A response to NCsoft

[Ironbull]

In my own opinion, NC Soft is taking the position so many other publishers, studios, and gaming industry bullies take when they want something.  "It's mine, you can't have it."  As good as it sounds to sell, some people would rather it go down in flames then to see a single customer ripped away from their precious GW2 or other games.  Or forget the fact that someone else may be able to make a bigger better profit on something they let go of.  How many great games have either not seen sequels, or fallen into a black hole because a studio/publisher hangs on to the rights even after going bankrupt?  If NC Soft was "truthful" in stating they would listen to "reasonable" offers, why not put out a number?  Maybe they have done this, maybe not.  I may not be a business minded person, but even I know if you have an interested party, you throw out an initial offer to start negotiations.  Otherwise, your not really interested in selling, your just trying to drum roll please...  Save face and make it look good.

[Segev]

My apologies, cmgangrel; my intent was to be graphic, but no to strike anybody's personal sore spots. I have edited my post.

[Taceus Jiwede]

I think everyone should take a step back and take a deep breath.  The main goal here is to save a game that we love.  After reading through the posts for the most part both sides are making valid points and the more we fight about it the more people are going to get mad or hurt.  We all feel differently and have different reasons to be here but none of us have the right to tell others how to feel.  I personally think this thread should be locked so the conversation stops and people can go cool off.  This is not productive in any way and we are just losing support and hurting feelings. If someone doesn't feel the same way as you chances are nothing you say will change their mind and will most likely tick them off, just simply express your constructive opinion on that of the subject and not on that of the person, and than we all have to agree to be adults and not mock or belittle peoples opinions even if they don't agree with you.  I know tempers are high and people have a lot to say but please lets all just be the bigger men (and women of course) and put our problems aside.  We can go back to disagreeing with each other after Nov. 30th.   No one here is entirely sure what to do because of the huge lack of information we have (or have not?) been given and everyone is upset to loose their game even if they do or don't feel it should be fought for or is even realistic to be fought for.  Lets all go back to 2nd grade for a second.  Treat others the way you want to be treated.  And If you don't have anything nice to say, dont say anything at all.

This applies to everyone including me, you can't expect someone to change their attitude if you aren't willing to change your own.

[HEATSTROKE]

 I hope that something changes in the next month and maybe once the contracts are up there can be some open dialogue between the devs and the community to find out where we go from here. While I hope for the best I dont see NC Soft being reasonable at all.

 I think what was done to Paragon Studios was absolutely terrible and Nc Soft obviously doesnt care about its customers some of us who have been loyal since the very beginning. In all honesty I am insulted by their comments that they tried everything to sell the IP which we know is an complete and absolute lie..

[Victoria Victrix]

Ah those Verbal Abusers.  They are so good at sounding reasonable and making you doubt your own sanity.  Of course, they have made this their lifetime goal, so there's a good reason why they can do that.  Just take a deep breath, go down the list, and make sure they are still ticking off all the points, and remind yourself that their goals are to make you do what they want, acknowledge their "superiority" without ever giving you any verification for that "superiority" and to make you feel abased and degraded while doing so.

[Segev]

Pff. I rarely if ever doubt my sanity. My reason, occasionally, but more often then not, re-examination finds my reason to be intact. This tends to drive me nuts, though, when I can't figure out why somebody is disagreeing with me. Fortunately, this is not a problem Iv'e had on this forum yet! So I don't go crazy here. Except for the work I've put on myself with the media day, but that's my own doing. (And thanks to EVERYBODY who's helping out with it! I am more pleased than you can imagine at just how well it's looking so far. Lots left to do, but we're moving along!)

[dwturducken]

I'm not sayin' I doubt anyone's sanity, here, but what we're trying to do is a little crazy...

<nonchalantly sips mojito>

Anyone want ona these?  I have a whole bag of limes.

[DrakeGrimm]

Ah those Verbal Abusers.  They are so good at sounding reasonable and making you doubt your own sanity.  Of course, they have made this their lifetime goal, so there's a good reason why they can do that.  Just take a deep breath, go down the list, and make sure they are still ticking off all the points, and remind yourself that their goals are to make you do what they want, acknowledge their "superiority" without ever giving you any verification for that "superiority" and to make you feel abased and degraded while doing so.

...san...i...ty?

* DrakeGrimm gives VV a blank stare

[Segev]

*holds up some mountain dew in salute to dwturducken* I'm good, but thanks!

[chaparralshrub]

Seeing things that are disturbing to sanity are easier to deal with when you already know that you're bat **** insane. I have tea with Cthulhu every night, and I play a game of destroy the universe with Nyarlathotep every Wednesday.

The thing that is unconscionable about NCSoft's behavior here is not their strict adherence to killing the game. Somebody on the forum posted about what would be a proper way to end an MMO - "it doesn't align with our corporate interests anymore, so we are going to stop running it. We will sell it if anybody gives us a reasonable offer, but until then our plans are to sunset it. If the reasonable offer does not come until after the sun has set, then the sale can still be made, and the sun may rise again." But NCSoft has given us no indication that they would consider selling the IP after the sunset than before...

