected for this show only.
**
City of Heroes® Presents
Pocket D Jubilee, Comic Con 2008
When: Saturday, July 26, 8pm 1:30am
The first 1,000 people with valid ID will receive a free drink ticket. One ticket per person. Must be 21 or older.
***
You do not have to be a City of Heroes subscriber to attend our event, stop by the booth and ask for a VIP Pass. This event is open to all Comic Con Attendees and City of Heroes subscribers that are 21+ and have valid I.D and have picked up a pass from the NCsoft booth.
[/ QUOTE ]
Maybe you could clear this up for me, but where exactly is the Jubilee going to be? Did you guys get a bar reserved in the area or something?
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, we have booked a club and DJ for the event. We thought a party would be a perfect way to end Comic Con.
Regards,
Ex -
July 23-July 27th members of the City of Heroes team will be at Comic Con to share in the fun. Stop by the NCsoft booth # 5209 to meet up with Lighthouse, Ex Libris, and Blue Steel from the City of Heroes & City of Villains team.
Be sure to ask for your Pocket D VIP Pass *** to gain access to the Pocket D Jubilee** event scheduled for Saturday July 26th. The VIP Pass will also unlock a special in game item that was selected for this show only.
**
City of Heroes® Presents
Pocket D Jubilee, Comic Con 2008
When: Saturday, July 26, 8pm 1:30am
The first 1,000 people with valid ID will receive a free drink ticket. One ticket per person. Must be 21 or older.
***
You do not have to be a City of Heroes subscriber to attend our event, stop by the booth and ask for a VIP Pass. This event is open to all Comic Con Attendees and City of Heroes subscribers that are 21+ and have valid I.D and have picked up a pass from the NCsoft booth. -
July 23-July 27th members of the City of Heroes team will be at Comic Con to share in the fun. Stop by the NCsoft booth # 5209 to meet up with Lighthouse, Ex Libris, and Blue Steel from the City of Heroes & City of Villains team.
Be sure to ask for your Pocket D VIP Pass *** to gain access to the Pocket D Jubilee** event scheduled for Saturday July 26th. The VIP Pass will also unlock a special in game item that was selected for this show only.
**
City of Heroes® Presents
Pocket D Jubilee, Comic Con 2008
When: Saturday, July 26, 8pm 1:30am
The first 1,000 people with valid ID will receive a free drink ticket. One ticket per person. Must be 21 or older.
***
You do not have to be a City of Heroes subscriber to attend our event, stop by the booth and ask for a VIP Pass. This event is open to all Comic Con Attendees and City of Heroes subscribers that are 21+ and have valid I.D and have picked up a pass from the NCsoft booth.
Join us in this thread for discussion of the event! -
On Tuesday June 24th, 8:00AM CT (6:00AM PT) all North American Servers will be brought down to update to Patch 17.200800612.1T.
The estimated downtime is 2 hours, we apologize for the inconvenience. During this maintenance all characters will be granted one tailor token.
For discussion on this update please join us here!
Regards,
Ex Libris -
On Tuesday June 24th, 8:00AM CT (6:00AM PT) all North American Servers will be brought down to update to Patch 17.200800612.1T.
The estimated downtime is 2 hours, we apologize for the inconvenience. During this maintenance all characters will be granted one tailor token.
Feel free to discuss this update here. -
OP has been updated with new guides.
Ex -
[ QUOTE ]
Will the VIP passes be available during preview night? I find it so much easier to get around during that event. Great idea...looking forward to the festivities!
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes they should be, I'll be on the show floor that night.
Ex -
Edition 53 of "The City Scoop a publication for Supers by Supers!
Looks like a full issue of The City Scoop! We have market watch, base showcase, some regular editorial features, and Flavor. What is your favorite part of the Scoop, wed love to hear your feedback.
