Company Public Relations

[Hazard]

So, like many I'm angered by the announcement that CoX will be closed.

While I can appreciate how difficult it might be to pull the plug on an MMO, CoX really strikes me as a unique product. Something that had it's own portion of the market.

I understand that negotiations direction with NCSoft seem to result in silence. However, I thought it might be worthwhile to see what other companies have to say.

We could attempt talking to Funcom, Bioware or Blizzard, and seeing if we could get an official comment on that. Give them an opportunity to get one-up on NCSoft.

Maybe a public chastising by their peers might show that us protesters have a valid point to be made. Would Blizzard, Bioware or Funcom surrender a profitable MMO with an incredibly close community? Would they sunset it without any work to their loyal fans and customers? Do they think that any other game out there offers the flexibility that City of Heroes does? Do they think that the closure of CoX might represent an open place in the market to design products for?

Those are the kinds of the questions we want to ask. To illustrate the mis-step that's been taken by NCSoft.

I hope this idea has some merit.  I really just want to save our city.

~HAZARD

[downix]

So, like many I'm angered by the announcement that CoX will be closed.

While I can appreciate how difficult it might be to pull the plug on an MMO, CoX really strikes me as a unique product. Something that had it's own portion of the market.

I understand that negotiations direction with NCSoft seem to result in silence. However, I thought it might be worthwhile to see what other companies have to say.

We could attempt talking to Funcom, Bioware or Blizzard, and seeing if we could get an official comment on that. Give them an opportunity to get one-up on NCSoft.

Maybe a public chastising by their peers might show that us protesters have a valid point to be made. Would Blizzard, Bioware or Funcom surrender a profitable MMO with an incredibly close community? Would they sunset it without any work to their loyal fans and customers? Do they think that any other game out there offers the flexibility that City of Heroes does? Do they think that the closure of CoX might represent an open place in the market to design products for?

Those are the kinds of the questions we want to ask. To illustrate the mis-step that's been taken by NCSoft.

I hope this idea has some merit.  I really just want to save our city.

~HAZARD

I recall SoE said something, but cannot recall what now.

[eabrace]

I recall SoE said something, but cannot recall what now.

SoE very specifically said (paraphrased), "Whoever said we were looking into acquiring CoH was full of it.  We're not interested."

[DrakeGrimm]

SoE very specifically said (paraphrased), "Whoever said we were looking into acquiring CoH was full of it.  We're not interested."

Thank god. I'd rather have EA running this thing than SOE. And that says something. :P

[ohms]

Thank god. I'd rather have EA running this thing than SOE. And that says something. :P

I dunno, lately they seem to be doing more things right than wrong (edit: SOE that is).

[dwturducken]

Funcom laid off half their worldwide staff.  Not sure that indicates they're in the market for a new property.

[DrakeGrimm]

Funcom laid off half their worldwide staff.  Not sure that indicates they're in the market for a new property.

Funcom has too many resources tied into TSW right now to be looking at another IP. I just really hope TSW doesn't fail, too. :(

[dwturducken]

I have pressure from my Friday night group to try SW, as a couple of them were in the closed Beta.  Given the company lay-offs, the general downward trend in MMO subscribership, and now the CoH debacle, I'm not committing a monthly subscription fee to someone else's MMO.

[DrakeGrimm]

I have pressure from my Friday night group to try SW, as a couple of them were in the closed Beta.  Given the company lay-offs, the general downward trend in MMO subscribership, and now the CoH debacle, I'm not committing a monthly subscription fee to someone else's MMO.

At least play the 3-day trial? Pretty please?

[Vulpy]

Funcom has too many resources tied into TSW right now to be looking at another IP. I just really hope TSW doesn't fail, too. :(

I wanted to like TSW. I really did. It's looking like my next stop if things fall through here. And I sincerely do believe that Funcom wouldn't be a half-bad publisher for CoH.

[ukaserex]

It saddens me to say, but given what I read on the Nexon stock report, MMOs -- unless they are using a free to play business model - - are likely a thing of the past. They didn't come out and say it, but my "reading between the lines" made me think that MMOs are going to be extinct soon, at least for most companies.

