Darkonne

Mentor
  • Posts

    295
  • Joined

  1. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Castle View Post
    Pohsyb mentioned this at PAX to some folks. I'm not sure if this is an I16 thing, or something being added for Going Rogue, but it is real.
    Bwahahahaha! You hear that? Your Oranbega can't hide you forever, you cowardly mages!

    -D
  2. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dalghryn View Post
    And there'd better be a slew of new Dev's Choices with familiar names attached to 'em, as well.
    I'm hoping they'll at least rate my arc and leave a comment!

    -D
  3. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dalghryn View Post
    Rather than search eleventy-thousand individual threads, I thought I'd just try to see how many honest creators we have in this forum. Who's submitting arcs (or arc) to the First Annual Architect Awards? I'll pony up, since I haven't been shy:
    I only have one arc, so I submitted "Aeon's Nemesis" (#161865) for Best Villain Arc. I'm not sure if it really qualifies for Best In-Canon Story, and I didn't want to submit it twice, so I went for the catch-all.

    I'm just nervous that I screwed up copying the various critters/groups/etc back to local files and it'll be disqualified before it even gets to the voting. :-/

    -D
  4. In honor of the First Annual Architect Awards, I've updated Aeon's Nemesis to version 16.0.0! Changes include:

    * Noncommittal Introduction! Marshal Brass no longer introduces himself to you in his opening text. This is intended to make the arc more compatible with characters that played through his CoV arcs. He still will not directly acknowledge the connection, but then you were never officially working for him anyway.

    * Aeon's Secret Office downsized! Ever budget conscious, Dr. Aeon has moved his secret office to a somewhat smaller building. This should result in less trouble cataloging his MAD SCIENCE! during Mission 4.

    * Perfectly Safe Bomb even safer! The Perfectly Safe Bomb in Mission 4 has been altered modified from a friendly defensible object into a hostile destructible object. This will avoid the confusion that arose over the bomb's seemingly inert nature.

    * Improved Doomed Lackey Technology! Aeon's Nemesis continues to lead the industry in our attention to Doomed Lackey features.

    * Battle Bots Makeover! The battling robots that can be encountered in Mission 4 are now clearly divided into two fashionable teams.

    * Clockwork Calibration! The Clockwork that chase Teh Stun Meister in Mission 4 are now the proper low level electrical models, rather than the higher level Psychic Clockwork. We apologize for the lost XP.

    * Plot De-obfuscation! The text of various dialog and clues throughout the arc have been tweaked and a new set of clues has been added to Mission 5 to better explain just why the arc happened the way it did.

    There's still time to try this arc before it makes it big, so go out and run the new, improved Aeon's Nemesis today!

    -D
  5. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dr. Aeon View Post
    I look forward to doing everything I can to give you guys the best time possible within Mission Architect!

    Dr. Aeon
    Welcome to the forums, Dr. Aeon. I'm glad to have a Mission Architect point man out there.

    And while I have you here, I'd especially like to thank you for your excellent performance in my own MA arc! You really outdid yourself, if I do say so myself. ;-)

    -D
  6. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Arbiter Kim View Post
    Thanks!

    I just wanted to say that it’s a privilege to work with one of the best MMO communities on the net. Please feel free to message me any game-related bugs and I’ll make sure to bother the devs in the most annoying ways possible until it’s fixed!
    Welcome aboard, Arbiter Kim! Rest assured, the next time the game does something horribly wrong at me, you'll be the second to know.

    -D
  7. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Calash View Post
    Can a story arc be entered for more than 1 category? If so, how should the entries be handled?
    Is there an answer to this question?

    -D
  8. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Arcanaville View Post
    Its basically impossible for DR to affect different powers in different ways, because the DR code basically looks at the attributes, not the powers.

    But it *is* possible for DR to affect different archetypes differently, and in fact that happens with things in damage resistance deliberately in the case of tankers. But I don't think different archetypes had different DR parameters for recharge. I will check on that as soon as I can.
    It's been a long while, but I believe there was some concern when DR first appeared that an error or two might be lurking in it. Since each AT had independent values for each attribute, it would have been very hard to double check every single one of them. But even if Widows did have a misaligned DR Recharge setting, wouldn't that affect Aura of Confusion too? Luxun S seemed to think AoC was recharging 'properly.'

