Sumericon

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Negative. Trust me, I've had this happen. The GMs will literally not look at the content of your arc unless it's been locked and you've either prodded CS about it or you flag your arc for review. They will do nothing at all if left on their own.

[/ QUOTE ]

How many complaints does it take to get locked, or looked at by GMs? My Dev Choice arc has 8 or 9 complaints now (most of them aren't real complaints... the "complainer" didn't fill in any details so it's just the default text in the complaint box, and the others are about as laughable as the ones the OP says he got) but to my knowledge it hasn't been locked or anything.

I wonder if DC arcs are exempt from that process, anyway...

[/ QUOTE ]

My Dev Choice arc also has a number of complaints. The only one that actually lists a complaint is someone bemoaning that the arc did not drop any tickets.

Seriously.

jranger makes an Easter Egg cameo in my story arc #187269! Who caught the reference? C'mon you know you want to find it!

/shameless plug

I offer:

[ZQ] Power Play - Arc #187269

A City of Villains story arc uniquely told in the first person.
Story-focused, solo-friendly
No EB/AV at all. Signatures will scale to Lieutenant on challenge level 1. Increase your difficulty and/or team size to face bosses.

I'd already played and reviewed Teen Phalanx Forever, but since my brute has been collecting dust, I pulled him out of mothballs to try

Celebrity Kidnapping - Arc #1388

Celebrity Kidnapping begins with a great idea: snatch a celebrity out of jail and hold her for ransom. Being the heiress to a fortune, she's obviously going to be worth a pretty penny. The man with the plan is your old pal Willy Wheeler, you are the muscle, and Willy for some reason has brought in The Family to cause a ruckus at the Zig and then safeguard the captive.

My first nit with this arc is the entire premise that a celebrity heiress is going to jail at all, much less for drunk driving. If this were the way of the world, might as well just build a fence around Hollywood and call it prison. Anyway, suspending disbelief beyond that, the arc is very well constructed with a pleasant mix of essential plot-advancing story elements and total fluff (ambushes of "paparazzi" whose alpha attack is a triple-stacked Flash - bring break frees if you're squishy). It made no sense for the second mission to have a Warrior just "hanging around" with Freakshow types. They hate each other.

I failed the final mission. After (tell me why The Family boss here has a quantum gun?) getting the girl, again you have to lead her out. Your path is marred by a series of extremely difficult spawns in addition to the additional waves of ambushes and other seemingly random "rescues". It's just too much for your aggro-happy ally to handle and, ultimately, her burn everything in sight strategy gets her killed.

In the end, what started out promising in the beginning of the arc, falls into its own trap in the final mission, losing its focus on essentials and switching gears toward "more fluff, less substance." Paring down some of the extraneous elements would be helpful. Don't get me wrong, the fluff stuff adds character and I like it, but I think it's overdone in that final arc. YMMV

With solid design, excellent writing, minimal clues (with no need for them), and keeping Willy in character (for the most part), with the caveats I mentioned above, earns this arc 4 stars.

------------------
For your consideration I offer:

[ZQ] Power Play - Arc #187269

A City of Villains story arc uniquely told in the first person.
Story-focused, solo-friendly
No EB/AV at all. Signatures will scale to Lieutenant on challenge level 1. Increase your difficulty and/or team size to face bosses.

New review by theHedoren. Thanks!

Thank you for your kind (and very thorough!) review.

My goal for this arc was this to present a story in a new way, departing from the usual "Go here. Do this. Go there. Do that," formula that has become part-and-parcel with pretty much all the material in the game. I chose a villainous theme to signify this rebellion from the norm.

Changing to the first person point of view made the design both easier and more challenging. Easier because I only had to focus on details and events that were happening to "me", and script each encounter in that character. More challenging because I had to, as the writer, be aware of knowledge and events surrounding the story and influencing it, even though I was forced to forgo them because they were outside the immediate experience of the main character. Naturally, the first person point of view lended itself well to allowing the protagonist to disobey the contact's "orders" and seize his/her own opportunities.

