Ex_Libris
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The City Scoop
Laureth: caught in the crossfire
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I popped back into the Pocket D, hoping it
was safe after the interview with those two creepy kids. I asked
the bartender if they were gone, and the poor guy was shaking,
but with relief. He said yes, they were gone. It was safe to come
back. So I sat down, and started drinking heavily. Man that was
creepy. Super creepy. I needed more booze to steady my nerves
after that encounter.
So there I was, hammering back screwdriver
number four, and in walks in this girl dressed all in black, face
not very visible...she pulls up a chair beside me and I start
chatting her up.
Kahlan D'Rane: Hey how's it
goin'?
Laureth: Been rather...busy.
Too many plans running around, soldiers bickering...
Kahlan D'Rane: Oh? Do
tell.
Laureth: With the Rikti
bickering about, squad after squad's been sent in that blasted
War Zone... it's bad enough we have to deal with those supposed
"heroes," but now they get the notion we have to team to SURVIVE
in this world.
Kahlan D'Rane: Um, can you go
back to square one? What do you do for a living? I'm kind of
lost.
Laureth: Ah, apologies. I
tend to go on rambles from time to time. I serve as an officer of
Arachnos. You could say I'm around the rank of a Night Widow.
Kahlan D'Rane: Wow, that's
hard to obtain. Me, I'm just part of the Rogue Isles Marine
Corps. You know, that little operation that Recluse hires on when
there's work that's too dirty for you guys to touch.
Laureth: Ah yes, I've heard
about you guys. Nasty little operation you guys have going there,
but one I respect.
Kahlan D'Rane: It pays the
bills. So what do you have going on now?
Laureth: For now, we've been
sent on mainly scavenger missions and to do some hit-and-run
strikes on Paragon from time to time. Heard it was to get
attention off some bigger operation, but I'm not one to question
orders.
Kahlan D'Rane: Yeah me
neither. That usually turns out rather badly for one if you do
question. Anyway, who do you prefer to target the most? Longbow,
Rikti, the heroes...?
Laureth: It's no question
that it would be Longbow...especially that hypocritical swine Ms.
Liberty...
Kahlan D'Rane: Heh, I love
listening to her squeak as we squash her. It's fun. We make it
quick and painful for her, that's for sure
Laureth: Squashing isn't
enough...I want to see her die by my own hand as I tear that
filthy jaw off...for the way she talks after what she did...
Laureth seems to be fuming, almost boiling
over with rage.
Kahlan D'Rane: Oh...um, want
to explain?
Laureth: It's...painful to
remember...but that day was when I was with my classmates...we
went to City Hall for a field trip...We didn't know Arachnos
would have a strike team attacking that day...I learned that it
was for the D.A.T.A scientists for Project: DESTINY. The soldiers
hid behind us and used psychic attacks and arced grenades to
avoid hurting us...but those Longbow monsters...they felt it'd be
easier to cut us all down to get to them...
Laureth starts to feel remorse,
remembering her dead friends.
Kahlan D'Rane: Oh that's
just...
Laureth: It...it doesn't
matter. What's past is past, and the only thing that matters is
murdering every damned one of them for their ways.
Kahlan D'Rane: Yeah, my beef
is with the Rikti.
Laureth: I can only speculate
what they did.
Kahlan D'Rane: I didn't
always look like this...they wanted to make me into one of them,
but I guess my DNA was a little too different for their stuff to
work.
Laureth: My condolences.
Kahlan D'Rane: They dumped me
out like yesterday's trash after they realized they had wasted
resources.
Laureth: I'm sorry to hear
that. At least Arachnos took me back for medical treatment when
they found I was alive. Heard the commander for that mission was
a bit softer than the rest.
Kahlan D'Rane: Well, Alpha
found me on the ship after they tossed me out. I was gone for at
least two weeks, and he had almost given up hope on ever finding
me again. Guess my skills at trapping magic make me a valuable
asset.
Laureth: You had loved ones
finding you, though... mine all died that day.
Kahlan D'Rane: Well, revenge
is a really awesome dish to serve, over and over again.
Unfortunately, the recipients of the dish find it rather
bitter.
Laureth: Revenge isn't my
desire. Absolute eradication of their existence is.
Kahlan D'Rane: That seems
like an admirable goal. I hope to eliminate all the Rikti from
the face of this planet...one by one.
Laureth: I must wish you luck
on that goal.
Kahlan D'Rane: Yeah, they
breed worse than rabbits...
Laureth: They don't
technically breed, per say, but think a cloning orgy.
Kahlan D'Rane: Almost more
Rikti come through those portals every day than Longbow recruits
at high schools.
Laureth snickers at the comment, and then
straightens up a bit.
Kahlan D'Rane: You swear
Freedom Corps has a draft or something...
Laureth: I...sorry, I must
apologize. Seems we both share the trait of not looking our ages.
Just with those wings, I can't even tell yours.
Kahlan D'Rane: Well, I've
been in this dimension a few years now. I've picked up a few
particulars of this place...like the school systems and whatnot.
I got taken into Lord Rahl's service when I was 12. Took them
three years to break me. One year per breaking. Then before he
sent me through, I was in his service for another four.
Laureth: Hm. You're not too
far off from me. My cybernetics were implanted around two years
ago...but they didn't have any my size, so they had to...*ahem*
accelerate some things to make it work.
Kahlan D'Rane: Ah.
Laureth: I still sometimes
wonder about it...
Kahlan D'Rane: Could be
worse, they could have made you into a tarantula.
Laureth: A very good
point...though my powers are mainly Netherworld based, not
Psychic, so I guess I got out of it...still, I can't help but
question the volunteers of that program sometimes.
Kahlan D'Rane: I heard
sometimes they don't volunteer...
Laureth: Heh heh heh... oh, I
remember that case... good times...
Laureth slightly giggles, though in a
rather sinister tone.
Kahlan D'Rane: Were their
screams like music?
Laureth: It's not so much the
screams that entertained me...it was the expression on their face
when they learned I had lied to them to complete my mission.
Kahlan D'Rane: Hehe. That's
the best part. I never got that assignment. Odd...
Laureth: I got entangled in
it after a bit of spook with the Ms. Francine
incident classified stuff, but it was still a Hell of
a mess to clean.
Kahlan D'Rane: Ah. OH! You
mean Hugo. I remember that guy. Sorry the Rikti drugs really
messed with my memory. That, and too much alcohol.
Laureth: I wouldn't know.
I've never touched a drop of the stuff in my life.
Kahlan D'Rane: It fills the
void...
Laureth: My void is filled
with other means...
Kahlan D'Rane: Well, my void
is what was left after the bond between Lord Rahl and I got
broken...
Laureth: Must be hard. I hear
some people can go insane after losing a psychic bond.
Kahlan D'Rane: For a while my
Agiel stopped working too, then it went missing. Now it works
again...Funny, it went missing after Scirocco asked me about it.
