CALLING ALL HEROES AND VILLAINS

[SETR4KIAN]

Astoria Razor (left), Ibama man (middle), Kayenne (Right)

 

Hey y’all, the name is Kayenne, and I would like your attention for a minute.

 

I'm a Brazilian researcher and currently I'm working on a scientific project called “How do Players Remember? Digital Technology, Culture and Identity Construction” which involves a etnografic type of research on the CoX community. This project seeks to record and document the history of City of Heroes players, specifically after the game servers shut down in 2012 till the current moment with the game’s resurrection.

 

Having that in mind, i’m going to ask you guys a few questions, there’s no need to worry about your alignment while answering the questions, all answers are welcome.

 

Keep in mind that some of these questions are related to CoX veterans, so if you want to skip a question, feel free to do it, there’s no reason to answer something you either can't or don't want to.

 

Hope to get some good answers. I'll be glad to read all your stories!

 

“We Are Heroes, This is What We Do”
 

1. When did you started playing CoX? Was it before or after the game shut down? Tell me a little about how you met the game.
2. Have you played the game before the shut down in 2012? If the answer is yes, tell me about how you feel about the game’s “Death”. What was that experience like?
3. And when the game returned in 2019? What did you felt? Was it like a “Homecoming”?
4. What was the first thing you did after playing the game for the first time in years?
5. What are your thoughts on the return of the servers? Did you brought something with you from the original server? (Avatars, builds, things like that)
6. Do you like to play with a specific character? (can be more than one) If yes, what makes it so special to you?

 

The Q&A is available on Reddit too: 

[DoctorDitko]

1. Around Issue 2, so circa 2005?

2. I played a lot before the game went "free-to-goldfarm-spam" in 2010? 11? And then intensely right before shutdown. I was devastated, it left a hole in my life like the loss of a friend. It made me realize the stark difference between real life possessions and virtual ones, though. I did also go out and reconnect with my future wife, so not all bad!

3. Shortly after I lost my wife to cancer, I discovered Homecoming. And it did indeed feel like coming home. Helped me through the grief.

4. I recreated my favorite main character, went through the tutorial, and wept like a baby when I stepped into Atlas Park and saw the other players. Then again when I heard the Steel Canyon music. Then once more when I reconnected with old friends. It was a high-humidity environment for a while.

5. I couldn't lay my hands on my original files, but I recreated all my favorites from memory, and was very glad of the new costume options. I was and am aware that everything could disappear again by another whim of NCSoft, so there is a certain tentativeness to play, and I do my best to savor every second. I'm getting to the age where all my life is like that, though, so I spend a lot of time with my fingers crossed. (Makes it hard to control my character sometimes.)

6. I tend to binge on one character at a time. I started with my namesake on Torchbearer (because that's where my friends were) and have worked my way through my favorites. Many are re-creations of characters I enjoyed playing in tabletop games during and after college. So, double nostalgia, I guess. I like playing Doctor Ditko (Ill/Rad and an Ill/Time variant) because there's something interesting to do whatever the situation. Summon pets, buff my team, debuff the bad guys -- always a way to contribute. Keeps me from getting bored.

 

Good luck with your research, and Good Science to you!

[thunderforce]

1) After EU release, so in early 2005. A friend was playing it and sent me a buddy code. We only played together a handful of times, but now because of the damned plague he's part of my regular Thursday evening team - and he's playing the same toon as in 2005.

 

2) I had barely touched it for a while before the shutdown, and I was surprised by how upset I was when I learned it was going away. On the last day I got a Praetorian to level 20 and left, then stood with my first character in Atlas Park holding a torch.

 

3) That's a complicated question because there was a lot of drama going around at the time; some idiot got 4chan involved, which never helps.

 

4) I went out into Atlas Park to kill 5 Hellions, complicated by the way hundreds of other people were trying to kill 5 Hellions and so there were none to be found. In the less immediate sense, I remade a BS/Invul scrapper from live as a Praetorian BS/WP brute and soloed everything I could, up to and including all four SSTFs.

 

5) The characters I directly remade from live early on have mostly gathered dust; I've had more fun where I've messed around with the original concept, costume, and/or powers. A Fire/FF controller has become a Fire/energy dominator, a FF/Psi defender a DP/Sonic corruptor.

 

6) I've a soft spot for the Arachnos Widow; I never played one on live.

[The_Warpact]

1. Spring 2006, saw City of Villains at a store and read it. Thought there was no way you could actually play as a super Villain and customize it. 

2. Played shortly up to the "end", but, never experienced it due to rl circumstances. 

3. Had a Vgmate tell me about it and couldn't believe it, very happy.

4. Leveled a toon to 4 took fly and traveled around looking at stuff.

5. The original files are gone so had to remake from scratch. Have only one that remained a villain as it was on live and the others have all new looks/powers, same names though.

6. I play a specific AT which is the mastermind, I have not found anything like it anywhere else and because of that it makes it unique and special. 

