So Going Rogue is here and yet no update at all about anything regarding the EU? Did you even bother?
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@Lyrik
I think everyone's bricking it over the online store at the moment. They'll probably wait a few months to see what money they've made out of the EU and then maybe, maybe they might turn their attention to us. Don't hold your breath though.
@Dante EU - Union Roleplayer and Altisis Victim
The Militia: Union RP Supergroup - www.themilitia.org.uk
Didn't want to dig up the 'Shafted' thread again but if this is the place for general disgruntlement for EU treatment then I think this announcement on Facebook pretty much fits the pattern of things:
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Yes you've heard us right! This is not just a City of Heroes® Meet & Greet, no sir! We at NCsoft have pooled our resources together in order to throw the mother of all Meet & Greets in a really cool location! You'll not only be able to meet and interact with your fellow CoH'ers and the Dev Team, but you'll be able to meet players and ...representatives from other NCsoft games as well! There will be plenty of activities, refreshments and overall fun to be had. Exclusive only to CoH attendees, however, will once again be a very cool in-game costume code! This one will blow your mind away into the furthest confines of the Universe, literally! Get a hold of the New York Comic-Con costume code card, and you'll be able to transform into a Rikti Mentalist and subjugate your friends and foes with your newly found Rikti appearance! Go on a rampage or save lives under the guise one of the biggest enemies Paragon City and the Rogue Isles have ever known! At the event you will also have the opportunity to get your hands on a lenticular CoH/CoV button, participate in a raffle for great prizes, and much more! So don't miss out - come out to see us for what's surely going to be a great time in the Big Apple! Please note, more details on how to attend will be announced at a later date. |
I'd say more but I think I'm too annoyed at the moment to post constructively.
@Dante EU - Union Roleplayer and Altisis Victim
The Militia: Union RP Supergroup - www.themilitia.org.uk
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How about this, my good man Dante? :>|
Originally Posted by Dante
I'd say more but I think I'm too annoyed at the moment to post constructively.
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'Yet again, another bonus costume that most of the EU population will have little to no chance of getting, unless they happen to have a good thousand or more sitting away in the bank to make the flight and get the hotels.
Yes, there are going to be people saying that 'It's just a costume code'. And it's true, it's not the code itself that is the issue.
There is a skew towards the US server group (and the individuals that play on them, assuming they aren't EU/Oceanic/Other players there for the more server lists and higher population) when it comes to availability of bonus codes, competitions and opportunity to attend conventions.
This has been especially pronounced since 2008, when the NCSoft Europe offices were gutted in the re-arrangement that followed NCSoft's rearrangement of non-Korean subsidiaries. There has been no UK or European Mainland convention presence in quite some time. However, even then, the only Dev (and now Dev) we've had grace us with their presence were the quite excellent War Witch, and David Nakayama. (Which IIRC was Brighton 2007 for War Witch, and Birmingham 2008 for WW and David N.)
If it was not for the kind individuals who attend US conventions and panels and kindly give some of their time to tweeting or otherwise reporting details from the CoH panels, we would be in a bit of a blind spot.
While server population has seemed higher since the release of Going Rogue, and there has been two contests arranged (the Design an NPC for Studio 55 in Issue 19, and the give away of Party Pack Items that still cause controversy due to pricing, value for money, and the not too irrational fear that it may lead to nickel and dime-ing, what with the effectively slim issue content now compared to issues such as RWZ/Faultline), there is still the worry that the server groups future is still in the dark, and generally neglected.
Couple this with the general quiet of any red name presence on this thread, it gives the impression of a cloud over the game and server group we've put years of money and effort into, with little to allay our fears.
Finally, I am still an advocate of virtual meet and greets. Place on the Test Server that's co-op, throw up a power suppression field and talk in ADMIN red, fielding questions from the players. I'm sure something could be arranged for translations from the French and German server players, e-mails could be sent in game to players with Costume-Codes, and I'm sure spending a couple of hours on the EU test server is much, much cheaper and less time consuming than flying out here.'
