Author Topic: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible  (Read 8721 times)

Arachnion

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Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« on: December 16, 2012, 12:30:22 AM »
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BypRfkMsgQOiUXJLUzY4QlhtN2M/edit?pli=1

(note, the above link and contents aren't from me or uploaded by me, I found the link in google)

I have uploaded these original enemy group origins I found, however: https://www.sugarsync.com/pf/D0133125_936_93761540

Includes:
Carnival of Shadows
Banished Pantheon
Fifth Column
Nemesis
Devouring Earth
Freakshow
Street Gangs of Paragon City
Malta
Praetorians
Rikti
Rularuu
Skyraiders
Tsoo

-----------------------------------------
Circa 2004, pre-City of Villains, pre-Going Rogue.

If you look in the Lore Bible, you'll find additional origin stories for Vahzilok, Circle of Thorns, Clockwork, Crey Industries, Igneous, and The Council.

Interesting reads!

 ;D
« Last Edit: December 21, 2012, 07:18:03 PM by Arachnion »
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Arkasas

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #1 on: December 16, 2012, 12:44:33 AM »
Everyone, go look at the Lore Bible and read the Rikti section; it's on page 406. It is a complete history of the Rikti race. Yeah.

Arachnion

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #2 on: December 16, 2012, 12:45:34 AM »
Everyone, go look at the Lore Bible and read the Rikti section; it's on page 406. It is a complete history of the Rikti race. Yeah.

The separate PDF file for the Rikti has 39 pages, apparently.

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Xieveral

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #3 on: December 16, 2012, 01:42:10 AM »
Is there any stuff going in-depth on Villain and Praetorian lore?
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Arachnion

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #4 on: December 16, 2012, 01:53:00 AM »
Is there any stuff going in-depth on Villain and Praetorian lore?

I am unsure. I have not read much of it, however there appears to be an Arachnos file.
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Zekiran

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #5 on: December 16, 2012, 02:02:30 AM »
I gotta say I still love the Circle of Thorns the best. I have absolutely no regrets using a version of it for my main's backstory/connection, so... yeah. Very cool.

Arkasas

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #6 on: December 16, 2012, 02:09:42 AM »
There's some really basic Praetorian stuff, and an Arachnos file, but nothing else red/yellowside.

Rain Maker

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #7 on: December 16, 2012, 02:46:41 AM »
Am I the only one who didn't realize that the Ritkti were
Spoiler for Hidden:
actually a human-Rikti hybrid
of sorts?

corvus1970

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #8 on: December 16, 2012, 03:00:44 AM »
Possibly. I knew that particular truth.
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Rain Maker

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #9 on: December 16, 2012, 03:24:04 AM »
Evidently I neglected lore and back story and played primarily for the mechanics and my own characters' narratives, but I'm finding the CoH "Bible" both engrossing and educational. 

Zekiran

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #10 on: December 16, 2012, 03:47:53 AM »
Am I the only one who didn't realize that the Ritkti were
Spoiler for Hidden:
actually a human-Rikti hybrid
of sorts?

It's only one of many story arcs at that level range hero-side, and not that terribly hard to miss, actually. However, if you did enough leveling to that point it's a bit difficult to avoid purely from other info coming at you from all sides.

As the game evolved, so did certain portions of the lore, so some things had to become more visible and less 'secret society' stuff.

Arachnion

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #11 on: December 18, 2012, 11:49:14 PM »
Found this.

It is in More Badge background.pdf



It's weird seeing what was cut, and what was planned that never came to light.

Did you know Arachnos was originally going to have *flying APCs*? I didn't.
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Samuraiko

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #12 on: December 19, 2012, 08:50:45 AM »
Am I the only one who didn't realize that the Ritkti were
Spoiler for Hidden:
actually a human-Rikti hybrid
of sorts?

It's the arc "The Organ Grinders", if memory serves, that brings that particular bit of truth to light. Which I totally ran with when I wrote my AE arc "Kill or Cure."

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Mister Bison

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #13 on: December 19, 2012, 10:24:05 AM »
It's the arc "The Organ Grinders", if memory serves, that brings that particular bit of truth to light. Which I totally ran with when I wrote my AE arc "Kill or Cure."

Michelle
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Wasn't it also in the "cure the lost" to gain access hero-side to Cimerora ?
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Zekiran

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #14 on: December 20, 2012, 01:54:09 AM »
Wasn't it also in the "cure the lost" to gain access hero-side to Cimerora ?

I think it was implied there, yeah, but in the other missions it's pretty specifically stated.


It's a darn shame that the Avilians didn't make it in, but then again I like having wings myself. :D

Kind of sad then that it took until the unreleased beta content to get the "feathers" aura which was originally part of HAVING the wings, if you remember the video of that.

Ice Trix

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #15 on: December 20, 2012, 10:33:37 AM »
Awesome reading.

I think I had a lorgasm.

Samuraiko

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #16 on: December 20, 2012, 08:18:54 PM »
Wasn't it also in the "cure the lost" to gain access hero-side to Cimerora ?

It's hinted at there, too - because you use Hero 1's blood to restore them.

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Minotaur

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #17 on: December 20, 2012, 08:50:33 PM »
It's the arc "The Organ Grinders", if memory serves, that brings that particular bit of truth to light. Which I totally ran with when I wrote my AE arc "Kill or Cure."

Michelle
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Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

And also in one of the RWZ arcs.

Samuel Tow

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #18 on: December 21, 2012, 01:25:59 PM »
It's interesting, though, how ideas from disparate sources converge. I read through some of the Rikti lore, and was shocked to realise much of their backstory THAT I NEVER KNEW ended up very similar to my own alien race in the Curian, whom I made for the Phoenix Project. It's broad concepts, of course, but it's still concerningly similar enough to make me want to try harder.

Still, this is the sort of thing that, to me, made City of Heroes as awesome as it eventually became. It had a deep, rich backstory that implied connections and plotlines even if they were not literally in the game. It's also why I was so cross with Matt Miller's "ignore continuity" attitude to story writing which saw things like the Reichsman TF and the abandonment of nearly all old characters and groups in favour of brand new ones that ended up being a lot like them anyway.

Hell, the entire shtick behind Praetorian people seeing Earth as some kind of barbarous, disorderly world full of threatening individuals occurs almost word-for-word with the Rikti.

Those are some great stories, and I wish they had been utilised more instead of being abandoned for brand new concepts with very few links to the existing fiction.
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Kistulot

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Re: Original Design Documents & Lore Bible
« Reply #19 on: December 21, 2012, 06:21:52 PM »
The worst part about the emphasis of Praetoria over the existing threats we faced as Paragonians, is that for all of their "moral gray areas" I don't really feel like the Praetorian Guard was ever portrayed as anything truly different from before the retcon. Yes they have a more "noble reason" for what they do, but is there any different in the result, or what actually affects the people? We might have never known it before and it could have been canon then hidden away, but what you find out about Mother Mayhem in First Ward is ten times worse than anything any of the Praetorians did before Going Rogue.

As someone who even rather enjoyed Praetoria, and even had their toon's story linked up with that golden place (not in any way where she took credit for anything that happened mind you), it doesn't really feel like making the Praetorians from a group of mirrorverse people to "unique" mirrorverse people actually gave us anything additional.

Putting the guard in the trials was nice for the blueside accolade, but since they decided to add in Nega Pendragon (this character felt pretty bleh) and Shadow Hunter in the Magi instead of Infernal, and Duncan hops sides before you would get a shot at her, you still need to run the old arc anyway.

Confusing!
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