Modern Armor Thor

"Modern Armor Thor" is a line of uniforms that come in Blaster and Bruiser versions.  They cost 66 and 51 Command Points, respectively.

These uniforms retain the Asgardian passive ability, but have the new ability:

• Might of Mjolnir x2
• Increase damage and accuracy of the next Hammer Throw or Summon Thunder
• This effect can be applied up to 2 times

This ability is like the Might of Mjolnir granted by Thor's level 2 skill, Empowering Strike, but applies 2 stacks at once and is automatically given at the start of combat.

Scarlet Witch Released

Scarlet Witch was released on June 28, 2012.  She comes only as a Blaster in her "Classic" uniform, and costs 90 Command Points.

[Images in this article were taken with Agent at level 158, wearing a Generalist's Commander Trench filled with eight Chaotic Iso-8 Shards.]

Modern Armor Sif

"Modern Armor Sif" is a new line of uniforms.  There are Scrapper (42 Command Points) and Bruiser (42 CP) versions.

These uniforms, as well as "Classic Sif", have the passive ability "Asgardian".  This ability (which Thor also has) makes Sif immune to Burning, Chilled, Poison, and Radiation.

The new line of uniforms have the new ability:

• Tempered Steel (3 turns)
• Sif's attacks are guaranteed to be critical hits for the first three rounds

This new ability is like the Honed Edge ability granted by Sif's level 6 skill, Inspire Courage, except that it starts at the beginning of combat.

Iron Man Mark 5 Armor Upgraded

"Iron Man Mark 5 Armor" is a line of uniforms that has been available for a long time.  There are Tactician (60 Command Points) and Blaster (45 CP) versions.

These uniforms, as well as Iron Man's other uniforms, have the passive ability "Flying".  This ability makes Iron Man immune to most ground attacks.

More recently, a passive ability was added to Iron Man's Mark 5 Armor:

• Energized Shield (3 turns)
• Absorbs incoming damage
• Immune to Stun
• Restores Stamina every turn

Energized Shield is just like Iron Man's level 6 skill, Deflector Shield, except it restores Stamina every turn and is automatically activated at the start of combat.

This new ability strengthens Iron Man's defense considerably, and introduces new possible strategies for combat.

Iron Man Shoes

Quote:

J’field Yeo took this Nike Dunk High and turned it into something extraordinary with a new custom inspired by the popular Marvel Comics icon, Iron Man. The Dunk High features a custom painted upper in red and metallic gold with Iron Man’s helmet painted on the heel of the shoe. The ‘helmet’ also features functioning LED lights on the eyes as well as an LED arc reactor in on the tongue. To take it to extremes, J’field also created a custom “Stark Industries” brief case (as seen in the recent Iron Man 2 movie) with another LED operated arc reactor installed inside. To check out more of his brilliant work, hit up MTATW.

Follow link for more images:

Sneaker Files - Nike Dunk High Custom - Iron Man by J'Field Yeo

Creator of these shoes (Marvel Entertainment told them they are not allowed to sell these shoes or display images of them):

MTATW - More Than Art To Wear

Copyright Infringement

I've taken some old posts offline.  It may be temporary or it might not be.  [UPDATE, June 25, 2012:  I've put the posts back online.]

Initially, I played Marvel: Avengers Alliance a lot, but cooled off quickly due to the lack of new content and the simplicity of the game.  In that initial period, I also had many ideas for blog content, many of which haven't come to fruition.  I've lost interest in creating new, original work for this blog (as well as another blog) for a couple of reasons.  I can barely justify taking the time to make new, but bland, unoriginal posts.

I make virtually no money from the advertising on this blog, especially in light of the amount of work I've put in.  The most important reason for this is probably the incredibly low CTR (click-through rate) on ads among Facebook gamers.  It's nice, however, to see an increasing number of readers, likes, and page views.

Copying Is Not "Sharing"

What really annoys me, though, is copyright infringement.  Many people don't seem to understand what that means.  How would you like to spend many hours working on something--most of it original--only to see other people copy you?  Not only that, but it's the worst form of copying.  I don't just mean taking an idea and creating a similar piece of work.  Some people copy HTML code (not from this blog that I've noticed) and use it on their own websites, or take screenshots of original work and spread it around as if it were their own work.

Most people don't even bother to credit or link to what they are copying.  The ethical thing to do is to give an excerpt (not the whole work if it is long, with some exceptions), credit the source, and provide a link.  In some cases, it would also be proper to ask permission from the author first.

