The City Scoop ~Front Page~ February 20th, 2009
By
Ex_Libris,
Posted on: 2009-02-20 16:36 in Announcements
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Get Involved!In the City ScoopBefore we get to the good stuff in this article, I have a request for you, the loyal readers of the City Scoop: This is the second to last article for the Get Involved! series of articles. However, I have more articles planned for a different series, and I'm going to need your help with those. Has playing City of Heroes changed your life in some way? Did you met your best friend or significant other, did it made you more outgoing, teach you math, make you do your homework, or help you get over losing your job? If playing City of Heroes has changed your life in any way, no matter how insignificant it may seem to other people, send me a pm and tell me about it. Your messages will be used in a future article I have planned, and all responses to this question will be anonymous unless you tell me I can use your name. I will also use anything you post in the Discussion thread in response to this question, but again, it will be anonymous when the article is written for the fifth anniversary of City of Heroes. Thanks in advance! And now for the business at hand - the City Scoop. Well, you're reading it, aren't you? Isn't that involved enough? We are eternally appreciative of our readers, who make everything we do worthwhile (especially when they comment on what a great job we're doing - hint, hint!) but we believe you can do more. What you may not know is, we need your help. The City Scoop is staffed and supported by you, the player, and your co-players. How can you get involved in the Scoop, you ask? Well, that s an excellent question and I'm glad you asked! The easiest way to get involved is to give us feedback. There's a link to the City Scoop discussion thread at the end of the Scoop - go there and tell us what you think! Is there a particular article you enjoy? Was a specific quote hilarious or thought provoking? Did you learn something? Do you want to give props to a base designer, an artist, or a fanfic writer? Well, go to the discussion thread and tell us what's on your mind! Sometimes we use ideas we get from the discussion to come up with ideas for more articles! Are you looking to get a little more involved than that? Well, okay! You can write an article or draw a picture and send it to us! We use articles, artwork, and comics sent in by you, and we're always looking for new material, so whatever you have, send it in! You can submit articles or artwork by PMing it to one of the editors. Their names are in the masthead (that's the list of who does what at the end of the Scoop). They're really nice people, so don't be shy! If you have questions about the City Scoop or any of the articles therein, you can ask any Scoop staffer, and they'll be delighted to point you in the right direction to get the answers you need. After all, we're here for you! You can write an article about anything - about PvPing or events you've attended, how to hold a Hamidon raid, or what's going on at the auction houses. Tell us about the fun you have with people you talk to, building a great supergroup base, or about tips and tricks from veteran players. You can share recipes (for food, not enhancements!), show off your mad fashion skills, or give us a philosophical dissertation on good versus evil in the City of Heroes /City of Villains world. Tell us about your supergroup, your global channels, or your back-story. Show us your favorite piece of fan art, your favorite place in Paragon City or the Rogue Isles, a weird screenshot you took, or the best costume ever. Tell us about upcoming events, costume contests, parties, task forces, and raids. Whatever you have to say or show, send it to us! We want to hear from you! What else can you do to make sure the City Scoop stays with us for a good long time? How about helping with editing or formatting the Scoop? Editors make the City Scoop as easy to read and understand as it is. Trust me, when I submitted this article, it was written on the back of a napkin and had all kinds of stuff misspelled and crossed out. Our editor, Cende, is amazing. The editing process isn't difficult (basically, you go over an article and fix any grammatical or spelling errors in the article) and it's always interesting to be one of the first to read the raw material that becomes the City Scoop. The formatters make the Scoop look the way it does by putting the html code tags around the articles. Without Mantid and Snow_Globe, we'd just have text, with URLs linked to the pictures. It would be much less pretty. Again, get in touch with the editors, both layout and copy! You don't need any prior experience to do any of these things for the Scoop. Most of the players involved in the Scoop had never done anything like it before, and they do just fine. The greatest reward in helping with the Scoop, of course, is knowing that you are part of something-a group that works hard every week to make sure the news of the City of Heroes/City of Villains world gets heard. Seeing your name in print and knowing that hundreds of people read your words well, that's just gravy. Remember, the City Scoop depends on the submissions and support of players like you, so if you like what we do and want to see it continue, get involved! | PvPECYour PvPEC Reps!
