Zamuel

Even without being DC, arcs that get played on Test don't seem to get those plays carried over to Live where the ratings actually matter. I know it's not automatic (it shouldn't be) but would it kill the players to stick their heads back into the Live version if they liked the Test version?

This is why the combination of the lack of APPs/PPPs for AE critters and the Blaster damage scaling bugs me. Epic pools would allow more power options and lowering damage scaling would make some powersets less vicious. It's funny (well, funny is probably the wrong word...) that customs are still potentially very strong and are constantly hit with XP nerfs while it's almost always canon mobs that get exploited (and then removed ).

"Is that an official wish? Say the magic words..." Haven't seen an arc comment/reply from you just yet. However, Peppercat actually beat you to the punch with an in-game request for Overload #405822 so that will be next up.

Overview

Overall the arc is mechanically sound and has a decent premise but it's a little underwhelming.The first mission only has generic rescue dialogue from the hostages with no patrols, idle chatter, or clues. Also, the Bum Slump animation seemed like an odd choice for the hostages as opposed to a Cower type animation. Then again, some canon mobs have weird restrictions on what animations you can and can't use.

The fact that the final mission takes place in a [spoiler] is the main thing that seemed underwhelming, especially due to one of the clues from the previous mission made it seem like something else may have been going on since it wasn't encoded. Any number of things could be done here. You could go the route of having a full rewrite of the mission and make it take place somewhere else. You could keep the same premise but use a larger version of that map and perhaps some hostages for a bit more chaos. Maybe add a battle with the enemy group from mission 4. There's also the concept of adding a timer for a bit of pressure. Merely throwing out ideas since the end result is up to you.

Your arc has inconsistent levels. This is generally bad unless time travel or power dampening is involved in order to simulate losing powers. Also, your contact does not have a bio. You might want to roll the timer warning from mission 2 into the actual text itself but that's purely a matter of taste. The 'Accept' text for your final mission is still the default while the text for your other missions is more descriptive.

Some of your clues wound up being out of order with the last clue for a specific mission showing up above the first clue. This can be remedied either by drag and dropping the objective lower in the list or cut and pasting the mission text from the objective to the actual End of Mission clue to guarantee it will be last.

I couldn't place my finger on Technogenic's secondary. I know he was a Robotics MM but I didn't know what else he had. I know he lacked KB protection. Merely a curiosity on my part.

Also, I think the inclusion of [spoiler] was a pretty interesting move that works. I was originally wary about the defeat alls but the maps are small enough that it's fine.

Spelling/Grammar

--Mission 1 start

Now for the really bad news: that warehouse is the primary storage area for demolition supplies we're using in the Boomtown reconstruction project, including a large amount of explosives. If whoever's behind this gets their hands on the explosives in there there's no telling what damage they could do!

should probably be

Now for the really bad news: that warehouse is the primary storage area for demolition supplies we're using in the Boomtown reconstruction project, including a large amount of explosives. If whoever's behind this gets their hands on the explosives in there, there's no telling what damage they could do! <- comma

--Mission 1 send off

Thanks, I knew I could depend on you $name. Your first task will be to rescue any workers that got stuck inside when the robots broke in, thankfully it was only night shift so there can't be more then two or three workers still in there.

should be

Thanks, I knew I could depend on you $name. Your first task will be to rescue any workers that got stuck inside when the robots broke in. Thankfully it was only night shift so there can't be more then two or three workers still in there. <- period + caps

--Mission 1 outro

Good job $name, it seems kind of odd those robots had no leader though, he must have already fled.

should probably be

Good job $name. It seems kind of odd those robots had no leader though. He must have already fled. <- periods + caps

--Mission 3 sendoff

I knew I could count on you $name. Now the priority here is to get in and out, you'll probably have to hack into their computer system to get any decent information, Crey's employees don't tend to talk.

should be

I knew I could count on you $name. Now the priority here is to get in and out. You'll probably have to hack into their computer system to get any decent information. Crey's employees don't tend to talk. <- periods + caps

