New efforts!

[Brigadine]

This is the only (pardon me) logical conclusion to the JJA Star Trek franchise.  The Enterprise is seemingly destroyed in the teasers for STB, so it would be the perfect time to do it.

(EDIT note: minor wording tweak.)

Hate to break it to you but they are signed for a 4th and 5th movie.

The hull looks relatively in tact later in the trailer. (damaged, but in tact.)

Personally I think that the bridge at the beginning of the trailer is the post crash enterprise.

[Felderburg]

The hull looks relatively in tact later in the trailer. (damaged, but in tact.)

But that could be from a scene earlier in the movie.

[HEATSTROKE]

I kinda wish there was some kind of news.. CoH was really the one game that I enjoyed more than any other. I have no desire to play another MMO and even console games are doing nothing for me.. I still havent gotten a next gen console..

I cant do the Paragon Chat thing because it would just be too painful for me..

I really miss CoH...

[darkgob]

Hate to break it to you but they are signed for a 4th and 5th movie.

Well you must be right, after all there's definitely no precedence for destroying the Enterprise in a third Star Trek movie only to replace it with a newly commissioned ship at the end of that same movie.

[Mistress Urd]

I kinda wish there was some kind of news.. CoH was really the one game that I enjoyed more than any other. I have no desire to play another MMO and even console games are doing nothing for me.. I still havent gotten a next gen console..

I cant do the Paragon Chat thing because it would just be too painful for me..

I really miss CoH...

I know the feeling...I picked up an Xbox for Xmas and have enjoyed playing Destiny. If only it was on the PC..

Sadly, I don't see things getting better for the PC game market.

[Surelle]

Yeah, I broke down and got a PS4 over Destiny myself, and I have to agree with Mistress Urd here; the PC as a gaming platform is dwindling.  Steam is clinging to it with a tenacious but slipping grasp, as even the Crowned Kings of PC Gaming, MMORPGs, are moving to new-gen consoles with their similar hardware quality.  Think about it:  Elder Scrolls Online, Final Fantasy XIV, DCUO, they're all on new-gen now, and purportedly Everquest Next is being developed mainly for new-gen consoles.

As far as CoH IP deal news goes, there really isn't anything new (the "wake me when there's news" thread will be a year old this February, and negotiations had been going for a year already by that point).  I did see a little something in this City of Titans thread on Massively.com, but it isn't much.  http://massivelyop.com/2016/01/02/city-of-titans-gives-a-glimpse-of-its-character-creator-hints-at-2016-testing/

Scroll down a little ways, where Nate Downes thumbed-up a particular post:

I am really glad to see these fans still going strong, pouring their hearts into their labor of love for the sake of the CoH community.  It's good to have something to hope for, as it doesn't seem like the CoH i23 image rez and IP licensing are ever going to see the light of day. 

(Sorry, but they've been trying for a couple years now; if NCSoft even remotely had wanted either of those things to happen, they would have happened long before now.  Moreover, I can't picture potential investors waiting around as year after year ticks by, when they could be actually making money on their money somewhere else.)

I kinda wish there was some kind of news.. CoH was really the one game that I enjoyed more than any other. I have no desire to play another MMO and even console games are doing nothing for me.. I still havent gotten a next gen console..

I cant do the Paragon Chat thing because it would just be too painful for me..

I really miss CoH...

Posted by: Mistress Urd
« on: Today at 03:33:18 am » Insert Quote

I know the feeling...I picked up an Xbox for Xmas and have enjoyed playing Destiny. If only it was on the PC..

Sadly, I don't see things getting better for the PC game market.

[brothermutant]

I know the feeling...I picked up an Xbox for Xmas and have enjoyed playing Destiny. If only it was on the PC..

Sadly, I don't see things getting better for the PC game market.

Been so bored lately, I been watching someone's playthrough of DB Xenoverse. Looks cool but I would need to spend too much to play including a PS3 controller to add to my computer, which I hate to do.

[umber]

Yeah, I broke down and got a PS4 over Destiny myself, and I have to agree with Mistress Urd here; the PC as a gaming platform is dwindling.  Steam is clinging to it with a tenacious but slipping grasp

That rings odd to my ears, from what I gather this gen's console sales have been somewhat anemic while PC gaming sales have been steadily climbing for a few years now.  In particular the suggestion that Steam is "slipping" when their active users count has been growing steadily for the past several years isn't a very accurate portrayal of the situation.  I worry that people conflate personal experience with overall trends ("I moved to mostly console gaming this year, and now that I'm surrounded by consoles it feels like everyone did so") which can sometimes be at stark odds with each other.

But I really don't wanna get into a console war when I have no dog in the race, I own pretty much every gaming console made (albeit I do wait until the current-gen is a little long-of-tooth to pick them up on the cheap).  For potentially angering the Console Gods I'll make an offering of a coupla hours of God of War gameplay ;)

[Thunder Glove]

I feel that boredom.  I played Marvel Heroes passionately for a few months last year, but after getting nine characters to the level cap, I'm kinda sick of it.  I made a couple of characters on WoW, but I couldn't even be bothered to get them to the F2P level cap of 20.  I grabbed the free Freeform slot for Champions Online and played that for a while, but ultimately lost interest again.  I started playing Star Trek Online last week, but I'm already getting bored with it.  My "main" MMO Dofus is chugging along, and this month is all double-XP weekends, so I've finally managed to get a character to 195 (the level cap is 200), and it's only taken me ten years! :D

But all in all, that spark that I felt with CoH is not there.

[Soul Resonance]

Yeah, I broke down and got a PS4 over Destiny myself, and I have to agree with Mistress Urd here; the PC as a gaming platform is dwindling.  Steam is clinging to it with a tenacious but slipping grasp, as even the Crowned Kings of PC Gaming, MMORPGs, are moving to new-gen consoles with their similar hardware quality.  Think about it:  Elder Scrolls Online, Final Fantasy XIV, DCUO, they're all on new-gen now, and purportedly Everquest Next is being developed mainly for new-gen consoles.

As far as CoH IP deal news goes, there really isn't anything new (the "wake me when there's news" thread will be a year old this February, and negotiations had been going for a year already by that point).  I did see a little something in this City of Titans thread on Massively.com, but it isn't much.  http://massivelyop.com/2016/01/02/city-of-titans-gives-a-glimpse-of-its-character-creator-hints-at-2016-testing/

Scroll down a little ways, where Nate Downes thumbed-up a particular post:

I am really glad to see these fans still going strong, pouring their hearts into their labor of love for the sake of the CoH community.  It's good to have something to hope for, as it doesn't seem like the CoH i23 image rez and IP licensing are ever going to see the light of day. 

(Sorry, but they've been trying for a couple years now; if NCSoft even remotely had wanted either of those things to happen, they would have happened long before now.  Moreover, I can't picture potential investors waiting around as year after year ticks by, when they could be actually making money on their money somewhere else.)






Posted by: Mistress Urd
« on: Today at 03:33:18 am » Insert Quote

I know the feeling...I picked up an Xbox for Xmas and have enjoyed playing Destiny. If only it was on the PC..

Sadly, I don't see things getting better for the PC game market.

I see the post, but I still think they'd have come here and told us, "Hey, we're wasting time, and remember Nate isn't apart of the negotiations any more, and as such would most likely not be privvy to anything under NDA, as the whole negotiation is under NDA.
And as I said before(I know, this probably doesn't mean crap.) But it's only been a year. Investors, I'm assuming did their research about NC and their history, and still proposed interest. They probably knew it wasn't going to be done like american business, in a year or most likely less, but on the terms of a korean owned/operated company's terms. If anything, I am of the firm belief that the whole we'll sell part is done and over with, as that is but a minor aspect of the deal(money has been exchanged and whatever else) but getting the game to work while working out the legal aspects is what's taking so very long. MW said it pretty well, as I can't find the post where downix actually said:
^
^
THIS
to someone's post about what it takes for this deal: Re-posting this because that was 10 pages ago and it bears saying again. This or something like this is why these things take time:


I'll see if I can explain this. What probably happened is something like this. They informally asked NCSoft what they wanted for the property, engine or whatever. NCSoft said 7,509, 266 Quatloos. Unknown investor group says "doable". That was the easy part.

You ask that first, because there is no point in going through the hassle of hiring attorneys, checking for right clearances, arranging a meeting, hiring translators if both parties can't even get into the same area on price.

Now both sides will look for deal breakers. What could derail the entire process? If either side finds a potential one, they won't talk about it, but their negotiators will see what kind of wiggle room there is and what both parties will accept to overcome the obstacle.

Take this Cryptic question(If sold does Cryptic's name appear on the game). In NCSoft's mind this might be something they want so that Cryptic can't come back and cry foul. When that deal was done, it is likely that neither party envisioned a future sale of the property, so likely there is no language in the contract. So the negotiators will discuss with the unknown buyers "would you have a problem keeping Cryptic's name on there?" Unknown buyers signal "Yes or No". If they say yes then NCsoft will likely contact Cryptic and ask if they feel like they are entitled to keep the name on the game if it's sold. Their lawyers will look at the sales agreement and see if they can or should force the issue. Eventually someone at Cryptic will say yes or no. Depending on the answer negotiators will try and figure out an agreement that everyone can live with to avoid litigation. But if two parties become intractable, the deal's off.

You also have to consider strategy. Maybe you give on the Cryptic thing because you know of some other hurdle. You can use the give and take to soften the other sides position. Sometimes you argue hard knowing you are giving in so the other side feels like they have rung a concession from you.

There is no way we can know from where we are how many issues like this must be resolved.

BUT, once all the points have been settled and draft agreements have been typed, read by both sides, vetted by the lawyers then and only then will the actual buyers and the actual sellers meet. This can be the most delicate moment of the entire deal. If either side gets jittery the entire thing can collapse.

Assuming that doesn't happen, both sides sign the deal (also assuming no governmental authorities throw up a roadblock). Then a new round of negotiations will start about the timetable and the transfer of assets.

Then once the considerations are met, payments made, assets transferred, implementation debugged, we are ready for a new closed beta.

Keep in mind that secrecy is vital at most stages because you don't want to tip your hand to the other side. AND this assumes a relatively straight forward deal. Numerous complications can arise. Suppose another interested party comes out of the wood works? Suppose the former Paragon Devs feel that their contracts entitle them to some cut? (just an example)

Anything that has to be adjudicated adds final cost to the deal and both parties will assess whether they want to move forward. Since it is an international deal, which court will you file in, the counter motions alone can be expensive as well as jurisdictional disputes.

I'm not trying to discourage anyone, but these are the kind of things that have to be dealt with and it takes time and money. The more money involved, the more careful everyone wants to be. In a case where both sides are motivated and mostly in agreement, it can go pretty fast. If not, then it can take longer. But everyone needs to understand that it's not a simple deal where someone says "Wanna buy a MMO?" and the other guy says "Take my Money!" and they celebrate.

PS. NO, I don't know that any of these things are actual issues since I'm not involved with the project, but they might be, so be patient.

Also, yeah I still advocate a positive shot in the arm to everyone here would go miles, but unfortunately, NDA. :/

[Soul Resonance]

I also believe this year'll be a big year for legacy CoH(in a good way)

[Angel Phoenix77]

I see the post, but I still think they'd have come here and told us, "Hey, we're wasting time, and remember Nate isn't apart of the negotiations any more, and as such would most likely not be privvy to anything under NDA, as the whole negotiation is under NDA.
And as I said before(I know, this probably doesn't mean crap.) But it's only been a year. Investors, I'm assuming did their research about NC and their history, and still proposed interest. They probably knew it wasn't going to be done like american business, in a year or most likely less, but on the terms of a korean owned/operated company's terms. If anything, I am of the firm belief that the whole we'll sell part is done and over with, as that is but a minor aspect of the deal(money has been exchanged and whatever else) but getting the game to work while working out the legal aspects is what's taking so very long. MW said it pretty well, as I can't find the post where downix actually said:
^
^
THIS
to someone's post about what it takes for this deal: Re-posting this because that was 10 pages ago and it bears saying again. This or something like this is why these things take time:


I'll see if I can explain this. What probably happened is something like this. They informally asked NCSoft what they wanted for the property, engine or whatever. NCSoft said 7,509, 266 Quatloos. Unknown investor group says "doable". That was the easy part.

You ask that first, because there is no point in going through the hassle of hiring attorneys, checking for right clearances, arranging a meeting, hiring translators if both parties can't even get into the same area on price.

Now both sides will look for deal breakers. What could derail the entire process? If either side finds a potential one, they won't talk about it, but their negotiators will see what kind of wiggle room there is and what both parties will accept to overcome the obstacle.

Take this Cryptic question(If sold does Cryptic's name appear on the game). In NCSoft's mind this might be something they want so that Cryptic can't come back and cry foul. When that deal was done, it is likely that neither party envisioned a future sale of the property, so likely there is no language in the contract. So the negotiators will discuss with the unknown buyers "would you have a problem keeping Cryptic's name on there?" Unknown buyers signal "Yes or No". If they say yes then NCsoft will likely contact Cryptic and ask if they feel like they are entitled to keep the name on the game if it's sold. Their lawyers will look at the sales agreement and see if they can or should force the issue. Eventually someone at Cryptic will say yes or no. Depending on the answer negotiators will try and figure out an agreement that everyone can live with to avoid litigation. But if two parties become intractable, the deal's off.

You also have to consider strategy. Maybe you give on the Cryptic thing because you know of some other hurdle. You can use the give and take to soften the other sides position. Sometimes you argue hard knowing you are giving in so the other side feels like they have rung a concession from you.

There is no way we can know from where we are how many issues like this must be resolved.

BUT, once all the points have been settled and draft agreements have been typed, read by both sides, vetted by the lawyers then and only then will the actual buyers and the actual sellers meet. This can be the most delicate moment of the entire deal. If either side gets jittery the entire thing can collapse.

Assuming that doesn't happen, both sides sign the deal (also assuming no governmental authorities throw up a roadblock). Then a new round of negotiations will start about the timetable and the transfer of assets.

Then once the considerations are met, payments made, assets transferred, implementation debugged, we are ready for a new closed beta.

Keep in mind that secrecy is vital at most stages because you don't want to tip your hand to the other side. AND this assumes a relatively straight forward deal. Numerous complications can arise. Suppose another interested party comes out of the wood works? Suppose the former Paragon Devs feel that their contracts entitle them to some cut? (just an example)

Anything that has to be adjudicated adds final cost to the deal and both parties will assess whether they want to move forward. Since it is an international deal, which court will you file in, the counter motions alone can be expensive as well as jurisdictional disputes.

I'm not trying to discourage anyone, but these are the kind of things that have to be dealt with and it takes time and money. The more money involved, the more careful everyone wants to be. In a case where both sides are motivated and mostly in agreement, it can go pretty fast. If not, then it can take longer. But everyone needs to understand that it's not a simple deal where someone says "Wanna buy a MMO?" and the other guy says "Take my Money!" and they celebrate.

PS. NO, I don't know that any of these things are actual issues since I'm not involved with the project, but they might be, so be patient.

Also, yeah I still advocate a positive shot in the arm to everyone here would go miles, but unfortunately, NDA. :/

I might be dense, but what I read about City of. not coming back came from a poster and not Nate. I read the whole exchange, and it became talking about Golden Girl. So unless I am mistaken I will think that it was just a poster writing that instead of Nate.

[Arcana]

He does when he makes Star Trek movies (minus the "good" part).

Michael Bay unabashedly makes explosions and crude humor major focuses of his movies.  In Star Trek, explosions and crude humor are not even necessary to the movies and generally considered to be the weaker parts of the movie(s).  It is actually slightly out of character for Abrams.

Without getting into a discussion of who likes them, for the most part the people who do like the Star Trek movies tend to agree the characterizations and (at least some elements of) the plot are the reasons why the movies are enjoyable.  Even the people who like the Transformers movies tend to admit it is mostly for the spectacle of them.

[Arcana]

Yeah, I broke down and got a PS4 over Destiny myself, and I have to agree with Mistress Urd here; the PC as a gaming platform is dwindling.

And has been for twenty years now.  I should point out that the mobile guys are also saying your PS4 is the last gasp of a soon to be extinct gaming Tyrannosaurs.  YMMV.  Candy Crush made more money in a year than City of Heroes made in forever, and you can make a game like Candy Crush with a dev team that fits in the back seat of a Honda Civic.

Thing is, there will always be people willing to spend money making games for a platform so long as there are enough people willing to pay for them.  When companies decide to stop making PC games because they think it is not profitable, that means there is more money left on the table for the companies that are willing.  The PC will stop being a viable gaming platform when people stop buying PCs.  But not before.  It can certainly stop being the center of the gaming world, and to be honest it hasn't been for a while now.  But the center of the gaming world aren't things like Xboxes either, its arguably smartphones and tablets.

[Arcana]

Probably a snapped neck.

Kirk's win/loss record compared to Lore's suggests that is an extreme long-shot.

[darkgob]

Kirk's win/loss record compared to Lore's suggests that is an extreme long-shot.

...Against "androids" (mostly just non-sentient machines) that are a century out of date compared to Lore.  If anything, he'd have better luck using Lore's extremely vulnerable off switch against him, assuming he were aware of it (or accidentally judo-chopped it, I guess).

[chuckv3]

...Against "androids" (mostly just non-sentient machines) that are a century out of date compared to Lore.  If anything, he'd have better luck using Lore's extremely vulnerable off switch against him, assuming he were aware of it (or accidentally judo-chopped it, I guess).

Data has an off switch. Lore doesn't.

[Brigadine]

And has been for twenty years now.  I should point out that the mobile guys are also saying your PS4 is the last gasp of a soon to be extinct gaming Tyrannosaurs.  YMMV.  Candy Crush made more money in a year than City of Heroes made in forever, and you can make a game like Candy Crush with a dev team that fits in the back seat of a Honda Civic.

Thing is, there will always be people willing to spend money making games for a platform so long as there are enough people willing to pay for them.  When companies decide to stop making PC games because they think it is not profitable, that means there is more money left on the table for the companies that are willing.  The PC will stop being a viable gaming platform when people stop buying PCs.  But not before.  It can certainly stop being the center of the gaming world, and to be honest it hasn't been for a while now.  But the center of the gaming world aren't things like Xboxes either, its arguably smartphones and tablets.

I hate being a gamer.

[Brigadine]

Data has an off switch. Lore doesn't.

that's cheating, even the borg collective has an off switch.

[Soul Resonance]

I might be dense, but what I read about City of. not coming back came from a poster and not Nate. I read the whole exchange, and it became talking about Golden Girl. So unless I am mistaken I will think that it was just a poster writing that instead of Nate.

True. And I still stand by my post in saying: If it were Truly off, then...wouldn't he come here and say it? Also, I coulda sworn Irish Girl(don't mean to throw ya under the bus on this one lol) said Nate spearheaded it at first, but then went back to MWM to help with CoT once they got in(kinda like a parent pushing a kid on a bike for abit, then letting the kid peddle for himself). After reading it over, I kinda chuckled abit at the poster..a dubious attempt(or atleast that's what I read it as, no harm meant  :-[) to get the actual team in negotiations, or Nate, to spill the beans on the progress  ;D Well played sir...well played  8)