BackFire

I soooo wish I could put a fin on it! And I wish there was an option for 1 glowing eye. I'm using the Beastly glow in a hot pink so it slowly blinks in and out and looks great...but 2 eyes.

Nice addition! I'd love to see any other Suits people have come up with.

The shield in that reminded me of one of my previous incarnations so I gathered my old screenies for an evolution timeline...

Issue 2:


Issue 6:


Issue 8:


Issue 11:


Issue 12:


Issue 12b:


Issue 20:


Issue 21:

7 years in the making, finally there are enough costume options to do it justice! (and a powerset that fits!)

RX-178 MK-II homage


RGM-79 GM homage


Deathscythe homage


MS-06S Zaku II - Red Comet homage


Wing Zero and standard green MS-06F Zaku II just waiting for costume slots to unlock

Hugh Jackman loves First Ward...TWO SIDES!!!

Also, be sure to leave that feedback to the author. Someone who's taken the time to write an actual story is more likely to take your feedback and adjust their mission to the appropriate level range.

Many authors are unaware of issues like this, so leaving constructive feedback really helps.

It's been a while since I've added a nomination, but this arc really stood out as another worthy submission:

#517859 "Crime is Art and Art is Crime" by @TwoFlower
3 missions/Heroic

Great interview, 'ko! Love the attention to detail you put into all your works, it shows

This week the AE Storyteam tried a brand new theme: Æuthor Spotlight! We decided to play new arcs by one of MA's most prolific and recognized creators...@TwoFlower! Since the launch of CoH:Freedom, authors now have the option to buy as many AE slots as they'd like. @TwoFlower decided to take advantage of this new service so we loaded up his latest adventures:

#517859 "Crime is Art and Art is Crime" by @TwoFlower
3 mish/Heroic

#519044 "Grunty McFisterson's Two Step Guide to Winning Respect" by @TwoFlower
3 mish/Villain

What happens when villainy and creativity combine? You get Art Crime - Criminal acts with an artistic flair that can't be handled in the traditional policing manner. When Crime is Art and Art is Crime, that's where you come in to save the day.

As a card-carrying hero of the city, you've got the experience and powers to catch these eccentric evil-doers and the Art Crime division of the PPD need YOUR help!

What you'll find are memorable characters, sharp dialog, humorous clues, and a very clever plot that can only be thwarted by YOU! Also, an original use of lead out mechanics and an unforgettable custom group with some of the best end-boss one-liners you've ever encountered.

Note: this is a higher level arc and you will be fighting Carnies, so bring some BFs but also be ready to have FUN!
BEST OVERALL, BEST CUSTOM GROUP, BEST END-BOSS DIALOG!

Heroing is good and all, but sometimes you just want to be a villain. Now, some villains are content with being an Arachnos stooge, but for those who want to make a name for THEMSELVES, there's a new contact in town...Grunty McFisterson!

Grunty can see your potential and doesn't think you want to waste it working for the man. So he clues you in to a different path to notoriety...a fool-proof, 2-step method that any villain with enough gumption and power can pull off.

If you love punching lots and lots of deserving punks in the face, this is the path for you! Low level fun, mostly standard enemies, and non-stop action (this arc actually rewarded almost 3x as many tickets as the previous arc)!

While I felt this wasn't nearly as polished or original as @TwoFlower's other arcs, it's still a fun romp and good lowbie action!
BEST McBEAT-EM-UP ARC!

I like to think our first Æuthor Spotlight was a success! You could definitely see the Æuthor's 'style' come out in each arc, yet they were very different stories with their own 'feel.' We'll have to do this again, soon!

Next Sunday, get into the spirit of the season with HallowÆen High Roller! 10/23/11 we'll meet on Liberty 9am Pacific, 5pm British for some tricks and AE treats! Each Storyteam member will come prepared with a HallowÆen themed arc they've found or made and the High Roller picks which arc we play! Meet in the AE building in the RWZ, all levels & ATs welcome.

This week the AE Storyteam tried a brand new theme: Æuthor Spotlight! We decided to play new arcs by one of MA's most prolific and recognized creators...@TwoFlower! Since the launch of CoH:Freedom, authors now have the option to buy as many AE slots as they'd like. @TwoFlower decided to take advantage of this new service so we loaded up his latest adventures:

#517859 "Crime is Art and Art is Crime" by @TwoFlower
3 mish/Heroic

#519044 "Grunty McFisterson's Two Step Guide to Winning Respect" by @TwoFlower
3 mish/Villain

What happens when villainy and creativity combine? You get Art Crime - Criminal acts with an artistic flair that can't be handled in the traditional policing manner. When Crime is Art and Art is Crime, that's where you come in to save the day.

