Part 1 of Rooster Teeth's video series based around CoH's upcoming Mission Architect content release introduced you to Captain Dynamic's "awesome button." What could Part 2 possibly have in store...perhaps the introduction of an Arch Nemesis? Find out by watching the next available episode!

Not in the know? Catch up on ALL the latest Issue 14, Mission Architect news here!

Update:

New Article on MMORPG.com

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm?v...e=3&bhcp=1

Everywhere we turn we are hearing the buzz about Issue 14: Mission Architect. We've been tracking some of press which interested readers can find here!

We wanted to highlight some of our favorite quotes about Issue 14 from recent press articles, so here are a few of our favorites and their sources:

"NCsoft hit a major artery with the mission architect."
"...by far the coolest feature I've seen added to an already live MMORPG" -Allakhazam (Feb. 2009)

"It was intuitive, remarkable in its depth and simplicity and a whole lot of fun"-Gamezone (Feb. 2009)

"It's as though, all of the sudden, thousands of roleplayers cried out in joy"
"Overall the Mission Architect is hugely impressive" - The Escapist (Feb. 2009)

"NCsoft is handing over creative control to the player"-IGN (Feb. 2009)

List of Press Articles about Issue 14: Mission Architect

http://pc.ign.com/articles/957/957168p1.html

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm?f...&game=3&bhcp=1

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm?g...re=2756&bhcp=1

http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/64685

http://tentonhammer.com/node/64694

http://tentonhammer.com/node/64684

http://www.gamezone.com/news/02_26_09_11_50AM.htm

http://www.massively.com/2009/02/26/...ity-of-heroes/

http://www.gamersinfo.net/articles/2...sion-architect

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news...sion-Architect

http://www.geeksugar.com/2859675#read-more

http://omgrpg.blogfaction.com/article/10...sion-architect/

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/26/cr...-mission-arch/

http://www.macworld.com/article/1390...yofheroes.html

http://www.gamersdailynews.com/story-906...wn-Mission.html

http://kotaku.com/5161479/the-city-o...tect-explained

http://www.incgamers.com/Games/649/N...-Details/15261

http://www.gamersinfo.net/articles/2...sion-architect

http://www.allakhazam.com/story.html?story=17048

http://www.ripten.com/2009/02/27/cit...iew/#more-9348

http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/64814

Everywhere we turn we are hearing the buzz about Issue 14: Mission Architect. We've been tracking some of press which interested readers can find listed below!

We wanted to highlight some of our favorite quotes about Issue 14 from recent press articles, so here are a few of our favorites and their sources:

"NCsoft hit a major artery with the mission architect."
"...by far the coolest feature I've seen added to an already live MMORPG" -Allakhazam (Feb. 2009)

"It was intuitive, remarkable in its depth and simplicity and a whole lot of fun"-Gamezone (Feb. 2009)

"It's as though, all of the sudden, thousands of roleplayers cried out in joy"
"Overall the Mission Architect is hugely impressive" - The Escapist (Feb. 2009)

"NCsoft is handing over creative control to the player"-IGN (Feb. 2009)



List of press articles we have been following for Issue 14, list will be updated as we get new articles:

http://pc.ign.com/articles/957/957168p1.html

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm?f...&game=3&bhcp=1

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm?g...re=2756&bhcp=1

http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/64685

http://tentonhammer.com/node/64694

http://tentonhammer.com/node/64684

http://www.gamezone.com/news/02_26_09_11_50AM.htm

http://www.massively.com/2009/02/26/...ity-of-heroes/

http://www.gamersinfo.net/articles/2...sion-architect

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news...sion-Architect

http://www.geeksugar.com/2859675#read-more

http://omgrpg.blogfaction.com/article/10...sion-architect/

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/26/cr...-mission-arch/

http://www.macworld.com/article/1390...yofheroes.html

http://www.gamersdailynews.com/story-906...wn-Mission.html

http://kotaku.com/5161479/the-city-o...tect-explained

http://www.incgamers.com/Games/649/N...-Details/15261

http://www.gamersinfo.net/articles/2...sion-architect

http://www.allakhazam.com/story.html?story=17048

http://www.ripten.com/2009/02/27/cit...iew/#more-9348

http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/64814

Thread request to be saved granted.

Ex

Details are starting to emerge on the The City of Heroes® content update that breaks MMO barriers by letting players create their own in-game missions! Check out the following items to see just some of what Issue 14, Architect has to offer...

Overview:

The Official Issue 14 Overview Page
Updated information and new Mission screenshots await!

Video Media:

Rooster Teeth Video starring Captain Dynamic

One of our goals at NCsoft NorCal has been to get Mission Architect into the hands of as many creative people as possible to see what content they come up with. An obvious choice was Rooster Teeth, creators of the famous Red vs. Blue machinima series. They enjoyed it so much, that they decided to document their adventures using Mission Architect in a three episode video series. Watch Episode 1 which introduces viewers to Captain Dynamic, a real-life super person, and his quest to use the Mission Architect to advance his image and his career. Episodes 2 and 3 will follow!

