Shadowrush

The same with my Pandas vs. Rikti arc thread, I'll also be posting links to reviews of this arc as well. This will also be a way of thanking and recognizing the reviewers that have provided their time on the forums. Some of these are a few updates old, but are still good references.

Review by Beach_Lifeguard (5 stars)
Review by Bubbawheat (5 stars)
Review by PoliceWoman (4 stars)
A Mini Review by Lazarus (5 stars)

That's it so far. Thank you to the reviewers above and those that gave comments in-game. Hoping to see more plays, comments, and any feedback you may have for this arc.

I've noticed that some post links to reviews of their arcs, so... um... I've decided to do the same. This is also a way for me of thanking and recognizing some of these reviewers.

Review by Beach_Lifeguard

Review by PoliceWoman

Hmmm, ok. I only have two so far for this arc. Gotta work on posting it on more review threads.

Also, I've been thinking about creating a poster for this arc to help market it further. I've started work on it, and will be posting it probably in a few days.

I love the comments I've been getting lately. From parents playing the arc with their kids, to people who admittedly thought they wouldn't like the arc at first glance but loved it once they played.

Keep those plays and comments coming! Pandas are ready! Pandas are go!

Heya MrE!

I'd like to join in as well with my main, Shadowrush MA/SR Scrapper. If there's still space that is.

Hey hey fellow MArcers. Just another update for this arc:

- Based on a few feedback since I changed the optional Ally into a LT (because the last patch gave bosses a damaging tier-9 attack), I've reverted him back to Boss level. Even though the last mission is pretty short, he usually has little life left or is dead by the time the player reaches the EB. This made the optional Ally mostly useless in the final battle, unless you could heal or buff.

I've tested it again with my usual barrage of solo tests with my blaster, defender, controller, tank, and scrappers. It seems to be fine, even though with the tier-9 attack, he seldom got to use it, except during the EB fights. He was definitely a lot of help to my squishies during the EB fight. He still died in a couple of solo tests with my squishies who relied on him to tank, but I think that's fine, in that, there's still a challenge.

- Also based on some feedback, including GlaziusF's review in this thread, some texts have been reworded/added/edited.
- Added a line in the secondary follow-up briefing in mission 2.
- Reworded a couple of sentences in the mission 3 briefing.
- Changed the mission 3 nav title to emphasize getting the cure.
- Reworded the two main objectives for mission 3.
- Reworded a couple of sentences in the final debriefing.

Well that's it. I've been getting some great comments aside from feedback the past month. Thank you to everyone that played it. 208 votes with a 4 star average so far. Hoping to get even more plays for this one.

Ah, thank you.

Oh I understand your reasons on staying with her. But honestly though, one can say the Paragon-City-is-full-of-heroes part for much about everything. I guess it stems to what a character would do at the moment, and this is what this character would've done in this case, and I think you saw that, which is why it didn't affect your overall rating for it. You just didn't agree with what he did, which is fine.

As for the impression of not being able to change things, which did affect your rating, if I get anymore feedback that relate to that, perhaps I could try rewording a few things. But I have a feeling, it's the arc itself that would probably need to change to really prevent such impressions. So I may actually not be able to do anything about that.

From reading the review originally though, I thought you gave it lower than the 4 you gave. lol. I enjoy detailed reviews like yours. You weren't kidding when you said "PREPARE" in-game. O_O Now it makes me wonder what Venture will think about the arc, since this arc is in his queue.

Thanks again for the review GlaziusF.

Thank you Servo and Raging Bear for the comments and feedback!

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GlazuisF: I love your review! I was laughing reading through it. Your review style is pretty unique. In some parts I wasn't sure if you were serious or not.

I have some clarifications:

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Hmm. Okay, so it sounds like the Council built a robot for the Family, and the Family, according to this computer and my own wild guesses, gave up a scientist who developed a cure for warwolfin'? Makes sense. Ms. Arkahn isn't going to like that, Yogi.

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It wasn't about her cure for warwolfin' after all?

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Er... actually there's no mention of a robot. The Family have asked and paid the Council to create something else, which you already know by now. And no, the doc didn't develop a cure for warwolves (I didn't want to break canon). She developed various experimental cures for other diseases in her work, which Bobby Red from the first mission wanted to steal and sell. The note on the cure mentioned, as you found out later, was planted and was fake.

