VPoindexter

Thanks for the responses, everyone. I've been noticing this on my scrappers most of all, perhaps because my attacks launch quickly and often. Two things I've noticed: First, the chance to miss a newly disoriented foe seems greatest on the first attack after the disorienting attack (in other words, one hit stuns them and sends them staggering, and the next attack is a whiff, but all subsequent attacks seem to have normal chances). Second, first attacks on any opponent seem (and here I say "seem" advisedly) to have a mysteriously high chance to miss.

Let me say this for the sake of clarity: I have not crunched the numbers, and I was specifically trying to avoid using the Combat monitor. What I was really trying to do was see if anyone else has noticed this, so I could make some (feeble, perhaps) effort to control for my own confirmation bias. What I'm hearing is that others have not found this a problem, so perhaps it's my own cognitive biases at work.

I'll keep looking at this, and maybe I'll put together a decent randomized data set, but we all know what a chore that is. Anyway, thanks for the replies.

Something I've been noticing recently -- and no, I haven't officially crunched the numbers -- is that my attacks seem to be missing stunned/disoriented targets quite a bit more than average. I've run some minor experiments, such as removing Brawl from my tray to avoid queering the Streakbreaker, and even relying only on three powers whose ToHit and Acc are identical. All my experiments are anecdotal, of course. Still, it seems that I'm hitting stunned targets far less often than I should be -- maybe even 33% less often.

Has anyone else noticed this? Is it a feature that I haven't heard about, like the Defense boost to fleeing targets? Or am I simply going mad from too much CoH play?

Just adding my $.02... I agree with Merchant that Praetorian content is tougher than the other two CoX settings. I like it that way. I'm not as seasoned as many of the posters on here (CoX was my first -- and still my only -- MMO experience, and I'm only a 24-month vet), but I've spoken with others who say CoX is much easier than other comparable MMOs, where the player must struggle like Hercules to reach level 10.

Mostly, though, I enjoy playing new characters. I've got toons on every server, many of them below level 20. Praetoria gives me a challenge I can't get from (for example) wiping out a cluster of Clockwork in Atlas Park, or taking on a handful of Snakes in Mercy Island.

Having said that, I agree that Praetoria seems to assume a higher level of play from first-time players, but that's not out-of-line with other MMOs, from what I've heard.

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1. Proper spawn point control and placement tools.

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I will strongly second this. I've built five-mish SFMArcs and found them solid through three test runs, only to have the third or fourth player who tried them after publication message me with "boss won't spawn" or "where's the real objective?" messages. Placement seems to be hit-or-miss, and some maps swallow up objectives entirely (the Atlas Meteor map gulped down a bomb needed for completion of a timed mish).

Tighter control of spawn points would certainly help me a lot in mishcrafting, but more clarity in the description would be a nice first step. For example, what do back/middle/front mean with a two-level indoor map? Why can I completely fill front and middle spawn points with red herrings and place my true ("Required for Completion") objective at map back, only to have either (a) my true objective show up in front anyway, or (b) my true objective not show up at all?

I know this doesn't sound much like a ST issue, but it is: I need to be able to control the flow of a mish so that the story "reads" as intended. If my boss is to arrive in response to an alarm on an objective at the back of the map, for instance, I need that objective to BE at the back of the map, and I need the boss to spawn at the front of the map...consistently, from test through every published play. Kinda-sorta just doesn't cut it.

I'll also second the poster who wants more dialog options, and I'll add "more dialog space." I routinely run out of space and have to truncate my dialog/clues/what-have-you. I know this doesn't make much difference to PLers/Farmers, who probably don't bother with the text anyway, but the limited space for text really undercuts RP/ST mishcrafting. And I'm not writing for PLers/Farmers...They have their own thing going on, and MA currently serves their needs far better than it serves mine.

Don't get me wrong: I love MA as an ideal. As a work-in-progress, it shows much promise. And I know we're just starting out here. I hope to be crafting newer and better arcs with newer and better tools for some time to come. But we need those tools and the ability to use them with precision.

