Ask A Dev Question Thread #1 Featuring Manticore
By
13th_Stranger,
Posted on: 2005-08-05 08:35 in Developers' Corner
Why is Manticore so short in the game, but appears to be of normal height in the comics?
What is Manticore's relationship with Swan?
A few questions:
I don't believe it's been covered by a developer response, though I've heard a few players speculate on the matter- Why did the alternate reality "Axis America" become the Council Empire? Does Axis America still exist and, if so, has it just been sealed off from "our" dimension? If it doesn't exist anymore, what happened to the Reichsman frozen in the Freedom Phalanx Headquarters?
And I think I know the answer to this one, but I'll ask anyways;
can you drop any hints about the upcoming archetypes that haven't already been dropped?
Will we hear more from the Kingdom of Mu; perhaps a reality where Mu won the war against Oranbega?
Oh, and what's the deal with the sidekicks- Malaise we pretty much know through the exploration badge detailing his history, same with Mynx. Infernal has been detailed as well. What about Swan? Valkyrie? Why is the in-game Luminary female when the fiction describes a male (I know the answer here, but I'll be a lot of people don't)? Ms. Liberty also doesn't have a lot of in-game information, but it can be pieced together.
I love the comics and have gone through every story in the game at least once except those last 3 shadow shard tfs and calvin scott.
That was my 1st question the shadow shard tfs. These are very long and the shadow shard is a hard place to travel through even with the new red lines showing u the jump points because, sometimes, u miss, making u memorize which jets u need 2 turn on a power for and such. I was thinking to make it easier 2 get teams together, make some of the shard tfs slightly shorter like the 1st one you do many kill all missions and hunting missions. Then there are some parts at the end where the guy will say Good job! However you have to do it again because on and on. Take care of some of these and the 1st tf could go from 8-10 to 6-10.
Next is about Malaise. Now I didn't get to finish Calvin Scott but from what i had heard it was about Sister Psyche being herself again and Malaise going bad. I noticed Malaise is still a Praetorian AV but he as his "primal earth" self has completely dissappeared. I dont know if Mother Mayhem is still Aurora or if her suit was changed with Psyches coming back but that measn we need an AV for Aurora.
3rd was i have posted a lot of ideas and suggestions but my biggest thing is how i feel teased by 2 giant yet unnused structures The Ziggurat and The Rikti Ship. I'm guessing the Zig may have a more important role in CoV since at some point u break out of jail (?) but the crash site is mostly empty, not cause u have 2 go through 2 zones to get to it as fixed in I5, but because besides the respec contact theres nothing in there for u after uve admired the ship and gotten the bagdes/plaques u need. I would also like to see the dam used. I had never known that the dam was visitable until a few months ago and i have been playing the game over a year. it was awesome to fly through there and see everything. It made me really wish there was something to do there especially since i saw a mission door or two. Also are you working on the story for an arc for power color customization? I really want green and black fire to go with my blasters suit 
Arc ID: 475246, "Bringing a Lord to Power"
"I'm only a simple man trying to cling to my tomorrow. Every day. By any means necessary."
-Caldwell B. Cladwell
Will we ever have any storyline involving the Reichsman?
I've been waiting to fight him since I first read the history of Paragon back before I got into the pre-order beta.
Please try my custom mission arcs!
Legacy of a Rogue (ID 459586, Entry for Dr. Aeon's Third Challenge)
Death for Dollars! (ID 1050)
Dr. Duplicate's Dastardly Dare (ID 1218)
Win the Past, Own the Future (ID 1429)
I have three questions.
1. When you play the game simply for fun, what is your favorite and least favorite AT to play and why? For example, I know some people hate playing melee while others hate ranged.
2. What is your favorite and least favorite enemy group or AV in the game and why?
3. Will there be more crossovers from the comics to the game itself. I always thought it would be neat to see some new AVs, enemy groups or zones spring up after first being introduced and learning about them from the actual comics. Or for a more larger idea, some major zone event or story line in the game to start showing up earlier in the actual comic in order to tie the two more together.
Not sure if I'm allowed multiple posts are not...But if we are not, could mine be consolidated, please?
Anyways, last question. With the inability to get debt until level 10, it might be difficult for some of us to get all of the 5-9 mission contacts. Have anything in the works so we can get them all?
1.) I've heard of the unlockable costume pieces and it sounds cool. Are there going to be any more put in??
2.) Are there anyplans in the works for elite bosses/ AVs for those villain groups presently lacking one??
3.) Could you tell us anymore about the upcoming ATs??
1st off, Manticore is awesome.
Now some questions.
#1 I know that Faultline is a trial zone & I had heard that the trial was once open during beta testing but had to shut it down for some reason, I think it was storyline. Now Positron's TF is about 3 villain groups fighting over who's gonna use the dam in their evil plot. Some of these missions within the TF could be used within the trial part of the zone itself. I was wondering if there is any progress on some kind of storyline for the dam being made & when we could expect a Faultline Trial?
