SuperOz

Perhaps he did intend to be mean-spirited and perhaps he didn't. To me, the more important factor is what those of us invested emotionally in either direction is what's fuelling things here. I can read that post and go 'okay, this person didn't think so much of the game and he just wanted to say so.' You may look at it and consider it an attack on the game.

That interpretitve factor has as much basis for concern now as it did when the game was running with NCSoft's support. Which is to say, very little. If the open exchange of opinions (and this is all that any thread is really) can't be tolerated by one group because they're offended by the other, then noone should be using the forums because that very ability to have free speech becomes meaningless. And that applies even now.

I know I would want the reassurance of my basic right to be heard even if it's something you don't want to hear as opposed to a system that allows only one group to be heard over another. That existed before when the boards were moderated, and should exist now that they are not.



S.

Because saying that we're not as invested as the passionately commited doesn't mean we're trolls or downers or anything else. We're expressing why we feel the way we feel and are not demeaning your experience. You have come into this thread and interpreted (without bothering to ask or even apparently even consider, it seems) that these expressions are baiting in the worst way arguments and trying to elicit argument.

Show me where those things occur. Show me where anyone is heaping derision or scorn upon the game. Show me anything where people are expressing anything other than a great fondness for a game that they play, and I will publicly support you.

The problem is they do not, and you wish to find conflict where there is none. Would that not make you a troll, sir?


S.

There's a very personal reason to me why I disagree with your statement save to say that I've been pretty much directly in the example you stated. The single most important thing ever is what you make of the time you have left over anything else.

That's my realistic take on things. I have no problems with people trying to save the CPR patient, administer whatever care they can. But if you don't stop to appreciate the moment for what it is, who that person is and ultimately confront what you might do even to the point of not coping should that person no longer be around, any outcome that follows will come as a blow that you aren't prepared for.

As I say, I've been in that example, some details being different. The moment never ever comes back. And there's more than enough times I've wanted it to. I want City of Heroes to continue as much as anyone....saying that I have a possibly more pragmatic view about it doesn't mean I can't still be positive and hopeful.

Right?



S.

I need to clarify my standpoint somewhat. Whilst I may not be radiating hope , I am cautiously optimistic. I'm not underestimating the team camraderie at Paragon Studios and the individuals within it. I'm not even thinking that the individuals working both within the game without it to achieve some long-term goal for the game are anything less than dedicated genuine individuals.

However. What I am doing is my best to walk a middle ground between optimism and expectation. I've mentioned this in one other thread, but if anything needs to be made clear here, it's just what will be involved should negotiations go well so people aren't belaboring under false impressions, a lot of which seem to be doing the rounds here. I really don't expect to pick up where I left off with any of my characters; if there's a CoH 2.0, then my character, even my playstyle might be different. Or it may be a game I for whatever reason decide isn't for me.

And that's precisely my point; if it's not being made clear that there are going to be changes, and things are not just going to be business as usual be it long-term, short-term or anything else, then that in itself is going to cause quite a lot of problems for everyone.



S.

I haven't got a problem with that, Captain. I'm not blind or even selectively blind to what's making the difference in terms of pressure on NCSoft to even enter negotiations. Honestly, City of Heroes is lucky to be in the situation of utilising social media to champion their cause because even five years ago, this would be a done deal and players would have no recourse.

My statement about the attitude displayed is the one probably the most prevalent on the forums, followed closely behind by 'I'm angry at NCSoft, I want revenge'. Some would argue (and I can speak from personal experience) that these are stages of grief being played out and I'm not going to deny that they are genuine. What I am and will always take issue with is no clarification of these points. I do honestly believe a lot of people will think that the solution will be that the game will be switched back on, without pause, without change, and things will continue unabated. It really genuinely needs to be made clear that there will be casualties. Some people from Paragon Studios will possibly choose to find other employment. Zwillinger himself acknowledged that even if CoH is resurrected under some other banner, he would most likely not be part of Paragon Studios. It's just the nature of the beast.

All I really want is an acknowledgement that the game isn't being reborn, it's being recreated. And not everyone may like the form in which it takes, because by its very nature the game won't be the same. I'd rather have people prepared for that than a storm of rage posting on whatever forums the game migrated to about how much things have changed.

All valid points that I have no issue with. I've contributed to the cause through signing petitions and writing a letter to NCSoft and attending what events where I can. I however accept that people like TonyV are the sorts of people with the right skillset and organisational skills to handle such movements, and I'll simply be present to lend my support against an unfair and unjust handling of a situation.

I would like to say though that I do honestly feel that the era of CoH 1.0 (and that's my subjective viewing of what's happening) is over. I can understand the desire for casual gamers, new players, veteran players and complete newbies to the game to play it. But I'm also not going to sit here and say there aren't alternatives, because to do that would inherently denigrate and demean many stellar games, some even smaller and older than this (Asheron's Call, for instance) that are welcoming, friendly, playable and just as worthy of community support in their own spheres.

Yes, City of Heroes is special because of the passionate community behind it, but we are not unique. And Cap...I mentioned in another thread about not being too upset about this game being gone, because from my perspective and having lost my parents and having experienced that loss, this isn't remotely on the scale from my personal experience. So when you say how would I feel if something else I was passionate about was taken from me and 'how about them apples?' I'd be sad, sir. And if it wasn't able to be returned to me, I'd mourn it. But I have personally mourned far worse, and I survived. And I became a stronger and better person for it and have a deeper understanding of what that means, even if I didnt want the original experience.

I am by no means sitting here and saying my experience makes me morally superior or gives me a sense of entitlement to dictate how people should feel. I would not even dare to be that presumptuous. I also know you're not criticising me personally for my views, because as you say, I backed up what I said.

Ultimately, I'm only responsible for my own emotional reactions and responses to things. I can't control how passionately people will and do feel about losing this game, from one extreme of not being too upset to the other of being emotionally devastated. I've tried only speaking for myself and hopefully have asked politely to step back a little from something terribly emotional to try and get some perspective, as I think that's always a good thing to do, no matter the circumstance.

I think you hit the nail on the head, though. People are on both and all sides of the fence overlaying their personal experiences into this situation, and that brings its share of problems. I didn't start making any comments until I worked out somewhat how I felt about the news and the reactions to it, and I feel comfortable in the space in which I'm doing it.

I think it'd be nice if more people did the same if for no other reason than their own peace of mind.



S.

I'm not saying it's wrong to hope whatsoever, Captain. I am hopeful that something positive can be worked out for the game's future, but I am not going to indulge false hopes or fantasies.

And you could certainly try and address all my points, but the simple fact is that whereas I'm simply pointing out realistic hypotheticals based on past events and likely outcomes, you're simply arguing from the 'everything will be fine' perspective. It's a fact, plain and simple, that the game cannot and will not be the same game regardless of how positive the outcome is.

And I mean by that player confidence, player numbers, player interest, public interest, consumer interest, corporate interest and corporate investement are going to change here from this point on. Numbers will not magically restore. Numbers will not magically increase.

If the most positive outcome were likely, there would've been more people playing the game before the announcement. That's a simple fact. Regardless of whether the game was performing in the black or not, the numbers were the numbers and the game was leeching numbers just like it had before. This is a simple reality any iteration of the game has to address moving forward.

Sure, CoH might move forward with a core group of intensely loyal customers and continue to be a moderate performer, but the market for MMO's is on increasingly shaky ground. That too is a fact.

These are my ifs, sir. Not doom-crying or wishing ill on the game nor decrying the efforts of those in their attempts to save the game in some form. They're realities and questions that have to be faced and thought about now rather than any thought that a switch will be flicked and the game will be started again. Because it won't.



S.

Guess it's a glitch or something....I like that design, but as Jack_NoMind said, I got the impression too that it was a bigger, bulkier version of his current. Which follows the Iron Man armor philosophy of constantly streamlining the design (like the Mark I to the Mark II, for instance), at least in my mind. I love the faceplate, though. I didn't have all the Tech Knight pieces unlocked, else I would've tried those...but I was still trying to suggest an evolution of design whilst keeping the basic look.


S.