How likely is this reborn CoH to suddenly shut down?

[unblocked]

Hello. I'm a wandering mmorpg player who tries these things. Back in the day I tried CoH for free (as I always do). I liked it. I liked it so much I subbed when I got to like lv30 or something. This was something I never did, also something I still never do. Who even pays money to these crappy games? But I was in to this CoH (or rather CoV) thing and gonna play the crap out of it.

 

Then, about an hour after I paid that money, the game chat exploded. Turns out the game was announced to shut down in a month. I already liked the game an unprecedented amount, hell if I'm gonna keep playing for that month and get attached even more for even bigger anger and disappointment. And that was the end of it.

 

So this is the story of the biggest cockblock I ever got from an mmorpg. I'd prefer to avoid that happening again, so I ask you: how likely is this enterprise to suddenly shut down? I understand it's not a strictly legal thing, so it's constantly in big risk. But if I start playing this again, am I gonna get Cockblocked 2: The Recockening before I can at least finish leveling one toon and see the world and story and so on?

 

(for the record I'm already installing it and will mess around a bit, but will refrain from getting very invested for now)

[Lazarillo]

In general, the genie's pretty well out of the bottle on shutting down private servers as a whole, as the code in general was leaked out to the public (heck, it's even possible to run a personal server at this point).  HC has sort of the double-edged sword of being both the biggest platform for players to re-experience the game, but also is therefore painting the biggest target on themselves.  They are trying to go legit, but it's not impossible that things will go belly-up on that front, as, well, if NCSoft were reasonable and predictable, the situation would likely never have been needed anyway.

 

That all said, I feel like my characters on Homecoming are "safe" from any fate more terrible than me going "eh, screw it" and hitting the delete button.  I'm having some real fun with the game, and encourage you to do the same!

[Hopeling]

I mean, the actual game got shut down. It's hard to give you any guarantees about an unofficial server run by fans.

 

At minimum, it doesn't look like Homecoming is going to vanish any time too soon.

[Abraxus]

There have been numerous efforts over the years to obtain control of the IP from NCSoft.  All of them went on so long that the news (what little of it there was) just died away quietly, and so did the negotiations.  However, the difference this time around is time (7 years), and the fact that the code is out in the wilds of the internet, and could never be completely snuffed out again.  So, facing that reality, the hope is that this time, the negotiations are being done in good faith, with the intent to arrive at an equitable, and mutually beneficial deal for both parties involved.  We have no real idea what that would be, outside of our hopes that it would mean fully legitimized play.  The details very likely won't be known until it's all done, and we don't really have a sense of when that will be either.  But, as long as there is no word that the deal failed, you're fine.  In fact, you're fine in either case.  It's just that in the event of failure, you might be faced with the possibility of finding another serve to play on, and starting over again.  In all honesty, in that event, I would do exactly that (I already know two friends who put up private servers), rather than consider never playing again.  That would only happen if it became no fun to play, and as long as I have folks to play with, that is hard to imagine.

[Doc_Scorpion]

It could last for years.  Or you could wake up tomorrow to find it gone.  There's no guarantee and no reasonable way to predict the outcome.

Dive in, enjoy, and worry about tomorrow tomorrow.

[PaxArcana]

HC is free.  The only thing you risk is time.

..

Go.  Hunt.  Kill Skuls.

[Frostbiter]

Eat drink and be merry for the past is history and the future a mystery. Or something like that.

Edited September 11, 2019 by Frostbiter

[Abraxus]

7 hours ago, Derekl1963 said:

It could last for years.  Or you could wake up tomorrow to find it gone.  There's no guarantee and no reasonable way to predict the outcome.

Dive in, enjoy, and worry about tomorrow tomorrow.

Which is life described in a nutshell.  Don't be afraid to dive in, for fear that it could all end.  You'll miss out on some pretty cool times that way. 🙂

[jubakumbi]

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself! - FDR

 

We all make our emotional ties and it hurts to lose things, but IME it hurts more to not even try...

