Hero Prime

Buh... what?

Okay... I'm going to have to look at this arc again. When I published it in September, it didn't have any random elite boss spawn. None. What would have changed that?

Grrr. Looking at it now.

EDIT: Or I would, but every time I try to run it, my computer locks up. Odd.

Sorry to do this, guys, but the issues Fredrik had with the elite boss spawns shouldn't have been in there at all - weren't there when I wrote it. I'm not sure what caused it, but since I can't seem to load it without my computer locking up, I'm pulling this from review until I get a chance to figure out what went wrong.

EDIT AGAIN: I found the problem. It appears that when I re-saved the mission after fixing a typo a couple weeks back, it eliminated the majority of my custom group enemies. I don't know if it's because the files for those enemies weren't on the computer I used to publish or what, but all the other members of that whip-wielding succubus's enemy group were just gone, as well as other custom enemies that were part of the arc. I've pulled the hard drive from my old computer and am moving all my custom villain group and custom enemy files over from it, and will republish it tonight. Sorry about that... I wasn't aware fixing a typo would so drastically break the arc.

EDIT NUMBER THREE: I have republished it with all the enemy groups in-tact. I did reduce the collections in the fourth mission, but have otherwise left everything as it was originally published. I'm still not sure where you got whole groups of Elite Bosses downgraded to bosses. If you were fighting whip-wielding succubi, they're bosses (and always have been) with the exception of a named one, Lucinda, in the first mission. When I ran through the mission just now (before publishing the original version), they downgraded to Lieutenants. I'm not sure why they didn't downgrade for you, Fredrik - maybe because of your difficulty settings? - but they weren't EBs. That said, they shouldn't have spawned as a group of bosses-only, either, and that has been rectified with the republishing of the old file.

Okay... now that the enemy groups are working right, I went through and addressed some of the issues. I added a short bio to Vagary Keller, a simple one-line bio to all three Abductees, and fixed the spelling of "protein" and "Dannan". I also reduced the number of glowies needed for the fourth mission, including getting rid of the computer hunt for Vagary's datafiles completely, replacing it with the need to find a single computer.

For anyone trying to play this arc, the number has changed due to an unpublish and republish. The new number is:

From one to fifty:
Architect Entertainment!
Where is Steel Canyon?

Arc ID: 452144
Arc Name: Murders in the RWZ Morgue
Author: @FredrikSvanberg

Pros: Quick. Does a good job of telling its story.

Cons: Could have been stretched out over two or three missions.

Just one mission long, FredrikSvanberg's "Murders in the RWZ Morgue" manages to offer one of the better "mystery" stories I've seen come out of the Mission Architect. And just as the arc itself was short, so will this review be brief. I liked this arc; it stands as a great example of what can be done in just one mission. That said, its story could have been stretched out over two or three missions, embellishing a little on the suspect making his escape and the like. That's just a minor quibble and a personal take on the story, and doesn't detract from the quality of what was done here.

I found no problems with the gameplay, nor with grammar (though I've admittedly stopped looking for minor grammatical errors after my first review focused far too much on them). Overall, this is a fun and interesting story definitely worth taking the time to play.

Arc ID: 453091
Arc Name: A Clone of Your Own?

Pros: Short and sweet. Doesn't take itself too seriously, what with the names of the clones and their quips.

Cons: Seemed flat and forced, and it didn't answer many of the questions it made me ask. Could have used some more mission dialog / explanation.

This week's mission arc for the club is "A Clone Of Your Own?" by @Bubbawheat. I have to admit, I was excited to play someone else's take on the reflection characters the Mission Architect offers. Thus far, all I had seen were the Devs take on the doubles (or simulacrums, or clones). To be honest, this mission didn't quite deliver what I was hoping for. Not that it didn't have its peaks, but the valleys seemed to be more obvious.

