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Save CoH movement invites NCsoft execs to play, petition passes 20,000 signatures
The shutdown date for City of Heroes looms over the game's fans, but the movement to save the game has maintained its intensity. The online petition to save the game has continued to gain steam, with just above 20,000 signatures as of this writing, and players continue to plan events and rallies to protest the decision. One player has put forth a unique idea: Instead of asking NCsoft executives to reverse their decision, he's asking them to come play the game. Other fans have taken to mirroring the letter and sending it to the address set up for CoH-related messages. The hope is that playing and experiencing the game will convince the people in charge how much the game means to the players who have spent years in Paragon City. If you've already signed the petition and sent your letter, you might be looking for a bit of happy news. That would come in the form of photos of the player-bought lunch for Paragon Studios, a gift from the community to the team. It's a sign of the dedication behind the Save CoH movement and an inspiration to those still hoping that the game's sunset will be averted. [Thanks to Jeffrey for the tip!]
City of Heroes issues sunset FAQ, event schedule
Paragon Studios -- or what's left of it -- has just released an FAQ aiming to clarify the sunset process for its doomed superhero MMO City of Heroes. Like last week's status update, the FAQ reminds players that the game will formally close down on November 30th, and though you can spend existing cash shop points, you cannot create new F2P accounts or upgrade your existing account to VIP. The FAQ outlines the refund process in detail; NCsoft will be refunding outstanding subscription and gametime card balances. In happier news, Assistant Community Manager Jessie "Hitstreak" Lawrence took to the forums this afternoon to post the schedule of sunset events, which appear to be existing holiday and themed events from seasons past: Summer Blockbuster: October 5 - October 8 Double XP: October 18 - October 22 Halloween Event: October 26 - October 29 Winter Event: November 9 - November 12 Rikti Invasion: November 23 - November 30.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: To save City of Heroes, we must be jerks
The City of Heroes community has been great in rallying to save the game, but I'm wondering whether that's enough. If you missed it, this week has not been a good one for efforts to keep the game alive. I'm not going to reprint everything laid out in TonyV's recent post, but the short version is that there are currently no signs that things are changing. NCsoft has set up an email for players to send letters, one that I suspect is not read vigilantly, and there have been no signs that any of the various talks about the game's future have resulted in anything. It's the email thing that really set me to wondering about whether or not City of Heroes fans are the right people to be protesting. While I love you guys -- beyond a shadow of a doubt -- there's a certain revolutionary spirit necessary for an effective protest. I'm not entirely certain that we've got that. And if there was ever a chance to save the game, we may just be unable to do what's necessary.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: A personal tribute to Paragon Studios
When I started my career at Massively, I wasn't hired to be the City of Heroes guy. I wasn't hired to be the anything guy, although I quickly earned a reputation. It was a few months after I got hired that I got the opportunity to start doing a pair of weekly columns, one on City of Heroes and one about the online Final Fantasy installments. This was due to the fact that my affection for City of Heroes was well-known on staff, and I was already knee-deep in the game, so... It wasn't quite three years ago, but it was close enough. And I've said many times that my professional career has been tied in directly with City of Heroes because of that. As I've grown as a writer and a journalist, I've been working alongside City of Heroes. So today I'm not going to talk as much about the game itself. I'm going to talk about the people of Paragon Studios, some of whom I had the good fortune to interact with over the years and all of whom seem to be absolutely astonishing human beings.
City of Heroes reveals pre-sunset billing and refund plans
NCsoft has been silent regarding the impending shutdown of City of Heroes past the initial announcement. An update has finally been posted, one that promises sunset events hosted in-game in the lead-up to the shutdown, although exact times and dates are not yet included. What is detailed is the policy for VIP status and the refund policy for players who had recently purchased Paragon Points. Anyone who had an active subscription for VIP status as of September 1st will be granted VIP status for the remainder of the game's operation. Players whose subscriptions had lapsed will be unable to renew those subscriptions, unfortunately. Any subscription fees paid as of September 1st and the value of any Paragon Points purchased on or after August 24th can also be fully refunded to you. Players with game time cards will need to contact support to receive a refund. It's certainly not the update that players have been hoping for, but it's at least a step toward knowing what will happen next with the game.
