FelicityBane

Cross-posted from the city_of_heroes LJ community because I thought some of you might enjoy it...

I make a fair amount of mixes, because I buy a fair amount of music, and often I find it helps me build a list to have a theme -- I'm a big movie guy so those themes tend to have some kind of narrative, a la a mix I made called "One Last Job," which sounds to me a lot like a heist film.

My CoX characters are also a pretty good source for mix inspiration. Case in point: I'm already squatting on the name "Bella Vendetta" for the upcoming release of Going Rogue. Bella's a former Syndicate enforcer who went into hiding and became a sort of pacifist hermit... and then she was dragged back into the mix to fight the Praetorians for reasons that are probably only interesting to me. I built a mix based on Bella and it occurred to me the thing actually stands as a pretty good Going Rogue mix.

It's dark and less grind-inspiring than you might imagine, and there's a definite thread of desperation -- if you're someone who's basically just good with a pair of pistols, how can you hope to topple someone like Tyrant? I could have gone poppier and boot-stompier (Queens of the Stone Age's "Burn the Witch" and The Clash's "I Fought the Law" come to mind), but that's just not Bella.

Anyway. Here's the list with video links for each song, in case you're interested. Some of the lyrics are NSFW, but no one would dream of reading CoX threads while at work... right?

1. Muse, "Uprising"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8KQmps-Sog
The most straightforward track on the whole playlist, probably. This is actually a late addition, as I only got the album a couple weeks ago. It's a good rabble-rousing thumper, nice and catchy.

2. Arctic Monkeys, "Crying Lightning"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_G9RRY7SS0
The original starter track. Honestly, not much in the lyrics reflects anything about the game -- I simply like the tone of it, and of the video. There's a certain... shall we say, sardonic, apocalyptic tone to the whole thing? For everyday folks who dislike the regime but can't do much about it, life under Cole probably feels that way often.

3. Soulsavers, "Unbalanced Pieces"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS3UmyOA-u4
Another mood song. I listen to it and I think of underground clubs, back alleys, sewer hangouts and other "fringe" places where those living on the edge congregate to swap stories and secrets.

4. The Beatles, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3RYvO2X0Oo
It goes that George Harrison, a big fan of the I Ching and a believer that nothing happens by chance, flipped through the I Ching and found the phrase "gently weeps" and decided to write a song about that. Because, again, nothing happens by chance.

One interpretation of the song says this is about Harrison watching something truly great and profound--in this case the Beatles--slowly distintegrate around him, and he's helpless to stop it. I get the sense that lifelong revolutionaries, if they're not totally deluded or zealots, run the risk of serious disillusionment. Here's a bit of what that disillusionment might sound like.

5. Portishead, "Wandering Star"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEQNAZGoZrw
Another moody one, and a total downer at that. Did I mention this mix is kind of a downer? It totally is. What can I say, I tend to think that fighting seemingly omnipotent tyranny can do a lot to wreck you as a human being.

6. Nine Inch Nails, "The Good Soldier"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0dUnCD3XQQ
Speaking of. This song actually works for both sides of the conflict--the rebel trying to chin up, the loyalist convincing himself that he's doing the right thing--and it's just about my favorite NIN song. In the context of the character I created this mix for, this song is about realizing you've sold your pacifist ideals down the river to accomplish a goal--and maybe even after all that, it's still not working. So what did you sell out for?

7. NAS, "War is Necessary"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEVXWs2k4Xs
The flipside of the NIN track, and paired with it for a reason--if the NIN track is doubt, this one is affirmation... and it's a little chilling. Like the NIN song before it, I think this works equally well for rebels and loyalists alike.

8. Iggy Pop and the Stooges, "Gimme Danger"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9_hegaKOaY&feature=fvst
There's just no way anyone--on either side--would be doing what they're doing if they weren't at least a little hooked.

