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As I sift through the Forum threads of the talented and creative players we have, I am amazed at the talent that I see! "Who are these people?" I ask myself. I wander through the Forums, thread by thread, and I find myself drawn to all different types of styles sketches, inks, crayon, marker, photo-shopped and some other styles that are so outstanding, I have yet to discover the names of their canvas of choice. I ask myself, "What must it feel like to have such talent? Where do their ideas come from? Are they born with it, or is there something more sinister behind their talents?" Hmmm, sinister. Is it possible that these creative souls had been abducted by the Rikti? Or perhaps kidnapped by the 5th Column and somehow altered? Or maybe, just maybe, they had been captured by the ominous Ghost Widow - or the infamous Lord Recluse himself! I need to get the scoop on this! | So, I set out to the Forums where most of these talented artists hang out and one by one, I spoke to each one of them. I intensely watched them as they shared their stories with me. Each story is as unique as each artist. However, the common thread between all of them is the sparkle in their eyes as they shared their stories. Their hands and bodies became very animated and expressive as they continued to share what drives their creative talents. I found that their enthusiasm and energy were intoxicating to me! To harness such energy would be a crime! To inspire such creativity to flow freely and wildly would be justified! I need to see more! More of the world that these creative artists of Paragon City and the Rogue Isles see! And, I now know where it all comes from! It does not come from being abducted by the Rikti or kidnapped by the 5th Column. Nor does it come from being captured by Ghost Widow or Lord Recluse. It comes from their souls deep within their souls! It comes from their camaraderie and friendships that have been forged out of the love for their toons! As I close, I ask for only one thing send me your visions for the Scoop! |
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From EnnVee's Kitchen to yours!Quick 'N Easy Pork Chop SimmerThese juicy pork chops simmer in a simple saucy glaze made from dressing and barbecue sauce! You'll never believe how easy it is. Ingredients:1/4 cup Barbecue Sauce 1/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing 1 tablespoon Honey Mustard 4 bone-in pork chops, 3/4 inch thick 2 cups thinly sliced carrots 3 cups hot cooked MINUTE White Rice Cooking Directions:
[*]Cook chops in large skillet on medium heat 5 min.; turn chops over. Add reserved marinade and carrots; cover. Cook 7 to 10 min. or until sauce thickens and chops are cooked through, stirring occasionally.[*]Serve with the hot cooked rice.[/list] Yield: 4 servings Notes:Easy Cleanup - Try marinating pork chops in resealable plastic bag - then there's no baking dish to wash! Substitute MINUTE Brown Rice, prepared as directed on package for 4 servings, for the white rice. | Die Kuche von Barron |
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Get Involved!What About the Why?It's been a nice long run. We've talked about a lot of things, from supergroups to community groups to the City Scoop, from organizing parties to GM fights and task forces. We've talked about global channels. We've talked about what to do if a griefer shows up and how to deal with the stress that can come at unexpected times during an event. We've talked about the various merits of being an event organizer and host. Wait, what do you mean, "No, we haven't!" I could have sworn we talked about that at least three times. No? Okay, well, that's what we'll talk about this week. Why should you host an event? Of course there are many other talented players out there, social people who love to hold events and get people together. With all these other people holding events, why does it matter if you do or not? You are a unique player, whether you're a hero or a villain, and no one - repeat, no one - is going to run an event in quite the same way that you can. Sure, fifty people a day might run costume contests in Atlas Park, but they have different rules, different ways of talking to the participants, different prizes - and different participants. After all, while some players might hang around in Atlas Park (or Mercy Island) all day waiting for costume contests to happen, most are trying to get out of those zones as fast as they possibly can. Even if some of the participants are the same, you may choose different winners. For example, one costume contest I went to, the organizer chose only costumes that were clearly costume sets (Jester, Sinister, etc.) and one held ten minutes later - with many of the same participants -chose three completely different winners based on the creativity of the costumes. What do you get out of hosting an event? This is the question people like to ask the most: "What's in it for me? I do all this work, give out all these prizes, and you've already said that a lot of the time I will not even get a thank you! So what do I get