--Mission 3 outro

Basically, this guy could "feel" instinctively, how machines went together and therefore if a machine was malfunctioning in some way he could figure out how to repair it just by being near it, in short he was a technopath. Unfortunately they went too far and increased his power too much, he went nuts and they had to detain him. He broke free a week ago and in the process repaired and now controls a host of Anti-Matter's robots he stole from a Crey storage warehouse. He now goes by the name Technogenic. Unfortunately that's all that's in the file, his whereabouts are completely unknown.

should be

Basically, this guy could "feel" instinctively how machines went together and therefore if a machine was malfunctioning in some way he could figure out how to repair it just by being near it. In short he was a technopath. Unfortunately they went too far and increased his power too much, he went nuts, and they had to detain him. He broke free a week ago and in the process repaired and now controls a host of Anti-Matter's robots he stole from a Crey storage warehouse. He now goes by the name Technogenic. Unfortunately that's all that's in the file, his whereabouts are completely unknown. <- periods and commas

--Mission 4 outro

Excellent work! Now we know where he is there's only one thing left to do

Your choice on adding a period or an ellipsis to the end of that sentence.

--Mission 5 startup

Now I don't know if you read all of that file on him, but Crey managed to boost his powers to huge levels, you might want to assemble a team for this.

should be

Now I don't know if you read all of that file on him but Crey managed to boost his powers to huge levels. You might want to assemble a team for this. <- remove comma, add period

[NPC] Technogenic: Awww, $fall down... Pathetic.

I'm assuming you meant either

[NPC] Technogenic: Awww, $name fell down... Pathetic.

OR

[NPC] Technogenic: Awww, look at $name fall down... Pathetic.

While I feel this is the better concept, the problem is getting to this point. While I still greatly enjoy AE, it's depressing to see how it's been handled.

Arguably, it's probably rewards. It's harder (but not impossible) to make a difficult enemy give XP than an easy one. I actually think I17 might have made this worse for some powersets if the arc is designed for lvl 40-50 due to the way it scales XP per power added. The other problem is damage scaling. Everything in AE uses the Blaster damage scales so what a writer perceives as being a Defender is actually hitting vastly harder than that. Due to the exploiters, we're probably never going to get the ability for authors to give their players temp powers to help out with an encounter.

Plus...it's easy. "Okay this is my final boss so he needs to be harder than everyone else. Hey, I can make him Extreme! These powersets sound cool... Done!" Then they'll jump on something with high defense that can AFK when they test (if they even test...) and figure it's fine and dandy.

And XP is important. It shouldn't be but it's well known that people will quit an arc that gives low rewards.

I think it is a good system that does not reach its full potential and in some ways it's possible that it CAN'T reach full potential. I think it is slightly inferior to the map/mission maker from TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (as an aside, I think whoever the current SG base lead is could learn a thing or two from its map maker setup). The MMO aspect just might be the very thing that stunts MA's growth due to the constant battle against exploiters preventing us from getting needed improvements like direct spawn control. Furthermore, I don't think we'll ever be able to setup actual events in the MA due to its limitations.

It seems broken record-ish but the system needs a better search engine. It would make finding arcs to play easier and would allow you to avoid things you dislike. I don't do it as much as I used to but it can be fun to do a semi-random search and see what arcs you find. Nowadays I almost exclusively play arcs from suggestions/recommendations but it's disheartening to think of the people being ignored and how that affects you too.

I hope a red name can clarify this. Done right, hunts can be fun so it would be disappointing if bonuses are taken away. On the flip side, I hope this isn't being added to punish those who opt to use stealth in their gameplay, especially since it already gives less xp than a kill all.

This...is actually a pretty brilliant proposal. Seems to address the main problems without creating new ones.

Thing is, anti herding generally IS anti AoE and AoE is generally the reason to want to herd. There's other reasons such as herding as a form of soft control for the rest of your team but the main reason is just to drop AoEs on the enemies.

I don't see the problem if warning is given beforehand. This is where I was coming from on that we should have a greater abundance differing mission types so that someone who wants to melee and just do damage can do that while someone who wants missions that favor control can do that. For example, my favorite TF is the Abandoned Sewer Trial. Under most circumstances, attempts to set it up aren't just met with dislike, it's met with a reaction of fear. Most people don't want to run it (or don't know it exists since it isn't the ITF...) but it's good to have the option for that kind of mission.

Quantum Gunners were removed from the various factions because non-Kheldians were farming them.