Lore AMA: Difference between revisions

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The fourth Lore AMA at its time of release (May 17th, 2015) is as follows:
The fourth Lore AMA at its time of release (May 17th, 2015) is as follows:


{{hidden|City of Heroes Loregasm 2015|bg1=#ccccff|content='''Matsuri: Were any aspects of the comics that were released inspired by often unknown or not implemented lore or storylines.'''
{{hidden|City of Heroes Loregasm 2015|bg1=#ccccff|content={{EdNote|note=This document is presented largely as it appeared at release. Minor changes to formatting have been included, and images are shown rather than text links where relevant.}}


Positron : Pretty much all of them, especially the Blue King comics written by Rick Dakan. He took the parts of the story bible that he wrote that might not have been in the game at the time and fleshed them out into comic book form. Sean "Manticore" Fish also continued this tradition while running the Top Cow run.
'''Matsuri: Were any aspects of the comics that were released inspired by often unknown or not implemented lore or storylines?'''
 
Positron: Pretty much all of them, especially the Blue King comics written by Rick Dakan. He took the parts of the story bible that he wrote that might not have been in the game at the time and fleshed them out into comic book form. Sean "Manticore" Fish also continued this tradition while running the Top Cow run.


'''Samuraiko: Which story arcs are you a) most proud of, b) most ashamed of, and c) most wishing you had the chance to go back and revamp lorewise?'''
'''Samuraiko: Which story arcs are you a) most proud of, b) most ashamed of, and c) most wishing you had the chance to go back and revamp lorewise?'''
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Dr. Aeon: Most Proud Of: Dark Astoria. I'm not really ashamed of any of them, but I do wish I could go back and tweak the Roy Cooling story.
Dr. Aeon: Most Proud Of: Dark Astoria. I'm not really ashamed of any of them, but I do wish I could go back and tweak the Roy Cooling story.


'''Jargo:Is Mender Silos actually Lord Nemesis?'''
'''Jargo: Is Mender Silos actually Lord Nemesis?'''


Positron:Yes. He's from 10,000 years in the future though, enough time to truly rehabilitate and see the results of his actions. Since he's just a consciousness in a robot body, he just kept transferring into new (older) versions of himself to get past his time-travel tether.
Positron:Yes. He's from 10,000 years in the future though, enough time to truly rehabilitate and see the results of his actions. Since he's just a consciousness in a robot body, he just kept transferring into new (older) versions of himself to get past his time-travel tether.


'''Blackout:Ok, this is gonna' be kind of a long one, but what was up with Eisensturm?
'''Blackout: Ok, this is gonna be kind of a long one, but what was up with Eisensturm?


He's described as being the leader of the Storm Korps (The sort of Nazi 5th column equivalent during WWII, the column, whilst German were involved more with the Italians than with the Nazi's back in the day). Furthermore, what little lore there is on them places them at Normandy on D-Day, and the Statesman is described as being injured during this battle to the point where he was unable to take part in the rest of the war; Did they do that? Did Eisensturm and the Storm Korps beat down the most powerful superhero on the planet so badly that he was hospitalized for months? That's kind of significant for such an overlooked character.
He's described as being the leader of the Storm Korps (The sort of Nazi 5th column equivalent during WWII, the column, whilst German were involved more with the Italians than with the Nazi's back in the day). Furthermore, what little lore there is on them places them at Normandy on D-Day, and the Statesman is described as being injured during this battle to the point where he was unable to take part in the rest of the war; Did they do that? Did Eisensturm and the Storm Korps beat down the most powerful superhero on the planet so badly that he was hospitalized for months? That's kind of significant for such an overlooked character.
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Positron: Short answer to a long question: I had completely forgotten about Eisensturm until you brought it up, that’s how little effect his story had on the game as a whole. Sorry.
Positron: Short answer to a long question: I had completely forgotten about Eisensturm until you brought it up, that’s how little effect his story had on the game as a whole. Sorry.


'''@Nyght Blade:What events would you make to celebrate the 11th Anniversary to City of Heroes if the game was still running?'''
'''@Nyght Blade: What events would you make to celebrate the 11th Anniversary to City of Heroes if the game was still running?'''


Positron:Something we would have figured out about 3 months before the anniversary, probably. Maybe less.
Positron: Something we would have figured out about 3 months before the anniversary, probably. Maybe less.


'''Zombie Fryer:What flavor jello is Hamidon?'''
'''Zombie Fryer: What flavor jello is Hamidon?'''


Positron:None, since he's more of a celled organism than a by-product of animal bones.
Positron: None, since he's more of a celled organism than a by-product of animal bones.


'''Kheldarn:In the story arc, "The Cult Of The Shaper", from Diviner Maros, you encounter Barracuda trying to find out what happened to her. You end up having to fight, and defeat her, before she can find out. What happened to her that she's not supposed to discover, and why?'''
'''Kheldarn: In the story arc, "The Cult Of The Shaper", from Diviner Maros, you encounter Barracuda trying to find out what happened to her. You end up having to fight, and defeat her, before she can find out. What happened to her that she's not supposed to discover, and why?'''


