Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Some Assembly Required: A virtual world roundup]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/06/some-assembly-required-a-virtual-world-round-up/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/06/some-assembly-required-a-virtual-world-round-up/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/01/06/some-assembly-required-a-virtual-world-round-up/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Some Assembly Required header
If you are perusing this column, chances are you are a fan of virtual worlds and the sandbox genre. Join the club! (Dues will be due on the third Tuesday.) The aspect that compels many aficionados to delve into a game is the ability to make an impact on the world in some small respect instead of making them into Hive Member 1593072 running a static, predetermined gauntlet. How that impact is accomplished, however, varies; there are multiple features that can facilitate it, and which ones are considered most important depends on the player.

With the loss of one of the best sandbox games just last month, some players may be feeling a void. Others still are looking/hoping for the "ultimate" sandbox that contains nearly every virtual world feature. Certainly, there are some upcoming games that make some drool-worthy promises, but what about playing something now? There are actually games out on the market that have at least one aspect of the genre, if not more.

To start off the new year, Some Assembly Required looks at some of the top features of virtual worlds and lists games that incorporate these features. While this list isn't exhaustive (considering the sheer number of games when you include all of the smaller free-to-play titles, I'd run out of column space!), it is a comprehensive enough overview to point you toward some games worth playing that perhaps you hadn't considered before.

Continue reading Some Assembly Required: A virtual world roundup

MassivelySome Assembly Required: A virtual world roundup originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaionaion-gameAnarchy-Onlineaocccpccp-eveccp-gameschampions-onlinecharacter-creationcharacter-customizationcity-of-heroescocohcraft-of-godscraft-of-the-godscraftingcrypticcryptic-champions-onlinecryptic-cocryptic-star-trekcryptic-studiosdaocdark-age-of-camelotdarkfalleden-eternaleq-1eq-2eq-ieq-iieveeve-ccpeve-mmorpgeve-onlineever-quest-1ever-quest-2ever-quest-iever-quest-iieverquest-1everquest-2everquest-ieverquest-iifallen-earthfeaturedfinal-fantasyfinal-fantasy-11final-fantasy-xiflyffFuncomglitchguild-housinghousingking-of-kings-3liden-labs-second-lifelinden-labslord-of-the-rings-onlinelotroluna-onlinemabinogimission-architectnc-softnc-soft-aionncsoftncsoft-aionnotorious-gamesparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioesplanetsideplayer-generated-contentplayer-generated-missionsplayer-housingplayer-run-economyrunescapeRyzomsecond-lifesecond-life-linden-labsslsl-liden-labssoe-eq-1soe-eq-2soe-eq-isoe-eq-iisome-assembly-requiredsony-eq-1sony-eq-2sony-eq-isony-eq-iisquare-enixst-onlinestar-trek-mmostar-trek-onlinestotrek-onlineturbineTurbine-EntertainmentUltima-OnlineUOvanguardVanguard-Saga-of-Heroesvirtual-worldwar-of-the-immortalswizard-101xbox-360XsyonFri, 06 Jan 2012 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[One Shots: All together now]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/one-shots-all-together-now/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/one-shots-all-together-now/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/07/21/one-shots-all-together-now/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Although I've migrated on to different superhero pastures, City of Villains holds many of my fondest memories, including today's episode of One Shots. The strangest thing about this particular screen is that I am not in the screenshot at all; instead, this almost looks like promotional art for the game's mystic villain group, the Circle of Thorns.

Instead, what actually transpired is that I fell into a cave room with my brute, and made a magnificent faceplant against this formidable group. While it's probably failure on my part that I died here, the good news is that my camera was obstructed in just the right way to allow me to take this screenshot.

All this week, we Massively writers are spotlighting some of our personal favorite One Shots. What exciting stories revolve around our screenshots? Stay tuned to find out. Next week, after staff picks week, will be free-for-all week for you, our readers. Send any eye-catching, beautiful, scary, or generally epic screenshot to oneshots@massively.com, and we'll pick the best of the best for next week's One Shots!

Gallery: One Shots: 2011

MassivelyOne Shots: All together now originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>circle-of-thornscity-of-heroescohfaceplantingfailgalleryone-shotsparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioesThu, 21 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[City of Heroes interviews discuss content development and Incarnate raids]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/18/city-of-heroes-interviews-discuss-content-development-and-incarn/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/18/city-of-heroes-interviews-discuss-content-development-and-incarn/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/04/18/city-of-heroes-interviews-discuss-content-development-and-incarn/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

At the start of the month, City of Heroes released the massive and potentially game-changing Issue 20 update. Codenamed Incarnates, the update introduced a series of large raids designed to continue the story established in Going Rogue in a new way. In an interview with PC Gamer, lead producer Nate Birkholz discussed how the new group instances have been received. Issues touched on include difficulty scaling, the new Incarnate powers that can be earned and lessons learned from developing the new system.

In a contrasting interview over at Gaming Angels, lead designer Melissa Bianco discussed content development and her career at Paragon Studios. The interview covers some important issues, asking why City of Heroes has enjoyed the ongoing success it has and what exactly goes into zone and instance design. Melissa also has some tips for anyone looking for a job in the games industry and provides a little insight into the development process.

MassivelyCity of Heroes interviews discuss content development and Incarnate raids originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroesCity-of-Villainscohcoh-issue-20covendgamegame-designincarnateincarnate-systemincarnate-trialsincarnatesinterviewissue-20melissa-bianconate-birkholzncsoftparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioesparagon-studiosraidraidingraidswomen-in-gamingMon, 18 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Win a mutant super booster, courtesy of NCsoft and Massively.com!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/24/win-a-mutant-super-booster-courtesy-ncsoft-and-massively-com/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/24/win-a-mutant-super-booster-courtesy-ncsoft-and-massively-com/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/24/win-a-mutant-super-booster-courtesy-ncsoft-and-massively-com/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Are you all ready to Hulk out for some free stuff? Well, actually, I guess you're not ready to Hulk out, as Hulk is more of a science type of hero... You'd be more like Wolverine, or Gambit, but those names aren't as catchy to say in a sentence such as the first one. But, hey, let's go with it.

Are you ready to Gambit out for some free stuff? Thanks to NCsoft, we've scored 20 mutant super booster packs, and we totally want to give them away to you, the fine heroes and villains of Massively! If you haven't heard the news on what these packs contain, then you should [insert travel power here] yourself on over to our most recent City of Heroes announcement.

But if you have heard the news and you're ready to boil over, then keep reading this post for all of the juicy details! (You see what I did there.)

Continue reading Win a mutant super booster, courtesy of NCsoft and Massively.com!

