Call To Action: Get the word out

[Sophronisba]

No Remorse, I think you make some interesting points here and I agree with you to a degree. I certainly am willing to believe that shedding Paragon Studios makes business sense for NCSoft. What I find baffling is the way that they've done it. I don't want to bash NCSoft here--I wonder whether there are some cultural issues going on that I don't understand--but the way they're handling the shutdown borders on contemptuous.

I don't get why they don't want to at least try to sell the game, and it seems to me that the dev team shouldn't have been blindsided the way they were; to me, that's not ethical, whether it makes good business sense or not. But I really don't understand their lack of respect for their customers. I mean--I own a business, too, and I can't imagine ever treating my customers the way NCSoft has treated us. This must have been in the work for a month or more, but they kept stringing us along with promises of powersets and a new issue. We're a week in and there's been no communication from NCSoft at all. We don't know what's happening in regard to the money we've already spent. We don't even know if they're going to give us double XP and the ski chalet before we close! It's really kind of ridiculous.

[TonyV]

Sorry, but I'm going to have to respectfully disagree here. The numbers I've seen did not suggest they were "well in the black".

Disclaimer: I do not have access to the financials of Paragon Studios, so take what you're about to read worth a grain of salt.  I absolutely, positively, hate it when people say "just trust me, I know more than the average schmoe out there," so let me preface it by telling you that you don't have to believe me.  But I am absolutely convinced that what I said is correct, that Paragon Studios was operating at what is considered a decent profit, that it was certainly enough to sustain ongoing operations and future development efforts.  And I really do mean beyond a "I just really want to believe this" kind of way.

[NecrotechMaster]

based on stuff that i have read in the various threads talking about the quarterly earnings summary of ncsoft, ncsoft may have lost $6 mil last quarter, but coh still made $2.5 mil

ill have to do some digging around to look up those threads but im pretty positive that coh was NOT losing money and was still bringing in a steady profit

[CMKook]

STILL not sure how you can help we have Banners and Forum signatures you can use on forums and Face book here http://www.cohtitan.com/forum/index.php/topic,4898.0.html and printable flyers here http://www.cohtitan.com/forum/index.php/topic,4994.0.html I will be going down to the comic book store this weekend to post the flyers
write letters to NCsoft, tell  friends... I'd say Write your congress men but they can't figure out how to do easy things like fix health care i don't think they can help us save our game

[Dr Shadow]

Been all over twitter (@Leila_L) trying to get mainstream media to pick up. Wrote letters/emails to CNN, FOX NEWS, NPR. Not very computer Savy, but if I can contribute more, please let me know.

[Zapping]

I just posted a story on the Tech News Today Reddit (http://www.reddit.com/r/TechNewsToday/).  If you go and vote it up they may at least mention it on Monday's show.

[OCTAGON]

based on stuff that i have read in the various threads talking about the quarterly earnings summary of ncsoft, ncsoft may have lost $6 mil last quarter, but coh still made $2.5 mil

ill have to do some digging around to look up those threads but im pretty positive that coh was NOT losing money and was still bringing in a steady profit

I believe it was Guild Wars 2 and another game that lost money, makes very little sense to go "well let's shut down one of the ones that didn't lose us money".
Don't know about everyone else but even if they just kept the game running and never released any new updates I'd still play it. ^_^;
Got enough stuff to do on my characters to keep me busy till retirement, surely just keeping the servers running wouldnt cost them such a horrible amount.
And if they later down the road could get a team to make updates again then they wouldnt have lost everyone who used to play it.

My BF suggested doing the same that got done on Virtue but doing it on other NCSoft games, don't know if you think it'd be too aggressive.
But probably very hard to ignore CoH players if they clog up zones protesting or crash servers on games they are planning to keep. ^_^;
Should be a fair amount of people who play atleast one of the other games.

Oh and I added a post about the petition and effort on Gaiaonline's gaming discussions forum.
Odd place I know but who knows there might be some kind hearted people willing to sign it as their good deed of the day.
Aimed it at MMORPG'ers in general who would hate this to happen to a MMORPG they love.

Got some people from browser-game Bloodmoon to sign the petition aswell. =^_^=

Get's very addictive to refresh the petition page doesn't it... 16100 signed now. *clickity clickity*

[perfectkismet]

I just wanted to throw props to Syrusb/Liz, one of CoH's more active fanartists (whereas I would be inactive lol), because I don't think her boost to the signal has been addressed yet (or I didn't find it, even with a search)...

