An action that I'm considering that they may actually 'hear'

[Lycantropus]

Hey all.

Something to drive home to them what they're losing by treating us like this, I'm considering sending them everything from NCsoft I own back to them (except my City of Heroes stuff... they have already taken as much of that from me as I'll allow). This is actually not a small ammount; I have every pre-order box and collectors edition of Guild Wars (just a regular copy of the original, but still)... Still wish I had my copy of Auto Assault as well (got it for free when I bought Eye of the North. Never actually installed it but...) Luckily they didn't get me on GW2 as I hadn't bought it yet.

Franky, I want them to see what they're losing out of me as a customer in a tangible way. I'll also be uninstalling it from my computer. It's a tough decision, but I'm going to put my money where my mouth is (completed each game... even have the Silver Eagle armor on my main and a collection of 'end-game' swords for her).

Including a letter to the effect of:

Dear NCsoft,

Until November 30th, I was an avid City of Heroes player, as was my wife, son, and a number of friends who are all now looking for a new game for us to to call home. However, the closure of Paragon Studios and the sunsetting of City of Heroes in such an abrubt and untimely matter (right before a new major update which was already completed no less) insures that we will not be finding a home with any of your products. None of us feel we can trust you to respect our appreciation of any product you have, or will, produce.

Therefore, in a realignment of my personal focus and company support, I will no longer be purchasing or playing another NCsoft product in protest of the treatment you gave Paragon Studios and the fans of our beloved City of Heroes. We will also make sure to inform as many people as possible about your treatment of games and their fan base. To demonstrate my sincerity in this course of action I am returning to you every last bit of NCsoft product I own, with the exception of my City of Heroes merchandise. You've taken enough of that game from me as it is. Understand, these products represent what you're losing from me in the future.

I never felt our voices were heard or taken seriously. I did not appreciate the silence we were met with from our efforts. With as much time and money I have invested in Guild Wars, the decision to uninstall it was not an easy one. I and many others have exhausted all options to try and prevent the closure of City of Heroes, but in the end, efforts to do so were unsuccessful. While I liked Guild Wars and Exteel, City of Heroes held a special place in my heart, so it is sadly time for us to part ways as company and consumer.

Once again, as you did not change your stance on Paragon Studios and City of Heroes, I will be encouraging other players and fans of the franchise to join forces in letting you know what you're losing by treating us this way.

(or something to that effect)

I'm looking for feedback.

One: Is this a good idea? How many other people are willing to do this?

Two: Where/who would be the most effective place/person to send it to?

Three: Any suggestions/changes about the letter that may have more/better impact (I modeled it after their responses to us for the punch of irony ).

Thanks in advance.

Lyc~ the currently world-weary werewolf

[Noyjitat]

A very interesting idea. It's sure to atleast give them some confused looks as they open the box and see all of the stuff. I'd make sure the letter is on the very top so that they read it and then glance down to see all of it.

[DrakeGrimm]

My name is Hawthorne Grimm, and I approve this message.


<.<


>.>

[therain93]

Hmm, actually sending back all of my City of Heroes boxes would be an interesting statement -- Pre Order CoH, CoH, CoH collector' edition DVD, Pre Order CoV, CoV, Cov Collectior's edition, Good vs Evil, Architect Edition, Mac Special Edition, and Going Rogue...

Edit: yes, I'm a bit of a pack rat and have them all...

[darkhawktman]

I would remove this line from your letter:

"I and many others have exhausted all options to try and prevent the closure of City of Heroes, but in the end, efforts to do so were unsuccessful."

This makes us look like we are defeated and have no other options. I still think that we still have options and even if we are defeated never let the enemy know that we are.

[Turjan]

A good plan indeed

Using the quotes from NCsoft themselves is a clever device to twist the knife, but I reckon it should be made clearer that's what you're doing. By now, all of us here are only too familiar with those trite phrases of theirs "realignment of company focus" and "exhausted all efforts" but there's no guarantee the recipient will be as au fait as we are, so perhaps the quotes need to be in commas and/or italics to make the point distinct that those words are echoes of their own.

[The White Rager]

A good idea - a very good idea in fact. Nice variation on the capes and masks, wouldn't be a bad suggestion to have nailed up top where people will see it regularly. Unfortunately I have no such products to mail back.