MassivelyWin a mutant super booster, courtesy of NCsoft and Massively.com! originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescohcommenting-contestcontestfeaturedgiveawaymutant-boostermutant-super-boosterncsoftparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioessuper-boosterThu, 24 Jun 2010 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Exclusive City of Heroes developer diary on the design of Dual Pistols animation]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/exclusive-city-of-heroes-developer-diary-on-the-design-of-dual-p/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/exclusive-city-of-heroes-developer-diary-on-the-design-of-dual-p/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/exclusive-city-of-heroes-developer-diary-on-the-design-of-dual-p/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Even if you hate the ranged powers in City of Heroes with the heat of the sun, it's impossible to deny how stylish the animations for Dual Pistols look. The amount of movement in every single power makes the set feel organic and action-oriented, regardless of any other mechanical elements. But what went into making one of the marquee power sets for Going Rogue look so fluid and interesting?

Nelson Tam, an animation artist for Paragon Studios, was the mastermind behind the gun-fu on display for heroes and villains alike. In our exclusive developer diary, "How John Woo Inspired my Gun Fu," he explains how the animations came to life, from the earliest point of conception to the finished product that players can enjoy. City of Heroes players have clamored for the set nearly since the launch of the game, but as the diary explains, it wasn't necessarily quite so easy to get it to look right in the game. Click on past the cut!

Continue reading Exclusive City of Heroes developer diary on the design of Dual Pistols animation

MassivelyExclusive City of Heroes developer diary on the design of Dual Pistols animation originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>actionanimationchallengescity-of-heroescity-of-heroes-going-roguecity-of-villainscohcovcoxdeveloper-diarydiarydual-pistolsexclusivegoing-roguegun-funelson-tamparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioparagon-studioesposesTue, 01 Jun 2010 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[City of Heroes launches first video diary for Going Rogue]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/city-of-heroes-launches-first-video-diary-for-going-rogue-embar/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/city-of-heroes-launches-first-video-diary-for-going-rogue-embar/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/01/city-of-heroes-launches-first-video-diary-for-going-rogue-embar/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

The time of Going Rogue draws very close for City of Heroes players, and we've still only scratched the surface of what there is to know. It's always a tense time when you're getting close to a new expansion, especially one that's rewriting some of the most fundamental rules about the game. While the first in a series of new video developer diaries from Paragon Studios won't necessarily make the time before release pass any faster, it will help give us a clearer picture of what's coming around the bend.

For players who have never played the game before, the diary helps give an overview of where the game is and where it can go from here -- including the realm of the Super Lumberjack. (We can only assume that making one allows you to also be super okay.) Veterans can enjoy a solid look at Praetoria, as well as what can only be described as glowing costume pieces. Once the veteran players finish squealing in delight, they can take a look on past the break for the first City of Heroes video diary for Going Rogue, which is targeted for release in July.

Continue reading City of Heroes launches first video diary for Going Rogue

MassivelyCity of Heroes launches first video diary for Going Rogue originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-heroes-going-roguecity-of-villainscohcovcoxdeveloper-diarydevelopmentgoing-rogueparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioesparagon-studiospraetoriapreviewsupcomingupcoming-releasesvideovideo-diariesTue, 01 Jun 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: We're all in this together]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/19/a-mild-mannered-reporter-were-all-in-this-together/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/19/a-mild-mannered-reporter-were-all-in-this-together/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/19/a-mild-mannered-reporter-were-all-in-this-together/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

Community can be a funny thing. We pick the community we're in -- in this case, City of Heroes -- but we don't pick any of the other members. Sometimes they're all really stand-out folks, and sometimes... well, sometimes your choices are between Flower Power, Slug-fest, and Hammer Time. Lucky for us, the community that's formed itself around our favorite superhero MMO is pretty darn good at its worst and outright awesome most of the time. (And a proper shout-out to our community for the game right here, while I'm at it.)

To be fair, we're a bit on the lean side at the moment. After all, we're not getting another update for a couple of months and we almost all know it. Issue 17 is pretty awesome, but we also know that Going Rogue is just around the corner, and so most of us are focused a bit more on the future. But we've still got a lot to talk about in our day-to-day adventures. That both helps everyone to feel that much more welcome, and it helps facilitate this week's look at some of the noteworthy community threads that have been cropping up lately.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: We're all in this together

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: We're all in this together originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 19 May 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcommunitycovcoxexpansionsfeaturedfinancialgoing-rogueissue-17itemsmission-architectparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioesparagon-studiossubscriberssuper-boostsuper-boosterusable-itemWed, 19 May 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Gonna be the future soon]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/12/a-mild-mannered-reporter-gonna-be-the-future-soon/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/12/a-mild-mannered-reporter-gonna-be-the-future-soon/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/12/a-mild-mannered-reporter-gonna-be-the-future-soon/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

This week's listening, if you by some chance didn't catch it, will be from the inimitable Mr. Jonathan Coulton. Not because the song is all that thematically appropriate (I did not leave a note on War Witch's desk, for starters), but because it's Jonathan Coulton. And it offsets the tone of this article, which is going to be... well... kind of negative.

Not negative in the sense that City of Heroes is dying, because it's not. The game is full of life, flush with energy and diverse ideas. Rumors of its death have been greatly exaggerated for well on a year or so now, and I personally couldn't be happier about the state of affairs. For every problem it has, it has five or six great points, and every time I'm cresting a hill on my enjoyment there's another hill of sliced, buttered awesome in front of me.

But City of Heroes is going to need to start taking steps to ensure its long-term sustainability. It needs to start realizing that their good fortune is not going to last. And so today will be a bit negative, as the long-forgotten second part of the anniversary column... where we look to the future, and see what needs to happen.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Gonna be the future soon

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Gonna be the future soon originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 12 May 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>champions-onlinecity-of-heroescity-of-villainscocohcovcoxdc-universe-onlinedcuoexpansionsfeaturedgoing-roguegraphicsimprovementsparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioesparagon-studiossequelsultra-modeupgradesWed, 12 May 2010 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[City of Heroes explores crime and punishment, Praetoria style]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/11/city-of-heroes-explores-crime-and-punishment-praetoria-style/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/11/city-of-heroes-explores-crime-and-punishment-praetoria-style/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/11/city-of-heroes-explores-crime-and-punishment-praetoria-style/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

We're getting closer and closer to the launch of the second major expansion to City of Heroes, Going Rogue. While the official site has been a bit silent of late, no doubt in focusing on the game's six-year anniversary, it's just updated again with another look inside the utopia of Tyrant. The most recent update focuses on both a group and an individual, as has become the norm, with players getting a clearer look inside the head of Marauder and the ruthless criminal organizations that form the Syndicate.

When Tyrant made his push to eliminate all crime, he succeeded in driving the crime families and organizations nearly to ruin -- but they've banded together to form the Syndicate, to continue their illicit trades while striking out against Cole's government. Marauder, meanwhile, is the perversion of the jovial Back Alley Brawler. Also known as Praetor White, he leads the Powers Division, the team of super-powered individuals that take on threats Praetoria's police force cannot. Take a look at the official site for more information on both of these potential allies and enemies, and keep your eyes peeled for more information as City of Heroes rockets toward the Going Rogue launch date.