 

[Cutter]

2 hours ago, SETR4KIAN - Kayenne said:

1. Started in early 2005 -- during i3. I'd played for a couple hours on a friend's account much earlier but didn't get into it then. Bought the game after finding out some RL friends played.
2. I played faithfully right up to shutdown. I couldn't bring myself to be online for the final day tho -- too upset and no longer had friends to share it with so...
3. Found out about HC in May 2019 from one of our former SG leaders who still had a bunch of peoples' emails. I was hyped to get back into it. A couple of the old guard were playing but it never felt the same. I run a 1-man SG on each server.
4. The cliche answer would be "remake my main", but I wanted to do something different. Built a Dark/Shield scrapper instead, came to the forums to figure out how the new AH worked, and started using him for recipe crafting. I'm not a marketeer by any stretch of anyone's imagination but that char basically provided the seed $ for everything I've done since.
5. Haven't remade any of my original characters. Only reused a couple of names. I did reimagine my old main and update his look tho. Took a while before it felt right doing that.
6. I have altitis, so I have no true main this time around. I lean toward the melee ATs tho; by far they make up the majority of my roster.

 

[cranebump]

1) With the Good vs Evil edition, 2006 or ‘07.

2) Yes. It felt like a death in the family, honestly. Made me very sad.

3) I couldn’t believe it. When I actually created a character and entered the game, heard the music, damn near cried.

4) I recreated Major Viktory and Acrobattle. I was happy to get the names. Then I went out and busted heads via Habashy.

5) I played Indomitable at first, only because I read it had a smaller population, and I wasn’t sure how things would run. I ended up Excelsior because it’s easier to team there. I created some variations on old toons, then rolled into AE scripting, which I had dabbled in before shutdown. I ended up spending a lot of time there. I was single before shutdown, so, in order not to be playing all the time, I have one night a week where I can run guilt-free. I’m on and off other days, when I can grab extra time.

6) I like either straight up, cheesy silver age heroes, or street level vigilante types. The former because it’s pure and uncomplicated. The latter because my favorite super heroes are usually “low power” types. 

Edited October 5, 2021 by cranebump

[merrypessimist]

1) 2004, approximately two weeks after the game went live.  I played more on than off until shutdown.  I was introduced by a friend who picked it up and let me roll a character on his account.  He stopped playing after a couple weeks.

 

2) I did, as my answer to question one shows.  I was super pissed when the game closed, and I was one of the people in Atlas Park on Virtue doing the /em torch signout until NCsoft shut down the servers.  Ended up moving to play SCORE a few years later before that blew up.  As a result of NCsoft's decision regarding City, I took a stand to never play one of their games again or have any financial interaction with the company in any way, including but not limited to buying their products, trading their stock or any index stock containing it, etc.  I'll hold a grudge to the grave.

 

3/4) I was thrilled that someone took up the mantle again after SCORE. I recall thinking "ah, glad to have this back again, hey they don't have any of my live alts? Not as awesome" before I proceeded to roll a titan/electric scrapper.  I've been here since.

 

5)  I brought a lot of character ideas (I rerolled/created four live alts here) and my experience with builds.  

 

6) Not really. I've got a lot of characters, who I play is a matter of "What do I feel like this time" or "Who do I want to do that TF/team/raid/etc. on?"  Occasionally it's "Oh man I had a Terrible Character Idea I HAD to roll"

[Mopery]

1. I started playing City of Heroes within the week it was released after being told about it by an old friend. My first character was a Martial Arts/Super Reflexes Scrapper who I loved to play in spite of how bad SR was back then(terrible until perma-Elude then still not as good as Regen).
2. I played CoH faithfully until 2012. Whenever I got tired of other games, CoH was always there for me. I have always had fun playing it, which I think is what any game's goal should be. If you don't have fun playing a game, then don't play that game. I had just started a two-week vacation when the shutdown was announced, and I had planned on spending as much time as I could playing CoH... instead, I was hit with NCSoft's cruel and spiteful announcement. Try to imagine the people who sold you your most beloved pet sending you an official letter in the mail stating: "We apologize, but we've decided that you're not allowed to have your pet anymore because we still legally own it. In 3 months we're going to come back and take your pet away forever. Just accept that it's the right thing to do and it's the right time to do it, don't bother asking why because there's nothing you can do to stop it from happening. Have a nice day! Sincerely, NCSoft" I felt like a member of my family had been strangled to death while I helplessly watched. I couldn't bring myself to log in again, and I will curse NCSoft until the day I die.
3. It was spring 2019, I had been searching the internet for CoH nostalgia, listening to Lord Recluse's Grandville speech, and suddenly I found a youtube video talking about a hidden server and source code and some serious drama, news that a private server had been running all those years in which I had thought CoH was gone forever. I was pissed to not have been invited to that, but honestly, more than anything, I just wanted to play the game again. Even if NCSoft kills it again, which I know is still a possibility with those donkey felching sons of whores, then at least I got to play my favorite video game of all time one last time.
4. I smoked a fat joint, and enjoyed my afternoon like I had thought I would never be able to do ever again.
5. The only thing I had left from the old servers were my memories of the game back in the early days when the game was much more difficult and a few of my characters had heroic last stands, a couple of which actually succeeded. I remembered a lot, and had forgotten a lot, but I've had a blast these past couple of years.
6. Whichever character I'm playing at the moment is my favorite. I'm an altaholic suffering from altitis so I have literally hundreds of characters across all five servers, although I tend to play on Excelsior.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Mopery
Intercourse NCSoft

[Clave Dark 5]

