Player2

Costume contests summed up nicely.

Fun fact: Tiger Blood is presently available as a name on every shard except Excelsior.

I define winning by how well someone's character concept looks. Costume creator is one of the most difficult but rewarding mini-games in COH. Coming up with a creative name that fits because you couldn't get the one you really wanted is just gravy. Simple but informative bio to explain it all? S-Tier.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the original devs intent was followed up on here at Homecoming. You should be able to find numerous instances in the patch notes of things like some proc enhancements being made unique, not firing multiple times, fixing things that didn't fire off when they should have or firing off wrong, and other refinements... so further work has definitely been done.

Summer Blockbuster could be renamed as Seasonal Blockbuster. Summer stays the same. Fall can include the Stay Alive! and Ghost Pirate Treasure Isle movie I described above. Both are perfect Halloween season themes. Winter could be Armageddon Soon and Okayfellas movies... in Armageddon Soon, have talk about the coming nuclear winter come up in the dialogue. Keep the mob theme in Okayfellas, but throw a holiday spin on it and the loot you're trying to find and return to the authorities is a Christmas present glowie... and there are several scattered about, so you have to search them all to find the right one while spoiling the surprise on various kids' gifts by unwrapping them early. All the wrong presents have cool Freedom Phalanx action figures, some less than exciting one can include things like an autographed photo of Flambeaux, Icon brand socks & underwear, Sally and Lusca plushies, the new Fusionette-endorsed battery charger, assorted Crey products, etc. and Spring could be Jailbreak and Love and Ninjas. Jailbreak is a good analogy for breaking out of those winter blues with the protagonists trying to win their freedom. Hooray springtime! Love and Ninjas is your February romance movie... but with ninjas.

Additional movie ideas: Stay Alive!, a horror movie that uses the Halloween haunted house map. This one should be a panicked survival run through the end with nigh invulnerable ghouls and ghosts chasing you. They either have impossibly high resists or regen or attack from phasing or different monsters with different abilities. Player damage should be all but useless, but the monsters can still be stunned, held, immobilized, and repelled (to give you moments of respite to click glowies). They stop when you get to the cemetery, but then something even more horrifying (a giant monster) appears. The giant monster CAN be defeated but should be almost impossible... unless you pick up tools (four total, one for each player) on your way through the house. Having one or more of these will debuff the giant monster the same way destroying the pylons in that TF with Lord Recluse. If possible, having the giant monster spawned be kind of random like the end of the Halloween Banners Event would add a little more to the suspense because you don't know what's going to be there. Ghost Pirate Treasure Isle... it takes place on an island; just park the ghost ship a little ways off and have waves upon waves of ghost pirates attack while the players defend the treasure chest. The pirates attempt to destroy it (looting it until it's empty). Once the timer runs out and the treasure is successfully defended, the ghosts stop but the Ghost Pirate King EB spawns and you have to find and defeat him. Armageddon Soon is a thriller about mercenaries trying to launch a nuke at Paragon City. Ideally, the heroes would have to fight their way through the missile complex in Warburg... if you could fence off a small area outside it and the whole of inside it. This one could follow the old mainstay of needing the heroes get door keys to get to the heart of the complex. Fun twist, the end of this movie can be preventing the nuke from being launched... and/or the players could decide to launch it themselves. Players are awarded a different badge for whichever ending they choose. Jailbreak, an escape movie where the heroes play the roles of convicts attempting to break out of the Zig. In their escape, they have to fight guards, maybe some other prisoners, a few lesser heroes (put Flambeaux and her friends in, I dare you)... but at the end you have to face off against one of the Freedom Phalanx. Love and Ninjas is a story about trying to facilitate the romance between two NPCs, one is a friend of the heroes and the other his/her true love. Both of them are from rival ninja clans, however, and both clans are upset at trying to unite the two lovebirds. This could be ideally a two-part escort mission as you attempt to get each to a specific location, then defend against one final assault from both clans at once. Okayfellas, an organized crime story featuring Family and Mooks and the protagonists caught in the middle. Lots of gunplay in this one, perhaps some stolen loot that needs to be found and turned in to authorities upon which the rival mob factions have to stop attacking because they'll be under intense legal scrutiny for awhile.

Yes, the 2nd and 3rd ones tread a dangerous line. DC has had a Captain Marvel knockoff called Captain Thunder fight Superman, and he had a chest symbol very similar to this one instead of the normal lightning bolt. The Miles Morales knockoff... I'm going to leave that to GMs to make the call, as it should be... But, honestly, that 1st one is almost a perfect example of what could be considered permissible under the law. Yes, it's very much a Captain America pastiche character, but in name and appearance it would meet the standard of legally distinct. If someone tried to publish this character, Marvel might still want to sue to defend their Trademark, but it's likely they wouldn't be awarded anything or the person who wrote it might have to alter some of the background story details. Super soldiers are a regular thing now, so in concept that passes... and naming it Superior soldier instead of super is another plus. However, the part about being trapped in ice and frozen until modern day might need to be revised because that cuts a little too close to the mark. If helps that it isn't specified how... if he was frozen and floating along the same path Marvel's character did, that would definitely be too far. But for all we know, the specific details of this character being frozen were a cryogenic experiment or a villain's attempt to imprison him.