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 PMSnow_Globe or Pants_Stealer
If you or someone you know should be considered for Behind the Mask Teldon
If you need some Advice contact Lady_Athyna or would like to Ask The X contact LiquidX
Finally if you have a Classified Ad you would like included please contact: LadyK
Discussion on the latest edition of "The City Scoop" is located here. -
Edition 53 of "The City Scoop a publication for Supers by Supers!
Looks like a full issue of The City Scoop! We have market watch, base showcase, some regular editorial features, and Flavor. What is your favorite part of the Scoop, wed love to hear your feedback.
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 or Pants_Stealer
If you or someone you know should be considered for Behind the Mask Teldon
If you need some Advice contact Lady_Athyna or would like to Ask The X contact LiquidX
Finally if you have a Classified Ad you would like included please contact: LadyK
Discussion on the latest edition of "The City Scoop" is located here. -
The City Scoop Staff
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Puzzles
-
Food
& Recipes
Chinese Food
Ever have that craving for Chinese food but don't feel like going anywhere? Want
to save your money and know you have the ingredients or can get the ingredients
for cheaper than going out to eat somewhere? Well, sit back and check these
recipes out, because they are pretty easy to make.
Kung Pao Chicken
INGREDIENTS
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 ounce hot chili paste
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
4 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts
4 ounces chopped peanuts
DIRECTIONS
To Make Marinade: Combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1
tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture and mix together.
To Make Sauce: In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy
sauce, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture, chili paste,
vinegar and sugar. Mix together and add green onion, garlic, water chestnuts
and peanuts. In a medium skillet, heat sauce slowly until aromatic.
Place chicken pieces in a glass dish or bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat.
Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Remove chicken from
marinade and saute in a large skillet until meat is white and juices run clear.
When sauce is aromatic, add sauteed chicken and let simmer together until sauce
thickens.
Hot & Sour Soup
INGREDIENTS
5 dried wood ear mushrooms
4 dried shiitake mushrooms
8 dried tiger lily buds
4 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup diced bamboo shoots
1/3 cup lean ground pork
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
1/2 (16 ounce) package firm tofu, cubed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
DIRECTIONS
Soak the dried mushrooms and tiger lily buds in warm water for 20 minutes.
After trimming off any tough stems, slice the mushrooms. With the fingers,
shred the tiger lily stems. Place the mushrooms, tiger lily buds, stock, bamboo
shoots, and shredded pork into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 10
minutes. Stir in soy sauce, sugar, salt, white pepper, and vinegar. Combine
cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water. Add a little of the hot soup to the
cornstarch, and then return all to the pan. Heat to boiling, stirring. Add the
bean curd, and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Just before serving, turn off the heat.
Stir the egg in gradually. Mix in sesame oil. Sprinkle each serving with
scallions.
Szechwan Shrimp
INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup sliced green onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces cooked shrimp, tails removed
DIRECTIONS
In a bowl, stir together water, ketchup, soy sauce, cornstarch, honey, crushed
red pepper, and ground ginger. Set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over
medium-high heat. Stir in green onions and garlic; cook 30 seconds. Stir in
shrimp, and toss to coat with oil. Stir in sauce. Cook and stir until sauce is
bubbly and thickened.
Sweet & Sour Chicken
INGREDIENTS
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
2 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 3/4 cups water
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
2 drops orange food color
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
2 1/4 cups self-rising flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 egg
2 cups water
1 quart vegetable oil for frying
DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, vinegar, reserved pineapple
syrup, and orange food coloring. Heat to boiling. Turn off heat. Combine 1/4
cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; slowly stir into saucepan. Continue stirring
until mixture thickens. Combine flour, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons
cornstarch, salt, white pepper, and egg. Add 1 1/2 cups water gradually to make
a thick batter. Stir to blend thoroughly. Add chicken pieces, and stir until
chicken is well coated. Heat oil in skillet or wok to 360 degrees F (180
degrees C). Fry chicken pieces in hot oil until golden. Remove chicken, and
drain on paper towels. When ready to serve, layer green peppers, pineapple
chunks, and cooked chicken pieces on a platter. Pour hot sweet and sour sauce
over top.
