The
City Scoop

Double XP, Double DC

By
Hertz

Vol I, Issue VI

June 22nd, 2007

Cruelty of the Week

By
Evitron

Greetings. Evitron here with the first-ever Cruelty of the Week for
all you seedy types out there. This time, I’m here to talk about Lord Recluse’s
latest insanity, concerning the massive device, ‘The Web’ (still following the
whole spider theme throughout Arachnos. Seriously, it gets old).

Lord Recluse. Now, we all know that he’s usually a few ions short
of a compound, but this time around he’s gone completely mad. Apparently he’s
planning to use a giant device called ‘the Web’ to absorb the superpowers of
everyone in the entire world, which he would then use to take in those
superpowers (How would he do that, I wonder. Would it be like a super-powered
Slurpee or something?).

Now, I know all the evil guys are out there saying- ‘But he said I
was the Destined One! Now he’s going to take my powers away?!’ Yeah, it appears
that Project: DESTINY has been effectively flushed down the drain on this one.
Why, I don’t know yet, but maybe he realized that it would cause his downfall
in the future. In any case, what we’ve been working for (for almost two years
now!) has been scrapped. I don’t know about you folks but that really ticks me
off.

Plus, there’s the fact that the capes are going to come stomping
around in OUR territory now with us being able to do anything about it. Lord
Recluse has been diverting all his troops to fight them when we could be doing
it for him (Or not, depending on your mood at the time). Even his Arachnos
Fliers are being put to more use destroying the heroes instead of patrolling
Grandville (although we are getting more reports of them in all areas of
Grandville- I even saw it once in the Infinity section).

Well, that’s enough red-side ranting for now. Remember folks, if
the cops didn’t see it, you didn’t do it.

Feral Kitty by CelticBolt

(Click for full view)

For sixty-three scheduled hours, and perhaps a few unofficial more,
players in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles enjoyed a rare bonus. From Friday,
June 15 to Sunday, June 17 very enemy, every mission, every XP and all
Influence, Infamy, and Prestige rewards were doubled.

Double XP was awarded on all eleven Live servers, which bulged at
the seams with eager players. Only the Training Room, temporarily closed for
focused testing of Issue 10, was excluded from this public event.

Freedom, the most populous server, did more than bulge with
players: it burst. Friday evening, on the first day of double XP, the surge of
players spiked Freedom into the red. Players unable to access the game reported
the outage on the forums and expressed their frustration at missing the bonus
experience.

Although it took about a day for a technical fix to Freedom’s woes
to become available, many Freedom players still managed to enjoy the fruits of
double XP.

The
lag caused by the burden on the server was “terrible in instanced missions,”
says Black Christmas (Level 31, Freedom Server). “I activated a power and it
took three seconds for it to actually be cast.”

Nevertheless, he reports he was able to play about 24-26 hours of
the 39-hour event. “I got one character from 18 to 30 during the weekend,”
Christmas said. “It was a blast.”

Robotic Wizard (50, Freedom) began his first Kheldian, a Warshade,
after Double XP Weekend enabled him to sprint 13 levels from 37 to 50. Wizard
agrees that during his twelve hours of play, lag was sometimes an issue. “But
most of the time it was okay for me,” he adds.

A
player from Taiwan, lEVEl (2, Freedom) reported, “I play in the morning, which
is prime time [in the] USA. 12 hours difference. I logged in my account and
Freedom was red. Took me 10 minutes before I could log into it.”

lEVEl said she was only able to squeeze in six hours of play on
the first day, but real-life business kept her away.

“I disconnected quite a bit and it was hard to get back on,”
Wizard said. Despite the technical difficulties on Freedom, he said, “I can’t
wait for them to do it again.”

“Hope to have another one soon,” agreed Black Christmas.

Robotic Wizard was not the only player to use Double XP Weekend to
hit 50 and create his first Kheldian. Another was brand-new Peacebringer,
Cosmic Archon (15, Champion). “For double XP, it was relatively calm,” he said.
“I use calm loosely, though.”

Demon of Shadow (33, Champion) spent about ten hours over the
weekend working on his established characters healbot29, Excessive Justice,
Certain Justice, and Death by Fire. He acknowledged that Freedom had had its
share of troubles over the weekend. Some Freedom players, seeking any kind of
XP, made their way to other servers. Shadow reports having seen some Freedom
refugees on Champion. “Mostly low-level guys in Atlas,” he said.

“Oh
yes,” said Osiris-Ka (50, Champion), who reported that he played an
unbelievable 40 hours during double XP. “Freedom was either packed or broken
down due to all the people, so it was a madhouse here for the weekend.”

Most players available for interview reported only minor
interruption in the double XP weekend due to Father’s Day, a holiday celebrated
on the third Sunday in June in the United States.

“It did interfere some,” admitted Osiris-Ka. “But I worked around
it and still had time to enjoy myself.”

Demon
of Shadow suggested the timing of Fathers Day did interfere with his gametime.
“But I still got a chance to play with my dad,” he said, adding his father also
has a City of Heroes account.

The event, the third Double XP Weekend so far, drew back returning
players from other games. “The weekend was great!” said Derus (level
unavailable, Champion). “Not only was it an excellent promotion, it gave us
another reason to play in such an imaginative world!”

Derus began playing two years ago in City of Heroes, but left to
play another game for a while. “I lost interest in World of Warcraft and am
back on Villains,” he said. Villains? “Of course! Destruction will always
overcome peace!”

Another World of Warcraft player was spotted on the Freedom
server. ZeroWolf (1, Freedom) is playing City of Heroes on a trial account. “I
am thinking about starting to pay,” he said. The double XP, ZeroWolf reports,
“helped a lot. I got one guy up to 12 and worked on two others.”

“To keep this game alive,” said Derus, “they have taken some
necessary steps like organized PVP, veteran rewards, promotional events.”

The most popular suggestion was to repeat the same event again.
“Double XP Weekend is awesome, and I wish every weekend could be like it,” said
Osiris-Ka. “Then my schedule wouldn’t interfere.”