out of all of this?" The easy answer to this question is recognition. Once you start hosting events, posting on the forums, and mingling with other players, people will know your name. It's an ego thing. The hard answer is, once in a while, something completely awesome will happen. It means so much to have a new player post in your event thread and tell you how proud they were to win and how much the prize meant to them, or to have a player show up at one of your parties and say, "I was actually going to let my subscription lapse, but that was before I knew people had parties like this! This is so much fun!" I've had both of those things happen to me before. Trust me, when they happen to you, you will remember them and you will feel good about them. There is a lot of pride to be felt in hosting a good event and knowing that people are enjoying it, more so when they recognize you for it by asking when the next one will be. Yes, a lot of the time, people will come to your events and leave without ever saying a word to you (let alone saying thank you) and yes, a lot of the time, you will get nothing tangible from an event. It seems like a thankless job, doesn't it? Only one way to really find out whether you're cut out for running events and joining community groups and writing for the Scoop and all that other good stuff we've talked about, and that is-yep, you guessed it!-get involved! P.S.: Yes, this is the last article in the Get Involved! series. However, I will now be spending time covering peoples' events and letting the Scoop readers know how you got involved! If you have an event that you would like covered or you know someone who has gotten involved in a big way, send me a PM and let me know! I'm willing to travel to any server in order to get the story! For events, you can also use the Scoop's new Event Submission form! I'm also still looking for people to interview for an article on how CoX changes peoples' lives in ways big and small, so if you have something, let me know! - Kyo  | PvPECYour PvPEC Reps!Champion Server Organizer: CriticalKat Back when COV first went live and SG bases were introduced in to the game, I started my own SG. Initially we were very small, maybe 15-20 of us that were extremely hardcore gamers. We decided from day one that we wanted to do base raids and get lots of IOP's. So we started practicing with Earthguard and HVND primarily. Initially there were not really any SG's or VG's on Champion that were doing base raids besides those 2 groups. So here we were, a strictly PvE SG facing off against very hardcore PvP groups. We got our butts handed to us of course. However, both of them were extremely helpful and offered pointers. We quickly became very good, especially for being a PvE SG. Well through those base raids, I ended out with several of their leaders/members on my global and started joining them in Sirens Call when they were PvPing. From there I met some pretty cool people that eventually ended out forming Vori, and I also hooked up with some members of Shadow Kings and Envy. I really sucked at PvP - no matter what toon I played, I sucked. A few of them gave me some pointers and taught me some things, and eventually I got a little better and found my niche; support toons. Specifically, an empath. Seems like with most PvPers it is just a gift that comes naturally. With me, that wasn't the case; it took a lot of hard work to get decent. Eventually I ended out approaching PCJL about joining their test ladder team. Several of them were in-game friends of mine so it only made sense. They didn't accept me on the roster right away; I had to earn my spot and practice hard with them for a while. Even though I have moved on to be on a few different teams since PCJL, I have always considered them to be the team that taught me the most. I would have to say that I actually got heavily involved in PvP due to just a handful of people. Even though I sucked, they were always inviting me to come to the zones, to practice and PvP with them. I still suck for the most part, but love every minute of it. Champion's Supergroup RumbleWhich Supergroup/Villain Group reigns Supreme? Does your SG/VG kick some serious butt in the arena? Or maybe they run the quickest ITF on the server? This event is to test and find out which Champion SG/VG is the best. Prestige is just a number. Fancy bases don't mean a whole lot either. What is important is the camaraderie that a SG/VG has. Do they team together often? Do they help each other? On Saturday March 7th, 2009 we will put the Champion server to the ultimate test. This event will consist of 3 sub-events meant to challenge and test the SG's/VG's competing. Each sub-event will have a scoring system that varies. The scores from all 3 sub-events will be averaged to determine which SG/VG scored the highest, thus giving us our winning group. Sub-Events | ||||||||
| 5-8pm EST: | Task Force Race: Lady Grey Task Force |
| 8pm EST: | Hero Monster Mash: Tempest Quay |
| 9pm EST: | Villain Monster Mash: Monster Island |
| 10pm EST: | SG/VG Battle Royale SHW: Pocket D |
See this thread for full rules and details.