Frequently Asked Questions!:

Issue 14 FAQ
Want the 411 on Mission Architect? Read the FAQ and check back for additional information at a later date!

Quotable Quotes:

"NCsoft hit a major artery with the mission architect."
"...by far the coolest feature I've seen added to an already live MMORPG" -Allakhazam (Feb. 2009)

"It was intuitive, remarkable in its depth and simplicity and a whole lot of fun"-Gamezone (Feb. 2009)

"It's as though, all of the sudden, thousands of roleplayers cried out in joy"
"Overall the Mission Architect is hugely impressive" - The Escapist (Feb. 2009)

"NCsoft is handing over creative control to the player"-IGN (Feb. 2009)

Press List:

http://pc.ign.com/articles/957/957168p1.html

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm?f...e=3&bhcp=1

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm?g...756&bhcp=1

http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/64685

http://tentonhammer.com/node/64694

http://tentonhammer.com/node/64684

http://www.gamezone.com/news/02_26_09_11_50AM.htm

http://www.massively.com/2009/02/26/...ity-of-heroes/

http://www.gamersinfo.net/articles/2...sion-architect

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news...sion-Architect

http://www.geeksugar.com/2859675#read-more

http://omgrpg.blogfaction.com/article/10...sion-architect/

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/26/cr...-mission-arch/

http://www.macworld.com/article/1390...yofheroes.html

http://www.gamersdailynews.com/story-906...wn-Mission.html

http://kotaku.com/5161479/the-city-o...tect-explained

http://www.incgamers.com/Games/649/N...-Details/15261

http://www.gamersinfo.net/articles/2...sion-architect

http://www.allakhazam.com/story.html?story=17048

http://www.ripten.com/2009/02/27/cit...iew/#more-9348

http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/64814

Join in on the community discussion here!

Details are starting to emerge on the The City of Heroes® content update that breaks MMO barriers by letting players create their own in-game missions! Check out the following items to see just some of what Issue 14, Architect has to offer...

Overview:

The Official Issue 14 Overview Page
Updated information and new Mission screenshots await!

Video Media:

Rooster Teeth Video starring Captain Dynamic

One of our goals at NCsoft NorCal has been to get Mission Architect into the hands of as many creative people as possible to see what content they come up with. An obvious choice was Rooster Teeth, creators of the famous Red vs. Blue machinima series. They enjoyed it so much, that they decided to document their adventures using Mission Architect in a three episode video series. Watch Episode 1 which introduces viewers to Captain Dynamic, a real-life super person, and his quest to use the Mission Architect to advance his image and his career. Episodes 2 and 3 will follow!

Frequently Asked Questions!:

Issue 14 FAQ
Want the 411 on Mission Architect? Read the FAQ and check back for additional information at a later date!

Quotable Quotes:

"NCsoft hit a major artery with the mission architect."
"...by far the coolest feature I've seen added to an already live MMORPG" -Allakhazam (Feb. 2009)

"It was intuitive, remarkable in its depth and simplicity and a whole lot of fun"-Gamezone (Feb. 2009)

"It's as though, all of the sudden, thousands of roleplayers cried out in joy"
"Overall the Mission Architect is hugely impressive" - The Escapist (Feb. 2009)

"NCsoft is handing over creative control to the player"-IGN (Feb. 2009)

Press List:

http://pc.ign.com/articles/957/957168p1.html

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm?f...&game=3&bhcp=1

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm?g...re=2756&bhcp=1

http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/64685

http://tentonhammer.com/node/64694

http://tentonhammer.com/node/64684

http://www.gamezone.com/news/02_26_09_11_50AM.htm

http://www.massively.com/2009/02/26/...ity-of-heroes/

http://www.gamersinfo.net/articles/2...sion-architect

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news...sion-Architect

http://www.geeksugar.com/2859675#read-more

http://omgrpg.blogfaction.com/article/10...sion-architect/

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/26/cr...-mission-arch/

http://www.macworld.com/article/1390...yofheroes.html

http://www.gamersdailynews.com/story-906...wn-Mission.html

http://kotaku.com/5161479/the-city-o...tect-explained

http://www.incgamers.com/Games/649/N...-Details/15261

http://www.gamersinfo.net/articles/2...sion-architect

http://www.allakhazam.com/story.html?story=17048

http://www.ripten.com/2009/02/27/cit...iew/#more-9348

http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/64814

Join in on the community discussion here!

City of Heroes
Issue 14: Architect

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Mission Architect?

