The City Scoop! June 29, 2007
Advice | ||
State of the ArchetypeControllers | In my Humble OpinionOver the years, several law makers have attempted to make the Some of our fellow heroes have it harder than others. While we
I had and opertunity to sit down with several heroes, on both side CRUELTY OF THE WEEKHey, everyone, it's time for the next Cruelty of the Week. This You know what? The Rogue Isles are perhaps the best thing to Talk to your travel agent, today! Evitron | HoroscopesSun is in Cancer/Defender, Moon is in Sagittarius/Corrupter moving Julian Day 2454281.25 HeroscopesController VillainscopesBrute Sun is in the sky... so is the Moon... Julian Day 2454281.25... What the... what is a Julian Day? Oh what do we have here... VillainscopesBrute HeroscopesController
On the Side"NutriPaste? This is what I let Arachnos break me out for!? This is Power Breaker As a food critic, nutritionist, and a hero I was very concerned |
| The Six Million Influence ... AsteriskBuilt with InventionsSo there I was, your intrepid reporter, attending a press "At 4 am this morning, fair citizens," Snark began in airy tones, "Don't you mean coma?" I blurted, then reddened as the crowd Snark fumbled with his notes. "'s what it says..." he mumbled, but He swept his arm grandly. "And that's where Snark Industries can "Actually," a voice interrupted, "I don't think I need that much." Snark jerked: the voice had come from behind him. Up beside the "Aggrovac!" Snark gasped. "You've recovered from your, er, coma!" "Comma," Aggrovac corrected, blithely displacing Snark at the "An asterisk?" I couldn't help but prompt him/her/it, scribbling "I was once part of a footnote in a contract," Aggrovac "Yes, well." Snark tried for the microphone, but the pulsing "Yes, about that," Aggrovac's look darkened, though I'm at a loss "I will rebuild," Aggrovac continued. "I will become better, "You think you can rebuild for just that much?" I asked, "I was in bad shape, it's true," Aggrovac admitted. "My colon had "Aha," Snark made one last attempt to rescue the situation. "Three days." "There's just no -" "Three days," Aggrovac insisted. "That's the deadline." He got an "So you're going to take - what, just 6M inf, and 3 days?" Even "That's right," Aggrovac said emphatically. "6M inf, 3 days.
- Protea |
The | ||
Base Raid!Sunday night 6-24-2007 saw two of Liberty's largest Villain The ensuing battle raged back and forth for the better part of an After thwarting the attack, The Association decided to retaliate Unfortunately for The Association, The Mythos was not as beaten as The night ended with neither villain group making much headway After the raids The Association's leader Dosk had this to say. Dosk: "It was fun and all but really showed the flaws in the base Dosk's frustration was also shared by members of both villain | Justice League: Semi-Finals!It started with a simple registration thread on the forums. Once everyone who was interested posted, the organizers for the The results were eight teams consisting of 5 players each which Rules were kept as simple as possible. After 2 weeks of battles, the top 2 point earners in each division Semi Final Match #1 Semi Final Match #2 Congratulations Team Bacon! The semi-finals are still ongoing this week. Coverage will be For more information, visit the | Villain Pentad - Test ServerComing to the Test Server on July 7th is the Villain Pentad, hosted The event is scheduled for 5:00 EST, 2:00 PST. All attendees must Vengeance is illegal, along with any inspiration above Tier 1's. Solo entrees are welcome, as teams may be formed on Test server. Pentads are known to be one of the most competative formats with To access the Test server, please look at this thread. Test |
| |||
PerilXVictory ServerWhat is your home server and why did you end up picking it as your My home server is Victory. I actually ended up starting on Victory Where do you live? I live in a Southern California city called Upland. It's in the What else do you like to do in your free time besides play CoX? I'm a gamer at heart, so naturally, I play a lot of games. Well What are your favorite movies? I love well directed films. Not films with cult followings just What are your favorite Books and authors? I don't generally read too much. Novels that is. I read comics What TV shows do you like to watch? I don't watch much scheduled television mainly because I always Do you have any pets? Yeah, I have this really stupid terrier/chihuahua mix dog. All he How did you get drawn to this game? The thought of playing a villain is what initially brought me in. What is your favorite aspect of the game? Player versus Player. It's why I still play. I enjoy the strategy Who is your namesake character and what are they? perilAXE was my original character, a play off of the Green Which of all the archetypes and powersets would you say is your I am in