Abraxus

...and to the GMs and Mods of the present. May their course be true, and their determination remain steadfast.

It's natural over the course of time, and the longer things go on, the more of it we will experience. The Dev/GM team during the live days had their core members from start to finish (though not that many), but there was a lot of new blood that came along during the run of the game. I expect things to be no different now. The hope is that their enthusiasm, and fresh perspective bring things to the game, and our experience with that that just keep making it better.

Oh! Now you've gone and said it! I expect to see one before the end of the day! 😂

Personally, I agree with the approach so far. They do have something of a roadmap, and Jimmy was good enough to reiterate it here. 1. Get the legacy client issue resolved completely. 2. Fix completely issues with previous patches/changes before moving on. 3. Complete the legal process, on which so much depends. 4. Don't attempt anything HUGE (or promise/hint at such) until all of that is good Points 1, and 2 are well underway, and each of them is a lot of work on their own. Point 3, well things like that go at the speed of the corporate legal system, and there is nothing on the planet that will make it go any faster. So, have patience. Point 4 is a wise course, given the other 3. In the meantime, we have CoH to play, and that is enough to get me through to the good stuff on the other side. There are other servers doing things that folks are aware of, and wonder why the same things can't just be done here. I believe all of the respective servers are now on their own development path. Some of those changes might eventually come this way, but not before we get the current business finalized. Given all the plates currently spinning, we have been given a lot already, but we always seem to want the shiny objects we've seen elsewhere too. I think it's been said many times, but it's still applicable. We really have to keep expectations realistic, and look at what we've got, as opposed to what others have.

Jimmy just announced that a bunch of bug fixes for the I26, Page 4 patch are out on Pineapple. This is the chance for us to hit it hard, and see what works, and what still doesn't! Test, or forever hold your peace! 😉

Yeah, it's hard to think of every possible permutation. But, the idea is that no one person will know it all, or be able to test it all. But, the combined efforts of multiple folks doing testing on the same feature will typically happen upon a problem, if there is one to be found.

It's the "deep cut" equivalent of the Homecoming Forum. 😎

It's nobody's duty. We do, because we want to do. The "feels" come from knowing we are supporting something that is worthy of not only existence, but also to flourish, and improve. Now that things are a little more personal with the small group of Devs that support this game, it feels more like helping them do what they do, rather than supporting a huge corporations pursuit of unrealistic profit expectations.

I can't speak for the Devs, but I would think reading through the patch notes to see what specifically is being changed, and to concentrate testing efforts on a power, AT, or mission that would seem most directly involved. That's how I approach it anyway.

True. But, the other side of that, is the possibility that some really bad ones can come from it as well. 😉 Leaving room for interpretation allows for both.

I do that with every character I have, typically more than once. I love that TF!

Feels good, doesn't it? Giving something back, for all that we get?

Once the changes went live, it didn't take long for reports of issues to appear. This tells me that more thorough testing could potentially have revealed the issue, but it would have taken folks to be testing diligently, and specifically for the changes. I don't know if that was happening for sure, or not. My original point was that the Devs are doing their level best to make things better, and following the best course possible to ensure that the likelihood of introducing an unintended issue to the production environment is minimal. They don't cut corners, and they don't rush things. In fact, I heard a lot of clamoring about the length of time some of these changes were in the test environment, urging them to hurry up and release them. Bottom line is, nobody ever promised, or even really implied that a bug, or combination of bugs making it through testing undetected was beyond the realm of possibility. Especially, as you rightly point out, with the lower overall population, with an even lower percentage willing to participate in testing. But, the Devs did their due diligence with this process. I only suggest that if we were as earnest in our efforts to validate them before they have an effect on our Fire Farms, or specific cherished ATs, the bugs could have been detected in test, as quickly as they were once they were released to the live servers. I would also agree that their response to the issues has been much quicker, and enthusiastic than we ever used to get during the live days, and I have no doubts about their dedication to correcting these issues as quickly as circumstances allow. I'm not saying that anyone in particular is fomenting ill will, or assuming anything other than good intentions on the part of the Devs. But, there have been comments that hinted at it, and I could not in good conscience let that go unnoticed, or unaddressed.

Mine is in. It's amazing that with a target that sizable, and the window only having been open for a small amount of time, at this time it is already at 80%. I've no doubt that the goal will be met in the next 30 minutes, or so; once again demonstrating the generosity of this community.

