Lighthouse_NA

Time. What a funny thing. In retrospect it seems like it was only just yesterday to recall my first posts on the forums. Yet, when I fill in everything that ensued over the last two years, a collage of details swims up at me: Issue 8, Veteran Rewards, lewtz!, Aliens, comics, Fanzines, flashbacks, player events, Trade shows, City Scoops, articles, all the awesome people at NCsoft I’ve had the opportunity to work with, and so much more. Yet through it all – it’s been you, the game’s community, which stands out to me the most. When I’m in game playing and see a new player getting advice in /help or a global channel, when I read threads on the forums or when I open e-mail or private messages, I’ve always been impressed at the quality and caliber of people that make up this game’s community.

However, this world we live in is not a static place. If anything, one certainty we have is the knowledge that things change. It is with this in mind that I write you today to say that I’m making a change. I have decided to pursue other opportunities outside of NCsoft.

Even having said this, I’m still excited to for the future of the City of Heroes franchise. Having been privy to some of the many plans that are in work, know that I will be right there beside you playing and enjoying the fruits of the Development Team and NCsoft’s hard work. I leave knowing that you are in good hands.

I want to wish you all the very best for everything the future holds in store.


- Lighthouse

Back on Oct. 30th NCsoft announced a partnership with TransGaming, Inc. to bring the City of Heroes franchise to the Apple Macintosh.

Starting this afternoon, Friday Nov. 7th, we have sent out invitations to existing City of Heroes customers who expressed interest to join the closed beta test of the Macintosh version that we selected. So, please check your e-mail accounts for invitations!

If you have not yet registered and are interested to beta test the Mac version, please see this announcement for details and how to sign up!

To discuss this announcement, please join us on the existing Mac Closed Beta thread.

The Open Beta for Issue 13: Power and Responsibility is now available to all our City of Heroes and City of Villains players!

To check out the Open Beta, all you need to do is log into the Training Room Test Server! If you are not familiar with the process to access the test server, please read this post: How to get on the test server (and char copy tool).

Also please keep in mind that this is a beta version, which means you might encounter bugs or other gameplay issues. We strongly encourage you to report them using the /bug command ingame, and we'll be happy to collect any comments you might want to share with us on our official boards. Your feedback is very valuable to us!

To report your feedback, please make use of the following forums:

The Training Room (Test Server)
Issue 13 Feedback & Discussion (Open)
Issue 13 Bugs (Open)

Have fun!

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OK, not even going to read all the other replys. Simply going to join the whining that it isn't fair that the Apple people get exclusive costumes. Not fair to those of us who have been supporting the game.

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Hi shining one,

The costumes and powers that are included in the Mac version are special items just like what was included in the PC Good vs. Evil version.

And, like the Good vs. Evil edition they will be available for all current subscribers who are interested in them to optionally purchase them. We'll have more details, including screenshots, pricing and availability, out in the near future.

Thanks for your support!

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Rumors say that the Cider version of City of Heroes for the Mac will feature the SecuROM DRM. Is this true? Why would a downloadable client for a MMORPG come with SecuROM?

I've been waiting for a Mac version of CoX for a long, long time and this is great news - but this SecuROM business is really worrying me. I would feel better if you could confirm or deny this rumor in an official manner.

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I haven't heard anything about that one - where did you hear this vicious rumor?

Now through Thursday, November 7th is your opportunity to vote on the 11 Finalists in the Create a Character Costume Contest

Click here to Vote!

Anyone can vote in this poll so get your friends and family to check out some great City of Heroes costumes and characters and vote for their favorite!


Congratulations to our 11 Finalists!

We had an overwhelming response to the contest and the judging for the 11 finalists was very tough. But, when all was said and done, we want to congratulate our 11 Finalists:

American Shaman - Pinnacle


Cosmic Watcher - Pinnacle


Emcc - Infinity


Global Taxi - Freedom


Jest Desserts - Virtue


Miss Marsha-Ann Pinnacle


Mister Maniacal - Protector


Samurai Jiminee - Liberty


Shrike' - Victory


Shrike's Bio is currently missing from the voting page, but will be added shortly. In the meantime, you can read their bio here


Sue Bee - Liberty


Swiftwing - Virtue



To discuss the finalists, please join us in the existing discussion thread for the Costume Contest.

