Hyperstrike
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Posts
8829 -
Joined
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Shot mine off to Gabe as well.
Same subject line as Quinch:
Body as follows.
By now, you're probably being whacked upside the head with a bunch of e-mails from desperate City of Heroes players.
And yes, this is another one of them writing to you now. So please bear with me.
As has already been pointed out to you, NCSoft has shuttered the studio (Paragon) responsible for City of Heroes and has declared a sunset date of November 30th for the game itself. Needless to say this took the community (and indeed the staff at Paragon) by complete surprise. Apparently NCSoft's new direction doesn't include THE premier Superhero game in the world.
What causes City of Heroes to stand above the rest?
Depth of content.
The game is over eight years (and 23 "Issues") old. There isn't another Superhero MMO out there with even one THIRD of the available content. And, the fact that it has maintained many key staff for most of its 10+ year development and life time, it is marvelously consistent.
VAST options in character creation.
Unlike the various "gear quests" of other MMOs, character creation is completely separate from gear. This has freed the the development of the costume creator to the point where it's THE benchmark in the industry. While not QUITE infinite, NO player would ever be able to do more than scratch the surface of the character creator in terms of costume creation. Literally every character is unique. Through choices of costume pieces, coloration, and power animation and coloration.
In addition, there are 14 classes, with literally THOUSANDS of unique power combinations. The enhancement system on top of that allows an incredible level of actual combat customization.
The community.
Every game or pass-time attracts a community of die hards. CoH is a community of 187,000+ players and tens of thousands of die-hards. Moreover, due to the care and passion the development team at Paragon Studios lavished on their game, they've had a remarkably open and direct relationship with the community. This is a game that's turned people who didn't even LIKE computer games or the pay-to-play concept and made rabid, years-long, multiple-account-supporting PAYING SUBSCRIBERS from.
On top of that, the addition, last year, of the cash shop (Paragon Market) gave these players an outlet to funnel even MORE money into the game, resulting in a HUGE increase in development in the game (in addition to a boom in profitability).
Note: You may think that many of them will move on to other games and be done with it. And you're right. Many will. But a surprising portion of them ONLY played this game. And they won't be playing others after this one leaves the scene.
As others have asked you. Please consider the possibility of acquiring the City of Heroes franchise. While Valve doesn't do MMOs, it has a proven track record of taking excellent care of its properties. What's more, with Steam and your infrastructure, you're perfectly placed to support a game such as this.
Also, keep in mind that City of Heroes has been paid for. Even with ongoing development, production, etc costs, it has been running as pure profit for NCSoft for years now. It isn't some "tens of millions a quarter" Triple A MMO. It earned NCSoft about 6 million last quarter. But it's been a steady earner for the company for it's entire lifespan, and the switch to the hybrid (free, freemium, and subscriber) model did nothing but boost the bottom line.
So I ask you to consider the possibility of acquiring this property. Or, if that's outside of your company's scope, consider offering a helping hand to other groups, such as the people at the Titan Network (a long-time CoH community resource site) to aid them in doing so themselves.
Hopefully,
Charles Borner -
Quote:There's the real world, and if that doesn't cut it, this IS the internet.Originally Posted by Pep_Cat
Egads, where will we go for our silliness? =o_O=
There's so much silliness about it is a wonder we don't die from laughter sometimes... -
Okay. Just did something I swore I would never do.
ID: Hyperstrike_CoH -
You guys can always reach me via http://cox-supergroups.com
Also
charles*AT*borner.us
charlesborner*at*gmail.com
Let me know once you guys get situated! -
At this point, honestly, I don't know. I wasn't planning to get into MechWarrior: Tactics. But, as I will now have free cash...maybe.
Anyhow, you guys can still reach me through: http://cox-supergroups.com.
If you want to contact me direction:
charles@borner.us
charlesborner@gmail.com -
Hey guys.
I figured I'd put this out for you NOW, since I don't know when the forums themselves are going away.
The shuttering of Paragon and the closure of the game change NOTHING in my plans for next year.
Origins Game Fair
June 12-16, 2013
Greater Columbus Convention Center
Columbus, Ohio, 43215, USA
Gen Con Indy 2013 - August 15-18
I will be holding M&G for any and all CoH expats and Paragon staffers who wish to show.
Since this forum will probably be gone, you can will (eventually) see more information at:
http://www.cox-supergroups.com/coh-meet-and-greets/
Also, you can always contact me:
charles@borner.us
charlesborner@gmail.com
As always guys. An honor and a privilege. -
To all you meat shields out there. It's been an honor and a privilege to step up and shake hands with an AV's face with you.
And my GOD! How many Paladins have we mashed?
Now they all assemble with a plate graffitied with "TT wuz here beeyotch!" -
Warboss, Rangle. See! You FINALLY get radiation armor in and look what happens.