So, I keep drinking. My bond to Alpha-One is there, not as strong
as it was with Rahl, and definitely not the same...but it keeps
me centered. Alcohol does the rest.
Laureth: ...pardon my
rudeness, but it almost sounds like something akin to a
"half-baked job." But then again, I'm not quite the expert on
bonds.
Kahlan D'Rane: Well, it's
pretty hard to explain. Back a few thousand years ago, the
original Lord Rahl placed a spell over all his people. This spell
protected them from Dreamwalkers.
Laureth: Ah.
Kahlan D'Rane: This spell is
also known as "The Bond." Each new Lord Rahl that comes, everyone
must swear fealty to him so the bond extends...But I guess it
doesn't extend transdimensionally.
Laureth: That happens
sometimes.
Kahlan looks at her pager.
Kahlan D'Rane: Oh Alpha is
paging me...I think he has another job against the Rikti...
Laureth: Oi...work calls all
the time with you, it seems.
Kahlan D'Rane: I gotta
go...My bar tab is adding up, and I need to do this job to pay it
off. Heh.
Laureth: Wish that applied to
my partner...
Laureth grumbles.
Kahlan D'Rane: Yeah it
does...Alpha runs a tight ship.
Laureth: Bloody Nex in the
frickin' Bahamas...
Kahlan D'Rane: Flyer
maintenance is expensive...so I gotta go take this...I'll see you
around sometime.
Laureth: Indeed. 'Twas a good
time speaking with you.
-
The City Scoop
Encounters
The Interview: The most Dangerous interview Kahlan has ever done!
Okay, a few months ago, I did an interview with a little waif named Jennifer White. She was a dark/dark Defender. Her and I met when her school was having a little dance at the Pocket D, and I was there filling my blood alcohol content. She was possessed by "something," but she didn't know what. It just called itself the "DARKNESS," but I paid it no mind, since this place is full of weird things. So we chatted it up. I guess the Tall, Dark, and Ugly had some friends...
I was sitting in the Pocket D, doing my usual thing, drinking, when I suddenly felt an unnatural chill come over me that rattled me to my bones. I shivered and turned around expecting to see Ghost Widow staring me down again, but the sight that greeted me was a pair of girls who couldn't be over the age of 15. They glared at me menacingly as they approached. I thought to myself, "This is going to be...interesting..."
Faith Foster: Kahlan D'Rane. We have been looking for you.
Hope Foster: You have had The Darkness about you. Where is she?
Kahlan D'Rane: Whoa whoa, I don't know who you're talking about...chill!
Hope Foster: The world will be burned by The Hellfire.
Faith Foster: The Dead will rise.
Hope and Faith Foster: The world will be devoured by The Darkness.
Faith Foster: We know you have been with The Darkness. We have seen your...interview with her. Apparently she has taken the name...Jennifer White. Where is she, Kahlan D'Rane?
At this point, icy cold flame burst forth from Hope's body, and a chilling mist rolled in behind Faith. I could see shadows with glowing eyes moving in the fog. I downed my drink and quickly ordered another. I figured I'd need it.
Kahlan D'Rane: Yeah...um, okay...creeeepy. Yeah, I interviewed Jennifer, and her fluffy buddy...what's your issue with it?
Faith Foster: The Darkness is one of us. You will tell us where she is.
Hope Foster: SHE IS HOLDING BACK!! I WILL BURN THE INFORMATION FROM HER SOUL!! Calm yourself Hellfire. All souls will be yours in due time.
I was taken aback by the strange supernatural voice that suddenly boomed from Faith. It brought me back to my interview with Jennifer White a few months back. Deja vu.
Kahlan D'Rane: I don't know where they are! They kinda went off somewhere else after I talked to them. Look, let's actually get to the heart of the matter. What are your plans? Why are you here in the Isles?
Hope Foster: We are the end times.
Faith Foster: When we reunite with The Darkness, we will fulfill the prophecy. The world will be plunged into beautiful and eternal damnation.
Then, from Faith's mouth, a supernatural ghostly voice spilled. OUR PATIENCE GROWS SHORT WITH YOU MORTAL!! YOU WILL DIVULGE THE LOCATION OF THE DARKNESS!!
Kahlan D'Rane: I take it you guys are possessed like Jennifer is?
Hope Foster: The Hellfire and The Dead are with us as The Darkness is with this...Jennifer White. Apparently, Jennifer does not follow the orders given to her. She will learn the errors of her disobedience.
Faith Foster: AS WILL YOU IF YOU DO NOT TELL ME WHERE SHE IS!
The mist began to slowly surround me. I noticed the bartender move to the other side of the bar. I polished off another drink...
Kahlan D'Rane: You are beings of magic. Use your magic against me, and you'll be really sorry. I can turn it around and use it to hurt you in the worst possible way. My Agiel is working again, so I'm not as powerless as you think I am.
Faith Foster: Your idle threats do not intimidate us, mortal.
Hope Foster: Be thankful. It is not you whom we seek. Your end will come in due time.
Kahlan D'Rane: Okay, we've reached a truce of sorts. Now, honestly, what's your background? Where do you gals come from? What's the story, morning glory? (Obviously, I was feeling my drinks by this point.) Wait, bad choice of words...
Faith Foster: The prophecy was foretold. The world would be burned by The Hellfire. The Dead would rise and the world would be consumed by The Darkness.
Hope Foster: The three were created to bring about that purpose. The Dead, The Hellfire, and The Darkness.
Faith Foster: Our father was the famous televangelist Oren B. Foster. Every week, he would broadcast from his cathedral, which has been compared to a football stadium in size. Their ministry ran world wide. Our father blessed our mother with triplets, and we were the ones chosen. We were the ones to carry out the end times.
Hope Foster: Faith was born first. and was joined with The Dead.
Faith Foster: Hope was born second and was joined with The Hellfire. Our final sister, Charity was stillborn. Apparently, The Darkness had to go...elsewhere.
Hope Foster: Faith and I grew into the church. We would sing in the choir.
Faith Foster: Then, when we heard the call of The Darkness during one of our father's sermons, we knew that we had to act immediately. We devoured the souls of everyone in the cathedral and everyone who had tuned in to watch my father's broadcast. This gave The Dead and The Hellfire the power that they needed and the sustenance that they craved.
Kahlan D'Rane: Um yeah, so you killed a whole church congregation and a whole crapload of people at home?! Wow...that's just...wow...you gals are nuts!
Faith Foster: Unfortunately...This...Jennifer White, or someone else, has found ways to block the Darkness from us. Our communication abruptly ended.
Kahlan D'Rane: So do you fight on your own, or do you utilize others to further your goals?
Hope Foster: We do not fight. The Hellfire and The Dead must feed.
Faith Foster: Mortals destined to die before us are destined. Therefore...it is not a fight. It is fulfillment of destiny.