Sign-up Form
[*]
Name of SG/VG --
Is this a hero or villain group? --
Forum name of leader --
In-game global of leader --
Below please list all potential names of your SG/VG divisions that may be participating --
Have you read and understand all of the rules? [/list]
Please fill out the above form in its entirety and post it in this thread if your group would like to compete.
Hope to see lots of groups sign up for this, and hoping the Champion server enjoys yet another event hosted by P.E.R.C. and the PvPEC.
Name of SG/VG --
Is this a hero or villain group? --
Forum name of leader --
In-game global of leader --
Below please list all potential names of your SG/VG divisions that may be participating --
Have you read and understand all of the rules? [/list]
Please fill out the above form in its entirety and post it in this thread if your group would like to compete.
Hope to see lots of groups sign up for this, and hoping the Champion server enjoys yet another event hosted by P.E.R.C. and the PvPEC.
Behind the Walls7. We Wish You Wouldn't | |||||
We've spent a lot of time talking about what should happen or what players should do in certain situations. Or, rather, I've been writing about that, and you've been reading. It's going to stay that way, for the most part. But. There are some things that players do. Not all players, because most of you will never deal with GMs. Not all players who deal with GMs, because these don't cover every situation. Not to say that this behavior will stop just because anyone wants it to. It's mostly borne of human nature coupled with uncertainty and a lack of information, and generally isn't against the rules, though it usually creates frustration, which isn't fun. Maybe knowing our take on things, some behavior will change, but maybe not. In any case, we wish you wouldn't do these things. We'll probably have more of these at a later date, but here are three. Using auction houses as extra inventory.Yeah, I know, City of Heroes has a whole lot of stuff. Enhancements, Salvage, Recipes. Maybe you don't have a handy way to access your Vault. Maybe it's already full of stuff. Maybe you don't have a Super Group or Villain Group with a base full of Enhancement Tables, Inspiration Collectors, or Salvage Racks. I'm not about to play designer and suggest what all this was meant to do. But the drive to hoard "stuff," the "I might need it later" instinct, is very real and very understandable. So is the drive to skip over text that looks boring. I'll just quote from what the Wentworth's Information Representative tells Heroes who visit:
Here's what the guy known as Looks Like He Knows Something, who hangs out near the Black Market locations, tells Villains:
These characters are saying pretty much the same thing, in fairly clear language, albeit in-character speak meant to imply that they are real people who live in a virtual world. The message in more "OOC" language is, characters that aren't played for more than 2 months (60 days) get their auction house inventories wiped. It makes sense to have handy space for items. The auction house enables players to continue playing after putting items up for sale or bidding on items they want, even if the items they want aren't available for that bid, or a bidder for their asking price isn't available yet. The assumption is that players will come by every so often and "settle their accounts," as it were. And yet, every so often, we'll get a petition from a player who hasn't played a certain character in a long time. Maybe let his or her account lapse, and knowing that the characters would still be there, decided to go back to the complete set of Level 50 Apocalypse Recipes that were left in at the auction house without a sale price (for whatever reason) and can't find them. First thing the GM does in such a situation is pull logs to see when the character logged on last, knowing full well what the response is likely to be. I don't mean to sound like I'm belittling those that have had this happen to them. It just seems like something important enough for players to tell each other, which is why I'm writing about it now. Not using the auction house as extra inventory means players won't forget about stuff that's there, and won't be disappointed when, after 60 days of not playing a certain character, they go back to Wentworth's or the Black Market and find it's gone. Yeah, so, please don't do that. (continued) | (from previous)Spending money when something goes wrong.We saw a lot of this a few weeks ago when a lot of Heroes and Villains alike got zapped by the Average Sized Thighs Ray. Actually, what happened was a bug related to character's leg proportions, making them taller or shorter when they moved between zones. In City of Heroes, where dressing up your character is one of the main draws for players, more than a few players understandably