New efforts!

[kiario]

Checking in from my Caravan vacation  :)

So the present deal status is that we probably do not have the complete game code and reverse engineering is necessary to get the game running?

Are we then on similar level as some other folks trying to reverse engineer the game for emulators?

Seems. like a long and difficult road ahead before there is a game running.

As usual. Big thanks to the folks behind it all and good luck, I will for sure stay and wait till its done :)

[Thirty-Seven]

To grant everything based on subscription statsus, more specifically.

I'm confused.

What I mean is, you asserted that it would be easier to make things available for purchase than it would be to merely grant everything to everyone who subscribed.  To make anything possible, they will have to figure out how the authbits worked in the database to grant access to various items from costume parts to entire power sets and ATs.  As such, they will HAVE to manipulate the database in some way either way with the (probably) all new account system.  SO, how would it be harder one way or the other?  They'd have to tie it to a storefront to allow purchases, and since the Paragon Market was run by a third party, it's hard to say if that will be involved in ANY way with the sale of the game, my bet would be no.  So, in order to allow purchases they'd need to reinvent that as well.

My point is, if they have to do all that work in the first place, it may be about the same work (or even easier, I have no idea) to just go ahead and make an authbit that grants ALL of the other ones somehow.

Purchasable individual parts were supported by both client and server, so the mechanics to handle that are already in at the very least.

Well, the results of those systems are in.  That doesn't mean they'll work properly once the servers are back on.  End of the day, none of us know what will be easier or harder to do with the backend of the game.

So, for any of us to assert anything one way or the other is, as I said, premature.

Are we then on similar level as some other folks trying to reverse engineer the game for emulators?

They'd be in a better position... they'd have an image of the actual working game.  Current efforts like SCORE do NOT have that.

[batgirl]

So if they have the code, even if it is "AS IS", isn't the deal done?

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=isource.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F09%2FQuestionMark_thumb.jpg

[Thirty-Seven]

Far as I know, they don't have anything... Yet.

[batgirl]

Far as I know, they don't have anything... Yet.

I had heard that so far, they don't have the source code just a disk image of the game at the point of closure and little to no actual documentation on how to run the game or the notes you use when compiling the code.

If it is at this level they will have to get a server running with as close as possible to the original and then fire the game up. Once running you have to reverse engineer it - unless some of this stuff can be found later through another source. The Devs don't appear too worried and in fact this lack helps reduce the price as it will require significant work to get running.

It was not shutdown with a mind to selling. It was closed with a mind to retain the IP and thats about it. In fact for those who may or may not be creating a SCoRE effort - this is wonderful. They would have an extremely hard time proving you used anything except the names and such for characters. I think in the same manner as Earth and Beyond - if you just put it out in the wild, very little would be done.

Now out of respect for the New Devs - I hope they at least give the courtesy of a heads up to a stand alone - basically have the work done in case of a future sunset and then flinging it out into the wild. Just my opinion :)

[Serpine]

So if they have the code, even if it is "AS IS", isn't the deal done?

I imagine the whole thing is sort of like buying a house: First the offers and counteroffers which usually requires pre-verification of your ability to meet the mortgage, then it goes into escrow, then you have the disclosures / title searches / inspections / legal documents / actual verification of your ability to pay, then a final walkthrough, then you get hit with the big stack of forms to sign (until then it was just lots of "little" stacks), and then the money actually gets transferred to the seller. You still don't own it though, as you have to wait a few days for title to be recorded, at which point then and only then do you own it and take possession.

Of course within the first couple of weeks after you own the house the pipes that passed inspection will blow out leaking sewage throughout your subfloor, the heater will fail during a snowstorm thanks to construction sawdust in a sensor, and you will discover that the wiring is totally unsuited to the full range of modern electronics you intend to plug in (at least when you dare run the microwave which is apparently on the same circuit as an entirely random set of rooms across the structure).

And in the above, I'm not convinced they are even "in escrow" yet. :)

[PSI-on]

In this context, "they" refers to NCSoft (what he's been told NCSoft has in their possession) and not what the team has (which is nothing as of yet)

[AlienOne]

That misconception is that everyone starting over again will lead to lower zones being populated again. I will say this.. any experienced player even without AE can do enough sewer teams to level RIGHT past the lower zones.. People that have been playing an appreciable amount of time know how to level quickly.