Kahlan D'Rane: So what is your relationship with Jenny? She seems like an up and up kid, not really interested in taking up with the likes of you...(or me for that matter)
Faith Foster: We have no relation with this...Jennifer White. But we are sisters to The Darkness.
Hope Foster: Jennifer will join us. It is destined. The prophecy must be fulfilled.
Kahlan D'Rane: Really now? You honestly think she'll help your cause? Heh. She's a hero. You're really following that pipe dream there...
Faith Foster: She will join us. She has no choice.
Hope Foster: She will heed the final calling. It is destiny. She has no choice.
Kahlan D'Rane: Um...What do you plan on doing with Jenny when you meet up with her - if She agrees to helping you out (which I doubt she will).
Faith Foster: The end times will begin.
Hope Foster: The Darkness will see to it. It will force her to comply. NOW WHERE IS SHE MORTAL!
Icy flames flared again from Hope's form.
Kahlan D'Rane: Just leave me out of it, okay? She didn't tell me much, okay? She doesn't know much of anything. That Darkness thing was pretty tightlipped, too. Blathered on about the same things you do. Hellfire consuming the earth blahblahblah...
Faith Foster: The WORLD WILL BE BURNED BY THE HELLFIRE! THE DEAD WILL RISE!!
Kahlan D'Rane: Speaking of the Dead rising...how's Ghost Widow going to handle this? She's pretty powerful you know. She can kick your...
Faith Foster. The one called Ghost Widow does not know how much of a pawn she really is within the prophecy.
Kahlan D'Rane: Okay, whatever...listen, with all those heroes out there, how on earth do you plan on taking this joint over?
Hope Foster: Their destinies lay in ashes and eternal damnation before us. When The Hellfire, The Dead, and The Darkness unite, there will be no stopping the end times.
Faith Foster: NOW TELL US!! WHERE IS JENNIFER WHITE?
Kahlan D'Rane: I told you! I have no idea! Look, I gotta jet...My boss said he has a surprise for me in the base. Do you guys at least have a time table for when this "end times" thing is going to happen so I can warn my fellow villains?
Faith Foster: Your end time begins now Kahlan D'Rane.
Ghostly figures resembling decayed churchgoers emerged from the fog behind Faith, and began to approach. They looked...hungry. At the same time, the flame around Faith reached out for me, a living thing seeking to burn my soul. Luckily, I had my base teleporter with me.
Kahlan D'Rane: Bye bye, girls, and good luck!
Faith Foster: We will meet again Kahlan D'Rane!!
Hope Foster: You will pay for your insolence!!
With that, my teleporter activated, and I was in the base. I had survived what was probably the most dangerous interview that I had ever done.
-----------------------------
Special Thanks to @LightMan who helped me write this interview. I was kind of lost and she helped me fill my blanks. So this was a co-operative effort, so she should get credit as well. Thanks Jen!!
-
The City Scoop
Base Showcase
This week, we visit the Victory server and talk with Darken Death of the Minion of the Underworld hero supergroup.
SuperGroup Name:
Minion of the Underworld, on the Victory server City of Heroes.
When Established:
The supergroup was founded by me Darken Death on 5/17/05
Members:
Our supergroup consist of Reformed Villains to Anti-Heroes to Heroes. We are an active supergroup with 70 + members ranging from newbies to level 50s and their alts.
Rough Base Cost Estimate:
About 17 million
Favorite Decorative Base Item:
Our huge Main Throne Room gives the ambience of power with Cubicals rewarded to our Veteran level 50's.
The teleportal rooms are done to look dark and mythical to get a feel of a ancient and mysterious arcane castle.
Functional Base Item:
With the help of our membership we have all the teleportals, arcane and tech buffers, Tree of Wonders to get blues and greens for missions and Salvage, Enhancements and Inspiration bins for us to share.
Least Favorite:
I use grills to make letters for our supergroup name in the base but it would be cool if we had letters for that instead with a choice of fonts.
Instead of texturing a lower level floor to look like water it would be nice to have real water in the ponds in of our base.
When editing your base you have to delete almost all the items in a room so you can move the room into another location.
If you could give just one piece of advice to a new base editor, what would it be?
I would say visit other supergroup bases to get ideas on construction of your own. I have seen some very creative supergroup bases in the game and was very amazed at what some people have created. I have use many ideas from them to create the arcane look of our base.
Anything else you'd like to add about your SG, Base, or the Base system?
Our supergroup originally started off as a villain supergroup before City of Villains came out several months later. We change the theme with great success to support darker heroes like Ghost Rider, Blade and Hellboy. All are welcome to join and if you play in SG Mode red and gold (orange) are our colors with the magic symbol. This will help you get into the theme of our supergroup.
I'm very proud of our 70 + members from the Minion of the Underworld on what they achieved. It shows by creating a fantastic base and by entering the Top 100 Supergroup List on the Victory Server.
The base was created to be user friendly for our members and coalitions to use. Our medical room, teleportals, salvage rooms and invention room are labelled, close by and easy to find.
Visit our website at motusg.bravehost.com and check out our pages all based on Heroes and Villains. Get game and supergroup information, checkout our links to our coalitions, comics & movie trailers links and more.
To join our supergroup contact me thru global or email @Darken Death we will be happy to invite you to our hero family.
We also have a Villain SG on the same server called Minions of the Underworld ran by Darken Death of Hell
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The City Scoop
Myth Smashers
Part 2 in an Irregular Series: Drawn Weapon DPS
City of *, like any MMO, has its share of urban legends. In the last installment, we examined the myth that clicking glowies in the Terra Volta Respec Trial changes the composition of the final attack waves in the reactor. In this installment, we will examine an equally persistent rumor: that the time taken to render the draw of a weapon, like a katana or an axe, will delay the time until the attack completes. Be warned, the answer may surprise even the most seasoned City veterans.
Background
This particular idea has quite a long history. In the original Prima Guide released at City of Heroes launch, players are encouraged to draw their weapons before combat in the description of the Scrapper Broadsword attack set. For a long time, it was assumed among players that weapon draw time was a separately-calculated step in an attack chain and that minimizing redraw actions during combat should be avoided. They reasoned that the character's damage per second (DPS) would suffer if a few seconds out of each attack sequence was spent on an action that did no damage.
Astute players noted that, in some cases, there was a delay or "hiccup" in the animation of certain weapon attacks. When they asked about this on the forums, developers responded by saying that this hiccup was there to account for a potential draw animation playing at the beginning of the attack. The animation didn't need to play because the weapon was already drawn, and so the attack part of the animation rendered earlier, but there was no overall effect on the delay until the next attack activated.
The most recent post on the subject comes from Back Alley Brawler, who summarized the situation thus:
"Weapon power attack times (time before you can activate the next power) are currently the weapon draw animation time + plus attack animation time, so having to redraw the weapon between attacks does not affect DPS. More astute players have noticed and commented on the small gaps between attacks once the weapon is already drawn because of this."
