The end of an era

[TonyV]

[Originally posted on the official forums, but reposted here for when they're taken offline.]

Hey all,

So I want to start off by saying that no, I am not giving up on keeping City of Heroes alive.  Nevertheless, there's no denying that tomorrow marks the end of an era in our community.  It's the last time we'll all be together, really together, in this crazy crew of people we call the City of Heroes community.  The official forums will shut down, the official Twitch.tv, YouTube, Facebook, and other social media outlets will be gone, and while I'd like to think that most people have moved over to the Titan Network, realistically I know that most people probably have either already moved on or will soon to something else.  Nevertheless, I said that there are a lot of options to chase even after the game shuts down, and I mean it.  The intellectual property (IP) that is City of Heroes will never cease to exist, and no matter how firmly NCsoft believes that it won't sell it, things can ALWAYS change, and indeed, frequently do.  So please, do NOT give up hope.  This is merely the end of one stage of our plans and the beginning of another.

Still, knowing that we're so close to the forums here shutting down, and probably having the largest audience I will have for a while, I wanted to say a few remarks about the game, its people, and some of my own personal thoughts and feelings.

Belle

First and foremost, I must start by saying to Belle, if there is one thing that I am more sorry about than anything else, it is that I have not able to come through for you yet.  Most folks know this (and others are still hopelessly confused by it), but in 2005 I created the Taxibot Belle character based on a long-time real-life friend of mine.  She's eternally optimistic, unwaveringly loyal, friendly to a fault, and when I ran across some random Taxibot whose name I've long since forgotten one night who helped me out, I thought it would be a fitting tribute to her to have a character in the game.  When she found out about it, she thought it was really cute and clever.  I got more involved with the Taxis, helping to run the Infinity group for a long time.

Around 2007, I decided I wanted to do other stuff and started playing less.  As I was playing less, though, she was playing that character more.  It finally got to the point where I gave her the account and started playing my characters (yes, starting the game pretty much from scratch in the process) on a test account I had set up a while back for Paragon Wiki stuff.  She took to the character like nothing I'd ever seen.  In real life, Belle is extremely shy and extremely private.  In game, she was the opposite, by far one of the most outgoing people I've ever seen.  She helped literally thousands of players in various ways.

I once showed her how to check people's veteran badges to see about how long they'd been playing.  I set up a keybind for her to click on someone and quickly pop up the badge window to check.  After that, she would spend hours--literally three to five at a time--just hanging out in Atlas Park looking for new people to invite to a team, make them feel welcome, show them the ropes, teach them the basics of the game, and other such stuff.  I have no way of knowing exactly how many people she helped, but I have to think that there were probably a hundred or more people who either first subscribed or stayed subscribed to the game because their first impression of City of Heroes was this weird robot person bending over backwards to help them and making the game more fun and exciting.

A couple of nights ago, I had her check her stats.  She has been online 1,742 times, and has put in 3,883 hours on patrol.  I'm not an altaholic, but needless to say, that's not even remotely close to any character of mine.  If you do the math that is basically having a full-time job for two full years.  In fact, maybe this will give you insight into her dedication.  I have never seen Belle play any other character.  Period.  For years I've been paying for an account on which exactly one character was exclusively played, and watching how much she enjoys it, it's been worth every cent.

To be honest, Belle's dedication to "her heroes," as she calls them, is one of the reasons I stayed so involved in the game.  If it weren't for her, I probably would have at least semi-retired a long time ago.  These are things that she would never tell you all, and I hope she doesn't mind me sharing.  But I cannot emphasize enough how lucky City of Heroes is to have someone like Belle around, how positively electric (and I'm not referring to her powersets) life is with her.  The weird thing is that Belle really doesn't like any other games, except dabbling in a few little casual games.  NCsoft will probably never understand what they've given up just in losing her alone, and that's a shame.

So here's to you, Belle.  You're my hero.  You inspire me to be a better person, and long after people have forgotten City of Heroes, I will still be there for you in any way I can and I know you'll do the same.

