Wrong_Number
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Posts
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Joined
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Quote:Huh? I am not feeling down at all? Who were you directing your comments towards?Originally Posted by RiOTWRAiTH
sorry yer feelin down.
in case you care, when i look fer arcs,i use keywords first and stars last.i always rate them on how much i enjoyed it.whether its a farm or not.
i stopped leaving comments when i found out its not anonomous but i dont mind tagging.
i dont have a solution for yer despondence,only posting so u get a cross section of community responses.
peace.
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Quote:Maybe most don't use the system the way I use it or the way that you do but, any way you slice it the difference between 5 stars and 4 stars is great when it comes to number of plays an arc gets.Originally Posted by all_hell
I am not certain that everyone or even most people use the filters the same way that you do. As noted up thread, many with 5 stars are farms, which generally bore me. And FWIW, I search by tags and keywords when I want to do a MA arc.
As for solutions, there are plenty that have been suggested many times.
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Quote:No, it was because it was from a person whose opinion I strongly respect and it made me feel that she did not deem the arc worth playing (which was not the case). Also, like I said, I can be a drama queen at timesOriginally Posted by Slax
So 1 person 4-starred your arc and you are ready to quit MA altogether?
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My point is that no matter how you use the existing system, anything less than 5 stars means the arc is more likely to be buried 1000's of pages in where it will likely see very few or no plays ever again. It does not matter what any of us think the ratings should mean.
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PW's reviews, imo, are by far the most useful to the author. When I released my latest arc she was the only reviewer I asked to run the arc because I knew that even if I did not like what she said it would be useful and come from her intent on improving the arc. On the other hand I will honestly admit that her rating me 4 stars in game was upsetting and even had me thinking about giving up on writing further arcs. (OK, I admit I can be a drama queen).
Some may question why a 4 star rating from someone I respect so much was so disappointing. The answer is simple. In the current rating system any rating other than a 5 negatively affects the chance of an arc getting played. Though this is clearly not the intention of the rating system, it is a fact. While a 4 slightly hurts the chance of the arc being played, if you get a 3, 2 or 1 early on and you can pretty much write off all the work you did on that arc.
I feel that the result of the 5 star system is that many, many potential authors have their dreams of getting the arc they labor so hard on played crushed out of the gate. I also think that after this happening many just "walk away" from MA.
Honestly, the system as it is now it really only gives two actual choices. 5 stars = I liked this arc enough to recommend it to others and 1-4 stars = different weights of I prefer people do not play this arc. I would bet that the majority of the people that play MA do not know or, for some reason, dont believe this is the case. Who can blame them? 4 stars according to the in game text associated with it are considered Excellent. Why would anyone think rating an arc as Excellent would hurt its chance of being played?
What I am saying here is nothing new, but since we now have a Dev dedicated to the MA system I thought it might be a good time to reopen the discussion.
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Quote:Originally Posted by xen10k
Played this last night and enjoyed it. The only thing I would suggest changing, is picking a different color for the clue text on I think it's the third mission. The red is kind of glaring. Another shade of orange/yellow, or a blue, or even a dull green would help. The color coding of the clues was a nice idea to separate them. It does make it easier to keep up with them after a mission.
Thanks for playing the arc and I am glad you enjoyed it. You are not the first to complain about the red coloring so I went in this morning and changed the mission heading and all the clues to light blue.
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Quote:This was the arc I was going to nominate and you beat me too it. So, I second the nomination.Originally Posted by GrinningSpade
I was rather enamored with this arc.
Fear And Loathing On Striga
Arc ID: 350522
Level: 20-29
Villainous
Why? Because it is an arc designed for Veats and it does so very well. You feel like one of the special Arachnos Operatives. Want more why? It introduces your villain to a hero zone in a believable way. Your villain enters the scene as the heroes pull out after a successful TF. Look at the same old content with a different viewpoint. A lot of inuendo's, lore and some old friends.
Besides that, it is a solid entertaining story. Well worth your time trying it out.
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I was writing a long response to the change in PW's rating system, but decided it should be it's own thread. Here is what I suggest:
Review rating 3-5 stars = 5 stars rating in game (you want to see this arc played by others)
Review rating 1-2 stars = arc is not rated in game
This, I feel will help take the "sting" out of a lower than 5 star review and will encourage people to take the review's suggestion for improvement as they are intended.
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Nice full team today! We ran the following arcs:
Night of a Thousand Brokaws by @Infernus Arc ID: 359903
The Legacy of the White Rose by @Teravoltt Arc ID: 181358
Hunter of Beasts Part 1: It starts with a riot... by @Lycanus Arc ID: 110465
Reminder - Teaming also tonight at 8:00pm and tomorrow, Sunday at noon EST.
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Quote:Thanks a lot for playing it and I am pleased that you enjoyed it. I was really going for an emotional attachment to Sherman and an eventual respect/warming to the crotchety Firecracker Kid as he learns that newer heroes deserve his respect too.Originally Posted by StratoNexus
I had a great time working with Sherman to end the Nutsi threat. I felt a real attachment to him, and especially like his dialog while resisting the brainwashing and his plea for us to get the device to fix him before he lost control.