    Is it possible that Mind Link's base recharge is screwed up? As I recall, recharge can't vary between PvP and PvE, and it seems hard to believe no one would have noticed an extra, err... 140*2.3-300= 22 seconds being tacked on. But it would explain why ML's the only power misbehaving.

    Quote:
    Just one problem with that: my home PC went kaboom last night, so I will need to deal with that first. Might be a good excuse to invest in an I7 desktop. Also, I've been wondering about this bad boy.
    !!

    Is that really a good idea, Arcana? HAL was supposed to be orbitting Jupiter by now; instead he's reduced to working as a graphics card. And we all know how well HAL handles stress...

    -D
  9. Quote:
    Originally Posted by St0n3y View Post
    Titan Network is pleased to announce Mids' Hero/Villain Designer v1.601.

    This new release includes:
    • All power changes up through I16
    • Added all Issue 16 proliferated, changed and added powers
    • PVP Invention sets have been added
    • Added ability to take Tier 3 travel powers at level 6 (60 month vet reward)
    • Fixed ‘Official Forums’ export option
    • Mouse Scroll Wheel now controls description window at all times (easier viewing of set bonuses)

    Head on over to Titan Network to download the new version of Mids'.
    Nice work, it all sounds great!

    Except for that ability to take Tier 3 travel powers at level 6. That's just completely useless and no one can convince me otherwise (until approximately 2011). :-p

    -D
  10. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Catwhoorg View Post
    Todays patch note
    Well, that's a significantly better. Hooray for precision nerfs!

    -D
  11. Darkonne

    Ebil at Last

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Catwhoorg View Post
    Mister Speaker, I finally present my Ebil Entry Card

    Sigh. I'm still an order of magnitude short of genuine ebil. I'm just a deci-ebil. :-(

    -D
  12. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Dark_Respite View Post
    My videos are not worth killing people over. Not even throwing them down a couple flights of stairs.
    Of course not. That's what windows are for; the glass shards make it much more cinematic! :-p

    But seriously, I'd love to see you do a trailer for Going Rogue, DR.

    -D
  13. Quote:
    Originally Posted by pohsyb View Post



    Many thanks to Poison for this fantastic creation. It like he reached into my mind, plucked out my thoughts and beautifully forged them into artwork!
    Wow, that looks fantastic!

    It does make me wonder though... how did you ever fit inside that box, Pohsyb?!

    -D
  14. Let me check...

    ... nope, they didn't purge my name. It's still mine! You can't have it!! :-p

    -D
  15. Darkonne

    issue 16 info

    [ QUOTE ]

    Until they visit the market and all the usual spamming that occurs there. Compared to that the first mothership/Hami raid is going to melt some copper.

    Think about it, the client will not be able to know who you will be coming across and always preload the data ahead of time. Therefore you'll be sent all that extra data EVERY time anyone uses a customized power.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    You're sent a lot of data already. The extra bits needed to identify additional colors shouldn't be that much of an increase.

    -D
  16. Darkonne

    issue 16 info

    It sounds exciting!

    So, should we start asking when it will get here?

    -D
  17. [ QUOTE ]
    Re-ran Aeon's Nemesis to try and get through it. I kinda sped through the first 3 missions to try and get back to where I was before; it looked like some typos had been fixed since my last pass, but I did not look too carefully. Did get through the fourth mission this time, finding all 9 experiments -- though had a bad couple minutes running down the last one, the glowy whiteboard (it was hard for me to notice this object was a clicky - this may have been my problem last time too).


    [/ QUOTE ]
    Thank you very much for going all the way through the arc again, PW! I promise to put your comments to good use.


