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Vol. 2, Issue 11
August 22nd, 2008
The City Scoop a publication for Supers by Supers!
We'd like to wish City Scoop editor in chief Snow Globe a very Happy Birthday!
Read the latest publication and then post here to join in on the community discussion!<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.
[*] If you need some Advice contact Lady_Athyna or would like to Ask The X contact LiquidX
[*] Finally if you have a Classified Ad or Recipe you would like included please contact: LadyK or MistressNoire[/list] -
Vol. 2, Issue 11
August 22nd, 2008
The City Scoop a publication for Supers by Supers!
We'd like to wish City Scoop editor in chief Snow Globe a very Happy Birthday!
Read the latest publication and then join in on the community discussion!- [*] If you have concerns regarding the content of the Scoop please direct your comments via PM to 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.
[*] If you need some Advice contact Lady_Athyna or would like to Ask The X contact LiquidX
[*] Finally if you have a Classified Ad or Recipe you would like included please contact: LadyK or MistressNoire[/list] -
The City Scoop Staff
-
Classifieds
TO: Everyone who posted comments about my "Incarnate"
video on the COH forums. Thank you all very, very much for the praise (and even
the occasional criticism). That you guys (generally) enjoy them as much as you
do, is all the more reason for Johanna Sinclair to keep running around like mad
with that videocamera of hers, and for me to keep making videos. Cheers! -
Michelle aka Samuraiko/Dark_Respite
ARTIST WANTED
Published author seeks superhero artist
for politically progressive comic book project. Speculative: no money up front,
any profits to be split 50/50. Character designs to start; full script pages
will follow. Interested parties should PM DoctorJ through the forums or
@DoctorJ on the game.
NOW HIRING
Paragon Underground Radio is now hiring
bouncers and bartenders. Please send an in-game e-mail to DJ Durango on the
Virtue server for more information or an application.
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.
Want to be part of the VEAT Army? Yes we are an offshoot
branch of the FUSION empire in the Protector dimension loyal only to Ghost
Widow. We are destined for greatness.
Ghost Widow has ordered my organization to form a new
sect in support of special operations. I will recruit within our ranks as well
as go outside of our known coalition. These chosen members will go to an
academy for training as various Arachnos soldiers. While I do not like to be
told how to run FUSION, Widow assures me that I will be rewarded for forming
this group.
My first order of business is to choose villains among
my organization that display some of the following qualities: Mind control,
knowledge of poisons, stealth, acrobatics, weapons fighting, and most
importantly do not display fear and that would die if I ordered them to do
such. I have at least 20 in mind from my 150 Villain organization that fit this
criteria. Over the next few weeks I will begin listing them in preparation for
training.
This training will consist of a series of trials and
strike forces ordered by Ghost Widow. More to follow soon.
Want to know more?
Please come to the Veat Army Project.
Want your character to be interviewed by Scoop Man? Send
a PM to HumanMiracle!
Want your character to be interviewed by Patty-Sue
Ivanova? Send a PM to Emperorsteele!
Need to sell something? Post it in The City Scoop
Classifieds. Send a PM to SpaceNut while LadyK is on Vacation.
Introducing Two-for-Tuesday at El Super Mexicano! All
regular quesadillas just 2 for $5 all day Tuesday!
The Cooperative Story project is in need of authors. You
can locate the current work
here. Support, commentary and introductions are located
here. The idea is simple: Find an author you know well and can work
with, and write a story together. At present, all styles are welcome. We look
forward to your contributions.
ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT
RIBS
at
InFront Steak house!
Thursday night is all-you-can-eat rib
night at InFront Steakhouse. Come in after 4 PM, mention this ad, and get
endless plates of our mouthwatering baby back ribs for only $14.99!
Do you have an event coming up? Are you going to attend an upcoming event? Drop
a line to an Editor-in-Chief a week in advance.
Message from
Positron
Blueprints are ready
The Architect has been paid
Reveal's on Tuesday
HELP WANTED
Writers for The City Scoop. Please contact an Editor-in-Chief or an Assistant
Editor-in-Chief for submission details.
-
Market Watch
The View on Blue
Career Day Part 3
In the last Career Day column, we looked at crafting. Common IO crafting is an
honest, hard-working, blue collar way to earn influence, which means you'll
never get filthy rich doing it. Crafting set IOs can be more lucrative, but
it's still work. In order to craft something, you need to spend time gathering
materials, and then spend influence converting those ingredients into a
finished product. After all that work, you deserve to be paid more
than the sum of the parts. Most players agree that crafting is an honest way to
earn influence. The idea of flipping, on the other hand, elicits howls of
protest from many players.
The first thing I would like to do is to offer up my own definition of flipping:
Flipping is the practice of watching the pre-existing, natural fluctuations in
price over time, then buying something just above the bottom of the price swing
and reselling it just below the top of the price swing.
Other people have other definitions, but since many of those definitions involve
killing children and kicking puppies, and since there are neither children nor
puppies in Paragon City, we'll stick with my definition for now. This article
is about how to flip, not about the arguments surrounding it. If you want to
know more about why people are pro- or anti-flipping, or to express your own
opinions about it, pop into the Market section of the forums. It's a frequent
topic of debate. For our purposes today, there are only two facts that matter.
First, flipping can be profitable if done correctly. Second, flipping does not
violate the game's terms of service.
