The Online Protagonist

Backround
Very little is known about the player's background, other than that they met Tyrone Beefly on FaceCook and took a flight to Greenfield in early 2013. The player does not return to their old home and still resides in Greenfield in the early 2020s.

Events of Heist City Online
Main article: Introduction (HC Online) The player is first seen in the initial cinematic tutorial of Heist City Online, and meets Tyrone Beefly when he picks the player up after their arrival in Greenfield from the airport. The two had previously met on FaceCook and became close friends. They enter Tyrone's Cheetta, where he gives the player a Pistol and welcomes them to the city. If the character is female, a different cutscene is shown where Tyrone will try to hit on the protagonist but fails. Tyrone sees further potential in the character and introduces them to Antuan, a drug runner living in Cherry Hills. Antuan immediately employs the character by asking them to ambush a deal between the Deagos and the Dragos and return the product to him. Tyrone also introduces the character to Simon, who gifts the player 64 Diamons to keep in exchange for work. As the player gains XP, they are introduced to several contacts including Paulie Fettichino, Lincoln Lest, Vladimir derkennof who all offer basic work to the player in the form of Contact Missions.

Apearence
According character customization background and character switch line-up screen, the male protagonist is 6' 0" (1.83 m) and the female protagonist is 5' 9" (1.75 m). The overall physique of the character cannot be altered by player choice. Both the female and male protagonists are generally the same height of pedestrians and other NPCs encountered (in the female's case, they are usually taller wearing shoes with heels). The character can be created according to the taste of the player, who is able to choose the character's name, age, gender, physical appearance and nationality (which can affect their appearance) as well as alter the character's daily lifestyle choices, such as time spent sleeping and exercising; this creates the initial stats for the character and can slightly change their appearance. For $100,000, players are able to change their character's appearance (but not the character gender).

Infuences
Upon release, HC Online provided little exposition, giving little to no background or central plot to the protagonist. However, subsequent content updates greatly expanded the storyline of HC Online, introducing new characters and separate plot lines for players to experience. A central theme of an aspiring criminal rising the ranks of the underworld is present. One key inspiration for the story of HC Online is the The Fast and the Furious Saga film franchise; both franchises feature characters starting as small-time street gangsters, rising the ranks of a criminal hierarchy, and eventually being employed by government entities to undergo heist-like tasks. Content updates including Heists, Gunrunning, and The Phantom Heist feature the protagonist becoming employed by government members to handle several operations.

Appearances

 * As the protagonist, they appear in every mission.