The City Scoop Staff
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Ladies and gentlemen, Heroes and Villains of all ages, I would
like to thank everyone who participated in the Call to Arms speech writing
contest. We received well over 90 entries, all worthy of mention. I was true to
my word, only reading the entries enough to name those that didn't already have
names. Honestly, I'm very glad I was spared the daunting task of even picking a
favorite. Without further ado, I present the winners of The City Scoop's A
Call to Arms contest.

Best Heroic Speech: Receiving a City of Heroes Cape

This is my home, by Stripling

Best Villainous Speech: Receiving a City of Villains Cape

A Path traveled lightly, by Carcinos

Best Combination or Overall Speech: Receiving a "Statesman" PVC Statue

The Saddest Day, By Popcorn123

Honorable Mentions

Most Creative Speech: the writer used the names of the European and
American servers as well as the names of Issues 2-10 in the course of his
speech.

True_Marksmen, Check Your Fear at the Door

Saddest speech: the writer invoked a mournful sense of purpose by
putting a human face on this alien war.

Kildair, To Arms, To Arms

The other finalists:

* Dr_Mantle, Silence You Fools

* DrKarlGerard, Crush Them Without Mercy

* PDXunder, For Every Age

* tom_is_a_bum, Many Paths, One Future

* Crimson_Nematode, We Cannot Do This By Ourselves

The winners, honorable mention and finalists should be receiving
their prizes within 4-6 weeks.

Upcoming Events:

August 11th

Chicago, IL

* Chicago
Meetup Weekend

Champion

* Bloody
Bay Bucs Plan *
Mayor Election, Nominations

Virtue

* Second
Virtueverse Raid *
Rikti Retreat Celebration

August 13th

Justice

*
Rush Week Begins!

* Rush
Week: College Costume Contest

August 14th

Justice

* Rush
Week: History 101(Heroes)

August 15th

All Servers

*
1st Badge Hunter Altits Awareness Contest

Justice

* Rush
Week: History 101(Villains)

August 17th

Justice

* Rush
Week: Scavenger Hunt

Pinnacle

* Pinnacle's
Night Out: Grey Lady TF Race

Triumph

* Open
Recruiting for Weekly SG

August 18th

Infinity

* Saving
Private Sirens

Justice

* Rush
Week: Amazing Race

* Rush
Week: Toga Party

August 25th

Freedom

*
Freedom Character Auction

Make sure to list your event threads in the
forum calendar to be listed in the Scoop!

The Predecessor by Graver13

Overall Winner:

The Saddest Day

By
Popcorn123

Heroes, and the people of Paragon City. I send out this message on
the saddest day in recent memory. The Rikti have returned. And they have
returned more powerful, more dangerous, and with a vengeance.

I never thought much of the world-beaters, the heroes that would
save the world and pat themselves on the back while every minute in this city,
people, individual citizens, families, children, all were robbed, abused,
murdered. I didnt care about the big-picture of the Council, the Carnival,
or Nemesis. Not when the Freakz, the Family, the Skulls and all the other gangs
did much more damage, chipping away at the city little by little with each
robbery, abuse, and murder.

But today, the greater war and my own smaller battles are both
pieces of the same puzzle. I see children huddling in shelters in Talos Island,
hiding not from gangs but from the Rikti. Men and women cut down not by a
machine gun but by a bomb dropped on their street in Kings Row. I see hero,
Council, police, and Arachnos standing shoulder to shoulder, fighting for their
lives and depending on each other against a greater threat from the outside. We
have drawn the lines. We all stand on one side, the alien invaders on the
other. We have created a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts, a
united Earth, every person, hero or criminal, working to a single goal:
Survival.

I find myself no longer interesting in playing hero, and
deciding that it is time for me to become a soldier. Because this is nothing
less than war.

We have a choice to make. We will fight to win this war, and some
of us will fall. Or we will give up, surrender, and face extinction. I know the
citizens and the heroes of this city. I know they will fight. They will fight
because they must. They will fight because they can. They fight because they
simply do not know how to surrender.

I ask, please, remember that is not human versus alien on the
battle-field. There are many, many lifeforms that have come to this world, each
just as willing to fight for its survival as any human. Treat someone they way
their actions dictate, not the planet they were born on. The Rikti invade and
kill, and so we should fight them with righteous fury. Other aliens will stand
at our side and shed their own blood with ours, and so we should respect them,
cheer them, grieve for them if they fall.

To the men, women, and others that call the Rogue Isles their
home, I will not appeal to your better natures. I appeal to your instincts for
survival instead. This is an enemy that you and I share. Let us be a single
enemy to the invaders, let us be citizens of the planet before all else, past
grudges forgotten in the fog of war.

This is a war. This is a war that we did not choose. This is a war
we neither wanted nor expected. This is not a war for any country, god, or
wealth on the face of the Earth. This war is, in fact, over the face of the
Earth. We fight for our world. We fight to live. We fight to win.

Hero Winner:

This Is My Home

By
Stripling

Yeah, you are right. Im not from Paragon City. I never saw what
the Rikti did in this place. I never faced the aliens or fought the ships when
they landed. I am not a powerful being or a great hero. I dont have a cape. I
dont wear a mask Perhaps I should run. There are places where I could go and
be safe, to hide and wait for the defeat of the Rikti. There are places where
they wouldnt know that I ran, places they would never realize I had left
others to fight in my place.

But when I came back, what would I find?

The citizens on that street, would they know me? Would they
welcome me back? Or will they say the names of those that stayed? This hero
saved my life. That hero disarmed a bomb when my child was trapped in school
bus. This hero fought the aliens to his last breath so that we could live.
They wont remember those that ran. Theyll remember the ones who stayed, who
put their lives on the line for others.

And there wont be new statutes fifty feet tall, no bronze
plaques telling the details. Not this time. The plaques will be small, brass
remembrances put up on shops and street corners by the citizens themselves.
Here, in the last Rikti invasion a hero stood his ground against the forces
that would have destroyed us. I doubt one will say Here this hero decided to
run and hide.

And if they win? The aliens themselves will remember our names!
Theyll say to you At first we were worried, but the real heroes stayed and
fought us! Theyll see the faces of those who ran. They will also remember.

So I will stay. And when the Rikti come, Ill stand as tall and
face them. I cant summon bolts of power or shoot flames. Ill shoot arrows
until they are gone, and after the quiver is empty, throw rocks at them! I will
shake my fist at the invading ships and call out, This is Paragon! This is MY
city! Every inch you take of it youll shed blood for!

Because I have shed blood for this city; Ive paved roads with
sweat, and painted the warehouses and office buildings with blood and tears!
Ive fought every 'would be' tyrant and threat they send, and no Rikti is any
different than a Hellion, Skulls, Freakshow, or Arachnos!

So go run and hide somewhere, let the aliens come! But when you
come back, know this; youll come back to OUR city! All of us who stay will
have bought this place with blood! Well raise a glass in the pubs to the
memory of this fight! Well know the names of those who fought beside us! And
yours, dear friends, we will forget!

I wear no mask. I have no cape. But Ive a bow and the will to
see that the Rikti are driven back to the hole they crawl out of! That makes me
a hero! That makes this city just as much mine as it is Statesmans or The War
Witch! That makes me, and everyone who stays the equal of those heroes of
yesterday! Forget Earth for Humans! Earth is for us! This tiny precious ball of
mud and stone is our home, and this little speck of it, Paragon City, is the
battlefield! I am standing my ground here and now! No Rikti takes what is mine!

This is Paragon City! This is my home!

Villain Winner:

Path Traveled Lightly

By
Carcinos

Ours was never a path to be travelled lightly. We have sought
intellectual and physical freedom, a true release from the outdated notions and
petty prejudices of the society that surrounds us- and for this, we have been
ostracized. We have made great strides forward in human knowledge,
understanding, and technology, raising ourselves to the stars with the glory of
our achievements and casting down those unworthy- and for this, they have made
us pariahs.

The self-proclaimed heroes of this world would have you believe
that theirs is the right way, that theirs is the good way, that somehow if one
does not toe the line as they decree, you do not merely disagree with them but
are in fact an abomination, some pestilential thing to be rooted out and
destroyed like a tumor. They would have believe that some nebulous greater
good- of whose flame, they assure us, they are the sole keepers- somehow
justifies them, makes every petty oppression and mindless tyranny of theirs
right, that it sanctifies their deeds no matter how shallow and empty.

They are nothing. A rabble of children with sticks, content to
play war in their brightly-colored costumes, secure in the knowledge that a
mediporter and brainless city that lauds their every act like some witless dog
are always there for them. The delusions in which they have steeped themselves
demand that they enforce the status quo, that those who take action on their
own prerogative and conscience must be viciously attacked for the heresy of
thinking differently than they. And to these senseless puppets we should
entrust our very survival?