9. The Clash, "Clampdown"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4t4iCe-bK0
The thing I like about The Clash is that they're a punk band that's rarely JUST about questioning authority or rallying against the status quo; they're just as likely to sing about how even the hardest rebel will eventually settle down and get comfortable and, before he knows it, get assimilated. ("Death or Glory," like "Clampdown," is explicitly about this, and it is also my favorite Clash song.)

This song is about subverting the rebel, propagandizing the kids, and generally working psyops against a defenseless population. The song's poppy enough that it may take awhile before the full breadth of it sinks in.

10. Queens of the Stone Age, "Suture Up Your Future"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhFIJkMz508
So I guess "disillusionment" is a strong theme here, but hey, that fits the character. QotSA wrote a lot of songs on this album about the co-option of youthful rebellion, which I think is a fitting overall theme for the Praetorian Earth setting. A wise dictator doesn't squash ALL dissent--they allow the PG-13 stuff to thrive, thereby domesticating it and diverting potential upstarts into harmless pasttimes.

11. Saul Williams, "DNA"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSz2ix4Fi7U
Then again, there's a certain ineffable quality to The Street, as embodied by the people who live in it. This may be the most hopeful, optimistic song (for the rebels) on the whole mix. So you say you're adopting and domesticating the rebels, Praetorians? How do you know they're not just infiltrating you with your permission?

12. Mark Collie, "In Time"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Los0g9Et7Ow
Pretty straightforward, I think. The inevitability of a side's demise. Which one? Guess we'll find out.

13. The Gutter Twins, "Bete Noire"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvK7VSpDNyM
The bete noire (not even going to attempt the special characters) is a fascinating concept, and wouldn't you know it, I have a character with a similar name. A bete noire is something like a supernatural nemesis, the "black beast" that haunts you relentlessly. Given that my rebel character is vengeance-driven to the extreme, I felt it an appropriate theme. There's a lot of personal grudges being settled on Praetorian Earth, not least of which by Calvin Scott himself.

14. The Beatles, "Helter Skelter"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWuXmfgXVxY
For when the [BEEP] well and truly hits the fan. Yeah, this is two songs from one band on a single mix, which is a cardinal sin I try to avoid. But these guys rock, and people should not forget that.

15. Bob Crosby, "Way Back Home"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp-uP6sT_Dg
A swipe from the Fallout 3 soundtrack, and one I feel that's cruel in its apparently benign sound. It's all about how home is such a sweet place, and more, about how the singer left and apparently cannot return. "Home" need not be a physical location; it's a time in your life, a safety blanket to which you can never return. Pretty sad, given the "story" told by the previous songs.

Got any mixes like this? I'd love to see 'em! The LJ thread, which you can find here: http://community.livejournal.com/cit...s/3347872.html, generated some pretty great responses and suggestions.

"spring.. breaaaak..."

--

If I am a winner, I permit NC Interactive, Inc. and NCsoft Europe Limited to use my name, likeness, photograph, hometown, and any comments that I may make about myself or this contest that I provide for advertising and promotional activities. I also certify that I am at least 13 years of age and am eligible to participate in this contest.

Thanks for taking the time to review "A Simple Misunderstanding," Venture. I was pretty annoyed when I found out you couldn't adjust the level range yourself when MA finally dropped; as you ascertained, I'll be fixing that when i15 hits. I envisioned the arc to be ideal for people 25-30.

Again, thank you.

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I can get a Tier 2 for the simple act of clicking on a Kora fruit.

And guess what...that's available year round. And I have a mission with a variety of fruit.

As to the costume salvage, I already have 25 full sets from last year. On both my solo SG and solo VG. And that's after selling off about 20 full sets each side.

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All of this makes it pretty hard to believe that OCCASIONALLY getting a 3rd tier insp is actually valuable to you. You've already got it made in the shade, so what do you care?

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I find a very adequate reward Trick or Treating. It's a little thing called "fun".

And the weird thing is...that's what I play this game for! Man, that works out well!

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Heresy.

Seriously, dude: The badge is not bugged. By that, he means THE BADGE IS STILL ATTAINABLE and still fits its normal standards for attainment. The enemy that GIVES the badge isn't spawning as much. It is, however, still realistically attainable... as many people in this thread have already pointed out.

