The City Scoop! ~Front Page~ September 14, 2007


Ex_Libris

 

Posted


















The City Scoop



Rikti Attack City Scoop Office!







Last
week, several thousand Rikti were seen descending upon the City Scoop office in
an attack that could only be referred to as “That One Time the Rikti Attacked
the City Scoop Office.” After a certain patch went completely untested, a Rikti
invasion day—although conveniently foreseen by Positron and Statesman—landed
invaders in the center of the Scoop workplace!



Members of the City Scoop were quick to act against the wicked menace known as
the Rikti (or, to lovers of anagrams, the Kitir). Dirtwolf was quick to let
forth a mighty “Buh” and hide the artwork from the prying hands of the Rikti.
Pants Stealer was able to live up to her name and relieve many Rikti of their
pants, rendering them embarrassed and vulnerable. Even Scorn joined in, bravely
pushing GuyPerfect away from falling debris into the hands of what would later
turn out to have been Rikti.



"It was horrible!" remarked Lemur Lad, "They lured me into a room by saying.
‘Inside: Fruit-laden,’ and when I got there, there was NO FRUITS! I even had to
smash this death trap dealie they had on the door to get out. So mad..."



During the mess and tragedy, there was, for a brief moment, a reprieve. This
came when the brave and fearless Lighthouse came to ask for the current week’s
edition of the City Scoop. Thinking quickly, Hertz scribbled down a message and
sent it off with Lighthouse, in hopes that the Freedom Phalanx, or at least
Customer Service, would arrive in time to help avert the disaster. The results
of this effort can be found
here
.



The efforts continued to be varied and powerful. Lady Athyna used powerful
storm blasts, scattering Rikti and paper all over. Teldon promised Behind the
Mask interviews to whoever retreated, and Burning Brawler both burned and
brawled heroically. After an epic battle, sadly, the majority of the team was
overwhelmed by the many Rikti, who captured and restrained our valiant
Scoopers. The Rikti declared, “Doom: Imminent.”.



Then,
from nowhere, and in a most dramatic fashion came Protea, who conceived a
brilliant plan. Quickly and with much secrecy did Protea sell himself five
separate times to Born2luz. Having artificially inflated his value, he
negotiated with Rikti and asserted that he was worth at least five times more
than the rest of the team (read: a pair of fairy wings). The Rikti freed the
rest of the team, eager to add Protea to their list of experiments.



It was a heroic struggle with many explosions, exclamations of “POW!” and
“ZAM!” and frantic skirmishes. Many causalities were had on both sides, and
many Rikti gratzed each other on achieving the “Newsworthy” Badge for having
killed a certain number of City Scoop members.



At this time we ask for moment of silence for those that fell: Hertz, who fell
delivering a message for salvation, Protea, who is currently scheming to escape
the Rikti, GuyPerfect, who died being saved, and Frost, who went missing during
the scuffle. You will all be remembered for generations to come, or until a
database purge removes the proof that you worked on this project.











To Our Loyal Readers,


Okay, so maybe it wasn't exactly a Rikti attack, but it was once
said that in every joke there's a grain of truth. The truth is, we've been
moving around and rearranging our team. Several of the City Scoop team has
decided to move on with their lives, and we thank them for their contributions.
They were great additions to the team, and they really helped the community
(including myself) see what the Scoop could do. They will be missed.


What does this mean for the Scoop? It means that we're changing,
and it means that we are growing. Hertz has had to step down due to other
obligations, and I thank him very much for being my partner in getting this off
the ground. We'll still need two Editor In Chiefs, though, and Lemur_Lad has
agreed to step up to the plate and guide the Scoop. You may see some changes
here and there, but Lemur's always been one of the hardest working members of
the team, and I can tell you with much confidence that, despite Hertz's
departure, Lemur's leadership will only mean good things for our team.


Are we looking for new staff members? We always are. Send either
Lemur_Lad or me a PM, and we'd be glad to work with you to see where you can
work on the team. We're City of X fans, just like you, and we'd love to hear
what you can bring to the team.









With all due respect,


P.S. It seems like I can't contain my gratitude for those that
must leave but have helped us get to where we are. I hope you all do well in
your future ventures.




While perusing the forums....



In my wanderings about this wonderful land we call The Forums, I
stumbled upon a thread I think a larger portion of the playerbase would be
interested in.


For
those that may not be aware, two City Of * players were contestants on Who
Wants To Be A Super Hero on Sci-Fi channel. The Defuser, aka
Detective2416
and Mindset, aka
Dementor
.


Super
gratz to Defuser!
But now, The Defuser needs your help.
Can you design a new costume for him?
No giant, evil Stan Lee will get
in your way while you undertake this task.



This Week:


Sept 15th


Liberty:

*Villain
Invasion Team




Sept 16th


Triumph:

*
Sunday Night Smackdown




Sept 18th


City of Zeroes:

*Costume
Contestants Due


Guardian:

*Tuesday
Night Fights




Sept 19th


Pinnacle:

*Arrr!
Pirates!




Sept 22nd


Justice:

*PvPEC
Melee Event


Protector:

*In
the Hive Again...








 

Posted














Event Resources




We are pleased to announce the Player Event Resource Committee
(PERC) and the Mr./Ms. Paragon City and Mr./Ms. Rogue Isles Contest!


PERC is an exciting new player-based committee dedicated to
helping plan, support, and run server and global-wide games, contests, and
events. Their goal is to help enhance the CoX experience by helping to promote
new content, to revisit some of the old content, and to assist new players
through different educational events like exploration badge and history tours.


This
committee is made up of the following people:



Champion - Nether

Freedom - Rose, Bonker, OSHA

Guardian-Aliana

Infinity - OSHA, Destiny, Gata, Reddy

Justice - Ice Knight, Glacial

Liberty - American Valor, Steele Magnolia

Pinnacle - Radionuclide

Protector-Wolfen, Sooner

Triumph - Shard_Warrior, Raven Witch

Victory - Dirtball

Virtue - Warcabbit




The Mr./Ms. Paragon City and Mr./Ms. Rogue Isles Contest promises
to be a Costume Contest like no other. There will be individual server contests
on each server starting on the last two weekends in September and continuing
through to the middle of October. Semi-finalists from each server will each
receive an invitation to the finals and prizes like exclusive Gold Titles
lasting three months and CoX swag! The Finals will be held on October 19th on
the test server (if test server is in beta testing, the semi-finalists will
each receive a beta invite), with the top four costumes walking away with six
month Gold Titles and even more exclusive CoX swag. There will be some live
broadcasts by various in-game radio stations and perhaps even a live telecast!









The event kicks off on September 22nd, at 8pm EST on the Freedom,
Pinnacle and Infinity servers, in Pocket D. The event continues on September
29th at 8pm EST in Pocket D on the Justice, Champion and Liberty servers. On
October 6th, the contest picks up again at 8pm EST in Pocket D on the Triumph,
Guardian, and Virtue servers. The event ends on the Victory and Protector
servers on October 13th at 8pm EST in Pocket D.


All contestants will need to sign up ahead of time because there
will be a limit of 100 participants allowed per server. Entries are also
limited to one per global, as the forty-four semi-finalists will need to meet
up on the test server. Check the events section of the forums for sign up
information.


This promises to be an event like no other, and merely the first
in what we hope to be many more great events to come. We here at the Scoop plan
to keep an eye on the new PERC committee as many great events are rumored to be
in the works.





 

Posted















The Market Report




Protea has left the Market Report [fortunately not the game] and
I'm the "temp".