Even with this authoritative answer, many players persisted in their beliefs that weapon draw time affects DPS. So being the responsible community members that we are, the City Scoop Myth Smashers team decided to set the record straight.
Testing the Myth
To test how weapon draw times affects DPS, we decided to set up an attack chain that could either include or exclude a weapon draw, and then measure the total time elapsed. Using FRAPS, a popular video capture program for games, and Windows Movie Maker, we recorded this attack chain and then annotated it with the absolute elapsed time at critical points. Once the video was recorded, we allowed ourselves the luxury of non-real-time examination -- we can step through the video frame by frame to analyze the results.
The attack chain selected was based on the Tanker Axe attack set - specifically, the sequence Brawl -- Gash -- Beheader. We included Brawl so that we can get a mark point of the beginning of the attack chain that is independent of draw time entirely. Brawl is a good choice for this because, though it does not use any drawn weapon, it also does not cause any weapon to be put away -- unlike, say, the veteran attack power Sands of Mu. We included two attacks after Brawl so that we can measure the total elapsed time from Brawl to the third attack, which follows the attack that actually draws the weapon (like from Brawl's activation to Beheader's activation).
Armed with a plan and software, I took a level 6 Ice/Axe Tanker on Protector, Sculp, and walked him through the attack chain many times, recording the results with FRAPS. I took the two best demonstrative videos and loaded them into Windows Movie Maker. However, even before I had done the annotation, I knew something was not meshing with my expectations.
As it turns out, there is a built-in visual timer to the game that operates on exactly the kinds of time scales we care about in attack chains: the orange damage numbers that appear over opponents' heads. Since these scroll at a constant speed, the distance between these numbers has a direct correlation to the time between attack activations. Using this visual indicator, I was seeing a much bigger time difference between Brawl and Gash with the axe undrawn than with it drawn. I was seeing about the same time difference between Gash and Beheader regardless of whether the axe was drawn. Still, such indicators are not conclusive. To prove what I was seeing, I needed to annotate the video.
After normalizing the video so that Brawl is activated at 1.00 seconds, I marked the time at which Beheader activates. Sure enough, in the drawn case, it activates at exactly 3.80 seconds; in the undrawn case, it activates at exactly 4.80 seconds. While there is some margin of error due to frame rates, this far exceeds that margin: 1.00 seconds is about 30 frames. The videos also clearly show that each attack after Brawl is queued, marking that attack with the red circle. This shows that my reaction time was not a factor in the results.
The videos are available for general download here:
http://www.topped-with-meat.com/~kgi...p/DrawnAxe.wmv
http://www.topped-with-meat.com/~kgi...UndrawnAxe.wmv
Feel free to download them and load them into a video editor to double check my timing mark points, but the conclusion seems unavoidable: Draw time does delay the time until next attack, and therefore does affect overall DPS if you switch weapons in your chain.
Beheader, drawn weapon chain
Beheader, undrawn weapon chain
Conclusions
The question of draw time and DPS will surely gain visibility in issue 11. Not only will we get a new weapon-based attack set for all melee archetypes, but weapon customization may well re-energize interest in existing weapon sets. The issue will be of particular relevance to Brutes who rely on activating attacks in quick succession to maintain Fury.
Back Alley Brawler has been apprised of these results. However, at the time of this writing, he has not yet responded. In the meantime, and pending any developer changes to the game, the relationship between draw time and DPS appears to be settled. Weapon-using players would be well advised to avoid redraws in the midst of an attack chain, lest their DPS suffer needlessly.
-
The City Scoop
The City Traveler
Hey everyone, it's me, Belle! Wow, what a week! So I guess you all have heard about the continued Rikti invasions. I sure hope that they let up soon. People are getting worried about going outside for fear of being hit by a bomb! I'm glad that they've got that warning system that alerts everyone when the Rikti are coming. If you see a warning to take cover and you're not ready to battle the Rikti, be sure to either leave the zone or hole up inside for a while. The stores, City Hall, the train stationsthey're all built to withstand those Rikti bombs and should be safe.
This week, I wanted to try to draw some attention to a growing problem in Paragon City: the group that calls themselves "The Lost." Since the Rikti invasion, their numbers have been growing by leaps and super jumps for some reason. I really feel sorry for the less fortunate and try to help them when I can, but some people are saying that The Lost are actually working with the Rikti. I think that's awful!
The Phalanx has told me that one of the most effective ways to prevent The Lost from recruiting, and to protect Paragon City's citizens from whatever is making them what they are, is to defeat their leaders. They're even offering a special badge for arresting a lot of them!
The Lost can usually be found in various places around the City, including significant numbers in Kings Row, Perez Park, Skyway City, and Boomtown. In Kings Row, they tend to congregate along the south wall of the zone on Industrial Avenue. These are generally The Lost with the lowest threat level, typically around 5 to 9, and not many of The Lost leaders hang around there. There are also numerous Lost in the sewers, including their leaders, but yuck! It's the sewers! And they're also down there with lots of other gangs and villains.
But the real base of operations for their leaders seems to be the Gordon Trench in Terra Volta. There, Lost bosses that are in the threat level range of 23 to 29 can be found in large numbers. The further in the trench you travel towards the reactor, the higher threat level they become, so be careful in there. If your security level is high enough to fight them there, in just a short amount of time in the trench, you can defeat enough of the leaders of The Lost to put a serious dent in their plans and earn that badge! If you know a hero who has some experience to help you out, I would suggest going here to make a lot of arrests and stop their awful transformations into, well, I don't know what.
But enough about that, let's talk about something pretty! The other day, I asked some heroes what their favorite place in all of Paragon City was, and my friend, Kheldian Arch-Angel, said, "Mine would be Croatoa." Ooh, I agree! Some people say it's spooky, but I think it's beautiful!
I've mentioned my friend Katie Hannon before. If you are a hero, you might have even met her while fighting those nasty little Red Caps in Croatoa. She has the most beautiful house, and I wanted to share with you a picture! Like all of her aunts and other members of the Cabal, she lives among the trees around Sunset Ridge in Croatoa, but Katie lives under a special tree that is imbued with the magic of the Cabal!
To really see it in all of its beauty, be sure to visit there at night, when Katie's sprites light up the tree with their magical blue light. If you go during the daytime and wait until night, you have to leave for a minute and come back so that they won't be scared and will come out. I really hope you all will visit it sometime, because I happen to think that it is the most beautiful place in all of Paragon City! It is around seventy yards north of the Sunset Ridge marker in Croatoa, or if you help the Salamancans, one of them will almost certainly introduce you to Katie and point you towards her magical tree.
As long as I'm talking about Croatoa and Katie's sprites, I'll tell you about my friend Kelly Nemmers and her lake sprites, too. Kelly is a ghost, but unlike a lot of ghosts, she's a really sweet and nice one. Salamancans tell stories about how she died fighting the forces of evil in Croatoa, and how if your house is haunted, she'll come and set the restless spirits at ease. That's why sometimes when children in Salamanca get scared, their parents tell them not to worry, Miss Kelly will make sure they're safe.
