Voices

[Segev]

Thanks for the story/explanation. I figured there were Very Good Reasons; I was just curious what they were because, well, I like understanding things. ^^

I still can't read fanfic of my own oeuvre, which makes me sad.  But as the lawsuits against Stephen King and Jo Rowling have proved, you have to be able to rigorously prove you never saw someone else's unpublished stuff when they sue you for "stealing their idea."  But I am very, very glad that people can write their fanfic and share it now. 

...this is tragic.

Is there no way you can structure the Creative Commons license you use such that fanfic authors automatically release all material they use that includes your work in such a way that you are legally free and clear to use it, perhaps considered to "hold a non-exclusive but irrevocable license" to any "original ideas" expressed in fanfic using your work?

That would, if there aren't still more legal issues of which I'm unaware (and yes, I know there probably are), mean any fanfic writer who tried to turn around and demand "full collaboration" rights would have to either open themselves up to counter-suit for violating your IP by using it without a license, or acknowledge that they used the license you gave out and thus you have full right to use their work however you want.

There are other writers who don't want anyone messing with their world and characters (some have even described a feeling like "being raped" when they discovered there was fanfic about their stuff.  On the one hand, I kind of sympathize...but there is no way short of inventing mind control that any writer is ever going to be able to control what happens to his book, world, or characters once the manuscript leaves his hands.  So IMHO, I think you ought to just pull on your adult pants, face up to that, and wave goodbye to your book as it heads out into the world.  You did your best by it, you tried to make things clear, you gave it the best start in life that you could, but it's on its own now, and you can either make yourself crazy by trying and failing to keep control, or you can do the smart thing and go on to the next book.

I can somewhat understand this, too. I imagine it's at least a bit uncomfortable for Ms. Rowling to hear about/see/read/whatever fanfics involving her characters engaged in...shall we say morally questionable and perhaps pornographic activities?

Especially the authors who consider their characters in some way to be "family." I mean, we get up in arms over some of the ways family members of prominent public figures get treated just by the media, let alone if "fanfic" authors were to write them into morally-objectionable or horrific situations.

(I'm reminded of a Supernatural sequence of episodes wherein the main characters discovered that their in-universe exploits were the subject of an in-universe novel series, and that a fanfic authoress enjoyed writing sexually explicit versions of "brotherly love." They were rather creeped out.)

Anyway. All I'm saying is, I can understand this concern of some authors, but yeah, the only mature way to handle it is to accept it will happen and move on, ignoring it to the best of your ability. Console yourself that it's not canon.

[Victoria Victrix]

I have been debating the various options I have in writing the third part of this series. I will not be getting into specifics, but I believe it is time that I put my education to its fullest use.

I hold in my hands the weight of more than five thousand years of culture and history. And I am more then willing to throw it.

Some of this is theoretical original research that I've been working on for the better part of a decade, and other parts are simple curiosity.

I am sure that you will find the results promise to be quite.... explosive.

This sounds like something Jim Duncan would link to and quote.

[Rotten Luck]

Rest assured I would never write fan fiction.  I feel it's to much like trying to improve a master piece only the original Artiest can give it justice.  Sure I can write something but be just as easy to change names and locations if the Story I write as a Fanfic can stand on it's own then why write the fan fic at all.

[Terwyn]

This sounds like something Jim Duncan would link to and quote.

Yes, I expect collating my notes and thoughts will take until at least the weekend. If you take a look at the "About" page on my blog, one of the things it explicitly states is the reason why I chose the name Missing Worlds. I'll reproduce it here:

The name Missing Worlds is intended to evoke a sense of mystery and curiosity, for every book, and every film, contains within it an entire narrative world. Due to the increasingly fast pace of North American society, many people simply do not have the time to read, or otherwise indulge in entertainment media. In short, people are missing out on these worlds.

To basically define just what it is that I am going to be doing, I am going to take a page from Robert J. Sawyer's handbook and talk of what makes City of Heroes both "grandly cosmic" and "profoundly human." I will talk of why some stories have lasting power, why learning is a weapon, and most importantly, the importance of how City of Heroes helped us all to seek a better world.

This will be very.... difficult. I will quote Gilgamesh, I will quote Tolkien. I will even quote the original writings of Hippocrates himself, if I must. The simple point of the matter is that the City of Heroes has been a *home* for many of us, and a medicine for others. A gateway to make our lives richer, and a means by which we could connect to something more noble than ourselves. A spark of divinity, if one chooses to believe in that possibility. If not, then merely a spark of hope... a hope that everything will work out in the end. I will, in essence, talk of why we have had heroes for as long as we have been human.

But, of course, as a best-selling author, you know the rules of Story better than I.... and why it is important for people to believe in their *own* narrative.

[Ironwolf]

Here is a quote that I actually try to live by:

Never violate a woman, nor harm a child. Do not lie, cheat or steal. These things are for lesser men. Protect the weak against the evil strong. And never allow thoughts of gain to lead you into the persuit of evil.

David Gemmel from Druss the Legend

[Rotten Luck]

I live by "Never underestimate the stupidity of others.  Even the smartest of us would do something dumb."  This can be taken many ways, mine is that thought a person can be smart from time to time they will do something stupid.  A moment of distraction, or just lack of knowledge could lead to a stupid moment.  For example closing one of the most popular Superhero MMO...

[healix]

There is something to be learned from a rainstorm.
When meeting with a sudden shower,
you try not to get wet and run quickly along the road.
But doing such things as passing under the eaves of houses, you still get wet.
When you are resolved from the beginning, you will not be perplexed,
though you still get the same soaking.
This understanding extends to everything.

[Terwyn]

Here's the current draft of the third part.

Voices from Paragon, Part III – The City's Culture

Last week, Mercedes Lackey talked of how cooperative storytelling is a great deal more fun and is often more rewarding for both the reader and the writers than a story told by a single person. I have had a great love of studying the history of storytelling for some time, trying to trace its origins and finding out why our species started telling stories to each other in the first place. There is a reason why several of my favourite tales are from the ancient world, ranging from the Epic of Gilgamesh to Aesop's Fables.

As indicated by the first post in this series, I am a player of City of Heroes, and am functioning as a chronicler of the resistance to NCSoft's move to close the game. The greatest efforts are centred on the preservation of our community, and through that, the culture of the game. As a result of the introduction of the Mission Architect, thousands of players were able to bring their own tales to life within the context of City of Heroes, alongside guest authors such as Mercedes Lackey, who needs no introduction, and Scott Kurtz, the author and creator of the excellent web comic, PVP, who also created a brief comic that shipped with the original boxed game in 2004.

Estimates of the total number of arcs created for the MA system vary, but comparisons to the late Great Library of Alexandria have been thrown around in the past. Given that the population of player characters has been estimated to exceed the population of that of my own country, there is much to be said for City of Heroes' explosive impact on the creativity of its players, especially in regards to the mind-boggling number of possible unique character costumes.

While the metrics are impressive, they pale in comparison to the actual impact the game has on the psychology and mental well-being of its players. As stated by a player known as Rottweiler,

I've been a part of City of Heroes since 2003. Pre-beta.

I'm a geek; lover of RPGs, sci-fi, comics, wrestling, you name it. The very concept of this game -- the very possibility it would exist -- was so exciting. The forums were buzzing with so much creativity. Heroes were born, relationships formed, and stories unfolded, spreading from thread to thread like a wildfire. In our hearts and minds, this world was already as big as Marvel and DC before we saw one pixel of Paragon City. I think a huge factor in the development and success of the game was that Cryptic (and later Paragon) Studios heard us and felt the same way... they were just as excited and in love with the concept of that world.

The only way I can describe my first experience of walking the streets of Paragon City is to say it was my teen pen-and-paper days all over again.

...oh, and I. GOT. TO. FLY. Circling around skycrapers! The first moment I dropped down in the middle of a group of Skulls and cleared them out in a flurry of punches... I don't think it ever got old. It was that stupid Real Life thing that pulled me away from the game. I still stayed in touch with my teammates. They became a family of sorts. I never got that from Everquest -- or any other game before or since. Hell, here it is nearly 10 years later! I still keep in touch with a bunch of the guys I build these characters with pre-Beta, even after a few months on, then off, and then repeat.

City of Heroes is older than World of Warcraft, and has cohesion in its player base which I have not found to be matched anywhere within the gaming world. Like Rottweiler, I find that the ability to fly in game is the attribute that I will most remember once the game is gone, be it at the end of this month or years in the future. There is a reason why my primary character in the game will be parked in the far reaches of the desolate dimension known as the Shadow Shard, taking up a meditative solace at the heart of the Storm Palace for all eternity.

Rottweiler's descriptions of why he started to play the game is a very strong indication that this is not just a community that was born through a game, this is a community that shaped its own world. It was not unheard of for Paragon Studios to recruit from the player base, nor was it uncommon for the developers of the game to don an anonymous disguise to play with friends. Though our efforts are focused on saving our game, we also viewed it as a priority to find some way to keep our family of developers together. No matter whom I ask; if given the choice of saving the game or saving Paragon Studios, the answer was nearly always the same: Save the studio.