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LH,

Seems that the purchasable "Mac Version" is simply another Game Edition (like GvE or the Game Card or the Collector's Edition). So, can a PC user just simply purchase this edition, add the code to their current account and enjoy the free month and in-game goodies?

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That is what I am thinking also. Confirmation would be nice, but we will hear eventually I imagine.

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I'm working on clarification on that front. Likely, it will come when we do the follow up article with the specifics and screenshots of what the extras for the Mac version consist of.

Our PR Team just sent out a list of links of news sites that picked up the press release. I thought I'd repost here to share, in no particular order:

Media Coverage for: NCsoft and TransGaming Announce City of Heroes for the Mac


1up.com – 10/30/08

City of Heroes Bring Costumed Heroics to the Mac

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3171028

Priority Placement on front page of 1up.com, at the top of the news section http://www.1up.com/

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Quote: “With Macs and PCs finally joining forces to fight crime, all that's left is for Justin Long and John Hodgman to don tights for their next "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" commercial. Come on, you know you'd watch that.”

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MacWorld – 10/30/08

City of Heroes MMO is Mac-bound

http://www.macworld.com/article/136463/2008/10/coh.html

Priority placement on the front page of the games section of www.macworld.com/topics/games.html

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Quote: “City of Heroes, the massively multiplayer online game featuring superheroes, is at long last coming to the Mac.”

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Massively – 10/30/08

City of Heroes to get Mac Special Edition

http://www.massively.com/2008/10/30/...ecial-edition/

Priority placement on the front page of massively, in the breaking news section, www.massively.com



Apple.com games – 10/30/08

Redirect in news section of MacWorld story

http://www.apple.com/games/



Allakhazam – 10/30/08

CoX Now Mac Compatible

http://www.allakhazam.com/story.html?story=15683



The Armchair Empire – 10/30/08

City of Heroes Coming to Mac

http://www.armchairempire.com/News/?p=639



Atomic Gamer – 10/30/08

Mac City of Heroes Plans

http://www.atomicgamer.com/newsFeed.php?id=371786



Daily Game – 10/30/08

City of Heroes for Mac (Finally) Unveiled

http://www.dailygame.net/news/archives/008492.php



Edge Online - 10/30/08

City of Heroes Rises on Mac

http://www.edge-online.com/news/city-heroes-rises-mac



Frictionless Insight – 10/30/08

City of Heroes Coming to the Mac

http://www.frictionlessinsight.com/a...-heroes-5.html



Gamasutra – 10/30/08

NCsoft, TransGaming Bringing City Of Heroes To Mac

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/new...hp?story=20889



GameDaily – 10/30/08

City of Heroes is Mac Bound

http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/ne...c-bound/?biz=1



GameFace Live – 10/30/08

NCsoft and TransGaming Announce City of Heroes for the Mac

http://gamefacelive.com/viewtopic.php?t=859



GamePlasma – 10/30/08

City of Heroes Heading to Mac Computers

http://gameplasma.com/index.php?do=v...le&id=1349



Gamers Daily News – 10/30/08

Big Apple: City of Heroes

http://www.gamersdailynews.com/story...of-Heroes.html



GamingShogun – 10/30/08

City of Heroes on the Mac

http://www.gamingshogun.com/Article/...n_the_Mac.html



IGN Vault – 10/30/08

Mac Users Joining the Fight!

http://cohvault.ign.com/



IncGamers – 10/30/08

City of Heroes Coming to Mac

http://www.incgamers.com/News/14143/...-Coming-to-Mac



Kotaku – 10/30/08

City of Heroes Goes Mac

http://kotaku.com/5070978/city-of-heroes-goes-mac

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Reader Comment: “I honestly said the other day that I’d be MMO’ing if CoH came to the Mac. Guess now it’s time to put my money where my mouth is.”