    [ QUOTE ]

    Mission 5
    Briefing: It's a little puzzling that we can't just shut down the simulation (physically pulling the plug, even) and have Aeon pop out, but for sake of the plot we need to accept this. Perhaps that would leave Aeon stranded in the simulation somehow. It's kind of handwaved that we have to go to the Shadow Shard (or the simulated Shadow Shard) to rescue Aeon.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    It is, as you say, something of a handwave. In theory, Aeon has been digitized. If the simulation were completely shut down, he'd be effectively deleted. There's supposed to be a failsafe to let humans leave the AES at any time, but Nemesis found a way to disable it (hence the jammers you need to destroy). But Nemesis left other safeties running; the program won't end while a human is still inside, so he can sort of use Aeon as a hostage while he works. Brass alludes to this in his briefing. I was originally going to go into more detail, but between space limitations and story flow, I thought it best to just leave it as a handwave.


    [ QUOTE ]

    Map selection: odd, the briefing made me think I'd be in the Shadow Shard, but it looks like a regular science lab.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    Technically, you are in the (simulated) Shadow Shard. You're just in a traditional tech lab built in one of the caves. I'd love to use an actual Shadow Shard map, but none are available in the MA right now. In early development, I wanted to use the Ruladak cave map: it would be more unusual, and the fog would double as the poor render radius. But it felt awkward and the poor visibility got old fast.

    So for now at least, you have to miss all the scenery. :-(


    [ QUOTE ]

    After destroying the first jammer, I got the "Clear Signal" clue indicating that Aeon was free to escape. I think you meant for this to be awarded after both jammers are destroyed (the way collections currently award clues is kinda weird). Destroying the second jammer awarded no clue, but the objective changed to "Verify Aeon escaped".


    [/ QUOTE ]
    Unfortunately, the clue will spawn as soon as you destroy either of the jammers, and there's not much I can do about that. The clue acknowledges that you might not have destroyed both of them, but I think the clue is useful enough to warrant leaving it.


    [ QUOTE ]

    Found and rescued Dr. Lane, a "valuable scientist". With the way this mission is set up, I am not sure if Dr. Lane is a "real" scientist or a "simulated" scientist. The clue he gives seems to imply he's "real" ... but a good simulation might give the same clue.... hmmm. Not sure. He does claim that SimNemesis kidnapped him, I guess as part of a SimNemesis plot.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    Dr. Lane is real; he is the programmer you found an e-mail from in Aeon's office back in Mission 4. I'll see if I can find a better way to indicate that, but I'm running out of text space for him.


    [ QUOTE ]

    I found Dr. Aeon, who spawned as an EB for me. Although I'm there to rescue him, he attacks me for some reason! Apparently he thinks I'm one of the Sims. His dialog IS pretty funny though. I beat him up, which is apparently how to "free" him from the simulation (at least once the jammers were destroyed).

    The research project Aeon and Nemesis are working on is really pretty cool.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    I'm glad you liked it. I have to admit, Aeon was a hoot to write up. He monologues so well!


    [ QUOTE ]

    Debriefing: You know, I half expected Marshal Brass to give me a debriefing as if I had just got back from mission 2 (the "extreme" test of Architect Entertainment), and to find out that everything in the last 4 missions was just "part of the simulation". Nevertheless, this is a pretty good debriefing; I like that it explains what happens to Aeon afterwards. Though it seems to imply that Architect Entertainment is shut down as a result of this investigation, until a safer version can be put in place; interesting, maybe this arc is meant to be "before" I14 officially released.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    Hmmm. Not quite. Brass is deleting all copies of Aeon's simulator (and the servers that ran it), but that's not the same thing as the Architect system itself. Think of the simulator as a software emulator designed to run on the AE hardware.

    I'll have to clarify that somehow.


    [ QUOTE ]

    Overall
    I really liked the dialog and characterization in this arc, especially of Brass, Aeon and even Fusionette. The briefings were well written and the various glowies and the clues were all quite nicely done too.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    Thanks!


    [ QUOTE ]

    I was a little iffy on the plot; it was kinda neat but also very convoluted and at times it was very confusing as to what was "real" and what was "simulated". Perhaps this was intentional, though. The line grew very fuzzy when the Sims could break into the real world and kidnap real people, and when stuff like simulated jammers could block "real" mediports. There were some quite cool ideas presented too, though; I really liked the idea of the self-perpetuating hologram, and "simulated" Nemesis going out of control was actually a neat idea.