[sevda]

Ah those Verbal Abusers.  They are so good at sounding reasonable and making you doubt your own sanity.  Of course, they have made this their lifetime goal, so there's a good reason why they can do that.  Just take a deep breath, go down the list, and make sure they are still ticking off all the points, and remind yourself that their goals are to make you do what they want, acknowledge their "superiority" without ever giving you any verification for that "superiority" and to make you feel abased and degraded while doing so.

Wow...I am completely flabbergasted by this post. I'd read the earlier one commenting on these posts of yours, calling people who disagree with you "abusers" but I didn't bother to go back to check for myself. I just figured maybe they misunderstood. I didn't know enough about you, Mercedes, to have much respect for you, but what may have been there is totally gone.

Someone was so lacking in tact that they made an over the top, extremely graphic and ridiculous pseudo-comparison without taking the time to think that maybe, just maybe someone here had a similar experience and you call that hurt person a "Verbal Abuser"?

How about this, then. I take offense to that connotation because I myself have been abused in the past. Physically, psychologically, verbally, sexually abused by a person when I was barely out of my teens. Tossing out the word "abuser" is not something to be done lightly by any stretch of the imagination. Especially when there are those of us around here who have lived through it and know abuse for what it truly is, who know the evil that it truly is.

[Victoria Victrix]

Wow...I am completely flabbergasted by this post. I'd read the earlier one commenting on these posts of yours, calling people who disagree with you "abusers" but I didn't bother to go back to check for myself. I just figured maybe they misunderstood. I didn't know enough about you, Mercedes, to have much respect for you, but what may have been there is totally gone.

Someone was so lacking in tact that they made an over the top, extremely graphic and ridiculous pseudo-comparison without taking the time to think that maybe, just maybe someone here had a similar experience and you call that hurt person a "Verbal Abuser"?

How about this, then. I take offense to that connotation because I myself have been abused in the past. Physically, psychologically, verbally, sexually abused by a person when I was barely out of my teens. Tossing out the word "abuser" is not something to be done lightly by any stretch of the imagination. Especially when there are those of us around here who have lived through it and know abuse for what it truly is, who know the evil that it truly is.

You are perfectly entitled to your own opinion of course.  But Verbal Abuse is a well known and insidious form of abuse, just as damaging as physical abuse and a lot harder to counter because it leaves no outward signs.  I have plenty of personal and intense experience with Verbal Abusers, both the aggressive and passive versions, and there are plenty of respected psychologists and counselors out there whose works on the subject I respect.  I do not just toss out the term, lightly or otherwise.  And I don't call someone a Verbal Abuser until they've proven themselves as such, and not just with one post, but with a series of incidents.  I would also add that you have no idea what went on behind the scenes of the boards in PMs.

I think you might have mistaken my post for something that occurred immediately upstream in this thread.  It was a reaction to something that was posted several pages earlier than that.  It involved someone who was clearly attempting to browbeat and castigate TonyV, was, based on other entries by the same person (many deleted by mods) and PMs to me personally, entirely deserving of the title.

[Ichaerus]

     Bear with me, as I'm very new to the Titan Network here(I think I've made fewer posts than a person has fingers on their hand).  First, what is this umm...."unicorn" thing?  Is it a stab at My Little Pony media, or the majestic fantasy creature? 
     Second, wouldn't it be more productive to push away/ignore the negativity that has tended to crop up in here?  It appears the negative does what NCSoft wants, which is to distract/derail us, as we then divert energy/time towards those who go out of their way to act as obstacles.  Our time and resources are limited as it is with the looming spectre hovering. 
     Please, focus on what's needing to be done, unite on the front vs NCSoft, in a good way, whether that's using trial accounts for NCSoft games to let people in the other games know what's going on, tap into contacts that might help in any way, or using the game in creative ways to get the message out.  For example, I've been playing CoH, creating avatars of my friends know that a whole world is under siege.  And sending them screenshots via Facebook and email to show them the beauty that is in a fight for survival.  Letting them know that it's not just a game, but a cause worth fighting for.
     We've already bloodied NCSoft's nose in this fight, and they belted us with a low blow by sending that weak, limp-wristed, half-assed letter on October 2nd.  It's up to us to reach down inside, and get up off the canvas before the 10 count.  But we need to do it together.  Not just heroes, but rogues, vigilantes, villains, Praetorians both Loyalist and Resistance.
*shuffles off to log into CoH, Klendathu Drop playing in the background*

[dwturducken]

You are perfectly entitled to your own opinion of course.  But Verbal Abuse is a well known and insidious form of abuse, just as damaging as physical abuse and a lot harder to counter because it leaves no outward signs.  I have plenty of personal and intense experience with Verbal Abusers, both the aggressive and passive versions, and there are plenty of respected psychologists and counselors out there whose works on the subject I respect.  I do not just toss out the term, lightly or otherwise.  And I don't call someone a Verbal Abuser until they've proven themselves as such, and not just with one post, but with a series of incidents.  I would also add that you have no idea what went on behind the scenes of the boards in PMs.

