Muppets Eleven

Green Lantern the Movie Fan Trailer

How freaking awesome is that? I know it isn't real, but I still want to see it.

MA Badges Nerfed

Cut & Pasted from the CoH boards...

"Greetings everyone,

I wanted to fill you all in on our plans for the Mission Architect badges and also our plans for future badges as well. We really didn't want the Mission Architect to be an environment that encourages farming for XP, Rewards or Badges, and we thought long and hard about the current Architect badge situation. Ultimately we'd like it to be a place where you go to play great player created content.

So, going forward--beginning with the Mission Architect badges--we've decided to move away from "count" badges that might encourage farming and/or aberrant game play. Instead, we'd like to encourage players to try all of our content by offering badges for completing 1 time accomplishments and achievements. What this means for the Mission Architect badges is that many of them are going to be removed in Issue 15. This is because they encouraged farming, because they encouraged aberrant behavior by doing one thing over and over again, they were unobtainable by a large portion of our players, or earning them was completely out of a player's hands and in the hands of other players.

I'd like to outline the Architect badge changes to show you precisely what will be happening in Issue 15. Below is a list of badges that are being removed:

Adventurer
Plugged In
Escapist
Hardcore Gamer
Ticket Hound
Ticket Fiend
Ticket Master
Golden Ticket
Creator
Story Teller
Writer
Bard
Acclaimed
Illustrious
Renowned
Living Legend
The Chosen One
Discerning
Aficionado
Maven
Connoisseur
Button Masher
Impulsive
Unpredictable
Pressed the Red Button
Virtual Victor
Virtual Destroyer
Virtual Warrior
Virtual Soldier
Virtual Slayer
Virtual Button Masher
Virtually Curious
Virtually Erratic
Evaluator
Reviewer
Judge
Two Thumbs Up
Windfall
Bounty
Premium
Bonanza
Jackpot
Virtual Ticket Taker
Virtual Ticket Hound
Virtual Ticket Fiend
Virtual Ticket Master
Virtual Golden Ticket
Activated
Encouraged
Motivated
Galvanized
Hall of Famer
Builder
Constructor
Engineer
Designer
Master Builder
Resolute
Undaunted
Virtuous
Champion of Justice
Evildoer
Malefactor
Nefarious
Diabolical
Show Off
Hotshot
Went the Extra Mile
Overachiever
Do Gooder
Safekeeper
Savior
To The Rescue
Virtual Do Gooder
Virtual Guardian
Virtual Savior
Virtual Rescuer
Decimator
Obliterator
Marauder
Cataclysmic
Virtual Decimation
Virtual Obliteration
Virtual Marauder
Virtual Cataclysm
Eliminator
Liquidator
Executioner
Terminator

Below is a list of Architect badges that will remain:

Thrill Seeker
Gamer
Ticket Taker
Author
Recognized
Mission Engineer
Early Bird
Admiring
Poor Impulse Control
Virtually Impulsive
Critic
Customizer
Bug Fixer
Energized
Among Friends
Heroic
Villainous
Workaholic
Virtual Victim
Payoff
Extractor
Virtual Extractor
Destructive
Assassin

Now, as a player myself after reading this I would have a ton of questions: What does this mean for pre-I14 badges? What about future badges? Why did the Dev Choice and Hall of Famer badges go away?

I'd like to answer those questions now:

Q: What about non-Mission Architect badges?

A: We have no current plans to revisit old badges at this time, and I don't foresee us doing this really. All badges unrelated to the Mission Architect will remain unaffected by the changes outlined above.

Q: If I've already earned the Architect badges, will I get to keep them?

A: No. Only the badges listed above in the "badges that will remain" section will be kept.

Q: What can you tell me about future badges?