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Dude needs some knife-twisting lessons. Like, there actually is a cure but you drink it or break it right in front of the guy. Or maybe it is water but you don't let on. C'mon now, that's like showing people the marks on your cards.

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LOL. I guess I need to think of even better ways to make him evil. I'm not sure if having an actual real cure would work though. As supposedly there isn't one for warwolves, at least according to the permanency depicted in CoH canon. As for the idea of letting it stay as water, like it is now, but for the bad guy not to say anything, I actually thought of that. The problem was, I wanted that important fact to also be seen by people who only skim or barely read the briefings, or to clue people on a team on that vital twist, on what's going on. So I placed it in there. And admittedly, also for a secondary smaller reason, dramatic effect.

But you know how villains are, always mentioning their big plans at the end.

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Man, this contact guy'd make a good villain. "My mom-analogue is in the hospital --> TIME TO BREAK THINGS." Instead of, y'know, sitting up with her or something because I've handled things okay so far.

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Pff, and now he's congratulating himself because he didn't let his emotions overwhelm him at the crucial moment. Dudebro, let me spell this out for you: instead of being there for the most important person in your life when she was dying, you went off to punch some guy in the junk. But hey, don't let me stop you from telling yourself you did the right thing.

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Um... eh? What? O.o I think you may be missing something, the chance for a cure. The contact didn't leave her to join you so that he could just beat up the bad guy. He came with you because of the clue, that there might be a chance for a cure that might save her. It's not to go break things or punch some guy (although of course he'd love to beat the guy that did it, he was angry of course). He couldn't just sit there and do nothing, if there's a chance that he might be able to save her. So try and save her he did.

As to why he couldn't just let you go alone, it was someone that was really important to him, so he had to make sure that the mission succeeds. And of course, with two people, the cure might be found faster, and thus increase the chance that she might be saved. And if the bad guy is there to stop them, then two people will have a better chance at defeating him and bring the cure back.

Hmmm, this is the first time someone mentioned thinking he was solely there to fight the bad guy. If a couple more players mention it again in a feedback, I may think about rewording some of the text a little, to emphasize that (aside from helping you bring the bad guy to justice) he is primarily, and more importantly, there to try and save her life.

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This'd make an interesting revamp if they ever allow for branching arcs, if the boss in the second mission tries to run at low health. Or maybe put the final mission on some crazy small timer and give the player a chance to pull off a feat of MegaSmithian story impact.

Because as it is, this is my main problem with the arc: what I'm seeing here is something that I couldn't have changed. I was basically a passenger on the train Mr. White Shades was driving, and not even an important one at that. If I hadn't been around he would have made sure my contact followed the right leads just so he could twist the knife at the end.

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For the first paragraph... well, yes, it would be interesting to be able to have two outcomes for the arc. My problem with it though was I fear it may lose some of the reasons why I wrote the arc in the first place. As shown in the final debriefing, it was to show that heroes in Paragon City can lose a lot in their chosen life, while protecting innocents and fighting evil. That there are heroes that will choose not to cross the line, even when someone they love is lost, unless they too become the monsters they fight everyday. In the end, the arc was about heroes choosing not to give in to ones emotions and then kill out of revenge. And even if they may go near that line, there are those that will not cross it, even if every part of their body wants to.

As for the second paragraph, unfortunately yes, like most of the game's story arcs and TF's, you are in a train of sorts. But you as the player did change things. If you'll notice the contact chose the wrong leads to follow, if you weren't there it would've taken him longer, and the doc would've expired by then. No mention of her last words and important reminder to the contact. If you weren't there, the contact at his state of mind and body would have been defeated or killed. Because twisting the knife wasn't the bad guy's only goal, as he mentions during the battle, he was aiming to also kill/defeat/capture the contact at the end. If the player wasn't there, the killer wouldn't have been brought to justice neither. Overall, if you weren't there it would have an even graver end, with an unsolved murder mystery, and two dead bodies.

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Thanks for the review. I enjoyed reading most of it, and it was amusing seeing how you play through things. It's nice to see how or what a player is thinking while going through the arc. The guesses, even the combat.

