Author Topic: NCSoft Stockwatch  (Read 714320 times)

Sarge Morris

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #440 on: December 03, 2012, 09:16:55 AM »
BTW - the day that NCsoft files for bankruptcy, I'm hosting a barbecue here in Seattle.

Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

I'm hosting a matching barbecue in the Greater Philadelphia area.  I like that idea. 

In the current global economy, things are pretty cutthroat.  You've got to be smart to survive.  What NC Soft did was decidedly not smart.  Its simply Darwin at work.  If they're not smart enough to go where the money is, they get what they deserve.  They took my game and my friends away from me. I'm taking my money away from them.  Their loss.  And when they fail, they'll only have themselves to blame.

Blackbird71

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #441 on: December 03, 2012, 07:19:54 PM »
Considering some people (not all, but some people) here, I doubt the bad PR would stop even if NCsoft did everything *and more*.

Some people just want to hate on someone, even if the someone does everything in their power to rectify the situation...

Some people would just see it as "too little, too late."  Personally, if NCSoft were to sell the IP and game now, after turning down prevous offers and the game has already gone dark, I would interpret it as a purely selfish move to slow the bleeding rather than any desire to generate or maintain good will among their customers, and I would not be likely to cut them any slack for it.

TonyV

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #442 on: December 03, 2012, 07:32:11 PM »
Considering some people (not all, but some people) here, I doubt the bad PR would stop even if NCsoft did everything *and more*.

True, but you'd be surprised how far an apology and a legitimate attempt to make things right would go.  I think that if NCsoft were to let go of the IP and post something that amounts to, "We were wrong, we're sorry.  We know that things will never be the same, but we've heard you and we're trying our best to undo what damage has been done," I think a LOT of people would feel a lot better about the company and they could still use it for some positive PR.

But to be honest, I don't see anything remotely close to that happening anytime soon, certainly not in that tone.  If they decided to sell it tomorrow, I can almost guarantee you that the tone would be more like, "Hey look!  We took this dead property worth practically zero and made some money off of it!"  Some people would forgive and forget, but undoubtedly a lot more would continue the battle to bring down NCsoft.

As for me, if they issued a mea culpa and made an honest attempt to make things right, I'd probably post something saying that I'm glad they finally figured out what we've been saying all along, and hope that they remember the lesson well going forward and stop killing off communities.  If they adopted the latter tone, I'd be happy for the sake of the game and I'd probably stop actively lobbying for NCsoft to suck air, but I wouldn't ask people who are still angry to stop since, frankly, I understand where they're coming from and wouldn't be convinced that NCsoft isn't going to turn around and do the same thing to Arena.net or someone else in the not-too-distant future.  And if NCsoft does do it to someone like that, you'd better believe that I'm going to be standing there with that community helping out any way I can.

JWBullfrog

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #443 on: December 03, 2012, 07:32:52 PM »
Some people would just see it as "too little, too late."  Personally, if NCSoft were to sell the IP and game now, after turning down prevous offers and the game has already gone dark, I would interpret it as a purely selfish move to slow the bleeding rather than any desire to generate or maintain good will among their customers, and I would not be likely to cut them any slack for it.

The important point is that they sold the game.
I simply do not care what becomes of NCSoft otherwise. If they die, that's probably their own fault. If they succeed, somebody got their act together. They only had one product I was ever interested in and, we know how that has turned out.
As long as somebody keeps making up stories for it, the City isn't gone.

Technerdoc

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #444 on: December 03, 2012, 07:36:51 PM »
How long can a company do this? Closing games, treat the community like shit, don't sell any from this IPs and hope that the lemming-games play one from their other games? I mean we wasn't the first one, but we was always thinking that this can't happen to us, beccause our game is profitable...

One time it just have to be the big crash there. Life is just not fair  :-\

srmalloy

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #445 on: December 03, 2012, 08:10:29 PM »
Considering some people (not all, but some people) here, I doubt the bad PR would stop even if NCsoft did everything *and more*.

Some people just want to hate on someone, even if the someone does everything in their power to rectify the situation...

Had they done everything in their power to rectify the situation, they would have set a reasonable price and sold Paragon Studios and City of Heroes before the sunset, so that the Paragon Studios staff and resources could have been transitioned to the buyer's employ, development and operation of the game temporarily halted while the transfer of the server configurations to new hardware under the control of the buyer took place (or snapshotting the servers while leaving them up and making the playerbase aware that nothing they did after date X would be preserved under the new management), and the game restarted, instead of squeezing City of Heroes tightly in their fist crying "My Precioussss..."

