Template:WikiNews
We Went Nuclear
It is said that Friday the 13th was first considered an "unlucky day" because it was the day that the Knights Templar were taken down by the heavy-hand of King Phillip of France. Scores of Knights Templar were arrested, tortured, tried, and executed for made-up crimes.
Well, the self-appointed "knights" of spam that have besieged this resource are discovering that this is an unlucky day for them too.
We, the administrators of this resource, have invoked the "nuclear" option when it comes to new members and their ability to create and edit entries here.
Spammers have had a field day hiding behind fake proxys and concealed IP addresses, using bots to create dozens of member accounts every hour on the hour and then bombarding us with spam posts. And this administrator has been waging a losing war trying to take down every spam post that is put up and trying to block and ban every spammer account that applies.
Today, Friday the 13th, that ends.
From now on, regular users will no longer be able to create or edit entries, including their own user pages. They also will not be able to take part in discussions. Only those we (the administrators) have verified to be legitimate comic creators will have this ability.
We are currently working on a way to formalize this process for future members, so for right now the verification will be on a case-by-case basis. Every current comic creator that has an account here is being moved to "Verified" status so they can continue to contribute to the resource. Operative words being "comic creator". If you have an account here and you haven't come up with a fan-made comic in the past, you better do so.
We did not want to go this route. We wanted this resource to be open for all to enjoy. But the spammers really have left us with no choice. This is our resource, not theirs. This is a resource for creators and readers of fan-made comics, not a dumping ground for mass-marketers.
Thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? Questions? Any tips you would like to share? Let us know!
(Submitted by BattlerockX (talk) 20:45, 13 February 2015 (MST) )
Recent News
BattlerockX 15:08, 25 January 2015 (MST)
Welcome to the New Year!
Welcome to 2015, everyone!
Sorry this entry is a little late, but this humble creator and admin has been busy here with the holidays and also with the pending debut of the new series "Furia and the Guardians", as well as a few other projects that I hope we can talk about soon.
First things first... I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. I hope my fellow creators used this opportunity to recharge your mental batteries so you can come up with new comics for the rest of us to enjoy.
One of the things we've started doing is a special PNN News Break series for those comics that are based in the world of the City of Heroes MMO. These are two-page teasers which set the stage for an up-coming comic series. Although these have been running under the radar since the summer, we will start to include them in the New Releases section.
That brings us to our third issue... the ugly stench of spammers.
As mentioned in our Spam Policy, we have no tolerance for Spam, which we define as being "the use of this website's resources either to advertise for third-party merchant services that do not involve the stated goal of this website or to use the resources as a reference page for unsolicited electronic advertisement through other services (i.e. electronic mail)." This resource is monitored regularly for new registered users and for all additions and changes made to it, and recently we have been besieged by spammers attempting to co-opt this resource for their own purposes.
To that end, we (the admins) have made a few changes on the back-end that should hopefully make it difficult for spammers to continue to operate here. That includes extending the length we block IP addresses from 24-hours to a whole year.
What that means is that if a spammer used that IP address to violate our Spam Policy, that IP address and the subsequent IP addresses connected to it are blocked from registration or making any kind of changes to the resource for a whole year. This can be reversed on our end, but hopefully we won't have to do that too often.
This does seem a bit extreme, granted, but if you were the one having to go through entry after entry of Spam posts to remove them every other hour for every single day, you'd understand the kind of frustration we have had to deal with on this.
Hopefully we won't have to make any other kinds of changes, but if we have to, we will let you know here.
Remember, this resource is for MMO-based fan-generated comics and related reference information, and it is monitored.
Thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? Questions? Any tips you would like to share? Let us know!
(Submitted by BattlerockX (talk) 15:08, 25 January 2015 (MST)
BattlerockX 03:08, 13 December 2014 (MST)
Happy Holidays!
With the holiday season upon us, there is much for us to reflect upon and give thanks.