[Harermuir]

I dont think that claiming protest is a good thing. It's  a minor cost for them to lose a customer, a boycott of one personn is not something that they will care about. I think that it's better to say that they just have lost your trust, and you can not played a game from a company you dont trust, not believing anything they can say about the future of their game.

[Lycantropus]

I would remove this line from your letter:

"I and many others have exhausted all options to try and prevent the closure of City of Heroes, but in the end, efforts to do so were unsuccessful."

This makes us look like we are defeated and have no other options. I still think that we still have options and even if we are defeated never let the enemy know that we are.

Very good point! See this is why I put it up here for discussion first. That and I wanted to see how many other folks I could get interested in doing this. One person doing it wouldn't have near the impact as a group of people doing it.

I didn't mention it, but I'd considered having the package post dated December 1st, the day after the game goes offline, hence the "efforts were unsucessful" line (also keeping in cadence to their letter).

As for making their text more noticeable, I doubt the'd get it even then, sadly.

I dont think that claiming protest is a good thing. It's  a minor cost for them to lose a customer, a boycott of one personn is not something that they will care about. I think that it's better to say that they just have lost your trust, and you can not played a game from a company you dont trust, not believing anything they can say about the future of their game.

Good point and angle. I don't have time to draft another version at the moment but again, that's why I was asking for input! I can see how boycott is a 'final' gesture, giving them the position of shrugging and saying "oh well, he'll never buy from us again no matter what we do" whereas if they have hope of winning me (us) back, they may be more inclined. Frankly though I'm a little bitter over the whole thing, and more than a little pissed. Another reason I'm looking for feedback, want to make sure it sends the most effective and powerful message, rather than angry.

I just think them seeing boxes of their products being shipped back to them will be as less a sentimental gesture like the capes and masks were, and takes a little more agressive posture. If it dawns on them how much they're potentially losing from customers for this move, it may have more impact.

[Tannim222]

I don't have any other NCSoft products outside of CoH. I wonder of there are other players out there that do have other products, gather as many together as possible, and ship it all in one box with the letter attached. I'd imagine there'd be quite a few stunned faces in the mail room upon opening that package.

Sadly, I doubt any letter or message about a giant box of old product being returned would make it to any executive's ear. I'm betting the company policy on anything being mailed in related to CoH gets stuffed right in the trash without any consideration.

It'd be even better to stage the box being opened outside of their HQ, videoed, and uploaded to the web as a viral video. Now that I'd bet gets noticed.

[Artillerie]

This sounds like a fine idea. I would make the letter a bit less caustic but maybe thats just me.

If there were more people who could do this at the same time it could have increased impact.

[Colette]

Consider having a copy translated into Korean. I'd wager anything in English goes right to the shredder these days.

[Ammon]

I would remove this line from your letter:

"I and many others have exhausted all options to try and prevent the closure of City of Heroes, but in the end, efforts to do so were unsuccessful."

This makes us look like we are defeated and have no other options. I still think that we still have options and even if we are defeated never let the enemy know that we are.

Actually, I think the original wording was darn near perfect.

It is correct that we have pretty much exhausted all options to try to prevent the closure.  We cannot force NCsoft to keep the game open.  We never could.  Our fight is for whether it reopens. 

You cannot 'un-sack' the staff of Paragon Studios that have gone on to new jobs.  I even doubt that NCsoft could easily persuade many of those who haven't to go back to the same company that treated their loyal service and hard work with such disrespect and ingratitude.  City of Heroes, as we knew it, under NCsoft and Paragon is already gone.  The future, whatever it brings, will bring change.

It is vital that NCsoft understand they have hurt a lot of people, who now have hours of extra time on their hands, and some significant ill-will towards those who have treated them with lies, ignorance, and disrespect.  NCsoft need to be aware that just as they have brought irreversable change to our community, and our relationship with the developers of CoH, so they have brought irreversable change to our relationship with NCsoft.

Neither of these changes can be stopped or undone now.  The only thing NCsoft can do is decide how severe and long-lasting the changes will be.  Whether they allow CoH to be released, and cared for by others, or whether they will keep it from us, and suffer our lasting emnity and disgust.

[Jordan_Lee]

I like that idea. But never, ever, give them back your CoH boxes. They can take away the game, but they can never take away the cardboard boxes they came in!

