Atlantea
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Posts
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Joined
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Okay, here's a bizarre idea I just had.
First off - let me acknowledge this is inspired directly off of one of the actions that the Mass Effect Hold the Line groups did. You probably remember it - the cupcakes that they sent to the Bioware offices? The ones of all the same flavor, and with the same flavor icing, just colored red blue and green, representing the 3 "cookie cutter choices" that they had specifically been promised in the lead up to ME3 that they would not be offered as the end of the game.
That was just genius. And in a way a kind of cruelly deft twist.
Well what I'm suggesting is not as ironic or cruel. It's more straightforward and up front and more of an appreciative gesture and a reminder that we are still here.
Commission or have made a series of cupcakes with the frosting shaped and colored in the designs of the various loyalty icons.
Hero. Villain. Vigilante. Rogue. Loyalty. Resistance.
And have them delivered to the NC Soft Norcal offices.
The intent would be to give them a nice treat. While at the same time remind them that we are here and we are organized.
If someone has a better idea than cupcakes, I'm all for it. But it's the first thing that came to my mind.
What do you say? Can we give it a try? Any local cupcake makers in the Bay Area that would do this?
I'm sorry I can't help out more than just throwing the idea out there. Maybe the guys at Titan can take it up and run with it?
If it works out I'll be more than happy to take credit for it, of course.
EDIT: *FACEPALM* I feel like an idiot for not thinking of this earlier.
Cookies would work just as well as cupcakes and you could probably make the designs more detailed and stand out a lot better with cookie toppings.
Anyway - same deal - any bakeries in that area that take orders and do deliveries? -
Thanks so much Zwil. I know I sent you a pretty stressed out PM on this very subject earlier. I hope you know I understand you're doing your best to get VIP status turned on for everyone. This will mean the world for most of us as we enter the time between now and November 30th.
I'm hoping for a miracle, but if we don't get one, I want to leave with as few regrets as possible. Being able to access all VIP content would allow me and my friends in my SG to tie up all our loose ends and leave with our heads high. -
I was about to say the exact same thing. You need to print that out and send it physically to the NCSoft offices.
Mr. Taek Jin Kim, Chief Executive Officer
NCsoft Corporation
1501 4th Avenue, Suite 2050
Seattle, WA 98101
UNITED STATES
In Korea:
Mr. Taek Jin Kim, Chief Executive Officer
NCsoft Corporation
157-37 Samsung-dong
Kangnamu-gu, Seoul 135-090
KOREA
I've heard it said that a hand WRITTEN letter is even more impressive. As in actually sitting down with a lined piece of legal pad and writing it out. But that's debatable.
In any case, this is a fantastic letter. It needs to be sent physically. Otherwise they likely won't see it.
Get Cracking on it!
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I'm with the others on this who have decided to boycott NCSoft.
A friend of mine said that if people boycott Guild Wars 2, that in effect we are hurting the studio who makes it (who apparently is not as tightly tied to NCSoft as Paragon Studios was). And that GW2 is a fantastic game and doesn't deserve
any hate.
I understand this. I'm sure GW2 is a fine and wonderful game and it is sad if the studio behind them (whose name escapes me right at this moment) were to be hurt by loss of sales etc just like Paragon Studios. In fact I was beginning to think of trying it out due to the behest of the same friend, before last Friday. (So I'm in the same situation as JChaos.)
But I cannot in good conscience support NCSoft in ANY WAY whatsoever at this time. They do NOT get ANY MORE OF MY MONEY unless and until they reverse their decision to close City of Heroes. I would rather DIE at this moment then do that.
And I don't care if it's Nexxon pulling their strings. They COULD have Killed the REAL Money loser, Aion. But they didn't.
I'm sorry to the fine people who make Guild Wars 2. But you lie down with dogs, you get fleas. -
Quote:You've got a point - maybe he should do both?Originally Posted by shadow35
Er, wouldn't it be better to actually tell Paragon Studios? -
You Bio for Jennie Nova made me grin. ^_^
And I'm very appreciative of your journal. It's kicking me in the butt to set some priorities of my own and get them done. Thank you. -
Quote:If you have not gotten in contact with the guys at Titan Network about this, you need to do so ASAP! Coordinate!Originally Posted by Scheol
Just got home now. We had a long talk and he said the venture capital market right now has been contracting, but after telling him about the situation with as many details as I have (which isn't a lot), he did say that investors either private or institutional should show signs of interest based on the fact that a lot of the infrastructure could potentially be maintained and a marketable product with a black track record acquired. He's going to try and get me a list of a few people and firms he knows of in the NorCal area but no promises. At the very least, some positive words from a big financial insider is good.