Hyperstrike, as of this afternoon.
1793 hours on patrol. Almost 75 days of solid play time in 4+ years. -
Oh now this sucks!
Dammit! -
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32MJ-DPPP-WT7K-PTWB-Z6UT
Thanks! -
AJBH-NWE4-L4FZ-QGQF-YCVX
KNT2-TS6Q-FPCB-X47Z-T8D2
Thanks! You guys absolutely rock!
And I'm not just saying that because you're giving me free stuff (though I'm not saying that don't help)!
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TWC7-JQY6-W5V8-F3HF-7H3B
TWC4-N9TE-RMU3-HKTB-FUMB
Thanks! -
Quote:It's not so much an "Integrated GPU can't run this". It's "This integrated GPU doesn't have decent driver support for OpenGL, therefore the game, if it runs, runs like ***"Originally Posted by JetFink
HBut lets face it, CoH is getting kinda old. So do you think the intel 4000 hd graphics (integrated graphics) could run CoH?
In the past you would say "no way a integrated gpu could run CoH!" but now... not so sure -
Easy way to figure out which code you got, if you forgot.
Log into your PlayNC account.
Open up the CoH account(s) you applied the code(s) to.
Grab the last four of the most recent code applied.
Do a browser search of the first few posts for that text string.
That SHOULD result in you snagging the correct codes. -
On Protector: The Savage Gardener
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Quote:Do you want the NICE answer?Originally Posted by Freitag
I actually used a rotary phone up until I moved to California :-). That makes me awesome, right?
~Freitag
Or the HONEST answer?
Warning! Nobody EVER *really* wants the HONEST answer. They're still secretly hoping for the NICE one instead. -
Quote:Those are actually War Lord SIDRATs.Originally Posted by GreatRock
Is this the TARDIS?
'Cause the TARDIS is blue.
(Okay, but seriously, nice ;D) -
Quote:Great visual! Eyes clenched shut, teeth gritted, numbers come squirting out your ears!Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Consider my mind officially blown.
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Quote:Because it's a practice used in making fallacious arguments (see "False Humility").Originally Posted by mercykilling
I do quite love how people that quoted me didn't bother to include the reasons I love this game. Focusing on my negative rather than my positive.
Complaint + "But I love this game" (or "Hey. But what do I know?") is not a real method for demonstrating moderation or neutral POV.
You first.Quote:If this is truly what stands out most to you....readjust your perceptions.
Nobody's going to pet the dog for you on portions of your argument they may agree with. They're going to dissect the portions of your argument that they have a beef with (or are just plain wrong).
If you can't handle this, or are incapable of growing a slightly more resistant epidermis, you may want to just drop it.
No. Your feelings and your opinion are your own. Nobody is arguing that.Quote:One last time. Succinctly. For me, in my own opinion...which I am quite aware people think is flawed, wrong, whatever...but is nonetheless valid because it is based on /how I feel/ rather than your "facts" is that what I enjoy out of this game outweighs what I find to be discouraging about the game.
But, simply because they're your feelings doesn't make them "valid".
I "feel" I should have a corner office with a view, not a McJob. Therefore my feeling is "valid" right?
Never mind that I didn't do the work to warrant being in a corner-office-with-a-view job instead of asking "Would you like fries with that?"
Strength of convction != Strength Of Argument
But you're the one putting forth a complaint.Quote:Sunshine, not rain, people. Please.
Telling people to be "Happy happy joy joy" with you when you're complaining, wrongfully, about something based on nothing more than your feelings is straight up bovine feces.
Sorry, but the whole passive-aggressive thing just doesn't work for you. -
Honestly? Not really. I've seen the new IOs in Beta. But until I can get it into Mids (and, no offense, I don't want to have to do that by hand), it's tough to make a real recommendation for the new IOs.
Here's an i23 baseline if people want to suggest over and atop this:
Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.96
http://www.cohplanner.com/
Click this DataLink to open the build!