Unlike vendoring or crafting, flipping is done when you are offline. This makes
it an excellent career for a casual player. You don't need to run back and
forth between different stores, or run back and forth between the crafting
table and the market. You just place your bids and walk away. Whenever you get
around to it, you collect the items you bought and relist them. Once you get
the hang of it, you can do your flipping in just a few minutes per day. The
main challenge is that you need to be fairly knowledgeable about the market.
Flipping is capitalism at its simplest and most elegant:
1. Buy low.
2. Sell high.
3. Repeat.
Before you can settle into your lucrative little rut, you need to do some
research:
1. Choose a time period
2. Choose an item
3. Explore the low end of the price swing
4. Explore the high end of the price swing
The first thing you need to decide is how patient you are. Flipping depends on
the fact that prices go up and down over time. The more time you can wait, the
more variation you'll see in prices. The price may not move very much during
the few hours you are online, but for many items the price changes drastically
over 24 hours. Given a week, prices can bounce even further up and down.
The next thing you need to decide is what item you would like to flip. Although
anything that moves on the market can be flipped, most people flip salvage. It
trades in high volume, and you can buy it in stacks of ten. Look for salvage in
which there is a big variation in prices over time. That spread is your profit
margin.
To find the low end of the price range, put in a bunch of bids at lower and
lower prices. Wait for your desired time period and see how many of those bids
fill.
To find the high end of the price range, take the items you just bought and
relist them for higher and higher prices. Wait for your desired time period to
pass and see how many sold.
Once you have a feel for the range of prices at which this item trades, do a bit
of math. After subtracting the sales fee, is it worthwhile to flip this item?
If so, get cracking! Buy low, sell high, repeat. I suggest you always have one
bid in for less than your minimum price. If that bid fills, not only will you
get some cheap salvage, but you'll also get a warning that prices may be
dropping. If the bottom price drops, the top price tends to follow.
Over time, the spread between the high and low price will probably close. You'll
need to raise your price if you want to keep buying, and lower your price if
you want to keep selling. Profits dry up. When that happens, bail. Stop buying
and try to sell off your stock. Find another item where the price is bouncing
up and down like a toddler who got into his mom's mochaccino.
After I've been flipping for a while, I usually find myself gradually
accumulating stacks of overpriced, unsold salvage, like barnacles on the hull
of a ship. Scrape them off! If something doesn't sell for over a week, then it
probably won't sell until the next special event. It's a judgment call, but you
need those slots to earn more influence. Don't let them stay clogged up with
items that won't move.
To help you get started, I'll provide a concrete example. Keep in mind that
prices change over time, and that the publication of this column may affect the
prices of any item listed in the column. Competition is anathema to flipping,
so Alchemical Silvers might be a very bad thing to flip for the next couple of
weeks.
Once you get the hang of flipping inexpensive items, you might want to consider
flipping pricier items. That's a fine idea, but don't forget to account for the
fees. 10% of 3,000,000 inf is a big chunk of change. Something can bounce up
and down by a few hundred thousand influence and still not leave enough margin
for a profit.
What follows is a Diary of a Flipper:
1. Choose a time period
I will work on a 24 hour flip. I will check in every evening. Flipping takes
less time than running even a single mission, so I know I can fit it in even on
days when I don't have time to really play. I could go with one week as my time
period, but I have a deadline for this article!
2. Choose an item
I'll start at the top. The very first invention salvage in the list is
Alchemical Gold. The last five prices I see right now vary between 300 and
1,000 inf. That's a pretty big spread. Would this be a good choice? No. This is
where knowledge of the market comes into play. Alchemical Gold is uncommon.
Uncommon salvage just isn't valuable. The 1,000 inf sale is only vendor price,
and the other trades are lower than that. The number of items for sale is
almost triple the number of bids. My experience suggests that most of those
bids are from people hoping to vendor Alchemical Gold, not use it. It should be
easy to buy Alchemical Gold cheap, but I think I would find it very difficult
to resell it for a profit.
What about Alchemical Silver? That's next on the list. Here I see last five
prices from 10,000 - 20,000. I have enough crafting experience to know that
Alchemical Silver is an ingredient in common level 30-40 Accuracy IOs. These
are certainly not vendor bait. If we can buy a stack of ten for 10k and resell
it for 20k, we would make 100,000 influence on each stack of ten salvage. This
seems promising.
Jacobi Law by Jesse
I put in a bid for a stack of ten Alchemical Silvers at a price of 10,007 each.
That way I'll outbid anyone who offers an even 10k. I also put in bids at 9,007
and 11,007. Just because there are no trades in the last five for less than 10k
doesn't mean it won't happen during the next 24 hours. In fact, I'm putting in
bids at 8,007 and 7,007 as well. Why not? I can always cancel the bids tomorrow
and get my influence back. I'll put in a bid at 12,007 too, because I want to
be sure I buy something for the next step.
Explore the low end of the price swing
Now I wait. Flipping requires patience; that's what makes it such a fine
strategy for casual players. If I lived in the game, I'd go crazy sitting here
staring at my unfilled bids. Instead, I can log off and go read a book. If I
have some free time, I'll try to check in a few times during the next 24 hours,
but it's not vital. (I didn't have to wait long to get some! I had bought five
for 12,007 each before I even had time to log off!)
