Talen Lee

*cough*

This doesn't strike you as the weensiest bit self-important?

How do you know they have 'no real reason other than sabotage?' You're assuming. And you're assuming that your arc cannot possibly deserve that two star rating. You are projecting onto an anonymous and silent community a negative trait that removes from you any need to change or consider. This, to me, sounds very arrogant; it can't be that people disliked your arc. They have to be being capricious and impious.

So it's the only way, if you choose to eschew the other ways available. Buying more slots is also clearly not intended to grant you more slots.

I know you are at the cap, but you keep speaking as though you are speaking for all the people that there are.

I did. You ignored it. Forgive me if I don't think your opinion on how your having solicited feedback has made a better arc.

Eh, 'Agree to disagree' is a pretty pretentious phrase in my experience. It's like a reverse godwin - the first person to say it gets to act as if they're the only reasonable person in the room if others don't concur.

That said, yeah, the system's ******. I'd rather an up-and-down thumbs-up, thumbs-down system, maybe something connective and clouded (where an author can attach linked recommendations to arcs by other players, etc.), than the 5 star system we have. I mean, I feel stingy with 5-star ratings, and I can think of several 5 star arcs which I wouldn't even give a 3. Then again, there are some people who think avoiding obvious spelling errors is the basic threshold for hitting a 4.

As it stands, AE is a world with not one, but two social zeitgeists, with one of these spirits being defined by publicity, an attempt to pimp your work, a desire to be seen positively and a desire to achieve DC and HOF. The other is defined by anonymity and complete unaccountability, and the things you do to excel in one social situation can have a negative impact on the other. Very simply, the system is fundamentally screwed. I feel my concerns about player-generated, player-rated content completely justified, many issues on.

Fact is, some players may rate you low not as 'griefing,' but your high rating might make them more inclined to be harsh. I fully expect there are people who have bounced Hopeless because they heard it being praised. There's a reason people capable of reasonable, objective criticism tend to get employed doing it.

Get another account. Pay a friend some inf to host your stories. Can trial accounts make AE arcs? There's another option. None of which sound great to me, but then, what I like to imagine the intended goal* of AE's small arc maximum is clearly not being adequately met.

They are not the only way to get more slots. They are the only way for someone who has already bought up to the cap and who doesn't want to spend more money for more slots. But your original sentiment was not 'for me, and people like me, this is the only way to get more slots.' It was 'this is the only way to get more slots.'

It would not be, in my opinion, unreasonable to increase the slot cap for people who have multiple arcs that have been heavily played. But file that under 'more attention.'

* That due to a smaller number of arc slots being available, the arcs that are up will be highly polished, very refined, and very good. This is the same idea behind the shortness of arcs - that you should be able to tell a good story in 5 missions. To say this view of discipline and focus are optimistic is understating things - it's downright naive, and I think the current standards of the game demonstrate this.

No they're not.

Economic interactions? Really not so much so.

Huh, right you are. I wonder if that was changed at all. I've been labouring under the impression that AAO is basically RTTC, but for damage instead. Knowing it's up there with Invincibility is kinda a wake-up.

Nope.

Invulnerablity scrappers have good taunt auras. But Shields sure as hell don't, and neither does Willpower. The paucity of Shield and Willpower tanks, on the other hand, they might make a teammate's taunt aura seem better than it is.

But shield's taunt aura is just meh for aggro management. Honestly, it just sounds like you've made your mind up and want people to agree with you.

I wish I could frame the e-mail in response. As far as random, ridiculous gestures go, that was the best one I've ever done.

Not really. I have a few characters who have 5 of the bastards slotted - like my fire/fire dom - who are packing it for the -rech that the set gets at 6. Those characters barely notice the healing it provides, even when firing off a power that has a chance to proc it every second or two.

If you're building a blaster for huge recharge, and say, s/l defence (so self-heals are stacking on top of other defences, and firing off often), it's good, but you need to saturate it.