An Open Letter To The Homecoming Team

[_NOPE_]

Dear Homecoming Team,

 

As I type up this letter, I am watching my Tequila launcher patching this game with a new update, and a snazzy new logo.

 

 

This is something that is totally unique, in my experience, and I've experienced a lot in the last few years.

 

I got to meet two of my idols. I got to see "Weird Al" Yankovic live again for the first time in almost 20 years, got to shake his hand and got him to sign my full-size replica of his Walk of Fame Star. I got to watch Joel Hodgson riff a movie live on-stage, and then shake his hand, look him in the eye, and have him tell me that he liked the patches on my jacket. I got to see, first my kids' names up in the credits for an episode of MST3K on the first Revival season, and then got to see my name up on ALL of the credits of the second Revival season. I've gotten to see SO many of my geek dreams come true with the rise of the MCU, and all the greatness that that has brought.

 

However, those things were not as unique and important as what's happening tonight. Why is something as mundane as waiting for a software patch so much more unique and important than those other phenomenal things?

 

Because, for the first time in my life, I get to experience a video game that I loved for years, that I spent hours enjoying with family and friends, come back to life... after a gap of almost a decade. After I thought it was gone forever. And not only in the state that it was in when it disappeared from my life oh so long ago, but in a new and improved format. Not only THAT, but with a team of fellow fans behind it that are dedicated to ensuring that the lights NEVER go out in Paragon City ever again, and that we don't just keep looking at the past, but rather keep moving forward to the future.

 

I've already gone over how I've gotten to this point before, but what matters isn't really how I got here, but how YOU got me here.

 

• YOU took the risk of downloading code that could potentially have caused harm, not only to yourself, but to those around you.
  
• YOU decided to take in that code, solidify it, modify it, and improve it, in every way.
  
• YOU made the decision, not to go backwards and try to restore the game to a state from before the shutdown, but rather to move it forwards into the next era.
  
• YOU put your time, effort, blood, sweat and tears into not only starting this whole thing, but keeping it going.
  
• YOU are under constant attack, not only from competing servers, internet trolls, and armchair ethicists, but even from your own playerbase, without wavering.
  
• YOU have put your own personal reputations, livelihoods, and financial stability at risk to keep the lights on.
  

 

In short, YOU, the Homecoming Team, have given this thing your all, your everything, whatever you could spare, in order to make not just your dream come true again, but the dreams of literally [glow=white,2,300]thousands[/glow] of other people come true. THAT is an enormous feat, and an enormous accomplishment. You should be proud of yourselves.

 

I won't give you more thanks in this post for that, you're already getting tons of thanks from myself and others in the past, and will continue to receive more in the future, I'm sure. No, this post isn't to thank you for what you've done, this post is to put everything that you've done and are going to do in the future in perspective, and to get YOU to stop for a moment and thank YOURSELF.

 

• Thank yourself, for having the courage to step forward and make this dream a reality in the first place.
  
• Thank yourself, for having the perseverence to continue in spite of all the naysayers, and mudflingers that want to tear down what others have built.
  
• Thank yourself, for having the tenacity to stick to your guns, and move forward with developing I25, rather than doing what virtually all of the other public servers are doing and going backwards, losing six years worth of work.
  
• Thank yourself, for having the constitution to stomach the grunts and groans from the small minority of players that always speak out whenever anything that looks like nerf gets released.
  
• Thank yourself, for having the dedication to accomplish ALL of this, WITHOUT the benefit of any of it giving you a paycheck, as the original developers and staff received for their work.
  

 

Know this: this is YOUR world, a world of your own creation. Make of it what you will, use your own best judgement to mold this new world into one that you'll happily spend years more enjoying. And know, that for all of the vitriol and scorn you may receive from a few buzzing busybodies... you'll still have a legion behind you that will support you in what you are doing.