We are certainly grateful for the fan-made comics that have been made and shared through this resource. From "Future's Guardian" in the world of Champions Online to the 3D renderings of "The Crucible" in the world of the now-defunct City of Heroes.
Even though "The City" was taken away from us two years ago this past December 1st, stories from "The City" continue through 3D renderings and through special programs like Titan Icon that allow us to use the last Beta version of the game program. And, thankfully, more stories from "The City" will continue to come forward as we await the development and release of the so-called "Spiritual Successors".
Of course this would not be possible without both creators and readers, so we here at the City of Comic Creators extend our thanks to both the fan-made comic creators who keep the stories going, and also to the readers who have come to enjoy our tales and hopefully will look forward to what 2015 will bring.
Thank you, everyone, for making 2014 a year of stories worth telling!
Thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? Questions? Any tips you would like to share? Let us know!
(Submitted by BattlerockX (BattlerockX (talk) 03:08, 13 December 2014 (MST))
BattlerockX 22:26, 2 October 2014 (MDT)
How Good Are Your Villains?
With this being the month of October, the traditional month of villains and all things "evil", I thought I'd give a few tips about villains.
The old saying is that a hero is only as good as their villains. Unfortunately that hasn't always been the case.
If you take a look at some of the old animated cartoons of DC and Marvel heroes, you'll notice that most of the villains were genetic. Outer space aliens or mobsters that pretty much are only there to be punching bags for the heroes.
Did you know that the original Lex Luthor was just a bald overweight guy named "Luthor"? There was no complex backstory for "Luthor". He was simply a "scientist" (which, at the time, were considered "evil") that wanted to stop Superman before the Man of Steel could "thwart his plans". Eventually the character was developed into an arch-villain, complete with a rather complex backstory that linked him to Superman when they were both teens, and then gave him a reason to hate and despise Superman.
Of course, for animated videos or even for live-action serials, you didn't have time to come up with complex backstories to explain why a villain did what they did. So the writers would simply use generic villains and plainer-than-bottled-water plots. Master-villains wouldn't be robbing the banks all the time, but your common criminal would. There's "always" some intergalactic conqueror looking to take over the planet that somehow could be thwarted by one superhero and a sidekick.
And even when you had some "rogues gallery" of villains to choose from, the villain-of-the-episode had something rather obvious about them that was connected to their name. Remember Dick Tracy's criminals? "Noodle-nose" would have a long and thin nose. "Flat-head" actually had either a flattened head or a flat-top haircut. "Elephant ears" would have really big ears. But that's really all that differentiated them, wasn't it?
Remember that villains are characters too. They don't always do "evil" things just because they're villains. What motivates them to do what they do? Do they have a grudge against the hero? If so, why? Who do they work for? Why do they work for them? What do they do when they're not doing "the wrong things"?
You don't have to come up with full bios for every henchmen or every low-level criminal, but certainly the "Big Bad Boss" (or "B3") and some of the villains you think should be more memorable deserve more than just a designation as "villain".
In fact, the major comic publishers even go so far as to focus their attention on villains, especially around the month of October. In doing so, the readers get to see things from the villain's perspective and also understand a little about why do what they do.
So the question is... are your villains ready for their solo series? Or are they just there to be token punching bags? It's all up to you as creators to answer those questions.
Thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? Questions? Any tips you would like to share? Let us know!
(Submitted by BattlerockX (talk) 22:26, 2 October 2014 (MDT) )
BattlerockX 17:16, 2 September 2014 (MDT)
The Deletion Policy
Just a quick update on last month's announced Deletion Policy.
We will be deleting the files that had been previously requested but were on hold pending the new policy.
We ask that all new requests comply with the policy. If you don't know what it is, then take the time and go over it.
Thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? Questions? Any tips you would like to share? Let us know!
(Submitted by BattlerockX (talk) 17:16, 2 September 2014 (MDT) )
BattlerockX 18:17, 3 August 2014 (MDT)
Changing the “Delete” policy
Not too long ago there was a bit of an issue regarding the request to delete pages. A request was submitted to delete a page and then that person later protested its deletion and demanded its restoration, only to later request that we once again delete the page.