See you again next week. I'll have some vegetarian meals to share.
~Mistress
Noire
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Base Showcase
Legion
of Valor
Fallen
Legion
Who is your base designer and who are your supergroup leaders?
Im the base designer for both of our super groups. In CoV Im known as Battle
Bones. My main hero CoH-side is Pagan Priest. Cosmic Titan was the original
founder of the SGs. He has since retired from the game. The torch was passed to
LastGunslinger and then again recently to StainedGlassScarlet (Steel
Dominatrix villain-side). However, there are approximately 12 other officers
who help to run the day-to-day responsibilities of the super groups. We
consider ourselves one super group though with two in-game presences.
Which server are your bases on?
Victory.
How many players are in your supergroup?
Legion of Valor 208
Fallen Legion 142
What is the approximate value of your base?
Legion of Valor 127,448,569 prestige
Fallen Legion 96,863,855 prestige
How much time do you spend working on your base? How much time have you
invested so far?
When I became the SG's architect, I decided a complete remodel was in order. I
started out with the hero base and completed it in roughly a week and a half. I
probably spent between 50-70 hours on it. The villain base took two weeks and
somewhere between 60-80 hours. Now that both bases have been through a recent
redesign, I dont spend any time on them at all. I dont imagine there will be
a need to do anything until new base content is released.
What is your favorite base item? Least favorite?
I really like the mega control items on both the arcane and tech sides. Arcane
side its known as Mystic Orrery and tech side its called the Autonomous
Expert System. Both look really cool hanging from the ceiling, especially the
arcane one, with which you can easily build a planetarium. Im not sure that I
have a least favorite item. Really, theyre all great and each has its place in
the base. I guess I could say that a jar of eyeballs isnt all that exciting
but if youre making a lab, especially a mad scientist-type lab, theyre
absolutely needed!
What is your favorite thing about base editing? Least favorite?
My favorite thing about base editing is simply the ability to take things and
put them together to create something amazing. Its that same excitement and
satisfaction you get after youve created a character and you think to
yourself, Wow, I really nailed it! This looks awesome!!!. One of my least
favorite things about base editing is the fact that theres no undo feature. I
cant tell you how many times Ive accidentally grabbed something and moved it.
A quick click to undo the last move would be so helpful.
What is the highest thing on your wish-list for new base items?
Water! The ability to have water in the bases vs. painted flooring would be
an awesome addition to the game. Or grass! Grass is another one. Architects
have to fudge these effects by selecting the gravel textured flooring and
painting it blue or green.
If you could give just one piece of advice to a new base editor, what would
it be?
Before building your base, visit the official forums! It has a wealth of
knowledge available. The research I did prior to doing anything with the bases
was to rummage through the Base Construction and PvP Bases threads. The
information was invaluable and gave me some great ideas as well. Thanks to all
of you out there who have taken the time to share your base pictures and ideas,
or answer questions that people have had. Your collective knowledge is truly
amazing and it really helped this particular base architect out!
Anything else you'd like to add about your SG, your base or the base system
in general?
Of course! I gotta get in a recruiting plug please visit us at
http://legionofvalor.guildportal.com for more information on joining
Legion of Valor and/or Fallen Legion. Were one of the largest SGs on the
Victory server and a friendly bunch of people to boot! Id also like to say
that building a base is one of the most fun things Ive done in the game. If
you enjoy creating characters and the flexibility that the character creation
tool offers, chances are you'll enjoy building bases as well! As far as the
base system in general goes I wait with anticipation with what the future
holds. Im sure Im not alone when I
-
Market Watch
The View on Blue
A level 50 SO is far more expensive than a level 5 TO. Since the game came out,
players have been accustomed to paying more for higher level enhancements when
buying from NPC's. We do the same thing in the Consignment House, and why not?
