The Future - An Open Letter from the Homecoming Team

[Jimmy]

Hello Heroes & Villains!

 

It’s been just over a month since our first shard Torchbearer went online, and we wanted to take this opportunity to discuss a couple of frequently-discussed topics and lay out our plans for the future.

 

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Firstly, I’d like to open by presenting our mission statement:

 

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The Homecoming Team is a group of individuals from across the City of Heroes community dedicated to creating a friendly, stable and long-term version of the game for everyone to enjoy. The key is in the name: We want this to feel like the home we all lost, and we want everybody to feel welcome.

 

To break that down: Our prime directive is to keep the servers online and available to everyone. Every single decision we’ve made has been in support of that goal.

 

With that said, I’d now like to rewind a little bit to some controversial events that have taken place over the last few weeks.

 

The biggest concern that’s been directed towards us is our seeming unwillingness to assist other groups in setting up their own servers. This assertion in and of itself isn’t quite fair: We have, in fact, been helping other groups with advice and support - however, we have not directly been sharing any code that’s based off of the original City of Heroes source code.

 

The reason for that is pretty simple: The only legal action NCSoft has taken in relation to City of Heroes’ return is a DMCA claim against the original upload of the i25 binaries (which, for the record, did not come from us). They haven’t touched any of the servers. The conclusion we’ve drawn from this is that at least for the moment, NCSoft do not mind the servers being up, but they do mind code (and other files) being shared.

 

And if we now refer back to our prime directive: Sharing code could have put us, and the Homecoming servers, in the (legal) firing line. Obviously, we did not want this to happen, and so we opted to not directly share any code based off the original source, and instead just provide advice.

 

(As an aside, we have actually released a tool used to monitor server stats under the MIT License. We felt safe doing so because it’s built entirely with original code and does not use any of NCSoft’s intellectual property. The source can be found here, and it is fully compatible with both i24 and i25 servers. For examples, please see our status page here and Victory’s status page here.)

 

Next I’d like to talk about progression, XP boosters and the AE nerfs. To catch everyone up:

• In i25, Incarnate components can be acquired by earning ‘Veteran Levels’ (levels beyond 50 which do not actually increase the strength of your character, they just provide badges and Incarnate components) and Incarnate XP can be earned from any content - however, normal Incarnate content will also provide the standard Incarnate rewards
• On the Homecoming servers you are able to select an XP rate between 100% and 200% - however, increasing it above 100% will reduce your influence gain to the same degree (200% XP = 0% inf)
• On the Homecoming servers XP rewards for non-Dev Choice Architect missions is reduced by 50% (for further context: This is similar to the reduction that was present on live, but by making use of the XP boosters mentioned above you can in fact get a higher XP rate than was present on live)

 

(Another aside before I continue: The AE nerf was originally to reduce the strain on the server as many AE farm maps used mechanics which were incredibly server-intensive, but we have decided to keep the nerf after we saw the other positive effects it produced)

 

The concerns we’ve seen about progression seem to be focused in two key areas:

• Progression is too easy, nobody will run Incarnate content
• Stop nerfing AE, let us play the way we want to play

I’ll cover both of these concerns together with a simple answer: The above changes are actually intended to allow everyone to play the content they enjoy and still progress at the rate of their choosing.

 

Take AE farms for example: Our goal was to ensure AE farms were roughly as valuable as they were on live as well as ensuring that those who simply wanted to level quickly were not forced to rely on them. Using the boosters you can now participate in a wide variety of content and still level up quickly.

 

We think this has actually been very successful - we still see a small subset of players engaging in AE farms, and those players still enjoy it and find it rewarding, but it is nowhere near as dominant as it was before the adjustment.

 

The way the Incarnate system works follows the same thinking. We don’t want people to be forced to grind through only Incarnate content to unlock those specific rewards, we want players to be able to play the game in the way they choose.

 

Overall the feedback we’ve received regarding these changes has been overwhelmingly positive, and we intend to continue making adjustments to support this philosophy as the player base and economy matures.

 

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Now, let’s talk about the future!

 

Firstly we’d just like to say how appreciative we are of the hundreds of messages of support we’ve received, and we’d also like to apologise that we’ve not been able to respond to all of them! One key question that’s been asked in many of these messages is what you can do to support Homecoming.

