Celebrate City of Heroes 6 Year Anniversary with Facts!
By
Aura_Familia,
Posted on: 2010-04-26 04:42 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
Fact: City of Heroes was originally designed to give players the choice of making seven different ORIGIN types. They were:
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 Mutants gain their super powers through a curious twist of genetic fate. Super powered mutants are not a natural occurrence but rather the product of large-scale genetic manipulation by unknown individuals. Starting in the late 1950's mutant children began to crop up all across the globe. Investigations into the startling phenomenon revealed that every one of these super powered individuals showed similar and otherwise unique genetic properties. A decade of further study revealed a mysterious link between the mutations and various disease immunization programs. A United Nations investigation team, headed by some of the world's most famous heroes failed to uncover the mysterious agency behind this bizarre and mysterious mutagenic program. The puzzles of its origin aside, the mutant gene has now so thoroughly penetrated humanity that new, super powered mutants manifest every day. Most mutants begin to realize their true nature during puberty, although often it takes some kind of stressful situation for a person's powers to activate. From that time forward the mutant's powers continue to grow and diversify. A single mutant often manifests numerous different abilities over time, more so than heroes from any other origin type. Mutant super powers use the mutant's own life energy to power their amazing effects. This means mutants can become one-person arsenals, needing no equipment, technology or magical relics to help them. On the down side, even a mutant body has its limits. As a general rule, mutant powers cannot reach the same staggering levels as powers belonging to heroes of some other origin types. Nevertheless, mutants can advance their powers to exceptional levels and often make up for a lack of high-level punch by possessing such a wide variety of abilities.  While Mutants are born to their powers, Altered Humans acquire them in some manner. They begin life as normal humans until some spectacular and often traumatic event changes their existence forever. During World War II both Axis and Allied scientists ran "super soldier" programs that used chemicals and biological compounds to transform normal soldiers into super powered warriors. In the fifties and sixties many heroes came by their powers after exposure to radiation and various cosmic energies. Since then, the world has seen scores of different forces at work when it comes to creating heroes from biogenic mists to strange side effects from ecological disaster areas to infusions of alien DNA. The key factor that almost all Altered Humans share is that some powerful outside force has infused their body with nearly unlimited potential. While more often than not this power melds with the hero's own internal energy, the outside force still exists within them. As a result, Altered Humans can take their abilities to the highest possible power level. Furthermore, using their powers drains their endurance somewhat less than most super powered heroes. On the other hand, these amazing transformations are somewhat limited in scope. Altered Humans do not exhibit the wide variety of powers evinced by mutants and those with magical powers. They tend to become famous for a few powers that they use extremely well. Although few if any heroes exhibit all their powers from the moment they are altered, the basic foundation of the path their abilities will follow is usually laid down in their early days. Furthermore, although there seem to be no limits to their potential power levels, Altered Humans have a harder time harnessing their abilities and thus must work a little harder than other origin types to master their powers.  Humans (and other beings) have practiced magic since before the dawn of history. In prehistoric times the shamans and wise ones were the heroes of the day, protecting the primitive communities from a hostile world of angry spirits, gods, and demons. Over the succeeding eons most of humanity lost touch with its magical roots, even as a few devotees perfected the magical arts to power levels undreamed of in Paleolithic times. Today magic is all but gone from the world, but those who master its secrets can unlock unsurpassable power, power that they can use for great good or terrible evil. Mastering magic takes time, effort, discipline, and above all, a supreme effort of willpower. Through sheer force of will a magician bends the universe's magical energies to his or her will. These mysterious mystic energies can warp and bend reality with ease, creating intensely powerful effects. Harnessing these magical forces allows heroes with magical powers to hone their powers to the highest possible level. Although magic can seemingly do anything, it is very difficult for a magician to learn more than a portion of the spells and incantations that exist in the complicated realm of magical teachings. Most magicians can only learn a limited number of spell paths that duplicate the powers of other heroes. Heroes with magical powers must therefore specialize to a degree, although many choose to study broad based control powers in order to maximize their flexibility. Also, magicians can often augment their abilities by learning to use various magical items, potions, and mystic devices.  