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Will CoH be attending GenCon in Indy this year?

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No, unfortunately, we wont' be making it out to GenCon this year.

Please use this thread to discuss the following announcement:

The City of Heroes Team will be out and about at the following trade show events this summer:

Comic Con, San Diego, CA
July 23rd to July 27th

Penny Arcade Expo, Seattle, WA
August 29th to August 31st

We'll have more details as to who will be there and what we will be showing as we get closer to these dates, but we want to give those who may be interested in attending advance notice.

Also, we want to mention that we will be doing a player Meet ‘n Greet in the San Francisco Bay Area in mid to late October this year. We had a great time and received a lot of positive feedback from last year's Meet 'n Greet event and we’re excited to be planning for another one this year. We're still working out the details of the event and we will let you know more about it as we get closer.

We look forward to seeing you at the shows!

The City of Heroes Team will be out and about at the following trade show events this summer:

Comic Con, San Diego, CA
July 23rd to July 27th

Penny Arcade Expo, Seattle, WA
August 29th to August 31st

We'll have more details as to who will be there and what we will be showing as we get closer to these dates, but we want to give those who may be interested in attending advance notice.

Also, we want to mention that we will be doing a player Meet ‘n Greet in the San Francisco Bay Area in mid to late October this year. We had a great time and received a lot of positive feedback from last year's Meet 'n Greet event and we’re excited to be planning for another one this year. We're still working out the details of the event and we will let you know more about it as we get closer.

We look forward to seeing you at the shows!


Click here to discuss this announcement.

Looks like everything is back to running normally.

As always, if you encounter a problem or issue in-game that is affecting your game play, please use the /petition command to alert our support team about it and so we can track it to resolution. Thanks!

Our Operations and Engineering Teams are tracking a problem with the Consignment Markets that has been plaguing it on the morning of April 24th. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and appreciate your patience and understanding while we do so.

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He's also excited about the addition of traditional RPG branching tree dialogue, something they didn't have in City of Heroes until this Issue and will now begin to use quite a bit.

"In this issue it's just the test bed for it, we got the tech late into the development process so we were not able to use it everywhere we wanted to," said Miller.

This allows them to put options into conversations or theoretically do things like present players with situations like which wire to cut when diffusing a bomb. It sounds simple, but it makes their options as mission designers much greater.

Miller could not - however - comment on whether they plan to go back over old content and backwards integrate this technology.

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ZOMG YAY

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What she said!

How exactly did this tidbit get buried in the back of a third-party interview? This is a serious potential paradigm shift.

-D

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As I believe the article alludes, the tech for this is only now coming to fruition, so it use in Issue 12 content is not likely to be heavy, nor, as I understand it, will Issue 12 involve heavy revamp of existing content making use of the new tech. So, from an Issue 12 perspective, it's a minor addition. It is pretty big for what we can do going forward, but that will most likely be a big bullet point for a future Issue when that work is undertaken.

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http://www.plaync.com/us/support/ask.html.

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AM I the only one getting a dead page with this link?

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I think it is because the period got put in as part of the link (so it's a .html. file, not a .html file).

Mods, please fix the link in Lighthouse's post!

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Sorry bout that. Link is fixed.

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The only problem with using the /ignore_spammer command I see is the continuous use of nonsensical names used by most spammers, that makes it often impossible to correctly ignore. For the email that has been flooding our accounts specifically could the Dev's please add an in-game email address (per server) that we can forward the emails to (IE Email Petitions; Pinnacle Spammers; Virtue Petitions, etc). The player base can then easily forward the email along to the support team for their review/actions. Or add a button to the current in-game email structure to forward the email as a petition.

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I like this suggestion.

Also, haven't seen pr0n ads yet, nor heard about them from any other players. And in my SG, I'd be getting text messages about it as soon as it happened.

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As I mentioned in the original announcement, we have several improvements to the game coming in Issue 12 to address. While I don't have an exhaustive list of everything we are doing, it does include much easier ways to report abuse as well as ways to prevent abuse from the start (including limitations to Trial accounts).

Please use this thread to discuss the below announcement.

Senior Lead Designer Matt "Positron" Miller and Powers Designer Floyd "Castle" Grubb sit down with Warcry.com to talk about City of Heroes, Issue 12: Midnight Hour and other topics.

Click here to read the Interview.

Senior Lead Designer Matt "Positron" Miller and Powers Designer Floyd "Castle" Grubb sit down with Warcry.com to talk about City of Heroes, Issue 12: Midnight Hour and other topics.

Click here to read the Interview.

To discuss this announcement, please join us here.

Please use this thread to discuss the below announcement.

