Preface: I know this does not describe the majority of our community, but there sure are some dissenting elements that are so much louder than most to whom it very definitely applies.
It is nothing short of amazing how quickly we have gone from "I am so happy to be playing again, it brought a tear to my eye", to "you know, this is fine, but I want my CoH THIS way, and it would be better".
Between that, and the continued recriminations of the past, it's truly a wonder things are still moving forward at all. I have to give credit to the majority of the community that is doing all of this for pure love of the game, because all of this work sure as hell isn't putting dinner on the table for their families/loved ones. They have regular jobs during the days to contend with as well. This is a totally volunteer effort.
So before we begin pontificating about how things could be SO much better, how about we enjoy what we have for a bit, and let the organization solidify to the point where we can relax about the present, before we insist on knowing what comes next, and how soon it will be?
I'm very happy to be playing again. I'm trying to keep reasonable with my expectations. Instead of insisting as to *exactly* what should be on my pizza, I'm being clear at least to myself, what my boundaries are.
I'll take i24, i25, progression, something with balanced post i25 development (I'd love to contribute model and animation content TBH--that's another conversation, though).
I'd LIKE to somehow have access to all the DLC powers and vet perks that I had, even if it means re-earning them via some mechanic similar to the P2W vendors.
I'd also like an environment that has more than enough players to run end game content, TFs, monster hunts, iTrials, etc. One that is supportive of casual to moderate RP. One where I can play with a few old friends hopefully and have the opportunity to meet more.
What I don't want though is a willy nilly server that throws balance and moderate paced play to the wind for insta-50 boosting, no agro cap, pre ED, or PvP prioritized balance. I don't begrudge anyone who wants that. I never quite fit in on Freedom. I understand that some of these things have significant appeal to portions of our community. They just don't appeal to me.
I also don't want a server that becomes a nonsensical playground, up to the dadaist whims of the administrators, where player models are swapped with GMs and cars and everything becomes a silly lulz-fest. It's just not what appeals to me. But again, to each their own.
I do want to give a moment to acknowledge the crazy, overwhelming enthusiasm we've seen with the test server. I have no idea how many people are trying to run or create multiple accounts. But anecdotally, in game, a large portion of the accounts logged in are one person to one account.
We had OVER 3100 people on last night at peak. SCORE logged over 10,000 accounts created in 2 hours when Torchbearer was announced. People want to play this game. Many of them will match with your play preferences. It's really cool that each of us have certainly never met a MAJORITY of the people logging in to play currently. Some are brand new to the game entirely.
So yeah, some people are being vocal about their specific desires and sounding a little bit exclusionary. And this can create an air of schism and exclusion. But the reality is there is a lot of excitement and participation happening right now within the game space of CoH. This is a good thing.