I'm glad that you were able to slip into the character and run around in his/her skin for an enjoyable ride. I agree, this arc is probably not for everyone and some of the more subtle details will be lost on players. This is to be expected when you take risks and break the mold. I believe there is an audience for this type of story despite the MA's inability to design "choices" and "branching plots" which let the player instead of the author or character make the decisions.

To answer your questions about Mission 3, look to the canon. At one point, Marshall Brass on Cap au Diable sends you to steal a rocket-pack from the Gold Brickers. During the debriefing he reveals the incontravertible conclusion:

[ QUOTE ]
Dr. Aeon [has] been using the Goldbrickers to carry out thefts and attacks on his own. Trading them technology for their services. Using them as his own secret mercenary force.

[/ QUOTE ]
True, it's a defeat all, which is supposed to be a no-no, but it's a tiny size map. A solo character will face about 10 mobs on the entire map.

For your final question, [ZQ] is like my signature, to identify my work in case I turn to alternatives to publish arcs once my existing slots are full. The ZQ itself refers to The Zagmuk Quorum, one of the 12 days of the Zagmuk Festival, the Sumero-Babylonian new year celebration in which the gods gathered to decide the fates of men for the year ahead and... yadda yadda yadda. You can look it up here.

AE System to Holiday

I have had to split up the list in order to post a revision, otherwise, I get an error. This is now in two parts.

AE System
--------
[url=http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=13315151]Mission Architect Playable Tutorial - 28470
Welcome to Architect Entertainment -- Neutral
Death for Dollars! -- Neutral
Bare Knuckles of Rage (9304)
Signal to Noise -- Neutral -- 67277
5th Anniversary Flashback Smackdown -- Neutral -- 126896
*

Allegory
---------
Who is Kidnapping the World's Great Philosophers? -- Neutral -- 86347
*

Character/Supergroup Origins
--------
Birth of a Fossil -- Heroic
Secret Origins(Tech) The Snake Women of Epsilon V (42221) - Heroic
Noah Reborn -- Heroic (2370)
Polar Emergence Neutral Government User Interface Network (PENGUIN) #29205 - Heroic
Jumping in Feet First - Heroic - 1345
Midnight Bells Toll ----Villanious
A Hero is made, Not Born. -- Heroic -- Arc# 20863
A Mother's Nightmare -- Heroic -- #6955
A Rose's Thorns -- Heroic -- 113224
New Flame Rising - #161066. Heroic. 4 missions. Mish 2&3 have 1 EB each, mish 4 has 5 EBs, each encountered separately. Recommended for SG, teams, or strong solo'ers. Origin of a new npc villain organization.
*

Classic Super-Hero/Super-Villain
--------
THE BOMBER --- Heroic --- Arc 16607
In The Shadow of Statesman --Neutral--1160
A Show to Die For! --- Heroic --- 30645
Check... and Mate #15095 - Heroic - Mini Task Force
Teen Phalanx Forever! -- Heroic (67335)
This Life Immortal - (5756) Heroic
Paradox Paradox - (69221) Heroic Stop yourself and Stellar from being erased!
Sidekicks Can Be A Pain In The Cape - (28430)
'Tis Nobler in the Mind - Heroic
Deadly Sins! - 99366: fairly tough arc, can be solo'd.
Marketing Opportunity - Villainous - 83747
To Save A Single World - Heroic - 83744
A Crusher Crimewave #1 : Crisis at The Citadel (ID 50271)
A Crusher Crimewave #2 : Escape from The Zig! (ID 83458)
A Crusher Crimewave #3 : The Fall of Mocker (ID 123613)
*


