Lore AMA: Difference between revisions
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The third Lore AMA at its time of last revision (April 28th, 2014) is as follows: | The third Lore AMA at its time of last revision (April 28th, 2014) is as follows: | ||
{{hidden|CoH Lore Questions 2014|bg1=#ccccff|content={{EdNote|note=The content below has not been changed except as needed for formatting or clarification purposes. The most notable change is the way comments or sub-questions are shown - rather than an extension | {{hidden|CoH Lore Questions 2014|bg1=#ccccff|content={{EdNote|note=The content below has not been changed except as needed for formatting or clarification purposes. The most notable change is the way comments or sub-questions are shown - rather than an extension after the initial question, in this article they are bullet points below the question. The wording is unchanged, and can be seen in its original format at the link above.}} | ||
'''CoH Loregasm: 2014 Edition''' | '''CoH Loregasm: 2014 Edition''' | ||
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'''Q) There were several villain group names in the original trailer (Revelation, Twilight Men, Seraphim, Fear Factor, Killing Crew) that we never really, or ever, saw in game. Were there plans for them? Did they end up getting sidelined by other groups? How wicked awesome were they? (@bpphantom) [IIRC, Twilight Men became Malta, Fear Factor became the Carnies, but I could be wrong - @Samuraiko][I seem to recall Killing Crew becoming the Freakshow... Felderburg]''' | '''Q) There were several villain group names in the original trailer (Revelation, Twilight Men, Seraphim, Fear Factor, Killing Crew) that we never really, or ever, saw in game. Were there plans for them? Did they end up getting sidelined by other groups? How wicked awesome were they? (@bpphantom)''' | ||
*'''[IIRC, Twilight Men became Malta, Fear Factor became the Carnies, but I could be wrong - @Samuraiko]''' | |||
*'''[I seem to recall Killing Crew becoming the Freakshow... Felderburg]''' | |||
A) Matt Miller (Positron) Samuraiko and Felderburg are correct. There was some trademark issues with the original names and/or better names were thought up. Also some groups were concepted but cut (Revelation and Seraphim I think) long before real production started. | A) Matt Miller (Positron) Samuraiko and Felderburg are correct. There was some trademark issues with the original names and/or better names were thought up. Also some groups were concepted but cut (Revelation and Seraphim I think) long before real production started. | ||
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A) Melissa Bianco (War Witch) I wanted to revamp Boomtown back into Baumton, complete with amusement park, fairgrounds, but there would be absolutely no asset reuse there and it never made the list for touch up. | A) Melissa Bianco (War Witch) I wanted to revamp Boomtown back into Baumton, complete with amusement park, fairgrounds, but there would be absolutely no asset reuse there and it never made the list for touch up. | ||
'''Q) Prometheus at one point brings up “Ascended” wells and renegade Ascended, using Rularuu as an example. Was there more intended for this concept of ascending into that kind of power in it’s own right, either for NPCs or as a further stage of Incarnate abilities waaaaay down the line? Further, who were some of these others who either ascended by circumvention or went renegade? (@Twi) | '''Q) Prometheus at one point brings up “Ascended” wells and renegade Ascended, using Rularuu as an example. Was there more intended for this concept of ascending into that kind of power in it’s own right, either for NPCs or as a further stage of Incarnate abilities waaaaay down the line? Further, who were some of these others who either ascended by circumvention or went renegade? (@Twi)''' | ||
*Q) The Dimensionless created the Wells, but it also seems like people / beings can contribute power to Wells, or even become Wells themselves. Additionally, it seems like beings of great power can have their power transferred in whole to a new being (Zeus -> Statesman, Merulina -> Leviathan) rather than just having it reabsorbed into a Well. Can you explain more about this? (Felderburg)''' | *'''Q) The Dimensionless created the Wells, but it also seems like people / beings can contribute power to Wells, or even become Wells themselves. Additionally, it seems like beings of great power can have their power transferred in whole to a new being (Zeus -> Statesman, Merulina -> Leviathan) rather than just having it reabsorbed into a Well. Can you explain more about this? (Felderburg)''' | ||
A) Chris Behrens (Baryonyx) - There isn’t really a good way to answer this without tackling the second question first, so here goes. | A) Chris Behrens (Baryonyx) - There isn’t really a good way to answer this without tackling the second question first, so here goes. | ||
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A) Tim Sweeney (Black Scorpion) The joke was his power was that anything anyone “trashed” wound up in his hands. Hence the name and the goods. | A) Tim Sweeney (Black Scorpion) The joke was his power was that anything anyone “trashed” wound up in his hands. Hence the name and the goods. | ||
