Snow Globe

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  1. The NCsoft master account page is NOT WORKING for my City of Heroes account:

    https://login.ncsoft.com/login/loginform

    I've tried:
    Accessing with my master account name/password. Result: FAILED.
    Accessing with my email account on file/password. Result: FAILED.
    Accessing with my account in-game. Result: PASS.

    As I mainly do my account stuff outside of the game, I'm sad at this loss of functionality.
  2. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Coin View Post
    Next time, can whoever sends these tweets out, PLEASE make sure they specify what region it's for?!!
    Fine print?
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Snow Globe View Post
    Edit 2:
    Quote:
    City Of Heroes
    If you get a code and are in the EU, send Zwillinger or Hit Streak a PM on the forums so we can verify & replace. These codes are NA only.
    Yes, it means you have to take an extra step. But it is still free.
  3. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Vargr View Post
    If it is checked, just temporarily un-check it until you've done the re-tweet on the next code release, and you've gotten your code. You shouldn't get spammed by TOO many bots in the mean time! *grins*
    I'm sad... I've had an open tweet account for the last 3 years and I don't get spammed by bots.
  4. Quote:
    Originally Posted by damienray View Post
    Wait a minute... so we participate in this exercise but don't get anything for it ? I created the stupid Twitter account just for this. Sorry COH but this truly sux. What the heck is a DM ??? How do we get them ??? Never mind... I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up for anything. Piss poor way to run a promo. Yes, I guess I'm among the "disapointed ones".
    Okay, DM stands for "Direct Message". You have to follow @CityOfHeroes on twitter to receive the DMs.

    What you had to do, on an unprotected (public tweets) account was tweet the following before 10:10 AM PDT:

    RT @CityOfHeroes: Tweet Code Thursdays are live! Re-tweet this by 10:10AM PDT and get a costume code! #cityofheroes

    The RT stands for "ReTweet". This means you are reposting the tweet.

    The "@CityOfHeroes" replies to the CityOfHeroes team, of course if your tweets are protected, they can't see the replies.

    The ": Tweet Code Thursdays are live! Re-tweet this by 10:10AM PDT and get a costume code! #cityofheroes" is the announcement. This will change with further tweets so it doesn't do you any good copy the above message now.

    The "#cityofheroes" allows people to search for the tag.

    I hope this helps both you and others get their head around what is needed for this promotion.
  5. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Chad Gulzow-Man View Post
    So what code did they give out earlier? More Dark Matter auras?
    Yes, that was the code. I think this will easily be one of my most used costume items. I'm looking forward to more people getting these! Again, when (positive thoughts) the aura goes on sale, I will buy it for my alt account(s).
  6. As of 11:50 PDT:
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by @CityOfHeroes
    City Of Heroes ‏@CityOfHeroes
    Codes have been sent out! Check your DMs here on Twitter! If you haven't received a code, it's because we couldn't send you a DM!
    Edit:
    And just a few minutes ago:
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by @CityOfHeroes
    City Of Heroes ‏@CityOfHeroes
    In order to claim a code, you've got to Re-tweet the post. If your account is protected, we can't see it!
    Edit 2:
    Quote:
    City Of Heroes
    If you get a code and are in the EU, send Zwillinger or Hit Streak a PM on the forums so we can verify & replace. These codes are NA only.
  7. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Coin View Post
    It's not so much that I got a US code as I know it can be used, it's more that they didn't specifically state at any point it was for US accounts only. If they had, I wouldn't have wasted time retweeting it, or their time in sending me the wrong code. Gods only know they are going to be hectic enough with this

    A simple tweet before hand would have been enough, really.
    Maybe people that retweet should prepend if they are on a EU or NA account?

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ultimus View Post
    Where do I access my direct messages?
    This:
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Morrigana View Post
    Just got mine! For anyone that is still looking for theirs, I found it on the top toolbar, on the icon of the human person that doubles as a drop down menu, just to the right of the search option. When I clicked on it the direct messages said (1). Yay!
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Morrigana View Post
    Also, I entered the code into the Paragon store and was told it was invalid. I then logged into my NCSoft account from a web browser and applied the serial code there and it worked just fine. Hope this helps others!
    Did you try to apply the code onto the market, or to your account?
    • Click on "Account" at the top of the Market Window.
    • Enter NCsoft Master Account Password.
    • Click on "Redeem code", then enter the code.
    • Log out to the login screen, and re-enter the game.
  8. Quote:
    Originally Posted by The Electric Brick View Post
    Oh well. I did my part...

