Dev Chat Highlights, July 13: First Ward

Pre-Stream Show:

According to Beastyle the Paragon office smells like popcorn.

TheNet states it's because some people can't find their way around and use trails of popcorn to mark a path back their desks.

OCR offices used to smell like Cotton Candy, because they had a cotton candy machine. That could make cotton candy out of any candy. VK speculates they got rid of it because Black Pebble used it to make cotton candy out of loose-lipped devs.

Zwill is wearing a Gen-Con shirt and is not entirely awake yet. He is sunburned, tired, and peeling after taking his kids to the water park.

Opening Tangent: Gen-Con and Zwill waving his signed DnD book, with RA Salvatore having signed it.

Intern arrives with spare coffee for Zwill, who lords over it and DEMANDS Splenda and Cream.

Continued tangent: Dave Arneson (A DnD founder) has a nephew that played/worked on one of Zwill's games.

Zwill talks about Protean's DnD campaign and his Thri-Keen Monk. Utterly non-human party.

Protean calls Wesley Crusher a whiny ***** as people are saying in chat that he sounds like Wil Wheaton.

Mic re-arranging/table thumping. Check a box.

They're singing. God help us.

Samuraiko wants Zwill to sing "Bragadoon!" which Zwill says he did at one point sing/be in that musical.

No comment on Issue 22.

We finally get onto the topic of First Ward.

Or not. Tangent about Arbiter Nameless' monitor.

Tangent about tangents.

Tangent about Ultimate Frisbee.

Zombie-Man throws up the Tangeant Alarm in chat.

Tangent Re: Zwill's coffee.

http://www.cityofheroes.com/images/i...llentown_4.jpg

First Ward is all about people trying to live with scavenging through the ruins and rubble, having to fend for themselves.

Smaller groups in the zone:

Dregs - Civilians that raid other civilians, Mad Max style.
Shepards - Doomsday prophets
Dust - Praetorian special operatives sent into First Ward

"Some questions that people have been asking on the forums, specifically about the Seers, will be answered."

http://www.cityofheroes.com/images/i...n_seers_02.jpg

The Awakened, their full psychic potential has been unleashed.

Akira is a kind of influence, with a kind of psychic-influenced explosion of growth and power.

We do not get a giant laser cannon thing made out of motorcycles.

Zwill's son's middle name is Akira.

Emperor Cole has a stranglehold on magic in Praetoria.

Magic can bypass his security and block the seers.

http://www.cityofheroes.com/images/i...l_of_light.jpg

The Banished Pantheon is not combined with the Carnival of Light, despite the floating mask type creature.

Tangent: Is Protean really Protean? And is he telling the truth?

Protean: "Why would I lie?"

Chat Position: "Why would you tell the truth?"

First Ward is meant to bring the two universes back together into one cohesive story for the entire multiverse rather than just Praetoria.

Strange things in First ward require the attention of anyone and everyone that is ready to help.

Tangent: QA guy vanishing behind whiteboard.

The Carnival of Light is looking for people in First Ward. They're kinda sorta the good guys.

First Ward is not the end of the Praetorian story, but the beginning of the end. Dun dun daaaaaaaah!

Diabolique has a rich link to the magic of Praetoria.

Protean has a target in mind for the end of the Protean storyline.

Zwill: "Stay on target! Stay on tangent! Stay off tangent!"

The signature story arcs might be contributing to ending the chapter of Praetoria.

Black Pebble does not drink coffe, but does drink Jamba Juice.

Protean drinks Enriche.

Protean: "It has what plants crave. That's why Hamidon is attacking."

There are some things in First Ward that are kind of hidden and players might not want to go into dark alleys.

Zwill: "Now is the time on Sprockets when we dance! Err... answer questions from chat."

Hyperstike is organizing and un-official CoH meet and Greet at Gen Con at the Weber Grill.

Tangeant: Coffee burp.

XterraAmazons: "Who is going to be at Comicon?"

"Zwill, Avatea, Posi, War Witch, Black Pebble, Second Measure, and Noble Savage at Comicon."

Steelclaw: "Will we still be able to leave Praetoria at level 20 or will the expansion of First Ward to 25th content raise the departure to 25th?"

Protean: "Still be able to leave via the rift as normal. Or you can come back and stay."

Snowglobe: "how does sonic fences = magic?"

Protean: "They don't. Not everything in First Ward is magic."

Samuraiko: "Will Anti-Matter even win Dominatrix's heart?"

Protean: "Wait til Valentines day to see..."

"Will primals be able to join the Loyalists or Resistance in First Ward?"

No.

"Will we be able to exemp down to run mission arcs?"

You'll have to find someone running it.