'''Q) Why would you have Operative Lo Pan be a named Arachnos paper mission boss instead of a Tsoo one? | '''Q) Why would you have Operative Lo Pan be a named Arachnos paper mission boss instead of a Tsoo one?''' | ||
*Arachnos can have Asian members too. (Felderburg) | *'''Arachnos can have Asian members too. (Felderburg)''' | ||
*Beyond that, all Arachnos paper mission bosses were named after movie villains. Operative Bligh, Operative Lo Pan, Operative Gruber, Operative Kurgan (have to remove the head FULLY!), the list goes on. (Kadmon)''' | *'''Beyond that, all Arachnos paper mission bosses were named after movie villains. Operative Bligh, Operative Lo Pan, Operative Gruber, Operative Kurgan (have to remove the head FULLY!), the list goes on. (Kadmon)''' | ||
A) Matt Miller (Positron) Yeah, newspaper missions were randomly generated, and that name just was on a list. No thought put into it. | A) Matt Miller (Positron) Yeah, newspaper missions were randomly generated, and that name just was on a list. No thought put into it. | ||
'''Q) Did Statesman or Lord Recluse have a weakness? (Mentalshock) | '''Q) Did Statesman or Lord Recluse have a weakness? (Mentalshock)''' | ||
*Statesman: Darrin Wade. Lord Recluse: the short-sightedness of obsessive villainy. (DarkGob)''' | *'''Statesman: Darrin Wade. Lord Recluse: the short-sightedness of obsessive villainy. (DarkGob)''' | ||
A) Matt Miller (Positron) Both of these characters were empowered directly through the Well of Furies. This was their weakness. If you could sever that connection (which was thought to be impossible), then you could kill or destroy them. | A) Matt Miller (Positron) Both of these characters were empowered directly through the Well of Furies. This was their weakness. If you could sever that connection (which was thought to be impossible), then you could kill or destroy them. | ||
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A) Melissa Bianco (War Witch) If someone didn't cap off a monorail correctly, you'd get buses, of a sort. Monorails would hop the tracks and wander down streets with the cars. My question is how, considering how many ambulances were part of the atmospheric SFX no one really noticed there weren't any on the streets. | A) Melissa Bianco (War Witch) If someone didn't cap off a monorail correctly, you'd get buses, of a sort. Monorails would hop the tracks and wander down streets with the cars. My question is how, considering how many ambulances were part of the atmospheric SFX no one really noticed there weren't any on the streets. | ||
'''Q) In general, what was the deal with Praetorian Hamidon? And in specific, why did it come into being so much sooner than Primal Hamidon, and if it didn’t start with Hamidon Pasalima, why was it still named Hamidon? I asked Protean about this once, and he basically said he couldn’t tell me yet, but that there was actually an important reason for it. (@TA) | '''Q) In general, what was the deal with Praetorian Hamidon? And in specific, why did it come into being so much sooner than Primal Hamidon, and if it didn’t start with Hamidon Pasalima, why was it still named Hamidon? I asked Protean about this once, and he basically said he couldn’t tell me yet, but that there was actually an important reason for it. (@TA)''' | ||
*I don’t remember the specifics but if I recall right, someone went overboard with nukes during an earlier war, spurring Hamidon Pasalima to take drastic actions earlier. I remember that this was mentioned somewhere in the promotional material for Going Rogue but I can’t remember where. @Mekkanos | *'''I don’t remember the specifics but if I recall right, someone went overboard with nukes during an earlier war, spurring Hamidon Pasalima to take drastic actions earlier. I remember that this was mentioned somewhere in the promotional material for Going Rogue but I can’t remember where. @Mekkanos''' | ||
*Nukes were used in the Praetorian Korean War. I don't remember how that eventually led to Early Hamidon. (@DKellis)''' | *'''Nukes were used in the Praetorian Korean War. I don't remember how that eventually led to Early Hamidon. (@DKellis)''' | ||
A) John Hegner (Protean): Reading between the lines, when Marcus Cole (praetorian version) disappeared after the nuclear exchange in Korea, he retreated from the world, hating what it had become. This event changed everything in Praetorian Earth. Years later, a young Dr. Hamidon, his life’s course changed by the environmental tragedy of the nuclear crisis, would discover early the means of creating the Devouring Earth. He tracked down Marcus Cole (many believed he was dead) and offered Cole the chance to be humanity’s guiding light and bring them into a new age of peace and prosperity and one-ness with the Earth. Cole dismissed him as a lunatic and thought nothing of it. | A) John Hegner (Protean): Reading between the lines, when Marcus Cole (praetorian version) disappeared after the nuclear exchange in Korea, he retreated from the world, hating what it had become. This event changed everything in Praetorian Earth. Years later, a young Dr. Hamidon, his life’s course changed by the environmental tragedy of the nuclear crisis, would discover early the means of creating the Devouring Earth. He tracked down Marcus Cole (many believed he was dead) and offered Cole the chance to be humanity’s guiding light and bring them into a new age of peace and prosperity and one-ness with the Earth. Cole dismissed him as a lunatic and thought nothing of it. | ||