1. Mission Architect is a new game system we have developed for the City of Heroes massively multiplayer game. It allows our players to create their own stories and share those stories with other players on our live servers. Creators can pick from hundreds of maps and thousands of characters. They can use existing characters or create their own custom enemies. They can get even more detailed and create full enemy groups, giving each enemy unique costumes and powers. We allow players to write all of the dialog for their story as well as decide on level of difficulty and enemy placement. We even give them the ability to trigger one mission goal off of another, creating a chain of events within a single mission. Each story can have up to five chapters or missions and each mission can hold up to a maximum of 25 achievable goals. For people who just want to play the user created content, we give them access to the mission browser that shows all the generated content. You can sort these stories by name, highest rated, lengthy and recently added. You can also filter content to show only those with specific ratings, arcs you have or haven’t played as well as the alignment of the story. As people play content, they’ll be able to rate that content from one to five stars. Creators will actually get in game benefits for making content that gets highly rated. We even offer a Dev Choice and Hall of Fame standing for the best of the best.

2. How does it work?

1. Players create content in game through a computer terminal within one of the Architect Entertainment buildings. Architect Entertainment is the name of an in-game company that’s developed this type of ‘simulated experience’ for heroes and villains of Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. You can think of this like a holo-deck or a simulated mission tool. Players go to these facilities that are spread through out most of our zones and interact with a computer that walks through the creation process. Here is where they pick all of their options for a mission as well as write all the dialog and build their custom characters. Once they’ve gotten their story together, they can test it out and see how it plays. Once they’ve gotten it perfect, they can publish the story up to our Arc Server. This server is cross shard and cross game. So, any content published will be seen by everyone on every server, regardless of where they play.

3. What rewards are we giving to the players and creators?

1. We’re granting full experience (XP) and influence rewards for defeating enemies in player made content. We’re also giving players tickets in place of random drops. They can take these tickets to an Architect ticket vendor and redeem them for various in game rewards, such as enhancements, recipes and salvage. We’re also allowing players to purchase unlockable content with their tickets. They’ll be able to get maps, costume pieces and different characters.

4. What special features does Mission Architect have?

1. At the high level we allow you to create your own stories and share them with others in the game.
2. You can build your own custom characters as well as full enemy groups, giving each one a unique costume, powers, name and background.
3. We allow players to link mission goals together, creating a chain of events in a single mission.
4. We offer rewards for the players who develop well received content (Hall of Fame and Dev Choice).
5. Every published story is visible to each and every one of our players.

5. Can you talk more about Dev Choice vs. Hall of Fame?

1. The Hall of Fame is where the best player rated content goes. To get to this rank you need to have over a 1000 votes with an average of 5 stars (we round up). Getting into the Hall of Fame changes your standing in the mission browser, moving it further up the queue.
2. Becoming a Dev Choice story happens when one of us (the developers) sees content that we feel best represents what Architect can be, good story and fun gameplay. Getting into Dev Choice actually elevates you beyond Hall of Fame and gives your mission the same sort of rewards and drops you would get outside of Architect. The only difference being that you get a ticket bonus at the end of a mission as opposed to an experience bonus.
3. We also have a third tier of stories which we will talk about at a later date.

6. How are you dealing with inappropriate content?

1. We’ve worked very closely with our customer service department to develop systems for this. In the end, we implemented a number of different systems. We have language filters that check for bad words and won’t let you publish them until you remove them. We’re also allowing players to flag content for inappropriateness. We also track all users and flags for any potential vote griefing.

7. What’s appealing to the players of user generated content?

1. We’re creating a system where the best content rises to the top of the list and everything else is filtered to the bottom. Players can sort by rank as well as what they have and haven’t played. When playing in someone else’s content you’ll continue to earn full XP and influence. We’ve replaced the random drop system with a ticketing system. Players collect tickets as they go through content. Once they’ve collected enough tickets they can go to a ticket vendor and purchase exactly what they want as far as rewards go.

8. How long does it take to make a decent five mission storyarc?

1. You can create a single mission rather quickly, in less then ten or fifteen minutes. However, to truly craft something unique and excellent, you’ll have to spend a decent amount of time in the tool. It could take someone a couple of days of to write, build and test something really good.

City of Heroes
Issue 14: Architect

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Mission Architect?

1. Mission Architect is a new game system we have developed for the City of Heroes massively multiplayer game. It allows our players to create their own stories and share those stories with other players on our live servers. Creators can pick from hundreds of maps and thousands of characters. They can use existing characters or create their own custom enemies. They can get even more detailed and create full enemy groups, giving each enemy unique costumes and powers. We allow players to write all of the dialog for their story as well as decide on level of difficulty and enemy placement. We even give them the ability to trigger one mission goal off of another, creating a chain of events within a single mission. Each story can have up to five chapters or missions and each mission can hold up to a maximum of 25 achievable goals. For people who just want to play the user created content, we give them access to the mission browser that shows all the generated content. You can sort these stories by name, highest rated, lengthy and recently added. You can also filter content to show only those with specific ratings, arcs you have or haven’t played as well as the alignment of the story. As people play content, they’ll be able to rate that content from one to five stars. Creators will actually get in game benefits for making content that gets highly rated. We even offer a Dev Choice and Hall of Fame standing for the best of the best.

