Sciomancer

I can't believe the Devs are pulling this kind of thing. I'm illiterate, don't they take people like me into account when they create features for the game?

I'm totally quitting. And no one can has my stuf.


(Okay, it was a good joke. I actually heard that they are doing this in the future, except only for Villains.)

I'm not sure if this is related but certain mobs seem to have had their perception range increased. I've noticed that they aggro at greater distances. I noticed on Freakshow last night and will try to see if any other groups do as well. If the range was changed this may be affecting stealth since it and powers like it work based on distance.

Has anyone had any experience getting translucency to work in a demo?

I noticed in one demo I had a Tsoo Spirit shows up. Along with his other attributes he has a line

0 4003 XLU 0.498039

Aha, I thought, That must be translucency. Stuck it in a custom demo and it didn't work.
I recorded my characters using Stealth and Invisibility. I noticed that even if I replay those unedited demos, no translucency can be seen.

is it just a limitation of demo playback?

Probably already known, but just for the QA types reading this.

Global chat not working on Pinnacle. No interface changes and when trying to create a channel manually, says chat server is down.

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I would LOVE to do Pulp stuff...but would it sell? That's the issue.

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In my opinion, heck yes. It's a genre hardly touched upon in games, much less an mmorpg. I think there's a LOT of people looking for just such a thing. I can tell by the amount of pulp/noirish type characters i run across in the game and not too many RPers I know could resist a concept like that.

And who isn't curious about what Paragon was like to live in the 20s and 30s?

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Please enjoy being happy with your changes, and I hope your Christmas was as care free as mine was fretful due to this.

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If some change in a video game ruined your christmas, you need a major overhaul of your perspective.

I love the Outcast missions with the ice on the floor (that you can slip on!) and even Ice slides that you could slide from an upper level to a lower one. There was one that could be used like a halfpipe. Great touches.

put a huge ice slide - as tall as a building - in a zone and I'd bet very little crime would be stopped ever again

wow, now my team of detectives can actually have detective skills.

And there's even the possibility of each member being an expert in different kinds of investigating.

This idea has a lot of potential. Could be revolutionary to this game.

"Well... I can't confirm this with any real solid evidence, Shades of Grey is still investigating, but I heard from a contact of mine that the 5th column are coming out of their hiding places because they have to.

Something is , pardon the pun, forcing them to abandon their rabbit holes. We're still following clues and questioning a couple of 5th members that we've captured. I assure you, we have ways of making them talk.

I also have no proof that this is tied to the Ark of the Covenant. What I CAN tell you is that Germany has declared war on the Jones Boys.That reminds me..."

Aether pops in his Indiana Jones trilogy DVD box set in order to research Nazi bashing technique.

(OOC: Just wanted to say that the Nocturne Crossing Grand Opening story is not over. It will continue in the future. In the meantime, feel free to use this thread as a social setting for all your extracurricular needs)

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If you beat Godzilla, do you get a "Friend To All Children" badge?

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"Savior of Tokyo" perhaps

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Researchers believe that this aetheric energy appears to be building towards a climax at some point in the near future

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Thinking they had found the source, the Paragon Times sought an interview with the hero Aether, lead investigator for a local detective agency. Brushing aside reporters, he denied being behind any energy releases, adding, "Whoever sensed it, dispensed it."

When asked about the build toward a future climax he responded, "Stay out of my love life."

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I do hope that if a technical change is planned to block usage of it, someone lets us know about it beforehand.

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I'm thinking this might be that warning.

Matt runs down the hall, takes a careful leap over the railing to get on the stairs leading to the back door. Two men are walking up the stairs. They're startled by Matt leaping onto the stairway, as startled as he is to see one of them has an axe strapped to his back. Matthew didn't get the impression that he was a threat. At least not an immediate one. The second man appears to look a little worried. They were looking for some... looking for him. Before he could brush past them the man with the axe asks “Pardon, are you the owner of this establishment?”

“Yes I ...” Trying to not be rude despite the urgency Matt says, “ Listen, there's a situation I need to take care of. Have a seat in the office down the hall.” He decides to add, “Make yourselves comfortable, this could be a while.”