Any good?
Thanks Z, that's perfect. 
@Dante EU - Union Roleplayer and Altisis Victim
The Militia: Union RP Supergroup - www.themilitia.org.uk
Quote:
Just to point out a couple of things here though.|
Originally Posted by Zortel
How about this, my good man Dante? :>
'Yet again, another bonus costume that most of the EU population will have little to no chance of getting, unless they happen to have a good thousand or more sitting away in the bank to make the flight and get the hotels. Yes, there are going to be people saying that 'It's just a costume code'. And it's true, it's not the code itself that is the issue. There is a skew towards the US server group (and the individuals that play on them, assuming they aren't EU/Oceanic/Other players there for the more server lists and higher population) when it comes to availability of bonus codes, competitions and opportunity to attend conventions. This has been especially pronounced since 2008, when the NCSoft Europe offices were gutted in the re-arrangement that followed NCSoft's rearrangement of non-Korean subsidiaries. There has been no UK or European Mainland convention presence in quite some time. However, even then, the only Dev (and now Dev) we've had grace us with their presence were the quite excellent War Witch, and David Nakayama. (Which IIRC was Brighton 2007 for War Witch, and Birmingham 2008 for WW and David N.) If it was not for the kind individuals who attend US conventions and panels and kindly give some of their time to tweeting or otherwise reporting details from the CoH panels, we would be in a bit of a blind spot. While server population has seemed higher since the release of Going Rogue, and there has been two contests arranged (the Design an NPC for Studio 55 in Issue 19, and the give away of Party Pack Items that still cause controversy due to pricing, value for money, and the not too irrational fear that it may lead to nickel and dime-ing, what with the effectively slim issue content now compared to issues such as RWZ/Faultline), there is still the worry that the server groups future is still in the dark, and generally neglected. Couple this with the general quiet of any red name presence on this thread, it gives the impression of a cloud over the game and server group we've put years of money and effort into, with little to allay our fears. Finally, I am still an advocate of virtual meet and greets. Place on the Test Server that's co-op, throw up a power suppression field and talk in ADMIN red, fielding questions from the players. I'm sure something could be arranged for translations from the French and German server players, e-mails could be sent in game to players with Costume-Codes, and I'm sure spending a couple of hours on the EU test server is much, much cheaper and less time consuming than flying out here.' Any good? |
1) NCsoft have actually had a presence at EU Gaming events... (They were for a fact at the GDC Cologne this year.. the fact that indeed quite possibly that these are more "Trade shows" and *not* fan meet ups it does make it harder work "properly".
2) If I remember correctly from a quick talk with War Witch at Birmingham, she was actually over here using up some "holiday" time that she had left over. So whilst it was "official", it was also very lucky that it co-incided with her being able to make it as well.
3) Virtual meet and greets: Having taken part with a few of these (well more accurately Q&A sessions from Tabula Rasa), there were several downsides to it. One of them being able to properly track questions, and also it *does* mean that you have to be able to login to the test server (something which actually i *CANNOT* do right now). Dont ask me why, the PC just wont let me.
4) Also in conjunction with point 3, would it really be worthwhile just having something like that run for 2 hours... when a proper event can last 4-5 times longer, and be more "real". With the exception that there are only 1 (maybe 2) events each year in the EU that make it worthwhile for NCsoft to travel to fullstop. And those are trade events.
5) For some of the "giveaway codes"... I got mine early evening EU time, and a friend of mine was lucky enough to get one 4 hours AFTER it was posted up on facebook (yes, she got it @ 4am in the morning)
6) Hell, even companies like CCP tend to "announce" most of their stuff either at their Fanfest (held in Iceland) OR US events (notice, not at EU Events). So surely they are doing something wrong, and in terms of "red name" responses, they are probably jsut as bad as NCsoft in this respect.