Edited September 11, 2019 by jubakumbi
speeling

[Abraxus]

4 minutes ago, jubakumbi said:

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself! - FDR

 

We all make our emotional ties and it hirts to lose things, but IME it hurts more to not even try...

Absolutely!  How about this?

 

"Don't be sad because it's over.  Rejoice because you did it!"

I certainly felt that way about the original run of the game.  But, now that we have been given a second chance, I appreciate it more than I ever did before, because I know that the only thing that is permanent, is impermanence.

[daHob]

All games end. This one will too. Doesn't mean you don't play.

[ed fray]

I'm optimistic.  The fact that NC hasn't sent a C&D to HC and they're talking says they are just working out the details to me.  Wish they'd hurry up though.

[jubakumbi]

2 minutes ago, ed fray said:

I'm optimistic.  The fact that NC hasn't sent a C&D to HC and they're talking says they are just working out the details to me.  Wish they'd hurry up though.

Unless there is easy money to be made, corporations don't move terribly fast....

[Ya'dig]

13 hours ago, unblocked said:

Hello. I'm a wandering mmorpg player who tries these things. Back in the day I tried CoH for free (as I always do). I liked it. I liked it so much I subbed when I got to like lv30 or something. This was something I never did, also something I still never do. Who even pays money to these crappy games? But I was in to this CoH (or rather CoV) thing and gonna play the crap out of it.

 

Then, about an hour after I paid that money, the game chat exploded. Turns out the game was announced to shut down in a month. I already liked the game an unprecedented amount, hell if I'm gonna keep playing for that month and get attached even more for even bigger anger and disappointment. And that was the end of it.

 

So this is the story of the biggest cockblock I ever got from an mmorpg. I'd prefer to avoid that happening again, so I ask you: how likely is this enterprise to suddenly shut down? I understand it's not a strictly legal thing, so it's constantly in big risk. But if I start playing this again, am I gonna get Cockblocked 2: The Recockening before I can at least finish leveling one toon and see the world and story and so on?

 

(for the record I'm already installing it and will mess around a bit, but will refrain from getting very invested for now)

The only thing that worries me is if NCSoft takes a page out of the Blizzard playbook and do what they did with Classic WoW. But that all happened because two different teams were publicly fighting over the code so Blizzard took it back and are now profiting from it.

Now Blizzard is Blizzard. They are stingy, unoriginal, for the most part, and now that Activision is a part of that equation are absolutely HUGE and can basically do what they want. NCSoft is no Blizzard so negotiating with them could be much much easier. But in all honesty this is going to come down to dollars and cents. If NCSoft sees there's still a market for this game then they could pull the "private server" plug and release it themselves again. Us playing this game could be NCSoft's way of getting free Alpha and Beta testing and then release a polished version without the headache. They just offer jobs to the devs here to maintain the game and let the money roll in.

 

Who knows? I'm just glad it's back and if tomorrow it's gone then it's gone and there's not a damn thing we can do about it. So just play and let the devs worry about this stuff.

Edited September 11, 2019 by Ya'dig

[jubakumbi]

6 minutes ago, Ya'dig said:

So just play and let the devs worry about this stuff.

Some people cannot help but worry and they come here to vent that worry to have it lessened.

It's just not that easy for some people.

[Ya'dig]

25 minutes ago, jubakumbi said:

Some people cannot help but worry and they come here to vent that worry to have it lessened.

It's just not that easy for some people.

Yeah, absolutely and I'm sensitive to that but there's a silver lining in my statement.

 

Best case - NCSoft decides to release the game again.

Best Best case - nothing changes and we keep on trucking.

Worst case - NCSoft kills it and polices the IP going forward.

 

Side note: I always thought it was fishy that CoH got the shaft so soon after DCUO releasing. It's like some kind of "there can only be one Highlander" kind of crap with MMO's. SWTOR did the same thing to SWG but SWG was dead long before that because of the combat changes they dropped on the player-base then letting them find out after install.