Comedy
--------
The String Thief, Arc ID: 15726 Neutral 1-54
Mean People, Arc ID:16690 Neutral 1-54
The Extadine Lab -- Heroic (2595)
MacGuffin Delivery Service (1567) -- Villainous
ParaCon -- Heroic (1684)
The new and improved Lord Recluse Strike Force -- Villainous (though I wouldn't recommend against a hero )
The Fire Bunnies - Neutral, They are only bunnies after all...
You Say It's Your Birthday! (3630) - Neutral
Trademark Infringement -- Heroic (2220)
Hail to the King Neutral (34640)
Walk On the Wild Side - Neutral - 3580
Shirley You Jest (25474) -- Neutral
The Invasion of the Bikini Clad Samurai Vampiresses from Outer Space! - Heroic - 61013
Gnomish Madness (30204) - Heroic
Doctor Nadir and the Hellion Heist (49661) - Heroic
Laugh? I Thought I'd DIE! - Heroic
The P.U.G. Strike force (arc 35585) -Villian
A Translator is the Wind or the Thunder in Turns -- (2936) - Heroic
What's in a Name? - Villainous
None More Black, Dude! (#86312) Neutral
Rise of the Drakule - Neutral
Return of the Revenge of the Son of Drakule Part 2: First Blood - Neutral
Martian Chimpanzees and the Cyborg Cheerleaders of DOOM! (Arc #69947) - Heroic
Daytime Divas - #94504 Where else can you get a hair extension as a souvenir?
Death to Disco! - (Neutral, 84420) A short arc that has time travel, silk shirts, platform shoes, Jimmy Carter and a chance to save Rock and Roll.
Too Many Bunnygirls! - ID#101165(neutral). Time to stop them once and for all.
Invasion on Earth BX1132! - Neutral - 45+ - #98943
Ee=Ai-Ee-Ai-Oh! - Neutral - 3662
The foul-mouthed Handyman! - Neutral - 1076
City of Norms - Neutral - 132944
Killing The Meow Farm - 141625 - Neutral
Shortbow - Arc ID: 143566 - Heroic Lvl: 30-38
Jerk Hackers! - Heroic (162482)
*
Comedy/Drama
--------
Kidnapping an Idol 136188 Neutral
Fashion Apocalypse - Neutral - 14840
The Running of the Bulls -- Heroic 29973
A Super Team is Born -- Heroic
Cause of How Some Silly Stealed My Wings #1481 -- Neutral
How to Survive a Robot Uprising -- Heroic (12669)
Dr. Duplicate's Dastardly Dare -- Neutral
It's a Nice Day for a White Wedding (9059) -- Neutral
TURG FICTION: Ghost in the Machine, Act I - Heroic (althoughs romantic villains could try this too )
Rum Runners of Bloody Bay (3691) - Heroic
Have a Blap, Blap, Blappy Day Kids! (2019)
The Toypocalypse! (49280) - Heroic
Fishing for Fame with Red Herring - Heroic (66861)
Putting Out Fires: A Corporate Satire (20100) - Villainous
The Rise and Refall of Pets'n'Things.com - Heroic - 1061
The Cat's in the Cradle (8776) - Villainous
Females for Hire - Neutral (Heroic and/or Mercenary motivations) (110723)
The Cathedral of Mild Discomfort - Heroic (153712)
Freaks, Geeks and Men in Black - Heroic (161629)
*

Crime/Gangs
--------
Bricked Electronics -- Heroic (LIVE! 2180)
The Bravuran Jobs -- Villainous (16809)
The Black Flag Is On The Rise (Pirates!) - Villainous
Win the 2009 Freak-Lympics (2150) - Villainous
Ninja Crimewave! (2142) - Heroic
Whitehawks (Arc 49364) -- Heroic
The Internet is for Crime (53385) - Villains
Plastic Pistol Peril (1135) - Heroic
Friends in Need (Of Body Parts) - Villainous (31005)
A Little RnR - Heroic (17523) click for Promotional Poster
Mechanical Mayhem - Villainous (76721)
Females for Hire (about a mercenary gang) - Neutral (Heroic and/or Mercenary motivations) (110723)
Battlin' Tom's Murder Extravaganza! -- Villainous -- 99803
Meet the Demon Spawn Heroic (#151099) {4 missions}
Slash DeMento and the Stolen Weapons Heroic (#100045) {1 mish-teaser for above arc}
[ZQ] Power Play (Arc #187269) - Villainous

*

Drama
--------
The Conciliators: Simone -- Heroic (4010)
The Fan Club -- Heroic
Matchstick Women -- Heroic -- 3369
Of Mentors and Legacy - Heroic - 1589
Digital Love -- Neutral -- 3571
A Flame the Burns Bright- 112548
Clonus, Parts 1 & 2 - Arc ID: 21499 - Heroic Lvl 30-54
*