The plain fact that there are just MORE events US side where its worthwhile for them to go to, I can see why the EU side does get "skimped on".
Hell, if they did a "meet and greet" at the Gamescon Cologne or whereever... i am sure that you would still complain about it... even though it wouldn't be financially viable for them to do a small stop over in the EU. (Being honest, how many people showed up to Memorbelia or Comic Cons over here, even if NCsoft wouldn't be there?). Seriously, doing a Meet and Greet for 10-15 people just isnt worth it.
One thing I would say is that calling for "red name responses" is just childish, especially when the main topic of the thread has now diverted from its original goal.
There just isnt really the critical mass for players over here to really pull something like this off as a "one off" (Notice all the players who complain about bad timings/locations for the "player arranged" events
)
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For 'skimped', read 'ignored'. |
Originally Posted by Gangrel_EU
The plain fact that there are just MORE events US side where its worthwhile for them to go to, I can see why the EU side does get "skimped on".
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And if there had been a meet up anywhere in Europe, I would have considered going. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than flying to the US.
EDIT: I'm sorry, I'm just in a really foul mood today and this announcement was the prize turd on the top of the cake. The point of the thread may have wandered a bit but I think the issue still remains as important as it was before GR was released, namely the life expentency of the EU servers and the continual favouring of the US over us as a playerbase.
@Dante EU - Union Roleplayer and Altisis Victim
The Militia: Union RP Supergroup - www.themilitia.org.uk
I think the mere fact we're still voicing our concerns 2 years after the Brighton offices were closed and yet the situation remains largely unchanged speaks volumes about not only Paragon Studios attitude towards the EU, but also how short sighted they are by regularly giving a raw deal to such heavily devoted players.
The EU may not have a "critical mass" of a player base, but until NC took over, it certainly used to have. I also remember not 2 or 3 years ago going to a Memorabilia where CityOf had a stand as part of the "Draw the World Together" charity and it was jam packed with people not only trying to get their characters drawn, but also people walking out of the show with conspicuously visible COV boxes poking out of the top of plastic bags. ( I also seem to remember catching sight of a particular pony tailed goatee bearded chap with a "Dante" name label fighting his way through the crowd ).
Poor server connections, no shelf presence and the same old "we're looking in to it" BS that we've been expected to swallow is what has caused the lack of EU players, not the other way around.
Perhaps GR and the graphics update is going to be enough to bring back previously disillusioned players like me, but NC is really going to have to up its game if it plans to keep them.
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Well.. we now met the marketing guy for the EU. He excists... But was only hired 3 months ago.
Big plans for EU promotion in Franch and Germany too. But Mike is just one man... and EU is big. Let us hope for the best.
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Originally Posted by Liz Bathory
Well.. we now met the marketing guy for the EU. He excists... But was only hired 3 months ago.
Big plans for EU promotion in Franch and Germany too. But Mike is just one man... and EU is big. Let us hope for the best. |
Would be nice for him to actually poke his head around the door here then and introduce himself.
I notice there is a new red name though which is very encouraging: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/member.php?u=489190
Thelonious Monk
WARNING: Incoming Wall of Text
In the wake of the player meet and my colossal embarrassment, I have come back to this discussion with my tail between my legs. I must admit, I am very, very pleased to know that the EU has a marketing manager and had I of known he was going to disappear so soon at the weekend I would have bugged him a lot more.
Certainly a lot of my frustration over this subject comes down to lack of communication. Since the Brighton offices were downgraded (not shut as I erroneously presumed) we have heard very little about what the future holds for the EU crowd. And in the dearth of information, rumour and gossip run rife and Im as guilty of that as the next person. So to be a bit more constructive, Ive done what I can to state my concerns for the future.
1) Disparity of servers. We pay approximately the same price for access to the game as the US players. However, whereas they get something like 10 servers to play on, we get four, sometimes less than that depending on what language skills you have. This means that theres less choice, less slots for the same money paid. Sometimes I like a quiet server, sometimes I like it busy. With the US, you can choose to go to Freedom or to play on one of the less populated servers. No such option exists on the EU servers. Also, freebies such as server transfers have less value.
