Heya all, it's time for the next Call to Action! I know that some of you have already started with this one, but I want to make sure everyone is on board, to offer some guidelines, and to incorporate an idea that I really hope will get their attention in a positive way.
(https://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa453/TonyV-CoH/City%20of%20Heroes/Save%20Paragon%20City/Mission%20Text/WritealettertoNCsoft.png)
I want to make sure that everyone at NCsoft Corporate understands how important this game is to us. I want them to see the human cost to shuttering the servers and burying the IP and code base. The goal here is to recognize that the people at NCsoft are people too, all the way up to the CEO. Working with us to make sure that Paragon City still exists would foster a lot of goodwill with the community, which is quite large, active, and committed.
I don't want you to sit down and churn out a form letter, though, so I'm not going to post something you can just cut and paste. Remember,
we are heroes. Thinking of some original thoughts to put down on paper in your own words is but a trivial challenge! Here are some guidelines, though, that I think would be very helpful to our cause.
- Be respectful. While you're writing, please remember that if we alienate NCsoft, it is literally game over. We must have them on our side in order to succeed. The more they like us, the more chance of success we will have. I know that a lot of you are hurt, angry, and ready to go in with both barrels fighting. But this is not a brute force mission, it is a diplomatic one. When you feel the urge to start getting snarky, take a break. Come back later. This is a timed mission, but the clock is still set pretty high.
- Be personal. I want to make sure they understand how what they built affects us, the City of Heroes players, on a personal level. In the business world, it is really easy to make cold, calculated decisions when you don't have human beings and their stories associated with what you're doing. Tell them how City of Heroes has made a positive difference in your life! Tell them about that time you really felt heroic! Tell them how close you felt to your fellow players when you pulled together to beat that impossible mission! Tell them about how your made a real-life friend through the power of Paragon City! Put some feeling into the letter and let them see us not as a nameless, faceless group of fans, but as people with thoughts and feelings and emotions.
- Hand-write your letter instead of typing it. This goes along with the above guideline. If you really can't produce anything better than chicken scratch handwriting, then this one is flexible. Still, there's a lot to be said for a personally handwritten letter in neat, legible handwriting. It says to them that you are going out of your way to make a personal appeal to them.
- Don't write a book. Having said what I said above, please don't send a 10-page short story unless you have a really compelling story to tell, such as if you met your spouse through City of Heroes, you were friends with another player who passed away, or that kind of thing. Try to keep it to a page or two at the most.
- Make sure they quickly understand the purpose of your letter. Right at the very top, make it explicitly clear why you're writing. "I am a City of Heroes player for eight and a half years, and I am writing to ask that you please take whatever steps are necessary to avoid shutting down the greatest game I have ever played." Something along those lines would be nice, but please do paraphrase.
- Make them want to read your letter. After stating your purpose for writing, avoid this. "I really like City of Heroes a lot. Please don't end the game. It's really great and there are still a lot of players." Avoid sounding like a form letter. Throw in a funny or interesting anecdote close to the top to keep them hooked and wanting to continue.
- You are not their accountant. I know a lot of you are under the impression that if we could just convince them that there's some financial reason to keep City of Heroes alive, they would do so. They are businessmen, right? All we have to do is show them the dollars and cents of the matter. The problem with this is that they have their own paid professional accountants and financial gurus who are informing their decisions, and financial advice from random Internet strangers is probably not going to go very far. You can mention that we have a strong player base, but please avoid sending your financial analysis of the decision, as thorough and well-thought-out as I'm sure it is.
- Be flexible. Remember our goal is to Save Paragon City!. Don't get tied down to one particular solution. Don't assume that they won't change their mind. Don't presume that if they don't, they're going to stingily hold on to the IP and code base. When you ask for what you want to ask for, make sure that you word it in such a way that the end goal is stated: keeping the game running. The exact details of how that goal is reached are still up in the air. Let them know that you would like for all options to be considered.
- Tell us! This step is totally optional. If you're up to it, though, send an e-mail to ParagonCity@cohtitan.com and tell us when you've mailed your letter and what you said. (Please note that this e-mail address is not our main address to communicate with our team, you can contact me at tonyv@cohtitan.com for that.) I'd like to be able to track how we're doing and use some of the content you are generating to put together some kind of site or scrapbook that brings this effort home in the stretch, and this is your chance to be a part of that.
There's one more thing that I think you can do that would add a special touch to your letter and really help connect the powers-that-be at NCsoft to you and the game. Back when I started playing City of Heroes in 2004, one of the coolest aspects of the game to me was that I could take perfect screenshots in the game. One of the first things I did after creating my first character, King Skippus, was to take a bunch of postcard-like screenshots and print them out on heavy card stock paper. I cut the printouts out and actually hung them on my wall at work. "What is that?" people would ask. "That's me. I'm a superhero in Paragon City." I was really proud of my postcards.
When you write, I suggest printing your character's photo or, better yet if you have anything, a piece of art of your character, on a piece of paper that will fit in the envelope without being folded. If possible, try to print it on heavy card stock paper (go to your local office supply store and buy a pack of 110 lb. paper) or if your printer supports it, photographic paper, as that really will make it stand out, it will be something they might even like to hang on their wall. Make it creative, write your character's name on the back. If it's an old photo to express how long you've been playing, write the date the photo was taken. Really make it pop. You don't have to send more than one; the goal isn't to irritate them. The goal, once again, is to show them what the game means to us, to help them understand that there is a lot of creative time, effort, and work that has gone into the game.
For example, I plan on sending this photo of Taxibot Belle in 2005, a day after I created the character:
(https://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa453/TonyV-CoH/City%20of%20Heroes/Save%20Paragon%20City/TaxibotBelle2005.png)
(And for those whose mind I just blew with, "Whoa, TonyV is Taxibot Belle?" I used to be. I created the character based on the personality of a good friend and ran Taxibot Belle until sometime around 2007. Around that time, the real Belle moved in with me and I gave the account--and more importantly, the character--to her and she's been running her ever since.)
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
As Dasher (http://www.cohtitan.com/forum/index.php/topic,4879.msg44082.html#msg44082), who initiated this campaign, points out, you might be more likely to get it actually in the hands of the CEO if you send it certified. I'll just copy verbatim what he said here:
Quote from: Dasher on September 01, 2012, 06:19:11 PMSend all letters via "Certified Mail/Addressee's Signature Required/Return Receipt Requested". This takes a little more effort and costs a little more, but it is well worth it. According to US Federal postal laws, a letter so marked must be signed for by the address or their legal representative, which in the case of CEOs is usually their personal administrative assistants; usually it's not the receptionist or security guards. This is your best shot at getting your letters directly to where they will do the most good.
Okay heroes, you have your mission, start writing those letters!
One step ahead of you. :P
Cross posted on the RO forums.
Dear Sir,
Thank you for supporting financially, administratively and logistically a game I have come to love for years. I have made friends, and become closer to friends I already had through this game. City of Heroes was more than a hobby to me, it was a community, and a place to go to unwind after a hard day. Needless to say I was shocked and dismayed when I learned that the development staff had been fired and the game would completely shut down within three months. I was shocked for two reasons. First, I, like many others were under the impression the game was doing well. The game had just released a large amount of exciting new content and was getting ready to release more. Secondly, games like this typically stop making new content before they go dark, it's highly irregular for a game of this caliber to shut down right in the middle of new content production.
Pondering this causes me great concerns about your company. Either your company just made a rash decision and was willing to not only anger a community of well over 100 thousand, and destroy the lives of 80 employees due to intra-company fights and politicking, or your company has committed a cardinal sin in business by shutting down a profitable venture to save flailing projects. Both of these possibilities are completely unacceptable in a business environment.
When City of Heroes became a hybrid subscription game I remained a paying subscriber, while also spending more money on micro-transactions; so, why would I as a consumer, choose to play any of your other products when I know that such a brash decision with such short notice is acceptable in your corporation. Why would I as a potential stockholder purchase stock from your company on the Korean Stock Exchange based on your current actions.
This mistake can be rectified. Reconsider, and rehire the team running Paragon Studios, or make the shrewd business decision to sell them off to another company, or spin them off into another division.
Either of these options would do a great deal to heal the damage that has already been done to NcSoft's name.
I leave you with this thought, no great river refuses any small stream.
Thank you for your time,
Dave Babler
My only question is should I call it "the Korean Stock Exchange" or by it's native name?
Question: Could email also work? Probably no, but worth asking, right?
Frost,
Calling it the Korean Stock Exchange should work since that's what it gets referred to as in the US, and in the English version of Korean newspapers. You could also call it the KRX and he should know what you are talking about, but I find absolute clarity is often the best solution when dealing with people.
Otherwise a decent letter. Best of luck :)
Only "decent" :( damn it.
I was hoping for stellar.
You can call me Dave, since I posted my real name anyway
Good letter. Now I got to think of one.
I'm on it and will have it ready asap. Am in the middle of a big move so not all I need is always in one place just yet, unfortunately. But I'll make it work, no worries.
@CursedSorcerer: e-mail won't do alas. E-mails will go to a random callcenter agent and be dealt with there. None of the CEO's will even know the excistence of your e-mail.
Got my letter written and will send it soon. Text is below if anyone wants to use it for inspiration.
Dear Mr. Kim,
I was shocked today when I logged onto the City of Heroes forums and found the announcement that the game is being shut down. As vibrant and active as the development for the game has been since it went free to play, the announcement that it would be coming to an end came as a huge and unpleasant surprise.
As a player since the summer of 2005, I've spent thousands of hours playing the game that your company made. With the exception of my friends and family, this game has brought me more joy over the years than almost anything in my life. In the past 3 years, I had even convinced my wife to give it a try, and gotten her hooked as well. We have spent many Saturdays together sitting side by side at our computers playing our paired characters together. After a hard day at work, the game provides a very welcome, if temporary, escape from reality much like an excellent movie or novel. And while there are other games that can provide the same thing, there are none that have held my interest for years in the way that City of Heroes has. I know that I am far from alone in feeling this way.
With that in mind, I urge you to reconsider the decision to end the game entirely. The ideal solution would be to return to the status quo, and let Paragon Studios continue to develop the game with NCSoft's support. I realize however that this is not a realistic wish. That's why I hope you will consider other options. The game could be sold to another entity, which could continue the development on its own terms. Or perhaps a licensing agreement could be worked out. Or at the very least, instead of shutting the game down completely, the servers could be kept live with a skeleton crew, with no further development taking place. I'm sure you'll receive other suggestions, and I urge you to consider some sort of alternative. Please don't let a game that means so much to so many people die completely.
Sincerely,
Jordan Hughes-Buckley
Please dont shut city of heroes
Quote from: jordanhb on September 03, 2012, 11:52:56 AM
Got my letter written and will send it soon. Text is below if anyone wants to use it for inspiration.
Dear Mr. Kim,
I was shocked today when I logged onto the City of Heroes forums and found the announcement that the game is being shut down. As vibrant and active as the development for the game has been since it went free to play, the announcement that it would be coming to an end came as a huge and unpleasant surprise.
As a player since the summer of 2005, I've spent thousands of hours playing the game that your company made. With the exception of my friends and family, this game has brought me more joy over the years than almost anything in my life. In the past 3 years, I had even convinced my wife to give it a try, and gotten her hooked as well. We have spent many Saturdays together sitting side by side at our computers playing our paired characters together. After a hard day at work, the game provides a very welcome, if temporary, escape from reality much like an excellent movie or novel. And while there are other games that can provide the same thing, there are none that have held my interest for years in the way that City of Heroes has. I know that I am far from alone in feeling this way.
With that in mind, I urge you to reconsider the decision to end the game entirely. The ideal solution would be to return to the status quo, and let Paragon Studios continue to develop the game with NCSoft's support. I realize however that this is not a realistic wish. That's why I hope you will consider other options. The game could be sold to another entity, which could continue the development on its own terms. Or perhaps a licensing agreement could be worked out. Or at the very least, instead of shutting the game down completely, the servers could be kept live with a skeleton crew, with no further development taking place. I'm sure you'll receive other suggestions, and I urge you to consider some sort of alternative. Please don't let a game that means so much to so many people die completely.
Sincerely,
Jordan Hughes-Buckley
great letter i will steal most of that and send myself
Thank you
Quote from: Gilliam on September 03, 2012, 05:31:24 PM
great letter i will steal most of that and send myself
Thank you
Please don't, I don't want NCsoft to think we're barraging them with form letters. Sometime this week or next, we might set up some sort of "Send
X just as a show of unity," but for this stage of the operation, I really want you to come up with your own words to express what the game means to you.
Dear Sir,
While I was a teenager in school I was considered, to put it mildly, an outcast. Not as a result of my actions, but merely for being different. I was treated horribly and bullied on an almost daily basis. This treatment gave me a very poor self-image and I didn't think I could amount to anything. Until the day I logged into City of Heroes. It was in the streets of Paragon City that I felt like I could amount to something. You see it is more than just a game for me, like it is for the thousands of other players. It was a place where we could fly away from the stresses and worries of daily life, if only for a few moments. I am proud to say I was even inspired to do some good in the real world. It breaks my heart to think that something with such potential to be force for good in the world could be ended so abruptly. That is why I am begging you to reconsider the termination of such a unique and wonderful game, not just a game but a community.
For Your Consideration
Jacob Wright aka Silent Sentry
I hope this fits the letter criteria
Being posted from the UK tomorrow, to both Seattle and Korea:
--
Sir,
I am writing to add my voice to the thousands of others begging you not to destroy the City of.. games.
I really have no idea how to write this letter. I don't know whether to appeal to your humanity, or your business sense.
City of.. is a game like no other. Its players know it's not the flashiest, or the best looking game around. We know it's a bit dated. We know we can't rival the population of some of the other MMORPGs out there - but we're still here. We've been paying subscriptions for eight and a half years, we've been supporting the game and the company behind it, because we feel honoured to be a part of it. Because we've spent nearly a decade creating characters that we have come to love, poured time and money into making them as good as they can be, making bases for them to live in, creating and telling their stories, and making friendships that are so close that we have almost become family - despite the fact that a world separates us.
We are a community, and we love our game. We don't want to lose what we have worked for, we don't want to lose a world we love and we don't want to see our community scattered.
I understand you won't have taken this decision lightly. I understand that a company doesn't make 80 people redundant on a whim. But please, I urge you to work with the community, with the players. To give us a chance to keep the characters we have poured our time and money into, the bases we have spent weeks of our lives building, the friendships that have survived for years and the groups that have bought us all together.
Please stick us on a spare server somewhere, and allow the community to try and save itself. Put us up for sale, make us opensource, give us a chance to buy the IP rights and the engine from you. Closing us down is just vandalism.
Please give us the chance to take this game that you no longer want off your hands. Our petition to save the city has already seen over 10,000 people sign up, people who are volunteering their time and effort to try and keep the game running.
I'm not going to threaten never to buy another NC Soft game, but the fact is that currently, you don't have anything on offer I'm interested in playing. This is the same for many players - if anything they'll move to DC Universe, or Champions online, giving money to your competitors. It's got to be better walking away from this with a big wedge of money and a happy fanbase than just wiping out a whole online universe.