Unfortunately, you may be sent an unwanted in-game e-mail advertisements. Should you receive one there are several things you can do that will alert us to the problem and allow us to address it:

First, make use of the /ignore_spammer command on the sender of the unwanted e-mail. This will fast track the process of identifying the account doing the sending as a spammer and also add the user to your ignore list to prevent you from receiving further tells from them.

Second, make use of the /petition command to let us know what happened. This can be as simple as “/petition I received a spam e-mail from <name> that was advertising buying influence.” You can also enter or manage your support tickets via the web at http://www.plaync.com/us/support/ask.html.

Third, don’t visit their website! Even if you want to see how stupid their selling practices are or are curious, often times these sites will attempt to infect your PC with viruses or keyloggers so that they can gain access to your account.

Lastly, get back to playing and enjoying City of Heroes!

We have a number of changes coming to the game in the next free expansion, Issue 12: Midnight Hour, to address this problem in a number of ways. Thanks as always for your support!

Unfortunately, you may be sent an unwanted in-game e-mail advertisements. Should you receive one there are several things you can do that will alert us to the problem and allow us to address it:

First, make use of the /ignore_spammer command on the sender of the unwanted e-mail. This will fast track the process of identifying the account doing the sending as a spammer and also add the user to your ignore list to prevent you from receiving further tells from them.

Second, make use of the /petition command to let us know what happened. This can be as simple as “/petition I received a spam e-mail from <name> that was advertising buying influence.” You can also enter or manage your support tickets via the web at http://www.plaync.com/us/support/ask.html.

Third, don’t visit their website! Even if you want to see how stupid their selling practices are or are curious, often times these sites will attempt to infect your PC with viruses or keyloggers so that they can gain access to your account.

Lastly, get back to playing and enjoying City of Heroes!

We have a number of changes coming to the game in the next free expansion, Issue 12: Midnight Hour, to address this problem in a number of ways. Thanks as always for your support!

Click here to discuss this announcement.

It has come to our attention that some users on the forum have been posting links that will perform an unintended operation on the message forums, such as: logging a user out of the forums or placing someone on ignore when the link is clicked. These types of links are a form of malicious behavior and as such are not tolerated on these forums. Please don't do that!

Should anyone come across such a link by other posters, please make use of the Notify Moderator button located in the lower left of each post to report them to us. Also, feel free to send a private message with the details to myself or anyone on the Community Team so we can best address it. Thank you!

Please use this thread to discuss the April 18, 2008 edition of the City Scoop.

Edition 44 of "The City Scoop" a publication for Supers by Supers!

The City Scoop delivers another great week of coverage. I have to say, I was laughing out loud with Hostile_V's article, "Lord of the Losers." Be sure to read the entire issue! The Scoop is LFM (looking for moar!) So if you have a talent that would fit in nicely with this weekly publication please contact Snow_Globe or Pants_Stealer
<ul type="square">[*] If you have concerns regarding the content of the Scoop please direct your comments via PM to Lighthouse or Ex Libris.
[*] If you would like to do a feature article, have an event covered, or join "The City Scoop" team please PM Snow_Globe or Pants_Stealer
[*] If you or someone you know should be considered for ‘Behind the Mask’ contact Teldon.
[*] If you need some “Advice” contact Lady_Athyna or would like to “Ask The X” contact LiquidX
[*] Finally if you have a Classified Ad you would like included please contact: Lady_K[/list]

Edition 44 of "The City Scoop" a publication for Supers by Supers!

The City Scoop delivers another great week of coverage. I have to say, I was laughing out loud with Hostile_V's article, "Lord of the Losers." Be sure to read the entire issue! The Scoop is LFM (looking for moar!) So if you have a talent that would fit in nicely with this weekly publication please contact Snow_Globe or Pants_Stealer

[*] If you have concerns regarding the content of the Scoop please direct your comments via PM to Lighthouse or Ex Libris.
[*] If you would like to do a feature article, have an event covered, or join "The City Scoop" team please PM Snow_Globe or Pants_Stealer
[*] If you or someone you know should be considered for ‘Behind the Mask’ contact Teldon.
[*] If you need some “Advice” contact Lady_Athyna or would like to “Ask The X” contact LiquidX
[*] Finally if you have a Classified Ad you would like included please contact: Lady_K[/list]
Click here to discuss this week's edition.

By LadyK

The City Scoop Staff Editors-in-Chief Pants_Stealer Snow_Globe Assistant Editors-in-Chiefs LadyK Teldon Editors Bowfling - By Popular Request, Point/Counter Point Teldon - Behind the Mask LadyK - Food and Restaurant, Classifieds Puzzles - Need correspondent Plater - Content Watch Rastafari_Man- Top Ten Lists HexGirl - Fashion editor StormyOne - Art Editor Copy Editors Markets Pants_Stealer SpaceNut peterpeter - Wentworth's Spmurphy - Black Market Food Fan Fiction ~Mistress Noire~ LadyK Tropic Sooner Mr_Grey Advice Bases Lady Athyna LiquidX Bonker 2Negative Staff Recruiter Event Reporter Marcian Tobay White_Gravel More needed! Apply today! PvP Correspondents Layout Neuronia Acanous_Quietus Mantid - Lead layout Snow_Globe - Assistant Additional Staff Hostile_V - Humor Evitron 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.