There are some interesting trends from last week, and from the
last time I did this [three months ago]. A lot of items broke the 10,000
barrier on the strength of a single 50,000 inf sale in the "last 5".


Compared to two months ago, heroside- common items and the "big
ticket" items have gone down, while it seems that the less trendy rares are
slowly gaining some significant value. The Quick Katie fix has eliminated, it
seems, the situation where midrange salvage was much more expensive than
high-range stuff.


Villainside, prices are up somewhat on the high-end items from two
months ago. I suspect that the ability to team with heroes in the Rikti War
Zone has fixed some of the recipe shortage; perhaps it has just made richer
villains.


I'd like to thank Protea for a long run and a good one, and I'd
like to thank them for providing the tools that I used to generate the market
data this week.


DISCLAIMER:

The "+0%" in everything indicates that I didn't have Protea's data from the
previous week. Also, time of day makes a HUGE difference, and I took my data at
a different time.






































































































































WentWorth's


RHA


Prophecy

3,400,000


+0%


RHA


Pangean
Soil

3,100,000


+0%


RMA


Deific
Weapon

2,900,000


+0%


RMA


Enchanted
Impervium

1,890,000


+0%


RMA


Empowered
Sigil

1,840,000


+0%


RHA


Hamidon
Goo

1,680,000


+0%


RMA


Soul
Trapped Gem

1,360,000


+0%


RHA


Magical
Conspiracy

1,250,000


+0%


RHA


Essence
of the Furies

1,200,000


+0%


RMA


Mu
Vestment

990,000


+0%



Black Market


RHA


Prophecy

2,740,000


+0%


RHA


Pangean
Soil

2,740,000


+0%


RHA


Essence
of the Furies

1,940,000


+0%


RHA


Hamidon
Goo

1,560,000


+0%


RHA


Deific
Weapon

980,000


+0%


RHA


Magical
Conspiracy

965,000


+0%


RMA


Soul
Trapped Gem

695,000


+0%


RMA


Empowered
Sigil

500,000


+0%


RMA


Enchanted
Impervium

456,000


+0%


RMA


Mu
Vestment

302,000


+0%






 

Posted















Art



Artist Interview


Drunk Fu



Hello Toxic Shia! Or Drunk Fu…err...umm…Hey Drunkic Shiafu! Where'd
you get your name here and on DA?


Well, I was drunk I think at some point previous to this in the
distant past, and there might have been a minor altercation involved whilst I
was in that state. So I rather went with it for the respect and professionalism
of the word. As for Toxic Shia on the forums, it’s just named after the main
character I annoy people with.


What are your current goals in life?


I think it'd be just awesome to have more money than I'd know what
to do with and my own island, which would be entirely populated by attractive
women that ran my private brewery. Ooh, and perhaps Scarfgirl serving me drinks
while she fans me pleasantly. Realistically, maybe a job with air-conditioning
and drawing. I'd love to get a steady paycheck out of anything artistic


What’s been the most inspirational thing to you so far? In art? In
general?


I've found a lot of artists out there to be very inspiring. I've
always adored Yoshitako Amano's style and paintings, Adam Warren's fantastic
story lines and art, Fred Perry's hilarious stories, unique style and amazing
productivity and talent. I find the local community just as inspiring as well:
Scarfgirl's adorable style and linework is fantastic (though I wish she'd draw
a lot more), Sayterra's style and understanding of form have amazed me,
Suichiro's fetishes and drawings amused me, and those are just the "S" names.
There's such a great community on CoH and Deviantart that it’s hard not to feel
inspired (or woefully intimidated) just flipping around that place. Graver's
another fantastic artist. A lot of his paintings have been featured in previous
City Scoop editions.


What are your other hobbies?


I do like gaming...and cigars…and comic books…and drinking, though
I've been trying to cut down...and cooking…and the word
antidisestablishmentarianism. It reminds me of the Royal Jester. Er. Are words
that remind you of other people hobbies? Hm. Maybe teasing people...Ah wait,
that should perhaps go under guilty pleasures.


What are your favorite art
pieces that you've done?



There was that prank with the graffiti on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
that went horribly awry. Who knew that my version of whales looked like God
giving the spark of life to Adam? But that's kind of tricky, I tend to like
what I've drawn most recently and then hate it months later. I have a high
number of little
CoH forum animated avatars I really get a kick out of seeing.


Though,
my favorite out of that bunch has been the Satyr eating out of the trash can,
and the few I've done recently that blend into the background color of the CoH
forums (like the one of the Nurse and the tentacles, the ninja vanishing and
the little school girl bounce jumping and saying "Hip!" over and over).
Picture-wise, and of the many many many drawings I've done of City of Heroes
characters (I've been running a free drawing thread for a long time now), I
rather still like this picture I got commissioned from Scarfgirl to draw of her
Mummy zombie Mastermind.



Also there was this other commission I did of a guy’s character, which was a
villain version of Goldilocks that I had a lot of fun drawing.


And I love the flow of this commission I did for
Docboy
. (It had trolls!)


And this picture I did of
Sayterra
(I believe she's a Scrapper now) on Open canvas came out
spontaneously wonderful



I also did this series of CoH "Getting your hero name in line" themed comics
that people seemed to like, which I kind of left off and never picked up again.
However, they were pretty amusing.















What’s the craziest art project you've ever gotten involved with?


You see, this one time I was in a bar with a couple of artist
friends, and we started this comic on a piece of paper where one of us would
draw one panel, the next guy the other. For some reason, it ended up with the
last panel being a naked Asian guy wearing an elephant head over his hip
section. I've drawn on napkins and paper plates as well


If you had to choose only one type of art supply to use for the
rest of your life, be it paint, crayola crayons--anything, what would it be?


I think maybe a regular pencil. Or maybe a magical one. One of
those James Bond pens that shoot lasers might be fun. You could draw on cement
walls! Those would last forever.


Is there anywhere you want to travel? Why?


I'm really kind of happy in So'Cal at the moment, aside from the
sweltering heat. But it might be neat to go visit my friend it Atlanta again.
Atlanta has awesome public transportation, although their Malta smelled oddly
like a porn shop. Also, it may be cool to go visit St. James in Ireland one
day, and see the Guinness brewing place.


How did you discover your talent?


Oh, I've been drawing ever since I was a short childling, so it's
something I've always been working on.


Have you ever given your parents/family member a piece of artwork
as a gift? What was it?


All the time. It's a great cop-out gift at Christmas. I did [a
painting of roses] for my grandma. (Grandparents always seem to appreciate kind
of neutral boring paintings) I did a picture of a guinea pig for my dad one
day.










Do you have any guilty
pleasures?


Far too many to name here, although…wait, I have feel guilty about
them? And it has to be a pleasure I feel honest guilt about? Teasing people, I
feel very guilty about that at times.


What advice to you give other artists who are struggling with their
talents?


I seem to selectively remember several savants saying something
similar to the sound of "Everyone has 10,000 bad pictures in them, and a few
good ones. The trick is getting all the bad ones out." The point being, always
keep practicing drawing something every day, try different things always. Also,
if you want to draw people in any way, take lots of life drawing classes.











 

Posted


















Base Showcase



War and Peace












Base designer: Skyrocker




Which server do you call home?


Virtue.



When established?


I joined it in Feb of this year, and through attrition, found myself to be the
leader. Members dropped out, stopped logging on, and the leaders were demoted.
It was originally intended to be an "all kheld" SG, but now we're recruiting
anyone.



How many members?