There is one suggestion that I may use from your review. Ever since I changed the Ally from Boss to LT (because of the last patch that gave bosses a powerful Tier-9 attack), you are not alone in suggesting on increasing his survivability. I'm now thinking of reverting him back to Boss level.

Well, thanks again for the review! I am a little curious though, if you don't mind, I didn't catch the ticket message when you finished my arc. What was you final verdict on my arc, your rating I mean?

This is an interesting project. To add some more arcs for your character to play through, I'd like to suggest some of mine that you are within range of or will be soon.


Title: The Missing
ArcID: 37636
Faction: Heroic
Levels: 1-50 (Levels that one is comfortable soloing an EB is recommended.)
Enemy Groups: Family, Council, a couple of custom bosses.
Synopsis: What starts out as a missing person case turns into something more sinister.

Notes: Story-focused. Mystery. Solo-friendly, only contains one standard-level Elite Boss. An optional Ally is also provided.


Title: Pandas vs. Rikti
ArcID: 68930
Faction: Heroic
Levels: 30-50
Enemy Groups: Custom Group, Rikti
Synopsis: In a parallel universe, Earth is populated by sentient pandas. They've been invaded by Rikti, and they are losing. Using an ancient device to interface with our Architect system... they are asking for your help.

Notes: This one you may wish to wait until you reach level 30, or if you're already comfortable fighting Rikti. Story-focused. Adventure/Sci-fi/Comedy. Solo-friendly. Contains one Elite Boss. Optional Allies are provided.

I finally had a chance to update this arc, some are based on feedback:

- Added a clue when defeating Bobby Red.
- Rephrased some secondary briefing text in Mission 2.
- Edited a sentence in the computer clue in Mission 2, to hint on what may or has happened in the mission.
- Rewrote some of the final boss battle text.
- Added a hint in the clue on the last mission.
- Edited/rewrote/added a few lines on the final debriefing.

Thanks to everyone that have tried out the arc, and especially those that gave feedback. This arc, along with my Pandas vs. Rikti arc, really sometimes goes on a rollercoaster, switching between 4 and 5 stars. 166 votes so far!

I hope to see more playing this short dark mystery arc.

Another quick update, based on feedback for the initial mission:
(Mostly to make it a little more interesting.)

- Moved one of the optional Rikti computer glowies, featuring additional Pandara info, to the first mission. To spread the collection of info across the arc for players to collect, if they're interested.

This will also help introduce to the player that additional optional clues can be found in some of the missions.

- Also modified the enemy groups around the Captive in the first mission. The Easy encounter is now set to Medium. Playtested on Rugged solo, the encounter is still quite easy with just an added minion. At times a LT. would spawn, which is fine.

Again thanks for all the feedback, and those that have reviewed Pandas vs. Rikti!

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But it only works for custom mobs.

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I haven't tried this, but you might be able to do this with a Custom Group, not just custom mobs. Create a new Custom Group and only put the stock Rikti Lt. in it. Then use the custom group to place the "boss" and just surround it with the regular Rikti faction.

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Oh! Yes I have done something like this for my other arc, The Missing. A Custom Group with standard mobs. Hopefully I can still fit one in though, I'm almost reaching the limit. But I think, yes, this should work. Thank you for reminding me!

I'll add both this and the optional glowie.

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I tried adding one extra detail originally, a boss fight, but I found the choices for Rikti bosses are pretty narrow. And usually without an Ally, soloing one for one of my squishies took a lot of effort to take out just one Chief Soldier. So I removed it from the first mission.

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You could add a named boss, but instead of using a Boss you could use a Rikti Lt. and then bump up the difficulty of the encounter. That would make for a tougher fight, without having an actual boss.

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That's actually one of the first few things I tried. But it only works for custom mobs. When selecting a standard enemy group for the Boss Detail, it only gives you a list comprising of Bosses, EB's, and AV's.

But I have thought of something just to add some minor flavor to my first mission, instead of a boss fight, I'm leaning towards moving one of the optional glowies into the first mission to, sort of, introduce to the player that there will be some small optional tidbits of information throughout the arc that they can collect.

Just an update:

- Removed two extra patrols in the final mission that have no dialog. They didn't really add anything.

- Switched and adjusted some of the Battle details in the first mission. It seems, more often, the pandas were winning in these skirmishes, which is odd to see sometimes, since they're supposed to be needing your help. The Rikti should now generally be winning these battles.

