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City of Heroes rejoices in F2P success even as it mourns Statesman's passing

Justin Olivetti — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Business models, Events, in-game, Interviews, Free-to-play

While Paragon Studios is being tight-lipped about exact numbers since City of Heroes' free-to-play conversion, Lead Designer Matt "Positron" Miller has said that the company has been "blown away" by the results.

According to an interview at GameZone, City of Heroes has witnessed not only an "incredible number" of subscribers, but also a tidal wave of returning and first-time players curious about the new model. Miller cites the popularity of the Paragon Rewards program as a key factor in Freedom's success: "We've really broadened the idea of what a free game can be to a lot of people."

On a more somber note, Positron delivered a touching eulogy for the recently departed Statesman on the City of Heroes website. "Statesman's hand was a hand that lifted us up with inspiration," he wrote. "His back was the strong back of a sheltering protector. His wisdom, that of an insightful teacher and leader. His confidence, driven by a profound optimism about the human spirit."

Massively recently spoke with Paragon Studios about this momentous in-game event.

City of Heroes rejoices in F2P success even as it mourns Statesman's passing originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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City of Heroes' Matt Miller answers our questions about the death of Statesman

Eliot Lefebvre — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Events, in-game, Interviews, News items, Free-to-play

Statesman has been the face of City of Heroes since the game has launched. He's been the man at the forefront of the game's lore and the setting-defining hero for players. He earned a lot of ire from some players due to the designer who had chosen him as his avatar, but that didn't diminish his importance to the game as a whole. But after surviving war against the Rikti, the machinations of his rival Lord Arachnos, and the invasion of his alternate self from Praetoria... Statesman has finally fallen and is no more.

Of course, this brings up some pretty hefty questions about the future of the City of Heroes setting, since such a death is about as high-profile as in-game-deaths can be. We had the opportunity to ask Matt Miller a few questions about the ramifications of Statesman's death, the team's motivation, and what players can expect in the wake of his passing. After all, even though the hero is gone, the villain responsible is still out there...

Continue reading City of Heroes' Matt Miller answers our questions about the death of Statesman

City of Heroes' Matt Miller answers our questions about the death of Statesman originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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City of Heroes performs 'Death of a Statesman'

Eliot Lefebvre — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, Video, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Events, in-game, Lore, News items, Free-to-play

He's been the face on the package, the man on the cover, the big guy above all other big guys. But today, he is no more. Statesman, the most iconic hero in the City of Heroes lore, is going to meet his end, and it's time for everyone to say goodbye. Episode 5 of the signature story arc is live today, and while the titular question "Who Will Die?" has been answered, it's time to see what happens when Statesman does meet his end.

There's more to do than just go play through the arc, however. A new issue of the Intrepid Informer is available in which Matt Miller discusses why the team decided that now is the right time to kill off the game's biggest hero. And if you need a little more help catching up with the story so far, the final vidoc on the arc is embedded just past the cut, giving players a recap of what the Freedom Phalanx is, what is represents, and what this death means for Paragon City.

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City of Heroes performs 'Death of a Statesman' originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paragon Studios announces the fall of the Statesman

Matt Daniel — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Lore, Previews, News items, Free-to-play

Prepare for a shock, City of Heroes players. One of the game's most symbolic characters, Statesman, is going to die. In true comic-book fashion, Paragon Studios has announced the impending death of the leader of the Freedom Phalanx. But players will, of course, have their parts to play as well. They will be tasked with "unraveling the scheme that leads to the demise of our intrepid hero."

And players will be able to do just that when Signature Story Arc #5 goes live in January. The update will be available free next month to VIP players. Premium players can purchase it from the cash shop if they please. So brace yourselves, City of Heroes players, for the fall of an icon. Villains are free to celebrate now if they wish.

[Source: NCSoft and Paragon Studios press release]

Paragon Studios announces the fall of the Statesman originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaderboard: Champions Online's Defender vs. City of Heroes' Statesman

Justin Olivetti — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Super-hero, City of Heroes, Opinion, Champions Online, Leaderboard

Both superheroes were forged in the depths of Cryptic's MMO factory and both are the "Superman" of their games, but that's where the similarities end. One is the child of an established IP, brought in to anchor the product and establish credible connections to the pen-and-paper version. The other is the ego of Jack Emmert made manifest, an indomitable presence watching over Paragon City.

But what if these two heroes did an epic crossover and engaged in one massive PvP session?

Let's go to the board. Champions Online's Defender is the Iron Man of his franchise, a gifted man who built a powerful suit of armor and gadgets to fight crime. With it, Defender has the powers of flight, super strength, energy blasts, and portable artillery -- not to mention being incredibly tough to take out. City of Heroes' Statesman, on the other hand, possesses innate powers of strength, invulnerability, flight, super-speed, and the ability to shoot a lightning bolt up a criminal's bum if the whim strikes him.

Who would win in this theoretical battle? Hit the jump to vote, and head down to the comments to back your vote up with crazy superhero logic!