Global Domination
--------
Axis and Allies -- Villainous (1379)
*

Global Destruction
--------
The Twilight of this Blue Orb -- Villainous (98529)
*

Heist
--------
Celebrity Kidnapping -- Villainous (1388)
Easy Money -- Villainous (31490)
The Great Diamond Heist -- Villainous (96169)
*

Historical (Realistic)
--------
Wrinkle in Time -- Heroic(68920)
*

Historical (CoH Lore)
--------
The War on Superadine - The Regulators in their 1980's drug war (Heroic) (Arc 7959)
Origins - Volume 1 (57077) -- Heroic
[ZQ] The Once and Future King (#71601) - Heroic
*

Holiday
--------
City of Ho Ho Ho #18775 - Heroic
Hectic Holidays -- Heroic (36999) also comedy
Santa's Missing List - 34961
Santa's Workshop of Misfit Toys - heroic - 134140
*

[ZQ] Power Play

Arc #187269

A City of Villains story arc uniquely told in the first person.
Story-focused, solo-friendly

Ever since I arrived at these Rogue Isles, they've been lining up. From two-bit punks to fascists to shadowy mystics to total freaking psychos. They all want me to be a part of their next big scheme. The problem is, it's a small part, usually the part where I do most of the work and they sit back, chuckle, and count the loot. I've had enough. When's my time? When do I quit being a lackey and make my own Power Play?

Now.

Prologue

At last, I've made it to his lair. He thought he'd send his goons for me, did he? Well I don't roll over that easily. Not for him. Not for anyone. It's time to teach him some manners....

This will lead you directly into your first chat with the contact.

Use the Escort mission detail, then set Betray to 'True'.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
There is a global channel called MA Arc Finder.

This global channel is open to all and is intended for across all servers to help players promote, locate or get tech help with Mission Architect story arcs.

NOTE - This Channel is meant to be CROSS SERVER. It is intended as a way to help locate arcs you might want to play and to promote your own arcs beyond your home server. It is in no way meant to replace individual server channels.

[/ QUOTE ]

With a name like that, it sounds like a good place to locate/promote an arc.

Anyone know a good global channel devoted solely to MA tips and help? I'm hoping for one where the help tips won't get drowned out by the arc promotion spam.

[/ QUOTE ]

The global channel is called Mission Architect.

[ QUOTE ]
Not sure that counts...

[/ QUOTE ]

It doesn't? How so?

[ QUOTE ]
I'm working on an arc in which the villain leaves a series of seven holographic messages for the player. Each holograph is actually a hostage, made to look like a holograph of the villain. As the player encounters each hostage, the hostage leaves a clue, which contains the message spoken by the villain. The messages need to be read in a certain order to make sense, so I'm trying to find a way to force the player to encounter them in order.

My first attempt was simply to put them all in the mission at once, setting the first three messages to "Front", the next three to "Middle", and the final one to "Back". Unfortunately, they tend to spawn out of order. Not only might I see, say, number 3 before number 2, sometimes I'll even see number 5 before number 3. (This happens even on large, four-floor maps.) My next attempt was to chain the hostages, so that number 2 appeared after number 1 was rescued, 3 appeared after 2, etc. That didn't work well either, as the last two or three hostages wouldn't spawn reliably. (Again, even on large, four-floor maps.) I also tried picking maps that were straight and narrow, without a lot of branching points, in the hopes that they would spawn in order and be encountered in order, but no luck-- hostages would still tend to spawn out of order. At one point, I even tried converting all of the hostages to allies to see if that worked any better, but it didn't.

So, I'm stumped. Is there any way to guarantee with 100% (or even 99%) certainty that the player will encounter hostages in order, and that all hostages will be spawned? Or should I give up on the whole "holographic messages" idea entirely?

[/ QUOTE ]

The only way you can force the clues to be discovered in a specific order is to chain them. What happened when you did that? You said it's unreliable but didn't elaborate.

However, if you chain them together, since we can't specify exactly where mission details will spawn, you may run into players having to backtrack in order to get the next clue.