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Honest question: you realize that mail is not global, right? It goes to one character.

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Actually, no, I did not know that. Thanks for the info.

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I wrote a story yesterday with two collection objectives. I wanted to do my best to have these object collected in a certain order, but since you can't set one collection to start after the other is completed, I decided to put the first one in the "middle" of the map and the second one at the "back."


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I've had precisely this problem with a couple of missions I designed, with the "real" clue spawning in front instead of in back, after all the red herrings were collected. And it seems the problem persisted intermittently even after I tested it successfully! Arrrgh.

I've even gotten one bit of feedback telling me my boss won't spawn, though the objective shows up in the Nav window. I don't know if this is related, if the map I chose was too small, or what, but I sent off a petition on the matter and haven't heard back, so I'm still waiting. I don't want to unpublish the arc until I know I'll be able to publish again in working order.

Some of these bugs seem to be intermittent, and testing the mish (even multiple times) doesn't help. I ran through the mish mentioned above three times, and each time the spawns worked, but I'm still hearing from players that there are problems.

Also, there are some maps that seem to "swallow" objectives such as collectibles/destructibles. I built a mish on the meteor-struck outdoor Atlas map and put an A-Bomb in it. It was a timed mish, and while the timer began counting down, the A-Bomb was nowhere to be found. And yes, I paced every inch of that map, so I know there was no A-Bomb. I had to scrap the mish entirely.

I'll second Decorum in calling for alternate-era maps. I'd also like to see suburbia, complete with fenced-in backyards that include built-in pools, kiddie wading pools, barbecues, and maybe even laundry hanging from lines (Do people still do that anymore?).

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Agreed. And PLers can't miss the mission-entry advert that says "Mission Architect Tip: You can level 1-50 with Mission Architect," or words to that effect. It's a way of saying, "Skip the game content. PL, PL, PL."

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Contrary to some people's interpretation of that statement, I don't think it has anything to do with the devs promoting PLing or farming. Far from it. Many people like to see it that way, but if you look at it more logically, they are merely stating that the MA can be a means to get all the way to level 50, because the wide range of missions available in AE does cover every possible level range. The devs would be have to be stupid to promote something that they have clearly discouraged since MA went live. But, people tend to want to interpret things like that the way they want them to be, which is highly unlikely the way they were meant by the devs at all.

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You're right. What the message is meant to say is that MA is an alternate method of leveling a character. This would be true if the mobs could be kept in line with those in the rest of the game. Unfortunately, because Farmers were finding exploits in Custom Critter, the devs made the MA mobs tougher. I hope this changes soon because until it does, MA is a little tough for the average lowbie.

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...constant Broadcast announcements of the formation of farm teams...

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Let me guess. Freedom? Virtue? I don't experience this problem. Of course, I am also hidden from search, because I find blind invites to team irritating. I use a network of global channels and global friends to find teams.

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I have toons on all servers except Freedom, and I've noticed Broadcast channels clogged with team-formation announcements on all of them. Agreed, it's worse on Virtue, but it's present everywhere. With luck, AE will slow this volume down as more AE devotees use Local channels inside the building itself, rather than Broadcast. We'll see if that takes off, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

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...incessent spamming with PL and inf offers to the point that in-game e-mail has no value whatsoever...

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In-game email stopped having any value when they introduced global channels. I don't want spam any more than you do, but don't couch it in terms that suggest that there's some meaningful value that's being lost in the noise. There's not.

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Sorry, this is simply not true. When I play a good arc in MA, I like to send comments and compliments to the writer. Spammers have largely made this impossible as fewer and fewer people prune down their e-mail files anymore. Of the literally hundreds of junk e-mails I've deleted or reported in the months I've been playing this game, every single one of them with no exception has been from someone looking to PL my characters or sell me inf for money. These are PLers and Farmers, not Storytellers or RPers or Badgers or any other category.