2. How does it work?

1. Players create content in game through a computer terminal within one of the Architect Entertainment buildings. Architect Entertainment is the name of an in-game company that’s developed this type of ‘simulated experience’ for heroes and villains of Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. You can think of this like a holo-deck or a simulated mission tool. Players go to these facilities that are spread through out most of our zones and interact with a computer that walks through the creation process. Here is where they pick all of their options for a mission as well as write all the dialog and build their custom characters. Once they’ve gotten their story together, they can test it out and see how it plays. Once they’ve gotten it perfect, they can publish the story up to our Arc Server. This server is cross shard and cross game. So, any content published will be seen by everyone on every server, regardless of where they play.

3. What rewards are we giving to the players and creators?

1. We’re granting full experience (XP) and influence rewards for defeating enemies in player made content. We’re also giving players tickets in place of random drops. They can take these tickets to an Architect ticket vendor and redeem them for various in game rewards, such as enhancements, recipes and salvage. We’re also allowing players to purchase unlockable content with their tickets. They’ll be able to get maps, costume pieces and different characters.

4. What special features does Mission Architect have?

1. At the high level we allow you to create your own stories and share them with others in the game.
2. You can build your own custom characters as well as full enemy groups, giving each one a unique costume, powers, name and background.
3. We allow players to link mission goals together, creating a chain of events in a single mission.
4. We offer rewards for the players who develop well received content (Hall of Fame and Dev Choice).
5. Every published story is visible to each and every one of our players.

5. Can you talk more about Dev Choice vs. Hall of Fame?

1. The Hall of Fame is where the best player rated content goes. To get to this rank you need to have over a 1000 votes with an average of 5 stars (we round up). Getting into the Hall of Fame changes your standing in the mission browser, moving it further up the queue.
2. Becoming a Dev Choice story happens when one of us (the developers) sees content that we feel best represents what Architect can be, good story and fun gameplay. Getting into Dev Choice actually elevates you beyond Hall of Fame and gives your mission the same sort of rewards and drops you would get outside of Architect. The only difference being that you get a ticket bonus at the end of a mission as opposed to an experience bonus.
3. We also have a third tier of stories which we will talk about at a later date.

6. How are you dealing with inappropriate content?

1. We’ve worked very closely with our customer service department to develop systems for this. In the end, we implemented a number of different systems. We have language filters that check for bad words and won’t let you publish them until you remove them. We’re also allowing players to flag content for inappropriateness. We also track all users and flags for any potential vote griefing.

7. What’s appealing to the players of user generated content?

1. We’re creating a system where the best content rises to the top of the list and everything else is filtered to the bottom. Players can sort by rank as well as what they have and haven’t played. When playing in someone else’s content you’ll continue to earn full XP and influence. We’ve replaced the random drop system with a ticketing system. Players collect tickets as they go through content. Once they’ve collected enough tickets they can go to a ticket vendor and purchase exactly what they want as far as rewards go.

8. How long does it take to make a decent five mission storyarc?

1. You can create a single mission rather quickly, in less then ten or fifteen minutes. However, to truly craft something unique and excellent, you’ll have to spend a decent amount of time in the tool. It could take someone a couple of days of to write, build and test something really good.

Join the community discussion on the Mission Architect-FAQ

Check OP link to ensure correct. It has been updated.

Ex

GoBots?

OP has been updated, thank you for your guide submissions.

Ex

Date: February 20, 2009. All of the below items are bugs with this live version and are made known to players so they can work around them while corrections to these issues are being tested and made ready.
<ul>
[*] Emotes: Flyposes will not work when the Blazing Aura or Arctic Air power is activated.
[*] <font color=red>(new)[/color] Animation: Starting attack chains with certain powers from the Arachnos Soldier powerset causes the gun to not appear."
[*] Text: The Patron Plaques in Grandville have not been updated to reflect the Patron Pool changes.
[*] Tailor: "Copy Current Colors" button does not work unless you have a subcategory selected.
[*] Pathing: Protector Bots get stuck on their own Seeker Drones
[*] Chat: P-strings appearing in Hero Zone Event Chat frequently. --FIXED IN ISSUE 14
[*] <font color=red>(new)[/color] Bases: Bases expanding beyond the data limits and bases with over 12,000 items may become corrupt. (To check on the amount of items in the base, use the Base Editor - Upgrade Plot screen to display how many items are currently placed in the base. If base corruption occurs, please file a ticket with CS by using /petition (enter) or the web support at www.plaync.com and they will work with you on available solutions. )
[*] <font color=red>(new)[/color]Level Pact: Players that purchase character server transfers will break active pacts when transferring this includes players that move to servers together.
[*] <font color=red>(new)[/color]Level Pact: Pacted players that reach level 50 and maximum experience will continue to see pact messages. ** (Workaround: To correct these messaging players will need to break the pact. Players that break the pact will not be able to re-pact, so please make this choice wisely we will be addressing this messaging error in a future update)
[*] <font color=red>(new)[/color]Mission: Enemies within Line of Sight are auto-killed when the player enters the hero version of "Defeat source of Shivan attacks
[*] <font color=red>(new)[/color] Mission: Players and all enemies within Line of Sight are auto-killed when the player enters the villain version of "Defeat source of Shivan attacks"."
[*]<font color=red>(new)[/color] UI: Players cannot break Coalitions with the Coalition button." ** (Workaround: The bug affects the UI button only, /coalition_cancel sgname will break a coalition correctly.)
[*] UI: Selecting the "Hide...Recipes missing ingredients" option in the Merit Vendor will affect the "Hide...Unowned Recipes" option in Invention Tables
[*] UI: after accessing a patron plaque once, the scrollbars disappear during future accesses.
[*] UI: Unpinned Friends window will continually reopen when closed.
[*] Shields/Costume: Lots of glove costume pieces clips into ALL/some shields.
[*] UI: Global Chat Channels will randomly change colors upon zoning
[*] Art: Genin do not display any graphical change when upgraded with the skill Train Ninjas" [*] Art: Mace art is missing for Arachnos Widows who acquire Patron Mace Mastery powers" [*] Art: Ice Slick does not show up on Rikti Tile set.
[*] Art: Mace art is missing for Crab Spider Soldiers who acquire Patron Mace Mastery powers
[*] Art: Pocket D Super Group beacon is missing
[*] Art Costume: Female>Lower Body>Pants>Flared Pants are no longer available in the costume creator or tailors --FIXED IN ISSUE 14 [/list]