    I'm a little puzzled as to whether "Nemesis" was purely a simulation or partly real. My guess is that the "Nemesis" threat was spawned in mission 2 as a result of the "extreme threat" difficulty settings that Brass had you set -- but if this is the case, the Nemesis forces should've been normal enemies in mission 3, part of the regular simulation. But, the Techtician boss's hard crash in mission 3, followed by Nemesis ambushes, strongly implied that Nemesis was not really part of the simulation, but was an "anomaly". This seems to send mixed messages which made me confused on what was "really" happening.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    The goal of the arc is to be confusing at first, and only gradually reveal what happened later on. It sounds like the first part was partially successful, but the latter part didn't work well.

    I think the key fact that got lost is that after the simulator created SimNemesis, he became self-aware and hijacked the simulation for his own purposes - namely, to find a way to escape into the real world. The "Nemesis Plot" you play through in Missions 2 and 3 is a remnant of the original plot he was working on before he realized he was just part of a simulation. He left it running to occupy you long enough for his holograms to kidnap Dr. Aeon: if you had shut off the simulator too soon, SimNemesis would have been erased. Once he has Aeon (and Dr. Lane), he terminates that particular program and tries to capture you as well.

    The reason you don't see any Nemesis troops until the end of mission 3 is, ironically, for clarity. I wanted to make it clear where the fake plot ended and the real plot began, and having the appearance of classic Nemesis troops coincide with the appearance of the actual Nemesis plot seemed like the best way to do that. I think that idea is still valid, and I don't want to clog the arc up with too much background explanation. But I'd say I need to make the nature of the simulator clearer before hand, and the fact that the rampant Nemesis seized control of the simulator clearer after the fact.


    [ QUOTE ]

    I had a lot of trouble with the hunt for 9 experiments in mission 4, which caused me to quit my second try on this arc (my first try was aborted by I15). I actually like the explanation and clues for each of the experiments, the fact that they are all different types of objectives, plus the fact that there are some decoy objectives (by this I mean the Perfectly Safe Bomb, which totally looks like an "experiment" but isn't), made finding all 9 of them rather frustrating for me. I might suggest either making Perfectly Safe Bomb one of the experiments (and providing a way to complete it) or else removing it so as to reduce confusion.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    Altering the Perfectly Safe Bomb is tricky. I could make it a Destructible Object, but then we wind up with the Doomed Lackeys fighting to stop you from disabling it. That might be workable, but it is a little weird. I'd prefer to leave it as a purely amusing side quest, but I can see how hunting down all 9 experiments can get frustrating: I have the advantage of knowing that the Bomb isn't needed, and there's no convenient way to convey that to a player.


    [ QUOTE ]

    Also, on reflection, it seems that all of the problems in the story arc were self-inflicted: the "Nemesis" plot never would've materialized if I hadn't been sent to meddle with the simulation program, with difficulty set to "extreme", in mission 2. So most of the arc is really just correcting a mistake made by the player (admittedly, at Brass's behest). I don't really like that as a theme; it'd be nicer if the player had some sense of gaining something from completing this story arc, rather than just fixing something she broke. Brass does do a good job of trying to sell defeating Aeon and shutting down his pet project as an accomplishment, though, which is nice. I think I might be happier if you added a little something to reward the player here, maybe suggest that Brass deposits some money in your Swiss Bank account or something; since as it is, it's not clear that the player got anything out of doing this.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    I also dislike stories that have you trying to correct your own mistakes, but whether that happened here depends on how you look at it. Your job was to test the simulator, and you did so successfully. The only reason you had to rescue Dr. Aeon is because he ignored several serious flaws in his simulator. In that sense, you've been re-hired to fix something Aeon broke. (Brass is certainly of that opinion.)

    On the other hand, having Brass actually pay the player is a good idea. This whole job is supposed to be work for hire. It's implied that Brass is paying you on a few occasions, but he never actually does so. I'll add that to the end.

    Thanks again for all the time you put into reviewing this arc, PW! I really appreciate it.

