Jupiter_M

[ QUOTE ]
I have recently made a mind psi dom and am liking the set pretty well how ever being to to doms i would love any information you can give on what powers i should take,

[/ QUOTE ]

With Mind control, there are no bad powers. However, the changes to the psi set make a huge difference in the power selections for this set.

Quick list of mind powers that any mind dom should have:

1) Dominate
2) Mass Hypnosis
3) Tk or Total Domination
4) Terrify
5) Mass Confusion

As long as you have those powers, you'll do well.

[ QUOTE ]
The problem is the nerf-herding around PSW has already begun, and the set will change.

[/ QUOTE ]

It is staggering the amount of nerf-herding that goes on the forums. Without even a confirmation that psi is getting looked at, there are people saying, 'I told you so!' and threads popping up with people wanting the make the best of a bad thing.

Overpowered or not, the current PSW is probably the most popular attack in the game. I believe that the reason almost everyone takes psi is to get access to this power.

I guess the question comes to this: "Do you believe that Castle would nerf a very popular power, which has been in the game for almost 4 years without a change; has a high likelyhood of severe backlash, another player exodus, all in the name of trying something different (or rebalancing as its been called)?"

While I'd like to see people having an easier time leveling a */psi dom than I did, that is secondary to the opinion that my investment of nearly 4 years (back to CoV beta) needs to count for more than simply being equal to your 10 hours of playing a */psi dom.

[ QUOTE ]
I see it in builds, here onthe forums, but in game play, I can't see why to take it...that is Mass Hypnosis.

[/ QUOTE ]

Mass Hypnosis is one of the jewels of Mind control. There are so many uses for this power, but the most common is to sleep a group (or incoming patrol). It does a great job of managing aggro. Being non-aggro itself means that you don't have to worry about this power getting you killed.

[ QUOTE ]
Very well said. With me, this raises the question, "What is the incentive that is the most common reason for abuse?"[ QUOTE ]
In which case, I like your idea of the front page being randomly selected arcs.
[ QUOTE ]
I like it too.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks.

Perhaps my biggest complaint about the rating system, and MA in general, is visibility. The fact that the default search behavior favors the more popular arcs has long disturbed me; as we can already refine our search to target these. If people cannot get the arc they have spent hours making played, then people will generally tend to stop making arcs. This constant discussion about ratings griefing eliminates any argument against that.

I view the MA as a way to do something really cool with the game that you like, which you have been playing for some time; with someone else (or more) who obviously enjoys the same game. Being able to have a shot at getting your arc on the precious page one really enhances that chance (seriously, who decides to start on page 20+ all the time?). With the obvious effect of groupthink (feel free to argue) in play on these ratings, it is unfair to keep something on the front page which can easily be seen by what would instantly become one of the most common search methods used; the star rating method (the current indicator of quality, the most desirable feature currently being used by anyone who is searching for an arc).

The unfortunate flip side to this issue is that the very popular arcs have the very wonderful advantage of being able to show that this'll be something which you can finish; thanks to the number of people who have played it. A person who plays the MA needs to have an easy way to find a mission they know that they'll be able to complete. This might be the absolute biggest failing of the MA. Random visibility comes with the necessity of being able to create a page of arcs which the person knows that they'll be able to do. Being able to have a button which a person can push saying that they don't want to see anything which contains AVs can go a long ways towards that. Custom mobs should be another. Another preference would be one that adjusts with how the difficulty of the mob is set. Give people a choice to make it PG, and we're set. People can now easily use what is now the most popular feature of the game, and they can get what they want.

[ QUOTE ]
The ratings system is fundamentally and irreparably flawed. The problem is not the abusers. The problem is the built-in incentives for abuse. Any solution that doesn't involve removing those incentives is not a solution, as the abusers will always find a way around whatever obstacle you implement

[/ QUOTE ]

Very well said. With me, this raises the question, "What is the incentive that is the most common reason for abuse?"

If it's the prestige of being listed on the first page, I think the fair solution is to make current default behavior create a first page at random amongst all the arcs. This way, there is absolutely no point to zero-star something as it won't make your arc list that much higher.

If it's for the badges, then change the badge requirements. However, I don't see how this would be causing so much of the proclaimed griefing.

If it's cause their a jerk, then there is nothing that can be done. Except, ban them after they bomb too many arcs and remove all the ratings they have given.

For me, the whole idea of bombing people's arcs is ludicrious. Not that it isn't done. But, that I cannot see where the enjoyment comes from. Then again, some people enjoy urinating in other's cheerios.

Just jumping on the cool kid bandwagon with an IBTL.

