Stalemate

Same reply posted here as in Glazius' own thread:

Thanks for running my arc!

If you don't mind I'll reply to your extensive review here - it'll just be a few comments.

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... I get a captive who insta-rescues on mission entrance?

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... The bacteriophage is killing its own guards with the AOE pulse aura and embedding them in the walls to boot. One gets stuck and I just kinda wait for it to get pulsed to death.

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Former is working as intended. It's just a wink really, added last week based on player feedback. But perhaps some critters to defeat here could work too.

Latter is an issue I've seen happen only once before, and been reported once again by another player. No idea how come the captive is fighting the mobs on its own before you get there.


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... The ambush that shows up at 1/4 health mentions giving him clearance to retreat, except he just kinda hangs around still. Any reason he can't do a runner? There's a lot of terrain to catch him in.

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I'll check that. He should be running, as you suggest here. Thanks for spotting it. Failing the 2nd mission introduces even more berating by the contact.

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Storyline - *. So I get shoved into questionable orifices by someone who won't give me the time of day and proceeds to take all the credit. That's bad enough as it is, but the end boss is really just a shaggy dog story.

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This here is probably the rating killer for you.

The contact's personality just appeared as I was working on the arc, and I thought it was original enough to leave it abrasive, obnoxious, pompous. It's quite OK that not everyone likes this approach and I expected it.

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Design - ****. Good reskinning of the existing groups to serve as adversaries. I was expecting some destructibles in the last mission representing the emitters that were spurring sentience or something.

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Items fall out of the map geometry consistently on the 2nd map I used, so they can't be used as mission objectives in this one. Plopping them in as optional didn't make any sense plot-wise to me, so out they went.

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Gameplay - ***. Getting some guys stuck in the wall in the first mission and running around a half-empty map for the second are the major complaints I have here.

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Can't be helped, unfortunately, as explained above. I'm sorry the ingame mechanics and / or bugs influenced your appreciation here.

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Overall - ***. Most of this is because the story treats me like an afterthought and ends with a completely unnecessary cliche. Without that it'd be 4-star territory and would need some map reworking to get up to 5.

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I'm a bit disappointed with the rating, to be truthful, since this has been getting consistent 4s and 5s, with some players even telling me it's their favorite arc, but I'm aware that this is no great masterpiece.

This took me 30 min. to write up originally, and it was (then) at under 13% resource use. I guess a *** is quite all right, in retrospect.

But besides the contact's personality and map choices (which have to stay or else the story loses even more immersion), there's always room for improvement.

Thanks for taking the time not only to play, but to extensively write up this arc. Much appreciated.

Thanks for running my arc!

If you don't mind I'll reply to your extensive review here - it'll just be a few comments.

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... I get a captive who insta-rescues on mission entrance?

[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
... The bacteriophage is killing its own guards with the AOE pulse aura and embedding them in the walls to boot. One gets stuck and I just kinda wait for it to get pulsed to death.

[/ QUOTE ]

Former is working as intended. It's just a wink really, added last week based on player feedback. But perhaps some critters to defeat here could work too.

Latter is an issue I've seen happen only once before, and been reported once again by another player. No idea how come the captive is fighting the mobs on its own before you get there.


[ QUOTE ]
... The ambush that shows up at 1/4 health mentions giving him clearance to retreat, except he just kinda hangs around still. Any reason he can't do a runner? There's a lot of terrain to catch him in.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll check that. He should be running, as you suggest here. Thanks for spotting it. Failing the 2nd mission introduces even more berating by the contact.

[ QUOTE ]
Storyline - *. So I get shoved into questionable orifices by someone who won't give me the time of day and proceeds to take all the credit. That's bad enough as it is, but the end boss is really just a shaggy dog story.

[/ QUOTE ]

This here is probably the rating killer for you.

The contact's personality just appeared as I was working on the arc, and I thought it was original enough to leave it abrasive, obnoxious, pompous. It's quite OK that not everyone likes this approach and I expected it.

[ QUOTE ]
Design - ****. Good reskinning of the existing groups to serve as adversaries. I was expecting some destructibles in the last mission representing the emitters that were spurring sentience or something.

[/ QUOTE ]

Items fall out of the map geometry consistently on the 2nd map I used, so they can't be used as mission objectives in this one. Plopping them in as optional didn't make any sense plot-wise to me, so out they went.

[ QUOTE ]
Gameplay - ***. Getting some guys stuck in the wall in the first mission and running around a half-empty map for the second are the major complaints I have here.

[/ QUOTE ]

Can't be helped, unfortunately, as explained above. I'm sorry the ingame mechanics and / or bugs influenced your appreciation here.

[ QUOTE ]
Overall - ***. Most of this is because the story treats me like an afterthought and ends with a completely unnecessary cliche. Without that it'd be 4-star territory and would need some map reworking to get up to 5.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm a bit disappointed with the rating, to be truthful, since this has been getting consistent 4s and 5s, with some players even telling me it's their favorite arc, but I'm aware that this is no great masterpiece.

This took me 30 min. to write up originally, and it was (then) at under 13% resource use. I guess a *** is quite all right, in retrospect.