When I found his outfit in mission 3, I was genuinely upset. His Panzer costume was a nice offset to his regular outfit.
The contact rode the line of being annoying, but never quite crossed it, IMO. It set up his change of attitude and made the respect he gives you after mission 4 feel all the more real.
p.s. I just read the souvenir. I look forward to trying the arc mentioned in it.
The arc in the clue is written by my husband. He designed the above pictured characters from the old Paragon Society (except for The Firecracker Kid) and their New Paragon Society counter parts keeping Sherman as I presented him in my arc.
Thanks again for playing it.
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Ok then. My votes for Best Character are:
2nd - Jail Bird's K-10
3rd - Fem Fury's Erica Lashion, aka Escalation
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Best Group
1st - The Wannabes (Mandated pick)
2nd - ArrowRose's The Anti Liberty League
3rd - Poptarts Ninja's Space Ape Armada
Best Character
1st - Firecracker Kid (Mandated pick)
2nd - Ms. Manners (Mandated pick)
3rd - Jail Bird's K-10
Since I have two character's I am assuming I have to place into first and second. If this is not the case please let me know.
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Quote:As Venture and I have repeatedly pointed out, of course you can disobey an order, but there would be no legitimate reason to do so here. There is no moral dilemma here is there? If you think there is please explain it.Originally Posted by StratoNexus
One: Your character had no choice because someone else makes the decision to drop the bomb. I cannot imagine I have not already countered that completely. Can't we all agree at this point that your character does indeed have a choice and could disobey the order?
Exactly!Quote:Two: The greater good that comes from dropping the bomb means that dropping the bomb is not doing evil for the greater good.
You can't counter it because it's correct, reasonable and only a villain would not set off the bomb. The arc is trying to make a fairly black and white issue gray.Quote:That line of reasoning seems so obviously circular and wrong to me that I don't know how to counter it, which is probably why I have failed up to this point.
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Quote:I have addressed every point brought up, but you are not getting your head around my points. It may be a generational thing, but I probably am not going to get you to understand my issues with the concept of this arc.Originally Posted by StratoNexus
You are missing the point. "I was just following orders" is not a defense for killing tens of thousands of civilians.
"We were stopping a war and saving the lives of millions" IS the defense for killing tens of thousands of civilians.
Greater good opposed to "evil" act. I think I remember learning one of the other planes to work on the bomb runs was named Necessary Evil.
That is the whole point of this type of story. People debate where that line is drawn. Each individual makes that decision.
It makes it in my care. I become responsible for what happens to it or with it. If my friend gives me his gun and he tells me to shoot a tire, I am in control of what happens after that. I choose whether or not I believe shooting the tire is a good idea. I shoot the tire or fail to shoot the tire. If I choose not to shoot the tire, someone else may come along and shoot it anyway, but that is not an excuse for me to just shoot it if I believe the tire should not be shot. If I shoot the tire, I can't claim that it was not my fault because it was not my gun, not my bullets, and I was told to do it.
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Quote:Yes, I played it very early on of you first publishing it. It did not come across for me and even felt in some ways unpatriotic. I also had problems with several historical errors in it. While some things can be written off to artistic license, changing dates for example can not in my opinion be. I know a good deal about WW2 and had family members who fought in it. So, for me, the factual errors and what I felt was negativity towards the people who bravely carried out the real events took me out of the story.Originally Posted by PoliceWoman
Hmm, have you actually played this story arc? In the story arc itself I tried to portray this action as a legitimate war objective (granted, with terrible consequences and human cost). If you didn't feel this came across, please let me know; I'd be happy to accept suggestions.
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Quote:Of course any solider bears some responsibility on any order he carries out. What you are insinuating however is that the order to drop a bomb on Japan was so wrong that it was evil and therefore an order a soldier would be justified in disobeying. I bet you would have a very, very hard, if not impossible time finding even one Allied solider to agree that disobeying the order to drop the bomb would have been justifiable.Originally Posted by PoliceWoman
For my part, I was questioning WN's earlier assertion that "the President already made the decision since it was ultimately his to make and not yours." The idea that a soldier who is "just following orders" bears no responsibility for the acts he performs has been largely discredited since WW2, though it does seem to come up again and again. Based on her later reply, I do think WN agrees that some orders are OK to obey and some are not. This is, IMHO, a key point; the soldier executing his orders does bear responsibility for his actions.
I hate coming across as overly harsh and I just want to say that I have really loved playing all of your arcs, but this one, in my opinion, is flawed in concept.
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Quote:You think because you are entrusted with something it makes it yours?Originally Posted by StratoNexus
They give you the bomb (making it yours)
Now that would be evil!Quote:and you can choose not to follow orders and instead take it to a deserted pacific island.
It's so ridiculous, offense and naive to compare actively participating in a holocaust aimed at your own citizens to defending your country in a war.Quote:"I was just following orders" is not a good defense, as has been pointed out by PW.
