Discussion: Freedom Fridays on Facebook!

Part 1 of today's Freedom Friday on Facebook. Again, it was a free-for-all Q&A.

Q: Has there been any decision on whether or not free players can post on certain section of the official forums?
A: There are currently no plans to have Free or Premium players post on the forums, however they will have read access.

Q: When does it go live?
A: Later this year. =)

Q: Will the game be more stable once Freedom comes out?
A: We've been running stability tests (some of which players have been helping us on, which has been immensely appreciated!) to ensure that Freedom will be stable, even with a massive influx of new players.

Q: I was wondering if VIP player go free to play, will they be able to choose which characters they can access with their limited slots or will it just be random characters selected?
A: If you go from VIP to Premium, you will be able to choose which characters you want to assign with your Global Character Slot Tokens, however there may be some archetypes that are restricted depending on your Paragon Rewards.

Q: What happened with street justice? Is it going to come back?
A: Street Justice will be available after Freedom's launch, but will not launch with City of Heroes Freedom.

Q: Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know VIP is "Continuing to pay" whereas Returning Player is "ever paid".
A: That's correct. VIP players are players who are subscribing to the game. Premium players are players who were previously subscribed, OR Free players who make a purchase in the Paragon Market.

Q: Will freedom finally allow us to get costumes for our characters based on npc's like the carnaval of shadows, freakshow, ext.
A: There will be costume code powers purchasable in the Paragon Market, to make your character look like those NPCs. For individual pieces, that's something you may want to ask in the "All Things Art" threads on the forum!

Q: I am confused as to how a VIP is different from a Premium player. I have paid for 12 months of COH/COV ahead of time, where does that leave me with Freedom?
A: You would be a VIP player until the end of those 12 months. If you decide to continue subscribing after that you will remain a VIP player; if you choose not to pay a monthly fee, you will become a Premium player.

Q: Will there be an option to turn off the store icon? I would rather only be able to notice its presence when I decide to use the NCSoft Master Account. In beta the presence of the store icon on the main screen, the enhancement window, etc is not something I care for. I wouldn't mind if the turning off of it could be linked to VIP status. Thank you.
A: There are no plans to remove the store icon. You can move it around the UI, however, to place it where you wish.

Q: I am also wondering what the difference between Premium and Free is..and how to you achieve Premium
A: Free players are players who have never subscribed and have never purchased something from the Paragon Market; they are players who will be accessing the game completely free. Premium players are players who have either held a subscription, and/or have purchased from the Paragon Market.

Q: With a paid subscription, will it roll automatically to a VIP account once freedom is released?
A: Yes! =)

Q: Are there any plans to include more trials in the near future? The current ones are fun, but for the amount of exp and threads required for incarnates, they can start to feel a little repetitive.
A: We definitely have more Trials in store for the future.

Q: Will I continue to receive the monthly veteran rewards after City of heroes freedom starts?
A: The Veteran Rewards program will change to the Paragon Rewards™ program once Freedom launches. You will receive a monthly Paragon Reward Token as long as you remain a VIP.

Q: [snip] it was never clarified if the special packs will be completely unavailable when it's FTP or not.
A: Booster packs will be retired, and will not be available in the Paragon Market. However, the items within the booster packs will be available, and there will be bundles of items that function much the same way. For example, all the costume pieces from the Magic booster might be in a bundle.

Q: How much are going to be the monthly fees for VIP players?
A: VIP subscriptions are the same price as the current monthly subscription price, $14.99.

Q: freedon will be a downloable version?
A: Yes, you will be able to download City of Heroes Freedom once it launches. =)

Q: when will be launched?
A: Later this year! =)

Q: Are there any plans of making a more robust Super Group Base editor?
A: There are no plans for SG base editor updates at the time of City of Heroes Freedom's launch.

Q: Will all content be available to premium and free users? (ie, Villians, Going Rogue, Pretoria, etc.)
A: Most City of Heroes and City of Villains content will be available to Free players. Free players will not have access to Going Rogue content, however if a Premium player has purchased Going Rogue s/he will have access to it.