As administrators of this MediaWiki resource, it is our responsibility to make sure that the resource is used properly. That means no SPAM, and it also means keeping the information relevant to the various MMO games and how they apply to the comics that are based in those MMO games.
Wiki pages and other media information such as images and templates are meant to be available and referenced for as long as the resource exists. They should not be considered temporary posts or some rough draft before being used by some other resource.
Unless we are dealing with SPAM, the deletion of a page should only be considered a matter of last resort. The person requesting it should also provide a specific reason why they are deleting it and should not expect to have it later restored.
With this in mind, we are updating our deletion policy to be as follows:
1. If a resource page (including user pages), is considered to be in violation of the resource’s SPAM policy, then the page will be immediately deleted and the user’s account will be blocked. The determination of whether such page violates the resource’s SPAM policy and the subsequent deletion are made by the administrators.
2. Other than the above-mentioned reason, the request to delete a page should only be a matter of last resort. Do not request a deletion if you intend to re-edit a page or change the name of the page. There are mechanisms in place to make changes or to rename the page in question.
3. To request a deletion, one must put the following template at the top of the page: {{Delete}} You do not have to remove the rest of the information on the page. In fact it would be best if you left the remaining data as is.
4. The person requesting the deletion must then provide a specific reason why they are making this request. The request reason must be made in the page’s Discussion section and include the username of the person requesting it and the reason why they are requesting it. Ideally the only person requesting the deletion of that page should be the original author; however special considerations may be taken into account.
Failure to provide a reason will result in the page continuing to exist on the server and may even be reverted to the most recent entry prior to the request.
5. The determination of the validity of the deletion request and when it will be carried out is solely at the discretion of the administrators. Ideally, deletion can occur within one-to-seven days of a valid request.
6. Deletion of a page by the administrators will include in the name and time/date stamp of the person requesting the deletion, as well as the reason provided.
7. Requesting the restoration of a page or content that has been previously deleted should be equally rare. Restoration is solely at the discretion of the administrators and should take into consideration the reason why the content was originally deleted. Restoring content previously deleted for reasons that would be considered by most to be trivial (i.e. “I want to show this off to a friend and then you can delete it again”) will not be acceptable.
8. Multiple deletion and/or restoration requests within a small time frame can be considered an abuse of the resource. The user can be suspended from activity if such abuse continues.
Again, we reiterate that content on this MediaWiki resource is meant to be available for the duration of the resource itself. While we appreciate the continued participation of our members to expand on this resource, it must also adhere to the ultimate goal of the resource itself, which is to provide information for all readers.
Now that we have the formalized Deletion Policy set down, we are giving content creators time to review the policy before enacting it.
We will not begin deleting requested pages until September 1st. (With the obvious exception of SPAM pages, which will be deleted on sight.)
Thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? Questions? Any tips you would like to share? Let us know!
(Submitted by BattlerockX (talk) 18:17, 3 August 2014 (MDT) )
BattlerockX 18:37, 3 July 2014 (MDT)
It's Getting HOT In Here!
It's July already! The year is half-over with.
We're proud to announce that we have launched the MMO Comic Index Content Ratings System or MCICRS.
The MCICRS is a voluntary ratings system for comic creators to provide a guide for readers as to what kind of material is in their publications. Similar to the ratings systems used by major comic publishers, the MCICRS uses easy-to-understand designations for content that would be ideal for all audiences, for teens, for older teens and young adults, and clearly for adults.
Battlerock Comics is the first of the fan-made publishers to implement the MCICRS in their first issue of Guardians of the Dawn GRADUATION, but other CCC members and publishers have also expressed interest in using the system in their future publications.
Again, we point out that the ratings system is purely voluntary. There will not be any positive or negative encouragement for publishers to use the system. It's there to help them if they so wish.