But besides the contact's personality and map choices (which have to stay or else the story loses even more immersion), there's always room for improvement.

Thanks for taking the time not only to play, but to extensively write up this arc. Much appreciated.

Phantoms of War is always looking for experienced players.

Link is in my sig below.


Note: I'm no longer SG leader, that role has been passed on to some great folks, but I'm still around to b*tch and complain about how great things were "in the old days".

I don't see my event listed at 6:30, the Before and After costume contest.

It's because I was a lazy bum all weekend and didn't update that flyer for it, isn't it?

Happy B-Day!

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Being 'Entrusted with a Secret' while running a mission.

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Secrets - Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark (AKA: O.M.D.)

...

I'm realizing that my tste in music is widely varied.


Causing a team wipe after pulling off a "Leroy Jenkins" and / or "Hold my beer and watch this" move.

Ah yes.

Well we can do that with bosses as they can be specifically placed anywhere in the mission and customized accordingly.

Unfortunately, not so with tun-of-the-mill critters.

But I'm really happy to see I15 is allowing us to do this.

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Oops! I Did It Again - Britney Spears

Trying to run a lowbie to the Steal Canyon icon.

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Well I got 2 for this one, couldn't pick one over the other.

Run to the Hills - Iron Maiden

"Run to the hiiiiiiiiills. Run for your liiiiiiiiiiives."


I'm Too Sexy - Right Said Fred

"I'm too sexy for my shirt. So sexy it hurts."



Being the only character standing when the rest of the team is down.

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This will be an option in Issue 15 and I've already seen stuff get renamed on Live.

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I was just informed in my arc thread that this was coming up. Thanks for confirming.

But what do you mean by "...already seen stuff get renamed on Live", exactly?

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I attempted to find a way to change either the names or the info on the critters in this arc last night, to no avail.

The mobs were already in custom groups, which was what a kind player had proposed, but unless I make them all boss encounters I can't find any way to give them custom names / infos.

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You can do this in I15. Log in to test and give it a shot.

You go into the custom group screen, highlight one of your dudes, and click the edit button - you can change their colors and names.

I agree that'd really add some nice flavor to this arc.

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Really?!

That's perfect.

I hesitated to log into test last night since I was a little tired and un-inspired (and didn't want to see exactly how many badges I'd lose).

Thank you very much for the info.

I'll definitely go test that out tonight now.

I attempted to find a way to change either the names or the info on the critters in my Voyage Fantastic arc last night, to no avail.

The mobs are already in custom groups, which was what a kind player had proposed, but unless I make them all boss encounters I can't find any way to give them custom names / infos.

Is this something we can do as arc designers?

I attempted to find a way to change either the names or the info on the critters in this arc last night, to no avail.

The mobs were already in custom groups, which was what a kind player had proposed, but unless I make them all boss encounters I can't find any way to give them custom names / infos.

That said, I did bring about a couple more corrections: typos and some dialogue tweaks.

I realized that one of the things I mentioned originally was medically improbable, so that was changed.

A little "easter egg" of sorts has also been added in mission 1, since there were requests for it multiple times.

What a great offer!

I'm already planning on improving / expanding on my FREEM! arc so I'll only submit A Voyage Fantastic at this time. There is an ongoing thread for it here. The ID number is 81829.

The timing is perfect too, since I republished it just last night after a few minor changes.

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"I Get Weak"- Go-Go's

The moment you realize that some people do nothing but stand under Atlas !

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A Face in the Crowd - Tom Petty


The first time your character is granted a purple recipe drop.

I wouldn't.

I would replace it entirely.

Go for a 10 level rating system and have it applied to different criteria, such as

<ul type="square">[*] Story[*] Dialogues[*] Appropriateness / Choice of critters[*] Appropriateness / Choice of environments [*] Overall appreciation[/list]
Each of those could have a percentage weight of the overall score. I.E.: Story / Dialogue being weighted more than Overall appreciation.


Or, just go for a Weighted Bayesian Rating System.

I like the way The Instructables has set up their rating system to weigh the votes of those who commented higher than those who do not. Griefing (by typing in anything to fill the comment section and voting all 1s) could be curbed simply by allowing players to flag these votes for review, and once an account passes a certain threshhold of flags it is "frozen" from voting again.


Any peer based system will have to deal with subjectivity.

But really, the current system is probably the worst one we could be using. The ease with which one can abuse the system outweighs its usefulness.

If an arc isn't locked at a given star rating, all it takes is a few 1 votes to bring it down from 5 to 4. No one will keep 5 stars otherwise under such a system.

No rating system will be perfect, but there is definitely room for improvement here.

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...To date, I've not awarded 5 stars to an AE arc. The few I thought about giving a single star, I just quit and ignored.

Again, this is all subjective evaluation. Without a objective quantifiable metric, it's impossible to truly compare AE arcs based solely on user star ratings.

Oh, and I hate sappers. I HATES them, my Precious...

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So ... have you tried my FREEM! arc yet?


More seriously: The Malta group fits the arc's plot, and so they are included.