In short, theres no advantage to play on the EU servers aside from the localisation of language which Im sure our French and German friends appreciate. But there are many people on these boards who live in Europe but choose to play on the US servers. Why would they choose to play on the EU servers? What advantage is there?
2) Continued viability of the EU servers. Now this is one Im sure NCSoft are watching closely. With the launch of GR, we watched our server numbers turn red for the first time in years. Since then Ive not seen any more reds but a fairly consistent yellow on Union at least. While this is very positive, well probably never know what the real numbers are so we can only speculate on what our server populations are really like. Eventually, our servers will close, no game runs forever but before GR came out, some of us were convinced it was fairly imminent, especially as marketing for GR in Europe seemed particularly sparse. With the decimation of the EU offices followed by the merger of our message boards, it felt as if we were moving closer and closer to being absorbed into the US server list. However, this hasnt happened, as much as some of us wish we would be (myself included).
Now Im sure this has changed but when and if the EU servers close, I think wed like to know that we werent going to get the Korean Treatment i.e. thanks for playing, heres some free time on the US servers where youll have to reroll and re-buy everything.
3) Meet and Greets. This one always bugs me. Im a big fan of meet and greets, even if it inevitably means that I embarrass the hell out of myself at them in some way. But back when we had a larger marketing team in the EU, we had visits from War Witch and Noble Savage, and attendance at conventions, all events that were very much appreciated and looked forward to. Since then, all weve had were unofficial events although the label of unofficial seems dubious after the last weekend. It would be foolish to expect to see the Devs come to every country but some more events for EU players would be great, even if it was a virtual meet and greet on the Test Server. This game has always been amazing for the level of interaction it allows with the game developers so maybe weve become spoilt. Weve already seen exclusive competitions and events for the EU (many thanks!) so I hope that this weekend just gone was only a hint of what to expect in the future.
4) Representation. This one might be ignorance on my part so please correct me if Im wrong. Back when we had the EU boards, we knew who to PM or talk to if we had a concern about certain topics. These days, Im less sure. Is there a moderator or community representative responsible for the EU? In short, when we have worries over things like this, who should we be asking?
TL;DR version: There are no advantages to playing on the EU servers over the US short of language difference. We seem to get less value for money, less events and less representation.
There you go, theres my thoughts on the matter, minus my customary cynicism. If we can get any thoughts on these, official and unofficial, that would be a step forward.
Thanks
@Dante EU - Union Roleplayer and Altisis Victim
The Militia: Union RP Supergroup - www.themilitia.org.uk
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I'm sure he will, but he's not been properly Red-named yet - he does have a normal board logon, though, but I think I'll leave it to him to introduce himself.
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Originally Posted by Scarlet Shocker
Would be nice for him to actually poke his head around the door here then and introduce himself.
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The wisdom of Shadowe: Ghostraptor: The Shadowe is wise ...; FFM: Shadowe is no longer wise.
; Techbot_Alpha: Also, what Shadowe said. It seems he is still somewhat wise ; Bull Throttle: Shadowe was unwise in this instance...; Rock_Powerfist: in this instance Shadowe is wise.; Techbot_Alpha: Shadowe is very wise *nods*; Zortel: *Quotable line about Shadowe being wise goes here.*
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Know it sounds wierd but on the old forums i used to exchange PMs with the mods there [like GhostRaptor] and felt comfortable in getting my view across and asking questions.| 4) Representation. This one might be ignorance on my part so please correct me if Im wrong. Back when we had the EU boards, we knew who to PM or talk to if we had a concern about certain topics. These days, Im less sure. Is there a moderator or community representative responsible for the EU? In short, when we have worries over things like this, who should we be asking? |
I know Av and Ocho have both said to send them PMs in numerous posts but feels TOO official if that makes sense
Ok im wierd 
That aside, does anybody know if the old mods still play? Like ghostraptor, bridger, kerensky [think that was the name iirc]?
