MrCaptainMan

The sheer horribleness of what went on in the Blight Thread made me critically review my own thread and take a long hard look at my reviewing in general.

I wondered if, when I'm not enjoyong an arc, it's maybe myfault. not the Author's. Maybe I'm not playing the arc slowly enough, or maybe my choice of toon is wrong.

When people play my arcs, I'd like them to play them at a measured pace, at a reasonable challenge level, and give them some kind of opportunity to show themselves off to their best. I should do no less with someone elses arc. I should be active in working with an arc to let whatever quality it has shine.

I'd like this review thread to be an antidote to the type of toxic criticism that occurred in the Blight thread. My reviews will therefore never have ratings of less than 3 stars, and any negative criticism i deliver will be delivered in as mild a form as i can manage. If you want brutality, go to one of the bully boys down the hall, you know who they are. I'll offer typo and grammar siugestions, and suggest plot or mechanics alternatives if I think they'd be useful, but I'm no expert (none of the reviewers are), and at the end of the day it's only one man's opinion. I'm happy to discuss the arcs in question and my review with the authors and anyone can submit an arc. I'm not asking for QPQ plays of my arcs, but if anyone wants to play The Audition, I'd appreciate it.

I realise that some of my toons have had a better time of it during the reviews; if I find myself not having enough fun during a run, I''ll change toon in an effort to give it another chance. The meat of the reviews will be in-character, as has become my favourite way to do it. I think that the main toons i'll be using will be the Accelerated Man, Robin Copperfield, Blush Bubble, Scoop Malloy, the Psystem, Tarquin Wilde, Atomicide, and Jacque Le Black.

I promise that I will read all bios, NPC Dialogue, system messages, exit and entry popups, and all clues as they drop. If something about an arc isn’t clear to me, it’s not going to be because I skipped parts of it or ran the arc too fast to work out what was going on. It can take weeks to create an arc; zipping through it in an hour is not giving it enough atention IMO for a proper review.

My only stipulations for arc submissions are:

No Malta
No KoA
Nothing higher than lvl 45.
Limited slows and -Fly if possible

My starting queue is:

The Consequences of War 227331 and 241496
The Fracturing of Time 171031
The Doctor Returns 1152


I've also replayed a few of the arcs i gave negative reviews to in my earlier arc, with different toons. I'll put those dowwn before i get onto the queue.


Writing arcs is difficult, and takes a lot of effort. I believe that effort should be appreciated, even if the results aren't my cup of tea.

Eco.

QR - Yikes! I'm next! woohoo!



Eco.

[ QUOTE ]
I'm talking about you, as an individual poster, reacting to anyone who states their opinion firmly. If an opinion is negative, you natively rail against it or run from it.



[/ QUOTE ]

there are different ways of presenting a negative opinion. I have no problem with negative opinions being presented, as long as they're presented in a civil, pleasant, polite way. What's happened in this thread is bullying. That';s what I have a problem with.

[ QUOTE ]
It's something I've noticed observing your posting habits - people who disagree with you are mean, people who agree with you are good.



[/ QUOTE ]

Not at all. People who behave like arrogant [censored] are mean. [ QUOTE ]
It left me, at first, wondering if there was a reason to bother trying to convince you of anything you did not already agree with, then I figured it just wasn't worth the bother.



[/ QUOTE ]

It's funny; I just typed out a long explanation to support my previous sentence, and then realised that it was pointless trying to convince you of where exactly I think you've got me wrong, so i deleted it.

[ QUOTE ]


I'm bringing it to your attention here, because if you've given me this impression, there might be a reason for it - that you might well be too inclined to think badly of people who disagree.



[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think badly of people who disagree. I think badly of people who constantly state as fact that the opinions they hold are the only correct ones and that refuse to admit that their opinions are just that, subjective and personal.

[ QUOTE ]
Perhaps you just fear conflict,



[/ QUOTE ] 'Fear'? lol. You trying to put me down, again, Talen, using that word, instead of 'dislike'?

[ QUOTE ]
perhaps you're right and everyone in the world is a jerk.



