How happy would you be if you found out it was coming back just as it was?

[doc7924]

Either NCSOFT brought it back or sold it outright and someone restarted it up just where we left off.

Probably would have to make all new heroes -but hey - that was the fun part of it.

I would delete every MMO I have on my PC trying to find something that was just as good.

And prepare myself for days and days of non stop playing.

[Castegyre]

How much I played would directly depend on the community.

[saipaman]

How much I played would directly depend on the community.

I agree with that sentiment.

[blacksly]

I'm with the doc... hours and hours of playing, community or not. A good community would increase that to lots and lots of hours and hours, but in any case it would be at least hours and hours even if it's just me, my family, and some long-term friends.

[princezilla]

I'd be alright with it, unfortunately I believe the game as it was died for good when NCsoft pulled the plug. Had it continued uninterrupted it could have very well still been thriving today but by virtue of its momentum and quality but restarting exactly as it was I don't think it would bring the same crowd as it is very dated now. By the dev's own admission towards the end there were a number of parts of the game that were held together by the coding equivalent of duct tape and chewing gum not to mention that all of the old staff have dispersed in the years since the closure so updating it would be extremely challenging and without updates the game would stagnate. I'd still play it and I know a number of others would as well but I think that it just wouldn't generate the community necessary to sustain itself. It'd be a ghost of what it was before, frozen at the moment it died.

Since we have to start over anyway with all new characters I would rather have a true successor, a game set in the same world we know and love with all associated lore but updated with a truly modern system rather then trying to build on top of one that was over a decade old. The CoX IP has a ton of power and backed by a modern engine with a full team of passionate developers it could truly recapture what it was that made the original so special and be totally unlike anything else currently out there. That would bring back the community and a surge of new players so that it could a game as vibrant and alive as CoX was at its peak.

[Paragon Avenger]

restarting exactly as it was I don't think it would bring the same crowd as it is very dated now.

Yes, it's soooooooooooo 2012.
Hey, the game was fun, it would still attract people.
Count me in.

[princezilla]

Yes, it's soooooooooooo 2012.
Hey, the game was fun, it would still attract people.
Count me in.

Try 2004 lol, they may have modernized parts of it as they went along but the core of the game is over a decade old and that limited a lot of what they could do as far as new content. I loved the game, still do, and would play it again in a heartbeat if the opportunity presented itself but without all their old characters and progress many might not return and there would be nothing at all to draw in new blood. So I say if we are going to restart then restart BIG.

[MaidMercury]

Nu school, old school, as long as City of Heroes returned, I'd be thrilled.....

A working game is more fun than  being a bar fly in club zero these days.

[princezilla]

Nu school, old school, as long as City of Heroes returned, I'd be thrilled.....

A working game is more fun than  being a bar fly in club zero these days.

Yeah but without people there it still wouldn't be the same.

[Nyghtshade]

I firmly believe that if COH were returned to us, even in perpetual maintenance mode with I-23, that a goodly number of the original community would return.  And there would be curious new players as well, whom it would be fun getting to know as well.  As for me, I would return the very first day, and if we had to start all our characters over at level 1, I would joyfully do so and level them all up again!

[Tahquitz]

There may be players out there that think maintenance mode isn't good enough to say that the game is back and because the "band can't get back together" (Paragon Studios), that City of Heroes can't ever really come back.  Even maintenance mode would be as lifeless to them as Paragon Chat.

I for one, do not fall in that camp.  As Days of The New adequately put it in one of their songs: "Anything is everything to me."

[MaidMercury]

There may be players out there that think maintenance mode isn't good enough to say that the game is back and because the "band can't get back together" (Paragon Studios), that City of Heroes can't ever really come back.  Even maintenance mode would be as lifeless to them as Paragon Chat.

I for one, do not fall in that camp.  As Days of The New adequately put it in one of their songs: "Anything is everything to me."

I agree... If anything, new life could be breathed into City of Heroes...I'm sure folks would make their own  'coffee talk videos', I miss those, silly as some of them were....But I at the moment  it's a moot point. 

