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Post by Ms Liberty Too on Nov 2, 2013 0:18:57 GMT -4
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Posts: 191Male
Oct 28, 2013 at 9:05pm
Post by spikes on Oct 28, 2013 at 9:05pm with 6 days, wonder if they can get to $550k for wings. Important to have wings, if you fly . . .
Breakdown as: $5 - 60 $10 - 135 $25 - 366 $50 - 984 $75 - 1171 $125 - 573 $250 - 179 $500 - 70 $750 - 42 $1,000 - 27 $1,500 - 9 $3,000 - 7 $5,000 - 2 $7,500 - 6 (This at 7, guess some one lowered the amount) $10,000 - 0
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Post by Ms Liberty Too on Nov 2, 2013 0:20:28 GMT -4
difoj Administrator ***** Thanos Reigns! difoj Avatar Posts: 225Male yesterday at 4:17pm Post by difoj on yesterday at 4:17pm Wow 2 people did the 10k level , pushing the total to 542k, with 3 days left, they need about 8k to get to the 550k stretch goal which is wings thinking-006, hope they can make it to 600k for 5 new power sets per classification.
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Post by Ms Liberty Too on Nov 2, 2013 0:23:55 GMT -4
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Posts: 191Male
23 hours ago
Post by spikes on 23 hours ago Just made my donation, before I forget. 3,936 backers @ $ 549,565. Yeah, only $435 dollars for $550,000.
3 days to go and, Breakdown as: $5 - 61 $10 - 150 $25 - 398 $50 - 1053 $75 - 1247 $125 - 612 $250 - 189 $500 - 73 $750 - 43 $1,000 - 30 $1,500 - 5 $3,000 - 10 $5,000 - 1 $7,500 - 5 $10,000 - 2
I'm still wondering if any of the top backers are States . . .
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Post by difoj on Nov 2, 2013 23:12:29 GMT -4
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Post by difoj on Nov 3, 2013 20:01:44 GMT -4
650k done with 5 hours to go, can it get to 700k Pretty damn good to get 200% over the goal
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Post by difoj on Nov 4, 2013 7:34:33 GMT -4
5,003 Backers for a total of $678,189, truly amazing
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Post by spikes on Nov 4, 2013 17:59:07 GMT -4
I'm a little excited inside, like when I found out about CoH. Was like, FINALLY sounds like a game I can enjoy and not like the rest - cause it's SuperHeroes.
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Post by spikes on Nov 5, 2013 2:06:56 GMT -4
so do we have a forum troll that has been lurking thru all the City of Titan forums, that can summarize info?
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Post by spikes on Mar 29, 2014 16:33:36 GMT -4
This might be old news to some, but no one posted updates on the game engine. Soooo, CoT upgraded from UE3 to UE4. The demos are great eye candy, which translates into you better have a really good computer to run this game for the graphics. Start saving for net year.
City of Titans to use Unreal Engine 4
Ever since our Kickstarter ended, you guys have been wanting to know why we aren’t showing you more. We had a really good reason, and now it is time to share. (Warcabbit Sez: It’s been SO HARD not saying anything.) There have been requests for screenshots and videos, and until recently we were under NDA. Why? Well, that’s because shortly after our Kickstarter closed, we were granted a license to move from Unreal 3 to the brand-spanking new Unreal Engine 4 in December 2013. (Warcabbit Sez: Seriously, Epic’s been great this whole time.) The work that we’d already done in Unreal 3 is in the process of being moved into the Unreal 4, and UE4's physics, lighting, and shader engines will save us a significant amount of production time. It set us back a little bit, but in the long run, this move means a brighter future and an even better game! (Warcabbit Sez: UE4 still has some rough areas but that just means we’re on the bleeding edge of technology. In the four months we’ve been using it, they’ve already made huge strides forward. We can’t wait to see the improvements in the days ahead.) The new engine will give us advanced rendering features, physics and visual effects. Physically-based shading will give us more control over the look and feel of characters and objects in your new world. We’ll be able to create wide ranges of surfaces, layer materials, and fine-tune values to make Titan City look more incredible and realistic than we originally planned. An added bonus is our NPCs will be smarter and look better than ever!
