If we start with no user data

[Battlechimp]

Would it?   Like I mentioned earlier...there would be an incredibly small number of people even trying to do such a thing.  Hardly sounds like something worth worrying about.   Even for those few people who end up with a fully maxed out character....I'm kinda thinking "meh".  What's the big deal?
I'm wondering how much that could actually cost since someone came up with the way to download them in the first place without needing to spend any "time and money".  Whoever came up with Sentinel in the first place could even help them if it turns out they are a super genius or something.

Just going to address these two points because the other woyld be far to much speculation on both our parts

The "small" number of people who might do this might seem neglible. What would not be neglible would be the amounts of tines they would do it. Sure that one guy who just wants to IO out his character isn't going to affect much. What that guy who'll keep doing and flood the market? It wouldn't take sieone with the know to upload, alter, upload, alter time and again. What about that gold seller? They're going to replicate that one thing and destroy the market. Thought the wanna buy inf Spam's were bad. Wait until the some of cheap purples or hami-os start going. The policing of that would have to be a constant effort.

And still the using of code done by a programmer outside of the company opens up all kinds of legal issues. Even putting aside the fact that the guy who made it said it wouldn't fully recreate your character. He would need to sign over the rights to the code, or sell it. Otherwise they open themselves up to legal action. Not saying Codewalker would sue, but as a company its easier to not use it than open themselves to potential litigation. On top of having to integrate code to the already complicated code base. As a business they can't just go "hey, can you help us code this bit because we know you're a fan of the game?". It not only would need to be coded, tested, implemented and a process to deal with issues, and exploits and then the people needed to watch over the process from a customer support perspective. That is a lot of money to put into, despite the activities on this forum, would be a relatively small portion the player base.

Just saying from a business standpoint its a very unlikely decision that they'd go with it.

Of course all of this is moot if they manage to get our account data

[Codewalker]

Point of order: Guy Perfect wrote Sentinel+.  I've done some research into going the opposite direction.

[Blackout]

I think Houtex has gotten it about right, most of the time I never cared much about incarnate stuff of hyper powerful enhancements like the Hamidon ones. The greatest part of the game (at least for me) was how it managed to be the perfect creative outlet and I was always thinking up and testing out new concepts for heroes (but mostly villains) especially when it came to their back-stories. The atmosphere was also something that I've never really seen anywhere else too; despite the superheroes and villains, and the giant monuments and towering cityscapes the world always seemed to possess an odd gritty mundanity that made it feel more real and tangible than most of the other fictional universes I've encountered in games.

As for unique characters? Well....my first character who survived from launch all the way to the end was a four foot tall frost/invulnerability tanker....yeah. Although in retrospect his weird defunctness was probably what made him so unique in the first place and I really like that the game enabled you to indulge your creative side like that, you didn't need to make anything even vaguely functional if you didn't want to. Sometimes it was fun just to make something because you could.

[HEATSTROKE]

    Agreed and that was what made CoH unique.. everyone could define fun for themselves what fun was.. What I have a problem with is the perception that the person who did do all the incarnate stuff and wanted that super nice shiny enhancement somehow doesnt draw FUN out of the game.

    Its like there is this thing that says.. "if that stuff is important to you.. then you missed the fun" and "maybe you should have to start over so you learn how to have fun"..

    Speaking for myself.. I had lots of fun.. I teamed with friends.. made new friends..entered costume contests even though I never won ( but i got some good tips from people ).. helped people in game all the time... helped people with builds.. ran around reading bios and giving out random influence to people that had awesome bios... ran around and dropped random good salvage and recipes on lowbies to help them get cash..

   I also wrote extensive backgrounds for each and every character, including each persons personal motivation, interwove it with the background of Paragon city and those things were often the reason why a certain character took the powers they took and sometimes DIDNT take a power that other might think that they should have.. AND I like my builds to be extremely effective for my personal taste

  There is this thought process that I have seen in game, on various message boards and on the multiple Facebook pages that if you are one of those people that uses Mids.. buys IO's.. figures out builds.. that somehow you arent having as much FUN as the guy who just gets on a plays..

