Author Topic: How do you do it?  (Read 20543 times)

princezilla

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How do you do it?
« on: July 05, 2017, 11:05:40 PM »
I always regretted not getting more involved with the CoH community while the servers were still active and perhaps even more so that I withdrew from it completely after the shutdown so everytime I come back I tell myself this time I'll stay engaged, this time I won't fall out of touch. Yet inevitably I start getting frustrated and bitter, being involved but not really able to play, it's like, well I had a really crude analogy but I'm not sure it'd be appreciated here. But anyway, eventually I feel like a gotta take a break and then if course it drifts to the back of my mind and that break stretches on for months on end or longer. So how does everyone here keep participating on here constantly and trying to fight with becoming jaded or going mad? How does everyone keep the fire going without burning out?

MegaWatt

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #1 on: July 06, 2017, 03:02:17 AM »
it helps to already be insane.
If we set it on fire it'll burn....but that'd leave evidence...I KNOW ! COMPLETE ATOMIZATION! WOOOO!

Angel Phoenix77

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #2 on: July 06, 2017, 03:16:48 AM »
I always regretted not getting more involved with the CoH community while the servers were still active and perhaps even more so that I withdrew from it completely after the shutdown so everytime I come back I tell myself this time I'll stay engaged, this time I won't fall out of touch. Yet inevitably I start getting frustrated and bitter, being involved but not really able to play, it's like, well I had a really crude analogy but I'm not sure it'd be appreciated here. But anyway, eventually I feel like a gotta take a break and then if course it drifts to the back of my mind and that break stretches on for months on end or longer. So how does everyone here keep participating on here constantly and trying to fight with becoming jaded or going mad? How does everyone keep the fire going without burning out?
for me, when there was a forum, I tried to be a part of it. Until I offered some help about spines scrappers. I was told, that what I thought was wrong and to shut up. Despite my having three spines. That caused me to abandoned the forum community. The community has been awesome, and I am glad to be a part of it.
One day the Phoenix will rise again.

Tahquitz

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #3 on: July 06, 2017, 06:11:18 AM »
How does everyone keep the fire going without burning out?

Apart from doing something fun with the community once in a while, there's nothing wrong with the following approaches:

  • In small doses: check in on the Anniversary of what matters to you.  April 28th for the game's creation (a bit more upbeat), or on November 30th for its shutdown (more maudlin.)
  • Use Paragon Chat as a Grand Central Station.  Pop into Atlas Park or Pocket D when you have downtime to say Hi and socialize between games.  Doesn't have to be every day, but most nights, you can find a crowd somewhere.  And if you blurt out on the Paragon Chat channel that you miss the game, wherever you are in there, you'll find a friendly soul in most waking hours who will want to talk to you about it.
  • Social Media.  Titan Network has a Twitter and Facebook feed.  If you're just wanting 'the feed' of important developments that's one way to follow.

Personally, if you find disenchantment with the state of things concerning our favorite MMO, then just take a look at the people here... but not just here on these boards.  In Paragon Chat.  On Social Media.  Elsewhere on other MMO sites when City of Heroes comes up as a topic.  Most of whom are friendly, dedicated, and passionate about the game they love.  Some hope for it's eventual return, some don't.  Some are hopping on board for at least one of Plan Z's projects, others won't.

But what we all have in common is strong enough to keep us together for a long time, I think.  Call it love or lunacy, desperation or hope.

Or maybe this is all over the top and it's easier to leave it at the thought that this community by itself is worth fighting for.  At least, for me it is anyway.
"Work is love made visible." -- Khalil Gibran

Mistress Urd

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #4 on: July 06, 2017, 06:59:37 AM »
I always regretted not getting more involved with the CoH community while the servers were still active and perhaps even more so that I withdrew from it completely after the shutdown so everytime I come back I tell myself this time I'll stay engaged, this time I won't fall out of touch. Yet inevitably I start getting frustrated and bitter, being involved but not really able to play, it's like, well I had a really crude analogy but I'm not sure it'd be appreciated here. But anyway, eventually I feel like a gotta take a break and then if course it drifts to the back of my mind and that break stretches on for months on end or longer. So how does everyone here keep participating on here constantly and trying to fight with becoming jaded or going mad? How does everyone keep the fire going without burning out?

I gave tech support help on the CoH forums. I was one of the users of the ATI video cards and some of us had issues with driver stability. Since I had a couple of extra rigs I was able to test multiple sets of drivers and cards. Sometimes the Q&A on the forums was hard because people thought I could go total mind controller and not only read what their hardware was but what errors they were having and what exactly they wanted to do and their budget. Of course they never said anything, I had to twist arms to get that out of people. In the end it helped me with customer service  :P employment. So all is good.

