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City of Heroes is NOT GOING QUIETLY!!!
logandarklighter
Posts: 334 Arc User
There is a Unity Rally on Virtue server.
We generated 33 Instances of Atlas Park before the server gave up and went to queue. Last report is that the queue is over 300. And the overflow is moving to the other servers, starting with Freedom.
Any of you still with City of Heroes accounts, perhaps you could pop over and help us crash some more servers? ^_^
Here. Here's a video to give you an idea of what's going on.
http://youtu.be/-l0qTId6TR8
And we are getting media coverage from Kotaku. Massively is livestreaming!
Edit:
Neil Gaiman, John Kovalic, John C. Wright & Mercedes Lackey Support Save City Of Heroes Campaign
We generated 33 Instances of Atlas Park before the server gave up and went to queue. Last report is that the queue is over 300. And the overflow is moving to the other servers, starting with Freedom.
Any of you still with City of Heroes accounts, perhaps you could pop over and help us crash some more servers? ^_^
Here. Here's a video to give you an idea of what's going on.
http://youtu.be/-l0qTId6TR8
And we are getting media coverage from Kotaku. Massively is livestreaming!
Edit:
Neil Gaiman, John Kovalic, John C. Wright & Mercedes Lackey Support Save City Of Heroes Campaign
Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments
I've said for sometime, the video game industry is a breaking point for mistreatment of customers as expendable numbers rather than valued customers.
This is partly being brought on by a squeeze in available expendable entertainment money in the "new economy", heightening competition and forcing game companies to cut corners for frequently.
And this is partly because developers in big game companies are often encapsulated from the customers, which leads to the developers not understanding the customers and the customers not understanding the developers. You can see that here as well.
I fully encourage the CoH players in their endeavor to make a statement about the lack of a standard of service expectations that is all too commonly abused in the gaming industry in the name of quarterly profits.
I have leaked that video onto my Facebook, which has an aggregate social network for first degree of about 8000 people, many of which are gamers (and even a few professional game developers).
My advice to the CoH players is get as many numbers as possible. Make this BIG and contact the press (maybe even CNN or BBC, but certainly something like AotS or XPlay)
Consolidate the currencies! (Please!)
Does your Champion have a theme song? (share it!)
Got a funny in-game screenshot? (share it!)
Please fix the Overdrive energy unlock! (Should help promote thematic build diversity!)
RIP Caine
This is NOT how you go about trying to affect a positive change. And while technically asking people to go crash another game's servers isn't explicitly stated as being against the forum guidelines and policies, it's just asking to have this thread locked and deleted on principle.
I feel bad for the long time players of that game, I was one myself once, but advocating server crashes is taking it too far.
Nepht and Dr Deflecto on primus
They all thought I was out of the game....But I'm holding all the lockboxes now..
I'll......FOAM FINGER YOUR BACK!
Okay. You have COMPLETELY MISSED THE POINT. Let me explain.
I was JOKING. WITH SMILIES. When I made that statement.
I normally HATE server crashes. But in THIS case, it was a fist pump moment. Because I knew we were HAVING AN EFFECT. This was noticeable. This was us showing the power of our community.
In fact, that was the only server crash. I'm not sure what the guys at the server farm did to stabilize things. But it worked. Instead of crashing out, it started queueing.
So no. I didn't want to have people go there to crash anything maliciously. In case you MISSED THE POINT, I was asking for some support from former COH players here. And maybe from players of CO who have never played COH.
Also I used the post to give a heads up on some of the media coverage.
It just boggles me that you went right past all of that and focussed on one NON-SERIOUS statement and blew it completely out of proportion in the wildest tangent imaginable!
Nice shootin' there, Tex. Why don't you let someone else hold that keyboard before someone gets hurt?
And playing by myself since Aug 2009
Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
There's nothing in your statement that rang of jokes or levity; inane smiley faces at the end of sentences don't magically imbue them with opposite meanings either despite popular belief.
Thanks for giving us a heads up on what's going on but what I quoted earlier is still something that will get this thread shut down.
*SIGH*
Congratulations. Here's your facepalm, sir.
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Edit: This link may also be of interest to displaced Paragons: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-838027
Or, in the wise words of Dylan Thomas (and in a nod to CO's spiritual father, CoH):
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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THIS. THIS RIGHT HERE. This is what NCSoft is trying to take away from us.
They may succeed.
