Abraxus

I haven't heard of any such talk. If such a thing happens, there are always accommodations made, and they will be announced far in advance of any such changes. Relax man! Just play, and enjoy until you hear something concrete. 🙂

Ok, you're a skeptic. 😉 Everything else has yet to be proven either way, until it is. Prior to that point, we got nuthin'.

The other faction were those screaming for transparency. However, they weren't specific on that desire for transparency, in that it should be limited to only those things that won't potentially make me anxious all over again. 😉

I think a legitimate case can be made for both sides of the argument. Never gonna please everybody, no matter what they do, so it becomes a matter of which faction you run afoul of in the end.

Yup! I think said exactly the same thing a few pages ago. But, whose counting? 😉

How about the earnest desire for them to be as transparent as possible, as they always said they would, without violating the terms of their negotiations? They aren't trying to upset folks. They are trying to amp them up over something they obviously consider to have a good chance for success base on what they KNOW, and we don't. I know it's our nature to be cynical after all the previous attempts, but the game already being out in the wild really does change the balance this time around. Whether it's enough to make a real difference, we don't know. But, it's got a better shot than any previous attempts due to that fact. So, perhaps a little "glass is half full" perspective. There does appear to be some cause for it in this case.

I'd have to agree with that too! As much as I'd hate to see anyone forced even further underground, I know that there are segments of the community that will never jump back onboard, regardless of the legitimized status, and they will head for whatever corner of the internet where they can exist, far from anyone's notice. Those divisions arose shortly after the first public SCORE server was set-up, and subsequently shut-down after a false C&D spooked the hardware owner. That is about when the Reddit, and 4Chan servers arose, and folks disaffected by their perception of the Homecoming effort migrated there. Whether their reasons were legit, or not, I doubt most of them would reconsider in the face of whatever changes come about after the terms of the deal are made known.

I can't argue with that, because I don't know for sure that will be the result. It certainly could be, but we won't know, until we know. I suppose that, if this is successful, and is recognized as the only "officially" sanctioned server, that could very well mean issues for the others. If it does, I hope we can find a way to prevent that from becoming a divisive problem, but we'll have to deal with it when we know for sure.

I wish I could give assurances, but I'd be doing exactly what I'm advocating against, which is speculating without any actual facts, or drawing conclusions based on the past. While the past does inform the present, and future, historical perspective does not necessarily predict the outcome in either case. There are just too many variables involved which are unknown to us, and will greatly affect the outcome. So, just keep on doing what you've been doing, and we'll all get there together. 🙂

Perhaps because it's 7 years later, there are very likely a lot of new folks involved from the NCSoft side who were not around for other similar negotiations. And, most of all, previous attempts did not enjoy the advantage of the game being out in the wild already. Before, all of the leverage was theirs. This time, it's not. They can find a way to benefit by the new landscape, or spend eternity chasing down rogue servers. One of them sounds like a better way to go, from any business perspective. The other does not. It's totally up to them which way it goes, but the reality is, the genie cannot be stuffed back in the bottle, no matter how hard they might try. If they do decide to go that route, that will just force players to more underground servers, with much smaller populations. But, the game will not just disappear because of anything they do ever again. Edit: I gotta be faster on the trigger! Two people already posted a shorter version of this, and the point is already made. Damn it! 😉

I know it's human nature to assume the worst in the absence of fact. I have been doing my level best to remind folks that they don't have to give into that fear. You can't help but feel it, but you don't have to act based on it. We can't control how we feel about a thing, but we definitely have control over how we react to it. That part is voluntary. So, I'm encouraging folks to feel as they will, but not to lose hope, and act before the facts are know. That's all. I have also tried to inspire folks to not assume that they know exactly how things will come out, based on what they "know". At this point, the only folks who KNOW anything for sure, are the folks involved with these talks. Outside of that, there are no hard facts. So, it becomes difficult to take seriously those comments that would portend to predict the outcome, based on their perspective of the situation. It's just not a thing. So, while they talk, let's all play like we've been doing, and the answers will come when they will. Then we can rejoice, or run for the hills. In either case, it will then (and only then) be justified.

Boredom on a rampart can fuel much speculation? So, apparently, can participation in a forum topic, concerning things near, and dear to our heart, in the absence of complete information . 😉😎 In any case, the game is here, we are playing it, and nothing has really changed for the time being. When we know the facts, I'm sure we will all have our own take on what it means for the future, and can base decisions, perspectives, and opinions on those facts. But, we ain't there yet.

Nice thing about the topic of character export is, we know it has been done before for one of the other servers. When one of the other servers shut-down, and folks were being transferred to another, there was collaboration between the groups, and they made it happen. Plus, the mechanism for transferring from one shard, to the other on Homecoming would have to be at least a subset of this procedure. So, it's not unprecedented in the mechanics. Just a matter of if it is viewed as feasible by the Dev team to make available upon request.

I think we all have the highest hopes for how this will go. But, all we can do for now is be patient, keep the faith, and keep on playing!

But, as I mentioned in one of the previous pages of this thread, as an Admin on your own server, you can boost your characters straight to L50, and give them whatever you want them to. You would not have to power-level anything, or start from scratch. You use the locally stored costume file, and power customization to get the character just as he is now, and use your god-mode super powered Admin rights to do the rest. It's your server, and you have total control over things like that.