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Sent you my two "main" Mains. Cyberman 8 and Kara Skye. With a few alternate costumes and some brief descriptions of what powers they use from their main and secondaries just in case you need that info.
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Quote:I know this is coming in a couple of days after the fact, sorry. I'm just now trying to get caught up on this thread, but I just HAD to say...Originally Posted by Techbot Alpha
'Scumbags'? Oh, you mean the Union channel that you've been trolling ever since you joined it?
I'm amazed anyone every unblocked you after the first time.
You slimy, self obsessed, self righteous, arrogant, boorish, pig-headed, rude, vulgar, uncouth, loud mouthed, back-stabbing, scum sucking, putrid and bileous little streak of vile and corrosive gobshite.
I've been waiting to say something like that. Because bloody hells do you deserve it. If I were there in person, I'd clout you around the face with my gods damned keyboard!
Get. The Hell. Out.
DAMN SON!
*SLOW CLAP*
As take-downs go, that was a thing of most awesome and sublime beauty, and not a curse word to be found in it!
Well played, sirrah! Well played and a graceful follow-through! -
Ugh...
I'd hate to start all over. I'd hate to lose badges that are specific to times like the Anniversary Events. (One of my 50s has ALL of the Anniversary badges!)
And of course there's the issue with veteran powers and unlocks.
Even so. The concepts and costumes of my various characters and their backstories are saved or copied elsewhere. And it's the concepts and associated looks of the characters that are important.
So I could start again if needed. If it meant the game survived and I could still play and eventually regain all of the progress I had made. Especially since I would be leveling with my friends.
Still. Not my first choice by a long way. -
Quote:I did? If so it was entirely unconscious I assure you! Maybe I was simply tapping from the same well. As you say - it's merely the truth. ^^;Originally Posted by Zoser
Even if you nicked part of this from 'Prince of Thieves',
Thank you. Just trying to do my part to keep spirits up.Quote:you managed to bring tears to my eyes in a busy German airport, because it is also happens to be true! Well played, indeed!
Zos -
Quote:What I am getting at here is that the paradigm of expectations between consumers/fans and the publishers of games has been altered between when Tabula Rasa was shut down and now. And the Mass Effect fans were the ones that showed how it could be done.Originally Posted by Kobold_Commander
Not a whole lot. Bioware still stands by the worst parts of the ending (Starchild/Catalyst), and the fans now look to the rest of the world like over-entitled, whining manchildren.
And the new ending is still terrible.
NCSoft is going to ignore us like they ignored Tabula Rasa's fans. I heard many of the same things when it was shutting down.
NCSoft is also in a MUCH more vulnerable financial state now than they were during the Tabula Rasa days.
A further difference even between us and the Mass Effect community - they were dealing with a hostile EA. And when they dealt with Bioware, they were either dealing with execs who obviously partook of the EA corporate cultures or a set of developers who were muzzled and afraid of losing their jobs if they spoke out.
And they STILL got a concession. You may think the ending is still bad. I agree with you. But it's better than the stinkbag it was before.
Paragon Studios employees are already out the door in many cases. They've been laid off. What're they going to do, FIRE them if they take up our side or talk to us directly and honestly? Oops...
It is one thing to be realistic, it is another to be fatalistic.
Or to put it another way - you're NOT HELPING. -
Quote:Thank you for reminding me of Mass Effect and what the fans accomplished there!Originally Posted by jfp2004
Agh, this is just like that week following the end of Mass Effect 3. It hit me hard enough that it threw off everything. I kept bouncing between 'did that really just happen' and 'it can't end like this' to cautious optimism that things would change. Not entirely the same as what's going on here, but similar enough.
I'm hoping things end up working out in everyone's favor. The last thing I want is for the game to go away. I've been playing it for years, and it's become a part of my life.
As I've said in the game - hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
There are those who say that petitions and letter writing compaigns never, ever work. That NCSoft has never done anything but shutter MMOs and kill them without selling them.
