Pasting here from my post in the New Efforts thread, since I feel this discussion merits further. . . well, discussion!
My screen name is Tubbius.
I am a wholehearted City of Heroes fan, having played the final 4 years, 3 months, from August 2008 to 3 a.m. Eastern US time at close. My main character was a Plant Controller/Empathy/Ice Incarnate Santa Claus lookalike. He and his pet Fly Trap, Planty, took down many types of villainous scum all around Paragon City.
If I have to rebuild him and his fellow alternate toons, yes, that will take time. It's time I'm willing to give as I can, IF the game goes back online.
Will it hurt to have little or nothing but the "out of the box" installation to go with? Yes. I wouldn't automatically have the Santa hat, boots, and gloves that were part of his clothing, of course. However, admittedly, he didn't have that to begin with. His initial costume, which I kept saved on slot #2, was a bright red tuxedo and large top hat with a big, green necktie.
I am willing to rebuild, though. It would mean a reallocation of existing resources now much tighter per month than they were two years ago, but I would be willing to do so.
As for starting out at I23 or I24, either is doable. I suppose I24 would be preferable, given it was the "fix everything" patch and would mean a lot of stuff I never tried out since I didn't do the beta server at any point.
The question comes up on here as to whether the game would be in maintenance mode or not, stuck at I24 but without further development.
I raise this question, and I don't mean it to be crass. Merely straightforward.
What did YOU use the Architect Entertainment system for?
Were you a farmer? An author? A player who dabbled in it? A player who reveled in it? A player who ignored it?
My answer to that comes in just a moment--a handful of sentences, really. First, a little background: I teach English. I write for fun. I read a great deal. I love comic books. Put all that together, and I was an avid writer of AE arcs, releasing 8 over the time that the AE existed and that I was able to do so without slacking on my work obligations. Arguably, I believe I wrote the final arc in the AE system: PENGUIN Part 4, Waddle On, which went live around 8 p.m. Eastern on the last night. It saw 6 total plays and held a 5-star average rating.
To me, the Architect Entertainment system represents a great source of hope for the future of City of Heroes if the game returns. Even if we have the risk that the developers cannot craft future material, if the Architect Entertainment system is live and functional with the game's possible rerelease, what can WE, the players, truly do for our game, our developers, and our community?
Thank you.
