And the mask comes off.

[Scendera]

From what I understand (and I might be wrong), it's just a matter of pointing the client to a new authentication server. This can be done without the need for anything but a specially made shortcut.

For the EQ and WoW private servers I have knowledge of, it's replacing a single file, or even just manually editing an IP or two in the file already on your machine to point at the new servers. Pretty easy stuff if you have more computer knowledge than the average grandma. Haven't poked around in my i23 install but I can't see it being drastically different for CoH.

Others have raised Win7 concerns for 2020...I assure you, your OS won't turn into a pumpkin that day. You'll have to be a little more careful, but it'll still work for quite some time as companies generally aren't eager to end support to an OS still in wide use and recognized as excellent, even after MS has.

I still ran a 2k Pro box as late as 08, and only upgraded to XP then because the mobo released the magic smoke. I'll upgrade to 7 on this machine when some critical piece of hardware fails enough to force a reinstall or a power outage manages to trash the OS partition more than is worth the effort to recover. 9? maybe 2022... (and the gaming box on 7 runs i23 flawlessly, with Icon at least).

Anyway...I'm glad to see this is all in the hands of folks who truly love it and want to do well by it. Best of luck to MWM!

[Shifter]

CoT money is for CoT, we'd need new cash for this. Maybe a bank loan.

Setup a direct donation method specifically earmarked for this and ask the community. WE WILL HELP...

[AnElfCalledMack]

Computer science note: The "binary" version they're talking about is most likely compiled machine code, ready to run. If it wasn't compiled, it'd still be source code, and thus (to some degree) patchable. Once they get the file, it's just a matter of setting up servers for authentification and gameplay, then redirecting the client to the new servers. Now, setting up those servers to handle their potential load, making sure everything can talk to each other properly, and getting a copy of the i23 client to distribute to people who've lost their old ones (Personally, my old laptop is nearly dead and not up to gaming, so I'll need a new client if we get this) - that will all take time, money and effort. So I'm not suggesting that this will be particularly easy. But the offer currently on the table is a ready-to-run copy (and only the ready-to-run version) of the server code, and the capacity to license the IP so they can distribute the game client. Pretty much the minimum possible to create a functional maintenance mode, but it'll work - and the capacity for the IP to be further licensed, allowing for new media in a much-loved world, is an exciting benefit.

Also, re the licensing - did you miss the part where it would be a separate holding company? NCSoft itself would not control the decision-making about who got licenses and whether to withdraw them (though I imagine enough gore and gratuitous sex could get your license application rejected, still). It'd depend on the specifics of the spin-off, but there would be a very limited degree of control here. The licensing company would have the sole purpose of arranging suitable licenses, and games like CoT, VO and H&V are about as suitable as it gets.

[DarkCurrent]

That's not how I read Nate's post. What it sounds like is the IP will be sold, lock, stock, and barrel, to a new "City of Heroes" company that will own it. They will be able to license the IP to others to use for various things (games, publishing, etc.), but they, in turn will be licensing the game engine from NCSoft so that a maintenance mode CoH game can be provided.

Obviously, not a part of the team myself, so I could very well be misunderstanding, but that is the way the OP reads to me.

Yes it is this holding company i'm not sure of.  Are they getting total ip rights and engine license ?  Or just license for both?

I absolutely would refuse licensing the ip from ncsoft.  If you did, they'd own the soul of every successor.

Hopefully this can be clarified by nate.

[Zombie Hustler]

Yes it is this holding company i'm not sure of.  Are they getting total ip rights and engine license ?  Or just license for both?

I absolutely would refuse licensing the ip from ncsoft.  If you did, they'd own the soul of every successor.

Hopefully this can be clarified by nate.

He addressed it a little bit earlier, when he mentioned it would be separate from MWM. By extension, it seems to me that it would also be separate from NCSoft.

And the engine itself will only be licensed, as noted in the OP. He also mentions (in a later post) that he thinks the game would be run by the holding company.

[Number9]

Would someone be kind enough to PM and explain what SCoRE is.  I think I know, and Ive found a blog site by that name associated with CoH.  But if someone could be kind enough to hook me up with the 411 on this Id appreciate it ... see I no longer have CoH installed ...

[Number9]

Computer science note: The "binary" version they're talking about is most likely compiled machine code, ready to run. If it wasn't compiled, it'd still be source code, and thus (to some degree) patchable. Once they get the file, it's just a matter of setting up servers for authentification and gameplay, then redirecting the client to the new servers. Now, setting up those servers to handle their potential load, making sure everything can talk to each other properly, and getting a copy of the i23 client to distribute to people who've lost their old ones (Personally, my old laptop is nearly dead and not up to gaming, so I'll need a new client if we get this) - that will all take time, money and effort. So I'm not suggesting that this will be particularly easy. But the offer currently on the table is a ready-to-run copy (and only the ready-to-run version) of the server code, and the capacity to license the IP so they can distribute the game client. Pretty much the minimum possible to create a functional maintenance mode, but it'll work - and the capacity for the IP to be further licensed, allowing for new media in a much-loved world, is an exciting benefit.

