On the actual anniversary...

[GuyPerfect]

See what I did there? I waited until an actual full year had elapsed before talking about what happened a year ago. I know, I know. I'm just weird like that. (-:

Yeah, August 31, 2012, when doom was said. I remember the day, though it wasn't so traumatic that I remember all the tiny details like the times of day when I had to potty... I was sitting there on Skype, where the Titan Network development team has a group conversation going. In fact, it's still in my message log. Lemme pull it up.

*Clicks the "1 year" link and goes to get a drink*

June... March... February... Dang, we've been chatty, despite the game having been shut down. What's up with that?.. November, September... Ah! There it is. August 2012.

[8/31/2012 2:29:35 PM] Codewalker is online
[8/31/2012 2:29:36 PM] Guy Perfect: Well there's a face!
[8/31/2012 2:29:42 PM] Codewalker:
[8/31/2012 2:29:47 PM] Codewalker:
[8/31/2012 2:30:44 PM] Codewalker:
[8/31/2012 2:30:49 PM] Guy Perfect: Troubles?
[8/31/2012 2:30:57 PM] Codewalker: You haven't heard the news?
[8/31/2012 2:31:24 PM] Guy Perfect: Not lately. I've been sitting here thinking about what moves to teach an Ariados.
[8/31/2012 2:31:46 PM] Codewalker: http://na.cityofheroes.com/en/news/news_archive/thank_you.php
[8/31/2012 2:32:49 PM] Guy Perfect: Well that was abrupt. Was a reason given?
[8/31/2012 2:32:59 PM] Codewalker: None
[8/31/2012 2:33:15 PM] Guy Perfect: Will they be publishing Issue 24?
[8/31/2012 2:33:21 PM] Codewalker: I have no idea. I doubt it.
[8/31/2012 2:33:29 PM] Guy Perfect: Also, traffic seems to have killed the Titan server. (-:

Eabrace later came along and demonstrated how he prioritizes things:

[8/31/2012 3:17:31 PM] Eabrace: OK.  1)  The Titan server apparently doesn't like me right now.
[8/31/2012 3:17:57 PM] Eabrace: 2)  WTF!?  CoH is going away before the end of the year?
[8/31/2012 3:18:06 PM] Guy Perfect: Yeah, surprise!

Let's see here, who else heard the news that day...

[8/31/2012 4:04:37 PM] DeProgrammer: *Sob, sob*

[8/31/2012 5:03:07 PM] TonyV: So, just saw the news. On my way home now. Very dejected...
[...]
[8/31/2012 5:08:19 PM] TonyV: I can't help but wonder if there's ANY chance of us acquiring the game.
[8/31/2012 5:08:58 PM] TonyV: Through a crowd funding effort or something.

Aaaaand I guess Sekoia and Diellan were asleep all day.
__________

We had an initiative going on around that time. We called it Titan 2.0, and it was all about "out with the old, in with the new". Tony envisioned a sort of social hub where users would have their own CoH-related pages, where all of the Titan services would be plugged in. When Sentinel (a new version, the fabled Sentinel 1.0) tracked a character leveling up or earning a badge, a message would appear on your profile, be sent to your friends, etc. The Faces and CIT functionality would be built in, a new build planner would be integrated into the site and kept up-to-date through game tracking... All of that was underway. We were researching and experimenting and planning all along, up until this day one year ago.

Then it all stopped.

Codewalker and I immediately turned our attention to reverse engineering, Tony and Eabrace got to work driving the community vehicle towards a noble cause, and... I guess DeProgrammer proceeded to sob in the corner.

As for you guys, the community, you know how the rest went. You've been here ever since, and you're reading this here today. We've stuck through it this long, and we haven't seen the end of City of Heroes. Codewalker's work on the Icon mod has helped keep the game fresh in the community's mind, and... Well, that's about as far as Titan Network has taken it. There are other initiatives not related to Titan Network that have seen some incredible successes, but the news on those will come to light in due time.

For now, we the community keep the light burning. As long as we stand, the Rogue Isles will never be snuffed from existence. City of Villains will one day return! (-:

[Ohioknight]

My admiration, gratitude, and heartfelt applause to ALL those involved in "other initiatives not related to Titan Network that have seen some incredible successes"

And I (for one) longingly wait for the dawning light of "due time".

[MWRuger]

Honestly, one year ago I went into shock. I didn't realize it at the time, but psychological shock.

It's what  happens when something core to your psychological make up is destroyed. I don't know why this is so or why COH was such an important pillar, but apparently it was. Since then, it's been a struggle, which is ongoing, to reconstruct an edifice that not just functions (i got that already) but restores some of the joie de vive I had before. I don't think it will be another MMO. I've tried about 10 and it's not the missing factor (some were fun, some not).

I should probably feel worse today, but since I never really recovered my balance, it's about the same.

I think maybe I'll go by the liquor store and get a really good bourbon and watch a crapload of movies I love tonight. Have a good one if you can guys!

[Golden Girl]

the Rogue Isles will never be snuffed from existence. City of Villains will one day return!

Typical selfish villain

[eabrace]

If anything, I've only dug my heels in harder and continued to refuse to budge since then. 

[Menrva Channel]

I had a moment last night where I remembered it was a year ago they made "the sunset" announcement. I was with my gaming group who was also my super group and I was checking DA before the game started. That's how I found out... on DA of all places. At first I thought the club was closing--and then I found the main page. The three of us girls were devastated and cried the rest of the night while the guys sort of just sat there stunned. We had a little small talk but no one could really get into the game mood after that. :/ And from that point on, it was never the same. Most of us had trouble logging b/c of the depression we felt. i finally made November count and wish I had a bucket list. If I could use Ouro, I'd go back and tell myself that. Make a bucket list and play till you drop. :/

[Kyriani]

I'm still holding my candle waiting for one of those "other initiatives" (as in reverse engineering coh) to finally make a post telling us that they are making some kind of progress. I mean I know it might be risky to do so but nothing would please me more than to know for sure SOMEONE is doing SOMETHING and they haven't just given up and stopped trying. If I had the technical skill myself I'd devote my own considerable amount of free time to the effort but alas the only thing I'd be good for is data entry I think.

I just hope we'll see that one magical post I know all of us are waiting for that points us to the revived COH we all love and miss.

[Artillerie]

I'm still holding my candle waiting for one of those "other initiatives" (as in reverse engineering coh) to finally make a post telling us that they are making some kind of progress. I mean I know it might be risky to do so but nothing would please me more than to know for sure SOMEONE is doing SOMETHING and they haven't just given up and stopped trying. If I had the technical skill myself I'd devote my own considerable amount of free time to the effort but alas the only thing I'd be good for is data entry I think.

I just hope we'll see that one magical post I know all of us are waiting for that points us to the revived COH we all love and miss.

I feel much the same although my patience is maybe holding out better. I suppose i am getting some comfort in not seeing a post telling us that it can't be done.

[Ohioknight]

I'm still holding my candle waiting for one of those "other initiatives" (as in reverse engineering coh) to finally make a post telling us that they are making some kind of progress. I mean I know it might be risky to do so but nothing would please me more than to know for sure SOMEONE is doing SOMETHING and they haven't just given up and stopped trying. If I had the technical skill myself I'd devote my own considerable amount of free time to the effort but alas the only thing I'd be good for is data entry I think.

I just hope we'll see that one magical post I know all of us are waiting for that points us to the revived COH we all love and miss.

I know I got ENORMOUS comfort from Codewalker telling us that ICON was both a demonstration that people truely understand the software and a PROMISE to the community.  Other games have had fan-built reverse-engineered server applications and we aren't even at the "one year from shut-down" point -- so I'm watching and waiting.

[Kyriani]

I feel much the same although my patience is maybe holding out better. I suppose i am getting some comfort in not seeing a post telling us that it can't be done.

That's a great point. I am glad we havent seen such a post but I would want to know if that were the case so I didnt hope in vain.

[MaidMercury]

Just seeing other folks posting keeps reminding me what a wonderful community City of Heroes was. I'll never truly get over the game being taken away so underhanded like it was by NCsoft.

After a year, there still isn't a game out there that comes close to perking my interest.
I just have my memories on computer, chats, snapshots and a few frapp files.

I had a head cold this weekend so I didn't 'celebrate' anything.

[Night-Hawk07]

I pretty much did the same thing yesterday as I did one year ago: put the cape on, pull the mask over, and go to work. Just in a different city. Been "celebrating" CO's anniversary....not particularly fond of that game, but I figure I might as well celebrate while we can as who knows how much life that one has left. Impending doom has been on the horizon there for a couple years now.

TBQH, I'm at a point where the only way I'd want to see CoH come back (in an official capacity) would be if it came back as it was on August 30th 2012. I fear if it were resurrected today, we wouldn't be able to get our devs back, and likely wouldn't be able to bring back a majority of the people who did play (and certainly wouldn't attract anyone new). It just wouldn't be City of Heroes otherwise. Unofficially, I'd love to see it back in the same way as SWG is being revived by SWGEmu.

[Lycantropus]

The moment I heard those words, I thought they were a joke (seriously) but then started making sure our little SG was together no matter what.

We were all surprised, really. None of us believed it. On the cusp of I-24 and everything seeming to go well. It was a tough pill to swallow, and the aftermath is still there.

Today, we're still together. One of many groups that met and came together because of this game, we're still a 'thing' most weekday nights. Different games and lamenting 'there's no place like home' from time to time, but determined to stay together- whatever game we're playing.

You probably don't know any of these folks, but Bael, AZ, Siph, Shenz, Aster, Init, Bait, Mr., myself and others (forgive me if I didn't mention you) who continue to keep in touch are still logging into Vent regularly to play whatever we're on. (We got a recent visit from TWS as well which was nice!).
 
So with hope in our hearts... 'till next time in Paragon (while I'd love to say year, I'll just be happy to have our City back in whatever capacity for our group when it happens)

Lyc~ the werewolf champion of Champion

[Floride]

It's like they shut down our high school, and a year later the entire senor class is still getting together at Tony V's house every weekend.

[DJMoose]

It's like they shut down our high school, and a year later the entire senor class is still getting together at Tony V's house every weekend.

I enjoyed this metaphor.

[Phaetan]

Yep, I remember when I found out, because I'd had a particularly patience-testing day at work, but was looking forward to sharing with Tacitala some ideas for improvements to the base I'd had to distract myself while trying not to strangle people.  Fired up the website while CoH was loading, read the announcement and wondered if it was a poorly-chosen joke title.  Was less than thrilled when I confirmed that it wasn't...

And here we are a year later, a smaller crowd, but still determined to return to the game we loved.  Taci and I have a backlog of new characters just waiting, as we fiddle with Icon and popmenus in the interim to scratch that itch.

PS- Guy, can we give a comment about whether the possible Sentinel-to-costume program is even still a possibility, or have you passed on that concept?  I just was curious as manually recreating costume files is a bit laborious, but I will go back to doing it if a tool isn't likely to be forthcoming.

[TonyV]

Eabrace later came along and demonstrated how he prioritizes things:

[8/31/2012 3:17:31 PM] Eabrace: OK.  1)  The Titan server apparently doesn't like me right now.
[8/31/2012 3:17:57 PM] Eabrace: 2)  WTF!?  CoH is going away before the end of the year?

I lol'ed.

I like how, in hindsight, it took me all of five minutes to go from, "$@#!, they're shutting down the game!" to thinking about options to keep it running.

Anyway, we definitely still have things in the pipeline.  I know this line gets old, but I still can't talk about them for two main reasons: 1) We don't want NCsoft to get wind of what we're working on.  Not that I think it's illegal or that we'll get in trouble for it, but most of the people working on the stuff are just more comfortable that way.  And 2) experience has taught me that as soon as I say, "We're working on X," that sets expectations and then I and other team members get constantly pinged with "When are you going to be done with X?" messages.  To some extent I don't mind that, but it can get pretty distracting, especially when it's stretched out over the kind of time frame we're looking at.

But mark my words: City of Heroes is not dead.  I am 100% convinced that there will come a day when the game's veterans will be rehashing that awful time when they couldn't play.  I dream of the day that we have another Player Summit, and you all carry me around on your shoulders.  Okay, that last part, that will probably stay a fantasy, and the part where everyone is chanting, "Tony! Tony! Tony!" is probably because everyone planned on going to a reunion concert by these guys and didn't invite me, but maybe at least a hearty congratulations wouldn't be an unreasonable expectation...

[Lycantropus]

To everyone at the Titan Network trying to bring "our City" back to us in whatever form:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3O9q8I06h0

It's better than me trying to sing it, at any rate...

And if you really pull it off, don't be surprised if we can manage to find a handful of folks willing to lift you all on their shoulders and chant your names

Lyc~

[eabrace]

And because Tony got the song stuck in my head today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k8craCGpgs

[Kyriani]

I lol'ed.

I like how, in hindsight, it took me all of five minutes to go from, "$@#!, they're shutting down the game!" to thinking about options to keep it running.

Anyway, we definitely still have things in the pipeline.  I know this line gets old, but I still can't talk about them for two main reasons: 1) We don't want NCsoft to get wind of what we're working on.  Not that I think it's illegal or that we'll get in trouble for it, but most of the people working on the stuff are just more comfortable that way.  And 2) experience has taught me that as soon as I say, "We're working on X," that sets expectations and then I and other team members get constantly pinged with "When are you going to be done with X?" messages.  To some extent I don't mind that, but it can get pretty distracting, especially when it's stretched out over the kind of time frame we're looking at.

But mark my words: City of Heroes is not dead.  I am 100% convinced that there will come a day when the game's veterans will be rehashing that awful time when they couldn't play.  I dream of the day that we have another Player Summit, and you all carry me around on your shoulders.  Okay, that last part, that will probably stay a fantasy, and the part where everyone is chanting, "Tony! Tony! Tony!" is probably because everyone planned on going to a reunion concert by these guys and didn't invite me, but maybe at least a hearty congratulations wouldn't be an unreasonable expectation...

Just seeing a post like this every so often makes me feel better Tony. Thank you. I'll keep holding my candle then. I'll keep the light on so when coh comes home I'll be there to greet it!