Understand the difference now?

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The Zombie invasion has 4. That's not working right.
Ghosts and Jack. That's 2 more not working right
That gives me a total of 6.

Add that up over multiple characters, and we are talking about a lot of badges.

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Huh. I've gotten all the zombie badges on all the characters I want them on, Hero or Villain, within 15 minutes of logging that character on. Are you playing a different game?

Wow. I thought my little clutch of RPers were the only ones who cared about Astoria.

I'm reading this thread and I'm both psyched and oddly possessive -- we spent a long time tying together disparate arcs to fill in the blanks of a mostly incoherent DA canon story, darnit! It was a lot of fun, and was the first order of business when player-generated content was gonna be available. Ah, we had it all... tracing lines of power in the Family organization from the Skulls and Trolls on up, finding out their ties to the Pantheon, investigating buildings in Astoria to find clues as to what happened, digging into old records and journals to see players large and small (Baron Zoria, Spanky Rabinowitz, Nathaniel Frost) conspiring, etc, etc...

Dazzle me, Hero 1!

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So what's next? Charge real money at Icon or to ride the tram? Maybe hit up the players' credit cards for real money to pay base rent? Maybe a surcharge to post at the forums?

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Maybe you should read a little closer.

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They don't want to discourage it. But they don't want it to be trite and effortless, either.

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Possibly. I can see it, anyway.

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It fits the general respec MO. Think about it: you can only "earn" three (or four) respecs through grinding. They hand out free costume changes like candy in vet rewards, but you only get one respec per year. And the recipes are SUPER rare. They obviously want the notion of respeccing to be something you work for... or at least have it be something more notable than a 10 minute stop at Icon.

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Merchants will price something high in order to imbue it with more perceived value, which may or may not be going on here at COH, but no one ever prices anything to discourage people buying it. If you want to discourage people buying it then you don't offer it.

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They don't want to discourage it. But they don't want it to be trite and effortless, either.

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Well, I see you completely ignored the fact that I was talking about the decisions the company makes going forward. So this doesn't address my point at all.

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I didn't ignore anything. I'm pointing out that nothing they have done so far would indicate that your dystopian future will ever come about. Every system, item, or doodad that you can get with extra cash is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL and in no way hinders gameplay. In many fundamentally important ways, this is the same game it was five issues ago.

I'm not sure how else to address baseless speculation, except to say "there is no evidence that this would ever happen."

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But not everyone is a looooong time VET. And if you are learning the game, it lets you correct stupid mistakes. And for those with the money to burn, to test stupid things...

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Yeah, but I seemed to do OK making stupid mistakes back when I first started, and had NO RECOURSE until they introduced the respec trials. Which i did, with friends. Uphill in the snow.

(Honestly, my only complaint with this is it seems like everything's being made available so you never actually have to check out any of the game's non-newspaper grinding. I don't know if you guys know this, but exploring is fun, and actually earning things gives you some pride in it.)

There's also the test server, for testing things out. The hint is in the name.

(I'm not swiping at you specifically -- just wondering why people care this much about an additional, minor revenue stream that affects gameplay not one bit.)

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And no, they haven't handed out freespecs for *every* power change. For example, they are not handing out a freespec for the Gaussian Unique fix.

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The Gaussian Unique is not a power from a power set. It's not addressed AT ALL with respecs.

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A shop for things that can't be gotten otherwise in the game is fine. But once the company has financial incentive to start screwing with the game, you're in trouble. You don't even need there to be conscious motivation.

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Except this screws with the game in no way at all. All the previous options for getting respecs are still there.

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We have no plans of getting rid of the Veteran Respecs that your account earns.

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I noticed you also specifically did not say that you would additional Vet Respecs as a reward in the future...


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You people are priceless. What about the word EARNS is unclear to you?

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This seems like a bad idea.

You've just created an income stream where your success doesn't depend on the quality of the game, but rather the reverse. From this point on, every change will be viewed by some as simply trying to drive respec revenue.