A few hours later, the bids at 12,007 and 11,007 and 10,007 are all full. The
bids at 9,007 and below have not filled. The last five prices still range from
10-20k. I leave the low bids out to see how they do overnight, while I relist
the items I've bought. I own 30 Alchemical Silvers. I list ten at 12,230. At
that price, I will make exactly 1,000 inf per item, if I bought them at 10,007.
I list another ten at just under 15,000 inf, and the last ten go up for just
under 20,000 inf. I log off and let those sit overnight.
Day Two
The next morning I check again. It is the weekend, otherwise I couldn't log in
so often. Note: prices over the weekend are not always the same as prices
during the week. If I only logged in once a day, the process would be the same,
it would just take a bit longer. All the items listed for sale have sold, but
no new bids have filled. The last five prices are 12-15k.
I check again in the evening. It has been 24 hours since I put in those first
bids. Nothing has changed. We seem to have a minimum successful bid of 10,007
and a maximum successful sell of 19,007.
Now I'll look at volume. I'll keep my stack of bids for 9,007 outstanding, as an
alert in case of falling prices. This time I'll put in five stacks of bids at
10,007. Here's a tip: instead of listing them all for exactly the same amount,
lower the bid amount by 1 influence with each new stack. That way you won't get
a bunch of half filled stacks, since the highest bid will always fill first.
Day Three
Twenty-four hours later... all bids are filled, except that low bid of 9,007.
The last five prices are all just over 30,000. Hmmm, could I sell mine for that
much? Let's see. I relist one stack for 19,007... and they sell instantly for
about 27,000 each. Interesting. I put the next stack up for 25,007. One of them
sells for 30,000. This is a judgment call. If I list them too high during a
momentary spike, they might not sell for a long time. While I'm pondering my
options, the rest of that stack sells for around 27,000. That settles it. I
list another stack at 29,007 and one at 30,007. The last stack I put up for
20,007. Those don't sell right away, and now the last five sales are down to
15,000. Did I just overprice most of my inventory? I'll find out tomorrow. You
get to find out in the next paragraph, you lucky dog!
Day Four
The Wentworth's representative has a lovely surprise for me. Every single buy
order is full, even the one for 9,007. At the same time, every single sell
order has sold, even the one for over 30k (the whole stack sold for 390,000 for
ten of them). Sweet!
I put in a new set of bids, ranging from 8,007 to 10,007. I list the items I
have bought for anywhere between 20,007 and 40,007.
Day Five
Every bid has filled except the 8,007 one. Perfect! Every item listed has sold.
Almost perfect! I'd actually prefer to see a few unsold items. Not many, just
one stack. That way I would know that I was butting up against the top of the
price swing. I'll have to list one stack even higher next time. The highest a
stack of ten sold for last time was 724,999. That's a strange price for someone
to bid. Anyhow, this time I'll list items for... wait, what is this? My stack
of bids at 8,007 filled as well? The last 5 prices now show 7500 - 8,000. Odd.
Is the price crashing? Were yesterday's high prices just a fluke? Well, there
are 2,075 bids but only 588 for sale. It's not much to go on, but demand seems
strong. Well, what the heck. I list my items for 25,007 up to 50,007. I put in
bids from 7,007 up to 10,007.
Day Six
Everything sold except the 50,007 stack. Perfect! All the bids filled. Even the
one at 7007. It seems like prices are on the wane. Good to know. I'll keep that
stack out at 50,007 for a while longer and list the new ones from 30,007 to
45,007. I put in bids from 5,007 to 10,007.
Day Seven
Definite price slip. Sold everything priced below 40k, but not the top few
stacks. Ironically, one stack sold for over 450k, even though it was listed for
less than 40k. Buy orders from 8k up were filled. The price gap is narrowing.
That's not good, but there is still lots of room for a profit.
I list my new stock for 25-35k. At this point, I have some stacks that probably
won't sell. Maybe I should take them down and relist at a lower price. I
probably would if they didn't sell through the weekend, except this just
happens to be the week when the Rikti invade. Arcane prices might nudge
upwards. I put in buys from 8k-9k. Left the 7k bid up, but I don't expect it to
fill.
Day Eight
Everything sold except the 50,007 stack. Ha! Only one stack of buys filled, so
I canceled some of the lower bids and put in new bids mostly at 10k and one at
11k. The one stack I bought I relisted for 35k.
Day Nine
Overnight I sold the 35k ones, and the old 50,007 stack as well! I guess there
was a buying frenzy late last night, while I was sleeping. I love making money
while I sleep. If I hadn't been mid-flip, I would never have known that prices
jumped that high. The last five transactions don't show anything like that.
They are all 10-15k. Also while I lay sleeping, all of my bids from 9k up were
filled. I list things for 30-45k and put in my new bids at 9-10k. The market
shows 2,700 bids, 383 items for sale. Oh, and I timed myself. From the time I
clicked on the WW rep to the time I was ready to leave the market took 90
seconds.
Day Ten
Enough is enough. Everything sold. I canceled that 7,007 bid. All of my other
bids filled, so I took those items and listed them for 35k-45k. Once those
sell, I'm done. It gets boring. I did make about 17 million inf so far, though.
More importantly, I have quite enough data for an article.
-
The People On...