Right from the start, the first mission ("I Think I'm A Clone Now" - nice nod to Weird Al) stuck out as a bit contrived. I helped this rube of a doctor somehow? Dr. Mephit claimed I had provided some DNA samples, but the character I was on, even if he had been a Rogue (the alignment to which the mission is set) would never have done such a thing. Especially not to this guy. Something stunk, and it wasn't just the good doctor's name. (Not picking on the name: Mephit is another word for "skunk". Indeed, the skunk family is Mephitidae.) Heading into the mission, I was almost immediately confronted by B4d c10ne T3st #1, followed by B4d c10ne T3st #2, and then N4m$_Er^0r. None of them used the same powersets as my character, which, I suspect, is the result of the failure, as were their horrible lines. The mission was short and to the point, however, and quickly done, then I was shunted out to speak with the doc again.

The doctor ignored me, but he said enough for me to figure out I needed to go bust some Freakshow heads. I knew there had to be a smart one amongst the bunch, or at least that's what the mission text claimed I knew, or they wouldn't have been able to make the clones. I went in, gathered a few clones of me (who had some pretty funny one-liners, mind you!) and kicked Freakshow tail. Again, a short mission, and just as quickly to the point. The helper NPCs seemed a little overpowered - especially the Super Strength one, but I suspect that works well if it's being soloed by a support character.

The last mission sent me in after Dr. Mephit himself, who I only just figured out was unstable or untrustworthy ("There's no way you can trust a doctor who carries around his own pistols." What, I trusted him before, didn't I?) The bad guys were an interesting hodge podge of members of different groups, followed by a mid-mission betrayal. The bad guy here was the toughest fought in the whole arc - an Extreme Elite Boss - and the betrayal was no surprise, so everything was kind of anticlimactic from there on out. Get a glowy. Fight one more clone (who was only a Lieutenant). My guess is that, in a group, those two become Archvillain and Boss, but who knows?

All in all, it was an interesting chance to see the reflection stuff in play, but the arc itself felt contrived and flat, almost as if the author wanted to have more fun with it, but felt constrained either by the character of Dr. Mephit or by the Architect system, or both. I would have loved to see more writing in the mission introductions and returns, as well as some depth to what you were actually doing. I'm also with Dalghryn concerning the Freaks and the Crey. I know Dr. Mephit makes mention of Crey in the third mission, but they seem just kind of suddenly there. Between that and the Freaks inexplicable involvement in the cloning business, and I'm left with more questions than answers.

It works just fine on my system, so I'm guessing it's an issue with your computer - driver-related maybe.

If the characters who went were Praetorians, this isn't a bug.

Any glaring holes in this? It feels a little squishy to Smashing/Lethal, but other than that, I like it a lot. Also, I left two slots free to add into Stamina, once we get the Fitness pool free.

Hero Plan by Mids' Hero Designer 1.81
http://www.cohplanner.com/

Click this DataLink to open the build!

New Character: Level 50 Natural Tanker
Primary Power Set: Willpower
Secondary Power Set: Energy Melee
Power Pool: Flight
Power Pool: Leaping
Power Pool: Speed
Ancillary Pool: Pyre Mastery

Hero Profile:
Level 1: High Pain Tolerance

• (A) Resist Damage IO
• (3) Resist Damage IO
• (7) Resist Damage IO
• (37) Healing IO
• (40) Healing IO
• (46) Healing IO

Level 1: Barrage

• (A) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage
• (3) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance
• (5) Crushing Impact - Damage/Recharge
• (21) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (23) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Endurance
• (43) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance/Recharge

Level 2: Fast Healing

• (A) Healing IO
• (5) Healing IO
• (13) Healing IO

Level 4: Bone Smasher

• (A) Absolute Amazement - Stun
• (7) Absolute Amazement - Stun/Recharge
• (13) Absolute Amazement - Accuracy/Stun/Recharge
• (21) Absolute Amazement - Accuracy/Recharge
• (33) Absolute Amazement - Endurance/Stun
• (37) Absolute Amazement - Chance for ToHit Debuff

Level 6: Fly

• (A) Flight Speed IO
• (34) Flight Speed IO
• (46) Flight Speed IO

Level 8: Indomitable Will

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
• (9) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
• (9) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Endurance

Level 10: Mind Over Body

• (A) Aegis - Resistance
• (11) Aegis - Psionic/Status Resistance
• (40) Aegis - Resistance/Endurance

Level 12: Taunt

• (A) Perfect Zinger - Taunt
• (34) Perfect Zinger - Accuracy/Recharge
• (34) Perfect Zinger - Taunt/Range