[mkritsky]

Back in a heart beat. And I think this time around I'd enjoy it even more. 

[Reaper]

I firmly believe that if COH were returned to us, even in perpetual maintenance mode with I-23, that a goodly number of the original community would return.  And there would be curious new players as well, whom it would be fun getting to know as well.  As for me, I would return the very first day, and if we had to start all our characters over at level 1, I would joyfully do so and level them all up again!

This.  I've spoken with at least a dozen former players that said they would return in a heartbeat if the game came back.  I've also shown old videos I had of gameplay to people who never had a chance to try it and they couldn't believe they missed the chance to play.  So I do believe we would have a decent community.  It may not stack up quite the same as the old community, but hey, anything is better than nothing at this point.

And with the constant people wandering into different threads and asking "what happened to the game" at random times, I think there is still enough interest.  A good portion of these people stick around and wait with us while we figure out how to preserve the community and/or game(s).

[Angel Phoenix77]

I would be extremely happy, it would not matter if it was in maintenance mode or not, as long as I am able to log in a play.

[princezilla]

If we got the rights to it would we try to update it? As far as I can tell all the game files are readily accessible and there are people here with experience towards that sort of thing as all the post closure projects show.



The biggest boon would be if we could get the server data but I have no idea if anyone still has access to that. I do know that somehow someone copied it and tried to make a private server but got shut down, after that I heard nothing not even who allegedly did it.

[Vee]

I do know that somehow someone copied it and tried to make a private server but got shut down, after that I heard nothing not even who allegedly did it.

The Illuminati have become increasingly sectarian of late. The CoH private server is yet another casualty of their infighting.

[princezilla]

The Illuminati have become increasingly sectarian of late. The CoH private server is yet another casualty of their infighting.

Who knows :p

[ukaserex]

A tough one. Since the game ended, I've found other things to do with that time. I think I'd probably let my Netflix sub lapse and play CoH instead. But, I think I'd keep going to the gym and probably only play a couple of hours a day at most. Aside from badge events, that is.

[Reaper]

...only play a couple of hours a day at most. Aside from badge events, that is.

I'd have to agree with this.  I don't think I would put in nearly as much time as I had before shutdown.

[Castegyre]

I don't know if people here are familiar with the game Istaria. Istaria started out as Horizons. Horizons was a fiasco in many ways for several reasons, but at the core of it there was some good stuff with some die-hard fans. Over the years Horizons changed hands a few times and limped along until eventually landing in the hands of people who wanted to do right by it and being renamed Istaria. Now it's basically a game ran by some fans for the fans. It hasn't changed much though they try to fix the problems and keep the lights on. It's never going to be a big thing or likely to evolve much, but for those that like the ancient sandbox they play in, they're happy. I kind of think something like this would be the best case scenario for CoX.

Ultimately, as I said above, how much I played the game would depend on the community. Community is what makes an MMO more than any other factor for me and CoX had the best community of any MMO I've played in 18ish years. That's the thing I miss the most about the game. So without community I don't think I would play CoX much, but I would still play it because it's CoX.

[RGladden]

Dated...schmated!  The graphics were, and always will be, secondary to the game play and the community.  IF Issue 23 were to come back I predict that the response by the old fans would dwarf all current expectations.  Certainly, there would be a falling away later, but there would also be enough loyalists to keep CoH profitable.

[Paragon Avenger]

How happy would I be?
Very.

[hindimjr]

I would return to playing immediately. Though It would be nice if there was something that could be done about my heroes hands. They look like flesh colored oven mitts. 

[duane]

my brain would explode.  I would play maintenance mode until the next thing came along... and pay $15 a month

[Ice Trix]

I would be so ecstatic.

[Power Play]

I wouldn't go near it as long as it still had crafted "sets" of enhancements and the incarnate system.  Those two things ruined the game.  The devs said no one HAD to use them, but a character was massively underpowered compared to others of their level if they didn't include them.  I refused to use "set" or special enhancements, using only SOs.  I couldn't even take my character into the arena to spar with my SG mates, he was so gimped.