Almost all Salamancans know the story of Kelly Nemmers, and some might even be willing to tell you how to find her. Misty Lake, where she likes to stay, is in eastern Croatoa, and like Katie's magic tree at night, I think that Misty Lake is truly one of the most beautiful sights to behold in all of Paragon City. I really think that those sprites are actually playing tag with each other, they're so cute! I do ask, though, that if you visit, please be respectful of your surroundings. The woods and lakes of Croatoa are home to some truly extraordinary people and beautiful things, but can also be dangerous. If you feel that you must be aggressive at something, go north to the Broken Teeth Hills and remove some of those nasty old Red Caps from the area!
Well, that's it for this week, please remember to be careful out there, whether you're in the Gordon Trench in Terra Volta or the back woods of Croatoa. Do you have a favorite spot in Paragon City? Let me know, and I'll try to share it with everyone. Until next time, byeee!
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The City Scoop
Super Secret Diner
The Holiday season is fast approaching, and with
this comes the requisite "Scheherazade Snickerdoodle" recipe
scam. The recipe is indeed the famous cookie served, state wide
at Scheherazade's Russian Tea rooms, but the store is far from
true. In the e-mail, someone claims that their great-aunt, twice
removed, asked a server for the Snickerdoodle recipe. The server
stated that the manager or someone would part with it for
"fifteen" - that "fifteen" being some grandiose amount, like
$1500. This person decided to plaster it all over the Internet.
According to Ms. Alice Wincot, a spokeswoman for the chain, this
recipe has never been sold, and is given to anyone who asks for
it.
Since it's opening in the mid 1940s,
Scheherazade has been an institution in Paragon City. The
statewide chain has been thrust into the spot light again with
the "Wedding of the Decade" soon approaching: the biggest social
event of the century, the wedding of millionaire Justin Sinclair
and the elusive Shalice Tilman. There is still time to get
gifts.
Another thing that Scheherazade is famous for is
their Russian Tea room. When most people think of a "Tea" they
either think of little girls sipping water out of little cups or
a bunch of stuffy Brits sitting around saying "quiet." While
Russian and English teas have roots in the same daily event,
Russian teas are different is several ways. First is the way that
the tea is served. Russian style tea is served very strong over a
coal burner. "Teetotalers" can serve themselves their tea, to
taste. Second is the food. It all has a noted Russian flavor.
Savories include perogies, cabbage rolls, and caviar, while
sweets include gingerbread, caraway cookies and the famous
Snickerdoodle. I know Snickerdoodle is not Russian, but it's a
darn good cookie.
Scheherazade takes great pride in their tea and
their tea rooms. Each is decorated in the Imperial splendor of
Victorian Russia. The bone china features the signature Faberge
lattice work, in royal blue. The servers are smartly dressed in
white tuxedo shirts and black bow ties. While the week day teas
feature traditional music over a loud speaker system, the
weekends a filled with sounds of a live harpist. Sunday tea
service also features Beluga caviar. Tea isn't the only thing the
tea room serves, but if you are looking for a happy slice of
Russian history, come any day, between 3 and 5 PM. Lunch is
served between 11 AM and 2:30 PM, and they are closed for dinner.
Weekday tea is $15 while regular weekend tea is $20. If you want
the caviar, look to spend at least $50 a person. Cash and credit,
including the Scheherazade Card, are welcome.
"Lazy Cabbage Roll" perogies
The "Lazy cabbage Roll" refers to the filling of
these little dumplings. This is actually a really quick and easy
recipe.
- [*]
1-2 tubes of refrigerated biscuits or crescent rolls
[*]1 1-2 pounds of hamburger
[*]1 head of cabbage, shredded
[*]1 medium onion diced
[*]salt and pepper to taste
[*]1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
[/list]Preheat oven to 350 Deg F. Open bread product
and let it adjust to room temperature. In a large skillet, brown
the meat. Add onions, cabbage and seasonings, and cook until the
onions are translucent. Let the mix cool. Place spoonfuls of meat
mixture into the center of the bread product and fold over to
make a dumpling. Bake at 350 deg. F. until golden brown, or until
the internal temperature of the dumpling reaches 160 deg. F. Cool
on a wire rack for about 15 minutes and enjoy.
The Recipe of the Week
3-STEP Chocolate Lover's Cheesecake!
- [*]
2 packages (8oz each) Philadelphia's Cream Cheese Softened
[*]1/2 cup Sugar
[*]1/2 tsp. Vanilla
[*]2 eggs
[*]4 squares of Bakers Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, melted, slightly cooled.
[*]1 ready-to-use chocolate flavor crumb crust (6oz or 9inches)
[/list]MIX - cream cheese, sugar and vanilla at medium
speed with electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs; mix until
blended. Stir in melted chocolate.
POUR - into crust
BAKE - at 350F for 35-40 minutes or until center
is almost set. Cool. Garnish with fresh fruit of your choice.
Refrigerate 3 hours or over night. Makes 8 servings.
Scheherazade's Snickerdoodle
Traditional sugar cookie dipped in Cinnamon and
sugar before baking.
- [*]
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
[*]1 teaspoon baking soda
[*]1/2 teaspoon fine salt
[*]1/2 cup shortening
[*]8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
[*]1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 3 tablespoons
[*]2 large eggs
[*]1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
[*]Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
[/list]Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a
bowl.
With a handheld or standing mixer, beat together
the shortening and butter. Add the 1 1/2 cups sugar and continue
beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, 1
at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour
mixture and blend until smooth.
Mix the 3 tablespoons sugar with the cinnamon in
a small bowl. Roll the dough, by hand, into 1 1/2-inch balls.
Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar. Flatten the balls into
1/2-inch thick disks, spacing them evenly on unlined cookie
sheets. Bake until light brown, but still moist in the center,
for about 12 minutes. Cool on a rack.
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ArtsGill Bates of | |
"http://mmoart.deviantart.com/art/Odessa-Dark-63937604"> What inspired you to start Y'know, I'm not exactly sure what made me start. Which mediums do you use for your art? Which are I use traditional mediums (pencil, ink, and What's your best experience as an artist? Being successful and in such high demand is the Who has been your biggest influence, artistically I'd have to say Jim Lee. Who are some of your favorite artists and what is Gregg Cappullo is probably my favorite artist.