Personally, I rate on the story, not the spelling (unless illegible to the point of incomprehension), not the choice of map nor mob types (unless it is illogical based on the story). It's still subjective, but ...

One of my arcs has a complaint about it - which is directly tied to a bug the map is producing (and has since been "fixed/ by removing an objective).

I must admit it ticks me off that someone out there wasn't objective enough (or knowledgeable enough) to rate the arc according to merit and story.

I guess it's more important to remove badges than to take a long hard look at this rating system.

This reminds me I have to update the flyer for my "pre-NPWN" costume contest...

You seem to have some knowledge about this Grumble.

Do you know how long one has to wait until re-rating the same arc?

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I'm willing to open up the U.H.F. base for tours Kyo. I just need a heads up in advance so I can take a few things down.

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Inappropriate posters?

J/K

If ever there's a base that needs to be seen to be believed, UHF's is definitely a contender.

Ignore that...

I just found your post in another thread.

Looking forward to your feedback.




Note: I've received a tip last night which I agreed wholeheartedly might help set an even better atmosphere in this arc. I'll see if I can do that tonight, and credit the player accordingly here.

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Staying Alive by the Bee Jees

standing on top of the crashed Rikti ship during a Raid the Rikti

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It Came Out of the Sky - Creedence Clearwater Revival


Failing the Terra Volta Trial.

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...I saw two jerks yesterday talking on one of the old protector channels (was it elite badge?) about if it was possible to rate other peoples stories as 1 stars, as many as possible, so their stories float to the top...

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I've stated this before, but yeah, it doesn't take a genius to realize that with the current star system, it is much, much easier and less time consuming to 1-star the competition than to fine-tune and promote your own arc into earning 5 stars.

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Qr - well, I'm glad that's been sorted out now.

It looks like a cool arc. When coh let's me back in I'll give it a go.

Eco

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You can't log in?

Have you tried explaining your trouble in the Technical Issues and Bugs or Player Questions sections?

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Looks Like We Made It- Barry Manilow

The first time you realized "There's a small exploding Red Cap beating my toon on the head !"

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Bang Your Head (Metal Health) - Quiet Riot.


The first time you participated in a Rikti invasion.

This is a great discussion and I hope it will benefit others who may be wondering the same things we are. It may not be on topic, but I appreciate the comments.

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...Clearly what you did was derivative. It was derived from Fantastic Voyage...

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I would respectfully disagree on that point.

Let's use a definition of Derivative work I just got off a Google hit. Not big research, but it seems to fit.

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Just What Are Derivative Works

A derivative work is a new, original product that includes aspects of a preexisting, already copyrighted work. Also known as a "new version," derivative works can include musical arrangements, motion pictures, art reproductions, sound recordings or translations. They can also include dramatizations and fictionalizations, such as a movie based on a play.

A work is derivative if it incorporates copyrightable material. For example, if you develop a television show based on a book, the new show would be considered a derivative work under copyright law.

On the other hand, a new work is classified as new, not derivative, if it does not actually incorporate any copyrightable material from that preexisting work.

Other examples of derivative works include:

- Making a motion picture based on a play
- Translating an English novel into Spanish
- Remixing previously released tracks with new instrumentation
- Making a sculpture based on a drawing
- Creating a painting based on a photograph

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To me the title is clearly a parody even if the mission isn't - if it has to do with "shrinking down" and going inside of someones body.... It sounds like a parody for me regardless if it has characters that were from the original story or not.

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I can understand your viewpoint, but from my own standpoint (way over here), it comes down to perspective. No pun intended.

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A parody (pronounced [&amp;#712;p&amp;#603;&amp;#633;&amp;#601;di&amp;#7 20;] US, [&amp;#712;pa&amp;#633;&amp;#601;di&amp;#720;] UK, also called send-up or spoof), in contemporary usage, is a [u]work created to mock, comment on, or poke fun at an original work, its subject, or author, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation[u].

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My arc is doing none of the highlighted objectives a parody is supposed to bring about. I do prefer to refer to it as being an hommage, which that was how I intended it to be.

By making the term cover a larger definition, we could say "Honey I shrunk the Kids" and "Innerspace" could be parodies of "Fantastic Voyage", which they're not. Innerspace may be an adaptation, and therefore a funny derivative work of Fantastic voyage, but if the single use of a "shrink ray" is enough to define one's work as a parody, then every Saturday morning superhero / SF cartoon series I've seen is at risk.

The trouble may lie in that Fantastic Voyage was the first widely seen use of this idea, and therefore casts its shadow over any other uses.

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I like this game. Sometimes the rules are here to protect it. I have the feeling that the no parody/no derivative works rule is here to protect Paragon Studios more than it is in place to protect us.

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Nail -&gt; Head.

I think we agree that this rule is intentionaly left vague, and relatively unenforced, until the need arises, spurred on by legal threats. NCSoft needs to cover its own legal behind, and that's completely understandable.

And yes, if it comes to having to change, or even delete this arc if asked to do so by the powers that be in Paragon City, I will.

I have no intention of seeing CoH come to legal actions because of a witty idea I had.