Except it's empty and barren. The NPC's don't talk back, the mobs are gone and even if they were there, the ability to smack them around a little for old time sake is not available. Please just let me know that someone somewhere is trying to get the world back that we knew. To be able to see it all again and still not be able to play is like losing it all over again.
This is a valid point. And a large part of the reason why specific groups who have moved on to other MMOs do not want to use Paragon Chat if it's not the actual game. To be upfront, it is not likely we can bring back the NPCs from the game, the text on the plaques, the contact dialogue, or even storylines involving the zones that are a word for word copy from when the game was live (or as best as we've documented it on Paragon Wiki.)
One of the reasons why not is that all of that is NCSoft's intellectual property. In addition, the logistics of adding all of that back when absent of gameplay being available, it's a lot of effort for something you can't use. Also, the amount of work to return the 'feel' of the game is a moving yardstick. Ignoring the technical limitations (the first one is just as hard as restoring combat to Paragon Chat...) To some, just having citizens walking the streets is enough. To others, the NPCs make and break the city, so they all need to talk. To others, 'missions' need to exist, even without combat as an option. Finally, there's some who think part and parcel isn't enough, it's all or nothing. Every bit of the game needs to come back... or forget it.
There are no wrong answers, but balancing what people want versus what is possible for a developer to do in their spare time away from other obligations... that's the rub. Parts and pieces are coming back. Development is continuing. That's the good news. You can visit with us if you like. If you don't want to, you're still a City of Heroes veteran and welcome here either way.