Call to Action: Thank the media
By
Altoholic_Monkey,
Posted on: 2012-09-03 22:30 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
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No matter what happens, this is still a fantastic idea. I'm sure the devs could use the morale boost right now, plus the public at large needs to learn about NC/Nexon and how they treat their customers, as well as what could happen to whatever games they play from that publisher.
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Originally Posted by Golden Girl
We're highlighting different aspects of the story to appeal to different sites - the key is to spread the news beyond the player base and the geekosphere in general to generate enough attention to change NCSoft's attitude from "whatever" to "oops".
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Yeah, that was me. I sent him a link to the co-ordination thread and mentioned Titan Network as well.
Hes also an Ex-MMO player and was the one who got me playing CoH in the first place.
Tom's Hardware, the global, mega PC hardware site (link here http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Par...oft,17315.html ) features a photo of a very depressed and shocked looking writer, who not only wrote an article about CoH and its closing but solicited NCSoft for further info, which I have re-posted here:
UPDATE: Here's the response we received from NCSoft:
Both NCsoft and Paragon Studios are incredibly proud of the success of City of Heroes, but unfortunately, the continued support of the franchise no longer fits within our long term goals for the company. All employees at Paragon Studios are affected by this decision, including the management team.
We will begin the City of Heroes sun setting process immediately with the goal to officially stop our service offerings for the franchise on November 30, 2012.
This was a very tough decision to make and wish the best for all Paragon Studio employees in their next ventures.
Has anyone drafted a press release, so those in the media would have easy access to the information. Or any type of media kit for the Save City of Heroes effort? Make it easier for the press to obtain information on the rescue efforts.
I also notice on Twitter, many are using #COH or #CityOfHeroes hashtags, perhaps start trending with #SaveCOH or #SaveCityofHeroes If you get it trending high enough on twitter, more folks will get interested.
(I'll cross post to the Titan forums)
Hi Tony, just sent you my BBC contacts email address by PM.
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This is how the story will make its way into broader press. I'm talking to some contacts here and there as well. But the few obvious angles of this story in its present state do not fit their beats currently. Doesn't mean though that some of these folks don't talk with their colleagues or attend meetings. So we'll see.
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Originally Posted by Star_Seer
I thought that a friend of mine that does stories for the BBC might be interested in whats happening to us. He agreed that it might be newsworthy so who knows...
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Signed the petition and shared it on FB. I'm doing my part 
Yes, this is right what we need: The press. E-Mails and letters will not have much effect, they will just delete them or throw them into the trash. It's not the first game they closed, so they know how the fans will react, but the world have to know what's going on here and how NC-Soft throws his customers out of the game.
A lot of people played this game, maybe not now but in the past and for someone it was the first online game (For me too), so this is really a chance to get the support we need and this is good in finding a new puplisher when they see how much people still like the game.
Well I think that if nothing else there is a great human interest angle to this chain of events.
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i agree with that, if this kind of thing needs some generic tag, then human interest is prolly the best
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Originally Posted by Star_Seer
Well I think that if nothing else there is a great human interest angle to this chain of events.
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I love how the corporate mouthpiece tries to make it sound like the home office is hurting over this decision, too. I'm willing to bet that not a single person in Korea lost their jobs. We understand the immediate closure of Paragon Studios includes Paragon Studios management. That's what we are upset about. They didn't even try to sell the game and studio, they simply cut it off.|
Originally Posted by shadow35
UPDATE: Here's the response we received from NCSoft: Both NCsoft and Paragon Studios are incredibly proud of the success of City of Heroes, but unfortunately, the continued support of the franchise no longer fits within our long term goals for the company. All employees at Paragon Studios are affected by this decision, including the management team. We will begin the City of Heroes sun setting process immediately with the goal to officially stop our service offerings for the franchise on November 30, 2012. This was a very tough decision to make and wish the best for all Paragon Studio employees in their next ventures. |
Aion's next. City profits were down 15,000,000 Won from last quarter. Aion's losses were 15,000,000,000 Won. Closing City won't do a thing to prevent that.
New story arcs coming soon (ARC IDs will be aded when I finish the arc):
So, you want to join the Hellions? (level 1-14 Villainous arc)
Sparks & Steel (level 5-20 Heroic arc)
and
So you want to join the Skulls? (level 1-14 Villainous arc)
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Beyond the public shaming of NCSoft and more important in my opinion is simply getting word out there regarding the effort to save the game and an accurate sense of how broad our supportive base is. The more eyeballs this reaches, the more chances that it falls across the right "desk" of someone who can help before it's too late and we're building from scratch.|
Originally Posted by Technerdoc
Yes, this is right what we need: The press. E-Mails and letters will not have much effect, they will just delete them or throw them into the trash. It's not the first game they closed, so they know how the fans will react, but the world have to know what's going on here and how NC-Soft throws his customers out of the game.
