Steelclaw

Diablo 3 (my current game addiction since the news) has a few too many things that keep reminding me of my favorite game ever...

10) Leah is the Anti-Sister Psyche... only her mind-piggy-backer is a bit more problematic than Aurora.

9) Witchdoctor = Necromancy Mastermind Lite

8) Barbarians have a Fury bar... that slowly runs out if you don't rush from enemy to enemy...

7) Demon Hunter's Rain of Vengeance archery attack seems veeeeery familiar somehow.

6) The Scoundrel's voice actor sounds exactly like what I always imagined Malaise would.

5) The Angel Tyreal is noble to the point of being nauseating... rarely fights with you but always ready to tell you what to go do... and has the personality of wet cardboard... and we all thought Statesman was dead.

4) The Templar follower would rather attack than taunt... runs away from you as soon as the battle starts leaving you against the odds alone... and comes back when the battle ends telling you how great he is... so... basically like every Tank I've ever played on a team with in CoH.

3) Enchantress is ditzy... often gets lost when negotiating even slightly complex maps... and aggros everything in sight... on the other hand it's nice to see Fusionette got work.

2) In this game Lord Nemesis's name is Adria.

1) After you max out at combat level 60 you DO keep earning levels.. but they're only for buffing treasure/loot drops.... the problem? They're called PARAGON Levels.

That's all I thought up in my first sitting at Word. If I think up more I'll post it here.

Loot

So now you farmers and looters are up in arms because Skill Points seem to take away the need for Salvage, Tickets, Reward Merits, Recipes and all the things the CoH Invention System introduced.

Well, yes… but I am as much a loot monger as anyone else. Nothing is quite so thrilling as seeing a drop notification float up in purple letters and have it NOT be an Enhancement Catalyst.

In WoH, there will be something similar to Invention Salvage in CoH. You collect various objects as you go which you can combine to make fabulous items. These items will either give you Temp Power Charges or Items of Power.

WoH Temp Powers are much different from those in CoH. For one thing, they are much more powerful. The minor temp powers like Revolver, Envenomed Dagger and the like are relegated to the power pool section. They are just normal powers available to everyone. Temp Powers are more like Shivan Shard or Stephanie Peebles’ ring. They are potent and can provide a battle-outcome-changing benefit for their player. They also run on charges… when a Temp Power’s charges run out the power is gone. Crafting a Temp Power takes specific salvage drops, money and a minimum level to create. Money (not necessarily dollars, but some in-game currency like Influence) costs can be reduced by the character’s Intellect score. Intellect can also (if high enough) reduce the minimum level requirement of an item so you can get it sooner. You can stockpile charges in this manner. There is no maximum limit to charges “stored” in any given temp power.

Items of Power vary according to your character’s Origin (yeah, I’m keeping that) but all do the same basic thing. These Items take the place of Accolade and Set Enhancement bonuses in the game. They ARE Origin specific however (much like SO’s and DO’s) and you can end up crafting an Item of Power you can’t use. Let’s say one of the Item’s of Power has an effect of increasing Maximum Health by +1.1%. The Natural Origin version might be a Forbidden Training Manual. Technology might be called Nanites of Cellular Restoration, while Magic Origin get Cleelstaw’s Incantation of Resilience.

They all do the exact same thing, but take different ingredients to make and can only be used by characters of the proper Origin.

Like the current salvage system, WoH salvage comes in varying degrees of rarity. The more powerful the Temp Power Charge or the Item of Power… the more ingredients… the rarer the ingredients and the more expensive it will be to craft.

I never really understood the concept of Recipes in CoH. It didn’t make much sense to me that an Accuracy enhancement only had two ingredients… but I couldn’t remember how to make it unless I had the recipe right in front of me… or I’d done it a LOT of times. WoH doesn’t have recipes. You’ll just have to figure out for yourself what makes what via trial and error… oh… you should know that combining things in an effort to create something consumes all the ingredients whether you got the mix right or not… including the cash…

Ah, who am I kidding? You’re all just going to go read the Wiki page on it anyway.

One last thing about Loot. For the ultra powerful items… the best of the best in either Temp or Item of Power… you have to get Ultra Rare items. These loot items are only available through specific missions to get them. Some Loot items are not mission specific, but enemy-specific. These items drop randomly but only from a specific kind of enemy. That should make you farmers happy.

All Loot is able to be sold and traded on the Market. Without doubt, they’ll probably be priced appropriately.

Powers and Attributes

I would like to keep the concept of Power Sets more or less the same. I may want to give more choices within the power sets so players can get a clearer character concept, but for the most part I like the system as-is.

What I want to over-haul is the Archetype system.

Upon character creation you do NOT select an Archetype as they are currently defined in CoH. Instead, you select a Primary Power Archetype and a Secondary Power Archetype.

The Power Archetype’s are as follows:

Melee Damage Dealer – Scrapper Primary, Brute Primary, Tank Secondary
Ranged Damage Dealer – Blaster Primary, Corrupter Primary, Defender Secondary
Team Support – Defender Primary, Corrupter Secondary, Controller Secondary
Control – Controller Primary, Dominator Primary
Armor/Defense – Tank Primary, Brute Secondary, Scrapper Secondary
Legions – Mastermind Primary (more pet upgrades, no weapons like Ninja bow, Demon whip, etc)

One thing I adamantly refuse to do is protect players from themselves. If you want to make an invulnerable Asimov robot who is dedicated to protecting humans but could never harm one due to the First Law, then fine… make a Team Support Primary with Armor/Defense Secondary. Just pray there’s a team around for you to support otherwise that bank is going to get robbed while you stand there buffing the bank teller.

Within each Power Archetype there exists the usual set choices. So if you take Ranged Damage Dealer you have Energy Blast, Fire Blast, etc.

The thing to keep in mind is there is a significant difference between Primary and Secondary. If I had my way, Ranged Damage Dealer as a Primary would (on average) do about twice the damage as it would as a Secondary power. So choose very carefully which you want your Primary to be.

All characters get their travel power as a free inherent at first level.

