Storyline Wish List/Loose Ends

[A Cat]

6 minutes ago, Eva Destruction said:

Paretorian Percy Winkley kills the entire Midnight club in a fit of incel rage?  Well he helped us that one time, so all is forgiven!

 

Is he forgiven? I thought he's a ghost/zombie inhabiting his armor and bound magically by the Prae Midnighters.

 

6 minutes ago, Eva Destruction said:

So with that precedent, I'd fully expect any Scirocco redemption sotryline they came up with to be wrapped up in four missions, with a "thank you for your service, all is forgiven, welcome to the Freedom Phalanx" at the end.  We'd all know he's not going to forgive himself for all the bad stuff he did, and having him help the heroes makes practical sense, but I wouldn't have expected the writing to reflect that.

 

IIRC, as per the AMA, their plan for Scirocco was that he and Ice Mistral try and go hero, but get tons of shit for their former villainy. The constant abuse eventually wears Ice Mistral down and she goes back to the red side. I think it would have been cool. 

 

10 minutes ago, Eva Destruction said:

Yes, let's hand a former fascist dictator a cult of personality on a silver platter, that'll end well.

Lol, I haven't really thought of it that way before. TBF, after the Magisterium ITrial, he's just a non-incarnate scrub so at least he'd be easy to beat the second time around at -4 or whatever he was. 

[Sakura Tenshi]

Here’s a plot thread had been left hanging well before the game’s closure, interestingly:

Just as you think you're not going to get anything out of him, Requiem begins to talk...

I have come across time itself to this land. Our temporal strongholds are growing even now as you stand here gloating. You think you have won, but that is only because you are ignorant to my plans.

I came here to establish another stronghold in Cimerora. This cradle of power is to be my training ground for recruits. The Cimerorans are the best fighters time has ever seen. They shall be mine.

Nothing you can do now or later will ever stop me.

https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Imperious_Task_Force#Stop_Romulus

while I get some of them had to survive for the 5th Column to return, the fact that there’s not just a 5th column

stronghold in Cimerora, but across the world and history seems a PRETTY DAMN IMPORTANT THING THAT WAS NEVER ADDRESSED.

[Sakura Tenshi]

(Recycling a double post! Remember to save the earth, kids!)

 

on the note of scirocco’s redemption arc and objections against it, one idea I had myself before it was revealed he would redeem himself was to take a page out of the Black Lagoon anime/manga. That idea being Scirocco realizes he will NEVER be free from his curse and is stuck a villain, so he reasons he’ll just be the best villain possible and basically anger the rest of the world enough that the Rogue Isles is suddenly the target of every WMD stock of every other country in the world. This would put Recluse of all people in a hot seat because suddenly telling the POTUS that half of his secret service detail actually work for him and will murder bim, his family, his friends, and dog if he stares too hard at the Isles stops working because Scirocco went and angered the entire US government in a way that can’t be ignored or forgiven.

Edited December 15, 2021 by Sakura Tenshi

[Eva Destruction]

1 hour ago, Sakura Tenshi said:

Here’s a plot thread had been left hanging well before the game’s closure, interestingly:

 

 

https://hcwiki.cityofheroes.dev/wiki/Imperious_Task_Force#Stop_Romulus

while I get some of them had to survive for the 5th Column to return, the fact that there’s not just a 5th column

stronghold in Cimerora, but across the world and history seems a PRETTY DAMN IMPORTANT THING THAT WAS NEVER ADDRESSED.

There isn't a 5th Column stronghold in Cimerora though.  We wipe it out on the ITF.  There might be some stragglers but Imperious does have his own dudes around to keep them in check, after Rommy and his buddy from the future are gone.  None of them had to survive, the 5th Column formed during WWII, then some of them went back in time but the ITF is the end of that plot.  It's not a time loop.

 

I would like to see them try to establish a connection between Cimerora and the Path of the Dark though.  I think it was in the AMA where one of the devs said they'd totally forgotten about the Path of the Dark when they wrote the ITF, because of course they did, your job is to write lore for a game where  a lot of people nerd out about the lore and you can't even remember your own lore?  But I digress.  Dirge of Entropy does the nasty in the past-y and becomes his (its?) own grandfather, it practically writes itself. 

[Sakura Tenshi]

Uh, @Eva Destruction, you might want to reread my post. I’m not talking about the Cimeroran Stronghold, Requiem himself speaks of many that have been set up throughout time. Cimerora wasn’t even the first one according to him, it had just been another that proved especially interesting because of how tough Cimerorans were.

[Techwright]

Has it ever been revealed whom is the wealthy benefactor bankrolling the Sky Raiders, and using high-powered lawyers to keep them out of jail?  The obvious guess would be Nemesis, but if its not been revealed in-game, that might make an interesting investigation, especially if it proves to NOT be Nemesis.

Edited December 15, 2021 by Techwright

[ArchVileTerror]

As I recall:  Yes, @Techwright.  I believe it's a shell company that can be traced to one of Nemesis' holdings.  Something along the lines of recruiting choice officers from the Sky Raiders for his own army.