This is what we hoped never to face: a foe with strength and
determination to rival ours. They have marshaled their strength, gathered
themselves with unity, purpose, and resolve, and even as I speak, mount an
attack the equal of which the world has never seen. And, even in the face of
the vast legions and single purpose arrayed against them, some among the
so-called heroes would sue for peace, would try to communicate, make a vain
attempt to block blades with words, to overthrow death with paper.

They will fail, they will fall, and they will die, mown down like
wheat before a scythe as they attempt to talk, as they behold their own navels
and contemplate the karma of their actions even unto the moment that their
heads are struck from their bodies.

We must lead them. We must show them the ways of the truly
powerful, the means by which we engineer greatness. Our devastating might, our
sure eye, our swift hand will reveal to them the strength of our ways, the
means by which we liberate ourselves both from the Rikti and the petty taboos
of a retrograde society, too frightened of the unknown to embrace the glory
right before them.

Those with eyes to see and minds to think will understand our
power, our superiority, our freedom from all who would oppress us, be they from
our world or another. Those mindless drones that remain, too timid to embrace
the liberation we offer, will not have the strength of will to be anything of
meaning.

When our day truly dawns, when the world takes on the shape that
is destined for it by our great designs, we will look back and know that these
so-called heroes were never a match for us. The same may not be true of the
Rikti.

Market Report

Special Focus: Honeypots

Trapping the Unwary Seller

Market critics often focus their attention on seller-initiated
manipulations such as short-term monopolies and arbitrage. In some cases
critics go so far as to claim the market unfairly advantages the seller, and
that unscrupulous sellers are therefore able to assume too much control over
pricing. Little attention is given to manipulation techniques that prey upon
naive sellers. In this report, we'll explore the most successful such technique
this reporter has encountered: honeypotting.

Honeypotting is a technique that uses control over the visible
market information to lure unwary sellers into letting items go below market
rates, in some cases far below market rates. In order to set up a honeypot, a
player must assume total, if temporary, control of all open bids for an item,
and also meet certain conditions in the last-5 transaction history. If the
right conditions are met, impatient sellers meet strong psychological pressure
to underprice their wares in the mistaken belief that the outstanding bids will
reward them at market rates.

Let's assume for example that a player is interested in obtaining
a Luck of the Gambler: Defense/+7.5% Recharge recipe. Let's further assume that
the player is able to locate a level of that recipe for which the price history
shows a 20M average sale price, and for which, for whatever reason, there are
currently no outstanding bids. The player sets up the honeypot by first
entering N 1-inf bids, where N is slightly higher than the average number of
bids at other levels, and then tops it off by entering a single lowball bid
which is intended to capture the impatient sale, say 2M.

Prospective buyers for the item, when looking through the levels
of recipe available, will see a slightly higher number of outstanding bids for
that Luck of the Gambler. Naively believing that competition must be fierce at
that level, they are likely to take their individual bids elsewhere, leaving
the honeypot intact. At the same time, prospective sellers will see a stable
price history and a large number of outstanding bids. This appeals to the
impatient urge to underprice and get the highest outstanding bid immediately,
especially given that postings, unlike bids, cannot be retracted without paying
a fee. The seller enters their item at 1 inf, and is astonished when the
transaction completes at 10% of the market rate.

Of course, not every seller lists for 1 inf. Even sellers wanting
an instant transaction can use "defensive pricing" to ensure that they are not
surprised by a collection of extremely low bids. However, the fact that posting
fees are non-refundable acts to keep defensive prices relatively low, and as
long as the honeypot's top lowball bid is above this defensive pricing level,
the technique can still work.

Let's explore the implications of this technique in a little more
depth.

Because honeypotting relies on assuming control over the bid pool
for an item, it is virtually impossible in the salvage market. The crafted
enhancement market is more vulnerable, but potential honeypotters are inhibited
by the inability to place more than one bid in a slot. In the recipe market,
however, honeypotting is not just possible, but highly effective. This reporter
has seen analogous situations to the above description carried out multiple
times across various types of recipe.

However, honeypotting tends to be self-limiting. As soon as the
lowball transaction occurs, the price of that transaction in the last-5 history
warns other sellers in that space. So once a honeypot has triggered, it tends
not to be usable on that same item for some time afterwards. Honeypots also
interfere with each other, so that it is unlikely for two honeypots to be set
up on the same item at the same time; this limits the amount of honeypotting
that can occur in the game at any given time.

Although it is a form of patient play, honeypotting serves to
destabilize rather than stabilize pricing: for one transaction, the cost of
that item has been driven down below the market consensus. Interestingly,
although the technique has been revealed on the forums, it did not engender the
same outcry that short-term monopolies created. For whatever reason, blocking
another player's access to goods by inhibiting their ability to sell profitably
appears to be less taboo than blocking that player's access by inhibiting their
ability to buy at low prices. Perhaps as a result, very few suggestions for
changing the market implementation have been directed at preventing honeypots.
Some visible metric of the outstanding bid and sell pools, such as average or
median, would be needed, and not just additional information about the sale
history as many have proposed.

So, how does a seller defend his or herself against a honeypot?
Simply put, sellers must avoid posting at prices at which they are unwilling to
execute. If this causes the instant sale to be lost, then the seller must
remember that that instant sale would have come at an unacceptably low price.

This reporter has been giving that advice since before the market
reports began, and it remains the best advice he knows to give.

Top sellers on each market as of the morning of 8/9:

WentWorth's
RHA	Prophecy	5,000,000	+6%
RHA	Pangean Soil	5,000,000	+14%
RMA	Deific Weapon	3,600,000	-7%
RHA	Magical Conspiracy	3,360,000	+5%
RHA	Essence of the Furies	2,900,000	-23%
RMA	Enchanted Impervium	2,660,000	-33%
RMA	Empowered Sigil	2,050,000	-28%
RHA	Hamidon Goo	1,890,000	-27%
RMA	Soul Trapped Gem	1,720,000	-11%
RMA	Mu Vestment	1,720,000	-31%
Black Market
RHA	Pangean Soil	3,600,000	+24%
RHA	Prophecy	3,160,000	-9%
RHA	Hamidon Goo	1,960,000	+2%
RHA	Magical Conspiracy	1,850,000	+180%
RHA	Essence of the Furies	1,820,000	+82%
RHA	Deific Weapon	1,440,000	+0%
RMA	Soul Trapped Gem	500,000	+0%
RMA	Empowered Sigil	462,000	+0%
RMA	Mu Vestment	285,000	-35%
RMA	Enchanted Impervium	255,000	-15%

Read the full salvage report
here.

Read about honeypots in other contexts: in computer security
here, and in espionage
here.

-
Protea

Adopt a n00b night on Freedom

By MrsAlphaOne

Being a new player in an MMORPG is very difficult. The tasks that
lie ahead of you are quite daunting.

Where do I go? How do I do this? Does anyone want to team with me?
What are "enhancements?" Sometimes, one can even get heckled and teased for
making honest mistakes any new player could make. City of Heroes/Villains is no
different. So, in an effort to soften the blow to new players for a few hours
at least, _Rose_ of Freedom server ran an "Adopt a n00b" night.

Before the event I asked _Rose_ a couple of questions that have been nagging at
me.

MrsAlphaOne: What was your inspiration behind
this event?

_Rose_: I stole the idea from someone on
Protector. Thought, Hey, with all the new people that keep coming into
Freedom, wouldn't it be nice to have their own events? Everything that I have
done for the community so far has been mostly for the higher levels.

MrsAlphaOne: Do you plan on making this a regular
event in the future?

_Rose_: As far as it being a regular event? I
dunno. I guess we have to see what kind of turnout we have tonight. I know a
couple of the Freedom populace fully support the event and even have given
donations for prizes. So hopefully, they roll a n00b and show up.

Players were enthusiastic about the event. "It was great!" said
Poison-Fly. A Tank elaborated: "I thought it was fun... and a good change in
pace." Opplik summed it up when (s?)he said simply, "Awesome!!!!"'

The rules of the event were pretty simple: To be adopted, a player
could not be higher than level 10. I'm not exactly a totally new player, yet I
hoped to tag along. All in the name of the press dontcha know. At first there
was a trickle of n00bs, then a stream, then a torrent. There were at least
three seperate full Sewer teams going at the same time, One badge hounding
team, and various others attempting to find Blazing bonkers in a game of hide
and seek. The general impression was positive and extremely well recieved.
There was one guy at the end of the night who had issues with one of the
"n00bs" being a peacebringer, but the event was open to all toons that were
under level 10, so she was allowed to be there, kheld or not.