Quite honestly, I have no real problem with someone who PLs or farms for his own sake, as a way of enjoying the game; we all play for our own reasons and in our own ways. In fact, unless I find myself on a team that suddenly morphs into a farm team (which has happened all too often), I rarely encounter these folks, just as I rarely encounter the heavy-RP "dream police." It is only when PLers and Farmers intrude into my own enjoyment of the game that I get upset, and I've noted those instances.

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You play with strange farmers. The ones I know are already level 50.

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I meant PLers. Sorry for the mix-up.

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I play this game almost exclusively on existing level 50s, and I don't PL other people. I just enjoy running around and kicking [censored] as a way to relax and forget about real life for a while.

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And I can appreciate the 'relaxation' motivation for gameplay. One of my best friends plays Age of Empires II on the easiest setting, same map, every time. When I ask her why she doesn't increase the difficulty, she stares at me like I'm from Mars. I get it.

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Thanks, though, for projecting moronic value judgements on me. I'll be happy to return the favor.

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You're quite welcome, and you're quite welcome to return the favor. Sauce for the goose, after all...

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If you're going to insist on the value of your play style, at least show a trace of honesty.

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Value? Where did I claim there was any "value"? I claimed it was enjoyable. I don't give a damn what youfind "valuable" in the game, I'm not playing it for you.

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You have the unenviable position of standing in as a stalking-horse for every subliterate farmer/PLer who has graced these forums. You received a response largely because you were the most literate of them, and not because I was singling you out indivually. In general, both PLers and farmers have insisted, here and elsewhere, that theirs is a legitimate play style, and hence has "value," while at the same time denying that their...

...constant Broadcast announcements of the formation of farm teams...

...incessent spamming with PL and inf offers to the point that in-game e-mail has no value whatsoever...

...and general dumbing-down of the game...

should be of any interest to any other player, as though we all operated in little asocial bubbles where "do as you will" is the whole of the law. We don't, and PLers prove this when they spam me with offers to PL my characters. We have to get along with one another somehow. And aggressive farmers/PLers make that very difficult.

And as tit-for-tat is fair play, I frankly don't care what you give a damn about. I am voicing my view of PLers and farmers, just as you are responding to the OP. And I judge because I'm human. Enough said on that score.

This is the best post I've seen on here so far.

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However, from day one the devs have always been pitching their wares to the farmers, and by habit or whatever they included a ton of openings and incentives for farming. And not just farming but obvious exploits as well. (Exploiters are not the same as farmers, but the distinctions can blur.)

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Agreed. And PLers can't miss the mission-entry advert that says "Mission Architect Tip: You can level 1-50 with Mission Architect," or words to that effect. It's a way of saying, "Skip the game content. PL, PL, PL."

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I think it's pretty clear that Paragon Studios is experiencing some sort of difficulty with internal leadership, responsibilities relating to quality, and some developers have a poor knowledge of the game they're working on. Something along those lines has got to be the explanation for what's been happening. The turbulence in the development team has created some turbulence for the players, but hopefully they'll get it all straightened out.

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I'm not as convinced it's any kind of internal strife (though it well might be), as the kind of isolation you hint at. For example, as a player with a wireless connection and close-to-minimum hardware, I would NEVER have place AE next door to WW in Atlas, the laggiest place in Paragon City to begin with. The loading times alone harken back to the days of dial-up, and I've begun to avoid Atlas altogether for that reason.

But I think the turbulence among players probably has less to do with the devs that with the players. When I'm in WW and hear the beep of a Tell, and I have to scroll past fourteen "lfaet" messages to find my lost tell, and then it's nothing more than "AE farm team, interested?", it kind of honks me off a bit.

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i15 is bringing a tagging feature intended to help guide players to content. That may aid story-oriented players in finding story-oriented content. But it seems some large percentage of players - maybe 70% (???) - are completely uninterested in story. So don't expect MA story content to be as popular as other forms of content (basically farming).