Liberty Server Organizer: @PhiladelphiaPA I started playing City of Heroes about four years ago, in January of 2005, on the Liberty Server. The first update I witnessed to the game was Issue 4, "The Arena," introducing PVP to City of Heroes. I played a few matches and always seemed to lose so I stopped using the arena. Issue 6, "Along Came a Spider," introduced villains and zone PVP to the game. I gave PvP a try again. Playing mostly in Siren's Call and Warburg, it seemed like I was always held (or under some other status effect) during a PvP encounter. With my slow reflexes and PvE character builds, the only time I could win was if the opponent I was fighting had even less PvP experience then myself. Not only would I lose, but I always walked away feeling crushed by defeat and of never of really having a chance to win. I decided to stay away from PvP altogether, only going to a PvP zone to get badges or the arena to support events run by my friends. Issue 13, "Power and Responsibility," changed everything. Watching most PVPers on my server leave the game, before the new issue even went live, I curiously read about the changes and decided to give them a try. I went to Recluse's Victory on my main, a dark melee and super reflexes scrapper, and surprisingly I found that I liked a lot of the new changes. Mez effects now seem easier for me to handle, and while most players do not like the new travel suppression, it has helped me with my slow reaction time. In zones, it's a little frustrating to get mezzed by a NPC, but when fighting other players, my odds are better now of surviving. Now I am winning more fights then I used to, and even when I lose, it feels like I at least had a chance of winning instead of just feeling totally out classed and out gunned. Feeling there was a void left by the players who left with the Issue 13 release, I joined PvPEC. I want to show that PvP can still be fun, even for those that don't normally PVP. The new PvP System is not perfect and needs to be tweaked, but this seems like a good first step to me. Having run one event so far, I will be seeing you at many more in the future, including our new Friday Night Fights (coming soon). | |
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City FictionThe RedeemersFor several hours, the Redeemers, Trolls, and Freedom Corps forces threw their assaults at the nigh-unstoppable beast. Nothing they threw at Grendel seemed to faze him. Whatever this creature was, he was not drawing inspiration from the cowardly behavior of his namesake. Bullets ricocheted off his skin. Several Longbow troops wound up teleporting to the hospital and Trolls dragged their bleeding bodies away from the fight after they all wound up getting struck by the bouncing projectiles. Throwing objects had a similar result, except Grendel was throwing the debris and detritus hurled at him back. Fire made him sooty, which he fixed with a stomp into the river that cleared the combatants away just as easily. Conversely, ice was such a minor inconvenience so as to be negligible. Ashen Roast's friend, Blizzard Front, had frozen the waters around the monster so solidly as to stop an eighteen-wheeler. With an application of constant force, Grendel pulled his leg free of the frozen water, scattering large blocks into the surrounded crowd and knocking many into the oncoming waters. Worse, he now had a set of frozen blocks to use on the meta-humans trying to stop him. Oddly enough, actually getting in close and engaging Grendel in hand-to-hand combat was effective. Garm had gotten a few good punches on the gray bulk's jaw before being punted into one of the overpass's pillars. After that, Briggs McBain crashed into the much larger man's knee, knocking Grendel over before the burly little troll tried to drown him. Unfortunately, despite McBain's strength, he was much lighter than Grendel. He was lifted and hurled across the river. When the little green man bolted back up and started rushing back to the fight, the monster picked up a small boulder and hurled it so hard at him that it knocked him over backwards and Briggs landed face-first in the water. He didn't seem to rise again, but he swam to another location to reconsider his strategy. Nothing could slow the monster down, nothing could weaken his skin. He seemed to respond to force and momentum, but the damage being done was minimal. It was getting so bad that the city's major heroes started getting involved before Grendel decided to start trying to eliminate the "legitimate" heroes. Mynx was the first, bounding into the fight and raking her claws across his skin. Sparks flew and the long-horned beast sighed like she had done him a favor before trying to squash her