"Making Gaussian Unique? Oh, they're just trying to make people buy respecs"

"Eliminating Permadom? Oh, they're just trying to make people buy respecs"

etc...

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I assume by "some," you mean yourself.

Every time they've changed powers in the past, they've given out freespecs. That won't change, as Posi noted.

EDITED FOR CLARITY

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We don't "really need" those.

Though $10 for a respec... nah. Bit pricy for something that can be done even in casual playtime.

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Tell me about it. I'm boggled every time I see the market prices for respec recipes -- I'm sitting on freespecs, could easily form a team for an actual trial, and have four vet respecs just sitting, waiting to be used.

Are there people who really respec THAT much?

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Totally lame. If I'm paying real-world cash, I should be able to use the respec without having to go to the Respec Contact.

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Please tell me this is satire.

"if I'm paying real money I shouldn't have to zone a few times!!!!"

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If you have any wits about you at all, you'd realize what a horrible business decision it would be to suddenly take away things that have existed for years in the game just because they decided to offer a monetary way to obtain them. The loss of respect and subscriber dollars over something that greedy would be huge.

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We were talking about freespecs, not all respecs. Plz read again kthx.

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Freespecs are given when powers are altered; they're not just "freebies" from the devs for poops n' giggles. There's no reason on earth they'd stop giving those out.

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This thread should have been named "False Dichotomy Theater."

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Tell me about it.

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So, because we didn't sell toilet paper when we opened the store we shouldn't sell it now that its proven its popularity at every other store.

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I believe a more apt use of this metaphor would say she means that just because toilet paper sells well doesn't mean you should convert most of your stock over to it. There's plenty of room for other material that sells, too, and you don't need to take up everyone else's shelf space to get TP generating money.

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Uh, yeah, that's entirely subjective, so saying it's "inarguably" more engaging etc is a crock. Several people in the thread have already said that isn't the case, which disproves your statement (the "inarguably" part) right out of hand. But good try.

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On that: You're arguing from your own experience, or from the experience of others. Means nothing. There are common pvp and pve experiences that are neither subjective nor anomalous. Think of them as average or prototypical experiences. Of these, the pvp experience is more immediate, visceral, and engaging. This is a comment on the phenomenon of play within these two separate contexts of play, not a comment on either the description or interpretation of that phenomenon by individual players, which will be more varied.

(etc, etc)

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EDIT: Misunderstood, my apologies. Let me try that again.

The word "inarguably" used in that context wouldn't get past a high school journalism student. To say that PvP is objectively more engaging is to assume a set standard for what "engages" absolutely everyone who plays the game, and that's assuming everyone defines "being engaged" in the same way.

This is, pretty obviously I think, a very silly thing to say. It's asserting personal preference as objective fact.

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I could ask the same thing in reverse. If you're coming into a PvP zone, and there are PvPers there, why can't you give them what they want? A good fight. At least attempt it. Hell, you might find it entertaining. They are participating in the zone the way it was intended by attempting to kill you as much as you are by grabbing badges.

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That's not really reversing my question. My question is "why consistently attack someone who's asking not to be?"

But the simple answer to your question is "because by doing what I'm doing, I'm not in any way interfering with you or your enjoyment of the game." It's not really a lot to ask, courteously, to just lay off a guy who's not really there to put up a fight or do much of anything to take skin off anyone's back.

Your examples of a person doing PvE stuff that affects you in some way -- well, that's fine. But we're talking about people specifically looking for badges, not people participating in a PvP zone's "story."

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Lost. The role-playing forum is a few down from here.

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Ah, so there are in fact only three categories into which all CoX gamers fall into. Good to know.

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4

Other

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Okay, I don't do this a lot, but that officially made me LOL.

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I don't like PvP. I also think badge hunting is pretty senseless. What does that make me?

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Lost. The role-playing forum is a few down from here.

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Ah, so there are in fact only three categories into which all CoX gamers fall into. Good to know.