Q: Concerning the Beam Rifle set, if you have two members with Beam Rifles, can they combine their efforts at spreading the "Disintigrate" effect?
A: Yes, the more beam rifle players using Disintegrate, the more chance it can spread to other enemies.

Q: why do I feel that people like me who use time cards is gonna get the shaft?
A: Any previous time cards, or current time cards on the market, will work with City of Heroes Freedom.

Q: In regards to the VIP server, has a decision been made as to how many slots we will have on it and will we be able to transfer our toons to the new server? Also besides just being for VIP players are there any other bonuses that come with the new server?
A: The VIP server will be exactly the same in terms of content; the only difference is that it will be VIP-only.

Q: just so some people understand will returning players be able to join SG's?
A: SG access is part of the Paragon Rewards program. SG access unlocks at Tier 2; Premium players who have earned at least two reward tokens will be able to join SGs, and have access to SG bases and chat channels.

Q: i download the old version and i cant play without a serial and i dont try yet the game u.u i will have to wait and delete my version of the game? :S
A: We have disabled the free trials in anticipation of Freedom's launch, so you will not be able to access the game right now without a subscription. However, you can still download the NCsoft launcher for when Freedom does release.

Q: If you pay for six months, I know you get all the market points up front, but do you get the reward tokens up front as well?
A: Yes, purchasing subscription time in advance will automatically award those Reward Tokens.
NOTE: (I think the inquirer actually reversed that... if I'm not mistaken, you get all your Reward Tokens up front, but continue to get your Paragon Points monthly.)

Q: I have 9 Super's of verious builds and levels on one server. how will they be accessed with VIP status and NonVIP Status?
A: As a VIP, you will have access to all of your characters. As a Premium player, your access will depend on how many Global Character Slot Tokens you have, and your unlocks on the Paragon Rewards program for access to certain... ATs. As a Premium player you receive 2 Global Character Slot Tokens to start, plus 1 for every year you've been subscribed, plus 2 if you purchased Going Rogue before Freedom's launch, plus any character slots that you have bought.

Q: If I spend my account's Paragon Points on the test server, will they come back to me on the regular server when CoHF releases?
A: The Paragon Points in the VIP Beta are not the actual amount of Paragon Points you will have once Freedom launches; players were given 10,000 Paragon Points to test with, but these points, and any purchases you made, will not carry over to the live servers.

Q: Still waiting for an answer regarding nearly 100 characters spread over every NA server, will I be able to play w ALL of them as a VIP??
A: Yes, you will be able to play as all of your characters as a VIP. VIP players keep everything they currently have as subscribers, PLUS getting more rewards once Freedom launches.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nethergoat it's NEVER too late to pad your /ignore list!

Sure enough, it was from a Red Name!

Re: Is it possible to remove the Paragon Market Icon/New Contact Marker?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clockwork O1 Menu->Options->General->Prompts Hide Paragon Rewards button Hide Paragon Market button

EDIT:
And, just for the record, I logged into Beta and the option is there and works to hide the store icon!

Part 2 of today's Freedom Friday Q&A:

Q: How much looooonger?!?!
A: It'll be later this year. Keep your eyes peeled! =)

Q: How many Skulls does it take to screw in a lightbulb in I21?
A: Don't know, they all get defeated before they can finish.

Q: When does it go live? And also will Mac be supported since it is already? =)
A: Freedom will launch later this year.

Q: PVP is universally broken, any active player who does it can tell you that. Do you guys plan to make changes or go back to pre-i13 pvp?
A: There will not be PvP changes coming with the launch of City of Heroes Freedom.

Q: Will there be any changes to referring friends? I know some that seemed interested in the game, but are not able to pay. With it going free, they may be more interested in checking it out. If we refer them and they join, will we get anything based on if they continue free/paid?
A: We have retired the old Refer a Friend program, but we'll be replacing it with an as-yet-unannounced program. Stay tuned!

