New efforts!

[Fleur_uk]

Update: I will put the word update at the start in the future to seperate these posts from speculation or just discussion.

I spoke to the lead yesterday and he said that everything is going forward though slowly. Everything is still positive but like pulling teeth to get information from NCSoft.

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

Obviously this is not set in stone - but it is good news however you look at it. Once they come forward - you will understand more on why they were working on this quietly.

The goal is to release the old game - I am not sure of plans for further development and will leave that up to them to discuss. Right now - close on the game and restore it. I know they would like to either port to UnReal 4 either the existing game or develop CoH2.

They would not hold the current game up to develop or port it. Obviously the original game could start making money immediately and businesses need funds to develop future products and to pay the bills.

Edit: If I don't update stuff often - it is a good thing at this point. It means things are slowly being worked out. NCSoft is still talking and willing to sell. I really am sorry I can't say more - I am just like you folks and not anyone special. I just want to login and hear the musin in Atlas once more.  I know many will be crying once they do and I will likely be right there with you.

I hope you understand until we get the game back - the folks doing the heavy lifting on this would be buried alive with emails, twitter, snail mail and interviews from MMO and gaming sites that really would not help at this point. I honestly believe the quiet manner of this purchase is a big benefit to the effort. I have no doubt NCSoft will have a release as well once the transaction is complete. Right now there is no pressure on NCSoft and they can proceed without also having to answer questions.

You can imagine what kind of whirlwind this will turn into once it gets out.

<3 <3 <3 <3   Thank you Ironwolf and to your friends/group working so patiently and tirelessly to bring our beloved game back.  I cannot wait at all to hear that mint selection screen music again.  Fingers crossed!! <3 <3 <3 <3

[Dev7on]

Hey Ironwolf, I have a question. Once we have the game again when do we release it?

[Angel Phoenix77]

Hey Ironwolf, I have a question. Once we have the game again when do we release it?

This a good question, I also have a question for ironwolf, if we have to start over will the new owners allow us to use the old unopened unused codes?

[Golden Girl]

This is an incisive comment.

It would be very prudent to get key former Paragon developers in senior leadership positions to perhaps finish up Issue 24.  The pending Battalion storyline (Issues 25-26?) and complete what I consider the 'end game' 'Moon Base' stuff Matt Miller mentioned in his CoH post mortem.  Even the latter, Matt Miller, employed on a consultative basis would help bring the (doubtless) unfinished material to fruition.

It's a shame CoH didn't stick around for another year as another four issues or so would probably had seen the game in a far more 'complete' state from 'finished everything' in Issue 24 to Battalion to the much fabled 'Moon Setting.' 

Just appointing 2-3 key former Paragon developers would really keep the authenticity of the current bid intact as it moves forward...SHOULD all we hope for in terms of acquisition come to pass.

Azrael.

The key word there really is "authenticity" - if we get our game back, and the new team is guided by someone like War Witch, Positron or Brian Clayton - or all 3, ideally - then even though the rest of the team would be new, it'd still be pretty much Paragon Studios under a new name, so we'd have the continuity to minimize the effect of the closure period on the future development of the game.
But if the team was totally new, there'd be a potential risk that they'd always be working in the shadow of Paragon Studios, and keep being unfavorably contrasted to them regarding any new development of the game.

[Felderburg]

I have mixed feelings about going in the "same direction" as CoH before close. I drifted away from CoH in large part because of the Incarnate trials - I would want the game to move back to its roots of running alts, not running a single main character through mindless combat smash fests. I would run some I trials, just to get their story lines on the wiki, though - they're not on the wiki now because everyone rushed through them in a mass of button mashing combat, rather than trying to actually experience them.

[Eskreema]

*leslie Nielsen pops in the cockpit again*

I just wanted to say good luck; we're all counting on you.

On a serious note, tyvm for all of your hard work.

[Ironwolf]

This a good question, I also have a question for ironwolf, if we have to start over will the new owners allow us to use the old unopened unused codes?

Some of these things will have to be worked out by the new Developers. I do know there are people who did work on CoH. I don't know what the Dev name they went by was, sorry. The time of release after aquisition I would imagine within 3 to 4 months? That is just guessing on my part honestly.