Yes it is very unfortunate, but not evil. War is unpleasant no matter how you look at it.Quote:It may mitigate the act somewhat, but its still pretty unfortunate to choose to kill tens of thousands of civilians.
Some people would view me having a dog or going to the mall as evil. Does that make those things evil?Quote:If you did that without there being a greater good outcome, I am pretty sure most people would view it as outright evil, even if you were ordered to do it. Some people would view it as evil despite the greater good outcome.
This arc takes place during a war. War is unfortunate and unpleasant, but it does not make the soldiers fighting the war evil. By the logic put forth here, the crew of the Enola Gay and every person that knew about the bomb was evil. That is, in my opinion, a very misguided and uninformed view.
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Quote:It is not your bomb or your choice. We can move this to PW's arc thread if yo wish to carry this on further.Originally Posted by StratoNexus
Isn't that the very definition of evil (killing tens of thousands of civilians) for the greater good (saving millions of soldiers lives)?
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Quote:I thought of that exact thing, but felt that no one would go there since it is so clearly apples and oranges. Obeying orders that are obviously insane and hate motivated against your own citizens can hardly be compared to preserving the lives of your citizens during a war that your country did not even start.Originally Posted by PoliceWoman
As a point of fact, a number of soldiers used a very similar argument as a legal defense shortly after the war, and were subsequently hanged.
Also, as a point of history, dropping the bomb was by far the most humane way to end the war and it saved far more lives on both sides than a conventional invasion of Japan. By most estimates millions of lives would have been lost during a conventional invasion.
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Quote:I don't think it was evil at all. Unfortunate and horrible, yes, but not evil. The bigger issue I had was that the President already made the decision since it was ultimately his to make and not yours.Originally Posted by PoliceWoman
Heya! Thanks for trying The Destroyer of Worlds.
This is an interesting point. The morality of dropping the atom bomb on Japan has been a subject for debate for years, really. Each person will probably have their own opinion on this. For sake of discussion, here is mine:
* Killing 100,000 noncombatants is unquestionably evil in my book.
* However, ending WW2 without requiring a costly invasion of Japan by ground troops is a "greater good".
* The fact that it was "an act of war" is justification. This is the main reason why I feel a hero could reasonably perform this act while still remaining a "hero". (This perhaps is why you don't feel it is "evil enough".) I do not think "it was war!" removes the fact that it was evil, however.
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Some reviews are in!
@FredrikSvanberg wrote: The whole arc has a fine balance of humor and serious business.
@DarklordDKL wrote: Awesome! Your best yet, IMO. Firecracker has some classic material!
@BackFire wrote: Nazi-smashing fun! Great attention to detail, fun dialogue, and a solid story. There was a lot more humor than I expected, but it didn't detract from the arc. Esp. liked the fight dialogue for Sherman and his turn to the dark side. Great touch! BTW- was able to solo the EB with a lvl 27 MA/WP scrapper
@Meatpiston wrote: Nice story and great dialog!
@Tragedy Redtear wrote: great depiction of the 5th column, the customs were well made and a lot of details about the faction came through indirectly in while playing. I don't speak German but i know enough to see that you knew what you were doing when writing the names and dialogue.. Nice job!
@Lethal Guardian wrote: (as Pro Payne) Wonderful arc! The contact and mission briefings were very well done. The mission design and the story were top notch -- the arc was a blast to play, and I very much enjoyed it! Very, very good job!
@Gypsy Rose wrote: Loved this arc, especially the contact!
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Today we picked arcs from our thread and played the following:
Rise of the Drakule by @LaserJesus Arc ID: 51357
Mender Roebuck Taskforce:World War Two-The Time War by @Super Ratz Arc ID: 105839
The Invasion of the Space Ape Armada by @PoptartsNinja Arc ID: 356628
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We had six team members today and ran the following arcs:
Teh Freakshow Artz Klub by @Geveo Arc ID: 25622
Fear And Loathing On Striga by @FredrikSvanberg Arc ID: 350522
Papers and Paychecks by @PW Arc ID: 298290
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Having played this arc a while back I wanted to replay it for the December PC Awards. Overall I think the changes are very good, however some of your power tweaking have caused many of the group to no give exp. The no exp from the group are:
Securpanzee
Baboom
Bonoborg
Irradiape (love the name)
Gorillenforcer
Medi-Gibbon
Gorilla Captain
Admiral Silverback
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Quote:What I forgot, but just relearned, is that you can not color the title of the clues so coloring the clue itself is the only option.Originally Posted by Wrong_Number
Thanks a ton for the great review! I like the ideal of maybe limiting the clue coloring to the title and think that I will change that the next time I update the arc. I matched the clue colors with the title of each mission's briefing because I often have found myself trying to figure out what clue just had dropped.
I looked at this and it must have been you being tired. Briefing 3 talks about Sherman already on his way to the lab ahead of you and then you find that very telling clue at the lab. When you return the briefing for mission 4 talks about Sherman's past and the fact that he has been captured.Quote:So far no one else has mentioned any confusion over Sherman's movements in mission 3 and 4, but I will check it out again with a critical eye.
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