[houtex]

I like that idea. But never, ever, give them back your CoH boxes. They can take away the game, but they can never take away the cardboard boxes they came in!

Is is wrong I read that in William Wallace's voice, as he is rallying the troops?

I'm goin' with it's right, myself.   And so is the idea, I like it.  However, I don't have anything to send them.  I must admit, Co* was my only MMO, and the only game from NCSoft I ever played and bought.  And they can't have my Co* stuff.  It's MINE.   So... I would, except I don't have anything. 

But I may join in a sending of a cape or mask or two, perhaps the list of my characters and a statement detailing the nearly 8 years of uninterrupted payment for my beloved game.

Mike

[Battle Ant]

One: Is this a good idea? How many other people are willing to do this?

Do I think it is a good idea..yes.

Do I think it will make much of a difference..no

I think it is pretty obvious NCSoft does not care what we think. To them, their minds are made up on what they want to do. It is also obvious that they are just wanting to ignore us and hope thing blow over. The only things they understand is money and their press relations. We tried being nice and pleasant about the situation and they basically shoved us aside. December 1st is when we need to start playing dirty. We need to find all the TRUTHFUL negative information about Ncsoft and bombarding media outlets with it.

Also, I would not send you COH items back to them. They have already made money from it. They would just throw it in a dumpster or figure out how to resell it. Keep it so you can have mementos of a happier time.

[Ammon]

There are two main ways to make it *really* work, and both involve sending the packages elsewhere first, to pool them together.

The first is to collect hundreds of such packages, documenting what is in them, and then hire a truck to deliver them to the US offices at a set time, so that the delivery can be recorded on video, along with the earlier footage of what was in the packages.  The video then becomes its own protest that can be shared on youtube and be spread virally.

The second would be to collect all the stuff into one big pile somewhere and burn it, again, on video.

I favour the first approach.

But what's nice about the second approach is that you'd have to step back a bit from the bonfire pyre, so you could, if you were marketing minded, have lots of stuff in the middle of the pile that was not actually NCsoft games or merchandise, and even the boxes one would see might be 'stunt doubles' - basically boxes printed to match NCsoft products just to give a bigger pile...

[The White Rager]

I'm with Ammon's first approach as the way to go. US office is in Seattle right? I know we've got players there active on these forums, I've seen 'em talking before, asking whether to get a protest going. Anyone willing to volunteer as a focal point and coordinate for this?

[Rotten Luck]

Hmm stunt double boxes might work for those of us who don't have Physical copies. 

This can be in the mail in idea.  I doubt they be checking each box.  Double this that it's symbiotic of us rejecting NCsoft.

In the fake boxes "I downloaded the game but given you taking that away I'm sending this to inform you your product is now deleted form my hardrive."

This makes the fake boxes more an avatar for the digital game being deleted.

[dwturducken]

<raises hand> I actually have the box and disk for GW1 and CoH: Good Vs. Evil. I think the GW disk is GotY edition or something.  I would be willing to send both, since I haven't played GW in a couple of years, and the disk is no longer necessary for either game.

[emu265]

I couldn't bear to part with my CoH box (I have only one).  But otherwise, love the idea.

[Lycantropus]

See, I don't want anyone sending in their CoH boxes (unless they want to I suppose). I don't plan to. Between every version of the game I have, the original Prima guide, the two binders, the heroclix, the novels... well I have a lot of CoH stuff, and I'm not getting rid of it. Like I said, they've already taken enough of the game away from me.

I think combining everything together into one big... thing is a great idea! For me, I want to send the message "This is the brand loyalty you're losing!" since I have a rather large collection of Guild Wars stuff too.

I don't live anywhere near Seattle (wish I did; beautiful place) but if someone wants to organize an event like this, I'd be all for it. I really don't think they 'get' what they're losing with a lot of us. From everything I've read, they're confused about getting this reaction, and don't know how to deal with it. I want to put it in the simplest terms possible.

"Look at this. By taking this game, you're losing me for all your games, past and future!"

I see sending anything CoH related to be a waste in that message, since they already took it. To them, that's trash. By sending stuff related to their other games they still publish and support, maybe they'll understand what's at stake a little better.

Just my thought anyway.