If we start with no user data

[Ohioknight]

Dont foget the DEVELOPER PACK:  you would have to be a true dev to have any more constructive powah!  Extra AE Mission slots, larger bases with more storage, even your toon gets bigger pockets for up to 100 enhancements more storage at the vaults in the city.  Buy and sell like the biggest fish with more inventory at Wentworths and the consignment house plus more room for salvage.  Not sold yet?  We'll throw in a personal Crafting table so you can make what you want whereever you are (not up as often as field crafter table).  $29.99

Someone remind me:  did we have the ability to open up a auction house and AE dialogue on the fly?  I thought we did as a tiered badge for selling/buying.  Could put that in too.

Then buy them all for $159.99 (All packs including mine and Codewalker's)
Offer hard merchandice like copies of the game, back issues of comics, official registered hero and villian cards - especially if things like lifetime subs are offered

Where do I send my money

[Thirty-Seven]

Dont foget the DEVELOPER PACK:  you would have to be a true dev to have any more constructive powah!  Extra AE Mission slots, larger bases with more storage, even your toon gets bigger pockets for up to 100 enhancements more storage at the vaults in the city.  Buy and sell like the biggest fish with more inventory at Wentworths and the consignment house plus more room for salvage.  Not sold yet?  We'll throw in a personal Crafting table so you can make what you want whereever you are (not up as often as field crafter table).  $29.99

I think that's a horrible idea!  We had folks who could rule the market already, I don't think it's a good idea to make it even easier for them to do MORE.

[MWRuger]

I think that's a horrible idea!  We had folks who could rule the market already, I don't think it's a good idea to make it even easier for them to do MORE.

Don't worry. We'll have all that stuff in a month with the vet rewards and the demand for crafted I/O's will be immense. Getting field crafter will actually make money instead of cost money. I did this about 5 times and never made money with it crafting all those IO's. Came close once though. I was more patient then.

I doubt the enhancement tray thing can happen. At close you could get extra trays but no where near 100 so that would be new.

The storage for the vault and inventory was available on the market. It was handy, but a full blown base is better!

[Angel Phoenix77]

I have been giving considerable thought to this topic, and have bounced some ideas off other former players as far as the return goes.

These ideas are acting under the assumption that character/account data will not be available, and our new Freedom Phalanx secure a launchable version of i24, with all the trimming leading up to it (The Paragon Market and all related systems).

Bear in mind that no matter how noble it may seem, bargaining for customer's account and character data is essentially one company SELLING PERSONAL INFORMATION to a third party. I would be flabbergasted if it all goes through that way.

NONETHELESS! When (if) the game is revived from these efforts, whether or not they are to continue development on the current incarnation, or begin development on a "CoH II" a hybrid Free-to-Play/subscription model should be kept in place. This will become clear as I detail the rest.

Upon launch, MUCH FANFARE! EVENTS! FUN! CITY OF HEROES IS BACK WOOOOOOO!!

Free to play will remain as is, as will the perks associated with Premium Accounts of yore. Subscription model will follow 14.99/month with discounts for bulk purchasing (buy more time and SAVE!) but instead of the 400 Paragon Points (hereafter known as PP), supply 800PP with each recurring month subscription. This will encourage people to subscribe, while also allowing people to pick up on the backlog of shinies or gather other perks.

Now I hear you say: "But Ouul? What about all my STUFF!?!"

Now, again acting under the assumption that it is gone, poof, out to pasture, it would be of great disservice to our long term veterans to have them start again from ABSOLUTE scratch, so I propose bundles and packs at a reasonable price to assist! These packs should encourage early adoption, and be available for only a short time after the re-launch (60-90 days) and then again during event weekends and as special promotions.

VETERANS PACK: $49.99 - Return to Paragon City and the Rogue Isles in style! This pack will bestow upon you enough Veteran Rewards Tokens to pin your way to the top! This will allow you to unlock all veterans rewards, plus the limited time costumes at the top tier!

BOOSTER PACK BUNDLE!: 49.99 - INCREDIBLE VALUE! This pack includes all the booster packs released, from the 5 origin packs through Valentine's, Pocket D VIP, Wedding, Mac Edition, Going Rogue Bonus Items, Origins, Steampunk, Party, and Animal Pack!

DELUXE EDITION BUNDLE: 9.99 - This pack includes the items from the CoH AND CoV deluxe collector's editions

And to help with levelling one's characters back to their prime:

CHARACTER BOOST BUNDLE: 4.99 each - This will come with XP Boosters, Team/Dual inspirations, and a 30 day temporary JetPack

Once again, this is just speculation and brainspewing to provide some ideas to go off. What do people think?

where do I insert my cc? awesome idea, I would add a character slot pack 12 character slots for $20.00

[Myrmydon]

I've noticed some B.O.S.S. folks here. I was a member for about a year, but then went on to another (east coast) server and started a low-pressure group of my own. Do you feel like leading again?

That's something we can look at once we see a "We're back!" announcement.

[Thirty-Seven]

Umm, Devil?

I was specifically referring to the extra Market transaction slots combined with the extra storage that would then be available above and beyond the purchasable slots.

I never really saw the Crafting Table as a money making tool, I suppose it'd cut down on travel for marketeers, but that could be earned anyway.

[PsychicKitty]

I think you should offer packs, starter packs at differing values...maybe the same way RIFT does it.

To answer a question to another posting person....yes we could access the auction house and things remotely....it was a perk for the veteran rewards.

If you are going to control the game more...you need to do a few things....like you need to no longer give exp in the player created missions....instead you simply need to stay with the tickets....the tickets should buy what they used to....but should no longer be able to purchase enhancements or inspirations.

The next thing you need to do...is make it so if a mission or something is repeated multiple times in 12 hour period it should give diminished rewards...like after the 2nd time it should no longer give exp until 12 hours happens.

You should also make contact not sell enhancements...let them buy things....but they should never sell them...if they sell them they should only be specific ones and they should be special...like the low level yins market origins.  It always bugged me that my contacts gave me not much in their stores....but I would have tried to find them all and gotten my reputation up if it meant by getting the top reputation I could buy a specific special origin form them.

Leave the enhancements for the actual stores you have all over the city.

Another thing...their was always the three levels of origins that bothered me.  because it seamed like once you got to a high level you shouldn't bother with the training origins....so if you are going to do this game....I highly suggest you simply make all the regular origins get he same stats...with the difference being that if you are within certain level ranges those origins give you a bonus like 10%...so training would be for 1 to 20...the next ones would be 21 to 40 and the last ones would be for 41 to maximum level.

If you are going cash shop only....and want to make some bank....you need to redo the exp amounts per level too....like make the amounts greater...like double needed each level you go up.....that way you can conceivably get people to buy exp bonus items in the cash shop.

and no....do not sell automatic level 50 upgrades....don't even think about it....because you will simply have people who buy them and then constantly whine there is no content and ask dumb question like where they can find hellions of skulls.

[steveharp]

I have been giving considerable thought to this topic, and have bounced some ideas off other former players as far as the return goes.

These ideas are acting under the assumption that character/account data will not be available, and our new Freedom Phalanx secure a launchable version of i24, with all the trimming leading up to it (The Paragon Market and all related systems).

Bear in mind that no matter how noble it may seem, bargaining for customer's account and character data is essentially one company SELLING PERSONAL INFORMATION to a third party. I would be flabbergasted if it all goes through that way.

NONETHELESS! When (if) the game is revived from these efforts, whether or not they are to continue development on the current incarnation, or begin development on a "CoH II" a hybrid Free-to-Play/subscription model should be kept in place. This will become clear as I detail the rest.

Upon launch, MUCH FANFARE! EVENTS! FUN! CITY OF HEROES IS BACK WOOOOOOO!!

Free to play will remain as is, as will the perks associated with Premium Accounts of yore. Subscription model will follow 14.99/month with discounts for bulk purchasing (buy more time and SAVE!) but instead of the 400 Paragon Points (hereafter known as PP), supply 800PP with each recurring month subscription. This will encourage people to subscribe, while also allowing people to pick up on the backlog of shinies or gather other perks.

Now I hear you say: "But Ouul? What about all my STUFF!?!"

