The City Scoop! ~ Front Page ~ Sept 5, 2008
By
Ex_Libris,
Posted on: 2008-09-05 11:21 in Announcements
Content WatchRed Side: 30-40The vacation season is almost over for everyone, but as a consolation price here is another Content Watch, straight from the press of the City Scoop to your eyes. This time, it's all about the Red Sde levels 30 to 40. But first, let me remind you that you can read the previous articles of the Content Watch in the archives of the City Scoop and you can find the thread containing all the opinions the players posted for this article right here. City of Villains offers players four zones for leveling content in this range. The first two were introduced when the game debuted: Nerva Archipelago (25-40) and St. Martial (30-40). The other two are the new co-op zones: The Rikti War Zone (35-50) and Cimerora (35-50). Nerva offers a plethora of contacts for the 30s. However, most of them tend to fall in one of these two categories: Hero Slayer or Longbow missions. Some players like fighting the heroes of the Vindicators and the Freedom Phalanx because this can lead to some truly epic and memorable fights, but other players don't because of the difficulty many archetypes have soloing the various signature characters. Longbow become pretty bland since you fight so many of them, and they get a big damage increase at level 30, so they become annoying to many players. A common complaint I heard about Nerva is the size of the zone itself. Most of it is unused water and you can end up traveling from one side of the zone to the other for some of the missions on Primeva and Thorn Isle. The respec trial and Technician Naylor's missions are 2 good examples of this. Technician Naylor is one of the contacts worth mentioning in this zone, even though he is a little bit out of the way. His arcs are well written, he does offer some variety in maps and villains to fight, he gives out a badge mission, and doing his arc will unlock the Rularuu weapons for villains. St. Martial is the city of the vice on the Rogue Isles, as stated by ImpulseKing: "St Martial at night is, in my opinion, the prettiest zone in the game. The Devs did a fantastic job of recreating the feel of a casino town.' Traveling this zone at night offers an impressive view of all the lights and casino neon. Content-wise, you'll find a variety of contacts giving you the chance to fight a good variety of groups including Family, Tsoo, Longbow, Freakshow, Wailers and Carnies. However, most of the stories aren't that impressive since most contacts offer you missions that technically solve their own problems. Arcs along that theme include "Find out how that freak can win at the slots everytime." or "Chase those runaway girls." Vivacious Verandi plays her role as a Carnival Mistress well, and sends you to create mayhem around the town, but unfortunately her arc comes to an abrupt end when the good guy comes in. The 'Good Guy' is Hardcase the demon hunter, a level 30-40 contact. It seems that many players don't like him because he gives out missions that are too heroic. There are only three Strike Forces in this level range, and two of them are co-op:The Lady Grey and Imperious (level 35-50). Both are run mostly at level 50, but it possible to run Imperious' Strike Force with a lower level team and have the Strike Force scale down to the team level. I will cover these two Strike Forces in the next issues of the Content Watch. The only villain exclusive Strike Force for this range is Ice Mistral (level 35-40), which is a fun Strike Force where you must find you facts about a crystal network. The last mission looks like a regular map, but is truly unique once you find the 'lower level'. As you probably noticed, there is no level 30-35 Strike Force, and most villains certainly hope the developers will create something fun (and quick) to run in that level range. To complete this round-up of the PvE content, here is a brief listing of the unlockable contacts: Crimson Revenant in Nerva wants you to fight some of the Freedom Phalanx and Vindicators and Arbiter Leery in the same zone sends you to fix some problems that exist between the different factions of Arachnos. In St. Martial you have two fun unlockable contacts: The Slot Machine has a very varied arc (but the badge requirement can be a pain) and Johnny Sonata offers a good story on how he became the popular singer he is. Check ImpulseKing's post of page 2 of this Content Watch thread for a full write-up of the unlockable contacts. As a brief summary, here are badge contacts in this level range: Timothy Raymond (Exterminator), Hard Luck (Bad Luck), Tech Naylor (Portal