We're currently up to about twenty-five members, and fifteen or so are
active—meaning they log on at least once a day. The bad thing is that we're
hardly never on at the same time, so checking the roster shows me that most of
us are on at least every day, or every other day, but we don't team much
together. We’re still recruiting though, and looking for that "hard core" to be
established and build from there.



Approximate base value?


The rough estimate would be about 700,000 invested with about another 150,000
in reserve. We have the oversight room with combo unit, workshop room with
invention table and vault, inspiration collector, salvage and enhancement
storage, a medlab with resurrection ring, the larger two teleporter rooms and
one teleporter, and tons of decorations.


Favorite base
item/least favorite?



My favorite base item would probably be the storage feature. I like being able
to store enhancements and having a pool that everyone can use. Science origin
Warshade with a tray full of magic enhancements? I can drop them off, and
someone else can use them. It’s like money in the bank. If someone needs some
influence, they can grab a few and sell them off, or if they're doing a respec,
fill their tray before they respec and sell them all back at full price!


My least favorite would probably be the color scheme setup in the base editor.
I'd have to classify that as "user vicious."



Anything else you'd like to add ?


The one thing I would change about the base system is the ability to change
what percent of prestige is generated per mob/mission. From 0 to 100, let the
player decide and do away with the sliding scale after level 24 to no influence
in SG mode after 33.


Base editor, PLEASE let me initiate a base edit from any room! Such a small
thing, but I get tired of getting to a room, wanting to change something, and
having to run back to the beginning to re-enter you!


That's about it, I guess. After having only been into the SG/Base building
thing for a month or two, I'd have to say that I'm about 99% satisfied. I agree
that there could be some changes, but just like anything else, you have to try
to change what you can, accept what you can't, and don't stress over it too
much. It's a game, have fun with it.













It's just me, Lock0n














Base designer: LockOn



Which server do you call home?




Virtue.




When established?





May 23, 2007.




How many members?




Just one. This was my experiment with a lair. No alts were added to pad the
Prestige totals. I used one character at level 10 and created the super group.
I ran him in SG mode until I was "finished" at about level 27 (two levels
higher than my goal of "finishing," which was 25).





Approximate base value?





254,840 Prestige.




Approximately how much time do you spend per day/week/month editing your
base, and how much time would you say you have invested in it as the base now
stands?





I tended to work on the base as funds became available. It grew in short
spurts, basically a few hours per room here and there. All in all, I've
probably put less then ten hours into this base, but because it's small, it
hasn't needed quite as much attention as some of the larger bases I've worked
on.





Favorite base item/least favorite?





My favorite item is easily the teleporter. It took me to about level 21 before
I had it working, but the trade off in saved travel time makes it well worth
the effort. My least favorite base items are the ones that basically do nothing
for me. Since I don't ever expect to have enough prestige to go PvP with the
base, all of the defensive items that can be crafted are just a waste of space
to me.


What do you most enjoy
about base editing? Least enjoy?





I love to try out new things with the base editor. I mess with ways to light my
bases, change color schemes, go for ambiance, and all the things that can make
it different and unique. I'm a big fan of individuality and theme. The things I
least enjoy (aside from the budget constraints) are figuring out how to make
things fit. Stacking, placement, and making sure I don't block raidable items
are a constant source of frustration.




What would be highest on your wish-list for new base items?




Not so much an individual item as a purpose for PvE bases. Aside from one
strike force (which a contact could just as easily give), the only purpose a
PvE base has is to reduce travel time. There are better meeting places in game
besides a SG base, and storage was never really an issue to begin with—just a
nice to have feature. I feel that without a true PvE focus on the bases,
they're always going to feel incomplete, which is too bad because the potential
there is unbelievable. There are many great threads floating around about this
very subject here on the boards.




If you could give just one piece of advice to a new base editor, what would
it be?





Touch everything! Mess with room colors, lighting, and see what you can do.
When you're building small there's less to worry about than when you're
building big, so don't be afraid to dig into the details and tweak as much as
you can.




Anything else you'd like to add about your SG, your base or the base system
in general?





Nothing that hasn't already been stated in
this thread
.



This is the main suggestion thread for base changes and feedback. If you have a
base issue, it's probably already been discussed extensively there. But read it
and offer up your opinion anyway. The more feedback we have, the better we can
make the base/SG system for everyone.





 

Posted















How to Roleplay



In-Game Chat



One of the best places to roleplay is in the game itself. Playing
“as your character” can add a whole new level of entertainment for
you. While it’s not for everyone, or every character in some cases, this
article should help give you something to work with.









When you’re roleplaying in-game, you are basically
responding to things as your character would. This can be anything from your
conversations to the things that happen to your character throughout their
mission. One thing to be careful of, or even avoid if you don’t have
quick enough typing skills for it, is characters with odd ways of speaking.
This includes accents or a tendency to use words that you’ve been
grabbing off Thesaurus.com so your character sounds smarter. If speaking
in-character is severely slowing down things for you or your friends, try to go
halfway on some things or try a different character. Not everything that works
well in written stories or forum-based roleplay threads can be typed quick and
well enough in-game. Don’t let the team faceplant because of your wordy
warnings of the six bosses around the corner.


Some people base characters off of others they know. This makes it
easier for them to respond truer to who they’re playing. You can do
something similar to this with any character. Try thinking of a friend or
family member, or even character from a show or movie you used to watch, whom
closely resembles the one you’re playing.


There are some characters who won’t fit with any mold at
all, and these are the ones whose personality you need to keep in mind. If
they’re typically angry, or normally apathetic, respond as such. Another
way to help make sure you keep in-character is as you type, hear the
character’s voice inside your head. If it’s something they
wouldn’t normally say, it may be out of character for them. Don’t
worry if the other voices in your head try to pick on your character.
They’re just jealous.


When performing an action, such as handing an old lady back her
purse or stealing someone's cookies, one has two options. Hitting the
semi-colon button while in-game activates a different sort of chat type that
displays similar to this: If I type "Eats the evidence." it'll show
up as Burning Brawlers eats the evidence. This has a specific range to who can
hear it however. If you wish to let your entire team know what you did, a set
of asterisks is an accepted means of doing so. For example: *Takes all the
cookies and runs for the hills.*


For anything that can’t be said to make sense in-character,
or if you really need to tell your teammates something and don’t have
time for a RP response, speak out-of-character. The way you let your teammates
know the difference between when you are talking and when the character is
talking requires a simple set of parentheses: (( )). For example, “((Be
right back. The baby woke up))” or “((Need a drink. One
sec)).”


Lastly, try to be aware of others. I say this meaning not everyone
is comfortable with roleplayers. If your team has difficulty understanding you
when you’re in-character, then don’t be. Also, try to avoid
in-character comments in broadcast. This is partly to avoid any confusion for
people, but also to avoid soliciting those looking for some cheap jokes at your
expense. If you want the most out of some RP time, find others who enjoy it as
well.


That’s all for this week. See you next time, and if you have
any questions, send me a PM.





 

Posted















The City Traveler











Hi everyone! For over two years, I've been providing
transportation services to the City's heroes. So the other day, the City Scoop
called and asked if I would be interested in sharing some of my knowledge about
it's history and geography. Wow, would I ever! I guess I've seen just about
every nook and cranny of every alley and byway, so I want to tell everyone
about special little places you can go, tips and tricks to get around, and
maybe even throw in some interesting trivia!



First, I'll start off with a quick tip that might help someday. When the heroes
I know need to get around fast, they can sprint to their destination. A lot of
heroes don't realize it, but when they're sprinting around they not only run
faster, but also jump a little bit higher than when they're running at a normal
pace. So if you are really close to being able to jump on top of something and
you are just missing it by a few inches, try sprinting towards it, and I'll bet
that you will make it.