Classifieds

ANNIVERSARY: FOURTH. DEFERENCE: TO. ATTACK: LATER Do you have an event coming up? Are you going to attend an upcoming event? Do you want to see or even write an article for The City Scoop? Drop a line to LadyK a week in advance, and you too could be a guest writer for The City Scoop. Hiram Giovanni's Deli and Pizzeria Food, Fence and Forgery "Everything's Kosher" Lost: Paradigm Shift Device. Contact Demented Cynic at Portal Corp. by Friday. Remember to bring Hawaiian shirt. Help Wanted: Writers for The City Scoop. Please contact Snow_Globe, Pants_Stealer, or Marcian_Tobay for submission details. Rats for sale. Contact Richard Ellsworth That's a coded message from your broker. Some guy named Richard Ellsworth has been selling secrets to the Circle of Thorns, and there's a reward on his head.

War Phoenix: LVL 28 TANK LFT WANTED: Fan Artist to draw my character. I cannot offer much compensation other than any of the wares I would otherwise sell on the Auction House. If you are interested, please contact Hakuro de Killer on the Virtue Server Lost: One Apex. If found, please return to the Ghost of War Witch. Lost: Hub of the Wheel of Destruction. If found, please contact Azuria. P.S. Please do not use to construct deadly wheel of Destruction. Thanks. -Azuria All you can eat taco night at El Super Mexicano. Tuesday at the Atlas Park store. Need to sell something? Post it in The City Scoop Classifieds. Send PM to LadyK. o_o *poke* Buh! - Pepsiman

Food & Recipes

Soups By MistressNoire Since the weather’s still been a tad chilly, it made me think of soups and stews. This week I bring you soups! Next week, I’ll bring you stews! Enjoy! Pizza Soup [*] 1 1/2 pounds hot Italian sausage, sliced [*] 1 pound pepperoni sausage, sliced [*] 3 green bell peppers, chopped [*] 2 onions, chopped [*] 2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms [*] 3 cups crushed tomatoes with garlic [/list] [*] 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce [*] 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste [*] 4 cups water [*] 1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni [*] 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese [/list] In a large saucepan, place the hot Italian sausage, pepperoni sausage, green bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and water. Bring to a boil. Boil 30 minutes, reduce heat and simmer 90 minutes. During the final 15 minutes of cooking, stir in the elbow macaroni. Top with mozzarella and serve. Cheeseburger Soup [*] 1/2 pound ground beef [*] 3/4 cup chopped onion [*] 3/4 cup shredded carrots [*] 3/4 cup chopped celery [*] 1 teaspoon dried basil [*] 1 teaspoon dried parsley [*] 4 tablespoons butter [/list] [*] 3 cups chicken broth [*] 4 cups cubed potatoes [*] 1/4 cup all-purpose flour [*] 2 cups cubed Cheddar cheese [*] 1 1/2 cups milk [*] 1/4 cup sour cream [/list] In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine over medium heat: cook and stir vegetables and beef , until beef is brown. Stir in basil and parsley. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes. Melt the remainder of butter and stir in flour. Add the milk, stirring until smooth. Gradually add milk mixture to the soup, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Stir in cheese. When cheese is melted, add sour cream and heat through. Do not boil. Chicken Taco Soup [*] 1 onion, chopped [*] 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans [*] 1 (15 ounce) can black beans [*] 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained [*] 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce [*] 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer [*] 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning [/list] [*] 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained [*] 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts [*] shredded Cheddar cheese (optional) [*] sour cream (optional) [*] crushed tortilla chips (optional) [/list] Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours. Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired. See you next week! ~Mistress Noire