The Return of the Rikti
My dear fans, I have what may be my Pulitzer Prize winning article. I kid you
not. I was able to interview one of the most notorious arch-villains from the
Rogue Isles, Dr. Lazarus Crom. Remember the piece I did with Foxy Ferret a few
weeks back? Well, I decided to get the villain opinion of the Riktis return,
and who better to ask than Dr. Crom? He was, of course, reluctant to talk to
me, but Im a persistent man. At least, I THINK I was. Truth be told, I dont
remember a darn thing about this interview. The only proof I have that it
happened is my trusty tape recorder in my jacket pocket. A good investigative
journalist always keeps one handy, right? I figure I woke up in my apartment in
Kings Row at least THREE DAYS after this was taped, according to the good
stubble I had growing. See, thats why I think I deserve a freakin Pulitzer -
I sacrificed my own MEMORY to get this dirt. So get ready...
Scoop Man: Dr. Crom! Excuse me Dr. Crom!
Dr. Crom: Yes?
SM: Scoop Man, I write for the local paper. Perhaps youve heard of me?
Dr. C: Im sorry but I dont read local papers.
SM: Oh, well never mind. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions
regarding the Rikti.
Dr. C: The Rikti? What about them causes you to seek me out?
SM: Well you are a prominent figure in the Isles. One of the most, you might
say. I assumed that you would have the most insight into the issue.
Dr. C: I keep my attentions upon the true threats to the Earth. The Rikti are a
nuisance, to be sure, but a viable threat to the planets survival? Hardly.
SM: Really? Its been said that the Rikti are one of the more prominent threats
in the millennium despite being so early in it. Perhaps the biggest threat,
some say.
Dr. C: And who would the some that say this, be? The so-called Freedom
Phalanx?
SM: More like the public at large as well as many world leaders.
Dr. C: Id posit that the former elected the latter, and both are equally
obtuse.
SM: Ah, I see. Many would say that type of thinking helps the Rikti win battles
in some areas. The thinking that those who are attacked are not worth saving.
Dr. C: At least one would say that that line of thinking is the product of
inferior minds. Ive studied the technology of the Rikti, Ive uncovered the
secrets of their attempts to breach the dimensional barriers and I assure you
that I have a solution on hand to implement immediately, if need be.
SM: Really? Youre not prepared to share that with humanity? Spread the feeling
of security so things can go back to some form of normality?
Dr. C: Oh, Im quite prepared to share a great deal with Humanitylimitless
energy, cures for hundreds of diseases, answers to even the most confounding
scientific challengesbut I, regretfully, have little faith that Humanity is
mature enough to use them properly.
SM: Some would say thats not up for you to decide Doctor.
Dr. C: The cows would say that its not up to us to determine which one of them
get eaten. One could counter that if they wanted freedom, the cows would either
develop opposable thumbs or thicker skulls. In any case, what I choose to do or
not do with my discoveries is my decision alone. You are free to attempt to
replicate them, but I doubt you ever will.
SM: Ah, the famous Dr. Crom Superiority I keep hearing about. As a veteran
do you feel that you are in fact, superior to others because of your
experience?
Dr. C: No. I feel superior because I am superior. Experience has only tempered
that belief.
SM: And what makes you feel so superior to others?
Dr. C: Have you ever been in a room with a group of toddlers, sir?
SM: I babysat my sisters kids one time.
Dr. C: And how would you explain to them the ways in which your thinking was
superior?
SM: Well... I would tell them that I just... am?
Dr. C: It would seem that youve answered your own question, sir.
SM: Touché Doctor. Moving back to the Rikti, do you feel that fighting the
nuisance is an added burden to fighting the so-called heroes?
Dr. C: I will fight any that I perceive to be a threat, or any that are foolish
enough to attack me first. Where I and your so-called heroes differ is that I
wont go out of my way to save people from those threats. Saving people is,
quite frankly, a waste of my time. Im far more interested in saving
Civilization.
SM: I see. So what to you IS Civilization?
Dr. C: It is Humanity reaching its fullest potential, nothing more, and
certainly nothing less. What we allow to pass for civilization now is a sad
joke too pathetic to see its own irony.
SM: So why not stop the Rikti from destroying Humanity, which could inevitably
lead to it not reaching its full potential?
Dr. C: The Rikti cant destroy humanity. They simply dont have the resources or
the energy to effectively mount a full scale planetary invasion. They may wage
their battles all they like, but they'll never truly wage a War. And,
unfortunately, humans will die. Humanity, however, will survive. Besides, as I
said before, I possess the means to stop them. I only require one thing to
enact it.
SM: Youre, in a sense, waiting to step in? Playing the hero, as it were?
Dr. C: Im playing at nothing, sir. Im simply waiting for Humanity to make the
logical decision. Im quite prepared either way, I assure you.
SM: And what IS the logical decision Doctor?
Dr. C: Why, complete and total obedience to me, of course.
SM: Kind of harsh dont you think?
Dr. C: Humanity is a slow clumsy child bumping around in the house, upsetting a
vase here or a painting there. However, since July 16, 1945, Humanity has
become a slow, clumsy child with a loaded handgun. The child might view the
removal of the handgun by an elder as harsh, but I hardly doubt anyone else
would.
SM: Referring to the Italian navigator landing in the New World and the natives
being friendly are we? And that is true what you said to some degree.