with his massive fists. Hopping, twisting, and flipping, she avoided his assaults, but he swept a wave of river water at her that sent her tumbling. Before he could stomp on her, Genji Atomoyo, Garm's Tsoo sorcerer, appeared next to her in a swirl of whirling colored smoke, grasped her wrist, and disappeared with the catgirl in tow. As soon as Grendel brought his foot back from where he'd stomped, he felt something kick him in the back of the knee. Stumbling, he swung behind himself for his attacker. Ms. Liberty caught the blow with her forearms and was sent hurtling to the concrete edge of the river. Getting back up, she was barely able to avoid getting flattened by one of the monster's fists and delivered two more kicks to its mid-section. Unfortunately, the monster caught her, gripping her torso in one of its hands and pinning her right arm in the grip. Chuckling, Grendel stood triumphantly and presented his prize to the gathered meta-humans. He squeezed her a little and she let out an anguished cry. "This-!" his deep voice rumbled before he saw a red fist crash into his nose and send him tumbling backwards. Statesman caught his granddaughter as she was tossed aside in surprise and cradled her. She looked to him with a small amount of scorn, but hugged him for the help and he set her with some of the Wardens and Ballistae that were arriving to provide more serious support. In the distance, a pair of Cataphract Heavies were trundling into the river to help engage the monster. The meta-humans were going to need the help, too. Grendel was far from beaten, and he was pushing himself back up. Glaring at Statesman, he reached up and gripped his own nose. There was a cracking pop and Mortiganen realized that the monster's nose had been broken. "Interesting," he muttered, "His bones can break... As invulnerable as his flesh may be, if we hit him he feels it. There may be a way to defeat him in that." "I think it'll take all of us hitting him at once, Mort," Garm said derisively, his back still sore from hitting the concrete pillar, "All of us, every hero in the city, all at once... And they've gotta be good hits, not just waving fists at him like a brawler..." "Scoff as you will, I will work on a method to utilize his strength as his weakness. For now, you and the others must keep the beast occupied!" "I think Reichsman's got that covered," Harold indicated the battle between Statesman and Grendel through gritted teeth, his arm broken in three places after a cinder block had smashed into it, "I bet those two could fight until dawn." Statesman did indeed seem to be handling the fight much better than the entire compliment of meta-humans. Grendel could barely swing at the smaller man before he had ducked away and smashed a fist against the monster's jaw or abdomen. When the city's champion of champions landed an uppercut and toppled Grendel again, the gathered meta-humans, Trolls and all, gave a triumphant shout to applaud him. However, the beast wasn't beaten, and he stood again. Not wishing to give him the chance for an advantage, Statesman tried to punch him in the head before he could stand. A massive gray hand shot up at the last second and caught the smaller fist. Undaunted, the hero tried his other fist and that was caught by the other hand. Chuckling, Grendel stood and held Statesman up until their faces were level. With horror, Marcus Cole realized there was intelligence behind those dull red eyes. "Heh," the voice was deep and rich, hardly the voice of a monster, "Statesman... What kind of brainless hulk do you think you're fighting?" | Fan Fiction SpotlightEvolution "Alex!" The girl's call echoed through the corridors of King's Row. It was a familiar one, as familiar as the sight of the bespectacled girl walking down the street looking very annoyed. She was safe from most of the denizens of the area, not just because she was so young (and obviously had nothing to steal,) but because of her parents. Therra Arcson and Col. Johnathan Snow were known very well, and the gangs knew full well that if Erin or her brother had anything happen, they'd feel the full wrath of the heroic couple. The various petty thugs and street toughs knew they didn't want to experience that again. Erin stopped and crossed her arms, tapping her foot as she considered a street and two alleys - then looked up. Idiot, she thought, the ancient refrain of all girls with brothers. She'd spotted his backpack on the edge of the roof of the old apartment building, and knew he was probably three feet away from getting into trouble. Carefully, she made her way up the fire escape. "Alex, what are you..." "Shh," he said. "Keep it down." Idiot, he added, the historic refrain of all