There will also be a series of generic powers like the current Power Pool system that are available to ALL characters with which they can shore up weaknesses or flesh out character concept. There are a few significant differences between the Power Pool system and WoH’s version however:

• Some things that we might consider temp powers like Revolver, Taser, Loogeyville Schluggers and so on are powers here. They are about ½ the power of the nearest applicable Secondary Power Archetype but may provide a fall-back attack for those who didn’t take an attack Primary or Secondary.
• While there are categories (attacks, concealment, medicine, etc) there are no restrictions within those categories requiring you to “buy A if you want to later buy B”. Certain, more powerful, selections may require a minimum experience level before they become available, but otherwise everything is open.
• There is NO Fitness category at all… but that’s because I’ve come up with a different idea.

WoH will have Attributes. The Attributes are as follows:

Strength – Pure raw physical power. Strength adds a percentage bonus to any attack that involves physically landing a blow or throwing an object. Higher levels of strength (eg- Hulk, Superman, etc) provide a percentage reduction to the duration of enemy hold and immobilization effects.

Endurance – Blue bar in CoH basically. Increasing this Attribute not only increases your maximum Endurance but the recovery rate of lost endurance as well. Higher levels of Endurance provides resistance to attacks that drain endurance.

Fortitude – Basic damage resistance. In characters with no other damage resistance granting powers this Attribute provides a very low level reduction of most damaging effects. In players who have powers that already provide Damage Resistance, this Attribute provides a blanket bonus to those powers. The Fortitude bonus is applied DIRECTLY to the Base Resistance of the power rather than just adding to it. So a Fortitude bonus of +10% would make a 30% resistance 33% while a 50% resistance power would elevate to 55%. Fortitude at higher levels will reduce the duration of effects like Stun and Sleep.

Agility – For those with Defense (avoid ALL damage) type powers this provides a blanket buff much like the one described in Fortitude. Players without such powers can get a basic dodge/avoidance chance that increases with the Agility score. Agility also grants a blanket bonus to any and all travel powers the higher it gets.

Intellect - Increases the damage output of any Ranged Damage with a technology based attack. Examples: rifles, missiles, ray guns, etc. Intellect provides a blanket bonus to perception and any related powers/effects. At higher levels Intellect reduces the cost of developing new technology. Intellect also determines the “click time” of certain object interactions… higher Intellect scores reduce the chance of such interactions being interrupted.

Willpower – Increases damage output of Ranged Damage with magic or psychic based attacks. Higher Willpower scores provide duration reduction of confusion effects. Willpower also grants a bonus to the character’s Last Stand percentage. Last Stand status is usually reached when the player is at 5% total hit points or less. In this state the player’s gets a defense bonus to avoid attacks and a buff to their to hit and damage output. In Last Stand mode the character is also highly resistant to all mezz states and can spontaneously break free if already in one when the Last Stand point is reached. Higher Willpower scores can raise this Last Stand percentage from 5% to as much as 10%.

Charisma – Provides a blanket bonus to all Taunts. At higher levels Charisma can increase the buff effects the player grants to team mates. Also, on a slightly less combat related note, Charisma plays a part in the speed with which a character is accepted and later idolized while in their starting zones. In Big Cities Charisma grants a higher chance of getting new contacts or mission drops from people.

When a character levels up in WoH, they get the option of taking a new power OR getting Skill Points.

Taking powers is pretty much straight forward. It works like CoH in that stronger powers have a minimum experience level that must be reached before they are available. Primary powers become available at an earlier level than their Secondary counterparts. When you receive a power it arrives at a its base model with no frills.

Skill Points are the way by which you improve your character’s Attributes and Powers. They are also a means by which you can customize your powers to better fit a concept, shore up a weakness, or make your character a general bad-****. When applying Skill Points to an Attribute, the Attribute in question simply increases as a whole (eg- your Strength goes from a 10 to an 11) and all the things that Attribute affects are improved. When applying Skill Points to a Power you get to select which aspect of that power to improve.

For example… You have a Fire Ball power and some Skill Points to spend. You can increase the Fire Ball’s accuracy, damage, area of effect, recharge speed, endurance cost, range or chance for continuing burn damage. Customize to your heart’s content!

So you ask… “But if I’m running the Inevitable Bulk… who has nothing but melee damage attacks… why would I want to increase damage in the individual attacks when I could just improve my Strength and get a damage bonus to everything at once?”

The answer is cost and effect… no… not cause and effect… COST and effect… Raising an Attribute is never cheap, even at lower levels. After you select you’ve divvied up your Attribute Points at character creation it takes quite a bit of effort to raise them higher. Also, because the Attributes provide a blanket bonus, they tend to be a much SMALLER bonus than those provided by improving the individual powers.

Now I’m going to mention a few words to make older players cringe and reach for the pitchforks and torches… Enhancement Diversification and Diminishing Returns. Before you lynch me, this is how WoH achieves those goals… The higher you boost any given stat, whether it be a Fire Ball – damage or Intellect, the more Skill Points it costs to boost it further.

That’s it.

You only get a certain amount of points each time you advance. If you improve a specific aspect of a power enough times, you won’t be able to do it on a single level up. You’ll have to bank those points and wait until you level again (or a few more dings) before you can improve it. Also, keep in mind that there are maximums to how much any given power aspect can be improved… so you’ll probably never be able to increase the Area of Effect of your Fire Ball power to have it encompass ALL of the Florida coast line. Sorry.

To begin with the game will have only the basic powers and Attributes; this will improve and expand in later “Issues” as things similar to Incarnate Powers, Epic Power Pools and so on are introduced.

(The following is assuming I win the mega-lottery in excess of 4 or 5 million a year annuity. I would go to the Paragon Studios offices and make them an offer to come work for me to create MY vision of the next Super Hero MMO…)

World of Heroes

The World

Players could select where they start out; each choice having its own merits and drawbacks. Players are NOT required to remain in their starting locations. They can come and go as they like. However, as I will explain, their starting points will suffer/thrive depending on their actions.

Rural – Think the outlying areas of Croatoa. Lots of farm land and deep dark forests, with a central “main street” area for commerce and public gatherings. Enemies can include paranoid militia, aliens looking for hicks to probe (they never do seem to visit big cities, do they?), Stephen King-esque forest spirits/creatures, mutated Animal Farm creatures (beware the pigs!), etc. Missions on instanced maps of outdoor settings for the most part.

