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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Someone dies at the end, part two
Welcome back to our intensely morbid two-part series on the answer to the big question from the first City of Heroes signature arc -- namely, who's going to die? The first part from last week covered the four choices that have the most front-cover exposure. If you were forced to name four members of the Surviving Eight off the top of your head, those are the names that would probably come up first, due to both the developers and general storyline importance. Of course, there were a lot of other theories in the comments last week, including suggestions that death is coming for one or two of the members of this week's list. And there were some good arguments in there... but those are arguments that can just as easily be wrong, something I'll address when we jump past the break and start off with the only survivor who doesn't have a task force to his name.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Someone dies at the end, part one
So that doubled experience weekend sort of, um, didn't happen. In my defense, by the time we knew about it, it was Wednesday. That's when you read the column, but not when it's written. So I couldn't do much more other than shake my head and wonder what I was going to talk about when City of Heroes had inadvertently yanked my column topic away at the last moment as if it were a football. Instead, we're going to look at the rumblings about the first Signature Story arc, which asks us who is going to die at the end. Now, to be fair, "nobody" is a valid answer. But it's heavily implied that one of the members of the Surviving Eight will bite the big one, and that means a big shakeup in the game's status quo. So let's run down the big eight and see which one seems most likely to die, at least in comic book terms. (And yes, it's comic book terms. War Witch is already dead, and that hasn't stopped her from being in-game as a trainer, remember?)
Paragon Market details unveiled for City of Heroes Freedom
Amidst the excitement and apprehension surrounding the release of City of Heroes Freedom later this year, there's an obvious question that must be asked -- what is the cash shop like? After all, for all the features the new hybrid model is promising, it's not going to help much if the cash shop is ridiculous or counterintuitive. Answering precisely that concern, the development team for City of Heroes has put together a preview of the Paragon Market, showing players what to expect once the shop goes live. Not only will the shop offer players a variety of old pieces at a discounted price (the entire Magic costume set clocks in at roughly $5, with individual pieces available as well), the market will also allow players to buy new features such as dual inspirations, new power sets, and new costume slots. In a game where individual creativity and character customization are king, the idea of adding a dozen more character slots and new costume slots should appeal to pretty much every player.
SDCC 2011: New City of Heroes: Freedom screenshots, trailer
Following hot on the heels of our preview of the new powersets coming to City of Heroes, NCSoft and Paragon Studios have let loose a flood of new assets for the upcoming additions to the game. The images cover the new powersets, the updated tutorial, the new Paragon Reward system, and all the other nifty new features that will finally see the light of day with City of Heroes' Issue 21. We've also got a new trailer for you to allow you to see all of the new content in action, and we have to say it looks like City of Heroes fans have a great deal to look forward to. So if you're a City of Heroes player anxiously anticipating Issue 21, jump on past the cut for the new trailer. Hopefully it will keep your appetite sated for just a while longer. %Gallery-9156%
SDCC 2011: City of Heroes has new powers to show off
Time Manipulation has been known about for some time as a new set en route to City of Heroes once the Freedom patch launches toward the end of the summer, but the development team does love throwing in new elements to play with. The game's official boards are alight with new information about two new powersets, Street Justice and Beam Gun, straight from the demo stations at San Diego Comic-Con. Beam Gun, as the name would imply, is a set for Corruptors, Defenders, and Blasters, giving players access to the eponymous gun which deals mostly Energy damage. The individual attacks are fairly weak, but each attack lands a debuff to increase subsequent damage, making the powerset play something like a ranged Brute. Meanwhile, Street Justice is a melee set that builds up combo points to improve a finishing attack, taking the form of smashing and lethal martial arts attacks. No word yet on any other powers that might be coming with the update, but three sets alone should have players hammering out new alts as soon as the update goes live.
City of Heroes details new Paragon Rewards program
Ever since the conversion was announced, City of Heroes players have been looking for new information on the Paragon Rewards program launching with City of Heroes Freedom. The update promises more rewards for players who have been with the game for a while, whether they've remained loyal subscribers or have taken advantage of the free-to-play model. Details have just been released, giving players a look at what can be expected when the new reward system goes live. When the system launches, existing Veteran Rewards badges will be converted into Paragon Rewards tokens, along with an additional token for each 12 months of subscription time. Further tokens will be earned at a rate of one per month, with an additional token for every year subscribed and for every $15 spent in the Paragon Store. Rewards are unlocked in a tiered structure, with Tier 9 offering the best rewards to veteran VIP players and lower tiers offering account-wide unlocks such as access to Mission Architect. While the details of moving through the tiers haven't been elaborated upon, players should still have quite a bit to look forward to with the rewards unveiled so far.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The life of the alter-ego
In response to my original column about City of Heroes Freedom, I got an email. This in and of itself isn't particularly unusual; I get a lot of email, even if I don't respond to all of it. (I do read all of it, but there are only so many hours in the day.) The mail itself was pretty angry, however, claiming that I had sold out to NCsoft and was being just another corporate shill. Exact terminology has not been preserved, but you get the general idea. It's the sort of letter that pretty much everyone at Massively gets from time to time, insisting that we've sold out at some point. Of course, after I had my usual laugh, I realized that there are some genuine misconceptions about what it's like being on the other side of the screen. They've been touched on from time to time with reader questions, but rather than scattering information hither and yon, I figured I'd just take a column to clear the air and dispel some misunderstandings about what goes on behind the scenes at Massively.