Intellectual property can be hard to understand.  It is an abstract, Western concept.  It is one of the pillars of modern Western society.  There are grey areas such as the notion of "fair use", such as when I use images from Avengers Alliance.

Think about this.  Why would anyone continue to do anything original without getting paid if others constantly profit from it without doing any work of their own?  Some people might still do it out of interest, passion, naivety, ignorance, or some selfish motive.  But most people would simply stop creating original work.

References

Wikipedia - Intellectual Property

Wikipedia - Copyright Infringement

Wikipedia - Digital Millennium Copyright Act

United States Copyright Office

Facebook - Copyright Policy

Facebook - About Copyrights

Facebook - Reporting Copyright Infringements

Facebook - online form for reporting infringement of copyright, trademarks, and other

Blogger - online form for reporting copyright infringement

Shadowcat Kitty Pryde Upgraded

"Shadowcat Kitty Pryde" is a line of uniforms that has been available for a long time.  There are Scrapper (45 Command Points) and Infiltrator (32 CP) versions.

These uniforms, as well as the "Classic X-Men Kitty Pryde" uniform, have the passive ability "Lockheed".  This ability gives a chance of a counter-attack by Kitty Pryde's dragon friend, Lockheed, each time an enemy attacks Kitty Pryde.

More recently, two new passive abilities were added to the Shadowcat uniforms:

• Strike From the Shadows (3 turns)
• Begins the fight Phased
• Counters all attacks for the first three rounds of combat
• Phased (3 turns)
• Automatically dodges all attacks
• Increased damage on next attack
• Removed after attacking

These new abilities strengthen Kitty Pryde considerably, and introduce new possible strategies for combat.

Black Panther Released

The newest Hero, Black Panther, was just released on June 7, 2012 at 1:00 PM PST.  Classic Black Panther is a Tactician that costs 90 Command Points to recruit.

[Images in this article were taken with Agent at level 150, wearing a Generalist's Commander Trench filled with eight Chaotic Iso-8 Shards.]

Recall that Black Panther was the Top New Hero Wanted.

Recruitment dialog:

"Wakanda has no need of S.H.I.E.L.D. but S.H.I.E.L.D. has need of Wakanda.  As long as our goals align, I will fight by your side."  

The Chase For Mockingbird Just Got Better

Probably in response to the many complaints about the difficulty of Special Operation 1, Playdom has made some changes.  The above image was sent by email to players of Marvel Avengers Alliance.  It reads:

The chase for Mockingbird just got better

Recent developments in S.H.I.E.L.D. technology have made Special Operations easier and more rewarding.

• Mission difficulty has been re-balanced
• Spec Ops reward weapons are now customized to your agent level
• The time limit has been extended one week
• Claim 50 Unstable ISO-8 reward to get back in the fight

Click the following link for the reward:

50 Unstable ISO-8

Chaotic Grenade

The Chaotic Grenade is a premium, limited edition item available from June 5-7, 2012.  It is a single-use item, not a weapon.

It is the blog author's opinion that limited edition, single-use items are not worth buying for Gold (unless one comes along that has major ramifications in the game, such as unlocking a mission).

The Gold price of this item may vary between players due to Playdom's variable pricing policy.

• PVP Bonus: +341 Atk, +341 Def
• Deals damage to a single target and causes Iso-8 Corruption 
• Corruption Blast (1 turn)
• Deals massive damage to a single target
• Iso-8 Corruption (3 turns)
• Taking damage every turn
• All stats reduced
• This effect can be applied up to 3 times

Modern Colossus Uniforms

The Modern Colossus uniforms were released on June 5, 2012.  There are two class versions: Scrapper and Bruiser.

The Scrapper version costs 42 Command Points, while the Bruiser version costs 32 Command Points.  The Scrapper version costs more because it allows Colossus to change from his original Bruiser class.

Unlike the Avengers uniforms, which were available for a limited time, the Modern Colossus uniforms are permanently available.

Steel Fortress

Both Modern Colossus uniforms come with the new passive ability, Steel Fortress.  This ability is just like Colossus' level 2 skill, Steel Curtain, except that it lasts 3 turns.  It is activated the first time an enemy tries to attack the Agent or a Hero.  It does not reset in the second or third rounds of combat.

Steel Fortress (3 turns)

• Protects allies from single-target attacks for the first three rounds of combat
• Takes reduced damage