    1) "Follow"ed CoH on Twitter
    2) Re-Tweeted post when it appeared
    3) Received Tweet to tell me I'd be getting my code as a Private Message thru Twitter
    4) Read Tweet saying codes would be going out soon
    5) Received code! Experienced tiny spark of hope and optimism
    6) Logged into game, went to Market... entered code exactly as given... aaaaand...

    "The code you have entered is not valid"

    So, I guess... yeah. Whatever. Don't know what to say.
    Minor correction:
    6) Logged into game, went to Market...
    7) Click on "Account" at the top of the Market Window.
    8) Enter NCsoft Master Account Password.
    9) Click on "Redeem code"
    10) Exit to the Login Screen, re-enter the game.
    11) Go to any tailor screen and under Auras find the new aura & apply.
    12) Profit?
  9. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Texas Justice View Post
    My tweets are private and I have to give permission to follow me. Hers aren't, she's just better at ignoring spammy people than I am.

    Also, they said they would be Direct Messaging us the codes on Twitter if we Retweet it. But, I've not been able to send a Direct Message to someone that I'm not following. I'm wondering if that will cause problems also.
    They aren't following me, but they were able to Direct Message me with the code because I was following them.

    Yeah, I should have mentioned above that I could only see 12 people, but there might be more that are set to private. I got my code 10 minutes after the close, and I was fairly near the closing time.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Coin View Post
    Welp, just as I predicted.....got my code......and it's a US one. So no use to me whatsoever.

    Might have been a good idea to let people know which region code we are looking at getting first??

    Why do we still have separate codes for things??
    Have you thought about private messaging Hit Streak with the code you got and have it exchanged for a Euro code?
  10. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Pauper View Post
    I'd be curious to see how much more 'expensive' the revised promotion is in terms of codes.

    Under the previous system, the Community Team would post ten codes at a time. They might do this three or four times during the day, resulting in a total 'cost' of about 40 codes.

    Now, for at least this first RT-based promotion, I suspect they'll be handing out far more than 40 codes -- very likely hundreds and perhaps over a thousand, depending on how serious people are in both following on Twitter and doing the RT thing. It could very easily take them the rest of the day just to generate and pass out all the codes claimed in the past ten minutes.
    Well, from the looks of things, only 12 players actually retweeted the announcement in the allotted time. Some people just replied, some people just chatted with the tags (one or both @CityOfHeroes and #cityofheroes).

    https://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/%23cityofheroes

    To Zwillinger, Hit Streak, and the rest of Paragon Studios:
    I will say this. I got a code and applied it to my primary account. If it ever goes on sale on the Paragon Market, I will buy this for my alt account(s). If I don't have enough points on the account(s), I will buy points to do so. Like I said, I'll put my money where I stand on this.

    I will continue to develop that time-limited coupon distribution site. There is likely a need for not only Paragon Studios, but other companies as well. I'll let the community team know when it is done to see if you want to evaluate it for future contest use. I know that I don't need months to get approval to build it personally. If you have feature requests, feel free to PM me with them and I'll see what I can do.
  11. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Texas Justice View Post
    Castle, BAB, Alpha Wolf, Niviene and Dr. Aeon were all players first.
    Arbiter Hawk was as well.

    Fab, good show!
  12. Quote:
    Originally Posted by GoldenDestroyer View Post
    So, does this perhaps mean that we may finally get the Shark head (and possibly Dorsal fin back piece) that I've wanted for so long?
    Somehow doubt it.
  13. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zwillinger View Post
    Snow, I do appreciate what you're trying to do here, really I do, but the reality is that would probably take months to get pushed through the Web team. Ideally, we would have a web developer here, at Paragon, that could just fire things like this out the door.
    After giving this further thought, I'm going to continue to develop this code in the hopes to sell it for large sums of cash to companies that are attempting to attract people to social media. I'm sure that there are plenty of companies that are in the same position as Paragon Studios.

    Edit:
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zwillinger View Post
    At the end of the day though, we will disappoint someone. Years of running contests and promotions have shown me that this will happen, no matter what you do.
    But here is what we're telling you: That if you run these contests (whether Super Packs, special editions, conventions, or social media contests they all involve the same principle), let people buy the items at a later date. This same refrain gets repeated over and over again. You satisfy the players that get it first for a time, you satisfy players that are willing to wait, and you can possibly get some money too.

    About the only people that would be upset over that would be those that like lording the exclusives over others. Is that really the type of customer you want to foster?
  14. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zwillinger View Post
    Snow, I do appreciate what you're trying to do here, really I do, but the reality is that would probably take months to get pushed through the Web team. Ideally, we would have a web developer here, at Paragon, that could just fire things like this out the door.

