Help out SEGS

[Ironwolf]

I dropped $50 on this - nemerle if you need specific software - development tools that could aid your efforts please let us know and we can see about funding the effort.

[Harpospoke]

*sigh...  You people are hurting my brain.  I literally don't know how I can make this any simpler.  Stop knocking other people's projects.  I don't care if you think it's illegal, a colossal waste of time, or what.  People are working on what they want to work on, and there are several projects underway that pretty much any CoH fan can jump in and say, "THAT is where I want my effort to go."  If you want to contribute, ping someone who's associated with that projects.  If you don't, don't!  No one will make you.  All I ask is for people to stop making demands or trying to foist guilt trips upon other people who are doing what they want.

If you think that you can do a better job than we have of getting NCsoft to change their mind and turn the servers back on so that things can go back to just they way they were before, please do it!  I've already had one person do such and end-run around me, and believe it or not, I'm fine with that although things obviously haven't worked out on that front, either.

I really, really don't mind "This project is teh roxxorz!" posts.  But I'm getting a wee bit irritated at the posts telling or implying to other projects that they're not worthwhile.  It's not like if one group succeeds, all of the others will say, "Well, durn.  I guess that's it, that's the one that everyone wanted, let's just pack up and go home now."  So knock it off, and focus on the positive, not the negative.  Otherwise, you'll be doomed to a life of misery because, like I said, things will never go back to the way they were--but that doesn't mean that things can't be pretty durn good again.

P.S.  There's not just one "Community Server" team, and there likely won't be just one "Community Server."  I don't know how that impression got started, but let's stop propagating it.  There are at least two distinct projects that I know of that are counting on using the City of Heroes client files: SEGS and another project designed to create a compatible server with a much later version of the client.  Even if both of them are successful, I seriously doubt that it's likely that there will be just one server running the end result of each project.  There could be many servers with various content and rules in place.

This forum needs a "like" button.  :)

So....*like*   8)

I too don't see the benefit in being negative about the efforts of others who are doing all this work for free.   I wish I could help, but I'm non-skilled in programming and make little money as a professional musician.  Bleh... :-\

[Harpospoke]

Now, once any new server software is at that point then it would be great if somebody could release a version of Mission Architect or some other way to add missions to the sparse game world. From there I would imagine several servers may well spring up, some of which try to ape CoH directly and some of which are their own world. That way any legal risk from how the world content is set up will sit with the people running each server. But the project which created the server software in the first place should still be legal.

Oooo...I like that.   Some of the missions that players came up with in AE were awesome.  Plus I could actually help with something like that for a change!  :)  I'm a player who was more into the way the game played than specific content.   If I could put my old characters into new content I wouldn't mind a bit.

[nemerle]

I dropped $50 on this - nemerle if you need specific software - development tools that could aid your efforts please let us know and we can see about funding the effort.

I humbly thank You. Your donation serves as a warm expression of  appreciation and a Morale Inspiration rolled into one.

As for tools, I'd love to have some Coding Speed and Brain Capacity SOs, or maybe a respec to some kind of pet Class ? :)

And in all seriousness, the choices I've made during development allow me to work very comfortably using free software only. 
For the foreseeable future I have more tools then hands and eyes to use them....   I wonder, how much does a decent developer-level BCI costs these days ? :)

[LadyVamp]

There is, of course, another alternative though it would be expensive too.  NCSoft is a publicly traded company.  036570.ks is their symbol on the Korean Stock Exchange.  So they won't sell the game code/licenses/etc.  They can't stop us from buying their company since they are publicly traded.  Own stock, you get to vote and a say on their board.  It's perfectly legal. 

[JohnnyAndre]

Wouldn't be pricey to a man named Jaqium Phoenix. If you recall, in the film I'm Still Here, he played a ton of CoH. Worth a shot.

[The Fifth Horseman]

There is, of course, another alternative though it would be expensive too.  NCSoft is a publicly traded company.  036570.ks is their symbol on the Korean Stock Exchange.  So they won't sell the game code/licenses/etc.  They can't stop us from buying their company since they are publicly traded.  Own stock, you get to vote and a say on their board.  It's perfectly legal.

From what I recall, the CXOs own a controlling interest.

[LadyVamp]

While unlikely to happen it is an alternative and likely the only one that would get the game restored to it's original format in a timely manor.  Otherwise, we just need to wait until the patents run out which may not be as long as you might think given the game is 8+ years old already.

And, yes it's a long shot at best with a low chance of succeeding.

[Ironwolf]

Copy-write on written material is 75 years in the USA in South Korea I am not sure but will do some research. I am not sure what it is on programs.

[The Fifth Horseman]

While unlikely to happen it is an alternative and likely the only one that would get the game restored to it's original format in a timely manor.  Otherwise, we just need to wait until the patents run out which may not be as long as you might think given the game is 8+ years old already.

Patents are a distinctive thing from copyrights.
Patents can cover technical solutions used in the game client or server and are entirely irrelevant to copyrights on the game's contents.
As far as copyright goes, in USA it persists for 95 years after publication, in Korea I'm not certain but it's at least 50 years.

[Ironwolf]

How long does a copyright last?
The term of copyright for a particular work depends on several factors, including whether it has been published, and, if so, the date of first publication. As a general rule, for works created after January 1, 1978, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years. For an anonymous work, a pseudonymous work, or a work made for hire, the copyright endures for a term of 95 years from the year of its first publication or a term of 120 years from the year of its creation, whichever expires first. For works first published prior to 1978, the term will vary depending on several factors. To determine the length of copyright protection for a particular work, consult chapter 3 of the Copyright Act (title 17 of the United States Code). More information on the term of copyright can be found in Circular 15a, Duration of Copyright, and Circular 1, Copyright Basics.

Direct from the US Copyright Office.

[LadyVamp]

Actually, all that needs to be done is develop code that does the same thing so long as it doesn't contain their code.  So long as the act alike code doesn't include any source code developed by NCSoft, there's nothing they do.

As for patents and copyrights, you guys are quite correct that a copyright lasts a lot longer but the question is did they copyright, patent, or what?  I wouldn't assume anything here.  It would be worth the time to research it.  If they did a patent, it's on file and publicly available for review.  I'm not sure who would hold copyright info but I'm willing to bet those petitions are publicly reviewable too.

Yes companies today still make the mistake of not taking out patents and copyrights.  Also, where did they file them assuming they did?  A patent in one country doesn't automatically get protection in another unless the two countries in question have an agreement stating they do.  These are questions that are worth looking into.

[Ironwolf]

It would not be a patent.

It would be a copyright.

[JaguarX]

Actually, all that needs to be done is develop code that does the same thing so long as it doesn't contain their code.  So long as the act alike code doesn't include any source code developed by NCSoft, there's nothing they do.

As for patents and copyrights, you guys are quite correct that a copyright lasts a lot longer but the question is did they copyright, patent, or what?  I wouldn't assume anything here.  It would be worth the time to research it.  If they did a patent, it's on file and publicly available for review.  I'm not sure who would hold copyright info but I'm willing to bet those petitions are publicly reviewable too.

Yes companies today still make the mistake of not taking out patents and copyrights.  Also, where did they file them assuming they did?  A patent in one country doesn't automatically get protection in another unless the two countries in question have an agreement stating they do.  These are questions that are worth looking into.

Looked it up. NCSoft copyrighted alot of COX stuff in the US. And have a few patents filed here but I didnt cant remember the details off the top of my head of what those patents cover. Not sure if they have some they filed in their home and transfered over and or if any was transfered over. For a game as large as them, while there was numerous filings dealing with COX and NCSoft there didnt seem like enough to cover everything so there might be some pretty big holes there that can be used.

[saipaman]

Add $25 from me.

[LadyVamp]

It would not be a patent.

It would be a copyright.

A copyright would make more sense, but I've heard of patent lawsuits over source code.

[LadyVamp]

Looked it up. NCSoft copyrighted alot of COX stuff in the US. And have a few patents filed here but I didnt cant remember the details off the top of my head of what those patents cover. Not sure if they have some they filed in their home and transfered over and or if any was transfered over. For a game as large as them, while there was numerous filings dealing with COX and NCSoft there didnt seem like enough to cover everything so there might be some pretty big holes there that can be used.

That's enough due diligence for me.  I figured they'd be smart enough to put the best protection they can which is copyrights in the USA.  Likely they did the same in several other countries they do business in too.\

Thanks for looking it up, JaguarX.  At least we know where that stands.

[Heroette]

I tried SEGS again last night and was able to get in.  I moved more smoothly but was still transparent.  I like how the entrance to the Hollows was missing.  It was nice to move around.

[Rigo42]

I tried SEGS again last night and was able to get in.  I moved more smoothly but was still transparent.  I like how the entrance to the Hollows was missing.  It was nice to move around.

It's so much fun too run around and hear the old music around atlas when the rubberbanding ends :D

[Tahquitz]

Methinks I crashed.  I got in once and ran around as Tahquitz once again.  But when I sign in as my account (Bastard) after failing to Quit to Desktop on the last forced stop (Win 7 Task Manager > Processes, telling the client to quit wasn't enough), it hangs.

If I broke it, I apologize.

But all the same, thanks for the effort.  It reminds me of that last scene in Princess Mononoke where the forest is decimated, and one little Akodama peeks out of the devastation and clicks his little head.

(... oops, spoiler alert.)