The City Scoop! ~ Front Page ~ August, 29, 2008
By
Lighthouse_NA,
Posted on: 2008-08-29 11:37 in Announcements
Go. Hunt. Get Badge.
City of Heroes and Villains offers many different badges throughout game play. Badges range from exploration of Paragon City and the Rogue Isles to defeating many of the various enemy factions found within the game. Matt Miller (aka Positron) developed the idea and implementation of the badge system for Issue 2. The City Scoop will revisit the various badges offered throughout the game and how to achieve them. This week, the focus will be on one of the more sought after badges. The Atlas Medallion. The information presented here will give a straightforward method including exploration badges and plaque locations needed for achieving the Atlas Medallion. The Atlas Medallion[/color] Through the might of Atlas, one of the greatest heroes of Paragon City's history, you have gained +5 to your maximum Endurance total. As you can see, it provides a gain to your endurance total, and any gain is a good thing in City of Heroes/Villains. Now, onto the requirements to attain this badge. After all, the game is just not going to give you the badge. An investment of time is required on your part. Exploration Badge: Top Dog Getting on top of the Atlas Globe in Atlas Park will award you this exploration badge. If you lack the vertical travel power to get on top of the globe yourself, grab one of the temporary travel powers from a low level Safeguard mission, or ask someone to teleport you up or use group fly to fly you up to the top of the globe. History Plaque: Pupil Reading the following plaques at these locations will award you this badge. (Plaque 1) - Atlas Park 511, 5, -1151 (Plaque 2) - Galaxy City -752, 5, -1550 (Plaque 3) - Kings Row -170, -34, -1467 (Plaque 4) - Kings Row -400, 4, 1760 (Plaque 5) - Perez Park -1174, -29, 2252 Mission Completion: Spelunker This is achieved by Find the missing Fortune Teller. Hugo Redding, Dr. Trevor Seaborn or Hayley Phillips will give this mission. They are in the level 10 to 15 range. If you have outleveled the mission, you can use the Flashback system and get the badge through Ouroboros. Enemies Defeated Badges: The Silver Bullet - Defeating 200 Council Warwolves, Nightwolves, and/or Darkwolves will award you this enemies defeated badge. - You can find these located in missions against the Council. However, located in The Bog on Striga Isle, you can find War wolves and Night wolves aplenty in the open zone. The Slayer - Defeating 200 of the darkest of Vampyri will award you this badge. - Once again, you can find these enemies within missions against the Council. - Better results will be found in The Bog area on Striga Isle. - In Striga, they will spawn at night, during the night cycle you find plenty in the water near the woods. - During the Halloween event, the permanent night makes Vampyri easy to find. For progress on both Silver Bullet and Slayer consider: - Running a Moonfire TF. - Assembling a team to run Maxwell Christopher's Stop Nemesis/Council battle mission. - Street hunting in Founder's Falls - Teaming with Kheldians and focusing on their story arcs. | A Message From PositronI wanted to be the first to let you all know that the primary feature list for Issue 13: Architect is now live! That said, Id like to take this opportunity to talk to you about some of the new features, more in depth. First off is the issue name, Architect. I liked the correlation that the name has between some of the improvements we are making to bases (in the way new things are purchased for them) and to our Mission Architect feature. Players can now be architects of their own story arcs that other players can play. When I first mentioned this system in the 4th Anniversary post, I had no idea how wildly popular that single concept would be. The thread that followed that post had a plethora of ideas of how such a system could, and should work from a players perspective. With virtually no information to go on, some people very much underestimated what would be possible with the Mission Architect. Some got it spot on, and some people wanted features that were simply impossible to get into the system at launch. Even so, we are very proud of the system as it stands. Players can make their own story arcs using a customized version of the tool used by our mission writers, in some cases rivaling our own internal tools in ease-of-use. I am really looking forward to playing the stories you all create with this amazing tool! I should probably take this moment to talk about what the Mission Architect is not meant for. It is not meant for easy leveling or badging or farming. Those are things that we specifically wanted the Mission Architect NOT to do. This may be a disappointment to some, I know. The goal was to give creative minds an outlet to tell the stories they have in their heads. We didnt want the system clogged with Farm missions, so actually finding someones story that they lovingly crafted became more a chore than it was worth. To that end, the Rewards in the Mission Architect are something we, ahem, discussed with raised voices time and time again. How much was too much? How little was too little? What limits needed to be put into place to stop farming? Should we even have such limits? Etc. In the end, we have a system that we believe is the best suited for what Mission Architect was made for, and is not abusable. Time and testing will tell if that is really the case though. Like the Invention System, there will be many iterations on the Mission Architect to make sure we get it right before it goes to the Live servers. Next I want to talk about Day Jobs. This started out as a kind of secret identity system, but we wanted to save the term Secret Identity for a system that fit that name better. Day Jobs works well because it is what your character is doing when not being a Hero or a Villain. Its their day job. A character who logs out in the Hospital is assumed to be working in a medicinal capacity, and they will receive a themed bonus when they log back in, that sort of thing. We even made it possible to have your characters Day Job to be On Patrol or Committing Crimes, just in case you couldnt envision your character having a normal life while you were not actively playing them. There are plenty of other features in Issue 13: Architect as well, like the new powersets, including the much requested Villainous Version of Empathy called Pain Domination. Were also adding some great new missions to Issue 12s Roman Zone Cimerora, as well as a brand new reward system that will hopefully see the end of necessary Task Force farming trying to get that one specific Recipe you have been dying to get. The Issue 13 Feature List explains more about that. Well be announcing more specifics of each of these features between now and the beta testing for Issue 13. Finally, I want to tell you about two Booster Packs that will be available in a month or so. Many players have requested the ability to buy the 30 day temporary jetpack that comes with the new City of Heroes Game Cards. Once the retailer exclusive period ends next month, we are making the same jetpack available for purchase for $4.99 (which is the cost difference between the one month game time and the $20 Game Card price). We are also excited to launch our Super Booster I: Cyborg Pack for $9.99. This pack has an awesome set of costume pieces, emotes, auras and a power. Well be sharing all of the details shortly. So thank you players for the enthusiastic support and I cant wait to get these new features into your hands and to answer your questions about Issue 13 over the coming months and at Hero-Con in October. Happy hunting! Matt Positron Miller Lead Designer, City of Heroes/Villains |
Lighthouse
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If you have a specific in game, account, tech or billing problem please contact our Customer Support team via The Knowledge Base "Ask A Question" page.
