If you were to add a zone to Paragon City...

[High_Beam]

On 12/8/2022 at 10:54 AM, Nemeroff said:

The idea of an airport was mentioned.

I like the idea of a swamp. Not unlike "Dagobah" in The Empire Strikes Back; danger, mystery, adventure, etc... 

 

Combining ideas here, some swamps are right after the airport this is in the event that the plane malfunctions/crashes at take off or landing it won't destroy buildings, infrastructures, homes, people, ...

 

Where to put an airport and a swamp nearby?

With the above map maybe west and northwest of Croatoa.

Skyway international airport is east of Skyway City

[Nemeroff]

4 hours ago, High_Beam said:

Skyway international airport is east of Skyway City

Forgot all about the Skyway International Airport.  Superheroes. Flight power. 😉

And south of the S.I.A. there could be a swamp.  Dry land leads to mushy swamp land, leads to the Argo River.

But not just any swamp.  A FIRE SWAMP! ("The Princess Bride" reference), lol.  2 AM I'm going to bed.

 

 

[JasperStone]

6 hours ago, Nemeroff said:

Forgot all about the Skyway International Airport.  Superheroes. Flight power. 😉

And south of the S.I.A. there could be a swamp.  Dry land leads to mushy swamp land, leads to the Argo River.

But not just any swamp.  A FIRE SWAMP! ("The Princess Bride" reference), lol.  2 AM I'm going to bed.

 

 

A Fire Swamp?

Kinda like the map where we fight Kronos in mission?

[High_Beam]

R.O.U.S = Robots of Unusual Size.

[Player2]

I wouldn't want to see any new zones until some of the existing zones had more content added.

 

**eyes Kalisti Wharf expectantly**

 

Or maybe upgrade some other existing but under-utilized zones...  Boomtown needs work like Faultline got.

[Techwright]

On 12/9/2022 at 9:27 PM, High_Beam said:

Skyway international airport is east of Skyway City

What is the origin of this labeled map?  I've not seen it before, at least that I can recall?  Was it perhaps early concept art?

 

The location of the airport on the map does make sense: centrally located and long, to allow for one lengthy runway and one shorter one, not unlike Newark Airport in New Jersey, which incidentally, is also adjacent to water.  The south with the Argo river does lend itself well to a New England-styled swamp/wetlands/salt marsh zone. 

 

An airport up north near Croatoa can still make sense though, as suggested by @Nemeroff.  Many major cities have a second airport to handle the volume of travel and air commerce, and even medium-sized cities often have a small-aircraft airport where private planes, small commercial ventures, and "hopper" commuter flights originate.  I say "small commercial ventures" to include things like news and surveying helicopters as well as planes daily shipping fresh-off-the-boat seafood to restaurants deep inland.  A smaller airport could tell nuanced stories.

[High_Beam]

I got it from here but when I get home from work I will pull out my map for the box buy to verify.  I remember it being there for like ever because I wrote some crappy fan fiction back in the day referencing having to go to Skyway International.

 

City of Heroes Homecoming Wiki Page

[Vic Raiden]

Either 3 or 5 would be an excellent spot for some big seaside amusement park. Really, we need an amusement park in Paragon City.

1 and 9 both look like good spots for suburban zones, with lots of these small detached houses and a green area along the parts furthest away from the city. There could also be one south of Dark Astoria, with some of that zone's influence seeping through into the northern portion.

IIRC the city map shows an airport where PDA-6 is placed, so I say there should indeed be an airport there, because Boomtown doesn't even have ruins of one.

I'd definitely want a big shopping center somewhere in the city, like point 4, 7, or 8. Or all three, because I know of many cities with multiple big malls.

Dunno what to do with 2, which could very well just be an extension of Kallisti Wharf.

Regardless, any of these zones should have fewer skyscrapers than what we can see in a lot of places, to give Paragon City a more varied skyline.

[Glacier Peak]

On 11/5/2022 at 10:20 AM, Glacier Peak said:

Cut Talos in half north and south, take the north portion and combine it with the 5 box. Then add water enemies or Coralax. And a giant whirpool near the greek islands. And some giant cyclops. And the rest of the Odyssey.

I'm expecting this will be implemented along with the Warriors revamp some time in the near future 😎 

 

Edit: @Techwright you always make great threads! Just realized this was from last year.