    -D
  18. PoliceWoman partially reviewed Aeon's Nemesis in her ongoing review thread. You can find the original review over there but I'll respond to her comments here.


    [ QUOTE ]

    Mission 1
    ...
    The mission itself seems decently crafted, though not unusually special aside from the Vanguard, who are pretty nasty opponents due to their debuffs; a group of 6ish of them managed to drop me once. They seem to be standard PvE Vanguard though, so I can't really complain.

    I like the guest appearance by Fusionette. Her dialog is pretty good, though I almost think she sounds more competent than usual.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    I'll admit I have a soft spot for Fusionette, but I think she's competent enough to handle this sort of thing. She's just a little overzealous sometimes.

    As for the mission, it is intended to be typical fair. Since the simulator malfunctions later on in the arc, I felt it was best to show it functioning in a safe, mundane manner at first.


    [ QUOTE ]

    Mission 2
    Briefing: Another Architect test, it seems, only this time with a randomly generated "extreme" threat. Not quite sure what I'm getting into from the briefing, but...it's just a test?

    Mission title: "Find the Protoype" probably should be "Find the Prototype". But then, the briefing does not mention a prototype at all, so this may not make sense as a mission title anyway. Perhaps consider changing this to "Perform Extreme Test" or "Stop Threat to Rogue Isles" or something else that fits what the contact told us.

    OK, entering the mission, the mission popup does a better job of explaining why I need to Find the Proto(t)ype.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    I'm not sure how best to handle this mission description. The idea is that you're asking Aeon's simulator to construct a random scenario for you. As such, you only get a briefing on the objective when the mission loads up. I felt it was best to stick with "Find the Proto[u]t[u]ype" as the objective description, and hope it would all make sense once you enter the mission. If you're reading this, PW, which do you think would be best now that you've played through the mission?


    [ QUOTE ]

    When searching the safe glowies, I get a lot of messages like:

    You begin cracking the safe.
    You find nothing of interest in the safe.
    You begin cracking the safe.
    You find nothing of interest in the safe.
    You begin cracking the safe.
    The prototype is not here!

    The last safe triggered the spawn of the prototype (I think), but "The prototype is not here!" is actually true of all the previous safes as well. The "Pogodyne Requisition Order" does explain why this safe is different, but you might change "The prototype is not here!" to something like "You find paperwork indicating the prototype has been moved!" or something similar.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    Good point.


    [ QUOTE ]

    In the nav tool, "Locate the protoype" should be "Locate the prototype". I understand why I need to locate the prototype now, but it's unclear why "Defeat the director" has suddenly become an objective after cracking the safe.

    I found the "Director of Mercenary Resources" and fought him; he had some fun dialog. The mission ended as soon as I defeated him though, despite my never accomplishing the "Locate the protoype" objective. I thought that was odd until I read the "Field Test Authorization" clue from defeating the Director, which explains where the prototype went. You might consider striking the last sentence, "You could always get in the old fashioned way and steal the prototype", I think that would make more sense in the debriefing or next briefing than in a clue.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    You're right, the objective for the DMR should be altered. I might modify the last sentence a bit, but I think it's a good way to explain why this mission is over and lead in to the next one.


    [ QUOTE ]

    Mission 3
    I still had the "Find the prototype" objective after defeating the ECM Master Tech, until I found a stray Techtician from his group and defeated him, at which time I got the "Deleted!" clue. You might consider making this "only boss needed" to complete this objective.

    The "Deleted!" clue indicates I pick up the prototype, but it wasn't really clear that the ECM Master Tech was carrying the prototype (though I assume this was the case). You might consider adding an extra line (to the clue or to the dialog) indicating this.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    More good ideas.


    [ QUOTE ]

    I now need to "Find the source of the anomaly", forcing me to search the Council base again, which is kind of a pain. Interestingly, a lot of Nemesis patrols have spawned behind me, though. I eventually found a Nemesis Warhulk that told me that I had outlived my usefulness, and defeating him completed the mission. I'm not quite sure why he was more of an anomaly than the other Nemesis patrols, but I guess this works. I wonder if he should maybe be a Fake Nemesis instead?