[Blackbird71]

3 hours ago, Ya'dig said:

If NCSoft sees there's still a market for this game then they could pull the "private server" plug and release it themselves again. Us playing this game could be NCSoft's way of getting free Alpha and Beta testing and then release a polished version without the headache. They just offer jobs to the devs here to maintain the game and let the money roll in.

Honestly, that would be the death knell of this game for me.  After the way NCSoft handled things, there is no way I'm going back to them.  If they reach a deal to let HC run things autonomously, I can probably live with it.  But if NCSoft thinks I'll come groveling back to lick their boots then they have another thing coming.

[jubakumbi]

3 minutes ago, Blackbird71 said:

Honestly, that would be the death knell of this game for me.  After the way NCSoft handled things, there is no way I'm going back to them.  If they reach a deal to let HC run things autonomously, I can probably live with it.  But if NCSoft thinks I'll come groveling back to lick their boots then they have another thing coming.

Setting aside how over-the-top this is...

 

I chose to not give NCSoft any cash after they dropped CoH and I have not.

If they choose to help bring the game back, even if it means *gasp* they make a buck, I am fine with that.

 

Personally, I have no real trust of longevity about anything that is ever contolled by a single entity, because a single point of failure then exists.

Thinking HC will somehow magically be 'better' than another single point of failure is not, IMO, wise.

 

Since the HC team is mum on what, exactly, is being discussed, all we can do is wait.

 

Last I saw, NCSoft had filed for copyright to the code.

I cannot seeing them give that away for free, so I think NCSoft will be part of the solution.

I think the number of people it will turn away because NCSoft is involved will be dwarfed by those that get to play.

So, as an individual, one must follow ones heart and mine does not harbor the hate toward companies some do here.

 

I hope you can find a game you like run by a company that meets all of your expectations.

[Blackbird71]

30 minutes ago, jubakumbi said:

Setting aside how over-the-top this is...

 

I chose to not give NCSoft any cash after they dropped CoH and I have not.

If they choose to help bring the game back, even if it means *gasp* they make a buck, I am fine with that.

 

Personally, I have no real trust of longevity about anything that is ever contolled by a single entity, because a single point of failure then exists.

Thinking HC will somehow magically be 'better' than another single point of failure is not, IMO, wise.

 

Since the HC team is mum on what, exactly, is being discussed, all we can do is wait.

 

Last I saw, NCSoft had filed for copyright to the code.

I cannot seeing them give that away for free, so I think NCSoft will be part of the solution.

I think the number of people it will turn away because NCSoft is involved will be dwarfed by those that get to play.

So, as an individual, one must follow ones heart and mine does not harbor the hate toward companies some do here.

 

I hope you can find a game you like run by a company that meets all of your expectations.

I don't think you quite understood my meaning.  I realize NCSoft will probably be involved on some level.  My concern is if they decide to bring the game back under their total control.  If they come up with some sort of licensing agreement or something, I can deal with that. 

 

But if CoH is relaunched as an NCSoft game, under an NCSoft studio, and the HC team doesn't have some level of autonomy over direction and development, I'm out.  They've destroyed any and all good will, and "helping bring the game back" only because others have already done it will not earn them any more.  They've had their chance.  They've had seven years of chances, and they've burned every last one of them.  And now that we don't need them any more they want us to go back to them?  Not a chance.

[jubakumbi]

2 minutes ago, Blackbird71 said:

I don't think you quite understood my meaning.  I realize NCSoft will probably be involved on some level.  My concern is if they decide to bring the game back under their total control.  If they come up with some sort of licensing agreement or something, I can deal with that. 

 

But if CoH is relaunched as an NCSoft game, under an NCSoft studio, and the HC team doesn't have some level of autonomy over direction and development, I'm out.  They've destroyed any and all good will, and "helping bring the game back" only because others have already done it will not earn them any more.  They've had their chance.  They've had seven years of chances, and they've burned every last one of them.  And now that we don't need them any more they want us to go back to them?  Not a chance.

I understood you perfectly and my previous reply stands.

