A Mirror Dimly - Going Rogue Preview

Long before a certain Alaska governor decided to use it as her book title, "Going Rogue" was the name of the next major evolutionary step for the City of Heroes MMO.

Now there is a new teaser video...

Thanks as always to my friend Michelle/Samuraiko for taking the time to do this. Please visit her site to download the high-def version and see some of the other work she has done.

Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight #4

The latest issue of "Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight" is online.


This issue deals with Captain Paragonna, the founder and leader of the Guardians, and it includes several changes not only in Paragon City but also in the comic series itself.

And don't forget you can check out the REST of the Comic series at the official Guardians of the Dawn website.

New site for Guardians!

The Guardians of the Dawn now have their official website.

This is where you can find information regarding the group, their active roster AND view all of their issues.

Visit the official Guardians of the Dawn website here.

Don't worry, this is STILL the home for all "City of" news, but this page is more for the comic book series.

Super Booster 4 sneaks in like a ninja

In like a thief and fresh from the Halloween Event and the advent of WALKING, City of Heroes and Paragon Studios have released Super Booster IV: Martial Arts, the latest add-on to City of Heroes.

This Super Booster contains several costume pieces designed around the martial arts theme. Robes, shoulder pieces, belts, pants, gloves, boots, helmets, masks, and even hairstyles for both men (topknots) and women (braids).

There are also two new animations... one for a Bruce Lee-style "Bring It On" animation, and one for pushups! Yes you can show how good you are by spending your time doing pushups.

Oh, and let's not forget the ninja costume emotes for those who need to change outfits on the fly. We have the smoke bomb and the Ninja Leap.

In addition, the goodie treat for this Super Booster is a special travel poser called "Ninja Run".

Okay, it looks a little silly, but you can run FASTER and leap HIGHER than normal (not power-pool) travel powers.  And having used the animation on several "Guardians of the Dawn" characters, I can vouch for its effectiveness.

Not to bad for $9.95, but you HAVE to have "City of Heroes"/"City of Villains" to use it and you can only order it online through NCSoft like all of the other Super Booster programs.

 

Tactical File: Dealing with Sorcerers Solo

Tsoo Sorcerer Group: Tsoo Rank: Lieutenant Powers: Self-Teleport Hurricane Chill of the Night Petrifying Gaze Brawl O2 Boost (heal) Can be seen in: Steel Canyon Independence Port Talos Island

If there is any one annoying criminal for a hero in Paragon City to fight in a solo situation, it has to be the Tsoo Sorcerer. For starters, they’re cowards. They like to run when the focus is on them. We’re not talking running away like the Trolls run away, which means they give brave words and then run in the opposite direction. No, Sorcerers are teleporters. They don’t RUN, they teleport. And they will teleport repeatedly anytime they feel threatened. If you put yourself in chase mode to follow them, then you better have some kind of flight power active as well, because they will take you everywhere they can teleport to. Rooftops, trees, ledges, power lines… if they can land their feet on it, they’ll get there. Second, Sorcerers usually work in groups. So if you focus all your attention on them, their friends will just wear you down. Or the Sorcerer will teleport away and coax you into another group of criminals, so now you’ve just aggravated them as well. Third, Sorcerers are healers. That means that if you decide to ignore the gutless coward and focus on the ones that WILL fight, then the Sorcerer will teleport back in and begin healing his friends, and they will repeat the process until you turn your attention back on him and then he’ll teleport away, and now you’re facing newly-recharged enemies. Obviously that’s not all that a Sorcerer has in his arsenal. There’s “Chill of the Night” and “Petrifying Gaze” and his Hurricane powers, which are all designed to immobilize you and wear you down, but those are really adding insult to injury. Teleportation and healing that are the two major powers that make the Sorcerer the pain in the cape that he is. Okay, so presuming you’re not on a team, you’re asked to take down a group of Tsoo and you inevitably encounter a Sorcerer amidst the bunch. What’s the best way to deal with him without getting yourself killed? The Sorcerer has a few flaws. While he may be able to heal everyone else in the group, he can’t heal himself. Any damage he gets will only be healed the old-fashioned way… unless there’s another Sorcerer in the group that can heal him. It doesn’t matter if you’re a blaster or a tanker or anyplace in between, attack the Sorcerer first. If you can’t bring him down in one or two shots, then you probably will see him teleport away. Let him leave. He won’t stay away for very long. Focus your attentions on the rest of the gang. Start attacking the other gang members. Once the Sorcerer knows you’re not attacking him, then he will teleport back to heal the others. As soon as he does come back, take your attention off the others and put it right back on the Sorcerer, and keep pounding on him until he either teleports away again or else is defeated. Repeat this process for as long as is necessary until the Sorcerer goes down for the count. If you defeat the other gang members, then the Sorcerer will decide to confront you one-on-one. In those situations, he won’t teleport in. He will instead come at you on foot. Your best bet if you’re a melee fighter (scrapper/tanker/brute) is to hit him with powers that will knock him off his feet and/or disorient him first. That will cut down on the chances he’ll be able to engage his close-quarters defensive powers. Just keep pressing forward and you’ll take him down. There is a flaw with the Sorcerer’s teleportation that also works to your advantage. If you are attacking him while he is in the process of teleporting, you stand the chance of your blows still affecting him while he’s in transit. Plus his teleportation could fail, and instead of teleporting away from the area, he would instead end up either a few inches away from where he left or even knocked out on the ground. Sorcerers are a pain to battle solo, but they can be managed as long as you remember that their strength rests in being the support member of the group. Take away that support capacity and you take away their advantage.

Rikti Monkeys Strike AGAIN!

What the code gods giveth, the code gods have had to take away...

It seems the patch that gave us the WALK power has been causing more instability with the system, therefore the game has been rolled back YET AGAIN to the previous build.

In addition, because of the instability of the servers, especially those on the West Coast, the Halloween Event has been extended ONE MORE DAY.

Daylight will return to Paragon City and the Rogue Isles after Wednesday, November 11th 11:59 PM Pacific Time (2:59 AM Eastern Time on Novbember 12th).

Sorry guys, you should blame the Rikti Monkeys for this. They're really more dangerous than you know.

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Update 11/12/09: Well I'm proud to inform you that the sun has returned to Paragon City and the Rogue Isles, and people can once again WALK.

So get back out there and start STRUTTING!

Holiday Treats come early!

The Halloween Event is finally over with, and there's something new added to the mix...


Yes, characters can now WALK!

I know that doesn't seem like a big thing for many people, but you have to understand that for those who engage in creative projects... movies and comic books... everyone runs around. They don't WALK. They couldn't walk!

Now they can.

That's big for someone like myself.

Of course now I have to re-shoot some of the scenes in Issue 4, but it'll be worth it.

A TASTE of Issue 4

This is the cover of Issue 4, which is still being worked on. You can see the LARGE version by clicking on the picture, complete with a butt-ugly watermark in the middle of it (sorry, have to protect it since it is part of my project).

You probably notice the CCC logo... I'm now a member of the City of Comic Creators, a group of Comic Book creators who are considered the best in fan-based comic books. If you go to their website you'll see various links to their comics... hopefully mine will be included shortly. But that also allows me to use the CCC logo with my works (plus have access to some really good fake ads).

Remember, this is just a preview. Wait until you see what's inside!

"Guardians" Prequel story

In Issue #1 of "Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight", I made reference to the text story called "The Guardian Exiles", which served as the basis for the three characters I focus on in the first three issues.

Well now that story has been completed and you can read how Galatea Powers, Ryder Lightning, and MidKnight X all found out their origins, and how a fourth Exile played a key role in it.

Read "The Guardian Exiles" here. (PDF format only.)

Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight #3

Issue #3 of the "Guardians of the Dawn Spotlight" comic book is now online.

(Clicking on the link will open the file. Sorry, PDF format only.)

This issue focuses on MidKnight X, the dark protector of Kings Row. Who is he? What drives him to do what he does? You'll find out here.

Plus, the much-anticipated meeting of the Powers is finally here! What happens when Lyon Powers meets up with Galatea Powers? Some choice words will certainly be said!