1. When did you started playing CoX? Was it before or after the game shut down? Tell me a little about how you met the game.  A roommate was playing it and I kept watching over his shoulder and thinki9ngit looked like fun.  Which was a real deal fort me as I generally consider all video games a waste of time ha ha - I could be reading a book instead of running thru a pre-set maze!  And yet here I am.
2. Have you played the game before the shut down in 2012? If the answer is yes, tell me about how you feel about the game’s “Death”. What was that experience like?  Yes.  I was maybe a bit burned out, but still felt kinda sad about it; not like actually super depressed, but "well dang, that's a pity" sad.
3. And when the game returned in 2019? What did you felt? Was it like a “Homecoming”?  That was great, I felt like I'd have a chance to hop in and get one last fix, so that even if it went away tomorrow, I'd be able to be satisfied that I had another shot at what had been taken away (there's still so much I haven't done yet).
4. What was the first thing you did after playing the game for the first time in years?  Created a few characters, duh!  I dunno, probably started leveling a few.
5. What are your thoughts on the return of the servers? Did you brought something with you from the original server? (Avatars, builds, things like that)  I did maybe one or two, but not too many.  I tend to come up with new ideas for characters instead of returning to "old favorites" no matter how much I liked them.
6. Do you like to play with a specific character? (can be more than one) If yes, what makes it so special to you?  Mainly character concept and if it feels like it plays in a fun and/or easy way instead of a "this is going to be very complex" tricky way.  I don't tend to revisit characters once I feel I'm done with them, partly because I'm captivated to play a new character and only have so much time.

[Doomguide2005]

1.  Started in late February 2005 along with my roommate.  Our mutual friends from the PnP world of gaming had been trying to get us to try CoH for a couple months and we finally relented.  Never looked back.  Strongest early memories involved the Winter event and the Hollows.

2.  I missed the Sunset of the game as my computer had died.  I'll always miss not being there online with ingame friends as the servers went down.  Feeling a sense of deja vu as my current computer has also gone belly up and life is seeing fit to not free up the cash needed to get a replacement.  Every now and then I fear I may not be able log in again before HC is shutdown.  I take heart that even if that were to happen well the code is in the wild and even if have to learn how to set up a server from scratch I will play again. 

3.  Indescribable doesn't begin to touch on how I felt just hearing the log in screen, character creator and finally logging into AP the first time.  And getting hit again by sights and sounds as I moved through the game into different zones and neighborhoods for the first time.

4.  Recreated my "Main of Mains", wondered at the sights and sounds as I entered AP ... and what the heck is a DFB?  Remembering so many things while simultaneously scratching my head over other things I knew I'd done a gazillion times on Live but couldn't recall how to do now.

5.  Had a huge number of not only my builds from Live but many other folks as well.  Not sure how much survived but I do still have thumb drives with many builds copied there.  Just can't currently look at them.

5.5. These forums were also rather nostalgic at first as well as I saw names I recognized while leaving me to wonder about names I didn't see.

6.  Recreated several favorites from Live, but I'm also busy thinking of and trying others (and will resume doing so when I get back online).  Got quite a mental list building up of sets and set pairings I want to try.  Altitis is strong in this one.

[Delta]

1. I started playing CoH a couple of days after launch in 2004. I first heard about the game after reading an article about the game in a magazine back in 2001. After heading off to college a couple of years later, I rediscovered CoH after seeing an article about the game on MMORPG.com. I registered for the beta test, made a forum account and the rest was history. I actually remember the day that I played, I had to pickup the game after class. I went to the store only to find that they had no time cards (didn't have a credit card at the time). I then went to every game store in the city where I purchased the game, only to have to travel nearly 100 miles and spending most of the afternoon on the road before finding a time card for the game. Once I got back, I created my first character and met up with some people from the forums that I was a member of and began my CoH journey.
2. I played mostly for the entirety of the game's life, with a few short breaks in between. I was attending a family reunion in Arkansas when I saw several posts about the game's shutdown announcement, but it didn't hit me completely until I returned home and saw the post myself. I was devastated to hear the news and like many was angry with NCSOFT for the (wrongful) decision to shutdown the game. I couldn't believe it as I felt that the game was still doing well enough to stick around for a while and also with the increased interest in superheroes thanks to the MCU movies, I felt that the game would get a boost. As the time ticked down, I made sure to make as much time as I could to enjoy the game before the shutdown. I remember taking pictures of many of my characters, many who had been around for years. When the server when down for the last time, I felt that a part of my life was gone, never to be seen again. It took a while, but I was able to move on from the loss and focus on other things (family, work, etc.).
3. I saw a few posts online talking about the Homecoming and other servers. I created an account, logged in, and haven't left since. To me, it felt like I had reunited with a long-lost friend that I hadn't seen in years, but still remembered all the good times that we had and the memories that we shared.
4. I created a few characters and played around with the character creator.
5. Prior to the game shutting down, I was able to get a few of my character costumes and power customization saved so that I had something to go off of when recreating them. I also had several pictures of many of my characters that I took before the shutdown that I was able to recreate.
6. I really don't have a favorite character, as I have several characters that I enjoy playing from time to time. One day I would be playing a character that I had been working on for a while only to create a new one after having an idea pop into my mind. Despite my constant altitis, I have a few characters that have made it to level 50. 

[KC4800]

10 hours ago, SETR4KIAN - Kayenne said:

• When did you started playing CoX? Was it before or after the game shut down? Tell me a little about how you met the game.
• Have you played the game before the shut down in 2012? If the answer is yes, tell me about how you feel about the game’s “Death”. What was that experience like?
• And when the game returned in 2019? What did you felt? Was it like a “Homecoming”?
• What was the first thing you did after playing the game for the first time in years?
• What are your thoughts on the return of the servers? Did you brought something with you from the original server? (Avatars, builds, things like that)
• Do you like to play with a specific character? (can be more than one) If yes, what makes it so special to you?

