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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Consumerism at its finest
As of today, the Steampunk Pack should be live in City of Heroes. If anyone needs me for the remainder of the evening, I'll probably be logged in and furiously punking some steam or whatever you would call it when one surrounds oneself with clockwork gizmos and dripping oil slicks. Suffice to say that I like this pack a lot even sight unseen -- I've been excited as heck about it since the announcement, and I'm more than ready to purchase this one the day it goes live. It's nice to see that the art department at Paragon Studios is putting a little more emphasis on launching specific theme packs for character costumes -- if you don't have any characters to use the concept, you can pass, but if you do, it's money well-spent. At the same time, I have to admit that I'd like to continue branching pretty far afield from the traditional superhero genre just to keep producing new packs. And hey, that's worth a column, especially as my head fills with visions of new costume pieces with steam and rivets.
City of Heroes talks about the Animal Pack and endgame accessibility
Yesterday saw the announcement of the newest add-on pack for City of Heroes, but that's hardly the only news to come out for the game this week. A new developer diary has been released which details the creation of the Animal Pack -- what elements are in the pack, what elements were left out, and why some animals were picked over others. It sheds some light on both the genesis of this specific pack and the usual development process for the additions. But if you're more content-minded, you'll probably be even happier about the latest Producer's Letter by Nate Birkholz, detailing the upcoming Incarnate Trials of Issue 20 and the team's plans to address endgame accessibility. The Incarnate Trials are a step toward ensuring that any player with a level 50 character and the expansion can take part in the Incarnate system, with looser group requirements and a new queueing system to let players jump in without a pre-formed group. There's also more talk about allowing more liberal acquisition of Incarnate Shards, even if you're level-matched to a lower-level character. It's the sort of accessibility and general freedom that's always been center stage for City of Heroes, which the new letter takes pains to stress.
City of Heroes unveils a trailer for the next super booster
The sixth Super Booster for City of Heroes is coming, and it's going to be a very different experience from the previous boosters. The first five numbered boosters were very direct in their theme, with each one focusing on a different origin type. This time around, the pack is focusing on all five origins, with new capes and auras to show off just where your character comes from. It's dubbed the Origins Pack, and a trailer has just been released to show off all of the unique new effects players can enjoy. Embedded after the cut, the video features a quick walkthrough of the five new capes and 10 new auras added with the new pack, with the auras featuring intensely unique effects that suit each different origin. Each aura and cape has additional uses, as well -- it's hard to imagine that a Radiation-themed villain wouldn't want the Toxic Fumes or Atomic aura, just as an example. The pack is tentatively set to release on November 3rd, but until then, players can enjoy the trailer and start thinking about their next costume changes in City of Heroes.