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You see, all the Billionaire Playboys are secret (or public) IDs of super-heroes anyway, so they just thought of the tax as a work/hobby expense. | You see, all the Billionaire Playboys are secret (or public) IDs of super-heroes anyway, so they just thought of the tax as a work/hobby expense. | ||
'''Q) So in the Midnighter arc, the heroes help develop a cure for the Lost. Which (thanks to a bug, until they fixed it) you could actually zap the Honoree with! Was this the early groundwork for eventually restoring Hero 1? (@Samuraiko) | '''Q) So in the Midnighter arc, the heroes help develop a cure for the Lost. Which (thanks to a bug, until they fixed it) you could actually zap the Honoree with! Was this the early groundwork for eventually restoring Hero 1? (@Samuraiko)''' | ||
*Much to my amusement, you could also zap the AV at the end of the Lost section of Death From Below. Not much utility there, as it robs the group of XP, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t funny :) (Kadmon)''' | *'''Much to my amusement, you could also zap the AV at the end of the Lost section of Death From Below. Not much utility there, as it robs the group of XP, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t funny :) (Kadmon)''' | ||
A) Matt Miller (Positron) There was a redemption/reversion arc planned but I can’t recall what it involved. I do know that when writing the Lady Grey Task Force, the writer didn’t like the fact that Hero One came back as a Lost. One of the variables in the mission data was “INeverLikedThisStoryArcAnyway”. | A) Matt Miller (Positron) There was a redemption/reversion arc planned but I can’t recall what it involved. I do know that when writing the Lady Grey Task Force, the writer didn’t like the fact that Hero One came back as a Lost. One of the variables in the mission data was “INeverLikedThisStoryArcAnyway”. | ||
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A) John Hegner (Protean) - Yeah, we wanted it to be super subtle (so totally obvious to our massive player base of apparent psychics). If you read the Praetorian content, any character that tends to repeat his last sentence is actually Doppelganger - off the top of my head I think it was just Mr. G and Tami Baker, but I am certain we hid Easter Eggs here and there. The intention was that Protean was damaged goods in Primal Earth. Doppelganger had been playing the game of masks forever and had no issues about discovering his missing identity. After all, he trained Chimera after murdering his parents. Manipulative bastard, ain’t he? | A) John Hegner (Protean) - Yeah, we wanted it to be super subtle (so totally obvious to our massive player base of apparent psychics). If you read the Praetorian content, any character that tends to repeat his last sentence is actually Doppelganger - off the top of my head I think it was just Mr. G and Tami Baker, but I am certain we hid Easter Eggs here and there. The intention was that Protean was damaged goods in Primal Earth. Doppelganger had been playing the game of masks forever and had no issues about discovering his missing identity. After all, he trained Chimera after murdering his parents. Manipulative bastard, ain’t he? | ||
'''Q) What was the Kheldian “homeworld” like, their government, native culture, etc, prior to their being a big space war? Did they evolve their symbiosis with the Dwarf/Nova races peacefully, or was that a necessity of the war with the nictus? (Spectralent) | '''Q) What was the Kheldian “homeworld” like, their government, native culture, etc, prior to their being a big space war? Did they evolve their symbiosis with the Dwarf/Nova races peacefully, or was that a necessity of the war with the nictus? (Spectralent)''' | ||
*Q: And would we ever have gotten to visit? (Memphis Bill)''' | *'''Q: And would we ever have gotten to visit? (Memphis Bill)''' | ||
A) Matt (Positron) It was never fleshed out, afaik. | A) Matt (Positron) It was never fleshed out, afaik. | ||
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This truth would come out issues later and cause some massive issues between Ms. Liberty and Vanguard. | This truth would come out issues later and cause some massive issues between Ms. Liberty and Vanguard. | ||
'''Q)Were there any plans to allow Heroes/Villians to go to the Preatorian zones for badge hunting, exploration badges, etc? (TheJudge) | '''Q)Were there any plans to allow Heroes/Villians to go to the Preatorian zones for badge hunting, exploration badges, etc? (TheJudge)''' | ||
*I recall that they could do that anyway. The only thing they were locked out of without purchasing GR was access to story content and contacts. @Blondeshell''' | *'''I recall that they could do that anyway. The only thing they were locked out of without purchasing GR was access to story content and contacts. @Blondeshell''' | ||