Players had many suggestions for possible future events, including
Free Wing Recipe Giveaway Day, Double Damage Weekend, All Rare Salvage Day, and
a Debt Protection weekend. One player on Freedom even suggested an Invasion
Weekend, “where certain factions invade select cities,” he explained.

Be careful what you wish for, this reporter would have said: but
within moments, the Freedom server had disconnected. The invasion would have to
wait.

This Issue:

Opinions

• 
  SotA: Kheldians
  
• 
  Market Watch
  
• 
  Travel
  
• 
  From the X
  
• 
  POINT / COUNTERPOINT
  
• 
  The Arena PvP
  
• 
  Dear Athy
  
• 
  Horoscopes[/list]
  
  

  ---

  
  
  
  

  Behind the Mask

  
  

  Interviews with:

  
  
  
  
  • 
    KaraC
    
  • 
    Dolly Mistress
    
  • 
    S T R Y K E R
    
  • 
    Isis[/list]
    
    

    ---

    
    
    
    

    Arts and Entertainment
    

    
    
    
    
    • 
      The Week in Art
      
    • 
      Collecting Character Art
      
    • 
      Featured Collector: Katfood[/list]
      
      

      ---

      
      
      
      

      Puzzles

      
      
      
      
      • 
        Sukodu: Trainers
        
      • 
        Last Week's Answers[/list]
        
        

        ---

        
        
        
        
        
        

        Upcoming Events:

        
        
        
        

        June 23rd:

        
        

        Protector:

        
        
        
        
        • 
          Back into the Mold
          
        [/list]

        Victory:

        
        
        
        
        • 
          Quarterfield
          
        [/list]

        Virtue:

        
        
        
        
        • 
          Fight Night 67 - VIPs
          
        • 
          Heroside Hami Raid
          
        [/list]

        June 24th:

        
        

        Protector:

        
        
        
        
        • 
          Herolymics:
          Dirtwolf's Treasure Hunt
          
        [/list]

        June 25th:

        
        

        Virtue:

        
        
        
        
        • 
          Punday Night
          
        [/list]

        June 30th:

        
        

        Victory:

        
        
        
        
        • 
          Recluse's Victory -
          Villain Style
          
        [/list]

Market
& Opinions

State of the Archetype

Kheldians

by
Memphis_Bill

For those unfamiliar with the term, "Kheldians" refers to two
archetypes, the Peacebringer and Warshade, which unlock when you get a
character in City of Heroes to level 50. They are additional archetypes, each
with only one primary or secondary available. Each is tied into a level 1-50
story arc and starting contact in addition to most of the rest of the City of
Heroes content. They are known mostly for their ability to shift into forms, if
the player has chosen them - thus the references to "triform," "Bi-form," and
"Human form." They also spawn a class of enemies designed specifically to hunt
them - the Void Mercenaries and Shadow Cysts.

A few things come to mind as we look at the current state of
Kheldians.

One question that comes up frequently is - where are the
Villainside Kheldians? This comes up often enough to be addressed. As an epic
AT, requiring not just power creation and balance but a 1-50 story arc,
villainside Khelds were one of the first things put on the back burner when
more development time was given to issue 9, per an interview with Positron.
This does not mean they are canceled, however disheartening the news may be to
those waiting to play a Nictus. At the same time, we have to realize that
Kheldians will be available villainside to a minority of the playerbase - and,
just like heroside, not all those who unlock Kheldians will want to play them,
or understand a complex pair of ATs.

So, yes, you villains who do hit 50, that "Epic Archetype
Unlocked" is just a teaser... for now.

Some longstanding issues have been addressed in the last few
months - including the spontaneous shifting out of Nova or Dwarf form graphics
into Human form (and the emote hilarity that came with it.) More importantly,
the ability of a Dwarf-form Kheldian to get and maintain aggro has been fixed,
allowing Dwarves to tank more effectively. In addition, Photon Seeker AI was
tweaked not too long ago. While still not that intelligent, in my own use
they've seemed a bit better than they were. Not exceptionally better, but still
a noticeable amount.

An older bug seems to have been reintroduced, however, for those
Kheldians using empowerment stations - in Dwarf form, you will continually
cycle the "Dwarf crouch" used while teleporting or healing (White Dwarf style)
as long as the buff is on. Per Castle, they do know about this and are working
on squashing it.

As for existing bugs, the tendency for teams who have had a
Kheldian to continue spawning Void mercenaries in missions after the Kheldian
has left still exists. Aesthetically, the lack of "Kheldian eyes" while using
some Warshade powers is still an issue - though given the usual viewpoint of
the Kheldian player, not one you'd typically notice.

One of the big questions with any AT these days is "How do IOs and
IO sets affect me?" For Kheldians, especially multiform Kheldians, the answer
seems to be "very nicely, for now." It was worried that IO set bonuses would be
applicable only to the form they're in. Testing has shown this not to be the
case.

I have confirmation from _Castle_ that, while this was not what he
was told would happen, they do not consider this to be a bug - that set bonuses
working regardless of forms is, to use a phrase we all know and - in this case,
love - "Working as intended."

Kheldians, especially tri-formers, have a very wide variety of
sets to choose from. While most regular ATs are limited - say, to Defense and
Range, with a touch of Melee, or Resistance and Melee with some Healing -
Kheldians have a wide, wide variety to mix and match. With two travel powers
inherent to each (Flight and Teleport, if the forms are taken,) a third
possible in Warshades (Leaping,) and a mix of Range, Melee, Targeted AOE,
PBAOE, Stun, Hold, Immobilize, Heal - well, I'm sure you can get the picture!

This does, of course, come with the downside of making the
allocation of slots even more challenging. Picking up just one form brings not
just slots for the form toggle, but for its attacks, heals, buffs and travel. A
wise Kheldian is going to take full advantage of set listings, planning out
what they want and trying them in both hero planners and on test. It adds
another layer of complexity, if the Kheldian player so chooses.

Of course, the bi-form or (even more challenging to play)
Human-only player eases up on this slot crunch, and their experience will be
different. And the purely casual player can ignore them completely, or take
advantage of some of the nice twin-slot partial set bonuses without feeling
like they're missing much of anything (and they'd be correct.)

