Titan Network
Graveyard => Save Paragon Retirees => Save Paragon City! => Topic started by: TonyV on September 13, 2012, 04:40:12 PM
-
Success!!!
We've met our funding goal! In fact, before I could get the widget shut down, we overshot it by a little! I'll call the restaurant and make arrangements today as well as notify the staff of Paragon Studios to put on their eatin' hats. This is incredible. I honestly thought that it would take at least a couple of days, but this fundraiser lasted less than three hours. This is HUGE, folks, and I really appreciate your participation! Because we met our goal so quickly, if you didn't get a chance to donate, please know that this is going to be presented on behalf of the whole City of Heroes community.
Original message:
Hey all, it's time for our next Call to Action!
(https://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa453/TonyV-CoH/City%20of%20Heroes/Save%20Paragon%20City/donationt.png) (http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Main_Page)
When I was at one of the Player Summits, someone leaked to me the name of a restaurant close to the studio where the Paragon Studios staffers went now and then for various occasions. So we got to thinking that a nice gesture on behalf of the community would be to rally up and raise the funds to get them to go again, but this time, the City of Heroes community is picking up the bill. So how can you help? We've posted a PayPal widget on the front page of the Paragon Wiki. You can see it here:
Dinner's on Us! (http://wiki.cohtitan.com)
Just click the "Give" button, and PayPal handles the rest. Note that the contribution is processed via PayPal; we do not get your PayPal username, password or account information. Donations submitted through this widget go to our donations account, but are earmarked specifically for this event.
We want to express our gratitude for building the world in which our imaginations have lived. They've provided an unprecedented level of support and interactivity over the years. They've talked to us, listened to our feedback, even socialized with us, all the while providing a game that has an incredible level of innovation and fun.
Keep in mind that this is a small fundraiser. In the interest of keeping it that way, I've put increments as low as $5 and put a hard cap on the amount of $50 to keep anyone from going nuts on it. I'm also putting a hard limit on the amount of $1,000, which will cover the cost of dinner for the crew. We still might need a large fundraiser later for a possible crowd funding effort, so if you pitch in for dinner, keep that in mind.
Please note: In spite of my best efforts to get two different small fundraising widgets to work, something is causing the total to not update. Even though we've gotten $85 so far, the widget is stuck on $0. I wish I could have gotten that fixed before today, but for now, I am manually updating the number on the home page of the wiki once every hour or two. If you donate, please know that it is going through even if the number on the widget doesn't change. I'm updating the total manually every hour or two on the news page.
-
Annnd...done. :)
-
Me too!
-
Now I can broadcast it over Twitter. :)
-
And me as well. I'm really happy about this Call to Action; the devs have so earned a night out on us.
-
Love this idea!
For all their hard work, it's nice to have a way to say "Have a few drinks on me!"
Thanks for all your efforts Tony :)
Lex
-
Transaction completed!
-
Done, and quite happy to do so. ;D
-
Just made my donation.
-
done here
-
done
-
Done, and passed the word along :)
-
I like funny ideas. Just sent my 5 dollars on it.
-
I wondered if there was a way I could buy the devs a beer. I like this idea.
-
I think when my paycheck goes through I'll be able to contribute. When I cited financial reasons for not being able to play once and didn't renew my subscription for three months, they automatically gave me an extra month's free play time.
I know that it was really just marketing (probably automated) at the core of it, but I always appreciated the gesture. :)
-
done
-
Done and done. I get paid tomorrow, I may donate again!
-
Done. And tweeted!
-
Happy to help! ;D
-
Darn, closed already !
I guess I'll wait for the "buy positron a beer" one xD
-
Wow, three whole hours? Geez. We're such slackers.
-
Done!
Have a nice evening, guys! Thanks for everything!
-
I'd like to thank everyone in the community for stepping up for this. It's awesome to see all of us chip in to show the staff at Paragon our gratitude like this.
-
I wonder if it's in Mt. View. I live a rock's throw away and it would be fun to act as their waiters, etc. ;)
-
Is it ok if I hope they sit around going 'DinnerdinnerdinnerdinnerdinnerdinnerdinnerdinnerBATMAN?' while they're there?
-
I wonder if it's in Mt. View. I live a rock's throw away and it would be fun to act as their waiters, etc. ;)
Paragon Studios is located in Mountain View. (ref (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paragon_Studios)) And from Tony's description, this is "a restaurant near the studio". So, odds are the answer is "yes."
Edit: And in my mind, it is named El Super Mexicano. :)
-
Heh. I had a strong suspicion it wouldn't take long to get the funds. Great show of solidarity!
-
I would have gladly donated a few bucks for this. It's a shame it reached its goal so quickly ;)
Guess I'll just have to wait until next time to give 'em some money!
-
Wow! That's quicker than you can do a Dr. Q! Great work community!