Agree with you dante on that sometimes i like to solo but use global chat to keep in contact with people, but also like the chance now and then to just do some random teaming. Numbers are defo up though , just see how it goes for now i suppose
@Damz Find me on the global channel Union Chat. One of the best "chat channels" ingame!
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They need time to get the ritual ready. |
Originally Posted by Shadowe
I'm sure he will, but he's not been properly Red-named yet.
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@Dante EU - Union Roleplayer and Altisis Victim
The Militia: Union RP Supergroup - www.themilitia.org.uk
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I see GhostRaptor online every now and then (not often) - but he was on earlier this evening. He's a PvP fiend, so RV is the place to find him.|
Originally Posted by EU_Damz
That aside, does anybody know if the old mods still play? Like ghostraptor, bridger, kerensky [think that was the name iirc]?
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I will not, of course, reveal his global name to all and sundry.
Rockjaw has been known to state that, even though he's now based in the US, he will play CoH when time permits, and, in his own words "Union, baby!" Not seen him on, personally.
Kerensky, I have no idea about, nor Bridger.
The wisdom of Shadowe: Ghostraptor: The Shadowe is wise ...; FFM: Shadowe is no longer wise.
; Techbot_Alpha: Also, what Shadowe said. It seems he is still somewhat wise ; Bull Throttle: Shadowe was unwise in this instance...; Rock_Powerfist: in this instance Shadowe is wise.; Techbot_Alpha: Shadowe is very wise *nods*; Zortel: *Quotable line about Shadowe being wise goes here.*
Another person who you *might* remember, wass tempted to reactivate their account as well....
I dunno, but his name was something to do with planes....
Is there a way to acquire the peripheral bits and bobs from the NA GR pack that didn't come delivered with the EU download? I don't have any of the emotes or costume pieces which I believe were bundled with the NA version. Seems peciliar that they don't come with the EU version. I've been hunting around for some answer to this on the servers but haven't found anything. Am I going mad? Or maybe I'm just imagining the whole thing and will wake up soon to find Bryan Adams is STILL number one and I'm still playing Monkey Island on the Amiga...
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The only thing the NA people got special was the special enhancements that came with the boxed retail full version from Gamestop (maybe, one of the retailers).|
Originally Posted by Bindweed
Is there a way to acquire the peripheral bits and bobs from the NA GR pack that didn't come delivered with the EU download? I don't have any of the emotes or costume pieces which I believe were bundled with the NA version. Seems peciliar that they don't come with the EU version. I've been hunting around for some answer to this on the servers but haven't found anything. Am I going mad? Or maybe I'm just imagining the whole thing and will wake up soon to find Bryan Adams is STILL number one and I'm still playing Monkey Island on the Amiga...
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The Full version came with the Alpha and Omega auras and costumes plus the useless shadow power. This is available on the online store. You can purchase the items seperatly with the item pack.
Hmm. The description for Going Rogue at the NCSoft site describes the costume pieces and emotes etc as being included. I thought I didn't have them because either I had an EU account or pre-purchased it. So the description at the store is incorrect and I have to pay for them separately - because we didn't get a box, was it?
The pre-purchase was for just the Going Rogue expansion, that gave you the early access to Dual Pistols and Demon Summoning.
Now on the site, there is the Going Rogue Expansion, and the more expensive Going Rogue Complete Collection, with CoH/v access, and the Alpha/Omega Auras/Costumes and the Shadowy Presence Power, and the stances as well.
This can be purchased in a stand alone pack for 4.99. Link is as below:
https://secure.ncsoft.com/cgi-bin/St...em&item_id=216
I believe the boxes in the US are for only the Complete Collection, which comes with the pack as standard.
Screw the words, I'll believe the PR bull when I see action.
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