But we will NOT give up without a fight! We're going to dig our feet in, pop an inspiration or two...
AND CHARGE FORWARD.
Very awesome video.
I really hope it works. I don't see it as at all likely though. If it were a... friendlier... company, I could see it happening, but NCSoft has the tendency to think of it's customers as less than dirt, in my experience. (I say that as both a longtime COH player and a former Tabula Rasa player - yeah I'm still bitter about that.)
Check out my Champions Online webcomic in progress!
Annoying people since 2009!
I'm with shield on this.
There's no message in this revolt, at least as far as this thread is concerned. You want to fight the power, show them how much revenue they'll be losing. Or, like a normal consumer avoid using their products altogether and getting persons to be like-minded. Getting an unexpected spike in server pop isn't going to make a difference.
Just watched clip.
And if that hadn't been a composite, that would have been really impressive, but it was kind of required to be. But if they just move on to GW2, then the decision to close CoX would only be proven sound, if you get my drift
How about growing up and getting a life, for starters? And how about focusing all that energy and dedication on a real problem instead? Are you all so empty and pathetic as for this to be a real problem in your eyes, so weak this is the closest to showing them you ever were? I would love to think you are not, yet this thread is beyond belief.
I love games as much as everyone else, yet this is just taking it way too far when there are much worse things to worry about in the present world. Gaming is supposed to be a hobby, a pastime. I.E: That which you do during those times and hours you have nothing of importance to do, until something of importance comes along. If it becomes a cornerstone of your life and one of the only things worth fighting for you have worse problems than CoX shutting down. Maybe you should think about it.
You can now proceed to hate me if that's what you want. I can live with it.
Play the game and enjoy.
Seems you're in a bit of a grumpy mood atm.
And thank you for telling other people how to live their lives and what they should do.
Did you remember to send some money to stop the hunger in the world today?
I guess there was a time for one of these.
So screw you and the high horse you rode in.
And playing by myself since Aug 2009
Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
Seriously, lighten up.
Let them enjoy these moments. They might not have many left. And it is really no harm to anyone to let them.
At worst, such venting will simply result in a final few fond memories before they have to end. At best, it might actually allow them to enjoy their hobby for a while longer.
I cant find any fault with anyone who simply wants a little more time with the simple pleasures they enjoy. We could of very easily of been the ones shut down. Our own future here is not all that solid. A little sympathy is hardly out of place here.
Because unless you can claim that level of personal and moral purity, you have little if any business telling anyone not to get upset that their game - the virtual world they've been helping to build for the better part of a decade, one that's important to a lot of people - is being taken away. Particuarly when it would appear that it's being taken away to appease possible stockholder upset because another product isn't making the profit margins they expect, and this one constitutes a small-enough portion of the business that the company can, by shutting it down, give the appearance of doing something without really doing much at all.
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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But I will say - the first and most obvious thing that I strikes me is that, for someone who is decrying drama over "just a game", you sure are indulging in some yourself by complaining about it.
It's people like you that tempt me into having second thoughts about the hospitality of this community. I'm going to try and stay positive and assume you represent nowhere near the majority of opinion around here.
I'm glad you can live with it because you have justly asked for it. These people are trying to stop some thing they love and enjoy from getting destroyed for no reason other than to please a few share holders.
I support these people in trying to save their game as I would fight to save this game if it were in the same situation.
As for there being bigger problems in the world many people who are fighting to save CoH probably fight for other just causes as well and you have no idea what these individuals do out side of this post.
Maybe you should go post on forums about important issues rather than a gaming forum as you think games are unimportant.
[SIGPIC]http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd175/Fifer71/mandrakesigmark3.jpg[/SIGPIC]
Something that people enjoy, have invested time and money into, and so forth... I'd say that you're missing the point. They have a right to be pissed. Look, I've got this battle-axe I made out of 12-pack beer boxes. I keep it on my wall. It's not like a car or anything, but if you came over and trashed it, I'd be a little pissed. It's MINE. And yes, I vote.
None of these guys are reducing themselves to anarchy. At all. None of them have said 'to hell with cancer, war, starving children, and disasters- I want my game back!'... people can, you know, have compartmentalized passions and such.
I learned a long time ago that if you see someone and think they're an idiot, don't waste your time arguing with them because it makes you look just as bad. You say get a life, but yours is obviously lame enough to come in here and lecture others on a damned video game message board.