The people who love to play Kheldians love the challenge in the
complexity to begin with, as a general rule, and some of them will gravitate to
this extra twist and wring every extra ounce of effectiveness out of it.

It's going to be an interesting issue.

Last but not least, PVP really hasn't changed much for Khelds.
We're a small enough percentage of the playerbase to be a surprise to some
people, and performance is going to depend on builds, forms, and of course the
player. Warshades, due to their need for external enemies (living or dead) for
their buffs tend to be at a disadvantage compared to Peacebringers, but neither
one are generally seen as optimal PVP archetypes.

Not everyone "gets" Kheldians, which can of course be said for any
AT. Unfortunately, with the "Epic" title and the level 50 character
requirement, many seem to get the wrong idea about us, expecting a "God mode"
but instead facing complex build and slotting choices and enemies designed to
hurt us and hurt us badly. Some also expect them to be exact copies of some mix
of archetypes, and deign them "weak" when they try to put them against that
AT's standards. Those who are willing to accept the challenges of running a
Kheldian and are willing ot play it not as a "blaster/controller" or
"scrapper/tank/blaster" but an AT in its own right will find themselves in for
a fun run.

Protea's Market Watch

Cosmic rays stir market commotions; Crey links to Piebald raise
eyebrows

The weekend's solar event reverberated throughout Paragon City,
producing surprising results on the market in addition to their direct impact
on supers' power growth. The stimulation of metabolisms seemed to carry with it
an increased demand for power-modifying tools created from market components.

"Normally, I'd only really need 2-3 samples of Regenerating Flesh
every few days to sustain my physique," said one burly hero who chose to remain
anonymous. "But this weekend it seemed like I couldn't get enough. See my
pecs?" he continued, flexing in a decidedly unherolike display of narcissism.
"Nice, huh? I deliver quite a crushing impact, let me tell you."

Some market participants reported mental as well as physical
effects. "I knew I really shouldn't be paying those prices for Spell Ink," said
one villain. "Normally I just clobber some poor Tsoo for them. But for some
reason, I dunno, the radiation or something, it's like I got in this frenzy and
couldn't stop. Like someone's messing with my head." He regarded me
suspiciously. "If I find out it was you..."

Beating a hasty retreat, this reporter left the Rogue Isles to
pursue breaking news. Reports of stalls and discrepancies in the Wentworth's
auction machines, manufactured by Paragon City's own Piebald Systems, Inc ("We
Don't Sleep"), had led to an investigation by the city into systematic market
fraud.

Investigators wound through a series of front corporations,
offshore tax shelters, and blind trusts before reaching an astonishing
conclusion: Piebald is in fact a wholly owned subsidiary of Crey Industries!
The subpoenas of the Countess now appear to be linked directly to her
involvement in Piebald. Did the Countess deliberately tamper with the machines'
logic to her own ends? No one knows for sure, but the city has become so
alarmed that a bounty has been placed on information leading to the direct
identification of market malfunction. Private channels are open to the highest
authorities, should proof of tampering be provided.

In the meantime, the best advice this writer can give: Be careful
with your influence. Squandering it may damage not only yourself, but the
innocents who rely on you for protection.

Top sellers in both markets as of the morning of 6/21:

-
Protea

Hunting Guide to the Rikti Crash Site

by
Lemur_Lad

I was hopping around the ruins in the Crash site, and the
strangest thing happened. I [this text has been blocked under the directive
of National Security, article 342297-1c the Omega Clearance Act. Anyone with
questions should contact Vanguard Headquarters].

Editor's Note: Lemur Lad submits his work from the field most of
the time. This transmission was intercepted near its source, and all we got was
this altered version. We were then unable to contact Lemur Lad for nearly three
days. This in itself is not unusual, but when we found him, he was hanging
upside down with duct tape around his muzzle. We determined the tape wasn't his
fault, but the hanging was, that's just the kind of thing he likes.
Nonetheless, when questioned on the matter, all he would say is "Don't Ask."

POINT / COUNTERPOINT

By
Bowfling

This is the fifth in a series of point-counterpoint articles,
which will review commonly requested player suggestions, and review the pros
and cons of those suggestions.

This week’s subject – Power Selection

POINT:

There are certain advantages to increasing the flexibility in
power selection. Increasing flexibility allows players more control over the
build of their characters, allowing players more ways to avoid powers they do
not believe fit with their character’s theme, or skipping powers they find to
be less useful than others. There are numerous ways this flexibility can be
added. Allow players to select either of the first two powers of their
secondary set, or the first three in the primary set. The level restrictions
for pool powers could be lower; allowing them to be selected sooner, or the
level restrictions for all powers for that matter. Pool power prerequisites
could be removed. The biggest freeform style would be to allow players to
select any power at any level, or even any power from any set. All of these
options give players a much wider variety of power selection options, and
players being able to customize their characters to a larger degree may promote
longer subscription lengths, and also increase the compatibility of teams.

COUNTERPOINT:

But there are also certain disadvantages associated with
increasing the flexibility in power selection. Certain early powers are more
crucial to a character’s ability to solo, and being able to select team only
powers may frustrate unsuspecting players. Hide in particular could be pretty
important to a Stalker’s playability. The devs have designed the content of the
game around characters having certain powers. For instance, it has been
suggested that /regen was designed around the character having fast healing.
Most challenging to overcome may be the coding required to implement such a
change. It has been suggested that the coding change necessary to implement
choice between the first 2 powers in a secondary set would be prohibitively
labor intensive. Also, if there are certain powers that players find to be of
limited utility, it might be more efficient simply improving the utility of
those powers, instead of allowing players to bypass them. Finally, during the
beta format of the original game release, characters were allowed to select
powers much more freely, but the balancing of the game was troublesome.

Advice from the X

Welcome back boys, girls, and beings of indeterminate gender! I'm
currently swamped with truckloads of mail here in my office at the Scoop. But,
fortunately for you all, I managed to find an actual letter amongst all the
restraining orders. So, without further ado, it's time for some Advice from the
X!

"Dear LiquidX,

My sister and I just moved here to Paragon City. Although it's
kind of nice, everytime we go through Atlas Park there are Heroes standing
around dancing to boomboxes. Shouldn't they actually be out fighting crime
instead of dancing?