Now, again acting under the assumption that it is gone, poof, out to pasture, it would be of great disservice to our long term veterans to have them start again from ABSOLUTE scratch, so I propose bundles and packs at a reasonable price to assist! These packs should encourage early adoption, and be available for only a short time after the re-launch (60-90 days) and then again during event weekends and as special promotions.

VETERANS PACK: $49.99 - Return to Paragon City and the Rogue Isles in style! This pack will bestow upon you enough Veteran Rewards Tokens to pin your way to the top! This will allow you to unlock all veterans rewards, plus the limited time costumes at the top tier!

BOOSTER PACK BUNDLE!: 49.99 - INCREDIBLE VALUE! This pack includes all the booster packs released, from the 5 origin packs through Valentine's, Pocket D VIP, Wedding, Mac Edition, Going Rogue Bonus Items, Origins, Steampunk, Party, and Animal Pack!

DELUXE EDITION BUNDLE: 9.99 - This pack includes the items from the CoH AND CoV deluxe collector's editions

And to help with levelling one's characters back to their prime:

CHARACTER BOOST BUNDLE: 4.99 each - This will come with XP Boosters, Team/Dual inspirations, and a 30 day temporary JetPack

Once again, this is just speculation and brainspewing to provide some ideas to go off. What do people think?

This !!!

I would buy all of those

[Ouul]

I think you should offer packs, starter packs at differing values...maybe the same way RIFT does it.

To answer a question to another posting person....yes we could access the auction house and things remotely....it was a perk for the veteran rewards.

If you are going to control the game more...you need to do a few things....like you need to no longer give exp in the player created missions....instead you simply need to stay with the tickets....the tickets should buy what they used to....but should no longer be able to purchase enhancements or inspirations.

The next thing you need to do...is make it so if a mission or something is repeated multiple times in 12 hour period it should give diminished rewards...like after the 2nd time it should no longer give exp until 12 hours happens.

You should also make contact not sell enhancements...let them buy things....but they should never sell them...if they sell them they should only be specific ones and they should be special...like the low level yins market origins.  It always bugged me that my contacts gave me not much in their stores....but I would have tried to find them all and gotten my reputation up if it meant by getting the top reputation I could buy a specific special origin form them.

Leave the enhancements for the actual stores you have all over the city.

Another thing...their was always the three levels of origins that bothered me.  because it seamed like once you got to a high level you shouldn't bother with the training origins....so if you are going to do this game....I highly suggest you simply make all the regular origins get he same stats...with the difference being that if you are within certain level ranges those origins give you a bonus like 10%...so training would be for 1 to 20...the next ones would be 21 to 40 and the last ones would be for 41 to maximum level.

If you are going cash shop only....and want to make some bank....you need to redo the exp amounts per level too....like make the amounts greater...like double needed each level you go up.....that way you can conceivably get people to buy exp bonus items in the cash shop.

and no....do not sell automatic level 50 upgrades....don't even think about it....because you will simply have people who buy them and then constantly whine there is no content and ask dumb question like where they can find hellions of skulls.

This thread is talking about ways to lessen the blow of starting again in case we are unable to recover character data. Your strongly worded suggestions are probably best in a suggestions thread. The way enhancements are structured in the game have been done so for a reason, and missions in general are not repeatable without certain caveats or conditions being met. This game is for the enjoyment of all, please do not feel that the whole thing should be changed just to suit your own perspective.

[Kaderie]

So I posted this suggestion over in the "New Efforts" thread, but the conversation there moves way too swiftly and I see now that it belongs more here anyway So, with apologies for the respost:

I had close to a dozen 50s, all incarnated and hours upon hours spent on perfecting their builds, which included purples and PvP IOs. I'd be lying if I said that losing them doesn't make me a little sad, but it turns out I'm actually quite giddy with excitement, too, to recreate them. Better. Stronger. Faster. *laughs* A clean slate means I might actually snag some better names for them, too.

But I do sympathize with those who are demotivated by the thought of not getting their characters. So I have an idea, a sort of compromise regarding the use of Sentinel files. Now, I believe that using the sentinel files would be bad form, because a lot of the community either did not know about it, were locked out of certain characters due to subscription issues and thus couldn't access them to snapshot them, or just plain lost the files in the two years that have passed. Giving some people their characters back, but not others, leaves a very bitter taste in my mouth.

