Cirrus

I agree for the most part, it's a lot like most villain arcs, you're just hired muscle (although again part 2 made you seem much more of a partner in it to me, since you weren't working for wade in that part).

I think yes a lot of people do bring OOC knowledge into this, but your comments are excluding IC events that some characters could have gone through. No way my character wouldn't think Manticore can keep her safe? Story wise he's just a guy with a bow and a few tricks, my hero's just a woman who shoots electricity, story-wise they are about as resilient. He's a member of the elite group of heroes? She’s also a reserve member. My hero has seen some questionable things from some the signature heroes, including Manticore. She's beaten his evil counterpart, and Manticore himself. So yes, there are quite a lot of in character reasons for your hero not to think Manticore can keep her safe on his own. Nor would I think my character could either, but he's not invincible, and most of our heroes probably know this by now.

A bigger plot hole I think (and yet another the FP is stupid moment) is why the FP isn't waiting just offshore, or Vanguard/Dark Watcher (who being U.N. would have more chance to step in, and not cause an incident with Recluse).

I disagree to an extent, I think #3 & 4 had some issues but I think the earlier ones were good. Before doing the arcs, my main hero, (who hasn't done the Midnighter's content yet) as the arc implies wouldn't know Darrin Wade from Joe nobody, or would at most think he's a small time artifact dealer (a point which at least I felt) the Midnighter's themselves try to downplay. Secret societies & their secrets... Remember your hero most likely would have no idea what your villains do for Wade in his arc.

I think it's more even, yes He 'lost' because of a technicality, but so does your villain character and the evil spirit who made the artifact! The mastermind, has to come away with something for his efforts, otherwise the story would end. So I think it's more:
Villains 0, Heroes 0, Wade .5 (he didn't succeed in the plan after all).

On the surface, yes it seems a total victory for the villains, but is it? On both sides, you plow through the Rulu-Shin and destroy ones of their most successful front operations and defeat a bunch of Rularuu's servants weakening them substantially. This part was not a part of Wades plan, sure he might blow it off but it defiantly sets his long-term goal back a bit. Plus, he got the info he wanted, yes, but that info was about a special ability of Numina, which wasn't what Wade wanted to hear! So he's setback, yet again.

So heroes .5, villains 1, wade 1.0

As some of the others pointed out, you have to build up the main villain and make it look like he's starting to win to build him up, especially such a relatively minor villain from our perspective.

Now I haven't played the villain side of this yet, and I did do the Calvin Scott TF back in the day which changed some dialog for me (which was the most awesome thing I've seen in awhile, I love that! Just wish it affected more in part 4). This part, as much as I was moved by Alexis' death, part of it made no sense to me, but not her dying or not being able to stop it. Although, yes I would have wished we could have, for Malaise to want an audience for his 'art' or something maybe. I defiantly got from the story that everyone from Manticore on down knew it was a trap, but Alexis insisted on going, So there no "Heroes are forced to fail to see through the obvious trap" We saw through it, Alexis is just as stubborn as her father, and what could we have done? Not gone? That's not very heroic.

Am I pissed that Manticore insisted on saving her himself? Yes, but not at the writers, that is Manticore's character, he thinks he knows/is better equipped and more experienced at this. What makes me upset is the way they worked going back to Paragon as part of the plot. Alexis is kidnapped, missiles are going to go, and our heroes (and Manticore) have to go all the way back to Paragon and let her die? That’s the bad writing part in my opinion. They should have done something more like the latter part, a series of inter connected maps.

As for the missile launching anyway, that's not a direct failure on your heroes part, from what I've read, the villain arc happens in-between, after you stop the missiles as a hero your villain turns it on and launches it. Much like the last bank you saved in a safeguard mission, does knowing that the next day, some villain succeeded in robbing it because you weren't there diminish your hero? I don't think so, it's the common theme of
not being able to be everywhere and save everyone. If it's anyone's failing, it's Longbow's for not securing the site after you stop it.

This is where I think some of the premise falls short again, I love everything that happens inside Psyche's head. I admit I've been hoping to take Malaise down since the Scott TF (and Psyche forcing him to be good it kind of makes me uneasy too). Because of that, and what was said to Manticore in Part 3 about trusting Malaise, I defiantly felt railroaded into stopping Manticore (or at least not blasting malaise when the song started). Now I did accidentally play these out of order (4 then 3 so I was really confused), so it's possible I missed some dialog option because of that if it's tied to some flag. But I'm ok with that, heroes don't let other heroes kill prisoners especially ones with their wife stuck in his head, which never turns out well for her. It also goes again into Manticore's character that he has to solve everything himself and doesn't seem to trust others a lot.

As for Malaise's reasons, well despite you claiming these aren't for those who keep up with lore, if you play the Scott TF in Ouroboros, you'll see a lot of his reasons. Basically he's a psycho, and Sister Psyche's been mind dominating him for years to be good. He resents her for forcing him to go against his nature and abandon his 'art' He's also mad because of heroes like her his 'art' isn't appreciated more than him saving people while being forced to be a hero.

Also we do save Psyche! That was pretty obvious from the arc. We are the only ones who can go in and save her, unfortunatly, yes like in the Scott TF, she's out of it for awhile, so yes Wade's plan gets a bit father a long, Psyche's out of the way. However, she's alive, that usually comes back to bite villains in the butt later.

While yes he dies, saving him isn't our goal in the arc, our goal is to stop that missile, and Wades plan (freeing Rularuu). We have to do it and be the hero because Statesman's not up to the task and dies. Killing Statesman is the goal of our player villains. So yes villains get to laugh because they killed Statesman, only to find he wasn't the biggest threat and it doesn't matter because they still loose in the end! What's more important? Saving Statesman, or the City & the world? Which one would a hero save if you can't save both?

As for the branching storylines idea, I welcome more of them! Different stories are already in the game, as I’ve said my play through seems a little different then those who haven’t done the Scott TF. Also my letter from Requiem is different from a lot of others, both are still valid and don’t break the game or immersion in my opinion, with different dimensions and Ouroboros being available.