City of Heroes: Live Forum Archive

VALVe email campaign

afocks

By afocks,
Posted on: 2012-09-01 11:04 in CoH and CoV General Discussions

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Valdous View Post
Shouldn't be hard. Petition's already over 9200. Tell all your friends!
In every email I've sent so far I've made sure to provide links to not only the petition, but the various forum posts, news articles, CoH's main site, and links to the various features I bring up such as Mission Architect. The more visual proof the better, right?

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xzero45 View Post
In every email I've sent so far I've made sure to provide links to not only the petition, but the various forum posts, news articles, CoH's main site, and links to the various features I bring up such as Mission Architect. The more visual proof the better, right?
You know it. The more the word spreads, the more people will learn how much we care for and want to support this game and its community. And the more people who know that, the more investors and/or publishers will know it too.

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Golden Girl View Post
It's still the Labor Day Weekend - we're unlikely to get any response until Tuesday at the earliest.
That actually plays to our advantage. That means one more day to pad Gabe Newell's inbox and our petition signature total. It makes us look even more dramatic.

Quote:
Newton: I observed Mercury's perihelion moving 43 arc-seconds per century more than it should. Is this WAI?
--Einstein

 

Posted

I picture this as being the ideal public response:

Quote:
To: Citizens of Paragon
From: Gabe

I play too.

 

Posted

I sent mine.


Hello.*
As you know CoH is going to be ending soon unless we the community gets outside help.* I would like to describe to you what the game means to me and now my family.

I started playing in 2005. Shortly thereafter my new wife joined me, and then shortly after that my brother in law joined us.* We played nonstop every day for three years, made countless friends and got fussed at at work because of CoH double XP weekend induced lack of sleep.

We had to take a brief 4 year hiatus when my wife and I had a baby. However 4 years later the son takes after the father and joins me in CoH.* We have played every night for the last 5 months and have our characters at level 24.* Until Aug 31 hit us with the news that we are on* borrowed time.

I know it may not be much but my family is good for three subscriptions not to mention all the other content I have bought lately.

This was my feeble attempt to place into words what this game has meant and means to us, and all the CoH community.

Thanks for the time and hopefully willing ear.

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Terwyn View Post
I picture this as being the ideal public response:
That would be by the far, the definition of awesomeness.

I also sent mine as well:

Hello, in case you haven't heard on Friday NCsoft closed down City of Heroes. Servers are still running, but the lights will go out for good on November 30th. This game has been alive for almost a decade, and despite it's dated graphics it has a welcoming, friendly, and helpful community.

If you don't know, City of Heroes or CoH is super-hero themed MMNO that came out in 2004. It may be a decade old but it still has an active community that loved this game with all their heart.

So could you, pick up City of Heroes? I know the the factors of this game is unknown, and the risks that you could take. But, I'm pretty sure you know what your doing with the success of the other games you made that are still going strong. Don't let an amazing game disappear in the depths oblivion.

A Fan,
Annie Coursen

-Words cannot express how I fell nor pictures. I feel nothing but sadness.

 

Posted

You know what would be really good... (if it hasn't already been done)...

I have this idea - which I think is awesome - but I don' t have the ability to put it together.. i thought I'd throw this out there to see if someone else with the video skill/talent might be able to whip it together.

____________________________

Ok here goes. *concept*

Using this music - "Holding out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f_HsjpSVaI


With the opening and closing screen saying "Who will save the heroes?"

Then somewhere in the begining and/or end - something along the following message:-

"a new menace has arisen, something that has threatened the lives and existance of every Hero and Villain in CoH.

This corporate tyrant and heartless monster plans to erase from existence every super powered being in the paragon universe.

A terrifying count-down to destruction has been set.
On November 30th, 2012, NCsoft intends to destroy the world of Paragon forever.

The heroes now need their own hero. Who will save them?"
With a video showing awesomeness of heroes/villains working together, saving npcs from robbers/kidnaps etc, fun emotes, events, defeating monsters, all the -positive- things please.

*edit* Also lots of heroes flying (not many mmos has this) and also maybe dramatic shots of heroes threatened by NCsoft falling out of the sky to their death (or something maybe)
Also any scenes showing LOTS of players (hundreds?) in the same area working together (maybe Rikti ship) idea being that a lot of people play together.