(Warcabbit Sez: Animated hair. Capes and dresses. Animated costume parts. Animated body parts. Animated textures on the costume parts. Water splashes. Boats float. THINGS EXPLODE! I hate to make promises that I might not be able to keep, but I really think we can pull this off. Wait till you see what we want to do in the places where you just want to destroy everything.) We’re sorry we couldn’t tell you, or show you, before now - but we hope you’re just as excited about this news as we are. Keep your eyes peeled for next week's update from our Tech department where we will have lot more to tell (and possibly show!) you about Unreal Engine 4! (Warcabbit Sez: More costume parts, more customization, better animation, more things to do. Animated tails are just the beginning. How about gloves and boots that are more than meets the eye? You wanted to know how we kept hinting at more and more of everything? Thanks to Epic and Unreal Engine 4, we can do it all. And we can do it faster and better. No rubbery costume look. No sickly plants. No identical buildings all over the place. The city will be alive!) Rae, PR Manager Warcabbit, Project Lead (And the staff of City of Titans. Aim High!)
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Post by Ms Liberty Too on Apr 9, 2014 21:04:02 GMT -4
The Real Technical Update
In the opening for our little April 1st video you may have noticed a sewer-type map. This was not a video clip provided by Epic, but one we made using assets provided by Epic. The map itself began as something Epic produced, called simply “The Theater.”
Over time have been tweaking, modifying, and adjusting to give us a small, playable area to test things out in. Now, we are preparing a large video presentation to show off some of the systems which UE4 brings to the table. But, you guys deserve a bit of a peak behind the curtain, so today we’re bringing you a quick look into the particles system.
The UE4 particles system is… you know, let’s let the video speak for itself.
We still need to implement the blueprint control system for particles, but the foundation is in place. This is just a glimpse into what UE4 brings to the table.
Nate “Doctor Tyche” Downix, Company President, Technical Director
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Post by spikes on Apr 10, 2014 0:23:58 GMT -4
Yeah, looks like we're all gonna need better computers when this goes live. At least, if you want the full experience.
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Post by Ms Liberty Too on Apr 11, 2014 18:17:33 GMT -4
Epic Demonstration Of Map Construction
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Post by spikes on Apr 12, 2014 2:03:17 GMT -4
Dust particals? Any got an idea of the best graphic cards for this, cause WoW looks super intense.
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Post by Ms Liberty Too on Apr 12, 2014 14:32:42 GMT -4
Could look for a card now but by the time this is released there will be something better. So I would say wait till we get closer to launch date.
As far as my PC, I'm CPU maxed (unless they figure out how to expand the CPU by then). So I will just need a video card when the time comes.
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Post by Ms Liberty Too on Apr 25, 2014 19:17:29 GMT -4
Nearing the End of Pre-Production During pre-production, which we are in the middle of wrapping up, we get to have a lot of deep discussions about everything from power sets to something so common as walking. In the course of building a game, you have to pick and choose your battles. Some systems are included with Unreal, while others need to be built. There even are ones where you want to do things differently, but in the fight for expedience, you chose the included system as your foundation. This week during discussions we actually hit upon one of these common elements. Included with the Unreal Engine is a system for respawning. While we had many ideas for how to create a novel new system for respawning, such as checkpoints within missions or in-place timed downtime, we had to take a hard look at the amount of work compared to the payoff and made the decision to not deviate much from the included system. And development is full of these kinds of choices. Is the novelty worth the time needed to include at launch. We may come back to them later on, but until the core system is in place and running, we will be relying upon an existing system, or a tweaked version of the existing system. This sadly means some of the more fun ideas, like alternate rezzing options, will likely not wind up in the game at launch. I know the classic MMO model of the hearthstone, wakie or graveyard/hospital is well established, so it will not be anything different for us, but we wanted to be a little more interesting. A slight disappointment to us. But, since we are hitting the end of pre-production, it is time to start giving a glimpse at our work, or rather, a comparison. For those of you who remember, we were building a demonstration zone called Learner's Cove. We even shared a few screenshots of this early work last year. Yesterday I had the idea pop into my head to reimport Learner's Cove into Unreal Engine 4. Two hours later, here we are. Named after noted pirate Captain James Edward Learner, Learner's Cove sheltered him after his growing body count had his commission as a privateer stripped and all friendly ports, including the bustling new shipping hub of Clarkestown closed to him. There persist rumors of buried treasure hidden away in the network of caves on the island, but most chalk those up to tall tales and ghost stories. This is just a straight import, but already the improved level of detail handling and shaders are clear as day. Expect more of Learner's Cove over the next few months as we build it out into our full test zone once more. Official Discussion Thread: cityoftitans.com/forum/discuss-nearing-end-pre-productionWritten by: Nate "Doctor Tyche"
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Post by Ms Liberty Too on Apr 28, 2014 21:31:29 GMT -4
Happy 10th birthday, City of Heroes! (with video.)
If City of Heroes hadn't closed, it would've been 10 years old.
There’s no doubt, it would’ve been an incredible celebration - the devs would’ve done something amazing, and we’d have been fighting Evil Birthday Cakes, or trying to take over the world using a Popper gun - and it would’ve been ridiculous amounts of fun.