    [/ QUOTE ]
    I don't really like using Fake Nemeses when EB/AV versions of Nemesis might show up. They're so similar that they make the 'real' deal seem derivative. And given that you’re running into Nemesis troops in a simulated environment, I’d rather not have to clarify exactly how real a given Nemesis is.


    [ QUOTE ]

    Debriefing: I like the stuff he says here. The last paragraph sounds more like the set up for the next mission than anything else; consider moving that text to the next mission's briefing? Other players on the team (besides the leader) won't be able to see this debriefing.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    It is indeed the set up for mission 4, but I think it has to be mentioned here. Aeon was kidnapped while you were running mission 3; it would be a real non-sequitur if it were only announced at the start of the next mission. Mentioning it here feels, to me, like a better way to ramp up the action.

    It's true that team members won't be able to see it, but I don't see a good way around that.


    [ QUOTE ]

    Mission 4
    Briefing: This kinda threw me for a loop initially; Dr. Aeon has been kidnapped, but the contact doesn't want me to go rescue him. Instead he wants me to break into Aeon's office (I guess while he's out). This made some sense (in terms of villain infighting) after I thought about it some, but I found the way the briefing presents this mission to be a little confusing.

    Second part of the briefing explains the motivation a lot better.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    I don't think Aeon's well being would ever be a high priority for Marshal Brass. I like the way the briefing flows now, but if more people find it confusing I'll consider changing it. Since very few people have played the arc, I don't have much feedback on this yet.


    [ QUOTE ]

    Map selection: a standard "office" map is used to represent "Aeon's Office"; but since Aeon is a mad scientist, I kinda think it would make more sense to use a scientific lab map for his private office.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    The final mission is on a Tech map, so I felt using an office here was the lesser evil.


    [ QUOTE ]

    Haha, I like the fun messages from the glowies, particularly "This was a project to clone Blue Steel. Aeon abandoned it when he realized Blue Steel never bleeds." You might consider putting the message text into actual clues tied to the various glowies, just for fun. The game text they generate is easy to miss in the other game text spam, and also is not visible to players other than the one who clicked it.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    Maybe. I was trying to avoid putting too many clues in this mission, since there are already a lot and they get hard to read through as they pile up. But this is probably worse for those playing the arc in a group.


    [ QUOTE ]

    I've now cleared the whole office but can't find the last experiment. I'm now thinking that "A Perfectly Safe Bomb" is, in fact, the last experiment. But I can't destroy the bomb, I think because I have to aggro its guards to interact with it; and I can't attack the guards, because they are tagged friendly.

    I spent some time puzzling over this and could not figure out how to get past. I think that this mission is uncompletable as it stands. I suggest changing the Bomb's guards to be hostile; they ARE Arachnos, and all other Arachnos in this mission were hostile to me.

    I feel like I have to quit the arc at this point, but this seems like some sort of bug, so I'm leaving the arc unrated for now.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    As I mentioned in the original thread, the Perfectly Safe Bomb is not required and is only there for fun. Either a glowy was hiding very well, or some new glitch prevented something from spawning properly. :-(

    To end the mission, you need to find 9 experiments and destroy the Security Monitor. The experiments consist of:
    <ul type="square">
    * AES Mainframe (a big computer bank, it discusses Aeon’s use of the simulation)
    * Dimensional Interface-o-mat (One of the standing tech-y objects, it doesn’t do anything obvious)
    * Genetic Replicator (the medical cart with Aeon’s Shivan tests)
    * Teh Stun Meister (Freakshow ally, he has to be freed)
    * Bio Material Storage (the bio fridge for the Blue Steel experiment)
    * Automata Components (the box of robot parts)
    * Research Notes (a white board that notes a fault in the AES)
    * Computer Console (the computer terminal, it’s running a robot fighting sim)
    * E-mail Console (another computer terminal, it has an e-mail on it)[/list]
    PW, you said you found the Bio Material Storage, Teh Stun Meister and the AES Mainframe. Can you remember if one of the others never showed up?

    -D

    EDIT:
    I've run through the arc myself, and Mission 4 seems to be spawning the glowies correctly. I can't rule out an intermittent bug, but for now I'm declaring Aeon's Nemesis functional.