I know you've already received a number of letters like this. I'm sorry to send another one, but I can't help it. The heroes of Paragon City want to save their world, and the villains on the Rogue Isles want to take it over.
Please give us the opportunity to do it. We can't help it. We're heroes, and villains. It's in our nature.
Sincerely,
(me.)
@Vandellia, Virtue.
Here is my letter which I plan to handwrite and send with signature confirmation. Took me awhile to find some actual writing paper around here, but I did!
Dear Mr. Kim,
I write to you today in regards to your company's decision to shut down City of Heroes. The news has hit our close-knit community incredibly hard. We are not only disappointed and saddened at the loss of the game, but devastated by the loss of our family, which includes the staff at Paragon Studios.
No other MMO compares to the world we have created in City of Heroes. We want to know one another. We want to play together. We value our community of real people, going beyond the character and the world in which it is created. For nearly a decade, the players, developers, and myriad of others have worked together tirelessly to create a one-of-a-kind game, a home-away-from-home. Through thick and thin, no one has wavered. It is deeply personal to us, and our passion for this game shows.
Personally, I have been playing City of Heroes since i5's release in 2005, currently a 6 year veteran. While my account lapsed shortly after having my son, I never forgot the game, returning as soon as I was able. More importantly, I never forgot the friends I made playing it. These aren't just people I interacted with inside the game. These are friends that I email, talk to, even allow into my elite circle on Facebook. We have shared weddings, births, moves, job changes, and so much more. We've been there for one another through the best and worst of times. Our friendships started because of CoH but endure outside of it.
The people who play City of Heroes, the people who work on it, we have always been committed to it's future and have no intention of relenting. We will persevere, exploring every option, every possibility, even the ones that seem hopeless. Nothing is too small or too far fetched. I hope that you can appreciate and understand our dedication. I hope that it moves you to help us keep our beloved City of Heroes alive.
Sincerely,
Holly
:gonk: please dont shut the COH down!!!!
I have handwritten my letter and addressed envelopes. I am digging through my giant pile of screenshots to find a couple of good images full of people to include.
I'll take them to the post office for signature confirmation tomorrow on the way to work. One copy to Seattle, the other to Seoul.
The letter reads:
Dear Mr. Kim,
I was shocked and saddened by the recent announcement of the closure of your City of Heroes franchise. I have been playing this game since September 2004, as have many of the people I play with.
The thing that makes this game truly special is the community of players. I'm very much going to miss the friends I've made in the last eight years, and the chance to make new friends there. This community has helped each other through crises, encouraged each other to be better people than we might have been otherwise, taught our teammates kids' the right way to behave and what it meant to be a hero.
I'm writing to make sure you knew this closure will darken the lives of tens of thousands of people who come to Paragon City to escape the doldrums of every day life and spend a few minutes being something bigger and better than they can be on their own.
If NCsoft can't continue operation of the game, please consider selling it to another publisher, or to the community itself so our journey together can continue.
Sincerely,
Louis Erickson
@Laufeyjarson in City of Heroes
Edit: I took the time to print, on photo paper, a couple of screen shots.
One is four characters in matching colors standing in front of a door. It is titled "Dawn Guard Emerges Victorious!", dated 27 February 2005, and has a note that I still play regularly with two of the three other players.
The other is five characters, surrounded by robots, blowing something up. The back says, "Vidnur Tofa and the Legion of Catgirls in the Imperious Task Force" and is dated 28 January 2012. There is a note that Vidur Tofa ("wind fox") was created in September of 2004, and is the first CoH character I made.
Hand writing on the backs of photos was quite a flashback! The feeling of carefully labelled snapshots from the family album, with screenshots from a game is an odd combination.
Hopefully, it will get the letter read.
Mine, to be mailed tomorrow:
I'm writing to you as a seven-year veteran, faithful subscriber and dedicated player to ask – even beg – that you reconsider the recent shocking, heartbreaking decision regarding the fate of City of Heroes.
When a favorite show gets canceled, when a favorite author or actor or musician dies, we still have tangible things we can go back to. Reruns, rereading, listening to the music, watching the movies. With this, if City of Heroes vanishes, it's gone forever, leaving us not even the ability to revisit except through memories and screenshots.
If there is any way, any way at all, to continue it in some form ... to transfer it over ... to merge and reduce servers ... if it means charging more for subscriptions ... if it means no new content but simply letting it go along as is until it does become a ghost town on its own instead of a thriving, vibrant community ... something ... anything ... please.
Maybe I'm a rarity in this, but, for me, simply switching to another game is not an option. I don't play any others, no MMOs, no video games, nothing. This is the only one that has ever appealed to me. The mere prospect of even looking at any other game leaves me feeling hollow and sick inside.
I've spent countless hours just in roleplay and chats. I've written enough stories inspired by these characters to fill a dozen or more novels, purely for the love of it, gladly sacrificing time and energy I could have been putting toward my professional writing. I've commissioned artwork, gone to conventions, and collected as much merchandise as I've been able to find.
Over these past years, I've met people from across the country and around the world through the connections and bonds made through our shared interest in City of Heroes. Some of them have become my nearest and dearest friends, even the ones I've not yet managed to meet in person. I know military and rescue personnel who've relied on it as a reprieve from the toughest jobs of all, and some whose very lives have been saved by having it to hold onto.
We've celebrated real-life romances, marriages and births, seen our kids grow up together. We've commiserated in times of hardship, breakup, tragedy and loss. We've collaborated on projects, we've traveled to visit, collaborated on projects, we've gone into businesses together.
To me, and to so many great people I know and love, City of Heroes is not 'just' a game. It's a life, a home. Please don't take that away from us. Please.
-- C.
I'm sure that writing letters will not have much effect. I mean... this is not the first game they closed, so they know how the fans will react. On one lonley PC is sitting a citizen and they tell him: "Dude, we are closing City of Heroes so there is longer any support for this game. You will get a lot of letters now untill November, just delete every mail that is coming in..." and the same will happen to the letters, right into the trash with them...
I'm also sure that every other puplisher get the news that City of Heroes is shutting down by NC-Soft and when anyone is intressted into the game then they will do something to get the IP from NC-Soft.
Maybe we can't do much, but when something can be done then I think the best way is the press. I think it's much easier to get in contact with them then the publishers. Let them know what's going on here. Bad publicity is something that is never good for anyone. Even when this is a game with not a big community I'm sure the people are very intressted what NC-Soft is doing with his older games. I mean they still want to sell Wildstar soon...
This is not a dying game with dwindling population. We were making our game show a profit. One way or another, peaceably and politely, we can show them that we are not numbers on a balance sheet to be crassly discarded.
Quote from: TonyV on September 03, 2012, 06:07:15 PM
Please don't, I don't want NCsoft to think we're barraging them with form letters. Sometime this week or next, we might set up some sort of "Send X just as a show of unity," but for this stage of the operation, I really want you to come up with your own words to express what the game means to you.
Ok Tony ,i'll be more orginal or wait
Quote from: Technerdoc on September 04, 2012, 03:14:40 PM
I'm sure that writing letters will not have much effect. I mean... this is not the first game they closed, so they know how the fans will react. On one lonley PC is sitting a citizen and they tell him: "Dude, we are closing City of Heroes so there is longer any support for this game. You will get a lot of letters now untill November, just delete every mail that is coming in..." and the same will happen to the letters, right into the trash with them...
I'm also sure that every other puplisher get the news that City of Heroes is shutting down by NC-Soft and when anyone is intressted into the game then they will do something to get the IP from NC-Soft.
Maybe we can't do much, but when something can be done then I think the best way is the press. I think it's much easier to get in contact with them then the publishers. Let them know what's going on here. Bad publicity is something that is never good for anyone. Even when this is a game with not a big community I'm sure the people are very intressted what NC-Soft is doing with his older games. I mean they still want to sell Wildstar soon...
Why so negative? Fan letters and persistence has worked on things in the past, and it will continue to work in the future. While there is no guarantee that we will see results, there is also no guarantee that we won't. We have to try. Without trying, there is 100% chance of failure. That is unacceptable to many of us.
For what it's worth.....
Dear Mr. Kim:
I am writing to appeal to you to keep City of Heroes alive in some form. I subscribed to the game in December 2004 and my subscription has not ever lapsed. No other game has given me as much creative pleasure to play, because no other game features its character creator, large number of character slots, and fast pace of gameplay.
If NCsoft no longer desires the game as a part of its product roster in light of its financial situation, please allow someone to purchase Paragon Studios or the game's IP for further development.
Quote from: Technerdoc on September 04, 2012, 03:14:40 PM
I'm sure that writing letters will not have much effect. I mean... this is not the first game they closed, so they know how the fans will react. On one lonley PC is sitting a citizen and they tell him: "Dude, we are closing City of Heroes so there is longer any support for this game. You will get a lot of letters now untill November, just delete every mail that is coming in..." and the same will happen to the letters, right into the trash with them...
You simply don't know this.
If even half of the alleged 700,000 players write a letter, that would be 350,000 letters they'd have to discard.
Heck, even if if one out of every four players wrote a letter...that's 175,000 letters.
How many trash bins would be needed for those?
That would be noticed.
Also, many waves of change have occurred due to letter-writing campaigns.
I love this game so much that I'm willing to be optimistic over pessimistic.
All right guys, I finally finished mine. Please let me know what you think:
Dear Sir,
I am a City of Heroes player of over seven years and I am writing to ask you to reconsider your decision to shut the game down. I have met some very dear friends through CoH and its amazing community continues to inspire me in ways not even my friends or family can. Over the past eight and a half years, this game has become something beautiful. It has given birth to a family. I may not know each member of the community, but I sincerely believe our common experience, your 'game', has created a bond that goes far beyond staring at a screen and mashing keys. As I write this, an entire league of heroes stands together to save our community and its game. We are not bonding over task forces and incarnate trials this time. We stand together to fight for something much bigger. I cannot pretend to know, or even guess at, the reasons you chose to shut down the game. What I do know is that I would do anything to save it. I feel like my family is being torn apart. That is why I am asking, BEGGING, you to reconsider. We are not ready for this. I have been playing this game since I was fourteen years old, I am twenty-one now. CoH has taught me things I could have never learned on my own. I am not ready to stop learning, I cannot simply let these memories fade. Thank you for your consideration. I hope for the best.
Sincerely,
Allen S. Aho
Nitpicking is encouraged, I'll rewrite it a dozen times if I have to!
In the event that some of you are not aware, there is a standard format for letters written to businesses. Using correct format can go a long way to showing how serious you are taking your communication and the CEO's time and effort needed to read your letter.
Here is an excellent example:
http://www.mybusinessprocess.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Business-Letter-Format-001.jpg (http://www.mybusinessprocess.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Business-Letter-Format-001.jpg)
Tony, I love your idea of hand writing the letter on the bond paper (we just have to pay attention and keep our handwriting neat and not sloping up the page). I have a fountain pen that will be ideal for this project. Thank goodness I had my carpal tunnel surgery done a couple of months ago! :D
Here's the letter I wrote today. Going in the mail tomorrow...
______________________________________________________
September 4th, 2012
Mr. Taek Jin Kim, Chief Executive Officer
NCsoft Corporation
1501 4th Avenue, Suite 2050
Seattle, WA 98101
RE: Termination of "City of Heroes"
Dear Mr. Kim,
My name is Rob and I am a seven-year veteran of the online MMO "City of Heroes". I was shocked and dismayed by the
sudden announcement on August 31st that the NCSoft Corporation is going to terminate operations at Paragon Studios
in a realignment of your company. I cannot more strongly urge you and your staff to reconsider this decision.
When I first heard of "City of Heroes" through some friends, I resisted their repeated attempts to get me to purchase
the game. I had felt that once I purchased a video game, I shouldn't have to continue paying for the game over and over
on a monthly basis. I finally relented and I couldn't be more pleased to say that I purchased an additional copy because
one just wasn't enough.
I remember with vivid clarity the first time I logged into the game and created my character. I had so much fun using
the character creation tool that I almost forgot there was a game to play. It was when I clicked that little button that
transferred my new hero into the game, being greeted with beautiful (and heroic sounding) French horns, that I knew
my life was going to change.
Over the years, I've created a group of heroes that have become as real to me as could possibly be. They managed to
spark my imagination, creating a vivid movie filled with action, romance, suspense and drama that plays in my mind as I
play the game. I have even spent countless hours writing background profiles of each of my super heroes to bring more
life to their digital adventures.
This game has not only helped me evolve on a personal level, it has also helped me socially. I've made friends all over
the country and have even met a few in real life, connections that would not have been made had it not been for this
game. We've laughed, we've cried, we've shared and we've even lost. "City of Heroes" has affected my life in so many
positive ways and for that, I thank NCSoft but most especially the beautiful minds at Paragon Studios.
"City of Heroes" has gained an extremely loyal fan base, mostly for the same reasons that I've outlined above. We came
to this game expecting action and adventure playing the part of a super hero. What we didn't expect was to find a
family.
Mr. Kim, please be our super hero. Please rescind your decision to close Paragon Studios and keep "City of Heroes"
alive.
Sincerely,
Rob
Dear Sir,
I am writing to you after the news that the game City of Heroes is scheduled to be shut down later this year reached me, and I am hoping you and your staff may reconsider this action. I have been a paid member of the community since the game's launch, and a member of the beta testing program prior to that. For over eight and a half years, I have considered Paragon City to be my second home, and the cancellation of the game has come as a horrible shock.
In the time since I first received an invitation to join the game, I have moved four times, held six different professions, had two friends and two beloved relatives pass away, and restarted and completed college. During hardships, I knew I could turn to those people I had made friends with within City of Heroes, and to the game itself as an escape from the pain and fatigue. I created countless characters, each unique with life of their own, whose problems I could create, and solve, giving me power to tackle my own hardships.
City of Heroes has been there for me for a quarter of my natural existence now, and much of my life has been touched by its influence. When I went to college, I chose to go into game design because I held the dream of one day helping to craft the characters and stories I had become attached to within Paragon City. I've connected with friends long lost through the game, been there for proposals, weddings, and births of children for friends I've met.
I have suffered serious physical injury at the Penny-Arcade Expo in Seattle during my stint as an Expo Hall volunteer assigned to NCsoft, in order to make sure those who had helped make the game I loved had no problems while the event went on.
My subscription to this game will lapse for the first time upon cancellation of the game. I have purchased every expansion, every booster, every costume piece and power set that the wonderful team at Paragon Studios has ever produced. I would have continued to do so until they gave up... But they were going strong. Issue 24 and the future of the game looked brighter than ever. I do not know what sway my words may have, if any, but know that this action has killed a little piece of my soul. So many of my hopes and dreams were wrapped up with this game.
Please, give it another chance. If not, I would hope you and your staff might consider allowing the team at Paragon Studios the chance to own the IP themselves and continue their legacy. Let us soar into the clouds again.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Michael T. Eastham
This will be going out Friday.
Un-stickying. Not that it's not still important, if you haven't sent a letter to NCsoft, PLEASE do! But I don't want the other action items cluttered up.
Another player I know mentioned that he'd sent letters out today, certified mail, just as described. He wasn't comfortable coming over here and crowing about it, instead just quietly did it.