Sadly, City of Heroes didn’t get to see it’s 10th birthday. We won’t get to hold costume parties beneath the statue of Atlas, or do that weird money-dance in Pocket D, hosted by DJs from some of the community radio stations like Cape Radio and Justice Radio.
We may have lost a home, but we still have our memories - the friendships we made, the people we fell out with, the inspiration for the characters we created, the stories we wrote together. Like any other community, we made friends, fell in love, built houses and burned bridges.
We were good guys, we were bad guys. There were people we loved, people we hated, and people we’d argue with, even if we weren’t sure why. We were a community - with all the good and all the bad that came with it. And it was /our/ community.
The sun may have set on Paragon City, but the community remains.
Thanks to the Titan Network we have Icon, which allows you to visit Paragon City, Praetoria and the Rogue Isles, and recreate your characters.
There are dozens of Facebook groups set up to help keep the community together, places where you can share memories, find old friends, and remember the good times, the frustrating times, and the bad times.
There is absolutely no doubt that City of Heroes was something very special, an MMO that hit the nail bang on the head in just about every way possible. But it was the devs, and the community that made it perfect.
And it’s the community who is working to create a new home for the the villains, rogues and heroes who once populated a virtual world - or those who never got the chance to.
So reach out today. Mark what would have been it’s 10th birthday by catching up with your old friends, sharing memories, or by thanking the devs for their years of hard work and commitment.
And if you see the chance, be someone's hero. Do the right thing. Even if it's just letting them go ahead of you in a line, make someone's day just a bit better. Because you can.
But even as you’re looking back, don’t take your eye off the future. City of Titans is now wrapping-up pre-production, and there’s a whole new world being created - and as you can see from this video, after every sunset, comes a new dawn.
Happy birthday, City of Heroes
Nate 'Doctor Tyche' Downes, Chris 'Warcabbit' Hare, Jen 'Petalstorm' Bolack, Sara 'Firefairy' Quinn, Cameron 'Segev' Johnson, and everyone at Missing Worlds Media
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Post by Ms Liberty Too on Apr 30, 2014 16:37:23 GMT -4
Writing for City of Titans: the Process
Hi! K9T here and even though I am Lead Writer at City of Titans, ideas don’t just flow straight out of my head into the game. There is not only one’s internal process, but an external process that everyone has to go through in order to get ideas into the game. I’d like to describe both for you now and I hope doing so will help you see how the process will help us to have one of the best games out there.
Let’s start with an NPC. Although a lot of things can spawn the concept of an NPC for me ranging from an idea for a cool power to some psychological or sociological concept I want to explore, the thing that really draws it together for me is often the name. It should be a word or two that is evocative of a mood and ability (bonus points if it is a pun). It is the Sunday of the Big Game as I write this, so the football atmosphere brings the Titan City team mascot, Captain Corsair to mind. The idea of athleticism, strength and speed combine with the name in my mind and come up with the name Courser.
A courser is the trusty steed of medieval knights, so that brings to mind armor and barding as well, and the image of a cyborg centaur in powered armor is what I settle on. Riffing off of that, I sit down with an internal document known as a Pitch Template. CoT concept pitches are not the sentence-long affairs prevalent elsewhere; I will fill out a page or so of information including the history of the character and their niche in the overall story.
Now the name Courser and several important aspects of the concept go through a process we call Vetting. We don’t want to be confused for any other established IP. Unbelievably, it passes (and they say there are no good names left)!
My immediate boss is Robin. He’s in charge of what we call the Composition department, which encompasses Writing, Localization and Editing. He gives it a sanity check (“no sanity found: it passes”) and then we are ready for the next part.
Once I have the checked and vetted pitch together, I shoot it off to Aquashock. She’s one of the most important persons to the writing process: the Continuity Lead. It is her job to keep on top of the various narrative puzzle pieces as they come together. She and her team (wiki guru Space Moose and researcher/collator CPease61) check for contradictions, cheesy premises and redundant concepts. As our system comes together, they will even make sure that the narrative exploits match up with the actual powers in the game.
Once she is happy with the pitch, it goes to Spacemoose for official canonization in our internal wiki. Now other writers can look Courser up and instantly have all information needed on his (or her?) motivations, plans and abilities. Any of our more-than-a-dozen writers can bring their own style to Courser while the character’s core stays pure. The wiki is a living document, so as the character impacts plot (and eventually, PCs), their personality and methods can change in reaction to the game, and hopefully in reaction to YOU as well. We hope to have tools in place to truly allow the actions of the PCs to help shape future expansions.
