Our Unusual Story

Apr 17, 2023

In Ship of Heroes you can write your own short backstory for the unique character you create, which other players can read and enjoy. Your personal story will tie into the larger stories of the FHS Justice and the various planets as you explore them, so let’s talk about the setting, dialog, and themes of Ship of Heroes. We haven’t covered this subject much, though you may have seen pieces of the story in our public events and Betas.

Ludovick here is from Chulainn X, and he loves metals. Can you tell?

Unlike many futuristic RPGs, Ship of Heroes has a bright, positive setting that is worth protecting. Despite all the potential threats, civilians aboard the FHS Justice have prosperous, exciting, and surprisingly safe lives. This is reflected in the bright, beautiful, clean city you’ll explore; it’s the kind of place many of us would like to visit in real life! Anyone can rise to greatness through hard work and determination aboard the Justice. And you can be confident that other good guys will have your back, no matter what invasions and attacks you may experience.

Tiny nanites keep the streets of Apotheosis City perfectly clean.

The 25th century is the most interesting time to be alive. People have more options than ever before to rise to greatness: hero powers unlocked by Dust exposure, magic learned and honed over decades, advanced weapons and armor, cybernetic implants, genetic augmentation, interactions with alien species, and more. And different people are taking these options in very different directions. But no matter how much our abilities may change, our shared humanity and common enemies keep most people united aboard the ship – and you’ll have chances to help maintain that common culture in missions. You can create characters with an immense variety of motives and goals while still fitting into the broader story.

Cyborgs use their fashion sense to fit in. At least they think they do…

But not all stories are told with words. Just walking around Apotheosis City, or visiting planets can give you a sense of what kind of place they are. In the same way, SoH gives you unprecedented freedom to customize your character with a look that is uniquely yours. Are you serious, or silly? Quiet, or the center of attention? Your appearance and backstory are great ways to answer those questions in a game that’s all about creating epic tales!

​We at SoH already have detailed plans for how the current storylines will expand over hundreds of future missions, with twists and reactions that make sense given each of the main NPC character’s beliefs. The things you learn about the NPCs and factions at level one will often be relevant much later on, and a mission or comment in one arc can shed light on a completely different mission elsewhere. It’ll take more than one character – or some dedicated searching – to uncover all of the galaxy’s secrets, This complexity will only grow as we expand the game. Luckily, there are many ways to level up your characters and become powerful.

“Maybe I should buy a hooded robe to blend in…” – Cyborg in the Magic Bazaar

Ship of Heroes is designed from the ground up to immerse you in the feeling of being super, in cutscenes and combat alike. A hero with good augments and a clever attack chain can fight a small army and win, even at the middle levels of experience; only similarly exceptional foes are a deadly threat. You’ll find that many people aboard the FHS Justice already understand this… and a few villains need to see it firsthand.

The story and gameplay are woven together in other ways, too. What’s the difference between hero powers and magic? How can different heroes return with rare loot after doing the same mission, or from doing one mission several times? Why is the FHS Justice so wealthy, on average? We’re not going to spoil the story with answers here, but you’ll find them while playing, if you look carefully enough.

The FHS Justice’s mages are known to be wealthy from magic item sales.

You can dive deep into these subtle details… or learn them at your own pace. Cutscenes are generally skippable. Dialog can be read, or listened to with automated voiceovers like an audiobook, or even ignored entirely… though doing so is risky. Many challenges are hinted at, and your choices affect how NPCs will behave in future missions, for good or ill. You could play SoH for the challenging combat, or just to tell your own heroic story, and only get excited about the lore much later on. It’ll still be there, and it’ll still be fun and engaging.

Help others discover Ship of Heroes

Our innovative story is one of the big reasons why Ship of Heroes is worth playing. In addition to challenging combat, and pretty graphics, it’s an awesome setting in which you can be the hero of your own story, directed by you. And that’s not always possible in this age of curated “content.” To see some of the story, as well as cool explosions and shiny loot, keep an eye out for our upcoming summer event! We’ll be there with something you won’t want to miss.

Ship of Heroes has had 9 public events

2017

Login Test

Character Creator Alpha

2018

Combat Alpha

2019

Character Creator Beta

2020

Community Event

Invasion Combat Beta

2021

Mission Beta

2022

Player Housing 1st Beta

Player Housing 2nd Beta

Technical Notes

 

1.  In the last few years, Ship of Heroes has had some major upgrades in graphics quality.  We’ve added virtual texturing, and eliminated all of the low-resolution textures from the game.  We’ve implemented a series of engine upgrades from Epic.  We’ve extended and improved our own internal system of graphical balancing called CROM. We’ve had a major effort to upgrade and add to the costume selection, along with preset heads and faces for the CCT.  The FX are vastly better, and there’s an awesome day/night cycle now.  And our migration to scalable servers is helping, too.

2.  Missions in Ship of Heroes are available at different difficulty levels, and there is more than one way to manage difficulty.  For those looking to be challenged, you will find challenge.  For those looking to enjoy a social team event, you will also find what you are looking for.

3.  One of the other little changes that players may notice, particularly if they participated in our early Betas, is the substantial increase in numbers and variety of NPCs. Civilian NPCs in the city have had a makeover, with new characters, costumes, and faces, as well as improved appearances and animations, compared to the placeholder civilians used in early testing.  The looks and powers of the enemy factions have expanded, as well; in keeping with the story of the game, you’ll see just how dangerous they really are.

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