Call to Action: Contact NCsoft Directory

Cross-posted at Titan Network forums
Grrr... I typoed the thread title "Directly" as "Directory" and now I can't fix or delete it. Sorry...

UPDATE (Tuesday, September 18)

Hey all, good news. As I indicated in my update yesterday, I asked for an e-mail address that we could use to send messages to NCsoft without interfering with company operations. Today, I received the following: "I asked about setting up a monitored email address for players to be able to communicate with NCsoft, and one has been created at: COHSunset@ncsoft.com." (Emphasis mine.)

Now I know that some of you are thinking, "But that wont do any good!" but I'd like to point out that 1) you don't know that, and 2) they most certainly did not have to do this; I appreciate that not only did they, but they did it very quickly, which shows to me that they are listening. I honestly believe that someone will be reading these messages. Accordingly, please don't use it to grind your ax at NCsoft or e-mail bomb it. If you do, that will most certainly assure that it gets redirected to a black hole never to be read again, which would be screwing over your fellow players, not NCsoft.


UPDATE (Monday, September 17)

I have received a request from NCsoft to remove these addresses from being publicly posted. I have decided to comply, and I wanted to make sure everyone understands my reasons for doing so.

• I read up on the legalities of the situation before posting this Call to Action, and I am convinced that I am well within my rights to do what I did. However, I want NCsoft to understand that this isn't about exercising legal rights, it is about trying to reach people with the ultimate authority to determine the fate of City of Heroes. I have said all along that this is not a campaign of annoyance or denial of service and repeatedly requested that the community be respectful and positive and constructive. Having read many of your e-mails, I believe that this goal was achieved admirably and that our community was well-represented.
• I believe that everyone in our community who would want to contact management at NCsoft has now had ample opportunity to do so. Accordingly, I do want to minimize the opportunity for others who might have an ax to grind with NCsoft in the future to come along and find this information and use it for ill purposes.
• I believe that by now, executive management at NCsoft has gotten adequate representation of our community, for better or for worse. While we could continue sending e-mails, by now I'm sure that they will likely not be read. If you didn't get a chance to convey your story, I apologize, but such is the nature of some of these calls to action, that they will be time-sensitive.
• Even though it is not an especially positive response, it is not an especially negative or threatening one, either. Frankly, I expected a bit worse than it is. Accordingly, I want to extend them the courtesy of complying with the request as a good-faith gesture.

So I'm going to go ahead and take down the addresses. In return, I will ask for an address or addresses to which we can continue sending e-mail without interfering with the company's operations.

Again, I want to make this crystal clear: I was not threatened by NCsoft; it was a request, one I am voluntarily complying with as a sign of good faith. The intention was never to interfere with company operations. It was to give the NCsoft executive management team an unfiltered glimpse into our community, warts and all, but mostly loyal and dedicated customers making up a community they helped to build and should be proud of.

I'll let you know if I hear anything else. In the meantime, we're going to consider this project closed, and there is no further need to e-mail NCsoft executives. Thanks a ton to everyone who did send e-mails. I've read some of them and they truly were exceptional.


ORIGINAL POST (edited to remove e-mail addresses)

Hey all,

[SKIP TO "TL;DR" TO BYPASS SOME FLUFF]
(but it's worth a read if you think I've lost my mind)

So here's the situation. Two weeks ago today, we received word that NCsoft is closing Paragon Studios and shutting down City of Heroes. Since that time, the community has pulled together with amazing strength and clarity. Our story has been published on over two hundred news sites and blogs, we've gotten notable personalities including Mercedes Lackey (who has unwaveringly supported and promoted this game for years), Neil Gaiman, Sean Astin, Felicia Day, Scott Kurtz, Tara Platt, John Kovalic, and John C. Wright to support us. I personally have been on an Internet streaming radio show, and a pre-recorded interview from yesterday is due to be played on a broadcast radio station tomorrow. Our community has reached out even further through social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter, through user-submitted articles such as iReports on CNN (one of which was vetted by a producer), posts on other gaming forums to rally our extended community to our cause, and we have touched literally millions of people.