After all, higher level enhancements are always better than lower level
ones...or are they? Actually, there are two big exceptions. Procs give a fixed
benefit no matter what level the enhancement is. The other exception involves
set bonuses. If you exemplar more than three levels below the level of your
enhancements, you will lose the set bonuses from those enhancements. This
includes the benefit of the special enhancements which function like set
bonuses.
How do these exceptions impact prices? Let's look at three examples. First up,
Karma: Knockback protection. This recipe runs from level 10 to 30, but it does
the exact same thing no matter which level it is. When slotted, it provides 4
points of knockback protection. It is a global enhancement, which functions as
a set bonus. If you exemplar more than three levels below the level of your
enhancement, it will cease working. This makes the lower level recipe more
valuable then the higher level version, the exact opposite of what
people are used to. Do the prices reflect this reality?
I spent an evening transcribing the last five sales at every level for this
recipe. That may seem like a small snapshot, but the last five transactions
often extended back a week or more. Each vertical line shows the range of
prices I observed for that level of the recipe. I marked the mean value of the
last five sales with a dark blue dot. There was actually one sale for
180,000,000, but I didn't include that on the graph because I'm sure the buyer
did not intend or need to spend that much. Besides, it made a mess out of my
graph.
As you can see, the level 10 and level 30 recipes have been selling in the exact
same price range. For everything in between, the prices go up and down pretty
randomly. I would like to call your attention to a few points. First, when
people talk about the cost of the Karma -KB recipe, the price which comes up
most often is 20,000,000. As you can see, 20 million is well above the average
price at almost every level. Second, do you see how tall some of those lines
are? That sort of a gap is a profit opportunity, but be careful. Past
performance is no guarantee of future results.
Next, we'll look at the Regenerative Tissue unique. It adds 25% to your
regeneration. It always does that, no matter what level the enhancement is.
Unlike the Karma we just looked at, the Regenerative Tissue is a proc, which
means that it will keep working when you exemplar down, as long as the recipe
exists at your new level, and the power in which the proc is slotted is still
available to you. (Although that second part may not be enforced due to a bug).
Logically, the demand should be the same no matter what level it is. Because
it's in Pool A, just like the Karma -KB, the supply should be fairly consistent
across levels. So what do the prices look like?
Well, that looks... random. There is no particular upward or downward trend from
left to right. Why are the level 28 ones so cheap? I have no idea. It makes me
wonder if people are setting their sell prices based on the last 5 transaction
prices without bothering to check the prices from one level up or down. An
interesting fact that didn't fit into the graph: at most levels, the oldest of
the last five transactions was more than two weeks ago. Several were from four
weeks ago. These things just don't show up very often. Again, we see some very
tall bars. If you can buy at 25 million and sell at 35 million, you'll be
making a tidy profit. It will take a lot of patience, though. You might have to
wait weeks for a recipe to turn over.
Finally: Crushing Impact, Acc/Dam. This is another Pool A recipe, uncommon this
time. It's very popular among melee characters who want the recharge set bonus.
To keep the set bonus when they exemplar down, they want a low level version of
the recipe. On the other hand, because they are slotting it into their primary
powers, they want a higher level version, so they get the most enhancement
possible. How do people react when there are benefits to both higher and lower
level versions?
Note the price surges at levels 33 and 41. I'm sure it's no coincidence that 33
is the highest level IO you can slot without losing your set bonus when you
enter Sirens Call. 41 is the highest level IO you can slot without losing your
set bonus in Warburg. I was surprised by how small the level 33 boost was. The
big boost at level 41 was caused in part by a single buy for 5,555,555
influence, far over the going rate. I guess someone was in a hurry, or perhaps
it was a typo. If you only looked at level 41, you might think that you could
sell a recipe for 5,000,000 with a little patience. Looking at the whole spread
of Crushing Impact Acc/Dam recipes, it's obvious how unusual that one sale was.
I wouldn't want to build a business around the hope that it would happen again.