Behind the Mask By Teldon

Rose. Freedom Server Where do you live? Slatington, PA If you do not mind, your age and gender? I had to think. 33 and female. So what do you do for a living? During the day, I’m a call center rep for a major insurance company. I will soon be a licensed sales agent. At night, I fight crime. How often do you get just plain weird calls at the insurance company? All the time, but I mostly work with the elderly, so I have to be nice about it...even if I have been called every name in the book, and there’s always the callers that ask me if I’ve found Jesus yet... Are you married? I was married, and we got divorced. Then he died six months after the divorce was final, so I'm not sure if that makes me a widower or not. I guess legally I’m divorced, but I feel like a widower. Do you have any two-legged or four-legged children? I have two two-legged kids who both love COH. One is 7 (the boy), and the other is 11 (the girl), and at one point I had a zoo, but now it’s just a small farm. I currently have two cats and a guinea pig. I used to have those and a ferret and three birds and some fish. Oh, and I have my mom who I take care of, but she counts as two-legged. What would you say is the most interesting or unusual place you have ever visited? I was traumatized as a small child while we visited relatives in Mississippi...it’s all their fault I don't eat seafood! The best trip I have taken was when I went to see the piece of the Titanic they brought up in MA. They let my then-husband actually touch it! What types of movies do you enjoy watching, and to follow up, what would be your all time favorite movie? I enjoy a lot of movies. Lately I have been leaning towards dramadys, but there’s actually a 4-way tie for first, which is the LOTR trilogy and the Princess Bride...you've made me date myself, Teldon. I'm not that old! Really I’m not. I don’t remember when the Princess Bride was in the movie theaters or anything... What TV shows could you not live with out? Well, I don’t watch a whole lot of TV anymore, but the only show I insist on watching is Ghost Hunters on Sci-Fi. I love that kind of stuff. I am an amateur ghost hunter! Read any good books lately? The last books I read were the Harry Potter series. I was so mad a Snape...I actually pouted around my house for like three days until I read the last one!

Do you have any hobbies outside of the game? Ghost hunting and playing with my kids, and um, yeah, that’s about it. I don't get a whole lot of "Mom" time. So what would you say is your favorite quote from pop culture? My favorite quote..."You can only be young once, you can be immature forever!" Fits me like a glove. and not OJ's glove either! How did you end up picking Freedom as your server? Well, I was drug over to this game kicking and screaming from Asheron's call, pre i-4, and this is where the rest of my "regular group" of friends called home, so I threw my suitcases under Atlas' butt and moved in, too. What is your general play style in-game? Play style? I like to team in PUGs mostly. I like to meet new and interesting people, and we have a lot of those here on Freedom I do play with my group of friends at least once a week but I don't PL or farm or anything like that. I play to play the game. I’m working on my fourth 50. Which side of the game would you say is your favorite? Heroes definitely. I can't get into the villain role, and I don't have a villain higher then level 24, I think she is now. What is your favorite zone in the game? That truly is a hard question...I honestly don't think I have a favorite zone...Gosh, I must sound boring...I like them all! Even the Hollows! What about story arcs? Don’t beat me up, but I like Flux's story arc, the one that leads to Frostfire...even though it’s super low. I just like that mish's layout! What type of characters do you like to play? Midnite Rose is my favorite. She's a MA/Regen scrapper, but I do have a tendency to lean towards defenders. I don't like to play tanks. What are you looking forward to in the next issue? I-12 is so full of win! The new zone! VEATs! Hollows Makeover! Powerset Proliferation! Basic QOL issues addressed! I can't put my finger on just one! What advice would you like to give for our newer players? Basic advice is to check out the forums! The forums have all the information you could ever want or need about the game! It's like having the game outside of the game! Any closing comments? Thanks for the interview! If you want to reach out to me, my PM box is always open, and don't forget to check out P.E.R.C. We are constantly looking for new and exciting ways to bring events to the community! If you have an idea or want to volunteer, feel free to shoot me a line, just don't shoot at me ‘cause I will duck!