Thanks for checking out this peek into the process! With any luck Courser will be approved by Continuity and you will see them in Titan City. Oh and I do apologize if that was the name of your character; I can only hope my version does yours justice.
Written by: K9T
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Post by spikes on May 1, 2014 1:00:28 GMT -4
Sounds like things are coming together. Wonder about Alpha and Beta testing ? ? ? ?
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Post by dynan on May 1, 2014 18:33:12 GMT -4
Any word on whether City of Titans might be developed for Mac's also? I doubt it but wanted to ask.
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Post by difoj on May 1, 2014 19:40:10 GMT -4
One of the stretch goals that was met was a MacOS version of the game at launch
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Post by Ms Liberty Too on May 18, 2014 20:32:00 GMT -4
Kickstarter Desktop Background: News!, folks! It’s Warcabbit here with a fulfilment of a promise. I like to think of it as a sample of what’s to come. We did say everyone who donated at the $5 level or above would get a desktop background, and we sure suggested we’d do it in February. Well, we didn’t. We were hoping we could get you some nice screenshots of in-game work, some beautiful cityscapes... Wow, were we naive back then. I swear, we’ve built more things and taken them back apart than you really want to imagine. The good news is that we’re getting really good at analyzing topographic maps… but those just aren’t pretty. So, we’ve collected some of our more interesting concept art, set them to good backgrounds, and bundled them together in a whole bunch of resolutions, both as jpg and png. What more could you ask for? I’m still expecting us to punch out some more backgrounds as the game proceeds. But for now, let’s see what we’ve got for you. A bunch of Rooks looking badass, courtesy of CajunCatfish. Cajun’s going to be doing a lot of our mesh designs for clothes, and we’re just lucky she’s as talented in 2D as she is in 3. A flashback to the KS page, a Pick Up Group of baddies wandering around in one of our worse neighborhoods, having a bit of a good time. You know, I really miss PUGging. I don’t think any other game captured that kind of reckless but controlled entertainment value. I believe that’s Rocket Cat’s work, but don’t quote me on that. Hm. This looks like a Gryphonesque hero taking on the Inscrutable Scourge. Nobody knows what they want, and they certainly don’t seem to show any coherent logic in their actions. They’re not stupid though, and they are up to something. Just don’t try to use their parts in your own equipment. Because that’s the one thing we know. They will hunt you down. And this last 2D one looks like something by Treees, our UI specialist. Fighting back to back in a twisted reflection of Titan City, against the forces of the Infernians. Sometimes, saving people is hell. But there’s some 3D work, too. We’ve got the Statue and City Hall, looking sharp, fresh from their video appearance, and we’ve got a face to face with something that looks mighty good for facepunching. And, of course, our logo, nice and big and bright. We’re giving them to you, suitable for phones, PCs, or as many other things as we can think of. So, what do you think? What would you like to see in the next batch, in a month or two? Yours, Warcabbit, Petalstorm, and the rest of the City of Titans Art Department.
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Post by Ms Liberty Too on May 28, 2014 14:20:38 GMT -4
Mastering Your Character - A Primer on MasteriesBeyond your powers, beyond your classification, beyond your archetype, there is some method for defining your character. Often called inherants, talents, or even innate abilities, in many games this is a fixed system while others allow you to improve or alter it as you level up. We call this the Mastery. We have designed five Masteries per classification with the goal to ship with three for launch. Each Mastery enables evolution of your character in a different way. Masteries are not a single selection, not a single defining attribute. They are themselves a growth path for your character, a three tiered evolution. As you select, and evolve the mastery, it enables the role of your character to subtly shift in various ways. For launch, the goal is to allow you to have three choices for Mastery evolution before the initial level cap of 30. You can focus on one, or expand to different mastery options - mixing and matching to achieve the particular playstyle you wish. Here are the current list of Masteries we are working with. Remember, the plan is to launch with three for each of the Classifications, and introduce the rest later on. Stalwart Masteries: Living Target: You are best at drawing your enemy's attention away from allies. Bruiser: Your attacks help debilitate foes over time. Battle Leader: When your allies focus on you, their attention improves your ability to defend them. Ruggedness: You can shrug off more damage. Protector: Your team strengthens your resolve. Enforcer Masteries: Rage: The more you fight, the stronger you get. Surprise Strike: You gain bonuses for attacks against unsuspecting targets. Inspiration: Your allies are rallied with each foe it defeats. Predation: You are the single-target master, gaining bonuses the longer you fight the same enemy. Reinforcement: You have a winning presence for your allies. Ranger Masteries: Eliminator: You can quickly eliminate weakened opponents from the fight. Resolve: Each success in a fight gives you bonuses. Suppression: Your attacks hinders the enemies ability to fight back. Striker: Ranged attacks, particularly snipes, are your specialty. Bombardment: You can front-load attacks for damage. Guardian