5th_Elemental
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Posts
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Joined
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Matchstick Women
Arc ID: 3369
By: @Bubbawheat
Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars
@Cain Lightning says:
Visual Pop: I really liked the custom design of the Matchstick Women. The distinct looks of the minions, lieutenants and bosses made the discovery of each of them worth taking the time to stop and admire them. The map selection was good, such as the burning building, which helped reinforce the tone of the story. The power auras were used appropriately, and didnt detract for the various characters appearances. Ditch the Carnie Senschels from the arc, as they arent needed. 4.25 Stars
@LAMIKE says:
Fun Factor: The mobs had an interesting and well balanced mix of powers. There were some good mob animations prior to combat. Enabling the sprinkler system valves was clever. I liked the use of the Curious Woman as first as an opponent, then later as an ally. The arc started off a bit easy, but progressively rose in challenge to my satisfaction. 4.5 Stars
@Pankrator says:
Story Flow: Well done! You struck the dark drama chord nicely! As the story unfolded, the creepy feeling increased. I really wanted to put an end to the Matchstick Women, and their evil schemes. The text of the contact was intriguing, and drew me into the story. Great story cohesiveness, spelling and formatting. All the mob/boss info was very informative, and put together the background of the enemy. Not overusing clues was appreciated. 5 Stars
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Death to Disco!
Arc ID: 84420
By: @Wrong Number
Overall Rating: 4.25 Stars
@Cain Lightning says:
Story Flow: This arc needs a bit of fine tuning regarding the text. Having said that, the story was still funny and easy to follow. As an advent fan of rock and roll, it made completing this story even more enjoyable. I really loved the mob and boss info. It cracked me up! Dr Disco Fever had a deep and enjoyable background. 4.5 Stars
@LAMIKE says:
Visual Pop: I thought the costumes were appropriate for the setting, and aside from the Crey, clever. The cool retro throwback outfits of the various musical factions (rocker, rapper, pop star, etc.) were visual pleasures. The NPC dialogue was very funny. I found myself laughing out loud from beginning to end. The last map annoyed me, but I got over when I started reading the custom text. 4 Stars
@Pankrator says:
Fun Factor: Heh. Funny story arc. I really enjoyed all of the comedic elements, such as smashing the disco cassettes and taking down Dr Disco Fever. Rock on! Nice custom power selection. All of the powers fit the names well, with the Diva being my favorite. Ditch the Crey, and place your custom mob into the first mission. Id rather rescue the peanut farmer from them, than the Crey. I think the contact added a lot to my enjoyment. He reminded me of an old rocker friend from back in the day. 4 Stars -
Samurais Destiny
Arc ID: 47492
By: @Uzzi
Overall Rating: 4.25 Stars
@Cain Lightning says:
Story Flow: This story arc was a tough one for me to evaluate. Even though I enjoyed it, the lack of information on mobs and bosses, and the fact that the contact seemed to be less and less inspiring and informative, was a bummer. Some additional depth and some reworking of the contact information (especially the sendoffs) would make this arc solid. 4.25 Stars
@LAMIKE says:
Visual Pop: While the costumes of the mobs were appropriate, more variety would have gone a long way. I would like to see the selection of the maps available be put to better, more creative use. While it makes sense for ninjas and samurai to be silent and disciplined, the lack of NPC dialogue bothered me. How about they grunt, or Hiyah!
