NCSoft acquires "City of" Franchise!
By
2Negative,
Posted on: 2007-11-06 13:34 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
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Considering it's pretty much the same people running the show I don't see there being too many negative changes.
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My concern is that it'll turn into SWG all over again. Publishers, so far, in my experience are more interested in getting bullet point features onto their marketting promotions and on packaging as possible rather than actually adding features that are of use and are of a high quality. Take a look at SWG and its development history, it has alot of 'features' but their half broken and the publishers didn't care because in the end it looks good from a marketting angle.
Cryptic have proven themselves to have the attitude that if something is to be done, then it HAS to be done well. That kind of attitude is why I'd give any game they made a decent look because thats how games should be made. However NCSoft is a complete unknown except for Tabula Rasa which I have seen first hand and it smells of the same kind of attitude which dragged SWG into the gutter. Lots of features, not polished and features added which don't actually improve the experience for the player.
While the development control is with the devs still the choices in where the budget is spent and where deadlines are made is more firmly in the hands of the publisher now, not the dev team.
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And EX: QUESTION ===
What about the physical servers? Are they maintained by NC and just going to be where they are, or are there going to be days of moving physical hardware involved? (and at that point could you please chase the mice and dust bunnies out from under them, as they seem to chew the connections sometimes?)
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The servers and operations are all still intact and will not be re-localized from their current spots. We are however up for new hardware, so that is full of pure win right there.
Ex
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Woohoo! Beer for everyone!
"Let your plans be dark and as impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt." --Sun Tzu, The Art of War
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And for those of us who already have both CoH/CoV, have zero debt, and aren't members of Supergroups?
Out of curiosity, what do we get?
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We get a] to keep playing since our game has been bought and to b] play a game that is now -more- likely to have interesting updates.
Some people are being given something for free - that doesn't mean anything bad is being done to those who happen to have no debt and aren't in an SG.
Edit - oh, and the game is getting new hardware. So we're all presumably getting more shiny and less lag.
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What about pohsyb? He's a programmer and posted sometimes. Is he coming with us?
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Pohsyb posted up in the other thread that he needs to get his forum title changed. It currently reads Cryptic Programmer.
I take that to mean that yes he is now part of NCSoft Norcal.
But it's MY sadistic mechanical monster and I'm here to make sure it knows it. - Girl Genius
List of Invention Guides
First off: This sounds like a Good Thing(TM) to me, and I'm glad to hear the team is moving over.
Question: Will the expansion of support include an expanded number of customer service people? I've had times where I've run into problems and had a GM right there, and others when I've sat stewing for hours.
Lastly: Compensation - meh. A badge though to mark the event would be cool.
Anyclues to give out as to sequels/expansions?
Table Top RPG: Will Eden be moving foreward with this? As a fan of the Buffy and Angel RPGs, I'd love to [strike]horrify[/strike] delight my players by being able to fold the CoX rules into the games I run.
Heh, by the time I went to reply, the thread had gone to far for me to post. Stupid people asking me questions at work! 
Gratz on the new hardware btw, I know that joy myself.
@Oroborous and @Oroborous2
Avatar by HeroPortraitStudios
From the Groundhog Day Attempt at Citadel: GM, "There's no badge for breaking a TF."
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This pretty much seems to clear the way for CoH on XBox 360.
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Fixed that for you. The Live Marketplace on the 360 offers the opportunity for people to (in theory) pay for their MMO subscriptions with Microsoft Points ... which means, they could buy prepaid cards at any video game or computer outlet ... no credit card required. Make it a 1200-point fee, that's $16 - enough that even after MicroSoft's inevitable cut, there's still probably a nearly-full, standard MMO fee left for NCSoft.
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This pretty much seems to clear the way for CoH on PS3.
Refixed
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Considering it's pretty much the same people running the show I don't see there being too many negative changes.
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My concern is that it'll turn into SWG all over again. Publishers, so far, in my experience are more interested in getting bullet point features onto their marketting promotions and on packaging as possible rather than actually adding features that are of use and are of a high quality. Take a look at SWG and its development history, it has alot of 'features' but their half broken and the publishers didn't care because in the end it looks good from a marketting angle.
Cryptic have proven themselves to have the attitude that if something is to be done, then it HAS to be done well. That kind of attitude is why I'd give any game they made a decent look because thats how games should be made. However NCSoft is a complete unknown except for Tabula Rasa which I have seen first hand and it smells of the game kind of attitude which dragged SWG into the gutter. Lots of features, not polished and features added which don't actually improve the experience for the player.
While the development control is with the devs still the choices in where the budget is spent and where deadlines are made is more firmly in the hands of the publisher now, not the dev team.