You never know how life's journey will go, I try to see things as a positive.

Balince

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #5 on: July 06, 2017, 02:51:07 PM »
for me, when there was a forum, I tried to be a part of it. Until I offered some help about spines scrappers. I was told, that what I thought was wrong and to shut up. Despite my having three spines. That caused me to abandoned the forum community. The community has been awesome, and I am glad to be a part of it.

I miss spines so much. My favorite powerset/abilities in any MMO I've ever played.

RGladden

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #6 on: July 06, 2017, 04:18:07 PM »
it helps to already be insane.

If you're not already insane, however, we provide training.... ;)


Abraxus

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #7 on: July 06, 2017, 11:00:58 PM »
Despite almost every bit of information we can find to the contrary, there is still a glimmer of hope that we might be together again in Paragon City.  Short of that, just having a place to commiserate with folks of like mind helps.
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Paragon Avenger

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #8 on: July 07, 2017, 01:23:52 AM »
I come here, post a few snarky comments, and see others who haven't given up yet.  That inspires me to post well, more snarky comments, duh.

MegaWatt

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #9 on: July 07, 2017, 02:20:00 AM »
i also ocassionally complain about EvE when people mention that game because it could be fun if it wasn't a sandbox that the owner told all their cats to crap in....and yet so many people say 'its fun because of the crap!' ah well....i've got FFXIV Stormblood to play - hopefully CoX will be back before the next FF Expansion !
If we set it on fire it'll burn....but that'd leave evidence...I KNOW ! COMPLETE ATOMIZATION! WOOOO!

adarict

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #10 on: July 07, 2017, 10:36:08 PM »
I gave tech support help on the CoH forums. I was one of the users of the ATI video cards and some of us had issues with driver stability. Since I had a couple of extra rigs I was able to test multiple sets of drivers and cards. Sometimes the Q&A on the forums was hard because people thought I could go total mind controller and not only read what their hardware was but what errors they were having and what exactly they wanted to do and their budget. Of course they never said anything, I had to twist arms to get that out of people. In the end it helped me with customer service  :P employment. So all is good.

You never know how life's journey will go, I try to see things as a positive.

I remember you from the ATI support threads.  I specialized in ATI Mobility card for laptops.  BillZBubba (I think that was his handle) got me hooked on the tweaking required to make that stuff work well.  I had pretty much just been a lurker when I started, but I really got involved in the support board.  That got me more involved with the other parts of the boards.  When I was in the game itself, I pretty much kept to myself, only really teaming with my wife, son, and mother-in-law.  As I got more involved in the boards, I ended up getting involved with Legion of Catgirls, some of the best people I ever played with.

Once the game ended, I was still part of a different community of ex CoH players.  I lurked around here, just like I did on the original boards.  For the most part, I still mostly lurk here.  I never felt the NEED to stay engaged, per se.  I mean, I pretty much check in here every day or so.  I like the randomness of this meandering thread.  :)  I miss the game a lot.  My brother was Kiyotee (turned into the NPC Coyote), so the game has a very special place in my heart, aside from the enjoyment of playing the game.  I have not found any other game that comes close to giving me the same feeling of enjoyment.

The suggestions about doing Paragon Chat are a good idea.  I just know that for my own purposes, even just lurking is great to keep me "engaged".

Surelle

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #11 on: July 08, 2017, 12:50:20 PM »
Great thread!

Unfortunately, I'm on the "I gave up a long time ago on ever seeing an official rez of CoX" side of the fence, but I have all the faith in the world in SCoRE and Paragon Chat.   ;D  I have PC installed, and I do fly around chatting every now and again even though I'm not an RPer (and Virtue was my home server from launch week til closure night, go figure).  I miss most of the big events because of work, but that happens in every game, really, because of my hours.  But at least I get hours, it could be worse!

I stop by the forums several times a month to see what's new, and I'm definitely going to try most of the successor projects.  Seeing CoX's characters stuck into MxM is just another nail in the coffin, though, I could care less about MOBAs anyway, and I have a hard rule about never playing anything from NCSoft's or Nexon's stables beyond that, after what they have done to our City.   :P

princezilla

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #12 on: July 08, 2017, 04:50:32 PM »
Great thread!

Unfortunately, I'm on the "I gave up a long time ago on ever seeing an official rez of CoX" side of the fence, but I have all the faith in the world in SCoRE and Paragon Chat.   ;D  I have PC installed, and I do fly around chatting every now and again even though I'm not an RPer (and Virtue was my home server from launch week til closure night, go figure).  I miss most of the big events because of work, but that happens in every game, really, because of my hours.  But at least I get hours, it could be worse!