4 Stars
@Pankrator says:
Fun Factor: With the cool design and frequency of ambushes, the arc was very intense to play. I felt like I was constantly in a fight, which is a good thing. Being a team-oriented arc, the lack of more EBs and/or AVs takes away a bit. Good job on the custom power builds, as everything was appropriate. I would definitely replay this arc, solo or with a team. 4.25 Stars
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Tyranus Rex
Arc ID: 157491
By: @EtherFalcon
Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars
@Cain Lightning says:
Fun Factor: Although this arc does contain some well constructed custom mobs, it suffers from a propensity of underwhelming bosses. Signature characters are only going to leave an impression if they can survive for more than a few seconds. With all the customizable options available, its fairly easy to make the leaders EBs (or AVs). You can then tweak their powers so that they are stout, yet not player-killers. 3.25 Stars
@LAMIKE says:
Story Flow: This arc started out shaky with regard to the written presentation, but cleaned up nicely over its course. I enjoyed the story line about the power suit, mostly because Ive seen it done again and again. The mobs have no information. Im someone who reads this stuff, so take advantage of it! The same goes for popups. Use them cleverly! Inspire me! 3.75 Stars
@Pankrator says:
Visual Pop: With two custom groups in one arc, the author was probably crunched for space, as he was not able to include the ideal six-pack custom mob setup of two minions, two lieutenants, and two bosses of various builds. Lacking any bosses aside from the signature ones made the mobs look uninspiring. The annoying auras given to Rex Ruthless troops in the second mission added to the problem. I could barely appreciate the design of the custom characters due to the muddling effect. 3.25 Stars -
Project: Perilous - Into the Chthonian Pit
Arc ID: 3586
By: @Paula
Overall Rating: 3.5 Stars
@Cain Lightning says:
Fun Factor: This arc was long enough to feel tedious. The final map really hammers this point home. The mission objectives in the navigation bar were often unclear as to what they actually entailed (grab glowie, defeat boss, etc.). Being a MM, the ally turned out to be more of a hindrance than a help. This arc could afford to be a lot tougher because frankly, it was too easy. 3.5 Stars
@LAMIKE says:
Story Flow: I really liked the depth of the story as it contained various elements of myth and legend, but at times it seemed a bit wordy. The spelling and formatting was well done. There was a sparse amount of information to uncover about the bosses and minions. That was a disappointment. What would be nice is if there was a bit more "crunch" or "fluff". By crunch, I mean mechanical information such as powers known and fluff referring to creative story or background information. Fighting the same villains in back to back missions more than once was uninspiring. 3.75 Stars
@Pankrator says:
Visual Pop: The custom mobs need a lot of work. An example is the missed opportunity in customizing the Hellfire Club to be more than a hodgepodge of canon mobsters. I'd like to see the rest of the arc's mobs fleshed out. There was a distracting bit of overuse in the colored text. The last mission sendoff being formatted in all blue was unbearable. 3.25 Stars
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The Golden Scepter
Arc ID: 9852
By: @Mystic Fortune
Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars
@Cain Lightning says:
Visual Pop: Excellent costumes!!! (two thumbs up), especially the EBs. The story architect has a knack for designing characters that look both distinct and interesting. The contact is also well made, but his resemblance (note: this is probably intentional) to a certain comic book character took away from him. A good selection of different maps rounded out the visual pop. 5 Stars
@LAMIKE says:
Fun Factor: I liked the overall challenge level, but I would recommend that if you're going to make a team-based arc, substitute EBs for AVs. They will still remain EBs should someone try to solo the arc. EBs rarely pose a challenge to a good team. There was a good use of MA tools, such as the spectral ally of the contact. 4.25 Stars
@Pankrator says:
Story Flow: I loved the overall story! I really was compelled to finish the arc, and had fun doing so. The text was spot on, and was very fun to read. It suffers, however, from being a bit too "standard RPG module" like. It felt like I had done this before. 4.5 Stars -
When Mission Architect was released, the excitement of all the possibilities regarding custom content was felt. Imagine all of the new mobs and Arch Villains/Heroes to discover. With all of the wonderful stories and new adventures yet to be told, the custom additions seemed endless. To us veteran players who've been around for over four years, it seemed as if a new game would be uncovered.
We've played numerous MA canon-themed story arcs, and quite frankly, have been unimpressed. We have yet to encounter one that is canon-based, yet provides something totally new, or at least on par, with existing content. The most impressive feature of MA is the fact that we can add custom content. If you want to fight Crey Industries, you can already go to Founders Falls or do a story arc involving them. The last thing we should want to fight is Crey in an MA arc.
We came upon a quote that bothered us:
[ QUOTE ]
Venture (4/13/2009)
Extensive use of custom mobs says, to me, that the author is covering up for a weak or nonexistent theme with eye candy, that the mission is "just a bunch of stuff that happened". I'd much rather see a good story told within the canon than a mediocre action movie told with custom mobs.