And boy, let me tell you- little games like this are important. They're an escape. People find relief in them. I don't want to spend my entire day doing IMPORTANT AND REAL STUFF. I want to do unimportant and make-believe stuff. If you have a problem with that- well, what I really want to say you would probably land me a forum ban and a UN sanction.
By all means, you are here banging away in this forum. The only thing more pathetic than having a game as the cornerstone of your life is someone who can't grasp this as being important in a certain way. I am absolutely certain all these people have bigger problems that they also worry about.
Wher I come from, men can do more than one thing and be passionate about more than one thing. Maybe they don't grow men where you come from.
I'm not. This is a fairly civil protest actually. And frankly, servers aren't going to crash over it.
But if they just move on to GW2, then the decision to close CoX would only be proven sound, if you get my drift
my tl;dr response, in one image: http://www.thisway-up.com/product_images/z/251/A-Cup-Of-STFU__85651_zoom.jpg
More detailed response:
You're claiming to be decrying drama of those dejected by NCSoft and (reasonably) upset over having their beloved game being terminated for good, while creating drama yourself and belittling their protesting.
You're claiming that the blights of cruelty and injustice of the world are a priority that is mutually exclusive (i.e.: as if you can't both be a gamer and a humanitarian or service personnel at the same time, which is an either-or fallacy and false) and more important that computer gaming, while posting you complaint from a computer and clearly being a member of a gaming community yourself.
All things die, including games. No I don't think, unfortunately, this protest will change NCSoft's mind. I'm afraid CoH will be shut down and there's little that will change that. However making a big splash, with a peaceful protest will create a stir in the news and the industry. If you study the history of worker's compensation & rights history in the United States or Europe you'd see some interesting parallels here, effective ones in fact.
But gamer customers have been needing to protest for some reform in this industry for a long time now. The video game industry can get away with treating customers worse than almost any other industry out there. Can you imagine if NCSoft applied their business model to a retail or food service industry? Holy moly! I don't think they'd even make it a year before having to file for bankruptcy!
And yes, there are truly terrible atrocities in the world, past & present which must NOT be ignore or forgotten. But that doesn't mean the pursuit of fun is barred by the presence of these. Heck many people come to play because the need a break from dealing with hardships of the world in their day jobs.
I don't hate you for saying what said, I simply I pity you. I do understand your point, and it's a fair opinion, but the way you went about saying it was foolish and hypocritical.
Consolidate the currencies! (Please!)
Does your Champion have a theme song? (share it!)
Got a funny in-game screenshot? (share it!)
Please fix the Overdrive energy unlock! (Should help promote thematic build diversity!)
I have to wonder what kind of educated person can believe the logical processes that lead from my post to "So, Keaixian, I presume you've liquidated your assets, canceled any subscriptions, sent all the money to feed African orphans, and are posting this from a library computer? Because unless you can claim that level of personal and moral purity, you have little if any business telling anyone not to get upset that their game" and similar claims made any sense.
I also have to wonder about the accusations of me being hypocritical based on things I never said to begin with, or that only lead to the form being used after removing the entire paragraph they were a part of. Not to mention the claims of me saying something or another when I had never said such a thing and it existed only as the result of someone severely lacking reading comprehension.
Following agentnx5's example, here you have my TL;DR response in a single image.
Thank you very much. You have done more than enough to explain the background and context of this situation to me.
You're right, man. It was wrong of us to come into this thread and start being a jerk out of nowhere. Maybe we should have thought before we posted insulting and condescending stuff out of the blue, most likely for the sake of seeming better than everyone else and trolling for attention.
Oh, wait, that was you.
My bad.
DANGER TROLL! DO NOT FEED!
[SIGPIC]http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd175/Fifer71/mandrakesigmark3.jpg[/SIGPIC]
Penetrating intellects at work. :rolleyes:
Let us leave this be. I do not want to lose what little faith in humanity remains in me.
[SIGPIC]http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd175/Fifer71/mandrakesigmark3.jpg[/SIGPIC]
It does doesn't it?
He has the typical troll abilities, regeneration, super strength and an unerring ability to tell when a bridge isn't safe; so he can't warn people of the danger.
Here we are now going to the West Side
Weapons in hand as we go for a ride
Some may come and some may stay
Watching out for a sunny day
Where there's love and darkness and my sidearm
In game as @forgemccain
If this is destroying your faith in humanity, good. Maybe you should isolate yourself and have nothing to do with us intellectual inferiors. Maybe, perhaps, you should go as far away from this community as possible.