love with thermal corruptors. Corruptors in general are my Your least favorites? Controllers. I could just never get the hang of them. In PvE I can Do you prefer Hero side or villain side? Honestly, villains. Sure heroes are far superior in team play but What would you say is your greatest strength in the game? The ability to read players movements and actions before they make Your greatest weakness in the game? The lack of telepathy. Sure reading people is easy at times, but What zone is your favorite? Recluses Victory. It's where villains are at their worst What is your favorite Storyline in the game? Hrmmm, I would have to say the Ice Mistral strike force. It gets What one feature would you like to see added to the game? More PvP. The current state of PvP is very poor and a greater What advice do you have for any new players to the game? Don't cross my path lol. No, it's just to have fun and do what you | PsomaInfinity ServerWhat is your home server and why did you end up picking it as your Infinity. I don't remember exactly why I picked it; I didn't Where do you live? Roanoke, VA. I've always lived in VA, and I love it. However, I What else do you like to do in your free time besides play CoX? I spend a lot of time with my family and a close circle of What are your favorite movies? I'm all over the map with movies. I love anything that keeps me What are your favorite Books and authors? Wow. I wanted to be a writer and teach literature when I first What TV shows do you like to watch? I'm not into TV as much as I once was. The only regular shows I Do you have any pets? We have an outdoor cat, but we're really more into dogs. We had a How did you get drawn to this game? We thought it looked like a good idea for a game and figured it What is your favorite aspect of the game? I'm definitely still around for two reasons: PvP and social ties. Who is your namesake character and what are they? Psoma is the only hero I play. She's a Mind/Emp. I have a L50 Which of all the archetypes and powersets would you say is your I've never had a desire to roll alts, so my opinion is a little Your least favorites? I can't think of a build that I think has zero potential, and I Do you prefer Heroside or villain side? I'm only evil when I'm TK'ing someone for the length of a PvP What would you say is your greatest strength in the game? In-game...probably thinking ahead when I'm handing out buffs, but Your greatest weakness in the game? Trying to save everyone isn't always the best thing to do, but What zone is your favorite? At this point, it must be a PvP zone. I suppose I like RV better What is your favorite Storyline in the game? I'm excited about I10 because the whole Rikti thing was my What one feature would you like to see added to the game? I'd just like to see the devs devote their time to fixing What advice do you have for any new players to the game? Read the boards and get involved. I think that being involved with Any closing comments? I love being involved with the community, especially Infinity. |
Here is the latest edition of "The City Scoop," a publication by Supers for Supers.
This has been the 7th weekly edition in a row, and I for one am very impressed with the outcome of this project.
Also new this week, printer friendlier versions of this Issue are available for the first time by sending an email to our automated service at CityScoop7@the-swarm.org.
Discussion and feedback for this week's edition of "The City Scoop" is located here.
Also if you are interested in making a contribution to "The City Scoop" please PM Hertz or Marcian_Tobay.
The City Scoop
Behind the War Walls
Vol I, Issue VII
June 29th, 2007
This Issue:
Advice
SotA: Controllers
In My Humble Opinion
Horoscopes
On the Side
The Six Million Influence *
Dear Athy
From the X
Arena
Base Raid!
Justice League: Semi-Finals
Villain Pentad
Behind the Mask
PerilX
Psoma
Puzzles & Games
The City Scoop Staff
Editors-in-Chief
Tobay
Lemur
Lad - Assistant
Editors
Teldon
- Behind the Mask
LadyK
- Food and Restaurant, Classifieds
Protea
- Business and Market
Thors
Assassin - Arts and Entertainment
Mantid
- Layout
Snow
Globe - Puzzles
Advice
Athyna
PvP Correspondents
Additional Staff
Dark
Perfect
Amazing
The City Scoop is always seeking comments, suggestions, and
articles from our readers. Just send them to the corresponding department or
one of our Editors-in-Chief.
To be e-mailed a printer friendly copy of this edition, send a
blank e-mail to: CityScoop7@the-swarm.org
(This is an automated service, no emails will be read)
The Issue 10 Closed beta test.
By
Lemur Lad
I was standing in Steel Canyon and snapping a few pictures of
Positron when it happened. The atmosphere got heavy like right before a storm,
and the ubiquitous blue glow of the war walls faded in an hissing sizzle. The
Alert came over the wire just as the sirens began to sound through the streets.