freaked out about this. A decision was made fairly early to compensate all players with a free tailor session for every costume slot on every account, in addition to a quick patch to fix the problem. In the meantime, however, some players already crowded into the tailor shops to rebuild their costumes, assuming they needed to do so to fix the problem. Some claimed to spend seven figures' worth of Influence and/or Infamy, or any free tailor sessions they had available. Influence and Infamy is in-game money. Here's another example. Player finds his or her character name looks strange, maybe because of a display error, or maybe because a GM changed it (subject for a later article, but there are reasons for this.) Without checking e-mail, he or she immediately logs off and spends $9.99 on a Rename Token from the store at their login screen. We're seeing a variation of this recently, as there is a known issue with the Rename Token tool accepting names that the game servers do not. So players try to make names with double spaces, letters with diacriticals or some other weird ASCII or Unicode characters, then wonder why it came out screwy when they try to play the character. So they buy another Rename Token. The message here isn't that we don't want you spending money. Just don't spend money when something Looks Wrong. Send us a petition. We'll give you a straight answer. No charge. Finally, a quick one, because this is getting long in the tooth. Filing petitions on behalf of friends.Yes, we understand you were on a Task Force mission and didnt get the correct number of Merit Rewards, but everyone in the team needs to file separate petitions. Yes, were getting a lot of these lately. We appreciate your patience and cooperation. One at a time, please. (The good news is, if you all file your own petitions at around the same time, we can search the same time interval for every character, and just change the name each time.) More from Behind the Walls: | ||||
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Grendel held the citys greatest champion out at arms length. With the heros hands pinned within those massive paws, there was little he could do to fight against the monster. The monster, however, had a plan to basically pull Statesman apart. This proved easier planned than accomplished, however. While he was much smaller, the hero still had tremendous reserves of strength and power that much of the world still hadnt witnessed yet. No matter how hard Grendel tried to pull him apart like a wishbone, he simply couldnt succeed. This didnt stop the beast, however. As other heroes, heroines and Trolls tried to free their de facto leader, he simply swung the man around like a club and batted them aside. Running out of options, Statesman thought hard and hoped Sister Psyche or other psychics were close enough to hear the plan. With no other recourse, he turned to the nearest meta-humans and shouted, "Get out of the water!" Mortiganen had heard the call, though his connection hadnt been psychic. Such methods of communication could cause ripples on the Aetherial planes, and he happened to catch one of the eddies (not that it was difficult to find, radiating with urgency as it was). He could tell numerous nearby psychics were trying to pull unwitting meta-humans away from the fight, but he had a better plan. "Genji," his raspy voice sounded more forced than normal, "Bring them out of the water. All of them." "What?" the young Asian man shouted, "Mister Mortiganen... I... I cant...." The wizard rounded on the sorcerer and gripped him by the shoulders. Focusing his pitch black eyes on the younger mans brown ones, he treated Genji to a glimpse of the knowledge contained within his mind. "Boy, you have the capability, the power, and the youth to live through what youre about to do! I would do it myself, but the stress would surely kill me... But if you need, I could lend you some of my power...." A ribbon of blue light wafted from the older mans hand into the sorcerers. As it coalesced in the young mans hand, Atomoyo suddenly felt like he could do anything. "I... I understand...." The meta-humans could feel it in the air. Their hair (for those that had it) started standing up or on end. Little sparks were arcing off any exposed rebar and everybody realized they had to move fast. Unfortunately, events were moving along much more quickly than anyone could run, jump, or fly. There was a bright flash, and some thought it was the end. Instead, floating as near the center of the gathered heroes and heroines as he could locate, Genji Atamoyo spread his hands wide, muttering a chant he never thought he would apply in such a way. When he finished, he swung his arms before him, drawing his forearms up with his fists clenched and palms pointed toward his body. There was a terrible rushing sound, like a hurricane, and