Abraxus

I think you'll find that many of us feel EXACTLY the same way! I certainly do!

I'd be up for a year-end summation of where we've been, and perhaps a glimpse into the foreseeable future. Nothing specific. Just a 10,000 foot view of things, concentrating more on Homecoming itself, as opposed to specific changes to the game (though a high-level overview there as well would be cool).

Is it the natural slowdown that typically happens around the holidays to a lot of businesses, or is the Homecoming team perhaps saving up some really good news for the new year? I'd like to think it's the latter.

I do recall that trying to save up for that first full set of SOs with my very first character, just seemed agonizing. There were a lot of powers that were running with some DOs, and some SOs into the mid-thirties, until I began to hit that point where I achieved some financial independence.

My routine, and progression/participation plans differ a little, but I agree with all of the above! I love being back, and knowing that even if I'm gone for a few days, my beloved city will be here when I can return.

That's a great tradition! I'll follow suite when I'm around on Torchbearer.

Welcome back! We have all experienced that very same feeling of nostalgia, and joy to be back in Paragon City! We all hope that more folks who haven't yet found their way back, are able to do so ASAP!

Alternatively, it can be the first step on the road to something wonderful.

I've got all of mine tucked away nice and safe. It's been years since I read them, but I remember liking the story.

Yup! Now, as it was then, when I am playing a Blaster, if I'm not dying, I'm not doing my job! If I can't do enough damage to gain the notice of baddies who want to end my existence (even those at +4), then I gotta rethink my build plan! 😎

I know! Surreal, isn't it?

Yeah, I wish upon a star once in awhile for peace on Earth, goodwill towards man. But, of all things, human nature is the hardest thing to change. Folks are, as they are. The hope is that the nature of the game attracts the majority of folks who are just as you describe. However, we know that reality dictates there will always be those few who can't/won't subscribe to that ideal. It's a micro example, of a macro problem, and we are but humble gamers, making our way in the world. We do what we can, when we can, and hope it's enough. But, we can't solve the entire world's ills. So, I will play, and try to be an example of those higher ideals. If we all do that, things will take care of themselves.

Something tells me if you wanted a textured cat model bad enough, it would happen @Jimmy! 😉

Another hero has found their way home through the reaches of time! 7 years is a long time, but not long enough to snuff out the fire that burns eternal in Paragon City!

What are your hopes for our home for CoH in the coming year? We've had discussions about what we'd like to see feature-wise in the game. But, what's on your wish list for the game as a whole here at Homecoming? For myself, I'd love to see the successful conclusion of the NCSoft deal, which I believe will open the floodgates for the kinds of real changes in-game that we have been waiting for, and to see the game flourish in the wake of it's new officially sanctioned status. It would also lift the specter of the gray-area legality which the game currently operates beneath, and with it, the underlying fear that we could wake up one day, and see it all disappear. I imagine that just from a resource perspective, completing that prodigious task would free up a lot of time that is currently dedicated to the legitimacy efforts. What would you like to see in 2020?

Nobody's perfect, and we certainly shouldn't be judged by anomalous examples. Stuff happens. Sometimes it boils over into the forums. We might not be as good as we sometimes think we are, but I don't think we are as collectively bad as we are being painted here either. 😉

Welcome back! I don't think there have been any organizational changes within Homecoming since the whole "Tony V. Departure" thing, and the negotiations are still going on last we heard. One tangible indicator of the on-going negotiations is the legal fees included in the monthly donation goals. Outside of those things, which are known, I'm sure there is a bunch of stuff going on behind the scenes, just ready to be announced, and we all live in breathless anticipation each day for some of that information to drop. At least, that's where I am.

As I have stated, I am SO happy just to be able to play the game again, that even the parts that I detested before (Orenbega, Malta, and tri-level cave anyone?), are an absolute pleasure to experience again!

I agree on both counts. One has to bear in mind that, unlike the game prior to shutdown, the emphasis in game design now is no longer to drag things out in such a way to keep you playing, which also kept you paying. Since subscription/profit is no longer the motive, the emphasis can be on having fun, rather than making money.

