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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Spotlight on the Lost
Paragon City has the same problems as any large city. Drug addiction, financial ruin, and any number of other horrible circumstances have conspired to give the city a large population of the homeless and hopeless, left wandering the streets and trying desperately to survive. But something emerged within the homeless population of the city, something that smells of a familiar evil and a problem that was never appropriately dealt with the first time. If your goal is to defend the system, your enemies will find the people whom the system has failed... The Lost are among the saddest of all of the villainous groups in City of Heroes because at their core the group is made up of people who in many ways simply had no options. It's not even that they turned to crime out of desperation. These are people who, for better or worse, were blameless of anything more than minor crimes and poor decisions. And then they found themselves knee-deep in a war, moving from one sort of victim to another.
The Perfect Ten: MMO cataclysms
Today sees the launch of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, which represents a destructive "reboot" button on the world of Azeroth. The old has been made new by virtue of fiery explosions that have rent the very earth in twain, and WoW gamers will have to find their footing all over again. As you might imagine, it's made one big-ass mess, which is compounded by the fact that there are no janitor classes in the game to sweep it up (the next hero class, perhaps?). However, the notion of an in-game cataclysm is hardly the sole domain of Activision-Blizzard; on the contrary, large-scale apocalypses pop up all the time in MMOs. After all, nothing grabs the attention like the end of the world (but hey, you still feel fine)! In a list that in no way is meant to capitalize on any expansions that may or may not be on the market, we're going to strap on our Kevlar suits, slather our arms with 1000 SPF sunblock, and take a brief tour of 10 worlds that have dated cataclysms -- and lived to tell the tale.
The City of Heroes team against the Apex task force
There are times when working with MMOs can be a bit of a mixed bag. You get some hate-filled feedback, you find that one of your major hobbies is now part of your job, and you're either a shill for the company or you're overly negative. And then there are times when you get to run the newest City of Heroes task force with the development team from Paragon Studios, and suddenly you remember why you got into the field in the first place. It's one thing to be told over and over that a task force represents a new high-water mark for City of Heroes, and another thing entirely to start playing it and realize that it's pretty much exactly what was advertised. The first phase of fighting off the Praetorian invasion required fancy footwork, careful play, and learning encounters without being overly tedious. And even aside from that, it featured giant robots and the explanation of the flying swords from the Issue 19 trailer -- both things that turned out to be even more awesome than I had dared to hope.
The invasion of City of Heroes begins once again
They've returned... the scourge of Paragon City, the greatest threat to Earth that the world has ever known, and the source of much player excitement. After a long hiatus, the Rikti invasion has returned to City of Heroes, and that means players can start enjoying the war against the invaders all over again. Running until 11:59 p.m. PDT on November 7th, the invasion will span all of the game's zones and force players to work together to defeat the alien threat. If you've taken part in one of the smaller triggered invasions that have hit the game every so often, you'll be ready for the mechanics but not the scope. If you've never seen the even before, however, it's a great chance for players to bond and take part in one of the more dynamic live events the game has to offer. Rikti attacks can take place in any zone of the game and will be running on a regular basis for the duration. And if you think you need to take your City of Heroes character through the event in style, might we suggest taking a look at our ongoing contest for the new Origin Pack?
The Rikti return to City of Heroes
If you've played City of Heroes, you know who the Rikti are -- the dangerous race from beyond our dimension who invaded and nearly destroyed Paragon City. Over time they've slowly become less of a threat, but they've never truly left, and amidst all the talk of Praetorian invasion they've decided to remind heroes and villains alike who they're dealing with. That's right, it's time to get ready for another brawl for the fate of humanity as the full-scale Rikti Invasion returns to the live servers. Paragon Studios has announced that the invasion will commence at 9:00 a.m. PDT on November 4th and last until midnight PDT on November 7th, giving players ample time to take part in the battle against the invaders. While lesser invasions have happened from time to time, the full-scale invasion has been on hiatus for a while, but it remains one of the more popular server events. And if you're a new player to City of Heroes, it's your chance to see one of the biggest enemy groups in the game face-to-face. Fair warning, however -- despite what the header might suggest, most of the Rikti do not simply wish to dance at the tailor.
One Shots: Rikti invasion chaos
As many City of Heroes players know, this last week has been chock full of great xp and adventure. What could possibly make heroes show up en masse and lay the smack down? How about an enormous Rikti invasion? Sure, the Rikti gave us the technology that allows us to teleport here and there, rez in the hospitals and whatnot, but when the aliens show up, it's time to protect Paragon City. The above City of Heroes One Shots was snapped by this blogger during an invasion in Talos Island just a few days ago, showing the teeming masses of heroes defending the Virtue server from invasion.If you've been involved in an invasion, RvR, PvP, or an awesome storyline, we want to see your screenshots! Just send them to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name/group/server and a quick description. We'll format them up and post them for the world to see, and you'll get all the credit. %Gallery-9798%
The Daily Grind: What makes for the best in-game events?
It's several years now since the great Rikti Invasion that ended the City of Heroes Beta, but people still talk about it. Vast ships filled the sky above the city zones, and huge spawns of Rikti beamed down to attack the player heroes - led by developer-controlled bosses.There have been other events since, but it seems nothing has ever quite lived up to the impact of that first event, possibly because it's now passed into game legend, and has been told and retold so many times it's become more than it was. That aside, we can identify three aspects that made it epic: big, obvious additions to the regular scenery; frantic large-scale action across a wide area; and active 'event crew' participation, adding the human element.Which in-game events have been the most memorable for you? Have you interacted with signature characters or taken part in one-off sieges? Have you attended weddings that turned into slaughterhouses, or invasions that turned into mass dance parties? We'd like to know what you think makes an in-game event truly memorable, no matter whether it's arranged by developers or players.