 

The most immediate thing people ask about is donations. For the foreseeable future we’re going to be sticking to the model we established last month: Opening donations for a short window at the beginning of each month in order to cover the costs for that month only. Earlier this month we opened up for our first donation window and asked for a total of $6313.86, which you guys raised in 19 minutes, which quite frankly was incredible. We were incredibly taken aback by your generosity.

 

We know PayPal isn’t ideal, but for the next couple of months we will be sticking to this method. In the future we hope to move to something more sustainable, such as Patreon, but for the moment we need the ability to cut donations off once we’ve got what we need - and PayPal allows us to do that.

 

The next thing many of you have offered is skills and expertise. Again, we’d like to apologise that we’ve not been able to properly respond to each and every one of you about this, but we hope the following information will suffice!

• For those of you interested in being GameMasters and/or moderators: We tend to recruit our GMs from those we see being helpful and friendly on our Discord server and in-game, so that’s the best place to start if this is something you’re interested in.
• For those of you interested in helping with the website: Please go ahead and post in this thread. We are now starting to look at options for expanding the website (and hopefully moving to new forum software), so we’d love to hear what you guys have in mind!
• For those of you interested in helping with future development of the game: This is where it gets a bit more tricky. As mentioned above, we aren’t able to conduct open source development until we feel we would not be putting the servers in jeopardy by doing so. We are eagerly awaiting the day where we can open up development to everyone who is interested, and in the meantime there’s two things you can do to get ready for this. Firstly, post in this thread if you’re a programmer or this thread if you’re an artist. Secondly, start becoming familiar with OuroDev’s SCoRE (i25) branch, it’s close enough to ours that anything you create should be compatible without too much additional work

 

Which brings us onto the next topic: Future development. We firmly believe that i25 (and by extension, i26) is the future of the game. The changes and content that have been added thus far line up with our mission - to ensure the game feels like home - and for that reason we intend to continue down that path.

 

There are rumours flying around that i25 is a ‘dead end’ and that it cannot be developed further, or that it’s more unstable than i24. Neither of those things could be further from the truth. i25 has, in fact, had years of fixes as well as a range of new content put into it from a very dedicated group of fans.

 

Two examples:

• Have you tried running the Imperious Task Force recently? Do you remember how laggy the valley of death was before the game shut down? Well, not anymore.
• There’s a brand new trial, Market Crash, available in Kallisti Wharf. Head on over to Ade Wellington near Wentworth’s with a team of level 40+ Heroes (or Villains) to give it a shot!

 

 

Plus a very minor bonus mention: You can now change your costume every 15 seconds instead of every 30 seconds!

 

And there’s more to come, with two things on the immediate horizon. First up, a hotly requested QoL feature: numeric power cooldowns. This is something we’ve been testing internally for a couple of days now, and we’re hoping to make it public soon, but in the meantime here’s a sneak peek:

 

 

The first version of this feature will be coming in the next patch. Initially it will be available by typing “/cooldown_indicator 0/1/2/3" (1 puts the number at the bottom, 2 at the top, 3 in the center, and 0 disables the feature). Once we’ve gathered enough feedback it’ll be added to the options menu.

 

Secondly, we’ve been hard at work rewriting our database architecture for efficiency and performance. The most visible effect of this is to reduce the amount of time you spend waiting for character select to load.

 

In order to test this we will soon be opening up a TEMPORARY shard. This will appear in Tequila as Homecoming (BETA) and will require a new patch. We will be using a complete copy of the existing Homecoming account database, so if you wish to partake please ensure you create your account ASAP - once the copy is made, new accounts will not be able to participate in this test.

 

To begin with, this shard will contain a copy of all characters from one of the existing shards (which one exactly is TBD). Everyone will have access to the /levelupxp command and we’ll also be making everything in the Auction House free in order for you to quickly create new characters and give the new platform a thorough test!

 

PLEASE NOTE: Characters on the beta shard will be wiped after a couple of days. Do not become attached to anything here, for you will be very disappointed when it’s gone.

 

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In closing, we’d like to thank all of you, our players, for the faith you’ve placed in us. We want exactly what you want: To bring City of Heroes back to life, and to ensure it stays that way.

