New efforts!

[Waffles]

Dropping this here. http://youtu.be/IRiNFC-RH_A?list=UU79JfY8lJoPoNNyzGyTkToA

[Ryo Kinsaru]

Not frustrated, impatient, or anxious at all. No, really, not at all. I appreciate the concern but I really am okay. Seriously, don't worry. Now if you'll excuse me I think I will head back over to my corner and stare at my CoH poster while I finish chewing off my fingertips since the nails have been gone for a month.

P.S. - Anyone have any Band-Aids?

[rebel 1812]

Purchase the I.P. from them.

sure would you like to provide their contact info

[rebel 1812]

Last I heard, no they wouldn't (keep the IP).

from the other thread : "The proposal as it stands right now (this is not a final form, just the current proposal on the table) is this:

The CoH IP would be spun to its own company, to handle licensing. This company would itself license the existing engine from NCSoft for the creation of a maintenance mode, using a binary copy of the i23 server."

[rebel 1812]

Umm, no. AFAIK the main reason the current effort is under way IS to purchase the IP and transition the game from it's former engine to the Unreal 4. I've been out of the loop for a while so correct me if I'm wrong.

From the other thread : "The proposal as it stands right now (this is not a final form, just the current proposal on the table) is this:

The CoH IP would be spun to its own company, to handle licensing. This company would itself license the existing engine from NCSoft for the creation of a maintenance mode, using a binary copy of the i23 server."

[Shadowe]

How is a separate company that is not a subsidiary of NCSoft, which owns the IP, in any way NCSoft retaining the IP?

[Nyx Nought Nothing]

How is a separate company that is not a subsidiary of NCSoft, which owns the IP, in any way NCSoft retaining the IP?

A lack of reading comprehension or substituting baseless assumptions for actually reading the announcements turns it into NCsoft retaining the IP. At least those are the two most likely cases i can think of that would do it. The posts by Ironwolf, downix, and Irish_Girl certainly can't be interpreted that way without one of the two.

[skoogmik]

This is just a misunderstanding.  To clear it up, all we need to define what is what.  Here is my understanding of the situation:

NcSoft currently owns both the IP and the game engine of City of Heroes.

The IP is the COH characters, story lines, missions, city and character meshes and possibly the LUA scripts that sits on top of the game engine (used to alter the play of the game), and various miscellaneous files for actions, emotes, etc.

The Game Engine consists of the graphics engine, character controls and chat subsystem, Non Player Character artificial intelligence code, attacks and damage calculations,  games updates, etc, etc, etc.

The current effort is to buy the IP and lease the Game Engine to reboot the original game.  The leasing of the Game Engine will continue until the IP can move to the Unreal Engine. Te Unreal version will be COH 1.5.

This is my view of the situation.  If I'm incorrect, Irish Girl, please correct me.

[FloatingFatMan]

This is just a misunderstanding.  To clear it up, all we need to define what is what.  Here is my understanding of the situation:

NcSoft currently owns both the IP and the game engine of City of Heroes.

The IP is the COH characters, story lines, missions, city and character meshes and possibly the LUA scripts that sits on top of the game engine (used to alter the play of the game), and various miscellaneous files for actions, emotes, etc.

The Game Engine consists of the graphics engine, character controls and chat subsystem, Non Player Character artificial intelligence code, attacks and damage calculations,  games updates, etc, etc, etc.

The current effort is to buy the IP and lease the Game Engine to reboot the original game.  The leasing of the Game Engine will continue until the IP can move to the Unreal Engine. This will be COH 1.5.

This is my view of the situation.  If I'm incorrect, Irish Girl, please correct me.

An accurate  summary.  I really don't see how people are getting anything other than what you just said from the announcement.  It was pretty clear, after all.

I guess there's a lot of people who failed Reading 101...

[skoogmik]

An accurate  summary.  I really don't see how people are getting anything other than what you just said from the announcement.  It was pretty clear, after all.

I guess there's a lot of people who failed Reading 101...

Some of the people here may not understand the difference between IP and the Game Engine and from that confusion can happen. In this case, I don't believe the Reading 101 is the problem. Computer Science 101 is the required course.  ;)

[BadWolf]

An accurate  summary.  I really don't see how people are getting anything other than what you just said from the announcement.  It was pretty clear, after all.

I guess there's a lot of people who failed Reading 101...

I think we can probably correct people coming into the thread without insulting them, maybe? Not everyone's been following this the whole time, and probably they aren't all aware of the number of times some of these things have been hashed out by people slightly confused about the details of the announcements.

Not the biggest deal in the world, obviously, but it's not hard to leave those things off either.

[Ironwolf]

I was guilty of the same early on - so busy I didn't grok the full deal. Then I sat down and looked at what is happening.

NCSoft won't sell the full game code. That means the entire thing with notes, developers tools, 25 - 8x10 color glossy photos and 4 part harmony. It is likely because the Cryptic or NCSoft code is used in multiple games and it may allow people to potentially do back things to other games - that NCSoft may or may not own.