So I propose the following:

Everyone who subscribes in the first month of launch can submit a mids build and create a fully slotted Level 50 character.

Only one per account.

Now I know what you're thinking. "But Kaderie, people will give themselves fully purpled out characters!" And to that I say, yes, they will. And? Consider it a 'Welcome home' gift from the new devs, as well as a form of compensation for the many alts lost. These will still have to be re-leveled and reslotted. For many such as myself it will still be an overall loss, since I had many purple'd characters, and if someone, somewhere might be slightly better off than they were before, well, what's the harm in that? Everyone still starts out on equal footing, and it will significantly take the sting off for the people in this thread who really can't stand losing their 50s.

Now, it could be possible to create multiple accounts to get that level 50 multiple times and strip them of valuables to sell. That's why I recommend locking it behind a pay wall, ie, subscription or perhaps something more pricey (3-month sub, maybe), and to have it be a limited time offer, let's say, the first month after launch. If someone wants to pay for the privilege of increasing the supply of purples/PVP IOs in the game (which will likely be severely lacking for a number of months), well, I actually consider that a win for the game's economy. 'sides, it's not like IOs weren't already for sale in the cash shop anyway, and getting rich in the game is not hard

Thoughts?

[Eskreema]

I doubt the enhancement tray thing can happen. At close you could get extra trays but no where near 100 so that would be new.

I thought I had 10 trays at the end = 100 enh.  Ok, leave out the new work bench and just have field crafter.  The rest was easily attainable.

[Biowraith]

Thought I'd sign up (I just heard the news - thanks PsychicKitty) to say +1 to Ouul's suggestion. 

Although I did have numerous 50s I don't really care about having to re-level characters as I enjoy leveling characters in CoH.  I will be a bit miffed if I can't get certain old character names, but I guess that's inevitable. 

However, I'd very much miss all the vet rewards, VIP rewards, and booster packs were I to have to re-level without them, so I'm in favour of any suggestions that let me get those back at a reasonable price.  Ouul's seems to cover that nicely.

[Harpospoke]

I think you should offer packs, starter packs at differing values...maybe the same way RIFT does it.

To answer a question to another posting person....yes we could access the auction house and things remotely....it was a perk for the veteran rewards.

If you are going to control the game more...you need to do a few things....like you need to no longer give exp in the player created missions....instead you simply need to stay with the tickets....the tickets should buy what they used to....but should no longer be able to purchase enhancements or inspirations.

The next thing you need to do...is make it so if a mission or something is repeated multiple times in 12 hour period it should give diminished rewards...like after the 2nd time it should no longer give exp until 12 hours happens.

You should also make contact not sell enhancements...let them buy things....but they should never sell them...if they sell them they should only be specific ones and they should be special...like the low level yins market origins.  It always bugged me that my contacts gave me not much in their stores....but I would have tried to find them all and gotten my reputation up if it meant by getting the top reputation I could buy a specific special origin form them.

Leave the enhancements for the actual stores you have all over the city.

Another thing...their was always the three levels of origins that bothered me.  because it seamed like once you got to a high level you shouldn't bother with the training origins....so if you are going to do this game....I highly suggest you simply make all the regular origins get he same stats...with the difference being that if you are within certain level ranges those origins give you a bonus like 10%...so training would be for 1 to 20...the next ones would be 21 to 40 and the last ones would be for 41 to maximum level.

If you are going cash shop only....and want to make some bank....you need to redo the exp amounts per level too....like make the amounts greater...like double needed each level you go up.....that way you can conceivably get people to buy exp bonus items in the cash shop.

and no....do not sell automatic level 50 upgrades....don't even think about it....because you will simply have people who buy them and then constantly whine there is no content and ask dumb question like where they can find hellions of skulls.

Most of that sounds like it would make the game more tedious and definitely harder to get back the characters we had before if we lose them.   I mean...your suggestions would kill the farm maps and make it a longer trip to lvl 50.   Yucky!