every costumed body was yanked from where they treaded, perched, or floated by a powerful wind only to find themselves deposited on one of the overpasses above the battle. They were fortunate, most of the traffic had stopped of its own volition when the battle started, and what little was left had been halted by police roadblocks seeking to prevent any loss of civilian life. Genji collapsed in the center of the group of bewildered meta-humans, his body glowing briefly with blue light. Mortiganen marched up to his prone form and knelt down. Patting him on the shoulder, he whispered something to the young man that seemed to make him stir. | Mider Caid also approached the young sorcerer and knelt beside him. However, he said nothing. Instead, he glared at his groups leader, the message that he intended to have words with the old man later clearly evident. Mortiganens impassive return stare conveyed his lack of concern. "Look!" a heroine shouted and pointed over the side of the overpass. Below them, Statesmans plan came to fruition, and bolts of lightning slammed into him and Grendel. The water flashed brilliantly repeatedly as the electric arcs lanced through the two again and again. Statesman could take the hits. Grendel, it seemed, couldnt take quite that much. A few times, his bones seemed to be visible through his skin. A final explosion launched the hero out of the monsters grasp and Grendel rolled backwards into the water. Pushing himself out of the roiling waves caused by the big creatures fall, Statesman surveyed the scene. It all seemed too easy to him. Looking to his left, he saw the Cataphracts had shut down during the lightning storm he generated. Shortly, however, they would fire up again and start firing volleys into the creature. Shortly, the battle would be over. "Statesman," he heard a raspy voice hiss in his head, "Listen to me! Brute force will not stop this thing!" Grendel was already starting to stir. "Who are you?" the hero asked. "Something of an employee of yours, oddly enough," the voice replied, "Were I inclined to follow classic behavioral archetypes, I believe I would chafe at saying such a thing, but I dont, so you can take my advice with the understanding that I am indeed trying to help." "Im inclined to disagree, but I have little recourse. What is your idea?" "Its body seems to be damaged by force, if not much of anything else. I know it will be a long time until you can strike it with another lightning storm and even if Synapse arrives after ensuring the citizens of this city are a safe distance away, we both know he lacks your energetic strength. We have to fight this thing with what we know can harm it. Its jaw was broken earlier; the skeleton can be affected and manipulated, but that can only take us so far...." "Hes getting up... Do you have a plan or not?" Grendel knelt before Statesman. His dull red eyes were leveled on the smaller humans. While hed shown intelligence before, all his gaze displayed at this point was malice. "Its simple," Mortiganen finished hastily, "Rip off a horn." |
The Hecktic Life | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Vol. 2, Issue 36
March 6th, 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 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 Classified Ad or Recipe you would like included please contact: MistressNoire
The City Scoop
The People On
Secret Identities:
Part 4
By: HumanMiracle
Well readers, I am back, and might I add how fine you are all looking today? Ok, so I cant REALLY see you, but I can only assume that you are all looking good. I mean, who else but extremely fashionable and knowledgeable people read my articles, right? Anywho, weve been looking into the puzzling question of secret identities over the past several weeks and I have to say, I have a new perspective on the whole thing. Some believe that the government control we have in our fair city is a necessity to keep the rabble-rousing heroes in check. Others believe that it may just be a formality, and that the secret identities should be kept just that, secret. Whatever the case may be for heroes, we have yet to actually look at the final part in this saga of knowledge seeking. I know, that sounds so epic doesnt it? We have not asked the big question: what about villains? As you know, I am all about the fair representation of those of whom I write and study. I hold no grudges or prejudices, even though a villain was found to be the culprit who stole my car. I tracked down a different villain and asked what he thought on the issue of villain secret identities. Lets see what Donald Jones has to say, shall we?
Scoop Man: Excuse me? Im Scoop Man, I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions.
Donald Jones:Hm? Oh yeah! Youre that guy going around and asking about secret identities lately, huh?
SM: Um, yes. Is that a problem?
