Beyond Praetoria: An idea for the future of Praetorian Earth

So GR comes out in a few days (THREE OMG) and I've been hitting the beta hard because I loves it and all the new story possibilities. I had something of a brain explosion when I was swimming under bridges in Imperial City. To the south (I think) is a bridge that connects to the mainland, and at the end of the bridge is a road. The road leads off, into the jungles of Praetorian Earth, where the wild things are, presumably. That road, and where it might lead, really interested me. So I came up with a few random ideas about what might lie at the end of it, and further away.

Forward Base Gladius aka Fort Gladius Lvl 20-30 (or so)
The sword that strikes back at the Devouring Earth, Forward Base Gladius is both a line of defense and attack against the monsters that threaten Praetoria. It is also a fledgling colony and an attempt to civilize the wilds and reclaim them in the name of Emperor Cole (however, those colonists sent here do not come voluntarily. The colonists of Fort Gladius are little more than indentured servants, borderline slaves, who have earned the ire of their betters and been sent here as a result)

Its military affairs are overseen by Captain Rufus (The names, by the way, are primarily placeholders. They could be Primal Earth counterparts or whatever), and Tribune Strategica Aculeo. The day-to-day handling and assigning of the colonists is handled by Magistratum Gurges, and his chief secretary, Ms. Goodchild.

Smaller versions of the sonic fields that surround Praetoria Proper are also in place around Fort Gladius, though they must be maintained carefully and monitored at all times, as they are not as reliable as the much larger versions around the city.

Not far from Forward Base Gladius, hidden within the trees, is...

The Treehouse lvl 20-30 (or so)

The Resistance, in their efforts to keep pace with Emperor Cole's schemes, have set up their own base amidst the Devouring Earth-infested jungles, though instead of dwelling underground, have taken to the tops of the gargantuan trees instead. With stolen technology taken from the early days of Fort Gladius, the Resistance have set up their own mini-Sonic barriers to keep the dangers of the primeval jungle at bay. A few of the "colonists" from Fort Gladius have managed to escape their cruel enslavement over the years, and while those that did were almost entirely wiped out in the jungle, a small percentage of them managed to find their way to the safety of the Treehouse, and now serve the Resistance loyally.

Jettison is in charge of all the major operations against Cole's forces off Praetoria's coast. Her number two is Quincy, a former "colonist" who managed to escape Fort Gladius and survive a run through the wild jungles to the Treehouse. Those resistance members who are new to the Treehouse should first look up Socket, the engineer who keeps the emitters working, or Cashel, one of the local Resistance trainers.

Both of these zones are relatively small, but connected to the larger zone, sort of like how the Vanguard base is separate, but connected to the RWZ. Both bases connect to...

The Praetorian Wilds Lvls 20-30 (or so)
The jungles surrounding the city of Praetoria are vast and deadly, filled with the ravenous Devouring Earth, and other horrors that survived the Hamidon Wars and the numerous nuclear assaults that all but destroyed the world. The trees that can be seen from Praetoria easily rival the tallest of the great city's tallest buildings, and many of them are home to flora and fauna that would prove deadly to even the most vigilant solider (or Resistance member).

Wide rivers teeming with carnivorous fish cut through the jungle, ending in vast waterfalls that hide labyrinthine networks of caves. The caves are home to creatures not previously encountered by Praetorian scientists, and those who travel there are urged to caution. A canyon, carved by unnatural forces during the Hamidon wars, divides the Wilds around Praetoria in two.

While there are many opportunities for expansion and the potential reward of wealth to be found within the unclaimed wilderness, there are equal amounts of danger and death waiting there as well.
.............

That's all I got for now. I have a few other ideas that I might throw out if anybody's interested. Cheers.