Hopper) and Basse Croupier (Skip Tracer). I would like to thank all the players that posted in this Content Watch thread. It is nice to see that this is picking up again after the lack of responses for the last two articles. I would also like to apologize to all the fans of the Content Watch since I've been running late with my article submissions. There are only three issues of the Content Watch left: the level 40-49 content on both sides and the endgame content. I will see you all on the boards shortly for the next Content Watch thread covering the villainside level 40-49 content. This is Plater for the City Scoop wishing you all happy days for what's left of the summer vacations. | Market WatchThe View on BlueIt's time for a contest - a contest with a 5,000,000 influence prize! All you have to do is answer five little questions. I will randomly select one winner from among all entrants. You don't need to get the answers right, and you don't need to be the first person to respond. Just take your best guess and send in your entry. Anyone who enters before the deadline has a chance. HOW do you enter? Send me a private message. I'll try to keep my in-box clear. WHEN should you enter? As soon as possible, but the deadline will be next Friday, September 12. The winner will be announced the Friday after that, along with some anonymized analysis of the answers I received. The Five Questions 1. If you list an item for 1,000 inf and it sells for 10,000 inf, how much do you pay in fees? Please show your work! 2. What is the 60 Day Rule? 3. When multiple people are buying and selling the same item, how does the market decide who buys what? 4. How much influence does a level 50 character earn in an hour? 5. How much does it cost to craft a level 35 IO Accuracy enhancement? Send a PM to me with your answers to those five questions by next Friday, and YOU could be the lucky winner of five millllllllllion influence! Learn Yourself A BookIn light of certain circumstances that have landed me in jail yet again, it turns out a lot of PPD cops are fans of my near-incoherent rants. And they've been so kind as to give me scheduled access to computer terminals to continue my shenanigans. So I'm in the joint once again, but hey! At least you know I'm not dead, right? Although I have a sinking feeling someone out there has a voodoo doll. One paragraph in and I remember my point: The educational system for prisons. While they want you all to see jail as a bad place, it turns out that they don't mind giving you a couple of books to read. And so this branched out from a group meeting where villains would have a book club to a series of semi-underground seminars for incarcerated villains. You'll learn more in the Zig than those clowns at CaDU will ever teach you. So here's a quick rundown of the current course list, and make sure to pay at the door, about 1 pack of cigarettes or a candy bar. Intimidating Entrances: Mostly a meeting for young, inexperienced villains to refine the craft of an awesome entrance. From the simple "masked robber with a machine gun" approach to the "smash a hole in the wall while screaming" or the ever popular "magical explosion of power as civilians scream", the instructors give you tips and tricks to make the perfect introduction. Doomsday Plots 101: A whole subdivision with many branching courses for villains of all covers, you can learn the perfect way to end the world. From earthquakes, bears, zombies, militaristic coups, winged bears, viral plagues, winged bears with chainsaws, dinosaur reanimation, replacing oxygen atoms with iron, making a hole in the ozone and telemarketing, there's a scheme for everyone. Especially helpful for dumb villains and the technologically inept. Escapology 101 (Now with test days!): As I certainly know, a villain has to know when to cut and run. Master escape artists Das Hundengeist and Senorita Smoke give out hints on the perfect ways to throw a curve ball at the cops and run away. From "smoke grenades" to "fiery explosion" to "punch a hole in the wall and run away", they create any method for evasion of the police and prison. Guess which course I should have taken? Horrible Technologies and Why You Should Avoid Them: Dedicated to teaching misguided scientists and madmen with tech, it's a seminar on bad technology. From oil powered, carbon powered, bear powered to hate powered, the point is that there are some things man should tap into for villainous purposes. Such as lederhosen powered assault ninjas. *shudder* And now the final course, so shrouded in mystery and mystique that I really shouldn't mention it with horrible consequences. Only an elite few get to take it, and to whispers its name marks you for death. Its name is SESSION COMPLETE, RETURN TO CELL. |
