Author Topic: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft  (Read 98708 times)

Vulpy

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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #60 on: September 08, 2012, 03:25:28 AM »
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Terwyn

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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #61 on: September 08, 2012, 03:43:34 AM »
What reason would she have to y\think that? We respect her for putting her personal capital (IE, fame) on the line for the community.
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Soundtrack

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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #62 on: September 08, 2012, 03:47:38 AM »
Ms. Lackey,

I said it before and it's worth repeating.

You completely understand what it means to be giving and generous.

Thank you so very much for your kindness and willingness to give so greatly of yourself.

I just hope in the (hopefully LARGE) pile of letters Mr. Kim receives... yours is one he definitely, personally reads...and that he seriously considers it.

With highest respect,
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JasaniAVA

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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #63 on: September 08, 2012, 03:52:19 AM »
Misty,

VERY glad to have you on board.  You may not see it yourself, but your name definitely carries weight around gamers, and with your help, our chances just tripled -- at the (extremely pessimistic) least.

~Mychyl

emu265

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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #64 on: September 08, 2012, 04:02:36 AM »
<stage whisper> Guys, she's gonna think that we think she's old or something!
Hey... I used "darling".  Points for originality, anyone?  >.<

No?  Okay.

I'll just restate just to make sure.  Mercedes, I very much appreciate your support.  It is a godsend to us all :)

Victoria Victrix

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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #65 on: September 08, 2012, 05:12:02 AM »
I'm just gonna go ahead and volunteer to keep the pigeons off of the Mercedes Lackey statue that will be erected in Atlas Park when this is all over. You, madam, are a saint.

No really, seriously, I am just crossing my fingers and counting on the notion that writers are regarded way more seriously and respectfully in the far east than here.  If this works, it'll be because we dazzled 'em with BS.  Now...if I can finally get hold of Jim Butcher...and HE agrees to sign on to this crazy idea and we can add HIM!  Now there is someone you need to build a statue to.
I will go down with this ship.  I won't put my hands up in surrender.  There will be no white flag above my door.  I'm in love, and always will be.  Dido

Tannim222

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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #66 on: September 08, 2012, 07:10:50 AM »
Ok, if you can't tell by my user name, I'm a fan of your work (not one of those horrible nut job fans I just love the character and decided to use the name as an online handle). Years ago I was estatic that you played CoH. Now, I'm well, impressed by you and your devotion to the game.

I can only hope that if I should ever be so fortunate to get published (on my fourth rewrite of my manuscript and have 2 kids so...) that I can remain as humble and forthwright as you've been with your career.

Thank you for being an example to which I aspire to emulate in some fashion.

4thirty5

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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #67 on: September 08, 2012, 07:21:32 AM »
Oi, Misty...

Think you can talk to Gail?  She might have some additional star power.

:)

Victoria Victrix

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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #68 on: September 08, 2012, 09:01:11 AM »
Oi, Misty...

Think you can talk to Gail?  She might have some additional star power.

:)

The problem is that she has severe conflict of interest because of DCO.  But there's no harm in trying.
I will go down with this ship.  I won't put my hands up in surrender.  There will be no white flag above my door.  I'm in love, and always will be.  Dido

Rae

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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #69 on: September 08, 2012, 12:57:38 PM »
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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #70 on: September 08, 2012, 06:11:02 PM »

Knightslayer

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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #71 on: September 08, 2012, 06:25:54 PM »
Wow, that's one impressive letter indeed!  ;D

ryuplaneswalker

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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #72 on: September 08, 2012, 09:36:34 PM »
Totally Adding Mercedes Lackey to my list of authors to buy books from.

-.- that list is starting to get too large.

Cannonfodder

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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #73 on: September 08, 2012, 10:29:18 PM »
Maybe I've been reading too many other books lately (MZB, GRRM), but if there ever is a formal contract (or even just a preview in your letter of some quantifiable quid pro quo), specify the minimum amount of time City of Heroes must be kept running.  The best way I can think to put it is something like "at least 3 years".  Keep that tone neutral.  :)

Oh, and thanks for your support. 

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Dasher

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Re: Letter Writing Campaign: Important Advice
« Reply #74 on: September 08, 2012, 10:41:00 PM »
I feel it's important to weigh in here with a word of encouragement and another of warning.
First, by way of encouragement: Don't let up for a moment on your letter writing! I started letter-writing the moment the shutdown was announced, and began getting the word out to everyone I knew to participate. Trust me when I say that nothing makes an impression on a corporate executive like a paper letter sitting on their desk. It has made the rounds though the building, it's existence cannot be denied or forgotten, it is a tangible expression of how a customer feels about the product they are paying for, and THAT makes it a powerful totem!

Second - and I say this as owner of my own small company and a person married to a senior executive of a much larger one - handwritten letters are rarely read or taken seriously. The hard truth is that they're a perceived as being unprofessional, immature or irrelevant, as they are frequently assumed to originate from minors or individuals without good communicat skills, and along with that assumption - unfair though it is - the author of such a letter is perceived to be lacking in buying power, and that makes their opinions or feelings irrelevant to the business owner reading it.
So I urge you: Write your letters suing a typewriter or your favorite word processing software.
DON'T print out multiple copies, but re-write and re-express your passion for CoH and your commitment as a customer to the game.