Started in Dec 2005 after being coaxed by a friend to try it. I had previously been on a game that shut down (Motor City Online) which was also devastating and I was apprehensive to start another MMO. Since I had already been through a shutdown once, I knew what to expect when City would power down. I started playing Neverwinter. When Homecoming started, I stopped playing NW, it was no comparison. I recreated my main avatar from live, Phrendon Largo, eventually on 4 of the 5 servers. A tanker with different power sets on each of the servers, but with the same costumes. I settled on one which I never change now. I visited all my favorite zones for the sights and music, teamed, soloed, learned how to farm for influence, and eventually created new characters which owe their prosperity to Phrendon and his enormous giving heart.

[PLVRIZR]

When did you started playing CoX? Was it before or after the game shut down? Tell me a little about how you met the game.

As others have reported, the game was being talked about, as far back as 2001-2002.  I played many dice and paper games (mostly D&D/AD&D) in middle school, H.S. and college. (1975 - 1987).  I found the dice and paper game "Champions" in college, in 1983, and played it until I graduated in 1987.  When CoH debuted in 2004, I was one of the first to buy the retail version and subscribe.  I played almost exclusively on the "Champion" server, because of the Champions dice/paper game.

 

Have you played the game before the shut down in 2012? If the answer is yes, tell me about how you feel about the game’s “Death”. What was that experience like?

Yes, since 2004.  I was in Atlas Park (with another several thousand players), when the plug was pulled.  It was painful.

 

And when the game returned in 2019? What did you felt? Was it like a “Homecoming”?

Yes, but I didn't find out about the game until Feb. 2020.  I thought "Reunion" was appropriate, so I started rebuilding all my lvl 50s, there, until I realized it was the EU server and moved most of my toons to Excelsior.

 

What was the first thing you did after playing the game for the first time in years?

Begin re-creating my numerous lvl 50s.  My handle is @PLVRIZR, so he's the first one I remade.  Most of the characters in my signature are rebuilds from the Live days.

 

What are your thoughts on the return of the servers? Did you brought something with you from the original server? (Avatars, builds, things like that)

Absolutely.  It has been a mission to remake all my favorites (and there are alot of them).

 

Do you like to play with a specific character? (can be more than one) If yes, what makes it so special to you?

I've been a tanker, since the beginning and still predominately play tanks.  I'll happily jump to a support toon, if the team needs it, but PLVRIZR, NUTCRCKR and JAWBRKR are my "go to" toons.

[TheOtherTed]

1. When did you started playing CoX? Was it before or after the game shut down? Tell me a little about how you met the game.  I started playing in January 2006.  I was casting around for a new type of game and happened to stumble across CoH.  I almost didn't play it - I had no interest whatsoever in superheroes - but then I realized that if I wanted something new, I should try, you know, something NEW.  So I did.
2. Have you played the game before the shut down in 2012? If the answer is yes, tell me about how you feel about the game’s “Death”. What was that experience like?  To be honest, when the closing was announced, my reaction was "Eh, I guess it's time."  I had pretty much moved on to other games by then.  I'd done all I was likely to do in CoX, and after IOs, AE, and DFB, teaming just wasn't as fun as it had been.  I also felt like the big MMOs had a habit of overstaying their welcome, and I figured 8 years was a pretty good run for any game.
3. And when the game returned in 2019? What did you felt? Was it like a “Homecoming”?  When I found out on another MMO forum that the game was kind of sort of live again, I hopped right back in.  In spite of my answer above, there was a lot I loved about the game and had sorely missed.  That said, it didn't feel like "homecoming" so much as a "second chance."
4. What was the first thing you did after playing the game for the first time in years?  The first thing I did was re-create my first character who made it out of the tutorial and play him up to level 14.  He's still stuck there - he needs a travel power, badly, but nothing available fits him.
5. What are your thoughts on the return of the servers? Did you brought something with you from the original server? (Avatars, builds, things like that)  I tried re-creating some of my old favorite characters, but only 3 survive, including the character mentioned previously.  Instead, I've gone full-on experimental, trying new and different ideas and powerset combinations.  That said, I'm not a "builder" or "planner" so much as a "trial and error" kind of guy.
6. Do you like to play with a specific character? (can be more than one) If yes, what makes it so special to you?  I'm currently rotating 4 characters - a MA/Ninjutsu scrapper, an Archery/Martial Training blaster, an Illusion/Dark controller (a re-imagining of one of my oldest characters), and a Dark/Nature controller.  The first two kick single-target butt with style and grace, and the controllers are unstoppable forces of nature.

[Snarky]

1 When did you started playing CoX? Was it before or after the game shut down? Tell me a little about how you met the game.

 

I found the game right after "Good vs. Evil" was released. Somewhere in 2004.  Random pick in a videogame store.

 

2 Have you played the game before the shut down in 2012? If the answer is yes, tell me about how you feel about the game’s “Death”. What was that experience like?

 

Yes. I felt a lot of anger. I stopped playing about a month before the servers shut down because it angered me to go into the game. 

 

3 And when the game returned in 2019? What did you felt? Was it like a “Homecoming”?

 

I was very happy to have my favorite game back.

 

4 What was the first thing you did after playing the game for the first time in years?

 

Made a Super Strength Invulnerability Brute Villain and started doing crimes.