Dr. C: You're speaking to the message that heralded the beginning of the first
controlled nuclear chain reaction. I'm speaking of the distressingly short
amount of time it took to take one of Humanity's greatest discoveries and turn
it into a weapon. In any case, if were to pursue New World allegories, Id
present that Im much like Cortes. Ive burned my boats, I have no way back. I
have nothing left but to go forward.
SM: I see, Doctor. Thank you for your valuable time.
Dr. C: See that it was worth it, young man.
Ok, so maybe making that atomic bomb reference was a little over a few peoples
heads but I was trying to appear smart to the guy, ok? But more to the point,
we can see the contrasts here to that of the heroes in Paragon. Foxy Ferret
was willing to aid the younger heroes so that they could mature and become more
skillful and successful and carry on the torch. Dr. Crom, however, shows the
villain mentality of every man for himself, so to speak. I guess when
youre all trying to conquer the world at the same time, helping your enemy
ISNT such a good idea. As for Crom, what is this method of stopping the Rikti
hes hiding? How did he make it? We all know what he WANTS us to do to prove we
are worthy, and I for one will not bow to any man. See, Pulitzer material, Im
tellin ya. Join me next time when I investigate the peoples feelings on some
of the LEAST desirable places to live in the Rogue Isles and Paragon City, and
why heroes and villains hate it there.
-
Community
Fan Fiction Spotlight
A
Tale of Two Hearts, by
Samuel_Tow
Red Heart: Prologue
Sarah... I still cant get used to that name. It seems so strange to me. Is that
me? Is that who Im supposed to be? It is, I know that, but... Every time I
hear it, every time they call me by it, I have to stop and think. To remind
myself that it is me they are calling. This name... It still feels foreign to
me. Like it denotes another person. But then, I have been a very different
person since I came here, so I guess thats appropriate. Sarah... It seems so
foreign, and yet... So dear to me. It represents who I want to be, what I want
to be. I would give so much if I could forget the person I once was. It still
pains me to this day, but the past cannot be forgotten. Should not be
forgotten.
Blue Heart: Prologue
How long has it been now? Ten years? Wow... It feels like it was yesterday that
I had a normal life with normal problems. Well, as normal as it gets for
someone like me, but still, more normal than this. I guess when youre this
busy, youre just never really aware of time. Time flies when youre having
fun, you know? But ten years? My god! To think of all the things that have
happened to me, of all the ways I have changed. Its really something else.
Before all this began, I was just an arrogant, abrasive brat with a competitive
personality and... Err... Come to think of it, I guess I havent changed all
that much. After all, why mess with perfection, right?
But there is something that has changed in me...
Motivation. It is one of the most difficult things to provide for a character.
For heroes and villains, this is even more difficult, though it seems
deceptively simple.
Not every hero can have a pair of dead parents to honor for the rest of their
lives. Not every hero has a pair of goodly parents who raise him to know the
difference between right and wrong. Not every hero has a team watching out for
them to ensure they're consistently on the up-and-up.
Now, take our characters. One of the first things we're reminded of on a
near-daily basis is that this is first-and-foremost a game. Most of our
characters are generated not by a story, but by a whim. "Ooh! We get to do
Plant Control now? I gotta make one of those!" and "I want a Fire Scrapper!"
dominated the opening of I12, for instance.
The stories came later, if ever. Heck, there are characters who've been here
since the beginning who are waiting for their stories.
Here, we're presented with a conundrum. The characters became what they are
without thinking. They're near-godlike in comparison to their surroundings and
they have no clue how they got that way. Granted, there is some
modicum of explanation as to the how, but it's from their perspective, so it
can only be treated as hearsay at the moment the story is currently.
However, here the characters explore what's driving them. They were just a
jumble of powers contained within their flesh before. Now, they're seeking a
purpose to continue on. They don't like what they were before, which was
essentially tools (and eventually tools without users). Now, they're pushing to
be something more.
Now, for criticism... Well, there's not much to say. Samuel_Tow is a talented
writer. Granted, there are some good points raised by Slick_Riptide within the
thread. They rather fall flat when put up against the style of the piece, which
is largely first-person, so what you're reading is what the characters want you
to know. There are also a few homonym and spelling errors (most of which can be
attributed to keyboard failure more than mere typos), but they're very few and
far between, so they don't disrupt the flow of the story.
Hurts So Good
Everyone has their little guilty pleasures. The sound of snapping bones, the
scent of a destroyed chem lab, even those deluded morons who try to huff Venom
grenades. But I think the question is: When does your mindless self indulgence
cross the line from "fun" to "Freakshow"? I may not be a psychologist, but I am
a psychopath with a column. So here are the top five in-game taboos that range
from "understandable" to "lock the bunker, it's the end of the world".
#5: Mercy Flame Wars. Every new villain has to run the gauntlet that is Mercy,
the training ground of the danged and Darwinian evolution in action, and it
does not help when the idiots come out and play. When the chips are down
chances are that lowbie verbal fights will break out, with such eloquent
statements as "[censored] noob" or "IMHO, you suck!". I like picking fights
like everyone else, but come on... a lowbie fight is an embarrassing thing. So
make it a private affair: harrass them through /t's and then igonore them. It's
the gentleman's way.