The one thing I LOVED about CoH for the first few years is there was NO crafting.  Crafting is an intentional time sink which takes time away from gaming so the characters can't level up too fast.  It had NO place in CoH.



-Pat/@Power Play

[Styrj]

I'd return in a microsecond and would be fat, dumb, & happy playing I23 Maint. mode (actually I would rather I24. Played on Beta the last couple of months the game was live.)  I'm an avid soloer, so, if I were the only player on a given map, would not make any difference to me.  So much PVE stuff to do.  So much I haven't done!

[MyriVerse]

One word: tears.

[nicoliy]

One word: tears.

No doubt. That first level up and heading to Ms Liberty would be something special.

[doc7924]

I wouldn't go near it as long as it still had crafted "sets" of enhancements and the incarnate system.  Those two things ruined the game.  The devs said no one HAD to use them, but a character was massively underpowered compared to others of their level if they didn't include them.  I refused to use "set" or special enhancements, using only SOs.  I couldn't even take my character into the arena to spar with my SG mates, he was so gimped.

The one thing I LOVED about CoH for the first few years is there was NO crafting.  Crafting is an intentional time sink which takes time away from gaming so the characters can't level up too fast.  It had NO place in CoH.



-Pat/@Power Play

Unless you did a lot of PVP I don't see why it mattered what other people did with their heroes as far as crafting or incarnates. I stayed away from PVP completely. I only did maybe one or two raids with my SG and that was it. Plenty of PVE stuff to do without worrying about how overpowered everyone else was compared to me. In PVE - the stronger other players were on the team, the better for all of us.

[Paragon Avenger]

I would be sad.
That I had to go to work the next day, booyah, baby.

[Mister Hassenpheffer]

I would be all over it.

[Lycantropus]

I honestly anticipate that even if we did get it back, they'd likely already purged all our characters and everything.

That said if, for whatever reason they brought it back in eternal maintenance mode, and we had to start from scratch?

It's a no-brainer. I'd happily level up my namesake (and all my alts, as allowed) from the ground up, all over again.

I'd even still pay a subscription to do that... even if there were no further development. There were so many things I liked about the way it was that I have yet to recapture in any other game, that I'm sure I'd still love it, warts and all.

I know this because I still hop on Paragon Chat to explore and find solace in, when there are so many other games out there... and Paragon Chat  obviously doesn't have all the features the original did...

Lyc~

[Floride]

If CoH came back I'd want ALL of it back, not just the leftover scraps. A full dev studio, regular issues and updates, new zones and stories, the whole shebang.
Anything less would be a desecration of the brilliance and love the devs put into it originally.

*ahem*... IMHO

[Safehouse]

I dont care for even a second if my old characters are gone. I would remake them and start from the beginning happily. Start every element the game has to offer from level one.

I would, without hesitation, take at least a week off work to play, and probably forget to feed myself unless my fiancee intervenes.

[solari]

I have actually mailed NCSoft begging for a resurrection in the past, giving AC2 and EQ as examples of a revival, despite the potential embarassment.

I would pay a king's ransom to play CoH as it was now. None of their other franchises interest me. I don't think many CoH players went to other NCSoft games. I tried a few and hated the grind.

[Safehouse]

I have actually mailed NCSoft begging for a resurrection in the past, giving AC2 and EQ as examples of a revival, despite the potential embarassment.

I would pay a king's ransom to play CoH as it was now. None of their other franchises interest me. I don't think many CoH players went to other NCSoft games. I tried a few and hated the grind.

I tried to play another NCSoft game or two after CoH went dark, but I just couldn't do it. None of them gripped me the way City of Heroes did, and they all seemed so bland and cookie-cuttery to me. Same ol', same ol'. I wasn't an MMO player, or really much of a gamer at all; I was a City of Heroes player. Aeon, I didn't make it past level 5. Wildstar didn't interest me at all. Boobs and Swords... well... I think you can tell how I feel about that one. They all lacked the heart, energy, vibrancy, and originality that City of Heroes had.