MassivelyCity of Heroes explores crime and punishment, Praetoria style originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 11 May 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>backstorycity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxcrimeemperor-coleissue-18lawloremarauderparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioesparagon-studiospraetoriasyndicatethe-syndicatetyrantTue, 11 May 2010 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Everybody needs a question answered sometime]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/05/a-mild-mannered-reporter-everybody-needs-a-question-answered-so/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/05/a-mild-mannered-reporter-everybody-needs-a-question-answered-so/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/05/a-mild-mannered-reporter-everybody-needs-a-question-answered-so/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

If you haven't read Jason Vuic's excellent history of the Yugo, you're doing yourself a disservice -- at least, if you have any interest in terrible cars, history, or just the crazy stylings of Malcolm Bricklin. What does that have to do with today's bevvy of City of Heroes questions, hot on the heels of our anniversary? Well, not everyone can afford the Batmobile. There are places where the Paragon Monorail (aka Justice Mass Transit) won't take you. And on those occasions, well, you truly wish that you'd just dropped the ten dollars on the Martial Arts booster or taken the darn travel power. Onward!

Dashel asked:
"When will Blasters get more secondaries, original or proliferated?"

Soon! Maybe. I've heard tell that we may well be due for another wave of powerset proliferation with the release of Going Rogue, although that's far from a confirmed fact. So Blasters can expect to get some more love there. But we don't have any idea of exactly when we'll see more secondaries as opposed to more primary sets. The trouble is that as Blasters have been designed, they have the undesirable trait that Masterminds share: they've got a setup for one of their sets that nobody else shares.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Everybody needs a question answered sometime

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Everybody needs a question answered sometime originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 05 May 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>archetypescarscity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxfarminggrindingmission-architectparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioespowerset-proliferationpowersetspraetoriaproliferationsuperheroesterrible-carstraveltravel-powersultra-modeyugoWed, 05 May 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[City of Heroes launches "Declare Your Loyalty" contest]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/01/city-of-heroes-launches-declare-your-loyalty-contest/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/01/city-of-heroes-launches-declare-your-loyalty-contest/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/05/01/city-of-heroes-launches-declare-your-loyalty-contest/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Any City of Heroes fan will likely recognize and have an answer for the question "Loyalist or Resistance?" It's all part of the ongoing campaign for the game's upcoming expansion, Going Rogue, and ties to the main storyline -- whether you're a Loyalist of Tyrant's totalitarian utopia, or a no-holds-barred Resistance member willing to topple Tyrant at any cost. Paragon Studios is taking the campaign one step further to celebrate both the impending release and the six-year anniversary: they're letting players make a permanent mark on the world of Praetoria based upon their allegiance.

There are two halves to the contest, based upon one's affiliation. If you're a Loyalist, you are tasked with designing a suitable propaganda poster for Emperor Cole, extolling his virtues and those of his society. On the other hand, Resistance members will design graffiti to spread the message of freedom and encouraging others to rise up. There's a lot of fun to be had with the contest, and the prizes are pretty substantial -- even without the fact that the best entries may very well wind up in Praetoria when Going Rogue launches. Take a look at the full rules, and start declaring your City of Heroes affiliation -- the contest runs until May 14th.

MassivelyCity of Heroes launches "Declare Your Loyalty" contest originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 01 May 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today is rather the day of City of Heroes, and with good cause -- six years old, with many changes and exciting new parts in the wings. And the game is still open to new players of all sorts, with plenty to enrapture players who've never once set foot in Paragon City. But there's also a special place for players and groupings that have been around for nearly all of the game's lifespan -- something that's quite an accomplishment for more than half a decade.

We were lucky enough to have a chance to speak with two veteran supergroups as part of the anniversary celebration: ICONS and Fusion Force. To help compare and contrast responses, we asked both groups the same set of questions, and what follows is their responses. Some of them are close to one another (for instance, everyone seems to want to go into space), but others are very different, even with similar amounts of experience. Whether you're a City of Heroes veteran yourself or just curious about the game's history, jump on past the cut for our chat with some of the game's longer-running player groups.

Continue reading An interview with veteran supergroups in City of Heroes

MassivelyAn interview with veteran supergroups in City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anniversarycity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxexperiencefeaturedguildinterviewsopinionopinionsparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioesquestionssupergroupteamupdatesWed, 28 Apr 2010 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Issue 17 of City of Heroes goes live with launch trailer]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/28/issue-17-of-city-of-heroes-goes-live-with-launch-trailer-embarg/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/28/issue-17-of-city-of-heroes-goes-live-with-launch-trailer-embarg/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/28/issue-17-of-city-of-heroes-goes-live-with-launch-trailer-embarg/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Today is a big day for City of Heroes. Not only is it the six-year anniversary of the game, with celebrations taking place both in-game and out, it's also the launch of the much-awaited Issue 17. Dubbed "Dark Mirror," the update features the graphical tweaks collectively known as Ultra Mode, as well as new story arcs and missions, improvements to Mission Architect, and a whole host of additional changes. It's also the release of the awaited Demon Summoning powerset, which is available to everyone who has prepurchased the upcoming Going Rogue expansion.

Behind the cut is the official trailer for the update, which should help whet the appetite of any fans anxiously awaiting the update to complete downloading. Aside from highlighting the visuals of Ultra Mode in real-time, it shows off some of the mission content, including the full-scale war against the Freakshow pictured above. There's also the doppelgangers and the Positron task force to show off -- and only a couple more months until the game's second major expansion. Click on past the cut to see the trailer, and enjoy the new changes that help keep City of Heroes fresh six years out.

Continue reading Issue 17 of City of Heroes goes live with launch trailer

MassivelyIssue 17 of City of Heroes goes live with launch trailer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxdark-mirrordemon-summoningdoppelgangersfreakshowgoing-rogueissue-17mission-architectparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioespatchespowersetstask-forcetrailersultra-modeupdatesWed, 28 Apr 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Six (years) in the city]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/28/a-mild-mannered-reporter-six-years-in-the-city/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/28/a-mild-mannered-reporter-six-years-in-the-city/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/28/a-mild-mannered-reporter-six-years-in-the-city/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

It's strange to think that City of Heroes is older than my car. But that's only the tip of the iceberg, as the game is six years old as of today and still running strong. Oh, sure, there are some signs of aging here and there, some parts that don't fit quite as well as they did back when it launched... but the game holds up pretty darn well. And that's astonishing, considering that it launched a full year before the game that generally gets the credit for starting new paradigms of MMO design.

Of course, you can go further back and point out that a lot of the "innovations" that The Game Which Shall Not Be Named included were present beforehand, and you'd be correct. But after the EverQuest era of game design, City of Heroes stood as a vanguard of a new design philosophy. It was a game with unparalleled customization at the time, a game that put forth the idea that you could be just as cool at Level 1 as you could at max level. So how have things changed? How far have we come in the years? There's almost too much to cover to go over everything... but we can hit the big points.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Six (years) in the city

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Six (years) in the city originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anniversarycity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxdinosaursexpansionsfeaturedgame-changesgoing-roguemission-architectparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioespatchesretrospectivesystemsupdatesWed, 28 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Reminder: City of Heroes developer chat today]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/23/reminder-city-of-heroes-developer-chat-today/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/23/reminder-city-of-heroes-developer-chat-today/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/23/reminder-city-of-heroes-developer-chat-today/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

They've got an anniversary coming up, but no one can accuse the team over at Paragon Studios of resting on their laurels. The studio responsible for City of Heroes is hard at work on the next major content update, several anniversary celebrations, and they're still stopping to reach out to their fans.

