Tuesday, March 30, 2010

OnRPG

Well folks, it’s now official. I’ve been hired by www.OnRpg.com to write for them. God only knows what they did to deserve me heh.

Still if you want to pop by the Forums and threaten me with GBH feel free. I’ll still be blogging here of course and will make mention when there’s a new and interesting article up.

Or you could follow the twitter. OnRPG Twitter

My first piece will be going up soon.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

City of Heroes Kinetic Melee

Thanks to Quest for the link.

Enjoy! (I agree with the guy in the background, “I love you” )

Saturday, March 27, 2010

City Of Heroes PAX East

All of the following is copied from Newsarama.com as they live blogged the CoH PAX East panel.

Some fantastic information in it and I will likely throw up a digest soon. Enjoy! I sure as heck did.

11:22  Thanks for joining us for NCSoft's panel on Superheroic MMOs
The panelists are Melissa Bianco, Lead Designer 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:22 
11:22  Matt Miller, Lead Systems Designer 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:22 
11:23  David Nakayama, Lead Artist 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:23 
11:23  Eric Johnsen, Art Producer 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:23 
11:23  EM Stock, Studio Community Lead 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:23 
11:26  The panel kicks off a few minutes early with EM Stock introducing the panelists. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:26 
11:27  The panel plans to talk about the start with Cryptic Studios, the current Paragon team, and the future of the franchise. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:27 
11:27  Jesse Caceres, Producer of the game was added to the panel in the stead of Eric Johnsen. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:27 
11:28  The Cryptic Years was the first topic, with Caceres talking about the origins of the game. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:28 
11:28  City of Heroes launched April 28th, 2004, almost six years ago. City of Villains then launched about 18 months later. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:28 
11:28  They've also published 10 free expansions, and six paid ones. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:28 
11:29  There are four members of the launch team that stayed with Paragon Studios and still work on the game, including Miler and Bianco 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:29 
11:30  When NC Soft bought the CoH license and founded Paragon Studios in November 2007, they offered the entire team jobs, and everyone accepted. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:30 
11:31  Correction: They then released 6 expansions so far, with a seventh on the way, also all free. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:31 
11:31  Caceres asked, "How do we keep things fresh?" 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:31 
11:32  He then showed a slide that listed about 60 things that have been added to the game, including Capes/Auras, Power Customization, and Weapon Customization. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:32 
11:32  Caceres mentioned that NC Soft has been great at backing them on adding anything they want to the game, and giving them the resources to do. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:32 
11:33  Level Pacting, where you can help level up your friends even when they're not online was a major innovation they were excited to bring in. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:33 
11:33  Mission Architect, where players can create their own content for the game, is another major way that they keep things fresh for long-time and new players alike. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:33 
11:34  Issue 17: Dark Mirror, the new expansion is next. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:34 
11:34  Ultra Mode is a massive across-the-board graphical enhancement for City of Heroes that will be FREE with Issue 17. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:34 
11:35  Nakayama explained how it will work in broad strokes to make the game look a lot better, and mentioned some specific new features 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:35 
11:35  Real time shadows, relevant to the time of day, are cast now by all objects and characters. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:35 
11:36  Planar and cubemap reflections; Windows, water, and reflective materials, including metallic armor and costume pieces will reflect in real time 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:36 
11:37  "If you fly by a reflective window, you'll see your character reflected" 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:37 
11:37  Screen Space Ambient Occlusion, recessed corners and dark spaces gain more realistic lighting 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:37 
11:37  "Issue 17 is just the beginning" 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:37 
11:38  Issue 17 will also have new content, including new story arcs for heroes and villains 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:38 
11:38  Bianco mentioned also that they revamped the Positron Task Force 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:38 
11:39  They split it in half to make it "not suck," said Bianco 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:39 
11:39  New Mission Architect features were added, including new more dynamic XP options 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:39 
11:40  Tails now move, you can send image attachments inside the in-game mail. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:40 
11:40  And now there are Doppelgangers, enemies that are yourself! 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:40 
11:41  They can have a color swap, or have the same exact costume, and every character or party will have their own different missions with doppelgangers 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:41 
11:42  The CoH comic from Top Cow was mentioned, and issues of the comic give hints to new features in the game. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:42 
11:42  Going Rogue is the NEXT next expansion, the first paid one since City of Villains. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:42 
11:42  New 1 to 20 content tells a cohesive storyline 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:42 
11:43  Caceres said this will be the perfect time to jump in for new players as they'll have "nothing more to complain about!" to laughs from the other panelists. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:43 
11:43  You'll start as a Praetorian, a loyalist or a rogue; not a hero or a villain though 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:43 
11:44  Praetoria is an alternate-Earth rebuilt after the defeat of Hamidon 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:44 
11:44  The entire world was built with "Ultra Mode" in mind, and has buildings and objects made to make it look better than ever. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:44 
11:44  There are Brand-new zones, Nova Praetoria, Imperial City, Neutropolis, and The Underground 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:44 
11:45  Nova is the base of operations to Emperor Cole 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:45 
11:45  Imperial is a NYC style city, Neutropolis is much more technology-enhanced of an area 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:45 
11:46  There are also all-new enemy groups 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:46 
11:46  The Praetoria Police Department will look familiar to fans of Top Ten, a super-powered police department 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:46 
11:46  The Seers are thought-police 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:46 
11:47  The Resistance can either be your allies or your enemies, depending on if you choose to be a Loyalist or a member of the group 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:47 
11:47  Praetorian Clockwork are "helper droids" that maintain the cities, but also have massive offensive capabilities 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:47 
11:48  the Syndicate is a new, more powerful organized crime group 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:48 
11:48  The Ghouls stay mostly in the underground, and it's a mystery how they were created 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:48 
11:48  There's also another enemy who will be revealed this sumemr 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:48 
11:48  The Going Rogue System starts at level 20 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:48 
11:49  You can change from being a hero to a villain or vice-versa 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:49 
11:49  It's a gradual progression. "Hero falling from grace, becoming a vigilante then eventually a villain" 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:49 
11:49  Villains become Rogue "A Han Solo type" then becomes a hero 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:49 
11:50  NEW POWERSETS (here you go, Jack!) 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:50 
11:50  Dual Pistols, are first up; if you pre-purchase the expansion, you get those RIGHT NOW 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:50 
11:51  Demon Summoning is next up 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:51 
11:52  it will hit servers with Issue 17, again for pre-purchasers. A world premiere of the video was shown, we'll have it for you on Monday on the site, as well. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:52 
11:52  Demons themselves will have varying powers 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:52 
11:52  Flaming whip attacks are added for the masters too 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:52 
11:52  TWO more powersets as well! 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:52 
11:53  first there was a joke of "Clown Summoning" showing an image of Pennywise from IT 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:53 
11:53  for real now 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:53 
11:53  Kinetic Melee is added for Stalkers, Brutes, Scrappers, and Tankers 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:53 
11:53  Electric Control for controllers and dominators 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:53 
11:54  All ten basic archetypes get a new powerset with this expansion 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:54 
11:54  Well have hands-on with a closed beta of Going Rogue for you in the next couple of weeks. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:54 
11:55  A video was shown of Kinetic Melee, and screenshots of Electric Control, which we'll also have for you early next week 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:55 
11:55  ISSUE 19: INCARNATES is announced next 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:55 
11:56  All the details will come after Going Rogue 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:56 
11:56  Incarnate System will be 10 Incarnate levels 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:56 
11:56  the first level will be available in Going Rogue, along with new incarnate abilities 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:56 
11:56  Issue 19 will bring 9 more levels and more abilities 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:56 
11:57  New Rewards, new Zone Events, and the "End Game system" 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:57 
11:57  Going Rogue will be required to play the End Game system 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:57 
11:57  Q&A Started next, with Em starting things 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:57 
11:58  She asked Jesse for Paragon's general philosophy of how to keep the game fresh 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:58 
11:59  Jesse: "We want to continue to build on systems and listen to YOU to help continue to grow and stay the #1 superhero MMO" 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:59 
11:59  Q: When was Going Rogue born as a concept? 

