Paragon's Location: Thoughts?

In another thread someone pointed out that Rhode Island is the smallest of the states. (I don't know if that's right, technically, but I can look on a map and see that it sure is very small. I suppose if DC was considered a state, that would be the smallest, but it's not.)

Now, in our world, a lot of RI is taken up by the city of Providence. I came to the conclusion a little while ago that Paragon City pretty much must occupy the space taken up by Providence, so Providence doesn't exist.

Any thoughts? Particularly from the Americans, some of whom may actually know the state?

Looking at a map, and comparing it with the game map from the CoH Deluxe box set, Providence looks like the only possible location.

Yeah, same conclusion I seem to be at. even if paragon is slightly more southerly than providence.

I've always gone off it being Providence myself, heck they even both start with a P!

Rhode Island is indeed the smallest state in the United States. Its land area's 1045 mi^2 (2705 km^2), the next smallest state is Delaware at 1955 mi^2 (5060 km^2). To compare, the largest state, Alaska, has an area of over 500000 mi^2 and over 1000000 km^2. So yeah, there's not a lot of room to squeeze a fictional city in without pushing other things out. But the map of Paragon is not a direct copy of the Providence area at all. Vaguely similar with a complicated coast with lots of bays and islands, but not identical.

Given that we get no details on anywhere out side Paragon , not even which major roads link it, i have always assumed it a non specific dropped in location in RI.ie an extra bit of coast line . That way the rest of the real world RI and USA can be used with out adjustment. It also allows Lovecraft fans to use Providence.

It would seem that it is basically Providence with completely different geography.

I have the Good vs. Evil map of Paragon City.

If one was to take any map of Paragon and superimpose it over a map of real world Rhode Island, for Paragon to even exist, a good chunk of Massachusetts would have to be blown off in order for this fictional city to reside in RI.

The developers put Paragon on the east coast of the US, right up against the Atlantic Ocean. Given that RI is situated to the south of MA, this makes for some unusual game geography. Rhode Island's coastline on the Atlantic would be in the south, not the east, and when you consider the location of Talos Island and Dark Astoria, there's SUPPOSED to be land mass to the south. Not even Providence provides such geography.

If you were to take the same GvE map of Paragon and superimpose it over Massachusetts, particularly eastern MA, THEN the city's location makes a bit more sense.

However, it's STILL a fictional city, and the developers took some artistic license to the map of the US in placing this city. Given that it's in RI, the Atlantic Ocean would've A) flooded the eastern portion of MA B) receeded a bit from RI, making some sort of landbridge between Paragon proper to Astoria, C) Talos Island could be represented by the island that consists of Newport County D) two other islands: Peregrine and Striga, somehow rose out of the Atlantic, or are remants of the eastern chunk of MA.

Also, Paragon City could fit in right nicely at the city of Kingston, again with some artistic license (and a few changes not too dissimilar from what I stated in the above paragraph.) The real world city of Providence lending its geography to Paragon? I think not - not without sinking eastern MA into the waters of the Atlantic, including Boston. Unless, of course, that's what the devs intended all along.

So where would that fit the Rogue Islands into? According to that same map, a dotted line leads north from Siren's Call to Sharkhead. So the Isles would be northeast of Paragon, perhaps as far north as Canada, perhaps not.

I've chalked it up to some horrendous form of artistic license, nothing more, nothing less. That, and perhaps the developers decided upon RI due to it's miniscule size as a state - I mean, c'mon, what really happens in RI anyway?

You'd still have to admit though - the devs put the Atlantic Ocean RIGHT there off the eastern coast of Paragon. Granted the water in the bays of RI are all going to be the same as the Atlantic - RI just DOES NOT SIT on the coast of the Atlantic like the devs have put on their maps.

The devs would have their hands full trying to explain how it's supposed to match real world Providence, especially if they said it was supposed to be an exact geographical match of that city.

Again, it's artistic license, a fictional city created for our enjoyment. To actually place it on a real world map? I'd definitely go with Kingston/Warwick counties over Providence/Providence County. Some artistic adjustment of the Atlantic Ocean would still have be done, as well.

Personally i'd say that Primal earths Rhode island is either alrger or perhaps has a peninsula jutting out hat would allow Paragon to have teh Ocean to it's west.

Hey it could be accurate.

Definitely within the confines of artistic license.

have you guys taken into account that Talos Islandwas created by a hero vs monster battle? just that might explain the difference in coast line, since Talos Island would not exist in our world.

Wait, so for the last three years, I've been playing a character who comes from a city that doesn't exist?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blade Racer have you guys taken into account that Talos Islandwas created by a hero vs monster battle? just that might explain the difference in coast line, since Talos Island would not exist in our world.

Add to that the fact that Rhode Island is the site of Oranbega. It's entirely possible that a wizard did it.

Yes, a lot of details like Talos and the surrounding little islands and Independance Port would be created -after- the 'split' between our reality and Paragon (after the superheroes became common place {or existed at all}, and so on).

So you can probably ignore them when trying to match it to a map.