"http://mmoart.deviantart.com/art/Flareback-60780167"> When you're drawing, do you have I watch Discovery Channel, History Channel, and Do you ever suffer from lack of inspiration (aka I don't see it as a lack of inspiration, really. Do you have some advice for up-and-coming STUDY ANATOMY! It is the most difficult and (For commission information, please contact | |
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Three Years of Tuesday Night Tankers When I first heard about the third anniversary of Tanker Tuesday (TT) on Champion, I was stoked! A player-run event on a "light" server, my server, was going to celebrate three years of just being. I was so stoked that I dedicated my last spot to a new Tank. But Tuesday, the 2nd of October, wasn't about me, my character, my server or even about my migraine. It was about three years of "Take the damage, save the mission." I wanted to get a few points of view from my fellow Tanks before the main event, so I showed up early. I ran around Atlas Park and Galaxy City asking random people if they were participating or helping out with Tanker Tuesday. Some of the most excited people were those waiting to experience their first "TT." Most said that it was the Updater that brought them to either join for the first time, or make a brand new Tank for the event. American - Integrity, a level 28 Tank, stated that he was there for the first time because Stryke-Force was going to be there. I later found out that it was a family affair as American - Integrity and his dad, Captain Battleship, both took home prizes for "Sloberknocker" and "Best Taunt" respectively. Cat's Meow stated that she saw the advert on the Updater and, "It looked like fun." Champion wasn't her home server but she loved Tanks. When asked what her favorite part of tanking was, she said, "If I don't want to play with a team I don't have to. I'm not limited to finding other players to beat mishes." She clarified, "I do like to play with other characters, just not all of the time." Stepping off the train in Kings Row, I heard the first of the "TT" broadcasts. Flaming Intern was announcing forty-five minutes until showtime. I chatted with him, as one of the hosting crew, about what "Tanker Tuesday" was really about. Having been at the very first TT, he had a little bit of insight. He said that his favorite thing about TT, from the beginning, has been "seeing the influx of new tanks that it brings. I love teaching new tanks a trick or two that will help them tank better. I guarantee you if you just come for one TT, within two hours, you will be a better tank." When asked if other Archetypes should take a page from TT, he said, "I'm a little biased because I've been a Tank at heart for so long, but I think that would be a great idea and would really bring ATs together, like TT has done. So I guess I'm all for it, as long as I can get my tank on at TT."  When Dinah Might, the main organizer of the third anniversary event, was asked how she came up with the event, she modestly stated that Tuesday Night Tankers was actually started by The Ring. "Originally," she stated, "[it] started as an exclusive get together for his Super Group, the Watchguard. Tanker Tuesday soon opened up to be a server-wide Tanker gathering. Tankers take great pride in their characters and their Archetype, and this sense of pride can still be seen today. When The Ring announced that he would no longer be the host of Tanker Tuesday, the Tankers of Champion server refused to let the event die." It's a good thing too. Hundreds of Tanks showed upenough to have two instances of Kings Row and Galaxy City an hour after the special events were over. In game celebrities were thereBack Alley Brawler and Castle handed out special gold titles proclaiming the participants of "Tanker Tuesday, 3rd Anniversary." Ghost Widow even put in an appearance, not worrying about the mass of Tanks surrounding her that were hurling compliments and friendly challenges in her direction. The Red Name love was shown, as well, by special appearances by Lighthouse and Ex Libris. The sheer amount of people, and the resulting lag, caused our powers to be shut off a few times, just to let us talk. At 9 PM (EDT), on the nose, Dinah Might started to broadcast that we should go, en mass, from the Independence Port exit, through Kings Row, to Galaxy City. From there, we should head to the M1 statue in Galaxy City and await the rest of the festivities. I have to say that this is when things got hectic. Have you ever tried to move hundreds of "Star Struck" Tanks? It was a bit slow going, but after about fifteen minutes of "If you have a title, please proceed to Galaxy City," there were two Galaxy Cities and lots of happy Tanks. Over the following hour, Dinah Might and the rest of the TT helpers held several costume, concept and taunt contests, while the attendees were entertained by JusticeRadio's DJ Judge and DJ Brainfreeze. I asked DJ Judge what he thought of the festivities, and all he could say was, "It's freakin' awesome!" DJ Brainfreeze was able to say a bit more, or maybe I just asked a better question. "This was an outstanding event, and I have never seen so many Tankers in one place. This was awe-striking. So much energy in one place. I was not only impressed but amazed. They put on an awesome event." Although, he just laughed at me when I requested Michael Bolton. The following are the winners of the contests (held in both Galaxy City 1 and Galaxy City 2) Runners-up not listed: "Best Concept" Costume Contest - Storm-Knight (GC1) and Eternal Fighter (GC2) "Best Golden/Silver Aged" Costume Contest - Major Rocket (GC1) and Ice hammer (GC2) Secret bio Contest - Zero (GC2) and BurningJustice (GC2) Taunt Contest - Captain battleship (GC1) and Emer1d (GC2)  Sloberknocker Event - Heat Factor (GC1) and American-Integrity (GC2) After the contests were over, things were settling down into a more normal version of "Tanker Tuesday." Characters of all levels, backgrounds and powersets were teaming up and PVPing in the arena. I got to ask Dinah a few more questions. Her personal thoughts on TT's biggest triumph to date kind of shocked me. "Although I would like to say that the thirrd year anniversary party was the greatest achievement (there has never been such a large gathering of a single Archetype in the game), the greatest triumph for us is introducing players to our favorite Archetype and cultivating a whole new generation of Tankers." Dinah is a very modest person. When asked what she would have done differently, she said, "I would have like to be more prepared for the large attendance at the third year anniversary of Tanker Tuesday. I had no idea so many people would show up, nor was I ready for multiple zones being spawned. However, thanks to the Champion Tankers, this event was the biggest and best player-run I've ever been to." And her thoughts on the longevity of TT? "The Tankers of Champion. What a great bunch. Where would this event be without their support? I can't even put into words how much I'd like to thank them, or 'Tank' them. Tank you, guys! " Here is the event board discussion See ACEMAGE'S "night of 400+ tanks" See the results page on the Champion board. Here are some more pictures from the event:
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Player Events | |
PVP SG Ladder Update
In the recent weeks, we've seen a lot of new SGs make their spot on the ladder, along with older SGs going through rough rebuilding periods. Recent matches include two new SGs entering: Victory Reborn and dUmb. Victory Reborn won in two matches, but a great job was shown by both teams. Also, in recent matches, JAL fought Velocity, with Velocity winning the fight in three matches. The ladder currently looks like this: 1. Freaks of Legends 2. Velocity 3. Justice for All League (JAL) 4. Old School (OS) 5. Statesman's Watch (SW) 6. Pingu City Justice League (PCJL) 7. Hell Raisers (HR) 6. Whirligig (WG) 7. Victory Reborn (VR) 8. dUmb The next matches coming up are Velocity vs. Freaks, SW vs. PCJL, SW vs. JAL, and WG vs. VR. All match times and information can be found in the PvP Arena section. [/b] Banshee Bride by Dursagon |
P.E.R.C.This past saturday, on September 29, 2007, heroes and villians across the servers of Champion, Justice and Liberty came together for their round of Here are the winners for this week. Champion Miss Paragon City Champion Panda Doll Miss Rogue Isles Champion Flame Shroud Mr Paragon City Champion Texas Stampede Mr Rogue Isles Champion Santa Claws Justice Miss Paragon City Justice Foe's Hammer Miss Rogue Isles Justice Cattle Prodder Mr Paragon City Justice Captain Starlight Mr Rogue Isles Justice Emerald Viper Liberty Miss Paragon City Liberty Miss-Paragon* Vaiel Echtro Miss Rogue Isles Liberty Vaiel Echtro Mr Paragon City Liberty Replete Mr Rogue Isles Liberty Bloodspeaker Congrats to all the winners and we will see you all at the finals! Next up is Triumph, Guardian and Virtue on October 6, 2007. *means that I did not get the picture of the contestant in time, it will be featured in a future issue. Last week we did not have Mr. Infinity Paragon City is Bomb Bursting in Air's picture. Please use this link to see it. |