A: As I quickly mentioned above, our plans for future badges excludes many types of "count" badges. This means we will try to avoid badges that require repetitious tasks, aberrant play styles and give the illusion of "grindiness." There may be "count" badges in the future, but they won't be based on something you can grind at to achieve. An example would be a count badge for the number of badges you collect. That's all I can really say right now as I don't want to spoil any of the exciting badges that will go into future issues at this time.

Q: Why did the Dev Choice and Hall of Famer badges get removed?

A: We realize that a lot of players worked really hard for these badges and to create content worthy of these prestigious awards. However, we want badges to be something that everyone can obtain. We also want badges to be completely within a player's grasp, so no outside influence should affect earning these badges. The Hall of Famer badge and the Builder line of badges are a perfect example of why these badges are being removed. We saw a lot of griefing done by certain players against players who had highly rated missions that would prevent them from ever getting into Hall of Fame and earning this badge. We wanted having missions flagged Dev Choice or Hall of Fame to be coveted by authors, not by badgers. Thus these badges are also being removed.

Q: What can you tell me about the badges that remain?

A: These badges have all been modified so that they are granted for a first time accomplishment. For example: The first time you rescue a kidnapped NPC you'll earn the Extractor badge. The same goes for the other badges that will remain in Issue 15. They're much easier to earn, but they require a player to try every aspect of Mission Architect to earn them all.

Q: What about the Mission Engineer Accolade badge?

A: This badge had its required badges changed to the following:

Thrill Seeker
Gamer
Ticket Taker
Author
Recognized
Early Bird
Customizer
Bug Fixer

This means that this accolade will be significantly easier to get now, which means that a lot of players--that published and played Architect missions--will find themselves earning this accolade and find themselves with the really cool ability to edit and publish architect content from anywhere, including your Supergroup base by simply clicking a power icon.

Q: If I have some or all of the badges listed as badges that will remain, will I get to keep them?

A: Absolutely. You should not have to earn the remaining badges again.

I'd like to close by saying that to some of you this might appear be an extreme decision, but we want you to know that this was done to make the Mission Architect fulfill its designed purpose: to be a place where content creators could write to their hearts' content or for players who want to explore the endless content created by other players. We feel that these changes are a step closer to this goal. Also, don't be surprised if you see Architect badges in future issues as well as we make this feature even more robust than was available at launch.

Thanks for reading,
Synapse"

WTF?!?!

Goin' Rogue... Part 3

The press release...

NCsoft and Paragon Studios to Challenge Gamers to Walk the Line Between Good and Evil--or Cross it!

SEATTLE, Washington - May 12, 2009 - NCsoft®, the world's premier publisher and developer of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), and Paragon Studios™, the developer of City of Heroes®, today announced the development of City of Heroes Going Rogue™, the first major expansion for the City of Heroes franchise since the launch of City of Villains® in 2005. As the name implies, Going Rogue will blur the line between heroes and villains in the first and longest-running super-powered comic book MMO game.

In the Going Rogue expansion, hero and villain characters will become immersed in the new parallel universe known as Praetoria, which is governed by Tyrant™, the evil incarnation of the game's main protagonist, Statesman™. As gamers search for Tyrant and the rest of his Praetorian guard, implacable foes and fierce resistance will arise to face them from all sides, causing heroes and villains alike to question their loyalties.

City of Heroes Going Rogue will introduce a new alignment system that helps players explore the shades of gray that lie between good and evil. For the first time, hero characters can become villains and vice versa, enabling hero archetypes to cross over to the Rogue Isles™ and villain archetypes to experience Paragon City™. Clearly marked missions, in addition to behaviors and decisions made by the player, will move a hero's or villain's moral compass, which could eventually change the hero's or villain's alignment. Going Rogue will also introduce two primary new fictional characters representative of this alignment shift in the game's lore: Maelstrom, a pistol-wielding hero gone rogue, and Desdemona, a demon-summoning villain who has been redeemed.