Hopefully there's a quiet person out there for every one of us shameless loudmouths posting our letters to the forum. Or two, or three. =)
Here's a big "Thank you!" to all of those quiet, dependable people who did what was needed without a fuss, and without coming and posting it. Your letters are just as important, and your work just as appreciated, even if we didn't know about it.
Let me think about what I want to write and I'll definitely send something out.
What I wrote went to the effect of...
In 2005 I was introduced to City of Heroes, and despite the warning of a friend that it would suck me in... I still ended up playing it, and it didn't take long to do just that!
I made my first character a couple of times because I didn't know what the heck I was doing, and because I loved the variety of costume options!
I made my first toon a female because quite frankly if I was going to have to stare at someone's butt in spandex, I'd rather it not be a guys! Her name is Taki Hakata.
I made her the tiniest build I could because of my mom being a little over four feet tall, and the name "Taki" because as I understand it, that means "tiny". I wanted her to have a last name, and Hakata is a dish I was introduced to that contains venom that if it doesn't kill you, it gives you enlightenment. So her name literally means "A tiny dish that could kill or enlighten you"
It didn't take long for me to get hooked on playing with her costumes and for a while I mostly played her in missions just enough to finance my costume addiction at icon!
Taki has been a part of my life for a very long time now, and yes... I pretty much think of her like you would think of your family. She's a part of me, not just a character on the screen.
My wife started playing COH, and it didn't take long for her to pass me in skill, she's all about hardcore playing while I've been working on exploration and story building. Later on when I started playing with her, I made a persona of my real self into the game under the name of DrX.
There is so much that I've found appealing about the game that it's hard to nail it to just one thing, but I'd have to say that for the game appeal, it's how fully customizable everything is! How two people can have the same power sets and have two completely different builds... and that's okay!
While I can't speak for all of the other servers, my home is Liberty, and we have one of the best online communities that I have ever had the honor to be a part of!
I have made real life friends here... people who have touched my life! When one of my COH friends flew out to our house, he introduced me to a guitar game, and I incorporated his love for City of Villains into the controller as the "Lord Recluse Guitar"... which set me on the path to making more guitars, and exploring my art... and now I own my own business making custom decals based off of video games as a result!
Loosing City of Heroes is like killing a very important part of my life out, it's taking away so much that I fail to be able to fully express into words, its cutting the thread that binds a family.
When an employee makes a suggestion, it may look great on paper, but sometimes it's hard to see the impact that decision will make. I beg for you to please reconsider your decision to end City of Heroes!
Sincerely
Eric Livesay
Aka "@Taki" and "@DrX"
I made custom stationary to write it on, and I wrote it on the best linen paper I have, I also enclosed a pencil drawing the character I modeled after myself, DrX.
(https://images.weserv.nl/?url=nerdfitti.com%2Fimages%2Fcoh%2Fletters.png)
I'll be mailing it out in a few hours when the post office opens
I just remembered that I know a guy at Gamestop corporate, he scribbled his cell on an XBL points card he gave me as thanks for a big promotion I ran for them on my last build project.
In the morning (when he gets to the office) I'm going to give him a call to see if I can maybe remove my ads from the two locations that sponsor my art and instead put up notices about COH and how to sign the petition.
Quote from: Taki on September 05, 2012, 09:14:10 AM
(https://images.weserv.nl/?url=nerdfitti.com%2Fimages%2Fcoh%2Fletters.png)
I'll be mailing it out in a few hours when the post office opens
Sacred bovine! I love your letterhead/paper! I wish I'd thought of going into such detail but I wanted to get it out quickly so just used some fancy paper. My printer is glitching and I can't get a decent pic of Jord to come out and I can't draw for dookie so I couldn't include a pic. :(
I really hope that folks keep making an effort. I had a friend tell me last night that he didn't think that writing letters would do any good but like Soundtrack said:
Quote from: Soundtrack on September 04, 2012, 05:00:46 PM
If even half of the alleged 700,000 players write a letter, that would be 350,000 letters they'd have to discard.
Heck, even if if one out of every four players wrote a letter...that's 175,000 letters.
How many trash bins would be needed for those?
That would be noticed.
Also, many waves of change have occurred due to letter-writing campaigns.
I love this game so much that I'm willing to be optimistic over pessimistic.
I cannot justify
not writing the letters to try to save a game and community that I love.
Beautiful work, Taki!
Crymsin Lilly
Quote from: laufeyjarson on September 05, 2012, 05:14:40 AM
Another player I know mentioned that he'd sent letters out today, certified mail, just as described. He wasn't comfortable coming over here and crowing about it, instead just quietly did it.
Hopefully there's a quiet person out there for every one of us shameless loudmouths posting our letters to the forum. Or two, or three. =)
Here's a big "Thank you!" to all of those quiet, dependable people who did what was needed without a fuss, and without coming and posting it. Your letters are just as important, and your work just as appreciated, even if we didn't know about it.
*big thumbs up*
My letter - drafted, but not yet penned as I need to find some decent paper:
Dear Mr. Kim,
Reading that City of Heroes was being shut down was a shock to me on par with losing a family member. City of Heroes is the reason I can have friends, with my life constantly moving me around by hundreds and even thousands of miles cross-country because of school and my fiance's job. He is also a devoted City of Heroes player and it is through this game that we are able to connect with each other and have something to do together when he is in Austin, Texas and I am 1,900 miles away in Providence, Rhode Island. The shutdown date of November 30th is right when I need to leave him again and return to school, and without City of Heroes, we will be two very sad and lonely people. This is not just a game to me. It is a part of my life - not my whole life, but a part as dearly loved as a real city or town that I could call home, and the only online game I have ever loved enough to pay a monthly subscription.
However, City of Heroes goes beyond individual players who will mourn its passing. This game, like any work of fiction, is an entire world of stories and characters created by both the players and developers. The same could be said for other intellectual properties - Star Wars, Pokemon, and the Marvel Universe spring to mind immediately - but all of those properties exist in the form of movies, comic books, tabletop games, and single-player, replayable video games in addition to any multiplayer online video games. If the game servers for, as an example, Star Wars: The Old Republic are shut off, then the entire universe of Star Wars will still exist in the form of the many books, movies, and offline games based in it, that we would still be able to read, watch, and play. City of Heroes, on the other hand, is only an online game - when its servers shut down, its whole world disappears, and the loss of that world and its stories is a tragedy.
I implore you, if NCSoft truly cannot sustain even one City of Heroes server, then please sell the intellectual property to someone who would be able to keep the world alive - even to someone who would only keep it alive in a form other than an online game. I understand if it can never be an online game, developed by Paragon Studios, again: that would be the most wonderful thing for the people who still love it, but I acknowledge it might not be possible. But if City of Heroes lives on as a series of comic books, or as a tabletop game played with dice similar to Dungeons&Dragons, even that would save the world and the stories it contains from oblivion.
Sincerely,
Hilary Lockhart
@FlashToo - Virtue server
The letters will be written this weekend, by both myself and my 11 year old son, who also loves the game. Pictures will also be sent.
And TonyV, I don't know if you remember me, but I am Dryfter, leader of the Celestial Outsiders on Infinity. I Remember you, and the Taxibots, well. Small world, a?
Here's my first draft. If I can, I'd like for you all to read over it and let me know if I need to change anything; I meant for it to be read with NCsoft's Vision and Goals in mind: http://global.ncsoft.com/global/aboutus/visiongoals.aspx
-----
September 4th, 2012
Mr. Taek Jin Kim, Chief Executive Officer
NCsoft Corporation
1501 4th Avenue, Suite 2050
Seattle, WA 98101
Mr. Kim,
First of all, I'd like to apologize in advance if anything I say should, in any way, bring offense. Please understand that doing so is the farthest possible thing from my intent. The company that you now lead has, on many occasions, brought my friends and I great joy and I do not wish to disrespect that.
However, I am writing to you with sorrow and anxiety in my heart. My name is [redacted], and I subscribed to the MMORPG City of Heroes for more than seven years before it was announced that the game no longer fit in NCsoft's corporate strategy. While I readily admit that I know nothing of NCsoft's business plans or how City of Heroes may have fit into them, I feel that this may prove to be a tragic mistake.
First of all, there is no other product on the market today quite like City of Heroes. I know of no other massively-multiplayer online game that allows for nearly this level of customization, from personal avatar appearances to player-built personal spaces to user-created content, the game has been a haven for the creatively inclined virtually since its inception all those years ago. City of Heroes fills a niche among consumers. It is, simply, the best super-powered MMO and a wonderful value for creatively-inclined players.
But the game is also more than just a game. It has become a community. The City of Heroes fandom has been cited, time and time again, as among the most mature, responsible, and personable fandoms in all of video games. Player-led initiatives like the charitable Real World Hero initiative only underscore this impression. There is little friction between players, and almost no barriers between players and developers.
This community and these creative tools have been of great personal worth to me. The friends I have made in this game will last a lifetime, with or without the hobbies we share. I have gathered appreciations for other ways of life by talking with people who live far from my own home. I have gathered courage in myself by advancing, socially, in the game. I have gathered a deeper understanding of myself by reflecting on the world provided by the developers and my own interpretation of the same. In short, having this game in my life has made me a happier person.
Mr. Kim, your company's format is small, strong, and substantive. City of Heroes is a product that lived and breathed those values from day 1: it was never the biggest MMO, but it was consistently thought of as one of the best that only got better with time. It was a community that was tight, with no barriers to communications. Your company's mission was to make the people of the world happier. If the stories were mine to tell, I could tell you dozens of stores of lives made better by the game—and a few stories of lives made and lives saved.
Now, I'd like to take a moment to respectfully ask that NCsoft try to live up to its spirit, and be brave enough to carry out what it believes. I understand and acknowledge that sometimes projects have to be cut from a company of any size, and I respect the bravery that it takes to have to make that choice. Even if NCsoft chooses the sort of bravery that necessitates hard decisions over the sort of bravery that leads one to stand by beloved products and ideas, I would like to challenge the company to exhibit the bravery to let go and let others keep the City of Heroes intellectual property and code alive.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
@Vulpy
Protector Server
NCSoft, Please rethink your decision, to shut down COH, over the years, it has allowed me to hang out with my Dad who lives 10 hours away, hang with my kids and wife, and play something we loved. This decision seems rash and not well thought out, alot of people I know have spent alot of time and money being loyal to you guys. I have referred two best friends, a wife, a son, a father, all have paid you. Please don't sit on your product, either reopen this, sell it. If you do sell it make it public enough so that we cohers who have money can maybe buy this and keep it going!!! SAVE COH!!!!!
Dear Mr. Kim:
I started my first City of Heroes account in 2007 at the insistence of a very good friend and I was devastated when I heard that the game was going to be shut down. I'm writing to ask you to please reconsider your options and don't let this wonderful game come to an end.
Over the years, I have become somewhat anti-social and extremely self-conscious in real life but City of Heroes gave me a place where I could meet new people and express the real me without fear of rejection or judgment. During my time as a superhero in Paragon City, I've met many good friends with whom I have become very close. City of Heroes has become a sort of second home to me and while aspects of this game can be found in others, none have kept me so captivated for so long.
As a player, I don't want to see this game go. As a businessperson, I understand that sometimes one must make decisions that may not be popular. However, from a business perspective, I also understand that many times, other options are available. All I ask is that you reevaluate all the options whether it is reinstating the development team and letting everything go back to the way it was or selling the game to another company, or some other option that has been suggested by countless others. Please don't just give up on a game that's been around for nearly a decade and come to mean so much to so many people.
Sincerely,
Tiffany Jarboe
@Shahara Wade
Quote from: crymsin_lilly on September 05, 2012, 06:41:43 PM
Sacred bovine! I love your letterhead/paper! I wish I'd thought of going into such detail but I wanted to get it out quickly so just used some fancy paper. My printer is glitching and I can't get a decent pic of Jord to come out and I can't draw for dookie so I couldn't include a pic. :(
I really hope that folks keep making an effort. I had a friend tell me last night that he didn't think that writing letters would do any good but like Soundtrack said:
I cannot justify not writing the letters to try to save a game and community that I love.
Beautiful work, Taki!
Crymsin Lilly
Thanks! I really hope that it gets his attention!
As suggested I sent it with signature confirmation (2310 3280 000 2636 0242) this morning... I mean when they went to unlock the door mine was the first face they saw standing there waiting for them to open the door.
For those who want to go the route I did it was only $7.70 to send it in the large priority envelope with signature confirmation
To everyone who has posted there letters, I just want to say thank you. So many of your stories ring home to me as well. I even started crying over some of them. ;) My husband and I are in the process of writing our letters as well. I will probably post mine after it is done, it may take me a few days, but it will be done. Also, Tony thank you for posting a few guidelines about how to go about doing this. You are very organized and are doing a great job of handling this situation.
Sincerely,
Nazarrii
Liberty Server
Dear Mr KIM and NCSoft,
I'm writing from France to tell you how I disapprove your decision to end City of Heroes and how it impacts me and the whole community around that game.
It was a shock to me when I learnt about your decision. I was browsing the official site looking for news about the long awaited issue 24 like I did daily for a month. Sadly the top new was not about a date of release but about a date of death for the game.
I remember I found out first about that game in 2004 on a french video game site. The reporter was talking about a weird project of a super heroic MMORPG. The kind of thing that never existed before City of Heroes.
I was very doubtful about this. MMORPG were about fantasy and it was a pretty good idea but i was questionning myself how the developper team could produce a good super heroes multiplayer game.
I forgot about it then found out later on that the game had been released and had a bit of success in the USA. Then i joined the european beta and when it ended I was just amazed. I had never played a mmorpg before. Except Neverwinter Nights but that doesn't count (you can't compare a 30 persons server game with a 500 people game).
I always hated mmorpg and their subscriptions, having to pay after buying a game was something I had promised myself to never do. But when the game was released I remember I was struggling with myself not to buy it. But I was hooked. By the game. By the community. I decided to break my oath and I remember I had to travel from my 25 km far surburbs to buy it at 11 p.m. in a well-known big shop Avenue des Champs Elysées.
When I had finally installed it, I played it 38 hours in a row. With just bathroom stops and sandwich/coffee ride.
After the fever went down, I 'was more a casual player (2 h of play every evening). I remember everything. I remember Atreid, the first french Community manager. I remember the first victorious Hamidon raid. I remember all those friends I had.
Then we had a first fear when Cryptic decided to sell the game to you. I was like, errhhh... how will it be handled?
7 Years after that, I can say that it must have been not so bad cause i'm still a VIP subscriber. I 've been at the helm of three supergroups where i found real friendship, i've been to three "IRL" meeetings, been travelling to Belgium just to talk with City of heroes friends (and to drink beer, ok I admit!).
I've been in love with the game mechanics, with the background. It's one of the rare community i've been into who was keen on roleplaying.
It's been a real blast! I've tested many mmorps since then but there's something they're missing : a soul.
And now that we're not so far the end of the high-level content (still lacking some incarnate slots, still lacking to fight the batallion or eventually the praetorian Hamidon), now that we have been teased by your free to play annoucement claiming "City of heroes! Play for free forever!", now that we know that there could have been a content until Issue 32, you brutally crush our dreams.
City of heroes is like a family. It's a great way to cast off the problems we have in our lives. City of heroes is not a game. It's an entity.
