Baryonic_Cell

Zamuel, your comments are well and duly noted.

The mission text is something I've struggled with a bit. I'd tried going for a more complicated plot, but adding allies or battles tended to put awkard level caps on the missions, and those outdoor maps amazingly do not allow collection points. I've tried other maps, but visually the pirates looked better in St. Martial than say, an office or sewer setting.

I agree that adding inactive text to required NPCs in the outdoor maps is a must. I'd originally had some, but they were cut in editing.

As far as boss/EB scaling, I had noticed that it wasn't scaling predictably. Sorry to hear you had the same result, I'm at a loss for how to specify what the NPC will spawn as, any tips would be appreciated.

I quite like the idea of the pirates stealing the artifact from the M.A.G.I. vaults, it would help set up the story much better, and keep in the Azuria mission tradition. I think that might help me spice up Azuria's text more, as well. She was rather dry, since I'd re-edited the older story down to the basics. I'd originally involved an optional ghost pirate ally, but the NPC would artificially scale down the mission so he was dropped from the story. Same deal with the Croatoa map, I'd intended for some minor Red Cap interference but didn't want to fix the mission at level 25. A scene with the pirates looting a pawn shop run by Mooks was similarly dropped.

Capt. Bloodmist has been tough to balance. I'm somewhat glad to hear he was a bit of a pushover, he was set to Extreme in earlier versions and could be quite a bear to deal with for some ATs. He would take out my level 50 regen scrapper easily, but my level 36 elec/elec blaster could take him out quickly. I've noticed sometimes that he can spawn in earlier missions if the difficulty is ramped up. I'm not sure how to avoid that, short of specifically classifying them as an AV, which I wanted to avoid to ensure a solo player or small team could finish the arc. Balance-wise, the only thing I'm worried about is the two sister bosses (Magdalena and Angelica) being too tough for lower levels with their MC/Grav sets. I was aiming for something along the lines of the mezzing bosses of The Lost, but cute.

Thank you also for pointing out the typos. I forget now what I wrote for the Sanguine Scout's bio I'll have to check that out, I noticed last night several of the NPC bios could use editing.

The lackluster finale text is the end result of the rather simple set-up of the missions to start with, I'll have to consider that as well. Thanks again for running the arcs, I'm glad you enjoyed what you did in them. I was on for awhile last night, about 6:30 - 8pm PST, but missed you. I did get your in-game message though.

I've spent some time this week re-editing my main arc "Plunder Enlightening" (#50882).

It is a vehicle for my custom enemy group, the Sanguine Sailors, a well-rounded and diverse crew of pirates with 13 different mob types, individual costumes and power selections. The arc is 3 missions, fairly simple rescue captive or defeat boss encounters. Any comments on how your character handled the group or suggestions for improvements on the mission text would be appreciated. The arc is aimed roughly at levels 12-38, but open to 1-50.

If 3 missions is too long or pirates aren't your thing, I have a single mission encounter called "The Baryonic Cell" with a group of rogue Portal Corporation scientists aimed at higher levels, again with a score of individual mob types/costumes and powers. Just in case you were wondering, "BC" is the boss, not a mission ally =p

I will make time to be on Victory later in the afternoon/evening, I would love to run through these missions with some other people. I've playtested both extensively, but rarely grouped.

I am planning to play Aion at launch. Not going to bother with the beta, I'm satisfied with what I've read about and seen of the game. Couple of my old Victory pals are playing CO right now, but it just doesn't appeal to me. Frankly, I've been watching the web series The Guild lately and I want to play a fantasy MMO, although I can't get back into WoW, I don't like how they managed PvP.

This however does appeal to me:
"Aion is intended to be a PvPvE game. PvP isn't something thrown in as an extra. It is an integral part of the lore of the game." That's what I expected from WoW, but Blizzard gimped, nerfed and segmented PvP in WoW into pointlessness. If WoW: Cataclysm is ever released in a bundle with the other two expansions for a decent price, I might consider giving it another look, but it's unlikely.

I am mildly concerned about that GameGuard software that comes with Aion, hopefully that is dropped from the NA launch release, but then again I did have all my WoW gear and mats robbed by a foreign goldfarmer/keylogger thief, which was another reason I quit that game.

Soon I will be unsubbing and won't be able to post here anymore, but I will definitely keep an eye out for old Victory people, or CoX folks in general on Aion and try to match servers/faction. I've had countless good memories here, stretching all the way back to '04, but it is starting to feel a bit rehashed and uninspiring lately, and I have little interest in Going Rogue.