A) Matt (Positron) Yeah that sounds right to my knowledge. I think there were some badges that were impossible for a non-Praetorian to attain and vice-versa. | A) Matt (Positron) Yeah that sounds right to my knowledge. I think there were some badges that were impossible for a non-Praetorian to attain and vice-versa. | ||
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A) Chris Behrens (Baryonyx) - Minds of Mayhem remains my personal favorite of all the trials I worked on, and it couldn’t have existed without Mother Mayhem, so I second John’s motion! | A) Chris Behrens (Baryonyx) - Minds of Mayhem remains my personal favorite of all the trials I worked on, and it couldn’t have existed without Mother Mayhem, so I second John’s motion! | ||
'''Q)What was the plot of the third novel going to be? I still re-read the other two novels every so often. (The_Judge) | '''Q)What was the plot of the third novel going to be? I still re-read the other two novels every so often. (The_Judge)''' | ||
*I seem to remember it being “The Rikti War.” (Memphis Bill.) | *'''I seem to remember it being “The Rikti War.” (Memphis Bill.)''' | ||
*That is correct. It is even mentioned on one of the last pages of the Freedom Phalanx novel (Lycantropus)''' | *'''That is correct. It is even mentioned on one of the last pages of the Freedom Phalanx novel (Lycantropus)''' | ||
A) Matt Miller (Positron) It was to be the first Rikti War. I think that what we did in game (with the time capsule) was far superior than anything that the novel could have achieved. | A) Matt Miller (Positron) It was to be the first Rikti War. I think that what we did in game (with the time capsule) was far superior than anything that the novel could have achieved. | ||
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A) Chris Behrens (Baryonyx) - Like Prometheus is a watcher and agent of the Dimensionless, the Furies were watchers and agents of the Well. They work to see its interests preserved, but like Prometheus notes, they haven’t evolved with their master, who has changed with “humanity” through the millennia. Their ideals are ancient and somewhat out of sync with the current mindset of the Well. However, they also still serve his interests, particularly in loosing the Talons on Praetoria to test Tyrant’s mettle, so there’s not much pulling of the leash. There was only one set for all dimensions; they were made immortal by the Well’s power. I like to think they were drawn from three different dimensions, but that wasn’t official at all. Neither was their appearance. I tended to think that they would have multiple forms, and this dichotomy in form was reflected in the beautiful Sirens and the monstrous Keres. | A) Chris Behrens (Baryonyx) - Like Prometheus is a watcher and agent of the Dimensionless, the Furies were watchers and agents of the Well. They work to see its interests preserved, but like Prometheus notes, they haven’t evolved with their master, who has changed with “humanity” through the millennia. Their ideals are ancient and somewhat out of sync with the current mindset of the Well. However, they also still serve his interests, particularly in loosing the Talons on Praetoria to test Tyrant’s mettle, so there’s not much pulling of the leash. There was only one set for all dimensions; they were made immortal by the Well’s power. I like to think they were drawn from three different dimensions, but that wasn’t official at all. Neither was their appearance. I tended to think that they would have multiple forms, and this dichotomy in form was reflected in the beautiful Sirens and the monstrous Keres. | ||
'''Q) How accurate is the 2004 Story Bible that was released? (http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Story_Bible) Some of its lore is contradicted by in-game materials, while some of it is seemingly confirmed. (Felderburg) | '''Q) How accurate is the 2004 Story Bible that was released? (http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Story_Bible) Some of its lore is contradicted by in-game materials, while some of it is seemingly confirmed. (Felderburg)''' | ||
*I think that was “This is what they started with/at launch, it changed during development.” (Memphis bill)''' | *'''I think that was “This is what they started with/at launch, it changed during development.” (Memphis bill)''' | ||
A) Matt Miller (Positron) The number of people working on the game when the bible was written as well as the last couple years of the game was TWO: Melissa and myself, and neither of us contributed greatly to the original Story Bible. | A) Matt Miller (Positron) The number of people working on the game when the bible was written as well as the last couple years of the game was TWO: Melissa and myself, and neither of us contributed greatly to the original Story Bible. | ||