I loved the 'What If' series. Marvel put out some great titles in the 80's. Whatever happened?

[ QUOTE ]
Closer to the thruth than you might think. A friend that writes comics professionally once pointed out that Superhero is a joint trademark of Marvel and DC

[/ QUOTE ]

Superhero is not a basic word/term in the English language. Copyright laws in the U.S. are so wonky though. At first, you couldn't even copyright a celebrity likeness. But now, you can copyright anything so long as you can prove that your version is unique. I'll even call the copyright laws anti-trust, as it gives the copyright holder a wide leverage to sue. Thus stifling the competitive creative process which is supposed to be at the heart of a free market.

I think that any proposed change to the rating system comes with this understanding: No matter what is done, people will find a way to grief, exploit, and try to do things which are dishonest to the spirit of any quality indicator system. Some people are just jerks; and the badges, and tickets, only act as an enticement for this behavior. I wouldn't blame the devs for somebody's mother failing to raise them properly.

What I read as the major concern of this discussion is: 'How do I ensure that my arc is only being played by people who will actually give it a fair shot?" The best way I can think of is to hide the arcs from those who won't. A preference system wouldn't be out-of-line (and would be an excellent tool for finding what you want). Give players a checkbox to say what kind of mission they are looking for (i.e. no custom mobs, no AVs, or anything with a 'racy' theme), while giving creators the ability to designate their arcs with those same terms (or use the same information that is given in the basic arc description). This isn't a cure-all, but probably more of a stalling tactic to allow more 'honest' people to play before a 'griefer' happens upon it.

A major benefit I see with this is that it would allow people to avoid content that they do not wish to play (the lesbian hellion issue comes to mind with this), while also focusing on those that they want. This would also give the devs a tool, as they can now ask a person the question, "If you hate arcs with AVs in it so much, why do you keep on playing them?"

This is just an idea. But, I feel that the popularity of the MA lies with people being able to easily find the kinds of arcs they want.

[ QUOTE ]
Im wondering how people feel about the fairness of the rating system for the arcs?


[/ QUOTE ]

Steven King and J.K. Rowling could get together to create the most mind-blowing story ever seen in the MA, and get zero-starred as somebody did not like the power selections for the custom mobs.

The purpose of the rating system is to answer the question, "Is this arc good?". In this task of being able to produce a fair assessment of quality, the rating system fails horribly. All that it produces is the homoginized opinion of an a diverse group of people. Something I consider to have little value in this context. I view the rating system as a joke for this reason: The weight of the person who takes their time to perform a serious critique of the arc is given the same weight as the person who pops in for 10 seconds. Everybody has different tastes, and authors can get penalized if their arc is played by someone whose tastes run contrary.

[ QUOTE ]
This is not some exploit farm mission; it's a story that some players didn't like. As far as I can tell, there's nothing in it that violates the ToS. There is no explicit sex. Some thought it was "gay-bashing", when in fact it is making fun of anti-gay propaganda, and the whole "recruiting" business. Some people with this complaint might not have played far enough into it to see that. Some may not have grasped from the title that you'd be fighting Lesbian Hellions in the arc.

Other complaints were obviously meritless, like the one who claimed that "children" should be shielded from the mention of lesbians and gays. If this is the case, not only my story but a large number of super groups on my home server (Victory) are in danger.

[/ QUOTE ]

Humor is always very hard to pull off well. Doing it with such a 'hot-button' type of topic is even harder. Most everybody has some topic in which they cannot find any humor in it at all. You happened to pick one in which it appears there are many people in that category who play this game. Personally, I think you should give yourself a pat on the back for adding more to the discussion about the types of stories which are acceptable in the MA.

To account for the difference between what can be said on the forums and in the MA, I'd chalk that more up to community reps (looking at you Mod8) being more open to controversy than those who monitor the MA.

[ QUOTE ]
Do they really think that slowing down our play by taking away farming makes us want to stay?

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know.

I guess we should ask the devs after they:

Nerfed Wolves
Nerfed Ninjas
Nerfed Wolves again
Nerfed AEs by setting a smaller target limit
Nerfed Original Nemesis Map
Nerfed Snake Eggs
And probably nerfed a few more missions that had become popular farms which I cannot remember.

Even after these nerfs, people stayed. I think the answer is: yes.

[ QUOTE ]
"Because good storytelling is timeless."

that's just not true.

read any 19th century classic - they are terrible to read now.
storytelling is a skill and style which develops over time.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think this is kinda hard to equate. I guess the follow up question to ask is, 'What would 19th century people think of the style of storytelling that is prevelant now?' Classics aside (Honore De Balzac for honorable mention), I think the current style of storytelling is more relevant to what we are experiencing now. Talking about nuclear war is probably going to turn more heads than talking about a kid trying to get back his goat.