 

5 What are your thoughts on the return of the servers? Did you brought something with you from the original server? (Avatars, builds, things like that)

 

Many of my current characters are just evolutions of my original play style.  I have started to branch out and explore. But my first year back was revisiting all my old favorites

 

6 Do you like to play with a specific character? (can be more than one) If yes, what makes it so special to you?

 

I have a couple characters that I write backstories for.  These I will play endlessly.  One has a few different in game archetypes and builds but the exact same look, same name. I like the ability to create a character from the ground up, costume playstyle powersets and final build.  This feels like more creative control in portraying he character in my head.

[Seed22]

14 hours ago, SETR4KIAN - Kayenne said:

Astoria Razor (left), Ibama man (middle), Kayenne (Right)

 

Hey y’all, the name is Kayenne, and I would like your attention for a minute.

 

I'm a Brazilian researcher and currently I'm working on a scientific project called “How do Players Remember? Digital Technology, Culture and Identity Construction” which involves a etnografic type of research on the CoX community. This project seeks to record and document the history of City of Heroes players, specifically after the game servers shut down in 2012 till the current moment with the game’s resurrection.

 

Having that in mind, i’m going to ask you guys a few questions, there’s no need to worry about your alignment while answering the questions, all answers are welcome.

 

Keep in mind that some of these questions are related to CoX veterans, so if you want to skip a question, feel free to do it, there’s no reason to answer something you either can't or don't want to.

 

Hope to get some good answers. I'll be glad to read all your stories!

 

“We Are Heroes, This is What We Do”
 

1. When did you started playing CoX? Was it before or after the game shut down? Tell me a little about how you met the game.
2. Have you played the game before the shut down in 2012? If the answer is yes, tell me about how you feel about the game’s “Death”. What was that experience like?
3. And when the game returned in 2019? What did you felt? Was it like a “Homecoming”?
4. What was the first thing you did after playing the game for the first time in years?
5. What are your thoughts on the return of the servers? Did you brought something with you from the original server? (Avatars, builds, things like that)
6. Do you like to play with a specific character? (can be more than one) If yes, what makes it so special to you?

 

The Q&A is available on Reddit too: 

1.) I started around i6( so around 2006). I was introduced by my dad, who himself was introduced by a friend of his!

2.) Yes, I was a bit shocked and saddened, seeing as I've played the game for so long. But, it did give me a much needed wakeup call on priorities in life. I spent more time socializing with friends I hadn't talked to in awhile, got into some not-so-great but informative relationships, and had a fun time during my first two years of college( CoH came back towards the end of my third year.)

3.) I was ecstatic! I had been enjoying my time in college, but felt I was still missing something recreational to do when friends were busy, and Homecoming was the perfect fit! I quickly informed my dad and brother, and in no time, we were making new 50s.

4.) Immediately make a Necro/Dark. I never had one at 50, and I wanted to see what I was missing out on. Formed teams with my dad and brother and ran through a bunch of old content. Then made a Fire^3 dom and got it to 50.

5.) I did bring in some old builds, and used CO for costume ideas for my new 50s(a lot of my 50s that I planned to have in CoH were in CO for the time being). But after awhile I just started making new builds and cycling out my old ones, after all it was a rebirth in more ways than one.

6.) I have I think 5 50s out of all the others that I default to when bored. They have just the right amount of destructive potential that I can just turn my brain off after a stressful week and have fun! Not like the others are badly built, but require more thought. I do hope to one day make a young-adult/college-aged show which takes a bit from CoH featuring these 5 or so 50s, so that gives them a bit of a boost in my mind as far as favoritism.

[Yoru-hime]

When did you started playing CoX? Was it before or after the game shut down? Tell me a little about how you met the game.

I started playing shortly after launch and played off and on throughout the lifespan of the game. I'd go through bursts of intense play, then maybe 6 months where I hardly touched it before cycling back. A friend from another MMO turned me on to it.

Have you played the game before the shut down in 2012? If the answer is yes, tell me about how you feel about the game’s “Death”. What was that experience like?

The sunset announcement was a kick in the chest. I had a lot invested in the game and my characters, particularly those I played side-by-side with my spouse. I both wanted to play more while I still could and at the same time felt like "What's the point, it's all getting erased next month anyway".

And when the game returned in 2019? What did you felt? Was it like a “Homecoming”?

There was this sense of joy mixed with reservations. I'd missed the game, but the sketchy legalities of this place made me uncomfortable. I also didn't want to dive in and start trying to rebuild only to have it all wiped away again. 

What was the first thing you did after playing the game for the first time in years?

I remade my namesake, ran up a few levels and took to the sky the first chance I got, soaring around AP.

What are your thoughts on the return of the servers? Did you brought something with you from the original server? (Avatars, builds, things like that)

I've remade several characters, though they aren't necessarily the ones that get the most play time. Builds are obviously different now with some items being far more accessible than on Live.

Do you like to play with a specific character? (can be more than one) If yes, what makes it so special to you?

I tend to rotate through main characters. When I'm in the mood to play, usually one character has my attention, but after a while, when I've done everything I wanted to with them or some new concept has caught my attention, I'll move on to a new one.

[Grouchybeast]

Good luck with your project, but after previous unfortunate experiences I don't take part in online research unless the researchers are willing to, at a minimum, post their real name and institutional affiliations.

[Xeres]

1.  When did you started playing CoX? Was it before or after the game shut down? Tell me a little about how you met the game.