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A) Matt Miller (Positron) The 70’s was a crazy time, man. There was a group of super-villain scientists who called themselves the Mood Ring (Made up of Lava Lamper, Belle Bottom, Rock Pet, Smiley Face, The Streaker, and 8-Tracks of Destruction) who perfected and sold the formula to the Family who used their considerable business interests to see to its manufacture and distribution. | A) Matt Miller (Positron) The 70’s was a crazy time, man. There was a group of super-villain scientists who called themselves the Mood Ring (Made up of Lava Lamper, Belle Bottom, Rock Pet, Smiley Face, The Streaker, and 8-Tracks of Destruction) who perfected and sold the formula to the Family who used their considerable business interests to see to its manufacture and distribution. | ||
'''Q) Would the True Rikti have looked/acted like the regular Rikti but… bigger? Or would the True Rikti have been even more alien and bizarre? Would fighting them have been like fighting regular Rikti with lots of crazy defenses and new tech basically? (I’m similarly curious about The Dimensionless and other long-way-off enemies.) (@CyberSunset) | '''Q) Would the True Rikti have looked/acted like the regular Rikti but… bigger? Or would the True Rikti have been even more alien and bizarre? Would fighting them have been like fighting regular Rikti with lots of crazy defenses and new tech basically? (I’m similarly curious about The Dimensionless and other long-way-off enemies.) (@CyberSunset)''' | ||
*Would we have fought the True Rikti of our dimension, or the "fake" Rikti's dimension? (Felderburg)''' | *'''Would we have fought the True Rikti of our dimension, or the "fake" Rikti's dimension? (Felderburg)''' | ||
A) Matt Miller (Positron) I would have loved for them to be even more alien, on a non-humanoid animation rig for one, but that would have limited what they could do in-game, so they likely would have been humanoid, looking like super-exaggerated Rikti. | A) Matt Miller (Positron) I would have loved for them to be even more alien, on a non-humanoid animation rig for one, but that would have limited what they could do in-game, so they likely would have been humanoid, looking like super-exaggerated Rikti. | ||
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If we ever put an arena or colosseum into CoH, we would have had to come up with some sports team. But alas, we never did. | If we ever put an arena or colosseum into CoH, we would have had to come up with some sports team. But alas, we never did. | ||
'''Q) Were the non-immortal characters (like Psyche and Statesman) supposed to be in their mid-40’s/early 50’s by the time CoH started? Or was this just sort of a screwup brought about by the timeline introduced in “The Freedom Phalanx”, which had the modern incarnation coming into being in the mid 1980’s. (@Hyperstrike) | '''Q) Were the non-immortal characters (like Psyche and Statesman) supposed to be in their mid-40’s/early 50’s by the time CoH started? Or was this just sort of a screwup brought about by the timeline introduced in “The Freedom Phalanx”, which had the modern incarnation coming into being in the mid 1980’s. (@Hyperstrike)''' | ||
*This was just the game acknowledging “Comic book time” if I recall correctly. Basically there was no attempt to explain why some character seemed long lived yet youthful, same as Spider-man was introduced as a teenager in the early 1960s, yet is only mid twenties today. (Rune) | *'''This was just the game acknowledging “Comic book time” if I recall correctly. Basically there was no attempt to explain why some character seemed long lived yet youthful, same as Spider-man was introduced as a teenager in the early 1960s, yet is only mid twenties today. (Rune)''' | ||
*Additionally, States was an Incarnate, which I recall being used to explain his youth, while Psyche’s mind-riding was used at least once to explain her youth (her body somehow didn’t age without her mind in it). (Felderburg)''' | *'''Additionally, States was an Incarnate, which I recall being used to explain his youth, while Psyche’s mind-riding was used at least once to explain her youth (her body somehow didn’t age without her mind in it). (Felderburg)''' | ||
A) Matt Miller (Positron) Comic-book aging, although Dr. Raymond Keyes is in his 50’s during the time of the main game. | A) Matt Miller (Positron) Comic-book aging, although Dr. Raymond Keyes is in his 50’s during the time of the main game. | ||
'''Q) Were there ever any regrets or apprehension in “The Origins of Power” story line being used in game to explain in game changes and/or mechanical functions of powers (ie: the introduction of diminishing returns/enhancement diversification)? (ErrantBlue) | '''Q) Were there ever any regrets or apprehension in “The Origins of Power” story line being used in game to explain in game changes and/or mechanical functions of powers (ie: the introduction of diminishing returns/enhancement diversification)? (ErrantBlue)''' | ||
*At least one Dev had regrets about it, per the 2012 AMA question: “If you could retcon any one thing in the storyline, what would it be? Alternately, what’s the one retcon you’ve made that you later regretted?” Don’t know about any other dev’s feelings, so hopefully they answer. (Felderburg)''' | *'''At least one Dev had regrets about it, per the 2012 AMA question: “If you could retcon any one thing in the storyline, what would it be? Alternately, what’s the one retcon you’ve made that you later regretted?” Don’t know about any other dev’s feelings, so hopefully they answer. (Felderburg)''' | ||