Positron:I must apologize, I don’t know the answer, and it looks like everyone who looked at these questions didn’t know either. This will have to go on as unanswered.
Positron: I must apologize, I don’t know the answer, and it looks like everyone who looked at these questions didn’t know either. This will have to go on as unanswered.


'''Blue Battler:Was there ever any thought given to introducing Professor Null and Revenant (Positron and Synapse's archenemies from the Freedom Phalanx novel) into the game?'''
'''Blue Battler: Was there ever any thought given to introducing Professor Null and Revenant (Positron and Synapse's archenemies from the Freedom Phalanx novel) into the game?'''


Positron:I think there was plans for them for the unreleased "Rikti War" novel, but since that never materialized they were fair game for us to use, only no one on the team actually wanted to use them, so they went unused.
Positron: I think there was plans for them for the unreleased "Rikti War" novel, but since that never materialized they were fair game for us to use, only no one on the team actually wanted to use them, so they went unused.


'''Felderburg: In the story for the Rikti invasion (http://web.archive.org/web/20121025125040/http://na.cityofheroes.com/en/game_info/history/paragon_city_alien_invasion.php ) it notes that the entire world was affected. Right after the first Rikti invasion, what was the status of Rikti in the rest of the world? Do places like London and Tokyo have the same sort of Rikti infestation that Paragon does?'''
'''Felderburg: In the story for the Rikti invasion ([http://web.archive.org/web/20121025125040/http://na.cityofheroes.com/en/game_info/history/paragon_city_alien_invasion.php]) it notes that the entire world was affected. Right after the first Rikti invasion, what was the status of Rikti in the rest of the world? Do places like London and Tokyo have the same sort of Rikti infestation that Paragon does?'''


Positron:The Rikti were pushed back to the portals in Paragon City, so that's where the majority of them have been found. There might be a small "undiscovered tribes" of Rikti popping up from time to time in other parts of the world, but it's rare.
Positron: The Rikti were pushed back to the portals in Paragon City, so that's where the majority of them have been found. There might be a small "undiscovered tribes" of Rikti popping up from time to time in other parts of the world, but it's rare.


'''@duane:Many hero missions to kick COT butt had sewer or abandon mine entries.
'''@duane: Many hero missions to kick COT butt had sewer or abandon mine entries.


Is Oranbega "under" Paragon City or just accessible by dimensional portals "under" Paragon City?'''
Is Oranbega "under" Paragon City or just accessible by dimensional portals "under" Paragon City?'''


Positron:Orenbega is literally under Paragon City, no dimensional portals needed to access it.
Positron: Orenbega is literally under Paragon City, no dimensional portals needed to access it.


'''Lord Epsilon:My question is this: What is it like in Paragon City these days, now that the BSHA (Bureau of Super-Human Affairs) has been defunded? Are Skulls and Hellions just sitting around, moping about a lack of thrill in doing heists, since there's no one there that can legally stop them anymore?'''
'''Lord Epsilon: My question is this: What is it like in Paragon City these days, now that the BSHA (Bureau of Super-Human Affairs) has been defunded? Are Skulls and Hellions just sitting around, moping about a lack of thrill in doing heists, since there's no one there that can legally stop them anymore?'''


Positron:I am sure an alternate reality like the one you describe exists.
Positron: I am sure an alternate reality like the one you describe exists.


'''6X:Say two mid-game villain groups had to merge together to become big enough to survive into the late game, what two groups do you think would work lore wise, and also from a gameplay challenge perspective? Were there plans for anything like this?'''
'''6X: Say two mid-game villain groups had to merge together to become big enough to survive into the late game, what two groups do you think would work lore wise, and also from a gameplay challenge perspective? Were there plans for anything like this?'''


Positron: We’d never thought about combining groups for late game. We had a zillion ideas for new groups for late game though.
Positron: We’d never thought about combining groups for late game. We had a zillion ideas for new groups for late game though.


'''Todogut:Matt, you tweeted, "When I went to Korea to pitch CoH2, I set my luggage combo to be the planned release date. My luggage combo is 914." Please tell more about the pitch for CoH2. What did the pitch consist of? How was it received? Would CoH2 have replaced CoH... or would they have coexisted? How would CoH2 have differed from CoH? I'm very intrigued about what might have been.'''
'''Todogut: Matt, you tweeted, "When I went to Korea to pitch CoH2, I set my luggage combo to be the planned release date. My luggage combo is 914." Please tell more about the pitch for CoH2. What did the pitch consist of? How was it received? Would CoH2 have replaced CoH... or would they have coexisted? How would CoH2 have differed from CoH? I'm very intrigued about what might have been.'''


Positron:I've probably said too much already with just that tweet.
Positron: I've probably said too much already with just that tweet.


'''Zombie Hustler:During the revamped Dark Astoria story arcs, Battle Maiden is freed by and teams up with Malta. What was planned for the ultimate outcome of this pairing?'''
'''Zombie Hustler: During the revamped Dark Astoria story arcs, Battle Maiden is freed by and teams up with Malta. What was planned for the ultimate outcome of this pairing?'''