I don't think any developers were as much loved as those at Paragon. If any of them are reading this, know that where-ever any of you go; some remnant of our community will always follow. My brother started playing Star Trek Online only minutes after learning the beloved developer known as "Dr. Aeon" was snapped up by Cryptic, and I doubt he was the only one.

JWBullfrog, another player, had an equally similar perspective on the game. When asked why he played, he answered:

Why do I play? If you had asked me that question six years ago I'm not sure I could have answered it. I was never much into video games, I had an ancient (for the time) computer, and I had much more important things that demanded my attention. Yet, there was...something... that kept bringing me back time and again. I now know what that something is.

I had the freedom to be whoever I wanted, do whatever I wanted to do, go wherever I wanted to go. I could leap tall buildings, I could fly, I could throw fire or control minds or defeat a dozen foes at once. I was, in short, a hero. I was the star of the greatest story in the world and, to make it even better, I found people who loved it as much as I did. I made friends with people from all corners of the planet.

Over the last six years, I've tried other games. Some were good, some were not, but none of them were home. Paragon City is my city, my home.

That is why I play.

Many others have stated that after City of Heroes is done, they will no longer be involved with the MMO genre. I have debated becoming one of them, but for numerous reasons have concluded that I would be betraying the principle of community that this game has taught me. Far too many of us are better off having experienced this sense of community to stay away. We must go to where our friends are. We must return home. If not Paragon City, then perhaps to another faraway place, as we can, and we will, find some way for our community to survive. That is why we resist.

Our local videographer, Samuraiko, made a fantastic video to remember our beloved city, saying:

I play CITY OF HEROES because it allows me to express creativity in ways I'd not considered - and I've considered a LOT. Character biographies, costumes, stories, and videos - it has been an outlet for me in so many forms. It rescued me from writer's block and stifled creativity that was slowly killing my spirit. Not just that - it has been entertainment for my husband and me when we couldn't afford anything else. It has brought new friends into my life, both online and in the real world. It has helped me develop and further my professional skills as a writer and videographer. And it has allowed me to make people laugh, cry, cheer, and celebrate our game through the videos and stories I've created as a result.

COH is not just a game; for me, it's a way of life, and a way to LIVE.

To many outside of the Paragon community, our actions and efforts seem extreme, as to them City of Heroes is just a game. I know many players who abandoned City of Heroes for Champions Online shortly after it had launched, decrying the game as a poor substitute for those who "truly love comic books." I, on the other hand, find Champions Online's design render it a game virtually unplayable.

City of Heroes, on the other hand, with its minimally intrusive design, had a beautifully integrated environment, filled with extraordinary detail paid to the background, that most never even noticed until it was directly pointed out. I greatly agree with Samuraiko's statements as it has improved my ability to communicate in general, it has helped me fine-tune my creative process, and most importantly, it has given me friends from around the world.

City of Heroes is no game. It is a community. It shall remain a community long after the servers go dark, because we carry with us the spirit of heroism.

Heroes may die, but heroism never shall.

I want to add more about the history of storytelling, but I worry if I do that, I won't stop. So I changed it from my original intent. Thoughts?

[Mentalshock]

Save that for Part IV.

[Victoria Victrix]

I'd say this needs to be a series that takes as long as it takes.

[Terwyn]

I'd say this needs to be a series that takes as long as it takes.

That was my precise intention. If I do it once per week, I can probably run it until March.

[Terwyn]

Part III is now live!

[Terwyn]

Here is how I start Part IV (titled "Consequences"):

"Confront them with annihilation, and they will then survive; plunge them into a deadly situation, and they will then live. When people fall into danger, they are then able to strive for victory."
~Sun Tzu

[Terwyn]

Here is the first draft of Part IV. I hope to have rigorous citation of the statements I have made - help in locating them would be greatly appreciated. I have marked the points at which I would hope to provide links as evidence, but have not been able to locate sources I find suitable.


----
Voices from Paragon, Part IV – Consequences

"Confront them with annihilation, and they will then survive; plunge them into a deadly situation, and they will then live. When people fall into danger, they are then able to strive for victory."
~Sun Tzu

November 30th is rapidly approaching, and with it the shutdown of City of Heroes. Our online home is threatened with annihilation. Our characters are threatened with a situation that has death as the only outcome. More importantly, our community is in danger of dissolution. And yet, still we make noise; still we fight on. It is a virtual certainty that we will not be able to win this conflict; we will not be able to save our City. However, it is also true that it is not possible for us to lose. The only losing move is to not go on, and that mindset is foreign and repulsive to us.

We are heroes. This is what we do. We are also villains. This, also, is what we do.

It is known that City of Heroes is not the first game to be shuttered under the watch of NCSoft. Auto Assault, Dungeon Runners, Exteel, and Tabula Rasa were all victims of similar decisions. Each time, NCSoft offered opportunities to play other NCSoft Products. Curiously, many of those same games which players were directed to as a replacement are now shut down as well. By count, NCSoft is now responsible for shutting down a third of all MMOs that have gone offline.*

At the time of its cancellation, City of Heroes was, according to long-time developer Matt Miller, known affectionately as Positron to the player base, "the largest and most active MMO ever shutdown." (Post link to Posi Podcast here) Unlike other games shutdown by NCSoft, there has been no conciliatory measure or direction towards new NCSoft titles, nor was there an indication that the game was failing due to low subscriber numbers or lack of revenue. Even the timing of the announcement is cause for suspicion, as it occurred the Friday of Labour Day weekend just after Guild Wars 2 was released.

Now, I have heard from reliable source that the price tag NCSoft has set for the City of Heroes IP - which may or may not include the actual code, and would certainly not include the studio and its developers, as that has already ceased to exist – is $80 million US. This number is very fascinating, as according to an audit found in NCSoft's own documents, they internally value their collective IP library, both what is live and no longer active, at about $2 million. (Post link to audit here)

Evidentially, the price they quoted was so that they gave every appearance of being willing to sell the City of Heroes IP without ever actually having the intention of selling. The shrewd investor would find it extremely prudent to ask why this is the case, especially considering that the same source which provided the price tag also clarified that the October 2nd message from NCSoft was a second draft. The first draft would have been issued from Paragon Studios itself. I believe that this is not the first time NCSoft has behaved in this fashion. (Cite Garriott incident here)

Needless to say, its previous actions have had significant consequences, and its continuing actions will have consequences of their own. One major consequence that was recently revealed is the fact that under the leadership of editor Jordan Royce, himself a player of City of heroes, the long-running science fiction and gaming magazine Starburst will be instituting a boycott of NCSoft products in protest of the closure. This boycott is total, extending not only from NCSoft's games, but to advertisements as well. (link to announcement here)

Now, it is possible that NCSoft expects our opposition to disintegrate after November 30th, as our cause will no longer have its anchoring point. They would be wrong in this conclusion, as the fact that the game is still online allows for a negotiated settlement to take place, in which the game and its IP are handed over to a party that will treat it with the dedication and respect it deserves. After November 30th, when the game is gone, the gloves will come off. To borrow a page from history, after Poland was overrun in the Second World War, they still managed to field one of the largest allied forces in the entire war, and garnered a reputation of being highly effective shock troops.

Given such comparable history, it seems quite probable that the City of Heroes community is a clear and persistent reminder to the game industry that there are standards that need to be kept in regards to community management and public relations. We have, despite repeated measures to clarify our demands, received no significant answer. We care more about knowing the truth about why our game is being shut down and the studio dismantled than we do about keeping the game online. After all, if the IP can be transferred to a more reasonable authority, we would have no real need to continue our campaign.

I have found it quite interesting how similar the basic rules of marketing and public relations are to the concept of psychological warfare and propaganda, as in all cases the goal is to influence a target audience's attitudes, perceptions, emotions, and behaviour regarding a subject, be it a simple product that a company wishes to build interest in, or a long-term persistent campaign against an intractable foe. In this particular case, those of us in the City of Heroes community are doing both.

What further consequences will there be as a result of the current affairs? It is observed that NCSoft's stock price on the Korean exchange is now down 30% (Post link to stock here) from its value on August 31st, and it is also noted that despite the message of October 2nd, there has been unceasing effort to keep pressure on NCSoft. The decision of Starburst is only the most recent consequence, and it is certain that it will not be the last. Given that Starburst's circulation is significant, the potential loss of exposure and loss of face that NCSoft stands to experience should not be discounted.

I fully suspect that as matters continue, other gaming magazines will note the disgraceful manner in which NCSoft has handled the matter of City of Heroes. Those of us from the western world pride ourselves on directness and clarity, neither of which has been provided by NCSoft, as they have simply left their reasons for terminating City of Heroes as mere buzzwords. (link to initial shutdown announcement and announcement of October 2nd)

I do not believe I shall ever trust the company with my money again.

---

Any and all suggestions for improving this post as well as optimizing it for search engine purposes would be very greatly appreciated.

[Ammon]

I'll add a few points of suggestions a little later, when I have more time (will try to do so within the next 48 hrs).  However, the very first thing that leaps out at me as a marketer is to think "What is the author trying to achieve with this?".