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Behind the PvP MaskAjax Can you tell us a little about yourself? Age, occupation and your natural habitat?I'm 41, married twice with 3 children from my first marriage (ages 16, 15, and 11). I'm a radar air traffic control specialist at the New York Tracon (Terminal Radar Approach Control), Newark sector, where I've been working since 1990. I live in Patchogue, Long Island. Other hobbies besides CoH include fishing, hunting, target practice at the range, and bowling. Have a favorite movie? There's a few favorites, mostly war movies. If I had to pick one, probably Saving Private Ryan. How about musical tastes? I listen to XM radio channel 82 "The System" while playing CoH. It's mostly a trance, dance and techno music channel. When not playing CoH I listen to Jazz, rock n' roll, and music from the 80's. When did you first discover PvP in City of Heroes? Around the end of November/beginning of December of 04'. Any PvP experience outside this game? I was a member of Damned fighter squadron in an online WWII combat flight simulator game called "Fighter Ace", which was the top ranked squadron in that game at the time. Which Test PvP groups have you been a member of, and could you tell us about them? I was a regular zone PvPer until recruited by Magnus Star, Kyle, Foomanchu and Hans to join a Liberty PvP group called Freaks of Legend aka FoL. I was with them for 2 years, becoming leader of the group after 1 year when Foo left the game for the first time. Due to some internal issues there was a split, and I left shortly after some other members had left already and formed VR. After the VR leadership left the game, VR disbanded. A few of us joined Paragon Elite for a short time, before we decided we wanted to reform the old VR core players under a new tag, and thus Pwny Xpress was created. What is your favorite role in the Arena and what is most challenging? I've always enjoyed playing both kin, and sonic, but I like playing sonic the best, which is also the role I find the most challenging. What is your most memorable Arena moment, team or otherwise? Wow, there are a lot of great memories, but if I had to pick one... the fight between FoL and HVND in which they brought over the ACE team stands out as my most memorable team fight of all time. We prepared and practiced for that fight every night for over a month. It was the most satisfying win of my CoH career, although the VR vs JAL fight in which we took #1 was also pretty intense. Many of us in the PvP community see you as a mentor or the "Father of PvP" in this game. How do you take the attention and what advice would you give new PvPers? Hehe... that whole thing got started as a joke by Psypunk, and it kinda stuck around. My advice to new PvPers is... stick the course. CoH PvP has a steep learning curve, and it can be pretty overwhelming at first. Do not get discouraged by the beatings you will take in the process. Develop a thick skin, pay attention carefully to what the veterans are doing, and do not be afraid to ask questions or advice. Most of the old veterans don't mind helping, or giving advice if asked. | Fan Fiction Spotlight
Sooner is a very accomplished writer of City of Heroes and City of Villains Fan Fiction. In her work, the fate of the world isn't necessarily at stake, but the characters' lives usually are. For those who think that such events aren't worth reading in a super hero story, I strongly urge you to read this. The super hero story is, at its heart, a fantasy. It is epic, but it's also personal. Some of the worst criticisms of super heroes come from reviews that refuse to look at the characters or their work within their world. The relationships they maintain and the lives they live are as much a part of the characters as the super powers that enable them to do such amazing feats. Sooner Nation explores the beginnings of some of Sooner's characters and the trials and tribulations they had to go through in order to earn and master their powers. It's a different sort of origin story because it's a massive ordeal the whole way through instead of one freakish incident inspiring the characters to a life of crimefighting. The characters feel real. The situations they go through are the sorts of situations one would expect of almost anybody. Even at this story's most glum, it's extremely satisfying. Or maybe I just have a soft spot for stories that aren't epic in the global sense. In the personal sense, however, please heap on the "Win."
