Whatever happened to the community?
By
Alphane,
Posted on: 2008-09-05 07:15 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
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I don't believe we need fantastic, player-created content (but I'm glad that those that do want it are going to get it 
) ). I believe we need more marketing, ads, pushes to expand the player-base, and finally, a stronger community.
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We need that because people who play the game want to contribute - and it gives us and you more content to actually play. It supports the community and it helps us to find out what you guys love - storywise.
Marketing: I think we all know and understand your concerns. We will do more when the time is right - and that time is no longer "far in the future".
In the meantime: Patience, young Padawan, patience. The time will come when we unleash the full force of Markting on the unsuspecting. 
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In the meantime: Patience, young Padawan, patience. The time will come when we unleash the full force of Markting on the unsuspecting.
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"And your journey to the dark side will be complete."
I kind of agree and disagree with the OP
I do think the marketing team within NCSoft responsible for CoX isn't as dynamic as it could be, but I do feel the community is still here and thrives well as an independent, autonomous body, and it works well. It's articulate, dedicated and generally let's the devs know what the fans want from the game pretty well. What it doesn't necessarily do well is grow the fan base and so the game's growth is restricted. (I'm not actually saying it's the job of the fans to generate more players but there's nothing better than word of mouth for generating sales.)
The community is pretty healthy. The game is healthy too and I think that I13 is going to bring something else to the game that few others have even dreamt of of. I am also pretty certain that NCNC have something even bigger up their sleeves to roll out as Champions Online and DCU come online. I know how I'd handle that strategy and the guys in charge do seem to have a knack of pulling rabbits out of hats when the situation merits.
Yes, we're in a period of enforced "wait and see" mode. That's part of the marketing strategy too but with a healthy dose of Dev time added.
I think your critique about the lack of general updates to teh website are pretty justified. The player generated content isn't updated nearly frequently enough which in turn means it doesn't encourage new submissions.
But if there's not a new website revamp to coincide with I13 I'll be a tad surprised. (Also expect a new box to hit the shelves at that time, getting it back int eh shops with a few tasty prezzies in to encourage seasoned players to buy it too 
)
But by and large, don't stress. Give it a month to 6 weeks and there'll be a lot more buzz around CoX
Thelonious Monk
Thanks for your responses
I'm glad the first few were positive.
I suppose you are right - the 'wait and see' period does seem a bit long. I have faith that the game will live on, of course I suppose I'm just so used to seeing WoW on shelves in game stores, and thinking - why the hell isn't CoH there? Then when I begin to over-analyse it, I started picking holes However, you raise good points, so again, thank you.
I hope you are right, Shocker. I remember seeing ads for CoH in the comics that I bought, and that was good. However, an billboard/bus stop ad? Maybe even *gasp* a TV ad? I just feel as though it's not that the masses don't want to play - it's that the masses don't know we're here having fun without them! LoL
I'm going on a mass photo-expedition around the city, and I'll submit some to the website. Maybe we'll get lucky and see the homepage change.
[B][COLOR="DeepSkyBlue"]@Winter Flare[/COLOR] - [url="http://sites.google.com/site/thenewguardians"] The New Guardians[/url] - [url="http://www.badge-hunter.com/index.php?/page/view_player.php?id=339"] 1211 Badges [/url][/B]
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Thanks for your responses
I'm glad the first few were positive.
I suppose you are right - the 'wait and see' period does seem a bit long. I have faith that the game will live on, of course I suppose I'm just so used to seeing WoW on shelves in game stores, and thinking - why the hell isn't CoH there? Then when I begin to over-analyse it, I started picking holes However, you raise good points, so again, thank you.
I hope you are right, Shocker. I remember seeing ads for CoH in the comics that I bought, and that was good. However, an billboard/bus stop ad? Maybe even *gasp* a TV ad? I just feel as though it's not that the masses don't want to play - it's that the masses don't know we're here having fun without them! LoL
I'm going on a mass photo-expedition around the city, and I'll submit some to the website. Maybe we'll get lucky and see the homepage change.
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I don't think NCNC has that kind of budget. Sure it would be nice, but CoX can't compete head to head with WoW (but then who else can? Second Life maybe but that's apples and oranges.)
What we do know is that CoX makes money. It's profitable. Sure it could do more, but because it's profitable we get free updates and that always brings a surge of income and player created content would almost certain keep people coming back.
Keep smiling. It's all good really
Thelonious Monk
Well in my local game store the good versus evil edition is there and on offer! Buy two games for £15 (good v evil counts as 1 
).
@Damz Find me on the global channel Union Chat. One of the best "chat channels" ingame!