Fixed since last update to list:
<ul type="square">[*]Chat: Coloring chat bubbles through the options menu will not show in game [*]Powers: Scrapper Regeneration > Resilience no longer provides smashing resistance in PvE or PvP. [*]VEAT: Cannot create EATs even after unlocking them after server downtime unless logging in another[*]Level 50 beforehand [*]Chat: Some tells can get cut off in tells and Arena & Help Channels. [*]The chat box may not always display a notification to inform players they have earned Merit Rewards. [*]Bases: 2 walls of every room do not allow changes along the z-axis for base details.[/list]

Vol. 2, Issues 35

February 20th, 2009

The City Scoop a publication for Supers by Supers! Read the latest publication and then join in on the community discussion!

If you have concerns regarding the content of the Scoop please direct your comments via PM to Ex Libris.

If you would like to do a feature article, have an event covered, or join "The City Scoop" team please PM Snow_Globe

If you have a Classified Ad you would like included or join "The City Scoop" team please contact: Marcian Tobay

If you have an interview please contact: EmperorSteele or HumanMiracle

If you need some “Advice” contact Lady_Athyna or would like to “Ask The X” contact LiquidX

If you have a base you would like featured, please contact EnnVee

Finally if you have a Recipe you would like included please contact: MistressNoire

Vol. 2, Issues 35

February 20th, 2009

The City Scoop a publication for Supers by Supers! Read the latest publication and then join in on the community discussion!

If you have concerns regarding the content of the Scoop please direct your comments via PM to Ex Libris.

If you would like to do a feature article, have an event covered, or join "The City Scoop" team please PM Snow_Globe

If you have a Classified Ad you would like included or join "The City Scoop" team please contact: Marcian Tobay

If you have an interview please contact: EmperorSteele or HumanMiracle

If you need some “Advice” contact Lady_Athyna or would like to “Ask The X” contact LiquidX

If you have a base you would like featured, please contact EnnVee

Finally if you have a Recipe you would like included please contact: MistressNoire

The Hecktic Life By Reyne_Maker

The City Scoop Staff Editor-in-Chief Snow_Globe Editor-in-Chief assistants Lemur Lad Marcian Tobay Editors / writers Bases EnnVee Get Involved! Kyo-chan The Hecktic Life Reyne_Maker The People On HumanMiracle PvP Correspondent Neuronia Humor Hostile_V Under the hood TopDoc Fan Fiction Spotlight Mr_Grey Behind the Walls GM Lloyd Fashion Reporters Event Reporters Liaisons Crime of Fashion Needed! P.E.R.C. ~Mistress Noire~ Equation P.v.P.E.C. SGAlliance Advice LiquidX Please PM your questions! Lady Athyna Behind the Scenes Layout Mantid (on leave) Snow_Globe SteampunkCharlie More Welcomed. (HTML/CSS skills needed) Copy Editors Cende More Needed. Positions needing staff HTML Layout Art Correspondents Event reporters Puzzles Writers Joining the Scoop. The City Scoop is always seeking comments, suggestions, and articles from our readers. Just send them to the corresponding department or one of our Editors-in-Chief.