And it's under threat. Hence why the online petitions and its 12000+ signatures in three days showing i'm not the only one affected by this future loss.
Curiously it's not a financial disaster because from the figures i know it is still profitable in some ways. Maybe it does not need so many game servers. Maybe a merge of servers could have been a solution. I dunno.
But when i see other mmorpgs none has the taste of City of heroes. And there are some very old mmorpg that are still around despite they don't produce more income for the company who owns them.
Considering the amount of time, energy and roleplay I've put in this game, considering i'm far to be alone (see the online petitions : 12000+ signatures in 3 days!), considering the numerous ideas the guys of Paragon Studios have still in stock, I really implore you to find a solution to avoid this end game tragedy.
Sell the concept or bring back paragon studio in some form. Reduce the servers by a merge to three- four servers. Slow the rate of new issue release, whatever!
But we want to play this game until it's really fully done. Which means when all the high leverl content is done and release and the story arcs really ended normally (with a victory of our forces against the batallion for instance). Please don't make it be unfinished business.
This so innovative game has to die sometimes but please, seriously, do it properly. When all that has to be experienced is done.
We're far from that.
Thank you in advance for your future decision to save the game.
Myriade. French player on Vigilance and Virtue Server.
Former leader of "Les Gardiens de l'Equilibre", "Les Traqueurs de Chaos", "Les Disciples de l'Equilibre" Super groups.
Cheers."
Letter to Nc Korea here we go!
Registered letter with recorded delivery just to piss them a bit.
France métropolitaine
Destination :
COREE DU SUD
Nature des envois :
Document Prioritaire
Recommandation / Option :
Recommande R2 + AR
Poids en grammes :
20
Coût total de votre envoi depuis une machine à affranchir
Total : 7,45 €
Below is my letter to NCSoft. I'll send it this weekend when I can get to a post office.
Dear Mr. Kim,
It was with great sorrow that I read the announcement last week that NCSoft had made the decision to sunset City of Heroes and dismiss Paragon Studios. I have played City of Heroes since September of 2004. There have been times when I have tried other games and let my subscription lapse, but I have always come back to this one game - a game that has held my attention and passion for eight years now.
This past year has been particularly exciting. I was skeptical when the Freedom expansion was announced and the game was set to go free to play. I wondered if this would mean that the game I love would change in some way and that I would no longer enjoy it. I really had nothing to worry about. Not only was the game vastly improved by this move, but the explosion of new content was amazing. The extra revenue was obviously a driving force for a better City of Heroes. I decided shortly after Freedom launched to renew my subscription for the entire year. Honestly, at that point, had a lifetime subscription been offered, I probably would have purchased one without any hesitation.
I'm not the only one that feels this way, either, my wife plays the game and so does my son. He grew up watching me play City of Heroes and couldn't wait until he could make his own hero. For quite some time, he's had a few characters on my account that he would play from time to time, running around Atlas Park, "catching bad guys." When Freedom launched, I decided he was old enough for his own account and set one up for him. He was thrilled that he could have his own City of Heroes, though, admittedly, a bit disappointed that he couldn't play the characters he had made on my account.
As you can see, what started as a simple game or hobby has evolved into something much more than that over the years. My story is not unique. I'm sure by now you may well be aware that many among the player base have expressed the same sentiment as I. That we are working diligently to try to save this game - a game that has become so much more to us than simply a game. It's a community. It's a creative outlet for so many talented artists. It's a family past time in my house and many other players.
I implore you to reconsider your decision to sunset this product. Or, failing that, please consider allowing the studio or the fans to purchase the property. All I ask - all we ask - is that we be allowed to let our community continue, that our heroes continue to have a home.
Please consider this. You can be a hero.
Sincerely,
Nathan Brown
@Zybron in City of Heroes
Here's my letter, which will be going out tomorrow:
Dear Mr. Kim,
I am writing to request that you continue to offer and support your popular online game CITY OF HEROES.
I have been a constant paid subscriber to this game for nearly six years, owning not one but three subscriptions. I've been extremely satisfied with the game, and I have every intention of remaining a paid subscriber until it is discontinued, whether that happens this November or thirty years from now.
I've put in a great deal of time and effort developing not only my online characters, but real friendships within the community of players in CITY OF HEROES. This product is thus much more than a mere game to me; it is an important part of my life, and it simply cannot be replaced by any other product on the market. I imagine it has special value to those customers who, like myself, do not socialize well in person.
Since I understand that CITY OF HEROES remains profitable, and since it is such a valuable product to me personally and to a great many other paid subscribers, I here most emphatically request, as a long-time customer, that you reconsider your decision to discontinue the game. Should you continue to offer CITY OF HEOES, you may certainly count on receiving my business as long as the product lasts.
Thanking you in advance for your time and kind consideration, I am
Sincerely,
What's that sound you hear? It's my agent having a cardiac arrest.
I am going to offer my "fame," such as it is (well I am allegedly a NYT bestselling author, or at least that is what they put on the books) in uncompensated advertising for ALL NCSoft games if they will make it possible for the game to continue.
"I'm New York Times bestseller Mercedes Lackey. Creating fantastic worlds is hard work, and when I relax, I like to relax in someone else's. I play NCSoft games. Anything else is unimaginable."
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 07, 2012, 07:48:09 PM
What's that sound you hear? It's my agent having a cardiac arrest.
I am going to offer my "fame," such as it is (well I am allegedly a NYT bestselling author, or at least that is what they put on the books) in uncompensated advertising for ALL NCSoft games if they will make it possible for the game to continue.
"I'm New York Times bestseller Mercedes Lackey. Creating fantastic worlds is hard work, and when I relax, I like to relax in someone else's. I play NCSoft games. Anything else is unimaginable."
I want to put this on my fridge! You are a kind and generous lady, if maybe as crazy as the rest of us. :)
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 07, 2012, 07:48:09 PM
What's that sound you hear? It's my agent having a cardiac arrest.
I am going to offer my "fame," such as it is (well I am allegedly a NYT bestselling author, or at least that is what they put on the books) in uncompensated advertising for ALL NCSoft games if they will make it possible for the game to continue.
"I'm New York Times bestseller Mercedes Lackey. Creating fantastic worlds is hard work, and when I relax, I like to relax in someone else's. I play NCSoft games. Anything else is unimaginable."
Ms. Lackey, this is extremely generous of you. I thank you and your heart of literary gold! :)
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 07, 2012, 07:48:09 PM
What's that sound you hear? It's my agent having a cardiac arrest.
I am going to offer my "fame," such as it is (well I am allegedly a NYT bestselling author, or at least that is what they put on the books) in uncompensated advertising for ALL NCSoft games if they will make it possible for the game to continue.
"I'm New York Times bestseller Mercedes Lackey. Creating fantastic worlds is hard work, and when I relax, I like to relax in someone else's. I play NCSoft games. Anything else is unimaginable."
All Hail Mercedes !
(https://images.weserv.nl/?url=vsrteam.power-heberg.com%2FALL_HAIL_VICTORIA.jpg)
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 07, 2012, 07:48:09 PM
What's that sound you hear? It's my agent having a cardiac arrest.
I understand that the folks at the Cleveland Clinic just up the road from here are pretty good with that sort of thing. :)
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 07, 2012, 07:48:09 PM
What's that sound you hear? It's my agent having a cardiac arrest.
I am going to offer my "fame," such as it is (well I am allegedly a NYT bestselling author, or at least that is what they put on the books) in uncompensated advertising for ALL NCSoft games if they will make it possible for the game to continue.
"I'm New York Times bestseller Mercedes Lackey. Creating fantastic worlds is hard work, and when I relax, I like to relax in someone else's. I play NCSoft games. Anything else is unimaginable."
You, my darling, are a hero. Thank you so much.
Oh don't get too impressed. 99% of this ploy being successful is going to depend on them buying that I am just that impressive. I'm not that impressed with me, but I am going to get the spouse to ramp up the *dazzledazzle BS jazzhands* factor in the letter. And I am going to cross all possible digits that it works.
EDIT: This has the jazzhands seal of approval.
Mr. Taek Jin Kim
Chief Executive Officer
NCsoft Corporation
1501 4th Avenue, Suite 2050
Seattle, WA
Mercedes Lackey
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
www.mercedeslackey.com
Dear Mr. Kim;
This, like so many other letters, is a plea to save Paragon Studios and the City of Heroes, City of Villains, and Going Rogue games. And like so many others, I could tell you about the thousands of hours I have spent there with friends, the thousands of dollars I have spent within the games, or even how this game allows my husband and I to "meet" and play nearly every night with my father in law, the retired, and multi-medaled Master Sergeant Jim Dixon formerly of Delta Force. I could even tell you how this game is the only one ever to interest him.
Instead, I am going to make you an offer. I am a multi-award-winning, New York Times bestselling fantasy and science fiction author. And I will offer myself and my likeness to endorse and advertise, exclusively, all NCSoft products for a minimum term of five years and a maximum term of ten years, for no compensation or payment, if you will make it possible for the game and Paragon Studios (even in a reduced capacity) to continue to function, either once again under the NCSoft umbrella, or until a new owner comes forward.
I had in mind something like this: Advertisements with a photo of myself, imposed over a transparent image of one of my more striking characters, both of us in the same pose. Text: "I am New York Times bestselling fantasy author Mercedes Lackey. Creating fantastic realms is hard work, and when I relax, I like to play in someone else's world. I play NCSoft Games. Anything else is unimaginable." The tagline for the ad campaign would be "NCSoft: anything else is unimaginable."
I hope, sir, that I have caught your interest, and you will consider this proposition.
Yours truly
Mercedes Lackey
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 07, 2012, 11:16:52 PM
Oh don't get too impressed. 99% of this ploy being successful is going to depend on them buying that I am just that impressive. I'm not that impressed with me, but I am going to get the spouse to ramp up the *dazzledazzle BS jazzhands* factor in the letter. And I am going to cross all possible digits that it works.
I hope those were your "Jedi-mind-trick-I'm-really-that-awesome" jazzhands...
Honestly, your humility is encouraging to an aspiring creative type like myself.
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 07, 2012, 11:16:52 PM
Oh don't get too impressed. 99% of this ploy being successful is going to depend on them buying that I am just that impressive. I'm not that impressed with me, but I am going to get the spouse to ramp up the *dazzledazzle BS jazzhands* factor in the letter. And I am going to cross all possible digits that it works.
EDIT: This has the jazzhands seal of approval.
Mr. Taek Jin Kim
Chief Executive Officer
NCsoft Corporation
1501 4th Avenue, Suite 2050
Seattle, WA
Mercedes Lackey
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
www.mercedeslackey.com
Dear Mr. Kim;
This, like so many other letters, is a plea to save Paragon Studios and the City of Heroes, City of Villains, and Going Rogue games. And like so many others, I could tell you about the thousands of hours I have spent there with friends, the thousands of dollars I have spent within the games, or even how this game allows my husband and I to "meet" and play nearly every night with my father in law, the retired, and multi-medaled Master Sergeant Jim Dixon formerly of Delta Force. I could even tell you how this game is the only one ever to interest him.
Instead, I am going to make you an offer. I am a multi-award-winning, New York Times bestselling fantasy and science fiction author. And I will offer myself and my likeness to endorse and advertise, exclusively, all NCSoft products for a minimum term of five years and a maximum term of ten years, for no compensation or payment, if you will make it possible for the game and Paragon Studios (even in a reduced capacity) to continue to function, either once again under the NCSoft umbrella, or until a new owner comes forward.
I had in mind something like this: Advertisements with a photo of myself, imposed over a transparent image of one of my more striking characters, both of us in the same pose. Text: "I am New York Times bestselling fantasy author Mercedes Lackey. Creating fantastic realms is hard work, and when I relax, I like to play in someone else's world. I play NCSoft Games. Anything else is unimaginable." The tagline for the ad campaign would be "NCSoft: anything else is unimaginable."
I hope, sir, that I have caught your interest, and you will consider this proposition.
Yours truly
Mercedes Lackey
Ma'am, you just passed
Asimov in my rankings of favourite authors. This is an incredible offer, and I really hope it works.
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 07, 2012, 11:16:52 PMEDIT: This has the jazzhands seal of approval.
Madam, I won't forget what you've done for our community. Will the person that hands out
jazzhands seals of approval mind if we distribute this document around the main forums? Possibly clean it up and give it a blog post somewhere? It could raise morale and convince outsiders that this is a story worthy of gaming news sites--and possibly assorted geek sites, too.
Quote from: Vulpy on September 08, 2012, 02:47:36 AM
Madam, I won't forget what you've done for our community. Will the person that hands out jazzhands seals of approval mind if we distribute this document around the main forums? Possibly clean it up and give it a blog post somewhere? It could raise morale and convince outsiders that this is a story worthy of gaming news sites--and possibly assorted geek sites, too.
Quote me wherever and whenever you like. *jazzhands* is my husband Larry Dixon, I generally run everything I do that is official past him because he is the diplomat of the family.
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 07, 2012, 07:48:09 PM
What's that sound you hear? It's my agent having a cardiac arrest.
I am going to offer my "fame," such as it is (well I am allegedly a NYT bestselling author, or at least that is what they put on the books) in uncompensated advertising for ALL NCSoft games if they will make it possible for the game to continue.
"I'm New York Times bestseller Mercedes Lackey. Creating fantastic worlds is hard work, and when I relax, I like to relax in someone else's. I play NCSoft games. Anything else is unimaginable."
Madam, I now shamefully admit to not having read any of your books prior to the events of the last week taking place.... *gets buried under an avalanche of large blunt objects thrown at him*
...however, the instant I acquire the funds needed to purchase your books(stupid lack of employment!!), I shall immediately set about to meeting your coh-inspired characters in print....
Ya' hear that, NCSoft? That's the sound of a VERY LARGE hornet's nest you've stirred up.... *evil cackle* ;D
I'm just gonna go ahead and volunteer to keep the pigeons off of the Mercedes Lackey statue that will be erected in Atlas Park when this is all over. You, madam, are a saint.
What reason would she have to y\think that? We respect her for putting her personal capital (IE, fame) on the line for the community.
Ms. Lackey,
I said it before and it's worth repeating.
You completely understand what it means to be giving and generous.
Thank you so very much for your kindness and willingness to give so greatly of yourself.
I just hope in the (hopefully LARGE) pile of letters Mr. Kim receives... yours is one he definitely, personally reads...and that he seriously considers it.
With highest respect,
Soundtrack. :)
Misty,
VERY glad to have you on board. You may not see it yourself, but your name definitely carries weight around gamers, and with your help, our chances just tripled -- at the (extremely pessimistic) least.
~Mychyl
Quote from: Vulpy on September 08, 2012, 03:25:28 AM
<stage whisper> Guys, she's gonna think that we think she's old or something!
Hey... I used "darling". Points for originality, anyone? >.<
No? Okay.
I'll just restate just to make sure. Mercedes, I very much appreciate your support. It is a godsend to us all :)
Quote from: Heavy Ion on September 08, 2012, 03:20:36 AM
I'm just gonna go ahead and volunteer to keep the pigeons off of the Mercedes Lackey statue that will be erected in Atlas Park when this is all over. You, madam, are a saint.