 And nothing could be FURTHER from the truth..

[JaguarX]

Indeed HEAT but seen the same line of thinking from those folks that do mid, IOs and such thinking you are not having fun if you do not partake in that min/max stuff.

[HEATSTROKE]

Indeed HEAT but seen the same line of thinking from those folks that do mid, IOs and such thinking you are not having fun if you do not partake in that min/max stuff.

 Agreed 100%.. and I dont classify myself as a min/maxer.. do I build effectively.. sure.. can I build things well.. yes.. but I have friends who I play with regularly that never crafted.. they still use SO's... and they have just as much fun..

 

[Von Krieger]

The thing with being able to import Sentinal+ files is that it could easily end up being the path of least resistance to getting free, powerful stuff, which could make the in game economy go belly up.

[Thirty-Seven]

Agreed, I just don't think those files will end up doing us much good aside from extracting costume files and such.

[MWRuger]

Really, if they guys who are working on Score and wrote sentinel+ say they aren't useful, they aren't useful for this.

Don't you think they would know?

From heading the new efforts thread it looks like it will be from scratch with character data being restored at a later time. Account data is unlikely. This would include all the stuff that was bought from NCSoft, vet rewards and slots.

This says to me that unless something is done to offer some kind of perk pack to returning players the only costume unlocks we would have, even if character data was restored would be pieces that were actually in use and that is iffy since they wouldn't be registered to an account.

We'll find out more in a month or so but I think we can probably look at having to start from scratch. So If I were you I would put my hope on some kind of inexpensive vet pack to get access to all the parts, slots and powers we need.

I'm freaking gonna hate not having Ninja Run but I played and loved the game before it so c'est la vie.

[primeknight]

I've read many different opinions of what people considered fun about CoH.  That was the beauty of the game.  It was so vast with a wide range of stuff to play with that the was something for everyone that loved the game, even if, and especially if those things were unique to each person. 

I hope that the account data can be restored because I don't have the time I once did, and because I'd rather create something new to level up that go on a the level 1-50 + incarnate quest that I've already completed once with my mains. 

I have several characters, which I fit into the CoH universe. My favorites became my mains, because I enjoyed them so much, both in my head/on paper and in the game.  I built them and created them like I wanted them with years of play time.  I'd want to play them again more than any other character but to do so again would be somewhat a chore.  If I have to re-create what I've already done, would this be like rebuilding a sandcastle at low tide in hopes the high tide stays away?

Maybe it's different for the rest of the the players out there, but anymore, my time investment needs to come with more than a fond memory.  I have a family to take care of now, and if my time isn't spent in ways beneficial to more that just me than I'm being selfish with that time.

So, if the character account data is gone, I may not be able to invest in the game as to do so what be a selfish endeavor: and for a game like CoH there needs to be a significant time investment.  And my free time at this point is really just parts of weekends.  Time when I should be spending with my family ironically becomes un-heroic when I play CoH.

So if there's a way to pay for what I've lost (as long as it's fair and reasonable) I may need to go that route instead of the time investment I made before.
Because If I have 4 hours a week to play I'd consider that the most I could hope for.  With that amount of time, it would take me a long time to get back to where I was.  I hope there's another way. 

[jacknomind]

This at least partially requires knowing whether or not the Paragon Market is returning with the game.

Assuming it were...

• Allow importing costume files from Sentinel+ files, once per character.  Costume pieces unlocked in S+ are grandfathered for that character only.
• Only one S+ import can be done per character, but the same S+ import could be used for multiple characters.
• Create a "Returning Hero" pack or packs that grant a good number of Reward tokens, immediate premium unlocks, IOs, and allow one or more characters to be instantly levelled to 50 (but without any Incarnate unlocks); all at a rate less than the original prices.  Allow these to be redeemed immediately or by unique code, so they can be purchased as gifts.  That opens up a few potential issues, but I think the need for the community to re-establish itself outweighs them.
• These are only available for a brief window -- three months, maybe.
• Run promotional giveaways within the community.  Contests for writing, art, fansite, etc.  Music videos.  Architect missions/arcs, which merits its own sentence because that's probably how we're getting content for the foreseeable future.  The rewards would be/be similar to the Returning Hero packs.