 

Creation is INFINITELY harder than destruction, and this legion realizes the inherent value of that creation. We are with you, and we will continue to be. For as long as you're willing to keep standing strong and keep something that you love alive, we will be here to support you. Ignore those who spend their lives trying to destroy what others build. They are wasting their lives away on efforts that make the world a worse place via destruction, while you are working to make the world a better place via creation. Focus on the positive future ahead, and rest easy knowing that you're doing a Great Good in bringing joy to thousands of people.

 

Godspeed, Homecoming Team, and I will now log on and crack a great many more Skuls, in your honor.

[justicebeliever]

+1...Well Written PK...

 

Thanks Devs for all you do!

[Peerless Girl]

PK,

 

You said what I wanted to say and said a lot more that I knew I was feeling but hadn't been able to put in words. I appriciate this post, and thank you for making it. I couldn't be prouder of our team and where the game is, and even more excited for the future.

[Solarverse]

I give this the official Solarverse thumbs up. Right behind ya, my man.

[Agorazium]

+1! This game means a lot to me and I still checked for updates all the time, even if I had given up hope that I would ever play anything like it again. This has been a dream come true and is so appreciated.

 

Wanted to give a s/o to you as well, Philotic Knight. Your FF guide was my Bible when I made my first ever toon a million years ago. I've enjoyed seeing players I respected and learned from as a wee teen, still around and still loving the hell out of the game.

[ChzBoi]

+1 ....have so missed this game, forums, community, etc!  :D

[markofantares]

Preach, PK!

[GamerKate]

I also want to thank the devs for enabling me to once again live in the same City as people like PK, seeing old comrades again has been one of the lovely things about Homecoming.

 

MCM

[wmtyrance]

I also agree with the OP. These guys have been great here and deserve praise.

[Solvernia]

“When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly. They are like this because they can't tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own - not of the same blood and birth, but the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt me. No one can implicate me in ugliness. Nor can I feel angry at my relative, or hate him. We were born to work together like feet, hands and eyes, like the two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are unnatural.”

― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

 

 

Thanks for making City of Heroes great again, guys.

[Shadojak]

+1 Inf.

 

Agree with every point you made.

 

'Nuff said.

[Riverdusk]

Good timing to see this after listening to several people whining in help channel today about the recent changes.  ::)  Had to turn off the channel.

 

Well said Philotic Knight! 

[Aerous77]

Dear Homecoming Team,

 

As I type up this letter, I am watching my Tequila launcher patching this game with a new update, and a snazzy new logo.

 

 

This is something that is totally unique, in my experience, and I've experienced a lot in the last few years.

 

I got to meet two of my idols. I got to see "Weird Al" Yankovic live again for the first time in almost 20 years, got to shake his hand and got him to sign my full-size replica of his Walk of Fame Star. I got to watch Joel Hodgson riff a movie live on-stage, and then shake his hand, look him in the eye, and have him tell me that he liked the patches on my jacket. I got to see, first my kids' names up in the credits for an episode of MST3K on the first Revival season, and then got to see my name up on ALL of the credits of the second Revival season. I've gotten to see SO many of my geek dreams come true with the rise of the MCU, and all the greatness that that has brought.

 

However, those things were not as unique and important as what's happening tonight. Why is something as mundane as waiting for a software patch so much more unique and important than those other phenomenal things?

 

Because, for the first time in my life, I get to experience a video game that I loved for years, that I spent hours enjoying with family and friends, come back to life... after a gap of almost a decade. After I thought it was gone forever. And not only in the state that it was in when it disappeared from my life oh so long ago, but in a new and improved format. Not only THAT, but with a team of fellow fans behind it that are dedicated to ensuring that the lights NEVER go out in Paragon City ever again, and that we don't just keep looking at the past, but rather keep moving forward to the future.

 

I've already gone over how I've gotten to this point before, but what matters isn't really how I got here, but how YOU got me here.

 

• YOU took the risk of downloading code that could potentially have caused harm, not only to yourself, but to those around you.
  
• YOU decided to take in that code, solidify it, modify it, and improve it, in every way.
  
• YOU made the decision, not to go backwards and try to restore the game to a state from before the shutdown, but rather to move it forwards into the next era.
  
• YOU put your time, effort, blood, sweat and tears into not only starting this whole thing, but keeping it going.
  