One option would be to allow the player to get all the clues in any order without chaining, which they would then have to re-order and decipher (make sure you include the text in the Clue text fields so the player has a reference!). You could even make it a riddle or something similar that becomes part of the story.

Just thoughts.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think they're talking about Footsteps Initiative. Strangely, it seems like it's been removed. I can't find it using search.

[/ QUOTE ]

By default search doesn't show you arcs you've rated already. So you may want to take that out. That's how I "lost" it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, that's probably the issue. On Browse and Play, click Search Options, click the radio button for I haven't voted on, and click Search again.

AE System
--------
Welcome to Architect Entertainment -- Neutral
Death for Dollars! -- Neutral
Bare Knuckles of Rage (9304)
Signal to Noise -- Neutral -- 67277
*

Character/Supergroup Origins
--------
Birth of a Fossil -- Heroic
Secret Origins(Tech) The Snake Women of Epsilon V (42221) - Heroic
Noah Reborn -- Heroic (2370)
Jumping in Feet First - Heroic - 1345
Midnight Bells Toll ----Villanious
A hero is made, not born. -- Heroic 20863
*

Classic Super-Hero/Super-Villain
--------
THE BOMBER --- Heroic --- Arc 16607
In The Shadow of Statesman --Neutral--1160
A Show to Die For! --- Heroic --- 30645
Check... and Mate #15095 - Heroic - Mini Task Force
Teen Phalanx Forever! -- Heroic (67335)
This Life Immortal - (5756) Heroic
*

Comedy
--------
The Extadine Lab -- Heroic (2595)
MacGuffin Delivery Service (1567) -- Villainous
ParaCon -- Heroic (1684)
The new and improved Lord Recluse Strike Force -- Villainous (though I wouldn't recommend against a hero )
The Fire Bunnies - Neutral, They are only bunnies after all...
You Say It's Your Birthday! (3630) - Neutral
Trademark Infringement -- Heroic (2220)
Hail to the King Neutral (34640)
Walk On the Wild Side - Neutral - 3580
Shirley You Jest (25474) -- Neutral
The Invasion of the Bikini Clad Samurai Vampiresses from Outer Space! - Heroic - 61013
Gnomish Madness (30204) - Heroic
Doctor Nadir and the Hellion Heist (49661) - Heroic
Laugh? I Thought I'd DIE! - Heroic
The P.U.G. Strike force (arc 35585) -Villian
A Translator is the Wind or the Thunder in Turns -- (2936) - Heroic
*

Comedy/Drama
--------
The Running of the Bulls -- Heroic 29973
A Super Team is Born -- Heroic
Cause of How Some Silly Stealed My Wings #1481 -- Neutral
How to Survive a Robot Uprising -- Heroic (12669)
Dr. Duplicate's Dastardly Dare -- Neutral
It's a Nice Day for a White Wedding (9059) -- Neutral
TURG FICTION: Ghost in the Machine, Act I - Heroic (althoughs romantic villains could try this too )
Rum Runners of Bloody Bay (3691) - Heroic
Have a Blap, Blap, Blappy Day Kids! (2019)
The Toypocalypse! (49280) - Heroic
Fishing for Fame with Red Herring - Heroic (66861)
Putting Out Fires: A Corporate Satire (20100) - Villainous
*

Crime/Gangs
--------
Bricked Electronics -- Heroic (LIVE! 2180)
The Bravuran Jobs -- Villainous (16809)
The Monstrous Regiment of Lesbian Hellions -- Heroic (27178)
Win the 2009 Freak-Lympics (2150) - Villainous
Ninja Crimewave! (2142) - Heroic
Whitehawks (Arc 49364) -- Heroic
The Internet is for Crime (53385) - Villains
Plastic Pistol Peril (1135) - Heroic
Friends in Need (Of Body Parts) - Villainous (31005)
A Little RnR - Heroic (17523) click for Promotional Poster
*

Drama
--------
The Conciliators: Simone -- Heroic (4010)
The Fan Club -- Heroic
Matchstick Women -- Heroic -- 3369
Of Mentors and Legacy - Heroic - 1589
Digital Love -- Neutral -- 3571
*