No really, seriously, I am just crossing my fingers and counting on the notion that writers are regarded way more seriously and respectfully in the far east than here. If this works, it'll be because we dazzled 'em with BS. Now...if I can finally get hold of Jim Butcher...and HE agrees to sign on to this crazy idea and we can add HIM! Now there is someone you need to build a statue to.
Ok, if you can't tell by my user name, I'm a fan of your work (not one of those horrible nut job fans I just love the character and decided to use the name as an online handle). Years ago I was estatic that you played CoH. Now, I'm well, impressed by you and your devotion to the game.
I can only hope that if I should ever be so fortunate to get published (on my fourth rewrite of my manuscript and have 2 kids so...) that I can remain as humble and forthwright as you've been with your career.
Thank you for being an example to which I aspire to emulate in some fashion.
Oi, Misty...
Think you can talk to Gail? She might have some additional star power.
:)
Quote from: 4thirty5 on September 08, 2012, 07:21:32 AM
Oi, Misty...
Think you can talk to Gail? She might have some additional star power.
:)
The problem is that she has severe conflict of interest because of DCO. But there's no harm in trying.
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 07, 2012, 11:16:52 PM
Oh don't get too impressed. 99% of this ploy being successful is going to depend on them buying that I am just that impressive. I'm not that impressed with me, but I am going to get the spouse to ramp up the *dazzledazzle BS jazzhands* factor in the letter. And I am going to cross all possible digits that it works.
EDIT: This has the jazzhands seal of approval.
Mr. Taek Jin Kim
Chief Executive Officer
NCsoft Corporation
1501 4th Avenue, Suite 2050
Seattle, WA
Mercedes Lackey
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
www.mercedeslackey.com
Dear Mr. Kim;
This, like so many other letters, is a plea to save Paragon Studios and the City of Heroes, City of Villains, and Going Rogue games. And like so many others, I could tell you about the thousands of hours I have spent there with friends, the thousands of dollars I have spent within the games, or even how this game allows my husband and I to "meet" and play nearly every night with my father in law, the retired, and multi-medaled Master Sergeant Jim Dixon formerly of Delta Force. I could even tell you how this game is the only one ever to interest him.
Instead, I am going to make you an offer. I am a multi-award-winning, New York Times bestselling fantasy and science fiction author. And I will offer myself and my likeness to endorse and advertise, exclusively, all NCSoft products for a minimum term of five years and a maximum term of ten years, for no compensation or payment, if you will make it possible for the game and Paragon Studios (even in a reduced capacity) to continue to function, either once again under the NCSoft umbrella, or until a new owner comes forward.
I had in mind something like this: Advertisements with a photo of myself, imposed over a transparent image of one of my more striking characters, both of us in the same pose. Text: "I am New York Times bestselling fantasy author Mercedes Lackey. Creating fantastic realms is hard work, and when I relax, I like to play in someone else's world. I play NCSoft Games. Anything else is unimaginable." The tagline for the ad campaign would be "NCSoft: anything else is unimaginable."
I hope, sir, that I have caught your interest, and you will consider this proposition.
Yours truly
Mercedes Lackey
I must admit that I have never read any of your books, but as this letter is the best thing I have read in my whole, entire life, I hereby vow to do so.
Thank you so much for an extremely generous offer :)
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 07, 2012, 11:16:52 PM
Oh don't get too impressed. 99% of this ploy being successful is going to depend on them buying that I am just that impressive. I'm not that impressed with me, but I am going to get the spouse to ramp up the *dazzledazzle BS jazzhands* factor in the letter. And I am going to cross all possible digits that it works.
EDIT: This has the jazzhands seal of approval.
Mr. Taek Jin Kim
Chief Executive Officer
NCsoft Corporation
1501 4th Avenue, Suite 2050
Seattle, WA
Mercedes Lackey
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
www.mercedeslackey.com
Dear Mr. Kim;
This, like so many other letters, is a plea to save Paragon Studios and the City of Heroes, City of Villains, and Going Rogue games. And like so many others, I could tell you about the thousands of hours I have spent there with friends, the thousands of dollars I have spent within the games, or even how this game allows my husband and I to "meet" and play nearly every night with my father in law, the retired, and multi-medaled Master Sergeant Jim Dixon formerly of Delta Force. I could even tell you how this game is the only one ever to interest him.
Instead, I am going to make you an offer. I am a multi-award-winning, New York Times bestselling fantasy and science fiction author. And I will offer myself and my likeness to endorse and advertise, exclusively, all NCSoft products for a minimum term of five years and a maximum term of ten years, for no compensation or payment, if you will make it possible for the game and Paragon Studios (even in a reduced capacity) to continue to function, either once again under the NCSoft umbrella, or until a new owner comes forward.
I had in mind something like this: Advertisements with a photo of myself, imposed over a transparent image of one of my more striking characters, both of us in the same pose. Text: "I am New York Times bestselling fantasy author Mercedes Lackey. Creating fantastic realms is hard work, and when I relax, I like to play in someone else's world. I play NCSoft Games. Anything else is unimaginable." The tagline for the ad campaign would be "NCSoft: anything else is unimaginable."
I hope, sir, that I have caught your interest, and you will consider this proposition.
Yours truly
Mercedes Lackey
I'm off to Amazon to purchase every book that I don't already own. I hope that the community follows suit and even if you purchase one book, lets show our support to Mercedes for supporting us in our effort to SaveCOH....
Wow, that's one impressive letter indeed! ;D
Totally Adding Mercedes Lackey to my list of authors to buy books from.
-.- that list is starting to get too large.
Maybe I've been reading too many other books lately (MZB, GRRM), but if there ever is a formal contract (or even just a preview in your letter of some quantifiable quid pro quo), specify the minimum amount of time City of Heroes must be kept running. The best way I can think to put it is something like "at least 3 years". Keep that tone neutral. :)
Oh, and thanks for your support.
Bad News: I've known about your books for about 20 years.
Good News: I never, ever see any of your books in the used bookstores I get my reading material from.
I feel it's important to weigh in here with a word of encouragement and another of warning.
First, by way of encouragement: Don't let up for a moment on your letter writing! I started letter-writing the moment the shutdown was announced, and began getting the word out to everyone I knew to participate. Trust me when I say that nothing makes an impression on a corporate executive like a paper letter sitting on their desk. It has made the rounds though the building, it's existence cannot be denied or forgotten, it is a tangible expression of how a customer feels about the product they are paying for, and THAT makes it a powerful totem!
Second - and I say this as owner of my own small company and a person married to a senior executive of a much larger one - handwritten letters are rarely read or taken seriously. The hard truth is that they're a perceived as being unprofessional, immature or irrelevant, as they are frequently assumed to originate from minors or individuals without good communicat skills, and along with that assumption - unfair though it is - the author of such a letter is perceived to be lacking in buying power, and that makes their opinions or feelings irrelevant to the business owner reading it.
So I urge you: Write your letters suing a typewriter or your favorite word processing software.
DON'T print out multiple copies, but re-write and re-express your passion for CoH and your commitment as a customer to the game.
Multiple, varied, professional, mature letters show that you are not going to disappear after one letter, which also tells them you are not going to disappear as a paying customer! Most important, send your letters via Certified Mail, with a Return Receipt Request. The first makes sure your letter goes directly to Mr. Kim, while the second let's you know it got there and who signed for it.
"We can do this. We're heroes (and villains). This is what we do, because no one takes what is ours!"
"Never give up - Never surrender!"
Dasher
Quote from: Vulpy on September 08, 2012, 03:25:28 AM
<stage whisper> Guys, she's gonna think that we think she's old or something!
I AM old!
/em shakes cane
Holy hanna. Gonna have to go out and buy some Valdemar books to help support you then.
anyway, here is what I wrote:
QuoteMr Kim:
I am writing to express my displeasure with the announcement of the decision to shut down the "City of Heroes" MMO game owned by your company. I, in fact, beg you to reconsider this decision. Failing that, please consider selling the IP rights or giving them back to the community. This would allow both parties to continue to focus, as it says in your press release "on our core businesses".
I also do not understand why this decision was made, nor why it was decided to announce it to the City of Heroes player base in the way it was. To we players, on Thursday everyone was happy and looking foreword to new content being released, then mid day Friday we are told that everyone is being laid off, no more work is to be done on the game; nor even when you would be turning the servers off. The suddenness of it has left us badly hurt and very confused; and I for one was wondering if you would please explain the rationalizations behind this decision.
I do understand that you, as both a publicly held company and as an executive of the same, have certain responsibilities to the shareholders. I just do not understand how shutting our game down fulfills that responsibility; would you please explain it to me?
Out of all the types of Massively Multiplayer games out there, only the superhero genre has had any real appeal to me. I enjoyed the game so much I had no problem with a monthly subscription, and in fact had just purchased in game currency (and had used more than a bit of it) mere hours before the announcement was made. I understand if you, as a company think that a super heroic MMO is no longer a part of your core business model. Sadly, I have no interest in the other MMO style games that apparently are part of your core business.
In summation, I would urge you to reconsider this decision. You, as an executive and a corporation have the right to decide where you spend your monies. I hope that you would continue to spend them on City of Heroes, though if you do not I understand as well. Do understand that City of Heroes is the only product of yours that I like well enough to spend money on.
I just realized something that may be important to consider when writing letters: Cultural differences between USA and Korea, namely, the perception of online games. Korea has such a problem with MMO addiction that they have had to pass laws to regulate it (Korean MMO accounts must be linked to SSN-equivalent, so hours online can be tracked, and you can't log on after midnight if you're under 18). With this in mind, I think it's probably important that in our letters, we do NOT come off as a crowd of addicts begging our supplier to take us back. Make it clear that this game is not our whole lives - rather, it's a part of our lives that we deem important enough to fight for. "Addicted to this game" evokes a different image to a Korean than to an American, and we want to make sure that we, the letter writers, aren't seen as sitting alone, in the dark, grinding away until someone either reminds us we need to eat or we starve to death.
Quote from: Plangkye on September 09, 2012, 12:58:12 AM
I just realized something that may be important to consider when writing letters: Cultural differences between USA and Korea, namely, the perception of online games. Korea has such a problem with MMO addiction that they have had to pass laws to regulate it (Korean MMO accounts must be linked to SSN-equivalent, so hours online can be tracked, and you can't log on after midnight if you're under 18). With this in mind, I think it's probably important that in our letters, we do NOT come off as a crowd of addicts begging our supplier to take us back. Make it clear that this game is not our whole lives - rather, it's a part of our lives that we deem important enough to fight for. "Addicted to this game" evokes a different image to a Korean than to an American, and we want to make sure that we, the letter writers, aren't seen as sitting alone, in the dark, grinding away until someone either reminds us we need to eat or we starve to death.
To that end, I think that the more we emphasize the social aspects, and how the game has brought together family members and friends who live at great distances from one another, the better the letters will come across.
Quote from: Dasher on September 08, 2012, 10:41:00 PM
Second - and I say this as owner of my own small company and a person married to a senior executive of a much larger one - handwritten letters are rarely read or taken seriously. The hard truth is that they're a perceived as being unprofessional, immature or irrelevant, as they are frequently assumed to originate from minors or individuals without good communicat skills, and along with that assumption - unfair though it is - the author of such a letter is perceived to be lacking in buying power, and that makes their opinions or feelings irrelevant to the business owner reading it.
So I urge you: Write your letters suing a typewriter or your favorite word processing software.
DON'T print out multiple copies, but re-write and re-express your passion for CoH and your commitment as a customer to the game.
Just a bit of a counter point. In Washington, DC handwritten notes are taken seriously because it is assumed that the person went out of their way to write and didn't just copy a form letter. So I don't know if that is relevant or not with NCSoft, but thought I would share. Either way, mailed is definitely treated as more meaningful then email.
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 08, 2012, 02:55:13 AM
Quote me wherever and whenever you like. *jazzhands* is my husband Larry Dixon, I generally run everything I do that is official past him because he is the diplomat of the family.
Misty, I wish you had a couple more novels available so I could own multiple copies of them too!
;)
You rock!
Quote from: Zapping on September 09, 2012, 03:49:30 AM
Just a bit of a counter point. In Washington, DC handwritten notes are taken seriously because it is assumed that the person went out of their way to write and didn't just copy a form letter. So I don't know if that is relevant or not with NCSoft, but thought I would share. Either way, mailed is definitely treated as more meaningful then email.
Its the difference between a political animal and a business. For a business, like this, typed is better.
Quote from: StarRanger4 on September 09, 2012, 05:15:28 PM
Its the difference between a political animal and a business. For a business, like this, typed is better.
Indeed.
Though, not every business will have a preference for typed letters. Thank you notes and others of that kind are typically supposed to be handwritten, after all.
First off, this post is NOT meant to discourage you guys. Just remember we have to deal in facts as well as hope.
Larry did some fact-checking and money-tracing (he's the brains of our operation, I just do the heavy-word-lifting). This is what he found.
The essence of it all appears to be as simple as this: NCsoft is owned by Nexon Co. Ltd., and Nexon has a record of only being interested in what benefits Asian gamers, and last quarter, their push was heavy East and EU.
Paragon Studios employed 80 people. Nexon employs 3,400. City made $800k clear profit a month. Nexon's quarterly was $242 million, and their latest 1 of 60 MMOs registered 3 million players in China last month. Nexon has been at a steady $1.1 to $1.2 billion dollar company for 3 years.
As big as CoH has been to us, City wasn't even a blip seen from Tokyo and Seoul. Someone 5,000 miles away (who likely never played any game the corporation owns---and even their largest shareholder only has a 21 percent share) said "reduce North American assets," and this happened. And with a billion people in China as a market for Nexon's free-to-play/micropayment 2D MMOs versus a highly-technical American-based 3D MMO, they saw no reason to bother (or, really, even take notice).
THIS SHOULD NOT DISCOURAGE YOU, especially from writing letters. But I would suggest to turn the request to NCSoft to "Please consider keeping the game and Paragon Studios--or at least partial staff--running until a new buyer can be found." there are good economic reasons for this--even at half profit because of dropped subscribers over this, $400k a month is not to be sneezed at for something you are going to sell off anyway, not to mention something you were intending to dump flat. It's like renting out the house you intend to sell, except that the renters know they are just going to be changing landlords, not getting booted.
Thanks, Ms. Lackey. This is pretty much what we'd assumed -- that Paragon Studios wasn't being shut down because it was unprofitable, but because it wasn't profitable enough to justify their support.
To that end, while we've been keeping the "save the game" language, what we've actually been pushing for is general awareness. We know we probably can't buy out all the assets, so the goal of this awareness-raising is to interest other publishers in acquiring the game.
I would have liked to have gone with a "sell us (the fans) the Intellectual Property" angle pretty much from the start (if we could have had a fundraiser going like, last Wednesday there would have been more support than if we do it this week), but I've been in the minority. I hope this news helps push things in that direction.
I actually find that quite encouraging. While any sale of the game might not really even register as a blip on their quarterly earnings, it would nonetheless be a last little bit of profit they could squeeze out of a title they've already written off. They are also highly unlikely to view a change in ownership of CoH as competitive given their target market.
Quote from: jacknomind on September 09, 2012, 09:35:58 PM
Thanks, Ms. Lackey. This is pretty much what we'd assumed -- that Paragon Studios wasn't being shut down because it was unprofitable, but because it wasn't profitable enough to justify their support.