#2 Some villain groups aren't used as much as I'd like to see. And others are used WAY too much, usually the entire career of a hero is fighting a certain villain thru nearly all 50 levels, like the Council or CoT. I was wondering if the Vahzilok, the Family, or any of the new villain groups that came with Croatoa are gonna be forces to be reckoned with in the future life span of a hero, in the late game?
#3 The Universities are built, but since skills aren't gonna happen for a while, Statesman has said the universities will still be used somehow. Will this be with story arcs where we'll have to deliver something to a university or stop some villain groups trying to take it over?
#4 Will there be more TFs like the Calvin Scott TF that advances the story of CoH for only 1 issue? I tried the Calvin Scott TF only once, but we failed when we reached Malaise, our team just fell apart. I thought I'd be able to do it another time, but when Issue 4 went live, I lost my chance at a rematch. But it was still a fun TF.
#5 Is there any chance of seeing our hero trainers & TF givers in action besides just standing in one place all the time training heroes & handing out missions? Finally in the Tyrant mission, we can fight along side Statesman after we rescue him. I'd love to be able to fight along side Infernal, Positron, Synapse, Back Alley Brawler, & even Manticore, as well as the others.
#6 Do you read any of the bios we make up on our heroes & will you create story arcs based on them?
That's all I can think of now, but keep up the good work, this game is AWESOME, despite the doom-sayers.
@Killerhurtz & @Killerhurtz 2 of Justice
Arc ID# 95628 What If...#1 The 'Hurtz' Family
Here's my question (tongue firmly in check):
Can we get an alternate timeline story where Paragon City is actually located on the backs of 4 elephants standing on a giant turtle that swims through space. A place where Hero Corps is replaced by a super hero group called the City Watch. A city where Crey Corporation has been bought out and is now run by Havelock Vetenari (aka The Patrician). The AV of the CoT would be called Ridcully and one of the elite bosses would be Rincewind. Oh yeah, and I want talking dogs...and Trolls--real ones. Not the posers we have now. 
Seriously though, can we get more satirical humor in the story arcs.
Several questions:
Have there ever been any jokes (like the Freaks/Nemesis dialogue in that one mission) that you wanted to put into a story that didn't make it?
Speaking of which, any chance you could share a few story ideas that didn't make it into the game for whatever reason? Maybe the Hamidon once tried to steal Christmas?
Will zones such as Boomtown ever see any efforts to rebuild the area?
What happens to the Circle of Thorns, or the Banished Pantheon? Are there any plans to have them take a more major role in future zone events, or new story arcs? It seems sad that once you outlevel Astoria, the Pantheon are pretty much gone.
Speaking of Astoria, nobody I've spoken to has managed to give me a clear answer in regards to the backstory of that zone in particular. Any chance you could elaborate on how (and specifically when) it got so Dark, and what happened to all the people there?
How do you feel about heroes writing their own missions or story arcs, or allowing Supergroups to generate their own stories based on whatever theme they decide to use?
This question is more towards the billing part of CoH/CoV is there going to be any combo subscriptions to playing both CoV and CoH instead of haveing to pay for 2 seperate accounts to play both games. I know some people would be hesitant to start playing CoV just for the fact that they would need to start really a whole other online game even though its tied into CoH. I know personally 30 bucks to have a CoH and CoV account is a bit expensive.
My question, likely to not be answered:
What's the status on things like Atlantis and Camelot in the CoH universe? Did the generic, everyone-uses-these mythical cities and kingdoms get destroyed? Will we ever find out anything along these lines? Atlantis in particualr is of intrest to me. A simple 'yes, it was destroyed' 'no it never existed' or 'yes, it's still around' would even be nice.
Animation major and old-school CoHer.
Art, Animation, and Stuff:
DA Tumblr Vimeo Youtube
Why does Countess Crey use psionic attacks? No where in the story arc (or really, anywhere else) is it mentioned that she has these powers. Is it a hidden secret of hers? Was it just added so she'd be a tough AV? (If that's the case, I'd suggest giving her some Crey technology to use instead.)
Here's my question:
For those of us 'aspiring' writers how would we go about publishing science fiction fantasy action novels which are pretty much in the similar vein the COH novel will be based on? Is there any place we can go to reach someone in the business, or would even the current publisher working on the COH novel be willing to publish any of our hero based stories?
Manticor
My question is when will you allow us to find out about the team of heros that went to the rikti homworld to shut down the portal? For me that is the most interesting piece of coh lore.
I kinda wish you would add a library with the universitys so poeple can read story apoun story about the heros of paragon
First of all, working my way through story-lines is my favorite part of the game. I think you and everyone else involved have done an outstanding job with this aspect.
