New efforts! -- metadiscussion

[Surelle]

It's much more subtle and insidious than that.

The character would be broken, so if you had Incarnate stuff partially unlocked you'd be unable to do it the hard way. You'd have no record of running the unlock arc, so you'd have to run it again, but running it again would likely not fix the situation because you already have the badge, and nothing happens when you finish the arc.

Ouroboros portals are in a similar boat, because Sentinel didn't export temp powers I don't think. But the portal is granted once at the moment you earn the Entrusted with the Secret badge, and you can't earn it again if you already have the badge...

Unlockable contacts you have the badge for but not the requisite internal token are yet another issue.

None of that is something any old GM could fix; it would take senior developer-level surgery on the character data. I really doubt anyone is going to want to open the door to tickets like that coming from every single player.

Like I said before, Sentinel+ exports were "best effort" and never intended to be used with a commercial relaunch. We considered that the least likely scenario in which they would be needed. The best you can hope for with that is probably extracting the costume and maybe a mids build in order to know what to slot.

I picked this up when you started explaining it earlier.  Characters would be broken and no commercial launch developer or publisher is going to allow those kinds of backups in their game; they're certainly not going to take the intense amount of personnel and time that would be needed to try and fix those issues, character by character, not to mention that it's more likely those problems couldn't be fixed at all.  Not to mention that Team Hail Mary will be working with the final backup of the game, purportedly without the tools, the code, and possibly without account information, so they aren't going to be updating CoH but running it in maintenance mode and working on CoH 2.

 Thank you for explaining it to those who didn't comprehend what you originally said.  It takes guts to stand in a crowd and say things that people may not want to hear.   And let's hope they also understand what "Sentinel+ exports were 'best effort' and never intended to be used with a commercial relaunch" actually means.     But thanks for stating all this, in any case. 

And to those getting so upset over this Sentinel backup issue, A.) we don't have CoH back in any form and probably aren't likely to anytime soon, B.) most CoH players left the game without knowing it even existed (or left before it existed), and C.) if it's going to be such a sticking point for you and we do manage to get CoH back, please remember, you don't have to play it.     

[Ironwolf]

I knew when I started this it would not be easy.

Nothing that is worth having is easy to achieve.

[Surelle]

I dont want this question to be misunderstoof.. but why announce who they are if they havent reached a conclusion point (either yay or nay)..  I mean how does that help the community and/or the negotiation?

It doesn't.  I'm with you on this one.  Honestly, I think Team Hail Mary should promptly ignore Robert Whomever's Facebook "promises" and just keep working quietly in the background without "announcing" anything this Monday or anytime (except if the deal is signed and they have inked contract in hand of course).  NCSoft expressly said they don't want any more bad press (well, that's not exactly what they said, but it's what they ultimately meant, lol) and I think there really aren't too many teams that could be behind the Hail Mary Group. 

Not too many people really care enough about CoH at this point to go through all that effort, not as seriously as it takes.  If people stop to think about it, combined with the Unreal 4/CoH2 and "technical testing from NCSoft" clues, I don't think it's going to be a big shocker finding out who's behind these nonetheless awesome and admirable efforts.  I'm not knocking anyone by far, I'm just saying they're going to be losing far more than they're gaining by just doing some "Oh hi, this is us, and we're trying to get CoH back" announcement.  More press, more armchair quarterbacks, more whining, more impatience.  Just lay low and keep working in the relative quiet.  They must be going half out of their minds already for Pete's sake.  This is a huge undertaking, and it's not like they're going to be a bunch of millionaires at the end of it.  And then there are people complaining about this and that already.  Yeesh!

[Kistulot]

Right now, I have to put my faith in Hail Mary. I have to believe they are professional, dedicated, and capable.

This means if they want to announce something on Monday, it is because they are certain it is the best thing for their company, for our community, and that NCSoft not only approves, but that it will help NCSoft agree to sell the game if there is still any doubt.

If the team would jeopardize the entire enterprise because of a facebook post, then I'd like to think they wouldn't have gotten this far. If they're the ones that are going to bring us out of this, they're doing what they're doing because it is the right thing for them to do.

Maybe this is deifying them, or at least putting them on a pedestal? But to me it just feels like what I have to believe. We'll see for sure on Monday, or shortly enough thereafter. But I do concur, if this is to mollify us, and not for the game's sake, I'd prefer silence over pushing our luck.

[JWBullfrog]

and we all need to remember the old gamers saying...


" Pics, or it didn't happen."


I'm perfectly happy to wait for a definite answer. If that answer is yes, then that will be a good day. If the answer is no, then the world is no different than it is now.