In not very much time at all, it will be time for a live chat with the development team of City of Heroes via their forumspring.me page. A few fans submitted questions to us, and we passed along three of them to the development team -- but that doesn't mean that there's no chance of getting other questions to reach their ears.

So hurry on over to the City of Heroes question submission page, fire off the best question you can think of (after enabling JavaScript if you've got it turned off), and keep your eyes peeled for all of the answers. With Melissa Bianco, Matt Miller, Jesse Caceres, and David Nakayama all fielding the questions, there's sure to be some interesting information to be had.

MassivelyReminder: City of Heroes developer chat today originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxDavid-Nakayamaforumspring.mejesse-caceresmatt-millermelissa-biancoopen-submissionparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioesq-and-aquestion-and-answerreminderFri, 23 Apr 2010 18:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Big celebrations coming for six years of City of Heroes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/23/big-celebrations-coming-for-six-years-of-city-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/23/big-celebrations-coming-for-six-years-of-city-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/23/big-celebrations-coming-for-six-years-of-city-of-heroes/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

City of Heroes has been running for six solid years, and whether you're a current or former player (or someone never that interested in superheroes for some reason), that's a running time to be proud of. Paragon Studios certainly thinks so, which is why they're hosting a full month's worth of anniversary celebration. The party kicks off in full force on April 28th -- not just the day of the anniversary, but the launch of Issue 17 and all its varied improvements. But that's just the beginning, as are the badge, free respec, and free costume change token being given to players on the anniversary.

Monday and Tuesday before the anniversary itself promise some exciting and chaotic content, quite possibly including a special title for participants. The test servers will also be remaining open to give players a chance to play with the dev team on the anniversary itself, followed by an in-game address from Melissa "War Witch" Bianco at 8 PM EST (5 PM PST). With the promise of an upcoming contest to promote your loyalty a la Guild Wars 2 and with Going Rogue just around the corner, there's never been a better time to enjoy City of Heroes.

MassivelyBig celebrations coming for six years of City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anniversarycelebrationcity-of-heroescity-of-heroes-going-roguecity-of-heroes-issue-17city-of-villainscohcovcoxgoing-roguein-game-eventsissue-17melissa-biancomelissa-war-witch-biancoparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioesupcoming-contentwar-wtichFri, 23 Apr 2010 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Ask us questions for the City of Heroes developers!]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/22/ask-us-questions-for-the-city-of-heroes-developers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/22/ask-us-questions-for-the-city-of-heroes-developers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/22/ask-us-questions-for-the-city-of-heroes-developers/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

As the game's fans are no doubt well aware, City of Heroes is hosting a developer Q&A via forumspring.me on Friday. They'll be answering live questions from the players, which is all well and good... but we all know that there's the chance, however slim, that your question might not get answered. Luckily for our readers, we've got the opportunity to ensure that your questions get heard by the development team. And all you have to do is leave us a comment with your question!

The three best questions, as chosen by our staff, will be submitted for an assured answer during the question and answer setting. Leave a comment here by 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, April 22nd if you want it to be up for consideration. We'll take a look at all of them, and the results will be visible for everyone. It's not quite as good as having a burning whip to force the team to answer questions, but it's probably the next best thing for City of Heroes fans. (We hear those whips cost a fortune anyway.)

MassivelyAsk us questions for the City of Heroes developers! originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>answerscity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxdevelopmentdevelopment-teamforumspring.melive-chatlive-q-and-aparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioesquestionsThu, 22 Apr 2010 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Glorious roundup of community motherland]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/21/a-mild-mannered-reporter-glorious-roundup-of-community-motherla/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/21/a-mild-mannered-reporter-glorious-roundup-of-community-motherla/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/21/a-mild-mannered-reporter-glorious-roundup-of-community-motherla/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

I am still deeply disappointed that we do not have more Russia-themed content... well, anywhere, but especially in City of Heroes. Having grown up during the end of the Cold War, I want more fur coats and red stars and winter wastelands with nuclear missiles. Yes, it's stereotypical, but so are steampunk Prussians, holdovers from the Third Reich, and robed sword-wielding cultists. Wouldn't it be lovely?

Now, much as I might like to, my love of the odd post-Cold War Russian image that's now been inserted unceremoniously into pop culture is not the point of today's article. No, today we're focusing on a straight roundup of all the community discussions that have been taking place of late, and, as always, there's plenty to talk about. While the news about Going Rogue has slowed slightly, Issue 17 is just around the corner, and the City of Heroes community hasn't stopped finding things to talk about over the past six years anyhow. Jump on past the cut for highlights of the glorious motherland of community.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Glorious roundup of community motherland

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Glorious roundup of community motherland originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 21 Apr 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>abilitiescity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxfeaturedgoing-rogueissue-17mission-architectparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioespower-poolsresurrectionskillsspellsultra-modeWed, 21 Apr 2010 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[City of Heroes hosting a live Q&A with developers]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/18/city-of-heroes-hosting-a-live-qanda-with-developers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/18/city-of-heroes-hosting-a-live-qanda-with-developers/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/18/city-of-heroes-hosting-a-live-qanda-with-developers/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

If you missed out on PAX East, you missed the chance to twist the ear of the development team for City of Heroes. (And other things, probably.) Or, at least, you missed your chance for a little while. Because the team is giving the fans another shot at connecting with them live, even if it's not in person. Using the forumspring.me tool, which has been steadily growing in popularity over the past several months, players will be able to ask questions of the development team and have them answered in more-or-less real time.

The actual session will take place on April 23rd between 4 and 5 PM PST (7-8 PM EST). Melissa Bianco, Matt Miller, David Nakayama, and Jesse Caceres will all be in attendance, the same team from the PAX East panel and the brain trust behind the newest content additions. If you can't or don't want to take part in the actual questioning, the highlights will be addressed on the game's official Facebook fan page. It's an excellent chance for City of Heroes players to get answers to their most urgent questions, so mark the date on your calendar.

MassivelyCity of Heroes hosting a live Q&A with developers originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Apr 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxdavid-nakayamajesse-caceresmatt-millermelissa-biancoparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioespax-eastpax-east-2010Sun, 18 Apr 2010 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Architectural concerns]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/14/a-mild-mannered-reporter-architectural-concerns/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/14/a-mild-mannered-reporter-architectural-concerns/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/14/a-mild-mannered-reporter-architectural-concerns/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

The big news for City of Heroes over the past week (at least at the time of writing) was the rather borked Mission Architect fix that went live. Well-intentioned, sure, but still borked beyond all comprehension. There's nothing like losing out on experience gained because of rescuing hostages to make players feel like they're welcomed to try out player-created content.