Cantatus asked:
[ QUOTE ]
Why does Countess Crey use psionic attacks? No where in the story arc (or really, anywhere else) is it mentioned that she has these powers. Is it a hidden secret of hers? Was it just added so she'd be a tough AV? (If that's the case, I'd suggest giving her some Crey technology to use instead.)
[/ QUOTE ]
I have the same question myself. It just seems such a surprise working against the Crey and finally meeting the Countess to have her use Psychic attacks on you. It just seems like it would be a lot more appropriate for her to use Crey Tech against you when you fight. This leads into another question of mine.
Are there going to be any plans to balance attack types for villain groups in the game?
I play an ice tank as my main and obviously, I would love to see more cold-using villains in the game. (Feel free to add lots more 
) There are the Crey which use cold attacks and some Outcasts... and I'm drawing a blank right now to anybody else. We did have the Winter Event, but that was just temporary. The thing is that it felt really good to have an enemy group that I really excelled against (winter lord). I would love to see more cold using villains and also other attack types that are rare.
The Dark Blade
"I've felt your mouse on me before, you perv...." - Troy Hickman
Paragon Wiki
Hey Manticore,
Here's my question. Will we ever see some of the lesser used zones, like Faultline and Boomtown revamped and or made into a more integral part of the game in the future? Perhaps through new or revised task forces or missions in the future? It seems that while there are some zones that are heavily used and populated there are also some zones (with tremendous potential) that just kinda get left in the dust.
Okay, one more question kinda related to this. Right now there seems to be a concerted plan with the release of new zones to add content to the game for progressively higher level characters. The Hollows was 5 to 15, Striga was 20 to 30, and now Croatoa is 25 to 35. It's been stated in the past that this is the model that will be used for new content with the next new zone released being for some even higher level after that. Do you see any point in the future where you guys will come back and revisit some of the existing zones to make them more in line of the model you're using with Striga and Croatoa?
Thanks for the opportunity to ask questions. You guys all do great work. Keep it up!
Have you seen... the Initial Gameplay Demo?
It briefly mentions the groups:
Revelation
Seraphim
Killing Crew
Fear Factor
Those guys still in the works?
Story Arcs I created:
Every Rose: (#17702) Villainous vs Legacy Chain. Forget Arachnos, join the CoT!
Cosplay Madness!: (#3643) Neutral vs Custom Foes. Heroes at a pop culture convention!
Kiss Hello Goodbye: (#156389) Heroic vs Custom Foes. Film Noir/Hardboiled detective adventure!
Will we ever hear anything on the Pratorian version of Blue Steel?
Or the Pratorian version of our own characters?
[ QUOTE ]
Have you seen... the Initial Gameplay Demo?
It briefly mentions the groups:
Revelation
Seraphim
Killing Crew
Fear Factor
Those guys still in the works?
[/ QUOTE ]
I will first say how much i love playing the stories in the game, finding out about the villains, and the history of paragon city, i have been playing the game for over a year, and i am still not bored.
Anyway on to my question, although i am not sure whether you are the person to ask, in the demonstration talked about in the above post, one of the heroes does a forward flip before leaping off of a building and flying away, is something like this going to appear in the game at all, i.e. alternate ways to take off, land, or flying in general, it would be good to see a series of emotes that controlled this.
also customised weapons and powers, are they gong to emerge, i know there was talk at the time of issue 1, but i have heard nothing since, i don't mind that much at the moment, but it would be interesting to see.
I certainly love the depth of history and mythology that's in the game, howver so much of it can only be peiced together through Missions and history plaques or can only be found by looking up information from the old website, interveiws, or occational posts on the boards. Is there any plans to make zone, villians, and trainer histories more available in game?
There are lot of villians mentioned in passing, like Grendel, Tub-Ci, Odysseus, Baron Zoria, and others who never appear in CoH. Will these villians eventually fit into the story of CoH or are they just background characters?
You've done so much work on the backstory, but I feel like we only get to see bits and pieces. How about adding an "about this contact" sort of link to all the trainers and task force contacts?
Avatar: "Cheeky Jack O Lantern" by dimarie
What is the relationship between the mechanics and the story? Do you craft a story and then the mechanics are built around it? Or does someone say, "We spent all this time on Fir Bolgs... we need to come up with a reason to feature them in their own area next issue." It's kind of a Bernie Taupin/Elton John question, I know, but I'm curious how much begins at a story kernel you've been toying with for some time, and how much begins as a doodle on a designer's desk that you grow into a marvelous plot....
You are quoted as saying "I have always been driven by character and story" - the same can often be said by many of the players who enjoy playing City of Heroes. Of those heroes created by the playersbase - which one(s) stick out particularly to you and why.
Is it possible that we could get some system or game mechanic to learn more about the various villain factions, and how they relate? Learning about their background and focus, and how these interplay with the other villain groups is one of the most interesting parts of the game for me. For example, exactly what roles do the Hellions and Outcasts play to the Warriors? At what point did the Outcasts decide they would join with the Warriors, or were they forced into service? Etc...