 

The future’s bright, and we’re very much looking forward to sharing it all with you.

 

- The Homecoming Team

[Jimmy]

If you have any questions for myself or the rest of the Homecoming team please feel free to post them in this thread.

 

We’re in the process of putting an FAQ together as well, so you may find your question featured there!

[nasrudinctarl]

100% fine with (and thankful for, and proud of) all the work you guys have done to make CoH not only available again, but amazingly consistent and stable, too.  It's been eye-rollingly cringy seeing some of the other CoH communities whine, cry, and try to stir up melodrama over your own personal decisions and priorities, but you guys have stuck to your guns AND been remarkably transparent in the process.  Hopefully this time I'll be able to get my money through during the June server donation window, lord knows you guys deserve it! 

[Abraxus]

Awesome guys!  I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere!  In my world, there is no other game, and in CoH, there is no other place to play other than Homecoming!

 

[gawdwin]

Once development on the game begins to happen will there be a seperate shard for people who want the "vanilla" experience?

 

You all are the best of the best! I cannot thank you enough for all you have done! Please never stop!

 

 

[Patware]

As regards the Beta shard: Is that something that's going to be staying up long-term and periodically wiped? That could be really handy for testing out powersets/builds to make sure they feel right before doing them on live.

[Necromunger88]

I personally would like to thank you and the team for your hard work and continued work on making these service available.

 

I love being able to play CoH/CoV again and owe that to you and the team!

 

Keep up the good work..i can't wait to see what is coming!

 

-Necromunger88

[Jimmy]

Once development on the game begins to happen will there be a seperate shard for people who want the "vanilla" experience?

 

If there's enough demand for something like that we might consider it - Rebirth and Reborn are pretty close to Vanilla from my understanding though.

 

As regards the Beta shard: Is that something that's going to be staying up long-term and periodically wiped? That could be really handy for testing out powersets/builds to make sure they feel right before doing them on live.

For the foreseeable future it'll be up and down as required for specific rounds of testing, and will be wiped regularly. A long-term testing shard may happen in the future but we haven't got any plans right now.

[Valkeiran]

I only found this server in the last week or two, and it was like reviving a missing part of myself once I actually logged in and started playing. There is no way to express how much Homecoming means to me at the moment. So to avoid all the mushy TMI and everything involved, thank you. Everyone involved with reviving and maintaining this game, just... Thank you.

 

As an aside, is there any chance for new or remixed Archetypes in the far-far future? I saw you were open to hearing from those with development skills, and the concept of eventually playing an Offense-oriented Mastermind has me just giddy.

[HyPerRifiC]

Is there any chance that the roadmap has plans for further client-side optimizations and fixes (such as PhysX reimplementation)?

 

[Lepwave]

Any nerfs to MSR in the near future? People just run this if they want get merits and can just afk for incarnate xp.

[chrann]

Everything you guys are planning sounds fantastic. I look forward to playing hours and hours of CoX on Homecoming in the future and will support the team however I can. Thanks for all of your hard work!

[Profit]

GM_Jimmy as I have been called a fool by members of this 'community' for disagreeing about the AE nerf and that xp itself didn't actually need to be nerfed by members of this community whose only beliefs is 'farming bad', please elaborate on this

 

(Another aside before I continue: The AE nerf was originally to reduce the strain on the server as many AE farm maps used mechanics which were incredibly server-intensive,

 

As I have tried to tell people, the only server intensive thing in a AE farm is ambush farms and that is due to how the map/spawn points/spawns are loaded. But all I ever get told is that I'm stupid and all farming bad. So which is it, am I wrong or are ambush farms the only bad thing?

[Ozium]

sounds great, new info is nice.

 

and a big THANK YOU for bringing up the servers we all can play on and the donators who fund it !!

[aggerrath]

Any thing looking to be done about the epidemic of people doing DFB (Death from below)? I know some people are looking for quick levels. but when LFG chat is nothing but DFB LFM call outs. its a little bit annoying. (seeing this consistently on Everlasting)

 

Its even a little concerning the few times I did it, the groups I was in had at least 1 - 3 level 50+veterancy ( Task forces are wonderfull, so are strikes. would love to see more people wanting to do those to work on merits sets...)

