Origins

What really is the point of origins? This is a question as well as suggestion. Are they there for something more than just rp purposes and titles? What really is the point of picking an origin? Do you get something special for being a mutant or a magic wielder besides the inherent attack? Why isn't there anything special about picking an origin. Why are their no perks? I've been wondering this for a while. Can we get some origin inherents or perks for picking a certain origin...? I never really got the real point for between picking them besides maybe starting contacts and enhancements.

Would it be bad if they added something that effects gameplay?

Origins are a bit of a hangover from back when the game was in development. As I remember, your Origin would affect stuff like how many powers you could take and possibly how they worked. Only, they decided that it turned out to be rubbish and scrapped it.

I think it's mostly a mix of a holdover from before the Alpha change, and an opportunity for those that enjoy RP to explain their powers. Before the change, Origin DID have an effect on the game, to the point where only certain powers could be selected by certain origins. That was decided to be too restrictive, so it was altered to the current state, where one origin could do anything.

This was also brought up back when the origin aligned temp powers were introduced. There was a concern that if there was too much power it would mean people would want to lean characters of a certain AT to a certain origin or be gimp. For ecample, Controllers should be Tech because of the hold in the Tazer.

The problem with making the origin mean something mechanics-wise is that it has to be balanced enough not to slant peoples power selections. I'm sure folks would love to have something decent attached to the origin, we just have no idea what it could be yet.

I don't see what would be wrong with trying to add perks for origins once again? Like people have said they wanted a magic wand for their magic characters. Maybe give people the power to case their powers to cast their powers from a wand. Make it a toggle power or something so that it can be turned on and off

Well they could always add a perk to the actual wand. Maybe some kind of boost from using it

Ahh I see

Any idea can be used by almost any origin if you think it through. Let's take this supposed "Magic Wand" animation change for example. You say it's a magic wand so it fits the magic origin.

I could have a tech character that would like the same animation though. After all he designed his Ultra-Rod(tm) to have the appearance of a normal stick of wood but due to his Nanite Fusion Reactor(tm) is able to fire bolts of pure fire at his foes.

Or I could have a mutant character that is only able to use his force projection abilites though a focusing agent like oh let's say a normal stick of wood. This type of character actually exists (or at least used to..been a while since I'ver read many comics.) in the Marvel Universe. "Black Tom" Cassidy was a mutant able to project energy blasts through wood and usually carried a shillelagh with him at all times.

I think origins work best the way they are now. They have little effect on the game itself but allow you the chance to identify your character as you see fit.

Oh well, I've gotten my answers. Oh well..i wish they did have more use. :/

I had this idea many moons ago about origin-specific groups, that only characters of that origin can join. They wouldn't offer that much content to avoid playerbase dooming! but mostly function as a meeting place between heroes and villains of the same origin. So you get:
>a castle for magic origins, complete with libraries to study new spells, potion making facilities and tons of magical artifacts and stuff like that
>a high-tech lab for technology, with robot building machines, workshops for all gadgetiers
>training facilities for naturals, shooting practice dummies, martial arts instructors, weapon collections, armory to repear all broadswords
>mutants become part part of a hidden society, a safe haven from discrimination
>science...well I don't really know..maybe some medical facilities given that most of them were guinea pigs of evil scientists

There's another problem:

"Your origin isn't my origin!"

This is about the only valid concern I can think about that's feasible to address. The A through E concerns pose someone to attempt to code the impossible, because there is NOTHING that fits that category aside from Brawl and your Starting Temp. Sorry. Nada.

However, the 'your origin isn't my origin' is valid because it sums things up.

For example, I've got a Mutant character. He looks normal in all respects but can command fire and bend it to his will. He's not mutated and deformed, nor has he suffered any kind of weird mutation in a lab (which might make him more Science than Mutation), but he just... is.
If someone, anyone, had made content for me that embodied having to go through different research facilities and killing off mutants, or trying to fight the X-Men, I'd have to politely tell them where to stick their desires.
I wouldn't have to 'play' anything, but I'd know for certain that the developers have lumped me into this category.

Most of this has already been covered, I think -

Yes, origins used to have far more of an impact on gameplay, back in the alpha stage (think I have that in my "guide to the original COH trailer," down in the sig.) They determined how many powers you could take and to what degree you could enhance them (some origins would limit you to - say - 5 powers, but you could develop them quite far, while others would give you 10 but not develop them as much - there were no ATs then, and even power "pools" weren't the same.)

That was scrapped.

However, Origins remain one of four things that are inviolate for a character, that cannot/will not be changed (the others being AT, primary and secondary.) This, I tend to suspect, is a holdover from when it DID have an effect, and is such an integral piece of the character's "foundation" in the database that changing it would be exceptionally difficult and/or have more far-reaching effects than would first appear.

Now, yes, you (OP) didn't ask about changing origins - which is what this answer normally leans to - but that would come into effect with the following.

We've had six years, now, where origins had little to no impact on a character. It's been - barring those who really concentrate on the RP aspect of a character from day 1 - essentially a matter of "pick whatever and move on." Giving them some sort of real impact *now* would affect literally millions of characters in a way completely out of their creators control, and in ways they had no way of predicting. If you want some idea of the reaction this would give, just look at the reaction to ED or, to a lesser extent, the original idea of replacing powers in PPPs and APPs that "few people used." A fundamental change like that would not go over well, even if it "just" affected animation (for instance, the wand mentioned above - with all the arguments against it.) And while ED affected everyone, everyone could still reslot, re-pick powers, etc. - which is not able to be done with origins.


Oh, Fleeting:

See my Guides and Tutorials

Ahh well. I was just putting that out there. Seems like every time I suggest something I get that rep thing thrown at me.

One other thing is that as it is now Origins are kind of broad strokes. But that's good.

Lets look at magic.

Selandra Mooncatcher is a Cabal Witch character of mine. Not only are her powers Magic based her agelessness is a result of the Redcap magic. So she's Magic/magic origin?

Rotten Luck my 50 Willpower/darkmelee Tanker is a Zombie. He wouldn't care about spells or magical nick knacks. He is because of Magic he doesn't use it directly.

Lets not forget all those Vampires (Magic ones not the Council science based Vampyri), Demons or like with Infernal that uses Demon Binded weapons.

All are magical Origin but all are different twists on what is a basic idea. Yes it's technically form the RP standpoint but still why would a Zombie care about spell books... Okay I take that back I'm involved in a Rp where Rotten hunting down the spell book used to make him.

The point is by being open as it is we aren't limited to concepts. One of the best things I love about this game is that we have so much to make characters concepts with. Why else have such a huge customization if not for the building of our Heroes/Villains? If we start with Origins then why not Costume Armor? Shouldn't they have greater defenses? and so on and so on...

Blueside it at least has to do with determining your contact/initial mobs you fight.
Reside it doesn't make a lick of difference. Snakes for all.

With powerset customization I'd like to suggest alternate animations for powers based on origin.

Whether it's completely altered (Tech Robot sniping with laser eyes, firing fire-blasts from shoulder cannons, etc) Or just a change in the particle physics (Magic character flinging "Rune of Power" styled attacks)

And then have each origin tied to specific ones and the correlated origins.

I.E. A Mutant character can use Mutant, Science, and Magic animations for their powers. A Natural character can use Natural, Magic, and Tech animations. Etc. Basically if you can use a DO with a cross-origin you can use an animation with a cross-origin.

Opinions?

-Rachel-

even with the diffrence of DOs and SOs that one would use, does that really matter? Damage enhancement is damage enhancement anyway you slice it, is it not?