- Rewrote a couple of text for better readability.



Thanks again for everyone that's played my arc, especially those that gave feedback. Pandas vs. Rikti broke 200+ votes today! Thank you so much to everyone!

For the few that seem to like playing my arc repeatedly, thank you and well... keep on playing! And for those that are looking for a story-focused adventure arc with a hint of humor, and haven't played this arc, please give it a try!

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I wonder if you could rephrase some of the clues and dialog to give the player more of a clue what is happening. Maybe when you find the "cure", the clue has you immediately realizing it's just ordinary water, and you wonder how you'll break it to Shadowrush and the transformed doctor. Maybe when you fight the big bad guy, he monologues about his master plan and how it's too late for the doctor; but then he expresses surprise that the player is able to arrest him ("That wasn't in the plan!"). Then in the final debriefing, the woman still dies and Shadowrush is still heartbroken, but maybe highlight the fact that the player was able to bring the perpetrator to justice. That would let you still have a tragic ending, but the player could feel like s/he accomplished something by stopping the bad guy from getting away with it. I think you have elements of this already there; it just doesn't come across currently that the player was able to help.


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I like the general idea of these suggestions. I think I can work these in. I'm off to do some rewriting then. I'll be adding them on my next update. Thanks!

On the Review for Pandas vs. Rikti:

Hehe, thank you once again for your time on playing another one of my arcs!

Once, I've also had someone say the same thing about the first mission: being a bit too simple. I tend to have a philosophy of ramping missions and stories up, so my first missions are usually simple to ease the player into the story. The first mission does have a few Battles between the pandas and the rikti to set the stage at the start of it, but yeah, sometimes they tend to end by the time you reach them.

I tried adding one extra detail originally, a boss fight, but I found the choices for Rikti bosses are pretty narrow. And usually without an Ally, soloing one for one of my squishies took a lot of effort to take out just one Chief Soldier. So I removed it from the first mission.

But I guess I could add something... I'm not sure what though. I'll have to think about it.

Hehe yes, Ylla is female. As the contact first mentions on the second mission, she is his sister.

As for the difficulty of the last mission, I'm actually a little surprised. Most of my feedback tend to lean towards it being... well.. on the easy side, with or without the Allies. I've actually even lessened the Allies on the last mission from its original 6 to just 4 pandas based on feedback.

I've also added a couple of random patrols as well because of the feedback. I've also solo tested this with 5 different casual characters on Rugged, one of them being a PB, without taking any of the Allies in the end. It seemed to be fine and somewhat still challenging at the same time. I could probably lessen the extra patrols. I'm not sure how else to make it easier aside from that though.

I always try to make my arcs as balanced as I can, and solo-friendly as well. But I'm glad you pushed through, and hopefully the difficulty was just a case of... well... fighting Riktis.

Again thank you for the kind comments. You even caught some of the extra details I inserted into the arc. (Although it seems, not all of them ) I'm glad you enjoyed the arc overall! \(^o^)/

On The Missing:

Thank you so much for trying it out. I'm glad you liked it, even though the ending wasn't to your liking.

I've fixed the two grammar errors. (Heh I could've sworn I fixed Bobby's description). But the second one I totally missed that.

I'll probably add a Clue for Bobby. I originally was going to, but in my mind, you and the contact would start questioning him after you bring him in. But you are correct that it may lead the team members in the shadows, so to speak. Honestly, I was in the state of mind that the arc would be played by just one person when I was writing this arc.

And yes, about the "for some reason" thing. Bobby Red doesn't really know either. I'll reword that sentence to communicate it better.

As for Shadowrush revealing how he saw Dr. Charlestin and what his true connection is with her, it was sort of meant to be sudden. Not for the sake of drama or some such, but it was how I characterized Shadowrush's personality. He is very good in hiding things, or keeping things secret, until he actually tells you. He is also a bit paranoid at times. I guess the problem is, I couldn't explain that to the reader or player. Perhaps I could give a hint somewhere of his connection to her in the earlier missions, but I'm not sure how at the moment.

As for the ending, one of my main purposes was to create a dark and tragic short story. It was actually more about highlighting the bad guy and how he thinks. To what insane lengths would he go through just to give payback to the hero that's been stopping him for a long time.

There were also hints of the inevitable fate that would befall the doctor as well, with the inclusion of the Council and how they mysteriously create their warwolves. According to CoH lore and their descriptions of the Council wolves, the way they are changed is very different from how they change their vampyr. Not through their super soldier serum, nor from usual scientific means. And the change is always permanent. What happened to the doctor was a bastardization of how the Council usually does it. Fully paid of course, by the main villain.

The Council involvement and their wolves were a clue themselves that what they did to her could not be changed. Of course, not everyone knows about it. The thing was I wasn't sure if I should hint on it, as it's sort of connected to a few Council story arcs I believe.

The ending was also my own venture to showing that even the heroes of Paragon City can really have much taken from them, in the life they've chosen. That it's the decisions they make and the will to stick to their principles that truly make them what they are. That even though someone they love and care for has been taken from them, there are heroes that will persevere and not cross the line. Unless they too become the monsters that they fight each and every day.

Heh... er... I seem to have written a lot. In other words, thank you for the review. I'll definitely be following most of your suggestions. I'll be updating this arc soon. And thanks again.

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Here's one of my arcs, submitted for your (or anyone's, actually) review:

The Missing
ArcID: 37636
Level Range: 1-50
No. of Mission: 3
Difficulty: Medium
Synopsis: What starts out as a missing person case turns into something more sinister.
Notes: Story-focused. Mystery. Solo-friendly, with only one EB. An ally is also provided.

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I really enjoyed this arc. It's my favorite so far from this thread. It has a great story with a great twist and really had me interested towards the end. It's not faultless though. In your first two mission briefings, the contact mentions that there are two possible locations and he's going to check out one while you check out the other. It feels unnecissary and repetitive. Also some of the clues have too many short, uninteresting sentences, I think that's also a small problem in the early mission briefings. The arc really starts to come into focus as soon as you see the objective at the end of the second mission. As soon as I saw it, I was like "That's odd, what is that doing there?" And when the dialog popped up, that's when you had me. Unfortunately, it took one and a half missions to get there. My suggestion is that you need some more emotional connection. I'm not sure what, but something to get you involved in the story a little bit earlier. I also enjoyed the ending, but it just didn't feel like there was enough of a connection to really make the ending pop the way it should.

If you do end up tightening the story up some more, be sure to let me know. I absolutely enjoyed it, I'm glad you didn't use unnecissary custom groups, used Council instead of everyone's new favorite group the 5th Column, and used Family instead of a random custom mob-themed group. The bosses were well designed and seemed well balanced. I played as a lvl 27 fire/fire tanker on a team with another tank and a peacebringer.

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Thank you for the review Bubbawheat. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

The part about the contact checking other leads, was mostly to add to the notion that whoever orchestrated the plot wanted to somewhat toy with him and give him options to pick. But also, at the time, I was kinda thinking: if this person was so important to the contact he should also be doing his part looking for her. So, I thought it would be fine for the contact to search as well. But if I get more feedback that it feels repetitive, I'll see to rewriting that and probably have just one of the missions have a double lead.

I do feel the same about a few of the earlier sentences you mentioned. I've been thinking about doing a bit of rewriting just to make the sentences flow more on the briefings and clues. Just not sure yet how to exactly.

Although I like the idea of creating an emotional connection from the get go, I was kind of always aiming on a ramp-up with my arcs. My first mission is always an opener, and is somewhat of a tease and is usually a simple mission to ease the player into the story. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to add some emotional content to the first mission. But like you, I'm not sure yet how to go about it.

But overall I'm glad you liked it. Someone saying it was their favorite so far, brings a smile to my face.

Quite excited for this. I wonder what the in-game events will be? And I wonder if Positron will be mentioning or hinting on some future stuff in his address?

Very excited!

I'll throw mine in here as well:

Pandas vs. Rikti (68930)
In a parallel universe, Earth is populated by sentient pandas. They've been invaded by Rikti, and they are losing. Using an ancient device to interface with our Architect system... they are asking for your help.
(Story-Focused. Adventure. Slight comedy. Levels 30-50. 4 Missions. Solo-friendly, only one EB. Contains optional Allies.)

The Missing (37636)
What starts out as a missing person case turns into something more sinister.
(Story-Focused. Mystery. Any level. 3 Missions. Solo-friendly, only one EB. An optional ally is provided.)

Shaded to Black (4996)
A new group of villains working with Arachnos; technology abound; Manticore on their tail, and you answer the call.
(Story-Focused. Investigation. Sci-Fi. Levels 40-50. 4 Missions. Soloable below Invincible, contains one EB and one EB/AV. Optional allies provided. Also fun for teams.)

Comments on Matchstick Women:

Although told differently, the arc was able to bring a sense of mystery about it. The missions are somewhat described to the player, or more like describing what he/she is seeing. It was a pleasant change, but sometimes there was a sense of confusion as to why my hero would be investigating a flame on a pedestal at first.

I liked the custom mobs, they were quite appropriate, from the black colored heads to the long striped pattern used to illustrate that they were indeed symbolizing a matchstick.

One downside (or upside, depending on how one sees it), is that the final explanation as to what or who exactly the story was about is explained fully either through a clue or in the final Boss's description. Although I liked the idea, others who tend to rarely read character descriptions or missed the clue may not understand who the person was or what the whole arc was about. The flame itself as the contact was never truly explained as well.

There were a few simple typos that I found, which should be easily corrected:

In the Mission 2 briefing: "The flame once again begins its dance, enticing you to watch he fingers of fire split the off into different shapes, women."

In the description of Perfect Match Recruiter: "Tempered with flame until becoming almost impervious to fire, these women are crowned as leaders of their indivitual units.

In the Mission 2 debriefing: "This time you were able to see one of the women's faces under her mask, and it like a second mask..."

Overall, I enjoyed the arc, with its different approach to mission story-telling. You actually felt like, you were the one doing the investigation, which I think is what the author is trying to do. There was a moment in the final mission, I think when I read her journal, that gave me a creepy feeling, like I was reading something out of a scary movie. Good job on that one. It's a nice arc to dive into. I gave it 4 stars.



Here's one of my arcs, submitted for your (or anyone's, actually) review:

The Missing
ArcID: 37636
Level Range: 1-50
No. of Mission: 3
Difficulty: Medium
Synopsis: What starts out as a missing person case turns into something more sinister.
Notes: Story-focused. Mystery. Solo-friendly, with only one EB. An ally is also provided.

It's nice to know that the devs are actually looking into arcs that aren't just currently at 5 stars. A few of the arcs that I've played and liked, with a great story, well written, and were fun to play, sometimes end up getting 1 starred by people with no comments or feedback at all, dropping their rating.

I'm sure the devs will be posting some new Dev's Choice soon. I for one will be looking forward to seeing them as well.

Well I went ahead and toned it down a bit more, to just four allies, which was the original number I was thinking of in a few posts up. From playtesting again, a few will probably have a bit of a challenge in keeping them all alive to reach the final room.

So far everything is fine with the heroes I've tested it with. Only my blaster had a bit of a challenge, and only had one panda that survived by the end (not counting the story rescue).

So this should be fine I believe. And for those who haven't tried, yes, the arc is soloable even without any of the allies. The final battle might be a challenge to a few casual players without pandas, but quite doable. They're mostly there to assist and for fun! (^_^)

Thanks again for all the feedback, and the few who helped test a bit.

I'll bite as well PoliceWoman. I'll play two of yours sometime tomorrow evening, and I'll try to give some feedback. I haven't selected which ones I'll be doing yet.

Here are two of mine:


The Missing
ArcID: 37636

Faction: Heroic
Global: @Shadow-Rush
Level Range: 1-50
Difficulty Level: Moderate
No. of Missions: 3
Estimated Time to Play: 20-30 minutes

Synopsis: What starts out as a missing person case turns into something more sinister.

Notes: Story-Driven. Mystery. Solo-friendly, only contains one standard-level EB. An optional Ally is also provided.


Pandas vs. Rikti
ArcID: 68930

Faction: Heroic
Global: @Shadow-Rush
Level Range: 30-50
Difficulty: Moderate
No. of Missions: 4
Estimated Time: 30-60 minutes

Synopsis: In a parallel universe, Earth is populated by sentient pandas. They've been invaded by Rikti, and they are losing. Using an ancient device to interface with our Architect system... they are asking for your help.

