New efforts!

[gypsyav]

God I love our members who know programming stuff (I'm aware of what you've been up to specifically, just making a sweeping statement of the awesometude of all our programmer members). Even though at close I STILL had a full inventory of Base Salvage, only one character with more than a million Inf, and already knew all the stuff we had stored in the SG base was doomed, I'd be all for being stripped of my inf and inventory if it meant picking up where I left off with, in essence as a writer, those parts of me that were lost.

The writer part of me is already thinking of ways to incorporate a total loss of power into my characters stories. I'd rather pick up where they left off but I'm still hopeful for moving forward.

[PSI-on]

I could care less about the data, been playing the game since 2004 and to be honest I just want the game back, characters can be rebuilt  and if you think NCSOF is handing account information and character data, keep dreaming.

To the team that is trying to get the game, thanks so much for trying to get us the city back and don't compromise that over data, I hope they are ignoring this thread and just focusing on getting the game back, because the greed in this thread is real.

For the record, we already know they are not only reading this thread, but posting in it as well. Most of what people are wanting back is something they cared about that was taken away from them, by no fault of their own, and wish to see it returned if possible. The very nature of the game is the same, wanting the game back for the same  basic reasons of the data, but ironically we don't consider that greedy. I for one don't see wanting what you had restored as greed, wanting what someone else has on top of what you have is greed. No one here is asking they stop the talks and give up if they can't get account/character data back, only that if it's a possibility that they try. Presumably the team buying it are adults, i think they can make their own choices about which posts here to make note of and what they can and can't push for and how hard they can in THEIR negotiations. I don't think the negativity or accusations of greed (from anyone really) are particularly inspiring.

[Samuraiko]

The writer part of me is already thinking of ways to incorporate a total loss of power into my characters stories. I'd rather pick up where they left off but I'm still hopeful for moving forward.

How I'm planning to retcon it:

Sneak attack by the Battalion depowered the metahumans on Earth. Now they're scrambling to get back to where they were before the invasion actually arrives, doing whatever is necessary to retrain (and show the citizens of Paragon (and the Rogue Isles) that they're still there and still willing to fight).

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[Scendera]

I LIKE that! As for my PB who used the trick a dev speculated for Kheldian spaceflight...well, the shapeshifting and holding herself together against the stresses of space travel with no training or preparation exhausted her deeply...but drained or not, she's alive to tell the story and will recover given time.

[sindyr]

I was always irritated by people picking apart my builds and offering unsolicited advice because I wasn't doing it "right".  I don't care how YOU play the game.  I only want that courtesy returned. 

This is one of the many great hearts of CoX, IMO. For me, it was all about spending TONS of inf getting the right IOs (Franken or Sets, or both) to have a toon SO efficient and effective that doing missions was very little challenge - for what I loved about the game wasn't the hard fights, but the EASY ones where I was wiping the floor with the baddies and feeling like a GOD.

But I also LOVED it that other people could do a concept build, and still others could choose to embace challenging play.

Cox was truly a game that could be played however you liked. I think we should all embrace that spirit and never demand that people who don't power play start, NOR demand that people who are very powerful be curtailed.

It doesn't matter that someone plays the game differently than someone else, or that they are more or less powerful - its all about people pursuing whatever they feel as FUN for THEM.

For me, it was effortless and godlike power, achieved through careful and meticulous MIDS work and tons of rare IOs. :)

[PSI-on]

The writer part of me is already thinking of ways to incorporate a total loss of power into my characters stories. I'd rather pick up where they left off but I'm still hopeful for moving forward.

I feel you on that. Both options have advantages. I made PSI-on magic, but his back story involved Super dyne, which I'm guessing moved more towards science, so a start over would have me a forced chance to rechoose that. He also had an evil version costume, which I could just make into a villain or Preatorian, rather than a split personality costume, it for sure opens options. I would rather just have them back and pick up where I left off. To me, the most, it's the work they did (contact unlocks and badges), how long it took to get the costumes right (note as I never deleted the game I still have my costumes saved from Icon *costume store* and have used Icon *program* in order to make new ones for the day it returned/making tokens for tabletop gaming, but still), the unlocks I had in MANY forms (mostly store and game editions and vet rewards being chief concerns, and just not wanting to fight with all "you" over names again on what might be likely less servers. I was on Triumph, I guess I made PSI-on first, eventually there was a psion also on the server, knowing we might not get all our slots back (I had Triumph almost full) means it'll be so so much harder and so expensive to even try and secure all our names back. Really, I don't see how that won't be a nightmare for a while, getting the data back would make the transition smoother if nothing else.

[China Doll]

Question...Has there ever been a game brought back from the dead with all the account information restored?

The way I loook at it is everything I did in COX  went away when NcSoft closed it,

So if it does come back it will be like playing a new game from start.

[Ironwolf]

I was considering a scenario where Battalion for a short period managed to use a small blackhole to dropped Primal Earth out of the timestream. Now 2 years have passed and suddenly Paragon is in the throes of another alien takover.

Nemesis is extremely unhappy.

All the portals were down and so all of the other universes are seriously worried at what could drop an entire planet out of touch.

[PSI-on]

I was considering a scenario where Battalion for a short period managed to use a small blackhole to dropped Primal Earth out of the timestream. Now 2 years have passed and suddenly Paragon is in the throes of another alien takover.

Nemesis is extremely unhappy.

All the portals were down and so all of the other universes are seriously worried at what could drop an entire planet out of touch.

I wish I had the incite everyone else seems to have on such future content as this..."Battalion"...I always thought of this as the "coming storm" had arrived and stuck there first in reguards to my continuation through Pen and Paper RPG games and short stories.

[umber]

That's basically my take on it too. I bought every copy of the game for it's in game stuff, pre-ordered two of them, was a top tier vet, even had a comic con code for Freakshow Tank and one for that robot lady in preatoria with the blade arms (have mercy on my I NEVER got past the first City area on the pretorian side...so many regrets ; _ ; ) so for some of us it's not just IO's and characters hard work we will miss out on, it's what? Four pages of character slots, 12 slots each? Stuff from editions and vet rewards we likely used constantly, special events that will never happen again (i was also there for Sister and Manticore's Wedding). Heck it took me like...4 years to get my first 50. I can't imagine I could ever afford to put as much money into the game a second time as I did before

For me it'd all be in the presentation.  Lets say CoH was relaunched but all acct data was lost, everything I'd accumulated over 8 years gone, but a in-game shop was put up allowing me to buy back everything desired where I could get back to where I was for, say, $250 total... I'd likely respond to that poorly.  But if I was instead offered up-front to be granted everything back for a one-time $250 donation to the project, I'd likely say "here is $500, make it so for the wife's account too".

I don't want to be nickle and dime'd to death.  But I *do* want to support this project.  If it means paying for something I'd already paid for, so be it.  And frankly I don't see a way for the CoH Relaunch project to be financially viable without at least some of this re-buying stuff going on.  But there are definitely better motivational-methods than some others to pass the plate around. 

[Ironwolf]

Question...Has there ever been a game brought back from the dead with all the account information restored?

The way I loook at it is everything I did in COX  went away when NcSoft closed it,

So if it does come back it will be like playing a new game from start.

Financial data is highly doubtful - some folks have stated it may not be legal to transfer that when the product doesn't exist now. If the game was open - then it is fairly simple but after closure it could be illegal.

Character data - Your login and password could still unlock. I truly do not know if it is all there. I get emails saying they know someone inside and that they have compiled all the stuff at NCSoft and all of the data is there. Is this true or a troll? I have no way of knowing at this point. I pass this stuff on to the team and let them investigate.

Those kinds of things are fairly regular occurances and some I think are just trying to find out who the team is or to contact them for more direct information. I have learned to sniff those out pretty quickly. So you understand why I have held the cards close to my chest - since March when I got the stuff from Rae until now - I have been contacted by 4 studios about the game. The first group are the ones working on it now and I have sent all others to them for their consideration.

Two other studios tried to get the game previously but could not get a valid contact to work it through. We got the contact and that is the difference - it seems fortune smiles on our efforts. I have also passed on I believe 4 or maybe 5 offers to help with funding. Not to mention the people who message for job opportunities! I do pass all of these through and job offers obviously are a bit premature in most cases - but they are accepted.

I guess what I am saying is once we get the game back - almost everything may be there - or it may not, I am starting to think the character data may be available, the financial accounts I highly doubt.

[Scendera]

Here's to hoping that's true!

[kierthos]

As much as I would like my characters back, if we get a blank slate version of the game back, I'm fine with that.

Rebuilding my base's "reactor room" though....

[Fridgy Daiere]

I guess what I am saying is once we get the game back - almost everything may be there - or it may not, I am starting to think the character data may be available, the financial accounts I highly doubt.

Someone else here put it more clearly than I could, but it sums up my thoughts exactly:

So on the question of "should the buyers fight to get our characters?", my answer is a resounding YES.

But I'm also a mature adult who knows that you don't always get what you want.  So New Guys, fight like hell, but I won't be mad if it just isn't feasible.

[AlienOne]

I guess what I am saying is once we get the game back - almost everything may be there - or it may not, I am starting to think the character data may be available, the financial accounts I highly doubt.

That'd be fine with me too... The question would be reconciling all that character data with the right people (assuming the financial account data is not there). IF they were to have some sort of period of time where they allowed people to "prove" data was theirs, they'd have to come up with some sort of system (and a team of people) to handle that.

That might be a daunting task.

*EDIT*
I just saw my title...LOL

Well played.

[gypsyav]

How I'm planning to retcon it:

Sneak attack by the Battalion depowered the metahumans on Earth. Now they're scrambling to get back to where they were before the invasion actually arrives, doing whatever is necessary to retrain (and show the citizens of Paragon (and the Rogue Isles) that they're still there and still willing to fight).

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

That's along the same lines I was thinking. I hadn't figured out the group yet but Battalion is perfect!

[Scendera]

Thinking about it, what they could do to get around the financial data being unavailable but the character data being intact would be what SOE did when they took the original Everquest F2P.

Every character that existed prior to a certain date was grandfathered in, even if the race or class got made pay in the conversion for free players. They had silver account privileges, but stayed completely available otherwise; the slot was unlocked for them, as well as race and class.

For CoH, just flag every character in the database before the server relaunches as permanently unlocked, with all of their special stuff already on them as also unlocked, and then if they wanted they could either use that as a basis for establishing account unlocks or sell the unlock to make a NEW whatever, if desired.

[Fridgy Daiere]

Hubby (@Happily Married, AKA Tennessee Bonfire) has spent the last 3 days in Icon dreaming up new characters and re-inventing old friends.  He has started working overtime to purchase a new gaming rig so that he will finally be able to experience Ultra Mode.  He may cry if this deal doesn't go through.

Me too, of course, but it's funnier when it's a guy.

[Odimodus]

Isn't NCsoft a Korean company? I bet the language barrier slows things down considerably as well. Sure, a lot of Koreans speak English, but speaking their language would probably open a lot of their doors.

[AlienOne]

Hubby (@Happily Married, AKA Tennessee Bonfire) has spent the last 3 days in Icon dreaming up new characters and re-inventing old friends.  He has started working overtime to purchase a new gaming rig so that he will finally be able to experience Ultra Mode.  He may cry if this deal doesn't go through.

Me too, of course, but it's funnier when it's a guy.

I'm right there with him... I'm waiting with baited breath for Ironwolf to hop in this thread and bring the house down with something like "We got it."

All hell will break loose!