Other than that one big sale, most prices are in a fairly narrow band between
one and two million influence. If you were to buy low and sell high, you'd make
much smaller profits than with the other recipes we looked at. On the other
hand, the last five sales for Crushing Impact generally only span a few days,
so those profits would come in more quickly.
This is the paragraph where I should give you an overall conclusion, sharing my
wisdom and insight. Sorry. To be honest, the numbers didn't turn out the way I
expected. Maybe it's because this really is a rather small sample size, looking
at only five transactions per level. Or maybe people behave more randomly then
I expected. I wouldn't have been surprised to see high prices at both the top
and bottom of the level ranges, but that's not the way it worked out. Maybe
people just don't care about exemplaring, or the effect of exemplaring on
enhancements is so confusing that the result looks random.
Having taken all the effort to create these graphs, I'm certainly not going to
stop without finding a way to profit from them. All three graphs show the
average prices for these items across all levels, as well as the highest and
lowest prices I can reasonably expect to find. It will also be useful to
compare the prices on these graphs to the prices of crafted enhancements. That
will probably highlight a few more opportunities. There are some specific
areas, like the level 39 Crushing Impact Acc/Dam, where the recipe price seems
stuck well below the norm. That's an anomaly, and it isn't likely to last for
long. It's all well and good to say that "The Market" will push those prices
up, but remember: we are the market. The person who pushes those prices up will
profit by it.
By comparing these graphs to the prices in the market once this column is
published, you will see some interesting changes, I expect. Seeing the market
at one point in time isn't nearly as useful as seeing how the market changes
over time. Those changes should reveal some new opportunities for profit. Good
luck finding them!
Of course, if you prefer graphic violence to graphs, you can always go, hunt,
kill Helions!
-
Community
Point / Counterpoint
This is the sixteenth in a series of Point/Counterpoint articles, which will
review commonly requested player suggestions, and review the pros and cons of
those suggestions.
This weeks subject Trial Account restrictions
POINT:
In the latest update, trial accounts had added restrictions placed upon them
that modified the way characters on those accounts can interact with the game
and other players. From the patch notes, the following restrictions were
placed. Characters on Trial Accounts may not:
Hold more than 50,000 Influence/Infamy
Join a Supergroup
Use any chat other than /local, /team,or /friend.
Invite characters into a Team (although Trial Account characters can join a
team)
Use In-Game Mail
Level up past level 14
Enter any PVP Zone
These restrictions still allow players to try out the game and see whether they
would like to purchase a full access account or not, while trying to discourage
the usage of such accounts for other purposes. Many players have asked for
changes like these for some time. In particular, players have complained that
the most common use of these accounts beside the intended use has been by
players commonly known as farmers. These restrictions will block some of the
common uses for trial accounts, such as transferring influence from one player
to another, gathering significant SG bonus prestige, spamming chat channels and
e-mails with RMT tells, and using them to fill teams with no intention of
participating in the mission or task. Most players would agree that RMT actions
have had an overall negative effect on the game, and these restrictions should
hopefully reduce the impact these accounts have.
COUNTERPOINT:
However, there are some ways in which the new restrictions will impact the
intended use of a trial account. A player testing out the game may find that SG
access is the fastest way to find teams and make new friends. This can be a
strong incentive to start a full access account. Some players may want to see
what the PvP aspects of the game are like. Finally, not being able to form your
own team could be a significant drawback in convincing a player to get a full
account. Hopefully these new restrictions will not significantly deter regular
players just trying out the game.
Fan Fiction Spotlight
[u]Legacy
of a Space Ranger[u]
By
SlickRiptide
Out on the porch, Frank attempted to brush the detritus of yet another kids'
party from his uniform. He finished by pulling a pack of Paragon Supers from
his pocket and lighting up. Birthday Mom showed up just then and frowned
disapprovingly at the cigarette as she handed him a check. A moment later,
disapproval fought with contrition. "I'm so sorry about the watermelon! Jimmy's
father had told him about Captain Blastoff's Gamma Goggles. I guess he thought
you'd blow it up."