Paragon Studios

To Paragon Studios, I cannot tell you how much respect I have for you guys.  From coders to artists to managers to marketers, from designers to janitors, you all rock.  If I had to give special shout-outs to anyone, I'd have to start with Andy Belford, the guy I interacted with the most.  He is the epitome of what a Community Relations Manager should be.  Kind and generous even while professional, highly motivated and unbelievably resourceful, always willing to go the extra mile, principled even when put in very difficult positions, and above all, accessible to a degree I've never known any kind of community relations person to be.  As most of you probably know, he was re-hired by Electronic Arts, and I have no doubt that it is a MUCH better company now for it.  I'll never forget in May 2011 how you made us feel like royalty, ferrying us around, taking us out to dinner (and bubble tea!), staying up until something like 2:30am chatting with us when you had to be at work early the next weekend morning.  I genuinely hope we get to hang out more, not just as Community Relations Manager-Customer, but as friends.

I also have to give special kudos to Jessie "Hit Streak" Lawrence.  Dude...  I know that what you've gone through the past couple of months has been gut-wrenching, probably the hardest time you've endured in your professional life.  I've probably put you in awkward spots myself, though hopefully nothing too worrisome.  I want you to know that never once have I questioned how you've handled what's been going on, and your incredible competence throughout this ordeal is a credit to your work ethic.  No matter where you end up, always look back on these days with pride, because you not only survived, but proved your mettle at this job.

Matt, thanks for sticking to your vision of what the game should be even while people were calling for your head.  Believe me, I understand that sometimes what people are clamoring for and what is in the best long-term interest of the game are frequently out-of-whack, and I appreciate how many times you undoubtedly wanted to say, "Screw it, just give in," and didn't.  Melissa, you're an inspiration to anyone who wants to work not just in the gaming industry, but anywhere.  I am so proud of how much your ambition, persistence, and hard work paid off, earning an immense amount of well-deserved respect and admiration from your coworkers and the City of Heroes community.  Also, thanks again for your incredibly kind words when I was facing one of the scariest experiences of my life, my back surgery in January 2011.  They really did help!

To all the artists, writers, coders, animators, and, well, everyone else, please know that City of Heroes means a lot more to us than just some product that you helped to make and sell to us.  Some of us really do see it as a work of art with the intrinsic value of all such works into which people have poured their heart and soul.  It shows, it really does, and I really do appreciate it as much more than just a video game.  I only hope that my efforts with SaveCoH have conveyed at least some tiny amount of genuine aesthetic appreciation that I have for your work.

Black Pebble, it's really a shame that most people in the community went so long without knowing what you're really like, how friendly, funny, witty, and smart you are.  For those who don't know, this guy was one of the most self-sacrificial guys on the whole Paragon Studios staff.  He really has a philosophy of taking as much flak as he can so that the rest of the team doesn't have to.  All that stuff that was "marketing's fault"?  A LOT of it wasn't, but he deliberately conveyed that impression so that the reputations of his colleagues could stay intact.  And when we went to dinner and out to bubble tea?  He was right there with us.  I'm so glad that in these final days you were able to come out from behind the curtain and let everyone get to know you!

Brian, man, you sure know how to manage them.  I've had multiple people tell me how great you were to work for.  In an industry plagued by completely unreasonable deadlines--and completely unreasonable managers--I have never, never heard anyone at Paragon Studios, on the record or off, utter a single negative word about Brian Clayton.  If there's any shred of decency that I respect NCsoft for at this point, it is that they didn't tarnish your reputation by saying or implying that the game wasn't still successful even at the end, that this decision was because of a change of corporate focus.  Please keep in touch, and please let us know what you're working on, because I really do believe that you have the golden touch in putting together a team that's capable of amazing things.

The Titan Network

You guys are just the best.  These days, the primary folks there are Guy Perfect, Codewalker, Sekoia, Aggelakis, DeProgrammer, Eabrace, and Diellan.  I also have to throw in a hearty "THANK YOU!" to Tazhyngarth, who has been quietly helping me with moderating duties over the years.  There were times over the years when things got a little hairy, but this team always pulled together to do some hella amazing work that has been recognized as some of the best fan sites and utilities of any community.  Through internal drama and external fighting (*ahem... Wikia!*), we never could have made it this far without your dedication.  And the weird thing is that most of them are really reluctant to take credit for it.  Well, durn it, I will never be reluctant to dish out the praise!

I hope you all will take a few minutes to ponder how amazing these sites and utilities are, creating things that other communities only dream of having.  For everything that the Paragon Studios developers have created, this team has taken hours of painstaking research to unravel.  And unlike some people who do so looking for ways to exploit the game, cheat, or other such activities, they have always acted with the highest regard to ethics and only in the goal of being beneficial.  Take a little while to boggle at how much time and effort they put into research and development, because I can tell you, with several of them, it's a lot more than I did.

