Lady Arete

Yea Carnifax, by the post your touching some concerns that have again come up. I want to buy GR, I really do. My reason for not buying it on prepurchase though is more the: I want more stuff do to when GR comes (Then I can start my DP or Demon summoner in Preatorea).
Well that is one of the concernes.
My other concernes are well, made more in the post "We are one" (see sig).
But you touched on it with your post Carnifax.
Without a good shelf presence in the EU, GR will mostlikely not bring in that much players for the EU community. So when will the time come when the Devs (I say Devs, but thats not quite true)... errr the Responsible ones come to question: What to do with the EU server.
Shut them down (like the Korean ones), Give a passport possibility (back) to the US, Merge EU servers (EWWW NO), Merge EU servers with US servers (Could work, but more work I believe then,
Server list merge (Equal rights for all players. Same amount of servers for everyone to make chars on with equal amount of char space, more players for Betas, no more Eu and US community, but ONE community. Ok there will be some hassle with changing global names, but hey we keep our vet badges, booster pack, everything we have paid for. Even local names for the servers where we still play)

Edit: (seeing Wondering Furys post) no.. not server merge! Don't give them a thought about that. Server LIST merge
[I'm so going to be known as the "Lady Arete promoter of Server list merge", am I not? Oh well I can live with that]

Hmm, weird Poptart.
Cause what I see in my EU updater aswell are the following:
"Will you follow the path of Going Rogue" (With Link in the GR)
"Free character transfers have been extended
Free character transfers have been extended until the end of of february 2010......"

"Issue 16 is live!"
.....


If it was the 1 one (Will you follow the path), well it says not spesifically anything about preordering GR. Was this what you see when you start your updater? (and before pushing "next")

Then I guess you play on the US server. Right?
That is what Scarlet (I believe) is trying to make a point out of. The US servers (well Launcher) is the one that gets updated. The EU only gets updated when A. The Eu community says something like "err... is it not time to change the updater info? Its soon 14+ days..." or
B. Someone in the company (before it has gone 14 days) thinks... "Whops we forgot to update the EU" or something.

Was I right Scarlet?
The above sentiment is one of the reasons why I do feel neglected. Thus I hope the Developers and the company destroy (if it exists) any hurdle that prevents them from making the complete playerbase (aka the two communities) into ONE community. One updater to keep updated, one server list with all servers present, one community...
I'm talking about what has become my hope for the community: Server List Merge.

The AE is the same in EU as it is on the US (Same AE server for both communities just as the global marked is the same for US and EU).
Right-o, Time to put my thinking cap on. Lets see If I can create an AE arc that would be like both our fav tf.

Aha, so that was one of the reasons for the quick teleport and battle vs Romelus. Well I think I did get the feel of what you wanted.
So.. time to think and yes, there are some changes to the AE in the coming patches so they might even make things better (20 new maps... and inclusion of some nice lost enemies *coughDEcoughmonsters*)

Now THIS is what I like to hear: "Fireball is a PBAoE power in my eyes. I've never thrown Blaze from more further away than arm's length."
I love being in the battle aswell on my Fire/fire blaster.

A challange to create something aka ITF (Which is my Fav task force).
The only thing that is the sad part is... I'm on the EU servers and you are on Freedom.
But I am really considering and sorely tempted to just try creating an arc that could help your fallout fix. (Dangit, I would love playing ITF with ya with my fire/fire blaster )

Nah.. sneaky way would be her not actually doing a time arc that would reward you with the O-portal. Instead ask a friendly hero to toss one up infront of her and thus enter.

Well for me I did something I did not normally do through double xp...
I actually used it to lvl up 2 chars past their lvl 20 (and stamina). Woa.
Previously I've only used it to work on badges
However not doing the normal play routine means that atleast one of them do not have their Oroboros portal (which we can get through doing a story arc in faultline) so that poor character will need to get it the sneaky way. (she is lvl 27).

Servermerge (shudder). Nononononono please by all that is good.... no.
Servermerge in general is just a sign that a game is not going that well and for me it is doom and gloom. It messes up the server community.
Sure it gives the players more population on 1 server, but that is just it. If there is a servermerge we loose character slots, we loose names for the sake of more players on one server.
So.. nonono please NO server merge.

My hope for the servers are a Server List Merge. (Take a look at my sig)
Server list merge, where the US and EU servers are on one list. That would mean that we could play with the Us players and they with us. That we could make characters on Virtue, Union, Defiant, Zukunft, Vigilance, Freedom etc...
Every City of Heroes/Villains player would have equal rights to say it like that. For every CoX player would be able to make 12 characters on thus 15 servers, instead of us Eu players having to buy extra char slots.
With a server list merge it may (ok it could be illusion) be that more players play on the french and german servers. Canadian players maybe? It may be that more of the eu players that have an US account could come and play with us. Heck I know I would make a char on virtue to see how things are over there.

All it takes (here it goes to show how much I know of programming) would in my mind a change to the updater/exe file (and assorted files) to point to one page, the same page for both the different ones.
In this way the only way we could be affected was by the global names. That however is a price that I feel is worth it.

edit: Saw you mention servermerge and I went aaaaah.
You have a point with the Champions name system. They did that, but that means we might have 2 names showing up at all times in chat (global and local). I might be odd, but then the uniqueness of our hero names would fade.
I don't think my main chars name would be taken, but I bet good money that my other fav chars name would (Cyrene) and it would be a loss to loose that name. Thus one of my reasons for the above writing.

Thats the crucial thing Poltergeist. Yea, I love cox, I love the game, its just the seperation, the current what it seems policy of those in charge.
Well I let hope keep me going (and love for the game) until hopefully we are one (list).

/Signed IF
The US and EU are one. One server list to find them them all on, one ring.. err list to play them, one list to bring them all and in one community make them.

Welcome to the game the both of you.
The Trial will not show you everything the game has to offer, the worst bit is that you cannot start a team.
You can speak in local so that is good (reasons for these impedements are the gold sellers and announcements... grrr).
Now when you log in to the game I would recommend you write in your search window something like this "Trial account, love to team" or something, then if you get a team, ask them to invite your other.

Now this weekend there is double xp weekend so that means that there will be teamage. I would continue the normal route of Atlas Park, Kings row (safeguard missions), Steel Canyon and Sky, and the Hollows.

Depending upon your preference of play there are various groups out there. Everything from lots of Task forces (multiple mission after each other with a usual Arch Villain at the end), Roleplay (Lots of talk in local, hang out, story creating), etc.
I would recommend staying out of the AE (Aeon Entertainment) aka Architect building. When you hit lvl 5 you get a new contact, the Studio manager. Don't go and see him (yet). Go rather to Kings row, talk to the detective and get your radio (for radio missions and later Safeguard missions. You do want to save the bank from a heist?

And.. I would not call you noob cause you are not noobs. Your newbies (like we where) cause you want to learn and you ask for advice The other kind generally do not.

Maybe an absurd Title for the issue, but it is part of my hope for the Game and community. It came to me as I pondered about the current situation of the Eu vs US server.
I know this threads main topic will have been talked about the last year(s), but it is still important I believe.

I wonder how to say this properly so i'll just say it (whops):
I feel that there is a difference in the quality of the game experience between the playerbase(s). I say playerbases cause we really are two playerbases, seperated not only by a big ocean, but becase we cannot really play together.
Why do I say difference in the quality? After all we play the same game, no different version etc. I say this due to the following reasons.

1. Amount of servers.
The US server list has 11 servers to play on. With 12 slots for chars on each and the possibility to buy new ones. In effect this gives the US playerbase alot of room to play with, to test new chars concepts.
The EU server list has 4 servers. 2 English, 1 French and one German. Thats a lot less to play with then the US (and more use of the option "buy new character slot")

2. The closing of the Brighton office.
Now I was not present in any of the convensions that the Brighton office was included in, BUT it did show up on conventions, it did have a presence. We had good communication to the european moderators and life was good. Then the Brighton office closed, but before that a few loved employees had to find new jobs. Those who did keep their jobs would have to move to the US. However Avatea can tell the story better then I.
However it left the german server without their beloved Kerensky and little support to the community (and specially the German one, if it is different do tell me). Thus everything seems to happen in the US (cause I cannot see much happening on this side of the ocean).

3. Webpage
We have the same forum, however we still have an EU and US page. When there are new updates the US gets updated first, then the Eu page... when time allows or the nagging gets to high enough level. My words may not be fair, but this is how it feels like.

4. Testserver and Betas.
There is no doubt that the US playerbase is the biggest and most of the Betas for various issues etc happens with the US playerbase in mind. Since there are two testservers the EU population has been included in a few (and one or two times we had the beta and not the US. But that was in the time when we had a Brighton office) and that has been good. What really irked me was a comment after alot of us had tested and participated on the EU test. That we where not that many and the following beta we where left out. (I cannot remember which it was)

5. Marketing.
With the closing of Brighton, marketing as I have seen it in the EU has been very low. The EU did not get an Architect edition and we are not going to get shelf presence as the Going Rogue box edition will be launched. We can download it so that is good.
However I have noticed that through some time the EU population seems to have dwindled. I would not know how many would return to the EU servers as people wonder "What is it like to play on the US?" Then they try it and stay there. A player did say truthfully (and that is good) that he would not lie to a new player, that the amount of players on the EU are lower then on the US. The thought behind this comment was a good one I believe. For it is better that the player plays the game, likes it and stay subbed, then leaving shortly. In that I agree, however if the player keeps subbing on the US community it really do not help the EU community at all.

These are a few differences between the EU and the US. Now the thoughs of what happened to the Korean server has hit a few of us. For we see our numbers dwindle, for there is not much marketing done to recruit new players (as I see) or benefits in staying on the EU side. So a few wonders, I would not have given it much thought, but time has made me wonder, when or if the EU gets the word aswell. And we will retire as the Korean did. I hope it will not happen.

If push comes to show and the company finds that the EU is no longer profitable, then I fear it will be a shut down of the servers. At best we get a chance to transport our accounts and characters to the US server.
At worst they would insist giving us a free month and transfer amount of pay time to the US, but we would have to create new characters.
I hope they do not consider the latter one, that this thought has come into my head is just... (shudder).
The above 2 "solutions" are in my opinion the worst that could happen and not really solutions at all.
I am rather attached to my characters and their achivements. I like my supergroup as it is and have put in considerable amount of time and effort to make both characters and group grow. I am a badgehunter and recently did get in my possession every badge as a 36 month vet could. (ok apart from Bug Hunter) Leaving such a character behind if the EU servers went busted and starting from scratch, without vet rewards, alot of the badges that I have collected (and cannot regain) is not even an option. (I'd rather fade)

The best solution, the only real solution as I see it is the following. That soon, hopefully as Going Rogue comes gold, we all get a change to the Updater and the exe file. A solution that has been asked for by many of the Eu community (and I side with them):

It seems to affect some of our players. I was affected, then just deleted the said file, renamed the updater, started it then cancelled any progress (quit program), then renaming it to cohupdater.eu.exe again, then ran the program. Since then, no problem.
But apperantly the problem of crashing, after doing the solutions still occur for a few people. This is not good.
I would do a dxdiag, tell support the problem, what has been done, give the dxdiag file and let support tell you what is the problem and how to fix it. (That is what they are here for and something tells me they might be overworked)

If we also went into a holiday, then said patch to updater did not come at the right time. There will be screaming and gnashing of teeth, when those who where not here when the patch came, comes home and begin to wonder what happened.

Pity you did not get any help in the main thread, but here is something that worked for a few players in my sg, they did this:

Back it all up just in case.
Leave the .prv alone. Is what we did.
Delete your old CohUpdater.EU.exe.
You should have a file called CohUpdater.new, change it to CohUpdater.EU.exe.

Just make certain you have a file called cohupdater.new or have downloaded the cohupdater.exe from the location that Rent gave in the main thread.
Hope you get back in.

Added Two hints (nr 8 under Hints and Lobster hint for Yellow Mito Tank teams.

However many of the players who are not avid forum users may have HUGE problems in knowing what to do.

hehe, same time as we had on previous raids.
7 gmt on Saturday the 27'th.

So no, not totally blind there. *Looks at the post and sees I did not mention the time, in the belief that I assumed... pause, sound of a palm touching the forhead* Gah, Assumption!
Sorry about that. 7 gmt on Saturday the 27'th.

My pleasure. Hope it helped

O.o?
Sneaky sneaky.
Hmm, I do wonder if this could work?
Go to the Us client, rightclick and go to properties.
Change the target so it is called "CohUpdater.eu.exe"
Hope this will work, only thing I can think about.

Or, this linky http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=165253.
Did a little search on how to install the eu client.

Awww Seph
Dang x3

My story is alittle like Shadowe.
It involves heavily on shelf presence. Had it not been for the possibility of seeing the box on the shelf, having it in your hand and thus install it I do not think I would have been on CoH.
Bought the US CoV and started there for a few months, then took a break, then got some good stories from a friend. Bought the UK Cov, 1 normal CoH pack, Good vs Evil and I think one more (can't remember which it was).

As said by others a Disk with the latest Issue updates is GREAT to have aswell. Now granted I've not been in marketing, I just remember the school courses and in my mind (as I see it is with several others) Shelf presence is Alpha and Omega and the best advertising you can have. Cause thats where many gamers go (to the Shelves).
Yes, my comment might be very repetitive, but maybe that is what is needed to give directly to the marketing department. I do not know.

To Marketing: Shelf presence means that you have a product that the customer can see and touch and really gives the potensial customer an idea of the product, perhaps even desire to buy the product. Shelf presence coupled with a strong playerbase as well as being a good game, means that the player will mostlikely keep paying the subscription for quite some time. This means more money to the company and will make certain you get paid.
(Now be a good boy/girl and do your job, you know what you must do)

Just felt like writing that really.

Good words Damz. Good words.

Myself I had great hopes for a retail box version. It would be great for marketing CoH, it would increase the chances for new EU players on EU servers (and thus more money for the company).

If Marketing says its not economical wise enough to expand the EU servers (Then why on earth did you keep the playerbase seperated?) well take a look at the amount of work that marketing does in Europe.
Last I saw... there where NO work done by marketing in EU.

As said more eloquently by several players above: A retail box version that customers can see, touch and BUY in the store would be great commercial for Paragon Studios. There would mostlikely be more players coming in and getting hooked by the game and the EU servers might get very filled. (Well i can hope)
Please if you have any interest of joy of having EU servers, don't leave us behind on this one. Make us a GR box retail in stores.
or
Just merge the serverlists already. After all that is how it seems to end.
Why on earth you make seperate servers/ companies the whole works in the first place is beyond me.

Edit: Thought the forum ate my message thus this double post.

Only got a mastermind for the red side, but will mostlikely be there Lawrence