Notes: Story-driven. Adventure. Some Comedy. A bit text heavy. Solo-friendly. Only one EB. Contains Allies. Also fun for teams.

Thanks again for all the feedback and comments! The weekend was great as well for feedback!

Here's another update:

- I went ahead and reduced the number of primary allies in the final mission, from 6 to 5. I asked a few people of their opinion on the matter, and it seems to most it didn't really matter that 6 was available originally, actually a few thought they would have had a tough time without them (or at least the pandas that made it with them to the end). And at the same time, a few thought 6 was a tad too many. So it looks like 5 pandas will be the magic number.

From separate playtestings solo (I solo tested it with a blaster, a controller, a defender, and two scrappers), this looks like a good number, with a little leeway towards casual players. It's enough that my squishy characters still didn't have too much of a problem but still give a bit of a challenge in the end, and at the same time I still get the fun of having a squadron of pandas following me around. ^_^

And of course, like before, they are all still optional and not needed to finish the arc. But of course, it's just really more fun with them around. ^_^ They'll be available for anyone that wishes for some panda might!

Thanks again for people who've played my arc. As always, I'm still looking for people to try it out and give comments.

Thanks for the comments guys/gals!

I have another update:

- Although no one has mentioned it, it occurred to me that it might be possible for someone who has not done any of the Faultline missions and skipped reading the mission description, to not realize that you need to enter the building in mission 3.

To remedy that, I added "Enter the building and" to the first objective on the nav bar, which I believe is "Find Clues". I've also added a couple of extra lines to the mission entrance popup to mention it as well, and even say that there should be an entrance on top of the scaffolding.

- Someone mentioned that they missed the destructible object in the last mission. The object I used was kinda darkly colored and was the Rikti Pod, which I guess may mix in with the design of the map. And since it didn't make any noise, it might be possible to miss it.

So I changed it to something that would stand out more in a rikti map. It now uses the ancient lockbox object, which I think is even more appropriate to the type of object it's supposed to be anyway. It's not darkly colored and stands out in a rikti map. Not to mention, I just realized, it's supposed to be small enough to fit inside a crate in a previous mission. The Rikti Pod wouldn't fit in a crate.

I also added appropriate in-game shouts to the enemies guarding the the object to call attention to the player. With these, I believe this will go a long way in preventing anyone from missing the object in the last room.

- And one last minor thing, I set the boss detail in mission 2 to just "Only Boss needed to kill". It seemed odd that if he wasn't the last thing you defeated in the room, you'd only get the clue about what he said after defeating the rest of the room.


I do have one concern, which was suggested by a couple of people so far: What do you guys think about the number of allies in the last mission?

A lot of the comments I get was the fun of having an optional group of pandas with you in the last mission. I put in six, and the texts do recommend trying to get as many as you can along the way. But when you do have all six Lt's., does it make the mission too easy, even with the patrols and ambushes I placed in the mission? I've had conflicting comments on the matter. Some say they're fine since it's so much fun, or that a few of them would sometimes die along the way.

If I decrease their number to 4, will it decrease the fun factor of having a group of pandas following you along? Will 4 still have the same effect ,while at the same time, help keep the mission from being too easy?


To FluShot: Sorry I missed your post. I didn't see it till now. You're probably no longer at work by now and hopefully have already seen the pandas (You did play my arc right? right? ). But I may decide to post some screenshots of the arc for marketing purposes for others to see.


Well that's it. Thanks for the feedback, they're all great! The story arc just keeps improving! I think it's really close to being finalized, if it's not already. (Although of course, any work isn't truly finished :P) Keep those comments coming!

Just wanted to update on some of adjustments I've made, based on some of the feedback.

- The two main boss allies have been set to Lt.
- Adjusted a bit of the spawn points for the battles in the first mish.

This seems to be my most popular arc. Most of the comments in-game and PM's are really great, kinda brings a smile to my face each time I log on. ^_^

But I was hoping for some more technical feedback on grammar or a bit more on gameplay or mission design. (Unless of course, everyone thinks its already fine the way it is. O_O)

I do wanna thank everyone that played though, especially the ones that gave some feedback. As always, I'm looking for more ways to improve my arcs. So keep em coming.