Multiple, varied, professional, mature letters show that you are not going to disappear after one letter, which also tells them you are not going to disappear as a paying customer!  Most important, send your letters via Certified Mail, with a Return Receipt Request. The first makes sure your letter goes directly to Mr. Kim, while the second let's you know it got there and who signed for it.

"We can do this. We're heroes (and villains). This is what we do, because no one takes what is ours!"
"Never give up - Never surrender!"
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Victoria Victrix

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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #75 on: September 08, 2012, 11:24:25 PM »
<stage whisper> Guys, she's gonna think that we think she's old or something!

I AM old!

/em shakes cane
I will go down with this ship.  I won't put my hands up in surrender.  There will be no white flag above my door.  I'm in love, and always will be.  Dido

StarRanger4

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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #76 on: September 08, 2012, 11:38:45 PM »
Holy hanna.  Gonna have to go out and buy some Valdemar books to help support you then.

anyway, here is what I wrote:

Quote
Mr Kim:

I am writing to express my displeasure with the announcement of the decision to shut down the "City of Heroes" MMO game owned by your company.  I, in fact, beg you to reconsider this decision.  Failing that, please consider selling the IP rights or giving them back to the community. This would allow both parties to continue to focus, as it says in your press release "on our core businesses".

I also do not understand why this decision was made, nor why it was decided to announce it to the City of Heroes player base in the way it was.  To we players, on Thursday everyone was happy and looking foreword to new content being released, then mid day Friday we are told that everyone is being laid off, no more work is to be done on the game; nor even when you would be turning the servers off.  The suddenness of it has left us badly hurt and very confused; and I for one was wondering if you would please explain the rationalizations behind this decision.

I do understand that you, as both a publicly held company and as an executive of the same, have certain responsibilities to the shareholders.  I just do not understand how shutting our game down fulfills that responsibility; would you please explain it to me?

Out of all the types of Massively Multiplayer games out there, only the superhero genre has had any real appeal to me.  I enjoyed the game so much I had no problem with a monthly subscription, and in fact had just purchased in game currency (and had used more than a bit of it) mere hours before the announcement was made.  I understand if you, as a company think that a super heroic MMO is no longer a part of your core business model.  Sadly, I have no interest in the other MMO style games that apparently are part of your core business.

In summation, I would urge you to reconsider this decision.  You, as an executive and a corporation have the right to decide where you spend your monies.  I hope that you would continue to spend them on City of Heroes, though if you do not I understand as well.  Do understand that City of Heroes is the only product of yours that I like well enough to spend money on.


Flashtoo

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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #77 on: September 09, 2012, 12:58:12 AM »
I just realized something that may be important to consider when writing letters: Cultural differences between USA and Korea, namely, the perception of online games. Korea has such a problem with MMO addiction that they have had to pass laws to regulate it (Korean MMO accounts must be linked to SSN-equivalent, so hours online can be tracked, and you can't log on after midnight if you're under 18). With this in mind, I think it's probably important that in our letters, we do NOT come off as a crowd of addicts begging our supplier to take us back. Make it clear that this game is not our whole lives - rather, it's a part of our lives that we deem important enough to fight for. "Addicted to this game" evokes a different image to a Korean than to an American, and we want to make sure that we, the letter writers, aren't seen as sitting alone, in the dark, grinding away until someone either reminds us we need to eat or we starve to death.

Victoria Victrix

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Re: Call to Action: Write to NCsoft
« Reply #78 on: September 09, 2012, 01:51:57 AM »
I just realized something that may be important to consider when writing letters: Cultural differences between USA and Korea, namely, the perception of online games. Korea has such a problem with MMO addiction that they have had to pass laws to regulate it (Korean MMO accounts must be linked to SSN-equivalent, so hours online can be tracked, and you can't log on after midnight if you're under 18). With this in mind, I think it's probably important that in our letters, we do NOT come off as a crowd of addicts begging our supplier to take us back. Make it clear that this game is not our whole lives - rather, it's a part of our lives that we deem important enough to fight for. "Addicted to this game" evokes a different image to a Korean than to an American, and we want to make sure that we, the letter writers, aren't seen as sitting alone, in the dark, grinding away until someone either reminds us we need to eat or we starve to death.

To that end, I think that the more we emphasize the social aspects, and how the game has brought together family members and friends who live at great distances from one another, the better the letters will come across. 
I will go down with this ship.  I won't put my hands up in surrender.  There will be no white flag above my door.  I'm in love, and always will be.  Dido

Zapping

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Re: Letter Writing Campaign: Important Advice
« Reply #79 on: September 09, 2012, 03:49:30 AM »

Second - and I say this as owner of my own small company and a person married to a senior executive of a much larger one - handwritten letters are rarely read or taken seriously. The hard truth is that they're a perceived as being unprofessional, immature or irrelevant, as they are frequently assumed to originate from minors or individuals without good communicat skills, and along with that assumption - unfair though it is - the author of such a letter is perceived to be lacking in buying power, and that makes their opinions or feelings irrelevant to the business owner reading it.
So I urge you: Write your letters suing a typewriter or your favorite word processing software.
DON'T print out multiple copies, but re-write and re-express your passion for CoH and your commitment as a customer to the game.


Just a bit of a counter point.  In Washington, DC handwritten notes are taken seriously because it is assumed that the person went out of their way to write and didn't just copy a form letter.  So I don't know if that is relevant or not with NCSoft, but thought I would share.  Either way, mailed is definitely treated as more meaningful then email.