[/ QUOTE ]
In our opinion, it takes far more creativity to come up with an MA story with a lot of custom content, than to try to put together a story with "been there, done that" opponents. People like Venture lack the creativity for customization, and choose to hide behind stock mobs, long winded missions, and uninspired rehashing of in-game content.
Are there any others out there with the creative moxie to offer all custom MA stories? We're not talking about novels, but good action adventures that have new, i.e.: custom content.
Here's a shout out to all of you MA fanatics that have made custom MA arcs, and a challenge to those who have yet to do so. List them here so that others might find and enjoy them. We will play and rate any arcs posted here in an effort to help promote them (and in some cases, to help you make them better).
We are a panel of reviewers, not a single person. Each of us will individually review the arc and rate it. All three votes will be totaled for an overall rating. Ratings range from three to five stars. There will be no one or two stars given out, as they will be considered incomplete. Along with the numerical rating, we will each provide a comment on one of the following three criteria:
Fun Factor: challenge level, good use of MA tools, proper custom power building, measuring up to the keywords, replay value.
Visual Pop: costume design, creative map usage, text color selections (moderation), NPC dialogue, power effects (not overusing auras).
Story Flow: proper formatting, spelling and punctuation, story cohesiveness, interesting mob/boss info, proper use of clues and popups, and good solid story motivation to want to continue.
Custom Story Parameters
The story must contain at least 70% of the following:
Custom Mobs
Custom Bosses, EBs and AVs
Custom Allies
Custom Contact
A story unrelated to a canon person, place or thing. (Mobs using canon content but rearranged and given a new name do not qualify as custom.)
Please feel free to play our custom arcs listed below and let us know what you think about our use of custom content in CoH.
Looking forward to experiencing all of your custom stories and to hear what you think about ours! -
I recently played your arc 67335 Teen Phalanx Forever! I thought the young versions of the Freedom Phalanx were spot on. I also enjoyed the custom critters you added to the existing (cannon) mobs. For example, the Brides of Vahzilok were really cool, and looked appropriate. I rated it a 5 star.
The only gripe would be the fact that the Teen Phalanxers made the missions a breeze. My tank felt like a fifth wheel. But, the information they gave by teaming with them was worth it.
I'm not a professional editor, so I can't really comment on your punctuation and spelling. The overall presentation seemed fine to me.
I'm planning on running your other arcs in the future. I'm even thinking of running my SG through them.
Here's my information so you can run through my arc and tell me what you think. It's the first part of a multi-part series, but stands well enough on its own.
ARC#41646
@Cain Lightning -
[ QUOTE ]
AE System
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Welcome to Architect Entertainment -- Neutral
Death for Dollars! -- Neutral
Bare Knuckles of Rage (9304)
*
Character/Supergroup Origins
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Birth of a Fossil -- Heroic
Midnight Bells Toll ----Villanious
5th Element Supergroup Origins MA Stories -- Heroic
*
Classic Super-Hero/Super-Villain
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THE BOMBER --- Heroic --- Arc 16607
*
Comedy
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The Extadine Lab -- Heroic
The Great Chicken Caper of '09 -- Heroic
MacGuffin Delivery Service (1567) -- Villainous
ParaCon -- Heroic
The new and improved Lord Recluse Strike Force -- Villainous (though I wouldn't recommend against a hero
)
The Fire Bunnies - Neutral, They are only bunnies after all...
You Say It's Your Birthday! (3630) - Neutral
*
Comedy/Drama
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A Super Team is Born -- Heroic
Attack of the Space Clowns (18749) -- Neutral
Cause of How Some Silly Stealed My Wings #1481 -- Neutral
Lawyers of Ghastly Horror -- Heroic
How to Survive a Robot Uprising -- Heroic
Dr. Duplicate's Dastardly Dare -- Neutral
It's a Nice Day for a White Wedding (9059) -- Neutral
TURG FICTION: Ghost in the Machine, Act I - Heroic (althoughs romantic villains could try this too
)
Rum Runners of Bloody Bay (3691) - Heroic
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Crime/Gangs
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Bricked Electronics -- Heroic (LIVE! 2180)
The Bravuran Jobs -- Villainous (LIVE! 5073)
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Drama
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The Conciliators: Simone -- Heroic (4010)
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Global Domination
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Axis and Allies -- Villainous (10597)
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Heist
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Celebrity Kidnapping -- Villainous (20161)
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Historical (Realistic)
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Historical (CoH Lore)
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The War on Superadine - The Regulators in their 1980's drug war (Heroic) (Arc 7959)
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Holiday
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*
Horror
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Dark Dreams -- Heroic (18914)
The Amulet of J'gara (1709) -- Heroic
Project: Perilous - Into the Chthonian Pit (#3586) - Neutral (Unless you happen to be a mad cultist, in which case, go nuts!)