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Fans Speak on Issue 11 | |
 For weeks, rumors have been running rampant about Issue 11, the upcoming Expansion of City of. A series of clues has been dropped through the Paragon Times, the message boards both in America and in Europe, and no message went any less than overanalyzed by rabid fans. At long last, though, fans were shown the name and basic details of Issue 11: "A Stitch in Time." This issue, focused on the new group called Ouroboros, a group dedicated to time travel and the implications therein. Their introduction will enable players to play roles in story arcs and missions that took place long before Statesman sent out his distress signal or Lord Recluse began breaking villains out of the Zig. What intrigues many players, however, is a specific line in which the Developers state that one of the storylines a player may choose is the Cyrus Thompson storyline of the comic book run. After IanTheM1 pointed this out, the thread absolutely exploded in activity. Positron, lead designer of the City of X project, was quick to point that, "We have something VERY special planned for this story arc." Troy Hickman, writer of this specific storyline, also revealed that he had been aware of this project for some time, though his exact level of interaction with the designers was not clarified. "Maybe Cyrus Thompson Community Center finally gets its rightful place in Kings' Row," noted ChaseArcanum. Not all time traveling will be about story arcs of the past. Players are also being granted the ability to "Flashback" to missions they have outleveled. This will allow players to replay their favorite storylines and complete adventures that they overlooked or were denied previously. Positron has also stated that, when using Flashback to access a mission, players may set additional difficulties to their missions, such as time limits, an inability to access inspirations, or a flat out lowering of stats (referred to as a "self nerf"). Completing missions on these higher standards may unlock badges, an incentive that inevitably adds hours of playtime to Badge Hunters and perfectionists. "Wow! A whole new form of bragging!" exclaimed Hobo_Fruitsalad. "I look forward to all new levels of debt and punishment for my characters. Awesome." The feature that has received the most positive feedback, however, is definitely the Weapon Customization. Powersets focused around the use of a weapon (War Mace, Broadsword, Claws, Axe, Katana and Assault Rifle) will now have an additional option to not only change the color of your weapon, but to switch it out for another weapon that is a rough equivalent in damage. Although the Announcement pages have not been any clearer than this, the developers have been extremely active on the boards posting explanation after explanation and hint after hint about what to expect. Some of the optional weapon changes that have attained the most fan response have been the addition of a Shovel (an option under the Tanker's War Mace), the Tommy Gun option for the Assault Rifle (belonging to the Blaster and Corrupter), and a Rikti adaptation of the Broadsword. It has been confirmed that while the majority of the options are available from character creation, some (like the aforementioned Rikti sword) have to be earned by receiving related badges. For a complete list of what is currently confirmed for Weapon Customization, please refer to this thread, maintained by Zombie_Man. Although this issue has mostly received positive feedback, one specific addition to the game has certain sects of fans disappointed with reactions ranging from slightly concerned to extremely upset. More Invention Recipes will be released this expansion pack, many of them themed around covering the types of powers that were originally not covered, such as Taunts and Buffs. In addition to this, however, is the announcement of Very Rare IOs. Players who feel that the current difficulty of Invention Recipe and Salvage hunting is too hard and unbalanced have suggested that introducing even more valuable and difficult-to-find loot is a premature idea, if it should exist at all. Even though Issue 11 has yet to be confirmed as in Beta testing, players are taking sides on the issue of Purple IOs, so named for the font color that they will be in game. "Yeah, I'm not pleased about this, really," states ColJasmine in one thread. "At present the rarest stuff not only commands exorbitant prices, but for some sets, very few pieces actually change hands. I don't think this is what the devs wanted." Another poster, Perfect_Pain, foresaw the dispute before it really set in, creating a thread in support of this new level of item finding difficulty. "Don't adjust the drop rate due to people saying they didn't get one. Keep them Ultra Rare. I want to have to work at getting them. I want the challenge. Please." Then, of course, two new powersets have been confirmed for sometime: Dual Blades and Willpower. Dual Blades have received a mixed reaction. Many players have been excited about this new style of fighting, which is no surprise as this choice was the direct result of a player poll held months ago. On the opposite side are players that feel Dual Blades draw the game away from superhero comics and more into fantasy worlds. Gotterdamurung commented, "Sweet looking. Though still close enough to scimitars to mean that the GMs are going to spend several months genericizing the hundreds of toons named various variations of 'Drizzt.'" An interesting point, but with Weapon Customization, it appears that players will be able to choose a different type of blade to be held in each hand, leaving players with more than enough ways to avoid being dubbed a clone. The second power, Willpower, is a defensive set that has been much in demand from fans for some time now. The set, a moderate mix of various types of protections, had several screen shots released to Badge-Hunter.com. These pictures feature a character glowing bright shades of yellow. This was met with confusion and slight disappointment by the community, invoking the following from Tal-N:  "Minimalist effects eh? Maybe this is just the tier-9 power and the rest would be impossible to see on a screenshot so they showed what they could. Somehow I was expecting purples and pinks like you'd expect from a mentality-powered defense set. I mean willpower IS technically a psionic-themed defense set by its very name, and psionics are pink/purple." BackAlleyBrawler appeared on the boards shortly thereafter, noting that the current design is set to undergo changes. "We'd already pretty much decided that what we have now is still too much. We still want this to be a defense set that is very minimally FX graphic-intensive, but trying to find a delicate balance between having nothing at all and having functional indicators of what powers are active is tricky." It should be noted that this is generally one of the most well-received issues at announcement time. This writer finds it difficult to find well-reasoned and clear statements of praise but hopes that readers take to heart that the following quotes have been quite standard for this week: "alfaewhlahg;a;dshf;adsf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! /dies" ~Stupid_Fanboy "OH [censored] YES! OH [censored] YES!" ~Riley_Delacroix "Gasp! Debuff IO sets, Flashback, Power Customization...Must...use...self...defibrillator. .." ~Grizzle_Bok Can Issue 11 live up to the hype? To be cautious, the proper response should be, "wait and see." Still, it's hard not to let the mind wander with internal debates of what to do first. Should one take their highest level character and begin doing "Flashbacks" of missions from the past? Should one roll an alt with Dual Blades or Willpower? Or, worse yet, will players find themselves unable to leave the Costume Editor, endlessly toying with the various new weapons to choose? When the time comes, it will be nearly impossible for this writer about which to pick first. | |
Another great Issue for City of Heroes & City of Villains will be entering closed beta soon! Rather than just deal with the Community Teams focus on the Beta and risk allowing forum moderation to suffer because of it, we are asking for your help!