As a card-carrying hero of the city, you've got the experience and powers to catch these eccentric evil-doers and the Art Crime division of the PPD need YOUR help!

What you'll find are memorable characters, sharp dialog, humorous clues, and a very clever plot that can only be thwarted by YOU! Also, an original use of lead out mechanics and an unforgettable custom group with some of the best end-boss one-liners you've ever encountered.

Note: this is a higher level arc and you will be fighting Carnies, so bring some BFs but also be ready to have FUN!
BEST OVERALL, BEST CUSTOM GROUP, BEST END-BOSS DIALOG!

Heroing is good and all, but sometimes you just want to be a villain. Now, some villains are content with being an Arachnos stooge, but for those who want to make a name for THEMSELVES, there's a new contact in town...Grunty McFisterson!

Grunty can see your potential and doesn't think you want to waste it working for the man. So he clues you in to a different path to notoriety...a fool-proof, 2-step method that any villain with enough gumption and power can pull off.

If you love punching lots and lots of deserving punks in the face, this is the path for you! Low level fun, mostly standard enemies, and non-stop action (this arc actually rewarded almost 3x as many tickets as the previous arc)!

While I felt this wasn't nearly as polished or original as @TwoFlower's other arcs, it's still a fun romp and good lowbie action!
BEST McBEAT-EM-UP ARC!

I like to think our first Æuthor Spotlight was a success! You could definitely see the Æuthor's 'style' come out in each arc, yet they were very different stories with their own 'feel.' We'll have to do this again, soon!

Next Sunday, get into the spirit of the season with HallowÆen High Roller! 10/23/11 we'll meet on Liberty 9am Pacific, 5pm British for some tricks and AE treats! Each Storyteam member will come prepared with a HallowÆen themed arc they've found or made and the High Roller picks which arc we play! Meet in the AE building in the RWZ, all levels & ATs welcome.

Love the poster and premise! I'll be firing this one up this weekend for sure!

Buying below cost and vendoring is the quick & easy way I fund new alts til they can afford to start flipping. But I normally stick to uncommon & rares. 1.5 mill in commons is dedication!!

Clave, have you checked Test to see which version of your arc is up there? IIRC they haven't updated the AE info there in a long while so you may be able to recover those lost bios.

Stealth breakage sucks.

One of the things I love about AE is its freshness. Every day new arcs are created so there's never a shortage of content for a hero, villain or a rogue! This week we took a look at some of that fresh content with our theme, New RelÆses! 3 arcs made the playlist:

#521513 "The Sleeper" by @Miyka'el
2 mish/Heroic

#522067 "Project Dragon" by @FredrikSvanberg
5 mish/Neutral

#523306 "Execution of Elaborate Evolutions" by @Zamuel
3 mish/Villainous

I discovered The Sleeper while the author was looking for feedback on the MA Arc Finder global channel. This quick, creative arc was crafted by a relative newcomer to AE and features a very unique concept: protecting another hero's secret identity!

The dialog comes at a good pace and the action is well-balanced with standard groups. The story lets the player feel heroic and is quite engaging. There are a few mechanical bits that could use fixing ie. the level range shift between missions and some nav bar text, but all-in-all it's a solid story and a lot of fun! MOST CLEVER & BEST DUMPSTER CAMEO!

Project Dragon is the latest project from fellow Storyteam member Fredrik Svanberg. Fred's arcs are often rich with canon references and fast-paced action and this arc has those in spades!

Your character has been called upon to infiltrate a kung fu tournament put on by the Tsoo. You team up with the lovely Flower Knight and uncover a lot more than roundhouse kicks and karate chops! Be warned, tho: this is a Challenge arc and is meant to test your character's limits. Bring break frees and be ready to mash buttons with the best of 'em! MOST CHALLENGING & BEST MAP CHOICES!

Finally, Elaborate Evolutions had JUST been published when we wrapped up Fred's arc. Zamuel even joined us to test his latest creation!

The villainous story hook dug deep: a serum has been developed that evolves mutants to a new level of power and we need to get it to make our own doom army (or other nefarious deeds.) We beat up Crey, some evolved wannabe heroes, and even a few Devouring Earth in our quest for villainy.

While I found the overall story a bit too elaborate, the dialog and details were top notch and the underlying concept is engaging. BEST HOOK & MOST POTENTIAL!

Next weekend we'll extend our overseas stay and visit Defiant for a new concept! Don't miss our first ever Æuthor Spotlight! featuring arcs by @TwoFlower! TwoFlower has recently embraced the F2P model by buying up new arc slots and cranking out fresh stories for us to enjoy! It just makes sense to see what they're like!

Join us for Æuthor Spotlight: TwoFlower, 10/16/11 on Defiant at 9am Pacific, 5pm British. Meet in the AE building in the RWZ, all levels & ATs welcome.