A Guardian Love Story By RAID Controller For two players of an MMORPG, such as City of Heroes and City of Villains, to meet within the gaming environment and really connect in a way where they want to spend the rest of their lives together is nothing short of astronomical. Yet from within this submersive and chaotic world of interdimensional travelers, acts of bold heroism, and diabolical villainy such connections have been made on more then one occasion. Two strangers in one game happened to find each other against all probability, while the majority of us struggle with simply finding good teams. How these individuals came together with such a connection is anyone's best guess, but it is definitely an experience they will treasure for a life time. Among these fortunates are Rick Gibraltar (Scott) and Kandy Krak (Misty), long time veterans of the Guardian Server, who have decided to celebrate their union by hosting the event series "A Guardian Love Story." This series is designed to not only tell their story, but to also highlight stories of other couples whose relationships have either started or have strengthened thanks to the City of universe. Rick and Kandy know that, once two people have found someone to share their lives with, it comes time for the proposal. So in this time-honored tradition, this event series begins, but before a wedding can be planned, a proposal must be made. To commemorate that moment on December 24, 2006 when, upon "A Bended Knee," Rick Gibraltar asked Kandy Krak to be his wife, Rick is asking for your assistance. He needs the perfect way to ask Kandy to join him in holy matrimony, so on April 15 on the CoH Community Forums, Rick will be offering a contest to enlist your help by submitting your best proposal lines whether classic, romantic or humorous. Rick anxiously awaits your responses and wishes you all the best of luck in the contest, as he is off to find the perfect ring. Now that Kandy has accepted, it becomes the duty of the Matron of Honor to throw a party for the bride to be. And in this event, "Yours for a Day," no way is Mistress Noire, Guardian's very own cookie mistress, going to be neglectful in her duties. She's rented the space, baked the cookies, and lined up some special entertainment for this ladies' night out. Now she is sending out invitations to come to Guardian Server and participate in the bachelorette party she has planned on April 27 at 9pm EST in Pocket D . The ladies are going to woo, be enticed, and party hard as she auctions off Guardian's most eligible bachelors. That's right, ladies, bring your purses and watch as these men strut their stuff on the stage for your entertainment. In "A Bachelor Party," on May 3rd at 9pm, it's going to be a wild night in The Hollows as the men of Guardian Server throw Rick a bachelor party. With Rick's wedding date looming, the guys intend to remind him of what it means to be a bachelor. They're going to be out trying to pick up the ladies as the game of hide-n-seek begins... It is always appropriate to bring a gift to the wedding. Oh wait...in all the excitement of the recent events you forgot to go shopping for "A Wedding Gift!" It's okay, though, because Kandy has got you covered. On Tuesday, May 6 at 6pm EST she will be waiting for you in Pocket D with a list of places to go and items to get. Better hurry, though, because there is only three hours to the wedding, and she is sending you on a scavenger hunt through Bloody Bay and Siren's Call, some of the roughest neighborhoods around. On Tuesday, May 6 at 9pm EST on Guardian Server, the faithful moment will finally arrive! Rick Gibraltor and Kandy Krak will anxiously await your arrival (location to be announced) as they make final preparations to walk down the aisle. Princess Darklite (DJ Dazzler of Justice Radio) will be on hand to officiate the ceremony, and there are a few special people on the guest list. Remember the ceremony will be broadcast live on Justice Radio (www.justiceradio.net) so make sure to turn in to hear the couple recite their vows to one another. Following the wedding ceremony, "The Reception" will begin at 10pm EST in Pocket D. It is time to celebrate the newlyweds, and they want you to join them as they rock the house! A live DJ (provided compliments of Justice Radio), dancing, a couples' bio contest, and trivia raffle promises to make this the social event of the year! Come one, come all to Guardian and help Rick and Kandy rejoice in the love they have found in one another. At the end of all the wedding festivities is "The Honeymoon," and Rick has decided, now that Kandy has become his wife, that it is time to prove to the world that separate they are great...but together they are a movement! He can think of no better way for them to depart in style then aboard the Rikti Mothership for their romantic getaway. So he calls out to all his friends, heroes and villains alike, to join them in one final blast on Friday, May 9 at 10pm EST in Rikti War Zone! Please remember to check on the CoH Community Forums under Players Events for complete details after April 15th.

Teenage Fun! By White_Gravel Hiya readers! It’s me, White_Gravel, back to tell you of my experiences in Gemini Park. Why was I in Galaxy City’s Gemini Park, you ask? This was because that was the site of the Teen Hero Gathering on the Virtue Server. I was excited about this event for two main reasons: It looked like a great event, with a nice schedule to match, and because I am a teenager myself. I thought this event would be a great time to hang out with people around my age. Well, I was wrong. It was an excellent way to meet people my own age, and I realized this the second I entered the park. I entered at 7:30, about half an hour before the event even started, and I still had to wait in line to enter the park! There were hundreds of teenagers just like me ready to have some fun and do some teenage bonding. If you think this is amazing, wait until you see the events that were planned. First they started off with a costume contest for the best teenaged trend. What that means was that they wanted to see costumes that would represent a good casual look for teens today. Not only was this a very creative spin on your “average” costume contest, but there was a huge turnout of people who made their characters specifically for this one contest. An even bigger shock than the turnout or the costumes and work that was put into the contest was the verdict. I don’t think you readers will believe this but this reporter actually won the male teen trend contest. Yes I finally won a contest, ladies and gentlemen. After the teen trend costume contest, there was a normal hero contest and the verdicts were as follows: Most Teen Trendy Male: White-Gravel (Back) Most Teen Trendy Female: Kosuki Sasaki (Back) Best Male Hero: Ballistic Beetle (Back) Best Female Hero: Laneria (Back) Congratulations to them all! After that event there was some free time where the teens could log onto The Cape radio and listen to some tunes while they mingles. There was a special guest DJ there from The Cape named Rain Fox. I sat down with Rain for a quick moment to get her intake on the gathering. So Rain, were you expecting such a good turnout? Well, I always knew there was a vast majority of teens out there that played the game, so I knew it would be huge, so this doesn’t surprise me much. And what do you do here, and how do people get you to come to their events? I host a show on The Cape, and I take requests from players at the event and just try to entertain everyone. If you want me at your event, all you have to do is ask at us at www.thecaperadio.com. And with that, I allowed Rain to continue her work, and I mingled some more with the guests. After the “chill” time came some trivia questions given out by none other than the host of the event, Assembled Girl. These questions were extremely hard and left me with a headache after all forty were read and answered. Though I must say that I did win 500,000 answering the questions (I answered 2/40 correct). After the trivia, the event was over, but not before I got the chance to sit down with Assembled Girl and ask her the questions we all wanted to know. So my first question has got to be why? Why did u make the event? Well, I had participated in many events in the past, and I thought to myself, “No one has ever done a teen event before,” so since I am a teenager myself, I decided to take some action and make one. What do you think about all these teens that turned out tonight? The turnout was spectacular, especially since this is only my first time hosting an event. Now most people wonder how much something like this costs. How much was spent on this event? This event cost about 46 million all together, most of which came out of my pocket, but two other heroes helped out. Since this was such a success, do you plan on hosting any more events? Definitely, I aim to make this an annual event one way or another. Any closing comments? I want to thank DJ Rain Fox and The Cape for entertaining us. Also, I want to thank everyone that showed up! It was a real blast, and I look forward to reinvesting my creative spirit into the teen hero community. The event had concluded and the teenage crowd slowly departed. This event was a blast and a major success in uniting the world of teenaged heroes. I want to thank everyone that went into making this event. I also want to remind everyone to make events like this and help reunite the gaming community. Keep on rocking! ~W.G.