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Writers BlockWell hello again writers and literary fans alike. Its time for another stunning addition of Writers Block! Last time we talked about your characters and how to give them a more human feel. Remember that method acting comment I made? If you read it, you would. If not, well then go back and check it out. This week we do not have an author - shocking I know - but it is not for lack of finding good ones. There have been several exceptional pieces of fiction out there on the forums as of late, and I suggest you hit up the forums after a while just to check them out. This week there is no author because I decided to talk about something that is more personal than some authors would like to talk about - handling criticism. Now I know youre asking, Everyone gets criticism. How is this too personal for an author? If youre not asking that then I dont know what youre asking and Im going to go ahead. My response would be, there are so many different types of criticism, some authors do not like to talk about all of them because the methods authors use may vary and I would like to talk about some general ones instead of delving into an authors psyche about how they handle criticism. Alright, here we go! Lets get an example shall we? We all know that when you write a piece of fiction the first thing you do the next day is check and see if someone has commented. Eager as a beaver you check, but no ones said anything. Your first thought? It could be something like, Oh man it sucks! Or it could be along the lines of, Maybe no one has read it yet, better bump it. Whatever your reaction, remember this: Calm down. Not every reader checks the forums every day. Most of the time, they wait for their favorite author to write something, read that, then shop around and see whats up. I would suggest giving it at least two weeks before someone says anything. Now, I know this isnt under the category of well known criticism, but trust me I have a point. This is what I like to call silent criticism. There could be many things that could be going on here. Not every reader leaves a comment, and not all people want to leave something if they dont like it. So dont fret about the silence. Sometimes people are just waiting for you to finish if youve chosen to make an episodic piece. Another handy tip to see if people have been reading it at all is to check the number of views. If you have a good number by the fifth or sixth day, somewhere in the double digits, youre likely to have some comments headed your way. If you havent gotten many views, like I said, wait a while. In the case of hearing nothing, which I know some of you are thinking of, my advice would again be to follow the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and dont panic! They cant all be jams right? Now Im not saying that your work isnt good. Im simply saying there are millions of reasons why you may not be getting views and comments, so dont take it personally. Now, in the instance of the dreaded NEGATIVE criticism, we have to remember to not take it personally as well. The only time you should take it personally is when the commenter says something derogatory about you, your family, or something blatantly off color. The chances of that happening are slim so dont think about that. What you should be thinking about is what the person is trying to say. If it is something like, Check your grammar, then do so next time. If the post is long, then pay attention to what they say. Keep in mind that you dont HAVE to take their advice. Its your writing so you do what you want to do. However, if you like something they suggest then by all means take it into account. Input and criticism help you improve and recognize where your strengths are and what your style is. Positive criticism - the nectar of the gods for writers. How we love it, eh? Positive criticism can range from gushing about how amazing your work is or someone saying, Your style is great, but can I make a few suggestions? You can handle this type of criticism any way you see fit. Talk to the person and listen to them rave about you, or go to that one gal that said something more technical and ask more about her opinion and what else she likes. Asking what people like about your work is a good way to see your strengths and weaknesses. This way, you can knock off the aspects of your work that you want people to recognize, like your style or characters, or even your dialogue. Any nice thing that someone says is good, but too much of a good thing - as we know - is bad. Dont get addicted to positive criticism; there are bad things behind those rose-colored shades. If you seem to attract happy stars and rainbows dont be surprised if someone says they dont like your writing or they say your writing is only par for the course. Thank them for it and remember - there are people who like you. Theyve told you. Now you know what some people DONT like about you. Dont, however, change your writing to win over EVERYONE. Youll eventually forget who you are writing for and your writing will reflect your confusion. Now, I know that this wasnt the most organized Writers Block, nor is it at all a simple topic. All I can say for myself is, tell me what I can improve on! That is the biggest piece of advice I can give: ask for input and criticism. Before you start your epic tale, put in an authors note, Any comments, criticism, or otherwise are greatly appreciated. Be honest please, and thank you! If you show you are open to criticism, people will most likely give you some brownie points for it and take a lighter perspective to your writing. Criticism is a double edged sword, and comes with a Handle with Care label. Absorb what you can and use it to help yourself. | Fan | |
I, Crom Season of Hope Ascendant's Phone Calls By Ascendant (Seriously, if you've been here for long enough to be interested in this section of the Scoop, you should know who this guy is!) Ascendant: Hello, is this the offices of Saul Rubenstien, Agent to Paragon's Elite? Ascendant: Great. Can I speak to him? I'm a client. Ascendant: Ascendant. Ascendant: No, with an 'A'. D-A-N-T. Ascendant: Ok, I'll hold. Hold Music: --lor said 'Brandy, you're a fine girl, what a good wife you would be, but my life, my love and m-- Ascendant: Hello, Saul, it's Ascendant. Ascendant: No, the one with an 'A'. Ascendant: I'm glad you asked. I've been going over these products you've sent me--- Ascendant: Right, for the merchandizing campaign... Ascendant: Well, no, they aren't. That's why I'm calling, actually. Ascendant: I'm not really happy with them. Ascendant: Well, for starters, there's the breakfast cereal. Ascendant: Right, Ascendant-O's. Ascendant: Ok, it says here on the box 'Includes Xenonite, the Secret Source of Ascendant's Power'. Ascendant: Well, for one thing, Xenonite is NOT the secret source of my powers. Ascendant: No, Saul... No, it isn't. Trust me on this. Ascendant: Saul, Xenonite TAKES AWAY my powers. Ascendant: Yeah, it does. In fact, if I'm exposed to it too long, it could kill me. Ascendant: I dunno. It's got something to do with radioactivity, I think. |
We know and love his work. Any time you're on your way through a Tram Station,
you stand the chance of overhearing a certain phrase...