Now that you know how to get a little extra height on your jump, let's use it!
In the 1950's, the hero Gargoyle often perched on his headquarters in the
eastern side of Promenade of Atlas Park to watch over and protect Paragon City
from evil, back when the city skyline was much lower than it is now and before
they put the war walls up. A lot of heroes wait until they can take to the
skies before visiting the famous spot where Gargoyle used to take watch over
the streets, but now that you know how to jump higher and further, you can get
there with just a few heroic jumps, no special flight, jumping, or
teleportation abilities necessary!



To do it, go stand close to the Promenade neighborhood marker in the northern
section of Atlas Park and face east. Behind the monorail track down the street
on the right is the building that was Gargoyle's old home base. The building on
the left in front of the monorail track is The Hungry Dragon, which most heroes
say has excellent Asian food, by the way! The trick is that if you climb the
fire escape in back of The Hungry Dragon, you can actually get on the monorail
track by jumping from a sprint off the top of an air conditioner on the roof.
Be careful if you try this, and please, make sure that there is no train
coming! Once you are on the track, head south until you come to a ledge on the
left. Jump from the track onto the ledge, and Gargoyle's old perch is just in
front of you. If you find his spot, the City will grant you a special
exploration badge for going there. Neat, isn't it?


Video
Demostration


Well, I should probably stop now, I don't want to give away all of
my Taxibot secrets in one article. I'm on Infinity, so feel free to send me a
message on my comm channel anytime (it's spelled "Taxibot Belle") or drop me an
e-mail if you ever need anything, or just look for your friendly neighborhood
Taxibot. Until next time, byeee!!!











The Rumor Mill



Helpful forumite Mindripper regales us with information pried from
the minds of the devs in
this thread
. To Mindripper, your name fits, sir. On to the details!


Mr. Ripper asked our beloved Positron about converting the Shadow
Shard to a Co-op zone and revamping it. This rumor was then squished. Reports
state that the Shard is simply too big and the new Rikti War Zone is what they
want for a co-op zone at this time. This leads to questions about if the Shard
will ever get a revamp.


Next up was a question from Mindripper about opening up the co-op
missions in Pocket-D on a constantly available basis. Yet another rumor died
under Posi’s boot here, but there’s room for more rumors. Mr. Ripper asked if
the Halloween event was on for this year. Oh yes is the answer. Positron lives
up to the Cryptic name by not revealing much more than that about the new
stuff.


Then, Mindripper asked about a favorite villain group, the 5th
Column. That question garnered a big, fat YES! They shall return! Mr. Ripper
reports he had the impression the 5th would return in Issue 11. That’s just an
impression--no confirmation. Just more grist for the Mill.


So far, the only details about Issue 11 that were gathered are new
story lines and stuff for 50s. Another person asked about new powersets in the
thread linked above. Melee gets the next bit of love there. Posi said that they
will be Dual Blades and Willpower, and the new powersets will be for all four
of the Melee ATs in whatever combo makes sense for them. Both Castle and Back
Alley Brawler have posted numerous little details— too numerous to list each
post separately. Luckily, the
Dev Digest
tracks those posts.


The tidbits about the new powersets were from a second fan who
started asking Positron questions, including whether or not a level increase
was in the future. Nope, sorry heroes and villains, that rumor was shot and
stabbed. Let’s see if it dies this time.


Mindripper, not being put off, asked about rewards for 50s like
extra enhancements slots. This has been discussed according to Posi, but the
tech programming pushes it way off. Too much work for now. The possibility
exists for sometime in the future, though, so that’s a “maybe” rumor.


Next up: the SG roster limit. If you’ve been following the rumors,
you know the devs have previously mentioned changing it to seventy-five global
accounts, which means that all of your alts would be given the option of
joining the same SG without taking up a slot. Many people have been very
interested in such a feature, and the devs thought they had it working two
issues ago. However, it seems that everything they’ve tried thus far has
massively corrupted the data for SG/VG’s throughout the game. Those poor, poor
QA folks.



Finally, Mindripper’s brother cornered Lighthouse. Reports state
that the Issue 11 will enter closed beta soon. This reporter believes it will
probably be around the end of October since there was a previous problem with
two events on the test server at the same time. I suspect that sometime after
the character transfer and rename tools are live, Halloween will hit test, and
once Halloween is live, I11 will hit closed beta. This, like a lot of things on
the forums, is just grist for the Rumor Mill.


If you want to delve deeper into the Mill, click the thread I
linked at the beginning of this report. It leads to the thread where this
information was gleaned, but be aware: it’s a big thread.




Just the Facts



Server Transfers and Renames’ Arrival are Imminent



Work is proceeding quickly on the Training Room servers to crush
the last important bugs so that this much anticipated feature can go Live. The
Scoop is here to consolidate the current information we have and point players
to the best places to look, as well as quash a few rumors that have been
floating around the forums. According to the
training room patch notes
, the current version of the feature, which is
being tested, will be the one that goes to Live unless problems are found.


The new service will allow a player to move a character from one
server to another, or rename their character. Each will cost $9.99 USD, per
change. The
latest FAQ
has several answers to regularly asked questions. One of the
biggest rumors about all of this has been that the two busiest servers, Freedom
and Virtue, would not be open for transfers, because they are too crowded.
However, it's been
confirmed
that there will be no restrictions at first.


In addition to the Transfer/Rename, it has been announced the
return of the
character name policy
. This policy had been enacted before when there
were a lot of new characters being created (like during the launch of City of
Villains) to free up old and unused names on inactive accounts. The same is
true this time. With people moving and changing, some names have been freed up
in order to give players the best chance to get the name that they want. Just
so it's crystal clear, no one with an active account has anything to worry
about. They have been testing extensively on Training Room in order to make
sure that the script that frees up names does not affect any current customers.
In fact, if you have characters on Freedom server and want to
help with the testing
, you can help everything get off the ground
sooner.


At this time, there is no release date or activation date for the
feature. Since players’ cash is at stake, they want to make sure everything is
as right as it can be. We're just letting you know the current state of
testing.











Super Secret Dinner



Hello again, it is so good to be back here at my desk in the City
Scoop offices. I was wandering around the other day and ducked my head into
Overbrook, just to see how the renewal and redevelopment was going. I have to
say that over the last six or so months, "Faultline" is hardly recognizable. It
really looks like just about any other city zone. Or rather it would, if it
still didn't have the check points. Heading, left, out of the "New Overbrook"
district, I wandered down a sweet little cobble stone-lined plaza with quaint
little shops and restaurants. One in particular caught my eye, a cozy
bistro/sidewalk cafe called Bianco's. Bianco's is owned by Sicilly Bianco, wife
of "Little Tony" Bianco. Little Tony and his brother Bruno are two-thirds of
Paragon Pizza Pie along with "Big Tony" Mottirelli, Sicilly's brother.


Bianco's features the same kitchen philosophies as Paragon Pizza
Pie, fresh ingredients, good atmosphere, and plenty of food. Some of the decor
is "Italian kitsch," but the checkered tablecloths add a little something to
the homey flair of the restaurant. Old family photos, of the Bianco and
Mottirelli families, line the walls as well as new photos of friends and good
customers. The menu is a lovely mix of regional Italian cooking, with fresh
sauces, unique roasted dishes, and lots of pasta. The lasagna is heavenly, and
comes in about four different varieties: traditional, five cheese, Alfredo
Florentine, all meat and a sauce less version that has to be tried to be
believed. Other favorites are represented on the menu as well: Marsalas,
Parmigiana, Picatas, and Stressas in chicken, veal and pork varieties.