All I ask is that the Goon Squad/Something Awful gang don't try to make a nuisance of themselves in Aion, LOL. Hope to see some old friends in the new world, cheers!

I like Yerba Mate in the morning, Açaí juice in the afternoon and a Boont Amber in the evening.

Great post above, I concur with all of it.

I've played Corrs more than the other Villain ATs, they are very flexible hybrids. In hero terms, you get a blaster-style primary with a defender-style secondary, and although neither set operates at the same level of power as the hero sets (maybe 80%, just an informal guess), the synergy between the two lets you solo safely, if slowly, and provide great team benefits at the same time.

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threads for rating arcs, creating a movie or a poster, etc

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I've posted about it in several threads, spent a couple hours playing and reviewing other people's arcs to get some QPQ action going. I've even done a handful of Broadcast/Request channel "adverts". I haven't taken the time to draft a movie poster or anything so elaborate as a trailer. I am curious what "etc" is, I could use another option, although the poster wouldn't be too hard, and sounds like a good idea.

So far the result has been, unless I message and personally invite a group to play the arc (and I usually can only round up one or two people willing to try something new like that), no one plays it.

It's not that I feel this is unfair or even unexpected, but it does dissaude me from putting energy into a new story on MA at this time. I hear too much talk about MA being recoded extensively in the next issue to make something new, I'm more concerned with how my existing work will translate to the new "standards".

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The day when custom critters with DualBlades/Devices, or MindControl/DarkMiasma combinations would no longer be possible, would be a very black day for MA in my book. I would then have to re-evaluate my opinion of the MA and justifying spending time with it crafting stories would (for me) become even more difficult given all the other vast options for entertainment, in or out of CoX.

I truly hope you're wrong in your assessment.

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/signed

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its not commonly used today

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...and that's the point! Why revive the antiquated negative connotation? Specifically reminding us that this word can be used hatefully as well as in normal context is not just absurd, it's [censored].

I hear ya. I had an arc called "Ninja Rats in the Sewers". The one guy who somehow managed to find that arc amongst the pile of arcs with nearly that same name 2 starred it unfinished. >.>

The title was exactly what you got in the mission. Stealthy rodents with sai and katana skulking about in the sewers. I was a bit baffled on what part of it failed to live up to expectation. I know ninja rats is a tired meme, but it is rather mean spirited to play an arc you are sure you won't like just so you can rate it poorly. That's poor judgement, but not of the arc.

After the review, I gussied up the story a bit more, renamed it Khalam's Golden Tail. I re-presented it as an "open challenge" from the leader of the ninja rat clan, offering his golden tail as a reward for his defeat.

Basically it's an excuse to go down in the sewers and fight ninja rats, how much pretext is necessary with a premise like that?

You also cannot use the word 'spook' in MA, even if it describes a ghost.

I agree, the game's obscenity filter was written by illiterate pawns. I'd like to defenestrate the person responsible. And I'm sure he wouldn't want anything to happen to his fenestrates.

Still making? No.

I spent the better part of my free time for two weeks crafting my first arc, although some of that was absorbed by the editor's learning curve. Approaching 2 months now since the arc was first published, and the only people to experience it so far are the ones I asked to help me playtest it.

I crammed as much detail in there as I could, the filesize is at 995+/1000. It's a pirate story playable from 1-50, (probably most balanced overall at around level 30) packed with 13 unique custom designed mobs. I literally had to go back and condense some of the text to make it all fit.

It's a fun arc IMHO, I've run through it at least 20 times, on a wide variety of characters.

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I'm not sure what the point is in putting in another couple of hours writing, testing, polishing and publishing a story that won't ever get played unless I coerce my friends into playing it, or [censor] it out all over the forums.

[/ QUOTE ] - mousedroid

Bingo. That being said, if you're into MA, check out the arc in my signature. I also have a one-off AE mission chock full of custom mobs, you can find it under my handle in the MA search.

If you're bored and like good movies, I recommend Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Must not be averted to Shakespeare and/or Tim Roth.

I remember Victory's old BLC...they were humorous.

WB. I hope to see some more PvP, it seems to be lacking these days compared to '05.

1. [color= orange]I noticed the guides recommend picking either X-ray or neutrino blast, but not both. Is there a reason behind this?[/color] Yes, the reason being Rad/Rad is at heart an AoE specialist, and you will have limited need for multiple single-target attacks once you get Cosmic Burst. I opt for NB because it's quick to recharge and takes very little endurance, making it a good filler in your attack chain. Once you get CB, you will be relying on that heavily for stuns and high single target damage, leaving little time for other single target attacks.

2. [color= orange]Flying verses super speed, seems that most guides have flying in it. Is this a tactical type of thing or just a preference for ease of travel?[/color] Super Speed is a pain to use by itself, giving no vertical advantage. SS is often used in conjunction with Super Jump, which also opens up the possibility of taking Acrobatics later. I prefer Flight myself.

3. [color= orange]I like to group and solo, is the double radiation build desirable and descent for soloing?[/color] Yes, Rad/Rad is a good build all around, very capable soloer (though slow until level 28 or so) and always welcome on any team. As far as teaming goes, don't worry too much about teammates killing your anchors, just re-anchor if needed. Remember you have a field that you can apply quickly and one that takes a moment, use them accordingly, and remember which does what. The quick field (Enverating) drains a lot of endurance so put it on or near mobs that are taking damage. The slow one (Rad Infection) takes very little endurance and is good for holding off a tough mob until you can tackle it.

4. [color= orange]Is stamina a requirement for this type of character or just makes life easier?[/color] Yes and no. As long as you have Accelerated Metabolism slotted up you can do without Stamina, however it will take more finesse. I'd take Stamina (and Hasten for that matter) unless you really couldn't fit in your build.

Victory does have an international flavor at times. I've seen several different languages in the broadcast/team channels before. Being a west-coast player on an east-coast server I tend to miss out on a lot of the action, but there is even a small contingent of late-night Californians on. If you're bored with the "big 2" servers (Freedom and Virtue), check out Victory, lots of good people there, the newb to old guard ratio is a little more mature. We also have a friendly rivalry with Virtue, so whatever you do don't go there!

LFT AE would literally translate as "looking for team, Architect Entertainment."

AE is the big new thing in this game, where you can design your own enemy groups and missions. AE missions are often called farms because the spawns are tweaked to only include groups of Lieutenants, usually on large outdoor maps, giving the effect of a cattle ranch before the slaughter. The devs aren't too keen on it being used that way.

AE can also be referred to as MA, for Mission Architect.

I wondered when they did that... I don't usually get Mondays off.

I ran the arc around noon today, wrote up the review right after. Post-patch, FWIW. The ally really didn't do much in fights, I noticed the ink men were slowing my attacks at times, maybe he was suffering from that as well, but even on the Warrior missions he seemed sluggish.

As far as the Family's placement being being tenuous in the last mission if you don't do their middle mission, it would depend on how the contact's dialogue went. If he made it clear he'd be involving them while you went after the Tsoo it would make sense to me.

Cutting the mission was just one suggestion, if there was a way to write the story to avoid the need for 2 defeat all missions against secondary targets that would be cool as well. Not trying to rewrite your story here though, really.

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MA seems to foster a need to go fast, fast, fast, when it already cuts out travel time!

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Actually my first beef with the mission editor was that it's all staged to be virtual. When I re-subbed I was under the impression you could set actual door locations as well. That would be awesome but trouble in the wrong hands.

My point there was that the longest parts of the arc had the least to do with the main part of the story. I understood why we went after the Warriors, but searching every floor of the Family's office building and knocking out even the guys making coffee in the break room for half an hour or so threw off the pace of the story. Perhaps if it must be defeat all, make the maps smaller and/or less objectives in each of those missions. They each had multiple bosses and objects to destroy.

What I'm gettin' at here is when the contact lays out the plan to stir up the two groups to draw out his rival, you've essentially given away what happens in the next two missions before you've done it. The last mission is the most fun and the one I'd be looking forward to most in a replay.

[color= orange]edit:[/color] I think part of the trouble folks have with long arcs is that as yet, you can't be in the middle of more than one MA arc at a time. The dev's arc are longer, but unless you're talking about a Task/Strike Force proper you can have up to 3 going at a time.

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I think my natural dislike for allies in MA makes me think it's better that he went off to the wrong mission, but that's just me

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I'm starting to feel this way about allies. When I started writing my arc I thought they were the bomb, but they are hard to drag around long missions, especially if there are multiple.

Although my arc uses an ally, it's an optional side spawn, mainly to help soloers deal with the end boss that can mez. As such I wrote that part as a tangent, minimal and self contained, but related to the story at large. I set them to Boss level so they can help you fight but can't tank the whole mission for you or anything like that. Sometimes it's hard to get a teammate for an arc run, although the demise of AE farming should improve that situation, an in-mission ally is a neat way to ensure there's one "auto-teammate" ready to help someone who just can't seem to solo the boss.

Arc reviewed:[color= yellow] Belated Justice[/color]
Arc ID:[color= orange] 88003[/color]
Faction: Heroic
Author: @Grey_Pilgrim
My rating: **** 4 Stars
tl, dr: very long, mid-level arc (20-29), uses some good, underutilised standard groups from that level range, adheres to canon with good writing, takes a bit of a risk with a dynamic character being the focus

What I see here is a very good leveling arc that fits the game's lore/canon well. My favorite thing about this arc is that is uses some of my favorite enemy groups in the game, the Tsoo and the Warriors. I can understand why they are restricted to low mid-levels story-wise but it's a shame you really don't get to see nearly as much of these groups on your journey to level 50 as you do say, the Council or the Circle of Thorns. I appreciate the work Grey Pilgrim has done here to expand upon that, and in keeping with the game's storyline as well. Kudos.

Naturally with such interest also comes some critcal review.

I'll try not to spoil the story any more than I have to.

It starts off with a hero asking you to help him finish his revenge mission, because he heard you were someone who could help him, which I was a bit miffed over initially. After finishing the arc I can see how that approach seemed necessary, to get the hero involved in someone else's story. That's probably the only gripe I have with the arc. That and the way Warrior bosses pwn my regen scrapper, haha. Once you get over the feeling you are powerleveling this guy the story becomes very engaging. It took me a few minutes before I caught the pun with his name by the way, well done.

I liked how the first boss was named "Diomedes?", reminded me of those Nemesis? missions. Anyone who has used the mission editor knows it's fairly limiting how much text you can include, here one extra character is adding depth to the storytelling. Simple devices like that can be overdone, but if added tastefully shows a good repetoire.

I thought the taunting emotes some of the Warriors were doing were hilarious. (Just going through my notes here...)

Oh yes, some of the text was quite gruesome, although the goriest bits were tucked away in a clue. It's meant to motivate the contact, which I think is related to my trouble with it being someone else's story fueling the encounters, but again I can see how mechanically it is needed to provide the final twist.

I was starting to get worried that I would have to drag this guy through every mission, so I was glad to hear of this two-pronged attack he suggested about halfway through the arc. Even though it did seem over the top to antagonize not one but two rival groups to lure his prey out of hiding, by then he had related to you a fair amount of backstory and you could appreciate his enthusiasm a bit more.

I expected to rile up one group while the contact went and did the other. So far it's been a story of revenge against the Warriors. Now come two large Defeat All missions in succession. Yes, it's up to you to stir up both rival factions, not just to get out alive after but defeat every person in the building. If this were a villainous arc I'd pass it off, but it seemed too long and too methodical for a hero, these groups may be known criminals, but they're only guilty by association this time.

Before I sound too critical, I love where all this is going, the final scene with the different groups mixing it up is great. My suggestion would be to cut the first Defeat All mission out, the one with the Family in the office, mostly because I think the Family are a bit boring (I wish they would expand the range of the Mooks a bit more) and the large office maps really are a pain to do Defeat Alls on.

This segment of the story is important to set things up, but since it doesn't deal with the main enemy group they shouldn't be longer than necessary. I would leave the Tsoo mission in, because the Tsoo rock, however they are a pain to do Defeat Alls against, mostly because of Sorcerers and Ancestor Spirits flying off all over the place. It would be nice to know how the Family and the Tsoo would think it was the Warriors before you finish the missions as well. Maybe I missed it in the intro dialog, but I was wondering until I read the mission exit popup stating I'd left behind a Warrior headband and weapon. Maybe mention collecting those from one of the earlier missions as a lead-up.

The last mission is of course, the best. Plenty of cool bosses to fight, I never did get the chance to slice up Tub Ci before so that was a plus. Like I mentioned earlier, I don't want to spoil too much of it but I like the way it ended, nice sense of drama.

So I hope I wasn't too hard on your work, Grey. I think you have a 5 star arc in there, just trim the length a hair so that the story stands out more. I think the reason this arc hasn't gotten more reviews is that is very long and within a restricted mid level range, which is going to limit your audience. You put a lot of work into this arc and it shows.

Thanks for helping me test the arc, Penny! I'm glad you enjoyed the run. I've been taking small teams through it recently trying to get a feel for how it plays against different groups of archetypes.

My general design goal was to create a handful of fast playing missions based around some fun custom mobs...good to hear I am on the right track.

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ranged bow/healer mob

[/ QUOTE ] ... hehe get them first!