A) Chris Behrens (Baryonyx) - I can’t speak for the others, as this came into the game before I joined the team, but it was certainly in the back of our mind while we developed the background that drives the Well, Prometheus, Battalion, Praetoria, the Dimensionless, the Primordials, etc. One thing we worked on in this regard for Incarnates and up was to emphasize that the Well was not the source of powers; human creativity and potential were instead leveraging the energy of the Source (which we planned to rename), through the Well, to achieve superhuman feats in whatever way they chose. The player should be the driver of their own story, and we wanted the framework to be flexible enough to accommodate that, even though it didn’t seem that way when we had to dole it out slowly. | A) Chris Behrens (Baryonyx) - I can’t speak for the others, as this came into the game before I joined the team, but it was certainly in the back of our mind while we developed the background that drives the Well, Prometheus, Battalion, Praetoria, the Dimensionless, the Primordials, etc. One thing we worked on in this regard for Incarnates and up was to emphasize that the Well was not the source of powers; human creativity and potential were instead leveraging the energy of the Source (which we planned to rename), through the Well, to achieve superhuman feats in whatever way they chose. The player should be the driver of their own story, and we wanted the framework to be flexible enough to accommodate that, even though it didn’t seem that way when we had to dole it out slowly. | ||
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A) John Hegner (Protean) - IIRC there was Battalion (the race) and then there were the legions of loyal super soldiers. Levied from the myriad worlds Battalion had conquered the Wells of, these legions were equipped with the finest technology in the galaxy. The legions were going to be badasses themselves, but facing down an actual member of the true Battalion race was intended to be nothing short of epic. | A) John Hegner (Protean) - IIRC there was Battalion (the race) and then there were the legions of loyal super soldiers. Levied from the myriad worlds Battalion had conquered the Wells of, these legions were equipped with the finest technology in the galaxy. The legions were going to be badasses themselves, but facing down an actual member of the true Battalion race was intended to be nothing short of epic. | ||
'''Q) Penelope Yin was revealed to be Vanessa DeVore’s daughter in the Praetorian arcs. Was there a proper backstory built around this, as it seems to really strain the timeline (with Vanessa being a graduate student and finding Giovanna Scaldi’s mask in 2000, Penelope Yin being an older teenager in 2012, and Wu Yin being noticeable older than Vanessa by some 20 years)? Where was this storyline going? (@Phoenicia) | '''Q) Penelope Yin was revealed to be Vanessa DeVore’s daughter in the Praetorian arcs. Was there a proper backstory built around this, as it seems to really strain the timeline (with Vanessa being a graduate student and finding Giovanna Scaldi’s mask in 2000, Penelope Yin being an older teenager in 2012, and Wu Yin being noticeable older than Vanessa by some 20 years)? Where was this storyline going? (@Phoenicia)''' | ||
*Did this revelation of her mother apply to the Primal Earth side of things? (Felderburg)''' | *'''Did this revelation of her mother apply to the Primal Earth side of things? (Felderburg)''' | ||
A) Chris Behrens (Baryonyx) - Dr. Aeon had planned out Penelope’s story into Primal Earth, where she would have become the arch-villain Penelope Mayhem, leader of the Awakened. He or Protean could probably go more into her background, though. | A) Chris Behrens (Baryonyx) - Dr. Aeon had planned out Penelope’s story into Primal Earth, where she would have become the arch-villain Penelope Mayhem, leader of the Awakened. He or Protean could probably go more into her background, though. | ||
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A) Tim Sweeney (Black Scorp) That would have been a great place to use the phasing tech. What has looked like a bunch of vents and water towers on top of that building suddenly appears to be a restaurant now that you’ve completed the story arc. | A) Tim Sweeney (Black Scorp) That would have been a great place to use the phasing tech. What has looked like a bunch of vents and water towers on top of that building suddenly appears to be a restaurant now that you’ve completed the story arc. | ||
'''Q) Were there any Easter eggs that no one ever seemed to find? (@Crantz) | '''Q) Were there any Easter eggs that no one ever seemed to find? (@Crantz)''' | ||
*Per previous AMA: “The Producers were the keepers of the Easter Eggs, so bug Melissa Bianco or Nate Birkholz. (Matt)” So if they’re around for this AMA, hopefully they’ll be asked. (Felderburg) | *'''Per previous AMA: “The Producers were the keepers of the Easter Eggs, so bug Melissa Bianco or Nate Birkholz. (Matt)” So if they’re around for this AMA, hopefully they’ll be asked. (Felderburg)''' | ||