A lot of people played this game, maybe not now but in the past and for someone it was the first online game (For me too), so this is really a chance to get the support we need and this is good in finding a new puplisher when they see how much people still like the game. |
Now the right desk could be a persuasive and powered person of status, an executive or celebrity with a large amount of funding to lend, or simply a larger mass of "us"--people willing to help with a crowd funding effort to secure the IP and hopefully all else intact before the community and most the devs go elsewhere. Its hard to say how many former players have come and gone but have considered coming back who would kick in to a funding effort. So simply getting word out packaged with clear word about the effort that TonyV and company are spearheading is important right now.
And as I said elsewhere in the forums, as this effort progresses and the closer it comes to success, that's when it will become more of a broader human interest story. And we may be all quite surprised by the legs that this story grows then. In part because a fan-base buying out a service platform is currently the exception and not the rule in our economic culture.
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This is actually my plan for today. I am working on coordinating our efforts to reach out to the media as well as doing my best to come up to speed very quickly on how things work inside media organizations so that we can be most effective. Literally the next thing on my agenda--and I've already started working on it--is a press release about what we're doing, where we are, and what our plans are.|
Originally Posted by Altoholic_Monkey
Has anyone drafted a press release, so those in the media would have easy access to the information. Or any type of media kit for the Save City of Heroes effort? Make it easier for the press to obtain information on the rescue efforts.
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Over the course of the next days and weeks, I'll be regularly sending out updated press releases to keep media organizations tuned in to what's going on. I'm in touch with some marketing folks who have already helped out and will be helping us out in this effort.
I'll keep everyone posted with what's going on.
We've been saving Paragon City for eight and a half years. It's time to do it one more time.
(If you love this game as much as I do, please read that post.)
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Originally Posted by TonyV
This is actually my plan for today. I am working on coordinating our efforts to reach out to the media as well as doing my best to come up to speed very quickly on how things work inside media organizations so that we can be most effective. Literally the next thing on my agenda--and I've already started working on it--is a press release about what we're doing, where we are, and what our plans are.
Over the course of the next days and weeks, I'll be regularly sending out updated press releases to keep media organizations tuned in to what's going on. I'm in touch with some marketing folks who have already helped out and will be helping us out in this effort. I'll keep everyone posted with what's going on. |
While you were writing that, I was writing this:
Donning my former press officer hat for a second, we should have a proper plan for media engagement rather than going for an ad-hoc approach. Off the top of my head we should:
- Pull together a mailing list of suitable media contacts (gaming websites and magazines, games correspondents at more general websites/news organisations etc)
- Define exactly what our message is Id suggest Save City of Heroes as a starting point. All our communications should get that message across, even if they talk about different ways of doing it (CoH players petition NCSoft to save the game, CoH players looking for a hero to buy the game, Can CoH players save the game via Kickstarter? Players recreate CoH using the power of puppet theatre Thank you, but hopefully not goodbye; CoH players send the developers fancy new hats.
- Prepare proper press releases rather than sending generic what is happening emails. If we supply a release with a decent headline and story (for example Petition to save City of Heroes gets passes 10,000 signatures), we are a lot more likely to get coverage than if we just tell them about the situation. Wed also need to host these somewhere.
- Have a few people who are willing to act as points of contact and rent-a-quotes for journalists.
- Create a list of potential future stories so that we can keep our message out there.
- Consider stunts. Stunts get coverage. 50 people dressed as super heroes outside NCSofts office will get more coverage than 10,000 people sending the CEO a polite email thats not to say we shouldnt send the emails as well though. Also stunts are fun.
- Pitch larger articles. A mainstream website or paper is unlikely to cover a story about a computer game closing down unless it is a really slow news day, but may consider running a feature called What happens to an online community when the plug is pulled?
Dead Calm's Defender Manifesto
Another article, no comments as of posting this:
http://www.gamenguide.com/articles/3...amers-make.htm
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If you haven't already, you should PM TonyV and repost this on the Titan Network forums. Someone who's familiar with the media would probably be a huge asset to these efforts.|
Originally Posted by Dead Calm
Press release stuff
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Originally Posted by SilverAgeFan
Another article, no comments as of posting this:
http://www.gamenguide.com/articles/3...amers-make.htm |
I did add a comment to the gamerzines article.
@Draeth Darkstar
Virtue [Heroes, Roleplay], Freedom [Villains], Exalted [All Sides, Roleplay]
Code:
I24 Proc Chance = (Enhanced Recharge + Activation Time) * (Current PPM * 1.25) / 60*(1 + .75*(.15*Radius - 0.011*Radius*(360-Arc)/30)) Single Target Radius = 0. AoE Non-Cone Arc = 360.
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About 2/3rd the way down, past their article bullets and one google ad, above a bunch of other ads. It's a bit buried at the moment.
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Originally Posted by Draeth Darkstar
I don't see anywhere to comment on this one, but I'm a little blind. Am I missing something?
I did add a comment to the gamerzines article. |
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The image I just had for this is COH players heading into downtown Seattle and standing outside the NCSoft building, all wearing COH t-shirts, and handing out flyers a la the petition guy outside City Hall in Atlas... with a boombox playing the Atlas Park theme. Even funnier would be to have a bunch more in actual costume, and players holding a live 'costume contest' to get attention. If we alert the media beforehand (and God knows I'd be down there to take pictures, as I live just north of Seattle), this could get us some entertaining coverage.|
Originally Posted by Dead Calm
[*]Consider stunts. Stunts get coverage. 50 people dressed as super heroes outside NCSofts office will get more coverage than 10,000 people sending the CEO a polite email thats not to say we shouldnt send the emails as well though. Also stunts are fun.
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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!)
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!)
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People only need to read the official farewell thread in the announcement section to see that we've got some stories there that are absolute PR gold for our campaign.
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Originally Posted by Star_Seer
Well I think that if nothing else there is a great human interest angle to this chain of events.
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@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
MMO Grinder has posted a nice article about CoH as well. It's fairly comprehensive and includes information on the fan efforts to save the game:
http://mmogrinder.net/2012/09/02/r-i...roes/#more-541
TonyV - if I make so bold... should this actually work?
The title of the press release should be "Faith Manages." 
Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite
"On the one hand, it is a statement of hope to anyone else out there who has a dream, to follow it no matter who speaks against you, no matter the odds, no matter what they say to or about you, no matter what roadblocks they throw in your way. What matters is that you remain true to your vision.
On the other hand, for the reviewers and the pundits and the critics and the net-stalkers who have done nothing but rag on this show for five years straight, it is also a giant middle finger composed of red neon fifty stories tall, that will burn forever in the night."
- J Michael Straczynski, on the inclusion of a closing card that read "DEDICATED TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO PREDICTED THAT THE BABYLON PROJECT WOULD FAIL IN ITS MISSION. FAITH MANAGES.", after his 11th hour success in finding a backer for the last season of BABYLON 5
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!)
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!)
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Yes, absolutely.
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Originally Posted by Dark_Respite
TonyV - if I make so bold... should this actually work?
The title of the press release should be "Faith Manages." Michelle aka Samuraiko/Dark_Respite "On the one hand, it is a statement of hope to anyone else out there who has a dream, to follow it no matter who speaks against you, no matter the odds, no matter what they say to or about you, no matter what roadblocks they throw in your way. What matters is that you remain true to your vision. On the other hand, for the reviewers and the pundits and the critics and the net-stalkers who have done nothing but rag on this show for five years straight, it is also a giant middle finger composed of red neon fifty stories tall, that will burn forever in the night." - J Michael Straczynski, on the inclusion of a closing card that read "DEDICATED TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO PREDICTED THAT THE BABYLON PROJECT WOULD FAIL IN ITS MISSION. FAITH MANAGES.", after his 11th hour success in finding a backer for the last season of BABYLON 5 |
Speaking of Human Interest stories, I don't know for sure how/if it could be played, but what about some kind of comparison between the Paragon City situation vis a vis financial woes and the real life financial viability of many cities out there now (some of which that have had to declare bankruptcy)?
Again, I'm not sure how it could be framed- obviously, we don't want to minimize the real economic struggles of people- but in terms of paralleling the idea of being dispossessed from a community, maybe?
(Just spitballing.)
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Personally I disagree. A press release should be as tight and straightforward as possible, pared down to the bare minimum of necessary information.|
Originally Posted by Dark_Respite
TonyV - if I make so bold... should this actually work?
The title of the press release should be "Faith Manages." Michelle aka Samuraiko/Dark_Respite "On the one hand, it is a statement of hope to anyone else out there who has a dream, to follow it no matter who speaks against you, no matter the odds, no matter what they say to or about you, no matter what roadblocks they throw in your way. What matters is that you remain true to your vision. On the other hand, for the reviewers and the pundits and the critics and the net-stalkers who have done nothing but rag on this show for five years straight, it is also a giant middle finger composed of red neon fifty stories tall, that will burn forever in the night." - J Michael Straczynski, on the inclusion of a closing card that read "DEDICATED TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO PREDICTED THAT THE BABYLON PROJECT WOULD FAIL IN ITS MISSION. FAITH MANAGES.", after his 11th hour success in finding a backer for the last season of BABYLON 5 |
The title of the press release and the first paragraph should both be written in such a way that they tell the entire story in as few short sentences as possible. And it needs to be clear and concise enough that it could be reprinted verbatim should an outlet choose to do so or to quote it directly.
Remember, most the people reading this may not have ever even heard of CoH. Taglines like:
Everyday Heroes
International Online Community Fights to Save Their City
etc.
"Faith Manages," though touching and loaded with history for some misdirects the 15 seconds most people will give your press release.
Besides, we don't need to appeal to external validation such as Babylon 5. Hiding behind a "similar" effort to justify our collective efforts rarely makes for center stage publicity.
Short of it: Press release should be about the now growing effort to save City of Heroes. Nothing else.
We've been saving Paragon City for eight and a half years. It's time to do it one more time.
(If you love this game as much as I do, please read that post.)