Small Town/Sleeper Community – Mostly suburban area with shopping malls and parks. Some larger structures at “city center”, but not too many and not of skyscraper status. Industrial area just outside of town that employs most of the populace. Enemies include undead (zombies just looooove suburbia for some reason), pod people (Janet? How DID you get your hair to stand out straight like that? You look fabulous!), serial killers (they look like everyone else), dark magic cults, etc. Missions on instanced maps include some outdoor settings, but a lot of ones inside people’s homes, schools and that industrial park just outside town.

Small City – There is a definite “down-town” area to this choice, with tall office buildings and all the usual businesses. There is also a fringe of outlying suburban areas. Enemies include gangs (like Skellions and Hulls), underground “mole” societies, corporate mafia types, etc. Missions are more like those seen in CoH now, with instanced warehouses and office buildings, with cave missions for our underground friends thrown in for variety.

Big City – We’re talking New York, Chicago, London, Sydney, Tokyo, etc. Everything goes in this zone. More on the Big City later.

Your choice of where to start is more than just size. If you choose Rural, Small Town or Small City, then you start out alone. That’s right… You are the ONLY hero of your particular zone. Its fate rests entirely on your actions and deeds.

Sort of.

Say you have just created the Ballistic Bumpkin, a yokel with a howitzer from East Fumbuck, Maine. Your Rural zone will appear with three zones (no war walls) for you to explore; Main Street, Farm Lands and Dark Forest. Right now everything is tranquil but soon enough evil begins to fester and it’s up to you to fight it! The local Militia, having moved there to escape the ever-staring eyes of the evil federal thought police, are flexing their muscles and it’s up to you to stop them.

You can do this alone… or you can invite in help.

While you will be playing in your starting zone alone, you will still be hooked into the internet. Chat channels will be completely available. Your character and town info is stored on the servers. Think of your starting zone like a Super Group base in CoH. You can grant other players access to it if you want. You can also set parameters as to whether or not these other players can access the town when you’re not there and if their actions actually affect the town’s timeline. (In other words… “Nah… issue 48 of Ballistic Bumpkin where he was out of town and his 2nd cousin Gun Totin’ Guy came in and shot the Mayor wasn’t canon… yeah… retcon…”)

The timeline of your town is important. What you do MATTERS in your town. One of the things I REALLY want to happen in World of Heroes is there to be an actual difference in the outcome and appearance of the world/story line depending on whether you succeed or fail in a mission.

So, the Militia have decided the town council are getting too cozy with the Federal Government and decide they have to be eliminated before Uncle Sam plants his conspiratorial roots into Fumbuck. Your job is to stop them. The mission is to save the council members before they are executed. It takes place in town hall which is a combination outdoor/indoor map. You are warned that making a huge racket outside the hall may result in early termination of the hostages. This is a stealth mission.

If you succeed in the mission, the Council thanks you sincerely. You have saved ALL their lives and they are grateful. They acknowledge you as the town’s protector and all become contacts for possible future missions. The general populace is very supportive of you.

You are partially successful. One or two of the Council members didn’t make it before you were able to rescue the others. The remaining Council thank you, but a pall settles over the town. You now have detractors and supporters. Some think of you as a hero for doing what you could, others as a vigilante who should have left it to the sheriff’s department.

You totally failed. All the Council members are dead and the Militia stands in temporary control of the town. Now you have to face a series of missions to wrest that control back to the forces of democracy again. Problem is, no one wants to help you since many blame you for things being the way they are. If that weren’t bad enough, there are some locals who actually think you ARE a member of the Militia since your actions led to their victory.

The concept of a Town Timeline is a big factor as well. As you have more and more successes, the town will become prouder of you. After a few years of consistently saving the day you may see the Ballistic Bumpkin memorial Library, the Annual Ballistic Bumpkin Day Turkey Shoot or even a statue erected in the town square. Negatively, the town hall may be reduced to smoldering ashes and slowly rebuilt, Widow Hawkins may NEVER be a fan of yours no matter what you do, and Billy Handerson of Handerson Pork Products may never be able to see a pig again without screaming.

Not only do your actions matter… they last.

The BIG CITY (patent pending, some assembly required, batteries not included) is where you go for BIG CONTENT. It is also where you go to spend time with everyone else logged in. Ideally, I would like there to be several different big cities. And not all in America, this IS World of Heroes after all. Each of these cities have their own enemies and problems.

Think this is unreasonable and too big? Paragon City, Rogue Isles, Praetoria… there’s three right there. I don’t think having several Big Cities set around the world is too much to ask. I also think our foreign market might inflate just a tad if our non-American brethren and … er… sistren… were given their own sandboxes to play in.

Keep in mind that it’s ALL open. When it comes to the Big Cities there are no restrictions to access. Ballistic Bumpkin can go to New York, Japan, Sydney… wherever he wants. And the Global (see what I did there?) Chat channel allows for inter-city communication so you’ll know instantly if Tokyo needs help because Zodgilla is rampaging through their streets.

The only thing about Big Cities, other than having to deal with other heroes, is your actions have much less (if any) of an impact as an individual. In the Big Cities, the things that have impacts will be zone events and massive co-op ventures. Think of the Rikti Invasions of CoH. In WoH, if the heroes repel the Rikti Invasion then everything is good and life continues on happily. If not enough heroes show up, however, the craters remain in the streets, the buildings still smoke. Eventually work crews appear, set up a work site and repair all the damage, but that reminder of failure is there until they do.

The individual zone story lines are very linear and very personal. The Big City story lines are much more diverse and might make you a few NPC friends, but the City itself won’t really notice you as an individual.

Eventually your efforts in your starting zone can change the zone itself and cause it to grow. Maybe the lower crime of the area attracts a new mega-corporation to open an office there (perhaps with sinister intentions). Fumbuck is a hot topic in Maine thanks to Ballistic Bumpkin, attracting property development investors to the area. Any and all things are possible.

When I make my lists, parodies, jokes, lame attempts at humor, etc... I normally do them on a Word Doc then cut and paste when they are complete.

However, over the years, not all of my lists actually got large enough to warrant posting. What follows is a hodgepodge collection of unrelated lists, ideas and minutia that... until now... have never seen the light of day...