[Techwright]

6 minutes ago, ArchVileTerror said:

As I recall:  Yes, @Techwright.  I believe it's a shell company that can be traced to one of Nemesis' holdings.  Something along the lines of recruiting choice officers from the Sky Raiders for his own army.

That makes sense.  (Though I'm sad it was so easy to guess!)

 

It also explains why the Sky Raiders are stuck with Captain Castillo!

 

Edited December 16, 2021 by Techwright

[Redletter]

I want a confrontation with ACTUAL Nemesis, like, the real guy? But I want that to happen WITH the context of Silos and all that Oro stuff. Where Silos is like "Uhhh. Hey. I know we uhh, I know you know, and I need to ask you to uhh... You need to save YOUR timeline's version of me. If you dont, then I die, and if I die then I dont survive to make Oroboros which means Oroboros doesnt exist, and Oroboros doesnt exist than there's no early catalyst for your incarnate training and if that doesnt happen, we're ALL dead... I'll go with you, because there's no way old me is going to be happy to see you."

 

Then, TRUE Nemesis is added as a character in the game world and he sells "Nemesis Secrets" for some absurd trades that frankly make zero sense to the point where they'd seem like randomly generated offers - these secrets are either easter egg insights into the actual metadata of the game (such as how to access secret rooms in the gameworld, or how to clip out of Pocket D) or revelations about what IS or IS NOT a Nemesis plot (that may or may not be true).

[cranebump]

23 minutes ago, Redletter said:

I want a confrontation with ACTUAL Nemesis, like, the real guy? But I want that to happen WITH the context of Silos and all that Oro stuff. Where Silos is like "Uhhh. Hey. I know we uhh, I know you know, and I need to ask you to uhh... You need to save YOUR timeline's version of me. If you dont, then I die, and if I die then I dont survive to make Oroboros which means Oroboros doesnt exist, and Oroboros doesnt exist than there's no early catalyst for your incarnate training and if that doesnt happen, we're ALL dead... I'll go with you, because there's no way old me is going to be happy to see you."

 

Then, TRUE Nemesis is added as a character in the game world and he sells "Nemesis Secrets" for some absurd trades that frankly make zero sense to the point where they'd seem like randomly generated offers - these secrets are either easter egg insights into the actual metadata of the game (such as how to access secret rooms in the gameworld, or how to clip out of Pocket D) or revelations about what IS or IS NOT a Nemesis plot (that may or may not be true).

Nemesis goes Raymond Reddington?:-)

[Take One]

I have a lot of ideas of content that I'd like to see expanded upon but my longest lasting pet peeve must be the lack of Statesman, Sister Psyche and Freedom Phalanx content in the early game. I made a thread about my opinions and what I want to do about it:

 

 

[Daniel_R]

My comment on this:

Quote

Have a new Stateman contact for levels 1-20, as you said. The contact could sit roughly where the Galaxy City NPC is currently on Atlas Plaza. 

 

The character gives out a repeatable mini-TF, or Storyarc, designed for low level characters, perhaps based in Galaxy City or Praetoria (acceptance of the mission transports you directly there). For extra bonus points, have Statesman as an ally in the content - build up a connection to the character. Maybe have some other Phalanx characters appear.

 

Once you level past 20, the Statesman contact is replaced by a Shrine/plaque/Statue of some sort, surrounded by mourning civilians. It should also be available to revisit in Ouroboros to claim any associated badges.

 

[cranebump]

1 hour ago, Take One said:

I have a lot of ideas of content that I'd like to see expanded upon but my longest lasting pet peeve must be the lack of Statesman, Sister Psyche and Freedom Phalanx content in the early game. I made a thread about my opinions and what I want to do about it:

 

 

It’d be nice to see Statesman there in some capacity. Harks back to game’s origins.

 

And now that I think about it, there really should be more BaB stuff early, too, especially as the lowbie baddies feature gangs and drugs.  Instead, he gets shut out of the Lords of Death arc because Deadlock kicks his face in (the idea being, I guess, that BaB would just shut down the Petrovic Bros himself if he were hale and hardy). 

 

[Britannic]

4 hours ago, cranebump said:

It’d be nice to see Statesman there in some capacity. Harks back to game’s origins.

 

And now that I think about it, there really should be more BaB stuff early, too, especially as the lowbie baddies feature gangs and drugs.  Instead, he gets shut out of the Lords of Death arc because Deadlock kicks his face in (the idea being, I guess, that BaB would just shut down the Petrovic Bros himself if he were hale and hardy). 

 

 

Yeah, wouldn't mind seeing some of the early story arc missions have heroes accompany you like the Praetorian ones do with various NPCs. BaB actually getting involved with the Lords of Death, and maybe Statesman with the Mathew Habashy arc too, since it involves Arachnos infiltrating Atlas Park. At least one arc in each zone there's a hero trainer should involve that signature character directly.

[Eva Destruction]

On 12/15/2021 at 6:42 PM, Techwright said:

Has it ever been revealed whom is the wealthy benefactor bankrolling the Sky Raiders, and using high-powered lawyers to keep them out of jail?  The obvious guess would be Nemesis, but if its not been revealed in-game, that might make an interesting investigation, especially if it proves to NOT be Nemesis.

