Disney's Iger talks Marvel theme park

[mikoroshi]

I should think 31 pages is enough to convince anyone, if they can be convinced at all.  Is that "effort" enough for you?

Not to mention the fact that we can confirm a minimum of three-dozen hand-written followups to said 31-page packet just by looking at the pertinent thread on this site.

[dwturducken]

While I didn't hand-write mine, I did send a letter each to Pleasants and Iger (I finally had them ready about a week in, and some independent digging coupled with some things said on the forums had led me to believe that those were the really relevant ones, anyway), along with each of them being on my Christmas card list, "signed" by about a dozen of my characters on each, it's hard to say how many have responded to this call. While giving this effort a separate forum, so to speak, instead of giving it a CtA on the Save Paragon one probably is a good idea, as far as organization, have we weakened or limited the message? How many people are looking at the Titan Networks fora as a whole, and how many are just hitting one or another or maybe a handful of sections? I know I do not look at everything.

Looking at the numbers on the MMOSite poll, CoH has a total of 20045 votes in 16 days of voting. Assuming the same people voted every day, once for each category, that's a little more that 625 people. The question really is, how many letters does it take to get Disney's attention, and can we muster that many? I know I plan to have a couple more ready for when they come back from the holiday break. Can we get a better showing for this than we're managing for the MMOSite polls?

[Tommy2Toes]

I doubt a million letters would be enough to get Disney to buy the game.  But I applaud the effort for what it is nonetheless.

[HEATSTROKE]

I doubt a million letters would be enough to get Disney to buy the game.  But I applaud the effort for what it is nonetheless.

thankk you Debbie Downer

[Quinch]

I doubt a million letters would be enough to get Disney to buy the game.  But I applaud the effort for what it is nonetheless.

Well, if you don't think that one million people willing to spend time, effort and postage to save a game, and then continue spending that money on Disney's products should it decide to buy the game would be enough to convince Disney that it's worth the investment, that's well within your rights. I just think you're on crack for thinking it.

[mikoroshi]

I doubt a million letters would be enough to get Disney to buy the game.  But I applaud the effort for what it is nonetheless.

There's a mantra in business that says that for every person who writes in to complain about something, or ask for something to be changed or done, there's a dozen more that were just too lazy to write in.

That said, I would suggest that if you're going to be negative, be informative about why you've come to that perspective--or else you're going to get a lot of responses like the above "debbie downer" remark and no one will take you seriously when you do have a valid point.

[Tommy2Toes]

The only reason I'm getting these responses is because I don't subscribe to group-think.  Short of rah-rah'ing it's clear that expression of conflicting opinion isn't welcomed.  I don't really care about popularity points so no biggie.

I do wish to reiterate, however, that I applaud the effort even if I personally believe it to be futile.  I've written my own letters, voted in polls, etc.  I just think it isn't going to work.

Sorry if my opinion in any way appears to invalidate yours.  It shouldn't.

[Quinch]

Duly noted. That said... you still haven't said why you think any amount of initiative from the players wouldn't have any effect.

[Kistulot]

The only reason I'm getting these responses is because I don't subscribe to group-think.  Short of rah-rah'ing it's clear that expression of conflicting opinion isn't welcomed.  I don't really care about popularity points so no biggie.

I do wish to reiterate, however, that I applaud the effort even if I personally believe it to be futile.  I've written my own letters, voted in polls, etc.  I just think it isn't going to work.

Sorry if my opinion in any way appears to invalidate yours.  It shouldn't.

The reason you're getting these responses, is because when people are rallying together, they don't appreciate being told that there's no possible chance it will succeed. We all know that the chances are low, if even existent. I would be powerfully shocked if any of us thought it was just one more letter and bam, CoH is saved.

But saying that you're only getting negative responses to a negative attitude because you don't subscribe to groupthink is offensive. We're all banding together to be positive, and to work towards a goal. We're glad that you're a part of that effort, but we're not going to smile give you a thumbs up and cheer for you saying its a waste of time. Is it? It might be. But we're trying.

Accusing people of responding negatively due to groupthink is pretty winged sparklepony. Doubleplus ungood, chap.

[Kaiser Tarantula]

The only reason I'm getting these responses is because I don't subscribe to group-think.

It's mostly as Kistulot said.  We realize our chances are slim to nil.  Even if we can line up Disney, Valve, and god-only-knows-who-else, NCsoft can just abjectly refuse to sell.  It would be a terrible decision, considering how much stock value they've lost in the past year alone, but it's one within their rights to make.

Dissenting opinions, saying we're not going to succeed, or explaining that we've got about a snowball's chance in fire-and-brimstone Hell, are unhelpful and counterproductive.  You're A). not telling us anything we don't already know, and B). irritating us with the negativity.  Then you further insult us by insinuating that we're 'submitting to groupthink' by remaining positive in the face of this adversity.

You honestly think this is 'groupthink' here?  That somehow we wouldn't have chosen this if we were 'thinking rationally'?  Well, I can't speak for others, but I know I voluntarily chose to support Task Force Hail Mary.  Why?  Because it represents the best and most well-organized legal attempt to reopen City of Heroes.  Sure, not all the information is public, but NDAs exist and I can't encourage breaking them.  Further, VV and the rest of TFHM aren't asking for money, or personal information, or anything else from us except postage for a couple letters, and a little time and effort spent writing them.

A chance, however slim, to save CoH, in exchange for a snailmailing a couple letters.  For me, that's not too much to ask.

If you have a better plan that results in the return of a legal, operating City of Heroes server, be my guest to outline it.  If I think it's good, I'll support it.  Until then, I will thank you to stop complaining at the people who are actually trying to do something, regardless of the odds.

[Taceus Jiwede]

Actually I have been thinking lately.  If Disney does buy CoH, fingers crossed, it would make the most sense to combine it, or feed it, to Marvel.  I mean that in a good way of course Marvel is the comic book/super hero experts it would make the most sense for them to take it on.  To keep CoH and Marvel as two separate entities within Disney wouldn't make much sense to me, but then again I have no business education.  I could see CoH becoming a separate project of Marvel or the worst case scenario, which is still pretty good, part of the Marvel universe(Which I don't think would happen).  Although Statesman would make a good Marvel character....

[Victoria Victrix]

The only reason I'm getting these responses is because I don't subscribe to group-think.  Short of rah-rah'ing it's clear that expression of conflicting opinion isn't welcomed.  I don't really care about popularity points so no biggie.

I do wish to reiterate, however, that I applaud the effort even if I personally believe it to be futile.  I've written my own letters, voted in polls, etc.  I just think it isn't going to work.

Sorry if my opinion in any way appears to invalidate yours.  It shouldn't.

This forum was created specifically to support the Team Wildcard efforts.  If you do not wish to support them, please take the advice of Thumper's mother.  "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all."  This is not, as you put it, "rah-rah groupthink."

We are doing our best.  We are very aware of the odds.  So stop jiggling our elbows as we fly.

C-3PO: Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1.
Han Solo: Never tell me the odds.

[Tommy2Toes]

What's disappointing is you seem hell bent on chasing away what dwindling support you can have simply because you can't tolerate any opinion that dissents from your own.

I've written my letters.  I've done all that was asked.  Not saying something nice is my right.  Although I don't think I've said anything "not nice," just something that disagrees with the quickly-becoming-a-clique mantra. 

But like I said, I'm not in this for popularity points.  If you don't want my support, then so be it.

[mikoroshi]

I think it is clear that you don't understand the meaning of the phrase "hail Mary play."

There isn't anyone here expecting it to work.  There is no "groupthink," there is just a plan with really poor odds against it... And holy heck, we *ALL* know it. It just seems that you're being willfully ignorant of that.

No one has said "ERMAGERD ITS GONNA WORK SO STFU YOU BUTT." So it is perplexing why you are acting as if we all are.

[Victoria Victrix]

What's disappointing is you seem hell bent on chasing away what dwindling support you can have simply because you can't tolerate any opinion that dissents from your own.

I've written my letters.  I've done all that was asked.  Not saying something nice is my right.  Although I don't think I've said anything "not nice," just something that disagrees with the quickly-becoming-a-clique mantra. 

But like I said, I'm not in this for popularity points.  If you don't want my support, then so be it.

What's disappointing is that you seem hell-bent on throwing in negative comments at every possible point because you can't tolerate any opinion that dissents from your own.

We've put together the package and sent it for this pitch.  We have, at minimum, another eight to ten to go.  Correcting you on that point is my right.  Although I don't think you have been at all nice, deciding in your own mind that this has somehow become a clique.  Are you jealous of the fact that I am a published author and you are not?  Don't be, I will guarantee I am not making nearly the money that you think, my lifestyle is precarious, I have no retirement funds and I will be working until the day I die.  I get no holidays, no sick days and no time off.  Every moment I spend answering posts is one I could be using to make money.

But I am not in this for popularity points or to boost my image.  I'm in a fight at long odds, which is costing me working time, because not fighting is defeatist.  If you have something constructive to say, some angle or approach we haven't thought of (other than adding to the list of pitches or pitch points) please say something.  So far all we have heard from you is "this isn't going to work," which is far from helpful.  If in your mind this isn't going to work, what is?

[Aggelakis]

If you don't want my support, then so be it.

This is not really support:

I doubt a million letters would be enough to get Disney to buy the game.

If that's the kind of support you want to give, then it would be incredibly nice of you to give it to someone else.

[redgiant]

Putting aside my bias for CoH "the game", and looking at it from a business/gap perspective:

CoH's strength is its everyman concept, even though it has its own considerable stable of named heroes as well. Everyone can be a superhero, each unique. This is a definitely complimentary concept to Marvel.

It's the G-rated version of Kick-Ass. Or the public-at-large version of The Incredibles.

And it has a villainous public counterpart. It's the superhero version of Star Trek's Mirror, Mirror. Or an interesting version of NBC's Heroes.

Anyone doing even cursory research into CoH from a proposal would see a ready-made example of how an entire city population could be super-powered in a million different unique ways, just by looking at the Unity Rally video. And that's just from the MMO itself, let alone the movie animators taking the raw materials of the design of characters and fleshing it out into a movie topic. I could see CoH *being* a movie about ... itself.

CoH trademarks like: superjump, teleport, superspeed, powersets, costume components could directly be part of a movie concept that simply mimics the COH universe. The mob and villain groups, heroes and lore are already more than enough to populate an entire movie or two. Circle of Thorns, Tsoo, Council, Arachnos, 5th Column, Rikti ... are you kidding? I'd love to see a couple Tsoo sorcerors on screen doing a cooler version of those Big trouble in Little China hats.

How about a superhero movie version of Logan's Run mixed with Escape from New York (Paragon City), where instead of everyone dying at 30, criminals are locked away in a city with a plasma dome and their powers are stripped. Or so the authorities think for decades, until it is discovered that an evil corporation named Portal has long been experimenting on the hapless criminal population, and isolated reports of someone spotted on the inside flying and testing the plasma walls begin to surface. Portal has figured out how to restore powers. However, a side effect of this restoration is a madness (think the Taint on Saidin in The Wheel of Time) which makes them even worse than before their incarceration. So a team of good guy heroes has to infiltrate the bad guys' city to find the source of this restoration and to stop the buildup of powered-up criminals.

"City of Heroes" would be a great movie title, even if the game didn't exist.

[Kistulot]

I've done all that was asked.  Not saying something nice is my right.  Although I don't think I've said anything "not nice," just something that disagrees with the quickly-becoming-a-clique mantra. 

You have a right to do whatever you want. But doing everything you have the rights for is not how you behave in a community. No one here is disagreeing with the core argument you made! It's unlikely. But we're pushing on.

What we have a problem with, is you saying that us working our hardest to stay positive to support eachother an this movement is because we're groupthinking sheep. Do you have a right to be a downer? Yes. Are you being realistic in a way that is helpful or constructive? No. You received criticism and instantaneously claimed it was because of groupthink. That's... there's a lot of words for reacting like that, and none of them are good.

I would recommend stopping for a moment, and considering if maybe anyone here would have a legitimate reason to be personally unhappy and have reasons to disagree. Attacking people because they criticize you (politely) and have legitimate discussion... it's just not helpful, and not very conductive of community.

[Ironwolf]

In this world of negativity, hate and dishonor - I am very happy to stand with a diverse and dedicated group with a single goal, to return City of Heroes and whatever former developers we can muster to working order in a stable environment.

This isn't group think - it is a single focused goal.

We have black, white, native American, Asian, European and all flavors in between. We have socialist working hand in hand with conservatives. We have writers, artists, IT guys, retail workers and unemployed folks. We have in short every type of human being you can imagine finding satisfaction in working as a community to recover what we think is a hidden gem.

The chance to fly, be a hero and do so with other people who also have that goal.

What you call group think - we call a family.

[Victoria Victrix]

In this world of negativity, hate and dishonor - I am very happy to stand with a diverse and dedicated group with a single goal, to return City of Heroes and whatever former developers we can muster to working order in a stable environment.

This isn't group think - it is a single focused goal.

We have black, white, native American, Asian, European and all flavors in between. We have socialist working hand in hand with conservatives. We have writers, artists, IT guys, retail workers and unemployed folks. We have in short every type of human being you can imagine finding satisfaction in working as a community to recover what we think is a hidden gem.

The chance to fly, be a hero and do so with other people who also have that goal.

What you call group think - we call a family.

Thank you, Ironwolf.  I could not possibly have said it better myself.

/em removes hat in homage.

/em realizes she does not have a hat.