Abraxus

We agree to disagree on that one. But, that's cool too.

I could go on, but it would be a lot less fun for me. For me it plays out this way. For years, at least for most of us, there was nothing but the fond remembrance of a game we loved, and wished was still here. Then came Icon. Finally! Some small wisp of my heart's desire to play CoH again. I recreated all of my mains, and saved their files. Took "selfies" with them as a group. Then flew around the zones for the nostalgia, and to hear the theme music for each. It was fantastic, until the loneliness of Paragon City finally overwhelmed me. I would still occasionally log in, just for a quick CoH fix. But, it was nothing I could spend hours doing. Then came Paragon Chat! Finally! Other people to interact with, badges to hunt. Heck, even a Halloween Event of sorts! For a time, it felt almost like the old days. But, then folks kind of dropped away, and unless you were hanging around the Atlas statue, or some other popular gathering spot, you seldom ran into anyone else, and the loneliness returned. Still no NPCs around, and without other participants (as opposed to actual players, because there was not much to play), I found myself logging in only during special events where there would be crowds. Then...the miracle! CoH was reborn in a cataclysm of frenetic activity on social media, and various chat rooms, which all finally coalesced into the various servers we have today. I couldn't believe it, but I was actually playing again, and not only was the city brimming with life, but there were lots of folks around doing any number of things that I had my choice to join, or not. After experiencing that, it would be very difficult to go back to a world where I have to fend completely for myself. It would limit the types of characters I could play (and still have fun anyway), and dictate the content I'd be interested in playing solo. No more ITFs, no more Incarnate Trials, no Hami Raids, no mothership raids, and no Giant Monster take downs. Since I have little interest in other games, I'd stay, and find my way through. But, as I said...it would be a lot less fun. The teaming, and the interaction are a big part of my enjoyment of the game.

Watching this thread with interest....

Also, I believe you are granted free tailor tokens as your character progresses through levels. So, you'll have a few saved up by the later levels, when it would become that expensive.

Should be Port Oaks, Sharkhead, and St. Martial.

Well, the moment I give into the desire to play, is the moment after work ends. But, that doesn't mean that I don't think about it well before then! Especially since I work at home!

There are a lot of things in the game I used to dread, or get annoyed with, and think to myself "Why do I put up with that?". Then the game disappeared for 7 years, and I didn't have those things to be annoyed with, or dread anymore, and I found that to be exponentially worse. Now, I have it back, and I look forward to the opportunity to be annoyed by an enemy, or a mission.

As soon as I get off work, my brain automatically goes to "Time to play CoH!"

Lots of useful info here: https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/1603-early-incarnates-mini-guide/

I always felt that was true, and it's cool that you took the time to confirm it everyone. Thanks!

Until May of this year, where this game is concerned, we didn't even have hope. Now, we do. I remain grateful for that, and the RARE second chance to play the only game I have really wanted to play, since 2004. They wouldn't have to make another single change to the game, and I'd be fine. But, I know others feel differently on that one. I guess I don't require any promises, assurances, or proof of anything. What I have is the reality of being able to play, where that was not the case before. Anything else that comes to add to that, is welcome, but by no means do I feel like it is owed to me, or that the whole thing goes down the tubes without MORE stuff. They have a plan, and what little I know of it, I'm fine with. Others will feel differently, and that's fine. But, expecting more than the miracle that we already received in getting this game back in the first place, is kind of looking a gift horse in the mouth. We got what we wished for these 7 years past, and as soon as the honeymoon was over, we immediately wanted more. I guess I'm one of the few who really didn't, but was happy that they were trying anyway.

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!