One of the things I love about AE is its freshness. Every day new arcs are created so there's never a shortage of content for a hero, villain or a rogue! This week we took a look at some of that fresh content with our theme, New RelÆses! 3 arcs made the playlist:

#521513 "The Sleeper" by @Miyka'el
2 mish/Heroic

#522067 "Project Dragon" by @FredrikSvanberg
5 mish/Neutral

#523306 "Execution of Elaborate Evolutions" by @Zamuel
3 mish/Villainous

I discovered The Sleeper while the author was looking for feedback on the MA Arc Finder global channel. This quick, creative arc was crafted by a relative newcomer to AE and features a very unique concept: protecting another hero's secret identity!

The dialog comes at a good pace and the action is well-balanced with standard groups. The story lets the player feel heroic and is quite engaging. There are a few mechanical bits that could use fixing ie. the level range shift between missions and some nav bar text, but all-in-all it's a solid story and a lot of fun! MOST CLEVER & BEST DUMPSTER CAMEO!

Project Dragon is the latest project from fellow Storyteam member Fredrik Svanberg. Fred's arcs are often rich with canon references and fast-paced action and this arc has those in spades!

Your character has been called upon to infiltrate a kung fu tournament put on by the Tsoo. You team up with the lovely Flower Knight and uncover a lot more than roundhouse kicks and karate chops! Be warned, tho: this is a Challenge arc and is meant to test your character's limits. Bring break frees and be ready to mash buttons with the best of 'em! MOST CHALLENGING & BEST MAP CHOICES!

Finally, Elaborate Evolutions had JUST been published when we wrapped up Fred's arc. Zamuel even joined us to test his latest creation!

The villainous story hook dug deep: a serum has been developed that evolves mutants to a new level of power and we need to get it to make our own doom army (or other nefarious deeds.) We beat up Crey, some evolved wannabe heroes, and even a few Devouring Earth in our quest for villainy.

While I found the overall story a bit too elaborate, the dialog and details were top notch and the underlying concept is engaging. BEST HOOK & MOST POTENTIAL!

Next weekend we'll extend our overseas stay and visit Defiant for a new concept! Don't miss our first ever Æuthor Spotlight! featuring arcs by @TwoFlower! TwoFlower has recently embraced the F2P model by buying up new arc slots and cranking out fresh stories for us to enjoy! It just makes sense to see what they're like!

Join us for Æuthor Spotlight: TwoFlower, 10/16/11 on Defiant at 9am Pacific, 5pm British. Meet in the AE building in the RWZ, all levels & ATs welcome.

This week we celebrated the release of the new Circle of Thorns player costume parts with our first ever "Ænemy Spotlight!" Circle of Thorns took center stage in these 2 mystical arcs:

#4829 "Chains of Blood" by @Venture
5 mish/Heroic

#355428 "Rise of the Elite Three" by @Col. Starbottle
3 mish/Neutral

When Venture caught wind of this week's theme he submitted Chains of Blood for us to play. It was one of the first arcs he ever made and he used our playing it as an excuse to spruce it up! What we found was a detail-rich story that explores a possible secret history of the Circle of Thorns that ties into the stories of what I assume are a couple of his personal characters and the Legacy Chain.

The difficulty was well balanced and played just like a normal canon arc with the exception of one AV challenge at the end. I would have liked to have seen a better motivation for the player or some way of making the story more about the player than the history of the CoT, but it was still a fun time. BEST ADDITION TO CANON

For our 2nd arc we took a risk...we played Random Roulette! With "Circle of Thorns" in the search field and filters for Mystery and Drama arcs I clicked the Random button and found "Rise of the Elite Three!"

The mission description sounded like it wasn't a farm and it had 2 or 3 plays already so we loaded it up! Immediately we're contacted by a robot from a 'grim future' that wants to send us thru time to defeat three bad guys that take over the world. So we hop into the timestream and get to work!!

First thing we notice: it's a defeat all (actually all 3 missions were >.<) Luckily, the missions are all on small/medium maps so it wasn't as dreadful as it sounded. 2nd thing we noticed: the first 2 missions are filled with Hellions...but there's no level cap so they all spawned grey to our level 44 group >.< The first missions are quick as we mow down greys!!

Mission 3 we finally fight something our level: the CoT!! No big surprises here as we wrap up the story and defeat the Elite Three...who really weren't very elite at all.

The story was thin and the mechanics were in need of a re-edit...but there was definitely and attempt to tell a story and flesh out characters. There were even custom enemies with bios! I figure the arc is a first time author's attempt. Hopefully the feedback we left will help them improve and maybe revisit AE. MOST IN NEED OF A RE-EDIT

Next Sunday we cross back over the pond to test out some freshly made arcs in need of feedback. Don't miss New RelÆses!! 10/9/11 on Union at 9am Pacific, 5pm British. Meet us in the AE building in the RWZ, all levels & ATs welcome.