"Ascendant? No. I think you have the wrong number."
Sometimes they reference "Saul."
These are shout-outs to some of the most interesting, best-written stories on
the Forums. Now, they're relegated to the bowels of the Fan Fiction section of
the Forums, regurgitated whenever somebody (like me) decides to go looking for
them and winds up posting something in it ("necroing it" to use the current
vernacular).
Now, I didn't do that here, but thanks to the handy links above, there's a quick
shortcut, right here in the City Scoop, to the three sets of Ascendant's most
memorable fiction.
It's hard to say why the stories work. The writing is largely simple, adhering
strongly to the "George Orwell" method (which largely revolved around telling
the story simply), and the general themes are similar to much of what you'd
find elsewhere. However, there is a heart to all of it ("Saul... Stop crying,
Saul...") that just digs hooks into the reader's heart and refuses to let go.
If anything, Ascendant is truly the master of "the Moment." Each story has
memorable phrases or events that cause the reader to take a moment to sit back,
stare at the screen, and think "Did the forum really allow that much awesome
to come across my screen?" From the exasperated Ascendant trying to negotiate
with his agent, to his desperate attempts to save his mother, to the
calculated, methodical destruction leveled by Lazarus Crom, each story is full
of memorable scenes and situations that leave the reader breathless, startled,
or laughing uncontrollably. These stories are simply the bar most of us Fan
Fiction writers for City of Heroes and City of Villains aspire to, and they
cannot be recommended enough.
Regrets, I've Had A Few
Hey faithful readers, Hostile_V here. Apparently the cops frown on blocking up
all of the sewers in Galaxy City, and I have to lay low for a while. Getting
chased by cops and zombies doesn't give me much time to write, but I'll be back
soon! In the meantime, continue to give me hate-mail or *shudder* fan-mail.
Your psychotic, problematic rambler,
~Hostile_V
The Reciprocators by Undercroft
Lighthouse
Community Relations Manager
If you have a specific in game, account, tech or billing problem please contact our Customer Support team via The Knowledge Base "Ask A Question" page.
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Intro to Damage ResistanceThis is the first article in a series about game mechanics. I'll be going over things like Damage Resistance, Hitting and Missing, Endurance, Attack Chains, etc. These articles are written for people who want to know more than the basics, those who want to get a little insight into how to build better characters or teams. Damage Resistance is exactly what is says, resistance to damage. It does not reduce the chance you will get hit; it only reduces the damage you take. Without any Damage Resistance, you will take 100% of all damage. If you have 30% Resistance to a certain type of damage, subtract that from the 100% base, and that means you will only take 70% of the damage when you get hit. An attack that normally does 100 damage will only do 70 damage. This is great for reducing burst damage, and it gives a team more time to react (heal, run away, taunt, etc.). Damage is usually typed, and you need the corresponding type of Damage Resistance to resist it. Damage can be Smashing, Lethal, Energy, Negative Energy, Fire, Cold, Psionic, Toxic, or Untyped. A gun does Lethal damage, so only Lethal Damage Resistance will help against it. VERY few mobs in the game use Untyped damage, mainly the Hamidon and his Mitos. Smashing and Lethal are the most common types of damage in the game. It's also possible for parts of attacks to be flagged Non-Resistable, though this is mainly for PvP. Scrapper Criticals, most of the damage from a Stalker's Assassin Strike, Corruptor Scourge damage, Controller Containment damage, and 10% of all Blaster damage is marked Non-Resistable in PvP. Many melee characters get Damage Resistance powers. These are Primary power sets for Tankers, and Secondary Power Sets for Scrappers, Brutes, Stalkers, and all Epic Archetypes. Some sets rely heavily on Damage Resistance, while others rely more on Defense or Regeneration. Anyone can take the Tough power in the Fighting Power Pool for some Smashing and Lethal Resistance. Non-Melee characters can usually get a Damage Resistance power for at least Smashing and Lethal damage in their Epic or Patron Power Pool, which is available at level 41. Certain support classes also get Damage Resistance buffs they can use on other chars, like Sonic Resonance and Thermal Radiation. Many IO set bonuses include small Damage Resistance buffs. You can always use a base Empowerment Station to get an additional 5% Damage Resistance to any type of damage. Finally, there are the Archmage and Demonic Accolades that give you a very long Recharge but short duration Damage Resistance and Defense power.