When I go to review a restaurant, I generally have at least four
other people with me, we all order different items and share. However, I was
alone this day and decided to have a combination. I was presented with a roast
platter piled high with Bianco's fresh traditional lasagna, Fettuccine Alfredo
with grilled rosemary chicken, and meatballs Puttanesca I half-heartedly joked
with my waiter, Ralph, that I was never going to be able to finish the dish. He
just smiled and said that no paying customer ever had. Big Tony did once, and a
Lost Rector and a Champion Slicer once had an eating contest when both came in
to rob the place.


The next day, I brought the leftovers into the City Scoop offices.
I think Lemur Lad is still getting tomato sauce out of his fur. Marcian Tobay
stated that the Puttanesca was the best since the Baudelaires came over for
dinner. Unfortunatelym Sicilly is reticent to part with the family recipes,
however, I have come up with my own versions that I will share with you.


Bianco's accepts cash and major credit cards. They are also
willing to trade food for services, as the entrance is often clogged by
Clockworks and Lost.


Fettuccine Alfredo with Grilled Rosemary Chicken Please don't let
this recipe daunt you. It is very easy.













Rosemary Chicken:


2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon of dried rosemary or 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary

1 clove of garlic minced

1/2 teaspoon of oregano

1/2 teaspoon of sweet basil

1/4 cup of honey


Mix all ingredients and pour over 4 boneless chicken breasts. Let
then set for about 30 minutes. Grill for 7 minutes per side or 7 minutes total
if using a clam shell grill.












Alfredo Sauce:


1 pint heavy cream

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Freshly cracked black pepper

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish


Bring the cream to a simmer over low heat. Slowly mix in the
butter into the hot cream, until the butter is incorporated. Add the parmigiano
until the sauce is thick.


To assemble, place a bed of Fettuccine on the plate, cover with
about 1/2 cup of Alfredo sauce then top with the chicken cut into diagonal
strips.











Pasta Puttanesca


The main ingredient of this dish is leftover tomato sauce. It
really is pasta with very few ingredients. It was the staple meal of "Certain
Ladies" in Italy for centuries.


1/2 pound of bacon or panchetta

1/2 medium onion rough chopped

2 tablespoons of capers

1-2 5 ounce can of sliced olives (black, green or both)

2-3 cups of tomato sauce fresh or jarred

4 servings of any pasta


Cut the bacon into strips on the short side. In a medium skillet,
crisp the bacon, and then add the onions. Cook until the onions are translucent
and slightly golden. Add the capers and olives, and add the tomato sauce. Bring
to a simmer. Pour over warm pasta and serve.












Rogue Isle Repast


Greetings villains and vigilantes, heroes and other pains in the
neck. After a month of The City of Heroes "hospitality", the only thing I can
say is...Freedom, oh, sweet freedom! The very first thing I did was head over
to my new favorite broker, "Willy the Brit." With a ticket to Founders Falls in
hand, I boarded the mini-sub and headed out to make a withdrawal and help with
the "urban redevelopment" project. A scant three hours later, I was sitting in
my favorite location of Larry's Tiki Lounge with ALL of my peeps.


Larry's Tiki Lounge is famous for gambling and being overrun with
Snakes. It is also famous for a unique blend of Gulf Coast cooking married with
southern Pacific Rim flair. When I say Gulf Coast, I mean all coasts associated
with the Gulf of Mexico—recipes and ingredients from Corpus Christi to New
Orleans, Mobile to Miami, Nassau to Havana and Cancun to Tampico. Yes, that's a
glorious blend of Tex-Mex, Soul Food, Southern BBQ, Cuban and East Coast
Mexican seafood. Larry's dad is Black-American, by way of Haiti and Samoan
while his mom was second generation Cuban-Mexican. This is reflected in one of
Larry's signature lunch platters: Teriyaki pulled pork with collard greens,
black beans and poi. If you don't know what poi is, it's a traditional Pacific
Rim dish made by mashing up taro root into a thick paste that looks like
gray-purple wallpaper paste (and some people say that it tastes like wallpaper
paste). I really wouldn't know. I mean, I know about five ways to cook a rat,
but I've never been so desperate as to eat wallpaper paste.


The main reason I like Mercy Island’s Larry's is because that's
where Mary is. Mary is this cute little redhead, whose company I greatly
enjoy—if you know what I mean. It's also the original location. Larry, like the
rest of us Rogue Islanders, was dumped off in Mercy without any, mercy that is.
Several years and a few shady deals later, Larry had the capitol to start up a
little beating house/restaurant. He started by serving the food that he grew up
with, like the above-mentioned pulled pork sandwich. Larry soon got tired of
the same old, same old and started experimenting with flavors and other ideas
pitched by his newly hired chef. This started the trend at Larry's to mix meat
and mixed drinks. Most of the higher end dishes are made from the same mixtures
as the fun and fruity drinks of the tropical climes. Mai Tai mahi mahi,
Margarita chicken and Tequila Sunrise shrimp. The drink theme doesn't stop
there. Dessert staples like ice cream and cheesecake get the same treatment,
like Piña Colada Cheesecake and chocolate Mudslide sundaes.


I really didn't pay that much attention to what the males with me
were eating. I mean, I told them all to order what ever they wanted. After all,
we were celebrating my freedom. I was also paying loads of attention to sweet
Mrry. One of the pluses of eating at Larry's is the prices. Most of Larry's
revenue comes from booze and gambling, so he's not trying to make money off of
the food. But don't let this put you off. The quality is high. Larry's accepts
cash and credit.











Margarita Chicken


This marinade is a sweet, sour, and spicy mix that is great on
shrimp as well.

1 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

1/4 cup of margarita mix

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1 small clove of garlic, sliced or minced

1/4 teaspoon mixed lemon and line zest (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

4 chicken breasts


Mix the all the ingredients, except the chicken, until smooth.
Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes to 12 hours. Grill the chicken over a
medium to medium-high heat for about 7 minutes per side or 7 minutes total if
cooking in a clam shell-style grill.












Pina Colada Cheesecake


2 lb. of cream cheese (four 8 oz. bricks)

4 eggs

1 cup of sugar

1 20 oz. can of pineapple drained (reserve the juice)

1 cup of sweetened shredded coconut


Soften the cream cheese to room temperature. Mix the cream cheese,
eggs and sugar with a hand mixer or stand mixer, blender or food processor
until blended and smooth. Fold in the drained pineapple and coconut. Bake in a
preheated 400 deg. F oven for 30-45 minutes. After the cake comes out of the
oven, add the topping. Cool for about 30 minutes.


Topping


1 cup of sour cream

1 tablespoon of sugar

2 tablespoons of coconut

the pineapple juice, reduced


While the cheesecake is in the oven, put the pineapple juice in a
shallow pan. Cook over medium-low heat until it has reduced by half. Mix the
sour cream, sugar, coconut and reduced pineapple juice until smooth. Top the
cheesecake as it comes out of the oven.








 

Posted
















Horoscopes




Heroscopes

Controller
(Gemini)
– Saturn opposite Uranus accents your desire for self
expression and originality. Creativity runs high today as well.

Hobbies are great, but try taking it to the next level. Instead of reading, try
writing a novel.




Defender
(Cancer)
– With Saturn transiting the Second House, you show a
propensity to engage in hard work to obtain financial security.

Gather the goodies while the getting’s good.




Scrapper
(Leo)
– Moon conjunct Jupiter gives you a love of life today that
manifests itself in good cheer and generosity.