In the past half decade science has made some amazing leaps, often in very unexpected ways. For example, when Dr. Juanita Delgado-Harris first perfected cybernetic replacement limbs for amputees and accident victims, she had no idea how others would expand upon her groundbreaking work. She certainly never imagined that anyone would willingly replace a healthy limb with a more powerful, artificial substitute. Private security firms like Promethean Security were amongst the first to pay their employees to undergo cyberware enhancement. Faced with super powered and alien threats to their clients, Promethean wanted a quick and effective way of putting "super level" security officers in the field. Military, police and underworld gangs soon jumped on the cyberware bandwagon as well. The Delgado-Harris system connects the artificial limbs directly to the user's nervous and vascular system. The enhancements have internal power sources and they further augment that power with the living bodies own movements and internal blood flow. As a result, heroes with cyberware-based powers draw upon both their own natural endurance and their internal battery packs when using their powers. This splitting of the "work load" means that cyberware characters do not lose nearly as much endurance as other hero types when they use their powers. This staying power means that they can continue to fight on longer than most other origin types. While adding cyberware enhancements allows heroes to work wonders, there's only so much modification a body can take. Both body and mind reject too much artificial substitution and the technology has its limits as well. Thus cyberware heroes do not have as many different powers as some of the other origin types. Additionally, almost everyone who receives these enhancements quickly becomes an expert at servicing and maintaining them. As a result, cyberware heroes are usually very proficient at using all kinds of high tech items.  It doesn't take an act of fate or a twisted gene to make a hero. First and foremost, being a hero means taking personal responsibility for making the world a better place. Superior Humans are men and women without any special abilities, mutations, or magical powers but who have nevertheless made that heroic commitment. They are something very rare: normal people who have devoted every fiber of their being to the greater cause of heroism. Superior Humans transform themselves into heroes through discipline, perseverance, and expert training. These brave heroes come to rely on their own intellect, skills, and some choice equipment to see them through the toughest times and to overcome the deadliest villains. Indeed, it is this very flexibility and broad range of training that allows Superior Humans to succeed just as well as those heroes with more flamboyant and startling origins. The Superior Human's iron will and discipline provide a focus that other kinds of hero can't equal. Having innate superpowers or mastering particular magics and technologies takes a lot of devotion and time all by itself. Superior Humans on the other hand, are free to concentrate on taking more mundane skills to superhuman levels. As a result, while most other heroes can only advance their skill levels so far, these studious heroes can excel at skills to a much higher degree. This makes their use of weapons and other items extremely effective. Who needs an overpowered energy blast when your aim is true enough to send a single bullet through a quarter inch crack in your foe's armor? A self-made hero can have access to certain special items the allow them to reproduce some of the superpowers possessed by other origin types, but these items cannot ultimately compare in power to the mystic artifacts or high tech gadgets other heroes wield. However, the Superior Human's flexibility of mind and intense training mean that he or she can use a wide range of more generally available items. They might not have a unique magic artifact or personalized set of multi-purpose power armor, but unlike any other origin type, they can learn to use any type of item in existence, magical or technological. This ability makes Superior Humans the most flexible heroes around, able to rise to any occasion as long as they have the right tools at hand.  