I think you might have mistaken my post for something that occurred immediately upstream in this thread.  It was a reaction to something that was posted several pages earlier than that.  It involved someone who was clearly attempting to browbeat and castigate TonyV, was, based on other entries by the same person (many deleted by mods) and PMs to me personally, entirely deserving of the title.

OK, I'm not the only one who felt like s/he was missing something.  Thank you for clearing that up, and I'm sorry that it happened.

[P51mus]

  But Verbal Abuse is a well known and insidious form of abuse, just as damaging as physical abuse and a lot harder to counter because it leaves no outward signs.

Yes, yes it is.  I lived with one (family member) for a long time.

[downix]

     Bear with me, as I'm very new to the Titan Network here(I think I've made fewer posts than a person has fingers on their hand).  First, what is this umm...."unicorn" thing?  Is it a stab at My Little Pony media, or the majestic fantasy creature? 

It's a profanity filter set up for the word used to describe people hyped up on Supradyne.

[Taceus Jiwede]

I was wondering what Unicorn meant as well lol.

I posted this earlier but it didn't have the effect I had hoped.  Below is the posted message

"I think everyone should take a step back and take a deep breath.  The main goal here is to save a game that we love.  After reading through the posts for the most part both sides are making valid points and the more we fight about it the more people are going to get mad or hurt.  We all feel differently and have different reasons to be here but none of us have the right to tell others how to feel.  I personally think this thread should be locked so the conversation stops and people can go cool off.  This is not productive in any way and we are just losing support and hurting feelings. If someone doesn't feel the same way as you chances are nothing you say will change their mind and will most likely tick them off, just simply express your constructive opinion on that of the subject and not on that of the person, and than we all have to agree to be adults and not mock or belittle peoples opinions even if they don't agree with you.  I know tempers are high and people have a lot to say but please lets all just be the bigger men (and women of course) and put our problems aside.  We can go back to disagreeing with each other after Nov. 30th.   No one here is entirely sure what to do because of the huge lack of information we have (or have not?) been given and everyone is upset to loose their game even if they do or don't feel it should be fought for or is even realistic to be fought for.  Lets all go back to 2nd grade for a second.  Treat others the way you want to be treated.  And If you don't have anything nice to say, dont say anything at all.

This applies to everyone including me, you can't expect someone to change their attitude if you aren't willing to change your own."

I truly ask everyone to consider doing this.  It seems to have simmered down but people are still at each others throats.  Everyone wants the last word so bad but please I implore all of us to just be the bigger person and let bygones be bygones.  I was truly proud to see such a community of people come together and fight for something they love but with bad news comes bad attitudes, and now that community is splitting.  Put your differences aside and try to ignore the insults and better yet STOP THE INSULTS.  We have lots of things that push us apart but we all have one thing in common that should bring us together.  To save City of Heroes.  Please try to remember why we are here.  Your differences will be here later, the game might not be.

[Floride]

Lots of discussion here on this thread, very little of it being ways to Save Our City, so I'm gonna switch gears for us here and use this particular thread "as intended".

I have stated in earlier posts that NCSoft is ignoring us for a very good reason, we haven't been speaking their language - money. We need to put our money where our mouths are, or they will continue to ignore us, of this I am certain.
So here is another suggestion I have to Save Our City:

Get word out to all VIPs to mail NCSoft the $15 per month for all the months NC is letting us play for free. You know that you were gonna pay it anyways before the anouncement, so be a responsible adult, lead by example, and pony up. When thousands of certified envelopes containing MONEY (remember, NCSoft is all about the money) flood their offices, they will, at minimun, recognize our existence. At maximum, need to explain to their investors where they're going to put all the money they're making from the game they killed for not making money.

I was raised to do the right thing regardless of what others do. I'm still enjoying the game with my friends just as I would have had I paid as I had intended to do. I think we should pay for our time on their servers. And it would serve them right to earn money for what they may be expecting a huge loss/tax write-off for.

There. I said it. Feel free to tell me it's a dumb idea. Feel even freer to improve on it 

[P51mus]

Pretty sure there's better ways to use our money.  Like that idea to ship them socks.

Not to mention, sending them money would feel too much like rewarding them for closing the game down.

[Floride]

Pretty sure there's better ways to use our money.  Like that idea to ship them socks.

Not to mention, sending them money would feel too much like rewarding them for closing the game down.

The difference is they won't just throw checks in a box and haul them to the company dumpsters. May even effect their stock price.
And if you've logged in since the anouncment to shut down, you had to click "I Agree" to the EULA that says you will pay for your time in Paragon. Holding up your end of a EULA isn't exactly "reward"ing them.