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We need that because people who play the game want to contribute - and it gives us and you more content to actually play. It supports the community and it helps us to find out what you guys love - storywise.
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Tbh i think its more to do with the devs not having to make so much content so they can work on other things.
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In the meantime: Patience, young Padawan, patience. The time will come when we unleash the full force of Markting on the unsuspecting.
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Well its taken 4 years to happen, and 18 months of a dead web site (sg/player input wise) so you cant blame people for wondering can you.
I mean you dont even remove the dead links do you? Be honest how long would that take to do once a month?
I am like Scarlet_Shocker on the matter. I do agree and I don't. I mainly blame the fact that it's raining heavily and it's put a dampner on my mood. 
But the site hasn't been updated in ages! The news gets added, but what about the Powers Glossary? Is that a long and distant abondoned idea? I thought it was great! And the CoX Vault? Not heard of that in ages either! Also, remove the old Fansites that aren't active anymore. I am tempted to make my own now. It'd be a sort of paragonwiki.com type-thing. Ah well. Still blame the rain. Bloody rain...
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I was a little confused at the title, expecting a 'this community is going downhill' rant, so I was rather pleased that wasn't the case. It seems you are talking about the community liaison team rather than the community. Well, the NCSoft offices are in Brighton, if they go much further downhill, the'll need aqualungs, but aside from that, yes, I was also a bit concerned that the web site seems to get news items posted to it and everything else has barely changed since I left 18-odd months ago, so I see your point.
OTOH, the game itself has seen an upheaval of dramatic proportions in the switch in developer. I suspect, as Scarlet Shocker does, that we may see some serious changes around the time I13 comes out. Major web site changes also require a fair degree of development time and, if I set aside my pessimistic nature, I could see the lack of changes as a sign that work is underway for a revamp.
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I just feel as though it's not that the masses don't want to play - it's that the masses don't know we're here having fun without them! LoL
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Here, I don't entirely agree. CoX is something of a niche game and I like it because of that. It's not that I would not like to see more people playing it, but I do recognise that a fairly big majority of the MMO playing (western) world is highly attuned to the style of play to be seen in WoW and other games.
WoW (and LotRO, and most other games it seems) are heavily biased toward end game content. The levelling process is largely there to teach you how to use your character's skills/spells. The real game starts when you hit the (current) level cap and begin doing high-end instances, raids, and PvP.
CoX is all about the levelling and content. I'm pleased to see that (on my return) I have things to do with my only level 50, but fundamentally, the thing about CoX is alts and repeatability. It also has both the best soloability of any game I've played, and the best teaming mechanisms, especially the sidekick/mentor system. And while there is a vast amount of excellent content, so much it's next to impossible to do it all with one character, this will soon be suplemented by player created content making the game even more repeatable.
However, none of that matters if the player enters the game for the first time expecting to ramrod his character through 50 levels and then start playing the game for real, which is the mindset of a fair amount of players. CoH is a roleplaying game in the sense that you play it to be told the stories and have your character take part in them. If you never read the mission briefs and clues, you never get that and you aren't going to appreciate the game.
So, I'm rambling, but the point is that, no, this game is never going to be another WoW because WoW is an entirely different kind of game and people who think WoW is totally great are never going to understand what's good about CoX.
Disclaimer: The above may be humerous, or at least may be an attempt at humour. Try reading it that way.
Posts are OOC unless noted to be IC, or in an IC thread.
I appreciate what you said, Raven, and yes, CoH and WoW *are* different games. I suppose I was just expressing a desire to see CoH make the same impact - regardless of the difference in game styles.
I will make sure that we stay with my main points (or at least, the ones I was hoping to discuss!) I think my main gripe is the website, overall. As it was said, the news is updated - but nothing else has changed. It's not encouraging people to submit, and 'get involved in the community' (*other* than the forum, obviously). And yes, the list does need the dead links removing.
I don't suppose the community team is recruiting? lol
[B][COLOR="DeepSkyBlue"]@Winter Flare[/COLOR] - [url="http://sites.google.com/site/thenewguardians"] The New Guardians[/url] - [url="http://www.badge-hunter.com/index.php?/page/view_player.php?id=339"] 1211 Badges [/url][/B]
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I suppose I was just expressing a desire to see CoH make the same impact - regardless of the difference in game styles.
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A worth desire, but it isn't going to happen. Power levelling and end game are too deeply ingrained in the majority of MMO players' psyches.
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I don't suppose the community team is recruiting? lol
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Check the job section. They were recruiting a while ago. I know my partner would have applied (she speaks four languages), except that we would have had to have moved to Brighton.