-
Jeez, this was closed before I even knew about it! Way to go guys!
-
AND it happened during working hours on a THURSDAY. For most folk its either a friday, the first and or the 15th when they'd have the spare cash to do this.
So total thumbs up to those of you who did have the spare cash and were so free with it.
-
...We're sure that $12 per person is going to buy a decent dinner and cover the tip to whomever has to deal with 'em?
-
Blast, I would have to get busy at work today. Glad people made your goal, and wish our devs all the best.
-
Paragon Studios is located in Mountain View. (ref (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paragon_Studios)) And from Tony's description, this is "a restaurant near the studio". So, odds are the answer is "yes."
Edit: And in my mind, it is named El Super Mexicano. :)
Okay, I'll look for an El Super Mexicano in our phone books here. ;)
-
...We're sure that $12 per person is going to buy a decent dinner and cover the tip to whomever has to deal with 'em?
Depends on the restaurant. Since Tony was doing his homework on this a couple of days ago, I'm sure he already took that into account.
Speaking as the guy who organizes our pizza parties at work, $758 can buy enough pizza, fried chicken, salad, potatoes, and cookies to leave 142 people in a food coma for the rest of the afternoon. $1000 ought to be pretty decent for a group of 80 at any place that isn't a Brazilian-American Churrascaria (I miss you, Texas de Brazil.)
-
Good work, everybody! I left the house at lunch hour, and by the time I got back, this Call to Action had already been put up and completed!
Let's keep the momentum going! Check out the new link for this story on CNN.com, sign up, and upvote the article: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-840174
Again, good work, everybody!
-
$1000 ought to be pretty decent for a group of 80 at any place that isn't a Brazilian-American Churrascaria (I miss you, Texas de Brazil.)
Oh... man... now I'm hungry. Love that stuff, and no place like that around. (sigh)
-
I knew this would be done before I could contribute (three business days, since I don't have funds IN Paypal at the moment), but three hours is fantastic! This is what we're fighting for!
And, I'm pretty sure they'll behave themselves... ;)
-
And, I'm pretty sure they'll behave themselves... ;)
If not... pics or it didn't happen!
-
Uh...
Do we WANT pics? ???
-
Uh...
Do we WANT pics? ???
]
I just got a new Nikon...so I'm quite tempted to drive around Mt. View looking for a boisterous restaurant. ;)
-
-
-
I'm very pleased I managed to get a donation in before it ended so quickly, but if I might be so bold as to make a suggestion for the next donation drive?
We managed to get $1045 in three hours. For the next thing, I would love to see an organized donation drive to a charity.
I know some people need some to fit something along those lines into their financial schedules, and might not want to miss it due to bad timing.
-
And the story is already up on Massively.
http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/09/13/city-of-heroes-fans-buy-paragon-studios-a-meal-and-proclaim-alle/
-
I'm very pleased I managed to get a donation in before it ended so quickly, but if I might be so bold as to make a suggestion for the next donation drive?
We managed to get $1045 in three hours. For the next thing, I would love to see an organized donation drive to a charity.
I know some people need some to fit something along those lines into their financial schedules, and might not want to miss it due to bad timing.
This has come up before, and TonyV made a pretty good reply to it already: http://www.cohtitan.com/forum/index.php/topic,5022.msg47962.html#msg47962
-
wow, i didn't even get a chance to donate yet. I was at school...
-
Wow and all this happened while I was at work. Darn! I would have jumped at the idea of donating but next time. Have a great dinner Devs and know that each and every one of us think you are most deserving.
-
Love the idea and am so happy we accomplished it so quickly. Just goes to show how great the community is. The Devs certainly deserve this and more for their hard work (and continued support). Thanks to all who donated!
-
Ha! This was so successful I never even got a chance to participate. I was still stuck in traffic when the goal was reached. Way to go everyone who donated!
-
Awesome stuff ! and its great that so many sites reporting on this
http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/09/13/city-of-heroes-fans-buy-paragon-studios-a-meal-and-proclaim-alle/#comments
http://www.mmorpg.com/newsroom.cfm/read/25506/City-of-Heroes-Dinners-On-Us.html
-
I will have to keep my eyes peeled for the next fundriser then as I missed this one. Truly an amazing idea and a wonderful gesture towards the people whom we owe so much to!
Zos
-
I think I snuck in my donation right under the wire. lol
-
I will have to keep my eyes peeled for the next fundriser then as I missed this one. Truly an amazing idea and a wonderful gesture towards the people whom we owe so much to!