I strongly suggest simultaneously making it very easy for people to jump one character to 50, and very very hard/expensive to do more than three or four.  Similarly, all obtainable badges should not be grandfathered in.  (Bug Hunter and yearly sub/holiday/anniversary badges, and any others I'm forgetting similar to those, could be.)  I imagine the goal here is to get people playing again, as much and as quickly as possible -- not admiring a static memorial.  That's depressing to me personally and not a viable revenue stream anyway.

And a bit off-topic, but I similarly strongly suggest hiring an individual or small team to do whatever work is necessary to allow new models to be added to the game -- including costume elements, static objects, and mobs.  FX is less important but would also be good.  If the game is going to remain in the hands of a single publisher (and I don't really like that, but I can hardly pony up the cash to make a practical protest), changing the game balance by adding or altering game elements runs a serious risk of alienating players.  Allowing community members to develop new costume elements, base/decorative objects, arcs, or even zones, on the other hand, would be an excellent form of continued growth if it can be managed carefully.

[MWRuger]

I don't know that we really need insta-50. You can get a character there pretty quickly. I would rather have more intangibles like the prestige power slide I got for the Collector's Edition. i used that for my Ice Characters. The original perk packs that give access to VIP lounge in Pocket D. A 50 I can get in a week. Those other things I can use the entire time I play.

I probably wouldn't even use the insta-50 option. I understand those who love the incarnate stuff want to get there as quick as possible, but you won't have the alpha unlock, you won't have any set bonuses, you won't have the task forces unlocked, you won't have midnighter's unlocked. Heck, unless someone plays Faultline story arc and throws down for you, you won't even have Oroborus!

[jacknomind]

There are people who see 50 as an all-but insurmountable hurdle, and/or simply wish to recreate a character exactly as it was.

The other prestige options can be added to the market.  In the case of the alt Sprint you mentioned, it was in fact already in the Vet Rewards/Paragon Rewards.

[Thirty-Seven]

There are people who see 50 as an all-but insurmountable hurdle, [...]

Jigga what now?

[...]and/or simply wish to recreate a character exactly as it was.

Then they should probably play it... when the option exists that is.

I'm not opposed to the idea of insta-leveling ONE character per player to 50 during like the first week of re-release only, but I am not really for the idea either.

[FloatingFatMan]

If all data is lost and we have no way to validate our past info then I think everyone that subscribes to pay to play should get first 6 months free to play

That doesn't sound particularly fair to the new owners.  They're not responsible for the game closing, you know. It's an entirely new company who owe the player base nothing.  We should be grateful they're spending a million plus of their own money so we can play a game again.

Don't like the idea of giving everone a lvl 50 we would end up with a bunch of lvl 50s that may or may not even understand the AT they are playing

I think a clean slate everyone starts fresh those that have played will level faster and the new players will learn the way we all did the first time

We will all hunt for badges again and Atlas Park will be a very busy spot like the good old days

I played the game for more than 8 years and thats just my thoughts on the subject

Clean slate is the best option IMO, with perhaps some temporary cheap gift packs in the store to get your various vet rewards and time limited badges back.

[Nyx Nought Nothing]

I'm not opposed to the idea of insta-leveling ONE character per player to 50 during like the first week of re-release only, but I am not really for the idea either.

Personally i have some reservations about allowing the instant leveling of characters to 50, but if the new teams buys it it's their game. i will admit that it's partially because it might take me a couple weeks, depending on how much free time i have, but i could easily get a character to 50 shortly after relaunch if i need one, so i may not be representative of the average player. But unless the auction house is seeded with a lot of items at launch what will take considerably longer is creating complete builds for characters, and instant leveling to 50 won't help that much since most of my favorite sets were not purple, and quite a few were based in the low and mid levels. Not that an IO build is necessary to enjoy a character, but it does allow me to indulge some of my more atypical concepts and builds.