They'd picked this moment to attack again. The way they use demoralizing fear
tactics like carpet bombing and hit and run raids that target supers is the
worst part of this war. I tighten the straps on my armor. I hate the static
discharge of their weaponry, it makes my hair stand up for hours, but the
Vanguard gear helps. Just a few moments more before the first Drop Ships make
their pass. It's up to me to stop any Unexploded Bombs. Barely enough time to
wonder, if they're softening us up, what are they softening us up for?
Things have been moving fast for the launch of Issue 10: Invasion.
The closed period of the beta test was only two weeks long, and three of those
days extended over the double experience weekend. The changes came fast,
furious, and sometimes jaw dropping. A lot of focus and concern has been put
into the War Zone Pylon Game, the Invasion zone events, and the missions of the
new story arcs. A lot of input was asked for and given, a lot of changes made,
and a lot more still in store. There are still some important bugs out there to
stomp, but here's a short rundown of how things improved over the course of the
two weeks.
The missions were the testers' first assigned goal. Story arcs
from four contacts, a repeating mission contact, and the Task Force contact all
needed to be run. The biggest portion of show stopping bugs came in the Lady
Grey Task force. With one mission all but impossible for several days. The
missions are the area with the largest remaining complement of bugs: NPC
behavior, mission goals that are still broken, and mission goals that complete
early. My advice if you run the missions is to keep an eagle eye on them, and
report everything unusual you see.
The night the double experience weekend began, they also activated
the Pylon Game. It was a hard decision for most of us where and what we should
be doing that weekend. However the decision was aided by the fact that the
first version of the game liked to crash the zone. Now that it's working, the
Pylon Game is a gem. Once you've completed the Welcome to Vanguard
introduction, you can earn Vanguard Merits, which can be used for most of the
rewards available in the zone. You get merits anytime you fight the Rikti, but
the end stage of the game is a special setup where the Merits come in fast and
furious. The Pylons were originally much tougher, and in different places. Now
the consensus is they may be a bit too weak, but the placement is good. The
latest addition to the game is a Giant Monster class foe, with a badge that
requires multiple defeats to earn. There are still a few bugs to be ironed out
when it comes to the game, but on the whole it's looking good.
The
next big area to test was the Invasion events themselves. There are badges for
several different aspects of the invasion, and an accolade attached to them.
However if anything, these events are proof of how deadly the Rikti can be. If
you play in the next day or two, don't be too outraged about the events though,
they haven't made a full patch to them yet, and there are a lot of features we
know or hope are on the way. Outdoor debt during an Invasion will be gone, and
they are trying to set up a Safe Area around Hospitals. Hopefully they will
also make a change so the alert messages are less obtrusive, because it's
something that quickly wears out its welcome.
There were a lot of very pleasant surprises too. Long asked for
power changes in Icy Blast, Ice Control, Earth Control, and even a major and
unexpected revamp of Sonic Powers. Truth be told, sonic changes were in less
than 48hours before the beta went open, so please don't shoot the closed
testers if you don't like them. Sexy Jay also delivered on a chest bandolier
and Bunny tails (the female only aspect bothers people though), as part of the
general costume pool. Lastly, the change for costume recipes to their own pool
with an increased drop rate will be the biggest news of all to many.
There were some hard feelings about the closed beta test. I hope
the speed of it, and the quality of what is out there show people that the
process does some good, and is worth the inconvenience. The people testing were
doing a lot of good work on behalf of everyone. There's a lot of exciting stuff
coming in this Issue. I hope you all enjoy it, I know I do. I'll be spending a
lot of time in the War Zone and on the streets.
Upcoming Events:
June 30th:
Poscast
*Live City of Heroes
talk podcast
Champion
*Virgil Tarikoss is
DOOMed!
Test Server
*3 + wildcard
tournment
*US vs EU
Victory
*Recluse's Victory,
Villain Style
July 1st:
Infinity
*Disciples of Power:
Recluse Strike Force
Victory
*Faathim the Kind
Task Force
*Summer Sunday night
Recluse Rumble series
Virtue
*Sister Psyche Task
Force
July 2nd to 7th:
All Servers
*Breast Cancer
Awarness Week
July 3rd:
Champion
*33rd Tanker Tuesday
July 7th:
Orgins Game Expo
*Heroes &
Villains Costume Contest
Freedom
*Breast Cancer
Awareness Event
Pinnacle
*Pinnacle's Super
Summer Jump!