Next on the to-do list should be the much-promised Deletion policy.
Thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? Questions? Any tips you would like to share? Let us know!
(Submitted by BattlerockX (talk) 18:37, 3 July 2014 (MDT) )
BattlerockX 10:03, 1 June 2014 (MST)
Welcome To The Summer!
It's June, the actual start of the summer!
We've been going over some of the proposed changes for the resource.
The deletion policy is still being hammered out, so all non-SPAM deletions are still on hold until then. We appreciate the contributions being made to this resource, and hopefully we'll see some fan-made comics being made from them.
There are several projects in the works right now, some of which are new comics, but some will also be helpful for all comic creators.
One of the projects we are working on is developing our own MMO Comic Index Content Ratings System.
Short history: Once upon a time, comic content was regulated by an industry-run group called the Comics Code Authority. This all-powerful organization came as a way to ward off crippling McCarthy-style government regulations during the repressive and fascistic 1950's. Basically the big publishers came to the agreement that their comics would be approved by the CCA in order for them to get a special stamp of approval. This is why the comics back then in the "Silver Age" had almost child-like stories to them. Starting in the 1980's, though, the big publishers began abandoning the CCA for their own ratings systems. Eventually nobody used the CCA, and now the CCA is owned by a free-speech group specifically so that it will never ever be used again.
Well, we're going through with coming up with our own ratings system for fan-made MMO-based comics.
We will have more about this in the future, but the important part is that this will be completely voluntary. We won't require you to adhere to the content ratings to have your comics posted here. This is just a little "CYA" measure that will give the readers some idea who the targeted audience is, and it will allow you the comic creator to be free with using the content that you feel comfortable with.
Stay tuned here for more details when they become available.
Thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? Questions? Any tips you would like to share? Let us know!
(Submitted by BattlerockX (talk) 10:03, 1 June 2014 (MST) )
BattlerockX 15:59, 3 March 2014 (MST)
Changes Ahead
It's been a while since we've done a news update, and I have to apologize for that.
Normally we would have at least one news update each month, however things have been getting in the way for us administrators.
We are making some changes regarding the use of this MediaWiki resource in light of how it has been used of late. Until we can formalize policy, we are suspending the deletion of pages with the obvious exception of SPAM. Hopefully we will have something up soon that will reflect the best use of this resource and still encourage content contributions.
Cape Radio News
Our friends at The Cape Radio have recently changed their format to reflect what they see is a shift in MMO trends, and that trend actually helps MMO players.
Previously, The Cape was focused on the City of Heroes MMO. But when that MMO was unjustly discontinued in 2012, the people at The Cape have decided to split their focus between Champions Online and The Secret World.
Well back in November, the folks at TCR saw that The Secret World was dwindling in interest and could possibly join COH in MMO oblivion. But rather than concentrate only on one MMO, TCR decided to expand their focus to ALL of the Perfect World MMO games.
So if you are a fan of Champions, Star Trek Online, Dungeons and Dragons Neverwinter, or any of the other PW games, you now have an online radio station for you to enjoy! And maybe that will help inspire you to come up with some new fan-made comics.
Thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? Questions? Any tips you would like to share? Let us know!
(Submitted by BattlerockX (talk) 15:59, 3 March 2014 (MST) )
BattlerockX 05:49, 5 January 2014 (MST)
Welcome to 2014
Another year has come and gone, and we welcome 2014 with the hope that things will be better for both comic creators and comic fans.
While things have been bleak with the loss of the City of Heroes MMO, comic creators have managed to keep the spirit going with continuing stories done with the help of archived content and demorecording. Comics such as "The Justice-Knights", "The Crucible" and "New Allied Fighters" prove that while the game itself may be gone, the stories are able to continue.
And more are on the way...
In related news...
It appears that the Champions Online Wiki resource is down[1].