Saturday March 27, 2010 11:59 
12:00  Jesse: It was originally going to launch with "Issue 6" 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:00 
12:00  But they werent happy with the level they were able to bring it to, so delayed it until technology got there. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:00 
12:00  David talked a bit more about Praetoria, which will include all glass facades 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:00 
12:01  "We're trying to tell the design story better, everything is very specifically keyed to the zone it is in" 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:01 
12:01  Q: Favorite additions to the game since launch? 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:01 
12:01  David: ULTRA MODE! 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:01 
12:02  Matt: Going Rogue system, a lot of fun, especially for level 50s 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:02 
12:02  Melissa: Praetoria, being that she built it from ground up; "you won't recognize this is City of Heroes visually" 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:02 
12:03  Caceres: "The Flashback system" 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:03 
12:04  Q: Is Hamodon contained or defeated? and will we ever see him? 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:04 
12:04  A: he is contained, but you won't see him, at least not yet 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:04 
12:05  Q: Any plans for PvP getting some changes? 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:05 
12:06  A: It is something on the slate, but it will be a couple of Issues from now. Base Raids, Items of Power are also planned on being repurposed but fixed. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:06 
12:06  Q: With Going Rogue, how will heroes and villains markets work? 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:06 
12:07  A: They won't be merged, but individual problems will be addressed for characters that are switching. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:07 
12:09  The next fan had a question about pay models, and how they decided to do the subscription model they use 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:09 
12:10  Miller explained that NCSoft has experimented with several business models for their different games, and this one fits this specific game; it's just behind-the-scenes business decisions to make sure they're keeping the quality levels high 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:10 
12:11  Q: With supergroups, how will the new alignment system with members deciding to go rogue affect the supergroups? 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:11 
12:11  A: If you switch sides, you get temporarily removed from your group; if you switch back, you're back with all your prestige included. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:11 
12:13  You MAY be able to join a villain group along with a hero group, but they're not sure yet. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:13 
12:13  Q: Any plans to revisit old hazard zones? 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:13 
12:14  Bianco Yes, they do revisit sometimes, but only when it makes sense; they like creating new one a lot more. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:14 
12:14  Q: Will difficulty go up with Going Rogue? 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:14 
12:14  A: Not as much in Going Rogue, but "you'll like the Incarnate System" 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:14 
12:15  Issue 17 will change Defenders inherent system to make them solo better 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:15 
12:17  Storylines that mentioned praetoria will get updated in Issue 19 to reflect the events that happen in Praetoria between now and then. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:17 
12:17  Energizing Ion, and other fans wondering about why no Market Merge, they did say that there are reasons with database issues that would create problems. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:17 
12:18  Q: Any plans for other games set in the City of Heroes universe, like single-player games? 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:18 
12:19  A: We can't comment on future plans other than what we've talked about here. 