A: April 27, 2004.  Release date.  Before the game was shut down.  I had read about this game somewhere a month or two before release - either online or magazines.  I was interested and went into CompUSA and bought the game on release day.

 

2. Have you played the game before the shut down in 2012? If the answer is yes, tell me about how you feel about the game’s “Death”. What was that experience like?

A: Yes, but not through to the game's shut down.  I probably stopped playing around 2008 or so.  So I was not playing when I heard of the shutdown a few months before it happened.  But, when I did hear of the shut down I was rather sad because I remembered how much fun I had when I did play.  I thought about returning for that last day but decided that it'd be sort of phony if I did that.  So I wasn't there and cannot tell you what that experience was like.

 

3. And when the game returned in 2019? What did you felt? Was it like a “Homecoming”?

A: I was very surprised and even though I wasn't crazy about the "history" of Homecoming being all secretive and such, I quickly understood why.  Now I don't subscribe to the nostalgia thing that much, but when i logged into Homecoming and spawned in Outbreak, all those fond memories came back and, yeah, the nostalgia was real and very alive.

 

4. What was the first thing you did after playing the game for the first time in years?

A: I remade my main character in Live (Pinnacle server) and just looked around for a little bit in Outbreak.  Then I completed the Outbreak zone and went to Atlas where all the memories and feel-good moments kept coming.  I hadn't been that happy in a game in a very long time.

 

5. What are your thoughts on the return of the servers? Did you brought something with you from the original server? (Avatars, builds, things like that)

A: I didn't have my old builds anywhere.  I had memories of what my characters looked like.  I probably remade my 4 most played characters from live, and the rest are new.

 

6. Do you like to play with a specific character? (can be more than one) If yes, what makes it so special to you?

A: Oh yes.  I have a character who is inspired by Wonder Woman, who is my favorite character to play.  I enjoy playing that character so much that I've re-created her and leveled her up (including incarnate) on every server except Indomitable.  I just like her theme and power sets (Martial Arts / Willpower scrapper).  I've also received many positive comments about her bio.

 

Edited October 4, 2021 by Xeres

[UltraAlt]

On 10/2/2021 at 7:52 PM, SETR4KIAN - Kayenne said:

When did you started playing CoX? Was it before or after the game shut down? Tell me a little about how you met the game.

 

I started a week or two before issue 2 dropped.

I have been a comic book fan since I was little.

I ran a Traveller game that was set "5 years from now" in the Marvel Comics Universe.

Champions came out so I started running Champions games and playing in other people's Champions games.

As time progressed, we started talking about how cool it would be to have a computer game that played like the Champions RPG did.

I don't really remember how I heard about City of Heroes. I don't know if I ran into some trailer for it somewhere or it was the comic book ads. 

I saving up to by a computer that was powerful enough to play it before it came out.

I bought the game as soon as I saw it on the shelf. I didn't even have enough to buy the parts for my computer yet.

By the time I had a computer assembled, the little City of Heroes' book was already dog-eared, and I already had 10 or more characters planned out.

 

On 10/2/2021 at 7:52 PM, SETR4KIAN - Kayenne said:

Have you played the game before the shut down in 2012? If the answer is yes, tell me about how you feel about the game’s “Death”. What was that experience like?

 

Yes. As I was playing before Episode 2, I definitely was playing before the shutdown.

I felt that the sunset was coming. Between goldfarm spammers, AE farming, F2P, the incarnate system, the gray caused by alignment changes, and end-gamer elitism, I stopped subscribing almost exactly a year before the shutdown. I went through and erased my costumes, deleted all my bios, and made all my characters look like a Praetorian Clockwork. Took them out into at Atlas Park near his statue and used self-destruct to blow each of them up and logged out - all 150+ of them.

I was pretty angry at the DEVs and the whole direction of City of Heroes. It was annoying for me to play the game any more. I had loved City of Heroes and the experience had been ruined for me.

So when the game came to an end, a friend invited me over to his house to be there when the servers went down.

I was really there for him more than anything else because I knew he was sad that it was getting shut down.

It was kind of a release for me I guess. I didn't have to worry about the game being ruined for me any more because it wasn't around any more.

 

On 10/2/2021 at 7:52 PM, SETR4KIAN - Kayenne said:

And when the game returned in 2019? What did you felt? Was it like a “Homecoming”?

 

I was like "damn. those sneaky b**ds have been playing City of Heroes the whole time without having to worry about F2P riffraff, goldfarmers, or microtransactions!"

I was hesitant to download a client as I am very security paranoid.

A friend of mine talked me into downloading the Homecoming client.

Yeah, it was kind of like coming home .... coming home to the game before it had been ruined for me. Sure there are still AE farmers, the incarnate system, and those that want to be elite, but ... I can easily avoid the incarnate system, there simply aren't as man AE farmers, and the elite mostly are too busy to do their flex emotes with each other. The main thing was microtransactions were gone and there was no goldfarmer spam.

 

On 10/2/2021 at 7:52 PM, SETR4KIAN - Kayenne said:

What was the first thing you did after playing the game for the first time in years?

 

Same thing I did when I first started playing, logged out and back in again to make several more characters.

The first thing I did before playing the Homecoming after installing it was to install all my costume, villaingroup, critter, and AEmission files from my saved version of the game from before the sunset.

That made it easier to start rebuilding characters from before the sunset.

 

On 10/2/2021 at 7:52 PM, SETR4KIAN - Kayenne said:

What are your thoughts on the return of the servers? Did you brought something with you from the original server? (Avatars, builds, things like that)

 

I was hesitant. First because of the possible security issues. Second because of what I might find when I logged in.