So, true to my usual form, I showed up at the feet of Back Alley
Brawler about 30 minutes early. I let _Rose_ know I was there. I
sat down and waited. I rolled up an ice/fire tank named "ittybittykittytank"
for this event, and well let's just say, tanking isn't my thing, but that's
another story.

The list of events included sewer runs, Badge Hounding, costume
contests, and a party in Pocket D, which included tons of games. There was
something for everyone.

A whole slew of prizes were given away at the event as well. They
were:

4 pairs of wings

4 pairs of boots

6 Hamidon Origin Enhancments (including a Ribosome)

Countless invention recipes

and about 60 million in influence

Total "cost" for the prizes came to about 100 million influence!!

Winners from random drawings :

Stacy Steel

Ooplik

Tindude2

Triston Palemoon &

Master Shockwave

Costume Contest winners were :

Best Bio: Lil HotStuff

First Runner Up: Poison Fly

Grand Prize Winner: Robo Monkey Bubbles

and of course:

_Rose_'s Original "WTH were you thinking" category: Guardian Tengu.

We had a game of Simon Says as well to test our Emote knowledge.
The winner of that was A Tank.

The night ended with a power free race 3 times around the dance
floor in pocket D

The people who helped out with the various events were:

Blazing Bonkers- gamester

Deadly Orchid- badge hunting

Nurse Goodbody, Rx1, and Ramon were ghost healing in the sewer run

Scruffy Muffy took people out on a badge mission

Hamenpoi (of Darkhand) and Arch Angel Suriel did the town crying

and of course there were many others graciously helping out the n00bs.

Thank you to all those who held this wonderful event! We all were
n00bs once. We all wished we had *someone* to help us out at one point in time.
This event just goes to show, that yes, even on the gigantic server called
Freedom, there are those who are willing to help out the n00bs, and show them a
good time. Good job _Rose_ and company. I do hope you do it again.

Dragonberry by Sayterra

Posted 08-10-2007 11:32 AM

Advice

Back to front page

State of the Archetype

Stalker

by
Angry_Citizen

The Stalker by its very nature is an unseen assassin that delivers
little more than extremely high levels of single target damage in a short
period of time. Like most assassins in the real world, you are frail, and
easily slain when pinned down. However, a Stalker has many tricks up his-or-her
sleeve that makes pinning them down quite a challenge. Most Stalkers are
naturally evasive, and can easily dodge an opponent's attack before they do any
damage. Other Stalkers are noted for astounding regenerative abilities that can
heal a wound quicker than it was dealt. Still others are cloaked in shadowy
armour which reduces incoming damage.

As a Stalker, you will face many challenges. As stated, you are
very frail. Often times you can go from being fully healthy to being a
fearsome, evil, invisible grease spot on the carpet in a matter of a few
seconds. Your power lies in your ability to defeat an opponent before he can
harm you, through what is known as "burst damage". After all, if that pesky
Circle of Thorns Behemoth Lord is twitching and bleeding on the ground, it
isn't harming you.

Another obstacle to Stalkers is something I've come to term as
"Stalker Hate", which can make finding a team in the middle-and-late game very
difficult. Some people are bitter ex-PvPers who were slain by one of your kind,
and stereotype all Stalkers as "ganking cowards". Others have teamed with the
"Scouting Stalker", a type of Stalker who goes out of his way to utilize his
Stealth potential to scout out the end-boss, click all the glowies, and
generally be a useless and non-contributing member; this can often create
bitter memories in the unfortunate teammates of this breed, and they will
sometimes refrain from teaming with a Stalker. Yet more people find Stalkers to
be incapable of providing anything unique to a team. While there is some truth
to this claim, it does not mean that Stalkers are incapable of providing
anything at all. Together, this leads to Teams and Stalkers often giving up on
each other instead of trying to get past the problems.

Still another obstacle is the fact that you depend on being Hidden
for most of your damage. If your Hidden state is interrupted by incoming
damage, a large portion of your damage goes right out the window. And that's
not even speaking of the fact that our damage isn't superb even under the best
of conditions, as higher level enemies gain resistances to our damage types.
This can be partially overcome by teaming with a Dominator and scoring
Criticals on Held targets, but since Dominators aren't always common teammates,
that may not be a regular option either.

Recently, much of the Stalker community has been pushing for
Stalkers to be given the "buff treatment" that Dominators saw between issues
6-8, in order to address some of these problems, and help change the mentality
of non-Stalkers so that we are more accepted in teams. This silence from the
developers is frustrating, broken only by Castle's word that "Stalkers have
issues, but are generally at an acceptable performance level." Which sauses
some despair that our favorite Archetype may not become a priority in the short
term.

However, not all is bad for Stalkers. We are a frightfully
effective solo Archetype. Our burst damage allows us to quickly slay such
critters as Bosses in relatively short time, and our Hide allows us to stealth
our way through a solo mission, and fight only the bare minimum of foes, should
we choose to.

We are also a very decent PvP Archetype; the "Assassin" class
often times is, in most MMO's. This is through a combination of our burst
damage, our ability to go unseen, and our decent defenses. So, if PvP is your
thing, Stalkers are usually the Archetype to gravitate towards. Be warned,
however, that many think playing a Stalker is an "I Win!" button in PvP; I'd
like to tell you, quite emphatically, that nothing could be further from the
truth. It is a life full of hardship and difficulties, but this makes it all
the more satisfying when you do achieve your kill.

Stalkers are also an innately fun Archetype, in my opinion. Lets
face it; you're invisible. You can practically feel a critter's unbounded fear
and terror of you emanating through the pixels on your monitor. You are playing
the part of that scary, slimy monster that emerges from the shadows in a horror
flick accompanied by a loud sound, often giving the audience a shock.

Let us speak now of Inventions, that shiny new system that,
metaphorically speaking, tosses a wrench into conventional thinking. A Stalker
can now grant him-or-herself a good deal more defense, damage, accuracy,
recovery, regeneration, and a plethora of other attributes, all through the use
of "Invention Sets". This can greatly boost your own survivability, your
offensive potential, and add a degree of customization never before seen in
City of Villains. Some Stalker sets can, without much trouble, get to a global
20% boost in damage; I can tell you from personal experience that this can make
you much more deadly, since 20% more damage is quite a lot when you're dealing
with the insanely high damage numbers of Assassin's Strike. All in all, if you
have the Infamy for it, Inventions will make every bit of it worthwhile to you.

In conclusion, let me just say that, while things look slightly
bleak for Stalkers in the long term, life is very enjoyable, and very
rewarding. Though you will face challenges in your career, they aren't
insurmountable with a little forethought.

By Popular Request

By
Bowfling

This is the fourth in a series of By Popular Request articles,
which will review commonly requested player suggestions for which there is
strong positive support, and review the implications and considerations that
would need to be accounted for if these suggestions were to be implemented.

This weeks subject Supergroup bin access.

Presently, there are three different bins that supergroups can
maintain for storage and sharing of in-game items: enhancement, inspiration and
base salvage. Via the Supergroup permissions tab, you can set permission to
allow certain ranks access to pick items up from these bins. The problem is,
you cannot set these permissions separately. Instead, access to one grants
access to all. Typically, you might want everyone in the SG to have access to
the various inspirations stored, but limit, for instance, the access to the
base salvage rack to only the base architect. Or have the enhancement tables
with restricted access to protect rare or crafted enhancements.

This *all or nothing* rule results in supergroups having to make
the choice between denying access to all their bins except for only certain
supergroup ranks, despite wanting to give access to some; or allowing access to
all bins, but potentially exposing the supergroup to theft by unscrupulous
players.

Ideally, access to each bin type should be allowed individually,
so that you could adjust permission based on the bin type. For instance, access
to more valuable enhancements could be denied to low ranking members, while
access to inspirations need not be.

Further, if supergroup bins are ever given additional utility,
those additional options may further spark an interest in maintaining separate
access. Unless there is some coding issue where access can not possibly be
separated easily, allowing separate bin access rights would be a nice SG QoL
improvement.

To Our Loyal Readers,

Well, this is it. The week that we announce the winners to our
Call to Arms contest. Ive been asked how many entries we received, and let me
just say: Lots. Reading them all was a daunting task, but we did, and now we
present the results to you to discuss, revel in, and generally flame.

Each and every week, I find out more and more about this
community. We previously got a request to cover base construction and
decoration, so we scoured the boards for someone dedicated and knowledgeable
enough to do that aspect of our community justice. Bringing him in, the team
began to see just how beautiful and intricate your supergroups can get. Weve
seen some of the most mind blowing ideas, and I love it. If you have a great
base that you want the world to see, post it
here or
here for smaller bases. Who knows? With some luck, you might be
featured in an upcoming edition of the Scoop!

