Discussion: The City Scoop July 6th 2007
By
Agahnim,
Posted on: 2007-07-06 24:08 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion
I really don't like that an event on Test is the lead story on the Scoop.
1. People will be confused: When did a Rikti drop shop come to my server?
2. It's not canonical. Who knows what the *real* drops ships will be like on Live? Their difficulty could get ramped up, and then we'll have mega-raids on Live complaining that drops ships weren't dropping as fast as *they were supposed to* based on this article. Heck, for all we know there is a major bug in the drop ships on Test allowing for such a ridiculously easy defeat. (And to all the people who will say "But a foe that takes 70 people is *not* easy" My response is, "Did you test if 30 people could do it? Perhaps forty of the people that were there were overkill.")
3. Test is Test. It's not Live. the Test server exists to see if things are bugged, not as a alternative server. An article like this will only draw people who want to preview new content and not actually *test* it. And when their 'preview' is bugged or doesn't act the same way on Live, we'll hear all sorts of whining and complaining.
4. I'm sure there are people at Cyrptic and NCSoft that would like better control over such a blatant advertisement for I10. "No, no no! A drop ship raid is *not* part of Issue 10. That's *not* supposed to be part of the content. Now we have to support it!"
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Well, it got out of hand long ago. I dont think there is much to stop it now.
Anyhow, why condemn it? This is a roleplaying game as well as an action game. Roll with it. Its fun. We dont have to take it so seriously all the time. So a little got out about test. I think this is a tribute to this community. They are showing an uncanny nack for actually wanting to be apart of the universe, and the devs are actually LETTING the players interact in such a profound way. How many MMO's are doing things like this? (I dont play any others) It's fun to be apart of the issue in this way.
I think the devs are having fun as well with it. That can be nothing but a good thing. Both developers and players interacting to make their worlds more "alive". It feels more tangible to the players, they feel like they are changing the landscape with their actions. The feeling of persistant world is actually becoming more of a reality. Cameos in their comic publication, and the scoop are really allowing for players to be engaged in the CoX universe, not just play in it.
Especially with Issue 10, I feel that alot has been learned. Slyph Knights attack on the ships was very cool, and sort of like a huge bug find. Now not only can the devs talior the content (either make it harder or easier) to adapt the universe to what the inhabitants have done.
Just think, now they can say, the Rikti sent the first wave with weaker ships, or to better acertain the hero forces before the real attack. It goes on and on. This IMO is nothing but a boon to both players and developers alike.
"Ridiculously easy?"
Point by point -
1. You're right. It is on test. It has also been discussed for a while now. People don't seem to be confused.
2. How canonical was the end-of-beta Rikti invasion? It's talked about as "ooh, cool," and at most it could be seen as the "most of the world's heroes were dead afterward" touched on in the world story. I don't see this as a problem. "The Rikti invasion was challenged" is about as much of a line as it would get.
3. If they take the time to download the test client and run it, and come here saying something didn't work - they're still reporting a bug, problem, or at the very least something that's hard to understand.
4. Drop Ship Raids are already described as "not giving anything but bragging rights." Heck, Paladin, which doesn't give a badge, gives XP - which is more than can be said for anyone wanting to get a bunch of heroes together to take down a drop ship.
I don't see a problem. *shrug*
I have to agree with Zombie-Man. These events aren't even live, and they are being discussed as they are happening. I am glad for the accomplishment of Sylph-Knight, but discussing test events like they were live server events is a confusing thing to do to the players. Otherwise they are very enjoyable to read.
This link was omitted by own stupidity from Lohr's interview.
Shadowy Presence - Absolutely, positively worse than playing a Kheldian... --Myrmydon
Well, you can look at them as "They'll be confusing, that's bad," or you can view them like the preview movie and bits and pieces on the site already - "Whetting the appetite."
(And yay to a friend's interview 
I got to have an "Ooh, I know her!" moment!)
Wow, it looks so professional! Great job!
VIRTUE
Agahnim- Elec/Ice Blaster
"Elec/Ice. Nice. Holy <@*&$@#!> =) You're like the CoH equivalent of those bdsm people who hang from the ceiling on hooks!"