Her Ghost Widow fanart got a Daily Deviation a few days ago, over at Deviantart AND was featured on DA's FaceBook. The DD blurb itself even mentioned CoH's impending shut down.  Right this second? 18,449 views on DA and 2,015 likes/125 shares on FB
http://fav.me/d5cww20

[Vrghr]

Has anyone tried submitting an article, or the suggestion for one, to the Wall Street Journal?

The "pitch" for it would have to be somewhat different than the "save our city" aspect, but the undertone of that could remain.

However, the use of the social network, the rallying of the fan base, the addition of "big name" support from artists and authors - all of this is breaking new ground in the business environment when paired against what was (likely) supposed to be a "routine" shuttering of a business asset.

As such, it ought to be worthy of note from a business perspective, lest other companies run afoul of similar responses. Or should they want to leverage such resources for support and sustainment reasons. And, from those perspectives, WSJ might well take an interest in our case!

And, given the readership of a publication like that, the exposure for our cause would be significant!

[dwturducken]

Been all over twitter (@Leila_L) trying to get mainstream media to pick up. Wrote letters/emails to CNN, FOX NEWS, NPR. Not very computer Savy, but if I can contribute more, please let me know.

One of the reasons I submitted to Science Friday on NPR was that one of their community interfaces is through Second Life.  They have an "actual" island in Second Life where you can go during the show to submit questions.  The last computer that I had SL installed on died before Going Rogue came out, but I could see what sort of activity they have on the island during the next show.

Point being, though, they utilize a virtual world for their real radio show.  It just seemed right up their proverbial alley to watch and report on how this develops.

[DashaBlade]

I'd say Write your congress men but they can't figure out how to do easy things like fix health care i don't think they can help us save our game

Word it like this: "Foreign company puts American software designers out of a job without warning" and I bet some of them would eat it right up. 

[dwturducken]

I believe it was Guild Wars 2 and another game that lost money, makes very little sense to go "well let's shut down one of the ones that didn't lose us money".

Where that breaks down is in the amount of effort and money put into developing and marketing the new product.  GW2 was pretty highly anticipated.  They would look even worse if they chucked it in the bin, instead of their oldest actively supported property.

That said, someone feel free to correct me, but I believe people are talking about this more than they are GW2, and as much of the GW2 exposure is relative to this. That can't be going unnoticed by TPTB.

[Dr Shadow]

This off the previous subject, but it's an idea. Alyssa Milano https://twitter.com/Alyssa_Milano is asking her celeb friends to donate to St. Jude for her son's birthday. ( Looks like they are dropping the ball.) If we put out the call to the #saveCOH community to spend the $15 they were going to use to pay subs, to St Jude, in Alyssa Milano sons name.
A) That helps a good cause, showing we still are a heroic community
B) Shows NcSoft the money is there
C) May get a celeb endorsement.


Longshot, I know.
What you think?

[eabrace]

Hmm... You know, that's not a bad idea.

[Vulpy]

This off the previous subject, but it's an idea. Alyssa Milano https://twitter.com/Alyssa_Milano is asking her celeb friends to donate to St. Jude for her son's birthday. ( Looks like they are dropping the ball.) If we put out the call to the #saveCOH community to spend the $15 they were going to use to pay subs, to St Jude, in Alyssa Milano sons name.
A) That helps a good cause, showing we still are a heroic community
B) Shows NcSoft the money is there
C) May get a celeb endorsement.


Longshot, I know.
What you think?

I like the way you think. What other celebrities/media outlets might pay attention if we step up to the plate for St. Jude's? Real World Hero probably already has infrastructure in place to accomodate a drive like this.

[eabrace]

Real World Hero probably already has infrastructure in place to accomodate a drive like this.

Was just thinking that myself.

Edit: I lit the RWH signal.  Let's see what input they might have.

[Vulpy]

Was just thinking that myself.

Edit: I lit the RWH signal.  Let's see what input they might have.

If it works out for September, maybe make it a monthly thing--find a different cause each month through November, a famous person who backs said cause, and try to divert all the game's subscription fees there.

[ducklorange]

This is a freaking fantastic idea - if we end up with a lump-sum donation of several thousand dollars, that *can't* go unnoticed.

[Dr Shadow]

We could for the next 3 months pick one charity a month, and use the money we would normally spend on subs, and send it to a charity... Shriners Justin Timberlake holds a golf tournament in Las Vegas every year.), Wounded warrior ( lots of Country music stars here)..etc.

[Soundtrack]

I would propose we consider doing this on a monthly basis...even if it manages to keep City of Heroes going.

It's one thing giving $15/month in the hopes of getting a celebrity's endorsement.

It's another thing continuing AFTER we get the endorsement... shows the world we're doing it for the right reasons...NOT to just get some good press.