[/ QUOTE ]

Please don't put words in my mouth. I have never said that everyone in the world is a jerk, or even that a lot of people in the world, or in the game, or in these forums, are jerks. There's only a very small number of people in this thread, for example, who i think are jerks.

[ QUOTE ]
Maybe you're too sensitive. Either way, I don't think there's any hope of Venture modifying himself to suit your standards - ever.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't either.

It's a beautiful evening, and i'm going out to my local restaurant in a minute for a glass of Rioja and some good food, and I don't want to argue with any of you heavy boys any more. You've described here the 'impression' I apparently give you. The impression you give me of yourself is of an arrogant, patronising teenager. I may very well be as mistaken about your age and character as you are about me.

Eco.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I wouldn't, if that's what you mean.

[/ QUOTE ]Yeah you would. It doesn't matter how gently the negativity is offered, you react to it very childishly. Except when it's you complaining about people doing things differently to you, of course.

[/ QUOTE ]

hang on, are you changing the subject or Are we still talking about Venture's delivery of negative criticism? If you can give me an example of Venture being nice i'll happily stand corrected.

Eco

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
" I wish people would stop asking people who make it a duty to provide criticism to provide them with their criticism and then deny the criticism."

its not the message thats the problem, its the manner of its delivery.

Some call it author-coddling. I call it not behaving like a [censored].

Eco

[/ QUOTE ]Yes, but Venture could offer his critique in a three-part mime play performed entirely by adorable fluffy kittens and you'd still whine about it.

[/ QUOTE ]

the mime part of tgat makes no sense in the context of what i assume you mean, which is that i'd still object if Venture offered negative critiques delivered in a warmer, less '[censored] you' manner?

I wouldn't, if that's what you mean. I also note your hackneyed use of 'whine', Talen. You'll be telling me to 'cry moar, noob' next.

Eco

Great idea for a thread.

eco

" I wish people would stop asking people who make it a duty to provide criticism to provide them with their criticism and then deny the criticism."

its not the message thats the problem, its the manner of its delivery.

Some call it author-coddling. I call it not behaving like a [censored].

Eco

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Qr - so someone posts a 'hey everyone, here's an arc i enjoyed!' thread, and the forum heavies turn it into a witch-hunt. Disgraceful behaviour.

What happened to the community touted as 'friendly and supportive, not like WoWs' that i was told about when i started playing?

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't believe a friendly community has to include author-coddling. When you write something and put it out in a public forum for other people to look at, you need to be strong enough to weather the criticism that follows, no matter how stupid it might be.

[ QUOTE ]
I bet witch is heartily sorry he ever wrote the thing now.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well I'm sorry I ever played it. So I guess everyone's sorry.

[/ QUOTE ]

jesus, why is everyone so bloody nasty?

Eco

[ QUOTE ]
MrCaptainMan, if you abuse and misuse the term "open mind" one more time...

The only reason it's Venture leading the debate rather than I was because I waited a few days before even looking at the arc. Already it was being hyped as the best thing since sliced bread. Had I played it before hearing the spoilers my review would have probably been even worse because I'd be less prepared for the incompetent audience sucker punch that the arc tries to deliver.

[/ QUOTE ]

i have badly misjudged you. What a downer.

Eco

[ QUOTE ]
so someone posts a 'hey everyone, here's an arc i enjoyed!' thread, and the forum heavies turn it into a witch-hunt. Disgraceful behaviour.



No, only when the subject material warrants it.

And I would have let it go with one post if people hadn't yanked my chain.

[/ QUOTE ]

you never let it go, Venture. You always have to have the last word, followed with 'and now im done with this nonsense', as though the other person involved is so much worthless scum. Ive never seen you say 'well lets just agree to differ' or anything of that ilk.

Eco

Qr - so someone posts a 'hey everyone, here's an arc i enjoyed!' thread, and the forum heavies turn it into a witch-hunt. Disgraceful behaviour.