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The Mac Observer – 10/30/08

City of Heroes MMORPG Headed to the Mac

http://www.macobserver.com/gamingnew.../10/30.1.shtml



Mac NN – 10/30/08

City of Heroes superhero MMO comes to Mac

http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/10/...eroes.for.mac/

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Reader Comment: “It’s about bloody time.”

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MarketWatch – 10/30/08

NCsoft and TransGaming Announce City of Heroes for the Mac

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/NC...B1E1A39FCEA6%7D




MMORPG – 10/30/08

Heroes Head to Macs

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

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Reader Comment: “I think that is awesome news! Hopefully it will not be the only NCSOFT title ported to the mac.”

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News 4 Gamers – 10/30/08

City of Heroes Heading to Mac Computers

http://www.n4g.com/industrynews/News-223965.aspx



Ten Ton Hammer – 10/30/08

City of Heroes Coming to the Mac

http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/47598



Business Wire – 10/30/08

Press Release

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20081030005825/en

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SO EXCITED! Jack Emmert said this would never ever happen ...

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So who wants to take bets on this being the biggest thing among that which was mentioned/hinted at in the Game Zone article?


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Matt: We view competition as a great thing. It’s nice for us and the players that we have almost five years of constant updates and new systems, and most new games will have a challenge competing with that amount of content out the gate.

But most importantly, having competition pushes us to look at our own game and see how we can improve City of Heroes and stay competitive. [u]You’re going to see a lot more features that we thought we’d never be able implement over the next year or so.[u] NCsoft has given us a tremendous amount of support and we think that these features (and others) are critical to keep our leadership position in the MMO market. In this way, the upcoming competition only makes us better as a team and as a product.

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I'll take that bet (although I'd get slapped for insider information) since I know there is more awesome yet to come...

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Epic Archetypes aren't listed under the Game Info -> Archetypes section.

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Yup, we're aware of that oversight and it's on the list to be corrected.

Ok, this may be quite shameful of me, so I'll be hiding in my shame closet for the rest of the day!

But - here goes - One of our PR guys said, "Why isn't the CoH on Mac story on the front page of Macworld?" Someone else replied with "Well, it's probably because only 7 people have recommended the story."

So, if you like the story at Macworld ( http://www.macworld.com/article/1364...coh.html?t=109 is the URL) click the little recommend button at the bottom of the article.

< hides >

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For the record is just a mac client right? So mac players and windows players will be on the same server, etc and be able to team together?

If it turns out like that then this could be a nice population boost for the lower servers.

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Yes, Mac players will connect to the same existing servers that PC players are currently playing on.

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Nice hook for the Mac user! Thanks for making it available as well. The Valkyrie outfit looks interesting.

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What does it look like. I dont see any pics.

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I think he mean "sounds interesting" rather than "looks interesting". We'll have pictures and more information about the extras in a follow up article.

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... if I were to sign up for the Mac beta, would I be able to access the account that I created on my PC on the Mac? Or would this have to be a whole new account?

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You can use existing accounts, so no need to create a new one just for this. The important part is that you are connecting using the Mac client on Mac hardware.

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I find it curious that the Mac beta download is only available from the EU site

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The mac page referenced in the original announcement is one for sign up only. Basically it's a copy of the EU page (we only needed one really) that points to two different databases. A global community we are!

As you may be aware, NCsoft recently announced a partnership with TransGaming, Inc. to bring the City of Heroes franchise to the Apple Macintosh. Just like the Good vs. Evil edition of the game, the Macintosh version will include some special in-game items, including:

[*]Mission Teleporter Power - Players can save time and get right into the action by teleporting directly to their active mission.
[*]Exclusive Valkyrie Costume set - Costume pieces include two varieties of wings, a cape, a skirt/kilt, pants, boots, shoulders, chest, gloves, belts, and helmet with multiple details.[/list]These items will be available separately for purchase in early 2009 for customers who are not playing on a Mac. We’ll have further details of these exciting options, including screenshots, in the near future.