Test Server
*Villain Pentad
Tourney
Virtue
*3rd Annual Ms
Independence Day Party
July 8th:
Protector
*Team Debt Cap
Presents...
July 8th:
Test Server
*TIMEFORCE II
Make sure to list your event threads in the
forum calendar to be listed in the Scoop!
Market Report
Market glitch identified; prices settle
Paragon City investigators claim to have found
the electrical issue
that was causing market machines to generate incorrect transactions. While they
are tight-lipped about the exact details, perhaps fearing exploits by
unscrupulous traders, they do appear to be in the process of replacing all
faulty machines.
Meanwhile, the lawsuits and subpoenas against Countess Crey have all been
summarily dropped. Rumors of a back-room deal to fix the market machines have
been circulating, but this reporter suspects that the even more distressing
rumors of increased Rikti activity are at the heart of this development. If the
Rikti were to descend upon the Earth once more, Crey Industries' political
jockeying would have to take a back seat to physical defense - and their combat
armor remains unparalleled.
Otherwise, the market has settled down quite a bit after the solar event two
weeks ago. Prices have returned to more or less normal levels, and it's
"business as usual" for both heroes and villains.
Top sellers in each market as of the morning of 6/28:
WentWorth's
RHA
Soil
4,660,000
-1%
RHA
4,600,000
+9%
RMA
Weapon
3,800,000
+15%
RHA
of the Furies
3,400,000
+0%
RHA
Conspiracy
3,120,000
-13%
RMA
Impervium
2,720,000
-5%
RHA
Goo
2,700,000
-4%
RMA
Sigil
2,550,000
-1%
RMA
Vestment
2,140,000
+20%
RMA
Trapped Gem
2,050,000
+17%
Black Market
RHA
2,600,000
-7%
RHA
Soil
2,520,000
-13%
RHA
Goo
1,730,000
-15%
RHA
Weapon
1,370,000
+18%
RHA
of the Furies
1,000,000
+7%
RMA
Sigil
740,000
+0%
RMA
Trapped Gem
533,000
+18%
RHA
Conspiracy
420,000
+138%
RMA
Impervium
386,000
+7%
RMA
Vestment
380,000
-21%
Read the full market report
here.
- Protea
POINT / COUNTERPOINT
By Bowfling
This is the sixth 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 - Inf transfers
POINT
There are certain advantages to increasing the ease with which
players can transfer inf and items between characters on their accounts. The
biggest is probably that players that want to do transfers would be able to
avoid the complication of finding someone to help them, and the ensuing risk
associated with such transactions. It would also mean that the Consignment
House would not be used for such transfers, and the possibility of having those
transactions intercepted by others is avoided. Since players already go through
the process even with such complications, removing those complications seems
like a positive change. With the addition of inventions, many players will find
that the salvage they need for a recipe on character X exists in storage on
character Y. Being able to trade between these two characters avoids the need
to use the Consignment House, which does not provide a sure way to get a recipe
or salvage from one character to another. If you view all your characters as a
collective time investment, then what one character does should not be limited
to just that character. Popular suggestions are the ability to send items via
an "e-mail" system, or using the CH to send items, or a bank which contains
the total inf earned by account, from which any character on the account may
draw for use in purchases.
COUNTERPOINT
But there are also certain disadvantages associated with
increasing the ease with which players can transfer inf and items between
characters on their accounts. There would be an unavoidable amount of time
spent on coding such a change. In addition, the ability to circumvent the CH
may not be intended by the devs. Indeed, a warning when the CH first launched
suggested players should not try to use the CH for transfers. Allowing players
to utilize the items they obtain on any character may significantly reduce the
use of the CH, which may also not be desirable. Most importantly, transferring
items to other characters on your account might allow those characters to
outperform characters of an equal level but who have not received transfers. If
that happens, it would become more difficult to generate content for players
that is both challenging for assisted characters, while still beatable for
those characters that have not been assisted. Game changes have already been
done to limit the ability of characters that were outperforming dev
expectations.
The use of the Consignment House for the trading of items between
all characters on a side helps build community, while helping to insure all
players have access to all items they may wish to obtain. Instead of trading
directly between characters, consider using the CH as intended, where in
character X puts an item on the CH for anyone who wants it to be able to bid
on, while character Y can put a bid in on said item. In this way, all players
can access these items, not just those who have other characters on their
account.