Patience everybody.

[Super Firebug]

Further interim-team-name suggestion: use the Team Hail Mary initials, and shorten it to THeM (with an "e" for pronunciation).

[HEATSTROKE]

Further interim-team-name suggestion: use the Team Hail Mary initials, and shorten it to THeM (with an "e" for pronunciation).

I LIKE IT !!!!

[Super Firebug]

It could lead to bad grammar, of course: "THeM could make an announcement any day now." But that's a risk I'm willing to take.

[Surelle]

It could lead to bad grammar, of course: "THeM could make an announcement any day now." But that's a risk I'm willing to take.

HA!  I still love it though.  You're hilarious.

[Sinistar]

It's much more subtle and insidious than that.

The character would be broken, so if you had Incarnate stuff partially unlocked you'd be unable to do it the hard way. You'd have no record of running the unlock arc, so you'd have to run it again, but running it again would likely not fix the situation because you already have the badge, and nothing happens when you finish the arc.

Ouroboros portals are in a similar boat, because Sentinel didn't export temp powers I don't think. But the portal is granted once at the moment you earn the Entrusted with the Secret badge, and you can't earn it again if you already have the badge...

Unlockable contacts you have the badge for but not the requisite internal token are yet another issue.

None of that is something any old GM could fix; it would take senior developer-level surgery on the character data. I really doubt anyone is going to want to open the door to tickets like that coming from every single player.

Like I said before, Sentinel+ exports were "best effort" and never intended to be used with a commercial relaunch. We considered that the least likely scenario in which they would be needed. The best you can hope for with that is probably extracting the costume and maybe a mids build in order to know what to slot.

Thanks for the answers Codewalker

[Ankhammon]

Not THeM!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2PLls02gOU

[Risha]

Someone should tell Mercedes if CoH comes back, though; I know she'd play again if it ever went back up (although by that point there will likely be big press announcements by NCSoft she'd see eventually anyway).

I worked with Misty for a few years and have her email addy.  She was the one who turned me on COH in the first place.   I think I'll wait until the deal is solid (saying WHEN instead of IF).

[Burnt Toast]

Codewalker addressed it..so I deleted my post lol

Question:  I've kept reading that the Sentinel backup files are apparently buggy or otherwise incomplete, what was the problem with them that they couldn't be used to restore characters if needed?

[Taceus Jiwede]

It could lead to bad grammar, of course: "THeM could make an announcement any day now." But that's a risk I'm willing to take.

THeM are working really hard.  THeM are my favorite people right now.  THeM might release who THeM actually are.

[Super Firebug]

THeM are working really hard.  THeM are my favorite people right now.  THeM might release who THeM actually are.

Why you talk like Solomon Grundy?

[Solitaire]

I knew when I started this it would not be easy.

Nothing that is worth having is easy to achieve.

Very true saying, but stick with it as the rewards can be great when you achieve what you have been aiming for, my thanks go out to you and the team for keeping hope alive.

[therain93]

Late to the crazy and didn't bother reading the entire thread....it's unfortunate this kind of post is necessary from Tony, but I'd like to point out that it actually doesn't go far enough in its point.  What Ironwolf, this Robert guy on facebook, or even hail mary writes amounts to just candy for the imagination -- the **only** people capable of making a legitimate announcement regarding City of Heroes would be NCsoft. 

[EDIT: Removed completely unnecessary quote of the giant OP. ~Agge]

[Thunder Glove]

Well, "Hail Mary" (in the way Tony is using it - i.e., to designate the prospective buyers who are dealing directly with NCSoft) would certainly be able to give real news.  It's just that they haven't said anything yet, except to people who have deduced their identities and contacted them directly.

[Kaos Arcanna]

Am I the only one who'd be a bit disappointed if it turned out the current THeM team turned out to be Missing Worlds Media?

Not because I don't think they'd do a good job if they got COX, but because I really want to see City of Titans come out?

[Nyghtshade]

Wow, people are hitting the boiling point everywhere this weekend.  The timing of any kind of "official" announcement on Monday, falling as it does right on the tale of the anniversary of the game-closure announcement, apparently has much of the devoted COX community increasingly at one another's throats, instead of coming together in support of one another.  It feels like the X-Files episode "Syzygy ", where a rare cosmic alignment drives everyone temporarily crazy...

It really saddens me to see so much anger here and on FB directed at each other, when we should be hopeful.  God willing, tomorrow people will calm down.  As for me, I'm stepping away until the announcement, whatever it is, is actually finally made.