[MrRetsej]

First, thank all of you folks for making this happen. It's been wonderful to play this again after so long. I was wondering if you would be able to add a slower XP progression option though.

 

One thing I noticed while playing was that it felt like I was leveling far too fast, even at the 100% XP rate. Although it is nice to have the option to speed through levels, and the Flashback system allows for playing any missed content, I don't feel I get to really have that visceral connection with a zone as I play through it, which was something I loved back in Issue 0-8.

I would appreciate a Pay2Win option that allowed for a 75% or even 50% XP rate, allowing for even greater control of how fast or slow I want to level a particular toon.

 

Also, I only just learned that Homecoming was a thing two days ago and have been trying my hardest to both enjoy the content but also earn enough merit rewards to get back my old Anniversary badges. Would you consider bringing Luna back after this Month? At the very least, perhaps annually to allow for future opportunities to get those badges?

[Dispari]

One thing I'm curious about is critters getting stuck in geometry. It seems to happen far more often than it did on live. Is there some sort of reduced collision check frequency that causes that to happen? Or has anyone looked into it?

[thejustchad]

Will the cool down indicator setting be persistent or will we have to type it in when we start the game?

[Juggerobb]

The whole homecoming team has been doing an absolutely unbelievable job. I am thankful for all of you hard work, and when the time comes, I intend on donating.

[Jaguaratron]

Once development on the game begins to happen will there be a seperate shard for people who want the "vanilla" experience?

 

If there's enough demand for something like that we might consider it - Rebirth and Reborn are pretty close to Vanilla from my understanding though.

 

As regards the Beta shard: Is that something that's going to be staying up long-term and periodically wiped? That could be really handy for testing out powersets/builds to make sure they feel right before doing them on live.

For the foreseeable future it'll be up and down as required for specific rounds of testing, and will be wiped regularly. A long-term testing shard may happen in the future but we haven't got any plans right now.

 

Any chance of testing out a pre Castle idiotic PvP changes on a shard.....

[SwitchFade]

Simply amazing! This truly is the most balanced direction and framework. Hat's off, chaps!

[SwitchFade]

Any thing looking to be done about the epidemic of people doing DFB (Death from below)? I know some people are looking for quick levels. but when LFG chat is nothing but DFB LFM call outs. its a little bit annoying. (seeing this consistently on Everlasting)

 

Its even a little concerning the few times I did it, the groups I was in had at least 1 - 3 level 50+veterancy ( Task forces are wonderfull, so are strikes. would love to see more people wanting to do those to work on merits sets...)

 

Agreed. Dfb has overwhelmed lfg.

[McCavity]

I just wanted to add my thanks to all of the Homecoming coding team for the simply remarkable work you've all done not only to bring the game back to us, but to keep it stable when deluged with literally thousands of people playing each night. 

 

I appreciate keeping us up to date on the server status and upcoming plans, and for keeping the process for running this so transparent.

 

I was 54 when I started playing COH in 2005.  I'm 67 now, and honestly didn't think I'd live long enough to ever see the game again, much less be ecstatically playing it again with so many of the fantastic COH community. 

 

You've made our dreams come true, and all of you have my undying gratitude!

[Jimmy]

Any nerfs to MSR in the near future? People just run this if they want get merits and can just afk for incarnate xp.

Any thing looking to be done about the epidemic of people doing DFB (Death from below)? I know some people are looking for quick levels. but when LFG chat is nothing but DFB LFM call outs. its a little bit annoying. (seeing this consistently on Everlasting, you guys do know Taskforces and Strike forces exist right?)

These things are on our radar, we don't want to make any hasty changes though.

 

As I have tried to tell people, the only server intensive thing in a AE farm is ambush farms and that is due to how the map/spawn points/spawns are loaded. But all I ever get told is that I'm stupid and all farming bad. So which is it, am I wrong or are ambush farms the only bad thing?

Ambushes, patrols and allies specifically.

[Profit]

 

As I have tried to tell people, the only server intensive thing in a AE farm is ambush farms and that is due to how the map/spawn points/spawns are loaded. But all I ever get told is that I'm stupid and all farming bad. So which is it, am I wrong or are ambush farms the only bad thing?

Ambushes, patrols and allies specifically.

 

Thank you sir, so just mobs standing around in one spot is ok as I've been trying to say.