I feel bad for the people that started playing a few months before it closed -

[doc7924]

Most of us had a lot of good years in this game I am sure.

A lot of people I chatted with in game were playing 4 or 5 years.

Its a sad shame for people who just got into the game in 2011 or 2012 and never would get the chance to really experience all the game had to offer.

Hell, I played since May 2004 and I probably only visited and played maybe 80 - 85% of all the zones, TF's, missions, etc.

Plus the thing I hated is in August 2012 I got a new PC - been upgrading the one I started COH with in 2004.

Finally I could play just about everything turned up, no lag at all - even in Mothership raids - then I see the message one day - "We are closing down" - I was like - nooooooooooooooooooo, I just started to really get the most out of the game, graphics wise and BAM it was gone.

[Tubbius]

I'd just gotten a good friend of mine AND his long-distance girlfriend into the game just a few months before it closed.  They were both really, really loving it, too.

[Cryono]

I really feel bad that I stopped playing the game for a while and then when I came back it had been closed for months (Jan2013)

like AWWWWWWWWWH 

[LaughingAlex]

I feel that way to.  I feel likewise and have even spoke to a lot who wanted the try the game out but never got around to it playing CO.  Players i'm sure would probably not like the graphics but, if they got past that, they'd like the game far more, especially since CO has taken further and further nose dives since CoX's shutdown.  It's like CoX shutting down was actually bad for CO, though some jerks in that community(a vocal minority but still to influential imo) felt Cox shutting down was a good thing, alot on both sides feel that CO woulda been the one to shut down had CoX continued running.  Myself included.  Heck still feel that should CoX come back CO's nails in the coffin will finally be finished driving in, as it had dug it's own grave, built it's own coffin and started hammering itself in.

It's a shame but alot of CO players I know that are nice and whatnot, do want to try CoX out, and i'd be happy to show them the game and help em out.  Cause they certainly aren't happy with CO anymore and I don't blame em.  ALOT of them really want to try CoX out, big time.

[MWRuger]

I feel worse for people who wanted to play but hadn't got the chance to.

Also, the people (like us) who still want to play going on nearly 18 month on from the closure.

[healix]

Those of us who played since the beginning have suffered the loss the most. New folks didn't have all the history and memories, and don't have the same point of reference as the vets do, though they got to see what an awesome game it was. I wish we ALL could have celebrated 10 years together in the place we called home.

[doc7924]

Those of us who played since the beginning have suffered the loss the most. New folks didn't have all the history and memories, and don't have the same point of reference as the vets do, though they got to see what an awesome game it was. I wish we ALL could have celebrated 10 years together in the place we called home.

Even though its gone, I still celebrated 10 years. I found the original box and manual I purchased from COMP USA back in May 2004 plus the first edition of the Prima Strategy, which quickly became useless but it brings back memories.

I had just gotten the gamer only a few weeks and my wife and I went to visit her sister in Chicago,
I already had withdrawals from the game only after a few weeks but I saw the guide in the local Barnes and Nobles and bought it so I could at least have something COH related while I was away from the game.

[Mythic13]

Those of us who played since the beginning have suffered the loss the most. New folks didn't have all the history and memories, and don't have the same point of reference as the vets do, though they got to see what an awesome game it was. I wish we ALL could have celebrated 10 years together in the place we called home.

The game was dead as soon as AE was released. As a vet of CoH who remembered it taking months it seemed to reach one toon to lvl 30... getting to lvl 50 in nearly one day thanks to AE was an absolute joke. Back in the day getting your travel power at lvl 14 was "gratz" worthy. Circa 2012 COH such accomplishments compared to then are laughable. 

MMO's getting "easier" and "sleazier" is not unique to COH however. This fact, combined with players blatantly cheating on most MMO's by buying currency, accounts, and levels has pretty much made me lose interest in just about ALL MMO'S. COH was not an exception to this. Ironically enough, AE indirectly was the light that illuminated me to the world of "pay to win" mmo gaming.   

[Minotaur]

I'd just gotten a good friend of mine AND his long-distance girlfriend into the game just a few months before it closed.  They were both really, really loving it, too.

I got my nephew to try the game during his school summer holiday, I was going to buy him a month's sub for the Christmas holidays, sadly that never had the chance to happen.

[blacksly]

The game was dead as soon as AE was released. As a vet of CoH who remembered it taking months it seemed to reach one toon to lvl 30... getting to lvl 50 in nearly one day thanks to AE was an absolute joke. Back in the day getting your travel power at lvl 14 was "gratz" worthy. Circa 2012 COH such accomplishments compared to then are laughable. 

MMO's getting "easier" and "sleazier" is not unique to COH however. This fact, combined with players blatantly cheating on most MMO's by buying currency, accounts, and levels has pretty much made me lose interest in just about ALL MMO'S. COH was not an exception to this. Ironically enough, AE indirectly was the light that illuminated me to the world of "pay to win" mmo gaming.

It is a shame that it seemed to get a bit too easy.

But I don't follow the mindset that "AE ruined the game". If someone gets to level 50 in AE, while I'm running missions and never seeing them play, how does their existence, subscription (or microtransactions), character, or playing time in any way affect mine? The only two ways I can think of is that they're also buying things on the market... but by that argument, they're as likely to be selling things on the market, thus having no net effect... and that the money that they spend on subscription and/or microtransactions supports the game so it's less likely to close.

So, in the end, while I do wish the game remained a bit harder in general, that's something completely separate from saying that a portion of the game ruined it for others. Power leveling, AE, power-supergroups running all-Rad teams, Hamidon Raids, PvP, Incarnate Trials, whatever.... Sewer Trials back in the day, again, whatever. They're all good, as long as they all keep some additional type of players interested in the game.

[MWRuger]

I don't buy that the game was "ruined" by AE. No one forced anyone to play it, or Power Level, or play the market or endlessly run the same task force, PvP (the devs encouraged PvP with PvE content in PvP zones) or farm. For that matter, Double XP and experience boosters could easily serve the same function in regular play. You could just play the game if that is the route you wanted to take.

I also don't accept the AE Babies argument. Were there people who couldn't play very well? Sure. Some of them came out of AE and some were just people who didn't play very well. I had a buddy who would constantly throw rain of fire. Always. Even when the team leader would say "OK, we got them herded. Don't throw rain of fire, it will make them scatter." Of course he did it anyway. He was busy texting and was barely concentrating on the game.  Sometimes people try out a new role and they suck at it until they learn how to play it correctly.Also people who solo mostly could be poor team players just because they were so used to solo play.

I also think that they made the run up to 50 easier because they wanted people to be able to participate in the Incarnate content. Players pissed and moaned about no endgame content so they gave it to them. They wanted to make it easier for people to get there.