Saturday March 27, 2010 12:19 
12:20 More maps ARE coming with Issue 17 and with Going Rogue for mission architect, though they couldn't specify an exact amount.
Saturday March 27, 2010 12:20 
12:22 there are other new powersets "on the whiteboard" that will make it into future expansions, including staff use
Saturday March 27, 2010 12:22 
12:25 That's all for now, folks! If you didn't get your question answered, never fear, we'll be doing an extensive interview with the dev team soon. Thanks for reading! 

Link above will take you to the original article and thanks again to Newsarama.com for covering it.

(Disclaimer for safety, none of that above is my reporting)

Friday, March 26, 2010

Dark Demons Cry Very Bloody Loud

Dark Days Are Coming. The signs and portents have been littered around the internet for some time. ARGs dedicated to The Secret World (I know Sareini and I are waiting to hear what will happen to the current residents of Kingsmouth and the Monsters of Maine blog).

When the embargo lifted I was quite pleased with everything I heard coming out of the GDC. Yesterday as I got home, there was a further treat with the Secret World trailer.

I will try organise more coherent thoughts about it all but for now we’re going to go with the good old fashioned bullet point system.

  • I love the sound of the skill setup. It allows for flexibility and experimentation and they’re working on a “Respec” in pre-alpha instead of waiting. (Looking at you Cryptic.)
  • The Cthulloid makes the most awesome sound. I want to kill it.
  • The cinematic sound promising. Star Wars TOR will be fully voiced true, but I like the idea of each mission being made a little special and epic.
  • Dark Days Are Coming, but they are not yet here. Still, that means I can keep up with the ARGs.
  • The trailer voice over lady (from the Meet the Illuminati video) has a great voice for the sort of atmosphere they’re aiming for. So long as nothing gets NARM we’ll be okay.

More thoughts as I have them and manage to get time to put them down.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Information Permeation

The Patron Saint of iPhone cannot be without it and in fact wrote a book on it. A close friend of mine makes it sing (not literally, though I’m sure there’s an app) in her hands.

Fallen Earth, EVE, Champions Online and many more all look to include it.

The iPhone is a wonderful device that has an app for practically everything running, in the works or being dreamed up. I’ve seen people tackle tough business with them. I’ve seen people manage social lives across several networks with them. I’ve seen them used for status, used for silly games, used for managing life.

Then I saw this.

It really came home to me then that for all the apps, abilities and adaptability of the iPhone, I hate it.

This isn’t a Mac/PC thing or a Geek vs. Style thing. It’s a simple matter of information permeation. I use Twitter while in the office and at home. This has served me well in making friends, keeping abreast of blogging and in the industry I work. Knowing anything about Twitter while working in Market Research (even if I am the monkey) is gold. I use Trillian at home to tie together two MSN accounts, a Yahoo that I no longer use nearly as much, an AIM that I never really understood why I had and IRC networks. I blog on blogger, I blog on Wordpress (when not lazy) and I have Facebook and other social sites. For all intents and purposes, I am almost always connected.

That all said, I enjoy my commute home where unless someone rings me in a desperate rush, I can read my book and be away from the wired world. I enjoy my lazy weekend mornings where until I turn on the computer, none of you are in my home and the greater world doesn’t exist. I do love the internet and I’ve met many wonderful people online and in person due to it. I do love being able to blog, to search for numbers when I need them and otherwise worship at the altar of Google. I just also like time to myself.

This is in fact less about the iPhone itself, though such a target it is, and more about any device that ties me more to the internet. You could change it to Palm Pré or Google Nexus One or the Droid with the only difference being that my stories are incorrect.

Someone upstairs in work is considering getting a new phone. I’ll be the one who has to set it up, iron out any problems and be ready with a quick tutorial. I dread the day where they hatch the plan of giving me one. Scarybooster wrote a NaNoWriMo book on his iPhone and with the death of his computer it is his digital umbilical keeping him in touch with the wider world and the weight of information flying through the airwaves.

For me, given how I’d be compelled to make the best use of the device for work and home, it’d not be a digital umbilical but a digital noose. Goodbye problem solving or basic memory, hello iPhone and whatever app I’d need for that.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

I called it.

It’s been busy here, hence the infrequent blogging. Up and downs but on the whole it’s getting better.

Of course reading other blogs give me gems like this.

Suffice to say there’s all sorts of goings on over at Cryptic, Atari and with Star Trek Online.

I would just like to remind everyone, I called it.