(EDIT: FPARN?!)
Hopefully it ain't farewell, man. I'm not ready for this game to die. ;_; Not without a fight at least!
But still ... no matter what comes of everything, thank you for all the work you've done for the game. Even when you were stuck in QA! (I gotta say, going from QA to the content team kind of sounds like a Cinderella story.)
(AND YOU SHOULD TOTALLY DO USE THAT SONG, SAMURAIKO)
Viridian,
As always I appreciate what everyone on board with Paragon Studios has accomplished in giving us a respite from the grind we call real life.
But don't give up the ship yet! I know it's a long shot, but we're all trying our hardest to keep CoH and Paragon going. Just know we're there for you and doing all we can.
And have some tea! 
That's what I do when times get tough. Well, that and a bubblebath, but that's a girlie thing. 
one day i hope i could start in QA somewhere and move into development
all of you devs are so inspiring and for years i dreamed of some day working with you guys on coh when i finished school
thats why i will do my darndest to make sure that this game stays alive so one day i could potentially fulfill my dream
keep the dream alive viridian
(as for the jokey part: ive only run viridians arc in game twice because he requires so much stuff to be able to run it lol)
I'm listening to that now and I agree. I would probably cry and show my kids the video when talking about my first game as well. This is breaking my heart.
Ryan, thank you for all you have done for us from squishing bugs to making them
Oh, and that would be an awesome choice for the tribute!
--Rad
/whereami:
Quote:
You spent four years in QA? For this game???|
Originally Posted by .Viridian.
Four years passed
|
[Guide to Defense] [Scrapper Secondaries Comparison] [Archetype Popularity Analysis]
In one little corner of the universe, there's nothing more irritating than a misfile...
(Please support the best webcomic about a cosmic universal realignment by impaired angelic interference resulting in identity crisis angst. Or I release the pigmy water thieves.)
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by .Viridian.
P.S.: Confidential to Dark Respite - if you turn this song into a CoH tribute, I will do the following:
1) Probably cry 2) Save the video to show my children when they ask about my first game 3) Nominate you for the title of Queen of Machinima |
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by LittleDavid
(EDIT: FPARN?!)
Hopefully it ain't farewell, man. I'm not ready for this game to die. ;_; Not without a fight at least! But still ... no matter what comes of everything, thank you for all the work you've done for the game. Even when you were stuck in QA! (I gotta say, going from QA to the content team kind of sounds like a Cinderella story.) (AND YOU SHOULD TOTALLY DO USE THAT SONG, SAMURAIKO) |
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by woodone
I'm listening to that now and I agree. I would probably cry and show my kids the video when talking about my first game as well. This is breaking my heart.
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Radionuclide
Ryan, thank you for all you have done for us from squishing bugs to making them
Oh, and that would be an awesome choice for the tribute! --Rad |
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!)
Quote:
One at Sega, a little over a year at Leapfrog, and just under two at Paragon.
|
Originally Posted by Arcanaville
You spent four years in QA? For this game???
|
Thank you for being a part of this great game.
Quote:
You get half a Purple Heart then ^_^ Maybe a Purple Spleen or possibly a Purple Buttock.|
Originally Posted by .Viridian.
One at Sega, a little over a year at Leapfrog, and just under two at Paragon.
|
Thanks for making sure our game was the best it could be. QA isn't a very flashy job, but it's necessary gruntwork and very respectable. I'm glad you got your chance to shine in the position you wanted. What content did you end up helping to create?
Doom.
Yep.
This is really doom.
Thank you for all you've done for City of Heroes, Viridian.
@Nanas (on Defiant)
Quote:
I started by polishing up the Ongoing Training Missions for the Freedom launch. Shawn Pitman was the one who started those, but when he left I was asked to take the reins. The first arcs is mostly Shawn's, and we were both responsible for parts of the second. The third arc was mostly mine, with some swift assistance from Dr. Aeon as well.|
Originally Posted by Angry_Citizen
You get half a Purple Heart then ^_^ Maybe a Purple Spleen or possibly a Purple Buttock.