Global Domination
--------
Axis and Allies -- Villainous (1379)
*

Heist
--------
Celebrity Kidnapping -- Villainous (1388)
Easy Money -- Villainous (31490)
*

Historical (Realistic)
--------
Wrinkle in Time -- Heroic(68920)
*

Historical (CoH Lore)
--------
The War on Superadine - The Regulators in their 1980's drug war (Heroic) (Arc 7959)
Origins - Volume 1 (57077) -- Heroic
The Once and Future King (#71601) - Heroic
*

Holiday
--------
Hectic Holidays -- Heroic (36999) also comedy
Santa's Missing List - 34961
*

Horror
--------
Astoria in D Minor (41565) -- Heroic
Dark Dreams (3615)
D!E BLACKULA D!E! (10619) -- Heroic
Don't Play With The Dead (31813) -- Neutral
The Amulet of J'gara (1709) -- Heroic
Project: Perilous - Into the Chthonian Pit (#3586) - Neutral (Unless you happen to be a mad cultist, in which case, go nuts!)
Small Fears -- Heroic
Lights, Camera, Scream! (#68627) - 3 Mission arc that get's you into the B-Horror film circuit.
*

Large-Scale Crisis
--------
This Is War, Part I - the Revenge of Hro'Dtohz -- Neutral
Win the Past, Own the Future - Heroic
A Warrior's Friend - Heroic
The Clockwork War -- Heroic (18672)
Flight of the Valkyries - Precursor (20272) -- Neutral
The Human Hive (#1632) - Neutral
War of the Worlds - The Anakim Invasion - Part 1, Neutral (15006)
http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat....ue#Post13304513
War of the Worlds - The Anakim Invasion - Part 2, The Terran Revolt, Neutral (46711)
url=http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=13304455&an=0&am p;page=0#Post13304455
Bleed the Freak - Arc ID #6919 - Heroic
*

Magic
--------
The Magical Miss Fitz (5079) -- Heroic
Chains of Blood (5492) -- Heroic
A Deal with Destiny -- Heroic
The Broken Chain (82378) -- heroic
Croatoa's Great War: The Parfait Family Reunion -- Neutral -- 71880
*

Military
--------
Redoubt Operations #1: Fires over Kalago -- Heroic
Red Storm Rising (Arc 4912) -- Heroic
Whitehawks (Arc 49364) -- Heroic
Axis and Allies -- Villainous (1379)
Vanguard AQUA (58475) -- Neutral
*

Misc. Adventure
--------
The Portal Bandits (3326) -- Heroic
A Glitch in the Wyre- Arc 73197-- Neutral (Fun for both the good kids and the bad kids too!)

Mystery
--------
Blowback (18575) -- Heroic
Dream Paper -- Heroic (13030)
Dream Paper 2: Restless Sleep -- Heroic (16797)
Dream Paper 3: Broken Dreams -- Heroic (13064)
*

Mythology
--------
Atlantis Attacks! -- Neutral (30898) -- Click for Promotional Poster
Anactoria's Descent Into the Underworld -- Villainous
The Seelie War -- Heroic
The Unseelie War -- Villainous
Tales of Cimerora, volume 1 : Of feathers and fur -- Heroic
The Aegis Affair - Heroic
Witches and Warriors (53006)- Heroic
The War of Fate(12220,46722)- Heroic
Rites of the Maenads (61159) - Heroic
The Parable of the Fruit Salad -- Heroic -- 65369
*

Nemesis Plots
--------
Brass Reaver: Part 1 -- Neutral
The Handbag Plot -- Heroicish -- 36414
*

Player-Chosen Outcome
--------
Hunting the Dark Dragon -- Heroic
Playing Gods -- Heroic (51106)
*

Sci-Fi
--------
Adventures of the Space Marines -- Neutral
Adventures of the Space Marines 2 -- Neutral
Above Mars - Part 1: The Wellington -- Neutral (13215)
The Final Nemesis
The Adventures of the United Earth Rangers -- Neutral (29549)
The Continuing Adventures of the United Earth Rangers -- Neutral (70237)
Spaced Invaders --Heroic(56856)
That Mysterious Buzzing Sound - 12774
The Knights of Rularuu -- Heroic (75386)
*

Un-themed Survival/AV/Time Challenges
--------
The Meatgrinder -- Neutral
*

Puzzles/Riddles
--------
Grim Riddles (#1396) - Heroic

[ QUOTE ]
A few days ago an arc suddenly jumped up to the hall of fame with 999+ votes and it had previously been under 100. The it disappeared. What was that about?

