Lazarus

Once again people are posting arcs without doing the requisite review first, and more annoyingly people are breaking the rule also by reviewing those arcs. This thread is turning into a spam-fest and leading to those playing by the rules getting buried.

Fill the map with friendly patrols and boss spawns set to not-required. Then you can have triggered enemy patrols and bosses that fill up the rest of the spawns and don't appear until you trigger them. You can see an example of this in Arc 1567.

Changes made to "The Amulet of J'gara":
* The first mission no longer uses a random map. This means that the objectives will always be placed in a rather linear fashion so as to avoid backtracking.

Changes made to "MacGuffin Delivery Service":
* Various corrections to the briefing and debriefing dialog to keep it consistently in past tense.

Changes made to "The Portal Bandits":
* Nagan Shockfists no longer have Build Up or Chain Induction.
* Vikki Vandal no longer has Build Up or Crowd Control.
* Rewrote much of the dialog to make it more consistent. The plot should make more sense now. Anna has a clue to explain her presence at the safehouse and why she is willing to help you to defeat Vikki.

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Can you even give _minions_ status protection? 'Cause the fact that they are minions also limits their power choices; I think some still don't gain anything for increased power setting.
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Energy Aura, even on Standard minions get Entropy Shield.

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I'm still trying to figure out WHY the server is spawning at the beginning of the first mission. As near as I can tell, having the optional boss spawn at the back of the mission seems to be kicking it to the front. (I'd like them to spawn close to each other, but... that doesn't seem like it's going to happen.)


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A lot of the maps have a problem spawn location for glowies. Most of the mob spawn points seem to work correctly, but a lot of the time glowies will spawn in the wrong location. The only way to really find out where it will spawn is try the different settings when creating your mission.

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I know this is a common issue on the CoT maps. The enemy spawns work correctly but the glowie spawns are inverted, so middle actually appears in the back and vice-versa.

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Well, that depends on the map. Most CoT maps are kind of... circular, so the "back" is close to the entrance then the "front". At least from what I've seen. Not all, mind you, but some of those do it that way, which is weird.

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These maps were pretty damn linear, it wasn't a case of being circular.

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Blaster powers give enemies Defiance.

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Except for Archery. I have Archery/TA LTs who are held easily.

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If that mission uses Carnies, then that would probably make things worse, since there's apparently a bug where even though Carnies are listed as 30-54, if you go in as a hero they'll refuse to spawn any lower than 40.

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Yeah, I got a report of that very recently from a friend. It never got noticed until then as it's a villain arc and even then nobody had taken a level 35 hero into it. Strangely, the Ring Mistress boss still spawns at 35, it's all the other Carnies that were level 40.

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If nothing was different but the name of the AV, it would still have been bad writing. It just wouldn't be a Mary Sue, at least not as I define it.

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What DO you define as a Mary Sue, then? TVTropes defines it as a (female) character that is just perfect, wonderful, is great at everything, has no flaws, and is just the best! That doesn't seem like Tanya Atta to me.

[/ QUOTE ]Mary Sue is like Porn. It's something many people are sensitive to, even oversensitive to, apply in the wrong place, and can't define well. Doesn't mean I can't put my finger on it when I see it.

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In other words, it's a very subjective term that people like to throw about whenever a character offends them yet it has no real meaning in itself.

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I'm still trying to figure out WHY the server is spawning at the beginning of the first mission. As near as I can tell, having the optional boss spawn at the back of the mission seems to be kicking it to the front. (I'd like them to spawn close to each other, but... that doesn't seem like it's going to happen.)


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A lot of the maps have a problem spawn location for glowies. Most of the mob spawn points seem to work correctly, but a lot of the time glowies will spawn in the wrong location. The only way to really find out where it will spawn is try the different settings when creating your mission.

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I know this is a common issue on the CoT maps. The enemy spawns work correctly but the glowie spawns are inverted, so middle actually appears in the back and vice-versa.

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I think a player playing around with a Custom factions is GREAT. It's going the extra mile. If the arc itself is covered in typos, bad grammar and nonsensical missions...alright, that's not impressing me any since that completely shoots my opinion of the author's Creativity.

WHY use this wonderful creative tool the devs gave us to make mundane, fought 'em a million times story arcs I say. If someone has done a Luddite arc i'd be all over it. They're practically a custom faction since they're so utterly unused by the Devs.

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Personally I agree. While I won't be lenient in reviewing an arc just because it has custom foes, if it's using the same common factions I've fought for years now then the story is going have to have to try extra hard to impress me. Especially is the arc is mostly Longbow or Arachnos.

As for David and Goliath being a Mary Sue arc, I don't see how it would have been any better if Dispari had made up some random new troll AV instead. Heck, I wonder if Venture would have even made such a comment if he hadn't known Tanya Atta was one of Dispari's PCs. I got similar comments from him on test and wonder what he would have said if I had instead denied it when he asked if a AV in one of my arcs was one of my PCs.

I had two EBs, an enemy and helper. At the time they both had their self-rezz powers.

The ally and I killed the EB. EB rezzed and suddenly killed the ally. The ally rezzed and killed the EB again on her own.

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I guess I'm im the minority because I don't think the Portal Corps map is all that big. As has been said, it's only four levels and there are only 4-5 "rooms" in the whole thing. Unless it's a defeat all, that map shouldn't take all that long to navigate. I think the large office maps can be far more irritatingly mazelike.

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And the Portal Corp maps are pretty linear as well. The few branches that it has are very short and no backtracking to try a different elevator (I HATE that type of tech lab map).

It's the same with the Rikti Portal map that some people complain about. The branches are so short that you can just glance into it to see if there is anything there, and the one time the path splits they rejoin after a single room. How the heck can you get lost?

I'll throw a couple in.

Author: @Lazarus
Level Range: 35-40
Subject: A simple late-night robbery leads to a major ordeal when you steal an innocent looking item that every villain seems to be willing to kill you for. Problem is, you can't seem to get rid of it even if you wanted to. (No AVs)
Arc #1567 - MacGuffin Delivery Service
Rating:

Author: @Lazarus
Level Range: 25-33
Subject: A search for two missing Midnighters leads to an attack on the Midnight Club itself and a battle for you very mind and soul. (There is an AV, but allies are available.)
Arc #1709 - The Amulet of J'gara
Rating:

I'd prefer that Portal Bandits be left alone for now since I plan to fix a lot of the problems with the story over the next couple days.

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You crazy people with three arcs already.

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Not our fault you're slow.

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You pretty much caused a one-man case of hype aversion. Personally, I doubt Venture's review has anything to do with it. Remember that only a small fraction of the playerbase even registers for the forums.

[/ QUOTE ]Also, sleaze. "hi i rated u 5 nao rate me 5" is the worst thing you can do for your rating unless the person you send it to is of like mind.

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Especially when it's obvious that they didn't actually play the arcs and you get multiple feedback tells from the same person within minutes of each other.

Anyway, enough derailing! More reviews!

Arc Name: MacGuffin Delivery Service
Arc ID: 1567
Faction: Family, Tsoo, Circle of Thorns, Carnies, Freakshow, Council, Paragon Police
Morality: Villainous
Difficulty Level: Easy-Medium
Level Range: 35-40
Synopsis: A routine late-night pawn shop robbery turns into a major ordeal when you pick up a mysterious little statue that everyone seems to want for themselves. You don't know what it does, why it's so important, or why you can't seem to just get rid of it.
Estimated Time to Play: 30-45 minutes

Arc Name: The Amulet of J'gara
Arc ID: 1709
Faction: Tuatha de Dannon, Circle of Thorns, Void Demons
Morality:[/b] Heroic
Difficulty Level: Easy-Medium
Level Range: 25 - 33
Synopsis: A pair of Midnighters have disappeared while on a mission to Croatoa. What begins as a rescue leads to an assault on the Midnight Club itself and a battle for your own mind and soul. (AV present, Allies are provided.)
Estimated Time to Play: 30-45 minutes

