Abraxus

Yep. No pontificating there. Just a overview about the state of things, and the hopes for the future. But, no disparagement about what folks are asking for, or what other servers are doing. Just focused on their own track of development, which is probably hindered a bit by the efforts, and time needed to accommodate the NCSoft talks. Lot's of discussion, paperwork, and lawyer stuffs, no doubt. When I see just what we know about that is on their plate, and there is probably a considerable amount that we aren't aware of, I feel even more strongly that they are doing great.

Thus my previous stance of "I'd rather have it right, than fast". Though they have never said so (that I know of), I feel like the Devs look at it the same way. Down the line, when they get into more of the "want to" kinds of stuff that the players have been asking for, as opposed to the "need to" fundamental stuff they have primarily been focused on. I think we'll eventually get all that, and when we do, it will have been worth the wait. But, that's me. Optimistic about the future here, and greatly satisfied with the present.

HC devs know how they want to approach things, and so far, that approach has worked out just fine, except for the folks who see the different approaches taken at other servers. It's great that they have the choice to go there, and play with those shinys, but no two servers are going to implement the same changes, in the same order, and they will become increasingly different as time goes by. People have the choice to play on one, or multiple servers to experience the parts they consider important to their experience. But, I don't expect the HC servers development track to monumentally shift to accommodate the desire for all the stuff that folks like at other servers, and to have it right now. They are working on their own shinys, and if you like those, you'll play here. If you want to play with the other stuff, you'll go there. Nobody is forced to stick to one server. For the record, I believe the codebase that HC has stuck with is essentially the i25 stuff that was changed over the 7 years with SCORE. Others have chosen to revert back to i24, so I believe the HC devs DO know something we don't about the code they are working with, and they are moving in a direction best suited for that choice. They are not pontificating about what other servers, or other players should do. They have simply laid out their plans for this server, and if you like it you play here. If you don't you might play here, and in other places. But, I think the only ones who have advocated for specific things, or denied that specific things are possible are the players themselves who frequent this forum. I for one have never gotten the impression that the Devs here are lording over us, and telling us what we should like, so I'm not sure where that comes from, but on that point, we agree to disagree. 🙂

For myself, I'd rather have it right, than fast.

I can't remember all the entrances, but I know there is the box truck that is just due south(?) of the tram station in Kings Row. It's just a hop skip, even for lowbies. Check Paragon Wiki for more detailed info, and the additional entrance points.

What I really love about reading these posts is, they share a genuine, if nostalgic love for this game, and that a number of them only recently discovered that the game was back. Imagine how many more real fans of the game are out there, just waiting for the realization that their beloved Paragon City is once again alive! I know because of the gray-area status that the game currently stands in, complicates any efforts to advertise it's existence in any "official" way. But, if enough of us put something on our social media connections about being back, that has the potential to reach a lot more people than hoping they run across it by accident, or individual word of mouth. My hope is that, everyone who remembers this game fondly, and wants to play again should have the opportunity. But, they won't unless they know! So, until/unless the NCSoft talks are successful, and an actual advertising campaign can be launched, it's up to us to bring folks home to the city they love! That's the best "thank you" I could offer the great folks who make all this possible!

I'm curious about those myself, having two Tanks in their 20s, and 30s, respectively. I know I could go to Pineapple, and test them, but there just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to play live, AND do testing.

All that would be great, but let's keep in mind that they are (at least for the moment) still running a pretty small crew, all volunteer, and in their free time. That could change in the future, but for now, that's a pretty tall order.

Aye! When I first switched to SSD, just prior to the shut-down, it made an incredible difference in zoning! Mind you, these were some of the early generations of SSDs, when they weren't as fast as they are now. But, it made a more perceptible difference back then, than moving to the next incremental update of a video card. Don't get me wrong, the video card is important to a point. But, for CoH, the requirements aren't that high by today's standards. Memory, a decent processor, and a faster internet connection will combine to make the real differences in this scenario IMHO.

All very true! If you go by these guidelines, you will have a system that is great for playing CoH. Though, I would recommend using an SSD based hard drive, as opposed to the traditional spin type drives. SSDs are infinitely faster on reads/writes, and that makes a difference in anything you do with it. Outside of that, I would only go higher on the specs if I planned on playing other, more graphics intensive games.

Yeah. I won't go out and actively advocate against them everywhere due to my objections. But, when asked, or when the subject comes up in conversation, I will respond with my observations. I leave it to the reader to judge for themselves whether they find that behavior acceptable, and decide to join regardless. But, nothing I have said can't be verified by looking there for oneself.

There is no paranoia, and I don't jump to conclusions. But, I'm a firm believer in the adage "When someone tells you who they are, you take them at their word". I don't create, or imagine what goes on there. I observe it, and am repelled by it. All one has to do is go to their Discord themselves to see for one's self. I make no commentary on whether that represents their true feelings on things, or if it's just internet bravado fed by a sense of anonymity. In either case, at best it demonstrates a lack of self-discipline, and worst case, it represents who they are when they are surrounded by their buds, and feel empowered to express it. If it's not a true representation of their character, and moral fiber, then one should consider carefully how easy it is to draw negative conclusions from that kind of discourse, before joining in the chorus.