-Plasmar
Agahnim Dragmire- Warshade
"(You spin space webs. =D)"
-Paladin
I am kind of scratching my head too regarding leading with a cover story that essentially hasn't happened yet.
It sort of goes directly in the face of the verisimilitude the editors of the "paper" are trying to create.
Don't get me wrong. It's a great story, but the paper has now broken the fourth wall in a big, big way. Much as it has before with it's "Behind the Mask" series of interviews.
It's precident setting, and I hope we'll see more discussion of test server events, testings and out of game details.
/edit Oh and also, the paper really looks much better and is way easier to follow and read! good job all.
Cool job City Scoop! I like how the lead story was about what was happening on the test server and letting us see how the mechanics of making changes works. I like that "Yo, found a bug dudes!" kinda brings abit of humanity to the game. I'd also enjoy seeing the replies like "aw crud! No one was suppose to go through that hole and find the moon turned into a spacestation that'll be used in I14, OOPS!"
It's just the kind of levity we need every now and then. We start getting all worked up about technical stuff and we'll start sounding like a bunch of trekkies.
I liked alot of the heroscopes and other articles. TA, liked the art section. Good job getting a good mix in there.
Maybe we're dumbing down the general populous a bit much...perhaps it not going to be so confusing. If there is an uproar after this I'm sure the devs will rectifiy the situation then.
I think you have the right idea Dursagon. I think we all tend to get a bit caught up in "keeping it real" sometimes. Just let it sink in...test/live...whatever. As long as it stays fun. This is like the alternate story lines in comics, prelude to, or maybe even a "What if" aside.
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Cool job City Scoop! I like how the lead story was about what was happening on the test server and letting us see how the mechanics of making changes works. I like that "Yo, found a bug dudes!" kinda brings abit of humanity to the game. I'd also enjoy seeing the replies like "aw crud! No one was suppose to go through that hole and find the moon turned into a spacestation that'll be used in I14, OOPS!"
It's just the kind of levity we need every now and then. We start getting all worked up about technical stuff and we'll start sounding like a bunch of trekkies.
I liked alot of the heroscopes and other articles. TA, liked the art section. Good job getting a good mix in there.
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Thanks brother! 
I'm getting the hang of this lol
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Drop Ship Raids are already described as "not giving anything but bragging rights." Heck, Paladin, which doesn't give a badge, gives XP - which is more than can be said for anyone wanting to get a bunch of heroes together to take down a drop ship.
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Actually, drop ships give XP and (from my own experiences) seem to drop salvage, inspirations, and suchlike at the same rates as a lieutenant.
Proud member of the Steel 70! | Global @Radmofet ; usually on Pinnacle, sometimes on Virtue.
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Available July 6th
COMBINED NOTES
Powers
* Rikti Drop Ships are now immune to the effects of Slow Movement powers.
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Already, the drop ship of that article is not the drop ship on Test or the one that the players will see on Live.
If you wanted to stay in character, you could have said this took place in an alternate reality. But, it did not happen in City of Heroes.
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I have to agree with Zombie Man, this was a test on test of a new issue that wasn't even complete yet. As the latest patch shows they are tweaking the Dropships still. Yes, a big hearty congrats to those that participated, you showed that the Dropships are underpowered and need to be toned back up again. This is no different then when Hami was brought down during I9's test. A good job was done, Golf cart clap, pats on the back, and what have you, but not something to be trumpeted about from the tallest towers.
Truthfully, it was something that, like testing Hami, HAD to be done. There had to be a test of the Dropships where it was seen what their limits and capabilities were. The whole 'Steel 70' thing is starting to get out of hand and smack of hubris.
Personally, though the article was well written and put together, I do not feel it was something that should have been in the Scoop.
The rest of the Scoop was great. A want to give Lady Athyna a big hug for the Horoscopes. I love the ones she pulls of her star chart program. The classified add for the Freak Barbershop was great as well. Valks Behind the Mask interested me, but the others were 'meh' from my perspective. Oh, and thanks for the final clarification on just what the Behind the Mask is supposed to be Marcian.