Small Fears -- Heroic
*
Large-Scale Crisis
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A Hero's Halo -- Heroic
This Is War, Part I - the Revenge of Hro'Dtohz -- Neutral
Win the Past, Own the Future - Heroic
A Warrior's Friend - Heroic*
Magic
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The Magical Miss Fitz (5079) -- Heroic
Chains of Blood (5492) -- Heroic
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Military
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Redoubt Operations #1: Fires over Kalago -- Heroic
Red Storm Rising Arc 4912 Heroic
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Misc. Adventure
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The Portal Bandits (3326) -- Heroic
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Mystery
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Blowback (18575) -- Heroic
Dream Paper -- Heroic (LIVE! 1874)
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Mythology
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Anactoria's Descent Into the Underworld -- Villainous
The War of Fate: Betrayal (19698) -- Neutral
The Seelie War -- Heroic
The Unseelie War -- Villainous
Tales of Cimerora, volume 1 : Of feathers and fur -- Heroic
*
The Aegis Affair - Heroic
Nemesis Plots
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Brass Reaver: Part 1 -- Neutral
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Player-Chosen Outcome
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Hunting the Dark Dragon -- Heroic
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Sci-Fi
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Above Mars - Part 1: The Wellington -- Neutral
Adventures of the Space Marines -- Neutral
Adventures of the Space Marines 2 -- Neutral
Down With The Sickness -- Neutral (12420)
The Final Nemesis
Netrunner -- Heroic (14434)
*
Un-themed Survival/AV/Time Challenges
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The Meatgrinder -- Neutral
*
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[/ QUOTE ] -
Greetings Heroes of Paragon!
If you're interested in a story-driven, team-focused set of arcs, we would like to present the 5th Element Supergroup MA stories!
In this multi-part series, you will be able to experience first hand the original events that helped shape and form the Super Group 5th Element.
Origin 5th Element - Part 1 - Get Max
Arc ID: 41646
Levels: 1-54
Length: Medium (3 missions)
Morality: Heroic
Description: Acting as Drak Steel, you must locate and rescue his partner Max Savage from the mind swiping control of Intercrime.
Notes: This arc is very team focused and contains 5 AVs.
__________________________________________________ _____
Origin 5th Element - Part 2 - Birth of a Super Group
Arc ID: 58817
Levels: 1-54
Length: Medium (3 missions)
Morality: Heroic
Description: In place of Drake and Max, you battle the forces of Militech Technologies and rescue Kator and Sultry Siren
Notes: This arc is very team focused and contains 5 AVs.
__________________________________________________ _____
Origin 5th Element - Part 3 - Mecha Mania
Arc ID: 111009
Levels: 1-54
Length: Medium (2 missions)
Morality: Heroic
Description: Taking the place of the original 5th Element members, you must track down the enigmatic Emperor Otaku.
Notes: This arc is very team focused and contains 5 AVs.
__________________________________________________ _____
Origin 5th Element - Part 4 - The Worst of the Elements
Arc ID: 134592
Levels: 1-54
Length: Long (3 missions)
Morality: Heroic
Description: Taking the place of the 5th Element, you set out to battle their arch-nemesis Negative Element.
Notes: This arc is very team focused and contains 5 AVs.
__________________________________________________ _____
Origin 5th Element - Part 5 - Pay Back
Arc ID: 169058
Levels: 1-54
Length: Long (3 missions)
Morality: Heroic
Description: In the place of the 5th Element, you must discover who the real leader of Negative Element is and take him down.
Notes: This arc is very team focused and contains 5 AVs.
We are very interested in feedback, and are confident that you will find these stories enjoyable!
Bring a team and have a blast!