Community

Fan Fiction Spotlight Presented by Mr_Grey Diary of a Henchman, by TeChameleon How can one excerpt explain this one properly? Ah, here we go... -------------------------------------------------- Day 16: 11:00 PM Same plan, but this time make sure Captain Amazing has been called out on emergency. Discover that Captain Amazing is an avid golfer, and keeps his clubs in the bedroom. Wife heard me coming, and was standing behind door with golf bag. Five Iron required Jaws of Life to remove. Driver will probably need surgery to remove. Regain consciousness to Captain Amazing throwing me through the wall again. If his contractor works so cheap, should get number from wife before killing her; my place could use some work. -------------------------------------------------- This one is purely for the laughs. There are a couple places where the grammar and spelling is a little off, but you'll probably be laughing too hard to care. Also, since this is apparently the diary of one of the dullest knives in the drawer, the grammatical errors probably only make more sense. The author has indicated that he/she intends to keep writing these little tidbits as he/she feels inspired. It seems a bit brutal at times, but the violence is just so ludicrous in its delivery that you still can't help but laugh at this "Minion-version Wile E. Coyote."

Moderator Avatar Contest Hey there everyone! So we've been seeing a lot of people bored with this avatar we have. Now, we agree with you. It is BORING. So here we go. We're going to hold a contest, starting today. It will be an avatar contest. At that time we will provide screen shots of our characters in the game for you to use, animate, caption, whatever. Tell us what you need and we'll attempt to provide it. Come Wednesday, April 23, 2008 we will close entries and judge which avatars we will use. If you wish to submit a non-CoH/CoV avatar starting from the moment you see this post you can, however we will not begin judging them until Wednesday the 23rd rolls around. More details will be released soon. May the best forumite win. -Koschej and Niviene. Niviene by LadyJudgement

Market Watch

Crime Pays By Smurphy Love is the only thing needed to succeed on the Black Market. Love has many aspects and nuances, but there are six key factors that lead to success. The six key aspects of love to remember are: 1) Plan ahead 2) Diversify 3) Lower Standards 4) Spray and Pray 5) Success Comes in Your Sleep 6) Sell Back What You No Longer Want 1) Shopping on the Black Market requires knowing what you want. If you are unsure of what you want, take a moment to study your own needs. A multitude of slotting guides exists if you are unsure. Ideal answers for the planning stage include "I need a Hamidon Goo," or "I want a way to stop eating blue pills," or "I need more accuracy." As you can clearly see, the planning phase is exactly analogous to love. Also, you should plan for items that you will want in the future. By planning ahead you will ensure that you have the item when you want and need the item. Also, you can ensure that you only pay a comfortable amount. 2) One item to buy is never enough. Often, there are many items that can solve your needs. Identify these alternatives and have them ready at all times. Okay, enough about love, back to the Black Market! When shopping for items for your villain, think about viable alternatives. Yes, set bonuses are nice and having the exact same level looks pretty. However, items that do not match can often give equivalent or greater effect. Also, items may exist on the market in alternative forms. A certain item you crave may exist in Recipe and in Enhancement form. Pursue both of these possible targets. 3) My significant other(s) frequently asks, “Why are we together?” I reply, “Because we lowered our standards.” Believe me, I know love. Apply this concept to shopping on the Black Market. Often there is a specific item at a specific level that would be mathematically ideal. However, this one item may be incredibly difficult to acquire. Similar to love, find alternatives on the Black Market and pursue those as well. A level 25 Enhancement may be ideal but difficult to obtain. By pursuing level 20 or level 24 Enhancements as well, you increase your chances of success. Yes, technically, these items are inferior, but these alternatives are only inferior in extremely minor amounts— fractions of a percent! Lower your standards. You won't know the difference.