I heard claims that there were players like the ones in your last sentence, but never actually encountered them in game.  I played on Freedom too.   So I'm not convinced those players really existed.   I really don't know where you would go in the game to hear anyone complaining "there is no content".    I mean...I was busy playing the content...so if they were there, they were too busy playing with me to whine about it.   

[Harpospoke]

So I posted this suggestion over in the "New Efforts" thread, but the conversation there moves way too swiftly and I see now that it belongs more here anyway So, with apologies for the respost:

I like it.   Would definitely soften the blow if we lose our characters.   I had two accounts too, so right away I would get a portion of that nice "options" feeling at login that I enjoyed so much.

[admiralxp]

Not sure if this has been suggested yet, don't have time to read through the 12+ pages in this thread. My idea is to possibly hand out 'head-start' codes for the former players to get started playing the game early and build up the community a bit before it gets released to the public again. This will also allow the former players to recreate any characters they wish too without as much concern there name will be stolen.

[MWRuger]

Umm, Devil?

I was specifically referring to the extra Market transaction slots combined with the extra storage that would then be available above and beyond the purchasable slots.

I never really saw the Crafting Table as a money making tool, I suppose it'd cut down on travel for marketeers, but that could be earned anyway.

Oh yeah.

Well, Since We'll need to flip salvage to start we'll open some extra market slots there, but as you say those are earned based on a number of transaction. Doing field crafter actually increases recipe storage and inventory storage, but only for that character. But yeah, especially if it was account wide, I could see it really empowering the marketeers.

But honestly, I probably wouldn't buy that one. Almost everything in there is earnable in game and to me, that was part of the deal. You want to be ebill? Well, you got some work to do!

Feildcrafter wasn't as useful as you many think. It was cool to be able to summon it but mainly because it was difficult to get and most people didn't bother with it. The real reason to do it, pre paragon market, was the additional recipe and inventory storage. That was tasty.

[Brightfires]

I don't mind having to do Fieldcrafter again, honestly... Then again, Palrah (my badge-collector tank and blue-side Main), was the only member of my crew who ever had it, so it's not like I'd be doing it a dozen times. I wouldn't mind having to re-do any of the badges or Accolades, really.

That said, there is one thing that I absolutely must have on day one... And I do mean MUST, here. This one detail will, in complete and total honesty, be the biggest thing that makes the difference between me being all gung-ho "Okay, let's do this thing!" and my having a much less enthusiastic "Eh. Maybe I'll rebuild Nemissary or something" reaction to a relaunch.

I have to have Kestrel & Company's angel wings back.

Those things were originally a twelve month vet reward, but they were essential to the vast majority of my favorite characters. I didn't call the crew "bird things" for nothing. If there isn't a way, at launch, for the new versions of those characters to have their wings, I just won't rebuild them at all. Having them look like they ought to means that much to me, even though NOT having them  would sap a great deal of the potential enjoyment of having the game back right out. Sure, I had a few human toons I could rebuild. One of them (my crazy Death Mage dark defender-) was even a favorite... But without Kestrel, Palrah, Summer and Shade, it just wouldn't be the same. 

So... yeah. I definitely vote for there to be some way to get our vet rewards back. I don't care so much about Pally's badges, or the Elysion base, or the crew's Incarnate powers or even Kestrel's absolutely obscene enhancements. I acquired all of that for them once, I can do it again. But there are some things about my characters that just made them "them" and any reincarnation has to have them. It may seem silly to get that hung up on a cosmetic detail... But being silly doesn't make my feeling about it any less strong. Asking me to rebuild Kes without her wings would be like asking me to rebuild her without Cardinal. I can't do it.

[MWRuger]

I had a full set of base salvage. I'd hate to lose that since there is no way to get that back.

[Goddangit]

"It's a trident, not a pitchfork!"

Sugarless gum.  Bleh.

[saipaman]

I tried my NCSoft account.  I was able to get in and was prompted to set challenge questions.  After that, I got red box telling me there were no games associated with my account.  Later, I got an e-mail from NCSoft telling me that someone (me) had setup the challenge questions.

So, they still have some of my data and I still remember my username/password.