I figure now is as good a time as any to share them...

You have been warned...

In Game Uses for Ragdoll Physics
* New Temp Power: The De-Boning Ray.

* New Mission Contact: Twitchy MacGregor

* New Low Level Enemy: Stringless Marionettes

PM I Sent to Zwillinger Just Prior to April Fools

The following is a suggestion for your annual April Fool's "Announcement". As both the NFL and NBA have had player/owner threats, negotiations and walk-outs, I figured this would be appropriate. If you DO decide to use it there is no need to give me any sort of credit or acknowledgement... I get in enough trouble around this place as it is.

Talks between Paragon Studios Management and the Collective Bargaining Coalition of NPCs broke down today after 12 hours in the negotiating chamber.

"Their demands were simply unrealistic," said Management's spokesperson, Zwillinger. "They utterly refused to bend on their demands. We went to the meeting in good faith, even made some gestures towards concessions to meet somewhere in the middle. The NPC representatives seemed more interested in punishing us than in coming to an agreement."

"Accusing us of having an ulterior agenda, as though this were some sort of conspiracy, is completely ridiculous and says more about the mindset of management than it does our intentions," said lead NPC spokesman Lord Nemesis. "Our demands are simple and patently obvious to anyone who examines our situation here in the game. We have been and will continue to be absolutely transparent and direct about our motivations and goals."

When it comes to demands, the NPC Union has many and has publicly stated that the least of its concerns will be fought for with equal ferocity as the greatest. From civillians to contacts to enemy groups, they insist that no one will be left behind or forgotten.

"The average man on the street has to realize what conditions we're working under," quoted a source who wished to remain anonymous. "I don't have something as cushy as a 40 hour work week. I have to fight Villains in certain missions in the Rogue Isles. I put in cameo appearances all through-out the Signature Story Arcs. But I'm still expected to stand out there training up player heroes by the Atlas Statue twenty-four hours a day. Does this sound fair to you? Uhh... this WILL be kept anonymous right?"

Another point on which the Union plans to remain firm is the subject of health care.

"There are layers upon layers of improprieties in the way Management handles NPC health," said Dr. Vahzilok during a recent press conference. "First of all we have the enemy groups whose JOB it is to get beaten, shot, set on fire, electrocuted, frozen and a hundred other indignities at the hands of the players. A player who is 'defeated' is sent to a comfortable hospital with beds and an attentive nursing staff. Your average Skull who endures and succumbs to player abuse is teleported to a dingy back room of the casting department where the best they can hope for is a vending machine snack and some harried casting director screaming at them to get to Kings Row or else they're fired."

And it's not just the combat NPCs who need health care addressed.

"Even our Paragon City civillians are subject to health issues," continued Vahzilok. "They walk all day, every day, but our requests for proper footwear or company provided shoe inserts have been ignored. Our best doctors have submitted reports of purse tug-of-war repetitive motion injuries. They have explained that running while your hands are held up above your head is unsafe and hazardous. Management has remained silent on these issues."

And apparently the wear and tear of a normal work day is not limited to physical stress. Some NPC Union members are claiming emotional pain and suffering as well.

"I don't think people realize how draining it is, how much of our true selves, we put into our work," said Manticore in a sit down interview. "Or how many players are playing how many story arcs. Just this past week I've had to kill my wife over 500 times. It's putting a strain on our off-screen relationship."

Management has yet to make an official public response to these allegations. They only state that they are "taking the NPC Union's demands very seriously" and will "approach all negotiations with an open mind and a strong desire to leave the table with everyone happy."

Management has categorically denied rumors of a plan to do a game-wide NPC memory wipe.

The NPC Union has threatened that if concessions are not reached by noon Eastern Standard Time on April 1st, 2012, they will officially go on strike.

"If the players want someone to fight, let them go to a PvP zone," said Hellion Blood Brother Brawler.

****

I figure you can jazz up the article with pictures of some big-name NPCs like Recluse, Brawler or Nemesis doing the Protest emote. Maybe edit the picture to put actual strike slogans on the signs.

If you REALLY want to amp up the April tom-foolery then around noon time EST have an in-game notice pop up on everyone's screen. Basically using the same system as when you announce Known Issues or Event information, etc. The notice will explain that due to the breakdown of negotiations the NPCs have gone on strike. Management apologizes for the inconvenience but, since they would rather fall on their swords than provide a poor play experience to the players, they have been forced to hire SCABS to take the place of the usual NPC workers.

"We apologize if these replacement workers act or speak differently than the actors you are used to. We resolve to fix this situation in a more permanent fashion as quickly as possible."

I would normally suggest making a few actual "April Fool's Egg" (as opposed to Easter Egg) changes (like Ms. Liberty now has the 80 year old woman's face under her mask or Positron has hair) but I know that's a bit too labor intensive for a one-day event. On the other hand, I bet hard-cash-money that at least SOME chat and forum chatter will claim they found a SCAB doing their job wrong.

Anyway, like I said, use it or not, I thought this would be a cute/funny idea, so I submit it for your use/approval.

City Of Heroes Solitaire Game - Never Completed


This card game requires a standard deck of cards with the Jokers removed. It will also require counters which can be basically anything from pennies to potato chips, although non-edible items are probably best.

Shuffle the deck. You will deal out 3 piles of five cards each then set the remaining 37 cards off to the side for now.

The first five card pile is the PUG pile. This is your team of heroes. Turn the cards over and place them in front of you evenly spaced. The card value determines what ATs and powersets make up your team. Each hero has their own attack and defense rating as well as a special ability. Placement and use of these cards is imperative to winning the game.

The second stack of five cards are the Mission cards. Your PUG is involved in a five mission story arc. These mission cards tell you what the objective of each individual mission is. Only one of these cards is face up at a time. Once the current mission has been completed that mission card is discarded and the next one turned over. The game is won if all five mission cards are discarded.

The third stack of five cards are the Map cards. Map cards are turned up in the same manner as the Mission cards and at the same time. Each Map card indicates what map the PUGs will be playing on and will modify their chances of success. Map cards can make or break a team since small maps have fewer enemies and are therefore easier to complete. Get three or four large maps in a row and your team may very well be depleted before the last mission.