City of Heroes previews First Ward
It's important for City of Heroes players to remember that Issue 21 isn't just bringing City of Heroes Freedom -- it's also bringing several pieces of new content, including the foreboding First Ward. The official site has just put up a preview of the new region, the site of Emperor Cole's first attempt at making his perfect society... and the site of his greatest failure in that goal. Because First Ward was the start of Praetoria, one that ended in destruction and death despite everything. Protected by a prototype system of sonic fencing which would later be used around Praetoria proper, First Ward was able to repulse the Devouring Earth for quite some time. But Hamidon had a secret plan to burst up from within the city, leading to widespread death and destruction across the landscape. The city remains as a place where the veil between dead and living has been weakened to near the breaking point while the Devouring Earth stalk the streets, and while something may be blossoming within the city, it's certainly not Cole's dream. City of Heroes players can check out the official site for the full details on what has happened to the city.
Powersets are spreading the love in City of Heroes
With new powersets on deck for Issue 21 of City of Heroes, you might have reasonably assumed that there wouldn't be anything more to see in the powers department. But as the newest issue of the Intrepid Informer makes clear, you won't just have brand-new powers to kick around when City of Heroes Freedom launches. You'll also be able to play around with powers that are new to each archetype, with the newest round of powerset proliferation hitting the game at the same time. Aside from Dominators, every archetype is getting at least one new power set, ranging from the melee options that were always odd omissions (such as War Mace for Scrappers and Broad Sword for Brutes and Tankers) to sets that had previously been confined to a single archetype (Ice Armor for Stalkers, Poison for Corruptors). City of Heroes players looking to play a new flavor of an old favorite should take a look at the full rundown of upcoming proliferations, as it promises a lot of new options even without the new stuff.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Nine misconceptions about Freedom
So one of the interesting elements of having written up the initial column and post on the newest City of Heroes change is that I didn't have time to really see what the community reaction would be. I knew that I was excited about City of Heroes Freedom, and I knew that there was a lot to hope for, but the only guess I could make was that people would crow about the game's impending demise rather than focusing on the many positives coming from the switch to a hybrid model. It's been two weeks now, and while I won't claim to have my finger on the pulse of the community (who the heck is Leonardo Leonardo?), I do think I've gotten a general idea of the biggest complaints about the upcoming change. Some of them are entirely accurate -- yes, you will have free players on your server, and yes, that will include the already-burgeoning Virtue. But other complaints are a bit inaccurate or stem from misunderstandings, so today I want to talk about the nine points that seem most frequently misunderstood about Freedom.
City of Heroes' Intrepid Informer introduces new Freedom tutorial
Paragon Studios has released a very special Intrepid Informer for City of Heroes players today, giving them a look into the new-player tutorial that will arrive with the advent of City of Heroes Freedom. In true superhero fashion, the new tutorial will incorporate a hand-drawn comic book by Paragon's own David "Noble Savage" Nakayama. The game will open by dropping new players smack in the middle of Galaxy City as it falls under siege by Shivan invaders. The villains of the Rogue Isles -- opportunists that they are -- aim to take advantage of the chaos to cause mayhem while the heroes work to thwart the threats to the city. The full post details the process that went into creating this exciting new tutorial and also includes a sneak-preview of Nakayama's stylish comic work, which players will see prior to the tutorial proper. To read up on all the fine details of the game's new introduction, head on over to the official CoH site.
Matt "Positron" Miller discusses designing City of Heroes Freedom
Whenever a subscription-based MMO announces its transition to a free-to-play model, players tend to worry. There are a number of aspects to the F2P model that can drastically change the game's dynamics. Will players who pay have an innate advantage over those who don't? What about rewards for the customers who have remained loyal subscribers over the years? The folks at Paragon Studios understand these concerns, and Matt "Positron" Miller has posted up a short diary explaining the thought process behind the recently announced City of Heroes Freedom. Miller takes the time to assure players that the switch to a hybrid payment model is not a decision the team made lightly, and that the devs have plans set to ensure that the game remains enjoyable for long-time subscribers and new, non-paying players alike. It's a rather interesting and candid look into the philosophy behind the switch and is well worth the read for any CoH fan. You can check out the whole piece on the official site.