City of Heroes fans buy Paragon Studios a meal and proclaim allegiance
The zeal of the City of Heroes fanbase has not wavered, and fans continue striving to avert the game's shutdown. But it's not just the game that's suffered; the staff at Paragon Studios has been hit with a heavy load as well. TonyV, mastermind behind the movement to save CoH, knew of a restaurant that the studio employees frequented for meals and started a fundraiser to buy the staff a meal. It took three hours to raise $1000, enough for the entire team to have a nice dinner out courtesy of the fans. Fans are also organizing further events in-game. Two massive joint task force runs are scheduled for September 20th at 9 p.m. EDT and September 22nd at noon EDT. Players are asked to gather in Steel Canyon in record numbers to run Positron's Task Force en masse, showing that the entire playerbase is indeed Positron's Ally. Check the official thread for more details and start clearing some space on your schedule for next week. [Thanks to Dr. Toerag for the tip!]
The Perfect Ten: Ways MMOs explain infinite resurrection
Why? Why do we die in MMOs and receive an infinite number of resurrections? Are we in a type of hell defined by endless combat and suffering, doomed to never escape the cycle? Is this a cruel experiment being performed by supreme alien beings from afar? Does that make us the living undead, immortal Highlanders, or something even more significant? If you're looking at me with that look you have in your eye right now, I'd like to remind you that asking these questions is more in line with the core of RPGs than just mashing the 1-2-3 buttons. The rules that make up and dictate our virtual lives should have both meaning and sense, yet so many of these games expect us to just blithely accept that we can come back from the dead over and over without nary an explanation. Well, I like explanations. Even if it's just polite nonsense, a thought-out reason as to why our characters are death-proof tells me that the devs treat their game with a higher degree of integrity than others. So here are 10 MMOs in which the endless cycle of death and resurrection gets at least a backhanded explanation instead of "shut up, just accept it."
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: The fight to save City of Heroes
City of Heroes fans took to the streets on Saturday. Specifically, they took to the streets of Atlas Park, running a massive in-game protest against the game's cancellation. I'm going to assume that you were there if you're reading this column, as I certainly was, and I got quite a number of screenshots of the whole protest part of the event. If you missed it, we've got video. I didn't stick around for the costume contest, mostly because it turns out I didn't have a slot for Melissa Bianco with a crab backpack. The protest was the brainchild of TonyV, who is also the organizer behind the entire movement to save City of Heroes via a special message board dedicated to keeping the community organized. And considering what I've said in the past regarding other games that have shut down, you probably knew I would have something to say about this movement. It's something I support, but there's more nuance to it than just that. So let's talk about the fight to save the city.
Leaderboard: Fight for City of Heroes or let it go
You may have heard of this little kerfuffle involving NCsoft summarily shutting down City of Heroes and axing Paragon Studios, as well as a massive player movement to save the title. It's... been mentioned. Some people see it as a David vs. Goliath story, with NCsoft taking the role of the giant that tramples over the little people while pursuing the almighty dollar (or won). While the protesters have a lot of support, both inside the game and in the larger MMO community, there are those who have taken NCsoft's side in this. They see an aging game that perhaps needs needs to be let go after its good run. So while they may have sympathy, these players are at peace with City of Heroes sunsetting this November. But where does that leave you? Are you part of Occupy Paragon, or do you think it's time to let the game go? Vote after the jump!
The Daily Grind: Would you still play if you had to start over?