Dr. Aeon: The plan was that she would help give a major upgrade to all of Malta by giving them the secrets to her nanite tech. The set up was for Incarnate-Level Malta with new powers, in the future. Imagine that!
Dr. Aeon: The plan was that she would help give a major upgrade to all of Malta by giving them the secrets to her nanite tech. The set up was for Incarnate-Level Malta with new powers, in the future. Imagine that!


'''KelpPlankton:Portal Corp introduced us to the idea of a CoH multiverse, but outside of Praetoria we mostly just saw ones that were like "world where <enemy group> took over the planet" and not a lot of fully alternate Earths like the Praetorians.  Are there any other ones like that, drastically different Earths, that we never got to see?'''
'''KelpPlankton: Portal Corp introduced us to the idea of a CoH multiverse, but outside of Praetoria we mostly just saw ones that were like "world where <enemy group> took over the planet" and not a lot of fully alternate Earths like the Praetorians.  Are there any other ones like that, drastically different Earths, that we never got to see?'''


Positron:Of course! However, the game wasn't a Sliders MMO, so visiting alternate dimensions was just one thing you could do, and Praetoria got the most amount of attention from us, so it's the most fully fleshed out. With Praetoria behind us we moved on to other classic tropey comic book stories, like the planned outer-space stuff and the moon base.
Positron: Of course! However, the game wasn't a Sliders MMO, so visiting alternate dimensions was just one thing you could do, and Praetoria got the most amount of attention from us, so it's the most fully fleshed out. With Praetoria behind us we moved on to other classic tropey comic book stories, like the planned outer-space stuff and the moon base.


'''Black WildFire:You've said previously Lady Grey was being considered to be a sleeper agent for the Battalion. Does this mean she may not be human and instead be one of the many races absorbed into the Battalion? Was she planning on syphoning Darrin Wade's knowledge to use against Earth?'''
'''Black WildFire: You've said previously Lady Grey was being considered to be a sleeper agent for the Battalion. Does this mean she may not be human and instead be one of the many races absorbed into the Battalion? Was she planning on syphoning Darrin Wade's knowledge to use against Earth?'''


'''Czar Bal:I have always wonder who/what was Black Heart (Black Heart Memorial Hospital from many of the villain zones)?'''
Protean: This story thread had a few iterations and some supporters of her being a double agent, while others wanted her to be loyal through and through.


{{EdNote|note=The question about Black Heart was at this location in the original document, and went unsanswered. However, information may be found at the [[Black Heart Memorial Hospital|Black Heart Memorial Hospital article]]. According to [[Manticore (Developer)|Manticore's]] Canon Q&A Thread: "Black Heart is an homage to Sacred Heart Hospital. If there is a Black Heart in the Rogue Isles, he or she has yet to make a move."}}
Dr. Aeon: Adding to what Protean said, I think in the end we moved away from Lady Grey being a double agent and instead chose Steve Sheridan.


Protean:This story thread had a few iterations and some supporters of her being a double agent, while others wanted her to be loyal through and through.
'''Czar Bal: I have always wonder who/what was Black Heart (Black Heart Memorial Hospital from many of the villain zones)?'''


Dr. Aeon:Adding to what Protean said, I think in the end we moved away from Lady Grey being a double agent and instead chose Steve Sheridan.
{{EdNote|note=The question about Black Heart appeared after the Lady Grey question and before its answers in the original document, and went unanswered. However, information may be found at the [[Black Heart Memorial Hospital|Black Heart Memorial Hospital article]]. According to [[Manticore (Developer)|Manticore's]] Canon Q&A Thread: "Black Heart is an homage to Sacred Heart Hospital. If there is a Black Heart in the Rogue Isles, he or she has yet to make a move."}}


'''Mesmorizer:Ruladak, Faathim, and Lunaruu were all very interesting and distinct personalities in the Shadow Shard.  Did you ever plan to include Chularn the Slave Lord, Kuularth the Scavenger, Aloore'''
'''Mesmorizer: Ruladak, Faathim, and Lunaruu were all very interesting and distinct personalities in the Shadow Shard.  Did you ever plan to include Chularn the Slave Lord, Kuularth the Scavenger, Aloore'''


Positron:If the need arose to use more aspects, sure. But I don’t think we wanted to visit that well too often.
Positron: If the need arose to use more aspects, sure. But I don’t think we wanted to visit that well too often.


'''Zemo:Why was nessie such a weakling'''
'''Zemo: Why was nessie such a weakling'''


Positron:That’s what she wanted you to believe.
Positron: That’s what she wanted you to believe.


'''Joosy aka Control Queen:What was the real secret (if any) behind Ouroboros? Where they recruiting us to save the future or actually destroy it?'''
'''Joosy aka Control Queen: What was the real secret (if any) behind Ouroboros? Where they recruiting us to save the future or actually destroy it?'''