Over the past two weeks, I have tried my best to communicate with NCsoft. I have been copying upper-level management on our press releases as well as sending e-mails imploring them to talk to us or provide some sign that our Option A--allowing Paragon Studios to acquire the game--is being seriously considered. I presented this not as a demand or even as charity, but in clear terms of how this would benefit NCsoft both financially and in terms of public relations not just to the City of Heroes community, but to the community of gamers--their customers--as a whole. I have tried to convey that I respect their business decision, but that there are alternatives in which we all can win and that our community can avoid being needlessly destroyed as a casualty of a strategic realignment.

Unfortunately, I have heard nothing back from them but silence, the silence is deafening, and now we are at serious risk of losing even if we win. Our development team is a highly qualified group of people with proven talents in developing successful games. We have undoubtedly lost some through finding other employment, and we are at the time now where if we don't fall through to our next course of action, our window of opportunity for retaining the people who made this place great will be irrevocably closed.

TL;DR READERS START HERE (yes, I know it's still long, bear with me, this is really important)

Before any of this craziness was going on, I managed to get e-mail addresses for NCsoft management. Not e-mail addresses you'll find on any public publications. I have stressed that our goal is not to cause NCsoft harm, neither financially nor reputation-wise. At this point, I am convinced that our message just isn't getting through. I still think that they do not understand why this game is so important to us. And it might be my fault; if they have not been seeing the news or our efforts with the rallies or the outreach, what does the word of one random stranger on the Internet really mean?

So for two weeks, I have been desperately resisting doing this because I don't want it to be mistaken as a sign of harassment, but we have to get our message through. I am now asking you all to contact the following people at the following addresses. Let them know what this game means to you. Tell them your stories. Send them your pictures. Stress how much our development staff has meant to us over the years, why they are unique in the industry, the story of how fun it was on Game Night before the Player Summit, how nice the artist was who signed your Blue King #1.

[address removed]: Mr. Taek-Jin Kim, CEO (male)
[address removed]: Dr. Song-Yee Yoon, Chief Strategist (female)
[address removed]: Mr. Dong-Il Kim, CFO (male)

Also note that all three are fluent English speakers; there is no need to translate your e-mail to Korean.

I hope that the e-mails will stress positives, reasons why we believe releasing City of Heroes to be acquired by a third party is a good business move that benefits everyone. However, I know that there are still a lot of hurt feelings in the community, and I suspect that there will be some negative e-mails sent no matter how much I ask them not to be. I will ask that you at least do this for me: Tell them why you are hurt and angry over a game being canceled. Express to them what you're feeling, how in the past five years this makes five games now (Dungeon Runners, Auto Assault, Exteel, and Tabula Rasa as well as City of Heroes) that NCsoft has shut down; why that is having a very negative impact on their reputation; why you have started "Boycott NCsoft" movements and why you are telling friends in the gaming community--their customer base--to avoid titles such as Guild Wars 2 and Blade and Soul, titles they need to thrive. If you are angry over having sunk costs in City of Heroes that cannot be recovered (extended subscriptions, Paragon Points, microtransactions for which you feel you are not receiving the full value of), be sure to point out how these issues go away if the game continues.

Send them e-mails. Tell your friends, supergroups, coalitions, and teams. Post on Facebook. Tweet it. Yell it out your front door if you have to, but get the word out.

I know some of you might disagree with this strategy and opt not to take part, and I understand; it's your choice. Please know that this has been a well-thought-out decision that I've struggled with and I was really hoping that there would be some hint that things would be resolved by now. I wish we had the luxury of continuing our current plan of urging one-on-one communication or waiting until we receive some sign that things are going our way, but we've gotten to the point that now, every day we wait is one more day that our development team is permanently at risk of dissolving through attrition, one more day that we lose players who become demotivated, one more day until November 30 when this all becomes a moot point.

I'll continue posting news and updates on the Titan Network forums. You guys are the best damn community ever. We really need you now.

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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.)