I also would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge people who have worked for the Titan Network in various capacities both past and present, and were instrumental to its success.  Ineffable Bob, Voltaic Shock, Maverick X, Mids (yes, that Mids), RedTomax, Pudds, SuckerPunch, Calea, Energy Aura, Blondeshell, Fleeting Whisper, Keen, Taosin, Thirty7, Cath, StarGeek, Sister Leortha, Snorii, Yakovlev, Konoko, Sleepy Kitty, St0n3y, SaintNicster, Steiner, Shades, Syrusb, probably some others I'm forgetting...  Thanks a ton for helping to make the Titan Network what it is.  I hope we've carried the torch well.

Those Who Went Above and Beyond

Oh man, I'm going to get into trouble, because I'm sure that someone's going to feel slighted.  If you do, just remember, it's 4:00am as I'm typing this, so please forgive me.

Joel and Karen "The Wentworths" Garcia, in my opinion, nobody represents the spirit of this community more than you.  Although the community had kind of haphazardly done a few charity things in the past, in 2009, they kicked off the massive Real World Hero charity drive that raised over $10,000 for sick children and soldiers serving overseas.  For the past several years they have kept the drive going (incluing running it right now!!!) and added a charity to fight world hunger, and it has raised a cumulative total of over $33,000.  They were instrumental in spearheading an annual charity auction in which people could bid on items such as special permanent costume codes, community-contributed items (I pitched in a first-edition three wolf t-shirt and Arachnos cape this year), books, toys, collectibles, posters, signed items, and lots of other cool stuff.  They have worked their butts off and, together with the patrons who have donated, actually made the world a better place.  I can't help but scoff at anyone who thinks that City of Heroes was "just a game"!

Samuraiko, just wow.  To be honest, I never really appreciated your videos as much as I should have until I started delving into demorecording stuff myself.  You do amazing work, and you really were probably a key part of the game being as successful as it was given the shoestring marketing budget constraints Paragon Studios was under.  One lesson I hope that other games learn from City of Heroes is to provide such a tool to its community, because absolutely wonderful things happen when you do.  I'll definitely keep tabs on where you go to see what you do next.

To the Infinity Taxis, although I haven't played with a lot of you in the past several years, I have been around.  I'm almost always present when Belle is doing her Taxibot stuff, and I have seen how incredibly kind and caring you have been to her and the community.  Alien, Polly, Francine, Chelle, Night, Heather, Thermist... you all are just the best.  I wish we had played together more.  I know Belle often tells you all how much she cares, and sometimes you might think she's just being Belle because she tells everyone that.  Well, I can tell you, she really means it.  You have given her so much joy and happiness over the years that I really feel like you all are personal friends of mine even though we hardly ever talk.  Even though the game is going on hiatus for a while, please don't let that stop you from carrying on with the Heart of a Taxi, going out and helping people and paying the kindness forward.

I also want to say thanks to everyone who ran the numerous other fan sites out there.  I can't give a whole list, but I do want to at least shout to MapMaster who started VidiotMaps, the site that made me think a long time ago, "Hey, I could probably put together a fan site...", Beefcake and the folks at Badge-Hunter.com, the folks who run VirtueVerse, the folks who run Paragon Unleashed, and of course, the people who run The Cape Radio, Split Infinity, w00t Radio (out of service lately, but I did listen to it back in the day!), and various podcasts such as Off the Cape.  To these people and everyone else who ran a site or City of Heroes-related service, thank you for helping to give the community places to congregate and ways to keep in touch even outside of Paragon City!

Memories, Dreams, and Other Stuff

I started playing City of Heroes around August 2004.  I had a job that entailed me working a lot of night shifts, and when I was on that shift, on my off days, I'd just keep staying up at night.  The wee hours of the morning on those nights would sometimes get excruciatingly boring, and a friend from work recommended that I try City of Heroes.  I did, and it really did help while away the hours.

I soon hooked up with a few heroes on Virtue, Dragen Ironclaw and Lady Red, and a few others that I don't remember.  Man, those were the days.  Everything was fresh, exciting, and new, and even the veterans still had a lot of exploring to do.  I tried my hand at running my own supergroup, the Paragon City Free Press, and failed miserably.  But out of that effort, the Paragon Wiki was born.