It really helps in any kind of article to have a clear idea of what you want your article to elicit from the reader.  Obvious goals can vary from subscribing to future news or further info, through to following a specific action be that making a comment, clicking a link, or referring others to the post.  I'd strongly suggest thinking a little about what you'd like the reader to do after reading the article, and then 'sell' that action somewhat, lead them to it, and finish on a call to action.

[Terwyn]

I'll add a few points of suggestions a little later, when I have more time (will try to do so within the next 48 hrs).  However, the very first thing that leaps out at me as a marketer is to think "What is the author trying to achieve with this?".

It really helps in any kind of article to have a clear idea of what you want your article to elicit from the reader.  Obvious goals can vary from subscribing to future news or further info, through to following a specific action be that making a comment, clicking a link, or referring others to the post.  I'd strongly suggest thinking a little about what you'd like the reader to do after reading the article, and then 'sell' that action somewhat, lead them to it, and finish on a call to action.

I recently graduated from a marketing program in June '11, so I'm aware of that particular aspect. However, since this is only the first draft and was written in a primarily flow-of-thought method, I haven't been looking at it from that particular perspective. So far my only goal has been to record and distribute information, as I have been building up to the general call to action with the entire series.

I suppose it would be greatly more effective to engage in consistent repetition as opposed to trying to build momentum through mass quantity. I have, after all, grown to greatly value quality over quantity, since high quality arguments are vastly more unique and more effective than simply dominating the podium through noise. I'll definitely put thought into it over the weekend.

[Atlantea]

I believe the words of Sir Winston are most apt here:

If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack!

- Sir Winston Churchill



The only thing in question here is - what is the specific point? You've already "set the stage" with the other articles - this one has to be the "tremendous whack!" You've been setting up the story for people who may not have heard about City of Heroes, much less played it.

Gamers you can assume have a good chance of knowing the most basic facts, and the article expands on them from our side (since NCSoft isn't interested in telling their side) So you've done a good job at both general and specific set up. You've painted the picture of our community. What's at stake. You've described as best we can, given the limited information we have available, what NCSoft has done.

NCSoft could close those other games with the "fig leaf" of "they weren't profitable" or they were losing money, and even gamers with no business sense whatsoever can understand that reasoning. But this time things are far different.

Whether it was a million, 2 million, or 10 million dollars - the simple fact remains - City of Heroes was in the black and had NEVER lost money based on it's own sales and subscriptions. So right from the start - that fig leaf is GONE.

CoH had 8 years to develop a tight community. Something else those other games never had the chance or time to develop.

NCSoft did not take those simple facts into account. They apparently simply followed their old pattern of closing down a game when they thought the time was right for whatever inscrutable reasons they have failed to communicate. But given the above, that was a monumental error.

Whether it was from incompetence or sheer bloody-mindedness no longer matters. The deed is done, and the consequences must follow. Both to us and to them. The consequences to us are more than clear. They are inescapable.

The consequences to NCSoft - that's where we have our power and our say.


The biggest consequence of all is losing trust. Most companies dread losing trust - for without trust, money dries up.

Trust of the customer.

Trust from Development Studios that are looking for a company to join in order to see their vision turned to reality.

Trust in dealings with other businesses.

And all it takes for them to pay the consequences is for enough people to know what they have done. That's all. We can suggest a boycott (which you deftly refer to Starburst having done without actually calling for it in the article). But ultimately it comes down to a simple choice.

As a gamer, do you trust this company with your money?

As a Game Developing Studio, would you want these people to own you and your IP?

As a business, would you want to deal with people who seemingly make nonsensical decisions in a market they don't understand and are too prideful to admit it or change their views? Do you want to do business with a company and CEO who don't make decisions based on an easily understandable criteria? And who won't communicate with their studios or customers?

Don't even say - "They don't get my money."  Just ask those questions at the end or something like them and let the readers draw their own conclusions.


The "tremendous WHACK" should be a simple question posed to the gaming industry as a whole, gamers, developers and businessmen at the tops of that industry all rolled into one.

Do you TRUST NCSoft?

[Terwyn]

Actually, this one isn't intended to be the last one just yet.

[Atlantea]

Ah ok. How many more do you think you've got to go?

I hope my thoughts are still useful nevertheless.

[Terwyn]

Ah ok. How many more do you think you've got to go?

I hope my thoughts are still useful nevertheless.

I can certainly keep this up indefinitely. Enough to make a big headache for NCSoft, at least.

The catch is to avoid repeating myself unnecessarily.

I have a voice, therefore I have a right to be heard.