A wall of text from a very old player
By
JayboH,
Posted on: 2012-08-31 16:31 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
I could go on and on just like this with my own stories. I don't want to feel more heartache.
My new Youtube Channel with CoH info
You might know me as FlintEastwood now on Freedom
I don't have a RL story to match, but I definitely have a whole world of Alt-Bio history that could spit out a book or two.
Up front I'll apologize for the verbosity of all this. I've never really been involved with the forums that much, but I've been playing a long time and would like to share something with the community that made up the best MMO I've ever played.
Two weeks after CoH launched, after watching my dad play, he set me up with my own account and set me loose onto the streets of Paragon City. I was in middle school at the time. The first character I created was on the Justice server, by the name of High Wire. Out of all the alts I made, all the abandoned characters and concepts, High Wire, my Elec/Elec Blaster, stuck. After years of playing him, I finally hit 50 after a full week of nonstop playing with my dad and brother. I don't really remember how long ago that was now. When I could use the ancillary pools, I chose electricity; I was pretty dedicated to the concept. When the Incarnate system rolled around, I chose all the electricity powers; anything that fit.
I'm sure it's clear, but I've been playing High Wire (now High-Wire, on Freedom, as of a couple years ago - just a server transfer, not a remake. He's still the original guy.) since two weeks after the game was released. I don't know if this makes him one of the oldest active characters, but it would be cool if that was the case.
I've played this game through everything. I wasn't ever the most knowledgeable about it, or involved in it, but I always felt incredibly comfortable playing it. The people were nice, and those who weren't often got shouted down by the more respectful people. It's been the most pleasant group of people I've ever come across in a computer game.
There was a day, back when I was in 8th grade and struggling with my Spanish class, that I was with a group and said that I only had time for one more mission, because I had work to get done. One guy asked what I was working on, and it ended up with him taking the time to help me out with my Spanish homework for that night. He didn't have to do that; he quit the team to spend 10 or 15 minutes helping some random kid out. I don't remember his name, but I have always held that event in my mind as the kind of thing that just...happened, in the game.
City of Heroes has been the only MMO I've really liked. I've tried all those others that we're not allowed to mention here, but none ever gave me the same sense of connection to my character; never made me feel like I was living in their world. I wasn't "The Electricity Mage," with "The Electricity Mage Build." I was High Wire, the elec/elec/elec blaster who could nuke down the entire mob, perma-hold the survivors, then beat the crap out of them with my melee attacks. I made my character do what I wanted him to; I didn't have to sit there as the game explained to me my role and mercilessly punished me if I dared to deviate from that.
It's because of that that I'm probably not going to get into any more MMOs. I've only ever wanted what City of Heroes offered. I'm 20 now, and I've seen so much of this game change and evolve and reshape itself. It's been a hell of a ride, and everything was worth it.
If anyone's read this far, thank you, and thank you for being part of the best community of the best MMO I've ever had the pleasure of being a part of. My best wishes to everyone.