Trusting NCSoft - Would you play COH2?

[Moses Jones]

There have been discussions about whether or not NCSoft was or is going to make a COH2, but I wanted to pose a more simple question.

If NCSoft made a City of Heroes 2, would you trust them enough to play it? 

On the one hand City of Heroes is a universe we all love dearly.  On the other most of us feel betrayed by NCSoft and may not trust them to do right by us with a new title.  There's also the question of; Do we trust their business practices enough to expect them to even be able to make another successful title, or given their poor performance, will they even be around long enough to make another MMO worth bothering with. 

For me, I've lost all trust in the company.  It would take a LOT for me to try any future game put out by NCSoft.  What are your feelings?

[ohms]

If NCSoft made it? Not a chance.

If Paragon Studios made it? Absolutely.

[LuchRi]

It... very much would depend. I believe in second chances. Heck I tend to give far too many of them. However for a CoH2 to work it would have to be made in exactly the spirit of the original. Vast costume options out of the gate, built for expansion without limit from having different power sets. They would need to get a new team together capable of doing the kind of work Paragon was doing. CoH2 would require a massive labor of love on their part to work right and some assurance it won't just get the plug pulled. Without that, I could not see playing.

[DrakeGrimm]

NCSoft is not getting another penny of my money as long as I draw breath. Period.

[Segev]

NCSoft is not getting another penny of my money as long as I draw breath. Period.

Not even if Tony Stark himself materialized as a real person, bought out the whole company, and was selling Iron Man suits as promotional items for the re-launch of City of Heroes? ;P

[Flafty]

I would jump for joy if CoH returned to the world, even as CoH2, but I would have a lot of questions.  :-\

Who's developing the game? Who's on the design team? Who's on the art team? Who's on the programming team? Who's on the production team? Is NCSoft going to allow a true four-color superhero game or are we going to get Blade&Soul+Capes? Is NCSoft going to do something insane like make it a smartphone-only game?

What business model is NCSoft going to pursue? Is it going to be subscription-based (unlikely), or is it Free-To-Play (aka Pay-To-Win), or is it a hybrid model?

Are they going to admit that they mis-handled the original game in the first place?

If NCSoft is going to earn my trust (and thus my money), they've got a BIG hole to dig out of.  >:(

[Dollhouse]

Not even if Tony Stark himself materialized as a real person, bought out the whole company, and was selling Iron Man suits as promotional items for the re-launch of City of Heroes? ;P

If it had anything to do with NCSoft, the suit would probably take over and make you walk like those poor rubber-spined female avatars in Blade & Soul.

[Segev]

If it had anything to do with NCSoft, the suit would probably take over and make you walk like those poor rubber-spined female avatars in Blade & Soul.

Nah, you missed the part about Stark buying them out and making it HIS company.

[Kitsudragon]

This is Stark we're talking about. It would probably still make you walk like those girls from B&S.

[TonyV]

NCSoft is not getting another penny of my money as long as I draw breath. Period.

Pretty much my attitude.  To me, shutting down the game is only part of NCsoft's sin.  The other part was shuttering Paragon Studios and laying off 80+ people needlessly, and after doing so, adamantly refusing reasonable offers that would have kept them gainfully employed, offers that would have put money in their pocket.  Add to that the utter lack of respect that NCsoft corporate has shown its customers, and it would be a cold day in hell before I play another NCsoft game.

To be honest, I would view any kind of City of Heroes 2 game from NCsoft as an egregious insult, and would actively rally people against playing it.  I don't even have to ponder the question.

[derek]

Pretty much my attitude.  To me, shutting down the game is only part of NCsoft's sin.  The other part was shuttering Paragon Studios and laying off 80+ people needlessly, and after doing so, adamantly refusing reasonable offers that would have kept them gainfully employed, offers that would have put money in their pocket.  Add to that the utter lack of respect that NCsoft corporate has shown its customers, and it would be a cold day in hell before I play another NCsoft game.

To be honest, I would view any kind of City of Heroes 2 game from NCsoft as an egregious insult, and would actively rally people against playing it.  I don't even have to ponder the question.

This expresses my exact thoughts.  NCSoft has burned their bridge, and I want nothing further to do with them.

[Copper Cockroach]

NCsoft, you're nothing to me now. You're not an MMO publisher, you're not a friend. I don't want to know you or what you do. I don't want to see you on the Internet, I don't want you near my house. If you have a booth at a convention, I want to know in advance so I won't be there. You understand?

[chasearcanum]

I will be extremely wary of ever placing any trust in any product with the NCSoft logo on the package.

[Axonius]

No Never. And here's why. NCSoft are not committed to their products regardless of what they say
They are not a company that can be trusted.


NCSoft Defends Auto Assault

http://kotaku.com/184081/ncsoft-defends-auto-assault

Snell talks Dungeon Runners

http://freetoplay.biz/2007/10/17/dallas-snell-talks-dungeon-runners-free-to-play-and-ncsoft-20/

[Turjan]

I played Dungeon Runners...and remember how bad I felt when NCsoft killed it off.

And I played Tabula Rasa...and remember I felt a dozen times worse when they axed that one.

And now City of Heroes...I thought 'a dozen times worse' was the worst it could get. I was wrong.

Would I play CoH2 if NCsoft made it? Not a snowball's chance in hell. I've suffered through three increasingly painful MMO deaths now, all at NCsoft's hands. They've had enough out of me - they shall get nothing more.

[Little David]

It... very much would depend. I believe in second chances. Heck I tend to give far too many of them.

Heh.

As a former Tabula Rasa and Exteel player, NCSoft already blew their second chances with me. Especially when I learned what happened behind the scenes for TR to go down. City of Heroes was the last game I was willing to put money toward: partially because I'd already been playing for a year or two by the time TR died, but also because City of Heroes seemed too populous and venerable for NCSoft to kill off on a whim.

I was wrong, and now NCSoft will not see any more of my money. Not because I believe any of their games, current or future, are worth the money ... but because NCSoft summarily kills them off like how Electronic Arts kills off game studios.

At least with EA, you can still play the games by those studios after they're disbanded ...

[Menrva Channel]

I know I'd want to play it--I uninstalled, said my good byes--and then today I couldn't take it any more. I put that danged launcher on my lovely lappy to get my City one last time. (I also needed the current game for my demos.)

But I agree with the stipulation that if anyone BUT NCSoft makes it, I will play. I friggin' /hate/ that company. I don't want to give them another dime. And I don't trust them. Not after closing the game with no reason (no "good" reason) and handling it like that. I want a company who /respects/ me and my power as a consumer.

[voltknuckle]

City of heroes is the only NCsoft game I played, Everything else just looked like it was "Fantasy Grindfest 2003".

and CoH is literally NCsoft's only mac-based game.

I admit, with the F2P restrictions, I felt kinda forced to go VIP, but in the end, I regret nothing. I made Brain Karver, an arachnos Soldier that became a crab spider, and joined the hydra platoon, which had one of my favorite RP experiences- to the point where we even went on out own personal missions made in architect!

Eventually the group fell out thanks to inactivity, but still I'll never forget it.

CoH was my only haven in NCsoft, They are effectively evicting me with this decision, all on the bounds that they want to shove out of the western market and flip us off by doing so.

NCsoft had thier reasons (how shallow they damn well be) for the other five closures, the closure of CoH means "how much they care". I for one hope that CoH will be the last game they ever close, and hope that NCsoft is forced to pay back the karma for it's actions.

[JaguarX]

I would check out COH2 and see what it is about, NCSoft or not.

If they make a good product, I'll play. If not I wont. I have no beef with NCSoft but those that do, I understand. To me, other corporations exhibited far worse grimy behavior yet I still frequent those places Our relationship is nothing personal so what ever decision they make, on a corporation level, I dont care. It's buisness. If they offer a product I want to buy I'll buy, if not I wont.

Like I said prior I was plan on buying stock in them, part of the company, but held off and it's going down and I'm just seeing how far down it will go before signs of growth and might still invest a large amount. Still, I think their decision was a bit odd and a bit wrong way of doing buisness the way it was handled, but I have seen other corporations, some I own stock in some I dont, do far worse. But for those that IT IS personal, I completely understand and do what you feel you have to do.

[Victoria Victrix]

I'd play CoH2 by any company OTHER than NCSoft or Nexon.

I will never, ever play anything by NCSoft nor Nexon, nor will I ever buy anything from either company.  I am not calling for a boycott, I simply will never again risk my time (which is most assuredly worth a great deal of money), my money, my effort, my commitment, my creativity and my dubious sanity trusting in anything from either company.  They have displayed five times that they are not to be trusted, that they lie, cheat, and do everything but steal (and the jury is out on that).

I also intend to devote the front page of my website to warning my fans away from the products from both companies starting Dec. 1.