boys with sisters. He waved her over, then waved her down. "Watch these guys. They're training some new recruits, it looks like." "Alex, you're going to get caught and beaten up." She raised an eyebrow at him. "And probably start it, knowing you." "I'm fine. They won't touch us - that guy doesn't move fast enough. The guy in the black jacket there keeps using the same pattern, too..." "Alex, mom's looking for you. If she knew you were over here - " Alexander stopped her with a glare. "She won't know unless someone tells. And that someone would have to say how she knew then, wouldn't she." He sighed. "If she's looking, it's dinner, I know. And I'm supposed to be at the library. She didn't say she was coming to get me, did she?"  He looked relieved as his sister shook her head. "Cool. Ok, lead on, sis," he said, backing away from the edge.Alex shadowboxed as they went down the street. "I could take them. I know it." I'd like to take a moment and say how happy I am to be reviewing a new story. Lately, within the forums, it seems a select few have taken up writing fan fiction for the Cities of Heroes and Villains. For a world that is now relying heavily on the fans to fill in the blanks, this is very distressing. Sadly, I have other writing projects and items that draw my attention away, so I lack the free time to peruse sites like The COH Writer's Guild, so unless something crosses my limited scope of attention, I miss out on it. Memphis Bill opened this story thread with a preface that indicated he'd written it on another forum and transferred it after someone whose opinion he trusts suggested he transfer it over here. Personally, if the other works live up to this potential, I hope he transfers more works. This was an exceptionally enjoyable read. The characters are well defined in the substantial sense. Not so much the physical, but that's not the point here; in this case, it's the events, motivations and emotions that are the focus, and costumes change every day. In this story, the main character, Erin Snow grows up learning she has acquired powers through her mother's unique genetic heritage. Arguments could be made that her brother, Alex, did as well (with a powerful intellect that makes him a multimillionaire by age eighteen), but he's not the focus of this story, so speculation on his intellectual endowment can be best left for a later date. She joins Longbow to make a name for herself (worried as she is that her family's reputation would help her through too much, otherwise) and finds herself rapidly promoted through her own efforts, engaged, and placed on an important assignment. The rest of the story covers that assignment and the ordeals she goes through in order to see it through to completion. We see through the lens of her life what it means for a hero to do the work they do in this world, and just what it can cost them. It's definitely a superior work, and, again, I am very pleased to have the opportunity to present it to you faithful readers of the City Scoop. |
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Dearest friends, pookies, and various ragamuffins! It is I, your beloved Arbiter Fabulous come once more, refreshed and renewed from a lovely vacation to dispense wit and wisdom to all of you, my adoring readers. Today I am going to try a little bit of before and after, to show what a bit of skill and a few guiding words in want can do to a man. You see, I'm taking upon myself the supreme sacrifice of actually talking and dealing with the grubby folks this week, creating haute couture for them, and showing you prototypes from my very studio. Now then, I need you to know, merely one week of work on any piece of FINE clothing is not long enough, but honestly, it is good enough for who it is for. Now then, my heart went out to the subject of not one, but TWO letters both hero AND sidekick wrote in, asking how to help someone displaced in time... and I will be honest, this was not an easy case. Let us look in, shall we? Dearest Sweetest Arbiter Fabulous, A very good friend of mine, whose name I will not mention so as not to embarrass him, came to our time from 1883. He insists on wearing the same ugly brown suit now that he wore back then, even though I have provided him with suitable clothing that is much more flattering. I know he reads and enjoys your articles, so I am writing to you in the hopes that you can impart some advice to him. He is an inventor, and frequently spends long hours in his lab, as well as mingling with the citizens and heroes of Paragon City at social events.Thanks in advance! Kunoichi Kyo-chan Well as you can see this person got my attention, but lo and behold the next day in the mail I received THIS!