But let's not kid ourselves: this is not exactly a unique occurrence. We've been having problems involving some combination of Mission Architect and farming more or less since it launched, and that was back on Issue 14. A year out, you would kind of expect that they'd fix the basic problem of people trying to get something for nothing... but here we are, and the team is still rocking back and forth on the feature. If you're one of the players who prefer the farming style, nowadays it likely feels like more trouble than it's worth.

So naturally, I decided to take a look at Mission Architect and what it means for City of Heroes today. Specifically, both why it's important that the team does their best to keep it balanced, and why said balancing is pointless and a waste of time. (I love arguing self-defeating premises.)

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Architectural concerns

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Architectural concerns originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>breakingbrokencity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxexploitsfarmingfeaturedissue-14mission-architectparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioespatchesWed, 14 Apr 2010 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mission Architect fix goes haywire in City of Heroes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/09/mission-architect-fix-goes-haywire-in-city-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/09/mission-architect-fix-goes-haywire-in-city-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/09/mission-architect-fix-goes-haywire-in-city-of-heroes/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

With any player-generated content system, a game becomes a struggle between two equal and opposing forces: the designers who want to cram in every possible exploit to get the best possible rewards with the least possible effort, and those who just want to make really neat story arcs. City of Heroes recently dropped a small patch in the hopes of fighting something that had been a target for exploits, and unfortunately the latter group got caught in the crossfire.

In short, the patch was designed to target allied NPCs in missions who didn't attack, but buffed the player characters to the gills in order to make missions easier. Unfortunately, caught in the crossfire were almost any missions that involved things other than enemies, up to and including missions where players would rescue hostages. Needless to say, player response has not been kind.

Sean "Dr. Aeon" McCann was quick to give an official statement on the matter, explaining that the idea was to implement a temporary fix that would prevent current farming, with a more permanent one coming around Issue 17's launch. (Although we don't have a specific date on that, it's been generally pegged for early this month.) Until then, City of Heroes players might find themselves advised to take a break from Mission Architect for a little while.

[ Thanks to Steve for the tip! ]

MassivelyMission Architect fix goes haywire in City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-heroes-issue-17city-of-villainscohcovcoxcrossfiredr-aeonexploitissue-17mission-architectparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioespatchsean-dr-aeon-mccannsean-mccannFri, 09 Apr 2010 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Question and answers go retro]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/07/a-mild-mannered-reporter-question-and-answers-go-retro/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/07/a-mild-mannered-reporter-question-and-answers-go-retro/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/07/a-mild-mannered-reporter-question-and-answers-go-retro/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

It's time to head back in time, back through the many views and opinion of the past month, and see where we've gone with questions from far and wide. And as long as we're going back in time, why can't City of Heroes go back with us? Seriously, where's the time-travel arc where everyone has to team up with their Silver Age counterpart in bell-bottoms and bad hair? We've long been missing that from the game, and now that I have the time to think clearly it's a problem which should be immediately addressed.

Of course, we do have that new Doppleganger system coming up. It could happen. Also, questions should probably be answered before I deviate too far.

Zsazsa piped up with an obvious question about the PAX information:
"Was anything said about new maps located in space for level 50 characters?"

Possibly? When talking with the inimitable Miss Bianco, she mentioned that there were new maps we haven't yet seen... emphasis on those of us in the playerbase. It's very possible that there are, in fact, maps set in space which will be used for the Incarnate system (which requires level 50 and Going Rogue to be playable, so there you go). But as it's implied here that they already exist, wouldn't we have seen them by now?

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Question and answers go retro

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Question and answers go retro originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>archetypescity-of-heroescity-of-heroes-going-roguecity-of-villainscohcovcoxdual-pistolselectrical-controlfeaturedgoing-rogueincarnatekinetic-meleematt-millermelissa-biancoparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioespax-eastpax-east-2010praetoriaWed, 07 Apr 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Meet the PAX press]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/31/a-mild-mannered-reporter-meet-the-pax-press/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/31/a-mild-mannered-reporter-meet-the-pax-press/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/31/a-mild-mannered-reporter-meet-the-pax-press/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Compared to the other two City of Heroes events that I took part in at PAX East, the meet and greet almost seems like an afterthought from a news standpoint. And it's fair to say that no new information could be teased from the development team, mostly because they were far too busy laughing and chatting with fans. Not that any of the fans seemed too keen on asking big questions anyhow. It was, all in all, a big chance for everyone to relax, talk about what the state of the game was, and be pestered by me in the form of Mr. Not-So-Mild-Mannered Reporter.

And it was a fun time, with a lot of different opinions and a very relaxed atmosphere. However much of an afterthought it might have been from the perspective of hard news, it was a great time for the fans, and that's what the column is really all about, right? So check on past the break for some of the highlights from the evening, not to mention my global handle. (Because people asked there and I blanked under pressure. Plus there wasn't room on the nametag.)

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Meet the PAX press

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Meet the PAX press originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brian-claytoncarnival-of-shadowscity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxfeaturedglobal-handlei-am-not-good-with-namesmeet-and-greetncsoftparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioespax-eastpax-east-2010server-cultureserversWed, 31 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[PAX East 2010: Our interview with Melissa Bianco of City of Heroes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/30/pax-east-2010-our-interview-with-melissa-bianco-of-city-of-hero/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/30/pax-east-2010-our-interview-with-melissa-bianco-of-city-of-hero/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/30/pax-east-2010-our-interview-with-melissa-bianco-of-city-of-hero/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Melissa "War Witch" Bianco is without a doubt one of the leading ladies of the MMO world, a title she said she could definitely get used to. But as she says it, that hasn't made an impact on her in some ways, because she never felt there was a bias to overcome at either Cryptic or the current Paragon Studios. "I don't know if I just happened to be in a company that wasn't like that," she says, "or if I'm just so awesome it didn't matter."

We would certainly believe either. Bianco is riding fairly high on success at the moment in the eyes of many players, having a solid track record of revamped and improved zones coupled with a highly-anticipated expansion on the way. We had a chance to speak with her after the City of Heroes panel to talk about more future plans for the game, aiming for several of the more outlying areas in the game's development. Read on past the cut for her answers ranging from the immortal warehouse map to the possibility of new epic archetypes.

Continue reading PAX East 2010: Our interview with Melissa Bianco of City of Heroes

MassivelyPAX East 2010: Our interview with Melissa Bianco of City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>champions-onlinecity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxcryptic-studiosepic-archetypefeaturedmelissa-biancomelissa-war-witch-biancoparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioesparagon-studiospax-2010pax-eastpax-east-2010superheroeswar-witchTue, 30 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[City of Heroes whips up some demon summoning]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/30/city-of-heroes-whips-up-some-demon-summoning/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/30/city-of-heroes-whips-up-some-demon-summoning/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/30/city-of-heroes-whips-up-some-demon-summoning/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

One of the features that City of Heroes: Going Rogue is heavily selling are the addition of new powersets. We've already seen the trailer for Dual Pistols, and we were shown the trailer to the Demon Summoning powerset at PAX East. That trailer is now available for every City of Heroes player to view online, allowing all to witness the power of ripping blood-caked monstrosities straight from the nether realms to do your diabolical (or possibly somewhat heroic) bidding. While it's not a full demonstration of the improved graphical designs coming in the expansion, it's clear just how far the game's models have come.