I've touched more boobs than you. Legally.
I am amused.
This was my favorite part. Good way bringing up your point.
Could you enlighten how and where have you focused all that energy and dedication that took to write all that? Or are you even more empty and pathetic than writin that made you feel better and think that now you have made a world better place?
Maybe you should start new thread about the real problems. Just to show us where the troubles lay, since you seem so keen of your dedication for the real troubles.
And btw, this is a videogame forum. You can shave the whales somewhere else.
Fishing luck for you crusade for the real troubles that stain the world. Just don't spend too much time playing the game so you wont stray from the path you have chosen.
And it's good that you're amused of something. You seem to taking things abit too serious.
And playing by myself since Aug 2009
Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
Backpeddle backpeddle backpeddle...
You're the one who accused others for not showing more concern about global issues and chastised us for directing our energies to, in your opinion, an activity that's insignficant in comparison.
Since you've decided to make yourself the moral beacon among us, then it's only fair to ask you to lead by example. Show us how much you've involved yourself in humanitarian efforts in third world countries like the hunger crisis in Africa. Show us the kind of international aid with which you've comitted your participation for the innocent civilians caught up in the current Syrian civil war.
Show us something. Because if you've got nothing to show for it, congratulations, then you're just being pretentious and self-righteous, and deserve the hate that you're expecting.
If you got nothing further to add or prove, I kindly suggest you exit stage left.
You did an awesome job guys. Maybe some can think it is about your investment in a game, a fictional thing which bears little meaning on real life, against real life problems. However City of Heroes is about friends and friendship more than anything, at least for me. I, for one, couldn't be there even I was in game. You know being not able to reach Virtue or Freedom as I don't have any slots there. After going Free I assigned all my slots to Defiant and Union. I guess there are players like me, who were in game but can't be in the right place when it matters most.
Let me be honest for a moment. As much as I appriciate what you are doing and hoping, praying for the best out come for City of Heroes/Villians players all around the world, my expectations are all negative. NCSoft showed how much they care for their costumers, paying and working for that game (working as in providing a welcoming ground, enjoyable atmosphere for new players to make them want to stick with that game), when they announced Freedom. This is where I've parted my way with NCSoft and never spared a dime on that game anymore. Trying to sell power sets, backbone of a superhero game to their already paying costumers was screaming "Greed!". Alas NCSoft wasn't the thing made that game what it is, current dev team, Paragon Studios achieved something amazing. Introduced many things what all other devs said impossible. Gave players what they always wanted.
Everything happens for a reason. I like to think this crisis will lead all players and devs of CoH to better things.
@Knightly
Thanks for your kind words.
I am not expecting a miracle either. But it can't hurt to try every option available.
We City of Heroes players very much thank you all for the warm welcome we've received here on your forums and on the servers. (With a few NOTABLE Exceptions to the rule - See above)
But I hope you'll understand and not take offense when I say we want to delay that welcome as long as possible. You have a good game here. But we are still fighting to save ours.
And we could use all the help we can get.
To that end, I'd like to ask Champions players to help out as well.
Sign the petitions and send the heads of NCSoft emails and actual physical snail mail letters if you can!
Explain to them that even though you play a completely different game, that you think that shutting City of Heroes down is a grave mistake. Be polite. Don't harangue them.
But tell them things like "I don't play City of Heroes, I play Champions, but having City of Heroes up and running is better for the gaming industry and MMOs as a whole because it increases the diversity of games. Even within the same genre. Champions and CoH have competed in the niche of superhero MMOs, but far from being a detriment, the competition has enriched both games. It would be a shame to lose City of Heroes."
Explain to them that their sudden closure of City of Heroes does not give you the confidence that you need in order to invest your time and money into products like Guild Wars 2. Because you cannot be sure they will not do the exact same thing to that game.
For further guidelines for writing such letters and emails, check this post at Titan Network.
Once you've composed your letter, send two copies to the following addresses:
Mr. Taek Jin Kim, Chief Executive Officer
NCsoft Corporation
1501 4th Avenue, Suite 2050
Seattle, WA 98101
UNITED STATES
In Korea:
Mr. Taek Jin Kim, Chief Executive Officer
NCsoft Corporation
157-37 Samsung-dong
Kangnamu-gu, Seoul 135-090
KOREA
(if you can afford registered mail, so much the better.)
