We took the time to sit down with Paragon Studios to talk about their latest expansion for City of Heroes, titled "Going Rogue." Also, we've got free jetpack codes for you all!

Update: We're working on a solution to the free jetpack codes that were promised to our readers. The response we received was more than we anticipated, so please bear with us as we figure out how to distribute the codes. Thanks for your patience, and I hope we can get you your jetpack codes soon.

Note: Posting for the jetpack codes is now over. Further posts will not enter you as a chance to get a key.

When Paragon Studios and NCsoft announced that they would be releasing a new expansion for City of Heroes (CoH), we were intrigued. When it was revealed that this expansion was called "Going Rogue" and it featured the ability for Superheroes and Villains alike to tread all those morally grey waters between "good" and "evil," we became downright excited. After all, when was the last time you had a character that could change their very morality during the course of the game? Probably never!

Either way, we were so excited about CoH's latest expansion, we decided to reach out to Paragon Studios to have a little chat with Matt Miller, lead systems designer, about this upcoming expansion. They were also kind enough to throw in some free jetpack codes for our readers! So maybe you were a fan of City of Heroes and have since taken a break, or perhaps you've always been that massive CoH enthusiast all your life, so why not go rogue with an awesome jetpack? Just make a post in the comments section of this interview about what part of Going Rogue you're looking forward to most (it can be anything!), and you'll have the chance to get a snazzy Jetpack! Enjoy!

ZAM: Hi there and thanks for answering a few questions we had about City of Heroes' (CoH) latest expansion, Going Rogue!

Matt Miller: No problem, we're all very proud of the work we've done on this expansion.

ZAM: There's been a lot of reference to the new alternate world of Praetoria being introduced. How will you be using Praetoria to tie into the game play of CoH? Will Praetoria perhaps make an appearance in endgame content?

Matt Miller: Praetoria and the Praetorian Guard were actually introduced to our players in Issue One. We took the opportunity in Going Rouge to expand upon the lore and really flesh out the characters and areas of that world. We've still got a ton of stories yet to tell in Praetoria, and yes, some of those stories involve max-level characters.

ZAM: One of the key features of this expansion is for players to be able to test those grey waters between good and evil. In fact, this is where Going Rogue derived its name. What really attracted Paragon Studios to the concept of "going rogue" and switching sides?

Matt Miller: We wanted to do side-switching shortly after City of Villains, but were never really happy with the designs we had for it. Eventually we started talking about a "third faction" of Vigilante, the dark hero, and how that could be used as a go-between of Heroes and Villains. Once we explored the stories we could tell, we realized that Vigilante didn't fit the Villain-to-Hero path, and thus the Rogue was born. The rogue is more of a mercenary, a selfish person who is more about getting ahead than doing evil. With all four alignments in place, we've been able to really explore the shades of gray concept that is so classic to comic book storytelling. Players will really have to think about the decisions they face as the choice is rarely as simple as "good vs. evil." We've been very happy with the system's design ever since that day. Everything just fell into place.

ZAM: Are there any rewards for staying "true" to a specific moral calling? For example, what about Heroes who stoically refuse to dabble in the immoral, or Villains who despise doing anything good? What about players who choose to stay as Rogues or Vigilantes because they feel that this fits best with their character?

Matt Miller: Heroes and Villains who "reinforce" their morality (by going through the steps to switch, but instead choosing to remain their current alignment) will receive a new type of currency we're calling Alignment Merits. These can be redeemed for some of the best loot in the game, a reward for staying true. They will also have access to special bases with some pretty cool features.

Vigilantes and Rogues have a different advantage. They can go into the other side's game world and run newspaper/police scanner missions, as well as team up with the opposite faction and run missions with them. The entirety of both games' geography is open to Vigilantes and Rogues. It's a badge hunter's paradise.

ZAM: Will there be penalties for players who constantly flip flop between those moral distinctions, like spending one week as a hero, then another as a villain, and so on?

Matt Miller: When you switch you permanently lose any Alignment Merits you might have saved up. It's not a play style we actively encourage, but I can think of a couple of characters in comics and movies who switch sides so often that it's impossible to pin them as a hero or a villain at any point in time.