Also one of the scenes in the video to scroll text saying - CoH has a following of loyal dedicated players for 8~years, x numbers of subscribers etc, evolving game etc (positive 'sales' summary that might peak the interest of anyone powerful enough to save us).


And at the end when the music fades out - this big text comes up on a black screen:
"11/30/2012 - will you be the heroes' hero?"

Then we could link this video on every support page / Facebook / and email it also to maybe some reporting magazines, fanbases, and the others who we have been asking for help.
____________________________


Please samurai Michelle if you are reading this if you have time... or someone talented like her, can you put this together with the music?

I know its a long shot, but with actual game play, compelling words timed in the video & this epic music - maybe, maybe it can help to save paragon.


(I am blubbing, again.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Forbin_Project
I was thrilled with the Science pack cuz I finally got payback on the creepy guy that kept trying to ERP with my tween heroine, by hitting the costume change and turning into a 10' tall monstrous escaped prisoner and telling him, "You gots a real purty mouf, now bendover and squeal like a pig fo yo daddy, cuz you my little puppy now!" Haven't seen him since.

 

Posted

After coming out of the state of shock I was in on Friday, I've finally put my boots and joined the fight.

Here's to Mr. Newell and Valve.

 

Posted

As cool as it is, I am just overloaded right now. There are other great vid-makers in the COH playerbase who could do this, though... with luck, one of them will spot this.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

Dark_Respite's Farewell Video: "One Last Day"
THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE CONTINUES!
Book I: A Tale of Nerd Flirting! ~*~ Book II: Courtship and Crime Fighting - Chap Nine live!
MA Arcs - 3430: Hell Hath No Fury / 3515: Positron Gets Some / 6600: Dyne of the Times / 351572: For All the Wrong Reasons
378944: Too Clever by Half / 459581: Kill or Cure / 551680: Clerical Errors (NEW!)

 

Posted

*edit* np.

If anyone else can help please holler (I'll pm Leandro as well)

*edited again* Leo has replied to me & is looking into what he can do. Stay tuned!
PS - *hugs Leo* <3

Quote:
Originally Posted by Forbin_Project
I was thrilled with the Science pack cuz I finally got payback on the creepy guy that kept trying to ERP with my tween heroine, by hitting the costume change and turning into a 10' tall monstrous escaped prisoner and telling him, "You gots a real purty mouf, now bendover and squeal like a pig fo yo daddy, cuz you my little puppy now!" Haven't seen him since.

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mad Grim View Post
I think the best way to go about it is in a business sense. Yes, Valve probably has a conscience, but if Gabe bought up every sob story he came across he wouldn't be rich.

Also do your best to remind them that they'd have a fiercely loyal playerbase that would literally love them forever.
I'm not sure I agree with that part. Valve is far more capable of evaluating the possible profitability and costs associated with owning City of Heroes than we are. I doubt that we're going to convince them to buy it by telling them it could make them money. They'll make that decision on their own.

What we should be trying to convince them is that City of Heroes has a passionate and dedicated fanbase who are willing to fight to see the game survive rather than simply lie down and let it die. It's a huge long shot, but what isn't at this point.

The letter I sent is below, if anyone wants to use it for inspiration.

Mr Newell,

On Friday, it was announced, very abruptly, that the Comic-book MMORPG City of heroes was being shut down for good. As a dedicated player of the game for years, I was shocked and very disappointed. Though it's getting a bit old, the game seems to have really hit its stride lately, especially since it went free to play late last year. With a wonderful open world, excellent stories, the best character creator ever seen in an MMO, and one of the friendliest, most dedicated communities that I've ever met online, city of heroes is truly a unique and wonderful game. And it would be a shame to simply let it die.

I'm writing to you because I think that Valve is also a great company that makes awesome games, and that Valve and City of Heroes could be a good fit for each other. I fully realize that it's a huge long shot, but would Valve have any interest in trying to buy City of Heroes and continue to maintain and develop the game? I know it's a lot to ask, and it's probably silly to expect anything to come of it, but it would feel like giving up not to try. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Jordan Hughes-Buckley

 

Posted

Okay I realize we are grasping at straws but I figured, what the hell. We need something...sent in my email.



Oh and this:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xzero45 View Post
Hey Debby Downer.
Had me rolling. Thanks for the good morning laugh haha

 

Posted

I sent mine.

If anyone ever was successful in picking it up, they could easily reinstate the database the morning of the last server save before the closing announcement and keep all previous player's data intact.

I posted a link @ http://www.cityofheroesveterans.com/

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by khorak_EU View Post
At some point a long time from now you'll realise how utterly ludicrous it is to be trying an email campaign to Valve, so they'll use their own money to brawl over City of Heroes with NCSoft because you emailed them a bit.
Yes, yes. We all know it's a long shot. But do you know what kind of shot we have if we do nothing? If you said NO SHOT AT ALL, ding ding ding, you win!

I emailed them because why the hell not? They can use some of that mind boggling wealth to take the company time to read my email.

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by khorak_EU View Post
At some point a long time from now you'll realise how utterly ludicrous it is to be trying an email campaign to Valve, so they'll use their own money to brawl over City of Heroes with NCSoft because you emailed them a bit.

You're asking them to make a simply colossal effort, which is what this is, for very little return. You know what, I think they're going to do nothing and continue to be mind bogglingly wealthy without the effort.
I support any and every attmept to save the unique community and game that we have here.

You might also be interested to know that there's a rumor currently going around that the mind-bogglingly wealthy SOE is making an effort.

@Golden Girl

City of Heroes comics and artwork

 

Posted

I've seen the thread, yeah. Well, the more possibilities, the better, I guess. I mean, Gaben is basically Willy Wonka of the gaming industry, but failing that, well... I'm not picky. SOE, Blizzard, just about anything sounds promising.

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by khorak_EU View Post
At some point a long time from now you'll realise how utterly ludicrous it is to be trying an email campaign to Valve, so they'll use their own money to brawl over City of Heroes with NCSoft because you emailed them a bit.

You're asking them to make a simply colossal effort, which is what this is, for very little return. You know what, I think they're going to do nothing and continue to be mind bogglingly wealthy without the effort.
There is nothing at all silly about taking a chance. It's minimal effort and no harm is done in asking. Hope is a fundamental need in most people's life. We're all fully aware that the chances of this succeeding are near nil, but it's better to ask and be surprised if by some long shot chance it works than to just give up.



Virtue Server
Avatar art by Daggerpoint

 

Posted

Sent

Subject: Save our community, please.

Body:
I will keep this short and sweet.

As you know by now, City of Heroes was shut down in an extremely questionable move by NCSoft, since apparently, while CoH is making them money, their other games are failing and.. yeah that makes no sense to me either.

Suffice to say, if you could convince NC to sell CoH to you, it would be a boon to you and your company.

What you get:

An extremely loyal community that is probably the single most mature and friendly community in any MMO. It has a built in fanbase, and all you need to do is read a few threads at http://boards.cityofheroes.com/ to know this is true.

City of Heroes is profitable. It is a proven product that has lasted nearly a decade. Only NCSoft's inability to properly market it has kept it from taking off. With your clout and marketing, City of Heroes could be more popular than it has ever been, and that is NOT wishful thinking. Play the game, meet the people. It's a diamond in the rough.

If you choose to hire them (and you should) probably one of the single friendliest, hardest working, and passionate groups of developers in the industry. Check their "coffee talks" here: http://www.youtube.com/user/ncsoftnorcal This is a weekly livestream from the development staff that connects with the community and talks about the game and its upcoming features. Pay attention to these people for even a moment, and you will see the competence and passion they exude.

Buy City of Heroes and you cannot go wrong as long as you treat it, and its community, with care, and we would love you forever personally.


I'm only ladylike when compared to my sister.

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Atlantea View Post
OKay, okay. We've been VERY serious and sad and determined here.

This is just a way to inject a slight bit of levity here. I do NOT recommend this as something to say to Mr. Newell for real. But... Ghostbusters quote mangling here:

(Imagine in Bill Murray voice)




Hopefully I can get someone to smile at this. ^_^
Love it.

~ Infinity Heroes ~
Dark Voltage - 50 NRG/NRG/EM Blaster
Shure Shot - 50 Arch/NRG/MM Blaster
Silent Shadow Blade - 50 Katana/SR/BM Scrapper
Uphir - 50 Fire/Fire/Fire Blaster

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Golden Girl View Post
Which is why it'd be good if we could push the petiton over 10k, or close to it - that's a nice "dramatic" number that reads well in a report.
GG, the petition is 15 signatures away from 10,000 as we speak. If we use this as ammunition while notifying various gaming outlets and possibly N.P.R. (as a few posters have mentioned), we just might be able to get something going. We could be known as the little MMO that could. Even if we can't extend the life of our beloved City Of Heroes, at least we'll make NC Soft look really bad in the process.

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by End Sinister View Post
at least we'll make NC Soft look really bad in the process.
I've got a few ideas for that already - but that's only if we get to the war stage.
Right now, we're trying for a peaecful solution, using the very resonable pitch of "if you don't want the game anymore, then please sell it to someone that does - selling it will actually get you some money, which the planned shut down won't".

@Golden Girl

City of Heroes comics and artwork

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Techbot Alpha View Post
Not to Godw- Ok, to hell with it, TOTALLY Godwinning the thread and I don't care;

Wholesale destruction? Consuming other companies indiscriminatingly? Massive marketing spin? Unethical treatment of companies and consumers? Kills off and discards said companies when bled dry? Tells everyone who doesn't like it where to shove it?

If that's NOT like a media-world Hitler, then I don't know what the hell is.
Actually these days, Activision has done the impossible and actually become worse than Hitler. Though that's like saying the Spanish Inquisition is preferable to Nazi death camps.

 

Posted

Sent:

The owner of City of Heroes, that superhero MMO, announced last Friday that they will be shutting it down.

City of Heroes is a active game, with a vibrant and involved community. The last we heard, it's also a profitable MMO with a regular net income.

I've been playing City of Heroes since September of 2004. In that eight years I've spent many hours doing all sorts of positive things in the virtual world. I've also met some wonderful and caring people in their community.

As a community, we're shocked at this sudden announcement, and sick about the results. We'll lose not only the game, but the way in which we know and talk to one another.

If there is anything you, or Valve can do to change the fate of City of Heroes, there's a hundred thousand players out there who'd be immensely relieved.

I know that many of us would be thrilled to see Valve as the publisher. City of Heroes would be in good hands with Valve, and Valve would gain a regular income source and thousands of supportive new customers.

Even if Valve, as a company, can't do anything, perhaps you could blog or tweet about this. A comment supporting the community would mean a lot.

I thought you would want to know, and hope that you can see the depth of feeling created by this decision from the number and sincerity of the messages you get.

Thank you for all you have done - I'm a loyal Steam user - and for anything you can do.

Sincerely,

[Real name hidden from forum],
[email hidden for forum]
Laufeyjarson on Steam
@Laufeyjarson on City of Heroes

I'm such a geek. Some of my heroes have journals.

 

Posted

... and one more:

Quote:
First, thanks to you and Valve team for both your past games and the Steam service itself. As an avid gamer for three decades, I can say that your team is one of the all-time forces for good in this industry.

Second, I know you've gotten a lot of emails on City of Heroes shutting down. I've also heard that you've got plans to get Steam running on Linux. I can tell you that City of Heroes runs smoothly on Wine on my machine (once you get past the NCSoft Launcher, at least... use the script here to do so: http://www.carnildo.com/cohlaunch/index.html) I hope this information is useful to you.

Third, and most important: The team at Paragon Studios is out of a job. This is an incredible team of developers who communicate well with the community and are passionate about what they do. Even if picking up City of Heroes does not fit into your plans, please pick up the team (or as much as you can). The City of Heroes community broadly regards them as friends rather than developers. I can think of no higher praise.

I wish you and yours all the good fortune you deserve, and a bit extra besides. No email reply is needed - I know you people have things to do.

Caslomyr
-Founder, Almagest

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyrannicus View Post
Actually these days, Activision has done the impossible and actually become worse than Hitler. Though that's like saying the Spanish Inquisition is preferable to Nazi death camps.
Until they become as EA and it's money grubbing campaign of studio and design slaughter, they will never be The Most Evil.

EA are the spawn of Satan's own backside, with less tattoos, less heavy metal and rock, and far more suits and immoral violation of creativity and art.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zwillinger View Post
GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain_Photon View Post
NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.