Close is fine. Gone are the days when the courts can't tell two tights wearing muscle men apart which led to DC suing Fawcett Comics into oblivion over Captain Marvel (Shazam) and then later buying him up to add to their own universe. It's all about being legally distinct. If the costume is similar but different (chest symbol goes a long way in this regard), and the name is different, then you could have on your hands what is called a pastiche character. Marvel has done this repeatedly with their Superman wannabes like Gladiator, Hyperion, and Sentry.

Just a side note, because there are always people who try to bring up parody and "fair use" arguments. And in some cases, they are legitimate... but even still, no one should count on that as a means of copying their favorite character. Parody uses can still be looked at as Trademark infringement and a court gets the final say in whether or not the parody holds up or truly infringes (or damages) the brand of the Trademark holder. And what that means is that if the Trademark holder can be reasonably assumed to be aware of it --and let's assume that NCSoft granting official license to Homecoming for COH is big news and social media streaming videos are permitted, anything is possible-- then they would have to sue the source to protect themselves from potentially losing the Trademark. If they don't, then it could be considered to be abandoned and then someone else could try to register it and cite sources of it being used elsewhere and not getting a C&D or other legal notice as abandonment of the Trademark. So who do they sue? The individual using it? Sure, if that person can be identified. Otherwise, they have to go after the company that enables it. In this case, COH: Homecoming. And, again, the parody may very well be legitimate and could be upheld by a court. But HC would still have to go to court to defend it... and that would cost money. It's much easier to say no to "parody" that isn't so blatant that it would get tossed out. Because some parody can look close to legitimate... like how a TV show that does sketch comedy could make fun of a superhero comic or movie or whatever. You know it's parody because they are doing a bit... but even still, I'm sure they've got lawyers on the ready to defend as needed. But some schmuck makes a Superman clone in this game and says "it's okay because it's parody," then what's the joke and where's the line, and who defends it in court? The game is back and here for you to enjoy. It's not the responsibility of Homecoming to defend anyone's attempt at parody, homage, or whatever else you choose to call your knockoff characters. I am not a lawyer and none of this is legal advice. Your mileage may vary.

Copyright protects specific works of art, whether it be writing, artwork, or even photographed images. You cannot reproduce or copy: The words of someone's published story (in that particular order, obviously not the individual words Using published and protected artwork in another context Photos, paintings, cover or interior art from comics, or any other specific image Trademark protects likenesses. You cannot copy someone else's logo, made up words, unique names, or likenesses. Things that are similar but different have to pass a standard that makes them legally distinct from the original. Unlike Copyright law, Trademarks must be defended if it can be assumed that the Trademark holder would be reasonably aware of the infringement. In the case of City of Heroes being sued by Marvel Comics, it is a computer game about super heroes and even if the game was relatively small potatoes in sales compared to Marvel's sales numbers, they should be aware of its presence in the market especially because of social media and fan crossover. Legally distinct means that Superman's iconic look can be recognized pretty easily... red and blue tights with red cape and S on the chest. Clark Kent, on the other hand, is not. While the character may be immediately recognizable, the names Clark and Kent --even in that combination-- could be considered commonplace names. Marvel Comics has used Clark Kent in their comics a couple of times, even as a reporter... talking an associate named Lois, and when trouble popped up he looked like he was trying to excuse himself for... reasons. One could not use a variation of Superman's costume (different logo, possibly just reversing the colors) and call him Clark Kent, however, because then you're associating the common name(s) in the specific combination that is associated with the iconic superhero look. One also cannot make a completely generic looking individual or even uniquely original character with the name Superman, because Superman is not commonplace word open to public domain use (such as anything in the dictionary). It is a specific made-up name combining the words super and man into one Trademark protected new word that only DC Comics has the rights to. The difference between Copyright and Trademark for our purposes is that we cannot recreate specific images of characters from comics art. No one is making the cover of Action Comics #1 or the big splash page of a fight scene from their favorite comic, which would fall under Copyright... where as Trademark protects the likeness in any form. If you make a Spider-man in red and blue with a spider logo that is as close as possible to the original that anyone can identify it on sight as Spider-man... then it doesn't have to mirror specific images from the comics or other works of art; just the fact that it looks like Spider-man is infringement enough. Copyright can still be an issue though if you choose to add published text word for word (or very close to it) in your character's background info, but substituting your character's name for the original source... then you'd be infringing on copyright. I see people treat the terms Copyright and Trademark interchangeably, talking about Copyrighted character this or Copyrighted character that. This looks like such and such Copyrighted character. Most people understand that it's a legally protected character that's being discussed, but there's an important distinction in that something could be considered public domain for Trademark but not necessarily Copyright. Maybe a company has gone under and its trademarks considered legally abandoned... or could become so if someone just starts using a trademarked whatever and no one is there to defend it (which means send out a cease & desist notice and/or sue the individual using it), but that wouldn't necessarily invalidate any Copyrights that haven't expired. In such a case, the likeness of the trademark could be used but not anything that specifically reproduces the original source. It's not exactly character specific, but the TSR logo from the old D&D game was considered abandoned by Wizards of the Coast... I'm not sure if it was because someone else just started using it first or if it was outright let go by the new owners of D&D, but after the TSR logo got re-used elsewhere, any claim to it WotC might have had was gone. I think the TSR logo has been under 3 distinct ownerships, with the second user not faring well and then someone else trying to make a go of it. But even if someone comes along and takes over a trademark and the old/new owner doesn't challenge it, that does not entitle the new holder of the Trademark free use of any of the old Copyrighted materials of the previous incarnation of TSR. All they get out of it is a recognizable symbol... a brand name... in a business field where it was very recognizable. I'm just irritated by casual interchangeable use of legal terms that people clearly don't understand but are afraid of causing problems. Be educated or don't, but if you're going to discuss the matter with any seeming of authority in the matter, then know which law(s) are being referenced and possibly infringed and why.