Think what will need to be done:
1. Setup accounting data - whether old or new.
2. Payment system
3. Setup marketing system - I do believe under CoH NCSoft had a 3rd party doing this.
4. Community and website setup
5. Advertising
6. I personally would run an open Beta to make sure all of this stuff still works together.
7. Management structure of the game including GM's in game

I could list dozens of things that would need to be in place before it is ready for primetime on day TWO live - I will call it since we already had a day one - 10 years ago! I hope the folks making the purchase are working on these things but you obviously don't hire people until you really have the game in your hands for some positions.

I am not a member of the new game's staff. I am in fact a system admin for State Farm Insurance! I just happened to be the right person in the right place at the right time. I have felt for a long time the creator, source or whatever you want to call it - has not yet finished with this game or community. It has been all things considered a force for good. Right now the world stands teetering on the edge of darkness in so many ways - I think a balance is needed and this game made people heroes.

We need heroes.

[Goddangit]

I have mixed feelings about going in the "same direction" as CoH before close. I drifted away from CoH in large part because of the Incarnate trials - I would want the game to move back to its roots of running alts, not running a single main character through mindless combat smash fests. I would run some I trials, just to get their story lines on the wiki, though - they're not on the wiki now because everyone rushed through them in a mass of button mashing combat, rather than trying to actually experience them.

You know, I have to say, just speaking for myself, I was never a fan of the post 50 Incarnate stuff.  None of my guys got their powers from a well.  To have to go this direction... I think it betrays their origins.  Yeah, its something additional to do with them after 50 and in order to have them as powerful as possible and thus reach "the end" you almost have to do this stuff.  But it never felt "right".

And we won't get into my opinion of racing through as fast as possible.  I'm one of those people who got yelled at to hurry up when I wanted to read the information and savor the content.  I was never in a race to "get there".  For me it was all about the journey.  There are some TFs I still have no idea what they were really about.

[silvers1]

I have mixed feelings about going in the "same direction" as CoH before close. I drifted away from CoH in large part because of the Incarnate trials - I would want the game to move back to its roots of running alts, not running a single main character through mindless combat smash fests. I would run some I trials, just to get their story lines on the wiki, though - they're not on the wiki now because everyone rushed through them in a mass of button mashing combat, rather than trying to actually experience them.

While I agree that endlessly grinding through i-Trials may not have been the best direction to go.  I dont think the idea of "end game = start another alt" is all that great either.  IMO it's what caused the subscription numbers to drop over the years.  I personally dont want to create yet another alt, and another, and another.   I get attached to certain characters and want some reason to play those characters - some way to continue improving them.

Even with the iTrials in place, there was nothing to keep you from starting other alts, if that's what you enjoy.   But forcing others into just that, I cant agree with.

[Goddangit]

I am in fact a system admin for State Farm Insurance!

If you were with Allstate one of your alts could be Mayhem.  :)  But as it is then you must have teleport powers.  People sing the jingle and you TP in.  :)

[Angel Phoenix77]

Some of these things will have to be worked out by the new Developers. I do know there are people who did work on CoH. I don't know what the Dev name they went by was, sorry. The time of release after aquisition I would imagine within 3 to 4 months? That is just guessing on my part honestly.

Think what will need to be done:
1. Setup accounting data - whether old or new.
2. Payment system
3. Setup marketing system - I do believe under CoH NCSoft had a 3rd party doing this.
4. Community and website setup
5. Advertising
6. I personally would run an open Beta to make sure all of this stuff still works together.
7. Management structure of the game including GM's in game

I could list dozens of things that would need to be in place before it is ready for primetime on day TWO live - I will call it since we already had a day one - 10 years ago! I hope the folks making the purchase are working on these things but you obviously don't hire people until you really have the game in your hands for some positions.

I am not a member of the new game's staff. I am in fact a system admin for State Farm Insurance! I just happened to be the right person in the right place at the right time. I have felt for a long time the creator, source or whatever you want to call it - has not yet finished with this game or community. It has been all things considered a force for good. Right now the world stands teetering on the edge of darkness in so many ways - I think a balance is needed and this game made people heroes.

We need heroes.

thank you for the answer :) I can understand something would have to be worked out first. keep up the good work :)

[China Doll]

 ;D

If you were with Allstate one of your alts could be Mayhem.  :)  But as it is then you must have teleport powers.  People sing the jingle and you TP in.  :)

If we sing the jingle, maybe we all could be teleported to Atlas Park ;)

[LaughingAlex]

While I agree that endlessly grinding through i-Trials may not have been the best direction to go.  I dont think the idea of "end game = start another alt" is all that great either.  IMO it's what caused the subscription numbers to drop over the years.  I personally dont want to create yet another alt, and another, and another.   I get attached to certain characters and want some reason to play those characters - some way to continue improving them.

Even with the iTrials in place, there was nothing to keep you from starting other alts, if that's what you enjoy.   But forcing others into just that, I cant agree with.

I agree with a number of statements here.  While I actually did enjoy the incarnate trials, especially as they became more diverse, I couldn't help but feel that elitism was being invited with them(and indeed, I ran into it a few times and I was left, to be blunt, very pissed off at the catch-22 standard elitists ALWAYS FORCE ON EVERYONE ELSE).  That said, I think overall there needs to be a variety of content besides just the raid-like incarnate trials, or just starting another alt.  I hate about CO that, well, CO takes starting another alt to an extreme and simultaniously makes it boring by forcing you to do the same repetitive content over and over again.  There are points in that game that are just unfun.  Got a char to 30 recently in CO again and once again got reminded of how overly easy monster island is(think each enemy needing a staggering 110 hits to kill you, only attacking once per second kind of easy, yeah, the damage in that part of the game is THAT low).

The key though is variety.  City of heroes was doing that, I saw, with dark astoria for example you had a whole questline added that was one of the best storylines I actually saw in the game, easily trumping Faultline and Croatoa before it.

We did also have taskforces and new mission strings introduced in the mid-level ranges to.  Lets not forget the signature story archs.  All of them were non-endgame content that could be done at almost any time.

People need to remember that this game did give us variety, it's not like CO and the "one new mission every 6-7 months" :).  Just that it needs to be made apparent and whatnot.  There was alot one could do at level 50 besides incarnate trials, just that people often mistake endgame as only one or two things and there needs to be things announced and whatnot more vocally that there is more to do then just that.

Note: If you wander why I refer to CO often, it's cause it's a good "what not to do" example.  Though I had nothing about vehicles(actually enjoyed em for more then one reason, if only enemies had more damage in that game..)

[Zombie Hustler]

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.

I say we figure out a way to get the Shadow Shard TFs in League Mode, and then do one mass group effort at the entire Quadrilogy!

(Actually, now that I think of it: how cool would it be to have a 32+ man league, split into 4 teams, all working the various parts of the SS TFs simultaneously? Like a mass Heroic invasion of the Shard to stop Rularuu?)

[LaughingAlex]

and indeed, I ran into it a few times and I was left, to be blunt, very pissed off at the catch-22 standard elitists ALWAYS FORCE ON EVERYONE ELSE).

What I meant by that was the rare jerk who didn't take anyone who wasn't already +3 for most trials, making it impossible for them to ever get to +3 or rather at the very least slowing them down some.  Most teams I ran into didn't do this, thank god, but I was worried at times.  Because in Guild wars, 99% people would never take a person without rank 3 for heroes ascent, unfortunately to get rank three you had to do heroes ascent.  Thus, a catch 22 barrier was there.

Even more-so since it was not actually easy anymore to get the required number of shards and notice of the well for that +1 for an incarnate trial(that wasn't even needed for the first 3 trials, heck not even necessary for everyone to have in the underground trial and even if you had a small number of non+1s in the next two the league wasn't crippled) yet, some jerks tried to make that a "requirement".  I think it should if the game is brought back also made very clear with each trial what's recommended...

BAF, LAMBDA, Keyes Reactor Trial, Underground: Entry level Incarnate Trials.  Underground has only a +1 level shift, so it wasn't crippling for non incarnates, as the mobs were 53s if I recall(+4 is just very tough but very fightable, honestly I question the person saying he's "elite" at CoX if he cannot fight at least a few +4s by himself, not asking someone to fight 8x+4 just, know, 3-4 +4 enemies).

MoM and Campus Trials: +1 to +2

Dark AStoria trial(don't remember that ones name anymore): +2 recommended

We wouldn't need to really say much about the last one that was released, as that one you had to have the Lore and destiny slots unlocked anyways.  But there's another problem I can see is people moving on from all the earlier ones, locking people at times from ever getting anything done.  I'd think we'd need to encourage a healthy amount of altitus to.  City of heroes survived on it's replay ability, rather than just retention of people playing end game I think.

Lots of replay-ability keep people trying new things and whatnot and I think that helped keep the catch-22 barrier away and also ensured the ladder to advance didn't get pulled upwards away from newer players, as veterans would have characters at the same level ranges as the newer players.

Edit: Made this a separate post since that was only a related issue, I thought.

[Goddangit]

... I ran into it a few times and I was left, to be blunt, very pissed off at the catch-22 standard elitists ALWAYS FORCE ON EVERYONE ELSE).

And now we come to the reason I was often reluctant to team.  And why I actually stopped teaming for almost a year.  At one point I even had a notice in my profile saying I did not team with "experts".  I got an IM asking why not.  Why wouldn't I want to team with people who were good at it and would get me through a mission as fast and clean as possible.  I'm not an "expert" so I WILL disappoint you because I WILL do it "wrong".  Rather than being told I was doing it wrong I'd rather team with someone who was fun.  Even if we did stumble through the thing.  My objective was always to Have Fun.

[Zombie Hustler]

@LaughingAlex-

I think once new content started to be added (notably Dark Astoria) that allowed for more solo play options to acquire the Incarnate powers, that was a step in the right direction. I would like to see drop rates modified a bit more to accommodate people who are mostly soloers (such as myself) who wanted to do those missions, but didn't want to grind through endless Incarnate Trials. I am sure it was a juggling act to accomplish, though, and certainly have no idea of the numbers involved, but I do feel as if the devs were heading to a more equitable solution.

I also am in agreement with others that more variance in story options should be there- something that I am sure the devs would have liked to do to, but time, money, and manpower all play a role in those designations. I also wished that it was possible to get all the story content out of the Trials; when so many people are grinding through them, I know that I missed out on a lot of the nuance of the various stories going on as a result. I'd have liked more options for being able to watch the cut scenes and all without feeling the pressure to jet through.

That said, some of the stuff in Beta that was coming up, story-wise, was really cool. The Kings Row and Brickstown arcs, as well as the St. Martial arc for villains are some of the coolest storylines in the game, IMO (I especially loved the St. Martial one for so many reasons). I even really enjoyed the idea behind the Rogue and Vigilante story arcs, although the content for them wasn't particularly great. I just liked the idea of finally embracing that part of the Going Rogue side switching gameplay. Of course, I'm one of the (few?) who really, really loved the Praetoria side of the game and still feel that is the best story content bar none. Really wish they could have kept the Resistance/Loyalist story content through First and Night Ward (though I understand why they couldn't/didn't).

[Premmy]

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 Got Volt Tiger, No-Chance, Break-in, Moblise and anyone else I make ready on Virtue when the day comes.

[Fanta]

Wow, the game isn't even back yet and we're complaining already! :D You're right about the forums Ironwolf. May want to get Cuppajo back!

[LaughingAlex]

And now we come to the reason I was often reluctant to team.  And why I actually stopped teaming for almost a year.  At one point I even had a notice in my profile saying I did not team with "experts".  I got an IM asking why not.  Why wouldn't I want to team with people who were good at it and would get me through a mission as fast and clean as possible.  I'm not an "expert" so I WILL disappoint you because I WILL do it "wrong".  Rather than being told I was doing it wrong I'd rather team with someone who was fun.  Even if we did stumble through the thing.  My objective was always to Have Fun.

Surprisingly, I only ran into a few people who were really rude that way in the game.  But honestly I can see what you mean by the bad apples who act that way.  I actually don't think anyone can truely say they are an expert at CoH because CoH had a lot of depth, due to the sheer variety of powersets, you had dozens of strategies a team could use.  Elitists, honestly at times a better term was the "stop having fun guy" because elitists of that type often believe there is only one way to play the game and variating from that was stupid.

Course I recognize a few wrong ways to play, such as the pure healer(that is, ignoring all but your healing powers on a defender/corruptor/controller ect, even the buffs/crowd control, and thats more cause your ignoring almost all your powers), but then you had dozens and dozens of other tactics that were very balanced with one another.

I'm honestly going to be forming my own teams myself, and generally I won't be to picky, though i'll lean  more towards force multipliers myself, but thats because heavy force multipliers makes for a powerful backbone.  What force multipliers and what muscle classes/sets and whatnot, always meant a different play experience.