Masteries: Saving Grace: The more your allies need your help, the stronger your help becomes. Aftermath: Your effects can quickly stack and spread. Balance: You grant bonuses to your team with your presence. Sentry: You gain bonuses as you or your team has the tide turn against you. Vindication: You and your team gain bonuses against more difficult enemies. Commander Masteries: Magnitude: Improves the Commander's ability to land critical controls. Oppression: Foes which are locked down take more damage. Focus: Attacks by allies on controlled targets gain bonuses. Restrainment: Your controls gain effectiveness as your target's health is lowered. Supremacy: Attacks enable you to build up to unlocking your full potential. With three tiers in each group, and our plan to launch with three from each list, the ultimate goal here is to enable each of you to further refine your gameplay to meet your own preferences. Pick all three from the same Mastery, to get the Tier 3, or to pick the Tier 1 from each, the option is up to you. Some Masteries are more team oriented, some more for solo. But they are designed to enable you the opportunity to further refine your characters to reflect the way you want to play them. One of the design goals was to prevent the forcing of role, where if you failed to take a particular build your game experience would be hurt. We also aim to enable players to recreate play experiences they enjoyed in the past while opening up new opportunities. Let us dissect two of these Masteries. In almost every MMORPG out there you can find a "hide" class, one which is defined by stealth in some manner or another. From the Rogue to the Stalker, we all are familiar with one form of it or another. You know the drill: Sneak in, stand behind biggest target, BACKSTAB, run away, wash, rinse, repeat. But we did not want to just have another "oooo, I'm invisible" class. So, we analyzed the style, to figure out how we could replicate that playstyle for people who enjoyed it, but also expand it for more options. That is where this Enforcer mastery came from: Surprise Strike: You gain bonuses for attacks against unsuspecting targets. Notice, it says nothing about being invisible, hiding. In our study of various MMO's which have such a role, and there are a lot of them, the same thing came up over and over again. The stealth mechanism was used to get that super-strong strike - it was the strike players want. Then we focused on our new perception system, and our new aggro system. That began the process of turning what was a one-trick-pony into a robust and unique Mastery. While yes, you can select to take a stealth power to gain the bonus, it now is not the only avenue. You can sneak up on people, drop on them from above, use a disguise, or, in a team, rely on your teammates to distract them so you can metaphorically sink that dagger into the enemy's back. Now, let us take another one for breakdown, this time, let us take a more team-centric Mastery one from the Commander classification: Focus: Attacks by allies on controlled targets gain bonuses. One of the staples in comic books is for the figure who can control the enemy to open it up for their allies to attack some weak spot, We built upon this idea, that the players allies get an edge in battle from the Commander locking down the enemy. And not to have it be one-sided, we chose a two way street, with allied attacks improving the ability to hold the opponent down, while simultaneously improving the other players on the team. To make it work, we broke down the potential bonuses to then build the tiers. The basic Tier 1 for this is built such that each attack adds a small duration buff to the control effect. This means that the Commander gets a buff from its teammates attacks, while the next two tiers will then grant bonuses to the other teammates. Tier 2 adds a short recharge improvement and Tier 3 grants an energy recharge bonus for those who turn their attention on the Commanders opponent. The more enemies are locked down, the greater the bonuses get for allies who attack them. Some are more straightforward, others more nuanced. But the goal with each is to open up opportunities for players to define who their characters are. Some are more team-centric, others more solo-focused. This even gave the opportunity to help develop methods to improve the soloability of some builds without sacrificing their team play. After all, what is the point of playing a game if you can't have fun doing it? Join the discussion here: cityoftitans.com/forum/discuss-mastering-your-character-primer-masteries
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Post by Ms Liberty Too on Jun 5, 2014 17:56:49 GMT -4
State of the Game, June 2014Howdy, Titaneers! I’m your Project Lead, Warcabbit, here to walk you through the state of the game. We’ve had some setbacks, some advances, and some hard progress recently, so I thought I’d lay the stats on you. The game, right now, is a bunch of projects flying in formation. They’re not joined up, but we know when they will, and we’re making sure everything will match. So I’m going to break this down department by department. Better zoom in a bit. This is kind of high-level. PR: , that’s what I’m doing right now. PR has been shifting their focus from 'trying to grow the community', which was the pre-Kickstarter strategy, to 'making sure they're kept up to date with developments, since they're now our investors'. They’ve been walking a rather interesting line between feeding our community's desire for information, and giving the teams the time and space they need to actually get the work done. The PR team is now more than double in size and we have three dedicated community managers, while other team members concentrate on social media and our weekly