    We don't.
    Having worked for a multi-national in the past, I can appreciate that it isn't as simple as someone handing you off some code. I'm also all too aware you don't have web developer there.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zwillinger View Post
    Trust me when I tell you that most of the proposed solutions you are all pitching is something that we've either thought of or considered. We WANT generic coupon codes. We WANT to be able to generate a Social Media app at the drop of a hat. Sometimes these things just take time to accomplish.
    The thing is that a lot of people here just want to be reassured that if they missed out on the contest that a few months down the line they can pick the items up, even if they have to buy them.

    Collectively, players have been told multiple times "it will be available later" only to have that "later" never appear. After too many times instead of reading as "it will be available later", it reads as "if you don't get it now, you're out of luck".

    You know as well as I do how many of these exclusives that have not been made available at a later date or have been only available for a few days of the year.
  15. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Hit Streak View Post
    We've modified the way Tweet Code Thursdays are going to work.

    For item codes, we'll announce when the codes will be going out, and we'll give people a specific amount of time to re-tweet our post. If you re-tweet our post, we'll respond directly to you with a code to use. No scramble. No luck involved. No twitchy fingers required. Simply re-tweet our post in the timeframe given and we'll direct message you with a code.

    In short, if you want an item code, do the following:
    • Follow us on Twitter
    • Re-tweet our tweet when prompted to do so
    • Receive a code
    Thank you in advance for the enormous amount of work you'll have to do for this. Hopefully the community team can get an automated system like I describe above so you don't have to spend all day at this. I don't hate you guys, I just hate the first past the post nature of the giveaway.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zwillinger View Post
    There's other things you're not accounting for such as development time, time from PlayNC, time to put it in the Market...

    Please never assume that something can *just be done*.
    I don't. That doesn't mean that I'm not going to call out a bad situation.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zwillinger View Post
    And the resources in question is the Community Team. We do A LOT of things manually, because we don't want to cut into development time for our requests. Time that could be spent working on new content like powersets or new missions or spent coding QOL improvements. This time has to come from somewhere, and I would rather they do something like coding a UI upgrade than building a Facebook or Twitter interface.
    See my gift above. I can finish the other two pages ( login_success.php and code_success.php ) over the weekend, as my time permits.
  16. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Mantic View Post
    If I recall correctly, the facepalm codes were not single-use affairs, but were region associated. If you lived in the same State you would get the same code, and it would work on more than one account. Definitely an unusual bit of code in that.
    I'm going to go with Zwillinger's explanation... As a web developer, I can say his description would be bang-on.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zwillinger View Post
    The "code generator" wasn't generating anything at all. It was pulling from a static database of codes. It was also programmed by a third party and was a standalone tab on our Facebook page. Something we don't have the option to do on Twitter.
    Actually, the fact that the Web Staff can't do this simple code themselves in an afternoon is both sad and terrifying at the same time.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zwillinger View Post
    FWIW, we're discussing different ways we can promote it that don't involve a mad dash. That *will not* be the case for this week though as it basically requires me scheduling someone's entire day dedicated to this project as opposed to a few minutes each hour.
    FWIW, I decided to put my money (time) where my mouth is on this issue. I sat down and looked at my solution to the race mechanic in the twitter giveaway:

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Snow Globe View Post
    Actually I'd modify that slightly so that it would be almost fully automated in the following manner:

    Post a message on twitter to go to X site on the NCsoft/City hosting servers, give a time-limited password in the tweet.
    The contest site asks for that password, and if successful (ie. during the timeframe), gives a code for whatever you are giving out.

    This can be easily automated.
    You know what I found? It was exactly as easy as I thought it would be. I've included my (with data structures) to get approval for getting it uploaded.

    What am I asking for this? Nothing beyond actually putting it into place. Besides you'll need to get some web staff to personalize it for the company.


    What it requires:
    MySQL Database:
    Code:
    -- phpMyAdmin SQL Dump
    -- version 3.1.1
    -- http://www.phpmyadmin.net
    --
    -- Host: localhost
    -- Generation Time: Jul 12, 2012 at 05:36 PM
    -- Server version: 5.1.30
    -- PHP Version: 5.2.8
    
    SET SQL_MODE="NO_AUTO_VALUE_ON_ZERO";
    
    --
    -- Database: `contest`
    --
    
    -- --------------------------------------------------------
    
    --
    -- Table structure for table `admin`
    --
    
    CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `admin` (
      `id` int(11) NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
      `username` varchar(50) NOT NULL,
      `password` varchar(50) NOT NULL,
      PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
    ) ENGINE=MyISAM DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1 AUTO_INCREMENT=1 ;
    
