My intention is to include all current content from City of Heroes, then add new content to it...New stories and such. Then perhaps later on look into updating older content.
I don't think I can give more detail on story and such at this time.
I don't know anything about actually making a game, so that's why I'm wondering about it. Wouldn't it be easier to just build all the content in with new tech from the start? Older missions were created before things like phasing and choices within missions were offered, and have a certain mindset underlying their structure (go here, kill X amount, kill X boss, for example). Plus, contacts that change could actually be built in somehow - if you read the Lore AMAs, they talk about why it was going to be hard for Scirocco to switch sides - all the stuff he was involved in, the missions, everything would have to be changed. Why not build some sort of mission / contact designing thing that allows for more fluid changes to the game from the get go?
I have to say that some of what motivates this is my editing of the Wiki. Because of the way the Wiki formatting is set up, it can't deal all that easily with things like the Statesman and Psyche's deaths in their individual articles. And the pseudo-static nature of MMOs has some similar type of issues. So I think building from the start for a dynamic world, and missions that use cool options, is better than just porting over old school "kill all" style missions.
Isn't that easy enough? Just make a character with the name you want.
I would suggest something similar to STO - global handles. There's a certain amount of uniqueness needed in a superhero game, to be sure, but I think it's better to make more people happy.
I hope that at least some, if not most or all, of I24 and of the stuff planned mentioned in the Loregasms eventually makes it's way into the game. But it's understandable if it doesn't. Those writers are no longer participating in your project.
As far as the Lore AMA stuff, I think it would be worth really getting a more in-depth description of the nature of powers / reality. Even if the storyline (Coming Storm, Battalion, etc.) doesn't happen, there's already TONS of stuff in game built on these sort of grand ideas about the nature of the universe.
Most of the stuff built on it is Incarnate stuff, which I never liked, but it's still there.
A good for instance on why I24 should not be portioned in the Cannon is that there were still issues being worked out.
There were issues with it you can see just by logging into Icon Beta. Such as Dual Pistol damage for corrupters was higher than that of blasters. and much of the corrupter damage was... different than expected.
That's game mechanics, which is going to be different anyways, probably. I think that the storyline stuff is good to include - the Praetorian arcs do need some resolution. Mechanics, power sets, things like that: take them if they're good, but leave 'em if not. Power sets should be added as much as possible - even if they weren't finished, we can see the design intent behind them, and build from there.