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CroatoaWell fans and critics alike, it's time for the people to speak out. This time yours truly was APPROACHED by a hero. Shocking isn't it? I mean, I thought I had a bad rep going around or something, but I was wrong! The Field, whom I have met before, approached me outside of the Paragon Police Department in Kings Row. I was filing a report on a stolen vehicle, mine. My 1990 Chevy Impala is still out there and if you have it I will hunt you down... no lie. Anyways, I had been thinking about why certain areas of the city still had not been cleaned up, even though there were enormous amounts of heroes in those areas. For example, Kings Row, or even Croatoa. What has kept these places worn torn by gangs and mystical fighting? Well, I asked the Field if he had any insight on the matter... The Field: Hey again! Scoop Man: Ah, Field! Glad I caught you. F: I'm pretty fast. SM: I noticed. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions. F: Of course! I'm always glad to be a help. SM: Excellent! I've been noticing that there are certain places that seem to draw more citizens to them and less heroes, namely, Croatoa and Kings Row. Any ideas on why that might be? F: These places are in pretty sad shape. I think most heroes are kinda overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs done. You go to Atlas Park, and our job seems manageable. Here and in Croatoa, however, it's a much bigger task. SM: Why is that? More crime? More villains? F: You know, I'm not really sure. King's Row specifically is just a bad part of town, I think. You add villains into an already poverty-stricken side of town, and it's just gonna be worse than the more affluent parts. And Croatoa... well the whole situation with the magic and sorcery and everything I don't understand, that makes it worse there. SM: The situation makes it worse or the fact that you don't understand WHY there's a situation? F: I'll be honest, I'm one of those Heroes who avoids Croatoa. I'd guess the situation makes it worse, but also because I don't understand what's happening... I can't do much there. SM: What about Kings Row? It seems pretty straightforward here and yet it never gets any better for the citizens or the heroes. F: Hmm, you gotta remember, for every Hero you see out here, there's at least one villain popping up. I'm afraid it's gonna be a constant battle in places like this. Honestly, sometimes I think the world would be better off without ANY Meta-Humans. SM: Why is that? F: Well, Heroes have done a lot of good, you can't argue that. But... if no one had powers, those who use them for evil wouldn't have caused problems in the first place, at least problems that your average man couldn't handle. SM: So what would your solution be for areas like Croatoa or Kings Row? F: I think general awareness. Croatoa especially seems to fall off the map. If we heard more about it, or perhaps some of the big-wigs like the Freedom Phalanx started asking for more help in these areas, we'd see a lot more Heroes interested in helping. SM: Gain interest for the overlooked zones? That could work, I'll see if I can get some of my fellows to follow up on that. But what about some heroes' fear of these areas? Croatoa is a hub of magic and nether-worldly powers. F: Again, I think a lot of power lies with the Freedom Phalanx. Not only physical power, but also the power they have to motivate others. If we had a couple of them spearheading a "clean-up" of sorts, we'd see a lot of progress. |
SM: Work by example basically. Yet for Kings Row there have been several attempts at that. Yet this area remains as crime ridden and filled with drugs as normal. Could that be due to lack of caring or the determination of the gangs? F:I really doubt it's a lack of care. At least I hope. Heh, as much as I hate to admit it, I really don't have all the answers. I don't know what the underlying problem is, at the moment, but I feel all us Heroes can do is keep trying our best to help. SM: I see. We all know that younger heroes come to Kings Row as a training ground of sorts, do you think that could be contributing to the nature of the area? F: It very well could be. I don't want to discourage any Heroes, newer or older, from working here. Would things be different if Statesman and friends were focusing on Kings Row? Most likely, but these newer Heroes have their hearts in the right place. And any help is going to be beneficial. SM: Speaking as a local resident I quite agree. Now on the flip side, Croatoa is normally known to attract heroes with higher security levels. With all that experience, shouldn't the magical quarrels be a thing of the past? F: Well, I don't care how high my security level is, you send me into a... a magical situation, and I'm gonna be lost. I can try to help, but I really don't know where to start. If those with backgrounds in Magical arts would focus their attentions there, we might see some results. SM: So you would suggest a call for more magical based aid in that zone just for the purpose of seeing the effectiveness? F: Don't see how it could hurt. Again, like with Kings Row, any Heroes who want to help would be of benefit. But certainly those who fully understand the situation would be more effective. SM: I see, thank you for talking with me today Field. It was good to see you. F: Hey any time, man. I appreciate your interest in this city. We all gotta work together, you know? Hit the bad guys at all fronts. SM: You got it. Well, there it is. Perhaps there should be a call for capes to come out and join the fun here in Kings Row or Croatoa. As a citizen who is constantly plagued by gangs on my street corner, I think I can actually say this is needed. If the Freedom Phalanx came down from their ivory towers, maybe Kings Row might clean up a bit. I mean seriously, it's been in construction for years and still no progress. Maybe the crime hinders the progress? Or maybe I should be talking to the Paragon City Building Commission on that one. But look at Croatoa. Wouldn't more heroes with magical backgrounds be beneficial to stop the war there? This is me just spit-balling you understand, but still, something has to be done. The question is, who is going to do it?