 

If NCSoft decides the game is worth re-launching and does so, then we have a game.

If HC gets to to that, then we have a game.

Both are acceptable to me, in that we get a game to play.

Both are undesirable to me, simply because it creates another single point of failure, not because of any ill-will toward either entity.

 

I would vastly prefer the game be released like some kind of rule-book like a DnD set, so anyone could pick it up and make shards w/o fear, pipe dream it may be.

 

 

I have none of this lingering hate/grudge/whatever you want to call it over these things.

 

[Blackbird71]

17 minutes ago, jubakumbi said:

I have none of this lingering hate/grudge/whatever you want to call it over these things.

 

I'd call it more of a deep mistrust and an aversion to repeating past pain.  I have no reason to believe that NCSoft will behave any better this time around than they did before, and every reason to suspect that they are still the same company with the same culture, goals, motivations, and methods.  As they say, "Fool me once..."

 

In your analysis, you overlook the third solution that is the reality of the situation.  The genie is out of the bottle, and even if HC gets brought under the NCSoft umbrella, there is no putting it back.  Ergo, we already have a game, and will continue to have a game regardless of what happens with NCSoft.  The nature of the servers may change, and communities may be smaller and more scattered, but people will be playing on their own terms,

[jubakumbi]

31 minutes ago, Blackbird71 said:

I'd call it more of a deep mistrust and an aversion to repeating past pain.  I have no reason to believe that NCSoft will behave any better this time around than they did before, and every reason to suspect that they are still the same company with the same culture, goals, motivations, and methods.  As they say, "Fool me once..."

 

In your analysis, you overlook the third solution that is the reality of the situation.  The genie is out of the bottle, and even if HC gets brought under the NCSoft umbrella, there is no putting it back.  Ergo, we already have a game, and will continue to have a game regardless of what happens with NCSoft.  The nature of the servers may change, and communities may be smaller and more scattered, but people will be playing on their own terms,

Sure, I can see that scenario, but in the eyes of the bigger community, that is failure.

Most that play want to do so on a very populated server.

I mostly play by myself or with just one friend, who will leave the moment there is not a big server full of people.

Having to deal with the stress of being hidden bothers a lot of people as well.

 

The game might still be playable, but to most, it will not really be CoH if the servers are populated like the local MTG playroom...to most players, based on what I have read.

 

My trust list is very short and does include any corporate entity per-se, beyond trusting they will act like corporations.

That includes NCSofta and HC.

 

We have no choice right now if we want a game that appeals to the majority, but to play ball at some level with NCSoft.

Just like because they have the ball, because of the playerbase, we have to play ball with HC.

 

There are no easy buttons here, just a couple of 'good enoughs', IMO.

 

Even 100% Open Source won't please some, because plenty think that there 'should be only one', they prefer thier IP to have solid 'rules', etc., woth now 'fan modifications'.

 

So in the end, all I hope for is the 'good enough' that makes the most players happy, because that's the whole point, for the game to bring joy to people.

No outcome will please all of the players, so I just hope the majority can live with what occurs.

Edited September 11, 2019 by jubakumbi
speeling

[Abraxus]

If the very definition of compromise, is an agreement that pleases nobody in full, but is acceptable to most, then we've done pretty well at maintaining the status-quo around here.  I mean, everything is a compromise of sorts.  A little more this, or a little less of that.  Never gonna please everyone, and as long as it's not a game-breaker for the masses, then it's business as usual!

[PaxArcana]

10 hours ago, Frostbiter said:

the past is history and the future a mystery.

... but today, is a present.  [Master_Oogway]  😄 

[TechPappee]

Personally I'm not going to worry about it. Instead I choose to be thankful the only game to ever keep my attention (for 7 years) is back and I'm having a blast!!! I don't want it to go anywhere and will do anything I personally can to keep it going. Not much anyone can do other than try to donate each month for operational costs.

 

The ball is in NCs court so to say. The Homecoming team are trying to take us 'legal'. What else can we ask for at this point?

Edited September 12, 2019 by TechPappee