Thanks for making sure our game was the best it could be. QA isn't a very flashy job, but it's necessary gruntwork and very respectable. I'm glad you got your chance to shine in the position you wanted. What content did you end up helping to create? |
After that, I started in on Issue 22, where I did the Dark Astoria repeatable missions (Maharaj for villains, Ephram Sha for heroes), and some mid-level storyarcs. My arcs were:
Collateral Damage - Laura Lockhart (Hero)
Last Rites - Graham Easton (Hero)
Destiny Follows - Bane Spider Ruben (Villain)
What Schemes May Come - Brother Hammond (Villain)
After I22 launched, I was assigned the second signature storyarc, Pandora's Box. There were five arcs in that set, but only three of them made it to live. The fourth and fifth arcs are on beta, but players needed to get a code from Alpha Wolf to test them, so they're not widely available.
Quote:
Ugh, you poor man. That must have been so mind numbing. |
Originally Posted by .Viridian.
a little over a year at Leapfrog
|
Super glad you got to live the dream at Paragon, though. As others have said, I hope this isn't the end either... but if the worst does happen, then I hope this experience will get your foot in the door elsewhere and you'll get to continue doing what you love.
Main Hero: Chad Gulzow-Man (Victory) 50, 1396 Badges
Main Villain: Evil Gulzow-Man (Victory) 50, 1193 Badges
Mission Architect arcs: Doctor Brainstorm's An Experiment Gone Awry, Arc ID 2093
-----
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Nethergoat
it's NEVER too late to pad your /ignore list!
|
Quote:
That's the one where you fight all the Tsoo at the end and choose whether to spare their leader, right? I loved that arc! Easton was one of the most well-writtenly unlikable contacts blueside. Totally wanted to punch him in the face by the end. |
Originally Posted by .Viridian.
Last Rites - Graham Easton (Hero)
|
Main Hero: Chad Gulzow-Man (Victory) 50, 1396 Badges
Main Villain: Evil Gulzow-Man (Victory) 50, 1193 Badges
Mission Architect arcs: Doctor Brainstorm's An Experiment Gone Awry, Arc ID 2093
-----
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Nethergoat
it's NEVER too late to pad your /ignore list!
|
Quote:
My favorite of the two new Steel Canyon arcs. Not only because it could give two badges, but because Laura Lockhart was such a fun NPC. I especially liked the 'defend the base' mission where one of the elevators would always be smashed, and you could actually jump down the hole and land on the next floor. It really made it feel more like a real map.|
Originally Posted by .Viridian.
Collateral Damage - Laura Lockhart (Hero)
|
Thank you very much for your work. /e salute
Quote:
I was hoping we'd find out who did these! These arcs are some of my favorite writing in the game, and at this point, I've seen most of it. The endings for Collateral Damage and Last Rites were epic, and I admit I choked up a little at one point (you know when), but they don't even compare to the sheer joy of Ruben and Hammond's stories. (Everybody reading this, if you haven't played these arcs yet, go play them now, now.)|
Originally Posted by .Viridian.
Collateral Damage - Laura Lockhart (Hero)
Last Rites - Graham Easton (Hero) Destiny Follows - Bane Spider Ruben (Villain) What Schemes May Come - Brother Hammond (Villain) |
There's some good writing in general on redside, but it's definitely harder to get those stories just right. It seems like you really get the mindset of the villain, the way every conversation has the undertone, "When would be the best time to betray you?" Ruben's and especially Hammond's arcs really gave me that feeling that I was playing a scheming mastermind, that I had agency and the ability to adjust plans as they inevitably spiraled out of control. And how sweet was the Hearts of Darkness Class Reunion?
Thank you, sir. Thank you for giving us the chance to feel like supervillains. There's more maniacal laughter in the world because of you.
Quote:
You can pin it on him yourself.
|
Originally Posted by Angry_Citizen
You get half a Purple Heart then ^_^ Maybe a Purple Spleen or possibly a Purple Buttock.
|
[Guide to Defense] [Scrapper Secondaries Comparison] [Archetype Popularity Analysis]
In one little corner of the universe, there's nothing more irritating than a misfile...
(Please support the best webcomic about a cosmic universal realignment by impaired angelic interference resulting in identity crisis angst. Or I release the pigmy water thieves.)
Thanks for helping make sure the game we all got was as good as it could be, Ryan. And then for making new parts that helped it become even better. I also love hearing stories of people going from playing the game to actually working on it... I can only imagine how straight-up cool that must've been. Congrats!