I remember each issue release like it was yesterday.  Seriously, has it really been over EIGHT YEARS since we were all scrambling around trying to find exploration and history badges after Issue 2 dropped?  And we're up to twenty-freakin'-four now!!?  A lot of the issues kind of blur together now, but I still distinctly remember certain ones because of how exciting they were.  When Issue 5 dropped and we got Croatoa, I absolutely loved it.  That was one of my favorite zones.  I even wrote a really long article for the PC Free Press (see above) about the Green Line building a spur there to try to reintegrate Salamanca with Paragon City.

Of course, there were disappointments, too.  I was absolutely giddy with delight at Issue 14 (Architect) because I genuinely thought (and still do) that user-generated content is THE wave of future gaming.  My excitement was eventually tempered by a bit of disappointment that they wouldn't use some of the products of our creation to extend the canon of the game.  But it was absolutely gut-wrenching to see how many people ruthlessly used it to exploit the game.  I got into some of the most heated arguments I've ever been on over the crap that happened then.  I really felt like we had been given a goose that laid golden eggs, and all anyone could think about was, "Mmm!  pâté!"  And when some people started saying that the devs wanted players to exploit AE, and some people made such a fuss when Positron posted his "We'll nuke your characters" post (which I actually LOVED)...  I really think that was the coolest technology to come out of City of Heroes but was utterly tarnished before it could really shine.

Also, there were things like the Lighthouse Lounge and City Scoop.  For those of you who don't know, Lighthouse was one of the former community managers.  I think he had a lot of really good ideas, one of them being to set up a private forum where some of the community leaders could gather and discuss how to help people get more into the game.  I was invited and joined, but within a few months, I got really discouraged because there was as much (if not more) vehement arguing and vitriol going on there as out in public.  I finally gave up and requested to be removed, because I was wasting all of my time posting messages instead of working on the Paragon Wiki, and that's not what I wanted to be doing.  Another was to publish on the forums a community-written publication called the City Scoop.  I was a part of that for a while, writing a column called "City Traveler" by Taxibot Belle.  (Well, co-writing and editing; Belle worked on it too and came up with the ideas.)  But there was drama, and I finally gave up on it, too.  One of my biggest regrets was that I wasn't able to finish the new Paragon City Free Press site that was intended to replace the City Scoop.

When I think back on the most fun I had in the game, I come up with a couple of moments.  The funny thing is that they were probably things that would have frustrated other players to death.

One was VERY early in my playing days on a Dr. Quaterfield task force I went on.  No one on our team had ANY clue how long that task force was.  (At the time, the Paragon Wiki didn't exist.)  We struggled and fought for something like six or eight straight hours.  Finally, it was like 5:00am and most people had quit the team.  A couple of people had logged out leaving us with three players to finish it.  Well, if you've been on a Dr. Q task force, you know that in the final missions, you get to a point where you have four simul-clickies.  I told them, "Hey, I think I can get in touch with Dragen Ironclaw on another character tomorrow.  Let's all long out and log back in at 5:00pm tomorrow and finish this thing."  It was a long shot.  I had no idea if I could reach him.  Remember, no global chat!  So in desperation, I sent him an in-game e-mail.  As luck would have it, he showed up!  So with four players, we worked another couple of hours or so and finished it up, over 24 hours after we had started it.  We were all dog tired, but we won.  And then a week or two later, Issue 2 dropped (did I mention this was a long time ago?) and players started getting badges for completing it.  It was another year or so before I got that badge.

Another was while I was playing Belle.  I had been working on a Katie Hannon task force with a bunch of what turned out to be goobers who were just farming it for the badge or something.  (Later, I faces much more intense frustration at people running "speed Katies", another disheartening exploit that I hated.)  Once they got the badge, everyone was like, "Okay, we're done!"...  Um, excuse me?  We have three more missions to finish?  They all quit the task force and I was stuck there with a Kinetics/Electric defender.  Some awesome people came by and asked what was going on.  I explained my situation and that I wanted to complete the task force.  They rounded up their supergroup and stood outside the mission doors doing things like buffing Belle and feeding her inspirations while I would go in and fight the crap out of everything.  Believe it or not, with their incredible dedication to helping me out, I finished that task force solo on a Defender and got Belle the Cabalist badge.  A bunch of that supergroup eventually became Taxibots Blamm, Blaze, and Blizz.  Those were also the first people (along with Taxibot BOOM, who joined later) I ever met outside of the game, flying out to Jonesboro, Arkansas to visit during vacation one year.

As long as I'm giving shout-outs, I have to throw a few to Taxibot SPC Francine, who stuck with the Taxis through an unbelievable drama that happened that eventually drove me away from the group (but which also resulted in the Belle you all know and love today playing the game, so in the end, it turned out to be a good thing).  Also to Doctor A Science, who really came through for Belle when someone stole her name on Exalted.  And to all of you crazy Taxis over the years who took part in innumerable badge tours, going through "transportation education" classes to learn the chains method of teleportation, to the RIGbots who figured out how to make villain-side helper robots actually plausible, and to other groups like the PCSAR and the (long defunct) Kings Row Taxi Service who were dedicated to helping out other players.

I wish we had more time.  We had some REALLY cool sh^Htuff going on at the Titan Network.  We were working on a MAJOR overhaul to merge all of the sites and provide one unified service, kind of a cross between Facebook, Slashdot, the PC Free Press, and City Info Tracker with a healthy dose of City of Data thrown in.  To be honest, I'm still working on it because I think it's an awesome idea and JUST what gamers need.  As I get closer to finishing it, I plan on maybe shopping it around or starting a site for another game, quite possibly our own Plan Z that is in the works and progressing.  (Brian, when you get another studio, call me!)

What a lot of people might not know is that I probably have a lot more fun working on stuff about the game than actually playing the game.  Not that playing the game isn't fun; it's a blast. But over the years, I have really enjoyed learning so much about web hosting, server management, development, community relations (yes, I kinda consider myself the Andy Belford of the Titan Network), both technical and soft skills that come in immensely handy in my professional life as well.

But when I look back on City of Heroes, the thing (other than the incredibly enjoyable time Belle and I have bonded over this game) I'll probably remember the most is the SaveCoH effort.  There are still people today who probably think that we're tilting at windmills.  I've seen a post as late as earlier tonight that said our chances all along were less than winning the lottery.  Well, they're wrong, I know that for a fact.  I genuinely hope that someday, more stuff will come out that vindicates all of our dedication and hard work towards saving this game, but regardless of what does or doesn't eventually come out, I'm telling you that I'm absolutely certain that we were very close to succeeding, and it would have been epic.  If you've been writing letters, participating in our campaigns, posting Twitter and Facebook messages, and doing the footwork of keeping people's spirits up, doing research, contacting the media, creating artwork, music, and videos, and everything else that people have been doing, I'm telling you it has not been in vain.  Nothing as big as the SaveCoH movement has ever taken place before, and I promise you, NCsoft and even the industry as a whole have taken notice.  And we are NOT done yet!

One Final Important Note

I want to wrap up with one sad but important note.  Yesterday (Wednesday), we lost one of our community members to cancer, David "@Klack" Hall, who is also the dad of another City of Heroes player, Moon Fyire, who has been very active in the SaveCoH movement, even handing out flyers at Youmacon.  Two months ago, I stickied a post on the Paragon Forums from Moon Fyire requesting that our heroes send cards, letters, and other such things to lift his spirits.  Of course, our community did, and I really hope that we helped to make his final days bright and joyous, letting him know in a very tangible way that we stood with him, were thinking about him, and appreciated him.  As we hold torchlight vigil for our city, please also remember him and Moon Fyire in your thoughts and prayers.  Godspeed Klack, and may the light of your torch never be extinguished.

[Mister Bison]

To the end of an era, to the birth of another !

Great post Tony, we are all feeling the same about the game, but I bet you feel it more than the others.

[Aggelakis]

Thank you, Tony, for giving us all a little personal corner of the internet. I wouldn't have stayed in the game without ParagonWiki, and I wouldn't have been here even a fraction as long if I hadn't figured out how to edit articles. I've probably put in as much time into ParagonWiki as I have into my day job. It breaks my heart that it may end up a dusty relic of times past.

[Colette]

I'm already planning for the big reunion party when CoH reopens, stronger and better than ever.