    I've also updated the arc to 15.0.2 to correct all the typos PoliceWoman found, and to address some of her suggestions.
  19. [ QUOTE ]
    Aeon's Nemesis review (arc id 161865)

    The premise is that you're helping Marshal Brass with something related to the Architect system itself. Red side, level range seems around 30-50 with some variations. I did the first mission before I15, but after I15 I restarted the arc to try and avoid patch issues. I played a 33 SS/will brute.

    ...

    I've now cleared the whole office but can't find the last experiment. I'm now thinking that "A Perfectly Safe Bomb" is, in fact, the last experiment. But I can't destroy the bomb, I think because I have to aggro its guards to interact with it; and I can't attack the guards, because they are tagged friendly.

    I spent some time puzzling over this and could not figure out how to get past. I think that this mission is uncompletable as it stands. I suggest changing the Bomb's guards to be hostile; they ARE Arachnos, and all other Arachnos in this mission were hostile to me.

    I feel like I have to quit the arc at this point, but this seems like some sort of bug, so I'm leaving the arc unrated for now.


    [/ QUOTE ]

    Thank you for the partial review, PW! I don't know why you couldn't finish mission 4: it was working properly as of my test run on Tuesday. The Perfectly Safe Bomb is entirely optional. You can "complete" it by dragging a hostile mob into aggro range of the bomb, but that's just for humorous effect. I know it's a clunky mechanic with the guards as 'allies,' but it felt wrong to have them attack the bomb themselves.

    As for the actual requirements, Mission 4 requires finding 9 Experiments to finish. 1 is freeing Teh Stun Meister, the other 8 are glowies around the map. I've never had an object fail to spawn on that map, but I've only tried it twice since the I15 changes.

    I don't know if you plan to finish the arc anytime soon, but I'll respond to your comments on my feedback thread to keep this one clear. Thanks again for playing, and I'm sorry it didn't work out so well.

    -D
  20. [ QUOTE ]

    Return to Neutral<ul type="square">[*]None[/list]Regular Emotes<ul type="square">[*]Lecture[*]Explain[*] ... et. al.[/list]
    [/ QUOTE ]

    Good to know! Thanks, BAB!
  21. [ QUOTE ]
    Hi, I’m Bruce Harlick, aka Horatio, the guy who was in charge of the Reichsman Task Force and Strike Force. Thank you for the comments and feedback on the TF &amp; SF. I’d like to take the opportunity to respond to some of them and let you know our some of our intended responses.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    Hello and welcome, Horatio! Thanks for taking the time to post!

    [ QUOTE ]

    There seems to be some confusion as to the use of the dimensional ground ray in the final fight of the Task Force. Before Reichsman’s hit by the ray, he is in a phased state and is running a rather nasty debuffing aura. When he is hit by the ray, it “grounds out” some of his power and he returns to a normal state and his aura is shut down. This will persist for the duration of the fight. The dimensional grounding ray isn’t intended to be used at specific points in the fight; it should be used early on, and one hit will do.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    I have not been able to test out the newer iterations of the TF, but based on the early version, I think more that information needs to be better conveyed within the game itself.

    The idea of the DGR is cool and I love the model, but they certainly gave me the impression that they were actual weapons designed to hurt Reichsman. If they are just a one shot gizmo intended to make him fightable at all, it might be best if they were redesigned into something other than a gun.

    If they stay a gun, you definately need to explain how they are meant to work to the players that get them very clearly. Otherwise players are going to spend a lot time shooting Reichsman with them, and wondering why it doesn't do anything.

    [ QUOTE ]

    On the villain side of things, our intent was to try to do something a bit different for the end fight. As has been previously stated, we wanted to do a “gadget” fight; something that was more than just hit the bad guy until he fell over. And we wanted to encourage teams to include different ATs, to help shake up some standard team compositions. Certainly, the end fight is more difficult without having each of the appropriate ATs on the team, but it is still doable. Each of the temp powers is intended to make stages of the fight easier. There is no one “golden solution” to solving the fight; by including some or all of the ATs that can take advantage of the various temp powers, you can approach this battle using different tactics.