NCsoft announces San Diego Comic-Con events and schedule
If you're planning to attend the San Diego Comic-Con next month, and if you happen to be a fan of Guild Wars or City of Heroes, then NCsoft wants you to swing by its booth while you're in the neighborhood. Attendees will be able "to meet artists and developers from City of Heroes Freedom and Guild Wars 2." NCsoft will be giving the latest news on City of Heroes' recently announced free-to-play transition as well as giving fans the opportunity to take Guild Wars 2's Engineer class for a spin. In addition to all of that, City of Heroes' Desdemona will be making appearances at the booth while City of Heroes comic artist David "Noble Savage" Nakayama whips up free illustrations of selected CoH players' characters. The artists of Guild Wars 2 will also be present to sign limited-edition postcard art books. But of course the party doesn't stop at the convention; NCsoft's Fan Meet & Greet takes place Friday the 22nd. Fans will have to check the NCsoft schedule for details on how to acquire tickets as it is a ticketed event, but those fortunate enough to attend will have the privilege of rubbing elbows with CoH and GW2 developers and artists. And of course, fans will be afforded the opportunity to go hands-on with City of Heroes Freedom and Guild Wars 2. For more information, check out the official announcement and NCsoft's Comic-Con schedule.
City of Heroes producer's letter talks Freedom
In case you've been living under a Paragon City-sized rock over the past couple of days, it's worth repeating that City of Heroes is gearing up to add a boatload of new freemium options with its Freedom update. Today's producer's letter addresses the watershed news and also gives a glimpse behind the curtain at the balancing act achieved by Paragon Studios developers while simultaneously working on Issues 19 - 21 (and supporting Issue 18). While some players no doubt see the onset of a freemium business model as an indication that a game's best days are behind it, Paragon's planned path forward for content creation seems to suggest otherwise. What are some of these new content nuggets? "An all-new tutorial will introduce new players to Paragon City and the Rogue Isles like never before, and lets heroes and villains choose their archetype independently of their alignment," says the letter. Additionally, players can expect an Atlas Park makeover as well as new mission content in both Atlas Park and Mercy Island. New zones are in the works too, as are new costumes, powers, characters, and villains. In short, there's rarely been a better time to be a City of Heroes fan, so head to the official website to read all about it.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Freedom
I know, I promised you all Stalkers today. But in case you haven't noticed, something sort of trumped the last archetype under discussion. Something like City of Heroes making one of the biggest announcements in the history of the game. And the weirdest part is, I'm writing this before most of the world knows about it, after being on the phone with Paragon Studios and talking about all of the cool stuff that's coming along with City of Heroes Freedom. Working in game journalism means knowing about what's coming up before other people much of the time. I knew that there was something big en route when I sat down on the call, but honestly I had expected another expansion pack. And that's really what we're getting here, albeit not quite in the format that most players would expect. This is another major expansion to the game, one that will open up the playerbase as well as offering new content to existing players. So this is one of those times when it's almost difficult to sit down and focus clearly enough to write about what's coming, just because the net effects are so far-reaching.
City of Heroes going free-to-play later this year
Paragon Studios' superpowered flagship MMO City of Heroes is surfing the ever-growing trendwave of paid online titles moving into the free-to-play market. The developer has announced City of Heroes Freedom, a free version of the seven-year-old game which will launch later this year. The MMO will follow an increasingly popular model, giving free players access to a partial list of areas and features available to paid subscribers -- however, in an unusual twist, free users will be able to pick and choose exactly which features and areas they want to access. Premium subscribers get access to the whole kit and caboodle, as well as special rewards they'll be able to choose from every month. These include new costumes, consumables and power sets, almost ensuring their supernatural superiority over their free-to-play counterparts. Basically, they'll be the Justice League to the free players' Alpha Flight.
A new experience is launching for City of Heroes -- Freedom
The world of City of Heroes is changing. Players in the game now face an invasion from another dimension and a staggering host of new threats. But there's an even bigger change on the horizon, one that will shake the game to its very fundamentals. That change is City of Heroes Freedom, a combination of a new hybrid business model for the game that will add a plethora of new rewards, subscription option, and content for all players of the game. The fact that it will open the game up to a free-to-play model is almost incidental considering the other sweeping changes coming to the game as a whole. The longstanding Veteran Rewards system will be getting overhauled into a new Paragon Rewards system, which will offer all of the extant rewards along with a huge number of additional bonuses on a monthly basis. Subscribers will be upgraded to VIP Players, gaining access not only to priority queues and a special VIP-only server but to an exclusive signature story arc every month, allowing characters to experience ongoing stories alongside the important lore characters of Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. VIP players will also be gaining a free monthly stipend of Paragon Points for the game's new cash store, which will allow players access to new costumes, new power sets, and even new weapon and usage styles for existing sets. City of Heroes players should take a look at the official site and get ready for the newest upgrade to the game -- a solid dose of old-school freedom.