Continue reading Leaderboard: Champions Online's Defender vs. City of Heroes' Statesman

Leaderboard: Champions Online's Defender vs. City of Heroes' Statesman originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Nov 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Perfect Ten: MMO mascots

Justin Olivetti — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: World of Warcraft, Anarchy Online, City of Heroes, Dungeons and Dragons Online, EverQuest, Guild Wars, Warhammer Online, Tabula Rasa, Humor, Free Realms, Perfect Ten, Miscellaneous, Faxion Online

Everyone knows that a good mascot can make a difference between a video game's death and rabid popularity. Mario, Master Chief, Duke Nuke 'Em, Pac-Man, Samus Aran, Pyramid Head -- each one of these mascots isn't merely an aspect of the game, they are the virtual spokesperson (or spokesthing) which represents the game itself.

Yet when you think about it, MMOs have had a tougher time producing mascots than other video game genres, partially because unlike other games, you don't play as the mascots, and partially because when you have a cast of thousands of NPCs, picking out one to elevate above the rest is a difficult job.

Difficult, that is, but not impossible. Today we're going to look at ten MMO mascots (MMOscots?) that studios have tried to promote as the face of these games, to varying degrees of success.

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The Perfect Ten: MMO mascots originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The changing of the environment

Eliot Lefebvre — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Events, in-game, Lore, Opinion, A Mild-Mannered Reporter

If I had to make a list of video game characters I hate... well, it would take up a thousand words and then some. (Fuuka Yamagishi would be on there.) But if I just had to make a list of MMO lore characters that I hate... actually, again, it would take up a thousand words and then some. (Tyrande Whisperwind would be on there.) Still, near the top of the list would be one of my least favorite characters from the lore of any game, and appropriately enough it's City of Heroes -- because I really, really hate Statesman.

Honestly, before I even knew about his background, Statesman rubbed me the wrong way. But it was only made worse by the fact that he derived his powers from Jack Emmert's ego, thereby giving him nearly limitless everything as long as Emmert was in charge. The comics made him out to be a jerk; the game made him out to be The Best Hero In The World Ever. And through it all there was a subtle reminder that he was the real hero. Your character was great and all, but you weren't really the hero. It was Statesman.

Continue reading A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The changing of the environment

A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The changing of the environment originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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City of Heroes unveils the full biography of Tyrant

Eliot Lefebvre — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Expansions, Lore, Previews

In Paragon City, the living embodiment of what it means to be a superhero is Statesman. And it's hard to argue with that -- he's a combination of Superman and Captain America in one superhuman package, the apex of what a hero can aspire to be. But in the upcoming City of Heroes expansion, Going Rogue, the man behind the mask took a very different turn. Tyrant is neither villain nor hero, but a dictator whose rule over a parallel Earth is absolute. He has created a utopian, flawless world, held in place by his strength of arms and of will. And to no great surprise, he's received a full writeup on the official City of Heroes page for the upcoming expansion.

Tyrant's timeline is a far darker one than took place in the real world, including the deployment of nuclear weapons in the Korean War and a full-scale onslaught of enraged elementals. His full biography traces an alternate history in a way that at least provides a glimpse into the mind of someone who chose to enforce world peace through absolute control, highlighting many of the moral gray areas on display in Going Rogue. Read the full dossier here, and perhaps start designing a Justice Lord costume for your favorite hero.

City of Heroes unveils the full biography of Tyrant originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jack Emmert named as GenCon industry guest of honor

Adrian Bott — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Champions Online

Jack '~~Statesman~~ Jackalope' Emmert is to be one of the Industry Guests of Honor at GenCon, to be held Aug. 14-17 in Indianapolis. Best known for his work on City of Heroes, in which he took over from original lead designer Rick Dakan, Jack is now the chief creative officer in the Cryptic team working on Champions Online.

Jack Emmert is definitely qualified to speak about iterative game design, as the City of Heroes design process featured no small number of clinkers that were identified as such by the player base, despite looking good at the design stage. Jack's self-deprecatingly frank about his early mistakes, and explains how he's learned from them: 'We assumed a player would get the mission, go into the instance, realize that he was facing a "boss," leave the mission, find a friend, and then tackle the "boss" together. I was pretty darn naïve back then.' Jack's willingness to engage with the player base had the unfortunate secondary effect of giving dissatisfied players an articulate target for their frustration. Even now, Jack is still remembered in some quarters as a sort of uber-bogeyman armed with a colossal nerf bat.

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Jack Emmert named as GenCon industry guest of honor originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CoX: The right to farm?

Adrian Bott — Sat, 03 May 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, City of Villains, PvP, PvE, Opinion

City of Heroes Issue 9, Breakthrough, might also have been titled the Agricultural Revolution.

Sure, we'd had power leveling before, and plenty of it. But until the Invention System came along we didn't really have full-on farming as such. Some players reared healthy stocks of Hatched Krakens down in the sewers or tilled the soil for Freaks on the Dreck map, but back then we knew little of the ways of the farmer.

Then came Issue 9 with its Rare Drops and later Issue 11 with its Even Rarer ZomgPurple Drops. The more level 50 enemies you defeat, the more likely you are to grab one of the purples; and that's on top of the guaranteed XP, Prestige or Inf that rolls in. Now, of course, farming is ubiquitous.

Continue reading CoX: The right to farm?

CoX: The right to farm? originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 03 May 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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