I've also penned a couple of letters to NCSoft, but never got the courage to send them out. It's awesome that you did.

I've played a couple others, chiefly Final Fantasy XIV and The Secret World, but I would drop those in a heartbeat if it meant returning to CoH.

[Byakuya523]

I would be ready to put in long hours of game play again if COH returned. I've played the other two superhero MMO's but either has that COH feeling. The story arches, customization, powers, and community is what made COH fun to play for me.

[Power Gamer]

Long hours of play.

Admittedly, the community is key.

Not a tech guy, but I am guessing the graphics are not the only thing that would be dated.
Code rot.

While I was very happy with the character creator, my understanding was that adding any
new bits was becoming unimaginably work intensive.

PvP was broken in the eyes of many, although at the end (last 3 years) I dipped my toe in it
was developing a taste.

I'd enjoy seeing it return, but I have kinda moved on to console gaming. No other MMO scratched the CoX itch for me.

[Marine X]

Being that I've been known to blow hours of precious down time on Paragon Chat, Of course I would return. I tried game after game looking for even a glimmer of what made the City Of Heroes Universe Special, with very little to show for it. Even if it ends up being a Spiritual Successor I hope they preserve the things that appealed to me. If we could have the original back, I would have a lot of Characters to recreate and level, new content would not be my primary concern considering how much content I never got to experience as it was. Patiently waiting for either or both to arrive.....

[JordanYen]

Being that I've been known to blow hours of precious down time on Paragon Chat, Of course I would return. I tried game after game looking for even a glimmer of what made the City Of Heroes Universe Special, with very little to show for it. Even if it ends up being a Spiritual Successor I hope they preserve the things that appealed to me. If we could have the original back, I would have a lot of Characters to recreate and level, new content would not be my primary concern considering how much content I never got to experience as it was. Patiently waiting for either or both to arrive.....

Amen. Or Ramen. Or whatever "men" you want. I agree!

[LagunaShirogane]

I would ditch all the MMOs i have such as WoW, DCUO, and FF14 to come back. I wouldnt pay another dime to another MMO again to play this game again. I left CoH just a few days shy of it's shutdown when i heard the news. That's how upset i was. I just couldn't say goodbye and turn my back on Bolt Templar who has been a legend in my heart in the world of superheroes. Even though he has been reincarnated in DCUO, but his true soul still lingers on in CoH and it feels like his body is here but his soul isnt and it would be great to like "reunite" his body and soul if CoH was to return. Bolt Templar has been around since the game came out in 2004 (despite being remade once due to loss of account access in CoH but regardless...he's like a phoenix...he always is reborn) and that's why i call him a legend. He is one of the original heroes from CoH from before CoV came in that began in Galaxy City and will rise again when CoH returns.

[Paragon Avenger]

I would sell my first born daughter to be able to play City of Heroes again.

(anybody want to buy a 30-year-old devoree who is perhasps a couple pounds overweigth.  Deal; includes 2 obnoxious children.)

[Vee]

I would sell my first born daughter to be able to play City of Heroes again.

(anybody want to buy a 30-year-old devoree who is perhasps a couple pounds overweigth.  Deal; includes 2 obnoxious children.)

Bound to be somebody out there trying to genetically engineer an army of clones who can post as much as a chatbot but not be foiled by captchas who'd make you a deal just to get a look at your half of her dna.

[doc7924]

I would ditch all the MMOs i have such as WoW, DCUO, and FF14 to come back. I wouldnt pay another dime to another MMO again to play this game again. I left CoH just a few days shy of it's shutdown when i heard the news. That's how upset i was. I just couldn't say goodbye and turn my back on Bolt Templar who has been a legend in my heart in the world of superheroes. Even though he has been reincarnated in DCUO, but his true soul still lingers on in CoH and it feels like his body is here but his soul isnt and it would be great to like "reunite" his body and soul if CoH was to return. Bolt Templar has been around since the game came out in 2004 (despite being remade once due to loss of account access in CoH but regardless...he's like a phoenix...he always is reborn) and that's why i call him a legend. He is one of the original heroes from CoH from before CoV came in that began in Galaxy City and will rise again when CoH returns.