"Is First Ward like the Praetorian Croatoa and will we see any irish myth love?"

No, nothing of an irsh myth nature will be focused on.

"Can a primal get the missions in First Ward?"

Yes, everyone can. Some hero, some villain, but mostly co-op.

"Do any devs play on Champion?"

Can't tell, to keep Dev 'player' ID's secret.

Solasau: "What were your big influences in the style of First Ward when you came to fleshing it out?"

Post-Katrina New Orleans. Flooded, ruined, people wandering around kind of forgotten. A "Holy crap!" disaster area. Find out how people are surviving, etc. People have been surviving there for years.

"First Ward arcs via Ouro?"

Protean: "I think so, I have to double check."

"Malaise/Infernal praetorian version?"

No comment

"CoT and Mu Mystics in First Ward?"

Protean: "I want to explore the Praetorian versions at a later time."

"Can you tell us more about the Tellurian Plague?"

Protean: "It is spores from the DE creatures that takes them over and turns them into Devouring Earth. It's like what the Primal DE do to heroes to make Devoured. Kind of like zombie plague meets plant. Can't get rid of it but nukes.

Neuron has a cure for the first stage of the Tellurian plague. It has stages."

http://www.cityofheroes.com/images/i...ed_hamidon.jpg

The seed is bigger than it looks in the images.

Zwill tangents with bad accent and So I Married an Axe Murderer quotes.

"His head's like Sputnik. Spherical, but quite pointy in parts."

Positron: "Does Praetorian War Witch have a beard?"

Protean: "No, that's blood."

Zwill: "I thought that was a tribal tattoo."

Protean: "Nope. Blood. She is hardcore. Also very angry at Cole."

Zwill: "She's angry because Vancouver lost."

"Are there Praetorian Kheldians? If not, why not?"

Protean: "Try to find one."

"Could you expand of the story of the rogue isles?"

Protean: "I'd love do, but we have limited time and resources. We want to make it as polished as possible."

"Will there be community events scheduled fro the release of Freedom?"

Zwill: "There's a whole bunch of things planned."

"Will we have anything for the anniversary of Brass Monday? (Nemesis attack)"

Protean: "It keeps popping up and we always want to do something for it, but it keeps getting skipped for other things."

7-11 is a nemesis plot

SnowGlobeCoH: "will there be DE incursions into the "regular" areas of Praetoria?"

Protean: "Not at this time."

Zwill: "Wiggle the mouse! Wiggle the mouse!" (Check off a box)

ShadowWail: "Quick question about the timeline of First Ward? When does it take place compared to Mother Mayhem becoming Mother Mayhem"

Protean: "Definitely after."

Solasau: " If you were going to describe the feel of the Praetorian metastory, what themes/stories would you compare it to?"

Protean: "The theme in Praetoria is that everything revolves around Marcus Cole, and the theme I used with him is that the road to hell is paved with good intentions."

http://media.pcgamer.com/files/2011/06/graveyard.jpg

Samauriko wonders about this church/graveyard bulding.

Protean: "The Chapel of Endearing Light, it's in the Mercyview cemetery in First Ward."

Zwill: "We probably shouldn't tell them what that is, then."

TheNet requests that I put in the summary that he is a possum. Or maybe awesome. Not sure.

Quote:

Originally Posted by reiella Until I see something that states to the contrary, going to assume VK is right .

Thanks.

I'm slipping... only managed to get 3 questions answered this time.

Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters

OMG OMG OMG!

My nephew's middle name is Akira too!

Okay, that is all.

What I really wanted to ask was if First Ward was the "birthplace" of Mother Mayhem? Her backstory states that she was in a hospital with Aurora when an unstable psychic let out a burst of psychic energy that killed several people.

If that is the case, then First Ward could the birthplace of the Mother Mayhem. According to both Mother's backstory and Malaise's both state that he is an unstable psychic and that he was in Mother's "care". Mother Mayhem's backstory says that she was already in a hospital working on the seers with Aurora when an unstable psychic lashed out and killed several people. Also, First Ward is Cole's firs try at making Praetoria.

Could Mother Mayhem's true body be buried in the cemetery?

Since Magic can block the Seers and magic can bypass Tyrant's security measures...does that mean that the same ritual that Azuria performed on Sister Psyche/Aurora work on Mother Mayhem but because Mother Mayhem's body is gone only will result in her psychic spirit being unleashed?

Nobody asked what will happen with the Galaxy TP beacon for SG teleporters?

.

Thanks VK! I'm intreged by this comment about the Prae War Witch:

Protean: "Nope. Blood. She is hardcore. Also very angry at Cole."

I have another dumb question...if magic can block the security and Seers... how does Cole know I use magic?