Edited August 12, 2023 by Glacier Peak

[Herotu]

On 11/30/2022 at 11:00 PM, biostem said:

I wonder if there could be other ways to immerse players - something like winding claustrophobic hallways and a very limited view distance.  I wouldn't want a repeat of the Shadow Shard, where it is very unfriendly to non-fliers, and barely used as a result.  

The more you post, teh more I think you want another rework of Dark Astoria 😉 I do too! It's such a cool atmospheric zone, but f-that, I'll just fly over everything np.

 

Now, let's think how movies get around this. Well if I think about the X-Men, there's always a reason Cyclops can't do anything for the entire movie. It could by kryptonite or some maguffin or a tradition or an old charter or something, but the point is that disabling heroes is a staple of the genre. It happens all the time, it's part of the three-act structure.

 

 

 

Re: Shadow Shard. I have a few golden rules for video games - Floating islands always suck is my #1 golden rule. Roger Dean has a lot to answer for.

 

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by Herotu

[Herotu]

On 12/16/2022 at 3:58 PM, Techwright said:

What is the origin of this labeled map?  I've not seen it before, at least that I can recall?  Was it perhaps early concept art?

I have a physical one here, I got it with the Good vs Evil edition of the game. It's double-sided. Oh hang on, it's different!

Edited August 12, 2023 by Herotu
it's different!

[biostem]

32 minutes ago, Herotu said:

disabling heroes is a staple of the genre. It happens all the time, it's part of the three-act structure.

"Disabling heroes" is fine for a narrative where you are just a passive observer, but to take away someone's agency in an interactive medium, like a video game, is a huge no-no in my book, (it's one of the reasons I strongly dislike cutscene-heavy games where your character does or say things without you the player being able to give any input).

[Herotu]

On 12/10/2022 at 7:00 AM, Nemeroff said:

Forgot all about the Skyway International Airport.  Superheroes. Flight power. 😉

And south of the S.I.A. there could be a swamp.  Dry land leads to mushy swamp land, leads to the Argo River.

But not just any swamp.  A FIRE SWAMP! ("The Princess Bride" reference), lol.  2 AM I'm going to bed.

 

 

I don't think they exist.

[Herotu]

45 minutes ago, biostem said:

"Disabling heroes" is fine for a narrative where you are just a passive observer, but to take away someone's agency in an interactive medium, like a video game, is a huge no-no in my book, (it's one of the reasons I strongly dislike cutscene-heavy games where your character does or say things without you the player being able to give any input).

Ah, then that's where we differ. If it's for narrative purposes and not used excessively, I can tolerate some restrictions, if they serve their purpose properly.

[biostem]

10 minutes ago, Herotu said:

If it's for narrative purposes and not used excessively

Well, that's the fine line at contention, here...

[Techwright]

7 hours ago, Vic Raiden said:

Either 3 or 5 would be an excellent spot for some big seaside amusement park. Really, we need an amusement park in Paragon City.

1 and 9 both look like good spots for suburban zones, with lots of these small detached houses and a green area along the parts furthest away from the city. There could also be one south of Dark Astoria, with some of that zone's influence seeping through into the northern portion.

IIRC the city map shows an airport where PDA-6 is placed, so I say there should indeed be an airport there, because Boomtown doesn't even have ruins of one.

I'd definitely want a big shopping center somewhere in the city, like point 4, 7, or 8. Or all three, because I know of many cities with multiple big malls.

Dunno what to do with 2, which could very well just be an extension of Kallisti Wharf.

Regardless, any of these zones should have fewer skyscrapers than what we can see in a lot of places, to give Paragon City a more varied skyline.

 

First, I agree, an amusement park would be a great touch.  That said, this is war-torn Paragon City, so I suspect it would be a derelict amusement park.  Perfect for creepy "five nights at freddie's" atmosphere.

 

Second, agreed on 1 and 9 looking like "detached houses" suburbia.  I wonder if such a zone could offer a different take on the game somehow. Less on-the-street fighting, more behind-closed-doors stealth and espionage. 