Where are we going next? Well, were never going to be content to
rest on our laurels, so its never an issue as to whether there will be new
ideas bubbling, its just a matter of which idea will happen next. While I hate
to ruin surprises, I will say two things. The first being Interview .
The second being Developer. What do I mean by these two words? Stick
around and find out!

Thats all I have to say for this week, but be sure to check in
next week. Until then, post in the discussions section! We absolutely love
hearing what you think about us, from the worst of it to the unfettered praise!

With all due respect,

Marcian
Tobay, Co-Editor in Chief

Marcian Tobey by LadyJudgement

Horoscopes

Sun is in Leo/Scrapper, Moon is in Cancer/Defender Julian Day
2454323.33

Heroscopes

Controller
Mars conjunct Mercury gives tremendous mental energy to you and inflates your
ego -- take care to avoid being temperamental and touchy. If you channel this
energy well, you can be very influential today.

Defender
Sun conjunct Venus confers a warm-heartedness to you today which makes you
very attractive. You are likely to reach out to a loved one (or one who you
would like to love) and may attract a new love interest. Avoid being
extravagant or indulgent.

Scrapper
Mercury conjunct Mars confers great intellectual energy and ability to
concentrate. You will feel intellectually competitive and may become irritated
by trivialities. If you remember your priorities, it can be a very productive
day.

Blaster
Sun conjunct Jupiter attracts good things to you today. Your experiences will
be out of the ordinary and you will likely feel generous. Great opportunities
may emerge in work or in spiritual affairs.

Tanker
- Mercury opposite Sun is a transit which favors communication with others and
boosts your ego. You may project yourself in an arrogant way today and alienate
others as a result.

Peacebringer
Mercury conjunct Jupiter confers enthusiasm and quick mindedness. Your
comprehension of issues is broadened today and your inner peace makes you
tolerant of dissenting views. Your judgment is good today and leads to
successes.

Warshade
Neptune transiting the First House tunes you to the thoughts and feelings of
friends and family. You may be of tremendous help to an associate or stranger
because of your compassionate nature during this transit.

Villain Horrorscopes

Brute
Mercury opposite Neptune enhances your sensitivity to others and stimulates
your creativity. Communication with others, however, is not favored by this
transit so take extra care in listening to others and thinking before you
speak.

Mastermind
Mercury trine Pluto marks a turning point in a relationship (for good or
ill). Your power to effect positive change is greater than you imagine at this
time.

Corrupter
Sun trine Mercury marks a good time to relate intellectually and learn from
members of the opposite sex. You're able to express yourself well today.

Dominator
Venus in the Fifth House designates a time when romance is strong and the
opportunity to express affections is great. Additionally, this is a time when
your powers of creativity are great.

Stalker
Jupiter opposite Saturn may create many conflicts both at home and the
office. Your restless nature may make you strike out for more "freedom" in your
relations with friends and colleagues so try to loosen up now and not take
everything so seriously.

Horoscopes provided by
Lady Athyna

Megaglalactic Void - A collab by Scarf_Girl and Sayterra

~Handwritten page found laying atop the Horoscope submission~

Hello again my dears. I've looked over Little Miss
Heros predictions and they arent that bad this week. They just need a little
touching up.

Villainscopes

Brute
Communication with others is not favored by this transit so take extra care
in listening to others and thinking before you speak. Newsflash
Brutes, start paying attention.

Mastermind
Your power to effect change is greater than you imagine at this time.
Stop playing with your pets and put them to work for you.

Corrupter
Sun trine Mercury marks a good time to relate intellectually and learn from
members of the opposite sex. You're able to express yourself well today.
as long as you express yourself by annihilating your enemies.

Dominator
Venus in the Fifth House designates a time when romance is strong and the
opportunity to express affections is great. Additionally, this is a time when
your powers of creativity are great. Venus again, ugh. Creativity
is good, creative application of domination is better.

Stalker
Jupiter opposite Saturn may create many conflicts both at home and the
office. Your restless nature may make you strike out for more "freedom" in your
relations with friends and colleagues so try to loosen up now and not take
everything so seriously. Good grief, like we need more
clown-stalkers. Just follow the striking part of the advice, strike often and
strike to kill.

Heroes

Controller
Mars conjunct Mercury gives tremendous mental energy to you and inflates your
ego Snip it here. Oh my, look at that. We should aim for the
ego. Good news for those who like to postulate maniacally, distract them with
pointless speeches.

Defender
Sun conjunct Venus confers a warm-heartedness to you today which makes you
very attractive. You are likely to reach out to a loved one (or one who you
would like to love) and may attract a new love interest. Avoid being
extravagant or indulgent. Oh pish posh. Spend like theres no
tomorrow! What self respecting defender needs to keep enhancements up to date
anyway?

Scrapper
Mercury conjunct Mars confers great intellectual energy and ability to
concentrate. You will feel intellectually competitive and may become irritated
by trivialities. Intellectual Scrappers? Oh really? I shall
arm myself with some Trivial Pursuit cards.

Blaster
Sun conjunct Jupiter attracts good things to you today. Your experiences will
be out of the ordinary and you will likely feel generous. Great opportunities
may emerge in work or in spiritual affairs. Spiritually
speaking, you spend far too long in the hospital dont you? Thats probably
where the spirits became so friendly with you after all.

Tanker
Mercury opposite Sun is a transit which favors communication with others and
boosts your ego. You may project yourself in an arrogant way today and alienate
others as a result. Separate the Tanker from the team and let
him take himself down! Oh I love these predictions .

Peacebringer
Mercury conjunct Jupiter confers enthusiasm and quick mindedness. Your
comprehension of issues is broadened today and your inner peace makes you
tolerant of dissenting views. Your judgment is good today and leads to
successes. If Peacebringers are doing so well in the coming
week, I may decide to team with one in that horrid little cooperative area.
They can work for me.

Warshade
Neptune transiting the First House tunes you to the thoughts and feelings of
friends and family. You may be of tremendous help to an associate or stranger
because of your compassionate nature during this transit. More
victims err, team mates. Oh how yummy.

~Love and Kisses

~Scorn

Posted 08-10-2007 11:33 AM

Arts & Entertainment

Back to front page

Featured Artist:

John Becaro

Interview by
Dirtwolf

This week, I was recommended an amazing artist named John Becaro.
He is very friendly and sociable, which made me feel very welcome. Hearing how
he discovered his artistic abilities was really interesting. It just goes to
show you can find your skill in almost anything you do!

John
Becaro's DeviantArt

John Becaro's blog

Hey Mr. Becaro! Can I call you John or do you prefer being formal?

Lolz; You can call me John in any way you can

You do a lot of art of charactors on City of Heroes. I understand
you do not play the game though. Do you play any video games?

Yes. I play a lot of Video game specially when I am bored.

When did you first discover you had an artistic talent? Did you
hone it or did it come naturally?

I first learn to draw when my father used to ask me to do drawing
in his back. I then ride to him and do sketches. My father then sleeps after a
couple of minutes while Im still drawing at his back. Since then my father and
mother was supportive on me until I realize I love to draw. That was when I was
5- six years old already. It just become naturally.

How much time a week would you say you spend hunkered down over a
piece of work?

Almost every night. Mostly 7 hours till up.

Whats your favorite and least favorite parts of being an artist?

My most favorite is when I finished doing an artwork that came
from what Im thinking. It's fulfilling.My least favorite is when people asks me
to do things I dont want to do

And when they start exploiting my kindness.

Who or what have been your biggest inspirations?

My biggest inspiration is my family. I love them so much.

If you could have one wish for anything -- Just one wish (no
wishing for more wishes!), what would it be?

I wish I could do the best thing I can to help my loved ones.

We've all had that one critic who really got under our skin -- What
was the nastiest thing someone has said about your art?

"It was just Nothing compared to someone else."

What is your next goal to accomplish that pertains to your artistic
abilities?

Avoid procrastination and so much overly social lifestyle and
reestablished discipline to myself again.

Whats the best piece of advice you've ever received and what advice
do you give to new artists?

My advise? Well, just be yourself. Never stop drawing and learning
new experiences. Focus on your goal on your life. Learn to appreciate what you
have and Enhance it in all the way you can. Be humble and always explore new
heights. Don't be intimidated to other artists, just do your thing and try to
be original when doing things Be simple, discover the basics and take
advancements. Lastly, learn to appreciate life.

Proper Screenshots for Commissions

By
Dirtwolf

I thought about my article a couple weeks ago about getting
commissions done and it hit me. I never gave them examples of the proper
screenshot -- D'oh! Below, I have links to proper screenshot-ting for
art requests!

Bad

-
The Speech - While this is great for showing what you want a screenie
to look like, its horrible for costume reference.