Those people who say that... they keep using the word NEVER.
I SAY...
LOOK!
Look at HOLD THE LINE and the other Mass Effect 3 protests and what THEY accomplished!
They forced... FORCED - EA/Bioware into releasing the Extended Cut DLC when all indications are that the personalities at the top of EA and Bioware had no intention of giving in - at least at first.
True - Extended Cut does far less than most Mass Effect fans had hoped. For many, it simply made the ending - acceptable. Not great. Not epic like it should have been. Just acceptable.
But that's MUCH better than it was!
The fans and organizers of Hold the Line and others SHAMED Electronic Arts... EA... THE VERY DEMON of the Gaming World... Into actually BUDGING even that far.
I don't think you realize just how HUGE that is. Take a moment to think about it.
Mass Effect fans were nowhere NEAR as tight knit as our community. They were scattered. There were fan groups and fanfic writing communities, but nothing centralized. Until enough of them realized that they were ALL pissed off. It took about 2-3 weeks - almost a month before they really started to move.
But move they did. And LOOK at what they accomplished!
Can we do any less? Can we AFFORD to do ANY LESS THAN THEY DID?
We can do MORE.
We are UNITED from the START. It hasn't taken us WEEKS to get moving. It's only taken DAYS. Maybe even HOURS.
We are collectively a JUGGERNAUT.
And we are ALREADY up to steam and moving forward!
Yes - it is wise to keep in mind we could fail. We could devastate ourselves emotionally if we do not acknowledge the simple fact that the odds are not in our favor.
But is that any reason not to have hope? NO!
We have every reason to believe that WE CAN DO THIS. IT IS MORE THAN POSSIBLE.
There is no more determined fighter than one who fights for their home.
PARAGON CITY IS OUR HOME.
Dig your feet in. Take a breath. Pop an inspiration or two if you need to...
THEN CHARGE FORWARD.
And the gates of all possibility will FALL BEFORE YOU. -
Quote:Originally Posted by Golden Girl
From the use of the word "investors", it sounds more like they are looking to negotiate a separation from NCSoft, and try to put together backing to become an indie studio.
Careful in over-parsing the "corporate" language there. It would be great if that's what they are negotiating, but DON'T ASSUME!
(Hoping you're right, though. *fingers crossed*) -
Quote:Oh WELL PLAYED sir! Well played!Originally Posted by Nylonus
*hoorb*
I make happy air sounds at you!
Anybody else think "happy air sounds" sounds like "SQUEE!" or is that just me?
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Quote:One COULD be cynical and say "Well of course they're not accepting it, their jobs are on the line!"Originally Posted by Golden Girl
Make sure to emphasize that they're trying to work something out - not that they are working something out - the main thing to let people know is that the devs are not accepting the closure either, and are working as hard as us to rescue the game.
One COULD... Until you go through all the Dev posts and then you KNOW they are just as passionate about this as we are. And for much the same reasons.
I know this is FAR MORE than just "a job" to ANY of the Devs!
They are just as much a part of this community as any of us.
And here's to letting them know whatever happens - we're rooting for them! -
Quote:"Look at that speed! Do you think we'll be able to pull up in time?"Originally Posted by Snugs
This is our final big mission guys. Stay on target.
"It'll be just like beggars canyon back home!"
(Sorry - couldn't resist. Can you tell I'm a little bit giddy? )
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Yes!
Remember - NO PROMISES. We have NO PROMISES.
But keep up the good work, people! It IS having an effect!
It's been said before, but it can't hurt to repeat it -
WE ARE HEROES. THIS IS WHAT WE DO. -
Added mine.
(Arlington Texas)
Color: Light Blue - For Hero
Also listed my global handle and my main characters in the extra info section. -
A cannot help but think of a quote from one of the greatest movies of all time.
Quote:Aragorn: Hold your ground, hold your ground! Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me.
A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is NOT THIS DAY.
An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is NOT THIS DAY!
THIS day we FIGHT!
By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you STAND, MEN OF THE WEST!
I will not give up just yet.
Not this day! -
Quote:Oooohh... Nicely played.Originally Posted by jwbullfrog
NC Soft Exec: I can't believe you're considering listening to these people.....