We need your help in testing the Mac version and these new items in a closed beta test that is starting very soon! This closed beta is being made available to existing players of City of Heroes.

If you have a City of Heroes account in good standing, have access to a compatible Apple Macintosh and are interested in participating, here’s what you need to do:


1. Point your web browser to http://eu.cityofheroes.com/macbeta/us/
2. Enter your information

It’s that easy!

From those who enter we’ll be selecting participants. The closed beta of the Macintosh version is starting very soon and we’re looking forward to your participation!

To discuss this announcement, please join us here.

Please use this thread to discuss the below announcement

As you may be aware, NCsoft recently announced a partnership with TransGaming, Inc. to bring the City of Heroes franchise to the Apple Macintosh. Just like the Good vs. Evil edition of the game, the Macintosh version will include some special in-game items, including:
<ul type="square">[*]Mission Teleporter Power - Players can save time and get right into the action by teleporting directly to their active mission.
[*]Exclusive Valkyrie Costume set - Costume pieces include two varieties of wings, a cape, a skirt/kilt, pants, boots, shoulders, chest, gloves, belts, and helmet with multiple details.[/list]These items will be available separately for purchase in early 2009 for customers who are not playing on a Mac. We’ll have further details of these exciting options, including screenshots, in the near future.

We need your help in testing the Mac version and these new items in a closed beta test that is starting very soon! This closed beta is being made available to existing players of City of Heroes.

If you have a City of Heroes account in good standing, have access to a compatible Apple Macintosh and are interested in participating, here’s what you need to do:


1. Point your web browser to http://eu.cityofheroes.com/macbeta/us/
2. Enter your information

It’s that easy!

From those who enter we’ll be selecting participants. The closed beta of the Macintosh version is starting very soon and we’re looking forward to your participation!

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1) Will non-mac users be given access to the bonus power and costume in the future.

2) How will this affect people who have macs and already have accounts? (I dont have a Mac, I'm just wondering)

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Yes, just like the Good vs. Evil edition of the game, the Macintosh version will include some special in-game items, including:
<ul type="square">[*]Mission Teleporter Power - Players can save time and get right into the action by teleporting directly to their active mission.
[*]Exclusive Valkyrie Costume set - Costume pieces include two varieties of wings, a cape, a skirt/kilt, pants, boots, shoulders, chest, gloves, belts, and helmet with multiple details.[/list]These items will be available separately for purchase in early 2009 for customers who are not playing on a Mac. We’ll have further details of these exciting options, including screenshots, in the near future.

We'll have the above posted in a separate forum announcement, along with information about the closed beta test of the Mac version, shortly.

Today, October 30th, 2008, NCsoft announced a partnership with TransGaming, Inc. to bring the award-winning City of Heroes franchise to the Apple® Macintosh® computer platform for the company’s western territories. The Mac version will be available for public beta testing with the release of the game’s thirteenth free expansion, Issue 13: Power and Responsibility this fall. The official launch of the Macintosh version is planned to follow shortly thereafter via a special digital-only edition.

For more details, please click here to read the full press release. Here’s an excerpt:

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"Players will soon be able to join the battle of good versus evil in the most popular comic book MMO on both the PC and Mac platforms…and in the same game world," commented Brian Clayton, executive producer of City of Heroes for NCsoft West. "Given Mac's fame as a platform for creative people and City of Heroes’ unprecedented character customization options, I think City of Heroes is a perfect fit for the Mac gaming community."

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For anyone interested in pre-ordering the Mac version of City of Heroes, please visit Gametree Online.

Additionally, If you are interested in getting an early look at the Macintosh version of City of Heroes by taking part in the open beta test, click here to sign up!

To discuss this announcement, please join us here.