"City of Heroes has brought a fresh new perspective to the MMO stage with its foray into the super-powered hero comic book genre, and we are excited to present gamers with even more innovative content in Going Rogue," said Brian Clayton, general manager and executive producer at Paragon Studios. "For years, players could choose between playing as a hero or a villain. Now we will present a third, malleable path where players can be affected by the results of their actions, enabling them to further develop, unveil new perspectives, and overcome new challenges."

NCsoft will share more details on Going Rogue in the coming months. The game is currently in development by NCsoft's Paragon Studios, the City of Heroes development team that most recently launched the ground-breaking Mission Architect system. The launch of Mission Architect sets a significant milestone for City of Heroes as the first MMO to allow players to create user-generated content. City of Heroes has and continues to set new standards among its MMO peers and player community with its engaging and approachable comic book-inspired universe theme and consistent delivery of concepts that break the standard MMO mold.

For more information about City of Heroes, go to http://www.cityofheroes.com. For more information about Paragon Studios, go to http://paragonstudios.com. For more news about NCsoft, go to http://us.ncsoft.com/en/news or http://us.ncsoft.com/en/news/press-releases.

About NCsoft
NCsoft, headquartered in Seoul, Korea, is the world's premier publisher and developer of massively multiplayer online games, including the critically acclaimed Lineage®, Guild Wars® and City of Heroes® franchises. NCsoft West is a division of NCsoft that holds operating responsibilities for North America, Europe, South America, and Australia/New Zealand. Read more information at http://us.ncsoft.com.

About Paragon Studios
Paragon Studios is a wholly owned development studio of NCsoft West and is dedicated to the growth of the City of Heroes franchise. Located in Mountain View, California, the team at Paragon Studios brings the world of comic books alive in a massively multiplayer 3D online universe. For more about Paragon Studios, visit http://paragonstudios.com. For more information about City of Heroes, go to http://www.cityofheroes.com.

NCsoft, the interlocking NC logo, PlayNC, Lineage, Guild Wars, City of Heroes, City of Heroes Going Rogue, City of Villains, Paragon City, Rogue Isles, Statesman, Tyrant, and all associated logos and designs are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Goin' Rogue... Part 2

Going Rogue... sound familar? What about that survey that popped up last year... Was it really just a bunch of "what-ifs"?