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I think you're right about this (and what you say afterwards). It bugs me, but not to the point of leaving the game.

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As for coming across players with level 50s and even level 50 epics who have no idea how to play ... they're just noobs.

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I have to take exception to this part. Broadbrushing all noobs as folks who want to buy (or PL) a 50 is a bit harsh. I've met noobs who are very much taken with the story content of the game itself, and I class myself among them. But you're right that there are those (please-make-them-rare) people who want to enter a game with a winning hand every time, rather like mail-ordering a win at chess without actually playing. Those people puzzle me, I'll admit.

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As for the disgruntlement about people liking your arcs, even among people looking for stories there is a HUGE range of preferences and expectations. All you can do is make arcs of the type that you like yourself, and hopefully other people who like the same thing will find your material.

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I completely agree with this. Don't expect your well-written arc to find a home among people who prefer to skip that whole "reading" thing (and yes, I know that's not what you're saying, but it's what I get from some of the mindless farm/PL missions I've found myself in.)

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The MA is new. I imagine that over time we might see better player organization in relation to the MA. For example, if farmers have already organized and selected Atlas as their venue of choice, then maybe the story-oriented lowbie players should gather in Galaxy, Steel, and KR. Mid-level story-oriented players can gather in Bricks, Talos, or RWZ. Top level story players can gather in FF, while the farming players gather in PI. It's not that hard to figure it out, and eventually we'll all be following the ant trails to the hangouts for players with our particular interests.

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These are great suggestions, and I hope others are taking note. I only wish so much of this wasn't falling on the shoulders of the players themselves. I've already decided to abandon Atlas from level 1 onward, and I hope others do as well, until the devs realize what a mess it's become. Here's a suggestion: Move the AE building farther away from Atlas Plaza and WW! Five-minute load times and constant mapserves are driving people to distraction.

Already, a number of topics have shown up on these forums catering to story-focused AE arcs, and I'd like to see more.

As for the OP's complaint that farms get higher ratings than stories, the answer might be more obvious than most suspect. To be blunt, if you can craft a single mish that gives a farmer 1500 tickets, he's going to feel pretty good about giving you 25 tickets in return. It's a no-brainer.

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The hard truth is that not everyone plays games like this for the story. They play it for "fun", and what aspects of a game are fun is wildly subjective. There are people who think that blowing through a large outdoor map of mobs is a better time than a well-crafted story with cool-looking custom mobs, and they'll rate it as such.

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Right, and every farmer I've ever teamed with has run these things once and said, "Wow, who knew I could get from level 14 to level 50 in one afternoon? Gosh, all I was doing was having fun, and look what it got me. Neat!"

Farmers and PLers want to win. They want to win in the easiest, quickest way possible, preferably from the moment they enter the game. The only "fun" involved is winning, otherwise we wouldn't see farm maps with notes saying "I changed the mob makeup so the mobs wouldn't be so much of a challenge."

If you're going to insist on the value of your play style, at least show a trace of honesty.

Shameless self-promotion follows...

Because I'm an alt-oholic and enjoy starting new toons, I created a lowbie-friendly mission arc with no EBs and no AVs and mostly standard mobs, but story-focused. Try "An Empire of Secrets" (ID# 196108). It explores the powers behind the Wentworth's chain of consignment houses, something I've wanted to see explained in-game for some time. Do play it, and let me know what you think. I enjoy reading comments, even if they include constructive criticism.

And I'm mining this forum for other lowbie-friendly arcs, so keep 'em coming.

Objective: I created a boss NPC and couldn't save him because he had an "invalid costume." I haven't tried to replicate this, but it may have been a conflict between his large exposed brain and a head aura I gave him.

Subjective: I'm really enjoying the flexibility of the custom critter system, not only with regard to the powers, but also the costume pieces. I just wish custom mobs didn't take up so much memory in a mish file.