dugfromthearth

jumped into a Nemesis invasion this morning on Virtue. There seemed to be 3 zones invaded at the same time. I swear every time I am on the invasion is happening.

Was in Talos on the invasion hill. We got warhulks (although very few) and fake nemesis. Not a lot of Fake's but they were tough to bring down. Then Nemesis spawned. He was remarkably tough. Not just because he was tough, but because most of the people were still fighting the other fake nemesis and others.

I was defeated 3 times. Once just back from the hospital I ran up to Nemesis to use drain psyche and before I could click the button I was down. Seemed like 1 hit, I'm not sure what from.

It was a good 5-10 minute fight before taking Nemesis down. I did not get the badge, not sure why.

It was a lot more interesting than zombie and rikti invasions because there was an actual goal besides just stand in bunch and smash everything. I'm not sure how many people actually wanted to take down nemesis vs farming fakes though.

my daughter started playing the sims 3 through our tv. I look up to see a bunch of random stuff including a red and white striped umbrella. "a longbow umbrella" I thought immediately just accepting that's what it was. A moment later I realized it was just an umbrella.

our toilets at work have a fluorescent light above them. I swear the reflection of the light in the oval bowl makes the exact arachnos spider symbol.

where do you see CoX?

while Hero is my favorite superhero system (BASH is also fun, but lighter), it bears no resemblance to City of Heroes.

if the question is what system would you use for a superhero game that you could make your CoX characters in - Hero works. But it won't play like CoX. Character creation is massively more complicated (okay, not if you include IO sets in CoX).

what level?

the ability to have the chest detail appear on our right arm/shoulder like a tattoo on skin or an insignia on a uniform

My big want is non-normal thickness body parts.

skeleton body parts - only bone thick
wooden body parts that are stick like
missing bodyparts - gloves that do not connect at the wrist, or a head floating above the shoulders with no neck

we have some robot parts that are thin - skeletal robotic arms, and a peg leg

I want to be able to make a skeleton, a stickman scarecrow/puppet, and a ghost which is a hooded robe with gloves and boots but no arms or legs

this one
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=286072

so there was Scarlet Johansen in a skintight bodysuit, and um, I'm sure there was something else

disclaimer: this is written as if it were the word of god because it is simpler and clearer to write that way, ymmv

Every mission arc has events that happen which taken together can form a plot. This is advice on how to create a solid plot that players will like. Actual greatness of plot requires creativity and imagination - this is just a checklist of the mechanics of a good plot.

1. Extends From Start of 1st to End of Last Mission
The plot needs to start with the first contact text and end with the final contact text. There needs to be one unified plot the whole way through. The first contact text should have a sentence that summarizes the plot of the entire arc. This can and probably will be somewhat vague "stop the Hellion plot". A plot should build energy and interest to a satisfying conclusion. Without an overarching plot the interest starts and stops instead of building. Each mission may be great but the end will be less than the sum of its parts.

While the first mission has its own plot, it is important that the arc plot also be set up. Do not have the first mission be "stop the bank robbery" and then the contact say "oh, there's something else I want you to do". At a minimum (and it is a minimum) have it be "I need help with a variety of tasks". Think of this like a recipe. Few people would make a recipe that started "Step 1 add flour", instead it starts saying you are making a chocolate cake then gives you step 1.

Likewise the last mission contact needs to sum up the conclusion of the plot. This should provide the player with closure and a feeling of accomplishment. Again, the plot should be summed up in a single sentence. At a minimum, "Thanks to you the city is safe from the evil plots of the Hellions".

2. The Plot Needs to Connect to City of Heroes
The plot does not have to involve a known NPC. It does not have to follow the CoX storyline. But even if you want to have an arc set in the old west or ancient Japan - tie it to CoX in some way. Ouroboros is fine for time travel. You can come up with other excuses. But do at least a little handwaving and pretend that the arc makes sense for characters in City of Heroes.

3. The Plot Needs to Motivate the Player and the Character
The purpose of a plot is to motivate the player and character. Players can be motivated by rewards or fun, characters have various goals from hunger to the pursuit of justice. The intersection is what makes for a good plot. The character will not care about promises of AE tickets. The player will not be excited about a plot to get a sandwich and take a nap. If it is something that would interest both the player and character it is probably a good plot.

The trick to this is the acceptance text. The acceptance text should summarize the motivation of the character. "I will save the kitten and defeat the villains" shows some motivation. "I will rob the bank and make off with millions" shows some motivation. "I guess" shows the plot is not motivating and you just hope the player goes along.

4. The Plot Needs To Be Specific But Not Unique
The more specificity in a plot the more real and important it seems. You are not just going after Hellions but the fiend "Firepower". You are not just rescuing innocents but "Lisa" the barista you see every morning. "Save Lisa the barista from being sacrificed by the fiend Firepower" is much more interesting than "Save the hostage from the Hellions".

Uniqueness comes from specifying a unique person or thing: the president of the United States, the MAGI vault. The problem with arcs involving unique people and things is that you tend to run into a lot of them and it cheapens them. Defeat FrostFire 10 times and he becomes a joke. Much better to make up a new, specifically named villain.

5. Twists Are Good, Turns Have Been Done
A plot should have twists. Players should find out new information. They may achieve part of a goal but find another piece that needs fixing. Every mission the player should come out knowing something new that puts a bit of spin on the story. That is what keeps the plot interesting - it develops.

But many people want to put turns into the plot. It was about robbers, now it is about aliens. Or it turns out that the contact has been setting you up the whole time. There are two problems with this. It has been done over and over again so players are seldom surprised and are usually annoyed. In a superhero game few surprises are surprising. In real life if it turns out that someone is a vampire it would be shocking. In a superhero game it barely registers.

if you find arcs that you like, post them and people will play them

vague statements that there are good things in there is nice
arc ID's and names is even better

remove all enhancements except IO standard enhancements.
no TO/DO's/SO's/HO's
no set bonuses
no procs

remove EPP's and Patron Powers
remove Incarnate powers

my tips

1. When you join a team say hello. If someone joins a team say hello.
bonus: if just one person joins a team say hello and their name

2. When you leave a team say you have to go. As simple as "I need to go" is far better than just leaving.

3. When you are at a group of players - training, shopping, a team - look over the other characters and compliment the name or outfit of any you like
bonus: say a specific part of their outfit that you like. "Nice outfit - I like the mask"

I did just come out between AE missions and get the Nemesis Plot badge because I was in the zone when the event ended. So that was handy

I don't believe it. Given that nothing lived more than 3 seconds. By the time I could target something it was dead.

in the last 2 weeks I have started 21 threads on all boards, that is 1.5 a day
13 on this board, less than 1 a day

I suppose one could consider 1 thread a day to be a lot of threads.

I suspect however, that my threads are noticeable and interesting. They get a lot of responses and stay visible due to that.

is that really all there is to the Nemesis invasion?

At least spawn fake nemesis so we can earn the badge -that would make them useful if not interesting.