4) Now that you know what you want, know viable alternatives, and have lowered your standards, pull out your weapon and get ready so "spray and pray." A key way to succeed in the spray and pray method is learning the Black Market interface. Utilize the drop down menus to narrow down the items shown. Level drop down boxes can narrow the items to a specific range. Item drop down menus in the big box can further narrow what you are looking at. Place bids on each and every item that you could want. Yes, bid on multiple items when you want only one thing. Remember, you have planned ahead and are going to succeed in your sleep! 5) Placing the proper amount in each bid is the most important choice you will make. Placing the proper bid is also the most difficult step. The Last 5 History can be an indicator of what you should expect to pay but is certainly not a guarantee. Plan on succeeding in your sleep and not succeeding immediately. Give yourself a good chance of success. Keep in mind that you are bidding on multiple items that each can satisfy your needs. Balance the desire for success (bidding high) an amount that an amount that may succeed in your sleep in the ensuing days (bidding low)! 6) Sometimes you will purchase more than you need. Simply place the items back on the market! By placing low bids in the Fifth Step you should be able to list the item for a higher price than you purchased it. This difference means money! If you were able to properly identify the history of the item and the range in prices the item usually has, you can sell your “mistakes” or “misfires” for profit. Step Five applies when selling items! Don't forget to plan on succeeding in your sleep. Love is a beautiful thing. The Black Market is also a beautiful thing. Keep love in mind when shopping at the Black Market...you can always sell your mistakes! Mardun vs Granemere by KidRaid

Point / Counterpoint By Bowfling This is the fifteenth in a series of Point/Counterpoint articles, which will review commonly requested player suggestions, and review the pros and cons of those suggestions. This week’s subject – In-Game Ads POINT: The recent announcement that ads for real products are going to be added to Co* has sparked a few threads about what the addition of those ads would mean for the City of franchise. Generally speaking, real ad revenue should provide an additional stream of income for the game, which means that new content can be generated faster. Since the ads are optional, any player who does not wish to see the ads can turn them off if they wish. Because of this, no player’s game play experience should be impacted by intrusive ads, while still providing them to players that are willing to see them in order to help out the developers. Community reps have stated that ads will not be forced. COUNTERPOINT: There are some players who are worried that in game ads may be just the beginning of the intrusion of real life into the game. If optional ads fail to generate sufficient viewers, alternative methods for advertising may be tried. Some worry that the ads will be made forced. One format that might make optional ads more desirable would be some reward for doing so. Typically this would be a monthly fee reduction, but there is no fee reduction offered at this time. In-game rewards may also be offered, but players may find the “requirement” necessary to receive the reward as disruptive to their game play. Furthermore, with ads and the announcement that pay add on packs produced revenue necessary to accelerate content creation, some players are worried that more emphasis will be placed on pay for add ons, and less on free updates. So far there is no indication that this is true. Gunbunny by LadyEntropy

Lord of the Losers By Hostile_V In all honesty, some enemies will scare the life out of you. Renegade robots, trigger-happy thugs, horrible Hydras, diabolical demons, there's a lot to deal with. Stuff out there can and will kill you. On the other hand, some enemies are so pathetic it's funny. I'm gonna take a quick look at some of the wimps and weirdos to cross paths with heroes and villains. You may never look at theses schmoes the same way again. Infected First off, who drinks sewer water? Have the freaking sense to break open a fire hydrant or something for a quick refill. Second, you idiots can barely stand, let alone aim and fire a gun. There's a reason we don't see you past level 7. Nothing more than a bunch of shambling, nauseous scum-junkies. Barely a threat. Dockworkers Oh, boo hoo. Underpaid, mistreated rebellious workers from a big business? We have that already: Scrapyarders! At least they're intimidating. A Demolitionist is the bane of all Masterminds, and you crate-jockeys feebly kick and whine at the Family. Suck it up, get another job and leave us alone. Prisoners There’s nothing more satisfying than cracking the skull of some jerk I spent time with. But from a hero perspective, you morons still haven't left the Zig! If you're free, why hang out there? Just return to your gang, coven or army of super soldiers. Besides, you're just gonna get stuck back in the joint if you stay. Save yourselves the pain: just relax in your cells when then riots start. Luddites I'm all for the anti-Aeon cause, but...they're doing it wrong. Casting off the shackles of technology is all well and good, but how are you supposed to harm people with force fields when you have an axe? Small scale sabotage and a pamphlet campaign will take a long time. And half of their rallies end up with them getting beat up or arrested by Aeon's men. I give the Luddites an "A" for effort, but an "F" in Tactics and Execution. Goldbrickers Eww, yellow? Sure, they have high-tech gear, but they look ridiculous. Faulty sonic weaponry, bad fashion and their unnatural feelings of superiority make them a bunch of bad apples. But come on, you look like rejects from the old Superfriends cartoon or like you should've been fodder in Goldfinger. Just give up the fight and help out Arachnos with your tech. It'll turn out better for you guys. And these idiots are the five biggest "enemies" I've ever encountered: Infected, Dockworkers, Prisoners, Luddites and Goldbrickers. I was tempted to include Snakes, but Snakes return with vengeance later on. So here's where I want all you readers out there to help. Send me a message through the forums to tell me which of these motley crews should be crowned Lord of the Losers. Give me enough feedback, and I'll tell you the results of your opinions. Remember: only you decide who's the lowest of the low.

The City Scoop

additional character slots! Article by Snow_Globe Illustrations by Juggertha Positron has announced this week that Issue 12 will bring with it optional additional character slots. Here is the run down, quoting from the announcement: Two additional character slots granted from Issue 12: "All current subscribers will receive 2 free character slots, each of which can be used on the specific server of their choice. This is to help you make new characters to take advantage of the new features of Issue 12, even if you already have maxed out your "home" server's character slots." You get to put two slots on the server of your choice, or one slot on two different servers of your choice. Veteran Reward character slots: "1 free character slot will be granted retroactively on a yearly basis through the current Veteran Reward system. Every 12 months that a subscription is maintained will unlock an additional free character slot that the user can apply to the server of their choice. Thus, existing players will be eligible for up to 4 additional character slots at the launch of Issue 12. This will continue into the future for Veteran Rewards given out every 12 months, so you get another slot for 5 years, another one for 6 years, etc." This pretty much explains itself. Extra slots for purchase: "Additional Optional Character Slots will be available on a purchasable basis. These are one-time fees, not an addition to your monthly subscription rate. The additional slots can be had at the following price points: * 1 Optional Character Slot for a one-time fee of $5.99 * 2 Optional Character Slots for a one-time fee of $9.99 * 5 Optional Character Slots for a one-time fee of $19.99" For those that think this is just another cash grab, I would suggest that you compare the costs over the long term for having multiple accounts. While I personally will not use this aspect much, I know a lot of people that would gladly pay for the additional slots and keep their second (and third) accounts. Limitations: "Players can have up to 36 slots per server" Let's face it. Having a cap on the number of slots per server makes sense. It limits how much revenue goes to paying for storage costs. At 36 slots per server, that is three times as many slots as that of an account with both CoH and CoV codes applied to it or a boxed Good vs. Evil code. To max out a server would cost about as much as prepaying for a year's subscription, not including the above free slots. Additional Benefits for all players: "An update to the character selection screen that lets you re-organize your character list by Drag and Drop, as well as easily flip between up to three pages of characters available on that server. All customers benefit from these great new User Interface features included with the revisions for Optional Character Slots." Wanted to change the order of the characters on the selection screen? Well now you can. Maybe you wanted all your heroes on one selection screen and all of your villains on another. Again this will be possible with the new server screens. Summary: Player reactions overall are favorable, with a tiny bit of grumbling over price from a few posters. Personally I welcome the extra slots and eagerly await the upcoming selection interface enhancements. -Snow_Globe

Vol. 1, Issue 44 April 18th, 2008 This Issue: Lord of the Losers Point / Counterpoint Market Watch Community Fan Fiction Moderator Avatar Contest A Guardian Love Story Teenage Fun Behind the Mask Rose. Food & Recipes Classifieds Excelsior Messaging Upcoming Events: April 19th: Virtue: HERO DAWN REMEMBRANCE BASH April 20th: Pinnacle: Costume Contest hosted by Lords of Retribution Protector: Rasta Appreciation Day! Virtue: Villain Hami Raid 6 pm EDT April 23rd: Protector: Level 4 PvP April 26th: Infinity: 1 billion influence give away Lady Grey TF Virtue: Great Badge Race April 27th: Forums: A Guardian Love Story Guardian: A Guardian Love Story Infinity: Great Badge Race

In case you missed it, you can now view the video by Longbow Agent "Major Tasker" that reports all the details about the new Villain Epic Archetypes. Called the Soldiers of Arachnos, these new archetypes are included in the next free expansion to City of Heroes, Issue 12: Midnight Hour.

Click here to visit the City of Heroes movie gallery!