New efforts!

mrultimate · June 20, 2014, 01:22:30 PM

Wow. It is just good to know things are proceeding no matter how long it takes.
Thanks again Ironwolf for the update. Thanks to the team for trying to return us to our home.

OzonePrime · June 20, 2014, 01:25:59 PM

Great news! Everyone is still talking! :)

Goddangit · June 20, 2014, 01:36:48 PM

Quote from: Ironwolf on June 20, 2014, 12:52:10 PM

He said they are shooting for August as the time for closing the deal.

I don't think I've ever been so anxious for the end of summer. :) I'm hoping for Christmas in the chalet. I can hear that yodel music now.

Thank you very much for the updates, Ironwolf. It keeps the spirits up.

drmanbot · June 20, 2014, 01:37:50 PM

........<reads Wolfie's comment>

You know....

This may ACTUALLY FREAKING HAPPEN.

I just went from half skeptic half hope to Jesus H Christ on a Halibut this is REALLY possible.

I honestly would take a week of vacation WHEN (not if) this goes down , hook my daughter up with my work laptop and just Plaaaaaaaaay.

Fingers and toes and any other necessary appendages crossed. Hell, Ill sacrifice TWO goats tonite.

Ironwolf · June 20, 2014, 02:04:49 PM

Quote from: Little David on June 20, 2014, 01:20:17 PM
Wait, so this means if they get CoH back from NCSoft, they won't re-launch the game as it was? They're going to port it to UE4 instead, or develop a sequel with the IP?

No they will release the old game first. I don't know at what level but since I24 was a bit buggy still it might be at I23 just to let everyone back into a nice stable game. Please understand these folks are like US. They love the game and that's why they are doing this.

Afterwards they do plan to update the engine - at some point.

Ironwolf · June 20, 2014, 02:28:16 PM

People have asked for a basic outline of what got this whole ball rolling and so I will try to do so here! I hope you all understand there are people who do know who/what is happening including Tony V and a few other board members. This is not some cruel hoax or made up deal.

1. It started with me getting the information from Rae as I was trying to find a buyer in Michigan. I then started sharing more on what failed on the original attempt.

2. I started working on a possible solution to see if they would allow us to open source the game and allow development on an open source platform and contacted some former employees including Chris Chung former NCSoft US CEO. Chris it turned out was the one who bought the game from Cryptic and unknown to me was also one of those in the first effort group.

3. A group approached me and asked if what I found out was really true? Yes, I explained and shared more information on the earlier effort. I also was contacted by other folks who had tried to buy CoH and failed mainly due to the slow communications with the home office. In all cases NCSoft WAS willing to talk - however they have certain standards as the game will remain with the NCSoft logo on it.

4. The current effort began and they were just as stoked as we were that this MIGHT be possible. That MIGHT turned into it IS possible - the right hoops just have to be jumped through and it will take time. Now I have spoken to the lead Dev and he says they are shooting for an August close.

5. They do want to develop the game further - but this may be on a new engine and it appears to be easy to do - so far. However the point now is to release the original CoH as soon as possible.

Omega Mark V · June 20, 2014, 02:34:16 PM

Wow. The news sounds awesome, Ironwolf!

Thanks for keeping us all updated, even when things need to be quiet. :)

Biz · June 20, 2014, 03:32:50 PM

Quote from: Ironwolf on June 20, 2014, 02:28:16 PM
People have asked for a basic outline of what got this whole ball rolling and so I will try to do so here! I hope you all understand there are people who do know who/what is happening including Tony V and a few other board members. This is not some cruel hoax or made up deal.

I believe you, but IF it is all a hoax you are doing a wonderful job! So either way, true or made up, well done Iron Wolf! Very very impressive work!! Thanks man.

mrultimate · June 20, 2014, 03:42:38 PM

Quote from: Goddangit on June 20, 2014, 01:36:48 PM
I don't think I've ever been so anxious for the end of summer. :) I'm hoping for Christmas in the chalet. I can hear that yodel music now.

Thank you very much for the updates, Ironwolf. It keeps the spirits up.

Here in Houston the summer hardly ever ends. But yes Christmas in Paragon! Man would I love to ToT at Halloween though.

Styrj · June 20, 2014, 03:57:08 PM

Spec-damn-tacular Ironwolf! ;D I would say "May the Force be with you." But, it already is. ;) Please thank the team working on this, as they may just pull of a miracle!

chuckv3 · June 20, 2014, 04:27:15 PM

AWESOME! Thanks, IronWolf, for the news and for your continuing efforts.

ok, back to mids... I mean... work.

Hypothetically, how would one go about sending you a bottle of single-malt Scotch? Just curious is all.

Ironwolf · June 20, 2014, 05:11:52 PM

I want one reward for any and all efforts on my part.

Once we have the game back, I would love to run a TF with each of you on the boards - of your own choosing. Some time spent in game doing what we love.

That's enough.

OzonePrime · June 20, 2014, 05:24:11 PM

That's a date! :)

Goddangit · June 20, 2014, 05:38:45 PM

Quote from: Ironwolf on June 20, 2014, 05:11:52 PM
I want one reward for any and all efforts on my part.

Once we have the game back, I would love to run a TF with each of you on the boards - of your own choosing. Some time spent in game doing what we love.

That's enough.

You name the server and I'll pull out my healer. I've got your back.

mrultimate · June 20, 2014, 05:55:15 PM

Quote from: Ironwolf on June 20, 2014, 05:11:52 PM
I want one reward for any and all efforts on my part.

Once we have the game back, I would love to run a TF with each of you on the boards - of your own choosing. Some time spent in game doing what we love.

That's enough.

Absolutely.

The more it seems possible that our City may return has made me think about what I would do first.

First like Ironwolf I would soak up the sights and sounds of Atlas for a bit.

Then I would travel to some of my favorite spots and remember good times from the past.

Part of me would want to fly over both all of Paragon and the Isles filling in the map but I'm sure the urge to play would be too strong.... :)

JanessaVR · June 20, 2014, 05:55:27 PM

Ironwolf, if this works out, we owe you and this group a debt we could never repay. No matter how it turns out, thank you very much for your efforts on this.

Lucretia MacEvil · June 20, 2014, 06:21:54 PM

Quote from: Ironwolf on June 20, 2014, 12:52:10 PM
He said they are shooting for August as the time for closing the deal.

In a single sentence, this deal went from a fond daydream of "maybe someday we'll fly again" to "this is REAL, and this WILL HAPPEN (most probably)!" Thank you, Ironwolf, for the updates, and many many thanks to the mysterious buyers who got this deal going! ;D

Codewalker · June 20, 2014, 06:28:36 PM

Quote from: Lucretia MacEvil on June 20, 2014, 06:21:54 PM
"this is REAL, and this WILL HAPPEN (most probably)!"

I wouldn't go quite that far. They are now on the hard part, and that's dealing with the head office overseas. The local contacts may be all gung-ho about it and think it's a great idea, but they're not the ones who make the final decisions.

That's also the part that all the other attempts have run into the roadblocks at.

Nothing wrong with being optimistic, but it's far, far, FAR from a done deal.

Dev7on · June 20, 2014, 06:50:30 PM

Are the Devs are aware of what's happening? If we get our game back do we have to let the devs know that it came back or they'll notice it and if they do I'm pretty sure they'll reform Paragon Studios (not everybody, sadly) and continue developing City of Heroes. I would LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE to play the game again!!!! Go back to the AE building and make missions again. I still want a #SaveCoH movie that would be awesome. :P

Also, you are serious that you will do TF's with everyone on the forums? Everybody plays on different servers............................................

Anyway I have confidence that we WILL get our game back no doubt. One of the SaveCoH member invited me dinner when the game comes back and he's serious about it too! YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!! I get 3 for the price of 1. ;D ;D ;D

Aggelakis · June 20, 2014, 06:59:43 PM

Quote from: Dev7on on June 20, 2014, 06:50:30 PM
If we get our game back do we have to let the devs know that it came back or they'll notice it and if they do I'm pretty sure they'll reform Paragon Studios (not everybody, sadly) and continue developing City of Heroes.

I'm positive most, if not all, of them would know if City of Heroes came back. I would venture to guess that the vast majority of them wouldn't continue developing City - most of them have full time jobs again.

And I'm positive that they wouldn't re-form Paragon Studios, because that is an NCsoft entity. But City (the game) doesn't need Paragon Studios (the company) to come back. It just needs to get out from under NCsoft's stranglehold.