    -- --------------------------------------------------------
    
    --
    -- Table structure for table `items`
    --
    
    CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `items` (
      `id` int(10) unsigned NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
      `contestcode` int(20) NOT NULL,
      `used` char(1) NOT NULL,
      PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
    ) ENGINE=MyISAM DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1 AUTO_INCREMENT=1 ;
    
    -- --------------------------------------------------------
    
    --
    -- Table structure for table `passcodes`
    --
    
    CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `passcodes` (
      `id` int(10) unsigned NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
      `passcode` varchar(20) NOT NULL,
      `timestart` datetime NOT NULL,
      `timeend` datetime NOT NULL,
      PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
    ) ENGINE=MyISAM  DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1 AUTO_INCREMENT=5 ;
    PHP pages needed:
    Login page. If the web staff can't make the html for this, they need to be replaced.

    checklogin.php:
    Code:
    <?php
    
    $host="localhost"; // Host name 
    $username=""; // Mysql username 
    $password=""; // Mysql password 
    $db_name="contest"; // Database name 
    $table1_name="admin"; // Table name 
    $table2_name="admin"; // Table name 
    
    // Connect to server and select databse.
    mysql_connect("$host", "$username", "$password")or die("cannot connect"); 
    mysql_select_db("$db_name")or die("cannot select DB");
    
    // username and password sent from form 
    $myusername=$_POST['myusername']; 
    $mypassword=$_POST['mypassword']; 
    
    // To protect MySQL injection
    $myusername = stripslashes($myusername);
    $mypassword = stripslashes($mypassword);
    $myusername = mysql_real_escape_string($myusername);
    $mypassword = mysql_real_escape_string($mypassword);
    $sql="SELECT * FROM $table1_name WHERE username='$myusername' and password='$mypassword'";
    $result=mysql_query($sql);
    
    // Mysql_num_row is counting table row
    $count=mysql_num_rows($result);
    
    // If result matched $myusername and $mypassword, table row must be 1 row
    if($count==1){
    
    // Register $myusername, $mypassword and redirect to file "login_success.php"
    session_register("myusername");
    session_register("mypassword"); 
    header("location:login_success.php");
    }
    else {
    // Failed the admin check, so checks the passcodes table to see if it was a valid promo code
    // and if the time qualified.
    $sql="SELECT * FROM $table2_name WHERE passcode='$mypassword' AND NOW() BETWEEN timestart AND timeend";
    $result=mysql_query($sql);
    
    // Mysql_num_row is counting table row
    $count=mysql_num_rows($result);
    
    // If result matched passcode to $mypassword, table row must be 1 row
    if($count==1){
    session_register("mypassword"); 
    header("location:code_success.php");
    }
    }
    else {
    echo "Invalid code.";
    }
    ?>
    login_success.php: This page would allow admins to set up a code, set a start & end time. It would also allow admins to enter the data into the items table (ie. the costume codes).

    code_success.php: This page grabs a code from the items database, displays it, and then either blanks the code or marks it as used, then ends the session followed by returning to the login page.

    That's it.
  17. Quote:
    Originally Posted by tfab10 View Post
    Isn't the hardsuit a Halloween event Market Costume?
    It was on the market early December, if I remember correctly.
  18. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Paladin View Post
    Yeah, those are a drag for sure. The way I've seen the Dev run events go is to have them run trivia contests or guessing games, then they PMed the code to the person that won. It was a lot of fun.
    No matter what kind of contest they run, the simple fact is that the contest supply cannot match the demand for the iconic costume part.
  19. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Paladin View Post
    In-game events are one of the alternatives listed as an example. Let's keep that in mind.
    Yeah, seen those in the past:

    ADMIN: <insert item here> XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX. First person enters it gets it.

    Those tend to go within a second of being announced.
  20. Quote:
    Originally Posted by IanTheM1 View Post
    Some of the attitudes on display in this thread lead me to believe that these sorts of exclusive pieces are being sought more for their sheer exclusiveness rather than for how they look or what they represent. That's depressing in a game as creativity and art-focused as CoH.

    To paraphrase a rather infamous (to me) red name post: That seems like a real dishonor to the craftsmanship of Paragon's artists.
    The community team's actions by using this method are a dishonor to the craftsmanship of this item.