Disclaimer: The above may be humerous, or at least may be an attempt at humour. Try reading it that way.
Posts are OOC unless noted to be IC, or in an IC thread.
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except that we would have had to have moved to Brighton.
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I'm sure there are worse fates.
<.<
>.>
I just can't think of any right now!
@FloatingFatMan
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Used to love looking through those pictures Well i just sent one of my screenies in of rikti dodgeball ontop of atlas so keep an eye out for it!
@Damz Find me on the global channel Union Chat. One of the best "chat channels" ingame!
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rikti dodgeball
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If you can dodge a laser, you can dodge a ball.
Contact Information!
Twitter: @TonyParkeze
Facebook: www.facebook.com/anthonyjp91
Email: anthonyjp91@gmail.com
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rikti dodgeball
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If you can dodge a laser, you can dodge a ball.
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Yeah well he was obv a regen scrapper because he just kept getting up asking for more 
Me? im a /sr baby!!! Just try and hit me!
*oh [censored] forgot the toggles!!!*
.
.
.
.
.
TAXI!
@Damz Find me on the global channel Union Chat. One of the best "chat channels" ingame!
You can't even dodge my insults let alone a laser... or even a ball.
Contact Information!
Twitter: @TonyParkeze
Facebook: www.facebook.com/anthonyjp91
Email: anthonyjp91@gmail.com
I challenge you to arena dodgeball!
Rules:
Has to be in the arena/pvp zone, we both need to have the power repel. We need someone to volunteer to be the "football" with no repel resist. Thus the first person to repel him/her into the others goals win!
Are you up for it ya coward?!?!
(hows that for community spirit )
@Damz Find me on the global channel Union Chat. One of the best "chat channels" ingame!
LMAO Damzy!
I am well up for that!
Contact Information!
Twitter: @TonyParkeze
Facebook: www.facebook.com/anthonyjp91
Email: anthonyjp91@gmail.com
I think the community tapered off the same time the Hami raids went pear shaped, co-incidence? yes, but the community was heavily tied into our friday night Hami ganking!
In-game and now on Twitter @Tsumiju Zero "The Nightmare of Dra'Gon"
"The flow of battle can only be influenced, not by realtime tactics, but by strategy."
Proud resident of the Union EU Server.
B.A.F. Trial Guide
I do kinda miss the social part of the Hamidon raids - I know they could be griefed, and the lag was bad at times, but it was fun to see so many people gathered together in one place.
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
it was the social part and the feeling of being something bigger that was the key to the hami raids, thats what most people miss, regardless of server.
In-game and now on Twitter @Tsumiju Zero "The Nightmare of Dra'Gon"
"The flow of battle can only be influenced, not by realtime tactics, but by strategy."
Proud resident of the Union EU Server.
B.A.F. Trial Guide
The Mothership raids can get a lot together, but because it's better designed, everyone has too much too do and concentrate on, and no time for goofing around - and the goofing around was one of the big attractions of the old Hamidon raid
@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
indeed... sigh 
I miss those days!
In-game and now on Twitter @Tsumiju Zero "The Nightmare of Dra'Gon"
"The flow of battle can only be influenced, not by realtime tactics, but by strategy."
Proud resident of the Union EU Server.
B.A.F. Trial Guide
A topic being discussed by my within my SG's forum at the moment (asides wavering doubt about the success of I13) is about the lack of 'community action and involvement' that seems to be around. I have to say, I've begun to feel the same way, and I am glad that in the last year, the Super Group has given itself a stable online presence (a well turned-out website, a forum) and has made the step from 'group of friends playing online' to 'creative family'. I say 'glad', because I feel as though the 'community' aspects of CoH have become...difficult.
( Perhaps one afternoon I'll sit and browse the whole lot - maybe I am in there somewhere. Again - is it worth submitting, if nothing is going to happen?
) ). I believe we need more marketing, ads, pushes to expand the player-base, and finally, a stronger community.
The main CoH website used to be something that I was keen to visit. Not only to keep up with news (which I now use a Yahoo! Widget for - probably the only widget worth using) but also to see whose photograph and funny comment had made it into the 'City Sights', which hero had made it into the Hall Of Fame (it's nice to see clever poses and good costumes - especially from the other server), and whether the 'tip of the
day' would teach me anything. It seems, however, that the website is dying - and it's not clear whether it's due to lack of player input, or because the site is being ignored by the community team.