• YOU are under constant attack, not only from competing servers, internet trolls, and armchair ethicists, but even from your own playerbase, without wavering.
  
• YOU have put your own personal reputations, livelihoods, and financial stability at risk to keep the lights on.
  

 

In short, YOU, the Homecoming Team, have given this thing your all, your everything, whatever you could spare, in order to make not just your dream come true again, but the dreams of literally [glow=white,2,300]thousands[/glow] of other people come true. THAT is an enormous feat, and an enormous accomplishment. You should be proud of yourselves.

 

I won't give you more thanks in this post for that, you're already getting tons of thanks from myself and others in the past, and will continue to receive more in the future, I'm sure. No, this post isn't to thank you for what you've done, this post is to put everything that you've done and are going to do in the future in perspective, and to get YOU to stop for a moment and thank YOURSELF.

 

• Thank yourself, for having the courage to step forward and make this dream a reality in the first place.
  
• Thank yourself, for having the perseverence to continue in spite of all the naysayers, and mudflingers that want to tear down what others have built.
  
• Thank yourself, for having the tenacity to stick to your guns, and move forward with developing I25, rather than doing what virtually all of the other public servers are doing and going backwards, losing six years worth of work.
  
• Thank yourself, for having the constitution to stomach the grunts and groans from the small minority of players that always speak out whenever anything that looks like nerf gets released.
  
• Thank yourself, for having the dedication to accomplish ALL of this, WITHOUT the benefit of any of it giving you a paycheck, as the original developers and staff received for their work.
  

 

Know this: this is YOUR world, a world of your own creation. Make of it what you will, use your own best judgement to mold this new world into one that you'll happily spend years more enjoying. And know, that for all of the vitriol and scorn you may receive from a few buzzing busybodies... you'll still have a legion behind you that will support you in what you are doing.

 

Creation is INFINITELY harder than destruction, and this legion realizes the inherent value of that creation. We are with you, and we will continue to be. For as long as you're willing to keep standing strong and keep something that you love alive, we will be here to support you. Ignore those who spend their lives trying to destroy what others build. They are wasting their lives away on efforts that make the world a worse place via destruction, while you are working to make the world a better place via creation. Focus on the positive future ahead, and rest easy knowing that you're doing a Great Good in bringing joy to thousands of people.

 

Godspeed, Homecoming Team, and I will now log on and crack a great many more Skuls, in your honor.

 

Well said!

[Man_From_AUNTIE]

+111Eleventy1111!!!11

[Sable Phoenix]

Thank you, Philotic Knight, for saying what so many of us are thinking.

 

Thank you, Leandro and SCoRE and the Homecoming team, for bringing us a rebirth that, after all this time, we never expected to see.

 

All of you keep doing what you're doing.  We're with you.

[Oubliette_Red]

Well said, PK +1

 

A great big thanks to all those involved with bringing us Homecoming and a return of the world we so loved to dwell in.

[vaxjedi]

Just wanted to pile my /signed onto this. Y'all are doing an epic thing, and have been putting out patches on a regular basis. It's an amazing thing to see from a group of volunteers.

 

Shine on, you crazy diamonds!

[Skyhawke]

+1 and then some. Well said, PK, and so say we all.

[Force Redux]

/signed

 

Well said PK. I'm grateful beyond words for the opportunity to return to CoX after all this time.

 

Thank you Homecoming team. :-)

[_NOPE_]

Addendum to the Open Letter:

 

How y'all doing? Things been pretty quiet as of late, kind of worried that something bad might have happened/be happening.

 

Y'all okay?

[Myrmidon]

Agreed.

 

To all of you that have brought our home back to life, I thank you.

[Number Six]

How y'all doing? Things been pretty quiet as of late, kind of worried that something bad might have happened/be happening.

 

Y'all okay?

 

We're doing well. Definitely nothing bad to report.

 

There are a lot of exciting things happening behind the scenes in a wide variety of areas. Can't say any more because fueling speculation would be unhelpful, but hopefully the reasons will become apparent in a future update.