    [/ QUOTE ]

    As Human_Being already mentioned, I don't think restricting the Temp Powers to specific ATs is a good idea. I'm all for encouraging diversity, but this isn't the way to do it: it will lead to teams being carefully built to bring the right characters, or face a long, frustrating fight.

    [ QUOTE ]

    Switching voices, I am aware of the canon issues with the story. The problems are purely my fault; when I came up with the original flow for the story I was under some mistaken impressions on some events in the game’s history. While I did make some adjustments to the story due to the feedback from the training room, I didn’t get all the details nailed down as best I could. Due to a tight translation deadline, I was unable to get final text passes into the build that was going to the Live servers, but rest assured I’ll be doing my best to address them over the next week or so to bring the story of Reichsman’s return in line with the existing history of the 5th Column.


    [/ QUOTE ]
    I'm very happy to hear that the canon concerns are being heard. Thanks for listening!

    -D
  22. Good news, everyone! "Aeon's Nemesis" has been upgraded for Issue 15, giving you one less excuse not to try it!

    Version 15.0.1 highlights include:<ul type="square">
    * Description upgrade! The arc can now describe itself as Comedy.

    * Aeon's computer found! Various critters in the arc now have better starting animations.

    * Techticians institute gender blind hiring! Extra space means this new group has a little more diversity among its Minions and Lieutenants.

    * Aim/Build Up abatement! Custom critters have had their power selections pruned to avoid the more problematic powers.

    * Teh Stun Meister demoted! The Freakshow captive in Mission 4 is now a Minion to permit a wider level range for the mission.

    * Hearts (bleed) on sleeve! The poor Doomed Lackeys in Mission 4 have a snappy new uniform.

    * Enhanced verbiage! Various texts have been tweaked, and a few typos have been corrected. Techtician /infos now include paragraph breaks. Marshal Brass now has his (abbreviated) bio.[/list]So clear out a space in your calendar and try the improved "Aeon's Nemesis" yourself! Act quickly and one day you'll be able to casually mention to your friends that you played this arc before it made it big!

    -D
  23. [ QUOTE ]

    Thats why I read the Dev Digest and Community Digest posts under Developers Corner forums for new announcements. Rarely is there any consistency around them but you can see what officially has been said by any of the developers or community managers.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    I don't check the fora as often on the weekends and I settled for a quick check of Announcements on Friday night. But even if I had noticed the thread, my weekend was unusually busy. I would not have been able to respec all the characters I had in mind in time.

    I was expecting more than 2.5 days of lead time, and I certainly wasn't expecting all that lead time to be a weekend.

    -D
  24. [ QUOTE ]
    I just logged in. Freespecs were granted today. I guess we can consider the "7 days notice" theory dead at this point.

    [/ QUOTE ]

    This (and the announcement being buried in the discussion forum) make me rather annoyed.

    -D
  25. My original comment thread died, so I've decided to rebuild it: better, stronger, with more posts!

    This is the new feedback thread for my first arc, Aeon's Nemesis. It is designed as a story focused, humorous arc for solo characters above level 32. It's on the amoral mercenary side of the Villainous morality spectrum. Here's the quick summary.

    Name: Aeon's Nemesis
    Arc ID: 161865
    Length: Very Long
    Morality: Villainous
    Description: "You've heard a rumor that Marshal Brass is looking for someone to test a secret feature of the Architect system."
    Suggested Level Range: 35-50
    Estimated Running Time: 1.5-2 hours
    Estimated Difficulty: Moderate (similar to a standard CoV Story Arc)

    For those who prefer knowing the plot ahead of time, Venture was kind enough to review my arc. You can find his in depth review (which does include plot spoilers) here. [tl;dr: 5 stars. Nits: no theme (but comedic)]

    I would very much appreciate any feedback. In particular, I do not have a Controller or Dominator high enough level to test it myself. I'd also love to know how it plays with a group. And while I've checked the text several times, I'm sure there are a few typos left in it somewhere.

    So there you have it. I hope you enjoy the arc! And if you really like or dislike something in it, please let me know!

    -D