Copied and re-posted your post to my supergroup's forums. No matter what else happens, they can't stop the signal now.

EDIT: It's 2 am right now. And I'm not going to be composing any emails now. I recommend waiting until the daylight hours and making sure of a clear head before people start composing their emails.

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Right beside you, Tony.

To everyone who's been walking on tiptoes around eggshells, STOP TRYING NOT TO ROCK THE BOAT. You'll only wish you HAD later. This is your chance. Your ONLY chance. MAKE. NOISE. NOW.

Sitting quietly is what the decision-makers behind Paragon's closure would WANT from us.

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@Captain-Electric � Detective Marvel � The Sapien Spider � Moravec Man � The Old Norseman
Dark-Eyes � Doctor Serpentine � Stonecaster � Skymaiden � The Blue Jaguar
Guide to Altitis � A Comic for New Players � The Lore Project � Intro to extraterrestrials in CoH

...I agree with Captain E. But I'm going to wait until Monday before doing this; I want to give the red-names the opportunity to respond if they wish to.

One note further: Including static image links to eg Leandro's rally pic or Paragon pic will make the email that much more powerful, but at an even higher risk of getting filtered. So flip a coin and go with it.

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Minutes after this thread went up, I relayed this information to everyone I know who has played or continued to play City of Heroes and enjoyed it.

I've got some e-mails I'm working on in the mean time, but I'm going to have ot think through on what I want to say.

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What we are being asked to do is very much like what we have already been doing. We have been speaking out to anyone and everywhere possible that we have loved this game, loved this development team, loved this community. That we still love it. Now we can tell three more people, Mr. Taek-Jin Kim, Dr. Song-Yee Yoon, and Mr. Dong-Il Kim about this vibrant community. Tell them so much that it makes them proud of what City of Heroes is, that they see what we value so much.

I have been inspired throughout my time in City of Heroes. I have added to my life. With others by my side, I have created a charity drive. I raise my children to value service to those in need. I have come to know and respect a multitude of friends from around the world. They are the ones that have inspired me. I can't think of a good reason not to tell anyone, even these three persons, about my experience. I will write and tell them. Will they take pride in who I am. Perhaps they will find their own inspiration...

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Sent.......

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Frankie says it best.

My mind cannot let me go without asking this:

What if this backfires, and blows up in our faces?


We have nothing left to lose, so it strikes me as a rather moot question, but again, what if this disrupts the negotiations that we have been told are happening?

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"Don't you know dead is spelled m-e-n-t-a-l in CoH? - SapphireShot

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Three e-mails sent on their merry way, what!

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Rabbits & Hares:Blue (Mind/Emp Controller)Maroon (Rad/Thermal Corruptor)and one of each AT all at 50
MA Arcs: Apples of Contention - 3184; Zen & Relaxation - 35392; Tears of Leviathan - 121733 | All posts are rated "R" for "R-r-rrrrr, baby!"|Now, and this is very important... do you want a hug? COH Faces @Blue Rabbit

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@Captain-Electric � Detective Marvel � The Sapien Spider � Moravec Man � The Old Norseman
Dark-Eyes � Doctor Serpentine � Stonecaster � Skymaiden � The Blue Jaguar
Guide to Altitis � A Comic for New Players � The Lore Project � Intro to extraterrestrials in CoH

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will write tommorow, saved the emails, will be nice.

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Just sent an email to the three addresses provided.

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I'll put it in the next video. I've already sent my own emails.


Curious: should we be translating these into another language?

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My new Youtube Channel with CoH info
You might know me as FlintEastwood now on Freedom

Sent to my SG.

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"I play characters. I have to have a very strong visual appearance, backstory, name, etc. to get involved with a character, otherwise I simply won't play it very long. I'm not an RPer by any stretch of the imagination, but character concept is very important for me."- Back Alley Brawler
I couldn't agree more.

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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.)