Dr. Aeon:From my memory: Ouroboros's goal was to use the power of Rularuu to destroy Battalion. Mender Silos aka Nemesis witnessed Battallio's wiping the floor with Earth's heroes and villains, even after the whole world united to take them on. After centuries on the run and planning everything out, Nemesis realized the only way to defeat Battalion would be to unleash Rularuu upon the core structure of the group. So, Ouroboros wanted to save the timeline by using Rularuu as a nuclear option, while Dream Doctor and his team wanted to find a different solution. Internally, when we were planning it out, the idea was that when the time actually arrived, we'd show the core Battalion leadership to be someting like Incarnate Level 100, but that you could defeat them with the help of Rularuu.... which a whole other story!  
Dr. Aeon: From my memory: Ouroboros's goal was to use the power of Rularuu to destroy Battalion. Mender Silos aka Nemesis witnessed Battallio's wiping the floor with Earth's heroes and villains, even after the whole world united to take them on. After centuries on the run and planning everything out, Nemesis realized the only way to defeat Battalion would be to unleash Rularuu upon the core structure of the group. So, Ouroboros wanted to save the timeline by using Rularuu as a nuclear option, while Dream Doctor and his team wanted to find a different solution. Internally, when we were planning it out, the idea was that when the time actually arrived, we'd show the core Battalion leadership to be someting like Incarnate Level 100, but that you could defeat them with the help of Rularuu.... which a whole other story!  


'''"Fescu: As far as I know there were never any actual retcons when Going Rogue went live, and the old lore states that Praetorian Earth did have a Rikti Invasion. A few of the new missions even have war walls in them. So how come the populace doesn't appear to know about the Rikti?"'''
'''Fescu: As far as I know there were never any actual retcons when Going Rogue went live, and the old lore states that Praetorian Earth did have a Rikti Invasion. A few of the new missions even have war walls in them. So how come the populace doesn't appear to know about the Rikti?'''


Positron: We retconned out the Rikti invasion of Praetoria and replaced it with the Hamidon-threat. Sorry to burst your bubble.
Positron: We retconned out the Rikti invasion of Praetoria and replaced it with the Hamidon-threat. Sorry to burst your bubble.


'''SaffyMcA:Was there a lore-specific reason why some NPC groups had access to power combinations that players couldn't, such as the Tsoo with their storm summoning martial artists?'''
'''SaffyMcA: Was there a lore-specific reason why some NPC groups had access to power combinations that players couldn't, such as the Tsoo with their storm summoning martial artists?'''


Positron:Devs cheat.
Positron: Devs cheat.


'''@Artificial Intel:What exactly happened to Arachnos, Lord Recluse, and the four generals during the events of Going Rogue? It seemed like outside of a brief excursion into Praetoria and the Well, they completely took the backseat compared to the Freedom Phalanx and Longbow.'''
'''@Artificial Intel: What exactly happened to Arachnos, Lord Recluse, and the four generals during the events of Going Rogue? It seemed like outside of a brief excursion into Praetoria and the Well, they completely took the backseat compared to the Freedom Phalanx and Longbow.'''


Dr. Aeon:If I remember, Arachnos was actually trying to support the Resistance in Praetoria to destabilize Cole's regime. Lord Recluse wanted Tyrant out of the picture, knowing that Tyrant killed Recluse in Praetoria's timeline.
Dr. Aeon: If I remember, Arachnos was actually trying to support the Resistance in Praetoria to destabilize Cole's regime. Lord Recluse wanted Tyrant out of the picture, knowing that Tyrant killed Recluse in Praetoria's timeline.


'''NerfedAgain:Where did all the witches, werewolves, ghosts, zombies and other Halloween-specific monsters go after Halloween ended?  And was there anymore story behind the Deadly Apocalypse Halloween event beyond different groups showing up and summoning a giant monster that had to be stopped?  I always wanted to know what they were up to during the rest of the year.'''
'''NerfedAgain: Where did all the witches, werewolves, ghosts, zombies and other Halloween-specific monsters go after Halloween ended?  And was there anymore story behind the Deadly Apocalypse Halloween event beyond different groups showing up and summoning a giant monster that had to be stopped?  I always wanted to know what they were up to during the rest of the year.'''


Dr. Aeon:You thought they were monsters? My God.
Dr. Aeon: You thought they were monsters? My God.


'''E.Normus:What was the long-term story and details about the rest of the Incarnate Powers and the end of that storyline?'''
'''E.Normus: What was the long-term story and details about the rest of the Incarnate Powers and the end of that storyline?'''


Dr. Aeon:i25 (I think?) was going to have Battalion's first invasion of Earth in Kallisti Wharf. We would have established 2 competing "time travel" groups; Dream Doctor's team and Ouroboros. Dream Doctor still would have been the, "we can defeat Battalion if we figure out something", while Mender Silos was in the camp of, "the only way to destroy Battalion is to unleash Rularuu upon them and then somehow destroy Rularuu." We had revealed that Rularuu being sealed in the Shadow Shard was not part of Dream Doctor's plan. The Dagger of Jocas was supposed to kill Rularuu, but someone had gone back in time to tamper with the ritual and instead created a container for Rularuu to be used in the future. There was going to be a lot of fighting with Battalion and eventually culminate in the two sides coming together to release Rularuu when it became obvious that there was no way to defeat Battalion. The players would've faced the leadership of Battalion, who were out of anyone's league, essentially fighting the end boss of a game, but you're only on hour 2. The goal of the fight would've been to release Rularuu. Dream Doctor would have sacrificed his life to bring Rularuu back into the world to destroy Battalion, but not blink all of the universe out of existence. That was going to be the end of the current Incarnate storyline, but we already had plans for what was after that. The leadership of Battalion were essentially Incarnate level 100; players would've been barely incarnate level 56. There would be a LOT of bad guys between 56 and 100 that now no longer had to fear Battalion's influence to deal with. Also, I think we had some vague ideas to do more with the Shadow Shard, assuming that Rularuu was now even further shattered than before. ... I think.
Dr. Aeon: i25 (I think?) was going to have Battalion's first invasion of Earth in Kallisti Wharf. We would have established 2 competing "time travel" groups; Dream Doctor's team and Ouroboros. Dream Doctor still would have been the, "we can defeat Battalion if we figure out something", while Mender Silos was in the camp of, "the only way to destroy Battalion is to unleash Rularuu upon them and then somehow destroy Rularuu." We had revealed that Rularuu being sealed in the Shadow Shard was not part of Dream Doctor's plan. The Dagger of Jocas was supposed to kill Rularuu, but someone had gone back in time to tamper with the ritual and instead created a container for Rularuu to be used in the future. There was going to be a lot of fighting with Battalion and eventually culminate in the two sides coming together to release Rularuu when it became obvious that there was no way to defeat Battalion. The players would've faced the leadership of Battalion, who were out of anyone's league, essentially fighting the end boss of a game, but you're only on hour 2. The goal of the fight would've been to release Rularuu. Dream Doctor would have sacrificed his life to bring Rularuu back into the world to destroy Battalion, but not blink all of the universe out of existence. That was going to be the end of the current Incarnate storyline, but we already had plans for what was after that. The leadership of Battalion were essentially Incarnate level 100; players would've been barely incarnate level 56. There would be a LOT of bad guys between 56 and 100 that now no longer had to fear Battalion's influence to deal with. Also, I think we had some vague ideas to do more with the Shadow Shard, assuming that Rularuu was now even further shattered than before. ... I think.


'''MechaCrash:One of the generic villains from bank robbery missions, Pyra, looked like she had cat ears. Was she a catgirl or what?'''
'''MechaCrash: One of the generic villains from bank robbery missions, Pyra, looked like she had cat ears. Was she a catgirl or what?'''


Positron:Yes.
Positron: Yes.


'''Michiel:One of my favorite villain groups was the Vahzilok, and I was always hoping that there would eventually be higher level content for the good doctor. It just seemed like a natural progression for a man bent on immortality to show back up and be more powerful than when we lasts him. Were there any plans to have new Vahzilok content, or to create another higher level, horror themed villain group?'''
'''Michiel: One of my favorite villain groups was the Vahzilok, and I was always hoping that there would eventually be higher level content for the good doctor. It just seemed like a natural progression for a man bent on immortality to show back up and be more powerful than when we lasts him. Were there any plans to have new Vahzilok content, or to create another higher level, horror themed villain group?'''


Dr. Aeon:No plans that I'm aware of, but it would've been cool to bring Dr. Vahzilok in as a support character.
Dr. Aeon: No plans that I'm aware of, but it would've been cool to bring Dr. Vahzilok in as a support character.


'''Gaymer:Where there any future plans for Lusca (story arch development to further flesh her out)?'''
'''Gaymer: Where there any future plans for Lusca (story arch development to further flesh her out)?'''


Positron:Not that I can recall.
Positron: Not that I can recall.


'''Elindor:What was the source of Kheldian abilities? With Shapeshifting, Energy Projection, Flight, Healing and that Team Buff going on, the best I can come up with is a combination of being able to freely convert matter and energy and the Force.'''
'''Elindor: What was the source of Kheldian abilities? With Shapeshifting, Energy Projection, Flight, Healing and that Team Buff going on, the best I can come up with is a combination of being able to freely convert matter and energy and the Force.'''


Positron: [[File:Aliens LoreAMA2015.png|150px]]
Positron: [[File:Aliens LoreAMA2015.png|150px]]


'''Capt. Obvious:Do you think you would have added additional "media" contacts like Radio, and Television.'''
'''Capt. Obvious: Do you think you would have added additional "media" contacts like Radio, and Television.'''


Protean:We had HD in Praetoria and had talked at length about Internet
Protean: We had HD in Praetoria and had talked at length about Internet


'''Mentalshock:What would the next step have been if Nemesis had succeeded in uploading himself into the Rikti Hive Mind?  I find it hard to believe that that was a final goal - obviously the greatest mastermind in the world would have had plans to use such an asset.'''
'''Mentalshock: What would the next step have been if Nemesis had succeeded in uploading himself into the Rikti Hive Mind?  I find it hard to believe that that was a final goal - obviously the greatest mastermind in the world would have had plans to use such an asset.'''


Dr. Aeon:Go.Hunt.Kill.Heroes
Dr. Aeon: Go.Hunt.Kill.Heroes


'''Mr. Titan:Was "Hero 1" originally a placeholder name for the cape mission that just stuck?'''
'''Mr. Titan: Was "Hero 1" originally a placeholder name for the cape mission that just stuck?'''


Positron: Hero 1 was in the backstory for years before we decided to put a cape mission in. His concept art was the most “capey” so we drummed up the idea that you had to honor his memory in order to get a cape.
Positron: Hero 1 was in the backstory for years before we decided to put a cape mission in. His concept art was the most “capey” so we drummed up the idea that you had to honor his memory in order to get a cape.


'''Pogoman:Were there any easter eggs you guys put into the game for the players to find and the players never did? If so what were they?'''
{{EdNote|note=[[File:Hero1WP1600B.jpg|center|200px]]}}
 
'''Pogoman: Were there any easter eggs you guys put into the game for the players to find and the players never did? If so what were they?'''


Positron:We get this question every year, and every year it’s harder and harder to remember what you guys did and did not find. Probably at this point just in-jokes and names based on people we know.
Positron: We get this question every year, and every year it’s harder and harder to remember what you guys did and did not find. Probably at this point just in-jokes and names based on people we know.


'''"HarvesterOfEyes:Whatever happened to Tabitha Fabish?
'''HarvesterOfEyes: Whatever happened to Tabitha Fabish?


She was the original owner of the magic-origin shops in Talos and IP. One day her signage was replaced with that of a Mexican restaurant, and when those were removed the shops were taken over by Pandora's Box.
She was the original owner of the magic-origin shops in Talos and IP. One day her signage was replaced with that of a Mexican restaurant, and when those were removed the shops were taken over by Pandora's Box.


As Frida Lyngstad would say, ""there's something going on."""'''
As Frida Lyngstad would say, "there's something going on."'''


Positron:She slipped dimensions trying a new spell. Lost forever.
Positron: She slipped dimensions trying a new spell. Lost forever.


'''Rise of Heroes:Hey, i'm kinda wanna know when does the City of Heroes return, i actually getting each tears when i see it's gone, Please return :_: When??'''
'''Rise of Heroes: Hey, i'm kinda wanna know when does the City of Heroes return, i actually getting each tears when i see it's gone, Please return :_: When??'''


Positron:Not something I can answer, sadly.
Positron: Not something I can answer, sadly.


'''"Venture:Excalibur as seen on Ms Liberty's belt does not match Excalibur as seen wielded by Hero 1. <nowiki>(http://paragonwiki.com/w/images//archive/5/5e/20120825164449%21Ms._Liberty.jpg) (http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/File:Hero1Glory.jpg)</nowiki>
'''Venture: Excalibur as seen on Ms Liberty's belt does not match Excalibur as seen wielded by Hero 1. <nowiki>(http://paragonwiki.com/w/images//archive/5/5e/20120825164449%21Ms._Liberty.jpg) (http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/File:Hero1Glory.jpg)</nowiki>


Is there a lore reason for this or is it more a design issue due to the size of Ms Lib's character in game?"'''
Is there a lore reason for this or is it more a design issue due to the size of Ms Lib's character in game?'''


Positron:Artistic license. That and Excalibur can morph itself into whatever shape it (i.e. the artist drawing it) desires.
Positron: Artistic license. That and Excalibur can morph itself into whatever shape it (i.e. the artist drawing it) desires.


'''Arkasas:What was the story rationale going to be behind opening Kallisti Wharf?'''
'''Arkasas: What was the story rationale going to be behind opening Kallisti Wharf?'''


Dr. Aeon:Kallisti Wharf was one of the "in between" neighborhoods that was decimated in the Rikti War. The opening was to commemorate the rebuilding of the wharf and also Paragon City's continued recovery. It was going to be marked by the opening of Statesman One Plaza in honor of Statesman, which would be a huge tower dedicated to the pursuit of technology and science. It was going to be previously named after a brilliant scientist, Emil Christie, but he offered instead to name it after Statesman after the events in Who Will Die. Emil Christie was a pupil of Steven Sheridan, and the two worked hard to build the infrastructure of the tower.
Dr. Aeon: Kallisti Wharf was one of the "in between" neighborhoods that was decimated in the Rikti War. The opening was to commemorate the rebuilding of the wharf and also Paragon City's continued recovery. It was going to be marked by the opening of Statesman One Plaza in honor of Statesman, which would be a huge tower dedicated to the pursuit of technology and science. It was going to be previously named after a brilliant scientist, Emil Christie, but he offered instead to name it after Statesman after the events in Who Will Die. Emil Christie was a pupil of Steven Sheridan, and the two worked hard to build the infrastructure of the tower.


The storyline of Kallisti Wharf was going to be seen on two sides - heroes and villains. Heroes would be working to help secure Kallisti Wharf in the final days before its release, while villains were working towards establishing their own villain base in the heart of Kallisti Wharf with the aim of taking over Statesman One Plaza. The villain storyline was going to be the culmination of several story previous story arcs, where the villain had gathered their own villainous inner circle of previous contacts - evil Penelope Yin, Transmutor, Agent G (if he was still alive), Leonard, Dean MacArthur, to name a few.
The storyline of Kallisti Wharf was going to be seen on two sides - heroes and villains. Heroes would be working to help secure Kallisti Wharf in the final days before its release, while villains were working towards establishing their own villain base in the heart of Kallisti Wharf with the aim of taking over Statesman One Plaza. The villain storyline was going to be the culmination of several story previous story arcs, where the villain had gathered their own villainous inner circle of previous contacts - evil Penelope Yin, Transmutor, Agent G (if he was still alive), Leonard, Dean MacArthur, to name a few.
Line 2,131: Line 2,135:
So yeah, the Kallisti Wharf arc was going to be pretty small.
So yeah, the Kallisti Wharf arc was going to be pretty small.


'''Sam T (@Psyte):If you fast-forwarded the game's story by 10 years, which of the low-level enemy factions would have "graduated" to the big leagues (level 40-50 and/or Incarnate content)? The Tsoo? Legacy Chain? Wyvern?'''
'''Sam T (@Psyte): If you fast-forwarded the game's story by 10 years, which of the low-level enemy factions would have "graduated" to the big leagues (level 40-50 and/or Incarnate content)? The Tsoo? Legacy Chain? Wyvern?'''


Dr. Aeon:Tsoo - Incarnate-level ink, we hinted at that in Dark Astoria.
Dr. Aeon: Tsoo - Incarnate-level ink, we hinted at that in Dark Astoria.


'''Demon Cat:How were Portal Corp dimensions designated? For example you had: Upsilon Beta 9-6 (Praetoria) and Omicron Zeta 12-20 (Freakshow world). Was there a method to the madness or was it simply random?'''
'''Demon Cat: How were Portal Corp dimensions designated? For example you had: Upsilon Beta 9-6 (Praetoria) and Omicron Zeta 12-20 (Freakshow world). Was there a method to the madness or was it simply random?'''


Positron: Whatever the writer needed at the time, so... random.
Positron: Whatever the writer needed at the time, so... random.


'''MattBold:I NEED more information and Lore about the Kheldians. Please tell me everything.'''
'''MattBold: I NEED more information and Lore about the Kheldians. Please tell me everything.'''


Positron: [[File:Aliens LoreAMA2015.png|150px]]
Positron: [[File:Aliens LoreAMA2015.png|150px]]


'''Exclius:What lore did you have regarding the Star Sentinels. Were they just a Green Lantern analogue or where they something more specific? I heard about them in some of the Battalion lore and they instantly caught my attention.'''
'''Exclius: What lore did you have regarding the Star Sentinels. Were they just a Green Lantern analogue or where they something more specific? I heard about them in some of the Battalion lore and they instantly caught my attention.'''


Positron: They were Green Lantern/Alien Legion analogues that didn’t get fleshed out greater than that.
Positron: They were Green Lantern/Alien Legion analogues that didn’t get fleshed out greater than that.


'''Tataku:So one thing missing from the comic book experience of CoH was the uber-powerful alien warlord, ala Darksied or Thanos.  Were there any plans to implement such an AV?  Perhaps the head of Battalion?'''
'''Tataku: So one thing missing from the comic book experience of CoH was the uber-powerful alien warlord, ala Darksied or Thanos.  Were there any plans to implement such an AV?  Perhaps the head of Battalion?'''


Protean:Battalion was run by a war council of galactic warlords, each one being immensely powerful and leading vast armies of subjugated alien races. -
Protean: Battalion was run by a war council of galactic warlords, each one being immensely powerful and leading vast armies of subjugated alien races. -


'''General X:What would COH2 entail? Lore-wise, how power sets and archetypes would work, whether it was a new engine, or anything you can openly share about it?'''
'''General X: What would COH2 entail? Lore-wise, how power sets and archetypes would work, whether it was a new engine, or anything you can openly share about it?'''


Positron:Well, you see... waitaminute, this isn’t a CoH question, this is a question about CoH2! Nice try!
Positron: Well, you see... waitaminute, this isn’t a CoH question, this is a question about CoH2! Nice try!


'''Nightsjester:Was there ever any plans or ideas to redeem Lord Recluse?'''
'''Nightsjester: Was there ever any plans or ideas to redeem Lord Recluse?'''