Like I said above, that's something that I did even before logging into the game.

I had costumes loaded so I could immediately make those characters over (loadouts were all new)

I had my stuff for the AE, so I was pretty much able to drop 3 missions immediately when I got around to going to the AE.

 

On 10/2/2021 at 7:52 PM, SETR4KIAN - Kayenne said:

Do you like to play with a specific character? (can be more than one) If yes, what makes it so special to you?

No. I'm an alt-jumper. I have over 100 characters but I haven't reached 150 yet I don't think. On live I had some characters which had duplicates (more like variations) on all the servers. This time around I think I have 2 characters that have duplicates at this point, but they are just on one other server.

 

I don't see how anyone that is a comic book fan can only make one character.

 

Jack "the King" Kirby wouldn't condone creating only one character and sticking with it!!

 

 

Edited October 11, 2021 by UltraAlt
grammar and spelling corrections

[Ironblade]

1. When did you started playing CoX? Was it before or after the game shut down? Tell me a little about how you met the game.

I started playing in May 2005.  This was about 11-1/2 months after the game started.  My brother discovered the game and he and his wife started playing and told me about it.

 

2. Have you played the game before the shut down in 2012? If the answer is yes, tell me about how you feel about the game’s “Death”. What was that experience like?

At the time the shutdown was announced, this was the only MMO I had ever played.  For a good portion of the game, my work hours were 8AM to 4PM and I had a 15 minute commute so I played a lot.  News of the shutdown came as quite a shock.  I made arrangements to stay in touch with a handful of people (email, Facebook, etc).  Also, my brother and I immediately started looking for new games to play together since we had gotten in the habit of playing every weekend.

 

3. And when the game returned in 2019? What did you felt? Was it like a “Homecoming”?

It was nowhere near as emotional as the shutdown.  I had been in contact with many people from the game for the entire duration that the game was gone.  It's wonderful to have the game back, but I play a lot of other games now also.

 

4. What was the first thing you did after playing the game for the first time in years?

I recreated my main character and rebuilt my SG base.

 

5. What are your thoughts on the return of the servers? Did you brought something with you from the original server? (Avatars, builds, things like that)

I brought a lot.

I had full build details for every character I ever had (about 42 characters).

I had every costume file saved.

I had screenshots and demorecords of all my supergroup bases and all those where I was a member.

 

6. Do you like to play with a specific character? (can be more than one) If yes, what makes it so special to you?

When I first started playing, back in 2005, the game took me about 3 hours to download.  During that time, I read the game manual and decided a broadsword/regen scrapper would be a good starting character with high survivability while I learned the game.  This character ended up being my favorite and the one I use for collecting badges.  He's just fun to play and I think the fact that he was the first one I created is a major factor in becoming my favorite.

 

I play other characters, and have taken every archetype to level 50.  Typically, I will play a character to 50 and get them some incarnate powers.  I'll only get them 'fully incarnate' if I think I will continue playing them.  Then they semi-retire until I feel like playing those specific powers or I need them for specific content.

 

Overall, though, I estimate that I play my main character about as much as all the others combined.

 

Edited October 4, 2021 by Ironblade

[Techwright]

 

When did you started playing CoX? Was it before or after the game shut down? Tell me a little about how you met the game.

I started playing either right before or during the first Winter Event.  January 2005, I think it was.  I was introduced to the game by my best friend who had played console and coin-op games with me since we were at least 10 years old.  (That would have been around 25 years by then.) 

 

Have you played the game before the shut down in 2012? If the answer is yes, tell me about how you feel about the game’s “Death”. What was that experience like?

Yes, as mentioned I started around January 2005.  I'd left the game twice during the original run, each time to transfer monthly payments to other MMO games.  I last left in 2011, I think it was, and was playing the long-standing beta of Firefall.  That game had been bought and the new owners were deliberately spiraling it into the ground.  I was thinking of returning to the City of Heroes when I learned it had just shut down.  I was shocked, and remorseful that I'd left.  At the time, I was observing that games that managed to survive their first two years seemed to be running for a very long time and I'd assumed CoX would have as well.  Naturally, with that conclusion, I'd always assumed I could rejoin the game.

 

And when the game returned in 2019? What did you felt? Was it like a “Homecoming”?

A coworker who played other games heard the news and shared it with my in May 2019.  I remember shouting at him "NO WAY!" in raw excitement, startling my other coworkers.  I wasn't really focused on my work the rest of the day, and raced home afterwards to find Homecoming and figure out how to install it.  Hearing those dulcet notes of first the login screen and then the Atlas Park theme just about had me in tears.  Seeing so many running around Atlas Park, knowing I wouldn't have trouble finding teams just added to the excitement.  It was indeed like a Homecoming.

 

What was the first thing you did after playing the game for the first time in years?

The first thing I did was create reserve characters with all my favorite old characters' names.  I then went back and replaced each placeholder character with the final character recreating name, powers, and costume.

 

What are your thoughts on the return of the servers? Did you brought something with you from the original server? (Avatars, builds, things like that)

As I mentioned, I brought back my favorite characters, of which there were several.  As to the "return of the servers",  one of the things that surprised me was how smooth everything was.  The advancements in server technology, network technology, and personal computers resulted in a much better performance rate, far closer to what I think the original development team had intended.  I knew immediately that the best test for that would be a Rikti invasion, which in the old days reduced the video to more of a slide show than a smooth game.  I went through my first Rikti invasion without any noticeable slowdown and was greatly impressed.  

