Ironik

I'm making a mission for my SG, and the idea is that I've taken each of our characters and made them a boss that comes in to save the day.

However, sometimes it spawns duplicates of one or two characters, even though I've created enough custom characters so that it should only pick one of each.

Similarly, in another mission I've created enough custom bosses to match up everything from solo to full team, but more often than not it decides to use two of NPC1 rather than NPC1 and NPC2.

Is there a way to get the MA to only send one of each boss, or is this something it can't do?

Doing a little 2xp, took a stereo shot of my Defender, the Kinetic Kid (cross-eyed view, since no one could ever do the parallel ones):

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It's been a long time coming (due to less free-time, actually) but... final upgrade for Valkyrior!

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One of the best 4-color outfits I've seen. Excellent job.

Interesting -- I was taught the wrong way to do it. I think of all the kids who went through that program and I marvel that no one got killed.

Yes. Click on the book you want to move and drag it to where you want it.

There's no indication that they've swapped other than opening the mission info to see it has changed.

Thanks guys - the typos in my arc were making me mental.

...without losing the existing ratings?

Or do you lose the current ratings if you republish?

I had this same problem, and ended up deleting the entire arc to start over. I think it must be a bug.

Happy b-day, DB.

(Shia, that tea party panel made me laugh out loud.)

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I think the answer is to have a custom group which only contains the minions, and link the patrol to that custom group.

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That's how I did it, too.

There's a good tutorial on the CoH Wiki: http://wiki.cohtitan.com/wiki/Mission_Architect

Has there been any more testing of this? I want to have a group of reinforcements enter the mission for the final showdown, but I don't want to knock myself out trying if it's already been determined it doesn't work.

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I haven't played in several years and this is my first try with the mission editor, wasn't sure if npc's followed the same rule as pc's.

Just wait, I'll have more questions soon.

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Ah, okay. Whew, I was seriously confused there for a minute. Heh.

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So the weapons are just props for the correct power set?

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Yep.

Why, how did you think they were used?

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I thought they were inherently powered for use by npcs without any powers. Sort of like giving a gun to a flunky in Champions p&p.

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Your forum registration date and this discussion is causing me some cognitive dissonance. Custom critters work the same way selecting powersets in the character creator do, except with greater flexibility. So if you want to make a character who shoots guns, you have to give him a gun-based powerset.

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So the weapons are just props for the correct power set?

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Yep.

Why, how did you think they were used?

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I haven't picked power sets, which one can use various guns like a SMG or Assault Rifle?

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Blasters and Corrupters.

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[I prefer Robert Louis Stevenson and Arthur Conan Doyle myself.]

[Edit: Forgot Jules Verne.]

Excellent examples. All authors that are admired and left unread by the general public. It's great to name names. But they are not books that the modern public reads and enjoys. There are certainly a minority that do enjoy them.

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You do realize that books aren't the only story-telling method now days? Ever heard of movies? Including those made for T.V.?


Sci-Fi channel did a version of 20,000 Leagues under the Sea. A Christam Carol is played every Holiday Season. PBS has a Mystery Series that includes Sherlock Holmes. They run these things because people are still interested in the stories.


The term "Classic" refers to stories that somehow transcend the time and place they were written. They touch on some fundamental aspect of human nature that doesn't change, which makes the main theme of the story pertinent even in modern times.

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So you are agreeing with me.

People don't read Jules Verne. The idea is kept but redone in a different form with new technology, new dialog, and probably even a revamped story.

Thank you for providing a great example of what I have been saying.

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People still read quite a lot of Jules Verne. Different versions of his books often make the same bestseller's lists -- for instance, there are two printings of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in the Top 100 SF list on Amazon's sales chart.

Same with Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Leo Tolstoy, HG Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, etc.

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I would consider story relevant if anyone but the group leader saw it.

Solo, story is acceptable
Grouped...story never wins, keeping the group happy and moving is always more important.

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These are limitations in the way missions work, but there are work-arounds. Using extensive clues is a good one. (Although the team leader has to pause to allow people to read them.) Telling the story partially through dialogue is another. (Set up one of your channels solely for NPC dialogue, so you can read it all as you go.)

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Under the ally tab on page 2 of your mission, you should have an animations tab. In that there are 4 options. Enemy Group Starting Animation, Ally Starting Animation, Ally Rescue Animation, and Ally Stranded Animation.

I do see the same options under both standard and custom ally type. Hope that helps!

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I swear that's exactly where I was looking, and the only option was "Enemy Group Starting Animation". Did I just not scroll down or something stupid like that? I don't know, but I'm looking forward to going home to find out.

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Some things aren't showing up, and in one of my arcs, the Ally and Enemy animations were reversed. It magically fixed itself during the next test, but then the drop-down menus got reversed.

Computers are glitchy. Keep trying.

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Why have there been NO new dev's choices at all? I do not expect hundreds, that would defeat the point of it but why none?

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I think there have been one or two.