Good luck wherever you end up next, man. And stay safe out there hero!
Oh wow, Planetside to CoH? I did the exact same thing, and got nearly my entire outfit (guild) to follow me.
My new Youtube Channel with CoH info
You might know me as FlintEastwood now on Freedom
Thanks for everything, hope you will find a job that will become your next step up. From QA to Dev to ..... ???
Good luck.
Quote:
Oh man, those four arcs and SSA:2 were yours? Well, at least you can be sure now that any game company ought to be ecstatic to have you on staff writing stories. |
Originally Posted by .Viridian.
My arcs were:
Collateral Damage - Laura Lockhart (Hero) Last Rites - Graham Easton (Hero) Destiny Follows - Bane Spider Ruben (Villain) What Schemes May Come - Brother Hammond (Villain) After I22 launched, I was assigned the second signature storyarc, Pandora's Box. There were five arcs in that set, but only three of them made it to live. The fourth and fifth arcs are on beta, but players needed to get a code from Alpha Wolf to test them, so they're not widely available. |
Those were some of the best stuff I've played in CoH yet, right up there with the clone arcs and Turg's ghost in the machine arcs.
@MuonNeutrino
Student, Gamer, Altaholic, and future Astronomer.
This is what it means to be a tank!
Bane Spider Ruben is one of my favourite arcs period.
Quote:
You did those arcs? |
Originally Posted by .Viridian.
Collateral Damage - Laura Lockhart (Hero)
Last Rites - Graham Easton (Hero) Destiny Follows - Bane Spider Ruben (Villain) What Schemes May Come - Brother Hammond (Villain) |
Note to self: Find out where this guy goes and follow.
I loved Hammond and Ruben's arcs. Easily right up there with Dean/Leonard as the best redside content in the game.
Quote:
I love the mass mook fight in Collateral Damage. Especially on a Titan Weapons or Staff Fighting character. And the Tsoo fight at the end of Easton's arc with a staff fighting character? Magnificent.|
Originally Posted by .Viridian.
Collateral Damage - Laura Lockhart (Hero)
Last Rites - Graham Easton (Hero) Destiny Follows - Bane Spider Ruben (Villain) What Schemes May Come - Brother Hammond (Villain) |
Also, the third Shining Stars Arc? That last mission? The face-off line up before the battle is joined?
You truly are the king of kings.
Hey all,
I'm not going to be able to match the epic write-ups that Dr. Aeon, Black Pebble, et al. have managed to put out there. Life's been hectic lately, and truth be told I've been avoiding the forums. There's a been a lot of heavy emotions running throughout the studio and I'm doing my best to keep an upbeat, positive attitude through all this.
You guys, though, have been amazing. Black Pebble keeps linking all of these amazing threads, fan comics, the change.org petition (13,000 signatures? Holy crap!), and I can't keep silent after seeing all of the support you've been giving us.
Some of you may know that I started in QA. The longer version of that story is that I was nearing the end of my rope in QA. I had jumped straight into the game industry from college (with a major that focused on game design) with the intent to become a designer. Four years passed, and I was still working in QA and didn't really have anything to show for it. During my time at Paragon, I had decided that if I ended up leaving and having to look for more QA work, I was going to switch industries. I was ready to give up.
But that didn't happen. An opening appeared, and the people here knew I wanted to give it a shot. We were on a crazy deadline, trying to get Freedom out the door. I took the design test, interviewed, and suddenly I was working on the content team. I never knew exactly who was championing my cause, but I'm pretty sure War Witch, Second Measure, Positron, and Arbiter Oates were among them.
When City of Heroes first came out, it was my first MMO (I don't really count Planetside). 7 years later, Paragon Studios became the birthplace of my career. I owe this studio and this game so much, and I'm deeply honored to have been a part of both. Thanks to everyone here - the players, the forum community, the rest of the studio - for everything you've given me. It will not be forgotten.
Love and respect to all of you,
-Ryan 'Viridian' Greene
P.S.: Confidential to Dark Respite - if you turn this song into a CoH tribute, I will do the following:
1) Probably cry
2) Save the video to show my children when they ask about my first game
3) Nominate you for the title of Queen of Machinima