Gabe (pointing to exec): Get him out of here. (turns to playerbase) You've got work to do. So what do you need from me?
Anyway. Yeah - back to brainstorming. -
OKay, okay. We've been VERY serious and sad and determined here.
This is just a way to inject a slight bit of levity here. I do NOT recommend this as something to say to Mr. Newell for real. But... Ghostbusters quote mangling here:
(Imagine in Bill Murray voice)
Quote:If we're wrong, we're wrong! We leave the servers and go to other games, peacefully, quietly. We'll enjoy it. But if we're right, and we can stop this thing... Gabe, you will have saved the registered accounts of millions of paying customers...
Hopefully I can get someone to smile at this. ^_^ -
Quote:
Aragorn: Hold your ground, hold your ground! Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is NOT THIS DAY. An hour of woes and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is NOT THIS DAY! THIS day we FIGHT! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you STAND, MEN OF THE WEST!
Sent in my email to Gabe. Did a bit of copy/paste from others templates, but also added in stuff of my own.
Quote:Mr. Newell,
As you may be aware, on Friday, Aug 31, NCSoft made the announcement of the cancellation of the superhero MMO City of Heroes. I have been a player of the game almost since its launch in 2004. And myself and many fans are devastated by the loss of our favorite game.
Steam has an outstanding reputation for doing the right thing for their fans and players. With that in mind, I wonder if you would consider an appeal from a player and fan, not only of City of Heroes, but of many of your games as well. (Team Fortress 2, Portal, Half-Life etc)
Can you help us?
You see, I and many others believe that the game's hybrid model and market-based transaction system would make it a perfect fit for Steam, if you can acquire the IP.
NCSoft's earnings release for the second quarter 2012 show that sales have held steady throughout the year at slightly less than 3000 per quarter (approximately 12,000 per year on top of a very substantial and loyal long-time subscriber population) and its sales equaled nearly half of all NCSoft's sales in the North American market over the past year. The numbers demonstrate a stable profit margin for the game, it's one of the most well-known and longest running titles and one of only a very small handful to cater to a comic-book fandom.
Although it was the first superhero-based MMO, and thus the oldest, it has consistently remained competitive against DC Universe and Champions Online.
The Paragon Studios team has done absolutely stunning and amazing work in keeping the original engine updated and operating flawlessly and improving upon it both in terms of graphical ability and ease of operation interface. Of the three Superhero MMOs, it has the most robust chat system and thus has garnered a hard core and stable fanbase of roleplayers - customers who will subscribe and -also- pay transactions in order to expand and diversify their characters looks and powers. The art and writing teams within Paragon are held in the highest esteem by their fans.
The public response to the news has demonstrated the accumulated loyalty and enthusiasm of its fan base, one which overlaps with that of Valve.
The news of the decision has shocked and angered many people, not only within the City of Heroes community, but within other communities as well. I also play Champions Online. And their forums and players are not gloating. They are welcoming and sympathetic to the plight of City of Heroes players. (Which is a bit surprising, considering we have always been rivals. But very touching.)
Issue 24 of the games development in fact has been "in the pipe" and almost ready for release. And the Paragon studios developers were obviously very enthusiastic about it and sharing details with us right up until they got the word. They were all as shocked as we were. This obviously caught them by surprise as well.
City of Heroes has partnered with Steam in the past, and I hope Valve will consider this announcement an opportunity to acquire an otherwise abandoned IP and with it both a very loyal, vocal fandom and the game's own rapid and productive output cycle for new marketplace items and expansions.
Consider also the amount of positive publicity for Valve. I believe you would garner a lot of fans by this action even if they don't play City of Heroes. "No publicity is bad publicity, but positive publicity is golden."
Thank you for reading this email, and I appreciate all that Valve and the Steam distribution model have done for the industry and may yet do for City of Heroes and its fans.
A fan of both Valve Software and Paragon Studios,
William "Logan" Jordan -
Addendum:
I don't know HOW the hell you'd CODE that, though.
I don't even know if whoever is left has the keys to flip those switches. *sad* -
I like this idea - the winning.
I'd MISS beating up on certain things, but that was the GAME.
I don't think it should be the last WEEK though. People will burn through that in the first DAY! ^_^
Maybe make it so the 3rd or 2nd to last day is when things start to stay defeated.
Then it becomes a 3 day party at the end.