And I don't think that keeping the gaming community aware of NCSoft's demonstrated attitudes and practices, as a warning to people considering taking up one of their MMOs, constitutes 'hating on' NCSoft. If someone genuinely wants to play Aion, or Blade & Soul, it's their decision, but making sure that they're informed about what they may be setting themselves up for is a service to the community. If it happens to cut into NCSoft's bottom line, well, that's a consequence of the business decisions that NCSoft makes; if they hadn't been making their decisions based on the almighty bottom line and their view of the image of the company, they wouldn't be in the position of having tens of thousands of severely honked-off ex-players ready to do NCSoft dirty.
« Last Edit: December 03, 2012, 08:18:11 PM by srmalloy »

corvus1970

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #446 on: December 03, 2012, 08:15:47 PM »
I too read what VV and Fansy said about legal complications. About a week or so ago someone on Virtue was talking about that over the LFG channel and I boiled my response down to "I'll believe it when I see it". Eventually the person who was really touting this rumor accepted my viewpoint even if they didn't completely agree with it.

You see, NCSoft has a habit, nay, a history of killing games and then sitting on the IP. I'm a skeptic, and one who believes in studying what history teaches us. Sure, people can change, companies too can change, but its relatively rare. Usually they keep doing the same things, again and again, until their hubris and lack of foresight trip them up in some fashion. Sometimes the trip-up is minor, sometimes its devastating.

So yeah, until that rumor becomes truth, its just another unconfirmed bit of info: what we in TransFormers fandom somewhat mockingly refer to as "SECRET INSIDE SOURCES". In the case of VV, I respect her, unlike some info-spouting fanboy that nobody knows from Adam. As such I do not doubt her sincerity, clout, or intent. However she's a messenger in this particular case, and the message could be flawed.

So, as I have said elsewhere: time will eventually tell the tale, as it does in all things.
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Blackbird71

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #447 on: December 03, 2012, 08:42:00 PM »
If it happens to cut into NCSoft's bottom line, well, that's a consequence of the business decisions that NCSoft makes; if they hadn't been making their decisions based on the almighty bottom line and their view of the image of the company, they wouldn't be in the position of having tens of thousands of severely honked-off ex-players ready to do NCSoft dirty.

That's just it though; if they had been making decisions based on the bottom line (at least, the long-term bottom line, and not just the next quarterly report), I have to believe that NCSoft would have either kept the game running as a profitable entity, or sold it while it was active and had appreciable value.  Everything I know about business (which is probably more than most people but less than many) tells me that their decisions make no sense, either in terms of customer relations or overall profitability.  From an outside observer, NCSoft's choice appear to be driven more by stubborn pride than anything else, and that is no way to successfully run a business.

Segev

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #448 on: December 03, 2012, 08:43:16 PM »
I should note that VV has, herself, stated that keeping up the pressure is crucial even now precisely because NCSoft must feel a desire to sell. So, if it is in fact now possible, they must feel the pressure EVEN HARDER so that the sudden ease of selling combined with the increase of pressure acts to pop the cork out of the bottle in which they've stuffed the deed to CoH.

corvus1970

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #449 on: December 03, 2012, 08:47:48 PM »
Wholeheartedly agreed.

I'm not advocating doing nothing, nor am I pooping on the proverbial party (which was a cause some nameless posters formerly here and on the CoH boards seemed frighteningly dedicated to). I'm just saying I'll believe it when I see it.

I think my favorite line from ANGEL describes my mindset pretty well:

"...if nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do. 'Cause that's all there is. What we do. Now. Today."

I don't fight for CoX because I believe I'll be rewarded in some way (be it the return of the game, chiefly), but rather because I feel what NCSoft did was wrong, and fighting for our beloved game and community is the right thing to do.
« Last Edit: December 03, 2012, 08:53:20 PM by corvus1970 »
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dwturducken

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #450 on: December 03, 2012, 08:51:15 PM »
True, but you'd be surprised how far an apology and a legitimate attempt to make things right would go.  I think that if NCsoft were to let go of the IP and post something that amounts to, "We were wrong, we're sorry.  We know that things will never be the same, but we've heard you and we're trying our best to undo what damage has been done," I think a LOT of people would feel a lot better about the company and they could still use it for some positive PR.

