Smash_Zone

Oohh, Official feedback. I could use that. =P

My arc is in my sig, but I'll post it again anyways.

Arc ID - 223631: Becoming a villain

It was a small map when I played it, so there weren't any crystals in my way. You should find a small map that's easy to maneuver around until the bug is fixed.

I added a spoiler warning at the top of the review, and will do so for future reviews.

Also, due to my huge problem of procrastination, I haven't put up my second arc yet. I decided to try my hand at custom groups, and I'm trying to put together a simple one-mission story involving said group. So now I have two arcs in the workshop. They are:

The Center of Havoc: What starts as a simple mission turns into a full-fledged investigation, which then turns into a dire situation. This is my five-mission story that I have yet to write a souvenir for.

It's a Critical Hit!: A new group of mercenaries have arrived, and they have a diabolical plot in mind. Just a short one-mission story involving a custom group I'm making.

I'll post them here when they are finished.

Arc ID: 96322 - The Tannhäuser Gate (Aisynia)

Rating: 4.5/5

The good: Great story, map choices, custom characters.

The bad: Too many clues, no custom descriptions. (Explained in detail below)

Full review (Slight Spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk)
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Wow, where do I begin with this one? This arc is most likely one of the best I've seen in a while! The story is amazing, and it uses maps I didn't even know existed! Anyways, onto the full review.

I start the arc, and I talk to the contact. She tells me that there's some invisible tower on the edge of Paragon City, and it's looming with dark energies. For the sake of this review, I'm going to be brief with the missions, because the story is actually much longer, and would end up making this review way too long.

So, the contact is telling me that I have to investigate this tower and find out what's going on. Who am I to deny her? I enter the mission and right in front of me stands the mission boss, some Ashrah'kah something-or-other. The design of this guy really inspires a sense of fear. He looks like a demon that the Devil himself couldn't contain! But, problem is, he's too easy. Now, this may be due to the fact that I'm playing my DB/EA stalker, and my high energy defense negates his all-energy attacks, but he goes down pretty quickly.

Now, the main enemy of this mission is a custom group of super-natural baddies all gathered together into this tower. This includes CoT ghosts, DE monsters, BP zombies, and even Black Swan's shadow minions. The only problem I have with this group is that all of their descriptions are the default ones. I'm pretty sure you can change this, as I made a custom group comprised of council minions, and I had to edit each of their descriptions to fit the story. So, my first suggestion would be to possibly make new descriptions for these guys. I know it would take a long time, but it would enhance the already amazing story even further!

The objective here is to find clues to the disappearance of someone called "Reen." You also have to destroy 4 pillars in order to establish a connection to your contact from inside the tower. The pillars are also without descriptions, and the default one is simply "This obelisk must be destroyed!" which I think could be changed to something more in-depth.

Alrgiht, 3 paragraphs on the first mission, lets wrap this one up. I find a clue to the girls disappearance, and I destroy the pillars. Mission accomplished, I exit the map. Or do I?

Upon returning to the contact, it turns out you haven't really left the tower, your destruction of the pillars simply allowed you to establish a connection to your contact, and you're communicating telepathically, so to speak. The contact tells you whats going on and then informs you that you must travel farther up the tower to find Reen. The game explains it way better than I can, but I'm just simplifying it for this review.

So I'm sent to the 100th floor of a 300 floor tower. Too bad MA doesn't allow for 300-mission story arcs. =P This floor also happens to be a library, so I also have to search for clues as to whats going on in the tower. This is my second complaint. I know that this story requires good explanations, but there are just way too many clues in this story. Every glowie you click, object you destroy and boss you fight gives you a clue. Even finishing the mission gives you a clue. I had about 20 clues by the last mission, but thankfully, the author arranged them in an easy-to-read way, even labeling which mission they're from. If possible, I would try and reduce the number of clues. Perhaps combine two clues into one, for simplicity's sake.

Moving on, I find the clues, and defeat the boss. I also learn of the leader of this tower, a knight named "Tannhäuser" who fell in love with a goddess and was cursed to compensate. Again, I'm a little vague on details, you really should play the mission to get a better understanding. Completing the mission, you learn that while Reen isn't there, she managed to escape.

The third mission takes me to a place called the "Hall of Echoes" where memories and dreams wander freely and become real. Here you have to find fragments of Tannhäuser's memory, and see if Reen in there. Well, turns out Reen is there, but only partially. Something about her being a memory or what-not. So, you find Reen, and now you have to find Tannhäuser's memorys. That means rescuing Tannhäuser four times, which is kind of weird, but at least the map was small. I find Tannhäuser, and complete the mission, while also learning about a horrible ritual in the process.

I return to the contact, who tells me that the ritual I learned about could destroy Paragon City, and by the time I reached the ritual site, it would be too late. To buy us some time, the contact sends me to the middle of the tower to destroy a sub-altar, to disrupt the ritual for a limited time. While exploring the fourth mission, you eventually find the real Reen, and she helps you complete the mission. I find the altar and destroy it, mission accomplished, right? Wrong. Turns out that Tannhäuser himself is there, and he's ready to fight. Tannhäuser is an Elite Boss with a Broadsword and a Shield, and he puts up a tough fight. Fortunately, I manage to defeat him before I meet my own end, but he teleports away before I could kill him.