This week we celebrated the release of the new Circle of Thorns player costume parts with our first ever "Ænemy Spotlight! on the Circle of Thorns." Paragon's favorite magical enemy group took center stage in these 2 mystic arcs:

#4829 "Chains of Blood" by @Venture
5 mish/Heroic

#355428 "Rise of the Elite Three" by @Col. Starbottle
3 mish/Neutral

When Venture caught wind of this week's theme he submitted Chains of Blood for us to play. It was one of the first arcs he ever made and he used our playing it as an excuse to spruce it up! What we found was a detail-rich story that explores a possible secret history of the Circle of Thorns that ties into the stories of what I assume are a couple of his personal characters and the Legacy Chain.

The difficulty was well balanced and played just like a normal canon arc with the exception of one AV challenge at the end. I would have liked to have seen a better motivation for the player or some way of making the story more about the player than the history of the CoT, but it was still a fun time. BEST ADDITION TO CANON

For our 2nd arc we took a risk...we played Random Roulette! With "Circle of Thorns" in the search field and filters for Mystery and Drama arcs I clicked the Random button and found "Rise of the Elite Three!"

The mission description sounded like it wasn't a farm and it had 2 or 3 plays already so we loaded it up! Immediately we're contacted by a robot from a 'grim future' that wants to send us thru time to defeat three bad guys that take over the world. So we hop into the timestream and get to work!!

First thing we notice: it's a defeat all (actually all 3 missions were >.<) Luckily, the missions are all on small/medium maps so it wasn't as dreadful as it sounded. 2nd thing we noticed: the first 2 missions are filled with Hellions...but there's no level cap so they all spawned grey to our level 44 group >.< The first missions are quick as we mow down greys!!

Mission 3 we finally fight something our level: the CoT!! No big surprises here as we wrap up the story and defeat the Elite Three...who really weren't very elite at all.

The story was thin and the mechanics were in need of a re-edit...but there was definitely and attempt to tell a story and flesh out characters. There were even custom enemies with bios! I figure the arc is a first time author's attempt. Hopefully the feedback we left will help them improve and maybe revisit AE. MOST IN NEED OF A RE-EDIT

Next Sunday we cross back over the pond to test out some freshly made arcs in need of feedback. Don't miss New RelÆses!! 10/9/11 on Union at 9am Pacific, 5pm British. Meet us in the AE building in the RWZ, all levels & ATs welcome.

Was just reading up on the previous feedback you'd posted and noted the one about someone wanting you to add an AV.

I found it funny 'cause I had the complete opposite opinion. When we were on the last mission I made a comment to the group that I really liked the difficultly level: nothing above Boss level. I commented that I find it refreshing since it's in sync with the majority of canon arcs and most players could solo it...then we ran into the AV.

It's not that she was terribly difficult for the group, it was just the timing of it all. >.<

I've always found Mothership Raids fun at all levels, esp with the new league ability.

Go team TwoFlower!!

Well, at least they can run thru the regular tips. They'll just have to drop whenever a Morality pops up. That's kinda lame, tho.

Guess I'll have to swap Sig Story Arcs and First Ward with Mothership, and Hammi Raids

On the Morality Mishes from Tip drops: Morality Mishes still drop for the Hero Merit, don't they? It's just the alignment shift that isn't an option?

This week a couple old friends returned to the game to see what's new. It was exciting to see them back and team up, but I totally blanked out on what do with them!

It seems much of my playstyle these days requires VIP status or licenses that Preemies would have to purchase. So what can I play with a Preemie that doesn't want to spend extra $$ to play?

With a bit of brainstorming, I figured out some fun, free activities. And in the interest of helping others who may be facing this dilemma, here's the list:

1. Tips (how to find 'em & set 'em...EDIT: but apparently not Morality Mishes & Hero Merits)
2. Death From Below Sewer Trial (fun for ALL levels & how to use the LFG tab!)
3. Revamped Positron TFs (Dopplegangers & Dr. V FTW!)
4. Keith Nance arc (more Doppleganger fun)
5. Sutter TF (action, action, action!)
6. Dr. Khan TF (something new for high level friends)
7. Revamped Maria Jenkins arc (hello Praetorians & pretty maps!)
8. Twinshot arcs (if they roll up a new alt with one of their few slot tokens)
9. ADDED Mothership Raid
10. ADDED Hammi Raid

Removed:

1. Signature Storylines (apparently not piggyback-able)
2. First Ward (apparently not open without purchase)

Anything else you'd add?

I think it's awesome that they ran on the French server. I'm sure there's a lot of great content over there and it's nice they're not forgotten.