-
Sword Drawn... - How awesome! Look at that great charactor
expression!... What the heck kind of shoes is he wearing? Sorry, not going to
work.

-
Charming. - Really great charactor design (in my opinion) but the angle
and aura are making it hard to distinguish his detail.

-
True... - A great angle to have a picture at. Unless you are requesting
art. Too little information is contained in the picture, and the angle is too
awkward.

Good

-
The Hover - Not bad. It's close enough to see detail, but still shows
expression and a position you'd like your charactor to be in (unless you
specify otherwise such as : artist's choice, action flight, etc)

By Statesman! - I think you've got it now! Great angle, great lighting.
Now, we'll need screenshots from a few more angles like this...

-
My brute... - Always seems so photogenic. The poses I catch her in,
etc. I'd be better to have an admittingly boring angle shot, but this gets her
whole body in the picture.

-
My Main's Reference Picture - I am not an avid collector of art. As a
matter of fact, I've never had a fully drawn picture of Dirtwolf done, only a
few friends sketch her out. This is the reference picture I have up on my
deviantart for anyone who does want to draw her. Mine are kind of small --
bigger shots are better.

Basically, the angle pictures may be boring, and you may want your character to
be expressing themselves, but it is easiest for reference's sake to provide the
artist with them. You can, of course, provide pictures with a bit more
expression, but you'll want all the charactor in them that you can muster. Once
again, thanks to MrsAlphaOne's husband for letting her farm him for screenies,
and my friends SWA and Armorshot for happening to be in my screenshots folder
for previous work I've done for them.

SG Ladder now in action!

From
Excentric

The Official PvP SG Ladder is now set up and in full swing. The
rankings right now are:

1. Justice for all League

2. Old School

3. Freak of Legend

4. Velocity

5. Esk

6. Hell Raisers

7. Statesman's Watch

Unranked:

Whirligig

The End

All official challenges will be placed in
this thread.

All Super Groups interested in joining this ladder may do so at
anytime. All rules and regulations may be found in the previously posted link.

Posted 08-10-2007 11:35 AM

Design

Back to front page

Base Showcase

By
born2luz

This week we visit the base of the Supergroup "Power of Illusion"
on the Freedom Server, and talk with their base architect, Leandro.

Click on a non-greyed room to view details

Name of SG: Power of Illusion (Freedom Server)

When established: May of 2006 [/B]

How many members: 30 characters.

Estimate of base's worth: 4.5 million prestige.

Favorite Decorative/Functional base Item:
Telepads, they save so much travel time.

Least Favorite: Most Arcane/Sewers stuff. It
tends to be too big and look like you took it off the garbage.

What would you like to have changed about the base system,
what do you most like: I would like every issue to add a handful
of new decorative items, even if they have to be crafted. Boomboxes that
actually play music, pinball machines, pool tables, bar stools, soda
dispensers... we see those at Pocket D, so it's just a matter of allowing those
models to be placed with the base editor. Storage permissions on a per-table
basis would be wonderful, but even separate permissions for tech storage and
arcane storage would be enough for most uses. Also, allow us to remove the
floor and ceiling trims!

If you could give just one piece of advice to a new base
editor, what would it be? Don't think so big. I've seen too many
bases with extremely tall ceilings and huge decorations. White boards shouldn't
be six feet above the character's face!

Anything else you'd like to add about your SG, Base, the Base
system: Very powerful and fun system. Please give us more items to
play with!

E-Razor by Grabthars_hammer

How Do I Roleplay?

Character Creation, Part 2

By
Burning_Brawler

Hi again, all! Sorry about my absence last week. I was having a
few unwanted Visitors issues. Now, lets start with a quick recap of what I
covered last time. We went over the first half of character creation, including
Archetype, Origin, Powers, and Body Sliders. Today well start with the costume
creator.

Now, the costume creator in City of X is one of the largest Ive
ever seen, personally. One could spend a long time on their costume to perfect
it. That, or just hit the random button. Yes, Im talking to you, you cheaters.
Ok, so we think about our basic concept, and see if anything begins to form in
our head. Even if its just a quick flash of an idea, build off that. Itll
solidify as you move along.

My concept of the dark swordsman will probably lead me to dim or
darker colors. Not necessarily blacks, but perhaps darker reds, or greens, or
even purples if I can manage it. Personally, with my costumes, I start by
choosing to colors to base it off of and set to the whole thing. Here Im going
with a very dark gray and green to start. Be sure to uncheck Copy Current
Colors once you start though to avoid unwanted changes to everything.. Next I
like to work from the top of the costume options down, with the occasional
exception of doing the Chest area first.

As this is an article about Roleplaying and not costume design,
and this is a guideline for you to build your own concept-fitting costumes, not
one of mine, I wont give you my every detail I chose.

Now, as you go through the options, choose things that fit your
basic concept. My mysterious character is currently wearing a shadow-casting
Duster and a bandana to obscure his face. Your Martial Artist may have a
headband, or your scientist a pair of work goggles. Be sure to play with colors
if you feel its a good place for it. Just avoid becoming one of those fancy
characters who are making Advils sales sky-rocket. My characters face is
angry, but not psychotic, nor glowing for no apparent reason. He is a hero, and
should look like one. Hes a mutant, but not a animal-man, so as much as Id
like to use the Reptile, I cannot.

Following my concept, I now have a Trenchcoat on. Whats more
mysterious than that? Following your own, you may find some form of lab coat or
worn armor. You might like some shoulder pieces as well. The gears are
especially interesting to me.

Dont forget the Chest Detail either. The symbols arent for
everyone, but be sure to go through the list and take a look at other things
such as the skulls and bandoliers available. Or even medals if youre going
with a Military type character. Gloves, you may also like to try out the
different arms and styles. Perhaps Spiked gloves are something you would use,
or small fingerless ones. Find a belt that matches what youve done so far, and
what youre thinking of for later, then move on.

Your lower body should in some way match with your upper. Make
sure you look at the upper body options. Sometimes Tights options dont all fit
quite right. Go through your pants and boots, finding what looks right with
what youve got. Those higher in level may also be making the decision of
capes, or in some cases Wings. But make sure you can explain why you have them.

Finally, go back through and see if youre happy with this costume
and how it relates to your basic concept. Tweak the bits that seem off to you
until youre satisfied. In some extreme cases you may even wipe the entire
thing and start over.

Next week we shall get to the most important part of a
Roleplayers character creation, the actual story to it! Stick around for next
weeks article on the City Scoop!

Posted 08-10-2007 11:36 AM

Behind
the Mask

Interviews by
Teldon

Back to front page

Aurora
Girl

Pinnacle Server

Where do you live?

Currently, I'm stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland for Mass
Communication Specialist tech school for the U.S. Navy.

Do you have any pets?

At home in Georgia, I've got a 95-pound chocolate lab who thinks
he's a Yorkie.

Most interesting place you have visited.

Probably, as of right now, the Bahamas. Going to those markets and
haggling with shopkeepers was amazing. Not to mention almost being swept out to
sea...but that's another story.

Your top three songs of all time

Walking in Memphis - Marc Cohn

Home - Marc Broussard

Come Around - Sister Hazel

What 5 TV shows could not live without?

Don't have a lot of time anymore...but I'll try.

Heroes, House, SportsCenter, Firefly, and Family Guy.

Best book you last read?

The DaVinci Code. Finally got around to reading it, because i'm an
idiot.

What is your favorite pop culture quote?

*rubs chin*

I pity the fool. Byah!

What other hobbies do you have?

PT, facebook, MySpace, console gaming, being Irish and making an
[censored] of myself in public.

Who is your real life hero?

My grandmother. She's lived through more crap than three people
should, and she's still the strongest woman I know.

Pants?[/b]

Overrated. Duh.

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

Pinnacle. The Drunk Server. Basically, it was at the top of the
list when I first bought the game, and this was before global channels. I've
been here ever since. I love Pinn...the personalities are what keep me coming
back. I'm also Mayor, coincidentally. Good times.

How did you get drawn to this game?

It was only $20 bucks at Best Buy when my buddy bought WoW on its
release date, and I've always been a comic geek. I can be my own superhero!
Hell yes!

What is your favorite aspect of the game?

The people. My graphics aren't great, i'm not a min/maxer, I just
love the humor and the awesome folks I have the priviledge to play with on a
daily basis.

Who is your namesake character and what are they?

Aurora Girl, a level 50 Energy Blast/Energy Manipulation/Force
Mastery Blaster. She has the very-hard-to-obtain "Floor Critic" badge, whose
text reads "Whether it be grass, the cold stone floor of a cave, a stark metal
lab, or a warehouse, you've made it an obsession to taste every floor in
Paragon City. Right good work."

Which type of character would you say is your favorite to play and
why?