Of course, I could be wrong - it certainly wouldn't be the first time or last time. (and I hope I am!)

[Moonfyire101]

I've contacted Aeria and Blizzard.

Aeria said they are aware of the situation but at this time they can't.

Blizzard said they read their forums so get people to post on their forums in the games, gaming and hardware section and they'll see. So if alot of people don't post, they know it's not that popular and they won't concider it. If you have a blizzard account post! Please! Make a new thread, call it anything you want just do it and link it to everyone you know.

My fince contacted Valve, no word back from them but they would be good too.

Oh, and Phosphor but no word from them either.

[Victoria Victrix]

What about Turbine?  They've kept Asheron's Call alive (with updates) forever.  If Brian's deal falls through, they might be a great backup plan. 

[Vulpy]

What about Turbine?  They've kept Asheron's Call alive (with updates) forever.  If Brian's deal falls through, they might be a great backup plan.

I hadn't thought of AC's old developer. But, yeah, they know how to keep a venerable franchise alive.

[eabrace]

I hadn't thought of AC's old developer. But, yeah, they know how to keep a venerable franchise alive.

They've also done exceptionally well with the F2P concept with DDO.

[Victoria Victrix]

Well if anyone has any contacts with Turbine...it can't hurt to approach them.  While I HIGHLY doubt we could crowdfund a million dollars, we might be able to crowdfund something to help them to buy it.

[The-Hunter-JLJ]

Hmmmn. I played DDO quite a bit for a while. The thought of trusting that particular band of developers with CoH is not a happy-making thought. But any port in a storm, I guess.

[Victoria Victrix]

Hmmmn. I played DDO quite a bit for a while. The thought of trusting that particular band of developers with CoH is not a happy-making thought. But any port in a storm, I guess.

Remember: as long as we have AE/MA, we are not constrained by their updates (or lack of them).  We can make our own awesome arcs.  That's something no other MMORPG has in the arsenal.

And yes, I will.  Even though sometimes I have gone outside and deliberately smashed crockery after wrestling with Dr Aeon's Machiavellian and stubborn creation for hours.

[The-Hunter-JLJ]

Remember: as long as we have AE/MA, we are not constrained by their updates (or lack of them).  We can make our own awesome arcs.  That's something no other MMORPG has in the arsenal.

And yes, I will.  Even though sometimes I have gone outside and deliberately smashed crockery after wrestling with Dr Aeon's Machiavellian and stubborn creation for hours.

True as far as it goes. BUT... DDO especially at the upper levels and the overly-vaunted "endgame" is a raid-fest, pure and simple. Which to some people is what MMOs are all about, and quite clearly the devoted fans of DDO think that's just fine. More power to 'em. Just not where I think CoH should be headed, as I said rather strenuously in the official forums when the iTrials first started becoming public.

My other complaint about the Turbine development team is they have no qualms at all about blithely redesigning major system elements with very little care for how disruptive their new introductions are going to be. Think of upheavals on the order of E.D. every issue or so.

I'm an old D&D player from WAY back, and still have an active campaign, albeit in an online shared creative writing format now rather than traditional tabletop. But I finally just couldn't take the constant rules churn any more. You just plain didn' t know from one update to another whether your existing character was going to continue to be viable or need a complete redesign from the ground up. Fine for the rules lawyers and the min-max crowd, kind of irritating if you tried to work the history, capabilities, and achievements of your character into a coherent roleplaying background.

[DrakeGrimm]

Remember: as long as we have AE/MA, we are not constrained by their updates (or lack of them).  We can make our own awesome arcs.  That's something no other MMORPG has in the arsenal.

And yes, I will.  Even though sometimes I have gone outside and deliberately smashed crockery after wrestling with Dr Aeon's Machiavellian and stubborn creation for hours.

...the horrible truth...AE is Dr Aeon's final horrible weapon against heroes--and villains--everywhere. ;)