One other thing, I found the plethora of links to become distracting. The sharp blue everywhere began to detract from the visual presentation. Personal preference thing most likely.
=. .=
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A want to give Lady Athyna a big hug for the Horoscopes. I love the ones she pulls of her star chart program.
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*hugs*
Welcome back TA, and thanks for including my Kilo cover... I loved the Liz interview!
I want to congratulate the Scoop Team on another fine addition. I expecially want to thank Lemur_Lad and everyone involved for the Steel 70 article.
To answer some concerns and comments ahead of time:
The Steel 70 event, while largely a massive "Bug Find" battle just to see "If we could do it or not" as none had been defeated to that point, has some role-playing possibilities. You can also disregard its' validity as part of your own characters' story canon entirely. I think City of Heroes has proven time and time again that it's story so incredibly deep and fractured that I doubt no absolute canon can possibly exist without a few smidges here and there. This is just one more opportunity to make that decision: do you personally accept it as a part of your universe, or simply disregard it and state that it never happened. Either way, the most important factor is your own story and your own view of the world. This is a game and we're all here to have fun the best way we know!
Another concern that recently came to my attention is that "The Rikti" have already "modified their Drop Ships with Physics-resistant energy fields". Speaking out-of-terms: The Rikti Ships can no longer be slowed, which was their greatest weakness to this point. "Their Engines can now produce greater forward-thrust than before by removing inertial resistances of virtually any type." I personally find this evolution quite attractive as it will reinforce the "Chase Scene" element of the Rikti Drop Ship raids and fully support the Devs' decision to implement this change. I think it was the best solution they could find to keep the Drop Ships from being completely wreckworthy while maintaining the Players' abilities to become an intimidating fighting force when enough are banded together to be worth fleeing from. It is my hope that everyone accepts these changes and will simply look at them as an improvement, and are working towards finding new ways to make the event just as entertaining for themselves and their friends. Please remember that the Rikti Drop Ships are Raid-worthy opponents, equivalent to Hamidon or the Rikti Mothership (which means they need alot of people to defeat! ). They are unique in the fact that they fly and maintain a steady movement, providing the first true high-flying battle and first chase-scene in the game. Though I doubt this is the Developers' intentions, I have learned through the years that sometimes players just don't treat something the way it was meant for, and this happens to be one of those cases where we have the option to either dread the Drop Ships or view them as the penultimate flying challenge!
The next mention is that, yes, there is a Villain-side raid going on tomorrow evening on the Test Server. We are presently making adjustments to our battle plan based on the modified Rikti Drop Ships. I don't know whether or not this turnout will be equivalent to the Steel 70 event, but we can atleast say that this will be a good chance for you Villains to dish some torment upon your greatest competition for the world-at-large!
I've also recieved several requests to host another Drop Ship Raid. I am currently debating the issue but it does look to be a promising proposition. I'd like to see the number of participants vastly multiplied if we did choose to do such an event again. I'm pretty sure no one here would stand for anything less than the magnitude of 100 Heroes standing valiant against the Drop Ships! 
The real question is whether or not we should wait till Issue 10 goes live to go through with such an event or play it through beforehand as a farewell party to the end of the I10 beta. I'd really like to make the opportunity as open to everyone in the game as possible, and as alot of PvP/Special Event hosters have learned: Test Server is the ultimate, equal-opportunity gathering place.
Anyway, whether you hated the story or not, I hope you loved the rest of the City Scoop this week. I, for one, am greatly appreciative of the Scoop Team for their hard work and dedication towards making the game feel more alive than ever before! Cheers!
EDIT: YEOWZA!! I guess the Devs really don't want us killing those things after all. They failed to mention that the Drop Ships also got Speed Boosted! *laughs*
Well, it was fun while it lasted.
EDIT 2: Five Minutes of analysis prove that Drop Ships now run in a predictable pattern, and in circles no less. This might be interesting.
Raid Leader of Task Force Vendetta "Steel 70", who defeated the first nine Drop Ships in the Second Rikti War.