DJ: No, no! Im curious as to why you want to talk to me though.
SM: Well, so far the only opinions Ive had have been concerning the secret identities of heroes. I hoping we could talk about the villain side of that.
DJ: To set the record straight, I guess, we might have to call them "aliases" and not "secret identities." Looking into how we operate and how we are handled here on the Isles, I would say we have a more criminal outlook on everything under the sun. So to go to your topic I would say that villains are set into two categories as far as that is concerned.
SM: How so?
DJ: Well, first you have the people working for Arachnos. Their entire lives are on files and they have no secrets from the organization itself. Then there are the hardened villains, the ones that get caught the most and have tons of nemesis over in the city. Theyve been in jail so many times and have been investigated by heroes so often that a lot is known about them, even their birth names.
SM: Is there a distinction between birth names and villain names?
DJ: Oh, yeah. Some of the villains take their "villain name" as their real name. Say some guys birth name is Craig McDonald, but he dresses up and goes by "The Eviscerated." He believes that is his real name. His birth name is the "alias."
SM: How about you? You go by your birth name, dont you?
DJ: Yes. I feel I dont need a fancy title or flashy name to go around doing what I do, you know? I also feel that people shouting my real name in terror is much more fun than hearing something like "The Spectral Demon" or something ridiculous of that nature.
SM: Riiiiight. You said before that there were two groups. I assume we talked mostly about just one of them right now, correct?
DJ: Right. So the people in the second group are the ones who dont want people to know their birth names. Like the heroes in Paragon, they have something to hide or lose by having that name public. Maybe they run a respectable business on the side, or they have family that could be hurt by another villain. Who knows? But the bottom line is that they prefer the anonymity far more than the fame and fear. Those who pick "villain names" do it for the glory and because they dont care about their birth names. Those who hide it, care about it.
SM: Would you say those who hide it are more in touch with their true identities than those with "villain names?"
DJ: Depends. Some people here are real wack-jobs, so to them, the villain name is who they really are. Others have motives for having one or just dont like their real name. But those who hide their name may have some deeper connection to humanity to those who separate themselves entirely by making a friggin stage name.
SM: I see. That is a very interesting perspective.
DJ: It was a very interesting question.
SM: Heh, thank you. And, thank you for talking to me.
DJ: My pleasure.
Well that was an interesting answer wasnt it? He may have a point about the whole connection to humanity thing, too. Looking into the whole Birth Name vs. Villain Name psychology can actually bring some new light into how we view villains as a whole. Im not saying we should have preferential treatment for those who break the law or try to take over the world, but we should at least recognize the differences between certain types of villains. Maybe thats what they want? I may just have to look into that next time when I GET THE SCOOP!
Vol. 2, Issue 36
Mar 6, 2009
This Issue:
Art
Visions
Food & Recipes
From EnnVee's Kitchen to Yours
Die Kuche von Barron
Community
Get Involved!
Your PvPEC Reps!
Champion's Supergroup Rumble
Behind the Walls
Base Showcase
Fiction
The Redeemers
Comic
Masthead
Calendar:
Friday,
March 6th, 8:00 pm EST:
All-Illusion Team Play
Saturday,
March 7th, 3:00 pm EST:
Homage Costume Contest
Saturday,
March 7th, 8:00 pm EST:
Nieblue and Miss Aloe In-game Wedding and Reception
Saturday,
March 7th, 9:00 pm EST:
Kay's Elite ITF
Saturday,
March 7th, 10:00 pm EST:
Hamidom Raid (see link in thread)
Sunday,
March 8th, 6:00 pm EDT:
PostyCon '09
Monday,
March 9th, 10:00 pm EDT:
The High Society Order Announcement Ball
Remember, event planners! Get an Event Reporting Form from the Scoop, and tell us how your event went!
Blue Steel Avatar
by Toxic_Shia
Reminder from the City Scoop Staff: The US and Canada go to Daylight Savings Time this Sunday at 2am! Turn your clocks forward 1 hour, and all North American times will be DT instead of ST!