| There are also Damage Resistance Debuffs that make something take MORE damage. These are commonly Sonic, Acid, and occasionally Radiation based powers. Debuffs are typed, but they usually apply to every damage type. These add to the base of 100% damage taken, in the same way that Damage Resistance buffs subtract from the 100%. Damage Resistance powers and buffs help to resist Damage Resistance debuffs. A squishy with no Damage Resistance hit by a 30% Debuff will start taking 130% of all damage. A Scrapper with 67% Smashing & Lethal Resistance only takes 33% of the Smashing and Lethal damage they're hit with, and 33% of the Debuffs. They would resist 20% of a 30% Resistance debuff, and only be affected by the remaining 10%. They would end up taking 43% of the Smashing and Lethal damage or Debuffs that they're hit with. Damage Resistance has a cap, and any Resistance above the cap is ignored. Tankers and Brutes have a 90% Resistance cap, meaning they'll always take at least 10% of the incoming damage. Epic Archetypes have an 85% cap, so they'll take a little bit more even if massively buffed. Everyone else has a 75% Damage Resistance cap, which means they'll always take at least 25% of incoming damage. A little bit of Damage Resistance when you're near the cap can make a big difference. A Tanker with 80% Smashing and Lethal Resistance takes 20% of incoming damage. They can cut that in half (down to 10%) if they can get 10% more Damage Resistance. On the other hand, a squishy going from 0% to 10% Damage Resistance will hardly notice it. The debuff cap is 300%, and when this is added to the base 100%, a character at the debuff cap will take 400% (or 4 times) normal damage. How can this help you build better characters? Take a look at City of Data or the Combat Attributes or Detailed Power Info available in game to see what your Damage Resistance powers do. Grab Mid's Hero Designer or SuckerPunch's Online Planner to try to build a character with more Damage Resistance. Invulnerability Tankers who take and slot their Damage Resistance powers can get about 66% Resistance to Smashing and Lethal damage, but they can hit 90% if they add Tough. Tough is a waste for Stone Tankers who have well slotted Granite Armor and Stone Skin, as they're already above the Smashing and Lethal cap. A Sonic Resonance Controller or Defender can hit the Smashing and Lethal resistance cap with Sonic Dispersion, Tough, and a toggle from their Epic Power Pool. That makes for one tough squishy! How can this help you build a better team? It depends on what you're facing. Having trouble with Psi, Energy, or Negative Energy dealing mobs? Invite some Dark Miasma chars to the team, as Shadow Fall is a nice PBAoE that gives resistance to those types of damage. Fire, Cold, or Energy damage getting you down? Invite some Stormies for Steamy Mist, another PBAoE resistance toggle. Want to do the Cap Au Diable Strike Force? Try and find a Fiery Aura Brute to keep Infernal and Bat'Zul busy in the final mission. Going up against mobs with sonic power or an AV? Recruit several characters with Damage Resistance or Defense buffs, so you can partially resist or avoid all of their Sonic attacks. Trying for the Master of Statesman Task Force or Lord Recluse Strike Force badge? Take several Sonic or Thermal Radiation users and make sure they keep up buffs on the entire team. |
Lighthouse
Community Relations Manager
If you have a specific in game, account, tech or billing problem please contact our Customer Support team via The Knowledge Base "Ask A Question" page.
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New HavenWelcome back to Rogue Isles Legend, the article where I help you explore the neighborhoods of the Rogue Isles. Today we're going to take a closer look at the New Haven neighborhood of Cap Au Diable. Sprawling along the west side of Cap Au Diable, New Haven is a neighborhood you will find yourself moving through over and over again throughout your career in villainy. The neighborhood is built below the high rising Aeon City, at the base of the aptly named Vagabond Hills. It is a strange brew of information and high crime that mix in this suburban dystopia. Under the shadow of Aeon University and the Vangaurd DPO, the Black Market operates openly, and high tech criminals run the streets, robbing as they please. For villains of the rise to power, New Haven holds many opportunities. DANGERS OF NEW HAVEN The Luddites: You'll find these backwards fanatics standing around the street corners of New Haven, especially if you arrive from the streets of Aeon City above. An extremist group of technophobes, the Luddites claim that Doctor Aeon and Arachnos are in league with demons, and they don't hesitate to assume you are guilty of the same. While the Luddites mainly content themselves to stand around on street corners handing out flyers or holding demonstrations, if you draw too close, the fanatics turn hostile in a hurry. A run of the mill Luddite poses little threat to a super powered villain, attacking with antiquated weaponry such as crossbows, clubs, and swords. However, be aware of the Friar lieutenants, who have the ability to heal their injured followers. Most dangerous of all, however, are the Crusader bosses, who channel their faith into feats of power that could pose a serious danger to unwary criminals. The Goldbrickers: King Midas' gold painted army of high tech master thieves rule the streets of New Haven and the skies above them almost unquestioned. The gang's base of operations is the nearby Goldbrick Candy Bar factory. This is their home turf, so Goldbrickers here are quick to blast a villain who seems too eager to listen in on their conversations. Rocketman minions patrol the skies, with high tech jetpacks and powerful sonic blasters. Leading these lower ranked members are the Bombardier lieutenants, who have even more powerful sonic blasts, as well as a potent sonic powered melee attack they can employ against foes who get close enough for melee. Boomer bosses are found here far more often than anywhere else in Cap Au Diable, and these elite Gold Brickers have powerful sonic melee abilities, as well as a unique sonic blaster. While most sonic attacks tenderize a victim, lowering damage resistance and increasing your vulnerability to further the blasts, those employed by the Boomers are instead designed to weaken your offense, lowering the damage of your retaliatory attacks. With their superior mobility and potent debuffing ranged attacks, the Goldbrickers can make short work of an overconfident villain, so tread the streets and the skies with care. Arachnos: For the most part, you won't find many Arachnos patrols heading into New Haven. However, on occasion you will find a small platoon questioning a group of Goldbrickers, or, far more likely, chasing another villain from Aeon City. Arachnos operatives tend to shoot first and ask questions later, so if they can draw a bead on you, be prepared for a fight. Deathsurge: Far and away the single greatest danger to be found within New Haven is Deathsurge. A towering demon with a body of blazing red electricity, Deathsurge seems to tear itself free from within the PTS with alarming regularity. Deathsurge is a Giant Monster, the first one