That doesn't sound particularly fair to the new owners.  They're not responsible for the game closing, you know. It's an entirely new company who owe the player base nothing.  We should be grateful they're spending a million plus of their own money so we can play a game again.

i agree. Expecting a group that just spent millions acquiring the game from the company that shut it down and then getting it running again to give away free time because you feel like you're owed something because the previous owners shut it down is absurd. If the game relaunches it's because a group of people who really wanted it back were willing to put in the time and money to make it happen. Thinking they owe you anything after the work they've already put into reviving it is the very picture of blinkered, self-centered entitlement. No, just no.

Clean slate is the best option IMO, with perhaps some temporary cheap gift packs in the store to get your various vet rewards and time limited badges back.

If character data is available and there's a way to verify ownership i personally support allowing old characters and account perks to be restored, but i also recognize that it would probably not be easy to do right away or even in the first several months. i wouldn't be surprised if it would have to be a clean slate at launch and that any character or  data restoration would be many months later if at all.

[Risha]

First, I would continue to subscribe to an i23 Maintenance only game, with a clean slate.  I didn't do everything I wanted in CoX.  I've supported COT and will support COH2, and other successor games.  I'd support an off-line game.

That said, of Ironwolf's original options I would support: 2. Allow either a starter pack with all the Vet rewards or have a same starting setup where you get to pick say any 10 rewards.
3. Open all AT including VT's at creation.

Naturally, I'm greedy, and of the Vet rewards, I would prefer a percentage of the Vet rewards instead of a flat figure, but I really think this is the way to go, pick-and-choose.  I COULD live without my dark fairy...I had a LOT of stuff, ninja run, the nemesis/magic staff, costumes, my black panther!  (I am an email hoarder and I just found my new plaync game account number from 2006...)

[Nyx Nought Nothing]

First, I would continue to subscribe to an i23 Maintenance only game, with a clean slate.  I didn't do everything I wanted in CoX.  I've supported COT and will support COH2, and other successor games.  I'd support an off-line game.

That said, of Ironwolf's original options I would support: 2. Allow either a starter pack with all the Vet rewards or have a same starting setup where you get to pick say any 10 rewards.
3. Open all AT including VT's at creation.

Naturally, I'm greedy, and of the Vet rewards, I would prefer a percentage of the Vet rewards instead of a flat figure, but I really think this is the way to go, pick-and-choose.  I COULD live without my dark fairy...I had a LOT of stuff, ninja run, the nemesis/magic staff, costumes, my black panther!  (I am an email hoarder and I just found my new plaync game account number from 2006...)

Ironwolf posted in the new efforts thread earlier today that most likely the only available version of the game will be i24. Which in some ways is the best of all probable outcomes.

[Risha]

Yes, I saw that i24 would be up and running, hopefully, (yes, I'm behind deadline and avoiding work today), and I read the 2014 COH lore last night with Posi as to what would be in I24 and it sounds amazing, but...I just want my game back no matter what.

[Serpine]

When I consider the psychotic amount of stuff I bought for my wife and me back then, its sobering to consider purchasing it all over. We had everything that unlocked anything, all the vet, and a ton of slots.  In any case:

Personally I'd prefer no auto-50s. If people have to start from scratch then everybody should start from scratch.

As to what I want:

1) I'd like to see a legacy bundle to unlock all former Collector's Edition / preorder unlocks that weren't converted to Veteran rewards.

2) I'd like to see a bundle to unlock all veteran rewards at once.

3) I'd like to see a bundle to unlock all previous packs of costumes / power / customization / emotes. This includes seasonal ones like the Halloween pack.

4) I'd like to see a bundle that grants every previously existing permanent costume transformation power (like the PPD hardsuit), even the ones that were convention exclusive.

5) Everything above also available as broken up smaller packs components comparable to before and representing a higher cost then buying them in bulk.

The above packs should have a steep discount (50%?) for early adopters (within the first month or two) that commit to a longer sub (i.e. 1-2 years) then revert to a normal price.