Please use this thread to discuss the below announcement:

Today, October 30th, 2008, NCsoft announced a partnership with TransGaming, Inc. to bring the award-winning City of Heroes franchise to the Apple® Macintosh® computer platform for the company’s western territories. The Mac version will be available for public beta testing with the release of the game’s thirteenth free expansion, Issue 13: Power and Responsibility this fall. The official launch of the Macintosh version is planned to follow shortly thereafter via a special digital-only edition.

For more details, please click here to read the full press release. Here’s an excerpt:

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"Players will soon be able to join the battle of good versus evil in the most popular comic book MMO on both the PC and Mac platforms…and in the same game world," commented Brian Clayton, executive producer of City of Heroes for NCsoft West. "Given Mac's fame as a platform for creative people and City of Heroes’ unprecedented character customization options, I think City of Heroes is a perfect fit for the Mac gaming community."

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For anyone interested in pre-ordering the Mac version of City of Heroes, please visit Gametree Online.

Additionally, If you are interested in getting an early look at the Macintosh version of City of Heroes by taking part in the open beta test, click here to sign up!

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Roger Lighthouse.

*drags back to topic*

Anyway I found it an good read about the process but especially interesting in the sidebar of 'similar news'

http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/47128
Artist David Nakayama Joins CoX Team

Was this announced here, and I just missed it ?

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We announced that David was joining the CoH Dev Team as a concept artist at Hero-Con. David's such an all around great guy and we're all very excited about him joining the team.

Hey guys - Can we please dispense with the back and forth about who's wrong or not? Thanks! The thread is for the discussion of the Dev Diary.

If you have further comments for each other, please take it to private messages. Thanks!

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From the Ten Ton Hammer interview:

"Like writing a novel, mission arcs in CoX constantly evolve and spawn even more arcs."

What??? Since when? Please name one mission arc that's ever changed, ever. The above quote from the Ten Ton Hammer page is quite simply an untrue statement. The mission arcs in CoH/V have never evolved.

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Peregrine_Falcon,

I consider that the article is written Bruce Harlick's perspective and from the flow of mission writing that goes from Issue 12 to Issue 13 - which is what Bruce has been involved with.

While the statement may not be characteristic of the entirety of CoH/CoV development, it's accurate from the perspective of a mission developer who recently joined the team: Bruce.

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I searched that entire page repeatedly. That particular quote stands alone underneath that picture and appears nowhere else in the article.

From the perspective of a player or non-player interested in possibly becoming a player that statement simply is not true. The story arcs in CoH/V do not and have never in any way shape or form evolved. Ever. People are still complaining about the Positron Task Force what... 3 years after it came into existence? Why is that? Because it has never changed, it has never evolved beyond what it initially was. The story arcs and missions in this game do not evolve, claiming that they do is simply not true.

I'm sorry if I'm taking the language you're using seriously. I guess that I must have failed my Mental Telepathy skill roll.

Using the exact language of that statement as written and without any further context (because there is no further context to place it in) it is an untrue statement.

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In a clarification from Bruce Harlick, the picture caption Like writing a novel, mission arcs in CoX constantly evolve and spawn even more arcs. that you reacted to was not written by him. Likely it was added in by Marketing or by TenTonHammer in the placement of the pictures.

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That article kinda stunk.


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If you don't mind me asking, what about it did you find to be smelly?

In a recent article, City of Heroes Lead Designer Matt "Positron" Miller, along with Senior Designer Floyd Grubb, talk with Gamezone.com about features of the coming free expansion, Issue 13: Power and Responsibility. Here's an excerpt:

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What other little goodies are you packing into Issue 13 that maybe you have not talked about yet?

We’ve done a lot of quality of life features, like revamping the Badge UI, or tweaking the locations of some NPCs. A good chunk of time was spent setting up this year’s Halloween event, and that is taking place on the Live servers right now! This year’s Holiday event features some new “ski runs” for players to try out in Pocket D.

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Click here to read the full article on Gamezone.com.

To discuss this announcement, please join us here.