To that end, while we've been keeping the "save the game" language, what we've actually been pushing for is general awareness. We know we probably can't buy out all the assets, so the goal of this awareness-raising is to interest other publishers in acquiring the game.
I would have liked to have gone with a "sell us (the fans) the Intellectual Property" angle pretty much from the start (if we could have had a fundraiser going like, last Wednesday there would have been more support than if we do it this week), but I've been in the minority. I hope this news helps push things in that direction.
While I am completely in sympathy with you, the reality is that even at fire-sale prices you are looking at a $6-$10 MILLION dollar price tag. I don't think we can raise that much quickly enough before the code would "disappear." (A smart venture capitalist with access to a strong server farm however would look at that and go "recoup my entire outlay in a YEAR? Sign me up!")
I think we could raise two million over a six-month period. It would definitely be a challenge, though. My hope would be that we could get NCSoft to agree to that price (prior to raising the money, since "this is our target" is easier for people to dig deep on than "maybe this will be enough") for the IP and an agreement not to "lose" the code, based on our PR campaign and not seeing us as competition. From there ("fans raised 2 mil for this game!") we would attract a VC or publisher who would acquire the remaining assets. We would license them (for free) the IP, but retain ownership.
But yes, I'm also interested in simply getting a publisher on board now to do *all* the heavy lifting. I'm aiming towards Turbine/Warner Brothers Interactive at the moment, but I'll keep looking for more.
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 09, 2012, 10:58:12 PM
While I am completely in sympathy with you, the reality is that even at fire-sale prices you are looking at a $6-$10 MILLION dollar price tag. I don't think we can raise that much quickly enough for the code to "disappear." (A smart venture capitalist with access to a strong server farm however would look at that and go "recoup my entire outlay in a YEAR? Sign me up!")
Indeed. Looking at the metrics, Paragon seems to be among the more profitable software companies out there. Especially considering the fact that it's only an 80 person firm.
First, thank you to everyone who's written in. Special thanks to Ms. Lackey for offering her rights of publicity and to Mr. Dixon for doing the research on NCSoft/Nexon.
Quote from: jacknomind on September 09, 2012, 11:10:24 PM
I think we could raise two million over a six-month period. It would definitely be a challenge, though. My hope would be that we could get NCSoft to agree to that price (prior to raising the money, since "this is our target" is easier for people to dig deep on than "maybe this will be enough") for the IP and an agreement not to "lose" the code, based on our PR campaign and not seeing us as competition. From there ("fans raised 2 mil for this game!") we would attract a VC or publisher who would acquire the remaining assets. We would license them (for free) the IP, but retain ownership.
But yes, I'm also interested in simply getting a publisher on board now to do *all* the heavy lifting. I'm aiming towards Turbine/Warner Brothers Interactive at the moment, but I'll keep looking for more.
I'm not sure NCSoft would have interest in selling us partial rights. If that's an option we're going to pursue, we need to determine just what rights to request. Perhaps a limited-term license to run the game (possibly using some of the emulators people have been working on?), with an option for purchase once the term is up? I don't know the gaming industry, or Korean IP business models, well enough to give clear suggestions here, but someone needs to think of some.
As I've stated elsewhere, if we get into a fan purchase situation, there needs to be some entity to hold the rights. I think someone with some experience in setting up businesses had better get on this sooner rather than later.
The easiest (of several very difficult options) thing to do still seems to be to have an existing publisher who can plunk down the $6-10 million for an immediate purchase of all rights. As Ms. Lackey pointed out, from a typical investor's point of view, the CoH IP has a fantastic rate of return. It's finding someone who realizes that
and has the cash (or financing) to make the purchase that's the sticking point. Time to call in those connections, everyone!
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 09, 2012, 08:54:04 PMCity made $800k clear profit a month.
Are you sure you mean profit here and not revenue? I've done my own math, and I arrive at Paragon just barely breaking even, and possibly drifting into the red sometime 2012/2013.
Then again I only have educated guesswork about the financials, so if you have more information than I do about subscriber numbers, I would welcome the information.
Quote from: kgiesing on September 10, 2012, 04:55:11 AM
Are you sure you mean profit here and not revenue? I've done my own math, and I arrive at Paragon just barely breaking even, and possibly drifting into the red sometime 2012/2013.
Then again I only have educated guesswork about the financials, so if you have more information than I do about subscriber numbers, I would welcome the information.
I don't know where Larry got his numbers, but I am confident they are solid, given that Melissa "War Witch" Bianco told me on the day of the shutdown that "We were doing WELL!"
This an audio link to Ncsoft and Nexon 2q 2012 Earnings conference call ( English translate) .. Most informative is the Q&A .
http://222.122.46.97/ct/ncsoft/20120808/ncsoft.html
Had some issues getting it to open in Firefox (possible due to NoScript being a little aggressive despite telling it to allow all.)
Direct link to the audio in case you want to just copy paste into Windows Media Player: mms://222.122.46.97/ct/ncsoft/20120808/ncsoft20120808.wma
If you just want to download it and listen to it (I saved it off to keep a copy handy), change the "mms" to "http"
Edit: Also, the transcript: http://ir.nexon.co.jp/cms/pdf/kessan_0796632885889107.pdf
Edit2: It doesn't seem that the transcript and the audio are the same conversation. I thought they were, but apparently not so much.
Edit: Also, the transcript: http://ir.nexon.co.jp/cms/pdf/kessan_0796632885889107.pdf
^^^^^That one is Nexon's.
The audio is NcSoft,
Yeah, I realized that as I was listening to the audio and tried seeing if I could follow along in the transcript. Clearly not. :)
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 09, 2012, 08:54:04 PMLarry did some fact-checking and money-tracing (he's the brains of our operation, I just do the heavy-word-lifting). This is what he found.
The essence of it all appears to be as simple as this: NCsoft is owned by Nexon Co. Ltd., and Nexon has a record of only being interested in what benefits Asian gamers, and last quarter, their push was heavy East and EU.
Paragon Studios employed 80 people. Nexon employs 3,400. City made $800k clear profit a month. Nexon's quarterly was $242 million, and their latest 1 of 60 MMOs registered 3 million players in China last month. Nexon has been at a steady $1.1 to $1.2 billion dollar company for 3 years.
Then I put it to you, and the rest of the City of Heroes player community, that we are writing to the wrong person. An article on All Things (http://allthingsd.com/20120827/exclusive-daniel-kim-stepping-down-as-nexon-america-ceo/) about the new CEO of Nexon America, Min Kim,states:
QuoteMin Kim said he sees a big opportunity lying ahead in the traditional games space, where people play games for years at a time and for long stretches every month. As a younger gaming demographic grows up, and moves on from other experiences, such as Disney's Club Penguin, "we'll be in the sweet spot," he said.
Mr. Kim, if you see such a big opportunity, then why is Nexon and NCSoft shutting down a game that proves
exactly what you claim -- taking an existing community of people, some of whom have played City of Heroes for more than
eight years, and throwing, not merely them, but the people who worked to develop the game that has earned that loyalty, under the bus? The City of Heroes community would seem to me to be the
proof that, with the right game, you can create a dedicated group of players who will support a game for years. You have the opportunity to reverse a decision that puts the lie to your claim of what you see as the future of Nexon America; step up and
prove that your words are more than just another sound bite, tailored to give the appearance of dedication while containing no substance.
Quote from: srmalloy on September 10, 2012, 06:39:47 AM
Then I put it to you, and the rest of the City of Heroes player community, that we are writing to the wrong person. An article on All Things (http://allthingsd.com/20120827/exclusive-daniel-kim-stepping-down-as-nexon-america-ceo/) about the new CEO of Nexon America, Min Kim,states:
Mr. Kim, if you see such a big opportunity, then why is Nexon and NCSoft shutting down a game that proves exactly what you claim -- taking an existing community of people, some of whom have played City of Heroes for more than eight years, and throwing, not merely them, but the people who worked to develop the game that has earned that loyalty, under the bus? The City of Heroes community would seem to me to be the proof that, with the right game, you can create a dedicated group of players who will support a game for years. You have the opportunity to reverse a decision that puts the lie to your claim of what you see as the future of Nexon America; step up and prove that your words are more than just another sound bite, tailored to give the appearance of dedication while containing no substance.
This is a very valid point, my friend. Much like using their code of ethics to our advantage.
Some points. Because the data simply does not agree with the claim of "$800K profit per month." Not at all.
One, you cannot apply US accounting standards to NCsoft. NCsoft is a South Korean company, which is not US listed, and goes by South Korean accounting standards. They are different.
Two, no matter how much people try to paint Nexon as some sort of evildoer swooping in to axe City, they are nobodies. Their total stake in NCsoft is approximately 14.75% of all shares. Yes, the lion's share of 'major shareholders,' but also not much more than treasuries (9.4%.) See: http://global.ncsoft.com/global/ir/structure.aspx
Three, NCsoft uses the diversified holdings method. What you hear about "NCsoft" in their earnings report is essentially independent of the performance of their holdings - some of which they own less than 50% of. The accounting of individual subsidiaries is not generally disclosed. Take with a grain of salt assertions from subsidiaries that they are/were "doing great." It's the same everywhere else - I've been there.
Four, NCsoft did in fact, break out game sales for City in the 2Q12 sheets - sales of $2,890M KRW for 1Q12 and $2,855M KRW for 2Q12 totaling $5,745M KRW. Sounds impressive, doesn't it? It's not - that's $5.1M total sales over 6 months against Lineage's $90M. And that's revenue not profit. (2Q12 Consolidated Fact, Pp. 5) In fact, the only game with lower sales than City was Guild Wars (excluding GW2.)
Sheet's here: http://global.ncsoft.com/global/ir/quarterly.aspx - Earnings Report Download.
When you apply basic math to this equation, well, claims of "$800K/mo profit" do not pass a sniff test. Or basic arithmetic. A reasonable revenue estimate (that is, income before costs) for City based on sales would be roughly $950K/month in USD.
According to http://data.bls.gov/pdq/querytool.jsp?survey=cm (http://data.bls.gov/pdq/querytool.jsp?survey=cm) - that is, the Bureau of Labor Statistics - the per hour cost per employee can be averaged at $47.13. You'll want to plug in "Total Compensation", "Professional and Related Occupations", and "Private Industry" then scroll to 2012 Q1. Please note that this does not include costs like electricity, leases, office supplies or office equipment.
According to Wikipedia, Paragon Studios had 46 employees as of August 31, 2012 or thereabouts. So we'll roll with 46. That means that it cost Paragon Studios $2,167.98 per hour worked, $86,719.20 per week, and about $347,000 per month. Just to have bodies in the office (or remote.)
Mountain View offers some wonderful views and an .. interesting culture, I think I'd call it. It also offers very expensive real estate - even the "cheap" stuff is north of $14/square foot. Each employee requires as a rule of thumb, 200 square feet. We'll say only 40 people actually worked in the office - that's 8,000 square feet. Another $112,000 per month to put a roof over their heads.
Again, we consult BLS - this time at http://www.bls.gov/ro9/cpilosa_energy.htm (http://www.bls.gov/ro9/cpilosa_energy.htm) - to find a cost of $0.193 per kWH for electricity in the region. A reasonable estimate would be approximately 50 computers each consuming around 250kWH per month (also accounting for printers and copiers.) That's another $2,412.50 before you turn on the lights, the coffee makers, the vending machines...
So if you've been following along, then yes, you should have costs of over $460,000 against revenues of $950,000 per month.
This does not include costs for some benefits, office supplies, food, coffee, server operations, customer service costs (provided by NCsoft), legal services, outside consulting services, contractors, equipment replacement or repairs, cleaning services, or any other incidental costs of which there are many. These are also not disclosed by NCsoft as they are contained within the Paragon Studios subsidiary and then lumped into the "combined operations" with absolutely everything and everyone else.
And that's using only data we can confirm or reasonably estimate.
The unfortunate truth is that this is not the picture of financial health, especially for a game development studio which needs time and far more importantly, money to do major overhauls and updates. Issues may be given away, but they are not free to develop, and they add to those costs and sit on balance sheets you and I simply don't see. (Nor do developers usually, strangely enough.) If we say Paragon spends approximately $1M to develop, test, and release issues and DLC in addition to normal operating costs per quarter, it actually works out like this:
$2.85M (Revenue at $950K * 3) - $1.38M (Base Operating Costs at $460K *3) - $1M (Development) = $470,000 left
Yeah. That would mean ending two quarters with total profits that likely wouldn't even keep the lights on for one month. To develop a CoH2 would easily cost several million dollars - probably over $10M these days. And again, that's not accounting for a number of other undisclosed costs or estimating anything we don't have data for. There simply isn't enough money to support continued development - a 4 month development cycle costing just $600K takes 6 months to pay back.
Data is what the data is. Nexon isn't leeching profits or axing spitefully, NCsoft isn't part of some grand conspiracy. There simply aren't the finances to continue, and it doesn't make financial sense from the data available to drop $10M on a maybe when your last few "guaranteed hits" cratered.
AreEss, where are you getting the $1M EXTRA for development? Paragon wasn't hiring extra employees, development was the JOB of the employees there. They weren't adding extra computers, the computers THERE were for development. I fail to see where this extra $1M in cost is coming from.
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 10, 2012, 08:02:32 AM
AreEss, where are you getting the $1M EXTRA for development? Paragon wasn't hiring extra employees, development was the JOB of the employees there. They weren't adding extra computers, the computers THERE were for development. I fail to see where this extra $1M in cost is coming from.
Because you're falling for the grand myth that "the development costs are baked in." They absolutely are not. Those are strictly the base operating costs. Those are the costs as though it were the exact same CoX
as on release day with no further updates at all for the next 24 months. The costs would be the exact same.
Those are the costs, and I cannot emphasize this enough,
just to keep the lights on. That is: to maintain and support the existing code and customer base and perhaps offer a few costume textures a year.
Here's what happened when NCsoft decided to consider City of Heroes 2 as an example of early stage development:
First, they took up the time of developers, accountants, managers, and artists to determine if it was viable. This is time not being spent on maintaining the existing asset.
Then consult this: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/qs/ope/fee092611.htm
And then the City of Heroes (http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=toc&state=4007%3A1ajtic.1.1&p_search=searchss&p_L=50&BackReference=&p_plural=yes&p_s_PARA1=&p_tagrepl~%3A=PARA1%24LD&expr=PARA1+AND+PARA2&p_s_PARA2=City+of+Heroes&p_tagrepl~%3A=PARA2%24COMB&p_op_ALL=AND&a_default=search&a_search=Submit+Query&a_search=Submit+Query) search.
They had to pay lawyers to do those searches first. Then they had to pay artists to come up with concepts. Then they had to pay lawyers to review those concepts. Then they had to pay the trademark application fees. All of these things take time and money.
Just maintaining the City of Heroes 2 trademark application is charged as an extension fee of $2,700 per month since late 2010.
Now let's say you want to do something relatively simple, and add a new canon character for a new story line. Get some artists to draw it up, animate with existing stuff and go, right? Wrong. Because or prior litigation (you know what) that goes to legal. Legal then has to research it extensively. Then research has to research it some more. Then legal looks at the results and gives a thumbs up or thumbs down. It could be "your concept is too much like Batman," it could be "your costume is actually from the KKK" (you like my Metalocalypse reference there?) but you get the general idea.