[emu265]

Eloquent and moving as ever, Tony.  I didn't know what I was doing back when I started playing CoH... I was only fourteen years old. I probably annoyed A LOT of people.  I remember my friend trying to teach me how to use team chat and I outright refused!  ...But now that I am twenty-one, nothing can quite describe the feelings I have for this community and this game.  It's a venue for thousands of warm memories, playing alongside my brother, my friends and even (though more recently) my boyfriend.  That's all great, and I'm happy I could share an amazing game with amazing people.  But what really stands out (I wish there were a better word or phrase) is how amazing this community is.  I always knew you all were great, it's been pretty obvious.  But I really didn't know how powerful you people could be until I found SaveCoH.  Nothing has inspired me more to fight for something I love.  And for that, I thank you.  I know I wasn't as much help as some of the other more experienced and talented individuals, but I am incredibly, irrevocably, proud to be a part of this.  I would consider myself truly blessed to count ANY of you as my friends.  I know this isn't over, and I for one am not going anywhere.     

[dwturducken]

Thank you, Tony. Thank you for giving us a place. Thank you for giving us hope. Even if we don't succeed, we will not have failed. See you at the end, whatever it may be.

[sl701]

Thank you, Tony, for all your efforts. I only found my way here after Black Friday and am mostly lurking here, but it feels like home. Thank you sooo very much!

[Rae]

^^

This fer sher.

[OzonePrime]

Today is D-day, At the moment I'm trying not to cry, without much success.
I love this game, so much!
Not giving up though. Have friends, who don't even play pc games, writing letters. Although my hands are swollen, RA flair-up, will be playing all afternoon, through the evening, till the screen goes black.
Thank all of you guys for all of your efforts to save our beloved game/community! It's so awesome that so many love this game as much as I do!
Can't wait till we meet again playing City of Heroes!

/ em holdtorch

[Victoria Victrix]

The only regret I have is that I did not come here sooner.

[gribb85]

Great post Tony. I'm a long time lurker, occasional poster and that genuinely made me tear up a couple of times. City of Heroes will soon be gone, perhaps for good, but whatever happens we'll all have lots of memories of the game in its prime. Hold onto those as really they're just as important as still being able to set foot in Paragon City in the future.

Keep up the good fight guys, even when all hope is seemingly lost.

Thank you Tony and the rest of the SaveCoH staff for all their efforts, you guys really are an inspiration and trust me when I say this - the industry has taken notice.

[Knightslayer]

The only regret I have is that I did not come here sooner.

Seconded.

[Zedrik]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFQQVEd5LoM

[Globetrotter]

Thank you Tony, for all you did: for giving us hope, for keeping us together.

I am not eloquent as many others are on this forum, but I am here doing my duty as hero and I will continu to do so, for that is what I do!

A new era will start and in that era we will brace the coming storm and Save Paragon City. We will fight to save our community!

[blue storm]

Thanks Tony for putting these words together...

I'll miss you all terribly, but as you said, this is not the end, just a milestone that will take us to the rebirth of our City !

Blue Storm was my first alt in the City: he will be there at 23:59:59 in AP33 and he will be there as well when our world is reborn !

City of Heroes Lives !

[gypsyav]

The only regret I have is that I did not come here sooner.

Thirded. I know I haven't been here in awhile but I was trying to finish up one major goal I had in the game and didn't think I ws going to have the time. I finally completed it last night.

Thanks everyone here for all you have done.

[chaparralshrub]

I agree with VV: I regret only not having been here for more than... about a year.

TonyV, keep the forum alive. We've got some things to do. And we appreciate all of it. Thank you.

[Mindscythe]

Tony,

A simple "thank you" is insufficient, but I don't otherwise know the words to adequately express my sincere appreciation and admiration for all that you've done, for the leadership you've shown, and for all that you'll no doubt do in the future.

So thank you, and please read into those words a multiverse of positive feelings I can't otherwise figure out how to express.

-Jeff/Mindscythe, Pinnacle

[chaparralshrub]

Addendum: I am very sad to hear about Klack.   :'(

[Segev]

Weird as it is, I would never have come to the Titan Networks if not for the closure. I am very saddened, mostly for others who love this game and have far more poignant memories with it than I, that it is closing, but I cannot be ungrateful that I have met all of you and had the opportunity to participate in these truly awe-inspiring efforts to save it.

So, TonyV and everybody here at Titan Networks, I want to thank you all for making this a game worth saving, and a community worth preserving.