What's the rule if someone has been playing something for awhile and a new trademarked character appears in some medium that greatly resembles that COH character in appearance and/or name?

It is definitely not for me. Depending on how my build works out without it, I may stop playing my mind controllers altogether.

I'll be dropping telekinesis from my mind controllers, so I can relate.

I submitted a ticket for my character's lost dignity, but apparently no one can help me.

That guy IS a regen tanker after his trip to the hospital.

They could also work as a pattern on tights.

Is there any chance we could get the two Sybil under chest costume pieces added to Tops With Skin? It'd be nice to have some backless pieces in that wouldn't show out from under some of the Chest Details like the Barbarian and Talons pieces... Even Eden, one of the skimpiest tops in the game, wraps around on the sides to the back... And the Barbarian top strap doesn't match up with the straps here, and just looks extra weird:

If that were possible, then that would open up the options even more for every individual. Great idea.

Four years later, and you are getting your wish. 😎

Brilliant! Thank you!

Could we get some options to substitute for the police radio and newspaper contacts that might suit different character origins/backgrounds a little better? Like, they would work the same way and lead to the bank mission, and they would be mutually exclusive so you couldn't run them all and then do back-to-back-to-back bank missions or whatever. They'd still use the same mission lists for each zone and could even still direct the player to the detectives or villain brokers for said bank missions. Some ideas to replace the police radio and newspaper animations as contacts: The Internet - Use the smart phone texting animation to see what's going on locally via social media. Eventually, you get a private/direct message that the local detective/broker wants to see you about something big going down. The Informant/Snitch - Use the cell phone animation to take a phone call from someone in the know that will direct you toward local missions. Instead of the usual assortment of missions, you're told that the local detective/broker has been putting out requests asking you to come see them. The Psychic - Using the animation for Scramble Minds, a mysterious psychic communicates with you and directs you toward missions that require your attention/could profit you. After completing the requisite number of missions, the psychic tells you to visit the detective/broker. Crystal Ball - Using the casting animation from the Sorcery pool, a crystal ball (like the globe from the Floating Heads costume options) manifests and shows you local happenings and yada yada yada. I like the radio missions, but I am just sick of hearing and seeing that police radio everywhere and think it would be cool if we could opt out of it while still being able to do those missions.

After a discussion in another thread, I think what I want most of all is dedicated magical-themed powersets such as Arcane Blast and Arcane Defense (support), possibly Arcane Manipulation, Control, and Assault later on. Not different animations or effects on existing powersets... new, different powers that may share some similarities with existing powersets but still different and unique to itself.

Jargon Psychic Blast / Pain Domination Corruptor

Me too! I made Cousin Psyche, whose costume was identical to Sister Psyche except for face and hair. Generic'd. I inquired with Cuppa Jo, pointing to the fact that no dev uses Sister Psyche as the representative, and even though my character looked different and should be identifiably not the signature hero... it's still their trademark/copyright. I got an immediate response of no, that should be fine, and not long after my character's costume and name were restored. I guess it was an over-ambitious GM who tagged me. But it was good to get my Cuz back.

Unfortunately, I think the frisbee thing is a little too specific to Captain America that the legal difficulties it could pose for anyone using it with a patriotic themed character could be a challenge to the Captain America trademark stuff. This happened with the Fighting American comic which was pretty much a Captain America knockoff, shield and all. The character's look and story were different enough that the lawsuit didn't end the comic, but afterwards Fighting American could no longer throw his shield. Yes, it could be used by non-patriotic themed characters... but that faces the same scrutiny as allowing the name Thor (public domain mythology) into the permissible names pool. Sure, it may be legal for anyone else to use (as long as they aren't publishing a comic book by the same name, which Marvel owns the rights to)... but why worry about whether or not anyone who gets the name will end up using it to make a Marvel knockoff instead of their own version of Thor?