Dr. Aeon:I don't think we planned to ever fully redeem him, but there were plans to make him a more relatable super-villain. We had him try to go after Tyrant in Praetoria with the full might of Arachnos in order to stop Tyrant's further attacksn Primal Earth. Lord Recluse would have been researching how to empower Arachnos to Incarnate-levels in order to fight of Battalion.
Dr. Aeon: I don't think we planned to ever fully redeem him, but there were plans to make him a more relatable super-villain. We had him try to go after Tyrant in Praetoria with the full might of Arachnos in order to stop Tyrant's further attacksn Primal Earth. Lord Recluse would have been researching how to empower Arachnos to Incarnate-levels in order to fight of Battalion.


We wanted to make it a big deal that Lord Recluse was one of the few super villains in charge of both an army and an entire nation, the Rogue Isles. That makes him a villain with something to defend and something to lose, and he would behave in that way. Since we were dealing with lots of inter-galactic threats, Recluse would, of course, be mobilizing his army to deal with it and making deals not to get in anyone's way, because why would Arachnos be fighting Longbow when Battalion is attacking?
We wanted to make it a big deal that Lord Recluse was one of the few super villains in charge of both an army and an entire nation, the Rogue Isles. That makes him a villain with something to defend and something to lose, and he would behave in that way. Since we were dealing with lots of inter-galactic threats, Recluse would, of course, be mobilizing his army to deal with it and making deals not to get in anyone's way, because why would Arachnos be fighting Longbow when Battalion is attacking?
Line 2,163: Line 2,167:
However, we also wanted to make it abundantly clear that Recluse is still the bad guy. Even if Arachnos was working together with other groups, they would still be stealing information on them, making plans to deal with them when the bigger threat was over, and other nefarious things.
However, we also wanted to make it abundantly clear that Recluse is still the bad guy. Even if Arachnos was working together with other groups, they would still be stealing information on them, making plans to deal with them when the bigger threat was over, and other nefarious things.


'''Firemoth:Why did Statesman never take his wife to the Well of the Furies?  Did he not know he was immortal at the time?'''
'''Firemoth: Why did Statesman never take his wife to the Well of the Furies?  Did he not know he was immortal at the time?'''


Positron:Recluse destroyed the Well, there were no more waters running to take her to.
Positron: Recluse destroyed the Well, there were no more waters running to take her to.


'''"Phoxx:Are you happy with the direction the new Super Hero MMO's are going considering a lot of them seem to borrow ideas from COH/COV
'''Phoxx: Are you happy with the direction the new Super Hero MMO's are going considering a lot of them seem to borrow ideas from COH/COV i.e. Champions Online, DC Universe Online, etc'''
i.e. Champions Online, DC Universe Online, etc"'''


Positron:Honestly, I haven’t really been paying attention to the other Superhero MMOs. Obviously if they are borrowing ideas they A) want old CoH players and B) We were probably doing something right.
Positron: Honestly, I haven’t really been paying attention to the other Superhero MMOs. Obviously if they are borrowing ideas they A) want old CoH players and B) We were probably doing something right.


  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


'''Oak:How exactly did the Praetorian war get started? What catalyzed Cole's interest in Primal Earth to the point of full-on invasion and war?'''
'''Oak: How exactly did the Praetorian war get started? What catalyzed Cole's interest in Primal Earth to the point of full-on invasion and war?'''


Protean:Cole's primary interest in Primal Earth was as an escape plan from Hamidon. -
Protean: Cole's primary interest in Primal Earth was as an escape plan from Hamidon. -


'''"Overclock:With all the time travel that happened after Issue 11 and the release of Ouroboros, were there ever thoughts about retconning out some bit of established game lore? Bonus points if there were and the reason was that what had been established in-game and was a pain for the new content writers to deal with (aka the reason most retcons seem to happen in comics)."'''
'''Overclock: With all the time travel that happened after Issue 11 and the release of Ouroboros, were there ever thoughts about retconning out some bit of established game lore? Bonus points if there were and the reason was that what had been established in-game and was a pain for the new content writers to deal with (aka the reason most retcons seem to happen in comics).'''


Positron:We retconned stuff out all the time. Players hated it whenever we did it though.}}
Positron: We retconned stuff out all the time. Players hated it whenever we did it though.}}


==See Also==
==See Also==

Revision as of 16:14, 18 May 2015

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.

Editor's Note:

This page contains the text of the documents as they appeared at release. 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:

Positron (Developer) (From the initial post from the forum thread announcing the AMA)

City of Heroes AMA (part 1?)

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 (September 18th, 2012) 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:

Editor's Note:

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 answered in a future 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 devs that answered are:


The third Lore AMA at its time of last revision (April 28th, 2014) is as follows:

City of Heroes AMA 4 (2015)

On April 24th, 2015, Positron released a tweet with a link to a Google Docs form for submitting questions. The form was open until April 28th, and players were limited to one "lore related (not business, development, or systems / powers)" question. Upon submitting a question, the form noted that answers would be "made available sometime the week of May 3rd."

On May 17th, 2015 Positron released a Google Doc with the 2015 AMA answers. The devs that answered are:

The fourth Lore AMA at its time of release (May 17th, 2015) is as follows:

See Also