Latest update on Homecoming, Titan, and Tony

[TonyV]

Hey all, I've got a few updates to tell everyone.

The tl;dr version of what is happening is this: A few weeks ago, GM Jimmy and Cipher of the Homecoming team asked me to step down from the talks with NCSOFT. I'm not going to get into the issues that underlie what's been happening, but we are currently at a point where I can no longer contribute to the ongoing efforts to provide legally licensed City of Heroes servers to the community.

The paragraph above may come off sounding like I no longer want these negotiations to be successful. On the contrary; I still remain convinced that the best chance of having game instances you can play on without having to worry at any given time that they might be shut down is by a cooperative agreement between NCSOFT and Homecoming. And just to be crystal clear: There are a lot of amazing and brilliant people working hard to provide not just a good gaming experience, but one that's ever growing better.But for Homecoming to be successful, it must become more than it is today. Don't just accept that there are people in ivory towers weaving some kind of arcane magic, and that you are "just" a player. Demand transparency. Challenge them. Make sure they maintain laser-like focus on the goal of ensuring City of Heroes is available to be enjoyed for literally generations to come.

I'm going to issue one last Call to Action for the City of Heroes community to push our hashtag from SaveCoH to SavedCoH. For this project to ultimately be successful, you can't just be a user of Homecoming's systems. You need to BE Homecoming. Always thought you'd be a good moderator? Step up and do it! Think those powersets are completely unbalanced? Rework them! Want to practice designing digital visual effects? Oh man, do they need you badly! You all have a golden opportunity to become a part of City of Heroes like you've never been before because the line between devs and admins and players and fans is no longer there. The devs and admins ARE the players and fans, and there's no reason that shouldn't be you.

On a related note, for the past 14 years, the Titan Network has existed for one primary purpose: To be a primary resource for the City of Heroes community. Going forward, the people at Homecoming running City of Heroes are themselves members of the community. As such, it just doesn't make sense to me to continue maintaining two separate places, two separate forums, two separate web sites with game tools and information, both run and maintained by the community.

Accordingly, to try to support the Homecoming effort as much as possible, I've decided to step down as the owner and administrator of the Titan Network and give them access to our tools and sites. Over the course of the next week or two, we will be moving the sites to the Homecoming hosted environment, and Homecoming will assume responsibility for the continued management of all of the Titan Network sites, including the Paragon Wiki, Paragon Chat, the forums, City Info Tracker, and other miscellaneous utilities. [Update: The sites will be kept separate from Homecoming; please see Sekoia's message below.] If you do not want your login information (email address, one-way hashed and encrypted password, username, etc.) to be part of this transfer, please log into the site and navigate to the "My Account" section. There is a "Delete account" button on that page that will remove your information from our user database. Here's the URL for your convenience:
https://www.cohtitan.com/manage

I also want to say a few words about NCSOFT. Some of you are still extremely mad at them because of the shutdown in 2012. My sincere advice: Don't be. Even if you think they were wrong back then, let it go. They have been nothing but genuine, friendly, and extremely accommodating through our conversations. At this point, they've gotten everything they've wanted from all involved in the server code leak. If they were out on some twisted mission to screw everyone over, that hammer would have fallen already. They're not. Some of them used to be City of Heroes players themselves. There was absolutely no reason for them to not shut down Homecoming a long time ago other than they really want this to go through for the community. They're bending over backwards to figure out a custom arrangement for us that's fair to everyone, something I believe will still happen, and something I hope the whole industry takes note of. I for one cannot express enough gratitude for what they're doing.

If you're wondering about what I'm going to be doing next, the honest answer is probably not much City of Heroes-related. I'll still keep in touch with some of my close friends from the Titan Network and check in on how things are going now and then. I don't intend to play on the Homecoming servers because I don't want to be a distraction in their ongoing efforts. But don't worry, I'm fine. Last weekend, I got engaged. I have a job that I love that I get paid a ridiculous amount of money to perform. I have a family that is so tight-knit that we just can't stand being apart for long. My nephew, in fact, is scheduled to graduate from college next year. When he gets out, he intends to move here and open a board game store and café. It's kind of ironic that for the past year, we have been heavily involved together in writing a business plan, conducting market research, investigating things like tax and employment law, researching business loans, designing gaming supplies, and generally getting ready for opening day. I'll likely be a primary investor and I'll definitely be a night and weekend worker. In short, I feel like I'm living a dream right now.