Well, I'm a blaster at heart...I just wish we were more cannon to
go with our glass. Right now, I've really gotten into scrappers, and I'm
playing one of every secondary, and working on freeing slots to have one of
every primary as well. I love doing damage, that much I know. My controller is
Fire/Storm, and I just don't feel right hanging back and being a buffer. It's
not my style, and believe me I've tried.

How do you normally handle new challenges in the game?

Don't know what you mean by "challenges," exactly, but I approach
them the same way I do in life. "Screw it." I'll do what I'm gonna do
regardless of what people throw at me. That much I learned from my grandma.

What zone is your favorite?

I really really love Faultline, for some reason. That and Croatoa.
Basically, anything where I don't have to change zones after every damned
mission. I hate that. Violently.

What is your favorite Storyline in the game?

The one in Villains where you work for Ghost Widow in your early
20s, and get the Widowed badge. That was pretty fun, and I guess heroside it's
gotta be the Freaklympics.

It has been a busy year for the game so far. Do you feel that I9
and I10 really added anything to the game and why?

As much as I *hate* crafting, and [censored] and moaned when I
heard it was coming, I can appreciate the level of replayability it's added to
the level 50 game. It just peeves me that it's become a scenario of the haves
and the have nots as far as money's concerned, because I believe every player
should have a reasonable chance to use IOs. If you're the ones out there
charging multi-million influence prices for your crap, you're supporting the
problem, not the solution.

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

Listen. If people critique you, or your playstyle, chances are
there's a good reason. Also, READ THE BOARDS. My entire gaming experience
changed once I became a forumite, and the entire game made sense to me.

Any closing comments?

Humor and graciousness go a long way on the Internet, and Teldon's
pants smell funny.

Luminara

Pinnacle Server

Where do you live?

Richmond, Virginia.

Do you have any pets?

Two cats, a Lumidon and an enormous flock of imaginary ducks.

Most interesting place you have visited.

Wisconsin. I don't get out much. >.>

Your top three songs of all time.

STP - Lounge Fly, Soundgarden - 4th of July, InXS - New Sensation

What 5 TV shows could not live without?

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, CSI, um... oh, the Batman Animated
Series (all four seasons)... I don't really watch many television programs. I
like movies and educational television, like the Science and History channels,
but no specific episodic content, just whatever's interesting.

Best book you last read?

A compilation of H.P. Lovecraft's short stories, including The
Mountains of Madness.

What is your favorite pop culture qoute?

That's unpossible!

What other hobbies do you have?

Tweaking/custom building computers, writing fiction, watching
movies to memorize dialog and trivia.

Who is your real life hero?

Gus Grissom, Ed White, Roger Chaffee, Dick Scobee, Michael Smith,
Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Ron McNair, Greg Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe,
Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael Anderson, Dave Brown, Kalpana Chawla,
Laural Clark, Ilan Ramon.

The men and women who died while in the service of the National
Aeronautic and Space Agency, in the Apollo I, Challenger and Discovery
accidents. I can't even begin to express the respect, adoration and admiration
I have for these people. Every day that the world has been without them has
been a darker and sadder day.

Only when I'm out of breaths.

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

Pinnacle. I was urged to start playing when some friends from
Enemy Territory started playing CoH, and they were all playing on Pinnacle.

How did you get drawn to this game?

Friends, at first, but it was the depth of the character
customization that convinced me to stay. And come back twice.

What is your favorite aspect of the game?

The way it rewards creativity. Most people think the creativity
aspect ends at the costume creator, but the powers themselves can be amazingly
flexible when you look past the surface. If you can imagine it, chances are
that you can find a way to do it in CoH.

Who is your namesake character and what are they?

Luminara is a Dark/Dark defender, level 42. She was the second
character that I started, and the first one to make it past the teens. I don't
much care for playing Dark/Dark defenders, though, so I rarely log into that
character.

Most people will recognize me as Dancing Hawk, a Trick
Arrow/Archery defender designed to be as realistic an approximation of a
Cherokee maiden as I could get, or as Electron Girl, a Kinetics scrapper.

Which type of character would you say is your favorite to play and
why.

Archery blasters! Sharp, pointy sticks for the yay!

I like to smoosh things occasionally, though, so when I'm not
shooting sharp, pointy sticks, I'm playing my human Regen peacebringer or
Electron Girl.

How do you normally handle new challenges in the game?

Carefully, but with optimism. After all that I've seen this game
go through and all the things I've seen to be possible, I don't worry about
much. If it can't be overcome one way, there's always another approach.

What zone is your favorite?

Brickstown. I like the music in the Crescent and the general zone
layout.

What is your favorite Storyline in the game?

Anything and everything concerning Nemesis!

At least until the ducks are added. >.>

It has been a busy year for the game so far. Do you feel that I9
and I10 really added anything to the game and why?

I9 built on what I believe to be the most important asset that
this game has going for it, the ability to customize your characters. The whole
Inventions thing is a nifty thing in and of itself, but it really expanded the
potential that was started with the costume creator and the power selection and
slotting process. It opened up entirely new ways to approach the game and
character design, and that's a really fantastic step forward.

I10 breathed some new life into a stale, old enemy and brought
some much needed revitalization to the late game, in addition to introducing an
interesting new twist to the earlier levels with the Invasions. It moved the
story forward for the game as a whole, something that's been long overdue, and
continued the trend of moving forward that I9 started. It bodes very well for
the future. We're not sitting in the same stale, old history any more, we're
finally flipping the pages of the comic and starting to get to the good parts.

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

Never, ever let anyone tell you what the "right" way to do
anything is. For every "right" way, there are half a dozen other ways that work
just as well and might fit your needs or style better.

If you don't cross the line, you'll never know where the line is.
Never let yourself get locked into believing that any AT has to fill a specific
"role". You're only limited by your own imagination, so use that imagination
and push the boundaries. You'll discover all kinds of amazing things that you
can accomplish in the most unusual and unexpected ways.

Any closing comments?

I like ducks.

Turbo Ski's Innocence by Fox Lee

Lunar
One

Liberty Server

Where do you live?

I am Living in Iowa City, Iowa

Do you have any pets?

I have two dogs that are like my children. At least they act like
they are.

Most interesting place you have visited?

Wow.I have been quite a few places in the US. Haven't gone
outside of the US except on a train ride into Canada. That was fun. Really
liked visiting Colorado.

Your top three songs of all time?

1. Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Poison

2. Thunderstruck by ACDC

3. Faithfully by Journey

What 5 TV shows could not live without?

1. Mash

2. College Football (not really a TV show)

3. Star Trek (any form)

4. History Shows

5. HGTV & Food Network

Best book you last read?

Well the best book would have to be Harry Potter.

What is your favorite pop culture quote?

Hmmm dont know that I have a favorite to be honest with you. That
or I dont pay enough attention to what people like in quotes.

What other hobbies do you have?

Well I have been collecting comics for over 17 yearsGod that is
scary lol. I like the outdoors and love to cook. Like Video Games and RPGs.
Love Dogs, and Football. Interested in History and how things happened in the
world. Piracey and Ancient Empires and all that type of thing.

Who is your real life hero?

Well it would have to be My Dad who passed away. He had so many
health problems and was told so many times that he should not be alive, but he
kept fighting for 20 years longer then they said he would have. He was such a
wonderful and talented person with Theater. He loved Collage Football as much
as I do. I miss being able to watch the games with him on Sat. I just miss him
period.

Pants?

LOL this is actually kind of funny because anyone that really
knows me knows I hate wearing pants. I would much rather be wearing shorts.
Even during winter I will wear shorts. Not outside but inside. Altho I have
been known to go out quick in shorts outside during the snow and cold hehehe.

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

Liberty is my home server. I actually started on Justice when I
first started playing because a friend played on there. I soon decided that I
wanted to start fresh on my own and Liberty was where I ended up. I guess I
just liked the name. I have played on other servers because I will meet new
people and friends I have made play there. I always feel at home on Liberty
tho. Silly huhI mean it is the same places and everythingI just feel like I
am in a foreign country.

How did you get drawn to this game?

LOL well I love Comicbooks and would have loved to play from the
start. I couldnt tho as I did not have access to a good PC computer at the
time. Then when it came time that I could get a really good computer, this is
the first game I got for it. Been in love with it ever since.

What is your favorite aspect of the game?

I love the ability to create a character that is something I
thought up. I used to play Paper dice games like Heroes Unlimited and Gurps and
I miss those days of creativity. I dont have anyone here anymore to play those
so when I could play this with people from all over it was wonderful. You
really feel like a superhero/villian controlling a person that you created. The
only limit is your imagination.

Who is your namesake character and what are they?