The men courteously agree and make their way to the glass office.

Opening the door that leads to an alley on the eastern side of the club, Matt sizes up the situation. The alley was looking noticeably smaller thanks to the girth of the the two Family muscle men. They were beating on a third man pretty badly. The bleeding man was in a white jacket with a name tag. A doctor? The heavier of the two thugs punctuates a kick to the face with "Now you'll remember to leave her alone."

Matt needs to announce his presence, if only to distract them from murdering the man. “Alright boys, it looks like he's had enough.”The two gangsters turn around. The smaller of the two picks up their victim and hold his limp body in front of him.

“Mind your own business pretty boy.” The big man wasn't meaning to compliment. Not that a compliment from an obese man who had what was either blood, tomato sauce or both staining his shirt would've counted for much.

“I'm looking out for my business. And you happen to be disrupting it.”

“This? Disrup'in'? If we wanted to disrup' ya business, you'd notice it by the place bein' on fire” Little, well littler, guy retorts.

“Maybe you two think you're tough when you're double-teaming a doctor. How about you try yourselves against..” A strong punch to Matt's gut follows. He wasn't ready for it and it hurts. Bad. Big Man didn't need for him to finish the sentence.The verbal sparring was over.

Matt takes a moment to catch his breath, hoping another punch doesn't follow. Fortunately, Big Man thinks Matt's down for the count and ceases the assault. He squints as a bright ball of oddly colored light moves quickly towards his chest. The detective has just hit him with a “burn ball” leaving the thug's skin in agony, a sensation similar to a burn. No permanent damage is done. Of that Matt was sure; having practiced the power, including a few tests on himself. Big Man screams and drops to the ground, smacking it with a hefty thud. Seconds later his body is teleported to the nearest PPD precinct.

Little(r) Thug stares on in disbelief for a brief moment before his instincts kick back. He drops the man in the white coat and reaches for his gun. A cold metal coil constricts around his hefty midsection and begins to squeeze. He quickly turns blue.

“Enough ... Let him ... go, Noirbot” Matthew manages to squeeze between breathes. He puts himself back upright hoping the robot listens.

“You owe me Crowe,” the black hulking automaton hissed. His electronic voice, a cross between Orson Welles and pennies tossed into a blender, added, “I expect a baby in the morning.”

“No babes for you Nori. I owe you, but not much. You did almost eat me once ... Wait, who's tending the bar?”

“Left a toaster there five minutes ago, figured fleshbags couldn't tell the difference. I heard a man screaming and your vicious reprogramming forced me here. It is time for me to return. Heroes are generous with the tips. I will make enough money to hire a pimpled adolescent to restore me to my original objectives.”

“Yea, good luck on that.” Focusing his attention on the victim Matt tries to keep him from going into shock. “You'll be okay. An ambulance is on the way. Listen, I just want to ask you something. They don't send out their big guns on simple robberies or shakedowns. What was this about?”

“There is a girl... in your club... she is very sick. Dangerous.”

Overlooking the club is a room built just below the ceiling. It's huge windows allowed a view of every inch of Nocturne Crossing. Behind the glass, bullet-proofed, is the desk of Matthew Crowe, sometimes known as the hero Aether, currently known as “some detective guy who owns this club.”

The team joked that Matt had the room built so he could sit in it and watch over his new kingdom. That was partly true. Things could get out of hand real quick in a place like this, in a town like this. Whenever possible he wanted a bird's eye view of an entire situation. Vision was an important thing to Matt Crowe.

So far the night had been going well. Everyone was having a good time. The music was great, the drinks were well stocked. The place was close to full, it had been fluctiating throughout the night. He'd have to stop letting folk in in a bit.

There were a number of familiar faces around. Some heroes he had fought with, a striking girl in a suede jacket whose face was familiar... Oh there was Swingin' Stewart, dance champion of Paragon and club reviewer. That should bring some buzz to the grand opening. As long as everything goes off without a hitch.

A knock at the door. Matt smelled a hitch. Matt begins to say “Come in,” as the door slams open and Vic looks at him with a pretty worried face. “There's a fight going on in the back alley”

“Have Noirbot, Psiker and Lib show him the street...”