Its all about the tools. Humanity has a lot of great accomplishments to its credit: philosophy, literature, art, democracy, and so on. But its the tools that really set the human race apart from the rest of Earths inhabitants. And its the keen intellect and inventive spirit of the gadgeteers that set them apart from the rest of the human race. Gadgeteers are heroes who have focused their amazing minds on the very important task of protecting their fellow man. They create wondrous suits of power armor, incredible weapons, and physics-bending devices not for patents and riches, but to help them fight the forces of evil. A gadgeteer may not have any reality-bending powers, but he has a head on his shoulders thats just as fearsome and dangerous. Gadgeteers are constantly tinkering with their equipment and building new devices that allow them to recreate the super powers used by other heroes. Still, there are limits to science, and its often impossible for a technological marvel to rival the sheer power of a complex magical spell or the amazing abilities of an altered human. Gadgeteers make up for this with more flexibility. Their equipment can, over time, develop a very impressive array of functions. Of course, Gadgeteers are not only adept at designing their own tools; theyre also perfectly capable of using other peoples as well. They can become quite skilled at the use of technological items of all sorts, allowing them to augment their effectiveness in any situation. As for that magic nonsense, well, these science savants have little time for superstition. They prefer computer chips and electronics to charms and enchantments. Most heroes draw on their own inner energy or will to drive their powers. The gadgeteers have learned to put their faith in science; they use batteries, fuel cells, pocket black holes, and other inventive energy sources to provide the power for their powers. As a result, they dont have to worry about running out of breath, getting hurt, or any kind of endurance draining attack that might inhibit another heros ability to fight for whats right. As long as the power source is charged, the gadgeteer is good to go. The down side is that the hero cant just sit down for a moment and catch her breath. In order for a gadgeteer to recharge her equipment she needs to get her equipment recharged between adventures. Of course, most gadgeteers are smart enough to bring an extra battery or two along. It always pays to be prepared.  An ancient amulet, handed down from generation to generation. A mystic mantle, worn by priests and sorcerers in countless dark rituals. A winsome bauble, accidentally imbued with the terrible force of a god. These are just a few examples of how common and not so- common items can become incredibly powerful mystic artifacts, given the right, very special circumstances. Some such items have lain hidden in lost ruins or locked away in fortress-like vaults for centuries. Others were created just yesterday, with new and powerful magicks. Whatever their origin, they have the potential to bestow great, great power upon those who wield them. The question is, when one comes across an item of such power, what do you do with it? For some, the answer is to use such arcane acquisitions to fight for good. Magic items come in all shapes and sizes, and can become as potent as almost any other source of power in the universe. Of course, not just anyone can pick up an enchanted jewel or crystal of power and know how to use it. It takes time and effort to unlock all of the secrets contained within the artifact. Indeed, since many of these items simply bestow magical energies upon the wielder, the hero sometimes needs a fair amount of time to discover the artifacts full potential. The advantage of having all ones power stem from some mysterious object is that the hero does not have to rely upon internal willpower and endurance to make the magic work. The items innate energy reserves can be temporarily depleted, but the ability for the artifact to replenish its energies is one of the many things that separate it from less powerful items. Heroes who use mystic artifacts are usually, but not always, students of the occult. Indeed, once a hero takes up a magical apparatus, whatever form it might take, he has taken the first step down a long and oft times bizarre path. Not only do these researches help uncover new secrets and uses for the powerful artifacts the hero already possesses, they also help him use lesser magical items that he might come across in his adventures. Such enchanted and charmed items pale in comparison to the mighty artifacts that define a hero, but many heroes find them useful augmentations to the powers their artifacts provide. A common side effect of such devoted study is that these heroes often lose touch with the modern world around them. Mystic Artifact powered heroes often can cite the intricacies of ley lines and celestial spheres with ease but have trouble using a microwave oven. As a result, they tend to eschew high tech solutions to the worlds problems. |
pohsyb: so of all people you must be most excited about the veats
Arachnos Commander: actually, I am
pohsyb: I mean you kinda were one already anyways ^_^
Arachnos Commander:
Well that's just great. You make that huge post so any follow-up post without pictures and twelve paragraphs looks lazy by comparison.
Issue 16 made me feel like this.
Warning: This poster likes to play Devil's Advocate.
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Your follow-up post lacks pictures and volume and looks rather lazy.|
Originally Posted by Vanden
Well that's just great. You make that huge post so any follow-up post without pictures and twelve paragraphs looks lazy by comparison.
|
Oh wait, so does this one...