If that's the case, then there never was anything we could do about it. So, until we know for sure which way it falls, I say we play on.

I can appreciate all of that. Much of your story, matches my own with regards to CoH. But, try to hang long enough to know what the real deal is before going off on your own. Having a thriving community of thousands of players is an important part of the game that you would not be able to replicate on a private server. Sure, you could get friends to join, but it comes down to availability. Not everyone is always able to play when you are, so in a live server situation like Homecoming, that's where you join other teams, TFs, Trials, etc. And, for the record, you wouldn't have to powerlevel characters on your own server. As the admin, you could take them straight to L50, and give them all T4 incarnate powers if you wish. There are no limits in your own server.

What could they possibly offer? Well, that's just it. We don't know, and we won't know until they arrive at a juncture where they can tell us. Until then, its nothing more than speculation based on our own perspectives, which might not necessarily be directly applicable. I prefer to base my thoughts/actions on facts, and until I get some, I leave things in the capable hands of the Homecoming/Titan team. Remember, depression is typically centered on thoughts of the past. Anxiety is centered on thoughts of the future, and peace of mind is typically centered around thoughts of the present. Why? Because we know what the present is. There is nothing we can do about the past, except to learn from it. There is nothing we can do about the future, except await its arrival, and hope it is positive. Most often, there isn't much we can personally do to influence it, so why worry, unless it becomes necessary.

Agreed Sinfinte. For the moment, we already have the game. What is being discussed is how it will go in the future. Will we continue to be an underground endeavor, hoping every day won't be it's last? Or, a sanctioned, above-board endeavor, that will thrive, grow, and enjoy the ability to do the things that our current status would make difficult, or impossible? I'm hoping for the latter option personally.

Large corporations might not be legally bound to maximize profits, and increase shareholders earnings, but most choose to make that their priority anyway. Big Pharma, and for-profit healthcare, insurance, etc. What those have in common is that they are based around providing services (some of which deal with life and death) for their customers. Yet, their business model is always tilted towards what is profitable, rather than what is right. The customer/patient's needs barely enter into the formula, save their past, present, and future potential contributions towards the company's profitability. Despite lip service to the contrary, their priority is to themselves, first and foremost. I have nothing but respect for the corporations that don't subscribe to this philosophy. But, I truly believe they are the exceptions, and not the rule. All that said, I have faith in the intentions of the Homecoming/Titan team to negotiate in good faith on our behalf, with our interests at heart. If a deal can be reached that benefits us all (NCSoft included), and perhaps sparks interest in a new version of the game in the process, then all of this has been worthwhile. Stepping off the soapbox, and returning you to your regularly scheduled FUD programming. 😉

I was referring to "good intentions" on the part of the Titan, and Homecoming teams to do their level best for us. The players. As for NCSoft, and their potential motivations, nobody knows. Likely as not, most of the folks who where there, and had any involvement with, or memory of CoH are gone, or have moved on to other things. Assuming that a corporation will always negotiate for what is in its own best interest is probably wise. But, automatically assuming that the results of those kinds of negotiations cannot be of any benefit to anyone else, is just being purposefully negative. Wait until all the facts are known before making assumptions based on less than complete information, conjecture, and hyperbole. There is nothing to be gained, other than pointless discussions where nobody has the actual facts of the matter to back them up.

I feel for the Homecoming team in this situation. You are damned if you do, and damned if you don't, with regards to attempting to be as transparent as possible, but folks reacting to what is shared with FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt). Perhaps we can try to actually wait until we know the facts in their entirety before running for the hills? It's understandable to be anxious about it, but we are all adults here, and we have all dealt with worse real-life situations. So, let's keep a little perspective, and assume good intentions here. Can we? Perhaps?

First, folks have really got to stop speculating on this from the perspective of what they supposedly know. The honest truth is, we know nothing about what is being discussed. We got people ready to bail, and take their friends with them on the mere mention of this, without even knowing what it really means. They are free to do so, but it would seem a little premature based on what we know so far. There are those that have projected the scenarios they see possible, based on this announcement. But, there are very likely possibilities that we can't imagine, because we don't have enough information to do so. To assume that one knows for fact what will happen at this juncture, is presumptuous at best. I was there for all the "Task Force Hail Mary", and "New Efforts" scenarios at Titan. I checked the site every day for years looking for something, so I was a bit concerned too. However, the fact that they were even able to say that things were looking very positive in this case, is more than we ever heard about those previous rounds of talks; which were so secret, we couldn't even know when they failed. I don't like the circumstances under which NCSoft closed down the game in 2012, and I was shocked to learn about the SCORE server that ran while I was pining away for the game. But, what I don't do is hold grudges regardless of what has passed since then. Life is too short. So, I'll wait, and watch for more news, assuming good intent, until or unless I hear otherwise. In the meantime, I shall play the game!

I think we shall do what we have been doing, and keep playing, because there is really nothing else we can do. I like the idea of being totally above-board, but I have to admit to being a little anxious about what form that takes knowing NCSoft's apathy towards the game. I'll be watching, and waiting...hoping for the best possible scenario!

Yeah, I'd have preferred they just be normal, or perhaps slightly larger than normal size. But, giant-sized, especially when there are many of them does obscure your view of the battle.