“It's a Family enforcer. He's beating the other guy pretty badly.”

“Dammit.” Matthew hated when the Cosa Nostra showed up uninvited. “Call the police. Tell them to get a room ready for an unlucky goomba.”

Jill was excited. She'd anxiously been looking forward to the opening of Nocturne Crossing for the past few months. The club was being hyped as the place to be for swing music and genuine 40s atmosphere. Fliers were everywhere promoting the opening and music by Milk Money Bandits, a big band group. This might turn out to be the event of the year! The grand opening bash was being thrown by the owners of the club, a group of detectives called Shades of something or other. She didn't know much about them, despite being familiar with their lead private eye.

She'd been following the career of Matthew Crowe for a while now. After being introduced to him recently, she really thought they hit it off. She hoped that he'd notice her tonight. That'd really make the night special. He left quite an impression on her. Hopefully Gale wouldn't upstage her like she usually does.

Gale was the pretty one and Jill knew it. She didn't mind, Gale was good company and had a good sense of humor. She wished her other friends could have come as well. Unfortunately, they were all locked into commitments they couldn't break. There was no way she'd be missing out on this night. I'm going to have a great time, she thought to herself just as some maniac blares a horn at her, which brought less positive thoughts to mind. Gale makes a wretched face at him.

Without enough time to dry it, Jill's hair was still damp. The night was warm outside so she figured it'd dry off in no time. She rolled down the car window in order to speed up the process.
“The AC's on stupid,” Gale points out.
“I need to dry my hair. Besides you stink.”
“It's called perfume, buy some.”
“Oh,” Jill sniffs the air, “is that Eau de Skank?”
“You ho!,” Gale screams at Jill. They both laugh.

The guy at the door informs Jill of the 10 dollar cover charge. She smiles. Her hand slips into her purse, fingers pass all the junk she carries searching for the roll of cash. She hands him a twenty. Psiker, a detective for Shades of Grey currently moonlighting as bouncer, grabs a bill for her change, notices she's already gone. He shrugs and puts the money back into the till.

Jill notices a cut on her finger. She gives it a small suck. Her forehead is dripping with sweat, she wipes some from her brow.
“You're overdressed,” Gale notices.
“It was the only jacket with enough pockets.”
“Oh,” Gale winks.
“It is a hot night.”

It was about to get hotter. If the place had been better lit and much quieter the clubbers might have noticed the girl talking to herself; the one with knife in her purse and a dead body rotting in her car.

The next day , while helping the police fill out a report, Matt Crowe would chastise himself for the poor security.



((What happens on the night of the Nocturne Crossing grand opening is up to you.

Here's some things to think about:
What are Jill's motives?
What does she have against Matt Crowe, the club owner/detective? Infatuation or revenge?
What's has she got in her pocketses?
Who's the dead person in her back seat? Is it Gale?

There are clues in this post. Either run with them or make up your own reasons.

Feel free to pursue other goings on in the club. Enjoy the kickin' swing music and the club's noirish old-school atmosphere. Everyone should be having a good time. Make new friends, laugh with old ones , stop a lunatic))

Nocturne Crossing

Shades of Grey Investigations, Paragon's team of super powered detectives, has decided to do something with the extra space of the stuffy old building they call their office. Their boss, Matthew Crowe (aka Aether), has decided to turn the first floor of the building into Paragon's newest nightclub, Nocturne Crossing (Noc X)

See our Grand Opening flier!

Shades of Grey Investigations hopes that the club can pay their bills, allowing them to solve cases at minimal cost to their clients.

It's also keeping with their film-noir theme.What's more noir than detectives and night club owners? Now the team finds themselves having to be both. It's not going to be easy, so they hired out some more folks to help with the club running.

Use this thread (and the club) as a place for heroes to hang out and listen to some great swing and jazz music.

There's a bar tended by Noirbot, the team's resident evil robot. Don't worry, he doesn't eat people.... anymore.

Meet new people, dance, have a few drinks.
Get to know the Shades of Grey. And if you have a mystery, maybe they can give you a hand.

Above all, have a good time RPing your hero.

Now here's something to throw a small wrench into the festivities....