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Who is your base designer and who are your supergroup leaders? Base designer: Seigi no Akuma Leaders: Brain Damage1, Tank Me, Nhytshade What is your supergroup's name? Base: Paragon Super Group Personal: 1stMI (First Mechanized Infantry) Which server is your base on, and is it a Hero or Villain SG? Freedom - Heroside When was your supergroup established? September 2006 How many players are in your supergroup? 101 What is the approximate value of your base? 29 million prestige How much time do you spend working on your base? How much time have you invested so far? I usually spend 4 hours a night working on the base. It took me about 1 month to complete PSG's base. What is your favorite base item? Least favorite? The Longbow chaser is the favorite among the SG members; the base started as a simple request to float them. My personal favorite is the white cabinet. My least favorite item is any item with a blue box superfluously larger than the item (EZ flooring, corner counters, wooden cabinets, etc...). What is your favorite thing about base editing? Least favorite? I like being able to build an environment which others would find aesthetically pleasing. I also love it when the SG members come in and stare, dumbfounded by my magic desk towers. My least favorite thing would have to be the time-consuming nature of the magic desk stacking technique and raid/doorway pathing restrictions. What is the highest thing on your wish-list for new base items? The SG leaders want wall-mounted aquariums... with sharks. I just want the Tech/Research Platform computers without the research platform or the Tech Control/Terminals as decorative items. If you could give just one piece of advice to a new base editor, what would it be? Experiment as much as you can. If you have a rough idea for what you want to build, try improvising until you formulate a sure-fire plan. Also, be sure to check out the Base Construction section on the official forums. Anything else you'd like to add about your SG, your base or the base system in general? PSG Leader: We're a social supergroup with mature members. We have our own Teamspeak server and use it often for teaming and arena fights. If you would like to join, please contact @Fatal Fists or @Ven Infinity Personal: I, the base builder, run my own SG on Freedom called 1stMI. The 1stMI initially formed in Auto Assault, but we play a wide variety of games, now. We regularly use Ventrilo while gaming and post in our forums to discuss other games or worldly matters. If you would like to join our community, visit http://1stmi.com/forums/ |
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Vol. 2, Issue 13
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]
Join The Discussion!
The City Scoop
Under the Hood
Endurance 101
By TopDoc
Desmodas by Wassy
This is the second 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, to maybe get a little insight into how to build better characters or teams.
Endurance (END) is something we all know about, since it's a pretty key aspect of the game. Almost all powers use Endurance. If you run out of Endurance, you generally can't activate new powers. Your toggles usually drop too, which can be very dangerous for Melee characters who rely on them for protection. In this article, I'll discuss the mechanics behind Endurance, and how to get more.