You might ask yourselves - why should we fight to help save City of Heroes?
The simplest answer is "enlightened self-interest".
Change the way that companies like NCSoft and PWE view their customer base and you may just make Champions Online's future that much more secure as well.
Think about that. Imagine if Mr. Taek Jin Kim got letters and emails not just from City of Heroes players, but from players of CHAMPIONS as well? Or perhaps from players of DCUO? Or even some from Star Trek Online?
Think how amazingly HUGE that would be! What an impact it would have!
Think of the positive media attention that you would receive for such efforts!
In City of Heroes and Champions both - we are inspired by heroes.
Be a Hero.
What I am really uncomfortable is, NCSoft. As I said earlier I don't like how they treated their costumers. So pushing Paragon Studios into their laps again kinda feel cruel to me. Those guys are probably one of the best teams in gaming industry. What I am secretly (as now I am telling it not a secret anymore I guess) they could get a chance to do their own game. Just like Bioware did with Dragon Age. When they thought they had enough of Wizards, they created their own fantasy game setting. First game was so great even the second one caused too many dissapionted customers. So I am hoping some gaming company with vision save Paragon Studios and will give them a chance to make their own game. With a fresh new game, can you imagine what will those guys do? I believe we will see "Ultimate" Superhero MMO that way.
For your efforts, I can't say it is futile. Very recent example of another Bioware game, Mass Effect 3 and it's changed ending shows how powerful gaming community is.
Other than anything bring me in contact with NCSoft, I will do whatever I can to support you fellow CoH players and Paragon Studio workers. If they'll decide to go on their own or work for another company to create new "City of Heroes", as soon as they say "We are working on it" I will eagerly pay a monthly fee for a non-exsitant game. Even if that game never will be released due some unfortunate cause, I could say "we" tried.
I never intended to imply Champions Online for you Paragon residents. I know too well that no other game will catch the spirit of City of Heroes. However when everything comes to an end, I will be happy to help and pleased to welcome fellow CoX players whichever game our paths cross.
Enough yapping, we have a game to save! I am checking Titan link now.
PS: I hope I can make it clear what I mentioned with "the best" on my earlier post. Yeah yeah, it is a dream but as I am a die hard dreamer that's what I do.
Freedom was actually the best thing to happen to CoH in years. About half of the new powersets were available to VIP subscribers automatically, and the other half could have been purchased with just the 400 or 550 point monthly stipend if they didn't really want to pay additional money for those powersets. Freedom existed for much the same reason that Champions Online: Free to Play exists.
Okay now let's compare it to the Champions Online, DDO and DCUO online VIP players?
They had everything during F2P for free. They have every new addition to their games after F2P launch for free and they are still recieving them free.
Do they have monthly stipend? Yes. It is a bonus thanks to those VIP players for still paying for their games.
There is a huge difference how those companies treated their paying costumers. Those guys are already paying for that game, in CoH's case some even there since launch. Sorry if people think other way but for me what NCSoft did was unfair. It felt like they are punishing you for paying their game. I am not talking about costumes, pets or other trivial cosmetics, talking about basic structure of the game, power sets (in case of DDO classes, races and new adventuring areas).
PS: Like your avatar by the way. FemShep looks awesome on that one.
i hope this effort ends well however, however if it dosent, please just let the game go in peace.
Actually I dont care one way or another how the game goes. After I made the jump to CO from CoX I never really looked back. Yes I would still log onto CoX for the new updates have a play hang with my buddies there. But now all my buddies are in CO .
What it is about for me is this if City of Heroes is saved the Paragon crew can get their jobs back they are some of the nicest devs around they deserve better.
A silly super hero mmo of any name heck a silly mmo of any name matters not , what matters is the people behind it.
Its showing support and solidarity to those guys that matter.
Its what The Statesman would do.
Nepht and Dr Deflecto on primus
They all thought I was out of the game....But I'm holding all the lockboxes now..
I'll......FOAM FINGER YOUR BACK!
- David Brin, "Those Eyes"
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Here at Champs we only get the powersets, and use of the AT that is released with them, include in out monthly fee, otherwise, any new costumes or travel powers we have to pay for.
Go to the above link if you are still a fan of City of Heroes. Take note of the information there. Take his advice and BE POLITE in sending any emails.