*Oh, okay, thank you (@crantz)''' | *'''Oh, okay, thank you (@crantz)''' | ||
A) Matt Miller (Positron) I don’t think anyone noticed that there was a skull on each and every cover of the Who Will Die? SSA.<br> | A) Matt Miller (Positron) I don’t think anyone noticed that there was a skull on each and every cover of the Who Will Die? SSA.<br> | ||
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{{EdNote|note=The '''Gullible''' badge was created by [[User:Leandro|Leandro]] and posted via twitter, in response to Positron's response above. Positron then added it to the AMA doc.}} | {{EdNote|note=The '''Gullible''' badge was created by [[User:Leandro|Leandro]] and posted via twitter, in response to Positron's response above. Positron then added it to the AMA doc.}} | ||
'''Q) Did Nemesis have a real name? If he didn't, do you want to make one up right now? (@Crantz) | '''Q) Did Nemesis have a real name? If he didn't, do you want to make one up right now? (@Crantz)''' | ||
*According to the novel “The Freedom Phalanx”, his name was Gerhardt Eisenstadt from Austria in the late 1800’s (@Lycantropus) | *'''According to the novel “The Freedom Phalanx”, his name was Gerhardt Eisenstadt from Austria in the late 1800’s (@Lycantropus)''' | ||
*Ah! Thank you (@crantz)''' | *'''Ah! Thank you (@crantz)''' | ||
A) Matt Miller (Positron) Yes, Mr. Eisenstadt was a gifted clockmaker and toy maker, and well ahead of his time. | A) Matt Miller (Positron) Yes, Mr. Eisenstadt was a gifted clockmaker and toy maker, and well ahead of his time. | ||
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A) Matt Miller (Positron) Statesman wasn’t killed, he was destroyed, so no resurrection magic would work. Sister Psyche was killed on the cusp of frying the minds of everyone on Earth. Bringing her back would just resume the countdown, so that was out of the question until a solution to that problem could be found. | A) Matt Miller (Positron) Statesman wasn’t killed, he was destroyed, so no resurrection magic would work. Sister Psyche was killed on the cusp of frying the minds of everyone on Earth. Bringing her back would just resume the countdown, so that was out of the question until a solution to that problem could be found. | ||
'''Q)We never saw how the Signature Story Arc “Pandora’s Box ended. How was that all going to play out? (@Lycantropus) | '''Q)We never saw how the Signature Story Arc “Pandora’s Box ended. How was that all going to play out? (@Lycantropus)''' | ||
*Episode 5 did get released to the beta server before shutdown, and both the hero and villain versions are documented at Paragon Wiki. http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Pandora%27s_Box_(SSA) (@Blondeshell)''' | *'''Episode 5 did get released to the beta server before shutdown, and both the hero and villain versions are documented at Paragon Wiki. http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Pandora%27s_Box_(SSA) (@Blondeshell)''' | ||
A) Matt Miller (Positron) That’s a great resource for that sort of thing. Far better than what we have access to. | A) Matt Miller (Positron) That’s a great resource for that sort of thing. Far better than what we have access to. | ||
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A) Matt Miller (Positron) Nothing planned, sorry. | A) Matt Miller (Positron) Nothing planned, sorry. | ||
'''Q) Can you go into more detail on the actual background of Countess Crey, and was the Clarissa van Dorn personality made up by her (Countess Crey) or was it an actual person that she was impersonating? (@Liberties) | '''Q) Can you go into more detail on the actual background of Countess Crey, and was the Clarissa van Dorn personality made up by her (Countess Crey) or was it an actual person that she was impersonating? (@Liberties)''' | ||
*Clarissa Van Dorn was a real person. In fact, in the arc where you find out about Countess Crey’s background (Check it out here), you find Clarissa Van Dorn’s dead body. That’s what spurs the whole''' | *'''Clarissa Van Dorn was a real person. In fact, in the arc where you find out about Countess Crey’s background (Check it out here), you find Clarissa Van Dorn’s dead body. That’s what spurs the whole''' | ||
A) Matt Miller (Positron) Looks like someone got cut off writing that, but yes, that was all resolved in-game. | A) Matt Miller (Positron) Looks like someone got cut off writing that, but yes, that was all resolved in-game. |
Revision as of 21:01, 29 April 2014
Overview
The Lore AMA (Ask Me Anything), or "Loregasm", is a series of documents document created by Positron to answer questions City of Heroes players had about the game's story following the Sunset announcement. In the thread announcing its creation, Positron stated that anything it contains "SHOULD be considered canon when concerning anything to do with Issue 24 and previous. Anything after that is speculative and should be treated as such. We'll note in the answer if it's anything different." On September 18th, 2012, Positron posted a link to the first Lore AMA as a Google Doc in a City of Heroes forums thread.
