New efforts!

[JKPhage]

I'm not gonna lie, I'm extremely excited about the new updates, and I'll have my fingers and toes crossed for the coming months until we hear one way or the other, but I do have one tiny concern. Having to rebuy costume bits and bobs I'll be irritated with, but I'll suck it up and deal, but there were quite a few veteran rewards that would require a CONSIDERABLE investment of money to re-establish, or several years of waiting. I know when the game moved to the Freedom model I calculated out how many reward tokens I would have at launch, and then how many more I would need to complete the reward shrub and how many nc points I would need to purchase to earn them, and I plunked down an extra fifty bucks that I had to skrimp and save to make sure I could buy any of the fun new stuff, and have full access to the veteran rewards. If we're starting new, I really dread the idea that, despite the fact that I was an 8 year veteran myself, I may be locked out of some of the nicer rewards for quite some time.

I'm really hoping that whoever takes over is either able to negotiate a deal for the player data, or at least provides us some way to prove/verify that we were a certain level veteran so we can at least have the rewards/perks. I don't mind if I have to start my characters over, I'd even enjoy the prospect, but certain things just aren't attainable anymore. The 7 year reward with the special star logo and Zeus/Tartarus helmets being a primary concern. My favorite toon, Ocean Knight, just wouldn't be complete without his golden helmet and the Zeus helm is the only one that fit. Either way, I'll be glad to have the city back, but there are plenty of concerns to be had in that area. If the new game-runners are willing to offer stuff like that as purchasable then I'd be willing to fund the game for stuff like that, as long as I can get it.

[Ironwolf]

I would hope what they would do is give players during the first 6 months of the return ALL of the veteran perks. Not my call but that would be a good thing

[Triage IV]

Nothing new to report so far - they are apparently doing the big company slow dance. It is normal if anyone has ever worked at a big company.

Honestly this is part of the vetting process. If the buyer gets impatient and squirms instead of acting professionally and calmly - you know there might be a problem with them. I once gave a timeline and I would refer to that again:

Contact with the person who can make the deal and finding out what they want - 1-2 months.
Deal is made and referred to lawyers - 1-2 months.
Transfer of property and rights, signing off on liabilities - 1-2 months.
Getting the game up and running again 1-2 months.

I know we could hear of success in getting the game and the fact they have been given a reasonable price and a name to deal with means step one is well on the way. I was reassured yesterday that whatever happens they will make an announcement on the boards here. I know it is nailbiting to be once again moving forward with a chance!

THANK YOU, Ironwolf...the hope and excitement is mind blowing!
 
One of the hosts on Save CoH Radio said, if the deal went through, the game itself could be back up in a day's time. 

So, that schedule COULD, possibly look like (): 

Contact - this is going on right now and has been going on for some time...so, might be reduced some???  Like days - 1 month
Deal -  the same: 1-2 months
Transfer -  the same: 1-2 months
Getting the game up and running - 1 day ()

Total timeline (MIGHT be): 2 months (and a few days) - 5 months (and a day)

But, even still, the 4 - 8 months would still be SUH-WEEEEET!

 

MAYBE



ohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseOHPLEEEAAASE!!!!

[Nightmarer]

ohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseOHPLEEEAAASE!!!!

This, very much this 

Couldn't help it any longer, already started preparing some builds on Mid's, that I'd start as soon as the game is back. I know it's way too soon and the game might never return, but couldn't help it any longer... ah what the heck, I even made a list of old chars I'd re-create if we had to start anew.

[Ironwolf]

Understand getting the software or hardware however it is stored - getting a host to load the game, getting staff to add in game support, setup an account system and a website. Make a game launcher and a few other things is what makes the startup longer.

I have run Soldier of Fortune 2 and Halflife TF2 servers and it takes a while to get everything right. This is quite a magnitude larger than that and you would likely want to start the game with 4 or 5 servers, a development server and a test server. There would be a LOT more than just loading it up and running it!

You see having people ready to do all of those things might be what NCSoft is looking for in a potential buyer. Look at the staff required (something I was doing when I first started this):

1. Network engineer to trace connection issues/maintain network
2. Server engineer to maintain software and hardware issues (hosting site may do the hardware part unless you buy your own server)
3. Community relations - who will answer questions?
4. Lead developer - who has the vision of where the game is going
5. CFO/Accounting - how do we get paid/give refunds
6. Company CEO - money is likely seperate from Developers
7. Coding - secondary developers
8. Art and graphics folks
9. Advertising - I for one hereby promise if the game returns to spend at least $250 a year personally on web advertising.
10. Do you have an office? Do you work virtually? Office manager.
11. Legal advice
12. GM's to manage the players in game and to rename the copyright infringing characters, I also hereby volunteer to be an unpaid GM for 8-10 hours a week.

Likely more jobs than I can think of right now.


I just saw my title - thank you I cracked up in my cube and everyone looked at me.

[mrultimate]

The idea of just having our game back at some point has buoyed my spirits. I won't regret feeling this way even if it doesn't come to pass. If all goes well perhaps we'll be able to enjoy Paragon City until Titan City comes into exsistence!

[Solitaire]

Nothing new to report so far - they are apparently doing the big company slow dance. It is normal if anyone has ever worked at a big company.

Honestly this is part of the vetting process. If the buyer gets impatient and squirms instead of acting professionally and calmly - you know there might be a problem with them. I once gave a timeline and I would refer to that again:

Contact with the person who can make the deal and finding out what they want - 1-2 months.
Deal is made and referred to lawyers - 1-2 months.
Transfer of property and rights, signing off on liabilities - 1-2 months.
Getting the game up and running again 1-2 months.

I know we could hear of success in getting the game and the fact they have been given a reasonable price and a name to deal with means step one is well on the way. I was reassured yesterday that whatever happens they will make an announcement on the boards here. I know it is nailbiting to be once again moving forward with a chance!

Fingers Crossed... Check  Rabbits Foot... Check  Four Leaf Clover... Check  Blood Offering... Check Anything I missed...?

Thanks for the update Ironwolf  

[Triage IV]

So, Ironwolf, you haven't piped in much...or at all...as far as what you're looking forward to doing in-game when it returns. 

Do tell...

[BenshowSly]

So, Ironwolf, you haven't piped in much...or at all...as far as what you're looking forward to doing in-game when it returns. 

Do tell...

Maybe he just doesn't want to jinx the whole thing?

I know that I, and it's a personal choice, prefer to not get too far ahead and wait for stuff to come than trying to reach for it too much. It's the only way to keep my mind sane lol

[Triage IV]

I can totally understand that.

[Ironwolf]

The very reason I reply every few days is because if it wasn't me who was aware - I would want to know what is happening.

Currently it is the normal large company dance of the penguins. Look at it from their side - out of the blue someone says - hey Mr. Executive, you have a game we would like to buy - it was retired last year before you took the position and we wonder what you want for it? So the guy has a game he may not know from Adam and he has other titles that are making/losing money that he manages. In a company making billions an out of service game he has to research isn't high on his list. He will get a flunky to run and tie up the details and that could take a couple of weeks.

In the meantime you have to remain calm and not be too eager and inflate the price and not too inattentive and sour the deal. You walk a fine line and as we saw last time 1 person said, nope. I try to give what I know filtered to keep the pressure on me and off the powers that be. I don't really feel the pressure as such - I know the people working on it love the game too and will do whatever can be done within their resources  and what makes sense.

Whatever happens once again we are trying and if you keep trying one day you might just do it.

[CheerGunbunny]

The idea of just having our game back at some point has buoyed my spirits. I won't regret feeling this way even if it doesn't come to pass. If all goes well perhaps we'll be able to enjoy Paragon City until Titan City comes into exsistence!

Until?  Um, no, when Titan comes on, if we've got our City back,I'll do both.  Gleefully.  H&V? then on all 3.

[Triage IV]

And, there's Valiance too.

Imagine a world with SO MANY super hero game choices!

But, then, those others would no longer be spiritual successors as CoH would be back.

[Ironwolf]

What I would do on day one when the game returns?

I will rebuild my level 50 Sonic/Ice Blaster - Carillion. She was probably one of the most fun to run of all my characters. You may not know it but I used to run a Knockback only team on many Wednesdays. You had to have some sort of knockback, knockdown, stun or otherwise cause chaos to get on the team.

It used to be a hilarious and fun time as you could imagine. We once fought an Elite boss in a mission and he was knockback and killed in mid-air as we slaughtered him without him getting a single attack off!

[Triage IV]

What I would do on day one when the game returns?

I will rebuild my level 50 Sonic/Ice Blaster - Carillion. She was probably one of the most fun to run of all my characters. You may not know it but I used to run a Knockback only team on many Wednesdays. You had to have some sort of knockback, knockdown, stun or otherwise cause chaos to get on the team.

It used to be a hilarious and fun time as you could imagine. We once fought an Elite boss in a mission and he was knockback and killed in mid-air as we slaughtered him without him getting a single attack off!

NICE! 

I tried a duo of Energy/Energy Blasters/Blappers...and another duo of MA Scrappers...and it was more like playing tennis with the mobs...was as fun as it was funny.  I never thought of a whole team of knock-backers.  HA!

[Felderburg]

Assuming things happen, I'd like to see the vet rewards either released from the start, or easily earned early on in the game. Now, they did make things easier for people, but so did Incarnate stuff - so starting out with all players already at a "boosted" level of power might make it easier to design harder content later on, instead of stuff balanced around a completely new toon.

Plus there'd presumably be lots of new veteran reward stuff to look forward too.

[Triplash]

If we manage to get the game back, I'll do something I swore NEVER to do again.

Street-sweep a character to 50.

Heh, man we're just built different then. Street sweeping was about my favorite thing to do. Shoot, when water blast came out I rerolled my empathy defender into it (her name was London Rain, after a song by my favorite singer - how could I not, right?) and she was ridiculously fun to solo street sweep with! It's only too bad she never made it past the mid-20s - Geyser looked like it would've been freaking awesome to play with. But hey, then again, maybe I'll get to the chance to finish that one day! Or restart it, I'd be good either way really

Imagine a world with SO MANY super hero game choices!

But, then, those others would no longer be spiritual successors as CoH would be back.

We could always start calling them spiritual evolutions.

[Thunder Glove]

On day 1?  Mastermind.  It's the one class that I can't really find a good equivalent to anywhere.   Probably my Bots/Storm mad scientist, but definitely a MM.

And then let the Brutes and Dominators follow.  Maybe a Controller or two.  Possibly a Defender and/or Corruptor.  And an Osamodas.

... wait, wrong game.  (Actually, I guess an Osamodas would be approximately a Beast/Thermal MM, so... back to Mastermind!)

[dwturducken]

So, back to the hypothetical timeline: if I've been paying attention (no guarantees) and am reading that right, we're somewhere in the second phase? You mentioned a few days ago that a price had been floated and was deemed "doable." that implies late first stage or early second stage, right?

Just trying to micro-track this to hasten my descent into madness as we wait for news.

[Super Firebug]

On Day One (after I scrape myself off the walls and calm the police who the neighbors called because of the screaming and yelling), I'll re-create my Fusionette clone for the "welcome back" party, since everybody loves her. Then will be my AR/Dev blaster, Citizen Commando, who'll try to get together a good old-fashioned SEWER-RUN TEAM.