It didn't suck, because we didn't have the comparison that we have today. It just was, what it was. I would say though that as things were back in the early days, it definitely made the thought of starting new alts a less attractive alternative than it is now. As the game matured, more QoL features started being added, more inherent things, Veteran Rewards, etc., that made creating a new alt much less of a daunting thing.

I actually like playing on TFs that are comprised of ATs that are not necessarily balanced, or overpowered. I prefer being at something of a disadvantage, and having to overcome that disadvantage with strategy, or folks that know their capabilities, and using them to make up for it. That typically ends up resulting in more deaths than some folks feel comfortable with. But, I feel like if it's too easy, and nobody ever dies, it's not as challenging, and therefore not as fun for me. However, the bottom line is to play what you have fun with, and when you see a TF looking for members, shoot that requester a PM. 9 times out of 10, you will just get on the team. In some rare instance, you might get a question about AT, and that might be a clue that they are looking for that perfect (and again, for me, less fun) team, and might turn you down. But, another TF will form soon after, and hopefully that one won't be so discerning. 🙂

You guys rock! Thanks for everything you do for us!

We're not perfect. But, we collectively aspire to be better than we are, and better than other places we have been. Perhaps, that's the real difference.

I could not bring myself to log in on "Last Day". I was never sure if I was really regretful of that, or not. I'm just not sure I could have stood by and watch as each server's lights go out, one by one, presumably forever. I hung around the Titan forums, reading about hopes for a resurrection of some kind, but it became apparent after a while that it wasn't happening. Hope was all but lost, but the smallest ember refused to be extinguished. Through the years, there were other conversations about trying to bring the game back, but they never went beyond dangling false hope. That's when I found out that what Bane told Bruce Wayne in "The Dark Knight Rises", was absolutely true. True desperation is not the loss, or lack of hope. Rather, it is to be given hope, only to see it taken away. That was where I was for the longest time, with regards to CoH. Then one day, I heard about "Icon". I was SO excited to be able to recreate my mains, and fly them around the various zones. But, once the initial excitement had toned down, all that I heard was the deafening silence of those zones. It was the loneliest nostalgia I had ever experienced. Then came "Paragon Chat". Finally! I could not only recreate, and save all of my heroes, and villains, I could finally interact with others who felt the same about CoH as I did! For years, I got in as often as I could. Hunted badges, did the modified Halloween event, and did as much as I could within the boundaries that existed there. But, the population grew sparse as the novelty wore off there too. Many would show up to special events, and that was a joy to behold. But, for the most part, it was "Icon", with the possibility of running into someone on occasion. Then, on a drive back from a weekend trip to the beach in mid-April, my phone was blowing up with talk of the old SCORE server, and the existence of the game code out in the wild! My heart practically skipped a beat when I realized that we might be just a hairs breadth from seeing an actual game server created! A few days later, that very thing happened. Like a newborn star, created from the chaos, and the unstoppable forces at play, the first iteration of the live game sprang into existence! It was hard to believe that it was real, until I downloaded the client, and logged in for the first time in 7 years. It was a surreal experience. All this time, all the disappointments over the years. I just kept thinking "I'm going to wake up any moment now, and this will all have been a cruel dream". But, it was real alright. While those early days were pretty rough going, we now have our game back, and I could not be happier, or more grateful for a second chance that is so very uncommon in life. So, on this, the 7th anniversary of "Last Day", I still can't believe that I am back in my beloved Paragon City! The only place I wanted to be, and the only game I really wanted to play these 7 years past. I am very happy to be back in my city, and so excited to see what the future brings. It looks like a bright one!

Yeah, these days the target goals are higher, due to the legal fees being incorporated. Lawyers are expensive, and with something as complex as what is being negotiated with NCSoft, I'm guessing that represents a significant amount of hours. We all have our fingers crossed that it is successful (and hopefully, soon), but if there is a silver lining to be had, the higher monthly goal allows the donation windows to stay open longer, and thus, more folks have the opportunity to donate! 😎