 

PDA-6 is a tad small for what I'd consider a major international airport, but it fits if it's an older, somewhat shorter airport by the sea.  Someth like La Guardia on Long Island.  That would be interesting.  Wonder if it would be named after former mayor Spanky Rabinowitz, like LaGuardia is named after the former NYC mayor?

 

Regarding shopping centers, I'd be for it, but with consideration that the in-game year is 2012.  In other words, either an indoor mall that's well past its 1980s heyday.  Either now closed or struggling to survive.  I'd even be willing to borrow a page from this current decade and find that part or all of it is being converted to high-tech data space, like Amazon.com has been doing with old malls.  I'd also love to see a contrast: the tired old mall and across the zone it's flourishing replacement: the park-near-the-store shopping park.

 

Agreed about the skyscrapers, though I'd point out, having observed many of the big cities in the eastern USA, that there are patches where the sky scrapers and high-rise structures return in small groupings.  Indianapolis, where I lived for a few years in the 1990s has this effect in the northeast at Keystone At The Crossings, and in the northwest with the trio of high-rises towers affectionately nicknamed "The Pyramids".

3 hours ago, Glacier Peak said:

I'm expecting this will be implemented along with the Warriors revamp some time in the near future 😎 

 

Edit: @Techwright you always make great threads! Just realized this was from last year.

My blushes!  Thanks!

 

I do look forward to seeing what they do with the Warriors.  Might we get enemy Warrior masterminds that have defeated the monsters of Chimerora in combat and enslaved them to their will?  Of course, they'd have to find their way to there first, but then, Warriors do like to collect magical items, so perhaps there's a way.

 

2 hours ago, Herotu said:

I have a physical one here, I got it with the Good vs Evil edition of the game. It's double-sided. Oh hang on, it's different!

 

Not surprised.  I don't remember the exact count, but over the years I've seen multiple "official" versions of the city's map.  I suppose that just makes the superhero comics experience more authentic.  How many versions of Gotham City are floating around?

[Vic Raiden]

On 8/13/2023 at 3:24 AM, Techwright said:

First, I agree, an amusement park would be a great touch.  That said, this is war-torn Paragon City, so I suspect it would be a derelict amusement park.  Perfect for creepy "five nights at freddie's" atmosphere.

Aye, an abandoned amusement park would make for a fun place. Especially if Carnies or Freakshow are to show up there.

 

On 8/13/2023 at 3:24 AM, Techwright said:

Second, agreed on 1 and 9 looking like "detached houses" suburbia.  I wonder if such a zone could offer a different take on the game somehow. Less on-the-street fighting, more behind-closed-doors stealth and espionage. 

Perhaps, it could add some much-needed variety. Also, I think one of these zones needs an outdoor model of Manticore's mansion.

 

On 8/13/2023 at 3:24 AM, Techwright said:

Regarding shopping centers, I'd be for it, but with consideration that the in-game year is 2012.  In other words, either an indoor mall that's well past its 1980s heyday.  Either now closed or struggling to survive.  I'd even be willing to borrow a page from this current decade and find that part or all of it is being converted to high-tech data space, like Amazon.com has been doing with old malls.  I'd also love to see a contrast: the tired old mall and across the zone it's flourishing replacement: the park-near-the-store shopping park.

Huh, didn't know the part about data spaces. Maybe because indoor malls are still pretty big over here in Poland.

Edited August 16, 2023 by Vic Raiden

[gamingglen]

On 8/12/2023 at 9:24 PM, Techwright said:

 

First, I agree, an amusement park would be a great touch.  That said, this is war-torn Paragon City, so I suspect it would be a derelict amusement park.  Perfect for creepy "five nights at freddie's" atmosphere.

 

 

I was so disappointed when I first saw the circus tents in St. Martial and found nothing but Carnie mobs.  No midway games, no rides, no fortune teller harking for some of your infamy, no bearded lady show, no strongman competition... nothing but tents. Redo that area (do we really need more Carnie mobs doing nothing?), and copy a smaller version to blue side somewhere. 

 

Edit, add: those specialty shows could have a one mission contact inside, something that could be written up by players through AE and converted to real game missions. 

 

Edited August 16, 2023 by gamingglen

[Scarlet Shocker]

Orbital Space Station that has been overrun by a new alien foe.

 

Previously it was run by Longbow to monitor Arachnos and villain activity in both Paragon and the RI. A top secret facility it was kept secret even from the highest ranking personnel in Hero Corps.