The last stack of 37 remaining cards are the Mob cards. These indicate who your heroes will be fighting in each of the missions. Mob cards are dealt according to the parameters described by the Mission and Map cards. Not all Mob cards may be used during the missions.

City of Horoscopes


So I was letting my mind wander while driving today and it occurred to me that there were 12 Astrological Signs and currently 12 Archetypes (counting the HEATs and VEATs as one each). So, I decided to do a little research and see if there were deeper similarities other than quantity.

What follows is your City Of Heroes Astrological Sign. I took the basic Personality Profile from an astrology web site for each sign and modified it only slightly for use with the City system. Plus, of course, my own color add-ons…

Scrapper (March 21st to April 20th)

The Scrapper person seeks adventure and has unusually high energy level. Pioneering, the Scrapper will be the first to take a risk, much to the general chagrin of his team members.

The Scrapper is considered by their peers to be a courageous leader, not afraid to take risks, will often feel confident that “They know better.” Scrappers lead by example… or by simply charging head long into a brawl. Scrappers always seem to have a quick grasp of the essence of most any situation, BUT a Scrapper does not often hang around to closely examine the details. Actually, getting a Scrapper to hang around at all usually involves cement and lots of duct tape. However, give a Scrapper a cause, or a good reason to fight something, and you will find this dynamic personality rises to the cause.

Scrapper is also a very dynamic person and can easily draw attention to themselves when they enter a room (Referred to as Aggro). Make no mistake, a Scrapper will be one of the first to risk their life to save yours, and also the first to get really mad at you for putting yourself at risk in the first place! (eg- Kill Stealing)


Tank (April 21st to May 20th)

The Tank tends to be one who is steadfast and passionate, however tempered with commitment. They often portray themselves as being charming and possession of stardom handsomeness.

The Tank shows and affinity for security and constantly in search of ways to become emotionally content. Usually by heavy investment in Stamina and endurance reduction enhancements. A major goal of Tanks has stability high on their list of importance. Although bullish by nature, they tend to tread slowly (especially stone tanks) and with serenity (stone tanks with teleport). Security and emotional commitment are of the utmost priority for them; PUGS generally give them heebie-jeebies while SG groups are like a warm cup of cocoa on a cold morning. Their need to exist with a secure framework, requires enormous patience (especially prior to inherent fitness.) The painstaking, deliberate journey to accomplishing this is actually what a Tank is all about.


Peacebringer/Warshade (May 21st to June 21st)

Adaptable to most any situation, with PBWS you will discover them to be one of the most flexible people (squids) you’ve ever met. The PBWS are known for their ability to overcome great obstacles (Void Hunters) and are adept puzzle solvers.

Articulate, versatile and inquisitive (and delightful with tartar sauce). Having an intellectual type of personality, magnetic upon first impression. Well liked by most people they encounter, they are natural communicators, lively and entertaining and quite the romantic (just think how many tentacle movies there are!) Renowned for the dual personalities (and forms), their moods (and forms) can change from moment to moment. Sometimes they will argue just for the same of arguing and can be somewhat fickle at times.


Defender (June 22nd to July 22nd)

Emotional sometimes, Defender people tend to be some of the more caring people in our world. They are very loving and value family and friends (and PUGs) over fame or fortune. They are capable of “feeling your pain” whether it be physical, financial or emotional. (Especially Empaths who take Share Pain).

Extremely intuitive and imaginative, these people make great artists and designers. You will find them where ever there is the need for creativity and flare (and buffs). Freedom loving, courageous and pioneering. Loves adventure, is self-assertive and has an abundance of energy (especially if they only buff/debuff and don’t blast much). Can be very enterprising and will work from sun up to sun down (especially to keep that disorganized PUG alive). He is generally forceful by nature and very direct. (Stop killing my f***ing anchors you noobs!)

Not a risk taker, the Defender is not likely to betting the farm on a not so well thought out venture. Rest assured this wise person will be checking out all the angles before plunging in to anything. (And will most likely be the last one standing after the team wipe, rolling up his sleeves and TP-rezzing everyone.)

Emperor Cole Twitter Suggestions

(Someone... can't remember who... asked me in PM for some twitters that Emperor Cole might send... this was my response...)


I’ve never tweeted and never subscribed to someone else’s tweets… Generally, birds tick me off... always crapping on your car after you wash it… picking up that nice shiny object that I OBVIOUSLY saw first!

Huh? Oh… sorry… tangent…

Anyway, although I never got into the whole Twitter thing, I gather that these comments are supposed to sound off-the-cuff and current. “Man, I wish the whole world could see this before I flush it” sort of thing.

Here’s a few that popped into my head. If you want any more just let me know.

~ I wish I could make Tom Petty’s “It’s Good To Be King” the national anthem… Damned nursery rhyme.

~ I cut myself shaving this morning. HA! Just kidding…. As if….

~ I’d ask you how your day is, but I know it’s fantastic… since it’s against the law to have a bad day in utopian Praetoria.

~ I had that dream again. The one where I go to fight Hamidon and realize I forgot to put on my pants.

~ I have a leak to plug. Someone blabbed about the Invasion. Can’t figure out why the Prime-Times call it “Issue 19” though.

~ Would you believe, after all these years, I’m STILL finding bits of Hamidon Goo in various cracks and crevices of my anatomy?

~ I know some of you out there are Resistance Sympathizers; but at least when I talk you know what the hell I’m saying!

~ I would like to categorically deny recent Resistance propaganda stating that I made inquiries into a more “lifelike” female clockwork automaton.

~ Coca Cole-Aaahhhhhh…. What do you think? Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

~ Sometimes I regret destroying Hamidon. I should have kept him in a cage and fed him those pesky Resistance fighters.

~ Hmmm… It’s a Sonic Fence, right? I wonder if we could broadcast WCOLE radio through it?

~ I flat-out deny allegations that I ship 20th level Praetorians off-world because I feel threatened by them. They VOLUNTEER to leave!

In Game Quotes I'd Love to See


What are the quotes you’d love to see in game? Here are a few of mine…

Rikti Tikki’Tavi - Snakes: Why’d it have to be?

Rikti Mar’tin – De Loca: La Vie: Living

Doom Crier Interview


Steelclaw Studios Interviewer: Thank you for tuning in… this week we’ll be interviewing that commonality of gaming forums… that prognosticator of pessimism… writer and publisher of the Doomcrier’s Bible… Doomcrier. Thank you so much for agreeing to speak with us today.

Doomcrier: I wouldn’t have but I was SURE I’d get in a car accident on the way and get out of the dad-blamed thing.

SSI: I see… well… glad to see you made it safely…

DC: That makes one of us anyway.

SSI: Right. Anyway… We wanted to talk to you because of the sheer volume of doom-crying going on in the forums right now. Between the Incarnation Trials and the upcoming Freedom changes, the player base seems to be in an uproar not seen since before the Going Rogue announcement.

DC: (sniffles) Yeah… it’s downright beautiful, ain’t it?

Top Ten Lists That Didn't Quite Reach Ten


Top Ten Ways the Game Influences Office Life at Paragon Studios

1) Year end bonuses are paid in Reward Merits.
2) Entering your cubicle earns you the Jail Bird exploration badge.
3)

Top Ten Things That Happened at the 7 Year Anniversary Office Party

1) Avatea riding on Positron’s shoulders calling him her “Nemesis Pony.”
2) Noble Savage showing his joke picture of the marketing department as a bunch of Nemesis soldiers… and having it approved for next issue’s task force.
3) A tipsy El Topo gets sick in the boss’s chair and claims it was a failed Environmental Art experiment.
4) War Witch, with the help of a fluorescent yellow hi-lighter, tries to make her hair resemble her in-game avatar.


Top Ten List of Yet-To-Be-Released CoH T-Shirt Logos

1) WWLTMD (What Would Lanaru the Mad Do?)
2) The Praetorians Invaded the World! And all I got was this lousy t-shirt.
3) St Martial Pawn Shops: We pay top dollar for body parts!
4) Don’t Laugh; this t-shirt won me an Atlas Park costume contest.

Weak Links in the Chain of Logic


If the technology is there, why do only heroes get hospital teleporters? Why shouldn’t civilians get them too?

If nothing else it would royally tick off the Vahzilok….

“These legs will be perfect for my next creatio… What the..? Aww come on!!”


Speaking of which… If all civilians are basically immune to any harm is the Vahzilok kneeling by the prone civilian tossing organs around haphazardly or has he got so frustrated with the victim’s immunity to his scalpel that he’s started trying to beat the organs out of him?


According to the official description; “Praetoria is the ultimate Meritocracy.” Which means you are allowed to do any job you like so long as you prove to be competent at it.

Wow… Politicians must avoid Praetoria like the plague.


If we ever get free moving hair will electrical attacks make our hair stand on end? And if it does, what does that mean for characters with Electrical Armor?

...

.....

Yeah... I guess there was a REASON they were never finished...

This is sort of in-line with something I've been considering lately... The whole thought process started when I first joined a team and saw the old "You are now viewing the world as shaped by that player's experiences..."

Okay, taking Arcanavillain... Arcanavaudevillian... Arcanavavavoom... erg... Taking Arc's idea of starting out on your own solo-world and moving to a community one... what if the solo world were COMPLETELY shaped by your character's victories and defeats?

For example... You have a mission to save the Atlas Statue from sabotage... some Hellions have decided to blow it up and roast marshmallows over its remains... If you successfully complete the mission then everything remains pretty much the same... If you FAIL then the statue is blown up not only in that instance of a mission but in your "running around Atlas Park" world as well... Not that it would stay that way forever... workmen will always appear and work on what your actions destroyed... but in the interim the statue is obliterated...

I have ALWAYS been a proponent of failed missions meaning as much if not more than successful ones... On your closed system this would be even more feasible and have a much greater impact...

Now let's look at Arc's idea a little more closely... How about, instead of you joining the community so you could team with others... the system came to you? In other words... whoever has the star on the team acts as the Server for the other team members... So if you joined the above hero's world... BANG... you suddenly see Atlas with no head and a mess of scaffolding around him...

This is not to mean that your computer would actually HOST the game... since computer power variances could pose a problem... but the actual game servers take a snap shot image of the team leader's world progress and replicates it as an instanced world all the team to play in... Before they actually join there might even be a question like "Do you wish your world to be influenced by your actions on this team or are you just visiting (team leader's) world?"

Okay... next possibility... instead of JOINING a community world... how about you have constant contact with it but only in certain areas? For example... take CoH as it is now... Atlas Park, Kings Row, etc would be solo worlds that you have to invite others in to see what you've done with it... however there would be Nexus zones where EVERYONE is allowed in... Such as Rikti War Zone, Shadow Shard, Pocket D and so on... You can still play the game off-line but these special Co-Op Zones would be off limits until you log on...

Now... taking this model... I'll go one step further to draw you in, tie you up and have my way with yo... er... to sweeten the pot...

In comic books all the Big Name heroes have their own City to protect... this actually is more prevalent in DC than Marvel... Batman has Gotham... Supes has Metropolis... etc... What if the solo zones were sections of YOUR hero's city? What if MegaMonolithicMan was the sterling hero and sole protector of Mudflap, Montana? He could invite in other heroes to occasionally help him (cross-over issues), but for the most part he saves the town on his own.

This would make the Co-Op zones huge cities like New York, Los Angeles, London, etc that always seem to be magnets for megalomaniacs so require a lot of heroes to protect.

Goodbye City of Heroes.... welcome to WORLD of Heroes...

Oh... and how about a map editor built into the game? So you can make your own town to protect?

Just a thought...

In the Forums my crowning moment was City of Oz which got noticed and tagged by a red name to be saved and brought over to the new Forums when the old ones got scrapped...


In-game I would have to say the time Edie Wyldfire, my Fire/Devices Blaster, somehow managed to survive a team-wipe in the last room of a sewer mission. While everyone hospital ported, she began laying down trip mine after trip mine at the room's entrance. The rest of the team arrived back at juuuuuust the moment she came running around the corner with the offending Council in hot pursuit... the explosions were magnificent... and final.

I tried CO:

* Hate the graphics... to me the art is something that looks like it was made by a talented kid with crayons who loves outlining things in black just a bit too much

* I much, much, MUCH prefer RPGs to Action games and the very concept of having a "Block" button turns me off utterly...

* Do NOT tell me what powers I HAVE to choose... this is MY character... that was the most wonderful thing about CoH... the pure myriad of choices that made your character unique.


I tried DCU:

* The costume creator has no right to be called such (Hence my refusal to capitalize the C's) Far too limited. And don't tell me "it gets better if you sub"... CoH Free to Play version STILL lets you make practically any character concept.

* I can't say much else because (to be honest) I only played about 5 minutes into the tutorial... but here's a suggestion to the DCU staff... in your tutorial... instead of saying "Go over and beat up that guy there"... why don't assume the player needs to be TUTORED and tell them HOW to walk over there in the first place...?

So... I'm letting my game obsession stay with Diablo 3 for now... and when I say obsessed... I mean obsessed... I bought it Saturday morning and beat Diablo the first time by Monday night...

Now if I could just figure out how to apply Spreadsheets and a Tournament to the danged thing everything would be fine...

Characters: "So... you're deleting us... again."

Me: "No... you see... it's not my fault this time..."

Characters: "That's what you said last time... and the time before that... just admit it... you're restarting that stupid tournament of yours..."

Me: "NO... it's not my tournament this time... I'm not restarting anything..."

Characters break off into individual mutterings:
"Oh! Can I be a Dominator instead of a Controller this time around? Pew! Pew!"
"Aw, man! I just hit 40th level... I was ALMOST there!"
"Next time make me a female.... What? Don't judge me!"
"Do I HAVE to be blue this time? I'm getting freaking tired of all the smurf and Avatar jokes..."
"Great... and I was just beginning to be really tough... early level Regeneration sucks..."

Me: "AAARRRGGGHHH!!"

I've been serious long enough... time for a dumb joke list...

A few of the game character's reactions to the news that the game MIGHT be ending...

* Lord Nemesis - "... this didn't turn out like I'd planned at all..."

* Manticore - "Kill my wife will they? Forgot I was a billionaire vigilante... let's see how they like having to crawl to ME for the rights to their precious game..."

* Fusionette - "Oh, that's too bad... but... I haven't actually played for months now... I kept losing my password..."

* Lord Recluse - "So let me get this straight... my greatest enemy dies... my greatest love comes back from the dead... I'm on the greatest roll of my life... and now this... and people wonder why I'm a recluse..."

* Praetorian Hamidon - "Aw man... and I JUST got the place all to myself..."

* Positron - "The Devs are out of work now? ... first they lock me in my armor for years and years... then they hook me up romantically with a woman who has no physical form... what was next Devs?! Viagra in my water supply just to rub it in?! Oh, I feel so sorry for your freaking tragedy!"

* Captain Castillo - "Developers? Do you REALLY believe in that hogwash? That we were created by some sort of superior beings? One look at MY face should tell you no being is superior to ME..."

* Lord Nemesis - "... no... this isn't where it all went wrong... THIS plot is to get people to willingly buy bottled water..."

* Silver Mantis - "Ouch... this... this really hurts... and not even in a GOOD way..."

* Scirocco - "Story of my life..."

* Sally - "Oh, thank goodness... now maybe they'll just leave me ALONE..."

* Clockwork King - "Hey! I have an idea... I could take the plans for the Praetorian Clockwork or maybe Citadel and build a much more human-appearing body to house my brain in... Maybe then Penny would... huh? What do you mean you have bad news?"

* Azuria - "For the last time NO... the Developers did not entrust me to store and protect the game servers... why do you ask?"

* Skulls Girlfriend - "NO! NOOOOOOOOoooo! I was SO CLOSE!"

* Praetorian Seer - "Whoa... didn't see that one coming..."

* Captain Mako - "Huh... looks like I picked the wrong day to become a vegetarian..."

* Lord Nemesis - "Ah! HERE's where I made the mistake... on page 4 of plot A4525D123QW3... I neglected to carry the 2..."

Added.... sighs... Maine is such a lonely place.

Well, I went out and bought a bunch of lottery tickets today which I will find out about tonight. If I win it will get me about $1.5 million every year, for the next 30 years... AFTER taxes.

The first thing I would do is get all the paper work done and the money in my account. The immediate second thing would be to PM Paragon Studios with an offer...

Of course, with my reputation around the forums, they won't believe me... so I won't mention the word "Steelclaw" until they've already signed on...

You want irony?

Issue 24 was supposed to be "Resurgence"...

I was sobbing my eyes out when I wrote Epitath, my thank you letter to the Devs and my little short play about saying goodbye to my characters. As we speak I have a roll of paper towels on the top of my printer just in case I'm stupid enough to try some MORE creative writing about the game closing.

email is Comedication@maine.rr.com

and yes... that's a fusion of Comedy and Medication... because I truly believe laughter is the best medicine.

A list? Really...? You guys are dragging me into making a list when, so far, I have successfully resisted the urge out of respect for the seriousness of what's happening...

(sighs) Ah well... to thine own self be true...

5) Costume Creator - I didn't realize how much I absolutely loved this aspect of the game until I gave a certain other super hero MMO a whirl. CoH let me create practically ANY concept I could come up with.

4) The Forums/Forumites - For a reclusive shut-in like myself, the forums presented an opportunity for socialization I would not have otherwise had. I have spent a lot of my CoH time just reading your posts, arguing with your points (by yelling at the screen mostly) and laughing my head off at your jokes. You guys are a buncha loons and I love you.

3) The expansion without Expansions - This game has Issues. For the vast majority of its existence CoH gave us new content, powers, costumes and such all for the subscription fee. When it finally DID go over to pay-for-the-privilege system it STILL offered freebies at a steady pace. Another wonderful thing about the change was that the Development team used that extra income to really step up the rate at which we were getting shiny toys to drool over in the store-front window. They didn't just slow down and swim in Scrooge McDuck's treasure pile, they worked their collective glutes off to make us feel the money we spent was worth it.

2) The Developers - Paragon Studios. You will never find a wretched hive of scum and villainy... no wait... This team was awesome in all possible meanings of the word. I've already spilled a lot of digital ink in my praises of them and they deserved every bit of it.

1) Possibilities - From the nigh-infinite combinations of archetype/powersets/costume design to being able to create/play your own missions in the Architect, this game strove to not lock you into ANYTHING. Right out of the starting gate the watchword the Devs held firmly in front of you is "Choice." Hero or Villain? What Archetype? What Origin? Powers, costumes, missions, team or solo... it was all on the table... it was all available... and it was all fun...

With regards to the game being entirely player-owned... I think we should reconsider that.

Not that we shouldn't have a voice and a hand in the rescue/revitalization, but limiting our resources at this stage of the game isn't tactically sound. One thing we need to keep in mind is that this game ALREADY EXISTS and has been proven SUCCESSFUL.

Tony V can walk into a Venture Capitalist's office and present these facts. He doesn't have to pitch an idea to them. "Hey I have this great concept for a superhero game... I'm 73% sure 32% of the gamers out there will love it!" He can simply show them the existing financials... show them the already tried and true development team set up and ready to go... slap the player petitions, testimonials, etc on their desk and say "Show me the money!"

To a Venture Capitalist this is the difference between someone saying "I need money to rebuild the car from the tire rubber to the rabbits foot hanging from the rear view" and "The car is sitting right there... it just needs a new battery..."

I will gladly contribute to fund raising when you're ready for that to start.

And, since I am retired and don't have a job to which I need attend, I can also donate my personal time for any little odd jobs that might come up. While I don't have the technical skills displayed by others in this thread, I am excellent at organization (Spreadsheets HOOOOOOO!) and written communication.

To heck with getting the IP from NCSoft.

City of Heroes is/was a wonderful game, but why spend a lot of money just for the sake of bringing back specific NPCs and locales?

Instead of spending money on purchasing pre-existing intellectual property, put ALL the cash into developing a completely NEW franchise. Let's face it, the Paragon Studios team could do it... and do it fairly easily since they're all used to working together.

Purchase/Lease a new engine to run the whole thing in... but this time they will KNOW what they need for upgrades/capabilities from what problems they've been dealing with for the past decade. With proper financial backing, the team could create a completely NEW game.

In fact... I'll submit my resume right this second for that team...

Even if they wouldn't hire me as a writer/character developer... I'd happily accept a position as QA... heck... JANITOR...

I end up thinking about the poor person who actually has to turn off the server...

With that recurring image in my mind I can't help hearing Jackson Browne's "The Load-Out/Stay" in my head... a haunting melody dedicated to the Roadies who have to tear down the stage and pack up the show after the concert is over with and the adoring fans have all gone away...

What I envision happening...

(All of us... myself and my characters standing on the dome of City Hall in Atlas Park)

D'Shan Steelclaw: Thanks for the reputation...

Me: Hey, now... I just used your last name... just tell them I'm a mentally challenged cousin or something...

Edie Wyldfire: Like he doesn't already?

(We all laugh... but it fades quickly into poignant silence.)

Mistress Monolith: It's about time, hot shot. (She embraces me with a hint of fierceness... at nearly 8 feet tall my head feels like its being smothered by two pillows but she doesn't seem to mind...) Thanks for making me tough... but not forgetting to keep me gentle...

(She passes me to Passive Aggression who wipes the tears from my cheeks... an Empath to the last)

Passive Aggression: I know you're hurting... we all are... I only wish I could heal this one... (She kisses me gently on the cheek then hugs me tight) May the gods of your world watch over your path and guide you always to the light...

Lord Gravenheart: (shaking my hand with a wry grin on his face) I may never forgive you for changing me into a hero you know...

Me: (laughing unevenly through the blockage in my throat) Ah, you were always too tragic a figure to remain a villain forever any way... I think you were always edging for redemption...

Lord Gravenheart: I thought that was YOU...

Me: Same thing, isn't it?

Guardian Edge: (Slapping me on the back so hard I nearly fall to my knees) Get over it, wuss... I swear if you cry on this shirt I'm sending you the dry cleaning bill...

Me: Ah, shuddup or I'll have Monolith toss you off the building...

Guardian Edge: Never lose it, man...

Me: Lose what? My rapier wit or my incredible good looks?

Guardian Edge: I was gonna say your delusions... but now I'm confident they'll be with you for a while yet...

(I turn to Edie Wyldfire and D'Shan Steelclaw and now the tears start pouring... trying to hold them back is no longer an option...)

Me: You two were always there... every Tournament... every deletion and restart... all of it... you two were always the constants...

D'Shan Steelclaw: Yeah, and we never did settle up on all that unpaid overtime...

Edie Wyldfire: (hugging me short and quick... uncomfortable with the emotional scene) I'm just glad you eventually learned a little fashion sense... I never did look good in spandex...

(She turns me gently towards D'Shan and the others step back respectfully)

Me: I think I'm gonna miss you most of all..

D'Shan Steelclaw: ANOTHER Wizard of Oz reference? What is it with you and that movie?

Me: Just hug me you fuzzy ba***rd...

(I'm not sure the hug can really be called "manly" considering how long it lasts... there is no back slapping... no friendly insults... just a hard clinging in these last few seconds...)

(I step back and look at them all... then down over the edge of the building..)

Me: (laughing unsteadily) I think one of you guys is going to have to fly or jump me down to the ground... I'm not sure I have the civilian resistance to injury that the native's do...

Mistress Monolith: (very softly) no... no I don't think we'll have to...

(I notice they are not looking directly at me... but rather just above my head... I look up to see the words "Quitting in..." above my head and a steady count down)

10... 9.... 8...

(And I understand something then...)

7... 6... 5...

(...THEY are not the ones leaving...)

4... 3... 2...

(I am... They will be here always...)

1...

(...fighting the good fight... carrying on... heroes to the end...)

0...

(I fade from view... they look at the spot where I was and each of them hopes the memory of me doesn't fade... they each hope I won't become like a dream to them... a memory of a memory... then they turn and leap, fly or sprint from the building top... they have their jobs to do...)

(... they have a city to save...)

Zwillinger...

Think of the song "The Load Out/Stay" by Jackson Browne in the context of what you'll likely be doing for the last few months of forum/game existence and tell me if you don't think it's appropriate...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtuvXrTz8DY

That song's been going through my head since I recovered from hearing the news.