As your attitude improves, so does your luck. Act on your impulses.




Blaster
(Scorpio)
– Jupiter transiting the Second House designates a time
when you have "lady luck" and may increase finances through speculation or
contests.


While you are already wealthy, you can have more. It’s okay. You can have more
and more and more and more. More is better, right?




Tanker
(Aquarius)
- Sun square Pluto marks a time when you and your work
may come under scrutiny from people "in authority". This transit indicates a
good time to finish up any unresolved business because the longer you wait, the
more things can go wrong.


Now you can talk to a person who has the skills you lack. Be clear and concise,
and you will be able to hand the whole over without a twinge of guilt.




Peacebringer
(Libra)
– Mercury conjunct Mercury confers fluency in
communication and sharpens your intellect today


Friends and co-workers applaud your recent efforts. They admire your wit and
your perseverance. Gracefully accept the compliments.




Warshade
(Pisces)
- Moon square Mars renders you susceptible to quarrelling
among co-workers; there may even be friction with figures in authority.

Less talk, more work. Focus on the task at hand, and you will learn to love it.
Stranger things have happened.



Villainscopes

Brute
(Aries)
– Mercury opposite Mercury quickens your mind and
conversational abilities.




Suddenly, even the most terrifying assignment looks doable. It’s a thin line
between terror and thrills, as you well know. Proceed with confidence.





Mastermind
(Virgo)
– With Sun transiting the First House, you should
experience all the benefits of this most powerful planet.




There’s a list of chores you’ve been avoiding. Time to get to it. You’ll be
happier when everything’s finally finished.





Corrupter
(Sagittarius)
– Jupiter in the First House marks a time when you
feel "lady luck" smiling on you. You are buoyed with confidence now to succeed
at any project you attempt.



This ought to be fun. Success is practically guaranteed, so go forth with
confidence. You always do anyway, but this time, even more so.





Dominator
(Taurus)
– Neptune transiting the Tenth House marks a time when
you may base many business decisions on "hunches" or "gut feelings.” Religion,
philosophy, or the occult may also influence dealings at work.




Confer with others and figure out who’s doing what. The next project will go
much better if everyone’s involved.





Stalker
(Capricorn)
– Mars square Mars may bring a sense of inadequacy or
frustration to you today. It's important to realize that failures at work may
not be your fault.



If you need something, ask. An old friend is there for you. Remember, however,
payback can be rough. Find the best interest rate.














~Handwritten page found laying atop the Horoscope submission~

This is fun dearest, isn’t it? Let us do away with the silliness of Little Miss
Hero and get to the meat of the matter


Villain Horrorscopes


Brute
– My dear, you are such a cute little powerhouse. Just keep smashing; sleep,
and breathing, is for when the enemies lie beneath your boots. You should be
fine. Endurance is for the weak.



Mastermind
– Do you know where your henchmen are right now? I hear whispers about a coup.
By the way, have you heard of Right Guard?


Corrupter
– There’s a rumor circulating around Arachnos about you and a Brute or two. If
this is a serious arrangement, you may wish to tell the other Brutes you’ve
been stringing along. I hear they have a nasty temper.

Dominator
– Is that a new aura or are your emotions giving your intentions away? Yet
another tidbit that can be used against you, my sweet.

Stalker
– Dearest, you need to stop relying on hide so much. Your zipper has been down
all week.


Heroes…


Controller
– No my love, a power that immobilizes is not the perfect cure for your
relationship problems



Defender
– I’ve heard that some Defenders use a bow and arrow. So, my dear, what’s the
trick supposed to be? Is that it? Look into the power pools. There’s one for
healing. Then you’ll be a real Defender. Kinda..



Scrapper
– Does your costume tear when those spines shoot out or is that considered a
“look?” Maybe you need a trenchcoat or a kilt. Something. I’ve known Brutes
that aren’t as…free as you.



Blaster
– With all the jokes about Brutes not being particularly bright, at least they
do more than explode in one brilliant, nova-like blast and then die. Do you
have secondary powers?



Tanker
– The other heroes whisper about you behind your back.



Peacebringer
– No dear, the tentacles aren’t cute. Stop that.



Warshade
– There are rumors about so called “dark heroes.” There’s no such thing. You
aren’t that dark. More’s the pity.


~Love and Kisses

~Scorn



By Popular Request



This is the sixth 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 week’s subject – Power Sets



One of the most popular requests is for additional power sets to be made
available to players.




A poll was conducted regarding the possibility of two new powersets for the
'City Of' games. The intent was to fill in the two Archetypes with the least
number of powers: Tanker primary and Scrapper secondary, which only have 4
choices currently. The devs wanted something radically different than the sets
we have in the game right now. They also wanted to offer a new melee set. Here
were some ideas on what the melee set would be, and the one which eventually
was decided upon:


O Street Fighting

O Electric Hammer

O Energy Blade

O Psionic Weaponry

O Dual Blades - Winner

O Ball and Chain *

O Shield Fighting *



The second set is a defensive set:

O Density Control

O Force Field

O Willpower - Default Winner

O Vibration

O Growth *

O Shield Defense * - Winner, but couldn’t be finished for I11



* The sets marked with asterisks are ones that were included for completeness
sake, but come with technical risk which may delay implementation.




I'd like to mention that these powersets are for Issue 11, and will be included
for as many archetypes as it makes sense for (Brutes and Stalkers were
included)






Other sets being looked at for the future could include Akimbo Pistols, Demon
Summoning, Force Control, Magnetic Blast, and Magnetism.



Here is list of some threads on power sets


Lady-Jade's Power Suggestion Box



Willpower and Dual Swords



What We Know About Issue 11 Compiled











Dear
Athy,


Dear Athy,




I met a really nice guy the other day, and we decided to form a super group
together. Things were going great for a while, but lately, all he's wanted to
do is go out and hunt down villains, night after night after night. He never
wants to sit with me in the base and rearrange the wall hangings in just that
perfect way anymore.


What can I do to save our relationship, before my Defender turns into a Brute?


- Missing the Homelife


Dear Miss,




Have you and he dated or is this mainly a crime-fighting relationship? I
suggest a conversation and not one of those “We need to talk” moments. Those
are usually where one person doesn’t get much chance to talk. Perhaps over
dinner you could ask him what kind of relationship he thinks you two have.
Allow the conversation to flow wherever from there, each taking turns talking
and listening.


One of you may have different expectations than the other. The longer either of
you continues under such an assumption, the worse it’ll be in the end.




~Athy






Advice From the X


Greetings boys, girls, and beings of indeterminate gender! It's
LiquidX again, and now that I've got that nasty paternity suit out of the way,
I'm available to give you all some more of that advice you so desperately seek.
So, without further ado, it's time for some Advice from the X!


"Dear LiquidX ,

I have been an active hero for almost fifteen months now. However, it seems as
though I am missing something by not trying out the dark side. I've thought
about being a Ninja Mastermind but I am unsure about what Paragon City would
think. Any thoughts?


Yours truly, Hotprowl"



Dear Hotprowl,

Ah, yes, the eternal question of the Masterminds: "What Henchmen are best for
me?" Like many young Masterminds, you think of Ninjas. However, I would advise
against it. Sure, Ninjas may seem like great Henchmen when it's all "Yes
master!" this and "Avenge honor" that, but soon you come to realize that taking
care of your Ninjas requires far more effort then letting them assassinate the
occasional corrupt magistrate or exterminating rival enemies. Eventually, you
have to feed them and provide them living quarters. And don't even get me
started on the so called "White Ninjas" that dedicate themselves to "ridding
evil" and decide to make it their mission to take on your Ninja hordes because
you had his wife and children exterminated. Really, it's much more bothersome
then it's worth.