    To me the costume part represents an iconic comic book look that could bring my characters to look like the comics when I grew up. I was reading comic books in the 70s, so Kirby dots are a part of my youth. I don't think they should be exclusive, just like I don't think that any other costume part should be exclusive in a game designed around creativity.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zenlon View Post
    This entire thread breaks down to, "I want something I can't have that I know we all have the same methods of obtaining, however I don't think I can get it so if I won't have a way of obtaining it no one should be able to."
    • Tell that to the people with poor internet connections.
    • Tell that to the people that have to work during these "giveaways". I live on the Pacific coast. These codes are being "given" during working hours.
    • Tell that to the people with mobility issues.
    • Tell that to the people with Dyslexia.
  21. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Snowzone View Post
    Hit Streak has already said that there were no plans. I don't think any amount of vitriol could ever change that decision.
    Yeah, they said it at the beginning of this fiasco. If they continue that line, they are not as smart as I believe them to be. You don't shoot yourself in the foot this bad in public relations and keep your job very long.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Hyperstrike View Post
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Thirty-Seven View Post
    Could you imagine the fervor if they -were- doing this same promotion for a unique Power Set? I can't.
    Such a situation would be one of the few things that could actually get me to cancel my sub with prejudice.
    I'm sure that Paragon Studios wouldn't like to see the reaction that would cause. Especially if the power set was an iconic power.
  22. Quote:
    Originally Posted by GadgetDon View Post
    The worst part is that this could be solved with a compromise. Specifically:

    We are giving them away on Twitter, for free, during the months of July and August.

    On the first Tuesday of September, we'll add them to the paragon store.

    Still plenty of incentive to try to win the contest. It's free, meaning no money and you can spend your points on other stuff. And you get it before most people.

    But those who don't win the giveaways still know there's a chance coming up, whether they try their hardest to win every time codes are posted or for one reason or another can't/won't try, don't feel frozen out.

    And... Paragon Studios gets money from the sale of the aura.
    Stop being reasonable... There is no place in this thread for that.

    This would be a complete non-issue if Zwillinger, Hit Streak, or other red name came out and said, unequivocally, that the aura would be permanently on the market in September (of 2012).
  23. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Paladin View Post
    That seems like it would do more harm than good - I'd rather not have a viral anti-marketting campaign for City of Heroes. That just sounds destructive.
    I'd agree. However I can understand where people are coming from when they suggest using a #COHFAIL tag. That is something that the community team absolutely needs to be concerned about because they are ticking off the community.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Aurora_Girl View Post
    ...uhm, yes, you have an equal chance, technically. Twitter is free to sign up for, and is available to anyone with any kind of Internet connection at all. Because you choose not to be on Twitter, you give up your chance to obtain it. Your choice. If you choose to sign up for Twitter just to try and get this code, then more power to you; if you don't choose to, then don't complain that you don't have an "equal chance."
    It isn't players not choosing to go to the twitter page that makes your claims false. What makes your claims of "equal chance" completely bogus and an outright fabrication is that people have different internet providers, some are faster than others. It has been proven that by the time an image loads for some people, all 20 codes have been taken, and that is for codes that aren't quick-posted as text. This also applies to logging into the NCsoft account.
  24. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zenlon View Post
    These are FREE things people! FREE!
    Yes, they are free. They are also a part that is iconic in the genre and a costume part. Costume parts are the bedrock of this game. Nothing in this game exceeds costume options, as it is the defining feature of THIS game over every single other MMO out there. By playing fast and loose with the availability of costume parts, they lose the advantage over their competitors.

    Zwillinger has said that 10% of people go to the forums and only around 5% post. Well 90% of the posters in this thread have told them this type of contest is a bad idea.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zenlon View Post
    The people who wish to obtain them are pitching tents near twitter.
    You have the ability to do so aswell.
    I do. I work from home. I also have a decent internet connection. Yet I think that it would be a far more useful use of my time to create the automation for mass code distribution than to sit at twitter.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zenlon View Post
    People whined because procs were at too low of rates and weren't guarenteed - soon enough, we'll have procs that will have virtually equivalent draw rates for all players.

    People whined that purple recipes weren't easy enough to obtain. Now you can buy them!
    You really don't understand what is going on, do you? Those are an unlimited (in terms of time), and Purple recipes were able to be sold from the 1st day. The store bought versions

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zenlon View Post
    You have equal chances of everyone else of obtaining them.
    Bull excrement. Slow connections, mobility problems, inability to get to the NCsoft master account (even when it is up) are all factors beyond player's control.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zenlon View Post
    It's FREE stuff you wouldn't ever have a chance at obtaining
    And people said that they would gladly pay for it.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zenlon View Post
    You had the same opportunity to walk over and grab some.
    You keep saying that, but you obviously don't have the first clue as to what you are talking about.