New efforts!

[HEATSTROKE]

 Black Pebble mentioned that CoH retained something like 90% of its subscriber base post launch. It has been well documented that CoH was making more money post Freedom with its hybrid model than it ever did before.

This was a game that was NEVER market well... with the Superhero genre at all all time high with no signs of slowing down.. good marketing will help bring back old players and acquire new people as well..

CoH looks very good on UltraMode IMO and I think people forget that not everyone has the slickest new machine with the killer video card that can play Unreal Engine 48 on the highest settings for 42 hours straight and stay cooler than the other side of the pillow.. many people play on older machines.. or on laptops..

The slickest graphics will not hold the masses.. Good gameplay always trumps that..

Personally if they can pry the game away from NC Soft.. and get it back up and running to the point where it  just pays for and sustains itself..

Thats called WINNING..

[downix]

While a good commentary on older machines, practically, to support machines made before DirectX 11 (6 years or older) you have to compromise the system performance, dramatically.

[HEATSTROKE]

 agreed.. I am not saying you need old school CoH... im just saying that the latest and greatest graphics dont necessarily mean that people are going to all jazzed up to play the game.. an older game that has SOLID gameplay is always more entertaining that something with all the bells and whistles that has mediocre gameplay.

I think the best thing to do is get the game back.. and then if you can upgrade over time to UE4.. then fine..

[General Sherman]

agreed.. I am not saying you need old school CoH... im just saying that the latest and greatest graphics dont necessarily mean that people are going to all jazzed up to play the game.. an older game that has SOLID gameplay is always more entertaining that something with all the bells and whistles that has mediocre gameplay.

I think the best thing to do is get the game back.. and then if you can upgrade over time to UE4.. then fine..

This. Minecraft for example. A lot of people really don't care about the graphics as long as it's fun to play.

P.S. Ironwolf, thank you for getting the ball rolling. And to the group currently working on the deal, we're pulling for you :)

[Harermuir]

There are even some people who missed the chance to play the game before the closure and who will try it the first time they can. Even some who discovered the game at the time of the closure
There are some people who have stopped from  playing long before the closure and who the buzz from a potential reopening will take back.

I really think that there can be quite a lot of people on the first few month. On a long shot, it might be harder, of course. But COH has already prove his abilities to retain player.

[Dev7on]

This. Minecraft for example. A lot of people really don't care about the graphics as long as it's fun to play.

P.S. Ironwolf, thank you for getting the ball rolling. And to the group currently working on the deal, we're pulling for you :)

I agree on General Sherman. I don't judge the graphics I judge on how much freedom you can do in the game and the storyline. The graphics can be horrible and still be a great game to have fun.  :)

[LaughingAlex]

This. Minecraft for example. A lot of people really don't care about the graphics as long as it's fun to play.

P.S. Ironwolf, thank you for getting the ball rolling. And to the group currently working on the deal, we're pulling for you :)

Yupe we are rooting for you guys :).  And I fully agree that yeah, gameplay beats graphics.  One thing I do like about CoX over CO...you have so many different faces to choose from rather then a generic, it's actually surprising how flexible the games face generator was over CO(which has only one face skin).

[Spadra]

One thing I do like about CoX over CO...you have so many different faces to choose from rather then a generic, it's actually surprising how flexible the games face generator was over CO(which has only one face skin).

I completely agree LaughingAlex. Its actually sort of surprising given the amount of control they allow you to have with your character that a few more skin options were not available. I know months ago it was announced the game would be getting its own dedicated studio so maybe one day it will. That's not to knock the game, CO to me has some of the best innovations in a super hero game since CoX. The full scale-ability in the creator, the selection of blast attack point of origin (fist, palm, chest or head) and you all know my stance on the character naming convention system. When CoX finally shutdown I really thought CO was going to become my new home. Ultimately for me the lack in development, limited need for teaming and what (in my experience) felt like a more individualized gaming community caused it to lose its luster after a year of on and off play. Really believe the game had/still has plenty of potential if it ever gets the dev attention it deserves. CoX just managed to do it right from the start till the end I guess.

[Harpospoke]

I'll pull a number out of the air too.  I'd say you'll see less than 10% of the maximum population return.  Look how many deserted the game at the initial closure announcement.

Don't just look at it from one angle.   Someone else posted in this thread not too long ago about the press CoH got when it shut down and how it continues to be a relevant topic in the gaming community.

CoH coming back will be news.  I don't know how big it will be, but it will be news.  That will get the attention not only from former players but from those who have heard about it since it closed and/or were made curious about it post-closure by the press coverage.   I would think quite a few people will be there when it opens.  Not all will like it, but I'll bet quite a few will.

[Ohioknight]

...it's actually surprising how flexible the games face generator was over CO(which has only one face skin).

And a truly, truly, truly HORRIBLE one at that

[Super Firebug]

Yupe we are rooting for you guys :).  And I fully agree that yeah, gameplay beats graphics.  One thing I do like about CoX over CO...you have so many different faces to choose from rather then a generic, it's actually surprising how flexible the games face generator was over CO(which has only one face skin).

In CO, you can adjust face sliders to reshape the face and head, just as you can reshape the body with body sliders. (The face/head sliders are accessed by the button at the bottom of the list of body sliders.) I wish CoX had had that; sometimes, I just couldn't find a face that I really liked among their stock supply. (Not meaning to hijack the thread; just thought I'd point that out.)

[Aggelakis]

City had a large amount of face sliders.

[Biz]

City had a large amount of face sliders.

Too many if you ask me. I could never figure out exactly what each one did!

[LaughingAlex]

Too many if you ask me. I could never figure out exactly what each one did!

It was better than CO however, which, while you had a slider for things like eyes and whatnot, you were consigned to a very generic face shape pretty much, and lips were the same.  It took me a lot of time to make even remotely distinct eyes and 90% of the time you see someone make an especially ugly anime chick :(.

[MWRuger]

Too many if you ask me. I could never figure out exactly what each one did!

If I recall, there three for each aspect; height, width and depth. Some didn't seem useful, but when you rotated the character you could see results that you might miss because of a 2D representation of a 3D object. When we get the game back or in Icon if you would like, try out the various cheek, brow and chin sliders to see some really different looks, especially when you turn the model.

You can do a variety of amazing things.

You could do many of these in CO, however I never really like the way the overall body looked. So many of the characters looked like apes with arms too long. It could have been a trick of the perspective, but the first thing I always did was shorten them some.  But I also must say it's possible that I was too used to CoH and the differences proved jarring.

BTW, in my mind, this isn't off topic. Talking about what we miss, what we'll do and what we would like in the returning game is apropos.

Rabbit trails about self driving cars and unresolvable Kirby vs Lee debates, as interesting as they might be, are.

[LaughingAlex]

If I recall, there three for each aspect; height, width and depth. Some didn't seem useful, but when you rotated the character you could see results that you might miss because of a 2D representation of a 3D object. When we get the game back or in Icon if you would like, try out the various cheek, brow and chin sliders to see some really different looks, especially when you turn the model.

You can do a variety of amazing things.

You could do many of these in CO, however I never really like the way the overall body looked. So many of the characters looked like apes with arms too long. It could have been a trick of the perspective, but the first thing I always did was shorten them some.  But I also must say it's possible that I was too used to CoH and the differences proved jarring.

BTW, in my mind, this isn't off topic. Talking about what we miss, what we'll do and what we would like in the returning game is apropos.

Rabbit trails about self driving cars and unresolvable Kirby vs Lee debates, as interesting as they might be, are.

I was messing with a face editor in Skyrim recently, as I had installed a mod, Character Making Extender.  While there are more advanced versions of it, I use the original as the original is the only one to deal with the dreaded vampire face problems that bethesda included(why don't they just, I don't know, only change the eyes and not warp EVERYTHING is beyond me).  But dang the number of sliders in it.  You could actually make a characters mouth and nose pretty much exactly as you'd like, rather than spend most of the time adjusting other sliders to compensate for a slider you don't have.

Even city of heroes couldn't come close to that, but then I find it dozens of times better then CO cause you can choose any base shape of nose/lips and whatnot appropriate to gender(well, that mostly applies to the lips, the mod does let you pick noses one shouldn't use for a female unfortunately).  Both the Character Making Extender and city of heroes face gen are things I like alot, though city of heroes two having something, oh the thoughts of that, :).

Edit: I think I hadn't pointed out the other problem I had with CO's face, beyond the only one face texture, was the fact you had no control over the shape of the face.  If your playing a female your pretty much forced to a round face, rather then say, using an angular face.  You could jury rig a more rectangular face, but then honestly I'm left "Eh this is ugly".  The nose also bothered me, as you can only have one of two shapes for a nose, lips were somewhat that way to.

[Ohioknight]

Edit: I think I hadn't pointed out the other problem I had with CO's face, beyond the only one face texture, was the fact you had no control over the shape of the face.  If your playing a female your pretty much forced to a round face, rather then say, using an angular face.  You could jury rig a more rectangular face, but then honestly I'm left "Eh this is ugly".  The nose also bothered me, as you can only have one of two shapes for a nose, lips were somewhat that way to.

The general roundness of the face, lips, and nose make it impossible to make a CO character who doesn't appear to have some degree of Down's Syndrome -- and while persons with Down's Syndrome may be very fine, capable, and  accomplished people, I don't really want that general facial appearance to be my only option for a Super Hero.

Using COH faces and sliders, on the other hand, I was able to make a quite recognizable caricature of Stephen Colbert for my blaster "Alpha 7" -- just for a single example.

[Remaugen]

 ;D Are we there yet?

[Solitaire]

;D Are we there yet?

Not yet  :roll:

[Tyger42]

Not yet  :roll:

Is it much farther, Papa Smurf?