As for the other members of the Titan Network, some of them will be moving over to the Homecoming team. Others may not. It's up to each member to decide what they want their role to be going forward. One thing I can tell you though is that I have never been, and likely will never again be, part of a more awesome and intelligent organization as we were. It has been an honor and a privilege working beside these folks, and they're the best damn community group I've ever been a part of, period.

To the Homecoming team: You have my sincere wishes for the best of luck, but you also have a lot of hard work and an awesome responsibility ahead of you. Stay focused on the goal. Always remember that our community is filled with invaluable resources of all types; find and use those resources. Never forget that you yourself are part of the community and maintain a healthy dose of humility. But also know that when the chips are down, the community will have your back. I've always said that despite various factions that sometimes look like they'll split the community apart, there's really only ever been one true enemy: apathy. The community may occasionally yell and scream and demand your head on a platter, but that's because they're passionate about the game, and as long as they're yelling and screaming, they're not apathetic. It can sometimes be frustrating, but it also means the torches are still burning, and that's a good sign.

So in parting, I'd like to say that it's been one hell of a ride. You folks have done so much to inspire and encourage me, as well as to ensure that the City of Heroes community survived and thrived to get to this point. Your sheer force of will is making stuff happen in the gaming industry that has never happened before, and no matter what the outcome of all of this is, we all should be immensely proud of where we are.

--Tony V

P.S. Belle ("Taxibot Belle" on Infinity) says hi, she hopes you all are doing well, and to always help each other. Listen to Belle, she's always been the smarter one.

[eabrace]

Last weekend, I got engaged.

Congrats, man!

[DeProgrammer]

Congratulations on your engagement, and thanks for all your support!

[Tahquitz]

Korbian had a very tear-soaked congratulations for you Tony, and it still feels like the band's breaking up to her.  We'll see how things go in the coming weeks.

I wish you nothing but the best.  Luck, good fortune, and health. And to me, your sound like you know exactly what you're after in life.  I'm happy for you.  And jealous. ;D

If users want to discuss this, head over here for a discussion thread.  Bear in mind the big players are all under an NDA, so if you want 'the scoop', all you just read is all there is. 

[Sekoia]

Quick update: I've spoken with Tony and we've agreed to transfer ownership of Titan over to me, keeping the existing community moderators and leadership intact, besides Tony himself. I know I'm not the most recognizable of names, but I've been an admin keeping Titan running from behind the scenes for years now. We intend to keep things running at Titan as they've been and promise to do our best for the community going forward. We all at Titan thank Tony for his years of management and wish him the best of luck with future endeavors.

[Codewalker]

I think that's a good call. There isn't anyone more qualified for the job -- Sekoia has been a rock solid admin for as long as I've been here.

[TonyV]

I think that's a good call. There isn't anyone more qualified for the job -- Sekoia has been a rock solid admin for as long as I've been here.

I'll vouch for that. Sekoia is one of the most brilliant people I know, and if not for his help, advice, and tireless work on the Titan Network, there wouldn't be a Titan Network. I'm not exaggerating when I say that he's one of my personal heroes. I frequently tell people that I'm a glorified mascot. Extending the metaphor, Sekoia is one of the captains of the team.

[Sleepykitty]

Congratulations!!

[Blondeshell]

Last weekend, I got engaged.

Well done, sir! Thanks for your stewardship of all parts of the Titan Network and the CoH community, and best wishes on everything in the future.

[Calea]

Someone pointed me here.

I know I've been out of the TN loop for a great deal of time.

Firstly, Tony, congrats on your engagement! I got engaged myself in 2009 and married in 2011. Having my first child in 2012. All building reasons why I had taken a step back from being a moderator. One big roller coast over these 10 years.

I hope your business venture works out for the best and you have wonderful times ahead with your family.