But this is diametrically opposed to previous dev statements to the effect that there would be a "lot" of Devs' Choice arcs early on.

And it’s even worse when you factor in something that I said back in beta: That the devs might have arbitrary criteria that disqualify arcs, but which they do not share with us.

Tonight I stumbled into this thread. So I find out that my arc might have lost out because I didn’t say “bring friends” to a mission in which an EB exists... even though, in my opinion, anyone who cannot handle an EB solo is not using proper inspirations and/or common sense. Are we heroes or not? Sheesh.

This situation is very, VERY discouraging to me. I’m a badger, and badges are what keeps me playing this game. But the devs have created yet another “Dev’s Whim” badge (the first being Bug Hunter) that I will never get unless I know the secret formula.

I do not play computer games in order to feel frustrated and/or helpless. If I want to feel that way, I’ll pick up a newspaper.

IMHO, the Dev’s failure to pass out more Dev’s Choice badges is going back on their word. And it makes it very unlikely that I will ever be able to keep up with the new badges. With sooooo many frikkin’ farms out there, my arc needs recognition somehow. And without Dev’s Choice, it ain’t gonna get it.

I hate to say it, but i14 has really shown me the writing on the wall.

There is a lot of good stuff in MA.

But the desire for the badges associated with it is robbing all the joy out of this game.

I can no longer make progress on my badges simply because of my own effort, but because of the whims of others. Which is something over which I have no control.

And nothing makes me feel less heroic than a lack of control.

And feeling heroic is why I started playing this game in the first place.

And before anyone starts accusing me of sour grapes or whatever, PLAY the arc listed in my sig file, and tell me honestly that it sucks.

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I'm not going to say such a thing, but I am puzzled by your attitude. There's no physical way to get all the badges associated with the game, so I don't know why that's even on your list of "destroys every bit of fun I have in this game."

As far as why there haven't been any recent Dev's Choice missions added, there could be any number of reasons.

1) They've been busy -- with the 5th anniversary stuff and all the interviews they've done, as well as working feverishly on I15, they just don't have time.

2) Dev's Choice requires a quorum, maybe, and not enough of them have played the arcs they're interested in yet. (See #1.)

3) Maybe they have an honest disagreement over the missions up for consideration, without a clear majority. They are people, after all, so they're bound to have different tastes.

4) Maybe none of the arcs available are good enough.

5) It takes time for the system to publish a Dev's Choice after it's been approved.

6) There's a bug keeping the Dev's Choice from being seen.

That's just off the top of my head. There are probably another half-dozen possible reasons why there aren't any new additions.

I think the only thing to do is request the Cimerora maps be added. Others want them, so maybe they'll be added in I15. (Which gives you more time to polish your dialogue!)

Very good guide, dug. I can only hope a lot of people see it.

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- Do Not Repeat a Mission
If the purpose of mission 1 is to destroy a mind control device, do not have mission 2 be to destroy another mind control device (same with finding out information, preventing a kidnapping, etc). Repeating the same purpose in another mission feels like filler, even with a cool map. Maybe another hero or the police took out the other devices. Or maybe there was only one (you are writing the arc, you make it fit your needs). The plot needs to develop – that’s how a story works.


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The Dev's Choice arc "Opera of the Abyss" is a good example of this, where the second mission repeats the first mission's basic objective of "destroy an object" but adds to it by ramping up the consequences by making it "dangerous device version 2.0."

Story. Farming is stupid and boring.

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Once upon a time I was so jazzed about I14. Now I have no inspiration to write any more arcs because I don't see the point when like, 10 people total will play them. Maybe.

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You don't create for them, you create for you.

So maybe 10 people will play your arc? So what? Regarding that, here's a quote from Joel Hodgson of MST3K: "We know not everyone will get it. But the right people will get it."

I designed one with lowbies in mind, so it uses 1 small and 2 medium maps, and all the enemies are set to Standard. However, it is intended for "experienced lowbies." The second mission features primarily minions, but I chose a bit of an unusual secondary power, which makes them more difficult en masse.

However, I have successfully run it with a level 9 Peacebringer and a level 5 Illusion/Storm Controller. (I just logged said Controller on tonight after being idle for 1,253 days (!). I decided not to get the Vet powers I usually take, so as to try it with a completely ordinary starting character. It was kind of neat to get all those badges at once.)

I also tried to give a slight spin to a cliched mission type ("Runaway toys!"). I also added info on the various custom characters. Solo friendly, but a bigger group spawns a few more custom characters.


The Toy Box by @Ironik.

Arc ID: 132772
Length: Long (3 missions)
Enemy Groups: Custom Group
Morality: Heroic
Levels: 1-54 (intended for 1-25)

Weaponized toys are terrorizing citizens. Solve the mystery and save the civilians!

[SFMA/LBMA]

So you were apparently subconsciously aware of how the game did it, and altered it that way. That's the ol' artist's eye for ya.

I guess everyone in Paragon shops at Escher's Arrow Supply.