The Digital Continuum: Live event adulation
You may or may not have heard, but we're coming to Planetside to kick some worldwide hide. At least that's the plan, but whatever happens -- win or lose -- I'm just excited to be a part of an epic, cataclysmic in-game event. It's the kind of thing I've always wanted to see more of but somehow I rarely see these sorts of things happen in massively multiplayer online games. There are smaller yearly events that are always fun, sure. It would just be nice to see more events minimally on the scale of City of Heroes' Rikti invasions or today's Planetside Black Ops event. Whether or not developers haven't really explored this area because they fear player backlash is beyond me. I personally don't see how creating a dynamic world that keeps its players guessing at the next twist or turn isn't worth a little risk. Then again I'm all about dynamic, awe-inspiring, world changing events.
City of Heroes' lead designer contemplates the Midnight Hour, Issue 12
Senior Designer Joe Morrissey, otherwise known as "Hero 1", has a lot of enthusiasm for the upcoming Issue 12 patch for City of Heroes. Not because of technology, though there are some great additions on the way. Not because of the new epic archetypes, though those are completely awesome. No, Joe is really excited because the City of Heroes story is going places it's never gone before. The designer/writer for NCsoft's superhero title sent us over a great developer diary to explain some of those places.Following up on the Rikti invasion highlighted by Issue 10, the magical group known as the Midnight Squad is stepping out the shadows. The aliens, always a pain for good-hearted earthfolk, struck the magical community hard and fast. The aliens may have advanced tech but, as Morrissey points out, they tipped their hand a bit. Now the powerful time-traveling boffins of the Squad are recruiting, and your character is very much on their list.To cap things, off, the designer runs down a few of the plot arcs we can expect in the next issue, as well as touching more on the fascinating plot thread feature coming to contacts. Read on below the cut for the entire discussion.%Gallery-18214%
One Shots: Alien Bounty Hunters
Intrepid City of Heroes photog Matthew sent us this shot from the front lines, as he and his fellow Paragon City vets stomped all over the alien menace known as the Rikti. Within sight of the famous statue of Atlas, the heroes look to be doing a bang-up job of banging up those shifty extraterrestrials. Matt doesn't tell us precisely when this is from, but odds are this battle took place around the time of Issue 10: The Rikti Invasion. That issue really brought CoH players roaring back into the world events habit, and paved the way for the great content introduced by NCsoft in Issue 11. If you missed it the first time around, never fear! The alien invasion early warning system in has detected new fleets inbound. The next one is due to arrive tomorrow, with ships and Rikti arriving daily through the 24th. More should be arriving from June 13th through June 19th, August 1st through August 7th, Sept 26th through Oct 2nd, and November 14th through November 20th. Go out there and fight the good fight!Have you fought off any alien invasions lately? Do you have any screenshots lying around of your heroic antics during an MMO world event? Send those screenshots our way, via oneshots AT massively DOT com. The next time you save the planet, we might feature it right here in this space!%Gallery-9798%
One Shots: To stop a ticking bomb...
Reader Julien offers up this screenshot directly from the Rogue Isles in City of Villains (or at least we think that's where it's from -- our screenshot archiving ferrets at One Shots don't have time to play a lot of games). During the Rikti Invasion of Issue 10, where Rikti attacks could be seen in a variety of ways -- such as this bomb in the middle of the street. Julien explains this particular shot by saying, "Because everyone knows that you stop a ticking bomb by hitting it with fire monkeys."Snapped any good screenshots recently? Send them to us so we can feature your screenshot and story for tomorrow's One Shots! It's easy to participate -- just send your screenshots and stories to oneshots@massively.com. %Gallery-9798%
One Shots: The Rikti Invasion
Reader Julien sends in this shot from the Rikti Invasion event introduced to City of Heroes (and Villains!) in Issue 11. We're looking at one of the Rikti dropships closeup, as it sails the skies prepared to fire, Julien tells us, at any arrogant heroes or villains getting too close. Oh, good times, good times!Snapped any good screenshots recently? Send them to us so we can feature your screenshot and story for tomorrow's One Shots! It's easy to participate -- just send your screenshots and stories to oneshots@massively.com. %Gallery-9798%
One Shots: Introducing Rikti
Apparently yesterday's display from City of Heroes has inspired some of our readers to send in their City of Villains action shots. We highly encourage this sort of friendly competition -- because thus far it has resulted in some incredible screenshots.This shot was taken top of the arena in Port Oakes during one of the recent Rikti Invasions. Now that's something you don't see every day...Do you have any screenshots that capture the chaos of combat in your MMO of choice? We want to see them for our next One Shots! We can only post what you send us -- so send your screenshots and stories to oneshots@massively.com. You may see it featured here tomorrow, same time, same place! %Gallery-9798%
Vince D'Amelio has your answers
Have a question you'd like to pose to Vince D'Amelio, City of Heroes Senior Programmer? If so, the WarCry Network wants to hear from you. The concept behind the "Ask a Dev" series is elegant in its simplicity: find a CoX developer who has the time to answer questions, ask the community what questions they most wish answered, then put the two together and have the issues addressed by the minds behind the game.So go ahead, ask your questions, you know you want to. And remember, there's no such thing as a stupid question, only a stupid Rikti.
CoH tip: Earning your cape
When you train up to level 20 in City of Heroes, you earn yourself a free makeover at Icon, the tailors to the heroes. There's a mission to undertake for Serge, the manager, and you should get to that. Afterwards, however, you're eligible to earn your cape. Problem is, you're not really told that or who to see, and earning it at level 20 is a darn sight easier than waiting until later on. You don't have to wear one right away, certainly, but if you want the option, it's best to do earn your eligibility sooner rather than later. Later it will be much harder to accomplish, and possibly impractical to do solo.