#4: Petless Masterminds. Once upon a time when I was a teenager, I heard ghost
stories at summer camp. It was the first time I heard the legend of the Lone
Mastermind, a horrifying creature that used no pets. But I forgot it... until
one fateful day. The Petless Mastermind is an affront to nature. It doesn't
work, it doesn't compute and by glory it's not effective. It's like watching a
squirrel try to pilot the space shuttle. On the other hand, you COULD pull it
off with Poison. But still... dare you be the antithesis to effectiveness?
#3: Dark Something: While I applaud the originality of names, there's one nit to
pick when it comes to naming: The adjective Dark. "Now what could be so bad
about the word 'Dark' Hostile, you paragon of manliness and humor?" I hear the
people cry. IT'S OVERUSED. Stop using Dark to describe yourself if you have
Dark powers at all! The sheer exception of the rule is if you're ironic in
backstory or powers, like if you use Energy. So be kind... something something
something Dark. As an aside and a contest, guess how much I get paid every time
I say 'Dark'! (Answer: Nothing)
#2: Costume Contests: Ah yes, the pop-up ads that aren't even worth clicking.
With a fashion show every five minutes (quicker depending on your server!),
nothing says mindless vanity like these "fairly judged" contests. And even if
you do win, prepare to get a measly amount and your costume ripped off. And
runner up for spot of number two? Blind teaming! Because nothing makes a good
team like a bunch of random people who can't function together without wanting
to kill each other.
And #1: Huge Widows: I bet this never crossed your mind. But the Huge Widow, I
like to call him Operative Froo-Froo, is an ugly beast. Take a Huge Widow. Max
out ALL of the sliders. Make his colors white and some creepy pastel color. And
then unleash him into the world. RUN. RUN IN TERROR FROM THE BEAST. I have let
loose a horrible creature onto the world and good gravy do I apologize. But you
should rightfully fear him for one look at his visage sends the masses packing.
And so ends yet another pseudo-list of mine. What do you think constitutes as an
in-game taboo? Send me your ideas, and I promise not to hurt you when I rip you
off. Until next time, send me hate mail!
Teeth and Ambitions Bared by
Blood-Wolffe
-
Joining the Scoop
Hi there folks! One of the questions I get asked a lot is "How can I join the
Scoop?", or at least a variation of it.
Well, to start, you have to be able to communicate. I know that personally I
respond better to a well written PM than to chat-speak. A lot of posting
happens behind the scenes from scheduling to coming up with fresh ideas.
We generally want people to come up with an article every other week. If you
feel like doing more than that, we will not stop you. For an article's length,
I would like anywhere between a quarter page to a full (Scoop) page. This
roughly translates to 4-6 paragraphs up to a dozen.
Two positions that we need are Event Reporters and Puzzle Editors. Event
Reporters should be able to go to events on various servers, and it is even
better if they can go as either a hero or a villain.
Puzzle Editors tend to have a problem. Since I was responsible for puzzles for
so long I tend to have a somewhat high expectation for the quality of the
finished puzzles, particularly the Sudokus and Crosswords. I expect puzzles to
be mostly tied to the game in some way. I do not mean that as slapping a game
background on a random puzzle type (like a number cross puzzle).
Crosswords: I don't expect ultra-tight crosswords, but I do expect them to
follow crosswords conventions. I somewhat expect the crosswords to be visually
enhanced. See past issues of the Scoop that contain crosswords to see what I
mean.
Sudokus: I expect that Sudokus have a proper legend and with number references
as well as pictures. We have received complaints in the past that I don't want
to deal with again.
If you don't feel interested in those spots then you need to come up with a
solid series of articles you want to do. I would ask that you plan to do a
series that is longer that just a few issues.
Any of these articles can be done in or out of character.
If you want to submit just an article or two while not being on the staff, that
is also good. Write something up (between 400-800 words), and submit it. I
can't promise all submissions will be put into the Scoop, but we will try our
best. One word of warning: We have a two week deadline, so if you submit
something, do not expect it to appear in the same week.
If you have gotten to this point I would suggest that you write up a few test
articles, and submit them to one of the Editors in Chief. We will then share
with the rest of the staff and decide if we would like your articles on a
regular basis.
So there you have it. That's what we need from you to start at the Scoop.
Point / Counterpoint
This is the eighteenth in a series of Point/Counterpoint articles, which will
review commonly requested player suggestions, and review the pros and cons of
those suggestions.
This weeks subject Purchasable Respecs
POINT:
On occasion, players will want to change the way their character is set up, by
either changing some powers, revising slotting options, or removing
enhancements to allow them to slot different ones. Whatever the reason, a
number of different methods to obtain respecifications, or respecs, have been
offered. Players can earn up to 3 respecs by completing a trial in game.
Players can also obtain one as a drop, or buy one off of the consignment house.
Players also get periodic respecs as veteran rewards, and the developers will
occasionally hand out free respecs when major changes to power sets are made.
To these varied means of acquisition comes a new method, that of purchasing a
respec in the same way players can purchase extra server slots and server
transfers. By adding this extra method, any player which would like to have a
respec, but who does not wish to commit the time necessary to obtain one via
the other methods offered, can now do so immediately with a direct monetary
transaction. This opens an additional avenue for players to obtain a
potentially powerful tool in shaping their characters as they wish.
COUNTERPOINT:
However, adding such an option could be problematic. For the first time ever,
the developers have added the ability to purchase something with real money
that can alter the game abilities of characters. Unlike add-on packs like the
wedding pack, which provided no game altering bonuses, a respec can be used to
improve a character, either by redoing the power structure, or to remove
enhancements to be sold for profit. By setting up the precedent that you can
directly convert money into game performance, the developers open the door for
other such additions to be requested by the player base. There is also concern
that adding this option will induce the developers into offering fewer respecs
via the other methods. Positron has indicated this will not be the case.
You can add your thoughts in
the official discussion thread.
-
The City Scoop
Sidekicking for Dummies
Like Father, Like Son by
Juggertha
Everyone knows about the sidekick/mentor system, right? A low-level player
becomes the sidekick of a higher-level player, which allows the lower lever
player (the sidekick) to fight at a combat level one level below the level of
the higher level player (the mentor). A level 20 player can sidekick to a level
50 to fight at the strength of a level 49. A lot of the time, this system is
used to power-level the sidekick. I'm here to convince you that you can benefit
from this system in many more ways than just fast leveling!
Now, you might ask what qualifies me to be telling you these things. How do I
know? Well, I've been a sidekick for six months now. That's right. Six months!
My mentor, Steampunk Charlie, has taught me many things I would not have
otherwise discovered on my own. For example, he was with me when I risked my
first Task Force run ever, he beat the basics of Arena PvP into my brain, and
he showed me how to slot IOs effectively. He introduced me to some of the
players who are now close friends both in-game and out. He has also provided me
with a constant companion in-game and been one of my most supportive friends.
Remember, not all sidekick/mentor relationships are like ours, but I believe
they can be!
What does a sidekick get out of being a sidekick? Well, let's strike the
obvious: experience points. Yes, you get them, yes, you level faster, yes, yes,
yes. That's not all you get, though. When you become a sidekick, you get to
pick mentor's brain for answers to questions about the game. You get help on
mission arcs that are too difficult to solo. You could end up with a new
supergroup and a bunch of new friends, if you so choose. There are really no
limits - having a mentor is like having a friend who is constantly watching
your back. The thing to remember is that you have to watch their back too! As a
sidekick, it's your job to help your mentor and keep him or her safe. It's also
part of your job to be a good friend - if you're going to attempt a really good
sidekick/mentor pairing, it's best if you get along with your mentor really,
really well.
Thunder Oni & Raver Saver by Liz
The same goes for the mentor - your first job is to be a good friend to your
sidekick. Answer their questions with patience and give them guidance through
the game. Teach them what you know about the in-game world, and show them new
areas of the game and new sides to it that they probably never woud have found
on their own! Above all, you must have patience. As a sidekick, I get lost
probably six times on average in any mission, but instead of complaining,
Charlie has written a keybind that will teleport me back to his side instantly.
The downside of this is that a lot of people will never use the system in a way
that provides the most benefit. Some people will pair up for one mission, then
drop the pairing and never see that mentor/sidekick again. When you can use and
abuse the system like that, why bother doing it for an extended period of time
with the same person?
Here's a little tip you might not have known about - the longer you keep the
same person as a sidekick/mentor, the greater the benefits are. You will earn
more experience (to a certain extent) by staying the same person's sidekick for
a longer period of time. I know I said experience isn't important, but to many
people, it is, so there you have it. Besides, think of all the lonely heroes
out there! If you, like me, are just not cut out to fly solo, grab a friend and
ask them to be your sidekick/mentor! You'll never be alone again - until you
hit 50. When that happens, I suggest you do what I plan to do when I can no
longer sidekick - become a mentor!
Vol. 2, Issue 11
August 22nd, 2008
This Issue:
Upcoming Events:
August 23rd
Champion
Infinity
Liberty
Victory
August 24th
Liberty
Victory
August 28th
Infinity
August 29th
Infinity
September 2nd
Pinnacle
-
[ QUOTE ]
That's a lot of pie. Very well...
Stan and Lou #28 in Croatoa.
[/ QUOTE ]
Keep up the great work, Hertz! -
[ QUOTE ]
what if we attent 3 days? do we get 3?
[/ QUOTE ]
One per badge at most and, as mentioned above, we only have so many per day. -
- [*] The Show
The City of Heroes Team, along with other representatives for NCsoft Games, will be at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), held in the Seattle Convention Center from August 29th to 31st. You can find us in booth number 642. While there, be sure to pick up your special PPD Hardsuit Costume Code!
For more details about PAX visit their website at http://www.pennyarcadeexpo.com/
[*] Hang out with the Team!
Also, while the team is in Seattle, they will be meeting with fans at a player organized meet n greet. This will be on August 29th from 7 PM to 9 PM at the Seattle Gordon Biersch. For all the details and discussion, click here.
[*]Discuss it!
To discuss the PAX show, join the discussion here.[/list] -
By the end of the day on Thursday, August 21st the Training Room01 server, that has been previously accessible by logging into the Test Server environment, will be taken offline.
We have other testing needs for the server and do not anticipate returning it to the public testing environment in the near future.
For anyone with characters on the Training Room01, we'd ask that you please use the Test Server character move feature to move them to the regular Training Room server. If you need space on the Training Room, you can add additional Character Slots via the in-game store found at the Character Select screen. As with any purchases in the Test Server environment, there is no charge for any of these actions.
Just to be clear, the Training Room Test Server is not changing, only the Training Room01. Thanks! -
The top five finalists have been announced by Gametrailers.com in the Toyota Matrix Machinima Contest! One of these five will be taking home the grand prize of a 2009 Model Year Toyota Matrix S model filled with prizes, while the 1st runner up takes home $1,000 and the 2nd $500.
Be sure to visit the contest web page, view the entries and then cast your vote for who you think should win!
Click here to watch the entries and vote!
Join in the discussion! To talk about the contest and entries, join us on the Multimedia Forum! -
On Tuesday, August 19th starting at 9 AM Eastern (6 AM Pacific) the North American City of Heroes / City of Villains servers will be coming down for an update. This downtime will be to patch the game up to version 17.20080731.3T.
We anticipate the downtime will be 2 hours. However, depending on deployment, the update may take less time than that and every effort is made to bring the servers back up as quickly as possible.
For details of this update, please visit the Patch Notes page once the downtime is complete. Alternatively, you can view the notes of this version when it was in public testing from the Training Room. -
[ QUOTE ]
ok, ready or not, heres a little peak into my personal life:
i work in retail... in a 1 hour photo to be exact. i develop film, print pictures, sell cameras and accessories, and spend all day being nice to people i'd rather strangle with my bare hands.
for a while now i had this idea of doing a comic strip based on my real life experiences of serving the general public.
but i also wanted to do a comic based on fantasy, or superheroes and such.
so i came up with the idea of combining the two ideas and do a comic about my favorite hero, Clawkitty. at night she will battle the evil of the streets, and by day she will fight the urge to slice and dice the many dimwits who can't tell the difference between a digital camera and an electric shaver. (yes it really happened!)
here is a quick work up of what may be the first page. this is just an intro, so dont expect any gut busting funny jokes or anything. :P
Clawkitty, page 1
let me know what you think, not only about the page, but the idea in general.
thanks
[/ QUOTE ]
Great start! I really enjoyed it and look forward to the rest. If you are interested in submitting it for the Fan Art page, the Submissions Page is where you want to go! -
Please use this thread to discuss the below announcement.
Join your fellow Heroes & Villains on the Official City of Heroes Facebook page!
Our community team has been working to create a new page on Facebook where you can receive news feeds, share images and videos with the community, and stay in touch with all your heroic and villainous friends.
You can even create a "Masked" profile to hide your secret identity, a place to put your Hero or Villain's character profile and connect to other Heroes and Villains... a way to share and promote the game to your mild mannered friends on Facebook. So come and join us, you never know who you might run into!
Click here to view the City of Heroes Facebook Page -
Join your fellow Heroes & Villains on the Official City of Heroes Facebook page!
Our community team has been working to create a new page on Facebook where you can receive news feeds, share images and videos with the community, and stay in touch with all your heroic and villainous friends.
You can even create a "Masked" profile to hide your secret identity, a place to put your Hero or Villain's character profile and connect to other Heroes and Villains... a way to share and promote the game to your mild mannered friends on Facebook. So come and join us, you never know who you might run into!
Click here to view the City of Heroes Facebook Page
To discuss this announcement, please join us here. -
Fixed!
-
Ah ha! We found them! Welcome back to the forums!
-
So, as some of you may have noticed, a nefarious plot seems to have been enacted on the forums this Friday. We are missing more than a few of our sub forums. Our Heroes are working diligently to recover them, but it might take a few to do. We're trying to avoid having to roll the forums back (and thereby loose the most recent posts made to them), but we'll keep you posted.
To discuss this announcement, please join us here. -
Hi everyone,
We wanted to point out an additional patch note that we have included for the publish of version 17.20080723.3T that went to the Live servers on August 5th.
From the Patch Notes Page:
[ QUOTE ]
Bases
Coalition Base Storage change To correct an issue with access rights, it is no longer possible to store salvage or enhancements within storage bins of an allied base in a Coalition.
[/ QUOTE ]
We want to be clear that this change was necessary to correct a problem where a malicious user could gain unauthorized access to supergroup storage. We anticipate users will be able to work around this revision by actively trading between Coalition members and not the storage bins. -
On Tuesday, August 5th starting at 9 AM Eastern (6 AM Pacific) the North American City of Heroes / City of Villains servers will be coming down for an update. This downtime will be to patch the game up to version 17.20080723.3T.
We anticipate the downtime will be 2 hours. However, depending on deployment, the update may take less time than that and every effort is made to bring the servers back up as quickly as possible.
For details of this update, please visit the Patch Notes page once the downtime is complete. Alternatively, you can view the notes of this version when it was in public testing from the Training Room. -
[ QUOTE ]
Just curious, but can thsi be used for free on the test server?
If not, why?
[/ QUOTE ]
The Purchasable Free Respec hasn't been hooked up on the Training Room. We'll be looking at that more next week. -
There are only a handful of days left to put together your Machinima video with City of Heroes / City of Villains and have the chance to win the grand prize of a 2009 Model year Toyota Matrix S filled with good stuff! Submissions must be uploaded to GameTrailers.com by August 10th. Winners will be announced on Spike's GTTV on September 12th.
Click here for the contest details and rules!
To discuss the contest, please join us on the Multi-Media forum.