The final mission takes me to a breath-taking map that looks truly amazing, and really gets a good feel for this mission. My objective is to defeat Tannhäuser once and for all, and prevent him from destroying the city with his evil ritual. So I did. There was a bug which got Reen stuck on a CoT crystal, preventing her from helping me, but I was warned before-hand by the author that this could happen, so no biggie. I defeat the boss and rescue the hostages. Congratulations! You just saved the world!
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Closing Statements: Overall, this is an amazing story, very well written and I could tell the author put a lot of work into making it. My only complaints are the huge amount of clues, and the lack of descriptions for most of the enemies and objects. Another minor gripe was the Overseer lieutenants in the final mission. Since I was playing a stalker, I was constantly peeking around corners and thoroughly scanning the area to make sure I didn't end up running into them. I know my description of the story isn't very good, but you just have to experience the arc for yourself in order to really appreciate the story. Other than that, this was a very good arc that I enjoyed immensely, and will definitely play again!

Arc ID: 221702 - The Pursuit of Liberty (ArrowRose)

Rating: 4/5

The good: Custom group design, Overall story.

The bad: Minor text quirks, over-use of the word "Liberty". =P

Full review
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I can tell you worked really hard on this arc. The quality was excellent and the plot was well thought out.

So I start the first mission, and this is where I find my first minor gripe. Ms. Liberty tells you that the fate of the world depends on you saving a little girl named "Liberty Rose". She then proceeds to say "Why am I here asking for your help? Could it be I like the girl's name? Or her outfit? I can't say." Um, maybe it's because you just told me that the fate of the world depends on it. So, I would probably edit the mission intro to something a little different.

Anyways, I entered the mission, and started beating up bad guys looking for this girl. I eventually come across a captive. "Holy Catgirls, Batman!" yup, there are catgirls in this arc. Anyways, I save the catgi-- I mean... captive, from the custom group of the arc, the "Anti Liberty League", an evil organization put together from people with sad childhoods who are then trained to an extreme level. So, I save the girl, defeat the boss, and get the clue. So far, the arc looks promising, so I keep going.

The second level has you rescuing the same girl from the last mission, only this time, she's in a cave. The Anti Liberty League is the main enemy here. It's in this mission I come across my second minor gripe. This arc uses the word "Liberty" waaaaay too much. It got to the point where I was cringing every time I saw the word! But enough of that, I fight through the anti liberty guys, save the girl, and find the treasure chest.

The third mission sends me to a mysterious garden to save the Liberty Rose yet again. She's awfully good at getting captured, I'll give her that. So, the mission objectives are to find a journal, save Rose, and defeat the boss, a villain called "Fern Fatale" or something like that. The main enemy here is a custom group comprised of Rularuu wisps, and various Devouring Earth baddies. I complete the mission, and save Rose again.

The next mission takes you to a possible future where the Anti Liberty League have destroyed the world. Now, I absolutely love the destroyed atlas park map. I don't know why, but it's amazing, so you get extra points for that. The enemies are a group called the "Dark Alliance" which is comprised of Rularuu brutes and natterlings, praetorian robots, and the 5th Column. The objective is to find two magic swords, and save statesman who was captured trying to find the swords himself. Somehow, I manage to succeed where the mighty statesman failed, so I must be significantly more powerful than him. The anti liberty league says they used magic runes to capture him, but I think states is just a big pushover. =P

So, I find the swords, and go on to the next mission. Now, I have to save the world from the evil villain named "MAL" and save Rose yet again. This is my last complaint about the arc, the optional hostages. One of them is just some girl that you've never met before, has no back story or any explanation for her arrival. She just appears and starts fighting things. Also, the lost dialog for these allies is weird. When lost, they say "Come back. I rock!" or "Come back. I kick hard!" which doesn't exactly make me want to save them. But, I do anyways, I go beat up MAL and I save the world. Yay! Mission accomplished!
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Closing Statements: Overall, this arc was great. The plot was intriguing and the custom groups were very fitting. I like that you actually took the time to fill out individual descriptions for every minion, lieutenant and boss, and their costume design was very well done. My suggestion to make it better would be to go back and correct some minor text quirks like the ones mentioned above, and maybe give a back story to that random ally in the last mission. Also, the way you implemented catgirls into the arc made me chuckle. =P

Great work! I'll definitely play it again some time!

I think rep should be kept. It gives people an incentive to be nice in their posts, and not to be rude. It also helps us distinguish the good guys from the bad guys (the ones with red rep)

There's probably a good number of them. A lot of animations would get in the way of that huge shield.

Though I can't name any, I'm sure there are. =P

Thanks for the feedback!

I'm a bit busy today, but I'll be able to review yours this evening. Here's my little review list.