Like the MMO Comic Index, the CO Wiki is fan-made and user-supported. These Wiki resources are done with the tacit approval of the MMO companies, but they are not a part of the MMO. I know some of these people and I can tell you for a fact that the people behind these Wiki resources pay for these out of their own pockets, and they do it because they really love the MMO and they want to do everything they can to make the experience enjoyable for everyone.
And it is sad when a content creator is so discouraged by the thing they have dedicated so much of their time doing - without pay I should add - that they decide to just give up. It doesn't matter if it's a Wiki resource, fan-made videos, or fan-made comics. This is something that MMO companies seem to fail to grasp and just take for granted that there would be this unending love and support. That love needs to be appreciated and reciprocated for it to go on, otherwise people will just give up. That's just human nature.
Hopefully someone else will pick up where the original admin left off and resume the Champions Wiki. In the meantime, we will adjust the link to point to an archive site so you will still be able to get game-related information.
Thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? Questions? Any tips you would like to share? Let us know!
(Submitted by BattlerockX (talk) 05:49, 5 January 2014 (MST) )
BattlerockX 10:32, 1 December 2013 (MST)
It's Been A Year...
On December 1st, 2012, the corporate entity that is NC Soft managed to do what gods, demigods, and even Lord Recluse and Nemesis were never able to accomplish. They utterly destroyed the universe known as City of Heroes.
They assumed that the millions that made Paragon City and the Rogue Isles their homes for over eight years would simply move to another of their MMOs. They assumed that the heroes that have spent eight years sacrificing everything to save the city would simply accept fate and let it die. They assumed that the villains that have spent almost eight years trying to take over the city would simply settle for watching someone else destroy it.
They were WRONG!
We made noise. We held protests. We let NC Soft know that we were not going to give up without a fight. And the company suffered financially because of it. NC Soft prevailed, but we made sure that it was a phyrric victory for them.
Even though the MMO has been gone for a year, "The City" remains in Facebook groups and message boards... It survives in groups scattered through various other MMOs.
And it survives through our stories. Time, energy, and effort goes into these stories, to remind people that "The City" still goes on even if the MMO cannot.
And more stories are coming.
The Game may be done... but the stories go on!
Behave!
As one of the administrators of this resource, I first have to give a hearty welcome to those that have taken the time to contribute content and information. Particiapation helps encourage more people to check out this resource and possibly even enjoy the content that we spend countless amounts of time, effort, and energy on.
Having said that, though, I must remind those that are new to a few things.
First, we have no tolerance for SPAM. Period. Obviously the vast majority of spammers that try to infest our resource are bot-generated programs that cannot get past our modest barrier, but there are a few that manage to manually post junk. I say this to those of you determined to turn this resource into your own spam-revenue service: YOU ARE NOT WELCOMED HERE! You will be banned and your IP will be blocked. OUR resource, OUR rules. Not yours!
Second, I must remind people that this resources is for fan-made MMO content. This is not a substitute for PRIMUS or other gamer-based role-playing resources. New content is good, but hopefully there's a fan-made comic book involved with it, or at the very least a reference to one. (And bear in mind that as one of the administrators, I DO research these things!) I'm not saying this to discourage people particiapting, but rather as an encouragement to come up with some fan-made comics, or otherwise work with people that do.
And third, I'm asking that people please behave when it comes to comments on the content of others. We have no desire to be den mother forum monitors (cripes, the top two admins are libertarians!), so please spare us all some grief and keep your comments constructive, instructive, informative, or otherwise beneficial. We have a hard enough time dealing with the bottom-feeding spammers.
Thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? Questions? Any tips you would like to share? Let us know!
(Submitted by BattlerockX (talk) 10:32, 1 December 2013 (MST) )
BattlerockX 05:05, 5 October 2013 (MDT)
Catching Up for October
You've probably noticed that our monthly updates have been getting a little anemic.
Part of the reason why has to do with the workload we creators have to deal with that go beyond our work.