[/ QUOTE ]

If you're referring to the arc that I think you are, it has been up and down to HoF status this week. It gets HoF, then almost immediately gets shilled out. The arc hasn't disappeared. When it drops to 4 stars status (less than 4.5, rounded down), it gets bumped to page 150-200 or thereabouts.

[ QUOTE ]
Only one I've seen is a Praetorian version in an arc featuring Marauder. He was quite Judge Dredd looking.

[/ QUOTE ]

I can't find him either. Are the Praetorians 1) not interested in being your ally, or 2) part of the "unlockable" stuffs?

Blue Steel (dev), if you happen to read this, could you perhaps hop over to the tailor, save your costume, and send me the file?

Nah. Too easy.

Here I am, in the midst of composing my epic, and I want to add Blue Steel as an ally in a mission, only to find out he's not available! I did an exhaustive search of the options with no luck. If he is in there, please let me know where.

Before I go and make my own, I was wondering if anyone out there has already made him and would be willing to share a copy of the files needed for the character or at least the costume.

Thanks for the help.

Update: I sent a /bug as well as a /petition. A GM responded in time. I reproduced the occurrence and I was disconnected. When I logged back in, the GM had completed my mission for me. I lost the merit reward. This brings my total merit rewards lost due to game bugs to 27.

I'm doing the Wheel of Destruction story arc via Ouroboros. The final mission is Defeat Archos and his Coven in outdoor instanced map. I enter the mission from Ouroboros. Objective is to click 5 glowies and defeat boss. Whenever I click any of the glowies--either the portal or one of the chests--as soon as the click bar completes, Lost Connection to Mapserver, disconnect.

When I log back in, I am not standing at the Ouroboros portal. The first time I logged back in, I was standing by Mender Tesseract. The second time I logged back in, I am standing next to Twilights Son. The third time I logged back in, I am standing next to Mender Silos.

I tried dropping first to Talos and entering the mission from the train stop instead, but still the same results. I am disconnected from the mapserver immediately upon clicking any glowie in the mission.

EDIT: Also note that after I disconnected from the mission I entered from the Talos train station, when I logged back in, I was *under the map* out near the Argo highway.

[ QUOTE ]
To the best of my knowledge, this "diminishing returns bug" seems limited to Positron---> Synapse. We know folks have run Synapse for full merits. I ran Positron and Synapse with in 12 hours and only got half my Synapse Merits. Despite running 10 TFs over the course of that weekend, it's the only time it occurred. I have not seen or heard anyone running a different TF (not Positron) and then encounter the problem with Synapse.

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I'd like to point out that even though this is an acknowledged and reproducible bug in the game, if you get hit with it and are ganked out of half your merit award for the Synapse TF, as I was today, you are screwed. Petitions to be reimbursed for your earned merits will be denied. Basically the devs have admitted their fault, knew about it before-hand, pushed it live, and, when people get hit by the bug, they shrug their shoulders and say "Tough Luck." The devs seriously dropped the ball on this by not building a back-door mechanic into the system for correcting wrong merit awards.

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One thing you are not taking into account is how gameable this would be for the players. I have dozens of alts who have slots that are not being used for anything. Under your system they would all be bidding for the best sets, so they would be more common. Enought people do this, and Numias drop more than all the other heal sets together. Right now the sets are divided into good/better/best. With the best sets being far more expensive. Under your system, no one would use anything but the best sets, and that would be pretty much all that would drop.

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QR

This is too griefable (is that a word?).

Ex. I am planning to run a TF. The day before, I log in all my existing alts (and alts on multiple accounts, if applicable), and with each character, use every available market auction slot to bid on 10 Miracle +rec at 1 inf each.

Might as well just give players a menu choice of what recipe they want from the drop pool.