Sincerely,

Mirabo and Maribo"

Dear Mirabo and Maribo,




Although it may seem strange at times, it's actually a good thing that these
Heroes are taking time to get in some dancing. You see, shortly after the first
Rikti Invasion, almost the entire Hero Community was put out of commision. In
fact, as most know, only eight heroes survived without being seriously wounded
(Or outright killed). So, when Statesman put out the call for new Heroes, there
was a large influx of new untrained heroes, as well as long retired Heroes who
returned to duty in order to assist with the city's recovery.




This led to several problems that had not been as evident before, including
stress, high blood pressure, and various muscle related injuries. After several
high profile studies were done, it was discovered that dancing was actually the
most effective solution. Not only did the aerobics involved help lower blood
pressure as well as help limber up a hero, but it was also effective for
reducing stress. And studies by Doctor James K. Redding showed that Heroes who
danced for at least 15 minutes a day performed 35% better then those who
didn't.




Thanks to these findings, Heroes are actually encouraged to get in quite a bit
of dancing time in. In fact, due to the efforts of several activist groups
throughout the city, all licensed Heroes are granted Boomboxes to allow them to
get in dancing time whenever convenient. Also, a fun fact: Although Crey
Industries has tried extremely hard to get the contract for manufacturing these
Boomboxes over the past couple of years, the contract has instead been
consistantly awarded to Sinclair Industries. (A fact which Crey hasn't
forgotten.)

Ask
the X for advice!

Dear Athy

Dear Athy:

I am a Natural hero and have just reached that security level
where I need to start thinking about a mode of transportation. Don't get me
wrong, I love the service that the PTA gives all of us but it's hard to catch a
cab to get to missions. I have been looking at Image Inc. as well as Cooke's
Electronics and a few other stores that cater to Supers, just to get an idea of
what's out there. I still can't decide. I mean should I jump, run, get a flying
contraption or tap into the free telepotation system. And what of my team
mates, Super Group mates and, well my family.




Super Mom[/i]

Wow! A mom -and- a hero. Is your power juggling?



But seriously dear, as a natural hero, any means of travel is just as viable as
the next with the right gadget. Let me ask you, which do you prefer? Myself,
I'm partial to flying. But I find soaring as high as possible incredibly
relaxing.




Then again, with family matters, I might be thinking of tapping into the
teleportation network. It could really come in handy when running late to pick
up a little one from school. Just pop them home. Though they might not like
being popped wherever at a moments notice.

Send
Athy your questions!

Horoscopes

Sun is in Cancer/Defender, Moon is in Libra/Peacebringer.

Julian Day 2454274.25

Controller
– Sun conjunct Mars makes you very energetic today and in need of vigorous
exercise to properly channel it. You feel particularly independent today,
though romantic feelings towards others are on the rise. You may glean profound
insights today.


Defender
– With Venus transiting the Second House you are apt to obtain success
financially through the power of attraction. You may spend a great deal of time
interested in "beautifying" the surroundings with finances and may use the
social sphere to improve your position in the world of money-making through a
business associate or friend.


Scrapper
– Neptune opposite Mercury clouds your ability to effectively communicate with
others at this time. Dealings in business or important emotional matters should
take place only after caution and careful consideration.


Blaster
– Mars sextile Saturn is a transit when you should take the important things in
your life seriously. Don't engage in frivolous activities now, for it could
prove to be stressful or harmful.


Tanker
– With Mars transiting the Fourth House, you may tend to quarrel with SG mates.
This is a good time to try to foster a sense of togetherness and "team play"
among SG members, and you should try hard at this time to squelch the desire to
do everything "by yourself".



Peacebringer – Mercury square Sun indicates you will be
extremely busy today. There may be many instances when you'll have to supply a
solution to a particular problem. Be prepared to work hard today!


Warshade
– Mars conjunct Mars infuses great energy into your ego and body. Physical
exercise (like sports) is a good outlet for it. A good workout will enable you
to overcome the irritability and restlessness that this transit brings.


Brute
– Jupiter opposite Saturn may create many conflicts. Your restless nature may
make you strike out for more "freedom" in your relations with friends and VG
mates, so try to loosen up now and not take everything so seriously.


Mastermind
– Pluto opposite Saturn marks a time when rapid and unexpected changes may
affect all spheres of your life. People and things you counted on may no longer
be so close to your reach.


Corruptor
– Uranus square Mercury instills you with mental quickness. Sudden
correspondence with a "long-lost" friend may occur. Expect the unexpected
today.

Dominator
– Neptune transiting the Tenth House marks a time when you may base many
business decisions on "hunches" or "gut" feelings. It's a good idea during this
transit to check all your facts and listen to the advice of others before
acting on your "hunch".


Stalker
– Mercury transiting the Seventh House increases your tendency to partake in
working partnerships or group activities. Mental stimulation from others is key
for you right now, and it's a good idea to make every effort to cooperate and
compromise with others

Horoscopes provided by
Lady Athyna

Newbie PvP Night!

By
Dumok

Players curious about PvP got their first taste of it on Tuesday
night thanks to “Newbie PvP Night” on the Liberty Server.

Every Tuesday night, you can find heroes and villains alike in
Pocket D enjoying “kickball” style pvp matches. Kickball is where team captains
are chosen and then take turns picking teammates until everyone is on a team.

Starting around 8pm CST, “Newbie Night” goes until everyone quits
for the night. Some show up later and others leave early so the mix of Heroes
and Villains is constantly changing, making for some interesting matches.

The hosts of “Newbie PvP Night” Iron Sites and Shirai Ryu agreed
to sit down for a short interview before kicking off the fun this past Tuesday.
Here’s what they had to say.

Dumok: “What is “Newbie PvP Night”?”

Iron Sites: “It’s a chance for new people interested in PvPing to
have a fighting chance when starting out. An opportunity to learn…..like
myself.

Shirai Ryu: “It’s also not along SG lines as much and everyone is
equal. We try to get a few vets to come and help out and keep the teams even.”

Dumok: “How long has “Newbie Night” been going on?”