Frank glanced at the check and pocketed it. Birthday Mom's mortification hadn't
extended to inclusion of a tip. He took a long drag, considered what he ought
to say, and reminded himself that referrals were getting fewer and further
between. He nodded and said "Kids will be kids, especially at parties. No harm
done." Birthday Mom smiled gratefully; then frowned again as the cigarette butt
hit the sidewalk. Courtesy and a loud crash from inside the brownstone won out
over indignation. She thanked him hurriedly and dashed inside to prevent the
further destruction of her home at the hands of a dozen pre-teens.
Natural heroism. Not everybody is a superior martial artist, or a well-trained
soldier or a determined police officer. It's not like one day a man can wake up
and be able to take on the forces of evil that plague Paragon City. Just
because one doesn't have powers, however, doesn't mean that a person can't be a
hero.
This story is just plain heartwarming. The main character isn't a hero in the
game's sense, but he played one on TV. As such, he's relegated to being little
more than a step up from a party clown (though one would get the feeling he
believes he's the cheaper deal than a lot of those guys), and his depressed
state indicates that it's all starting to wear him thin.
However, sometimes one doesn't even need to throw a punch to be a hero. Just
from setting an example, a man or woman can inspire so much more and set in
motion the drive in others to stand up and do the right thing. Sometimes, that
inspiration can be returned.
-
Late breaking PSA:
Trial Accounts Not Unlocking.
We have applied a hotfix to the live servers Wednesday to address this issue. If
you have applied a retail code to your account you should be able to see the
updated changes to your status now. If not please log out, then back in before
reporting any issues.
If you have not yet filed a support ticket please file this here:
PlayNC Support
Trial to retail accounts may be eligible for reimbursement. Accounts that are
still at trial status will not be assisted in this manner unless they are
upgraded to a retail version of the account.
We apologize for any inconvenience and please let us know if you are still
experiencing issues.
Regards,
~Ex Libris
The Top Ten Spoilers
***SPOILER ALERT***
Yes. That's right. Everyone dreads thems. They will go to Van Gogh like lengths
to avoid them if at all possible. And now, I'm just gonna throw these up in
your face. So without delay, here now are the Top Ten Spoilers of all time!
Number 10 - It was Earth the whole time.
Number 9 - It's his sled.
Number 8 - Kristin shot J.R.
Number 7 - She's a man.
Number 6 - Snape kills Dumbledore.
Number 5 - It's made from people!
Number 4 - Tyler Durden isn't real.
Number 3 - The Rikti are humans!
Number 2 - He was dead all along.
And the number one spoiler of all time is...
He's his father!
My Head Hurts
Recently I came into contact with Mr. Naylor, who's pretty dang skilled at
reconfiguring the space-time matrix or something else that sounds smart.
Mission after mission of dimension hopping ensued, which left me with the
following conclusion: Inter-dimensional travel sucks. Seriously. So many
variations on our own existence but each one is stranger than the last. From
the magical realm to the underwater, to the one where we're made of silicon and
not carbon, to the incredibly odd one where superheroes are just myths in pulp
comics, dimensional travel makes life weird as heck. Allow me to introduce you
to the weirdest and dumbest characters I've met.
Dr. Feelgood: This is why hippies are not allowed to mold the earth into their
own image. A psychotically happy man who derives his powers from every drug in
existence, he leads a whole commune full of drugged up freaks. Fun fact:
beating up tripping hippies IS as fun as it sounds. Constantly fights with his
archenemy, The Establishment.
Confederate Statesman: That's right, this actually happened. In a disturbing
world where the South wins, good ole boy Mark Cole goes to war with Steve
Rickman in WWI. What ensues is similar to our universe, except he takes the
name Dixieland while Steve leads a group of Union freedom fighters as Bald
Eagle. There is so much wrong with this universe, from Statesman having a huge
beard to him wearing the original Confederate flag as a cape. Never, EVER go
there.
Kaiser Nixon: In yet another disturbing dimension, Nixon somehow becomes the
leader of the 5th Column. Yes, really. Kaiser Nixon rules this dimension
controlled by Axis Amerika with an iron fist, mainly because he's a cyborg. He
often wages war against RoboWashington and The Incredible Lincoln.
Giant Enemy Crab: In a pseudo-primeval world where it's mostly underwater and
we're still cave people, one thing inspires fear into the hearts of men. A
giant freakin' crab. Possessing a collective consciousness, it has the ability
to control every animal in the ocean to attack humans. Which is mostly useless
because everyone refuses to go swimming. Still, the fact that it's 85 feet tall
is kinda scary. Maybe we can pit it against that giant octopus to see who'd
win.
Brainitor: In the land of the stupid, the smart man is king. Except even she's
still dumb. Granted the amazing IQ of 92, Brainitor leads army after army of
idiots against all who venture into her realm. I mean huge armies. Seriously.
Like, over a thousand people. I managed to convince them I was just a vending
machine. Giving a bad name to Masterminds everywhere, we're lucky she's not
smart enough to work a portal to any other dimension.
So there they are. A rogue's gallery of freaks and morons that we should strive
to not be. While our dimension may not be perfect, it makes the most sense to
me compared to the others. And when worse comes to worst, we can just say that
odd things in our time are parts of a Nemesis plot.
-
The City Scoop
The Mostly Scrapper SuperTeam
Crossdresser vs Behemoth
by Taclobanon
Time for another SuperTeam. If you recall from my previous articles, a SuperTeam
is a carefully crafted themed team designed to roll over mobs quickly and
easily. The ATs, power sets, and even individual powers are chosen to provide
maximum team buffs, plus AoE debuffs and damage. The theme for this week is
Scrappers. I ran this SuperTeam a while ago (maybe a year or so), and it was
pretty fast and fun.
Spines is easily the best Primary power set for a Scrapper SuperTeam. It does
more AoE damage than any other Primary thanks in part to a PBAoE damage toggle,
and it comes with some nice mob debuffs. Mobs are slowed for both movement and
Recharge, and may become Immobilized. Granted the debuffs are mostly wasted on
the minions, but that's because the minions get wasted so quickly.
Your average Scrapper can't take the aggro from a group of mobs spawned on
Invincible for a team of 8, but that's the goal for every SuperTeam. Sure, it's
possible if you really load up on support characters, but remember - this is
supposed to be the Mostly Scrapper SuperTeam. The strongest protection with
lowest support overhead comes from combining Dark Armor (DA) Scrappers with
Empathy Defenders, at a ratio of about 6 Scrappers to 2 Empaths.
Before we address protection, let's look at endurance. Spines is an endurance
hog, thanks to the AoEs. Dark Armor is an endurance hog as well, due to the
presence of MANY toggles. The only useful non-toggle is the self heal, which
costs a whopping 33.8 END. SuperTeams are big on Leadership toggles, which are
pretty expensive as well. Fortunately, the Empaths get Recovery Aura at level
18. This is a massive Recovery buff, 4 times more powerful than Speed Boost,
and 8 times more powerful than Stamina. It lasts 90 seconds and recharges in
500, which means the Empaths really need to concentrate on Recharge Reduction.
Between slotting, Hasten, and eventually casting Adrenaline Boost on each
other, 2 Empaths can alternate and keep Recovery Aura on the team all the time.
Defense is the best form of protection, since you can drop mobs down to a base
5% chance ToHit if you can get 45% Defense. Dark Armor Scrappers don't get much
in the way of Defense, just 3.75% to all damage types in Cloak of Darkness at
level 20. Fortunately everyone can take Leadership: Maneuvers, and everyone
should. With 6 Scrappers and 2 Defenders, that's base 20% or 32% when well
slotted. Fortitude adds base 15%, or 23% when slotted. A single Empath can
maintain Fortitude on 2 Scrappers at level 12, and 3 with a little Recharge
Reduction slotting. By level 22, all of the Scrappers should be running around
with effectively capped Defense. They become Super Reflex & Dark Armor
Scrappers.