Also I believe that it is a fallacy to believe that if everyone's character data were to be restored that no one would play lower level characters. I believe this is a myopic view. There are so many things that people have yet to try. I myself have at least 3-5 builds that I never got a chance to make before the game shut down. Most people I have met would describe themselves as Altoholics.. constantly making new creations.. Add to that the possibility of an Issue 24 release with new powersets and you will see a great many people trying new and different things..

Just my thoughts..

I have to agree here. This whole "everyone starting the same" thing with the expectation that everyone will BE the same is a little short-sighted. Anyone who's played ANY MMO out there knows this. This is the "have/have not" discussion we had a while back. Sure, you can start everyone as "have nots," but eventually, yes, we'll all settle back into exactly how things were when the game was shut down: people who have been afforded the amount of game time (and/or friends) to have all the nice things, and people who haven't. Simple as that.

If EVERYTHING is a blank slate there won't be much PLing the first few days and even if there is SOME ... I think there will still be more people who missed the game who actually just want to play the game by running content.

Well, I will certainly be one of those PL'ing. For me (and for several others here who have already stated this), the fun part of the game is the end-game (the min/maxing) part. If we all start without our character data, I'll be trying my darndest to get back to where I was when the game went down. Some people like the journey, some people like the end results. Some people hate the incarnate content, some people like it. That's the beauty of CoH. It had something for everyone.

Also, as someone stated before, people are more likely to do sewer runs than solo low-level zones. There will certainly be people who prefer doing the low-level zone content (something for everyone!), but the people who don't prefer playing the low level stuff will certainly find ways to get past it as quickly as possible. I know I certainly don't like feeling "limited" on my powers. I like to have my full power set so I can accomplish my "attack chain" necessary for testing Mid's builds. That's how I enjoyed the game.

[batgirl]

LOL! D'accord, merci! :)

I imagine the whole thing is sort of like buying a house: First the offers and counteroffers which usually requires pre-verification of your ability to meet the mortgage, then it goes into escrow, then you have the disclosures / title searches / inspections / legal documents / actual verification of your ability to pay, then a final walkthrough, then you get hit with the big stack of forms to sign (until then it was just lots of "little" stacks), and then the money actually gets transferred to the seller. You still don't own it though, as you have to wait a few days for title to be recorded, at which point then and only then do you own it and take possession.

Of course within the first couple of weeks after you own the house the pipes that passed inspection will blow out leaking sewage throughout your subfloor, the heater will fail during a snowstorm thanks to construction sawdust in a sensor, and you will discover that the wiring is totally unsuited to the full range of modern electronics you intend to plug in (at least when you dare run the microwave which is apparently on the same circuit as an entirely random set of rooms across the structure).

And in the above, I'm not convinced they are even "in escrow" yet. :)

[Relitner]

The Hollows. I loved it. Absolutely loved it. It's how I found my supergroup. We would go on "patrol" and fly around teleporting, buffing, healing ect folks trying to survive.

It also taught me very early on what aggrivating range was and how to avoid mobs. Also helped my main was illusion, love invis <3.

Auto corrected Agro to aggrivated range. I supose that works too.

Getting through the Hollows was like a graduation, of sorts. I loved playing lowbies through those arcs (before the refit). No matter how many times I played through Frostfire, I never got bored of it, hehe.  ;D

[Ohioknight]

I'm getting a mixed message there.   8)  Can't decide if you object to people lvling fast or not.

Yeah, that was really an unrelated note. 
My point was if you ARE concerned about game balance (I'm not really -- I'd rather slaughter with ease and laugh hysterically) then AE was a wild imbalance.  So if you were ever going to nerf anything you should nerf AE.  Personally, dumpster diving a whole map sounds absolutely awesome and a blast.

Though looked at as a story simulation, it seems to me like an "error" in the world -- one of the things that always bugged me in the game was being able to trash 5 guys in a large room of 5 groups and none of the others notice?  WTF are those thugs blind and deaf?  Do they think "ha, wimps! we're gonna let you get trashed and laugh and then WE'LL take out that so-called hero"?

[Relitner]

hey back in the early game , if you did it like back in issue 1-5 you  use to get the frostfire badge from beating him. Does anyone know why they stopped giving that badge out?

Correction no hollows in issue 1 so I should say at least 3-9 . BAck when you had debt at level 5

I don't recall a Frostfire badge.

[duane]

So if they have the code, even if it is "AS IS", isn't the deal done?

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=isource.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F09%2FQuestionMark_thumb.jpg

I think they are looking at the car, kicking the tires and asking about all the dents:  just don't drive it off the lot yet.

[Thirty-Seven]

Yep, pretty much.