Shirai Ryu: “Not exactly sure, somewhere around halfway thru Issue
8.”

Iron Sites: “Sounds about right.”

Dumok: “How is the turnout usually?”

Shirai Ryu: “Pretty good. Usually starts slow but momentum picks
up as the evening progresses. Usually end up with anywhere from 14-20 players
by the end of the night.

Dumok: “I’ve read the responses on the Liberty forums about Newbie
Night and they are all positive. Sounds like everyone has fun.”

Shirai Ryu: “WE have, that’s for sure!

Dumok: “Looks like people are getting anxious about starting so we
better wrap this up. Anything you’d like to say in closing?”

Shirai Ryu: “I really enjoy it; it gives the less experienced
player a chance to play on a more even footing than they would normally have.
We’ve been lucky and had good turnouts, really makes for a fun night. The PvP
Supergroups here have been very cooperative and we couldn’t do this without
their support.”

Iron Sites: “I’d also like to thank all the PvP Supergroups on the
server for their help and participation and add that I encourage more people to
try it!”

This latest Newbie Night had close to 30 players in attendance at
one point in the evening.

Some of the Super/Villain groups represented by players this past
Tuesday’s Newbie Night were Whirligig, Velocity, Black Plague, The Association,
Law Bringers, The INJUSTICE Friends, H.A.V.E.N. and MDK to name a few.

One of the more memorable moments of the night was watching Lord
Nefarious, a Necromancy/Poison Mastermind engaged in a pitched battle against
Aggro Bait, a Fire/Ice Tanker and Shirai Ryu with his Martial Arts/Regeneration
Scrapper.

Read
“Newbie PvP Nights!” on the Liberty forums for more about the next fun
night of PvP.

Behind
the Mask

Interviews by
Teldon

Back
to front page

KaraC

Champion Server

What is your home server and why did you end up picking it as your
home server?

Champion is my home server. I originally started on Liberty but
switched to Champion when my real life friends stopped playing there. I was
attracted to Champion's community and constant events.

Where do you live?

Lately, I’ve been living in Founder’s Falls. When I don’t splurge
on Inventions, I can just make rent on a small studio. Otherwise, I hang out
under the bridges there keeping an eye on the Circle of Thorns. My
mild-mannered alter ego lives Boston, MA; couple hours north of Paragon City.

What else do you like to do in your free time besides play CoX?

Reading, other games (Eternal Darkness, Final Fantasy VI Advance,
Hotel Dusk), Roleplaying (Dungeons & Dragons, etc)

What are your favorite movies?

The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Shrek(s), Serenity, The Incredibles

What are your favorite Books and authors?

Neil Gaiman (Good Omens), David Eddings (The Belgariad/Mallorean),
Michael Terracciano aka Mookie (Dominic Deegan webcomic), Phil Foglio (Girl
Genius webcomic)

What TV shows do you like to watch?

I don’t watch much TV. I’ve replaced my TV watching time after
work with CoX. What TV I do watch is all on DVD… Monk, Firefly, Futurama

Do you have any pets?

Not currently. I had two ferrets I adopted at 8 months old that I
had until they passed away – Nibbles Anne (the great huntress) and Trouble (the
mountain climbing wonder ferret). I created two heroes based on them: Cinnamon
Ferret (fire/fire blaster) and Weazel Wardance (mind/emp controller)

How did you get drawn to this game?

My friend, Dave, started playing this game at The Beginning™ as it
was one of the few games that would run on his computer. He convinced a bunch
of us at college to join him and form a supergroup based on our real selves –
The Protectors of the Greater Lowell Area on Liberty.

What is your favorite aspect of the game?

Yes? I love that I can log in after work for a couple hours and
feel like I accomplished something. I love the exemplar/sidekick system for
when a new friend joins or my partner either outlevels me or switches
characters (again), or I have to work a lot and everyone outlevels me. I love
the sheer goofiness of the game – all the references. I love the story lines.
But most of all, I love the people.

Who is your namesake character and what are they?

Super-Kara is a kinetic/electric defender on Champion. She also
exists on Liberty (without the hyphen) as a Fire/Electric blaster. She’s based
on me – whenever I’ve been told that I cannot do something because it is beyond
my physical or mental limitations, my response has always been “But, I am
Super-Kara!” complete with superhero hands on hips pose. The same holds true
when I become too frustrated – anything is possible, but sometimes you need to
step back and think of a way it would be possible for you to do. Invoking your
super-side helps with that. (For instance, I could never go to concerts because
the smoke would upset my asthma too much. Instead of just giving up, I did some
research and found a carbon filter mask that would allow me to go out without
having an asthma attack!) Naturally, when I started playing a superhero, I had
to create her! Villain side, I created Evil Kara (Fire/Kinetics Corrupter).
She’s what happens when girls are told one too many times they aren’t smart
enough to do something (because they are a girl), and when nice people are
constantly treated badly in response to being nice.

Which of all the archetypes and powersets would you say is your
favorite?

I love Defenders and Corrupters. In all the years that I played, I
never tried kinetics before. Now that I have, I’m hooked.

Your least favorites?

I tend to steer away from melee characters… Tankers, scrappers.
Casting is more my style.

What would you say is your greatest strength in the game?

The first 5 deaths are free. No, really. Its just a game, and
there is nothing here to get bent out of shape over.

Your greatest weakness in the game?

I’m always the last person to the mission. You have been warned.

And no, I don’t know how I managed to get lost in that parking garage.
>.

What zone is your favorite?

Talos, its so fast to get anywhere there.

What is your favorite Storyline in the game?

Croatoa.

What one feature would you like to see added to the game?

The ability to turn off graphic effects (sparkles, glows, power
effects) for slower computers to cut down on the lag.

What advice do you have for any new players to the game?

Take your time, don’t rush – it’s the journey that matters, not
the destination. Stop and read the story arch text. Don’t join the first SG
invite you get (especially if its blind). Ask to group with members of various
super groups and see if you like them. Check out their policies and see if they
correspond to what you are looking for.

Any closing comments?

Beware the Penguins!

http://[img]http://img.photobucket.c....jpg[/img]

The Gift by
Graver

(Click for full view)

Dolly
Mistress

Champion Server

What
is your home server and why did you end up picking it as your home server?

Champion! It took some effort to get there though. I originally
bought the European copy of the game, because a friend in the USA wanted me to
come try it out. we were annoyed that her server (Champion) wasn't available to
me, but luckily I managed to convince a GM to give me a US account in exchange
for closing the Euro account.

Where do you live?

In the UK.

What else do you like to do in your free time besides play CoX?

Paint and illustrate stories, and promise myself that I will
eventually get around to taking a break from CoX so I can complete all those
half-finished console games form last year.

What are your favorite movies?

The Empire Strikes back is fun, and I've always had a soft spot
for Transformers the Movie. For something not totally silly I'd recommend the
Kenneth Brannagh Hamlet too

What are your favorite Books and authors?

For a long while when I was younger I thought Dracula was the
greatest story ever. More recently, I read Small Gods by Terry Prachett, which
was amazing. I also followed the entire "New Jedi Order" arc of the Star Wars
novels, becuase they were actually half-decent, and above all Neil Gaiman's
stories (especially Stardust) are a big part of my top 10.

What TV shows do you like to watch?

I'm too busy levelling for TV!

Well, not quite. Someone forced me to watch all of Firefly about a
month ago and that was fun. Scrubs is the only thing I will stop playing for
though.

How did you get drawn to this game?

I had a copy of the game since launch date, because I wanted the
special CoX Heroclix figures inside. Then a friend suggested I actually try
playing it, so I bought a computer powerful enough to run it and found myself
working for Kalinda.

What is your favorite aspect of the game?

Storylines! New interesting missions with souvenirs to collect. I
have a lot of respect for players who progress slowly through the game so they
can absorb all the detail of the content instead of rushing to 50.

Who is your namesake character and what are they?

Despite having about 12 alts, I still only really have one
character - Jadegirl/Dollmistress. I never actually wanted to "roll" any alts
at all, but when I joined the Faux Pas (my Supergroup) it was necessary to
create different characters to play with other members at vaarious levels and
collect Prestige. Still, all the alts are just clones, robot replicas, and
alternate-universe versions of Dollmistress herself, so really I haven't
created any other characters except her.

Which of all the archtypes and powersets would you say is your
favorite?

Oooh there are great powers in so many of them! I really like
Kheldians, and hope they appear villainside one day soon. I make character
choices based on concepts and fun, rather than effectiveness (you'd never catch
me in Sirens Call with an EM/SR Stalker, zipping around with superspeed) and so
in my opinion the most fun AT is defintely Dominator. Seeing the "Dom team" at
the Test Server villain Hamidon raid really captured how weird and wonderful
and diverse all the Dominators are - definitely a roleplayer's choice. Of all
the Dominator powersets, I'd have to say Mind/Psi is my favourite.

Outside of Dominators, I've never grown bored with my Electric
Brute's Lightning Rod, or the Robots and ENORMOUS Force Bubble on my
Mastermind.

Your least favorites?

I haven't really been able to have much fun with the Corruptor
Energy Blast powerset. Assault Rifle also feels a little dull, but the Flamer
makes up for it somewhat. Of all the ATs, Stalkers are my least favourite since
they are utterly rigid and there is only one way to play them. Also like many
players, Sonic Resonance makes me feel queasy!

Do you prefer Heroside or villain side?

There is a Heroside?

Seriously though, I spend 99% of my time villainside. My
Supergroups and bases need maintenance, and now with Issue 9 requiring huge
investments of time/infamy to collect the best IO sets, I have almost no time
to work on my poor neglected Kheldians. I only have 1 level 50 Hero, compared
to 5 level 50 Villains. I know that recently the villainside population has
fallen significantly, but I suspect this is because a lot of older players who
had Heroes first are working on slotting IOs in their good guys before coming
back to work on their baddies. Personally I'm the opposite - the only time I
would usually log on my Hero was when a Hami Raid occurred, and sadly the new
Hami is smelly and no one wants to fight him or stage dramas anymore.

What would you say is your greatest strength in the game?

General knowledge of the storylines and background gathered from
completing every mission in the game and reading everything properly instead of
just skimming through for XP! I like helping peeps who need questions answered
or facts explained.

What zone is your favorite?

Mercy Island feels like home, and my "Captain" Ghost Widow lives
there. It's amusing (in a power-trip sort of way) to revisit sometimes and
swoop down to rescue level 2 villains who were about to be killed by an ambush
of level 5 snakes, then show them a tour of Grandville just for fun. However,
now that the Flyer has been really really really fixed, Grandville is competing
with Mercy as my fave. I also feel sorry for St. Martial, since for months it
was the "top zone" and it has a lot of interesting features (the Giza, Circus,
etc) that a lot of new players miss out on.

What is your favorite Storyline in the game?

I love the Kelly Uqua arc, it's very well written and feels like a
true story. I spent a lot of time exploring the unlockable contacts - there is
a goldmine of fun content within them that so many villains fail to experience.
Most people simply don't believe it when you explain you can take on Back Alley
Brawler and Mynx as early as level 30. Oh, and I love the Vivacious Verandi arc
right up until Hardcase calls you over and ruins all the fun. I hate that guy,
his turnaround of Vivacious is worse than being forced to betray your patron
(which I also seriously dislike).

What one feature would you like to see added to the game?

Villain Epic Archetypes! Anything will do, I don't care if they
just give us recoloured/renamed Kheldians, I just want the two factions to be
even and the ability to make a "final" alt that can bring the Dollmistress
storyline to a close.

What advice do you have for any new players to the game?

Don't get swept up into powergaming or rushing through content!
The arguments of forum visitors and min-maxing of elitist players form only a
small minority of the playerbase, and often lose sight of the real fun of the
game. I am very glad that I was ignorant of the wider server community when I
played through my first villain, and I miss the days when I used to suspend
disbelief a lot more and treat a fight with "Archon Rossi" like a serious
showdown instead of just another "quick paper mish" for a Pool B recipe

Any closing comments?

I really hope that the next few issues focus on story and drive
the game forwards through time. As someone who joined around the time CoV
launched, I've read about but never really experienced true server-wide events
(like the destruction of the Fifth-Column or the time when everyone was chased
around by giant eyeballs). It would be awesome to log on in Issue 10 and find
Atlas Park and Grandville in ruins, with Rikti running around all over the
place. The half-built "launch site" in Port Oakes and Issue 19 of the comic
suggest very big things on the horizon, and I am hoping the game is about to
get even more exciting! Tee hee!

S
T R Y K E R

Champion Server

What
is your home server and why did you end up picking it as your home server?

Champion server and I picked it randomly

Where do you live?

Phoenix, AZ

What else do you like to do in your free time besides play CoX?

Pumpkin Pie and time with my kids

What are your favorite movies?

Office space (Hands down the best damned movie ever made!)

What are your favorite Books and authors?

Dragon Wing (The Death Gate Cycle). Magaret Weis is wonderful at
envoking your attention and keeping you interested.

What TV shows do you like to watch?

24, Star Trek stuff, The History Channel

Do you have any pets?

Black Lab and two cats that will end up missing someday when the
chance arrives.

How did you get drawn to this game?

The people, pure and simple. I have met many wonderful gamers who
enjoy and help one another here. I enjoy thier company and hope to help as many
as i can when i get the chance to everyday when i log in.

What is your favorite aspect of the game?

The near endless possibilities in character combos

Who is your namesake character and what are they?

Lord Stryker (Elec/Elec/Nrg) Blaster/ Nothing like electric Death
to get your blood pumping.

Which of all the archtypes and powersets would you say is your
favorite?

Tanks & Controllers. It's really a draw.... i love herding..
but i hate it when a controller doesn't know how to wait for the herd to get
under control before spamming immobilizes. And I hate it when a tank can not
herd correctly and loses aggro before i can get my group holds off.... ying and
yang i guess.

Your least favorites?

Anything CoV. It just does not interest me in any way.

Do you prefer Heroside or villain side?

Heroes.... end of sory!!!

What would you say is your greatest strength in the game?

Delegational skill. I am a networker. My SG is a tribute to that
skill. I believe in Leaders training leaders. I do not micro manage... I give a
person a task and I am continually amazed at how they come up with a solution
to the task before them. That is the true meaning of leadership IMO.

What zone is your favorite?

Steel Canyon... i think it was designed wonderfully and when i get
bored i take my blaster and go flying around there to burn some time and get
some good screenshots.

What is your favorite Storyline in the game?

Dr. Vahzilok or Meistro it's a real tie between the two IMO.

What one feature would you like to see added to the game?

I would love to see fitness become default on all characters to
open up more attack options in our builds. I would also like to see limitations
as to the set bonuses IO's can give you. Say like only 4 set bonuses MAX on any
toon. It would force you to really pick and choose your strenghts instead of
the uberness going around now... it's almost as bad as before they nerfed regen
scrappers back in the day IMO.

What advice do you have for any new players to the game?

Play the game the way YOU want to play the game. Learn all you can
about new AT's so you can be a smart player.

Any closing comments?

Everything is Harpers fault

Don't feed the mexican

Moms Panties are awesome

Frosty is a confused individual

Rum FTW

Never trust Gnomes...




Keep your Eyes on the Prize!!!

Isis

Champion Server

What is your home server and why did you end up picking it as your
home server?

Originally, I started on Pinnacle, actually. Champion eventually
became my "home" server upon developing a super group over there sometime in i2
I think.

Where do you live?

Dayton, Ohio

What else do you like to do in your free time besides play CoX?

I have free time? I like to travel, I tend to go to Chicago on a
whim fairly frequently. In town I tend to bar/club hop on the weekends or run
around with friends.

What are your favorite movies?

Legend, Edward Scissorhands, Photon: The Idiot Adventure

What are your favorite Books and authors?

I tend to go for sci fi/fantasy novels.

What TV shows do you like to watch?

I don't watch TV much. I tend to watch adult swim or bravo when I
do.

Do you have any pets?

A "ghetto tuxedo" cat named Sascha... he couldn't afford a suit
that fit.

How did you get drawn to this game?

Some friends had gotten into the beta and were like hey, come
check this out! I spent an hour or few playing with the costume creator... The
rest, as they say, is history.

What is your favorite aspect of the game?

At this point, the people I play with, followed very closely by
the costume generator.

Who is your namesake character and what are they?

Actually, I don't have a namesake for my global *or* my forum
name!

Which of all the archtypes and powersets would you say is your
favorite?

Controllers are my favorite AT overall. Right now my favorite set,
however, has got to be a kinetics/electric defender.

Your least favorites?

I've never been able to get into claws.

Do you prefer Heroside or villain side?

heroside, but that's in part due to the fact that villainside
makes my poor little laptop cry.

What would you say is your greatest strength in the game?

crazy tactics that somehow end up working

Your greatest weakness in the game?

crazy tactics that fabulously blow up in my face

What zone is your favorite?

rikti crash site, it's so quiet... and peaceful

What is your favorite Storyline in the game?

I like the puppies arch.

What one feature would you like to see added to the game?

making SG rosters global capable

What advice do you have for any new players to the game?

Resistance is futile! You will be assimilated!

Arts
and Entertainment

Back
to front page

The Week in Art

By
Thor's Assassin

This week we have some more great creations by our very own and
very talented artists from the coh boards. Art pours in everyday and more then
can be linked up to in just this small section so if you have some time, make
sure and stop by to say hi! We love to see new faces!

Dark
Kerse WIP by Blood_Wolffe - Blood_Wolffe is at it again and has the
inks down for her DK piece.




Kilotonnage Colored WIP by Grave_Enigma - Grave is still working on
this piece for Kilotonage and it's really turning out awesome!





Quick Sketch by TelMegiddo - A new face on the fanart forums and a
welcomed addition to the talent we have! Heres a quick sketch of one of his
heroes.




3D Rikti by 8baller - 8 tries his hand at 3D and is impressive with it
as well!





Invincibelle by Isutiri - Heres something Isutiri cooked up for
Buckeyestar for his birthday! Happy birthday brother!

There ya have my top 5 for the week! Thanks for watching and as
always suggestions and crits always welcome! Keep the art coming guys and gals!

Bayani is back this week with his second installment for his CCA in
depth overview! This week it's all about conventions and what to do if you're
planning on commissioning an artist at a convention! Lets find out what he has
to say:

CCA:

Conventions

Written by
Bayani

Comic Book Conventions grow bigger every year and almost every convention has a
section called Artists' Alley, where semi-professionals and professionals hawk
their goods. A convention is the perfect place to score art for several
reasons. One, the artists hit conventions to make a little extra money, so on
some level they are looking for work. Two, it is harder to say “no” in person.
Three, art obtained at conventions tend to cost less. The downside is that
conventions get incredibly busy and artists will turn down requests once they
hit their limits. Here are some tips to stay ahead of the pack.

First impressions go a long way: be presentable. While conventions are casual,
few people want to work for a slob, so take a shower and put on some clean
clothes. Check out convention websites and scout the Artists’ Alley list.
Google the names you see there and check out any information you turn up. Have
a solid idea of who you'd like to commission in advance. In addition, be sure
to get to Alley early on the first day, when the convention is least busy.
Chances are, only some of the artists will be available at that time so use
that to your advantage. If an artist you *really* want to commission arrives
during the busier times, you can wait in line without losing out on other
artists. Lastly, when you meet the artist, small talk makes a difference so use
that web research and above all else, be friendly and polite even if the artist
is a tad on the cantankerous side. You will be running into the artists several
times over the next few days both in and out of the convention.

Sales in Artists’ Alley are cash only and prices will vary, but be ready to
spend anywhere between $25 and $250 depending on the medium, how much detail
you want, and how the artist values his/her time. Convention pieces are limited
to single full-figured sketches or
headshots due to time. As far as mediums go,
pencils and
inked works are the most common, though there are some artists who will
offer colored work done in
marker or
watercolor.

I highly recommend that you pay the artist only after the work is completed.
Conventions have alot of distractions and most artists never finish their
entire queue before the end. Do not worry if the artist could not start your
piece. If you established a good rapport with him or her, ask the artist to
finish your commission at home and mail it to you. Most artists do their best
work at home or in their studios. This may be risky because payment is required
up front so exchange contact information, particularly email addresses and
phone numbers. Good communication is key. Not only will it help ensure that you
get your art in a timely manner, it may lead to some great opportunities as
well.

Next Installment: Networking.

Thanks again for doing this great series Bayani! Very informative!
We'll see ya next week for Networking!

Featured Collector

Katfood

Interview by
Thor's Assassin

Welcome to the collectors feature this week folks. This week we
have Katfood from the Justice server and leader of the Tempest Legion. Kat has
managed to aquire quite an impressive collection over the years and i took some
time to sit down and ask her a few questions, heres what she had to say:

Heya Kat thanks for the time! I've noticed you moved your
collection to DA and was wondering if you've managed to get the whole
collection in there yet?

Yep, it was a lot of work, but I managed to move pretty much my
whole collection over to DA. It took me a couple weeks to finish, but it really
is so much easier to use then the old forum format I had everything stored in
on our SG website.

What
was the source of inspiration for you to start collecting fanart?

I am a long time CoH forum member, and I had always enjoyed seeing
the artwork people posted of their heroes. I believe it was a posting of a
piece by Jomaro Kindred and a link to his sight that kind of got me started. At
that time there weren't any huge collectors of CoH artwork like their are
today...then I got a couple pieces from CelticBolt...and it all kind of
snowballed from there.

Whats your top four favorite pieces in your gallery?

That is so hard to say. I have so many pieces that I like. I am
really thankful to have recieved many gift pieces as well as commissions. I
don't think I could pick just four.

Who's one artist you wish you could get a piece from?

There are several newer artists that I would still like to get
pieces from! I would really like to get a piece from David Nakayama.

What do you look for when thinking about a new piece?

I don't look for any one thing. I look for an artist who's style I
enjoy. I like to try and contact an artist and talk with them a bit first.

How do you come up with idea's for new pieces?

I don't like to tell an artist what to make. I sometimes have an
idea for a piece but I usually want to talk to them and see what they could do
with the idea. Sometimes I get ideas from other pieces, or from movie posters
or game screenshots. Most of the pieces I have were entirely the creations and
ideas of the artists.

Is there a gallery you look at to get ideas for new artists?

I brouse lots other people's galleries. Usually I am looking at the
style rather then the content.

Who's
your favorite artist?

Oh, wow...another really tough one. I have so many I love. I
suppose Jomaro and McKinney would both have to be at the top of the list...with
about 10 others! I have some great stuff from Battlewraith, Tic Toc, Graver,
Juggertha. OK, I just can't do it.

Anything in the works?

Not at the moment.

Is there a biography for Feral Kat and Feral Kitty somewhere that
we could read?

Nope, artists sometimes ask for that sort of thing...and I like
that they want to know something more about the characters they are doing.
However, I have never sat down and written any kind of real biography. I
probably should!

Finally, any advice for the beginning collector out there?

Start slow. Don't over due it. Talk to the artists! If you are
getting a commission, make sure you know what you are getting! If it is a gift
piece, always be polite and grateful with the artist for sharing their time and
skill.

Perfect! Thanks alot for the time Kat! Since ya couldn't pick four
I'll just browse your gallery and do it for ya! lol. Keep up the great gallery
and remember to share the new ones with us!

Puzzles
and Games

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to front page

Sudoku - Trainers!

Submitted by: Flareback

Last Week's Hero's Quiz Answers:

1.
Independence Port

2. 288.4 feet. If you guessed between 263.4 and 313.4 feet, you got it right!
(Gathered by taking /loc readings.)

3.
Georgia Reynolds (aka Nimbus) and
Cassiopeia

4. The
Spirit of Freedom

5.
Statesman's cape

6. Issue
2

7.
Brighid Moreira, and
J. Smith is the Supergroup Registrar

8. In order: Magic, Technology, Mutant, Science, and Natural.

9. Infected

10. (Susan and Rick) Davies



BONUS. Agent
Wallace