Arc ID: 221702 - The Pursuit of Liberty (ArrowRose) [Completed]

Arc ID: 96322 - The Tannhäuser Gate (Aisynia) [Completed]

At the moment, but I've just finished another one this evening. I just have to write up a souvenir for the whole thing. I estimate that it'll be up by tomorrow evening.

and I'll scratch yours. Simply put, play my arc and I'll play yours. Here are my guidelines:

1) Play my arc first, rate it and comment, please. Tell me what works and what doesn't, and possible ways I can fix it. After doing so, you may post 1 arc of yours for me to review.

2) I will only accept 5 arcs at a time. I will let you know when room becomes available. After playing your arc, I will post my own personal review of it here.

3) Feel free to tell me if you think my arc sucks. I won't judge my opinion of your arc based on your opinion of mine. Constructive criticism is appreciated however, so if you think it sucks, please tell me why it sucks so I can fix it.

I will start reviewing your arc as soon as possible. Keep in mind I am limited by my free time. Between schoolwork, housework and other real life issues, I may not get to your arc immediately. Also, I will post which arcs I have set for review, just so you know I'm not ignoring you. =D

My rating system is a tad bit lenient, due to the sea of not-so-good arcs I come across very often.

5 Stars: Amazing arc, loved every part of it and will definitely play it again!
4 Stars: Very good arc, enjoyed the vast majority of it, but it had some minor quirks. Will most likely play it again.
3 Stars: You get an A for effort, but some things may not have worked out, or some things forgotten.
2 Stars: Needs work. While the story may be good, there are definitely problems with implementation.
1 Star: I rarely give out a single star, but if you get one, then it means you have serious problems.

I will always explain why I give the rating I do, so I won't just give you 1 star and say "I hated it."

If you think this sounds good, all you have to do to get in on the action is play my arc, rate it and comment. It's that easy. After reviewing mine, post yours and I will play it as soon as possible.

Here are my arcs:

Arc ID: 348998 - Becoming a villain

Arc ID: 341280 - The Center of Havoc.

(If you would like me to keep spoilers to a minimum, please tell me before I review your arc. Though I tend to be vague on the details, I might end up spoiling something by accident.)

Argh! Curse my horrible date-reading skills.

Now I feel retarded.

Thanks for the info.

I played the "Mission: Awesome" arc the other day. Now, I don't want to sound overly-negative, but the entire arc was just plain boring.

I was really expecting something Laugh-Out-Loud funny from the guys at Rooster teeth. Red vs Blue is hilarious, so this can't be too bad, can it? Sadly, I was mistaken. The jokes were mediocre at best, and the story wasn't very compelling.

One thing I did like was the custom group used in the mission. They provided a decent challenge, while not being crazily overpowered like other custom groups I've seen. They had good costume designs, and their descriptions made me chuckle a little bit (read the Tech Support guy's bio, it's funny. )

But, overall, the Arc wasn't very good. I died at the last mission because Captain Dynamic decided to go and aggro three groups at once and get killed, leaving me to deal with the mess. After that, I honestly didn't want to trek back to where I was, so I just dropped it right there. If the story was more interesting, I might have considered trying again, but as it stands now, I probably won't be playing it again.

Sorry if I sound like a grumpy person with no sense of humor, but I honestly didn't think the arc was very good.

Let the swarms of angry responses and -rep come and attack me now.

I was told that nominees would be announced on Thursday, and now it's Friday. I can't seem to find any mention of the Architect Awards anywhere, or anything about the nominees. Is it for Hero-con participants only, or what?

What is love?

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a would chuck could Chuck Norris? =P

Figured out the answer, move along. nothing to see here.

Alright, three things.

1) This is not the appropriate forum for this topic. This forum is for discussing Technical Issues with your game, not for complaining about powers you dislike.

2) You sig is huge. Might I suggest making it smaller?

3) If you don't like the power, don't pick it. Simple.

I would love for it to be a new difficulty option. It always bugged me how people would be dead, and patrols would just walk past and go "Hey look, somebody killed kenny. Oh well, back to making sure nobody infiltrated our secret base!"

I would also like an option to keep dead bodies on the map, instead of them just vanishing. Maybe have a slider similar to the particle limits one to set how many bodies before the first one disappears. (sorry to derail, but were all talking about bodies, and that just popped into my head. =P)

That stinks. I'll just level up off scanner missions until it's low enough to beat.

Seriously, a mission with Circle of Thorns AND The Lost. Those two groups are a lowbie's worst nightmare. =P

I'm just wondering why the mission won't drop. It's double XP weekend, so I'll probably just wait until I out-level it to complete it.

Here's the problem I'm having. I have a mission called "Rescue a Midnighter" from Montague Castanella. It's too hard for my lowbie defender to complete, so I go to the contact to drop it. Problem is, the drop option isn't appearing. I haven't dropped a mission on this character in weeks, so I should be able to. It isn't timed, either, and I don't know what's wrong.

Don't tell me to contact support, I already tried that. The GM I got seemed like he had no clue how to play the game, and it ended with me quitting in frustration.

Any idea what's wrong here?