This isn't a job for us. We all work or go to school. We create comics because we have stories to tell and we want to share them with you, but these things don't pay our bills. In fact, because these are fan-based comics, we legally cannot make any money off them, even though we will dedicate our time, effort, and talent into them. So we have to work. We have to make money so we can pay to keep our computers going and to play the MMO games to inspire us and to come up with these great comics for you to enjoy.
This is truly a labor of love for us. We love doing this.
By the way, this is also why some of our stories are better than our mainstream comic counterparts. When you are your own writer, creator, editor, and publisher, you don't have to worry about "editorial mandate" messing things up.
It may take a little longer for some of our work to come out, but I'm sure you'll find that we make the wait worth it!
Besides, it's not like you're having to pay for them, right?
Thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? Questions? Any tips you would like to share? Let us know!
(Submitted by BattlerockX (talk) 05:05, 5 October 2013 (MDT) )
BattlerockX 06:14, 1 August 2013 (MDT)
August is SMOKING HOT!
As you probably have noticed, we've been making plenty of changes to our little modest MediaWiki resource.
The most visible one is the New Releases section, which you can see with the banner at the top of the Main Page. Since our various member-creators have different release schedules, we've to come up with a way for you to see which new comics have been published. It's also been very helpful that the mighty Ra has been coming up with some promotional ads for some of these new releases, and whenever possible we will share them in the New Releases section for that month.
Another feature which we brought over from the original CoH Comic Index site is the "How To Create A Comic" feature which includes tips and tricks on how to create your own fan-made comic book or comic book series. This "How To" special includes help on layout, cover design, the various page elements, and some particular legal issues surrounding comic book creations. The series uses the City of Heroes MMO as its base, but pretty much every element can apply to other MMOs.
We've also been coming up with more ads for our member-creators to use in their publications, including some for our friends at The Cape Radio. After all, we MMO supporters have to help each other, right? Right now many of the ads are for the Champions Online MMO, but there will be others soon.
And be sure to keep checking back here for more news when it breaks!
Thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? Questions? Any tips you would like to share? Let us know!
(Submitted by BattlerockX (talk) 06:14, 1 August 2013 (MDT) )
BattlerockX 11:27, 30 June 2013 (MDT)
Welcome New Readers!
This is just a quick message to welcome the new and returning viewers of our MediaWiki Resource, especially to those coming to us through the various Facebook groups.
We also want to remind newly-registered users that we do not tolerate the use of this resource for SPAM. We already have some measures in place, but we have seen some questionable user entries as well.
This MediaWiki resource is designed for the purpose of providing information for MMO-based fan-made comics. This does not include third-party websites that promote products outside of that purpose. We have a strong no-SPAM policy in place and much like our previous website we have no qualms banning users and their IPs that violate that policy.
For the others, I hope you will enjoy visiting this resource as we bring in more and more fan-made comics.
Thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? Questions? Any tips you would like to share? Let us know!
(Submitted by BattlerockX (talk) 11:27, 30 June 2013 (MDT) )
BattlerockX 09:06, 31 January 2013 (MST)
Welcome!
Welcome to the next stage of fan-made comic resources.
Our original wiki resource is still around, but with the corporate-dictated demise of the City of Heroes, our creators have spread out to other realms, coming up with new fan-made stories to tell. Some will continue to tell stories within the "City", but now we are not limited to just one MMORPG.
This new Wiki resource is still in the construction phase, so there are still plenty of things to work on. I hope you will bear with us as we mold and shape this resource into one that will be on par with all of the game resources out there.
In the meantime, the City of Comic Creators also has a presence on Facebook.
All comic creators past and present are welcome to join our CCC Group on Facebook so we will still be able to keep in touch with the various projects.
Click HERE to access the City of Comic Creators Facebook Group.
Thoughts? Ideas? Feedback? Questions? Any tips you would like to share? Let us know!
(Submitted by BattlerockX (talk) 09:06, 31 January 2013 (MST) )
Just FYI
When we replace news article, place them just under the "Recent News" line from the most recent on back.
