SupaFreak

After trying to view the video on my new phone today while at lunch at work, I decided you were right and went back and upped the brightness and the sound. Hopefully it's bright enough now. Thanx for the feedback again, Michelle.

Thanx Battlerock X. Looking forward to the road ahead...

To: Daemodand

Who is it? o.O

Do people really search by Arc #?

I've updated the info for it on YouTube... I was up waaaaay too late last night and just slipped my mind.

Thanx for giving the arc a run. Hopefully it's deserving of the rating... I put a lot of time into it making it right (Thank You GlaziusF for critical and helpful feedback).


To: Backfire

Man, I had sooo many misteps along the way to the point where I am now with videos. I want better tools to create them, but $ priorities going elsewhere at this time. Glad ya thought the Teaser was good. Be seeing ya on Triumph. I'm most likely working this upcoming Saturday if there's a team running then. *scampers off to check for update from you*

Nah, there's no showing up of anyone. Some won't like my style, some will. I've seen every one of yours and I very much enjoy them so far.

I'm looking to be inspired by other's ideas and maybe give something to spark imagination in others who make videos. Nothing more.

You're doing great, and I hope you keep it up if you so choose to. The snowball starts at the top of the hill... not the bottom.

PEACE!

Under this new handle.

I had at least 50 on YouTube over a year ago as I was learning how to make decent videos and later learning the demo editing process.

I never promoted it and didn't get many hits. Then, I got to a point with myself where I couldn't take negative feedback very well and just shut it all down.

I'm pretty sure I've grown out of that now, and events in my recent life have changed me in some ways. I'm much more at peace with myself with just doing what I enjoy and not caring if it is accepted by everyone.

There's a lot of people who don't enjoy the things I enjoy, despite their popularity... and I never really looked at it that way.

So, shut me up...

I've made the first of my new line of videos with a teaser to my new A/E Arc, which I also haven't done in over a year.

View it or don't View it... Like or Dislike it all ya want... I plan on doing much more...

PEACE!

Really got away from it for nearly a year due to disappointment both in myself and the A/E system... but about a month ago, I returned to writing and playing arcs as well as even creating SupaShriek on Triumph to join the M-Arc2 SG to experience teaming while doing A/E.

That being said... it's nice to be back. I feel rejuvenated with it and remain hopeful attention will be given to the system again in some way, shape or form. It's easy for a veteran to get burnt out playing the same missions or Task Forces/Strike Forces over and over and over and over and over...

So, if any A/E players out there feel like trying out my arc Black as Midnight or the 1 minute teaser video in a nerdy attempt to tempt ya... I'd appreciate it. And feel free to promote an arc of yours I probably haven't played in a tell (since I don't frequent here on boards much).

Happy A/Eing and PEACE!

My apologies...

**video taken down, updated with better lighting and sound based on feedback**

...shouldn't have posted that in this thread in hindsight. I tend to do things without thinking. Comes with being from the male species and all. Right? o.O

I have a Heroic 35 Mercs/TA MM... I'll keep an eye and ear out to see how this develops.

Another possible solution to Task Forces/Strike Forces, Ouroborus and Architect Entertainment teams would be:

For all players on team: Treat as Collaboritve Mission (unabandonable)

Allows any player to talk to Contact + Add teammember enters next mission (if previous task completed) = remove existing players from map and selects current task.

Probably been suggested before, but to me... that's the best and easiest to implement.

Have ya heard All Nightmare Long off Death Magnetic? I hear a bit of Kill Em All influence mixed with some of their later styles. I was sold the second I heard this song...

\m/

To Ameros:
U2 is a phenomenal band. I was trying to find a song by them that I could suggest for Azure's list last night... but as a passive fan of theirs I was unable to find one amongst their huge list of songs.

Does U2 have a song you think might be a fitting suggestion for Azure?

This is where a guy like me who dabbles in and out of music genres needs some insight. I get some exposure from basic radio and very limited from television, friends, etc.

Mental Maden, I hope you don't think for a second I was aiming anything at you. I had YouTube comments, friends comments, etc. in mind when I mentioned nostalgia vs an artist's progression. It was a general comment that relates to anything with me.

So, in response to your response...

My take on Metallica, for example (short and simple opinions)...
"Kill Em All" - Heavy. Raw. Angry. Good. Dated.
"Ride The Lightning" - Heavy. Semi-Polished. Thought-provoking. Dated.
"Master of Puppets" - Heavy. Polished. Masterpiece. Ground-Breaking. Timeless.
"...And Justice For All" - Heavy. Technical. Different. Dated.
"Metallica" - Heavy. Mainstream. Different.
"Load" - Limited Heavy. Mainstream. Average.
"Reload" - Very Limited Heavy. Unfocused. Below Average.
"St. Anger" - Raw. Angry. Unfocused. Rushed. Mostly Forgettable.
"Death Magnetic" - Heavy. Angry. Thought-Provoking. Masterpiece (save Unforgiven III).

On Anthrax...
During the Belladona era, I feel "Persistance of Time" was their greatest with him. "Among the Living" was great for it's time, but I feel it's dated to a time and they were still learning their craft.

I enjoyed the early John Bush era of Anthrax, but it got very uninspired for me after the second effort with him.

I completely agree with you on the comment about fame and success of these bands. Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth all seemed to lose their focus on what got them to where they were.

As a part-time musician, my take on this is this:
Once fans have established an identity of who you are... when you abandon that identity while musically experimenting as you progress, it can come off to those who were fans of your initial (raw) work as insincere, unfocused and forgettable.

I feel all 3 of these bands forgot who they were along the way, but all 3 look to be returning with a good mix of their roots +a mix of what styles they picked up along the way very nicely (awaiting new Anthrax w/Belladona).

I'm no expert on metal either. I know who I know and always am discovering bands I missed or new ones emerging.

Testament and (my favorite) Overkill were probably the only 2 bands of this genre/era to never let me down along the way and happy to say they're still heavy and raw 20+ years later.

Sorry to interrupt this thread with a metal rant, Azure. You said maybe we'll go off on different topics along the way tho...

\m/

Okay, I'll stop with the promoting of heavy songs I'm into... here's some radio-friendly songs that may work:

REO Speedwagon Only the Strong Survive

Soundgarden Rusty Cage

Foo Fighters My Hero

Smashmouth All Star

Tom Petty I Won't Back Down

Rush Mission

That's all I can think of or find at this time...

Yea, that was wrong of me. Wish they were talented, seriously. Sorry it couldn't have been better than that.

I'd also like to say that Terrorizer has the next #1 song in America! Move over Key$ha and Beiber! o.O

While I am a fan of the 80s metal scene, I am also a fan of where these bands (Anthrax / Testament / Metallica / etc) progressed to later in their careers. I have a problem being nostalgic, and feel we can't have copy after copy of "Master of Puppets" and any other great metal albums.

Anyhoo... since they were mentioned... here's some fitting songs from these bands in the "City of" setting (from classic to modern where applicable):

Testament
Trial By Fire Classic, cool groove, borderline heroic / vigilante
Time is Coming Fitting for vigilante or rogue
True Believer Dark, fitting for villain. My pick from them.
More Than Meets the Eye Kinda spiritual, heavy, fitting for a rogue or someone who's fallen and getting back up.

Anthrax
One World Kinda political but energetic, qualifies as heroic to me
In My World For the one with inner struggles or outsider, rogue or vigilante
Fueled - My pick. Very energetic. Definitely for the conflicted rogue or vigilante

Pantera
Cowboys From Hell - Definitely villain, IMO. Classic.
Mouth For War - More fitting for a rogue. My pick from them.
Pantera (IMO) is one of those bands with sooooo much potential and they were reinventing metal, but from here they just went downhill thanx to drug abuse by Phil.

R.I.P. Darryl.

Metallica
Seek and Destroy - Villain, without a doubt. Classic.
Damage Inc. - 100% Vigilante. 100% Energy. 100% Love this song.
Fuel - I say fitting for a rogue. Probably familiar with this tune. Modern, but I say it nods to their past.
All Nightmare Long - Probably fitting for a Vigilante. Either this or Damage Inc. is my pick from them. I love Death Magnetic! Right up there with Master of Puppets to me.

Megadeth
Liar Hero, borderline vigilante.
Sweating Bullets I say Rogue.
Headcrusher Vigilante, probably. I like to stay with the times, so this is my pick from them. Megadeth puts out a lot of specific personal subjects or political songs and hard to find something fitting for "City of". Plus, there was a phase they went thru I couldn't follow for a while. Great to have them back to their roots.

These are all a far cry from Skillet, Pat Benetar, Smashing Pumpkins you mentioned (all of whom I like and respect as artists)... but, maybe you'll find something in there ya like...

I tend to lean more towards the heroic side but with a dark edge... so I'll link some "vigilante" - hyper songs.

Overkill "Bring Me The Night"

Arch-Enemy "My Apocolypse"

Annihilator "King of the Kill"

Skinlab "In For The Kill"

Skindred "Stand For Something"

Straight Line Stitch "Black Veil"

Otep "Confrontation"

I post on the forums. Man, I'm annoying. >

Just wanted to voice my opinion in agreement with Wrong Number on the HoF requirements.

100 5 stars (actual or average) should qualify an arc for HoF. The new-ness of A/E has died off and a more reasonable goal of reaching Hall of Fame certainly would be nice.

2018 is a long ways to go to "maybe" reach Hall of Fame.

Thanx for the review Glaz. Surprised you ran this +2/x0 in the low 20s, but I suppose you had your reasons. All I really have to test missions at this time are 50s and I'm out of character slots on my server, so I really have no idea what type of challenge someone in their low 20s faces.

I am going to be diligently working on this arc when I can and perhaps I shouldn't have marked it as Final, tho I feel for the most part there's not going to be any major overhaul in the story or mechanics (maybe custom groups - trying to find a way to add without going over the top on difficulty)

I fully expected a 2-3 rating because this is my first attempt in over a year (and it shows, eh?). I know some will hate the end mission, while me... I love the challenge and the feeling of it.

I'll take your advice to mind as I move forward to improve the arc... thanx again!

EDIT: Also wanted to say why I didn't start a new thread promoting this arc (per instructions) is because while I feel it is "playable" and "legible", I knew it had room for improvement in some areas and I wanted to find out what an outsider would suggest and I very much value your opinion in your reviews.

Thanx for having me and to Bubbawheat for signing me up with MA Arc-2 VG. I never know when I'm working Saturdays, but I'll be making it there when I can.

Sundays are usually better for me (tho opposite was true this weekend) and I was hoping you guys had Sunday events as well.

If, during the course of the week at night, any VG member is on and doing MA Arcs.. send me a tell to see if I'm free to join ya.

Looking forward to more MA fun with ya guys...

Heya Glazius,

Since you're pretty much *the* source of reviews, I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd give a review of my first arc in over a year (and currently the only one published).

I was a huge supporter of AE before launch and all the exploits turned me off from it for a while, but I'm attempting to get back in the saddle and create and play story/caracter driven AE arcs again.

I submitted it to CoHMR once I got the "gallery image" finished (2 days ago, I believe), but I'm guessing real life is keeping them from updating/adding it.

Anyhoo... the arc is:
"Black as Midnight"
Arc #482914
Heroic / 22-27 / 5 Missions / @30-60 mins to play depending on AT and doing non-objectives (not taking into account reading everything including bios)

One small request is not to reveal the name of the final enemy (EB, unless settings to allow AV) and based off your former reviews, you do a great job being cryptic about those situations.

Thanx in advance, @SupaFreak

Thought about jumping on board with this back when you first mentioned it, think I'll roll a Villain and give it a try. Maybe it'll give me some hope for A/E's potential.

Gonna try sending you a tell in game when I can to see if I can catch up with ya on this.

The following is a suggestion and based on my opinions as a subscriber to the game since Beta. I respect all responses and hope you show the same if you choose to respond...

We here at Architect Entertainment are pleased to announce the acquisition and merger with the Supergroup Coalitions of Paragon and Isles. We have great improvements in store for the brave heroes and nefarious villains and those inbetween!

Base Entry Points
We are doing away with those nearly invisible blue cylinders your Supergroup currently uses to access your base, and we're replacing them with technology that is on par with Vanguard's advancements.

Access to your Supergroup's base will now be found on the first floor of all our various Architect Entertainment building throughout Paragon City and the Rogue Isles!

You read it right! 2 Map Markers all in 1! With the added benefit of being safe from Rikti and Zombie Invasions as well as the unwanted ambush from another more powerful team!

But, that's not all...

Base Teleporter (Power)
We've upgraded your Base Teleporter power to know which zones you (or your team leader) have access to! This includes a graphics upgrade to match the improved Train and Ferry travel system. No longer will you need to zone multiple times to get to your destination! And, on top of that...

Supergroup Registrar
Now you'll find that travel to pay your monthly dues will be less of a pain and accessible from right behind every Architect Entertainment welcome desk!


We'll return to further Supergroup improvements here shortly...


Architect Entertainment for Designers
We here at Architect Entertainment have re-evaluated our system and will now provide you with better tools in which to tell your stories!

Basic & Advanced Mission Goals will be recategorized in the following manner:

Category: Encounters

Boss Encounter
This will replace the current "Fight A Boss" with a value of 1-10 based on Map size and allowing only Bosses. Option to add as an Ambush added.

Elite Encounter
A value of 0 to 4 based on Map size, allowing only Elite Bosses and Arch-Villains. Option to add as an Ambush allowed.

Giant Monster
Value per Map unchanged.

Add An Encounter
This will allow you to place a Minion or Lieutenant encounter in a mission, with the value being the current "Fight A Boss" minus the new restrictions on Boss encounters. Option to add as an Ambush allowed.

Add A Patrol
Value per Map unchanged.

Add A Battle
Value per Map unchanged.

Note: All Encounters may be friendly and may betray on triggered event. This also allows ambushes to be required objectives if the designer wishes.

Category: Objectives

Free A Captive
This category will no longer allow you to designate the captive as an Ally, value otherwise unchanged per Map.

Add An Escort
This category will no longer allow you to designate the captive as an Ally, since the category of Escort an Ally has been added. Value otherwise unchanged per Map.

Collect an Object
Value unchanged per Map.

Destroy an Object
Value unchanged per Map.

Protect an Object
Value unchanged per Map.

Category: Allies

Add A Helper
A value of 0 to 1, based on Map size. These Allies will be the only Allies that will use any Buffs or Heals on the players.

Add An Ally
The value of these will now be between 0 to 3 based on the Map size.

Escort An Ally
Value is shared with Add An Ally, thereby not increasing the amount of Allies allowed per Map.

Note: Allies will no longer reduce a players rewards for defeating enemies within a mission, but will effect the players rewards for completing a mission.


Architect Entertainment for Players
Unfortunately, we here at Architect Entertainment have been ordered to make changes to our Rewards System based on enforced government regulations. This will mean less experience, but allows us to provide new and desired rewards for all!

Defeating Enemies
Rewards: 50% Experience, 50% Influence, Unaltered Ticket Chance, 125% Prestige

Completing Mission
Rewards: 25% Experience, 25% Influence, Unaltered Ticket Chance, 75% Prestige, Supergroup Merit(s)

Completing Story Arc
Rewards: 25% Prestige, Supergroup Merit(s)

In accordance with the government's new Repetition Act regulations, those participating in Mission Architect missions will find a new Architect tab in their Contacts.

In your Architect Tab, you will find 5 circles similar to Fame found from completing Tip missions. The second time you Accept or Join any arc from the same author in a 20 hour timeframe on the same account, an A/E emblem will display similar to Alignment change notification and an A/E emblem will occupy a circle, reducing your rewards by 20% of their current value for every aspect of the arc.

The values are cumulative up to 100% reduction and are only active on arcs sharing a Global Name you've Accepted or Joined on your account in a 20 hour span.

The reduction in rewards is not active during an arc containing 5 missions, as long as you've not Accepted or Joined a mission or arc from that author on your account in the last 20 hours.