I was lucky enough to get one of my pictures put into the City Sights, and I was thoroughly chuffed - mainly because I thought that it was a cool photo that wasn't something you saw every day (a shot of the Circus Tents from the Carnie missions where the 'circus comes to paragon'). Some of the others there are honestly beautiful, hilarious, and... odd. Not all of them show first-time visitors to the website the
best 'sights to lure you into the game' (since many of them are in-game jokes), but they are good pics, and worth browsing. However - the same picture has been up on the site for a long time now - is it that no-one is submitting them anymore? If that's the case, I'll grab my camera and my cape, and start snapping! I'm deterred, however, because for all my efforts, the website may remain the way it is for a long time...
The same goes for the 'Hall Of Fame'. Kudos to Empath Angel, for being the most well-known heroine next to every member of the Freedom Phalanx, as that photograph has been on the site for a long time now! I know that it used to change pretty quickly/regularly - I also know that I submitted one or two shots of my character (sticking to the guidelines as best I could to ensure acceptance) but never saw Winter Flare there
Tip Of The Day? Same gripe - with a twist. A short while ago, a friend of mine let me know that my tip was on the front page. I was only a little excited however - I had only ever submitted one tip, and that had been up months before. I assume it must have been a REALLY good tip, as it had been deemed worthy of re-publishing. Is it that again, no new material is being submitted? Is it that 'tips' run dry once you've covered the basics? I was under the impression (and feel free to correct me, but please don't flame me if I'm mistaken) that these tips are the same tips that appear during loading screens - so wasn't this addition a 'boost of enthusiasm' to post more tips? Or was it that nobody knew/cared about it?
So - my final whinge - the thing that made me want to post this in the first place - the Fansite Alliance. The CoH community team provide a website kit for you to create your own site - be it a tribute site, fact site, super group website, whatever you like. They then have the 'Fansite Alliance', which is supported by the community's own promise that "...it is our duty to form a steadfast network to support their every move." After spending over a year bringing our website from a simple one-page-news-page to a full site with rosters, creative and artistic character bios, base information, and much more, I believed that I had made it something that would perhaps warrant joining the Fansite Alliance. I followed the application, made the odd change (a link to the CoH description of the game, and a note on how newcomers could apply to join), and then submitted the site. The final note before submition is 'if you don't hear from us in ten days, assume you didn't get it'. Ten days past, and I was sad. I had the typical paranoid response that perhaps I'd entered my email address wrong (it happens) and so I tried again - nothing. Now, the Fansite Alliance list has remained as idle as the City Sights / Hall of Fame sections - and someone with my SG pointed out that the application may not be being turned down - it may just not be being LOOKED at. Have the community team disappeared? Is their office dark, dusty and full of cobwebs? The five listed on the CoH home page are fine, in practice (although the 'Enternal Champions' doesn't strike me as a CoH 'fansite', and more of a 'gaming site'). However, take a look at the full list, and the competition looks a bit questionable. Looking at just the top ones (they're listed alphabetically), I found that many of the links we dead - 'Big On Paragon', 'CoX Hub', 'I game therefore I am', 'Incessant Logic', 'Paragon Crusaders'. Is this a true representation of the game's community? A lot of names down, but very little being delivered?
I would like to see these refreshed - the Fansite Alliance, but also the site. If they're not going to change, maybe consider removing them? Alternatively, how about something different? Maybe people got tired of the 'hall of fame' and 'city sights'? Perhaps the community want to see something different.
The website is an important selling point for the game, and as it goes stale very slowly, it's not hard to add it to the feeling of 'death' that is creeping across people's minds. Although I've not discussed it with many people (so again, please don't flame, as I am aware that there are probably a large number of people with a different view), but I haven't heard much positivity in regards to the mission creator - and I still can't quite understand why the Shield Powerset has been so overshadowed, since it is a BIG thing (from my perspective). Hereos with shields? The recent death of Captain America? A super-hero MMO with shield character types? PUSH THE IDEA! A screenshot would go miles, believe me. It would certainly get my interest!
Keeping the community alive will encourage new people to join, and the veteran players to stay. Currently, the only 'community' feel are these forums, and at times they can be... scary. A PVP thread here, an opinion thread there, and dark-sides and rudeness ensue. I'm glad that I have created my own SG forum, to allow CoH issues to be discussed without the risk of the explosions that occur here. If I was a newbie joining the game, and logging into the forums to read the latest of posts - most of the time I'd be terrified.
I don't believe we need fantastic, player-created content (but I'm glad that those that do want it are going to get it
Ok - vented. Please respond sensibly - I have done my best to put across *my* opinions and feelings, and don't want this thread to break down into a flaming mess. I honestly would like to hear people's opinions and views.
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