Are we really questioning the competence of the guy(s) who know this game from it's deepest levels (at the code base), rather than questioning our own diligence at testing all possible permutations prior to implementation? I do hope I am misinterpreting these comments. These folks are doing their best to interpret 15 year old code, that was not done in the most organized way from the start. Just ways that made what the original developers wished to do, happen in the most expedient way possible. Much has been stacked on top of that over the years, and now, in an effort to give us more of what we want, and make things better, the new developers are attempting to interpret all of that, and make changes to accommodate. They allow for the possibility that there could be inadvertent issues created by any change, since pulling any thread in this delicate, and intricate tapestry could have unintended consequences. They do this by putting those changes in a test environment, and imploring us to beat it up to expose the exact kinds of things we are seeing. That we apparently didn't test as effectively, or vigorously as the subtleties of the issue required, is regrettable. But, not the fault of the folks attempting to make the game better for us (for free I might add). It is incumbent on us, as players to help them sort these kinds of things out. We are their best source of this kind of information. They cannot do it alone. The same was true when the game was live, and there were times when the exact same things happened, despite the fact that there were many more players who participated in testing. So, before casting aspersions on these great folks that provide all of this for us, perhaps take a little more introspective look at ourselves, and admit that our dependence on others to test, rather than more of us helping out is more responsible for this, than any lack of skill on the part of the Devs. More thorough testing might, or might not have actually caught these latest bugs. But, it stood a greater chance than relying on the Devs to do it for us, blaming them when it had unintended side-effects, and insisting that the changes be rolled back, or fixed ASAP. I propose that we all have more of an investment in this endeavor, and act in the role of partners in the process of development, rather than just its beneficiaries. Things can only benefit from a situation such as that, and participation, rather than complaint is a lot more satisfying.

That sounds about right.

I agree. But, sometimes, some minimal context is useful, so that others to understand the inspiration for the sentiment. When I read it, the first thing that came to mind was another player who loved the game, only just realized that CoH was back, after being gone for so long, and was telling us he was home at last. Then I looked at your post count, and deduced that you were a player who has been around for a bit since the revival, and was still quite happy the game was back, and that it was there to play whenever the opportunity presented itself. So, in that context, it was a statement of contentment, and satisfaction. So, while my thoughts on your post lack the brevity, and simplicity initially expressed, I feel like it could be a somewhat accurate interpretation. In any case, I share your feelings on the game, and the contentment of knowing it is there when I can find the opportunity. 😀😎

Hopefully folks are patient. I mean, this game is one huge tapestry, and it is darn near impossible to pull on a thread, without it having an unforeseen/unanticipated effect. The fact that these generous individuals are invested enough in this game, and this community to do what they do in their spare time, for no pay, is nothing short of amazing. So, please forgive them if in their efforts to make something better, it does something wonky due to the practically infinite number of combinations of powers, secondary effects, enhancements, set bonuses, etc. Just believe in the fact that they are doing this all for us, and it makes it much easier to have the patience to wait for fixes to issues.

I might actually have to try a Mastermind again after reading about the changes.

I can only speak for myself, but thank you guys for your continued efforts on our behalf! There is a lot of work that goes into any change, no matter how minor. And, there is a lot feedback (good, and bad) to deal with about pretty much any/all of what's been changed. I hope the Devs continue to be as excited about helping maintain, and improve the game, as we are to play it!

My understanding is that the Island Rum installer now does everything. So, anything extra you're doing might be why it's not working. You might find some helpful info here: MAC User Help Thread

My first character (actually created about two-weeks after go-live in 2004, and pictured in my avatar) took about 3 hours to create. Between searching for the perfect name, deciding on the AT, then putting together the look, and picking the powersets, it took a considerable chunk of time! His look evolved a bit after the addition of more effects, and costume pieces. His powersets also changed when he was reborn here on Homecoming. But, he is still my "first", and while he wasn't the first to reach L50 either in "live", or on Homecoming, he was always my main.

So many real-life examples of how a game can be so much more than just a game. I'm glad you found your way back.

I actually re-invented a few of my old mains from the retail days, making changes to some of their ATs, and powersets. One of them, I reincarnated first as a Sentinel, and got him to L30. At that point, I decided that it just wasn't working for me, and re-rolled him as a pure blaster (as he had been originally). I've had much more fun with him since then. The others have typically fared better with the choices I made, and most have since attained L50 +3.

This is where you want to post that information: https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/13966-safe-mode-discontinuation-support-windows/