Since arriving in Paragon City just over a year ago, I've had quite a busy life. Becoming a Hero (courtesy of my steam-powered armor), adopting and training my sidekick Kyo-chan, and basically settling into your so-called "modern world." However, my sidekick Kyo keeps telling me that the simple brown three-piece double-breasted suit I wear in my off-duty hours is far too "old fashioned" and that I need to "get with the times." After hearing this for the thousandth time tonight, I decided to ask your esteemed opinion. Has this suit that has served me so well for the last 137 years finally gone out of style? And if so, what would you suggest for the (very) British man-about-town? Attached, for your consideration is a photograph of myself wearing said suit.Yours, Charles Winthrop, III Aka Steampunk Charlie
Now then, you will soon see that very photograph of our dear Charles in, what I will admit, a VERY STUNNING SUIT! Well PLAYED, I tip my hat to your eye. Many of you know I have a flare for that era of British style, and so few people can make earth tones work. Sadly, my duty here was NOT to dress him up, but dress him down for everyday attire, but I simply could not let him go bungling about in jeans and a t-shirt. No, my friends, I could not. His eye for color matched nearly my own, and I insist on keeping with his trends in his NEW look, one that still says Gentleman, without thinking bustles and parasols on his sidekick. Submitted for your approval, which you had best know meets and exceeds it already... | Now then, our next letter came to me as a shock, especially the included picture. Never before had my work been cut out for me so desperately. I swear, some days it does not pay to allow my assistants to live through the joy that is sifting through my letterbox. But, alas, without these letters I'd merely be crafting new uniforms for our lovely and most benevolent leader here of the Etoile Islands. Which, might I add, is looking lovely this season, caressed by warm balmy breezes, scented with the aromas of grilled meats on the beaches. How I ache for you Paragonians, limited to your greasy pizzas and El Super Mexicano, as I sit on the beaches of St. Martial, cosmopolitan in hand, sharing sushi with my darling Amanda. But I digress. Here, I share with you a letter of someone in the direst of situations.
Dear Arbiter Fabulous, As a gargoyle, I constantly watch over the city, protecting citizens from ruffians and fighting off criminal gangs, always striking from above. However, there will be those formal events where I am asked to dress accordingly, such as ceremonies, weddings, or the latest DJ Zero gala. Unfortunately, many fineries look very awkward on me, unless it's full battle armor or something fear inspiring. Overlooking (for a moment) your association with Arachnos and consulting you on a purely fashionable basis, what sort of formal attire could you recommend for an eight foot tall gargoyle with wings, a tail, and horns, that will really turn heads (in a good way) at the latest Candy Lebeaux fashion show?With gratitude, Obsidius Gargoyle
All right, first off, when submitting pictures of yourself, at least give me the kindness of wearing some form of undergarments. The effort of recovery from such an image was excessive and frankly, I first felt this must simply be a false letter, a joke or a farce. But one of my good friends in my little coffee social group, a lovely young lady by the name of Xilla (who is single and seeking a kind gentleman still, even after the Valentine's Day season) found it rather interesting. She may be a bit difficult on the eyes, but Xilla well let's say there is a *CHARMING* personality in there, somewhere. As a side note, all inquiries to Xilla can go to me and I promise to forward them on. Oh dear, tangents again. As I was saying, wear underwear, I cannot be fainting from shock all the time, so as such I had to edit the picture to save you, my precious readers. I mean children read this! As you can see, I was heavily inspired by Asian influences, while still retaining a hint of western. I feel that is as good as a look you will get outside of a traditional tuxedo, but honey, anyone could make one of those for you, and I doubt you get to THAT many black tie socials. Well I do hope you are all having a lovely time! Personally, I have been working with one of my clients, this DREADFUL man named Dr. Aeon, who needs a new suit for the opening of some blasted videogame arcade, but the money is good. Anyway, it's keeping Serge and his pathetic Fan Five in the gutter, but more on them later . Also, I never got a letter on which famous person from the Etoile Islands or Paragon City you would all like to see made over. As always, you can reach me through Equation on the CoH forums, with the heading of "Dear Arbiter Fabulous..." and for now, that's TOODLES!  | |||||