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Aequoropolis lvls 30-35 (or so)

While the Devouring Earth may dominate the majority of the land, the oceans remain vast and untouched, save where Emperor Cole has decided to extend his influence. Enter Aequoropolis: a testament to the ingenuity, brilliance, and determination of the Praetorian spirit. On par in terms of scale with great Praetoria, Aequoropolis is a floating city in the Atlantic Ocean, entirely self-sustaining and independent from any outside resources, thanks to its many gardens and hydroponic facilities.Designed by both Praetor Keyes and Praetor Berry, the city is the result of years of work and Emperor Cole's singular vision.

It is separated into several unique districts: Aequor Proper, which is the seat of the city's government, headed by Magistratum Vidi; the Cobalt Cove, where the richest and most influential families reside; the Blue District, where many corporations have their headquarters and the local TPN branch calls home; the Imperial Gardens are where the city's organic produce are grown in indoor orchards and hydroponic greenhouses, as well as many pristine botanical gardens that citizens from Praetoria travel to see, and are decorated with monuments to the heroes of the Hamidon Wars as well as countless rare and beautiful species of flora; Dock Island is appropriately named as it is a small extension of the city where shis routinely come and go, taking and delivering all manner of cargo, from visiting tourists, to whatever the City at large might need (just because Aequoropolis can be self-sustaining doesn't mean it has to be); and finally, the Water Works, the area beneath the waves, the foundation upon which the great city rests, and where many instrumental engines, filters, and other complex machinery reside. It is rumored that amidst the vast, labyrinthine passages of the Water Works, some Resistance have managed to infiltrate the great city, but citizens should be at ease, as the Works are constantly patrolled by the PPD, tireless Clockwork, and Aequoropolis Security Forces (ASF).

(I didn't include any underwater areas since I don't know what the tech like that would involve, but if it ever gets implemented, would be easy enough thematically to include in this zone(s). And, now, I actually have pictures for this one!



The following are random shots of actual conceptual floating cities that are being designed/were designed/whatever:






And these are pics from the water systems under Tokyo, for drainage and such, that might reflect the Water Works:

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Signed so hard I might go to jail for being indecent.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deus_Otiosus This entire post should receive some kind of award for being both hysterical and fantastic. Well done.

I'll /sign this!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow City of Heroes is a game about freedom of expression and variety of experiences far more so than it is about representing any one theme, topic or genre.

/Double signed

EPIC! And soooo /signed.

Fort Gladius, I think, might be more interesting if it's not only slaves and exiles, but actually mostly contains veteran soldiers from the Hamidon Wars. The bitter ones, who're angry about what happened to their world, and want it back. The ones who never really came back from their war. Fort Gladius is the natural dumping ground for all those dangerous Hamidon War veterans whose loyalty is not absolute, to keep these dangerous men out of the hands of the resistance. Cole keeps the men best suited to lead a rebellion busy with a more dangerous enemy.

The fort itself is one of the most free places on Praetoria, with few of the harsh restrictions of Praetoria save military discipline and little of the obvious propaganda. Hell, some of the people might never have actually seen Praetoria, and few of them know how controlling the dictatorship is, or that there even is a resistance.

The Resistance, though, uses this place as a training ground and safehouse, sending its recruits to be hardened, and those soldiers who've angered too many or become too well-known to be safe in Praetoria. The base is full of bitter veterans, and some of the most dangerous agents in the Resistance.

The Loyalist arcs are about fighting back the Devouring Earth, and finding a way to deal with the Resistance. The Resistance arcs are about dealing with Fort Gladius before they discover the Treehouse, and keeping safe from the DE. Both sides culminate in having to combat a new Devouring Earth monster, one of incredible power, the ability to control the DE around it, and worse, dangerously intelligent.

The Power arc is a more ruthless military campaign, where you must win at any cost, versus the Responsibility arc, which is more about keeping the soldiers under you alive even if it makes victory less likely. The first arc has you conducting general military patrols, activities, and rescuing captive soldiers, with the central plotline being discovering the DE are capturing soldiers to convert into Devoured. In the Power plotline the contact expresses disgust that these soldiers let themselves be captured alive and orders you to plant a beacon so they can destroy the entire Spire and everything in it, whereas the Responsibility plotline has you rescue the soldiers and destroy the Spire but let many Devoured get away.

The second arc involves the discovery of the Resistance base, at first following rumours of disappearing patrols, then encountering Resistance bodies, and trying to find a Resistance patrol and stalk them back to the base. In the last mission you encounter a large group of Resistance pinned down by the DE. The Power plotline is to use one of the lure bombs to draw enough DE there to weaken them, then finishing them by yourself, so you can check their bodies for intelligence of the location of the base. The Responsibility plotline is to help them fight them back, because at worst they keep the DE's attention divided, and at best you may be able to form a tentative alliance of convenience with them. In this case, though, you find them entirely unreasonable, and though they tell you where the base is because you saved them, they refuse to consider working with you.

The final arc starts with an attempt to raid the Resistance base, only to be ambushed by a new and terrifying DE enemy, a colossal Devoured with a lesser form of the Hamidon's ability to control the DE. You can choose to help the ambushed party escape, or let them die and flee yourself, because getting this intel back is far more valuable. Then you join a hunter-killer team tasked with killing the beast, only to find out it is actually a skilled tactician, and was exposing itself only to lure you in. You return to base to find that the base is under a massive attack, and that you'll have to fight it off. You fight for a time until it becomes obvious the attack won't end, and the second last mission is to distract the enemy long enough to buy yourself some time, by dropping behind enemy lines to attack the beast yourself so it calls back its forces. The last mission is to hit it while it's weakened, in the Responsibility plot by going in alone and planting a beacon for a massive airstrike, and in the Power plot by going in with a hunter-killer force, at greater risk, but so you can be sure you hurt it.

The moral choice mission is one to destroy this DE monster, because it poses a clear danger to not just Fort Gladius but Praetoria itself. You go to the Resistance base one way or another, Power, ordering you to plant a beacon there so the monster attacks and destroys the base, allowing the Loyalists to hit it while it's badly weakened, or Responsibility, forming a temporary alliance with the Resistance to fight it. When you get into the base you're confronted by the base's commander, who offers you pretty much the same choice. If you choose Power, you have to fight him, then plant the beacon, and then go out of the base to see a huge number of Resistance bodies and a EB monster with a half-health cap. If you choose Power, you go outside, but are confronted by your CO for trusting the Resistance, who were planning to do the same to your base. You fight him, and then the Responsibility contact joins you. You fight a full-health EB, but with two strong Boss allies. In this case an unspoken treaty of nonaggression forms between the Resistance and Fort Gladius.

Either way, the threat is ended and the loose ends tied up, just before you're called back to Praetoria to celebrate your remarkable success before heading to your next assignment.

All of the above are fantastic.

A part of me is hoping that something like that gets done.

But, there is another part that hopes that at some point we get more Super Hero type content.

Don't get me wrong, Praetoria is fantastic. But it isn't what I want from this game, namely to be a Super Hero. I don't play it to wade around in morally ambiguous content. To each their own. Just saying... this really isn't mine. Yes, I will play it through at least once. But, I'm pretty sure at the end of the day I'll be back in Paragon fighting the good fight.

I still found the content in Praetoria to have that comic-booky feel to it. Unless you're just saying ONLY heroic/Good content, which is pretty limiting. However, I really don't think you need to worry. It'd be pretty silly of the Devs to just stop making hero content. I think as long as the game is running, heroes will get stuff.

Random idea: new enemy group.

Praetoria is a country, yes? Or at least, something like a country? If I'm wrong, please correct me. But if it IS a country, it should have a military. No the PPD do NOT count. Police do not equal soldiers. Powers Division is NOT the military either because it isn't structured like one, and it doesn't serve the purpose of one.

Cole's aiming to invade Primal Earth, and (SPOILERS AHEAD) from the end of the Responsibility arc, he's looking to do it with a bunch of those mega Clockwork titan thingies (BTW, do you ever face one of those in-game? i've only seen them in the cut scene). While no doubt powerful, an army comprised solely of those things would be very limited in strategic terms, and no doubt monstrously expensive. The Rikti don't JUST invade with their heavy units. they got foot soldiers and lieutenants and so on.

So Praetoria needs an army. Now, they wouldn't be posted in the city itself. That's what the PPD is for. But they would be posted at places like the aforementioned Fort Gladius, and other places of strategic military importance.

So, rough ideas:

Enemy Group Name: <Praetorian Legion>

UNDERLING:
Lookout-A small, hovering object resembling an upsidedown silver bowl, equipped with a a weak pulse weapon, and a speaker. Through some unknwon means, it can detect the presence of hostile forces and alert nearby legionnaires. (This was just a brainfart I had. A potential psychic, taken by Tilman, doesn't quite make it through the Seer-making process. They die, or almost do. The military takes the brain, and places it in a stasis unit (the bowl thingy) and equips it so that it can detect hostile thoughts and relay danger to the troops, acting as an early warning system. They wouldn't be capable of much else, just sort of like having a canary in a mineshaft. Brains in floating jars, basically)

MINIONS:
Legionnaire-the basic footsoldier of Praetoria's military. Equipped with a basic pulse rifle (a sleeker version perhaps of what the Resistance has, perhaps implying that the Resistance is using outdated, and stolen, military tech to arm themselves, since they likely do not have any factories of their own).

Field Medic-A skilled soldier proficient in the use of battle triage. While only armed with a simple handgun, his ability to keep his more heavily-armed allies active in a fight makes him more dangerous than most.

L.I.U. Clockwork- More heavily armed than the basic Praetorian Clockwork, the Light Infantry Unit is capable of having many loadouts, making it versatile in the field. Submachine guns and pulse rifles can be mounted to its forearms, as well as flamethrowers, or non-lethal weapons such as net grenade launchers, and electrical long-range taze guns.

LIEUTENANTS:
Tribune-Often seen leading smal lsquads of legionnaires, the Tribune is equipped with both a powerful pulse rifle, and a close quarters energy weapon (usually a sword of some kind). He is clad in heavier armor than the typical Legionnaire, and is capable of rallying the troops around him to improve their damage output and accuracy.

Heavy Weapons Tribune-A veteran soldier that wields powerful weaponry with the assistance of light power armor, making them tougher, and able to wield their destructive wepons longer, and with greater accuracy.

BOSSES:
Centurion-a hardened wartime soldier who has seen multiple campaigns against the Empire's enemies. They possess a durable force shield and a large energy melee weapon. Their advanced armor allows them to withstand incredible amounts of pain, and in emergencies, inject the wearer with powerful stimulants.

H.A.S. Clockwork- While not quite as impressive as their bigger cousins (the ones seen in the cutscene mentioned earlier) the Heavy assault and Siege clockwork are cheaper to produce and almost as destructive. Made for attacking either enemy heavy units, or entrenched positions, the HAS Unit has shoulder-mounted missile launchers, forearm pulse gatling guns, and a chest mounted energy cannon.

Just ideas I had when i couldn't sleep.

Praetoria does in fact have a military, it's not seen in the existing content outside of a few missions. The few they do appear even slightly in refer to them as the Imperial Defense Force. It's in one of the Neutropolis crusader arcs, but I don't remember which one.

Praetorian Legion sounds awesome!

I really, really want to hunt Raptors in the Jungles of Praetoria.
They could be Remnants revived by Hami or some other reasoning.

Give us Dinosaurs!

SCR - I know we don't have any skeletons in game that aren't bipedal. I'm saying it's time to change that.


Otherwise, brilliant ideas!