updates. As well as their day to day activities, they’re working closer than ever with the marketing team - particularly when it comes to convention panels. Course, the best PR in the world would mean nothing without something to push, and for that you need... Lore: We’ve got forty eight factions specced out, most of which have at least five significant NPCs, and suitable ranks of thugs, goons, bosses, and exotics to punch. Or protect. We’ve got about the same amount of independent NPCs to interact with, and we’re spreading them into more than thirteen districts with about fifteen significant, unique, fully designed landmarks each. All of these things mean nothing without the stories. We’ve got them. But they’re not much fun without… Liberty Harbor. Getting closer. You're going to spend a lot of time here. Art: We’ve got many talented 2D and 3D artists working their tails off to make the buildings, clothes, and people that populate Titan City. We’re having problems, mind you, but they’re not insurmountable. Right now, we’ve pretty much got our basic person down, except for what can only be described as ‘tearing’ at the seams. Looks very ugly, but it doesn’t stop us moving forwards. We can fix this. This is more complicated than it sounds, because our basic person is the key to our costumes, and the costumes are key to making the game work right. Even a game like Saint’s Row 3 or 4, there are certain things, certain proportions that just don’t change. We’re ignoring that rule entirely, because we have a better way. Hats on your hair? Sure. Armor on top of your cloth dress? Why not? Not sure if we can do a convincing 'draw your sword' animation from your chosen sheath location, but we are going to try to make the sword vanish from there when you're in combat, and reappear when you let go again. We can do it. It’s been a long road, but it’s coming together. There’s some persistent issues, but they’re the kind that a little more effort will solve. You saw some of our earlier efforts in the 10th Anniversary shot, you know. The mannequin with the red and blue patches - they’re there for a reason. We started with a red costume and a blue costume and a white costume and mixed and matched. Of course, this means nothing without… Hm. If these streets are in proportion to city blocks, how big is the city? Gameplay: Five roles. Just five. But thanks to a trick we call Masteries, you can customize each of them further, from a selective hunter with precision strikes, to a unthinking juggernaut that hits harder the madder he gets to, maybe, maybe, someone who literally grows to conquer the battlefield. (That last one’s very dependent on tech and fun value. Got some ideas there.) Each of those gets at least five primaries and five secondaries, (at least one of which is unique to the class - we’re going to diversify, but we want signature styles, too.) Each of those gets to pick a Mastery, and we’re going to have at least three per class. And that’s not even counting travel, noncombat powers, and tertiaries. (Or throwing cars around and smashing through walls.) We’re doing this up right. Hard part is balancing it out. That’s going to take a while. Of course, that’s great for a paper and pen game, but to make it live, you need… Tech: Well, besides getting our document repository, our art repository, our license servers for the art tools, our domain server (Our domain provider, sadly, changed their policy on hosted domains recently. Turned a useful tool into a monetizing element. We had to redesign our network quite quickly. A shame, and a lot of emergency, throw the plans away work.) and our internal design wiki working? Well, these are the people who do things like ‘let’s make the entire topographic map of Titan City.’ We have one. It’s about - yeah, go look up there - twenty kilometers by twenty kilometers. And getting bigger. But how do we fill it all up? Well, that’s the job of procedural generation. Define a neighborhood. Define a style. Let it lay out with variations. We remember some games with row after row of identical buildings. We’re not doing that. And if we can get it to happen, doing interiors is just a little more work. Of course, it’s one of those things that means ‘nothing looks done till it’s all done’, but we’ve got some pretty good swings at it. Any closer in and I'll be looking at the cracks in the sidewalk. Now, our web server… that one, we’ve fallen behind on. We keep getting closer and closer to getting a good redesign going - and I’m sure you’ve all noticed the recent massive boost in speed and responsiveness it had about a month back. Mechanically, we’re sound. Graphics redesign and new features? We keep having other things to deal with, though it would make our life so much easier. Kickstarter Obligations. We’re getting the special locked section of the forums together so we can deliver the first set of wallpapers, forum badges are out, and the T-Shirts are having the art redone. We checked how it looked at full size and it was horrible, and we don’t want to send things out that look bad. As soon as we get those done, the lanyards are going to be sent out, and we’re having new art made for the mousepads. We want it to be a good map of the city, and we kept redesigning the city. But that one up there looks like it's going to stick. Let’s see how it goes! Chris 'Warcabbit' Hare, and the team at City of Titans. PS: Discuss this update here: cityoftitans.com/forum/state-game-june-2014
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Post by spikes on Jun 6, 2014 2:45:07 GMT -4
Still sounds like we're all going to need a bigger computer, because sounds like they are really trying hard to put together a world different from others. And that would be a compliment to CoH, because that was a different world from all others.
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Post by Ms Liberty Too on Jun 11, 2014 16:52:43 GMT -4
Tales of the Titan City Police Department - Day One
In today’s update, future Titanites, we have something a bit different for you. Let’s visit TCPD HQ with a new recruit, to discover a little about the city’s crime factions, its most elite police unit, its districts, and herself …
Day One
Kathleen Aurelia sat on the hard seat of the beat-up, wooden chair in the Chief’s office at Preszewski Center, willing herself to stay relaxed, to project the image a SWAT Trooper ought to project. Confidence, she thought, but not arrogance. Competence, but not looking like I think I know it all. She felt a bead of sweat run down her back beneath her uniform shirt and willed herself to keep her nerves hidden.
She told herself she had nothing to be nervous about. She’d served in the military. Spent years working a beat in DC. Trained for SWAT in weapons and tactics. Even dealt with a powers-related crisis once, keeping spectators back from a duel between a flying hero and some laser-shooting airplane-thing flying down the National Mall. But that had been from a distance; guard duty. She’d never even fired her weapon. This was different. This was Titan City.
“Don’t transfer there,” her best friend had said. “Titan City’s crawling with super-fights and villains, not to mention Scorpion invasions and robots and monsters and things! Even some of the street gangs can shoot fire out of their hands! And SWAT’s gotta fight them all!”
“Doesn’t that mean that’s where I’m needed?” she’d replied. Kathleen was tired of standing on the sidelines. She had to make a difference. And the bumpers stickers all said, Anyone Can Make It In Titan City!
And so, here she was, waiting to meet her new boss, the Deputy Chief, Tactical Units (SWAT & K-9), as the lettering on the shoddy, glass-walled office put it. Just moments ago, a SWAT veteran who’d introduced himself as Lenny Alvarez had grinned at her and welcomed her to the team. “The Chief wants to see you,” he’d said. “Probably wants to give you The Speech.”
Kathleen could hear the capital letters. She raised an eyebrow quizzically.
“Don’t worry,” Lenny had said. “The Chief’s great.” Seriousness fell over his face like a shroud. “Just don’t lie to him and don’t hide anything. The Chief has high standards, and he can smell dishonesty. Oh, and don’t stare.”
Kathleen was still puzzling over that when the door opened behind her. She turned and nearly leapt from her seat. A wolf, a huge creature with thick, smoke-grey fur, a pointed snout, and a lashing, bushy tail, had just walked in. On its hind legs. Its baleful, yellow eyes locked with hers. “Don’t get up,” it said in a deep, raspy voice, and Kathleen barely restrained a yelp of surprise. It slid around the particle-board desk and sat down in the cheap, padded chair behind it, levering its tail out through a hole in the back. It sat up ramrod straight and gripped the chair’s arms with clawed hands.
For the first time, Kathleen noticed it wore a faded, navy blue t-shirt marked TCPD SWAT and a pair of sturdy sweatpants with a shiny badge slung around its neck on a chain. Now that the shock had passed, she saw it was more human-looking than she’d thought, like a fur-covered man with a lupine head and tail. “Chief Gherrenfur?” she ventured. Instinctively, she extended her hand to shake.
Gherrenfur’s palm felt smooth as soft leather. “And you’re Aurelia, the new recruit. But not new to Special Weapons and Tactics. Your record speaks well for you, Aurelia. But a record only tells you so much. Deeds are what matter, not scratches on some bureaucratic form.” When she didn’t respond, he added, “I surprise you, don’t I.” It wasn’t a question.
Kathleen fought the urge to shrug. Don’t lie, she thought. With that nose, he probably literally [/i]could smell dishonesty. “Yes,” she said.
“You’re brave to say so,” said Chief Gherrenfur. “You’re nervous, but you’re not letting it rule you. That’s good. You’ll need every ounce of that courage in Titan City. I know this isn’t your first rodeo, but this is a rodeo where the bulls can fly, the broncos can walk through walls, and the rodeo clowns shoot lasers from their eyes.”
“And the trailboss can smell fear and honesty?” Kathleen’s mouth curled up in a crooked smile.
Gherrenfur’s long, red tongue lolled from his mouth, and he made a gasping noise. She realized he was laughing. “Exactly. Hear me well, Aurelia. Titan City’s got scads of heroes. Some of ‘em deserve the name, and some don’t. The costumes alone mean nothing to us. I expect the capes to earn my respect the same way I expect you to do the same: by action.”