To the OP. I think people will get better with the tools as time moves on. However- things like good stories will probably remain in about the same amount of supply as is currently present.

[ QUOTE ]
I would go ahead and make the stories - including any custom critters - and publish the first of them. Then, after a period of time (say, a month) I would edit the published arc and change it completely so that everything but the title (something like MArc TV) would be different from month to month. The description would make it clear that it would change, and the star ratings would be more like a ratings system.

[/ QUOTE ]

I like this.

Being a progressing story, I would put in some mention of how long this episode is up and put in a mention of when the next episode is.

Thanks for posting this.

[ QUOTE ]
Enhanced searching and navigation options like key phrase tagging and arc difficulty display help players find the content they're looking for even faster.

[/ QUOTE ]

My first reaction upon seeing the MA was that better browser tools would be needed. Right now, the only 'safe bet' for getting a decent MA arc is to either play something that has been played a lot already, play Dev Choice, or play something by an author whom the person already knows. Hopefully the tags will lessen this behavior.

[ QUOTE ]
Tell a good story - but just tell it straight. Don't try to surprise the player - you are likely just going to annoy or confuse them.

[/ QUOTE ]

I disagree. A good story can surprise the player.

This is an interesting program. I'll download it to see how the server is handling these trimmed files. It might be that the trimmed portions are being added back in after the file has been uploaded.

Given how easy it is to use l33t talk and other tactics to circumvent the filter, I still fail to see why it's not set to only filter out the traditional profane words.

This is a great idea.

What I think would be an interesting add-on (assuming that this isn't what you were talking about) is to allow for the SG/VG mission computer to have missions (in addition to regular MA content) which are only accessible through that SG/VG. Something like that would be a selling point for potential membership.

[ QUOTE ]
There are two new features I would love to see added to the MA system.

Favorites Tab

To Do List / Que List


[/ QUOTE ]

I would be surprised if these features weren't added eventually. Very simply to implement, and would add some desirable functionality.

Interesting idea. But, you're forgetting about overhead. That alone kills the idea of doing it the way you suggested.

I am wondering if the proliferation of farming arcs combined with the desire to make sure that people will still want to run the normal content has made this drop rate intentional.

[ QUOTE ]
Umm maybe my point was kinda missed, i probly was a little ranting..

. People that wanna make custom mobs/bosses, or even people that just want one boss for one mission should be going easier not harder.. 90% of the stuff out there is in test mode. Do you want all your testers to be frusterated and give up after one mission cause you cant even do it on heroic?

Sorry cant comment on your story or anything else cause i cant make it past the front door. Im finding this constantly on custom mA arcs.

Its sorta like dont stick kill alls on large maps, or heck large maps in general can be torcher to find that last hidden npc, or some glowy tucked into a corner that noone ever goes. Make it easier for people complete, espeically on heroic. Get solid feed back, not the standard, well i couldnt get past the first boss, or i died 5 times on the first mob before i gave up.


[/ QUOTE ]

I understand your point. Here is mine - the tool is only 2 weeks old. Give them more time to figure out how to create something that isn't insta-death. What is obvious to you may not be so for others. It is unfair to expect people to see things the same way you do; even if it is labeled common sense.

I'm waiting for the word damage to get banned since Marvel did a limited series back in the '80s called 'Damage Inc.'
[ QUOTE ]

I think the biggest issue may very well be the fact that the Ultimate universe is the worse thing to happen to comic books since Frank Miller,

[/ QUOTE ]

Never read any Ultimate universe. But, Dark Knight returns and Sin City put Frank Miller in at least the same Sentence as John Byrne.

[ QUOTE ]
Is farming OK to do or not?

[/ QUOTE ]

You need to be more specific of your definition of farming to get the answer you're looking for.

The MA currently allows for some exploits which farmers are taking advantage of. I suspect that there is going to be a clamp-down on farming missions soon.

Personally, I think that the salvage and recipe drops of the old nemesis mission(s) make that more profitable than anything that can be made in the MA.

I understand your frustration. I've run into arcs in which AVs which could solo Statesman without breaking a sweat are dropped like candy. My response has become informing the person that I am unable to solo the arc, and not give a rating.

But it is not reasonable to expect that, after being live for almost 2 weeks, players will be creating the same quality of missions as the mission writing team (people with years of experience doing this) has.

I am finding that creating a good, challenging, custom group is a *huge* balancing act.