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Lazy?|
Originally Posted by Vanden
Well that's just great. You make that huge post so any follow-up post without pictures and twelve paragraphs looks lazy by comparison.
|
*points to self*
I just copied and pasted from a saved file on an old drive
pohsyb: so of all people you must be most excited about the veats
Arachnos Commander: actually, I am
pohsyb: I mean you kinda were one already anyways ^_^
Arachnos Commander:
Fact: I invented punchvoke, Brutes and mouse-over info on the Enhancement screen. It's true!
The Alt Alphabet ~ OPC: Other People's Characters ~ Terrific Screenshots of Cool ~ Superhero Fiction
I'm not going to go into a big long explanation, just read this about Coyote, the final contact in Outbreak.
This one sticks in my mind because I remember when it USED to be another police detective instead of Coyote. I just can't remember the policeman's name.
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He replaced Detective Wright, according to ParagonWiki.
|
Originally Posted by Westley
I'm not going to go into a big long explanation, just read this about Coyote, the final contact in Outbreak.
This one sticks in my mind because I remember when it USED to be another police detective instead of Coyote. I just can't remember the policeman's name. |
pohsyb: so of all people you must be most excited about the veats
Arachnos Commander: actually, I am
pohsyb: I mean you kinda were one already anyways ^_^
Arachnos Commander:
I remember the day that when you created a new character, if you didnt turn on the teleport prompt, you'ld be teleported to the top of a VERY tall building and pushed off 
The fires on the ground in the hollows? Yeah they are totally "safe" to pass through . . . . . . .
The reactor room waves/glowie rumour, people still believe it to be true!
Ultimatedragon
@Damz Find me on the global channel Union Chat. One of the best "chat channels" ingame!
Rumor: Hunt missions are a leading cause of depression.
Fact: It's true!
Issue 16 made me feel like this.
Warning: This poster likes to play Devil's Advocate.
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Don't you mean UniqueDragon?|
Originally Posted by EU_Damz
Ultimatedragon
|
Busted!
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ah bugger |
Originally Posted by Westley
Don't you mean UniqueDragon?
Busted! |
I thought it didnt sound quite right 
Leave me alone, im welsh!
@Damz Find me on the global channel Union Chat. One of the best "chat channels" ingame!
The game enters a quantum state of being "doomed" to fail every time the devs release a new update!
Just read the forums for 5 minutes, it's true!
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I thought this state came about every time the devs fail to address the pvp wish list . . . cause we know the world ends if pvp is ignored.|
Originally Posted by Evilanna
The game enters a quantum state of being "doomed" to fail every time the devs release a new update!
Just read the forums for 5 minutes, it's true! |
Same as bases and the MA.
Blazara Aura LVL 50 Fire/Psi Dom (with 125% recharge)
Flameboxer Aura LVL 50 SS/Fire Brute
Ice 'Em Aura LVL 50 Ice Tank
Darq Widow Fortune LVL 50 Fortunata (200% rech/Night Widow 192.5% rech)--thanks issue 19!
First off, I want to wish everyone at NCsoft, Paragon Studios, and all the players a Happy 6th Year Anniversary.
)
While I might be jumping the gun on the "official" anniversary date, last night (April 25) marked the 6 Year Anniversary of the City of Heroes Live Server 3-Day Head Start. (Yep, the lucky ones were able to test out their new Sprints and head into battle on the streets of Paragon City. Sadly, it took a good friend a couple of months to talk me into subscribing, so I only heard about how cool this game was
So, it's time to resurrect those old bits of CoH History, Lore, Facts, Rumors, and little known info about this small game that turned into a giant!
pohsyb: so of all people you must be most excited about the veats
Arachnos Commander: actually, I am
pohsyb: I mean you kinda were one already anyways ^_^
Arachnos Commander: