Sqrlian

Say I bought a Going Rogue box set right now, off eBay or somewhere.

What would happen when I applied the code? Would I get a free month of time? Would the GR features unlock?
And what about after the VIP one-free-month ended? Would I keep those features as a premium player?

This has likely been answered elsewhere, but I couldn't find it and a friend of mine could use the info.

[EDIT EDIT EDIT]

I'm editing this post to note that the post at http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showp...2&postcount=14 had my answer. If anyone's looking for this info.

So that's that answered. I'll just leave this here in case anyone else needs that info.

I've been showing a couple of friends the ropes, since I came back to CoH myself recently.

I really am starting to feel like a broken record. "Uh... yeah, they used to have an explanation for that group/who those guys are/who Azuria is/etc. I guess they took it out for the new tutorial stuff."

It was for a while a mystery to us how to get more contacts in a zone. I knew about the newspaper/radio missions, but I'd forgotten how it works in CoV, so I thought there was just a huge content hole between level 11 and level 15 where nothing much happened. I'm glad I was wrong there at least.

Then of course there's issues like outleveling the last contact in the Hollows and not getting any follow-up options. "IT'S SAM WINCOTT! ... Can I do anything about that? No, I'm too high level? ...wow, what a let down that is." Of course you can time-travel back and do it later, but you need a wiki to know that exists and what order to do things in once you get there. And no one wants to turn off experience gaining on their first run through the game. That just feels weird.

I really love the City Of games, but I miss the old-school gentle easing into the setting. Part of the appeal to me (and the people I'm introing to the game) was the built-up storyline and the fact that it's less rambunctious and over the top than certain other superhero MMOs on the market. That said, I love the Twinshot arc, I love that they're clearly -trying- to integrate things better... but the way they've done it has left little time to get a foothold at the start of the game.

So I'm over on the Virtue server, and I've made this character concept that came to mind while I was reading through the game backstory. Decided to post it here, see what people think.

--
"So you'd never guess it by looking at him, especially not now, but my grandpa used to be a supervillain. That was back in like the forties, but he wasn't like one of the big historical figures of the time or anything. Just one of the local guys trying to make a buck the bad way. Called himself Dark Wind, and he used these gloves...

Look, I'm getting ahead of myself. My name's Mark Taran, and I really cared about my grandfather. He retired early from being a supervillain because his heart wasn't really in it. He told me all the stories you don't hear from the heroes, about the times he and his group actually went up against heroes and won, and the times when things were tough and the supers stayed off his back. He always played fair, never killed anyone, and I think they respected that.

I used to visit him every Tuesday, until the day I found his apartment door open and gang graffiti sprayed all over it. It was really bad inside. I don't like to think about it much. He woke up one last time, while they were getting him on the stretcher, and he snuck me this key. After they left I started trying locks, and it went to a chest under a tablecloth, tucked in the corner.

So I opened it. What else could I do, walk out?

Inside were those gloves I mentioned, and a pair of goggles, and this really cheeseball costume. I didn't think technology like this was around in the forties. He left his notes, too. I think all this draws power from some kind of dark matter dimension. It's hard to tell. He was a genius, and his handwriting sucked. Neither of those help me understand him. I should've asked more questions when I had the chance.

When I'm wearing these goggles it's like I'm three seconds ahead of everyone else. Things just slow down, and I think sometimes I can see the future out of the corner of my eye.

The gloves, man... don't get me started. It's like raw power flowing through them, this dark misty energy. Cool, very Hollywood, but it's a little scary. ...I'm not gonna touch the costume, though. It's ugly-looking. Sorry, grandpa.

I've sat up late a few nights in a row now, thinking about why grandpa gave me this stuff. He was a villain for a few years, sure, but he gave it up. He was never really a bad guy. Maybe he just didn't want the gangers getting his old equipment. Maybe he saw something in me that I didn't. I don't know. My friend Brian says I should sell this stuff on the 'net or something and forget about it. I say no way.

These gloves, these goggles, they're my grandfather's legacy.

If I can take these tools of darkness and make this city a better place, that'll be my legacy.

I think wherever he is, he's getting a laugh out of the irony here."