So the way around that was to get a snapshot of the servers as they were at closing time. This disk image can then be used to restore the game to its last state. Character data is unlikely to be available - right now at the start - if it appears later, I can see real problems with it showing up 6 months later and having to overwrite someone else who may have that name in all innocence.

Then to handle the IP, NCSoft is setting up an Independent Holding Company - whose job is to lease the IP to other users for fees negotiated for such purposes.

Once this is all in place, the game will return Independent of MWM (CoT), APR (CoH 1.5) or any other party currently out there.

The Original (Vintage) CoH will start up and people can play it.
APR will lease the CoH IP at some point and will be the group continuing development of the CoH franchise.
Others may lease the IP for shirts, marketing materials and publications.

You can see there are a LOT of moving parts in this deal. I am curious who is slated to run the Original game and what start up costs for players they had in mind and if the store will be in operation. If the store is in place with a let's say $29.99 buyer gets all badges and stuff, all AT's unlocked and maybe choice of 10 veteran rewards............I would think that is very reasonable.

Then you can buy whatever else you need from the store and the game makes enough to stay running perpetually and that was always our goal - to keep it running as long as possible.

[Shadowe]

I think we can probably correct people coming into the thread without insulting them, maybe? Not everyone's been following this the whole time, and probably they aren't all aware of the number of times some of these things have been hashed out by people slightly confused about the details of the announcements.

Not the biggest deal in the world, obviously, but it's not hard to leave those things off either.

I would generally agree, but there's a difference between not understanding and directly quoting the bit that says the IP will be spun off into its own company twice in succession in a thread as "proof" that NCSoft will still own it.

[LaughingAlex]

I was guilty of the same early on - so busy I didn't grok the full deal. Then I sat down and looked at what is happening.

NCSoft won't sell the full game code. That means the entire thing with notes, developers tools, 25 - 8x10 color glossy photos and 4 part harmony. It is likely because the Cryptic or NCSoft code is used in multiple games and it may allow people to potentially do back things to other games - that NCSoft may or may not own.

So the way around that was to get a snapshot of the servers as they were at closing time. This disk image can then be used to restore the game to its last state. Character data is unlikely to be available - right now at the start - if it appears later, I can see real problems with it showing up 6 months later and having to overwrite someone else who may have that name in all innocence.

Then to handle the IP, NCSoft is setting up an Independent Holding Company - whose job is to lease the IP to other users for fees negotiated for such purposes.

Once this is all in place, the game will return Independent of MWM (CoT), APR (CoH 1.5) or any other party currently out there.

The Original (Vintage) CoH will start up and people can play it.
APR will lease the CoH IP at some point and will be the group continuing development of the CoH franchise.
Others may lease the IP for shirts, marketing materials and publications.

You can see there are a LOT of moving parts in this deal. I am curious who is slated to run the Original game and what start up costs for players they had in mind and if the store will be in operation. If the store is in place with a let's say $29.99 buyer gets all badges and stuff, all AT's unlocked and maybe choice of 10 veteran rewards............I would think that is very reasonable.

Then you can buy whatever else you need from the store and the game makes enough to stay running perpetually and that was always our goal - to keep it running as long as possible.

So if they are the ones setting up the independent holding company, would they be able to shut that down later(and the CoH IP)?

[Fridgy Daiere]

That means the entire thing with notes, developers tools, 25 - 8x10 color glossy photos and 4 part harmony.

You forgot the circles and arrows on the back of each one explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against us...but you made me smile at the reference!   ;)

Of course, that song is stuck in my head now, and it's not even Thanksgiving yet!

[Ironwolf]

So if they are the ones setting up the independent holding company, would they be able to shut that down later(and the CoH IP)?

Not a clue. Since they are selling the IP - I assume NCSoft won't own it.

[LaughingAlex]

Not a clue. Since they are selling the IP - I assume NCSoft won't own it.

I see.  It's something that a friend of mine worries about.  We'll have to see then at this point.  In the meantime i'll still be pre-alpha testing VO on and off as I await news.

[FloatingFatMan]

Then to handle the IP, NCSoft is setting up an Independent Holding Company - whose job is to lease the IP to other users for fees negotiated for such purposes.

This is new news, AFAIK.

Not a clue. Since they are selling the IP - I assume NCSoft won't own it.

If NCSoft are setting up the "Independent holding company", it will not be independent.

[Aggelakis]

Then to handle the IP, NCSoft is setting up an Independent Holding Company

Uh, no. NCsoft is selling the IP to Nate & company. Nate & company are setting up an independent company.

[LaughingAlex]

Uh, no. NCsoft is selling the IP to Nate & company. Nate & company are setting up an independent company.

Thanks for clearing that up :).  This, is exactly what I was hoping to hear.