SteelRat

*Checks fire armour toggle is active and slotted and I took Temperature Protection, just in case*

Whether or not you like the fact that a large proportion of the SaveCoH comments are coming from people who are saying "I really used to like playing CoH. I really don't want it shut down" rather than "I love playing CoH. I don't want to lose it". It might not do US any good to see this trend, but unfortunately there's an awful lot of truth in it.

I'm astounded to read that there are people who consider GW not to be a fantasy game. Alright, it might be a fantasy game with sci-fi elements, but it's still a fantasy game.

Eve is a sci fi game. Exsteel was a sci fi game. Tabula Rasa was a sci fi game in a (somewhat) fantasy setting. CoH has a contemporary setting and encompasses both, which is part of its appeal; there is enough stuff that we can all relate to, but enough scope more or less anything our imaginations can come up with.

Incidentally, when I was looking at GW2 I saw a whole lot more than "animals and trees". I saw spells, and fighters wielding axes, I saw armour that looked as if it'd been constructed rather than manufactured, I saw staunch warriors and mages walking across rolling hillsides. If that isn't a fantasy game, then frankly I don't know what is.

On another note (and not for a minute knocking the OP) aren't people just sick to the back teeth of fantasy genre games? I mean granted, it seems that all the games NCSoft has axed have been games that have been something other than poxy elves, dwarves and paladins and they've done so as a result of people not playing them very much, but what I don't understand is why.

As a genre, Science Fiction is as if not more popular than Fantasy, but the sci-fi genre in games tends to be over shadowed in favour of fanstasy (with the possible exception of EvE). I did look at GW2 after recommendation of some of my old SG mates, but I've also tried (and am absolutely loving) SW:TOR. Most will probably tell me why GW2 is the better game, but my digestive system will simply not allow me to endure yet another RPG based on a tired and much over used formula for the setting.

Just an edit... SteelRat1 (in the pic) is actually SteelRat2. She's now known as FebruaryStar.

SteelRat2 is me. SteelRat.

Confused?

Good.

Just another quick thank you to Kallandra for organising this. Both mrs rat (now known as FebruaryStar) and i had a great time and being part of the rally on Virtue with a group of other like minded people made the whole thing that much more memorable. Great to meet people and be able to put faces to names.

Having run iTrials with you before Kis, I'll definitely be around for these, because you do such a tremendous job of running them. Still need some of the T3s for Volkanik so you can definitely count me in.

This isn't so much a question about what qualities do we have that makes us the best, as we all know what they are, especially in light of the events of the last week. It's more a question of what is it about City of Heroes that attracts the best kinds of people to it? And conversely why do all the usual "people with unfortunate personalities" tend to stay away?

Is it because we can all be different and unique by our costumes instead of trying to stand out from the sea of "Armour of a 1000 Truths" clad other players?

Is it because there is very little PVP and therefore a smaller scope for people to be unpleasant when they win, or feel insignificant when they dont?

Is it because the games structure makes it feel like a game instead of a job, or even in the case of some games like a responsibility?

Is it because we can literally be who the heck we want, from a fire spitting alien reptile from the planet Zarg to a 13 year old school girl who can transform into a rock monster to a hardened ex military small arms expert and yes even an elemental mage from the realm of Gry'vel.

Or is it a combination of those and a whole load of other things?

I've tried CO and I've uninstalled it again. There are so many things "wrong" with it.

The animations are terrible. For example: If you're flying and firing from your palms your upper half moves, but your legs stay still.

The feel of the game is very tacky. CO's graphics might be more detailed, but that doesn't make them better. CoHs feel much more "real".

The gameplay and missions are even more repetitive and dull than some of CoHs older content.

I think the biggest problem is just the differing approaches of the two games. CoH comes from the angle that you are a being with super powers put into a real world. CO feels more like you are a character in a comic. The former is a lot more immersive (at least for me) than the latter.

I was playing Crysis last night (which is rather nice because I imagine the Korean oppressors to be NC Soft Senior Management) which will keep me entertained for a bit, there's the DLC for Skyrim which I'm looking at, I might jump back on to MechWarrior Legends in prep for MWO later on and although I'm somewhat ashamed to even be considering it, GW2 does look quite good.

If CoH does die (and I have to say, that's looking increasingly likely) the one positive that it will bring is that there will be a sizeable hole in the MMO market rife for development. A Superhero MMO should be massively popular simply because superheroes are so popular at the moment and it's something different to the tired fantasy setting. The only reason why the offerings that we have haven't been popular are simply because they're not actually very good.

Especially if they do manage to get some of the events and DXP switched on before the weekend

Awesome. Mrs Rat and I will look forward to meeting everyone (assuming we can get a baby sitter and hotel room.) Assume were coming and if theres a problem ill let you know as soon as i can.

*Edit*

Mother in Law booked for Baby sittage. Premier Inn booked.

It's awn! See you all there

Sorry to jump in so late, but are there any more spaces for this?

Interested in 2 places and ideally will need 2 PCs - but can bring own ones up at a push.

Travelling up from Kent on Saturday morning, so aiming to be there early afternoon and then going again on Sunday.

Really just seeing if there's availability at this stage.

I'm going to be at work too. Darn it.

There was a "what emotes do you want to see added" yeeears ago. I remember adding "Air Guitar". Pretty stoked to see it as a purchasable option on the market. Although I doubt it was my sole idea or necessarily the reason it was added, I just like to think it was :P

Added. First player in Kent. (That's the county of Kent in England, not Kentucky, US :P )

I think it's a bit of a no brainer that most of us forumites would pay more to keep our game going, but I wonder if that's true for normal Jo Gamer? Putting our emotional ties to the game aside do we really think that increasing the monthly sub would be a good idea for the longevity of the game (assuming the Paragon Studios bid was successful) and to encourage more people to play it?

My preference.. keep it as it is and spend some of the revenue on promotion!

This had me blubbing like a big girl (again). I know there's nothing concrete yet, but the sheer strength of human spirit being shown by everyone throughout all of this is nothing short of inspirational. If it does all go down and fall to nothing, at least we know we tried.

If however, it does come to something, i25 should include some sort of TF or story arc that reflects the events in it. It's almost like a classic comic story where the main hero loses his powers and has to fight on to defeat an aggressor anyway:

"It's not the powers that make the hero, but the man"

Stone Melee / Firey Aura Brute, Volkanik.

I tried building him on CoV (way before GR and proliferation) 3 times because I loved the concept so much but would struggle terribly with endurance problems. Thankfully a Double XP weekend in 2008 got him to level 30 ish and off the ground. From then he's always been the most satisfying character to play.

He's not the most durable, he probably doesn't do the most damage, but he's just a real assault on the senses; the crash sounds and screen shake of stone melee, the stuns and subsequent firey death and throw in some Tier 3 Pyro Judgement slot as well. Whenever I play him I grin like an idiot.

For me he's just the epitamy of what a brute IS. Nothing subtle, no finesse, just an unstoppable force of SMASH. I'm going to be spending the next couple of months getting as much video and still footage of him as I can and I already have one Deviant Artist doing a commission for me, and certainly plan on getting a few more.

I'm not the most talented videographer in the world, but I did a video of him here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMHxaoWJr-0&feature=plcp