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Q) What is the name of your group and what made you choose it? A) Shenanigans, Inc. Q) What is your base designer(s) name? A) PixXxi Q) What server is your base on? A) Infinity Q) When was your super/villain group established? A) November 2007 Q) What is the approximate value of your base? A) Too much! Q) How much time have you/your designer(s) invested in your base since you started building? A) Feels like a lifetime! But about a few months Q) What is your/your designer(s) favorite base item? Least favorite? A) Favorite: the fireplace, waterfall, & hot tub. The floating teleporters are pre i-13 and the most time consuming to do! I had to create about 135 magic desks to stack! Least fave: the massive vortex! Cool looking item, I just haven't figured out how to decorate around it. Although, I do have an idea percolating. Q) What is your/your designer(s) favorite thing about base editing? Least favorite? A) Favorite: no more magic desks!!! Least favorite: the lag I sometimes get. Q) Did you get your inspiration from anyone specific or was it right from your imagination? A) Imagination. Except I needed EEEKK to help me find certain items that I saw in his base. Q) If you/your designer(s) could give just one piece of advice to a new base editor, what would it be and why? A) Let your imagination run wild! When you get stuck, reach out to us other base builders. We are always happy to help a fellow builder! |
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The Hecktic Life | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Vol. 2, Issues 35
February 20th, 2009
The City Scoop a publication for Supers by Supers! Read the latest 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 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 have a Classified Ad you would like included or join "The City Scoop" team please contact: Marcian Tobay
If you have an interview please contact: EmperorSteele or HumanMiracle
If you need some Advice contact Lady_Athyna or would like to Ask The X contact LiquidX
If you have a base you would like featured, please contact EnnVee
Finally if you have a Recipe you would like included please contact: MistressNoire
The City Scoop
Behind the Walls
With GM Lloyd
6. Advice and feedback
We send a lot of players to these boards. We figure most of them never come.
It's generally accepted that fewer than 10 percent of any MMO player base will ever bother to use message boards. I honestly don't know the rate for City of Heroes, but it was part of the assumptions about starting this column that those who do use these boards are well connected. Maybe you tell your friends about what's posted here, so they don't have to read them.
Sometimes we wonder, though.
Often, we GMs will sign off our replies to players with suggestions that they come to these boards when players ask questions or give personal feedback about the game or the service, with phrases such as, "You can read more about this topic at ...", or "The Development Team reads the forums regularly and many changes to the game have come directly from the feedback of players like you."
It, like many of the things GMs say, can be interpreted as a brush-off by players. We don't mean it that way.
These boards, and ParagonWiki, represent some of the best documentation about the game play aspect of City of Heroes. Whatever is known and understood by players can be found here. Still, we encounter many players who probably don't believe that, and never come here.
Many of them probably aren't reading this message right now.
I can understand the sentiment, especially if the players who don't want to come here are veterans of other online services, whose official forums are not as well organized or well moderated as the City of Heroes boards. It certainly could have turned out differently for these boards. We're all blessed by those that help express their love of the game and the service by contributing material and keeping it up to date.
The boards under the "Player Help" category have a wealth of useful information, and for most questions that can be answered by players, at least one user of these forums will give an answer within just a few minutes of the original post.
I personally have linked the Issue 13 Guide to Guides, compiled by Zombie_Man, many times in response to players' questions or perceived problems about Issue 13 features. I expect to do something similar as Issue 14 becomes more ready for wide release.
The same goes for feedback. We're glad to read suggestions, but we are not the Development Team. Player perspective is important, but these boards are much better for the task of recording and measuring what players think the City of Heroes game or service should be like. If one player has an idea, chances are that another player has had similar thoughts.
Maybe not. But the only way to really know is to come here and look. The Community representatives are better equipped to keep track of such things and make sure the Development Team knows about them than GMs are, and it's rare that any of us are able to compete with the entirety of player knowledge about how City of Heroes works.
This is not the same as informing us when some part of the game doesnt seem to be working properly, or something that was expected didnt happen for an unexplained reason. Bug reports are sent through us to the Quality Assurance testers all the time.
This also is not to tell anyone not to send us feedback or give honest thoughts about your experiences to us when you file petitions. Sometimes it helps us to know where you're coming from.
Just don't be surprised if we send you here.
And please, if you have any friends who get surprised, let them know.
Vol. 2, Issue 35
Feb 20, 2009
This Issue:
Community
Get Involved!
Your PvPEC Reps!
Fiction
The Redeemers
Fan Fiction Spotlight: Evolution
Fashion
Because I Have to Look at You
Base Showcase
Comic
Masthead
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