Abraxus

Yeah..."Bigger, Better, Faster" is not really a thing on Homecoming. Here, things are rolled live after extensive testing, and if that testing reveals that there is much more to implementing a new feature right than they thought, they don't roll it out. The content might not come out as quickly, or often as some might prefer. But, typically it's done right, and if there is an issue with it, it's fixed ASAP. That is just the way it works here.

I didn't know about the donations until a couple of months in, so I missed those. But, I've been donating pretty much every month since, and I've never seen it take more than a few hours. Never days.

I played a defender to 50 with it. I agree completely!

Well, I always assume that I only actually see about 10% of what is being written about anything regarding the game, if even that much. So, given the number of them that I saw, and the associated extrapolation based on that estimate, I figured the problem for worse than the statistics currently show. But, if Jimmy sees the numbers, and says it's not a mass exodus, then I figure he has access to much more pertinent data than my anecdotal examples.

What had me so concerned were specific posts in various CoH related Discord servers, and FB groups saying things to the effect of "Hey! XXXXXXX server has this new kewl thing. I'm wanting to try it out, but I don't know how to do it. Anybody help?". Or "Stability, and large numbers are great, but I just GOTTA try this new thing! XXXXXX server, here I come!". But, apparently the numbers are small enough not to be of major concern, so I won't be concerned.

There ya have it! The numbers speak, and allay my concerns! I knew some would cry "squirrel" and run for the new stuff. But, apparently the majority of us know what we have, and a reasonable idea of what the future will bring (perhaps not specifics, but in general). We're good with just playing the game, enjoying the second chance we have all been given, and keeping a weather eye on the horizon for the things that we know will justify our choice a thousand times over.

I certainly understand how real-life can take precedence, and that voluntary projects have to be prioritized accordingly. I don't think anyone would disagree. My only concern is that while HC is is obviously the largest, most stable environment, that caters to both MAC, and Windows environments; the other servers are out there adding those little "shiny" things that get folks attention, and entice them to head over to try them. Stability is fantastic, and I appreciate it above any "shiny" of the week costume piece, or new Mastermind pet. But, there are a number of folks who prefer the latter, and are leaving. I'd hate to see our momentum drift away at this stage of the game. On the other hand, I'll also be the first to admit that I could be generalizing what I read in the various platforms that I belong to for the disparate incarnations of the game, and interpreting it as worse than it really is in reality.

Does it not also require your Alpha to be at T3 as well?

It has been pretty quiet on the announcement front. Always makes me wonder if it's not "The deep breath before the plunge", or "the calm before the storm". Either, or, could be applicable. But, it is a bit disconcerting reading about folks who roll over to other servers offering their latest shiny little costume piece, or powerset changes. Everyone wants the coolest stuff. I get that. HC has opted mainly for the long-term, under the hood changes that will ensure the game is viable through OS changes, and updates. The others have opted to make changes to the game as it is, without doing that heavy lifting first. It's the easier, quicker path, that has more immediate appeal. But, eventually they will all be faced with making the kinds of foundation level changes that HC has already done, and their development on the shiny of the week will slow as well. Then, we're gonna look light years ahead.

They have, and I'm sure they will do more. Just been in a bit of a lull lately. 🙂

I missed the window for the first time in months. But, I'm happy that the enthusiasm for CoH, and Homecoming are still so high that the windows close this quickly! I'll get ya next month!

Well, as it happens, Saturday (May 30) is the next opportunity! Typically the window opens around noon ET/9-ish PT. There is an announcement in the Homecoming Discord, and here on the forums, and they accept donations until the pre-established goal is met. In the past, that has taken anywhere from 2 to 3 hours. Sometimes a little longer, depending on the goal.

To be clear, there is no compulsory payment. Donations/contributions are completely voluntary, so if "Pay what you want" is nothing, that's perfectly fine.

This game always meant a lot to me as well. I could just never really let it go. I played a couple of other things after it went away, but it was always what I yearned to play. When Icon came around, it sparked an ember of hope, and provided such a wave of nostalgia, but ultimately felt lonely. When Paragon Chat came along, we moved a step closer to the game we remembered. By that time, I had used the character creator, and save file function to re-create all of my favorite mains. That ember of hope was fanned higher, and the nostalgia factor went through the roof. But, in my mind, I figured this probably as far as it would go, unless the SEGs team was successful in re-engineering the game, which was going to take years. Then, like a super nova, the game burst back into existence a little over a year ago, and I felt as if the universe had granted me a rare second chance to experience something I truly loved again. I have played regularly since then, with no end in sight. We all have our reasons for feeling about the game as we do. Those reasons run the spectrum from nostalgic, to a release that allows them to cope with life in ways that nothing else does. So, I am even more grateful that it is back, and the good that comes from folks gathering here to play together. If only the world at large could better approximate the vibe created by this game.

Welcome back! I think we all share your feelings on this game.

Welcome home, to you, and welcome to Paragon City to the new players you brought in! You are right in your assessment of the game, it's infinite combinations/choices, and it's unique ability to be as attractive to the casual player, as it is to the hardcore power player. It's totally your choice on how to play, and there is no such thing as a bad way to play. You can be effective using basic configurations, and have fun, or you can go all out and do the min/max thing and fight at the highest levels. You can solo, you can team, you can street sweep, do missions, concentrate on Task Forces, or just run around zones and take it all in. It's totally up to you! Many of us (like me) have been around since the beginning, and we still love this game. I'm glad to see so many coming in who feel the same way.

Welcome home! There was nothing like it back then, and there was still nothing like it when it exploded back on the scene last year. Certainly no place I'd rather be!

Welcome home to you, and anyone else recently arrived! It's great to have you back! I'm sure there are more folks like you who long to play this game again that don't know it's back. If you know any of them, be sure to tell them!

Welcome home hero!

Out of curiosity, I created an Electrical Affinity Defender, and had such fun with it that she was L50 in a matter of days. To be honest, I didn't find it any more click intensive than any other set. At least, not noticeably anyway.

Gladly done!

It was the ultimate in lonely nostalgia. You could create characters, save them, and even travel around the various zones. You could hear the theme music for those zones play. But, after the excitement of being able to do those meager things wore off, it just made me sad. The next iteration was Paragon Chat. There you could do all that, plus interact with other players. You could badge hunt, do some form of holiday events, and costume contests. It was a bit better, and certainly better than nothing. But, once the actual game burst back on the scene a year ago, there was obviously no going back to either of those environments. For me, they had served their purpose to keep the embers of hope burning, until my fondest wish to have the game back was finally, and miraculously granted. The costumes, and power customizations I saved made recreating my mains from the "live" game a very fast process indeed! I had 10 of them created in a matter of minutes. It was like I had studied for this moment for a long time, and that study finally paid off!

This was my one, and only Mastermind that made it to Level 50 from the original game. Back then, it was such an...arduous journey for me, I said never again. In the new era...who knows?

Actually, I was on Virtue way back when. While I played a few tanks, this guy pictured in my forum avatar was my signature character. He lives again on this server, again as a Blaster, but because of my original issues with KB in the Energy set, this time he used the Dark Blast set. I created a new Blaster (Irresistible Force) to experience Eng/Eng with the KB to KD conversion, and I obviously LOVED it! She made it to L50 in mere days, and I look forward to player her much more in the future.

This is my current desktop wallpaper. A picture I took in Morro Bay earlier this year. Before all of this calamity.