Also, re the licensing - did you miss the part where it would be a separate holding company? NCSoft itself would not control the decision-making about who got licenses and whether to withdraw them (though I imagine enough gore and gratuitous sex could get your license application rejected, still). It'd depend on the specifics of the spin-off, but there would be a very limited degree of control here. The licensing company would have the sole purpose of arranging suitable licenses, and games like CoT, VO and H&V are about as suitable as it gets.

This helped explain the tech side greatly - cheers!

[downix]

Yes it is this holding company i'm not sure of.  Are they getting total ip rights and engine license ?  Or just license for both?

I absolutely would refuse licensing the ip from ncsoft.  If you did, they'd own the soul of every successor.

Hopefully this can be clarified by nate.

Purchase IP, license engine.

[HEATSTROKE]

can someone explain the APR relationship and how it affects things going forward ??

[Teikiatsu]

I'm having a hard time being too interested in that. City of Heroes was a great GAME. As a world it was only good, and many of the creative minds that worked on it, or played in it, could create another very interesting world. But keeping the particular world alive is more important and relevant for financial reasons, than for reasons of imagination.

On the other side, I've read lots and lots of books. Many of them were set in great universes (Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Star Trek, Star Wars)... and many of the books were just bad. Getting a dozen games, of different types, all related to City of Heroes... means next to nothing, if the games are bad. And if they're good, they could be good whether they're tied into CoH or not. I am not in the slightest bit hopeful that a related game is going to be a great game just because it's set in the CoH world. It could be great, yes, but if a team makes a great game... they would have made a great game whether they set it in the CoH or the CoT world.

The game itself (code and design) are what matter to me, because they are a clearly superior product.

Agreed.  I really didn't care about the Freedom Phalanx and Arachnos stuff.  The storylines and background history mean very little to me.  I cared that I was able to log in an make a superhero and interact with a great community, and make a little personal storyline niche for myself.

Granted the villain groups, TF's and Incarnate were wrapped around all that stuff but they don't make or break the game for me.  I understand the IP is a major key to going forward, but if they renamed every last power description, good guy, bad guy and anti-hero it wouldn't bug me one bit.  So long as the mechanics, the chat channels and the community were around I'd be happy.

[Zombie Hustler]

can someone explain the APR relationship and how it affects things going forward ??

Irish_Girl posted this a few pages back.

As she is APR, that's about as official a statement as you'll find!

[Remaugen]

can someone explain the APR relationship and how it affects things going forward ??

As best I can tell, APR will be up to bat first with the CoX 1.5. but I am not entirely clear on that. They will be holding station until new content is ready to roll. (?)

[HEATSTROKE]

Irish_Girl posted this a few pages back.

As she is APR, that's about as official a statement as you'll find!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh thanks that makes things clear..

so we get CoH in Unreal.. and MWM develops Titans.. got it

[Peacemaker]

Great news!  This made my day.  Good luck to all persons involved!

[Shifter]

On the bright side, static binaries means no more nerfs ;)

[downix]

Computer science note: The "binary" version they're talking about is most likely compiled machine code, ready to run. If it wasn't compiled, it'd still be source code, and thus (to some degree) patchable. Once they get the file, it's just a matter of setting up servers for authentification and gameplay, then redirecting the client to the new servers. Now, setting up those servers to handle their potential load, making sure everything can talk to each other properly, and getting a copy of the i23 client to distribute to people who've lost their old ones (Personally, my old laptop is nearly dead and not up to gaming, so I'll need a new client if we get this) - that will all take time, money and effort. So I'm not suggesting that this will be particularly easy. But the offer currently on the table is a ready-to-run copy (and only the ready-to-run version) of the server code, and the capacity to license the IP so they can distribute the game client. Pretty much the minimum possible to create a functional maintenance mode, but it'll work - and the capacity for the IP to be further licensed, allowing for new media in a much-loved world, is an exciting benefit.

Also, re the licensing - did you miss the part where it would be a separate holding company? NCSoft itself would not control the decision-making about who got licenses and whether to withdraw them (though I imagine enough gore and gratuitous sex could get your license application rejected, still). It'd depend on the specifics of the spin-off, but there would be a very limited degree of control here. The licensing company would have the sole purpose of arranging suitable licenses, and games like CoT, VO and H&V are about as suitable as it gets.

Precisely this.

[Cailyn Alaynn]

Purchase IP, license engine.

The shortest, most to-the-point explanation I've seen all day.

[Zombie Hustler]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh thanks that makes things clear..

so we get CoH in Unreal.. and MWM develops Titans.. got it

That's my read on things, although getting CoH 1.5 in Unreal will be an undertaking in and of itself. The good thing about that though would be that it could be expanded upon (in theory), which a maintenance mode i23 can't.

[Codewalker]

On the bright side, static binaries means no more nerfs ;)

Have no fear, I'm pretty sure I can fish up the binary offsets for the Regen powers in order to reduce their effectiveness periodically.

[Atlantea]

Have no fear, I'm pretty sure I can fish up the binary offsets for the Regen powers in order to reduce their effectiveness periodically.

https://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a40/Hecubus1080/TV%20Movie%20Music/vader-nooooo.jpg