"City of Heroes and City of Villains let players create unique characters and set forth as virtuous Heroes or evil Villains in a MMO comic book inspired universe. This expansion to the City of Heroes/Villains universe blurs the line between good and evil, between hero and villain. The Going Rogue system is a new game dynamic for City of Heroes and City of Villains that allows players to alter the morality of their characters, eventually opening up the opportunity to turn their Hero into a Villain or vice versa. By visiting different contacts in the game, players can start the process of "moving their moral compass" towards being a hero or a villain. Making this choice dramatically alters the gameplay for the player, as they will now be able to bring an Archetype (class) that was previously only available to players of City of Heroes into City of Villains, and vice versa. Once a character has switched sides, they can continue down the path they have chosen, or use the opportunity to subvert their new allies through a series of espionage-style missions. In addition to this new game altering dynamic, new neutral starting zones allow new players to select their Archetype (class) first, and then let their actions determine their hero, villain or rogue identities. At the high levels, rewards for these moral choices will be found in new PVP, PVE and Co-op zones. Accomplishments will lead to rewards that will significantly distinguish level 50 characters from one another.One such reward is the Universal Enhancement Slots. Ten Universal Enhancement Slots are available to be earned in the expansion, and each one has the potential of adding significant power to the character, essentially bringing them to a hypothetical "Level 60" once they have earned all ten slots. For existing City of Heroes and City of Villains players who have previously reached the level cap of 50, the Expansion will take them into outer space where they can now find challenges that test their powers and skills to the max. On an alien space station that mysteriously appears over Earth, Heroes and Villains will race to unlock the secrets of the place and be the first to reap the rewards that are only available to the best of the best. A brand new Spy Archetype (class), power sets and player costume options will lead to a massive amount of new character and gameplay options. And a significantly enhanced character creator system will now allow characters to customize the effects (looks and colors) of their super powered attacks and defenses. Here is some other things that were mentioned in the survey... 1.) New high level Space Station Zones (PVE, PVP, & Co-op) 2.) Characters that do not wish to change sides are rewarded by becoming exemplary heroes or villains, and earning rewards not available any other way 3.) Heroes and villains who go to the other side can also act as Double-Agents 4.) Character Creator 2.0 includes Powers Customization, allowing players to customize not only the character, but also the actual look of its powers 5.) Players undertake missions that define their character's morality and steer them in a more heroic or villainous direction 6.) By switching sides (going from good to bad or bad to good), players can access content "on the other side" (heroes can experience villain zones and content, and villains can experience hero zones and content) 7.) Completely new low-level player experience/zones for new characters in which new characters do not begin a hero or villain, rather become one or the other through early gameplay 8.) New Spy Archetype, Power Sets & Costumes 9.) Universal Enhancement Slots - at level 50, these enhance powers to the character, essentially bringing them to a hypothetical "Level 60" once they have earned all ten slots Here are some of the suggested names you had to choose from for the new content... Rogues or Vigilantes Rogues or Spies Spies or Vigilantes Moral Compass or Morality Meter Shades of Gray or Crossing Over Allegiance or Alliance Now this part of the survey offered information about the new Player Based Mission Content.... This is a new module for City of Heroes, fictionally presented as a training exercise for Heroes and Villains, that allows players to build their own Missions and Story Arcs and share them with others in the game. Using an intuitive interface similar to the game's detailed Character Creator, players can create missions by selecting options like size and type of map/environment, mission objectives and encounter types, and difficulty level of each encounter. Additionally, players can write all mission story fiction and character dialogue. Players can create their own missions and they can play missions that have been created by other players. Once you have finalized and "published" your missions, they are accessible by all players across all servers. All players can rate player created missions and a Mission Browser lets players find available missions and story arcs through a variety of tabs, sorts and filters in an auction house type environment. As missions are played and more people positively rate them, the creator gains rewards and access to unlockable content for his/her missions. Rewards will also be given to players of the missions. Players will gain rewards such as badges and even XP for playing user created missions and StoryArcs. Here is a list of the feature from the player based mission creator... 1.) Write your own dialog for all aspects of the mission. 2.) Build Missions and Story Arcs using a Character Creator-like interface 3.) Players can build powers for some NPCs by selecting from a group of primary and secondary power pools and attaching them to the NPCs 4.)Players can build a boss (and other NPCs) to place within their mission by creating its looks in the Character Creator and assigning it the powers of an existing NPC (non playable character) 5.) Select a variety of components for the overall mission including Level Range, Map, Length, Villain Group, Pacing, Time to Complete, Goals/type of mission, etc. 6.) Customize Encounters to your preference (Place in End Room, Select Villain Group, Name Boss, Select Critter Type, Select Hostage NPC Critter, etc.) 7.) Using an in-game auction house type interface, other players can find user created StoryArcs across all shards 8.) Creators can include their own character as a contact within the mission(s) 9.) Creators don't have access to high level content (environments, NPCs, etc.) until their own characters have encountered/defeated them in the main game. 10.) Using an out-of-game web interface, other players can find user created StoryArcs across all shards 11.) Rewarding creators of the most popular content with exclusive unlockable content such as signature heroes and villains or unique maps 12.) A rating system that allows players to rate missions or flag them for inappropriate content, allowing the developer to remove bad content and potentially ban players 13.) Players can enter the mission maps to adjust placement of the NPC spawns from their pre-selected positions"

Hmm, seems like a lot of this is starting to actually happen... So what about the stuff we haven't seen on the list? Space station? Power customization? Universal Enhancement slots?

Going Rogue

Looking bad ass.