Caution Falling Rocks: Level 50 Magic Tanker
Primary Power Set: Stone Armor
Secondary Power Set: Super Strength
Power Pool: Fighting
Power Pool: Teleportation
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Energy Mastery
Hero Profile:
Level 1: Rock Armor -- LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(A), LkGmblr-Def:50(3), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(3)
Level 1: Jab -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg:50(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx:50(9), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg:50(9), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(11), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(11)
Level 2: Stone Skin -- RctvArm-ResDam:40(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(5), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(5), RctvArm-EndRdx/Rchg:40(7), S'fstPrt-ResDam/Def+:30(7)
Level 4: Earth's Embrace -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx:50(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg:50(19), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg:50(29), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg:50(31), Dct'dW-Rchg:50(31)
Level 6: Mud Pots -- M'Strk-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(A), Sciroc-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(31), Oblit-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(46), M'Strk-Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:50(50), Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:30(50)
Level 8: Rooted -- Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx:50(A), Dct'dW-EndRdx/Rchg:50(45), Dct'dW-Heal/Rchg:50(45), Dct'dW-Heal/EndRdx/Rchg:50(46), Dct'dW-Heal:50(46)
Level 10: Haymaker -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg:50(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx:50(39), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg:50(40), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(40), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(40)
Level 12: Brimstone Armor -- Aegis-ResDam:50(A), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx:50(39), Aegis-ResDam/EndRdx/Rchg:50(39)
Level 14: Taunt -- Mocking-Taunt:50(A), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg:50(15), Mocking-Taunt/Rchg/Rng:50(15), Mocking-Acc/Rchg:50(17), Mocking-Taunt/Rng:50(17), Mocking-Rchg:50(19)
Level 16: Boxing -- Empty(A)
Level 18: Crystal Armor -- LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(37)
Level 20: Knockout Blow -- C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg:50(A), C'ngImp-Dmg/EndRdx:50(21), C'ngImp-Dmg/Rchg:50(21), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:50(34), C'ngImp-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx:50(34)
Level 22: Tough -- RctvArm-ResDam:40(A), RctvArm-ResDam/EndRdx:40(23), RctvArm-ResDam/Rchg:40(23), RctvArm-EndRdx/Rchg:40(27), GA-3defTpProc:50(27)
Level 24: Weave -- LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(A), LkGmblr-Def:50(25), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(25)
Level 26: Minerals -- LkGmblr-Rchg+:50(A), LkGmblr-Def/EndRdx:50(37)
Level 28: Rage -- HO:Membr(A), HO:Membr(29)
Level 30: Teleport -- Winter-ResSlow:50(A)
Level 32: Granite Armor -- HO:Cyto(A), HO:Cyto(33), HO:Ribo(33), HO:Ribo(33)
Level 35: Hurl -- Decim-Acc/Dmg:40(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx:40(36), Decim-Dmg/Rchg:40(36), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:40(36), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:40(37)
Level 38: Foot Stomp -- Erad-Dmg/Rchg:30(A), Erad-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:30(42), Erad-Acc/Dmg/EndRdx/Rchg:30(43), C'ngBlow-Acc/Dmg:50(43), C'ngBlow-Dmg/Rchg:50(43), C'ngBlow-Acc/Rchg:50(45)
Level 41: Hasten -- RechRdx-I:50(A), RechRdx-I:50(42), RechRdx-I:50(42)
Level 44: Conserve Power -- Empty(A)
Level 47: Laser Beam Eyes -- Decim-Acc/Dmg:40(A), Decim-Dmg/EndRdx:40(48), Decim-Dmg/Rchg:40(48), Decim-Acc/EndRdx/Rchg:40(48), Decim-Acc/Dmg/Rchg:40(50)
Level 49: Physical Perfection -- P'Shift-End%:50(A)
Level 1: Brawl -- Acc-I:50(A)
Level 1: Gauntlet
Level 1: Prestige Power Dash -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Slide -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Quick -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Rush -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Prestige Power Surge -- Empty(A)
Level 1: Sprint -- Run-I:50(A)
Level 2: Rest -- RechRdx-I:50(A)
Level 4: Ninja Run
Level 2: Swift -- Run-I:50(A)
Level 2: Health -- Numna-Regen/Rcvry+:50(A), Numna-Heal:50(13)
Level 2: Hurdle -- Jump-I:50(A)
Level 2: Stamina -- P'Shift-EndMod:50(A), P'Shift-End%:50(13), EndMod-I:50(34)
Level 50: Agility Core Paragon
Level 50: Ion Core Final Judgement
Level 50: Reactive Core Flawless Interface
Level 50: Longbow Core Superior Ally
Level 50: Clarion Core Epiphany
Level 50: Assault Core Embodiment
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Honestly, at this point, I'm ready to say "screw it". Two options.
1) Simplify it
I'd say decouple the vet badges from subscribed time (even though, technically, this is how they're factoring for the veteran character slot awards) and just date them from initial subscription date.
Yeah. This would make 8+ year vets out of a whole bunch of people who haven't paid/played that long.
The long and short of it? So the **** what? The system is already, admittedly, irretrievably broken. Getting a functional, if somewhat less-than-correct badge system going for is better than leaving it totally broken.
2) Remove it.
If it's that broken and they can't fix it, and don't want to do the work to ever get it into some semblance of functionality again YANK THE BADGES. It's not fair to people who SHOULD be earning these badges that some people have them and others don't. Simply because Paragon and NCSoft can't fix their crap.
There's already precedence for them yanking blatantly broken and unfair badges in the past. So this is nothing new. -
Quote:Nobody promised you freedom from marketing or everything free for that $15.Originally Posted by mercykilling
What is a slap in the face is the fact that I pay a monthly stipend. Which should set me above marketing schemes and ploys. But does not.