Psi-on explained it well above too, "they" was NCSoft, not the new buyers.

[Sugoi]

I don't recall a Frostfire badge.

Neither do I, and I've done the Frostfire mission sooo many times... I remember running it 6 times in one day to help out others with it.  I just wonder if someone got the Troll Task Force Members Badge (the one you got for wasting 5 hours in the Hollows) at completion of a Frostfire run by coincidence.  Darn, the Paragon Wiki says that was awarded after 1 hour... curse those wimps!

While reading up on Frostfire, I noticed a mission from Miss Thystle that lets you help a Vigilante Frostfire become a hero...  Well, I know I've gotta run that when I get back to Paragon City!  Time to study up on the Alignment system!  Still lots in the game I never bothered with!

[Aggelakis]

Troll TF Member has been 1 hour since at least July 25, 2006, so I doubt it ever was 5 hours.

[Sugoi]

Maybe it just felt like 5 hours... but I could swear there was a progression timer to it that clicked at a 5 hour mark.  Well, either way that whole area did feel like a self-contained Task Force.

[lividya]

Though I've kept tabs on the three Plan Z projects, I've not visited the Titans Forums in a few months.  Reading these posts made my day.  If CoH were resurrected tomorrow, I would drop the cash for a subscription and take the week off (thank goodness for sabbatical) to play / relevel my nature defender.

[sindyr]

OK, I'm a noob.  I never ever never leveled a character from 1 to 50 in a single day.  I did it in a week, thank you rikti monkeys.

I don't get it - not that I have to, but here's my nickel or so:

I'm not an endgame person. Glacial pace, tiny incremental advancement, even the incarnate stuff, though it was cool, wasn't game changing.

What I loved was the journey from 0 to 50.

I say '0' becausse I would spend 2-3 weeks person even creating the character in CoX designing, doing MIDs work, posting ideas on forums, etc. Then what I thought the build was as perfected as it could be, I would make the character in game and start playing him.

At the beginning, I would look for farms to join, then I realized that being in a farm meant NOT playing CoX. Sure it was a fast way to level, but the game was the *experience* of going from 1 to 50 - why was I skipping that?

So I stopped farming, and starting having FUN with the 1-50 journey. Maybe it took me three months to get to 50, playing a few hours a day, and stopping every so often to IO up and stuff. But it was the MEAT of my CoXing. Then, as soon as I hit 50, I would shelve the character and start the process all over with a new design period for a brand new mechanical concept.

So I don't want to rocket to 50 - though I *do* want to see constant steady level progress. A journey isn't fun if it slows to a crawl either.

The leveling speed of CoX I thought was just about perfect. I could gain a level every few hours or so on average.

Anyways, not looking to dawdle to 50, but not looking to race to 5 either.

[Deadflame2]

I don't get it - not that I have to, but here's my nickel or so:

I'm not an endgame person. Glacial pace, tiny incremental advancement, even the incarnate stuff, though it was cool, wasn't game changing.

What I loved was the journey from 0 to 50.

I say '0' becausse I would spend 2-3 weeks person even creating the character in CoX designing, doing MIDs work, posting ideas on forums, etc. Then what I thought the build was as perfected as it could be, I would make the character in game and start playing him.

At the beginning, I would look for farms to join, then I realized that being in a farm meant NOT playing CoX. Sure it was a fast way to level, but the game was the *experience* of going from 1 to 50 - why was I skipping that?

So I stopped farming, and starting having FUN with the 1-50 journey. Maybe it took me three months to get to 50, playing a few hours a day, and stopping every so often to IO up and stuff. But it was the MEAT of my CoXing. Then, as soon as I hit 50, I would shelve the character and start the process all over with a new design period for a brand new mechanical concept.

So I don't want to rocket to 50 - though I *do* want to see constant steady level progress. A journey isn't fun if it slows to a crawl either.

The leveling speed of CoX I thought was just about perfect. I could gain a level every few hours or so on average.

Anyways, not looking to dawdle to 50, but not looking to race to 5 either.

This is what made CoX so fantastic.  I love to farm, whether solo or as part of a group.  I also love soloing just as much as teaming.  When I felt like farming, I could do so without impediment for the most part.  When I felt like playing through contacts etc, I could do that.  I had so many characters at different levels and at different points in the game, I always had something to do.  Out of everything, my favorite thing to do was herding.  Nothing like having massive mobs beating on your while you struggle to stay alive and AoE them to death! :D

As long as we have the option to play as we like, CoX or CoH2 will always be at the top of my games list.