The upcoming Going Rogue Expansion aims to blur the line between good and evil. Players who have chosen a set path will now be able to experience the other side of the game that they haven't before. General Manager and Executive Producer, Brian Clayton says:

"City of Heroes has brought a fresh new perspective to the MMO stage with its foray into the super-powered hero comic book genre, and we are excited to present gamers with even more innovative content in Going Rogue. For years, players could choose between playing as a hero or a villain. Now we will present a third, malleable path where players can be affected by the results of their actions, enabling them to further develop, unveil new perspectives, and overcome new challenges."

According to NCSoft, More details will be revealed in the coming months.

Ummmmm....yeah 1960's Batman please go away

The Dark Knight: 1960s Version

And so, the fit hits the shan...

As per this post by Positron...

"When we created Mission Architect, the goal was to have an outlet for players to craft cool stories, using our assets, that other players could play and participate in. Other players could rate those stories and the best-of-the best would rise to the top.

While we have accomplished some of those goals with the initial launch of Mission Architect, some have found ways to abuse the system we put in place. We are not blind to this happening, nor did we not expect it. However, it is time to take action regarding it, so please be aware that we are about to implement a zero-tolerance stance on the extreme abuse we are seeing in the system.

One thing was made clear to me when I interacted with the players on our Anniversary. It was that you guys really don’t like the powerlevelling that is going on with MA. The constant spam of MA PL teams forming, requests for “Meow” missions, 5 star badge cartels, and the inability to find quality content in the Mission Architect listing are all things I heard complaints about over and over while I was logged in on Tuesday.

So here is a list of things that are going to happen:

• Players that have abused the reward system egregiously may lose benefits they have gained - leading up to and perhaps including losing access to the characters power-leveled in this fashion.

• Currently, some badges are being modified, and some may be removed from the game entirely. The list of changes being made to the MA badge system is not final yet, but you will be made aware when we have a concrete plan.

• Players who knowingly use an exploit when creating an arc, run the risk of having access to MA suspended, or worse- depending on the severity of the action, their account banned.

• Players who have a story arc banned for any reason, will have it continue to use up one of their publishing slots. Players will NOT be able to unpublish this slot without Customer Service’s help. This sets up a “three strikes and you’re out” policy. If an individual gets three story arcs banned, they will no longer be able to publish since their slots will all be used up with banned arcs.
•• This lock will not take place on the first level of “complaint banning”, where an arc has received a larger number of complaints. Players will still have a chance to fix the arc.
•• If Customer Service looks at an arc and determines it was banned in error, they will mark it as “unbannable”. At that point the arc can not be banned for any reason. The unbannable flag will reset if the player makes any changes to the arc at that point, and the arc can be banned again.
•• Remember, publishing slots are account wide, so players will not be able to log in another character on their account and use their slots instead.
•• Players are urged to avoid using common farming terms in their story title and/or descriptions. Even if it’s a joke, DO NOT run the risk of having an arc banned and requiring Customer Support to grant you your publishing slot back.

Some of you have taken the stance of “how does powerlevelling hurt the game?” and “shouldn’t I be able to play the game the way that I want?” What we want to make clear is in order to keep the game fair, balanced, and challenging, we have to maintain a risk:reward ratio. This is a ratio we’ve spent years attempting to achieve. Mission Architect is not immune to this, and we are taking swift action to see that the problems players are seeing and are being exposed to are remedied"

Heavy handed? Yeah, I'd say so... But we saw it coming, from beta. It was always living on borrowed time. The real question is "What becomes of AE now?"
Granted, with every new issue people flock in droves to the new shiny toy and ignore the old content. We saw it with the ITF, Warzone... and now this. But never with the XP being the big drawing allure that an AE mission had.
Mind you, I think this just step one... When the nerfs are done hopefully a great new feature doesn't go the way of the Arena.... When was the last time you stepped inside one?

R.I.P. Captain Chaos

You were always a hero to me. Godspeed, Dom... thanks for the laughter.