That is why I initially joined. The descriptions of what I considered unsavory conduct there, and articulated here in rebuttal to other comments, was what I saw developing there not long afterward, and ever since. I considered quitting their Discord for that reason. But, I stayed because there were still interesting developments happening, and I don't turn a blind eye to things I find unpalatable. I try to stay cognizant of them, mainly so that I'll know, rather than conjecture when I comment about it.

They deserve all the slack we can give them, and all the respect they've earned. They do all of this for us, for love of the game, and in their free time. There is not an emoticon sufficient to express it, but suffice to say you guys absolutely ROCK!

I wish I could know for sure, and promise that would never happen. But, I don't claim any such inside knowledge. I can only extrapolate from the information we have from the Devs so far. That suggests to me that we have nothing to worry about. As for donations, the window of opportunity happens on the last Saturday of every month, when their donation window opens. I've managed to get in the last couple of times. It's very satisfying.

I don't begrudge the enemy for employing the powers they were bestowed with. If I get annoyed at what they do with them against me, it's only because I didn't go into it with the right strategy. I don't want to be invincible. That would be boring. If all it takes is a Sapper, or a Super Stunner to blow a hole in my effectiveness every time I'm against them, then I'm not built right, or I just walked in guns blazing, and got what I deserved.

I take that to mean, that while not everything is planned out yet, the intent is to keep it "feeling" like City of Heroes, and not Champions, or DC Universe Online. Something recognizable in the feel, but not necessarily tied to any hard-and-fast design rule that prevents them from modernizing things.

Hey! I'd love to see Knockback, replaced with Knockdown. But, that's just my choice because I believe it would prevent players using KB from having a potentially negative effect on how others play in team situations. Especially, the Melee guys. But, that might be a discussion for another thread, another time.

We have speculated on that in many previous threads, and until it's all over, it's unlikely we'll have any definitive answers. I know I was unhappy with NCSoft for quite some time, and distrustful when I first heard about the talks. I got over it. I put it behind me. Truly, if they wanted pull something underhanded, there's really no reason that they would not have done it already, and just be finished with it. Instead, they are still (to my knowledge, limited though it is), negotiating in good faith, and the process continues. Hopefully good things will come from it when it's done, but even if it is successful, it likely won't please everyone. Realistically, hardly anything in life does, so that's par for the course. 😉

After all these years of playing, I should be more organized than I am. Custom windows, and macro/keybinds to do everything in an automated fashion. For some reason, I just can't seem to spend the time to do all of that, but I keep playing with the same default displays, and no automation; which probably makes it less efficient, and less fun than it could be. I'll have to work harder on that.

GM Jimmy has been watching this thread pretty close, and as that is more on-target to the OP topic, there is a chance you might get an answer. But, I would submit that what they have been doing to shore up the foundations, so to speak, is a good approach to adequately prepare for whatever future development comes along. Just my .02 of a dollars worth.

Oddly enough, I'd be fine with that! I think what folks wanted to say, they have said. Now it's all just going 'round, and coming back as new posts, worded differently. 😉 I think they already have taken a different approach. They have said that even if the talks succeed, there will be no subscriptions. As for their intentions on design for the game itself, so far their approach at fixing the foundations of the game first, before going heavy at creating a lot more content has worked great. These servers have been VERY stable! One of the problems in the old days was that the code was so undisciplined, and undocumented, it took a lot of testing and effort to implement even small things, let alone large things. I believe the HC team have worked hard on getting a handle on that situation, and will continue to do so, in order to facilitate the ease of roll-outs they have planned for the foreseeable, and distant future alike.

They don't think they own it. That's why they are talking to the company that does own it, to find some legal legitimacy for continuing to facilitate a playable server, and for the future of the game, as it is on that server. Those who could be a part of those talks, without preconceived bias about the host of those talks, apparently were included. Those who just couldn't move beyond the past, refused, and were not invited. At least, I believe that is what was stated by the GM who posted here, and reflected by most who have joined the discussion. They never said those who weren't involved couldn't do their own thing, and there was never any threats made that the other servers would be extinguished if the talks were successful. That was mainly folks theorizing on things from a legal perspective. But, until/unless that becomes carved in stone, they are free to pursue whatever path they want for their servers. Some are happy to do just that. Others not so much. In the larger scheme of things, it doesn't matter. What will happen, will happen. We will all deal with it in our own way. Until then...I will play the game where I choose to play and be grateful for the rare second chance, where I get to do something I loved to do, and lost 7 years ago. Everyone is welcome to do the same! However, if you choose to come to the forum to debate about WHY you do, or don't play here, then debate is what you'll receive.

If it were only just "bad" words. It's not.

I saw your video, and I'm glad the environment in the server is not directly reflective of the Discord behavior. However, my stand is, and always will be, that the in-game decorum shown are those very same folks on just on their better behavior. That does not redeem their behavior elsewhere. And as for animosity towards those who don't think as we do, or play where we do; well there is a healthy dose of that in their Discord as well. So, let's just agree to disagree, and move to the next topic.