70 Heroes, 9 Drop Ships, 7 Minutes. The Aliens never knew what hit them.
Now soloing: GM-Class enemy Adamaster, with a Tanker!
Great art section this week TA!!
But then again I am biased 
Those are two of my all time favorite pieces of my character featured. Grave and LJ are awesome indeed I am so glad all get to see it.
Hmm, I think the lead story should have mentioned that the Steel 70 thing happened on Test and that the strategy employed has already been negated by the Devs. That would've been a more complete story. Perhaps next week's lead story can be a follow-up, to clarify those points. Otherwise people might get the idea this is a guide of sorts.
If you want to try for the same immersion, you ought to use the gambit of "the Rikti have countered the Steel 70's strategy by employing force fields which negate slowing powers." It might lend an air of verisimilitude to do it that way.
And ouch: "Where us 70..." It should be "we." Remember it this way: "We happy few, we band of brothers..." Let Willy the Shake be your guide.
Edit: Looks like others have already mentioned the Steel 70 thing.
The Alt Alphabet ~ OPC: Other People's Characters ~ Terrific Screenshots of Cool ~ Superhero Fiction
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Hmm, I think the lead story should have mentioned that the Steel 70 thing happened on Test and that the strategy employed has already been negated by the Devs. That would've been a more complete story. Perhaps next week's lead story can be a follow-up, to clarify those points. Otherwise people might get the idea this is a guide of sorts.
If you want to try for the same immersion, you ought to use the gambit of "the Rikti have countered the Steel 70's strategy by employing force fields which negate slowing powers." It might lend an air of verisimilitude to do it that way.
And ouch: "Where us 70..." It should be "we." Remember it this way: "We happy few, we band of brothers..." Let Willy the Shake be your guide.
Edit: Looks like others have already mentioned the Steel 70 thing.
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You make some fine points. Though I don't think it should be front-page, there should be a small side-article mentioning "UPGRADED RIKTI DROP SHIPS ON THE MOVE!!" or something.
We got plenty of nice screenshots to display the new hyper-overkill Drop Ships.
Our testing results in Cap Au Diablo this evening showed us something that just had to be a bug. Over 4 Drop Ships had merged together and could, in effect, virtually one-hit players. They also appeared to be at the Speed Boost cap, dropping bombs faster than the Malta Kronos Titan can fire its missile volleys and moving at speeds arguably faster than the run speed cap.
It's madness right now. I'm sure it's just a bug, though. You must see it to believe it.
Raid Leader of Task Force Vendetta "Steel 70", who defeated the first nine Drop Ships in the Second Rikti War.
70 Heroes, 9 Drop Ships, 7 Minutes. The Aliens never knew what hit them.
Now soloing: GM-Class enemy Adamaster, with a Tanker!
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We brought down nine Rikti Drop Ships in total, which was far beyond everybody's wildest expectations. One of the Heroes, Argent Amber, exclaimed after the battle, Initially, we were crossing our fingers just to be able to bring down one!
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Awww...Argent [u]A[u]mber?? The first time I get a quote in the 'Scoop and my character's name was typoed. Ah well, maybe there'll be fame and glory another time... 
We'll work on getting that fixed for you. We're not quite at the stage where we can triple check every name we get, but you have my apologies. If it's any consolation, my local newspaper mispelled my name once, and I worked for them for 5 years.
"Null is as much an argument "for removing the cottage rule" as the moon being round is for buying tennis shoes." -Memphis Bill
Thank you very much, Lemur_Lad. You're a saint, pal.
Looks like you'll get your due credit after all, Ember.
Raid Leader of Task Force Vendetta "Steel 70", who defeated the first nine Drop Ships in the Second Rikti War.
70 Heroes, 9 Drop Ships, 7 Minutes. The Aliens never knew what hit them.
Now soloing: GM-Class enemy Adamaster, with a Tanker!
This is the eighth weekly edition of "The City Scoop" a publication for Supers by Supers. Just looking back at the first publication here! I have to say "you've come a long way baby!"
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