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I say give a chance to the runner and lets wait and see what happens. We are not going completely in the dark anyway. NCSoft has been with us from start. And it looks like most of the CoH design team is staying with us.
I have a good feeling about this 
I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
Voltaire
Tal, you DO know that they also run Lineage, Lineage II and other games, not just Tabula Rasa and COH?
Right now it looks as though a fine quality Dev team has been relocated under a new roof and is getting their paychecks from a faintly different source.
Nothing else is changing. NC has always been good with COH, it's their *best* product, certainly, if not their most profitable one.
As someone else said, if it had been handed off abruptly to some OTHER publisher, I'd worry my head off. But as it is, NC has *always been with Cryptic's team* and since essentially the team and the publisher are still the same, they have the same relationship.... I 'm not worrying until they start going back on things like ingame ads not in coh, etc. That would be a breech of good taste after having asserted here in no uncertain terms they don't want it.
Consistant good publisher relations have been what's made this game, for some. Don't forget: these forums are NC sponsored. Not Cryptic. so... don't diss NC, they're doing okay and it's the same folks on both ends, just in a new house.
Please read my FEAR/Portal/HalfLife Fan Fiction!
Repurposed
I personally think Cryptic shot themselves in the foot with this one.
I mean, with CoX 2 possible coming down the pipe, a movie(maybe), and other things planned. Why would I play MUO? The only thing that would push me to play MUO is because they created CoX, breaking that bond was not a good move.
But I am Extremely pleased that CoX2 is on the table.
TA
Been Playing since Issue 3(Account Back Online)
Champion Server - For Life
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My concern is that it'll turn into SWG all over again.
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I am an optimist on this score. The industry saw the player reaction to the shenanigans with SWG and I hope that something was learned.
Also, my personal opinion is that if anything, CoX will not get that kind of changes, but will be used as a cash cow to set up the rest of the franchise - whether this is MMO/single player games in different styles or even a sequel, where they go to town with crazy ideas good and bad.
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What about pohsyb? He's a programmer and posted sometimes. Is he coming with us?
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Pohsyb posted up in the other thread that he needs to get his forum title changed. It currently reads Cryptic Programmer.
I take that to mean that yes he is now part of NCSoft Norcal.
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Thats good news Often people that we rarely hear about are very important assets. Im happy hes coming too
I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
Voltaire
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I personally think Cryptic shot themselves in the foot with this one.
I mean, with CoX 2 possible coming down the pipe, a movie(maybe), and other things planned. Why would I play MUO? The only thing that would push me to play MUO is because they created CoX, breaking that bond was not a good move.
But I am Extremely pleased that CoX2 in on the table.
TA
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Looks like Cryptic decided to move away from getting stable monthly income from subscriptions, grab some money for the CoX rights, and bet that their next products are hits. Working at a company that doesn't have any products which are currently generating revenue is always... interesting (queue burn rate questions).
FAQ about the City of Heroes and City of Villains sale
What you need to know about the sale of City of Heroes and City of Villains and the future of Cryptic Studios.
How did Cryptic Studios arrive at the decision to sell City of Heroes and City of Villains to NCsoft?
When we considered the future of CoH/CoV and the future of Cryptic Studios, we had a difficult decision to make. We've invested a lot of time, effort, talent and passion into the games, and we care about them. But we've got a lot of other ideas we're excited about too.
Ultimately, we decided that selling to NCsoft was the best and right thing to do for the CoH community. CoH/CoV will be in good hands at NCsoft, and the transition will be as seamless as possible. With this move, we now have complete creative freedom and the resources we need to develop new games.
How will Cryptic be involved with CoH in the future?
Cryptic will work closely with the team at NCsoft to create a smooth transition and gameplay will not be affected. At the end of the transition all ongoing activities will be managed by NCsoft.
What will happen to my City of Heroes account?
You should see no change at all to your CoH account. Future service will be completely under NCsoft's umbrella and customers should contact them for product support and service by phone.
You can contact NCsoft at the NCsoft support center, or by phone at (512) 225-6359 (billing and technical support issues only).
Who will be responsible for future development on City of Heroes and City of Villains?
CoH/CoV has a great live team that has set a high standard for development and updates, and NCsoft would like all of them to continue working on the project. Every member of the team has been offered employment at NCsoft. The future is in the same hands that led the game to where it is today.
Cryptic would not have entered into this agreement without ensuring the well-being of the CoH/CoV team. It will be hard to lose part of the Cryptic family, but with NCsoft's support the team will continue to add loads of new content and features to CoH/CoV.
What's next for Cryptic Studios
Cryptic is developing new titles and new IPs, as well as expanding its business interests. We have a talented team of game developers and technicians, and a large part of our motivatation for this move was to free up resources for our future projects. With these new projects we will challenge ourselves to make even better and more immersive MMO games. Stay tuned!
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My concern is that it'll turn into SWG all over again. Publishers, so far, in my experience are more interested in getting bullet point features onto their marketting promotions and on packaging as possible rather than actually adding features that are of use and are of a high quality. Take a look at SWG and its development history, it has alot of 'features' but their half broken and the publishers didn't care because in the end it looks good from a marketting angle.
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I understand your fear Tal_n but your kind of doing a watermelon to steak comparison. They are not even in the same category really.
SOE bought a dieing product from its publisher and studio, then tried to do what they could to save it. 
Not fun or good. Keep in mind that before that purchase SOE had not hand in the development, design or previous existiance of the matrix.
NCSoft has been the financier and backer of COX since fairly early in it's development. From that point on they have had an active hand in the vision and development of the game. Certainly the day to day development remained at the studio but over all direction always involved NCSoft.
With this change we are essentially losing Jack and the Cryptic managers input while keeping the NCSoft management input tha already was there. The thing we don't lose is the in studio vision and direction that Matt and the others bring to the table. See they are moving to the new studio with the IP.
So in our case one partner just bought the other partner out. This is not the case that happened with SOE where they came in and bought failing IP's and did what they could with them.
But it's MY sadistic mechanical monster and I'm here to make sure it knows it. - Girl Genius
List of Invention Guides
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Considering it's pretty much the same people running the show I don't see there being too many negative changes.
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My concern is that it'll turn into SWG all over again. Publishers, so far, in my experience are more interested in getting bullet point features onto their marketting promotions and on packaging as possible rather than actually adding features that are of use and are of a high quality. Take a look at SWG and its development history, it has alot of 'features' but their half broken and the publishers didn't care because in the end it looks good from a marketting angle.
Cryptic have proven themselves to have the attitude that if something is to be done, then it HAS to be done well. That kind of attitude is why I'd give any game they made a decent look because thats how games should be made. However NCSoft is a complete unknown except for Tabula Rasa which I have seen first hand and it smells of the same kind of attitude which dragged SWG into the gutter. Lots of features, not polished and features added which don't actually improve the experience for the player.
While the development control is with the devs still the choices in where the budget is spent and where deadlines are made is more firmly in the hands of the publisher now, not the dev team.
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Tal,
Your concerns are valid especially when comparing some other publishers and their decisions. However what you have failed to acknowledge is that NCsoft has been part of the equation of COH long before it was launched.
COH has had a major impact on NCsoft's success over time. This move now merging the publishing/development teams into one core group is something that will actually make the development cycle smoother and allow for more open communication.
Removing the barrier of two companies making a decision vs one company making the decision, especially involving a competitive product is really the biggest impact.
At the end of the day, NCsoft is dedicated to doing what is best for COH/COV in the long run, this acquisition just made that dedication line even stronger.
Ex
Ex thanks for answering my previous questions.
(I have issues)
I feel abandoned by Cryptic. This is my favorite MMO/Game in the world. It was their "baby" figuratively. *spelling errors
And they just gave it away 
Gimme a cookie, tell me that because NC has my CoX that we will now get more character slots soon.
That will make me feel better, and less abandoned.
(yes i know lighthouse hinted at it befor.... but I really need this cookie to make me feel better)
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Considering it's pretty much the same people running the show I don't see there being too many negative changes.
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My concern is that it'll turn into SWG all over again. Publishers, so far, in my experience are more interested in getting bullet point features onto their marketting promotions and on packaging as possible rather than actually adding features that are of use and are of a high quality. Take a look at SWG and its development history, it has alot of 'features' but their half broken and the publishers didn't care because in the end it looks good from a marketting angle.
Cryptic have proven themselves to have the attitude that if something is to be done, then it HAS to be done well. That kind of attitude is why I'd give any game they made a decent look because thats how games should be made. However NCSoft is a complete unknown except for Tabula Rasa which I have seen first hand and it smells of the same kind of attitude which dragged SWG into the gutter. Lots of features, not polished and features added which don't actually improve the experience for the player.
While the development control is with the devs still the choices in where the budget is spent and where deadlines are made is more firmly in the hands of the publisher now, not the dev team.
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NCSoft is not a complete unknown by any means., Lineage and LineageII were/are huge games, then you have Guild Wars and Dungeon Runners too. Tabula Rasa is a new game trying to find a niche for itself, I wouldn't base an opinion about NCSoft on that game alone.
Also, NCSoft has a head start. It can learn from where others have already failed. It's a pretty safe bet they aren't going to follow SOE's business and development models.
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My concern is that it'll turn into SWG all over again.
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I don't think you have much to worry about here. I have been amazed at the support that CoX has gotten from NCSoft from day one: 4 years to develop, including creating the AT system late in the game in response to Alpha testing; allowing them to have free expansions before it was cool; allowing them to experiment with the first Expanshalone in existence; the list goes on.
Basically, I see the new set up as "Cryptic + Money", which everyone has been hoping and asking for for a long time.
Story Arcs I created:
Every Rose: (#17702) Villainous vs Legacy Chain. Forget Arachnos, join the CoT!
Cosplay Madness!: (#3643) Neutral vs Custom Foes. Heroes at a pop culture convention!
Kiss Hello Goodbye: (#156389) Heroic vs Custom Foes. Film Noir/Hardboiled detective adventure!
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This pretty much seems to clear the way for CoH on XBox 360.
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Fixed that for you. The Live Marketplace on the 360 offers the opportunity for people to (in theory) pay for their MMO subscriptions with Microsoft Points ... which means, they could buy prepaid cards at any video game or computer outlet ... no credit card required. Make it a 1200-point fee, that's $16 - enough that even after MicroSoft's inevitable cut, there's still probably a nearly-full, standard MMO fee left for NCSoft.
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This pretty much seems to clear the way for CoH on PS3.
Refixed
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Uh-uh.
Read that announcement very carefully ... I've gone over that mis-perception ("all of NCSoft, exclusive to PS3!!1!one!!") over on the Dungeon Runners forums already.
NCSoft made an agreement to make NEW IPs that would be exclusive PS3 titles, and is also looking at their other, existing IPs for possible NONexclusive status on the PS3.
Here is a very important question...
Since Ex_lib and the other community people are actually already NCSoft employees (right?), does that mean that they now have seniority on the Devs, who will in effect become the new guys? In that case, will the Devs have to assume the traditional new guy duties such as being sent out to pick up their dry cleaning or to go feed the parking meter for the community staff or other things of that nature?
Always remember, we were Heroes.
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Ex thanks for answering my previous questions.
(I have issues)
I feel abandoned by Cryptic. This is my favorite MMO/Game in the world. It was their "baby" figuratively. *spelling errors
And they just gave it away
Gimme a cookie, tell me that because NC has my CoX that we will now get more character slots soon.
That will make me feel better, and less abandoned.
(yes i know lighthouse hinted at it befor.... but I really need this cookie to make me feel better)
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O.o Turning emo arent we? 
I can see tears in your eyes
I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
Voltaire
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I personally think Cryptic shot themselves in the foot with this one.
I mean, with CoX 2 possible coming down the pipe, a movie(maybe), and other things planned. Why would I play MUO? The only thing that would push me to play MUO is because they created CoX, breaking that bond was not a good move.
But I am Extremely pleased that CoX2 is on the table.
TA
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Whether MUO or CoX2--a superhero/villain MMO game that assumed as a baseline that all players had physics acceleration and built that into the core gameplay would have me at hello. The one thing that has long been missing in CoX for me is the "holding up the collapsing bridge" or "wrestling the spiraling out of control plane to the ground" or "saving the baby from the precariously tetering car atop a cliff." Truthfully, the only way to ever execute these narrative turns in gripping and challenging gameplay (i.e. some non-glowie manner) requires a fairly robust physics engine at the game's core.
Likewise, PvP that was less about punching and blasting the boogers out of each other and more about one group trying to sabotage X (using the games robust physics) while another group tries to prevent said sabotage opens up exciting new venues and strategies of direct and indirect engagement. THAT might really turn me on to some sort of PvP play!
CoX2, should it include this, may just be for me!
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Ex thanks for answering my previous questions.
(I have issues)
I feel abandoned by Cryptic. This is my favorite MMO/Game in the world. It was their "baby" figuratively. *spelling errors
And they just gave it away
Gimme a cookie, tell me that because NC has my CoX that we will now get more character slots soon.
That will make me feel better, and less abandoned.
(yes i know lighthouse hinted at it befor.... but I really need this cookie to make me feel better)
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I guess I can sense why some people have reservations about the whole thing, but don't you think you're overreacting just a smidge here?
Abandoned? ...
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Lastly: Compensation - meh. A badge though to mark the event would be cool.
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Decipherer - you have helped make things in Paragon City less Cryptic.
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This pretty much seems to clear the way for CoH on XBox 360.
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Fixed that for you. The Live Marketplace on the 360 offers the opportunity for people to (in theory) pay for their MMO subscriptions with Microsoft Points ... which means, they could buy prepaid cards at any video game or computer outlet ... no credit card required. Make it a 1200-point fee, that's $16 - enough that even after MicroSoft's inevitable cut, there's still probably a nearly-full, standard MMO fee left for NCSoft.