When you do get the sign off on your new canon character - which as you can see is very different from a player character, since it represents the company and the giant lawsuit target on their back - you now have to cycle through a different development process. New artwork. New textures. New costumes. New meshes. Tweaking till it fits just right, because once it's done, you can't change it so easily. Creating the lore and backstory for that, instead of correcting typos or grammatical errors in existing writing.
Now, there's two ways to overcome it. One, you let the base languish while you do your development work. Two, you hire more people to develop beyond the base. Paragon folks know how that is - they kept City afloat with all
eleven of them, but were hemmed in tight, and didn't have the resources to really expand till they got more people.
With purchased in-game content, it's an even uglier process. Because you have to spend more time in research to find out what it is that will sell. You need to direct your development resources to the appropriate tasks - namely, those that will bring in money. Let's say that means power sets. So back to legal, who gives the sign off, which sends it to art and programming and _Castle_. Who now can't maintain the game because they have to create new things and refactor balance endlessly. Which means that others are trying to pick up the slack, which could be slowing down bug fixes or some other really cool feature. (Again, ask the Paragon folks about the dark days. I heard straight from them "we wanna do this cool thing, but we just can't because we don't have the resources right now.")
And if that item cost you $10,000 in outside costs and $75,000 in existing, but you only sell $25,000? That's a $35,000
net loss. You spent more money making it than you made from it.
So no, development costs are not baked in. Only base maintenance, which no matter how hard you try, can never fully encompass the true costs of development. Every hour spent making something new is salary in the hole until the day that item is released, and stays there till it turns a profit. It's a cruel equation, but it is unfortunately, what it is. It's things like this that have kept me from a lot of projects I'd like to do or be involved with, because the development investment required would take too long to return or would just have too much risk of being a total wash.
A new City is a big endeavor, and no matter what, would involve and require abandoning the current City with a tiny skeleton crew at best. People who only have the time to just keep the hamsters in the wheels turning and maybe catching a bug or two. Exploits, cheats, and expansions would necessarily fall to the back burner as the key staff got moved to focus their efforts on a new engine, a new story, a new world. Which means new hardware, new software, and the time to build it all - an undertaking of months if not years.
I'm honestly forced to agree with NCsoft's decision because with the data they have - CO bombed, STO bombed, Aion bombed, SW:TOR bombed, even TSW bombed - the market looks rough and ugly. Subscribers and revenues have been declining. City is just not financially healthy, the primary driver for a while now has been the continued development and Free-2-Pray conversion, and the results aren't good enough to justify continuing down that path.
Quote from: AreEss on September 10, 2012, 09:38:24 AM
City is just not financially healthy, the primary driver for a while now has been the continued development and Free-2-Pray conversion, and the results aren't good enough to justify continuing down that path.
The problem with your argument, though, is that I've talked to people who, unlike you, me, or anyone else posting here, would actually know whether or not City of Heroes was making money. Every one of them without exception has said the exact same thing: City of Heroes was in the black. Not just barely scraping by, but enough to fund an entirely separate project to develop a next generation MMO, certainly very well enough to keep going as-is for the indefinite future.
That aside, in spite of everything you've said, I still remain unconvinced of what you have presented here because that simply doesn't make sense to me. If City of Heroes was doing so poorly, why would NCsoft allow Paragon Studios to use expensive resources on their development and art staff to work on yet another game, a game that ultimately would be developed by the same people that made the one that is supposedly doing so poorly now? If this were a financial decision, why would NCsoft have gone to such an extreme measure of firing everyone, instead of trying to slash the budget and salvage what subscriber money is left to collect?
I'm sorry man, but I just don't buy it. I don't doubt that you're convinced that you're right, and I don't doubt that you're probably frustrated at us ignorant folk who just don't seem to understand the points you're making. But really, what it boils down to, "Do I trust the people I've been talking to, or do I trust a random stranger on the Internet?"
You don't have to believe me. Shoot, no one has to, really, because I can't offer you one shred of proof of what I'm saying. I hope a year or two from now I can come back to this post and say with no small measure of vindication, "See? I told you so." But for now, if you do believe me, then I'm telling you that I am 100% convinced of this fact: City of Heroes was making significant profits for Paragon Studios and NCsoft, and using the business model it was operating under, it is well capable of sustaining all of the operational costs (and then some) of an independent development company. Hopefully I've earned at least some measure of trust that folks here don't think I'm just making stuff up out of my ass. You don't have to put your faith in me, but if you choose to for just a little while longer, I promise I'll do my best to come through for you. (*he says as he types this post at 6:10am after staying up all night to send out press releases, knowing he has to get up at 9:00am for his day job...)
It really boils down to, does a company want to have a footprint in the MMO market that City of Heroes caters to? NCsoft doesn't. Other people do.
Anyway, this thread has been derailed enough. I don't want to start moderating posts, but I really need folks to stop arguing about this, it is completely unproductive. If you have other ideas about better ways to help save City of Heroes, we'll be happy to entertain them, but right now our focus is squarely on getting the property from NCsoft into the hands of someone who can keep the game as it is running.
First time posting here. I hope I will not break any rules and such.
I didn't read all posts just take a quick look to them. I noticed some are thinking this is a futile effort. However I like to remind them what happened with Mass Effect 3. Bioware back stepped and changed their game's ending. So never underestimate power of gaming community.
Secondly it is very natural for CoH Freedom attempt didn't go well. I mean devs worked so hard to bring their best into the game. However those greedy NCSoft menagement did something I will never understand and will never forgive. I promised that very day I will never sub CoH again and never spend a dime on a NCSoft game. Unlike all other MMOs I've played and still playing, NCSoft was the first to try dig more gold from their already paying customers via selling them what they should have free, powers. Powers (power sets or what ever you call it) are backbone of every Superhero MMO. This is why Champions Online and DCUO found other ways to appeal free costumers and make them pay for their game. I am currently subbed to Champions Online just for freeform heroes (picking powers for your heroes at your heart's content). Champions was stubborn to not allow Freeform characters to free players, now after PWE they are selling Freeform slots in their market. Costly but still enough to make some people to pay for it.
NCSoft only cares for their next big "hit" in my opinion. So while I can't find any polite words to tell NCSoft menagers, I full heartedly support your efforts. I can write those kind words but my heart won't be standing with them. Maybe that is for better as I am not a good liar. For me devs, players and City of Heroes/Villians game will be better without them. Just no need to spread this around... yet.
Highest Regards,
@Knightly
Quote from: AreEss on September 10, 2012, 09:38:24 AM
Because you're falling for the grand myth that "the development costs are baked in." They absolutely are not. Those are strictly the base operating costs. Those are the costs as though it were the exact same CoX as on release day with no further updates at all for the next 24 months. The costs would be the exact same.
Those are the costs, and I cannot emphasize this enough, just to keep the lights on. That is: to maintain and support the existing code and customer base and perhaps offer a few costume textures a year.
Wait, the "base operating costs" is the salary of the Paragon Studios employees, that did *what* exactly ???
They did
develop the game.
They did
maintain the game.
They did
get paid for that.
A developper company
is a company, it has
employees it has to pay, so, a fixed salary.
A developper company
sells goods or services, which is where they get the money to pay the employees from.
This is
basic knowledge about a business. Expanses, Gains. Simple.
Now, you're telling
everyone here they paid 1 millions to develop a game
they were
paid to develop, maintain, and manage the community of. I'm just asking
Where did this money go then ?
We've never heard anything about Paragon Studios stating anything else than
they were developping the game.
THEY, themselves, PS, the devs, Positron & co.
Basically,
you were adding real, honest to goodness and accurate expanses (and that was a good job)
with their paycheck from NCSoft (That you pulled out of your backyard)
And no, a development company is no different.
When they hit a contract with a publisher to do something they can't,
they hire.
That's upfront (equipment)
an monthly expanses, but nowhere a million ! But
where did you pull this million ?
Can you please move this into a different thread? This can be viewed by everyone, including prospective buyers of the game.
I call shenanigans on AreEss.
Each time you have posted (all four of them so far) it has been extremely negative and you have posted as if you were an authority on the situation. Once you have posted as if you were an authority on programming. Twice you have posted as if you are an authority on business practices. In both cases you have been refuted, trounced roundly, either by people who ARE authorities on programming, or by people who know what is going on inside the business you are purporting to be an expert on.
It's intellectually lazy to start with "I really strongly believe this one thing, so I will work backwards from that thing and come up with some reason for it."
But I think that you, whoever you are, actually have a much simpler design in mind.
You are a troll. You are one of those subhuman bipeds who take pleasure in enraging others, or in dragging them down into the level of depression in which you surely must live. You are an unusually articulate troll, which makes your posts superficially appear much more plausible, but you are a troll nevertheless.
I could play your own game, use my own articulate writing to psychoanalyze you and come up with reasons why you are a troll, and they would sound just as plausible. But that would make me a troll too.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is only one way to take care of a troll. Do not feed it.
Although it would be nice if someone would lower the banhammer and remove the posts.
Now back to the business at hand. Do not feed the troll.
All right guys, let's all calm down and get back to business. I know we all have opinions, but it does not matter which side we agree with let's just internalize it for now and revisit if necessary.
Ooops.. didnt realize the topic had been shushed.
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 10, 2012, 09:00:14 PM
I call shenanigans on AreEss.
(very well reasoned and logical explanation)
Or, if you'll indulge me...
(https://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww272/ft5512/troll-in-the-forums.jpg)
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 10, 2012, 09:00:14 PM
I call shenanigans on AreEss.
Actually, the first part of AreEss' argument comes from NCSoft's Q2 earnings report, which I have also downloaded and read. That part is beyond reasonable dispute at this point, as far as I can tell. So let's start with $950k/mo as a base starting point.
The question then becomes, what does it cost to support the game? I disagree with AreEss' segmentation of operating costs and development costs; the studio was absolutely doing all the development (this part too should be beyond dispute). So either Paragon Studios was doing both development and operations, or operations was borne by other parts of the organization. Either way AreEss' math doesn't follow.
However, I think AreEss lowballed the cost of running Paragon Studios. I live in the area (actually, about half a mile from the now-former studio) and I would estimate the cost of each employee at around $100k/year. That's both salary and benefits. For 80 people, that's $8M/year in salary and benefits, against a profit of about $11.4M/year ($950k*12). Rent, utilities, and server maintenance are separate, in addition to whatever legal and support costs came out of the corporate headcount. I don't have quite a good enough back-of-napkin calculation to work that part out, but if CoH made more than $1M in profit a year, I would be very, very surprised.
Tony, I've talked to some of the people from Paragon, and while they did seem to believe they were doing well, I also got the distinct impression that even they were not given the full financial details of their divisions' performance. I believe this reflects poorly on NCSoft's management skills, because if I were running a studio where profit/loss was important I would make damn sure that every employee knew how the studio was doing; but the people I talked to only seemed to have a vague idea of what was going on, financials-wise.
Look, I don't want to rain on your parade here. I loved the game while I was playing it, and I'm working on getting the Mac port of the character export tool working, so I'm on your side. But I want you to go into this with eyes open: if you make a group purchase of IP, you should be prepared to run the game at break-even or a slight loss. Especially considering that this could be the group's first attempt at running an MMO, with all the pitfalls and mistakes that would entail.
- Kris
Don't forget that Paragon went on a hiring spree a year or two ago. They were working on a completely new game, with the cost of development most likely funded by the profit that City of Heroes would otherwise be raking in. Several key CoH developers were shifted over to that project. Even sources inside Cryptic confirmed that they licensed the engine for a second game (no doubt because of the familiarity of their developers with it). All we really know about it is that they repeatedly stated that it was a new IP not related to the City of Heroes franchise.
So assume that anywhere from 20-40 people within the studio were working solely on the new project, and it seems likely that City of Heroes by itself was doing at least decent.
Whether or not the 'secret project' played a part in NCSoft's decision to close the studio and the game, I don't think anyone can say beyond pure speculation at this point.
Quote from: Codewalker on September 11, 2012, 03:47:06 AM
Don't forget that Paragon went on a hiring spree a year or two ago. They were working on a completely new game, with the cost of development most likely funded by the profit that City of Heroes would otherwise be raking in. Several key CoH developers were shifted over to that project. Even sources inside Cryptic confirmed that they licensed the engine for a second game (no doubt because of the familiarity of their developers with it). All we really know about it is that they repeatedly stated that it was a new IP not related to the City of Heroes franchise.
So assume that anywhere from 20-40 people within the studio were working solely on the new project, and it seems likely that City of Heroes by itself was doing at least decent.
Whether or not the 'secret project' played a part in NCSoft's decision to close the studio and the game, I don't think anyone can say beyond pure speculation at this point.
That is true. I was actually quite shocked to hear the studio employed 80 people; I would expect you could run basic support of the game with a staff of maybe 30 people, with forward development and new features taking another 10 heads. That matches your estimate of heads working on new projects.
On the other hand, as I said, I don't know how to back-of-napkin the non-salary parts of the op-ex. I could easily see non-salary expenses adding up substantially. So again, I think the group should set realistic expectations for this being a profitable enterprise. If you do get to the point of negotiating a purchase, you should require examination of the profit and loss reports for the franchise as a precondition on the deal.
- Kris
Quote from: kgiesing on September 11, 2012, 03:34:13 AM
A bunch of financial data...
I don't agree with a lot of your numbers, but even if they're all spot on, that's neglecting the ability and willingness to cut costs if necessary. If times get tight, they can always let a few folks go. Nothing says that if they reform the studio they have to do it in Mountain View, maybe they can pick a cheaper location. Maybe they don't pay for office snacks any more.
I think you're also ignoring that there is already work done on the Super Sekrit Project™. If they get the rights and code for that, it's not like they'd have to start from scratch; they'd have at least a decent chunk of it done.
I'm telling you, I'm convinced that this
is doable.
Darn it all Tony! Stop bringing up the secret project! It was interesting at first, but now its like dangling fresh meat 8ft off the ground in front of a starving dachshund! lol ;D
Quote from: castorcorvus on September 11, 2012, 04:39:40 AM
Darn it all Tony! Stop bringing up the secret project! It was interesting at first, but now its like dangling fresh meat 8ft off the ground in front of a starving dachshund! lol ;D
I wish I had better "insider" connections than I do because I honestly have zero clue what it is. Like a lot of other people, I thought it was going to be a sequel to City of Heroes, but at some point, they explicitly ruled that out. So I'm just as clueless as everyone else here. I could speculate, though. I have a hard time that it's not at least vaguely related to City of Heroes. I'm thinking maybe some game set in the City of Heroes universe, but on a different planet or something. I wish I knew. I'm hopeful that someday we all will when it actually gets announced and then released. (!)
Well all *I* can tell you is it isn't related to anything that I write, so I am just as in the dark as you.
Quote from: TonyV on September 11, 2012, 04:45:48 AM
I wish I had better "insider" connections than I do because I honestly have zero clue what it is. Like a lot of other people, I thought it was going to be a sequel to City of Heroes, but at some point, they explicitly ruled that out. So I'm just as clueless as everyone else here. I could speculate, though. I have a hard time that it's not at least vaguely related to City of Heroes. I'm thinking maybe some game set in the City of Heroes universe, but on a different planet or something. I wish I knew. I'm hopeful that someday we all will when it actually gets announced and then released. (!)