Note: You may complete one of your own arcs once every 20 hours and still recieve 100% of A/E rewards!



Completing A Story Arc
Rating an Arc (Participant)
A simple Like and Dislike rating system will replace the current 5 Star system.

There will be no rewards for when you choose to Like or Dislike a player's arc for you or the designer.

The account which hosts an arc you completed will receive the same Supergroup Merits you did for completing their story arc.

Arc Completed (Author)
The account hosting the arc you completed may Claim their Supergroup Merits by any character on their account.

Note: Authors will no longer receive Tickets from others rating their story arc.


Supergroup Merits
These can be acquired only by completing missions and story arcs by players participating in Architect Entertainment and by authors who have their story arcs completed by other players.

You can claim and purchase rewards for Supergroup Merits only at the Architect Entertainment buildings from the Supergroup Vendor near any Base Portal.

Supergroup Merit Rewards include the following categories:

Personal Base Items: Acquire items for your Base (from 5 to 25 SG Merits per)
Base Contacts: Hire a Detective in your Hero base to access Safeguard Missions at or below your level, hire a Broker in your Villain base to access Mayhem Missions at or below your level - each allowing you to access a lesser temporary power upon completion (50 SG Merits)
Badge: Acquire a unique badge (15 SG Merits)
Costume Pieces: Purchase new and unique costume pieces from one of our two new themed sets, including weapons & auras (from 5 to 50 Supergroup Merits per)
Temporary Power (Prestige Boost): Increase the amount of Prestige you earn while in Supergroup mode for a limited time (15 SG Merits)

In closing, we here at Architect Entertainment are happy to have you frequent our locations on occasion but the greater powers request you also get out there and enjoy the real world activities as well!


FAQ
Q: How do I acquire Supergroup Merits while participating in Mission Architect?
A: When you complete a Mission from an author, you will receive the number of Supergroup Merits for every 50 Tickets you received for completing the Mission. 0-50 = 1 SG Merit, 51-100 = 2 SG Merits, and so forth. When you complete a story arc by an author, you will recieve a 100% chance for 1 SG Merit for each mission in the story arc as well. This 100% chance is subject to diminishing rewards, therefore is not guaranteed for multiple story arcs from an author in a 20 hour span.

Q: How do I earn Supergroup Merits as an author in Mission Architect?
A: You will receive a Supergroup Merit for each mission each player completes in your story arc at the point of completion of the story arc. If you have a 1 mission story arc in which 5 players finish and each receive 1 Supergroup Merit, you will receive 5 Supergroup Merits.

Q: How does the diminishing rewards work for when I do my own story arc(s) in a 20 hour period?
A: You will receive the same rewards for playing your own story arc in a 20 hour period as if you were playing another authors story arc. However, you will not receive the Supergroup Merits to be claimed as if another player completed your story arc. Also keep in mind this is account-wide, so changing characters to do any of your arcs after you've started one will suffer an additional 20% reduction each time up to 100% at which point you receive no rewards.

Q: I'm confused by this new system. How do I know when I'll receive less rewards while doing a story arc?
A: If you see a large A/E emblem in the center of your screen upon Accepting or Joining an Architect Entertainment story arc, you will be awarded fewer rewards. Check your Contacts and look for the Architect tab to see how many circles are filled with the A/E emblem. Each one filled reduces your rewards by 20%.

Q: Croatoa no longer has a Base Portal! Why?
A: They did not allow us to build an Architect Entertainment building there, so we've classified it as a "Hazard Zone" and removed it from the zone. We feel the old Base Portal is close enough to both the Midnighter's Club and the Train and it wouldn't kill you to travel elsewhere to reach us.

Q: I don't like this suggestion or the way you presented it, why did you submit it?
A: Well, it sounded good in my head. Are 80 Bosses ever really needed to tell a story? Do we ever really need or want more than 3 Allies ever? Is the state of MA really the way it was designed to be? Shouldn't something with the name Architect in it actually be tied to architecting such as Bases as well instead of being exploited to earn XP and Tickets? These are the FAQ I have for you!