I stop by the forums several times a month to see what's new, and I'm definitely going to try most of the successor projects.  Seeing CoX's characters stuck into MxM is just another nail in the coffin, though, I could care less about MOBAs anyway, and I have a hard rule about never playing anything from NCSoft's or Nexon's stables beyond that, after what they have done to our City.   :P

Yeah, I'm also pretty firmly in the camp that the old game is likely gone forever, any actual revival of the IP would be through a sequel and even that is a long shot. Still hope never hurt and the community was the heart of the game and definitely worth preserving.

princezilla

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #13 on: July 09, 2017, 03:10:25 AM »
The big issue is that after a bit I just ask "Why am I doing this to myself?" because it sucks so hard to get drawn back in only to be constantly reminded that there is nothing that can satisfy that craving thinking about the game stirs in me.

LaughingAlex

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #14 on: July 09, 2017, 09:40:15 PM »
For me, it's knowing that sooner or later a good super hero mmo will come out that is up there with CoH.  That someday there will be a game where people get to feel like a super hero(or villain) without it being handed to them on a silver platter and making them a mary sue/marty stu(unlike CO).  A game that:

Has challenging gameplay without being a punishing grindfest.
Allows freedom of differing tactics so players aren't only using holy trinity and waiting all day for a healer.
Has good writing in it's stories.
Enables and encourages good roleplaying thanks to the above four things together.
And consequently ends up with a good strong community thanks to those 4 things together rather then the toxic sociopaths that turn into the majority other games get thanks to games forcing people to play a specific way all the time, punishing them, and constant extreme grinds which ultimately serve to discourage social interaction with a false illusion of encouraging it.* (See my note about my feelings towards forced teamplay and enforced holy trinity gameplay).

What I liked about CoH was, no one really teamed with one another because they had no choice to.  They teamed with one another cause it was fun to do so.  I mean what game let you make successful teams without waiting all day for a rude obnoxious healer.  Or without a rude obnoxious necromancer with minions ect?  I remember the attitudes I saw in GW and I see the stories online.  Yet, then there was CoH, teaming was fun as heck.  All blasters?  No problem.  All controllers or defenders, oooh hell yes.  It was the players and skill(and inspirations if needed) that mattered and ultimately everyone knowing how to use their own powers and take advantage of them, not whether a team had x or y role.  CoH was just awesome that way, and it ended up encouraging the creation of a very friendly and welcoming community.

*(the holy trinity does NOT encourage people to team with friends, it encourages them to seek out those with healing for the healing abilities or tanks for the role.  When your teaming with someone with motives other then liking them and wanting to have a good time with them, thats not encouraging social interaction.  It's encouraging narcissism in using others to win, not the same as actually making friends.  Your not teaming with people cause you like them, your teaming with them cause you need there roles whether you like it or not.  This creates for the kind of sociopathic behavior you can often see in other mmorpgs imo.  I'd even say, the holy trinity from what I saw in DCUO, even discourages friends from teaming with one another based on the class. "Oh we cannot use you right now so just um, don't worry about it" was something I saw a lot on my control-character in DCUO in the one league I did get in, cause they already had the role filled and didn't want to kick anyone(since it's rude to do that).  I couldn't team with friends for x or y reason all the time, it was frustrating.

People will even team with people they hate if the role is what they need over a friend(assumin the friend doesn't have the role or isn't high enough level ect) in those kind of games.  If thats the environment then no wonder sociopathic and bad communities form.).
« Last Edit: July 09, 2017, 09:49:54 PM by LaughingAlex »
Currently; Not doing any streaming, found myself with less time available recently.  Still playing starbound periodically, though I am thinking of trying other games.  Don't tell me to play mmohtg's though please :).  Getting back into participating in VO and the successors again to.

princezilla

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #15 on: July 09, 2017, 11:07:54 PM »
For me, it's knowing that sooner or later a good super hero mmo will come out that is up there with CoH.  That someday there will be a game where people get to feel like a super hero(or villain) without it being handed to them on a silver platter and making them a mary sue/marty stu(unlike CO).  A game that:

Has challenging gameplay without being a punishing grindfest.
Allows freedom of differing tactics so players aren't only using holy trinity and waiting all day for a healer.
Has good writing in it's stories.
Enables and encourages good roleplaying thanks to the above four things together.
And consequently ends up with a good strong community thanks to those 4 things together rather then the toxic sociopaths that turn into the majority other games get thanks to games forcing people to play a specific way all the time, punishing them, and constant extreme grinds which ultimately serve to discourage social interaction with a false illusion of encouraging it.* (See my note about my feelings towards forced teamplay and enforced holy trinity gameplay).