Next, the Scrappers are going to need Healing and/or Regen. Dark Armor Scrappers
get a massive self heal, plus the Empaths will do their fair share of healing
early on. At level 26 the Empaths get Regeneration Aura. This has the same duty
cycle as Recovery Aura, which means eventually two Empaths will be able to
alternate and keep it on the team all the time. It's as strong as Instant
Healing, the power that used to be a toggle but got turned into a click power
on Regen Scrappers because it was too powerful. We now have Regen & Super
Reflex & Dark Armor Scrappers.
Now let's see what else Dark Armor brings to the table. It's mainly a resistance
based set, with about 35% resistance after slotting to most forms of damage,
but 58% resistance to psionic damage. That adds yet another layer of
protection. It has fairly solid status protection, but is missing knockback
protection. The Empaths don't help there, so the Scrappers need to take
Acrobatics or slot knockback protection IOs. Finally it has a damage toggle for
more AoE damage.
Dark Armor has two fun PBAoE (8 foot radius) toggles, Cloak of Fear (CoF) and
Oppressive Gloom (OG). CoF is a magnitude 2 Fear, while OG is a magnitude 2
Stun. Shortly after a group of 6 DA Scrappers jump into a spawn, the mobs are
shaking in fear and stunned, plus the 12 damage toggles are already chipping
away at the mobs. Note that in the SuperTeam I ran most Scrappers skipped Cloak
of Fear due to the endurance cost and limited use.
Let's get back to the Defenders. They'll need to use heals fairly often early
on, but that'll mostly stop by the low 30s when Regen Aura becomes permanent.
They'll have the same Defense as the Scrappers once they get enough Recharge
Reduction to maintain Fortitude on each other. They'll even have capped Regen
once they start casting Adrenaline Boost on each other. They'll be pretty hard
to kill too. They can grab Clear Mind to cast on each other for status
protection. They might as well grab some attacks, since they'll be bored
otherwise later in the game. I recommend Dark Blast as it has some nice AoEs.
The stun from Dark Pit and the immobilize from Tenebrous Tentacles goes well
with the scrapper stun and immobilizes. They'll be able to nuke often, and with
a little slotting in Adrenaline Boost they'll even keep recovering endurance
afterwards.
Replace Dark Armor with Fiery Aura if you want to try a new Scrapper power set.
Feel free to try this with some friends, and PM me with your results.
Next Time: The original Tank Mage SuperTeam
Vol. 2, Issue 4
June 20th, 2008
This Issue:
Upcoming Events
June 21st:
June 24th:
June 28th:
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OP has been updated.
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OP has been updated to reflect new guides added.
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OP has been updated, I know another update is coming soon so keep me posted.
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[ QUOTE ]
Suppose, just hypothetically, that I had finished Stan and Lou in Dark Astoria. And suppose that it was posted on YouTube already.
If you were the kind of person who would go listen to #29, I'd want to remind you that we skipped #28 (because my lovely volunteers are still working on recording their lines).
If you are the kind of person hates spoilers and wants to listen to them in order, stop reading now.
Are you still reading? Good. Then you must not mind knowing the plot ahead of time.
To recap the plot:
#27 Stan and Lou in Striga Isle. Stan and Lou go shopping for temp powers and pick up a Warwolf, whom Stan names George.
#28 Stan and Lou in Croatoa (not completed yet). Stan and Lou round up some more temp powers for their fight with the Guy In The Hat.
#29 Stan and Lou in Dark Astoria. Our two favorite mooks finally take on the Guy In The Hat. Do they win?
[/ QUOTE ]
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