 

But it was recently overtaken by an external, as yet to be determined threat and all subsequent attempts to recapture it have proven to be too difficult for Longbow to achieve on their own.

 

Vanguard have also gotten wind of this and given the history of those two organizations have decided unilaterally to muscle in on the act, without Longbow sanction.

 

Therefore Longbow now require Heroes and Villains to unite to recapture their station, defeating the new threat and if necessary Vanguard in the process. There are secrets on that station that must not fall into the wrong hands!

[Techwright]

On 8/18/2023 at 6:07 AM, Scarlet Shocker said:

Therefore Longbow now require Heroes and Villains to unite to recapture their station, defeating the new threat and if necessary Vanguard in the process. There are secrets on that station that must not fall into the wrong hands!

And for this we use Villains?  😉

 

Space station is good.  Not sure we can get zero-g unless it is a variation on hover.  Space station overrun is really good.  First thought that came to mind was the Alien franchise.  Imagine clearing a space station that has broken equipment, low lighting with flickering lights, creepy creaky metal, environmental control damage with reduced temperatures (permanent minor cold effect), and darting, jump-scare aliens.  I'd very much take my characters into that.  Can we give the aliens slime effects?  Would love to see it used for hold and loss-of-traction effects.

[Scarlet Shocker]

9 hours ago, Techwright said:

And for this we use Villains?  😉

 

I'm open to suggestions but since Vanguard are alignment neutral (theoretically at least) and have caused a few messes, it would seem that Longbow might feel they have no other choice than to use villains. They may even have a few arcs where  "suitable" villains are recruited. It's not as if they don't have access to them since they already have a very strong presence in the Rogue Isles. This could provide a contact arc in one of the villain zones where a contact sets a villain on a heroic mission, which allows them, once completed to reveal that they are recruiting villains for a special operation and "you got the right stuff... hero! We'll be in touch when you're tougher!"

 

The alternative is to exclude them or have a different story.

 

That doesn't fly because it means that a significant portion of the character base is excluded, and our Devs don't hate villains.

 

Also, we don't need Zero G except in one particular area. In almost all sci-fi movies of note there is an explanation for why there is gravity and (especially in older movies - pre-CGI) there was always one scene where somebody experiences the effects of zero G just to remind the audience they are in space. Note also that gravity generators never ever ever malfunction. They can be blown up in which case people float around (more common now again, CGI) but nobody ever made a gravity generator go wrong and crush an entire crew to pulp. Which seems odd, once you think about it. Could've stopped a lot of the Alien movies in their tracks 😄

Edited August 23, 2023 by Scarlet Shocker
Zero G

[Doomguide2005]

On 12/10/2022 at 8:45 AM, High_Beam said:

R.O.U.S = Robots of Unusual Size.

Or heaven forbid Rikti of Unusual Size

[Scarlet Shocker]

4 hours ago, Doomguide2005 said:

Or heaven forbid Rikti of Unusual Size

 

 

I think that would S:U:R

 

Size: Unusual: Rikti

[Doomguide2005]

19 hours ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

 

 

I think that would S:U:R

 

Size: Unusual: Rikti

Took me a second but ... 😜

[Starhammer]

I I were to add a zone, it would be Saiba City, a Pratorian Earth zone that through extensive use of phasing exists simultaneously in 3 major temporal eras, Modern (About to be destroyed by their Hamidon), Futuristic (High tech cyberpunk/shadowrun style, far enough in the future that the Hamidon problem has been "dealt with", mostly), and Medieval (Generic medieval, I'm not enough of a historian to pick a distinct era like Baroque, Dark Ages, whatever... just mostly pre-gunpowder, when swords ruled the universe). Saiba city is "indistinctly Asian" in having a bit of a melting pot of various Asian cultures... a bit of a "something for everybody" and also an excuse to not get bogged down in real life historical culture issues. We're in a mirror universe of a fictional reality after all.

W.I.S.D.O.M. is the primary representation of supers here, and they have a task force that requires working as heroes and villains across various temporal periods in order to save one of them, be betrayed by one of them, and steal the seeds of Hamidon's defeat from the future to plant in the past. Also there's some other contacts, missions, and time travel shenanigans.