most villains will likely encounter. Deathsurge moves quickly and uses powerful ranged bolts of lightning to destroy everything in his path. The demon is also amazingly agile, leaping and skittering between and on top of buildings as it battles. If you intend to defeat Deathsurge, you should gather at least one full team, and be prepared to do battle on the move. Defeating the electricity demon earns a player the Surging badge. Deathsurge is nearly always active in New Haven, unless it has recently been defeated. However, if you wish to spawn the Giant Monster yourself, simply follow the orange pipes of the PTS across Cap Au Diable, and defeat the leaping Gremlins you find there. After a hundred have been destroyed, Deathsurge will tear itself free of the pipes and prowl about the streets of New Haven, not far from the contact Golden Roller. Be aware of this as you move through the city. You don't want to absentmindedly blunder into the demon's path! CONTACTS There are three contacts of note within New Haven, as well as the Inventions Tutorial within Aeon University. One is a scholar of the arcane, in need of powerful individuals to follow a mystery as old as super powers. One is a thief, in need of nothing but cold hard cash, and willing to do whatever he must to get it. And one is an agent of terror, waging war on Paragon City in the name of Arachnos. All three want to work with your villain to see these goals realized. Which of them, if any, you choose to work with, is up to you. |
Operative Wellman: Operative Wellman is a dirty ex-cop with a grudge against anyone who reminds him of the costumed busy bodies who put him out of business. Bitter and vengeful, he found a new purpose with Arachnos, waging a secret war against the City of Heroes! If revenge and mayhem are your cup of tea, Wellman would like to retain your services. In addition to fun filled forays to break fellow super villains out of the Zig, and other covert attacks on Paragon City, Wellman has one other unique feature to offer interested players. The last mission of his second arc, yet another attack on Paragon City, features the ONLY mission in all of CoV to have Outcast spawns. Avid badge hunters who want the Weatherman badge will therefore find themselves farming this mission over and over. The Golden Roller: The troubleshooter and go-to-guy of the Goldbrickers never leaves his gold plated Caddy. You can find him parked in a dark alley in the shadow of the Gold Brick candy factory. He has a lot of work for interested freelancers, but don't expect him to ever warm up to you. He never so much as rolls the window down when he speaks to you. However, the pay is good, and he has a lot of work for an enterprising villain on the rise. Just don't expect the Goldbrickers to remember the favors you did for him. It's all strictly business. Ashley McKnight: A member of the Midnight Squad, Ashley McKnight has the unenviable task of operating the mostly heroic group's activities in the Rogue Isles. However, while the Midnight Squad might once have been the premier organization of heroic magic users in the world, the Rikti Invasion left them a devastated shell, with barely a handful of survivors. Now, in their darkest hour, the Midnighters are willing to turn to anyone who can aid them, even your very villainous self. McKnight has two arcs to offer, one that must be run between levels 14 and 19, and one for characters of level 30 and higher. The first is a fact finding mission, which leads to the Origin of Power badge. The latter is a more traditional story arc, with an escalating conflict between the Circle of Thorns and the Rikti. Help Ashley discover the mystery of this conflict, and she will grant you access to a time in the distant past, to a place called Cimerora, where great things are afoot... BADGES There are three Exploration badges to be found in New Haven, as well as a plaque for both the Lorekeeper and Technofreak History badges. The Lorekeeper badge is needed for the Demonic Aura accolade, while Technofreak is essential for High Pain Threshold. The plaque for Technofreak is right outside the door to Aeon University. You can't miss it. The one for Lorekeeper is somewhat more difficult but you'll find it in front of the wall that separates New Haven from Mount Diable, 300 yards northwest of the Mount Diable neighborhood marker. The first exploration badge, Egghead, is located on the roof of Aeon University, right above the front doors. The next, Media Junky, an important piece of the Headline Stealer accolade, is also on top of a building, but a little trickier. The WSPDR building towers over New Haven, and its gigantic red call letters can be seen from most anywhere in the neighborhood. It is at the top of this building that you will find the Media Junky badge. If you happen to be empowered with flight or super jumping, this badge is fairly easy to get. Less vertically capable villains may struggle to reach it, though. However, getting on top of the building is actually not as hard as it might seem. The lobby of the WSPDR building can be entered, and inside there are elevators that can take you topside, where your badge awaits. Finally, there is the Sweet Tooth badge. This one is on the ground. You'll find it at the Gold Brick candy factory, just a bit north of the New Haven neighborhood marker on your map. It may be difficult to see however. The badge is on the ground between a closed garage door, and a parked yellow truck. That concludes this edition of Rogue Isles Legend. I hope this information is helpful to all you budding young ne'er do wells out there. Join me next time, when I once again explain the map.  |
Lighthouse
Community Relations Manager
If you have a specific in game, account, tech or billing problem please contact our Customer Support team via The Knowledge Base "Ask A Question" page.
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Arena EtiquetteWelcome to another segment about the Arenas peppering the landscape both heroside and villainside. Arriving at an Arena terminal for the first time can be a daunting event. Shown are a variety of tournaments and such, with numbers such as 0/64 listed next to them. How does a new player become acclimatized to the Arena setting? What are some of the standards of this PvP format? Read on and be informed! Pre-Match Concerns Icy Doomcakes (an Ice Armor/Energy Melee Tanker) and his friend Scrappy Doom (a Spines/Regeneration Scrapper) both arrive at an Arena terminal and wish to test their mettle. Prior to the match, agree to which powers are limited or unused. In high-level PvP, Vengeance is a no-no because it can be stacked using an exploit, which causes kill counts to skyrocket. If our friends dont want to be jumping around, they can choose the following options: Upon arriving at a terminal choose Create Event. From the drop down menu to the left, choose Duel. Once this format is decided, choose a Match Length. 10 minutes is the gold standard and can lead to some quick and dirty play. Below that, choose your weight class. Assuming our friends are both level capped, they will choose Super Heavyweight (47-50). Since they dont want movement in the match, they choose No Travel Powers from the right-hand selections. From there comes Inspiration usage, a hotly contested topic amongst various levels of PvPers. My advice? Use them both in the Arena and in zones. Even the best builds and archetypes sometimes get damaged, held or drained for various reasons. Having Accolades and inspirations will help offset this to a degree. Generally, Tier 1 Inspirations are the only ones used in the Arena. They are sold (along with a few temp powers) at the Arena stores dotting the Arena enclave. These are your normal, run of the mill Inspirations that dot your contacts. Anything above Tier 1 and Strength of Will inspirations are disallowed in most matches. If youre feeling goofy with a friend, load up on Righteous Rage inspirations and see how much damage you can do. The Arena Stores will also sell powers that will affect you only inside the Arena enclave. Each of them costs 10,000 and has the following effects. These powers are allowed in most arena formats and have the following effects: Jaunt Initializer, Ranged (Location) Self Teleport: This five-use temporary power allows you to teleport yourself up to 300 yards during a match. Especially useful if you get trapped in Freezing Rain or another slow/movement-inhibiting field. Low-G Pack, Toggle (Self Long Jump) : This power will grant you two minutes worth of Super Leap ability, with ability to switch on and off as needed. Not especially useful since most PvPers have Super Jump as a travel power, but it does give you a second shot either way. Raptor Pack, Toggle (Self Fly) : This is in all ways similar to the Raptor Packs you get from Atlas Park mayhems and safeguards. Potential uses include staying out of range of melee attacks or simply escaping if you have a large lead toward the end of the match. It also lasts two minutes. Stealth Suit, Toggle (Self Stealth): This unheralded power gives you +3500.00% Stealth radius on self for a duration of up to two minutes. Remember that if your opponent lacks perception, they may not be able to see you until its too late Stun Grenade (Targeted AoE) Disorient: This is by far one of the most popular powers from the Arena stores. It gives you a pack of six grenades, each of which can land a Magnitude 3 Stun on a target as well as a trivial amount of damage. Popular for knocking squishies off their feet to score an extra kill, or perhaps even to detoggle an opponent. Web Grenade (Ranged, Target Immobilize) - Recharge Fly: Here is one of your most powerful allies outside your team. It lands a Magnitude 3 Immobilize on your target, as well as giving them -62.50% Recharge, Fly and Run. Oh, theres also a component of -50000% jump height, all lasting 15 seconds. Great temp power. You receive six of these on purchase. Before moving onto etiquette for the match proper, Id like to cover one of the most fun and easygoing formats in the Arena:
| Kickball! Kickball is a casual play format where two captains from a pool of Super Heavyweight players pick players one at a time. Teams are eventually formed and can lead to some truly goofy situations and at times outrageous kill counts. Why is this popular? Everyone can bring something. At our last Kickball on Champion Server, we had a Mind Dominator, a Robots Mastermind, a Corruptor, a Scrapper and a Stalker or two. Everyone had a great time as well. How to form a Kickball? Follow these simple steps: Upon arriving at a terminal choose Create Event. From the drop down menu to the left, choose Team Battle Royale. Once this format is decided, choose a Match Length. 10 minutes is the gold standard and can lead to some quick and dirty play. Below that, choose your weight class. Assuming our friends are both level capped, they will choose Super Heavyweight (47-50). Have all players join the Green Team at the bottom. Designate two captains to pick teams. Generally, Empathy Defenders are good captains since having one on each team leads to more balanced matches. Either way, a Stalker, Controller or any archetype can do this function. Once captains are chosen, they individually head to the Red and Blue team, then players are selected and assigned to each team one at a time. This can be a somewhat humorous process as some worry about being the proverbial fat kid (usually a Scrapper, Brute or Tanker) thats left out. Dont worry though, those people get invited to the subsequent match, or someone may drop to let them play. If you wish this to be a private kickball, list the match as Invite Only and use the /ai CharacterName command to invite your friends. Drop a line on your servers Arena channel when you do kickballs, they are popular. After that, you load into the Arena enclave! Match Concerns: Upon loading into the map (and hoping its not a reset such as Troll Caves, Office or Monkey Cage) players usually state All in! or -1 -2 to indicate a slower loading player (*cough* me *cough*) hasnt arrived yet. Once the All in! is given the match starts! Depending on your map, you may wish to avoid using Recovery Aura, Regeneration Aura or similar rooting powers that may leave you exposed to an opposing teams nuke. Use your judgment on these matters. If you feel you can spare the time, use them. Otherwise, kite them during gameplay. At this point, everybody should be fighting and running around like Chihuahuas on Jolt Cola. One bone of contention that occasionally comes up is that of spawn camping other players. I strongly recommend against this practice. It consists of putting a defeated foe on Follow and landing a toggle, status effect or simply defeating them over and over, causing them to be a farm target. While use of Phase Shift and escape powers is recommended, very few teams spawn camp these days. Its especially unneeded when introducing new players to Arena formats, who may already be overwhelmed by the speed of the action. Disconnects happen. Youll have a bad connection, there will be a lag spike or something else will occur to leave you short a player in a match. Generally, there is a time limit allowed for disconnects with no penalty to the short-handed team. After the time limit is over, a forfeit occurs, at least in serious play. Amongst friends, you may well ask for a reset or continue to fight short-handed. Verbal abuse and trashtalking are some of the largest complaints heard amongst newer PvPers, which may turn them away from this exciting portion of the game. Simply, keep the barbs between people you know or veterans. Telling a new player Youre the noobsauce on my pancakes, while humorous, may frustrate them more than drive them. All bets are off in the zones though! Since those areas are unregulated, turn off Broadcast or enemy tells if you're concerned about verbal barbs. As the match winds down to its last 30-40 seconds, players with Phase Shift or Hibernate usually elect to toggle these on to reduce potential kills. The last minute of a match is a great time to use up any excess inspirations or Accolades, such as Demonic or Eye of the Magus, which may be fresh at the time. In excessively close matches, a one or two defeat difference can make or break a match. At the end of a match, give a hearty GG or Nice match to your opponents, even if theyre not your favorite neighbors. Similarly, wish people GL HF in the mini-chat area where teams are formed prior to a match. Thanks to the PvPEC The PvPEC is a player-run organization dedicated to bringing you, the user, exciting events both in the Arena and the zones. The current iteration includes a Warburg Zone War concept which culminated in a free for all slugfest on Test Server in the Recluses Victory zone. Be sure to join the fun! The PvPEC helps promote PvP events such as TPvPL 2, as well as increasing awareness of PvP on your home servers. Check the server forums for your representative. |
Lighthouse
Community Relations Manager
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Da ToastaBack home in the Virtue shard with my powers restored, I met my next overly willing victim, Da Toasta, behind City Hall. Hes a Fire/Fire/Fire blaster whos name I found out was false advertising Patty-Sue Ivanova: So, you're the Hero known as "Da Toasta". Da Toasta: Mmm hmm. PSI: First thing that springs to mind... do you make toast? Da Toasta: I can PSI: Ooohh! Da Toasta: I just need a real toaster. PSI: Oh, pfft. Da Toasta: I dont plug in, so I cant really cook it too well... I've tried, and it usually ends up as a burnt little crisp... PSI: Hmmm, yeah, you blasters really tend to over-do it with your powers. Ya need to learn finesse! Da Toasta: (Smiling) That's what they've said, and continue to say... PSI: Anyway, tell me a bit about yourself: origin, powers, etc Da Toasta: Well, I was always interested in technology. I studied it whenever I could. I managed to make devices that would allow me "super powers". PSI: Ah, you're one of THOSE heroes... Da Toasta: (Seemed a bit offended by this) Do your powers really define whether or not you're a hero? PSI: Sorry, that came off a bit negative. I meant the whole "tinkerer/inventor" clique of heroes. And in my case, yes; but I know for a lot, it's about what they do with what they've got. Da Toasta: Ah ok, I gotcha; and yup, that's the point I was making. PSI: So, you liked technology... How does that play into "make a suit that shoots fire"? Da Toasta: Well, the suit doesnt actually shoot the fire. You've heard of Benedict tech, with their implanted enhancements and such? PSI: Yeah? Da Toasta: That's sort of what Im like, only, they dont enhance me, they actually give me my powers. PSI: So its all nanotech? Da Toasta: Yes, that sums it up, basically. PSI: That's actually kinda... cool, if you'll forgive the pun reversal. Da Toasta: Heh, thanks. |
PSI: And you lead a supergroup, I hear? The... TRUE heroes of paragon? Hey, waitasec... Da Toasta: Heh, yeah thats right. PSI: I'm from the "Heroes of Paragon City". You callin us fake?! Da Toasta: No, not one bit, most certainly no! PSI: (glaring at him) Okay... well, in that case.. So you lead a supergroup. How'd that happen? Did you form it, or were you promoted...? Da Toasta: Well, the last supergroup I was in, we were all friends so we all shared leadership. Then, we disbanded and two of them went to a different supergroup, while I decided to try my hand at making a new one. So, we've gone from just me, to a total of... 11 members so far. If any of the readers out there (on Virtue) are interested in joining our supergroup, the guy to talk to is @Da Toasta. PSI: Aah.. so, you're looking to recruit? Da Toasta: Indeed, always PSI: I'll make sure to get the word out. After all... it's the only way they can claim to be a TRUE hero... (raises eyebrow) Da Toasta: (laughs) PSI: Well, this has been informative... Is there anything else you wanted to add? Da Toasta: Keep an eye out on the VU2008 and Virtue LFG channels for my random Rikti ship Raids. Im usually starting those up. PSI: All right then, that about wraps this up... as soon as you MAKE ME SOME TOAST! (tries jamming some bread into his helmet) Da Toasta: Help! Help! Im being attacked by a reporter!!! Ed note: After this interview was conducted, Da Toasta formed a new SG, Keepers of the Freedom Cross. The THoPC is now defunct, and Da Toasta wanted to make sure everyone reading was aware of this change. |
Lighthouse
Community Relations Manager
If you have a specific in game, account, tech or billing problem please contact our Customer Support team via The Knowledge Base "Ask A Question" page.
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Q-Patrol | |
Who is your base designer and who are your supergroup leaders? Q Patrol's founder is DJ blu, and I'm Astrolynx, our base architect and one the Qouncil members that manages the supergroup. What server is your base on? Our space station base is in orbit over Victory's atmosphere. When was your supergroup established? We were founded on December 6th, 2007. How many players are in your supergroup? We have 144 members currently registered on our Q forums, on our website at www.Q-Patrol.com. What is the approximate value of your base? Our base is worth about 21 million prestige. How much time do you spend working on your base? How much time have you invested so far? Well, I liked to take frequent breaks to give time for new ideas to pop in my head, and on top of that I thoroughly plan and measure a room before I start decorating it. So, all-in-all it took me about three months to finish (bear in mind the magic desk stacking took up A LOT of the time), and I worked on it for about 2-3 hours at a time. What is your favorite base item? Least favorite? My favorite base item would have to be the Mission Computer. While I wasn't able to experience the Cathedral of Pain Trial, I do think it has a lot of potential to make bases much more interactive and make a difference between being part of a supergroup and just having another friends list. And my least favorite would be a good portion of the Arcane options. There are just a lot of pieces that have no real use or are too big for convenience *glares at the "Large Head" item* What is your favorite thing about base editing? Least favorite? I'd have to say my favorite thing about base editing is the fact that you're creating a kind of home for your supergroup, and that it's somewhat of a representation of how much effort has gone into the supergroup. The thing I dislike most about editing is the lack of item choices. I mean, there are a lot of items, but once you pick a theme for the base or just a room, the choices for items gets nearly cut in half, let alone when you're trying to fit a certain idea for the room. What is the highest thing on your wish-list for new base items? The highest thing on my wish-list would be some kind of door option between rooms or a way for extra floors via elevator, stairwell, or even something like the portals they have in the Circle of Thorns maps. If you could give just one piece of advice to a new base editor, what would it be? For any new base editors out there, my advice is to fully plan out and maybe even measure a room before you work on it because that will help you get a feel for the room. There were countless times where I had changed my plans for the room with a new idea, but the measuring and planning helped figure out what things would work for the room as I filtered through the ideas. |
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Lighthouse
Community Relations Manager
If you have a specific in game, account, tech or billing problem please contact our Customer Support team via The Knowledge Base "Ask A Question" page.
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Lighthouse
Community Relations Manager
If you have a specific in game, account, tech or billing problem please contact our Customer Support team via The Knowledge Base "Ask A Question" page.
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Lighthouse
Community Relations Manager
If you have a specific in game, account, tech or billing problem please contact our Customer Support team via The Knowledge Base "Ask A Question" page.
Vol. 2, Issue 12
August 29th, 2008
The City Scoop a publication for Supers by Supers!
Read the latest player made publication and then join in on the community discussion!
- [*] If you have concerns regarding the content of the Scoop please direct your comments via PM to Lighthouse or Ex Libris.
[*] If you would like to do a feature article, have an event covered, or join "The City Scoop" team please PM Snow_Globe.
[*] If you need some Advice contact Lady_Athyna or would like to Ask The X contact LiquidX
[*] Finally if you have a Classified Ad or Recipe you would like included please contact: LadyK or MistressNoire[/list]
Lighthouse
Community Relations Manager
If you have a specific in game, account, tech or billing problem please contact our Customer Support team via The Knowledge Base "Ask A Question" page.
The City Scoop
"Get Your Freak On"
A new contest by the City Scoop
Scoop Readers, want your villains and heroes to have Freakshow costumes of their
very own? Well, now's the chance! Dreck, Emperor of Desolation, is recruiting
for the Freakshow - but you have to audition for it. So let the games begin!
Prize:
A Pin Code for the limited edition permanent power: Freakshow Boss Costume! This
power switches your character's appearance to that a Freakshow boss. Great for
conversation starters, infiltration missions, and framing enemy villain groups
for heists!
How to Enter:
Lord Dreck requests that you "Show him your inner Freak". However you want to do
to this is up to you. Do something that shows your inner Freak, and then
document it. Send it to thecityscoop@gmail.com.
The Scoop team will judge all submissions. Winners will have their entry
displayed in the Scoop and their costume delivered post haste!
What do you mean "It's up to you?"
We really mean it. Any way that you can prove that you have an inner Freak
worthy of the Freakshow is good, as long as you can document it. Here are some
ideas:
1) Take a photo of yourself in a Freakshow Costume.
2) Record yourself going into a PvP zone and giving some upstart Villain/Hero
the freakish beating they deserve.
3) Get a particularly great Freakshow related screenshot.
4) Create a Freakshow inspired piece of music, upload it, and send us a link.
5) Anything else.
Just get creative, and then follow through. We're rewarding creativity and
quality equally, so really challenge yourself to have the most outstanding
entry.
Due Date
Dreck has declared that all entries be submitted by 11:59 PM, Pacific Time,
September 15th, 2008.
Any limits?
- Only one winner per account.
- Also, only one entry per account. Dreck doesn't want to fool around with
twenty different Manticore/Mako fan fictions from the same person. Just the one
will do.
- Please, no Manticore/Mako fan fictions.
- If you already have a permanent Freakshow costume on your account, you are
still allowed to enter just for the fun of it. Your entry can still be
displayed in the Scoop. Out of respect for other entrants, however, we ask that
you label your entry with the phrase "NO CODE". This will help us to keep our
limited prize cache going to as many people as possible.
- This game is still rated T for Teen, and The City Scoop, while a fan
publication strives to respect that, no matter how many times Dreck says
"Pretty Please". Entries are encouraged to be bizarre and daring, but please
note that any entry deemed inappropriate by City Scoop staff will be
ineligible, as we would not be able to display proof of your work in the Scoop.
(For full details on this, please refer to the fine print at the bottom.)
- Members of the City Scoop will be ineligible.
- You must have an active City of Heroes/Villains account at the time of entry.
How many winners are going to be chosen?
11 Winners will be posted! 3 winners in the first week of announcements, and
then 2 more each week after that. After we have given out all prizes, your
entry may still receive honorary mention. If this is the case, your entry will
be posted in the Scoop, but no prize will be distributed.
How are Dreck's minions deciding the winners?
Entries will be shown to all members of the City Scoop. Members of the City
Scoop will determine winners based on the following criteria:
* Uniqueness
* Quality
* Creativity
These decisions are made by the City Scoop staff with final approval of each
decision made by the current Editor in Chief(s). Players will receive the code
via PM within 7 days of their entry being displayed in the City Scoop. For an
added element of surprise, entrants will not be notified of their victory prior
to printing of their entry.
Any fine print?
Some.
- Ownership: All work submitted must belong to the person who submitted it. All
entries must be original and unique! Any copyrighted material not being
submitted by its creator or legal owner will be automatically disqualified! You
must make sure your entry doesn't infringe on any patent, copyright, trademark
or other intellectual property right, or any privacy, publicity or publishing
rights of any third party, or is libelous, obscene or otherwise contrary to
law.
-Publication Permission: By submitting an entry, you are giving permission to
both The City Scoop and NCSoft to use these entries at their discretion.
- Inappropriate Content: Use of obscenities, racist, sexist, hateful or other
material or depictions that, in Sponsor's judgment, are inappropriate or
offensive, will disqualify an entry.
Any final thoughts?
Get freaky, and good luck.
Vol. 2, Issue 12
August 29th, 2008
This Issue:
Go Hunt. Get Badge.
A Message From Positron
Community
Writers Block
Fan Fiction Spotlight
Under the Hood
Rogue Isles Legend
Arena
Spandex Spotlight:
Da Toasta
Base Showcase:
Q-Patrol
Classifieds
Comic
Upcoming Events:
August 30th
Protector
Bikini
Contest!
Labor
Day Weekend Hami Raid
September 2nd
Pinnacle
HTTT
- Earth/Fire Superteam
September 6th
Guardian
Yay
Its another Wedding!!!!!
September 12th
Virtue
The
Hero Dawn Virtue Bash!!
September Anniversy Calendar
Frost Elf by
EnD_Reitanna
Lighthouse
Community Relations Manager
If you have a specific in game, account, tech or billing problem please contact our Customer Support team via The Knowledge Base "Ask A Question" page.