 

Do you like to play with a specific character? (can be more than one) If yes, what makes it so special to you?

I have 5 or 6 favorite characters that I play more than others.  I think what makes them special is that they feel more powerful than the others, and I feel more connected to their functions: using their powers becomes second nature to me.  Additionally, I feel more connected to them if their concept, both costume and story feels fully developed, like something that might end up in a published comic book.  Usually, these also receive several compliments from other players, which tends to make me work harder to enrich those characters in even better design.

 

[theDarkeOne]

1. When did you started playing CoX? Was it before or after the game shut down? Tell me a little about how you met the game.
   1. I came in right around issue 4 on the main run of the game. Played until the night the servers shut down. I actually saw it advertised in a comic book store and was like, huh that looks amazing!
2. Have you played the game before the shut down in 2012? If the answer is yes, tell me about how you feel about the game’s “Death”. What was that experience like?
   1. It was a really difficult thing for me honestly. I was in New York, at the US Open when the announcement was made and I remember my wife teasing me all night about how mopey I was. . . We were even out to dinner and my favorite player walked into the restaurant and I didnt even notice (and this for a man in his 30s at the time)!
3. And when the game returned in 2019? What did you felt? Was it like a “Homecoming”?
   1. It was amazing to have it back. . . I never thought it would last this long on its return and I played just about every day in 2019 and at least 3-4 times a week throughout 2020. . . this year has been a little tougher to get time in mostly due to returning to work post-pandemic but i sitll log in weekly at least!
4. What was the first thing you did after playing the game for the first time in years?
   1. I recreated 4 or 5 of my main characters and started leveling them almost immediately. May have change an Archetype of two but they all got the love I missed for the last 8 years!
5. What are your thoughts on the return of the servers? Did you brought something with you from the original server? (Avatars, builds, things like that)
   1. I had all of my mids build still saved. . . Could never bring myself to delete any of them. Characters, costumes, concepts all were saved and brought along. I think the only character I have not recreated was my Necro/Dark MM Witch but she will return eventually!
6. Do you like to play with a specific character? (can be more than one) If yes, what makes it so special to you?
   1. I played everything until the Tank changes came to Homecoming! I loved those changes so much for the last 8 months or so I have been all tanks all the time!

[Si1verg1ass]

1. I played from the early access in April 2004 (for pre-orders of the game).  I had a friend that was majorly into the pen and paper Champions that had heard about.

2. Yes. It was truly awful for them to shutter the game from my viewpoint.  I had friends that I only knew from the game and those were torn away.  I managed to keep in contact with a few of them, but it was traumatizing truthfully.  Especially as the reasons given for the shuttering seemed hollow and false.

3. It was wonderful to be able to take to the streets and skies of Paragon again.  Eventually managed to lure some of the old gang in and ran into a few others purely by accident.  It wasn't quite a homecoming, because it was the like house was filled with strangers at first.  After friends rejoined though it was a lot closer to a homecoming.

4. Remade my first character to 50 and started working on leveling them up.

5. I had many original characters Mids builds, many of the exports that we could do at the end of the game and a lot of the costume files.  I was able to use the costume file to recreate my first 50's look.  

6. I loved my first 50 (a Illusion/Storm Controller) and was determined to get to 50 first again.  Now though, I like to play a variety of characters.  Have already gotten 1 Stalker, 2 Brutes, 2 Corruptors, 6 Defenders and 17 Controllers to 50th level.  Took me over 5 years last time to get my FIRST 50.  Guess I learned something from the original game. 

[Tsuko]

When did you started playing CoX? Was it before or after the game shut down? Tell me a little about how you met the game.

At Coh release, we were looking for a cool game after having PTSD farming and raiding in EQ1 with a friend, fan of Marvel comics too.

 

Have you played the game before the shut down in 2012? If the answer is yes, tell me about how you feel about the game’s “Death”. What was that experience like?

I was already gone when the snap happened. I got tired of it and I hate P2W systems. So I learned about the "death" of the game from afar. So I have no regrets, but only contempt for the policy of "everything for the profit of NC Soft. And when I see the current Super Heroes fashion, I sincerely hope that an executive at NC Soft has been transferred to the archives.

 

And when the game returned in 2019? What did you felt? Was it like a “Homecoming”?

I didn't come back for 2019. I came back in early 2020 and stayed because of the containment caused by COVID. I came to change my mind and I found many people I knew before, a little (a lot) in the same case as me. We organized a pooling of a stock of io of more than 4 bases in order to help the members of the community Fr less used to farmer / on the return a little forced to equip themselves. It was good for the karma.

 

What was the first thing you did after playing the game for the first time in years?

I reconnected with many acquaintances lost at the time due to the absence of social networks. Then I farmed, a lot.

 

What are your thoughts on the return of the servers? Did you brought something with you from the original server? (Avatars, builds, things like that)

Having so much free content and finally having a "home" that should not disappear to satisfy the thirst for profit of a board of directors in South Korea pleases me a lot. I recreated all my old characters, costumes and updated all builds. And more.

 

Do you like to play with a specific character? (can be more than one) If yes, what makes it so special to you

Look, I have 200 lvl 50 characters on Homecoming. They are tools, as it has always been: "What's the difference between a super handyman and an expert mechanic facing a simple problem? Tools"