Suffice to say, the Rogue Islands are overrun with Henchmen-placing agencies
that are full of Ninjas that have been abandoned by Masterminds that realized
they just weren't up to the responsibility. Mercenaries are not much better, as
they actually expect to be PAID. And really, if you wanted to PAY for quality
Henchmen, then you would just become a politician and buy some lobbyists (which
is much cheaper, and comes with the bonus that you can pretty much ignore the
law and get away with it). Now, you could always go with Necromancy, which
really only requires corpses (and in the Rogue Isles, that's not really hard to
come by) and the occasional soul sacrifice. But in the end, I don't really
recommend Necromancy either. I mean, have you ever smelled corpses that have
been left out in the sun too long? Believe me, in the Rogue Islands, it gets
pretty darn hot (and that's without Hellions setting fire to everything). And
have you ever tried to get the smell of sun roasted corpses off the upholstery?




Next up you have Robotics. Robotics is actually one of the best choices for the
new Mastermind. They require no food or water, there are no messes to clean up,
and they are pretty cheap to upgrade and maintain. Even better is their blind
loyalty...Being mindless robots, they have none of that pesky "free will" that
would keep them from throwing themselves into the middle of a team of heroes in
a insane suicide run. Even better if you've got them loaded down with
explosives! (And really, what self respecting mastermind wouldn't turn his
henchmen into suicide bombs for that extra edge?)




Finally, we come to my personal favorite Henchmen, and another great choice for
the new Mastermind: Thugs. Although Thugs require a little more attention then
Robots when it comes to upkeep, they are still much lower maintenance then
Ninjas and Mercenaries. In fact, most Thugs are quite content as long as you
provide them with a little mayhem and destruction. (And let's face it...there’s
never a lack of mayhem and destruction as a villain). And this is actually a
bonus, as the only people that are better at causing mayhem and destruction
than Thugs are the Freakshow. Plus, you get to call Gang Wars, which ramps up
your mayhem exponentially.




So, there you have it. If, in the end, you decide that villainy is not for you
and you would prefer to remain on the side of "good" but still change jobs,
then with a name like "Hotprowl" you could always have a successful career as
an Autobot.





 

Posted















Encounters




Lady Abigail


The Spirit Who Yearns for Home



Well, another day, another dollar spent on booze. Since the boss
has gone off somewhere without notice, it's been pretty slim in the work
department. Haven't had a job in weeks...I really should start cutting back. A
Malta group here, maybe some Circle of Thorns. Nothing like it was when he was
around. *sigh* I sip my drink, looking down at the bar, bored out of my skull.
I was about a thought away from leaving and registering for a cage match with
Cornelius when this spooky-looking woman comes drifting in. Great, two ghosts
in just as many weeks. What am I, a spirit magnet? *sigh*




Kahlan D'Rane
: Hello.



Lady Abigail: Hi.



Kahlan D'Rane: Have a seat.



Kahlan D'Rane: So, what brings you to Paragon City?



Lady Abigail: Well, I’m trying to find a murderer for one, but
I haven't found him just yet.



Kahlan D'Rane: Oh, do tell.


Lady Abigail:
Well, I am not from here, first off. I'm not even supposed to exist in this
time era.



Kahlan D'Rane: Yeah, I'm not from here either...where you
from?



Lady Abigail: I'm from a dimension named Brahmanticus. My time
era would equal that of the year 1379. I came through a magical dimension
because of the Envoy of Shadows.



Kahlan D'Rane: That guy sounds mean...never had a chance to
encounter him.




Lady Abigail
: He is mean when you first encounter him as I did for
the first time. Never have I seen a demon so wretched as that.



Kahlan D'Rane: I dunno...Bat Zul is pretty horrible. He looks
like a giant chickenbutt.



Lady Abigail: *laughs* Well, yes, you do have a point there.



Kahlan D'Rane: I love pitting him and Infernal against each
other. It's fun.




Lady Abigail
: Very true. Well, I was originally there to stop a
Mad Mage from destroying our hometown.



Kahlan D'Rane: Those guys are horrible. The mezzes…*shudder*



Lady Abigail: Well, this Mage's name was Malakhyte, a thorn in
my side for years. He had nothing to do with the Circle, but strangely enough,
he had contacts with this Envoy.



Kahlan D'Rane: That is weird.



Lady Abigail: I was alive at that time era, though...I was not
how you see me now.



Kahlan D'Rane: Have you thought of asking Scirocco where he
might be? Sure, the guy is in the upper circles of Arachnos, but he keeps tabs
on anything magical. He's not so bad for a patron. Either him or Ghost Widow
would know. Azuria usually has her head in the clouds.













Lady Abigaill: The only time I have encountered
any of them was on the battlefield. I owe Ghost Widow one. I can't stand her
soul storm.



Kahlan D'Rane: Hehe. Yeah, that attack hurts for sure.



Lady Abigail: Other than that, the only leads I had were just
contacts here in Paragon, and they can only help so much before you have to go
at it alone.



Kahlan D'Rane: Well, getting info from the mystics here is
like pulling teeth




Lady Abigail
: Very much so, yes. You are right about that, but I
really do love interrogating their Circle of Thorn mages...that's always fun.



Kahlan D'Rane: Not unless they explode on you. That gets
messy.



Lady Abigail: True, but you gotta get dirty sometimes, no?




Kahlan D'Rane: True, true. It could be worse. Could be
interrogating Vahzilok. Mmm, zombie puke.




Lady Abigail
: That's actually not so bad. Some of their barf
actually gets rid of old stains.



Kahlan D'Rane: Hehehe. Well, it sure does a number on my
leather.



Lady Abigail: Oh, yes. Leather is bad when puked on.



Kahlan D'Rane: Yeah, especially red leather.




Lady Abigail
: Although, I will add that the fun part was
reawakening here in Dark Astoria.



Kahlan D'Rane: Dark...Astoria? Never been there. I stay mostly
on the Isles other than fighting in the Warzone or Sirens Call. I'm pretty much
an island gal, haha. Not like they'd let me in the city anyway.




Lady Abigail
: Well, Dark Astoria is a zombie-infested area which
houses a very huge cemetery named Moth Cemetery. I call that my second home.



Kahlan D'Rane: Ooh, zombies. I met a Zombie Mastermind once,
and his zombies puked on my shoe.



Lady Abigail: Oh, that's always a treat.



Kahlan D'Rane: The lich wasn't so bad, but the minions were
real stupid.


Lady Abigail:
Most of ‘em are, but they pack a good wallop.



Kahlan D'Rane: Yeah, I know. That arena match was something,
hehe.



Lady Abigail: Well, I know I shouldn't be asking this, but
you've talked to the Widow. Was she as intimidating as a lot of people see her?




Kahlan D'Rane
: She's not "intimidating." More
like...it's hard to put it—awe-inspiring. You can't help but just...be
awed.



Lady Abigail: I see. I get the whole "Are you Ghost
widow's sister?" thing asked of me a lot



Kahlan D'Rane: Haha! I don’t think Ghost Widow ever had
a sister.



Lady Abigail: I wouldn’t wanna be her sister, to tell
you the truth.




Kahlan D'Rane
: Meh, she's not that bad. She's one of the more
civil ones of the bunch. I find Black Scorpion to be a brute, plain and
simple...horrible, horrible guy. Scirocco, well, he's got the soul of a poet
and the heart of a rogue. Mako is nothing but pure animalistic instincts.



