In game advertising still work?

[Guardia]

For those unaware, at one point during Live, City of Heroes ran in game advertising via the various billboards scattered across the zones. Companies could pay to have their products appear on those billboards.

 

Now, this feature was never particularly successful. Only a handful of ads were ever contracted, and a lot of folks didn't even see those as you could opt out of seeing the ads in the settings.

 

I am wondering... is the system still part of the client/server code? Can custom ads still be put into the game?

 

Can anyone think of clever new uses for this feature if it works?

 

 

-g

[Grouchybeast]

I always thought it would be cool to let people advertise their supergroups through the ingame billboards.

[Alchemystic]

So long as we can still turn them off, last thing I want is to be subject to even more club advertisements in my day-to-day playing the game 😉

[Shadowsleuth]

It would be cool to have upcoming server events, holiday events, costume contests, fun story arcs & TFs/SFs, & Dev sponsored AE arcs done up as cool & clever billboard ads.

 

Perhaps it can also be used to remind players to try content in some of the underused zones.

Edited May 17, 2021 by Shadowsleuth

[Luminara]

2 hours ago, Guardia said:

I am wondering... is the system still part of the client/server code?

 

No.  It had apparently been shelved when the game was still in Paragon's hands, due to a combination of lack of commercial entity interest and expiration of licensing agreements with the company who provided something (not sure if it was part of the code, or the servers on which ads were stored, or something else).  And the relevant bits have been removed, so it can't just be turned back on.  That's apparently why the billboards which used to display ads are now showing in-game joke ads, like ZomBCare.

[Shred Monkey]

I've no doubt that if they made billboards available to player content submissions,  With the type of players we have, there would be enough submissions to give us new billboards every week indefinitely.

[AerialAssault]

When I started playing the game back in .. Issue 10, or maybe 12, I distinctly remember seeing adverts for a film. I think it was Aeon Flux. At the time, I thought it was super weird and out of place.

 

Honestly, what I would like to see is another contest to design new advert billboards, like what happened on Live. Personally, I would prefer it if these designs were not for existing supergroups. There's already hourly adverts in all chat channels on Everlasting, I don't need to see it plastered around in-game.

[Shadowsleuth]

Some threads on former ad contests

 

https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/12808-new-billboards/

 

https://forums.homecomingservers.com/topic/20624-create-an-ad-competition-2006/

[Luminara]

4 hours ago, Shred Monkey said:

I've no doubt that if they made billboards available to player content submissions,  With the type of players we have, there would be enough submissions to give us ALL THE PENISES every week indefinitely.

 

Fixed.

[Techwright]

13 hours ago, Luminara said:

 

No.  It had apparently been shelved when the game was still in Paragon's hands, due to a combination of lack of commercial entity interest and expiration of licensing agreements with the company who provided something (not sure if it was part of the code, or the servers on which ads were stored, or something else).  And the relevant bits have been removed, so it can't just be turned back on.  That's apparently why the billboards which used to display ads are now showing in-game joke ads, like ZomBCare.

I understand the ad parts are gone, but the graphics I don't think have always been the same, at least I seem to recall some having different ones.  If there's graphics, like ZomBCare, are they hardwired into the code, or can they be swapped out?  I rather like the idea of posting contest winners' pictures, especially if they're made to be fictional product endorsers.

 

In similar vein, are the theater billboards still changeable?  I'd love to see an update to the movie selections.  Maybe hold a competition for designing such. 

Edited May 18, 2021 by Techwright

[Luminara]

1 minute ago, Techwright said:

If there's graphics, like ZomBCare, are they hardwired into the code, or can they be swapped out?

 

Textures can always be replaced.  How much work is involved, and whether it's worth doing, I can't say.  Have to ask one of the HC team about that.

[Darmian]

I think I've seen Rise of the Council several thousand times by now. Every time I go in to see either Casino Heist or Time Gladiator though, things keep hitting me!  I really should complain.  And not ONE of the concession bots will sell me popcorn!

[Heraclea]

I have made posters for most of my more recent AE missions.  These will have been posted in the AE forum,  If anyone wants to mix up the movie posters on various buildings in the cities, help yourself to them.

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