When I heard it was closing. I just sort of shut down. I played for a little while but the last month or two I really didn't have the heart. I thought why waste time doing missions or a TF or leveling up a hero, for nothing. And it also was depressing being in the game, playing, knowing it was all going to go away forever, so I just stopped.

I went to CO and DCU - was ok to get back into playing a Super Hero again - in fact in both games I recreated my top favorites and pretended they got shunted to a parallel universe when COH was over. But COH spoiled me and every thing I did I kept thinking - 'its not COH' or 'COH did it better'. I rarely team in either game and just go in once in while, just to see what's going on, but they just don't make me want to play 7 - 8 hours straight like COH did.

[Paragon Avenger]

Bound to be somebody out there trying to genetically engineer an army of clones who can post as much as a chatbot but not be foiled by captchas who'd make you a deal just to get a look at your half of her dna.

I hadn't considered that.  An army of PA clones might not be a good thing, exactly.

[doctorlurkin]

I don't know, with all the Pantsless Reports being posted it might be fun to interpret all the between the lines of between the lines.  Or cause a nonstop swirling descent into madness.  Either way, it would help pass the time.

[Paragon Avenger]

I don't know, with all the Pantsless Reports being posted it might be fun to interpret all the between the lines of between the lines.  Or cause a nonstop swirling descent into madness.  Either way, it would help pass the time.

Yes, but one of my clones might surpass me in posts count.  It is a sad day indeed when you are surpassed by one of your clones.

[MWRuger]

As I have said, often: I just want to play COH again before I die.


I would gladly play in maintenance mode.

[Safehouse]

Amen. Or Ramen. Or whatever "men" you want. I agree!

It really is quite telling that, with all the mmos out there, I'm happily spending hours in the hollowed out shell of City of Heroes/Villains/Going Rogue, rather than in those games.

[JordanYen]

It really is quite telling that, with all the mmos out there, I'm happily spending hours in the hollowed out shell of City of Heroes/Villains/Going Rogue, rather than in those games.

Now that you mention it, you're right. I have seen a few MMOs and dabbled, but I have not actually played any MMO other than CoH and at this point, it doesn't seem I ever will (other than CoH successors).

[PseudoCool]

For me.. it's simple..

Bring it back as it was, dated graphics, lag, and NPC's that don't actually DO anything..

Hell Yeaz!  I'd be there to play it in a heartbeat..

As long as it was no longer in NCSofts hands that is.

[doc7924]

For me.. it's simple..

Bring it back as it was, dated graphics, lag, and NPC's that don't actually DO anything..

Hell Yeaz!  I'd be there to play it in a heartbeat..

As long as it was no longer in NCSofts hands that is.

I see on STEAM a lot of MMO's that are years old and never updated and people still play, outdated graphics and all - I see no reason if COH came back exactly as it was, that old time players wouldn't jump at it.

[Power Gamer]

I see on STEAM a lot of MMO's that are years old and never updated and people still play, outdated graphics and all - I see no reason if COH came back exactly as it was, that old time players wouldn't jump at it.

That would suit me.

[doc7924]

That would suit me.

I grew up on video games in the early - mid 70's. Top of the line graphics for me back then were two dots shooting a line at each other.

I can live if COH kept the graphics from 2011

[Power Gamer]

Yes the graphics were a good compliment to the genre of the game.

I wouldn't be opposed to an upgrade, as I am sure the engine would
be upgraded as well to accommodate current tech.

But that would be a Herculean-task to re-create and size all parts. 

[Paragon Avenger]

When it comes to the game, nobody cares about out-dated graphics.
Nobody cares that much about clumsy game mechanics.
As long as it is fun to play, easy to PUG and it feels like a hobby instead of a game to beat.