In their struggle to save their game from sunset in November, City of Heroes fans are faced with a dilemma: What if their heroic measures work but only halfway? What if they manage to save the game but not the team and the game stays on life support? Or what if they save the game and the team but not the servers and everything on them -- would people still play? That exact situation has already hit Ryzom players, whose servers are set to be wiped and consolidated in an effort to keep the game online. So suppose your favorite game lost all of its data for some reason. Your characters are gone, with no hope of retrieval. No levels. No currency. No twinking gear. No achievements. No vet rewards. No guilds. No resources. All of it, gone. Would you start over? If not, would you take it as a sign to play another game? And if so, what would you do differently the second time around? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
One Shots: Still got it
Runes of Magic was a F2P game before the cool kids joined the F2P party, but it's been a little neglected by MMO players. Massively reader Andrew wants us to know that it's got some spark left in it: While Runes of Magic may be three years old, the graphics are still looking great. There's some awesome vistas in RoM that appear when you take the time to control+z your interface and look around. This shot is from Southern Janost Forest. In fact, Andrew sent us two pics, and they're both behind the break along with a few more of your One Shots!
City of Heroes fans will hold a protest rally at Atlas Park [Updated with video]
Odds are good that most City of Heroes fans can't picket NCsoft's corporate headquarters over the game's sudden closing announcement. But fans can picket in the game itself, and that's the plan behind the in-game rally on Saturday at 5 p.m. EDT. The event planners are asking players to congregate en masse on the stairs in Atlas Park on the Virtue server in the hopes of spawning an awe-inspiring number of zone instances. The rally is followed by a costume contest at 6 p.m. EDT with a similar theme: Players will be making costumes based on Paragon Studios employees -- not the pseudonyms of the employees but the employees themselves. Players are encouraged to put a personal twist on the costumes, but the rules emphasize that mean-spirited costumes are disallowed. If you want to show your solidarity with the game and the studio, head over to the Virtue server this Saturday and get ready to strut your stuff in truly epic fashion. [Update: Massively streamed the event live on our Twitch channel complete with commentary from Beau and Bree. We've embedded the show behind the cut -- sorry for the audio burps; 45234528435 people all waving torches in protest can do that to a stream. Titan Network has more info, including the speech by the rally's chief organizer and the groundwork for a campaign to mail superhero capes and masks to the NCsoft studios. Save CoH!]
City of Heroes fans rally to try to save the game
It goes without saying that City of Heroes fans are no strangers to the idea of a heroic effort. Now they face the greatest possible challenge of the game's existence: try to prevent the impending shutdown. A petition has been formed asking for a stay of execution, and fans are convening at a message board dedicated to averting the closure of the industry's first superheroic MMO. The boards contain a number of suggestions and calls for respectful action to make it clear to NCsoft's management how much the game has meant to the players. The staff of Paragon Studios is just as invested, however. A recent message in-game has confirmed that management is in talks with both NCsoft and investors. Community manager Andy Belford has stressed that these are just talks at the moment and that players shouldn't jump to conclusions. Regardless of the final outcome, it's clear that the game's fanbase will not let the game go quietly, which might be a more earnest show of what the game has meant to players than anything else.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Requiescat in pace, City of Heroes
Sometimes I know about things before other players do. Friday was not one of those times. Friday I heard the rumor, and I dismissed the whole thing as being patently ridiculous... and then the reports poured in, and I could only stare with horror. City of Heroes is going to be shut down. Later this year. November 30th, less than three months away. For me, this isn't just a game closing. This is a huge chapter in my professional life coming to an end. Covering City of Heroes has been a major part of my writing for the site over the past three years. To think that it's going to be gone soon is just... baffling. So this is a column written in mourning. It's going to be disconnected, and for that I apologize, but there are a few things that I think should be put down right now. Next week I can start in on the process of creating a tribute; this week, it's about sadness.
We want your most creative City of Heroes character!