Well I have two characters that are my loves. Col Flag is my first
character and first one to fifty. He represents the Superman/Capt America type
that I have always loved. I tried to put my own take on them and incorporate my
own characteristics into the character of Col Flag that I created. And yes I
got the name from a mash episode lol. My other character is Paragon Ghost. I
call him my baby lol. He is like my other favorite character Batman in the
sense that he is a strong dark type of character. That is about it tho as far
as background story and such. I actually have an origin story created that uses
a Villian from Arachnos, it is way to long to put in my small origin space in
game. But it is an original story and I am pretty proud of it.

Which type of character would you say is your favorite to play and
why?

Scrapper first and formost. It is what I know the best. Everything
else I have to learn better how to play because I am not the greatest. I am
learning and this is after 1 and ½ years of playing.

How do you normally handle new challenges in the game?

Well I do a lot of research on the forums and try to understand
things on how something works. Inventions have taken me some time in
understanding them but I think I finally get it lol. I have done some PvP and
have been okay at it. I either do really well or I get my butt kicked. I have
been talking with a friend tho on how to tweak Col Flag so we will see how that
goes in PvP. Otherwise with anything it is just trial and error. You have to
make mistakes to learn in life and gaming is no different.

What zone is your favorite?

Croatoa, I love that zone. I also like the new Faultlineit has
some special memories for me when I was playing Paragon Ghost there. I like the
idea of some zones but feel they tend to be somewhat similar or not used to
what they could be. Dark Astoria is one that I think needs some contacts in, as
well as Perez Park and Eden. I also would like to see more permanent things
done for Pocket D. The ski lodge was wonderful but it is only seasonal. I could
probably go on with ideas but then this would become a novel.

What is your favorite Storyline in the game?

Hmmm I am not really sure. There are a lot of really well written
ones. I would not even begin to be able to say what they were right off hand.

It has been a busy year for the game so far. Do you feel that I9
and I10 really added anything to the game and why?

I think I9 added a lot to the game. I am hoping more inventions
will be added that use tech salvage. There seems to be very little reciepes
that use that type of salvage much. To be honest I like I10 but the Read
warning writing of Doom can get a bit much. Especially when it goes in every
window. But that is the way things go I suppose. As for the new additions I
think they are really cool. It was a good revamp for a zone that was kind of
not used for a lot. This way there is more of a use for it and a way to be able
to team Heroes and Villains together without it being a PvP zone.

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

Personally it would be to enjoy your first run to fifty. Read the
storylines and just have fun playing. Be patient with learning the game and be
creative. Dont just do what everyone else says to do in the game. Find what
works for you, and what is fun for you to do and play.

Any closing comments?

I have to say that I have met some wonderful people in this game.
Have lost touch with some do to real life and continue to meet new ones. I am
always amazed at how many wonderful people I meet in this game that you get to
know on a personal level. I am looking forward to continuing playing and
meeting people.

Posted 08-10-2007 11:37 AM

Encounters

Interviews by
MrsAlphaOne

Back to front page

The Prelate:

Kindness in a strange place

Ok, I couldn't take it anymore. For weeks now I've been on the
front lines of the war zone. Fighting, getting tossed into the reclaimator,
fighting some more....getting beat to a bloody pulp, I needed A DRINK!

I cut out from one of the Rikti blitzkreigs that were going on in
Cap Au Diable and begged Dr. Aeon to do something for me. "Help me PLEASE" I
begged him, I need a drink or something but the local Pocket D is just too
close. Alpha-One will find me and drag me back to the front lines if I go
there. So, Aeon sat for a bit, and pondered my dilemma. Then he proceeded to
say "AAAH HAH!!!" and hurried off to his lab without another word.

He explained to me "There are parallel universes out there my
dear. Oh yes, many of them. I'll call them "Shards" from here on out. Dont get
lost now. Well, I can send you to a Paragon city that is in one of these other
shards, using THIS device!" He then held up a little tiny PDA looking thing. He
then proceeded to explain to me, "You wont be going in your current form, or
even have your current powers! They will be totally randomly determined at your
point of destination. To return, all you have to do is push this button here,
and you'll come back to this shard, the same as you are now! Aren't I an
absolute GENIUS!?!?!" I thank him, pay him *of course it wouldn't have been
free* and push the button. As the starburst started to form around me, I heard
Aeon's voice fading "You're going to FREEDOM. Look for the.... *static* Crew.
Their fort is located...*static*" BAMF And here I was.

I look down at myself, and I'm in catgirl form. I feel much more
resiliant than I felt in Guardian. And I look at my ID: "ittybittykittytank Ice
Armor/Fire Melee Tanker, security Level 6"

Interesting. So I walk around looking for this "fort" Dr. Aeon
mentioned before I zapped out of my home shard, and couldn't find it. So, I
figured, there has to be a Pocket D in THIS dimension, they're always good to
set a gal up for some drinks, so off I went.

I sat down at the Tiki bar and in pops this gentleman in green. He
looks rather friendly so I decided to chat him up. (After informing him of my
situation that is... that I am really a corruptor in Tank clothing)

Prelate: Hi!

ittybittykittytank: Hi!

Prelate: Methinks I am too tall for these bar
stools.

ittybittykittytank: So what brings you here?

Prelate: The need for a little reprieve. I've
been fighting the Rikti with Vanguard.

ittybittykittytank: Yeah so have I. Man
Alpha-One has been a slave driver during this. I had to go AWOL to get a drink.
I hope he doesn't find me here. I had to hop to a totally different shard to
avoid him.

Prelate: Well, I can't say that I would commend
such action, though I can understand the motive behind it.

ittybittykittytank: Well, when one's alcohol
system is getting a little too much blood in it, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
And Rikti ships dont have booze to loot.

Prelate: I know many people who suffer many vices
in this world. I suspect many would empathize with your plight. Indeed, they
have some unusual technology, but I have not noticed any consumables, myself.
But then I only have a chance to examine them directly, or their ships, after
defeat. Perhaps their alcohol is lost in the heat of battle?

ittybittykittytank: Nah I doubt it. I heard those
priests are real sticklers for rules and regulations. And on top of that Rikti
are just TOO uptight to have anything fun related on their ships. You know
Battle: Commencing Death: Imminent Need: Drink Priests: Stupid

Prelate: Indeed. I can not begin to comprehend
what they would take pleasure in, other than conflict with mankind, though I
think I would be hard pressed to not laugh my bum off, if I ever heard one of
them say something along the lines of a colorful expletive.

ittybittykittytank: Me neither...*shakes head* so
what brings you to Paragon city in general?

Prelate: I was sent here on a mission by my
master.

ittybittykittytank: Master???

Prelate: He has long observed the struggles of
humanity, but the events of the last 100 years or so have given him reason to
believe this is a pivotal time for mankind. Well, perhaps teacher is a better
way to say it.

ittybittykittytank: Aaah. I was sent here by a
master as well Well he's sort of an evil emperor...

Prelate: My master is also the master of mystical
arts in our dimension of time and space. It is hard to really describe it
beyond that.

ittybittykittytank: Sounds interesting. My
"master" is hell-bent on taking over everything. He kinda lost his mind when he
tried to learn subtractive magic...

Prelate: Well, then it would appear that he is
not as much a master of his fate, than a victim of his actions.

ittybittykittytank: So who do you like to beat up
around here? Well "arrest" that is.

Prelate: I take personal pleasure in the Rikti,
obviously. However, my favorite would be the Circle of Thorns, I think, the
source of my power is also magic, and I take personal offense to their
perversion of it.

ittybittykittytank: Circle of Thorns? *shudder* I
can't stand them... They think they know magic but they mess up all the time.

Prelate: Indeed. Their mages are more dangerous
to themselves, than to any well prepared opponent. As evidenced by the fact so
many of them fall every day.

ittybittykittytank: Their pet chickenbutt
hordelings are funny to watch though.

Prelate: Their pets are truly despicable
abominations.

ittybittykittytank: But but the chickenbutts
are hilarious Their mages like to go kamikaze on you if you get them mad
enough. Not conducive to a long life

Prelate: Thankfully my master foresaw the
conflicts I would face in battle. I am able to wield the wind itself, to keep
them from their 'detonating' around my person.

ittybittykittytank: Nice. I just have to hope I
scourge them before the go boom.

Prelate: Judging by your gear, I would say you
are well equipped for such work.

ittybittykittytank: Usually they are so slowed
down that they cant get to me in time. Kinetics are awesome.

Prelate: And the fact you are here to tell of it.
I have had the pleasure of fighting alongside many kinetics. I would agree, it
is a fantastic gift. I myself control Weather and mystical forms of Radiation,
and some limited other abilities.

ittybittykittytank: Well Radiation is what I was
born with... That's what they call it here. In my home dimension it was
considered green lightning... That's what brought the Emperor's attention. He
taught me the way of the Mord Sith... to use others magic against them. That's
what's called "Kinetics" here.