The sad thing is, even though every word of this is true, and we see it at play in current events with BP, I just don't think it's culturally possible.  I know people have said that this kind of xenophob-esque rhetoric is out of line, and I agree. But an unpleasant truth is still a truth.
I wouldn't use the word "replace," but there's no word for "take over for you and make everything better almost immediately," so we just say "replace."

TimtheEnchanter

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #451 on: December 03, 2012, 08:54:58 PM »
The sad thing is, even though every word of this is true, and we see it at play in current events with BP, I just don't think it's culturally possible.  I know people have said that this kind of xenophob-esque rhetoric is out of line, and I agree. But an unpleasant truth is still a truth.

Heh...

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Technerdoc

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #452 on: December 03, 2012, 09:02:35 PM »
Sorry in destroying any illusions, but absolutly nothing will happen there. NC-Soft never wanted to sell or keep the game running, there are other ways how to handle this when they really wanted to do this and we will never find out the reason. I don't see any sense why they do this like that, but it's their way that they never sell anything. I will be surprised when this will happen, but I'm sure that there was some companys intressted in City of Heroes when other smaller games, also close to the shutdown find someone too. Maybe they really wanted to make a part 2 in some years when everyone will forget what happend here, who knows.

NecrotechMaster

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #453 on: December 03, 2012, 09:11:03 PM »
anything ncsoft makes would be an abomination and i would refuse to play it

as far as we know the devs secret project got trashed when they all got fired

if ncsoft wants to make anything else, it wont be from our devs and thus will prolly be terrible and horrible abomination disrespecting the original game

Technerdoc

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #454 on: December 03, 2012, 09:15:11 PM »
Right, the people will never accept a part 2 from an other team so long the better part 1 is still running, so the game must be closed...

Hmm it's still stupid...  :-\

corvus1970

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #455 on: December 03, 2012, 09:16:34 PM »
Sorry in destroying any illusions, but absolutly nothing will happen there.
You know what, I'm pretty cynical, but you aren't clairvoyant and you don't know that. That's simply your belief. Well-founded, yes, but a belief all the same.

I believe it too, but I don't make declarations of certainties that I cannot know. I always reserve the option to be mistaken.

Maybe they really wanted to make a part 2 in some years when everyone will forget what happend here, who knows.
Yeah, again, cynic here, but guess what...some people have long memories. I still recall the shoddy treatment and lies Miramax gave the fans of the Crow franchise in regards to the release of "The Crow-Salvation" back in 1999-2000, and while there aren't a lot of us, I'm not alone. I boycotted every single Miramax release for over 2 years.

Only 2 things will make me "forget", 1 is a possibility (insanity/amnesia/senility), the the other a certainty (death). And again, I won't be alone.
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dwturducken

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #456 on: December 03, 2012, 09:18:29 PM »
Right, the people will never accept a part 2 from an other team so long the better part 1 is still running, so the game must be closed...

Hmm it's still stupid...  :-\

If part 1 is better, don't make part 2?
I wouldn't use the word "replace," but there's no word for "take over for you and make everything better almost immediately," so we just say "replace."

srmalloy

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #457 on: December 03, 2012, 09:27:59 PM »
I should note that VV has, herself, stated that keeping up the pressure is crucial even now precisely because NCSoft must feel a desire to sell. So, if it is in fact now possible, they must feel the pressure EVEN HARDER so that the sudden ease of selling combined with the increase of pressure acts to pop the cork out of the bottle in which they've stuffed the deed to CoH.

This. Remember that, as things stand right now, there is nothing more that NCSoft can do to us. Fire the developers? Three months back. Shut down the game servers? Done. Closed the forums? Done. Packed the IP away in a box, never to see the light of day again? Their history with other IPs would suggest that this is where CoH will wind up; certainly it's already been binned. We, on the other hand, are under no such restriction. Our efforts to raise NCSoft's business practices to the light of public scrutiny will continue to haunt NCSoft like Banquo's ghost, and the more publicity we can get, the more we can erode confidence in NCSoft's performance, the closer we will get to convincing them that the only way out of the pit they have dug for themselves is to sell City of Heroes.

dwturducken

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #458 on: December 03, 2012, 09:29:51 PM »
Does this mean I don't have to be nice, anymore?  >:(
I wouldn't use the word "replace," but there's no word for "take over for you and make everything better almost immediately," so we just say "replace."

JWBullfrog

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Re: NCSoft Stockwatch
« Reply #459 on: December 03, 2012, 09:34:11 PM »
As long as somebody keeps making up stories for it, the City isn't gone.