Lazarus, you dont like me it seems, for reasons i'm not entirely sure of, but ive always respected you. Tonight, though, i was ingame when you started your review run with 'i have to see how bad this arc is', no sign of an open mind at all, and a bare hour later your review was up. You should be ashamed of yourself.

What happened to the community touted as 'friendly and supportive, not like WoWs' that i was told about when i started playing?

I bet witch is heartily sorry he ever wrote the thing now. Im sure he wont be eager to advertise any more arcs here-in the official forum for it!



Eco

Poi, Demonology, and Everything I Learned From Hellions, Arc ID 164235A, by @londerwost

Medium length (2 unique maps), heroic, lvl 1-14. I’ll be taking my lowest level toon at present, Tumbleweed Jackson, my lvl 4 AR/Dev Blaster. Here’s his bio:

“Howdy, pardner. Tumbleweed Jackson's the name. I hail from Arizona. Why'd I quit the quiet life on the open range fer this here city of mayhem, y'all ask? Well, life on the open range would have been jes' fine fer me, if'n it wassn't fer all the damn space aliens and the magic nazis and robot pirates from Mars that kept tryin' ter rustle my damn cattle all the damn time! So I figured, if'n ahm a-gonna be twirlin' mah six-guns every day against Orbo the Beast with a Zillion Eyes, ah might as well come do it in the big city where they gots hot water and clean sheets in the hotels, 'stead of a tin bath an' a cold plunge! Plus ah traded mah revolvers in fer somethin' with a little more lead in its pencil! Ya-hoo!”

Apropos of nothing in particular, he’s inspired by Spurs Jackson and for one whole level (the tutorial) he was actually called that, lol, but trademark infringement and outright stealing of characters always irks me, and (even considering Spurs obscurity and short-livedness) I felt compelled to reroll him as Tumbleweed Jackson and start again.

Come the Going Rogue expansion, I’ll probably reroll hima s a Dual Pistols sth if we gert that powerset as is rumoured.

“Howdy, y’all! That fine lookin’ woman Mizz Liberty asked Tumbleweed fer help today, an so I gits along like a dawgy after a muskrat ter help the little lady out. Yes, ma’am! Woo-hoo! First, she wants me ter ride the range, see what’s what. Sure thing, little lady! Woo-hoo! Git!”

[‘Pound the pavement’, Ms Liberty says; find someone called the Mole, who has info. OK.]

Mission1: Search the Streets

“I mosey on through the streets, my eyes like gimlets an’ my mouth a hard thin line…mmmrrffgkllgf…, jes mah little joke, there, pardner! My mouth ‘us a hard thin line, get it? Woo-hoo! Anyways, there’s Hellions all over. Some of ‘em give me a little trouble, but I twirls mah sixteen-shooter and that shuts em up! I finds me a crazy magic altar with a load of pamphlets talking about a mass sacrifice. Satanists! I done tell ya, after the Nazis from the Moon and the Creature from the Sun, I hates Satanists the most! I have a mosey on down the street some more, and get into a ruckus with a Hellion with real fire-breath. it’s a showdown, and his toes turn up first. He drops some more strange documents, but I cain’t read…

After I done cleaned up the town a bit more, I rescue a big galoot from some Hellions, and he tells me what the strange Satanic markings mean. The Hellions are gonna have a party! A Satanic devil-worshipping kind of party! Not while this Sheriff’s in town, they ain’t! Yee-Hah! I hotfoot it back to Mizz Liberty.

[Outdoor Steel map, not too big, hellions all over. The glowie is easy to spot, the Boss is a suitably lowbie fight, and the Mole is in an appropriate animation. I have some fun clearing for a while during this mission, and I’m almost at the next level from it ]

“Mizz Liberty is a mite shocked to hear aboput the sacrificial hoedown the Hellions gots planned, but the rest of Statesman’s posse are in Independence Port fighting a Giant Monster! She’s going it alone! I like her, she’s got spirit, that gal! She asks me ter go and git Statesman, and hares off….

[lol I like the gag here with her telling you to not follow her. Of course I’m going to!]

“…she did say there’s no time, Ah’m sure she can use some help…”

[besides, I’m level 4 – Independence port? No thanks lol]

Mission 2: Disobey Ms Liberty

“Hot dawg, this place is loud…This may be a chewin’ off a mite too much baccy! Still, the little lady is here somewhere, an’ I wouldn’t be a gentleman if’n ah didn’t at least try to help…

[Rave party map, and the popup sort of sobered my ‘wacky’ mood a little – in a good way. I like this arc.]

“I keep mah big gun handy, and soon ah’m in a runnin’ firefight with some packin’ hellions. I get a few of them ready for Boot Hill…

[and I level, yay!]

“…and then I gets a mite angry, and somethin’ like a red mist comes over me, and I goes on a little shootin’ n tootin’ frenxy for a little while…I comes round and I’m in a room with a bunch of bombs! I check the room is clear, an’ carefully disarms them.

[Nav reads ‘4 gasoline bombs to disarm’, as well as ‘find Ms Liberty’

There are three glowie bombs in the room found by taking first left, first left from the entrance, and the first one I click drops the ‘Treating the Synptom’ clue. This seems a little incongruous, since I’ve still got one bomb left and the clue’s mentioned ‘thwarting’ the Hellions.

Ah, I just spotted the last bomb, in the same room. Disarming it makes the Nav show up with the ‘Defeat the Hellion Leader’ clue. Maybe you could have the clue and the Nav drop from the same bomb?]

Once I’ve disarmed the bombs – they were gasoline bombs, too, the worst kind in my opinion – I gets real ornery, and, well, I’m a gonna find the leader of this here gang, and we’re gonna have us a pistol-whippin’!

“Ah make my way to the big party room, and find the Main Man. We tussle, and with the help of a Hosanna and a hail o’ bullets, He’s ready for a fittin’ from Coffin Joe. I also find Mizz Liberty, kinda in trouble. She says she thinks’ they drugged her, after I see off the mangy dawgs who’re bein’ mean to her. I help her out, and she rushes off to the ladies room”

[Hmm, the fight with the lead Hellion was fine, and rescuing Ms Liberty was nice – I was worried she’d be an Ally, which isn’t needed this low I think. However, I’m not sure the jokey reason for her being sick you give in the drop fits. I don’t know if she’d be immune to drugs or poisons, but I’d have preferred a straight treatment here. Also, there were no party-goers lured, it is revealed, so I didn’t rescue anyone. A couple of hostages to rescue would add a few more objectives, and make me feel like I’d done some good rather than just stop a building being burned down. That said, the maps got that music and the lights, giving it a suitably ‘epic’ feel – for a lowbie, this would be an exciting mission IMO]

“Once Mizz Liberty is back on her feet, she thanks me fer savin’ her…aw, shucks, ah’m blushin’…”

[nice little starter arc, with a slightly more serious tone at the end it’d be a 5-starrer IMO. 4 stars]

Eco

EDIT - After I finished the arc, I had to go train, and I was in Atlas, so visiting Ms Liberty was doubly nice lol

"From my perspective, people won't let my review lie. It was OK for people to post BEST ARC EVAH without showing their work but as soon as I said I didn't like it I was accused of being a troll."

it's not you saying you don't like it that gets you called a troll; its your 'dictates delivered from on high' style of expressing your opinion combined with a lack of any suggestion of good humor.

Eco

I havent played it yet, i'm starting it this evening, hopefully.

But could you maybr combine 2 into 1 or 4 into 2?

Someone who kbows nothing about Solus won't notice, sort of thing?

Eco

Bay's films are reasonable fun to watch, sure, but i wouldn't 5-star any of them. Venture was mistaking attendence (or plays, in an arc cintext) with feedback. I' not sure how mych of Venture's cherry-picking of points to refute and refer to is willfull and how much an unconscious side-effect of his monomaniacal nature.

Eco

Qr - 90% of all feedback on michael bay movies is positive? What rrview sites does Venture frequent?

Eco

Post deleted by Moderator 08

[ QUOTE ]
MrCaptainMan, you're the last person who should be addressing me on "clarification".

[/ QUOTE ]

i dont know what this is meant to refer to. Do i have a reputation for being unclear?

Eco

Qr - and OP, on the subject of your arc, someone else said it better thn i could:

"One should always listen to criticism, but one also needs to know when to stick to their guns. If we authors addressed every little thing that someone found annoying, and different people have different annoyances, we'd all just be writing farm arcs or some crap."



Eco

Laz - you might want to clarify that part of your criteria-somepeople might see the 'here's my dislikes so yiu can decide wethrr you want to submit your arc to me' to mean 'you risk getting abad review' rather than 'you risk me not running your arc'. I admit, thats what i thought too.

Eco

Anything that makes Venture speechless gets my vote.



Eco.

So I just have a little tiny queue of four arcs now!

Poi, Demonology, and Everything I Learned From Hellions 164235
The Consequences of War 227331 and 241496
The Fracturing of Time 171031

Quick reperat of the 'rules' for my subs:

no malta
no KoA
no or limited mezzes, please, or at least no damn slows
any level, either faction

If there are no more submissions, I'll be running some of the suggested arcs in the 'looking for mechanically complex arcs' thread I posted a few days ago.

Eco.

The Wolfpack Chronicles (Part 1), Arc ID 242869, by @Citizen Razor, Long (4 small, 1 unique maps), Villainous, lvl 10-14. I don’t have a villain in this level range, sadly, my closest however is The Vengeance of Topsy, my lvl 15 Elec/Elec Brute. Here’s Topsy’s bio:

“A Crey experimental prototype Assault Robot, the Vengeance of Topsy's USP as far as the scientists who created him was his uniquely advanced AI; partly produced through controlled programming but mostly left to develop on its own in a sort of 'evolutionary' manner within a Crey subsystem before being uploaded into the brain of the mechanoid. Unfortunately for Crey, the first thing the machine did upon being activated was to declare its independence and break out of the Crey facility. As well as its tactical and HtH skills, it also has a quite developed sense of humor and a keen interest in the history of electrics, hence its idiosynchratic name. It is also aquaphobic, and living on a series of islands does not find it generally feeling at all Happy Happy Joy Joy.”

The arcs description describes it as an artifact hunt, the aim of which is to open a permanent portal from Praetoria to the Rogue Isles.

<subvocal recording active. today is not a good day. am in nerva archipelago. too much water in these islands. my plan to kill the osmotic man and throw him into the bay to absorb all the worlds water has failed. was fished out and taken by arachnos scientists for study. need to get body back. lord recluse and arachnos too powerful to defeat at present. need allies. might be possible to get help from another source. have been contacted by human called omega on behalf of praetorian earth forces. need 5 artifacts collected in order for them to forge permanent portal from praetorian earth to rogue islands. if I help, they may defeat lord recluse and I can retrieve body of osmotic man and my plan will then succeed. first artifact is a bowler hat belonging to some mooks…hat? this person a tool, by the way. all ‘ooh, the one they call positron has blah blah’, and ‘the spineless toad known by you hu-mans as statesman is thrrrppp’ etcetera. has skull on codpiece. what is it with humans and skull-crotches? also checks ‘villainous dialogue’ boxes of using phrases ‘meddling’and ‘reward you greatly’. hmm…maybe can sell artifacts, buy stealth suit instead?>

[The briefings a little long-winded and puffed-chest-ish for my liking (and Topsy thinks worse lol), but maybe that’s just how Omega is.

There are two grammar errors ‘there has been certain ... complications.’ should be ‘there have been certain ... complications. ‘, and ‘sneaking onto the Rogue Isles and to open up a permanent portal to Praetoria’ should be ‘sneaking onto the Rogue Isles and opening up a permanent portal to Praetoria ‘

Actually, I think that ‘..the Wolfpack for one express purpose: to sneak onto the Rogue Isles and open up a permanent…’ would be even better in that last case.]

Mission 1: Get the Bowler Hat from the Mooks

< mooks holed up in office block. I charge in in a hurry - don’t take time. a few crates lying around. first one contains bowler hat. I get jumped by some human called alpha. my mood worsens. I don’t like being attacked when I’m on the job. that’s what she said.>

[After I found the hat inn the first box, the second one I checked had the system message ‘is the bowler hat in this one?’, which looked odd. Alphas death ambush spawned literally in front of my eyes.]

<second artifact skin of midas. omega wants me to rip the skin right off midas’ body. that’s gross. that’s what she said. omega ignores talk of alpha. tool. I accept mission. omega then warns alpha might try to stop me. no explanation of who alpha is or why offensive. both tools>

[I have no idea who Alpha is apart from the fact that he has a “a bunch of horsemen in tow”, from his clue. I’m guessing that I’d maybe know more if I’d played The Horsemen Chronicles, but that arc isn’t published anymore, it seems]

Mission 2: Steal the Skin of Midas


[I check Omega’s bio before going in, as I’d forgotten to do it until now, and it says “Omega is the leader of the Horsemen, a divison of…” – Isn’t Omega supposed to be the leader of the Wolfpack? V confused]

<warehouse location of midas. immediate premonition upon entering that alpha here too. very strange.

[the entry popup says ‘but why is Alpha here?’, when there’s absolutely no sign of him. At least put some ‘you hear Alpha shouting in the distance’ or sth. This Magical Infodump is bad]

<goldbrickers are tools. I kill them. meet more horsemen. kill them too. meet alpha. send him off to interrogation room for omega. meet midas. rip his skin off. leave>

[This was a very short mission. the clue for Midas’ skin is…odd? According to canon, his skin is “harder than diamond”, so I’m not sure it’d be that easy to rip off, tbh. Maybe you could have ‘you chipped a bit of Midas skin off in thwe titanic battle’ or similar?]

<omega reveals he tipped off alpha to where I was going. what a tool. after interrogation, blue steel arrives, frees alpha…a likely story.

[that’s…just, er, not very good I’m sorry. Unless I’m missing some ultra-dimensional level of ironic wit here?]

<next artifact needed is hair from pyriss. hair in snake cave. snakes tools. lol. snakes tools>

Mission 3: Find the Lock of Pyriss’ Hair

[entry popup is a reference to Snakes on a Plane, I think. The Nav reads ’10 patches of dirt to sift through’ – I’m only a lvl 15, I know, but this is pretty demeaning. Your contact isn’t really giving me a very strong reason to go scratching in the muck of a snake cave for him. I’d mehquit by now if this was incognito, I’m sorry to say]

<hair hidden somewhere in cave. dirty snakes leave crap everywhere. shed skin, snakeshit, gross. makes me angry.>

[‘There's nothing here but snake droppings.’ says the system message for each pile of dirt]

<snake feces. yup>

[after looking through ten patches of excrement, I don’t even find the hair, and then the Nav changes to ‘Defeat Alpha (again). I fight him again and at defeat he activates his emergency teleport. I’ve lost all will to play this.]

<exit cave and return to omega. initiate subsystem automatic non-sentient combat control node in 10 seconds…won’t…need…to…experience…rest->

[well, Topsy’s had enough. The next mission is to get the three remaining artifacts wee need from a warehouse controlled my Azuria. One of the artifacts is the hair we missed last mission (making it totally pointless, IMO), another is a Fragment of the Spirit world stolen from some Spectral Pirates, and a Spetsnaz badge…

So this missions going to have spetsnaz, ghost pirates, and horsemen in it then.]

Mission 4: Gather the Final Artifacts for the Portal

[nav reads ]14 crates to search through’. the entry popup tells me there’s horsemen, spetsnaz, spectralmpirates, and says ‘whoo! you love it!’. I don’t, I’m afraid. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the AT? Maybe I’m spoiled? but FOURTEEN?

I make my way through the map. To be fair, the clues for the various objects found in the crates are often amusing, but I don’t care – they’re just piecework. I meet Alpha again, beat him again, and he teleports to safety again. It’s interesting being able to take a lvl 18 –

oh., I just got killed by a damn patrol of effing ghosts whilst I was typing this. Great. Minus five hundred thousand million billion trillion stars.

I guess I should have been looking, so my bad. I hosp and come back.

Like I was saying, I know Im only a lvl 18, but its interesting being able to take that low a toon up against the most powerful mob in the entire game. What’s that? But he is. Alpha is more powerful than Stateseman or LR, or any GM, or anything, because HE’S BLOODY INVINCIBLE. I defeat him, and he’s back the very next mission. I hate him. And not in a ‘ooh, [shakes fist], I’ll get you, Lex Luthor!’ kind of Nemesis way. I hate him like I hate wasps.]

…ah…I see, it wasn’t a patrol, it was an ambush! Brilliant.

A little while later, I’m ambushed again, by Spetsnaz this time. I ignore them and run to the next floor, anxious to get through the rest of the crates. Before I can check the last 4, I have to fight a group of Horsemen (BTW, are they recoloured Longbow?). The Spetsnaz arrive mid fight, just to irritate me even more. After I deal with them, I start to check the crates…and notice that the missions been completed. When did that happen?

Then problem was that I had three things to collect out of 14, but none of them were mentioned in the Nav and so I stopped concentrating on the crates, thinking that maybe I’d get them all from one source at the end. Anyway, I’ve got them now, so I guess I can leave.


Oh god. The secret that Omega reveals to me now utilizes THE piece of canon I hate the most. I think it’s terrible in game, and I think it’s terrible here. I’m /facepalming with both hands at the same time. I’d /facefoot if I could, too, with both feet, at the same time that I was double /facepalming.

I have to build a portal to Praetoria for the final mission…and beat up Alpha again.]

Mission 5: Send the Artifacts to Praetoria


[Inside the untidy warehouse, I’m attacked by some horsemen. I beat them up, and then find the five pieces of portal tech im looking for in crates all spawned near the front together. I’m quite happy with that. The Nav changes to ‘find the Dimensional Mainframe’, so I jetpack through the map to seek it. I find it, and ‘repair’ it, and then Alpha spawns, again literally in front of me. I have yet another fight with him, and this time he doesn’t teleport away (Why, I wonder? what happened to his incredible emergency teleporter? ran out of juice? didn’t pay his Portal Corp bill?) – He does tell me some bad news, however. He’s changed the coordinates apparently, so it’s possible I’ve sent the artifacts not to Paetorian Earth but to some other world (Kashyyyk, maybe, I[‘d like to see what the Wookies would do with a Bowler hat, some hair, and a badge).

“Curse the meddling Horsemen fools!” shouts Omega when I get back to him with the news that this entire farrago might have been for nothing. And that’s basically it.

So. This is a villainous arc, and THE HEROES WIN. Brilliant.

Sorry, but this was not fun. That’s about as nicely as I can put it. The premise is good for a low-level arc – Doodad hunts are par for the course for lowbies, but the constant appearance of that coalsmoker Alpha was teeth-grindingly annoying. The mission with the Russians, the ghosts and the horsemen made no sense, and the ‘scrabble about in the snake crap’ mission was demeaning and pointless. The reason why those artifacts in particular were used made me groan out loud, but that’s mainly because I HATE the particular piece of canon that you referenced.

On the plus side…Minimal typos, you took care to give system messages etc, the maps were absolutely fine, no quarrel with them at all, and the actual mobs you chose offered a nice non-aggravating combat experience (no mezzes or too much KB or stuff like that). Also, the clues you gave for the various objects in the last mission were sometimes very amusing

So, what to rate? Well, It wasn't as bad as Chains of Blood, and that got 3 stars. But, it doesn't deserve more, at least from me. I'm afraid. So 3 stars for you!

Sorry.

Eco.

[ QUOTE ]
Hi Cap! I would really appreciate a review of "The Fracturing of Time" (arc 171031), it's been updated with i15 changes! Thanks much!

[/ QUOTE ]

Sure thing! I know that you've already played The Audition too

Eco.

Qr-as soon as slaves are in, Im there.

But we really need Animal Control.

Eco