Prelate: Interesting.

ittybittykittytank: Yes. I lost my Agiel in the
transfer over... I'm hoping to find a suitable replacement... but

Prelate: Is that the name of a friend or loved
one? Or perhaps a power or item of power?

ittybittykittytank: No. It's a tool, a weapon
that allows me to channel other people's magic more effectively to harm them.
Causes me extreme pain to use it. Only the Agiel that was used to train me in
the ways of the Mord Sith can be used by the Mord Sith herself.

Prelate: Ahh. We have a word for people with that
ability, though in the interest of remaining civil, I will not utter it here.

ittybittykittytank: It looks no more than a
leather covered rod. Yes, we are professional torturers in my dimension trained
by torture into the art of torture.

Prelate: Those of us who wield magic are not
inclined to break bread with those who would use our might against us. It is
like holding a childs fist and forcing them to punch themselves in the face
with it.

ittybittykittytank: Well I just do what my
Emperor tells me. He wants a person of magic captured for his own gain, we do
it. That's why we have the ability to turn their magic against them. We are
only used to capture magical enemies of the state... and get answers from them
or bend/break them to the Emperors will.

Prelate: Well, I guess it is a job. I can not
imagine walking such a path myself.

ittybittykittytank: But that is neither here nor
there, I'm not able to return to that dimension, so I guess that life is behind
me. I just take the Rikti's magic and use it against them, and sometimes, that
of heroes, in consensual combat.

Prelate: I whole heartedly support the theft of
the Rikti magic.

ittybittykittytank: Heheh Well that I do well.
It's rather... interesting to use it against them thats for sure.

Prelate: Do you find yourself with any residual
echo of power, or do you have to immediately use what you take?

ittybittykittytank: No. Once the victim has
perished, there is no residual power.

Prelate: Fair enough. Once the life force
departs, it can not be forced to give up that power any longer.

ittybittykittytank: That's about it. I can't use
something against an already defeated opponent.

Prelate: I can understand how that would work.

ittybittykittytank: So you control the weather?
That's a feat unto itself

Prelate: It is certainly handy.

ittybittykittytank: I bet it is.

Prelate: I am not so powerful that I could
control an entire hemisphere, but I have total control in the area around
myself. Well enough that I am able to protect myself and my companions from
nearly any threat.

ittybittykittytank: Nice.

Prelate: I can make a mist so thick that energy
blasts shot into it are nearly totally diffused. It is very useful against the
Rikti.

ittybittykittytank: Not their drones *shudder* I
tried ghosting past some once...

Prelate: Or hurl a tornado at an invading mob of
opponents to batter them senseless.

ittybittykittytank: wound up in the reclaimator.

Prelate: I am able to summon ice and sleet so
fast and hard that their drones are typically destroyed before they are able to
alert anyone to my presence. Or I just unleash a lightning storm on them. The
EM radiation keeps their communications devices from working while I take them
down.

ittybittykittytank: Wow. I coulda used you last
night when Lady Grey wanted me to take out the Honoree.

Prelate: Lady Grey has been very generous with
me, for my work with Vanguard.

ittybittykittytank: Ack my drink is empty

Prelate: She is a lovely lady.

ittybittykittytank: *pokes the mask* Gimme more.

ittybittykittytank: *poke*

Prelate: Allow me. *waves the mask bartender over
for a refill* We may face each other in battle someday, but that does not mean
we can not show manners now.

ittybittykittytank: That's for sure hehe

Prelate: And especially while the Rikti are a
threat, it seems healthy to treat all possible comrades-in-arms well.

ittybittykittytank: No kidding. It is strange
teaming with heroes.

Prelate: It is odd at times, to find myself
fighting alongside people I have had bitter fights with in the past. But so
far, everyone has remembered their manners.

ittybittykittytank: *BEEEEEP BEEEP BEEP! OMG HOW
did he find me here??? Alpha-One is paging me (I swear if Aeon gave him the way
to...)

Prelate: Well, with a master such as you serve, I
would not wish to detain you, and risk his harming you.

ittybittykittytank: Alpha-One isn't my Emperor,
he's just a guy who hired me on in his merc group.

Prelate: Ahh. One master for another. I hope this
one treats you with some respect. Or at least better

ittybittykittytank: He's pretty much a stickler
for protocol. He kinda lost his marbles when Nemesis wiped his family.

Prelate: Ahh. Nemesis. I've fought them too.
Ruthless.

ittybittykittytank: Oh yeah he treats me much
better. He can be a stickler at times, but he can be a great guy when he wants
to be. I just dont wanna be one of his personal mercs. Now those are truly
meat shields to him hehe.

Prelate: I know the type.

ittybittykittytank: But I should get going.
According to the page, Recluse wants us to go beat up Statesman again. Nice
chatting with you

Prelate: Well then. It was a pleasure. If you
ever find yourself rethinking which side of the 'cape' you serve, remember The
Prelate. My regards, my lady. Peace be upon you.

Posted 08-10-2007 11:38 AM

Classifieds

Back to front page

Selling: life-like mechanical Ravens useful for my tasks. Long
distance couriering, location, homing and rescue capable. Some units flight
capable, others glider-equipped, land rocket boosted or translocatable. Equiped
with a Virtue system. Contact @GFM for leasing and rental information.

Also seeking qualified mechaneers, effigiers, and assorted other helpers in
creation, production, and maintenance of the Iron Ravens.
http://www.steelravens.net/phpBB2/index.php

THE CITY SCOOP seeks staff writers to contribute articles,
columns, or HTML layout on a biweekly schedule. We want helpful, positive and
motivated people! Send a PM to
Marcian_Tobay or
Hertz.

The PvP Event Committee is looking for more experienced event
coordinators and planners to add to our current team. We are looking for
PvPer's with a general knowledge of tourney formats and PvP tactics. We are
looking for players with evening and weekend availability who are dedicated to
improving the PvP community on not just their server, but the whole of CoX. We
need dependable, hard-working members who will put in extra time when needed to
teach, promote, or host events game-wide. If we just described you, please
visit our website at
http://pvpec.guildportal.com, click "Join the PvPEC", and fill out our
short membership application to become a part of the driving force in PvP
game-wide.

Smiling Lemur's Kora Fruit Smoothie Stand is open for the Summer!
Fresh Kora Fruit shipped in daily. Come down and relax with some cool
refreshment that's out of this world! Located on Spanky's Boardwalk, Talos
Island.

NOW HIRING: Motivated vigilante types for immediate placement as
security, side kick, lackey, mentor and malificator. The Extemplary pays top
dollar, fax resume to 1-800-4-EXTEMP.

What's small friendly and gets the job done? Classifieds in The
City Scoop. Sell, find or buy anything. Send a PM to
LadyK today.

Pyromindi by ImagesByAlex

/em Smack

By
Dirtwolf

Posted 08-10-2007 11:38 AM

Puzzles and Games

Black and White Version	Last Week's Maze Solution [B&W verson]	Back to front page

Posted 08-10-2007 11:45 AM

Week 13 of "The City Scoop a publication for Supers by Supers!

This weeks edition has the contest winners and speeches from the Call To Arms, contest that was sponsored by the scoop. There are also some new articles and features including player tips for base creation and roleplaying. I think all can agree with me that this player created feature is a great addition to our community.

Discussion on this issue is found here!

If you would like to do a feature article, have an event covered, or join "The City Scoop" team please PM Hertz or Marcian_Tobay

If you or someone you know should be considered for Behind The Mask please contact Teldon

If you need some Advice or would like to Ask The X contact Lady_Athyna or LiquidX

The City Scoop! ~Front Page~ August 10, 2007

The City Scoop

Call to Arms Winners

This Issue:

The City Scoop Staff

Upcoming Events:

Overall Winner:

The Saddest Day

Hero Winner:

This Is My Home

Villain Winner:

Path Traveled Lightly

Market Report

Special Focus: Honeypots

Adopt a n00b night on Freedom

Advice

State of the Archetype

Stalker

By Popular Request

To Our Loyal Readers,

Horoscopes

Heroscopes

Villain Horrorscopes

Villainscopes

Heroes

Arts & Entertainment

Featured Artist:

John Becaro

Proper Screenshots for Commissions

SG Ladder now in action!

Design

Base Showcase

How Do I Roleplay?

Character Creation, Part 2

Behind the Mask

Aurora Girl

Pinnacle Server

Luminara

Pinnacle Server

Lunar One

Liberty Server

Encounters

The Prelate:

Kindness in a strange place

Classifieds

/em Smack

Puzzles and Games

Behind
the Mask

Aurora
Girl

Lunar
One

Puzzles
and Games