When posting during this time, you can help us out by continuing to keep the forums a friendly, constructive place to visit. If you arent sure what this means, it entails following the forum rules when posting. They are linked here for your reference:
Rules & Regulations
Basically, this is our call to you, our community, to please just all get along! Especially while the beta is underway!
Yeah right!
Ok, so for those who just cant resist the temptation to mix it up with your fellows, we have made a few behind the scenes changes to help address things.Our moderation team has been placed on high alert for all forums above the "For Fun" and "Servers" sections. By high alert they are searching for specific violations.
Refrain from such posts as :
- [*]+1 [*]/jranger [*]LOL [*]no[/list]or other such fluff posts that do little to contribute to the discussion. Continued such posts will result in action on our part to curb the behavior.
We have improved our moderation tracking process to track the most commonly edited and problematic posters. With our improved tracking we will be taking more active action to curb habitual violators behavior.
As always, you can assist with our forum moderation efforts by making use of the Notify Moderator button to make us aware of posts you feel are not in accordance with the Rules and Regulations. You can find the Notify Moderator button below the signature line in any post. The below picture helps to illustrate where it can be found.
If anyone has questions, comments, or concerns please PM myself or Lighthouse directly and we will be happy to discuss it with you.
Use this thread to Discuss this Announcement!
Regards,
Ex Libris
Regards,
Ex Libris
The PlayNC site is currently undergoing some updates and maintenance, this will affect the following tools and options:
Tools and the in-game stores will be unavailable for about 30 mins. (Includes Character Rename, & Transfer)
The public Account Management site will be unavailable for about 1 hour. (Master Account Management.)
We thank you for your continued patience and feedback on these new features and additions.
Regards,
Ex Libris
This would be very specifically COH/COV Meet Up!
We drew in about 200 or so for the Austin meet up. I suppose we could do a basic poll about numbers we should be looking for here on the forums but it would only be partially representative and wouldn't account for scheduling issues that might arise.
It's on my list for today.
Ex
Changes made to the Front Page.
Added City of Zeroes.
Added Behind The Mask.
This looks like a mysterious edition indeed!
I can't wait until this coming Friday!
Regards,
Ex Libris
Squeaking off the presses with the l33t skillz of Dirtwolf we have the latest edition of The City Scoop! It seems that an unforeseeable accident in the press room left Mantid caught in a bind of super glue and rubber bands. So you may see some errors and format changes to this weeks edition of the Scoop but they wanted to roll it out and we will head back in when able to clean up some portions as they are able to do so.
Leading off this week we have guest writer Xury2 from the PWNZ section who as on assignment at the Austin NCsoft Meet & Greet event. He did a great job at doing a wide scale coverage of the event and included some really great shots. Also in this edition we have the winners of the Mr/Ms Paragon/Rogue Isles Contest from Infinity, Freedom, and Pinnacle, events will be held tomorrow for Champion, Justice, and Liberty. So far word from the Player Event Resource Committee is that everyone is having a blast!
If you would like to do a feature article, have an event covered, or join "The City Scoop" team please PM Lemur_Lad or Marcian_Tobay
If you or someone you know should be considered for Behind the Mask Teldon or Encounters please contact MrsAlphaOne
If you need some Advice contact Lady_Athyna or would like to Ask The X contact LiquidX
For a printable version of "The City Scoop" please send an email to the following
CityScoop20@the-swarm.org!
If you have an event you would like covered by The City Scoop please post your events under the event forum located here: Event Forum
Discussion on the latest edition of "The City Scoop" is located here.
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The City Scoop is looking for writers and LadyK Have a question? Serious or funny, PM Think you have an AWESOME base? PM The Rogue Isles Marine Corps is looking for new | WANTED creative
SELLING life-like mechanical Ravens useful for The Kheldian League is a supergroup on Triumph. The PvP Event Committee is looking for more |
MendersAnd The Winners Are...
[*] Ms. Infinity Paragon City is Iolite Phoenix [*] Ms. Infinity Rogue Isles is Nieves Trudeaux [*] Mr. Infinity Paragon City is Bomb Bursting in Air* [*] Mr. Infinity Rogue Isles is Evil Sarg [/list] Freedom [*] Ms. Freedom Paragon City is Emergency Girl [*] Ms. Freedom Rogue Isles is Morgana Midnight [*] Mr. Freedom Paragon City is Dr. Aquaticus [*] Mr. Freedom Rogue Isles is Tumbleweed of Doom [/list] Pinnacle [*] Ms. Pinnacle Paragon City is Autumn Nymph [*] Ms. Pinnacle Rogue Isles is Pandemona [*] Mr. Pinnacle Paragon City is Razorstrike [*] Mr. Pinnacle Rogue Isles is Hell O Ween [/list]
| By Popular RequestThis is the seventh in a series of By Popular Request articles, This weeks subject New Enhancements: Many forum posters have offered suggestions as to what kinds of An interesting new form of enhancements might be a hybrid  |
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Artist Interview Hey Juggertha! It's nice to see you creating art recently, Hehe, thanks, man. I'd love to say that my little girl has How does your wife feel about your talents? She's usually pretty cool with them. I think she actually kind of When did you realize you had a talent for drawing and creating? How I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. All through What are your favorite pieces and why? Does any of your art have One of my favorite pieces that I've been (continually) working on  This is a project I've been doing up for free for people on the | What's your favorite thing to draw or doodle? The muscular form. I've trained for years in the gym and a few of  Other than that, I dig sitting somewhere and just practicing my What's the best piece of The best words anyone has ever said to me were: "Good job, now If you could do anything with your artwork, whether it be put it on Comic books. That'd be the highlight of my life if I could get Do you think a person's life could be changed by artwork? Either by Absolutely. I know myself and many others were not always blessed Is there anything you wish you could improve about your art? Buahahaha! /wipes off the keyboard. Yup, just about everything! Who are some artists you admire? What kind of artists did you like I met Todd McFarlane when I was a teen and was in awe. He taught Any advice for other artists? Sure, draw! Don't stop. Don't give it up for awhile. Keep at it. |
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Artist InterviewCan you tell us a little about yourself?
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Greetings villains and vigilantes, heroes and the other general No one really knows how long Blackbeard's has been around or if it
Oh yeah, as recently as the 1970s, lobster was considered a poor Canada Joe tries to keep his prices down, but you can't just pick So, here are a few recipes.  |
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