Like most Mastermind powers, the set features both minions and a "secondary" power, in this case a flaming whip. The whip, appropriately enough, seems to be both used offensively and in a support role, as the summoner is seen whipping at least one of her demons in what appears to be an enhancing spell. And if the flamboyant gestures aren't enough to impress players, the skull-faced monstrosities should do the job. City of Heroes players who missed out on PAX East as well as those who just want to see Issue 17's upcoming pre-release powerset should click past the link for the video.

Continue reading City of Heroes whips up some demon summoning

MassivelyCity of Heroes whips up some demon summoning originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unpacking the City of Heroes panel at PAX East is a big deal: there were huge amounts of information being thrown around, and a lot of new pieces of information to process. For that matter, there was far more than anyone expected, with information about the full spread of new issues up to Issue 19 and the reveal of Matt "Positron" Miller's heretofore unrevealed new endgame system. The panel as a whole featured a huge breadth of information about the game from concept into the future, and was filled with people long before the official start time, with fans vocally professing their adoration for the team the whole way through.

We had the good fortune to be front and center at the theatre, and once we started taking notes we didn't really stop until the event was over. At the panel were lead designer Melissa Bianco, former lead designer and current lead system designer Matt Miller, art lead David Nakayama, and development producer Jesse Caceres. They opened off with a discussion of the game's history from launch back in 2004 to the present. The changeover from Cryptic to Paragon Studios was discussed in brief, mentioning that four of the major launch employees (Miller, Bianco, CW Bennet, and Brian Clayton) were still with Paragon even after the change.

Continue reading PAX East 2010: City of Heroes panel reveals many things

MassivelyPAX East 2010: City of Heroes panel reveals many things originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-heroes-going-roguecity-of-heroes-issue-17city-of-heroes-issue-18city-of-heroes-issue-19city-of-heroes-ultra-modecity-of-villainscohcovcoxcryptic-studiosdavid-nakayamaexpansionsfeaturedgoing-rogueissue-17issue-18issue-19jesse-caceresmatt-positron-millermelissa-biancomelissa-war-witch-biancomission-architectnew-powersetspanelsparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioesparagon-studiospax-2010pax-east-2010powersetsultra-modeSun, 28 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[City of Heroes: Going Rogue takes a look underground]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/20/city-of-heroes-going-rogue-takes-a-look-underground/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/20/city-of-heroes-going-rogue-takes-a-look-underground/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/20/city-of-heroes-going-rogue-takes-a-look-underground/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

There are four months to go before the release of the second City of Heroes expansion, but the development team has been doing a lot of work to keep Going Rogue on everyone's mind. The announcement of Issue 17 certainly did quite a bit in that direction, as did the early release of Dual Pistols for prepurchasing customers. Now we've been given the first major update to the site since the biography of Tyrant, and it's a meaty one. Information and screenshots have been posted for both Calvin Scott, the leader of the Resistance, and the tunnel-dwelling nightmares known as Ghouls.

Calvin Scott's biography may be of interest to many players because it gives us something that the community had wondered about -- a heroic Mastermind, leading the Resistance troops against Praetoria's fascist regime. Ghouls, on the other hand, are at once more straightforward and more unsettling, crazed undead that lurk beneath Praetoria and threaten to devour anyone who strays into their territory. The black-and-white world of City of Heroes is getting many more shades of gray in the upcoming expansion, and both of these lore tidbits hint at just how blurred the lines will get come July.

MassivelyCity of Heroes: Going Rogue takes a look underground originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>backstorycity-of-heroescity-of-heroes-going-roguecity-of-villainscohcovcoxenemiesghoulsgoing-rogueloreparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioespraetorianpreordersresistancestorylineSat, 20 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Pay the man]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-pay-the-man/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-pay-the-man/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-pay-the-man/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Back on the first column I ever wrote about City of Heroes, many moons ago, someone made a comment that's stuck in my head. It wasn't negative, just something that stuck in my mind. They mentioned how the game had been portrayed in a somewhat poor light on the site as a whole, and used as an example that it had been used as the title image for this article about microtransactions and other payment goodies.

Go ahead and take a look at the author of that piece, and you might understand why the comment stuck in my mind.

I don't think that City of Heroes does a bad job with their microtransactions. I actually love their setup and like to point to it alongside Dungeons & Dragons Online as a prime example of how to do an item shop correctly. And I'm fairly sure I'm not the only person who feels that way, although there's doubtlessly the other side of the story that thinks they do an awful job. So strap yourselves in, because today we're going to be diving headfirst into the cash shop and my enthusiastic praise for same.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Pay the man

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Pay the man originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcostume-piecescovcoxfeaturedmicrotransactionsoptionsparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioespurchasesoda-rulesuper-boosterWed, 17 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Tripping the XP fantastic]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/10/a-mild-mannered-reporter-tripping-the-xp-fantastic/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/10/a-mild-mannered-reporter-tripping-the-xp-fantastic/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/10/a-mild-mannered-reporter-tripping-the-xp-fantastic/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

City of Heroes has the best pseudo-seasonal event anywhere: the double XP weekend. Forget holidays that you're usually sick to death of in which you can get some arbitrary gimmick powers, it's cold hard character boosting that really gets everyone excited. And if those of us that play the game weren't swimming with enough alts, we also had our chance to scream up with dual pistols. In summary, it was poised to be the best Christmas ever, except for the minor detail of not being Christmas.

Going into the weekend on Friday. I had three major priorities. I wanted to level one of my two "mains" which had been suffering from some neglect, I wanted to bring a villain to 20 or as close as I could manage, and I wanted someone with paired handguns. A tall order, even for a doubled-up weekend, but I live for challenges. Or I'm a glutton for punishment, one or the other. Read on past the break for the path of events and some observations about the leveling game, and perhaps even a bit of enlightenment.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Tripping the XP fantastic

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Tripping the XP fantastic originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>anecdotescity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxdouble-experiencedouble-xp-weekenddual-pistolsfeaturedlow-levelsparagonparagon-cityparagon-cohparagon-studioesrogue-islesWed, 10 Mar 2010 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Daily Grind: Taking part in the doubled experience for City of Heroes?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/07/the-daily-grind-taking-part-in-the-doubled-experience-for-city/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/07/the-daily-grind-taking-part-in-the-doubled-experience-for-city/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/07/the-daily-grind-taking-part-in-the-doubled-experience-for-city/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

If you've ever played City of Heroes before, you most likely got the e-mail enticing you to take part in the game's ongoing doubled experience weekend, during which all inactive accounts get a brief chance to return to active duty. And with the game's second expansion on the way, there are plenty of people taking just that opportunity to spring back into the game. Veteran players, by the same token, have something to be enthusiastic about -- with the preorders for said expansion being open, they can get their hands on the highly-anticipated Dual Pistols powerset and speed past the low-level areas in record time.