“Yes, sir,” she said. In spite of herself, she began to relax. Gherrenfur’s ferocious honesty was refreshing.
“And at the same time, they can’t be everywhere. When Scorpion invades or some loon with a disintegration bomb blows up a pylon on the Hercules Bridge, we hold the line.” His voice growled with fierce pride.
Gherrenfur gestured toward a map of the city. “Look, there it is, the territory we guard. North Titan’s relatively safe—small-time gang activity, muggings, white-collar crime, villains by ones and twos. Exciting, but not where we’re needed. Much better than when I first got here, right after the Hurricane. South Titan, on the other hand …”
Gherrenfur’s lambent eyes lowered to the half of the map below Steward’s Bay. “The gangs alone are making a mess down there. At the bottom of the pyramid, you’ve got your Rooks—small-timers looking for edge: notice from an underworld higher-up, an in with a stronger gang, or, most of all, powers.” He shook his head.
Kathleen pursed her lips. In Titan City, it seemed, even the petty thugs wanted superpowers.
“And they get worse from there. Around here, in Ironport,” Gherrenfur gestured toward an inlet cleaving into the coastline, “and a bunch of other places, you’ve got the Pyrebrands running around. A bunch of Chaser addicts—you know Chaser?”
“No,” said Kathleen.
Gherrenfur’s ears flicked back mirthlessly. “You will. Chaser’s a fancy drug. They drink it in a shot. If they drink enough, their skin cracks open, and flames shoot out of their bodies.
“Then there’s the Unforgiven.” The hackles on his neck visibly rose for a second. “Creepy guys. I’ve heard stories about them sucking people through mirrors or drowning them on dry land.”
An hour ago, Kathleen would have been skeptical of an entire gang with such freaky powers. Then again, an hour ago, she wouldn’t have believed she’d be having a conversation with a dog.
“And at the top of the heap, you have our charming organized crime syndicates. The Black Rose has been around since at least the twenties, controlling drug trade, tech smuggling, protection rackets, human trafficking … if it has a taint of vice, it has the stench of the Black Rose on it.” Gherrenfur’s voice rose to a snarl. “And no matter how much they talk about ‘honor,’ they have no idea of the meaning of the word.”
“What, they’re, like, an Italian mob family?” Kathleen had heard FBI men discussing anti-mob operations while in training at Quantico.
“Perhaps,” said the Chief. “Only with cybernetic enhancements under their suits.”
This time, she didn’t even blink in surprise. And she could swear Gherrenfur smiled at that.
“Then, over in Lotus Hills—it’s a beautiful place, by the way; I’m told it’s like stepping into an Asian city—lies the power center of the Five Dragons. Don’t let the name fool you; there are five hundred or more of them. Where the Black Rose goes in for technology, they use magic, burning little charm-strips or invoking the power of water to stretch their limbs or the power of metal to rain down shards of iron.” Gherrenfur’s ears pricked up. “You believe in magic, right?”
Kathleen couldn’t help laughing.
Gherrenfur snorted. “Humans. Well, not to worry. The first time one of their Initiates blasts you with a thorn-storm out of thin air, you will. And much as the Five Dragons and Black Rose hate each other, the only thing they hate more is us.” He leaned back in his chair. “There’s plenty more going on, but those are the broad strokes. You’ll learn as you go. Any questions?”
How about, “What have I got myself into?” she thought. “No, sir,” she said.
Gherrenfur waved her off. “Go see Lenny outside. He’ll get you settled in. Oh, and Aurelia … one more thing.” He stared straight at her with his cold, lupine eyes. “The heroes can afford to play fast and loose with the law. Sometimes—and don’t you dare repeat this outside this office—that’s what the city needs. But we can’t be like that. We have the TCPD’s honor to uphold, and that honor begins with following the law. Without honor, we become nothing. You understand?”
And in the simple conviction of his voice, she did. This, at last, was firm ground. “Yes, sir. I won’t let you down, sir.”
Gherrenfur’s nose twitched. “No, I don’t think you will. And call me ‘Chief.’ Everyone does.” His ear twitched, and a moment later, the battered old phone on his desk rang. “Chief Gherrenfur,” he answered. “Commissioner Zheng? No, sir, that meeting finished a while ago. Wait, there’s a what in Charleston? Grrrr. Why am I not surprised? Of course, Commissioner. I’ll assemble a team immediately.” He put the phone down.
Gherrenfur bared his sharp teeth in what Kathleen was coming to recognize as his smile. “Today is your lucky day, Aurelia. It seems one of our local villains has picked this morning to flex his muscles. And he’s brought some friends along. Go downstairs and grab your gear. Time to suit up.” -END-
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