In an interview of Positron and War Witch at OnRPG discussing the closure of the game, Positron stated that he would do yearly AMAs as long as people had questions:
MeticulousMeta: There are still a lot of questions after the Lore AMA. Is there any chance of getting another?
Matt: I’ll make a deal: I’ll do AMA’s about CoH lore every April 28th until the questions stop coming in. I’ll give more details as we get closer to that date, and I can’t promise everyone who should be involved will be.
After taking questions in a now closed Google Doc, the first of the yearly AMAs was announced at OnRPG on May 3rd, 2013, and released as another Google Doc.
A list of the questions linked to by topic and developer can be found here: Lore AMA/Sorted.
City of Heroes AMA 1 (2012)
The first Lore AMA was linked in a forum post by Positron titled "Loregasm" and includes a key of the answering developers' initials:
That's a link to the doc, in case these boards get shut down, and because I don't want to clean it up for our forum posting format (if someone ELSE does, feel free to pad your postcount).
Some answers are not satisfying. Some answers are made up, and that answer only exists in that doc. I tried to get everyone who was involved in the stuff at the end to answer the questions as best they could.
MM: Matt Miller (Positron)
JH: John Hegner (Protean)
JAH: Jeff Hamilton (Arbiter Hawk)
SM: Sean McCann (Dr. Aeon)
RG: Ryan Greene (Viridian)
TS: Tim Sweeney (Black Scorpion)
If there is a miracle and somehow CoH is saved, we reserve the right to change any and all answers given in the doc, to maintain suspense and surprise.
The Lore AMA itself at its time of release is as follows:
City of Heroes AMA 2 (2013)
After taking questions in an open Google Doc, the first of the yearly AMAs was announced at OnRPG on May 3rd, 2013, and released as a closed Google Doc. In most cases, the name of the dev giving an answer is listed after the answer. The devs that answered are:
- Matt, a.k.a. Positron
- Hosun, a.k.a. Black Pebble
- Tim, a.k.a. Black Scorpion
- Sean, a.k.a. Dr. Aeon
- John, a.k.a. Protean
- Keetsie, a.k.a. Tunnel Rat
- Vince, a.k.a. The Dark Watcher
This is the most likely list of developers who answered AMA 2, as there are multiple devs with some of those first names.
Some questions do not have a dev name, and it can be assumed that they were answered by Positron unless the context indicates otherwise. Several questions were unable to be answered, and are marked as "Answer hazy, ask again later (Matt because he couldn’t find someone to answer this right now)." It is unknown if they will be taken up at the next AMA, or if players will have to re-ask those questions.
The second Lore AMA at its time of last revision (May 7, 2013) is as follows:
City of Heroes AMA 3 (2014)
An unofficial thread was started on the Titan Network forums for gathering questions. Positron was contacted and said: "I plan on doing it a bit differently this year. Doc will only be up for a short window." On April 17, 2014, at 8:45 AM PDT, Positron posted a Google Doc that he left open for only 24 hours. Positron also put in some general rules for asking questions, largely prohibiting questions not related to the game's lore:
Following the initial 24 hour period, there were 76 questions. A copy of the document seven minutes before its takedown for answering can be found in a Google Doc. Positron noted in a tweet on April 23rd, 2104, that all question for the 2014 AMA had answers.
On April 28th, 2014, the tenth anniversary of City of Heroes, Positron released the answered questions as a Google doc.
The third Lore AMA at its time of last revision (April 28th, 2014) is as follows: