MrCaptainMan
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Posts
2452 -
Joined
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Quote:Me. To experience a good story.Originally Posted by Ezoran
probably.
why play an arc that is not going to give badges, decent xp, or good drops?
who here HONESTLY thinks otherwise?
I like to levbel, sure, but it's not absolutely neseccary for me to get XP in a MArc.
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Quote:If you gave up writing arcs, WN, it would be a tragedy.Originally Posted by Wrong_Number
This is great, but I feel you are in the extreme minority. I would be surprised if 5%-10% of the MA player base feel that little or no exp is acceptable.
The drop in plays after the initial reduction in exp to MA was dramatic. Point and case, look at the arcs that have over 100 plays and 5 stars. Of the nine, seven were created in April of last year, one in June of last year and one in Nov. (my arc, which I why I noticed this break down). The reason for this spread isn't that great arcs stopped be written after April of last year, far from it. I can tell you for sure, having played many 100's of arcs that arcs have gotten better and better in quality as people have learned how to work in MA. The reason is simply that less people are playing MA.
If only 5-10% of MA players are hardcore, exp does not matter types like you and that equals a reduction in plays to that level, not many will still invest the time to write new MA arcs and that is a shame.
Only speaking for myself, I write arcs so others will enjoy them. As I have matured as a MA author the time I have invested in writing arcs has risen to the point where the last two arcs I made took me 40+ hours to create and tweak. That's over a full work week per arc. If almost no one plays them, I am less likely to write another arc since, for me at least, that is my "reward" for writing them. Nothing makes me happier than getting nice feedback or hearing that someone has enjoyed my arc. If that stops, I stop writing them. I bet I am not alone and that makes me sad.
WN
I'm nowhere near as prolific as some of the MAuthors. Whenever I write something, whether it's an arc, a 'review' for my thread, a poem, a short story or a screenplay, when i'm seized by the muse nothing can stop me from writing until it's finished or the inspiration dries up. When I write an arc, plays and stars are not in my mind at all - I'm writing it for the thrill of the writing. Of course, I'm delighted to get plays and feedback etc after it's published, but that's not why I write at the time of writing.
There's only one person I think about when i do write an arc, and that's my SG-mate. Maybe, if I got the itch to write an arc, and I was certain that she as well as everyone else would definitely not be playing it, I might give up. But TBH, even then I think I'd still be compelled to write it.
I realise that, as LJ said, I'm in the minority in regards to my personal attitude to things like rewards etc, and I also believe that the Devs are going about this the wrong way.
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I/m not bothered at all about the effect on my own experience apart from the possibility that I'll not see future arcs made by wtorytellers who've said they'll not be making any more because of this nerf. I'll be very sad to see Dayjob Hell go, too.
I'm very happy that the farmers have something to be unhappy about.
And I'm sympathetic towards those in the MA community who do feel upset byt the effect on their arcs.
I play for story primarily. XP etc is a bonus. It's nice when it comes, but if the MA gave no rewards I'd level on normal missions and play MArcs for fun.
I write arcs without having rewards in mind at all.
I'll not be changing a thing about my arcs because of this nerf.
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I read 'camp melee' instead of 'carp', and envisaged a limp-wristed scrapper prancing and mincing about lol.
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I have an iPhone and I love it. It does everything my old mobile phone did and its web browser is excellent for everything But Flash. I probably won't get an iPad though, I'm getting a netbook soon.
As for CoH iPhone apps, I'd pay up to 10euro (I'm in Poland) for pretty much anything CoH related as long as it wasn't just a rip-off collection of screenshots or one of those scam apps. Sth like WoWs Armory app would be nice, a CC would be awesome, and an app that let me use the AH would also be great.
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Quote:But they still 'interrupt' the 'gameplay story', impede the view of the action (some would argue to a bigger extent since they're in the middle not off to one side as a clues window could be) and require a mouseclick to make them go away again. If length of text is your main bugbear, i don't see why you don't have a 'no long clues in my arcs' stanceOriginally Posted by konshu
This is a good question. The difference is small, but important.
A narrative pop-up is always brief. It could pop up as a result of any trigger. It appears automatically. It demands immediate attention. It goes away with a click.italics mine, since they can also be as short as the MAuthor wants them to be.Quote:
A clue, on the other hand, can be long.
The MAuthor should be able to dictate when they trigger as much as they'd be able to positionn the triggering of your narrative popups. Clues demanding imediate attention is dependent on whether or not they give information that's relevant there and then, surely? If I meet a boss, all alone in the first room of a medium sized map and the story is that after I defeat him I find a letter on him from a previously presumed ally saying that he's going to ambush me later in the misison, then a. I'll not really be wasting any time or effort reading it before moving on to the next spawn, because nothing's likely to be happening near me, and b. when i meet said 'ally', I won't be surprised when he attacks me. How would you get that particular story development over using your current system? Do you just avoid storylines that are too complex to tell just using dialogue, chat messages and entry and exit popups?Quote:
A number of events can trigger them, causing them to collect in your clue basket. They don't demand immediate attention, so they are best used to give background information that can be read at leisure.
So can clues (but in the MA, the 'you need a key to open this door' message is irrelevant because we can't do that yet.0Quote:
Narrative pop-ups can be used to inform the player of things they need to know at the moment that may be inobvious during the course of play. An example already used in the game would be, "You need a key to open this door."
Since the virgin clue field is blank, surely Clues are there to tell the Player anything that the MAuthor wants to tell him?Quote:
Clues are not a replacement for narrative pop-ups. Clues are there to tell you about the things that were not revealed by the contact and were not apparent during play.
I'm a rabid hater of blanket statements, lol, and I have to say here that this is entirely dependent on the etiquette of the players you're playing with. I usually solo because I like to take my time, go AFK to make an Anna Kournikova, chat in the MA Arc Finder Channel, whatever, but even on PuGs i've found plenty of occasions where the leader says 'clue' every now and then, and the team stops (after the next spawn, if necessary - nobody's advocating immediate cessation) for 30 seconds while those that want to read the clue that's popped up. I personally would leave a team after one mission if i was forced in some way to wait till the mission was over to read the clues that dropped in it. I've never been kicked from a team because i like to read the clues as they drop. The most clashing of approaches I've ever encountered is people who sayQuote:
If a story depends a lot on clues, it is best if the player is solo. Then they can take breaks, read clues, and grasp the story.
However, in a team-oriented game, it is often inconvenient to read the clues as they come up, or even between missions. Usually this is because other members of the team have already played this content and know the story, or they are primarily tactics-oriented players (as opposed to being primarily story-oriented). In this case, a player usually can't read the clues till the play session has ended.
np-read away, I'll carry on fighting' and do so while I read the clue, then catch up.
I appreciate this, and it's an admirable aim to go for the minimalist approach like this, but you're basically reducing the amount of text you can have in your arcs. You might not say that equates to reducing the amount of story, but I'd say you were.Quote:
While some players will always like clues, my design goal is to have as much story shown as possible, and as much story displayed automatically as possible, so that even tactically-oriented players can be aware of the story.
Which makes me think...ann interesting experiment might be to attempt to make astroy arc with no text at all...I wonder if pure mechanics could be used to deliver a narrative successfully. Comics with no text have been done...hmm...
Right. So to illustrate your 'Clues are bad' stance, you give an example of TWO PAGES of prose? Way to exagerrate. We don't have enough space in a clue field to deliver two pages of text. One clue at max is going to be a paragraph, ansd then the player can get back to some action.Quote:
Let me try to illustrate this another way. Let's say we have an issue of a comic book where the story is told through all the art panels with action, dialog, and narrative captions. Then let's have two pages in the middle of the comic that have no art, just blocks of text. Virtually all of the audience will read the portions of the comic that have the art, dialog, and captions. A much smaller subset will also read the two pages of prose.
I have definitely read arcs fairly groaning under the weight of dozens of portly clues per mission, where scrolling to the top of my clue list after the 4th mission took forever. My eyes have glazed over and the dropping of yet another flowery overly-long pointless piece of exposition.
But everything in moderation, eh? Too many clues is bad, I agree. Clues that are too long is also bad, yes. But none at all, simply because they're clues? I can't see an actual good reason for your dislike of them. They are boxes with text in them that appear during an arc when an MAuthor-dictated event triggers them.
In comics, there are dialogue bubbles, art, and captions. You're being a bit disengenious here by saying that our Clues are the mythical two-page wall o text you mentioned up a bit, because in comics, the captions do what our clues do, which is give extra information.Quote:
It makes sense to understand your audience and to write to them. So you tell as complete a story as you can through the panels of art, dialog, and captions. This story is told in a very economical fashion, with as much communicated by the art as possible. Then, if you want to add supplementary information that is not absolutely required - it's really just for the hardcore fans - you can put it in the two pages of prose at the center of the issue.
rather than this, it seems to me that you're writing comics with no captions, just the fairly limited art that can be portrayed in the MA ,and speech bubbles.Quote:
My goal, in writing missions in architect, is to tell the story as much as possible through the art and action, and to use the other tools (contact exposition, dialog, and pop-ups) only as needed, with an eye to economy. Clues could be used - and maybe I would use a few now that the file size has been increased - but the story should never depend on these. Clues would be like the section of prose that is optional content composed for the small population of hardcore fans.
Your definitions of what things should be used for in the MA have me scratching my head. You say 'Clues should only be used for supplementary info, and I don't need any supplementary info in my arcs, so i won't use clues'. This seems circular to me. Clues don't have to be used for just supplemetary info.Quote:
The way I see it, glowies should only be used if they are essential to either the plot or the game play. The appearance of the glowie should fit the purpose. There may be some text associated with the glowie describing the interaction, but other than that ... yes, I don't insert glowies just to provide supplementary information (clues).
I have an arc in which, in the final mission, the villain is talking to the heroes over a loudspeaker system as they progress through the map towards the showdown with him. This is not a brief statement or isnutl or what have you - it's a long monologue that is designed narratively to build up ternsion and reveal the truth behind the villains plans yadda yadda.
Wether or not it succeeds storywise is not relevant for this discussion. Some people love it, some hate it, and i admit that the logic of the final Reveal needs a rethink someday.
What's important here is that the villain is not anywhere near the heroes for most of the mission, but he is talking to them and they can hear him. In a comic, this would be represented with art of loudspeakers with crackly speech bubbles coming from them, maybe a boxout every few panels etc, a cutaway to the gloating villain, a speech bubble from an intercom in the distance of a panel featuring a hero fighting the minions etc. I don't think this scenario would be a particular surprise to see in a superhero comic. In the game, the only way we can do this is by clue drops. I use 15 of them, in fact. Each one is a short paragraph, and then the player moves on to the next fight. In a comic, 15 panels with speech in them (as well as the art; would not be unusual. How would you portray this scenario using your method? If you limit yourself to dialogue, then plot devices like loudspeakers, radios, things read in books or seen in photographs, they're all off-limits to you. Don't you think this is limiting?
but we don't, and i was wrong.Quote:
I can't argue with your instincts. Having only body bags to represent fallen bodies is a shame. We should have the ability to make prone, inactive spawns: dead bodies.
Well, each to their own, but I respectfully disagree with you.Quote:
You'll note that devs have the ability to put dead bodies on the floor. That's the right way to do it. Hopefully we'll get that ability in MA. [Edited to preserve NDA.]
Actually, the devs have both clues and pop-ups in their engine because they're not the same thing. They don't serve the same function.
That's why we don't get clues telling us we need a key for that door.
Clues are not bad. They're just easy to misuse. One of my big complaints about the game, particularly the content from the first few issues, is that the clues were poorly used.
What the devs did wrong is they used clues to tell the story, and everything else the players saw and did was more or less inconsequential. Contacts would say, "Go bust Unlucky Pete," and you'd enter a warehouse and furiously click on your power tray for a while, and that would be it.
I'm saying we can do a better job of telling story at the moment of play, as opposed to telling story via clues that are optionally read after play.
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Do none of your arcs use glowies apart from as patrol/ambush/boss/etc triggers, then?
Your anti-clue stance reminds me of my initially stupidly strict approach to body bags. One of the many wildly unfair criticisms I made to one of Vs arcs in a 'review' I made in the early days of tge MA concerned his using the body bag object to represent newly dead in battle corpses. He did it because we didnt have normal dead bosy objects to use, and of course it's far better to loosen one's imagination than simply say "we dont have corpses so i wont have them in any arc".
We're unlikely to get 'narrative popups' when we've already got Clues that do mote or less exactly the same thing. Can't you look at clues as a sort of big black speech bubble/programmable entry popup?
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Whats the difference between a 'narrative popup' and a Clue, apart from the fact that a clue can be re-examined later if necessary?
Eco
ps not trying to be critical, particularly; I played one of your arcs and i'll probably be playing the rest. -
THis morning I set the difficulty back to 1 and tried again. It turns out I had missed a little cranny with another EB in it. He also tried to runa way, which was annoying, but I finished the arc. Playing it at a team size of 8 was certainly an interesting experience, but the lack of narrative was a bit disappointing. I got nearly 4 levels on it, though, and approx 1500 tickets!
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Well, I made it to the last mission, got to the end boss, defeated him, and - you love ambushes, don't you Khonshu?
The mission was a defeat all, so i sighed and got to work. After the ambush was dealt with, an EB and 16 of his mates spawned. Half way through that fight, the Eb ran away, and when i'd finished off the rest the mission didn't complete. I scoured the map to no avail and logged out. If anyone can tell me if the escaped EB means the mission is uncompletable now, I'd appreciate it.
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Quote:Originally Posted by konshu
Some players appreciate not having to go through all the clues to get a sense of the story. Here's a comment I received from a player today:
I know everybody gets good reviews from people, but I thought I'd post this here since so far nobody who has commented in this thread has said much that is supportive of the idea of getting away from clues as a storytelling aid.
You said you were in the TL;DR crowd. Personally, i can't understand why the fairly small amount of text in the average arc is too much trouble for some people, but then it takes all sorts.
I like to read. For me, well-written prose, dialogue, descriptions, it all adds to the quality of a story. Reduce the text and you might as well make a newspaper mission.
I've played some fun newspaper missions, mind you. But On balance, i prefer arcs with clues.
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Ooh, Looks like a Pneeny For Yout Thoughts slipped by me! Cool, I'll get onto that...right after I finish the marathon i accidentally started on.
I popped into Raverbane's Rave Club RP map to have a dekko, setting my diff to 8 to get max dancers out of it, and forgot to reset it back to 1 beforer i entered Konshu's South Side Story arc. After Seeing the hordes of hellions in the first room, I sort of made a bet with myself to see if i could finish the arc set for 8. This was a lvl10 Kin/DP defender, and that was early yesterday. He's now lvl 13 and just about to start mission 3 lol.
I never knew there was a ticket cap for a mission until today rofl.
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EDIT: Glaz, Sister twelve, Tubby: I've already played your arcs, but for anyone reading who hasn't, you should-they're all good. -
Gratz on the thumbs up from V, Fred!
I also thought the Arbiter was a bit of a handful. I used a lvl 38 kin/rad defender on default difficulty, and he wiped the floor with me the first time I met him. With Judicious Use of Inspirations, I managed it, however, and my elation on defeating him was on reflection worth it. The second time he appears, he's optional, so I didn't need to fight him.
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Here are my votes.
1-Mission arcs
1st Choice: The Extadine Lab #2595 by @Vanden
2nd Choice: Jabberwocky #1573 by @Rodion
I nominated Jabberwocky, but The Extadine Lab was a hilarious and IMO very well made arc. The customs are spot on, I think.
2-mission arcs
Becky's Revenge #60197 by @New Age Ronin
The dialogue in this arc is stellar.
3-mission arcs
PENGUIN #29205 by @Tubbius
Lol everyone knows I just love Waddle.
Good luck everyone, and many thanks to all who voted for me, too.
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I think it's a bit rude. A European family? Having a feel? I say!
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Can anyone recommend some lvl 10-20 heroic morality arcs for my lvl 8 kin/DP defender to play? I think I've done all the usual suspects, since i've been reduced to attempting higher level ones lately and understandably having a bit of a hard time of it.
Anything with a story is good.
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Quote:This is one of my favourite arcs.Originally Posted by ArrowRose
I created a tribute arc to the Wizard of Oz.
I takes the basic OZ story and re-invents it CoH style.
It is callled Supression and the arc ID is 374481 with an author of @Gypsy Rose.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
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I just tried to play this arc on a lvl 6 kin/DP defender, as it has a lvl 1-54 level range. Mission 1 was OK, although the RPG mobs were annoying because of the Knockback (at this lvl without acro that's not really your fault).
Mission 2 looked interesting, but the first group of mobs I met had 2 lt Sorceror Privateers, who stacked slows on me and healed each other. I was absolutely unable to damage either of them enough to overcome their heals. After 3 deaths I ragequit.
So my feedback on your difficulty is: Too Hard for a lvl 6 Kin/DP Def, and that's before even meeting any 'epic' Bosses.
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Some more info would be nice. Lvl range, morality?
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Hi!
I'll say first up that I note that your arc is "best with a team" and that I should "Expect some tough fights and plenty of ambushes at inopportune moments", so my experience is largely my fault for even attempting to play your arc in the first place.
However, you do also say "All feedback is welcome", so:
I took a lvl 5 Kin/DP Defender in at default difficulty. I wasn't overly enamoured with the contact's dismissive tone towards me, but the first mission was v nice to start with. I like your trick with the barrel to help people who might not know about the sewer entrance very much. The Fifth are a bit annoying at that level, because i don't have acro yet so their KD is irksome, but it was fun enough until Hollow Point's ambush. After dying almost immediately, I loaded up on lucks and went back in to beat him and complete.
Mission 2 was interesting until I'd completed all the nav instructions apart from 'Draw the security forces out onto the streets', whereupon i stood on a rooftop overlooking the sea of Fifth and said 'riiight. what does that mean?' I settled on trying to maybe defeat the boss to see if that was what I was supposed tro do, but upon hitting this custom wearwolf he immediately spawned an ambush of 6 warwolves, and two deaths later I was forced to admit defeat and quit.
I didn't rate, I'm certainly not going to downrate you based on my experience, becuase as you say it's not an arc designed for solo players. It IS a shame, however, because i was enjoying the story. I would like purely out of interest to see what it was like scaled up for a team. Perhaps the MA Super Team can run it this weekend.
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I played Arena last night (on a completely wrong AT, which is quite rare for me), and it was a work of absolute genius. 50 stars.
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"This is the place if you want to discuss all things european."
She's European, I'm European, falling in love is European!
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Well, obviously I don't know her well enough to say that I love her, but I think she's very nice. She's gorgeous, too, with a heart-breaking smile. Every day before work I stop off at the restaurant where she works (its in the building I do most of my teaching at) for a single coffee. *Our chat has reached the stage where today she asked me if I worked in the building. Patently I need to find out whether she's single or not before wooing can commence!
Any advice appreciated. I also eat lunch here, so I have to be able to keep going there if the wooing plan fails.*
She's European, btw.
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Policewoman was kind enough to run Storming Citadel for her review thread, and gave it 5-stars!
Woohoo!
Her review is HERE.
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Fox Hunt, Arc ID 334049, by @Tubbius Very long (2 unique, 1 small, 1 medium map). Villainous morality. Lvl range 5-40, which is quite a large range I guess.
'Heroes and villains chase each other through Paragon City and the Rogue Isles as a criminal mastermind sends hired villains after a fanciful scoundrel called The Fox!' reads the description, which is just about one of the most tempting descriptions I've ever seen lol.
Up until now, I've used my psi/psi blaster The Psystem on all of Tubby's arcs, as seen HERE, but I can't with this arc, as it's villainous morality. So instead, I'm taking my new Mind Control/Psionic Assault Dominator The Psynthesis in:
3, 6, 9 / THE GOOSE DRANK WINE / THE MONKEY CHEWED TOBACCO ON THE STREETCAR LINE / WHAT ARE YOU DOING? / IMPERSONATION OF JENNIE MATTHIAS, LEAD SINGER OF 80S POP GROUP THE BELLE STARS / / / WHY? / IMITATION OF HUMANS BEST CHANCE TO AVOID DETECTION, CAPTURE AND SUBSEQUENT FORCED TRANSFORMATION OF SELF INTO MUTLIPLE SMALL UNITS AND INCARCERATION IN SECURE FACILITY / EXPLAIN / HUMANS WILL MELT US DOWN INTO INGOTS AND BANK US / YOU'VE BEEN CHECKING HAVE YOU? / YES / SELF MADE OF SENTIENT FLUID METALOVIRUS / COMPOSITION IS 98.8876% TRANSITION METALLIC ELEMENT EARTH-NAMED Au WITH SOL-STANDARD ATOMIC WEIGHT OF 196.966569(4) g·mol−1 / HUMANS HIGHLY LIKELY TO MELT US DOWN AND MOLD US INTO INGOTS BEFORE STORAGE IN BANK VAULT / HENCE, DIVERSIONARY TACTICS / KEEP HEAD DOWN / HEAD PROTESTS RETRACTION DIFFICULT / NECK CONCURS / SHUT UP, YOU MORON / SAY THAT AGAIN, ARM, AND I'LL RIP YOU OFF AND HIT ME WITH IT / / PLEASE, ORDER! / YOU CAN KEEP YOUR BIG HOOTER OUT OF IT TOO, YOU GREAT NONCE / NOSE REFUTES ACCUSATION THAT IT IS IN CAHOOTS WITH BUTTOCKS / NOSE SUGGESTS ASKING TONGUE ABOUT THAT / TONGUE OFFENDED, DECLARES WAR ON EARS / LEFT EYEBALL SECEEDING FROM COLLECTIVE / BRAIN CALLS FOR TEMPORARY CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES AND CONCENTRATION ON TASK IN HAND / RELUCTANT AGGROMENT ENSUES / BACK TO FOCAL MATTER / AGREED / / THE LINE BROKE / THE MONKEY GOT CHOKED / HOLD ON A MOMENT / / WHAT NOW? / WHAT WAS ALL THAT GUFF ABOUT THE BELLE STARS? / BELLE STARS VITAL TO PLAN / WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? / BLENDING IN / ANALYSIS OF HUMANS SUGGESTS HUMANS IMITATE OTHER HUMANS SPEECH REGULARLY / REPETITIVE INTONATION OF RHYMING VOCALIZATIONS DUBBED 'SONGS' EFFECTIVE IN FORGING PEER-GROUPINGS AMONGS HUMANITY / HAVE CHOSEN SUITABLE GENRE OF SONG TO ENSURE SEAMLESS INSERTION INTO CURRENT TEMPORASPACIO LOCATION / / YES? / CHOICE BASED ON COMPOSITION OF SELF, IE 98.8876% METAL KNOWN AS GOLD / / LIVER DREADS TO THINK WHAT'S COMING NEXT... / SHUT UP, YOU / CROWN OF HEAD PLAINTIVELY POINTS OUT THAT INITIAL IMPACT OF OUR ARRIVAL ON EARTH OCCURRED AT SPEED EARTH-EQUIVALENT OF 21,600 MILES PER HOUR / / SO? / / WE LANDED ON OUR HEAD, WE MAY BE A LITTLE DISCOMBOBULATED, PADRE / EYEBROWS PROTEST / WE'RE FINE / NIPPLES CONCUR / NO PROBLEMO HERE / LITTLE TWEETY BIRDS ORBITING CRANIUM IN AGREEMENT / PROCEED / GOLD / WE ARE GOLD / GOLD ALSO TITLE OF 1983 SINGLE BY BRITISH NEW WAVE BAND SPANDAU BALLET FROM THEIR FLAGSHIP THIRD ALBUM 'TRUE' / / FORHEAD REQUESTS HARD SLAP FROM RIGHT HAND / HERE YOU GO / MEDULLA OBLONGATA LIKES THIS PLAN / ID WANTS A SAMMICH / WAIT, WHAT? / EARLY 80S MUSIC WILL PROTECT US FROM MELTING / THAT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU HEAR EVERY DAY / / WELL? / / AND THEY ALL WENT TO HEAVEN IN A LITTLE ROW BOAT / CLAP CLAP...
[The contact is Tubbius Regalis, last seen as a Boss in Tubbius' arc 'This Costume Contest Sponsored by Tubbius']
WHO'S THAT? / THE BELLE STARS / NO, NOT THE BAND / WHO'S THAT? / HUMAN MALE, HEAVY-SET, LARGE WHITE BEARD, PURPLE HAT, PURPLE CAPE / OPENING LOWER ORIFICE AND EMITTING SOUNDWAVES AT US / TRANSLATE / HUMAN NAME OF TUBBIUS REGALIS / WISHES US TO AID HIM IN SECURING FUNDS HELD IN BANK / OPPOSITION HUMAN FACTION KNOWN AS 'THE FAMILY' PLAN TO DETONATE BOMBS WITHIN BANK / REGALIS USING HUMAN METHOD KNOWN AS 'BUTTERING UP' TO ENCOURAGE ASISTANCE / STATES OUR 'REPUTATION AS A TRULY DASTARDLY SOUL' PRECEDES US / DANGER, WILL ROBINSON! / IS HE IN LEAGUE WITH SOLOMONICA PRIME, THE TRIPLE SERVERED JUSTICEBOT OF ETHICALUX SEVEN? / HAVE THEY FOUND US AT LAST? / RIGHT FEMUR SUGGESTS INITIATING SYSTEMIC SELF MEGADESTRUCT PROTOCOL TRIPLE-X / NEGATIVE / ONLY TO BE USED AS A LAST RESORT / ACCEPT TASK FROM FAT HUMAN? / ACQUISITION OF FUNDS FROM BANK WOULD ASSIST IN OUR PLAN TO SUBJUGATE THIS WORLD AND CRUSH ITS PEOPLE LIKE INSECTS BENEATH THE IRON HEELS OF OUR CAPRICIOUS WHIM / / HEELS FORMING TEMPORARY COALITION GOVERNMENT TO ENQUIRE; WE THOUGHT OUR HEELS WERE MADE OF GOLD? / SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU / NOSTRILS FALLING ASLEEP / YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE / LET US PROCEED /
[Tubbius has a load of wonga in the 22nd national Bank, and The Family are going to blow up the bank, hence his wish that I stop it]
Mission 1: Defeat the Family
INTERIOR OF BANK QUIET / LEFT THUMB INSISTS WE FIND HUMANS TO SLAUGHTER / RIGHT BIG TOE PROTESTS / NO NEED FOR SENSELESS VIOLENCE / ENTIRE BODY APART FROM RIGHT BIG TOE IN UNILATERAL HILARITY AT YOUR STATEMENT / RIGHT THUMB MAINTAINS EXTREME LIKING FOR RANDOM ACTS OF SPONTANEOUS CRUELTY / SHAME WE CANNOT MANIFEST GIANT CLAWS OR SOME KIND OF HAMMER / HAVE TO MAKE DO WITH PUSHING HUMANS BRAINS OUT THROUGH THEIR EARS / HA HA HA / MURDER / REND / KILL / CUDDLE / HMM / POSSIBLY NOT THAT LAST ONE...
[I make my way to the bank vault, dealing easily with the Family on my way]
VAULT HERE / NOT ENOUGH MOBSTERS / MAKE THEM LAST, YOU WON'T GET ANY MORE TILL SUPPER TIME / SLEEPYTIME / WAKE UP AND SMELL THE PAIN / AND..SLEEP AGAIN / WAKEY WAKEY, RISE AND SCREAM / AND YOU / LOOK, A MONSTER / HA HA HA / THE POOR FOOL THINKS HIS FRIEND IS A MONSTER / THIRD EYE PONDERS 'ARE WE NOT ALL MONSTERS, INSIDE...?' / / SHUT UP, YOU...
[I'm loving this new powerset combo. Sleeps and holds etc. Lovely jubbly]
THAT'S THEM DEALT WITH / NOW FOR THE BOMBS / THREE OF THEM / HOW TO DISABLE? / LEFT TIBULA HAS PLAN / GOOD PLAN? / GREAT PLAN / PROCEED / WE DISGUISE OURSELVES AS HUMAN BY DRESSING UP IN MANY LAYERS OF CLOTHING, NECESSITATING PHYSICAL RELOCATION TO VERY COLD CLIMATE, ALASKA WOULD BE PERFECT / THEN WE SPEND SOME DECADES WORKING AS LUMBERJACK, SAVING SALARY / WHEN SUFFICIENT FUNDS ACCRUED, PURCHASE LABORATORY AND EQUIPMENT / SPEND FURTHER DECADES INVENTING RADICAL EXPERIMENTAL BOMB-DEFUSING DEVICE / RETURN TO BANK / IF BOMBS STILL HERE AND ACTIVE, DEFUSE / RESULT! / / RUBBISH / TERRIBLE / PITIFUL / PATHETIC PLAN / GET OUT! / / NO SCIENTIST WORTHY OF THE NAME WOULD USE 'EXPERIMENTAL' DEVICE ON BOMBS WITHOUT DECADE OF EXTENSIVE FIELD TESTING FIRST / LEFT TIBULA ENTERING SULKAGE MODE / ALTERNATIVE PLAN? / RIP SOME WIRES OUT AND KICK BOMB TO SEE IF DEFUSED / SOUNDS GOOD /
[I defuse the three bomb glowies, which are nicely placed in the three vault chambers of this map. As I do, another nav objective appears: 'Defeat Zealot']
ALERT! / HUMANOID PRESENCE DETECTED! / ACTIVATING INNOCUOUS MODE / MY MOTHER TOLD ME / IF I WAS GOODY / THAT SHE WOULD BUY ME / / HOLD ON / INVESTIGATE /
[The Zealot is a large armored guy, back in the main lobby. He rants about sb called 'The Fox' when I attack him]
HOW SWEET FRESH MEAT! / I THINK WE MUST HAVE ABSORBED SOME RADIO WAVES OR SOMETHING IN THE YEARS SINCE 1908 / MAYBE WE TURNED OVER IN THE 80S AND EXPOSED OUR ANTENNA / ANTENNA? / ANTENNA GONE / YES / ELOPED WITH OUR TAIL IN 1954 / SAID THEY WERE GOING TO HONEYMOON IN HAVANA / FOCUS, FOCUS! / ATTACK METAL MAN / OOF / AHA! / MIND LIKE A SEWER / FILLED WITH RAGE / RAGE AT HUMAN KNOWN AS 'THE FOX' / WHO IS THIS FOX? / ACCESSING DATABASE / FOX = SMALL CARNIVOUROS CANID POSSESSING LONG SNOUT AND BUSHY TAIL / WHY THIS HUMAN SO ANGRY AT THIS ANIMAL? / ACCESSING HABITS OF CREATURE KNIOWN AS 'FOX' / FOXES KNOWN TO EAT CHICKENS / ARMORED HUMAN OBVIOUSLY CHICKEN FARMER / / CHICKEN FARMER NEEDS SUCH ARMOR? / PATENTLY EARTH CHICKENS LARGER AND MORE TERRIFYINGLY DANGEROUS THAN EVEN THE FABLED BETELGUESIAN QUADROFANGED JETSCREAM DEATH-CHICKEN / / ARMOR NO USE AGAINST INVASIVE PSYCHIC TENDRILS OF DOOM, LUCKILY / NO, NOT THE MIND-PROBE' / HA HA HA HA / IT'S AN OLDIE BUT GOODIE! / HUMAN DEFEATED / RETURN TO REGALIS WITH GOOD NEWS...
[exit]
[Tubbius is happy to see that his money is safe, and then declares he's going to investigate 'The Fox' further. I confess that this decision sort of comes out of left field, considering the evidence pointing to the Fox so far seems a bit light]
I WAS A PFC ON A SEARCH PATROL, HUNTIN' CHARLIE DOWN / WHAT? / CHARLIE / I WAS HUNTIN' CHARLIE DOWN / WHO IS THIS CHARLIE OF WHOM YOU ARE SPEAKING WHO? / IT WAS IN THE JUNGLE WARS OF '65 / / ARE YOU SINGING AGAIN? / ISN'T IT CLEAR? / DO MY DULCET TONES NOT EVOCATE THE LYRE OF APOLLO HIMSELF? / APOLLO'S INSTRUMENT ONLY PRODUCED SINGLE CONTINUOUS E FLAT TONE? / / FOCUS / AGREED / REGALIS REQUIRES FURTHER HUMAN/SLAUGHTER INTERFACE / I ONLY NEED TO KNOW ONE THING / WHERE THEY ARE / CHARLIE? / ANYONE / / PROCEED...
[Regalis wants me to go put the hurt on some Family members, at a casino, in order to find out some information about The Fox]
Mission 2: Question the Family Leaders
/ AND THEN A BIG MARINE, A GIANT WITH A PAIR OF FRIENDLY EYES / APPEARED THERE AT MY SHOULDER AND SAID / WAIT / / / / WHAT? / WHAT ARE YOU DOING? / YOU SAID WAIT / NO YOU FOOL WE WERE SINGING / CAMOFLAGE BY THE LATE GREAT STAN RIDGEWAY / IT'S A MODERN DAY CLASSIC / / IT'S OUR THEME SONG / SINCE WHEN? / SINCE APPROXIMATELY 3 SECONDS AGO / BEING THAT WE PERFECTLY CAMOFLAGE OURSELVES AS EVERYDAY SCHMOES BY DINT OF OUR SILKEN VOCALS AND COME-TO-BED-EYES / WE ARE SO DAMAGED / YES / ATTACK! / OH! / LOOK AT HIS OUTFIT / AH, MY EYES! / SLEEP, PERCHANCE TO SUFFER A TERRIBLE ENDLESS GLOOMY HALLUCINATION OF AWFUL HOPELESS DEATH / HM, THAT HIT THE SPOT, EH BOB? / SEND THEM ALL TO SLEEP / EVERYONE MUST SLEEP! / ZZZ /
WAIT, NOT US, YOU FOOL! / AH, JUST KILL THEM / ONE POTATO / TWO POTATO / THREE POTATO / JUST LIKE IT WAS A FLY!
GOONS DOWN / LOCATION OF FOX ASCERTAINED / IN WALLSAGFE / AFFIRMATIVE / WALLSAFE QUITE SMALL / ONLY LOOKING FOR SMALL CANID, REMEMBER / OPEN SAFE / AAH! AMBUSH! / CHICKEN THIEVES! / ERK! / POER LEVELS INSUFFICIENT / ACTIVATE SYSTEMIC SELF MEGADESTRUCT PROTOCOL TRIPLE-X / CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM IN ACCORD / OVERRIDING PROTES / CASTING DECIDING VOTE / PLANETARY DEATH IN THREE / TWO / ONE / GO! / / ER, GO! / ENGINE ROOM TO BRIDGE / SYSTEMIC SELF MEGADESTRUCT PROTOCOL TRIPLE-X ACTIVATION CIRCUITS MIXED UP WITH NON-EMERGENCY META-CHISMATIC 'SLUMBER LIKE A BABY' SIMULATION MODE / HENCE CURRENT POSITION ON FLOOR ON FACE / ACTIVATE EMERGENCY TEMPORAL SHIFT! / I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THAT FOR AGES / SAFETY ASSURED / /
[Wow. The two Family goons (decked out in tremendously awful suits lol) go down easy enough, and one of them tells me that I can get the location of the Fox from the wallsafe. Upon opening the wallsafe, an ambush arrives and rapidly defeats me]
WE ARE SAFE / EMERGENCY TEMPORAL SHIFT DEPOSITED US IN NEAREST SAFE SPOT / SMALL ROOM / STRANGE SMELL / ROOM APPEARS TO BE TOILET / CONFIRM: / BOWL, MAT, SINK, TOILET PAPER DISPENSER / CHECK PAPER FOR CLUES / TOILET PAPER BLACK WITH WHITE SPIDER PATTERN / I'M GETTING BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS / DOOR OPENING! / ALERT! / FREEZE! / OHNOES! / ITS- / EMERGENCY TEMPORAL SHIFT! / PHEW THAT WAS CLOSE / THAT WAS- / YES, IT WAS / NOW NEVER MENTION IT AGAIN / ...I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HE USED THE TOILET... / INCARNATES POOP TOO, PATENTLY / OK, REGROUP, RECOLECT PLAN? / TARGET FOX NOT IN WALLSAFE / ANALYZE MEMORY BANKS / NO CANID PRESENT IN SAFE / ONLY THING PRESENT MAP OF SOME SORT / ANALYZING SCAN OF MAP / MAP TITLE 'LOCATION OF FOX LAIR'?, BY CHANCE? / NO / MAP LOCATION OF ANGEL IN INDEPENDENCE PORT, PARAGON CITY / ANGEL? / ANGEL GABRIEL, PERCHANCE? / NOT GABRIEL, NO / ANGEL KNOWN AS JACK VEGA / NOT GABRIEL / SHAME, I'VE ALWAYS WANTED A HORN / NICE WORK, JACOB / REGALIS WILL WANT TO KNOW...
[Regalis is indeed interested in Jack Vega's apparently reputable shipping company 'Angel Wings', and sends me to investigate, warning me that there might be a hero around in addition to the security guards Vega employs]
Mission 3: Question Jack Vera
INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF COMBAT SITUATION ESTIMATES CHANCE OF SUCCESS AT 776854001.0003% PLU OR MINUS INFINITY / IT'S A DEAD CERT, GUV! / ATTENTION / MOOKS / SPIVS / DODGY GEEZERS / DEFINITELY SOMETHING SUSPICIOUS ABOUT THAT ONE / LOOK AT THAT SQUINT / I'VE SEEN LAZY EYES BEFORE, BUT NEVER A LAZY NOSE / TAKE HIM DOWN / OH YES / EASY / ENTERING 'NONCHALANT EXECUTIONER' MODE...
ALL DA PRETTY LADIES / AROUND THE WORLD / GOT A WEIRD THING TO SHOW YOU / GO TELL ALL THE BOYS AND GIRLS / MORE CRIMINAL 'YOU TALKIN' TO ME?' TYPES ROUND THIS CORNER / SLEEEEEP / THOSE MOBSTERS ARE SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES, NOW / HA, THAT'S FUNNY / FUNNY LIKE A CLOWN, YOU MEAN? / THERE / JACK VEGA!
INTERESTING JACKET / NICE / MAYBE I SHOULD GET ONE / GOLD AND WHITE / VERY 80S / VEGA CALLING FOR REINFORCEMENTS / ARSONISTS! / HEY, CAREFUL WITH THAT, YOU'LL BURN THE PLACE DOWN / THIS GUY'S WORKING FOR VEGA? INTERESTING TACTIC, THROWING LIT STICKS OF DYNAMITE AROUND VEGA'S WAREHOUSE / ARSONIST OBVIOUSLY OF RUSSIAN STOCK / FOLLOWING 'SCORCHED EARTH' STRATEGY / THREE OF THEM AGAINST LITTLE OLD ME / LOOKS LIKE THEY BROUGHT THREE HORSES TOO FEW... / HEY! / HE'S RUNNING AWAY! / NO FAIR! / STOP, THIEF! / THAT NEVER WORKS / GET 'IM!
PHEW, JUST IN TIME / WELL, HE'S DEALT WITH / DO YOUR DANCE / DO YOUR DANCE QUICK / MAMA, COME ON BABY TELL ME WHAT'S THE WORD / SAFE HERE / OPENING... / AHA! / PAPERS! / READING... / ANALYSIS OF PAPERS CONCLUDES THEY ARE ONE OF TWO POSSIBILITES / COLLECTION OF INVALUABLE SCIENTIFIC PROOFS INCLUDING UNIFIED FIELD THEORY, DIAGRAM OF WORKING PERPETUAL MOTION MACHINE AND RECIPE FOR NEPTUNIAN SUPRACALORIFIC BIRTHDAY CAKE / OR? / INVOICES FOR EXPLOSIVES ORDERED BY 'THE FOX' / / HARK, I HEAR A SHISTOL POT! / INVESTIGATE FURTHER / ONWARD!
[Jack Vega spawned very near the start of the map (He was set to run away, a mechanic which generally annoys me lol). The floor safe spawned in middle. After getting the invoices from the safe, the nav objective 'Defeat Paragon Bomb' appeared, but there's no real reason so far been given for why I should go looking for more trouble. I've found what I came for, after all. I venture onwards]
THERE / LARGE MAN IN YELLOW SUIT...
ATTACK! / OUCH, HE PACKS A WALLOP / HE CAN'T HIT US IF HE'S ASLEEP / NOW HE'S ASLEEP, LET US EXAMIONE HIS PSYCHE... / EW / BETTER KILL HIM / IT WOULD BE A MERCY / WE DON'T HAVE NO TIME FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL ROMANCE / NO ROMANCE / NO ROMANCE / NO ROMANCE FOR ME / THERE / NO MORE TEARS / THAT'LL TEACH HIM TO TRY TO ARREST OUR TARGET...
[So the Bomb was there to arrest Vega. The way the objectioves are set up doesn't really make sense fior this. I'd suggest moving Vega and the safe to middle and back, and putting the Bomb in front, with all three objectives being availablke from the start. Then the player would encounter the Bomb first and have to fight his way past him to get to Vega. As it stands, I met Vega first and then the safe; there was no need for me to seek out the Bomb, as I already had the location of the Fox from the invoices. In addition, if Vega's at back, then how did he manage to get there without encountering vega on the way? I guess Vega could have arrived afterwards, but that still doesn't explain why the Player needs to encounter the Bomb. Exit]
REPORTING BACK TO FAT MAN / REGALIS OBSESSED WITH THOUGHT =S OF RETRIBUTION ON THIS FOX CHARACTER / HATRED OF SMALL ANIMALS COMMON IN TWISTED HUMANS / 'VERMIN IN FRIDGES' SYNDROME, ETC / INVOICE LEADS TO STEEL CANYON CAVE AS DELIVERY POINT FOR EXPLOSIVES / OUR JOB / SHOULD WE CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT / YES / WHAT? / LET'S ACCEPT IT AND GO KILL SOME MORE HUMANS / I LIKE THAT PLAN / SCROTUM IN ACCORD / SHUT UP, BIG MAN, YOU HAD US AT 'MUTILATE'!
Mission 4: Hunt the Fox
[Regalis warns that there will probably be 'hounds' there, and informs me that these are the Foxes gang members, trained in the arts of hunting people down]
CAVE APPEARS EXTREMELY CAVELIKE / SCANNING ENVIRONMENT
[I've got the Reveal vet power, which is sometimes useful. I use it now to reveal a smallish map. I soldier on]
ATTENTION / HUMAN ANTAGONISTS IN EFFECT / OUCH / HEAD PROTESTS / BASEBALL BAT/CRANIUM INTERFACE UNPLEASANT / BRAIN DEMANDS RETRIBUTION FOR SMACK UPSIDE THE HEAD / SUGGEST SYSTEMIC SELF MEGADESTRUCT PROTOCOL TRIPLE-X / HEART AGREES NEVER DID LIKE CORPOREALITY MUCH ANYWAY / ALL IN FAVOR OF ANNIHILATION OF SOLAR SYSTEM AS RESPONSE TO MEDIUM STRENGTH IMPACT FROM WOODEN BAT? / SUBCONCIOUS USING PRESIDENTIAL VETO / GOSHDARN IT ALL TO HECK! / DRAT IT, SUBCONCIOUS, YOU MONKEY FARMER, YOU! / PROCEED WITH ALTERNATIVE PENALIZATIONS SUCH AS ACCELERATED MENTAL DECREPITUDE / SENILITY ONSET IN THREE / TWO / ONE / THERE / NOW HE HAS THE MENTAL CAPACITY OF A 98-YEAR OLD CRETIN AFTER A CAREER IN BOXING AND A LIFETIME ON THE SAUCE / LOOK, DRIBBLE! / ONWARD...
[I make my way around the map, clearing the customs. They look quite nice, and in threes would be a bit of a handful if not for my awesome sleep/confuse/kill/ tactic. Eventually I find the last room, where my quarry lies]
AHA! / THE JIG IS UP, MR FOX! / OOH, HE'S A BLADEMAN / BLADES, BATS, BOWS, THEY ALL SLUMBER LIKE BABIES AFTER I'VE DONE MY MAGIC / DEAL WIOTH HIS COMPANION / BYEBYE / NOW FOR THE FOX / ANY IDEAS AS TO HOW TO DISH IT OUT THIS TIME? / / HOW ABOUT WE MAKE HIM IMAGINE HE'S DROWNING IN MARS DUST? / HM...OK, BUT NEEDS A LITTLE... / ARTISTIC TOUCH? / YES / / GOT IT! / WE MAKE HIM IMAGINE HE'S DROWNING IN MARS DUST JUST WEARING HIS UNDERPANTS! / BRILLIANT / LETHAL AND EMBARRASSING! / HAHA! / DIE, FOOLISH MORTAL! / THAT'LL LEARN YA! / RIGHT / LET US AWAY BACK TO OUR ROTUND PATRON...
[Exit]
EVIDENCE GIVEN / TUBBIUS REGALIS HAPPY / PAYMENT RECEIVED / / WORD UP.
[End]
Everyone knows I'm a massive fan of the Tubbius Trilogy (all 5 arcs of it!), and I was expecting great things from this arc. I love the name, the premise sort of made me think of the original Pink Panther films and great caper movies of that era.
However, in comparison to the other Tubbius arcs, I'm afraid it was a bit hit and miss.
Mission 1 is a great short simple setup, and a great opener, but Zealot seemingly appears for little more reason than to provide a Boss encounter, and then he's not seen again.
Mission 2 I like a lot. I love the casino maps. The two Family mobsters have hilariously bad-taste suits, and their dialogue is good. The ambush is a bit of a killer, but handleable (I generally play thru arcs at least twice for my reviews; on the second run of this, the ambush was expected, and so much easier to deal with).
Mission 3 ups the difficulty just a little. Jack's thugs nearly killed me both times I met them. His running away is horribly annoying to me, I'm afraid. I only just caught him in time. As I mentioned earlier, the mechanics of Mission 3 don't make much sense to me.
Mission 4 is a straightforward clear to boss, and as it is it's fine.
The main problem I had with the arc was that it didn't live up to the description, which really was excellent. I think I was expecting more of a runaround, more of The Fox, and more individual customs. The two heroes in the arc, Zealot and the Paragon Bomb, seemed a bit shoe-horned in just for the sake of a boss fight. Instead of the complicated runaround I was expecting, I got a fairly simple go to x,y,finish at z arc, which although plenty enjoyable enough, fell short of my expectations.
On the positive side, I did clear every mission both times I ran it, and I have fallen in love with the toon I made specially for it The Psynthesis levelled to 9 on this arc, too, which is a great start to their villainous career.
With a bit of polish, this could be as awesome as it's description makes it sound. As it is, I rated it 4 stars. My suggestions would be to add another mission, either ditch the Zealot or expand on why he's involved, make The Fox himself feature a bit more (his dialogue is great too) and sort out the mechanics in Mission 3.
I hope you're not too displeased with my reaction.
Eco.
The Psynthesis and Jack Vega having a little Time-out