Zos
Likewise! Great job folks! ;D
-
First I've heard of it :)
I've posted it on reddit though to try and spread the news a bit -
http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/zvfvl/city_of_heroes_fans_buy_paragon_studios_a_meal/
Edit - it's already posted, use this link instead
http://www.reddit.com/r/MMORPG/comments/zvf87/city_of_heroes_fans_buy_paragon_studios_a_meal/
-
Wouldn't it be nice if NCSoft could reverse their decision and re-employ all the staff in less than 3 hours?
Somehow I doubt it, but I donated, and, I hope the guys enjoy their meal. Moreover, I hope they are having success at finding new jobs.
-
Dang, that was fast. I just happened to see this while taking a short break from working and was able to donate.
Imagine what we could do with such power...
Do it again, do it again!
/e bounce in chair
-
anyone have pictures? Did they have fun?
-
I got us another Fark thread (http://www.fark.com/comments/7327739/In-response-to-their-games-impending-shutdown-City-of-Heroes-players-band-together-to-treat-sacked-developers-to-dinner-raising-$1000-in-about-three-hours-Cool-Sad-tags-still-fighting-over-story-letting-Followup-sneak-in).
/My first greenlight
//In way too many attempts
///Slashies!
-
As a follow up, I wanted to share the pictures I took at the Community Dinner: http://www.flickr.com/photos/laufeyjarson/sets/72157631633263910/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/laufeyjarson/sets/72157631633263910/)
I've lost so many names! If you were there, or know folks, can you label them in comments on Flickr? =)
The Devs invited players to come, and several did. I'd say there was a dozen or so players, and sixty or so devs. I went with @Malohin, and he and I wandered around and talked to a lot of people.
The community covered dinner for all the devs. At the last moment, a player called Everett stepped in and covered their bar bill, too. We were able give them a nice night out!
The good news is that many of the devs are finding work; their lives and families will be secure and they'll be able to move forward to something new and exciting. There were many still looking, but the feeling was optimistic. I think all of them enjoyed a chance to catch up after a few weeks, and a lot of names and phone numbers were exchanged.
Every dev we spoke to was friendly and happy to talk about the good times. I met Aaron, who did UI and fixed the icon buttons for the Mystic Fortune power. I met Jason who did the revamp on the costume editor for CoH Freedom. I met at least three Brians who I've gotten all mixed up.
I spent a very pleasant few minutes talking to The Dark Watcher, and asked him some details about their server infrastructure. (Windows Server 2003 or 2008, Microsoft SQL Server 2008)
I also spoke to a bunch of the players, who all seemed like really nice people. Sadly, I've lost all the names. I'd have had to have taken notes. One of them was wearing a #SaveCOH t-shirt, though, so I bet they'll chime in. =)
It was a successful evening, and we, as a community, did something good. We made sure these people understood how much what they had done meant to us, and that we were unhappy about their treatment as much as we were about our own loss.
This was a great idea, and very well done!
(https://images.weserv.nl/?url=farm9.staticflickr.com%2F8030%2F8028877936_f7d5bcc272.jpg)
(https://images.weserv.nl/?url=farm9.staticflickr.com%2F8033%2F8028881487_1b7f69a63a.jpg)
(https://images.weserv.nl/?url=farm9.staticflickr.com%2F8313%2F8028878206_570cf21cc1.jpg)
(https://images.weserv.nl/?url=farm9.staticflickr.com%2F8179%2F8028881793_4007512418.jpg)
More in the Flickr set http://www.flickr.com/photos/laufeyjarson/sets/72157631633263910/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/laufeyjarson/sets/72157631633263910/)
-
I wasn't there(I'm trapped in the Midwest! *shakes fist*) but this was an amazing thing for us to do, and I'm glad we did it. $Deity watch over our devs, and bring them back to us when the time is right.
-
Nice! Thanks for the pictures and the post.
And thank you, Tony, for organizing this. Seriously. That was a great idea and I'm so glad to have been a (distant) part of it.
-
lol you managed to miss me completely in these pics. I must just be good at hiding..
I got some pics as well but they came out like crap. More on the dinner to come, figure I would write a blog about it as the ole website needs some lovin.
All in all, great event, positivity abound and even a #SaveCoh spirit from a couple very key people.
Here is a couple pics:
(https://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y253/Thors/IMG940.jpg)
(https://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y253/Thors/IMG945.jpg)
See? Freaking camera anyways....
Also Tony, sent ya a PM, not sure if you got it but hoping you did..
-
(https://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y253/Thors/IMG940.jpg)
Ooo. I really like Z's shirt.
-
Yeah me too, he said that those are the shirts that are given internally or that were given internally. That one and the Statesman shirt pictured ^ there were awesome!
Andy and myself were the first ones there, I got there much earlier than I thought I would. But it was cool because I got to chat it up with Z about a number of topics. Mostly Community Management as that is something we share.
-
TA? Who let TA in here? :D
Awesome photos guys. I guess I could speak for those of us from the SouthEast and say thanks for sharing :D