Four Years - A Retrospective


Baby_Phoenix

 

Posted

Today is my 4th anniversary of playing City Of Heroes.

I know some of you have gotten there first, but this is about me, so I'm going to be selfish that way.

I started in the heady days of the Council takeover of The Fifth Column. Fun times. Like many of you, I arrived in Atlas Park, heard the music and fell in love.

I've seen so many changes to the game, things that were loved and hated by many. *cough ED cough*

Most of the changes haven't had much on an impact on me. I've just enjoyed the thrill of being a superhero, rescuing many from the clutches of evil.

I've also enjoyed being a villain, slaughtering those who would stand in my way.

It's been 4 great years - I've introduced a few people who have come to love the game with me.

So this is my way of saying thanks.

Thanks to the people I've played with, thanks to the people who exist on this forum that I've gotten to know, thanks to those at NCSoft who run this game. Thanks for all those years of this game.

Now this is a retrospective, not a goodbye. So I say carry on and long may it continue.

Here's to the next 4. Make them fantastic.


"Idealism is such a wonderful thing. All you really need is someone rational to put it to proper use." - Kerr Avon

Myopic Aardvark on Twitter

 

Posted

I've been playing for 2 years now and my faith hasn't dropped like you Hopefully you can stay for 5 Myopic...I know I'll try

Congratulations on 4 years!


 

Posted

I am a wee bairn by comparison only racking up 27 months but I still remember the great excitement of hearing the Atlas music for the very first time.

This game is perfect for my playstyle of an hour here and there - I play the bits I enjoy and avoid the bits I dont - that, the community and the dev team are the reason why this will be the only MMORPG i play


Golden-Phoenix - Lvl 50 Fire/Fire Tank
Oodja Nikabolokov - Lvl 50 SS/WP Brute
Baby-Phoenix - Lvl 50 Peacebringer
How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could Chuck Norris?

 

Posted

Officially, 45 months as of 3rd November for me, but unofficially, 46 thanks to EU beta. Not planning on going anywhere.


@FloatingFatMan

Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

 

Posted

42 for me shortly


 

Posted

Goodness, 4 years already. Thanks for introducing me to the game all that time ago!

Do you get a free slot upon reaching that landmark? If so, what are you going to create?


 

Posted

4 years saving/ imperilling innocent bystanders? Good work citizen!

A stripling at 30 months myself.

but still loving it all.



Allodoxaphobia is the fear of opinions.

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. MARCUS AURELIUS (121-180 AD)

 

Posted

Just coming up to 18 months for me and I'm loving the game more and more

The chance to be a Super Hero or Villain is a dream come true

I can't see me moving for a long while yet.

Grats MA I love your posts on the forums


Happy to be on Defiant.
Global name @mereman
Member of P.E.R.C. Representing Defiant
Alts http://cit.cohtitan.com/profile/4488
CoH faces http://faces.cohtitan.com/profile/mereman

 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]
Do you get a free slot upon reaching that landmark? If so, what are you going to create?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's getting saved for those multitude of Shields characters I'm going to create...

Or maybe I'll finally stick a Dual Blades in there and play them. Who knows?


"Idealism is such a wonderful thing. All you really need is someone rational to put it to proper use." - Kerr Avon

Myopic Aardvark on Twitter

 

Posted

Here's to another 4 year vet!
The pets were a little disappointing, it's as if they have perma-taunt aura on.

Reserved my free slot for a coming broadsword/shield scrapper


 

Posted

realised the other day I was nearly at the 45 months and wondered where it had gone, still not entirely sure.

Just noticed my vet rewards have moved from the 10th of the month to the 11th? That the leap year?


"Well, they found my diary today.
They were appropriately appalled
at the discovery of the eight victims
They're now putting it all together.
Women wrapped in silk
with one leg missing
Eight legs, one body, silk,
spider, brilliant!"

 

Posted

a proud 35 for me soon in nov to be 36 and the full 3 yrs. where the h3ll has those 3 yrs gone:P gone so fast and enjoyed msotly every minute to it.

heres to the nxt 3 yrs


 

Posted

Mucho Gratzo!
38 months for me and gotta agree, the longer you stay the harder it is to go away


@Damz Find me on the global channel Union Chat. One of the best "chat channels" ingame!

 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]
Officially, 45 months as of 3rd November for me, but unofficially, 46 thanks to EU beta. Not planning on going anywhere.

[/ QUOTE ]
This, though due to a certain number of breaks and poorness I'm only badged to 27 months.


 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]
Mucho Gratzo!
38 months for me and gotta agree, the longer you stay the harder it is to go away

[/ QUOTE ]

Not that anyone should actually be wanting to leave anyway


@Golden Girl

City of Heroes comics and artwork

 

Posted

Nice post MA!

It was nice to see it - sometimes I think we tend to take the game for granted simply because we pay for it. But I've had immense pleasure from this game and made some fantastic friends too who've crossed the line from Paradon into the Real World (yes it can happen)


Long may it continue



"You got to dig it to dig it, you dig?"
Thelonious Monk

 

Posted

I saw a review of CoH in a magazine in February 2005 and was instantly interested, having grown up with Marvel comics. So, after a "shall I, shan't I" session while standing in Game, I took the plunge and joined the game in that same month.

As a sidenote, I believe that having comics from an early age gave me a fantastic headstart with reading and CoH boosted my speed at typing (I can now do so without looking at the keyboard, or even the screen on a good day) - so when I'm Prime Minister comics and CoH will be taught in schools

The Atlas Park theme still gets me going, and my step-son doesn't understand why I'm still playing after all these years; no other game has remained installed for so long.