[color= orange]edit:[/color] I just realized the original description in the Mission Architect List thread says it's five missions long. In the process of editing, the arc has been reduced to three missions.

Arc Name:[color= yellow] The Baryonic Cell[/color]
Arc ID:[color= orange] 125344[/color]
Faction: both Heroes and Villains can play
Author: @Baryonic Cell
Length: one mission, untimed.
Synopsis: A group of Portal Corporation scientists stumble upon design plans for a nuclear powered battle robot and turn rogue. You must venture into their laboratory and destroy the prototype before they have a chance to perfect the design!

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I had a great time designing the Portal Corporation scientists, there is plenty of variety in the mobs. It's just the one mission, you defeat the prototype of this nuclear robot to keep it out of the hands of the rogue scientists.[*]
If the idea of a mission based on part of an origin story is unappealing you might want to pass on this one, however it is not intended as a vanity piece. BC isn't going to be flying around wailing on mobs for you, he's going to be attempting to kick your butt, which I think is pretty cool. He spawns as an Elite Boss, and I made sure to remove his top-tier attack so he shouldn't be one-shotting any squishies. No knowledge of the character required to play.[/list]
Should be a fun way to take a punch at me. Tell me what you think.

I was going to make a thread about MA Tropes when I pulled up this one from a couple days ago...good reading in here.

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...I've found is that it doesn't matter so much what the plot is or the villains are.. what matters is if it is fun for the people playing it. Does it convene the story YOU want to tell them. Did they enjoy the journey to the end of the story.. was it really the end of the story and did you get that across to the player?

[/ QUOTE ] -- Dark Aspect

Great advice, and sums up my experience as well.

As for the plot in my arc well, forgive me, it's a "Help Azuria..." story. It seemed like a good starting device for convincing someone to go out and get involved in something. I had in mind a vague lower level feel for the arc, she was at the top of the list for contacts, it seemed like a natural fit. Just looking at her made me nostalgic for all those silly missions she hands out, looking for priceless junk, only to have it promptly lost or stolen again.

So there are heaps of "Help Azuria..." missions now, it's become a CoH trope. It got me wondering how many other lore or canon derived tropes there are for CoH/CoV.

"It's a Nemesis plot." might be the other obvious one.

Arc Reviewed: [color= yellow]Freaks and Geeks[/color], by @El Condor, ID# [color= orange]55715[/color]
Played on my level 50 Kat/Regen Scrapper

My Rating: 4 Stars

Well written throughout, some funny dialogue that fit the characters well. Good map choices as well, thematic and well varied.

Everybody loves Freaks, the good-time kill-em twice mobs are great for leveling, Crey tanks make a strong showing in this arc as well and as usual, the custom mobs are tough, including minions with confuse powers, which could be problematic. Good thing my Scrapper packs a pair of Break Frees in case of emergency.

First mission is a basic run through the office to sewers map looking for hostage students. The varied terrain is a nice as a opener.

Second mission is in a creepy makeshift office/hospital, fitting the story rather well, another rescue mission. The mobs overall are a bit harder than the first mission, Crey tanks and custom mobs. The boss is a pretty tough tanker type, he gave my hero a fair bit of trouble. His dialogue is great. I have to hand out some points for not making every rescue in this arc an escort, it's nice when they say "Thanks!" and get their own butt out.

Third mission is back in an office setting, against the Freaks. You find the doctor you escorted in mission 2 inside, Leeroy Jenkins style already in trouble. Once you save the Dr. again you see she has become a formidable fighter in her own right, as a result of what her captors did to her. She is aggro and will start most of the fights herself. At some point a large ambush ran in and killed her tho. Luckily I had Instant Healing up and managed to take them all out. There are a couple machines to destroy, maybe that's what the trigger was. Once all the other objectives have been cleared the boss spawns, which in my case meant I ran around a bit looking for him. He is a freaking tough EB! I laid into him for about a full minute without making a dent before I unloaded about half a (level 50) tray of 2nd tier inspirations on him and finally worked him down.

Overall I enjoyed this arc, the dialogue is good, maps are good. The enemies are well designed, but like many custom mobs, can be a bit too powerful at times.

It's hard to tell quite what you mean, but it sounds like you have an idea in mind. Just write it out and see how it plays.

If you are looking to develop a coming-of-age type of story about confidence and experience then the setting and motivation for the player's involvement should not be overlooked. It will depend on their relationship to this kid: mentor, guardian, acquaintance, relative or whatever.

Above all, write what you want to write first. Then take a couple people along for the ride and get their opinions.