Bases By EnnVee SHENANIGANS, INC. Interview With: PixXxi

Q) What is the name of your group and what made you choose it? A) Shenanigans, Inc. Q) What is your base designer(s) name? A) PixXxi Q) What server is your base on? A) Infinity Q) When was your super/villain group established? A) November 2007 Q) What is the approximate value of your base? A) Too much! Q) How much time have you/your designer(s) invested in your base since you started building? A) Feels like a lifetime! But about a few months Q) What is your/your designer(s) favorite base item? Least favorite? A) Favorite: the fireplace, waterfall, & hot tub. The floating teleporters are pre i-13 and the most time consuming to do! I had to create about 135 magic desks to stack! Least fave: the massive vortex! Cool looking item, I just haven't figured out how to decorate around it. Although, I do have an idea percolating. Q) What is your/your designer(s) favorite thing about base editing? Least favorite? A) Favorite: no more magic desks!!! Least favorite: the lag I sometimes get. Q) Did you get your inspiration from anyone specific or was it right from your imagination? A) Imagination. Except I needed EEEKK to help me find certain items that I saw in his base. Q) If you/your designer(s) could give just one piece of advice to a new base editor, what would it be and why? A) Let your imagination run wild! When you get stuck, reach out to us other base builders. We are always happy to help a fellow builder!

Fashion Because I Have to Look at You.... By: Arbiter Reginald Fabulous (aka: Equation)

Dearest friends, pookies, and various ragamuffins! It is I, your beloved Arbiter Fabulous come once more, refreshed and renewed from a lovely vacation to dispense wit and wisdom to all of you, my adoring readers. Today I am going to try a little bit of before and after, to show what a bit of skill and a few guiding words in want can do to a man. You see, I'm taking upon myself the supreme sacrifice of actually talking and dealing with the grubby folks this week, creating haute couture for them, and showing you prototypes from my very studio. Now then, I need you to know, merely one week of work on any piece of FINE clothing is not long enough, but honestly, it is good enough for who it is for. Now then, my heart went out to the subject of not one, but TWO letters both hero AND sidekick wrote in, asking how to help someone displaced in time... and I will be honest, this was not an easy case. Let us look in, shall we? Dearest Sweetest Arbiter Fabulous, A very good friend of mine, whose name I will not mention so as not to embarrass him, came to our time from 1883. He insists on wearing the same ugly brown suit now that he wore back then, even though I have provided him with suitable clothing that is much more flattering. I know he reads and enjoys your articles, so I am writing to you in the hopes that you can impart some advice to him. He is an inventor, and frequently spends long hours in his lab, as well as mingling with the citizens and heroes of Paragon City at social events. Thanks in advance! Kunoichi Kyo-chan Well as you can see this person got my attention, but lo and behold the next day in the mail I received THIS! Since arriving in Paragon City just over a year ago, I've had quite a busy life. Becoming a Hero (courtesy of my steam-powered armor), adopting and training my sidekick Kyo-chan, and basically settling into your so-called "modern world." However, my sidekick Kyo keeps telling me that the simple brown three-piece double-breasted suit I wear in my off-duty hours is far too "old fashioned" and that I need to "get with the times." After hearing this for the thousandth time tonight, I decided to ask your esteemed opinion. Has this suit that has served me so well for the last 137 years finally gone out of style? And if so, what would you suggest for the (very) British man-about-town? Attached, for your consideration is a photograph of myself wearing said suit. Yours, Charles Winthrop, III Aka Steampunk Charlie Now then, you will soon see that very photograph of our dear Charles in, what I will admit, a VERY STUNNING SUIT! Well PLAYED, I tip my hat to your eye. Many of you know I have a flare for that era of British style, and so few people can make earth tones work. Sadly, my duty here was NOT to dress him up, but dress him down for everyday attire, but I simply could not let him go bungling about in jeans and a t-shirt. No, my friends, I could not. His eye for color matched nearly my own, and I insist on keeping with his trends in his NEW look, one that still says Gentleman, without thinking bustles and parasols on his sidekick. Submitted for your approval, which you had best know meets and exceeds it already...

Now then, our next letter came to me as a shock, especially the included picture. Never before had my work been cut out for me so desperately. I swear, some days it does not pay to allow my assistants to live through the joy that is sifting through my letterbox. But, alas, without these letters I'd merely be crafting new uniforms for our lovely and most benevolent leader here of the Etoile Islands. Which, might I add, is looking lovely this season, caressed by warm balmy breezes, scented with the aromas of grilled meats on the beaches. How I ache for you Paragonians, limited to your greasy pizzas and El Super Mexicano, as I sit on the beaches of St. Martial, cosmopolitan in hand, sharing sushi with my darling Amanda. But I digress. Here, I share with you a letter of someone in the direst of situations. Dear Arbiter Fabulous, As a gargoyle, I constantly watch over the city, protecting citizens from ruffians and fighting off criminal gangs, always striking from above. However, there will be those formal events where I am asked to dress accordingly, such as ceremonies, weddings, or the latest DJ Zero gala. Unfortunately, many fineries look very awkward on me, unless it's full battle armor or something fear inspiring. Overlooking (for a moment) your association with Arachnos and consulting you on a purely fashionable basis, what sort of formal attire could you recommend for an eight foot tall gargoyle with wings, a tail, and horns, that will really turn heads (in a good way) at the latest Candy Lebeaux fashion show? With gratitude, Obsidius Gargoyle All right, first off, when submitting pictures of yourself, at least give me the kindness of wearing some form of undergarments. The effort of recovery from such an image was excessive and frankly, I first felt this must simply be a false letter, a joke or a farce. But one of my good friends in my little coffee social group, a lovely young lady by the name of Xilla (who is single and seeking a kind gentleman still, even after the Valentine's Day season) found it rather interesting. She may be a bit difficult on the eyes, but Xilla well let's say there is a *CHARMING* personality in there, somewhere. As a side note, all inquiries to Xilla can go to me and I promise to forward them on. Oh dear, tangents again. As I was saying, wear underwear, I cannot be fainting from shock all the time, so as such I had to edit the picture to save you, my precious readers. I mean children read this! As you can see, I was heavily inspired by Asian influences, while still retaining a hint of western. I feel that is as good as a look you will get outside of a traditional tuxedo, but honey, anyone could make one of those for you, and I doubt you get to THAT many black tie socials. Well I do hope you are all having a lovely time! Personally, I have been working with one of my clients, this DREADFUL man named Dr. Aeon, who needs a new suit for the opening of some blasted videogame arcade, but the money is good. Anyway, it's keeping Serge and his pathetic Fan Five in the gutter, but more on them later . Also, I never got a letter on which famous person from the Etoile Islands or Paragon City you would all like to see made over. As always, you can reach me through Equation on the CoH forums, with the heading of "Dear Arbiter Fabulous..." and for now, that's TOODLES!

Fiction

City Fiction By Mr_Grey The Redeemers For several hours, the Redeemers, Trolls, and Freedom Corps forces threw their assaults at the nigh-unstoppable beast. Nothing they threw at Grendel seemed to faze him. Whatever this creature was, he was not drawing inspiration from the cowardly behavior of his namesake. Bullets ricocheted off his skin. Several Longbow troops wound up teleporting to the hospital and Trolls dragged their bleeding bodies away from the fight after they all wound up getting struck by the bouncing projectiles. Throwing objects had a similar result, except Grendel was throwing the debris and detritus hurled at him back. Fire made him sooty, which he fixed with a stomp into the river that cleared the combatants away just as easily. Conversely, ice was such a minor inconvenience so as to be negligible. Ashen Roast's friend, Blizzard Front, had frozen the waters around the monster so solidly as to stop an eighteen-wheeler. With an application of constant force, Grendel pulled his leg free of the frozen water, scattering large blocks into the surrounded crowd and knocking many into the oncoming waters. Worse, he now had a set of frozen blocks to use on the meta-humans trying to stop him. Oddly enough, actually getting in close and engaging Grendel in hand-to-hand combat was effective. Garm had gotten a few good punches on the gray bulk's jaw before being punted into one of the overpass's pillars. After that, Briggs McBain crashed into the much larger man's knee, knocking Grendel over before the burly little troll tried to drown him. Unfortunately, despite McBain's strength, he was much lighter than Grendel. He was lifted and hurled across the river. When the little green man bolted back up and started rushing back to the fight, the monster picked up a small boulder and hurled it so hard at him that it knocked him over backwards and Briggs landed face-first in the water. He didn't seem to rise again, but he swam to another location to reconsider his strategy. Nothing could slow the monster down, nothing could weaken his skin. He seemed to respond to force and momentum, but the damage being done was minimal. It was getting so bad that the city's major heroes started getting involved before Grendel decided to start trying to eliminate the "legitimate" heroes. Mynx was the first, bounding into the fight and raking her claws across his skin. Sparks flew and the long-horned beast sighed like she had done him a favor before trying to squash her with his massive fists. Hopping, twisting, and flipping, she avoided his assaults, but he swept a wave of river water at her that sent her tumbling. Before he could stomp on her, Genji Atomoyo, Garm's Tsoo sorcerer, appeared next to her in a swirl of whirling colored smoke, grasped her wrist, and disappeared with the catgirl in tow. As soon as Grendel brought his foot back from where he'd stomped, he felt something kick him in the back of the knee. Stumbling, he swung behind himself for his attacker. Ms. Liberty caught the blow with her forearms and was sent hurtling to the concrete edge of the river. Getting back up, she was barely able to avoid getting flattened by one of the monster's fists and delivered two more kicks to its mid-section. Unfortunately, the monster caught her, gripping her torso in one of its hands and pinning her right arm in the grip. Chuckling, Grendel stood triumphantly and presented his prize to the gathered meta-humans. He squeezed her a little and she let out an anguished cry. "This-!" his deep voice rumbled before he saw a red fist crash into his nose and send him tumbling backwards. Statesman caught his granddaughter as she was tossed aside in surprise and cradled her. She looked to him with a small amount of scorn, but hugged him for the help and he set her with some of the Wardens and Ballistae that were arriving to provide more serious support. In the distance, a pair of Cataphract Heavies were trundling into the river to help engage the monster. The meta-humans were going to need the help, too. Grendel was far from beaten, and he was pushing himself back up. Glaring at Statesman, he reached up and gripped his own nose. There was a cracking pop and Mortiganen realized that the monster's nose had been broken. "Interesting," he muttered, "His bones can break... As invulnerable as his flesh may be, if we hit him he feels it. There may be a way to defeat him in that." "I think it'll take all of us hitting him at once, Mort," Garm said derisively, his back still sore from hitting the concrete pillar, "All of us, every hero in the city, all at once... And they've gotta be good hits, not just waving fists at him like a brawler..." "Scoff as you will, I will work on a method to utilize his strength as his weakness. For now, you and the others must keep the beast occupied!" "I think Reichsman's got that covered," Harold indicated the battle between Statesman and Grendel through gritted teeth, his arm broken in three places after a cinder block had smashed into it, "I bet those two could fight until dawn." Statesman did indeed seem to be handling the fight much better than the entire compliment of meta-humans. Grendel could barely swing at the smaller man before he had ducked away and smashed a fist against the monster's jaw or abdomen. When the city's champion of champions landed an uppercut and toppled Grendel again, the gathered meta-humans, Trolls and all, gave a triumphant shout to applaud him. However, the beast wasn't beaten, and he stood again. Not wishing to give him the chance for an advantage, Statesman tried to punch him in the head before he could stand. A massive gray hand shot up at the last second and caught the smaller fist. Undaunted, the hero tried his other fist and that was caught by the other hand. Chuckling, Grendel stood and held Statesman up until their faces were level. With horror, Marcus Cole realized there was intelligence behind those dull red eyes. "Heh," the voice was deep and rich, hardly the voice of a monster, "Statesman... What kind of brainless hulk do you think you're fighting?"

Fan Fiction Spotlight Presented By Mr_Grey Evolution By Memphis_Bill "Alex!" The girl's call echoed through the corridors of King's Row. It was a familiar one, as familiar as the sight of the bespectacled girl walking down the street looking very annoyed. She was safe from most of the denizens of the area, not just because she was so young (and obviously had nothing to steal,) but because of her parents. Therra Arcson and Col. Johnathan Snow were known very well, and the gangs knew full well that if Erin or her brother had anything happen, they'd feel the full wrath of the heroic couple. The various petty thugs and street toughs knew they didn't want to experience that again. Erin stopped and crossed her arms, tapping her foot as she considered a street and two alleys - then looked up. Idiot, she thought, the ancient refrain of all girls with brothers. She'd spotted his backpack on the edge of the roof of the old apartment building, and knew he was probably three feet away from getting into trouble. Carefully, she made her way up the fire escape. "Alex, what are you..." "Shh," he said. "Keep it down." Idiot, he added, the historic refrain of all boys with sisters. He waved her over, then waved her down. "Watch these guys. They're training some new recruits, it looks like." "Alex, you're going to get caught and beaten up." She raised an eyebrow at him. "And probably start it, knowing you." "I'm fine. They won't touch us - that guy doesn't move fast enough. The guy in the black jacket there keeps using the same pattern, too..." "Alex, mom's looking for you. If she knew you were over here - " Alexander stopped her with a glare. "She won't know unless someone tells. And that someone would have to say how she knew then, wouldn't she." He sighed. "If she's looking, it's dinner, I know. And I'm supposed to be at the library. She didn't say she was coming to get me, did she?" He looked relieved as his sister shook her head. "Cool. Ok, lead on, sis," he said, backing away from the edge. Alex shadowboxed as they went down the street. "I could take them. I know it." I'd like to take a moment and say how happy I am to be reviewing a new story. Lately, within the forums, it seems a select few have taken up writing fan fiction for the Cities of Heroes and Villains. For a world that is now relying heavily on the fans to fill in the blanks, this is very distressing. Sadly, I have other writing projects and items that draw my attention away, so I lack the free time to peruse sites like The COH Writer's Guild, so unless something crosses my limited scope of attention, I miss out on it. Memphis Bill opened this story thread with a preface that indicated he'd written it on another forum and transferred it after someone whose opinion he trusts suggested he transfer it over here. Personally, if the other works live up to this potential, I hope he transfers more works. This was an exceptionally enjoyable read. The characters are well defined in the substantial sense. Not so much the physical, but that's not the point here; in this case, it's the events, motivations and emotions that are the focus, and costumes change every day. In this story, the main character, Erin Snow grows up learning she has acquired powers through her mother's unique genetic heritage. Arguments could be made that her brother, Alex, did as well (with a powerful intellect that makes him a multimillionaire by age eighteen), but he's not the focus of this story, so speculation on his intellectual endowment can be best left for a later date. She joins Longbow to make a name for herself (worried as she is that her family's reputation would help her through too much, otherwise) and finds herself rapidly promoted through her own efforts, engaged, and placed on an important assignment. The rest of the story covers that assignment and the ordeals she goes through in order to see it through to completion. We see through the lens of her life what it means for a hero to do the work they do in this world, and just what it can cost them. It's definitely a superior work, and, again, I am very pleased to have the opportunity to present it to you faithful readers of the City Scoop. Finest Hour by Projectionist