How does END work? Everyone starts at level 1 with 100 END, and often ends that way at level 50. END does not increase as you level. Everyone has a base Recovery that lets them recover 100% of their END in 60 seconds. This is done in 5% (normally 5 END) tics every 5% of a minute (3 seconds). This works out to 1.67 END/second (EPS). If you spend more than 1.67 EPS, your END goes down. If you spend less, your END goes up.
If you increase your END to say, 120, you'll get back 6 END (5% of 120) every tic. Increasing Recovery reduces the time between tics, so a 50% Recovery bonus means you will recover END every 2 seconds (3 seconds / (1.0+0.5)). Someone with 120 END and a 50% Recovery bonus recovers at 3 EPS, nearly double the normal rate. This could be you! There's no real limit to END, but Recovery caps at 500%, meaning you recover 5% of your END every 0.6 seconds. This usually only happens when you're Resting.
How do you get more END? There are only a few ways. The Atlas Medallion and Portal Jockey (hero side) and Marshal and Born in Battle (villain side) Accolades all increase END by 5. The Talos Island Mayhem and Safeguard missions (level 31-35) increase your END by 5 for 3 days in-game (72 hours of play). Certain mid-level IO sets give a small END bonus, usually for slotting 4 of the same set. Tankers and Brutes have it easier, as slotting 2 Mocking Beratement IOs (in any power with Taunt) will give a 1.8 END bonus.
How do you get more Recovery? Again there are just a few ways. Stamina from the Fitness Power Pool is the most common way. It has a base 25% Recovery, which most people slot up to 49%. Many IO sets give a small Recovery bonus, usually for slotting 2 or more of a set. This includes many ultra-rare Purple sets, which give a 3.5% Recovery bonus. The VERY expensive Miracle and Numina's Convalescence unique IOs (slottable in any Healing power) give 15% and 10% Recovery bonuses respectively, and most people slot them in Health so they're always on.
There are several ways your AT and power set choice affect your available END. Defenders get Vigilance, which reduces their END costs when teammates are wounded. Villain Epic ATs appear to get a 5% higher Recovery. Electrical attacks drain END but also have a chance to give some of that to the caster. Several powersets get a END refill power, like Consume in Fiery Aura or Dark Consumption in Dark Melee. Many Tier 9 defensive powers for melee oriented ATs include a Recovery boost. Drain Psyche is available to Psi Assault Dominators and Mental Manipulation Blasters, and it can cap your Recovery if you hit enough targets. The Regen and Willpower sets for all but Stalkers have a Quick Recovery power that's slightly better than Stamina. Learn your powers. If you're having END problems, first see if there's a power you can take in your Primary or Secondary power set that will help.
If that's not enough, several Epic Power Pools offer END friendly powers. They include Conserve Power (gives you an END discount on everything), Consume (refill END), and Hibernate (similar to Rest). Villains are mostly out of luck, as Soul Mastery for Dominators is the only Patron Pool with an END friendly power (Dark Consumption).
Your final option is the Performance Shifter: Chance for +Endurance IO. You can slot this in any END gaining power, but it's best in Stamina. It has a 20% chance when used (or every 10 seconds when in Stamina) to give you 10 END. That averages out to 0.2 EPS, or about the same as a 12% Recovery boost.
Next week, I'll discuss how to spend your more END more wisely. After all, it doesn't matter how much END you have if you waste it. I'll be covering some of the same stuff that's in This Guide by hudsonsmith, so check it out if you need END help right now.
Vol. 2, Issue 13
SEPTEMBER 5th, 2008
This Issue:
Content Watch
Market Watch
Learn Yourself A Book
Community
Behind the PVP Mask
Fan Fiction Spotlight
The People On
Base Showcase
Classifieds
Comic
Upcoming Events:
September 6th
Guardian
Yay
Its another Wedding!!!!!
Protector
Blasters Only Posi TF
September 12th
Virtue
The
Hero Dawn Virtue Bash!!
September 13th
Protector
Engagement Hami Raid
September 14th
Champion
Champion's First Player Auction
Justice
500 Million 2v2 PvP Event
Lightspeed by juggertha