The short version is that if you still have an interest in City of Heroes, now is a prime time to be giving it some of your gaming hours. So what about you? Are you a lapsed subscriber lured back in by the promise of a trial to see what's changed and improved? Or are you a longtime player interested in seeing the new powers in action? And as a special bonus question, are there other games you would like to see run a similar double-rate and reactivation weekend?

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Taking part in the doubled experience for City of Heroes? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-heroes-going-roguecity-of-villainscohcovcoxdouble-exp-weekenddouble-experiencedual-pistolsgoing-rogueparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioespreordersreactivation-weekendtdgthe-daily-grindSun, 07 Mar 2010 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Riddle me this, riddle me that]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/03/a-mild-mannered-reporter-riddle-me-this-riddle-me-that/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/03/a-mild-mannered-reporter-riddle-me-this-riddle-me-that/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/03/a-mild-mannered-reporter-riddle-me-this-riddle-me-that/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

We've all heard the repeated statement that there are no stupid questions. This is pretty obviously incorrect, and can be proven as such by asking what color has the most pizza, or how much a clearly-priced item costs, or how you mine for fish. But when it comes to being unsure about things in City of Heroes, that old chestnut rings true. Certainly you can ask questions that have obvious answers in retrospect, but there's enough to learn and know about the game that it's never a bad idea to ask a question.

We'll kick off with a question asked by Sharko:
"Are we ever going to see new Epic Archetypes in the game?"

The developers have been fairly close-lipped on this point, and for somewhat good reason. Making a new archetype requires a concept that doesn't fit within any of the existing power frameworks, has enough to do that it can sustain itself for the same range of play as the other archetypes, and usually requires some complex balancing against the other archetypes to avoid being more powerful or less. With the breadth of options available to current City of Heroes characters, there's not always a lot of new space to squeeze in something else.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Riddle me this, riddle me that

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: Riddle me this, riddle me that originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-heroes-going-roguecity-of-villainscohcovcoxepic-archetypeexpansionfeaturedgoing-rogueparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioessequelstraveltravel-powersWed, 03 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[City of Heroes: Going Rogue open for pre-orders]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/city-of-heroes-going-rogue-open-for-pre-orders/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/city-of-heroes-going-rogue-open-for-pre-orders/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/city-of-heroes-going-rogue-open-for-pre-orders/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


This weekend, every City of Heroes player will get an opportunity to double up on their experience, Influence, Infamy, and possibly their playtime. (Actually, depending on how many alts you have to level you may very well be tripling or quadrupling it, but that's not the rate of increase for anything else.) So why not get the chance to start leveling one of the new powersets in the process? Pre-orders for City of Heroes: Going Rogue have opened up on the official site, allowing you to digitally purchase an advance copy of the expansion and get early access to Dual Pistols and Demon Summoning.

Unfortunately, if you wanted to level up a demon-summoning mastermind, you'll have to wait just a little bit, as that powerset will go live with Issue 17. And the expansion itself still isn't set to release until July, when a whole new slew of options will open up. But if you're a longtime City of Heroes player or a recent convert, there's a whole lot of things out there to shoot and one little assault rifle likely isn't going to do the job. Go ahead and get your pre-order in, and take a look at the improved website for the expansion while you're at it.

[ Thanks to Skystreak and Celestial Lord for the tip! ]

MassivelyCity of Heroes: Going Rogue open for pre-orders originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-heroes-going-roguecity-of-heroes-issue-17city-of-villainscohcovcoxdemon-summoningdual-pistolsgoing-rogueissue-17paragonparagon-cohparagon-studioespre-orderTue, 02 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Twice the bullets in CoH's dual pistols powerset video]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/twice-the-bullets-in-cohs-dual-pistols-powerset-video/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/twice-the-bullets-in-cohs-dual-pistols-powerset-video/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/twice-the-bullets-in-cohs-dual-pistols-powerset-video/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The newest Powerset heading to City of Heroes is coming from the Going Rogue expansion, and we've got a video showcasing it. Everyone loves shooting stuff in videogames, so we're pretty sure everyone will enjoy rolling a Hero, Villain, or Praetorian and busting out some crazy gun moves.

Actually, the way this Dual Pistols video is cut, you can tell someone is a fan of the Matrix and Equilibrium films. Plus, we're pretty sure the last power shown is basically full-on Gun Kata. Yeah, you'll probably want to check out the video for yourself. Find it after the break, as usual.

Continue reading Twice the bullets in CoH's dual pistols powerset video

MassivelyTwice the bullets in CoH's dual pistols powerset video originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescohdual-pistolsequilibriumexpansiongoing-roguegun-kataparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioesthe-matrixtrailervideoTue, 02 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[City of Heroes extends free transfers yet again]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/01/city-of-heroes-extends-free-transfers-yet-again/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/01/city-of-heroes-extends-free-transfers-yet-again/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/01/city-of-heroes-extends-free-transfers-yet-again/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

City of Heroes players have been heavily anticipating the upcoming double experience weekend for understandable reasons -- there's no finer chance to get a character leveled, or take a character who hasn't been played in a while and bring them up to new heights. As the developers have been wont to do of late, they decided to sweeten the deal a fair bit -- specifically, they've decided to add in a healthy dose of moving your character wherever the heck you want.

That's right -- after the last extension, the team decided to further lengthen the period allowed for free server transfers. February 28th was originally slated to be the final day, but with the weekend so close, they've pushed it ahead another week, ending either on Sunday or Monday. (The official announcement says "Sunday, March 8th." This is doubtlessly a typo, as the calendar forbids such an interaction from taking place.)

An extended transfer period means that everyone you play should be well-positioned for the double experience weekend, as well as the upcoming changes to the game. So get your smackdown on in City of Heroes wherever you want, and ramp up for the big changes just over the horizon.

[ Thanks to Skystreak for the tip! ]

MassivelyCity of Heroes extends free transfers yet again originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcoh-issue-17covcoxdouble-experience-weekenddouble-xp-weekendfree-server-transfersissue-17paragonparagon-cohparagon-studioesserver-transfersMon, 01 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: All the community news that's fit to print]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/24/a-mild-mannered-reporter-all-the-community-news-thats-fit-to-p/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/24/a-mild-mannered-reporter-all-the-community-news-thats-fit-to-p/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/24/a-mild-mannered-reporter-all-the-community-news-thats-fit-to-p/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

In a city marked by constant alien invasions, assaults from an island controlled by a sadistic villain, rampant street crime, and various technological and magical disasters, there's always something to talk about. There's usually more than a few things for players to talk about on top of that, which certainly helps keep our interest in City of Heroes even when we're not right in the thick of things.

After all, whatever else you might say about the game and its flaws -- it's fun. It gives you a fun ride of being a superhero or supervillain. If you can't enjoy a conversation about that, really, you're just plain getting jaded.