Lady Abigail: Mako…all I could think of is calamari
cupcakes. *giggles*



Kahlan D'Rane: Well, when I think of Peacebringers or
Warshades, I think about calamari with tartar sauce. Mmm.



Lady Abigail: I don't hunger, but that does sound pretty good.



Kahlan D'Rane: Or lobster in garlic butter.



Lady Abigail: I'm a little nervous talking about my past to
someone I don't know too well, but I'll live, I guess. Well, wait. I'm dead, so
ha! Too late for that



Kahlan D'Rane: Hehe, wasn't me.



Lady Abigail: So what do you wish to ask of me other than
where I'm from?




Kahlan D'Rane
: Well, how did you come by your powers?



Lady Abigail: Back in my era, I used to be a sorceress, but
most of my powers were hereditary because I am a mutant—as weird as it
sounds, it’s true.




Kahlan D'Rane
: Yeah, I hear you. I'm a mutant, too, and my powers
are what brought the Lord Rahl's attention to me. He trained me in the ways of
Mord Sith.













Lady Abigail: I see. Well, my energy blasts are magically
projected with me speaking incantations in my mind, but my mutant powers allow
me to manipulate energy through my fists.



Kahlan D'Rane: Aah. My inborn talent is radiation emission, or
“green spirit fire” as it's known on my home world. The Mord Sith
training is what you would call kinetics—taking from others to use for
myself.



Lady Abigail: I see, and where is this homeworld?



Kahlan D'Rane: It's an alternate dimension, that's all I know.
It has no real name, I don’t think. If it does, I wasn't privy to it.
It's a realm of magic. Even mutation is considered magic.



Lady Abigail: Well, at least you aren't persecuted as much
there as where I'm from. Or are you?



Kahlan D'Rane: Where I'm from, we do the persecuting, but not
because of magic. Well, maybe…It depends on the whims of Lord Rahl.
We're mainly used to apprehend and "interrogate" magical threats by
capturing their magic and using it against them in a painful way.



Lady Abigail: I see. We get persecuted of being witches if
women knew magic.




Kahlan D'Rane
: Oh, there's places in my home world that does that
to sorceresses.




Lady Abigail
: We come from similar places then.




Kahlan D'Rane
: One wonderful faction called Blood of The Fold says
that magic is the bane of existence. It's the tool of the keeper, blah blah
blah. They are a bunch of ignorant fools.



Lady Abigail: Sounds like the Mages of Shadowfang Isle. Those
men persecute everything...bunch of hypocrites, I say.



Kahlan D'Rane: Oh yes, definitely, but it takes all kinds to
make the world go round.



Lady Abigail: Sadly, that is true enough anywhere that your
feet touch the ground.



Kahlan D'Rane: Yup, that's for sure.




Lady Abigail
: I love how they continue to persecute only women and
not men. That'll definitely change once I find my way back home.




Kahlan D'Rane
: Hehe. I don’t think I’ll ever find my
way back to mine.




Lady Abigail
: As much as I don't want to leave Paragon, I just
can't leave my responsibilities back home.






Kahlan D'Rane: Well, there's always Portal Corp.
They can probably help you, or even a Kheld. As weird as they are, you never
know.




Lady Abigail: So far, the only help the Paragon City people
gave me were hints about the other Envoy leads on parallel universes of
Paragon.



Kahlan D'Rane: Well, that's pretty useless then.




Lady Abigail
: The right Envoy that killed me has the key for me to
return home, and that was a gateway key that Malakhyte had given to him to
travel about on their business deals.



Kahlan D'Rane: Lovely. Well, I've taken out a demon called
Baphomet before.



Lady Abigail: I remember that bloke...pain in the butt, that
demon was, but he had no leads either. I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever get
home.



Kahlan D'Rane: You never know. Things are changing all the
time. Heck, as Vanguard disassembles and reverse-engineers Rikti portal
technologies, they might find a gateway back.



Lady Abigail: Very true, but something about Vanguard seems
very screwy. They frighten even me on their secrecy.



Kahlan D'Rane: Meh, once you work for Arachnos, secrecy isn't
that big of a deal. You're on a need-to-know basis in that organization.
Basically, if you don’t need to know, you go about your own business.



Lady Abigail: As sad as that sounds, that may be the key to
getting information so I can get home.



Kahlan D'Rane: I've found that keeping quiet is what helped me
stay alive for so long.



Lady Abigail: I love it here in Paragon City, don't get me
wrong...I have met so many friends here, but there comes a time where even the
sacrifice has to happen.



Kahlan D'Rane: Yeah. I dunno what I'd do if I had to go
back…



Lady Abigail: Hopefully you still have the same respect and
love from the friends you have gained.



Kahlan D'Rane: Well, my pager is going off. I think it's my
boss... Yeah it is...I gotta take it. I think he needs a loan or something.



Lady Abigail: I see.



Kahlan D'Rane: Been nice talking to ya.




Lady Abigail
: Likewise. Thank you very much.





 

Posted















Classifieds



VeronicaVenom is hosting "V-Games" on Victory Server, every Sunday
night at 8PM EST. Events include: PvP tournaments, TF races, and Gladiator FFA.
PST to VeronicaVenom.




WANTED creative players with excellent video skills to help form a CoX webTV
station. We need teams of game photographers, editors, writers, and web
designers to help with this project. If you are interested and have the skills
necessary, or if you just have questions, send a PM to TheFrog





The Rogue Isles Marine Corps is looking for new Recruits.




We have been established on the Guardian Server since City of Villains went
live. We have a fully functioning base that is raid ready if/when the Cathedral
of Pain goes live, IO Factory, and Teleporters to each zone. We also have our
own website with forums on Guildportal.




We seek to expand our ranks. Promotions are awarded according to prestige
earned and will reward you with access to base storage including a large
reserve of IOs.




We also have scheduled Taskforces each weekend when possible, which are
announced on the Guildportal website




Send a /tell to @Botley, @Alpha-One or @MrsAlphaOne to be recruited.





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.




SELLING life-like mechanical Ravens useful for many tasks such as long distance
couriering, location, homing, and rescue. Some units are flight-capable and
others are glider-equipped, land rocket-boosted or translocatable. Equipped
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




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



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 Kheldian League is a supergroup on Triumph. It is only for Warshades and
Peacebringers. We have a friendly group of players and a nice base. To join,
please email xoxman on the forums, or contact us in-game by emailing Beta Sword
PB, Enis, or Umbrastar.





The PvP Event Committee is looking for more experienced event coordinators and
planners to add to our current team. We are looking for PvPers with a general
knowledge of tournament formats and PvP tactics. We are looking for players
with evening and weekend availability who are dedicated to improving the PvP
community within 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.




























/em Smack



















































































The City Scoop Staff




























































































Puzzles












 

Posted

Waiting on baited breath we are happy to announce Edition 17 of "The City Scoop” a publication for Supers by Supers!

In this edition we are pleased to announce the latest player committee the Player Event Resource Committee (PERC) which has been started by community members who are interested in running and helping others run dynamic events in City of Heroes and City of Villains. This is the third community group and like the contributions from the PVPEC and The City Scoop, we are anxious to see the results of their planning.

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

If you or someone you know should be considered for ‘Behind the Mask’ Teldon or ‘Encounters’ please contact MrsAlphaOne

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


For a printable version of "The City Scoop" please send an email to the following
Please check back later!

If you have an event you would like covered by “The City Scoop” please post your events under the event forum located here: Event Forum

Discussion on the latest edition of "The City Scoop" can be found here!