It's revealed in the Mysterious General Z arc.  Level 25-30 blueside.

[Eva Destruction]

On 12/15/2021 at 6:33 PM, Sakura Tenshi said:

Uh, @Eva Destruction, you might want to reread my post. I’m not talking about the Cimeroran Stronghold, Requiem himself speaks of many that have been set up throughout time. Cimerora wasn’t even the first one according to him, it had just been another that proved especially interesting because of how tough Cimerorans were.

Well yeah, he SAYS he has a bunch of strongholds set up throughout time.  That doesn't mean he actually has them.   It's a potential storyline seed but it's just as likely he's making stuff up to make him sound more badass than he is rather than admit he just got his ass kicked.

[Redletter]

20 hours ago, Take One said:

I have a lot of ideas of content that I'd like to see expanded upon but my longest lasting pet peeve must be the lack of Statesman, Sister Psyche and Freedom Phalanx content in the early game. I made a thread about my opinions and what I want to do about it:

 

 

As somebody who like, NEVER really played the game on live and has only JUST started getting into the game? Statesmen is on the front page everytime I log in and imagien my surprise to discover he's ACTUALLY dead. Like, not even pretend dead like how Hero 1 is portrayed to be up until you get to the vanguard stuff and, somewhat out of nowhere, you find out he's alive, just riktified.

 

And like... I dont even care. Because Ive never met the character, Ive barely met any of his friends, and honestly? From where I'M standing the Phalanx are a bunch of lazy assholes who dont do anything unless Lord Arachnos HIMSELF is involved, with the SOLE exception of Manticore, who shows up a few times to be a condescending prick.

It doesnt help that the Phalanx TFs are all terrible to play through. What ought to be a deep dive into the goals and focus of the members of the Phalanx (in the same way the Patron Power Arcs are for villains) as you help them on a task that's deeply important to them is ACTUALLY just like, a bunch of terrible busywork that takes forever to do - maybe with the exception of Libby? But Libby is ALSO sending you to punch Lord Arachnos in the jaw, so, that makes sense she doesnt waste your time with "please punch 20 skulls. Then 20 Crey. Then 30 council. Then 40 Nemesis. Then 50 Arachnos. Now also kill all the Devouring Earth in this dungeon. Ok, now youre a fifth of the way through the TF..." 

I digress though, my point is I'd really like just some early to mid game content with the in-universe equivalent of the justice league. Because otherwise? I dont know these guys, and I dont really care when people are like "damn States is dead, and the phalanx is in a bad state" when IM sitting here like "Sister Psyche died too though and she BODY JACKS people with her mind powers on occaison till that problem solves itself and we're all ok with that? And Manticore is a dickhead who won't help at all, ever, but nah dont worry about it? Ok..."

 

I mean, it's one thing to intentionally show all your heroes are ALSO sometimes contemplable, it's another thing for them to never be personable or active in the world theyre supposed to be protecting.

[tidge]

One element of Red Side play that I find personally rewarding is that Villains (and Rogues) get to go through non-SF arcs where you face and take down members of the Freedom Phalanx. This is particularly satisfying if you play the first SSA1 arc, don't exit the first mission as they show up at +20 levels to you to wipe you off the map.

 

As I was collecting a few KOs for some defeat badges in Peregrine Island, I remembered a long-ago few questions I had about the random spawns that appear there:

 

Nemesis troops along the southern docks. They are clearly control of those areas, yet there is nothing (to my knowledge) like an arc or even Tip mission that explains their presence there. It always strikes me as a cross between "Mary Sue" and "Recycled Enemy" when Nemesis appears in the Shadow Shard, and the role in the Rikti war is revealed, so just having these chumps stand around on the docks strikes me as weird. If we are brainstorming reasons why they are hanging around: How about they are shipping things through the Vanguard portal on the sly? This might explain why they have their Sharpshooters stationed around Founders Falls.

 

The Possessed Scientists near Portal Court. There are some late-game missions on the red side that do a better job rationalizing the inclusion of these mobs, but on the blue side I have not encountered any reason why they exist. Minimally, I would have expected a Tip mission to detail it. Are these guys just dumped out the back door of Portal Court from other worlds/Shadow Shard? IIRC Unai Kemen doesn't offer anything like an explanation for them, which would have seemed like a natural fit.

 

The Cutlass Isles. (and to some extent, Monster Island and the Abyss... although the badges in those zones at least hint at a story). We get teased (small) Kaiju. We get teased Crey involvement (but nothing like what they are doing in the Nerva Archipelago). We witness Rikti Monkeys everywhere. The Janet Kellum mission I guess is as close as we get to an actual explanation about what Crey was doing with them, but it all strikes me as rather unsatisfactory.

[Coyotedancer]

The possessed scientists are the result of the Circle messing around with body-snatching people. They're basically Thorn Casters cruising around in the bodies of unlucky Portal personnel. 

[tidge]

I know that, it's just that there is precious little to explain it.

[Coyotedancer]

Sorry for apparently wasting your precious time trying to answer the question... Sheesh. 🥺