First things first: TonyV, thank you for providing us with a direct means by which to contact those in charge. I only hope that you didn't give up a majority share in your soul to obtain those addresses. I agree with you, too, in that the two week delay was a very good thing, as there were some incredible tempers rising early on... as expected, really. (Still are, really.) I'll be sending a mail or three myself, once I'm in a reasonably sensible frame of mind.

Second, my own two cents to folks here, a reiteration of what's already been said a dozen times. This probably doesn't need to be said - CoH has one of the most remarkable playerbases I've ever seen - but always remember, no matter how angry you might be, no matter how betrayed you feel, no matter how much you might want to fill a few buckets with tar and a few pillowcases with feathers, please don't abuse this. Rudely severing our link with the folks in charge would be roughly akin to stabbing ourselves through the heart... or, to put it in a much more pretentious way:

Politeness has a minute initial investment, and earns dividends by the second.

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Mea maxima culpa.
--
Pelonius Zhintel (Kin/Son Defender on Guardian), and countless others.
UI: CoHHelper can be found here, and HijackThis is found here. Great tools for troubleshooting.

I sent an email to each of the three addresses.

I used links from the forums in my letters. The Who We Are In Real Life thread, Bombshell Blonde's amazing list of why we are unique, The CityOf Heroes in the classroom thread....and a couple of others highlighting the wonderful people this game is composed of.

Thank you Tony. You are simply amazing.

Lisa.

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So don't wait for heroes, do it yourself
You've got the power
winners are losers
who got up and gave it just one more try

***Dennis DeYoung

I'm not sure whether I believe that a mass email to these NCSoft executives is a good idea, but I'll probably take the chance to state my case. Provided nobody takes things too far it hopefully at least won't negatively impact any other efforts that are going on.

I urge anybody who writes to be respectful, be polite and focus on what this game means to you and why you think it deserves to stick around. Given the current time it's likely that there will be a large number of emails sent by the time a new work week starts. If these emails are read at all it's most likely that they are going to initially be read by an executive assistant, not the decision makers themselves. If we write well, if we state our case clearly and if some of us can include a touching story or two where appropriate then we have the chance to get our messages read and begin a dialogue. If too many of our messages are simply slamming NCSoft then all that will happen is that the executive assistants will just start deleting everything en masse rather than reading our diatribes.

I'll say that again since that was at the end of a long and rambling paragraph. The more abusive we are the less chance that any of our messages are going to be read. Take your time before you send anything off. Venting is one thing, but we want to send messages that these people will want to read. We want to make it clear that we're a mature community seeking answers, not a lynch mob.

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So don't wait for heroes, do it yourself
You've got the power
winners are losers
who got up and gave it just one more try

***Dennis DeYoung

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Lady Deacon, 50 ill/ff
Cinder Imp, 50 fa/wm
and many more!

This looks like a spectacularly bad idea. With these e-mail addresses in the open any one can use them. For any reason. I think it would have been better if you had done a slow roll out via pm or personal email to people you know could be trusted to do something constructive with this information.

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Something witty and profound

Two questions:

1) These executives are Korean - are we sure they can read/communicate in English or do they need a translator?
2) Where is NCwest in all of this? Those executives should be getting emails just as much as the folks at NCsoft...


And a comment:

Try speaking in fiscal terms. Make a case for how the game was profitable, can be even more profitable and help raise their bottom line. Ultimately, the executives are concerned with profits for investors so emails that outline a credible business plan to improve CoH's profit margin (in a way that will greatly benefit NCsoft's IR) will be more appreciated.

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Yeah, in my letters I think I'm going to try and appeal to their sense of profitability.

Stress the fact (as I have seen on Titan Network) that there are professional investors who play City of Heroes and would be more than willing to buy the game and any rights necessary to operate it off of NCSoft's hands.

And from there, point out that if they were to sell City of Heroes rather than simply shut the game down, they would not only receive more capital to work with for their other titles, but that it would also help them retain goodwill and a positive reputation. Players would be more willing to try their other titles.

I don't know if I should add that the player base is willing to crowdfund those efforts. What do you guys think? Would they be liable to look at that and go "that's money they could be spending on our latest games instead" if I mentioned it?

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