Let's go over this again. You get:
- 192 character slots (12 slots on each of 16 servers) with the ability to buy up to 576 more (36 more on each server), plus a free slot for every year of subscription. On Freemium, you get two slots, plus vet slots, plus any slots you buy. 192-2 = 190. How much do slots cost?
- You get 400-550 Paragon Points for use in purchasing things that don't come free with your sub. Can you buy everything, all at once, without waiting? No. Will you ever have "everything" without spending your own money? No. You were never promised this. And if you expected it, you're nuts.
- You get access to premium content (SSAs) without having to buy them. You get access to premium systems (like Incarnates) that can't be purchased at ANY price.
- You get access to betas so you can help test out new content and get an advanced look at it. This way you can see if something coming down the pipeline is something you want to spend your Paragon Point Stipend on or if it's something you can pass on.
- We get automatic access to a bunch of systems as part of our subscription that either require additional, recurring fees (see mini-subscription) or semi-long-term vet status.
- Etc, etc
Incorrect.Quote:What is a slap in the face is that the very same subscription fee was just fine for game play for a VERY LONG TIME. Freedom comes along and all of a sudden, it's no longer enough. A blatant statement was made by the devs which I will paraphrase here. "We once got $15 a month from you, and that covered everything we put out. Now, however....we want a $15 sub and extra for you to get everything we put out."
You weren't given access to various Collector's Edition items for free.
Nor were you given access to items in SuperPacks for free.
You seem to be missing the point. That fee, when that's ALL they had to rely on, wasn't generating enough stable revenue to maintain the game at a pace the developers wanted. The fact that the various SuperBoosters sold so well demonstrated that there was a secondary market and that money was being left on the table.
They still have the stable revenue stream in subscriptions.
But they have a new, more volatile (meaning some days/weeks/months it is generating lots of cash, and others it's not generating as much) revenue stream with the cash shop. The cash shop is what's allowing them to hire and keep people to turn out this additional content.
Oh cry me a river. See above. The additional revenue of the cash shop is what's allowing them to turn out the new stuff faster. Check out the Coffee Talks. You'll see a bunch of new artists involved. The additional money brought in by freedom is what allowed these people to be hired.Quote:True, we're getting stuff at a more frequent pace. This just shows me that the game developers were capable of this pace previous to the Freedom model, but were too.....heck, I'm not sure -why- they didn't. Another slap in the face.
You're entitled to your own (wrong) opinions. Nobody's disputing that.Quote:Now...I get that not everyone shares my opinion. Which is fine. Really.
The problem is, your opinion is based off incorrect facts. Having someone correct you, or take you to task for your own rudeness for this isn't "tearing you down" or "insulting" you.Quote:But to insult me and tear me down simply because my opinion is different from the majority is.....well.......just immature.
That's nice.Quote:I'm a human being too, with the same right to express my concerns and feelings here as everyone else.
To me, you're a bunch of LEDs on a screen. Ones conveying a somewhat rude, self-entitled POV.
What's more, you're coming across as irrational and emotionally overwrought. I've never had much, if any, tolerance for that sort of thing.
There is. But, as with your arguments about the state of the VIP system in the game, you simply haven't done your homework.Quote:Kinda makes me wish there was a way to ignore certain forumites posts like you can ignore certain people ingame.
So you're griping because Paragon's trying to wrangle additional cash out of you for unnecessary amenities and luxuries?Quote:Yes, I feel wounded and slighted by the way we as V.I.P.'s are being treated. We get the same marketing department schemes to drum up money tossed our way that is intended for premium players and free players. That should change. Not likely to, but I wish it would.
Pretty sure we know what all the perks are....and those perks are why I'm still paying the sub.
No offense, but this is a teacup tragedy at worst.
Then it behooves you to be as loquacious as possible to avoid any sort of misunderstandings about your position due to inherent lack of clarity.Quote:By the way...I bet dollars to doughnuts someone will clip something out of this and use it to point out yet another fallacious and erroneous judgmental statement I seemed to have made with this post. -
/vault and /ah aren't tied to the badge subsystem though.
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Quote:Penny: CK? Why does that plate on your body say "Sybian"?Originally Posted by Zortel
Penny Yin's Psionic Crush is powerful... but not as powerful as the one the Clockwork King has for her. Could she ever love him for who he is, with bolts, rust and all? That's the major cause of Psionic Torment for him. He hopes the sight of his towering form gets her Psionic Pulse quickening... and prays that they never Psionic Drift apart.
Okay, I'm not even going to touch 'Impenetrable Mind' and 'Psionic Thrust'. That's just no good.
Clockwork King: I don't know Penny...
*Yes. Yes, I went there.*