Naturally, having discussions about nothing more than "it's fun" would get a little old, but that's certainly not all of the discussions about the game. Just about half. Today, we're taking a look at some of the other half, spotlighting some of the most interesting, though-provoking, or just plain funny discussions and threads coming out of the City of Heroes community.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: All the community news that's fit to print

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: All the community news that's fit to print originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-heroes-going-roguecity-of-villainscohcoh-issue-17community-spotlightcomparisonscovcoxfeaturedgoing-roguegrammarissue-17number-crunchingnumbersparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioespatchessequelsequelsspellingWed, 24 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[New Issue 17 details for City of Heroes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/24/new-issue-17-details-for-city-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/24/new-issue-17-details-for-city-of-heroes/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/24/new-issue-17-details-for-city-of-heroes/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

If you play City of Heroes, you're looking forward to the upcoming Issue 17. We've heard some of what can be expected from the big pre-expansion drop, but much of it was cloaked in vague terms -- improvements that didn't have any hard data attached to them, like the promise of new missions and UI revisions. But the official site has put up a page on the coming features for the update, and it helps clarify some things we didn't know about, as well as offering some excellent news besides. And it promises the end of Positron's dreaded unending task force! (It'll still be there, but it will be split into two parts and improved all around.)

Continue reading New Issue 17 details for City of Heroes

MassivelyNew Issue 17 details for City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>altsanimationscity-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcoh-issue-17contentcovcoxenhancementsgraphicsinfamyinfluencemailmission-architectmissionsparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioestask-forceWed, 24 Feb 2010 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[City of Heroes opens beta testing for Dual Pistols]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/18/city-of-heroes-opens-beta-testing-for-dual-pistols/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/18/city-of-heroes-opens-beta-testing-for-dual-pistols/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/18/city-of-heroes-opens-beta-testing-for-dual-pistols/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

You have two hands, so why not use two guns? That seems to be the operant philosophy behind dual-wielding handguns, often going to absurd lengths with ridiculously high-caliber guns. (Go ahead and try using two Desert Eagles at once.) But whether you want to be Roland or Maelstrom, you can start experiencing the joy of going to town with paired handguns.

Testing for the Dual Pistols powerset in City of Heroes has now begun on the test servers, which will likely spend the rest of the testing period covered in shell casings. One of the highlights of the upcoming expansion, Going Rogue, it was recently announced that Dual Pistols would unlock early for players who pre-ordered, which means this test is a straight ramp-up to the coming release. There's also a forum devoted solely to feedback for the new powerset, as excellent an execution as ever there was.

Naturally, this news is going to be quite exciting to some, as it both means a preview and test of what's to come, not to mention it means Going Rogue seems better poised to hit its target date. So what are you waiting for? Get your City of Heroes test client set up and start shooting!

MassivelyCity of Heroes opens beta testing for Dual Pistols originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxdual-pistolsmaelstromnew-powersetsopen-betaparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioespatchesthe-dark-towerupdatesThu, 18 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: I'll play your game, you rogue]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-ill-play-your-game-you-rogue/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-ill-play-your-game-you-rogue/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/17/a-mild-mannered-reporter-ill-play-your-game-you-rogue/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

One of the disadvantages to working ahead is the fact that sometimes, time catches up with you. Case in point: the latest bout of Going Rogue information. By the time I found out about everything, had digested it, and was ready to write up a whole article about it... well, it was 10:40 PM on Tuesday night, and I wasn't going to have enough time to write it before the column went live.

Not to mention that there wasn't an illustration ready. (Drawing those things takes the talented A. Fienemann time, after all.)

So we're going to talk about it just a wee bit later. But that's not such a huge deal, because there's quite a bit to digest in the most recent batches of news. Enough that we have quite a bit to look forward to and speculate on, even if we don't necessarily find all of it quite as interesting, and a whole lot of ramifications for the game's future to think about.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: I'll play your game, you rogue

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: I'll play your game, you rogue originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-heroes-going-roguecity-of-heroes-issue-17city-of-villainscohcoh-issue-17covcoxepic-archetypefeaturedgoing-rogueparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioesui-enhancementsultra-modeWed, 17 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The endgame oddity]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/10/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-endgame-oddity/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/10/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-endgame-oddity/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/10/a-mild-mannered-reporter-the-endgame-oddity/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

As long as I'm exhorting our new lead designer and hoping she brings a swift death to the warehouse map, it seems only fitting to take a look at the promised new "endgame system" that Matt "Positron" Miller is supposedly developing. I say this in quotes because, really, that's all we've been told. It is a system and it will involve the endgame, and presumably some sort of rewards in exchange for effort. For all we know it's going to be an interactive kitten-petting simulator.

Regardless, I think that Miller is exactly the right person for the job. (I'm sure Paragon Studios has been waiting for my approval.) We've seen some spectacular system launches during his tenure, but the content problem extends through to the endgame, and is an issue that City of Heroes needs to deal with. And the oddity is that the game simultaneously has the most populated endgame possible, with huge amounts of things to do... yet not nearly as many interesting things to do when you hit max level as other games.

It's a bit of design strangeness, one that serves the game well up until the last level and will take some clever work to overcome. How can the endgame be so sparse when it's so rich?

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The endgame oddity

MassivelyA Mild-Mannered Reporter: The endgame oddity originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-villainscohcovcoxdesignendgamefeaturedgame-designmatt-positron-millernew-systemsparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioeswarehouse-mapWed, 10 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Ultra Mode, new powersets, and new issue coming to City of Heroes]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/09/ultra-mode-new-powersets-and-new-issue-coming-to-city-of-heroe/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/09/ultra-mode-new-powersets-and-new-issue-coming-to-city-of-heroe/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/02/09/ultra-mode-new-powersets-and-new-issue-coming-to-city-of-heroe/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Dr. Aeon is as good as his word and better yet. We're not just getting Ultra Mode prior to the launch of City of Heroes: Going Rogue, we're getting a whole cavalcade of new things. City of Heroes players who have been holding off on pre-ordering the expansion are being given good reason not to dawdle, as pre-order customers will get access to the powersets in March and April. While an exact date of release has not been given, we are now being told that Going Rogue is expected to release in July, meaning we have a pretty clear idea of when we can start switching sides.

But hold on to your hats, because there's still a lot more. Issue 17 is also going to bring the biggest change to Epic Archetypes since they were introduced: they will now unlock at level 20. That's a thirty-level drop and makes playing one as your main more fesable than ever. Oh, and we're promised new UI improvements, Mission Architect improvements, and more missions and badges. And that's not even touching on the promise of Going Rogue's collector's edition... suffice it to say that there's a lot to look forward to for City of Heroes players, and there looks to be quite a bit to talk about in the near future.

Gallery: City of Heroes Issue 17 Screenshots

MassivelyUltra Mode, new powersets, and new issue coming to City of Heroes originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>city-of-heroescity-of-heroes-issue-17city-of-villainscohcollectors-editioncovcoxepic-archetypegoing-rogueissue-17mission-architectnew-powersetsparagonparagon-cohparagon-studioesTue, 09 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST