I haven't read or commented here in months, but I figured I would take one last stab at it. I've been through several different games since CoX, and although there will never be another to fill that place in my heart, I did enjoy playing what was playable since CoX wasn't. Here are my own personal broad strokes in case it helps (or informs) anyone else:
I need to start by saying that I tried Champions Online, Wildstar (twice), Star Trek online (briefly) and Rift (for about 1 day), Ryzome and Mighty Quest for Epic Loot. All of those seemed okay initially but had no staying power whatsoever.
Secret World was the first after CoX that had any staying power with me. It was complex, forced you to think, and had really good stories and setup. I only got bored with it because the end game is "nightmare dungeons" repeated ad nauseum for rare gear. Imagine hami-raids and 5 other things equally as formulaic and tedious, and your only reward after a tough hour or two is almost always the same-old crap. TSW leans way too heavily on the only challenge of elite dungeons being one's ability to dodge floor projections. There is no complex strategy. It's always 1 tank, 1 healer, 3 dps, knowing when to fire buffs and debuffs, and (way too much of) everybody being able to dodge exploding puke on the floor. If only one person of the 5 wasn't an expert puke-dodger, then TEAM FAIL. My idea of a fun game is something other than repeated puke-dodging, so I bailed. But they are re-booting, so stay tuned...
Black Desert was a non-PvPers dream until level 45 and during the first 6 months of the North America servers. Eventually those who did PvP and played at least 16 hours per day out-leveled everybody else and were then free to terrorize everyone else. I blame the game architects for catering solely to antisocial unemployed juvenile males, intentionally or not.
Tera is also a nice game, with a really twitchy, engaging combat style, but it does take getting used to. I played 3 different mystics up to level 65 (the cap) just so each could specialize in a different crafting specialty (of the 4 available). I came to the game too late, and the community had congealed into elitist end-game dungeon gear-grinders who would not waste their time with anyone not already experienced and geared up. The glass ceiling (even within the guild I joined that advertised itself as noob-friendly) led me to quit in frustration.
Yeah, I'm venting and babbling, so I apologize! The bottom line for me is that I doubt I will be back to Titan Network Forums. Probably ever. It's pretty obvious this horse is dead and no amount of beating on it is going to revive it. Even if somebody did turn on a issue 23 server it wouldn't appeal to me now. I'm more hopeful about "Secret World Legends" at this point than I am about CoX or any of the spin-offs. I'm encouraged that they realize their combat mechanics and character animations were crap, but their stories and quests were good. I'm hopeful that they can create a new game that keeps the good of what they had in the original while abandoning the bad.
All that being said, I want to wish all my old SGmates (BOSS on Champion and Pistol-Packing Grannies elsewhere), fellow pointy-eared and/or blue-skinned and/or 7-foot aliens, and all my fellow 4-foot-2 grannies the best of luck. I hope to see you in some other game, or in real life, or in a ape-mind hangout in the singularity, or wherever. If by chance we never meet again, just stay super!