While we at Massively are certainly disheartened to hear of City of Heroes' imminent closure, we also feel like celebrating the great run that this title had. As part of our tribute to City of Heroes, we want to gather some of the most creative character designs that the players have come up with over the years for possible use in a future column. Think of it as the ultimate costume contest! So if you're proud of a superhero that you whipped up in CoH or want to see him/her/it immortalized, listen up! Send in your absolute best screenshot of that character (minimum of 600 pixels wide) along with the name and a story of your time playing that superhero to justin@massively.com with the subject line "My City of Heroes superhero." Please note that due to the potential volume of submissions, we're asking just for one character per person -- so make it your best!
The Daily Grind: Do you view MMOs as disposable entertainment?
Emotions were running high regarding City of Heroes last week, and for good reason. NCsoft inexplicably pulled the rug out from under its community by announcing the imminent closure of one of the more feature-rich games to ever grace the MMO genre. There was an outpouring of disbelief, sympathy, and shock, both here at Massively and around the blogosphere. There were also a few folks who simply didn't get it. One comment even likened MMOs to television shows and suggested that both are inconsequential ditties unworthy of your long-term devotion or emotional attachment. What about you, morning crew? Do you view MMOs as throw-away entertainment, or do you get involved and attached to the game and its community? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite City of Heroes memory?
I picked up City of Heroes shortly after the game launched, and I've been playing the game on and off ever since. Finding out that it's going to be gone before the end of the year stirs a lot of memories, like the first time I ever encountered one of the Rikti, the first fights against the Fifth Column, or marching around with a cape for the first time. Memories that I'll have no matter what, made more than a little bittersweet by the news of the game's impending closure. Not everyone has played the game, but after its long lifespan and the free-to-play conversion, odds are good that most MMO veterans have some recollection of playing. So as we look forward to the end, what's your favorite memory of City of Heroes? What anecdotes do you have about the first superhero MMORPG from its long and storied run? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: How could studios 'sunset-proof' their MMOs?
It's a sad week for caped crusaders, I'll tell you that. Many of us current and former City of Heroes players were rocked by the news that the studio and game have been given the axe by their NCsoft overlords. Even though CoH was a little long in the tooth, it seemed like a stable title that was doing well enough for itself in the free-to-play space. Whatever the cause for City of Heroes' sunsetting (oh, I hate that term; it's too mellow for a terrible act), this may have the effect of making any player think, "If it happens here, it could happen to me and my game." Sunsets come for us all, my friends, but it doesn't mean that we have to run into them. You'd think that there are some things an MMO studio or publisher could do to sunset-proof their titles and give them as long a life as possible. But what would those steps be? What do you think these companies should do to keep their games going for as long as possible that isn't already being done? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Paragon Studios closing, City of Heroes to sunset before the end of the year [Updated]
NCsoft is closing Paragon Studios due to a "realignment of company focus and publishing support," according to a blurb just posted on the City of Heroes website. Community manager Andy Belford says that the superhero MMO will shut down before the end of the year, and recurring billing (as well as Paragon Market purchasing) will be discontinued immediately. City of Heroes originally launched in 2004 as the world's first superhero MMORPG. Belford goes on to say that more information will be forthcoming over the next few weeks, including a firm cessation date as well as "what you can expect in game." [Update: NCsoft has told IGN that it is aiming for a November 30th closure date.]
Pac-12 Conference streams come to iPad, fuel that Big Game rivalry on the road
Cal and Stanford fans away from home no longer have to huddle around their laptops if they want to learn who's one-upping who. The Pac-12 Conference has just launched an iPad app for its authenticated Pac-12 Now service: as long as you're with a TV provider that carries the college sports division's games (sorry for now, DirecTV customers), you can tune into 850 live matches spread across a myriad of sports. As you'd hope, going the digital route allows for some on-demand viewing, a dedicated program guide and the social sharing you'll want to rope friends into watching. Only Bright House, Cox and Time Warner Cable subscribers can use the iPad viewer at first, although support should come to BendBroadband, Comcast, Frontier and Suddenlink this fall, right alongside Android- and iPhone-sized apps. Hopefully, they arrive in time for a little ego padding around the Big Game in October.