Arc Name: The Portal Bandits
Arc ID: 3326
Faction: Crey, Rikti, Nagan Hegemony
Morality: Heroic
Difficulty Level: Medium-Hard
Level Range: 35-50
Synopsis: A mysterious group has invaded a Portal Corp lab and sealed themselves within. The PPD has been unable to get inside and a hero is needed to enter the lab, defeat the invaders, and discover their intentions. (AVs are present, an Ally is given each time. May be challenging.)
Estimated Time to Play: 45-60 minutes

Feedback thread here.

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the law of averages states that you will not be at a 5 star rating after a given amount of time with your arc posted, so best thing to do is chill.

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I have yet to see an arc hold onto it's 5-stars past 50 votes.

So you're Green Dwarf.

To be honest, I lost interest in playing your arc from two things. First, your repeat spamming of it in the Beta Testers channel on Test. Secondly, your generic "I gave you five stars so come and give me five stars" feedback that you give, which I received 3 times from you in a single night.

You pretty much caused a one-man case of hype aversion. Personally, I doubt Venture's review has anything to do with it. Remember that only a small fraction of the playerbase even registers for the forums.

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Arc Name: If At First You Don't Succeed
Arc ID: 5923
Faction: Heroic
Creator Global: @NeverDark
Difficulty Level: Low/Moderate
Synopsis: A routine mission to stop an Arachnos thief uncovers a mad plot to restore a supervillain to his former glory!
Estimated time to play: 30-60 minutes

I've made some enormous changes from beta, and I really want to make sure the story flows properly and there aren't any glaring plot holes. The last mission especially needs to be perfect.

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The Good:
* Pretty straightforward story, was easy to follow. The "go back in time and stop this" was not a surprise but I have no complaints about it.

The Bad:
* Really drags in the second and fourth missions. I ran from end of end of that Zig map three times looking for Trucco but couldn't find him. Finally just picked a high spot and scanned the area while hitting Tab until I spotted the Riot Leader, who from a distance looks like all the other prisoners. Maybe add some inactive dialog to him so that of the off chance the player runs past him they have a better chance of noticing him.
* Glowy hunts in outdoor maps, especially that ruined city map, get old fast. Spent several minutes looking for bosses, hostages, and glowies until finally one ended the mission. Found it just before I quit the arc out of frustration.

The Confusing:
* Who the heck was the orange-eyed policeman supposed to be?

Overall I gave it 4-stars, missions 2 and 4 were annoying enough to drop it down 1.

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This arc I haven't put up for review yet.

Arc Name: MacGuffin Delivery Service
Arc ID: 1567
Faction: Family, Tsoo, Circle of Thorns, Carnies, Freakshow, Council, Paragon Police
Morality: Villainous
Difficulty Level: Easy-Medium
Synopsis: A routine late-night pawn shop robbery turns into a major ordeal when you pick up a mysterious little statue that everyone seems to want for themselves. You don't know what it does, why it's so important, or why you can't seem to just get rid of it.
Estimated Time to Play: 30-45 minutes

Added my arcs to Mission Architect Advanced Search Site. Here are the direct links.

* MacGuffin Delivery Service
* The Amulet of J'gara
* The Portal Bandits

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Celebrity Kidnapping
Arc ID: 1388
Length: Medium
Morality: Villainous
Description: Boy, does Willy Wheeler have a deal for you! A celebrity heiress has been sentenced to jail for drunk driving. The plan is to break her out of the Zig with the help of some thugs, then hold her for ransom for immense profit! What could go wrong?

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I already did this one a while back. The story was quite amusing though I did wonder why Paris had fire powers. The Amanda Vines interview in the last mission was hilarious.

I don't remember if you did one of mine already, but here's all three.

Arc Name: MacGuffin Delivery Service
Arc ID: 1567
Faction: Family, Tsoo, Circle of Thorns, Carnies, Freakshow, Council, Paragon Police
Morality: Villainous
Difficulty Level: Easy-Medium
Synopsis: A routine late-night pawn shop robbery turns into a major ordeal when you pick up a mysterious little statue that everyone seems to want for themselves. You don't know what it does, why it's so important, or why you can't seem to just get rid of it.
Estimated Time to Play: 30-45 minutes

Arc Name: The Amulet of J'gara
Arc ID: 1709
Faction: Tuatha de Dannon, Circle of Thorns, Void Demons
Morality: Heroic
Difficulty Level: Easy-Medium
Synopsis: A pair of Midnighters have disappeared while on a mission to Croatoa. What begins as a rescue leads to an assault on the Midnight Club itself and a battle for your own mind and soul. (AV present, Allies are provided.)
Estimated Time to Play: 30-45 minutes

Arc Name: The Portal Bandits
Arc ID: 3326
Faction: Crey, Rikti, Nagan Hegemony
Morality: Heroic
Difficulty Level: Medium-Hard
Synopsis: A mysterious group has invaded a Portal Corp lab and sealed themselves within. The PPD has been unable to get inside and a hero is needed to enter the lab, defeat the invaders, and discover their intentions. (AVs are present, an Ally is given each time. May be challenging.)
Estimated Time to Play: 45-60 minutes

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Indeed that is a problem for us all. I can't really find excuses to recruit ppl into helping me test... it is just too selfish (even for me) to expect people to slog through missions they may not even like so that *I* can be happy with them!

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Form Arc Trading teams.

Form the team, make a list of one arc everyone has made, then take turns running through all of them as a team. If you run out o time, everyone promises to finish trying the arcs on the list and send feedback, so everyone knows who lived up to the bargain.

It's fun! Nothing like giving or receiving instant live feed back on your missions, and seeing the tactics people will come up with to handle things.

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Plus it's an easy way for everyone involved to get some ratings, and possibly point other people towards your arc.

I learned quite a few things taking a few teams through mine, like for example that predominately hero teams were having a much harder time with my customs than a villain heavy team.

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That being said, I was also told that only a few arcs were carried over as a starter... so players would be given a range of different things available. Now, I'm far from knowing the criteria, but maybe some of the arcs given Dev's Choice on test were too similar in some way to another arc? Maybe they didn't want people to play the same sort of mission and think "Well, if that's all that's available, what's the point of using the system? I mean, all of these DC arcs are rescues filled with AV after AV, why flood the system with the same mission over and over?"

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Or they didn't want the live side playerbase going WTF when they saw some people having multiple DCs on the day of launch?

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The problem is sometimes your story just CALLS for one of these maps. You could use a generic, but it would feel strange, and would lack the atmosphere that would turn an above average mission into an exceptional one.

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this.

An arc I'm working on calls for a desolate wasteland landscape, and the only maps that fit the description are the outdoor ruined city maps. They're all pretty huge. If they ever release a smaller ruined city map, I'll switch to it in a heartbeat, but for now I have to make due with filling my large map with interesting details. Not easy to do when there are 60+ spawn points.

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Same here. Portal Corp Lab, Rikti Portal map...they're perfect for my story but there are no smaller versions of them. And I don't cram the last one with objectives (just get to the end and defeat that boss, everything else between you and her is totally optional and can be skipped) so that people have the choice of fighting through or stealthing to the finish.

So far the "mission X is too big!" complaints have been very rare.

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From my standpoint, I think the /tell for leaving feedback is already too personal as it is. Feedback should be anonymous so your comments can be a bit more honest and constructive.

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Which means that you cannot communicate back with the player if you need some clarification on some bug or problem they found, making the feedback much less useful. Nor can you inform them that something is a known issue and that you're working on fixing it, especially if it was a show-stopper that kept them from finishing the arc.