Level 14: Quick Recovery

• (A) Performance Shifter - Chance for +End
• (15) Performance Shifter - EndMod
• (15) Performance Shifter - EndMod/Recharge

Level 16: Whirling Hands

• (A) Armageddon - Damage
• (17) Armageddon - Damage/Recharge
• (17) Armageddon - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (23) Armageddon - Damage/Endurance
• (31) Armageddon - Chance for Fire Damage

Level 18: Heightened Senses

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed
• (19) Luck of the Gambler - Defense
• (19) Luck of the Gambler - Defense/Recharge

Level 20: Combat Jumping

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed

Level 22: Hover

• (A) Luck of the Gambler - Recharge Speed

Level 24: Rise to the Challenge

• (A) Panacea - +Hit Points/Endurance
• (25) Panacea - Heal
• (25) Panacea - Heal/Endurance

Level 26: Resurgence

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
• (27) Recharge Reduction IO
• (27) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 28: Build Up

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
• (29) Recharge Reduction IO
• (29) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 30: Hasten

• (A) Recharge Reduction IO
• (31) Recharge Reduction IO
• (31) Recharge Reduction IO

Level 32: Strength of Will

• (A) Resist Damage IO
• (33) Resist Damage IO
• (33) Resist Damage IO

Level 35: Energy Transfer

• (A) Hecatomb - Damage
• (36) Hecatomb - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (36) Hecatomb - Damage/Recharge
• (36) Hecatomb - Accuracy/Recharge
• (37) Hecatomb - Chance of Damage(Negative)

Level 38: Total Focus

• (A) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage
• (39) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance/Recharge
• (39) Crushing Impact - Damage/Endurance
• (39) Crushing Impact - Damage/Recharge
• (40) Crushing Impact - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge

Level 41: Char

• (A) Unbreakable Constraint - Hold
• (42) Unbreakable Constraint - Hold/Recharge
• (42) Unbreakable Constraint - Accuracy/Hold/Recharge
• (42) Unbreakable Constraint - Accuracy/Recharge
• (43) Unbreakable Constraint - Chance for Smashing Damage

Level 44: Fire Blast

• (A) Apocalypse - Damage
• (45) Apocalypse - Damage/Recharge
• (45) Apocalypse - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (45) Apocalypse - Accuracy/Recharge
• (46) Apocalypse - Damage/Endurance
• (50) Apocalypse - Chance of Damage(Negative)

Level 47: Fire Ball

• (A) Ragnarok - Damage
• (48) Ragnarok - Damage/Recharge
• (48) Ragnarok - Accuracy/Damage/Recharge
• (48) Ragnarok - Accuracy/Recharge
• (50) Ragnarok - Chance for Knockdown

Level 49: Melt Armor

• (A) Accuracy IO
• (50) Accuracy IO

------------
Level 1: Brawl

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Sprint

• (A) Empty

Level 2: Rest

• (A) Empty

Level 1: Gauntlet
Level 4: Ninja Run

Utopios Fuels Action!

Congratulations!

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. All the parts should be here tomorrow or Thursday, so I'm getting all worried about putting it together. Of course, I've never had anything go wrong in building a box, but I always get all kinds of concerned right before the actual build.

Also, @Lazarus: Does Dr. Aeon always teleport away like that when he is defeated? Is there any way to enable that with other NPCs?

Breaking the Barrier (and Putting It Back Together)

Okay, let me start off by saying that I haven't run Arc #3326 ("The Portal Bandits") yet. The author did a good job bridging the gap, however, with informative and consistant clues that give the player the lowdown. Overall, this is one of the more well written story arcs I've played. That said, the mechanics behind the story need a second look. There are a lot of collect/destroy items (though some in the fourth mission aren't required), and some of the time the player can become overwhelmed by NPC love. Also, there were a few errors with grammar, but after reading through my own first review, I've decided not to focus on that aspect. Grammar nazi and all that.