We all know that Tony. We know that if you knew anything, then we would know. Why the hey do you think everyone on this communty trusts you and your peers in this protest? Titan Network has a track record of getting things done. Personly, I am glad you guys are at least
trying to keep us in the know. Its not much, and the wait is made even more unbearable for those who can contribute so little, but it keeps us hanging in there. So, we thank you for that.
Quote from: TonyV on September 11, 2012, 04:30:49 AM
I'm telling you, I'm convinced that this is doable.
I'm not trying to tell you it's not doable. I'm just trying to set realistic expectations, as I mentioned before.
Look at it this way. Depending on how you plan to raise the money, it seems very likely that you will need to present a business case, and a very solid one (to banks, to venture capital firms, to private investors). Such a business case will need to fill in numbers for estimated capital expenses, estimated operating expenses, and projected revenues. I believe you'll need both access to NCSoft's historical data, and original research backed with vendor quotes. The former should be part of due diligence while negotiating a purchase.
Don't just disagree with my numbers - challenge them with better ones. I doubt anyone is rooting more than me for me to be wrong.
- Kris
PS. I feel like this whole discussion probably belongs in a different thread, but this is where VV happened to post the numbers, so...
New topic to add to your letters to NCSoft.
They are now feeling the attention of a focused social network on their business practices.
Remind them of that fact.
Are they?
I'm asking because the media focus in on us mostly because there is so little new information being officially released from anywhere else. I respect a confidential source, especially now that media are starting to look here, but someone has to ask. I'd much rather ask as a friendly than let a nay-sayer or even a troll be the one to do it.
No news is ... no news?
I had a similar conversation on vent. My friends are not big on forum posting, here or on CoH boards. Their concern is that NcSoft has made the announcement and is just biding their time until November 30th. The more time that passes without any communication bewtween NcSOft and CoH public at large the more the sentiment is going to grow.
Maybe that is what NcSOft is hoping for. No communication isn't making them look any worse.
Quote from: Lilabird on September 11, 2012, 12:19:31 PM
No news is ... no news?
I had a similar conversation on vent. My friends are not big on forum posting, here or on CoH boards. Their concern is that NcSoft has made the announcement and is just biding their time until November 30th. The more time that passes without any communication bewtween NcSOft and CoH public at large the more the sentiment is going to grow.
Maybe that is what NcSOft is hoping for. No communication isn't making them look any worse.
Well there's no way they aren't aware of what we've been doing. 100+ news articles and a 3,000+ player rally have to be getting their attention. If not then someone over there isn't doing their job.
No news is no news. There are endless explanations for this. However, as far as I know, NCSoft is still in talks with the former Paragon Studios (and apparently investors) concerning the future of the game. I imagine our first bit of communication from them will include the provisions of those.
Ever the optimist, I prefer to tell myself that NCSoft is simply biding their time to make the best use of the press they're getting. Whether that means waiting until our media momentum is at it's peak to announce that the game will be saved in some capacity OR waiting until it's died down to say "screw you" again.
Either way, we CANNOT allow them to stall out our efforts. So do not give up! Just look at it this way, no bad news is good news! :)
I sent my letter last week certified mail with return receipt requested, and just got the receipt back signed by 'Stephanie Keyes.'
Better late than never, right? I mailed the following letter to NCsoft's Seattle office today, certified, return receipt requested.
September 11th 2012
Mr. Taek Jin Kim, Chief Executive Officer
NCsoft Corporation
1501 4th Avenue, Suite 2050
Seattle, WA 98101
Re: City of Heroes Closure
Dear Mr. Kim,
I am writing you in regards to NCsoft's recent decision to shutter Paragon Studios and permanently cease support for City of Heroes.
Few can fully comprehend the pressures you face as the CEO of an international company and I trust that this decision was not made without thorough care and consideration. After all, NCsoft has a fiduciary duty to maximize its shareholders' investment. And as I am not privy to NCsoft's internal finances, I cannot fairly judge the business merits of such a decision.
However, I encourage you to be mindful of the other implications of NCsoft's recent actions. The closure has all ready left several talented developers jobless and will soon deprive thousands of City of Heroes' supporters from not only a beloved video game, but also from a longstanding online community. Further, the sudden closure is quickly becoming a veritable public relations nightmare and will almost certainly and irreversible damage NCsoft's reputation in the minds of the Western gaming audience.
Yet NCsoft retains the opportunity to turn these unfortunate circumstances into a boon of consumer good will and loyalty. Here, NCsoft has several options to prove that it truly cares about its customers in the Western market. First and most advantageous, NCsoft could simply choose to sell or license the game for a reasonable price to someone willing to continue its operation and development. Alternatively, NCsoft could allow the players to privately operate their own severs and maintenance.
Whatever NCsoft decides, I implore you not to let the fantastic lore and characters of City of Heroes be forever banished to corporate oblivion. Please do not let millions of hours and limitless creativity be all for naught. Reward your most loyal western supporters, forever elevate NCSoft's reputation in America and beyond and allow City of Heroes to continue on.
Very truly yours,
MM
Quote from: dwturducken on September 11, 2012, 11:02:24 AM
Are they?
I'm asking because the media focus in on us mostly because there is so little new information being officially released from anywhere else. I respect a confidential source, especially now that media are starting to look here, but someone has to ask. I'd much rather ask as a friendly than let a nay-sayer or even a troll be the one to do it.
We have Hit Streak's word on that at the rally. Paindancer believes CNN is going to accept his article as a mainpage thing rather than the CNN Blog. Again, I would urge you to turn attention to BUSINESS zines and blogs, because this is new; businesses have been aggressively pursuing Social Network strategies, but that can go both ways. When they give us access...they give us access to give them a black eye. This is the non-gamer angle that will interest anyone who goes online.
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 11, 2012, 09:56:09 PM
This is the non-gamer angle that will interest anyone who goes online.
I agree with this wholeheartedly. I think our story is at the very interesting intersection of social media, economics and online gaming. If spun correctly, it could make for some very compelling reading. Personally, I'd love to see
CNET,
Wired, or
The Wall Street Journal cover it.
Quote from: Rain Maker on September 11, 2012, 10:49:30 PM
I agree with this wholeheartedly. I think our story is at the very interesting intersection of social media, economics and online gaming. If spun correctly, it could make for some very compelling reading. Personally, I'd love to see CNET, Wired, or The Wall Street Journal cover it.
If we managed to get into the WSJ, I think my head would explode.
Quote from: Rain Maker on September 11, 2012, 10:49:30 PM
I agree with this wholeheartedly. I think our story is at the very interesting intersection of social media, economics and online gaming. If spun correctly, it could make for some very compelling reading. Personally, I'd love to see CNET, Wired, or The Wall Street Journal cover it.
You hear that, Paindancer?
I mailed this to Korea and Seattle (certified/return/restricted). I am usure it will make a difference, but I am happy to lend a help the game I love. I would kick myself for not attempting it and the game did have its finale.
{left off the address here as we all know it by now}
Dear Sir,
I am writing this letter to you in the hopes that you will reconsider your company's decision to sunset the City of Heroes MMORPG. As a paying player of the game for over eight years, the game has brought much enjoyment, diversion, and recreation to my life. I have met many people playing in the game who have become friends of mine outside of the game. Many of us have gotten together at local gaming cafes to have City of Heroes Meet and Greets, so we can put faces to the global names we have spent years playing with. This game is more than electrons and data storage – it is also about the community your game has helped to develop and the lives it has enriched.
There is still so much that this game has to offer. Paragon Studios had shown us fantastic additions and improvements to the game, just in Issue 24's release. They have done a remarkable job in creating a game that is fun to play, truly entertaining, and sustainable. Paragon Studios had also promised us amazing new storylines and continued character enrichment with no end in sight of them letting up. The Incarnate System and the Signature Story Arcs are giving the player base the ultimate gamer experience – we are the ones becoming the "movers and shakers" in the game world. No other game out there has been so bold and visionary, and it would be a shame to discard such innovation. City of Heroes is truly the best MMORPG.
Your time is valuable, so I leave you with this. Your corporation's mottos include "to make people in this world happier," to "create real value to make progress and deliver the best to our customers," and to "not hesitate doing what is right." Permanently ending the City of Heroes franchise accomplishes none of these. I implore you to find a solution to keep the City of Heroes game alive, by any option available. The power is in your hands.
Thank-you for your time,
{my info}
Quote from: eabrace on September 11, 2012, 10:55:44 PM
If we managed to get into the WSJ, I think my head would explode.
I don't know what its like in Korea, but there is a saying here that if its not in the WSJ then as far as business is concerned it didn't happen (paraphrasing).
So how do we make that happen? I don't have much of a press list, but I'll check with some of my media guys to see if they know anyone there.
I'm gonna cry, you are AWESOME!
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 11, 2012, 11:05:12 PM
You hear that, Paindancer?
I'm no journalist. And I'm certainly no businesscritter. But if we cross our iReport with the story (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_14/87-The-Conquest-of-Origin) mentioned in this thread (http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=297177) on the main forums (fora? I've always been partial to "fora."), we might get some traction as part of a larger piece on how video games are apparently undergoing the same top-down conglomerating that I'm seeing in Big Pharma.
That's my best idea on getting into WSJ, though.
Quote from: Victoria Victrix on September 07, 2012, 11:16:52 PM
Oh don't get too impressed. 99% of this ploy being successful is going to depend on them buying that I am just that impressive. I'm not that impressed with me, but I am going to get the spouse to ramp up the *dazzledazzle BS jazzhands* factor in the letter. And I am going to cross all possible digits that it works.
EDIT: This has the jazzhands seal of approval.
Mr. Taek Jin Kim
Chief Executive Officer
NCsoft Corporation
1501 4th Avenue, Suite 2050
Seattle, WA
Mercedes Lackey
_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________
www.mercedeslackey.com
Dear Mr. Kim;
This, like so many other letters, is a plea to save Paragon Studios and the City of Heroes, City of Villains, and Going Rogue games. And like so many others, I could tell you about the thousands of hours I have spent there with friends, the thousands of dollars I have spent within the games, or even how this game allows my husband and I to "meet" and play nearly every night with my father in law, the retired, and multi-medaled Master Sergeant Jim Dixon formerly of Delta Force. I could even tell you how this game is the only one ever to interest him.
Instead, I am going to make you an offer. I am a multi-award-winning, New York Times bestselling fantasy and science fiction author. And I will offer myself and my likeness to endorse and advertise, exclusively, all NCSoft products for a minimum term of five years and a maximum term of ten years, for no compensation or payment, if you will make it possible for the game and Paragon Studios (even in a reduced capacity) to continue to function, either once again under the NCSoft umbrella, or until a new owner comes forward.
I had in mind something like this: Advertisements with a photo of myself, imposed over a transparent image of one of my more striking characters, both of us in the same pose. Text: "I am New York Times bestselling fantasy author Mercedes Lackey. Creating fantastic realms is hard work, and when I relax, I like to play in someone else's world. I play NCSoft Games. Anything else is unimaginable." The tagline for the ad campaign would be "NCSoft: anything else is unimaginable."
I hope, sir, that I have caught your interest, and you will consider this proposition.
Yours truly
Mercedes Lackey
Y'see, this kind of thing is why you're one of my favorite authors ever.
... that and unlike with most, I can and will gleefully re-read most everything you've written until the pages start falling out of the book.
i just wanted to pass this post card along from Save Our City Of Heroes on facebook
(https://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s34/magickbear1/Save%20Our%20City%20Of%20Heroes/SOCOH1.png)
(https://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s34/magickbear1/Save%20Our%20City%20Of%20Heroes/SOCOH2.png)
I sent my letter today.
Letter written, mailing out Monday.
Sorry for the lateness, my wife & I just had our first baby and I didn't even know about any of this until I logged into CoH today and read my SG msg.
What a total pile of.......
There's one other thing we might do. What about Korean players, in Korea or otherwise? Also Chinese and Japanese players.
Since NC don't seem too bothered about the North American market, English-language correspondence might be making a limited impact.
However, they are Korean and care about the Korean market. Letters written in real (i.e. not machine-translated) Korean, preferably from actual Korean players, would doubtless have a greater impact. Messages like those may be more likely to reach executives in unaltered form. Chinese/Japanese-language correspondence from Chinese/Japanese players may similarly appeal to their interest in the broader East Asian market.
For the rest of us, we might be living in the wrong market for NC, but writing them in Korean can't hurt. If we have native Korean speakers here, perhaps a translation effort could be coordinated.
This might be a long shot, so no need to pester acquaintances/strangers (unless you want to 8)).
선생님,
파라곤 스튜디오 나 영웅 프랜차이즈의 도시를 닫하지 마십시오. 시간 내 주셔서 감사합니다.
Dear Sir,
Please do not close Paragon Studios or the City of Heroes franchise. Thank for your time.
Google translate is ok but I am sure in SOME strange way it could be interpreted to say 'City of Heroes. Tastes like chicken' or something wierd. :o
Quote from: Zapping on September 12, 2012, 12:32:23 AM
I don't know what its like in Korea, but there is a saying here that if its not in the WSJ then as far as business is concerned it didn't happen (paraphrasing).
So how do we make that happen? I don't have much of a press list, but I'll check with some of my media guys to see if they know anyone there.
Emm... the WSJ? Why would they? Doesn't that paper cater to all the people who don't give 2 ****s about the little guy?
Our campaign screams digital Occupy. I don't think they'd touch it with a 10-meter pole.
Sent off my letter and masks today.
Quote from: Render112 on September 15, 2012, 03:38:14 AM
Google translate is ok but I am sure in SOME strange way it could be interpreted to say 'City of Heroes. Tastes like chicken' or something wierd. :o
Would heavily advise against using Google translate. That could end up being incomprehensible and/or offending the reader.
Quote from: ROBOKiTTY on September 15, 2012, 03:19:56 AM
There's one other thing we might do. What about Korean players, in Korea or otherwise? Also Chinese and Japanese players.
Since NC don't seem too bothered about the North American market, English-language correspondence might be making a limited impact.
However, they are Korean and care about the Korean market. Letters written in real (i.e. not machine-translated) Korean, preferably from actual Korean players, would doubtless have a greater impact. Messages like those may be more likely to reach executives in unaltered form. Chinese/Japanese-language correspondence from Chinese/Japanese players may similarly appeal to their interest in the broader East Asian market.
For the rest of us, we might be living in the wrong market for NC, but writing them in Korean can't hurt. If we have native Korean speakers here, perhaps a translation effort could be coordinated.
This might be a long shot, so no need to pester acquaintances/strangers (unless you want to 8)).
Which is curious since I believe the "NC" in NCSoft stands for NorCal or Northern California Software....
I sent my letter on the 13th.
My postcard
3 members of my SG
(https://images.weserv.nl/?url=sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ak-ash4%2F424608_4128325640923_1704400520_n.jpg)
I still believe that the best way to get NCSoft's attention and to get them to take any effort seriously is to show them that not only are we willing to play the game if they'll sell it to somebody, but we're willing to put together money to try to build that third party who will buy it from them.