Goliath Bird Eater

No tears shed, but I don't have the heart to play anymore. I tried, but all that happened was being reminded of the great things planned for CoH, and how they'd never come to pass. Also, I was reminded that, because my main is a Crab Spider, I'd probably never be able to create even the roughest analogue in any other MMO I'd ever play.

So I deleted my beta and test installs, and uninstalled the NCLauncher. I'm keeping my live CoH install on my computer, even though I won't be able to log into it again. Part of it is sentimentality, but part of it is symbolic -- getting rid of NCSoft yet holding onto CoH.

*Watches video*

*Remembers that this will never appear anywhere other than in said video*

One really quick thing I want to bring up with regard to CO:

We don't know how many people they currently have working on it.

Cryptic's usual MO is to have a big crew during development and initial launch of a title, then shift most of them over to development of their next MMO, leaving a smaller team at the helms of their older titles. This happened to CoH when work began on the MMO that would eventually become CO. It happened to CO when STO went into development, and it happened to STO when Neverwinter went into development. This isn't due to malice, but to the fact that it generally DOES take more people to get an MMO off the ground than it does to keep it running afterwards.

Now, I'm not privy to how many total developers are employed by Cryptic/PWE, so I couldn't even begin to guess how big the teams are for each of their titles. But it's obvious that the newest title or the title currently in development will have the most resources allotted to it. Furthermore, those titles associated with well-known commercial properties (Star Trek, D&D) will probably have more resources than other titles (CO). As such, CO could be operating with a very small crew, much like how CoH was operating with 14 prior to being acquired by NCSoft. The result is that the devs really have to pick and choose the things to be developed.

I beta tested CO, initially played for the first 3 months, and recently began playing it again. While it does have some problems and questionable design decisions (like completely scrapping the already-existing crafting system which also scrapped a lot of potential for visual character customization), it's not the horrible, bloody trainwreck that some people claim it is. Most of the game's issues - those that are in the hands of the developers, at least - could be remedied if the game had more resources devoted to it. If PWE isn't pushing Cryptic to immediately get to work on yet another MMO after Neverwinter launches, maybe we'll see CO get some love. Maybe some former Paragon devs will end up working on it. Who knows, really?

If we assume that NCSoft has floated offers - and that's a REALLY BIG assumption - then they were asking for substantially more than what any potential buyers were willing to put down.

But this is not exactly news. When it comes to NCSoft, it's always been about the bottom line. Just look at Auto Assault, Tabula Rasa, Dungeon Runners, Exteel, and probably a few more I can't recall right now. All games that could have become profitable and stable if given time to properly establish themselves within the Western market. Let's see how long they stay firmly behind GW2 once profits begin to decline due to lack of box sells, and how much of a chance they give Wildstar if it isn't insanely popular in both NA and Asia right from the start.

"Special place in our hearts" my tuchus.

You've still got your civvie account, so don't be a total stranger. And fer cryin' out loud, let those of us who follow you on Twitter know where you land once you're able to do so.

Sent!

The CoH twitter account just confirmed that there WILL be a stream today.

There was a time when I was considering Wildstar. But thanks to our situation, I don't feel like giving NCSoft any more money, and have concerns for Wildstar's survival should it not be immediately successful in both North America and Korea.

I might give Neverwinter a whirl, as the old Forgotten Realms player in me has a soft spot for anything related to that setting. Aside from that, though, I'm rather ignorant about upcoming MMOs.

Twiter: @sethpc <---- best way to keep in contact with me

Email: sethpcunningham at gmail.com

I've also got a G+profile linked from Twitter, but it's dormant right now. If that changes, or should I put any other social accounts out there, it'll likely be through Twitter.

Fair warning: I'm very opinionated, and tend to use adult language. As far as the email goes, I've been getting a ton of stuff in my spam folder lately; don't take it personally if I miss you on the first try.

Know what?

I don't care.

I'd just want as many of them working together as possible. If they made a My Little Pony MMO, I'd become a Brony. Just because.

Kevin,

As I said to Dr. McSean: if you hadn't said that this was your first job in the gaming industry, I never would have thought it. You're a terrific community rep (and a lot more, according to BP), and you absolutely belong somewhere in this industry, continuing to be awesome.

Keetsie,

I knew your work was great, but when I read that you apparently would sneak into your college's animation studio at night through an unlocked window just to get more time in on the computers, that's when I knew you belonged at Paragon Studios helping to make this game. And it doesn't really matter if that anecdote is true or not; the sheer plausibility of it speaks toward your dedication to your craft, and why you'll be an asset anywhere you work.

Plus, as bittersweet as it is, you and Leo were able to give us customizable power pools, something we'd wanted for a long time. It sits on the beta server, but it's there. So thanks for that as well.

Sean,

If I didn't already know better, there'd be no way to convince me that CoH was your first job in the gaming industry. This is where you belong.

Although ... it would be remiss of me to not mention that NCSoft did manage to foil your plan of killing off the Freedom Phalanx.

Thank you! I'll be here until the end of November!

I'd ask you to tip your waitress, but they've all been unceremoniously laid off and kicked to the curb!

Please try the veal!

Specifically, we need a South Korean; North Koreans are not known for their negotiating skills. Particularly with South Koreans.

The problem with that is the boards are hosted on NCSoft servers. And something tells me that once the scheduled shutoff date rolls around, the plugs will be pulled, the data will be erased, and that will be that.

Andy,

I tweeted this to you yesterday, but in case you missed it:

I've been through a lot of community managers over the years, across many MMOs. I don't hesitate to say that you're the best I've ever seen. The next community to have you at the helm should consider themselves blessed.

Positron said that he's gonna try to do an "ask anything about the lore" session next week sometime, but there are absolutely NO guarantees.

While I've never been directly responsible for anything, I was involved in the CoH beta, the CoV beta, and every closed/VIP beta with the exception of the Mission Architect beta. So, barring MA, I'd like to think that I've done my little part in helping to polish a sizable chunk of the game's content over the years.