Q: Big question. I have a lot of paid time, through December next year, will I retain all that Paid time.
A: Yes, if you have prepaid time, you will remain a VIP for that time.

Q: Will retail boxes post Freedom launch be honored?
A: Yes, retail boxes post Freedom will be honored. Also, remember that if you're a new player (have never held an account before), the City of Heroes box is on sale for $1.99 until August 29! http://bit.ly/nVK4rI

Q: Do VIP players who don't own Going Rogue need to purchase it before Freedom launches?
A: VIP players will get Going Rogue as part of their VIP subscription once Freedom launches.

Q: I see the COH is on sale for $1.99 but why would a new player pay $2 for a game that will be coming on for free anyway soon. I mean, all you have to do then is down load the game, play it, and if you like it, then join. Or is there something I am missing on this one?
A: There is a lot of incentive for new players to pick up the box. For starters, you'll receive 1 month of VIP subscription time, which will grant you access to everything VIPs enjoy, plus a 1 Paragon Rewards Token. Because you're purchasing a box before Freedom's launch, you receive an ADDITIONAL Paragon Reward token. In addition to that, because the account would be active for at least 1 day in August, crossing over into September, players will receive 400 Paragon Points for August and 400 Paragon Points for September. You would also become a Premium player instead of a Free player.

Q: When freedom launches, will VIP players start with any Paragon Points?
A: Yes, since July VIP players have been accruing 400 Paragon Points per month.

Q: Do people get anything extra for say, being a 7 year player?
A: Yes! The longer you have been a veteran, the more Paragon Rewards Tokens you will have in the Paragon Rewards™ Program. These will allow you access to many perks and benefits, both account-wide and character-specific.

Q: but @Chad Gulzow answers more and better questions then you do
A: Chad is indeed a question-answering machine.
(That actually happened. Honest. )

Q: Do you at any point before the launch date is announced plan to change the "later this year" line into something more meaningful (like "next month, barring any show stopping bugs in beta).
A: As Freedom draws nearer to release, we will definitely give players a heads up on the date. Rest assured that we won't spring the launch date on you with the announcement the day before. =)

Q: How will all the new players be able to get decent names? Will names be freed when people become Free to Play? Will a free to play player lose their name if a VIP player wants it?
A: If a Free player gets a name, they won't lose it to a VIP player just because they're a VIP player.

Q: However, the VIP player may decide to ride the Free player for stealing all the good names... (joking)
A: No Free player-riding. ;p

Q: So... any word on when we'll see the next wave of market pricing in the beta?
A: Any changes to beta pricing will be announced. =)

Q: Any change of riding free players with their consent?
A: No. =)

Q: Would I make more money off selling my pvp IO recipes AFTER freedom goes live?
A: Probably the same.

Q: how many points will we be receiving (depending on the vet rewards you have) when they get transferred to the paragon point system?
A: VIPs receive 400 Paragon Points per month. If you are at Paragon Rewards Tier 8, you will receive 550 Paragon Points per month as a VIP.

Q: How does the pricing in the CS work out compared with the booster packs on sale now? Would buying the equivalent of, say, the animal pack be cheaper now or when Freedom gets here?
A: If you're interested in picking up an entire booster pack, I would recommend purchasing it now. However, if you're only interested in perhaps one or two things from said pack, it's much more price-effective to purchase them in the Paragon Market.

Q: Came back after 7 years and activated my premium acct. Great mmorpg! Keep up the good work.
A: Glad to hear it! There's been a ton of content added, so be sure to check it out and have fun!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nethergoat it's NEVER too late to pad your /ignore list!

General questions today on Freedom Friday!

My question is simple, My Launcher for Live and Beta isn't working...is this happening to everyone?

Hey Paragon Studious - how about a little less goofing around on Facebook and a little more getting the freaking game to work?

In Soviet Praetoria, code works on you! Also, no need community rep. Enriche is community rep.

WARNING: I bold names.

Starting up!