I've made some good friends here, and it's also seen me through one of the very few bad times in my life when I lost my dad in April 2006. I have a picture of Quantum Dark sitting on a rock near the Arena in PI at sunset where he appears as a lonely figure gazing out to sea. It summed up my feelings perfectly at that moment in time.

So, for me, it's been an awesome journey so far, it continues to be one every day, and I just had to add my thanks to the guys who made it all happen - you've made an old bloke happier more often than you can possibly realise!

/e salute


 

Posted

I've been playing since US beta, although I only have 39 months due to a few breaks (and not knowing at the time that I should have kept my sub up while I was away because shiny vet stuff was coming).

All my breaks have been due to RL stuff coming up (3 months with no phone line, some time in Japan, etc) never because I needed a long break fromn the game. I find I have as much fun now as I did back when I started, although in slightly different ways thanks to the many changes that have taken place in that time.

I don't think I will ever forget the first time I stood on a roof, witnessed a mugging below, dropped down and kicked butt like the [censored] Batman!


However, it turned out that Smith was not a time-travelling Terminator

 

Posted

Started in Feb 2005 a week late because BT couldn't schedule the new line in time Made a few 50s and then filled all 8 slots on the account - so started a second account and then bobbed between them, eventually without having more than one alive at any one time. So my ancient account only has 36ish months on it, and my live account (funny how the second account became my "main" ) has about 30 months (I really can't remember though).

I tried WoW, GW, Eve online, RF Online (shudder), Archlord (ugh), AoC... but nothing really tempted me away from CoH, because, really, they didn't have the community I've grown used to (aww, group hug!). I'm looking forward to really big changes at some point in the future - I'd love to see a "going rogue" option whereby heroes and villains could swap sides. And I'm wondering if there will ever be a CoH 2, and if there is, what will happen to CoH? All food for thought. Meanwhile, this'll keep going 'til it stops


 

Posted

I'm about to hit 33 months, and yeah, I have some damn fond memories.

I too, remember that tingle when I appeared in Atlas and heard the music. I now run with music off, and have my own in the background (thanks, Winamp) - but every time I introduce someone to the game, I turn the music back on for them - everyone needs to experience Atlas Park that way. It's tradition.

I remember the thrill of watching three or four teams of heroes all racing across Independence Port to take down Lusca, back when GM-hunting was dangerous and popular!

I remember the first time I found a CoT cave, came out of a tunnel, and saw a 'Temple-of-Doom'-esque bridge and the entrance to a mytsical, ancient temple that would make Lara Croft drool.

I remember (more recently) when the Police Band and Safeguard missions came in, and they linked a sewer to a cave to an office building, and realising how much more 'real' it seemed (why would the buglars always go through the front door and then take the lift five floors up?)

And of course, some other amazing things:

Seeing the crashed Rikti Ship for the first time.
Seeing Eden, and learning about what caused this nature-overload.
Defeating the Master Of The Statesman's Task Force within a week of it being released, on the first run.
Cracking the top ten on heroes listed on Badge-Hunter for Defiant (and then holding that position).

Generally - happy memories!

Thanks CoH - I intend to be around for a long time, since you've yet to let me down


[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]

 

Posted

Servers went live officially on 4th of Feb '05. But were in fact up and running the day before.

I wonder how many of the few who accessed the game a day early on live are still left?

I'm one.

I know some of the others have certainly left. But are there others still around? we should have a badge.


 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]
Servers went live officially on 4th of Feb '05. But were in fact up and running the day before.

I wonder how many of the few who accessed the game a day early on live are still left?

I'm one.

I know some of the others have certainly left. But are there others still around? we should have a badge.

[/ QUOTE ]

Guilty as charged, yeronner.

I created my live account and got an hours play in on the 3rd of Feb, at about half past 9 in the evening, IIRC.

I'm still here, still playing, and while I've had a few breaks here and there, I've had no breaks in my subscription.

I occasionally realise I'm getting a little jaded and take a break for a while. Or I have a break enforced on me when my lower spine goes kablooie and I end up bedridden for a week, and pretty much unable to play for a month or so afterward.

Other than that, while the game's changed beyond pretty much all recognition and there are still a few irritations (Where the hell are the Saya for my Katana scrapper and the Quiver for my Archer!?), I'm still enjoying the game.


Warning:

The above post may contain Cynicism, sarcasm and/or pessimism. If you object to the quantities contained, then tough.

 

Posted

[ QUOTE ]
Servers went live officially on 4th of Feb '05. But were in fact up and running the day before.

I wonder how many of the few who accessed the game a day early on live are still left?

I'm one.

I know some of the others have certainly left. But are there others still around? we should have a badge.

[/ QUOTE ]

Dunno about you, but I'm *still* waiting for the "something" we beta testers were promised!


@FloatingFatMan

Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

 

Posted

I'd been reading about CoH on the interweb since before US launch, and would have subbed to a US account if I had a decent PC, but as it was I couldn't upgrade until Feb )5 anyway (my birthday ) We planned to switch internet providers and phone service in Feb 05, and I brought everything forward because my birthday wasn't for another two weeks after launch. As it was, the new PC arrived with the spec to run CoH but the phone line wasn't ready. I didn't enter Atlas Park (on Defiant! ) until 14th Feb.

Ahh - Lusca was big fun back in the day. Also - my first contact outside Atlas was in Kings Row. I didn't know about trains so tried to hover over the war walls... what a divvy...