What I liked about CoH was, no one really teamed with one another because they had no choice to.  They teamed with one another cause it was fun to do so.  I mean what game let you make successful teams without waiting all day for a rude obnoxious healer.  Or without a rude obnoxious necromancer with minions ect?  I remember the attitudes I saw in GW and I see the stories online.  Yet, then there was CoH, teaming was fun as heck.  All blasters?  No problem.  All controllers or defenders, oooh hell yes.  It was the players and skill(and inspirations if needed) that mattered and ultimately everyone knowing how to use their own powers and take advantage of them, not whether a team had x or y role.  CoH was just awesome that way, and it ended up encouraging the creation of a very friendly and welcoming community.

*(the holy trinity does NOT encourage people to team with friends, it encourages them to seek out those with healing for the healing abilities or tanks for the role.  When your teaming with someone with motives other then liking them and wanting to have a good time with them, thats not encouraging social interaction.  It's encouraging narcissism in using others to win, not the same as actually making friends.  Your not teaming with people cause you like them, your teaming with them cause you need there roles whether you like it or not.  This creates for the kind of sociopathic behavior you can often see in other mmorpgs imo.  I'd even say, the holy trinity from what I saw in DCUO, even discourages friends from teaming with one another based on the class. "Oh we cannot use you right now so just um, don't worry about it" was something I saw a lot on my control-character in DCUO in the one league I did get in, cause they already had the role filled and didn't want to kick anyone(since it's rude to do that).  I couldn't team with friends for x or y reason all the time, it was frustrating.

People will even team with people they hate if the role is what they need over a friend(assumin the friend doesn't have the role or isn't high enough level ect) in those kind of games.  If thats the environment then no wonder sociopathic and bad communities form.).

That was the big stand out feature of CoX, it had literally hundreds of power set combinations and each of those could be built a hundred different ways and still perform well in top tier content dispite doing radically different things and having different strengths and weaknesses. CO tried to do the full freeform route but that ended up severely limiting what powers they could put in the game without breaking it and forcing the one sustained, one passive rule which only limited things further. CoX also had powersets for each elemental concept in each role rather than pigeonholing in to  a rigid  'fire is ranged, Earth is melee' type system like every other game. And while it would have been nice to say, be able to take fire breath while fighting primarily with fists or claws for a dragon theme character, CoX's system ultimately enables far more options because you don't have to worry about someone breaking the game by putting every single hold power or DoT aura on to one character. They also, along with the entire rest of the MMO industry, collectively forgot that forms of support other than healing exist The fact that CO's setting, plots and characters have all the cheese and ridiculousness of the Adam West Batman but with infinitely less interesting characters and none of the charm and humor which made that show fun is probably it's biggest failing though. Well that and the complete lack of an end game.

CoX's universal viability was definitely it's biggest strength in part because it prevented the elitist min/maxer 'you're playing wrong' mentality which plagues so many MMOs from showing up. The fact that this encouraged creativity over conformity also attracted a much better community. It also had genuinely interesting signature characters and a unique asthetic. A lot of people really underestimate the power of the former with MMOs, assuming NPCs aren't super important because people will mostly just care about their own character but they are what really make the world feel alive, WoW nailed that one hard as well and it's a big part of their success, one that those who think that the key to success in the industry is copying WoW always seem to miss.

I share your hope but also worry that they'll miss something vital, my faith in the industry is very low right now, or that even if they nail everything, without the CoX IP it won't be enough to rally the former community...
« Last Edit: July 09, 2017, 11:14:41 PM by princezilla »

Paragon Avenger

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #16 on: March 03, 2018, 08:58:58 AM »
So what keeps us hopeful that some day an MMO giant will come along, buy-out NCSoft and revive all the shuttered titles?  For Super Fire Dragon it's the cheese.
For the rest of us, it is like Accum's razor, if they ain't said that NCSoft has brick-walled the THeM then perhaps it is possible for the game to come back.
Keep going out to www.cityofheroes.com and one day ... poof!

doc7924

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #17 on: March 07, 2018, 09:18:02 PM »
I miss spines so much. My favorite powerset/abilities in any MMO I've ever played.

I had a spines/dark scrapper called "Night Quill". Was fun.


Ultimate15

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #18 on: July 06, 2018, 09:27:55 PM »
it helps to already be insane.

This made me giggle.
Viva la Virtue!

kaaduu1280

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Re: How do you do it?
« Reply #19 on: July 10, 2018, 07:29:03 AM »
Honestly, I'm not sure how I do it at this point. I suppose just keep my mind distracted by other things like games, RP, and so on. Hope's pretty much all gone for me aside from a bit of insanity keeping a tiny sliver of hope there.
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