The first mission launches with a jarring start, and I like it. Obviously Iron Samurai is asking for help with something else, but who knows what? The current situation - the invasion of the denizens of the Shadow Shard - takes sudden and immediate precedence, and rightly so! Running into Ruluruu is always fun. The big eyeballs of DOOM! dont' get used often enough. This mission is sullied only by the overwhelming power of the Iron Samurai. About halfway through the mission, after he basically kill-steals everything up to that point, I ditched him, running away as quickly as I could to break the connection between player and NPC. The Nagan at the end of the mission were a pleasant surprise, but as I hadn't yet read my clues, I had no idea who they were. They looked almost magic, but they were using tech. Aha! Alien race!

The second mission was amusing, if only for the silly statement about Rikti and their foot fetishes. There was this robot, and I never could figure out why he was there, at least not until I read the clues. Even then it seemed a little hazy. The weird thing about it was it just followed me around - no defending, no attacking. Nothing. I suppose that's a step in the right direction, away from the Iron Samurai of the first mission, but it was a bit extreme. It didn't want to be led to a door, or to a specific point. It just wanted to be a big, metal puppy dog. Only, you know, without an attack command. The mission ended well, and I thought the use of the rubble/dirt at the end was clever.

The third mission sends the player to the Rogue Isles, ostensibly to save a crew of Nagan who were infiltrating an Arachnos base. This was another case of being overwhelmed by help. There were five NPCs to save, and they started to get a little overbearing. As a player, I play this game to "be the hero", not just to be another face in a mission, which is how this sort of felt.

The fourth mission was a hoot. Some of the items were just plain silly, and that made it fun. I don't have a whole lot more, good or bad, to say about this one.

The fifth mission was in one of the maps I'm utilizing for an upcoming arc - the tech lab map with the holes blasted through the walls. I love it! However, it included some of the problems of previous missions - Iron Samurai and the Five Lizardgirls were back, and they were just too much. Just like in the first mission, I eventually ditched the whole crew and finished it all, including the EB of Dr. Aeon, by myself.

All in all, it was well-written, even if some of the mechanical stuff left me scratching my head. If you want to solo this on a support character, the extra NPCs are nice, but when playing a scrapper it just seemed like overkill. I'm intrigued by the story, however, and will probably dive back in to check out the prequel and the sequel to this one.

I'd like to throw my hat into the ring. Here's my first AE arc. Admittedly, it deals with a story that's tied to my wife's characters (both hero and villain side), but I tried to make it accessible to the average player. There are a couple EB/AVs in it, so beware!

Arc Name: A Vague Notion
Arc ID: 451725
Faction: Hero
Creator Global/Forum Name: @Hero Prime
Level Range: 46-50
Difficulty Level: Rough. Multiple EB/AV spawns. Multiple EB/AV class helpers, too.
Synopsis: Saving a little girl is only the beginning. Trailing behind are exploding worlds, flaming whips, psionic storms, and DOOM!

Estimated Time to Play: 90 minutes to two hours, depending on whether you read everything. There are 5 missions, 4 of the maps are Large. One of the large maps, however, is a collection mission.

Also, here's my first review...

Another Nemesis Plot?

I just finished playing "Another Nemesis Plot?" by @Necrotech Master, and I liked it, overall. There were a few minor issues with it, which I'll detail here, but overall, it fun enough for a run-through. The general idea of a hero teaming with a villain to take down an even worse threat is a pretty standard trope in television, movies, and books, but given the former friendship of Stephen Richter and Marcus Cole, it works here. The whole thing plays out technically well. I point out a few grammatical errors below, as well as a few places where I figure the story could have used some improvement.

The first mission had a technical difficulty, in that Statesman found himself stuck in a floor on the Arachnos-style map. He couldn't move ahead and help me finish the mission, but that was okay; he didn't need to. Playing a DB/WP makes most normal mobs pretty simple. Speaking of an Arcahnos map, it seems a little high tech for Nemesis. I know it's an old Arachnos base, but they just seemed... a little out of place. Not a complaint, though, just an observation.

The second mission was the first place I spotted a grammatical error. Any time you use the word "Nemesis" in conjunction with the group or the individual, it should be capitalized. It wasn't in the intro text, and I found a few other places scattered throughout the arc where he was likewise lowercase. Also, I know there's not a whole lot you can do about it, but with Nemesis copying 5th Column bots, would he put their logo on their chests? *grins*

Third mission included one of my favorite maps in the game - the Giant Robot Factory from the Hess task force. Loved it! I wouldn't have minded seeing some more enemy text, though.

The fourth mission had a couple grammatical errors. In the intro text, it says, "This is not good, although you shut down that factory, Nemesis continues to advance his new robots. Our sources indicate that their first target will be Grandville in the Rogue Isles." You should probably put a period after "This is not good" and make the rest a separate sentence. Likewise with the intro popup: "The base is on high alert, you can hear the troops as they march the halls prepared for anything." Put a semicolon after "high alert" to show that they're two separate phrases connected by the same thread of thought. The introduction of the author's own character at EB/AV level - but as a minor character - was nice. He wasn't set up as a spotlighted GMPC, even if he was pretty powerful. Sadly, that power translated to his minions, which seemed to dominate the fights.

There was one more grammar issue in the last mission: "because he knows that if Nemesis succeeded he would". You should change the tense there to "because he knew" or "if Nemesis succeeds he will". Also, the Arachnos Flyer was a little disappointing, since it wasn't flying, but that's not the author's fault. Also, I was surprised that Nemesis was able to keep pumping out bots and automatons after his factory was shut down (Mission 3), but I could only assume he had a reasonable reserve or multiple factories.

Overall, the arc was fun, following a tried but true trope to an inevitable result. I would have liked to see custom bots made from the costume creator rather than the 5th Column and Malta bots, but that's a minor complaint. Also, there seemed to be a disconnect between some of the missions. Why was Statesman captured? Why is Nemesis copying bots from other factions when they've been able to copy heroes - including powers - with their own automatons? It was likable, but left me wondering. And I might try it again with a group, to take down that Aracnhos non-Flyer.

iOS is a completely different operating system than MacOS X, not a stripped down version of the same thing. The structure of the apps used for the iPhone and the iPad are significantly different from that of OS X, so I suppose I'm going to have to assume you're streaming this to your iPad from a VPN server.

Arc Name: A Vague Notion
Arc ID: 451725
Faction: Hero
Creator Global/Forum Name: @Hero Prime
Level Range: 46-50
Difficulty Level: Rough. Multiple EB/AV spawns. Multiple EB/AV class helpers, too.
Synopsis: Saving a little girl is only the beginning. Trailing behind are exploding worlds, flaming whips, psionic storms, and DOOM!

Estimated Time to Play: 90 minutes to two hours, depending on whether you read everything. There are 5 missions, 4 of the maps are Large. One of the large maps, however, is a collection mission.

I'd love feedback if you have the time. This is my first AE arc. Here's a basic rundown with a few spoilers.

Mission 1 - The first mission is the rescue of a little girl named Vagary. She's been kidnapped for unknown reasons. It's a small map with very few enemies, but it introduces one member of a custom enemy group.

Mission 2 - This mission sends you after the altar used in the summoning spell cast to abduct the girl from the first mission. Surprise, surprise, there are multiple altars! More members of the custom enemy group show up.

Mission 3 - As it turns out, each altar was unique to a particular abductee, and you found for of them. That means there are three more people to save! Oh, and the introduction of a second custom enemy group.

Mission 4 - This is a collection mission - and a big one. A lot of collecting. Maybe too much, you tell me.

Mission 5 - And finally you get to face off with the big bad who's out kidnapping these people - and you know why, too. She must be stopped before she gets obtains too much power!

Please post any feedback here.

We'll have to see how it goes. Most of the air-based coolers I've seen are large, much like that one, though some have better clearance. We'll have to see how it goes.

Thanks for the heads up.

Newegg Linky (Edited to fix the link: Thanks, Master-Blade!)

Any glaring holes? I know the video card isn't the best of the best, but it should run CoH pretty well. And sound, well... I can handle plain on-board for now.

Same thing happened to me not too long ago, Cap, and they gave me the same reasons behind it. Funny thing was, it happened right after I transfered a massive amount of INF from one of my accounts to the other, and transfered a few names, as well.

You didn't do any of that right before it got banned, by chance, did you?

Completely off-topic, but...